Big Boy Bed

Tonight was the night my little man went to his big boy room. We tried to not make a big deal out of it, but we just quickly walked him in there and tucked him in. Not a peep, and he was out. I walked back in an hour later with a flashlight, and he was tucked in the same way I had left him, and he was sound asleep. Such a precious moment.
My heart aches, though, at the thought that he no longer will need a crib. My baby is not a baby, but an independent two year old. Alex will tear down the crib for the future children, and I will face the reality each night that I no longer have an infant in my house. What a blessed mom I am!

Spring Break!

Oh the joys of staying home with my little man. Yesterday marked the first day of our spring break. Rowan and I headed out to Hobby Lobby to get some scrapbooking paper to finish the letters for his big boy room. Then it was off to the grocery store to stock up for the week. It is at these nonstressful times that I realize how much stress the school year actually brings to my life. It is so peaceful to just sit and play with my little boy. I have made it a policy that the tv will stay off after 9:30 a.m. and we must play! I am looking forward to some bonding time!

Big Boy Room!

Saturday we started working on Rowan's new room. We made some progress, but there is still some work to be done.

Before Picture

This room was simply our guest bedroom. We had never painted it anything other than the cream it was originally painted. This was the before we tore the bed down picture. We actually started painting with the bed up, but then quickly realized our flaw.

Halfway Picture

We started painting Saturday afternoon during Mr. Rowan's nap. We managed to get the blue done then. Saturday after Row went to bed, we painted the bottom green. We left it over night, but we both decided it needed a second coat to look acceptable. Today we put a second coat on both the green and blue, and this was the final product!

The white stripe will be bright orange when we finish our paint job. The room is going to take on a safari theme with a striped comforter, and a brand new twin bed for our little explorer! We are already starting to call it his "Big Boy" Room, and he seems pleased by the idea!

2010 Financial Goals February Update

2010 Financial Goals February Update

February saw us reach another one of our goals. We are bopping right along with these.

Goal 1: Save enough to replace our 1994 GMC Pickup Truck by Aug. 1, 2010. Done as of February 14! Yippee! We purchased our new to us truck and sold our old truck on the same day!

Goal 2: Pay off one of Alex's student loan by March 1, 2010. Done as of Feb. 8!

Goal 3: Write a will to make sure everything is covered should something happen to us, but it won't, because we don't die! Still haven't done anything on this one.

Goal 4: Buy enough life insurance to bump us up to 10 times our salary each by Dec. 31, 2010. We have found the company where we are going to purchase the rest of our life insurance through. Alex filled out the paperwork tonight, and I just need to sign it tomorrow, and we will hopefully be all set.

The purchase of the new truck definitely gives us a new energy. As soon as we can knock out goal 3 and 4, we have a couple more goals to tackle financially. The work is never done:-)

We Did It!

On Saturday we bought a new to us truck with 100% cash! What a feat this is for us, and this was one of our big financial goals for 2010! I am ecstatic, and I know Alex is thoroughly excited to have upgraded his vehicle.

New Truck

Alex bought this truck in 2002 before we were married. When he purchased this truck, I was a permanent fixture in his life, but not a fixture to help make those kind of decisions. He needed something that was more reliable, so he bought it on his own. Had we only known how long he would drive it:-)

Old Truck

Let us fast forward 2 years to our wedding. We got married, moved here to town, and quickly added up our credit card debt from college. I was thrilled to have a small amount on a card that I paid off every month. But, Alex was a different story. We started adding up his cards, and I might add it is fair to say he had no idea how many credit cards he had, let alone how much he owed on any of them:-(. When I was done totaling his cards, he owed over $20,000, and he had not a single thing to show for it. Fast forward 2 years, and I had managed to get our butts out of credit card debt, and we built our house! We had since paid off his truck, but I had totaled my car. In our naivity, we bought a brand new car (remember we were young and stupid).

About a year and a half ago, I found some information on Dave Ramsey, and I really started to understand how a family's finances should work. We'll just say that I had no idea what a budget was:-o I switched us to a cash system for our discretionary spending, started a spreadsheet budget, and started tackling our car debt like crazy. It took me right at a year to pay off $9,000. Remember we were paying 2 sets of graduate tuition throughout this as well. It was at this point that we realized we were ahead-kind of. We were in a place where we could begin saving for a new truck. So in July of 2009, we started putting all of our money we were paying on our car into a savings account marked truck. Anything extra we flung into savings. We continued to live on our budget and pay our minimums on our student loans-our only debt at the moment other than our mortgage. Eight months later-we have a truck that is 100% ours! It feels amazing. Our work is not done, though. At this point, we intend on tackling our student loans to get ourselves completely out of debt except for our mortgage!



We didn't get here overnight, and I am really proud of Alex for being as patient as he was. I know he was ready to just go buy a truck, and I know I had moments where I thought I would just go get a loan, but the wait was worth it. Our marriage is less stressed as money is not really a point of discussion anymore. We have figured out how to live within our means, and it is exciting!

2010 Financial Goals January Update

The month of January has flown by which means we need to look at our goals and see where we are. I am so sick of paying bills right now that I could scream, but we did make some dents in our goals, bu then we still have a ways to go.

Goal 1: Save enough to replace our 1994 GMC Pickup Truck by Aug. 1, 2010. Still working on this one. We didn't actually add anything to this in January as we had to pay Alex's last tuition bill this month. He will graduate in May with his masters!

Goal 2: Pay off one of Alex's student loan by March 1, 2010. Done as of Feb. 8!

Goal 3: Write a will to make sure everything is covered should something happen to us, but it won't, because we don't die! Our financial adviser gave us the name of a lawyer who writes wills, but I hate to say we haven't done anything else with this.

Goal 4: Buy enough life insurance to bump us up to 10 times our salary each by Dec. 31, 2010. We made a spreadsheet with our various policies and listed out our totals each. The determination is that we both need a lot more to have 10 times our salary. We are in the researching phase at this point.

It doesn't look like we made much progress but January was a weird month. We had Row's birthday, bought Row a big boy bed, paid tuition, and Alex traveled to Cleveland. All but the trip to Cleveland was paid for in cash, so we can feel okay about that.

We should get a tax refund the end of this week, and we intend on putting that money away for the truck. That should move us closer to our goal of paying 100% cash for a new to us vehicle!

Three Gratitudes

I often tend to be of the pessimistic nature. To the point, that Alex often gets frustrated at my negative nature. It is not that I try to be this way, it is simply that I have seen all too often things not go as you planned.

It is no lie, I did not have a childhood which I look back on with vivid memories of happiness. I remember working a great deal milking cows, I remember being late to EVERYTHING due to milking cows, I remember smelling like smoke from the wood stove and going places smelling like cow manure, because there was not time to shower after doing the chores. I just don't have fuzzy butterflies in my stomach from special memories.

I know I don't want my son to live like that, though. I want him to have fun memories of the pumpkin patch, K-State football, Mom reading books, Dad changing the oil in the cars and letting him help, and anything else that sparks his curiosity and makes him feel loved and special.

So, I know I need to be a more positive person and see the good in things. Gratitudes is a place to start, so I am declaring Sunday my gratitude day!

1. My Pink Tennis Shoes-Simple, but it makes me feel pretty. I love the color pink, and I would wear it everyday if I could. I saw these hot pink shoes in Dick's Sporting Goods this fall that I thought were just adorable. They didn't have my size, so I was okay with taking that as a sign. But my wonderful husband called them back, hassled them for two weeks, and insisted they find the shoes in my size. I got them, and I love them. They are pretty and bright, and just make me in a better mood!

2. My car-My car is nothing special. We bought it brand new in 2005 (when we were much younger and less wise). I don't love it because it is anything special-I love my car because it is dependable. In college, I drove a hand me down from my parents that gave me all sorts of fits. For the planner in me, it completely sent me into orbit to not know if my car would get me from Point A to Point B. Thankfully, Alex was my knight in shining armor on more than one occasion, but it still drove me nuts! I love that I don't have to worry about getting stranded. I trust my car, and I love that it is the first car WE chose and purchased together.



3. Alex-It is no secret that I am probably described as an introvert. I like quiet time, my time, and I would much rather spend a quiet evening with people than a loud evening on the town with many. Alex is the opposite, and for that I am grateful. Alex pushes me and has helped me accomplish many firsts, but he also takes the burden when he knows it will be too stressful. He flew with me for the first time, and made me fly by myself to meet him in Phoenix one summer. He pushed me to go back to school and helped me do the paperwork:-) He always does the taxes, because it stresses me out to be responsible for important paperwork. He did my FAFSA's all through college. I couldn't fill one of those out to save my life. When we lost our daycare two days before we had Rowan, Alex took the burden to find us somewhere to take our son. Little did we know, how much we would come to love our "temporary" daycare. For the times that he frustrates me, Alex makes up for it in his helpfulness. I am grateful for it~



I am blessed and thankful!

What Will People Remember?

It has certainly been a hard week for our family as Alex lost a classmate and a good friend this week. Micah Rolfs transitioned to a new life on January 23, 2010. To say this has had an impact on us would be an understatement, but it has certainly caused us to stop and think about our own uncertainty of our days and how we choose to spend the time we are given.

Up to this point, Alex and I have always joked that we don't have a will simply because we are not going to die and neither is anyone we love. All jokes aside, we can't hide behind that idea because in reality it simply isn't true. Truth is, we don't get to know or plan when we leave this world and our loved ones behind. Nor do we get to know when we speak with someone if it is the last time we will see them.

I say this in reflection on Micah. I had seen Micah twice in the last month-once in Dillons on a weeknight and once at a coffee shop we had only frequented once. At Dillons, we stopped and chatted about daily schedules, life, and our son, Rowan. We ended with the cordial "Great to see you," but I had no idea I would not speak with him again. A couple of days later, we saw Micah in a meeting at a coffee shop, smiled and waved as he was preoccupied with his group, and we scurried on our way.

I will remember Micah smiling, happy, and kind because that was the Micah I knew. He was just genuinely a sweet man who always made time for you. At his service, his mom said, "Micah lived in the present." I have no doubt he did, and he lived having fun.

Unlike Micah, I struggle with living in the present. I always fret about what is coming next or worrying about what happened yesterday. Truth is, you don't get to know if there will be a tomorrow. I need to focus on the present, and the joys the present brings.

The last text message Micah sent his mom said, "Night." She replied, "I am blessed to know you, and I love you." He texted back, "Love you too!" I concur, we were blessed to know Micah, and our lives are better for it.

So on we go, living in the present and uncertain of where the story ends. I acknowledge my blessings as many and vow to make time for the now.

Single Parenting?

Alex left Thursday to go to Cleveland, Ohio for a conference, and I was left to be a single working mother for 3 days! Thursday night was a piece of cake-pretty normal evening for us, aside from the fact that Alex was obviously missing from the dinner table. We made it through bath fine, and then standing completely naked, Rowan turned his hands up at me and said, "Where's Daddy?" He was quite sure that Daddy should have been home, and he was not. I reassured him Daddy would come home, and the evening ended like all others. I read about 15 books to Rowan while he sipped on some milk, and then I carefully put the little man to bed. Friday morning, though, was when I really missed my helper.

I woke up 20 minutes earlier, 5:45, so I could get everything together and get Little Man to daycare, a task which Alex usually does. All was good, I was ready, and I woke up the boss. He was a tad grumpy, but he quickly ate his breakfast, drank milk, and we were rocking out to Wonder Pets as I was trying to get him dressed. He DID NOT want to wear shoes, and kicked me to the point of defeat. It was 6:45, and I should have had him in the car and be off to daycare. What else was I going to do other than grab the shoes and Little Man to the car. I threw the shoes on the floor board and off we went. By the time we reached daycare, Rowan was screaming at me, "Shoes, Shoes!" He obviously was angry that he did not have shoes on. I quickly put the shoes on, whisked him into daycare, and left a crying little boy reaching out for me. It broke my heart, and it completely reaffirmed why I don't do dropoff. I sped to work traveling a risky 43 in a 35, and I made it to work 3 minutes late. Whew! That was stressful.

The rest of the weekend has been much less stressful, but it certainly makes me think about how lonely life must be without a mate or someone to help. Row and I kept busy today with Target, Bed Bath and Beyond, taking down the Christmas lights outside, eating lunch, and a nap, but I find myself uneasy. While I know I can be a single parent for a short while, I appreciate my husband and all of the small things he does to help parent and keep our house going! I enjoy the quiet time to myself, but I am eager for him to get home in 7 hours:-)

Martin Luther King Jr. Day

It is a Monday. What should be a typical Monday is a very atypical day in our house. I should be at work with 115 other people's children, but instead I get to spend today with my Little Man. Alex took my car to work (it gets better gas mileage than his 1994 GMC truck), so Little Man and I are at home. I can't think of a better way to spend our day than this, though. Our day has consisted of cuddling and the movie UP, building with blocks, reading all of the books in our crate, and eating some soup with bananas and some ever scrumptious crackers called FlipSides. All that before Little Man went down for his nap.
This peaceful day because of a man who believed in change 50 years ago and fought ever so bravely for it. I teach the 1960s to my 7th graders, and it still brings tears to my eyes to read the horrific accounts of that time period. How anyone should show such violence on such innocent people, especially children. MLK was a hero. While I don't believe I will ever have the courage MLK displayed, I look to him as a role model and as a man who made a difference.

Additions to Big Boy Room

With the motivation now going for the big boy
room, we have really started looking at what we want to do. Kohls sent me a $5.00 coupon for signing up for the email list (I know I'll regret that sometime) so off we went. I couldn't let a free $5.00 go to waste. We found this truck on sale as well as the striped valance that goes with the bedding set, and I am really starting to see the vision. Rowan grabbed ahold of the truck, and it was like they were best friends. He played with the truck throughout the rest of the store! I may not be able to wait until Spring Break to paint now!

Big Boy Room

Now that we are 2, we will quickly need a big boy room! My goal over spring break is to paint what is now our spare bedroom and make it more Rowan's room. I bought the bedding this afternoon, as I have been in love with it for quite some time. It is exciting to move him, but sad knowing he no longer needs the nursery. It will be a cool "Safari" room, though!

I hope to paint the room a series of these colors and then create a true jungle. We will see how my creativity does-it is certainly not my strong point.

Rowan Blane Turns 2

It was bound to happen. My little bundle of joy has turned two, and I am left to wonder where the last 2 years have gone. It is such a joy to see him change, and he is developing quite the boisterous personality. I often lay down at night and say to Alex, "I miss him," because I do. He makes my heart ache when we are not together, and I feel so blessed to be his Mom!


With that said, we had a party (pirate themed), I made a cake, and he opened a lot of presents. All in all, he has many people who love him and showered him with gifts. His favorite presents were a dancing car, sandbox, train, puzzles, books, camera, blocks, Mr. Potato Head, firefighter jammies, and a brand new sippy cup. What a lucky little boy!