Things are going well this new year. I know these changes are permanent. I know something greater is on the way. I am praising God in advance for all things. I love my husband and I know that he is the one for me. I am committed to him in all ways. I look forward to growing old with him. My kids are wonderful and I love them so much. My oldest daughter has taught me a lot about life and unconditional love. My second daughter has taught me about trusting kids to mature and grow. My oldest son has taught me there is genius in us all. The twins taught me to believe in miracles. And Benjamin taught me to believe in my dreams. He was the baby I dreamed of having with the man of my dreams who had no kids. I have lived a very full life and expect more in the future. Kids were never part of the plan but I'm so glad they came. My life would be so different without them.
There are things I want to change but I believe I have the tools now. I feel I have made the most progress with finances. Even though I still struggle with day-to-day I have a lot of what I need to survive and thrive. I spend my money on my needs- I don't have things snowballing out of control financially like I did for many years. My husband reminds me all the time that I am raising six little ones with these limited means and that I need to be proud of myself for that. It was easier when I was getting child support from the absentee fathers. Money could never replace their presence but it helped. Now that there is no more child support, it's a struggle. But the tools are here. I am excited about using 10% of my income for short-term saving, tithing 10% and using 10% as spending money that I don't have to account for. I got this from a book called "Debt-proof Your Marriage" and I followed the principals one year and was able to amass a nice little savings in a short time. Tithing is a principal that works for me- giving 10% of your income to God. And who wants to work hard everyday and not have money I for treats like the movies and their favorite coffee? So today was my first day and I"m excited and I'm not ashamed to tell you that my account was in the negative when I deposited my check. And that this was my last time being in the negative. Like the Old School Rap song says, "It ain't where you from/it's where you at." So this year I am in control of my finances and moving forward!