snow's a-comin'?

The weather channel says we'll get about an inch of snow... but the weather forecasters around here are screaming MAJOR WINTER STORM. Bill Meck is predicting 6+ inches of snow before Saturday evening, so we may get to build a snowman this season afterall. Lauren Clay told me she is going to build a snowman, a snow Tad, Leap and Lilly (from the Letter Factory) and a snow Goofy. I probably need to run to the grocery first thing in the morning with the rest of Lexington and stock up on milk (and the other fixins for snowcream.)

We've had a crazy day today, but all good fun. We started the day by dropping off Lauren Clay at Mother's Day Out so Ty and I could do office hours. Ty is becoming more and more predictable; I know he's going to wake up at eat at 5 am. I know he'll be up by around 8:30 in the morning, then sleepy again by 11. I know, too, that if take him to the office, I need to prepare for at least 3 messy, blow-out diaper changes, and usually I'll have to change his whole outfit at least once. This morning as I was packing to leave the house, I was distracted by a fun visit from Mel and Reed, and I forgot to pack a change of clothes. Unfortunately, I'd gone through all the clothes at the office earlier this week (I usually keep a stash just in case), but I didn't realize that I wasout until Ty exploded all over his outfit and I pulled it off to change it. I couldn't put it back on-- he'd already let me know it was uncomfortably messy. I had no choice but to just wipe him down well, change the diaper and wrap him in a blanket. At about 1:30 (I leave at 1:45), the fire alarm went off in our building. I scurried to wrap up the last minute stuff and get Ty in his carseat. I was one of the last to leave the office, and I had to walk out to a crowd of colleagues waiting for the all-clear to return their offices. Apparently in my haste to get out the door, I didn't cover Ty too well, but didn't realize it until other mothers gathered around to cover my scantily clad infant. At least the temp was in the 50s; I might have been reported if it were much colder. Next time I'll have a stack of alternative outfits ready for a mess such as this.

After office hours at the university today, we headed to Georgetown for a Sip and See in Anne Miriam's honor. Anne Miriam is precious, and a very happy baby. She was a little angel the whole time we were there. Uncle Robin talked about how much he's enjoyed just getting to sit and hold a sleeping baby for hours at a time. I love it, too. Hunter took pics of the kids. I'll try to post some soon. The food today was yummy. Aunt Jeana sent us home with goodies, and Lauren Clay spent much of the ride home begging for more cheese straws, shrimp rolls and Benedictine sandwiches. What a palate.

After the shower, John and I headed straight to the Dave Ramsey seminar at church. We went through Financial Peace University once and John's taught it twice since, so we knew what Dave was going to say (we even knew many of the jokes he'd tell.) Still, it was fun to see him in person and to be remotivated through his enthusiasm. We're big fans of the baby steps; as much as anything, they have given us a structure for communication about money as a couple, and they've helped us set goals and seek unity in our finances. Dave says that in a marriage there's usually a nerd and a free spirit when it comes to money, and we were reminded that John is our nerd and I'm the free spirit. Lucky for John, I've never been a big-spending free spirit, but I always viewed budgets as being confining, boring, and unnecessary as long as I had enough money to tithe, save a little, and pay off the credit card bill at the end of the month. Oh, and I was never a cash person. A credit card was less hassle than cash, and I could look back at the month and see where my money was going.

We've been credit-card free for a couple years now, and I am a huge fan of the envelope system. It gives this free-spirit some boundaries, not to mention a good challenge. I now go to the grocery once a week, armed with coupons I've snipped from the Sunday paper, a grocery list informed by the sale flyers, and the week's cash from the "food" envelope. While I used to often lament to my budget-nerd husband that our food budget was too conservative, I now get a lot of satisfaction out of coming home with a trunk full of healthy food, with change to spare. I know the Kroger Plus card has a lot of marketing built into the "savings," but where I used to be thrilled if I saved $15, now I'm disappointed if I don't save at least $30.

I am grateful to have a nerdy husband when it comes to money; he has taught me a lot about how to be a good steward. Although we don't have "budget meetings" as often as we should, we do keep financial goals at the forefront and work to communicate often about finances. I'm sure that has a lot to do with why we have a happy marriage. And on that note, I'm off to kiss my precious husband goodnight. And dream of a white Spring Break.