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.
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
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.
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.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
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.
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.
Monday, February 14, 2011
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.
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.
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
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!
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!
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Presents?
Do you wonder how much the stuff below cost me on Thanksgiving? Let's see how many of you watched The Price Is Right...
So Black Friday is traditionally (in our country) where people go out and spend lots of money on Christmas presents. I love a good deal like anybody, but I've been increasingly turned off of the commercialism of Christmas the last couple of years...convicted to be less of a consumerist. I don't envision that would be how Jesus would want us to celebrate his birth. Gift giving is fun, but that's not really what it's about. I know when I would see people after Christmas, the common question I would be asked is, "What did you get for Christmas?". Isn't that bizarre? We are so indoctrinated with how our country "celebrates" that we are so focused on presents. This is an awesome site (and movement) http://www.adventconspiracy.org/
Check it out! What if we all spent less and gave more?
Now that we are parents, we have the opportunity to create new traditions, new celebrations, and it's kind of exciting. Mateo doesn't know who Santa Claus is, or how many presents he's supposed to get. He's innocent and it's amazing to see the joy he has in something so simple- like stabbing a piece of food with his fork successfully. If only we could retain our childhood authenticity into adulthood.
Oh, and I paid $3.75 for all the goodies in the picture. That's less than the price of one Noxema!
That was just at Walgreens. I was so excited getting home from Rite Aid that I put all the stuff away in my stockpiles before I remembered to take a picture.
I'll leave you with Advent Conspiracy's words....
Worship Fully
Spend Less
Give More
Love All
Great, great, life motto!
So Black Friday is traditionally (in our country) where people go out and spend lots of money on Christmas presents. I love a good deal like anybody, but I've been increasingly turned off of the commercialism of Christmas the last couple of years...convicted to be less of a consumerist. I don't envision that would be how Jesus would want us to celebrate his birth. Gift giving is fun, but that's not really what it's about. I know when I would see people after Christmas, the common question I would be asked is, "What did you get for Christmas?". Isn't that bizarre? We are so indoctrinated with how our country "celebrates" that we are so focused on presents. This is an awesome site (and movement) http://www.adventconspiracy.org/
Check it out! What if we all spent less and gave more?
Now that we are parents, we have the opportunity to create new traditions, new celebrations, and it's kind of exciting. Mateo doesn't know who Santa Claus is, or how many presents he's supposed to get. He's innocent and it's amazing to see the joy he has in something so simple- like stabbing a piece of food with his fork successfully. If only we could retain our childhood authenticity into adulthood.
Oh, and I paid $3.75 for all the goodies in the picture. That's less than the price of one Noxema!
That was just at Walgreens. I was so excited getting home from Rite Aid that I put all the stuff away in my stockpiles before I remembered to take a picture.
I'll leave you with Advent Conspiracy's words....
Worship Fully
Spend Less
Give More
Love All
Great, great, life motto!
Friday, November 19, 2010
Keeping up with the Jones'
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Money Saving #5:
Don't try to keep up with the Jones' and lower your standard of living (if necessary). Biggest way to get and stay out of money problems and debt is to live within your means. In many cases this means lowering your standard of living. Why should you have the best of the best like Mr. Jones down the street? Especially if you can't afford it. Reality is, Mr. Jones likely went into debt to get that "thing" anyways. And if he didn't, good for him and you need to get over it.
Okay, sounds harsh. But seriously, if we "needed" everything our friends have and everything we see on TV, and everything in the magazines..... then that is gonna get us in trouble. The lust for stuff affects everybody. "If only I had ____ then I would be happy." This is what we often say to ourselves, but it is a lie. Things cannot fulfill us. Only God can do that. And I'm pretty sure he could care less if our clothes were from Nordstrom or the Salvation Army. For me, I like organizing projects. For my hubby, he likes video games. For Mateo.... well he doesn't care about stuff yet. He'll play with an empty spool of ribbon and a big cardboard box. Oh, the innocence of a child. Unfortunately, he'll be corrupted by our culture eventually...but we will pray and try hard to teach him wise money management and to be generous.
Basically, be content with what you have. And no, I didn't make that up. It's one of my favorite verses in the bible. All good wisdom comes from the bible...God's word. Something I need to work on still.
never will I forsake you.”
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Money Saving #5:
Don't try to keep up with the Jones' and lower your standard of living (if necessary). Biggest way to get and stay out of money problems and debt is to live within your means. In many cases this means lowering your standard of living. Why should you have the best of the best like Mr. Jones down the street? Especially if you can't afford it. Reality is, Mr. Jones likely went into debt to get that "thing" anyways. And if he didn't, good for him and you need to get over it.
Okay, sounds harsh. But seriously, if we "needed" everything our friends have and everything we see on TV, and everything in the magazines..... then that is gonna get us in trouble. The lust for stuff affects everybody. "If only I had ____ then I would be happy." This is what we often say to ourselves, but it is a lie. Things cannot fulfill us. Only God can do that. And I'm pretty sure he could care less if our clothes were from Nordstrom or the Salvation Army. For me, I like organizing projects. For my hubby, he likes video games. For Mateo.... well he doesn't care about stuff yet. He'll play with an empty spool of ribbon and a big cardboard box. Oh, the innocence of a child. Unfortunately, he'll be corrupted by our culture eventually...but we will pray and try hard to teach him wise money management and to be generous.
Basically, be content with what you have. And no, I didn't make that up. It's one of my favorite verses in the bible. All good wisdom comes from the bible...God's word. Something I need to work on still.
5 Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said,
“Never will I leave you;never will I forsake you.”
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)