Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Eli's Birthday/My Victory Party
We had a huge barnyard birthday party for Eli but I like to think of it more as my victory party!! Eli did a lot of adorable things this year and brought so much joy to our lives but I did most of the work!! I have many friends that are pregnant with their first child right now and I feel like there is no way to describe to them what the first year of having a child is like. There are so many wonderful moments and so many hard moments. I never fully understood the word exhaustion until I had a child! I try to tell them that every tear they have will be replaced by a grin from their baby and nothing in the world could make you feel more special. Having a baby really surfaces the deep selfishness we keep in our heart. I never realized how important MY time and MY sleep are to me. A child teaches you how to love unconditionally, call for help when you need it, and constantly put someone else first in your life. I believe God allows babies in our life for joy but also to teach us to be more like Him. So if you are about to have your first child, know that it will be a wonderfully hard year ahead but you will look back during "your victory party" and know it was one of the best years of your life.
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Why Dave Ramsey is ruining our life!
Reason #1 Cable
Dave Ramsey is mostly ruining our life because his series has made us stop and think about all our purchases and how necessary they are to our life. It was way easier and more fun to not consider the consequences of spending money!! So anyway, we took Dave Ramsey's financial peace course at our church last spring but have never really taken the time to put his method into practice. When January rolled around we decided this was the year to begin a budgeting system like he suggest. Everything he recommends is not for us but he makes some really valid points that are worth considering. There are so many things in life we can not control but our finances can be monitored and controlled so that they never have to be a source of stress. We want to honor God and managing and using your finances for His glory is a part of following Him.
After taking a look at where all our money is going we decided that our cable bill could definitely be cheaper. I am a TV junkie so this is a pretty big sacrifice for me. Sam doesn't care as much about it and was having no problem with our decision. I love HGTV and the Ghost Whisperer on ION every afternoon but I was just sure both of those channels would be gone when we cut back the cable package we were receiving. I had finally come to grips with the change and called AT&T to make the big switch. I had our channels dropped from the package of 200 to 80. It was in effect immediately!! I started flipping through to see what all was lost and HGTV and ION were still there!!! Hallelujah!!! Sam comes home and starts flipping through the channels and guess what has disappeared.....ESPN. So, who knows how long this will last. I don't think God desires for us to get rid of everything we think is enjoyable in life. I do think he wants us to be disciplined and mindful of how he can use our time and money before we start making plans with it.
Dave Ramsey is mostly ruining our life because his series has made us stop and think about all our purchases and how necessary they are to our life. It was way easier and more fun to not consider the consequences of spending money!! So anyway, we took Dave Ramsey's financial peace course at our church last spring but have never really taken the time to put his method into practice. When January rolled around we decided this was the year to begin a budgeting system like he suggest. Everything he recommends is not for us but he makes some really valid points that are worth considering. There are so many things in life we can not control but our finances can be monitored and controlled so that they never have to be a source of stress. We want to honor God and managing and using your finances for His glory is a part of following Him.
After taking a look at where all our money is going we decided that our cable bill could definitely be cheaper. I am a TV junkie so this is a pretty big sacrifice for me. Sam doesn't care as much about it and was having no problem with our decision. I love HGTV and the Ghost Whisperer on ION every afternoon but I was just sure both of those channels would be gone when we cut back the cable package we were receiving. I had finally come to grips with the change and called AT&T to make the big switch. I had our channels dropped from the package of 200 to 80. It was in effect immediately!! I started flipping through to see what all was lost and HGTV and ION were still there!!! Hallelujah!!! Sam comes home and starts flipping through the channels and guess what has disappeared.....ESPN. So, who knows how long this will last. I don't think God desires for us to get rid of everything we think is enjoyable in life. I do think he wants us to be disciplined and mindful of how he can use our time and money before we start making plans with it.
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
McDonalds
There are so many things you battle with as a mom when trying to decide what is best for your child. Some things are not worth the fuss and some are hugely important for establishing standards you wish for your child to have. I believe starting your child out with good, healthy eating habits is crucial for their lifelong health. As a dietitian and a mom I want Eli to always enjoy nutritious food. However, the reality is, there will always be junk food available to him for as long as we live here in the good ole USA.
For the past three days he has had a very poor appetite. I could not even get him to eat his favorite foods so I got him a McDonalds cheeseburger. I tore it up into small pieces and he ate the whole thing!! He has had so few calories and no protein over the past few days I decided that it was worth it to give him a cheeseburger in order to get him to eat. You really have to stop and think about why do I not want him to have McDonalds. Have I established a horrible health habit from letting him have it one time? Probably not! I think sometimes, especially as a stay at home mom, we get so wrapped up in needing to be "super mom" that we can forger about just doing what is best for our kids and ourselves. The most important thing I can do for Eli everyday is be on my knees in prayer for him. The most important thing I can do for myself everyday is be on my knees in prayer.
So, I will continue to give him tons and fruit and vegetables but I will NOT worry or feel guilty about what kind of mom I am for letting him have something he will eventually find out to love on his own!
For the past three days he has had a very poor appetite. I could not even get him to eat his favorite foods so I got him a McDonalds cheeseburger. I tore it up into small pieces and he ate the whole thing!! He has had so few calories and no protein over the past few days I decided that it was worth it to give him a cheeseburger in order to get him to eat. You really have to stop and think about why do I not want him to have McDonalds. Have I established a horrible health habit from letting him have it one time? Probably not! I think sometimes, especially as a stay at home mom, we get so wrapped up in needing to be "super mom" that we can forger about just doing what is best for our kids and ourselves. The most important thing I can do for Eli everyday is be on my knees in prayer for him. The most important thing I can do for myself everyday is be on my knees in prayer.
So, I will continue to give him tons and fruit and vegetables but I will NOT worry or feel guilty about what kind of mom I am for letting him have something he will eventually find out to love on his own!
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Jumpin on the bandwagon
Many of my friends and other stay at home moms I know are blogging these days so I decided to jump on the bandwagon. I think many of them do it in order to feel a connection with the world outside their home, find some common ground with other moms, and attempt to prove that they are doing something productive during the day. I have really enjoyed the blogs I have been reading (Hunters, Rubacks, and Freyaldenhovens to name a few) and could use it for all the previous reasons mentioned above. So friends, family, and anyone else who stumbles accross I hope you enjoying reading our family's stories of life.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)