Just wondering why

onion rings seemed like right choice

at the bar last night?

I’m not a young kid.

Bedtime is NOT 2am.

Paying for it now.

---

I got together with friends from high school last night for somewhat of a mini-reunion.  

*waves* Hello, class of 1991!

It was a lot of fun.  I really enjoy getting together with this group of friends.  We usually meet at a bar - drink and gossip all night.  And giggle.  There's always lots of giggling.

These aren't my every day friends, our busy lives just don't allow it.  But hanging out with them is like coming home.  We know who we were 20ish years ago (ouch) and can fully appreciate the people we have become.

We ended up at a friend's house and chatted it up until about 1:30am.  I didn't believe the clock when I saw it.  My bedtime is usually around 9 or 10pm.  I think the last time I stayed out so late was....

perhaps the last time we all went out?

Way back when I started Mommycosm, I used to do TGIF posts and list a few things I for which I was thankful.  A few things come to mind today:

Thank God for in-laws and sleepovers - and old friends.

Happy 4th of July, everyone.  Be safe and have fun!

Sarah totally FREAKED OUT about a loose tooth just before bedtime last night.  It was bleeding and dangling by a thread.  She wouldn't let us touch it.  She went from screaming and crying to laughing hysterically in 2.2 second - then back again.  Check this out:

Look at the tears in her eyes.  She was a mess.  We tried to convince her to let Jake wiggle it to see if it would come out.  She wasn't having it.  TONS of drama.  Finally, after about 15 minutes, she opened her mouth to wiggle it herself and POP!  The tooth came right out.

She was SOOOOOO excited:

She lost her two bottom teeth earlier this year, so this should be old hat for me...but there's something about seeing her with a missing top baby tooth that screams BIG KID to me.

She's busy showing off her new toothless smile at summer camp today. 

Me? 

I'm practicing my own new smile - the one that says, "Mommy is so happy for you" on the outside, while trying to choke back the sadness over my baby, my firstborn, becoming such a big kid.

My regular readers know that I recently earned my Level II Reiki certification.  Dr. Mikao Usui, the founder of the Reiki system of natural healing, recommended that one practice certain simple ethical ideals to promote peace and harmony, which are nearly universal across all cultures. During a meditation several years after developing Reiki, Dr. Usui decided to add the Reiki Ideals to the practice of Reiki:

Just for today, do not anger.
Just for today, do not worry.
Honor your parents, teachers, and elders.
Earn your living honestly.
Show gratitude to every living thing.

It’s a great mantra, this “Just for today”. I find myself bargaining with myself throughout my day as a WAHM:
Just for today, I will give up my latte.
Just for today, I will *try* not to yell when the kids are driving me nuts.
Just for today, I will reach for my weights instead of needless, empty carbs.

I like the concept of “Just for today”. It’s much easier to commit to a new behavior short term rather than quitting something cold turkey. I cave under the pressure of long term behavioral changes.

Last time I vowed to quit my latte cold turkey, I lasted a whole day. Woo, hoo - that’s will power!

Now that I’ve taken on a just for today approach, I’ve strung together 9 todays in a row. I can’t guarantee that I won’t want a latte tomorrow, but TODAY, I’m committed.

What changes could you implement, just for today?

Before deciding to leave his job to work at a start up for pennies, my husband and I took a looooong and painful look at our budget.  

*ahem*  

Yeah, as if we had a budget.  Honestly, we had a rough idea of what we spent monthly.  We were on top of our spending while he was unemployed last year, but that was more because we were on a spending FREEZE.  Only essential items were purchased.  We settled back into real life over the last 8 months and pretty much spent what we wanted on whatever we wanted...within reason.

I agreed wholeheartedly that we could start to budget and plan responsibly; without implementing a total freeze.

The first thing to go?  My $3.25/day latte.  I needed a reason to quit.  Done.  It’s been a whole week - thankyouverymuch.

Our biggest, unnecessary expense?  Eating out.  We discussed ways of cutting back in that department without totally feeling deprived.  Here’s what we came up with...

• We can still eat out 1x/week.  We will drink water, avoid apps, desserts and extras.  The kids never eat an entire meal, so they can share one and pick off from our meals as well.  Big time savings here.
• Breakfast is much, much cheaper to order out than dinner.
• Ice cream.  It’s summer here in New England and I’m pretty sure there’s a law on the books requiring each citizen to eat their weight in ice cream.  We want to cut back, while remaining law abiding citizens.  So, we will mostly buy and make our own ice cream.  When we go out, we will get one small dish with 2 sugar cones.  The kids each get a scoop into a cone and I get what left.  They can’t handle an entire ice cream on their own, and neither can I.  Instead of 4 separate ice creams, we’re purchasing 2.
• Meal planning is ESSENTIAL!  It is way too easy for me to suggest going out when I don’t have anything planned for dinner.  Way. Too. Easy.  Before going grocery shopping this week, we made a menu for the week.  We made an appropriate list and grabbed coupons before hitting the store.  We also ate a snack before going because we are both guilty of overbuying if we hit the store hungry.
• He’s going to bring a lunch to work everyday.

There are other areas where we can cut back as well...

For instance, I’m going to highlight my hair a little closer to my natural color so that I double or triple the time needed before a touch up.  And, instead of cropping my hair into a cute summer bob, I’m going to continue to grow it out and donate to Locks of Love.  Conveniently, it should be the appropriate length by the time he should be making a real salary again.

I will do my own pedicures this summer.  *boo*

I’ve started going to the library with Max.  We’re borrowing books instead of buying them.

We’re going to balance check books and discuss our status weekly.

Any ideas to help us out?

So, my lovely internet friends, what's new with you?

Oh, me?  Thanks for asking.  Not much...well, except...

MY HUSBAND QUIT HIS JOB YESTERDAY!

Yep.  In this failing economy, he gave up a very decent salary to go work for a start up.  A sustainable energy startup that is WAY COOL.   His co-workers are very nice, hard working and passionate about the company.  The product is timely.  The market is ripe.  The right people are involved.  Dream job, right?

Oh, wait.  There’s a catch.  They can't pay a real salary for a while...like for 6 months.  Ouch.

Ironic that this happened almost a year to the date of this horrible, awful, no good very bad day.  Unlike then, I am still breathing - in and out, in and out.

Despite the decent salary, the job he just gave up was a very toxic environment.  Very.  The commute was miserable - 1 hour and 15 minutes each way.  And he was on call 24/7.  To say he wasn’t happy there would be a complete understatement.

The new job is 25 minutes on back roads.  Unless there is a MAJOR emergency, he shouldn’t be getting calls all hours of the day/night/weekend/holiday when he’s not actually working.  And, he will not only enjoy the work environment, but he is completely, totally passionate about the product.  Very cool.

So...

I mentioned recently that we were at a crossroads.  We’re still on the road to Aruba, we just decided to veer off onto an unpaved path instead of taking the main road.  This unpaved path might need a bridge built in order to cross over to the sunny fields with money trees and a ship to Aruba.  But, main roads are so overrated.  And this one?  Was filled with drunk drivers...and vultures...and hidden sinkholes.

If all else fails and this all blows up in our faces, we sell everything and move to Aruba...with zero money b/c our savings is being used to bridge the gap for the next six months.  Yikes.

BUT, even so, Plan B?  Not so bad.

Poker players, you know that feeling you get in the pit of your stomach when you say “I’m ALL IN”?!  Yeah, that’s kinda what I’m feeling right now.

We’re all in.  Betting the farm.  CRAZY?!  Well, that remains to be seen.

Anyone want to buy me a drink?  a latte?  ‘Cuz I totally need one and can no longer afford such indulgences.

((hold me))