Who remembers?

Does IN-OUT-SIDE-SIDE-STEP mean anything to you?

If so, I'm sure you'll appreciate this. Today, I spent an hour working with PQ's class teaching them how to play one of my favorite childhood games. The kids were excited about it and I was too. Within minutes, the kids were 'side-side-steppin' and having a blast.

After dinner this evening, we taught Papa H how to play. Apparently he never learned how to play while growing up in the 80's like the rest of us. I thought for sure that it was part of the curriculum somewhere along the way. Perhaps that was just wishful thinking on my part. To say the least, it was hilarious to see my big hunk of a husband playing this very delicate game. Oh, I love you, Papa H. Thanks for being such a good sport tonight.

Impossible is not a word.

A date night last night got heavier than we anticipated. On our way to the big city for a concert, Papa H and I had a long discussion about our family. It's no secret that we both want another child but at this point, we're feeling a little at a loss. After having two miscarriages, I continue to take fertility medication in hopes of getting pregnant again. Up until last night, we had both agreed that if I were to get pregnant again that this would be the last time. The physical toll and the emotional toll of losing a baby is hard. Really hard.

While we were driving last night, Papa H told me that he wanted to talk to me about something. I knew it would have something to do with our current desires to have more children but I had no idea how the conversation would end. With a heartfelt concern for me and my overall health, Papa H told me that he was okay with not trying to conceive anymore. The disappointment of getting my period or the disappointment of not giving birth to a child is devistating. It crushed my heart to think that this is where we were ending up. After almost 3 years of trying and not giving birth to a baby, it was hard to hear.

Papa H told me that he was feeling like he let me and PQ down with all of this. He said he feels at blame that we haven't had another child. With tears rolling down my face, I snapped back at him saying that we know I can get pregnant but it's MY body that can't seem to keep the pregnancy going. Silence followed thereafter for a long while. While gently holding my hand, Papa H leaned over and kissed me and told me that he loved me. It was obvious that we both felt like we had failed.

While at the concert, one of the very first songs that was sang made me cry. Seeing the words up on the large screen really made me think back to our conversation in the car. I leaned over and whispered into Papa H's ear. I said 'think about our conversation'. He knew exactly what I was getting at by my comment. As scary as life might be from time to time, this song gave both of us a little more hope. Sometimes a song can really touch your heart when you least expect it. Even though we've heard this song a million times, last night was the most touching of them all. There was a reason...

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN

Look who came to visit...

Wild animals come to "the city" too, you know!

*wink*

Got Milk?

PQ decided to make his own cookies for the fellowship dinner tomorrow night. I took him to the store earlier today so he could pick out what he wanted and these are what he created.

HAPPY NUTTER BUTTER, EVERYONE!

Now, where's the milk??!!!??

Maybe next time.

Mooch met a new friend this evening. Our friend, Glory recently got a new dog named Hogan.

This evening was the first time that the dogs had met one another. We all know how loveable and lazy Mooch is and tonight was no different. He spent the entire interaction just waiting for his chance to go inside Glory's warm house.

After quite a bit of barking, we decided that it would be best if Mooch went back home. Hogan didn't seem too impressed with Mooch. He didn't seem vicious towards Mooch but he wasn't very warm and fuzzy either. Perhaps this friendship will be from a distance for a while. Maybe next time...

4 years old

Happy Birthday, Mooch!!!

Thanks again to Rebenstein and his family for hosting such a fanstastic party!

Mooch had a great time with Rebenstein and Darla loved meeting Minnie for the first time!

Waiving the white flag...

We've unintentionally decided to wave the white flag on the no-spend month. Not because we can't do it but because we think we can. Let me explain...

The past 16 days have been an extreme eye opener for us. We don't really spend a lot of extra money each month on entertainment so it was easy to pinpoint where our stumbling blocks are. Both Papa H and I feel quite convicted about various portions of our no-spend month. For me, I've allowed myself to experience what it feels like when we don't have something in our house that we've run out of. For example, our house is currently missing maple syrup. I typically jot down the empty item and quickly head to the store to buy another one regardless of whether we have plans to use it anytime soon. I have not allowed myself to do this since the beginning of February and guess what? It has been okay. We continue to function even without those missing items.

Grocery shopping has always been an issue for me. I've known this for quite some time. The past 16 days have served me well because I've been able to see that my family doesn't need a cart full of groceries every.single.week! Spending $100 each week, every week is not something I need to do. Instead, I've realized that we can manage on a few staples items each week (in conjunction with the other food in our freezer and pantry). Shopping for meat and staple items can be purchased once a month or whenever we absolutely need them. I've even learned how to put blinders on at the grocery store so I don't look at the items that we don't need that week.

Going into stores like Target is typically a struggle for me as well. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I like to score great deals even when we don't need them. Papa H and I went to Target last night (while PQ slept at Miss Independent's house). We strolled through the store and we were able to overlook items that we didn't need. It was nice to chat candidly about not spending and about not wanting to spend either.

Are we cured from our spending habits? Hardly. We are, however, feeling confident in our abilities to not spend just for the sake of spending. I would like to keep everyone updated on our progress once in a while. For now though, it's safe to say that the white flag has been raised.

Day 14-Black Jack

I know. I know. It's no spend month. We're not supposed to spend any money on anything we can't avoid. I get that. I do understand but sometimes you have to bend the rules a little. *wink*

Let me explain...

Last night, Nana was telling Papa H about Aunt B's recent decision to quit smoking. This is great news considering the fact that Aunt B and Nana have been smoking for years. In the back of my mind, I couldn't help but wonder if Aunt B's decision might play a role in Nana kicking the habit as well. During the conversation, Nana mentioned that she used Black Jack Bubble Gum the last time she quit smoking but she said that she can't find the old-school gum anywhere anymore. That's when we let her know that we could find it for her. So today we went to our favorite candy store and bought a case of it for Nana.

If buying a case of Black Jack Bubble Gum and a bag of black licorice hard candies during no spend month is what it takes to help Nan stop smoking, than we're going to buy them! No questions asked.

I know it can be done. I know people can stop smoking if they really give it their all. My mother smoked for 53 years and she was able to quit smoking! Fifty-three years...seriously, fifty three years!!! She started smoking at the age of 11 and quit when she was 64 years old. Seeing my mother transform into a non-smoker was one of the most remarkable things that I've ever witnessed in my life.

Hopefully the Black Jack will help Nana do it again...forever!

Total Spent: $36.65

Total Avoided: $538.99

Day 12-Olive Garden

What happens when Mama H heads 3 hours north for a conference and has to stay overnight in a less than fancy hotel room? She eats! Yes, that's right. I went to Olive Garden while traveling on business. I got breadsticks and salad along with a bellini ice tea. It totally hit the spot...but it did run me $8.84!

Total Spent: $17.47

Total Avoided: $538.99

Day 10-I LOVE SHOPPING!

Well, it's been several days since we started on the NO SPEND MONTH challenge. I'm happy to say that we're doing quite well. I've noticed a few trends in my own spending habits so that's a positive! To be more specific, I've realized that I buy things when they're on sale. Whether I need them or not, I buy things because they're a 'good deal' and I can always justify putting something away for future use. I know it might sound silly but I get a 'rush' when I find a good deal.

We did spend a little money earlier this week. We surprised PQ after school by taking him to the local ice cream shop. We had every intention of using our gift certificate at the ice cream shop but we were unable to use it because they were closed! Go figure! We still wanted a little ice cream treat so we went to the local Dairy Queen for blizzards and banana splits. I don't feel guilty about it either!

Staying out of the stores helps me with ongoing temptations to spend money. Even grocery shopping tends to be a downfall for me on a normal week because I tend to buy stuff just to have extra items on hand. Without a plan to use the items, I tend to pick them up because I think I might use them at some point. Utilizing a menu (and sticking to it) is EXTREMELY critical for me. Otherwise, I tend to shop without a plan of action.

I guess we all have weaknesses. Mine just happens to be shopping.

Total Money Spent: $8.63
Total Money Avoided: $538.99

Mooch + Tommy Boy = TWINS!

If you've seen Tommy Boy, you'll know exactly what we're going to say. After taking this picture of Mooch, Papa H thought that it would be 'fitting' to have Chris Farley sing his famous song...

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE CLIP

Fat Dog On A Little Bed...

*75lb dog insists on using the 4lb dog's bed*

PQ woke up hungry!

This morning when PQ woke up he came in our room and told us that he was hungry for breakfast. Papa H and I didn't want to get out of bed quite yet so we told PQ to go get a piece of fruit to tie him over until we got up and made breakfast. Without hesitation, PQ got up and went in the kitchen. A few minutes later he came back in our bedroom carrying 3 mugs. One mug full of kashi granola for each of us. After dropping off our breakfast, he went and got Little Miss Weenie's breakfast as well. (Mooch doesn't like to eat until later in the morning so PQ didn't get any food for him.)

PQ was a true example of what serving others is all about. Even when someone might not be in the mood to do what you want to do, it's important to still love on them and serve them. Thanks for making our morning, PQ! You definitely made getting out bed that early a lot easier for us, that's for sure! We are so blessed to have you as our son. We're proud of you, buddy!

Day 6-Grocery Shopping

We did it! We went across the border and got our groceries for the week...and we paid less than $25.00! We bought 3 kinds of milk, 1 container of plain yogurt, 1 loaf of double fiber bread, 8 granny smith apples, 6 pears, a 5lb box of clementines, a bunch of bananas, a head of romaine lettuce, and a head of green leaf lettuce. We still have $1.73 to spare.

The only problem that we faced at the grocery store was the inability to afford greek yogurt. We LOVE fat free greek yogurt and we typically have a bunch of it in our fridge during any given week. At $1.30 per individual container, there is no way that we were going to be able to get some this month. So, I had to get a little crafty and make our own low fat version!

1 half gallon of milk...

...and a 1/4 cup of plain yogurt starts the process.

First, I added the milk to the pot.

Next, it was time to prep the plain yogurt.




Now it was time to bring the milk to a boil.




Remove any 'skin' that forms.






In a seperate bowl, mix a little warm milk with 1/4 cup of plain yogurt.

Add the yogurt mixture to the other warm milk. Transfer the entire mixture into another bowl.

Cover the bowl with Saran Wrap. Next, wrap the bowl with 2 beach towels (to maintain a temp of ~100 degrees). The yogurt should set in 8-12 hours.

After 8 hours, my yogurt had set!!

After drizzling the yogurt with maple syrup, I added Kashi Granola and some blueberries that I thawed overnight.

My breakfast turned out better than I thought it would. I was a little worried about leaving the milky mixture on the counter for 8 hours yesterday. It's just not what I'm used to, that's all. The texture was a little runny compared to store bought greek yogurt. The flavor was a little bland but that's nothing that a few add-on's can't fix. Overall, it was a yummy way to start my day.

Happy Saturday, Everyone!

Day 4-Where are you, Weenie Girl?

I had the scare of my life last night. I woke up in a state of panic wondering where my little pup had disappeared to. As PQ hopped into our bed in the middle of the night, I tried to feel around the bed for Little Miss Weenie. When I fell asleep for the night, I remember her laying cradled in my arms. Several hours later when PQ woke up and came in our bed, it quickly occurred to me that she wasn't in my arms anymore.

I sat up immediately and noticed that Papa H wasn't in bed either. My little girl and my big hunk of man were missing. But why?? I quickly got up out of bed and found Papa H. He couldn't sleep so he was catching up on everyone's blogs. I asked him if Little Miss Weenie was with him and he said 'no'. We both went back into our bedroom and continued to pat the bed trying to find our 3lb lump of dog somewhere amongst the covers. We found nothing.

My heart began to race as I imagined our family finding the little girl dead somewhere in our bed. We called for her but she never responded. I began peeling back the covers one by one. Under the comforter, nothing was there. Under the next blanket, nothing was there. After peeling back the 3rd layer, we found our little girl passed out sleeping. As she lifted her head in wonder, we all breathed a sigh of relief. Our little girl had been found!

So my friends, I'm happy to report that the H Family doesn't need to replace Little Miss Weenie afterall. That's another $525 avoided for sure!

Total Spent: $0.00

Total Avoided: $538.99

Day 2 & 3-Discipline

Sorry for the delay. Things have been rather busy with my work schedule. I haven't had much time to think about the 'extras'. Don't worry...my time will come soon enough, I'm sure. Taking the weekly trip to the grocery store with only $25 (cash) is going to be difficult for me. At least I think it will be anyways. We'll see...

No slip-ups to report from the H Family during our 'No Spend Month'. Woot! Woot!

I was extremely proud of Papa H yesterday. On a typical Tuesday, Papa H attends a men's Bible study during the early morning hours. The men typically head out to the local restaurant for a quick bite to eat after the study and Papa H usually orders the same thing each week. He typically spends $8.00 on his breakfast, which includes a tip. This week, however, Papa H passed on the weekly ritual of going out to breakfast. Instead, he opted to head into the office a little earlier than usual and make oatmeal (from home) at work.

Passing on a meal and a time of fellowship was a true test of self-discipline. I'm proud of him.

Total Money Spent: $0.00

Total Avoided: $13.99 so far

No Spend Month-Day 1

So far so good. Well, today is only day one of this adventure. Today went well. I didn't have any temptations to speak of. Papa H and PQ on the other hand, each had a little run in with temptation.

Let's start with Papa H: Papa H has a spare change compartment in his truck. He often dips into the spare change for guilty pleasures such as cups of coffee on the run. Today, however, he didn't fall weak to the temptations of wanting a cup of .99 cent coffee at Cumberland Farms. (Simply having a temptation for Cumberland Farms cheap coffee is another issue in itself so let's not go there right now.)

Now it's time for PQ: After swimming class this evening, PQ really wanted to buy a bathing cap. For weeks now, I have been telling PQ that he can buy one once he starts going under water. Well tonight, my friends he started going under water. What luck! What irony! After reminding him of the no spend month, he was quick to understand that this could be purchased in March after the no spend month has been completed. YES!

Total Money Spent: $0.00

Total Avoided: $5.99