Just 17 and Half More Years to Save for College...

Since Paige was born, I've been trying to figure out a good way to start saving for her college education. But then life happens and those plans go on the back burner. Who can think about putting moolah in an account for "down the road" when we need to buy diapers, pay medical bills, etc right now? But I'm determined to get something set up by her first birthday/Christmas so we can ask relatives to put money there instead of towards too many toys. Good plan, huh? Well... that gives me 4 more months to get my act together on this. But when there are so many options, I just can't wrap my head around which one is best. My mother-in-law gave me a great article written by Carmen Wong Ulrich which outlines the top for ways to save for college.. I found it online and here is the link: PARADE - 4 Smart Ways to Save for College

I think I'm leaning towards a 529 Plan.. but then I have to choose which one! The Parade article reccomends this site to compare 529 Plans: www.SavingforCollege.com

Have any mamas out there figured out what they are doing yet? I know I'm already behind the eight ball on this one, so any advice would be greatly appreciated!

And since this subject is kinda stressful, I decided to lift your spirits with a picture I took this morning...

When Muffin Tops Are Still Cute

A Change Will Do You Good

For some reason, I've been in sort of a rut lately. I think I was getting too comfortable in my daily routine. But I am the first to admit that I HATE routine. Hate it. Hate it. Hate it. I constantly need to change things up, keep things interesting.If I always take a particular route to go to the mall, I will find a new way - even if its a little longer - to get to the same place. I have two Kroger super markets within 5 miles of my house - I recently started going to the other one with a different layout. Last week I surprised my unsuspecting husband with an "Extreme Makeover" to our front living room. I changed out the rug, switched around the couches - even bringing the leather love seat down from our bedroom (yes, by myself - don't ask me how!). I bought a cheap duvet cover for our bed to change out the red comforter. Tonight I dyed my hair. Actually, the process started last night. I bought a box of dark blond hair dye - but it turned an unfortunate shade of orange. So tonight I did it again - this time dying the top layer blond and the rest a dark chocolate brown. I'm actually kind of liking it! And tomorrow night we're going to trade in our Jeeps for new Toyotas (that was actually my husband's idea, not mine!) The funny thing is that both my husband and daughter are creatures of habit. They like things the exact same way, every single day. Paige couldn't stop staring at my hair this morning when she woke up. It seemed to throw her off for the first hour or so of her day. Daniel took 3 days to get used to the new living room arrangement. I think I'm good on the changes for now... but give me about a month and I'll be at it again!

Mommy Failure?

I kept going back and forth on whether or not I would share this... Which is probably why I had a mental block on blogging for a few days. I knew I SHOULD discuss, but I guess I just wasn't ready to. It's part traumatic, part scary, and part embarrassing. But after sitting with it for a few days, I figured I would go ahead and share - writing always makes me feel better : )

Since Paige was born I prided myself on being a pretty great mom. Yes, things get chaotic from time to time and I feel like my head is going to explode, but I think I do a pretty good job keeping everything together. I love gallivanting with her all over the place and taking the bumps of mommyhood in stride. Emergency diaper change? I got that. Need a quick bottle? No prob! I get a thrill out of juggling all the different parts of being Paige's mommy. So exactly how I let the following happen, I'm not too sure...

I was up in NY visiting family, and was just finishing feeding Paige her dinner. I had her strapped into one of those portable booster seats, which was then strapped onto a dining chair. I was gabbing away while wiping off her face and hands. I snapped off the tray, unhooked her straps, turned around to put everything down and... BOOM! Paige toppled out of the booster seat and onto the floor. The whole thing happened in a matter of moments - probably not even one full second. I turned around in time to see her falling out, but couldn't move fast enough to catch her. She landed on the kitchen floor on her hands and knees (kind of like a crawling position). All I remember doing at that point is screaming at the top of my lungs. I scooped Paige up in my arms - she was also screaming and crying. All I could say to her was, "I am so sorry baby. I am so sorry" over and over again. At that moment I felt like a complete failure as a mommy. HOW COULD I LET THIS HAPPEN?!

Thank God, Paige was fine. The only evidence of her fall was a scratched nose which healed in 2 days. 10 minutes later she was back to laughing and playing. It seemed as if she had forgotten about the whole incident. I, unfortunately, still can't get it out of my mind. It's like an internal dialogue, with one side saying, "It was an accident. Everything is ok." and the other side saying, "You fool! If you let this happen, what is going to happen next?" I can't seem to shake the guilt. : (  But I'm working on it. And I think writing about it will help.

Ain't mommyhood grand? : ) Guess I'm not Super Mom afterall.