Emotionally ready, emotionally unprepared

     There are two points in a marathon that are extremely difficult: the beginning and the end. In the beginning your body has to adapt to a sudden increase in temperature and breathing. Your muscles need to get warm and you have to fall into your stride quickly. The large volume of people around you only add to the difficulty of adjusting. There is also the mental challenge of knowing what lies before you: 4+ hours of pain.
     If you've trained properly, the middle should be a smooth sailing ship. You put one foot in front of the other and the miles fly by.
     In the end of the marathon, the finish line is so close you can almost taste it, but suddenly your body kicks into overdrive. You know the end is near, but it feels as though you may never get there. You're afraid of it being over. People are screaming at you from all sides. You can make it. You're almost there. You trained so hard for it to come down to one day. The miles drag on and you question if you can really make it to the finish line.
     And such is this adventure called pregnancy. The beginning can be bumpy. You are tired. Your body is adjusting to hormonal changes. You may feel weak and you may even be blessed with morning sickness that lasts all day. The middle is smooth. You have more energy. You know what you've signed up for. You know the reward that lies at the end.
     And then comes the end. The "guess date" is near. Your ankles and feet may be swollen. Your back feels like it may snap in half at any given moment. Sleep becomes more difficult by the night and you can envision holding your baby in your arms, but the day feels like it may never arrive. People tell you you can do it. Be strong. Enjoy this time. The end is near. You are emotionally ready. You are emotionally unprepared. Such is life. This marathon has been the most challenging adventure, but by far the most rewarding.

14 days

     14 days. 336 hours. 20,160 minutes. 1,209,600 seconds. A lot can happen in that span. The weather can turn from winter to spring. The leaves can fade from red to brown from trees to ground. You can take finals and graduate from college. You can leave one job to start your dream job. You can ride your bike from Indiana to New York. You can travel the south island of New Zealand. You can collect a paycheck. You can take a trip to Florida to say goodbye to your grandfather. You can get married and take a honeymoon. You can train for a marathon. Two weeks. A lot can happen in two weeks, but it hasn't ever felt quite like this. 

     In two weeks, we have been told by medical professionals, our baby will arrive. And just as women have done 7 billion times before me, we will bring a baby into this world. No turning back now. It's coming no matter how many times I have checked the firmness of the crib mattress or the softness of the freshly washed onesies, this baby will be here and we will be responsible for caring for it, for raising it, for turing it into a decent human being. We. Are. Responsible. 

     14 days. You can accomplish a lot in 14 days, but nothing feels quite like this.  

Mom week at CVS

     Today I got all of this for $4.06. Due to the incredible sunshine radiating through the back door, it may be a little hard to see the savings. 

     The items in the picture include diapers, 800 wipes, tylenol cold medicine (don't worry, that's for us), dial lotion sensitive skin, 4 large bottles of baby shampoo/wash, 6 things of Gerber's food. This week if you spend $30 on select Pampers, Gerbers or CVS brand items, you get $10 back. There are always pampers coupons floating around. CVS brand is just dirt cheap anyway. If you're a mom and you don't go to CVS this week, you're missing out. DO IT.
     Oh, I'm starting to incorporate a new strategy. I am obviously stock piling a lot of items that we will eventually need, but there are lot of moms out there who need them now. I'm taking half of these items to the woman's shelter starting this week. So 30 minutes of pre-planning this morning will hopefully help a mom in need.  If you can afford the time to save, you can surely afford the time to give. This is something I hope to teach this baby inside of me. Better start now.

Sure you can pay me to shop

Since I became the crazy coupon lady my goal has been to net positive when I leave the store. My greatest coupon ambition was to get paid to buy items. Today my extreme coupon dreams came true. CVS paid me $12.67 to buy these items:

Is this real life you may ask? I feel the same way. How can this be possible? I got lucky when I first walked in the door. When I stopped at the coupon center they gave me $4 in extra care bucks and $5 since I had reached my beauty club goal of $50. I had $9 in my pocket paired with $19 extra care bucks from my previous trip. I started with $28 in free money. All of the items in the picture paid a high return of extra care bucks taking my total to -$12.67. Not bad for 30 minutes of pre-planning. 

Our winter CVS spendings $350.23. Our winter CVS savings: $300.45. Not bad, CVS. Not bad.