Spending Freeze

My husband and I put ourselves on a spending freeze. Why?...
Why not?
We were making too many petty purchases, too many not petty purchases... maybe.
Aren't we talking about buying a 40 inch TV?
Yes, there is a difference in the money piles for that. Sort of.
Not to mention why not go on a spending freeze. We are only buying gas and food until the end of the month. Last week I kept thinking the end of the month was tomorrow, then I could go spend. But its not, its next week. But the freeze was only three weeks but yet it seems painful. My kid would love a razor scooter, my daughter could use a new plastic vehicle trike right? My daughter needs white shoes for my brother's wedding. Maybe my son needs a green shirt instead of an orange shirt for family pictures. While we are out it maybe I need a new shirt. Oh and of course my husband would like some new lenses for his camera.
But I'm not buying any of it, which means at the grocery store I really really want to buy a piece of candy. I rarely buy candy.
Yet it sounds like a good idea, I always want to eat candy.
But I never buy it. Why would I buy it today?
Because my kids aren't with me, I wouldn't have to share.
But why would I buy it?
Because I can.
Yes, all that went through my head waiting in the check out line. Things I would never buy all of the sudden seem tempting because I'm telling myself no.
Now I find myself formulating what I should buy June 1st. Part of me says nothing, I don't need anything (other than white shoes for my daughter). Part of me say for reals?! Part of me says other than white shoes I should extend longer. I'm not buying my kids new vehicles, they can wait until Christmas. Yes I like to buy out door toys for my kids in the middle of the winter so they can't use them.
Other than I think I am going to buy a new lampshade, I've only wanted to for three years. I keep thinking maybe I should make one myself, but I don't have that talent when I can buy one for $10-20.
But back to the TV, I don't really know what to do. I don't need a TV, so sometimes I think get nothing. Other than I hate my monitor, I always have, my husband replaced the one I liked because he didn't like it and gave it to his dad. Not to mention in the past few months it started to turn off and refuses to turn back on for a good 20 minutes. Sometimes I think just a 32 inch tv. Then we think if we are going to get a tv we might as well go to 40+. Then we thinking we don't need a 42 inch tv. No one needs a 42 inch tv.
The real reason I agreed to the spending freeze, is I want to teach my son moderation. We don't need to buy everything we see. We don't need huge house to fill up with a ton of junk (whether it was cheap or expensive). How can I teach him, if I don't practice moderation myself. I don't want him obsessed with over consumerism. This is where the tv debate really gets me. Can I teach my son to not be obsessed with consumerism if I have a 42 inch tv?
Overall I think yes. There is a difference between over-consumption and saving up and buying something nice. But then I think I don't need a TV, but I do want one.
We will end up buying one, the question is in a month or in three years.

But here is a picture diversion.
My daughter on her hog, bought second hand for my son at her age. So pathetic, a few days ago she kept scooting too far up and walking instead of sitting, and the center of gravity is so far forward that she kept falling on her head. Literally her head multiple times (see chin in last picture). I totally thought I have to buy her a trike before christmas-- she won't survive, then I breathed and woah her pathetic bike is fine. She is teeny, and her daddy calls it her hog. Although that doesn't mean I won't buy something else second hand.
My son recently rode a razor scooter all afternoon, rocked on it. He wanted to take it home but it wasn't ours. He'll just have to deal with a three wheeled scooter until Christmas. He loves his scooter, and ride it almost every day. Rarely rides the bike that was twice as much money.
He sometimes goes dang fast which meant I couldn't get a decent picture. He is sometimes daring on his scooter going down bigger hills than his friends, faster than his friends, which is good I wouldn't classify him as daring. Independent, but not daring.
Come on doesn't she look great on a trike? Its a little big for her, but you know.. She does have purple crocies on!
Ahh Purple Crocies, I love 'em!
I absolutely love this picture, even if her face is out of focus. I love the keys in motion. I accidentally took it on night time shot. I think the purple crocs maybe in focus though.

Not quitting

After seven weeks of exercise I stopped last week. I was so tired after camping, that I tried to do yoga sun salutations and fell over in the middle. I literally collapsed. Now I don't think it was dangerous, but it definitely proved my body was super tired. I quit for a week/took a break. Yesterday my liver started aching and my tailbone felt sore after three hours of sitting on hard chairs between Saturday night Stake Conference and Sunday morning Stake Conference. I didn't like the pain, I did my 20 minute yoga sun salutation again today. I aligned my pelvis between heaven and earth there by putting my tailbone back in place. And stretched every muscle in my core, hopefully helping my liver detox. Do I feel better? I have no idea, talk to next week after I've done it every day.

So Excited

My little brother gets married in about 6 weeks I think. Its the last weeding of my parent's children, and its the first wedding in five years for my family. My sister in law Alisa and I got a little carried away in dressing all the groom's nieces. The bride doesn't have any nieces yet, just wait until the wedding day and then she will have six. The colors are black and white with an accent of lime green. We are adding a lime green fabric flower to all the dresses. Imagine green where you see blue and red. Here are the dresses for the three toddlers, surprisingly enough I really did spend a lot of time ironing this does it look ironed? I love these dresses.

What do you think flower at the waist? Or flower on the sweater?

Here is the dress for the baby niece. I adore this dress, I wish it was available in my daughter's size. It is so baby luxe!

Then here is the dress for the two tween nieces. I think they will look totally rad. If we really wanted them trendy we would get black lacy mid calf leggings. But we'll leave out that accessory. I actually found a polka dot skirt in the exact same material as these dresses. I am thinking about wearing it. Is that faux pas? For me their aunt to be slightly matching? With a 9 and 10 year old? I'd be wearing a black shirt.

What do you think are you as excited as I am?
Part of my excuse in getting so carried away (have I mentioned all these clothes were bought about two months ago?) is I dreamed of having my cute nieces (5 and 4 years old, now the tweens) in darling dresses at my wedding, and the cute pictures we would take together. Neither of them were able to come to my wedding, which is 100% ok, but I'm living my dreams through my brother's wedding. I can just imagine all the cute pictures of these girls in front of the temple, you know with one of the screaming, another refusing to sit, another two sucking their thumbs, it will be fantastic! I can also just imagine my daughter in her dress (up top) and my son in his little black and white pinstripe pants and vest with his lime green bow tie that will match my daughter's fabric flower. Yes, I might have something wrong with me.

Last time nieces made an appearance at a wedding.

Following Suit

I just read Alisa's blog about potty training school. Here's mine to follow suit. Remember this sweet barely two year old that I potty trained because I was sick and pregnant, and the smell of diapers made me sicker?! Yuck. Well he has been potty trained for almost two years, but that doesn't mean we never deal with accidents. A few weeks ago he was not sitting on the toilet, he started to get old peeps from Easter to do his business. They are now all gone, today he got a candy stick. He went outside with it, then came back and said the girl next door wanted one. I said no they are only for business on the toilet. A few minutes later he comes back in and says, she went. Fine she got a candy stick. But seriously why am I getting potty treats to a child who has been potty trained for half his life and his friend next door?!

Have I mentioned I'm tired as all get out?

Dinner Over

My son is obsessed with lunch overs, dinner overs, and even breakfast overs. I think he derived such terms from sleep overs. He reminds me he had a breakfast over after his sleep over with grammy and great grandma. The other night his cousin had a dinner over, a few days after we had a lunch over at her house before the faire. I actually did feed them dinner, but this was a pre dinner snack.

Then the younger cousin showed up to play with my baby.

A Magic Day

It had been three years since I had gone to the Renaissance Faire and watched Magic Uncle Ralph's show so I figured I should go back. I didn't go last year because I had a colicy infant, or two years ago because I was barely pregnant and quite sick. But I went three years ago, because we have pictures to prove it, and we went four years ago, because I remember going to my brother's house instead of going back north with everyone else.

I liked the benches this year. It was suppose to be cold, but then it wasn't it was a great temperature, and very sunny my kids and I got burned.

I went with Danna. There she was with the Magician.

Oh the old bait and switch. My son has been very into soldiers lately. He has also been really into his old handme down sword. It kept getting progressively broken, I kept trying to glue it back together, but it was bitting the dust. I did a quick amazon search after duct taping it together and found one for $3.5o, free shipping with prime (now 50 cents more). At that price I quickly bought it. Two days later we went to the Renaissance Faire, while there a Knight started talking to him, I figured the knight was bored. I had to explain to my son that the knight was a solider. The knight had this whole song and dance about becoming a knight, yada yada, half way through I realized he is going to try to get me to buy a sword. Two thirds of the way thought this man is going to get a big fat rejection. But things changed long story slightly shorter my son got to paint an already painted sword for $5 while he had a plastic sword waiting for him at home in a box. Oh well. He loves both swords.

Did you know I have four kids? Luckily I don't Danna just wanted me to look like I did.
When we walked and saw the goats my daughter said her fourth word. "Buh-Buh (baby)" It was awesome, she walked in pointed to the baby kids and yelled Buh Buh. I know not baby, but I think she was calling it a baby, the letter B was very clear. I had to blog about this because I want to always remember her yelling baby. We loved the baby goats. They were so cute.
The kids eat cotton candy.
On the way out we saw a pirate ship. We also saw Jack Sparrow wandering around. I knew the difference between a pirate and a privateer do you? I don't know if this was suppose to be Jack's Pearl or not. It sort of looks like it. But I thought Jack had a concession stand.