Things have been sooo busy since we have decided to homeschool Princess. First I felt extremely overwhelmed, even though I knew it was the right decision for her at this point in time. The knowledge of everything I'm already trying to do with living frugally, running the household, taking care of the kids and supporting my trucker can be overwhelming in itself. We've got a pretty good routine that keeps me from going crazy most days, but when things like holidays or birthdays interrupt it, it can take a while to get back on track. So now we are throwing homeschooling into the mix. So when we first decided this the overwhelming feeling of everything got the better of me. I started out by prioritizing and making my list. Trying only to focus on those few things. It's getting better but there is still a lot to do.
My big goal is to try to get enough done ahead of time so that when we are in the first couple months of homeschooling all I will have to focus on is that. I find that transitions tend to go better if I have everything organized, cleaned, etc.
One of the things I've tried to do is make my own cards this year. Some come out better than others, but the more I do it the better I get. It is also a LOT less expensive to make them myself. So one of my first goals was to get all the cards I would need through December made. I've just about accomplished that goal. I think I've got 1 or 2 cards left to make, but I'm currently lacking inspiration so I'm taking a short break from it.
We have also switched to starting to make our own cleaners. Not only is it less expensive, but it also makes things a little more allergy friendly for us. I am hoping to have enough made up ahead of time to last me about 2 months.
I'd like to have everything deep cleaned before we start our homeschooling year. When we moved Buddy into his big boy bed and redid the kids room we deep cleaned theirs. Everything was washed from the walls to the toys and we did everything we could to make it allergy friendly. It was a lot of work, but I'm really happy with the way it came out. Our air conditioner was broken and replaced today, so while I've got that corner of our living room ripped apart I am going to start deep cleaning the living room.
I am still experimenting with freezer meals but I'm hoping to have some good, healthier meals frozen for the start of the school year. I tend to meal plan in spurts. It is something I'm hoping to put a little more effort into.
The big bulk of my time right now I've spent trying to plan some dramatic play options and quiet time options for the kids. Teachers pay Teachers has had some great options which have really saved me a lot of time and most of them I've gotten for free. I've also gotten some ideas on Pinterest.
Things will probably be sporadic as we adjust to our upcoming changes but we will be checking in from time to time.
Wednesday, May 14, 2014
Thursday, February 27, 2014
Looking Back, Looking Forward
Things are still pretty busy here. We are still in the thick of trying to make the right educational decision for Princess. Who knows, maybe that will be a post in the near future. However, I'd like to take a moment to pause and do a little reflection, as well as to see where we are going.
Financially:
We started working through the book Your Money Map by Howard Dayton. We weren't happy where our finances were taking us and have slowly been making some changes. This book was a gift to us at the right time.
Looking Back:
Health:
Looking Back:
Looking Back:
Financially:
We started working through the book Your Money Map by Howard Dayton. We weren't happy where our finances were taking us and have slowly been making some changes. This book was a gift to us at the right time.
Looking Back:
- We no longer use credit. If we don't have the cash for it, we don't get it. For us this has been a very good thing because it takes away the false sense of security that we had. We have been learning to live within our means.
- We have increased our giving dramatically without jeopardizing our budget. You can read this mini-series here.
- I began to coupon and to combine those coupons with sales whenever possible. This stretched our budget just over an additional $5100. (I have learned to never turn my nose up, even to the smallest coupon)
- The Colonel quit smoking. (This will also appear further down) On those weeks where the loads weren't the greatest, this made a big difference. In a year's time (which is fast approaching) that saved us well over $1000.
- We started paying attention to what we do around the house and seeing if there were any small changes that we could make that would help stretch our budget. Organization was a big part of it. You can read about the lessons we learned here. There are also several posts about our story and struggle with organization. There are so many other ways that we have stretched the dollar! We will share them as we can on Our Journey to Debt Free Living
- The next step in Your Money Map is to begin creating an emergency fund, something I think is essential for those of us that live on an income that isn't consistent. That will be a big part of our focus this year.
- Looking for more ways to live frugally around our home. (I've already got a few ideas in mind and some that we are trying that I can't wait to tell you about)
- Re-evaluating our spending habits from last year, and finding ways to improve them for this year. (Just a sneak peak - some of our big spending areas that need to be addressed are the amount we spend on cards and our habit of overdoing on gifts for the kids. We will share more on the changes we made in a future post).
Health:
Looking Back:
- The Colonel quit smoking just about a year ago. This was huge for us. It has made it easier for him to unload trucks and keep up with the kids. It also means no more smoke covered clothes coming into our home or smoke on his breath (even though he didn't smoke around the kids or I to begin with).
- I finally had my allergy testing updated. Much to our dismay we found out that I have a shellfish allergy as well as several other food allergies so we are adjusting to that.
- We are taking baby steps in the area of cleaner eating. When we do stick to it, I find that my energy levels are much better and it decreases behavior issues with the kids. So far we have switched to aluminum free baking powder; from fake maple syrup to real; from hot dogs that are loaded with ingredients I can't pronounce to the Oscar Meyer. I also try to make more things from scratch. This past year though I found that this tends to be one of my biggest areas of burn out.
- Looking into ways to make our home more allergy friendly. Right now the biggest area we are looking into is the cleaners. Between the allergens and the chemical cleaners, cleaning can be quite difficult some days.
- Finding ways to help decrease the burnout while still feeding my family a healthier, less processed option.
Looking Back:
- The kids have done great having one parent staying home with them. We plan on continuing this.
- Being with the kids all the time and trying to handle everything while the Colonel is on the road this past year has created burnout for Mom.
- We are in the process of finding the right educational option for Princess as she starts Kindergarten. I am also planning on starting to do some Preschool activities with Buddy this fall.
- I will be trying to make more time for me. Investing more into myself, as I tend to get so busy trying to make sure everyone else has what they need that many times I have forgotten about myself.
- The Colonel and I continuing to try to find the right balance as we work as a team.
Friday, January 10, 2014
Truckers Wives are Human Too
Honestly I was hoping that this first post would be more of a year in review/what we are hoping for the new year kind of post. I will get to that post eventually.
These last couple of weeks have been pretty difficult ones. We enjoyed our family time with the Colonel being on vacation. Then the next week there weren't a lot of loads so the Colonel was kind of on vacation but not. Time that was presented as family time turned into swapping trucks and doing a test. 3 trucks in less than 2 months, but that is a post for the Colonel should he so choose.
We've been adjusting back to the routine and dealing with the inconsistencies of trucking.
Last year I did a lot of keeping my mouth shut. I don't know any other truckers wives and there aren't a lot of people around that I can talk to, even less that actually understand. Sometimes it would be really nice to not have to explain everything in great detail just so someone can understand what we are going through.
As a trucker's wife, I've got a lot on my plate. Not as much as some I'm sure. But it's my responsibility to handle the kids, keep the household running, often times making decisions alone that under regular circumstances the Colonel should be helping me make, and of course supporting the Colonel. The new year began and my mind went to overload. Even with handling one thing one step at a time it still is a lot.
There is so much pressure from trucking companies and trucker sites for everyone to give the trucker their 100% support, to be extra understanding and all that. Yours may not be like that, but everything I've come in contact with is. There is very little support for the actual family that is supposed to be giving all this support plus keep everything going at home.
We wives are only human. We cannot accomplish the super human things that are asked of us without some support and understanding ourselves. We are the ones on the front lines keeping everything running so that you truckers can focus on driving. We are handling the work of two parents by ourselves. That in itself is extremely draining. We are keeping the household running. And I know in my situation, I do an awful lot for my trucker as well (shopping for his food, keeping his clothes clean, etc.). The one that gets lost in all of this many times is the wife. So truckers my only suggestions are don't forget about those that support you. Do not take them for granted. Do not just dump on them about the traffic, the truck that doesn't want to work, or whatever else there is going on. Acknowledge how much they do to make your life easier. Appreciate them. Make an effort to connect with them, ask them about their day, something they liked, etc. When they need you to listen make an effort to do so and really listen and try to connect and talk about whatever it is. If your wife doesn't know any other trucker's wives chances are you are all she has to really talk to. We are only human. We have hearts just like everyone else. We can only handle so much on our plates and can only handle so much of someone else's troubles before we burn out too.
These last couple of weeks have been pretty difficult ones. We enjoyed our family time with the Colonel being on vacation. Then the next week there weren't a lot of loads so the Colonel was kind of on vacation but not. Time that was presented as family time turned into swapping trucks and doing a test. 3 trucks in less than 2 months, but that is a post for the Colonel should he so choose.
We've been adjusting back to the routine and dealing with the inconsistencies of trucking.
Last year I did a lot of keeping my mouth shut. I don't know any other truckers wives and there aren't a lot of people around that I can talk to, even less that actually understand. Sometimes it would be really nice to not have to explain everything in great detail just so someone can understand what we are going through.
As a trucker's wife, I've got a lot on my plate. Not as much as some I'm sure. But it's my responsibility to handle the kids, keep the household running, often times making decisions alone that under regular circumstances the Colonel should be helping me make, and of course supporting the Colonel. The new year began and my mind went to overload. Even with handling one thing one step at a time it still is a lot.
There is so much pressure from trucking companies and trucker sites for everyone to give the trucker their 100% support, to be extra understanding and all that. Yours may not be like that, but everything I've come in contact with is. There is very little support for the actual family that is supposed to be giving all this support plus keep everything going at home.
We wives are only human. We cannot accomplish the super human things that are asked of us without some support and understanding ourselves. We are the ones on the front lines keeping everything running so that you truckers can focus on driving. We are handling the work of two parents by ourselves. That in itself is extremely draining. We are keeping the household running. And I know in my situation, I do an awful lot for my trucker as well (shopping for his food, keeping his clothes clean, etc.). The one that gets lost in all of this many times is the wife. So truckers my only suggestions are don't forget about those that support you. Do not take them for granted. Do not just dump on them about the traffic, the truck that doesn't want to work, or whatever else there is going on. Acknowledge how much they do to make your life easier. Appreciate them. Make an effort to connect with them, ask them about their day, something they liked, etc. When they need you to listen make an effort to do so and really listen and try to connect and talk about whatever it is. If your wife doesn't know any other trucker's wives chances are you are all she has to really talk to. We are only human. We have hearts just like everyone else. We can only handle so much on our plates and can only handle so much of someone else's troubles before we burn out too.
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