July 5, 2009
On Saturdays, my husband will often watch our son while I take a few hours out for “Me time.” This past Saturday, I was at the bookstore and browsing a book where there was a story of a man who gave another struggling young man a healthy dose of “perspective” that got him back on his feet after feeling sorry for himself.
Maybe it’s just me, but it’s been much harder keeping a good perspective and living a frugal and, more importantly, contented life in the time I’ve been back in the US (for those of you unfamiliar with this blog, read the “About Me” section to find out more about my previous overseas experiences). There is always someone you can find who’s generally “better off” than you, and it’s even easier to do so when you have access to the Internet.
This past weekend, however, I feel like I’ve encountered a few stories that remind me that we have so much, and that the “stuff” we have, we don’t even deserve. Today I made homemade manicotti for a friend and her family – my friend, a mother of 6, just found out this past week she was diagnosed with Stage 4 lymphoma. Today, I also read an email from a friend who’s working in the mountain ranges of Tajikistan to develop a new project that will give yak herders a better chance at life (it’s really cool, by the way – check it out at www.yakyakstory.com). In his previous five weeks of travel, he said he had barely had any fresh fruits or vegetables, and also learned that a) most people in the area he was traveling in have NO personal bathroom at all – it’s all public baths, and b) that the average yak shepherd has to pay 3 weeks wages for a sack of flour.
Things like this remind me that in the midst of trying to make ends meet and achieve certain financial goals, I don’t want to lose sight of things that are even more important, and I don’t want to ever go around feeling deprived.
July 3, 2009
I don’t know if they have these types of libraries in your neck of the woods, but today I took advantage of our local tool lending library (for those of you living in Oakland, look it up here). We are trying to secure some bookshelves and hang a heavy mirror, so we needed a stud sensor. Our local tool lending library has a wide assortment of gardening, construction, power tools, etc. and will lend them out free of charge for 3 days at a time – just enough time to give us incentive to get it done this weekend, and to save us the $20-30 to buy a stud sensor that we wouldn’t end up needing any other time.
For more money-saving ideas, visit Frugal Fridays at www.lifeasmom.com.
July 1, 2009
My husband is notorious for assigning his friends and family nicknames. Sometimes, it’s just their last name, but many times, it includes some unusual label that has a long story behind it. I keep reminding him that one of these days we’ll have to teach Eli the real names of his aunts and uncles before he starts calling them things like “Aunt Chubber” or “Aunt Bugman,” and sort out the confusion of why his dad and his uncle call each other “Jack.”
Although I seem to have escaped with a safe name of “Babe,” Eli has not been so fortunate. We started off with a reasonable nickname of “Buddy,” but as soon as his fondness of food emerged, the name “Porker Bun” started to fly around. Family members shake their heads when my husband calls out “PORKERS!” and Eli comes running, thinking that we’ll give him a complex one day.
For the time being, though, we may have to switch names and begin calling him Rudolph. Today I summoned up all of my energy and took Eli out to the zoo with an annual membership we have. Just after I let him out of his stroller, he took off in a sprint toward the flamingoes, shouting with excitement, then suddenly tripped and face-planted on the asphalt.
Ouch. So much for a calm, uplifting nature walk.
June 30, 2009
Even though I try to go by some sort of menu during the week, for breakfast and lunch it’s often more spontaneous. I’ve found that I love the taste of chopped fresh herbs in things like omelets in the morning, or to add a delicious twist to the mayo on a sandwich for lunch, but I don’t always love cleaning up the cutting board afterwards. I also realized that often, when I buy a bunch of cilantro or parsley, some of it can remain hidden in the vegetable cooler until its too late. Having them chopped and visible in see-through containers encourages me to use them up.
So this week, what I’m trying to do is chop up all my herbs ahead of time. I will use some of them for planned dishes, like homemade pico de gallo and bean and corn salad, but will leave the rest to the imagination.
For more tips on what others find helpful in their lives, visit Works for Me Wednesdays at www.wearethatfamily.com.
