It is a lot of responsibility to be in charge of a family’s money. I’m the budgeter. The bill payer. The money person for our family. From talking to my friends, I think that every family probably has one to some degree or other. In many relationships, one person just steps up and takes the responsibility. Or maybe one person is better with money than the other. Or maybe they’re just the control freak. Or all three.
Either way, in our family, that person is me. And I have been since fairly early on in our relationship. I can tell you what our living expenses are each month, how much of that is just bill, what our gross debt is, how much is in savings, etc. I budget relentlessly, obsessively. I try to be prepared and to plan ahead. On big financial decisions, Josh and I discuss things, of course. But on the month to month stuff, he just likes to know it’s all been paid and kind of a rough determination of “this is going to be a tight month” or “we’re okay this month.” That sort of thing.
Recently, we have had some big financial changes and I’m feeling a bit of worry and fear as I face our first month of bill pay since things have changed. In the last month we paid off a credit card, traded in our old car and got a new car. As a result we have one bill that no longer exists, and two bills that will change. My car payment will be a bit more and go to a new place and my car insurance will be a bit higher. Plus, the new van has a MUCH larger gas tank and gets different gas mileage than the Versa. So I’m anxious to see how that plays out over the month’s expenses. Basically, I’m concerned to see how things go. I was careful and did the math and redid the math when Josh and I were discussing getting a minivan. I knew before we went to the dealership what we could afford and what we couldn’t. We’re within our budget of course, but I still fret.
Now I’m also looking to refinance my student loans, which could potentially save us a LOT of money. But again, the fear of the unknown just really gnaws at me. The federal government has approved a “Public Service Forgiveness Plan” where if you work in public service after 10 years of paying off your loans you are forgiven of all further debt. I have to refinance to be eligible which is a pain and there are several refinancing options to choose from. One of my refinance options would be to go with an income based plan and as my income stands now, I wouldn’t have to pay anything on my student loans. However, those bad boys would sit there and collect interest for each month I wasn’t paying on them. Ten years from now all that debt would be forgiven but still…the idea of my loans not being paid on for some unknown amount of time is a little scary.
It’s a lot of pressure to be financially responsible! To plan ahead with the future of little people in mind. A LOT of pressure. Trying to save so we can do annual family trips and vacations. Budgeting for things like gymnastics or swimming lessons. I want to establish savings accounts for each child so that they have a little bit of money to get started on later down the road. Meanwhile, looking a couple of years down the road and knowing that we really need a house with two bathrooms if we’re going to survive life with two girls. It’s a lot to keep up with.
But there is a certain degree of satisfaction at saving up and getting us something we need. Or surviving another fiscal year. We haven’t missed a payment yet or defaulted on any loans. I still have excellent credit and Josh’s credit is getting better. So maybe I’m doing alright. But still…I worry.
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Adjusting
So, I am excited to own a minivan. It’s true. I love it. I love driving it and have had a great time showing off my automatic doors and trunk. I think it’s a great looking vehicle and I’m really happy with my selection. But simultaneously, I’m sorta having a weird time adjusting. I don’t know what it is exactly. I think it is just an adjustment. Because no part of my identity isn’t “mom” now. Ya know?
My vehicle is nice to drive and it’s aesthetically pleasing. But my vehicle is no longer made to be fun to drive. It’s made for transporting, both people and items. It’s not a sports car or a sedan. It’s a minivan. It’s definitely a mom car, albeit a nice mom car. And it’s the first time I’ve had a strictly mom type vehicle.
So it is an adjustment.
My very first car was a Nissan 240 SX. It was a 1989 model with more miles than you can probably put on a car nowadays. It was a five-speed, manual transmission, and would absolutely fly. Not necessarily the safest car for a 16 year-old. But definitely fit me. A couple of years later I traded that and got a Ford Probe GT Turbo. Another manual transmission but this one was at least front wheel drive. It was another fun little car. After the Probe I got a 1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo. I lived in Boone then and needed something with four wheel drive. But when we moved back off the mountain in 2007, I traded the Jeep for a 2001 Ford Escort. In 2009, when I was pregnant with Evie, I needed something four door so I traded the Escort in on a 2007 Nissan Versa. And three years later, I find myself with a child on each hip looking a minivan. It has been an adjustment.
In the decade that I have been driving, I have had a pretty diverse range of vehicles. I’m hoping I can get over this new vehicle every two years thing. I’m hoping that I have found a vehicle which will fit my life needs for many years, not just a couple. I’m hoping that just because I drive a mom car that doesn’t mean that I’m less attractive or less fun or less cool. I’m hoping that it means that I’m practical and reasonable. Planning ahead. Prepared. Dedicated to being a parent.
But it has been an adjustment.
But I am really looking forward to our first road trip. Hoping to find some time go see my grandparents soon. And then need to plan a trip to Boone to visit my in-laws, hopefully next month. In April, we are planning to go to a petting zoo in Virginia and now I’m even more excited about that. It’s going to be their grand opening. (By the way, you can check them out on Facebook, the name is Garden of Eden, located in Martinsville, Va.) And I won four free tickets! Anyone interested on going with me? It’s going to be awesome. Then in April or May I’m hoping/planning to take the girls back to the zoo in Asheboro. This year, my parents could even come along since there is room in our car! Sometime this summer I want to take the girls to the children’s museum in Winston and the historic farm in Pinnacle, Horne Creek Farm.
Now that it is so easy to get my kids in and out, I’m already scheduling a lot more outings. No more being trapped in the house because it is such a pain to try to go anywhere. Nope. We are going to go to the regional museum in Mount Airy. And going to try out all the local parks. We’re going to visit the Mount Airy Library one week and the Dobson library another. We’ll go to Pilot Mountain State Park one Saturday when it’s nice and walk around some and maybe go up one of the trails.
See, an adjustment.
In my previous car, it was such a pain to try to go anywhere. Wrestling both children in and out was so exhausting. But the whole process is so much easier with the van. It’s also easier since the kids are bigger. Evie can get herself into her car seat and actually buckle herself in while I’m getting Elly in. But the van facilitates even that aspect. Carrying Elly and holding Evie’s hand, I can press a button on my key fob (aka the remote thingy) and Evie’s door will begin sliding open. I can help Evie up into her seat, press the button on the van to start the door closing, walk around the van and open the other door. Put Elly into her car seat while Evie is getting her buckles on. Climb in to check Evie’s buckles, recheck Elly’s, climb out and shut the door and get in the front seat. *relieved sigh* Takes probably HALF the time it used to take. Maybe even less. I had to get Elly into her seat while fighting to keep Evie inside the door so she didn’t run off in the parking lot or into traffic, then take Evie around her side, by which time she was usually aggravated and hateful from all my cajoling and fussing while I tried to get Elly in. Now it’s just so easy! I guess if you haven’t done it you probably won’t appreciate the difference. But I assure you that things are WAY simpler with a van.
So yeah, an adjustment. I am truly happy with my life as a minivan mom. I hope that this doesn’t mean I will never get checked out by a random dude again, cause that was always good for the old self-esteem. But either way, life in a minivan is good. And hey, it comes with a built in DVD player! And my very own remote.
My vehicle is nice to drive and it’s aesthetically pleasing. But my vehicle is no longer made to be fun to drive. It’s made for transporting, both people and items. It’s not a sports car or a sedan. It’s a minivan. It’s definitely a mom car, albeit a nice mom car. And it’s the first time I’ve had a strictly mom type vehicle.
So it is an adjustment.
My very first car was a Nissan 240 SX. It was a 1989 model with more miles than you can probably put on a car nowadays. It was a five-speed, manual transmission, and would absolutely fly. Not necessarily the safest car for a 16 year-old. But definitely fit me. A couple of years later I traded that and got a Ford Probe GT Turbo. Another manual transmission but this one was at least front wheel drive. It was another fun little car. After the Probe I got a 1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo. I lived in Boone then and needed something with four wheel drive. But when we moved back off the mountain in 2007, I traded the Jeep for a 2001 Ford Escort. In 2009, when I was pregnant with Evie, I needed something four door so I traded the Escort in on a 2007 Nissan Versa. And three years later, I find myself with a child on each hip looking a minivan. It has been an adjustment.
In the decade that I have been driving, I have had a pretty diverse range of vehicles. I’m hoping I can get over this new vehicle every two years thing. I’m hoping that I have found a vehicle which will fit my life needs for many years, not just a couple. I’m hoping that just because I drive a mom car that doesn’t mean that I’m less attractive or less fun or less cool. I’m hoping that it means that I’m practical and reasonable. Planning ahead. Prepared. Dedicated to being a parent.
But it has been an adjustment.
But I am really looking forward to our first road trip. Hoping to find some time go see my grandparents soon. And then need to plan a trip to Boone to visit my in-laws, hopefully next month. In April, we are planning to go to a petting zoo in Virginia and now I’m even more excited about that. It’s going to be their grand opening. (By the way, you can check them out on Facebook, the name is Garden of Eden, located in Martinsville, Va.) And I won four free tickets! Anyone interested on going with me? It’s going to be awesome. Then in April or May I’m hoping/planning to take the girls back to the zoo in Asheboro. This year, my parents could even come along since there is room in our car! Sometime this summer I want to take the girls to the children’s museum in Winston and the historic farm in Pinnacle, Horne Creek Farm.
Now that it is so easy to get my kids in and out, I’m already scheduling a lot more outings. No more being trapped in the house because it is such a pain to try to go anywhere. Nope. We are going to go to the regional museum in Mount Airy. And going to try out all the local parks. We’re going to visit the Mount Airy Library one week and the Dobson library another. We’ll go to Pilot Mountain State Park one Saturday when it’s nice and walk around some and maybe go up one of the trails.
See, an adjustment.
In my previous car, it was such a pain to try to go anywhere. Wrestling both children in and out was so exhausting. But the whole process is so much easier with the van. It’s also easier since the kids are bigger. Evie can get herself into her car seat and actually buckle herself in while I’m getting Elly in. But the van facilitates even that aspect. Carrying Elly and holding Evie’s hand, I can press a button on my key fob (aka the remote thingy) and Evie’s door will begin sliding open. I can help Evie up into her seat, press the button on the van to start the door closing, walk around the van and open the other door. Put Elly into her car seat while Evie is getting her buckles on. Climb in to check Evie’s buckles, recheck Elly’s, climb out and shut the door and get in the front seat. *relieved sigh* Takes probably HALF the time it used to take. Maybe even less. I had to get Elly into her seat while fighting to keep Evie inside the door so she didn’t run off in the parking lot or into traffic, then take Evie around her side, by which time she was usually aggravated and hateful from all my cajoling and fussing while I tried to get Elly in. Now it’s just so easy! I guess if you haven’t done it you probably won’t appreciate the difference. But I assure you that things are WAY simpler with a van.
So yeah, an adjustment. I am truly happy with my life as a minivan mom. I hope that this doesn’t mean I will never get checked out by a random dude again, cause that was always good for the old self-esteem. But either way, life in a minivan is good. And hey, it comes with a built in DVD player! And my very own remote.
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
First snow!
Well the girls finally got to play in the snow! Elly's first snow and she loved it. Evie had overheard me and Josh discussing the possibility of snow and when I put her to bed Saturday night she asked me if the snow would come see her. All Sunday morning she looked out the window and watched for the snow. When I put her down for nap she still hadn't seen a flake. But during her nap about an inch or more of snow accumulated.
When she woke from her nap I told her that there was snow and she didn't believe me. Her face when she came around the corner and saw the snow was absolutely priceless. Evie was dumb founded!
It was a battle to get her to eat a little snack and put on some warm clothes before she went tearing outside.
Bundled and psyched we went outside. Elly was pretty impressed. All the cold wet fluffy was neat. She planted her face in it and patted it and stomped it.
Evie stomped around and yammered about how amazing it was and how her foot prints looked. She was having so much fun I let her stay and stomp in te yard while I got the girls a bath ready. It was an awesome time!
My favorite part of the snow might have been that it was mostly gone by noon the next day. Haha. Though I wish we had gotten more play time. It was beautiful and lots o fun.
When she woke from her nap I told her that there was snow and she didn't believe me. Her face when she came around the corner and saw the snow was absolutely priceless. Evie was dumb founded!
It was a battle to get her to eat a little snack and put on some warm clothes before she went tearing outside.
Bundled and psyched we went outside. Elly was pretty impressed. All the cold wet fluffy was neat. She planted her face in it and patted it and stomped it.
Evie stomped around and yammered about how amazing it was and how her foot prints looked. She was having so much fun I let her stay and stomp in te yard while I got the girls a bath ready. It was an awesome time!
My favorite part of the snow might have been that it was mostly gone by noon the next day. Haha. Though I wish we had gotten more play time. It was beautiful and lots o fun.
Proud New Minivan Mom
Well, as of last Friday it’s official. I’m a card carrying member of the minivan club. No. Really. I now drive a minivan.
Some of my friends and family are shocked and appalled. Well, appalled might be a strong word. But shocked certainly isn’t. One of my coworkers didn’t believe that it was really my car. I still haven’t really adjusted. But I really love it.
Five years ago, I wouldn’t have been caught dead owning a minivan. If asked I would have adamantly sworn that I would NEVER own a minivan and vehemently cursed you for suggesting it. A minivan was just not who I was. Five years ago, I wasn’t sure I wanted kids. Though I figured I would have one later. And I didn’t really want more than one. Three years ago when I bought my Nissan Versa, I was pregnant with Evie but wasn’t planning on having more kids anytime soon. Now I can comfortably seat five kids without pushing the “no kids in the front seat” rule. Not that I’m planning on having more kids. But I’m sure my two kids will eventually have friends. At least I HOPE they do.
Since Elly came along, I have felt really cramped in my car. The Nissan Versa is a great car. Good gas mileage, fun to drive and enough room for a small family. Four isn’t that small though. And in most vehicles, four is all you can fit, especially when two of those have to sit in car seats. And will be in some form of car seat for most of the next decade. My children will be in elementary school, if not middle school, before they are tall enough and weigh enough to ride in a seat without a booster.
When we took the girls to the beach this summer the car was ridiculously full. The back was packed, the back floorboard was packed, in between the girls’ seats was packed. The car was at capacity. And we had to send some of the bigger stuff, like Evie’s pack and play and our double stroller, down in my in-laws’ Explorer because there wasn’t enough room. Well, that will not be a problem again!
I don’t know when I got so seriously bitten with the minivan bug. I remember thinking at Evie’s party that I wished I had one. But ever since Elly came along I have wished I had a bigger vehicle. Travelling with just one baby was pretty difficult. And travelling with two is certainly no picnic. But in the last six months, it has been not the occasional tasks which have been so frustrating and difficult with two but instead the regular, routine things. You expect vacations to be a bit of a hassle with small children. But grocery shopping? You shouldn’t have to take two cars to have a family shopping trip! It shouldn’t require major space allocation and planning to take a family zoo trip. You should be able to pack your bags, load up the car, and go!
So since our zoo trip last spring I have wished we had one. Since the beach trip I’ve been really wanted one. Since Evie’s birthday I’ve been trying to figure out how to get one. A couple of months ago, my husband said that if we paid off some of our debt so that we could afford a van and I wanted to trade my Versa in for one, that I could. Last week, I paid off the credit card and made a big car payment with the remainder of the tax refund. So he said I could get a minivan!
I already knew what I wanted. I absolutely love Nissans and the Quest is a great van. Lots of good options, some great safety features, etc. So I started looking at Quests. And when I found one in Mount Airy, my husband said we could go test drive it. But when they offered me what I wanted for my car and brought the price down on the van…well, we got it!
So now I’m a minivan mom. And I’m going to be honest. I love it! I have twice as much room as I did in my Versa. Plus a built in DVD and automatic doors. Wireless headphones for the girls so they can watch movies while I listen to something OTHER than Dora the Explorer. Our most recent grocery trip went fabulously. I’m really looking forward to our next trip. I can’t wait to go to the zoo again this year and if Elly would ever start walking we’re going to start doing more trips to the park and the library and other neat things around our area. I just can’t handle TOTING my 23 lb baby and my 28 lb preschooler. Because of course, if Elly is being carried then Evie has to be carried as well.
It’s going to be so great!
Some of my friends and family are shocked and appalled. Well, appalled might be a strong word. But shocked certainly isn’t. One of my coworkers didn’t believe that it was really my car. I still haven’t really adjusted. But I really love it.
Five years ago, I wouldn’t have been caught dead owning a minivan. If asked I would have adamantly sworn that I would NEVER own a minivan and vehemently cursed you for suggesting it. A minivan was just not who I was. Five years ago, I wasn’t sure I wanted kids. Though I figured I would have one later. And I didn’t really want more than one. Three years ago when I bought my Nissan Versa, I was pregnant with Evie but wasn’t planning on having more kids anytime soon. Now I can comfortably seat five kids without pushing the “no kids in the front seat” rule. Not that I’m planning on having more kids. But I’m sure my two kids will eventually have friends. At least I HOPE they do.
Since Elly came along, I have felt really cramped in my car. The Nissan Versa is a great car. Good gas mileage, fun to drive and enough room for a small family. Four isn’t that small though. And in most vehicles, four is all you can fit, especially when two of those have to sit in car seats. And will be in some form of car seat for most of the next decade. My children will be in elementary school, if not middle school, before they are tall enough and weigh enough to ride in a seat without a booster.
When we took the girls to the beach this summer the car was ridiculously full. The back was packed, the back floorboard was packed, in between the girls’ seats was packed. The car was at capacity. And we had to send some of the bigger stuff, like Evie’s pack and play and our double stroller, down in my in-laws’ Explorer because there wasn’t enough room. Well, that will not be a problem again!
I don’t know when I got so seriously bitten with the minivan bug. I remember thinking at Evie’s party that I wished I had one. But ever since Elly came along I have wished I had a bigger vehicle. Travelling with just one baby was pretty difficult. And travelling with two is certainly no picnic. But in the last six months, it has been not the occasional tasks which have been so frustrating and difficult with two but instead the regular, routine things. You expect vacations to be a bit of a hassle with small children. But grocery shopping? You shouldn’t have to take two cars to have a family shopping trip! It shouldn’t require major space allocation and planning to take a family zoo trip. You should be able to pack your bags, load up the car, and go!
So since our zoo trip last spring I have wished we had one. Since the beach trip I’ve been really wanted one. Since Evie’s birthday I’ve been trying to figure out how to get one. A couple of months ago, my husband said that if we paid off some of our debt so that we could afford a van and I wanted to trade my Versa in for one, that I could. Last week, I paid off the credit card and made a big car payment with the remainder of the tax refund. So he said I could get a minivan!
I already knew what I wanted. I absolutely love Nissans and the Quest is a great van. Lots of good options, some great safety features, etc. So I started looking at Quests. And when I found one in Mount Airy, my husband said we could go test drive it. But when they offered me what I wanted for my car and brought the price down on the van…well, we got it!
So now I’m a minivan mom. And I’m going to be honest. I love it! I have twice as much room as I did in my Versa. Plus a built in DVD and automatic doors. Wireless headphones for the girls so they can watch movies while I listen to something OTHER than Dora the Explorer. Our most recent grocery trip went fabulously. I’m really looking forward to our next trip. I can’t wait to go to the zoo again this year and if Elly would ever start walking we’re going to start doing more trips to the park and the library and other neat things around our area. I just can’t handle TOTING my 23 lb baby and my 28 lb preschooler. Because of course, if Elly is being carried then Evie has to be carried as well.
It’s going to be so great!
Friday, February 17, 2012
Some Awesome Valentines cupcakes
So I know I missed Valentines day. In my defense I have been busy and my two year old is pushing me to the brink of insanity. It's been awful.
But last weekend Evie and I, in one her non-demon child moments, made cupcakes. It was fun. Not nearly the disaster that cooking with her used to be. Seems like she gets more grown up and self sufficient every week. So she helped me mix the ingredients and then free the baking she helped frost the cupcakes. Evie had a blast and ate a lot of sugar. I had fun because I love doing anything semi-constructive with my kids and I also LOVE to bake.
The end results were delicious. Of course. We made strawberry brownie cupcakes. They were way easier than the taste implies.
Basically get a box of strawberry cake mix and a box of brownie mix. Make each mix separately. Line muffin pan with cupcake liners. Then full each cup approximately 1/3 with brownie mic then another third full with strawberry mix. Bake about 10 minutes on 375 or until tops are firm but not golden. I used Betty Crocker whipped vanilla frosting. Turned out fabulous. Even though I did terrible at just adding 1/3 of a liner of brownie mix. Haha. And my pans were rather messy. But no one complained! I brought a bunch to work and my family ate on them for about 5 days.
The really cool thing about this recipe is the limitless combinations you can try. I look forward to trying different types of brownie mix with different cakes. Also trying a couple of different cake combos together. See how that works. Let me know if you try any neat combinations! Happy Friday!
But last weekend Evie and I, in one her non-demon child moments, made cupcakes. It was fun. Not nearly the disaster that cooking with her used to be. Seems like she gets more grown up and self sufficient every week. So she helped me mix the ingredients and then free the baking she helped frost the cupcakes. Evie had a blast and ate a lot of sugar. I had fun because I love doing anything semi-constructive with my kids and I also LOVE to bake.
The end results were delicious. Of course. We made strawberry brownie cupcakes. They were way easier than the taste implies.
Basically get a box of strawberry cake mix and a box of brownie mix. Make each mix separately. Line muffin pan with cupcake liners. Then full each cup approximately 1/3 with brownie mic then another third full with strawberry mix. Bake about 10 minutes on 375 or until tops are firm but not golden. I used Betty Crocker whipped vanilla frosting. Turned out fabulous. Even though I did terrible at just adding 1/3 of a liner of brownie mix. Haha. And my pans were rather messy. But no one complained! I brought a bunch to work and my family ate on them for about 5 days.
The really cool thing about this recipe is the limitless combinations you can try. I look forward to trying different types of brownie mix with different cakes. Also trying a couple of different cake combos together. See how that works. Let me know if you try any neat combinations! Happy Friday!
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Happy Birthday Elly...
In the wee dark hours of the morning, my husband and I woke up and got dressed. We toted our bags to the car and bid my mother-in-law adieu. Anxiously we drove to Elkin and I ate my "last" meal at McDonald's. A tasty biscuit and gravy. I cupped my hands around my belly and tried to memorize how it felt to be pregnant. What it felt to feel that precious life inside of me, kicking and rolling and hiccuping. For this would be the last day that the sweet darling was in my belly. Our last day sharing a body. A bittersweet feeling. Letting a piece of your heart leave your body and go out into the world to fend for itself. A heartbreaking, soul wrenching feeling that brings the prick of tears to your eyes while making you want to laugh and sing and shout all the same time. Becoming a mother is no easier the second time. Though it was at least more familiar. It was no less scary nor any less wondrous than the first time.
The day was February 7, 2011.
I was 37 weeks pregnant. I was huge and I was so very ready to be done being pregnant. My doctor was concerned about the size of the baby and so had scheduled an induction for first thing Monday morning. Evie had been a big baby and he was worried Elly would be even bigger.
Everyone told me second labors were faster. I thought I would have a faster day than I'd had the first time around. I spent 18 hours in labor with Evie. I was hoping to have Elly out by lunch time. Elly had a different idea. By lunch time the doctor had taken me off the pitocin and had me walking around the OB floor because not only had the baby not progressed any in the 5 hours of contractions, she had actually moved back UP. He was afraid she was too big or that there was another complication. He was considering sending me home and scheduling me for a C-Section in a week. Of course, I was devastated. Since my husband and I and my mother-in-law had already taken off work to have this baby. It was really going to throw a monkey wrench in my well-planned maternity leave. Not to mention the idea of a C-Section TERRIFIED and HORRIFIED me. I've never had any surgery. I don't have any scars (unless tattoos count).
After thirty minutes of walking and crying and jumping jacks (yes, I did jumping jacks!) to try to move the baby back down, they put me back on pitocin and we all hoped and prayed. After the doctor's office closed my doctor came back to see me and check the baby. I tried to brace myself for bad news. Instead, he decided to break my water and see what happened. A few hours later the contractions were unbearably painful. I was having back labor and it just wouldn't ease up. So I went ahead and got my epidural. Progress was slow and it was midnight and there was still no baby. The nurses thought that it might be the next morning and tried to tell me to get some sleep and rest. At about 1 a.m. I had a weird feeling. The nurse came in the check everything and I asked her if she'd check me. Because I was sort of having the urge to push. Which seemed crazy because the last time she checked at around midnight I was still only at about a 5. As soon as the nurse checked me, she looked up and said "Don't push."
Okay...
"You're dilated and the baby is RIGHT there. Don't push. We've got to call the doctor and get everything ready."
Okay...
The doctor arrived quicker than I thought he would, the nurses got everything ready and the pushing started.
Less than 30 minutes later, Ellynor Genevieve Dowd was out.
Five minutes after she was born, she smiled at me. Honestly, made eye contact and smiled. And despite the rough patches since then that has really been her attitude from that day forward.
And there have been some rough patches. I know I have said it before but being a baby buncher is no picnic. Or if it is a picnic its the kind that gets rained on and invaded by ants and broken up by ravenous wolves and a pack of stampeding pachyderms. Maybe having two under two is easier for the stay-at-home crowd. Or maybe I just suck at it. Because my children are much meaner to each other than my friends kids. And although I keep hoping and praying that they will become best friends, so far they aren't. I hope if Elly reads this one day, she'll be chuckling over the notion of she and Evie not being friends. And it'd be nice if she would chuckle a bit about me sucking at this whole baby bunching thing. Because it has been a rough year.
There have been a lot of ups. And I wouldn't trade a second of it. But it has been difficult going.
At 10 days old Elly was diagnosed with RSV and admitted to the hospital for four days. When we got home from the hospital we all got a 24 hour stomach bug which is probably the sickest I have been in my life. Elly was jaundiced and didn't grow much at first as a result of the illnesses. Then she had awful reflux and had a tendency to throw up everything she ate. That lasted until she was about 8 months old and she didn't really stop spitting up as much until she was probably 10 or 11 months old. Elly had awful colic at night until about 4 months old and we spent several weeks sleeping on the couch or propped up in the bed because she would only sleep laying on our chest. To this day, the nights of uninterrupted sleep that I get are a rare treat. Between teething and nightmares and random bad dreams and lost pacis...some nights I spend more time in one bedroom or the other than I do in my bed.
Through it all, Elly has been a good-natured baby. Easily pleased for the most part and happy to a fault. She loves her sister dearly, even though Evie beats, flails and pushes her frequently. She loves to cuddle. And it melts my heart when she crawls into my lap and lays her head on my leg and just smiles. Elly also has this precious little head bump that she does. Just a happy little greeting she does when she's glad to see someone. It can be painful if you're not paying attention! She is also the most talkative baby I've ever been around. Her 12 month-old vocabulary is bigger than Evie's 18 month-old vocabulary. Though Elly regularly reminds me that she is not a trained monkey to do tricks on command and hates saying words on request. Compared to the small handful of words Evie could say at a year old, Elly has more than a dozen words. And adds to that number regularly. Hi, bye, Mama, Dada, Papa, Ma, baba, more, give, ball, Dora, Backpack, Map, yeah, dog, and apparently now cat (which she said for the first time to a friend at her birthday party) are ones that I know she's says and says correctly. There are other sounds that she makes to mean words but don't really sound like words. Like she has a sound for fish and a sound for car. And a two syllable sound that means "what's that" but sounds more like "Ga-dt." She loves to share and has a contagious laugh. She's a sweet and precious girl.
And in just a few more hours she will officially be one. It's surreal to think back to just one year ago, lying in a hospital bed with lil Elly still in my belly. Surreal how little time a year is...and yet how much can change. How that little life started squirmy and crying and covered in grime...and now she's a laughing, talking, crawling and SOON walking little person. A person who hates green veggies and loves cinnamon toast. One who cries when I put up the bag of cheese puffs or use a harsh tone with her. A girl whose favorite item is a hand-me-down fuzzy blanket and a stuffed hippo. Who loves to have her head rubbed and likes to sleep with a blanket over her face.
So here's to my little Elly G. My dumpling. My sweet, happy Ellynor. I thank God every night for your sweet smiling face. And I pray that a hundred birthdays and more stretch out before you. I hope that for each of those birthdays you are just as happy and surrounded by friends and family who love you as you were this weekend digging into your smash cake. I could not have imagined how much things were about to change one year ago. But you are everything I dreamed you would be, lying awake feeling those kicks and jabs from inside my belly before you were born. I love you sweet girl. Happy First Birthday.
How 7-Up Biscuits Changed my life...
So I have recently come to two realizations...
First, you can apparently put some chicken breasts in the crock pot with anything and it turns out delicious. No really!
Second, adding some sort of sugary carbonated beverage to your baking recipes can create some pretty spectacular results.
So, I have been putting pretty much any and every sauce that I've come across into the crock pot with a half dozen chicken breasts and letting them cook all day. And the results have been phenomenal! I don't know why I didn't realize this was possible sooner. And now I've found a recipe for crock pot chicken Parmesan. And while I don't really LOVE Chicken Parmesan, I just love the idea of making it in the crock pot! How goofy am I? I know.
But buffalo chicken, BBQ chicken, Italian chicken, Hawaiian chicken...buy a sauce. Buy some chicken. Put them in a crock pot. Let simmer.
And have you ever heard of 7-Up biscuits? Well, they're apparently a big craze on Pinterest though I discovered them via a friend on Facebook. They are 7 Up, sour cream and Bisquick. It doesn't like it should be good. But it was!
Here's the recipe:
Preheat oven to 450.
This was actually the first time I've ever made biscuits from "scratch" and it was a pretty awesome experience. Cutting biscuits out with an upside down glass sifter like my mom did when we were little. Cause I do not own an ACTUAL biscuit cutter. In fact, I'm just kind of assuming that they make biscuit cutters. I don't know that I've seen one.
First, you can apparently put some chicken breasts in the crock pot with anything and it turns out delicious. No really!
Second, adding some sort of sugary carbonated beverage to your baking recipes can create some pretty spectacular results.
So, I have been putting pretty much any and every sauce that I've come across into the crock pot with a half dozen chicken breasts and letting them cook all day. And the results have been phenomenal! I don't know why I didn't realize this was possible sooner. And now I've found a recipe for crock pot chicken Parmesan. And while I don't really LOVE Chicken Parmesan, I just love the idea of making it in the crock pot! How goofy am I? I know.
But buffalo chicken, BBQ chicken, Italian chicken, Hawaiian chicken...buy a sauce. Buy some chicken. Put them in a crock pot. Let simmer.
And have you ever heard of 7-Up biscuits? Well, they're apparently a big craze on Pinterest though I discovered them via a friend on Facebook. They are 7 Up, sour cream and Bisquick. It doesn't like it should be good. But it was!
Here's the recipe:
2 cups Bisquick
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup 7-up
1/4 cup melted butter
Preheat oven to 450.
Cut sour cream into biscuit mix, add 7-Up. Makes a very soft dough.
Sprinkle additional biscuit mix on board or table and pat dough out. Melt 1/4 cup butter in a 9 inch square pan. Place cut biscuits in pan and bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.
They are just divine! They don't taste weird, or different. They pretty much taste like biscuits. But they're so moist! I hate dry, crumby biscuits and these are just SO far from dry or crumby. They sort of melt in your mouth. And I've discovered you can exchange the sour cream with other similar ingredients and produce pretty tasty results. You can add yogurt for example. And you get a sweet biscuit. It's kind of neat!
This was actually the first time I've ever made biscuits from "scratch" and it was a pretty awesome experience. Cutting biscuits out with an upside down glass sifter like my mom did when we were little. Cause I do not own an ACTUAL biscuit cutter. In fact, I'm just kind of assuming that they make biscuit cutters. I don't know that I've seen one.
I've done plenty of cooking and plenty of baking and plenty of each "from scratch" but I've never made biscuits before. It was pretty neat. And the first time I've tried a recipe that had seriously weird ingredients (one of which I find GROSS. I cannot stand sour cream.) and just hoped that it turned out okay. And it did! It was a pretty neat experience. As was rolling out biscuit dough and cutting the biscuits.
So now I'm feeling like a total Betty Crocker. On our grocery trip I stocked up on baking goods and have been baking willy-nilly ever since...I fear that this development may have some really negative consequences for my waistline! haha. But it's been yummy!
So now I'm feeling like a total Betty Crocker. On our grocery trip I stocked up on baking goods and have been baking willy-nilly ever since...I fear that this development may have some really negative consequences for my waistline! haha. But it's been yummy!
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Big Sigh for Wednesday!
I filed my taxes this morning. First off, I did it all by myself with minimum outside assistance. Hoorah. But here it is only February the 1st and both my state and federal taxes have been filed. That's probably a record for me. I guess they usually get done in February. But certainly not the first day!
And with a second addition to our deductions last year...heh. Well, our tax refund is going to be really nice this year. Like when Josh and I were joking about how much we might get we joked about "If we got this much we'd do this..." and it actually is going to be that much. I don't say this to brag or anything. I hope it's not in poor taste to discuss tax refunds. I mean, technically the reason I get a tax refund is because I'm poor...so I guess it's not really something to brag about anyways. And it's easier for me to pay in more and get a refund back than risk having to come up with a couple grand in April because I didn't withhold enough. So basically I'm letting the government borrow a little bit of money each year. Some people say its stupid. But it works for us.
This is the first year though that there aren't any big plans for the tax refund though. I mean, in the past, we've always used the tax refund for something nice. Before we had kids, we would use the money for a new television or gaming system. Then once we had kids it was more about investing in things we NEEDED. Like a couple of years ago we bought a new dishwasher and refrigerator with our refund. And last year we bought a new stove and finished up the kitchen.
This year there will be no big tangible purchase. Sorry economy. I know you need my money. But this year we are going to be way more responsible with out refund. That is unless Josh talks me into something between now and when we get the refund back.
I feel like its way more responsible. At least for us. We have been carrying around credit card debt our whole relationship I guess. I have excellent credit and we used some interest-free offers on big purchases back when we were starting out. You know...like a car...Or two. When we had emergency need of one. Yes. We bought two cars on a credit card. Two separate times. About two years apart. Maybe not the best idea, but when the transmission comes out of your Jeep and you need a car the next day...well, you do what you gotta do. So we have been making payments for the last few years, paying more than the minimum payment each month. Still has worked out that we're paying off the credit card before we would have paid off a car loan. But I just hate writing that check each month!
So first and foremost, we are paying off the last little bit of credit card debt. That will free up a little bit more income each month. Allowing us to start setting some money aside each month, which we haven't really been able to do since Josh's hours have been cut back and he's getting paid less. We have gotten by (which has been pretty miraculous some months!) but we've only gotten by. Our savings account has not seen it's monthly contributions that I have always been so dedicated to making. We have usually put back into savings any that we had to take out each month. But our savings hasn't been able to grow recently. So after we get rid of the credit card that will change.
I thought we might have a couple hundred more that we could put into savings or something after the credit card is paid off. Start saving for a nice summer vacation, you know. Or something. But once we pay off the credit card we're still going to have a nice chunk left over.
When I told my husband he got all excited. And of course he'll probably have a couple of weeks to try to talk me into something. But right now I'm thinking we will take the rest of that money and make a big payment on my car. It's our only other monthly debt that we will ever be able to make a dent in with a tax refund check. (Or other debt being our house and my student loans...I only wish I were so blessed as to get a tax refund to pay off one of those!)
So, is this the more responsible use of our tax refund? I hope so. Freeing us from one debt completely. And making it so that (God willing) we are able to pay off a second debt this year. It makes me so hopeful for our financial future! I have spent so many nights worrying about money and fretting and stressing. Wishing and praying. God really does answer prayers.
We are certainly not going from rags to riches. And we aren't suddenly well off or have a lot of financial lee way. But we may have a little bit of breathing room each month. Maybe could go out to eat once a month or something! Since I don't think my little family has had a family sit-down type meal in more than 8 months. haha. But mostly it will mean if something comes up that it doesn't devastate our finances. And maybe I will be able to sleep a little better...some nights. haha.
I have had a wonderful Wednesday and am feeling very accomplished and well...incredibly BLESSED. Especially since I only have one more day of work then I'm home free for a four day weekend. Awesome!
And with a second addition to our deductions last year...heh. Well, our tax refund is going to be really nice this year. Like when Josh and I were joking about how much we might get we joked about "If we got this much we'd do this..." and it actually is going to be that much. I don't say this to brag or anything. I hope it's not in poor taste to discuss tax refunds. I mean, technically the reason I get a tax refund is because I'm poor...so I guess it's not really something to brag about anyways. And it's easier for me to pay in more and get a refund back than risk having to come up with a couple grand in April because I didn't withhold enough. So basically I'm letting the government borrow a little bit of money each year. Some people say its stupid. But it works for us.
This is the first year though that there aren't any big plans for the tax refund though. I mean, in the past, we've always used the tax refund for something nice. Before we had kids, we would use the money for a new television or gaming system. Then once we had kids it was more about investing in things we NEEDED. Like a couple of years ago we bought a new dishwasher and refrigerator with our refund. And last year we bought a new stove and finished up the kitchen.
This year there will be no big tangible purchase. Sorry economy. I know you need my money. But this year we are going to be way more responsible with out refund. That is unless Josh talks me into something between now and when we get the refund back.
I feel like its way more responsible. At least for us. We have been carrying around credit card debt our whole relationship I guess. I have excellent credit and we used some interest-free offers on big purchases back when we were starting out. You know...like a car...Or two. When we had emergency need of one. Yes. We bought two cars on a credit card. Two separate times. About two years apart. Maybe not the best idea, but when the transmission comes out of your Jeep and you need a car the next day...well, you do what you gotta do. So we have been making payments for the last few years, paying more than the minimum payment each month. Still has worked out that we're paying off the credit card before we would have paid off a car loan. But I just hate writing that check each month!
So first and foremost, we are paying off the last little bit of credit card debt. That will free up a little bit more income each month. Allowing us to start setting some money aside each month, which we haven't really been able to do since Josh's hours have been cut back and he's getting paid less. We have gotten by (which has been pretty miraculous some months!) but we've only gotten by. Our savings account has not seen it's monthly contributions that I have always been so dedicated to making. We have usually put back into savings any that we had to take out each month. But our savings hasn't been able to grow recently. So after we get rid of the credit card that will change.
I thought we might have a couple hundred more that we could put into savings or something after the credit card is paid off. Start saving for a nice summer vacation, you know. Or something. But once we pay off the credit card we're still going to have a nice chunk left over.
When I told my husband he got all excited. And of course he'll probably have a couple of weeks to try to talk me into something. But right now I'm thinking we will take the rest of that money and make a big payment on my car. It's our only other monthly debt that we will ever be able to make a dent in with a tax refund check. (Or other debt being our house and my student loans...I only wish I were so blessed as to get a tax refund to pay off one of those!)
So, is this the more responsible use of our tax refund? I hope so. Freeing us from one debt completely. And making it so that (God willing) we are able to pay off a second debt this year. It makes me so hopeful for our financial future! I have spent so many nights worrying about money and fretting and stressing. Wishing and praying. God really does answer prayers.
We are certainly not going from rags to riches. And we aren't suddenly well off or have a lot of financial lee way. But we may have a little bit of breathing room each month. Maybe could go out to eat once a month or something! Since I don't think my little family has had a family sit-down type meal in more than 8 months. haha. But mostly it will mean if something comes up that it doesn't devastate our finances. And maybe I will be able to sleep a little better...some nights. haha.
I have had a wonderful Wednesday and am feeling very accomplished and well...incredibly BLESSED. Especially since I only have one more day of work then I'm home free for a four day weekend. Awesome!
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