Feeling Overwhelmed

I have a natural tendency to take on more than I can handle at any given time.  I have always been this way and over the years, I think I have found a way to sort of combat that tendency.  I have learned to say no when I know that it would be too much for me to take on at times when my plate is just too full.

Right now, my plate is about as full as it can possibly get.  I am working more hours then I was when I first started, I am running around more as I try to get organized and get all the appointments for the family that we have missed out on over the past two years.  Yes, two years of missed appointments...eye exams, dental exams, etc. That's a huge fail on my part but I've been in a veil of issues over the past two years.  That's a whole other post.

My plate feels so full and yet, it is about to get more piled on.  The big kids are starting their spring sports in the next two weeks which adds in daily pickups, double practices, games/meets spread throughout the week so that even weekends are booked solid.

While I would never discourage my kids to take part in sports (this is how we got into this mess) I am now seeing the logic in making kids choose between two activities at a time.  I am so excited to watch them in their sports and they are both trying lacrosse for the first time but oh man, my calendar is so full and I don't even have the boys lacrosse schedule yet!  There are days where Chuck and I will most likely have to split up and each take on a game/meet so that we can have one of us at each event.

This also means that I have to get creative with my work schedule so that I am able to make it to one sporting event each week without missing too much work.  I try to schedule my days of leaving early so that it is only one day a week and each week it is a different day.  The sports schedules don't always comply with what I want to do but I will try it that way.  Hopefully, my boss will be understanding of my stance on my being a mom first, employee second.  It has always been that way with all my past jobs and this one is no different.  That M for mom is engraved on my heart while my work name tag is simply magnetically attached. It has to be that way.

I have sat down several times in an effort to write up a post but have had no luck because this feeling of being overwhelmed is, well, overwhelming. Ha.

This is all I've got, I have a pile of Box Tops to cut and count for the big kids' school, fundraising to do for the lacrosse organization and household stuff to do before I get out the door to head to my two jobs.  Overwhelmed, just a bit.

Filling The Calendar

Just like everyone else, I start a new calendar before the first of the year and start adding in the dates of birthdays, events I know are coming up, fun weekends, etc.

My calendar also consists of races or runs that I want to do.  I have a running list of races that catch my eye, I've done before and want to do again and ones that I've always wanted to do. The list is long and if I could, I would do them all.  I just don't have the time or endless amount of money it takes to do that.

I have become a bit more picky in how I choose my races now. I do a few virtual races that are free or very low cost.  I choose charities that are close to  my heart and I choose races based on location.  I certainly can't go out of town for a race.  I just can't justify spending the extra money just so I can go run a race.  Now, if we were to go out of town for a weekend away and I could fit in a race while we were there, that would be different.

As it stands now, I have several races lined up that I am registered for....I think around 7 right now and I plan on registering for at least 7 more to reach my 14 in 2014 goal. I need to get on with the running though because for some reason, February is always a slow running month for me.  I have a larger goal of running 500 miles this year and if I want to achieve that, I need to get a move on it!!

Some of the races I'm registered for:
Frostbite Autism 5K - March 1st
Superhero 5k - April 26th
Pittsburgh Marathon Relay - May 4th
Foam Fest 5k - June 14th
Dirty Dash 5k - August 2nd
US Road Running Movie Madness Half Marathon - Virtual by Jan. 1, 2015

Are We Finally Getting It?

In a quest to finally get some goals in place and a plan to execute those goals, my husband and I sat down to write some things down, look at dates, compute numbers and we have a plan.  A solid plan that we both agreed on and are all in for.

A plan to start really saving some money.  We were going to do the $25.00 a week for a year to save up around $1300.00 over the course of the year.  However, we came up with something even better.  We are pretty certain that we have figured out how to save so much more and have a pretty good cushion for when things could go wrong or if something were to happen.   It's probably not a plan that would work for everyone but it will for us.  We are determined and pretty pumped about it.

I am going in to this year feeling positive about the changes we are making so that we can live a little more stress free.

We don't have any credit cards or store cards.  We live a "cash only" life to avoid going into debt and it can be pretty tough when you live on a very tight budget.  So a savings plan is vital to being able to fix things when they break, get the kids something when they need it, etc. Something always comes up so this is going to help us so much.

I have thought about doing what some other people do and use a credit card for all bills and just pay off the card when you get paid and that would probably also work for us but for now, we are sticking to the plan and seeing if it really works the way we are calculating that it will. Maybe in the future we will switch things around to start using a credit card to take advantage of some of the reward perks that cards have.

Do you have a set financial plan or savings plan that you implemented and did it work the way you had hoped?

Please Will You Vote?!

I am a Monkey Do Project Blogger Ambassador, that means that I am trying to help them get word out about a very special organization that is helping those in need in the Appalachian area.  They help local food banks, provide tennis shoes for kids who need them in order to go to summer camp, fill back-to-school backpacks for the kids in need for the new school year, help distribute blankets for families and homeless that need them and so much more.

The help they are providing to those in need is profound but they can't do it alone.  They rely on donations from people who are willing to give.

There is a chance for the Monkey Do Project to get a great $25,000.00 grant from the FedEx Small Business Grant Giveaway. All you have to do is go and vote, it is such an easy process. You don't need to enter any personal information, just click a button and you have voted.  You can vote every single day until February 23rd.  We are asking everyone to help spread the word and get the Monkey Do Project as many votes so that they can win the grant.

Please find it in your heart to share this information, post it on Facebook, tweet it, pin it, etc.

Dreaming of a Getaway

I swear that every winter I start dreaming of where I want to go or what I want to do in the coming summer months.  I guess it is because I am not a fan of winter at all. Sure I think the snow is pretty when it is sticking to the trees and it looks so serene but then the novelty wears off the instant I walk outside. 

I hate being all bundled up and feeling like I can't even move my arms.  I much more prefer to be free to move wearing a tank top and shorts and being barefoot! Summer is my time.  I enjoy the sunshine, the heat and the long days and evenings before the sun goes down...when you smell people grilling and hear the crickets chirping.

Oh, wow, getting off track there.....

Anyway, I am starting to think of things that I want to do, places to go.  We plan on doing some small trips for camping or just a weekend away with the kids.  However, we have a big 15th wedding anniversary coming up and I'd like to do a bit more with Chuck to celebrate.  We have tossed ideas around like NYC, Niagara Falls, Ocean City, Atlantic City, etc.  I am starting to wonder why we can't make it even bigger and maybe fly down to Florida for a few days.  I mean you only celebrate this milestone once, right?! If I can find an inexpensive place to stay.

I have done a few searches and did find a few things that might work.  We figured that if we were going away, we'd rather go somewhere nice and near a beach so I am thinking I want to go south somewhere just for a long weekend, maybe a Thursday through Sunday or Monday. 

Dreaming......

Are You Aiming High in 2014?

If you are a member of the US Road Running group, you probably already know about the Aim High Program.

If you haven't heard about it and you have a goal in mind for how many miles you plan to run in 2014, you should definitely check out this program where you can earn a medal noting how many miles you ran.  As the number increases, you will rank higher!

The numbers range from 50 miles to 1000 miles!  Go ahead and check out US Road Running for all the details and get signed up!

I set my goal to be 500 miles this year and if I reach that, I will be ranked as a First Lieutenant!

Bigger Than Me

I have learned over the course of the last year of many programs out there that help families in need.  I have a very strong desire to help others and it weighs very heavily on  my heart that I cannot do more to help others.  Then, I begin to wonder why I can't.  Personally, we just don't have much to give in the way of monetary donations but we do regularly give to those big yellow or red boxes, as much as we can so that the clothes and shoes we have outgrown or don't need, can be used by others that need it.  We currently have 6 garbage bags in the living room to give away.

I am trying to come up with an idea of something that I can do to help others in a big way.  My current thought is to do a donation drive in the summer for school supplies so that we can give to a local organization that helps families with children in need that cannot afford school supplies.  I am going to commit to doing this and hoping that I can give to as many families as possible. I need to contact the organization to see what the greatest need is and to get an estimated number of the families that they serve for this need.

School supplies can be purchased for low costs and can be bought at any time throughout the year so I will probably try to start collecting in the early summer so that by the fall, I will have more supplies.