I’ll take miscellany for $1000

1. About that “having it all” thing

As I was pondering this whole topic more and more, I’ve decided that “having it all” is really a poor way for me to put it. Because obviously, in choosing to devote more time to my kids and less to paid work, I don’t really have it all.

What I do have is a life that I want, one that reflects my priorities.

So, when Zoe graduates, I might not be able to look back and say that I had it all, but hopefully I will look back and see years spent on things that matter most to me.

And hopefully I will have spent my time in a way that honors God.

Also, I know I mentioned this yesterday, but thank you so much for the calm, polite, thoughtful discussion on that post. You guys are lovely.

2. Heirlooms and hair bands

I am not delusional enough to think that elastic hair bands, no matter how fabulous, are going to be heirlooms.

But I do think they ought to last through more than a handful of ponytails, and I’ve been increasingly frustrated with how quickly our hairbands have been breaking.

So, in keeping with my heirloom philosophy, I bought these:

They’re thick, no-fabric hair bands, and they seem to be really sturdy. Also, they don’t fall out of our hair as easily as fabric bands. You do need to be a little careful when taking them out so as not to pull your hair, but they’re not nearly as sticky as you might imagine.

I’ve only owned these for a few weeks, but so far, they’re holding up great. I’ll try to remember to report back in 6 months or a year to give you a more informed opinion.

3. Monthly Money Reports are The Awesome.

Every month, I put together a summary of what’s going on in our finances…what we have in savings accounts, what bills are coming, how much money is going to be left over or not left over, and so on.

I wrote all about how I do this in an earlier post, so hop over there for more details.

If you’re having trouble communicating about money with your spouse, I cannot recommend this highly enough. Preparing a monthly financial update for Mr. FG has been seriously life-changing for us. We found this practice to be especially helpful during times of financial difficulty when we really didn’t want to talk about money. Being in the habit of doing it at least once a month keeps you talking in the hard times, which is exactly what you need to do.

Plus having it prepared as a document or email means that the other spouse can look at it at their leisure, digest it, and then discuss it later.

And that can make for happier financial talks.