Yo yo yo!
#1) The beach
I’m currently at the beach, enjoying our yearly family vacation where the 12 of us (7 adults and 5 kids) smush into a rental house and do our best to relax :) But it’s a) Free (thanks mom and dad!), and b) full of babysitters so us parents can take long awaited date nights – woopeeeee!!!! It’s like college spring break, only for older more responsible’d people!
So that’s where I’ll be if I’m slow to respond to anyone this week! We’ll see if I can down 3 drinks in a night without having a hangover ;) (Maybe I’ll even log on while I’m buzzing??)
#2) Turning into Super Daddy
Know what the opposite of a buzz is? When your newly hired babysitter pays more attention to her cell phone and forgets to watch your kids. Leaving them unattended near water as one of them slips and falls and the only way you find out is when you question where that new bruise came from on their back during bath time (!!!). So needless to say our plan of pulling them out of day care and doing half-time babysitter care didn’t exactly work out as planned.
On a positive note though, we found a MUCH more suited person to replace her when we’re back in town (a kindergarten teacher on summer break!), and in the meantime I took off work and turned into Super Dad taking my kids to gobs of parks and playing with them until their little legs couldn’t play anymore. For a second I even considered giving up all my sites and becoming a stay at home super daddy :) However that was shut down by my wallet who quickly reminded me that we’ve still got a ways to FIRE. So for now, we keep calm and blog on!
I gotta say though, spending work days through the lens of a 3 and 4 year old completely changes your perspective on stuff. Mainly, how boring/busy most of us are playing “adults” day in and day out! They get SUCH a joy playing with the most random, free stuff, for hours on end, and if you weren’t connected to civilization you’d think that was all that mattered in life. Of course, they’re not paying any bills or saving for the future or providing for themselves in any way, shape, or form (imagine if our parents still did that for us? Hah!), but it was a nice contrast to reality for a while.
I’m very much looking forward to the time where we can do whatever we want any day of the week, no questions asked. And in the meantime just keep striving for that elusive “balance” I keep hearing about!
#3) Our new summer blogging schedule
Speaking of balance, I’m going to change up our schedule here on the blog for a bit to recapture some of this life/family time I’ve been missing. I’ve found myself once again getting overly consumed with my online projects, and I fear Old J. Money will come back and just put up with it without trying to fix anything. It seems like I get into these funks every 6 months or so – do you find the same?
Rather than pulling a Houdini though and taking another sabbatical (although I was tempted, they’re sooooo much fun!!!), I’ve decided to just tone down my writing here to Mondays every week instead of Mondays and Wednesdays – that way I can still be connected and participate, but also relax more and not put as much pressure on myself.
Not to leave you hanging though, I’m tapping my boy Carl from 1500 Days to share his $$$ ideas/journey on Wednesdays as he’s one of my favorite financial bloggers around. Not only in keeping me entertained and always thinking, but also because he motivates the crap out of me having just retired himself this year at the ripe age of 43! Where he now spends his time traveling, working on passion projects, hanging out with his wife and two beautiful girls, zipping around in $45,000 Hondas, and really just living the good life. He’s also #16 on our Blogger Net Worth List, clocking in at $1,860,617.00.
He’ll be sharing how he reached this on Wednesday :)
So basically you’ll get me on Mondays still, Mr. 1500 on Wednesdays, and then our blogger guest post series will continue on Fridays.
When the summer’s over we’ll re-evaluate and see who needs to stay and who needs to go, as well as if I’m still alive after all this free time spent with family ;) But don’t you dare vote me off the island! You don’t want me to redirect everything to BudgetsAreNOTSexy.com!!
Enjoy your week in the meantime, and try not to feel too bad for me as I’m lounging around the sands drinking fresh Dogfish Head…. If anyone’s gonna be around the Rehoboth Beach area, do me a favor and scatter some coins into the sand throughout the evenings? I’m getting awfully tired of finding bottle caps each year metal detecting, and I’d love to come home at least one night boasting about all my found treasures! I’ll even return them to you the next time we cross paths!
XOXO,
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I can relate — spending time with my kids is far more satisfying than sitting in an office and putting up with all the usual work bs. FIREing and taking the time to actually spend time with them was one of the best things I ever did.
Enjoy your summer break! Glad to see Carl will be joining your site on Wednesdays!
Completely understandable! Summer is meant to be enjoyed. (Partly why I’m only posting on Tuesday)
I bet everyone is just happy you are still visiting our inbox on Monday and we get to see Mr 1500’s antics here too ;-).
Ps totally not surprised you have a metal detector!
Thanks Budget on a Stick! I have some big shoes (hair?) to fill. I’m half super-excited, half super-terrified and half super-curious to see how it goes…
new plan! create a scheme to get Mr 1500 to have a Mohawk!
Ha, I can’t pull it off like J Money. He looks cool with it. I’d look like a psychopath…
No one said you needed a TALL mohawk! Just get those sides shaved and upload a pic ;)
Woohoo, enjoy the beach and the extra time with the kiddos! It is amazing to take a look at the world from their eyes… our two year old has taught us to stop and appreciate the small things (“hey look- a slug!” or “AIRPLANE!”) in so many ways!
Congrats on the well deserved rest. I’m sure it’s got to be a grind running all the websites that you do plus since I love Carl’s writing it’s going to be fun reading what he has to say :) Enjoy your beach vacation.
I can’t believe a babysitter would not only let someone else’s kids get injured/have a spill, but not even mention it. I don’t know if it would be worse if they didn’t tell you because they didn’t know or because they didn’t want you to know.
Enjoy your family vacation, sounds fun!
Both are terrible!
I had a friend who worked at the day cares in our area – they said that out of the 6-7, only 1 had standards high enough to send their kids to. The others all had issues from the way they treated kids to the the lack of funds for new toys.
Yeah, that part upset us the most. Makes you wonder about all the other things they don’t tell you :(
Wow what a horrible babysitter!!!
Thanks for keeping us updated and you definitely deserve some down time with the fam bam.
And now I want to buy a metal detector too…
We found a whole 82 cents last night – don’t be jealous!
Enjoy the beach and have a great 4th of July! We usually travel back home for the holiday (Midwest) but we have pushed it back a week to hit up a wedding while we’re in town. Always nice to have some free babysitters to have a date night!
Hope you enjoye your vacation and some freedom during the summer! Looking forward to seeing Carl’s work here!
Enjoy the time and don’t worry about us. We’ll still be here when you ramp it up again. ;)
Your family vacation sounds exactly how I grew up! Multiple families in a house and long days on the beach without a care in the world…for us kids anyway. ;)
As for the metal detector, good luck! I know of a couple flight attendants that bid beach overnights in the summer just to comb beaches. They bring in some good loot!!
Enjoy your wednesdays off. I’m looking forward to Carl’s posts in the meantime!!
Hah – really?? I remember all I did was travel and spend gobs of money on food/beer when I worked for the airlines :) Would have been fun sneaking in some good metal detecting!!
I pretty much operate in a funk in fear that one day I will be discovered and my main customer will give me the boot. I think that is what happens when you lose passion dude. Not saying that is you but it certainly is me. I used to love what I do, now I only tolerate it because I’m not FI. I still find it interesting but in all honesty Id rather be outside living a fulfilling human life playing with and teaching my kids. But you know….F’ing bills……
Hey Paul –
Bills are a driving force of work in our lives. Have you thought about changing jobs or careers while you are still on the way to FI?
I’m still relatively early in my career and haven’t got to the non passion point, but have had to take some days off when burnout won. It was a great way to rekindle the flame of passion and come to work ready to grind.
Here’s an awesome video that gives us motivation on our WHY. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Oxz060iedY
Enjoy !
ET is a good hype man…I like his stuff. I just think it a natural progression of human life to change courses every decade or so. The issue is painting yourself into a corner financially where you need a certain income level. Typically, a change in career means a lower initial pay. That is not always an option.
In my opinion though, grinding is bad advice. Knowledge is what will get you there. The highest paid people are paid for what they know, not how many widgets they produce. Anyone can work hard there is no value in that after a certain point.
Glad you have the flexibility to switch gears and experience more joy with your kids. Sounds like a great life-plan to me.
Have a fun and safe 4th of July! Here’s to hoping you don’t have that hangover.
.
Ho. Ly. Crap on the babysitter. I can’t say I’m too surprised about the cell phone issue, but my heart was in my throat reading that. I hope you gave her an earful at the least. Glad all turned out well.
It was a tough conversation to have with her for sure – I don’t think she realized the extent of how bad it was until after my wife was letting her go. Super sweet girl though and hope she finds a better fit with a different family (and one with much older kids).
Ha! I totally get you with the babysitter thing. It’s hard to find good help when it comes to watching over your children.
It’s all good that you’re only posting once per week from now on. On my blog I switched to only posting once per week years ago. Then I even went into “every two weeks” mode after my battle with cancer. I’d love to give the readers more. But sometimes you need to give more attention to the life that’s happening around you over the life you lead through your laptop.
I didn’t know you were battling cancer, dang man! Hope things are looking better for you!
Which beach? We’re in a similar situation here but my mother and my kids in tow. I’m no a big crowded beach fan so it’s more for the parents.
Wasn’t your plan after the last sabbatical to only post on Monday? You just can’t seem to stay away.
Reread and see your in rehobeth. We’re in ocean City just down the road.
nice! have never seen so many people at the beach before here – guess that’s what happens when you do it over 4th of July :)
Ugh! That is so scary about the babysitter! I was really hoping she would work out. Ughhh. Anyhoo, it sounds like the new lady will work out great. :)
Don’t forget to wear sunblock, J. Money!
It’s like you’re cheating on us with your family.
I just saw a quote – don’t look for success at work while achieving failure at home.
Dannngggg good one!
What a terrible babysitter experience. Hope the kids are okay.
Enjoy the beach. Glad to be getting more Mr.1500, we love us some more Mr.1500! :)
I left $313.25 on Rehobeth beach, in quarters and silver dollars. You can return it when I meet you at FinCon.
Great plan for the summer! Great move with Mr. 1500, I agree he’s one of the best bloggers around! enjoy your summer!
Oh man, thanks for the kind comment. It’s not true, but I’ll take it anyway!
I WOULD LOVE YOU FOREVER, FRITZ!!!!
Enjoy your vacation!
I can’t get over the babysitter! Glad you found a good replacement.
I look forward to hearing more from Mr. 1500!
The Summer of J. Money! Enjoy it!
I’m trying to see the world more like my 3.5-year-old does too. Wrestling, sidewalk chalk, and “projects” are the latests trends. Much more fun than than paying the bills!
I think slowing down for the summer is a great idea! I’ve been toying with the idea of bringing on a great writer – looks like you made a great choice.
Glad you found a new sitter!
Awesome you are concentrating on the family and yourself! And who doesn’t love 1500 days?
Looking forward to hearing from him.
Happy 4th and all summer long!
*looks down, turns red and flashes a big “awwwww shucks” grin*
Amy, you’re too kind! Thank you.
Smart idea getting a substitute teacher! Enjoy the summer with the kiddos.
I’ve been wondering what the best schedule is as well.
2 posts a week sounds good!
S
Enjoy the summer with the kids. I’m taking it easy this summer too. Our kid is out of school and I put him in a half day camp every other week. That works well for us. This week he’s off and we’ll go to the playground, pool, concerts, etc… It will be a ton of fun.
I’ll keep my blog light and easy this summer. :)
Carl is a great blogger. Good move.
Good idea w/ the half-day camps – makes it feel more Summer’y, doesn’t it?
Enjoy man. Go spend time with the family and leave the writing alone for a few days/weeks. That is one reason I try to write a month in advance. That way if I hit a slow period then I am not getting behind on my self made “blogging schedule”.
Have fun at the beach!
I wish I could plan like that! I can only do stuff “fresh” or else I lose all excitement/enthusiasm :) Most of my posts are written hours before they go live – hah.
Enjoy your vacation, well deserved!
Pretty awesome news on you two teaming up, I really enjoy reading both of your guy’s work. Just an idea, you two team up for a podcast, with plenty of beer in front of you and just see where it goes??? :)
HAH! Would be even better if we were recorded without even knowing it! :)
Love that your taking the time to hang with your kids – they really make the world such a happier place by showing you what really matters in life. It was nice having no need to worry about savings or protecting yourself back when you were young.
I remember taking trips to the pool, fishing all day, or floating down the river in a kayak just for fun. I played SO many video games and read so many fiction books. Nowadays it feels like I have a routine filled with personal growth books, reading and writing about personal finance, mixed with some fun like beach trips, Netflix, or reading. It’s almost as if we do the opposite of what we did as kids to prepare for life mishaps and grow our success.
Both are great parts of life and one we get to enjoy again once we decide on retiring. Thanks for sharing!
We’d love to do a Friday guest post, where could we send you info?
Email me some ideas and we’ll see if any of them work :) budgetsaresexy @ gmail .com
J –
NIIIICE. That’s what I’m talking about – spending time with the kids, creating that strong bond. I hope I can imagine/have a reality soon when I’m doing something very similar – having the options at any day when I have children to play and spend as much time as wanted.
Sounds like you’re loving the vacation and hopefully are able to reset the mind, charge the batters there a little bit. Good thing is – your blog continues to churn and the dividends in your portfolio continue to send checks/boosting your value. Funny how hard work upfront can allow you to breathe, if needed…
Thanks for the heads up J on the schedule, as well, I am sure it helps you have even more focused articles. Talk soon and enjoy the Dogfish head brews! Don’t have too many 120 minute IPAs…
-Lanny
(Too late! :))
Enjoy the family and the beach. Add a beer, stay healthy, and you have all that’s important in life at your fingertips! I look forward to Mr 1500 too. I checked out his blog for the first time and look forward to his postings here.
Enjoy your vacation!
Enjoy some gorgeous and well-deserved time at the beach! It’s a great time to be spending even more time and focusing more on the family. I know I will be hanging out with my furry one. Cheers.
OH my gosh – crazy about the babysitter!! So glad your little one is okay!! Those water incidents can be scary!! Have a wonderful vacation. Life looking through the eyes of a toddler sure is fun. Enjoy it. They’ll be graduating high school before you know it. Wonder if you’ll still have your mohawk then? :-)
My receding hair line says “no” :)
But it would be fun to see if my kids are running this blog!
Enjoy your beach holiday J Money! In order to show some contrast I had to wake up 5am due to a super boring business trip. One day closer to FIRE in a different manner… :(
HANG IN THERE!!
Pretty cool! Enjoy your time off J.Money.
We all need to soak up the summer while it’s still here.
Enjoy your deserved family/life balance. I love that this blog not only inspires us with our finances, but also in putting the fam before the blog. #priorities
It’s taken me quite the handful of years to finally catch on, haha…
Yay! 1. for taking a break. I’m on a part time screen time sabbatical myself… and yay for Mr. 1500! He is so entertaining and hilarious! That is a nice match for your site. :)
Oooooh screen time sabbatical! How’s it going so far? I reckon most of us need one of those with how integrated we all are now w/ them :(
So very glad that the injury wasn’t far worse :(
Happy Fourth!
We just did a mini version of a week off … I guess that’s actually called a long weekend isn’t it? Spent most of it with the extended family: 11 kids, 5 parents, 2 grandparents. We were outnumbered!! Then a full pool / BBQ day with another enormous crowd of friends and their kids, complete with sunburn. I’m honestly not sure if we could take this much fun all day everyday but I’m working toward it anyway. ;)
There could be worse problems :)
You must have been so worried to find that bruise. Eek!
Slowing down for summers to actually enjoy them with your family is an excellent life choice. I hope the beach treats you well!
Good for you, enjoy the extra family time!
Ohmigod. I would have flipped my lid!!!! Accidents happen, but A. put down your freaking phone and B. tell me it happened!!!
The husband does the super Daddy thing year round and he loves it. Also, it drives him insane for adult conversation. Haha there’s a fine balance between the two when you’re hanging out with little ones all day.
I hope you guys have a great time! Rehoboth is so beautiful. And enjoy the new posting schedule, too! Slowing down can be such a great thing–like pushing the reset button.
I should have known the phone was going to be an issue when she brought her charger to our house on day #1! Who does that??
Enjoy your time, J$!! :)