Updates!

I’m sorry I’ve been neglecting the blogosphere these days.  The job, post-promotion, has been taking up all my time!  Oh, and snuggling with my baby girl.  That takes up the rest of my time.

I thought today I’d update you all on some past posts:

• The Shark:  We still love the new vacuum.  So far, it was definitely worth the money.  Since Turner will be crawling soon (we think…) it was a necessary purchase.  I definitely feel better about putting her on the floor now.
• Working Out:  I don’t understand the question… I haven’t been doing so well in the running department.  As many of you know firsthand, winter in the Midwest this year was ROUGH.  We’ve had a couple nice days, so I plan to get on the move soon!  I even snared a running buddy (that’s you Brittany C!).   But let’s focus on successes.  I have been doing some squats and lunges to get ready to run.  Hope it helps!  Part of the working out post was also what I needed to buy to start running, and contacts were on the top of the list.  Walgreens now carries contacts, and they give some pretty good deals to get people on board.  My contacts were 1) cheaper than 1-800 Contacts (where I usually get them) and 2) 20% off with a coupon!  In total, I spent just over $70 (hello free shipping) for a 6 month supply (my 3 month supply was about that much before).  To you non-astigmatism people, count yourselves lucky.  Toric lenses cost about 50% more per box.  I really hope Turner lucks out and doesn’t need glasses (both for her eye health and our wallet!).  
• Wedding Invitations: So, I think they turned out great!  The bride hasn’t seen them, so I suppose I haven’t passed the real test yet.  If you have no clue what I’m talking about, I offered to address my friend’s wedding invitations as a shower gift (part of tapping your talents to save money).  They took about 3 hours over 2 days, and I only had to throw away 3 envelopes.  Since there were 79 to address, I’m going to put that in the “win” column. The bride (hey Liz!) is pretty excited, so I hope they live up to her expectations!

• Meal Planning: This one does NOT go in the “win” column.  We’ve had some extra busy nights lately, and sometimes we don’t even eat dinner.  I guess that saves money!  I’d really like to work on this one, though.
• Tax Return:  I’m sure you know that we spent some of our tax return on the Shark (have I written enough about it?), but we didn’t tell you where the rest went.  Post baby, the doctor bills were through the roof.  We’ve managed to pay off all but two (including Turner’s bi-monthly doctor visits).  That left our emergency fund almost completely depleted.  Well, it’s beefed back up to $1500!  Dave Ramsey (we follow his plan) suggests having a $1000 starter emergency fund until you are out of debt, but Tu and I are currently uninsured.  Zach and I feel much more comfortable having that little $500 cushion just in case.  As soon as we’re covered (come on June 1st!), we’ll send that $500 toward debt.  As for the rest, well, Tu may have gotten some new clothes.  Girl is growing like a weed!

On tap for this weekend is some thrift shopping!  It seems silly to buy a whole bunch of brand new clothes for the baby when she’s in them for about 3 months.  Since that seems to be how long babies stay in once size, Mama and I should be able to find some good stuff at some local consignment shops.  I’ll report back!

I Work Out

I *will* work out.  You are in for a treat:  a post about working out from someone that doesn’t do it!  This is really Zach's territory (he works out at least 5 days a week), but I figure most of us are beginners, not seasoned vets. 

Next month marks the beginning of training for the Peoria Steamboat Classic.  I have tried running a few times, but to no avail.  I’ll do it maybe two or three days.  Last year, Mama and her friend Kathy did the 4 mile race together, and I saw how good they felt crossing that finish line (and how quickly Mama’s legs slimmed down).  That day I decided I would do it the following year with my (still in the oven at the time) daughter.  I even got a fancy jogging stroller.  Zach and I blew our Christmas budget getting my running shoes (holla Running Central!).  I’ll feel really silly if this running thing doesn’t work out.

This will change our budget.  Registration is $80.00 (!), and I still need some things.  I have little ears, so headphones that actually stay in are a must.  I’m thinking these.  Any ones I find, I’ll have to see in real life before purchase.  Be thankful, normal-sized-ear people!  I also need contacts.  I only go to the eye doctor so I can get more contacts.  This past visit, I also got glasses to save some money on contacts (I’ve worn contacts almost exclusively since 7^th grade).  Not wearing them every day stretches out their life a little longer, so I don’t have to purchase them so often.    Those suckers are expensive!  I’ve been wearing my glasses ever day for the past 4 months, and I’m done.  I am a contacts girl.  It’s time to get back to it. 

Alright, so I need headphones and contacts.  Not bad, right?  What do you need to prepare to start a workout routine?  Do you need the new gear to amp you up?