Friday Round-Up

Motherhood has come with a ton of delightful surprises. There was the week where my dear daughter rolled over effortlessly two and a half times in a row (and then proceeded to forget her newfound skill). Then there was the week that she learned to “talk” – she's all about squeals and shrieks when she chats every night. And this week, I decided to check out the public library's free Mother Goose Story Time, which I must say was a delightful hour of wonder and fun.

The group began with everyone sitting in a circle holding their babies on their laps. Each parent or grandparent then joined in singing nursery rhymes to the children. DD loved to watch as the babies and parents danced and sang. She happily sat in my lap at this point and looked around. Then, when the librarian read short books to the group, she was enthralled.

After the nursery rhymes and book readings, the librarian pulled out a bunch of toys. DD watched her every move and was quite interested in the toy box, but it wasn't until the tunnels were introduced that my dear daughter went absolutely crazy. She bounced and stretched against my hands, trying with all of her three-month old might to walk through the brightly colored nylon tunnel in front of her. One-year old children ran around and crawled through the tunnels at their own will, and DD began to shriek, all at once filled with joy and desire.

I took her to the tunnel entrance and let her look inside. She looked at me in wonder, and then she looked back down into the endless circle of bright cloth. A little girl peeked in from the other side, and DD squealed in delight. We moved on to playing with the other toys, and she stood (with my help, of course!) and danced and shrieked her happiness at all the surrounding children.

All too soon, play time was over, but DD wasn't upset. Instead, she collapsed in exhaustion, a rag doll in my arms as I carried her exhausted little frame to the awaiting car. There, I deposited her in the carseat, and she slept. And slept. And slept. Until we return next week, her dreams will be filled with a never-ending nylon tunnel.

In other news, the blogosphere can't help become a little political as the race for the White House continues to dominate the news. Check out a few of the great finance blogs with something to say about politics, and then finish out your reading with a few great finance articles!

• Join Sandy at Yes I am Cheap as she rants about being part of the 47%. No matter your political affiliation, Sandy's take on entitlement and governments subsidies is sure to make you think.
• For another semi-political post, check out Budgets are Sexy's “You May Have a Higher Net Worth than Our Vice Prez!” Then check in with J. Money to share whether you think this info will influence your vote.
• Working toward the dream of enjoying life on the beach after retirement? Dominique at Life and My Finances details the “Five Things to Consider When Working Towards Retirement.” And it's not about which fruity drink goes best with your post-retirement beach lifestyle.
• If you think you're ready to buy a home, check in with Beating Broke for a rundown on how you can save money on your home loan. These tips and tricks could save you tens of thousands in interest over the course of the loan, so check it out...or leave your own favorite tip.

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