Our First Family Christmas Card

I am never organized enough to get Christmas cards out. However, I managed to get it together enough to get one ordered and mailed out. Being that this was my first time at this, I was not anticipating the cost of cards. I decided to only send cards to family who did not have Facebook. That is around 25.

The picture is courtesy of my sister, who took it while we were on vacation in Asheville. I was going to do family pics, but again, not organized enough to get that scheduled. Plus, the whole car expense thing reared its ugly head! I would like to get them done at some point in 2014. Resolution?

Mommy/Jack Day!

Last Friday, Jack and I had a Mommy/Jack day. Jack normally stays with his "Gammy" (J's mom) while J and I  are at work. She had an appointment on Friday, so I took the day off from work to stay home with him. I had read about a few fun kids activities at the St. Johns Town Center. We had to head out that way to visit an old boss of mine and the weather was ideal for fun!

Wolfson Children's Hospital opened up a new children's play "shore" aka as a playground. There were lots of sea themed toys for climbing and exploring. It had a very nice canopy covering it, ideal for super sunny Florida days. We ended up crashing a playgroup. All the kids were right around Jack's age! He spent the first few minutes shyly peeking from behind my leg. He warmed up though and it was no time that I was chasing him around the play space. 

We headed to Barnes and Noble next to find the train table. I'm thinking that we will get one for Jack on the 2nd birthday. Till then, I've been finding places that have them to see if he's interested. This time was the first time he was captivated by it! It made me realize what a big boy he is now :(

After picking up some pajamas (he is a 2T now due to height), we had a fun lunch at California Pizza Kitchen. I'm always a tad nervous when we go out to eat. What if this is the time he decides to dump his food on the floor? We lucked out as he did great!!

By the time lunch was over, it was back home for us. It took about 15 seconds for him to fall asleep for his nap.

When he woke up, his Auntie (my sister) had arrived. After numerous repeated Sesame Street YouTube videos, we walked to the park. We always try the swing each time. It's not that he hates it. He just seems ambivalent! He smiled for like 30 seconds then he was over it. He's more of a slide kind of guy I guess!

All in all, it was just a wonderful day. I wish I could take more days off to have these Mommy/Jack days! It always feels a little more special when it happens during the work week. 

Fiscal Friday: Choosing to DIY

It's Fiscal Friday! Today is about my choice to DIY.

I am a big fan of traditional Christmas cards. I don't mean the photo ones (love those too!), but the ones you buy from Hallmark or your local CVS. Wanting to capitalize on my Extra Care bucks, I decided to purchase cards from CVS this year. I buy parents cards, grandparents cards, husband etc etc. I probably picked up 10 cards. After throwing in a couple of gift cards and a bottle of allergy pills, I go to the register and someone in a matter of minutes, I've spent close to $150 bucks.

I get home and resume the daily nighttime activities (bath for Jack, dinner, bedtime). In the quietness of a home with a sleeping toddler, I review my receipt from CVS. I wanted to throw up. I'd spent just shy of $50 on GREETING CARDS. 10 Greeting cards. I felt so sick.

It was in that moment that I decided that we'll be making cards this year. Something with Jack's handprint. I've got a stack of construction paper already. I just need some washable paint! They won't be Hallmark, but I think my family will appreciate them a bit more.

And the $50 worth of Christmas cards? I returned them the next day.

A Year of Giving

In 2013, giving back to the community was a theme. In the past, we have donated clothes to charities for resale and participated in food drives during the holidays. This year, we did our best to give year round. Here are the organizations we have supported and the reasons why we did.

The Second Harvest Food Bank provides food to numerous community agencies in the North Florida area. These community agencies then distribute to individuals who are struggling to provide food for themselves and their family. In March, we attended the Great Chefs Competition, which was a fundraiser for Second Harvest. 100% of the ticket sales went to Second Harvest. It was a fun event for a wonderful cause.

I also led the food drive for my work this year. It was a rewarding experience to deliver 351 pounds of food to their main warehouse!

Why did we choose Second Harvest? Bottom line? Food is really important in our home. We show love through food. And I am super cranky when I don't eat. Seriously though, the thought of families not being able to eat breaks our heart. For so many kids, their main meal comes from their school. We love being able to contribute in some way to reduce the number of hungry people in our community.

BEAM stands for Beaches Emergency Assistance Mission. Their mission is to help keep families in their homes as well as help them become self-sufficient. Among their many services include job/interview assistance, a local food pantry (including gardening boxes for people to grow their own veggies), and assistance with utility bills.  They also organize a Holiday Gift Program to help play Santa for hundred of local Beaches children.

Why BEAM? Their focus is helping people in our local Beaches community. They help folks who could be my neighbor or someone I see in the grocery store. You never know. I'm hoping to spend time in 2014 assisting people with their resumes and interviewing skills.

The Church of Eleven22 is my home church. They organize numerous mission trips each year. This year, we were able to support friends who were embarking on their first Mission trip as a married couple. They are a Godly couple who live their faith out loud.

Why support? Because the work they will be doing is important!!

Wolfson Children's Hospital is our local Children's hospital. Rather than each community hospital having in-patient facilities, our local hospitals refer all the pediatric patients to Wolfson. We've had good friends whose children have been admitted in the past. The staff is nothing short of amazing. Being a non-profit, they depend on development relationships for a lot of their funding. 

Why Wolfson? First and foremost, supporting them is a way to thank them for all the great care they have provided to First Coast children for many years. Since becoming parents, it is even more important that we do what we can to help their mission.

I learned about Friends of Jacksonville Animals (a.k.a FOJA) from my friend LL. She is very active in advancing their mission of raising funds to benefit the lives of shelter animals. They are heavily involved in adoption events around the city. The dedicated volunteers of FOJA give a voice to our animal friends.

So why FOJA? Our dog Truffle is a rescue. We adopted him from another family who no longer could care for him. They adopted him from a shelter. He had been found abandoned with his brothers and sisters in Central Florida. I could not imagine our lives without Truffle. He's not the most polite dog, but he is ours. Period.

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. These organizations are all doing something important for our community!

A Life Less Styled

I love social media. Like, I LOVE it. I love reading and writing blogs. I love keeping up with friends on Facebook. I love meeting people from all over on Twitter.

In my opinion, one unintentional fallout from social media is the propensity for a highly styled life.

The rich and famous have had personal stylists for years. Stylists existed in retail shops and magazines, not in the every day home. Professionally decorated homes were for the well-to-do.
With the advent of mediums such as Twitter and Instagram, more and more people were able to share multiple aspects of their life at the click of a button. Their clothes. Their food. Their kids. Their daily lives. Even their red cups :)

Family pictures no longer consisted of setting the self-timer and running to jump into the picture. We hire professional photographers. We coordinate our outfits, but don't want to be too matchy. We pick out our location to convey a message (I live at the beach! I love nature!). We are posed. We hope that our special moments are captured, so we have the perfect picture for our Christmas cards. Believe me. I've been there. So many of us have been there.

Even our "candids" are styled. A pair of stunning high heels or logo'd flats are precariously tossed at just the right angle. They fall next to our shopping bags, with the logos that just happen to be showing. Or we show our red cups and just happen to capture a new piece of jewelry or the logo on our car steering wheel within the shot.

Is it bad? It's not. It's not hurting anyone (from my point of view anyways). But what saddens me is the loss of true candid shots of life. Will there not be pictures of family members wearing cheesy matching t-shirts anymore? How about pictures of friends who just got in a frosting fight at a 16th birthday party (ahem...)? Or worst, skipping out pictures all together because you don't look the way you want. Andrea shared this post and it really resonated with me.

Just food for thought.

Fiscal Friday: The Christmas List

For this week's Fiscal Friday post, I'm discussing my Christmas list. Not a "My Favorite Things", Oprah style list. Or even a "What I Want for Christmas" list (I keep that on Pinterest--it's how J knows what I want!). This Christmas list names who I'm buying for this year.

Aside from immediate family, I feel this list changes every year. Some years, I only buy for immediate family. Other years, I include all of my friends' kids, cousins' kids, etc etc. There was no rhyme or reason really to why I did or did not include someone.

In the spirit of fiscal responsibility, I am really giving serious thought to who I am buying for and what is purchased. In past years, we've been extremely generous. Previous gifts to immediate family members have includes a David Yurman bracelet, airline tickets, iPads etc etc. That list is not meant to be a brag, as part of our remaining debt includes those purchases. Debt: The gift that keeps on giving!

I really do want to give presents to my cousins or at least just their kids. They are always so generous with Jack. Even though we didn't have a big 1st birthday party, they still gave him presents. So one thing I'm contemplating is a family present. Both of my cousins' have kids between the ages of 3-10. Wondering if a restaurant and movie gift card combo would work? Or a Target or Walmart gift card? Or a game night themed present?

Don't even get me started on what the heck I'm going to purchase for my immediate family...

Join in on the conversation by commenting or tweeting me @natylite78, using the hashtag #fiscalresponsibility

Fiscal Friday: Perception

Most days, I think I am a fairly confident person, unencumbered by others' opinions of me. However, there are days where I completely disappoint myself.

Wait, isn't this supposed to be a "Fiscal Friday" post?

It is. I promise! Just hang for a minute.

While on a business trip, my coworker and I went to Nordstrom. Somehow, we found ourselves in the Prada boutique. Then someone who sounded just like me, proceeded to inquire about the cost of a Prada bag. Not only did I  the person who looked and sounded just like me inquire, but also walked around with the bag. What did I (let's be real here) do, but pretend what it would be like to carry an expensive bag. Then I started telling some cockaninny story that maybe I would ask my husband to buy it for me.

Um...NO.

Who was this person saying this crazy business to the Prada salesperson?

I know me. The real me. The one who wouldn't ask for that because it isn't fiscally responsible. The one who knows that would pay for several months of pre-school.

But the words were falling out of my mouth at a rapid pace. For some reason, it MATTERED to me that the salesperson and my co-worker would even remotely think that this bag would be a viable option. Their perception of me mattered.

And that, my friends, is why being fiscally responsible will always be at the forefront for me. Becoming complacent may mean I'm one glass of champagne away from a big and unnecessary purchase. Because when I least expect it, someone else's perception of me may be the reason why I say "yes" to the Prada.

Have you ever felt the need to spend for this reason? Join in on the conversation by commenting or using the hash tag #fiscalresponsibility on Twitter.