WWYD?

As more and more of us are dependent on our internet to get us through the day I have come into a situation that is somewhat weird for me.

I am not the most outgoing person in the world. I have, over the years, moved from the painfully shy category into the shy category. It was a long process, but now I see myself moving back to the painfully shy category more and more each day. I don't find it easy to speak up in groups. It usually takes me a while to feel comfortable to express my opinions to people I don't know. I hate conflict. I think you get the picture.

I have really enjoyed blogging because I am able to say what I want and if you are bored by me or offended then you don't have to continue reading. I get it off my chest without the immediate rejection from my listeners/readers.

I recently joined the site MomsLikeMe. For the most part I have really enjoyed hearing what other moms in my community have to say. Everyone is really nice and mostly nonjudgmental. I have been able to talk to other moms in my area with kids that are the same age as mine. As well as other moms that are trying for another. There is a group for virtually everyone out there, and if there is not, it only takes 5 seconds to create one.

There is a safety to having "internet" friends. But when you want to meet that person in real life...face to face...and introduce your kids...I turn into panic mode. What is it about meeting new people that makes me go crazy? I am 26 years old. I should be over the teenage mentality. What if they don't like me? Who cares? I have friends that do like me. So what if that one person doesn't like me. I don't like everyone I meet.

A big part of MomsLikeMe is to set up playdates or other get togethers. The point is to make friends and be a support to other moms. Now, somebody wants to go on a playdate with me and Christian. I don't want to be rude and not go just because I am too shy. I can't take my husband...that would be weird. None of my friends have children that are Christian's same age...hence the reason I joined the site in the first place.

Does this almost seem like Internet Dating? What Would You Do? Why do I push myself into situations that I know will make me uncomfortable?

To meet or not to meet? ... That is the question.

(I didn't know I was so worked up about this...sorry! It's been nagging at me for a week.)

$aving Money

Over the last couple of months I have been trying to get myself into a better routine of grocery shopping and menu planning. Now that I feel like I'm getting the hang of it I am going to try to expand on it a little at a time over the next year. Right now we are only a family of 3, but hopefully in the future our little family will grow. I know that as our family grows, our food bill will grow too and our income will shrink (with me working part time or not at all). So, I figured that starting now would alleviate some of the pressure when we are really trying to save all of our pennies.

I recently found the grocery game. Have you ever heard of it? Used it? I am going to try it out, but I am not convinced that it will work for me. We don't have a place to store bulk items. I don't even have a pantry. But I thought I'd try it for a month and see if it's worth it. It costs $60 a year, but is supposed to save you $100's. I'm skeptical, but I am always skeptical. It's the nature of my business.

Anyway, do you all clip coupons? I know we are all trying to save a few dollars here and there. How do you do it? Do you find the time vs. savings worth the trouble?

Picture Blog

Here is what you do: grab your camera and take at least 5 random pictures around your house. No cleaning up first, this is your house as is.

Here are some categories you could use:

• Room that stays the cleanest
• Work in progress
• What someone else is doing right now
• Favorite decor or display
• Something that represents your current life
• Favorite relaxing spot
• Something hand-me-down
• What someone else is doing right now.
  

My sister-in-law, KaraLynne, was kind enough to tag me for this embarrassing picture blog. I am not a good housekeeper and often let things slide. And now you can all see it for yourself. If you were to come to my house unannounced...this is some of what you would see.

Christian's room.

Our one and only bathroom/laundry room.

Our itsy, bitsy kitchen that is infested with plants.

And our living room/dining room/playroom/office.

You can tell that we live in an itsy, bitsy 950 sq ft condo. We have stuff everywhere. It is so challenging to keep it clean when you don't have a space for everything. Someday we'll have a bigger place. But for now, it works.

Sorry you had to see it, but I can't refuse a tag.

And I tag Angela M, Shalena R, Janiece B, Lene B, Kris H.

I expect pictures!

SPT-Attraction

A few years ago (10) my family moved to Colorado. I was a senior in high school and a new student. It wasn't the easiest move for me. We had previously lived in a small town in northern Nevada. My new senior class was bigger than my whole previous high school. It was a big adjustment. A few weeks after I arrived in Parker was our Stake Youth Conference (a gathering for youth 14-18 yrs old). That is when I first saw you. You were young and crazy and extremely energetic. At that point I was convinced I could never like a strange person like you. From afar I watched in amazement your ability to be who you are without fear of what anyone else thought of you. It scared me. A shy person like me could never dream of being so outgoing. During our senior year I made it a point to stay far away.

Fast forward three years.

I was home from BYU-Idaho preparing to submit my mission papers. You had just returned home from your mission in Argentina...that day. I saw you, from behind, in your suit--still a missionary. I remember thinking you were SO HOT! It was only 8 months later that we were married.



I know that you embarrass me quite frequently because you are not scared by what people may or may not think about you. And I know that a painfully shy person should NEVER marry a person that is just as outgoing as they are shy. But even though I was originally turned off by your energy and outgoing personality, it is the first thing that got me to notice you. I envied you for not being so shy. I always wished that I wasn't so shy and you are a big part of the reason I am as "outgoing" as I am now.

Thanks Babe! You Rock!

P.S. This does not in any way give you permission to embarrass me in the future. :o)

Things to Do in CO

Now that I've lived in the beautiful state of Colorado for 10 years (in June) I have decided to spend this year doing things in our great state. Quick trips that can be accomplished in a days time. Seeing the sights that I have not seen (which is pretty much everything). So I am compiling a list of things I should see/do this year. We will have a couple of opportunities to do long weekend trips, but not many.

A few things that I have added to my list are:

Tiny Town Railroad
Children's Museum
CO State Fair
Red Rocks
Estes Park
Cherry Creek Reservoir

I hope to accomplish at least a few of these this year and maybe some others. I hope my list keeps growing and we are able to enjoy the gems of CO for years to come.

Do you know of a great place we can go as a family for a day trip or even a long weekend?

Menu Monday

We did great sticking with our menu last week. We only deviated once. I can't believe how easy this is becoming for me. And I can't believe how much less money we are spending on groceries. I forgot to post this yesterday since I didn't work (thank you Mr. Presidents!) and my sister was in town.

Monday: White Bean Chicken Chili--We ate at a friends house.

Tuesday: Pizza

Wednesday: BLTs

Thursday: Mashed Potatoes and sausage (this is the one thing we didn't eat last week.)

Friday: Chicken quesadillas

Saturday: Rice and Meatsauce

Sunday: Lasagna

Not much different from what we eat every week. I am going to make it a point to include one or two different recipes a week. We need to broaden our horizons before we all go nuts.

Not Me! Monday

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.



I most certainly did not play Mr. Potato Head with my son instead of cleaning my house for my sister's arrival. Not Me!



I would never let my 18 month old sleep in my bed twice this week because I just wanted some sleep. I would never cave that easily.

I didn't skip laundry day this week. Yikes! And I don't have a mess to prove it. Not Me!

I didn't let my son talk to his Daddy on the phone for 5 minutes just for my own sanity.


And I did not take a few minutes to have a photo shoot with Christian when he found his Aunt's sunglasses on the table before taking them away.


I hope you enjoyed my first edition of Not Me! Monday. I thought it would be a fun addition to my blog. If you would like to join in on the fun the rules are here.