Random Thoughts of a Pregnant Lady Waiting on D Day

Okay, two things:

1. My latest obsession is making sure the inside of the dishwasher stays nice and clean. I have no idea why. I think I have ever only given thought to the inside of our dishwasher being dirty one other time in the last five years. And the last time this happened it was only because something inside the dishwasher caught my eye prompting me to clean it. But beyond that, it's typically not on my radar. But as of late, it is. Every time I load and unload the dishwasher I must make sure all is still sparkling white. I even check the seals around the edge of the dishwasher. I know, I know...please hold all of your snickers until I have left the room. Maybe this is just some weird control freak/nesting craziness going. I'm certainly hoping that it's fleeting. Even I think its odd. And it's even more odd that I proudly announce to Kevin that I've just cleaned it. This is the response I get from Kevin, " Oh yea, you cleaned it again, huh. Didn't you just clean it? Is it dirty already?" He says all of this calmly as if we are talking about the weather, but obviously there is a hint of mockery laced within those words of his. But I don't blame him. It concerns me too. But the most concerning part, it doesn't completely shock my husband that I would do this. This certainly can't mean good things. I think this means I'm surely a weirdo. :)

2. I'm not one to air any preludes about all that is money or our finances. To me, finances are private. Kevin and I talk very openly about all things money very regularly--and both contribute to our spending/savings plan and all future endevours 50/50. My husband is an Excel wizard, so you can only imagine. It's spreadsheets galore!  But it's not my style to make all of this public knowledge. BUT, I would like to know if any of you have found a money tree that takes root and produces fruit almost immediately? We have tried several varieties without much luck.

Don't get me wrong: Kevin and I take great pride in spending the income we have been given as wisely and thoughtfully as possible and have always made sure to first give back our full tithe to God and SAVE --and this plan has worked. All of our needs have always been met. But that doesn't mean we don't have to get creative and have some heart-to-hearts about what's important and where our money should be spent.

I shop consignment sales and buy at resale shops--which I love! And we are believers in the Dave Ramsey system. We have had all of our budgets figured out and tweaked for a while now and we seem to be in a good rhythm. We have also been using a cash envelope system for as many budget categories as possible for about two years now..and we really believe it has helped to place us in a more sound financial position. I recommend everyone do this with at least their 'entertainment/going-out on the weekend spending/budget'. It's just so easy to swipe, swipe, swipe that ol' card and you don't realize how the charges really add up and take a huge bite out of the bank account.  We certainly don't have rainbows and unicorns floating around in our house. It's real life with hard decisions, just like with most people. But I think we do have a good, sound system in place after a lot of back and forth, compromise, trial and error, and tweaking.

As many know, we have saved, spent, saved, spent and spent some more in order to meet our Bean. And this was our choice, and we own that choice.  But the expenses didn't just end after the IVF was paid for. Yea, because it worked: we're pregnant!  On a side note, our medical insurance is literally doubling to add the little one to our policy. Nice. And of course, once we add the little one our deductible will also increase which means more expenses. But this is the life of every parent.  However, we were abundantly blessed by so many incredible people at our baby shower. We were gifted with so many items for the baby. This ultimately means that we didn't have to buy these items. This absolutely with out a doubt was an incredible blessing to us.  See, God always has a way.  But it sure does seem at every turn there is a cost waiting to get ya. Hence the request for suggestions on the type of money tree you think we should look into! :)