Priorities

Yesterday, driving with my husband to school because I had overslept and missed my train, I made a desperate prayer request. It wasn't one of those confident, happy prayers where you are focused on the awesomeness of God, or praying for poor displaced Haitians, or for your extended family to go to church. I just asked God to let me sign the attendance sheet.

Walking into class 20 minutes late, out of breath and loaded down with stuff, I slipped into my seat, trying not to draw too much attention to myself. At my spot in the middle row was the attendance sheet, signed by everyone but me, with a pen sitting on top of it.

It may seem silly, but this felt like a turning point for me. It seems like every time I get down, feel overwhelmed, disconnected from the spiritual, God just pokes at my heart and reminds me that I'm not running this race alone.

When Greg got home he had also been thinking about ways to get out of this rat-race mentality we've been stuck in lately. I pulled out The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, which, to be honest, isn't the most entertaining or clearly written self-help book, and I've only ever been able to really skim it. But I remembered something useful from this book about priorities. The author's point was that we spend most of our time doing really mundane but pressing things. We typically will give priority to tasks that are urgent and unimportant over tasks that are less pressing but progress our longer-term goals.

So this is my goal for today: To do what I need to do today without sweating the details. I have to take Henry to the doctor, and apply for the bar, and study for finals, and Greg has to find a job. And there are a million decision I have to make for our family. But today, I don't have to worry about any of that. I have to go to class and take a tax test in order to volunteer to do taxes for people in Newark. That's it. That's all I have to do. And I know I don't have to do it alone.

Henry's Third Meal

My awesome Target formula deal

No savvy coupon clipping or calculated sales watching this time, just pure, dumb luck. I was breezing by the baby aisles and at the end were double packs of the UP&UP brand formula. One can is usually $12, and these double packs were $19.99. They were reduced 50% so they were $9.98 for a double pack, or $5 a can. I loaded up my cart with all they had, and ended up paying about $140 for 28 cans of formula! Maybe going to Target every week is not a big waste of money... that's what I can tell myself from now on.

For the Price of a Cup of Coffee....

Have you heard this before? For the price of a cup of coffee you can rescue an orphan, save for retirement, eliminate your debt, etc.

Every time I hear this, I just want to strangle those coffee drinkers. How could you possibly have so much dough just falling out of your pockets that you could save the whales with the cost of your luxoriously overpriced coffee?!?

I don't drink coffee, or alcohol, for that matter. I don't have cable, or a lan line. I've already shopped around for better car insurance for our one and only Ford Taurus. I turn off the lights, I cut coupons, I feed my baby (gasp) store brand formula. I have health insurance for my husband and I because our school requires it and because the premium is (believe it or not) less than our medical expenses this year. Henry does not have health insurance, and I'm considering taking him to the free clinic for his vaccines rather than face another pediatrician's bill. We don't go out to eat (unless it's with my parents), we don't go to the movies, we don't go on vacation (again, unless invited by the family). I have even been known to return a gift someone gave me to get something more practical. (EXAMPLE: $200 digital photo frame that we took back to Costco and got groceries for like a month) I don't have a gym membership, subscribe to any newspapers or magazines, I steal my next door neighbor (my sister's) internet connection.

So I think I may be almost at the bottom of what I'm willing to do to come up with some money. My "cup of coffee" is going to be pretty hard to give up. I guess I could try and quit my diet coke habit. (Deep waves of terror just coursed through my body). Well it's going to have to be something really drastic if I want to save an entire whale.

Greg's very belated Birthday Party

So I really blew it this year.

Greg's birthday snuck up on me, and not only did I not manage to put together a party, but never found the present I was looking for.

So I finally just invited everyone over almost a month later, and managed to get about half our friends there. It turned out to be a lot of fun, but next year I'm definitely doing better.








Henry was obsessed with the balloons.





Burnt red velvet birthday cake, yum!

Sittin' Pretty Handsome

Not Surprised.

My sister went to the doctor yesterday to confirm her blighted ovum and discuss her options. The doctor started out by looking at the results of her blood test, which were not promising. Then he did another ultrasound. A heartbeat, a little bean inside the circle, and then she knew. The baby was there all along, just younger than anyone thought!

I couldn't say that I was very surprised, just glad. About two days ago I sort of got a feeling like everything would work out, that God was in control and that all the disappointment, confusion, frustration, etc was a waste of time. I stopped crying, started flipping through the baby name books again, and bought a cute little girl's outfit that was on sale, just in case. Lo and behold! Everything is ok. And we are blessed again. I'm trying to think of something special for my sister though. I thought maybe an ice cream cake welcoming her little bean? Or maybe a little onesie?