Conflicting Goals

I listen to the Dave Ramsey podcast everyday on my way to and from work. Sometimes on my lunch break. It is no big secret that Andrew and I are fans of Dave Ramsey. We have been following (somewhat) his plan since before we got married. I started to really get into Dave's show/classes around Spring of 2011. Since then, Andrew and I have paid off quite a lot of stuff and started to watch our money better. However, there are some months where we are more focused than others. In July I told Andrew that I had, in all seriousness, finally had enough. We were only "kind of" following the plan and were getting nowhere. We've always had our emergency fund and we always pay cash for expensive things (like our washer and dryer) but our monthly expenses just seemed to be all over the place.

On Dave's show (Thursday's podcast) he was answering a question for a woman that had asked when should they send her husband back to school. Dave of course asked "Are you completely debt free and can you cash flow college?" to which the woman replied no. Dave then told her that no, he would not recommend that the man go back to school until all debt was gone and they could pay for college with cash. He then got off on a little speech about conflicting goals and how that sets us back from the things we want to accomplish. We are (for the most part) ambitious by nature and want to do it all! Problem is, we can't. We need to be all in for one big goal at a time and then move on to the next. That totally hit home for me. I have two college degrees but together they do not make a Bachelor's because they are completely unrelated fields of study. It frustrates me that I have gone to school for so long and do not have a 4 year degree to show for it. I have ambition to finish school but I also have the ambition to get completely out of debt (all school loans *hurk*). I cannot continue to keep going to school while trying to get out of debt. Financially for Andrew and I it just doesn't work. I cannot pay for my existing loans AND pay for school in cash and I need to pull back.

I finally came to the realization this morning that school can only happen when we have the funds to cash flow it. That day might not come until I'm 35 or 40. (I have a lot of school loans people....) I need to be OK with that and I think I finally am. I'm not any less of a person because I haven't finished my Bachelor's degree. I am still a very smart and talented person who does well at any job I have ever had. I adapt well to change and I learn very quickly. That isn't something college has taught me - that's just who I am. I have learned more from being in the workforce than I have ever learned in a classroom. Yes, class has taught me some stuff that has come in handy, but life experiences have been so much more valuable. So, I will finish school when the time is right for me and my family. Right now is not that time.

I let go of control of the checkbook last month as well. The entire month of August has been in Andrew's hands and things have been going VERY well. Andrew is more disciplined than I am and I need someone to keep me more accountable. I am not ashamed to admit that. I'm a spender. I always have been. We now talk about all purchases, we make our budget, and we revisit it throughout the month if things need to change. We are having one of the best months financially that we have had in a long time because we are both completely focused on it and talking more. It's amazing how easy it has been this month. We are both so much happier now.

I know some people don't like Dave Ramsey. If you don't, that's fine. I'm not here to push him down your throat or anything. If you never looked into his books or program, I would highly recommend it though. The man is successful for a reason. Andrew and I bought the home version of Financial Peace University last year and we love it. I plan on buying the Junior version for Carson when he is old enough. I don't want Carson to follow in my financial footsteps. He's going to enjoy life without ever worrying about money.

Week 26!

Happy Friday, y'all! Even though it was only a 4 day work week for me, it was still a rough week since I had to do the damn 3 hour glucose test on Monday. Thankfully, I passed all three blood draws so no GD for me! I'm healthy and so is Carson!

26 Weeks: 14 to Go!
That's super crazy to think about. Andrew and I are getting stuff ready as we can. We budget a little every month to get certain things for Carson. Mom, dad, grandma, and Seth all sold stuff at a garage sale last weekend and very graciously gave me all of the money from it so that Andrew and I could buy a crib, mattress, and mobile! I also bought paint last weekend and mom and grandma painted the nursery on Monday. I love the color! I will have pictures soon, I promise. I'll do some nursery projects. Right now it is just a gray/blue room with big boxes in it. Not too exciting yet but it will get there soon.
The room has all white trim and a white ceiling fan already so I am doing white furniture. Andrew's grandmother graciously offered us a white rocker that she has and I am really excited about getting that. I'm glad that she has some white stuff to pass down to us! Plus, she says it is fairly small so it'll work perfect in our tiny house.
To date, I have only gained 4 pounds during this pregnancy. I'm a rockstar. LOL. Obviously being a bigger gal to start with I wanted to make sure I didn't gain a lot. So far both my doctor and I are super pleased with my progress.

The cats keep photobombing us!

Just me.... and Rhea.... eating...

Feeling: Ok-ish. As I have said before, I'm having a rough go at pregnancy and that is fine. There are some women, like me, who are nauseous and tired throughout pregnancy and I've just learned to deal with it as symptoms happen. If I need 12 hours of sleep, then I get 12 hours of sleep. If I need nausea medication, then I take it.  If I have plans and need to cancel, I stay home. I have no guilt doing the things I need to in order to stay happy and healthy for this child. I'm also feeling big... and that is only going to get worse. The lower back pain, hip pain, and hand/feet swelling has started. Although, part of the swelling is probably due to the fact that the weather right now is horrid, humid, and HOT.

Cravings: Still milk. Lots and lots of milk. Awhile back I was obsessed with Lauren's blog about all things oatmeal and my go-to favorite breakfast right now has been muesli. Basically it is dried oats with anything and everything you want to put in it. This is what I had this morning:

1/2 c. dried oats, granola, banana, and a nut mixture with peanuts, cashews, almonds, sunflower seeds, and raisins. I pour milk over that and eat it like a cereal. It is amazing and full of a great nutritional kick for the day. 

Baby Movements: FINALLY. The doctor said it was probably hard for me to feel much before now because my placenta implanted on the front wall of my uterus. So, the baby was kicking that. Well, now that Carson is bigger and bones are getting stronger I definitely feel him more. In fact, he loves breakfast. When I eat in the mornings he moves around. He's kind of quiet throughout the afternoon but then gets really active again at night. I did a bad thing and ate sugar before bed last night and holy crap. The kid was doing acrobatic routines until midnight or so. I could have slept, but it is hard to sleep when something that amazing is taking place inside of you. I had to stay awake and feel it all. 

___________________________________________________________

Other Things:
Still in love with my Planetbox. I haven't eaten out for lunch since I bought this thing. It has, in fact, paid for itself in full and more. Here is today's lunch and snacks:

The skittles make it that much more exciting and colorful. 

I have a cucumber sushi roll, grapes, my dipper has spicy cashews in it, there is some baby swiss and ham, skittles, and a nice fresh peach. I love being excited about my packed lunch. Makes saving money that much easier. Last night peaches were on sale at Hy Vee for $0.88/lb. That's cheap! I got 6 of them. They are delicious too. 

Not much else is going on. I'm now dealing with spiders around the house and that is driving me NUTS. Thankfully they are all outdoors.... but when it gets cold you know they'll want to come in. So, I had an exterminator out but recently went and bought my own poison and Andrew and I sprayed the entire foundation of the house and around all of the windows. We also did the garage. I will probably have him spray one more time before long just to make sure we got it all. That home defense stuff is amazing. I've seen tons of dead bug bodies outside the house and it makes me happy. Also, my cat Rhea LOVES to hunt and eat bugs. I have extra defense inside my house thanks to her. 

Hate bugs? Get a cat. Seriously. They'll eat them right up. 

Only 16 Weeks Left?!

This morning I sent my best friend, Sydney, a text telling her that I was going to stop trying to feel good during this pregnancy because it isn't going to happen. Ever.

I've puked twice this week. On Monday after my glucose test and this morning just... because? I was walking to the bathroom to get ready and the urge to dry heave was overwhelming. Sure enough, I bent over the toilet and had a wonderful experience of puking up the NOTHING in my stomach.

I know what you're all going to say "Eat something before you get out of bed." "Eat something when you get up to pee at 3am" "Eat something high in protein before bed." Been there. Done that. NOTHING helps. I am just one of those people that is going to be pukey and sick throughout this entire process. Not to mention incredibly depressed right now; but we'll get to that in a minute.

Pregnancy Updates:
Here is week 24's picture:

Andrew was "reading" and Hobbs felt like having his dinner.

I'm officially 6 months and I still can't wrap my head around the fact that there is a person growing in my stomach. It seem so......... impossible? What crazy things our bodies do.

Feeling: Depressed and sickly. I don't know if I'm feeling the depression because of how gross I feel or if my hormones are just completely out of whack right now. More so than usual. I cry ALL OF THE TIME. My poor husband is afraid to even look at me in fear of me shattering into pieces. I also don't want to ever do anything. I don't want to see people, I don't want to get out of bed, I don't want to get ready for the day, I just want to lay around in my bed. I am still on my Zoloft and I'm not having any thoughts of hurting myself or the baby.... I'm just in a severe funk.

Craving: Still ice cream, in any form. Breads, cheeses, and trail mixes are also my best friend because I can pack them in my Planetbox and snack on them very easily throughout the day. Oh, and milk. I still can't get enough milk and drink a gallon a week.... sometimes more.

Other Things: We bought a stroller, car seat, carrier combo from Target at a steal of a price. Mom and dad are going to be buying baby's crib so I am going to pick out paint this month and get that project started. Andrew and I have also started to budget for nursery decorations so that we can buy a few things a month in preparation. I don't want to do anything crazy or expensive, I just have some cute little ideas. The most money we will spend is on furniture.
__________________________________________________________
So, I am finally having the "things I hate about my house" thoughts. I wondered when that would start. First of all, we live in a slab house, we have bugs. Lots and lots of bugs. I've had pest control but I seriously think they could come out every other week and spray and we would still have bugs.
I hate our windows. They're old. I knew they would need to be replaced when we bought the house but now they are just pissing me off something fierce. I'm having someone come out and give us a quote (that's 9 windows we have to replace) and I am planning on doing that with our tax refund money. Yay?
Our electrical situation sucks. The inspector told us it was safe and nothing bad was going on, but it would probably need to be updated. Well, every time we run our microwave we blow a fuse.... or whatever. I have to go to the breaker box and reset that all of the time. I almost avoid using our fancy pants microwave because it irritates me so bad. So, now I need an electrician.
My backyard has a mushroom infestation. Ick.

There are so many perks to living in a house versus an apartment but right now...... I'm missing the ease of the apartment and our maintenance staff. Ha!