Wow. Sometimes people seriously go to extremes to be frugal. And honestly, the woman I am about to tell you about, did it more for the principal of it being her money, but she fought for over 10 years about 14 cents. Is that not the craziest thing ever?

It all started over a cheap phone plan on pre paid phone bill. She was left with .14 at the end, and one day it just disappeared. She felt it was her .14 so she began a long process to get it back. And guess what? She did!

She was sent her check for .14. I know its the principal, but is it really worth it to be THAT frugal? Here is the article.

DO you know anyone who has done, or does something crazy to save money?

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I love my hosting company, but lately this blog and another blog have been having problems. I think we have them all ironed out and everything is working again as normal. It was at their end, not mine – so I am relieved I didn’t do something.

They tried to talk  me into combining all of my blogs onto one hosting account. I thought that sounded like a much better idea than having them all separately, but following their directions, I switched two over to one of the hosting accounts and lost everything. This blog was the last to be moved, since I write on it the most. I’m not moving it.

I am not taking the risk of losing everything I have built with this blog. Rebuilding the others has been challenging and difficult and I’m angry. So this one is great and not going anywhere.

Now I just have to get the others finished with rebuilding, though I am sure they will never be the same again.

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Very excited!! I applied to be the examiner.com St. Louis Frugal Family Examiner after noticing that the previous writer had not published anything since April of last year. I waited for awhile before applying to see if she would post again, but she never did. I took the chance about two weeks ago and went ahead and applied.

After I submitted everything, I learned that examiner had just opened up to Canadian applicants and they had a surge of applications. So, for me, it wasn’t looking promising. I didn’t say a word to anyone about applying (not even family), so I just patiently waited to see what would happen.

Last night I got the email that I was invited to be an examiner writer for the St. Louis Frugal Family section. I cannot tell you how happy I am, and how awesome it is to be selected to do it, as I’ve also since learned that many have trouble getting in to write for them.

I figured my topic over there is awesome and worth it, since I just began teaching Frugal Living classes again in my area, so this will all connect together nicely. And even if we do move at some point, we are not moving THAT far away, that I would ever not be part of St. Louis, so I’m safe.

I’m pretty excited to get started. I submitted my photo and bio last night and all I am waiting for now is for them to create my page and do a background check. Woot!

Update: As I was writing this, I got the email congratulating me and letting me know that my page has been set up already. From what I understand, it is not available to the public yet, so I won’t share it just yet, but expect it soon! And please, please stop by and say hi to me over there. I’m the newbie on the block and many of these peeps have been writing for examiner for awhile. I could use the support.

If you write for examiner, are you loving it?

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Every once in awhile, I do sit down and find myself completely at a block as to what to write. It isn’t that I don’t have great every day fodder to include on my blogs, but most of the time it probably isn’t funny to anyone but our family.

So I’m always on the look out for new things to write about on my blogs and in my article writing ventures. Well, today while blog hopping, I came across The Ad Master blog. I’ve been there before and I quite enjoy the blog because I usually leave with new ideas for something. So today’s posts is titled 15 Article Ideas to Start Your Next Brainstorming Session. Absolutely AWESOME post. If you haven’t read it, you need to check it out. If you ever have trouble coming up with new ideas, try some of them – I bet they work!

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There is quite the storm brewing all over the Internet regarding the new ABC show Find My Family. It actually seems as each episode airs, there is a greater divide between people who hate it and people who love it. And apparently, you can’t do both – it’s one or the other. I feel blessed that my children are very receptive to the show. My two biological children did not realize all the details that went into my search, and are learning some of the steps and how difficult it was because we talk about it now. They are openly asking questions and seeking information about how I feel, how I felt and how I did it. My step-children are learning the other part of who I am, a world they didn’t know until more recently, and the path I took to who I am today. It’s been an awesome experience and I am excited that they are happy when a new episode airs.

I have spent the past two months writing a book about my experience searching, reuniting and life after the find. It’s in its editing stages. I know with confidence, that it will be received by the adoption community, much the same way that Find My Family was received. You’ll either love it or hate it, but for me it was a journey to my identity which I had struggled with my entire life. Maybe it’s different for some adoptee’s, I do realize that, but for me – it was so much like the show portrays that I find myself deeply involved in each episode. I truly do hope the show makes it.

This episode (103) was a great episode. As usual, the emotions were genuine and real, and the stories were heart wrenching. I didn’t feel that Find My Family glossed over the adopted families role in the adoptee’s life, as others seem to think. I think the reason that the adoptive families don’t have a more active role in some of the episodes, is because they choose not to. My adoptive mother would have absolutely nothing to do with my search and reunion, even though I longed for her to be a part of it. She has closed off that area of my life, and so I live two lives, unfortunately.

The first half of the show, made me sad for Kari, as she discovered papers that said she had been abandoned. I felt her pain as she let those words sink in and while I am sure that on the papers they didn’t actually mean the same thing we as adoptee’s read them as, it’s what it said, and it’s how she felt. I loved how supportive her husband was, and Tim as usual tugged at my heartstrings with his tears and emotion as he gave her a picture of her mother. Tim truly gets me teared up every time – such a sensitive man. But back on the other end was the normally non emotional Lisa, and was of course the same this episode. I felt terrible for the biological mother as she conveyed the story of holding her infant daughter for 4 hours and then letting her go and sending a letter with her. How painful that must have been. Her tears were so real and so sad to watch. Why does Lisa just sit there and stare. Her only words of comfort are “It will be okay.” For crying out loud, show some emotion, woman!

Jennifer and Angela. Wow. The two sister’s reuniting in the second part of the show was absolutely beautiful. The team had difficulty locating the birth mother, but did find something else. After thinking she had a biological brother, and Tim telling her that she didn’t, Jennifer’s face crumpled and she looked devastated. It broke my heart and I wanted to scream at Tim to just tell her what they had found. I know it was done for the dramatic effect, but at that point in the game there is so much sensitivity, you just can’t mess with emotions like that. The two sister’s reuniting was so special. I loved watching them look at each other, and I couldn’t believe how much they looked like each other either. I could see that the bond was strong between them from the very start. And then when Tim showed back up at the top before he ever spoke a word, I knew what he was going to tell them – they had located their birth mother. That reunion was brief, so there wasn’t much air time of that, which I was disappointed in, but I think having each other to lean on for that emotional reunion was really special for Jennifer and Angela.

All together, I really like this episode (surprise, I know) – but I still have my same complaints about Lisa Joyner and her stand-off attitude. Sure, she hugs the people, and she looks sincere when she is speaking, but there is so little emotion if any, it’s infuriating.
I’d still like to see a shorter walk between the bottom of the field and the damn family tree… that walk has to be excruciating, but whatever, right?

Oh, and as I know that my opinion about Find My Family is unpopular, I would also really like to see reactions from the adoptee’s family (I mean their husband and children) to all the news. I think that they should make it be one case per show, and go into more details about the search, how it was done and what everyone involved has to say about it. I know that many don’t think this stuff should be aired, but you know – there are a lot of reality shows now, and why is this one any different than any of the rest. If you don’t agree with it, don’t go on the show and don’t watch it. It is the show I have been dreaming about for 15 long years, and I am so thankful it has finally come to fruition.

I can say with certainty, that Find My Family ranks in the top 5 of my favorite shows. Maybe even the top 3. And that my friends, is simply the opinion of one adoptee, who has searched and found and didn’t do it publicly, but would scream it from a mountaintop if the men in white coats wouldn’t cart her away when she reached the bottom.

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In our house, the second episode of Find My Family on ABC was highly anticipated. A few minutes before the show was scheduled to start, I did a search to see what the reviews were saying about the first episode that aired last week.

Even as the review page loaded, I realized I really probably didn’t want to read the comments – I’d seen the ones that came out before the show even started, I couldn’t imagine how bad some would be now. I’ve been in the adoption world long enough to hear the conflicting sides to every book, song and movie that airs, whatever people were saying about Find My Family shouldn’t matter if we like it.

I was right, of course. I found a page full of comments and the first 29 on the page were all negative and saying that ABC would die a slow and painful death with the airing of Find My Family. I was happy when comment # 30 was positive and praise, saying that we needed a TV Show like this. The next batch of comments following were all positive and hopeful that Find My Family would pack what it promised. Many adoptees and birth parents left comments wondering how they could be on the show, or they just posted their information. It seemed to be an interesting 50/50 split on whether the show was good or bad. It was also clear that it wasn’t just triad (adoption) members that liked the show, but many that clearly were not touched by adoption in any way. And then there was an alarming number of comments from adoptees that were pretty discouraging, saying they had nothing in common with their biological family, so why would they care about them, etc. Wow. Just wow. I decided to quit reading and actually watch Find My Family instead. It was too depressing reading them. And I was rather looking forward to a nice distracting hour of television.

I wasn’t real sure what to expect from this episode of Find My Family. The commercials were vague and only promised a happy ending, so I was ready to see what would happen.

I absolutely loved the first half of the show that related the story of a sister who was looking for her brother. She had always known she was adopted but by accident when she was 10 years old, she discovered an adoption paper that said she had a baby brother that was 16 months old at the time of her adoption. Crazy situation, but interesting regardless. When the Find My Family crew did their search, they found her brother, and also discovered that she had a sister. That was one of the most emotional reunions I have ever seen. All three of them crying, hugging and staring into each others eyes. Truly beautiful and real. Of course I won’t lie, again I was annoyed by the long walk up to the damn tree, but I’m getting used to it.
The second half of the show was awesome too. A daughter wanted to find her birth mother and tell her she didn’t hate her and to make sure that she was alright. The reunion was a bit on the awkward side, but I was actually really glad it was, because they aren’t all perfect, and they are nerve-wracking as can be. I felt that the camera’s captured the true feelings and emotions of these people and they seemed sincere. It was heart wrenching and beautiful all at the same time.

My favorite moment in the whole show was Tim and his tears. He was so emotional and it was beautiful and there is nothing better than seeing a host empathize with someone. You could see he clearly was touched by the whole thing and his emotion was real. I will admit that Lisa seems so calm and unemotional, but still real. Why is that? I can’t get through one of these shows without tears, I can’t understand how she doesn’t get a little emotional with the whole thing. When the brother was crying during the first half, it was so sad and raw and she barely blinked. I really like Lisa, so I am hoping she will come up with some REAL emotion and not forced for dramatic effect.

At any rate, they still have a HUGE fan! What did you think of this week’s episode of Find My Family?

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I posted the press release for the new ABC show Find My Family on my blog earlier this month, and tonight the premiere episode aired. I was a bit worried over the past week or so on what to expect from the show, since the commercials made it look… well… commercialized. Adoption Searches and Reunions are an extremely emotional time, full of a roller coaster of emotions and highs and lows that are hard to fully understand for someone who has not actually experienced it. The only saving grace for me ahead of time is that I was happy to see the two hosts were also adopted, which made at least their empathy real, I liked that concept.

So after the first episode of Find My Family has now aired, what do I think?

The most surprising thing for me during the show, was how involved I became with the emotional roller coasters. I could almost relive my own search for my biological family and the answers I was longing for. Their tears and pain and hope were all conveyed as real and not “made up for TV”. I liked that.

The things I loved about the show are that the hosts, Tim Green and Lisa Joyner are both adopted and came across as real, down to earth, sympathetic and genuine. I didn’t feel like they were “acting” at any point during the episode. Tim truly moved me as he stood in the families living room with tears glistening in his eyes and the looked at a photograph of their daughter. I was absolutely moved by his emotion.

I also really liked that you got both sides of the stories, their thoughts, feelings and emotions about everything. I liked that the situations were treated with respect.

The things I did not like about Find My Family was that it comes across, at least from this episode, like it is a simple process to search for your relatives. That might be the case in a normal situation, but in an adoption case, many of the records are sealed, etc. It bothered me that there wasn’t a little bit more in depth revealing on how hard the research is to get to a reunion. Mine took 2 years of near constant research. I’m not kidding.

I also really wasn’t not over joyed with the whole “Walk Up the Hill To The Tree To Meet Your Family” concept. I felt the tree was nice and symbolic for the logo and even perhaps as a background, but the idea of sending a highly emotional, nervous individual to walk up a hill to meet someone seemed, well… cheesy. I thought it was odd that they expected them to walk so far, and maybe it isn’t really that far in person, and I am sure it was done for the dramatic/suspenseful effect, but, please… over the top. It won’t stop me from watching though.

I am definitely in this for the long haul. I really enjoyed hearing the story and seeing the reunion. I have read many comments over the past week or so with many saying it is a private matter, who wants to go on TV to do this. Well, unless its you, you cannot speak for others. Many adoptees don’t mind screaming it from the rooftop that they have searched for and are reuniting with their biological family. I certainly was ready to let anyone who would listen know all about it.

The other thing I am seeing a lot of comments about is, adoptee’s who are saying they only have one family, etc. This bothers me only because while I love and adore my adoptive family, I still always felt a piece missing. This wasn’t due to selfishness, lack of love or some other stupid thing people keep saying, it is simply a fact of life for most adoptees. Please note I did not say ALL adoptees. Try reading the book Being Adopted. It’s amazing.

Overall, I am a fan of Find My Family and I look forward to seeing the next episode to see if I stay hooked. Please let me know what you thought of this episode if you watched it.

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Kinda strange to see a post like this one on a blog about Frugality, BUT I was adopted, I searched for and reunited with my biological family, and am looking forward to seeing this show and what it has to offer when it officially premieres. It should be interesting. I thought it was a little bit coincidental that it happened to come out this month, since my NaNoWriMo novel is basically the story of my search and subsequent reunion. It’s the first non-fiction NaNo I have ever done. Okay, so back to my word count. Here is the press release.

November 11, 2009

PREMIERE

“FIND MY FAMILY,” A HEARTWARMING NEW SERIES THAT

BRINGS FAMILIES TOGETHER, PREMIERES MONDAY, NOV. 23,

FOLLOWING “DANCING WITH THE STARS’”

From the producer of “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” comes the highly anticipated “Find My Family,” a program with one simple mission — to bring families back together. With the help of a dedicated team of researchers, hosts Tim Green and Lisa Joyner guide people searching for lost loved ones through emotional journeys that will change their lives forever. The heartwarming new series premieres MONDAY, NOV. 23 (9:30-10:00 p.m. ET), following “Dancing with the Stars.” Full-hour editions of the show will air Mondays from 9:00-10:00 p.m., ET beginning MONDAY, NOV. 30.

Each episode of the television series is a one-hour, self-contained show full of moving moments and tears of joy, when mothers, fathers, daughters and sons who lost touch for decades are reunited. The show will begin with the emotional back stories of two different families in search of lost relatives. With minimal information, the “Find My Family” team will begin the difficult and frustrating process of sifting through archives and tracking down records until they uncover the missing links. Then Lisa Joyner will reach out to the newly-found family members and let them know that someone from their biological family has been looking for them. Tim Green will narrate each story as it unfolds and meet with the people who originated the search. The in-person reunions will take place at the “Family Tree.”A follow-up with each family will conclude each episode.

In the premiere episode, Green and Joyner — both of whom are adopted themselves — head to Brookfield, WI to meet Scott and Sandy Steinpas, loving parents who are searching for the daughter they gave up when they were just teenagers. Sandy was just 15 years old when she met Scott and they started dating. In June of 1979 Sandy found out she was pregnant, and instantly she and Scott knew their lives were about to change. They had not been together long, were still living with their parents, and had no idea what the responsibility of raising a family, being married, or even paying a bill entailed. Because they could barely support themselves, let alone a baby, they decided to give their baby up for adoption — a huge decision that shaped their lives from that point forward. Scott and Sandy stayed together against all odds and have been married for 27 years. They have raised three beautiful children, but something, or someone, has always been missing. Scott and Sandy have spent thousands of dollars and almost a decade searching for the daughter they gave up 29 years ago, but to no avail. Now, it’s up to the “Find My Family” team to reunite this family who have, unknowingly, been living just miles apart.

Tom Forman (“Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,” “Kid Nation”), Julie Laughlin-Jones (“Shear Genius,” “Fat March,” “Extreme Makeover”), Chris Coelen (“Wife Swap,” “Don’t Forget the Lyrics,” “How to Look Good Naked”) and Tony Yates (“Shaq’s Big Challenge,” “Supernanny,” “Project Greenlight”) are executive producers. “Find My Family” is produced by RelativityReal and RDF USA.

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