We just got walloped by a huge electric bill. This was due in large part to a record breaking heat wave that spanned much of August. Thus, there was relatively little we could do to avoid the worst of the bill. Nonetheless, we’re constantly on the lookout for ways to improve our energy efficiency. To this end, we’re now in the market for a shower timer. You see, Son #2 and Son #3 recently graduated from baths to showers, but when they’re left to their own devices, they take forever to finish. Not only does this waste a ton of water (not a good thing, since we’re also in the midst of a severe drought) but it also runs up the electric bill (our house is fully electric). While Amazon has a nice looking hourglass shower timer, we’re more interested in getting something with an audible alarm that can jar the boys out of their shower-induced trance. Timer suggestions would be greatly appreciated, as would any other tips as to how to get little boys to shower efficiently.

Raising4Boys participated in three carnivals this week. Here they are along with links to our articles that were included in each.

The Carnival of Family Life included “Kindergarten Meltdown.”

The Festival of Frugality included “Don’t Break Your Budget Buying Baby Stuff.”

The Best of Me Symphony included “Nervous Tics in a Nine Year Old Boy.” Also included was “How Movie Theaters Make Money” from fivecentnickel.com.

I wrote the other day about the trials and tribulations associated with our five year old’s glasses. A number of commenters suggested that we consider changing doctors, and they’ll be please to know that’s exactly what we did.

If you haven’t read Part 1, be sure to do so. If you’ve already read that, then let’s pick back up where we left off… [more]

As we’ve noted previously, our five year old is far-sighted and wears bifocals. More specifically, he wears +1 and +3 bifocals. We recently recently took him to his ophthamologist for his yearly exam. The doctor decided to change his prescription to simply a +3 with no bifocals based on a cursory exam during which he said (and I quote) “I think maybe we can get away with…”

As a mom that didn’t sit well with me AT ALL! My “Mommy Sense” was definitely heightened. And to top it off, the follow up appointment wasn’t scheduled for six months! [more]

This past Friday was our 11th anniversary. Since we live far from family and still haven’t found a reliable babysitter since we moved a year ago (admittedly, we haven’t looked very hard), we were pretty much on our own as far as the kids went. So… We went out for dinner as a family, then put the kids to bed early and had a nice evening to ourselves at home.

To be perfectly honest, it’s really hard to believe that it’s been 11 years since we got married. The time has flown by, yet our wedding seems like it took place so long ago. The changes have come fast and furious, but pretty much all of them have been changes for the better. If you’d like to get a feel for what’s gone on, take a look at our marriage by the numbers.

Here are some of our favorite Raising4Boys (subscribe) post from a year ago this week:

» Selling Babies on eBay
» It’s a Wonderful Life…
» First Day of School Jitters? Yeah, Right

And here are some of my favorite FiveCentNickel (subscribe) posts from a year ago:

» Spending Money to Save Money
» Dish Network Customer Service STILL Sucks
» Summer Electric Bill Pain
» Termite Control: Sentricon vs. Termidor
» Marriage by the Numbers

And here’s what was going on two years ago:

» Sandwiches by the Loaf
» How to Sue Wal-Mart
» The Definition of Overpaid
» The Riskiest States for Identity Theft

Awhile back we received an e-mail from a reader asking about the “real” cost of raising kids. In short, she’s heard a lot about the high cost of raising kids, and was wondering if it’s really as bad as people make it out to be. More than anything, this question seemed to have been born out of angst over what it takes to be financially “ready” to start a family. [more]

Raising4Boys participated in three carnivals this week. Here they are along with links to our articles that were included in each.

The Carnival of Family Life included “Kindergarten Kid.”

The Festival of Frugality included “Thinking About Going to the Fair? Check This Out.”

The Best of Me Symphony included “A Private Matter (Beware: Bathroom Humor Ahead).” Also included was “Eco-Friendly Energy Savings” from fivecentnickel.com.

Just two days after our kindergartner had a meltdown getting on the school bus, he acted up in school and received a “red lily pad” - this is the worst of three levels on the all-important green/yellow/red “lily pad” behavioral scale. From what my wife has been able to glean of the situation, he pushed another little boy in the bathroom, and he later bent a little girl’s finger back and made her cry. Lovely. The details are a bit fuzzy, as he’s feigning memory loss, but… You know that mean little boy that kids always complain about? Unfortunately, Son #3 was that boy yesterday. [more]

After a seemingly successful transition into the new school year, our kindergartner had a meltdown right as the bus pulled up to pick up the boys this morning. The long days have been taking a toll on him, and he’s recently begun asking if he can stay home and go back to sleep. Obviously, that’s not an option, so we’ve hustled him off to school every morning right on schedule. [more]