Our Life on a Budget...: February 2014

Friday, February 28, 2014

5

one

My breakdown of how to do Disney… on a budget… with a baby! :)

two

When BD's two bottom teeth came in, I didn't even know she was teething… she just let out a few yelps one day and there they were. I wouldn't say she is too fussy… but the 6 teeth that are trying to come in at once have been a bit of a game changer. BD has never been much for actual "chew on these" teething products. She just never keeps her interest in them, but I have found I love her amber teething bracelet and Hosie's Naturals teething cheek balm. The bracelet is so cute… people comment on how "stylish" she is and then I tell them it is for teething. We have seen an improvement since we have invested in these items :).

three

BD is 11 months old… and I realized since February is so short, this is the shortest month we have… then she will be 1YEAR OLD! It feels impossible. I have been looking back at my Instagram #baileydrew with laughter and tears a lot lately. How can they change this much in a year? How do you make it slow down?

four

Speaking of BD's birthday, planning is in full swing. I am trying not to go to crazy with it… it is just a baby's birthday after all… but first birthdays only happen once. I wrote this post a while back on our plans to do it on a budget. Right now it seems like we will be under! I will give a full report after!

five

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

“The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!

“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. Matthew 6:19-24

There is no middle ground here. God really reminded me of that this week. But he also reminded me that there is grace, and that this will be a daily battle with my own materialism.

Wednesday, February 26, 2014

A Day at Disney… With a Baby… On a Budget

These days we value experiences more than things (we already have too much stuff... can I get an Amen). We also have a very *high* probability that we will be moving somewhere further from Florida this summer. So we have been thinking Disney is just something we should squeeze in…. right? Both Andrew and I got tickets {toDisney}for our birthdays... And BD gets in free:). Disney is one of those places that "costs less" the more days you do it. And by costs less, I really mean costs more, just less per day. But what if you don't have the time or money for a long trip. A day or two at Disney… totally worth it. And here are some thoughts about doing it on a budget... This is how it went down for us... and the recommendations I would make...

Tickets/Where to go...

*The tickets are just expensive no matter how you do it. Deals are few and far between and usually only for multiple days. If you know any deals on tickets... Share with me and I will add them here. *One way to save is by not getting a hopper pass. With a baby you really need to go to Magic Kingdom, and MK has more than enough to do in one day. That being said, we had a hopper pass and used ours to go to Hollywood Studios and enjoyed it... but it really is not a necessary option if you want to save! *Magic Kingdom is definitely the way to go with little ones. If you have time for another park I would recommend Disney Hollywood Studios or Animal Kingdom. * Another option if you don't have a ticket for a day is Downtown Disney... It is an option, but I am not sure it is a good one, especially for a Saturday or Sunday evening. It is *craziness* to park, just to enter the crowds and see a larger than life Disney store. When just Andrew and I went a few years ago, we made it happen on a weekday during lunch/early afternoon. It was a totally different experience. No crowds! So I would only recommend this if you can make it happen on an off day. Otherwise, I would avoid it.

Food…

*The great thing about Disney is that you can bring any food you want into the park! So you can really save money by packing all sorts of meals and snacks in a cooler, that you can throw in a book bag or stroller. *Andrew and I do think that part of the experience is their food, so here is how we did it on a budget. First we came up with a tentative plan of the things we would want to eat. For our short trip we planned one meal and a few snacks. This is a great site if you want to see the food options at each park. Then we did an envelope system- we put the money we were planning on spending at Disney all day into an envelope. Then we only used that money. This also made sure we did not spend money on souvenirs and such that we did not need. *Our favorites if you are wondering... -Snacks- Mickey ice cream bar- I promise it is better than the ones you get at the grocery store- worth $3.75 :), the Nutella Waffles at Sleepy Hallow in the MK-$6.99, it comes with a pile of fresh fruit :), the Sci-Fi Dine-In at DHS.

What to bring…

*Stroller AND baby wearer. To be honest, the stroller acted as our storage point for the day. I wore 27 lbs+ BD almost all day… and I was fine This is why I love my Ergo :) BD napped/ slept in both. *Snacks/meals as mentioned above. *Diaper supplies packed into a book bag. We did use disposables instead of cloth for the day and survived :). *Depending on the time of year, layers! For us it was very cool in the morning, but hot in the afternoon. Definitely a change of clothes for the baby… just in case. *Water bottle. *Camera… for all the magic moments :)

Attractions…

*There are tons of attractions babies can enjoy at MK... I would venture to say almost all of them. *Switching off is available if there is no one else with you. Just tell the cast member at the entrance of the ride. That being said it is not quite as fun to ride things by yourself. *Download the line app. *Our suggestion for ride order.

Get your fast passes set up for the busiest time of the day- I would say between 12-5. What you get them for I think is a personal preference. Since our little does not have favorites yet, we picked ones we like. In the future we might reserve these for rerides of her faves!
Look at the parade/show schedule and see if there are any you want to do/see.
Go straight to Fantasyland. Ride everything you want here first thing because 1) your baby will be most awake and alert then and these are some of the rides they will really enjoy and 2) Fantasyland lines get long and rides are short, the whole area becomes a stroller traffic jam by 11:00. We were able to do everything we wanted in Fantasyland by 10 am!
Go and ride other big ticket rides before the lines get long (I would say less than 20-30 minutes is perfect). Keep riding until you notice all the lines are longer than you wish to wait in.
Once the lines get long, it is time to grab lunch and go to some attractions that usually have no wait like Country Bear Jamboree and the Enchanted Tiki room (both of which were some of BD's favorites:)).
Make sure to see some characters and get some pictures. We kept saying "since BD is so young it doesn't matter," now we are sad we didn't get more pictures.
As the evening approaches you will notice the rides getting shorter. BD slept in the Ergo while we did almost everything we did not get to earlier.

Souvenirs and stuff…

*Most rides dump you in some sort of gift shop... just avoid buying things. Overpriced and not necessary.

Accommodations…

*We were going to stay with my grandparents, then at the last minute Andrew used Priceline to get a nice hotel really in expensively. It was nice to have our hotel so close.

Over all… I think Disney is a magical place for children (and adults) of all ages. It is a fun place to go and make it happen on a budget.

Monday, February 24, 2014

BD 11 months...

BD 11 months…

Teething, teething and more teething...

Monthly Milestones

*Standing… we have yet to get any good picture… but she has been doing it for a few weeks. It is funny because she would clearly rather not, so you have to distract her by giving her something to hold or clapping to get her to do it. I have a feeling it will be like pulling up… she was able to do before SHE decided it was something she really wanted to do!

*Not only can she open cabanits and pull things out… but now she can pull out a completely closed drawer. Below she opened our dresser and puled out every single pair of shorts Andrew has.

*She likes to crawl under furniture if she can fit… and she is so determined. Here she is under the bed. I thought she would freak out when she got under there… but she just kept going!

*First real sickness... 103 fever… one day of pure cuddliness (this never happens so we soaked it up) and the rest of the time she was her normal self.

*First snow… if you can call it that...

*Completely has figured out how to take the handles off the drawers on her dresser. Her curiosity and determination never ceases to amaze me.

*Two more teeth… and some more that should be in soon!

*Her vocabulary now includes mama, dada, dog, woof, hi, bye and uh oh. She acts like she is talking to us all the time… but we are not sure what she is saying. She does have this one phrase that sounds like "I do it" but maybe we are just imagining it???

*Sits on her knees all the time.

*First trip to Disney! :)

Favorite Things...

*Eating… this picture says it all…

*Love, Love, Loves looking out windows

*Loves school and the kiddos so much!

*Standing and cruising… as long as she can hold onto something!

*Loves reading to herself. IT is the cutest thing EVER. She sits there and flips through the pages and says "Getcha, Getcha, Getcha" Guess that's what we sound like when we read to her :)

*Playdates with these sweet girls!

*Loves dogs!

*This still is her favorite… except she can get to more shelves...

*Loves her little play house...

*Does NOT like winter clothes… don't worry I don't either and summer is coming! :)

*Loves playing with people through windows

Sleeping with daddy or mommy… pretty much just not sleeping by herself.

Bath time!

Great at taking things apart!

Loves playing in mirrors!

Weight...

* Don't know exactly… over 26 pounds...

Height...

*We have no idea… but know you are over 30 inches.

Clothing Size...

*12-24 month and 2T

Sleep Patterns…

Naps 12-2:30ish. Nightime… falls asleep between 7-8, wakes betweens 6-8. Wakes at night to eat 1-2 times.

Eating Patterns...

Still breast fed 7ish, 11ish (usually bottle), 3ish, and 7ish. Usually once at night, sometime twice.

As for food… you have been eating everything…and a lot of it.

Outings and Celebrations...

*Went and saw pee-paw for his 87th birthday!

*Opening some belated Christmas presents.

*Went to Florida to see Great- Grandparents and family!

*Went to Disney! It was so fun! :)

Nicknames...

*Bails
*Chunk-a-lunk
*Little Bit

*Little Chunk

*Chunky monkey

*Bailey Boo

*Bailey Boo Hoo

*Bailey, Bailey Drew (Sung to the tune of Scooby Doo)

Things others have said about you...

*"She looks like a toddler"

*"She makes the funniest faces!"

*"She has so much hair!" / "she looks lil Cindy Lou Whoo."/ "Look at that water fountain."/"Those pigtails".

*"She is so big!"

*"She is chill/easy going"

*"Look at those chunks!"

Things we have noticed about you...

*You love love LOVE kids.

*You love eating and drinking real food.

*You love seeing all different people! Little social butterfly.

*Persistent and determined... still

*The more people the better!

*You do like a little bit of alone play time.

*You love to smile and laugh.

For Bailey Drew…

Oh sweet girl… this month has been so much FUN! You are a little person and do you own thing. The days of baby seem to be fading into the background, and the days of toddler seem to be on the horizon. We are excited with each milestone, but if we are honest we don't feel ready. Your first birthday is only a month away… one month, that is it!

Your personality becomes more clear each day. In our time at Disney you made friends with *every-single-child* you saw. You just love people so much. Your persistence in determination show up in good ways as you are determined to figure out how things work or how to use them. You have been stacking rings by your self (and clapping for yourself after) and taking things apart. Your determination has also shown up in some not so good ways as we have experienced some of our first tantrums (terrible twos already?), you know what you want and we are working to help support and discipline you in ways that show you how to do thing appropriately. All we know is that it is clear that you are going to be a force to be reckoned with :).

Each day we thank God that He has trusted us with you. We know each and everyday is a gift. We have learned also that each and everyday is a challenge that stretches us as parents and makes us trust God more. We pray for the adventure that God has for YOU! I am excited to think about all the ways God is going to use your BIG personality for HIS glory!

We love you Bails :)