Big changes!

     A lot of changes in few months time. Sweets and Buddy (4 and 2 and NOT their real names) are as busy as ever, talking, asking questions, playing nicely together, fighting over toys, creating general mayhem around my home, and me loving them for being them. Part of the reason for the few month break in writing is the other big news around here. We're expecting baby #3 this fall! We are all so excited and cannot wait for this new little person to arrive. Sweets is especially thrilled, but wants the baby to be a girl. She reasons that we already had Buddy, a baby boy, so now we need a girl. Makes sense. She also says that she wants to share her room with the baby. If only she knew!

     The reason why this news accounts for my absence here on the blog, is that I spent weeks laying on the couch with my only goal each day to try to keep some water down. Zofran and Sea-Bands were my best friends (Zofran still is at 18 weeks). Phenergan was my only saving grace on those really, really bad days when my mother in-law offered to come watch the kids. With Sweets, I was only sick a few times, and was mostly hungry. With Buddy, I was sick, but Zofran helped a lot and I was still able to function most days. This time, completely different. No ability to keep food down or function. Beyond thankful that I am past those weeks. Looking forward now to better days.

     Needless to say, laying on the couch for literal weeks did nothing to help the state of my home or my goal to try harder and make my home a more clean, comfortable, relaxing space for myself and my family. Even though our weekly routines have slowed down some (I am no longer working outside the home and my daughter is finished with dance class), my lack of energy some days means that I am completely unproductive. My daily To Do list consist of cleaning chores to keep my home sanitary, planning tasks to get ready for the upcoming church camp that my husband and I direct, and projects to complete around our home before the baby comes (including sorting and consolidating all of the kids' toys and clothes in order to move Buddy out of the nursery and into Sweets room). I can't lie, I'm dreading that!

    My crazy calendar of events for those things looks something like this....

• Direct Camp in late July
• Move Buddy into Sweets room in August
• Sweets begins preschool in September
• Sort and wash baby clothes and ready nursery in September
• Enjoy time as a family of 4 in October and November until baby comes!

Loving this crazy life!!!

The Mondays

I try to be a positive person. I try to keep my kids happy and upbeat. I try so hard, but sometimes I get tired. REALLY tired. This morning is the perfect example of one of those days when my peppy is falling so very short.

Today is Monday. We all know the general attitude about Mondays. By enlarge, the majority of the population loathes the first day of the work week, and for good reason. Some people, the other few out there, love the chance to start fresh. The beginning of a new week, new opportunities, a new start. I really wish I was one of those rare few.

For me, Mondays are full of challenges. The loose schedule of the weekend creates chaos that shows itself in full first thing on Monday morning. Too much fun, too little sleep. Not enough chores getting accomplished and not enough structure. That's the recipe to begin the week on a very low note.

The house has been lived in fully, but not really cleaned or dare I say even picked up for a couple of days. Weekend priorities are enjoying each other's company and running from ine activity to the next. Church, special events, family dinners.... the list goes on and on. The kids are tired. My husband is tired. I am TIRED. Not an ideal way to start fresh.

I walk downstairs, bleary eyed, with two grumpy kids pulling on my sides, demanding milk, juice, snuggles, and "MOMMYYYY!". I just want a cup of coffee. A simple cup of coffee. The only thing standing in my way is a huge pile of dishes on the counter. I push them out of the way enough free my coffee pot from the back of the counter. I hate dishes. Coffee started, I meet my children's demands and turn on a cartoon (don't judge) to help buy a little time. Cup of coffee finally in hand, I snuggle with my babies on the couch and try to wake up. I try to form a plan to attack the mess that is my house. I need to go to the bank. Sweets has dance class tonight. I have to work. DH has been working late. I need to do some laundry. I need to spend some time with my children. I need to do dishes... lots of dishes. I need, I need, I need....

I finally have enough coffee in my system to begin thinking clearly. What is it that I really need? A maid? Yes, but since that's not an option, what is something feasible that I need? A break? A vacation? A nap???

What I really need is a reality check. What is really important here? I try to keep my priorities in a simple Faith, Family, Friends line. If only everything fit neatly into those categories and ordered themselves from first priority to last. No, that's my job. I need to be more organized. I need to make a conscious effort to do more. To work harder at caring for my home, my family, myself. Easier said than done, I know. That's my goal though. I NEED to do better. I NEED to not walk downstairs to a disaster every Monday morning, wondering if I can't just go back to bed. Maybe the cleaning fairy will come as I sleep? ;)

What are you biggest struggles? Do you struggle with the Mondays like I do???

A few little changes...

           Since the last blog post, I have been busy working on little way I can cut back here and there. A BIG part of this I feel is our grocery bill. I think everyone would say that they feel they spend too much on groceries, but with a 3 and 1 year old and a husband who likes to eat as much as I do, we have been way overspending.
         

          Last week while I was at the grocery store, I saw a roaster chicken on Manager's Special for really cheap! I wish I could have wrote down the exact amount, but it was around $3.50. I tried to upload a picture of the meat that I got off of it, but I'm not sure where on the post it will show up. Anyway, it was MUCH more than I had expected. I bagged up the meat in little freezer bags and stuck them into a big freezer bag together and stuck it in the fridge. I used one of the little bags in homemade chicken noodles and they were delish! I love having shredded up chicken in the fridge to toss in casseroles, stir-fry, chicken salad... so many options. This was a CHEAP, easy way to stock up on quality chicken without paying $7.50 for a package of chicken breasts to get the same amount of meat. I think I actually ended up with more!
        

            I have also stopped buying the Dora and Mickey Yoplait yogurt for my dd. She loves them, but the price per ounce was way out of line. Instead, I have been buying a big 2 lb container of Yoplait strawberry yogurt and giving her some in a small snack cup. It last 3x as long and for cheaper than buy 1 4pack of the other!

           What are some ways you cut cost on your grocery bill?

Pay Day

     I have a love/hate relationship with pay day. I get a strange satisfaction from paying bills. I would even go as far to say that I LIKE making payments. Weird, I know. It feels good to me to pay a debt. I like knowing that I am a real adult, able to pay for the utilities that I use and repay student loans, credit card bills, car and mortgage payments.... on and on it goes.
     Now comes the hate. I HATE paying bills. Why? Because at the moment, we are behind. I can't make payments on every bill that is due. If we are going to continue to keep a roof over our heads and have something to eat (really, I'm not talking about a steak dinner, I just mean food, of some sort to keep our bellies full and give us enough energy to get through our day) I can NOT make a payment on every bill. This is the most frustrating thing EVER. I want to pay my bills. I want to keep my credit in good standing. The bad thing is that it is not always feasible.
     I know what you are thinking... stop complaining and get another job so that you can pay your bills. News flash... DH works 40+ hours a week. I work 10-15 outside the home at a part time job AND run a direct sales business. Short of spending more money that I bring in at said part time job to hire a babysitter, there is no way for either of us to work more hours. I work evenings when DH can be home with the kiddos (DD age 3 and DS age 1).
     The good news... W2s are in. That means tax return time is right around the corner. I've been working on tax prep some this week and I am praying for a great big return this year. Energy credits for new HVAC and having a baby in 2013 should make a difference. Prayers for that to be the case would be awesome. Thanks!

Starting off

       Where to begin? This year marks the beginning of a journey that I have been toying with for a long time. The purpose of this blog is a place to document my ideas, thoughts, successes and failures... everything that comes a long with the goals of this year.
       You see, for the last several years, my DH and I have been struggling financially. We have never been the best stewards of our money. A few months ago, it all hit the fan after several unexpected car and home repairs maxed out our credit cards and we were left with literally no way to pay our bills, buy groceries, put gas in our cars, etc., etc., etc. That was the major push that we needed to get our act together. That is sparked the birth of 2014, The Year Of NO!
       Sounds scary, right? It is. We decided together that this year would be NO vacation, NO extra spending, NO more charging anything to our credit card. Absolutely NO way we will end 2014 in the same financial state that we entered it.
       I am tired of living paycheck to paycheck. I am tired of having no say on where our income goes. I am tired of being a slave to debt. SO tired. It is time for a major change and I am SO ready. We spent January catching up on late bills the best that we could. With our tax return we will finish catching up and then it is go time.
      The thermostat is lowered to save on propane. Cash envelopes are waiting to be filled. Our garden plot is picked out and I am reading up on the best ways to preserve all types of produce. New year, new way of life.