The reason i came back....

So, i made this blog and then i neglected it. I decided i didn't have time to actually go through with having a blog.... i think i made a mistake... I decided the other day to go back to this page and recreate what i was trying to do. Let me tell you why...

About two months ago i lost two of the most important people who have ever been in my life...
My mom & my grandpa
Now many of you  know this already but i was raised by my grandparents. My mother always struggled with addiction issues and could never truly care for any of her kids... She tried, she really did but we were just better off in the hands of my grandparents... We always maintained a VERY close relationship with her as our mom... As you can imagine, it hurts because i lost my mom and my father in the same weeks time. This has been ONE of the most, well, has been THE most difficult thing i have ever had to go through and its killed me inside, even two months later.
With that being said, i went and contacted my doctor. He insisted i go talk to someone and get some grief counseling. I went and seen someone and after a few appointments, i honestly did not feel like it was helping so i quit seeing her.
I don't know if that was the smartest idea since i have been keeping my emotions bottled up so my kids can not see what i am going through. I thought my kids couldnt see it so i was doing ok! about two weeks ago i started having issues with my heart and my 3/6 murmur... i went to the doctor and he has sent me for testing. He thinks its from stress and anxiety so here we are waiting for the testing and going to the next level...
lets speed up a bit...
while i am dealing with this HUGE loss in my life, i am also dealing with a upcoming move. We move from Alaska to Colorado in just 3 WEEKS!! yes, talk about stress overload... but, i will manage and i will be ok... oh, and my husband is headed on a 9 month deployment come Jan of 2015....

so this is why i came back to blogging, as a outlet... somewhere to go to and talk about all the little details in life that are happening since talking to a person one on one did not help...

I know life always throws you obstacles and i will get through it, however, it don't make it any easier in the hallway....

My momma and her 3 children

My pops and Laina at Christmas last year

budgeting...

There are some huge differences in motherhood and having to worry about yourself. Since i got married and had a baby so much has changed. Now we have another baby on the way and its only getting crazier. In the past year i went from providing for myself to four people... this is a huge change and as i am still learning how to do it, its a very rewarding thing..

I am learning how to budget my money more. Food bills go up drastically from one person to four. Luckily i am only have to worry about me and one baby right now so im taking advantage of that completely. Come August, i will have two babies and my husband will be home. 

Keep in mind, before i got pregnant, my husband and i never budgeted out food money out and tried to get the more bang for our buck. But since he has been deployed, budgeting food money has been one of my number one priority and my deployment goal. I have taught myself so much in the past four months but it has been a lot of trial and error and hasn't been the easiest for me. 

I have learned that you need to have a grocery list before you even leave for the store. Your grocery list needs to have everything that you need on it. this also means you need to put some thought into it. When you go to the store without a list, you forget items and get more items then you actually need. When you forget stuff, you have to go back and you ALWAYS get more then that one item. Another thing you can benifit from is knowing the prices of all the items you are buying. This will help you know how much all your meals will cost and know how much you will potentially spend before you go. Then you can make needed changes if you go over your budget. Also, know whats on sale and stock up on stuff that you will use. 

I do not coupon because then you spend money on stuff that you don't use. My store usually has coupons right under neigh the things i buy if the coupon is out. 

Like i said, im still learning but i want to become a pro on this so i can save as much money as possible for my family.... i have actually had a lot of fun in this and i have been pretty proud of myself. I never tried to budget before i got married and had kids. 

On another note...

Little Laina had some pictures done for fun the other day... i will post a few for you!

9 days until we find out what baby number 2 is! 

Common Questions....

my first blog will be me answering the questions people ask me all the time.... Here we go...

You live in Alaska? isnt it cold? 

it is very cold. I have seen it get to -20 so far this year. Your body adapts to the temperature and its really not as bad as you would think it is. You can always put more clothes on to keep you warm.

The challenge is having a child who is in a toddler seat but not big enough to walk. You have to bundle them up as good as you can because they cant radiate their own body heat yet. I found some slipper shoes that work great for my daughter. They keep her toes warm but they dont have hard bottoms so they dont hurt her growing feet. The hardest part is getting her buckled in when its -15 and she has a jacket on. Thats always fun! You dont have a choice so you do what is needed.

Isnt it dark there all the time? well, thats correct and incorrect. It is dark half the year and light the other half, but only to an extent. After December 21st, we get about 5 more minutes of light a day. Once it reaches June 21st, we get about 5 more minutes of darkness a day. Needless to say, its light all summer and dark in the winter. Also something your body adapts to and becomes nothing but a thing. 

Do you live in an igloo? incorrect. When we first found out we were getting stationed here, we almost died. We thought we would live in igloos with camp fires and wear fur jackets (not really, but to an extent). We honestly had no idea how civilized Anchorage really is. Its not that bad, VERY dangerous, but very livable. 

How is the winter? cold, dark and nasty. You cant tell the weather forcast. They will tell us we are getting 1-2 inches and we end up getting 18. they will tell you its not going to snow and it does. You always have to have food in your house just incase it gets nasty without warning, and it does. 

How is the summer? UMM YES PLEASE!!! Summer in Alaska is to die for!!! many people stay living here just so they can experience the summer. there is so much to do between hiking, fishing, shopping, hunting, and the tourist attractions. 

Hows the wildlife? I love it. There are many days that i go out and get stuck at a dead stop because there is moose or bears in the road. I cant tell you how amazing it is to watch, but also annoying when you have somewhere to be. The fish is incredible. My husband will go fishing for a hour and come back with the limit of fish you can catch for the day. Then you got the cruises that take you to sea. Oh my goodness, the whales, puffins, jelly fish, sea lions, everything is amazing. you also see the glaciers and some amazing scenery.

The point is, Alaska is an amazing place to come to during the summer. The winter is hard, but its manageable... Alaska is beautiful year around though <3. Im so happy we got a chance to live here!

Oh! and before i forget. AK means Alaska, Not Arkansas... Which means, when its 8am in Arkansas and you want to call me to sell something, i will still be asleep :)