What You Might Hear on a Windy Fall Day

You hear that sound? That's the sound of new leaves being turned. All kinds of leaves, not just the diet and fitness kind.

I just got done doing our taxes. We're getting back almost everything we paid in federal taxes. I'm pretty sure that's a governmental endorsment that we really are broke. Kind of like they are saying, "Here. Take it. You need it more than we do." The good news is, it will pay off our credit card debt, something we really don't like to carry, and we'll have a fresh financial start.

I've decided that if we're going to be broke, that we're going to be one of those hip broke families I'm always envious of. I want to become one of those Moms Who Can Make Something Out of Nothing. A MacGyver Mom. My own mother is one of those women. You can give her three, apparently unrelated ingredients, and she can whip up a hot, comforting meal in minutes. Just recently, she noticed Sass walking around with a hooded towel on, pretending to be Sleeping Beauty in her cloak. By the end of the week, Sass had a new, handmade, sparkly, pink and purple princess cape. Which she adores, and rarely takes off. Not only that, my Mom also found the time to have Sass help her make it. See what I mean? A MacGyver Mom.

And really, we're doing fine. We're well fed, clothed, and between Christmas, birthdays, Grandmas, and garage sales, our house looks like Toys R Us. We have everything we need, and who really can complain about that?

Being broke, I think, is going to help me with turning over my new leaf:

I want us to lead a simpler life.

I want to clear our home of clutter. We have so many things. Things we don't use, things we don't need, things that have no sentimental value. FlyLady suggests doing a clean sweep and ridding your home of 27 items each day. I think 27 things and one cat each day this week and I'll be headed in the right direction. (Kidding. No one call PETA please.)

I want to wipe our budget free of excess, and escape the consumerism that surrounds us. On our way home from running errands today, we stopped and said hello to our neighbor's dog. He was barking with glee and really got Sass giggling. Party Girl was beside herself with excitement, turning red in the face and shrieking "DIS!" every time he barked. They can find happiness in such a small and ordinary thing, and I need to learn from them.

I want relieve my mind of the anxiety and vices that weigh me down each day. Honestly, I don't know how to change this one just yet, but my guess is that as I do right by myself, and do right by my family, this one will come along on it's own.

I want my body to be mine, free of excess fat. For the first time today, I hit that "runner's euphoria" (though I wasn't running) where you get into a workout and get that sudden burst of energy and feeling of well being. I felt like I could climb a mountain. I want that every day, and I want to look in the mirror and see myself, the person I feel like inside.

I want us to live within our means, physically, emotionally, and financially.

I'm determined it can be done. It feels good to try.