I have an announcement to make! I am retiring this blog.. Gasp! I know, crazy huh? Well that is because I am starting a new one! I have been mulling this over in my mind for awhile now and have been working hard getting the new one all set up.
I love, love, love blogging! But, I was feeling like I needed a new angle, something a little more personal, with more of what is going on with ME and with more sharing of what is happening with us fulfilling some of our dreams.
The new blog is called What Feeds My Soul and will still have lots of what you find here- art projects, nature walks and our day to day happenings. But, I am also going to be sharing alot more about what I am working on personally and some of the dreams we have as a family.
So, go check it out (and I hope you like it!)...
Also, I transferred over all the old entries from this blog, so if you are looking for something, you should be able to find it over there.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Monday, July 20, 2009
no spend month check in
Well, I really did mean to update last Thursday, but we went camping and well, summer time just means busy time. I have lots of pictures from camping and lots of other fun stuff to share about, but for now, I just wanted to let you all know how we are doing with our no spend month.
Here are the Grand Totals up until today:
Groceries: $95.35
Gas: $30.17
Bus: $1.75
Ice Cream: $8
Fishing Trip: $10
Camping: $32.96
Eating Out: $6.50
Amount Spent So Far: $184.73
Now, first off, I have to confess that Don got a little tip money and we bought some coffee and other stuff with that. I really should count that in our grand totals, but I am not going to. I am cheating a little, I know.
It is pretty crazy actually to see IN BRIGHT LIGHTS our whole relationship to money. We get a little extra, we spend it. That is how we roll. Not very powerful or effective when we are wanting to save money to fulfill our dreams. And wow, we are so justified about it all.. I'm telling you, this is turning out to be such an incredible experience. Don and I are really learning a lot, and (I think) starting to establish some new habits.
Going camping really threw us off, however. Especially because we went for a little drive on Sunday and a coffee here, an ice cream there, it really adds up. I think we spent about $30 that was "extra" tip money on things that we for sure did not need, but wanted.
In writing this, I am going to go ahead and add that $30 into our grand total so we can see just exactly where we went over (which we for sure will with that in the mix).
So, here is our real spending:
Groceries: $95.35
Gas: $30.17
Bus: $1.75
Ice Cream: $8
Fishing Trip: $10
Camping: $32.96
Eating Out: $36.50
Amount Spent So Far: $214.73
The real challenge now would be to only spend $35 for the rest of the month. Very unrealistic given we need gas in the cars and groceries for the next 2 weeks, but I am going to try and get as close as I can.
That feels better. I am such a cheater all the time! Trying to make things look better than they are. But this whole experiment is to cause a shift in how we do things and "cheating" is how come we don't own a house or go on great vacations.
Sorry this post is so ramble-y. I think there is really a whole can of worms opening up here right before your very eyes. Don and I spent a good chunk of our mountain drive talking about this whole thing.. what we want, how our spending doesn't help us to get there, what we need to do to change... again, I am so happy we took on this challenge.. I think it is working, the pot is being stirred and new things are brewing!
Don even said yesterday, "let's cancel the cable" WHAT?!! Did my tv watching hubby really say that? We have some stuff we really want to do with our family and our lives and we DO need to live a little more frugally and give some things up in order to get there.
So here we are confronting what it will take to get from Point A to Point B and making some small changes along the way. I feel like the little engine that could...
"I think I can, I think I can..."
Here are the Grand Totals up until today:
Groceries: $95.35
Gas: $30.17
Bus: $1.75
Ice Cream: $8
Fishing Trip: $10
Camping: $32.96
Eating Out: $6.50
Amount Spent So Far: $184.73
Now, first off, I have to confess that Don got a little tip money and we bought some coffee and other stuff with that. I really should count that in our grand totals, but I am not going to. I am cheating a little, I know.
It is pretty crazy actually to see IN BRIGHT LIGHTS our whole relationship to money. We get a little extra, we spend it. That is how we roll. Not very powerful or effective when we are wanting to save money to fulfill our dreams. And wow, we are so justified about it all.. I'm telling you, this is turning out to be such an incredible experience. Don and I are really learning a lot, and (I think) starting to establish some new habits.
Going camping really threw us off, however. Especially because we went for a little drive on Sunday and a coffee here, an ice cream there, it really adds up. I think we spent about $30 that was "extra" tip money on things that we for sure did not need, but wanted.
In writing this, I am going to go ahead and add that $30 into our grand total so we can see just exactly where we went over (which we for sure will with that in the mix).
So, here is our real spending:
Groceries: $95.35
Gas: $30.17
Bus: $1.75
Ice Cream: $8
Fishing Trip: $10
Camping: $32.96
Eating Out: $36.50
Amount Spent So Far: $214.73
The real challenge now would be to only spend $35 for the rest of the month. Very unrealistic given we need gas in the cars and groceries for the next 2 weeks, but I am going to try and get as close as I can.
That feels better. I am such a cheater all the time! Trying to make things look better than they are. But this whole experiment is to cause a shift in how we do things and "cheating" is how come we don't own a house or go on great vacations.
Sorry this post is so ramble-y. I think there is really a whole can of worms opening up here right before your very eyes. Don and I spent a good chunk of our mountain drive talking about this whole thing.. what we want, how our spending doesn't help us to get there, what we need to do to change... again, I am so happy we took on this challenge.. I think it is working, the pot is being stirred and new things are brewing!
Don even said yesterday, "let's cancel the cable" WHAT?!! Did my tv watching hubby really say that? We have some stuff we really want to do with our family and our lives and we DO need to live a little more frugally and give some things up in order to get there.
So here we are confronting what it will take to get from Point A to Point B and making some small changes along the way. I feel like the little engine that could...
"I think I can, I think I can..."
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
art group :: nature pressing
I could have the art group just paint stuff every week! I think paint is the funnest. But, it is good to branch out a bit, doncha think?
So this week, I grabbed a bag of sculpy stuff (what is that stuff called?) and then Enrique and I collected some flowers, leaves, and sticks from the yard.
We used our treasures to make press marks in the clay.
We had to use a wooden block to press them down, but it worked great!
The kids were pretty captivated trying different things until the rain threatened to run everyone inside.
Enrique got totally into making sculpy people. For the rest of the afternoon and into the night he was at it. Concentrating very hard.
So this week, I grabbed a bag of sculpy stuff (what is that stuff called?) and then Enrique and I collected some flowers, leaves, and sticks from the yard.
We used our treasures to make press marks in the clay.
We had to use a wooden block to press them down, but it worked great!
The kids were pretty captivated trying different things until the rain threatened to run everyone inside.
Enrique got totally into making sculpy people. For the rest of the afternoon and into the night he was at it. Concentrating very hard.
Friday, July 10, 2009
our family's mission statement
I LOVE LOVE LOVE the Simple Mom blog. I could spend tons of time cruising around her awesome website (and have).
This week she is starting a Back to the Basics series that looks to be really fun. The first assignment was to create a family mission statement. I used to do things like that when I was a workin' girl and always really loved making them. They can be really empowering! So, naturally, I printed off her questions and sat down a few times this week with Don to create a mission statement that inspires US.
Here it is:
We believe that our purpose as a family is to love, celebrate and nourish the creative spirit. We will accomplish this by:
• living simply, loving unconditionally and exploring
• making our home a place of creativity, laughter, and love
• valuing the creative process above all else, and
• being in harmony with Spirit, each other, and mother nature.
Pretty cool, huh? This was such a great exercise to do. I think both Don and I got alot out of it. It helped us to really look at our family and where we are at right now and where we want to be in the future. It gave us a "why" for doing all the things we do. Go check out her blog to read more about it.
This week she is starting a Back to the Basics series that looks to be really fun. The first assignment was to create a family mission statement. I used to do things like that when I was a workin' girl and always really loved making them. They can be really empowering! So, naturally, I printed off her questions and sat down a few times this week with Don to create a mission statement that inspires US.
Here it is:
We believe that our purpose as a family is to love, celebrate and nourish the creative spirit. We will accomplish this by:
• living simply, loving unconditionally and exploring
• making our home a place of creativity, laughter, and love
• valuing the creative process above all else, and
• being in harmony with Spirit, each other, and mother nature.
Pretty cool, huh? This was such a great exercise to do. I think both Don and I got alot out of it. It helped us to really look at our family and where we are at right now and where we want to be in the future. It gave us a "why" for doing all the things we do. Go check out her blog to read more about it.
our grand adventure
I have been wanting to take the kids on the bus. Don't ask me why. Maybe because I hate driving and I like taking the bus. I'm not kidding. I often wish we lived in a place that getting around on public transportation was easy AND convenient. I'd give my car the boot if the bus around my house ran past 6pm and I could get wherever I wanted whenever I wanted. But, not the case.
So we drive EVERYWHERE, all the time! I hate it. I never even owned a car before I moved back home when I was 31 years old, that's when I bought my first car. This town just doesn't really work for the carless, unfortunately. And, truth be told this has been an issue for me that I could go on and on about.
Well, I have been craving taking the bus. I've been wondering how hard it would be with 2 kids in tow and if it would be possible to be out and about all day without my kids going bonkers.
So, on Wednesday we did an experiment. We took the bus into the "city" and putzed around ALL DAY LONG. It was a grand adventure indeed!
Heading out. I packed up the stroller with food, a picnic blanket, swimming clothes, towels, water, baby carrier, diapers and changes of clothes.
Waiting for the bus, which is about a mile from our house.
Here it comes! (Enrique was FLIPPING out!)
A cute shot of the kids while we were waiting.
They freaking LOVED riding on the bus! It was soooo not hard, they were really good and had so much fun!
Once we got downtown, we went to the YMCA. I did a yoga class and the kids played in the playroom. Well, Enrique played.. Anabel fussed the whole time! She hates that place. But they are wonderful with her, I'm hoping she will get used to it one of these days.
After yoga, we went across the street for a picnic. This is the park where I hung out alot in high school doing things I hope my children never do! So fun to watch all the kids hanging out - not alot has changed in 20 years.
Then we went and splashed in the fountain, which is one of the coolest things in Colorado Springs if you ask me.
Uncle Wilber ROCKS!
The kids LOVED it!
After the fountain we headed over to the library, where it was nice and cool inside. We hung out there for awhile playing with the bunny and reading stories.
Anabel was seriously needing a nap by this time, so we wandered around downtown for a bit trying to get her to fall asleep.
Sleep was not happening and it was HOT outside.
That's when my NEED for ice cream kicked in, leading us to spend that $8 that is not in the No Spend Month budget!
After ice cream, I put Anabel on my back and we walked around some more.. she finally fell asleep, yay!
We headed down to the Farmer's Market. There was not alot we could afford on our small budget this month, so we just window shopped. It was fun to look around. Why is the farmer's market so much more expensive than the grocery store? Such a bummer when funds are limited.
Anyway, the heat got to us again, so we headed to another fountain! So happy these are around.. I think we would have died - seriously.
Isn't this fountain awesome?! We have always gone to this park in the cooler months, so this was the first time I have ever even noticed the fountain.
Splashing makes kids extremely happy!
After splashing we had to get some nature exploring in.
Then we met up with some friends around 6pm, leading to more splashing in the fountain.
They have live music on Wednesday nights, so we met up with friends and Don came down to meet us for a picnic dinner.
A nice ending to the day, hanging out with Dad, dancing to some fun music.
I LOVE this picture!
Don drove our tired crew home, after we stopped off at the garden to water. It was a LONG day! But fun. Took me most of yesterday to recover.
My conclusion to this experiment is that we should be taking the bus to places more often, I think at least once per week. Though spending 12 hours out and about is a little too much. I think we may be able to do a little grocery shopping this way, go to the library, etc. To make our getting around a little easier, I'd love a better stroller, the one we have is hard to maneuver, but we work with what we have, right?
I truly believe being out walking around helps build our connection to the community. I wish more of us did it. And I am for sure going to make sure we do it every now and again. It felt good to just "be" without rushing around.
So we drive EVERYWHERE, all the time! I hate it. I never even owned a car before I moved back home when I was 31 years old, that's when I bought my first car. This town just doesn't really work for the carless, unfortunately. And, truth be told this has been an issue for me that I could go on and on about.
Well, I have been craving taking the bus. I've been wondering how hard it would be with 2 kids in tow and if it would be possible to be out and about all day without my kids going bonkers.
So, on Wednesday we did an experiment. We took the bus into the "city" and putzed around ALL DAY LONG. It was a grand adventure indeed!
Heading out. I packed up the stroller with food, a picnic blanket, swimming clothes, towels, water, baby carrier, diapers and changes of clothes.
Waiting for the bus, which is about a mile from our house.
Here it comes! (Enrique was FLIPPING out!)
A cute shot of the kids while we were waiting.
They freaking LOVED riding on the bus! It was soooo not hard, they were really good and had so much fun!
Once we got downtown, we went to the YMCA. I did a yoga class and the kids played in the playroom. Well, Enrique played.. Anabel fussed the whole time! She hates that place. But they are wonderful with her, I'm hoping she will get used to it one of these days.
After yoga, we went across the street for a picnic. This is the park where I hung out alot in high school doing things I hope my children never do! So fun to watch all the kids hanging out - not alot has changed in 20 years.
Then we went and splashed in the fountain, which is one of the coolest things in Colorado Springs if you ask me.
Uncle Wilber ROCKS!
The kids LOVED it!
After the fountain we headed over to the library, where it was nice and cool inside. We hung out there for awhile playing with the bunny and reading stories.
Anabel was seriously needing a nap by this time, so we wandered around downtown for a bit trying to get her to fall asleep.
Sleep was not happening and it was HOT outside.
That's when my NEED for ice cream kicked in, leading us to spend that $8 that is not in the No Spend Month budget!
After ice cream, I put Anabel on my back and we walked around some more.. she finally fell asleep, yay!
We headed down to the Farmer's Market. There was not alot we could afford on our small budget this month, so we just window shopped. It was fun to look around. Why is the farmer's market so much more expensive than the grocery store? Such a bummer when funds are limited.
Anyway, the heat got to us again, so we headed to another fountain! So happy these are around.. I think we would have died - seriously.
Isn't this fountain awesome?! We have always gone to this park in the cooler months, so this was the first time I have ever even noticed the fountain.
Splashing makes kids extremely happy!
After splashing we had to get some nature exploring in.
Then we met up with some friends around 6pm, leading to more splashing in the fountain.
They have live music on Wednesday nights, so we met up with friends and Don came down to meet us for a picnic dinner.
A nice ending to the day, hanging out with Dad, dancing to some fun music.
I LOVE this picture!
Don drove our tired crew home, after we stopped off at the garden to water. It was a LONG day! But fun. Took me most of yesterday to recover.
My conclusion to this experiment is that we should be taking the bus to places more often, I think at least once per week. Though spending 12 hours out and about is a little too much. I think we may be able to do a little grocery shopping this way, go to the library, etc. To make our getting around a little easier, I'd love a better stroller, the one we have is hard to maneuver, but we work with what we have, right?
I truly believe being out walking around helps build our connection to the community. I wish more of us did it. And I am for sure going to make sure we do it every now and again. It felt good to just "be" without rushing around.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
how we are doing
We completed our first week of our No Spend Month. For the most part, I think we are doing great!
Here is where our money has gone so far this month...
Groceries: $37.54
Gas: $20.00
Gas: $5
Bus: $1.75
Ice Cream: $8
Amount Spent So Far: $72.29
Yes, I did spend $8 on ice cream yesterday!
I think the heat got to my brain a bit.. I HAD to have ice cream and the only place I knew of to go while we were downtown was super expensive. Yes, I could have just gotten the kids ice cream and it would have been cheaper, but well.. I am an ice creamoholic and there was NO WAY I could have sat there and watched them eat some creamy yumminess without me. So I splurged. And, OUCH! $8?? I mean really? That was not even for anything fancy.. just plain old ice cream...crazy!
Lesson learned.
Everywhere else, we are doing great! We had a week of delicious homemade food. I even made a pie!
It is really interesting to watch and notice how consumer driven we are. Every day I think of something we "need" and tell myself that when we are done with our no spend month, I am going to go buy x, y, z. Most things we don't even really "need" but I tell myself that anyway. And I really feel like I have to have whatever it is to be able to function properly in life.
Because we are taking a break from just buying whatever we think we need, it has been very interesting watching my reactions to not buying stuff and how deprived it can make me feel. I am totally consumer driven! And though he has not said so, I think Don is HATING this experiment. He just wants to go buy stuff, I can tell.
Very interesting indeed. I really didn't think I was this wired up to buy things, but I am. I admit it. I want to go shopping! I really do...
So, I would say that this challenge is doing exactly what I wanted it to do. CHALLENGING us.
Can't wait to see what else evolves from this over the month.
Here is where our money has gone so far this month...
Groceries: $37.54
Gas: $20.00
Gas: $5
Bus: $1.75
Ice Cream: $8
Amount Spent So Far: $72.29
Yes, I did spend $8 on ice cream yesterday!
I think the heat got to my brain a bit.. I HAD to have ice cream and the only place I knew of to go while we were downtown was super expensive. Yes, I could have just gotten the kids ice cream and it would have been cheaper, but well.. I am an ice creamoholic and there was NO WAY I could have sat there and watched them eat some creamy yumminess without me. So I splurged. And, OUCH! $8?? I mean really? That was not even for anything fancy.. just plain old ice cream...crazy!
Lesson learned.
Everywhere else, we are doing great! We had a week of delicious homemade food. I even made a pie!
It is really interesting to watch and notice how consumer driven we are. Every day I think of something we "need" and tell myself that when we are done with our no spend month, I am going to go buy x, y, z. Most things we don't even really "need" but I tell myself that anyway. And I really feel like I have to have whatever it is to be able to function properly in life.
Because we are taking a break from just buying whatever we think we need, it has been very interesting watching my reactions to not buying stuff and how deprived it can make me feel. I am totally consumer driven! And though he has not said so, I think Don is HATING this experiment. He just wants to go buy stuff, I can tell.
Very interesting indeed. I really didn't think I was this wired up to buy things, but I am. I admit it. I want to go shopping! I really do...
So, I would say that this challenge is doing exactly what I wanted it to do. CHALLENGING us.
Can't wait to see what else evolves from this over the month.
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
growing
The garden is super happy these days because we have been getting SO MUCH rain! The weeds are happy too! Every time I go down there it looks like a different place, so many changes and growth...
Our lettuce is ready, which means we have been eating LOTS of salad, it is so good!
Carrots...
Tomatoes...
Broccoli...
Swiss Chard will be on the menu this week...
Corn...
Green Beans and Beets...
And, really, I think the whole reason for this blog post is to show you this cute picture!
Ok, off to make a salad for lunch!
Our lettuce is ready, which means we have been eating LOTS of salad, it is so good!
Carrots...
Tomatoes...
Broccoli...
Swiss Chard will be on the menu this week...
Corn...
Green Beans and Beets...
And, really, I think the whole reason for this blog post is to show you this cute picture!
Ok, off to make a salad for lunch!
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