Clothes Make Kids Expensive

People always say that kids are expensive and I've never believed it until recently. First, I've been lucky to have an easy time with breastfeeding so we've never had to buy formula. We have to buy diapers but the generic Target brand works for us and since not buying diapers isn't an option I don't really see that as an extra expense.

I also didn't realize how spoiled we were with baby showers. I was excited to have a party but didn't see them as the huge money-savers that they were. Now when I think about the clothes, blankets, toys, and misc. baby items we received, it makes me want to write those thank you notes again. We hardly spent a penny on Trevor thanks to generous friends.

Those friends also included a few who shared their hand-me-downs with us. (And if you're one of them, this post is NOT to make you feel guilty and give us more. Really, should we be passing clothes on until our boys are in college?) So once the baby clothes from showers were gone there were still clothes to use and save us money. Until...

That boy got bigger and a baby girl came along. Now I'm finally shopping for kids' clothes and it's putting me to the test. My biggest problem is figuring out how to budget for it. I'm learning to buy ahead and shop at the end of the season for sales, but there's no telling when I'll find a good deal and need to spend extra money.

So finally I do agree: kids can be expensive. And if not expensive, then finding good deals is time-consuming. Really, I don't want to spend most of my days out shopping so I'm trying to find a balance. Looks like it's time to re-write the budget.

My Other Car is a...

My car has been in the shop the last few weeks. At first it wasn't so bad because Birch was working close to our house so we could drop him off in the morning and use his car. But this week the drive was further and his shifts started a lot earlier so the kids and I decided to stay home.

The first day started out well: I got more done by not leaving the house and had more time to play with Trevor and Haley. But by the end of day one I swore we were leaving the next day, no matter what!

So the stroller became our new car. We ran to the park and took our sweet time playing as long as we could before running back home. Another day we ran to the library for storytime (don't be impressed, it's five minutes away). Today we ran to a water reservoir so Trevor could throw rocks. I did use the car at night after Birch came home to do grocery shopping, etc.

Today we got the phone call that our car was fixed! We're back to being a spoiled 2-car family and I'm so glad! Those of you who share a car all the time are amazing. Now I am more grateful and a more careful driver. I don't plan on backing the car into another car again anytime soon.

Picture Cards

I made these picture cards a while ago when Trevor wouldn't play by himself. My friend Janae suggested a schedule and I made cards for the different activities we do so that it could be flexible. He's much better about playing by himself now but the cards still come in handy. Whenever he gets frustrated that we can't do something right now, I pull out the pictures and show him that it will happen but later in the day. They're just clipart images from Google with magnets glued on the back.

Shifty Schedule

I have new respect for any family with a shift schedule. The last few weeks Birch has been on his OB/GYN rotation and it has been tougher than I expected. I had planned on long hours; what I wasn't prepared for was the inconsistency. Some days he was gone 5:00am-7:00pm, other days he was off after being at the hospital the night before and a few days we didn't see him at all.

I've realized how much I like a predictable schedule: morning run, breakfast, shower/Sesame Street, leave the house, lunch, naps, etc. With Birch's different hours I found that I was always changing plans: waiting around so the kids could see him or leaving at odd times so he could sleep. I'm learning to be more flexible.

One nice thing is I'm pretty good at entertaining myself. I don't mind being alone with my kids, as long as I have some reason to leave the house most days. We've also done some fun things with friends.

We planted (and built) a garden in the backyard.

Sunny day at the pumpkin patch.

Picking apples at Apple Annie's Orchard. Who needs that picking tool when you've got a stick?

Notice the long sleeves and jackets. It was finally in the 60's for a few days. Very cold, right?

Another Cat & A Little Black Dress

I loved celebrating Halloween with Trevor this year. The idea of getting a bucket full of candy when all you have to do is say "Trick or Treat" was amazing to him. It seriously melted my heart when we walked down the street Halloween night and he wouldn't stop smiling as he showed me his candy and explained how he got it. There's something about seeing your child so happy, no matter the reason. "Momma, I LOVE trick-or-treating."

Here we are out filling his bucket. Dad stayed home with our sleeping baby.

I sewed this black witch costume for Haley. Every girl needs a little black dress!