Getting the Snowball Rolling

I said I would give updates along the way about our personal goals to get out of debt and gain financial freedom. Chris started Dave Ramsey's finanacial peace course about a month ago at his work. It is amazing to see the change in him and us as a couple. We definitely have not "arrived," but we are already finding so much peace and contentment in our home. We are finally communicating in a healthy way about money, and we are setting common goals which really gives us a sense of partnership.

We have been incredibly blessed that with this years tax return we will be embarking on to baby steps one and two. Setting aside some money in our emergency fund and paying off one outstanding debt, two and a half credit cards, and all of the doctor's bills from Micah's birth except the hospital bill. What a great feeling of weight that is lifted. We are getting our debt snowball moving, and we are like giddy school children watching it gain mass and pick up speed.

We still have many tough decisions ahead. We will still have a car payment and a sizeable portion of student loans, but our resolve is strong. We are finally coming to terms with making some short term sacrifices for long term gain. I am excited and naturally a little fearful. We are almost certain we will put our house up for sale this summer. Even with the downturn in the housing market, our neighborhood has retained a reasonable value and I believe we can make a profit that will set us even further down the road to eliminating debt. We will probably downsize to an apartment for awhile and use the extra cash flow to really get ahead and finish out our emergency fund. It really does bring a lot of heart issues to the forefront. I start to realize how want driven I was. What will people think of us if we move from a house to an apartment? Will it look like we went backwards? In my heart of hearts I know this is not the case, and our true wealth will begin to build. Still I am only human, and this process is exposing some of the rough edges I try to hide so often. I can only pray that God will continue to work on me. The peace in our home is definitely worth it!

Don't Tread On Me!

I have watched in utter amazement and disapproval over the past few months. We stand on the threshold of congress passing the largest piece of pork in my lifetime under the guise of stimulus. We are no doubt in a mess. My views are not stricly partisian. I was irate when President Bush suggested we bail out failing business with my taxpayer dollars, and I am am equally angry that President Obama sees the need to saddle my children and grandchildren with a deficit that is ballooning out of control. People will argue government oversight is necessary when business and wall street become too greedy. What is necessary is for you and I to become angry enough that we do not allow our own greed to enslave us to lenders. This mess was caused by educated, greedy people making poor decisions as well as uneducated, greedy people making poor decisions. No one is free from fault. We spent ourselves into an oblivion to get here, and the answer is not to spend ourselves into a deficit on a national level. Perhaps we need the pain of this recession to truly ingrain in us the importance of living within our means. We will learn this lesson when we are okay with driving a car that may not impress the Joneses, but it is paid for. We will learn this lesson when we can pass on the house until we have an adequate downpayment. We will learn this lesson when we are putting more money into our savings accounts and less toward interest. Do you want to punish the greed of wall street? Stop signing away your life to them with every visa application that arrives in your mailbox.

Our government has the worst track record of responsibility with money, and we want them to oversee our commerce? Don't get me started on healthcare. My husband worked in the medical billing industry for several years. Do you know why your medical bills are so high? Medical care professionals have the hardest time collecting on medicare and medicaid accounts. The government will find any excuse to not pay on these accounts. In return our doctors are forced to raise the cost to rectify this imbalance. Maybe if the governement would just pay their bills we could all afford a little more.

The sprial that we find ourselves in will not be satiated by more pork. The cure can only be found in time and our own willingness to look in the mirror and recognize the problem and take some responsibility. American ingenuity is not dead, but it is not fostered in the confines of the governments pocket. As we take the long road ahead all I have to say is, don't tread on me!

February

One week ago I was preparing to leave on a jet plane. Now here I am safely back home and settling into the routine once more. I enjoy the chance to get away. It puts all the work and daily humdrum into perspective. I am invigorated to come home and put my best efforts forward once more. It was not a particularly restful vacation in the literal sense. We were up early and usually out late walking most of the day. There were moments when a curious three year old and a five month old made us more than weary, but it was wonderful all the same. Pictures will follow soon.

How could it be February already? I feel like I just took my Christmas tree down. I am back to working my full time schedule. It really is hard to wake up Thursday and realize I still have one more day to go. I know, I got spoiled. The larger paycheck will help soften the blow.

I wrote a blog a few months titled hydration. I've been feeling dehydrated once again lately. It's not that life is bad..far from it. I just long for something fresh in my life. I was reading someone'e blog about the rain. They talked about God refreshinging us physically with rain as well as spiritually. I long for rain in my life. I want to feel the closeness of His presence saturating my being. I want to know His loving kindess in a new way. I know things will be different. I just don't know when.

Up,Up, and Away

We are out of here this afternoon. After a harrowing evening of trying to decided if I packed too much, maybe too little. Should I just bring the kids entire closet? Packing for kids is difficult. Packing for a baby is just plain crazy. Diapers,wipes, bottles,formula, and that's not even starting with clothes. I really don't mind in the long run. We could just skip all of this mess and wait until the kids are older to travel, but life is too short to let a couple nights of intense packing mania get in the way of the fun.

Truth be told, my greatest dread is the point we leave home until we are safely seated on the plane. I understand the threat of terrorism is never to be taken lightly, but the TSA doesn't make it easy on parents with small children. It starts as we try to juggle our luggage, stroller, baby carrier, and hand bags into the airport while keeping a close eye on Kaylie making sure she doesn't wander off. Any line is formidable with children. Will I be able to keep Kaylie entertained long enough? If we make it to the front of the line, she will inevitably tell me she has to go the the bathroom right that second. We finally make it to the security line only to pull off all shoes and pull out any items from our bags that could even pose the slightest security risk. I keep Kaylie's hand firmly in my own while keeping a tight grip on our shoes, tickets, and other personal belongings, just praying that we won't be pulled aside for another check. When we make it through there is the mad dash for the gate and then the waiting begins. We are usually always flying standby on my dad's passes so we are eagerly anticipating our name to be called to ensure we will have a seat on the flight, and hoping they don't separate us from the kids. Yes they have done this before. Usually we can find a kind soul who either feels sorry for us or doesn't like the thought of sitting next to a curious, unattended three year old. Once we are on the plane I can take a sigh and relax for two seconds until I hear that familiar phrase..."mommy,I need to go to the bathroom."

Yes it's all still worth it!

California Here We Come!

Ahhh vacation. The words always sound so sweet! We are headed off at the end of this week for what seems to be a yearly trip to California. We always discuss other ideas, and we always say we will do something different next year, but here we go again. Honestly it just feels like home, and we know we can relax here even with two kids. We also got a really good deal on some Disney tickets. Three days for the kids price. This probably will be our last trip here for awhile...seriously. We would like to take the kids to Disney World in Florida, but we decided we want to wait until they are both a little older. It is so big and there is so much to do we want everyone to be able to enjoy it without diaper changes or bottles to make.
We have been truly blessed to be able to get away for the kids so often. It has helped that my dear dad works for American. I am excited to say we have paid for the trip completely with cash, and with the use of some creative budget planning it will come off being quite affordable. Gotta love priceline and restaurant coupons! My parents are going to come out for a couple of days because Disney has a promotion going on right now. If you come on your birthday you get in free. My dad's birthday just happens to be the 30th. Who could pass that up when you can practically fly for free! I know it will be a welcome break after 2 weeks of hard work in Africa.
We are also going to take a day and go to Santa Monica. I love the beach and all of the quirky shops and entertainment. It is so invigorating. I am looking forward to sharing the tradition once again with my kids. I keep telling Kaylie she should be so thankful for the opportunity she has been given. She may still be too young to understand, but I never want her to take for granted what she has. It is amazing to look back at past trips and see how she has grown.
Here she is on her first trip,only 4 months old.



A vacation right after her second birthday
Her most recent trip.I look forward to the new memories we will create with our kids, and the fun that comes along with it. Now I need to focus on cleaning and packing before work starts back up tomorrow.

Teething is a Nightmare

What happened to my sweet little boy? He has been overtaken by the teething monster. I have heard stories about babies who go absolutely crazy while teething. I didn't believe it. Kaylie never really fussed while she was teething. She never ran a fever. Yes she chewed on things more than usual, but for the most part she just went with the flow. Micah has decided to throw all of our previous parental confidence out the window. So much for thinking all that experience with the first baby would make raising the second a breeze. Micah has proven what every parent says but I had failed to realize until now. Every child is different. Micah has always been a little more clingy since birth. He likes to be held and coddled. He is not usually content to just lie in his crib or sit in a bumbo and chew on a teething ring. I had finally made some peace with this. Chris and I had learned to balance a baby on one knee while eating and allowing a little extra cuddle time after getting up in the morning. He had started gaining that cute little baby personality, laughing, smiling, and babbling a lot of intelligent baby wisdom. Suddenly a few weeks ago things began to seriously change. It started with an almost constant drool. No problem, nothing a burp rag and a few extra changes of clothes can't handle. Then came an instinct to chomp down and gum on anything that comes close to his mouth. Who knew gums could injure a finger so badly? Next came the continuous crying as he chews on his own hand. At this point it is almost impossible to make him happy. If I hold him he still whines, if I give him a teething ring he gets frustrated because he can't shove the whole thing in his mouth. I even have tried oragel which works temporarily, but in no way solves the problem. I work so hard to get a smile or even a little laugh, but he just seems uncomfortable most of the time. I know time is really the only solution, but my sanity is wearing thin. When it's all over I 'll look back and this will seem like a little blip in the entire spectrum of child rearing, but for now I'm just praying for those little teeth to start coming in!

Obama Mania

It was a big day for a lot of people yesterday. I like the majority of the country watched parts of the inauguration ceremonies. I thought I would have a lot to say on the topic because I always get an itch for political banter. Surprisingly I do not feel like analyzing much. It is a wait and see situation. No man is god, and no one person can save the world from all its ills.

That being said I am done with political talk for this blog. Instead I would like to talk about being sick. I hate it. I just had a cold last month before Christmas. Stupid rhino virus getting to me again. I'm just glad it came now instead of next week because we are headiong for vacation next Thurday. I am so ready for some time away.