#4
My goal is to spend alot less and save alot more.
We truly are a blessed family. We do not have as much as others, but we have a comfortable little life.
Grocery Shopping
I want us to eat healthy but still try to save where and when we can. I need to shop properly and by this I mean I want to meal plan better,I don't want to throw something together from the freezer any more. My friend Sara got me an awesome meal planner note pad that sits on the fridge...i am hoping that this tool will revolutionise our meals. Also i am going to start writing in depth and concise shopping lists, hoping that it will stop me from making those quick grocery trips for a few items that naturally turns into a huge shop.
Personal Spending
I want to edit my monthly spending, we have all been there I am sure, I went through our monthly receipts and could not believe the waste that was spent on disposable and unnecessary items.
My husband and I have committed to very small personal budgets for us to purchase whatever we choose, maintaining my fathers mantra 'when it's gone, it's gone', hoping that knowing that the pot runs out, we truly will begin to think what we spend our money on.
I also want us to recommit ourselves to our home, Don works in food and beverage and so always is wanting to go try a new restaurant and all these lunches and dinners out also add up, so we have planned to cut eating-out expenses by half and save the difference.
So here's to the New Year...i know it will be an awesome one.
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Friday, December 30, 2011
#2 & #3
#2 Organise my life
oh, i feel like i say this all the time, 'i am going to sort my life out', by this i mean organise myself better, for example schedule one night a week where we sit and pay our bills, have regularly laundry days so i don't get overwhelmed with the mountain of sheets and onesies lurking in the laundry basket. I am going to have a 'grocery day' yes you guessed it, groceries will be purchased on that day!
By having regular days with tasks assigned, i hope to feel successful at the end of the day knowing that chores were accomplished properly. I hope also that it will give Finley more of a schedule, where we can commit to things fully and not miss out on play dates because i let the laundry build up and now we have no choice but to go do it.
#3 Commit more to Blogging and Etsy
I love to write and i love to craft, i follow so many blogs of women who have similar passions as i do. They seem to have it all together and I long for that. I want to create, during the day i am mama, i am there for my boy 100% and i love it, but when the clock strikes 7, i don't want to spend the evening sitting watching television. My husband frequently works late and i want to use that time not being upset that yet another meal has been eaten alone in front of the television but that it is a wonderful opportunity for me to reinvest in my creative. I want to document everything for Finley, i want him to have a creative mama.
oh, i feel like i say this all the time, 'i am going to sort my life out', by this i mean organise myself better, for example schedule one night a week where we sit and pay our bills, have regularly laundry days so i don't get overwhelmed with the mountain of sheets and onesies lurking in the laundry basket. I am going to have a 'grocery day' yes you guessed it, groceries will be purchased on that day!
By having regular days with tasks assigned, i hope to feel successful at the end of the day knowing that chores were accomplished properly. I hope also that it will give Finley more of a schedule, where we can commit to things fully and not miss out on play dates because i let the laundry build up and now we have no choice but to go do it.
#3 Commit more to Blogging and Etsy
I love to write and i love to craft, i follow so many blogs of women who have similar passions as i do. They seem to have it all together and I long for that. I want to create, during the day i am mama, i am there for my boy 100% and i love it, but when the clock strikes 7, i don't want to spend the evening sitting watching television. My husband frequently works late and i want to use that time not being upset that yet another meal has been eaten alone in front of the television but that it is a wonderful opportunity for me to reinvest in my creative. I want to document everything for Finley, i want him to have a creative mama.
The Resolution Series - #1 Getting my pretty back...
Welcome to my Public Resolution Declaration...
I am choosing to commit myself to the following four things in 2012:
* Get my Pretty back
* Organise my life
* Commit further to Blogging and Etsy. Commit to Fennel & Seed.
* Refinance myself. Spend less, Thrift more and save Money.
Resolution #1
Can I tell you a little something...I think I lost my pretty.
I don't know where I lost it...perhaps through the stress of a newborn, maybe the sleep deprivation took it or was it midnight teething episodes?
I suppose it doesn't matter where it got lost, the focus is on getting it back. My husband was looking at photographs of our wedding with Finley over Christmas and he said out loud 'Oh your mama was so pretty', now firstly i know that men say alot of things without totally thinking them through and i know that he meant i looked pretty on our wedding day...but i am sure you can imagine how i felt, 'was pretty'??? so not pretty anymore then??? (i felt for the poor man as i asked him to explain himself - blame hormones and Christmas mimosas),his comment certainly got me thinking and if i am honest i could do better with this pretty thing and so i want to commit to the following...
- I will make better food choices and eat actual meals. I will not consider a can of soda lunch anymore.
- I will commit to taking the time to dress myself and not just throw on the nearest thing. I will aim to look like Anthropologie dressed me at least twice a week.
- There will be more date nights that i can dress up for. I can count on one hand how many times we have been out without the boy...this needs to change.
- I will do my nails.
- I will not leave the house again with wet hair.
I think it is easy to throw my hair back, pull on sweatpants and one of don's old tshirts and make breakfast. But i never used to do that, i always planned outfits, thought about how i would do my hair and what shoes to put with my outfit...so tell me what changed. Having a baby didn't make me suddenly want to give up on clothes or make up or straightening my hair, but I do think I gave up on me a little bit.
Much of this has to do more with me using the time i have for myself better, i really do have 'time', i need to put as much effort in how much i like a clean and tidy home into taking care of me. I want to find 'pretty Charis' again, 'pretty wedding day Charis' and please don't think this is one of those 'i lost my identity when i had a baby' posts, because it isn't, i know who i am, i just think i have gotten a little set in my un-pretty ways and to be honest a little lazy. I don't want to be that any more and so Resolution #1 has been declared and so it shall be...
Stay tuned for the next 3...
I am choosing to commit myself to the following four things in 2012:
* Get my Pretty back
* Organise my life
* Commit further to Blogging and Etsy. Commit to Fennel & Seed.
* Refinance myself. Spend less, Thrift more and save Money.
Resolution #1
Can I tell you a little something...I think I lost my pretty.
I don't know where I lost it...perhaps through the stress of a newborn, maybe the sleep deprivation took it or was it midnight teething episodes?
I suppose it doesn't matter where it got lost, the focus is on getting it back. My husband was looking at photographs of our wedding with Finley over Christmas and he said out loud 'Oh your mama was so pretty', now firstly i know that men say alot of things without totally thinking them through and i know that he meant i looked pretty on our wedding day...but i am sure you can imagine how i felt, 'was pretty'??? so not pretty anymore then??? (i felt for the poor man as i asked him to explain himself - blame hormones and Christmas mimosas),his comment certainly got me thinking and if i am honest i could do better with this pretty thing and so i want to commit to the following...
- I will make better food choices and eat actual meals. I will not consider a can of soda lunch anymore.
- I will commit to taking the time to dress myself and not just throw on the nearest thing. I will aim to look like Anthropologie dressed me at least twice a week.
- There will be more date nights that i can dress up for. I can count on one hand how many times we have been out without the boy...this needs to change.
- I will do my nails.
- I will not leave the house again with wet hair.
I think it is easy to throw my hair back, pull on sweatpants and one of don's old tshirts and make breakfast. But i never used to do that, i always planned outfits, thought about how i would do my hair and what shoes to put with my outfit...so tell me what changed. Having a baby didn't make me suddenly want to give up on clothes or make up or straightening my hair, but I do think I gave up on me a little bit.
Much of this has to do more with me using the time i have for myself better, i really do have 'time', i need to put as much effort in how much i like a clean and tidy home into taking care of me. I want to find 'pretty Charis' again, 'pretty wedding day Charis' and please don't think this is one of those 'i lost my identity when i had a baby' posts, because it isn't, i know who i am, i just think i have gotten a little set in my un-pretty ways and to be honest a little lazy. I don't want to be that any more and so Resolution #1 has been declared and so it shall be...
Stay tuned for the next 3...
Thursday, December 29, 2011
On the New Year...
Oh how i love the build up to New Year...
i am not talking about the parties...i don't think i have been to a 'real' New Years party since University....yes its true.
What i love about the New Year, is the week preceding up to it. On Boxing day, we have a 'pick up' day, every year i have managed to convince Don that we should either do a DIY to improve the house or tidy out something. Our first year married we updated the first house we lived in by removing an installed sink unit, a noble cause you may think but unfortunately we lacked the skill to accomplish the task correctly and a week later had to have a plumber professionally seal the exposed pipes. So, for the past couple of years it has been to tidy and organise something.
This year was the boy's turn - we decided to create somewhat of a play den for Finley. We all had been feeling a touch overwhelmed with the toys that were everywhere, now you should know that our house is considered 'cute', (that's the polite LA way of saying small), and as you can imagine we feel cluttered very easily. We created a space solely for the boy and his toys. We did have to sacrifice a 'grown up' part of our living room, the spot where i love to write and blog, but it is nice to have our sofa free from Mr Potato head.
i am sure you can tell that we are Ikea enthusiasts...
I put a lot of effort into the week before New Year, i tend to write 3 resolutions, they are small and do able. They are precise and definitive and they nearly always are not kept. But this year it is going to be different (right?!?). Well i will certainly try to keep them.
I get my organisational crazy on, we make a special trip to find the perfect agenda, one that has plastic pockets for me to fill with those miniature recipe cards from Real Simple, one that includes both a birthday reminder calendar as well as month to view and day by day break down (particular much!?!) and also it must be spiral bound and most importantly - pretty. I also found a wonderful printable calendar to brighten up the fridge and bonus - to keep a track of everything i have planned for us in the upcoming year.
I do a little spring clean, clean out my closet, organize outfits and shoes and tell myself that i will wear something other than sweat pants during the day...getting my pretty back is one of my new resolutions. But i will post about those separately.
I guess i love the promise of a New Year, new hopes, new adventures. I feel like this week is a real 'sort your life out' kind of a moment. It makes me happy to plan what i hope to accomplish and to think of what is to come.
i am not talking about the parties...i don't think i have been to a 'real' New Years party since University....yes its true.
What i love about the New Year, is the week preceding up to it. On Boxing day, we have a 'pick up' day, every year i have managed to convince Don that we should either do a DIY to improve the house or tidy out something. Our first year married we updated the first house we lived in by removing an installed sink unit, a noble cause you may think but unfortunately we lacked the skill to accomplish the task correctly and a week later had to have a plumber professionally seal the exposed pipes. So, for the past couple of years it has been to tidy and organise something.
This year was the boy's turn - we decided to create somewhat of a play den for Finley. We all had been feeling a touch overwhelmed with the toys that were everywhere, now you should know that our house is considered 'cute', (that's the polite LA way of saying small), and as you can imagine we feel cluttered very easily. We created a space solely for the boy and his toys. We did have to sacrifice a 'grown up' part of our living room, the spot where i love to write and blog, but it is nice to have our sofa free from Mr Potato head.
I put a lot of effort into the week before New Year, i tend to write 3 resolutions, they are small and do able. They are precise and definitive and they nearly always are not kept. But this year it is going to be different (right?!?). Well i will certainly try to keep them.
I get my organisational crazy on, we make a special trip to find the perfect agenda, one that has plastic pockets for me to fill with those miniature recipe cards from Real Simple, one that includes both a birthday reminder calendar as well as month to view and day by day break down (particular much!?!) and also it must be spiral bound and most importantly - pretty. I also found a wonderful printable calendar to brighten up the fridge and bonus - to keep a track of everything i have planned for us in the upcoming year.
I do a little spring clean, clean out my closet, organize outfits and shoes and tell myself that i will wear something other than sweat pants during the day...getting my pretty back is one of my new resolutions. But i will post about those separately.
I guess i love the promise of a New Year, new hopes, new adventures. I feel like this week is a real 'sort your life out' kind of a moment. It makes me happy to plan what i hope to accomplish and to think of what is to come.
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Just a little sweetness on a Wednesday
Yes that is a toaster....we still are not sure how we didn't manage to catch him pulling it out of the cupboard nor notice him as he trotted off with it to the play mat.
Monday, December 26, 2011
To my son on your 2nd Christmas
(To preface this posting...
I should explain that I 'write' to Finley, sometimes its just a scribbled notecard and sometimes its a 'real' letter, there is always so much I want to tell him about what he does, how I feel and how much I need him to know that we love him.)
Finley,
Today was your second Christmas. It would just be the three of us this year.
Your second Christmas morning, started like any other, but what you didn't know was that we were up before you...we were so excited for you to tear open the wrapping of your gifts and I think your daddy was more excited than all of us to get building with your new mega-blocks. We chatted in bed a while before we heard you stir and we realised that this may be our last Christmas as a little family of three...hoping to get you that sibling we so long for in 2012. This made your mother get emotional...don't ask me why.
When we came downstairs, you ran to a few presents under the tree, but what you didn't realize was that they were mine and not yours and you opened 2 of my gifts before you worked out that they were not for you. You got so excited when you saw the mega-blocks, you danced and stamped your feet with excitement. You began building straight away and got upset with me when I explained it was time for breakfast and we had to eat. We chatted with family on Skype and you were patient and fun when we knew all you wanted to do was go back to playing. You and your father played cars and built a robot while I cooked, and I stood at the kitchen door watching you play, and how I realised the toys had changed, there was nothing soft, nothing that was simple, nothing that rattled or was chew proof, you were no longer a baby, you were a boy. Although only 18 months old, you were looking at the intricate details of the cars, playing with each wheel individually, hiding them on the bookshelf and then pretending to 'find' them again. I was amazed by you.
By lunch time you were exhausted and wouldn't you know it we were still around 30 minutes away from our roast chicken, your mothers cooking/timing skills still need improvement. So you had a very different Christmas dinner than I wanted you to have. We watched as you shovelled Mac n Cheese into your mouth followed by a banana, What a Christmas dinner you had! You hauled yourself to the stairs and pointed up, you napped for 2 hours.
Thank you for napping so long chicken, we missed you but it was so special for us to have Christmas dinner together, you know that we just talked about you the whole time anyway.
We played all afternoon, you only tried to scale the Christmas tree the once but you did work out how to turn the lamp lights on and off and this did not make us happy...we tried to teach you a new word 'danger' and instead you just pointed at your nose and said 'no'. The evening came quicker than you could have imagined and you finally ate your Christmas dinner with 'Elf' on in the background (a special treat...don't think you can have TV with dinner all the time). You and daddy had a shower party and I hate to say it but you had a little accident on the bathroom floor...it was all too amusing for us. You cried for your bedtime milk and shuffled off to bed 30 minutes early, you played so hard today and was so happy to finally be in your crib.
We sit in the living room surrounded by all of your new toys, and as I am writing this your Father just turned to me and said "so far...my favourite Christmas" and it was my love, it was perfect.
This is how we found you Christmas Eve, we don't know how you managed it but you were in the refrigerator eating a sugar cookie.
I should explain that I 'write' to Finley, sometimes its just a scribbled notecard and sometimes its a 'real' letter, there is always so much I want to tell him about what he does, how I feel and how much I need him to know that we love him.)
Finley,
Today was your second Christmas. It would just be the three of us this year.
Your second Christmas morning, started like any other, but what you didn't know was that we were up before you...we were so excited for you to tear open the wrapping of your gifts and I think your daddy was more excited than all of us to get building with your new mega-blocks. We chatted in bed a while before we heard you stir and we realised that this may be our last Christmas as a little family of three...hoping to get you that sibling we so long for in 2012. This made your mother get emotional...don't ask me why.
When we came downstairs, you ran to a few presents under the tree, but what you didn't realize was that they were mine and not yours and you opened 2 of my gifts before you worked out that they were not for you. You got so excited when you saw the mega-blocks, you danced and stamped your feet with excitement. You began building straight away and got upset with me when I explained it was time for breakfast and we had to eat. We chatted with family on Skype and you were patient and fun when we knew all you wanted to do was go back to playing. You and your father played cars and built a robot while I cooked, and I stood at the kitchen door watching you play, and how I realised the toys had changed, there was nothing soft, nothing that was simple, nothing that rattled or was chew proof, you were no longer a baby, you were a boy. Although only 18 months old, you were looking at the intricate details of the cars, playing with each wheel individually, hiding them on the bookshelf and then pretending to 'find' them again. I was amazed by you.
By lunch time you were exhausted and wouldn't you know it we were still around 30 minutes away from our roast chicken, your mothers cooking/timing skills still need improvement. So you had a very different Christmas dinner than I wanted you to have. We watched as you shovelled Mac n Cheese into your mouth followed by a banana, What a Christmas dinner you had! You hauled yourself to the stairs and pointed up, you napped for 2 hours.
Thank you for napping so long chicken, we missed you but it was so special for us to have Christmas dinner together, you know that we just talked about you the whole time anyway.
We played all afternoon, you only tried to scale the Christmas tree the once but you did work out how to turn the lamp lights on and off and this did not make us happy...we tried to teach you a new word 'danger' and instead you just pointed at your nose and said 'no'. The evening came quicker than you could have imagined and you finally ate your Christmas dinner with 'Elf' on in the background (a special treat...don't think you can have TV with dinner all the time). You and daddy had a shower party and I hate to say it but you had a little accident on the bathroom floor...it was all too amusing for us. You cried for your bedtime milk and shuffled off to bed 30 minutes early, you played so hard today and was so happy to finally be in your crib.
We sit in the living room surrounded by all of your new toys, and as I am writing this your Father just turned to me and said "so far...my favourite Christmas" and it was my love, it was perfect.
Saturday, December 24, 2011
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