I’ve really tried to stay on top of my writing and publish posts about every 2 days. I’ve realized that it is time to back off a little and streamline my posts to 2 a week. This will free me up a little more to spend more time with the boys as well.
So starting Feb 1, my goal is get 2 stories a week and then if I feel like writing more that week, I will. But I still my focus for these posts will still be on the boys, family, finance, etc.
As with everything else with our society, there is an app for our smart phones for almost everything. Here are a few apps that I wanted to share that 
I have either read about that I wished that I had used or that I have used in the past/currently.
Out of Milk – This app is perfect for people with ADD or that just forget because they have so much going on. It allows for lists, which I use for grocery shopping, to be created either on the phone or on a computer, which is then synched to the phone. I probably use this app once a day.
Baby Tracker – I have not used this one, but with twins, it could have come in handy.
Baby Sign Language – This is something that we have started doing, so I can see were this could come in handy.
It is amazing how technology is creating apps to make our lives easier as parents.
Tonight is the State of the Union address and for the first time in years, I have decided not to watch. As a self proclaimed political junkie, I am more than discouraged with our political parties and the way that the country is heading. A few key factors
So tonight, instead of watching the State of the Union, I blog. I read. I catch up on blogs and start planning out menus for the coming week. Though my priorities have not changed, meaning, I still love politics, I just chose instead tonight, instead of getting caught up in the rhetoric, that I would do something more productive with my evening.
As for so many weekends, I end up having to make a shopping trip run, either to Target or to the local grocery store or both. So, with my list on my
phone (Out of Milk app for the Droid is awesome) I ran over to both Target and the grocery store. The primary objective was baby food from Target and food for the crock pot from the grocery store.
20 bags later, I am home and my wife asked how much I spent, to which I replied, total, $215 for both stores. And to give an idea, there were 3 bags of baby food, no formula, just the solid foods. We now have enough baby food for 3 months and we have enough food for 5 meals in the crock pot. And, best of all, I was able to save $75 for the trip.
So, watch your sale ads and if you get a chance, stock up on the things that you know that you will need for the future. Save money today, for tomorrow.
All in all, I think that it was a successful weekend shopping trip.
As most Americans yesterday, my wife and I sat down and watched the Baltimore Ravens vs. New England Patriots. The game lived up to the hype to say the least, but with 20 seconds to go, the Baltimore Ravens kicker, Billy Cundiff had the opportunity to kick a 30 yard field goal to send the game into overtime. As the pressure mounted, he pushed the kick wide left, the Patriots are going to the Super Bowl and the Ravens are going back to Baltimore. And as I sat in my chair in disbelief, my wife shaking her head asking how he could have missed a kick that he has made thousands of times, I simple said, “It’s just a game.”
Now, please understand, I love sports. There were three things that I was told when I was a kid:
1) That we support and love UNC
2) That the Yankees were the greatest dynasty every built
3) Under no circumstance do you cheer for duke (or as we were taught to spell it, dook)
And when it comes to the UNC vs. dook game, all bets are off. I save all of my bad language for those games. But at the end of the day, it’s just a game. So, last night, as I was thinking about that, I realized I don’t want my boys having that much pressure put on them for sports. I want them to play, but I want them to play and love it, because it is what they want to do. I want them to understand, that sports is just as much about teamwork, as it is winning a game.
So when I read the press game comments last night and I read Ray Rice and Ray Lewis talked about how this is a team sport and that the blame should not fall on Billy Cundiff, I was really glad, because they are right. The team lost the game, not the kicker, he just happened to miss a field goal. The game was not won or lost on 1 play, but a series of plays. My hope, is that when it is time for Billy Cundiff to retire, that he will be remembered for his off the field actions – helping raise money for hunger programs, Teammates for Kids to name a few, but the sad reality, is that our society will remember 1 kick, from a game.
And at the end of the day, it’s just a game.
As January 2012 is quickly coming to an end, I sit back today and reflect the last year, there were both highs and lows, but mostly highs:
Highlights:
– The boys were born and are healthy and growing
– My wife and I are closing in on our 4th wedding anniversary
– Family and Friends are doing well and healthy
– My sister welcomed her daughter into the world, so we are aunts and uncles again
– Our careers are doing really well, even in a down economy
Lows:
– There were some trying times after the boys were born for us.
– Financially. You know how they say with twins, it is two of everything. They aren’t kidding. It has been hard financially on us, but we have gotten by and have been able to start learning to live on less.
All in all, 2011 will go down for my wife and I as a great year. We were able to welcome our sons to the world and they have been able to bring us so much joy and laughter, that I can’t imagine a day without them. And spending time reflecting on the past, is helping me plan for the future.
I have to admit, 9 months later and the boys feeding schedule has stayed for the most part on track. We have found it to be very important, to not only get the boys on a feeding schedule, but to keep them on the schedule. This will give you a rough idea of our schedule:
6 – 7am – 8oz bottle of formula
9am – oatmeal and a fruit mixed together
12pm – 8 oz bottle of formula
4pm – 8 oz bottle of formula
7pm – solid foods
Each child is different, but for us, ensuring that even if we are traveling that we stick close to the feeding schedule as possible has been very important. I truly believe that children want to be on a schedule, just as much as the parents want them to be on a schedule. Children need the structure.
The last time that I checked, life is too short and we aren’t guaranteed tomorrow. But even so, we can plan ahead and protect our loved ones as best we can. As a father, I feel that it is my role to lead by example and to make sure that my family is always provided for, even if something were to happen to me.
The week after the boys were born, I added them to my Life Insurance policy at work, which guarantees $20,000 each. I also increased the individual life insurance policies that my wife and I both have as well. And then I added them to my other two policies that I had taken out with USAA. If I were to die tomorrow, the boys would be taken care of and all for a few dollars a month. There is a peace of mind knowing that if I am not here tomorrow, that they will be provided for.
I highly recommend sitting down with a financial planner and discussing with them your options and protecting your family and their future. Taking an hour or two out of your busy schedules, is worth the security for when you need it the most.
Today is a sad day for my family, as it was 3 years ago today, that my wife’s mother was killed in a tragic car accident. Our lives have been forever changed due to an event that happened in a split second and though my mother in law has never seen or held our sons here on earth, I will forever believe that she got to see them before we did. I don’t know why I feel that way, but it just gives me a little bit of comfort in knowing that.
Moms, you are loved & missed and there isn’t a day that goes by that you are not thought of or that we tell the boys about you. Even though the boys will never physically know you, they will know all about you, both through the pictures that they will see and the stories that our family and friends will share with them.
Here are the lyrics to Mark Schultz’s song Remember Me, which is what I was listening to when I got the call that snowy afternoon. I will share with you with the chorus only:
And age to age
And heart to heart
Bound by grace and peace
Child of wonder, Child of God
I’ll remember you
Remember Me
Somedays you just have to laugh at life. This past Friday, several things happened:
1) My Jeep was paid off
2) My wife was offered a new job
3) To celebrate, my wife ran off the road, hit the curb and blew out her tire.
Now, I’m sure that you are asking yourself, how can you laugh this off? Well, it is simple, my wife wasn’t hurt. Yes, a new tire cost about $325 that I wasn’t expecting to pay, but my Jeep is now paid off, my wife got a new job, and she wasn’t hurt.
So, I laugh and just chalk it up to being just one of those days.