In The Garden

We have been enjoying some nicer weather lately. Calder LOVES being outside and so we've been spending as much time as possible in the yard and at the park. It's a bummer when it rains because he doesn't understand why we're not outside. It was a really big bummer when it snowed last week. I really dislike snow. A lot. Here's some pictures of Calder out in the yard last week. It's fun to just watch him play and run around.

The look on his face in these last two pictures is awesome. This is the look he gives when he touches dirt or is confused. I love it.

Spending Fast Week 4

I had a great week! I spend $45.93 at the grocery store. The temptation to spend has definitely waned and I've learned to live without a few things. It feels good. I am excited to finish my spending fast but have learned quite a few things. I'll do a final recap on Thursday.

So Lauren & Lorraine how did you do? And Jeannie, how has your first week of writing it down gone?

Travel Bed

Okay, I need advice. Jason and I are going to buy a travel bed for Calder. We've never had a pack and play and didn't really see a need. Since we'll be living in various places this Summer it will be handy for Calder to have a consistent place to sleep.

We've narrowed our choices down to two. We're kind of at a standstill. Each has advantages and disadvantages. Tell me what you think.

This is the KidCo Peapod. It costs about $85.00 at Amazon.

Here's what KidCo would like you to know about it:

"Whether you have an infant or ‘big kid’ the PeaPod Plus is the perfect travel bed. For short trips across town when naptime nears, or long cross country vacations, the PeaPod Plus becomes your child’s own portable bedroom. And it’s so lightweight even your child can carry it. The inflatable air mattress helps protect from cold, hard surfaces (inside or out) and provides a comfortable place to sleep or play. Great for outdoors because of its UV protection and adjustable wind screens. Sleeping bag unzips completely to form a one piece sleeping pad. A large front zipper panel allows parents quick access to infants or easy in/out for older kids. The slick, easy to fold design makes it ideal for storage and use at a moment’s notice. Weighs 6.9 lbs.

Here are the advantages we see over the other one:

• Calder would probably think it was really cool. I mean, it looks like a tent, what little boy doesn't want that.
  
• It can be used to age 6.
• It comes with a sleeping bag.

Here are the disadvantages:

• It might be too much of a toy and hard for Calder to settle down in.
• It isn't as compact when folded and therefore would be harder to get into our luggage.
• I've never really heard of KidCo.
  

Here's the second one. The Phil & Ted Traveller. It costs about $80.00 at Costco. (but up to $199 at other stores)

The phil&teds® Traveller is a full size cot/crib that’s lighter than the baby! Perfect for both outdoor and indoor use. Lightweight, washable, and waterproof.

• Age: Newborn up to 3 years
• Use: Indoor & outdoor
• Frame: Lightweight aluminum
• Fabric: Washable & waterproof
• Incredibly lightweight
• Playpen & sleep solution in one
• Ideal for home & away, sleep & play, beach & bedroom
• Compact so there’s less bulk to carry
• Zip-off UV shade cover
• Self inflating mattress (cushion & insulation)
• Simple, rapid assembly
• Dimensions: 51x25x31 in. erected, 25x9x9 in. packed
• Weight: 5.6 lbs. (without mattress)

Okay, the advantages here:

• Size when broken down
• It looks like a bed and seems very sturdy.
• It comes from a company I know a lot about and trust.
• It doesn't seem like it would blow away in the wind if we take it to the beach or the park.
• It seems like it would be better to use from infancy for our next kid.
  

And the disadvantages:

• It's less 'cool' for Calder.
• It doesn't come with a sleeping bag (but I could totally make one, so that is fairly minor)
• It only goes to age 3.

So, what are you thoughts? Do you have one? Do you love it/hate it? Is there an obvious advantage/disadvantage that we missed?

Spending Fast Week 3

My fridge today. At least it's clean.

This was a fairly good week for not spending money. I didn't feel as tempted. I spent $45.84 at the grocery store. Not bad. I did find a 12 pack of Coke in the car, so that means Jason spent money at the grocery store. I'm guessing it was about $5.00. Either way, I never made him commit to this silly spending fast and I do think it would have fit in the budget if I wanted it to.

Calder was sick this week. He has a double ear infection, possibly strep throat, oh and he still has those pesky 5 (possibly 6 now, I can't quite tell) teeth coming in. There were two nights that we didn't get much sleep and a third that was less than desirable. Since the doctor thought he may have strep throat we weren't allowed to come in contact with other kids for 2 days. That wasn't fun, but it sure made not spending money pretty darn easy. We did spend $25.00 on the copay but I feel pretty okay with that.

My friend Amy brought us dinner after the less than desirable sleep night. It was really good and fed us for a few days! Thanks Amy!

I only have 10 days left. I can totally do this! I do have a list of things I want to buy. It's interesting how some things have been crossed off the list because I don't really need/want them any more. I wonder if it would be a good practice to keep a running list of things you want, write the date next to it and wait two weeks to buy it. I wonder how much stuff would disappear. Anyone want to try that for the next 10 days? Like a mini spending fast?

So, Lauren and Lorraine, how is it going for you guys? Anyone else have a Spending Fast planned for the future?

Calder at 17 Months

Calder is such a fun kid. We're really enjoying his emerging personality. He is really an easy kid. I'm so blessed and we love him tons.

He has 5 new teeth this month! Thankfully he didn't seem to care when they were coming in. A few of them were completely out before I realized they were even coming. That takes the teeth total to 9.

Calder's communication is amazing. He tells me what he wants and is able to express why he's upset. Along with that comes frustration when I don't give him what he wants. Frustration for both of us for sure. He seems to understand everything I say and has started picking up on social ques. He has started to really like his friends and gets excited to play with them.

Spending Fast Week 2

Thank you. I appreciate all the kind comments and words of encouragement. I'm feeling much better.

I honestly think I was mostly feeling like I couldn't do anything creative and that was getting me down. I found some larger remnants of fabric from past projects and have a few things in the works. I think this will ultimately be really good for me to see how to use things in a new way and use fabric for projects I may not have otherwise chosen.

I do need to spend some time in the basement just organizing and figuring out where I'm going to put my packed boxes once I start packing. So, I have projects, and that helps.

There was a talk at church today that I found very fitting for me. I love that! Basically it was the circle of goals. So, you start at the top with your goal and start with gusto. You are on the down hill and it's pretty easy. Your enthusiasm carries you to the bottom. But at the bottom, it gets hard and you're not as excited about it. The bottom, lets call it 6:00 through 8:00 is the hardest. You have to persevere if you want to reach your goal. Then, as you start to come back towards the top (victory) again you can see the light at the end of the tunnel and it gets easier. I think I just hit 6:00 but hopefully I'll move through the hard part quickly.

This week I spent $49.66 on groceries. I didn't really use anything from the pantry which made it harder. I'll be changing that this next week. I ended up not getting as much as I would have liked, but we survived.

I did mail a few things at the post office, so I spent $4.88 there. I'm okay with that. I didn't really actually buy anything to take home.

We also spent $218.00 on two new suits for Jason. Joseph A. Bank had a sale that they only have twice a year. Jason has been watching their website for months. The sale just happened to be this week plus we had a great gift card so we did it. I also don't feel bad about this one. Really, it was Jason buying them. I just chose fabric. If only that logic worked at JoAnn's.

Pretty Low

This is ridiculous. I'm having such a hard time not spending money. It's pathetic. I'm feeling pathetic, sad and lame. How hard can this really be and here I am making a pity party for myself.

Here's a list of things I've been tempted to buy:

• A great old 8 pane window that I want to paint with chalkboard paint to make a menu board or Family Home Evening board. $20 on Craigslist (I'm hoping it is still there on April 1st)
• A bra (Victoria Secret sent me a $10 off coupon that expires on March 31)
• Sewing books
• Shoes for the Summer specifically these or these
• Vintage zippers on Etsy
• This really awesome picture of the Salt Lake Temple on Etsy
• Socks for Calder
• Fabric, lots and lots of fabric

I did get free underwear from VS. Thanks to them for that coupon. It wasn't totally worthless. I also have three free coupons to Noodles & Co. I've used one so far. There's something to look forward to.

I've almost given up MANY MANY times. Here's what's keeping me going. I have already done 12 days. I'm almost half way done. If I quit now I know that I won't be able to live with it and will probably be doing this again in November trying to keep my resolution. I know some of you are reading this and rolling your eyes. And it is pretty pathetic. I should be able to do this with ease and poise and happiness.

I was talking to a friend of mine today who's husband is in school and they are living very frugally. As we were talking she mentioned that my month is basically her life. I felt pretty lame. It really put things in perspective for me. Yep, I'm materialistic and lame.

Spending Fast Week 1

I am so happy I made it through the first week. Honestly, it was hard. I hope this gets easier. How was your week Lauren? Lorraine?

I went to a fabric store yesterday. Playing with fire, I know. I went with a friend of mine to help her pick fabric for a dress that we're making. This dress, actually. It is my favorite Columbus fabric store. They are celebrating their 2 year anniversary and had tons of fabrics 20% to 50% off. That was by far the hardest part of the week.

Groceries
I went grocery shopping for the week on Monday. I took a calculator with me and just dialed in $50 and subtracted each item as I put it in the cart. That was hard when I got to produce, but I just estimated. I ended up spending $33.86! Can you believe it? I was shocked. I tried really hard to use the food already in our cupboards and veggie drawer in the fridge. I think the first week will be the easiest since I have the most food in my cupboards to choose from. To answer Madeline's question, I don't have a super well stocked pantry. In fact, since I knew I would only be in Columbus for a year I purposely didn't stock up. I hate moving food. So, I do have some, but nothing compared to most people.

I needed walnuts for the delish recipe this week, so I went back to the store and impulse bought a box of Cheerios. So, add another $5.34. Final grocery total for the week: $39.20.

I've decided the money can't roll over from week to week. Once the week is over I get a new $50 allowance and that's it. So, it will be harder as the month goes on and my pantry decreases.

Week 1 Menu
Monday: Salmon Pesto (leftover pesto served over Salmon and rice. Delicious, easy and cheap)
Tuesday: Dinner at the Judge's house
Wednesday: Leftover Salmon Pesto
Thursday: Chicken Curry over Rice
Friday: Leftover Chicken Curry
Saturday: Ann's One Pot Potato Soup (I doubled the recipe and froze half for later in the month. This is our favorite soup recipe)
Sunday: Leftover Potato Soup

I'm still looking for cheap but tasty recipes. Please tell me your favorites.

Latest & Gratest

Here are a few pictures of what we've been doing. I'm really trying hard to just let go and allow Calder to totally feed himself. It has been hard. And you can see why. The best part is that if his hands get dirty he wants me to wipe them off. Never mind the applesauce on his head.

Calder and Jason shoveling again. I've heard Ohio has spring too. We'll see.

Check out how hard Calder is concentrating. See the drool coming out of his mouth. He's probably listening to 90's punk since it is Jason's iPod.

He looks like such a big boy in these pictures.

This is Calder's latest obsession. He carries my bags and purses everywhere. I made him a backpack for church but I think I need to encourage him to use it all week. Otherwise I should probably make him some tote bags to store his stuff. You know, so he doesn't pitch a fit when I tell him he can't carry that bag through Target.
Oh and this last picture is our neighbor's "dog". They actually have three of them that look exactly like this. I swear they're a mix between wolf and alpaca. They're huge and rather ugly.