Money!

Uggg.  They say money is the root to all evil and I believe it.  Terrance and I are not wealthy even though our habits seem to say otherwise.  The problem is that we both have to work 2 jobs in order to support our habits.  When I say habits I mean purchasing things like a house, camp trailer, 4-wheelers, Razr, etc.
We have children who are unfortunately learning these habits as well.  My son works his job at the elementary school and as a side job mow's a couple of lawns each week.  He is also working with our neighbor on occasion.  I suppose this is good because he is learning good work ethic and also learning that staying in school is a good thing and a College education would be great so that he can be the boss instead of having to bust his tail in order to have the things that he enjoys.  With all of this going on I think it is going to take a little work in order for him to actually go to college to do what he really wants to do.  He would love to be a biologist for the DNR and I cant say I blame him.  That would be a fantastic job!
My daughter on the other hand... It is much more complicated with her.  She is my dancer an she loves to dance and she if very good at it too.  She dances at the studio 3 days a week and she helps assist the younger girls 2 days a week so there is no time for her to get a job and it really helps to keep her out of trouble.  The days that she is assisting help pay the tuition for dance.  That is where the problem comes in.  This year she tried out for cheerleading at the high school and made the JV team.  She is so excited and I think it will be a wonderful thing because this way she will be able to participate in the games and assemblies and all of the great stuff that suits her outgoing personality.  I think that she will make a lot more friends too.  Even if she chose not be on the competition team in dance this year she would still take dance at school and she would still take classes at the studio and help assist the younger girls.  However, she has decided that doing that is not enough.  She wants to compete.  There will definitely be conflicts with scheduling both activities (Cheer and dance) for sure and money...  That dirty word.  The cost for cheer is over $850 plus she is required to participate in several fundraising activities.  Dance is right about $200 a month if you include costumes, travel gear, competition fees and all of that good stuff.
She has also been given the opportunity of a lifetime this October.  Her dance studio is going to go to NY with the girls from Alta High School.  They will get to take several dance classes and attend Broadway shows , visit the Statue of Liberty, the 911 memorial and Time Square.  It sounds amazing but once again the cost for this is going to be $1600.00.   I want more than anything to let her do all of this but I just don't see how it is going to be possible at all.  She is going to have to make a few choices and they are not going to be easy choices for sure.  Somehow I also need to teach her the importance of having a good work ethic because right now she just thinks that money comes right from a credit card or a check book. 
I really want to go back to school and I am really considering it but the problem with that is also money.  By the time I finish school and become a teacher both of my kids will be out on their own.  I guess that might not be a bad thing.  It just means that Terrance and I will have a lot more money to have fun with!