I don’t do horoscopes. I just don’t believe in that kind of stuff. However every now and then I run across my scope for the day, and it’s interesting to read what generic piece of advice they come up with. Today was this:
Your mind can’t escape your financial situation — even if it’s never been better! You may want to make a little more at work, or you may want to pay down some debt. Whatever it is, go for it soon!
Funny thing is, Saturday morning I geeked out over creating a budget tracker for us in Excel, and I’ve been obsessed with it pretty much everyday since. Between paying off debt and adjusting to the bigger expenses that come with our new car, oh, and I won’t mention the SEVEN overdraft charges at $35 each for seven transactions that were under $10 each that hit us last week when we forgot to transfer some funds (don’t do the math it’s just plain STUPID)…yeah, I’ve been a little financially obsessed lately!
It’s just crazy how we can feel so broke all the time, but when I sit down to do our income vs expenses, there’s lots of money left over. It’s even more sobering to do our taxes for last year and see our income statements, but wonder why we don’t have massive savings at the end of the year. Did we really spend every dime we made? For WHAT?!?! Let’s see….McDonald’s, Jimmy John’s, Chipotle….the only thing I have to show for that is a couple muffin tops above the waist of my jeans. And that’s a whole other issue of discussion on how I spent last year!
So we’ve tightened our belt loops and are really trying to plan ahead for our “discretionary” spending better than we have in the past. I hope that McDonald’s and Chipotle will soon become truly a treat and won’t have their own pie piece in our budget chart this year!
Not much to report lately. We are enjoying our new ride, though a dashboard light has already come on to “Service Stabilitrak” – whatever that is. Like I really want to take it in for service already! Hopefully it’s nothing, and if it is, thank goodness we purchased the extended warranty!
In other news, Skyler is not cooperating with potty training, however Pink Bear is. He’s making really great progress…
Otherwise, life is just going right now. We are officially ready for Winter to be over so the days are longer and we can go outside to play! Until then, hopefully we can keep this smile going…
I went to a baby shower this weekend where four of my six closest friends in attendance were pregnant. With their second or third child. I think we counted that between us, there would be fifteen children once these current pregnancies are wrapped up. Holy crap that is scary, and who wants to be at that backyard BBQ? NOT ME. Haha.
People always ask when the next little Oswald is coming along, and I just cannot say. I’ve been saying for awhile now that maybe late this calendar year I might possibly consider it for like half a second, and then if that doesn’t totally freak me out, I’ll give it a full second thought. But I just can’t see it right now. I can’t see passed how crowded our house would be baby toys AND little girl toys, how red our bank account would be paying for double childcare, and how crazy my life outside work would be getting two kids ready in the morning and in and out of the car twice a day and meals and double the lost socks and shoes and runny noses and whatnot. I just cannot see passed all that to find the extra joy and love that’s probably nestled somewhere in between all that stress. I just can’t!
But I didn’t see myself ever having even one child and loving her this much, despite the challenges and the way life did a complete 180. So there’s always that chance that I’ll be wrong again and we’ll find ourselves with a household of four plus the dog. I don’t know when, I don’t know if it will be on purpose or accident, I really don’t know right now. What I do know is that I love our family just as we are. Yesterday Ronnie, Skyler, me, and even Bruno were lounging all together on the couch, and it was just perfect. If this is all our family ever was, I would be OK with that!
P.S. Ronnie and I played a game tonight that if I found out I was pregnant and it was a boy and we had to order his birth certificate TONIGHT, what would it say? We both separately wrote down names on a sheet of paper and turns out, we had one name in common: Ross. So there ya go, maybe there is hope?
Continuing the car saga from last week’s post:
My friend/coworker called me Monday morning after reading my blog and said he had a family member who ran car auctions here in KC and I might be able to sell the Jetta that way. After a few phone calls to coordinate, we dropped the Jetta off at the auction Tuesday morning. By noon, the auctioneer called me and said we had a bid that met our minimum requirements. SOLD!!! I was shocked, relieved, excited. How easy was that? He cut me a check and I was ready to go make the payoff.
That evening I went back to the dealership where we’d visited on Saturday to look at vehicles again. They’d already sold the one we drove and liked on Saturday (a 2005 Saab 9-7x), so they showed me an ‘06 GMC Envoy XSLT. It was lovely, and met all my requirements for a new vehicle: 4×4, leather/heated seats, running boards to help my short legs get up into it. It also had only 25,000 miles, and a whole slew of other nice features, but was a few thousand above my price range. The salesman said there’d be some room to work on the price, and I said well there has to be or I’m not even considering this car.
We got back from the test drive to talk pricing. Let’s just say that apparently I’m a force to be reckoned with when it comes to negotiating cars, because I got them down nearly $4,000 to meet my price. I even pulled the whole “well if that’s the best you can do, then I’ll just go home and look online for all the other Envoy’s that are for sale in my price range around town.” That did it, and they agreed to my offer. We waited to see if the dealership could get me financing equal to or better than what I’d already been approved for at my credit union, but it was too late in the evening to get a response from the banks. So they sent me home in my soon-to-be new ride, to be back in the morning to close on the deal.
Not ten minutes away from the dealership, I got a very unexpected phone call. The auctioneer said the sale of the Jetta fell through, based on mechanical reasons. The buyer said there was engine noise and the transmission was messed up, and with the terms of the sale, they were able to back out. These problems were news to me, as the Jetta has always driven the same since we purchased it three years ago. First, I was very upset, and realized how awkward I felt driving this vehicle that I thought was mine, and thinking how sucky and kind of embarrassing it would be to go back to the dealership in the morning (since they were now closed for the night) and have to back out on the deal. Of course then I realized how incredibly lucky I was that we couldn’t get the deal done that night, otherwise I would own two cars!
In the morning at the dealership, they went ahead and gave me their word that they’d give me what I needed for the Jetta as a trade-in, upon seeing it in person. I was nervous they’d also find problems with it and there’d be no deal. The auctioneer suggested we run the car again in Thursday night’s auction, but just sell it “as-is” so there would be no chance the buyer could back out. We agreed to wait and do that.
Meanwhile, I’ve been without a vehicle since Tuesday morning, and the auction is Thursday night! I did a good amount of praying during this whole thing, wondering if I’d end up with the Jetta that needed tons of engine/transmission work instead of getting a new car, or if it would all work out somehow.
The dealership called me Thursday before the auction and suggested I put a deposit on that Envoy because someone else was interested, but I just couldn’t commit. At home on Thursday night, I tried to keep myself occupied while I waited for the call about the Jetta. I just knew that even if it sold, it wouldn’t be enough to payoff the amount we still owed. But the phone rang, and the auctioneer said we got a bid and I’d be happy to know it’s only $100 less than what we needed. SOLD!!! And I double checked that there were no strings attached this time. Plus, he said the new buyer drove the car and said he didn’t notice any issues with it. Relief!
Friday morning I called the dealership to see if my Envoy was still available. They said someone else had paperwork started on it but no money to hold it, so they’d come pick me up to finish my sale! They also had already gotten financing to match my credit union, so all the paperwork was ready for me. After signing my life away that morning, I drove away as the proud, new but broke owner of the Envoy I had driven Tuesday night. And I was proud – I had negotiated down the price for this vehicle that was worth more than I bought it for, all by myself!
We’ve been all over town this weekend in the new car, and loving it! It rides so smoothly, and is easy to get Skyler in and out of. She fell asleep in it three times yesterday! The only thing we don’t love is that we cut our gas mileage in half going from the Jetta to the Envoy, but we knew we’d have to take that step if we wanted a bigger vehicle, and we’ll get used to it eventually. Skyler even likes it, and when we get out of it to go inside, says “Bye-bye Mommy’s new caw!”
Sunday began the coldest of the cold weather streaks I’ve ever experienced here in Kansas, which meant for our wonderful diesel engine Jetta, it would begin hibernation and there was no going anywhere. We tried all our tricks to get it started on Sunday, but to no avail. And the weather forecast didn’t show any temperatures above the teens for a whole week, which did not bode well for getting the car started. We caved in and ordered an engine block heater to install so we could plug it in at night and it would stay warm enough to start on cold mornings. Problem with this was we’d need to get the car started and over to my dad’s garage to install it, so we knew we were really stuck for awhile since it would be too cold to start it all week. Luckily my mom was kind enough to loan me her Chevy Trailblazer for the week, and just in time for the umpteenth dump of snow in the last several weeks that came on Wednesday.
We’ve been back and forth for the last several months on whether or not to sell or trade the Jetta for a larger non-diesel vehicle for me. The Jetta has less than a year to pay on it, so if we could hang on, then Ronnie could take over it at that point and I’d get my new car (he currently drives an old beat up Ford ZX2 which we lovingly call the P.O.S.). But last week’s inconveniences seemed to finally push us over the edge. Driving my mom’s Trailblazer really helped me narrow down what I wanted, which was pretty much just that. It was spacious and rode well but didn’t feel too big. It had heated leather seats, which are perfect since we don’t have a garage, and the leather would be easy to keep clean with children in the car. And the 4 wheel drive made getting through the pile of snow the plow had left at the end of our driveway like no big deal. I was sold (too bad my mom’s car wasn’t for sale!)
So we’re approved for a car loan, looked at some vehicles yesterday, and have some promising options. Today my dad and Ronnie got the engine block heater installed and I cleaned out the car. It still needs a good vacuum, but otherwise, we’re ready to trade it in. I’m crossing my fingers, praying, and hoping we can get what we need for the trade in so I can be in my new vehicle very soon. The car books for more trade-in value than we owe despite the mileage, but I think it’s still going to be a tough sell for a dealer. All we can do is give it a try, and hope it all works out. I have to remember that if it doesn’t, then that is the way things are meant to be right now.
That is the most commonly heard phrase in our home these days, spoken by Miss Independent herself. Every possible regular task around the house now MUST be done by Skyler: Letting Bruno in and outside, feeding Bruno, putting her stocking cap on to go out in the cold, unbuttoning her coat, putting socks on, changing a diaper, blowing her nose, throwing some trash away, putting on chapstick…and the list goes on.
The Bruno chores are great – that gets annoying letting him in and out, so we’re all about her help there. But the rest are tasks that for the most part, she is not yet very skilled or efficient. So “letting” her do these is typically more trouble than it’s worth, messy, and/or, causes us to be tardy if it is part of the morning routine.
When we “let her do it,” blowing her nose means a snot-smeared face and hands, maybe boogers in her hair. Putting on her own socks is a ten minute drama that usually ends with me forcefully restraining her with one hand while trying to put a tiny sock on her kicking foot with the other hand; usually both of us are yelling and crying by the end of it. Also note that putting on socks is definitely a two-handed task, even for an adult!
Her obsession with doing everything isn’t just when she’s involved in the situation. She can be in her bedroom playing, and overhear one of us ask Bruno “Need to go outside?” and while making our way to the back door, she’ll come running and screaming from her room “Lemme do it! Lemme do it! Lemme DOOOOO IT!!!!!!!” and if she’s too late she breaks down in the most disappointed heartbroken tantrum, which is promptly responded with “Go to your room if you’re going to cry like that.”
When we go in to “make up” with her and try to salvage the damaged relationship, it’s usually not too hard to distract her by asking if she wants to read a book or play with a certain toy. However, we don’t even think about stepping foot toward the bookshelf or toy box to pick out the item, otherwise…”LEMME DO IT!!!!”
Like everyone else, it’s always part of my New Year Resolution to “get back in shape” or “lose weight” or “exercise more.” The problem with these resolutions is they don’t follow good goal-setting rules. They are kind of measurable, but not really. I mean, “get back in shape” – what shape? The shape that fits in a certain pair of jeans, or the kind of shape that can run a half marathon? And by when, next year? Next month? Same with “lose weight” – I could hit the sauna at the gym today and sweat a couple pounds off today, and then my resolution would be met. I don’t think that’s really what I’m going for.
So, I’m thinking about a way to make these goals worthwhile and successful. And that leads me to want to register for several running races over the course of the year. Maybe every couple months I could do a 10K and then work my way toward another half marathon later in the year. These regular runs would require me to stay on top of my training which would hopefully help me get and stay in better shape.
I’m looking through the local race schedule and I see a 10K at the end of February, which ought to be easy for me to get ready for. But dang, that’s going to be some COLD RUNNING. Oh well, I can do it!
The nice bonus to most of the local runs is most or all of the entry fee goes toward a local charity, so that just adds to the benefit of doing these. The more I look at this schedule, the more I think I’m definitely going to do this. However, I guess I should get new running shoes first, as mine are now well over a year old and have way too many miles on them. I’ve got some Christmas money left so I suppose that’s what I’ll put it towards!
Happy New Year, and happy running to me! Here’s to a healthier and faster new year.
It’s that time of year again, so I’ll review 2009 with the following quiz that I posted last year…
1. What did you do in 2009 that you’d never done before? Ronnie and I raised money and rode the motorcycle together in Bikers for Babies. It was awesome and probably one of my most memorable and favorite parts of 2009. I can’t wait to do it again next year!
2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year? I had two and they were “get back in shape” and “read more books.” I got back in shape the first half of the year but then did a 180 for the second half. However, I DID read more books. I think I read nearly ten books this year, just for fun!
3. Did anyone close to you give birth? Yes, lots of babies again, and next year is looking like the same story!
4. Did anyone close to you die? Not really. However, I followed closely the heartbreaking and inspiring story of Pierce Phillips, my friend’s second cousin. While I wasn’t personally close to him, his story affected me deeply.
5. What countries did you visit? None outside the USA, but I did visit Missouri wine country in September (Hermann).
6. What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009? Motivation to stay healthy and active YEAR ROUND. And a new car.
7. What dates from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? None that I can think of, really. But the whole Mommy Madness thing where I got to drive the Chevy Traverse for the months of May and June, that was pretty dang cool. I still love that car, and if I could afford one, I’d buy it!
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? Not much of an achievement, but I survived the two-year period that my teenage bro-in-law lived with us. I almost went insane during that time. And I’m pretty proud of the $1,300 that Ronnie and I raised for March of Dimes for Bikers for Babies. We want to do at least twice that this year.
9. What was your biggest failure? Losing ten pounds and then putting it right back on…but also the whole teenage bro-in-law thing – I can’t really blame myself but the whole reason he lived with us was to make a change in his life in hopes he would graduate high school. He didn’t. So that whole two years feels like a waste of time and energy, and ultimately, it feels like we failed. But thank goodness that chapter in our lives is over.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury? Thankfully, no!
11. What was the best thing you bought? The sliding glass door in the kitchen has kept our carpet much cleaner and brightened up the room a lot. Also, Skyler’s new bedroom set is really cute and she’s enjoying it. Plus, the big bedroom has so much more room, we can fit all her toys in there, so life is much more organized.
12. Whose behavior merited celebration? Ronnie is awesome and I don’t say it enough. He has done so much for us this year! From coming home on his breaks to clean the house to planning a great surprise 30th birthday for me, he has behaved very well!
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? Same as last year and as the failure question above, my brother-in-law. I don’t need to say much more, but it’s just a behavior I cannot understand.
14. Where did most of your money go? I have no freakin’ idea!?!? We’ve made more $ this year than ever but seems like we have less. I looked at our expenses a couple months ago to investigate, and I saw over $400 that month went to restaurants. If we had eaten four $100 gourmet meals that month, it might have been worth it. But the most of what I saw was Jimmy John’s, McDonald’s, Chipotle….it was SHAMEFUL!
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? Sad to say, I went to NKOTB a second time in March. Hee hee. We also went to Vegas and saw UFC 100, for which I was very excited, and Bikers for Babies I looked forward to very much as well. And the girls’ trip to Hermann to visit the wineries. I had never done that and always heard about it. And surprisingly, Christmas! At Skyler’s age, there was so much more excitement for Christmas this year!
16. What song will always remind you of 2009? Geez, I don’t know. Probably anything by Lady Gaga.
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) happier or sadder? happier
b) thinner or fatter? same or fatter
c) richer or poorer? poorer
18. What do you wish you’d done more of? I think we’ve covered this already, but I wish I would have exercised more. I also wish Ronnie and I could’ve spent more good quality time together. Those short evenings when he works late get old, and they typically aren’t of much quality. We need to do better with our time together as a family, even if it’s limited during the week!
19. What do you wish you’d done less of? I don’t regret much of what I’ve done. I can’t think of anything from last year…
20. How did you spend Christmas? With family.
21. Did you fall in love in 2008? Skyler’s voice and her cheeks and her curls…I fall in love with her all the time!
22. What was your favorite TV program? I don’t love TV. But the programs I watched regularly in 2009 were: Damages, 24, Nip Tuck, Real Housewives of NY and OC, Tabatha’s Salon Takeover is a new favorite now…
23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year? No, I’m still not very hateful.
24. What was the best book you read? I started reading the Time Traveler’s Wife, but didn’t finish it before it was due back at the library. I really like the story and the way it was written, but I need to finish it. Otherwise, I read the entire Sookie Stackhouse series through the year and really enjoyed those.
25. What was your greatest musical discovery? Pretty uneventful year musically, but it’s been fun watching Skyler discover music. She LOVES it, and all kinds!
26. What did you want and get? New boots, a camera lens, sliding glass door
27. What did you want and not get? A new car. Hopefully it’s coming soon in early 2010. I’ve only been talking about getting one for a year now…
28. What was your favorite film of this year? I don’t know if it came out in 2009, but I watched August Rush and loved it. I may need to buy it. Overall fantastic movie.
29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? It was the big 30. And it was one of my best birthday weeks ever.
30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? A new car. Have I mentioned how much I hate the Jetta? It’s a daily annoyance of mine. I don’t need anything fancy, just bigger and comfortable. For all the around town driving I do with Skyler, I can’t wait for that to be a more pleasant experience!
31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2009? Same as last year: Always casual but attempting to dress things up a bit more than normal. Though I did cave and bought a pair of leggings and skinny jeans to wear with cute boots.
32. What kept you sane? Prayer and reading. Also maybe some wine…
33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? I’m just not into celebrities/famous people. I don’t even really have a favorite or celebrity crush.
34. What political issue stirred you the most? Lots this year for the first time ever. I disagree with a lot of what’s going on in Washington. So much of it seems so slimy and I think many of the politicians in power have no concept of real life and how what they do affects society.
35. Who did you miss? I always miss my friends that live out of town. I wish they lived here so we could get together regularly or on a whim.
36. Who was the best new person you met? I’ve got some fantastic coworkers, many whom I met just this year.
37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2009. I’ve been studying conflict resolution for a project at work, and it’s something I’m trying to apply more in life. I used to fear conflict and avoid it as much as possible. Now I’m learning that conflict isn’t bad, and there are ways to turn it into a good thing that promotes growth and understanding.
38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year. I’m stumped.
Happy New Year!
Yesterday, my mom, Skyler and me headed to Greenwood, Missouri to an antique store owned by one of our friend’s mom, Millett & Co. She has an adorable room in her store with just children’s things, which included lots of butterfly decorations. We picked out some hanging butterflies and long beaded butterfly garlands for Skyler’s new room. I’m not done decorating in there yet, but here is a start…
We had a wonderful, busy Christmas! I’ll keep the words short and let the pictures do the talking, but Skyler had a blast! We did our own Christmas Eve together at home, then had Christmas morning together, then headed to Belton for Ronnie’s family Christmas, then back across town to my parents’ for our Christmas.
Christmas Eve…
We don’t dress her like this. She prefers no clothing but likes to put her own socks and shoes on. This is the norm around home.
"Skyler, you want to open presents?"
Play-Doh was the big gift this year, from several people. Pretty sure we now have EVERY color.
One of Ronnie's clients got Skyler a head light. She doesn't quite get it, but was fascinated nonetheless!
Family photo on timer - Take two
A picture is worth a thousand words...
Christmas Morning…
Why so suspicious?
New pink boots for Christmas! Perfect timing for all the snow.
Skyler LOVES the Lego's in Granny's basement!
Opening presents in her new Princess Chair
Skyler's cousins: Brian, Kelsey, and Kaylie
Goofing off with Grandma Oswald
Taking Pink Bear for a ride in her new grocery cart
Christmas Night…
Tuckered out with Grampa Kelley, and we just got here!
My parents' Wii is the life of the party nowadays. Here: Bowling
Under the tree...
Reading the Christmas story before gift opening
Skyler giving her new friend Bubba a hug. Thanks Darci!
Snuggling with Gramma Kelley
Who cares about presents? Just give me a box!
The Day After…
Skyler’s big present from us was a new big girl bed. We even let her pick out her bedding. We also moved her into the bigger bedroom, which was a major undertaking that took most of the day yesterday. Somehow we trashed most of the rest of the house in the process…
Dining room turned storage room for the time being...
Living room/Play room
The new room in shambles
Bye-bye baby bedroom!
Trying out her new butterfly bed
She likes it!
