My coming out party!

This is my coming out party- what ever do you mean, one may ask?

Well, when I started this blog I wanted to connect with other stay at home moms and share my long transition from working mommy to stay at home mommy. Well it's just that - a looooong, annoying, sucking the life outta me transition. Realistically I'm looking at 1 year before I can stay home. Is that good? - yes & no. No because it's ONE YEAR! Yes because I realized this is what I want to do now and I can actually make the changes necessary that will enable me to stay at home. Otherwise we would still be going and spending out the wazoo like we always have.

So, it's good and bad. Now on the the coming out party part. What exactly am I going to share with my readers over this 1 year period. I've cut back the bills and shared that. I cut out frivolous spending and shared that. I came up with great ideas of cheap things to do with the fam and shared that. Cheap crafts, coupons, meals -- there's only so much a girl can share.

I wrote a post last week on the real me. It was cute & fun - but it was just the tip of the iceberg. I've decided to come out and give you guys all {most} of me. I'm going to start opening up a little bit more. Each and every post won't be directly about just now much closer I am to staying home, because there's only so many ways you can say it.

So where is all of this coming from you ask? Blame it on Blair. She's my cup o' coffee in the morning. She's the blog I go to each and every day to see what she, Nate & Harry have been up to. She's my, dare I say...Dooce. {I don't even read Dooce's blog because I have The Heir to Blair, yo!}.

Anywho, so I've been having troubles trying to keep up with telling you guys just how I'm switching to stay at home mommy from 100 different angles. I thought, okay what would Blair do?! It came to me - be me!

I have a muffin top too {that I'm working on eliminating} - I'll tell 'em about that. I have a glass of wine with my chicken pot pie too - they'll want to hear about that!

It all ties back into who I am and my life - which is right now focused on being a stay at home mommy, but currently I am a full time working mommy, who starts a new diet every Monday, has a 20 month old {who I've refer to as Baby Boy} who is currently in the full swing of the terrible two's {it's gonna be a loooooong time til 3!!} that I drag to work with me everyday, and a musician husband who is busy all the freakin' time, a little white dog {named Nala, after the Lion King}, a tiny home that we've been remodeling for 4 years {almost to a stopping point} that stays messy no matter how much I try and keep it clean.

I want to come out and share the real me, so that I may connect with others and maybe even inspire them at the same time.



The Real Me

The point of my blog was to share my transition from working mommy to stay at home mommy. So yea, it still is, but I want my stalkers followers to get to know me a little bit. I almost feel like I've short changed you. I'm more than just a coupon for diapers or a $5 meal - I'm pretty freakin' complex {if you ask my husband}.

You can kinda think of it this as that whole random things about me game, you know the one.

I like loooove lists so we'll go with a list format {kinda}.....

-I'm uptight & kind of a control freak. Yea I said it, I'm super uptight! I can't help it, I like for things to be right and I like to know every facet of everything. I'm not nosey, nor am I annoying {or at least I like to think not} I'm just a girl who knows what she wants and I like to be in control of it. {I have a feeling Hubs is gonna print this off for proof that I actually admitted to it.}

-Some say I'm crafty. Yea my brother-in-law jokes that if you give me a sharpie and a paper clip I can make anything. It's kinda my thing.

-I got married when I was 19 {ahhhhhhh!}............but waited 7 years to have my husband's mini me. Again, I knew what I wanted and I went for it. It's been the best ride ever, wouldn't change a thing.

-I love to paint. Walls, paper, canvases......anything. Before we bought our home, I used to paint every wall in every apartment we ever lived in. {I actually got away with never having to repaint it white and we still always got our deposits back...don't ask me how!}.

-I always wanted to be a career woman, always. Once I graduated from college, I thought I had it all figured out. Even after I had my baby boy it was still in the back of my mind. It wasn't until probably 5 or 6 months ago I finally stopped kidding myself.

-I lived in the big NYC. It was a dream my husband and I always shared. We're were both born and bred in the south, but always, always wanted to make the big move. A couple of years ago we finally did it. After a few months there, we knew it wasn't meant to be, so we packed it up and hauled tail back home, 3 months later I was pregnant - truly the best decision we ever made, but you know I'm so glad we conquered that, otherwise we would have always wondered - what if.

-I don't read books. Haha, yea sorry, I don't. I can't read fiction. I've tried without success. Every time I do it, I'm sitting there thinking of all the things I could be up doing. I can however plant it with a Parenting mag or pregnancy book. I think it's the whole fiction thing that gets me. Sorry to disappoint but, no Twilight lover here. {I could only get through like the 2nd chapter, then it collected dust on my nightstand for months before I finally returned it to my friend.}

-I could {and often times do} eat cereal for every meal of the day. I like it all - the sugar-y kind, the fiber-y kind, the puffy kind. It's all cereal goodness.

-I work in a family business....with my family, that is. Yep it's me, the 'rents, little sissy, and our youngins together all day, everyday. It's alot, but most days it's pretty good. Most days.

-I'm a musician's wife. Yea, yea we have instruments & sheet music galore at our house, but it's so much fun. It's his passion and that makes me smile.

-My car stays messy. At any moment you can probably find enough stuff in my car to survive on for a good week or so - hey you never know when you might get in a tight.

-I want to be a hippie. I haven't quite figured out why, but I do. The hubs don't think I could pull it off. I've always had this thing about hippies. I want the van/camper, the El Camino and the whole enchilada. I have this hippie dance I do....ok we might be getting a little too personal now. Anywho, I heart hippies!

Well that's a little about me - I'm a uptight, messy hippie wannabe who doesn't read books but loves to paint. Haha! If the shoe fits, wear it.

Baby's Ballin' On A Budget

As I prepare for this switch, I've been excited to search for new things for Baby Boy and I to do together. I've been looking for exciting things for us to do, where we can bond, all while remembering that we're (as we refer to it in my house) 'ballin' on a budget'.

He's 19 months now, so he's really getting to the age where he likes to engage in activities and be around others.

Here's some fun things that I've come up with so far that I'm super pumped about that won't break the bank:

*Go to the library/local bookstore for storytime. - This will get us out and about and we'll meet new mommies and little ones. I checked my library and they offer a Tuesday and a Saturday storytime. It will also introduce Baby Boy to the library - Lord knows I haven't been there in 10 years, since I was in high school and I went to check out the Cliff's Notes for a book I was supposed to read! As for the bookstores, I know Barnes & Noble offers storytime in their stores (although mine currently doesn't). - FREE

*Go to the art museum. - I know, I know, I too am  picturing my child running wild up and down the halls while dragging his hands on the clean white walls knocking off all of the priceless art. BUT our local art museum has a little program specifically for toddlers that's all about shapes, colors and textures. - $13

*Have art class at home! - I looked up some super cool art projects for toddlers and I can't wait to try them out. I found a great non-toxic recipe for fingerpaint from Craft Blog. I also want to try the 'toddler stained-glass'. You just take clear contact paper and let your little one stick pieces of construction paper, confetti or whatever to it, then you simply back it with another piece of clear contact paper! - Less than $5!

*Set aside a day to go to the local playground. We do this all the time and Baby Boy (and his cousin Baby Girl) looove it! It's great exercise for us all - the kiddies playing and the mommies chasing after them!

*Join a dance/gymnastics/music class together! I checked my local gymnastics place and they offer a Mommy & Me class on Friday mornings. It's very interactive and again gets us both up and moving. - $30 for 4 sessions

*Check out local parks or gardens. In our town we have a 130 acre park that has playgrounds, an old timey general store, old schoolhouse buildings and churches, a planatarium and nature trails. They're always and forever having events there and I need to put in the time to check it out more often. We also have a botanical gardens, which could be a fun place for a picnic! - Admission to the park Adult/$4, Kids 3 and under/FREE; Admission to the gardens/FREE!

*Get involved in your city/town. - Here we have little festivals and street markets throughout the year. Once it cools down (I live in the dirty south!) it'll be great to take Baby Boy out and stroll him around. - FREE if you bring your own snacks/drinks or $5-$10 for snacks from vendors.

See, now who says you can't have fun while 'ballin' on a budget'!

Morning

As I wake up this morning to the smell of freshly brewed coffee, the sound of my husband in his office flipping through sheet music and clothes in my dryer tumbling away - I'm thankful. So thankful that I have the opportunity to make my life what I want. That I have the freedom to come and go as I please. That I have the choice to say, I want to make the necessary changes to be able to stay home with my beautiful baby boy.

I thank the Lord for blessing me with a husband {who is supportive of any dream I could ever imagine}, a baby {who never ceases to amaze me on a daily basis}, a family {who has always been there for me and always will}, a home {that is the roof over my head and the place where my memories are made}, & a church {that has made me realize so much over the past year}.

I have everything I need or could ask for and I'm so thankful.

Cable {To Have or Not To Have}

I'm still trying to think of ways to save. Still analyzing everything, to see what's important and what's not. So as you know we've cut out ALL eating out and we haven't veered a bit. Well........okay that's a lie, we totally veered for like 2 weeks straight, but we refocused and we're getting back on track. The truth is we've been super busy and since I'm currently still working full time sometimes it's hard to stay completely committed, but we're definitely trying!

So since we totally went crazy and ate out for a solid 2 weeks, yesterday I freaked and began micro-managing the bills again. Okay, I'll admit I kind of enjoy micro-managing the bills.......the hubby, the dog....pretty much anything. However it's not confession time - let me get back my story.

The biggie.....the cable?! My husband, has for a while now, wanted to cut it off. I've been the one that was like, 'Are you kidding me that's not American!' {in a total bratty voice}. I've been throwing the idea around in my head, but I've yet to actually do it. I mean can I actually do without Teen Mom on a weekly basis? Well I came to the realization that since I'm nearly 30 I should probably just suck it up and move on from Teen Mom.

So I did it. I cut back to just basic {pretty much just local channels} cable and internet.

Savings: $75.00/month!

We have Netflix which we can watch through the xBox 360. It's only $8.99/month and it's unlimited streaming for {Wonder Pets and Backyardigans and even Hoarders and Chopped!} and of course DVDs through the mail.

I tweeted about my new accomplishment and was surprised at all the positive feedback I got.

Check it:

It's nice to know we're not alone in this crazy, trying to save, cable free world. I feel good about it. One step closer to my goal.

Time...

I feel discouraged, I feel down. Today I got impatient. In order for me to make this transition to be a stay at home Mom there are alot of changes that we have to make....mainly financially, I guess. We have to get to the point where I can afford to stay home. It's depressing at times. When I know things are going to change, I want change then, but I know that good things come to those who wait.

I talked to my husband about it and he pointed out all of the wonderful changes we've made so far. We've planned things out so that the transition will be in stages, so to speak. Right now I'd say I'm in stage 2 of.......6ish. Hey it could be worse...I mean I could be in stage -1 of 15 or 16 even!

Anyhow, it's not easy, but I'm determined. Determined to make our life happier (debt free in the process) and fuller! I've set my mind to it and it can be done, it just takes time.

Let the cutbacks begin...

Well I'm a couple of weeks in and things are moving along nicely. So far we've made some good changes. We've cut back some things we didn't really need, like...... eating out and my tanning package (spray tanning...gave up the beds a while ago...Momma doesn't need anymore help getting wrinkles!)

Oh and the hubs cut his online music purchases in half...so nice of him. He's a musician so it was kinda like his dog died the day he did it, but he got over it!

I also have cut back on the grocery bill and I saved a ton on diapers this month by using the Amazon deal.

So far we're at about $600 in savings for the month. I hope we can keep it up. I've been looking around and making friends with coupon moms and frugal tip moms. The blogs like this are endless. There are tons of tips out there just waiting to be discovered. It's really been fun so far and I haven't missed any of the things I've cut. Now don't get me wrong I don't want to be the crazy frugal family that chooses to live in their camper, eats nothing but Ramen noodles and can't flush the toilet with just tinkle in it! I want a nice balance.

So that's where I am. I'm going to keep trucking along and making this thing a reality! Before you know it I'm gonna be knocked up, doing crafts with baby boy, while cooking dinner in my spotless house...can't wait.

In the beginning...

So I created my super cute Mommy blog. I've been blankly staring at 'No Posts' for over a week now. I'm terribly nervous yet anxious all at the same time to get this process started. So today is the official start of my journey from full time working Momma to super happy, fun, crafty, love myself stay-at-home Momma! YAY!

I've been pondering this dream for a while now. I have been married to my soul mate for 8 years (wow!) and we have an 18 month old baby boy with ridiculously gorgeous blue eyes. I have always worked full time. I have a Bachelors degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing and that's okay but for sometime now I've been wanting more. I went back to school and got my real estate license thinking that I was going to conquer the world, but it just wasn't there. My job is good, I don't dread work, I just long to be home with my child - playing with him, teaching him things, making dinner for Daddy, doing projects around the house. So for sometime now I've been searching for my passion. What is going to make my happy. I want to create a life that is full of happiness, love and quality time spent together for my family. I don't want to work forever to pay for frivolous things that in the end don't matter.

I had - as much as I loathe this phrase - my 'ah-ha' moment: I want to be a stay-at-home Mommy!

I want to be the CEO of our cozy little home. I talked with my husband and he fully supports my decision and we both couldn't be happier. Now the hard part....we use nearly every dollar I make on a monthly basis so how on earth am I going to be able to make this dream a reality? We realized we're going to have to make some serious changes. We're going to cut back, cut unnecessary things out, make things stretch, and I'm going to try and find other avenues for income other than a typical 8-5 job. I have made the commitment that I don't want to be a slave to my job and bills and I'm going to make the necessary changes so that I don't have to be. I'm going to try it all on this journey and I'm going to share it all. I know I can succeed at this and I want to shout it from the mountain tops so that other moms can do the same.

Let's go....