AggieGal's comments

FHE: Focus on Family Time - Blog Entry

13 May 2009 11:49 AM

I have a three year old boy who really doesn't sit still for long. Our lesson time is very short - usually just a reminder of something he learned in nursery recently. We alway try and focus on having a fun activity and reinforcing the importance of being together and talking to each other.

More Evidence Against Routine Induction - Blog Entry

13 May 2009 10:06 AM

This was refreshing for me to read today. My due date is on Friday (I'm a little impatient...I'm ready to have this kid!). Last week we asked the doctor about induction and he said he would not recommend it right now because I wasn't progressing at all. After telling people at work this news, most were absolutely shocked that there is a doctor that won't induce a week before the due date. All I hear now is that I'm in charge and I can tell my doctor what I want. However, I trust my doctor, and I'd rather be 2 weeks late than have other complications just because I'm impatient. It's just nice to hear from someone else that it's not always the best option.

Frugal Grocery Food Tips - Blog Entry

12 May 2009 11:48 AM

I like the Grocery Smarts website. http://www.grocerysmarts.com/

It matches your local store ads with coupons and will actually rate how good of a deal it is on a scale of 1-5. It's pretty nice. The only drawback is you have to find out your state's "passport" to be able to see your local stores. You can try to google "Grocery Smarts Passport" and your state and you may be able to find it. I think it's a pretty handy resource.

Avoid Nitpicking for a Happier Marriage - Blog Entry

29 Apr 2009 10:14 AM

I used to be, but it backfired. I didn't like how my husband loaded the dishwasher. When I mentioned (in what I thought was a nice, calm way) that maybe he should put the dishes in the way I wanted, he just stopped doing it altogether. That was my wake up call. I needed to be grateful for the things he did, even if it isn't my way.

Today he'll should be cleaning the bathroom floor while he's home...and I'm just glad it's him doing it and not me :)

His and Her's Bank Accounts - Blog Entry

29 Apr 2009 10:07 AM

I've always thought it was odd when couples didn't share their money with each other. We have a joint checking and joint savings account that we pay everything out of. My husband has been in school since we've been married, so it's taken both of our incomes to meet out needs. I don't think we could split it up and make it work. For our budget, we have set a monthly allowance so we each get the same spending money each month. There's no "I made more money this month so I should get more allowance."

We also each have separate checking accounts that we had before we were married. These are accounts our parents had set up for us as kids, and they still have access to them. It's been nice to have those accounts to be able to transfer money back and forth between us and our parents. We both still have access to each others individual accounts, so we know what's going on. My husband uses his for money that he is saving for larger purchases so that he doesn't just have cash lying around (because he'll spend it), and so it's not just coming out of our savings account.

Surviving Parenthood - Blog Entry

29 Apr 2009 09:48 AM

I wouldn't trade my kid (soon to be 2 kids) for being childless again. Don't get me wrong, I love my husband and I loved our few years of just us before we had kids. But it's so fun to work together to raise our son and we feel so much joy with that.

How Much Privacy in Marriage? - Blog Entry

27 Apr 2009 12:29 PM

I think privacy is an important thing, to an extent. My husband and I have been through some struggles when things were kept secret, but we worked through it. He's been in school and working the entire time we've been married. I've always worked full time. We didn't see each other a lot, so we didn't talk about a lot of things that seemed petty (like what money did you spend today, who did you talk to, why were you home 10 minutes late).

Neither one of us is snoopy, but after what we went through, now we do know each others passwords to email accounts, facebook, and all the bank accounts. I'm not afraid to go through his wallet, and he's a little more daring with my purse now. (he was only afraid of my purse because of the "feminine" stuff in it, not because I was hiding anything).

It's been so nice to be able to be open about it all. I think it actually keeps us both in check, knowing that if we wanted to, we could go see who the other has been chatting with online, where money is being spent, etc. We don't make a habit of it, but it is nice to know that we BOTH have access to everything.

He will flat out tell me to not check the bank account right before holidays because he doesn't want me to know where he's getting something from, and that's just fine (as long as he'll balance the checkbook!).

I think it has brought more peace and open communication to our marriage.

Is Birth Control Sabotaging Your Fitness Goals? - Blog Entry

22 Apr 2009 09:52 AM

When I was using an oral contraceptive, I had a really hard time loosing weight. I always thought it was my thyroid, so I didn't worry about it too much, since I knew my dose of thyroid medicine was at the right level. I went off the pill and suddenly it was a LOT easier to loose weight. Quite frustrating!

Research on Exercise in Pregnancy - Blog Entry

20 Apr 2009 02:26 PM

I really wish my excuse was lack of time. I'm due in less than a month and lost the drive for exercise about a month ago. I have a 3 year old, and I'm still working full time. I found that if I exercise in the morning, I'm completely worthless (exhausted, sore, etc) by the time I get home.

On the other hand, I'm tired by the time I get home anyways and it takes everything I have left to get dinner on the table, play with my son, and get him to bed.

Unfortunately, my husband works evenings, so he's rarely around to help. I do try and go for walks with my son when it's warm enough, but I just haven't been able to get the drive to have a regular exercise routine again. I wish I could find the motivation to find a way to do it, because I know it's very beneficial.

General Conference Recap - Blog Entry

07 Apr 2009 08:30 AM

I really loved conference. Elder Hales talk on provident living was a great reminder to our family of what we need to be doing. I also loved the many reminders to go to the temple. We shouldn't let the little things in life take us away from the temple. We literally live across the street from one and have no excuse to not go.