Monday in the Hanemaayer house

Good morning,

Happy Monday!

All weekends seem to fly by when they happen in my house! This weekend was filled with some much needed relaxation, laundry doing, and bargain hunting. My daughter received her progress reports on Friday. While she is a pretty smart kid, she doesn't like to do homework. So when I ask did you get this done in class?- the answer is often "yes" no matter if it is true or false.  got a reality check this weekend when her progress report reflected numerous missing assignments. We talked a lot about what trust means, and how that she has not only lost privileges (tv, electronics, etc.) but she has also lost mine and Darlene's trust. I explained that due to her not being honest I will now be early to pick her up from school, meeting her at her classroom where she will need to show me that an assignment has been completed before being able to check it off the list. This was a big struggle for her. I have a feeling she was going to attempt to get away with
the behavior again. I also explained some realities. Such as, if I were to not complete items at my job, we wouldn't have a house to live in, cars to drive, food to eat. We talked a lot about responsibilities and how school work is preparation for life just as a career is a stepping stone. -- that was my not so fun part of the weekend.

The remainder of the weekend was spent on a Saturday poker tournament. This was not for money, so just for fun. It gave Darlene and I an opportunity to see friends that we haven't had an opportunity to see out due to our busy schedule. We both did horribly, but neither of us minded seeing as how there were no real stakes on the line. It was a fun tournament that lacked seriousness. Sometimes those are needed to keep the game fresh.

We also did some light shopping. This always includes a pinterest  meal that Darlene saw. As you may remember, Darlene and I are going through a lifestyle change. We are more food conscious, and we work out 5-6 nights a week. Currently the rule is no intentional carbs (breads, pastas) and no processed foods. Also portion control. That was about the first 2 weeks. The last 3 weeks have obtained calorie tracking (notice how I didn't say counting?) to ensure that we have goals. I think the brain is a funny thing. When you're trying to "quit" something I think we naturally make things harder on ourselves, and often self sabotage. I have taken a different approach with this by calling it a lifestyle change instead of a diet. If I order a salad at dinner on a night out with friends I get the "are you on a diet?" questions, to which I reply, "No, just making better decisions." I think it makes it easier. I'm not giving myself these crazy restrictions. Just
making choices that will better my future. I also think that it will teach Raynie how to eat "cleaner" when she's older. She's already a healthy kid. We want to match her health so we can all do things together. Go on hikes, bike rides, play sports. All of the above.

Part of our weekend was also spent going through the ads. We didn't purchase any newspapers this week due to the coupon count being so low. $146 in savings is really pitiful for a Sunday paper. I only purchase the ones that are above $225. Anything over $300 and I am dragging the whole family out to buy papers with me. However, we did go online and pull up store ads together to see where we could get the best deals. This takes about an hour. We write down a wish list. Where we can get it, and how much. Then we write the needed list (as this often differs from the wish list). Then we set out. Our best deals were found at Food City this weekend. Pinto beans (high in fiber, and protein) were on sale $0.69 a pound. We purchased 3 pounds which will last us weeks. We also picked up some granny smith apples. These are great for treats as all you need to do is bake them with a bit of cinnamon to make a healthy dessert.

Next came the meal prepping. We purchase the egg white cartons from Costco. They are super cost effective, and make super healthy meal options. On Sundays I will starting making breakfasts for 3 days in the week. This typically includes 2 egg white meals each which can include, plain egg white omelet, spinach omelet, or mushroom omelet. I cook, and store these in separate contains which makes it easy to walk out the door with. This ensures that I don't have to eat off of the lunch truck (often runs $10+ a day and who knows how many calories) and also ensures that I am getting a meal in which I know the ingredients. After breakfast is completed, Darlene will step in and make some proteins and veggies. We rely on chicken and fish as they have the lowest calorie count, and a high protein count. she will often make 4 days worth of protein. This prevents the snacking while something is being cooked as often there is a meal ready to go. We do have snack foods
though for the in-betweens. Carbmasters yogurts, almonds, and occasionally string cheese. Although we try to avoid too much dairy. I will include a picture of the meal prep from the weekend.

This Friday will be an exciting Friday for us. I know that I have talked about it's fun for me to pay bills. I really do mean that. There is a satisfaction of knowing that I can do it, that makes it so nice. This Friday I get paid for courier work that I did over the Valentines' Day weekend. There is a flower shop here in Phoenix that pays $6 a delivery for flower arrangements, or edible arrangements. The job is pretty tough. I am lucky and have built a good relationship with the folks who work there, and at times get some favored treatment as I am the fastest contractor they have. I typically do double what any other driver does. Which is great for me. Usually these courier jobs pay for vacations. Last week we spend a week in Las Vegas. We paid for the flight, hotel, care rental, food passes, shows, boarding, and house sitter all 3 months in advance. We took the trip in May, and was paid in February. By the time the trip came around, all we needed was spending money as everything else was already paid for. This year the money will be needed for necessities. I need 2 new tires on my SUV. They are not cheap since they have 20" rims. The tire retails for $190. I usually take it to Discount tire, and talk them down to about $150 a tire. I'm hoping to continue to haggle with them. Then I will be taking my car to my mechanic for a tune up, oil change, and brake job. Almost my entire courier check will go to this. The best part though, is that I was paid at my real job since I took vacation. This means I am not losing any more. It means that I worked the courier job to ensure that we have a great running vehicle at all times. The next run will be in May for Mother's day. My 30th birthday is this May. this means that the courier work will be funding a 30th celebration. It is really nice to have things like that. It makes other events possible.

Hope you're having a great Monday.


Lou