Financial Planning for 2010

Ok - so does anyone else get anxious about responsible financial planning - or is it just me?

(ok - I posted this, then saw one of my IRL friends posted the same thing!!! Check out Rae)

I would love some ideas on what other single income families do. We chose for me to stay home (and that has made me so much happier, less stressed, etc) but in doing so, sacrificed the income I made that helped to pay off house and medical debt. We don't have a lot of the latter, but enough I stress over it. The house is more routine for most people so that isn't the part I obsess over.

I obsess over saving $ better, tithing or donating, buying a van when Hubby's car has until Dec to be paid off, having an emergency fund, daily budgets, and planning way better for retirement than we already are doing. Hubby is way relaxed about things, but I'm the anxious one, and I want to be educated on these things. What if anything happened to him...I need to know - so I make it my business to be empowered.

So, I would love to know what others do, example budgets that would refresh my 2009 model? I could have fresh ideas, especially with this recovering (??) economy. I wonder what else I can empower my family to do. One day I will teach again, but if we homeschool - well, I want good plans in place until I do go back to teaching as it could be a few years.

Tips? Thoughts? Or is this just too taboo to talk out loud about?

Bouncy Fun and New Hair 'Do!

Just pics from our Saturday. Taking a break from snow for some indoor fun:

I had the BEST seat in the house for a preggo lady :)

Relaxing on air!

Val bouncing below (you can see her hair bouncing)

Oh - and a new haircut for a new birthday year (yes, I celebrated earlier this week) :) I'm SLOWLY working toward an angled "bob" (longer in front, shorter in back). I'll go back a few times till I feel like the change is done. Gotta love cheap hair cutteries! (oh - I did the styling...don't blame the lady. I came home and dried it, etc!)

Not as angled as I wanted in the back - but I did tell her to start slowly, and I'd go back for more cuts :)

Ok - after this day...time for bed!!! :)

Snow Day continued...

Well, our day of fun continued. (Oh, I added a pic in my last entry - a picture of the cool shaped snowflakes....check it out!!!)

All Advent, and even into early Christmas, I really wanted to make gingerbread cookies with Lovely. It just seemed life got in the way and Christmas was coming to an end. So today's 'Snow Day' really slowed life down and this evening I took advantage and we got to it! We played Christmas music, enjoyed our Christmas lights and hats, and we enjoyed time as girls. Val even stayed close watching from her high chair, ready to be our taste tester! It was a lot of fun.

But...I'm ready for bed! :) We saved some for daddy who was off at a guy's night out (only guys would pick a frosty cold night to drive in.....). Lovely did a great job rolling and icing and cookie cutting. I enjoyed making memories! I think Lovely is also catching the shutterbug disease. You'll see her taking pics with her camera - plus one I found on my camera.

Enjoy....YUM!

The below pic (forgive the toy strewn room - Snow Day lol) is playtime
as the cookies baked. That fire felt sooooooo good!
Lovely was doing some sort of dance to the Christmas music...

I apologize for the missing head of the gingerbread man in
the below picture. This manic pregnant woman
came walking by and just savagely attacked him.
I have NO IDEA who she was....hmmmmm.

Next to time with my girls, the below was one of my favorite places to be
all evening. When they went to bed, I sat HERE:

Hmmm...who took this pic on MY camera? LOL

A FABULOUS evening - Val above clapped her appreciation. Whew!! What a day! Hubby is home now, so I think I can finally sleep. I never can just go to bed without him in the house somewhere...weird! But tonight was precious time with my girls!

Oh - soon I can share Christmas morning pics! My sister sent me copies!! Thanks Sister (my camera was dying slowly on Christmas)! I still need to get Christmas Eve off the old card somehow....I'll hope!

Goodnight!

SNOW DAY!!! ** EDITED **

Well, we have SNOW people! Fabulous!

It started yesterday as we walked home from school. How magical! It was soft flakes, which I failed to notice, but my neighbor buddy did - actually were shaped with 6 points! They looked like the Star of David. VERY cool! Lovely just laughed the whole way home, Val kept saying "Wooow!" and then it stopped a while. Bummer!

Edited to add this pic from a different friend who noticed the cool shaped flakes too. Look closely:

So awesome!!!!

Apparently though when it got dark (and I was too tired to notice) it began again and went late into the night. The result? Snow and ice that shut down this southern city and temps in the 15s! We've had a snow day before for schools, but hubby has always had to work (with a delayed start so roads could be better). Today though - office was CLOSED! It's been a GREAT family day thus far!

It's only a light dusting...one that is already melting away (even though we are now in the 20s), but it has made it a VERY special morning for our family, friends, and neighbors. Perfect for a fire, hot cocoa, NAPS, and quiet.

Here are some pics from our day so far:

The girls seeing the snow upon waking up!!!

The girls giving each other kisses through the door. Val kept going "MuuuuuWAH!"

Look at her nose pressed on the glass :)

HAHA! Hang on Val!!! :)

Hey - we kinda had a "White Christmas" It's still Christmas, friends!

It's been a fantastic day! I'm feeling very grateful!! Grateful for my family, this day off, appreciating them, getting extra rest when we haven't been 100% well, or sleeping at night, grateful our crosses in life are small...and wondering (and being SO grateful still) why bigger ones have not hit us yet (which is really interesting because two other bloggers have been thinking the same thing!! What's up with that??!! Check out Kate and Rachel). I might have to explore that with them - but I always seem to have it at the back of my mind. A few years ago we were deep in BIG crosses, so I very much do NOT take for granted this time - but my heart and mind are with others who lately have been going through a lot more (Some with WAY more faith and grace than I could!) - and I do wonder why for them, and yes....when for me. Why is that?

BUT - I am grateful. Grateful that this "feeling" makes me not take a moment for granted. Grateful I lean on faith and friends. Grateful that I feel blessings and feel so RICH even if I'm really not. But....again, I need to think about this more. Is it my hormones? My anxiety? Is it because when others you know are having a hard time you think harder? I know we're supposed to let Go, let God - and today...I will. I'm going to end this and enjoy a really LOVELY day. Enjoy this cozy, 'fireplace and cocoa' time with my family while I do have it - all of us together, safe, happy, and healthy.

Snowed in and grateful. AWESOME Combo.

Let it Snow!!

Small Successes and Thankful Thursday - "2010" Edition

Welcome to 2010!!!!!!

I've been a little behind on sleep lately, so I won't get all wordy - but this week has been filled with a lot of successes. I feel really blessed because they have been a boost!

1. I remembered to celebrate Epiphany in a deeper way with my girls (well, really Lovely). Funny thing was, I did it a day early (I wanted to do it on the 6th, and assumed Tues was the 6th hehe!). But we had fun!! I made a Crown like bread (Lovely called it cake lol) out of cinnamon rolls, and served yellow/gold colored fruit and eggs with it for the theme. Lovely was really excited. The Magi dropped by and left some stocking stuffer like gifts (I have a different idea for next year...thanks to Erin). It was a great breakfast....then I laughed when I realized it was not the 6th. HEHEH! Still, a fun morning, and meaningful morning, is a SUCCESS! See pics:



2. I've kept my house, yes HOUSE, in order! Yes, the kid toys and laundry folding can clutter when it is out, but the whole donation and purging has gotten me back on track. Despite being really tired and a little sick, I've done FlyLady this week (we're in the Kitchen) and it so nice! I can quickly pick up before someone comes by. It's not perfect, and I've got more to do, but what we have feels GREAT!

3. I have been cooking better this week AND worked out with my friend and neighbor S! It felt really good to do something fun and social and challenging. With feeling tired and sick a lot, I've slacked off in working out, and pregnant or not...I need to be healthy! It feels GREAT!! Thanks girly!

PRAYING for Sarah Reinhard and family!!!

Thankful Thursday
This week I am thankful for...

1. my husband - he's been so supportive to me this week, and a great listener!
2. My girls - so funny, cute, faith-filled, etc...
3. my friends!
4. prayer - I've had lots of bad news or heard of heartache and prayer is an amazing thing!
5. for a fresh start of 2010!!

This list is far too short...but I'm full of gratitude. Much love!!!

I'm here - tired. But not out.

It's been an interesting two days since I blogged!

First off. Happy Epiphany! We celebrated (due to a case of pregnancy brain lol) yesterday, a day early, with an Epiphany breakfast celebration. We made a crown bread "cake" and served it with fruit and eggs (both the colors of gold lol - Lovely LOVED it!!) and the Magi came by our house and left some little somethings. Next year, I totally want to do the idea (an idea I read at Erin's blog) where children receive three small gifts on Epiphany - a "gold" gift (something handmade - this is something I need to keep me crafty!!!), a "frankincense" gift (something faith filled), and a "myrrh" gift (something for the body - like shampoo or body wash or bubbly fun). I did not know about these ideas, and so we went a little more cutesy stocking stuffer-ish, but Lovely was really into the real story and how it was 3 small things like Jesus got 3 meaningful things.

I have pics to share, but I'm so tired I'll upload them tomorrow. We had fun, even at 6am!

But, right now - I'm ready to crawl into bed. It's been a rough two days. In the people I know around me, or have come to appreciate - one lost her young brother in law (father of two girls) this past weekend. Then, on the day they were supposed to leave for the funeral, her 5 year old daughter suffered a (believed) seizure. She had to see a pair of EMT's work on her little girl. I can't imagine how that feels. In my neighborhood area (not people we knew - but we know their friends) our local area was touched by a terrible tragedy. Leaving the details out - somehow a family that seemed so in sync and full of life and faith somehow headed down an unimaginable path. The end result is 2 small children are now without their mother, a close knit community in mourning and shock, and trying to come together in hope and faith.

In both cases, people ARE turning to faith. That is such a hopeful action. Events like this week are not how WE planned a 2010 start, and being an emotional pregnant woman - these events swirl in my mind and heart. I ache for Sarah R and her family, and I ache for the children forever touched by this tragedy and the friends we know in shock and anguish. What I cling to, and they as well, is that God is here. He is holding each person up. Sarah R especially is clinging to Mary and her role as Mother and I know that gives great comfort. They suffer what we suffer. I know people will ask "Where is God in this - why did he let this happen?". Well, for one thing - we are fallible in body and hearts. Our bodies age, decay, mutate, even fail on us. We also have FREE will to make decisions that forever change what God has planned for us. In all the pain this fallibility causes, God is with us. Jesus, Mary, angels....we are loved, treasured, and delighted in. We are held close and never alone. We know something better is to come, but when people are young it's hard to be ready to celebrate what is truly next and greater - or how they were sent Home.

So I pray for them. I pray also for my friends who have sick kids, are sick themselves, are stressed, and more. There is a lot of that going around so far this early in January. The strength they show back is amazing....unimaginable. A great witness.

But I write this so tired. Tired from mommy-ing all hours of the night (pity party!), sick myself off and on for weeks (pity party!) , and some personal issues going on and I feel so tired (I know...wah wah!!). The events weigh on me more than the faith part. I still can't believe the events going on. I need to try and embrace the strength over what happened instead of the weight of what happened. Easier said than done....but I will end this saying I do believe in all I wrote - and I know I'm right (hehe, hear that - I'm RIGHT!) even if I can't be the loudest cheerleader tonight. Gotta love these pregnancy hormones!

So - hopefully some sleep and some meditation can help bring the balance and light I long for myself and those REALLY affected. They are truly warriors!

Much love - and I'm here for you always. Better yet...Someone has always been.

A cute "Valiant-ism" today....

Just a quick life capture:

Today as we were hanging out as a family, little Valiant scooted over to her books, picked up Goodnight Moon, and scooted over to Hubby saying her version of "Thank You!". She pulled up on his pants, attempted to hand him the book, making it quite clear she wanted to be picked up and HIM read to her THAT book.

It was so adorable.

She also liked kissing the bears, and the kittens, and the mittens, and the bowl of mush...LOL!

She also started getting into our family photos and loves to point and answer our questions "Where is ____" Which on is __". So precious.

Life goes by fast...trying to capture these precious moments is hard! But I'm trying. But I'm so very blessed by my precious children!