Introducing US!

This blog was born out of both necessity and query; my necessity and the query of others.

I am a single mother of four young kids who, once upon a time, had a home, a husband with a successful career, a life of abundance and good fortune. Those were good times! Unfortunately, they came to an abrupt end and the fish went belly up quite suddenly and with that, so did life the way we knew it. From an over $300,000/ year duel income to living on a meager teacher's salary, we were forced to learn the hard way how to MAKE IT WORK!

Let me start by saying, my kids wear (some) designer clothing, eat nutritious meals, enjoy activities and have traveled. We live in a lovely, albeit modest, home in a beautiful area - an area where people choose to visit for vacation year round. My children are wonderful students and I am fortunate enough to teach in their elementary school so I am able to participate in those "once upon a time PTA activities" at leisure. We eat out (occasionally), see movies (sometimes) and visit with friends - as much as we once did (?), no, but enough so that they have learned the proper etiquette of restaurant behavior.

I also received the advice of well meaning friends who offered suggestions that work only when you have a trust fund, a family of support that provides everything from babysitting to clothing and food, and a husband that helps out around the house. I have NONE of these things and it was only a matter of time before this "advice" sounded more like criticism and, in order to survive, I was forced to "turn down the volume." We are not living off gifts, supplements, or anything other than what we ourselves bring to the table. (Although it WOULD be nice!)

We do believe in a higher power, but also in free will and, in our world, you get out of life exactly what you put in. While believing in a "master plan" is comforting to some, we do not believe that our difficulties were placed before us by a God that is trying to teach us a lesson. We do think that experiences that teach are wonderful opportunities for growth and self actualization.

My point is, that you don't have to be rich and successful to lead a full and enjoyable life. Yes, we have made tremendous sacrifices and altered life substantially in order to live on a meager salary, but over time, these have become painless routines in our everyday life and we have FUN!

My hope is to share some of our "learned on our feet trade secrets" so that you too can enjoy a life LEAN LIVING LARGE!