Deliberate and Intentional

We should be deliberate and intentional with all our resources and our decisions. I find that when I am deliberate and intentional that I have a more productive day and I am happier with myself and with my decisions. When I am aimless and careless I am a lot less happy with the results. To this end I try to be more aware, more deliberate and intentional as a person, as a mother, as a wife, as a christian.

Be optomistic

"If you have done your best, which you usually do, your humble offering, whatever if may be, will be acceptable and pleasing to the Lord." Presiden James E. Faust (1920-2007

I need to be creative with my menu!

I really have to make a stronger effort to stay within my budget. To that end, and because I didn't do so well last month, I need to plan 17 meals for $100. That is around $5 a meal. If anyone has any ides, feel free to share!

I wish I could say that I did better. I came in at $132.

Being specific

I asked my husband to make breakfast for me and he gave me two oreo cookies. I guess I better be more specific next time. I was hoping for some scrambled eggs.

On another note I finally got the paperwork finished for admission back into college this spring. My financial aid paperwork is also completed. Now I just have to wait for registration.

Being a slave

I admit with some sadness that there are too many days that I have felt sorry for myself and my circumstances. That is not to say that every day has been like that, on the contrary I have felt very blessed on most days. No, it is just that as I look back I feel ashamed that there are too many days that I felt sorry for myself and/or our circumstance despite our abundance in blessings. I am sure this is probably partly due to the irresponsible decision that I have made over the years. When you get yourself into debt and you look at your life and you don't even know where you spent your money it is pretty sad. Then you spend months getting yourself out of the debt you got yourself into. Also, the saying the borrower is slave to the lender; well I guess being a slave can be pretty depressing. Recently we have managed to pull ourselves out of debt except for our mortgage and our student loans. Honestly, it feels great to finally be slave to less people.

Why a home workout now works for me.

I have had to change my workout over the years as my family has grown and as the details in my life have changed. At one time I was able to go to the church and walk with friends in the monring, at another time I was able to walk in my neighborhood in the evenings with friends. For a while I was able to go to the gym (Curves) after the kids got home from school and get in a 30 minute workout. However now I have to get 5 kids off to school in the morning, and then I still have 3 at home (one too many to fit in a stroller) and when my kids get home from school they are super busy going to after school activites that often last until bedtime. Getting in a workout was beyond difficult. After talking with my husband we decided that it was important for my health to get in regular exercise. Being borderline insulin resistant it just wasn't an option to neglect my diet or my weight. We were able to find a used floor model tredmill for under $300 and I am now able to exercise at home around my kids schedules, naps and appointments.
As things change in our lives, we adjust, I am just very thanful that we have been able to find a solution that works for us this season that we can afford.