Happy Tax Day!

We made it!  Our family has now survived 12 tax seasons (aka: 10+ weeks of too many hours without Jared), and we’re glad to see this one done!  I think he worked more hours this year than any other...and every year I wonder how that can possibly happen!  I’m guessing he averaged between 77 and 80 hours per week.  So proud of Jared for all his hard work – and still making it home to see the kids a couple of times a week.

Just for fun, here is a list of random statistics relating to taxes.  (I got them in an email and have not researched them at all, so believe what you will.)

• The Gettysburg address is 269 words, the Declaration of Independence is 1,337 words, and the Holy Bible is 773,000 words. However, the tax law has grown from 11,400 words in 1913,  to over 7 million words today.

• The IRS sends out 8 billion pages of forms and instructions each year.

• 300,000 trees need to be cut down every year to produce enough paper for all IRS forms and instructions.

• American taxpayers spend $200 billion and 5.4 billion hours of their time to comply with the federal tax laws each year. That’s more than it takes to produce every car, truck, and van in the United States.

• The IRS employs 114,000 people; that’s twice as many as the CIA and five times more than the FBI.

• 60% of taxpayers must hire a professional to get through their own return.  (I happen to know a really good one if you need a referral!!)

• Taxes eat up 38.2% of the average family’s income.

• Taxpayers spend more on taxes than they do for food, shelter and clothing combined.

We hope your family gets to enjoy Tax Day as much as ours!!

Celebrate!!

This is the 100th post for our blog!! Yea!! It's only taken me 3+ years to make it!

I wanted to do something special for this post. Something to knock your socks off and make you want to actually keep reading this blog (all 4 or 5 of you).

But I can't seem to come up with anything. NOTHING!! My creative juices have all dried up!

So I'll just give you a cliffs-notes version of life around here lately. I have not taken a single picture, as every time I go to use the camera, the battery is dead!

Rachel has almost completely given up naps (well, she's about 50/50). Caleb is trying to give them up too. He has napped less than Rachel this week! Add it up - you get two cranky kids and one very insane and cranky momma! But they're too cute to be mad at!

Rachel says some of the funniest things. And sometimes, it's just the way she says things that makes me laugh. Like, "This is my favorite book!" with as much excitement and energy as you could expect from a 2-year-old. The book was some Christmas craft book that has been sitting around. Definitely not an exciting book! She also came running in with a doll and said, "I found my Rachel!!" How can you not love that??!?

Caleb is getting a few words too, like kitty cat, what's that, and num-num (with a hand motion, which means he wants more). He only has 5 more Sundays until he can legally go to nursery!!

Emily is counting down the days until her birthday. For any of you who don't know, it's 5 days away. She wants everything, and I mean everything! So, if you were wanting to get her a present, rest assured that you can't go wrong! (But please don't run out to buy one for her - PLEASE!!!) Oh, and she's starting to wonder about how babies get in their mommy's tummies (I have dreaded this for the past 9 years!!). She informed us that there is a lock on the mom's tummy that you unlock, which obviously lets them in! Chuckle, snicker, giggle!!

Joshua is trying to lose a tooth. By trying I mean he wiggled it to the point that his mouth was sore enough that he had to call me to come get him from school! (OK - I'm not that easy! I gave him some ibuprofen, fed him lunch, and took him back to school.) I think he's got another pesky root that doesn't want to give in. Which means we're probably going to have to make yet another trip to the dentist!

I got a new calling as the primary chorister. Hmm...never done that one. I pity those poor kids who have to listen to me "sing" the songs. I think the singing genes skipped me!

Jared, after working 2 late nights at work last week because of the 6-month extension deadline for income taxes, is now trying as hard as he can to find work to do. ??? ??? Why can't the government have taxes due all year long, according to social security numbers or something like that?? Wouldn't it make more sense to spread it out a little?!?! I think I might just email them my plan!

The garden is dead!! I've never been so happy to see a plant die in all my life. Next year, we will not be planting more than 6 tomato plants!

I hope you have enjoyed this installment of "As the World Turns in the Ripplinger Home." Stay tuned for scenes from our next episode!

Tax Day

Today is one of my 3 favorite days of the year.

Yes, it really is right up there with Thanksgiving and Christmas!

Today is the day that tax season comes screeching - literally - to a halt.

Makes me feel like singing...

It's the most wonderful time of the year,

When the taxes are done,

And the long weeks are gone,

And our daddy is here!!!

It's the most wonderful time of the year!!