Happy 6th birthday to the OG sister! There's no be Happy 6th birthday to the OG sister! There's no better feeling than getting to know the wonderful person she is growing into. We're so proud of this girl!! 6 is going to be a great year 💕
I'd want to sleep all day, too, if I were up every I'd want to sleep all day, too, if I were up every hour last night 🙃🙃 

Outfit @honest 🦋
Anyone see our other kids lately?? 😜 You know, Anyone see our other kids lately?? 😜 You know, it's so funny how some parts of the newborn phase have been like muscle memory and others have been like we've had our first born all over again. 

We were worried about how David and Evy would feel with this new family member but they have been so sweet that it brings tears to my eyes to put it into words. I was especially worried about Ev being supplanted as the youngest but, honestly, being the big sister suits her SO well and I think she's been loving it, too. 

I've also loved getting to experience this again with Josh. The way you band together during the newborn phase especially is very bonding. You rely on each other deeply and it's not always cute or pretty. 

Super grateful 💗
To the best big brother and sister. Cleo is going To the best big brother and sister. Cleo is going to think she has the coolest, smartest, bravest big siblings in the world, and she's not wrong 😉
She's here 🌷 Cleo Renée was born 2 weeks early She's here 🌷 Cleo Renée was born 2 weeks early on Saturday March 11 at 1:52 in the morning. 

Josh and I just had a feeling about that day (Friday), so we kept the kids out of school, went out to breakfast, and just spent our last day together as a family of four. 

My contractions started right after my 38 week appointment that morning and progressed throughout the day until around 4pm when I thought, "Mmk, I'm starting to really need to breathe through these. Better go in."

I was so convinced they were going to turn us away that it really didn't hit me that we were actually going to meet our girl that night until we'd been there for a few hours already. 

Baby girl ended up being 7lbs 15oz and 20in long!

We are all so in love. David and Evy are OBSESSED. A few times their friends have come to the door to ask them to play and they've said they'd rather stay home with the baby 😄

We are so blessed and thankful for this little girl ❤️
How to use a French hair pin. I love these things How to use a French hair pin. I love these things because they can hold up even my thick and chunky hair and I don't have a large clip sticking off the back of my head (don't get me wrong, I love a good hair clip, too)! Have you tried one yet??
This season of waiting has been weird. But I’m s This season of waiting has been weird. But I’m so grateful for it.

On the one hand, there’s so much to do to get ready for little one to join us—it’s been a while since we’ve had a newborn! I’m spending most of my free time writing and nesting, nesting and writing. 

And then on the other hand, I’m feeling pretty ready to have my body back. And by that, I mean just to be done literally sharing it with another being. You start to miss things after a while like being able to breathe when you lay on your back or not getting indigestion for eating a few grapes. 

Overall, there’s so much to be thankful for. Each little inconvenience is a blessing and I’m happy they’re there. I’ll also be happy when they’re over. For now, I’m just savoring being a mom of “older kids” (8 and going on 6) that can grab their own snacks from time to time and put on their own shoes. We’re going to be heading back to square one in a couple months and I’m sure there’s a lot we’ve forgotten!
Naturally, when we see a need, we rush in to fill Naturally, when we see a need, we rush in to fill it and fix it. On top of this, it’s hard for us to ask for help because we don’t want to be a burden to others. 

But in the process of meeting everyone else’s needs and neglecting our own (especially our need for rest), we often become bitter towards the ones we’re helping.

Instead, one of the best things we can do as a wife or mother is to assess our own needs and make sure to leave space to meet them ourself or to ask for what we need. 

It might be time to rest, help with the next meal, time alone to pray and meditate on God’s word, or allowing yourself to leave a task un-done so you can “selfishly” enjoy a hobby of yours like the rest of your family gets to do. 

In the end, making room to find joy each day may be one of the best things you do for your relationships.
30 weeks and counting down the days til we meet yo 30 weeks and counting down the days til we meet you. We *think* we've finally settled on a first name after non-stop back-and-forth and brainstorming. Any guesses?? Or.. what are your favorite baby girl names right now??
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Family, Finances, Life & Finances, Sponsored · August 24, 2018

4 Tips to Make Holiday Spending Less Stressful

This post was sponsored, and paid for, by SunTrust. All opinions are my own.

Josh and I have been all over the place when it comes to where we’ve stood financially. In the past, we’ve had more than we needed, and we’ve gone through some times that were really tight! I remember once feeling like I needed to hide the potato chips I bought at the grocery store because I didn’t want Josh to think I was splurging.

Now, we’re somewhere in between those two points. When we got married, Josh inherited my student loan debt and we’ve been working towards paying it off regularly every month. Last year, we decided that we really wanted up our intensity when it came to paying off our student loans. So we packed up what we had, sold the things we didn’t need, and moved in with Josh’s parents at the end of last summer. They have a very large, gorgeous home in Washington State and we’re blessed to be able to live with them and throw more of what we have at the loans to get them paid off faster!

But putting a larger focus on putting any money we had in excess at my loans made us really buckle down and take a hard look at our finances. First of all, we had to see where our money was going. If we were spending too much in one area, we could cut spending there and budget more towards loans!

Creating a budget was so useful for us! Once we kept track of where our money was going, we were able to rein it in and spend it with much more intentionality!

Which is exactly what we hope to do this upcoming holiday season. Since we’re focusing hard on saving and paying off loans, we’re going to need to be really intentional about how much we spend on gifts, hosting, and being generous this year! Seeing kids play with fun new toys or giving your sister the bag she’s been wanting for weeks- of course, it’s going to make you happy! But it’s important to not get carried away when it comes to gift-giving and generosity. As much as being generous is a good thing, it should really come from the surplus of what you have and not something you go into debt for!

These are a few of the things we’re trying this year along with a couple others we’ve done in the past to keep our spending in check when it comes to holiday shopping and generosity!

1 | Set a budget per person

Pretty simple, right? First, you’ll need to figure out how much total you want to spend on holiday gift-giving. Then, divide that number between the people you have to shop for. Of course, you might want to spend more on, say, your parents than your 3-month-old niece (I mean, is she really going to remember what you got her?) and that’s ok! Just be sure that the total adds up to the same number you determined at the beginning of your budgeting. If it helps, try listing a goal dollar amount next to each person so you know how much you’re spending on who. Just make sure no one else finds the list or you’ll have a Ross and Rachel problem on your hands…

2 | Give group gifts

Buying an individual gift for every family member and friend can get pricey! Why not combine the gifts into one group gift or activity that many people can enjoy together. Board games, wine, a family portrait, or a family-focused gift card can be a great gift!

Sponsoring a family activity can also be a great gift to give that may very well be less expensive than buying individual gifts. In the past, Josh and I have created movie theater baskets for our families. We bought tickets for each person and filled a basket with candy they could bring as a snack.

3 | Assign gift buddies

Josh and I did this with our family last year since several of us were trying to save money at the time. At Thanksgiving, we each wrote our name on a piece of paper, wrote a few gift ideas down, and put it in a bowl (we had the option to combine ourselves as a couple or throw our name in individually). Then, whoever name you chose out of the hat was the person you would buy a Christmas gift for! Our guideline was to spend about $200 since it would be the only gift we were buying someone that Christmas. We still bought individual gifts for the kids but we all loved the game as adults because we ended up getting a few things each that we really wanted and giving gifts didn’t break the bank! 

4 | Set aside a little each month

Like I said, budgeting is so important. In order for you to better be able to spend your money the way you want, you need to know where it’s going! For a long time, Josh and I would just buy things here or there and live paycheck to paycheck when we both knew that we probably didn’t have to live that way! But taking a close look at our finances and reining in spending where we didn’t need to be, it helped us free up money that we could use elsewhere! By taking that money and setting a little aside each month, saving for holiday spending is no longer stressful, but fun!

I’ve loved using the SunTrust Budgeting worksheet that has a special holiday budgeting section! It helps us take into account things that we might not normally think to plan for like travel expenses, holiday events, childcare, gift giving, and all the details in between! It even has a fun gifting guide that helps you keep track of the people on your list, how much you plan to spend per person (and then how much you actually spent), and what the total comes to in the end! It really covers all the bases when it comes to holiday spending and helps us to shop guilt-free because we’re in full control of our finances!

Download the SunTrust Budgeting worksheet for free and start planning your holiday spending today!

 

This post was sponsored, and paid for, by SunTrust. All opinions are my own.

 

In: Family, Finances, Life & Finances, Sponsored · Tagged: birthday, budget, christmas, family, finance, gifts, giving, holiday, money, noads, presents, shopping, spending, thanksgiving

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Comments

  1. Aditya Tiwari says

    August 24, 2018 at 9:47 am

    if I ever thought of a trip, I will make sure I follow each of your step as I am not a traveller. I do not like to travel, all the time. these tips are insanely amazing, but I don’t think I am open for gifting.

  2. amzpro says

    August 24, 2018 at 4:53 pm

    testing comment

  3. Monidipa Dutta says

    August 24, 2018 at 4:56 pm

    Once you are married these ideas are truly helpful. Though I am single but I still always believe in setting a budget. That really helps a lot.

  4. matt says

    August 24, 2018 at 5:30 pm

    Some really good and simple tips here that anyone can put in to practice. It’s really encouraging to read the example too! Hope you get those student debts paid off soon, you are certainly doing the right thing.

  5. Laura Dove says

    August 24, 2018 at 5:38 pm

    Great tips! We always set a daily budget so we know that should we over spend one day we need to rein it back on another. we always save more than we need too just incase.

  6. Elizabeth O says

    August 25, 2018 at 1:52 pm

    This is such a helpful article indeed. Sometimes the most stressful thing about holidaying is how much you will spend while there. You gave some really great advice!

  7. Dalene Ekirapa says

    August 25, 2018 at 2:07 pm

    Holiday spending can be so awesome and stressful at the same time. We always await the experience and what better way to get ready for holiday spending than actually starting to save up early? As well, It’s always nice to set a budget per person to minimize spending and make it much easier.

  8. Rosey says

    August 25, 2018 at 11:08 pm

    We’ve started spending intentionally too because we are saving for a house. I’d love to get better with making the budget.

  9. Jackie says

    August 26, 2018 at 3:05 am

    We do the secret santa thing here too, it makes it so much easier. We buy for the kids and then I think it’s a $100 limit for the adults. Makes it more affordable and a lot easier for sure!!

  10. Flyingkids says

    August 26, 2018 at 9:39 am

    Holiday is something we always want and spending money is always with it. you have such very nice tips on how to budget without stress.

  11. Vaibhav Mehta says

    August 26, 2018 at 10:24 am

    Like the fact that the joy of giving is being discussed in a way. Not married yet but can relate to the tips

  12. Jade says

    August 26, 2018 at 8:20 pm

    As a student i can Relate to not having enough money to splurg on gifts. These tips are really useful and fun! ThAnks for sharing 🙂

  13. Jennifer Prince says

    August 26, 2018 at 8:42 pm

    These are great ways to reduce stress, and honestly, the time to start IS now for sure. It’s good to start planning early!

  14. melissa major says

    August 26, 2018 at 10:26 pm

    These are some very helpful tips here. Setting a budget is a massive help for going on holiday

  15. Susana Parker says

    August 26, 2018 at 10:53 pm

    Those pictures are truly beautiful.
    I can see them already in a magazine.
    you have a wonderful family
    thanks for the useful tips!

  16. kim says

    August 27, 2018 at 8:32 pm

    The holidays can definitely be stressful, but your tips are great! Will for sure be putting some of them to use!

  17. David Elliott says

    August 28, 2018 at 12:14 am

    I can see how doing gift buddies would make things less stressful. And I get trying out the individual budget thing. Maybe the family would pay attention. It would be nice if they did.

  18. Blair Villanueva says

    August 29, 2018 at 7:56 am

    What a lovely ideas you have! Nowadays, it is wise to know how to save in many ways, and only splurge on important things and needs.

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Hi! I'm Chelsea and we're the Damon's. We spent the last two years in WA state paying off student loans and just bought our first house in SC! I love a smooth black coffee, Josh's first love is the Seattle Sounders. Our kids are huge dorks and constantly make us laugh and we all love spending as much time outside as possible.

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Happy 6th birthday to the OG sister! There's no be Happy 6th birthday to the OG sister! There's no better feeling than getting to know the wonderful person she is growing into. We're so proud of this girl!! 6 is going to be a great year 💕
I'd want to sleep all day, too, if I were up every I'd want to sleep all day, too, if I were up every hour last night 🙃🙃 

Outfit @honest 🦋
Anyone see our other kids lately?? 😜 You know, Anyone see our other kids lately?? 😜 You know, it's so funny how some parts of the newborn phase have been like muscle memory and others have been like we've had our first born all over again. 

We were worried about how David and Evy would feel with this new family member but they have been so sweet that it brings tears to my eyes to put it into words. I was especially worried about Ev being supplanted as the youngest but, honestly, being the big sister suits her SO well and I think she's been loving it, too. 

I've also loved getting to experience this again with Josh. The way you band together during the newborn phase especially is very bonding. You rely on each other deeply and it's not always cute or pretty. 

Super grateful 💗
To the best big brother and sister. Cleo is going To the best big brother and sister. Cleo is going to think she has the coolest, smartest, bravest big siblings in the world, and she's not wrong 😉

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Happy 6th birthday to the OG sister! There's no be Happy 6th birthday to the OG sister! There's no better feeling than getting to know the wonderful person she is growing into. We're so proud of this girl!! 6 is going to be a great year 💕
I'd want to sleep all day, too, if I were up every I'd want to sleep all day, too, if I were up every hour last night 🙃🙃 

Outfit @honest 🦋
Anyone see our other kids lately?? 😜 You know, Anyone see our other kids lately?? 😜 You know, it's so funny how some parts of the newborn phase have been like muscle memory and others have been like we've had our first born all over again. 

We were worried about how David and Evy would feel with this new family member but they have been so sweet that it brings tears to my eyes to put it into words. I was especially worried about Ev being supplanted as the youngest but, honestly, being the big sister suits her SO well and I think she's been loving it, too. 

I've also loved getting to experience this again with Josh. The way you band together during the newborn phase especially is very bonding. You rely on each other deeply and it's not always cute or pretty. 

Super grateful 💗
To the best big brother and sister. Cleo is going To the best big brother and sister. Cleo is going to think she has the coolest, smartest, bravest big siblings in the world, and she's not wrong 😉
She's here 🌷 Cleo Renée was born 2 weeks early She's here 🌷 Cleo Renée was born 2 weeks early on Saturday March 11 at 1:52 in the morning. 

Josh and I just had a feeling about that day (Friday), so we kept the kids out of school, went out to breakfast, and just spent our last day together as a family of four. 

My contractions started right after my 38 week appointment that morning and progressed throughout the day until around 4pm when I thought, "Mmk, I'm starting to really need to breathe through these. Better go in."

I was so convinced they were going to turn us away that it really didn't hit me that we were actually going to meet our girl that night until we'd been there for a few hours already. 

Baby girl ended up being 7lbs 15oz and 20in long!

We are all so in love. David and Evy are OBSESSED. A few times their friends have come to the door to ask them to play and they've said they'd rather stay home with the baby 😄

We are so blessed and thankful for this little girl ❤️
How to use a French hair pin. I love these things How to use a French hair pin. I love these things because they can hold up even my thick and chunky hair and I don't have a large clip sticking off the back of my head (don't get me wrong, I love a good hair clip, too)! Have you tried one yet??
This season of waiting has been weird. But I’m s This season of waiting has been weird. But I’m so grateful for it.

On the one hand, there’s so much to do to get ready for little one to join us—it’s been a while since we’ve had a newborn! I’m spending most of my free time writing and nesting, nesting and writing. 

And then on the other hand, I’m feeling pretty ready to have my body back. And by that, I mean just to be done literally sharing it with another being. You start to miss things after a while like being able to breathe when you lay on your back or not getting indigestion for eating a few grapes. 

Overall, there’s so much to be thankful for. Each little inconvenience is a blessing and I’m happy they’re there. I’ll also be happy when they’re over. For now, I’m just savoring being a mom of “older kids” (8 and going on 6) that can grab their own snacks from time to time and put on their own shoes. We’re going to be heading back to square one in a couple months and I’m sure there’s a lot we’ve forgotten!
Naturally, when we see a need, we rush in to fill Naturally, when we see a need, we rush in to fill it and fix it. On top of this, it’s hard for us to ask for help because we don’t want to be a burden to others. 

But in the process of meeting everyone else’s needs and neglecting our own (especially our need for rest), we often become bitter towards the ones we’re helping.

Instead, one of the best things we can do as a wife or mother is to assess our own needs and make sure to leave space to meet them ourself or to ask for what we need. 

It might be time to rest, help with the next meal, time alone to pray and meditate on God’s word, or allowing yourself to leave a task un-done so you can “selfishly” enjoy a hobby of yours like the rest of your family gets to do. 

In the end, making room to find joy each day may be one of the best things you do for your relationships.
30 weeks and counting down the days til we meet yo 30 weeks and counting down the days til we meet you. We *think* we've finally settled on a first name after non-stop back-and-forth and brainstorming. Any guesses?? Or.. what are your favorite baby girl names right now??
Saturday highlights 🖤 We've been trying to be s Saturday highlights 🖤 We've been trying to be super intentional with the time we spend with David and Evy recently, knowing that big changes are just around the corner! We pray with them, ask them what questions they have, take the time to explain things. I'm hoping they'll be set up pretty well for the transition of little sis coming in March but most of the work will happen after she gets here! How did you help littles prepare for baby?

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