Français
This post has been sponsored by Wealthfront. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are entirely my own.
Planning for your children’s future
Jude has been so much fun to be around lately. He loves to choose his own clothes, and try on outfits and accessories at every store we go to. When he’s satisfied with an outfit, he checks himself out in the mirror and walks as if he was on the runway. Full of personality, this one!
I don’t know what the future holds right now but if he follows his dreams, he’ll be a fashion designer or a runway model. Mom better start saving! Ever since I became a mom, I’ve felt like time goes by a hundred times faster. Each year that goes by, each birthday that my boys celebrate, I find myself in utter shock. How did that just happen? Didn’t I give birth just yesterday?
This year, it hit me. I need to start planning for the boys’ future, more precisely saving for Jude’s college fund. I’m not a planning-type of person. I’m more of a “let’s wing it” type of mom. It just seems so overwhelming to me to come up with a plan. How much do I need to put aside each month? Do I need to start saving now? Jude is only 3. What are my options? Is it even realistic to start a college fund with our current financial situation?
Wealthfront
I’ve decided to be smart about this and I’m using a useful automatic financial planning service called Wealthfront which has answered all the questions I’ve had and more. I’ve been using it for two weeks and I’m impressed with how intuitive their website is. In setting up my account, and deciding how to invest, I got help every step of the way. I grew up in France so our financial system is a bit different and having all the information I needed in one place made a world of a difference.
It’s really never too early to start thinking about your children’s future. The earlier you start to plan, the easier and more effective it will be. Sometimes, all I need is a little nudge in the right direction to get started, and thanks to Wealthfront, I’m starting the year on a good note with a plan for Jude’s finances. If like me you need a little help to get started, check them out. I feel like a real adult all of a sudden! Stay tuned for a second post soon where I’ll go into more details on how I’ve been using Wealthfront to save for Jude’s future.
This post has been sponsored by Wealthfront. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are entirely my own.
![[ad] Have I reached Pinterest-Mom status with these delicious turkey and cheese pinwheels, or what?? Okay, that, I don’t know, but I do know that the boys are crazy about these yummy pinwheels! They’re super-easy to make and perfect for packing in lunchboxes. I made them with @sargentocheese that’s real, natural cheese. Apparently it tastes so good that after you make the pinwheels, Jude will eat the rest of the pack if you leave it out. 😂
I’m a resourceful mom, though, so I’ve learned to use @sargentocheese as bait in fun recipes with other foods I want him to eat... hint-hint... protein and veggies 😜 These cute little turkey and cheese pinwheels have become an instant favorite at our house, and that makes my mama-heart happy.
Head to the blog for directions and more! #realcheesepeople](http://scontent-frx5-1.cdninstagram.com/vp/d54ece78473dae3d91979140395f308f/5E1C0698/t51.2885-15/e35/c0.180.1440.1440/s320x320/69848285_511554739633399_6424792240559414510_n.jpg?_nc_ht=scontent-frx5-1.cdninstagram.com&_nc_cat=107 "[ad] Have I reached Pinterest-Mom status with these delicious turkey and cheese pinwheels, or what?? Okay, that, I don’t know, but I do know that the boys are crazy about these yummy pinwheels! They’re super-easy to make and perfect for packing in lunchboxes. I made them with @sargentocheese that’s real, natural cheese. Apparently it tastes so good that after you make the pinwheels, Jude will eat the rest of the pack if you leave it out. 😂
I’m a resourceful mom, though, so I’ve learned to use @sargentocheese as bait in fun recipes with other foods I want him to eat... hint-hint... protein and veggies 😜 These cute little turkey and cheese pinwheels have become an instant favorite at our house, and that makes my mama-heart happy.
Head to the blog for directions and more! #realcheesepeople")
![[excerpt from my book, All Across The Spectrum, about autism and regressions]
With autism, I always feel like I’m playing a balancing act, trying to find a happy medium with everything. The balance between espousing autism acceptance and also making sure that people realize that autism is a disability. There are beautiful moments of sincere hope and more sobering moments reminding you to be realistic with your expectations. I remember some initial feelings of pure happiness and hope after Charlie spoke for the first time. I wanted to believe we had turned a corner. This was finally it, Charlie was going to start communicating and the past five years would just become a distant memory of an old lifetime. A struggle that was no longer mine. I imagined myself looking back on tougher times with a smile, knowing they had been put to bed. I could almost see it. Almost feel it.
But I also remember the nagging doubt, the feeling that this was too good to be true and that his breakthrough could just be another blip on the radar, not to resurface for a long time to come. That’s what autism does. It gives you what you want for a few days, weeks, maybe months, and then it takes it away. Cruel. Heartless. It gives just so it can take.
I try not to hang my happiness on those moments of progress anymore. I feel it, try to let it warm every fiber of my body for a day; two if I’m lucky, and then let go. I let it go. Experience has taught me that progress with Charlie has an expiration date, like a hot summer camp romance. It’s the best thing in the entire world in that moment and you relish every fleeting second because you know it will come to an end and you’ll be left heartbroken.
[...]
Swipe for bts/I vacuumed the field afterwards. I’m a good girl 💁🏻♀️](http://scontent-frx5-1.cdninstagram.com/vp/15e0a8174eb07f23083a0c2ed78bd136/5E08616D/t51.2885-15/e35/c0.9.1440.1440a/s320x320/69896430_375159733138085_1108492367200420611_n.jpg?_nc_ht=scontent-frx5-1.cdninstagram.com&_nc_cat=105 "[excerpt from my book, All Across The Spectrum, about autism and regressions]
With autism, I always feel like I’m playing a balancing act, trying to find a happy medium with everything. The balance between espousing autism acceptance and also making sure that people realize that autism is a disability. There are beautiful moments of sincere hope and more sobering moments reminding you to be realistic with your expectations. I remember some initial feelings of pure happiness and hope after Charlie spoke for the first time. I wanted to believe we had turned a corner. This was finally it, Charlie was going to start communicating and the past five years would just become a distant memory of an old lifetime. A struggle that was no longer mine. I imagined myself looking back on tougher times with a smile, knowing they had been put to bed. I could almost see it. Almost feel it.
But I also remember the nagging doubt, the feeling that this was too good to be true and that his breakthrough could just be another blip on the radar, not to resurface for a long time to come. That’s what autism does. It gives you what you want for a few days, weeks, maybe months, and then it takes it away. Cruel. Heartless. It gives just so it can take.
I try not to hang my happiness on those moments of progress anymore. I feel it, try to let it warm every fiber of my body for a day; two if I’m lucky, and then let go. I let it go. Experience has taught me that progress with Charlie has an expiration date, like a hot summer camp romance. It’s the best thing in the entire world in that moment and you relish every fleeting second because you know it will come to an end and you’ll be left heartbroken.
[...]
Swipe for bts/I vacuumed the field afterwards. I’m a good girl 💁🏻♀️")
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