{ wrap up }

First things first...I had my husband read through the comments and choose a winner...he was so funny...he did say it sounded like a lot of you needed some organization :), but he chose Miss Aimee as the winner for inspiring the spending hiatus to begin with...He said that she has already saved HIM money, so she deserved to win ;-) ...so Aimee, send me your mailing address and your sanity saving goods will be on their way to you soon! I'd also like to send some goodies to Rachel who sounds like she could use a little extra help right now while her husband lives out of town training for a new job.

Speaking of the spending hiatus....So far so good...I have cash in my wallet in envelopes and have refrained from buying much of anything this past week. I did buy 4 vintage children's books from the thrift store for Samme and a winter hat (because I was working at our 18 hour adventure race and was freezing my butt off in the middle of the night and didn't pack one...So there went $20.) So $21.00 on non-essential items but it came out of my {ME fun} fund. This month I'd like to sell a few more things on ebay, donate more stuff to the women's shelter and maybe get ready for a garage sale next month? How's it going for all of you?

So, I hope you all had a great weekend and got enjoy a little bit of relaxation on Mother's Day... But speaking of mother's day...I heard from so many of my friends who were so delighted that they were given the gift of TIME on mother's day - time to sleep in, time at home without the kids, time to go to yoga class, time to get a massage...that is great and I'm glad that y'all got to do some things you love and relax but I think we as MOMS need to do a better job of taking care of ourselves everyday...doing a little something EACH day for us, not waiting until May 10th rolls around each year...do you know what I mean? It's also a reminder about all of the woman out there who are struggling to BECOME mothers...say a special belssing for them today, will you? So, be inspired by the TIME you were given and figure out how to incorporate a little more of that into your days (early in the morning, while the kids or at school, after they are in bed, etc.)

I also wanted to remind all of you that there are so many types of MOTHER's out there...and it's so important to show appreciation, love and respect for them all of the time...there are birthmothers (I wouldn't be celebrating mother's day at all if it weren't for our children's courageous and loving birthmother's), grandmothers, teachers who act like mother's all day to our kids - caring for them, loving them and teaching them while they are at a school, friends who are like second mother's to us or our children....And to all of the woman out there who are struggling or waiting to become mothers ~ a special blessing to all of you. And to all of our daughters who may grow up someday to become mother's - may you be blessed with the spirit of love, patience and adventure. So, to all of the wonderful mother's in our lives...thank you from the bottom of our hearts for being a part of our family. We love and cherish you all. Have a lovely day!