Today I had an epiphany as my boys were playing in our in-home playground (supervised of course). I have been under a lot of stress for the last 13 months (wow that's a long time now that I add it up). And, I brought it on myself like every other over-stressed being.

We decided to add on 1200+ sq. ft. to our home and Chad is doing it all himself. I found out I was pregnant. We had many weddings to attend last year (two of which I was in....can you say dress alterations?). The twins turned 1. We ran a business, which includes payroll for our nanny, so lots of book-keeping. We have two large dogs that are very energetic and high maintenance. Chad lost his job. We had to lay Anya off (our nanny, so much a part of the family). My wagon was totalled. Our refrigerator broke down. Never-ending piles of laundry. Dust bunnies in every corner of EVERY room, oh and the sheet rock dust.

It doesn't matter what situation you find yourself in. It's how you handle it and if you are a capable problem-solver. Honestly, I was not that great of a problem solver. Luckily my best friend is a strong left-brainer (also w/ a strong right brain....so intelligent!) and she's taught me logical thinking.

What is it that really matters? Is it the messy house? Is it the unpaid bills? Well, cleaning the house has definitely fallen off my list. As far as the unpaid bills.....they all got paid, it was just a matter of shuffling things around.

So, in the last couple of months I have become a capable problem solver and have learned to simplify. We've narrowed everything down, we've prioritized and we have definitely cut the spending! It hit me like a ton of bricks today, and I'm not sure where how I forgot this favorite statement, "what good is life is you can't enjoy it?" I know I will look back and smile when I think of these years. I will probably want to re-live the simplicity of not having any money, but having an entire heart full of love and happiness, and a clear head.