Three Against Two

Menu Planning Monday!

2008-06-02T22:15:00.002-05:00

I didn't get my weekly menu done until this evening, but here it is! Nothing elaborate. There's something going on so many evenings this week that I'm keeping it even simpler than usual!!

Monday - Ryan works late
Sausages in applesauce, green beans, & apple slices

Tuesday - Clay's baseball game
Spaghetti & garlic bread (A weekly staple!)

Wednesday - VBS meeting at church
Taco salad (This was so good last time, we wanted it again quick!)

Thursday - Clay's baseball game
chicken & rice & carrots (I think this has been on my menu for the past two weeks, but not made!)

Friday - No evening activities!!
BLT sandwiches, chips

Saturday - No evening activities!!
Smoked chicken leg quarters, rice, & salad

Sunday - No evening activities!!
Chicken noodle soup, toast sticks, & brownies.

Sunflowers!

2008-06-02T21:34:00.002-05:00

I sent away for free Sunflower seeds a while back in order to participate in "The Great Sunflower Project." Our seeds arrived a week or two ago and Rae has been dying to get them in the ground. I'm a little nervous about growing from seed, but how can I go wrong with free seeds??

With our seeds came instructions. Planting instructions, care instructions, and data recording instructions. After the six weeks it takes to grow our sunflowers into big, beautiful flowers (my fingers are crossed), we are supposed to keep track of how many flowers are on a single plant, as well as how many and what kind of bees are visiting them!! Ironically, Ryan has been killing the Carpenter bees in our yard (umm, I mean fence) like crazy over the past several days (one of the kind we are instructed to watch for!!!)

Rae and I planted our seeds this evening right under one of our living room windows, with the help of Charles. He's all about dirt & watering, you know! I didn't get any pictures yet, but we will snap some when (if) the seeds germinate!

During this adventure, memories came flooding back of a previous experience. Ryan, Clay, and I all planted sunflowers under a living room window while we were living in a different house. It was fantastic watching the birds eat the sunflower seeds once the plants were fully grown!! I really hope we get to see that again!

Unplugged (mostly) for the summer.

2008-05-28T20:34:00.002-05:00

I'm ashamed to say... my kids all have the television line-ups memorized. It's so easy for them to push the "on" button and sit down. Once it's on, there is no reason to get up and look for something constructive to do. I keep telling them that the TV will suck out their brains, but they don't care. The mindless entertainment goes on more and more.

Well, thanks to www.boysrulemylife.com, I ran into this website called

www.unplugyourkids.com.

You have got to check it out. There are TONS of ideas for things to do with your kids. It was just the inspiration I needed to begin my summer planning of very limited TV & video games.

Before I tell you my plan, let me tell you my last experience. A year or so ago, I unplugged the television and explained to my kids that it was broken. Everyone went about their business for the first day. I was so proud of my little white lie. It was on the second day that my oldest son (who I thought realized what was REALLY going on) announced with great excitement that he had fixed the TV. He was so proud of himself, too!! He couldn't believe that all he had to do was plug that little prong back into the outlet. The truth had come out! I unplugged it again, but this time the younger two kiddos were NOT impressed!!

Somehow, the TV has slowly slipped into a time consuming role again. And it's time to STOP it! Here's what's going to happen...

We are going to have PLANNED activities this summer. TV and video games are going to be limited REWARDS. The kids will be able to earn (and/or lose) up to 2 hours of TV/video game time each week. I am going to make up TV "coins" worth 15 minute increments. I haven't decided exactly how they'll be earned. I've got some thinking and planning left!

Without all the TV to fill up our days, what will be do?? Here are some of my ideas...

Swim!
Library
books on tape
Farmer's Market
garden
play outside
go for walks
do crafts
play games
jig saw puzzles
mind/paper puzzles
scavenger hunts
play dough
cook/bake
keep a family journal
read
go bowling
visit parks & playgrounds
go to museums
local baseball games
listen to the radio/dance
exercise/gym time/rock climbing

I'll keep you updated on how my unplugged plan goes! Let me know if you have any other ideas. If you decide to try this yourself, let me know your experience!!

Menu Planning Monday!

2008-05-26T20:44:00.002-05:00

I'm late getting my menu up because of the holiday weekend! All three of my sisters were in town, as well as one of my brother-in-laws, my nephew (who is staying for the summer with my parents,) and all four of their dogs!! Everyone was at my house for most of the day today. We enjoyed a cook out and ping-pong tournament!! My husband, father, brother-in-law, nephew, and older son were in the competition. My husband, Ryan, was the winner!! The competition was tough and everyone seemed to really enjoy themselves!

Have a GREAT week!!

~Jenna

Memorial Day Monday: grilled burgers, macaroni salad, baked beans, chips, strawberry shortcake
Tuesday: chicken & rice, carrots, and fruit salad
Wednesday: taco salad
Thursday: chili & homemade rolls (never made it last week)
Friday: OUT
Saturday: smoked chicken breasts, oven fried potatoes, and green beans
Sunday: my mom's birthday... we'll probably make dinner plans with them!

No more gum around here for a while...

2008-05-22T14:34:00.003-05:00

As many of you know, Charles is receiving both speech and occupational therapy services. Both have helped him tremendously, although we still have issues at times. One of our issues is chewing on non-food items. The group of us trying to make improvements decided he may be better off chewing gum, than sticks, leaves, shoestrings, fingernails, toes, etc.

We have been offering gum for a while now. It was working great at first. Lately, however, I have noticed a lot of touching the gum and pulling it out of his mouth. I keep encouraging him not to and make him spit out the gum when I catch him fiddling with it.

Of course, in the backseat of the car this afternoon, on the way to speech/occupational therapy... I can't see what's going on behind me. At one point, Charles informed me that he had gum on his jacket. I told him to try and get it off and I would help him when we got to the office. Once I arrived and opened the back van door, I saw the ENTIRE PROBLEM.

THERE WAS GUM MATTING HIS ENTIRE LEFT EYE CLOSED.

Of course, there is virtually no way to get it out. I am picking and picking... nothing. I use a wet wipe (ouch)... nothing. I go in the restroom to get a wet paper towel... nothing.

At this point, I have just enough gum removed that I can pry the top eyelashes away from the bottom eye lashes. However, every further attempt to pull little piecees of gum off result in Charles tightly squeezing his eye closed in rebellion. This of course, leads to the eye matting together and needing to be pulled apart each time he clamps the eye closed.

I put a call in to the pediatrician's office. Fortunately Nurse Emily knows us quite well. Nothing I call about surprises her any more. That is why we LOVE her!! Anyway, she (after laughing and telling those around her about the eyes matted closed with gum) suggests we try peanut butter. I was really afraid of peanut butter on the eye, but I guess a little peanut butter is better than gum forever??? So, that's what we did. And guess what... it pretty much all came off. Praise God. Praise Emily. And help me!!

Menu Planning Monday!

2008-05-18T19:38:00.003-05:00

I, once again, organized my menu and went shopping for the perfect ingredients to make my week's dinners run smoothly!!

Here's the plan...

Monday: Ham & Beans, crackers, & fruit (I'm using Bush's vegetarian baked beans and adding my own ham frozen from Easter)
Tuesday: Grilled burgers, corn on the cob, and deviled eggs
Wednesday: Meatloaf balls (we never had this last week!), green beans, and oven fried potatoes
Thursday: Taco's and chips & salsa
Friday: Spaghetti and garlic bread
Saturday: Chili and homemade rolls
Sunday: OUT!!

If you need further inspiration, check out hundreds of menu's over at orgjunkie.com.

Have a great week!!

Garage Sale!

2008-05-16T22:27:00.002-05:00

I threw together an impromptu garage sale this weekend!!

On Wednesday afternoon, my neighbor told me his mom & sister were having a garage sale at his house this Friday & Saturday. Well, I have been stashing my "to get rid of" stuff in an ever growing pile, hoping to have one soon. Plus, I know how enticing it is for "garage sale-ers" to travel to an area with multiple garage sales! So, I called the newspaper on Thursday to place an ad and then quickly priced my items. Ryan took this morning off and woke up early to set out my stuff.

How did it go?

I was VERY happy with the results. We had a lot of traffic. I have never had more people try to negotiate prices (and I price my merchandise to sell!). I also have never sold as many kids clothes (defenitely a good thing). I have so far sold a few dollars shy of $200. After tomorrows sales and backing out the price of a two day ad ($26-something), I should total over $200 profit!! Yeah!!! It's headed right to the money market for siding & windows!!

Rae has entrepreneurial plans of her own!! We went shopping for her "concession stand" tonight. Soda, granola bars, & fruit snacks. We already had bottled water that I offered to provide!! (She was bummed that she couldn't take Friday off of school to do this. After all, Daddy took off work!!) Her goal... to raise enough money to purchase a trapeze bar for the swing set.

I'll let you know how everything turns out tomorrow (and even throw in a few pictures)!!

Make your own Laundry Soap!

2008-05-16T14:35:00.003-05:00

I have been making my own laundry soap for a couple of years now. Making my own saves money and reduces the number of unknown chemicals in my home and on our skin. You know, whatever detergent doesn't fully rinse out of your clothes rubs against your body the entire time you are dressed! Have you ever smelled your clothes? That's chemicals (even if it smells good!)!!

A friend of mine emailed me yesterday and requested my recipe. So, here's to you Sharon, as well as the rest of my friends!!

I am going to share two recipes.

I liked using a liquid soap recipe when I had a traditional washer. I wasn't convinced the soap was going to be able to completely dissolve in the washer if I used the "powder" variety. However, about a year ago my washer finally gave out (was it too many loads of diapers???). So, I bought a Consumer Reports recommended High Effeciency. I love it, but was afraid to use my regular soap recipe because you are only supposed to use concentrated, low-sudsing soap with this type of washer. If you don't do that, you (supposedly, and I've heard stories ((Angie))) end up with soap bubbles EVERYWHERE! This picture was so vivid in my mind, I decided not to risk my liquid recipe. Looking back, I'm sure it would have been fine.

Well, any way. Both of these recipes come highly recommended...

Liquid Laundry Soap

Grate a half bar of soap (Dr. Bronner lemon castile soap is my favorite). Put it in a pan with enough water to cover it. Warm the misture on low heat, until the soap melts.

In a gallon bucket (I used an inexpensive pitcher). Fill the container with hot water. Mix in 1 Cup of Washing Soda (or baking soda, but baking soda won't give you a gel-like consistancy). Mix well, then add soap. Stir and let sit overnight and give it a good stir in the morning!

When you add the Washing Soda first, the mixture will gel. If it happens to not gel for you, it will still work just fine! It seems like mine would gel differently depending on how hot the water I used was and/or the outside temperature.

It's been a while, but I think I used a scoop that was between 1/2 & 1 cup per load.

Powder Laundry Soap
Especially useful for High Effeciency Washers

1 bar soap (I prefer Dr. Bronner Lemon Castile)
2 cups borax (usually found under the name 20 Mule Team)
2 cups washing SODA (usually found in grocery stores in the laundry aisle under the brand Arm & Hammer)

Grate the soap into a fine powder. (I usually let my bar sit out for a few days to start drying it out. Then, I'll dice it up with a sharp knife and run it through my Magic Bullet or the blender.) This has relieved my fears of making sure the soap melts during the wash cycle!

Once soap is grated, slowly (to avoid breathing in all the powder) mix all 3 ingredients.

I use 1-2 Tbsp per load in my washer. I often use a scoop of oxygen bleach with this mixture.

ENJOY!!

p.s. If you happen to use fabric softener, switch to vinegar! It works great because it greatly reduces the soap residue left if your clothes (which is really why you need a softener to begin with)!! As an added bonus, vinegar is much cheaper than other commercial products!!

I'm curious... please share!!

2008-05-13T20:31:00.003-05:00

What is your home page?

I change mine from time to time, but right now it's www.moneysavingmom.com. It gives me a daily reminder to decrease my spending, even if it's just one coupon at a time!!

Okay, I told you mine. Now you tell me yours!!

Menu Planning!!

2008-05-13T10:40:00.005-05:00

Do you know what you’re having for dinner tonight?? I do!! This has not always been the case! I have two tools now that are helping me keep organized and spend less on food!

First…

I plan my menu every week!! I go shopping for what’s on the menu!

Here’s this weeks (dinner) menu…

Monday: spaghetti & garlic bread
Tuesday: Spanish rice & crackers
Wednesday: chicken breasts smoked on the grill, green beans, & rice
Thursday: smoked sausages in applesauce, oven fried potatoes, and deviled eggs
Friday: OUT TO EAT!!
Saturday: chicken & noodles & carrots
Sunday: meatloaf balls, green beans, & rice

Now, you must be asking… how do I remember this?? Well, I went out searching the internet for a pretty menu planning fill-in-the-blank sheet. Well, I ended up finding a form that had all the information blanks I wanted. So, I printed it onto some pretty pink paper. I covered it in clear contact paper. Then, I stuck it in a picture frame that was in my garage sale pile (without the glass.) I now have a dry-erase menu planning board.

Guess where I hung it up…. right over my stove!! Don’t you love it???

(click on pictures for close-ups!)

I'm posting my menu over at I'm an Organizing Junkie! http://orgjunkie.com/2008/05/menu-plan-monday-may-12th.html I'm a little too proud of myself!!!

I'm BAAACK!!!

2008-05-13T10:36:00.001-05:00

Sorry for the delay. I guess some of you guys were still coming back after I abandoned you!! I've got more to post, so stay tuned!!! I'm BAAAACK!!!!

~Jenna

Want to get great deals at CVS, too?

2008-04-02T21:39:00.003-05:00

Take a look at this blog post from MoneySavingMom.com... http://www.moneysavingmom.com/2008/04/cvs-beginner-deal-scenarios-for-this.html. She spells out exactly how to start getting nearly free stuff!! Just remember, you have to buy EXACTLY what is stated. There's no getting around that!!

Let me know if you try it and how it goes!!

I am saving money left and right!!!

2008-03-31T21:18:00.004-05:00

I had Ryan run into CVS for me Saturday on our way to my parents house (Transaction #1) and then on our way back home (Transaction #2). The highlight of visiting was seeing my oldest sister who's in town for a couple of days. Of course, that won't stop me from sharing my great deals!!!

Transaction #1 was 3 Softsoap Spa bodywashes. Out of pocket cost... $0.02. Somehow that price included tax. I'm not even sure how I managed that!!

Transaction #2 was 2 more Softsoap Spa bodywashes and two deodorants. One for Ryan and one for military care packages. Out of pockets cost... $0.23. That was ALL TAX!!

Here's a picture.

Then, on Sunday, Ryan ran up to Walgreen's for me. He bought 2 Bertolli dinners, 4 multi-packs of gum (for military care packages), Colgate toothbrush, 2 boxes of Epsom salts, and (not pictured) a little package of M&M's. I had him do two transactions so he could use both of my "Register Rewards" from last week. (Register rewards are manufacturer coupons you use as "cash" on another purchase. Only one can be used per purchase.) Out of pocket cost for both transactions (including tax) was $3.00. However, I earned $4.00 register rewars for another purchase!!!

Tonight we ran into Walgreens. We each bought a 20 count of Advil PM. After coupons we each had to pay $2.03. However, we also each got $3 Register Rewards to spend on another purchase. Between tonight's Register Rewards and Sunday's, I have $10 total. I think I'll use it to buy some free after rebate merchandise. When you get your rebate back in the form of a gift card, they give you an extra 10%. Woo hoo!!

Great deal for military care packages

2008-03-26T13:57:00.003-05:00

Our church collects specific donations to bundle up in military care packages. One of the requests right now is for tooth paste and deodorant. Well, I stopped by CVS to see what I could come up with. With coupons and Extra Care Bucks (their rewards program) I bought 6 tubes of tooth paste and 3 deodorants for $0.85 plus tax.

If you're interested in seeing how shopping CVS can work for you, go to http://www.moneysavingmom.com/. She gives specific instructions on making the most out of shopping!!

The religious thoughts of a six year old...

2008-03-23T22:40:00.003-05:00

On the way home from Easter dinner at Ryan's parents home, Rae was thoughtfully discussing a baptism she witnessed at church this Easter morning.

Rae doesn't see baptisms very often because she is usually in an area of the church specifically designed to minister to elementary children. All of the baptisms are done in the main service.

Rae knows this particular boy being baptised personally, as we have several connections with his family. I think that makes the baptism more thought provoking for her.

Rae has been wondering how old she needs to be to be baptised. She has wondered what she does if she gets up in front of the church and changes her mind. She wonders who will be the teacher of her baptism class since our youth minister recently resigned after having her first baby.

She finally reasoned...

"I guess I should go ahead and get baptised. That way all of my sins will go away...

AND I WILL BE ABLE TO START MY SINS ALL OVER AGAIN.

But, oh... THEN I'LL HAVE TO BE GOOD ALL THE TIME."

I'm really excited to hear her talk through her walk with Christ!! I'm not sure she's quite ready for baptism! Maybe in a year or two!! God is good!

Happy Snowy Easter!!

2008-03-23T22:30:00.003-05:00

Click on the picture for a better look at the SNOWFLAKES!! You can see them best on Rae's hair. Charles is trying to catch them on his tongue. I hope your Easter was as beautiful as ours, maybe just a little warmer!!

God bless each of you.

Bad hair day???

2008-03-23T22:21:00.003-05:00

Does anyone else have curly hair? The kind of curly that is unpredictable. Sometimes it's just wavy. Other times, you know, when it's getting ready to rain... it's just a frizzy mess. Usually flat on top, but sticking out on the sides. Resembling Bozo the Clown!! That's me.

So, today was one of those crazy hair days. I decided to pull out my straightening iron. I ran it through my hair a couple of times. Just enough to settle down the stickey outey Bozo look. Well, Rae likes the fuzzy look. She was not impressed with the calmer style. And made that perfectly clear. Over and over.

As we were walking in to church, Rae leaned over to me and straightforwardly informed me (as if to avoid any painful surprises in just a few minutes)...

"Mom, don't be surprised if people tell you you're having a bad hair day."

Thanks, Honey!! I love you, too!!

Charles' 4th Birthday: March 9th

2008-03-21T13:31:00.000-05:00

Through the eyes of a four year old on his birthday...

Wow, decorations and everything! It is my lucky day!!

Just what I wanted... can I go outside now???

Oh, man! This is going to be fun!! (Defenitely Dad's idea!!)

My favorite part of the birthday! Well, after doing whatever I want all day and getting lots of presents!!!

2008-03-20T16:24:00.000-05:00

Words not needed...

The tooth that finally came out...

2008-03-19T10:36:00.005-05:00

Does everyone know what a big deal the Tooth Fairy is to Rae? Nothing could have pleased a girl more than losing that first tooth!! Well, except for the second tooth... and third tooth... You get my point, right??

The first tooth ready to come out was a bit of a struggle. That tooth had been dangling for quite a while, but Rae was too afraid to give it a strong pull. I tried a couple of times, but just couldn't get a good enough grip. Well, it just so happened that Rae had to go into the dentist for a filling at the same time this tooth was hanging by a thread. The dentist was so excited for Rae that she asked me if it was okay if the tooth were to come out that day. I gave her the nod. A little numbing gel later and that tooth was in Rae's hand. We still talk about how the dentist "accidentally wiggled out her tooth!!"

The Tooth Fairy brought Rae a really cool heart shaped box that night. It's great because the box helps to keep track of each lost tooth while it is placed under her pillow awaiting the Tooth Fairy. Inside the heart shaped box was... fairy dust!! and quarters!!! Of course, the tooth was gone!! Also, under her pillow was a really cool book that explains many of the questions a little girl is likely to have about the tooth fairy. Most importantly... what happens with all those teeth? I thought the book was charming, but Rae was not really impressed (at least at first)!! She has warmed up better now to the idea of teeth becoming fairy castles!

I felt a little bad after the dentist situation because Rae didn't get to pull out her very first lost tooth. The next tooth was ready to come out a few weeks later. I insisted Rae pull that one out all by herself. It was not easy, but she did it. Oh, and you should have seen the excitement in her eyes. She couldn't believe she actually got that tooth out by herself!!

You would think that tooth pulling would get easier, less exciting, and less eventful with each pull. However, that is not the case in our house. I am worn out after every one of Rae's teeth come out. It seems like the drama goes on for weeks. Come to think of it... it DOES!!

You saw the picture on February 18th of tooth #4 getting ready to come out. Well, the timing just wasn't right. So, there was wiggling and wiggling and more wiggling that went on and on and on.

This was the tooth on February 22nd...

I was just sure that tooth was coming out before bed that night. But, oh noooo. The saga continues.

Finally, on MARCH 1, 2008...

Look at the excitement in that face!! Words just can't describe the happiness!!

Do you like getting stuff for free?

2008-03-11T21:07:00.001-05:00

Check out www.freebies4mom.blogspot.com. Every freebie offer via the internet is at your disposal. Links to great money-saving coupons, too. I'm hooked!!

ENJOY!!

I'm still here!!

2008-03-11T15:31:00.002-05:00

I haven't been able to blog the last week and a half or so because the kiddos have been sick. Clay has been okay, but Rae and Charles both had something resembling influenza. I had managed to keep everyone out of the doctor's office (except for a [negative] strep test in the lab on Rae last weekend)... until yesterday. The doctor's office is a breeding ground for all sorts of disease. When you go in there, especially sick and with a weakened immune system, you're bound to bring home an extra bug or two.

Anyway, Rae was the worst "sickie" and ended up in the pediatrician's office yesterday with a full-blown sinus infection. Yuck! I won't go into the details that made me finally decide the pedicatrician should check her out. Just "yuck" should be enough to make you not want to hear the rest!!

I have much more to update everyone on. Rae FINALLY lost her tooth (March 1st). Charles celebrated his fourth birthday Sunday with immediate family and grandparents. The party went on without any injuries. I consider that a success after last year!! Clay went on an overnight trip to a Jr-High conference called Believe with our church Friday evening/Saturday. He seemed to have a great time. He's at a Scholastic Bowl event right now. I can't wait to hear how that goes. I'll post details about everything as I have time.

Thanks for visiting!!!

New Word

2008-02-25T20:07:00.003-06:00

Twice tonight Rae used a word that was new to me ...

'member-ized.

I remember when Clay used to get words mixed up like this and it has always made me smile!!

Tell me (in your comment) the funny words you have heard...

Celebration!

2008-02-22T09:38:00.007-06:00

Yesterday was the anniversary of Charles' adoption. We celebrated by letting him choose where to eat dinner. No surprises, everyone! He chose Ronnie Mac's Supper Club (a.k.a. Mickey D's, a.k.a. McDonald's). The day brought back a lot of warm and fuzzy memories. Although in many ways, our adoption had already happened emotionally, we were still pleased and relieved to have the adoption legally complete.

After dinner and a little play time, I left Mickey D's to take Rae to gymnastics and Ryan took Clay and Charles home. Once again, more adoption memories came flooding into the front of our memory banks. Yesterday evening... Clay and Charles were playing. One thing led to another and Charles fell face first into the wood floor implanting his front teeth into his bottom lip. This is not the first time Charles has experienced this, nor do I think it will be his last. (Last time I was home alone with him, this time it was Ryan's turn!) The good thing about mouth injuries is they are almost always self healing. I called the doctor's office last time and was informed if the teeth weren't completely through the lip or if the width of the injury wasn't greater than 1/2 inch, there was nothing they would do to it. Our job was to stop the bleeding and allow the wound to heal on its own.

This is his lip today. Can you tell where his teeth ended up?

We are so thankful that this injury wasn't as severe as last year's incident (toe smashing) that left him in surgery during his adoption finalization & 3rd birthday party.

I couldn't find a picture of the gigantic bandaged up foot of last year, but here's the photo from our adoption announcement decorating one of the cakes last year.

This took less than 30 minutes...

2008-02-19T14:06:00.001-06:00

Why didn't I do this a long time ago?? It feels sooo good! For some reason, I can never keep this counter cleaned off. I'm going to start trying harder. Do you have a really bad area in your house? I love checking out this blog called I'm An Organizing Junkie. I have the link over on the side. Check her out... very inspirational!!

Some fun pictures

2008-02-18T19:45:00.005-06:00

My boys got hair cuts today. Charles refused to have his picture taken unless he made his funny face! How do they look?

Rae has been working a tooth out since Sunday. I took these pictures then thinking it would surely come out, but she's still working on it. She and the Tooth Fairy have exchanged notes this week, but no money has changed hands yet. Maybe tomorrow?? We'll see!!

Out of the mouthes of babes

2008-02-18T19:37:00.002-06:00

Oh, my dear Rae. She can be so complimentary.

As we were sitting down to dinner tonight, Rae needed some help spreading the butter on her bread. Being the most awesome mom in the whole world, of course I helped her out. After I prepared the bread for her, she lovingly told me that I was the best spreader in the whole world. She continued to say, “I wonder why there isn’t a whole line of people waiting for you to spread something for them.”

I couldn’t help but laugh out loud (all the while blushing uncontrollably).

Our Saturday

2008-02-16T15:02:00.002-06:00

Overall, our day has been good. Rae and Charles slept in this morning, allowing Ryan and me to get some good rest. Clay is at his mom’s for the weekend. Ryan e-filed both our federal and state taxes this morning and we are getting a nice refund. Enough to pay off our van and the washer/dryer we bought on interest-free credit last year, as well as some extra to put away towards the siding and windows we want this year. Debt free except our home. What a GREAT feeling! To celebrate, I had Ryan satisfy my craving for fried chicken by picking up KFC. I can’t remember the last time we ate fried chicken, but it was REALLY good!

After lunch, I confirmed my suspicion that Moon Sand is not nearly as wonderful a product as the infomercials make it sound. I snapped a picture when I first placed the kids’ collection on a tablecloth over our wood floor. It wasn’t more than 3 minutes later that Charles was covered in Moon Sand. It was plastered all over his body. Matted in the crevices of his pants and between his toes. Dusted all over the floor. And then, when I went to clean him off, it was all over me. Ten minutes of play resulted in 30 minutes of clean up for ME. Please, no one give us any more Moon Sand. I can’t wait until I have swept the last of it into the trash can!!

Welcome

2008-02-15T14:08:00.000-06:00

I've been wanting to create a blog of my very own. Now here it is. For those of you who know me personally, don't be confused... I'm going to be using fake blog names for my kids because I am a safety fanatic! Check back often. This is going to be so fun!