Saturday, January 31, 2015

My "Almost" Dollar Tree Fail

I try to save money as much as possible and I also try my best to purchase natural, or natural-ish cleaners for our home.  It is not a hard and fast rule to me that I buy 100% natural cleaners.  I try to keep the house clean 90% of the time with plain old soap and water as I go throughout my day.  I wipe off counters and floors constantly so the need for a deep cleaner isn't really necessary most of the time.  When it comes to cleaning out a shower or toilet, nothing beats the smell of bleach in my opinion!  Living with boys, it is a must!

In a moment of weakness I purchased this product from the Dollar Tree (where I get many of my cleaners).

It is LA's Totally Awesome Window Clean


I read the ingredients and was happy that I could pronounce most of them and the list wasn't longer than my son's Christmas list this past year, not to mention it cost a dollar and I needed window cleaner.  I bought it.  When I got home I began to experience some buyer remorse.  Why would I buy a cleaner that is predominantly made of vinegar and water?  I have a squirt bottle (which I bought at the Dollar Tree)  at home with those two things already mixed together in my laundry room.  My only piece of mind was that it only set me back a buck, so lesson learned.

Well I am going to ruin the end of this story for you right now and I say I cannot tell you how quickly you should get in your car and drive to the Dollar Tree to get this stuff!  I LOVE it!  It not only cleans windows well getting gunky fingerprints and dog nose smears off and leaves them streak free (even when my kids are doing the window cleaning -  no streaks!), it also works well on my stove top burners!  I have had built up, burnt on, caked on, greasy black stuff slowly collecting on my stove top since we got it.  I tried vinegar soaks, Barkeepers Friend, Soft Scrub, Easy-Off and more.  None of it worked 100%, some worked better than others but there was no real winner of the bunch.  Until I tried LA's Window Clean on it!  I have no idea what made me do it. I think what happened was I wanted to buff off the finger prints and just sprayed it on.  I wiped the cleaner away and was shocked at how easily the spots came off.  I kept spraying and wiping and 5 minutes later my stove top looked brand new.  I am not certain what a "surfactant" is, but maybe that means "totally awesome grime remover chemical".   I will buy a case of this if I need to.  It is most definitely going on my regular Dollar Tree monthly shopping list.

And it cost a Dollar and I hated myself a little bit.  How quickly life can turn itself around.

Cardio Dance Track List - Winter 2015

Here are the track lists for all of the songs we are using this session in Cardio Dance!  If you want to find them to play them head to Grooveshark and search the song title, then filter through the list by looking for the artist I have listed here.  In some cases it is NOT the original artist.

  1. Party All Night (Sleep All Day) - Sean Kingston
  2. Maria - Ricky Martin
  3. Booyah - Showtek featuring We are Loud & Sonny Wilson
  4. Womanizer - Britney Spears
  5. Scream - Usher
  6. Hit Me Up - Gia Farrell
  7. Right Now - Rihanna featuring David Guetta
  8. Sexy and I Know It - Def Motion
  9. Shake Senora Remix - Pitbull featuring T-Pain, Sean Paul & Ludacris
  10. How I Feel - Flo Rida
  11. A Little Party Never Killed Nobody - Fergie, Q-Tip & Goonrock
  12. Gangnam Style - CDm Chartbreakers
  13. Echa Pa'lla (Manos Pa'rriba) - Pitbull featuring Papayo
  14. Feel The Love - Puffy Substance
  15. Neon Lights - Mirror Of Encore
  16. Royals - Lorde

How I meal plan for the week

Here is my basic method of planning out what my family will eat over the week.  I have found that when I meal plan I feel in better control of the household in general.  There is less or no extra trips to the grocery store which leaves more time to do other things, like laundry.

At the beginning of each month I create a Monthly Master Menu List which is basically a list of 30ish dinner recipes I have pinned on Pinterest, picked out of my recipe archives or clipped out of magazines.  It does take a little time but I find this method to be so helpful in many more ways than it is time consuming.  I will go over the steps I take when I make my Monthly Master Menu List in a future post.  For now, let's talk about this week!

I start out with this blank template that I printed off of Pinterest awhile back. I cannot find the link to the actual website where it originated from because I have used this sheet for so long now.  You can search for this particular one which is probably still out there in the cyberspace somewhere along with Kim Kardashian's booty pictures....  Or you could find another that you like and use that one.


 From here, I take my day planner and look at what we have going on during the week.  Things like where we need to go in the evenings, if any of us will be late coming home due to after school activities or work related things, and lastly I look at how many personal training appointments and other household errands each day.  All of these things play a factor in what I choose to put on my weekly list.  If the boys have basketball, I am teaching at night and Mike is coming home later from work because he has a late meeting scheduled, I am going to choose a simple meal or crockpot meal that I can get started early in the morning.  If I am home cleaning all day and have no where to go otherwise I will choose a recipe that requires more time in the kitchen.  This is what my Monthly Master Menu looks like.  It is nothing fancy but it works for us.

The last thing that I do is write my chosen meals on Post-it notes and stick them on. 

This week looks like this!
Monday- I have one training appointment and Mike will be home late so it will be just me and the boys at dinner time so a breakfasty type meal will be perfect.  
Tuesday - Tuesdays are always Taco Tuesday!  I have training appointments during the day and I teach my classes at night and the boys have basketball, so tacos are easy and a crowd pleaser.
Wednesday- We usually go to my parents house for dinner
Thursday- I train during the day but will have time to prepare something a little more complicated for dinner.  Mike and the boys are home right after work/school and have no where to be for the rest of the night.  I am teaching my classes so cleanup will be on the boys ;-)  
Friday- Mike and I always look forward to nachos at night after the boys go to bed.  We have done this for as long as I can remember.  The boys typically have pita pizzas or nachos themselves.
Saturday - Weekends always seem to be busy so simple and fun pita pizzas for all today!





Wednesday, January 28, 2015

Beer Mustard Sausage Recipe and Tops Deal (ending 1/31)

It is Super Bowl time and that means football parties, and parties mean fun food!  There is a family recipe that we make each year for Super Bowl and for Christmas.  It is loved and requested often and it is so easy to make.  Today I share the infamous Beer Mustard Sausage recipe with all of you!

Beer Mustard Sausages:

In a frying pan combine: 
2 tbs oil, 2 lbs smoked polish sausage cut into disks (I use Hillshire farms Kielbasa links) about 1/4in thick, and 1 cup of your favorite beer.  Darker beer provides a richer flavor.  Simmer for 10-15 min stirring occasionally.  Remove sausage and set aside.  Leave drippings in pan.

To drippings, add:
1/2cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup vinegar, 1/2 cup brown spicy mustard, 6tsp cornstarch dissolved in water, and 6 tsp horseradish.  Stir together so sugar dissolves.  Add sausage back in to pan.  Simmer together for 1/2 hour.  Stir occasionally.  Mustard sauce will thicken. 

Makes about enough for 6-8 people for appetizers.  I triple this recipe often and it always goes quickly.  I send them into work for Mike's Christmas party in a crockpot and they reheat very well.


This week at Tops you can get Hillshire Farms sausages on sale for buy 2 get 3 free!  That is an awesome deal!!!  All varieties of Hillshire farms sausages are included.  I chose the chicken and the turkey sausage links and I did that deal twice and I plan to cook some and freeze some up for later.  Hurry, this deal ends 1/30!!!

The deal is listed in the Sunday Tops ad on Page 1.  Check out the link to that ad HERE

Monday, January 26, 2015

Weekly Meal Plan - 1/26-1/31



Here is what we are eating for dinner this week!

It's my birthday week, so rules are being "bent" and we are treating ourselves a little more than we normally would this weekend!  I am so excited!
Links to recipes that I found online are included - let me know if you try any and how they turned out!

Monday
Stuffed Baked Sweet Potatoes -Mike has a late class so it is just me and the boys.  Boys ate leftovers from the weekend

Taco Tuesday!
Tuesdays are crazy in our house.  Boys have basketball and I have my classes to teach so dinner needs to be fast and easy and liked by all.  We love Mexican food and tacos are something that we all can agree on and enjoy. 

Wednesday
Birthday dinner at my parent's house!

Thursday
Crockpot Maple Dijon Chicken Drumsticks - I plan to use chicken thighs because that is what I have on hand.  Serving with rice and steamed broccoli.

Fiesta Friday!
Every Friday since I can remember Mike and I make nachos after the boys go to bed.  We do this instead of going out or ordering pizza.  The boys have a fun, "treat" meal like pizza rolls or nachos. 

Saturday
Subs ordered from Wegmans to enjoy my birthday with all of my boys!  I love these because we always have leftovers for at least two more meals!  Way better than going out to eat!

Sunday
Leftovers!

Fitbit vs. Heartrate Monitor - which is right for you?

I get asked this question at least once or twice a session in bootcamp.  Which should I get, a Fitbit or a heartrate monitor?  There are pluses and minuses to each.  I think the right device depends on what the user is looking for.

Fitbit

The Fitbit is a small fitness tracking device.  There are many models and colors to choose from.  The two styles are either a wrist-wearing, bracelet type, or a clip on monitor type.  They range in price, depending on the model that you choose, starting at a reasonable $60 and then soaring up to $300, or more depending on the retailer.  If fashion is a concern of yours, they have nifty little lockets and wristlet covers that can fancy up your fitness tracker.  You know, if bling is your thing...

Capabilities range as well depending on what model you choose (read, how much you are willing to pay).  On the lower end (the one I personally have used in the past) is what I find to be a glorified pedometer.  I purchased it years ago when it first came out and I was happy with it for awhile.  It tracked my steps during the day as well as how many flights of stairs that I went up (and down).  Another neat feature of the Fitbit is that it monitors your sleep patterns.  Wear the device at night and track your sleep to see how soundly you actual sleep at night.  These are the basics with any of the models, some of the more expensive ones stream music and have text/messaging alerts. Another quick note about the Fitbit (any model), you need to have access to a computer and create an account to read and track your workouts.  They walk you through the steps of creating and maintaining your account very clearly in the instructions, but internet accessibility and know how is necessary to optimize on the Fitbits capabilities.

I really enjoyed the Fitbit for what it was.  Here are the drawbacks that I experienced from the model I had the Fitbit One.  The device is made to track movement specifically.  Great for the avid runner, but for a cross-trainer the results were inconsistent.  I wore that thing to an hour long Pilates class.  I sweated my ass off that day and my heartrate was soaring, but because I wasn't moving around a lot ON MY FEET, that lovely thing registered that I was in fact sleeping for that hour.  I was not happy.  I would also notice that during my bootcamp classes my calorie burn readout just seemed low.  I knew what my resting heartrate is and what it feels like to be in a target burning zone.  It just didn't add up and it was frustrating.  Shortly after I began noticing the miscalculations with the calorie burn readout my Fitbit began to "short out".  For no reason it would shut off, or reset itself, or show an error code.  I would do a hard reboot to the device and it would be okay for a short period of time  and then it would start to freak out again.  It became so bad that I contacted the manufacturer and they were so very nice to work with.  Apparently the device was in direct contact with water, i.e. sweat.  My Fitbit was to be worn on your waistband and I sweat quite a lot.  My badass workouts literally shorted out my fitness tracker.  The manufacturer sent me a brand spanking new one without any hassle whatsoever and they did not even require that I send the sweat-logged one back to them. 

Summary on the Fitbit.  If you are looking for a fitness tracker that is a step up from a pedometer, that is fashionable, small, unnoticable and reasonably priced this is perfect for you.  If you are looking for an accurate calculation of calories burned, you may want to pass.


Heartrate Monitor

I can only speak from  my own experience with my basic model, run of the mill frugally priced Timex heartrate monitor.  I love this thing, with one small setback.  Lets start with the good.  The calorie count is accurate, which I find motivational and reassuring during and after a tough workout.  The readout is immediate, no logging into a webpage to sync up.  I can easily tell mid-workout how many calories I have burned with the touch of a button.  I have sweated all over this thing and it still works.  All pluses.  It tells me what my heartrate is, current calories burned, how long of a duration I have been exercising and my highest heartrate reached so far in the workout.  Love, love, love and love. 

Some of the cons that I see.  There is a chest strap.  I SO didn't want a chest strap.  I really was afraid I would feel like I was going to be strangled during my workout.  Though I don't feel strangled at all, I do notice it is there.  I kind of strap it on and tuck it up under my sportsbra band.  As I get sweaty (have I mentioned how much I tend to sweat during a workout???) it sometimes feel like it is slipping downward.  It never has actually made it down to my waste, but I do tug at it.  Whatever though.  I am okay with it. 

Cons about OTHER heartrate montiors that my personal training clients have gotten in the past that I have seen....  their calorie burning counts were way off in a "short changing them" kind of way that could be discouraging depending on the individual. 

If you want to read more about either the Fitbit or the Timex Heartrate Monitor that I have check out the links below. 

Fitbit One Click Here!



Timex Heartrate Montior Click Here!


Saturday, January 24, 2015

What we ate for dinner tonight!

Tonight was Make Your Own Salad Night!  Basically I cut up veggies and eggs and grated cheese and cook up some noodles and chicken.  My kids have free reign on what goes on their plates but they need to pick at least 5 items.  By doing this I know my carnivore will have to choose at least one veggie and my anti-protein offspring will be happy that chicken will not be forced on him for one night.  It is a fun option where (rarely) anyone complains.  This dinner got all of the thumbs up






Friday, January 23, 2015

P90X 2: P.A.P. Lower - how I worked out today

It was okay.  I will say that I was tired from my classes the previous night and my training session earlier in the day.  My legs felt like tree trunks, but I really wanted to workout for myself so I was game.  It was a lower body workouts.  The full title is Post Activation Potentiation.  It basically means that you are using more than one muscle/part of your body to gain strength and in this case muscle mass in a particular area.  It was a lot of leg/lower body work as the name would suggest.  I like Tony Horton in small doses.  His jokes and fitness puns/banter was rather reserved in this workout I think.  Here is what I think over all:

  1. It is a great lower body workout.  Challenging and definitely worth the time
  2. It gets redundant.  Two sets of four exercises.  Each set is executed four times.  
  3. My legs still feel like someone elses.  So there is that.
  4. Tony Horton was reserved in his usual boisterous antics.  Made this Friday night workout more tolerable.
All-in-all I give it two out of 5 water bottles. 


Pop on over here to find out more about Tony Horton and P90X 2, Beachbody

My Experience with Twice

We are cleaning house.  Getting rid of the stuff we don't need/use anymore that is cluttering up our minds and spaces.  When we decide to declutter the first place that I typically start is my closet.  I am a huge fan of Hilary and her blog and YouTube channel My So-Called Home.  In one of her recent videos she highlighted a website called Twice Clothing.  It is a second-hand clothing retailer that buys and sells your name brand, rather new and in good condition clothing and resells them, boutique-style on their website. They pay for you to ship your clothes to them, they evaluate the quality and email you a price quote.  You can accept that quote at face value and they will cut you a check and you can be happy with your newly purged, thinner closet and fatter wallet, or you can accept store credit which is 25% more than the quoted price.  Great way to fill in the gaps in that closet!

I had about 15 items that I sent to Twice for evaluation.  The items need to be of a current style, in good condition and purchased within the last five years.  I wish I took pictures of the items I sent in.  I am kicking myself now.  I seriously didn't think that I would make a lot of money on clothing that I was going to throw in a clothing recycle bin.  I found a box I had lying around and I threw, well, folded and placed nicely inside, all my items and stuck the prepaid postage sticker that Twice emailed me on the top. I took that bad boy to the post office on my corner and was finished with my part.  About a week and a half later I got my quote that they would write me a check for $59!  I was thrilled!  I chose to just take the check, this time at least.  I will definitely be going back to Twice in the future when I decide to thin out my closet again.  It really was super easy and dare I say, a fun way to make a few bucks!

Find out more about Twice HERE!

Check out Hilary's blog My So-Called Home and her YouTube video about Twice.

Dollar Tree Trip


My favorite place to shop for household items is the Dollar Tree.  You can often find name brand products there for only a dollar.  I also like getting greeting cards there, those are TWO for a dollar.  I try to limit my Dollar Tree trips to once a month to stock up on household cleaners and some food items that I can either find only there or that I get there because it is only a dollar.  I love looking around those aisles, sometimes you can really score on some fun finds!   Here is what I got this week!

  • 3 Antibacterial Wipes - one for each bathroom in the house.  Probably could find this cheaper at a drug store with coupons but I was there so I picked them up.
  • 2 Window Wipes - also to keep in the bathrooms.  
  • Foaming Shower Cleaner - because you can only tell it is really working if it foams when you spray it.
  • Brillo pads - name brand, for a dollar!
  • Sun Dishwasher powder - NOT what I wanted to get but they did not have the gel tabs I usually get.  I love the gel tabs and they are such a great deal (see below picture).  I am wary of Sun but I will give it a go anyway.  
  • 2 Storage Shoe boxes - I use these all over the house for organization.  I try to get one or two each time I go.


  • Ortega Taco Shells - name brand, for a dollar
  • Cheddar Crackers and Wheat Crackers - These are the Dollar Tree's version of Cheez- Its and Wheat Thins.  My kids can't tell the difference and look how cute the boxes are.
  • Baking Soda
  • Prepackaged Pizza Crust - It isn't organic and it is prepackaged, but it is good to have on hand for  something quick for the boys.  It is what it is
  • Rinaldi Pizza sauce
  • Hormel Pepperoni
  • Plastic Wrap - haven't tried this yet, hopefully it sticks
  • Aluminum Foil - not the greatest foil but it works
  • Gallon Size Storage Bags - I always get my storage bags from the Dollar Tree.  I see no difference in quality between name brand and these
 
 
  • Grease Splatter Screen - new to our kitchen.  Haven't used it yet but I expect that it will do its job
  • Microwave Splatter Covers - no more messy microwaves in this house, or so I hope
  • Ibuprofen - always get these here.  Work great
  • Folders - my son needed a new one for school
  • Mechanical pencils - because all of the four pencil sharpeners we own don't work


  • I was hoping to get these Ultra Shine dishwasher tabs but they weren't there.  If you see them in your local Dollar Tree grab them! 

Tuesday, January 20, 2015

Who's the boss??

So apparently during a tough bootcamp class I start yelling "Who's the boss?! You are!" over and over again.  So much so that my throat hurts a little now.  Nevertheless, great job tonight Bootcampers!  You were totally the boss!!!!!


How we pay for stuff

Half way through 2014 I took over the finances in the family, well, the day-to-day finances at least.  Mike and I decided that this shift in our family was necessary for a couple of reasons.  Mike has always been the one that is good at math and figuring and "seeing" the numbers.  He naturally fell into the role of Money-Man and I took on the role of housewife and mom.  Mike made the money, we live on his income alone, and it made sense to us that he knew where it should go, when it should go, and why it needed to go there.  It worked, but it didn't work well.  It wasn't seamless and it certainly wasn't effective in the longrun.  We would fight over money.  Mike would want to know where the "extra" money was going in the account at the end of the month and I could honestly not remember what I spent it on or where.  Looking back I have to imagine it was very frustrating for Mike.  He worked so hard each day to provide for his family and each month, at bill paying time, the "extra" cash wasn't there.  Bills were always paid, but where was the rest?  Where was it going?  I couldn't answer that question.  I didn't shop extravagantly.  I have never been a high-end shopper.  The kids needed clothes which I purchased on sale.  I had no big purchases hidden anywhere.  But yet, where did the money go?  Continual frustrations led us to the fact that something in our finances had to change.  We weren't happy.

So I, reluctantly, took over the finances.  Our original thought was to lessen the burden on Mike.  He dealt with enough issues at work all day.  I felt guilty enough that he worked so hard and I have been blessed to be able to be home for the past 10 years.  I wanted to do as much as I could to help keep this ship afloat.  So, mathematical phobias aside I took the reins.  I had no idea how to work the reins.  The reins were scary to me and confusing and overwhelming, but I was determined to ride it out.  I did a lot of research and I implemented a loose version of Dave Ramsey's envelope system.  If you aren't familiar with Ramsey and his ways here is an abbreviated summary.  

1. Debt is bad.  
2. Pay off your debt.
3. Credit cards are not okay.
4. Budgets are good.
5. There are 7 baby steps to financial freedom.
6. Give a name to every dollar you have before you spend it.
7. Tithing is the most important thing ever.

I am religious, but not in the way that Dave Ramsey is religious so he lost me when it came to topics that led him to quote the Bible.  I did however really like the sound of giving my "extra" cash a name before I went and spent it.  To plan ahead what expenses would pop up over the year, save for those expenses and pay in cash when it came time to do so.  My life was easier when the credit card bill was low.  I did not throw all our credit cards into the burning fires in Hell as Ramsey would preach me to do.  I did however limit our credit card usage to gas only.  Groceries, clothes, and family fun would always be paid for in cash.  Always.  We set up our envelope system for the second half of the year (I got a late start) and did our best to iron out the kinks.  It took the entire 6 months to figure it out.  I won't lie, it was far from perfect execution at the start.  Surprise expenses came up, grocery shopping bills added up differently at the store than they did on my calculator at home.  Again, math....  But, I will tell you this, there was no end of the month stress.  I was figuring it out.

At the start of 2015 Mike and I sat down to map out our budget for the year.  Mike got all nerdy and made an Excel spreadsheet.  A couple hours after sitting down and one freakout over a miscalculation in the spreadsheet, Mike's miscalculation, we were set for success!  We set up the bones for our years savings and expenditures.  I have this file system that I had purchased that would store our cash that we would be saving up for our major planned purchases over the year to come.  Dave Ramsey calls this the Envelope System.  You sit down at the beginning of the year (or month, whenever you begin) and you list each of the expenses that you have and how much it will cost you.  For each paycheck you get you put away a certain amount in an envelope towards each expense.  The envelopes add up and tensions over money ease.  It takes awhile to get a good flow however it is definitely worth it in my opinion.  Since starting this system Mike and I have not had one argument over money which to me is such a relief.  I really hated not being able to relay to him each  month where our money was going.  Now it is preplanned and good to go ahead of time.

This is the file bolder set I got from Amazon.  It is the first month using it and so far so good.  I will let you know how it holds up as the months go on.

Globe-Weis Poly Zip Files

Sunday, January 18, 2015

Insanity Max 30: Tabata - how I worked out today

Today Mike and I did Insanity Max 30: Tabata Strength.  And it was insane.  Insanely awesome that is.
I really enjoyed the quick pace of the workout.  The entire workout was 20 seconds of effort followed by 10 seconds of rest, traditional Tabata form.  The moves changed each set (most of the time) which was refreshing.  The Tabata sets themselves were arranged into body groups as well which was nice because who wants to spend 30 minutes jumping like a maniac from start to end in 20 second intervals. Not this girl.  I highly recommend this workout.  It is quick, it gets you sweaty (Mike was a healthy shade of bright pink at the end), and it gets the job done.

Check out the video trailer for Max 30





Overall rating:  4 out 5 water bottles

To purchase the Insanity Max 30 DVD set or others like it, visit the Beachbody Website by clicking HERE 

Winter Class Schedule

Here is my schedule of group fitness classes that I am teaching now.  All classes are open to walk-ins and I always encourage students to bring along a friend with them.  Group fitness is all about the "feel" of the class working together.  The more people the more energy there is to lift you (and me!!!) up!


Monday (Beginning 2/24)
Bootcamp (all levels) - 7pm-8pm.  Bring water, a mat and dumbbells to class (5 or 8lb weights suggested).  Go to the Eden Central School District Website HERE to register.  Walk-ins are $5 (your first class is free).  Class is held in the GLP Primary School gym.  

Tuesday
Cardio Dance (all levels) - 6-7pm.  Bring water and your dancing shoes!  
Bootcamp (all levels) - 7:15-8:15pm.  Bring water, a mat and dumbbells to class (5 or 8lb weights suggested).  Both classes are held in the Bodyshaping By Sandy Lakeview Studio.
6472 Southwestern Blvd, Lakeview NY 14085
6472 Southwestern Blvd 6472 Southwestern Blvd 

Thursday
Cardio Dance (all levels) - 6-7pm.  Bring water and your dancing shoes!
Bootcamp (all levels) - 7:15-8:15pm.  Bring water, a mat and dumbbells to class (5 or 8lb weights suggested). Both classes are held in the Bodyshaping By Sandy Lakeview Studio.
6472 Southwestern Blvd, Lakeview NY 14085

Saturday (Beginning 1/31)
Cardio Kick (all levels) - 9-10am.  Bring water and a mat to class.  Class is held in the Orchard Park Presbyterian Church.
4369 South Buffalo Street, Orchard Park NY 14127

*To register or for more information e-mail me.





Saturday, January 17, 2015

Snack Idea

I love cheese and crackers, I mean who doesn't, right?  I found a great, healthy and tasty alternative to the traditional cheese square and cracker. 

If you have never tried the CrunchMaster multi-seed cracker, you are seriously missing something amazing.  The crackers themselves have a nutty, seedy, salty, deliciousness about them that reminds me of my childhood.  I think it is the sesame taste.  Anyway.  The ingredients are limited and "real" and they are gluten free.

Take these yummy crackers and add a wedge of Laughing Cow cream cheese and it is just the best thing ever.  Laughing Cow has a lot of flavors to choose from but my favorite is the Creamy Queso Fresco Chipotle. A serving size is 15 crackers, which is a pretty good amount for a cracker.  Pair that with the cream cheese wedge and you get a filling, healthful snack for under 200 calories!

You can find both products at your local grocery store.  Try it out and let me know what you think!
-Steph

Our Fiscal Epiphany

We started on journey this year.   I call it our "Fiscal Epiphany", and by "our" I mean "Mikes", and by "Fiscal Epiphany" I mean early retirement.  Let me fill you in.

About half way through 2014 I began following the Dave Ramsey envelope system for our finances.  I had listened to Ramsey's audiobook "The Total Money Makeover" and was inspired, actually, more like motivated.  We already had no debt other than our mortgage and miscellaneous credit card spendings that we paid off each month.  Prior to our "epiphany" money was good for us.  We never missed a bill.  We charged only what we could pay off each month.  We lived well and we had a lot to show for it.  We had toys- both for the young and the not so young.  We had vehicles, three to be exact.  We upgraded our kitchen and shopped, semi-modestly for clothes for the kids and for ourselves.  We did a lot of dreaming.  What we would do with our money "one day." What we would buy.  What we could "get."  At the same time Mike was feeling stuck.  Stuck working for what we had.  Stuck working trying to reach these dreams of things we were planning on getting.  Things that if you asked me now to list I don't think I could recall a single one.  So a few months after we really began to watch where our money was going Ramsey-style we noticed a few things.  For starters, when I tried to recall what I purchased using credit throughout the month I could not recall exactly what it was.  Food, definitely, but I had no idea exactly how much.  Gas for the cars.  Clothes for the kids because they grow like weeds and seem to have outgrown something every time I blink.  And I may have gotten some extra clothes for myself here and there.  I have never been super into fashion and spending a lot of money on clothes and accessories, but I do enjoy shopping and I do like to get new things.  I was couponing for hours a week and stocking our shelves with bottles of products and boxes of foods that filled our pantry and then some.  I did all of this peddling through the month to keep up.  To the fill needs that I felt I needed to fill as a mom and a wife.  The cleaning and organizing of our stuff.  The cooking and cleaning up of our food.  The kids and their activities. Hosting parties, going to parties, decorating, planning, buying for fundraisers, scheduling pictures,  planning our next family trip.....  It seemed to never, ever, ever, end, ever.

Our house was cluttered with the stuff we were buying with all of our money that was coming in.  My mind was cluttered with what needs to be done next.  Mike's mind was cluttered with his work and the stresses that came with it.  It was too much.  We were a happy family, we were a happy couple....  but we wanted to be better.

So became our epiphany.  Mike began reading some blogs and I began going over our spending budget with a fine-toothed comb.  There was room for changes all over the place.  What was important to us as a family was coming into focus.  What we really wanted, we couldn't buy no matter how long we saved.  We wanted time.  Time to spend with our kids who were already more grown up than we could believe.  You can't get that back.  This was the most important thing to us.

So we changed.  We changed everything.  The end game became our beacon and nothing else is as important.

1. We pay off our mortgage(s) in less than 8 years.
2. Mike wants to "semi-retire" as soon as we can.
3. We declutter our lives of stuff.
4. We spend as much time as possible together as a family.

These are our new rules and every choice we make from here on out will be in support of them.


Friday, January 16, 2015

The first blog entry...

Hi all!  My name is Stephanie and I am a stay-at-home mom 80% of the time.  I work outside the home part-time as a group fitness instructor and a personal trainer.  I have been doing that for about 6 years now.  I love being able to do what I love every single day by being present and involved in my family's day-to-day lives, helping to manage a household along side my husband, and working to help people better themselves physically and mentally.

This idea for the blog came about a short time ago.  I needed a place to send my students in classes as well as my personal training clients to collect information on classes, health tips and tricks, and other stuff that I think they could benefit from.  I needed a place where my family members could go and see damn adorable pictures of my damn adorable kids doing damn adorable things.  I wanted a place to document our families journey into our future as we grow and and become the people that we will be 5, 10, 15 years from now.  I want a place where I can send my mom who wants a recipe that I never remembered to share with her (Hi mom!)  I am hoping that this blog becomes all of those things and more.

Thanks for coming by!