Right after Thanksgiving I brought out the decorations. The past 4 years we've been doing Christmas "military style", either on leave visiting home, in a hotel awaiting housing, or making do in base quarters. So I never noticed that our artificial Christmas tree was, well, lacking. Now that we are settled in our "real" home, our puny 4 foot Walmart special from eons ago looked a little pathetic to me. I was seriously thinking about waking up at 4 a.m. on black Friday to pick up a deal. (Fortunately, I'm too darn lazy for all that nonsense).

When my kids came home and saw my mess of decorations laying around the house, they immedietely got to work turning our interior into a winter wonderland. I was contemplating out loud whether we needed a bigger tree.

My 9 year old decided for me. She looked around the house at our handiwork and then at our little 4 foot tree (boosted up by a cardboard box so it wasn't dwarfed by the couch). She said, "We're lucky to have such a beautiful tree. We're lucky we even HAVE a tree." And you know what? She's right.

We ARE lucky we have a tree. We are lucky we have a safe place to live, we are lucky we have our family all safe and healthy. I could go on and on, with what blessings we have been bestowed. And none of them have anything to do with a bigger tree, a fancier house,more money in the bank, or more presents under the tree. I'm just so touched that my 9 year old daughter realizes this, with her innocent eyes. We are blessed and I am so thankful for anything and everything.

Our family has recently started participating in extracurricular activities on some school nights. While it would be understandable for us to drive through for fast food on these nights, I don't want to start this habit. I have always taught my children that fast food is a "last resort" meal, not a treat.

That being said, we've still got to eat. On nights with kid activities scheduled, we don't have time to prep a meal and eat at home. I've realized that with a little planning I can feed my family healthier, cheaper, and faster than drive through.


Some solutions that work for us:
1. The old standby of leftovers. We do have enough time to heat and eat leftovers.
2. Crock pot meals. Usually if we are home the night before I can prep this meal. I turn on the crock pot in the morning, so that when we get home a hot meal is waiting for us.
3. Picnic dinners. My kids LOVE this! I have enough time in the morning to make a stack of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, bag some baby carrots, snag a few pieces of Halloween candy, and toss a bottle of water in a tote bag. When I get home from work I grab the bag from the fridge and we eat on the way to or from our activities.


It is my responsibility to find 10 minutes to prepare a healthy meal for my family. It takes a little planning, but now it's a habit for me.

DD has been on the waiting list for riding lessons for over a year, and I got the call that there is an opening for her! She is so thrilled, it is an early Christmas gift! Her dad is pitching in on it as well!

I don't mind dipping into the fund for something like this. It's an activity for DD to love and enjoy, and if I can support it then I will. They rarely ask for toys or junk, and they never throw fits when I tell them "no".

I can put the money back next paycheck. I guess I could have put it on my credit card and then paid off my credit card next month, but for me, I do spend less when I use cash. Once you break out the credit card for one purchase it's easy to tack on another, then another...

I consider the holiday season to start in November. I don't want to look at Christmas decorations before Halloween, but on November first, I start to get excited.

As for my own house, I made a deal with myself. I cannot decorate my house for Christmas until I have finished the painting I started. Even with prepping, it's really only a few hours of work. I'll just keep telling myself that until the painting gets done!

I wish I had hired someone to paint my house. I've been working on my vaulted ceiling, open living/dining/kitchen since last Spring. If I had forked out some money I probably would have gotten everything done within a week. Well, coulda, woulda, shoulda- I'm doing it now!