2015: The Cheaper Resolutions

Welcome to the New Year!  Yes, I am aware that it is February already and I am a bit late to the party.  For the record, I did start this post way back in December though.  I have just been busy working on the resolutions I'm about to dish on.

2014 was amazing because, well, this happened...

...and lots of other great things too that pale in comparison to the joy of Jr.-a job promotion, weddings, kindergarten and achieving some of our big long-term goals!  We have big things on the docket for 2015 too!

Resolutions:

-$5 Bill Savings Plan-Every time we receive a $5 bill this year we are going to save it. I thought this would be hard but it is an relatively painless way to save.  We've save over $100 so far.  So yeah, we are digging on this resolution!

-Pay off my student loans-Odds are you got them too. They drag on FOREVER!  

-Keeping up on paper clutter- Mail, receipts, school papers-its adds up quick if you don't have a good system.  I cannot believe the barrage of papers that sent home from school!  I am trying a few new things to keep up on all the paper clutter-art display for Lil' Miss(a la Pinterest) and the weekly basket for receipts, mail and misc. paperwork, and a new portable file tote. The idea is to sit down once a week and process the basket.  Ideally, it would be the same day and time each week and become routine.  Well, its not routine yet and I still need to break Mr. Cheaper's habit of leaving papers wherever.  Nevertheless, it is an improvement....and a work in progress.  Once I figure it out, I'll share what I've learned. 

-YNAB(You Need a Budget)-This one is my favorite!  I totally geek out on tracking and analyzing income and expenses.  For years, we had used the now discontinued MS Money for tracking.  It was like a member of our family.  After the demise of our computer with the MS Money, I decided to give Mint.com a try.  It was just not detailed enough for me. We made the switch to YNAB on December 31.  It is more similar to my beloved MS Money, and so far, I am happy(it may even be growing into love).  

So that's what we've been up to in the first part of 2015.  Still going strong on our resolutions...are you, friend?

Sunday the Not-so-fun-day

It's just another manic Monday
I wish it were Sunday
'Cause that's my fun day
My I don't have to run day...


Ha! Clearly, The Bangles did not have children when they released that hit.  Nearly every Sunday, I spend the day preparing for the week ahead. I chop, dice, cook, and bake for the week ahead. We do multiple loads of laundry. I bathe the children. And I finish off the day by mopping the kitchen once the children are in bed.  I might not be running, but there is a quite a bit of hustling.  Its a good thing I have a tiny kitchen.  Perhaps, next week I'll strap on a pedometer for grins. It does help make the Mondays less manic, but it is not a fun day.

Today, as I was sitting watch the kids play together in the bath(and Jr.'s graduation to the big tub) I realized that I wasn't even soaking in the adorableness of my kids. My mind was spinning! Jeez, when was the last time I scrubbed the tub?  What load of laundry should I do next? Are the diapers dry? Why is Mr. Cheaper not vacuuming? He better not be parked on the couch! Am I the only one who gives a darn about the state of the house?! Did the leftovers from dinner get put away?  Jeez! I should be paying more attention to this baby in the tub! Maybe I should be taking pictures to humiliate them as adults? Are we done with this bath yet? I have mopping to do yet!

This is not how I want to spend my family time.  I want to spend my Sunday evening reading books(not folding laundry while Lil' Miss reads her books to me).  I want to play board games together. And laugh together as we make memories.  How the heck do I get there? If I don't prep for the week, we end up eating Taco Bell. And then, I am mired in mom guilt about that.  Or I end up cranky and yelling because I am trying unsuccessfully to get dinner on the table in a timely fashion.  And then we are late launching the bedtime sequence which involves a more widespread and deep-seated level of cranky.

Honestly, I sometimes have no clue how to get this whole mom thing down.  There is no manual. Ninety percent of parenting is subjective. I just hope that when my kids are grown they know that even though I was one cranky SOB at times, it was really because I was trying so hard to be the best mom possible. Every year. Every week, Every day, I woke up and fell asleep trying to be always be better for them.

The beginning...

I hope everyone had a great start to 2015!  I am still alive...just been over here getting through the holidays, the flu, and teething.  I just wanted to pop in today and reflect a little bit on our journey.

Prom 2004

It was Friday, January 23, 2004 and I had agreed to a date with the somewhat odd fellow(ahem...dragon shirt) from my favorite pizza joint.  I felt obligated to agree to this one date and give him a try being that he had the cajones to ask me out a second time after a brutal rejection the first time he asked.  Hello people, it was Season 10 of ER,  Dr. Carter was in Africa and a helicopter had just fallen on Dr. Romano...and there was no such thing as DVR!

Penchant for kooky hats...
Still can't believe I said "yes."

He took me to dinner, a movie(Along Came Polly), and sledding.  I met all his friends and his entire family on that first date. It was that first kiss that sealed the deal though. Sorry, Mom and Dad I love you now but on that day Dad was the most intimidating person I had ever met. Snow was falling gently and we were saying goodnight in the street in front of his parents house. The light from the street lights was making the snowflakes sparkle. Then he kissed me. The memory reminds me of a snowglobe.  When life shakes us up a bit, I just close my eyes and remember.  It was magic(and it still is)!  A beautiful beginning to a beautiful life together.

June 2009-I do not miss the mustache!

August 2007

And years go by.......