Keep It Simple

I have been hesitant to post about finances, but I think our generation has a severe lack of understanding what is necessary and what is extra, and maybe it's time to start talking about getting back to the basics.

Before I start explaining what we do and why we do it, I want to be very clear: This is not an attack on anyone else's lifestyle. You can choose to do things differently, and that's just fine. This is meant as an encouragement for those that desire to lower their monthly bills, but feel trapped by the social norms. Annnnd, go:

1. Cellular Devices: People are always shocked that Patrick and I shared a cell phone for the first year+ of our marriage, and we still carry two of the most pre-historic cell phones around. We simply do not need an astronomical cell phone bill due to bells, whistles, and data charges. Since just about everywhere has free wi-fi, we did invest in a Samsung Galaxy Tablet this year without the data plan. 

2. Housing: We just moved into our first actual house. It's still a rental, but until now, we've lived places that were not our ideal, simply because we believe it is better to save your money for the right opportunity rather than spend what you don't have in order to live somewhere 'comfortable'. I consider doing laundry in my own home a luxury and a privilege.

3. Good Credit: While it is an asset to have 'good credit', credit card companies reel you in by making you think that you NEED to have a credit card to build 'good credit'. There is a way to keep a credit card responsibly, but it is also a slippery slope and once you start to charge things like a Venti Double Triple Espresso Mocha Caramel Whipped Soy Latte (that probably doesn't exist, but if it did, it would be called the 'I Have A Newborn') because you don't really have money for it in your bank account -- there is a problem. 

4. Television: We have never had TV channels anywhere that we've lived. In fact, our television is so old that it isn't compatible with even the three "basic" channels that everyone is supposed to get for free. We don't actually watch a whole lot of TV anyway, so we mostly use it for movies - but one awesome thing is Netflix! We can watch Netflix streaming through our Wii, and while we may have to be the LAST people to see the final season of The Office - oh well! It's not really the end of the world!

5. Kids Cost A Lot: This is true. My hospital bills were astronomical. Diapers cost an arm & a leg. BUT, I think that people inflate in their minds what is "necessary" for babies/children based on what the media tells us. Do we really need everything in Babies R Us to keep our babies well fed, safe, and happy? Thanks to the generosity of friends and family, I received LOTS of awesome things for Molly at my baby shower, and we saved gift cards to help purchase the things that we still needed. I almost never purchase things new from a store. I always check yard sales, consignment shops, and online for anything from clothing to toys to yes, even diapers! And lets be honest, Molly would prefer to play with a toilet paper tube and some packing peanuts over most of her toys anyway.

This blog post took me about a week to complete, working in 10 minute intervals. I'm trying out this new thing where I limit my time on the Internet while Molly is napping..you know, to help with my productivity. ;-) At any rate, the next post will not take this long to go up...it's already in process!

The Ketchup Compromise

As I deal more frequently with temper tantrums from Molly, I realize that even though I don't (often..) throw my own temper tantrums outwardly, there are often little inside-my-head temper tantrums. Probably even over things just as trivial as Molly's. Well, maybe not quite that bad.

Anyway, I try my best to deter her from flinging herself to the floor and arching her back and screaming at me, but sometimes, there is just no stopping the sin from happening. Sometimes when she does it, it makes me want to cry out of frustration, but other times, it makes me laugh because it is SO ridiculous and SO dramatic!

Lately, she has decided to boycott most foods unless they are dipped in ketchup or ranch dressing. Oh. My. Word. I can't believe I am THAT mother, dipping her child's CUCUMBERS in ketchup, just so she will eat it without a total fit. But, hey, I'm choosing my battles here...I figure, if she actually eats the asparagus...ketchup and all...it's still healthier than just feeding her what she'd REALLY like to eat all day, every day (bread, bread, bread, animal crackers, bananas, and bread).

A Very Crafty Christmas *A Belated Post*

Anyone who knows me knows that while I certainly enjoy crafting and being artsy, I am not particularly naturally skilled at things that involve sewing machines. I haven't exactly had the best "luck" with them in the past (read: needle snapped in half whilst using the machine back in '04 and haven't touched one since), so no one was more surprised than I was when I decided to do a lot of do-it-yourself gifts this Christmas.

I'm just going to go ahead and put it out there: Pinterest makes me think that I can be super homemaker. Even if I have no sewing skills, Pinterest says, "It's SO EASY! TRY IT!" So I do. 

Anyway, back in October, I came across a super sale on fleece at Hancock Fabrics, and decided to give the "No-Sew Tie Blankets" a try, since I've always loved them, but fleece can be a bit pricey. I may or may not have bought enough fleece to make several blankets in one fell swoop of determination to make Christmas gifts by hand. It was such a nice thought, and the first two blankets were fun to make. But as I struggled to find the time and motivation to do the last two blankets, I began to mentally kick myself for committing to so many projects that I had never attempted before.

The blankets turned out beautifully, and I even made one that will be one of Molly's birthday gifts next month. It may or may not have ended up as a child's blanket due to some unfortunate measuring.

The next project that I undertook was a variation on the "hot/cold rice pack" that I found also on Pinterest. I had made these before with my mom (using the machine from '04!), and since it had been a number of years since we'd made them, I deemed it a good time to give everyone an "upgrade". I didn't use rice - I used flax seed because I think it smells good, and I've also read that over years of microwaving the rice, it ends up cooked and smells weird. I don't know if that's true or not, but either way, I bought up all the flax seed that my town had to offer. I know those health food store ladies thought I was crazy.

I had to use my mother-in-law's sewing machine for the flax seed bag project, so these did not turn out quite as visually pleasing as I had seen in the "IT'S SO EASY" Pinterest post, BUT, I was still pleased with how they turned out. Yep - all 9 of them. 

I made a few other smaller projects, including framing family pictures for grandparents and homemade hand scrub. These both turned out great, and I'm thinking I might try out the hand scrub soon and post a review here, since it was an extremely simple recipe.

Next year, everyone is getting something weird, random, and creepy from the Dollar Tree to make up for how thoughtful and creative I was this year. 

Embarrassed.

My friend Lauren said it best, I think, when a few months ago she said that if her blog was a child, CPS would have already taken it away for neglect. Or something to that effect. That's pretty much how I feel, too.

I had high hopes for this little blog. Instead, I work myself into a tizzy trying to think of "creative" posts. From now on, I'm just going to write whatever I think of and sometimes it's not going to be all that interesting for anyone but myself. :-)

Coming soon...a post about moving to a new house (A HOUSE!!) and all the projects I've been working on for decorating the house!

It Happens in Threes

This past weekend was anything but uneventful, and not particularly in the way that I had hoped!

We went to visit some friends in the DC area for a birthday party, but on the way back, it began to snow, and (long, long, long story short) we ended up completely turned around in downtown DC, in the snow, for almost 2 hours. I had assumed the GPS was in the car somewhere, and hadn't checked before we left earlier that morning. Ugh, total fail on my part! Mad props to my sister-in-law Amanda for not whining (too much anyway) about seeing the Washington Monument from just about every angle...twice.

The next morning, bright and early, my beloved almost-one-year-old (yikes!) smacked me in the eye with an iPod touch. My first child induced black eye. Thanks, kid! I tried to cover it up with makeup, but it just ended up brown/blue..and sparkly.

Next, we discovered around 5pm that our keys had been stolen earlier in the day. Yet another very long story short, we were unable to retrieve them, although we were/are fairly certain we know where they are. Thankfully, we have family that is willing to step up and take us in on short notice for a couple of days while we wait for our replacement vehicle key and for the locks to be changed on our house. Sigh.

The main purpose to this post is this: Have you ever heard of the saying that bad things happen in threes? I heard it maybe a year ago, and since then, I have had several rounds of "3" fall into my lap. My question is, do I notice that things happen in threes because I heard that phrase, or do things really happen in threes? Hmmm...food for thought.

A Tiny Challenge

I may have alluded to this before, or you may have met and observed this about Molly in person...or maybe you don't know at all, but I have a daughter with a very strong will! She is not laid back, she throws temper tantrums that 2 year old children would be envious of, and she is sassy as can be.

I would not have her any other way!

I knew pretty early on that she was going to be a Tiny Challenge. She picks up on things very quickly, and was mobile at a very young age. She is the child that scopes out where all the plug sockets are in a room within 10 seconds of entering.

This type of personality is a blessing and a curse, just like any. Yes, she is mobile and tends to go straight for the "No no" items in a room, throws royal fits (complete with head flinging and body limping -- speaking of which, I might have a black eye in the morning), smacks me right in my face when I tell her "no", and all out SCREAMS if I am not doing something quickly enough for her liking...but....

She is also extremely loving. She gives kisses and hugs and pat/scratches my back. She tries to wipe my nose with tissues and feed me some of her snacks. She is a very good communicator and between pointing and gesturing and making little noises (sometimes almost words!), I usually know exactly what it is that she would like to be doing.

I am learning to choose my battles early. Yes, lovey girl, we must put pants on...society and Mommy declare that it is necessary, and no amount of fit-throwing will change that fact. But ripping up the tissue into a thousand pieces and handing it to me (saying, "Here") while I write this blog? I'm not gonna fight that one today. :-)

My "Tiny Challenge":

Resolutions

I could probably count on one hand the amount of New Years Resolutions that I have made, and even fewer that I have kept. Part of the reason that I don't actually make the traditional January 1st resolutions is because I know that I will have trouble keeping them, then will feel guilty every time that I think about it...but not guilty enough to do anything about it.

So when Patrick asked me yesterday what my resolutions were going to be this year, I jokingly said, "Move into a house!" He says that is not a resolution, but rather it is a goal. I guess I always pictured them as being the same, but it made me think (we have a lot of time to think, driving 45 minutes each way every day).

I could probably list a bunch of goals that every woman in America could relate to:

- Exercise more frequently
- Cook healthier meals
- Keep my house tidy
- Spend less money

BUT, the fact is, in a few weeks, I probably will have (mostly) forgotten about these goals as I step back into the daily crazy balance of my life with Molly.

Those, of course, are excuses - because I know that if I made time to exercise, I could. And if I really wanted to spend less money, I probably could.

So instead, this year, I am purposing to be honest with myself about the time that I have and be more wise with how I use it. It is amazing how many things one can accomplish during nap time...or not accomplish.