by Laura Fleetwood | Oct 18, 2007 | Uncategorized
This post could also be titled: “How to Get Justin’s Blood Boiling.”
We went to the park last week for an impromptu picnic dinner. As we were eating our egg salad sandwiches and pretzels, I noticed a twenty/thirty-something guy working out with his big, black dog. Nothing remarkable there. However, then I noticed the dog was no longer on a lease.
Honestly, I didn’t think much of it. They were a good distance away and the dog wasn’t straying from its owner. I had all but forgotten about them when I saw Audrey excitedly running toward Justin to go on the slides. In an instant, she stopped, froze and started hysterically running back towards me as a dog weighing twice as much as she does ran straight towards her. I wasn’t really worried…I could tell the dog was friendly, but my darling 3 year old had no way of knowing that and really, how could I know, either?
The owner came running over, apologizing, and Justin reamed him. “This state has leash laws for a reason,” Justin said, furiously. The guy got all defensive and started spouting off things like, “Come on, man. He wasn’t going to hurt her. I have a collar on him.” If Justin wasn’t holding Anna at the time, I think there would have been a confrontation.
Thankfully, the guy put his dog back on the leash, but made a point of staying right by the playground. I watched Justin try to gain his composure for the next 45 minutes as the guy kept throwing us glares every time Audrey asked, “Is the dog coming back over here? Is it on a leash, Mom?”
It amazes me sometimes, the lack of common sense that people have. And then they try to blame others when things don’t go well. A big, black dog in a children’s park…hmm…keep it on a leash!
by Laura Fleetwood | Oct 9, 2007 | Uncategorized
I know the struggles of going from two incomes to one are not unique to our family, but it is all very new to us and has certainly has presented its challenges. What I’ve discovered, though, is that it has brought out the problem-solver in me and I’m just amazed at the ways we’ve found to keep costs down. Just in case any of these are useful to anyone else out there, I’d thought I’d share some of our strategies.
1. Most obviously, we cut out as many monthly expenses as we could and removed all automatic payments (no longer enough “float” money in the account). Although, as much as I tried to convince myself, I just could not bring myself to consider high-speed Internet an unnecessary expense:) I was amazed at some of the bills we were paying that we were able to decrease. Examples: We were still paying PMI=$75 a month because we weren’t able to put 20% down when we bought our house. After a little investigation and a home appraisal, we discovered that our home had appreciated so much over the past 5 years that were able to get PMI removed. Also, I realized that if we paid our car insurance up-front every 6 months instead of paying monthly, we saved $100! Who knew?
2. I started shopping at Aldi. I would have NEVER done this a few years ago…I remember being so embarrassed when my Mom would bring home Aldi brand food. Why? I don’t know – snobbery, I guess. Anyway, going a week and a half with $17 in your checking account and a family to feed will get you to do almost anything. I have to admit that Aldi has some awesome deals and most of their food tastes just as good, if not better, than some name brands. Brownie mix for $.99? That’s my kind of store! Not to mention that Audrey LOVES putting the quarter in the carts! Now, if I could just remember to bring my own bags:)
3. I try to do everything for free that I can. We get videos from the library, entertainment from free local activities and I’ve even found a few treasures from my neighbors’ trash..Shhh! Also, I now cut Justin’s hair and Jack’s hair (our dog). I must say that I’ve become quite adept with an electric razor!
4. We do not eat out without coupons! Restaurant visits are few and far between for us anymore and I hoard the restaurant coupons like a mad woman!
5. Dish soap is the miracle cleaner. Justin’s mom told me that she uses a few drops of dish soap in a spray bottle to clean her windows. I tried it and it’s better than any Windex or vinegar solution I’ve ever used – no streaks! PLUS, I’ve discovered that it’s awesome for cleaning counters, mirrors and floors. No more buying 10 different cleaning products for me! I’ll take one giant bottle of anti-bacterial dish soap from Sam’s and clean my house for a year (or more)! AND, the best thing is that I figured out how to refill the Swiffer Wet Jet bottle with a dish soap solution for my floors! I love the Wet Jet, but cringe at having to pay $3-something once a week for the solution. So, last week I cut a small slit in the rubber at the top of the bottle and funneled water and a few small drops of dish soap in there and it worked perfectly. Yippee! Small things make me happy these days!
6. I have become a Craigslist junkie. Need some extra money? What can I sell, now? I’m constantly thinking about what I can hock next to bring in a little extra cash. Justin loves that I’m cleaning out our house and making money at the same time!
7. Consider making money from strange sources. My mind has been reeling thinking of ways that I can bring in extra money without committing to a regular job. I’m doing motivation speaking very part-time for a non-profit group and also doing make-up application for weddings/school dances, etc. I have a few more ideas up my sleeve, but nothing else, yet.
So, you get the picture. Justin and I have been so blessed with great jobs and great salaries all of our married life. I have been so used to buying whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted it with absolutely no second thought. It’s been a challenge to say the least, but is so totally worth it that I just don’t really even mind the financial struggles. Being with my girls all day, every day is worth far more to me than a closet full of new clothes ever could. I’m just so thankful that we are able to do what it takes to make this work.
by Laura Fleetwood | Oct 3, 2007 | Uncategorized
A few weeks ago Justin and I had a heart to heart conversation about the state of our marriage – something I think every couple should do from time to time. We were in a rut of getting things done side by side, but not really together if you know what I mean. Needless to say, we were both feeling disconnected in various ways.
I recently read the book The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman, a must-read in my opinion. Justin and I took the assessment and it turns out that our love languages are very different. Mine is “Words of Affirmation” and his is “Physical Touch.” Suffice it to say, since our love languages are polar opposites, neither of us was getting the type of affirmation we needed to feel really content.
Anyway, after our little conversation, we came up with a few strategies to help us along. Justin no longer leaves at 4:30am to go to the gym to work out. He runs at home in the evening after the girls are in bed and is home until 7am in the morning to help me with the girls and give me time to work out (some days) and actually get a shower to start the day! It has worked wonders. He isn’t as stressed in the evening to get everything done for the next day and I’m much happier when I can wake up on my own terms and start my day off stress-free.
Also, we got rid of the TV…gasp…just the one in the living room. The way our home is designed, you are essentially part of the living room in both the kitchen and dining rooms, so having a television in there often squashed conversation. Plus, we rearranged furniture to make a more cozy, conversational space in the living room and I love it! We still have a TV in the basement, but it’s so great not having it in our main living space.
It’s amazing how a few little changes can really make a difference. It’s a good reminder that the health of our marriage is really the key to our family’s happiness and wellbeing. Next week will mark 6 years that we’ve been married and it gets better each and every year, but it does take hard work!
by Laura Fleetwood | Oct 3, 2007 | Uncategorized
With two children it gets more and more difficult for me to slow down and take notice of the unique little things that each of them do on a daily basis. It takes my breath away that our sweet Anna will be one in less than two months! I just wanted to take a few minutes to write down some of the cute things that she’s doing right now because I know before long she’ll have moved on to new ones. Thank you, God, for blessing us with this lovely child!
Anna went through this stage where she would cock her head to one side, especially while eating, to get our attention. She looks so cute with the side of her head touching her shoulder and her smirkey little smile glowing at you. She also randomly puts her arms above her head when she slows down after eating as if to say, “Hey, I’m SO BIG, remember?!?”
As laid back as Anna is in most areas, when it comes to eating, you better not mess around. If the food doesn’t come soon enough or fast enough, IT IS ON! Her appetite is outrageous and she now drinks milk out of a cup with a straw – no baby sippy cups for her!
Anna basks in the glow of any attention, but lately has been making friends with trees of all kind. She just talks to any and every tree she sees with serious baby talk. Her little “words” are just so sweet. Her other obsession is babies. She gives real kisses when asked and gives them babies even when not asked! It just melts my heart.
She’s cruising along right now – on her feet that is. She still has no desire to move on her tummy, but stand her at the window seat or in front of something she can grasp and she’ll stand there for 30 minutes. Audrey is constantly worried about her falling and will sit behind her, “just in case,” but truth of the matter is she’s very steady on her feet and I think she just may skip the crawling phase altogether.
Bath time is a hoot with Anna. She gets her little arms going so fast making splashes in the tub that she almost loses her balance. She’s been known to get as much water out of the tub as in the tub, but has a ball doing it! I have a feeling she’ll be a little fish.
Anna is also obsessed with light switches. She wants to turn off all the lights when we leave a room and she’s very good at it. She almost has the hang of turning them on, as well. The other thing she’s trying to wrap her little mind around is mirrors. I’ll hold her in the bathroom and we’ll look at ourselves in the mirror. She’ll smile at me in the mirror and then turn to face me and just look at me with this amazed expression like “are you really here, too?” It’s just so funny!
Her first tooth poked through on September 17th – bottom tooth – and the one next to it is almost through. Just like Audrey, she’s not real fussy at all, although I think she tends to get diarrhea when a new tooth starts coming – strange but true.
Her first love is still her big sister with her Daddy a close second. She gets so excited when he comes home and her smile lights up the world.
by Laura Fleetwood | Oct 3, 2007 | Uncategorized
My posts this summer were few and far between. I think about topics all day long, as things happen, and then when evening rolls around and I actually have time to write, I just want to veg and turn my brain off from the chaos of the day…I need to get better about that. Anyway, since it’s officially Fall now, I thought I would post a recap (of sorts) via memories and pictures to chronicle summer 2007. Here are just a few of the many great memories from the past few months…
Summer Spoiling with Nana, Caitlyn & Nora
As I wrapped up my last few months of work at the church, we were blessed to have Caitlyn, a high school student from our church, my mom and my sister Nora helping us out with watching the girls throughout the summer months. Audrey and Anna were sufficiently spoiled by all and had so much fun getting all that great attention! I think it even made up for all of the stress of having to keep the house clean for showings:
Trip to Phoenix
We visited Justin’s sister and her boyfriend, Dave, at their beautiful home in Pheonix. It was the girls’ first airplane ride and they were awesome! Audrey freaked out a little when we initially got on the plane, but by 15 minutes into the flight she was sitting in her own seat and playing with the windows. Phoenix is a beautiful city and glasses of ice water don’t sweat a bit! Audrey loved playing in the pool and Anna basked in the glow of all the extra attention from Aunt Amy. Thanks, Amy and Dave, for your hospitality!
Vacation Bible School (VBS)
This was the first year Audrey could participate in VBS. I signed up to be a crew leader for her age group (3’s) so I could lead her group and it ended up being quite an adventure! I had a boisterous group made all the more difficult because Audrey started by being quite clingy – 350 kids all in one place IS a bit overwhelming! By the end of the week, though, we had figure it out and it was a lot of fun for all!
Grant’s Farm
We headed out to Grant’s farm for a family adventure. Months later, we STILL are talking about the goats that tried to eat Audrey’s shorts! I love all the fun family activities that are available in St. Louis!
First Swim Lessons
Audrey took her first swim lessons this summer. The Wheels on the Bus activity was the best part – she was even putting her face in and jumping in by the end of the class.
Baby Will Arrives
After much anticipation, Little William Frederick was born on June 4th. He entered the world as perfect as could be – he just gave his poor Mommy & Daddy a few scares in the process. We love little Will with all our heart. He adds so much to our family! Anna douses him with kisses and lights up when he’s around. Audrey takes such great care of him and can’t wait “until he and Anna are older and I can play ring around the rosy with them!”
Audrey & Anna’s Great Adventure with Nana, Gramps & Nora
My parents ventured in the land of the unknown by taking the girls on a weekend trip up to Northern Illinois for my cousin’s college graduation party. Justin and I were on a weekend trip, so they had the girls all to themselves (with the help of Nora) for a 6 hour trip each way and 3 days away from home. All went marvelously well until the trip home when they got a flat tire in our van. Hanging out in the weedy ditch on the side of the road, Mom managed to feed Nora and even get Audrey to a bathroom in the nick of time! The girls had a blast on their adventure!
Audrey Turns 3
After a year of anticipation for the big “Zoo Party,” the big day finally arrived and Audrey was in all her glory. Tons of family and friends, including Audrey’s best friend next door, Emily, helped us celebrate the milestone of our little girl turning 3 years old – unbelievable. The zoo theme was fun for all and the big hits were mints from Ms. Kim, the princess tent and the birthday cake play dough which is still getting lots of use. Audrey’s already making plans for next year:)
Camp Arcadia
No summer of ours would be complete without our annual dose of rest, relaxation and rejuvenation at Camp Arcadia, MI. This year was our 3rd year and it was better thanever. Audrey was able to be part of “The Ark,” a daily preschool class and there was a new nursery for Anna, so Justin and I were able to attend the daily adult program together. The weather was beautiful and new improvements to the camp made for a picture perfect vacation. Audrey’s performance in the talent show with the rest of her Ark class was the perfect ending to a perfect vacation and we’re still looking for Titus the turtle in every magical, mystical forest we see! Her “teachers” Ms. Janice and Leah were just wonderful with her. Anna, of course, was the envy of every parent in the nursery when they saw how she went to sleep on her own, slept through the chaos and was basically just her wonderful, little self. How many weeks until next year?
by Laura Fleetwood | Sep 11, 2007 | Uncategorized
After days of non-stop rain, I looked out the sliding glass doors to a rainbow. No matter how many I see, the wonder never ceases. This rainbow was even more special as it was the first one Audrey had ever seen. She giggled in delight when her eyes finally found the magical colors bending in the sky. A treasured moment for sure.
by Laura Fleetwood | Sep 5, 2007 | Uncategorized
I know that every parent thinks their children are amazing, but that’s never going to dilute the awe I feel when I see the miracles we have been blessed with.
Anna, at 9 months, is growing into her own little personality. She is the happiest baby I’ve ever seen. She practices words with a quiet “dada” and a loud “MAWWW!” when she’s mad! I’m sure that she’s using words consciously, but Justin is skeptical. Regardless, it’s just too cute. Her smile lights up the world. At her 9 month appointment last week she was 18.5 pounds and 28 inches long. She’s getting x-rays of her hips this week to see if there might be some bone issues with the way her legs are growing. Hopefully, not! We’re practicing getting up on hands and knees and pulling herself up. She wants to keep up with Audrey so badly! No teeth, yet, but I think I see two on the bottom trying to poke through!
Audrey continues to amaze us, as well. She just turned 3 and she talks like she’s 10. Today at lunch we had what could be categorized as a philosophical discussion about heaven.
Audrey: “Mom, how will I get to be with my angel, again?”
Me: “Well, your angel is always with you, but you’ll see her again when you go to heaven.”
Audrey: “When will I go to heaven, Mom?”
Me: “We don’t know that honey, but heaven is a wonderful place. You don’t have to worry about it.”
Audrey: “Well I know. Jesus will make us die (she’s still a little confused about this) and he’ll take us to heaven to be with him and our angel.”
Me: Thinking this is getting out of my comfort zone really fast. “Jesus made it possible for us to live forever in heaven! We’ll all be in heaven together someday, sweetie.”
Audrey:” “I don’t want to go to heaven, Mom”
Me: “Let’s not worry about it right now. Why don’t we finish our lunch and have dessert!”
Yikes! Anyway, Audrey’s in love with Shirley Temple and Cinderella and has enough energy to keep up with the energizer bunny. She’s starting dance classes next week and I just know we’re in for a very special year. Her favorite saying lately has been, “I want to be just like my Mom!” Poor child! And she’s not kidding, either. She mimics EVERYTHING I do from the way I hold Anna on my hip to the color of clothes that I wear to the color of cup that I drink from to the tone of my voice. This phase has made my decision to stay home all the more right in my eyes. She’s picking up habits that (good or bad) will stay with her the rest of her life and I’m blessed to be able to be the one helping that process along.
It’s not all roses and pussy cats, though. The green-eyed monster is starting to rear it’s ugly head in terms of sibling jealousy. We’re dealing with some pushing and pulling, although it’s really minor. I know that this too shall pass. Most of all it’s just fun to be with them and know that I won’t have to miss any more of the “firsts” or the “lasts!”
by Laura Fleetwood | Sep 5, 2007 | Anxiety, Uncategorized
Well, here we are getting ready to enter my favorite season of autumn and I’ve entered a new season of being stay-at-home mom, as well. I feel like I’ve been put through the ringer over the past few months. It’s been a whirlwind to say the least. After our visit to Phoenix to see Amy, we were all set to move there in a year and then we found out that our daycare situation would no longer work out effective immediately. At that point I think I went into flight mode – you know the reaction to stress of flight or flight? I was flighting with the best of them. The thoughts in my head went something like this:
“Ok. So, I can’t have things the way I want them. I love my job and I love my family. I had things worked out perfectly, but now I don’t feel like there’s a way to have the girls cared for like I want. Am I ready to quit my job? No! Do I want someone else to care for the girls? No! Ok. So maybe I could stay at home, but could we afford it? No! Ok, well what’s the quick fix? Hmmm. Well, we could put our house on the market and move near Sarah and Nora. Yeah, that’s it! We’ll get a cheaper house, I’ll be with two of my sisters and I can run away from all the emotions and stress of the current situation. It will be a fresh start right?!? Ok. Go!
And that’s how it happened…basically. There were actually discussions with Justin and he agreed that it would be great to live next to family, but for the most part the decision was up to me. It took me 2 months to resign. I just kept thinking that there could be a way to make it all work. After all, I can fix anything, right? Actually, I was hoping that our house would sell and I wouldn’t have to actually resign. It would make everything seem so much nicer if I just said, “We’re moving to be closer to family.” Apparently God had different plans in mind.
After having our house on the market for almost 3 months I had enough. I had resigned from my job after many tears and couldn’t face the thought of having any more showings. Suddenly being broke didn’t seem so bad. Plenty of other people have made it work on one income, right? Yes, we could do this…we took the house off the market.
And so we have jumped in feet first. After all the anxiety, I have to say that I finally feel completely at peace with our situations. Today was the first day of being a “work at home” mom and it was the best of the best. No constant worrying about what needed to be done at work. No worrying about keeping the house clean for a showing. We lived in the moment and it was wonderful.
I know it’s not going to be easy, but I also know it’s right. This is the time for me to get my priorities straight and I have a lot of work to do, but I’m embracing it with open arms and can’t wait to see what God has in store next!
by Laura Fleetwood | Jul 16, 2007 | Uncategorized
Please consider taking your break during peak nap time hours instead of driving through subdivisions promptly at 2pm EVERY DAY OF THE WEEK with your LOUD calliope music that wakes up sleeping children from the nap that they and their mothers so desperately need! We love your ice cream, but sadly are unable and unwilling to buy it when nap time is so rudely interrupted.
by Laura Fleetwood | Jul 16, 2007 | Uncategorized
I really do believe that each of has a guardian angel. I’ve been through too many “close calls” to believe otherwise and now I thank God every day for keeping my children safe in spite of me! Call it laziness or stupidity, but I had stopped buckling Anna in her booster seat because she sits up just fine on her own and with the tray there, she’s never going to go anywhere. A week ago, I was putting the breakfast dishes in the sink when I look over at Anna and see Audrey taking the tray off! NEVER did I think about that scenario, but of course Audrey wanted to help me. Just as the words, “Anna isn’t buckled in,” were coming out of my mouth, I helplessly watch Anna tumbled head first off the seat onto the wood floor.
In that 1/2 second so many worst-case scenarios flashed through mind – broken arm or leg or worse, yet, a broken neck. PRAISE GOD that she was just fine. In fact, Audrey and I cried longer than she did and the only visible boo boos were a bruise on her leg and a small goose egg on her head. I called the pediatrician and was advised to watch for signs of a concussion, but thankfully she was just fine. It’s just a reminder how quickly accidents happen and how thankful we should be when we avoid them!
by Laura Fleetwood | Jul 16, 2007 | Uncategorized
Audrey loves singing songs about whatever she feels like singing about. It’s often about what she did that day or her current thoughts in general. One evening after going fishing with Justin and our next door neighbors in our subdivision pond, I was giving her a bath and she starts singing so sweetly…
“Oh, I wish I had a penis, I wish I had a penis, I wish I had a penis, so I could pee in the trees!”
Needless to say, I was a bit confused until I told Justin about it and learned that the 6-year-old boy had peed in the trees on their fishing excursion. Apparently Audrey thought that was the coolest thing since sliced bread and was dismayed to learn it was not an option for little girls!
by Laura Fleetwood | Jul 16, 2007 | Uncategorized
It’s becoming increasingly difficult/funny to explain complex concepts to Audrey because the short, child-friendly explanation is sometimes no longer sufficient for her and it’s so funny the way she sometimes gets things mixed up. Some cases in point:
#1. The other day she was singing and doing the actions to the song “Were you there” on her VBS DVD. She said, “why are those girls sad, mom?” I said, “because they are singing about when Jesus died.” “Why did Jesus die, mom?” she asked. “He died so that we can be with Him in heaven someday,” I said. “After three days, He rose again, on Easter morning and we are so happy that He lives with us always!” Then she says, “Yeah, Jesus is SOOOO happy when we sings songs to Him and he DIES when we don’t!”
#2. Tonight Justin and I were telling Audrey her bedtime stories and I said her “Jesus Prayer.” She said “Amen” when I was finished and I said, “Amen means ‘let it be so.'” She said, “what does Jesus mean, mom?” I said, “it means Christ or Savior.” She said very mater-of-factly, “Yeah, Jesus saves us and cows give us milk.” And that was the end of that!
