Wednesday, March 2, 2016

When The Sun Shine Hot and the Wind Blows Cold...

Not sad to see February go this year. After a couple of weeks of feeling blah and backsliding on a lot of habits, I started this week off right, with productive work days, healthy eating habits, and with a renewed commitment to breaking my internet addiction.

I also figured out a major stressful puzzle---what B will do all summer. I got us into a city run parks & rec camp that his bestest friend from daycare is also going to (They are in different schools for KG but we still meet up for playdates). This was HUGE because the price of this camp is 1/3 to 1/4 of the other camps I've found, even the "cheap" ones. It doesn't run the whole summer, so we will bookend this with vacation and a more expensive camp (that another daycare friend is going to). 

Did you see the part about vacation? We decided to go on a family vacation this summer. For about 5 seconds I hesitated, thinking about the money, but then I got so freaking excited I couldn't sleep and spent hours looking at airfares and dreaming of possibilities. I am willing to sacrifice a lot of other luxuries (and yes, some savings) for this. I know we are lucky to have the option.

I've been shifting--trying to relax--my attitude towards money. I am backing away from stressing about every $1, and focusing instead on making sure our spending matches our priorities & values. The goal is NOT to spend as little as possible, but to spend in ways that bring us closer to our goals. Every way I think about it, I have to admit that having a modest family vacation (at least once every few years) fits in those goals. We are going through some not easy times in our little family right now, so having something to look forward to is good for all of us. Having something to save up for is also terrific motivation to NOT buy, for example, the stunning dresses in the Boden Spring/Summer catalog that made its way to our house.

We had a MAJOR breakthrough with reading for B this week! I really thought he was stalling out, given how slowly & reluctantly he made his way through the 4-page "books" they sent home from school for practice. Turns out, the boring plot-less pages just weren't motivation. Last Friday, when we went to the library on our "special day", he refused to read the easy reader I picked out but read 40 pages of "The Cat in the Hat Comes Back". Then he refused to read again until last night, in honor of Dr Seuss Day,  he read the ENTIRE books of "Green Eggs and Ham" and "One Fish Two Fish". I loved how excited he was, how determined and proud.

I am meeting a friend for dinner tonight, who sadly no longer works nearby, but is making use of her funemployment (or "sabbatical" as she calls it) to do more socializing. Tomorrow morning I'm going for a run with a friend---we go to the same gym class but we can't really talk during it, so it'll be nice to catch up. Next week another great friend is coming to town, and we are going to happy our. And we have a sitter for a school fundraiser next weekend, which will give us a chance to meet/chat with more current & future parents from B's school. I haven't much in the way of social interaction in a while, so anticipation of these outings is also raising my spirits.

And now I must finish my charting and scan the camp registration form. Will be back soon with March goals.

What are you looking forward to right now?

9 comments:

  1. Dr. Seuss is awesome!

    I don't think I'm looking forward to anything right now except getting some overdue stuff done. :/ I would also like for my congested lungs to clear out, but who knows if that will ever happen.

    re values and spending, this was a fun exercise a few years back: https://nicoleandmaggie.wordpress.com/2011/04/18/how-do-your-values-guide-your-financial-goals/

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    1. ugh, sorry you've been sick for so long and hope you are better soon. "getting things done" is super exciting, actually!

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  2. i'm excited to hear where / how long you are thinking for vacation!! i 100% prioritize family trips & travel.

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    1. just a week, nothing crazy. I think there is a high chance of diminishing returns when traveling with young kids and a week sounds like more than enough for me right now!

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  3. Family vacations are critical to our sanity, though these days, we tend to travel more locally- lots of camping and cottage trips mostly. We're trying to find balance between our need to save as much money as we can, and our need to get away from the stresses of daily life.

    That being said, hubby turns 50 next year, so we are looking at taking a bigger trip. He hasn't decided where he would like to go yet, but when you ask what we are looking forward to, this trip is the first thing that comes to mind. I am also looking forward to warmer weather- I am so damned sick of my winter boots and coat, I can hardly stand the sight of them!

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    1. I hear ya. I was doing pretty well with winter until this week. I am OVER IT.

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  4. Well... I just booked a flight to Denver to meet up with some blogging friends in July (and run a half marathon?!) so I'm definitely looking forward to that! I'm also taking the kids (with my parents) to St. Louis in June to meet up with my cousin who has similarly aged kids at our uncle's amazing new "farm," which has a quarry and a creek and all sorts of fun stuff, so that is going to be awesome. I'm really looking forward to that. ;) And thanks for reminding me that I have it to look forward to.

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  5. I'm looking forward to my first weekend off in three weeks, to sleeping in on Saturday, and to an anniversary dinner at a fancy new restaurant that we've been wanting to try. And to Spring! It's supposed to warm up this weekend, and I'm excited to be less housebound than I have been the past few months.

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