Friday, September 30, 2011

Treats for All My Sweets

Since my husband started teaching, I always tried to get creative and give out goodie bags or bake goodies for all the students in his class. Of course when we were both working this was no big deal. Now its a different story I got a very strict budget and have added two more classes full of students with my 3 yr old in preschool and my 5 yr old in Kindergarten. Sheesh do you even know how much stuff I have to buy? Crazy amounts of goodies!

Thankfully at the beginning of this year I got into the coupon craze. (Yes I am turning into one of those crazy coupon ladies with the big notebook but more on that at a later date...) I found some really good deals at CVS on Halloween candy and stocked up on goodie bags & baking accessories at the Dollar Tree. Now I am no professional baker but I have been known to produce some really cute cupcakes in my three short years of staying home! Cakes are another story but they turned out okay ;)


But before I started baking all these cupcakes, I wanted to get a few design ideas and practice before I gave some kind of crazy mess to all these innocent kids. Searched the internet and found so many cute ideas! My boys were so excited to have momma baking cupcakes for no reason. Of course it took me forever because I really was trying to do a good job. But in the end, a few of them turned out cute and the boys enjoyed their sugar rush right before bedtime! (Um what was I thinking?? LOL)


Halloween Cupcakes


Sugar Rush!!!






Thursday, September 29, 2011

Balancing Love and Money

Hello everyone! My name is Alissa Roberts and I am currently a stay at home mom to two wild-n-crazy lil boys who keep me moving constantly. I married the love of my life seven years ago and let me tell you when people say "opposites attract" they are definitely talking about our relationship! I am the organizer, planner, and want things a certain way while he is so laid back, waits til the last minute, and however it gets done doesn't really matter to him. Through the years, I have learned that we work because we completely balance each other out!

A little over three years ago after the birth of our second son, I was questioning should I continue to work or stay at home with our two sons. I had an excellent job at the credit union working as a management trainee with awesome benefits. My husband was an elementary school teacher...could we really survive on a teacher income? Our savings account was in good shape and when my husband told me "whatever u want to do" well that's exactly what I did! I called my work the next day and turned in my resignation. It was the scariest moment of my life!

So back to the present here we are still on our journey of balancing love and money. That cushy savings account is no longer there. Yet somehow we are still chugging along month to month. It gets hard and my OCD with finances kicks in and my husband has to continually remind me that it will all work out! And somehow by the grace of God it does...I will never regret my decision to become a stay at home mom! Thus my reason for starting this blog as a way to document our struggles on living on one income and making a loving home for our family!