I'm 40 Today!

I know I've posted this twice before, but don't you think it's the cutest picture ever?

I'm 40. I'm in my 40s. For-ty.

I'm getting used to saying it. I can't say "I'm in my 30s" anymore.

But WOW! I'm 40! Wahoo! It's MY birthday! This is my favorite day of the year! My birthday is better than Christmas because it's MY birthday! And I'm so excited about MY birthday!

Yes, I know I'm like a little kid about it, but seriously...it's MY birthday!!!! And what's not to love about that? It's a day dedicated to ME!

And in the tradition of years past, this is my special birthday blog post. Last year, you will recall, I shared all my birthday horoscopes along with that super cute picture of my on my 4th birthday. In 2009, I discussed all the famous people who shared my special day, along with my first picture ever. I also showed off the most beautiful flowers in the world that I was surprised with by someone special. Finally, in 2008, I shared all the cool world events that happened on my birthday and shared the story of how I came into the world.

As I turn the page on this new chapter in my life, I thought I'd give a State of My Life update by checking in with my Bucket List.

This past year I . . .

1. Stopped biting my nails, have pretty nails I'm proud of and have started wearing rings. Item #42.
2. Paid off 100% of my debt. I achieved this Tuesday night. Whew! Just in time. You should have seen me doing the Happy Dance in my kitchen after I clicked the button on that online payment. This is a really big deal to me. It doesn't matter how much debt I had. In my opinion, any consumer debt is too much. I will tell you that the average U.S. household has $14,473 in credit card debt. I had significantly less than that, but enough that it took a plan. I followed my plan and achieved my goal. Item #44. Now I can turn my attention to item #67. (You'll have to go check it out, I'm not telling you what it is.)
   
3. Ride the Ferris Wheel at Navy Pier. While you may think that's nothing to brag about, I'm really afraid of heights (and it's 150 feet in height!) and I overcame my fear to do this. Item #60.
4. Swam from the Watervale dock to BooHoo. Item #61.
5. Learned to love sushi. I accomplished this in January with a friend from high school that I hadn't seen since high school. Not only was it a great meal, but we had a wonderful, laughter-filled trip down memory lane. Item #62.
6. Applied for my passport. It hasn't arrived yet, but that's okay. I've applied for it and it should be here any day, based on their 4-week estimated arrival time. Item #63.
7. Lost 40 pounds. Okay, it wasn't the original 100 pounds that I wanted to lose this year and I also didn't reach my revised goal of 50 pounds, but I'm 40 pounds lighter than I was a year ago. I've lost 2 dress sizes and even a shoe size! Item #22.

I've also bought a new car (well, new to me), changed careers, gone to work at a company I love in a position that challenges me daily and brings me lots of personal fulfillment, and Little Merry Sunshine hit 50,000 visitors.

If I do say so myself, that's quite the list. I've actually achieved many of my personal goals and dreams in the past 40 years (see the bottom of my Bucket List for items I accomplished previously).

So what's up for the next 40 years? I don't have a crystal ball, but I do have my Bucket List and while I can't tell you with certainty that I'll achieve all of it, I do have a few items I plan to tick off in the next one to two years.

1. Buy a house (a condo counts too). Item #67.
   
2. Run a 5K. I'll do this by Thanksgiving. Item #21.
3. Finish losing those 50 pounds and add another 30 to the tally by Christmas. Items #22 and 22A.
4. Learn to play tennis. Item #33.
5. Donate blood. I swear I'll do this by Christmas. Item #36.
6. Dress in super sexy lingerie and feel confident about it. Item #53.
7. Bike the Drive. Item #65.
8. Travel to Paris. Item #68.
9. Create a scholarship at my alma mater by the time I'm 42. Item #10.
10. Learn to shoot a gun. Item #26.
11. Visit New York City. Item #6.
    

So that's it. I've got a lot to be proud of, but I've still got a lot to accomplish.

Although this isn't quite front row seats at a U2 concert (item #29), Bono and The Edge had a special birthday message for me:

Follow-up to My Credit Card Number Was Stolen...Again

You will recall that over Mother's Day Weekend someone got a hold of my credit card and was attempting to travel Europe on my dime. To their credit, my company caught the fraud immediately and a good number of the charges.

At the time, my credit card company, could not give me an explanation for how my credit card number got into the hands of this world traveler. In more recent conversations over wacky charges that appeared last week, the company told me that the number was randomly generated through some card generating algorithms that criminals use. Uh huh.

I've said it before and I'll repeat it now: I believe that these are not randomly generated numbers. I believe my credit card company has a serious security flaw.

And now I've been proven right.

My credit card company, Citigroup, has been hacked!

Citigroup credit card customer information hacked
Chicago Tribune, June 9, 2011 via CNN Money

Citigroup says it has discovered a security breach in which a hacker accessed personal information from hundreds of thousands of accounts.

Citigroup said the breach occurred last month and affected about 200,000 customers.

"During routine monitoring, we recently discovered unauthorized access to Citi's account online," said Citigroup, in a prepared statement. "A limited number -- roughly 1 percent - of Citi bankcard customers' accounting information (such as name, account number and contact information including email address) was viewed."

According to its annual report, Citigroup has about 21 million credit card accounts in North America, where the breach occurred.

The statement went on to say that the customers' Social Security numbers, dates of birth, card expiration dates and card security codes "were not compromised."

Citigroup said it was contacting the affected customers and had "implemented enhanced procedures to prevent a recurrence of this type of event."

This is the latest bit of bad news for Citigroup, as the company's stock has plunged a whopping 15 percent over the last month due to uncertainty about the impact of the Wall Street reform law.

Rival bank stocks have also plunged, including JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo, Bank of America and Goldman Sachs.

Here's the thing...I believe that the reason all these security breaches keep happening (e.g., Michaels, Aldi, Citigroup, etc.) is because companies simply aren't taking customer security seriously enough. They figure it's cheaper to pay out some damages in reversed credit card charges than it is actually beef up their security. I also believe this isn't going to change until these companies are held liable for damages to the customers. Companies need to be held liable for being complicit. They have the ability to stop all these security breaches and they aren't doing so. They need to receive huge governmental fines and also be liable for damages to customers in some multiple of the fraud that occurred, but with a minimum fine for customers who have no actual fraud, but simply have their personal information leaked.

Both times I was the victim of fraud (in 2008 and last month), Citigroup said I was not entitled to a free copy of my credit report (I've already gotten my free credit reports for the year, so additional copies are on my dime). They did not contact the credit bureaus about the fraud. I had to do that. I had to put a fraud alert on my credit, but it's just that and does not have an explanation with it. All a fraud alert means is that if anyone attempts to open a credit card in my name, I'll get a phone call.

I didn't cancel my Citigroup Mastercard last month, even though I wanted to and now I don't know what to do. Do I cancel the only credit card I've had since 1997 which will hurt my credit OR do I hang onto a card with a company that clearly can't keep my private information secure?

What are your thoughts?

Learn to Ride a Bike, Inspire the World

Maybe you've been feeling a little down on yourself lately. Maybe you haven't achieved all you want in life. Maybe you need a little kick in the rear and some good old fashioned "you can do it" talk.

You spoke. Little Merry Sunshine listened.

We went out and found the most inspirational speaker of his generation. We don't know his name, but it doesn't matter. He will inspire you. And if he doesn't, well, then you've got bigger problems than Little Merry Sunshine can solve today. But just trust us. You'll be inspired.

Huffington Post is right. This little guy talks like CAPS LOCK SOUNDS. Again, trust us.

Little Merry Sunshine Celebrates National Running Day!

Quit laughing. We really are celebrating National Running Day here at Little Merry Sunshine.

Let me give you the backstory...

It all started a few weeks ago when, after a great swim with my favorite swimming friend, I casually mentioned that I wanted to lose weight faster. He suggested that I start running. He's run two marathons. He's a runner. I have an (almost) 40 year history of never running because (a) I walk faster than I run, (b) my dad has a history of knee problems and I assume they are genetic, and (c) well, (c) is a very personal reason having to do with um, the girls. That said, prior to my friend making this comment, I had actually been contemplating possibly starting to think about running. Yep, I was committed.

After his comment, I started to think about running for real. But then I sort of forgot about it until Friday.

You may recall that Friday was the annual Lake Forest College Alumni Cubs Rooftop Event. I took the train down with my friend Derek and sizable group of Foresters and Forester Friends. Derek commented about how much weight I'd lost (40 pounds as of that morning!) and asked if I wanted to run the Shamrock Shuffle 8K with him next year. He had done it this year for the first time and had already committed to doing it again in 2012.

Before even giving me time to say no, he suggested a "better" idea: we run a 5K together in the fall in preparation for the 8K next Spring and actually got me excited for the Blackhawks Training Camp Festival and 5K in September. It's a 5K around the neighborhood ending inside the United Center with lots of beer while watching the Blackhawks workout. I have to be honest here: my favorite kind of workout includes me drinking beer while watching someone else sweat and if I have to sweat a little myself beforehand, I could do that.

On Saturday, I did a little research into the Blackhawks 5K and learned that it's being held on the same date as my LFC Fall Alumni Board Meeting and I can't, in good conscience, miss that meeting so I can go run and drink beer, even if it involves watching Patrick Kane skate around afterwards. No, really, I can't. Really.

So I started researching other 5K races we could do in the Fall.

In honor of National Running Day, I'm pleased to announce for the first time ever...

Little Merry Sunshine, joined by Derek and anyone else who wants to run, is going to run one and maybe two 5K races before the end of the year! And I'll get to cross an item off my Bucket List!

The Bucktown 5K will be held on Sunday, October 2nd in Bucktown with an after-party at the Taste of Bucktown. The only challenge with this race is the fact that it's the day after Homecoming and Reunion Weekend at Lake Forest College. If you've been, you know why running a race the next morning could be a problem.

The Northshore Turkey Trot will be held on Thursday, November 24th. As they say on the website, before you loosen your belt, tighten your laces. While it doesn't appear that this race includes a post-party, I probably have to get home to cook anyway.

Once we make a decision on which race (or both) to run, I'll let you know. My goal with both races is simply to finish.

Starting immediately, I'm going to start training to run a 5K. Yes, I know that most people train for marathons. To me, this is a marathon.

Want to run with me? Send me a note or leave a comment below.

I run because I want to lose weight faster and I want to challenge my body!

Extreme Couponing: What are the Real Costs?

I couldn't sleep last night probably because I took a nap in the afternoon. So I did what I always do when I have insomnia: watch mind-numbing television in hopes of falling asleep. Last night's show of choice was TLC's Extreme Couponing. Maybe you've seen it.

The show follows women whose entire mission is to pay nothing or next to nothing for their groceries. Having only seen the three episodes I saw last night, the show may follow some men as well, but it didn't seem that way. At the beginning of the episode, the women provide a tour of their homes, showing off their specially built shelving units that hold overwhelming quantities of food, cleaning supplies and personal care items. In many cases, toilet paper is stored under the children's beds, salad dressings fill dresser drawers, and custom armories hide soup in the master bedroom. Closets are stuffed to the gills and shelves line basements, dining rooms, living rooms, and garages. As I watched the home tours, I kept thinking, "isn't this just another form of hoarding?"

Keep in mind that all of this was bought with little to no money thanks to the manipulation of sales and coupons.

Now I'm a girl on a budget. I love getting good deals. I clip coupons. I shop the sales. But I purchase what I need and can consume in a reasonable amount of time.

The show then moved on to how the women collect their coupons. Boy, do they have systems. And they get their entire families involved. I don't think I can explain any of the systems, but they seem to consume hours upon hours of time.

Once the coupons are collected and organized, the women head out to the store. And this is where I became truly horrified. I watched the women fill multiple carts with all sorts of processed food - chips, macaroni & cheese, pasta sauce, chips, ground beef, ice cream, canned vegetables, sugary cereals and juices, bottled water, and candy, for example. One woman who wore no make-up loaded up with 87 tubes of lipstick. Another, after filling her cart with more junk food than I've ever seen, added 35 bottles of Maalox. Seriously.

Do you notice what's missing? There was no visible sign of fresh fruits and vegetables anywhere. I saw no lean meat. Just every form of processed food known to man.

The other thing I couldn't help but notice was that all of the women I saw ranged from overweight to extremely obese. I know that sounds really judgmental since I've got my own weight issues, but (1) I'm actively working to change my weight and (2) come look at my pantry - you'll find very little processed food, but lots of fruits and vegetables that I eat daily. My friends sometimes tease me that I rarely take short-cuts in cooking, instead making almost everything from scratch using fresh rather than processed foods when possible.

To the credit of each of the women featured on the show, they purchased hundreds of dollars (in a couple of cases over $1000) worth of groceries for $5 or $10 or less. They do this by manipulating the sales, making use of double and triple coupon values (evidently some stores will double or triple the value of coupons), and using multiple coupons on each item. In some cases, the double and triple coupon values allowed them to get paid to take items out of the store. I was impressed. I would love to walk out of the grocery store with enough food for a week and have only paid out a small fraction (if anything) of the actual cost.

But I can't help but wonder what are the real costs of this extreme couponing?

Food prices have been rising. Do stores keep their prices artificially high to allow them to double and triple the value of coupons? Stores aren't in the business of giving away all that food, cleaning supplies, and personal care items. Somehow they must get reimbursed for all the food, cleaning supplies, and personal care items they essentially give away. How do they get reimbursed?

What about the time consumed by extreme couponing? Spending 5 to 8 hours in the grocery store for each trip, plus the time to organize the coupons and put the groceries away seem like time that could be spent doing other things with their families. Time costs money too. One woman talked about how she wakes up thinking about how to get better deals with her coupons and goes shopping in the middle of the night to save money.

One woman had an estimated $20,000 worth of food, personal care, and cleaning supplies in her home. If you don't wear make-up, why do you need 87 tubes of lipstick? How many loads of dishes have to be washed to empty 25 boxes of dish washing detergent? Why do you need 72 bags of potato chips (the big bags, not the size to fit in a lunch box)? Even though it's all neatly organized, isn't this just another form of hoarding, which the Mayo Clinic describes as a mental illness?

Most importantly, what are the physical health costs of this extreme couponing? In a time when diabetes, obesity, and heart conditions are at all time highs, these extreme couponers seem to be teaching their children all the wrong information about nutrition and taking care of themselves by only serving processed foods high in fat, salt, and preservatives. I don't mean to sound snarky, but you don't need 35 bottles of Maalox if you have a balanced and less-processed diet.

I don't mean to sound judgmental because I've certainly written about how I save money on gas, food, and entertainment, but I just don't see how this extreme over-consumption is anything to be celebrated. Of course it's important to live on a budget, but rather than spend upwards of 10 to 15 hours or more per week clipping coupons to purchase overly processed foods, why not teach children the joys of gardening and growing your own fruits and vegetables? A $70 investment in a garden can save a family $600 annually and a $200 garden can save a family $5,000 annually. Granted, it's not the same as $100s per week, but it adds up.

I'd love to hear your thoughts.

The End of the World

Okay, I know that just 24 hours ago I said I was taking a break, but then I made that half-hearted comment about the possibility of the world ending on Saturday and made plans with a friend for Sushi Sunday with the disclaimer about the having to cancel if the world ends. For the record, I'm really craving sushi, so I hope the world doesn't end on Saturday.

Also, for the record, I don't actually believe that the world will end on Saturday, but just in case the Judgment Day is upon us, I thought it was important to help my readers through it in style - that is to say cocktails and a soundtrack.

Disclaimer: LMS always recommends you drink responsibly, but I suppose that if the world is truly collapsing around you in the most literal sense, then you can do whatever you please. But unless you personally see the Four Horseman, I'd really suggest you double check that world ending thing.

End of the World Cocktail (from 1001 Cocktails.com)
1/2 oz. high proof rum
1/2 oz. whiskey
1/2 oz. vodka

Serve warm in a shot glass. No garnish necessary.

LMS recommends using only top-shelf liquor here. If ever there were an excuse to avoid the cheap stuff, the apocalypse is it.

Now onto the music...

The End by The Doors


Hallelujah by Jeff Buckley


Closing Time by Semisonic


Don't Fear the Reaper by Blue Oyster Cult


We'll All Go Together When We Go by Tom Lehrer


The End by The Beatles


It's the End of the World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine) by REM


Goodbye Stranger by Supertramp


We Didn't Start the Fire by Billy Joel


So Long, Farewell from The Sound of Music


If the end really is upon us in the next 24 to 48 hours, then I can honestly say I've enjoyed the ride for almost 40 years, I've been blessed to have a life full of people I love and who love me in return, and I have much to be grateful for, including each of my Little Merry Sunshine readers.

If the world isn't ending, I'll be back over the weekend.

LMS Will Be Back This Weekend

Little Merry Sunshine will return this weekend after a few days of much needed rest. I'm not actually going anywhere, I'm just taking a few days off to recover from the Dan Heath (co-author of Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard) event last night at Lake Forest Graduate School of Management. It was an incredible event, but I'm exhausted.

When I return this weekend, I'll write about Dan Heath and share some other stories.

In the meantime, go back through the archives (2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2011) for some old but great posts.

Enjoy! I promise to be back fully energized in a few days*!

*Assuming, of course, the world doesn't end on Saturday.

What Does Your Dash Represent?

I've seen this movie before, but I was reminded of it earlier today when Ron Miller's son, Jim, posted it on Ron's Facebook page with an anecdote about Ron sending it to Jim just before flying to New York two weeks ago. None of us knew Ron's dash would come to an end on that trip, but maybe somewhere inside, Ron did. Without a doubt, his dash changed countless lives and in that way, Ron will live forever in each of us and in those we touch.

As I watched The Dash tonight, I think that in describing my life, I would say that my dash represents all the people I've loved and who've loved me. Those who are no longer in my life, for one reason or another, and those who will remain in my life forever. I'm fortunate that list is long. But my dash could have more patience and less stress. Those are my biggest learning opportunities.

Little Merry Sunshine's 40th Birthday Gift Registry

You may have heard the rumor: Little Merry Sunshine is turning 40 on June 16th (exactly one month from today). Much to my surprise, the rumor is, in fact, true. Our crack team of investigators has thoroughly researched the matter. They spoke to my parents, reviewed my birth certificate, looked at birth announcements in the paper, and even used a Ouija board to communicate with three of my late grandparents (the fourth having no knowledge of my existence because he died before I was born). Still in disbelief, we hired Donald Trump and his highly paid investigators (as opposed to our typical investigators who go by the names Betsey and Ross) to look into the matter.

Since I am actually turning 40, I believe the day should be celebrated in style and with the grandest gifts ever. And I've taken the luxury of providing you with a list of acceptable gifts. Stick to these and you won't go wrong.

Let's talk about the party location first though. I recommend Lichtenstein. Yes, as in the country of. Lichtenstein can be rented for a mere $70,000 per night. That doesn't include transportation to get there, but I'm sure that's just a minor expense. Please pay attention to the details here: make sure to rename the streets in my honor and issue money with my face on the bills. Oh, we'll have to make it a two night party because they rent the country for a minimum of two days.


Onto the gifts...

Cubs Fantasy Camp
It's no secret I'm a Cubs fan. In fact, pitcher Kerry Wood and I share a birthday. Do you know what every lifelong Cubs fan fantasizes about? Well, aside from the Cubs winning the World Series, we fantasize about playing for the Cubs. And thanks to the Cubs Fantasy Camp, one of my dreams can come true! Fantasy Camp includes a signed one-day contract to play with Manager Jim Hendry, batting practice with Cubs greats, live play on the diamond with a Cubs Legend as my coach, and many more perks. The 2011 Fantasy Camp was a mere $4,500, but I'm not sure what the fee for the 2012 Camp will be. I know it sounds like a lot, but it includes an overnight stay at The Westin Michigan Avenue Chicago. See? Such a deal.

Diamond and Gold Stilettos
If diamonds are a girl's best friend, then diamond stilettos, must be a girl's BFF. Well, they'd be my BFF. Without a doubt, my feet will look beyond sexy in the Eternal Borgezie Diamond Stiletto. For just about $165,000, you can keep me in high fashion for the rest of my life. What makes a pair of shoes worth $165,000? Glad you asked. They include 2,200 brilliant cut diamonds, totaling 30 carats and are handcrafted from solid gold. They even come with a 1,000 year warranty! Plus, I'm willing to spring for the weekly pedicures that will be necessary to keep my feet in tip-top shape for these shoes. I'm worth $165,000 right? I wear a size 8.

Afternoon Tea at Cliveden House in Berkshire
What could be better than capping off an afternoon in the British countryside than with a proper English tea? Afternoon Tea at The Cliveden House includes white truffles, Beluga Caviar, and Da Hong Pao Tea (a rare tea made from 1,000 year old plants), among other delicacies. We'll wash this all down with a glass of "the king of champagnes," Dom Perignon Rose. Considering the other gifts I'd like, Afternoon Tea at Cliveden House is a bargain at $900 per couple, but you'll have to get us to Great Britain too.
Ferris Bueller House or Home Alone House
It just so happens that both of these amazing homes are for sale at the moment. Coincidence? No way. The Home Alone house in Winnetka, complete with the staircase Macauley Culkin sleded down, is $2.4million. The Ferris Bueller house, located in one of Highland Park's ravines, is just $1.65million and is ideal for my budget-conscious friends (it was for sale for $2.3 million in 2009), but does not include Cameron Frye's dad's "Ferrari" (because it was up for sale a year ago and I'm assuming it was sold - maybe to someone who bought it as a 40th birthday gift for me?).

The Home Alone house

Cameron Frye's house in Ferris Bueller's Day Off

I promise to act completely surprised when I unwrap all of these wonderful gifts.

What Do You Live For?

My friend Chris Waugh posted this video on Twitter early this morning. Watch it and remember to dream and live fully.