Tag: parents

10 Things I Learned From My Parents and That I Will Pass On

Posted on by Meredith Rines, MBA, CFP®

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It’s not news that I am in awe of how great my parents are.  When it came to the parent pool, I hit the jackpot.  My parents were always there for me, my sister, and what’s surprising, my best friends.  There is nothing my folks wouldn’t do for their daughter and the ones we love.

J and I are not planning on having children anytime soon.  We would like to be married for a few years so we can really get to know each other and our quirks.  I want to make sure that when the time comes for our children to be grown and gone, J and I are still madly in love.

But after planning a wedding together with the help of family, I started wondering what lessons I would like to pass on to my kids.  My parents instilled a lot in me over the past twenty something years.

It’s hard to pick out just 10 things I learned from my parents, but these were the ones that stood out.

1)be independent and self-sufficient
2) work hard, play hard
3) be dependable
4) tell your kids stories and let them tell you some too
5) be open with one another
6) it’s okay to let people go
7) there will only be few people that travel through each life stage, cherish those friends
8) learn how to budget and save money
9) live a little
10) be the house with the best snacks so kids want to hang out there

My parents are pretty amazing. I pray that I will be half the parent they are to me because if I am, then I know my kids will be successful in their personal life, career,and emotionally.

Cheers!

M.I.A.

Posted on by Meredith Rines, MBA, CFP®

I feel as if I’ve been M.I.A. for the past few days. I haven’t felt like doing anything. My poor house is a mess, the dogs need baths, and my little ole blog has been neglected.

Where have I spending my time?

Well for starters I’ve been attempting to do Crossfit 3x a week… it’s slowly getting there. At least I can wake up the day after and not fall out of bed because my legs aren’t there to catch me.

#perfectevening #springfieldcardinals #springfieldmo

Next, we went to a Springfield Cardinals game last week.  J had won a contest at work and got free tickets to the Budweiser suite.  Of course we could not pass up a night of Cardinals baseball, beer, and stadium hot dogs.

Then I’ve been adding prints to the MereLynne Etsy shop. If you haven’t seen the new listings, please check it out.  Plus, learning the ins and outs of Etsy has been a bit challenging for me.  Promoting my pieces, my site, and my Facebook page are a bit time consuming.

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Not your average pillow #dog #doglove #sleepypup #goodmorning

King of the mountain. #dog #doglove #cardinals

Finally, I’ve been spending some quality time with J and the pups.  I’m sure they appreciate that the quality time does not involve water and soap, but they can’t escape that for long.  Honestly, I should have cleaned around the house this past weekend.   I really, really should have.  But the couch looked some comfortable and there was a really good movie on all day… so alas I did not clean.

I’m pretty excited because my parents are coming for a visit this weekend.  My Dad hasn’t seen our new place yet.  Which means two things: 1) our house has to spotless before 8pm on Thursday night 2) we need to go grocery shopping so that it appears we have food and are doing just fine.

You know, the basics before any parent comes to visit.  Don’t look like a slob and pretend that you have enough food to feed yourselves.

It’s going to be a pretty busy week and I’m glad that I took the weekend to prepare for it.  See, I’m still trying to convince myself that it was a good thing I was lazy this weekend.

Cheers!

10 Things I’m Thankful For

Posted on by Meredith Rines, MBA, CFP®

B&W #roadtrip

Happy Thanksgiving! I’ve decided that since it was Thanksgiving and all that it would be a good time to write down what I’m Thankful for this year.

1. My family. After this afternoon’s FaceTime session with them I realize that they are quite unlike any other family I know and for that I’m truly thankful.

2. J. It has been a wonderful year with him and I am grateful every day that we met sitting in Steak-N-Shake late one night.  It’s great having a guy that is so supportive of my ideas, my dreams, and everything going on in my life.

3. My friends. The first text I received this morning was from friends wishing me a Happy Thanksgiving. It’s great to remember all the fun times we’ve shared in 2012: a cruise, a haunted house, road trips, weekends at the lake, ‘family’ dinners, and so many more.

4. Work. This year has been quite a departure for me from the past several.  I started an amazing journey as a Weight Watcher Leader and have met so many amazing, supportive people since that time.  I’ve also been blessed with a job at a local law firm that has supported me through my school with a flexible schedule and has always been a place to go when I need an extra quiet study room at midnight.  Finally, I recently started a job as a Sales Associate at a retail store and cannot wait for my future with such a bright company.

5. Maggie.  We all know how obsessed I am with that pup so it’s no surprise that I can’t even make it half-way through my list without mentioning her.  Maggie and I have had quite a life together these past years.   I am thankful that she picked me that cold, rainy day in a hospital parking lot.

6. Graduate School.  Though I complain about it.  I am grateful that I’ve had the opportunity to further my education.  In less than 25 days I will be walking across the stage at Missouri State receiving my Masters in Business Administration degree.  Alright, so I actually won’t be getting my diploma that day, but I will be receiving an empty leather holder that symbolizes all the hard work and late nights I have put in these past 2 years.

7. My parents.  I know that I mentioned family as number 1, but the more I thought about it I really think my folks deserve their own number.  My Mom and Dad are awesome.  Seriously, I have the best parents around.  They support one another as they support their two kids.  I cannot say thank you enough to the two people who brought me into this world, guided me, and taught me to be an independent, educated, young adult.

8. J’s family.  They have welcomed me into their lives this past year and I’m grateful.  J’s family is absolutely wonderful and knows how to have a good time.

9. My Grandmas.  I’m lucky to have two amazing Grandmothers that have taught me a lot as I’ve grown up.  Still to this day the sound of wind chimes puts a smile on my face thanks to my Grandma D. who always had them on her front porch.  Grandma W.’s sandtart cookies are my all-time favorite and each Christmas I look forward to them.

10. Creativity.  I like that I can think out of the box (most days) and have a passion for creating.  There are so many ways to reduce stress out there and I’m glad that the one that helps me calm down the most is just so simple.

Okay, I know this post was a bit long.  Sorry.  Happy Thanksgiving and may your day be filled with happiness!