My reality

Before I get started on my month long challenge, I need to get a few things straight.  In the end, I am about ease and convenience.  I want to challenge myself to get my grocery bill down to $100 a week, but that does not mean that I want to drive all over town looking for the best prices, clip coupons, or change the way I eat.  I know!  My BFF from Ecuador texted me the other day with "$100?! hahahahahahahahahahaha!"  She knows me quite well and knows that above all else I tend to be a bit of a foodie with a splash of laziness.
When I was on the playground the other day with Fara, I was talking food with some of the other parents.  I mentioned that I make a loaf of bread almost everyday and there is very little processed food being consumed in my house.  One mother said to me, "That's great! If you have the time to do it, you totally should.  I wish I had that kind of time."  I simply told her it didn't take anymore time than running to the store and left it at that.
But when I got home, I reflected on the comment and then I got a little irritated.  Time!?  That is one freaking luxury that I don't have!  And then, I know this is really wrong, but I started to judge this woman rather harshly.  She had one child at home.  No job outside the home and a man who is home by 6pm.  Now, those of us with 2 or more children consider....well....I will just say it.....one child is a hobby.  Don't get me wrong.  Raising one child is hard in itself and sometimes more difficult because all the entertainment falls to you.  But you are never outnumbered and there is something to be said about that. Now if you have a partner with that one child, that means that you can actually go to the grocery store by yourself, or god forbid, happy hour with adults once in while.
However, I digress and back to the topic at hand.  I realized that this woman and many others out there may not realize what my life is really like.  Maybe she thinks that I have all this time in the world and that my children are little angels who do their chores and homework the first time they are told. They do their chores and their homework, but it doesn't mean that it occurred without an exhausting fight.  Maybe she thinks that my super handsome husband is actually in the house or the damn state for that matter to be of help. Maybe she just wants to make up excuses about why she can't do the things she wants to.  What it really boils down to, is what is important to her to make time for.
I am attempting to spend only $100 a week on groceries beginning in April.  I am blogging my experience, because that is what we as a society generally do now and we actually think anybody else will care. Just so that no one will think that I have an upper hand and all the right circumstances to make this work, I want to explain my life a little bit.  If I am successful (which to be honest, I have my doubts) I want others to think, well if she can do it in her crazy and insane life with her crazy and insane mind, maybe I can too. Basically, I would like to strip away mine and everybody else's excuses.  We make time for what is important to us.  The other stuff, we usually just make up excuses.  And that is okay.  We can't do everything all of the time.  Sometimes we have to prioritize and let some things go.  We may not like it, but life is busy and life is crazy, and sometimes, life is limiting.
Many of you know, because I am pretty vocal and bitter about it at times, that my husband travels.....a lot.  I would say that he is gone about 90% of the time.  And when he is in town, he leaves at 6:30am and is never home before 7:30pm.  He works hard and I feel too much, but that is a topic for another one of my diatribes. So, what that means is that I am with the kids 24/7.  My oldest two, Zoe 10, and Selah 7, are both in school during the day.  Fara, the 3 year old is in preschool 2 days a week for 3 hours.  I work on Thursdays so the only time I really have to myself is on Tuesday which is usually spent running errands.  I teach 3 spin classes a week and often sub for other instructors.  The housework, the child rearing, the being part of a community are all on my shoulders. Then of course, being the maniac I am, I decided to start my own business, Blackett Body Basics.  Might I add, it is pretty fresh! Check it out!  www.blackettbodybasics.com  Oh and we can't forget the Half Iron Man in August that I signed up for when I got drunk on my 40th and decided that there was no way in hell that I was going to get old!
My life is crazy.  It is often overwhelming!  And sometimes it sucks.  I do not do the "stay at home" part of stay at home mom very well.  I do love my kids.  I know that I am lucky to be able to stay home with them.  But that does not mean that it is always honky dory, especially doing it all by myself.  I get tired and miss the days when my husband used to walk through the door at night and take over.
My main objective wasn't to bitch and moan about my life.  It is actually pretty rad, but I am human and I live a real life, so not everything is perfect.  That is just what life is.  What I am trying to say is that I am a normal person with a basically normal, hectic schedule and a normal inclination to cut corners to make things easier, on a mission to cut my grocery bill in half.   Also, if I do cut the grocery budget down, I can spend more money (without the usual arguments) in Puerto Rico in 2 weeks, when I tag along with the husband on a business trips.  His job does have some perks for me, like frequent flier miles and the occasional tropical destination.
So the real motivation behind me cutting the grocery budget down is revealed and I am thinking I may take a surfing lesson.