To Those Who Wait

Well I see it has been nearly a year since I have blogged.  WHOA!(In my best Joey Lawrence voice).  I have been tempted to stop in from time to time, but then fear creeps in, a child cries, or I find  myself nodding off. So, here I am.  A little bored at the current time and thought I'd give a quick update/write out some thoughts.

Life is crazy. No one can really doubt that.  Two kids, cramped apartment, chaotic schedules. Nothing seems to be slowing down. So, you figure out how to cope and keep moving. That's what I'm learning at least. I can't believe that Jose Jr is nearly 9 months. Eleana will be 3 before we know it. Life just keeps moving.

Life keeps moving even if you feel like you are at a stand still. We're in the process of walking through the next open door/season of life.  Our time at AU has come to an end (well, its in the process of coming to an end which is even worse). We don't know where we are going next though. We've been through this before, but this time there are two extra people along for the ride. I'm not scared, just anxious. I'm a planner.  I have nothing to plan for at this time. Doesn't jive well with me. But I know I'll be taken care of, I know that we'll be provided for. Just being stretched and challenged in the whole patience and waiting. I hate these lessons. Its obvious I haven't learned very well. But we'll see where life takes us in the next two months. A lot can happen over night, so I am trying to breath and enjoy the moment and where I am at currently.

I am learning that I have no clue what I want to do.  One moment it is this, the next it is that.  Then, the following week, I'm back to possibly the other. This, That, and the other. I have options. And each day is a different day. So, on the right day, the job will land and I'll have a decision made for that next season in life.

In the mean time, there is a great song that a good friend passed along.  It has been the words of my heart and couldn't be more fitting for this time in our lives. So I will leave you with this and Thank you Bethany Dillon for this greatness...

 I am waiting on You,

I am waiting on You.
You say You’re good to those who wait.

My heart’s discouraged,
So I come to You expectant. 
You say You’re good to those who wait. 

Lord, today You know what I need to do,
But You can do more in my waiting than in my doing I could do.
So I won’t run anymore.
I’m waiting on You.

Oh, wretched man that I am!
Free me from my distractions.
You say You’re good to those who wait. 

Then confession and repentance
Find me in the quiet.
You say You’re good to those who wait.
Now I know You’re good to those who wait.

Lord, today You know what I need to do,
But You can do more in my waiting than in my doing I could do.
So I won’t run anymore.
I’m waiting on You.

Oh, my soul,
Wait upon the Lord.
Keep your lamp filled with oil.
Oh, my soul,
Be not deceived!
Wait for Him.
Don’t be quick to leave.

Lord, today You know what I need to do,
But You can do more in my waiting than in my doing I could do.
So I won’t run anymore.
I’m waiting on You.

Updates..

Well, I have now done two or three weeks of actually using E-Mealz. I do love it! Our little plan is working for us. Good meals, easy to make, quick to make, and my family enjoys them!

It definitely makes grocery shopping easier. I have yet to challenge Jose to go shopping, but pretty soon he will have to tackle this if he wants to eat.

I would also say that when I shop this way, I definitely save money at the grocery! I can walk out with feeding my family for $100 a week (if that) including lunches, dinners, snacks, and breakfast. Not to bad of a deal! And typically I go a week and a half before I feel like I need to go shopping again for anything.

As far as prego goes, I'm done. Not really, but I wish I was. I'm just counting down the days. We're at 5 weeks now, but I'm planning for no more than 4. The heat finally has to kick in as I'm miserable enough with out it. I was telling someone that I feel like I have a 1 yr old playing around in my belly, wanting to come out. And my mom sends me a text this week saying " I just saw on the news a 16 lb baby was born recently. 24 inches long with a chest size of 17 inches. So stop complaining! :) "

But are you kidding me? I would have shot my Dr if that was the case. Ok, not really but I probably would have punched them for sure. I'm all for waiting for the baby to come natural, but man you had to have been way off on that one! 16 pounds! Thats the size of a 3 month old! Makes me sick to my stomach thinking about it! Can you imagine the 6 week check up of that child? That child sounds like the next Andre the Giant. Anyway, I can appreciate my mom for helping me put things into perspective. I"m not going to have a 16 lb baby, maybe 8 or 9 lbs, which I'm sure I can handle.

Anyway, I'm hanging in there, big belly and all. I do feel better when people tell me that from behind I don't even look pregnant. It makes getting through the day easier. So if you see me, please feel free to indulge me a little with that comment. I don't care if it is true or not at this point.

Almost One Week In

Alright, well I've only made two meals out of my E-Mealz plan but that is because we spent the weekend at my parents. So right now I'm batting 50/50.

The first meal was a BBQ Chicken packet. BBQ chicken with corn on the cobb and broccoli. Yum! Jose even said "I like this, this is good. Just like the good old days". Those were the days prior to our less than a closet size kitchen in Myers Hall.

The second meal, some Meatballs and sauce over egg noodles. I could do with out this one. Definitely not the worst meal I've had, but probably one that if it came on the rotation I would substitute one of my own for. The nice thing is that half of the meatballs I made were frozen to be used for another meal this week. Cooking ahead is great!

On for tonight is BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwiches and Greek Salad. The great thing is it is all done in the crockpot (minus the salad of course).

The other meals took less than an hour for me to cook. It may seem a while, but I also have Eleana to wrangle and keep entertained as dad was out while I was cooking.

So my next list will come out tomorrow. I won't do my shopping until this weekend though because we have plans on a few nights this week. I thought that only having 5 meals planned would not be enough. First week down and I've still go meals left to cook. I'm not sure if that is a good thing or not.

If you want to check out the meal options they have the website is www.e-mealz.com . Someone asked if you can customize for various things. You have to pick one meal plan and you can change it with in your 3 month subscription once. They have them listed as 2 Person meals (which I did and we've had leftovers both times), or Family meals (4-6 pl). They break them down by store or there is an any store. They also have a vegetarian option, a low fat option, gluten free, and there is one other one I think. You can view a sample plan though to see what you might be getting.

If you choose to subscribe, please let them know you heard it from me!

New Plans

Well, I have a plan. A "new" one. Its not all that new, but as always I'm trying to start fresh and head in a direction I've been wanting to for a while. Cutting costs! Saving Money! Not stressing about my finances (this may take a miracle, but I'm trying)!

I paid for a subscription to E-Mealz. Just $15 for 3 months worth of weekly meal plans mapped out by a grocery list. I should be able to feed our family of 2.5 dinner 5 days a week for under $50. All other groceries would be on top of that.

So, here is my week 1 attempt. I spent a total of $108.63 on groceries last night. That should cover us for B/L/D for this week.

This means using what is in my house in order to feed my family rather than going out to eat at every moment. We have a small budget for eating out each month and will mostly cook in. This will be a feat in itself due to the size of my closet kitchen, but we're going to make it happen. I have to.

So I'll keep a weekly tally on how much I spend for groceries, how much we spend on eating out, and how it works out.

I felt I needed to make it "public" through my blog to help me stick to it. More motivation I suppose.

And if anyone has any tips on how to make my husband help out with cooking a meal or three a week, I'm open to anything. :)

Anywhere...

...but here.
Man, today I'm really struggling with wanting to be anywhere but here. Here as in Anderson Indiana. I love my job, but not the location necessarily.

Its been a hard day to stay focused at work. I need to stay away from Facebook and Twitter and all the lovely pictures that other people post. When I look at them I think " man, it'd be nice to be living there!" I always think the grass is greener on the other side.

I've also been battling the "I wish I was more like that person". I love who I am. Don't doubt that. But I catch myself thinking "I wish I had those clothes" or "I wish I had that life". Its stupid and I know its stupid.

I just needed to get that off of my chest. So if you could just lift me up a bit, I'd appreciate it. I always get out these funks because I've got peeps around like you (even though all of you are no where near me right now)!

What day!

It didn't start off glorious, I was 15 minutes late to work. BUT it improved! I was able to enjoy lunch with a surprise visit from my cousin. Ok, he didn't really come to see me, but the Colts weren't training so what else did he have to do? Enjoy lunch with the Torres family at The Lemon Drop.

A chocolate coke totally made the morning drab disappear. The follow it up with a hair cut! Probably not the most updated or thrilling change, but the long weighed down mess that I was doing is no more. I have inspiration for the next cut in a month or two. Plus I purchased new hair product. For some reason, this always gets me excited and feeling fabulous. I have a weird thing about my hair.

Then I committed to doing Zumba tonight and I actually went. Twice in one week! I purchased a 10 week pass tonight so I'm not committed to going for another 10 weeks! I totally burned off my chocolate coke tonight in Zumba. Some where around 1,000 calories found home in the gallon of sweat that poured out of me. So glad I found Zumba.

Then, to finish it off, after I made dinner (I have to get excited and pat myself on the back when I cook at home in the worlds smallest kitchen), we went for a walk. So add to my Zumba work out, a almost two mile walk. That finished off the fries I ate at lunch. They melted away with the chocolate coke.

And wrapping up my night, I am almost done with writing assignment #2! Ok so making $8.25 for several hours of writing this weekend isn't top dollar, but its a step in the right direction. Once I get the hang of it, I'll crank them out in no time and I'll slowly bring in the spending money (or debt pay off money).

All in all, just a good day. Its good to have one of these days every once in a while. I'll relish in it while I can!

One the Road

No, I'm not traveling, but I'm on the road to what I have committed (rather recommitted) to doing.

One step in the direction I want to be going. I found a gig. A writing gig that is. Not that I ever had writing on my list of things to do in life. I have for the longest time wanted to make some extra cash, contribute to our little nest egg (is that the right phrase?) OK, just get at good cushion. I'm taking the family through the Dave Ramsey Total Money Makeover and we need anything we can to pay off debt so we're not 60 yrs old when its done. So I'm writing..and will be getting paid for it. Start off at making beans, but it will add up over time as I get to feel more confident and create more space. This is all made possibly by my great friend Sarah and TruYu Resources . Great resource for mom's who want to stay at home, someone who wants to pick up some extra cash working from home, or someone who just wants to work from hom with options. She's got legit work from home jobs. Highly recommend her services!

Also, I've made it to work on time. ON TIME. Probably doesn't sound like much, but I've let myself slide more than I want. I get my hours in, but I'm not always in at 9 AM when I should be. I have the flexibility with my job, but I don't want to take advantage of that. So I'm making that commitment. I know 9 AM doesn't seem like a bad time or that it should really be hard. Keep in mind my nights are typically later than most. And it will only start to get worse when students arrive back in the dorms full swing. So I'm trying to start good habits now.

Anyway, the past few days have been good. Steps in the right direction...we're moving forward!
Thanks for the words of encouragement!!