Finally!

I knew it would be this way.  I knew that deep down I would not set forth any big goals or write in this blog until baby arrived.  And...baby has arrived!  It's like my only focus was counting down the days until the birth and now he's already 3 days old!  I want to stop time right now.  I want to hold him and remember this feeling for the rest of my life: the softness of his hair, the smoothness of his skin, how tiny he feels in my arms, how thankful I am that God blessed us with another child.  Quattro made his appearance this week and he is beautiful!  I am already on the internet looking for healthy food sources to help me be successful with my breastfeeding.  I'm open to any recommendations, suggestions, or websites you know of that can give me some much needed info:)

Update

I have done pretty well with my "To Do" list this afternoon but hit a roadblock when I went to update the school website for the Holiday Auction.  I have now tried on two different occasions to edit that particular page and so far - nothing.  A little frustrated but I e-mailed the web designer and I'm sure it will get cleared up tomorrow. 

As far as everything else in my life, I'm okay.  A lot of "what if's" in my head and apprehension for the upcoming auction as well as excitement over the fact that Quattro will be making an appearance in 10 weeks.  Hoping that over the next 3 weeks I do really well with my follow through.  And one thing I would mark down as a success would be if I posted pictures to this blog sometime in the near future.  (We'll see)

Confessions

I am a big fan of Dave Ramsey.  Now let me clarify.  Being a big fan and applying his principles to my life are right now on opposite ends of the spectrum.  If you're not familiar with his radio program, he not only takes calls to answer financial questions but he takes calls to allow people to share their "Debt Free Scream" which is a time to share how much debt they have paid off and in what time.   I would LOVE to be a caller.  Now while I have yet to hear people proudly claim how much debt they are currently in, I do hear the joy of the callers when they get to share how much they have paid off.  Therefore, with embarrassment, I'm confessing I have $10,000 in debt to pay off.  It is a slow process, one that we have paid off and then got right back in.  There are things in my life that I could really be successful in if I could get a hold of self-control.
So here's my admission posted on my sidebar for all to see.  Hopefully, like admitting my waist size, this will be a motivation for moving in the right direction and paying off this debt. 

Way Excited!

Okay, so what makes me super excited may not do a thing for anyone else.  But today, I got to be in on two meetings to plan for upcoming events.  Loved it!  1.  I sat in on the procurement meeting for CCS' HOLIDAY Auction and it went really well.  We already have two vacation packages donated, a financial sponsor for a portion of the auction expenses, and two passes to the Biltmore Estate.  I think that is pretty darn good considering today was our first day to even start procuring items.  The volunteers that have signed up this year are awesome!!  2.  I met with Tres' teacher to determine which ways I can help her for the fall semester and I LOVE having my "To Do" lists ready.  Boy, let me tell you, do I have some lists going.  I get to touch base with all the PreK parents tonight.  This is SO right up my alley!!

For a bonus, this is what Tres dressed herself in when she came home today.  Check out the bumble bee headband that is not really on top of her head but more protruding from her forehead:)  Love that girl.

What's on my list?

Well besides the fact it has been far too long since my last post, I will offer no other excuses.  Today is the first day in I don't know how long that I slept in til 8:00 (it was so nice) and am sipping my coffee browsing the web.  I am such a reader when it comes to Facebook, not a participant:) 

Numero Uno and I were talking the other night and sharing how we wished someone would have sat us down at the beginning of the summer and told us, "your life will become exponentially busier from this moment on".  I would have liked that preparation.  Unfortunately, rarely do people get any notice for major life changes.  We are expecting Quattro!  I am 22 weeks along and will start my 23rd week Monday.  We are not finding out what this one is so it has been exciting.  Besides new baby, we have three in sports right now.  Uno is playing fall baseball while Dos and Tres are in AYSO soccer. 

So I guess my list would look something like this:
1. Plan for baby.
2. Keep all three kids on schedule with their sports.
3. Plan CCS' Holiday Auction.
4. Unload SD card so I can take pictures of all my kiddies in their sports.
5. Be Room Mom for Tres and assist with the other two classes as needed.
6. Keep lunches and suppers healthy and creative while not losing my mind. (Check out This Lunch Rox.)
7. Be a loving and kind wife and mother to my family.
8. Provide World Peace (figure that's a good one to add since some of my other list makers are just as challenging).

Switching Stitches

My number 4 on my "Summer List" was to provide my kids an exciting and educational summer.  Well, I'm not certain about educational but it has been exciting and busy!!
I am working on my college course.  It is going by quickly.
I'm also working on Switching Stitches, the children's seasonal consignment sale that will be held in August.  Right now, my biggest task is getting the word out and signing up interested workers and contributors.  As always I'm open to any suggestions.

My Summer List

Whenever I read other blogs it never fails that I come across one that reads, "Oh, I can't believe it's been so long since I've posted.  I will never let it happen again.  Yada, yada, yada."  Well, here I go...

It's been SO long since I've posted:)  I am at a point where I have to prioritize or I will sink.  Somehow with the end of the school year I got into a funk where I dreaded what I needed to do instead of jumping right in.  Well, today I sat down and started making my summer list.  Here it goes:

1.  Complete summer college course.
2.  Organize and pull off first kids' consignment sale named, Switching Stitches.
3.  Plan and prepare for The HOLIDAY Auction.
4.  Provide an exciting and educational summer for my kids.

These are just the biggies.  I still have all the little things of life - clean house, church participation, keep my love life strong, blah, blah, blah.  Well, here's to a good summer!

Donor Drive

In case you have noticed my Blog List I have added a link titled, "Donor Drive".  This link is the site for Dos and Tres' school annual Golf & Walk Event fundraiser.  Now, I'm not a golf fan but I am a HUGE fan of Cullman Christian School!  If you would like to help us out, then please click on the link and you will search for Mrs. McCormick's Cub Club. 
Our school goal is $40,000.  This money is used for the general fund of the school.  I wish I could convey what a great school CCS is.  CCS has a warm, friendly environment with a great curriculum program.  For example, Dos is only in the K4 program and he is reading!  It is a wonderful feeling to hear your child read.  Tres will be in K4 next year and I look forward to what she will learn. 

Grocery Day

Today was grocery day.  I did pretty good considering I spent about $10 the other day at Walgreens and today $130 at Publix.  This will last us two weeks.  I'm such a tight wad in the sense that I still think to myself, "I could've done better" but at $70 a week for a family of five is pretty good.  My best deals I think were:  at Walgreens this week they have $5 register rewards when you purchase one Almay cosmetic plus they have several Almay products at a 30% discount.  I matched these deals with a $2 store coupon and a $2 manufacturer's coupon to get a $4.19 eye makeup remover for $.19 plus $5 in register rewards.  Basically, I got paid to get some much needed eye makeup remover. At Publix I got a $10 Publix gift card for purchasing $15 worth of Conagra food products.  However, I really got more than $15 worth because all of the Conagra foods I purchased were buy one get one free (B1G1).  I've been really excited about the gift cards and rebates I've received recently.  I have the $10 gift card coming plus up to $17 in rebates headed my way.  I would have NEVER thought I would be getting paid to purchase high quality products.  Prior to couponing, I thought the only way to save on groceries was to buy store brand.
I recently read of a site called the 30 dollar weekly grocery challenge.  I am intrigued and need to read more because that would be pretty sweet to spend $30 a week however I'm not sure that's possible with a family of five.  Still my biggest challenge is buying meat at a good deal for two weeks at a time.  As a Christmas gift, my in-laws got us half a cow that will be slaughtered in April.  The cost for us to slaughter it will be $150 so I'm curious to see how much this will save us over the year.
I made it home in time to fold clothes and clean some before going to pick the kids up.  Plus, we got to ride bikes and play on the trampoline.  Pretty good day. 

If I Die Young...

Have you ever had a song stuck in your head?  Well, mine is "If I Die Young" by The Band Perry.  This is a group that on some level I would like to dislike them but I find myself really enjoying all their songs thus far.  Now this group has nothing to do with my day except that their song is on "repeat" in my brain.

For a month now, I've been off my game but today was my turn around.  Yeah!!  Thanks in part to an injury Numero Uno sustained yesterday evening, he was home today to spend the whole day with the kids.  So, my man and I took the kids out to Smith Lake yesterday to test our friend's boat out.  We never got to test the boat because as my man was releasing the boat into the water, his ring finger got caught between the boat and its trailer almost severing his finger.  Thankfully, he's okay.  He does have a few stitches and a couple of days off.  Now as terrible as it sounds, if Numero Uno would've been at work I would have been just as behind in all my housework.  However, today I was able to do six loads of laundry, balance our checkbook, make out tomorrow's grocery list, exercise, and donate old clothes to a local charity.  Whew!  I've still got a few more tasks to complete and am hoping I can still keep going until all is complete. 

On the other hand, when Daddy's in charge, this is what the children have to eat...

Oh well, they had a good time:)

In Case You Wanted to Know...

Tres did fantastic today!  She was a little nervous when we first arrived at her Jamboree but I think that was because we had to meet in a new gym before everything started.  Once she was able to run around to get some "jitters" out, she loosened up and had a great time.  I'm uncertain if I can explain or describe how wonderful this experience was for me.  Here are a few pictures.  The smile on her face made mine and Numero Uno's day.  I truly believe Tres had a great time:)  My parents came to watch her, and I think she really liked having them ther to cheer her on.

We had another busy day today but I'm not really certain when life is not busy due to the fact that day in and day out you have routines that must be done in order to keep some sanity.  On my list for today was Jamboree then help my sister.  My sister teaches at Cullman Christian School's high school.  Tonight they held their first Honor Society formal.  I agreed to help her get the location decorated.  I enjoyed doing it and amazingly, Dos and Tres did not complain one time about being there.  I was very proud of how well the kids did while I was working.  When we finally arrived home this afternoon, I was spent.  I really didn't do much of anything else except my youngest nephew did come over to play with my kiddies tonight.  I also went over tomorrow's sermon notes since I will have to sign tomorrow.

Today's List

Here are the last pictures I took with my camera.  Can you tell I've not had my camera for a while?  I need to just start taking pictures of my kids since it has been 3 months since their last photos.  I will get some pics of Tres tomorrow since it will be her gymnastic Jamboree.

 

My To Do list has been pretty steady here lately and I am strangely at ease and peace with our life right now.  Let me take a moment to say things are going very well for us right now.  I hope I will be proactive enough to keep ahead of the chaos that always seems close behind.  Today I was able to send out fundraising letters for the school, have a picnic with Tres, plant carrots and lettuce in the garden, ride bikes with Dos and Tres, go to Wal-Mart, AND give Tres a mani and pedi for tomorrow.  All in all, I would say that is a successful day. 

I still need to get the whole family's outfits laid out for tomorrow's Jamboree.  I'm pretty excited about this event for Tres. I have new batteries in the camera and will have the disc recorder charged up for in the morning.  I'm trying to prepare myself for the possibility that Tres will freak out in front of a crowd or decide not to cooperate. 

By the way, I have received two different FREE subscriptions to magazines I like.  Mamapedia has a deal for $5 on one year subscription to Disney's Family Fun magazine; however, if you are a first time user to Mamapedia, you receive a $5 credit when you sign up making your subscription free!  Then today I saw on Couponing to Disney that FreeBizMag.com will give you a complimentary subscription to Woman's Day when you apply.  Honestly, I'm a little iffy on the Woman's Day because I applied and they accepted me; however, the fine print read something about publisher must accept application.  I was slightly confused. It will take up to 12 weeks to get on the magazine rotation so I will have to keep you posted on whether or not I really got the free deal.

Finally!

So my main squeeze is suppose to be headed out to Fairview today and will pick up my camera!!  Hopefully I will start taking pictures and posting.
I have a new game plan that I've been implementing over the last couple of weeks.  Before, I was grocery shopping every two weeks.  I felt like I was missing out on all the $1 deals in between shopping trips.  So, now in between my regular trips I view online various ladies' sites to see what $1 and under deals there are available.  Couponing to Disney does a really good job of listing them out with the title of $1 and Under, but Krazy Couponing Lady list info as does Southern Savers.  For example, yesterday, I was able to purchase lunch for me & my two youngest plus 21 other items for $22.71.  I was pretty pumped.  I guess I get so pumped because I remember how stretched I was financially before I used coupons.  Items like tampons would kill me to buy each month because it would be an extra $6 that I could have been using to buy food for the family.  Do you know that I got a box of tampons yesterday for FREE?  Plus deoderant for FREE and dishwashing liquid for FREE!!  Couponing has been one of the best ways I feel like I can contribute to my family's financial well being.  Now, my biggest challenge still remains in encouraging Numero Uno to stick to our budget:)

I Need to Do That

So, I am definitely at a frustration level in looking at myself and my actions as of late.  Now, understand, my frustration is routine, it's PREDICTABLE.  There are things in my life that I take note of and think, "I need to do that".  I obviously recognize that something needs to change and yet my follow through sucks!  For example: weight.  Do you realize that if I would drop a mere 10 pounds I could probably regulate my hormones which in turn would regulate my ovulation which would get me pregnant but I still have not lost the weight.  Or the fact that at least 4 months ago I saw a cool simple art design for Dos' bedroom which would only cost $20 to buy and make and I still have not done that.  OR the curtains that match Dos'  room and have yet to purchase the curtain rod to hold the curtains that still remain folded in his closet.  OR my camera, winter coat, and favorite scarf that are currently at my aunt's house that I visited at CHRISTMAS!!  Does she live far away?  No, about a 25 minute drive.  When will I get off my sorry rear and get this stuff done? 
What makes these women who have it all together, have it all together?

My List

I have somehow misplaced (lost) my camera.  I really would like to posts some pics of the kids that have been taken recently but none have been taken! 
My overall list has quickly increased here lately:
1.  Make 17 tie dye t-shirts for the preschool class' field trip next Tuesday.
2.  Assist the Kindergarten teacher in creating and implementing incentive levels for the elementary students to achieve during the Golf and Walk Marathon.
3.  Meet with volunteers who are willing to begin procurement work for the next Holiday Auction.
4.  Read, review, and revise the auction manual.

All of this is in addition to the regular day in and day out tasks of being a Mama.

Tell Me! Tuesday

My list for today:

1.  Morning routine.
2.  Take phone call from Dad to wish me Happy Birthday and invite me to brunch date.
3.  Get dressed.
4.  Get phone call from Dad who is late.
5.  Get in fight with Dad.
6.  Cancel brunch date.
7.  Cry half the morning because of hurt feelings.
8.  Receive apology call from Dad, and I apologize.
9.  Continue the rest of my day.

Tell Me! Tuesday

In order to make myself an honest woman, I will have at least one more Tell Me! Tuesday.  I'm certain that now that I have started this it will just take off and be increasingly popular:)

My "To Do" list for today:

1.  Complete Morning Routine (flylady.net)
2.  Complete a Mission (flylady.net)
3.  Fold and put away laundry
4.  Clean out the toyroom while kids are at school
5.  E-mail CEO of local fundraiser company and parents of preschool class
6.  Pick up kids and bread from Bread Store
7.  Make supper/ kids finish homework
8.  Bedtime Routine

I really should also go by the courthouse today and pay my late land tax bill but I will wait til tomorrow. 
So, what's yours?  What's on your list? 

I Am My Mother

I have just read some of my older post and I am dying laughin' at myself.  Growing up my mother would always be reading some new book or article or hearing some sermon or speaker on the radio and immediately her life was going to be different from implementing whatever the latest was.  I am the SAME.  I just read one of my "great" ideas of  Tell Me! Tuesday.  Would you like to know how long that idea lasted?  Uh, that one Tuesday.  I crack myself up!

Emergency!

Gonna give a little shout out to the Lord for a couple of things. #1.  Thank the Lord Numero Uno and I have been doing the budget thing for the past two paychecks because we actually had an emergency today and had it not been for sticking to a budget we would have been up you-know-what creek.  Dos went to Urgent Care this morning and then was sent on to Children's Hospital emergency room.  We had a little cushion to absorb the unexpected cost.  Don't get me wrong, we are blessed with insurance.  The budget came in handy when it came to the extra cost of fuel to drive all over God's green earth and the unexpected food expenses for being away from home ALL DAY LONG.  #2.  As of right now, nothing major is wrong with Dos.  Although I do not fully buy into the doctor's diagnosis, I am thankful for no biggies.  THANK YOU LORD!!
Okay, so here is the low down and feel free to give input because like I said I did not buy into the doctor's explanation:
For three weeks Dos has been having BAD gas - I mean BAD.  At first I thought, "he's a boy, he thinks this is funny, this will hopefully tone down"; however, he started going to the bathroom all the time, having accidents in his pants, and his stomach has become extremely distended.  After a couple of extended family members on two separate occasions asked me if he had been to see the doctor I decided it was time to take him.  Now, for some of you, you may think, "why didn't you take him earlier?"  I didn't want to be the mom that had to explain to the doc that I thought my son farted too much!  Anyway, at urgent care the doctor did an x-ray because upon seeing Dos' belly he was immediately concerned.  After the x-ray the doctor told me that if Dos was his son, he would take him to Children's because he saw something on x-ray.  Okay, as a parent, that was a horrible feeling to feel like in a moment our whole world and routines and existence could change.  If someone had privy to my conversations with God on the way to Children's Hospital, they would have heard: "God, please, I don't want this.  Please do not pick my family as the "good example" of believing in You, let us continue on in life with our heads down and our noses out of trouble.  Please God, I'd give anything to keep my children healthy."  I'm sure I'm not conveying accurately that I did realize that this whole situation could be no big deal but in a moment when you feel like, "what if everything is NOT okay?" it's a horrible feeling.  I kept thinking, "I don't want to be here.  I don't want to be here."
So... we get to Children's.  Again, the ER doc immediately comments on the size of Dos' abdomen and views the x-rays that were sent to her from Cullman.  As she is asking questions and feeling his stomach, he swallows, and Numero Uno comments that Dos does that all the time and ask if the two things are related?  Then the doctor tells us she does not think we need to do any further invasive procedures but put him on Mylicon and follow up with his regular doctor.  Now, let me interject here that this doctor was extremely nice but I do want to say..."WHAT???"  Mylicon is going to cure all of his problems?  His bowel movements have ranged from regular to diahhrea to down right nasty.  How can swallowing air by his swallowing habit cause all of his bowel problems?  Don't get me wrong, I am ECSTATIC that nothing major was wrong, it's just that her explanation makes NO sense to me.  She did go on to say that her primary concern was to rule out any emergency situation.
We are currently giving him Mylicon every two hours and will follow up with a doctor appointment on Tuesday.

Emergency Fund

Numero Uno and I sat down again Wednesday night to look at our next two weeks budget.  Looks like for this two week session we'll be doing good to put $10 in our savings account.  However, I did rack up some pretty sweet deals at Publix yesterday.  I also did pretty well at CVS.  I purchased 10 items at approximately $1.90 a piece.  Due to the snow, Publix did not have a lot of stuff in because of cancelled shipments but they issued me rain checks.  Thanks BFF for that knowledge.  I was trying to come up with some ways to create extra cash for our Disney fund.  I read on Couponing to Disney that some sites cut coupons for people.  I usually do not like or use all my coupons so I was thinking, "wonder if I could go ahead and cut out all coupons and ebay the ones I don't use or want".  Just a thought.  I'll try it out and see how it goes.

Goals, Goals, Goals!

After a fun break for a couple of days at my parents' place, I am back in my home environment ready to go.  This is a good thing considering last week I seemed to be stuck in a rut. 
I can't remember what I have posted thus far about the New Year and finances.  I will say this year so far has brought some difficult and exciting (albeit nervous) decisions.  Can you tell when you have made a final decision?  I mean one that you are not turning back from?  Like if you've ever touched an electric fence ( I really hope this lesson was learned as a child) and afterwards you realize it will not take any more convincing for you to NEVER touch the fence again if you can help it?  Well, Numero Uno and I are there.  NO MORE DEBT!!! We have paid off debt time and time again and yet get right back into the hole. 
Why do I believe it's different now?  Because we have made a powerful and disappointing decision (at least to me) that will be a painful reminder (not unlike the shock of an electric fence) of what debt has done.  We have decided we will not be sending our children to Cullman Christian next year.  I am EXTREMELY saddened by this but in order for them to attend next year I would have to get a job.  Right now at this point in our lives, I believe my greatest role is fulfilled in the home.  To take me away from the home to pay bills, I believe will hurt our family.  We have also decided to make a really big effort this year to get pregnant and we both agree we will not bring an infant into this world for someone else to care for in order for me to work to put the other kids through private school.  To my man, this was not a difficult decision but for me, it has been tough.  I have prayed and prayed over this and honestly, my impression from God is that this is not a sin or no sin situation, I simply must trust and move on.  Don't get me wrong, I'm still praying for a miracle and by that I mean a way for the kiddies to stay at CCS and me stay home.  I've also been praying that God hit me with a great "stay-at-home mommy" idea that so many other mommies have had and now they bring in great income.  Yes, I am open to ideas. 
So... our goals?  Dave Ramsey's (he should be up for sainthood) three baby steps:
Step 1:  $1,000 in Emergency Fund
Step 2:  Snowball all debt.
Step 3:  Create a serious Emergency Fund consisting of 3-6 months of living expenses. 

Now, Numero Uno and I believe that we should be able to do most of this in 24 months.  Due to the long term goals of living debt free, we have taken our house off the market and will work over the next 24 months to pay down all debt in the hopes that in two years the housing market will be on the rise and we can actually make some money off of our home.  We'll see how we progress.  By the way, I'm open to suggestions.
-The List Maker

Yesterday

Yesterday... Yesterday was a beautiful day.  I cleaned my house, played one on one with the children (we even spent some time playing outside), I made a healthy supper for everyone, gave the kids a bath, read books to them, prayed together, and closed the day with songs.  What a great day.  All was well with the world.

Today... I have barely got my sorry rear off the couch.  We started back school today and one would think that I would have accomplished so much.  Instead, we are about to load up so I can run by Chick-fil-a in order to pick up free kids meals because I do not want to cook.  And yes, my Christmas trees are still up.  They were supposed to come down today but that didn't happen.  My ONLY good thing I did was I worked out today but I'm pretty certain that the rest of my behavior today has nullified any and all potential benefits from the work out. 

I was NOT a supermom today.  I'm not even sure I was the average mom today.  What happens now?

The Future

I'm not sure I will label any of my decisions for this year as "resolutions".  Are there goals I have for this year?  Most definitely.  Will there be changes made?  Absolutely.  But will they be resolutions?  I don't think so.  Or if they are I am camouflaging them under another name:) 

1.  What do I want to focus on in the coming year?  My fingers hesitate to type my first response...peace with God.  When one says such a thing isn't the norm to be slammed with trials and tragedy?  I have kept a safe distance from God this past year.  Not wanting to get too close for fear He may want to invade some private space.  But I was reminded yet again yesterday at church that He has power that I need.  He can move mountains that I can only kick.  If I had the power to speak one statement over this desire, it would be:  I will be a friend of God's and He will be a kind, loving friend to me.

So, my many small ideas for the new year?
Me and my sister are starting a workout program tomorrow.  My goal is to lose 10% of my weight.  Meaning I simply have 11 more pounds to go since I lost four pounds while being sick last week. (Good news - it wasn't the flu)
Numero Uno and I are hitting Dave Ramsey hard this year.  First step?  Emergency fund.  I'm excited to see the progress we will make. We already know there are going to be some difficult decisions that will not be understood by our friends or family that lie ahead.
Play outside with my kids on a regular basis.
Swap out processed foods for natural choices which in turn will allow me to provide better food choices for my kids. 
Get pregnant and have a beautiful and healthy baby.