It's the Weekend | Number Fourteen

I've been pretty good lately about waking up earlier than everyone else in my house. I'm trying to savor these quiet mornings because we will soon be adding a newborn baby to our normal chaos and I'm sure I will sleep a lot less and everything will be a lot louder. I also have to get up to use the restroom a few times each night and usually one of those times is early in the morning. I lay in bed contemplating whether or not I should get up. My bladder always wins but then I find myself in our quiet living room, coffee cup in hand, and my Bible. I've been working through the Bible In a Year via the YouVersion app. I love it. It's simple. Straight forward. I've been reading a lot of the Old Testament lately which is always interesting, especially when there's chapter after chapter about how things should be built and sacrificed. I'm in Leviticus currently and it can get a little dull, but I'm pushing through.

This week has been a good one. We had air conditioning installed in our home on Monday and I feel like my life is forever changed. This overheated, very pregnant gal is super thankful for that update. Yesterday was the hottest day we've seen yet this year and I was, for once, comfortable in the rooms in our upstairs tri-level. Best money we've ever spent. We are done with home improvements for this year though. It's only June and we've replaced our roof, kitchen appliances, furnace, and air conditioner this year. No more spending money for a while. But, I love our little home. Sure, there's things I would change about but as of today actually, we have lived here for 7 years. Our first home. We've made a lot of changes and I am very happy with all of them. 

Anyways, here's some link love for this lovely Saturday. 

Money Savers for Boy Moms. I will need this. 

5 ways to survive entertaining as an introvert. I would like to think I'm not an introvert, but I really am. I'm not the life of a party but I do like when people I love gather together. 

It's pretty much summer time. Here are some fun, budget friendly ideas to keep kids busy this summer. 

A $2 lunch idea from Trader Joes? Sign me up. 

Money is a touchy subject. Sometimes we have things we want to say about money but we never do. 

How to create when you just don't feel like it. 

As a millennial, do I have an obsession with self-care? Interesting read. 

Have a great weekend! 

It's the Weekend | Number Eleven

The current chaos of the nursery and my mind. 

We've made it to another Saturday. I'm officially about 7 weeks away from meeting our new little dude. I'm getting more pregnant and tired by the day but I know that it will all be worth it in the end. But, I am pretty ready to no longer be pregnant. We are on the home stretch and I'm just trying to get everything in as much order as we possibly can. I've been planning my leave at work. There's a number of things around the house that need to be done or just forgotten about. We went to a birthing class last night with our doula and everything just keeps getting more real. 

This week, I've been reading a lot of things for mothers due to the fact that Mother's Day is tomorrow. I'm always looking for clever parenting hacks or ideas. I've been reading a lot about screen time and how it affects our children or how we need to get outside WAY more than we do now. 

Here's what I've read this week: 

Celebrity mom's talk about their mothers. 

One of the books I posted about last week is on sale on Kindle for $1.99! 

I'm always looking for clever DIYs for parenting. Here's some great ones. 

I think about our budget a lot, especially with a new baby on the way. Here are 5 ways to save 100 dollars this week. 

Kid's should play outside more and here's how to do it. 

Meal planning has become a part of our home. I'm always looking for cheap, easy recipes. 

A new donut shop opened in our town and my pregnancy cravings might get the best of me. 

Postpartum depression is a big deal. This mom's post is a must read. 

Have a great weekend! 

Life Lately | An Update

Life has been such a whirlwind as of late. So many things seem to be occurring and coming into fruition. We seem to be in a good groove and I am alright with that. I haven't done  post like this in a long time, but as a bit of an update and some link love thrown into it....

 I am almost half way through my Whole 30, look for a post on that tomorrow.....I haven't felt this good and confident about myself in a very long time. People are starting to notice and comment and I'm only half way. I feel that is a good sign. Read my first post on my first week, if you haven't already. 

Work is in full swing as always and I'm just trying to live out a good "hustle." I've been editing photos like a crazy from a wedding the we photographed at the end of June. Any spare moment I have, during nap time, late at night: I edit. 

I've been loving the library as of late. A library card is literally one of the best things to happen to me. I can't even begin to tell you how much money I was spending on books that I would only read one time and then would fall back in place on a shelf, left untouched. The library is awesome. Currently on my nightstand, I am reading: this, this, this, and this.  I also am really into audio books and nerd up every time I am driving in my car. My current listen is this.  I read the book years ago but it's wonderful because it's read by the author and I like her vibe. How can one not love the library? My book list of things I have on hold is ever growing. I wish I had more hours in the day where I could get lost in a good book. Sometimes nap times allow me to do so but most of the time it's before I go to sleep at night. I read with the roar of the A/C in our room and the baby monitor humming next to me. 

Yesterday, we did something that we have been talking about for a long while but I never thought would actually happen. WE BOUGHT A NEW CAR!!!!! I no longer have to drive the mom mobile. The minivan was great for the years that we had it. We played a lot of shows with that car and crammed it full of music gear. I've driven Marin all over the place. I've fretted about how the van is running and whether or not it will make it to the next season. I have never in my life had a new car. My own NEW car. Dodge had some amazing deals out there and we spent the day at the car dealership. Overall, it was a great experience. I am not a big fan of dealerships but we had a great experience, albeit a long one. We drove home a new Dodge Journey, which is literally the bigger brother to my husband's car. I love it. I can't wait to go drive it today. 

That being said, I've also been researching ways to live more frugally in our lives. With a brand new car, comes a brand new car payment. We managed to get our payment in a decent range, but I need to tighten things up around here a bit. I won't be frequenting Starbucks per usual, that is for sure. Here's what I've been reading lately..... 

Keeping Our Household Budget Under $300 Monthly 

Tips on Living on Next to Nothing

Dave Ramsey's Baby Steps

Pinterest is full of ideas... 

And on a kind of related note...I found this article interesting: Take the 1000 Day Challenge!