4 Items Not Worth Splurging On and 2 That Are

I came across an interesting article on the Dave Ramsey website entitled, "7 Items Worth Splurging On" and thought I would share my thoughts on it.

Firstly, you should know that I am a very frugal person by nature, but I like quality items just the same as the rest of you. However, there are some things that are just not worth the extra cost to me. Below is a list of some items that I think are NOT worth splurging on:

1. Toilet Paper - I get the cheapest toilet paper I can find with sales/coupons (I go by price per roll and aim for under 40 cents per roll). We get the nice stuff occasionally through this method, but it is not worth the extra money to use it on a regular basis. It’s going on your butt, people. I think many people are just wiping too hard, and that, rather than the actual toilet paper, is what causes irritation.
2. Trash Bags - We use Aldi trashbags for our kitchen, the cheapest kind they have. Just don’t put 5 gallons of liquid in them and they hold just fine. Every trash bag is prone to breaking at some point or another, and what exactly are people putting in them that would make them break so easily anyway? We use grocery bags for trash cans around the house, so those are free. Take your trash out regularly, whiling working on reducing the amount of trash you actually have, and you will no longer need those industrial strength bags!
3. Running Shoes - This is something I do agree partially on, but you needn’t go overboard unless you are a hardcore runner. Unless you are training for a marathon, $50 will get you a decent pair that will last a while. Shoes sales are pretty common, so you could even score that $50 pair for around $30.
4. Food - I'm not sure why the above mentioned article mentions fast food as being cheap, because it most certainly is NOT. You can eat very well for much much less. In my experience, once you go past a certain point, if you are spending more on food you are generally getting LESS healthy stuff (packaged/processed/frozen entrees/fast food/eating out). So cutting the food budget almost always means you will eat more healthy by cooking at home and from scratch more.

And here are a few items I do believe are worth splurging on:

1. Silverware - If you eat at home as much as we do, you will want good silverware that will stand up to constant use and abuse and dishwashing machines. I've seen cheap sets sold at places like Walmart, and they are generally made of cheap metals like Aluminum, which break down very easily and leave a metallic taste in your mouth. If you can afford a nice set, I believe it is worth is, especially if it lasts your entire lifetime. You don't have to spend a lot though - look at garage sales and thrift stores long enough and you will find some nicer silverware for cheap.
2. Cookware - Back when my husband and I were engaged, we attended a cookware presentation and bought the over-priced but extremely high quality cookware set. Despite over-paying, we are very happy we have this set - it stands up to constant use, day in and day out. After 4 years, it still looks brand new, despite incidents with boiling pasta being forgotten and melting chocolate left unchecked. The set also has a copper lining inside and heats up fast and stays hot long after the burner has been turned off. We paid an exuberant amount for ours, but similar sets can be had for much less. You will still be paying much more than those $50 sets though, and I think it is worth the extra money.

So there you have it - 4 items I am NOT willing to pay extra for, and 2 that I will. I know many people will have differing opinions on this, so leave a comment and let me know why if you do!

10 Weeks Postpartum

Here's some recent photos of my growing little snowflake!

First smiles! These are the best :)

Floor time - she is already trying to roll over!

Life with two has been interesting and busy. It's all I can do to stay on top of the laundry everyday. I am working on streamlining all of our wardrobes because of it! Less clothes equals less chaos! Right now, Snowflake is nursing about every 2 -3 hours during the day and 2 -3 times during the night. She has such a calm and happy temperament, which is such a blessing since Peanut had terrible colic! I am really able to enjoy these first months with her, which I couldn't do with Peanut, so it's really been wonderful. She is growing so fast, already in size 2 diapers and size 3 month clothing!

I feel pretty much back to my old self, although I am still not able to exercise quite as much as I want. I get very sore and have some pains if I try to push myself too much. I think this is because I may have pushed a bit too hard during delivery. So, I am taking it slow and trying to remind myself that I am only 10 weeks out and it takes a long time for my body to be completely recovered from childbirth!

Early Spring

Today is a special day, it comes just every 4 years on Leap Year. I was getting kinda down that February, my least favorite month of the year, was going to be prolonged another day. But it hasn't been bad at all, it's been a wonderful day of welcoming spring!

It was 67 degrees, and let me tell you, after a long winter of being inside, that 67 degrees feels like heaven! We went on a mid-day walk and spent the afternoon exploring the new plants and flowers poking through in our garden and enjoying the fresh air.

It was also the first time Snowflake was able to be outside without being covered up. She was able to feel the breeze and taste the air!

I know we can still can get snow for another month, but I think the worst of winter is truly behind us now. Fresh open windows, flowers and sun are so close I can taste it!

Freezer Batch Cooking

A few weeks ago, I snagged a great deal on organic milk. It was marked down 50% off to $2.99 each, which is a steal, but the "sell by" date was just a few days away. I bought 2 gallons anyway, knowing that the date is arbitrary and that I could find some good uses for it in the next week or so.

I decided against freezing the second gallon, even though it was still unopened nearly a week later. Looking back, I probably should have just frozen it, but we had fun thinking of all the ways to use it up quickly! Enter the completely unplanned and terribly long waffle and pancake freezer cooking session!

(Note to self: do not attempt something like this ever again without much forethought when you have a sick and whiny toddler and a constantly nursing newborn!)

First, I made a triple batch of pancake batter. I have one griddle. One batch made 13 pancakes. Each group of pancakes took about 6 minutes to make, give or take, depending on how closely I was watching them in between cleaning up all the batter that ended up in strange places.

This was the first group. I think I might have over-sprayed the griddle or either was temporarily attending to a toddler disaster which caused them to burn a tad (but no one notices if you just flip the pancake over and serve them the unburnt side up!)

After the marathon pancake making, which lasted almost 2 hours with all the distractions that life with 2 under 2 brings, I was exhausted and did not even want to think about freezing cooking for oh, about a year.

But the next day, the nearly bad milk was starting to mock me, so I went ahead and made a triple batch of waffle batter (but this was after I had already made one batch for breakfast that morning). I have 1 waffle maker. Each giant waffle takes about 5 or 7 minutes to make. Each batch makes 3.5 large waffles. This therefore took forever. You would think I would have learned my lesson from the pancake episode just a day ago. But I like a challenge. And now we have pancakes and waffles in the freezer ready to pop in the toaster for those mornings when I don't feel like cooking a big breakfast (which is just about every morning these days!).

But I don't think I will buy that much extra milk again. Or if I do, I will come to my senses and freeze it!

Have you done any freezer batch cooking lately?

One Month Old!

Snowflake turned one month old a week or so ago, and she is growing like crazy! She weighed around 10lbs and is almost 22 inches long! She has been such a laid back baby compared to her older sister, which has been somewhat of a relief for Mommy and Daddy! She is already a very efficient nurser as well, and I am not struggling with a low supply like last time either. Already she is fitting into size 3-month clothing, which her sister did not fit into until 4 months! It amazes me how different they are!

Peanut has been quite the little helper with her sister- trying to soothe her when she cries, bringing her blankets and stuffed animals and sippy cups! Whenever I need to change, bathe or nurse Snowflake, Peanut is at my feet, watching and trying to be as helpful as she can at this age. It is so precious to see them together and the love she has for her baby sister!

Because it is winter, we have stayed inside a lot this past month to protect Snowflake from the germs out there. Cabin fever is beginning to get the best of us however, so we will be resuming our normal activities soon!

Snowflake Snuggles

The past two weeks have been full of snuggles, surprises and getting to know one another! Here's a little peak into our days around here with our new addition:

Peanut and Snowflake snuggling up together- so precious!

A sleeping Snowflake, so peaceful:

Another Campbell Has Arrived! The Birth Story of Baby Snowflake

'Baby Snowflake' is our little "drama" queen! She really knows how to play tricks on her mommy! After 2 bouts of false labor, she finally decided to come at the last minute before 2011 was over- our New Year’s Eve baby!

Here is the full story of her birth:

On Saturday, Christmas Eve, the day before my due date, I started having contractions about 7 minutes apart around 1pm. The night before, I had been having contractions on and off, which really hindered my ability to get a good night's rest. Friday morning, I nested like crazy, cleaning the whole house thinking baby would be here soon. Daddy C was feeling sick like he might have the flu, which made me even more anxious. Between all the cleaning, I tried to feed us all good, nutrient dense foods and supplements to ward off the sickies. By 1pm, the contractions had returned with regularity. I went on a walk, and they got stronger and closer together. I decided to call the midwives and tell them to come at 4:30pm. Daddy C took Peanut to a relative's house just in case, and the midwives arrived around 5:30pm, by which time the contractions were now coming 5 minutes apart. They were not really painful though, and since I had back labor with Peanut, I wasn't sure if this was just what regular labor contractions felt like. I decided to be checked to see how far along I was since Daddy C was trying to decide whether or not to miss the Christmas Eve Worship service he needed to lead. They checked me and I was just 1-2cm, so he left and my sister who was there with us stayed and hung out with me while we waited for him to get back. During this time my contractions did not get any closer together and they varied in intensity.

When Daddy C got back, the midwives went out for a Chinese dinner and me, my sister and Daddy C took another long walk. It was kinda pretty walking around after dark on Christmas Eve, looking at all the lights. I had quite a few intense contractions while walking, and by the time I got back I sat on the stability ball to work through them. They were coming 2 minutes apart and were pretty intense. I was so worn out by time point I decided to try and lay down on the bed for a while. During this time about 10pm, the midwives came back and checked me again to see if any progress had been made. I was still the same 1-2cm. I pretty much knew it was not going to happen that night and we sent them home. I then took a long hot shower and had a good cry. I was more upset over not having our Peanut home with us than anything- it was the first time she had ever been away at night and we did not want to wake her up just to bring her back home when we could just get her in the morning.

The next few days came and went without any contractions. On Tuesday, I was feeling crampy in the evening, but nothing like I had on Saturday. Daddy C and I went to bed, and contractions started coming soon after around 9:30pm. I had to really work through these contractions which were much different from the ones I had on Saturday. It was eerily reminiscent of Peanut's labor and birth, so we called the midwives over at around 10:45pm and they got here shortly before midnight. We had been timing the contractions to be 4 minutes apart and lasting around a minute each. My sister also came soon after since she was going to take care of Peanut if she woke up. Unfortunately, she also brought her dog, which I didn't expect, and I got needlessly upset. The stress slowed the contractions down considerably. I was checked and found to be 4-5cm, 80% effaced and -2 station. Because the contractions were slowing, the midwives suggested I take a shower and see if that stopped them. I did and it seemed at that point they were slowing. My body was extremely tired by now and all I wanted was sleep. I think my body knew this, and everything stopped by 2am and we sent everyone home once again. I still had very irregular contractions all throughout the night before they stopped completely in the morning. I was so sore the next day, disappointed, and thinking the baby would never come.

Friday morning, I decided to go get adjusted one last time at my chiropractor. I was so stiff and sore from the stress the past week had brought on me. I felt so much better after being adjusted, thinking that the next time labor started I would probably stay in labor. We then went out to eat at a Mexican joint for lunch so I could eat some spicy foods.

Saturday morning, New Years Eve, I really needed to get my mind off things now that I was nearly a week overdue. We went hiking at a nearby nature preserve and I flew down the trail, hiking with gusto. This was so abnormal for me since I normally take my time climbing hills! I didn't really think too much of it though. Later that afternoon, Daddy C and I made love (for like the millionth time that week, haha!) and then went out shopping at Lowes. At Lowes, I started having contractions that were pretty strong, but I didn't want to

get my hopes up so I didn't think too much of them. They were coming every 10 minutes so nothing to get excited over. We went home, made dinner, and I started timing them around 6:30pm and they were coming 6-7 minutes apart. I made the call to alert one of the midwives, but did not tell them to come yet.

We put Peanut to bed, and I took a shower to see if that would stop the contractions. Shortly before the shower, I had a very small amount of "bloody show" which was really just pink twinged mucus, and not much of it- it certainly wasn't as much show as I had with Peanut. The shower seemed to intensify the contractions, and I was moaning and trying to get through each one. At 8:15, I had DH summon the midwives. He then worked on getting arrangements for Peanut while I worked through the contractions on my stability ball. I had to visualize myself getting through each one, like riding a wave. By the time the midwives arrived, I was having them very close together. Moving around seemed to intensify them so I

stayed on my ball. Despite the intensity and pain of each contraction, I was able to get through them with visualization and chanting "I can do this" over and over. I was determined to remain as relaxed and positive as possible throughout labor this time around. I held on tight to DH's hands through each one, and everyone was very encouraging throughout, telling me how great of a job I was doing.

Around 11, I decided to be checked to see my progress, since things were really picking up. I was starting to feel nauseated and getting chills. I was checked and found to be 7-8cm. I remember asking if I was going through transition and they told me I was. A few of the contractions became horrible at that point and someone suggested I get in the shower for a bit to see if that might help. I got in, and was relieved to feel the hot water. I couldn't really stand at that point, so I dropped to my hands and knees. We decided to fill up the tub for better relief, which helped a bit. The contractions were so intense at this point, I was afraid I would not get through them. I tried as hard as possible to remain as controlled and relaxed as I could, but a few of them I sorta lost it and everyone tried to bring me back down. I knew this baby needed to get out and now. I could not stand this a minute longer! I tried to get out of the tub and make my way to the bed, but as I stood up, I felt like I needed to push right there. I decided to stay in the tub. The uncontrollable urge to push came over me and after the first push, one of the midwives put my hand down to feel that the baby's head had crowned. I remember being freaked out and said "I don't want to feel it!" but it was actually very encouraging to know baby was close. I think my water broke sometime before that happened as well. Daddy C said the water suddenly got very cloudy when that happened. The last 4 minutes or so of pushing were agonizing, I was screaming partly in fear of it lasting forever. But within 3 more pushes, baby shot out like a rocket. I couldn't believe it- such relief! She made a wimper as soon as she was lifted out of the water and placed on my chest. I was in shock! I thought she should be crying more, but everyone was saying how gentle her birth was, she had no reason to cry! She was so warm on my chest, with the blankets all around her. After a minute, I had Daddy C look to see if it was a boy or a girl, and I was thrilled when we saw she was indeed a baby girl! (everyone was saying it was going to be a boy but I thought girl from the start!). She came into this world at 11:37pm on New Years Eve- just in time for that 2011 tax deduction, haha! She weighed 7lbs 4oz and was 19 inches long.

Afterwards, I got out of the tub and dried off, and got in our own bed and snuggled with our new baby girl. She took to nursing right away, and probably would have crawled up my chest if I had let her! I was a little distracted during the nursing session though from my after pains, which I knew would be bad (as a side note, can I say how unfair after pains are? I seem to have them pretty bad compared to most moms, boo!). I also was afraid I had tore really bad since I was having some sharp pains down there. However, later, one of the midwives checked me for tears and was actually surprised to tell me I was completely in tact! I wasn’t even swollen or bruised! I was so happy to hear this since I tore with Peanut's delivery and had needed stitches. The pain I was feeling was just because I had a natural delivery- hello just pushed a baby out, haha- and was normal. After nursing for a while, it had pretty much subsided though. I was, and still am, in awe of the fact that I could immediately go to the bathroom without any problems or pain! This has been wonderful!

After nursing and bonding for a while, I took a shower, and put on some clean clothes. About this time, I got to cut Snowflake’s umbillical cord and the midwives bagged up the placenta. After looking at the placenta, they said it was very healthy and had no signs of aging whatsoever. Even though Snowflake was technically a week late, she seemed to have been born right on time!

I really could not have asked for things to go any better than they did for our first homebirth! Total time spent in active labor was just over 3 hours. I went from 7cm to pushing in less than 30 minutes and then only pushed for just 4 minutes. I didn’t have any back labor either, which I was trying very hard to avoid this time around! The difference between back labor and "normal" labor was incredible- part of the reason I was in such shock that she came so fast was that I was expecting to be in excruciating pain for hours before the actual delivery, since that was how it went with Peanut. I am so thankful to have experienced birth without back labor, it made the whole labor process so much more bearable and positive.

So far my recovery has been going very well, and Snowflake is doing great. She is a such a little bundle of joy and we never get tired of just watching her!