Q & A Session, February 2009

Alyssa from Canada asks: Mrs Escoe, I was wondering if you could maybe answer a question for me and my mom....me and my brother are the same ages as Brayden and Kellen and I don't think its fair that my brother has the same privileges as me because I am older even if we are very close in age...Do you let Kellen have the same privileges as Brayden? Like I got my mp3 player when I was 9 so shouldn't he have to wait until he was 9 not 8? and the same bedtime and computer time and stuff? Thank you..

Alyssa, sweetie, I almost didn’t answer this question because to be honest, I don’t think you’re going to like my response. Now, let me say that in THEORY, I agree with your line of reasoning about older kids getting certain privileges before younger siblings. But, because it’s easier and I’m lazy, a lot of the times I must confess that we treat all three of our kids as a group, and enforce the same rules for all of them. They all got their Nintendo DS’s the same Christmas, and then got their iPods at the same time the next year. Also, they all have the same bedtime simply because the girls share a bedroom (and in Georgia, it was Kellen and Kendrie who shared a bedroom) and it’s just easier to put them all down at the same time at night. Now, before you think I’m a truly horrid unfair parent, let me tell you about the few places where we follow YOUR rules --- Brayden WILL get a cell phone one year before her brother. We’re still not sure when it will happen, but whenever it does, he won’t get one until he turns the same age. Also, Brayden has gotten to go to a few (well, ok, ONE) PG-13 movie with me. And, she gets one more dollar in her weekly allowance than the younger two. Of course, sometimes the age thing works against her, as well, considering she will have to quit trick-or-treating before Kellen does, and he’ll have to quit before Kendrie does. Like I said, that is probably not what you wanted to hear …. But! You presented your argument logically and respectfully, and I suspect if you approach your mom the same way, she will find at least one area where you deserve a slight advantage due to your age. Good luck!



Liz asks: Do you have fraud alerts on with the major credit checking companies?

Um, I guess the answer is no, since I have no idea what you’re talking about? But it sounds very important and helpful and I think I shall check into it soon.


Anonymous says: Invest in LifeLock - it's the best $10 a month you will ever spend.

Is this the same thing as a fraud alert? And isn’t this the commercial where the guy drives around with his social security number printed on the side of his truck? Man, I really need to check into this stuff.


Daisy Duke states: If you ever pay bills online while other online applications are open (perhaps the sharing function on iTunes, or another music downloading application like Limewire or something)sneaky internet-know-hows can actually get the info as you type it in. I have a few friends who have had this happen. I always close all other internet based applications if I am ordering something online or paying a bill online.

Actually, that makes a lot of sense. I’m not saying it DID happen that way, but I do listen to my iTunes application a lot online, and chances are good it was on when I paid bills online. The Mastercard company fraud department confirmed to me that the information was compromised online (how they can tell, I have no idea) and not lifted by a waiter, cashier, etc. So I will definitely make sure to close all applications from now on whenever doing any kind of financial transaction – thanks for the heads up!


Theresa says: I've found the best way to monitor my various checking/credit/savings accounts is using Mint.com. I found out about it from an Oprah mag, and have been using it for six months. It sends me weekly texts and emails on my balances, and I can look daily at one page to see all my accounts.

Clearly, I have been living under a rock because I had no idea these sorts of services were out there. Thanks for pointing it out.



Anonymous asks: I'm a longtime lurker and have enjoyed your blog very much. I too have thought that you and I could be friends except that we're so opposite - you hate Los Angeles (where I live)/I hate the country and suburbs; you're republican/I'm a democrat; you loved Twilight/it's been 4 weeks and I'm barely on chapter 7; you have 3 kids/I have one (although mine is the same age as your oldest and I see many similarities). Save for those differences and many more I imagine, I think we could be great friends! Anyway, I just wanted to say that I enjoy your blog and will continue to read it because you are so funny! In regards to your Barack Obama comment I would really like to know who you think would have been the RIGHT person to be the first African-American president?

Thanks for the nice comments --- someone else wrote to me privately to tell me my {racist, bigoted} comments reduced her to tears and she would no longer be reading my blog …. So seriously, thanks for agreeing to disagree with a healthy level of respect.

My personal choice for our nation’s first black President would have been Colin Powell. But, it should come as no surprise that I have a thing for men in uniform, right? (insert smiley face) Choice number two for me would have been Condoleeza Rice. Simply put, I feel both of those people have more high-level leadership experience than Barack Obama and could possibly have been better suited to the job. But, like I said earlier, he’s the President now and it doesn’t matter that I didn’t vote for him --- I still pray for him and his family every night, and genuinely hope he leads our nation well. Of course, my personal opinion is that his proposed $55 BILLION DOLLAR CUT in defense spending, specifically health care benefits for military personnel and veterans, didn’t exactly endear him to me this week. Or, like Blaine said, “Well, *that* didn’t take long, did it?”



Laura in La asks: Really important question here. How do you keep your teeth so white? Strips? Dental treatment? Super powers toothpaste?

That’s hysterical you mention this, because I was just looking at a photo of myself (Why, hello yesterday’s SPT challenge!) and thinking that I seriously needed to whiten them again. I had the impressions done at my dentist’s office a few years ago and had trays made. I use the high-strength whitening gel because you only have to wear it for an hour …. Originally I used the lower-strength gel and had to sleep in those trays overnight …. Talk about mouth-breathing, it was SO uncomfortable! But yeah, thanks for the reminder .. I’m going to go put my trays in right now.



Anne in GA says: I am in no way a seasoned photographer (trying though) but my husband bought me a Kodak Easyshare camera last year and it is amazing! So small, so easy to take pictures, and very easy for self portraits. We went on a cruise and the pics that we took on formal night were portrait quality. So if you're going for a smaller point and shoot camera, I recommend the Easyshare.

Anne, I’m glad to hear it! Selfishly, I’m glad to hear it because this is what we bought (shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!) Brayden for her birthday next week, and I have every intention of borrowing it for my next SPT challenge!!

PS. Hey, Alyssa, Brayden is getting a camera before Kellen --- does it count as a perk if its something he’s not interested in, anyway???