Oh my...After 5 days of cloudy skies and rainy days, it is odd to see the bright round object in the sky that they call the sun. My how we have missed it this week! I had to turn my heat back on and try to stay busy indoors - not easy to do with a mini outdoor explorer! We tried to get out inbetween the rain showers, but they were few and far between.
Yesterday was a big day for us. Cambry and I loaded up early and headed to Columbia, MO with my grandma to visit some cousins and the newest addition to the family. Cambry handled to 2 1/2 hour trip like a pro. The morning ride went well considering she only slept for about 20 minutes. She started to get fussy about not being able to move with an hour left in the drive. However, she did not cry or scream. Instead, she made pathetic whimpers for attention and sympathy. It is AMAZING how much joy the Little Piggies routine can give an almost 1 year old! I also discovered how great I am at multi-tasking while driving..YIKES! We enjoyed the visit and most of all, enjoyed making Grandma smile:)
Today, I began the frantic panic that little misses birthday party is just 2 days away. Do I have enough cupcakes? Do I have all the decorations? How many balloons? How much do they cost? What should be the beverage? Who all will be there???????? The questions continue to race around my brain encompassing most of my thoughts. I think I need Friday to come so I can get the details completed with my mom. Then my brain can rest...maybe?...
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Monday, March 19, 2012
**SpRiNg BrEaK!**
So today marked the 1st official day of spring break and the eve of our spring season. It was fitting that it rained on and off all day starting at 11:00am and projected to continue to rain for the rest of the week...boo. As gloomy as today was, it was still productive in the Jackson home.
Cambry and I woke up to Daddy making breakfast. Sausage and egg burritos hit the spot and started the day off right! I love my husband! We then decided to head into Lawrence. First, we accomplished a 3-round bath fest - Mommy, Cambry, then Daddy. We packed up the necessities and headed towards town.
Stop 1 - Home Depot (1 of our favorite stores). We bought some river rock on sale to finish off the front walkway. We also purchased a wonderful shrub to replace our depressing brown stick that remained of the one we planted last year. Hopefully planting earlier will give it a fighting chance! Lastly, we looked into our next outdoor project: fire pit in the backyard! What a better way to hang out with friends and family on summer nights!
Stop 2 - Macxperts. We bought iPhones and in hope of getting some assistance, failed. This store is more for Mac computers. Why can't Lawrence have a true Apple Store?? Aren't there enough Mac owners and Apple users in this college town??
Stop 3 - Orschlen's. We stopped to check out fire pit rings. That was unsuccessful as well, however, we did discover Cambry's love for baby chicks. Do I sense an Easter gift?? She watched amazed by the little guys and quite smitten. I don't know if they felt the same way with the banging on the cage and finger pokes through the wires...maybe another time???
After the not-so eventful trip to Lawrence, we headed back to Baldwin. We did decide to stop and get a couple movies to fill our rainy day time with. Real Steel, despite how it may sound was a hit with the whole family! The Big Year...not so much.
To occupy my need for moving around, project Deep Spring Clean-Out began! I was able to part with a full tote of Cambry's clothes, still keeping 1 full tote. We also decided to donate a trash bag of miscellaneous toys and other baby things. It felt good to make a little room for what is coming on Saturday for Little Misses Big Birthday Blowout! Tomorrow - I tackle our bedroom and possibly the playroom closet. We will see. It is definitely time to at least say good-bye to the big sweaters and hello to the little camis! YAY spring!!
Although this was not an exciting post, I do enjoy sharing it.
Cambry and I woke up to Daddy making breakfast. Sausage and egg burritos hit the spot and started the day off right! I love my husband! We then decided to head into Lawrence. First, we accomplished a 3-round bath fest - Mommy, Cambry, then Daddy. We packed up the necessities and headed towards town.
Stop 1 - Home Depot (1 of our favorite stores). We bought some river rock on sale to finish off the front walkway. We also purchased a wonderful shrub to replace our depressing brown stick that remained of the one we planted last year. Hopefully planting earlier will give it a fighting chance! Lastly, we looked into our next outdoor project: fire pit in the backyard! What a better way to hang out with friends and family on summer nights!
Stop 2 - Macxperts. We bought iPhones and in hope of getting some assistance, failed. This store is more for Mac computers. Why can't Lawrence have a true Apple Store?? Aren't there enough Mac owners and Apple users in this college town??
Stop 3 - Orschlen's. We stopped to check out fire pit rings. That was unsuccessful as well, however, we did discover Cambry's love for baby chicks. Do I sense an Easter gift?? She watched amazed by the little guys and quite smitten. I don't know if they felt the same way with the banging on the cage and finger pokes through the wires...maybe another time???
After the not-so eventful trip to Lawrence, we headed back to Baldwin. We did decide to stop and get a couple movies to fill our rainy day time with. Real Steel, despite how it may sound was a hit with the whole family! The Big Year...not so much.
To occupy my need for moving around, project Deep Spring Clean-Out began! I was able to part with a full tote of Cambry's clothes, still keeping 1 full tote. We also decided to donate a trash bag of miscellaneous toys and other baby things. It felt good to make a little room for what is coming on Saturday for Little Misses Big Birthday Blowout! Tomorrow - I tackle our bedroom and possibly the playroom closet. We will see. It is definitely time to at least say good-bye to the big sweaters and hello to the little camis! YAY spring!!
Although this was not an exciting post, I do enjoy sharing it.
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Working Our Way Out
So, many struggle to work their way out of debt. We do everyday. For years it seemed like everytime we paid something off, a new debt would accrue. I think we finally found the method that works for us!
With having a new baby, a new car payment, student loans, a mortgage, and a few nice store credit card debts, out debt seemed to keep piling up. However, after only a few months, have knocked out about $3000 of debt and saved just as much! Here is what we did:
1. I first read Dave Ramsey's book, Total Money Makeover. You can get this book at any bookstore or at daveramsey.com. His plan is a little more extreme than ours, but gave us a great idea as to how to get started.
We already had $1000 in savings, but wanted to have more because of everything on our plate. We also knew that setting a super tight budget and going cash only would be very difficult for us. We also lucked out that I was hired for a full-time teaching position which gave us a little extra money to put into savings.
2. I created an excel sheet that layed out all our debts. It is close to exact amounts, however, I'm not too saavy in interest equations to make them come out exact. This layed the order in which the debts would be paid off, what month they would be paid off, how much would be paid each month and how much would be in savings. For me, I need the visual to see the progress.
3. Using the Debt Snowball approach, we tackle 1 debt at a time while paying a small amount to the other debts - at least minimum. We set our own minimums a little above the required minimum.
Using this system has worked wonders for us. We were able to get new tires on both vehicles and some repairs on another without being set back. We just post-poned the snowball 2 months and resumed again. I won't say that our system is flawless, but it has put us more at ease financially. We are able to plan for home renovations and family vacations while getting out of debt! YAY US!!
With having a new baby, a new car payment, student loans, a mortgage, and a few nice store credit card debts, out debt seemed to keep piling up. However, after only a few months, have knocked out about $3000 of debt and saved just as much! Here is what we did:
1. I first read Dave Ramsey's book, Total Money Makeover. You can get this book at any bookstore or at daveramsey.com. His plan is a little more extreme than ours, but gave us a great idea as to how to get started.
We already had $1000 in savings, but wanted to have more because of everything on our plate. We also knew that setting a super tight budget and going cash only would be very difficult for us. We also lucked out that I was hired for a full-time teaching position which gave us a little extra money to put into savings.
2. I created an excel sheet that layed out all our debts. It is close to exact amounts, however, I'm not too saavy in interest equations to make them come out exact. This layed the order in which the debts would be paid off, what month they would be paid off, how much would be paid each month and how much would be in savings. For me, I need the visual to see the progress.
3. Using the Debt Snowball approach, we tackle 1 debt at a time while paying a small amount to the other debts - at least minimum. We set our own minimums a little above the required minimum.
Using this system has worked wonders for us. We were able to get new tires on both vehicles and some repairs on another without being set back. We just post-poned the snowball 2 months and resumed again. I won't say that our system is flawless, but it has put us more at ease financially. We are able to plan for home renovations and family vacations while getting out of debt! YAY US!!
1 More Attempt
Once again, I come bearing my sincerest hopes to become a true self-blogger. This is my, dare I say, third possibly fourth attempt to become a committed blogger. I feel with my life changing as fast as the days come and go, I need a place to release and share some of my thoughts, projects, and parts of my everyday life - teaching and mommyhood!
As a young mother, I have a urge to share my daily tribulations and heartaches as well as the many surprises and amazing benefits of being a mommy. My daughter, Cambry, is the light of my life! She has brought so much joy and love into our new growing family. As she approaches her first birthday, my feelings are bittersweet. So sad for the past year going by so fast, but so joyful for what is to come next.
With the coming of my most favorite website, Pinterest, I feel the need to post my own creations as well as pay tribute to the pins I have used. I use these ideas for my daughter, my home, and my classroom. I like to craft and try new things. I'll post several classroom ideas that I truly use and show that anyone can do it. I'll also post all things Cambry!! I do most the crafting myself with the help of my wonderful mom! We'll have 3 generations of crafty crafters!
I do hope that this becomes a place for me to share my life with others. Enjoy!
As a young mother, I have a urge to share my daily tribulations and heartaches as well as the many surprises and amazing benefits of being a mommy. My daughter, Cambry, is the light of my life! She has brought so much joy and love into our new growing family. As she approaches her first birthday, my feelings are bittersweet. So sad for the past year going by so fast, but so joyful for what is to come next.
With the coming of my most favorite website, Pinterest, I feel the need to post my own creations as well as pay tribute to the pins I have used. I use these ideas for my daughter, my home, and my classroom. I like to craft and try new things. I'll post several classroom ideas that I truly use and show that anyone can do it. I'll also post all things Cambry!! I do most the crafting myself with the help of my wonderful mom! We'll have 3 generations of crafty crafters!
I do hope that this becomes a place for me to share my life with others. Enjoy!
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