Blissful Butterfly

My day started out today kind of rocky, but quickly turned around. I stayed up way too late last night, followed by being woken up by the kids way too early, cutting my total sleep down to less than 6 hours. I decided to head out for the day anyway to shop for groceries and hit the gym. Today, I skipped the temptation to hit a drive through for a brkfst sandwich and coffee, opting instead to pick something up at my local grocery. I'm glad that I made that choice after finding a triple berry and oat bagel, a banana and a Yoplait triple berry torte yogurt. Cost $1.64. Less expensive than a brkfst sandwich and I certainly felt a lot better after eating this instead of a fast food sandwich. I have been trying to stretch our grocery budget and money in other ways. I have found that using cash at the grocery store is easier for me to keep track of my spending than swiping my debit card at all my stops. It makes me more conscientious about what I'm spending. I stopped by my lo...

I have been making changes in the groceries that I buy and bring home. I've stopped buying junk food and sugar kids' cereals, switching out snacks for occasional treats of popsicles, pretzels and popcorn to our daily options of yogurt, fruit and light string cheese. The biggest challenge for me in making healthier meals for our family, is that the best foods and the healthiest are often more expensive. Some things like oats, beans, peanut butter, eggs and some fruits and veggies are the cheapest options. I want to bring more variety and healthier meals into our family meals. I also get bored with making food for me at home for lunch and sometimes find it easier to pick up something to eat for me. This is a habit I want to change. I'm also on a quest to find healthier side items to serve for dinner. I've stopped buying boxed rice mixes because of their high sodium content, but would like to find an alternative to seasoning veggies, pasta and brown rice than the ob...

I read an article today that said Florida is the worst state for unemployment, #49 out of 50 actually. For those of us here in Florida, we are not surprised. I've had some interesting interviews and things happen along my job hunt. Some of the most memorable included making 3 trips to an office, completed a personality test and showed up for what was supposed to be a serious interview....only to find out that I was one of 70 being interviewed. Or there was the time that I went to an interview, only to find out it was more like an open audition/casting call for the 250+ people that showed up, lined up around the parking lot for a 3 hour wait for a 3 minute interview for temporary positions. Had I been forewarned that it was not a real interview, I would have not bothered paying for day care and rearranging my day to make it. Teaching contracts have finally opened. I have about 30 applications pending with the districts. My worst case scenario is continuing on as a sub for the...