Friday, April 26, 2013

Where have I been?

I have no idea why I haven't been posting lately.  There is no excuse really.  Nothing big and exciting has been taking up all my time.  I guess I am just lazy.  Sorry friends.
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A Chipotle is finally opening in my neighborhood!  There are already two near our house (about 30 minutes away), but this one is super duper close.  Like less than 10 minutes away.  AND it is right next to Target!  AWESOME.
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The weather is really confusing lately. One day it is snowing, then it is 86 degrees, and the next day it is 48 degrees.  I never know what to wear anyways. 
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I did some major spring cleaning last week.  It was all for nothing, because the house is a disaster again.  Sometimes I wonder why I keep trying.  Is that what happens to hoarders?  Do they just give up at some point?
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John and I have been debating whether or not we really want to sell our house.  As I've mentioned before, I kind of hate my house.  But now that we have paid off the balloon loan, our mortgage is pretty low.  Do we really want to take on more debt to get that bigger house?  At first my response was "YES!"  But the more I think about it, the more ridiculous it seems.  Afterall, a house is just shelter, and I doubt that owning a bigger and prettier house will really make me happier.  Sure, at first I'd be thrilled to have a modern kitchen, a family room, and another bedroom.  But in the long run, I'd like to have money in my bank account.  Decisions, decisons.
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I can't remember if I mentioned this earlier, but I decided to give up Coca Cola and ice cream (again).  The first week was ROUGH, but I am feeling better this week. I used to eat ice cream almost nightly and now I find myself STARVING at 10pm every night.  To make that feeling go away, I decided to drink a cup of water.  That hasn't worked out too well for me, because now I have to pee 3 times a night.

Monday, April 15, 2013

Done

Guppy is no longer nursing.   About three week ago, he had a nasty cold.  He was very stuffy and miserable.  During that time, he decided that he no longer wanted to nurse.  I kept offering to breastfeed him, but he refused my offers every time.  I thought that everything would return to normal when he was feeling better.  I was wrong.

For the past few weeks, I have continued to try to breastfeed my baby at nap-times and nighttime, but he wants nothing to do with it.  He is done.  Completely and totally done.  At first I was okay with it, but then I went temporarily insane.  My crazy hormones kicked in, and I was a disaster.  I found myself constantly fighting with my husband, yelling at my kids, and randomly crying in the car on the way to Target.  Let's just say that last week was rough.

I am feeling better this week, and I am trying to find peace with the whole situation.   I was prepared to nurse my baby until he was at least 2 years old.  And even then, I thought he would gradually wean himself from breastfeeding.  I was not ready for an abrupt stop.  But ready or not, my baby is growing up.

Monday, April 8, 2013

Being fat is not fun

It is that time again.  I am going to complain about my fat ass.  Gah.  When I was pregnant with Guppy, I worried endlessly about my weight.  I just didn't want to have a ton of weight to lose afterward.  Regardless of my worrying, I still gained about 40 pounds (which, oddly enough, is the same amount I gained with my other two pregnancies). 

At first the pounds were coming off quickly, but then something happened.  Guppy wasn't sleeping.  I was stressed out and severely sleep deprived.  So, I ate some food.  And it tasted great!  I am definitely a stress eater.  I know this about myself, but I just can't stop.  As expected, I gained some weight.  And for a long time, I didn't want to talk or think about it too much.

But now?  My baby is a toddler, I am not sleep deprived, and sadly, none of my clothes fit anymore.  It is depressing, and I am ready for a change.  I've decided that I am going to start small.  I am getting rid of soda first.  I have been drinking Coca Cola like there is no tomorrow.  Hello empty calories.  Next up, I am going to tackle my ice cream addiction.  Really, it is a miracle that I am not 500 pounds.

Friday, April 5, 2013

Money

I have been thinking a lot about consumerism lately.  Recently, I read an interesting post about coupons.  The author was convinced that coupons do not save you money.  Instead, they simply lure you into a store, where you will inevitably buy other items that are not on sale.

I started thinking about how I view coupons and spending money.  I have to admit, I am a sucker for a good coupon.  If Old Navy sends me a 30% off coupon and I have reward money too, I can pretty much guarantee you that I will be at Old Navy the next day.  But I don't need new clothes, so why do I go running for the nearest Old Navy store? 

Target also has me wrapped around their finger.  I always check for Target coupons before I head out to the store (which is a weekly event).  I'll end up buying goofy shit just because I had a coupon.  And don't even get me started on the clearance racks.  Target has great "deals" on their clearance racks.  I'll find the kids clothes for less than a dollar!  But, of course, it comes at a price.  Porgie had several pairs of Circo brand jeans this winter (all off the clearance rack), and every single pair developed holes in the knees.  If she could only wear the jeans for a few weeks, did I really get a good deal?

Whole Foods has coupons, which are also a problem for our family.  Since Guppy was born, John has been doing most of the grocery shopping.  He loves buying shit that NO ONE likes, just because he has a coupon.  A few weeks ago, he bought a case of tea because he had a coupon.  I swear to God, no one in our house drinks tea.  It actually sparked a huge fight between us.  Coupons are damaging my marriage!

Instead of spending our money on things we don't need, I want to save more.  We already save a predetermined amount each month, but I want to save more than the minimum.  I want to build a better life and future for my family. Now that we have more money freed up (NO 2ND MORTGAGE!!!), I feel like we have an opportunity to really change our way of thinking about money.  In stead of being frugal to pay off our debts, we need to be frugal to live a more comfortable, secure life.