I know he was just trying to be funny, but it's actually a really great thought to keep in mind. So as we've let our recent big decision sink into our minds, it's been a little sad too. We had paint colors picked out and had plans to let the kids pick out a new kitty at the shelter and had plans to spend all summer in the backyard and had already talked to some people about Cameron's Kindergarten teacher, etc. So it's been hard to sort of reverse that thinking back to living here. We LOVE living here, but there were so many things that we were ready for a change from....our broken oven, not having a dryer, the mold currently growing under our window (thank heavens the maintenance crew is coming this morning to fix that....), climbing all the stairs, not having covered parking, the nasty smells coming from the Asians cooking dinner below us, the gossip, no storage space, etc etc.
BUT instead of dwelling on that list, I'm going to make a list of things that I "appreciate instead of hate" about staying here:
- We get to stay with our dear friends and meet so many new people
- No 30+ minute commute for Nate
- CHEAP rent + free utilities, Internet and cable
- Cameron can go to Kindergarten and ride the bus with all of his best friends
- Allison will get to go to Headstart preschool (SO happy about this!!!!!)
- We will have lots of support and help when Baby arrives
- Nate gets to keep playing basketball and football and video games with all of his buddies here
- We will save TONS of money on gas and wear & tear on the Civic with a 5-mile commute instead of a 25-mile commute
- Playdates outside our front door all summer long
- Nate & I get to stay in our current Church callings, which we both love right now
- We get to live by Kristi, Logan & Alex for another year!!!
- And obviously the best one is that it means Nate is pursuing his Masters Degree, which will benefit us for the rest of our lives
So our dear Dave Ramsey posted this article today about moms and money. A HUGE downside to us buying a house right now was the fact that if and when Nate had decided to go back to school, I probably would have had to go back to work. I know that would have broken my heart. I tell Nate all the time how incredibly grateful I am that I have been able to stay home and raise our babies. This means so SO much to me. And now that I caught even a glimpse of maybe having to leave them, I realized how much I have taken it for granted. Here are some things the article said about moms and money, it was written by a mother and the author of "The 10 Habits of Happy Mothers", which I now want to read! It's a little long, but very well-written, and I couldn't agree more with what she says....especially right now!!
"I have watched mothers fall apart when their finances crumble, and I have seen families disintegrate over a mother’s obsession with earning more so that the family can go on nicer vacations, buy a third car, or even provide an Ivy League education for the kids. But here’s my deep concern about money and moms: We have allowed money to have control of our relationship with it. It holds power over us. That’s why Dave Ramsey’s work is so critical. He shows us how to take back the power.
When we control our money, something extraordinary takes place. Money begins to settle into its proper place in our lives. Budgeting helps diffuse the power it holds over us, and we see that we really need a whole lot less than we thought. Real independence comes when we let go of our need for so much that it buys. And as far as allowing our incomes to give us a sense of value—we all know deep down that this isn’t true.
It’s time we mothers square away our relationship with the green stuff. It isn’t a living thing; it's just money. After we take charge over where it goes, let’s work to keep its power in our lives as limited as it should be. Sacrificing time with loved ones to earn more doesn’t make life sunny. And if we really want to live with a sense of freedom, we can open our hands and let a little fly away to those who need it more than we do. Earning more to buy nicer stuff for our kids doesn’t make us better moms—loving them better does. And as far as enjoying real security, there’s only one Being who can give us that, and He isn’t green."
