Advice, help, questions

I usually just post pictures but today I wanted to share a few things I have been thinking about lately.

Paige keeps asking where the baby comes from - I keep telling her I go to the hospital and the doctor takes it out... end of discussion! Well, Danny gets a Big Brother book for Blake and it talks about the birth canal... Danny tells her where it comes out of. Is she too young, will it scare her, what do I do? She has not brought it up to me (happened last night) and I don't know what to say when she does. Any advice?

Do I expect too much of my kids? Paige is almost 5 and Blake is 3 (acts older than Paige sometimes, I will add). I expect them to chew with their mouth closed, use their utencils at the table, say please and thank you, help set and clear the table, clean up their toys, respect the things we have, treat people as they want to be treated, share with others, and be nice to eachother. Is that too much??

If you owe someone money, do you make it a priority? I certainly do. I don't know how people can borrow money from somebody because they don't have any but yet, you hear about them going on a trip or going to the movies, or going to the OC Fair, or going out to eat, etc... If you can do all of these things shouldn't you pay back your debt first? For me, I judge. I try not to, but I do. It's hard because you feel like you are being taken for granted. Why am I less important than say a credit card bill or a cell phone bill? Priorities and responsibilities - lessons I hope to teach my kids early on.

Nightmares - Do I ask what it was about, have them talk about it to me in the middle of the night? Or, do I just comfort them and tell them Mommy's here and put them back to bed? Help!

Money - if one of your best friends makes a little bit of money and your other best friend makes a lot more, do you treat them different? If Paige became a teacher and Blake became a doctor does that mean at Christmas I should treat them differently in regards to buying gifts for them or their family? Danny and I make more than the average family but should we be punished because we have saved, invested well, bought real estate at the right time, worked hard for it, given up the sunny life in California, gone without a new car, etc..? I just feel like sometimes we are looked upon differently or treated differently because of money. I love learning about money, helping people with questions, giving ideas, etc.. but can't stand that money defines someone so much. What do you think?

Donations - if someone sends you something that they are involved in with fundraising, do you have to donate? We have our charities we regularly donate too and an amount we like to give each year, but does the person judge you because you did not donate to that charity or help them get their credit they need? Then, if you only give a little, does that make you look cheap?? I've been torn on this for a few years now and never know what to do...

Breaking a Habit - Paige has this terrible habit of wiping her mouth with her sleeves. It is so frustrating... she is not setting a good example for Blake (although he has yet to do this) but more so it ruins her clothes. I have chocolate stains, ketchup stains, etc.. on her sleeves that I cannot get out (they do not have good cleaners here). We have told her over and over and over to use her napkin... and she doesn't. So, tonight we took away the rest of her brownie after she wiped her mouth on her dress sleeve again. I feel so mean but it's frustrating. Any tips on what to do??

Books - I need some new ideas. I've been reading a lot and will soon be done with my stash - time to think about re-filling it for next year. Any suggestions?

Thanks for any help you might have.