Tuesday, March 31, 2015

Little Beans

We went to Little Beans Cafe! My mom took us. The play space was pretty cool...there was four little houses, one of them had a slide. The Boy played with fake food and a mini shopping cart. He seemed to have a great time. And there was a play space for The Baby too. My mom bought me a cappuccino. I would certainly go back, but with a coupon.

Monday, March 30, 2015

Throw Up!

The Hubs complimented my newly manicured nails.

The Boy threw up twice. Once on the dining room table, while The Hubs was eating dinner. And once right before bed, in the bathroom. But not in the toilet.

The Baby thought his nighttime bottle was really funny. He giggled adorably, and I put him in his crib.

Wednesday, March 25, 2015

Lonely Library

The boys and I went to the library today, and I had some weird experiences in the parking lot. I thought a boy (maybe about 14) was a mannequin. All I saw at first were two hands resting on thighs. And they looked like mannequin hands. When I leaned down to look, real eyes and spikey hair stared back at me. Obviously I looked like a fucking creep. Luckily, I was unloading my kids so I looked less threatening.
As I was trying (and failing) to get the stroller over a snow blob, a guy I recognized from a previous workplace. He was rumored to be, at best, a creep. At worst, a child molester and/or indecent exposurer. He stopped in front of us and said,
"Come, come", motioning his hand.
I looked at him and said,
"No. No. "
And held up my hand.
When I got inside, I told all this to the librarian. She suggested I get more sleep.
My boys did a good job in Book Babies. I'm so proud of them.

I think I'm struggling with my life choices. I am so blessed to be a stay-at-home mom, with a reliable and hardworking partner, and two beautiful, funny, healthy, amazing boys. But I get lonely. And I struggle with housework, and when the day is ending, I have to make a conscious decision to recall my accomplishments. I realized that we are a society that values production markers. We like pedometers, progress reports, and tangible evidence of our toils. Housework is never-ending. And how do I "chart  progress" with my children? Do I even want to? (I do not.)

Wednesday, March 18, 2015

Cabbages And Kings

I made cabbage rolls and it took me two, almost three hours. I got the recipe from tasteofhome.com

And I took The Boy to the library for our mom/son play date.

Perhaps tomorrow I will write more eloquently.

Sunday, March 15, 2015

Moving Day

We helped my sister move today. I left the kids at my mother's in care of my mom and stepdad. There was a lot of packing to do, and some logistic issues to work out. And I was under the weather today. But I feel like I helped a lot.
I spent 6 hours away from my kids today! It made me sad .

Tuesday, March 10, 2015

Walk

We finally took a walk! We wore our winter coats, and I had The Baby in my front pack carrier. The Boy held my hand the whole time, and it just warmed my heart. While walking, The Boy pointed out all the things he was hearing and seeing. The birds, cars, snow, mud. And yes, it is true, that little boys are drawn to mud and puddles. And mud puddles. His feet and pants got soaked, and he didn't seem to mind. Our walk was only a few blocks, but we were invigorated and pleased. The Boy brought home a big stick, which I made him leave outside.

Monday, March 9, 2015

CVS And Sickness

The Boy is sick again! He had a terrible cough today, his face was all snotty and he was cranky and weird. I felt awful that I couldn't do more for him. Yes, I cried. I also cried because he already maxed out his insurance. My poor little guy! On the upside, I did get him to drink some herbal tea with honey.

I went to CVS by myself! Which was weird. But I found out that CVS's ExtraBucks policies is very lenient. (Much more than Walgreens. Just sayin ') I was able to use them in conjunction with manufacturer coupons. And I used an ExtraBuck on a purchase of milk, and the register gave me a milk ExtraBuck back.
First Purchase:
Milk- $2.99
2 L'Oreal hair dyes (I got the auburn the hubs doesn't like)-
 $9.99
I used a $5-off-2 mnf coupon for the dye
An ExtraBuck (from milk a few weeks ago)
I spent $18.89 and saved 26% and I got a $4 ExtraBuck back
Second Purchase:
Milk-$2.99
5 Iams cat food cans-77cents each
EmergenC, 10count- $5.49
I used a $1-off one EmergenC, buy-5-get-1-free Iams can, a $4 and $1 ExtraBucks.
I spent $6.11, and saved 55% and got $1 ExtraBuck back .


Sunday, March 8, 2015

Church And Coupons

On Sundays I try to clip at least two sets of coupons. Today I didn't even get through one. But I did order some freebies on freebies.com. And I get the Freeflys email updates.

The time change did throw me off. I was hungry way before dinner. And we didn't even eat until 6:30 or so. The sun didn't seem to set until around 7, and we scrambled to get the kids to bed.

I read parenting and craft blogs, I read parenting magazines, and I have joined several Meetup groups. There are so many fun things to do with kids, in the city and the neighboring suburbs. I want to give my kids as many experiences as I can. But nap time is about noon or 1 and I can't get us out of the house quickly. That leaves us about three hours to play in the morning. Or in the afternoon.
While I was giving The Baby his nighttime bottle, I was thinking about when I could take my soon-to-be-older kids out on field trips without getting interrupted by naps. School breaks, Saturdays, and the like. Then I started thinking about activities and extra-curricular activities.
I like to plan ahead.

Saturday, March 7, 2015

The Photos

The kids and I went to my grandmother's house, despite the fact that we are no longer allowed in the pool. They have a new diaper-ban policy. Anyway, I morbidly asked my grandma what she plans on doing with her photos after her death. What I was asking was, did she list who gets what material item in her will, or is it just financial? She ended up giving me a box of photos. Spanning from 1900's- early 2000's. I categorized them by their sizes because she doesn't label her photos. And I made a few scrapbook pages this evening. I'm not real excited about the artistic aspect, or my layout choices. But I am very excited about the process and finally giving these photos a home.
I label all my pictures before I give them away or put them in albums.
The Boy loves to look at photos on phones, loose, or in albums. I'll make sure his love of 'picturs'  continues.

The time change will throw me off.

Friday, March 6, 2015

The Bank

The Boy made his first cash deposit at the bank today! A financial first. I'm proud. But obviously I filled out his paperwork.

I went to Petco to get wet cat food. I'm part of their club so I get 5% off each purchase (given back as a coupon mailed to my house). I had a 10% off store coupon. And I had a 'buy 5 get 1 free' coupon on Iams cat food. I spent $3.53. I wanted to use two more identical coupons, but the fine print indicated I could not. I probably could have tried anyway.

Thursday, March 5, 2015

Focus Group

I went to a focus group today! I had to take the train downtown and it was actually kind of fun. But I was gone for about five hours! I really missed my kids, and I'm thinking school separation will be really hard.
When I got home I put some of the focus group money in my kid's piggy banks. And I had the older one empty his out and we counted the bills. He was really excited, and I told him I would deposit his cash. Which I will.

Sunday, March 1, 2015

Church

Me and the kids (ok, the kids and I) got up at the pulpit(?) podium (?) at church today and stood with my mother and step-dad to show the congregation that we are three generations that believes in the church and this religion. My mother gave a good 1minute testimonial about us. It was good.

The Boy hit his head, hard, three times today.