Changes!

Waaaaaiit, what? That is not my usual! I love structure and scheduled and predictability!


However, lately I have been finding myself leaning towards the wild and free. I'd like to blame it on this baby! I think this is going to be the most chill baby! I haven't felt much in the way of stress as far as getting stuff for baby, we are selling our house and I hadn't been stressing about that, none of this is my norm. I don't think I will ever abandon my scheduling tendencies 100% and I don't think I should. I figure if we stick to our structured and scheduled stuff, let's say 20% of the time, it will be a good balance of responsibility and fun! Actually letting us enjoy the spontaneity. I don't think I could enjoy a random beach trip nearly as much, knowing I had a heap of work undone. 

 I want to make sure we lead by example for our kids. All fun and no work is not responsible and surely won't get them far in life. We also want them to learn to enjoy their hard work.

So you might not recognize the crazy lady posting. I just am not feeling all this structure AND
We sold our house! That is great news, we close in a few weeks as long as the inspection and appraisal go well.  The other end of that is WE HAVE NO WHERE TO GO!
As I am sitting here today there are 2 houses for sale in the area we want to be in, 2!!
So we will likely be renting, you would think that would be easier right? Apparently not! It's not as easy as I thought to find a 3 bedroom (minimum) place to move to! Not to mention just 32 days after we close I am all scheduled for a C-section! Don't even get me started on how far behind I am in baby prep!

I have never been the type to rush into anything, or WING IT as they say. We are absolutely winging it and it has me a teeny bit emotional. I am not regretting listing/selling but I still have the occasional though of OHMYGOODNESSWHATHAVEWEDONE!

Our house is beautiful, has no issues, fits us great with room to grow. So WHY are we doing this?!

We just know this is not where we want to be for the rest of our lives, the market is good, we thought we would try and so far it has worked out well! Just trusting that this uncomfortable stage will turn into what we are hoping for.

So that is what is up here! Sorry if Meal Plan Monday was your favorite or you were really looking forward to some back to school posts. I think we will all be lucky if I cook a planned meal again before we move, and I have NO idea where/how/what I will be doing for school. I am sure we will get them there on time and dressed. Right now that is about all I can promise! Come follow me on pinterest and instagram. I am often up with calf cramps from 2-4AM and have plenty of time to pin stuff and I am sure there will be some baby grams!

Once we get settled in a new place (temporarily) and a new baby, I am sure I will have a lot more to share, and probably new obstacles as we downsize (by half!) and make things work.

Meal Plan Monday~ Week 29

I am just not ready for it to be Monday already!  Baseball is officially over for the year, that sure helps in the dinner situation! I think I might be starting to freak out about bay stuff finally, sure took a long time this go around!

Monday~Crock Pot Beef Roast

Tuesday~Enchilada Tater Tot Casserole

I am a little nervous about this one, trying from pinterest.

Wednesday~Spaghetti

Thursday~Chicken Stir Fry

Friday~Mini Pizza

Saturday~Pork Roast

Sunday~ Leftovers

It's a day late, and will probably change, I am moody and nothing sounds good after I cook it these days (yay pregnancy) and kids have VBS all week. 

Monday Meal Plan~Week 28

 Baseball this week! Maybe our last week of it. Adding some house showings into the mix and I am already ready for Sunday!

Monday~Potato Soup 

(we were gone Thursday)

Tuesday~Chili
My girly, who says she doesn't like ground beef, has been requesting!

Wednesday~Spaghetti and Meatballs
Thanks Trader Joe's for making my life a little easier!

Thursday~Chicken Burritos

Friday~Chicken and Tortellini w/Pesto

Another Trader Joe's help!

Saturday~Pizza
We have 2 baseball games in town

Sunday~ BBQ Chicken & Grilled Corn


Cost Breakdown

Monday~Potatoes $1.00, Milk $0.50, Chicken Stock $0.50 Bacon $1.25, Cheese $0.50 Everything else $1.50, Fruit $1.00 ( we recently picked a ton)

Tuesday~Ground Beef $3.00, V8 $.75, Tomatoes $1.00, Cornbread $1.00, Everything else $2.00,
Fruit $1.00

Wednesday~Marinara (homemade) $1.00, Pasta $1.00, TJ Mini Meatballs $3.00,
Fruit $1.00

Thursday~Chicken $2.00, Tortillas $.75, Brown Rice $.75,  Everything else $2.00
Fruits and veggies $2.00

Friday~Chicken $1.00, Tortellini $1.99, Pesto $.75, Fruits and veggies $2.00

Sunday~Chicken $2.00, corn on the cob $1.00, fruit $1.00
 

Back to School Shopping

Back to school SAVING

#1 way to save?!

Don't go OVERBOARD!

Believe me, I KNOW how hard it is! Back to school happens to be one of my favorite holidays! We can call it a holiday right? Set a budget and try to watch the sales!

2. Know what you have, what you need.
This chart is an awesome tool for that as far as clothes go. Print one for each kid.

Be realistic. Do they NEED 8 pairs of shoes? Probably not, is it hard to not buy the cute floral ones that match 2 shirts, yes! Make your lists and BRING THEM! It's so easy to get caught up in the cute and fresh to forget you already have 4 short sleeve shirts!
I am going to share how we decided what the kids actually needed next week. I made this list about this time last year

While I did try to stick to that, and I got rid of a lot, we still had a lot of clothes. Actually we still do! I haven't bought much for any of the kids other than a couple cotton dresses for our girly.
Our schools sends the supply list out at the end of the school year, that helps us watch for the deals!


3. Start Early
It's the beginning of July and stores like Target and Staples have been sending back to school stuff for a couple of weeks! If you have your LIST ready then you aren't paying full price when it comes to the end of the summer break. Our Target already has all of the patio stuff on clearance, it will only be a couple weeks before it is full of school supplies.