One of the things about being a stay at home mom and subsequently having only one income to pay the bills and buy groceries, is trying to keep the finances straight every month. More like every day, but you get the point. We cut out certain things because we can't really afford them, we plan most of our purchases so we can see where our money is going and how far it will take us. It's almost a full time job in itself, most of the time, I have no problem doing it. I like it, I do our taxes and I keep a thorough record of our bills in a notebook. I refuse to buy any financial software like Quicken or Microsoft Money because I cannot stand it and because I am a perfectionist and I like to do things "my way" (which, btw, there is no "high way"). Usually this means that when we need groceries, we make a list, look at the ads to find the best deals and then we pay very close attention to every item that enters the cart. This is very tiresome after a while, most days I would just love to go and buy what I feel like without paying attention to the sales or price per ounce. Comparing products is a great way to get the best value but sometimes, I want to shout, "Screw value, give me the brand name because it tastes better!"

I know, I'm dramatic.

I never used to pay attention to the price of anything. I didn't bargain shop. I never compared products and prices. I just didn't do it because I never had to. Money was never an issue until I no longer had any.

Well not today. Today, I went to the store just for a few items. I went to the most expensive grocery store because it happens to be the closest and I paid no attention to prices or ounces or pounds or packaging or brand names. And guess what happened anyway? Nearly everything I bought was on sale!

Do you have any habits that are so engrained you couldn't stop even if you tried?

My head is pretty jumbled up right now as I've just read the Momaroo front page and seem to have an opinion about everything.

First off, I completely agree with Nurse Jenna about birth control. I've scoffed at the idea of "Natural Family Planning" since I first heard about it. As for me, I couldn't really afford the costs of birth control pills, both financially and physically as they compounded my migraine problem. I'm not ready for surgical methods yet and am quite adamant that I will not be getting a tubal ligation unless I first hear my husband say that he will get a vasectomy (which he is quite opposed to, but let's be fair about that shall we?) Other than that, my husband and I have never (with the exception of the pill, the second time around) used a method of birth control exclusively and without fail. There are several reasons for that and while we agree that right now isn't the best time for a baby, we also understand that sex brings about babies no matter what you use to stop 'em and we're more than okay with having another one.

The other thing that stands out in my mind right now is separation between married couples. The longest my husband and I have been apart since we first moved in together has been two weeks, when I packed up the baby last september and flew to my parents for a little down-time. I like to be alone, I love having time to myself and honestly, I wish that my husband and I were separated a little more. I know it sounds horrible but I find that I appreciate him and our relationship more when I don't see him (or have to deal with him...) for a little while. He however, seems to be the opposite. While I was pregnant (and cranky), I felt smothered but quickly realized it was a small price to pay for having someone there when I needed help, as I was in and out of OB Triage.


Well, if that wasn't a blah post, than I don't know what is. I have no summary for you, no perfect little closing line, nothing witty, or funny, or thought-provoking, or even anything to get you to come back. I'll end it with a little luck and a lot of hope!

We've all heard these jokes. We've also heard the obligatory blonde jokes, women jokes, black jokes, gay/lesbian jokes, middle eastern, etc etc. They really drain on me. I'm not going to sit here and pretend that I'm perfect and I never have a racist or bigoted thought, but I try to control those because I know that each person is unique regardless of sex, gender, sexuality, or ethnicity. One thing that is very (dare I say, uber) important to me is that my daughter not be brought up in an environment that is even remotely prejudicial.

My husband makes a lot of these comments. Especially while we are driving, and he changes the insult to match whoever the driver may be, "Oh it's a woman," "They're hispanic," or if the driver is a young, white male (as is my husband), it will be, "he's a tool" or "he's a douchebag." I really love his women jokes, "Why don't women have watches? Because there is a clock on the oven." Or, "Why don't women need cars? Because there are no roads between the kitchen and the laundry room." Hahahahah. Not. They might be seemingly innocuous comments, and don't get the idea that my husband is the ultimate bigot, he is normally very respectful, but they underline the stereotypes that unfortunately, still exist today.

We (as people of all genders, races, religions, sexualities) will always find a reason to hate others who are different. And it's usually based on our own shortcomings, such as, "Oh he got into that [Ivy League] University and I didn't, must be affirmative action at work," when really it could be as simple as he was a better candidate. When we hate each other because of skin color, we're hating each other based on something we have no control over. All that energy that is spent on hatred and dislike could be going to something useful, it could be helping those in need. We hear the word "tolerance" thrown around a lot but there is not a word I dislike more. For it implies that you don't accept, you don't understand, you only begrudgingly allow those others to coexist. But at every turn, you try to make their life difficult (changing the definition of marriage as one man and one woman?).

We should love each other. Embrace our differences, love because of our flaws not in spite of them. Why not teach our children the same thing? Whatever happened to the golden rule, "Do unto others..."?