I feel like Jekyll and Hyde on here. One post is about me being grouchy and how things are going wrong. Then I have a post about how great life is. What a struggle! :)
I am in a much better mood than earlier. Still exhausted, but I'm slowly getting some energy. I got the rest of my winter/Christmas decorations down, so I can work on putting up some homemade Valentine's Day decor in time for my Coffee party on Friday! I'm very excited about having the ladies over. Hopefully this crazy blizzard won't mess it up!
I decided to put our wedding unity candle back up as decoration on the mantle. I had it up a while back but found other things to put up, so I packed it away. I figured it went well with the Valentine's/Love theme going on this month. :) I also put up some pictures of Arthur and I together. Awww. haha.
I'm on track with the laundry, so I'll be happy with getting it all done and put away today. I force myself to put it away once it's folded and not just let it sit in the basket waiting to go upstairs. I find it's easier to put away one load as it's finished instead of lugging all the loads up the stairs at once to put away.
Tonight for dinner, I think I'm going to make a braided pizza loaf. I get to combine 2 of my favorite things - baking bread and making homemade pizza. I've never made it before, but it looks delicious, so we'll hopefully enjoy it!
I still don't have the menu plan for the rest of the week on paper; it's all in my head for now. But, I got the TV off finally; I had a weird habit of turning it on when I sit down to eat lunch once the girls are in bed. I turn it on for the noon news initially, but then I end up leaving it on even if I'm no longer watching it. Wasteful. So, it's off, I've had a snack, and I'm feeling much better about today. The snow/blizzard is supposed to start late tomorrow afternoon; I should be able to get all my groceries done and do any running around before that, so we can bunker down tomorrow night. :) Hopefully, I can pick up a couple movies at the library or something to tide us over til we can come out of the house again later in the week!
Off to fold laundry! And I think I'm going to take little steps to do my own version of "homesteading". I have a chive plant. I can pick up a couple other plants this week and have my own little group of herb plants indoors. I can also work on making bread more often instead of having to buy it. AND, I can make those homemade tortillas I've been talking about all weekend. I'm very excited to do that! That will be my first attempt at homemade tortillas.
At some point, I'd also like to have a sewing machine, even just a little one. I think it would make some of the craft ideas we have turn out better, if I could use a sewing machine instead of doing it by hand. But, I don't have room right now for a whole machine and materials and whatnot, so one thing at a time...
Monday, January 31, 2011
Tired
I am exhausted. I feel like that's a recurring theme these days. Tired. I am not sleeping well at night. Part of that is pregnancy and part is the girls. One of them (changes nightly) wakes up crying almost every night now; it is tiring. I don't know if it's bad dreams or tummy aches or what, but it is getting old real fast. Last night Iris was up and down several times over a period of about 15 minutes, asking to come into bed with us. I just can't let her in there anymore. My belly is getting too big, and whenever one of them is in our bed I get kicked. It hurts!
Finally, Iris went back to bed but she didn't close her door again, so I had to get up and close it (they'll wake up when Arthur gets up at 4:45am otherwise!). My sciatic hurt, I felt dizzy, and my stomach muscles ached because instead of sitting up from my side, I sat straight up from lying on my back. Ouch!
Needless to say, I was not very cheerful when I got up this morning. :) Plus, last night I was all disorganized. I forgot to start the dishwasher (something I always do after dinner...so we can put the clean dishes away first thing), I didn't put out the girls' outfits, and I didn't have my To Do list printed out. What a mess this morning. Iris and Lily got up before me and wandered around, not knowing they needed to get dressed because there were no clothes out. I didn't get my shower in first thing. I didn't have clean dishes to unload. I didn't have my list. I had no plan for what we were having for breakfast. UGH! I felt so out of it.
I'm back on track now, but I feel like I lost a good hour and a half there trying to play catch up. Thankfully, it's laundry day, so we are in all day long. I don't have to rush out of the house, which is nice. Now, hopefully, the snow won't be bad tomorrow morning so I can get my grocery shopping done with Addy and get the girls back home before the blizzard starts.
I've been following a blog by some women that homestead. I really didn't even know that was a term until 2 days ago. :) These women are amazing. They are living my dream. Ok, my dream from my fantasy world....not an actual attainable dream of mine. They live on lots of land, have their own gardens and grow their own year-round supplies of fruits and veggies, that they then can or freeze for the winter. One of the ladies now has her own cow, so she can have her own milk supply. Most of them have chickens, so they have their own supply of eggs. It's awesome to read about!
Arthur and I have been talking about moving (again....knowing it won't happen any time soon) and we both would like to get out away from the suburbs and the subdivisions and the close neighbors (no offense to our neighbors). We'd like a couple acres of land, since we've NEVER had a backyard for the girls and the dog. I would love to plan some gardens and homeschool the girls and just live quietly. I'm over the whole TV thing. Not having cable doesn't bother me anymore. It's hard to find quality movies anymore, too. Everything has language I don't want them repeating - stupid, dumb, idiot, etc. I am really wanting to shelter them a lot lately. :) Maybe it's hormonal and a phase, but I really don't like most influences for kids out there lately. I even dislike the show Dinosaur Train on PBS...they talk about the history of dinosaurs and how they lived millions of years ago and how there's proof of that. Yeah, right. Ok. Let's fill the kids' minds with garbage now, so they have no defense against that ignorant way of thinking when they're older. :)
Not that I have model behavior around them all the time, but I like to know exactly what influence they're getting and be able to change it (my attitude/actions/words) if it's not encouraging or helpful in their growth. That's why I am really looking forward to homeschooling. Iris is such a people-pleaser sometimes; I want her to learn to please God first. I don't want her to even get the influence of public schools (just my opinion; i know it's not the schools that are evil. i'm not that extreme! lol).
I have a lot on my mind, obviously. Just wanted to get it out. As I'm typing, my eyes are closing. I really need a good nap. Especially, if I'm doing groceries tomorrow and preparing for a school snow day on Wednesday (most likely, I hear) and still have to menu plan for the week. I'm going to need a lot of energy, patience, and reliance on God's strength, for sure. And every time I'm in this tired funk all I can think is: how in the world did my mom do it???! :)
I smell poop. Addy's nearby. Time to get that taken care of. Oh, and we're working on potty training her. One more thing to throw in the mix. :) But I would be THRILLED if she was trained before Baby Artie got here. One in diapers is ideal!
Finally, Iris went back to bed but she didn't close her door again, so I had to get up and close it (they'll wake up when Arthur gets up at 4:45am otherwise!). My sciatic hurt, I felt dizzy, and my stomach muscles ached because instead of sitting up from my side, I sat straight up from lying on my back. Ouch!
Needless to say, I was not very cheerful when I got up this morning. :) Plus, last night I was all disorganized. I forgot to start the dishwasher (something I always do after dinner...so we can put the clean dishes away first thing), I didn't put out the girls' outfits, and I didn't have my To Do list printed out. What a mess this morning. Iris and Lily got up before me and wandered around, not knowing they needed to get dressed because there were no clothes out. I didn't get my shower in first thing. I didn't have clean dishes to unload. I didn't have my list. I had no plan for what we were having for breakfast. UGH! I felt so out of it.
I'm back on track now, but I feel like I lost a good hour and a half there trying to play catch up. Thankfully, it's laundry day, so we are in all day long. I don't have to rush out of the house, which is nice. Now, hopefully, the snow won't be bad tomorrow morning so I can get my grocery shopping done with Addy and get the girls back home before the blizzard starts.
I've been following a blog by some women that homestead. I really didn't even know that was a term until 2 days ago. :) These women are amazing. They are living my dream. Ok, my dream from my fantasy world....not an actual attainable dream of mine. They live on lots of land, have their own gardens and grow their own year-round supplies of fruits and veggies, that they then can or freeze for the winter. One of the ladies now has her own cow, so she can have her own milk supply. Most of them have chickens, so they have their own supply of eggs. It's awesome to read about!
Arthur and I have been talking about moving (again....knowing it won't happen any time soon) and we both would like to get out away from the suburbs and the subdivisions and the close neighbors (no offense to our neighbors). We'd like a couple acres of land, since we've NEVER had a backyard for the girls and the dog. I would love to plan some gardens and homeschool the girls and just live quietly. I'm over the whole TV thing. Not having cable doesn't bother me anymore. It's hard to find quality movies anymore, too. Everything has language I don't want them repeating - stupid, dumb, idiot, etc. I am really wanting to shelter them a lot lately. :) Maybe it's hormonal and a phase, but I really don't like most influences for kids out there lately. I even dislike the show Dinosaur Train on PBS...they talk about the history of dinosaurs and how they lived millions of years ago and how there's proof of that. Yeah, right. Ok. Let's fill the kids' minds with garbage now, so they have no defense against that ignorant way of thinking when they're older. :)
Not that I have model behavior around them all the time, but I like to know exactly what influence they're getting and be able to change it (my attitude/actions/words) if it's not encouraging or helpful in their growth. That's why I am really looking forward to homeschooling. Iris is such a people-pleaser sometimes; I want her to learn to please God first. I don't want her to even get the influence of public schools (just my opinion; i know it's not the schools that are evil. i'm not that extreme! lol).
I have a lot on my mind, obviously. Just wanted to get it out. As I'm typing, my eyes are closing. I really need a good nap. Especially, if I'm doing groceries tomorrow and preparing for a school snow day on Wednesday (most likely, I hear) and still have to menu plan for the week. I'm going to need a lot of energy, patience, and reliance on God's strength, for sure. And every time I'm in this tired funk all I can think is: how in the world did my mom do it???! :)
I smell poop. Addy's nearby. Time to get that taken care of. Oh, and we're working on potty training her. One more thing to throw in the mix. :) But I would be THRILLED if she was trained before Baby Artie got here. One in diapers is ideal!
Friday, January 28, 2011
Proverbs 31:27
"She looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness."
Wow. That can be a tricky verse. Ok, it's pretty self-explanatory but putting it into practice can be tricky. I have a certain time every day where I'd like to just sit and relax....and it's not during the quiet/rest time I've scheduled for myself. This feeling usually comes on mid-afternoon when I'm feeling my sugar is low, I haven't had enough water to drink, and I am tired of breaking up the girls' fights.
All I want to do at that time is sit and sleep or give up. BUT, that would ruin my planned out day.
The first half of that verse, to me, really makes me consider my daily to do lists. I created my daily list and it coincides with my weekly to do list. I figure all my days out and feel pretty proud of myself that I'm getting what I want done, but I need to remember it's about my family and what their needs are. I must make sure I am prioritizing family needs ahead of just the things I want to see done. I can plan out my days all I want, but if it's not done well as the verse indicates, then it's pointless.
The second half of that verse seemed pretty obvious to me. Again, though, I find that some things I'm doing could be considered idleness in the big scheme of things. Facebook, emails, reading blogs....I have great intentions for all of them - keeping in touch, getting new ideas, etc. - but unless they are making my day and my well-planned to do list even more productive, then maybe I need to put those on the back burner.
I am sitting her on the couch, covered with a blanket, water bottle next to me, and the girls upstairs in bed. I can't do much in the kitchen during their naps because the house is small and the noise carries. Sometimes I feel like I could just turn on the TV and veg out for an hour. Is that productive? Not really. I think a better idea would be to do those online things I want to do later in the afternoon, unproductive feeling time. I could read the blogs, check in with family and friends and clear out emails right now. Then, I wouldn't be so tempted later in the day to neglect a family need and sit down and tool around online.
God has really been working on me this week with my time. Time management. My view of time. My prioritizing. Everything to do with scheduling and planning and carrying it out. He has really spoken to me through a couple different moms online (Christian women that have blogs discussing what they do for their families and how they relate that to their ministry of motherhood). I have picked up a couple great things to make habits of and a couple things to keep in mind as I work around the house.
Not being idle has been a key thing this week. Yes, I'm 22 weeks pregnant with my fourth child. Yes, I have 3 other children under 5. Yes, I have a slight (Ok, HUGE) obsession with cleaning. No, that doesn't make me a supermom in any way. It makes me stretched....sometimes more than I'd like to be but never more than I can handle being. :) God is amazing and will show Himself to us....but only if we're looking for Him. He's not going to jump out in front of us to tell us something; He wants us to look for Him and trust in Him. I can't be looking for Him if I'm being idle in the roles He's given me. He can't show me great things if I'm sitting around wasting time.
I feel like I just threw a bunch of my thoughts out there, and it's very possible that they didn't flow well or didn't make sense. Wouldn't be the first time that's happened! I just feel like I've discovered something about myself and my role as Mother and my job as house manager that will help me understand things so much more.
"Do everything without complaining and arguing." Philippians 2:14 (NLT)
"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord not for men." Colossians 3:23 (NIV)
"Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands. Serve the Lord with gladness; come before His presence with singing. Know ye that the Lord HE is God; it is He who hath made us and not we ourselves. We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Enter into His gates with singing and into His courts with praise. Be thankful unto Him and bless His name. For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and His truth endureth to all generations." Psalm 100 (KJV)
I LOVE LOVE LOVE these verses! They are great reminders of how we are to work, what kind of attitude and heart we should have, and WHY we should - because HE is God. :)
Great encouragement at the end of a long and prosperous week. Such a great way to enter the weekend!
Wow. That can be a tricky verse. Ok, it's pretty self-explanatory but putting it into practice can be tricky. I have a certain time every day where I'd like to just sit and relax....and it's not during the quiet/rest time I've scheduled for myself. This feeling usually comes on mid-afternoon when I'm feeling my sugar is low, I haven't had enough water to drink, and I am tired of breaking up the girls' fights.
All I want to do at that time is sit and sleep or give up. BUT, that would ruin my planned out day.
The first half of that verse, to me, really makes me consider my daily to do lists. I created my daily list and it coincides with my weekly to do list. I figure all my days out and feel pretty proud of myself that I'm getting what I want done, but I need to remember it's about my family and what their needs are. I must make sure I am prioritizing family needs ahead of just the things I want to see done. I can plan out my days all I want, but if it's not done well as the verse indicates, then it's pointless.
The second half of that verse seemed pretty obvious to me. Again, though, I find that some things I'm doing could be considered idleness in the big scheme of things. Facebook, emails, reading blogs....I have great intentions for all of them - keeping in touch, getting new ideas, etc. - but unless they are making my day and my well-planned to do list even more productive, then maybe I need to put those on the back burner.
I am sitting her on the couch, covered with a blanket, water bottle next to me, and the girls upstairs in bed. I can't do much in the kitchen during their naps because the house is small and the noise carries. Sometimes I feel like I could just turn on the TV and veg out for an hour. Is that productive? Not really. I think a better idea would be to do those online things I want to do later in the afternoon, unproductive feeling time. I could read the blogs, check in with family and friends and clear out emails right now. Then, I wouldn't be so tempted later in the day to neglect a family need and sit down and tool around online.
God has really been working on me this week with my time. Time management. My view of time. My prioritizing. Everything to do with scheduling and planning and carrying it out. He has really spoken to me through a couple different moms online (Christian women that have blogs discussing what they do for their families and how they relate that to their ministry of motherhood). I have picked up a couple great things to make habits of and a couple things to keep in mind as I work around the house.
Not being idle has been a key thing this week. Yes, I'm 22 weeks pregnant with my fourth child. Yes, I have 3 other children under 5. Yes, I have a slight (Ok, HUGE) obsession with cleaning. No, that doesn't make me a supermom in any way. It makes me stretched....sometimes more than I'd like to be but never more than I can handle being. :) God is amazing and will show Himself to us....but only if we're looking for Him. He's not going to jump out in front of us to tell us something; He wants us to look for Him and trust in Him. I can't be looking for Him if I'm being idle in the roles He's given me. He can't show me great things if I'm sitting around wasting time.
I feel like I just threw a bunch of my thoughts out there, and it's very possible that they didn't flow well or didn't make sense. Wouldn't be the first time that's happened! I just feel like I've discovered something about myself and my role as Mother and my job as house manager that will help me understand things so much more.
"Do everything without complaining and arguing." Philippians 2:14 (NLT)
"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord not for men." Colossians 3:23 (NIV)
"Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands. Serve the Lord with gladness; come before His presence with singing. Know ye that the Lord HE is God; it is He who hath made us and not we ourselves. We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Enter into His gates with singing and into His courts with praise. Be thankful unto Him and bless His name. For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and His truth endureth to all generations." Psalm 100 (KJV)
I LOVE LOVE LOVE these verses! They are great reminders of how we are to work, what kind of attitude and heart we should have, and WHY we should - because HE is God. :)
Great encouragement at the end of a long and prosperous week. Such a great way to enter the weekend!
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Wednesday Already?!
I can't believe it's Wednesday already! Where has this week gone?
Well, Monday started my first day using my new and IMPROVED daily to do and cleaning list. I also took the time to map out the meals for the day. I got up early to get a shower and get dressed before cooking (yes, i said COOKING!) everyone breakfast. We were all able to sit down together and have pancakes before Arthur went off to work. It was fabulous! Then, I finished off a list of before and after breakfast "chores" for myself before starting the laundry. I was happy to complete my entire To Do List as well as my Daily Chores List. I even, for the first time in several weeks, completely finished and put away all laundry before going to bed. And we STILL got in bed shortly after 9:30! I was flying high with that accomplishment.
Yesterday I got up early again and showered and dressed. I made breakfast burritos for everyone and we again sat down to breakfast all together. I am loving that! I finished up my chores and we were out the door early to return movies and library books before taking the girls to school. Addy and I did almost all of the grocery shopping needed before picking the girls back up. We ran to the market and CVS quickly before coming home for lunch. Since I had lunch mapped out again, it was a cinch! I was able to get unloaded and all the purchases scanned for NCP while the girls napped!
Then, Arthur surprised us and came home early (around 2 pm)! We ran to Target for 2 bottles of Jet Dry, Rimmel Mascara and Rimmel trio eyeshadow. I paid just $1.32 for all 4 items! Very exciting. We were also able to get Arthur's shoes from Christmas (that were too big) exchanged and pick up Baby Artie's 2 pairs of shoes I ordered that had come in! So cute!
It was a productive second day of the week. We dropped the girls off at my in-laws after dinner and Arthur and I went to a homeschooling fair. It was our first, and I was surprised at the number of people there! I took a lot of helpful information from almost every booth and am excited to really sit down and look it all over!
This morning Arthur was off from work, so I didn't follow my lists exactly. The girls had cold breakfasts (cereal and pop-tarts), but I sat down with them while they ate. Arthur took out the garbage. We all took Iris to school this morning and then headed to Jewel, so I could cash in my stickers for a free pan. Our Jewel was out of them yesterday, so we drove to a further store today. There were out, too. :( I'm on a waiting list if they get any more in today. I'm not planning on getting one. :( Oh well.
I need to get going on my bathroom quick cleaning and get ready to go pick up Iris. Stapes just emailed me to say my order of Coffee-Mate creamer packets (50 count) that I ordered online for FREE with a coupon code are in. So, I need to head over there some time and grab those as well.
I received my box from Coffee-Mate yesterday for my Free Flavor Friday coffee party on February 4. Very cool! I received an apron, a silicone heart-shaped mold pan (6 molds on it), cups and napkins, samples of creamer and instant coffee, a leather recipe book (this was awesome!), and a bunch of coupons to hand out for free coffee creamer! I'm pumped now about this party. I have 4 confirmed adults and 2 kids. Hopefully I'll have a few more. Should be lots of fun. If you are interested, it's Friday, February 4 from 9:30am to 12pm at my house. Email me if you'd like to come, so I can send you a formal Coffee-Mate email invite to reply to.
Well, Monday started my first day using my new and IMPROVED daily to do and cleaning list. I also took the time to map out the meals for the day. I got up early to get a shower and get dressed before cooking (yes, i said COOKING!) everyone breakfast. We were all able to sit down together and have pancakes before Arthur went off to work. It was fabulous! Then, I finished off a list of before and after breakfast "chores" for myself before starting the laundry. I was happy to complete my entire To Do List as well as my Daily Chores List. I even, for the first time in several weeks, completely finished and put away all laundry before going to bed. And we STILL got in bed shortly after 9:30! I was flying high with that accomplishment.
Yesterday I got up early again and showered and dressed. I made breakfast burritos for everyone and we again sat down to breakfast all together. I am loving that! I finished up my chores and we were out the door early to return movies and library books before taking the girls to school. Addy and I did almost all of the grocery shopping needed before picking the girls back up. We ran to the market and CVS quickly before coming home for lunch. Since I had lunch mapped out again, it was a cinch! I was able to get unloaded and all the purchases scanned for NCP while the girls napped!
Then, Arthur surprised us and came home early (around 2 pm)! We ran to Target for 2 bottles of Jet Dry, Rimmel Mascara and Rimmel trio eyeshadow. I paid just $1.32 for all 4 items! Very exciting. We were also able to get Arthur's shoes from Christmas (that were too big) exchanged and pick up Baby Artie's 2 pairs of shoes I ordered that had come in! So cute!
It was a productive second day of the week. We dropped the girls off at my in-laws after dinner and Arthur and I went to a homeschooling fair. It was our first, and I was surprised at the number of people there! I took a lot of helpful information from almost every booth and am excited to really sit down and look it all over!
This morning Arthur was off from work, so I didn't follow my lists exactly. The girls had cold breakfasts (cereal and pop-tarts), but I sat down with them while they ate. Arthur took out the garbage. We all took Iris to school this morning and then headed to Jewel, so I could cash in my stickers for a free pan. Our Jewel was out of them yesterday, so we drove to a further store today. There were out, too. :( I'm on a waiting list if they get any more in today. I'm not planning on getting one. :( Oh well.
I need to get going on my bathroom quick cleaning and get ready to go pick up Iris. Stapes just emailed me to say my order of Coffee-Mate creamer packets (50 count) that I ordered online for FREE with a coupon code are in. So, I need to head over there some time and grab those as well.
I received my box from Coffee-Mate yesterday for my Free Flavor Friday coffee party on February 4. Very cool! I received an apron, a silicone heart-shaped mold pan (6 molds on it), cups and napkins, samples of creamer and instant coffee, a leather recipe book (this was awesome!), and a bunch of coupons to hand out for free coffee creamer! I'm pumped now about this party. I have 4 confirmed adults and 2 kids. Hopefully I'll have a few more. Should be lots of fun. If you are interested, it's Friday, February 4 from 9:30am to 12pm at my house. Email me if you'd like to come, so I can send you a formal Coffee-Mate email invite to reply to.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Pink Eye!
I think Addy has pink eye. What a bummer! BUT, that would explain why she didn't sleep well on Friday night and was tired and crabby all day yesterday. She woke up from her nap with gunk in her eyes, and I started thinking about pink eye. Then, this morning she woke up with all the crusty gunk, so I'm pretty sure that's it. Her eyes (both, unfortunately) are swollen and the whites are now reddish. Poor baby! She's actually in a much better mood today, though, so I'm hoping the awful feeling for her is over and it's just the visible redness left.
I actually have some drops left from Lily's pink eye last year. I know, I know...you're not supposed to share eye drops. BUT, I know I don't ever touch their eye or lashes with the bottle, so I started using them on Addy yesterday afternoon and again this morning. If it is clearing up by tomorrow, I won't even bother calling the doctor. It'd be such a pain to go and get any medicine for her today. It's freezing out, and Arthur's working, so we'd all have to go. A neighbor down the street offered, but I'm not ready to call the doctor just yet. I'm really laid back on calling the doctor. That neighbor told me about warm, moist tea bags on the eyes as soothing or a remedy. I'll probably try some of those soothing ideas and continue with the drops for the day and tomorrow morning. If it's not clearing up, we'll call the doctor first thing in the morning. The drops should clear up the bacterial part of it, and the compresses should help with the swelling and any irritation.
Let's just hope Iris and Lily don't get it.....AH!
We ended up missing small group last night. I'm glad we didn't go, though, since Addy's eyes look like that. There would have been other kids there, and I would have hated for them to wake up with it, too! Arthur didn't end up getting home until after 7, anyway, so we would have been very late to the group. He didn't get out at 5 like he was scheduled. No shocker there. :)
Sheets were changed and baths were given last night. I'm trying to keep all the bedding germ-free, so we can get rid of this quickly. Since Addy slept with us Friday night, I changed our sheets and pillowcases, too....just in case.
It's snowing AGAIN today and freezing, so I'm ok with being stuck inside. I do feel sad we're going to miss church, though.
I have bbq ribs in the crockpot (since 7 AM), that'll be ready at 5pm for dinner. The Bears/Packers game starts at 1 PM, but Arthur won't be out of work by then. He's kind of bummed that he'll miss at least part of the game. I'm hoping there's nothing going on at work today, and he can at least get out at 2PM and catch some of it.
I picked out the curriculum for Iris yesterday afternoon. I emailed my sister (former Kindergarten teacher) to see if she could give an opinion on it before I order it. I'm really excited! I also found out the Museum of Science and Industry offers free admission to homeschool students and parents (any group size) Monday through Friday during the school year. That's awesome!
Tuesday night is the homeschool vendor fair for a group nearby. Hopefully Arthur and I can get out to that sans kids and really get to see what there is available for us next year. Then, I can meet the homeschool group coordinator, too, and pick her brain. :)
I really need to get a shower and start on my pantry inventory, but maybe I should just take it easy today. I read my Bible for a little while yesterday (after complaining in my posts!) and really felt convicted about how I was acting about things. I was praying for patience then turned right around and snapped at Iris.
It seems that when I don't try and I just become complacent, things are easy. But, I guess that's because Satan is fine with me, then; he doesn't care to bother me because I'm not making an effort to draw closer to God. Then, when I TRY and become motivated to change things go nuts! When I try is when I find the most obstacles; I guess that makes sense, though. I'm not a threat to Satan if I'm not doing anything; he's only concerned with bothering me if I'm making an effort to do right.
I really have the wrong attitude about things sometimes, and I am determined to change that. I know God wants more from me; He knows I'm capable of more. And He deserves so much more from me.
I know everyone always quotes the verse "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me," but it just kept coming to mind yesterday. I CAN do anything with Christ's help. Pastor's sermon point from last week (out of Proverbs 16:3) about committing our plans to God before carrying them out has really stuck with me. Maybe I'm not changing because I haven't brought my desires to God FIRST and then asked for His help. I just tell Him what I want and ask Him to change me. I need a game plan for what I desire, and I need to make sure it's HIS game plan as well. Then, I can commit it all to Him and follow His lead.
Now that I've got the order of things down, I am hoping I will be more productive with change. Of course, I know it'll only get harder and more obstacles and trying times will arise, but at least I know I've planned it out with God and am in His will.
I actually have some drops left from Lily's pink eye last year. I know, I know...you're not supposed to share eye drops. BUT, I know I don't ever touch their eye or lashes with the bottle, so I started using them on Addy yesterday afternoon and again this morning. If it is clearing up by tomorrow, I won't even bother calling the doctor. It'd be such a pain to go and get any medicine for her today. It's freezing out, and Arthur's working, so we'd all have to go. A neighbor down the street offered, but I'm not ready to call the doctor just yet. I'm really laid back on calling the doctor. That neighbor told me about warm, moist tea bags on the eyes as soothing or a remedy. I'll probably try some of those soothing ideas and continue with the drops for the day and tomorrow morning. If it's not clearing up, we'll call the doctor first thing in the morning. The drops should clear up the bacterial part of it, and the compresses should help with the swelling and any irritation.
Let's just hope Iris and Lily don't get it.....AH!
We ended up missing small group last night. I'm glad we didn't go, though, since Addy's eyes look like that. There would have been other kids there, and I would have hated for them to wake up with it, too! Arthur didn't end up getting home until after 7, anyway, so we would have been very late to the group. He didn't get out at 5 like he was scheduled. No shocker there. :)
Sheets were changed and baths were given last night. I'm trying to keep all the bedding germ-free, so we can get rid of this quickly. Since Addy slept with us Friday night, I changed our sheets and pillowcases, too....just in case.
It's snowing AGAIN today and freezing, so I'm ok with being stuck inside. I do feel sad we're going to miss church, though.
I have bbq ribs in the crockpot (since 7 AM), that'll be ready at 5pm for dinner. The Bears/Packers game starts at 1 PM, but Arthur won't be out of work by then. He's kind of bummed that he'll miss at least part of the game. I'm hoping there's nothing going on at work today, and he can at least get out at 2PM and catch some of it.
I picked out the curriculum for Iris yesterday afternoon. I emailed my sister (former Kindergarten teacher) to see if she could give an opinion on it before I order it. I'm really excited! I also found out the Museum of Science and Industry offers free admission to homeschool students and parents (any group size) Monday through Friday during the school year. That's awesome!
Tuesday night is the homeschool vendor fair for a group nearby. Hopefully Arthur and I can get out to that sans kids and really get to see what there is available for us next year. Then, I can meet the homeschool group coordinator, too, and pick her brain. :)
I really need to get a shower and start on my pantry inventory, but maybe I should just take it easy today. I read my Bible for a little while yesterday (after complaining in my posts!) and really felt convicted about how I was acting about things. I was praying for patience then turned right around and snapped at Iris.
It seems that when I don't try and I just become complacent, things are easy. But, I guess that's because Satan is fine with me, then; he doesn't care to bother me because I'm not making an effort to draw closer to God. Then, when I TRY and become motivated to change things go nuts! When I try is when I find the most obstacles; I guess that makes sense, though. I'm not a threat to Satan if I'm not doing anything; he's only concerned with bothering me if I'm making an effort to do right.
I really have the wrong attitude about things sometimes, and I am determined to change that. I know God wants more from me; He knows I'm capable of more. And He deserves so much more from me.
I know everyone always quotes the verse "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me," but it just kept coming to mind yesterday. I CAN do anything with Christ's help. Pastor's sermon point from last week (out of Proverbs 16:3) about committing our plans to God before carrying them out has really stuck with me. Maybe I'm not changing because I haven't brought my desires to God FIRST and then asked for His help. I just tell Him what I want and ask Him to change me. I need a game plan for what I desire, and I need to make sure it's HIS game plan as well. Then, I can commit it all to Him and follow His lead.
Now that I've got the order of things down, I am hoping I will be more productive with change. Of course, I know it'll only get harder and more obstacles and trying times will arise, but at least I know I've planned it out with God and am in His will.
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Correction to Previous Post
I should mention that we did have a nice evening PRIOR to getting in bed.
We had a couple over that I haven't seen in about 2 years. Arthur talks to the husband by phone or text from time to time (that guy is a funeral director too).
We enjoyed dinner here together and some really great conversation. I always enjoy seeing them; I wish we could more often. It just never works out because of schedules. Arthur and Keith both work dumb schedules because of their occupations. I was pregnant with Addy the last time we saw them, and now I'm pregnant again. I found that humorous.
Anyway, despite the late night being awful, we did have a nice dinner and long chat with our friends. We even put the girls to bed slightly early (because of no naps and whining all day yesterday), so it was nice to just be able to sit and talk to other adults without having to get up and correct the kids. :)
So, I do have that to be thankful for. The rest of the night just made me forget the nice evening prior.
We had a couple over that I haven't seen in about 2 years. Arthur talks to the husband by phone or text from time to time (that guy is a funeral director too).
We enjoyed dinner here together and some really great conversation. I always enjoy seeing them; I wish we could more often. It just never works out because of schedules. Arthur and Keith both work dumb schedules because of their occupations. I was pregnant with Addy the last time we saw them, and now I'm pregnant again. I found that humorous.
Anyway, despite the late night being awful, we did have a nice dinner and long chat with our friends. We even put the girls to bed slightly early (because of no naps and whining all day yesterday), so it was nice to just be able to sit and talk to other adults without having to get up and correct the kids. :)
So, I do have that to be thankful for. The rest of the night just made me forget the nice evening prior.
Saturday's Sarcasm
I should NOT read those "super mom" blogs after sleeping little the night before. Boy does that make me feel crappy.
One mom posted her "24 Books I'm Reading in 2011". What>!?! Seriously. 24 books? None of them were children's books.....she read the kids' books aloud IN ADDITION to her 24 books. Give me a break! Not the best thing to read first thing this morning.
Last night, Addy woke up screaming right before we were about to enjoy a movie in bed. UGH! It was almost 10 PM, and I actually had just planned on falling asleep during the movie. Guess that wasn't happening. We brought her into bed with us; I think she had a bad dream in her crib because each time we tried to put her back in bed after consoling her, she would start screaming (not just whining) again.
Soooo, she slept with us. We didn't watch the movie. Addy kicked and punched me all night; she is a restless sleeper - likes to roll back and forth, sometimes trying to roll over my face!
Then, about 5AM - definitely before we had WANTED to get up - Iris comes out crying that she wet the bed. Arthur went in to take the sheets off while I washed her up. He came out grumbling that she had not only wet through to her mattress (awesome!), she'd also stood by the door and wet all over the floor...and he'd stepped in it. (great!) I made her a bed on the floor since we had to wait for the cleaning stuff on the mattress to dry. We tried to
go back to sleep for another hour, but Addy once again was kicking and rolling and hitting.
Arthur got up, showered and dressed before Iris and Lily got up. They went downstairs to start breakfast, while Addy continued to snooze next to me. I wanted to get up and away from her flailing arms, but our bed is too high off the ground to leave her unattended. I heard the girls telling Arthur they wanted bacon, when all of the sudden Addy woke up and said "bacon." She didn't wake up all night when I'd move her over away from my face, but at the first sound of food she 's up. UGH! I'm glad she was able to sleep without waking in our bed, but I'm feeling awfully jealous of her this morning. Where's MY good night's sleep?!
I have a headache and I'm very hungry; I have no energy to make anything for breakfast (although bacon DOES sound pretty good right now). The girls are playing, I mean fighting, upstairs with the Polly Pocket stuff. Addy almost fell asleep in her highchair during breakfast, so I'm not sure what's going on with her. She seemed rested, but then she seemed tired again. I really hope she's not getting sick.
We did go to the Y yesterday; hopefully Addy didn't pick up any sicky germs there that she's fighting off. :( It's tough to have the youngest one sick, especially while I'm pregnant and holding her isn't always comfortable.
So, everything I planned to do today (cleaning, marinating meat for tomorrow's lunch, organizing, curriculum deciding, etc.) may not get done. I'm having a hard time with that; it is actually angering me to think about it. I know my fuse will be short today. I really need to go do my devotions before I do anything else today. I need some encouragement. Ok, I really need a slap in the face to get me going.
Poor Arthur had to work today; I bet he'll be super tired by the time he gets home. We're supposed to go to a new small group that is meeting tonight. Arthur is supposed to get out of work at 5, but they have a service that's ENDING at 5. Who knows if that family will leave on time or if he'll have to stick around to clean up after them. His occupation is so hard to plan around; it's so hard to commit to things because anything can come up at the last minute and he's obviously obligated to stay. I mean, what's he going to say, "I'm sorry your mother just died. I have a dinner to go to. You'll have to call/come back another time." :) So, more than likely we will not make it tonight. I'm bummed because the couple hosting it are really nice, and they have kids, too, so they understand the whole trying to get together or plan small groups around kids things. And I was excited to hear the whole idea for the group. AND, we were all going to have dinner together.
I have a feeling I'll be glad when this day is over because I'll get nothing done here and I'll be super upset if we don't make it to the small group tonight. Then, I have nursery duty tomorrow morning, so I'm going to miss Pastor's message.
At least there's the Bears game to look forward to, right? :)
God is good. He doesn't give us anything we can't handle WITH HIM. Gotta remember that today; I am definitely not going to be able to do this on my own.
One mom posted her "24 Books I'm Reading in 2011". What>!?! Seriously. 24 books? None of them were children's books.....she read the kids' books aloud IN ADDITION to her 24 books. Give me a break! Not the best thing to read first thing this morning.
Last night, Addy woke up screaming right before we were about to enjoy a movie in bed. UGH! It was almost 10 PM, and I actually had just planned on falling asleep during the movie. Guess that wasn't happening. We brought her into bed with us; I think she had a bad dream in her crib because each time we tried to put her back in bed after consoling her, she would start screaming (not just whining) again.
Soooo, she slept with us. We didn't watch the movie. Addy kicked and punched me all night; she is a restless sleeper - likes to roll back and forth, sometimes trying to roll over my face!
Then, about 5AM - definitely before we had WANTED to get up - Iris comes out crying that she wet the bed. Arthur went in to take the sheets off while I washed her up. He came out grumbling that she had not only wet through to her mattress (awesome!), she'd also stood by the door and wet all over the floor...and he'd stepped in it. (great!) I made her a bed on the floor since we had to wait for the cleaning stuff on the mattress to dry. We tried to
go back to sleep for another hour, but Addy once again was kicking and rolling and hitting.
Arthur got up, showered and dressed before Iris and Lily got up. They went downstairs to start breakfast, while Addy continued to snooze next to me. I wanted to get up and away from her flailing arms, but our bed is too high off the ground to leave her unattended. I heard the girls telling Arthur they wanted bacon, when all of the sudden Addy woke up and said "bacon." She didn't wake up all night when I'd move her over away from my face, but at the first sound of food she 's up. UGH! I'm glad she was able to sleep without waking in our bed, but I'm feeling awfully jealous of her this morning. Where's MY good night's sleep?!
I have a headache and I'm very hungry; I have no energy to make anything for breakfast (although bacon DOES sound pretty good right now). The girls are playing, I mean fighting, upstairs with the Polly Pocket stuff. Addy almost fell asleep in her highchair during breakfast, so I'm not sure what's going on with her. She seemed rested, but then she seemed tired again. I really hope she's not getting sick.
We did go to the Y yesterday; hopefully Addy didn't pick up any sicky germs there that she's fighting off. :( It's tough to have the youngest one sick, especially while I'm pregnant and holding her isn't always comfortable.
So, everything I planned to do today (cleaning, marinating meat for tomorrow's lunch, organizing, curriculum deciding, etc.) may not get done. I'm having a hard time with that; it is actually angering me to think about it. I know my fuse will be short today. I really need to go do my devotions before I do anything else today. I need some encouragement. Ok, I really need a slap in the face to get me going.
Poor Arthur had to work today; I bet he'll be super tired by the time he gets home. We're supposed to go to a new small group that is meeting tonight. Arthur is supposed to get out of work at 5, but they have a service that's ENDING at 5. Who knows if that family will leave on time or if he'll have to stick around to clean up after them. His occupation is so hard to plan around; it's so hard to commit to things because anything can come up at the last minute and he's obviously obligated to stay. I mean, what's he going to say, "I'm sorry your mother just died. I have a dinner to go to. You'll have to call/come back another time." :) So, more than likely we will not make it tonight. I'm bummed because the couple hosting it are really nice, and they have kids, too, so they understand the whole trying to get together or plan small groups around kids things. And I was excited to hear the whole idea for the group. AND, we were all going to have dinner together.
I have a feeling I'll be glad when this day is over because I'll get nothing done here and I'll be super upset if we don't make it to the small group tonight. Then, I have nursery duty tomorrow morning, so I'm going to miss Pastor's message.
At least there's the Bears game to look forward to, right? :)
God is good. He doesn't give us anything we can't handle WITH HIM. Gotta remember that today; I am definitely not going to be able to do this on my own.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Moms, Making Lists, and Money
I had a fun morning with my friend Erika. She and her youngest came over to visit with Addy, Lily and me. I rushed around to make cranberry oatmeal muffins for us this morning. Should've planned it out a little better, so I didn't rush, but everything turned out. I was going to make bread in the bread maker, but I still had some from Monday's loaf; I went with muffins instead. We got out of bed later than usual, so I got started a little later than I had hoped. Nothing like running around all crazy to make muffins, get a shower, get little ones dressed and get to preschool on time. We ended up being early to school; I have no clue how that happened! :)
Addy and Lily were trying my patience while Erika and little T were here. But, I was glad to have the company. It's funny because she and I almost always talk about coupons and housework and saving money. It is really enjoyable to have another mom who is overly interested in all of that, like I am. We often save on the same deals, so it's nice to compare and share what we got for the week.
I ran into CVS with Lily and Addy after we dropped off Iris. My favorite employee, Beth, was there. She is super nice, and she is always encouraging me to break up my orders to use my ECB's on the next items. Great lady. I ended up getting six 12-packs of Pepsi products (2 Pepsi, 2 Wild Cherry Pepsi, and 2 Sierra Mist) for $10! They were 3/$10, but if you purchased $20 worth you got 10 ECB's back! I plan to use those ECB's before Saturday to get more toilet paper and Puffs...to then get more ECB's. We are in needing of stocking up on toilet paper, so I think 32 rolls in that next deal ought to cover it, right? :)
For the new year (yes, I know it's already the third week of January!), I am making goals/resolutions by month. Instead of just one thing to accomplish or change this year, I want to get on the ball with several by completing or making a certain habit each month. This month's goal is menu planning. I really enjoy cooking, and I don't mind searching around for a recipe but I really need to stick to the habit of menu planning. I'm on-again, off-again with that habit. I need it to stick. So, I'm working on making a pantry inventory sheet, a toiletries inventory sheet (not really related to menu planning but related to the grocery list I'll be making for my menu), and creating a weekly menu guide. I really liked the latest video on MoneySavingMom's site (her "31 weeks to a better grocery budget" series; week 2) where she showed her printout of the list of 7 items for breakfasts, lunches, and dinners in a week. She didn't have specific days assigned to each meal, but she had them listed, so they'd know what was available for a meal. We tend to eat the same things for breakfast several times a week. I want to make sure we're consuming all those great steals I've been getting! :) Today, along with deciding to bake muffins late in the morning, I also decided to make my husband and I hash browns with egg and bacon. He made the eggs, and I made the hash browns and bacon. I felt to rushed because I decided two minutes before we needed to start cooking that we should do it. If I had written it out as an idea on a menu guide, I could have quickly just referred to the guide for that idea or a less time consuming meal for this morning's craziness.
My other goals for the year include: freezing meals for when Baby Artie arrives (probably will do this in late April or early May), organizing the kids' closet to accommodate yet another set of clothes, maintaining a written Daily To Do list to help maintain my routine and also track my water intake (really need to work on consuming more water each day), pick out and order curriculum for Iris (goal is May/June), plan out field trips and budget for them before school starts(hopefully completed by early August), and purchase a freezer (February/March). And somewhere in there I'm going to have a baby, recuperate, adjust to having 4 kids at home, and enjoy summer break. Should I add more to the list? Haha!
I am very excited to do all these things. I've been thinking about them all for a month or more, so I figured I should set some timelines for accomplishing them. I desperately want to stay on top of the homeschooling BEFORE August rolls around. I hear I need to order everything by early summer before the tons of orders come in and mine gets backordered. I have received all the catalogs I requested, so I just need to sit down with Arthur and go over the budget and the things we NEED as well as the additional items I'd LIKE to purchase. Field trip days and costs will need to be budgeted out in advance as well, so I can be sure Arthur is available to go with on the ones I'll need him for, as well as making sure the money doesn't get allocated for something else. As much as I can make run smoothly, I'd like to make that way.
My mom has graciously agreed to sew a cover for our crib bumper (yes, I still use one..don't tell on me. lol.), so we don't have to go buy a whole new bedding set. Ours is pink and butterflies; I figured that'd be a bit much for a boy. :) Not that he cares or anything. And the crib's duvet has a girly cover we can remove; she said she could sew a boyish cover for that, too. Hoping we can find some material on sale, so that doesn't add up! We'll just need to get some blue or green crib sheets. Thankfully, we thought ahead enough to buy the stroller, baby carrier, and pack-and-play in neutral colors, so they can all be used for a boy. The only thing we'll be in need of is clothing. Hoping to find some good garage sales this Spring and stock up on whatever I can find.
I should get back to my list making, so I can get started on printing out my first menu plan. I'm thinking I'll go Tuesday through Monday on my guides because I grocery shop on Tuesdays, and that'll help me plan for the first evening once I've purchased new items. I feel like I'm making it a more difficult task than it should be. :)
Addy and Lily were trying my patience while Erika and little T were here. But, I was glad to have the company. It's funny because she and I almost always talk about coupons and housework and saving money. It is really enjoyable to have another mom who is overly interested in all of that, like I am. We often save on the same deals, so it's nice to compare and share what we got for the week.
I ran into CVS with Lily and Addy after we dropped off Iris. My favorite employee, Beth, was there. She is super nice, and she is always encouraging me to break up my orders to use my ECB's on the next items. Great lady. I ended up getting six 12-packs of Pepsi products (2 Pepsi, 2 Wild Cherry Pepsi, and 2 Sierra Mist) for $10! They were 3/$10, but if you purchased $20 worth you got 10 ECB's back! I plan to use those ECB's before Saturday to get more toilet paper and Puffs...to then get more ECB's. We are in needing of stocking up on toilet paper, so I think 32 rolls in that next deal ought to cover it, right? :)
For the new year (yes, I know it's already the third week of January!), I am making goals/resolutions by month. Instead of just one thing to accomplish or change this year, I want to get on the ball with several by completing or making a certain habit each month. This month's goal is menu planning. I really enjoy cooking, and I don't mind searching around for a recipe but I really need to stick to the habit of menu planning. I'm on-again, off-again with that habit. I need it to stick. So, I'm working on making a pantry inventory sheet, a toiletries inventory sheet (not really related to menu planning but related to the grocery list I'll be making for my menu), and creating a weekly menu guide. I really liked the latest video on MoneySavingMom's site (her "31 weeks to a better grocery budget" series; week 2) where she showed her printout of the list of 7 items for breakfasts, lunches, and dinners in a week. She didn't have specific days assigned to each meal, but she had them listed, so they'd know what was available for a meal. We tend to eat the same things for breakfast several times a week. I want to make sure we're consuming all those great steals I've been getting! :) Today, along with deciding to bake muffins late in the morning, I also decided to make my husband and I hash browns with egg and bacon. He made the eggs, and I made the hash browns and bacon. I felt to rushed because I decided two minutes before we needed to start cooking that we should do it. If I had written it out as an idea on a menu guide, I could have quickly just referred to the guide for that idea or a less time consuming meal for this morning's craziness.
My other goals for the year include: freezing meals for when Baby Artie arrives (probably will do this in late April or early May), organizing the kids' closet to accommodate yet another set of clothes, maintaining a written Daily To Do list to help maintain my routine and also track my water intake (really need to work on consuming more water each day), pick out and order curriculum for Iris (goal is May/June), plan out field trips and budget for them before school starts(hopefully completed by early August), and purchase a freezer (February/March). And somewhere in there I'm going to have a baby, recuperate, adjust to having 4 kids at home, and enjoy summer break. Should I add more to the list? Haha!
I am very excited to do all these things. I've been thinking about them all for a month or more, so I figured I should set some timelines for accomplishing them. I desperately want to stay on top of the homeschooling BEFORE August rolls around. I hear I need to order everything by early summer before the tons of orders come in and mine gets backordered. I have received all the catalogs I requested, so I just need to sit down with Arthur and go over the budget and the things we NEED as well as the additional items I'd LIKE to purchase. Field trip days and costs will need to be budgeted out in advance as well, so I can be sure Arthur is available to go with on the ones I'll need him for, as well as making sure the money doesn't get allocated for something else. As much as I can make run smoothly, I'd like to make that way.
My mom has graciously agreed to sew a cover for our crib bumper (yes, I still use one..don't tell on me. lol.), so we don't have to go buy a whole new bedding set. Ours is pink and butterflies; I figured that'd be a bit much for a boy. :) Not that he cares or anything. And the crib's duvet has a girly cover we can remove; she said she could sew a boyish cover for that, too. Hoping we can find some material on sale, so that doesn't add up! We'll just need to get some blue or green crib sheets. Thankfully, we thought ahead enough to buy the stroller, baby carrier, and pack-and-play in neutral colors, so they can all be used for a boy. The only thing we'll be in need of is clothing. Hoping to find some good garage sales this Spring and stock up on whatever I can find.
I should get back to my list making, so I can get started on printing out my first menu plan. I'm thinking I'll go Tuesday through Monday on my guides because I grocery shop on Tuesdays, and that'll help me plan for the first evening once I've purchased new items. I feel like I'm making it a more difficult task than it should be. :)
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Optimism
I tend to be more optimistic than my husband. He is often negative about a situation, but I'm always saying "at least it could be worse." I don't think he appreciates my optimism that often. :)
Today, Addy and I went to Meijer after dropping the other two off at preschool. We got into the store, I got my list out and we were off grabbing what we needed. Then we got to the deli counter. They were going soooooo sloooooow....and there was only one customer there. She WAS ordering several pounds of several different meats and cheeses; I hope she's having a party or has 10 kids because that was a lot of meat to consume!
Addy was pleasant early on, as was I. We were joking and tickling and just trying to pass the time. Then, she started to get cranky; I was saying to myself, "it could be worse." I started to get a little irritated after she ordered more than 5 pounds of meats while I was standing there (she did already have some in the cart, too!). That customer was finally finished and it was our turn! I ordered a half pound of Swiss cheese, only to have the deli guy come out from behind the counter to read the sale tag to make sure he was picking out the right one. Then, he went behind the counter and found he needed to go in the back and get a new one to slice. Addy was becoming impatient. I couldn't blame her; we had probably been waiting for a good 5 minutes at this point. I was running out of things to distract her with. The deli guy came back, sliced off a sample piece for us to eat and then completed that order. I then ordered a half pound of ham, and he again found he needed to go get a new block in the back to slice. At least, this time we had our cheese to nibble on. :) He came back and graciously gave us some ham to munch on while he finished our order. I didn't ever act rude or impatient with him. He did apologize afterward and wished us a great day. I was really glad I stayed positive; he tried hard to move quickly and it wasn't his fault.
While I was there trying to be optimistic, I had forgotten all about a $10 off $30 electronic coupon from the Meijer website that I had attached to my phone number. So, when we got up to the checkout and I had to enter my number for a $1.00 coupon on our bread, it also rang up the $10 off coupon at the end! I was caught off guard and so excited! the cashier seemed pretty impressed, too, with my MPerks savings! AND, in addition to the MPerks electronic savings, I had another $13 in paper coupon savings, as well as having everything I bought be on sale this week! So, I saved pretty big overall today. I guess I'm glad we got held up at the deli counter. It made for a fun and surprising checkout experience, which is always fantastic! :)
We ran to Walgreens and Dominick's, too, before swinging by to pick the girls up. Walgreens saved me a bundle as well...on razors, cheese and toothbrush covers (4 for $.99!). I also scored 2 of the Kraft Homestyle dinners for $.17 each, which I was overjoyed about. I've actually never purchased those because they can be pretty pricey, when not on sale. This week, Walgreens has them for $1.67 each. The Walgreens January coupon book has a $1 off 2 coupon for them and I had two $1.00 off 1 coupons from the newspaper coupons. So, they were $3.34 minus $3.00 in coupons. $.34 for 2 packages! That's the best way to try something out - get it for almost free!!
Dominick's scored us some good fruits and veggies - oranges for $.50/lb, bananas for $.38/lb, and carrots for cheap, too (the already cut kind, which is time-saving most days!). I also had a good deal on Hunt's Snack Pack Puddings. They were on sale with the Super Coupon for $.88 each. I had $.60 off 3 coupons, so I got them for $.68 each. Another big saver was the Tide Stain Release Spray. I read it should be on sale for $3.49, but our store only had it at $3.99. I had an electronic coupon from Dominick's site for $3.00, so I got to try it (for the first time) for only $.99 after coupons. :) We have lots of stains here, so I can handle $.99 for something I haven't tried before!
After picking up the girls, we ran into Jewel. Yes, that's a lot of shopping in one day. I don't normally cover that many stores, but each one has little bits of things for cheap and I needed almost all of them, so I figured why not. I only had Addy for most of the shopping, so it wasn't rough at all.
At Jewel, we scored a one pound bag of radishes (already cleaned and ends cut off) for $1.00. The radish bunches were $1.29! So, I think we saved more on the bagged ones. We also found toothpaste for $.99, which I had a $.50 coupon for....so we stocked up on a couple. We found apples that we were needing, as well as plum tomatoes for $1/lb. My favorite saver there was Bounty Basic 8-pack paper towels. They were on sale for $4.99. I had a Jewel Avenu electronic coupon for $1.50 off and a paper coupon for $1.00 off. So, I got them for $2.49! That's 8 rolls of brand name paper towels for $.31 each! We actually don't usually buy paper towels because we get them for free from my father-in-law, but I figured it's good to stock up, especially for summertime when we have barbecues and lots of outdoor eating!
I am looking forward to whenever Jewel or Dominick's has there chest freezer sale. It's either February or March. When you buy it for $100 or $150 or whatever the sale price is, you get over $100 worth of coupons for free or buy-one-get-one-free coupons! We are in desperate need of more freezer space. I cook and freeze often, as well as freeze breads and butter and anything else I can! So, extra deep-freeze space would be awesome! We also buy lots of meat on sale and always have several days/weeks worth of meat frozen.
I STILL need to go to Staples and get more printer ink. They have a special this week - spend $40 or more on national brand inks and get a $10 prepaid Visa card. I need a black ink and a color ink cartridge, so I think I'll hit the $40 mark. And, then there's CVS. They have a sale on pop this week I'd like to catch, as well as Orbit gum (I'm getting 4 packs free and only paying tax; they have a buy one get one free sale, and I have 2 buy one get one free coupons!) and Listerine AND Crest Pro-Health mouthwashes. We are needing to stock up on the mouthwashes again. We have finally depleted my stash from last summer. Guess I should have bought more back then! Iris and Lily use it now,too, so we go through it a smidge faster than we used to.
And lastly, I found a recipe for homemade pop-tarts online today. I really want to try it, but I don't have any plain yogurt. My mom actually offered me some this past weekend that she wasn't going to finish. I declined because "we never eat plain yogurt", but now I am actually in need of it. HA!
I made cheese & onion bread in the breadmaker yesterday. It was awesome! My hands really appreciated not having to stir and knead for all that time. The loaf was pretty small; it only made a one pound loaf. BUT, it tasted great. We had it with dinner, my husband took a little for a snack at work, and we still have a few slices left. So, I guess the size really wasn't that small after all. Tomorrow morning, first thing, I am going to make another bread (probably with raisins or cranberries) to share with my friend Erika, who is coming by after Iris and her 2 oldest are off at school. Should make for a tasty and semi-quiet morning!
Oh, ok, I lied. That wasn't the last thing. Last night, I was trying to incorporate brown rice into dinner. I don't really like the flavor of brown rice, but Arthur asked me to buy it for him since it's healthier and he needs good carbs for exercising and running. I had some chicken sausage (made with green and red peppers in them. mmmm), that I decided to chop up and put in the rice. So, I made the rice with chicken broth for more flavor. Then I sauteed a green pepper and an onion in some light olive oil, til they were completely mushy....that is the only way Arthur will eat chopped peppers and onions - if they are mushy. I threw the chopped up chicken sausages in with the peppers and onions, then mixed in the cooked rice. I wasn't sure if it'd have enough flavor, so I made a white sauce to go on it. Turns out, though, the sausage, peppers, and rice had the perfect flavor! Everyone liked it and most had two helpings! I was excited to finally find a way to eat brown rice with some flavor in it. Sadly,though, I am out of those sausages; now I'll have to find another way to incorporate good flavor. :)
Tonight, I'm making White Chicken Chili. It's the first time for this recipe, but I'm excited. It came out of a magazine on the page advertising Campbell's, so I'm thinking it's actually a Campbell's recipe, which is fine because I've always liked the recipes from their website. It'll be perfect with some rolls and salad. I've been trying to have salad as an option at each dinner now; gives good opportunity for veggies to be consumed. Plus, my girls LOVE salad, so they almost always eat it. Can't get enough fiber, I guess!
Time to rest. My mind's going a million miles a minute. I have another page open on here to order some baby boy shoes from Payless for super cheap, so I should complete that order before I forget or they are out of those sized. Two pairs of infant shoes for $7.99, including shipping. Very cool!
Today, Addy and I went to Meijer after dropping the other two off at preschool. We got into the store, I got my list out and we were off grabbing what we needed. Then we got to the deli counter. They were going soooooo sloooooow....and there was only one customer there. She WAS ordering several pounds of several different meats and cheeses; I hope she's having a party or has 10 kids because that was a lot of meat to consume!
Addy was pleasant early on, as was I. We were joking and tickling and just trying to pass the time. Then, she started to get cranky; I was saying to myself, "it could be worse." I started to get a little irritated after she ordered more than 5 pounds of meats while I was standing there (she did already have some in the cart, too!). That customer was finally finished and it was our turn! I ordered a half pound of Swiss cheese, only to have the deli guy come out from behind the counter to read the sale tag to make sure he was picking out the right one. Then, he went behind the counter and found he needed to go in the back and get a new one to slice. Addy was becoming impatient. I couldn't blame her; we had probably been waiting for a good 5 minutes at this point. I was running out of things to distract her with. The deli guy came back, sliced off a sample piece for us to eat and then completed that order. I then ordered a half pound of ham, and he again found he needed to go get a new block in the back to slice. At least, this time we had our cheese to nibble on. :) He came back and graciously gave us some ham to munch on while he finished our order. I didn't ever act rude or impatient with him. He did apologize afterward and wished us a great day. I was really glad I stayed positive; he tried hard to move quickly and it wasn't his fault.
While I was there trying to be optimistic, I had forgotten all about a $10 off $30 electronic coupon from the Meijer website that I had attached to my phone number. So, when we got up to the checkout and I had to enter my number for a $1.00 coupon on our bread, it also rang up the $10 off coupon at the end! I was caught off guard and so excited! the cashier seemed pretty impressed, too, with my MPerks savings! AND, in addition to the MPerks electronic savings, I had another $13 in paper coupon savings, as well as having everything I bought be on sale this week! So, I saved pretty big overall today. I guess I'm glad we got held up at the deli counter. It made for a fun and surprising checkout experience, which is always fantastic! :)
We ran to Walgreens and Dominick's, too, before swinging by to pick the girls up. Walgreens saved me a bundle as well...on razors, cheese and toothbrush covers (4 for $.99!). I also scored 2 of the Kraft Homestyle dinners for $.17 each, which I was overjoyed about. I've actually never purchased those because they can be pretty pricey, when not on sale. This week, Walgreens has them for $1.67 each. The Walgreens January coupon book has a $1 off 2 coupon for them and I had two $1.00 off 1 coupons from the newspaper coupons. So, they were $3.34 minus $3.00 in coupons. $.34 for 2 packages! That's the best way to try something out - get it for almost free!!
Dominick's scored us some good fruits and veggies - oranges for $.50/lb, bananas for $.38/lb, and carrots for cheap, too (the already cut kind, which is time-saving most days!). I also had a good deal on Hunt's Snack Pack Puddings. They were on sale with the Super Coupon for $.88 each. I had $.60 off 3 coupons, so I got them for $.68 each. Another big saver was the Tide Stain Release Spray. I read it should be on sale for $3.49, but our store only had it at $3.99. I had an electronic coupon from Dominick's site for $3.00, so I got to try it (for the first time) for only $.99 after coupons. :) We have lots of stains here, so I can handle $.99 for something I haven't tried before!
After picking up the girls, we ran into Jewel. Yes, that's a lot of shopping in one day. I don't normally cover that many stores, but each one has little bits of things for cheap and I needed almost all of them, so I figured why not. I only had Addy for most of the shopping, so it wasn't rough at all.
At Jewel, we scored a one pound bag of radishes (already cleaned and ends cut off) for $1.00. The radish bunches were $1.29! So, I think we saved more on the bagged ones. We also found toothpaste for $.99, which I had a $.50 coupon for....so we stocked up on a couple. We found apples that we were needing, as well as plum tomatoes for $1/lb. My favorite saver there was Bounty Basic 8-pack paper towels. They were on sale for $4.99. I had a Jewel Avenu electronic coupon for $1.50 off and a paper coupon for $1.00 off. So, I got them for $2.49! That's 8 rolls of brand name paper towels for $.31 each! We actually don't usually buy paper towels because we get them for free from my father-in-law, but I figured it's good to stock up, especially for summertime when we have barbecues and lots of outdoor eating!
I am looking forward to whenever Jewel or Dominick's has there chest freezer sale. It's either February or March. When you buy it for $100 or $150 or whatever the sale price is, you get over $100 worth of coupons for free or buy-one-get-one-free coupons! We are in desperate need of more freezer space. I cook and freeze often, as well as freeze breads and butter and anything else I can! So, extra deep-freeze space would be awesome! We also buy lots of meat on sale and always have several days/weeks worth of meat frozen.
I STILL need to go to Staples and get more printer ink. They have a special this week - spend $40 or more on national brand inks and get a $10 prepaid Visa card. I need a black ink and a color ink cartridge, so I think I'll hit the $40 mark. And, then there's CVS. They have a sale on pop this week I'd like to catch, as well as Orbit gum (I'm getting 4 packs free and only paying tax; they have a buy one get one free sale, and I have 2 buy one get one free coupons!) and Listerine AND Crest Pro-Health mouthwashes. We are needing to stock up on the mouthwashes again. We have finally depleted my stash from last summer. Guess I should have bought more back then! Iris and Lily use it now,too, so we go through it a smidge faster than we used to.
And lastly, I found a recipe for homemade pop-tarts online today. I really want to try it, but I don't have any plain yogurt. My mom actually offered me some this past weekend that she wasn't going to finish. I declined because "we never eat plain yogurt", but now I am actually in need of it. HA!
I made cheese & onion bread in the breadmaker yesterday. It was awesome! My hands really appreciated not having to stir and knead for all that time. The loaf was pretty small; it only made a one pound loaf. BUT, it tasted great. We had it with dinner, my husband took a little for a snack at work, and we still have a few slices left. So, I guess the size really wasn't that small after all. Tomorrow morning, first thing, I am going to make another bread (probably with raisins or cranberries) to share with my friend Erika, who is coming by after Iris and her 2 oldest are off at school. Should make for a tasty and semi-quiet morning!
Oh, ok, I lied. That wasn't the last thing. Last night, I was trying to incorporate brown rice into dinner. I don't really like the flavor of brown rice, but Arthur asked me to buy it for him since it's healthier and he needs good carbs for exercising and running. I had some chicken sausage (made with green and red peppers in them. mmmm), that I decided to chop up and put in the rice. So, I made the rice with chicken broth for more flavor. Then I sauteed a green pepper and an onion in some light olive oil, til they were completely mushy....that is the only way Arthur will eat chopped peppers and onions - if they are mushy. I threw the chopped up chicken sausages in with the peppers and onions, then mixed in the cooked rice. I wasn't sure if it'd have enough flavor, so I made a white sauce to go on it. Turns out, though, the sausage, peppers, and rice had the perfect flavor! Everyone liked it and most had two helpings! I was excited to finally find a way to eat brown rice with some flavor in it. Sadly,though, I am out of those sausages; now I'll have to find another way to incorporate good flavor. :)
Tonight, I'm making White Chicken Chili. It's the first time for this recipe, but I'm excited. It came out of a magazine on the page advertising Campbell's, so I'm thinking it's actually a Campbell's recipe, which is fine because I've always liked the recipes from their website. It'll be perfect with some rolls and salad. I've been trying to have salad as an option at each dinner now; gives good opportunity for veggies to be consumed. Plus, my girls LOVE salad, so they almost always eat it. Can't get enough fiber, I guess!
Time to rest. My mind's going a million miles a minute. I have another page open on here to order some baby boy shoes from Payless for super cheap, so I should complete that order before I forget or they are out of those sized. Two pairs of infant shoes for $7.99, including shipping. Very cool!
Monday, January 17, 2011
Snow Day
It's snowing again! Looks pretty, and I'm so glad we planned to be home all day. :) It's Monday, so we're just hanging out doing laundry. I was going to take the girls over to the Y, but I remembered the school kids are off for MLK day and will probably ALL be over at the Y. I don't feel like all the noise or chaos, so we'll just stay in.
Friday's get together went well. Three ladies came over for coffee and coffee cake. It made the morning go by fast. I found it very relaxing; we just sat at the table and talked and caught up. I hadn't really been able to do that with anyone since before Christmas, so it was really nice. The girls were bummed because there weren't any other kids to play with. My neighbor had her little boy with her, but he's only 7 months....not quite old enough to play with the girls. Although, they did try to rock his carrier and give him his pacifier (and take it away!).
We went to my parents' house on Friday night. My cousins from Carbondale, IL were in town this weekend, so we went to hang out with everyone on Saturday. There were 12 kids there (not quite all of the kids on that side; 2 were not there) and many adults. We had dinner at my Grandparents' house. It was fun; the girls really got some energy out and were wiped out by the time we came home Saturday night.
Yesterday, Arthur played Bass Guitar in church with the worship band for the first time. He did a great job! He says he didn't, and of course he and I knew when he made a mistake but I don't think anyone would've known. I was glad to see him up there. He even sang along while he played; I like that he's getting involved with a talent of his. I think he's a great bass player, so it's good he can help out at church.
We watched the Bears game while the girls napped. I fell asleep and actually took a nap! That's the first time I've done that in a loooong time. Felt good.
This week is kind of quiet. Wednesday I have a play date for Addy and Lily here. Ok, it's not really a play date for them. My friend and I like to get together to chat...and the kids just happen to be there. :) Iris and her oldest boys will be at school, so we'll just have the 3 younger ones.
My mom gave me a bread machine, that she had gotten from a lady at her church. I am going to try it out tomorrow, so we'll have some bread to test out on Wednesday's play date. I've never used a bread machine, so I'm excited. Sounds like less work than my usual by-hand method, so I'm happy to not use up a bunch of energy.
Other than that, there's not much planned for this week. Arthur's off Thursday and Friday, so we'll probably go play at the Y both of those days.
Pastor's message was really good yesterday. He preached from Proverbs 16:1-3 and spoke about our plans and committing them to God. It was a good reminder for me. I tend to pray about making a right decision, but I often to go back to God in prayer once I've made what I think is the right decision to commit the next steps to Him. I was thinking about homeschooling as an example. I've prayed about whether or not to do it, then I felt that it was the best decision for next year but I've failed to continue praying about choosing the curriculum and my attitude toward it all. I know I need patience but I haven't been faithful in praying and ASKING for it. It's not going to come in a day, so preparing now for the challenges would be best. So, it was a great reminder at church to really not stop praying about decisions and continue to pray about each step I need to take, not just the first big one.
Almost time to switch the laundry loads out. I better get moving. Grocery list is made, just need to find the corresponding coupons. Since Arthur's been exercising more and doing his swimming and spin class, he's been needing more calories. I plan to really stock up on fruits and veggies (hopefully, introducing more of the ones he dislikes into his food!); he can be picky, so I have to really get a lot when it's on sale. And thankfully, there's some great sales on bananas and oranges this week!
Friday's get together went well. Three ladies came over for coffee and coffee cake. It made the morning go by fast. I found it very relaxing; we just sat at the table and talked and caught up. I hadn't really been able to do that with anyone since before Christmas, so it was really nice. The girls were bummed because there weren't any other kids to play with. My neighbor had her little boy with her, but he's only 7 months....not quite old enough to play with the girls. Although, they did try to rock his carrier and give him his pacifier (and take it away!).
We went to my parents' house on Friday night. My cousins from Carbondale, IL were in town this weekend, so we went to hang out with everyone on Saturday. There were 12 kids there (not quite all of the kids on that side; 2 were not there) and many adults. We had dinner at my Grandparents' house. It was fun; the girls really got some energy out and were wiped out by the time we came home Saturday night.
Yesterday, Arthur played Bass Guitar in church with the worship band for the first time. He did a great job! He says he didn't, and of course he and I knew when he made a mistake but I don't think anyone would've known. I was glad to see him up there. He even sang along while he played; I like that he's getting involved with a talent of his. I think he's a great bass player, so it's good he can help out at church.
We watched the Bears game while the girls napped. I fell asleep and actually took a nap! That's the first time I've done that in a loooong time. Felt good.
This week is kind of quiet. Wednesday I have a play date for Addy and Lily here. Ok, it's not really a play date for them. My friend and I like to get together to chat...and the kids just happen to be there. :) Iris and her oldest boys will be at school, so we'll just have the 3 younger ones.
My mom gave me a bread machine, that she had gotten from a lady at her church. I am going to try it out tomorrow, so we'll have some bread to test out on Wednesday's play date. I've never used a bread machine, so I'm excited. Sounds like less work than my usual by-hand method, so I'm happy to not use up a bunch of energy.
Other than that, there's not much planned for this week. Arthur's off Thursday and Friday, so we'll probably go play at the Y both of those days.
Pastor's message was really good yesterday. He preached from Proverbs 16:1-3 and spoke about our plans and committing them to God. It was a good reminder for me. I tend to pray about making a right decision, but I often to go back to God in prayer once I've made what I think is the right decision to commit the next steps to Him. I was thinking about homeschooling as an example. I've prayed about whether or not to do it, then I felt that it was the best decision for next year but I've failed to continue praying about choosing the curriculum and my attitude toward it all. I know I need patience but I haven't been faithful in praying and ASKING for it. It's not going to come in a day, so preparing now for the challenges would be best. So, it was a great reminder at church to really not stop praying about decisions and continue to pray about each step I need to take, not just the first big one.
Almost time to switch the laundry loads out. I better get moving. Grocery list is made, just need to find the corresponding coupons. Since Arthur's been exercising more and doing his swimming and spin class, he's been needing more calories. I plan to really stock up on fruits and veggies (hopefully, introducing more of the ones he dislikes into his food!); he can be picky, so I have to really get a lot when it's on sale. And thankfully, there's some great sales on bananas and oranges this week!
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Coffee-Mate Bistro Baking Party
I am hosting a Coffee-Mate Bistro Baking Party on Friday, February 4, 2011. It will be from 9:30 AM to 12 NOON.
I signed up through a party that has House Party opportunities and was chosen to host one for Coffee-Mate. They will supply bakeware and recipes, Coffee-Mate samples and coupons for me to purchase full-size Coffee-Mate Cafe flavors. I will be baking (I believe) recipes that use their creamers and then there will be coffee to sample their new(er) Cafe collection flavors.
I invited a bunch of moms that I had email addresses for, but if you read this and would be interested, please let me know. You are more than welcome to come over and sample the collection with us. There's nothing for you to bring, nothing for you to purchase; Coffee-Mate simply wants people to try their flavors and, if they like them, go out and buy them at the grocery stores.
It'll be informal, and all kids are welcome. Arthur is off that day, so the girls may or may not be here; He might decide to go take them to the YMCA and get away from the ladies here. :)
Please let me know if you have any questions. Hope to see you here!
I signed up through a party that has House Party opportunities and was chosen to host one for Coffee-Mate. They will supply bakeware and recipes, Coffee-Mate samples and coupons for me to purchase full-size Coffee-Mate Cafe flavors. I will be baking (I believe) recipes that use their creamers and then there will be coffee to sample their new(er) Cafe collection flavors.
I invited a bunch of moms that I had email addresses for, but if you read this and would be interested, please let me know. You are more than welcome to come over and sample the collection with us. There's nothing for you to bring, nothing for you to purchase; Coffee-Mate simply wants people to try their flavors and, if they like them, go out and buy them at the grocery stores.
It'll be informal, and all kids are welcome. Arthur is off that day, so the girls may or may not be here; He might decide to go take them to the YMCA and get away from the ladies here. :)
Please let me know if you have any questions. Hope to see you here!
OH BOY!
We are having a BOY! I cannot believe it! I'm still a little in shock. Arthur is overjoyed, and the girls are excited to have a little brother. Since we decided this is our last child, I am very thrilled to have a boy.
Now, I get to go buy a bunch of boy things! And, I can finally get rid of a lot of the baby and smaller sized girl clothes we have! Yay!
He is growing well and his measurements are right on for his due date, so that is great news, too. He didn't cooperate yesterday for a good ultrasound picture of his profile, so we have a bunch of him upside down and of his boy parts (Arthur did not believe the ultrasound tech until she pointed it out and printed out a couple pictures of it!) and one weird picture of his skull. It kind of looks creepy. :)
Arthur IV is most likely going to be his name. I started referring to him as "Baby Artie" with the girls. Addy said "Artie" this morning for me. :) I just can't explain how excited I am. Addy's going to looooove having a baby around; of course, that'll be after she gets over her jealousy when he arrives! Ha! Iris and Lily will be BIG helps this time around, so I am happy for that as well.
Hoping to have Addy on her way to potty training in the next few weeks. She enjoys sitting on the potty chair and actually went potty in it this morning, but I am hoping she makes more of a connection and continues to enjoy doing it. Two in diapers is expensive, as we know from previous experience. Getting down to just the baby in diapers would be fantastic!
Now, I get to go buy a bunch of boy things! And, I can finally get rid of a lot of the baby and smaller sized girl clothes we have! Yay!
He is growing well and his measurements are right on for his due date, so that is great news, too. He didn't cooperate yesterday for a good ultrasound picture of his profile, so we have a bunch of him upside down and of his boy parts (Arthur did not believe the ultrasound tech until she pointed it out and printed out a couple pictures of it!) and one weird picture of his skull. It kind of looks creepy. :)
Arthur IV is most likely going to be his name. I started referring to him as "Baby Artie" with the girls. Addy said "Artie" this morning for me. :) I just can't explain how excited I am. Addy's going to looooove having a baby around; of course, that'll be after she gets over her jealousy when he arrives! Ha! Iris and Lily will be BIG helps this time around, so I am happy for that as well.
Hoping to have Addy on her way to potty training in the next few weeks. She enjoys sitting on the potty chair and actually went potty in it this morning, but I am hoping she makes more of a connection and continues to enjoy doing it. Two in diapers is expensive, as we know from previous experience. Getting down to just the baby in diapers would be fantastic!
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Let it snow!
The snow is absolutely beautiful today! I normally dislike snow on a day I have to drive in it, but today I find it gorgeous.
My plan was to be out of the house and to the store by 7:30 AM. Jack woke up and puked on the carpet around 4:30, just 15 minutes before Arthur's alarm was set to go off. Ugh! Cleaning dog puke while half asleep is not something we enjoy doing. He got his shots yesterday, so I figured he would throw up in the 24 hours following; he just does that.
Arthur decided to go ahead and stay up and go for his run. I went back to sleep, sort of, for the next 45 minutes or so. Then Iris woke up, asking for Daddy...who was still out running. I got her back to bed, only to have Arthur noisily come through the door about 20 minutes later. Iris was back up. She came out of her room naked, to our surprise. I told Iris and Lily, before bed the night prior, to get dressed before coming out of their room this morning. Iris only got undressed before needing to use the bathroom, hence the nakedness. Lily woke up soon after and they got dressed together. I jumped in the shower while I could, and we were all dressed and downstairs to eat by 6:25! I was pretty excited that there hadn't been a meltdown by anyone and that we even got ready that early.
We were bundled up and had schoolbags and snowpants loaded in the car by 7:15 and left the driveway at 7:19! I was so excited. Then, I realized that the snow was a bit worse on the roads than I had thought. Nothing was plowed, or even in the process of being plowed. I didn't see a single plow truck for the 25 minute drive to Meijer. I got pretty frustrated. I don't understand the logic of the street cleaning process, but I guess I'm not meant to.
There was no one at the store, which was so great! Iris was able to sing throughout the store; I usually tell her to quiet down because there's so many people and no one really wants to hear her that loud! We were in and out and off to preschool; we ended up getting there a little early. I decided to run to Dominick's with just Addy, after dropping off the older two, before we went to our play date. So glad I did; the snow has not stopped yet, and the roads were getting yuckier.
I saved a good amount of money with the deals/coupons I had lined up, so that added to my overall satisfaction of the morning. The play date went well, we all got home and ate lunch. The girls are now sleeping, and my feet are ready to rest!
I might consider the before school shopping excursion to become a more regular thing. No crowds to fight. The girls are alert and, for the most part, happy. No one's tired or hungry yet, so I'm in a much better mood as well. :)
Tomorrow we find out the sex of the baby!! I'm so excited; I probably will have a hard time sleeping tonight. I still get so amped up, like when I was little, that I just can't fall asleep. It's like that still for me on Christmas Eve, the night before we leave on a vacation, and (when I was working) the night before I had a meeting or presentation.
The last load of laundry is FINALLY drying. I've noticed laundry is spilling into a second day lately, which I'm not overly thrilled about. Who is wearing all these clothes?! :) I still dedicated Mondays to laundry; we stay in, almost always, on Mondays just to do laundry. I've been having a load or two left to throw in on Tuesdays the past few weeks. Hmmm. I guess I still prefer that to doing a load a day....I hate that feeling of doing a little a day. To me, I always feel behind or worry that I'm washing the "wrong" load that day and will need something the next day that's not washed yet! Too much stress for me!
This post really became a hodge-podge of everything, not just about the snow. (Although, I am still enjoying sitting here by the window looking at it in between typing sentences.)
I get asked how I am so organized, with 3 little kids. Sometimes, I don't really feel that organized, but I guess I am pretty good at getting routines in place. So, for anyone that's wondering (and I apologize to those who aren't), here's my breakdown by day of what we have scheduled every week to do. I fill in appointments, play dates, and whatever else in the times we don't have a set, weekly activity to do.
Monday - laundry, take inventory of food, make grocery lists, pull sales from blogs/websites and clip the related coupons
Tuesday - (lately)finish up laundry, preschool for iris and lily, grocery shopping while they're at preschool, collect all garbage and recycling together for Wednesday's collection
Wednesday - garbage day, change all bedsheets, preschool for iris, scan items from Tuesday's purchases for NCP
Thursday - preschool for Iris and Lily, make calls to the shut-ins from church (i have 3 folks) while they're in school
Friday - menu plan for following week
My everyday "chores" are (in this order, but spread out throughout the day):
-Empty dishwasher
(-Arthur makes all the beds and pushes in Lily's trundle for me. xoxo)
-Clean toilets, sinks, mirrors in bathrooms
-Spray shower with cleaner after all showers have been taken (no rinsing needed, so it's really quick)
-Pull out meat to defrost if not done night before
-After each meal, we always load the dishwasher (no dishes sit in the sink)
-Run dishwasher after supper
-Girls' baths (every other day; we have eczema issues over here)
-Make markerboard list of following day's things to do, check calendar for appts, pull out next day's meat...if I remember. :)
Of course, there's all the other things we do at different times of the day: read together, find fun things to bake, check emails, check facebook :), blog, devotions(I REALLY need to make this an everyday at a set time kind of thing...I get behind often on it), the other housework (dusting, vacuuming, windows, thorough bathroom cleaning, etc). Those I am more lenient with; the housework, though, I spread out throughout the week and am not as strict about set times for it like I was when I strictly followed the FlyLady schedule.
I really enjoy having a good routine for everything. That helps the girls know what to expect; they know Wednesday is clean sheets day! It also helps me from making a million mental lists, that I will not remember. We do a lot of reading together during the day now that we're on to chapter books, so that takes up a lot of time in between the chores and meals. I am loving it, though...so if something gets pushed to the following day, I think I'm ok with that. When Baby gets here, I am praying that my routines will help me get back on my feet quicker, so I won't feel too overwhelmed with the house stuff and can just enjoy all the kids!
God really works in crazy ways; He knew how I love organization, and I think that is why He lead me to the idea of homeschooling for next year. I don't think I could do it, if I didn't enjoy the strict scheduling of day to day things. I'm not saying every day is perfect and everything gets done every week, but having a plan for each day (ahead of time!) really reduces the stress. Of course, I stress over other ridiculous things that I shouldn't....so maybe now I can work on those! :)
I actually did NOT plan out this week's dinner menu, so I've been winging it. Tonight, I'm making something with round steak. Guess I'll google some recipes and find something new and tasty!
My plan was to be out of the house and to the store by 7:30 AM. Jack woke up and puked on the carpet around 4:30, just 15 minutes before Arthur's alarm was set to go off. Ugh! Cleaning dog puke while half asleep is not something we enjoy doing. He got his shots yesterday, so I figured he would throw up in the 24 hours following; he just does that.
Arthur decided to go ahead and stay up and go for his run. I went back to sleep, sort of, for the next 45 minutes or so. Then Iris woke up, asking for Daddy...who was still out running. I got her back to bed, only to have Arthur noisily come through the door about 20 minutes later. Iris was back up. She came out of her room naked, to our surprise. I told Iris and Lily, before bed the night prior, to get dressed before coming out of their room this morning. Iris only got undressed before needing to use the bathroom, hence the nakedness. Lily woke up soon after and they got dressed together. I jumped in the shower while I could, and we were all dressed and downstairs to eat by 6:25! I was pretty excited that there hadn't been a meltdown by anyone and that we even got ready that early.
We were bundled up and had schoolbags and snowpants loaded in the car by 7:15 and left the driveway at 7:19! I was so excited. Then, I realized that the snow was a bit worse on the roads than I had thought. Nothing was plowed, or even in the process of being plowed. I didn't see a single plow truck for the 25 minute drive to Meijer. I got pretty frustrated. I don't understand the logic of the street cleaning process, but I guess I'm not meant to.
There was no one at the store, which was so great! Iris was able to sing throughout the store; I usually tell her to quiet down because there's so many people and no one really wants to hear her that loud! We were in and out and off to preschool; we ended up getting there a little early. I decided to run to Dominick's with just Addy, after dropping off the older two, before we went to our play date. So glad I did; the snow has not stopped yet, and the roads were getting yuckier.
I saved a good amount of money with the deals/coupons I had lined up, so that added to my overall satisfaction of the morning. The play date went well, we all got home and ate lunch. The girls are now sleeping, and my feet are ready to rest!
I might consider the before school shopping excursion to become a more regular thing. No crowds to fight. The girls are alert and, for the most part, happy. No one's tired or hungry yet, so I'm in a much better mood as well. :)
Tomorrow we find out the sex of the baby!! I'm so excited; I probably will have a hard time sleeping tonight. I still get so amped up, like when I was little, that I just can't fall asleep. It's like that still for me on Christmas Eve, the night before we leave on a vacation, and (when I was working) the night before I had a meeting or presentation.
The last load of laundry is FINALLY drying. I've noticed laundry is spilling into a second day lately, which I'm not overly thrilled about. Who is wearing all these clothes?! :) I still dedicated Mondays to laundry; we stay in, almost always, on Mondays just to do laundry. I've been having a load or two left to throw in on Tuesdays the past few weeks. Hmmm. I guess I still prefer that to doing a load a day....I hate that feeling of doing a little a day. To me, I always feel behind or worry that I'm washing the "wrong" load that day and will need something the next day that's not washed yet! Too much stress for me!
This post really became a hodge-podge of everything, not just about the snow. (Although, I am still enjoying sitting here by the window looking at it in between typing sentences.)
I get asked how I am so organized, with 3 little kids. Sometimes, I don't really feel that organized, but I guess I am pretty good at getting routines in place. So, for anyone that's wondering (and I apologize to those who aren't), here's my breakdown by day of what we have scheduled every week to do. I fill in appointments, play dates, and whatever else in the times we don't have a set, weekly activity to do.
Monday - laundry, take inventory of food, make grocery lists, pull sales from blogs/websites and clip the related coupons
Tuesday - (lately)finish up laundry, preschool for iris and lily, grocery shopping while they're at preschool, collect all garbage and recycling together for Wednesday's collection
Wednesday - garbage day, change all bedsheets, preschool for iris, scan items from Tuesday's purchases for NCP
Thursday - preschool for Iris and Lily, make calls to the shut-ins from church (i have 3 folks) while they're in school
Friday - menu plan for following week
My everyday "chores" are (in this order, but spread out throughout the day):
-Empty dishwasher
(-Arthur makes all the beds and pushes in Lily's trundle for me. xoxo)
-Clean toilets, sinks, mirrors in bathrooms
-Spray shower with cleaner after all showers have been taken (no rinsing needed, so it's really quick)
-Pull out meat to defrost if not done night before
-After each meal, we always load the dishwasher (no dishes sit in the sink)
-Run dishwasher after supper
-Girls' baths (every other day; we have eczema issues over here)
-Make markerboard list of following day's things to do, check calendar for appts, pull out next day's meat...if I remember. :)
Of course, there's all the other things we do at different times of the day: read together, find fun things to bake, check emails, check facebook :), blog, devotions(I REALLY need to make this an everyday at a set time kind of thing...I get behind often on it), the other housework (dusting, vacuuming, windows, thorough bathroom cleaning, etc). Those I am more lenient with; the housework, though, I spread out throughout the week and am not as strict about set times for it like I was when I strictly followed the FlyLady schedule.
I really enjoy having a good routine for everything. That helps the girls know what to expect; they know Wednesday is clean sheets day! It also helps me from making a million mental lists, that I will not remember. We do a lot of reading together during the day now that we're on to chapter books, so that takes up a lot of time in between the chores and meals. I am loving it, though...so if something gets pushed to the following day, I think I'm ok with that. When Baby gets here, I am praying that my routines will help me get back on my feet quicker, so I won't feel too overwhelmed with the house stuff and can just enjoy all the kids!
God really works in crazy ways; He knew how I love organization, and I think that is why He lead me to the idea of homeschooling for next year. I don't think I could do it, if I didn't enjoy the strict scheduling of day to day things. I'm not saying every day is perfect and everything gets done every week, but having a plan for each day (ahead of time!) really reduces the stress. Of course, I stress over other ridiculous things that I shouldn't....so maybe now I can work on those! :)
I actually did NOT plan out this week's dinner menu, so I've been winging it. Tonight, I'm making something with round steak. Guess I'll google some recipes and find something new and tasty!
Saturday, January 8, 2011
What's for dinner?
Today was a weird day. All week I've made sure to check the calendar and see what events, if any, we have going on. I noted several weeks ago that today was a housewares party at my neighbor's home, but for some reason failed to remember to see it today. So, I had no babysitter lined up but had RSVP'd yes.
Go me.
She called to remind me, so after the girls were up from naps we went over for a little bit. Iris failed to recognize why interrupting people is rude, which completely frustrated me. We go through this several nights each week during dinner, when she tries to interrupt Mom or Dad. I know she knows not to do it, but I think her excitement to be out today and around other people got the best of her. I think everyone there was a mother, so no one seemed bothered by it. But I was the ONLY one that had to bring my kids with, so I was embarrassed. I needed to plan this much better than I did (or didn't, rather).
For dinner, I had some ground beef thawing in the fridge but no meal planned out. I found a decent-sounding skillet recipe, so we're going with that. I actually had 2 pounds of beef thawing and only needed one, so I'm browning the other pound to hold on to for later next week.
Sometimes I wish I had a best friend. I mean, my husband is my bestest friend ever and we talk about everything...but I think sometimes he'd rather not listen to my woman talk and I'd be better off talking to the wall. :) I can't blame him; there is some guy talk that I just don't care about and have a hard time sitting through. Sports, for example. Unless I'm really in the sports mood and following a Bears game, I am just not ready to listen to any sports talk...at all! I could not care less about which players are hurt, the fantasy football league, or anything else about sports. I think he can sense that; he rarely talks about football with me anymore unless we're watching a game together.
Anyway, my sister was always my closest friend in high school, even when we were fighting. She knew everything about me even through college and when I did my apprenticeship. We were hundreds of miles apart, but we still talked. Now, it's getting harder because we both have kids and schedules during the day and husbands at night. I tried to make it a point to call her or talk with her every Friday, but that didn't last too long. I forgot a lot of the time or just felt like I had nothing to say, even though I know as soon as we start talking I can't stop blabbering. :)
I don't like talking on the phone all that much these days. There's always background noise or I'm correcting one of the girls or trying to wash dishes or make dinner. I know I can MAKE some time to make the calls to whomever, but I get preoccupied with something else or just get lazy.
Some times when we get together with friends or family, I feel like all I have to talk about is the kids. I don't really follow any TV programs or sports teams or Hollywood stuff, so I don't have those topics to bring up. I am into reading everything I can about homeschooling these days, so maybe once I meet some other moms that homeschool I will have that to chat about.
I don't want to feel sorry for myself at all. I have wonderful kids, and I'm very blessed to be able to stay home with them and be able to take them out with us when we go anywhere because they WILL behave. I enjoy doing family things. I just get lonely for a good girl friend that would be able to take the time and just listen to me whine about a tough day with the kids or about a new recipe. My husband doesn't need to hear me complain about the kids' behavior after he's just spent a rough day dealing with families of a deceased. He's got enough on his plate with work and providing and the looong drive to and from work. He needs to be able to relax when he gets here, not dole out punishment for the day's actions. Call me old-fashioned, but I really like the idea of everything being tidied and dinner on the table when Arthur gets home. I like being able to have everything in order, so he CAN just relax. I believe that's part of being a homemaker. Not just taking care of the kids and cleaning but making the home presentable and inviting for when Arthur gets home. He has to clean and look after every little thing at work; he shouldn't have to come home to a mess or be bothered with the nonsense that should've been taken care of already.
Speaking of, he will be home soon and I need to check on the meal. Table is set, girls are picking up their toys and books. TV is off. I think I would have loved living in the 1940's (is that the right decade?), when that's what women did and no one made a big stink about it being sexist. :) Women didn't work, they just took care of the kids and the home. I guess it's not for everyone, though. I suppose not every woman in those times was happy to be home. I'll just be thankful I can do it and that I can enjoy it....whether or not it's perfect every day and even without another woman to share things with. I guess I am looking for someone who feels the same way about all these things, but I'm unlikely to find someone exactly like me. I should work on the relationships with girlfriends I DO have and focus on encouraging them to be the best mom and wife they can.
I need to go re-read Proverbs 31. It's a nice reality check. :)
Go me.
She called to remind me, so after the girls were up from naps we went over for a little bit. Iris failed to recognize why interrupting people is rude, which completely frustrated me. We go through this several nights each week during dinner, when she tries to interrupt Mom or Dad. I know she knows not to do it, but I think her excitement to be out today and around other people got the best of her. I think everyone there was a mother, so no one seemed bothered by it. But I was the ONLY one that had to bring my kids with, so I was embarrassed. I needed to plan this much better than I did (or didn't, rather).
For dinner, I had some ground beef thawing in the fridge but no meal planned out. I found a decent-sounding skillet recipe, so we're going with that. I actually had 2 pounds of beef thawing and only needed one, so I'm browning the other pound to hold on to for later next week.
Sometimes I wish I had a best friend. I mean, my husband is my bestest friend ever and we talk about everything...but I think sometimes he'd rather not listen to my woman talk and I'd be better off talking to the wall. :) I can't blame him; there is some guy talk that I just don't care about and have a hard time sitting through. Sports, for example. Unless I'm really in the sports mood and following a Bears game, I am just not ready to listen to any sports talk...at all! I could not care less about which players are hurt, the fantasy football league, or anything else about sports. I think he can sense that; he rarely talks about football with me anymore unless we're watching a game together.
Anyway, my sister was always my closest friend in high school, even when we were fighting. She knew everything about me even through college and when I did my apprenticeship. We were hundreds of miles apart, but we still talked. Now, it's getting harder because we both have kids and schedules during the day and husbands at night. I tried to make it a point to call her or talk with her every Friday, but that didn't last too long. I forgot a lot of the time or just felt like I had nothing to say, even though I know as soon as we start talking I can't stop blabbering. :)
I don't like talking on the phone all that much these days. There's always background noise or I'm correcting one of the girls or trying to wash dishes or make dinner. I know I can MAKE some time to make the calls to whomever, but I get preoccupied with something else or just get lazy.
Some times when we get together with friends or family, I feel like all I have to talk about is the kids. I don't really follow any TV programs or sports teams or Hollywood stuff, so I don't have those topics to bring up. I am into reading everything I can about homeschooling these days, so maybe once I meet some other moms that homeschool I will have that to chat about.
I don't want to feel sorry for myself at all. I have wonderful kids, and I'm very blessed to be able to stay home with them and be able to take them out with us when we go anywhere because they WILL behave. I enjoy doing family things. I just get lonely for a good girl friend that would be able to take the time and just listen to me whine about a tough day with the kids or about a new recipe. My husband doesn't need to hear me complain about the kids' behavior after he's just spent a rough day dealing with families of a deceased. He's got enough on his plate with work and providing and the looong drive to and from work. He needs to be able to relax when he gets here, not dole out punishment for the day's actions. Call me old-fashioned, but I really like the idea of everything being tidied and dinner on the table when Arthur gets home. I like being able to have everything in order, so he CAN just relax. I believe that's part of being a homemaker. Not just taking care of the kids and cleaning but making the home presentable and inviting for when Arthur gets home. He has to clean and look after every little thing at work; he shouldn't have to come home to a mess or be bothered with the nonsense that should've been taken care of already.
Speaking of, he will be home soon and I need to check on the meal. Table is set, girls are picking up their toys and books. TV is off. I think I would have loved living in the 1940's (is that the right decade?), when that's what women did and no one made a big stink about it being sexist. :) Women didn't work, they just took care of the kids and the home. I guess it's not for everyone, though. I suppose not every woman in those times was happy to be home. I'll just be thankful I can do it and that I can enjoy it....whether or not it's perfect every day and even without another woman to share things with. I guess I am looking for someone who feels the same way about all these things, but I'm unlikely to find someone exactly like me. I should work on the relationships with girlfriends I DO have and focus on encouraging them to be the best mom and wife they can.
I need to go re-read Proverbs 31. It's a nice reality check. :)
Friday, January 7, 2011
"This is Y."
I didn't make up that title. It's from the YMCA. So many different ways to use that phrase, though. The girl at the check-in counter at the YMCA is pregnant and said she could not wear their long-sleeve t-shirts that had that slogan on it because they made her sweaty. She said, "This is Y I'm hot and sweaty." :)
We joined the YMCA yesterday. Every January they run their $0 joiner fee special, so we waited til this month to join. Yes, we are cheap....I prefer "frugal." LOL.
So, they have a TON of great and FREE things to do there! Pre/post-natal aquatics, nursery/childcare while you exercise, Family Adventure Center, family nights, open swim, exercise equipment and some classes, amazing locker rooms, and more! Sounds like I'm advertising for them. Hahaha. We already went yesterday and took the girls to the adventure center. I am exhausted! They have tunnels and slides and obstacle course type things, as well as air hockey, ping-pong, and Wii play stations. Arthur went this morning to swim and bike for his cross-training. I would like to sign up for the pre-natal aquatics soon, but I need to get a maternity bathing suit first. Ugh. I dislike buying maternity clothes because of how short the time is before I grow out of it.
I am also excited to be able to drop off the girls with other kids and teachers for a little bit, so they can have free play and I can have a break. :)
Speaking of no break from children....
We have decided I will homeschool Iris for kindergarten next year. Do I sound crazy yet? :) With the cost of Christian schooling and the uncertainty of when we will be able to move out of here (and then would have to switch to a different school if we live too far away), we know that homeschooling is best for next year. If the year goes well, then we'll consider the following year; at that point, Iris would be doing 1st grade work and Lily would be doing kindergarten, so they can learn together for the most part.
I have been researching curriculum and local Christian homeschooling groups and all the opportunities we'll have to experience things and places with her. The YMCA being one of those. Because we'll be home all day, we can fit in the physical education while the other kids are in school. We can do it any time of the day! There's just so much flexibility with homeschooling. Plus, I like the idea of teaching my girls. I will know exactly what they're learning, how fast/slow they're learning it, and I can incorporate as much Bible into it as I want (which will be a lot, I hope).
I haven't ordered anything; still waiting for a few more catalogs to come. And I haven't told my parents yet; I keep forgetting to call and let them know. I've been so busy researching everything. I think only one of our friends knows.
The girls and I are reading Stuart Little (the REAL book, not a picture book) together. We have about 30 pages left. We flew through it! I was surprised at how well they enjoy it....even without a picture for every part of the story. :) Up next, we are going to read Charlotte's Web. After that, we will start the Little House series. I like the idea of them using imagination more while we read, instead of relying on the pictures or the movie version of the book.
Happy reading everyone!
We joined the YMCA yesterday. Every January they run their $0 joiner fee special, so we waited til this month to join. Yes, we are cheap....I prefer "frugal." LOL.
So, they have a TON of great and FREE things to do there! Pre/post-natal aquatics, nursery/childcare while you exercise, Family Adventure Center, family nights, open swim, exercise equipment and some classes, amazing locker rooms, and more! Sounds like I'm advertising for them. Hahaha. We already went yesterday and took the girls to the adventure center. I am exhausted! They have tunnels and slides and obstacle course type things, as well as air hockey, ping-pong, and Wii play stations. Arthur went this morning to swim and bike for his cross-training. I would like to sign up for the pre-natal aquatics soon, but I need to get a maternity bathing suit first. Ugh. I dislike buying maternity clothes because of how short the time is before I grow out of it.
I am also excited to be able to drop off the girls with other kids and teachers for a little bit, so they can have free play and I can have a break. :)
Speaking of no break from children....
We have decided I will homeschool Iris for kindergarten next year. Do I sound crazy yet? :) With the cost of Christian schooling and the uncertainty of when we will be able to move out of here (and then would have to switch to a different school if we live too far away), we know that homeschooling is best for next year. If the year goes well, then we'll consider the following year; at that point, Iris would be doing 1st grade work and Lily would be doing kindergarten, so they can learn together for the most part.
I have been researching curriculum and local Christian homeschooling groups and all the opportunities we'll have to experience things and places with her. The YMCA being one of those. Because we'll be home all day, we can fit in the physical education while the other kids are in school. We can do it any time of the day! There's just so much flexibility with homeschooling. Plus, I like the idea of teaching my girls. I will know exactly what they're learning, how fast/slow they're learning it, and I can incorporate as much Bible into it as I want (which will be a lot, I hope).
I haven't ordered anything; still waiting for a few more catalogs to come. And I haven't told my parents yet; I keep forgetting to call and let them know. I've been so busy researching everything. I think only one of our friends knows.
The girls and I are reading Stuart Little (the REAL book, not a picture book) together. We have about 30 pages left. We flew through it! I was surprised at how well they enjoy it....even without a picture for every part of the story. :) Up next, we are going to read Charlotte's Web. After that, we will start the Little House series. I like the idea of them using imagination more while we read, instead of relying on the pictures or the movie version of the book.
Happy reading everyone!
Monday, January 3, 2011
We have a working sink!!
Today, I am most thankful for my frugal and money-conscious husband. :) We ended up having to call a plumber this morning to come out and fix the drain. The snake and Drano we tried did not fix it; I actually think it just pushed the clog further back.
The plumber cost us $344!! I think we were robbed by paying that, but we had to have it done. Washing dishes in the bathroom sink and using paper plates and cups was becoming painful! I'm just glad they were able to come out immediately today and clear it up. The plumber even explained some things about drain cleaners to me and recommended a couple brands for us to go try (and didn't push us to buy from them, but informed we can order through the manufacturers website or buy some in stores....which I appreciated).
We have set aside money for emergencies, and I am so glad we do that. $344 is not something we usually just have lying around or leftover from a paycheck, so the emergency fun was wonderful to have. We didn't dip into any money for bills or school at all. Thank the Lord!
My husband and I decided last January that we were going to live by using cash (kind of like Dave Ramsey's whole money system). We paid off the credit card and only used it last month for a few Christmas things and paid it off immediately (no interest paid on it). We paid off our cars and only have our mortgage for debt. It is tough to only use cash for everything - groceries, gas, entertainment, dry cleaning, random unexpected little things. We also have our $1,000 emergency fund/account. It hasn't been at $1,000 for a while but we don't touch it except for emergencies, so that's a nice fall-back plan when clogged drains come up! :) We also send to a credit union account (with no debit card or checks...so we can't easily take the money out! works for us because then we don't blow through it) the money we used to send to pay on our cars. So, we're building a nice little savings there. Granted, we don't always get to send all of that amount to the credit union because of unexpected costs; sometimes we use that amount to pay something like a medical bill or car repair cost or whatever. BUT, we don't take from our monies to pay bills and put food on the table, so I think we do okay with that.
I know it's God that has blessed us with the emergency money; He has shown us over and over that when we're faithful in giving to Him by tithe, He is faithful to bless us with what we need. Ok, so we don't get to eat out all the time or get to buy household or clothing items regularly, but we have what we NEED so I cannot complain (nor do I want to, really) about anything! Besides, going out to eat is now a treat for us and the girls get really excited when they hear we're going to a restaurant. So, that makes it extra special. And when we get to go, we are able to order whatever and as much as we'd like. No skimping on that. So, I definitely appreciate the restaurant meals a whole lot more than I used to!
I am so thankful that the sink is fixed. I am so thankful that we are not strapped for cash. I am so thankful that God has put it on both my and my husband's hearts to be better stewards with our money. I am so glad God has given us the patience and understanding for WHY we need to budget, why we need to pay in cash, and why we can trust Him. He is so amazing. I hope I never lose sight of the purpose to handling our money properly. It's not so we can build some big savings and live luxuriously; it's so we can know that God is pleased with us, will provide for and bless us, and our children will hopefully see our example and the blessings from living as God has asked us to.
Can't wait to run my dishwasher tonight!
The plumber cost us $344!! I think we were robbed by paying that, but we had to have it done. Washing dishes in the bathroom sink and using paper plates and cups was becoming painful! I'm just glad they were able to come out immediately today and clear it up. The plumber even explained some things about drain cleaners to me and recommended a couple brands for us to go try (and didn't push us to buy from them, but informed we can order through the manufacturers website or buy some in stores....which I appreciated).
We have set aside money for emergencies, and I am so glad we do that. $344 is not something we usually just have lying around or leftover from a paycheck, so the emergency fun was wonderful to have. We didn't dip into any money for bills or school at all. Thank the Lord!
My husband and I decided last January that we were going to live by using cash (kind of like Dave Ramsey's whole money system). We paid off the credit card and only used it last month for a few Christmas things and paid it off immediately (no interest paid on it). We paid off our cars and only have our mortgage for debt. It is tough to only use cash for everything - groceries, gas, entertainment, dry cleaning, random unexpected little things. We also have our $1,000 emergency fund/account. It hasn't been at $1,000 for a while but we don't touch it except for emergencies, so that's a nice fall-back plan when clogged drains come up! :) We also send to a credit union account (with no debit card or checks...so we can't easily take the money out! works for us because then we don't blow through it) the money we used to send to pay on our cars. So, we're building a nice little savings there. Granted, we don't always get to send all of that amount to the credit union because of unexpected costs; sometimes we use that amount to pay something like a medical bill or car repair cost or whatever. BUT, we don't take from our monies to pay bills and put food on the table, so I think we do okay with that.
I know it's God that has blessed us with the emergency money; He has shown us over and over that when we're faithful in giving to Him by tithe, He is faithful to bless us with what we need. Ok, so we don't get to eat out all the time or get to buy household or clothing items regularly, but we have what we NEED so I cannot complain (nor do I want to, really) about anything! Besides, going out to eat is now a treat for us and the girls get really excited when they hear we're going to a restaurant. So, that makes it extra special. And when we get to go, we are able to order whatever and as much as we'd like. No skimping on that. So, I definitely appreciate the restaurant meals a whole lot more than I used to!
I am so thankful that the sink is fixed. I am so thankful that we are not strapped for cash. I am so thankful that God has put it on both my and my husband's hearts to be better stewards with our money. I am so glad God has given us the patience and understanding for WHY we need to budget, why we need to pay in cash, and why we can trust Him. He is so amazing. I hope I never lose sight of the purpose to handling our money properly. It's not so we can build some big savings and live luxuriously; it's so we can know that God is pleased with us, will provide for and bless us, and our children will hopefully see our example and the blessings from living as God has asked us to.
Can't wait to run my dishwasher tonight!
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Our New Year's Nuisance
We are ringing in the New Year with a kitchen drain clog. Yippee! Last night after dinner, we were rinsing dishes to put in the dishwasher and all of the sudden the garbage disposal side of the sink starting filling up while the disposal was running. Then the other side was filling and gurgling.
Great.
We tried running water on each side, plunging one side while plugging the other, Drano, and a couple other things. Nothing worked. I googled the problem and found that we would probably need a drain snake. We even took apart the pipes under the sink and none of those were clogged....just really nasty with some kind of slime/mold.
7:30 rolls around and my husband is tired of getting nowhere, so we decide to go to Home Depot in the morning to get the snake.
He was at the store by 8:15 and home by 9 with a snake and some sugar (oh yeah, not only was I peeved about the drain this morning, I also realized after making coffee that we were out of sugar! not a good way to start the morning.). We tried the snake and found resistance 3 different times, but when we retracted the coil, there was nothing attached. So, I'm hoping it's a soap clog. The sink didn't fill quite as quickly this time, but it didn't drain perfect either. Right now, we have Drano in there sitting and then we're flushing it with hot water. Let's hope that works. My dishwasher REALLY needs to run. A full load of dirty dishes, dirty dishes on the counter, practically no dishes in the cupboards....I'm losing it! :)
BUT, regardless of the kitchen issues, we had a fantastic New Years Eve with the girls. Addy made it until about 9:30 before really needing to get to bed. Iris and Lily stayed up and watched the movie "Cats and Dogs: The Return of Kitty Galore". Very exciting. :) They also played games on Arthur's iPad and did puzzles. They were very awake all the way up to midnight. Arthur made confetti with Iris, that they through when we counted down. I took pictures, and we had sparkling cider (in the fancy glasses!) at midnight. All in all, it turned out to be a great night. The kitchen sink didn't have a big impact on the night, so I was happy.
Time to go check on the Drano. Happy New Year! Today's 1-1-11; I'm hoping I get a chance to date something today just to write it. :)
Great.
We tried running water on each side, plunging one side while plugging the other, Drano, and a couple other things. Nothing worked. I googled the problem and found that we would probably need a drain snake. We even took apart the pipes under the sink and none of those were clogged....just really nasty with some kind of slime/mold.
7:30 rolls around and my husband is tired of getting nowhere, so we decide to go to Home Depot in the morning to get the snake.
He was at the store by 8:15 and home by 9 with a snake and some sugar (oh yeah, not only was I peeved about the drain this morning, I also realized after making coffee that we were out of sugar! not a good way to start the morning.). We tried the snake and found resistance 3 different times, but when we retracted the coil, there was nothing attached. So, I'm hoping it's a soap clog. The sink didn't fill quite as quickly this time, but it didn't drain perfect either. Right now, we have Drano in there sitting and then we're flushing it with hot water. Let's hope that works. My dishwasher REALLY needs to run. A full load of dirty dishes, dirty dishes on the counter, practically no dishes in the cupboards....I'm losing it! :)
BUT, regardless of the kitchen issues, we had a fantastic New Years Eve with the girls. Addy made it until about 9:30 before really needing to get to bed. Iris and Lily stayed up and watched the movie "Cats and Dogs: The Return of Kitty Galore". Very exciting. :) They also played games on Arthur's iPad and did puzzles. They were very awake all the way up to midnight. Arthur made confetti with Iris, that they through when we counted down. I took pictures, and we had sparkling cider (in the fancy glasses!) at midnight. All in all, it turned out to be a great night. The kitchen sink didn't have a big impact on the night, so I was happy.
Time to go check on the Drano. Happy New Year! Today's 1-1-11; I'm hoping I get a chance to date something today just to write it. :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)