Coming out of Hibernation: Beto for Senate

I think I've talked a little about what a pivotal summer this was for me in terms of feeling like I'm moving out of start-up phase with Montessori For All. For the past five years, it's been such a struggle to just keep my head above water as a CEO, mother, wife, and daughter (in addition to trying to be my own self who relaxes, reflects, reads, exercises, and pursues my creative interests). The Myth of CEO Work-Life Balance talks about the struggle well. 

I feel so fortunate that my career is aligned with working toward more equitable outcomes for all because there has been so little time outside of my job for activism. 

But, finally, I feel the clouds separating and I see a little space! This weekend I got inspired to figure out how to more actively support the Beto campaign for Senate. I went to a training about how to be a Pop Up Office manager and signed up our house to serve as a Pop Up Office in the final weeks of the campaign. I'm excited! We need politicians who can represent the interests of all people. 

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Family Goals

We are more than halfway through the year!

We are doing well on our Family Goals for the year. We have already met our volunteering goals (but we will continue to volunteer throughout the rest of the year) and our goal for playing tennis. We are on track for our family vacations.

We haven't been going on day trips, so I advocated hard for one on Labor Day. We headed to San Antonio for a snack picnic at the free Japanese Tea Garden and soccer at Confluence Park. A good time was had by all--even the people who were more reluctant to go!

I'm really bad at the goal to see two performances per year. I'm not someone who gravitates toward performances for fun, but I do enjoy them when we go. I'm debating whether we should blow our entertainment budget for the month on this performance or take a trip to Wimberley for this performance, which is half the price. I'm leaning toward the latter as we tighten up our budget belt (and we could also cross off another day trip goal!).

I still need to get another camping trip scheduled.

Even though this sounds like a lot, our life actually doesn't feel too busy or over-scheduled. I'm paying close attention, since the Fall season starts to get crazy!

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Foot Massages for Kids

Henry and I have started a little foot massage ritual with each other. Usually I give him foot massages before bed (it's the one time he truly relaxes!), but he has also started offering foot massages as a bet. For example, he bet me a foot massage that he could jump onto the raft without falling into the pool. He lost. I got a foot massage! 

I wanted to share the cream we use. I've used it for more than 15 years, ever since I took a massage class while I was living in rural Louisiana and they recommended it. Here's the magic cream! It glides really nicely and easily. 

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Serious Discount from Shutterfly

Okay, you all already know I'm a major nerd who starts Christmas shopping in August. 

Well, I just had to share that Shutterfly has a 50% off deal right now. It seems to be for nearly everything they sell. Seriously. 

I don't want to spoil the surprise in case my gift recipient is reading this post, but I will say that I was able to order exactly what I wanted for half off! The code is SAVE50. It's a Labor Day sale. 

Also, it seems like you might be able to get a free 8x8 photo book if you click on this link? They gave it to me after I placed my order. 

I've included photos of other stuff I like (if my friends/family are peeking, I did not get you any of these things!). 

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Fun Things to Do at Work

We started a fun little tradition at work: a monthly event where the whole team gathers for 30 minutes to do something fun together. 

We've only done two so far. The first one was a popsicle party to celebrate the end of summer. We ate popsicles while we played a get-to-know-you game. We each wrote secret, random personal questions on slips of blank paper. We put them into a cup. Next, the first player rolled the dice and passed a stuffed animal around the circle that number of times. Whoever ended up with the animal would have to select a question and answer it. If anyone rolled a 6, the whole group answered the question. 

For this month's get together, we ate fondue together: chocolate with pound cake, strawberries, and bananas. So fun! 

Do you have any fun traditions at your workplace? 

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Budget Lockdown

I've lost count of how many times I have written this same post. In short, the story goes: Matt and I used to be the kind of people who paid our credit card bill in full every month. Then we had a rough year where several expenses piled up (voluntary and involuntary). Now we have a sizable chunk of credit card debt that we still haven't paid off, despite the fact that we have a budget plan that enables us to pay it off. We simply don't stick to our budget each month, mainly because we love eating out and buying things from Amazon and Target. 

This past week, I had another wave of motivation wash over me. We absolutely need to get out of debt. Sure we could transfer the balance to a 0% credit card for the first 20 months. Or we could do a home equity loan for a lower interest rate. But really we just need to tighten our belts and get the heck out of debt. 

I tried to get Matt to come up with a game plan with me about how to stick to our budget. He wasn't in the mood and wanted to postpone the conversation. It caused a bit of a kerfuffle because I felt so urgent about making a plan. He stormed off and I sat down to make the plan myself. 

Basically, it comes down to a couple areas: we need to absolutely stick to our individual allowances ($115/month). Matt spends his on junk food from the gas station. He then goes over by eating lunch out. We also hemorrhage money by eating out as a family. We budget to eat out on Friday and Saturday night (Matt and I both really hate cooking). However, we've been adding things to our meals (like drinks, appetizers, ice-cream after dinner) that have been causing us to go over our budget. 

Finally, we need to stop buying things just because we want it (like this book I recently ordered off of Amazon). 

When Matt finally cooled off, we decided that we would give him $115 in cash at the start of the month to help him stick to his budget. We also committed to talking to each other before we buy anything. Finally, I looked through our credit card bill to analyze which restaurants help us eat within budget. We also got the boys involved; they know that we have a certain budget for each meal out. If we come in under the amount, then the "extra" goes into a little fund that we can use for extra treats, like trips to the ice-cream store. 

I'm crossing my fingers that it works this time! 

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Montessori Blueberry Muffin Recipe for Young Children

I finally got around to making a pictorial blueberry recipe for my boys (age 7 and age 5) to make independently. Independent baking from a young age is an integral part of Montessori because it builds so many crucial skills: self-confidence, the ability to follow multi-step directions, problem-solving, and focus and concentration. It also prepares them for independence in college and life!

I made sure everything they needed was within reach without help. I store the following things on their shelf: mixing bowl, muffin mix, whisk, bowl for cracking eggs, canola oil, muffin pan, the recipe, and measuring cups. Everything else is stored in our kitchen in a place that they can easily reach: eggs, milk, blueberries, compost bin, oven mitts, and dish towels. 

I gave them a "lesson" before they started. I explained that it requires a lot of maturity to be able to make blueberry muffins on your own. They would need to work together, not fight, and handle their freedom with responsibility. They would need to get everything out before they started and then put things away as they finished using them. Finally, they would need to wash the dishes and clean the counters. I explained that if they weren't able to do all of those things, they would lose their freedom to make muffins. We would put everything away and they would have a chance to try again when they were a little older. 

The process could not have gone more smoothly (which is rare around these parts!). They took the task very seriously. I overhead things like, "Tate, be sure to carry the bowl with two hands." 

We set boundaries around the muffins as well: one muffin per day, only after they are totally dressed (with shoes on). I have never seen my children dress so quickly! 

If you have younger children, you could do something simpler with this mix. The recipe I created uses this delicious mix. 

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