I slept through the USA v Canada Olympic hockey game this afternoon. Shameful, I know. I have been staying up late nearly every night over the past two weeks allowing the Olympics to keep me company after the kids went to bed. But after a long week and a jam-packed weekend I just couldn't take it anymore and the couch was calling my name.
Rachel enjoyed her birthday weekend which included a roller skating party with a few friends. I had a blast bowling with Sam in a tournament with his youth league on Saturday. In the middle of it all Steve's dad fell ill and was taken by ambulance to the hospital. (He's OK.) We had cake and ice cream with Steve's family for Rachel's birthday last night after dad came home, then as Steve headed back to PA for work today the kids and I visited with my brothers and their children for my youngest niece's birthday.
In the past week we have celebrated three birthdays. I never thought I'd say this, but I wouldn't care if I didn't see another birthday cake for months. Or pizza. I am so sick of pizza.
So as usual, the serenity of Sunday evening comes as a welcome change.
Looking to the week ahead, I can't wait to continue the deep-cleaning project I began in the house last week. (I know, I'll try to contain my excitement if you try to contain yours.) This also means the opportunity to do some more decluttering and getting rid of stuff. (Again with the squeals of excitement!) Sarcasm aside, I really do love seeing, feeling, and smelling a really clean house. And it's easier to maintain cleanliness once it's there. And it's much less distracting when trying to get two very-easily-distracted children ready for school in the morning.
I'm also looking forward to trying some new recipes. After feeling very uninspired when it comes to dinnertime lately, I've come across some great looking recipes I'd like to try. Mostly comfort food. Go figure. What else is there to do this time of year?
I'm sure there's more, but I am just too tired at this very moment to think of anything else.
Here's to a very productive and at least somewhat relaxing week ahead. Cheers!
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Friday, February 26, 2010
Happy birthday, sweet girl.
Our baby turns eight years old this weekend. Eight!
It seems like just yesterday I heard the doctor say "It's a GIRL!" and my world changed forever. We hadn't found out the sex of the baby because we wanted to be surprised, and were we ever. I had convinced myself I was having another boy. I was fine with that. Prepared for it, even. A little brother for Sammy would be pretty cool. I imagined myself saying "the boys" when referring to our children. I grew up with two brothers and was already raising a boy of my own; I could do this.
But it was a girl. Our Rachel. And I was so ecstatic I didn't know how to react. I kept saying, "I can't believe it's a girl" every few minutes. I said it so many times one of the nurses finally asked me if that was OK. I assured her it was fabulous and that I was just so surprised. Our world of trucks and tanks and Bob The Builder suddenly exploded with pink and butterflies and ribbons and all kinds of girlie stuff. What fun!
I consider it a privilege that Steve and I have been able to love and nurture this beautiful girl from the day we knew we would be blessed with a second child. She is truly an amazing kid. She is bright and independent and sensitive and determined and full of faith. She's daddy's girl, yet I see so much of myself in her. I adore her even on the days when she has no problem telling me how much she dislikes me. I look forward to the years ahead and watching Rachel become a young woman and go out into the world and fulfill her dreams. Especially that part about going out into the world, but that's mostly on those days when she's determinedly asserting her independence.
Happy birthday, baby. We love you.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Making every penny count: It's what I do.
It would be wonderful if my husband's income was enough to cover all our basic expenses, a decent amount of savings, and plenty of fun extras without either one of us batting an eyelash. However, like much of the rest of this great nation, our personal economy took a nosedive this past year and we are just recently beginning to slowly but surely claw our way back out of the financial Pit of Despair.
OK, so it hasn't really been a Pit of Despair kind of experience, but who doesn't love a good reference to The Princess Bride?
It's been nearly two years (wow!) since I quit my job to be a homemaker and full-time mom. I was very fortunate that when I finally decided it was time, I told Steve "it's time" and he, my Westley, said "as you wish!" and found a job that would more than make up for the loss of my income. We've weathered a lot of ups and downs since then - frankly, more of either one than should be allowed by law - but generally it has been an amazing and fulfilling shift in our lives.
In order to keep things on track and the checking account in the black, I have morphed into a bit of a frugalista. Oh, I can't run with the big dogs. I can't imagine ever going grocery shopping and picking up $300 in free groceries and coming out 17 cents ahead. But I have become fairly adept at matching sales with coupons and recognizing the sale cycles at certain stores and stocking up when prices are at their lowest. I've become one of those people who hates paying retail for anything and often if I can't find it on sale and it's something we don't need right away, I'll simply put off buying it.
What's really cool is this is my job! And I love it! I'm the boss. I get to choose the hours I work (sort of, barring a sick child or a snow day from school) and where I work (sort of, because the laptop gets a little hot when I try to snuggle in bed with it) and what I wear while I'm working (though the yoga pants need to be washed more than once a week). I love providing a cozy home for our children to grow up in and home-cooked meals to nourish their bodies. I appreciate and adore my husband for working so hard to provide for us and for always recognizing that the work I do here at home isn't always a cakewalk.
In future posts I'll delve deeper into some specifics about how we scrimp and save and still manage to live a pretty abundant life. Just know that when you see this Buttercup lounging on the sofa eating bon-bons, those chocolatey balls of goodness were probably on clearance AND I had a coupon. For someone like me, a really awesome deal makes a treat like that taste so much sweeter.
OK, so it hasn't really been a Pit of Despair kind of experience, but who doesn't love a good reference to The Princess Bride?
It's been nearly two years (wow!) since I quit my job to be a homemaker and full-time mom. I was very fortunate that when I finally decided it was time, I told Steve "it's time" and he, my Westley, said "as you wish!" and found a job that would more than make up for the loss of my income. We've weathered a lot of ups and downs since then - frankly, more of either one than should be allowed by law - but generally it has been an amazing and fulfilling shift in our lives.
In order to keep things on track and the checking account in the black, I have morphed into a bit of a frugalista. Oh, I can't run with the big dogs. I can't imagine ever going grocery shopping and picking up $300 in free groceries and coming out 17 cents ahead. But I have become fairly adept at matching sales with coupons and recognizing the sale cycles at certain stores and stocking up when prices are at their lowest. I've become one of those people who hates paying retail for anything and often if I can't find it on sale and it's something we don't need right away, I'll simply put off buying it.
What's really cool is this is my job! And I love it! I'm the boss. I get to choose the hours I work (sort of, barring a sick child or a snow day from school) and where I work (sort of, because the laptop gets a little hot when I try to snuggle in bed with it) and what I wear while I'm working (though the yoga pants need to be washed more than once a week). I love providing a cozy home for our children to grow up in and home-cooked meals to nourish their bodies. I appreciate and adore my husband for working so hard to provide for us and for always recognizing that the work I do here at home isn't always a cakewalk.
In future posts I'll delve deeper into some specifics about how we scrimp and save and still manage to live a pretty abundant life. Just know that when you see this Buttercup lounging on the sofa eating bon-bons, those chocolatey balls of goodness were probably on clearance AND I had a coupon. For someone like me, a really awesome deal makes a treat like that taste so much sweeter.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Protip: Textured appliances are a no-no.
I want to know what idiot at GE designed this surface-like-elephant-skin refrigerator. A man, probably. Or a woman who has never had children or cleaned a textured surface. I hope they got fired.
Yes, we bought the thing. But I will claim ignorance, as I only knew it was white like we wanted and a side-by-side like we wanted when we ordered it. Who really gives much thought to the refrigerator when you're buying a house? As long as it keeps things cold and the freezer keeps things frozen and it's the color we want, who cares?
I care now. I cared this morning when I was scrubbing orange polka dots off the side of said fridge and wondering when we last ate or drank anything orange. Kool-Aid? Jell-O? I'm just going to lie to myself and say that somebody spilled their Orange Crush last week and never cleaned it up. Work with me here. Because if I really think about orange Kool-Aid it takes me back to about ... oh ... August. And I'm just not ready to reveal to the world that I haven't wiped down the side of my fridge in six months.
Well. There you go.
I don't remember the last time I wiped down the cupboard doors in the kitchen either, but that got done today, too. It would have gone a little longer if I hadn't sat down on Rachel's step stool in the middle of the kitchen floor during a rather lengthy phone call yesterday. Let's just say I should look around from that vantage point more often. Eww.
So, I believe my spring cleaning kick has officially begun. At this rate if I keep moving through each room of the house I'll be done by the time spring is actually here and then I can go outside and play! I can't help but feel pretty good about myself, too, because a clean and orderly house is proof that I actually do something during the day while my husband is off working to allow me the luxury of being a stay-at-home mom. Steve doesn't give a flying leap about the house as long as I'm here when he comes home, but I sure enjoy being with him a lot more when I'm not distracted by those piles of paper on the dining room table and those cobwebs up in the corner.
Yes, we bought the thing. But I will claim ignorance, as I only knew it was white like we wanted and a side-by-side like we wanted when we ordered it. Who really gives much thought to the refrigerator when you're buying a house? As long as it keeps things cold and the freezer keeps things frozen and it's the color we want, who cares?
I care now. I cared this morning when I was scrubbing orange polka dots off the side of said fridge and wondering when we last ate or drank anything orange. Kool-Aid? Jell-O? I'm just going to lie to myself and say that somebody spilled their Orange Crush last week and never cleaned it up. Work with me here. Because if I really think about orange Kool-Aid it takes me back to about ... oh ... August. And I'm just not ready to reveal to the world that I haven't wiped down the side of my fridge in six months.
Well. There you go.
I don't remember the last time I wiped down the cupboard doors in the kitchen either, but that got done today, too. It would have gone a little longer if I hadn't sat down on Rachel's step stool in the middle of the kitchen floor during a rather lengthy phone call yesterday. Let's just say I should look around from that vantage point more often. Eww.
So, I believe my spring cleaning kick has officially begun. At this rate if I keep moving through each room of the house I'll be done by the time spring is actually here and then I can go outside and play! I can't help but feel pretty good about myself, too, because a clean and orderly house is proof that I actually do something during the day while my husband is off working to allow me the luxury of being a stay-at-home mom. Steve doesn't give a flying leap about the house as long as I'm here when he comes home, but I sure enjoy being with him a lot more when I'm not distracted by those piles of paper on the dining room table and those cobwebs up in the corner.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Eating the frog first.
You might remember that I am a self-improvement book guru. I love them. I devour them, retaining the parts that I can use and spitting out the rest.
I read a lot on the Web, too. Blogs are like the USA Today for the self-help book guru with a short attention span. I love blogs.
I'm also the queen of "I read somewhere that (enter the latest factoid or cool tip on simple living)" without remembering in which book or at which Web site I found it. Hence, I buy Post-It notes in bulk and my bookmark list on my laptop is a mile long.
One of those cool suggestions I stumbled upon some time ago is the concept of "eating the frog first" when you start your day. I'll be darned if I could remember where I found it, but when I sat down to write this post, a quick Google search showed me it's not just a concept, it's a whole book! My apologies to author Brian Tracy, but this is one of those books I'm gonna' skip. I already get the idea and I can sum it up for you here: do the thing you most dread first to get it out of the way.
Now, in all fairness, Mr. Tracy goes into a little more detail about how to choose priorities and which tasks will make the biggest impact on your day when completed. That might come in handy if I were still a part of the working world, but in my case if I can manage to feed all the living things in this house and make it to the bus stop on time twice a day, we consider it a successful day. Bonus points if I can do a load of laundry and scrub a toilet before the kids get home from school.
Today I'm off to a great start, having polished off two frogs early in the day: scooping out the cat litter box, and matching socks. They are my two most despised housekeeping tasks. I would almost rather eat a real frog than scoop out the litter box. But then I'd have even more cleaning up to do and it wouldn't be pretty.
I read a lot on the Web, too. Blogs are like the USA Today for the self-help book guru with a short attention span. I love blogs.
I'm also the queen of "I read somewhere that (enter the latest factoid or cool tip on simple living)" without remembering in which book or at which Web site I found it. Hence, I buy Post-It notes in bulk and my bookmark list on my laptop is a mile long.
One of those cool suggestions I stumbled upon some time ago is the concept of "eating the frog first" when you start your day. I'll be darned if I could remember where I found it, but when I sat down to write this post, a quick Google search showed me it's not just a concept, it's a whole book! My apologies to author Brian Tracy, but this is one of those books I'm gonna' skip. I already get the idea and I can sum it up for you here: do the thing you most dread first to get it out of the way.
Now, in all fairness, Mr. Tracy goes into a little more detail about how to choose priorities and which tasks will make the biggest impact on your day when completed. That might come in handy if I were still a part of the working world, but in my case if I can manage to feed all the living things in this house and make it to the bus stop on time twice a day, we consider it a successful day. Bonus points if I can do a load of laundry and scrub a toilet before the kids get home from school.
Today I'm off to a great start, having polished off two frogs early in the day: scooping out the cat litter box, and matching socks. They are my two most despised housekeeping tasks. I would almost rather eat a real frog than scoop out the litter box. But then I'd have even more cleaning up to do and it wouldn't be pretty.
Monday, February 22, 2010
Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.
I love that Depression-era mantra. It has become my go-to phrase when I start to feel like it's time to upgrade or replace something around the house. I always ask myself whether that thing really needs to be upgraded or replaced, or if I'm just getting bored looking at it. Perhaps I think it will be easier to use a newer one with more options, or I'm just plain tired of that missing button or broken handle, even though those things don't affect the item's usefulness.
Generally I find that I can get by with what we have. Sometimes I can find an acceptable alternative or substitute. But for certain things it's a good idea to just give in and replace them when it becomes obvious they need replacing, like my makeup (which is probably radioactive by now, and that's just unhealthy), or my socks (some of which are so threadbare they are beyond darning).
Or my son's shoes.
Generally I find that I can get by with what we have. Sometimes I can find an acceptable alternative or substitute. But for certain things it's a good idea to just give in and replace them when it becomes obvious they need replacing, like my makeup (which is probably radioactive by now, and that's just unhealthy), or my socks (some of which are so threadbare they are beyond darning).
Or my son's shoes.
An excellent example of "wear it out," don't you think? Those are his fingers sticking through the holes. They've been worn out for a while, apparently. He made sure to tell me that repeatedly as we were shopping for new shoes yesterday. Hmph. Well thanks, kid. I guess I just couldn't see your nasty shoes through my crusty old mascara.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Clean Slate Sunday: 2.21.10 edition
Whew. What a week! I had to double check my dates to be sure it actually is Sunday again already.
It's been a week full of ups and downs and lots of craziness.
Speaking of craziness, I'm really enjoying this blogging thing and I hope you've been enjoying reading it. It's been a great thing for me in a couple of ways: 1) It helps to keep some sort of record of this wild ride called Life, and 2) It makes it at least appear that I am sane. Because if I keep talking to myself someone might have me committed, and somehow having a semblance of an audience makes all the babbling OK.
On the other hand, now you all know what's inside my head. Hmmm. Maybe this wasn't such a great idea. It definitely warrants further mulling-over.
Anyway ... the Sunday night recap, in case you haven't been reading all along (and in that case, tsk tsk).
The kids and I started the week off by wrapping up a nice little vacation with daddy in Pennsylvania. We got cheated out of a fun day with Steve on Sunday, though, because he had gotten snowed out one day during the week and had to make that up on the weekend. No biggie - at least we were in a hotel with a pool to keep the kids busy.
Monday Steve kissed everyone goodbye as he left for work, then the kids and I got packed up, had a nice breakfast at the hotel, and hit the road. It took us 9.5 hours to get home from PA. Not bad. For the record, the Ohio Turnpike is just like I remember it from a few years ago - long, flat and boring. I was so glad to get home.
On Tuesday Steve sent me a text that he was coming home for the rest of the week because a snowstorm shut down the job. Again. Too bad we didn't know this was going to happen before we spent all that money on hotel rooms. But yeehaw (!!) for having him home for a few days.
Wednesday all hell broke loose when our dog ran off. I felt like the worst mom in the world for letting it happen (albeit accidentally) and I'm pretty sure at least one of the kids would have confirmed that I was the worst mom in the world if someone had just asked them.
Thursday morning was beautiful. Steve floated the river with his cousin to do a little fishing. By the time he got home he had gotten two phone calls and an e-mail with the news that work would start back up on Saturday instead of Monday. So much for enjoying the weekend with him. A conference with Rachel's teacher and a very positive report on her progress in school was the highlight of my day.
Friday dawned beautifully, too, but even colder than Thursday. The dog still hadn't returned. Steve left to go back to work. I managed to make it through the day without crawling back under the covers and bawling my eyes out.
Saturday morning Sam bowled with his league, Rachel went roller-skating with her Brownie troop, and we got a call that someone had found our dog! We enjoyed a (very late) night at a get-together with neighbors.
Today, Sunday: skipped church (again); took Rachel to a Girl Scout meeting; did a makeup bowling game with Sam for the one we missed while on vacation; picked up as few groceries as possible; loved on the dog; regretted keeping the kids out so late last night; promised myself I would scratch more items off my to-do list this week than last week.
Good grief, I'm exhausted just reading back over it. I never thought I'd say this but Monday morning will come as such a blessing.
It's been a week full of ups and downs and lots of craziness.
Speaking of craziness, I'm really enjoying this blogging thing and I hope you've been enjoying reading it. It's been a great thing for me in a couple of ways: 1) It helps to keep some sort of record of this wild ride called Life, and 2) It makes it at least appear that I am sane. Because if I keep talking to myself someone might have me committed, and somehow having a semblance of an audience makes all the babbling OK.
On the other hand, now you all know what's inside my head. Hmmm. Maybe this wasn't such a great idea. It definitely warrants further mulling-over.
Anyway ... the Sunday night recap, in case you haven't been reading all along (and in that case, tsk tsk).
The kids and I started the week off by wrapping up a nice little vacation with daddy in Pennsylvania. We got cheated out of a fun day with Steve on Sunday, though, because he had gotten snowed out one day during the week and had to make that up on the weekend. No biggie - at least we were in a hotel with a pool to keep the kids busy.
Monday Steve kissed everyone goodbye as he left for work, then the kids and I got packed up, had a nice breakfast at the hotel, and hit the road. It took us 9.5 hours to get home from PA. Not bad. For the record, the Ohio Turnpike is just like I remember it from a few years ago - long, flat and boring. I was so glad to get home.
On Tuesday Steve sent me a text that he was coming home for the rest of the week because a snowstorm shut down the job. Again. Too bad we didn't know this was going to happen before we spent all that money on hotel rooms. But yeehaw (!!) for having him home for a few days.
Wednesday all hell broke loose when our dog ran off. I felt like the worst mom in the world for letting it happen (albeit accidentally) and I'm pretty sure at least one of the kids would have confirmed that I was the worst mom in the world if someone had just asked them.
Thursday morning was beautiful. Steve floated the river with his cousin to do a little fishing. By the time he got home he had gotten two phone calls and an e-mail with the news that work would start back up on Saturday instead of Monday. So much for enjoying the weekend with him. A conference with Rachel's teacher and a very positive report on her progress in school was the highlight of my day.
Friday dawned beautifully, too, but even colder than Thursday. The dog still hadn't returned. Steve left to go back to work. I managed to make it through the day without crawling back under the covers and bawling my eyes out.
Saturday morning Sam bowled with his league, Rachel went roller-skating with her Brownie troop, and we got a call that someone had found our dog! We enjoyed a (very late) night at a get-together with neighbors.
Today, Sunday: skipped church (again); took Rachel to a Girl Scout meeting; did a makeup bowling game with Sam for the one we missed while on vacation; picked up as few groceries as possible; loved on the dog; regretted keeping the kids out so late last night; promised myself I would scratch more items off my to-do list this week than last week.
Good grief, I'm exhausted just reading back over it. I never thought I'd say this but Monday morning will come as such a blessing.
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