Ok so I did the smart ones, but there is more I want to do, I just get bogged down writing it all...so I have two seperate lists, one is specific (and smart) the other is BHAG..... I actually posted these out of order I had the BHAGS in mind when I picked my Smart ones...

1. Be healthier in general..walking, eating, organicish, hormone free..more whole wheat.....ect...

2. Save more....larger EF...more planning for retirement...more something for the kids rather than just sit and ignore the cash...

3. See more family, send more cards....call more often...get the kids used to talking on the phone more...

4. Volunteer more, somewhere, somehow....

5. Embroider more, bake more, read more non online

6. Declutter more and make my house grow.

7. Write more

8. help husband more

9. complain less, do more.

10. love more

I asked my daughter for her BHAG...she wants to write stories..

My son wants to be a firefighter..

I am stealing it from http://tinapbeana.savingadvice.com/

Simple
Measureable
Agreed Upon
Realistic
Timed


In light of simple I revised a few goals, especially the car one, I made up my mind how to do it, course I don't know who would agree on it, Husband is a pretty general guy (pay more, eat healthier, is specific enough for him)

Since apparently I (and everyone else) want(s) to 'Lose weight, save money, enjoy time with family and friends'

I figured I would get one or two smart ones in each area....

Financial:

1. Record all 'new' purchases for the month of January..might go longer but I will decide that at the end of the month...(and decide how to reduce or leave alone the purchases)

2. Pay at least one hundred extra on the car each month for at least Jan-Mar. (reevaluate then if up or down...)

Health
3. Eat at least 3 fruits or veggies with the kids..(they get 4-5, I only tend to eat 2....)

4. Incorporate 100 counts of isometric excersises into some part of my day...bedtime if it hasn't happened yet..

family

Well honestly I don't want to see mine more, I want to see mine less! sortof.
Actually I do need to work on not insulting my family, I see most of them plenty, I just need to be nicer about it....

seriously, I do not feel safe with a kid on a bike (a baby I mean)

I know plenty do, plenty of people do lots of things I am not comortable with....

point is, I want a flinstones like car, one that has bike gear tech, but is more of a real frame with less need for balance, one that has pedals for all over a certain hight to help 'push' and one that has room for at least 2 kids. (or one baby one toddler)

Oh and it has to be small enough to ride on a sidewalk, I am not trusting a flinstone car against the modern SUV!

Got all that? rich investor make me one I will buy it, promise..ok assuming I can afford it, keep the total cost under 500$...guess that is prolly the hard part.

I don't need to travel that fast..I just want to be able to a bit faster than a 3 year old walking, and with a bit less energy exerted. And be able to cary my baby feeling safe...preferably with giving my older kids a chance to practice skills they need to soon bike alongside instead of in.

Maybe a trike for grownups...trike sounds less difficult to balance with a baby on it...considering my baby sits on his big sisters all the time....

OK edit to say I think I found it, I just am having trouble with the price..
http://www.bikemania.biz/Quad_4_Wheel_Bicycle_p/palm_quadcyc...

That is rediculous, how on earth can a large company not have an email address to contact them?

It has to be somewhere, I want to send an email, I do not want to call on the phone I just want to compose it get it out and hope they think it over, I don't want 'I understant, sympathise whatever' I just want to fill them in...online, no cost, simple short, editable for content and politeness....but no, they only have a phone number and a snail mail address, that is a royal PIA!

Well I am a bit late but I havn't been online.....

My brother was here, we hardly ever see him, and his family, it was wonderful.

They have a 3 year old 1 year old and twin 15 year olds. plus the two of them and the 5 of us, makes for one BIG party!

We took them out to a 'Dave and Busters' which is a game and dinner place..pretty interesting and managed to amuse bothe the middle age (4, 3, and 3yo) as well as the 15 year olds, plus the big kids of adults...

Sum total for one full night out...priceless.....this is why we spend less most all year long.....to treat.....

Though if they lived closer...we couldn't keep up!

Unfortunatly I have a complaintOgram to send to dave and busters....no greeting for 5 minutes...no waitress for over 10....food very prompt..followed by 45 minute wait for desert! Not to mention lousy bathrooms.....

I am...very much so, today we got to see our oldest GMC sing in the childrens 'choir' and he actually sang, it was wonderful.

Then they talked about the Christmas story being passed on and my kids were filling in many of the words and knew alot about hte story, I believe in part because we talk about it every night of Advent as we read the advent book.

And tonight we get to go to a candelit service...ok so it starts at 7pm, which is when we are normally snuggled in listening to the bedtime story, but...we are going in PJs for the younger two, hopefully they will fall asleep on the way home, and Christmas day, they can sleep in if they want...yeah right

Tonight we give the kids a book each, I think we might take the books to the service..give them something to do for any err boring parts!

Then tommorow they each get a stocking, then a break for pancakes...yes I complained about stopping for breakfast as a kid, but...well it is neccessary to get real food in!

And then two presents, it was going to be one, but we fell into some interesting things, so two it is. One for each is a game and I can't wait to play....christmas morning, in PJs, snuggled with my three kids, playing a game..what could be better? I Can't wait!

Warning this is a bit religious appologies to all who do not believe, no offense is intended, I merely want to rant.

Begin rant:

One of my first years with my husband my mother in law told me that Christmas was 'just for the kids'.

Sorry, I didn't feel that way then, and I don't feel that way now. Christmas is about the birth of Christ....God's gift to ALL people, He sent His son for all, the Grandpas, and Grandmas, the Aunts, and Uncles, the Mommas, and the Daddys, the Pastors and the Clerks, the bank tellers, the postal workers, the young the old, the in between, the rich, the poor, the struggling, the famous, the 'average', and yes even the terrorists. If you don't see yourself in that list you are trying to hard not to be, stop it.

Christmas is about God's gift to the world, and He didn't reserve his love for just the little children, I wont reserve my celebration of Jesus for just them either.

Yeah I know Christians borrowed the season from pagans, (and fertility worship isn't about kids either!) But borrow it we did, and we changed it, adapted it, combined it, an made it about Jesus. So now that we have it, lets keep it for ALL people, and celebrate the gift of eternal life...with gifts of our own, good food, and a bit of worship for good measure.

end rant

Christmas..no not billions of dollars in toys, or other gifts..steak dinner, turkey with all the trimmings, fudge, lots of fudge, for all on the gift list. baking, and more baking....

This baking stuff aint free! but it is so worth it, this month nothing is getting paid extra, no debt accruing, but also no special jumps down..I wish I was debt free, but regardless I would still spend about the same on Christmas, debt or no debt I want my splurge of a dinner...and yeah we JUST went to the store, and went again tonight...twice in one week! what are we thinking! we are thinking steak needs to be bought (and the next couple days arn't such good days for us).

You know we might even have to go again while the brother and company is in town...he is worth it, his kids are worth it, I am not going to try and cook dinner for my normal budget for him, I am going to try and make it edible though (and the lousy food here has nothing to do with cost, I am just a bad cook in general..though I can cook the steak, bake a potato, and nuke some veggies just fine! heh and oddly enough I cook a terrific turkey dinner!)

Anyway....family, friends..christmas..these are worth wasting some cash on..just not going into debt for.

I love the fact that my kids think of each other.

Yesterday my son went to the music thing at church, they had a mini party to celebrate the end of the year, their was a present pile. My son chose a bouncy ball and a mini maze. He chose the ball for himself, and then he chose the maze because his sister had one and it broke, he got her a new one, with his present he chose one for her..that is soooo adorable!

Then today while we were coloring he found one of the scrap papers that had a picture of a picnic basket on it complete with utensils for a meal, he immediatly told me that JC would like it....I asked if he thought he could find something for his daddy, he pulled up a case of money . Then I asked the tough one, something for UE, he found several things UE would like, but we owned them or a version of them already!

I decided to ask if my daughter could do the same, and thought it was an adorable learning experience, and any good grandparent/parent would love a 'gift' from a child, even if it wasn't real, the thought from a heart of a child was there..and cute!

Oh yeah and my 'writing challenged' son, GMC, had to make thank you notes today..he wrote out the whole thing, not just 'thank you' but 'Thank you for the new game' without me asking him to! I love when they show you they mastered a skill (at /ew/ in new he asked "is that 'oo' or 'ew' or 'ui'"? and I thought he would never spell!

Sorry I can't help myself

more mollasses cookies for tonight, plus some rolls.

The rolls are a bit 'sourdoughy' but still good, least the kids are demanding more of them....

Later today I need to make some fudge for my husband to take to work.

Yesterday we made fudge for my son to take to music class and he actually got to do a lot of the work. I like this recipie, rave reviews and easy enough for a kid to make.

Yesterday we recieved two gift cards with cash..our steak dinner is once again bought by our wonderful Uncle ..best present all year!

Course it is also the first

So I am not a good cook, I am a good baker, in general..I have my moments but in general food is 'soso' and baked stuff is 'awesome'.

Last night was another 'so-so', a little more on the not so good side of so-so, than on the not so bad side.

Today leftovers for lunch was met with less than normal enthusiasm......I decided to fill my kids in on a secret..I am not a good cook, they should just eat it, and hope tonight is better!

Really I would love to have perfect meals each and every night with ust the right spices, but it isn't my talent, and letting the convenience foods do it for me, isn't actually much better flavorwise. Until I can afford a chef to cook dinner each night, we are just going to have to deal with what I cook.

so ust eat it, and be greatful you have food...oh and pass the pepper!

So I woke up cold and decided the best cure was to bae, that and I have a list a mile long of things I aught to be baking.

I got butter out to soften for pumpkin bread (sweet not to good for you, but oh so good) Then I decided I wanted the oven on now, os I made oil oatmeal muffins (healthy, but good) since hte butter still wasn't soft enough I made buiscuts....and then whole wheat bread....then I finally was ready for th epumpkin bread I started with..and I only got out half the butter I needed! URGH

A simple case of lack of planning.....or lack of looking, I used my memory to know how much to get out..when will I learn I have no memory!

I had to tunr the oven off while the bread finished rising, and now in a few minutes the butter will finanly ALL be soft to make the pumpkin..but the oven is in use, baking the bread! sigh.

I was asked to write an essay about faith today...the day of the 'must be nice' and it took all morning ot go from anger to blessing, but when I finally did I wrote my essay on it, dunno that it will be what they want, but hey they asked a non writer, can't expect much!

Not a luxury but a blessing.

I am frequently told it 'must be nice' to have the luxury of staying home...Today was another day of hearing how 'lucky' I am. Don't get me wrong I do like staying home, but line drying clothes isn't exactly my idea of a pampered life. As the anger rose in me, I composed retorts for the next to tell me of my 'nice luck' I listed sacrifices my husband and I have made over the last 5 years to realize this 'luxury' I ticked off reasons so and so could do it, and figured the budget for them. But then I realized it was pointless, and in fact harmful. And I realized instead of focusing on how hard staying home is, I shoudl focus on the blessing of staying home. It is not really a luxury to me (a nice hot bubble bath on the other hand is!) but staying home is a huge blessing. God has truly blessed our family in many ways. To me the phrase 'there but for the grace of God' applies. I may not be able to pinpoint all that He has done in my life, but I know if it were not for Him I would not be able to stay here with my children every day. (without His grace and forgiveness I am not sure I would want to!)

I am blessed with a husband who understands and shares my desire to stay with the kids.

We are blessed with many reminders of why we choose this path.

We are blessed with new information on how to make pennies squeak as our family grows.

Each time I am told it 'must be nice' I feel insulted that someone thinks I am a spoiled princess...But that is what I am, oh sure I miss out on some fun luxuries (pedicures, daily meat) but in general I am spoiled in what counts. Love, family, and an opportunity to see, and help, my children grow each and every day

God's many blessings for our family are more than enough, my cup does overflow..and it IS nice.

Staying home, yet again the stay at home is a luxury struck..I soooooo wanted to point out that it is HIGHLY unlikely either of them make less than 30K (what we made last year) and so luxury is a bad word, choice, we choose to have one of us stay home.

grr, #$^%&%$# @#)(%*^ @(#&%^& snarl, fume@$$#^$*$%(

So lets just say I consider my HOT shower a luxury, I consider staying home a choice, not a luxury, a choice, and yes I feel it is the best one, or we wouldn't have made it. We thought about it, we weighed and measured our options, and we came to the best choice for us......

Saying that 'staying home is a luxury' is the most demeaning thing to me, my sacrifices are lost on these folk.

Yeah I know, those folk shouldn't matter...and I shouldn't swear either...I'll work on it.