A Little Bit of This and That

I haven't been a very good blogger for awhile now. I feel like I have so much to say and unsure where to begin. So for now this bullet point list will fill you in on what is going on. {Sorry}

*My son has been taking ADHD medication for the past year. I am not happy that he is on it and he isn't happy about it either. So I have been researching dietary changes and essential oils that could help with his hyperactive and unfocused behavior. So in an effort to help him we have switched to raw Guernsey cow milk instead of rice milk. {I will do a blog post about why we switched to raw Guernsey cow milk ... soon}

 

and we are using Young Living Essential Oils as well.

If you are interested in Young Living Essential Oils please feel free to contact me at mindymayw {at} gmail {dot} com.

* I started a part-time job. I am now a server at a local restaurant 2-3 nights a week. I love that I am able to be home with my family during the day but I hate leaving them all home to go to work. It is nice that I am able to bring home extra money to make ends meet.

* The company my husband works for was bought out. Thankfully he still has his job but it has changed our financial situation. Instead of being paid weekly he is now paid bi-weekly. He used to be able to work overtime and now he has to clock out promptly at 5 pm. Also, the volume of work has changed. {He is paid solely on commission. So if there is no work he won't make any money.} Hence why I started working.

* Maysie loves making messes. She loves hiding her magnets in the spot between the freezer door and the refrigerator door. 

Also, she loves pushing her chair up to the sink. Granted she cannot reach the sink and she will cry until you put her up on the counter to wash her hands. 

She loves spreading her toys all over the living room. 

This is a very tame picture. I try to pick up all.day.long. so that it doesn't get out of control. 

* Our cat, Fiona, is not typically a people person but for some reason lately she cuddles up with me at night while I am watching TV or reading. 

* We made Jiffy Pop popcorn on the stove. The boys thought it was very primitive. They kept asking why we couldn't just pop popcorn in the microwave. {Just wait until I start bringing home bags of popcorn that we will pop in a pan on the stove. I think it will really blow their minds.}

* At the end of July the boys are going to camp with church for A WHOLE WEEK! I cannot believe they are old enough to go. Financially we are not really in a place to send both of them {or one of them for that matter} but since they are both going to junior high this year we feel that it is important to have a spiritual grounding before they go. We want them on fire for God so when they are faced with things in junior high they will know how to handle them. 

* Lastly, I am working my butt off on making our budget work for us. I really want to cut cable {and save us $130 a month} but to really get us off the couch. I want to be intentional about what we watch and not continue spending too much time on the couch. I want to interact as a family. Now that the boys are getting older I don't want them hanging out in their room playing video games. The closer we are as a family the easier they will be able to handle trouble at school. I want to keep our lines of communication open. 

* I started a budget binder. I am good at getting bills paid but I am not great at going back to my budget to see if I am staying on budget or not. {This is for when it comes to groceries or gas.} Also, in my budget binder I keep Casey Leigh's blog post about the day her husband quit his job. This is one of the best posts on following your dreams regardless of your bank account posts!!! {They had negative money in their bank account when he quit his job.} I read this post a lot. I read it as encouragement. Just because our bank accounts are not spilling over with money we can still live the life we want to!! You can read the entire post here ... http://www.thewiegands.com/2011/03/family-news.html

* I am dreaming big dreams right now. Only I am holding myself back. {Well that and the fact that my husband and I both have kids from prior relationships. I feel like it is a chain that locks us down.} I want a life different from the one I am living. I want less electronics and more conversations. I want to make homemade food and listen to my children as they eat what I have made. I want to have more babies. I want to go on adventures even if they are in our backyard. 

So that is what is going on in my life right now ... just a little bit of this and that.

Hello Monday {Downtown Chicago}

I can't believe that it is Monday again. These days are flying by!

Four of our English family members came from Herefordshire and stayed with us for two weeks. It was so fun touring the city of Chicago. It was like we were seeing the city with new eyes. 

So hello ... to new adventures!

Hello ... to gifts from my daughter. I never knew rocks and tiny flowers could look so beautiful!

Hello ... to rainy days inside watching Caillou. Oh man does she love Caillou. 

Hello ... to sleeping on the couch. This little one has decided that having full blown conversations at 3 am is a fantastic idea. Her dad, on the other hand does not, it could have to do with the fact he works with heavy machinary all day at work. So her and I wandered downstairs to sleep. Needless to say, I didn't sleep well.

Happy Monday! 

Hello Monday

Well Spring Break is finally over ... while I will miss spending time with Jacob ... I am happy that we are back to our regular schedule.

Jacob works better with a schedule. And truthfully so do I. {Now if I could get a cleaning schedule in order that actually works for me!}

So ... how about some hellos?

Hello my handsome young man! Jacob picked this outfit out for his cousin's christening. And at the very last minute he wanted a new haircut! He looks so handsome. 

Hello styling products. I don't use anything in my hair {probably why it is flat and sticks to my face} but this young man needed styling mouse with his new haircut.

Hello spring mantle! Although it isn't finished yet ... I still want to add a pom pom banner and change out the old photos ... I love how it looks. I copied the chalkboard from Pleated Poppy. {The pom pom balls are used following her instructions as well.}

Hello chocolate chip cookies! I have been baking up a storm since I got my KitchenAid Artisan Mixer. Since we were out of cookies I knew I needed to make more! Yum!!

Hello 2 year Anniversary!! Since our anniverary falls on Easter Sunday this year we are celebrating a week early. We are still working out the details but my Mom is watching Maysie and Jacob and Christian will be at their other parents houses for the weekend. This is the first time we will be away from Maysie overnight.

Hello little one! She has been loving pinapple lately! I am constantly cutting pieces for her. We are fighting some stuffy noses and colds around here so fresh fruit should help. Or at least it is making me think it is. 

Happy Monday!

Midweek Confessions

"E" from Teaching Sam & Scout posts her "confessions" on Wednesday ... hence Midweek Confessions. Since this is Spring Break I have many confessions to share. 

* Maysie has had a rough couple of days. Yesterday she threw a fit because she couldn't see her belly button while wearing her pajamas. FYI she hates the zip up jammies. 

* I were contacts every single day and I only wear my glasses at night ... while I sleep ... how else am I supposed to see the alarm clock? I haven't bought new glasses for over 5 years and then 40 days ago I got a new pair. Maysie obviously didn't like one of the arms and broke it off. Thank you America's Best for giving me a new pair of glasses even though I didn't buy the warranty and it is past the intial 30 days. 

* I bribe Maysie with Dum-Dum suckers to get her to sleep in her crib. She loves them. 

* We have had one really nice day so far over Spring Break. What did I do? Steam cleaned my disgusting car. Much better now!

There may or may not have been covered in chocolate. They were.

* My son has had so much fun playing outside this Spring Break that he hasn't eaten lunch. I feed him breakfast but then he is outside for the rest of the day. When he comes inside he is starving. Bad Mom.

Well that is my confessions for this week although I am sure there are a ton more. 

Happy Wednesday!

 

Paycheck to Paycheck {My Story & The Documentary on HBO}

Ok ... so this post is tough. 

Money sucks and is super hard to talk about. 

Why do some have so much while others have so little?

I can't say it is for the lack of trying or laziness. 

I do believe that life struggles can shape you ... positively or negatively ... depending on what you take from it. 

Our story ....

My father left when I was 17 years old. At the time my brothers were ... 15, 13, and 2 weeks old. We were broke. One week a month my Mom only had $8 to buy food. I don't ever remember being hungry.

By 21 years old I was up to my eyeballs in debt! I refused to open envelopes. I just put all my unopened mail in a box. I knew that I couldn't pay them. I didn't spend that money on stupid things but instead helped my Mom pay bills or put gas in the cars or put food in the families mouth. 

I had my son 4 months shy of my 22nd birthday. Jacob's dad forced me to face my debt and work my way out of it. {The best thing I ever did!}

By 25, I bought my first condo. I was working a full time job making great money. I was able to support Jacob and I. Things were still very paycheck to paycheck but I felt like I had everything I could ever need.

At age 28 I quit my job and went back to school. I took out student loans { around $40,000}. I graduated at age 30. My now husband/then boyfriend supported Jacob and I. It was tough. A lot of the time we used change to put gas in the cars. Bills were always paid late. Payment plans were our best friends. It was really really tough. We moved into a rental house. The old neighborhood was getting scary. 

I went back to work for my old company on a part time basis. We used our tax returns and my income to pay for our wedding. We got married in April 2012 and didn't go into anymore debt. 

1 month later I was laid off and 24 weeks pregnant. I stayed home. Collected $160 every two weeks from unemployment. {That ended 5 months later}

August 2012 we had our daughter. I knew I had to breastfeed to save money. {I am still breastfeeding my now 19 month old ... that is a different story ... and I love it!}

We filled bankruptcy to get rid of the debt from the condo we moved out of. We couldn't short sale because of who my loan was with. It sucks but we are over it. Move on.

3 months ago my husbands position changed in his company ... he is able to make more money. I am still staying home. We budget. We work together. I take care of more of the nitty gritty. I fill him in about the details. 

But he works very long hours and most Saturdays.

We only spend $12 a week on our daughter. $9.99 diapers from Whole Foods. $1.69 wipes from Walgreens. They don't irritate her or cause her to get a rash. 

I spend $100 a week for groceries. That includes school lunches and lunches for Dan.

We don't go out to eat. I don't shop. I buy necessities. We don't have new furniture. I try to repurpose what we have. 

We are happy. We are healthy. I couldn't ask for more. {Well sometimes I do when money gets tight ... like real tight ... as in no money until Friday and it is only Tuesday.} But it is what it is. 

We don't take money too seriously. Of course we fight about it. I cry about it. But then we get up, shake off, and move on. 

My husband likes me being home with the kids. I like being home with the kids. I honestly never thought that this would be how my life would end up but I am so happy. So very very happy. 

image from Paycheck to Paycheck: The Life and Times of Katrina Gilbert.

Back to the whole point of this post ... Maria Shriver is the executive producer for a new HBO documentary called "Paycheck to Paycheck: the life and times of Katrina Gilbert". 

I love documentaries.

And this was a great one! 

It hit a nerve. 

It is the story of Katrina Gilbert, a single mom to 3 young kids. She was followed for a year documenting her daily life. She spoke openly about her bills and her paycheck. She gave her kids everything and didn't ask for anything. She gave her ex-husband gas money so he could see their kids. She works at a nursing home. She kisses the patients and loves them. 

She broke my heart. 

She made me look at my life. She made me more grateful. She made me cry and she made me smile. 

I couldn't stop thinking about her. 

She could be miserable about her life but instead she was happy. She was trying. 

She is amazing. 

If you have 75 minutes and you have HBO ... watch this. 

It will really change you ... whether you live paycheck to paycheck or not. 

I am not ashamed to admit that in our household money is tight and we barely live over paycheck to paycheck. We don't have savings. We are just one family ... who work our butts off to make ends meet. 

Hello Monday! {Spring Break}

Oh what a Monday it has been!

It is officially the first day of Spring Break! And what a glorious one at that. The weather was beautiful and the kids played outside all day. They climbed trees, bounced on pogo sticks, rode scooters, played basketball, practiced riding on Rip-sticks, and played soccer. Whoo and that was in the first hour of the day! I can't wait to see what tomorrow holds. 

Hello sweet girl. She has been wearing this mitten for days. If she can't find her mitten she will find a dirty sock someone has left around and wear that instead. Gross but I pick my battles with this fiery little one.

Hello Ikea shopping trip. We are looking at the grey couches/sectionals they carry. I love the clean lines of the furniture but I am not sure about a sectional. I feel like it doesn't seat as many people.

Hello my hunky husband. He loves sectionals. We are trying to compromise even though there really isn't a compromise in this one. I love being married. I love Ikea. Win Win. Furniture is just furniture.

Hello chairs and spotlights. Maysie could not stop sitting on every single piece of furniture. I couldn't stop laughing. She was so good marching around Ikea.

Hello colors. I just smile thinking about colors. Of course I have my favorites but I love them all. Can I decorate my house with every single color of the rainbow and then some? 

Hello Dottie dog. We are watching my Mom's dog while she is in Florida for Spring Break. She is a great dog but she has the worst breath. Can you give a dog a mint or put some peppermint essential oils in her water? Seriously, it is so bad.

Hello Elmo! Well we finally found an Elmo shirt ... in the boys section ... at Buy Buy Baby. Obviously, she is so happy. One night, one nap, and one entire day she has worn this shirt. I had to pry it off of her so I could wash it. 

Hello the world's best big brother! Oh boy does this picture just melt my heart. He is the most kind and compassionate brother ... EVER! I just want to bottle them both up right now. I mean seriously ... how many 11 year olds play with their little sister while their friends are around?? Love this boy!

I can't wait to continue our wonderful Spring Break! 

Happy Monday!

Hello Monday!

Once again it is Monday! So that means I get to give out some hellos. {Please link up with Lisa Leonard if you want to join in on the fun}

Hello Sunshine! Although I hear you are going away for a few days and we are getting more snow! Boo!!

Hello New Baby Nicholas! He is my newest cousin and he is so sweet! Maysie loved holding him. She basically turned into a statue and wouldn't move.

Hello Anthony! It is so sweet to see you as a big brother! Maysie had so mcuh fun playing with you today!

Hello squirrels and birds! You kept these two occupied searching for you! They would scream with delight when they found you!

Hello cousins! Growing up with family so close is the best!

Hello Anakin! You came over to play with Maysie this weekend too! She wasn't very good at sharing her toys with you but you both had fun playing outside!

Hello gymnastics girl! This was her very spot at My Gym! She loves doing the splits! 

If you want to get the 50% off the enrollement fee and save $50 off your second month of class ... you have to sign up before the end of the month! 

Happy Monday!

Taking a Break {Our Naptime Routine}

It has not been a secret that Maysie is a horrible sleeper. 

Since we brought her home as a 5 lb 13.5 oz bundle of love she has slept with us. 

In the beginning it wasn't a problem. She was tiny and didn't take up much room.

But now that she is an active toddler she moves all around the bed and we end up looking like the letter H. 

She puts her foot on my husband's head.

Her head is balancing on my head.

We get kicked and headbutted all . night . long!

If we even said the word nap or bedtime she would start screaming and crying. 

We tried letting her cry it out which made it worse. We tried letting her play until she dropped but that never worked either. {I swear she has more energy than the Energizer Bunny}

So I knew something had to change. 

Somewhere along the line, I read an article about the negative connotations around the words nap, bedtime, and sleep. The article suggested using alternate words like "take a break" when talking with your child. 

So we started "break time".

So if you are interested, here is how we handle "break time" at our house. 

After lunch {Noon} we get Maysie all cleaned up. She is such a messy eater!

I let her run around for 30 minutes and then we head upstairs!

She comes into our room {also where her crib is} and climbs onto our bed. 

She grabs her caterpillar and snuggles down into the pillows. 

We read 5 books.

{We don't really read this book. We read the first 3 pages and then she is done!}

This is her favorite book! She can't wait to read it. 

After the books have been read, I place her in her crib.

I cover her with our wedding blanket. She calls it her nap blanky. So I go with it and wrap it around her.

I tell her to close her eyes and take her break. She promptly closes her eyes. I place my hand on her chest. She opens her eyes and closes them again. She keeps them closed for a few more minutes and then opens them to make sure I am still there. She then closes her eyes for the final time. 

I wait two minutes and remove my hand from her chest. 

I wait another minute and then walk out of the room.

She is out and will nap for 3 hours. 

This whole "taking a break" thing rocks!!

What does your nap/bedtime routine look like?