This was originally posted over a year ago, but I'm amazed at how true it still is today for our family's life!  If you're feeling like you can't keep up everything, all-the-time, I hear ya'.  Hang in there this summer, do what you can to save abundantly for your family, but remember to enjoy every second of all you do. 😉
My littlest walked down the stairs Tuesday night all ready for her date (with the prince of course!) Â She glided into the kitchen in her two-inch plastic pumps, peaked that blonde head around the corner, and shouted: Â “Momma. . . it's time for you to come to da' weddin'!” Â I Â slightly glanced over at her (not really all that amused . . . and in a hurry of course, and replied . . . ) Â “But baby, we've got to run to the grocery, and momma needs to go excercise . . . so there's just no time for a wedding!” Â I finally looked down to see my silly, cute, goofy, four-year-old all dolled up, tiara and veil attached (thanks to some left over tulle she found in the craft drawer), who simply would not budge until a wedding was performed.
So . . . as all good mommas do . . . I cancelled my plans.  I decided to skip the grocery (which meant missing free Homestyle Mac & Cheese . . . ouch, that one hurt!), skip exercising (meaning I'd have to wake up at 5 am Wednesday morning to work out . . . that one might have hurt even more . . . ), and, well, skip my plans entirely.  Since I couldn't convince her big sister to play the part of the “prince”  (seriously, this girl is way too demanding!), I headed up to grab Winnie the Pooh (aka Prince Charming of course!)
We began the ceremony.  I thought I started out correctly, asking if she, Reagan Elizabeth, would take Prince Winnie's  hand in marriage.  (To which she promptly corrected . . . “no momma . . . da real ones!”  Caroline and I sat and racked our brains to come up with who on earth the “real” ones were . . . Kate and William of course!)  The prince and princess were then married, and lived happily ever after (in their pink pop-up castle purchased on Amazon a few years back), and I had one pretty pleased princess. 🙂
So why on earth am I sharing these incredibly random ramblings with you?  Well, because sometimes this penny pincher (and her kiddos) need a break every once in awhile.  Sometimes free mac and cheese just isn't worth sacrificing a night at home with the princess, especially when most likely the deal will come around again (at least I really, really, hope it does!)  It's so easy to get so caught up in all the deal hunting and bargain shopping and penny pinching that we miss this thing called life, and, at least for me, well I want to enjoy that too!
I look at my Reagan and am in awe of how fast these days are racing. Â She's my baby, you know, and is definitely the princess . . . heck, she's the queen around this house! Â I don't want to be in such a hurry to move on to the next event that I forget to stop and enjoy these sweet fairytale moments, because they'll go away on their own pretty soon I'm sure. Â So, I'm taking the rest of today off to enjoy my princess baby (and watch her preschool program, and her big brother's fifth grade award's ceremony . . . sniff, sniff!) and I hope you'll find time to spend an extra minute or two enjoying your life (beyond coupons!) too.
Have you had one of those moments when you've just realized there's more to it all then just penny pinching? I'd love to hear that I'm not the only one who misses a deal every now and then to enjoy the fairytale moments in life. 🙂
Looking for more random ramblings?  Read more about this site, my life as a real mom, homemaking, and the quirky things I've done for a deal.  New to couponing and not sure where to begin?  Start HERE.
Mary says
I loved this story both times I’ve read it. Your girls are precious!
Laurie says
You’re so sweet Mary! My girls are a mess… but I sure do enjoy them ~ thank you! 🙂