Just a few things I want my newly 10 yr old to remember!

I've read a lot of “Letters to my son or daughter” on the internet and with my Amber's 10^th birthday already here I thought I'd write my own.

 In my opinion, a girls 10^th birthday is a pretty a big one, not as big as 13 or 16 I guess, but hitting the 2 digit mark I remember being a milestone in my mind.

So here's a few things I want her to remember..

1. You always say you want to be a kid forever so....Be a kid forever! Hold onto it as long as you can. Growing up is not all it's cracked up to be, so take advantage of having endless energy, no bills, and getting to be carried to bed while you fake sleep every night. (Seriously, we're on to you. We see the smirk.)

2. Don't say “Skinny” or “Fat” to define yourself or anyone else. Both ends of that spectrum can be hurtful. Be and feel healthy...that's your perfect size.
   
   
3. Don't talk to yourself about all your flaws, that's a voice you can't ignore so be careful what you say. 
   
   
4. The only difference between those who succeed and those who don't is the simple act of TRYING. The worst thing that could happen is you end up where you are right now and learned something in the process.
   
   
5. Don't EVER allow your past to be an excuse for your present. You've already experienced more loss than most adults and you'll have hard times that you'll think will break you, but don't allow those things to give you permission to feel sorry for yourself. Grow from it, learn from it, get to the point where you're thankful for what it taught you. YOU and YOU ALONE are responsible for your future and happiness. So before you pull the poor poor me card, remember, “If we threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back”. Change your attitude about the problem and you'll change the problem.
   
   
6. You're not better than anyone else. Not the kid with the attitude, not the kid that can't afford new clothes, not the kid that speaks a different language or looks different, not the kid with bad grades, NOBODY. Don't ever allow yourself to look at someone else and think you're better. The action of doing so proves you're not.
   
   
7. Be Beautiful! Be the girl that no matter what you're wearing, no makeup on, hair with a mind of it's own, that has such beauty on the inside that it shines through and makes others smile. The most beautiful women in the world will look like a total troll when she's filled with hatred and jealousy...Don't be a troll :)
   
   
8. You'll be tempted by that green eyed monster on a daily basis. By someones clothes, intelligence, sense of humor, maybe even their boyfriend. You'll be jealous of those closest to you and people on TV. Don't give in, when you focus in on that one thing someone else has you stop caring about all that you do. 
   
   
9. Stand up for those who can't do it for themselves. I don't care who is being the bully, if you see it and do nothing you're just as guilty. I would rather get a call telling me you're suspended for knocking someone out then hearing you stood back and watched.
   
   
10. And on that note...If you decide to bully someone you will meet the wrath of your Mother like you've never seen. The way someone treats others is a reflection on themselves not of the other person. Always remember that, especially if you're the target.
    
    
11. I've said a lot about being nice, but don't be TOO nice. Don't allow yourself to get ignored, forgotten, or walked on. Putting your energy into others without expecting anything in return is fine, but when it gets to the point where others are expecting and never returning than it's time to stop. 
    
    
12. Be classy not trashy. You'll get just as much attention but it'll include being interested in what you have to say.
    
    
13. Always be Daddy's girl. He will protect you, make you feel safe, and hunt down anyone who treats you any less than what you deserve. 
    
    
14. Protect your heart, don't just give it away. Make the boy you like work his butt off to prove his feelings and if you find out he's been proving his feelings to other girls then walk away...give him a well versed, eloquent, ass chewing first, then walk away and NEVER consider him again. Your heart will be broken and you'll feel like you'll cry forever, but after I've held you crying all night and spent heart broken weekends eating junk and crying some more we will sit and laugh about him and his big stupid head. Then your parents will egg his car and possibly threaten all he holds dear. 
    
    
15. Create your family. Learn from Daddy and I and who we surround ourselves with. If it's one thing we do well, it's picking good friends :)
    
    
16. LAUGH! Laugh all the time, spend time with those who make you laugh, marry someone who makes you laugh (Seriously, I know!), laugh whenever you can. It'll give you wrinkles and stories to tell.
    
    
17. You can't do it all. That's right, you CAN'T do it all. As you grow into being a women you will be told you can have it all: Wife, Mom, career, spotless house, home cooked meal, you get the idea. But let me just break the news now. If you want it all, not only will you have to sacrifice a lot, but you wont be able to do it alone. The secret to succeeding in life and being happy with said life, is simple. Literally, it's living simply. You don't have to do everything, all the time, by yourself, perfectly. Ask and except help. Having a spotless house might mean shoving everything into a closet , home cooked meal might mean out of a box or Wendy's grab and go on kids sports nights, having a career might mean missing school plays or Holiday's, being the perfect Mom...HAHAHA! She's hanging out with the Unicorn counting her pot of gold. But that's all OK! The secret to having it all is knowing you already do.
    
    
18. And finally...Have fun! Go to Prom, go on dates, enjoy summer nights with your friends (maybe even with your old parents too), dance around your room to your favorite song, be safe but make memories. Make memories that in 10 years you can sit down with those friends who stuck with you for the long haul and make lots of new wrinkles.

Always remember Daddy and I love you unconditionally, no matter what you do or choice you make you can call us and we will be there. Don't be surprised when you get grounded, have your car taken away, and get the horrible “We're not mad, we're disappointed”. BUT we will still be there adoring you relentlessly. So, Happy 10^th Birthday Amber Lynn...You amaze us!

My Sunshine Girl is shining brighter than ever!

So about 6 months ago Amber was diagnosed with ADHD. It wasn't something I ever made a real announcement about because in all honesty I didn't want to hear anyone's shit about our decision to put her on medication.  I know people have strong opinions on the issue as well as beliefs on what is the "right" thing to do, and I didn't feel that it was something I needed to defend.  All that being said I wanted to share our experience.


A bit of history.  Since Amber was born she has always exhibited certain things that I noticed a lot of of children didn't.  She was never a good sleeper, didn't start sleeping through the night until she was a year old.  Naps never did quite take hold and ended all together when she was only about 3.  When I would take her for an illness/check up that required shots doctor would always say she'd be very tired, in some instances a certain med should have made her sleep for hours, but Amber was never phased.  If I ever needed to give her Benadryl it would have the opposite side effect that most people experience, it would hype her up.  She never was interested in sitting down to watch cartoons, always wanted to be doing something outside or play of some kind.  None of this was any reason for me to think anything, after all, who wouldn’t want a child who loved to play, entertained herself, and didn't want to watch TV?
Fast forward 5 years and she started school.  I started noticing it took her MUCH longer to grasp the information, but at the pre-k level the teacher nor I were concerned as that age tends to have that problem since it's all so new to them.  We have been very blessed with all the teachers she's had to date.  Wonderful teachers and Amber has, without fail, maintained the status of teachers pet every year.  Behavior has never been an issue for her, always the first to offer help, very kind and pleasing, never been in trouble, so in her early teachers eyes she was the perfect student who just had to work a bit harder for her grades. 
1st grade came and her struggles became a bit more apparent.  She was struggling with reading and math so she was put in in-school tutoring which gives kids extra attention in their weak areas.  Still none of this made me think much because she was so determined that even though it took her longer and she had to work much harder, her grades were never impacted.  However, the tests they give throughout the year to basically show whether the child is ready to move up a grade had us concerned.  Her scores we all over the place!  On the chart you should see an upward improvement or an overall drop, but Amber's was a roller coaster, up down, up down.  I scheduled a meeting with the Interventionist at her school (Someone who is watching the childrens progress and make a recommendation for holding a child back).  As any parent, I knew what my child was capable of and no matter what the tests said I knew she could do the work I just couldn’t' figure out why she couldn’t do it all the time.  We sat down with her homeroom teacher, reading teacher, and the interventionist and luckily her teachers backed me in everything I said.  They agreed that Amber was more then capable and was very bright, but just couldn’t get her to follow through with any sort of consistency.  We all felt a sense of urgency as she would be switching schools when going into 2nd grade and the difficulty level was just going to increase.  We all agreed Summer school would give her the edge she needed to be successful. So for a month before beginning 2nd grade she begin Summer school.  Her confidence went through the roof and I felt we finally had a leg up.  2nd grade went really well.  She still had to work a bit harder, but with her determination it seemed we had her on the right track and her grades showed that.  We kept her in in-school tutoring and put her in after-school tutoring so as to not give her the chance to fall behind.
Then 3rd grade came and, Wow, we had a problem.  She was getting headaches almost everyday, HATED reading, came home frustrated on a regular basis.  It got to the point that no matter how hard she tried, she just couldn't keep up.  This is the point that as a Mother I knew something was just not right.  How could this child who is so smart be failing, literally.  Her teacher (AKA:  The most amazing teacher EVER!) immediately saw a problem within the first month of school.  We had a meeting and she told me things that I didn't know were happening.  Amber couldn't transfer work from the board onto her paper and it be the same, when doing math problems she would get an answer that was so far off that Ms. PJ (teacher) would ask her how she got that and found that Amber was pulling numbers from all over the page and getting this made up question right, but obviously get the actual question wrong.  As a teacher of 30 + years she couldn't quite put her finger on the problem but mentioned Dyslexia as a potential.  Once I heard that I hit the ground running.  Simply having a somewhat confirmation that I wasn't crazy and that my child has the ability but that something was going on, lit a fire under my ass like you wouldn't believe.  
I immediately called her pediatrician to set up a Dyslexia screening, problem was, I couldn't get an appt for a month.  Her teacher and I agreed we had to do something in the mean time or she would fail 3rd grade.  I researched and read everything I could get my hands on, her teacher and I were in daily contact with ideas of what to try.  This women went above and beyond for my baby.  She stated on multiple occasions that it was her mission to ensure Amber passed.  She would make it appoint to say in front of the class, "Amber, you are so smart." when she would see Amber struggling.  She could see Amber slowly started to give up.  Amber is a very bright child and extremely intuitive, she knew something was wrong and would ask why she couldn't do what the other kids were doing.  Why she worked harder then all of them but couldn't do it.  The worst word in my house is "stupid", it's never been allowed or tolerated in any form.  The kids know how serious I am about it and will go as far as the call it the "S word" before they let it come out of their mouths.  I knew Amber was breaking when she sat at the table doing homework one day and in the most angry voice you can imagine she yelled, "I'm so stupid."  Talk about a kick to the gut...I broke down right there.  No matter what I said to her in the moment I don't think she believed one word of it.
I couldn't do anymore then I was already doing to try and help her.  Ms. PJ decided she wasn't going to wait on a diagnosis before she started doing more and requiring that Amber's reading teacher do the same.  At this point we were further into the year and Ms. PJ had now been able to see more of the problem.  I drop Amber off earlier then the rest of her class gets there so Ms. PJ started allowing Amber to correct missed problems in the mornings before the other students arrived....She would get every single question right, but the moment anyone came into the room she literally couldn't do the problems anymore.  From that point on she began testing in a private room and the change was immediate, like night and day.  Ms. PJ had already come to the conclusion that it was ADD and was treating her accordingly, but we still had to wait for the appt.
Finally it came (happened to be around report card time) and I went in with letters from all her teachers, printed off research I had done, everything I could think of to make certain we didn't leave there with nothing.  He agreed that she needed further testing and provided and referral to a psychologist.  I was on cloud nine, we were finally getting somewhere!  The office calls to set it up and tells me it would be 2 months before I could get in. Apparently if kids get one bad report card many parents go straight to wanted them tested. So since our appt, that had been scheduled for a month, landed on report card week they were swamped.  Wonderful...my child is now going to have to wait another 2 months before we can move on this.  I explained that this was not just a bad report card, we needed her in before we passed the point of no return on this school year and wouldn't pass.  They put me on the cancellation list and we crossed our fingers.  It only took a couple weeks to get the call.  One happy Momma!!  
After a lengthy meeting with the Psychologist, 4 hours worth of written, verbal, and computer testing, along with paper interviews from her teachers and I, I left feeling like they got to see her problem at it's finest and I knew no matter what, they would be able to tell what the problem was.  The next day they called and gave me the official diagnosis of ADHD and Anxiety.  The ADHD confused me at first since Amber is not hyperactive or a "problem" child.  He explained that ADHD is the only diagnosis, ADD just falls under the umbrella of that, so for diagnostic purposes it's still considered ADHD.  Her teacher and I could have had a party we were so happy.  No one wants anything ( no matter how minor) to be wrong with their child, but to know what it is and that it's treatable is thrilling.
Immediately I met with her pediatrician to discuss our options once he had reviewed the report.  Because of all the other things we had attempted to do over the past 3 years, his recommendation was medication.  Having now had gone to nursing school, I was very eerie of the meds used to treat ADHD.  Sometimes having too much knowledge is a bad thing.  We decided on Concerta.  This is a once a day, extended release stimulant drug.  Seems contradictory to be giving a child a stimulant when their brains are already excessively stimulated.  Without getting too in depth on the patho of ADHD, it's basically an over production of certain neurotransmitters in the brain causing lack of focus, inability to sit still, etc.  There lil minds are going a million miles a minute Try learning to do division when your mind is jumping all over the place...impossible. The stimulant drugs have the opposite effect on someone with ADHD then it does with someone without it.  It slows the production and allows them to focus whereas in someone without ADHD it would hype them up, energize them, stimulate them.  Which is why you hear about people who don't have it taking the drugs in order to get more done, or study for a big test.  Very dangerous, so don't do it :)


After making adjustments to her dosages over the past 6 months we had a follow-up today.  Amber has made HUGE progress. She has no side effects from the med other then trouble sleeping sometimes.  She has raised her grades to all A's B's and one C.  Mind you that C was an F before.  Her teachers report that she has no trouble getting the information, has made the highest grade on tests on many occasions, has made her AR goal (reading a book then taking a test on it) with 100% every 8 weeks, finally getting to attend the AR parties that she never got to go to before.  The child that HATED reading now asks me to buy her books, brings home chapter books and reads them in 2 days, does her homework without help, and helps her brother with his homework.  More than anything else, her confidence is through the roof!  Now when I tell her how smart she is, she believes me.
 During the appt today her doctor sat back, looked at us and said that her progress is incredible.  He said the goal of treatment for any child is to achieve what she has.  There's a huge percentage of kids who don't respond to medication, I believe it's about 30%, and of those who do many have horrible side effects or are like zombies.  The fact that Amber has been taking this for 6 months and has no change is who she is, but has only helped her where she needed it, is an answer to prayer.


ADHD is a very real disease, a lifelong disease that requires management in the same way hypertension or diabetes does.  No matter your opinion on it or it's treatment, it's undeniable the impact it and it's treatment has had on our lives.  This is not even close to what many people have to deal with in terms of medical problems, but it is something my little girl will have to deal with for the rest of her life and that makes it very real to her.  


She knows what she has and isn't even kind of embarrassed or ashamed. She owns it! She still has to go slower the some before she answers, but takes her time and gets it done. If someone says something to her about being slow she'll put them in their place.  She'll say, "I have ADHD and it takes me longer!" She wakes up and takes her pill mostly without having me remind her.  She feels the difference and knows it's helping.   No more headaches, no more frustration.  I've always called her my Sunshine Girl, and now she's brighter than ever!

Organizing Chaos!

 When we bought our house we bought it for the killer deal, school district, the property, and it was down the street from our best friends.  We did NOT buy it for it's sq. footage!  Everything about this house is small so cramming 4 people along with their belongings into this space means there can be NO clutter and NO junk! Everything has a place and if it's not being used then it gets the boot.  It's cut throat around here, prove your worth or it's to the donate pile you go! 
During Nursing school, I have to admit, the house didn't even make the Top 5 on my priority list, so during long breaks I implement new ways to organize the chaos! These are just some of my favorite ways to provide extra space. I will continue to update this post as I do more.  Hope something can help those who are space challenged like me :)

Bathroom: We did a major remodel to combine 2 bathrooms into 1 to provide more space, so when we picked out a new vanity we chose one with as much storage as we could find...HUGE improvement! Hung a mason jar for toothbrushes/paste, jars on the counter for floss/q-tips/cottenballs, Container to keep all meds/first aid stuff in. 

 Kitchen: Just got this idea off Pinterest and LOVE it!  Cheap little $ store bins for snacks.  1 for the fridge(Cheese, yogurt, veggies, also have fruit and ranch/yogurt dip) and 1 for the pantry (Roll up's, granola bars, cheez its, peanuts, cereal,and fruit snacks)  I used snack bags to measure out for little hands to grab and go! Plus you've eliminated all the snack boxes from taking up so much space in you're pantry/fridge. Yay!!

Also added a backpack/coat/calender station on a wall in the kitchen. Both kids have 2 hooks and their names separate each side (Lord knows a fight WILL ensue if someones coat is on the others backpack hook lol)

Laundry room/Pantry: We are just about done with this remodel and will post more soon for this :)

Amber's room:

I keep ALL toys under her bed in baskets ($4.97 @ walmart), with a sm basket inside for items like Lil Pets. More sm baskets in drawers for socks etc.


You can use those cute little bags that sheets and pillow cases come in for things like Barbie clothes. Also a cushioned storage cube for extra storage and to be used as desk chair that can be pushed under desk to save space.
I also hung a hook on the inside of her closet to hang all those purses, over the door shoe rack, and plenty more sm plastic bins for her desk supplies, etc.
Drew's room (aka.The closet):
So small that you can't fit a bed AND a dresser inside, so all toys go under the bed just like Amber's. His favorite giant collection of cars (he plays with them daily) found a home in a 2 tier plastic bin with the top taken off and wheels put on so it's mobile.  He rolls that sucker around everywhere!

His closet had to become his dresser so we put in shelves and there is a bin for everything. Pj's, socks, underwear, winter gear, shirts, jeans, and anything with a collar gets hung up. 
Shoes in a over the door shoe rack also.

Our Room:
All the closets are the same size so Bill and I trying to share one is difficult to say the least! We use under the bed storage, over the door shoe rack, a 4 tier shoe rack in closet, and extra bins in the top of the closet for t-shirts/purses.

                                                 Basket I had laying around for my scarves

Paperwork:
Keep all unpaid bills/waiting to be filed papers in a simple wall rack. I have a 3 drawer file cabinet that is hidden in the hall closet that holds all paper work and other misc items, like gifts bags, envelopes etc.

Carport: We have a detached garage, but that is Bill's playhouse and believe when when I say he uses every inch of it!  So When it come to stuff like the kids bikes we had to find a way to keep them covered without being in the way of my truck parking in the carport.  Simple answer, just took forever for me to think fo it. Ha!

That's it for now! More to come, I'm sure, as this house always has a new challenge to overcome :)

.

 

*My journey in college...so far*

    It's hard to believe that I have not only finished my first year of Nursing school, but that I have now been on my college journey for 2 years!! 

    Let me go back to the beginning.  I got married when I was 18, my Senior year of high school to be exact, and contrary to popular belief or assumption, we were NOT pregnant lol.  We wanted to get married and that's that!  I think the fact that we're about to celebrate our 10 year anniversary speaks for itself. ;)

    Anyway...I was always a very good student, spent my life in private school and was proud of all the accomplishments I had made.  Life got complicated and being on my own, making my own way and doing it on my terms became the MOST important thing to me.  Bill and I got our own apartment and I made the decision to drop out of high school in order to work full time. I was a straight A student, I just felt that my time was better spent working then going to school. I have never regretted this decision nor any decision I have made since.  We got married and decided we wanted to have kids right away (I was 19 with my first and 21 with my second) and we both knew that me staying at home with them was top priority for both of us, regardless of what sacrifices needed to be made. Believe me, there were a lot. Bill joining the Army was definitely the biggest blessing, yet biggest sacrifice we made for our family. 

Stay-at-home mommy days!

    We had a plan and we ALWAYS stick to our plans!  I would stay home with the kids until they were both in school, then I would go back to school to move our family into the next chapter of our lives. So I stayed home full time for 7 years before college ever came into the picture.

    I felt very judged for staying home, never understood why my decisions for my family were of any concern to others.  The stereotype of staying at home is by far the DUMBEST one there is.  To assume a women is stupid, can't make it in the work force, or lazy because she stays home makes me beyond angry and says a lot about the people making those assumptions.

   When it came time for me to start college I felt I had something to prove, I knew what I was capable of but to others I was just a young, high school dropout who hadn't "worked" in 7 years.  I have never cared what people thought of me before, but for some reason my intellect being judged really bothered me.

    One day I decided I needed to get my GED because the dream of going to college was becoming more of a reality and I needed to get my ducks in a row.  I called that day (2009) to see when the next testing date was, it was in 1 week. I decided it's now or never and put my name on the list.  I spent that week freshening up on my algebra by taking a couple of online tests, showed up the next week and after being mistaken for the instructor (Ha!), blew that test out of water making high enough scores to receive a 2 year scholarship.  I have to say that the handwritten note from the instructor about my scores made far more of an impact then she will ever realize!  For the first time in the 7 years, since leaving high school, I felt like someone saw what I could do and gave me the confidence to believe I really could do this.

Taken the day I received my GED!

    I took my new found confidence and registered for my first ever college classes for the Fall of 2010 (talk about intimidating!!).  Being a total college virgin I had no clue what I was doing! I looked up what I needed for Nursing school and signed up for 5 classes + a lab all on campus and 1 at night totaling 16 hrs (English Comp I, Human growth & Dev., College math, A&P I + Lab, & computer concepts).  I was able to go to school, be out in time to pick up my youngest from pre-k at 12:45 everyday, and attend my night class 1 night/week.  I finished with a solid 4.0, straight A's.  WOW!  I couldn't believe I did it and I was seriously proud!

    During that first semester I knew I needed to get my ACT done in order to apply for Nursing school the next semester.  I had never taken it before so I decided to take the first one as a trial test to see what it was all about and not put too much pressure on myself to do well.  I needed a 19 to even be eligible for the program and had already planned to retake it the next month, convinced I'd bomb it.  To my utter shock (seriously, I cried!) I made a 24 on my first try.  All I can say is God had a plan for me and paved the way cause I couldn't have done it on my own.

    Having my results in hand I knew I needed to knock out as many pre-rec's as I could the next semester and get my application in to be eligible for Fall 2011 entry into Nursing.  I registered and took 14 hrs all on campus, including 2 labs and 2 night classes (Gen. Psychology, Ethics, A&P II + lab, Microbiology + lab).  I had been told I was nuts for taking Micro and A&P II together and looking back, I was, but I finished out still holding that 4.0. I have to give a HUGE shout out to my A&P/Micro professor, Dr. Shaffer, because not only is he the best teacher on campus he is the toughest and if it weren't for him pushing me I wouldn't have made it in Nursing school. He tested in a way unlike any class I had before him and as the semesters would pass you would see there were fewer and fewer people still standing.  But the main thing he did was believe in me and NEVER took it easy on me. 

    I was told not to expect to get into nursing on the first try so I applied to 2 schools to up my chances.  Talk about feeling humbled when I got 2 acceptance letters and had to now decide* where to go!  When I read those letters and saw 800+ people had applied at each school for about 60 spots at one and about 80 at another I yet again was brought to tears.  How on earth did I* do this?! Other people do this, not me.  Every single piece was falling into place perfectly almost as if God was just waiting around for me to make my move. 
                                                      
                                             "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to   prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11

    I chose to attend NWCC and boy did it feel good when I called to turn down my spot at the other school knowing someone who got a letter being told they were wait listed, would now get a call telling them they got a spot!
It's hard to explain how amazing this school is.  I did my research and this is one of the BEST nursing schools around.  Their brand new facility is being used as an example to other schools.  The lab alone is enough to blow your mind, but throw in the instructors we have and it's just beyond words.  To say the students of NWCC Nursing are blessed would be an understatement!

Some of the class of 2013!

    I just completed my 1st full year of Nursing school and held down solid B's both semesters.  I'm finally at a point that I don't give a *&%$ what people think of me, my intellect, my decisions, or anything else.  I have proven to myself* above all else that I AM capable and no one will EVER make me feel that I am not good enough or smart enough to do anything!  After all, no one can make you feel inferior without your permission and I do not give my permission*

     Is Nursing the hardest thing I have ever done? No.  Is it the most demanding? No. Is it the most rewarding? No.  Being a stay-at-home mom will always hold those titles no matter how people decide to define us.  But I do not have babies anymore, they do not require what they did before. Nursing is now something that really fulfills me, challenges me, something I'm good at and most importantly, what I love to do! 

     These last few years, to include my husbands deployment, have taught me more then the last 20 years combined.  My marriage and the choices we have made to get us to this point, have been reaffirmed.  I'm proud of our journey as a family and I make no apologizes for how we've decided to do things.

    My journey is not by any means rare or exceptional. I have done nothing that millions of others haven't already done. Mine is average to say the least. Some may read this and think it's no big deal at all and that's just fine, because this journey is just simply mine* 

My life, my challenge, my goal, my success and I find that exceptional!

Back to the Basics!

So I'm a saver by nature.  Being a SAHM for as long as I had been, it became my job to save money.  We've been blessed over the last couple years with a good job that has given us much more freedom then we had before, which has made me going back to school and all the expenses that have come along with it an easier task.

I handle the money, always have, and I'm good at.  Bill doesn't question me and trusts me to do what's best for the family.  In my attempt to reduce all unneeded stress during Nursing school I put budgeting to the side and took on the mindset, "as long as it's there I'm not gonna worry about it"...STUPID!!  I am literally sickened with the amount of unnecessary spending that has been happening and no saving!  We don't have big bills or real debt (other then the truck and house) so there's NO excuse not to be saving.

I made the decision to put our bank account on LOCK DOWN!  Thankfully, my husband listens so all I had to do it inform him of the new "rules" and put in into motion.  So, what did I do? For starters we decided to take advantage of these crazy low interest rates and refinanced our house which is saving us about $150 a month on our already low mortgage. (Tip#1: Buy BELOW your means, your mortgage will be way less then you can afford and you'll never have to worry about being "house poor") We are now in the process of refinancing our car loan as well. (Tip # 2: Buy a car because you plan to drive it until it dies, not until you can trade up...not having a car payment feels way better then a new car does!) Next I decided to start shopping for 2 weeks at a time instead of 1. I spend about $30-$40 more for 2 weeks then I was spend in one.  I don't know why it works that way but it does!

So now down to the most important part, I have put us on an ALL CASH budget.  When Bill's check hits the bank (his checks are bi-monthly and are never the same since he's commission, so I can't budget too far ahead) I pay all the bills out of the account first then transfer a predetermined amount into savings.  I then figure out how much I need for groceries, gas, gifts, kids lunches, extras (Ex. this month it's camp and a new pool), I give Bill and myself an allowance for the 2 weeks, and then leave some in the account for emergencies or in case I underestimated expenses.  I go to the bank and pull out that money in cash and divide it up into envelopes (very much like the Dave Ramsey thing).  As I use the money I put the receipts in the envelopes and subtract the amounts on the back to keep tract of where I'm at. For Bill I just give him his cash and when it's gone, it's gone :)  If there's any money left I put it into the savings account along with what I left in the account and start all over with the next paycheck. 

The debit cards are NOT being used....period!  That seems to be the key, when you don't have a card to swipe and have to break a $20 for a $2 purchase your way less likely to purchase it.  You have a visual of what you have and tend to spend WAY less on those little things you don't need and put much more thought into whether or not you really want it to begin with. 

So far I estimate I have saved over $700 in one pay period alone by making us accountable for ever little purchase.  That's HUGE!! When I see something working it becomes more of a challenge to see how much more I can do.  So I am now in the process of shifting some bills around to get better deals (cable, Internet, phone etc.).  Bill and I enjoy our extras too much to cancel any of them, but I will not pay more for something I can get cheaper somewhere else.

So my next goals are to work on paying off the truck, putting more towards 401K, and making extra payments on the house.  We don't plan to ever sell this house.  We plan to stay here while we build our next home and then rent it out, so paying it off is a priority for us.

 I'm thrilled with the way this is working and plan to do it long term.  I hope this motivates some of you who have been wanting to make a change to just do it!  I will continue to update on our progress  post any new ideas to save money. 

Happy Saving!!

My Top 10 cheap, easy, YUMMY recipes!!

I'm not a great cook and I HATE spending more time making dinner then actually eating it, who has time for that?! I'm in NO way against box meals, frozen food or grap and go meals.  I'd say I use those half the time and then just want a good "home cooked" meal the rest of the time.  When I don't have a lot of time but still want to eat well, these are the "Family Fav's" that I go to. They all take very little time and are always a hit with the husband and kids.

1. Cheesy Potato Soup (Crock pot or stove top, same directions for both)
6-8 Potatoes (Really depends on how much you want to make, I like having leftovers)
3-4 cups Chicken broth
Sm container of heavy cream
1 onion
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp Cayenne pepper (This makes the soup!!)
Lots of cheese!! :)

Cube your potatoes, toss them in your pot, and fill pot with chicken broth.  Just enough to barley cover the potatoes. Add in your salt, pepper, Cayenne pepper, and minced onion and let boil for about 10-15 min.  Add in your cream and continue to boil until potatoes are cooked.  Here's the trick, mash the potatoes while in the pot to thicken the soup but before you add the cheese.  Trying to clean melted cheese off your masher sucks! I leave some chunks too. Then add in all the cheese you want and your done!!  I like to dip Hawaiian bread in it too.  This soup rivals some of the best I've had and it's def. the best one I've ever made plus you only have to buy like 3 things...LOVE!

2. Chicken Enchilada Soup (Tastes JUST like the one at Chili's)
  About 2 cups chicken broth
 10 (6 inch) corn tortillas, cut into 1/2 inch strips (Cut some extra to fry)
 1.5 cups green enchilada sauce
1.5 (10 ounce) cans red enchilada sauce
4-6 cooked, boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1.5 cups half-and-half
1-1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

Cook your chicken and cut it into bite size pieces, set aside.  Pour broth into pot and add in tortillas strips.  Cook until strips are dissolved in the broth. Pour in enchilada sauces, half and half, cheese and chicken.  Cook until hot...DONE! You can cut some extra tortilla shells and fry them up real fast in a skillet and use then to top the soup.

3. Mexican Pizza(Just got this one from a family member over thanksgiving!)

•  Cheese
• Refried beans
• beef
• salsa (I like Pancho's salsa for this, works much better then the others)
• sour cream
• Any other toppings you like on tacos (Lettuce, tomatoes, ect.)
• pre-made pizza crust

Pre-heat oven according to pizza crust instructions. Cook beef with the taco seasoning and set aside. Smooth and layer of beans over the crust, smooth a layer of salsa on top of that, then sprinkle beef over that, now add all your toppings except for the sour cream.  Pop it in the oven, serve with sour cream!!  Perfection!

4. Rotel Chicken Spaghetti
This is my husbands absolute favorite dish!  When he came home from Iraq, this is what he asked for LOL

• 2-4 chicken breasts (whatever you prefer)
• 1 pkg thin spaghetti
• 1 sm pkg spicy buffalo Velveeta (this may be a bit spicy if your kids aren't used to it or if you don't like spicy food, in that case just use regular Velveeta and very mild Rotel)
• 1 can Rotel
• 1 can cream of mushroom

Preheat oven to 375. Cook your chicken, cut up and set aside.  Cook noodles, drain, and pour into casserole dish.  Pour cream of mushroom and Rotel into dish and mix.  Slice 3/4 of Velveeta into cubes and mix in.  Then slice remaining 1/4 into thin slices and lay over the top.  Bake in oven until cheese in melty and bubbly.  Done!  Serve with bread sticks or salad or both or neither :)

5. Baked Spaghetti

• Pkg of spaghetti noodles
• 1 pd beef
• 1 pkg mozzarella cheese
• 1 big jar of your favorite sauce

Preheat oven to 350.  Cook beef, cook noodles pour into casserole dish.  Add sauce and 3/4 bag of cheese, mix.  Spinkle top with cheese and Parmesan cheese. Done!

6. Biscuits and Gravy

• If you have Bisquick then feel free to make your own biscuits, but I usually by the Grands or something similar in the frozen section.
• 2 Pkg's Peppered gravy mix in the baking isle
• 1 pkg sausage (I like my veggie sausage, but most aren't into that lol)

Cook meat set aside.  Pop biscuits in the oven according the pkg directions.  Mix gravy and water on the stove until thickened and then add in the sausage. This is one of my kids absolute favorites!  How easy can it get!?

7. Egg muffins and pancakes

• Dozen eggs
• Hash browns
• cheese
• sausage or bacon or both :)
• 1/3 cup milk
• salt/pepper
• anything else you would like in an omelet type food
• Pancake mix

Preheat oven to 375.  Grease muffin pan.  Cook sausage or bacon and mix with the veggies you want and hashbrowns. Put a spoonful of mixture into each space. Now mix eggs, milk, salt/pepper, and cheese in a bowl.  Pour egg mixture  into each space almost to the top.  Cook for about 20 min or until done.  Make your pancakes while you wait :)  Serve!  The kids love this one because they can pick up their eggs and eat with their hands. Figures...

8. Haystacks
Ok, so you don't actually cook anything but it's one of our fav. Friday night dinners.

• Bag of Frito's
• Beef
• Chili beans
• Cheese
• Sour cream
• Anything else you like on tacos (Lettuce, tomato, etc.)

Cook and season beef and put in a bowl.  Warm chili beans in pot.  Set out all toppings.  Put a layer of Frito's in the bottom of a bowl or plate top with beef, beans and then everything else!!  Yummy!

9. Tatortot Casserole
So this is not a full meal, but I fell in love with this when I was pregnant with Drew so I just made it a full meal because I craved it so bad. We all still love it so much so we just eat by itself for dinner. lol

• Bag of tator tots
• Bag of cheese
• 16 oz container of sour cream
• 1 can cream of potato soup (I prefer the walmart brand to anything else)
• 2 tbs butter
• Salt/Pepper

Preheat oven to 400.  Grease casserole dish.  In a pot melt and mix butter, sour cream, and cream of potato.  Add in salt and pepper to taste. Pour tatortots in dish, sprinkle with cheese then pour sour cream mixture over tots.  Add more cheese and lightly toss.  Top with MORE cheese (Yay!!) and bake for about 30 min. You could just make this a side, but who doesn't want a giant dish of cheesy potato goodness in front of them and knowing they're encouraged to eat huge portions! Come on!!

10. Empty Pantry Quesadillas
This is one of those things I threw together because I hadn't gone to the store and these are about all the ingredients we had in the house.  It has now become our favorite comfort food.  We've had it once a week since that epic night :)

• Corn tortillas
• refried beans
• Block of Pepper Jack cheese
• Pancho's salsa (You can use whatever, but Bill and I both agree it's our favorite for this)
• Sour cream

Heat oil in skillet, slice entire block of cheese and heat beans.  Put skin in skillet for just a few seconds, flip and add 2 slices of cheese and a spoonful of beans then fold and flip.  Do that about a thousand more times and serve with salsa and sour cream.  I'm telling you, it's sooooo good!!


11. Easy Lasagna
I know I said Top 10, but I had to add this one.  Everyone thinks lasagna has to take forever, but this recipe is about as easy as it gets and tastes GREAT!

• 1 pkg OVEN READY lasagna noodles
• 1.5-2 jars fav. sauce (just eyeball it)
• 1 container cottage cheese (If you just HATE it, then use ricotta, otherwise give it a shot!)
• 2 eggs
• 1 lb beef
• 1 bag mozzarella cheese
• Parmesan Cheese

Preheat oven to 400.  Spread a thin layer of sauce in bottom of baking dish.  In a large bowl mix in sauce, cottage cheese, 1/2 bag of cheese, and 2 eggs.  Layer noodles, sauce mixture, beef, sprinkle more cheese and Parmesan on top of beef in each layer.  Repeat until you get to the top then sprinkle more cheese and Parmesan on top. Cover with foil and cook for 45-60 min.  I like to serve it with the Ceasar salad kit. 

So there you have it! I don't cook fancy stuff, nothing seems very healthy, and I never spend very long in the kitchen...Perfect!

My Favorite Things!

There are few things that make my list of things I truly love, but these things make my life easier and are worth every dime!

My newest love is our new cats litter box.  That's right, a litter box!  Why?  3 simple reasons: 1) NO SMELL. 2) NO dusty litter to deal w/ and get tracked around. 3) The pellets only get changed ONCE a month. Yup!  Now you're wondering what kind of miracle this is. Introducing the Breeze Litter Box system. Retails for about $39, but the one I bought from Petsmart had a $10 coupon right on the box.  The initial price is a bit high mainly because it comes with everything you will need for a full month, but to not have to deal with all the mess and stench it was worth every penny!

Next is something I have been in love with now for about a year.  I buy it once every 2-4 months, which means I have one less thing to think about daily. I have people ask what kind of detergent I use all the time because of how great this makes my clothes smell. It's the Bounce Bar! Pop it in the dryer and you're done for months. It's about $7 for the 4 month bar and $4.50 for the 2 month bar.  I'll take it!

I know all you moms can relate to the absolute nightmare keeping up with your floors can be.  My kitchen is the largest space in the house and has 2 doors leading outside from it.  Which means 2 times the dirt all in one area. Sweeping does ok, but that wonderful white ceramic tile needs a lot more attention then that. I was SICK of mopping and SICK of spending a fortune on liquid and pads for the Swiffer.  The solution...The ProMist mop!  I think it's around $15 and the two main reasons this is so much better then the Swiffer if that 1. You use your OWN cleaning solution diluted with water and 2. The pad is WASHABLE! If you want the disposable ones you can buy those separate.  Once you buy it you don't have to buy anything else for it unless you just want to.  Saves money, saves time!

Lastly, I have tried a million things to keep the fragrant aroma of plug ins to stay around longer then a couple days and as you know, the refills are not cheap! My favorite is the Air Wick scented oil, but got sick of spending so much to keep them full.  I found 2 solutions for this! Yay! 1st, They now sell universal plug in refills by Renuzit that fit most brands and cost HALF the price and smell just as good! 2nd is the Febreeze Set and Refresh.  These little suckers are so strong and the smell stays for about a month!  They are about $2 each and I use it mostly in the bathroom, but it's great for the kids rooms too.

So there you have it!  Just a few of my favorite things.  I'm sure I could come up with plenty more, but these are the ones I am showing a lot of appreciation for these days :)