I received a blog award, plus giving some out.

I received another blog award from Lifeafteryes. Thanks for the award. She has great reads check her out. 

I've been blogging since May 2010. I've really enjoyed it and the people that I've met. It's nice to know I'm not the only mom out there that experiences the things that I do. 

It comes with a few "strings" attached, but nothing I can't handle!

1.  Thank and link back to the person that gave you the award.

2.  Share 7 things about your self.

7 things about myself

1. I live in Lake Tahoe, California for the last 5 years. 

2. I love to snowboard and snowmobile. 

3. I'm a mom to a 2 year old. {this week is her birthday} Enjoying the days and nights of toddler hood. 

4. I like cooking, however i'm more of a baker. I'm better at baking and I feel more creative with baking. I know you can be creative with cooking, but maybe I just don't like to cook. {I know some house wife}

5. I work full time. It's not something I really want but, in way its nice, because no one minds extra money. 

6. I have a sister that is 22 and a brother that is 17. I live closer to my brother now after being a part off and on his whole life between here in the US and New Zealand. My dad is American and my Mom is a kiwi. 

7. I love to get into projects and scrap booking. Organizing doesn't sound like a hobby, but I love it. 

And now -  bloggers who inspire me! I recommend you check out all their blogs, you wont be disappointed! 

Kara @ Ramblings of Marine Wife -  I love reading your blog. I feel like I can understand the lives of those that serve. 

Nancy @ Life of a Dairy Woman -  She has great posts about her family and her life on a farm. Also, she posts photos of things that come out of her garden. 

Shan @ Breaking New Ground -  You always have the must cheery and colorful photos. I love the the name of your blog and I always find myself reading your blog everyday. 

Intervention with our Money

When you have two incomes and you are used to living a certain way you go through the everyday motions of spending and playing and then whoa, you actually look at a credit card statement, or in my case a few and realize that your spending habits are scary on paper. Not only was I looking at credit card statements, but our bank statements as well. I won't go into any more detail because I don't want you to get as scared and anxious as I was. 

{Why do we spend unnecessarily}

I started to break down our bank account statement and went through and highlighted all transactions that I thought were not needed to try and see where we over spend.

Here are some places that we spend too much at:

1. Gas stations (for the quick 6 pack of beer, snack gatorade, etc.) 

2. Full Belly Deli (Next to where I work)

3. Grocery stores (more than twice a week)

4. credit card payments, I mean they are getting kinda silly.

So, you now have an idea where we spend our money, not all of it, but the things I think I can really keep cautious about and try and cut. I'm putting our finances in order and going to be going through debt intervention with our accounts. 

Step 1: Cut up credit cards, if you don't have access to them you can't use them right.

When they are paid down then we can order new ones, maybe considering letting some of them go. 

(I know, letting credit cards go, even a couple, I know I'm crazy)

Step 2: Make grocery lists and stick to the list and meal planning. It will help going to the grocery store once a week and not 2 or 3 times. Avoiding things not needed in the store, the extra's. Try cutting them out for awhile and see how it goes. 

Step 3: Made a strict plan of credit card payments for the next 6 months. By, trying to to save at the grocery store and other spending, I will apply that extra money towards extra on credit card's and open a saving's account. I don't have a saving's account, and I want to start one. 

Why is debt so easy to get into and not as easy to get out of. I love my credit cards and my freedom to spend on them, but there comes a point where the fun stops and you realize how out of control you have become.

How do you Save?

How have you overcome your credit card debts or debts in general?

I would love to know how you all budget and what worked and didn't work.  

Happy Tuesday!

More {Followers} Monday!

Welcome to the very first More {Followers} Monday!

What's More {Followers} Monday?!

More {Followers} Monday was created by three amazing (if I do say so myself) mamas as a way to find some really cool new reads and to gain new followers (and let's face it, we all love followers!).

Want in on this awesomeness? It's really easy to play along...

1) Follow your hosts Me {Mama B}, Little BGCG, and Baby Dickey via Google Friend Connect

2) Grab our button and create a post with the button telling everyone about More {Followers} Monday and little bit about yourself {Think: About Me/Intro}

3) Link up your post and find some great new blogs!!

A little about me, Kristina (Mack to My Cheese)

I'm a full time working mom to a almost 2 year old this week. I've been blogging since May 2010. I've really enjoyed it thus far, and there are so many great mom's that I've met to far and would love to meet more. It's nice to read other's blog's for idea's or just feel better knowing that we all go through the same day to day stuff and we are just all Moms! In addition, to being a stay at home mom, I'm also in school full time and trying to finish up my 4 year degree. Someday I will have it completed. I'm currently not married, but planning to be some day. It may take 10 years from now, but that is ok with me. We aren't in rush, and honestly the legality of it wouldn't change my current life I would just be married and that's the only difference. You can join up with me for Meal Plan Monday's, Thankful Thursday's and Fat Friday's. 

Do you tweet or Facebook a lot. Follow me or "Like" me! I will follow back or "Like" back. 

Don't forget to link up

Fat Friday - 12lbs down!

Happy Fat Friday and Friday!

So, Today marks the 4th Fat Friday post and I'm down....

12 Pounds! 

How have you been doing?

What are some things that you tried?

I'm interested in knowing... how all of you stay fit and healthy. 

Thankful for My Followers

This weeks post is for all of my followers. I've only been really seriously blogging since May 2010. I've 74 of you lovely people that follow and read my stuff. Which I am so thankful of. I've dedicated this post to you this week to let you know that I enjoy reading all of your blogs, because we all have similar stresses, situations and it's nice to read that we all share similar stuff in life. I also love to read all of your comments and see what you have to say. 

To become a better blogger what are some things that you wish I wrote about? 

What do you want to know?

{What I'm Thankful for this week}

45. All of My Followers

46. Time spend alone with Ian

47. Seeing Twilight Eclipse with my brother

48. Beautiful Sunny 90 degree weather everyday

49. Living close to the best consignment shop ever. 

50. Friends and New Friends

51. 11lbs my body was willing to give up :)

52. New vitamins and Fish oils I got this week

53. That we don't have to pay $800 bucks to get the brakes

done on the truck. The brakes are fine. 

{What are you Thankful for this week?}

Link up..

Please also, give me a click and vote for me :)

A Letter to Ian

Ian,

When we met a little over 4 years ago, I would have never thought we would be where we are today. It was December some time and you sent me a Myspace comment saying Hi, Blah, Blah! I don't remember responding back, but waiting it out. Then I returned from Seattle for Christmas and a couple of days went by. One night you instant messaged me and I remember thinking great an internet creep and turns out we knew some mutual people. A couple of weeks went by and I got a phone call from you during the most hectic nights of when my aunt was in the hospital. A couple of weeks went by and we went on our first date. Our first date was January 12th, 2006 right before my 19th birthday. I learned how to drive 40 MPH up snowy driveways in Tahoe Donner. You showed me lots of Truckee and I didn't know. 

This was our first picture together. haha!

By April 2006, we moved in together to Reno. This year we had a lot of fun. You took me to my first Tool concert, I went to the Washington Rock Slides for the first time. You introduced me to Autumn and Tyson, I didn't know it then, but Autumn and I would become really good friends. We lived in Reno for a year and made the commute to Truckee everyday. I'm sorry, but I made you move. (little did you know it would be several times after that). We made the move to Truckee in May 2007 to Glenshire. It was good to be living back in Truckee and making short minutes commute to work. I went on my first booze cruise with you that summer despite my fear of rivers and I had a lot of fun. 

August 2007, things started to get a little weird and I was scared, and frightened of the commitments we had. I started to pull away, and become distant and non communicative with you. I decided that I wanted to move out. I moved out by the end of the August with a friend in Kings Beach. Little did I know what I was actually doing or what the repercussions on my decisions were. After a couple of weeks I reached back out to you and decided that I didn't want you out of my life. Even though, we were separated for a few weeks I knew that I wanted to be back to the way things were. I broke my own heart, and left you to be with someone else. After I composed a letter to you and broke it up into 14 text messages. I got one reply from you I agree and feel the same. (After 14 texts I still only get 4 words from you). You aren't a texter at all. We hung out on and off for the month of September of 2007 and decided to go on a trip to the California Coast in October.

We had a great time in Morro Bay, Cayucos, San Luis Obispo Big Sur. I've never been to the California Coast and you showed me all of your favorite spots. Wine on the beach, driving through the trees and telling me inbred people are going to get me. It was dark and I remember watching the hills have eyes recently before the trip and thought they were in the trees. 

Us in Morro Bay

November 2007, we learned the biggest news of our lives that I was pregnant and we were going to be having a baby in July 2008. We moved back in together by December and spent the next 9 months preparing for baby's arrival.

July 25th, 2008 Mackenna Jane Wright was born @ 4:33am and weighed 9lbs and 21 1/2 inches. You may have almost fainted twice during the epidural and the start of Mackenna's arrival, but you made it. After a long 23 hours of labor, we finally had Mackenna. You got to hold Mackenna first and then me. It was the craziest and longest day of our lives. 

The first year was fun as we discovered to be parents and learned along the way. We got into some arguments and were stressed and tired but we made it through. I went back to school when Mackenna was 6 months old on top of back to work full time when Mackenna was 3 months old. You were a help with Mackenna and taking care of the homestead while I was in school. It was tough going back to school and waking in the middle of the night for Mackenna's feeding. We traded off and nights and it seemed to work. 

Before we knew it was Mackenna's 1st Birthday. We invited all of our friends and family and had a great time at our house. We went to Toys R Us to go shopping for her birthday and went crazy. You even had a lot of fun picking out stuff. 

Now, another year has passed since her 1st birthday and our little girl will be 2 years old this month. You are a great daddy to her and I love you so much. It has been a fun and exciting 4 years with you and I can't wait to see what our future is like. (I'm sure our parents would be like us to be married someday ha! )

Us in Big Sur

Help! Any Ideas for a 2 year old's Birthday?

Sorry, I didn't get around to posting yesterday. I've been real busy at work, so therefore I just didn't have the time to post my meal plan. Anyway's, Mackenna's 2nd birthday is coming up in a couple of weeks and I'm hung on the fence on what to buy her. Kitchen, Train Table with Tracks and Trains or a Art Easel. Or Toy Story toys, because we are so in to Toy Story right now. It's crazy. 

Here are some visuals on my idea's

Also, I've been looking at some kitchen's, but there are so many and I can't really decide on one.

This one is made by Melissa and Doug

3

This one is made by Kid Kraft

This one is also made by KidKraft

Please take vote and give me your idea's on what kitchen you like the best or maybe you have one of these and you can tell me if you like it. Also, what do you think about the train table idea? Yay or Nay? Please let me know. 

Also, What are some things that you have gotten your two year old for their birthday and they really love. I live in Lake Tahoe, CA and looking for more indoor activities, since our summer's are really short and winters are long and cold with lot's of snow.

Thanks for all of your ideas!