Inspiration

Have you ever met someone who just inspires you? Someone you love to the core who makes a life change that motivates you to be better? My friend April does this. I don't know if I've ever been as proud of a friend as I am of her.

April desires to be a true Image Bearer. She wants to live healthy: emotionally, spiritually and physcially. Her outsides are matching her insides and the process, the transformation, is what inspires and motivates me to do the same.

Read Apey's latest post and join the Inspiration Club.

Kindness of Strangers

So, I was just having a conversation the other day with a friend about annoying people. Incredibly positive, right? Tonight, I found the perfect example. To balance it out, I also experience the kindness of 2 strangers. Read on...

Three dudes in one night: annoying, sweet, kind.

Annoying

I'm at Super Target picking up a few items. As you know, we're a house of cash, so the cashier finishes ringing me up and I have the cash out, just digging into my wallet to pay the lingering 1 cent... no need to get 99 cents back - save that full dollar! The guy next in line was literally standing BEHIND ME. I was biting my lip! Every part of my being wanted to turn around and say, EXCUSE ME! There is just something about the check-out aisle I think is sacred! Give the person in front of you plenty of space. There's no need to be standing next to them while they are paying. No need. Does this annoy anyone else or am I the only one highly set off by this? Any tips to make this a positive? Grrrr....

Sweet

Next, I headed over to Costco to pick up a few more items. As I was picking out strawberries, an older gentleman tilted his head and said softly, "is this your first?" I smiled and told him yes. He said, "is it a girl?" I laughed and told him it's 50/50 if he's correct. He and his wife kept smiling and telling me how much fun I was going to have, how great it was going to be, what a joy it is to be a parent. As we gathered our fruit and departed the area, he tilted his head again and said softly, "oh, best of luck to you!" I couldn't help but walk away smiling ear to ear.

Kind

Baby Brain Wise here forgot where she parked. Totally walked an aisle and a half over and weaved my way back to my buggie. After I unloaded the goods into my trunk, I had to walk the cart back into the store. A nice gentleman just getting out of his car gave me that "oh, baby" look and without saying a word, smiled kindly and took the cart back up to the store. Again, I couldn't help my walk away smiling ear to ear.

Any great stranger kindess stories? Would love to hear them! I'd like to smile ear to ear with you!

Go On. Be Selfish. Be Awesome

I like Oprah. I really do. You might be anti-O, but I just can’t be. I believe, at her very core, she’s a big-hearted woman who lives, breathes and feels no different from any other woman. We all know that money does not equate to happy, and I think she’s shown us that by getting real about her struggles with weight, health and self-acceptance.

In the latest issue of SELF, Jillian Michaels also touches on this. We’ve made ‘selfish’ a foul word in our society. It’s ‘selfish’ to want to take time for ourselves, prioritize ourselves, put health at the top of our "to do" list. She puts it like this:

“It’s OK to put yourself first. Selfish isn’t a dirty word. If we were all selfish, it would mean we would take care of ourselves and be able to give back to our loved ones. Being selfless is not a good example to set for your kids. Would you treat your kids the way you treat yourself? Would you deprive them of playtime and adequate sleep? Would you not make their doctors’ appointments? Would you pick them apart and tell them they’re ugly? No! I give people permission to go be awesome.”

As I sit here, an added 28 pounds of baby weight crammed around my mid-section, I understand. I get the emotion attached to weight. I’ve run the gamut of sizes and feelings on this issue, and now I’m running a new one.

Pretty sure I jumped from a girls 14 to a ladies 6 in middle school. And I’ve never been any number in between, just larger. I’ve gained weight. I’ve lost weight. I’ve sat on the couch and ate bon-bons and not gave a flying rip about how I looked. I’ve literally worked my butt off in the gym non-stop for months. And no matter the number on the scale, the number on my jeans, I just couldn’t be happy. Because, as Oprah pointed out, “it not a weight issue, it’s a love issue.”

I’m not getting all self-lovey-barfy here, but there is value in taking time for you in this capacity. The times I feel best about myself are the times I am eating well, working my body, not desperately jumping on the scale and wearing what fits well, not what size I want. It’s at those times I am taking the time for me I need most.

A wise woman once said, “The saddest phrase is all the world is, ‘It’s too late.’”

It’s not too late for you, for your body, or for your life.

Go on. Be selfish. Be awesome.

Tankinis

So I took the day off. All week, I've been looking forward to taking this day and simply going to the pool.

Mission: Sit there. Read a magazine. Listen to my ipod. Relax. Do nothing.

The only problem when you are pregnant is that there a little more junk in the... middle. All these "oh just wear your tankini" magazine articles - crap. Total crap. If you're preggo or you plan to be over the summer months, don't lie to yourself or let some magazine lie to you. You can't fit comfortably into your old tankini. You just can't.

After I tried on EVERY suit I owned, head hung in shame, I ran over to Super T in an effort to find something to squeeze (literally) into. Racks full of XS and XL maternity swimsuits did me no good. I even tried on the "plus-size" suits. I was desperate. Needless to say, I left Super T with $4.03 in grapes. That's it.

I called Justin and told him, "stay where you are. It's not a pool day." Then a meltdown came which we'll just skip over.

Yes, I'm 30 weeks preggo and this is just the way it is, but there's really no preparing yourself for the realization that the body you have is no longer your own. It is merely meant to house your child and provide well for your baby. I'm OK with that. Really! I'm not THAT terrible of a person, but still... nothing can prepare you for all the changes.

Long story short, I squeezed into my old tankini growling at myself for not saying YES when 2 friends offered their suits months ago. We went to the pool and I even got in a time or two. Of course I kept asking Justin, "do I LOOK pregnant... or just..."

I look pregnant. All 30 weeks of me.

I Love a Challenge

As you may have read, we are celebrating being debt-free in our house. 22 months of intentionality created a new playing field in the game of our personal finances. Many have since asked, “Do you still follow the same spending model?” Simply: YES! It’s far from over for us. Some of the highlights of our next steps include:

• Saving a 3-6 month emergency fund
• Aggressively contributing to our retirement
• Funding Beanie’s college education
• House projects paid with cash (adding a deck, finishing the basement, etc.)
• Purchasing a new car (paid for in cash)
• Going on a tropical vacation : )
• Paying off the house

Maintaining our plan means we still use sweet, cold, green cash. When the process first started for us, I used to dread the end of month. I would walk over to the accordion file, pull out the remaining money from our food/Target budget, hang my head, and think, “HOW am I going to make delicious, healthy meals with THIS?” (Enter violins)

Then I got over myself. This was a challenge waiting to happen and I can’t let a good challenge pass me by! Today, I skipped over to the accordion, pulled out the last $29 and as I rubbed my hands together, I cackled and said, “What, oh what, delicious mess will I make this week?” You have to understand that $29 must last from Saturday to Friday for both Justin and I for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I looked in the fridge, freezer and cupboard at what we already had and determined we really only needed some staple items: fruit, veggies, milk and cereal.

Thanks to my mom, we have a Costco membership. I purchase our meat in bulk and it lasts us months. It’s true, I’m the girl who buys a 10 pound bag of frozen chicken, the 30-pack of brats and the 10 pounds of ground turkey. I do, I do, sue me. But it saves us so much money in the long run. I have yet to sacrifice our health for our budget. These aren’t crap chicken parts and the rump of the turkey. It’s all quality stuff. I won’t buy it unless it meets certain criteria – bulk or not.

We also use coupons. The trick to clipping coupons is only clipping and using them on items you would normally purchase and use. If you can save 75 cents on an item you would never otherwise purchase and you purchase it, who cares if you saved 75 cents? You just spent an extra $3! I had $2 worth of coupons today - 1 for milk and 1 for cereal.

One of the tricks to keeping your grocery bill low is to keep your cart along the outside aisles. The minute you go down the middle aisles, you're dealing with more processed food. Your basics - produce, dairy, meat - will always be along the outside. You know what's in the inside aisles - the chips and crackers and cookies... the items you'll spend $3 on to save 75 cents! STAY OUT!

I left the market today satisfied with our food plans for the week, and with $5 in hand. Our bill was only $23 and change. That $5 then goes into our next month’s food/Target budget so we take $5 less out of our account for July.

I have met so many young adults lately who have asked about our process and how we do it now. The process is life changing and it is within reach for every individual and family out there.

In fact, as I got into my car, I looked at the remaining $5 and said aloud, “I own you paper, ya' know that? You don’t own me. I own YOU!”

My hard and fast rules:

• Use cash. It will force you to purchase what you need, not what you want.
• Have a list - never enter the store unprepared.
• Steer clear from the center.
• Use coupons.

Sweet, sweet freedom.

Do you have tips to save money when buying groceries? Let's hear them!

Wise-cation

The term "Stay-cation" just drives me nuts. The concept is great but the name is just lame. So, we changed it a bit. This weekend we went on our very own "Wise-cation!" It was a weekend to remember!

While working on paying off our debt, we put all the change from our cash expenses in a jar. This weekend escape was literally paid for from the nickels and dimes we saved during that time. It's amazing how quickly a little bit here and there adds up... don't let anyone tell you otherwise!

Friday
After our favorite pizza dinner at Red Rossa (Mediterrian Salad and Pepperoni and Mushroom Pizza), we air popped popcorn and sat down for a movie I've been dying to see for a long time: He's Just Not That Into You. LOVED.IT! If you haven't seen this movie - male or female - you just must. Fantastic cast. Witty writing. Great life lessons. Cheaters never win. Marriage always does. My dear friend, Marcie, tells me the book is even better. It's on my list!

Saturday
After a delightful morning of sleeping in, we ventured out.

We had breakfast for lunch at Gateway Market, an amazing local market and cafe in the city. The food was filling and healthy... my goal before a long day! From there, we took a nice little drive into downtown....

... to The Science Center of Iowa!

We watched the Mad Scientist Katie teach us all about "Fire and Ice." These shows are geared toward entertaining and teaching children, but we were wildly amused! Justin wrapped an egg that successfully did not break when dropped from 20 feet. We both made killer paper rockets. I named mine "Warrior Dove." She flew 40 feet. I was pretty proud!

Justin's plane did pretty swell, too! Here he is ready to set his rocket off! 3-2-1 BLAST OFF!

From there we played with the plasma ball. Justin and Beanie were most intrigued with the gadget!



Justin enjoyed being a caveman and playing with the WHO-TV 13 green screen.

I enjoyed seeing myself preggo.... and without the belly again! (The magic of a green screen!)

Before leaving the Science Center, we played in the A-Ha! Gift Shop with a ball that overtook my head.



After a quick stop to the East Village to check out SMASH! and Urban Belly, we made a pit stop so Justin could check the back tire.


We took an hour powernap before hitting up PF Chang's for dinner and then the new Pixar release, UP. UP is a great movie, no doubt, but a hormonal pregnant woman should not watch this. It was embarrassing what a mess I was. Sheesh!

Sunday

Rest and relaxation continued with a late morning brunch at The Waveland Cafe. Justin, my little navigator as seen below on his iphone, found that the Booneville location was closer than venturing over to University. And so we ventured out. Although some rave about this place, the slow service and fish heads on the wall made it a "never again" stop for me.


We ran errands today and slowly adjusted back to "real life." The excitement of the night concluded with a trip to the basement after the sirens sounded for a tornado warning. Here we are: so scared.

If you haven't enjoyed the town you live in, I highly recommend it. Save the change you spend over the next year and make plans for June 2010. You won't regret it! We shall "Wise-cation" again!

If you were to "Your-Town-cation," where would you go?

Who Would Your Celeb Best Friend Be?

One of my favorite Glamour bloggers, Vitamin G, had a great post recently about celebrities. She asked, "which A-lister would you love to catch a yoga class with, call when you've had a horrid day, or just hang out with?" Her responses were great and got me thinking about my choices. Here's what I came up with:

My fantasy fitness buddy: Jillian Michaels
The lady kicks my butt in her 30-Day Shred DVD and she's just on my TV screen! Not only would Jillian know all the latest trends and moves, she said on the last Biggest Loser show she's never ran a marathon. LOVE the reminder that you don't have to be marathon woman to be fit, toned and healthy! I am not a runner by any stretch of the imagination, but I love kick boxing, strength training and sprints, which seems to be how she trains. Plus, if there was a day I was contemplating not showing up for a workout buddy date, the fear alone of her yelling at me later would motivate my butt to get out of bed!

The star I'd want to have a glass of wine with: Jennifer Aniston

I.love.her! LOVE! Like, total girl crush. She seems fun, fearless, strong, resiliant, goofy and real, which are all the qualities I admire in others. I have no doubt we would have some great things to girl gab about for hours and hours. Justin sometimes has to remind me when I watch old friends episodes that the characters aren't real! I fell in love with her as Rachel Green and have loved watching her evolve ever since.

The woman I'd call for advice: Jennifer Garner

I don't have a mad girl crush on this Jennifer like I do Aniston, but you must admit, she's pretty incredible. (Although I am borderline in love with those dimples!) I'm so impressed with her (seemingly) down-to-earth personality. She takes being a mom very seriously and keeps her family out of the limelight as much as possible. I don't see her and her husband parading around the paparazzi/celebrity hotspots either, which is refreshing. Plus, by marriage, she's a Boston Red Sox fan. How can you not love that?

The gal I'd ask to watch my kids: Reese Witherspoon

Talk about another real deal! Like Garner, she keeps her kids out of the limelight. Her children seem relatively normal, too, for being mothered by such a beautiful, powerful, energetic woman. She doesn't do raunchy movies, cuss in her flicks, trash others in tabloids or flaunt herself in the Hollywood scene. She seems to surround herself with other down-to-earth, like-minded people. Maybe some of her cute southern belle charm would rub off on our kids, too. I'd like that.

How about you? What celebs would you love to have in your inner circle?