Clarification

I re-read my last two posts and realize I might have contradicted myself a little. In one I talked about how much I spent on books and in the next one I spoke about how much money we didn't have. That is not a good message to send.

Yes, I still order books from the book clubs, although not as many or as much as in the past. I limit my boys to 1 or 2 of the least expensive books, usually the $1 variety. It is hard for me to break this habit. Plus, they have given up so much already. I would rather give up something for myself than deny them a little bit of happiness. Books are so important to each of them. I must admit that I really like it when they bring the new book to me, sit in my lap, and say, "Please read, Mama!"

Chris and I are doing our best to make the right decisions for our family. We are doing our best to budget wisely and make the most of our circumstances. It's not always easy and sometimes we don't make the best choices. It's hard to hear one brother tell another, "We don't have any money for that because Daddy doesn't have a job." Right now, being Mama is hard.

In the future we may have to stop buying event he $1 books for the boys. We may have to rethink our menus, use more generic and give up our soda habit. We may have to move our family back to Texas. But we will still be a family. We will be OK.