Mother’s Day 2012

 

Sweet Cards

A fun card

Simple Treasures

Expenses up, Income down. Sigh.

 

So it looks like I have to tighten the ship around here. The financial one that is. Pirates have been spotted on the horizon and they’re after my gold.

In plain english- my hubs called with some unsettling news. He only gets to work 2 days next week. He’s our main source of income. That is going to be a big blow to our budget. I do work, but my part-time job is supposed to be for extras like home improvement, adding to our savings, paying down debt & maybe a little bit of fun every now & then. It’s not enough to even come close to making up for what he’ll lose in his next paycheck.

And of course this news comes AFTER I squeezed out the money for Eldest to take driver’s training. (Not a cheap decision.) And right after I get an estimate for how much the rest of Eldest’s dental care is going to cost. (Oral surgery is not cheap.) And this is in addition to the cost of the orthodontist’s costs. Oh- and our “rent” is going up next month too.

It seems everything is on the rise & adding up- gas, food, expenses, bills- except our income! I know in my heart we’ll manage & make it through, but it doesn’t stop the worry, the stress & the bit of panic from welling up inside me. I’m going to have to combat it with smarts & frugality. The budget I started, but didn’t completely finish? That’s going to be trimmed & tightened even more and put into effect immediately. Any place I can drop stuff I’m going to have to. The only problem is- that’s hard to do when you don’t have much extra to start with!

Well- enough complaining about finance for today. I should spend some of my time & energy with my finance binder to get a good idea of how this is going to affect us and what I can do to minimize the damage. I think some chocolate might help this be more bearable………….

Another angel for Heaven

 

It’s with tears in my eyes and a heavy heart that I type this. I’ve sat here most of the day feeling sad and wishing there was a way I could make things better for others. Sometimes I can't understand why life has to be so hard. A friend of ours lost his son yesterday. I still don’t understand how such a healthy, vibrant young man could be gone so quickly. We were all worried when we heard that he was found unconscious as he was walking to a friends house and the doctor’s couldn’t find out what was wrong. Our thoughts & prayers were with him & his family as we awaited news. Nothing conclusive ever came. Never in our thoughts did we imagine he wouldn’t make it, that they wouldn’t “fix” him- he was to young, to good of a kid, to full of LIFE. So it was an even greater shock when we heard the news when we got home last night. In the space of a week he went from bowling awesome in a tournament to his family having to make the decision to let him go because they son they knew & loved wasn’t here anymore.

I can’t begin to imagine how his parents feel. How his brothers that he was so close to feel. What’s making it hit home even harder is he was friends with my oldest. He was about the age of my boy. I look at Eldest and I can’t even imagine my life without him. It’s just crazy to even contemplate. Yet that’s the reality a family has to face now.

He was such a great kid. I remember before they moved the brothers would always stop at the house and talk and hang out. Everyone loved him & his brothers. Why does things like this have to happen to such good people?

This has made me appreciate every moment I have with my boys & makes me want to hug them close every chance I can get. I don’t know how I would survive without them.

All my love, prayers, thoughts & everything I have go out to the Sparh & Herman family and to all his friends. God Bless you Owyn- Heaven is lucky to have gained such an angel as you.

PIF 12 Gifts of Christmas

While doing my morning browsing of Facebook I stumbled upon a link to the most wonderful thing:

A Pay It Forward Christmas Project called "The 12 Gifts of Christmas."

Put the focus on the true meaning of Christmas this season- Giving. Not the giving of expensive toys & electronics or what-not. But the Giving that really counts- the giving of your time, of your thoughts, of your love, of yourself. Here is an opportunity for you to give the greatest gift of all this holiday season- the gift of Kindness.

Starting today & for all the remaining days till Christmas join me & many others as we gift RAOK's. It won't take hardly any time or money for you to participate. Every day has a great suggestion- but if it doesn't work for you- then do something that does. It does not matter what you do as long as you GIVE.

If you're on Facebook and want to join the event there- here's the link. Facebook 12 Gifts of Christmas Event. But you don't need to be on FB to do this- comment here and share your gifts that way! If you blog it I'd love to read it there too!  I'll do my best to share my 12 Gifts of Christmas with you daily- but I might have to play catch-up on some days because life does tend to keep me busy.  :o)

PS- There's a printable of the 12 Gifts of Christmas I found on the FB event page to help you remember. If you would like the link I can send it to you- I didn't want to post the picture here b/c it's not my creation.  :o)

Just call me Happy

Happy. Smiling. Content.

That's what I am this morning. I feel peaceful inside and and a great amount of simple happiness radiating from within.

A Few Suspected Causes:

1. Big, fluffy snowflakes.
2. Sweet little boys who make their mommy breakfast toast
3. News stories about Kindness 
4. Christmas music.  
5. Email from my husband simply b/c he wanted to tell me he loved me.  *love*
6. Silly country songs on the radio 
7. FB tags from friends (J- you're so sweet!)

Today is going to be a *Great* day.  :o)

Secret Santa Pays Off Layaways

This is the news I love to see & read- uplifting stories about people doing good. A woman in the Grand Rapids, Michigan area paid off 3 Christmas layaways at a Kmart store for people she didn't know. And her kindness has spurred others- there now has been at least one other "copycat" of goodness. Love it. Just imagine the amount of happiness that has been spread and the possibility that so much more can be paid forward!

Here's the article & one of the video clips:

Secret Santa pays off Christmas Lawaway bills for families

Secret Santa picks up 3 layaway bills: woodtv.com

The 4 Gift Rule & My Own Expanded Version

I seen this posted on FB by one of my best friends:

I've always believed this gift-giving rule is great. It keeps things simple and prevents over-buying (and spending), curbs the "gimmes" and helps not fill up your house with a bunch of over-priced, poorly-made, going-to-be-broken-or-forgotten-about-within-a-week junk. It helps us re-focus on what this holiday season really is about. Whether that is religious or spiritual beliefs or simply a focus on kindness, giving and family & friends.  :o)

While I think this rule is great- I've never been able to go quite that simple. We do something along these lines- but I couldn't cut back to just 4 gifts. I guess have the expanded version of the 4 gift rule. LOL

1. Something they Want (usually a toy or video game)
2. Something they Need/can Wear (Eldest always needs clothes since he grows so fast & the Littles always get a new shirt b/c ALL of their clothes are second-hand and I think they deserve something new at least once a year. Usually socks & undies show up too.)
3. Something to Read (a new book)
4. Something to Play (a board or card game)
5. Something to Do (usually a jigsaw puzzle or a word search/puzzle type book)
6. Something to Create (like a coloring book, drawing pad, art supplies)
7. Something to Watch (a movie)  This one isn't a must- but it usually is included b/c I find great deals on new or used DVD's and we love having family movie time.  :o)

 Then of course there's the gifts Santa brings. He brings 1 or 2 gifts for each boy off their wishlist, depending on what they are. Momma had a talk with Santa a few years ago and asked him to cut back on his gifts and he was nice enough to agree. Mommy also is in contact with Santa each year to let him know what items are ok to bring and what ones she requests be vetoed. ;o)

Santa also takes the time to help fill the stockings. He decided to make Mom's Christmas morning a little less hectic by putting an orange in the toe, along with a small juice bottle & mini donuts for us to munch on while opening gifts. He's usually pretty thoughtful and sticks a new toothbrush in there as well. And he never forgets some cool fun-flavored chapstick for the boys either. If the boys were extra good that year then he puts in a small candy treat & small toy (like matchbox car or new earbuds) as well. Mom sometimes will sneak a few things in the stocking before Santa comes too- especially in Daddy's stocking.

Now I'm curious as to what all other parent's gift giving ideas/rules at Christmas are. How do you control the craziness of this gift-giving season frenzy? Or do you not even try? Please share with me in the comments. No judgement here. :o)  Just curious. While I admit I'm not able to go as simple as this rule- our tree is nearly as over-loaded as it once used to be years ago.