What I Learned in April and May

Photo: Deer passing through water in Baltimore's Mt. Washington neighborhood

1) It's important to save for a rainy day. One day out of the blue the hubs learned the company he worked for was going out of business. One of the firms executives had been mismanaging company funds and poof just like that 100 people were out of a job. People with new babies, pregnant wives, new mortgages, and other financial commitments were left to fend for themselves, us included. It was a sad event as of course no one wants to lose their job, or watch their colleagues/friends go into a financial crisis. We were fortunate in that we have been vigilant in maintaining a healthy rainy day fund. Not everyone makes enough money to cover reasonable living expenses and save a significant portion of their income. Getting laid off provided an important reminder about the importance of saving when you have the ability to do so.

2) Our household wastes a lot of food. With the hubs getting laid off we are careful about every penny we spend, which means finding areas where we are currently wasting money. The biggest area for us thus far is overspending on food. This is largely due to food waste. Americans on average WASTE AROUND A THIRD of their food supply, and we are no different. I had no idea how much food we were throwing away every week. Once I started paying attention it was truly astounding, and we will be working hard to reduce our waste dramatically.

3) How to get rid of mold. We had a mishap with our shower that resulted in some flooding in our bathroom, which lead to a small problem with mold. Luckily a quick Google search was able to turn up was to get up the mold naturally and cheap. You can learn how using baking soda or vinegar HERE.

What did you learn this month? You can learn more about what others learned at CHATTING AT THE SKY.

"The beautiful thing about learning is no one can take it away from you." ~B.B. King

Taking a Moment to be Thankful

How often do you pause and take a moment to be thankful? I'll admit I don't do this often enough. Sometimes I let my life get overrun with seemingly important things, that at the end of the day are not all that important. I find myself busy, too busy in fact to step back and be thankful. Luckily for me, I always seem to realize the error in my ways, and come back to a place of gratitude.

The other day I was taking a stroll with my daughter and stumbled upon the scene pictured above. It made me thankful. Thankful that I live in a nice neighborhood that's relatively safe with beautiful gardens. In Baltimore, there are many people living in neighborhoods that look like this

And here I was walking around my neighborhood so many times, not remembering to thankful for my surroundings.

Later in the day I began to notice other things to be thankful for. It was amazing how one moment of gratitude could become contagious and begin to illuminate all the other things I had to be grateful for, that often go unnoticed. Do you take out time to be thankful? What have you been thankful for lately? Please share.

"It is only with gratitude that life becomes rich." ~Deitrich Bonheiffer

How My New Yoga Pants Changed My Life

I recently bought a new pair of yoga pants that are totally outside of my normal style ( my normal style, being no style). I don't know what made me purchase them, as they are so bold and I typically dress rather boring. When they arrived in the mail I tried them on. To my surprise, I liked them!!!! They were so not me, yet so me at the same time...if that makes any sense. Excited, I modeled them for the hubs, who proclaimed them to be absolutely hideous and not to be worn outside of the house. Usually I care a lot about what the hubs thinks, but not on this matter. I adored my new pants and not only would I be wearing them around the house, I'd be wearing them in public too. Later that day, I headed off to yoga class and to run errands in my new crazy pants. While out multiple strangers came up to me and said, "I love your pants!" Men and women alike. It really caught me off guard. My pants were causing me to enter into conversations with all kinds of people I normally would not speak to. For instance, I chatted for a while with an elderly woman in a hot pink fur coat (now how often does that happen?) It was amazing how liberating a pair of pants could be. They will forever remind me to step outside of my comfort zone, live on the wild side, and be seen. What about you? have you ever done something that was out of the norm for yourself? How did it turn out?

"The minute I stopped caring about what other people thought and started doing what I wanted to do, is the minute I finally felt free."~Unknown

What I've Learned About Marriage

             Photo: JERMIL SADLER

The other day the hubs and I celebrated our fourth wedding anniversary. It got me thinking a lot about marriage....what mistakes I've made.....and what lessons I've learned. I thought I'd share a few lessons with you below. Feel free to chime in if you any marital wisdom of your own in the comments section.

1.) Kids make marriage sweeter. Words cannot express the satisfaction that comes from producing a baby with the person you love. To see a little person who looks just like my spouse crawling around the house, spontaneously takes my breath away. It allows me to see my husband in an entirely new vulnerable light and is a very joyous thing. I try to be present and grateful in our day-to-day life, and always remember the privilege I've been given.

2.) It's important to pay attention, and act accordingly. Though having a baby is absolutely awesome, it's also extremely exhausting.  There are moments where I feel at my wits end, and my husband swoops in like superman and offers to take the baby off my hands for a little while. That's called, paying attention. Paying attention is very valuable. It makes the other person feel seen and cared for. I try to pay attention as much as I can.

3.) It's important to fight fair. Over the course of a marriage you're bound to find yourself in the midst of an occasional heated argument. How you handle these moments can determine the difference between whether a dispute strengthens or weakens your marriage. It's easy to get upset in the moment and raise your voice or use unkind words, but such treatment can lead to resentment and exacerbation of the issue at hand. I've learned it's important to stay calm, kind, and open to a differing perspective when there is a disagreement. Since learning how to "fight fair" I've been amazed at how much more quickly our disputes are settled, and how we both seem to feel much better after an issue has been resolved.

To learn what others have learned visit CHATTING AT THE SKY.

"Marriage is not a noun; it's a verb. It isn't something you get. It's something you do. It's the way you love your partner every day." ~Barbara de Angelis

What I Learned in October

1. Almond milk is a great sleep aide

Thanks to one of my favorite bloggers GAM, I decided to try some almond milk recently. I drank it warm and it was very tasty. Not only that, but I learned it's a great natural sleep aide. I slept like a baby after one cup.

2. New babies are a LOT of work

It really helps to have an active and supportive partner. I don't know what I would do without the hubs, or as I now call him these days  "Mr. Changes Poopy Diapers". Teamwork is a must!

3. Rasberry Leaf Tea and Prenatal Yoga work wonders

Both worked in tandem to prepare me for a quick and successful labor. I had my daughter in 2 hours and 14 mins. Rasberry leaf tea also helps to supply mothers with milk post-partum.

4. Sometimes it's OK to take it easy

Things have been so very hectic in my life this month. I have been attempting to do it all....keep a clean home, run errands, be there for the baby, cook, play hostess, and snap back to my old self among other things. All of this has back fired, and really shown me that sometimes you have to take it easy, and right after birth is one of those times. It's OK to delay doing dishes, sweeping, combing your hair, etc. I've learned the importance of just resting right now, when possible. And after much trepidation, I decided to hire a cleaning service the other day. I must say, it feels sooooo good to have things tidy now and have more time for the baby. I might keep them around for a few months :-)

5. Kindness abounds

Over the past month our new little family has been shown so much kindness, from family and friends who've cooked and brought us meals, to loved ones who've generously showered us with unexpected baby gifts. We were even given the gift of a handmade baby hat from a stranger. I've been truly floored by the extent to which kindness exists in our lives, we are very lucky.

What did you learn last month?