Making changes or making excuses?

So, are we making changes to make our lives better or are we making excuses? I am one of those people that enjoy change. It means a new beginning for me. What could be more exciting than that? I love the feeling of being in control of a destiny "I" get to choose. We all know there are bumps in the road of life and we get some curve balls thrown at us. The way I see it, it just means I need to think fast on my feet and go in a different direction. Just new adventure. God has plans for me, but I have to be the one to get me where I'm going. Now to the excuses. (I am on my kids about this all of the time!) We are the only ones responsible for our actions. You cant blame your husband for not making enough money. You cant blame his boss for not paying him more. Instead, why dont we take control and try to manage our income better. It makes me feel like I really AM making a difference and helping my family when I make a plan and stick to it. I know, it really sucks when we want to go out and do something (like shopping!) and we know we cant afford it. Instead, I have to to do something fun with my family that takes my mind off spending. We can watch a movie at home for free (No computer! Really sitting and BEING together!). We can play a board game at home for free. The library is free. Cooking dinner together and sitting at the table and eating doesnt cost extra. As I write this I notice that most of these things happen at home. In this day and age is it "weird" to be at home and not on the go all of the time? Are we trying to get away from home? Is there something there we are running from or not wanting to face? Hmmm..........
Now, there is something to talk about! Maybe tomorrow. For now lets not make excuses and just make wonderful memories with our family! They will thank us for it =-D

Mint anyone?

I just found a new web page that is FREE and I have to share it with you! www.mint.com

It is a great finance guide! Put in you checking info, credit cards, set your budget for food and utilities and watch it go! It send email reminders when bills are do and even shows you where your money goes. I can tell you we went WAY over on eating out at the beginning of the month. This is a wonderful tool that I am sure you will LOVE.

Take a look and play with it and report back here. I want to know what you think =-)

What is most important to you?

Is it your "stuff" or how much "stuff" you can get? Is it money? Is it family? I think it takes a nice balance of all of the above for me. I don't feel like I need a lot of "stuff". If my house were to burn down, I would only go in and get my kids, husband and animals (and that is a LOT of animals! LOL) If I were to loose everything I own right now, but have the people and animals that I cant live without, I would be just fine. I know I can be just as happy with nothing as I am with everything. Things can be replaced, people cant. I love the idea of de-cluttering and putting my house and "stuff" into perspective. How many of you do FlyLady? I know some of you do. I kinda do it off and on, but I always have her talking to me telling me "dont be the mortar. You are the heart of the home. You have to set the example". When I had just had Aiden and I was pregnant with Trinity, Shad was in CA and I was doing everything all by myself. FlyLady helped me so much at that time. I was able to really get into the groove of FlyLady when I had to do it all on my own. She helped me put my life in order and showed me how good it was to let things go. I felt empowered and in control of my life and kids and everything around me. What is weird is I did it all while getting rid of over half of the "stuff" in my home. Getting rid of clutter made me happy? Why did I have all of this stuff? It clearly wasn't making me happy, so why keep it? Even today, I always have a donation pile going at my house to "bless others". There is your tax right off as well, so keep your donation receipts. If you haven't checked FlyLady out, you really need to.  She also talks about meal planning! Talk about money saving ideas! She has tons of great ideas and money saving tips.

One last thought for today-
Woman are a special in many ways, but one thing that really sticks out in my mind is how much we need each other. Men don't need other men around for support, not like women do. We need each other and we need to stand by each other and support each other. We laugh, cry, plan, celebrate and even work together. It isn't a weakness, it is what makes us strong. It makes us better is so many ways. I know I would be soooo lost without my girlfriends! I need you and I love you!

The guilt of being a SAHM

Yes, I said guilt. It seems that there are a LOT of people that think if you choose to be a stay at home mom that you MUST be lazy. Well, we all KNOW this is NOT true! I truly envy the moms that can go to work all day and still take care of their home and family. I chose to stay home with my children so that I could be the one to raise them. I have been doing this for over 20 years and even after all of this time I do feel guilty about not bringing in a regular income. Oh, I do have a small day care I run out of my home, but this last year I lost some kids and the rest are now only part time. Our income has dropped considerably! Now I am faced with the issue of finding another job that will allow me to work from home or put out an add for more day care kids. I absolutely LOVE my day care kids, it is just the parents that I have had the most issues with. Oh and people not paying me, thinking that my time, money and energy I put into their children is not worth the money. This is very sad considering I am caring for their most precious possession on the planet. Now I am faced with the full force of the guilt in the new year. I HAVE to find a way to make it profitable for me to stay home. (I still have 2 kids in year round school and 1 teenager who does on line home schooling on K12, so I have to stay close to home.) My thoughts are "now what???" Do I want to start a new home based company? Find or make a product to sell? eBay? Do I place another add for daycare? The good news is we are making a difference in out budget and actually set one up last night. The cuts have been made. No fitness center membership, no more smoking for my hubby (this is a VERY hard one for him) no getting my nails done anymore. The one that hurts me is going to be no massages! My friend Edie has fixed me more and better than my chiropractor, so I know there will be pain in my near future. It is going to be hard to give up some of the things we have enjoyed over the years, but it will be rewarded in the end.

What are your thoughts? What have you tried to do to be able to stay home with your family? What has worked and what hasn't?

Great FREE web site!

My daughter has been wanting to eat better and get healthy for the new year. She said she wanted to keep a journal. Then I remembered! www.fitday.com ! It is free, easy and has LOT of information to keep you motivated. Even if you arent dieting and just want to keep track of what you are eating, this is the place to be.
I have tries Sparkpeople.com. but it was soooo HUGE that it got complicated to use. Check out both sights and come back and tell me what you think.
Have a GREAT day!

How do you save money?

What do you do to save a little money? It all adds up, even the little things. For my family, we love going to the zoo and dino museums, but it is so expensive. It is actually less money for a membership than it is for just one day of playing. So when we have a family day at the zoo we get a membership that includes Grandma and a few friends and we get to go back several times. Same thing with the dino museum.

The dream...

For years my husband and I have been struggling to make ends meet. My husband has always been a super hard worker, making it possible for me to stay home and enjoy and teach our 4 children. If he works so hard, why is it we are still having such a hard time? I have looked for an answer everywhere. I know there is something there that I can do to help bring in some extra money. I know it is right in front of my face! I have known it was there for a long time. It was just a finger tip away and just out of reach. I was never exactly sure what "it" was until today. The first day of the new year brought me clear sight as to what I was looking at. It is going to come about in this blog. I dream of a place where women can go for real advice, opinions and a way to help each other. I want to know what makes "your" life easier or better. I want to know how you save money. I run a small day care out of my home, need a date night? Want to trade? Do you have a service you want to sell or trade?  I want to be able to share my ideas and advice like my favorite price matching web sight I use for grocery shopping, the friend that does the most amazing massages, what dentist to avoid and the list goes on and on! I have sooo much in my brain I want to share with you! I hope you will join me and share with me your thoughts and ideas to us all grow in the new year.