October Recap!

October came and went like a blur!  It was crazy!  

As a gentle recap, over the past 365 days I have taken on three new positions, I am now sitting on 2 boards of directors, and still homeschooling away.  It's crazy busy and most days I feel like I have lost my darn mind, but in a good fulfilling way.  And when I remember to lean into God's power and might (which I need to remember to do constantly...) I am reminded how much I can do when I do not rely on my strength but His.  

Anyway, October is my favorite month for the crispness of everything.  Do you know what I mean?  It's so great!  I was thinking of this the other day...it's crazy, weird that NOVEMBER isn't my favorite month since that one holds gratitude, my birthday, Christmas decorating, and shopping, but no, October still holds to be my favorite month.  

It started with this crazy brood!  We went to the pumpkin farm, picked the perfect guy, and came home to carve away!  It was so much fun.  I love our little family so much!  

And then blur, blur, blur, blur, blur and before I could fully blink we were to Halloween!  

This year Calvin was ninja (in New Balance Tennis shoes because that's how I roll) and Emma was Nancy Drew.  

Seriously how stinking cute are these two kids of ours?  Oh, and since we fast forwarded to Halloween from the Pumpkin Farm you can see that the majority of my pumpkins are now rotten.  Gross!  Guys, I need legit ways to keep these suckers alive.  Help!  Every year pumpkins fall victim to my pumpkin killing and the massacre just has to end.  Do I need to bleach them?  Talk to them?  Stop singing to them?  (Just asking that last one for a friend...promise!)

Anyway, now's where we talk about the no spend challenge and you wonder what happened to the girl who started out so gung-ho at the beginning of the year and now you haven't heard from about it in a million years.  So, we are still TRYING to do the no spend challenge.  Y'all it is so hard!  So, so hard.  So we'll use the kids' costumes as an example.  Emma totally went with the no spend idea and came up with something brilliant.  We didn't spend a dime on her costume and she kept getting so many compliments.  Calvin on the other hand had one specific thing in his mind...the kid wanted to be a ninja...again.  We tried making one at home for him, talking him through it, but alas, he was insisting on the costume.  So we compromised and we purchased him a less expensive costume than what he wanted.  No kid wants to have a costume that they hate and we didn't know what to do other than compromise.  We spend $20ish dollars on this versus the $75 costumes in previous years.  See?  We're making some progress!  

The pumpkins were another issue with our no-spend year.  I had to decorate my porch. Sorry, not sorry, that's just the case.  So I took a fence panel from my neighbors free pile at their garage sale, dragged out other things I already had but had to have some pumpkins.  Last year I spent over $60 on pumpkins.  You all!  That is crazy!  So this year we found a new place to get pumpkins and for all of them they were $20.  So I spent some but not nearly as much as I was in previous years!  

But back to Halloween...

We don't really "celebrate" Halloween but we trick or treat.  

For those of you just joining us, we live in a National Historic District and we just love it!  

From the street lights to the brick paved streets, we love our neighborhood.  Trick or Treating always helps me to take time to pause and reflect on how beautiful our neighborhood is.  The kids trick or treating is like going through a 1950's neighborhood.  All of the historic homes and picket fences make it so cheerful and nice.  

And I have to show you this because it was hilarious...

When there's a construction project why not be silly? 

So there's our recap of October!  I hope you all are enjoying your November! I've missed having time to write...gah!  Hopefully I'll be writing more! 

Weeks 8, 9, 10, 11 (Gulp) Recap of No Spend Challenge

The last time I posted a weekly update I was feeling a bit blah about weekly updates. 

So I decided I would make them every other week. 

Well, that gota little bit away from me as I mentioned in my last post with some emotions.  But I am back and ready to tell you how we have been doing!

So, how have we been doing with not spending? 

Not good, friends, not good. 

Nick has been traveling a ton.  Lots...oodles.  It's been awesome for him.  He was specially selected for a special project at work and we are all super proud of him.  We know it's only one year (the project has him traveling a lot but there is a definite end date so we know this isn't forever, whew!).  Still though, I can know it is only one year but when we are in the thick of it things are hard. 

For one I do not do good with having to do EVERYTHING around here.  Usually he comes home and helps me with the kiddos or something.  I haven't actually been able to pin point why it's different but it is when he isn't home.  So anyway, I do not like cooking food when Nick is gone. 

The first week he was home meant that I bought way too much take out and fast food.  We all felt gross on top of missing Nick.  Thankfully when Nick got home he identified this for me and took me to Costco to buy whatever I wanted to make this month easier.  We stocked up on all kinds of organic convenience foods (nuggets, burrito bowls, anything, everything).  I don't normally buy this kind of stuff but that stuff came out of our grocery budget so it wasn't really considered extra spending and it's really helped me since then to not go out at night when I don't want to cook. 

The second week Nick was gone was not cool.  I was not sleeping well and I was up all hours at night so I got to thinking about everything.  And by everything I mean like "ooh, that sweatshirt I've ALWAYS wanted is finally on sale!  I need that."  and "Emma is going to need new ballet tights soon and if I spend $50 I get free shipping...score!"  Thinking about those types of things. 

Anyway, that being said I purchased clothes, coats for next year, leotards, whatever.  I bought way too much.  Granted, it is stuff that we need and we have the money and whatever!  But the point of this year was to not be just mindlessly shopping and getting stuff that we are going to need in the future.  We are just supposed to be concentrating on the here and now...concentrating on what we have and using what we have rather than always seeing gaps around the house of things we need to buy.

So that being said, we did get way off track (well not WAY off track, but off track enough) but we have now come back around. 

Today I am taking the kids out to eat at a restaurant they have been BEGGING to go to.  Is it a needed expense?  Absolutely not.  But Nick is out of town, it's something we've been looking forward to and kids eat free today. 

I figure that is a somewhere in the middle compromise.  I can stay the course and treat them a teeny bit here and there.  At least that's my plan when Nick is out of town.  These kids miss their daddy something fierce and it's sometimes hard coming up with things that excite them to get them out of their funk. 

So that is it for now.  So sorry it's been so long since my last no-spend post.  I'll be better and you can look for them every two weeks from now on. 

Be blessed, friends!

Week 7 Recap of our No-Spend Challenge

Well this was the first week that I heard serious complaining about the no spend challenge. 

Emma was hilarious when she said "we had a good two months of this no spend challenge.  Now I think it's time to be done.  Let's order Chinese food." 

And believe me I was feeling the same way!  I was ready for Chinese food and not cooking too, but we didn't cave and had frozen pizzas instead. 

Can you picture me with my head hung low and pouting?  Because that's what I was looking like. 

Thankfully I am realizing that when one of us is weak and ready to give up (usually me) then there is the other person to stay strong and diligent (usually Nick). 

Valentine's Day was a bit hard with the no spend challenge. 

We are not huge spenders for Valentine's Day.  I've never gotten Diamond anything.  I do usually get roses.  But this year I knew I wouldn't be getting anything.  Still there was this TINY part of my brain that was just wishing and hoping that he would come home with something that I would act upset he spent money for but secretly was delighted he brought home. 

You know what I am talking about! 

But he didn't buy anything.  Well I take that back he did go to the store and bought crab and oysters to go with our beef tenderloin stay-in date meal. 

However I had had the same thought of a little surf with our turf and bought lobster tails. 

So it was a huge seafood feast. 

Nick also came home with an old fashioned love letter. 

It was my first one ever and it made me sob.  Big, ugly tears, sob.

It was perfect.  It helped me to realize that some of the most beautiful things in this world are free.  They don't cost money, they aren't big and flashy, but instead are simple and true words that mean the most. 

The days before Valentine's Day I was prepared that we wouldn't be buying the kids a ton of fun Valentine's stuff like we normally do. 

I had purchased Emma's Valentine's Day gift last year before we started the no-spend challenge.  So I purchased a small lego set for Calvin so he would have something soon. 

To make their special day a bit more special we made some sweet treats with things that we already had at home so they didn't cost a lot of money. 

We made cookies which was lots of fun! The kids took a cookie decorating class last year so I whipped up a batch of royal icing and we had fun decorating cookies for our friends and family (and for us, of course!)

We had fun breakfasts!  For this I made toast and used a cookie cutter to carve out a heart from the center.  I then put Peanut butter on the heart and strawberry jam around the outskirt of the toast.  We had strawberry milk because strawberry milk makes everything better.  And I love these napkins that I bought last year from Marshalls. 

And of course we had fun lunches!  The kids' favorite lunch is a muffin tin lunch.  I bought these sweet 6 cup muffin tins from the Dollar Store, and then I put fun things in them!  For this lunch I gave them strawberry flavored string cheese, vanilla yogurt with sprinkles, strawberrys, grape tomatoes, more strawberry milk, and some heart shaped sweet tarts. 

I love giving them fun lunches, it really helps to break up the homeschool day and make things more exciting. 

A special part of Valentine's Day was someone sending me a gift!  I love colored pens and someone sent these to me with a sweet Homeschooling Momma card.  I have no idea who sent these to me but it was just the sweetest thing! So if you are reading this and it was you, thank you!

All in all it was a great Valentine's Day and week. 

It was really nice when it was all said and done to not have the guilt that I spent too much on the kids or spoiled them more than I should have.  It was a great day and we loved spending time with one another which is the best part of Valentine's Day! 

I hope you all had a great Valentine's week.  Please let me know how you are doing on your own no-spend challenges. 

Love to you all! 

Weeks 5 & 6 Included Deep Cleaning and Sorrows

It was crickets from me last week and I am so sorry!  We had a funeral and a very bad autism week and before I knew it the week had ended. 

I was emotionally spent last week.  Saying good-bye to a dear family friend was hard.  And then we've been dealing with some really, really matters of the heart with Cal.  Things keep creeping up in which I have no idea where they are coming from or why.  I'm trying to hang on for dear life as a parent but my, oh, my that boy sure knows how to stretch his Momma! 

I'm not going to lie, when I am having these hard times I do not want to cook or eat cleanly or only shop for my needs.  Everything in me wants to go to Culvers and buy everything and then double size it. 

But I didn't and I consider that a victory and at least some-what of a step in the right direction. 

Anyway...

I mentioned in my last post that I had found myself spending money due to my house not being clean so I was unable (or unwilling!) to entertain friends. 

So last week I moved some things around in our schedule and cancelled school for the week. 

By the way, I love the flexibility of homeschooling that I can take time off when I need to rather than having to fit into a rigid schedule. 

This week we have been cleaning, cleaning, cleaning.  But more than cleaning we have been purging our home of necessary items. 

It will easier to keep things tidy with less things to tidy, right?

It has been a very freeing feeling. 

For example, I took all of the dresses out of Emmas closet.  She had 37 by the way.  We weeded through what she plain just didn't like, what didn't fit, what was too big, etc. And while she still has a boat-load of dresses we at least now only have 28 dresses. Okay we stink at getting rid of things but we did get rid of some.  The "use it up" part of me wants to keep what we have already been given or purchased because we have it....the minimalist emerging in me wants her to have 4 dresses.  They argue a lot in my head as to what the correct method should be, lol.

I know everyone loves Spring Cleaning but I personally love Winter cleaning...there's nothing to do outdoors anyway, cleaning gets your heart pumping and gets you moving, and when Spring finally does come you can be outside and have the satisfaction that your home is already clean! See?  What's not to love?

We not only cleaned our house but we also kept telling that each room that was clean was now "sealed". 

When the whole house was cleaned I sat the kids down and told them our entire house is clean so our entire house and our lives are now "sealed". 

But what does sealed mean?

It means that we are keeping it clean of clutter, dirt, and most of all, bad attitudes and past habits. 

We had gotten into such a rut of viewing our home as dingy and bleh, and when you do that it is so easy to not have motivation for keeping it clean. 

But when things are clean everything looks as if in a new light.  We should take care of our things.  We should honor them and feel blessed to be so blessed. 

So we are sealed off from complaining.  We will no longer be inconsiderate of others by making sure we now pick up our items and leaving a room how we found it (I'm not sure why but this one has seemed to really stick with Cal which I am loving!). 

A week has gone by since we "sealed" our house and I can tell you it is working! 

This weekend things got really out of sorts but when I asked the kids to help tidy up they were more than happy to get things back to how they were...it was amazing!  Usually it would be a lot of fussing and complaining but they had noticed the clutter too and they were unhappy about it too! 

And you know what else is nice?  Cleaning!  I know that sounds weird but it is so lovely to vacuum without having to move a bunch of stuff to do it.  Novel, right? 

I hope your weeks have been great.  I miss you all and I miss writing and you guys keeping me accountable in this journey! 

I hope you have a fantastic week...love you all! 

Coffee Shop Hop and Week 4 Recap: No Spend Challenge

Week 4 has come and gone and I cannot believe that an entire month has gone by in our no-spend challenge!  11 more months to go, right?

I can't wait for this year to be over, not because I am writing down all of the things that I am going to run out and buy but because this takes some serious effort. Legit. This week I had some bad moments.  Let me tell you about them:

Monday I met a friend for coffee to work on a project together.  She was super sweet and had asked if she could come over to our house.  But for real our house looked like Stonehenge with Christmas bins stacked everywhere so I declined and we went to a coffee shop. 

It wasn't until I was driving to the coffee shop that I had one of those lightbulb moments, thinking "huh, I guess I'm going to have to actually purchase something."  You know how shop keepers frown upon you just sitting there and not actually getting something. 

I purchased my coffee and got a small one but I did get one of those frou-frou drinks and it all being said it was $5.  I kind of did a walk of shame to the table with my coffee and felt bad for spending so much. 

The next night, Emma had scouts which is in across the state line and takes me over a half an hour to get her to.  Driving home during scouts results in me constantly driving so I decided by golly, I was going to find somewhere and get some blogging done!  It would be great!  I found a cute, quirky coffee shop, and again, decided it would be best to buy something. 

This time I was prepared.  I ordered just a small cup of coffee.  That should be harmless enough, right?  Except the darn thing was $3.  Again I had to do the shame walk with my cup of coffee.

I've started feeling like an old man that complains constantly about the cost of a cup of coffee.  Martin. I've become Martin from Frasier. 

The rest of the week went fairly smoothly.  The only other thing we spent money on was dinner Friday night.  We were supposed to go out with our neighbors last year and we could never make it work.  Finally we were all available and we didn't want to let our no-spend challenge get in our way. 

So we all decided to go to a restaurant that was participating in "Restaurant Week"  an event near us where certain restaurants offer reduced pricing on their meals.  Nick and I were able to get appetizer, dessert, and entrees for the 2 of us for $33!  It was a really good meal!  We ate at the Lasalle Kitchen and Tavern.  If you are ever in South Bend you should drive over and check it out...really good food and a really fun atmosphere with live music at the bar. 

Saturday we had fun going to visit Nick's grandma and then we drove onto a chili-cookoff for Emma's scout troop.  We had a wonderful (and cheap!) day visiting with friends and family. 

All in all it was a great week although I totally messed up with the coffee shop purchases. 

However I have used those as some jumping off points to change my behavior. 

After all, if my house had been clean and tidy I would have had no problem having my friend over to talk and I wouldn't have spent anything at all. 

So as a result of that I moved some things around so we could skip school for this week and I am deep cleaning our house.  Together as a family we are purging so we have less stuff to put away and maintain.  By the end of the week I am hopeful we will have a place for everything and everything in its place. 

I've also learned that I need to have a go-to drink to order when I go to a coffee shop.  I would love your suggestions!!!  I love coffee, tea, anything.  It just needs to be inexpensive so I feel at least a little bit better about buying a want item.  I do have to visit coffee shops as I am on a lot of committee's and part of groups that meet at coffee shops. 

Please help me with what do order!  Comment with your suggestions!  I'd love for you to help me out!

Road Trip Foods with a Week 3 Recap Thrown in: No-Spend Challenge

Week 3 was a doozy, lemme tell you! 

Monday

We visited Indianapolis for our annual MLK Jr. Field Trip day!  I love doing this because each place has activities to talk about equality and black history...with things that would be really hard for me to show the kids at home like drum shows and Rosa Parks speeches. 

We packed our food for the day and vowed that we were not going to spend any money during the day. 

Okay, so actually I had to promise Nick that we wouldn't spend any money because that was the only way that he agreed we could go.  He had a good point because we always think it's going to be cheap because all of the museums are free but after you factored in the trips to the gift shops and teacher stores I had to go to because we don't have them at home...well all that shopping and then meals and we were out a couple hundred dollars each time we went.  Yikes. 

So this time we packed foods.  I know that for me when I am thirsty is when I start to feel whiney and justified in purchasing a drink.  So I made sure to pack tons of drinks for the grown ups and for the kids. 

I packed two larg-ish coolers of food: one for cold foods and one for anything else. 

So the first one I packed up the night before with all of the cold items.  For drinks I took Fruit Shoots, Chocolate Milks, Waters, and Perriers.  My current obsession has been green apple Perrier.  Yum! I also packed yogurt tubes and cheese sticks.  Snacks with some protein tend to fill the tummy for a longer period of time when you are on the road.  Instead of the kids constantly eating, they tend to not eat as much when it is a protein. 

In the other cooler I packed our breakfast, lunch, and other snacks.  So I was a terrible mother and purchased pop-tarts for breakfast.  They were on sale for $1.50 for a box, it fed all of us, and the kids were tickled because they hardly ever, or never, get pop-tarts. 

For lunch I packed us all pb&j.  I know that's kind of a lame sandwich but we all loved it and I used these amazing cherry preserves from Costco that has whole Michigan cherries in it.  So yummy!  I also packed some chips, fruits, granola bars, and some Nutella snack cups.  We ended up having more than enough snacks for the day and had a very full lunch. 

All in all it was a yummy day and we went through the day without feeling deprived.  As an added lesson I had the kids browse the prices of food when we went by a food-court kind of place in one of the museums and I felt like they got it!  They were commenting on how expensive the foods were and how unhealthy everything was.  It was what we could call a teachable moment. 

Tuesday & Wednesday

We were home and not spending any money.  Except for I contacted my best friend and we decided to meet Thursday for drinks and chips at our local Mexican restaurant. Nick and I also started a conversation on if running shoes are a need or a want.  (They are for me).  I said they are a want and I could probably wait it out...Nick looked at my shoes and warranted that clearly this is a need.  We'll probably come back to this but at least we got the convo started. 

Thursday

So we were supposed to meet for a drink and chips but when Nick and I were driving there we were starving.  I didn't want to just throw our no-spend project out completely, so we shared a meal.  We felt like we each had enough to eat but we saved money by splitting.  I was happy, he was happy, the whole world was happy.

Friday

We did nothing.  It was nice.  We had frozen pizzas, watched the original Parent Trap, and just hung out.  I love spending time with our family.  Nothing makes me feel richer than that.

Saturday

We had a birthday party for our nephew and so we didn't have to spend a thing!  Well we purchased his gift but other than that we were there for lunch and dinner.  It was so great to be with family and to watch all of the kids playing together.  I will also say that I was proud of myself because I just bought him one gift, a tricycle. I tend to go overboard and get a small gift to attach or I buy a few gifts but this time I just got one gift. 

Sunday

We had a new pastor come to our church to preach and after we had a carry in dinner to welcome him.  It was nice to not cook and all of the foods were super yummy!  We made cheesy potatoes for a dish to take and all of the ingredients we had so it was easy-peasy!  

So as you can see this week seemed to have a lot of eating with friends and we loved it!  It was nice.  Sometimes, even though it's not a true "need", I do feel it is needed to have that connection.  Especially being a housewife, sometimes it can be a lonely world.  Carry in meals or potlucks are great ways to get together with friends and they are super cheap!

So after this week I wanted to share a run down of tips to make taking food on a road trip super simple:

Pack the Protein

Protein fills us up.  Good sources of fiber fill us up.  Be sure to stock protein as that is what fuels our muscles and helps for proper brain function (ever heard of brain drain?)

Hard boiled eggs, apples with peanut butter, trail mix with nuts, string cheese, yogurts, all things that can help curb your appetite and help you feel fuller longer when on the go. 

Drinks are the Way

Dehydration is not fun.  In warm areas and when you are wearing a coat you get parched faster than you normally would.  Be sure to pack lots of drinks and store them in a cooler so when you crack one open you will feel quenched by an ice cold beverage and not something tepid. 

Be sure to pack lots of drinks for your kiddos as that helps them (and this goes for you too!) to not feel hungry all of the time and those kiddos need have lots of liquids. 

When in Doubt Pack it Out

Pack more than you think you need.  It stinks to be starving and thinking of buying food but not really wanting to buy food but at the same time starving.  Just pack oodles of snacks and if even if you don't eat them you will have offered yourself more variety and you will feel like you had choices.  When you get home you can put the extra snacks away on the shelf and there will be nothing lossed but everything gained because you didn't have to stop for something to eat.

Everybody have fun tonight

I'm just going to come out and say it...when I am sitting at the museum surrounded by everyone with their soft pretzels and nacho cheese, I feel pretty darn sorry for my PB&J self. 

So with that sob story of mine I say pack fun foods.  Pop tarts, chocolate milk, Nutella cups, whatever.  It is so fun to have foods you don't always get to eat and a little bit of junk food will be okay for you and your kids.  Promise!  I know my kids seriously geek out when they get to have junk food so then it lessens the blow a bit to have to eat nothing but things brought from home. 

The No-Spend Year through a Child's Eyes

So, hi guys, this is Emma. 

I'm sure that you've heard my Mommy talk about our "no-spend year" before.  Well, I'm going to tell you more about that from my perspective. 

When mommy first told Cal and I about her idea, I thought that it would just be cutting off Matilda Jane clothes, and fast food. 

This, however, was not the entire idea. 

I seriously think that our family is reverting back to the early 30s.  I mean, back then people didn't really just go buy stuff, but they saved any money that they could to send their children to school, or buy food.  Half of thetime, if you were a kid or an adult, you would be hungry.  As in super hungry.  We probably won't be going without lunch.  That makes me hungry! ;]

 When most people think about the early 30s, they think that people kind of just had the stuff that they needed.  Such as: food, clothes, and shelter.  Well a lot of them didn't have that unless they worked HARD for them.  My great grandma told me that back then they had to make their own clothes.  Shirts, pants, dresses, socks, underwear, and they only had a very small amount of them.

We luckily will not have to do that.

Not only are we just buying what we need, but we are also trying to get rid of the stuff that we don't need. We are trying to get rid of some old clothes, toys, and just general stuff. I got rid of some dresses last week that I either didn't wear, or are too small.  My brother has a hard time getting rid of things, for some reason.  He keeps EVERY little thing.  I have explained to him that all the things that he gets rid of [if it isn't just trash] goes to kids who have none, or little. He is so difficult sometimes!  Grrrrrrrrr!

So far it has been hard to stick with our plan, but I'm sure that it will all turn out O.K.

I really don't know about the rest of my family, but I am starting to realize that we just don't need all of this stuff. 

I kind of want to scream sometimes because it can get pretty angering to not get what you want.  I mean, I don't get what I want outside of the no-spend year, but I get even less of what I want in the no-spend year. 

You might think that I am exaggerating but I'm not. 

Well, I hope that this has been helpful and inspiring.  Bye.

No-Spend Challenge, Week 2 with a Lesson in Using What You Have

Last week went by in a whirl. 

Our church is looking for a new pastor and it was a crazy week of preparing for a new one to come for a visit.  I apologize this is coming to you so late in the game but as I've always said, better late than never! 

This past week as I mentioned was crazy and so I don't remember what days I did what.  I do remember though that there seemed to be a presounding theme throughout our week and that was to use what we have. 

The one thing I've been so amazed with by staying home is how much time I have to get things done. 

Before I was doing mindless errands to get things I thought I needed which in fact, upon a long, hard look turned out to simply be wants.  Oh, maybe not wants in the way of saying I really want that carton of yogurt tubes but more of an issue of mindlessly keeping up with the Joneses. 

I didn't even realize I was doing it but it was in my head that the kids wanted go-gurt tubes because all of their friends had them at snack time and by golly, they had wanted them too!  But when I realized it I put a stop to it.  If we have yogurt in cups at home then by-golly they can grab themselves a spoon and take a good old-fashioned cup of yogurt.  Ta-da!  Mindless shopping and spending minimized. 

This week by being home I've also noticed two things happening:

1) I am going to the gym a lot more! 

Weird that I said by being home I am going somewhere but shut up, it's my blog and I can write weird things.  ha! 

It's true though.  As I mentioned before we did not cancel our gym membership but instead challenged ourselves to make the most of it's value.  As a result I've gone every single day.  I am sore in parts of me that I didn't know existed but it is also a rewarding feeling to know that I am doing something good for myself, burning stress off, and using that gym membership to it's fullest.  Our gym also has daycare, swimming, a waterpark area, a big gym for the kids, a video game room, an art center, and a rock climbing wall.  So our gym is something we go to a lot and do a lot of different things at. 

2) I am cleaning this house up! 

This past week was the first time in I don't know how long that I actually got caught up on the laundry.  It was a great feeling!  Being caught up on the laundry also brought out some feelings of overindulgence when I discovered that both of our kids have so many clothes that I can't put all of them away when they are all clean. 

So for each drawer we stood in front of it and weeded and sorted, and hemmed and hawed over everything until we had gotten rid of enough that everything fit.  It is definitely a weird feeling to get rid of things that still fit and are still perfectly good but I will be donating them so I feel good about that at least. 

So both of those things (massive time at the gym and laundry) I had not had time for before when I was running everywhere and getting things we simply didn't need. 

Can I get an amen about no more trips to Hobby Lobby?

The other thing we've been doing is actually USING what we have!  I've pulled out blocks and cards and books that had been buried because we have too much.  I've noticed the quiet as they rediscover simple things that we already have. 

I've also done my nails with nail polish I already own.  I mean, I already have it, why not use it up?  Anyone else guilty of buying things and then never even getting around to using them?  What is up with that?

When Emma and I would have girl time together previously we would go buy something or go out to eat.  Now we are doing our nails together and it is so much fun!

I could go on forever with examples, yo, but in short, we're using what we have, cleaning what we have, and moving what we have (at the gym!) 

I hope you all are having a great week! 

Comment below with what you want me to talk about relating to our no-spend challenge!  Next week I'm talking about how I pack food for road trips.

Our Chicago Birthday Trip

This was Calvin's first year to have a trip for his birthday rather than a party.  It was weird to not have a birthday party. 

Weird and sad.

I think I need to just go crawl into a ball and deal with these emotions for a few...

Why is it the things that can make us the most stressed are the things we end up missing the most when they are gone?  Here I'm talking birthday parties.  Last year I couldn't wait for the thing to be over...the party favors, the food, the decorations, I was feeling pretty burnt out from it all.  I was thinking that a break would be nice but here we are a year later and I am already missing the parties. 

Sigh.

This year Calvin wanted to go to Chicago and spend the night downtown.  He is so adorable and loves big cities with all of the lights. 

So that's what we did!  I was a little apprehensive because, with Calvin having Autism, some things he may really, really want to do end up being way too much for him and it ends up disasterously.  I think him wanting them that bad and then them not working out is what makes matters that much worse in the end. 

So let's just say I had my doubts that this would work out.

We took the train to Chicago.  We were going to drive until we did the math and realized it was going to be at least $70 to park our car at the hotel. 

So we decided to take a train.  It was a fun experience for the kids and it was super easy to get into town.  We got off the train, hopped into a waiting taxi and $4.50 later we were at our hotel.  Easy peasy! If you live somewhere that you want to go to Chicago but not drive INTO Chicago I highly recommend the South Shore Train Line. Easy and cheap!

Let me just say, our hotel was amazing!  Nick upgraded us to a suite and it was so nice to have the kids in one room and us in another!  We also had a dining room table and a full kitchen.  It was super fun! Not to mention that our hotel was adjacent to Eataly so it was a perfect excuse to stop and drink loads of amazing hot cocoa and coffee.

After we got checked into our room we decided to try to make our way to Dave and Busters.  We do not have one by us and Calvin has been begging (BEGGING!) to go there since I don't even know when.  So Chicago was a nice location to go.  I say nice but it was 6 degrees outside.  And it is called "The Windy City" you know.  So we decided to set out and see how far we could make it before we needed to hail a cab but by golly we walked the entire way.  I was so proud of us! 

And at Dave and Buster's let me just say, I was so proud of our kids!  We gave them each a power play? card and let them loose.  They didn't ask for more money or complain or anything.  They are just the best kids in the world!  And they had the best time!  Calvin loved playing two-player games with Nick while Emma spent the majority of her time at the skee-ball because that is what she loves. 

After a couple of hours we were done at Dave and Busters so we walked our way over to the kids' favorite part of the trip...cupcake ATM! 

It was so much fun to get to choose birthday cupcakes from the atm and then watch on the screen as the machine fulfilled our order.  The kids LOVED it and I thought it was so adorable!  The cupcake ATM is at Sprinkles.  If you get the chance check it out.  I can vouch that the chocolate peanut butter cupcake was incredible!  Emma got strawberry and the birthday boy got Smores.  They both said they were amazing too!

After gourging ourselves on cupcakes we made our way to do some shopping.  We bought a lego set for Cal's birthday, meandered through Dylan's Candy Shop, and then decided it was high time we had some Chicago pizza.  We went to Gino's which, by the way, is our family's favorite.  There are a million different places but that is our fave.  Supreme with the patty sausage please and thank you!

By that time it was the late hour of 6 in the evening so we walked back to our hotel but not before getting some more drinks at Eataly.  Nick and I were about to crash so caffeine was definitely in order.  Can someone please tell me why we were so tired at 6? 

The kids then wanted to go swimming but not before we vegged in our living room watching the Lego Movie.  So we spent the night watching movies, snacking, swimming, and then repeating the whole process.  It was a perfect night for our family. 

When it was time for the kids to go to bed Nick was trying to find a light for them as a nightlight that wasn't too bright.  Calvin said "it's okay Dad, we have the city lights for a nightlight."  That boy melts my heart, he is just so cute! 

The next day we left our hotel at about 8:30 and walked to the American Girl store. Oh and by the way, it was now a frosty 2 degrees.  I thought we were going to die.  Emma and I always have the best time there! The best Jerry, the best!  Even though this is a no-spend year we surprised her with $30 to spend at the store.  For those that know American Girl you know that that barely buys an outfit. One outfit.  But Emma was so taken aback.  "That's so much money!"  She said.  She was so surprised!

It was a lot of fun to shop with her and to pick out an outfit.  In the end she picked an adorable outfit from Kit's collection (we have Kit) that she thought was a good choice because all of her other dolls could wear the whole outfit or parts of it.  I love how she is so thrifty like her Momma! 

After the American Girl store (and yet another trip to Eataly!) we went to lunch at Harry Carey's Nick's very favoritest restaurant. 

It was an incredible way to end our fun weekend before hopping back on the train.  We were all exhausted but a perfect amount of exhausted: we were all ready to get back to our home and decided we had just enough fun. 

And that was our trip!  Hope you enjoyed visiting Chicago vicariously through my photos :)

Week 1 Recap of Our No-Spend Challenge

This was a pretty tough week to be thrown into for our first week on the no-spend challenge. 

Although the weekdays went pretty smoothly.

Monday

We started school back up and that prompted Nick and I to have the discussion about how/if the challenge would affect the way we do our schooling.  We had said it wouldn't really before in our talks but it came up again when I introduced a new "motto" for our classroom to the kids.  Nick said I should enlarge it, laminate it, and hang it up in the classroom.  That prompted the discussion on if that was in fact a need or simply a want. 

The jury is still out on that one so we'll have to see what I decide.  It may in part be decided by the price of making the poster.  $20 for a poster?  No thanks...

But I think we kind of narrowed down that in terms of what the kids are learning and the core of what they need we absolutely will not waiver.  The fluff stuff we may reevaluate and see what we could use that we already have.

Tuesday

Calvin threw a wrench in our plans by declaring that instead of taking the train to Chicago for his birthday as planned, he wanted to go to LEGOLAND.  So after calling Nick and having him approve the change, I frantically hopped on line to try to track down as many deals as possible. 

In the end it proved to be way too much money to change our plans so we decided to stick with the original plan to go downtown for his birthday.

Wednesday

My best friend and I took all of our kids to Sky Zone (a trampoline park) to get the kids to shake out all their wiggles!  What a fun time we had!  It is so fun to have a friend with kiddos that my kiddos love! 

I know, I know SkyZone is in no way a "need" but thankfully the kids got giftcards to there for Christmas so we used those to go.  Hooray for fun things to do!

Thursday

Why do companies feel the need to try to get you to spend money after you just had Christmas?  Besides the fact that everyone went out and spent tons on gifts I know that we do not have any more room for more STUFF! 

These catalogs always get me!  Lakeshore Learning, an educational store gets me every time.  I always ooh and ah over all of the stuff that is in there.  Surely if I get all of this stuff the kids will learn more, right?  I rationalize to myself.  But the truth is that even though we've decided the no-spend year will not affect our schooling, we do not need any more supplies.  I've over bought as it is. 

American Girl was a difficult one (for about half a minute) to toss.  I don't want Emma to miss out on childhood because of the no-spend challenge.  But then I remembered that the dolls themselves are what make childhood so great, not the shopping, so I tossed them.  She needs to be grateful for the 4 dolls she has and not be shopping for more. 

Ulta always kills me. Do you see that?  Do you?  The one day sale thing makes me want to almost get up and run out of the house.  Almost.

I must buy the things!  But it is an almost feeling and so I restrained myself.  But it was hard! 

The Weekend

This past weekend was a blur!  We went to Chicago on the train to celebrate Calvin's birthday.  He turned 9!  How did this happen?  Can anyone tell me, please? 

I still feel like I am about 25 and have no clue what I am doing with motherhood.  Or Autism.  Or mothering a child with Autism.  There is still so much to learn, but anyway.

We realize that a trip to Chicago is not a NEED but we have a son who has talked about this trip for basically a year so then telling him last minute that he doesn't get his birthday trip due to his parents' weird challenge was not an option. 

We did however go through this weekend with a clear idea in mind of what we were going to buy and what we were not.  While these trips usually end up with us finding "deals" and stocking up on every little thing we see, this time, we did not. 

Dylan's Candy Shop?  We let them get a tube of candy and a small little something else.  Calvin got to pick one thing out at Lego as his gift.  We got Emma something at American Girl. 

For Birthday cake?  We decided on a couple of cupcakes from the Cupcake ATM rather than a whole cake. 

I saw SO MANY awesome things I wanted to buy mainly because there were gobs and gobs of things marked down on Christmas clearance. And it was really, really hard but we didn't get anything we hadn't planned. 

We had a lot of fun throughout the weekend, everything we got was a deal or at least a planned expense, and we were able to come home and not feel completely janky because we had spent way too much. 

It was a nice feeling. 

One of the not nice things about this weekend was how my view could get so a skewed by all of the nonsense of the stores in Chicago.  We stayed downtown so there was plenty of walking past stores like Cartier, Tiffany's, Burberry, Louis Vuitton, and more.  We came back to our hotel after a night of shopping and I couldn't believe how burdened I felt about those things.  Was it Jealousy?  Envy?  I don't know but after talking about it with Nick I boiled it down to the fact that when we are at home I feel content with what we have but when I am in Chicago I start to realize everything that I could have.  Do you know what I mean?  It was not a nice feeling.  In the end I reasoned with myself that that could forever be a never ending cycle.  If I had a new Tiffany ring I would want a Cartier or a newer one or a bigger one.  This could go on forever. 

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So I am learning from this that it has to simply be the fact that you have to make the decision to be happy with yourself and what you have whatever that may be.  Sometimes it is a lot easier said than done.

I can't believe in the short time of one week how dramatically altered my viewpoint has been. I now go through our home looking at things with hushed tones and gentle fingers...it's all a reminder of how amazingly blessed we are. 

And while I could probably say, "let's go back to how things were, we're changed already" I don't think I can say that yet at all. I want to go through a hot, sticky day and teach kids the value of cold hose water; the joy of hard work and how good it feels to lay in bed after a long day and feel content and pleased with the work you've accomplished. 

It was a great week.  A difficult week at moments but a week that made us feel perhaps even more grateful for gifts and possessions than we would have.  For that, the difficulty has been worth it. 

Lake Cottage Lovelies

I don't want to get TOO philosophical this early in the a.m. here but I really believe houses are like people.  They each tell a story of where they've been, who's been around them to influence them and how they got to where they are today.  

We all have scars, bruises, and wounds that speak of our past.  God always uses those to tell His story and that's what makes for the best story.  That being said, we want to use lots from this house.  This is by no means a complete tear down.  We want the history to come through to tell the very best story in the very best way.

With that in mind I am so excited to share with you some of the details of the cottage that I have fallen in love with. 

But first, a little about the cottage...this cottage is located at a ministry site for our church's denomination...good old Church of God!  It sits on a quiet lake about an hour south-ish of our home.  It is (in my opinion) the perfect distance away...far enough away that you feel like you're on vacation and not so close you feel like you could just be there all the live long day. 

Our family has been going to this campground for as long as I can remember and as long as my grandmother even can remember.  I have very fond memories of being on the property with my great-grandmother.  She used to stay two doors down from our cottage at a dormitory that was fondly referred to as "The Holiday Inn". 

When I told my Grandma Jean about us purchasing a cottage she was beyond tickled.  "Your Grandpa always wanted a cottage, you know.  He would be so proud."  I think that right there is all I need for the rest of my life.  Anyway, when I was a girl (a teenage girl mind you) I was a lifeguard at these campgrounds (my chair is now 3 houses down, still at the beach!).  Every day I would walk down to the beach and look at all of the cottages.  Each summer I committed them to memory:  Their angles and lines, their porches and balconies.  I always dreamed of how nice it would be to have one for my very own. 

And now we have one! 

***If you missed it before, here's the post that shows you a broader view of the cottage.  Today we're diving in a bit deeper :).

Today I am so thrilled to show you some of the little details that I absolutely adore about our teeny, tiny cottage. 

Floor!

First things first, let's talk floor.  The floorboards are exposed in the kitchen and I can see from a lip they left that they are under the laminate flooring that was installed.  We are going to pull up the laminate floor and see what they look like underneath.  I love these floors and can't wait to give them a good scrub and some new paint. 

Handles

In the bathroom there are some details that I thought were just precious...things you can't find today at your local Home Depot. 

These are the handles/lock of the cabinet in the bathroom.  These suckers are old by the looks of them as we have them in our house too.  I love small details like this that are just so gorgeous in a utilitarian way. 

For me it's all about the details. 

Can you tell?  ;)

Lights

I don't know why but I am really digging this light.  Does anyone say "digging" anymore?  No?  Oh, phooey.  Anyway...

I think it's really cool but I am not sure if I like it enough to keep it.  What do you guys think?  Comment below with your love or distaste for our mid-century bathroom light fixture! 

Another thing I would like to point out is our outside light.  How gorgeous is she? I love this thing and it is beefy! 

There's another one in the kid's nook.  I think these are neat, we will just have to see how they look in the new space. 

The Doors!

The backdoor and screen door are so neat!  I am hoping we can just give these some love and bring them back to their glory.  I love the "whap" noise that the screen door makes when it is closed...super fun! Can't wait to see wet, sand covered  kids running through here! How blessed I will feel! 

I am not sure what will happen in the end (a lot of times Nick and I have completely different ideas) but I am really loving the contrast of the white and green against the blue of the lake in the background. 

The door is actually barricaded from the inside by a set of kitchen cabinets (those are leaving).  The door is missing it's handle.  I can't wait to find a gorgeous beauty to install here!

Cabinets

I am not sure if I am so "in love" with the upper cabinets but I think they are going to stay for now and we are going to make them work.  Of course this place would look completely different if we had an unlimited amount of money to work with.  But we don't so we are doing this renovation on a budget. 

I do love that they are solid wood, old school cabinets.  They have character and I am sure that with some fresh paint and new handles they will look great!

The View

I would be remiss if I didn't talk about the very thing that we love the most...the view. 

How gorgeous is this? 

 I can't wait to wake up to this view every morning.  Eek!  I am so excited! 

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So those are the details that I love. 

Nick and I are a really good fit (or not so depending on how you look at it)  because he can look at something and see the big picture...how the roof is supported, all of the big things.  I on the other hand see the details...those are what really stick out for me.  It's a bad thing when Nick sees a project as completed but I don't because there are some details that are still left to do.  (see how this can be bad?)  :) 

I would love for you to help me with the question on the bathroom light conundrum I mentioned way up above.  I am planning on going kind of farmhouse/fixer upper-show style.  I love that style but it doesn't come super natural to me...I am generally a very formal decorator so this space will be perfect to try out decorating like that.  I feel confident I can make everything else work but I am unsure of that darn light. 

Let me know your thoughts on the light and comment on what features you love tooo!

Day 1 of No-Spend Challenge with a Lesson from My Toes

Last night we stayed home and toasted the last year away.  It was an amazing year, full of trips, memories, laughs, and adventures. 

I am so blessed by our family. 

Last night we rung in the new year and with it an entire year of not spending. 

As excited as I am I'm also feeling a little scared. 

I mean, how hard is this going to be?  Ahhh! 

I felt like last night I should have been out on the town, driving in a limo throwing money out the sunroof.  Something.  I mean, that was my last shot to waste some moola. 

But we stayed home.  Despite numerous invitations I just wanted to be at home with our kiddos.  My parents even wanted to take the kids and instead we just decided to be home as a little family. 

So today begins a year of this no-spend challenge I've been talking about.  If you are new to this you can read my initial post here and then my post about the basic rules we have set out for ourselves. 

How hard can it be to not spend money when we are staying home?  This should be easy!  A cake walk!  A walk in the park!  Any other kind of walking!

But this morning after I took a shower I was stunned by my toes.  Yeesh!  I NEED a pedicure!  Like, someone call a group and let's have an intervention time. 

But then I remembered the date and it caught me off guard how spoiled I am.  Any other time I probably would have proceeded to get ready, grab my purse, and tell Nick I am going to go get a pedicure. 

But not today my friend. 

Today I found my very own nail polish remover, remover the polish myself.  And currently have naked toes. 

The horror! 

It reminded me of a conversation with my Grandma.  She was telling me about nail polish and when she was a teenager no one had money to own nail polish.  She said once in a blue moon one of her friends would have a bottle (A bottle!) and then the girls would go over and paint their nails with it. 

How cute is that? 

It made me feel a bit well to do with our two giant baskets of nail polish.  And yet those sit while I go out to the salon for a pedicure. 

So here I am in day one of this challenge and I'm already learning so much about what is truly a need and what is a want. 

Obviously a pedicure is a want but it kind of shocked me how my mind instantaneously went to thinking I HAD to have one. 

I hope you all are having a great New Years!  Me and my naked toes are signing off! 

The Rules for Our No-Spend Year

As I mentioned in the last post, we as a family are going to not be spending anything extra through the 2017 year. 

Today I thought I would share with you the rules we have set out to follow as a family.

I am sharing all of this with you as an extra added layer of protection for us (ha!) that will hopefully provide the accountability to help us continue this for the entire year. After all, y'all are watching us so we better not sway from these rules! 

Because right now we feel kind of scared and nervous and ridiculous about this.

But it will be fun to see if we are up for the challenge. 

One of the things I think I should mention (in case you are missing my obvious hints to get you to read my last post, ahem!) is that this is not just about money.  We are trying to change our thinking and our attitudes as a family.

That being said, we have different traditions and ways of living in our family than I am sure you do in your family and vice versa.  For example, since our kids have turned 8 we have given them the choice for each birthday to have either a party with their friends or to go on a local-ish trip.  This year they have both chosen trips.  We will still go on the trips but how we go and what we do and spend will be different than before.  Now is the trip actually needed?  Heck to the no.  But we have already decided to go ahead and take those trips.  That's a decision our family has made. We recently purchased a lake cottage that needs some work.  While we will not be dumping money into it during our no-spend year, we will still be spending money to begin the renovations on the cottage.

 So you see, how we do this will look differently than how you would do this.  And that's okay. 

If you are doing this too and have taken the challenge I'd love to hear how you plan to do this!

Now, the rules are not set in stone.  Moses did not come off Mt. Sinai with them.  They are rules our family will have to look back on so when we want to spend money on something really, REALLY badly; we will have something we can look to to remind us of what we are to do.  Because I know how this goes.  I will twist every rule I can get my hands on to be able to buy something.  I need the rules.  My kids need rules.  We are rules-kind-of-people. 

Here are our rules for our year of Not Spending:

• We'll Only Buy for Our Needs

This year we are buying only things we need and not things that we want. 

This has already been hard for me. 

I have wanted to buy Christmas clearance so, SO bad.  But I don't truly NEED anything there.  And Lord willing all of that stuff will be there in years to come.  Try as I might to convince myself that I have to buy it all now, it really will be there in later years. I have so much wrapping paper and everything already in our attic that I don't need to go out this year and mindlessly buy a bunch of stuff. 

So we are not going to be buying something unless there is a need that we have determined.

• Food Must Be From Home

We go on a lot of vacations.  At least we have in the past.  Nick is on the road a ton and there are a lot of opportunities for us to travel with him fairly inexpensively.  The most expensive thing about those trips seems to be all of us going out to eat. 

Nick has said that he wants to make sure we can still travel as a family and travel for field trips and things but we are going to be cutting all of the food costs out (mostly!) by bringing food from home. 

This also applies to going out to eat.  Craving pizza?  Instead of calling Dominos we will make it at home.  Is pizza a need?  No we could eat beans all the live long day but we are going to allow ourselves to enjoy some of our wants (of food, at least!)

• Homemade is Best

I've mentioned before that we are still going to be celebrating holidays and birthdays. I am sure we will purchase some gifts but we are going with the motto that "homemade is best".  I have a kajillion craft kits and projects that I could make for people for gifts.  Not only would those provide us with a meaningful gift but those are things we have already purchased, money invested in things to do that have been sitting around for years.  So a gift and something to spend my time doing...seems like a win, win for me. 

Homemade will be implemented, not just with gifts but with everything.  Games during the summer?  Homemade.  Halloween costumes?  Homemade.  So and so forth.  We are going to be making lots and lots of things.  And that will keep us very busy which I like the idea of very much.  No more bored children here...they'll be too busy making something.

• Maximize Our Usage of What We Do Buy

There are some things that we will still be purchasing.  This may seem crazy to some but we are keeping our gym membership. Our kids take swim lessons there as well as 4 other types of classes.  We get huge discounts by having a membership.  That being said Nick and I don't always take advantage of our membership like we should. 

But this year we will so we are getting the most out of what we are spending.  After all, with a family gym membership of $50 a month, going every day figures out to be less than $2 a day for our family of four to go and exercise and spend time together.   And that seems like a good deal, especially with us not spending money on other "fun" things. 

So like with our gym membership, whatever we do buy we will get the most of our purchase.  Like how my Grandma washes plastic baggies and reuses them (we will not be washing out plastic baggies). 

• Think Before We Buy

So this would seem like a no-brainer but allow me to explain.  We have a notebook that we are going to be keeping as a family.  If we have something that we really, REALLY want to buy, we are going to write it down.  We'll jot it down and then come back in a few days and write how we remedied that need.  What we learned from it.  I am imagining I will be writing several entries about wanting to buy Emma an outfit I see.  And I'll probably go back and reflect that we lived our life with what we have and survived.  Hallelujah!

Also if we have something that we think truly is a need, we will write it down and ponder it.  Pray about it.  Stress about it.  After all, is it really a need? 

I found myself doing this very thing this morning when I was cleaning the tub.  I was almost out of cleaner and instantly thought "I need to go buy more cleaner."  But after pondering it I thought about how I have a ton of baking soda and vinegar that would clean our bathtub.  And I have bleach.  And if I was really honest with myself (this is embarrassing) I have bottles and bottles of cleaner that have never even been opened.  So by stopping to think about it I found that I really didn't have a need at all. 

• Birthdays and Holidays are Still On

I mentioned above that homemade gifts will be given from our home.  But I am sure we will still buy gifts.  To clarify our gift buying, if we do buy gifts we are going to have a strict budget and keep to it.  No more frivolous buying of spending a ton of money on any and every little thing.  Those times are done. 

So those are our rules.  As you can see we could make this a lot more strict and say, "beans only, no gifts, nothing!"  But we are keeping some things in our lives that aren't true needs but things that are needed for our family to be happy.  For us this isn't about making ourselves miserable but rather to find those areas where we need to change, to learn gratitude, and to grow, and stretch ourselves in those. 

Are you taking a no-spend challenge?  What are your rules?

Comment below if you are joining me with a no-spend challenge and what your rules are. 

Have a great day friends!