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October 12, 2015
Quality Time
Ah! What exactly is quality time? I believe it is being 100%
engaged. No phones. No distractions.
When I pick my daughter up from daycare, I know we have approximately
4 hours together before she goes to bed. That’s a pretty good chunk of time…until
we get home and I remember the dishwasher needs to be unloaded, today’s the day
to dust, and I need to make some phone calls. That stuff has to be done. I get
it. I rely on Mickey Mouse a lot. And honestly I think she’d rather spend her
afternoons with him than me. ;) But not the WHOLE afternoon. I try to carve out
AT LEAST an hour of quality time with her. And then family quality time after
my husband gets home. So what do we do?
1.
Go outside and play or go to the park
We go to the park A LOT! She loves it, it gets us out in the fresh air, and it gets us moving. We are walking around. I am pushing her on the swing or catching her at the bottom of the slide. There’s no temptation to sit on the couch and pull out my phone while she plays. That’s often more of a weekend event though. So because of pressed time, we spend a lot of evenings in our yard on her slide just for 20 minutes or so. She also loves going for wagon rides.
We go to the park A LOT! She loves it, it gets us out in the fresh air, and it gets us moving. We are walking around. I am pushing her on the swing or catching her at the bottom of the slide. There’s no temptation to sit on the couch and pull out my phone while she plays. That’s often more of a weekend event though. So because of pressed time, we spend a lot of evenings in our yard on her slide just for 20 minutes or so. She also loves going for wagon rides.
2.
Do Chores
Now I know this may be exclusive to my
household, but I gotta tell ya. This girl of mine LOVES to help. It’s pretty
much her favorite thing ever. When I ask her to hold the cord for me while I
vacuum, she acts like she just won a gold medal. It’s precious. So sometimes
quality time for us is her helping me vacuum or wipe up a spill. Now granted,
this is not really “cleaning” time. It will take you forever and you can get 10
times as much done in the 30 minutes after she goes to sleep. But it’s really
not about the cleaning, it’s more about boosting her confidence and giving her
a purpose.
3.
READ
If helping is her favorite, reading is a close second. She is not a snuggler, a kiss giver, or a hugger, but she sure will plop right in my lap to look at her favorite book! So I absolutely cherish that time!!! We read every day! Sometimes we read her bedtime book 7 times if she wants to. It is so so so good for them…especially if they spend a little too much time with Mickey Mouse throughout other parts of the day. The physical contact creates a bond. Knowledge is imparted. And giggling usually takes place too. It’s a win, win, win!
If helping is her favorite, reading is a close second. She is not a snuggler, a kiss giver, or a hugger, but she sure will plop right in my lap to look at her favorite book! So I absolutely cherish that time!!! We read every day! Sometimes we read her bedtime book 7 times if she wants to. It is so so so good for them…especially if they spend a little too much time with Mickey Mouse throughout other parts of the day. The physical contact creates a bond. Knowledge is imparted. And giggling usually takes place too. It’s a win, win, win!
4.
Dance and Play
If your kid is anything like mine, they love being silly. I feel like, if she is laughing, she’s bound to be creating positive memories in her mind!! J She loves to be chased, so we play “I’m gonna get you” and she goes running through the house wailing with laughter. She also loves when the “Itsy Bitsy Spider” crawls up her body and when the “Little Piggies” go running up. We also do “I’m a Little Teapot” and “Patty cake.” Sometimes we just turn on some music and jump and dance. It is seriously the best time and we both end up happier!
If your kid is anything like mine, they love being silly. I feel like, if she is laughing, she’s bound to be creating positive memories in her mind!! J She loves to be chased, so we play “I’m gonna get you” and she goes running through the house wailing with laughter. She also loves when the “Itsy Bitsy Spider” crawls up her body and when the “Little Piggies” go running up. We also do “I’m a Little Teapot” and “Patty cake.” Sometimes we just turn on some music and jump and dance. It is seriously the best time and we both end up happier!
5.
Cook
This is something that my daughter is a little young for, but I can’t wait to do more of it. Give your little one a spoon and let them stir away. I remember my mom always giving me a bowl of uncooked spaghetti to break in half for her. I felt like such a big helper! Since my daughter loves to help, that kind of stuff is perfect for her! Then they can be your taste tester as well! ;) It can be something as simple as mixing blueberries into yogurt!
This is something that my daughter is a little young for, but I can’t wait to do more of it. Give your little one a spoon and let them stir away. I remember my mom always giving me a bowl of uncooked spaghetti to break in half for her. I felt like such a big helper! Since my daughter loves to help, that kind of stuff is perfect for her! Then they can be your taste tester as well! ;) It can be something as simple as mixing blueberries into yogurt!
Spending time, not money, is the
most important thing you can give your child! Try to spend 30 minutes a day of
quality time!
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October 5, 2015
No Time!
As a working mom, I feel like time is the most valuable
thing on the planet. It’s better than food. Better than money. Better than TV ! But sometimes it feels
like there’s just not enough. I feel like I have gotten pretty good at managing
my time, so I thought I would share my time tips. This is not to say it doesn't still stress me out from time to time...just ask my husband. I would LOVE to hear how you
manage your time as well!
· Stay Focused!
I sometimes feel like I am running
around in a frenzy picking up toys, washing a dish, feeding a dog, letting
another dog out, feeding a snack to my toddler and nothing gets done well. Try
to focus on one thing at a time. When I get home with her, we love on the dogs,
take them outside and get them all settled. Then I get her started on a snack
and visit with her. While she eats, I change clothes (because changing into
Yoga pants as soon as you get home from work is #1 priority!), get bags put
away, etc. Then it’s mommy and Cambri time for about an hour until it’s time to
start dinner. Focused segments of time are the only way I feel like I get any
quality time with anyone!
Prioritize!
This should really be #1 because it is so
important. My number one priorities are quality time with my daughter and my
husband. Everything else takes a backseat. Now having a clean house and clean
clothes are obviously close seconds (I mean for real! My family can tell you
that I am the type of person that can’t sleep if the pillows are left in disarray
on the couch!) , but I try to work those around my quality time. I work, am
starting up my dream as a wellness coach, work out, have 3 dogs, an 18 month
old, and a husband who I LOVE spending time with. Don’t push your marriage to
the back burner. I know that is sometimes the first thing to go, but that will
end so badly. If I can manage my time, I promise you can too!
·
Tell People NO!
I know it is flattering to get asked to help
with a big task at work. And it’s hard to say no to hosting that baby shower.
But seriously, if it’s going to stress you out or take away family time, it is
perfectly reasonable to say no! I try to do my absolute best job while I am at
work, but I don’t sign up for every extra curricular thing that crosses my
desk. I know that that will end up keeping me at work late, and I want to leave
and get my daughter!
·
Have seasonal goals
Right now, I am starting the 21 Day Challenge,
which spends 21 days focusing on working out and eating right. That means I
will be working out every day. I gotta tell ya, that’s gonna be a struggle time
wise. So I may not get my mirrors cleaned the next 3 weeks or get that Halloween
costume made (Sometimes buying is just better! Time is money!). Next month I
can focus on my house again. December will be a month of shopping and preparing
for the Holidays. Don’t worry about everything every day. My house will survive
the next 3 weeks!
·
Be organized and have a plan
Every 2 weeks, I make a list of meals,
compile a grocery list, and go grocery shopping. Every Sunday I look at the
weather and (at least mentally) plan out my outfits and my daughter’s outfits
for the week. I also plan out what my week will look like…a meeting or doctor’s
appointment after school means I will alter my normal schedule and I will plan
for that.
These are not rocket science tips, I know, but it’s what works
for me. Please share your time savers!!!
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September 26, 2015
You know you’ve done it. Every so often (every month) you login to your online banking and hit that little transfer button moving money from savings to checking (the wrong direction) to get you to the end of the month. You keep your head low so as not to see the internet gods shaking their heads+ in disapproval.
How do I make it stop?? The answer lies in your fridge…or your fast food bag. Being a woman, wife, and mom, but mainly just the fact that I’m a woman, I am, by default, in charge of all the food buying and meal planning for our household. WHO assigned these jobs?? If your family is like ours, that is where most of our spending (and ALL of our overspending) occurs. So, who’s the failure of the household? The woman! Despite the fact that she works 547% harder than the man on household tasks (I'm not hatin on the men. My hubby works his booty off at work, on our home and yard, being a great daddy and husband). But I digress. There is hope, ladies.
Take a hard look at your budget
I was shocked, appalled, and elated all at the same time when I really sat down and dissected our budget. I was horrified to learn that we WASTE so much money on food! But I was glad to see that if I spent a normal amount, we had an extra $500 or so in our budget each month to save or pay down debt! Hooray, but what’s a “normal” amount? My husband and I both work and we have a 18 month old little girl. It should be noted that she eats more than me some days! It takes a lot of energy growing out of those $50 Nikes in a month’s time! I decided $500 per month on groceries should be manageable, (maybe even extravagant…so you can see how I became disgusted that be blew through that like nobody’s business!) and $150 for eating out. For us, that’s the killer. Starbucks is delicious! And since we both work, it’s so nice to grab a burger some nights. But $20 for (super unhealthy) fast food meal is insane when you can cook for about $7! It takes some self-control, but throwing $500 in savings each month rather than pulling $200 the other way tastes so much better than that Grande non-fat Mocha!
Stop making every day stops
You might grab breakfast one day, lunch another, and coffee another and before you know it, you’ve spent $25 on food just for you in just a week. I still give myself $20 a month (taken from our “eating out” budget category) to grab a sandwich or tea here and there. With that amount, you really have to be intentional about what you’re spending. If I know I am not going to be able to cook my lunch, I may grab chips and a drink from home so that I only have to pay for my sandwich at lunchtime. Having that $20 makes me feel not so deprived, but since when it’s out, it’s out, it makes me think, “Would I rather have that today or should I treat myself on Friday?” Also, if you love Starbucks, and you don’t already have a Keurig, think about investing in one. After it’s paid off, your drinks will be less than $1 each instead of $4. Or better yet, ask your coworkers to chip in on one for the lounge! That’s what we did at the school I teach at, and it has worked great!
Prep crock pot meals
Instead of planning to grab fast food on busy nights, I plan on a crockpot meal. I spend literally 1 hour once a month to freeze the ingredients for several crockpot meals for the month. If I have a meeting the next night, I set the bag in the fridge overnight and start the crockpot the next morning. It is SO much healthier and cheaper and it’s been a lifesaver! This week I prepped 5 meals. Subscribe on my home page for these meals and more!
Grocery shop every two weeks and utilize bulk retailers like Sam’s and Costco
Shopping less often cuts down on impulse buys. It also forces you to cook those 14 meals you bought for, so there’s no time for eating out! When shopping, buy fresh as much as you can. It’s cheaper. But as a working mom, time is money, so buy canned and packaged if it’ll make you eat at home more! It will still be much cheaper than eating out. I know spending a ton at Costco might sound counterproductive, but it will last FOREVER and costs a fraction of other retailers per item! We buy all of our meat there, break it into the smallest serving possible, and freeze! I break my grocery budget down to $75 per week at the grocery store (so for me, that’s $150 every time I go, but I try to stay pretty well below that. You’ll see why in the next topic) and $200 for the month at Costco. We buy everything from Ziplock bags to diapers to OTC medicines at Costco and that all fits into the $200 budget. It’s amazing how much cheaper stuff can be in bulk. Some of it is name brand and still much cheaper than the store brand other places!
Be mindful of non-food items
I shop at Walmart most of the time, so that means shampoo, deoderant, and Q-tips get lumped in with the groceries. And that’s okay if you’ve budgeted for it, but just keep track. I try to stay under my $75/week grocery budget if I’m just buying food that week because that inevitably means that at the end of the month, we will be out of dishwashing detergent, hand soap, chapstick, and Vitamins. Also, if you’re into fitness, be mindful of all your supplements, pre-work out, meal bars, etc. Plan, plan, plan! And if you don’t have room in the budget, decide what must go! I LOVE Shakeology. I love it so much that I fit it into my budget. It’s all about a balance that works for you and your family.
Make money doing what you love
Sometimes the money is not there to be saved and you just need to make more! Find something that you already love to do that pays you a little bit. Love sewing? Contract out some jobs. Try posting on Craigslist. Teach? Maybe you could tutor a few hours a week. I've done it! You can charge upwards of $30 and hour, and believe me, people will pay! Love health and fitness? Inspire others! I can help with this...contact me on my home page!
Make money doing what you love
Sometimes the money is not there to be saved and you just need to make more! Find something that you already love to do that pays you a little bit. Love sewing? Contract out some jobs. Try posting on Craigslist. Teach? Maybe you could tutor a few hours a week. I've done it! You can charge upwards of $30 and hour, and believe me, people will pay! Love health and fitness? Inspire others! I can help with this...contact me on my home page!
It may sound like you have to make a lot of sacrifices to live on a budget, but if I can do it, I promise you can too! This is obviously for people who are making saving a priority. If you’ve got money to blow, more power to you! But for those of you that would like to find (or make) a few hundred extra dollars in your budget, the first step is to sit down and make a plan! Good luck!
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