In Search Of...

As a mom, I go through several emotions about my little guys growing up. I love the little guy stage, big hugs and smooches. They aren't embarrassed to say I love you Mommy in public yet. Or come running across the nursery at church saying "Hi Mommy, thats my mommy!" But on the other hand I get anxious for some of the milestones that are literally on months away from happening. Like school. Now, because of my oldest sons birthday being in December, he will be one of those older kids in class, the one who is a little bit older than the other kids. Because he can't start VPK until he is 4. But not in the middle of the year. And he is SOOOOO ready to go to school. He loves school buses, although I don't have the heart to tell him I doubt he will ever ride on regularly to school. We plan on sending our kids to Private Christian Schools. He talks about going to school and having friends. He wants to take Piano lessons! And because I am so very concerned with my kids getting the best education they can, to have all the advantages of quality teachers, I am now looking for a preschool. I want him to start in the fall of this year for alot of reasons. One, he is ready! Two, I believe it is so important to start the learning process young, when they can absorb so much more than when they get older. Three, My DH will be going out on deployment for 6 months in October and we will have a new baby in August. And it would be helpful to have one child in school, especially since I also have my own business. Thankfully I can control how many new clients I take on, and I plan on using that time to really focus on my EZine.
I have a couple picked out to go and tour, one is a little much, and only 2 days a week, but he would be taught a foreign language. Most of the 3/4 year olds at this preschool are being taught to read. The other one we are looking at seriously is a Christian day school that is down the street. They go from Pk3 through High School with an average of 70% of their graduates recieving either athletic or academic scholarships. It is an intense college prep school. Prices are supposedly a lot more reasonable. So I know which direction Damon will be leaning in. If I had the time and the patience I would love to be able to homeschool them, but I do what I can, and I know when it is time to give them over to someone much more capable than I!
So now comes the fun part, rearranging things to make it possible with out it pinching our budget. Our main goal for this year is to get out of debt, I know we won't be able to do it all this year, but we are working towards being as debt free as possible so that when we move in 2008, we can buy our first house. We have only just in the past 6 months really begun trying to budget and live beneath our means. So my goal for this month is to cut our cell phone bill back down. We tried it once before a couple months back, and failed miserably! Most of my clients call my cell which I have designated my business line. And I was using it for all my business calls, including looking for quotes and estimates. But the reason behind this was because in an attempt to save money I had switched from DSL to dial-up. But with the advent of my EZINE, I need to be able to download quickly! So we upgraded again, and hopefully we can keep our minutes down and I can get a smaller plan. That will save us some money! Now if I could only get on top of clipping coupons and following the ads! I forget every Sunday to pick up the paper and cut the coupons, should I actually remember, I then forget to take the coupons with me and use them! I wish I knew the tricks to living frugally!! So anyone with tips and hints, or you want to outright share your knowledge with me..... Feel free!!!
I read these posts and stories of women who can use coupons at the store and get $300 worth of groceries for like $60. How do they do that??? If I could do that, I would be out of debt and sending my kid to the expensive preschool in 3 months!

Here are my goals:
1. Learn to shop from the ads
2. Remember to clip coupons, use them and menu plan with them!
3. Be tighter with my wallet (this is a tough one because Damon and I are horrid impulse shoppers!
4. Go back to being the energy gestapo! I did this when we first moved, and our electric and water bills were really low, I need to get back into the habit!
5. Lower our cell bill