In a couple of hours my new room mates will be here! Brosia, Miss Liv, and Baby Boy have been on the road for the last 6! days traveling to come and live with us. It doesn't seem real yet, which is possibly why I still haven't cleaned out her shelves in the kitchen or moved Son back into my bedroom. I know that things weren't perfect last time, well things are never perfect, but I have much hope this time. For one, we have a relevant past experience to learn from and learn we did. We have also spent much time talking, discussing and figuring out the details to make this a much more successful venture. Everything from food prep, to rent, to parking has been discussed and properly sorted. I am certain that we're on the right track to creating a better life for all involved. Maybe it will only last a few months, maybe it will last years - who knows? I do know this though - I'm excited! Excited that one of my family members has the strength and courage to change their stars. Excited for the additional income that will help Charlie and I realize some of our financial goals. Excited for Son to have a playmate who will help him 'catch up.' Excited to not be so alone. Excited to have someone drag me to the gym. It's going to be adventure and I have faith that we have put in the work and preparation to make it a good and successful venture.

Keep an eye out - Change seems to be the theme for 2009 and it's coming to a theater near you!

Yesterday I bought a bed. WOOT! The mattress store I went to is right next to LA Fitness, a place I haven't been to since December. (Bad! I hate when you get out of a good habit, it's so hard to get back.) In my quest to get back into the swing of things post-Christmas the gym is the last remaing un-reclaimed routine. I've been meaning to go, I promise. So last night we drove out to the bank, stopped by McDonalds to get a snack and then headed for the mattress store. Now it was a modest snack - a 10 nugget meal shared between all three of us with an extra apple juice for Son. In my van there is a little shelf in front of the passenger side where I like to put the bag and divy up the food. So we're driving up to the store and I see a man crossing the parking lot who looks an aweful lot like Phil aka personal trainer and accountability guy. Before I even had time to think about it I swooped all the food into the bag and threw it on the floor. *laughs outloud* Charlie was completely confused "what are you doing with my food?" and I was moritified. Turns out it wasn't Phil but too funny.

Guility conscious anyone? Time to get back to the gym for this momma.

Tommrow - I have to buy new sheets for my bed today. YAY!

Can you guess which side is mine?




Nuff said.



Since I refuse to spend the grocery money to buy yet another crappy air mattress it will be a long week of sleeping on the floor. Come hell or high water, next week I am getting a real bed. It feels like the time is right, after all it's only been 5months since Hurricane Ike ruined our last one.


In lieu of something nice to say (of which I'm running low due to lack of sleep and various aches and pains, and oh yeah -full on potty training) I leave you with a very nice blog link to a subject that has been on my mind this last week. More to come on this subject soon, maybe after I sneak a few naps on Charlie's bed while he's at work.


Have a good weekend my darlings.


Do you hear your calling?

A few weeks ago I received a Christmas Card from my tribe with a check for $200 in it. It was rather fortuitous because literally just as we were driving to the post I was telling Charlie that I really wished I could figure out how to come up with $100 so that I could buy this lamp that I fell in love with at Target. I was dizzy with happiness when I opened the letter and there it was. We turned right back around, I deposited the check in the our bank which happens to be right next to Target and then happily purchased my lamp. (It wasn't $100, I thought I wanted two of them + tax.)

In the following couple of weeks Charlie and I were having our usual 'should we stay or should we go' talks and I decided rather than put up my new lamp and then have to pack it right back down I would wait. And wait. That is, until just a few days ago when we decided to stay. My lamp and I got a six month reprieve from having to move. Yesterday I did a bit of cleaning and organizing and realized that I still love this lamp. Merry Christmas to me.

My corner of the world.

You may notice that there are two books on my nightstand. One is my "mommy notes" journal. The Elizabeth Pantely books I've been reading are chock full of good ideas I decided to write them down in one place for a quick reference. The other is "Your Money or Your Life" by Vicki Robin and Joe Dominguez (2008 edition), which I've been reading to Charlie before we go to sleep. I'd been hearing about this book for some time. I actually used to have a copy, bestowed upon me by Chris the Wizard ala the H&R era but I never got around to reading it. Then, Simple Mom started a book club and this is their first book. Although I'm not participating in her book club I found it interesting that as I was searching for a way to reach my family's financial goals that I got another little nudge. This time I heeded it.

What does this have with shedding light? So far in the book they have been giving you steps to uncover your past and present relationship to money. What are your preconceived notions about money? What do you think money actually is? How do you feel about money? How much money have you made so far in your lifetime? Every little penny needs accounting. I sent off for my 'statement of earnings' from the Social Security Department but know I'm going to need some serious thinking to figure out how much I made babysitting and how many little gifts the Universe has brought my way. I am helping Charlie work through the same. They also suggest that you make a list of everything you own and what it is worth, sort of a what do you have to show for it thing. I went through the house yesterday and listed everything we own and how much I would charge for it at a yard sale. For our household goods... lets just say that Charlie has made more this January than our whole household is worth at a yard sale. That was tough to swallow. I am still in process of calculating our 'net worth' but don't have a great feeling about it. I looked up the cars in the blue book yesterday and found out that their resale value is about what we owe on one of them... the cheaper one that we've been paying on for 3.5 years already. *deep cleansing breath* But as Dr. Phil says (I've only watched a few times but this stuck with me for some reason) "you can't change what you don't acknowledge." So I've been shedding light on my and Charlie's financial history and present state in hopes of creating a brighter future for our little family. With the current economy, my struggle to commit to a profession and our determination to change the way we use this resource I think the time has finally come.

The Universe is throwing out little sparks of illumination everywhere, just ask Brigid. What bright spots are on your horizon? Any flashes of brilliance come your way lately?

Just a quick note to let you all know that I have finally figured out how to switch my blog over from Charlie's email address to mine. Looks to me like everything went well. I had my own profile set up on his email account (the same profile you see here) and now that the blog has been successfully moved I set the profile on his email back to 'Charlie'. I'm not sure if all the old posts with the my profile under his email account will switch or if they will remain under the profile they were written under. (Lille) I just just wanted to let you know that if they do switch that it's really was me who wrote all of that and that anything from here on out that he writes will show up as Charlie. If nothing switches then, ummm.... you can ignore all of this. Anyway, I finally have my blog on my email address! WOOT!

Goodbye January - with your high hopes. (inauguration)
Goodbye January - blues that wont' go away.
Goodbye Mercury Retrograde!
Goodbye January - excuses not to go to the gym.
Goodbye January - stress over money.
Goodbye January - disorganization/panic about school.
Goodbye January - excuses not to be the best mom I can be today.
Goodbye January - uncertainty about our future.
Goodbye January - sadness about Saul.
Goodbye January - loneliness.


Hello February - you bright beauty!!
Hello Imbolc!
Hello February - and your new routine.
Hello February - and your commitment to change, both at home and in the world.
Hello February - and your silly lightheartedness.
Hello February - and your love of love.
Hello February - and your tax return.
Hello February - and your determination to exercise and eat better.
Hello February - and your map to reach our goals.
Hello February - and a wedding! (Charlie's sister)
Hello February - and your opportunities to spend time with family and friends.
Hello February - and your replenished minutes on my phone.


I'm so glad you are here February. January was an uncommonly long and blue month for me. I could see your bright light on the horizon and knew that if I could endure that you would reward me with your bounty. Thank you - I feel happier, determined and ready to conquer 2009.

How was your Imbolc/Superbowl? Ready for February and all she has in store for us? I am!