MYSTIC MONA: All in the Struggling Family

My mother, son, daughter and I all live together in a five-bedroom house. We are not doing well financially because I work part-time and am retired. My mother collects Social Security, my son is still looking for a job, and my daughter is out of work because she cannot work around a lot of smoke in the casinos.

Will my family be doing better financially in the next year? Will there be any moves, like moving back to Los Angeles? Or changes in my job? Will it just get better?

Dear Family Affair,

At some point, your family will have to realize that you're not the solver of their problems and I vote for sooner rather than later. The word "NO" should become the most important response in your vocabulary. Your daughter is smart enough to find a job at a smoke-free establishment. If your son has to flip hamburgers or get hired at a temporary job, then that's what he needs to do.

Your children should be ashamed of themselves to put this kind of burden on you! They have no excuse to be this lazy. Each of your family members should be paying you 25 percent of their income as rent until they move out. In my opinion, your mother is the only family member that gets a break.

I see that you will be strong enough to tell your children that they will be moving out by February, but I don't see you moving anytime soon. Things will be much better for you by August, and should an opportunity present itself for you to change jobs in March, I would support that for you.

Is It Time for My Own Business?

I am thinking about owning my own health care business in Las Vegas and want to know if it will be a successful endeavor—or should I stay and just be happy with my current job? What do you think the time frames will be?

Dear Fortune Seeker,

Before you make the decision to begin your own enterprise, you need to do something about the stress in your life—the next two months should be all about taking care of yourself physically, mentally and spiritually. I will say that it's unlikely that you'll "just be happy" with your current job if you even have a sliver of desire to become independent in any way. Imagine that you are 70 years old and looking back on this moment in your life—do you see yourself making a go of this or do you see yourself regretting that you didn't even try?

I see that you can do the new business while still employed at your current job until July. Only discuss your plans with those people you know will support your endeavor and can keep it quiet until August. Within two years, your level of success will pleasantly surprise you.

Is it Tom Jones?

My question is, will I soon be able to have a good profession with more money? Also, I belong to an Internet chat group. One friend in particular has been very hot and cold to me. How can I minimize her impact on my other friends and my reputation? Also, I like a person in the public eye; will I ever be able to meet him?

Dear Slot Machine Sally,

With the girlfriend that runs hot and cold, I see that she reminds you of a difficult relationship from the past and she did not treat you very well. You have nothing to prove to her or anyone else. Go with the flow of things until you determine if she's worthy of your friendship. Maintain dignity in all areas of your life, limit your own gossiping, and stop spending so much time on the computer.

You will be changing jobs by February and it will be something different than what you're doing now. The new job will introduce you to a better quality of friends and you'll enjoy the work more than what you're doing now. Although initially it won't be much more money than what you're earning now, it's a good opportunity to earn more money within six months.

Being a bit smitten with Tom Jones myself, I can understand the attraction to a person who's a bit of a celebrity. (Although if I were to ever meet Tom Jones, I would have no idea what to say to him!) I see in your cards that there is a brown-haired, light-eyed man around you with whom you'll become friendly. If that fits the description of the man in the public eye, then there is a strong possibility that you can arrange to meet him. However, this does not look like a romantic involvement, so if that's your goal you'll be disappointed.

Mystic Mona is a licensed professional in the psychic arts through the city of Las Vegas. Her live and local radio show, Psychic View, airs 10 a.m. Saturdays on Hot Talk 1140-AM. You may e-mail your questions for consideration to [email protected] or visit her website at www.mysticmona.com.