switching back

i'm going back to my wordpress...tired of this old blog! check it out: http://ryanandsamantha.wordpress.com! i'll be there from now on... :)

budget-smudget

ryan and i have never really been the best at budgeting. i find it difficult to be really disciplined with money... it seems like every time i decide i'm going to really work at it, some surprise comes along and throws everything off. seriously, every time... but, we have decided to give it another go. as we look to one day move in to a space with a little more room to breathe than our current location, i've decided we need to 1) see how much extra we actually have that we could put towards another living space, 2) pay off some debt and 3) save, save, save. 

i have been doing the coupon thing for the past year or so (thanks to my sweet mimi who clips them each week and sends them my way), but i don't really feel like i'm super good at using them. like i know people who really work the system, but i have a hard time figuring out how. any suggestions out there from people who know how to do this well?

we are following the crown budget format, mainly because they have a lot of online resources that are free. but i did wonder also if anyone out there has any other suggestions for this sort of resource? i know dave ramsey and my mom has encouraged us to try to do one of those classes forever...but it's not super practical right now for us with ryan working so much. we are pretty selective about our night's now because it's the only time we really get to be together. 

so...anyway, the question is, what works for you? i know a lot of people make budgets work with no problem-what's the secret??

the lost art of conversation

"tienes hungry?" she said.
"si, mucho!!"
"oohhh.... donde esta tu babe?" she asked.
"con me esposo..."
"ohh!" she exclaimed.
"no, no, con me esposo's...no, esposo de la.. no, no..con me madre de esposo?"
"oh, si, con su abuela?" she corrected.
"yes, yes...exactamente!"
"tu es mucho funny!" she laughed.

this is a conversation that i recently had with anna, an older lady that i have recently come to know from el salvador...and, not surprisingly, this is how many of our conversations go, neither of us speaking the other's language very well, but both desiring to communicate with each other. we use of mix of spanish and english with lots of facial features and gestures, and sometimes even raise our voices (because talking louder and slower really makes an unknown language understandable!). even though conversation with anna is awkward and sometimes difficult, it's worth it to get to talk to this sweet lady..to try to communicate friendship and love to her across the many boundaries stacked up between us.

a friend was telling me the other day about another friend's teenager, who said that she prefers to text always. she doesn't like talking on the phone because "there's all those awkward silences where you just don't know what to say." i'm not knocking her because i totally understand what she means. i remember being in middle school, when that cute guy who sat across from me in my pre-algebra class called...and as much as i wanted to talk to him, i always got so nervous and didn't really know what to say. so there was a lot of breathing and only a little of talking...but that's what being in a middle school relationship is made of. and i really think i was learning even then about how to converse with other people..in fact, i think i have been learning that from a very early age. even noah, as a young infant, is learning how to have a conversation, in his own, little guy way. he makes noises and i respond, usually by saying, "no way, really?" or "you don't say!" or something along those lines..and you know what happens next? he responds back to me...babbling on a little, and back and forth we go. chit chatting away. while it's not the most intellectual conversation i've ever had, i know it's great for him as he develops and grows.

i really think overall, this whole texting thing isn't really the best for the art of conversation. i find myself, at times, saying things i would never say otherwise, or not saying things i would otherwise say...because of the freedom of just letting what is said be said. there's little relationship, even though there is much convinience. so, really, i'm going to try to pick up the phone and call next time...and you better answer. and be ready...awkward silences and all.

not quite right...

i was talking with a friend earlier about how it's just not fair that ryan and i are sickly alongside noah...all of us fighting these stupid colds. it makes it really difficult during the day for me to take care of noah when i am barely making it around myself...and poor ryan, having to go work from the wee hours of the morning, late into the evening-well it's just not good for anyone. i thought mommies and daddies were supposed to be immune to catching their children's illnesses?!?

ultimate fail in frugality

i have been really getting into the coupon thing. my sweet grandmother clips the coupons each week and sends them my way, which speaks so much love to me because i know it's such a pain to do. and i love saving money using the coupons! a penny saved is a penny earned, right? well, every now and then i find myself letting the coupons control me instead of me controlling the coupons. i had the experience just recently. there i was, walking around target, trying to really get ONLY what i needed...which is a constant struggle, because there is always something more that would be just so nice to have....when all of a sudden, i spotted one of those in-store coupon dispensers! sweetness, i thought to myself, a little surprise savings-maybe it will be something i need!! i rushed over to see that it was a $1 off coupon for coffee mate creamers. hmm, i do love their vanilla caramel creamer! yum yum yum! and, what's that? the creamer is on sale 3 for $4!? with a $1 off coupon, that makes it 3 for $3 ! what a deal? you know, those things are usually at least $1.98 for one, if not more than that! think of all the money i'd be saving if i used that coupon and got 3 creamers! so, i picked out three delicious flavors, thinking i could even share one with my mom (i mean, really, i didn't need to hord all 3 for myself!!). so, i pulled out one of the coupons, grabbed my creamers and headed to check out...smiling all along about all the money i was saving...as it so happens, i remembered as i was pulling away from the store, i don't really drink much creamer in my coffee these days, in fact...the truth is, i realized as i put the creamers into the fridge later that afternoon, i don't drink any creamer in my coffee these days... nor have i really for the past year... but, what does that really matter?? look at all the money i saved!!!

isn't it ironic?

...doncha think?? i have found it quite a bit of irony in the fact that people who are most like me, at least in mostly the same stage of life as me, are the most difficult to actually be friends with? i know of quite a few mommies with little ones who i'd love to really be friends with, but we can never seem to get our schedules together enough to actually be friends... it makes me so sad some days. but, little one's schedules are hard to work around. i know i have found myself scared to go out sometimes with noah for fear that he will be hungry as soon as i get any where, or it will interupt his nap time, or he will just be super fussy. when he is any of those things, he's not a lot of fun to be around. i mean, who really wants to be sitting at the coffee shop with the frazzled looking lady with the screaming baby?! not me! :) but, still, it is frustrating sometimes not being able to be friends with the people who actually understand who i am... and, on top of that, sometimes it's a little difficult trying to converse with people who don't have babies yet. what? you don't care about what kind of cereal noah is eating right now? you don't care if it feels like he might have a tooth coming through? seriously, you mean to tell me that you don't want to hear about the massively disgusting diaper he had the other day??! what in the world are we supposed to talk about then?!??

more snip-its

*i just burned nearly 500 calories running on the treadmill and hated every minute of it. i. can. not. stand. treadmills. supposedly, they make the running experience easier, but it wears me out. i decided today i was going to set up a laptop in front of me and watch abc.com to help the time pass by...so, i spent like 10 minutes trying to get it all set up right and on the perfect show (not too long, not too short), and then started running only to find out that the bounciness of the treadmill and the propped up laptop=terrible reception. unless i wanted to watch the show in half second increments (with like 30 seconds in between) then it was a no go... so, i tried to listen to some music on pandora via my phone...but, of course, i forgot to bring my headphones up and didn't want to pause the treadmill to try to find them. so, i ran with only my thoughts, which unfortunately i couldn't quite get past, "gee i hate this. this is no fun. gee i hate this. this is no fun." tomorrow, back to the open road for me!

*school is going really well. exceptionally well, actually. i have been impressed by the boys in my class, though i'm thinking they are still on just-started-school behavior. all the same, we have had a fun few days of learning together. i really think that's what i might like best about the environment i'm teaching in...i don't have to be the expert. we are learning together, which is wonderful! wednesdays are our chapel and picnic days, which makes them just enjoyable all the way around. i wish i could put into words the wonderful-ness of this precious school, but i don't quite have them yet. so, i'll wait until i do. i will tell a sweet story that i haven't even gotten around to even though it's been a week since it happened. we had a guest come speak in chapel who read the story of the Good Shepherd and talked about it with the children for a bit. at one point she asked the question, "what does it mean to "hope"?" a very young child answered, "it means to wish!" in a voice that implied, "what a silly question, lady. there is no question of what it means?!" i just am contemplating that thought...

*noah stayed with cece today...in fact, ryan is just now picking him up on his way home from work. as much as i love my boys (and i do...absolutely adore both of them!), having an afternoon to myself was nice. i took some clothes to try to consign and then came home and worked on my sewing machine for a while. i made these "go green" bags:
i'm always getting ideas of things to make from here and there...seeing things and thinking, "hey, i could totally make that!" sometimes i can, and others it turns out i can't...but i think things turned out cute. i actually have been using another one i made as a little tote-around-town bag and i'm loving it. i do plan to take one on my next little grocery outting. i always feel a little guilty about using so many plastic bags, so i can cut down by bringing one or two of my own! i'm thinking about trying to sell them, but not quite sure if they'd be a go just yet...

*on that note, i am hoping to start back my tie purses.. i absolutely love them and just haven't had the time or the space to make them.. but now, i do! :)

*i'm getting a little nervous about all the swine flu talk... not so much for me as for noah. our pediatrician talked to us about getting him vaccinated when he is 6 months, but i'm not sure how i feel about that. the vaccine is going to be so new...and he's such a little guy. on the other hand, it may be better than if he got the flu, which there seems to be somewhat of a chance of him getting. i'm not sure i'm ready to make decisions like this! can ryan and i really make such a choice?!? i certainly will be reading more on the subject...holler if you know of any good resources!

*noah is getting better at the cereal thing, and, consequently, the sleeping thing. for the past month or so, he has been getting up right around 3 am, then again at 6 or 7 only to stay up long enough for me to actually get good and awake before he falls back to sleep. but, the cereal might, just maybe, possibly be helping with that finally! the past few nights, we have put him to bed by 8 and he's slept until 5ish..and gone right back to bed after eating!

first taste of cereal

...

we had a busy day yeserday as i got a little taste of what being a working mom is going to look like. we had a time at the school for the students come to meet the teachers, which turned out to be lots of fun. our sweet little eighth grade boys seem to be excited about the new year, the new place and the new teachers. i'm a little apprehensive about the days that lay before us, but i'm excited, too, about this new opportunity! after having lunch with all of the faculty, i rushed home to pick up ryan (who rushed home from his own work) so we could head to the pediatrician for noah's 4 month appointment (4 months, already-time really does fly! some days have been the longest of my life, but looking back...oh my! where has the time gone!?), where we heard great news! i was actually almost giddy on the ride there, so excited about thinking about noah being able to start a little food and they gave us the go. he's been so funny the last few weeks, seemingly very aware of everything we eat-staring at it and even grabbing at it and trying to shove it in his mouth before we can catch him! tonite we will have our first big adventure...can't wait to see how it goes! i'm pretty excited about the possibilities from here, as i (like most of my friends) plan to make all of his food. no nasty preservatives for him!! i've been doing some reading on these things and am certainly open to suggestions! my inspiration for this is my sweet cousin, Jamie, full-time working outside of the house mother of just-turned-one-year twins...who has made all of their food. if she can do it, certainly i can too!! the doctor also said noah is looking as healthy as ever. he swears he looks like a plump little formula fed baby, which is great news! and he's still trying to talk me into moving to africa to share some of my milk with hungry children... he's still topping the charts in his growth, weighing in at a hefty 17 lbs 15.5 oz and 26.5 inches long!!
after the doc, we went to publix to get stuff for dinner and some cereal for noah, of course! then, we went home and ran (3 MILES!) and then i cooked dinner, we ate and i headed off to the school for a parental meeting. was there for a few hours, then headed home to find the boy already tucked lovingly into his bed (what a great daddy he has!). what a full day! and there are more to come, i'm sure....

i haven't blogged lately because life isn't very interesting...and because noah is so demanding some days. it's like the moment i sit down to do something, he becomes absolutely, ridiculously unhappy with whatever he is doing...even now, he's supposed to be taking a nap and he will, as long as i'm standing over his crib, but the moment i walk away-out pops the paci and the crying begins! it's super frustrating... especially since there is no break in sight for a few days, as ryan left this morning for san antonio. somehow just knowing that it's just me and noah for a few days is messing with my mind! i'm afraid i won't be able to handle it, even though certainly i can and i will.

i went to a meeting today to do some planning and learning for my new job! the gathering began with an inspirational quote (or i thought i was that, at least..): "knowledge is a barren tree, bare bereft of God." i'm still pondering upon it and invite you to do the same... school will start one week from today and i'm really looking forward to it. two days a week won't be too overwhelming and there will be lots of opportunity to learn as i go, which is nice.

well the boy is beckoning...

great news!

 i have noticed recently that i seem to be losing hair, little by little-when i shampoo, brush and even straighten my hair! it's getting worse each day. i finally decided to google it, just to see what could be up and i found this. "The most common period of hair loss occurs approximately three monthsafter delivery. The rise in hormones during pregnancy keeps you from losing your hair. After delivery, the hormones return to normal levels, which allows the hair to fall out and return to the normal cycle. The normal hair loss that was delayed during pregnancy may fall out all at once.

Up to 60% of your hair that is in the growth state may enter into the telogen resting state. The hair loss usually peaks 3-4 months after delivery as your hair follicles rejuvenate themselves. As noted before, this hair loss is temporary and hair loss returns to normal within six to twelve months."

so, it's no fun, and a little saddening since i recently decided that i really am growing my hair long again...but, it's normal, it seems.....

score!

i did it-i ran a whole 5K over the weekend and actually did well. i set a lofty goal, about two minutes faster per mile than i have been running...and actually was within 15 seconds of attaining it! and-i got second place for my age! i was pretty siked about that...when i dropped my card in the basket and saw only one other in there, i knew the news was good...i began planning exactly where i was going to put my trophy-i couldn't decide between putting it right on the dashboard of my car-so everyone who saw me out would know that i'm a runner or putting it on the bookshelf in our house-so everyone who visited it would see it first thing! okay, not really... i was just seriously excited that my hard work had paid off a little-i had done well, no walking the whole time! not even up the monstrous hills! :) unfortunately, though, for the second placers (they really just consider us the "first losers" i guess), there was no trophy! instead i got a sweet little u of m pedometer so i can measure all my steps. pretty sweet-i've always wondered how many steps i take a day. i had a nice big mountain dew the evening after the race, to celebrate my success...i have been off sodas for a while, not because i know that's the healthy thing to do, but because my personal trainer (aka ryan) told me that drinking a soda totally cancels out any running you have done on a particular day. with all my hard work, i could have none of that! but, i will say, the mountain dew was absolutely wonderful! everything i had hoped...and more! ;) we are now training for a 10K...a little further than i'd ideally like to run, but the program is "couch to 10K", so i guess we better continue on! 

surprise!

life is so unpredictable at times! i always find myself thinking i just might have it figured out, and then something happens and i realize i don't even have a clue... i am excited about the potential for change in our life right now. we have been kind of coasting along for the past few months, trying to figure out exactly which direction we are headed. having a baby is a huge adjustment. it's everything we thought it would be and more, yet at the same time nothing like we thought it would be. i thought it would be chocolate chips and kisses, smiles and sunshine all the day long...and while it is sometimes, it certainly isn't always that. i have seen a side of me that i never knew existed. it's ridiculous how mad i can be at my little baby sometime, but equally ridiculous, maybe even ri-donk-ulous (i actually heard someone use that in a sentence the other day...seriously) how much i love him. over the past few months, we have slowly adjusted to our new little family of three. i was reading a friend's blog and was reminded that last year, just around this time ryan and i found out that we were going to have a little one. the whole ordeal was quite surreal for us. i actually noticed something was up and decided to take a pregnancy test, just to mark that off my list. i was pretty positive that i wasn't preggo, but, at the same time, always a little nervous that i could be (i think i took like 3 pregnancy tests within the first month of marriage!). much to my surprise, the little stick had a plus sign on it...so, of course, i took another one-to be sure that the first one wasn't a dud. then, i rushed to the store and bought two more sets of tests to take, just to be sure and called ryan in a frenzy, asking him to meet me at the school ASAP. i jumped out of the car when i got there, ran to him and blurted out, "i think i'm pregnant!" i was in such a panic. he said that i should take the other tests and see what the outcome of those were...maybe it was something i ate? so, the next two mornings, i saved all my pee through the night, and did two more tests...only to see two more plus signs. each a little darker than the one before. first thing monday morning, i called the local obgyn and asked them if i could come in for a test. they, of course, asked if i had taken a home pregnancy test. i told them i had taken three, but that i had read that they are only 99.9% accurate...couldn't i get a blood test, just to make sure i did get a false negative?? the lady actually laughed at me and told me that i certainly must be pregnant...and so i was. and now, a year later, i have a 3 1/2 month old baby-the sweetest little guy in the world!
and now..more winds of change are blowing our way. i always assumed that i would be a stay-at-home-mom and that i would absolutely love it. while i do absolutely, undoubtedly, with all my little heart love our sweet noah, i do not always love staying at home...and, on top of that, having a baby is so expensive (much more than i would have imagine. fyi: just because you pay your insurance co-pay doesn't mean that you won't still have to pay doctor's bills...)! so, for the past few weeks, ryan and i have been praying about either him finding a new job or me finding a little part time, side job. i have been pretty picky about the hours i would work...and not really seriously looking...just kind of contemplating the idea of working a few hours a week... and wouldn't you know, out of seemingly nowhere, came a job offer. a great job offer. a i can't believe they actually offered me this job offer. but, we had to take some time to see if this job would work for us...and i was a little worried that the offer would be taken back because we were so slow in responding. but, as it turns out, the job is perfect, perfect, perfect for me for this time in my life. i'll be doing something i will really enjoy...getting to invest a little of myself into a few others-and the best part, i'll get paid for it! so, we can finally get all of the crazy hospital bills paid off (no circumcision for the next boy i have and no epidural for me even if i do have to have another csection...i can suck it up! gotta save money where you can, right??)! even with this great new job, we will continue to look for something that actually makes ryan's heart sing. he is such a trooper to work two jobs that he doesn't really love (for months and months...) just to bring home the bacon (even though we don't actually eat bacon). we have found a potential for him, but are slowly working through the details to see if it will actually be a fit for us. in the meantime, we continue to pray for the Lord's direction!
until next time...

success!

noah finally enjoyed riding in the jogging stroller today. we have tried and tried, but apparently, for him, being 3 months, 2 weeks and 1 day old is the secret for him. he didn't make a peep!! 

in other news, it looks like i may have a new part-time job, which is pretty exciting news! more to come on that as the details finalize. but, i will just say that it certainly is an answer to prayer. we have been begging for direction and provision and it looks like this may be it! :) 

that's all for now...my little guy is calling my name! 

week 3

so i have been meaning all along to share about my experience with the new running program i am on. unfortunately, i have forgotten to actually do it until this point. we are currently in the middle of week 3 of the couch to 10K (in 10 weeks) running program. i didn't think that i was going to make it this far, and honestly, i'm pretty impressed with myself. i started out on the program for two reasons: a) exercise is helpful in losing weight, which i certainly have plenty to lose (thanks to noah! ;)) and b) ryan loves to run and i thought it'd be nice to do something with him that he enjoys. it has been working both ways, i have slowly continued to lose weight and have gotten to spend some quality time with ryan. unfortunately, noah is not a fan of his stroller at this point...so that doesn't always work out so well. thankfully, we have gracious family nearby who have taken care of him a few times, and the other times, well, we spend most of our time trying to keep his paci in! 

the program started me out running just about an 1/8th of a mile at a time..then walking it, then running, and so on for a mile. i couldn't breath, my legs ached and i was sure there was no way i'd make it...but i did. and now, today's goal is to run 2 miles at one time. that may not sound like a lot, but the last time i ran that much was my senior year of college (2 years ago-yikes!). it's funny, though, every time i don't think i'm going to make it, am encouraged to keep at it, and actually do what i didn't think i could...i feel very good about myself. it's a nice feeling to have pushed yourself hard...and to persevere.

anyway, a new update on the running program as we go... :) we are set to run a 5K together in just 2 short weeks! last time i ran this particular race was in college, and i wasn't in super shape... i let my dad talk me into running it and he took off and left me as soon as the race started. i came in next to last place, running across the line just after someone twice my grandmother's age. it was embarrassing... and i was exhausted! hopefully that won't happen this time..

"helpppppp!"

library + screaming baby = no fun at all! especially when it happens after you've gathered all of your books, but before you've made it to the front to check out. even worse when you reaaallllly want to get the books and aren't willing to leave them on the table you've stacked them on. and the real kicker, once you make it all the way to the front of the library to check out and they take the basket away that you FINALLY found to assist you in carrying all of the books, and you are left with a baby, his diaper bag, and a stack of books almost as tall as you are with no bag or basket or buggy to carry them out with. but, the best part is when you ask desperately if the librarian has a bag (or 20) that you can use to carry your books out in and he says, "we can sell you one for $4." and you are sure he then whispers "sucker!!" under his breath... 

routine

routine has been our friend over the past 3 months with noah. it got him sleeping through the night and made him a much happier baby during the day. this past week, though, sadly enough, our routine has gotten all messed up. we have been taking care of my two youngest sisters while the rest of the family is over seas...which has meant sleeping in a different place, getting up earlier (to get the girls to drama camp), and eating at different times. none of which has worked in our favor. over the weekend, noah decided that he had had enough and has been, i'm pretty sure, the fussiest baby in the whole world. he eats, cries, sleeps, cries, and cries some more. if we put him down anywhere to play or just to hang, he freaks out. it's terrible... i'm going to try hard to get him back to our normal routine over the next few days, if i make it through. ryan is working like a mad mad this week (from about 5 am til 6 or so pm), so he won't be around to keep me grounded. :/ some days i can barely handle all of this time with noah by myself... i don't know how single moms/dads do it!! 

Top 7 Things I Miss About Being Pregnant

7. How amazing food tastes

6. The way people think you look cute with a huge belly...not so cute when you aren't preggo

5. Can you say "baby" shower? Presents are fun any time of the year, but baby presents are ESPECIALLY fun!

4. Stretchy pants

3. The hands-freeness of it all (imagine trying to carry two bags of taters with you everywhere you go...inside a huge, awkward box thing with a handle. that's me with noah most days!)

2. Daily massages-shoulders, feet, back--yes please!!

1. Having an excuse for eating anything I want...whenever I want it.

image?

"there is no ordinary man. you have never met a mere mortal."

i started reading a book recently and came across this quote. what a thought? i have been a follower of Christ almost my whole life, and a believer in the truth of the scriptures...but i'm not sure if this thought ever crossed my mind. the bible says from the start that mankind is made in the image of God. but i'm not sure i've thought about what that means in day to day life. i'm such a black and white kind of a person... usually seeing the world as either this or that, not in between. and i find myself so often seeing people as either believers or non-believers...but all people everywhere in every time have some kind of mark of God on them. something inside of them is bearing the image of God. not sure what that looks like, or what that really even means in the fullest sense. but, at the very least, i know that it should have a HUGE impact on the way i treat those around me.

silly boy

noah has successfully mastered the 3 minute power nap. just enough time for me to take a deep breath and relax...