Thursday, October 31, 2013

In No Time

Our internet was out for a while there. It was good in a way, because I got to do a lot of crafting and cooking. It was bad because J has homework he needs the internet to do, and because I like to research a lot before I buy things.

A lot has happened since I last wrote. We qualified for Medicaid and SNAP. SNAP has already helped us out a lot. I have been eating much healthier foods, and I don't feel awful getting groceries anymore. I just realized how close I am to being able to eat sushi again! Or am I supposed to wait until I'm done breast feeding...? I hope not. I made guacamole (from scratch of course) for the first time the other night. I think it was a pretty good start. Avocados were on sale last week and I bought a lot of them. I refuse to let them go to waste! I've been eating at least one a day.

On baby news, we bought a car seat using the money J's parents gave us. The baby could come any day now, but I'm really hoping it will be on or after the due date. I have a lot of cleaning to do. I would be devastated if it happened before Sunday though, because my store is doing a ridiculous sale and I could really get some good stuff for cheap! I go crazy over sales. Sunday will be my last day working, too, so it would be nice to get those last few hours in. By the way, if you ever need anything practical like lint rollers, flash lights, batteries, etc., I think it's wise to get yourself a 40-50% off coupon and head on over to your craft store, because chances are it's not on sale, so you can get it for such a good price! Craft stores must be practically stealing from people if they can have weekly coupons like that. I never buy anything full price from a craft store. And I feel terrible ringing up people who do buy things full price. I just want to tell them to come back tomorrow with a coupon!

Anyway, I had what will hopefully be my last appointment before the baby. My last day of work will be Sunday. I have done a little bit of cleaning but there is still so much preparation to do. I don't feel ready at all. I have a feeling she's going to be late though. Perhaps by a week? That would be alright. It gives me time to look up what to expect when giving birth. I didn't make it to any of the classes, unfortunately, so I'm feeling totally unprepared right now. Time to do some research!

Happy Halloween~

Wednesday, September 25, 2013

Firsts

For the first time in my life, I'm waiting on a paycheck. Two, really. In the past, when my co-workers or friends talked about not having money until their next paycheck, it always made me feel bad for them. Now I feel that being in this situation is even worse than I thought.

We're not totally broke yet. I would just feel better (or worse?) knowing where we stand for the next month. I need to know so I can plan for food and baby things that we still need. I'm ashamed to admit that we don't even have a car seat yet. There are a lot of things we still need before we can bring a baby into the world, including insurance. I'm in the process of signing up for Medicaid, but it has been difficult because I recently got a job and I don't have pay stubs yet. I must say though, I managed to get a job in the nick of time. Without it, we would not be able to eat next month. I'm not proud of having to turn to this, but I've paid my taxes and I'm very thankful that there are programs to help people in similar situations to mine. And although we have not yet stared to receive benefits, I eagerly await the day we can get out of these programs and sustain ourselves.

Sunday, September 22, 2013

Proem

Hello! My name is Victoria. I am a newlywed mother-to-be. I have about seven weeks to go before the baby is born, and I'm scared and excited. My husband and I recently moved out together, both of us for the first time, and both of us without solid careers. It has been hard, and is getting more difficult every day, but I know we will get through it.

I'm writing this blog partially to connect to someone or anyone who is in or headed into the same situations we are diving into, but mostly as a journal to remember by, and to see how far we have come. Maybe one day the little one inside me will enjoy the tales of her childhood.


About me

I'm a dabbler of many trades. I'm not spectacular at any one thing, but I can pretty much pick up and learn anything (with the exception of math). I have an interest (not yet a passion) for health and nutrition. I am working on converting to a much more natural and home-made sort of lifestyle. Our budget becomes an issue here, but I know in the long run it will save us money and be better for the environment and for my family. I love to bake, and since moving out, I have tried a lot of recipes and done a lot of cooking (from scratch of course). I've been told I have a gift for art. I don't claim to be an artist, but I have done a lot of work with pencil, some with paints (acrylic, water colour, and guache - I have yet to experiment with oil), and some with charcoal, pastels, pens, clay, and probably a few other things. At one point I learned how to crochet, but I never made anything worth mentioning. I recently learned how to cross-stitch, and I hope to do a lot more crafts in the future when and if I have time.

Here I plan to talk about craft projects, recipes I try, baby-raising, and possibly some product reviews. It's going to be quite an adventure from here on out so I hope I have the time to write and I hope you find what I have to say useful and perhaps even enjoyable.