A new shelf in my stockpile and my sweet Mateo

Here is the newest shelf in my stockpile from couponing:



Today I am 15 weeks pregnant and, though I've been WAY too tired to do as much deal and coupon shopping as I would have liked to, I have quite a few packs of diapers in my stockpile. We do plan on using cloth diapers again- and I have a good supply for once the baby is about 10+ pounds - but I really don't have the desire to use cloth when we have a brand new baby. AND, since diapers can be ridiculously expensive, I'm hoping that between my own stock and from my baby shower that we will have enough for three or four months. That would be awesome. I have close to 500 diapers right now. Sounds like a lot, but tiny babies go through a LOT of diapers lol.

With anticipation of the new addition, I am also trying to REALLY treasure each day I have with Mateo...fully knowing that very soon he will have to share me with another baby, a smaller one, and I will no longer be able to give him as much attention. We are doing a parent/tot swim class right now which is fun and yesterday we went to play group, got to play out in the yard for a long time, went for a walk, and just did our normal daily stuff like fold laundry. I'm trying to love every second.

If only we could all be as sweet as a toddler. Last night at bedtime he requested that I read his bible, wanted to pray for his daddy, his grandpa and grandma, his friend Natalie, and the baby- which he says is going "night night" in my tummy. He waves to strangers- even the ones who are particularly strange- and blows kisses to the lifeguards at the pool. Hearing "I love Dada" and "I love u Mama" is like music to my ears, la la la! He kisses boo boos, hugs his little friends who are sad, and becomes attached to dad at the hip (or ankle haha) whenever he is home.

I do love my sweet boy. It's hard to imagine loving another baby as much as we love Mateo but I know it's possible. It's also hard to fathom that God loves my babies even more than I do. Seems like too much love to understand. And it is.

Mateo, being a ham and giving me his fake smile.

Peace and Quiet and the garden

Today I think I'm learning what it would be like to have twins. Twin 1 1/2 year olds to be exact. I'm babysitting a friend's daughter on Mondays for a little while and it makes for a long day. But they love playing together. When they can share haha.

Can I just say that I love peace and quiet?

And thankfully, both tots fell asleep at the same time. Bliss. ahhhh!

Yes, I love peace and quiet, routines, procedures, order, cleanliness, etc. And yet I still like mothering a toddler. Thankfully for me, Mateo is pretty meticulous with how he likes to keep his things in order. Aaron says I rubbed off on him but I think it's just his disposition (which could be genetic I suppose ;) Everything has to have a spot with Mateo. He usually (key word usually) likes to help clean up and always is reminding me if something is out of place. I wouldn't dare leave clothes all over my bedroom floor anymore less I want to hear about it from my toddler. Oh well, he keep me in check. And don't try to put his hats away in the wrong spot. That just won't do.

I was learning/remembering/contemplating the fact at a small group the other week that it's OK to like quiet. To be quiet. To be a little, shall we say, introverted? I don't feel peaceful in big groups. I like small groups and I like time to myself. I like quiet. In college Human Development class they called that Intrapersonal I think. Whatever it is, I've always felt a little weird and like it was not normal to be like that. But, though I always believe in letting God change and mold me, I think he created me with the kind of disposition that I have. Must've been for some purpose.
The reason we hear more about extroverts is because they talk more.

On a side note, I'm absolutely thrilled that it's starting to be spring-like now. Spring is, by far, my favorite season. I love the mild weather, the getting to be outside, mowing the lawn, smelling fresh cut grass, and GARDENING. I finally have stuff planted and I love it. I'd spend all day outside in the yard if I had no other responsibilities. We're working on a half fence right now and when that's complete Mateo will be able to play more freely outside and I won't be chasing him so much. Looking forward to picnics and sprinklers and snacks from the garden. I'm looking forward to needing a little sunscreen.

And did you know that I have an obsession with weeds? I hate weeds. So much so that one would think I actually like and enjoy weeding. My hubby certainly thinks I do. But it's not so much that I like weeding but that I just dislike the weeds. We have a hill on the side of the house that I'm trying to utilize for stuff like planting squash and pumpkins but its' covered in weeds. I take it as a personal challenge. Can't put the spray stuff to kill them b/c then I couldn't plant food. So if I wasn't taking care of a toddler or two today I'd be outside.... weeding.

My bucket list

I was inspired by a friend who made a "bucket list" of things that she wants to do before she turns 30 this year. I still have 2 1/2 years before I turn 30, but I figure I might as well get started on making this list of 30 things I wanna do before September of 2013!

Here's all I have so far...I am in desperate need of ideas! I have no "career" goals right now, have already done all the higher education that I plan to (Dr. Gaby?)I'm not very adventurous, and I'm already married and have a kid. I guess these are just things that I'd like to do- so why not try to do them soon? p.s. I'm pretty boring.


Thirty things I'd like to do before I turn 30.............

1. Read the entire bible (we are doing that this year!! :)
2. Do another Beth Moore bible study
3. Host Thanksgiving.
4. Go snow shoeing.
5. Learn to make corned beef and cabbage for St. Patrick's Day
6. Get Mateo a sibling.
7. Visit my grandparents.
8. Take a dance class with Aaron
9. Make banana bread.
10. Write a bilingual children's book.
11. Find a way to speak Spanish more.
12. Grow pumpkins.
13. See a play or musical.
14. Ride a tandem bike.
15. Learn to play a song on the piano (with proper finger placement).
16. Watch the Star Wars trilogy (for Aaron).
17. Try Creme Brule (sp)!
18. Ride in a Limo.
19. Read 5 books just for fun.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
26.
27.
28.
29.
30.

OK...maybe Safeway isn't the worst store in the world plus pics of the stockpile...

So I usually complain that Safeway is cruelly overpriced compared to WinCo. However, what better way to end a date night than to stop at Safeway and double 8 coupons? Yes, my husband even allows me to bring him couponing and I LOVE it when he comes, hehehe.

This is what we got:
So we got 10 boxes of cereal, 4 boxes of gushers (not for me b/c of the sugar... :(, and a bottle of salad dressing for $9.00. I was pretty happy with that.

The hubster also put up some more shelves in our laundry closet, too, for stockpile stuff.

Our laundry closet is pretty big for a closet, so there's plenty of room for some shelves...where we keep everything from TP to laundry detergent to dish soap. There are a few things I couldn't capture with a picture...but you can get the gist.

These are the two shelves we have in our "basement" downstairs" (aka bowling alley). The upper one has toiletries like shampoo, face soap, dental hygiene stuff (in the red bin) and baby wipes. The bottom one has food like cereal, oatmeal, rice milk, pasta, etc.

Our small miracle

You often hear people say, "God is good" or "Praise God" when something goes well or when life is good. Sure....
But the reality is that God is ALWAYS good and we should always praise him. No matter what. Period. There is no condition to his goodness and it's one of those things that gets on my nerves. God is good in all situations, even the tough ones. Even more so in the bad ones, I think, because we have to rely on his goodness and grace to see us through those situations. This is Mateo in his isolette @ the NICU (4 lbs 4 oz. born at 32 weeks and 1 day gestation)

Tomorrow is when Mateo should've turned 18 months...the big 1 1/2. Instead, he is almost 20 months old and a happy, thriving toddler.

From 4 to 24 pounds, we are daily thankful for the little boy that he has become. In the pictures below, he is holding a teddy bear that is wearing one of his preemie outfits....
You don't always know why things happen as they do, or for what purpose, but this much is true: that God uses all things...

^"2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, ³ because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. " James 1:2-3

It is really hard for me to look at NICU pictures of Mateo. But I do it anyways b/c even though it is sad for me to see my baby like that, it also makes me overflow with thankfulness for how far he has come. He was not the "angel" baby that some brag about, nor is he the most independent of toddlers, but we love him. Just like he is. Just how God created him.

He is growing up more every day and I can now honestly say that I enjoy being with him all day (even though 5:30pm often doesn't come soon enough ;) He loves to help me with everything from putting things in the trash or recycling, folding diapers, sweeping the kitchen, organizing toys, etc. He no longer cries for 12 hours a day, he falls asleep on his own, sleeps through the night, has 16 teeth and a new haircut, laughs a lot, loves to watch animals in the back yard, could eat his weight in bread and raisins, does all my couponing with me, is in love with his daddy, and loves to give kisses on the cheek.

Mateo = gift from God.
This we know to be true.

Learning from the kids

So I teach the kids at church. This week I talked Aaron into helping as a "sub" to fill in for some people that couldn't make it. He declared that he wanted the harder group. Really? Sweet! So I gave him the little rowdy boys. "What are you going to do when they start rolling around on the floor?" was my first question for him. I don't think he had an answer.

Anyways, I got to work with the older kids- which is my favorite. And it ended up being an all girls group b/c I did a little rearranging. Very chatty girls, but I soon realized what a heart they had for their friends and family. I was going to pray before we got started with small group stuff- and they all started spouting off these prayer requests for people that they obviously cared deeply for. Simple things to serious things alike. I assured them that God is never too busy to listen to our prayers. We never bother him when we pray. He loves us to pray to him. (This coming right after we read Mark 10:13-16 when the disciples yelled at people for bothering Jesus with their kids.) So we prayed for their friends and their family and I vowed to bring them prayer journals next week so they could use them at home.

When I got home that day, I was wondering who the teacher was that morning. Me...or them?

p.s. Yes, Aaron survived. But with the declaration that, "I'm SO not a teacher" or something of the sorts. I think he did great.

Spend less to work less....

So dinner is in the crockpot, laundry is in the washer, and my tot is napping...so that means I get a few minutes to sit down at the computer! Yipee!!

My heart continues to ache for people that want to stay home with their babies but don't think they can. Like I've said before, there are plenty of people who don't have that desire. But for those that do- and who aren't the only bread winner of the family- this is what I have to say:
YOU CAN STAY HOME WITH YOUR BABY IF YOU WANT IT BADLY ENOUGH!

Pray pray pray!!

But I'm NOT the type of person who would tell you to pray for a lump of money to fall from the sky so you could continue your current lifestyle. No, I'm the kind of person that would tell you to pray to God and ask for his wisdom on how to manage your money differently. All knowledge and wisdom come from our great God and He is ultimately the one who will give you the discernment and self discipline to make the cuts you'll need to. Yes, lots of self disciple needed.

Now maybe your husband (or wife... plenty of SAHDs now ;) is a brain surgeon and you quitting your job isn't the biggest deal. But for most of us- our spouse probably has a regular job.

I decided to check out a couponing book from the library and the author, Stephanie Nelson, wrote this on the first page (that's as far as I've gotten, hehe):

"In 1995, my husband and I made the decision to downsize our lifestyle so that I could stay home with our boys, a two year old and a new baby. My quitting the corporate world meant our income would be cut in half, so I knew I was actually taking on two new roles: stay-at-home mom and CEO of our family budget...."

Boy could I relate! Since Aaron and I had very similar incomes, me quitting my job would literally mean cutting our income in half. Fortunately for us, we had been planning on this for a while- so it wasn't quite as harsh a transition as it could have been.

So what I'm saying in all of this- is....how bad do you want to be at home with your kids and what are you willing to give up? Are you willing to live in an apartment instead of a house? Are you willing to go to Goodwill?
For some reason the idea of being a professional budget advisor person appeals to me, but I don't think I'd land a job in that area b/c I would be a little tough on people. If they were buried in money problems, I'd probably tell them to sell their house b/c living in their current house would not allow them to leave within their means. I'd probably advise them to stop buying coffee at Starbucks (b/c I believe the little things do add up). Maybe I'd tell them to consider buying used clothing, mow their own lawns, buy a bag of potatoes instead of buying boxed potatoes, etc.

Take heart! There are books galore and websites galore on ways to manage your money. God is big. Read the book of Proverbs. We are to be discerning and prudent in how we utilize our resources....realizing that all of our money and resources are from God anyways. Though 2% of me misses having a "career", the other 98% of me is so glad to be at home managing the household and taking care of my boys (the big one and the little one ;)

Here are some things I've written about in past blogs to sum up. It really all comes down to spend less...in order to work less!

1. Try coupons to save money with toiletries, food, and entertainment.
2. Shop second hand.
3. Don't keep up with the Jones'.
4. Lower your standard of living.
5. Do more things yourself instead of paying others (food prep, yard work, etc.)
6. Make a budget with your spouse and stick to it.
7. Pay off debt and stay out of debt....only spend money that you have!


You can do it!