Food Budget Update

Welllll......we've been/ I've been doing pre-tty good.

Somedays are harder than others. The days that I want to "cook" something special, want to run to the grocery and buy ingredients. I don't. I use what I have, to cook something that is acceptable for us all.

I've cut the budget by 100 more bucks last month and this week I'm going to try and cut it back down 50 more dollars. That will put us at 450 bucks a month on food. Which means no Chick-fil-A, no pizza, no take out or date night whatever.

Once we get our budget under control we will try and add date night back in as a  separate category.

We have talked and talked about getting rid of cable which is a significant amount of our monthly budget.

But, honestly with me being at home all day every day with the kids AND Benji heading to Brazil, I just don't think cutting out Nick jr is best for my sanity right now.

I'll be honest. This has been harder/easier than I thought. The hard part is the staying at home and not "running to Chick-fil-a " just to kill time. It's not necessarily the FOOD that is disappointing me. It's the staying home more because I can't spend money when I leave so what's the point!???? haha

I really do enjoy the trying to pull together a nutritious meal out of random ingredients challenge.

I've lost weight. We are eating better and our budget is slowing seeing improvement.

If I Was Cool

I'd have a great blog for you all tonight. 

But I am exhausted from this past weekend. We were not home except to sleep. FOR REALZ. 

It rained today and I wanted to run and jump in puddles in my new boots. 

But. I didn't. I did laundry and dishes and changed diaper and diaper and diaper. 

fed four mouths 3 meals and tried to eat and pee for myself in between. 

Now it's 9pm and all I want to do is crawl in bed until next week...or tomorrow morning. 

To cheer myself up here's a few pictures from Pinterest that make me happy. 

Me and My Babays

Emery had her Pre k3 celebration on Thursday. This is our one picture of me and the kids. I'm never, EVER in the picture. I'm always the one taking it.

Any whooooo.....loooks like someone needs to start RUNNING!

I just see these as my "plump, fertile, years.".

LOVE MY BABIES. I wouldn't trade a bikini body for them or anything in the world. :)

About That Time.....

Only a few more weeks until Benji travels to Brazil without. me....sighhhhhhh...... :( :( :(

I would give anything to be able to go with him. Anything except my kids.

So I will stay. Here with them. and wait. Wait for my gift from afar.......a new pair of Havianas. And maybe a cute scarf for pair of earrings.

Mother's Day 2012.

Today was perfect.

I woke up late, Benji took both the kids with him to church early. Jesse is usually my alarm clock. :) Emery usually goes with Benji early because she likes to eat the donuts he gets for the youth and run around in the gym before her class.

I went to church, we came home. I requested Bojangles fried chicken for lunch. (yes, yes I did.) I have a neurotic aversion to going "out to eat" after Church. I hate it. the kids are tired, I am tired. It takes forever, so if we don't eat at home, ( which we usually do) we grab food from drive through and eat at home. But that is hardly ever. Especially since Benji put me on a food budget.

But since today was Mother's day I requested Bojangles. :) y'all for real, it is the for real deal. anyhow. Benji and I were too full from lunch to eat much dinner.

Emery had leftover spaghetti and Jesse had corn and a biscuit. He had a good lunch of chicken, green beans and mac and cheese.

After lunch Jesse, Emery and I took a nap. I think Benji watched golf for most of the time, but snoozed for a little....

Friday we headed to Gainesville to spend time with both of our moms. I think the kids were still exhausted from that trip because they were off the wall today! Both of them! GRUMPOS.

I took a nap and read most of the day but still managed to get stressed by Emery's crazy behavior!!!????

I am taking a few days/weeks/months off of Facebook. Haven't decided how long yet.

I am reading the book I talked about in the last post.

I have gotten back into reading. (praise LORD).....I have about 5 books I'm going through right now. (which is how I roll).

I have found so much "free time" now that Facebook isn't apart of my daily routine.

I'm going to get back on of course. But this has been really the first time I have taken more than 24 of a break from it.

Benji ordered me this pair of Hunter Wellington rain boots that I have been wanting forever for Mother's day.

It's been a good day and I am so so thankful for my family.

7, By Jen Hatmaker

Okay so somehow I got sucked into this girl who's kinda like Francis Chan/David Platt, but for stay at home mommies....haha 

That's the best way I can describe her.

As mentioned before, Benji and I have tried and tried to cut/trim/delete/consolidate every little penny we spend each month. Because let's face it, he has a GREAT job but, let's be honest for a moment....being a stay at home mom is rare these days and we DO sacrifice a lot for me to be able to stay at home.

It isn't always my favorite choice, (momentarily speaking like when Emery is peeing in Jesse's room) but it is my choice. I could have worked if I wanted too, Benji was fine with whatever I wanted.

So instead of me working, we bought a smaller house, drove old cars, (until they fell apart) and then my man, my hunter, my hunk of all things 4 wheel drive and TRUCK...he sold his truck and he bought a KIA.

That my friends is called sacrifice for your family. We are still looking for ways to cut back for a few reasons.

1. We want/need to start saving for a "bigger" house, or at least a house with one more room. The price on our house had more to do with location than with the size of it....anyway.
 2. We want to be able for me to travel with Benji as much as possible as WELL as the kids, when he goes on his mission trips every summer. The church pays for him, obviously, but for me and the kiddos we have to pay......and it has always been a desire of mine that as soon as the kids were old enough for us to start taking them on the trips.
 3. SAVINGS, SAVINGS......
 4. Medical bills, medical bills, medical bills. Now I realize to some medical bills "don't really count" because there is just nothing you can do about it. I can't help that Jesse had to come out via C-section then pulled the meningitis stunt.....I also can't help BENJI LADD pulled the meningitis stunt just last month....geeeeeeezzzzzzz!!!!

Anyway me being first born, it makes it incredibly hard for me to know that we "owe" anyone anything. So we are working hard on the hospital bills so that we can have another baby and rack some bills up again!

 5. We also just want to be able to give when we feel led to give. If ya got a zero balance in your account ya can't be giving to the local charity of your choice.

Anyway, you get the point. I'm hoping that together, this year, Benji and I can re-prioritize our budget and cut the "Fat" where it is needed......This 7 book I have a feeling is going to rock my world. I'd encourage anyone to read it themselves. GO FOR IT!

Emery Hart Ladd

If I needed ANYTHING in the world after the week I've had it is this.

Emery made it in Awana's tonight. She was "suppose" to hide it and give it to me Sunday but of course she is MY daughter and couldn't wait at all.

I mean seriously, SERIOUSLY.

I have felt all kinds of emotions this week. I've felt like a failure in just about every area of my life. As a daughter, sister, wife, mother, Christian, cook, housekeeper. Whatever, you name it I have felt defeated. I have felt like I will never ever get it together.

And the voices that I hear that tell me "yeah, maybe you won't", they don't help.

But my friends help me, my husband helps me, my JESUS helps me...

And tonight, tonight my Emery Hart Ladd helped me. She helped me realize, no I'm not perfect. No I'm not always in a positive mood. Yes I do fail from time to time.

But I am her mommy and she loves me no matter what, I love her no matter what NO MATTER WHAT. God has blessed me far more than I can imagine with my two children and there is nothing, nothing in the world that I want more than to add to that quiver of blessings.

"Children are a blessing from the LORD and a heritage for our faith." Even though that verse in found in Psalms in the Old Testament it STILL applies today.

I'm not going all Dugger's on anyone. I'm just saying that maybe, maybe for awhile Christian families have not paid attention to the opportunities that they have in planning large families.

God is in control of my future. I am sure of that.

We want more children. I am sure of that.

And I am thankful that Emery, my first born is so so special.

GOD is good and to him Benji and I give all the glory.