Four Adjustments I Had to Make to Go Back to Work

Well, I've been back to work for three weeks now. We've had a few bumps in the road my toddler and I. And I guess my husband and I have also had a few bumps in the road.
Being a stay-at-home mom/wife meant I was doing a lot of things that I wouldn't normally do as a working mom/wife... like chores. I was the primary workhorse in the house and now that I was working outside of the house, it meant splitting up the chores more evenly between my husband and me. But I learned quickly that there were many more adjustments I had to make in order to be successful in my working journey.

A New Journey: Going Back to Work

The past two weeks have been a whirlwind... a stressful whirlwind at that. And a whirlwind of emotions. It’s been wild, to simplify. My husband and I had many hours of talk, and we decided I would go back to work.

When I started staying home, it made sense at that time. We were moving from one state to another with an 18-month-old. He had received a job offer, and even though I wasn’t 100% sure I wanted to quit working, we both knew that it would be easier for me to stay home with our boy at first (or at least until I had decided what I wanted to do). Financially, it worked, it was tight, but we were able to survive and still have money for savings or fun. 

I’m glad I didn’t go back to work at that time because we ended up moving to Colorado after only being in New York for a few months. And again, it just made sense to stay home with our boy until we got settled AND until I decided what I wanted to do.

How I Meal Plan

Life can be crazy sometimes. I’m sure I don’t have to tell you that. Add in kids and/or a job and life gets even crazier. I know it's hard enough to take care of myself and make sure I eat a healthy meal, then add in that I’m making meals for other humans (big and small) and meals can get hectic. 

For years now I’ve been meal planning and it has made a huge difference in daily life. First, I don’t have to worry about what we are having for dinner. And I don’t have to worry about if I have all the ingredients for the planned dinner. Plus, I am saving money because I’m not running to the grocery store (or drive-thru) at the last minute. An added bonus is that if I plan well enough, I don’t buy multiples of items. If I ever get lax on my planning (which does happen, I am human) I always seem to end up buying too many bottles of soy sauce or jars of peanut butter. 

Alright, let’s do this!

Trolls Themed Birthday Party

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A few days back, my little boy turned two and we threw him a Trolls themed birthday party. The party itself was small... we only invited two other little boys to join. But it was perfect for my kiddo.
To say he loves Trolls is an understatement. I'm embarrassed at the number of times he has watched it (and at the number of times I've used the movie to get some peace or to finish the dishes). That, however, is not the point. The point is that he is obsessed with the movie, the songs, the characters... everything! So picking the Trolls theme was easy.

I really focused on decorations because the party itself was just his two friends coming over, them eating pizza, watching the movie and playing with toys (and later cake). I didn't worry about activities or games because they are so young.
And I tried to DIY it to save money. Some things I had so overall I spent less than $50 on everything for the party minus the pizza we ordered.

Trying to Conceive Again

Long time, no see!

I've posted a new video on my YouTube Channel and it explains where I've been and what I'm up to.

Please check it out.

Stay Tuned...

Big stuff is coming up... my hubby and I have been doing lots of talking.

Plus we have a doctors appointment soon.

After that, we will be making some final decisions and I will make the announcement.

We aren't giving up, we are fighting harder.

The End of the Road?

This last cycle was a bust. And right now, I'm not sure if we are gonna keep going.

Money is a big issue. We still have enough for a few more cycles, but the reasonable side of us is wondering if this is a good way to spend the rest of our savings?

Patience and emotions is the other issue. I'm tired. And so sad. And I'm not sure where to go from here.

But I still cling to the desire to see our faces in our children. To conceive one, to birth one, to name one. One of us.

Just one.

Open for Business

It's been a long, long time... but my m. ranae designs etsy shop is back open!

I reposted some old stuff and plan to put more up tomorrow. Also... as soon as I'm done typing this, I'm gonna sew.

I also officially closed my business in North Carolina. I still need to get the official stuff done in Florida, but sadly it takes more paperwork & money than it did in NC. So I hope I can sell a bag here & there to pay for my license. Then I can register my name and file for state tax.

For now... I'm at least open.

Yep, We're Moving

“It doesn’t matter where you are, you are nowhere compared to where you can go.” -Bob Proctor

It's true... we're moving. We love it in Western North Carolina but my husband is taking a job offer in Northern Florida.

I don't have anywhere to work... but I'm okay with that (remind me that I said this when I'm wanting a new blouse or makeup from Ulta but I'm living on only my husband's income).
I'm gonna focus on emptying boxes and sewing. And hopefully, we can start TTC again... and I'll have an even more important reason to stay home.

We do have a new home already... it's smaller than our current home, but it's quite charming. There is a huge yard that I'm hoping will be easy to garden. Furthermore, I hope I can start growing some of our food (since we are on the one income). So we'll see how that goes.

I'm excited. My husband is excited. Again, we'll miss our WNC home, but we love a change and we're gonna make the best of this change.

Stay tuned... I'm gonna have more time to blog.