For the month of July I will be re-releasing select episodes of "Mom and Dad Cuss (a Little)" while we take our annual family vacation. This is Ep 24: "Home Improvement"

No plans for this week, just chatting about things. This week we just jump in to how things are going around the house. We discuss taxes, health and diet, and have a small discussion about the gender pay gap.

It's tax time! It's the time of year some people dread, and others depend on for household plans. This year we are using our tax return to do some improvements around the house. We are finally paying off our van and getting the A/C fixed in it, among other things. We purchased a new Tuft & Needle mattress. And we are replacing our beaten up dining table booth seat with a set of refurbished church pews.

On a more personal side, ReAnna has officially completed her first class on her quest to gain her Librarian degree with an "A." She's also made some steps toward improving her health, including finding a new doctor and getting on thyroid medication. In her first week alone, her energy level is way up, and she has managed to get her Dr Pepper consumption down to a single can a day, without any ill effects.

We have a small discussion about a recent Wells Fargo study into the gender pay gap and how it seems greatly affected by the overwhelming cost of childcare. Personally we flip that convention on it's head and it doesn't really bother us. ReAnna is the primary breadwinner in our house.