Take this little quiz. This is just the beginning of an inspiring, fun-filled voyage of discovery, providing the information needed to get it right with family members, and by taking care of those we love, we will be taking care of ourselves along the way!

IN THE CHECKLIST OF YOUR LIFE QUIZ!

Directions: Read. Ponder. Fill in the blanks. Ponder. Don’t assume. Talk to family and/or friends for assistance…

NUMBERS:
Will your on-line financial life or social life continue on after your departure?
– Do you or a family member have on-line accounts with banks, credit card companies etc., that are set up to automatically make payments from bank accounts that could be closed?

Does someone other than you know the usernames/ passwords to access these accounts?

How many credit cards do you presently have?
– Do you carry all of them with you?
– If not, where would a family member or friend find all the cards?

Do you or a family member have a PayPal account?
– Does it have funds in it?

How many life insurance policies do you have?
– Are you still friendly with the beneficiaries?

If you have a mortgage, do you know what the monthly payment is?
– Do you know when the last payment will be made?

Would you be able to gather all of the necessary information from all of the sources (banks, investment companies etc.) to do your income tax return on time?

Does someone else in your home do all the bill paying, investing and number crunching with such proficiency that you don’t feel the need to learn how to do it?

MEDICAL:
In an emergency situation, would you be able to list all of the medications and supplements you or a family member is currently taking?

HOUSE:
Your kitchen faucet is leaking. Do you know how to change the washer?  Or would you just let it keep dripping?

Your furnace is making a funny noise. Do you know how to turn it off before it explodes?

Your basement is flooding. Do you know how to turn off the water?

Does someone else do the repairs around the house so quickly that you wouldn’t want to get in the way?

How many hiding places do you have?
– Do you remember what is in all of them?
– Does someone know where they are just in case you aren’t available for consultation?

VEHICLES:
Do you know how to add air to your car’s tires?
– Do you know why you would even want to add air?

Do you know where the title of the car is?

YARD:
Do you have a septic tank?
– If yes, where is it?

Do you know how to start the lawn mower?
– If the lawn mower blade needs sharpening, do you buy a new lawn mower?

Do you know how to start the snow blower without losing a hand?

Is there someone else in the house that can do yard work better than you so you let them do it?

PETS:
Who will love your pet as much as you and be willing to take care of it if you were unable?
– Do they have the necessary funds to keep the shots up-do-date etc. etc.?

What does your pet like to eat?

IMPORTANT DOCUMENTS:
If a relative served in the military, do you know where the discharge papers are?

Do you know where your marriage certificate/divorce certificate is?

ADVANCE CARE PLANNING—LEGAL DOCUMENTS–DIFFICULT DECISIONS:
Does someone near and dear to you know what you really want regarding your end-of-life wishes? – Do they have a legal say in what needs to be done?
– Will this person be able to make difficult decisions when family members don’t agree?

Do you have a will?
– When was the last time it was updated?
– Where can it be found?

Do you have a living will?
– When was the last time it was updated?
– Where can they be found?

Does your family know where you want to finally hang your hat? Land, sea, or air?

Do you have special readings or music for the service?

Have you written your one-column autobiography…your obiturary?

MEMORIES:
Are there generations of family photographs in a box or drawer identified at least by date or event?

Are the 1000s of photos sitting in your digital camera backed up? burned to a CD? printed?

Have you taken a few minutes to write down or record your parents’ or grandparents’–or even your own– stories that will vaporize once they/you are not here?

PEACE OF MIND:
Will you leave this planet with no regrets and no apologies?

DO YOU HAVE TIME TO GET ORGANIZED AND FILL IN THE BLANKS OF YOUR LIFE?
Were you feeling overwhelmed or empowered when you finally got to the last question? If you are still breathing, there is time to put together a fabulous roadmap for yourself and your family with “In the Checklist of Life” a great workbook. Check it out on www.LynnMcP.com. Let the fun begin!

MondayMorningMotivationalMoment!

No negative self-talk!

Believe! Believe! Believe!

Get some!

My cell phone rings at 6:45am with the unique ring that signals one of the kids is calling. A shot of adrenaline gives me a quick jump start.

“Mom, my car won’t start. I need a jump.”

I mumble in my head, “Okay. Not sure what I am supposed to do at standing in my kitchen which is 120 miles away from your car.” I am finding it a little difficult to process what is going on because I just fired up my Keurig and the little blue “not ready” light is still flashing.

She continues. “I don’t have my AAA card on me. What is their phone number and our account number?” [FYI: She is still the proud owner of a flip phone.]

Should I bother beating a dead horse? Would asking the obvious, “Why is your card not sitting right behind your driver’s license in your wallet for occasions like this?” serve any purpose at this moment in time? To keep it simple, I retrieve my card.

“Ready, here is the number…1-800-xxx-xxx.”

“Thanks. Bye.”

“Bye. Have a better afternoon!”

One minute later, she calls back, “That’s not the number.“

I snap back, “Yes, it is! I read it right off the card.”

“Mom, since when does AAA answer the phone, “Live talk with exciting people?!”

“Wait a minute. Let me get the card again.”

I can’t believe what I did next…Say it ain’t so.

I went to the junk drawer and rooted around for the magnifying glass that belonged to my parents. I kept that thing around for sentimentality’s sake, never thinking I would ever have to actually use it.

Darn, if that “6” didn’t look like a “0”!

With a little help from this old “tool” that is totally new to me…I gave her the correct number and got her on her way.

As I downed my first cup of coffee, I asked myself…

“Maybe it was the glare of the card that blurred the numbers?”

“Maybe it was the time of day that blurred the numbers?”

“Maybe it was…no, no way!”

A "New" Tool for "Boomer" Eyes?

Discuss amongst yourselves.

I use the “post-it” that it is written on as my “coaster” for my coffee cup. So, by default, every time I pick up the cup (and it is more than once during the day, trust me) I am reminded and renewed!

Be inspired: Rethink your Monday mornings!

MondayMorningMotivationalMoment!

A great read: “Every Monday Matters: 52 Ways to Make a Difference”

Check it out! “Why Every Monday Matters”–Great Blog from Fast Company

Get up and go!

“In praise of fresh air.”

I like fresh air. I certainly haven’t praised it enough. Maybe I should start.

“This year, we turn 110.”

I guess if you are 110 years old, you might know something about aging.

“…We’re fine with growing old. We’re not fine with growing stale.”

Who wants to grow old and stale? Not me, that’s for sure. I found the following words to be inspirational and reassuring.

“We’re rethinking and reimagining…

Me, too…me, too. I am always rethinking. Sometimes even been guilty of over-thinking. Re-imagining, re-inventing. It’s all good.

 and if we find that we’ve picked up any bad habits over the decades, we’re going to leave them far behind.”

I’m all for chucking the bad habits once and for all.

We are going to treat people as we’d like to be treated ourselves. Fair and square.”

That is definitely one of the Golden Rules to live by. Good reminder.

  Thanks for the great blend of inspiration, motivation and great prices! I am off to get my new and improved, ice-crushing-without-burning-up blender from the “new-old” JCPenny’s!

Demographics Update:

They are dropping like flies!  The back row has now become the front row by default. There are only 3 other fellow boot campers in attendance. Maybe it is a warm bed that is keeping the gang from coming to this fun fest.

Highlights and Lowlights of Week #4:

My observation: There is an inverse relationship between the weight of the weights and age. The older you are, the lighter the weight. The trainer handed the younger girl next to me a 20-lb kettle bell. I got the 15 pounder. That was a 5-lb blow to the ego.

Don’t get me wrong, I am certainly not complaining. As we were swinging and swaying, pushing and pumping, I was listening to my body. I was expecting to hear a snap, crackle or pop.

To acquaint yourself with this tool of torture that builds muscle and burns fat and makes you question your sanity, take a look at this video.

Swinging and Swaying with the Bells!

Goal (actually, my hope): Not being in traction tomorrow morning, or the next day or the next day!