Day 3 - No Dinner

Well, they say "easy come, easy go." Not so. I am beyond frustrated. Let me explain. Last night, while I was in the bed, a dear neighbor, who was at church, sent over her son with a huge pan of Mexican food from church, where they have supper on Wednesday nights. Now, we have not been getting to go on Wednesday nights, so the food is very welcome, and we were extremely excited to get the huge pan of food so that we could eat it tonight and tomorrow night, before we go to my parent's house for the Labor Day weekend. I had a bad headache, so I told my dear daughter to put it straight in to the refrigerator. I even told her again to be sure she heard me. She replied in the affirmative.

To my utter dismay, I got up this morning and what did I see on the kitchen counter? Yes. You guessed it! The huge pan of Mexican chicken, beef, beans, rice, etc. on the counter right where she left it - not in the refrigerator! It was all I could do not to completely lose it, but I think I was actually too sleepy & tired to properly lose my temper. Of, course, I threw the food away, and fussed at her, but I didn't feel like I really got through to her. And all day it has been festering like a boil. What should I do? How should I respond to her? What consequence would really get through to her? What would help her to truly understand the importance of obedience? I'm still working on it.

L-O-N-G Day 2

Today (Wednesday) is our longest day of the week. Both kids have soccer practice, so instead of going to church, I shuttle kids back and forth to soccer in the minivan. Thankfully we have leftovers from last night, so no one has to cook, since there is really no time for cooking on Mondays and Wednesdays. I have to say, the kids are doing great with the no eating out thing. It will actually be more difficult for me this year. I am working in a new office this year, and I have new friends and we like to eat out about once a week, which I am foregoing for the duration of our thirty days. I really don't mind the not eating out part, I mainly miss not hanging out with them when they are gone. But a sacrifice is not really a sacrifice unless it hurts a little, so bring it on!

It is not even 9 PM and I am in the bed ready to go to sleep already. I am just waiting for Ben to come home from soccer to see how much homework he has left to do before he can turn in. They are really pouring on the homework in the 8th grade! He is working hard this year. I am very blessed to have kids that I do not have to remind to do their homework. They do it without being asked or reminded. They know that it is expected. They also know that they are expected to help out around the house. I don't know what I would do without them!

Good night!

Day 1 - 30 Days of Nothing

Just wanted you (if anyone is reading this) to know that we are doing the "30 Days of Nothing" Challenge this year for the month of September. We did it last year, but ran out of time for blogging, but we are resolved to do better on our blogging this year, since the kids are older and can blog for themselves.

Of course, time is actually tighter, and money is too, so this will be a good thing for us. I was actually a bit surprised when I asked the kids about doing this. I really expected them to say, "no, Mom, not again," but each was on board. I even asked them separately so that they would not influence each other. They actually like the idea of challenging ourselves to save money and to not waste it on eating out or on things we don't need. Not that I think we waste money or eat out much at all, but there is always room for improvement.

I also hope you like our new look. I read so many blogs now, so I thought we could use an updated renovation, so to speak. It was free, by the way! I did have to go and get groceries tonight at Walmart tonight. I spent $57.79 and got only necessities that I planned out for meals. I will keep a running total of our grocery bill this month so we will see what our total is at the end of September.

Crazy Busy Week

Well, we are back into the thick of it. The homework is piling up on the kids. There are tests and projects and increasingly difficult questions (especially in math) about things I don't remember doing in school (so no, I am not smarter than a 5th grader, much less a 7th grader). Props to all you homeschooling moms out there. I do not know how you do it. My son was questioning me on integers and was delighted to know that I could not really remember how to calculate them. He was almost giddy. I was, however, able to help him with his literature, so I think I made up for my lack of skills in the math area. I did explain that I was proficient in the areas of math that I use in everyday life, addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, percentages, fractions, decimals, etc. The simple stuff. None of the crazy integer or algebra stuff.

Anyway, here it is Tuesday evening and we are already getting tired and cranky, and I can sense a headache coming on, along with the hurricanes on the coast. I am trying to find the "calm in the midst of the storm of life" when things get crazy. I try and take a step back and remember what is important, get into the Word, spend time with the children, take some time for myself to recharge and renew. Otherwise there is no hope of making it through the crazy busy week ahead.

Red Robin, MMMmmmmm

What a day today has been! Sophie had a soccer game in Montgomery at noon, while Ben had a game at 10:30 this morning here in town, so I sent him with a teammate and took off to Montgomery with Sophie and our assistant coach. We had already discussed that we would just go ahead and eat out since we were carpooling, so after the heartbreaking loss of 12-1, we took off for Red Robin to drown our sorrows in gourmet burgers.

Well, folks, let me tell you that when you no NOT eat out for a month, when you DO actually eat out it is a huge treat. I NEVER clean my plate, but I did today. That was the best burger I have had in ages.

One thing to be gained from our 30 Days is that we appreciate the little things, like a burger from a restaurant or an ice cream cone or just splurging and going to a movie at the movie theatre. You really do appreciate those things more, and you realize how you do not NEED that jacket in Belk that is so cute and would go with so many outfits in your fall and winter wardrobe, no matter how cute it is or how great the sale price is.

It was a long day today, but I had fun spending time with my daughter, and I will get to see my son play soccer tomorrow afternoon.

Day 5 - Sophie's Choice

This is me, Sophie. This is the 3rd time for me to do the thirty days of nothing. It is the fifth day and I have already been tempted. I was at the mall for a birthday party and we were on a scavenger hunt. We had to go to stores that I like and I brought my wallet. I was so tempted that I was about to die. I had a lot of fun, though. Blog to you later!

Day 4 - I REALLY DO Hate Shopping

I finally had to break down and head to Aldi for milk and a few other necessities (eggs, bread, etc.) I got several meals planned out and ended up spending $18.46. Other than having to prepare something for the teacher appreciation breakfast on Tuesday morning, I have the meals and snacks covered through the weekend and beyond.

While in the grocery store, I realized something that my family and close friends will not believe. I really hate shopping. It is exhausting and sometimes fruitless (especially when clothes-shopping for myself or the kids) and although I have seen a few e-mails from some of my favorite online stores that tempted me, the physical act of shopping in a store holds little appeal for me. I particularly hate the mall, any mall, especially large ones. Unless I need something specific, I do not like just browsing through stores, with the exception of bookstores, and I could stay there forever. To me, if I don't have any money to spend, it is no fun to just "window shop" or "look."

For instance, Sara has a birthday party at the local mall tomorrow evening, and it would probably be easier for me to just "hang out" at the mall and look around while she is there for the 1 1/2 hours of the party. I would rather go home. The Chik-fil-a would be WAY too tempting, and I am sure that since I am not spending that I would find something that I just HAD to have and could probably rationalize as a need. Even the bookstore would be difficult as I have a hard time leaving without taking a book home with me. Since the mall is nearby, I will take her and see if I can arrange a ride home for her or just go back and get her. There is just no point in torturing myself when I can kick back for an hour at home alone.