We don't just follow Dave Ramsey.  We also follow his daughter Rachel Cruze.  She is following in his footsteps reaching out to the younger generations.  In the last week she posted on her facebook page an important tidbit that we all need to remember.  No is a complete sentence.  

There are so many things we should say no to.  We often forget to say no.  Albert and I have decided it is time to say no to stupid tax!  If you listen to Dave, you know all about stupid tax.  Stupid tax is the extra money you dish out after making a bad financial decision.  Stupid tax comes from consigning a loan.   Stupid tax comes from lending someone money and expecting to get it back. Stupid tax comes from signing unnecessary financial contracts. 

When we were pregnant with Harli, her bedroom window was on the side of the house.  It was in front of the gate to the back yard.  It was the most accessible window that was the furthest from the front doors.  It was also out of sight from the neighbors.  To me it seemed the most likely place for someone to break in.  So when the salesman came to our door to offer us an awesome security system we jumped on board.  We let our emotions drive our decision.  We did not even think about it over night. The system was wonderful. We loved it!  It gave peace of mind. The video camera even allowed Albert to check on us while he was at work.  The app let us lock and unlock the front door from our phones!!

The system was everything we hoped it would be.  But then we moved.  Our renter was not interested in it.  We could not really use it where we moved.  We no longer needed that type of security. We tried for months to sell our contract to anyone interested. No one wanted it.  So we paid 2.5 years worth of stupid tax.  The company was unwilling to work with us on forgiving the contract. Why should they?  We signed the contract. We agreed to the payment. So we bit the bullet.  

We closed the account this week.  It is such a great feeling to not be paying any more stupid tax!  We agreed that we will never sign a payment contract again. If we need a security system in the future we will use a company that doesn't require a contract.  Next time we need new phones we will not be renewing the two year contract just to get a discount.  We are saying NO!  No to stupid tax.  No to unnecessary contracts!  

One more payment off of our budget!  One step closer to Bringin' Mama Home.

Covering Little Bums

Yet again cost effective collides with healthier choices!  Our babies sport cloth diapers one hundred percent of the time.  This includes road trips and even camping (there is a laundromat near by).  We save quite a bit of money using cloth. Plus, the many chemicals in disposable diapers never touch my babies' bottoms.

I have several different brands and styles of diapers.  If you are just getting started you may want to do the same. In my variety I have learned my favorite types. Brand is not nearly as important as style. I prefer one-size pocket diapers with snaps.  The one size allows the diapers to be used through the entire diaper wearing career.  The pockets allow me to choose the number of inserts to use based on the amount of absorbency I need.  I double stuff for sleeping, long car rides and even church (so my children don't have to be taken out during services).  Snaps seem to be much longer lasting than Velcro. 

My Velcro diapers have stopped sticking after less than two years of use on one child.  It has happened at an unfortunate time as Harli is not quite ready to be potty trained, Levi is growing out of his newborn diapers and I am going back to work (meaning I can't wash diapers whenever I need to).  Not a great time to be running short on diapers.  

Instead of buying new (or even used) diapers, I decided to convert my Velcro diapers to snaps.  I had to buy a few tools and the snaps.  It is still by far cheaper than buying more diapers!

The first step is using an unstitching tool to remove the Velcro from the diaper.  I found it easier to work between the Velcro and the diaper after getting started.  This method allowed me to pull the Velcro away from the diaper a few stitches at a time.  Then I picked away all the remaining thread to clean up the diaper. 

Next, I traced and cut out a piece of card stock to use as a template.  I pinned it to a snap diaper.  Then I used a pencil to shade the card stock.  This outlined the position of the snaps.

I then used an awl to poke holes on my card stock.

I placed the card stock on the old Velcro diaper using a pencil to mark the snap positions. 

This handy press assembled the snaps rather easily.  I had a different snap press that turned out to not be compatible with the snaps I purchased.  It delayed my project by a few days while I waited for the correct press to arrive.

I'm not an expert.  They certainly are not perfect. They will, however, cover my babies' bums and keep us rockin' 'n rollin' the cloth diapers.

Organizing Our Life

I do not generally do well without a schedule.  I definitely do not do well without a plan.  Yesterday was planning day.  I go back to work one week from today.  I needed a plan.  I needed a plan to help my family eat well.  I needed a plan to make sure the house stays clean.  I needed a plan to make sure I get everything done while maximizing my limited time with my family.  So we made a plan.

The first part of our plan is our menu.  When we got married my aunt gave us a cook book with her family recipes.  In the cookbook was a letter from her.  She explained how it was easier for her to have a themed menu.  Her themes were Mexican Mondays, Soup Tuesdays, Chicken Wednesdays, etc.  I have used many of the recipes in this book over the last three and a half years, but I had yet to make it my own.  Last week a friend sent me a link on Pinterest that had the same basic idea.  I took this opportunity to revamp my cookbook to reflect our chosen themes.

Sunday is crock-pot or casserole dinner night.  This works well if it is a potluck Sunday or if we have Sunday company.  I can prep the meal Saturday and no cooking is required for Sunday.  If it is just us eating, we are sure to have excellent leftovers for lunch that week!

Monday is international dinner night.  This allows us to enjoy our favorite Mexican, Italian, Thai, etc. menus without having to devote a different night each week.  I borrowed this idea from the above link!

Tuesday is pantry or freezer dinner night.  This can also be interpreted as left-over night or whatever is on hand night.  Tuesdays we will be hosting FPU starting April and we wanted an easy dinner night.  We do have family dinner with my parents and sister every other Tuesday, until FPU begins.  To accommodate this I will likely trade meal nights for something more exciting when it is our turn to host.

Wednesday is soup, salad and/or sandwich night.  Another easy night so that we can eat quickly and enjoy Bible class.

Thursday is BBQ night.  This is my one night off!!  It is Albert's night to cook burgers, brats, steak or anything else delicious on the grill.  I LOVE this night!  I have also chosen Thursday to be my grocery shopping day.  It is the one day I don't have to rush home to cook.  I prefer to grocery shop on a week night so that it doesn't interfere with family weekends.

Friday is pizza dinner night.  I am starting this week off with pepperoni and pineapple calzones and homemade dough.

Saturday is new recipe night.  This will encourage me to find yummy and healthy recipes to add to the mix.  If we love a new recipe it will get a place in my revamped recipe book.

I used a sharpie on my kitchen whiteboard to outline our weekly menu.  I know a teacher trick to remove it if I ever decide to try something else.  Meal planning done!

What about the rest of my life?  How do I get everything else done that needs to get done?  When I try to schedule all of the chores every week I lose most of my family time and my sanity.  So I decided to apply the themed idea we used with our meal planning.

Sunday is relaxing night.  This can be interpreted in whatever way we want as long as it is relaxing.  If Sunday night is hectic chores then I don't feel like I got a weekend.  This makes for a rough Monday.

Monday is chore night.  I have to do laundry and dishes everyday to keep up with diapers and bottles.  All other chores are reserved for Monday.  I know the whole house wont get cleaned every Monday.  My family is more important.  Instead, we will complete only the most needed chores on any given Monday.  I am hopeful that all chores will get done at least once every two to three weeks.

Tuesday is catch up day.  On Tuesdays that we are not teaching FPU or having family dinner night, we will play catch up.  This is our opportunity to work on any unfinished projects from the weekend.

Wednesday is Bible class and fellowship night.

Thursday is reading night.  This is our chance to catch up on Bible reading, personal development reading and of course fun reading!

Friday is game night.  It pairs well with pizza!  We can play games with Harli after dinner and then play cards or backgammon after she heads to bed.  We used to play games several nights a week before kids.  We are ready to reclaim this time!

Saturday is of course movie night.  It is a great way to end the weekend and a Saturday that was surely full of projects and photo sessions!

I feel accomplished just by making a plan.  This week is implementation week so that we have some what of a routine established before I head to work next Monday.  What strategies are you using this year?

Teacher by Day

I am a wife and mom far above being a teacher.  I want to be home full time.  I want to keep a clean home.  I want to take my children on day trips.  I want to create new recipes.  I want to learn how to sew.  I want to have time to do projects with my children.  I want to home school my children.  I want to be everything my children need me to be.  More importantly, I want to be everything my husband needs me to be.  I want to work out and stay fit for my husband.  I want to make him three meals a day.  I want to have time to write him love notes and hide them in his lunch.  I want to surprise him with lunch at work.   

With my heart at home, how do I enter my classroom in a few short days and be everything my students need me to be?  I certainly can not leave these thoughts of home at home.  They are too much a part of who I am.  I have to redirect them.  I have to focus on each of my students.  I have to love them as I want my own children to be loved while I am away from them.

I could certainly sit in my classroom and be bitter about my job.  Where would that get me?  Where would that get my students?  I choose to love my job.  I choose to be the best teacher I can be to each of my students.  I choose to be at work 100%.  I choose this because I love my students.  I choose this because it makes my hours at work go by faster.  I choose this because to be the best mom and wife, I have to be the best teacher too.  I choose this because God wants me to. 

I do love my job.  If I had to be anywhere other than home with my children, I would be in my classroom.  I am very blessed to have this career.  Many mamas who wish they were home, trudge off to work for a boss they don't like.  My boss is amazing.  My boss understands my desire to be with my children.  Many mamas go off to a job that feels pointless.  My job isn't always glamorous, but it is always rewarding.  My job makes a difference.  Many mamas barely make enough money to justify paying for a sitter.  My job pays me well and allows us to work through our financial goals.  Someday my job will bring me home.

If you wish you were home with your children, take a new perspective to work with you this year.  Plan to be the best employee and coworker possible.  Plan to enjoy your job.  When you get home, you will feel more fulfilled in your day.  You will be emotionally more stable for your husband and children.  Use those few short hours between work and sleep to really BE with your family. 

(As I head back into the working world my posts will be once a week instead of daily.  Stay with us to hear about how we balance life and continue working towards Bringin' Mama Home!  Happy New Year.)

Picturing Our Dream

It is so important to dream and plan together.  Especially when giving yourselves such tight restrictions.   As you are motivating yourself to start or continue overcoming debt, sit down with your spouse.  It is time to start dreaming.  We already discussed dreaming about big giving.  It is also time to dream about what you want your life to look like when it is no longer strapped by debt.  Albert and I sat down a few months ago and made our list.  We had discussed it numerous times in the past.  This time we made a record of it.  It is something to revisit often.  It keeps us focused on our goal.  It keeps us motivated to trudge on!

Some of our list has special treats.  Going on that Alaska cruise we dreamed about for our honeymoon.  Walking into a store with an outrageous amount of money and going on a cash shopping spree.  For me, having a standing appointment at a day spa.  For Albert, having a regularly set tee time.  Hiring an interior designer to turn our home into a dream.  Or at least have matching furniture!

Other items on our list include changes in our lifestyle.  Buying all organic, farm fresh food.  Mama being home with the kids all day.  Of course, skyrocketing our giving!  Having company over for lunch every Sunday afternoon.  Driving better vehicles.



Our biggest financial dream is our home.  Other than me being a stay at home mom, this is the dream we talk about the most.  Picture this with us.  Many acres of beautiful, gently rolling hills.  A ranch style home that we have either built or modified.  On our land you will find countless picturesque backdrops.  Our own private outdoor studio.  The most stunning backdrop will be the location of a wedding venue.  Including a gorgeous barn in case of poor weather.  We will be your one stop shop for all of your wedding needs. 


We will provide all inclusive wedding packages with people we have partnered with.  Our dream will make other people's dreams come true.  We will both be home full time with our children, doing what we love.



That is our dream.  What is yours?