Life on a budget

John and I got caught in the crappy house market crash when we relocated for his company.  We bought our house in January 2007, for what we thought was an amazing deal. We put in a lot of money and made it "ours" with no real plans on leaving it.  Then we were relocated, and then relocated again, and now are in a permanent relocation.  We had to list the house.  After talking to experts, learning options, and MUCH discussion, we have realized that we will be renting for a few years (even after our house eventually -shoot me now- sells).  It's hard to go from owning to renting.  I'm slowing becoming more okay with it, but I'm hoping to speak to our owners about painting rooms and such to make it feel like "ours."  I think I have finally swallowed that pill (of not looking at houses to buy for the time being). 
John and I are hoping to be debt-free this year.  That is our goal.  We will have student loans to pay off forever, and may double payments up once we break even with everything else.  We keep a spreadsheet every month of our finances and still seem to overspend.  It is hard though because we do not "shop" and are not spending money on a lot of extreme "wants." Seriously, no eating out, no babysitters, no movies out, no clothes shopping unless the kids grow (and even then we hope grandma's will help out!), etc.  (Although, for John's 30th birthday we used his bonus for a guy's snowboarding trip - on the cheap.)   We are overspending on gas and groceries.  We eat as natural and organic as possible and plan our meals out carefully.  I cut coupons and look for deals.  We budget $400 a month, but typically spend $500 on food.  Food is expensive.  We try to buy larger pieces of meat, cook them on Sunday and turn them into meals for the week.  That's hard for me because I LOVE to cook.  I love to cook from scratch. I love to cook different meals every day. I have had to learn that rice and beans are okay enough to eat, but great for the budget on occasion.  Giving up wine, beer, and dessert during the week will hopefully help with the budget.  It's just so hard to turn down something sweet - we CRAAAAAAAVE dessert.

So we are going to tighten the belt strap even tighter to get to where we want to be. 

Today's Resolution was to bring dinner to a neighbor.  We have a few elderly neighbors so I'm going to add this one back into the bucket so it can appear again in the future!  I'm glad that I made a large pot of the brunswick stew!! Allen, our widowed neighbor (in his late 70's) was so thankful for a big tupperware full of stew.  I'm pretty sure Scarlett enjoyed visiting him and bringing dinner over! 

Tomorrow's resolution:  Recycle Something

Brunswick Stew to DIE FOR.

Yesterday's resolution sent us searching for the perfect recipe.  Man oh Man did we find it. It was very properly titled "Get a Husband Brunswick Stew."  When I tell you that I will be dreaming of this meal tonight, I am not kidding.  I'm glad we made a large pot.

Last weekend, we smoked a large turkey breast, a brisket, and a pork shoulder.  (Heck, if you fire up the smoker, you make it worth it.) Needless to say, we had leftovers.  That's what sent us in search for a Brunswick recipe.  I'm going to pass it on (with my variations) so that you can enjoy it on a chilly day in your house.

Remember, our meat was seasoned and smoked for 28 hours and was AMAZING... so I'm sure that had something to do with the stew being so good. 

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cup chopped onions (1 BIG onion)
• 2 stalks celery, chopped  (I used 4-5 stalks)
• 1 1/2 pounds ground pork     (just chopped up our pork shoulder)
• 1 1/2 pounds ground beef      (chopped up our brisket)
• 1 (3 pound) whole cooked chicken, deboned and shredded  (pulled apart our leftover turkey breast)
• 3 (14.5 ounce) cans whole peeled tomatoes with liquid, chopped   (used 4 cans of diced tomatoes)
• 1 cup ketchup  (only had 3/4 cup on hand)
• 1/2 cup hickory flavored barbeque sauce  (used 3/4 - 1 cup of a combo - half sweet baby rays, half mastercraft - again what we had on hand!)
• salt and pepper to taste
• hot sauce to taste (optional)   (USED A BUNCH!)
• 1 green bell pepper
• 3 (14.75 ounce) cans cream style corn  (used 2 cans of this and one can of whole kernals drained)

I added some chicken broth to thin it out and get it to stew consistency  (we had so much meat).

Directions

1. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet, and saute the onions and celery until soft. Mix in the pork and beef, and cook until evenly browned. Do not drain.
2. Transfer the pork and beef mixture to a large stock pot over low heat. Stir in the shredded chicken, tomatoes and their liquid, ketchup, and barbeque sauce. Season with salt, pepper, and hot sauce. Place the whole green pepper into the mixture. Cook, stirring occasionally, 2 hours, or until thickened.
3. Stir the cream style corn into the stew mixture. Continue cooking 1 hour, or to desired consistency. Remove the green pepper; chop and return to the stew or discard.

I started the stew last night knowing it wouldn't be done in time for dinner. HUGE HUGE HUGE mistake. The smell filled the house and made our tortilla pizzas seem ridiculous.  We set the pot back on the stove today for an hour or so before dinner to warm it and threw french bread in the oven.  I'm pretty sure that this recipe could win some sort of award.  I cannot wait to eat it again tomorrow!  ENJOY IT!!

Today's Resolution was to organize our filing cabinet.  John has been working on it throughout the day, and I'm just going to let him have at it :)   I'll sit this one out!

Tomorrow's resolution:  Start reading budgeting books (that have been sitting on our bookcase forever).  Isn't a budget part of everyone's resolution?  We have a very tight budget, but can't seem to follow it - so I'm hoping the research will help us!

Am I sleep walking?

I am EXHAUSTED today.  Emmett has been nursing every 2 hours at night for the past week, and I'm pretty sure that it has caught up with me!  We had play dates yesterday and today and spent the morning at the playground.  I didn't think I could make it passed 4:00pm, but I couldn't lay down with two wide awake kidos!  So here I am, sleep-walking until nightfall. 

Scarlett and I ventured into the backyard looking for substitute paintbrushes this afternoon. Today's resolution was to try a new craft.  I pulled this out of my butt basically and just kind of went with it. She found branches, leaves, sticks, and a juice lid to try.  We went to work!  It actually turned out pretty well!

We did decide on a convertible car seat for Emmett - The Diono 100.  (It's the new name for the Sunshine Radian65)  That will be here pretty soon!

Scarlett just pulled the resolution for tomorrow:   Try a twist on an old recipe!   I wish that would have been today's!  Look what I just pulled from the oven:

individual croissant wrapped turkey pot pies.    MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM......  (We were out of pie crusts! lol) 

Time for a new car seat.

I just stepped off the scale with Emmett.  He is 21lbs (+/-) and the bucket infant seat holds up to 22lbs.  We need to jump on this ASAP.  Scarlett was in the seat for 15-16 months before she was too tall (not too heavy) for it!  Emmett is a heavy weight!  Here's the problem: we have a midsize SUV (ML350) and Scarlett is in the Britax Marathon (still rear-facing whoop whoop!) behind the passenger with Emmett behind the driver. We want another baby in the next 2 years and that means three car seats.  We do not want to have to re-buy a seat later because of spacing!  Nothing outweighs the safety of course - but I'd like to narrow this down here quick.

His chunk is so yummy though :

So tomorrow's resolution:   Narrow the car seats down to three (I decided this was important enough to be added in to the resolution mix)  :)

Happy Birthday to John!

Happy 30th birthday to the greatest husband and daddy!  I love you so much John!!!

Today's Resolution was to eat as a family.  Scarlett has been napping since 3pm and it's now 6:15pm.  I'm hoping she wakes up to join us!!  If not, then more apple pie for John and I! :)   That's right, apple pie.  I peeled, sliced, sauteed, and then baked apples to make an amazing apple pie for John's birthday!  I cannot wait for dessert tonight!

Tomorrow's resolution:  Transfer $20 to savings.

Peek-a-Boo

Just because my babies are so sweet:

We were outside grilling all day Saturday, and I was able to get some great pictures!

Elephants, Clowns, and Bubbles - Oh My!

After searching for something fun to do yesterday, we found that the circus was in town!  John's parents had come up for the weekend to celebrate his promotion and his 30th birthday.  We decided that the circus would be just the ticket to make Scarlett's smile as large as possible :) 

I must say that walking by the animal rights protestors on the way in to the circus really opened my eyes to what we wear watching.  I felt awful for the animals and will probably never purchase another ticket or support them in any other way. 

But on the fun note - Scarlett had a blast!  She loved holding popcorn and watching the acrobats, clowns, and animals.  Her favorite was the elephant who stood on his head.  She was all smiles!  When arriving home, O-ma and Papa had a surprise for Scarlett - a bubble gun!  It produces a million bubbles at a time and is the greatest gift a two and a half year old could get.  We have since invested in 5 giant (dollar store) bubble containers! 

I'm pretty sure that Scarlett was a happy camper!

Today's Resolution was:   Enjoy Downtown Savannah

Well - if you live anywhere near us, then you know today's weather was CRAPPY to say the least.  But we headed out to have brunch downtown.  The weather was too cold and wet to walk around, but we enjoyed a good meal.  I'm going to throw this resolution back in the bucket to try again on a prettier day!

Shout out to Suzy!

I'm going to be one hot mama here soon if I continue teaching these bootcamp classes three times a week!  Today was the first class for the prenatal women and the second for the mommy-n-me women.  I am going to be beyond sore tomorrow, but it was worth it.  We sweat our butts off in the park all day.  In the process, we made a new friend!  I'm hoping that it will turn into a friendship and not just a one time connection at the playground.  We shall see!

In other news:   Scarlett and Emmett were with a babysitter for the first time EVER this evening.  John was thrown a promotion party by his company and his parents drove up to attend the event.  (His dad works for the same company.)  That being said, we had no one to watch the kids.  We asked the pastor's daughter who watches the nursery at church.  Scarlett was excited to see her at our house.  She did well with the kids. Emmett had a melt down right before we arrived back home, and he never cries, so that was hard on my heart as I walked in the door.  But she swears that he was fine the entire time and had just started crying.  I hope that's the truth.  I hate hearing my babies cry. 

It was nice to be out with John tonight.  We were dressed nice and enjoyed the company of his co-workers.  We had a few drinks and a nice dinner.  Nothing to write home about, but an overall nice time :)

Tomorrow's Resolution:  Make a point to make Scarlett SMILE :)

Smiling Pink Pancakes

So... Yes, I did drag my butt to the gym yesterday. I was sore and hurting and couldn't push my butt farther than a 1.5 mile run and a few other exercises, but I'm glad I went. 

Today's resolution was to sleep in and make pancakes. 

Let's just say that we had no problem accomplishing that one. I'm pretty sure that John is a little upset that he missed out on this resolution!  We rolled out of bed between 8:30-9:00am and made our way to the kitchen.  Of course Scarlett requested pink pancakes.  We took our time stirring and mixing.  Emmet jumped in the bouncer as we enjoyed our morning. We made a batch of pink and a batch of green batter.  We mix and matched them to make some funny pancakes.  The best one had to have been all pink with a green smiling face! Scarlett laughed so hard I thought she may pee her pants!  What a great morning!

We headed to a friend's house and spent mid-morning until early afternoon playing over there.  I feel as though I am starting to truly appreciate the friends I am making at this stage of my life.  I will always love my best friends from childhood (still close friends today), my best friends from high school, and my best friends from college (who will always be my best friends).  But this time on my life, where I'm about to entire the early 30's age group, with two small kids, a husband, trying to survive the depressing economy, etc... there's something about friends in the same stage of life.  When we first moved to Savannah (about 7 months ago), I will admit how easy it was to get caught up in the "lifestyle" of Savannah.  It seemed as though everyone had money and liked to talk about what they were purchasing, had purchased, or were going to purchase.  John and I are not like that - for one reason being that we DON'T have extra money to "talk" about. I was swept up in this - surrounded by it almost.  It was easy to fake.  We lived in the right neighborhood, drove the right vehicles, and took part in the right events, but when we were permanently relocated here (meaning that the company didn't pay our living expenses anymore), we quickly realized just how much we were faking it.  We moved into a house we can afford and drive a lot less to save on gas money.  We also live on a ridiculous food budget.  Yes, we try to eat organic, but there are some months (like this one) where we eat what we can afford - even three nights of hot dogs or rice and beans for a few days in a row.  We are determined to not pull money out of savings for the day-to-day things anymore.  But, now that I am completely off tangent, I have come to appreciate a true friend when I meet one.  I have been meeting a lot of mamas lately who are great company and conversation.  I was afraid that I wouldn't find any real (non-judgmental) women.  I am so glad that I was wrong.  I have a strong feeling that I am going to find some lifelong friends here.

ok - You'll see where that vent came from when you read tomorrow's resolution! 

Tomorrow's Resolution:   Meet a new friend :)  

 

No Leaps for Scarlett

So Leap Frogging with two adults and a toddler = hopping around like frogs.  There was no way Scarlett could leap over us!  It was a good try, and there was some climbing and trying, but overall, we just hopped around.  No biggie; it was still a fun night!

I'm pretty much a supermom tonight.  I just put both babies to sleep before 8:30pm. I don't think that has ever happened in this house yet.  I'm sure Emmett will be up in an hour to be changed and eat before going down for the night, but still - I feel pretty awesome about myself!


Tomorrow's Resolution:  Go to the gym.
(ugh - I am SO sore from Mommy-n-Me Bootcamp on Monday....  I don't know how I'm going to walk tomorrow, let alone go workout...  BUT I WILL.)  

Mommy's Bootcamp helps Marriages!

I couldn't wait for today to start - I mean like up before the alarm kind of excited.  I started the first session of Savannah's Mommy's Bootcamp today!  I have been teaching bootcamps for over 10 years now, but after becoming pregnant with Scarlett, I became a pre/post-natal exercise specialist and started teaching Mommy-n-Me classes.  We wear the babies (in an ergo or other carrier) and use them as our weight throughout the class.  It is an amazing workout!

I was so excited for the first class, that I had the car and kids packed up and headed to the park WAY too early.  We were there 45 minutes before start time.  Good thing Forsyth park has playgrounds that Scarlett loves! Scarlett used her purple exercise mat next to mine and helped me teach the class.  It was a sweaty hour, and I hope I'm not the only sore one in the morning.  :)

Anywho - today's resolution was to read an article on marriage. 

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/19031744/ns/today-relationships/t/secrets-long-happy-marriage/#.TxNwcvJkidk

That is what we read.  I plan on reading a few more articles, but this one jumped out first.  Marriage is a tricky thing.  Neither John or I believe in divorce, and we agreed to always fight for one another.  I do however feel as though it is easy to fall into the day-to-day of life and take for granted the great relationship we have worked so hard to build.  There is no doubt that great marriages take ups, downs, and right turns along the way, but there is also no doubt that life has the same "off the path" journey - why not go through it with someone you love.  The challenge is to grow together on the journey and not venture off the path in separate directions.  John and I are in our 5th year of marriage and our 7th year as a "couple" and have lived at 5 addresses (one while dating, our first bought house while engaged-2nd anniversary, then relocation for work, another relocation, and a second move in Savannah for work). We have bought a dog and had two children.  We have gone from two salaries to one while I became a stay-at-home mom. We have lived penny-to-penny, gone into debt, gotten out of debt, listed our first house for sale (We finally have an offer! Now we pray to the short-sale God that it closes quickly),  and are now still soooooo in love...  John was just promoted, my bootcamp has started up again, we have amazing babies and everyone is healthy and happy.  I can only hope that we continue down this road, growing together.  I love John so much and am so blessed to have found him :)

After bootcamp today, the mamas and I sat around chatting, getting to know one another.  It was such a great time to vent to other moms in similar situations.  I really feel as though talking to others can help a marriage.  Obviously, I don't mean to tell everything to friends, but it's nice to know that you are not the only woman in the same place.  It felt GREAT talking today. So shout out to my bootcamp mamas!!

Tomorrow's Resolution:  Play Leap Frog.

Phone a Friend

Today felt as though we were fulfilling resolutions left and right - but yet, it was just a fun day in our house!  We made pink and green smiling pancakes for breakfast; we had a hokey pokey dance party with limbo and pin the tail on the donkey that lasted until lunch, and we enjoyed a slow smoked dinner of hot dogs (bet you weren't expecting that!) and corn on the cob.   The hot dogs were a last minute decision to throw on, as John was already smoking a beer butt chicken.  The chicken will be used throughout the week for a few other dinner ideas! 

As easy as today's resolution should have been, it took late into the afternoon before I picked up my phone.  I had a few old friends in mind to call, but for some reason, I couldn't dial for a while.  I felt like a horrible friend!  I should make more of an effort to keep in touch.  Facebook is NOT good enough!  I did get in touch with my friend Rachel in Charleston.  She's not only a fantastic friend, but an awesome mama.  She has four beautiful babes and runs an all natural house.  She inspires me to continue down the natural road :)  I loved chatting and catching up!  But I really need to do it more often.  This resolution will be dropped back into the bucket to be pulled again sometime (hopefully soon)! 

Tomorrow's Resolution:  Read an article on marriage.  

Their First Date

 

John "picked" Scarlett up for her first date.  Scarlett even had her hair blow-dried for the event! (Way to go Mommy :)  Scarlett is in love with princesses, but Aurura, Belle, and Ella (Cinderella) are her favorites (even though she's never actually seen the movies).  Today's "Daddy/Daughter Date Night" resolution timed perfectly with the release of Beauty and the Beast in 3D.  Scarlett has never been to a movie theater before, but she loves movies... and popcorn.  hehehe.   She's dressed the part and even pulled out her "good" jewelry (haha).  John was in heaven loading her into the car and sent me pictures from his phone throughout the movie of her face!  They should be home anytime. I'm so glad that we are doing these resolutions.  They may just be little "things" to some people, but these are the little things that could go by without notice on a day-to-day basis.  We have been forced (willingly and happily) to complete these resolutions together everyday (so far) and I truly think we have already become stronger as a family unit!

So Daddy/Daughter date means that Emmett and I had the house to ourselves!

I lit a bunch of candles and started the fireplace.  I stuffed diapers, nursed Emmett and caught up on all the facebook gossip before I realized that a Disney movie is probably only an hour or so long - haha.  I'm pouring a glass of wine and awaiting John and Scarlett for dinner.  We are going to cuddle up around the fire tonight and enjoy each other's company!

Tomorrow's Resolution:   Call and chat with a friend you've been meaning to call for a long time!

Giving Thanks

After a frustrating day of sitting at the DMV to become a true Georgian, and then spending the entire afternoon at the grocery with two children... I was a bit lacking in the "thankful" category.  However, both babes are napping and I opened up a link to read what was not properly labeled as "EXTREMELY emotional."  

For those of you interested in reading a blog that will make you thankful for all that you have, please click below.  Because of this reading, I have not stopped crying, and I have gone into kiss my children countless times already.  Please be aware that there is nothing I will pray for more tonight than for this little boy Tripp.

http://randycourtneytripproth.blogspot.com/


On that incredibly sad note, I will try to turn the rest of my post into a happy read. 

I am thankful for my husband who continues to make me smile every day. He is my heart, and together we are the strongest foundation to build a happy, healthy family.
I am thankful for my babies.  They inspire me to create a life of imagination, wonder, health, and happiness.
I am thankful for my mom <3 I love you Mom!
I am thankful that I have great in-laws, and an amazing brother-in-law.
I am thankful for my extended family... we may be a small family, but it's not about quantity - it's all about quality.
I am thankful for my friends - my oldest, my newest, and ALL in between.
I am thankful that we DVR'd some great shows this week :)
I am thankful for great wine, good books, and delicious food.
I am thankful for coupons - with which I saved $101 at the grocery today! (Too bad I still spent $180)
I am thankful for co-sleeping - I get to wake up with all my loves every morning.
I am thankful for cloth diapers because they save us money (when I'm not making more or buying more) and are some of the cutest things my children will ever wear. EVER.
I am thankful for finger paintings hung above the mantle.
I am thankful for "me" time, but love nothing more in the world than some "family" time!


Tomorrow's Resolution:   Daddy/Daughter Date.... John is excited!

A walk under the stars

John and I are enjoying a glass of wine, the kids are both asleep (in their own beds too!  That may just be for the next hour or so, but we are enjoying the moment!).  We are watching some Thursday night TV, sipping some wine, and chatting about nothing in particular. The temperature is dropping outside, so we took advantage of John arriving home pretty early (6:30pm) and bundled up the double stroller!  It was already dark out, so we grabbed some flashlights and headed toward the golf course.  The stars were gorgeous, and Scarlett was just an awesome flashlight "holder" :)

We enjoyed an easy taco dinner - to be followed tomorrow by Taco pizza!

We had a great start to the day today: Scarlett told me, "Mommy, me dream pancakes eat breakfast. PINK pancakes mommy! good dream!"  So of course, we made pink pancakes this morning!

Something exciting happened for John today - his 30th birthday gift arrived!  (From his parents) --  A smoker.  Those of you non-southerners out there - it's a type of grill (I think) where you can cook meat low and slow and make AMAZING food!  It arrived by FedEx and was a HUGE package.  John came home to admire (or in his words "unload") the gift!  We will be breaking it in this weekend.

Scarlett and I explored the amazing world of water today. I pulled out buckets and containers, filled them with water and added food coloring to each one.  We "fed" animals, bathed dolls, looked at our hands in the colors, and just laughed.  It's a great activity for any age!  

And just because he's so flipping cute - here's Emmett today!

Tomorrow's Resolution:  Give Thanks.

Miss-Matched Happiness

How can you not smile at miss-matched socks? Seriously...  Aren't you smiling right now?

Scarlett picked out our socks this morning.  She was very particular about the task too. At first, she didn't understand the point and wanted us all to wear purple socks.  After an "almost" breakdown, she figured out the objective and began to dig through sock drawers (although we ll had to have one blue sock - Scarlett's two year old OCD shines through!).  We went out in public - to music class - this morning.  Where better to be goofy than a toddler music class?! haha. 

It's a rainy, gloomy day here in Savannah.  We made the best of it and splashed in the puddles wearing rain boots and carrying ladybug umbrellas. Other than that, it's been a lazy, napping kind of day.  I will not complain about that at all.

After discussing the "possible" addition to our resolution with John last night, we decided to go for it.  Starting January 13, 2012, we will get rid of dessert for the month.  We will only have wine/beer on the weekends.  We will only buy necessities - no excess snacks or things like plug-in refills, etc... This will be a much larger challenge then our daily resolutions.  If I can cut my addiction to popcorn and m&m's as a dessert in the evenings, we will have an extra $30 at the end of the month that I get to put towards a photography class, my bradley birthing certification classes, a cooking class, etc. I CAN DO THIS! 

On another note - I guess it can be a resolution...  John and I are going to have more quality time together.  In John's line of work, with moving and putting in hours that are extremely long, and working from home in the evenings to keep up with the job site, life sometimes gets pulled out of the proper priority order.  When living in Charleston last year, I told him that I really wanted more time together, and while he put forth effort for a few weeks, we eventually fell back into the "comfort zone."  We have an amazing relationship and marriage so a safety zone for us isn't exactly a bad thing, but we just have so much fun together that we don't want to forget that.  We moved again and then had Emmett.  John was working crazy amounts toward a promotion (CONGRATULATIONS John!!! We are so so proud of you!)  It was hard for me because after the birth of our first baby, Scarlett, John and I were in bliss. I mean it was the greatest year of our lives together.  So when Emmett was born, I was almost expecting that again... and it didn't happen. Nothing changed. We just had another baby and continued on, happy, healthy, and normal. I was just hoping for that extreme bliss again I guess.  Well, Emmett is now 5 months old; John received the promotion, and life has fallen into a very very happy place for me. I LOVE my mommy-job. I wouldn't change it or trade it for anything.  But now John is realizing just how much he misses "me."  It's the feeling I had in Charleston.  I hate the idea of leaving my kids with a babysitter. I mean, I truly hate it.  But I LOVE the thought that I get some quality time with John!  We are starting this Saturday with a date.  I don't know what we are doing (something super cheap), but I'm excited to just be with John!  We are also going to try a bedtime routine, nothing too strict, for Scarlett. I just want to make sure that she gets to spend time with John every night when he gets home.  So it's flexible, but we need to start something every night.  We'd like her to start the evening in her bed and come into our bed when/if she wakes up - or if she is scared, etc.  

That's a lot of added "resolutions."  Let's see how we do!

OK - I'm heading out the door to meet John at the gym for a TRX strength class together.  I'm hoping we can walk tomorrow!

Tomorrow's Resolution:  Take a family walk.  (Scarlett literally just pulled in out after I finished the above sentence)

Words can make a day

I decided that the gym, instead of the library, was calling my name this morning.  I'm doing a 10k mud run in March and should probably start a training schedule instead of just random workouts...  I also figured that it would be a great place to compliment someone. Think about it...  you would never expect a compliment while in workout clothes, sneakers, and no make-up.  I dropped Scarlett and Emmett at the child-watch room and hit the treadmill for a quick 5k.  I started some strength exercises and had a good sweat going.  There was an older woman finishing her weights and heading toward the treadmill to walk.  I watched her while I finished up.  The treadmill next to her was open so I hopped on and walked for a minute before working up the nerve to pass on a compliment!  I told her that she had a great workout.  She was so excited to talk to someone while she walked! She told me that she was working out to "Stay young to keep up with the great-grand kids!"  We chatted for a bit and I told her that she had a beautiful spirit!

It's a gorgeous 74 degrees and sunny outside, so we decided to get the buckets out and wash the car! We scrubbed and sprayed, washed and rinsed... and Scarlett pee'd in a bucket - hey, why not?

John's suppose to fulfill the resolution while at work today, but he has to work late so I'm taking advantage of down time to update the blog!

On another note, I'm thinking of adding to the resolutions. I'm thinking about not purchasing ANYTHING un-needed for one month.  I mean, no unneeded junk/snack foods, extra clothes, extra food that won't be eaten that week, etc....  no fun smoothies or Starbuck's or lunches out. Nothing gets bought unless it is needed.  hmmmm....  I'm on the fence because I'm obsessed with popcorn and chocolate for a snack almost eery night... not to mention how much we love wine - and snacks ...  I don't know if we can do it! haha... and Valentine's Day is next month - I want dessert for Valentine's day!  I'm going to sleep on it. :)

Tomorrow's Resolution:  Wear Mix-Matched Socks and Try Not to Smile.

A trip to the duck park

     We ventured out to the Duck Park today!  

I not only fulfilled our playground resolution for the day, but I scoped out all of the Savannah parks!  I teach a mommy-n-me bootcamp class and am in need of a great park to move my class to.  I'll be teaching in Forsyth Park now!  wahoo!  After exploring the parks, we settled in at Lake Mayer's Duck Park.  We enjoyed a picnic lunch and Scarlett "fed" the ducks.  In all actuality, she threw bread pieces a foot in front of her and was almost attacked by 18 million birds who reached the bread before the ducks could!  When I say "18 million birds" I mean it.  There was a point when they were FOLLOWING us - seriously- across the park. I was a bit scared that we may die of bird pecking, but somehow we survived.

We ran, swung, climbed, danced, and fed the ducks all afternoon.  We arrived back home with a sleepy 5 month old (YES FIVE months already!! Where is the time going?) and a toddler ready for more!  Scarlett and I did an "A" activity (it's the letter of the week).  We cut an apple in half and talked about 2 halves making a whole.  I don't think at (almost) 29 months, she really understand the fraction lesson, but she sis count both halves! That's fantastic that she could recognize one whole apple was cut into two pieces and, when put back together, made one whole apple again!  After learning with the apple, we cut it into 1/8th's and made marshmallow smiles.  We painted each slice with peanut butter and stood marshmallows as the teeth on them.  Then, using a toothpick, we put to "lips" together and made smiles! 

How much fun was our day?  hehehe.... It only got better!  We watched a friend's little boy around dinner time, and when John got home from work, he was full of energy.  We ate an AMAZING leftover dinner of the pork, potatoes, and veggies... and as I tyoe, we are enjoying a phenomenal glass of wine.  I'm also smiling as I watch John fly toy cars off the fireplace mantle to make Scarlett and Emmett laugh.  (Oh yes - it's 10:00pm and both children are awake.  I wouldn't have it any other way!)

Here are my loves:

Tomorrow's Resolution:   Compliment a Stranger!

Let's EAT!

Last night, we enjoyed friends around the BBQ.  We shifted our menu around and ate the rubbed pork last night. It was to die for good. I mean mouth-watering, crave it in your sleep good. We'll eat on the leftovers for the next night or two and then jump back with fish and shrimp, and then the mexican!

Today's resolution:

Head to the playground and swing. Swing with the kids. Swinging makes you smile.

This Week's Menu

Saturday: Blackened Fish
Sunday: Grilling with friends - more fish and shrimp with grilled veggies (we had fresh caught red fish and shrimp in the freezer)
Monday:  (Sunday John is smoking a large pork tenderloin - Honey Brine for 24 hours then rubbed nice and thick before smoking Sunday night)  Pork Tenderloin
Tuesday: Taco Tuesday
Wednesday: Pork leftovers
Thursday: turn the pork into another meal somehow!
Friday: Mexican pizza (taco leftovers on a pizza crust topped with salsa, spinach, peppers, etc...)

That's the menu!  Are you drooling yet? :)

It's been a beautiful day of playground time, reading books, naps, and grocery shopping!

Tomorrow's Resolution:  Cook dinner together!    Since we will be BBQ'ing with friends, I guess that counts! 

Toddler Throw Down!

Today's resolution was to workout together, and boy did Scarlet rise to the occasion!  John and I alternated using her for our "weight" as we did squats, lunges, bicep curls, etc.  We ran around the house and rolled around on the floor... but we did it all together! How much fun!!

I love Fridays.  It means that John will be home for the next two days, and we have plenty of family time ahead!  Scarlett, Emmett, and I headed to our monthly attachment parenting meeting at the library, and we met so many wonderful mamas!  I love talking to like-minded parents.  Today's topic was "crying it out" and it was interesting to hear the different views from women who all share the common "big picture" parenting thing.  After reading all of the research out there, it is common knowledge that it is horrible to let your child "cry" it out... but to learn how parents handled the sleep issues was very beneficial.  We have a family bed and have both kids sleeping with us every night. They go to bed with us, wake up with us, etc... I have children with me 24 hours a day - literally. I love that, but every once in a while, I wish that Scarlett (our two year old) would just maybe go to bed earlier - even if in our bed.  Just so that John and I had some adult time. We know how beneficial the family bed is for having independent, self-confident, and secure children/adults someday.  We would never kick-out one of our kids before they were ready.  Just maybe one day a week though, it would be nice to have a few hours with no one in the bed but John and I! I have a feeling that's a ways away though - which is just fine with us because we can find room to have "alone time" anywhere in the house ;)

Happy Friday to all out there!

Tomorrow's Resolution:

Daddy picks the menu for the week.   (This should be delicious because it came at the perfect time of the week for John to BBQ)

Roasting Marshmallows

It was touch and go there for a few hours of if today's resolution would take place,or if it would be postponed until tomorrow.  Scarlett's belly was hurting a little and she was not the happiest of campers this evening.  I really thought that bedtime would occur before John even arrived home from work.  But good ole Scarlett pulled through and stuck it out.  (Such a trooper) She must have remembered that marshmallows were involved in today's resolution.  She actually just had her first marshmallow a few week's ago, which is what inspired this resolution in the jar. 

I was envisioning more of a family camp-out type of backdrop for this resolution, but the 10 minutes we hung out in front of the fireplace were fun too.  We'll reenact this resolution when we pull the camping card out of the jar!  We did have fun though. Scarlett enjoyed stabbing the marshmallows and holding them into the fire.  She wanted to blow on everything, but she wasn't keen on eating them.  I can't blame her, neither John nor myself really enjoy marshmallows.  Big puffed balls of sugar - not the best for an upset tummy.  We "roasted" (BLACKENED) a bag of large marshmallow together and laughed the entire time!

Tomorrow's Resolution:

 Set a timer for 5 minutes.  Everyone must workout for the entire time; take a water break, and then set the timer at least one more time.

We are a super active family, and we workout all the time, but not as a family together.  Bring on the NIKES!