Future Home

As I mentioned several weeks ago, Husband and I have been hoping to buy a house of our own, now that we know we will be in the same area for another few years. And now it seems as though this may just become a reality for us.

We began the house hunting search, and saw our fair share of repos and foreclosures. While their price tags were attractive, we typically found that once we got into the homes, something was wrong. There were holes in doors and walls, appliances were missing, fixtures had been ripped out; the houses were usually stripped. We wanted to find something in our price range, but not a house that would need major repair or work done, because A) We don't have that kind of money, and B) Even if we did, neither one of us is talented enough to fix up a house.

To be honest, we were getting a little discouraged, afraid we would have to keep renting. And while we'd be thankful to simply have a roof over our heads regardless of whether or not it is "ours", we just hate the idea of throwing our money away each month.

And then we found The House.

It is about 20 minutes from where we live now, which will significantly cut down on Husband's commute to work. It is within walking distance to grocery stores and restaurants - this was important to me, since the nearest grocery store right now is a seven minute drive. The house is in immaculate condition, the current owners have really cared for it, and that was truly the biggest selling point of all - it doesn't appear to need any work. That, and the fact that it is in a quiet, safe cul de sac; the neighborhood of choice for young families. After our first viewing of the house, I couldn't help but get excited picturing our family living there, playing in the large back yard, the boys trick-or-treating in the neighborhood. It just felt right.

Going through the whole offer/counter offer process was not fun - I definitely do not have the personality for bargaining like that, and to make it worse, the sellers are really nice people, so I felt bad every time we would counter. In the end though, we all came to an agreement, and now the big stuff begins. I honestly have no idea how long the whole escrow process will take, or how complicated it will be.

And while we've been pre-approved for a loan, we have yet to decide which loan we actually want to commit to. I have been desperately trying to educate myself on different types of loans, APR's, PMI's, points, funding fees, etc. I have interest rates written all over the house - on scraps of paper, and the sides of Kleenex boxes. You can literally see the chaos that is happening in my brain right now.

Still, this whole process is exciting, and when I start to feel overwhelmed by it all, I just close my eyes, and envision our family living in our very first home together and that always helps. I can't wait for the day we get our keys and get to move in and make it all our own.

Flashback Friday - The Girl on the Milk Box

When I was about three years old, several different friends of my parents began asking them if I had modeled for a milk company. My parents had no idea what they were talking about - I had never done any sort of modeling, but their friends were adamant that there was a powdered milk box in grocery stores, with the image of a little girl who looked just like me. My parents were intrigued, and when they went to the store, it didn't take them long to find the milk box they spoke of.

And there was no denying the resemblance of what I looked like at that age to the image on the box.

*Courtesy of Google Images

For years we kept a box of the product in our house, even though we never used it. And every time I saw it in the store, I would joke about how they owed me several year's worth in royalties for reproducing my image.

Ironically, while searching for an image of the milk box, I came across this article, which states that the product was discontinued three years ago. Which, I have to admit, made me a little bit sad.

But just as this company was ending their decades-long use of my likeness on their product, another company began using an image similar to Bug on theirs.

*Courtesy of Costco online

I've always thought the kid on the Kirkland Brand, size 6 diapers looked a lot like Bug, and this was confirmed yesterday when my almost 2 year old niece was at Costco with her dad, and she pointed at the box and shouted my youngest son's name.

So where does this leave us? Still waiting on our royalty checks, and wondering who in our family will be exploited next. Binker on a diaper rash bottle? Husband on a cereal box? Only time will tell.

Organic Shmorganic

I've never purchased organic food before.

No offense to those who swear by it, but I've always assumed it was just a marketing ploy used by companies in an attempt to earn a few extra dollars on a bag of carrots. That, or else"organic" meant the company didn't clean the produce and there was a chance you would find bugs in your bag of carrots.

Either way, I just wasn't getting sucked into the fad of going organic.

I love that line from the movie "Baby Mama", when Tina Fey brings Amy Poehler's character a bunch of organic food, and Amy Poehler says something along the line of organic food being for rich people who hate themselves.

Well guess what? I am now one of them.

Only, we're not rich. So...I guess that means I just hate myself?

Point is, we have experienced a few events in the past couple months that have pointed us in the direction of the organic food aisle.

Also, I watched the movie "Food Matters", and pretty much decided I never wanted to eat anything ever again.

I learned that organic actually means the produce has not been treated with any pesticides or....spermicides, or other -cides. All good things. And? You won't find any bugs or worms crawling around in the bag of food. Then again, after watching "Food Matters", I had to admit that eating an insect probably wouldn't be nearly as bad as ingesting the toxic chemicals usually sprayed on fruit and vegetables.

I feel so uncomfortable writing about this though, and talking to other people about it, because, I'm afraid it is going to make me sound snotty or like a know-it-all. And that's so not me. I am all for feeding my kids healthy stuff, and I am really trying to get on the healthy train too, but I admit I still sneak a frozen pizza or a few Cheetos now and then. And there is no way you are getting between me and a good cheeseburger. But as I get older, I realize more and more that it's important for me to really think about the things I am putting into my body, especially while pregnant.

The thing is, the world makes it freaking difficult to eat healthy. I mean, I'm sorry "Food Matters" producers, but we are a single income family, with 2+ children, and when it comes to the last few days before payday and we are down to our last dollar, am I going to buy 10 items off the McDonald's Value Menu or one bag of organic celery?

Tough choice.

But I don't want it to be. I don't want it to be about money, I just want to be able to buy what is best for my children so that I can feel like a good mom when I go to bed at night, like I am helping them build healthy bodies.

So I am on a mission to find affordable organic produce. One thing I am planning on doing this summer is growing a lot of my own. I plan to plant seeds for green beans, carrots, strawberries, and whatever else I can find. We already have an apple and a pear tree, so I think we should be set as far as those go. But for the days when we don't want to look at another apple, I would like to know where I can shop to find organic food that won't break the bank. Do farmer's markets sell organic food for less? Does anyone have any tricks of the trade?

I am really determined to feed my family healthy, I just don't want us going broke in the process.