Do as I Say, Not as I Do.

Put it on Your List!

This is what I tell my summer birthday kids. It has been perfect timing to have all of their birthdays over the summer so their big wants can make it onto the birthday list or Christmas list. The needs never have to be wanted for – clothes, books, and anything that is required for school, sports, or activities are given to them for the very unfair exchange of making beds and cleaning litter boxes. And I am far more consistent pulling my end of the exchange than they. They do get a small allowance that they can use to save for things they want throughout the year, but the rest winds up on the lists.

But when I am asked “what do you want for your birthday (or Mother’s Day or Christmas), boy do I struggle. I haven’t allowed myself to want for things. I am not a designer girl and don’t have expensive material desires so I have just had a steady stream of "want it / get it" without the waiting, wishing, excitement of getting something you have been thinking about or hoping for.

Until now.

Is it June Already?

In the past two weeks I have legit been contemplating what will make it on my June birthday wish list. Just two tiny weeks of saying no to things has me excited that I can put things on my list that I genuinely am thrilled to have. I very likely would not have wanted to buy anything in these two weeks anyway, but suddenly not being able to has me thinking about it!

I now have an Evernote wish list and I am curious to see if the few things I have recently added will still be on there in a few months. Do I really want them or are things popping up with more intensity because I can’t have them? Time will tell.

Successful Cart Abandonment:

This week I did have a craft in my Michael's online store cart because I had a rewards' voucher they kept emailing to remind me to use. But I did stop and acknowledge that I have one of the same crafts in progress and one waiting on deck that I received for Christmas and I have no business ordering another. So I didn't. I did let the voucher expire but know that going forward I can go and get tape/scissors/glue from the store and send them to school. Do you know that between them begging me to use my voucher and them reminding me that I left something in the cart, I had to resist 6 or 7 times. Time to unsubscribe to that!