The Big Bad Budget Challenge and Potty Updates

Well we finally finished the potty training weekend and we all made it out alive! Isaiah has definitely been the hardest to train. I only remember a few accidents with Gabe, none with Judah, and it's already been many with Isaiah. He's doing great with #1. It's #2 that he's not quite getting. So needless to say it's been messy. I think he's marking his undies so everyone knows which ones are his and he doesn't have to share. I can't say we're out of the weeds yet, but we're getting there.

Now onto the Big Bad Budget. Like I've said before, I haven't been too good with sticking to the budget but my New Year's goal is help us get completely out of debt. Yesterday was my first ever real live test. I went to the grocery store with NO CARDS to back me up. CASH ONLY. I have to say I was really nervous. I feared that I would get up to the checkout and bomb.

Two things would either happen:

1. I would have too much stuff and not enough money and have to put stuff back with everyone behind me watching and me scrambling trying to decide what to put back, or

2. Have just enough money for taxes and all.

Only in this case can you thank God for #2 (not in the instance described above). I didn't get everything I would have gotten if I had an endless amount of money to spend (which I have never had, just acted like I did), but I did get what I needed for the week. I wish I could say, "It felt great to stay on the budget and make the right choices" but it didn't. Not yet anyway. I realized through this shopping experience that I have never paid this much attention to prices and how selfish I had been. I also know this will be a new season of self-denial for me. I won't be able to get whatever my little fancy desires and I'll have to be ok with it.

I know the key is keeping an attitude of gratitude for all the blessings I do have. Being negative and grumpy will kill the life inside of my heart, kill the life in my marriage (you how know men get sick of complaining women real fast, but who can blame them?), and impart a sense of ungratefulness and frustration inside of my kids' hearts. I want them to be thankful and content, like Paul says in Philippians 4:11, no matter what they ever have or don't have throughout life. So in this season, I will consistently feel the resistance to either let myself have it's temporary way and mess up our budget, putting us further in debt, or deny myself and help us get freedom from our financial chains. I hope I can learn to do the latter.