Money. It's my enemy. I hate it yet I love it. Sometimes too much. Here's the scope: I like to shop, find good deals, get out of the house, etc. etc. until I blow the budget. My problem isn't that I'm a careless spender or that I buy a lot of things. It's more finding ways to better spread the finances and be more responsible about what I'm spending on what. I have often gotten sucked into buying something I totally didn't need just because it was a good deal.
So here's my challenge to myself:
One week
$100
That's it. Here are my rules:
Monday to Monday, seven full days
Groceries are not included or things like tuition to preschool
I must must track all expenses even things I try to sneak in not that I ever do this
I am challenging myself to this because budgeting or .... not budgeting are a source of contention at our house. I frequently go over budget simply because there are few consequences please realize by writing this, my husband will read it and there will probably be consequences now... darn it!! . I very rarely pay attention to bank balances etc and my husband will say "we are getting low" or "okay, we are over again"... and then he will fix the situation.
Let me put this another way. Whenever we get bonuses or tax refunds or whatever I cannot be told until we have the money or it will be gone. Okay... that sounds bad too. We don't have debt. I'm not crazy with money but I have things to work on. Let's leave it at that. So! My challenge is to stick to my budget and try to be creative. As a SAHM (stay at home mommy) it is one of my many jobs to show my girls how to be responsible with money and it's never to early to start.
But... and... the reality is we live in an expensive state, have one income, have two very active girls and I get stir crazy really easily. Wish me luck!
Monday, February 8, 2010
Money
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Catching up
The girls are playing together more these days and you would think that would give me more time. But I'm just exhausted with the day to day .... stuff. Sometimes I feel like the day will never end. I hate that feeling so I'm working hard to figure out what's going on and try to get back to a more uplifting attitude. Maybe it's hormonal - that could be, damn those hormones!! Seriously!
I have been really behind and absent in many things, least of all my blog. I have 50% less help these days than I used to so that could be an issue too. I'm adjusting so please have patience while I figure this out.
Fine Motor Friday - Slant Board
Occupational Therapists study occupation. What is the occupation of a child? Simply put, it's play. Learning and growing in the area of fine motor development is crucial to a child's development of play and ultimately helps facilitate their later ability to be a successful student.
By profession, I'm a pediatric occupational therapist although I spend pretty much all my time being a mom. As Boo nears 3 years old it is getting easier to pull out some of my work stuff and start working on fine motor skills. It helps me too because I get to dust off those distance corners of my brain and start thinking OT again. Let's explore development and have some fun.
Slant Board -
I have talked about positioning a lot in terms of placing your body in a stable, steady position to support the motion and precision work on the hands (fine motor work). I wanted to spend a little bit more time talking about another tool - the slant board. You can purchase a slant board through many catalogues but it's just as easy to make your own.
Why would you even need or want a slant board for your child? Working in a slightly vertical position (a similar effect can be found using an easel or blackboard/ dry erase board) puts your forearm in a great position of support and allows the wrist to be slightly extended. This allows the hand and fingers to do the work they need for fine motor activities. It also helps the rest of the upper body align - upright posture and good stability at the table top.
So here's what you need: a large 3 ring binder - this one is 3"
Clips - these are magnetic, I would have preferred a larger, flatter clip but this worked fine.
Hot glue glue to attach the clip to the binder...
... and you're done! So super easy!!
Here are some action shots of Boo trying it out. Looking at these pictures I should have pushed her chair in a bit more but I didn't notice... next time! :)
This is a side shot so you can see Boo's new chair. It's a Stokke KinderZeat chair and I love it! (I really love that I got it on craigslist too). She can use it for a really long time and look at the wonderful position. It has also made mealtime easier. 
And just because baby hands are so cute here is one of Pumpkin and her nesting cups.
