Life lately

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The holidays are definitely coming! I’ve been pretty busy around here with taking care of the girls, Christmas shopping, cleaning and preparing for my parents to come tomorrow (!!). Blogging has fell a tad to the wayside (both reading and writing), but I’m hoping to get things moving again once the holiday madness is over. I’m working WAY less now (not by choice, but the break is definitely a welcomed one), yet somehow don’t seem to have any more time. In short, life is good.

Budget: So far, we’re at $250 for Christmas gifts. We have a few more things to buy for John’s family, our girls and possibly each other. I got John something small, but we haven’t decided if we’re going to exchange actual gifts this year. We’ve been doing great with not eating out or splurging at the store. Really, we’ve only been buying the essentials. We use Mint.com to track our spending and it works great! We set goals for the month and check where we’re at a few times per week.

Work: I am looking for freelance jobs like a mad woman! I’ve applied to quite a few and am hoping to hear back soon on them. I’m also looking for anything freelance in the financial field – basically, I’m willing to do anything as long as it’s from home. My income has stayed the same since the job I no longer have pays a month out, but that will all change in January when I expect my income to be cut into thirds – yikes. John has been doing wonderful with his handyman/painting business though, so it’s all OK no matter what happens.

Girls: Cami and Maisie are doing great! Cami is so smart – talking all the time, putting sentences together, singing songs, etc. She is SO excited about Christmas. Almost every night, we drive around looking at lights and she is just in awe, “Wowww! Christmas lights!” is all we hear from the back seat 🙂 Maisie is also doing well. She has had tummy issues since she was born and then when we switched her to cow’s milk at age one, it got worse. Poor girl was ALWAYS in pain. We tried eliminated gluten, only feeding her fruits and veggies, and then finally eliminating dairy from her diet. I didn’t think it was the milk since she was on formula, but after being off of it for a week and a half it’s made a night and day difference. She is now sleeping better and much happier overall. I am definitely so SO thankful that I get to spend my days hanging out with my two favorite ladies 🙂

Life: My parents come to visit this week and I am SO excited!! They haven’t been out here since we moved and we were used to seeing them multiple times per week. We’ve missed them so much it’s not even funny. Cami is going to go nuts when she sees my mom! I can’t wait to show them around the city, visit The Biltmore in Asheville (I’ve been before, but never around Christmas!), take them to our favorite eateries and just catch up on life.

So, most likely I will be taking a small break from blogging while they’re in town. Today I have some final shopping to do, grocery shopping, cleaning, wrapping gifts and more shopping.

Hope everyone has a wonderful week! Anyone got anything exciting going on?!

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Comments

brian @ Debt Discipline says
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Cami and Maisie are so cute, I’m sure they are excited for Christmas. Enjoy the time with the girls and the family in town. My son loved milk, but was always congested, we eliminated milk from his diet and it has made such a difference. He feels so much better.
- sbrooks52111@yahoo.com says
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  Hi Brian! Oh wow that’s crazy milk made your son congested. It seems like so many little ones have an aversion to cow’s milk – which makes sense considering we are the only species that drinks another species milk, haha! Hope you are having a great week!!
Jayleen @ How Do The Jones Do It says
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Your girls are at the perfect ages for Christmas time fun!!! Today I am tackling Christmas cards. I will feel so much better when they are done. Enjoy the holidays and family in town!
- sbrooks52111@yahoo.com says
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  Thanks, Jayleen!! I didn’t even do Christmas cards 🙁 I am so bad about stuff like that…I definitely need to work on it!! Hope you enjoy your day!
Chela says
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Your girls are beautiful! I used to LOVE driving around to look at lights with my parents when I was a kid. Enjoy this time with your family!
- sbrooks52111@yahoo.com says
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  Thanks, Chela!! Yes – looking at lights is definitely one of our favorite things to do over the holidays. The girls love it! And I won’t lie – I do, too, haha!
Melissa @ Sunburnt Saver says
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Oh my gosh, your girls are so cute!! Christmastime with little ones is so fun – they’re so excited about everything. It really makes you remember how magical Christmas was when you were little! No worries about taking a break to hang out with your family – heck, you’d be crazy if you didn’t take a break to catch up with them! You’ll be back to work sooner than you know, so enjoy your time with them 🙂
- sbrooks52111@yahoo.com says
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  Thanks, Melissa!! They arrive today and we are so excited! Definitely looking forward to a little “break” 🙂
Erin @ Journey to saving says
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Aw, your girls are adorable! I hope things come through for you with freelancing, and I also hope you have a blast with your parents! I remember being really happy when my parents agreed to come up and visit everyone last Christmas. It was the best gift. =) As for the milk – I’ve had stomach issues for a long time, and someone recommended goat’s milk. Have you tried that?
- sbrooks52111@yahoo.com says
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  Hi Erin! Funny you mention goat’s milk – I’ve had a few people recommend that to me, too…but I can’t seem to find it ANYWHERE!! Have you seen it in any of the stores around here (Publix, Harris Teeter, Walmart, Target, haha…I’ve checked a lot of places)? Thanks!!
Stefanie @ The Broke and Beautiful Life says
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I would love to see Asheville in the winter, I bet it’s beautiful! Have fun!
- sbrooks52111@yahoo.com says
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  Thanks, Stefanie!! We are really looking forward to seeing it over the holidays!!
Holly@ClubThrifty says
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Your girls are cuties! Hope you pick up some freelance stuff. The work is out there- you just have to find it!
- sbrooks52111@yahoo.com says
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  Thanks, Holly!! Yes – work is definitely there!! So far it looks like I have two things in the works…but they’re small…I need a LOT more to replace the income I lost…Wahhh!!!
Zanna says
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What a sweet post! And Mint.com ist a great tip! I just checked it out and looks like 2015 is going to be the year I finally get organized about my budgets 🙂