sveasmommy
12-02-2004, 04:56 PM
I'm so just so thankful!
Money has been really tight lately and I've been a little stressed about how to make ends meet. We had several big expenses coming up surrounding the birth of Tait (doula, etc.) and with that falling around Christmas, it just made finances difficult. My kids are just so excited about getting a new baby for Christmas that they don't really "need" anything else but as a mama, I so want to provide great things for my kids. We've concentrated on staying out of debt and only purchasing what we could afford and I pray that the Lord will provide, and in the last weeks, I've seen so concretely that He cares not only about my needs but also my wants.
* We have a small townhouse with three bedrooms. Ours is decent size but the kid's rooms are TINY! I just couldn't figure out where to put one more kid! While Tait will sleep with us for as long as he wants, my other two (who both from 6 weeks along refused to co-sleep...help me figure that one out! I'm still grieving!) really like having their own space. I had decided that space wise, bunk beds were the only way to make it work and have them both in Svea's current room but bunks beds with a 3 year old and a 14 month old (his age now) didn't make me feel very safe. I had decided to get a loft bed from IKEA that was much lower to the ground than a traditional bunk bed and put a mattress on the floor under it for Rory. I was eeking the money out of our budget (it was about $180) when a friend e-mailed that she had the IKEA loft bed with a slide that she wanted to sell. Well, we LOVED the slide bed at the store but just hadn't been able to justify the extra expense of the slide. So, $75 later, we are the proud owners of an in-near-perfect condition bed that was what we wanted for our kids, not just we needed.
* Since the boys are going to only be 14 months apart, I knew that in the long run, there was no way that I could survive without a double stroller. We go down to the National Mall in DC quite a bit and spend the day there and I knew that a single stroller and a sling would only cut it so long. Again, sure didn't know where the money for a double stroller that wasn't crap was going to come from. My sister-in-law calls the other day and says a co-worker of hers had a double stroller to sell and did I want it. I asked some questions and she said it was a Peg Perego and she wanted to sell it for $50! Oh, and she had two Britax Roundabouts that she just wanted to give away! Um, yeah, we'll take them...again, not just a stroller that would "do", but a quality stroller that will handle the need we have.
* Thus far, my kids Christmas has consisted of a couple books and the things we got in the sewing swap. I really wanted to do more but honestly, they don't notice or care and there wasn't an extra dime! I just got an e-mail from a friend who said that her neighbor had a train table that they wanted to get rid of and did I want it. WOW! We'd love it. Both kids have so been enjoying their trains and what a blessing! A great big, exciting present for Christmas and not a cent spent.
I truely have been blessed and thank God for meeting not just me needs but my wants. I really need to remember that He cares about those things.
Thanks for letting me ramble!
Money has been really tight lately and I've been a little stressed about how to make ends meet. We had several big expenses coming up surrounding the birth of Tait (doula, etc.) and with that falling around Christmas, it just made finances difficult. My kids are just so excited about getting a new baby for Christmas that they don't really "need" anything else but as a mama, I so want to provide great things for my kids. We've concentrated on staying out of debt and only purchasing what we could afford and I pray that the Lord will provide, and in the last weeks, I've seen so concretely that He cares not only about my needs but also my wants.
* We have a small townhouse with three bedrooms. Ours is decent size but the kid's rooms are TINY! I just couldn't figure out where to put one more kid! While Tait will sleep with us for as long as he wants, my other two (who both from 6 weeks along refused to co-sleep...help me figure that one out! I'm still grieving!) really like having their own space. I had decided that space wise, bunk beds were the only way to make it work and have them both in Svea's current room but bunks beds with a 3 year old and a 14 month old (his age now) didn't make me feel very safe. I had decided to get a loft bed from IKEA that was much lower to the ground than a traditional bunk bed and put a mattress on the floor under it for Rory. I was eeking the money out of our budget (it was about $180) when a friend e-mailed that she had the IKEA loft bed with a slide that she wanted to sell. Well, we LOVED the slide bed at the store but just hadn't been able to justify the extra expense of the slide. So, $75 later, we are the proud owners of an in-near-perfect condition bed that was what we wanted for our kids, not just we needed.
* Since the boys are going to only be 14 months apart, I knew that in the long run, there was no way that I could survive without a double stroller. We go down to the National Mall in DC quite a bit and spend the day there and I knew that a single stroller and a sling would only cut it so long. Again, sure didn't know where the money for a double stroller that wasn't crap was going to come from. My sister-in-law calls the other day and says a co-worker of hers had a double stroller to sell and did I want it. I asked some questions and she said it was a Peg Perego and she wanted to sell it for $50! Oh, and she had two Britax Roundabouts that she just wanted to give away! Um, yeah, we'll take them...again, not just a stroller that would "do", but a quality stroller that will handle the need we have.
* Thus far, my kids Christmas has consisted of a couple books and the things we got in the sewing swap. I really wanted to do more but honestly, they don't notice or care and there wasn't an extra dime! I just got an e-mail from a friend who said that her neighbor had a train table that they wanted to get rid of and did I want it. WOW! We'd love it. Both kids have so been enjoying their trains and what a blessing! A great big, exciting present for Christmas and not a cent spent.
I truely have been blessed and thank God for meeting not just me needs but my wants. I really need to remember that He cares about those things.
Thanks for letting me ramble!