Another Topic Monopolizing My Brain....

NOW all I can think about is money money money money money money.
Our budget, money in, money out, ways to save, trying not to shop....which is so HARD. That is our biggest issue, when we want something we just go and buy it. When we want to eat out we do. The two of us are a BAD combo because we don't keep each other in check.
We need more in savings...and I want to organize our spending and try to spend like we will when the baby is here and put the "baby" money over the next 5 months in savings for when the baby is actually here.

Another issue is that my husband works on comission. He has a nice base salary but we count on a certain amount of comission each month. It's hard to work on a budget when you don't know exactly how much money your working with.

Ugh. The good thing is...we BOTH have jobs. I know we are lucky to have this in our economy.

My question for you is...do any of you have a reccomendation for a good book on finances?

Gahh.

I keep wanting to write a new post...but all I have on my mind is babybabybabybabybabyyyyyyyyyyyy. I don't want to BORE the crap out the few folks who read this blog that aren't a parent or expecting. But I'm telling you...that is HARD. I just can't think of much else!

I can't stop thinking about the fact that I am pregnant and that there is a baby in my belly ready to come live with us in less that 6 months. What is with THAT?!?!?! I need at LEAST another 9 months before I am going to feel prepared. Can you tell I'm a procrastinator?

The GOOD thing is that in the last 2 weeks I have become more excited about being pregnant and becoming a mama and less terrified by the whole idea. Also, I don't feel completely exhausted all the time and I'm able to do more than eat, sleep, and go to work.

So...sorry if I have put you to sleep with my brief blurb on whats up over here at OTOP....as soon as I have something NON-BABY to say I'll post it!

VS.

Sooooo...we ALL know I was trying to lose weight BEFORE I got pregnant. I had just jumped back on the Weight Watchers bandwagon right around the time we (unknowingly) conceived. I was seeing success and feeling great and then I found out I was pregnant. Since then I have been watching my diet but not depriving myself and keeping up with my workout schedule of 3-4 times per week. So far in the last 14 weeks of pregnancy I have gained only 2 lbs. I think this is pretty good....I don't know how I compare to others, I may be right on the mark. But I was expecting to blow up like an elephant, and on top of the weight gain I STILL fit in my regular pants! This too may be normal but I had visions of me rolling around like Violet in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory!

The point of this post in a non-sensical,round about way is to tell you about this issue I am having: MY scale vs the OBGYN scale. I own an OFFICIAL Weight Watchers scale...the nicest scale I have ever owned. When I weigh myself on this scale the number it produces nearly matches EXACTLY the number on the scale I was weighed on at my WW meetings. Imagine my horror when I walked into the OBGYN for the first time and it is seriously SIX pounds higher than my home scale (& the WW meeting scale!)!!!
I don't know why this bothers me SO MUCH but it kills me every time they weigh me on that devil bitch scale.

Things That Need To Get Done Before The New Human Arrives: A List

I'm trying to nap and all my mind can do is bounce from room to room in my house thinking of all the crap that needs to be accomplished before July 16th. Actually before May let's say, just in case the wee one throws a monkey wrench in my face and decides he/she wants to some early or do naughty things to make me lay around on bed rest for 2 months or something. Luckily, my in-laws will be at their home in Florida for the winter and we will be moving into their house that is just 10 minutes away to stretch our legs. We do this every winter, it's a nice break from our little house.

So here is my TO DO list from mid-January to May in all of its likely boringness.

1) Clean the garage
2) Paint the deck
3) Paint the trim on the new sliding glass door
4) Organize our office area and files
5) Reorganize the cabinets in dining room and kitchen
6) Build a pantry in the basement for overflow from the tiny cabinets
7) Make room in one of these tiny cabinets for baby stuff
8) Dry Clean oriental rug in living room
9) Organize and create a system in our hall coat closet
10) Organize our attic
11) Build bookcases for overflow books in the attic
12) Re grout and seal the tile in the shower, seal around the tub, install a new window in the shower
13) Organize the bathroom and linen closet, get ride of products that haven't been used in years..also make room for new humans bath stuff
14) Paint nursery, hang shelves, buy furniture
15) Go through closets in both guest room and master bedroom....somehow put all of our clothes in our room and an overflow wardrobe in the basement
16) Hang shelves and new photo collage in our bedroom
17) Find lampshades for stupid lamps I bought 2 years ago for 5 dollars each at Anthroplogie and have yet to find shades that fit.
18) Clean and organize basement
19) Clean and create a nice laundry room space...I hear I'll be doing even more than I do now. I think I need to hire a laundry gimp who lives in my basement.
20) Donate or sell all the items we purge from our house at the family garage sale this summer.

This will be me in no time: