Wow! It has been so long since I have written. Tonight I break the silence :) I was browsing through my blogs that I read and over at It Just Takes One I came across the five minute friday that Lisa-Jo Baker hosts! One writing prompt. Five minutes. Just write. No editing!

There is a first time for  everything and this is what I came up with!

Go:

I watch the girls in my Bible study. Young, beautiful, vibrant young women who are so full of life. I am the only married on in the bunch and so I pause and remember...

It was just a few years ago. Many of the same girls. I had not yet met my husband and at times wondered if I ever would. I wondered if I would ever have children of my own. If I would ever be the head of the home.

Now I am.

But I remember...I remember the lonely nights. I remember the longing. I remember wishing that some guy any guy would notice me.

I remember girl talks with so many of the same girls in my living room now.

I remember movie nights.

I remember the tears.

I remember the laughter.

I remember the love.

Tonight I look around me and am thankful as I remember...

So many sweet memories.

So many sweet friends.

And I am thankful for the memories that are yet to be made.

I remember...

Stop.

$75 a week for groceries.
Is that even possible today in the world we live it!?

Our budget is pretty tight right now and we are trying to save for a house as well. My goal is to save as much as possible wherever we can.

Living frugally has always been a part of our marriage. I love thrift store shopping, finding the best deals etc...it is like a game-how much money can I save this time.

Now that Jason is gluten free things are a little more difficult (oh the days of buying 3 lbs. of pasta for a mere dollar).

We have also been going mostly dairy free and mostly sugar free.

On $75 a week.

Some weeks we make it and other weeks we go a little bit over but we are still in the beginning stages of it and learning new things every week which helps!

Did I mention I have so much fun with it?

I know I may seem really odd because of that BUT saving money really can be FUN!

So how do I do it?

I think the thing that has helped me the most is:

Meal Planning.

I make a list of meals that I am going to make for the week (a lot of people do monthly but right now for our family we are sticking with weekly shopping more on that later).

I am addicted to love Pinterest. A lot of times when I am browsing I will pin meals I want to try later on my Healthy Eating Inspirations board. When it comes time to choose meals (I normally plan at least six meals) that is normally the first place I go for inspiration. Any meals that I don't make during a particular week I will roll over to the next week.

Once I have my meals I then go through the recipe ingredients. Anything I don't have on hand gets written down under that meal.
Example:

Meal #1: Cornflake Chicken
Veggie: Broccoli
Starch: Mashed Potatoes

To Buy:
-3 Chk. breasts
-Box of Cornflakes (1)

I don't list anything else because I know I have a package of frozen broccoli in the freezer waiting to be used, potatoes in my pantry waiting to be used and extra butter in the freezer.

I repeat this process and then, once I am finished with all of my meals, I transfer it over to my big shopping list which I divide up by store.

I am planning on sharing my weekly shopping trips with you on here. I think it will be fun but also help keep me motivated!

So look for a post coming soon!

What about you?

How do you save money on your grocery bill especially if you have food allergies or special diet needs in your family? I would love to hear about them or any questions you all may have!

Blessings!

 Not only do I have my husband who is my prince but I also have my little man.

Daddy is his hero and Elijah's favorite time of day is when Daddy comes home from work! They have so much fun playing together! 

I am so thankful for my husband and the love he has and shows our little boy. 

I really do think that the more I watch them together the more I fall in love with them both!

What about you? Does your husband have a special way he bonds with your kids? What are some memories you have of you and your Daddy growing up?

It happened.

A little later he was playing by the couch and I was reading in my chair. I looked up and noticed that he had a pen in his hand (isn't that just the one of the funniest expressions). Getting up to investigate I discovered this:

It was at that moment I realized that how I reacted was going to set the foundation for how I would react from here on out as the Mama of a very busy baby boy.

Option #1:
Get uptight and upset because, while he didn't realize what he was doing this time, my couch had pen on it! What would Jason say and again-my couch has pen on it. How am I going to get it out? Ugh what an inconvenience.

Option #2:
Well, so the pen has gotten on my couch. That is OK I am going to go on pinterest and look up a solution and just clean it myself because honestly we paid $10 for this couch and it is not the end of the world.

I went with option #two.

I was thinking about that later that evening and I realized that there will be messes created by little hands. Toys that constantly could be picked up. Windows and doors that need washed because of little hand prints all over.

But you know what? I am OK with that.

Because I have realized that this will all be gone some day. All too soon I will be past these baby years and then I know I will wish for those little hands. I will wish for toys all over my house. I will wish for hand prints on my door.

That day will come. My baby boy will grow up someday. And I know it will come way to fast. So in the meantime I am going to cherish each moment with my baby. Yes, some days will be frustrating. Sometimes I will want a house that stays clean without constant cleaning up. Sometimes I will just be exhausted and want to sleep!

But that will come soon enough.

So for now-for this moment I am going to cherish that smile: