If Betty Could See Me Now

When I was in college, my roommate would call me "BC" - short for "Betty Crocker".  And, no this was not a compliment. Apparently, I wasn't much of a cook back then. Even more recently, Marshall will tell the story of how I used to measure out water to boil pasta (I still deny this today). Oh, how things have changed. Today, I have two slow cookers going - one with Ham and lentil soup (complete with the ham bone) and ham and scalloped potatoes in the other.  I also made a batch of chex mix and a pan of rice krispies. Nothing fancy, but in my earlier years, I never would have spent 3 hours in the kitchen, chopping, peeling, cutting, and stirring. Oh, how proud Betty (and my college roommate) would be!

When being frugal pays off (and when it doesn't)......

This past weekend, I flew to Detroit via Salt Lake City for my cousin's baby shower. When I was looking to book my ticket, price was top of mind. This was followed closely by flying times. Due to my unemployment status and the fact I wasn't going to be traveling with kids, I was a bit more open to more flying "effort" than is usually the case.

In order to get the best price, I needed to fly on Thursday and fly through SLC. Although not ideal, this flight would save me* more than $200 and still allow me to help get the boys to school in the morning and get the house in order. In this case, my frugality was worth the effort.

Fast forward to the Thursday of my flight. I was evaluating my airport parking options. I checked out Skyride and determined the bus times weren't going to work with my schedule. I decided I would park where I normally park and spend the extra money. Well, that was the plan until I got to the airport.

At the last minute, I decided I would park in the DIA lot. Several years ago I vowed not to park here - especially after kids. On Thursday, I was painfully reminded why I made that decision.

As I waited (and waited) for the bus, I couldn't help but start calculating how much money I was saving. Eight bucks. A total of eight bucks. After finally boarding the bus, I kept thinking to save eight dollars, I am making ten more stops on this bus. To save eight dollars, I'm starting to worry if I'll miss my flight. This eight dollar savings is not worth it.

Don't get me wrong. I don't diminish the value of eight dollars. I clip coupons. I buy five cans of chicken broth because they are fifty cents off. I have trouble buying clothes if they aren't on sale (and brag about the great deal I got). And yes, I did these things before being frugal was "in".

But today, I was reminded of when it is worth it (for $200) and when it is not (for $8). And when there are times when my time is more valuable than my money.

*Disclaimer: My parents paid for my flight.

And the Winner is........

For those of you that were wondering about my interview outfit, here it is.......

Let me know what you think (as long as you have positive things to say). My ego can't take negative feedback right now :)

Skiing with Dad is Hard Work

D-man was a bit tired after his day of skiing with Marshall. So special that they could ski together for a day.

Three Guys; Three Dates

I have three great guys in my life. And each of them acts differently when the others are around. There is obviously more rough housing when the are all around ("tackle Daddy" is a favorite at our house). And when it is just my two youngest, there is a lot of laughing, playing, and of course, screaming and fighting as well.

Recently, I've been lucky to have some time alone with each of my guys. I'm really going to try and do this more often. More date nights with Marshall.  More alone time with the boys. More undivided attention to those in my life that deserve it most.

A couple of weeks ago, Marshall and I were fortunate to have a night away at the Broadmoor in Colorado Springs. We had drinks, went to dinner and dancing, spent time lounging and hot tubbing, and just doing a lot of nothing. It was really great to have some down time and take our minds off the real world.

My date for the weekend

The beautiful Broadmoor hotel

D-man was a such a great traveler on our spring break trip to Nebraska that I promised him a special outing with just me as a "thank you" for his good behavior.  He could choose between Dairy Queen, Cold Stone Creamery, or Whole Foods. To my surprise, he chose Whole Foods (which of course,  pleased me). We had a great time checking out all the sweets - chocolates, cakes, pies, cookies, gelato. D-man said, "You were right, there are a LOT of choices".

In the end, he went with a huge piece of white cake with frosting. I had a some coffee and I had a little treat as well. We enjoyed our treats, people watching, laughing about silly things, and just being together.  D-man told me this was awesome - I couldn't have agreed more. I couldn't be prouder of the young boy he is becoming.

Lately, T-man has been a bit of a "stinker pot" as we like to say here in the Peavy household. Both Marshall and I agree that it truly is the "terrible threes" - not the "terrible twos". And T-man is right in the thick of it whenever his brother is around. However, when T-man is alone, he is a completely different boy - a real sweetie not having to fight for our attention. We enjoyed a great day today while Marshall and D-man were skiing. The special outing was to the Easter Egg hunt and seeing the Easter Bunny (who T-man went right up to and gave a huge hug). My sweet, sweet boy had a great time.  And so did his mommy.