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Shut the front door! I just linked my Blogger account to Windows Live Writer and I have a feeling this is really going to make posting easy! We’ll see how this goes :)

Excited!

Maybe……

Need. Coffee. Now.

Why is it so hard to wake up? I must still be programmed for college because I honestly think I could sleep an entire day away. I have always been a night owl (I stayed up late last night and finished Mockingjay, the third installment of Hunger Games) so I suppose this isn't any wonder. (Great series of books, by the way!)

I hope you all had a safe and fun Memorial Day weekend! I also hope you took a moment to remember our fallen veterans who have laid their lives down for our sakes. After all, that is what Memorial Day is about.

I personally pondered my freedom while shopping till I dropped yesterday with my mother-in-law. I got a new dress to wear for mine and Eddie's third (OMG!) anniversary, some new jewelry, a swimsuit, and a rockin' pair of red espadrilles. It's nice to know that I am not yet too old for people to buy me a few things now and then! Also, my mother sent the wonderful news that she would like to send Lily Grace to preschool 3 days a week starting in August and as much as I don't want to let her out of my sight, I will at least have some guaranteed time to do school work--and regain sanity.

Speaking of school..... I've been hearing many different opinions on vaccines for children. Autism being the biggest concern as well as several other complications. Personally, I am terrified that if I don't get her vaccinated whatever she may contract will be worse than whatever the vaccines bring on (so far so good--as far as I know). There is so much uncertainty around this topic and I am very torn. I need more information but I don't know where to look or who to trust? The CDC? Well, we know what they will say. A friend told me to read up on Dr. Tenpenny, but there again, I feel like her site is one sided. So, do you guys have any insight for me? Any websites I can visit? Any literature I need to be on to?

Now for coffee...........

My New Career

Yesterday was day one of my new career. Stay-At-Home-Mommy. Yes, I will need lots of prayer. It wasn't really a hard decision to make seeing as how my job of being a teacher's aide paid for health insurance and then daycare and that's it. Literally. A lot of people who hold the same position as I had rationalize that the benefits are just too good to give up even if they are under-paid and under-appreciated. Not this girl! My sweet precious monster is worth way more to me than any amount of low cost doctor visits. Besides, there are numerous alternatives for family healthcare.

My time will stay filled as I slowly but surely work my way towards my degree. I will be (and have been) taking two to three classes, three semesters of the year for the next year and a half to two years. I know what you're thinking: You're at home! Take more classes and get done sooner! I know myself far too well and if I get bogged down in school work the house will be a disaster area and the child will be neglected (not literally), but my reason for staying home is for her, not me. Besides, I'm not going back to work until Lily Grace is well into school and there probably won't be any jobs available for a few years anyways.

My main objectives for this summer and the forthcoming year are nothing short of an edition of Better Homes and Gardens. Eat healthy, stay active, do fun, low-cost things with LG, get organized, manage my time well and save money! (Too much to ask?) So far I've got dinner covered. If you guys have not heard about E-Mealz, I am here to tell you: IT WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE (or at least your dinner) FOREVER!! I could and probably will devote a whole post on E-Mealz at a later time. Just do me a favor and check out their website. They are for real.

We live in a small community and awesome things like museums and water parks are not available unless you take a day trip to a surrounding county. I will have to budget these types of trips in, and feel I owe it to Lily Grace to get out and explore. However, I am open to suggestions of things I can look for in my own city to do.

I also need LUNCH MENU suggestions. I have already learned from E-Mealz that if you plan your menus, you save money and are just all around a more efficient person. Obviously I want something lighter than a dinner menu and more kid-friendly since this particular meal of the day is centered around the babe. If you have come across anything like this I want to know about it!

So, I want to hear from YOU if you have any suggestions or websites I can visit to help me achieve my goals.

I have a feeling Lily Grace and I are going to end up with responsibility charts. At least we can use cute stickers!