Life and the Value of a Dollar
I know, it has been almost a month since my last post. Not much going on. The weather here has been SO nice! It has only snowed a few times this entire winter and whenever Jules gets a snow day (there have been 2 of them and there was ONLY 2 inches on the ground!) we snuggle in close for the day, make popcorn and watch ABC Family movies all day! :)
I have made one big change this past month and that would be quitting my job at the University. I was a stressed out basket case each day and came home miserable night after night. When Sunday rolled around, I was a crabby/crying mess because I did not even want to think about going back to work the next day. It was that bad. Finally Drew said - "Quit. There is no reason to be so miserable." It was also hard being away from Julianna so much. I would drop her off at before school care at 7:15 and not get home until almost 6:00. By the time I got home, I would only have a little over an hour with her before we started her bath and bedtime routine. She was struggling with that and so was I.
Thankfully we are (finally) in a position financially where we could make the sacrifice of me quitting my full-time job and taking something part-time, so I would be more available to Jules. So we made the decision for me to quit and I have been SO happy ever since!
I am now working part-time at an office not too far from Julianna's school. I am able to drop her off each day and pick her up from school. We have the whole afternoon and evening together now! And with this nice weather, we have taken advantage of it by going to the park, taking drives around town and just snuggling in and spending LOTS of quality time together! It has been amazing! I am like a new woman!
Drew and I both said that when we moved, that nothing else mattered except Jules and her adjustment to the move. I am so happy to say that she is doing great! She has made some great friends at school, she loves her teachers, we found someone wonderful to watch her when she doesn't have school and now she has more time we me and Drew. I will admit that this move has been a little hard on us and more than once we have questioned whether we made the right decision or not. But, after 5 months here, it is really beginning to feel more and more like home and we are very thankful we decided to make this change for our family.
Let's see, what else do we have going on. We are all getting excited for Julianna's birthday this year. We are planning a family trip to Chicago. The Cubs are playing at Wrigley the week of her birthday and she has been asking to go to a game for the past 2 years. Chicago has a special place in my heart and Drew's. It is there that we knew we were totally in love and wanted to spend the rest of our lives together, but I will save that for another post..... :)
Julianna has made a deal with Grandma Lili and Papa Tom, that for each day that she can keep the sass to a minimum and be respectful to all adults, she will receive $1.00. This started in January and will continue until her birthday. So far she has done great. She has lost her $1.00 a couple of times, but then will do something completely above and beyond (like sweep the kitchen floor without being asked, or take care of me when I am sick) and Grandma will give her back the $1.00 she missed out on before. It has worked really well. I can tell when she wants to be sassy about something or talk back, she will stop herself, think about it and then look at me and say "Ok, Mommy, I am listening and will do what you asked." It has been pretty amazing.
We have also talked about the value of a dollar and how much this will add up over the next few months. Each month, I take the money my mom has given her out of our checking account and put the cash in her bank, so she can see how much it is. Last weekend she wanted to go to a movie. I told her that movies cost a lot of money and that it would be wiser for us to save our money or spend it on something we really needed. Her response was "well I have a lot of money in my bank" So we took out the money that it would have cost to go to the movie and then I showed her what would be left in her bank. She couldn't believe that she could go to being so "rich" to being so "poor" so quickly. I told her that the more she saves, the more she will have to get something special when we go to Chicago. So....the plan is to take her to the American Girl doll store on her actual birthday. She has been DYING to go there and to get a real AG doll. This little system is a great way for her to buy it herself with her own money that she earned. She is so excited about going. I am really hoping that we can surprise her by having lunch there and getting the full AG experience! Mainly I am excited for 4 days away with my family and creating lots of new memories! :)
I have made one big change this past month and that would be quitting my job at the University. I was a stressed out basket case each day and came home miserable night after night. When Sunday rolled around, I was a crabby/crying mess because I did not even want to think about going back to work the next day. It was that bad. Finally Drew said - "Quit. There is no reason to be so miserable." It was also hard being away from Julianna so much. I would drop her off at before school care at 7:15 and not get home until almost 6:00. By the time I got home, I would only have a little over an hour with her before we started her bath and bedtime routine. She was struggling with that and so was I.
Thankfully we are (finally) in a position financially where we could make the sacrifice of me quitting my full-time job and taking something part-time, so I would be more available to Jules. So we made the decision for me to quit and I have been SO happy ever since!
I am now working part-time at an office not too far from Julianna's school. I am able to drop her off each day and pick her up from school. We have the whole afternoon and evening together now! And with this nice weather, we have taken advantage of it by going to the park, taking drives around town and just snuggling in and spending LOTS of quality time together! It has been amazing! I am like a new woman!
Drew and I both said that when we moved, that nothing else mattered except Jules and her adjustment to the move. I am so happy to say that she is doing great! She has made some great friends at school, she loves her teachers, we found someone wonderful to watch her when she doesn't have school and now she has more time we me and Drew. I will admit that this move has been a little hard on us and more than once we have questioned whether we made the right decision or not. But, after 5 months here, it is really beginning to feel more and more like home and we are very thankful we decided to make this change for our family.
Let's see, what else do we have going on. We are all getting excited for Julianna's birthday this year. We are planning a family trip to Chicago. The Cubs are playing at Wrigley the week of her birthday and she has been asking to go to a game for the past 2 years. Chicago has a special place in my heart and Drew's. It is there that we knew we were totally in love and wanted to spend the rest of our lives together, but I will save that for another post..... :)
Julianna has made a deal with Grandma Lili and Papa Tom, that for each day that she can keep the sass to a minimum and be respectful to all adults, she will receive $1.00. This started in January and will continue until her birthday. So far she has done great. She has lost her $1.00 a couple of times, but then will do something completely above and beyond (like sweep the kitchen floor without being asked, or take care of me when I am sick) and Grandma will give her back the $1.00 she missed out on before. It has worked really well. I can tell when she wants to be sassy about something or talk back, she will stop herself, think about it and then look at me and say "Ok, Mommy, I am listening and will do what you asked." It has been pretty amazing.
We have also talked about the value of a dollar and how much this will add up over the next few months. Each month, I take the money my mom has given her out of our checking account and put the cash in her bank, so she can see how much it is. Last weekend she wanted to go to a movie. I told her that movies cost a lot of money and that it would be wiser for us to save our money or spend it on something we really needed. Her response was "well I have a lot of money in my bank" So we took out the money that it would have cost to go to the movie and then I showed her what would be left in her bank. She couldn't believe that she could go to being so "rich" to being so "poor" so quickly. I told her that the more she saves, the more she will have to get something special when we go to Chicago. So....the plan is to take her to the American Girl doll store on her actual birthday. She has been DYING to go there and to get a real AG doll. This little system is a great way for her to buy it herself with her own money that she earned. She is so excited about going. I am really hoping that we can surprise her by having lunch there and getting the full AG experience! Mainly I am excited for 4 days away with my family and creating lots of new memories! :)
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