Budget Crunch

Making the decision to stop working (outside of the home, at least) did come with the realization that we would have less money.  Thankfully, Ryan is great with a budget and a spreadsheet, and he has managed to keep things running pretty much at status quo around here.  Of course we try to be careful about what we buy and what we do with our money, but I wouldn't say we are generally too crunched for cash.

However, between some recent wardrobe updates (mostly for the kids and me) and our trip to East Lansing, we're basically at the end of our budget for the month at the beginning of the month.  For the first time, Ryan handed me some cash and said that it was what I had to work with until Thanksgiving.  And I'm not talking fat moneyroll kind of cash either.

I budgeted out our activities for the next couple of weeks, and we can still do some fun paid things and lots of free things, but it has meant that we stayed at home a little more than normal this past week.  That means finding some different things to do around the house, which isn't too challenging with Abbey's imagination!

"Mommy, it's time for your doctor's appointment," she told me one morning.

she proceded to "weigh" me by having me sit sideways on her little picnic table

she "measured" me by having me lie down on the floor

she looked in my eyes and my ears with Dylan's light up key chain

she then proceded to vaccinate me (or "give you a poke" as their nurse tells them)

several times

with a crayon

and band-aids each time

she's probably not the first person to have this idea

I should be vaccinated thoroughly by now

the very thrilled doctor/nurse/receptionist

our pediatrician uses one of those fancy little computers to keep track of information

she insisted on using one during our "appointment"

a final "little poke"

"don't worry Mommy; it's not too bad"

Dylan thinks we're a bit silly

maybe he's right, but we're silly together

and passing the time for free