Today seemed to fly by. I took one kid to the mall to watch a movie with her friends while my oldest babysat for neighbors. I then stopped at the bank to cash in our change in anticipation of our trip Monday. Grand total... $117.99. I stuck it in checking account to go towards expenses. I also earned $87.89 in credit card rewards, as well as saved $85.40 in my Bank of America "Keep the Change" program (well, that, plus an additional $20/month deposit to keep the account free). So total $290 in "snowflake" money. A hefty portion of that will be going towards parking. I've researched Uber, cabs, and metro. Our flight is too early for metro, and hiring Uber or cab will be at least as expensive as 4 days of economy parking. And I'm not asking a neighbor or coworker to drive us at 4am on a work day. So I'm setting the money aside now, should be $68. So still about $220 of "snowflake" vacation money.

After the bank I went home, worked on my resume, and took a brief 20 minute nap. Then I submitted my resume to 2 online career centers managed by the professional organization I belong to. I'm sure the resume can be tweaked some more, as this is a new kind of resume for me. But I figure when I update my credential status on my resume I can take another look at it.

After dinner I brought out my sewing machine and materials. I worked on some flannel burp cloths I am making for a coworker who is pregnant with twins, so excited for her. I think I have decided that sewing will be my new, fun hobby. There is something so satisfying about watching something come together right in front of your eyes... That said, I have very, very basic sewing skills. I learned from YouTube. So as I have more time down the road I may be able to take a class here or there.

My youngest joined me for a bit while sewing. She attempted to make socks for the dog. She got two of them done! Dog was not amused. She doesn't care for hats, or socks.

Tomorrow I will take the kids out for last minute shopping for snacks for the trip, clean out the fridge and pick up the house, and finish packing. I'll also be very diligent with keeping my carbs down tomorrow. The last few days I have not been watching anything, and my stomach is protesting. I certainly don't need digestive issues on our trip!

REally I need to just stop thinking about my diet and exercise so much, and just do what I need to do. Seriously, I know what I need to eat and not eat. I know that exercise classes make me feel amazing. But there is a part of my brain that wants to avoid discomfort and stick with the immediate gratification of eating junk and laying around. I operate best when I don't overthink things. I've said it before, when it comes to getting myself to do what I need to do, I like to go on autopilot, and not give myself a chance to talk myself out of anything.

My tax refund is pending and should arrive in our account Monday, perfect timing. It's already accounted for, but it is nice to have the cash in the account just the same.

That's all for now, just a peaceful day around the house.

Friday I mailed out my complete application to sit for the exam ($6 postage), and paid the $230 fee online. It is hard to believe that I made it to this point already, feels like I have been working on this for such a long time!

I can test either in February or May. I hate to wait until May, but the studying hasn't been as strong as I had hoped as my time has been more divided. I have been accepting 4 hours of additional work on Saturdays with my part time job.

I've also had my time more limited for more important reasons. With my daughter's hospitalization, and the addition of more appointments to keep her healthy, my time has been limited. But of course I don't begrudge that, I'm just so thankful that she is feeling mentally positive again. We've also been doing more together, because she is actually wanting to hang out with us instead of withdraw all the time. Makes me want to sing out in praise! So no, I don't feel prepared for February. But I would much rather delay until May, and spend the extra time with my girls and get my daughter to her appointments as needed. I'm so thankful that we are having good days again.

I completed my taxes online last night, so when the IRS is open for processing them (should be tomorrow), I have that taken care of. I was going to put the refund towards the 0% credit card, but I have that rate until 2018, so maybe I can throw the big amount into savings to give it a big bump. It's my taxable investment account, so I personally would rather make some money there (hopefully!) and pay the 0% card gradually. If I add it to my long-term savings I don't think I will count it towards my "add additional $5,000 to savings" goal for 2017, that's cheating!

My salary increase request at work was approved. I submitted the paperwork after I got my final semester grades for the program I just finished. Now I'm waiting for salary services to notify me of when and how much the raise will be, as it will be prorated for what is left of the school year.

Looks like I need to sit down and determine "how much" is coming in from "where" and figure out the best way reach both of my major 2017 financial goals.

I've made it to Wednesday! Mondays and Tuesdays are typically our crazy evenings, because of DD2's dance schedule and my second job. So the rest of the week should feel like a breeze when those days are done! I leave work early this afternoon to take DD1 to an appointment, and then I head to my part-time job for 2 hours, if we finish the appointment on time.

Thanks for all of the positive thoughts and support from SA community. DD1 is getting back into her routine, but with some changes that will help us all out. She will go back to classes tomorrow. I'm very optimistic that she will get stronger from this. She is learning a lot about herself and gaining better coping skills. She will continue with regular therapy appointments to monitor depression. Life is such a journey...

As far as myself, I need to bring back my healthy habits. I still need to get consistent with regular morning workouts. And I need to lay off the junk food. I am being gentle with myself from this past week, because I just needed to get through each day. But I know that I need to take care of myself too, and get back into the habits that helped me feel good. I did exercise yesterday, though not the morning class. I did 1.5 hours of classes and it felt so good to be distracted. And of course afterwards, the endorphins from all that exercise. I also slept like a rock last night- so much so that I couldn't wake up this morning for a workout! But I will get it back, I think my body is recovering from the stress of the week. I think the junk food habit is going to be tougher to tackle...

Fortunately my money seems to be going according to budget. The only spending I have been doing is for... junk food. Yeah. A couple utility e-bills have arrived and I will most likely wait until the weekend to send those out, just because I will have more time to devote to budgeting. We still have our conference trip at the end of the month so I want to start transferring the rewards cash and little savings all into my checking account in anticipation of vacation spending. I can do that this weekend as well. I also must get my application for the exam mailed out this weekend!

Dinner tonight will be spaghetti with turkey meatballs. It will be nice to have a real meal at home again!

Thanks, all, for the words of encouragement on my previous post. My daughter is feeling better, and it's such a help to have the support of professionals to help navigate the whole process of getting to a healthier mental outlook.

I don't attend church, but I do pray and feel a connection spiritually to God. I relied on that connection a lot last week to get me through moments when I was feeling overwhelmed and scared of the future. I would like to find a community of like-minded humans, but in the past did not have much success finding a community where I felt our family belonged. Now may be a good time to research the churches in this area. I am not from this area, so it would be nice to have a community of our own here.

I will be heading back to work today. My supervisors are aware of the issues, but not anyone else. I'll keep the reason vague if anyone asks. Overall, I'm not too concerned with the return. My coworkers can speculate all they want, I have more important things to take care of. Like my kids, and catching up on my work.

My money may not look pretty for a while, when I get the bill for medical copays. Her dad will be responsible for half of it, but it may still be a big bill. I can't think much about that right now, I will come up with a plan when I have more information.

My plan to participate in UFM went out the window shortly into the new year, but I still enjoy reading the daily posts for information.

I hope everyone has a smooth week. If you are snowed in, stay warm and enjoy the downtime.

I can't believe we returned to work 4 days ago. This has been a very long week.

Without going into too much detail, my oldest daughter is having some serious coping issues, and we needed to seek mental health help for her. Finding providers who return phone calls, have availability, accept your insurance, and can actually see new patients in a timely manner are few and far between. We found temporary support, and she's feeling so much better, but I've had to take off the last two days to deal with all of this.

It has been super scary navigating through the world of mental health. It is still a "closed door" subject, but I've had to get over that discomfort to find the best help for my daughter.

I have cried so much in the past few days, and have felt so many different emotions. When I visited my daughter after the first night, though, I realized that she is not alone and we are not alone. There are lots of other families experiencing similar issues in life.

I am not church-religious, but I do feel very connected spiritually to a greater source. It is obvious to me that we are all part of One. We all experience joy and sorrow, and fear. We are all just trying to make our way through life the best that we can, no matter our beliefs or where we come from.