Saturday, January 31, 2009

Saturday Evening Post

I was able to save $187.31 for the month of January by shopping the sales and using coupons. I'm really excited to see how much money I can save our family this coming year. I tend to go to extremes in an effort to save money!

Last night we decided to pick up a pizza on our way home from running a few errands. I think that our days of getting one pizza are long gone! I have no idea about what it will be like during the teenage years trying to feed 2 growing boys.

I'm making one small change to my "Friends" link on the side of my blog. It will only show the 25 most recently updated links. If you don't see your name on the sidebar, don't worry; it's still there. It will reappear the next time you make a post. Just trying to cut down on the length of links that I have over there.

I think that Jackson will flood our bathroom one day. He turns on the faucet at least once a day. This is how I found my tub the other day. He loves throwing all of my bottles of lotion into the tub. For now, I've had to put them away.




From the bottom, count up 3 shelves (to the one with the bread). This is where we found Jackson in full on Spider Man mode, scaling the heights of our pantry. Needless to say, my small step stool is now up on a high shelf out of his reach. This child....



Speaking of Jackson, I had to call Poison Control for the second time this month the other day. Jackson got a hold of my purse and got out a zippered bag inside that held a pill box. I've always kept 2 Tylenol in there. I found him with the Tylenol in his mouth. I was fortunately able to get it away from him and after piecing it together concluded that he ate about 1/4 of a pill. He was fine, but once again I was reminded that I can't turn my back for one second on our little Jack Jack!


Hope that you enjoyed our Saturday Evening Post!

Friday, January 30, 2009

From Praising to Tackling

Here's a little video we shot last night after Bible study. It's funny how they mess up some of the words in these songs! The video is a little long (3 minutes 49 seconds) but it gets pretty funny at the end.

Thursday, January 29, 2009

Things I Can't Let Go

I have spent the better part of my day cleaning house. I am only taking a break to blog, because I really need one (plus my blood sugar is really low and I feel as if I am about to pass out). So far, I have cleaned half of the house. Only today, I am choosing to tackle much more than I can handle. I don't know why, but I decided to wash all the sheets, sort baskets and baskets of laundry and rearrange the playroom and the toys in all 3 kids' rooms. Isn't it enough that I am dusting and vacuuming the entire house, and I still have 2 bathrooms to clean (UGH!!!)? Why am I adding more work? I've been wanting to get the kids' top shelves in their closets organized and cleaned too, but I am forcing myself to not do this today. Jason has promised to help me tonight when he gets home after dinner, but I just can't let some things go. Part of me wants to stop and leave the rest for tomorrow, but I can't do that. I can't start and stop. I can't leave jobs undone. I can't let some things go. I like to have a clean house all at one time. For some reason, I decided to do some extra things today and now I can't just let them go. I really wish that I could be like others and not busy myself with this stuff, but my OCD self can't do that. I feel like Martha!

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Wordless Wednesday

Well, maybe not completely wordless...

Moments later, Joshua stuck his little tongue in the jar of pb and licked it!


Jackson couldn't look any more guilty. His hand is in the bag of cookies!

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

My World of Random

~ I go through a package of socks every winter.

~ Jason and I rented the first season of Samantha Who? this past Friday for $.99. We really like it.

~ Tonight's dinner - Spaghetti Casserole, French Bread and a Caesar Salad.

~ I've been working on finishing up my Grisham book, The Last Juror. After that I am planning on reading the 3rd Harry Potter book. I've read the first two and I really liked them. I have a hold on Multiple Blessings, for when it arrives at the library.

~ I am hoping to plant a garden this summer. I would love to have tomatoes, cucumbers, okra, and green beans. I've got a lot to learn, so we will see. I do plan on returning to Kentucky to buy some ears of corn to freeze. We are still eating on the corn that I bought last summer. It is so good!!!

~ We have one fish in our pond. We also get to look out at the 4 beautiful horses that are at the back of our property.

~ The kids and I are planning on making sausage balls.

~ I'm really wanting an ice cream maker for this summer.

~ I wonder how long I can keep nap time going.

~ While sorting laundry yesterday afternoon, Jack managed to shove FOUR pieces of gum into his mouth.

~ I'm getting ready to go consignment shopping. I think that Joshua can still wear all of his clothes from last year! He only needs pjs, shoes and a few more pairs of shorts. Woo-hoo!

~ Buying shoes for 3 kids can get very expensive! At least Jackson is getting Joshua's old pairs.

~ Speaking of summer clothes - how long do you think boy's shorts should be? Slightly above the knee, at the knee or below the knee. I always have the hardest time finding shorts that are long enough that will stay up.

~ At what age do you think boys should stop wearing shorts to church on Sunday mornings?

~ My daffodils are getting ready to bloom.

~ We have raised $140 for the March for Babies so far! We are so excited!

~ YIKES!!! This really scares me!
My bottom shelf in our closet.

Monday, January 26, 2009

Confessing...

I've been tagged by Kyllie! In this tag, I am to list 5 of my addictions.

Here you go...

1. Saving money (and documenting it) - I've made several posts regarding my need to save. I feel like I have come a long way in my views of spending and saving money. A little bit saved here and there really adds up to equal a lot of savings. I get so giddy with excitement when I save big. I am very addicted to a good sale and an even better deal.

2. Deleting shows from our DVR - I don't know why I am obsessed with deleting shows off the DVR. There is nothing that is more addicting than sitting down and deleting a lot of shows (after I skim through them rather quickly). I really have this obsession with finishing and clearing up things. This really drives Jason crazy, but I am trying to see how many hours I can create on our DVR.

3. Pictures - I am totally addicted to pictures and photography! If you've ever visited our house, you can immediately see that I am addicted to pictures. I have lots and lots of photos hanging throughout our house. I have 7 photo albums for the kids (with the intentions of buying 2 more) for them to take when they leave home. In the past 9 years of marriage, Jason and I have accumulated 15 photo albums. We also have our wedding photo album, Jackson's photo album from his first year photography sessions, and a few scrapbooks. I am seriously contemplating getting some kind of a photobook for each of the kids that highlights some of our special memories. I am really addicted to the pictures, and I don't think that is something that I will ever be able to get over.

4. Chapstick - I think that I started putting on Chapstick when I was in high school. I can't go to bed without putting it on. I think that I apply chapstick (at least) five times a day.

5. Traveling - I am always looking for a way to travel and get out of town. I crave time spent away with my family. Sure, there are times where I just want to slow down and stay home, but for the majority of my time, I would rather be going somewhere. I have lots of places that I want to visit in my lifetime. I get so excited thinking about all of the wonderful places that I want to take the kids to visit and places that I want to go to with just Jason. If I could, I would be out of town a couple of times a month. Crazy, isn't it?

There, I confessed! Now, you've got to tell me what your addictions are?

Thursday, January 22, 2009

Who Is This Man and What Have You Done With My Husband?

For the past month, Jason has had a goatee. I really can't stand facial hair and have been begging for Jason to shave it. Before he completely shaved it off, he came out sporting a mustache. Hilarious!

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Mr. Manners

Mr. Manners
Jackson loves putting his feet on the table for all of his meals. If he has shoes on, he takes them off. If he has socks on, he removes them. I don't even try to keep a bib on him anymore. He is trying really hard to wiggle out of his seat. I know that it will only be a matter of time. The same thing goes for his crib. He can really hike that leg up!


After washing Jackson up from dinner last night, he ran over and climbed up in Abby Kate's chair. He really loves his sister. Abby Kate is so sweet with him.


In other news...
  • We can't find our tv remote ANYWHERE! There is no telling what our little guy has done with it.
  • For fun Jackson decided to throw his toy keys into the potty. I had to get out the gloves for that fishing trip.
  • Abby Kate is now wanting to get her ears pierced, as well as her hair cut. We've made a deal with her about the hair, but I just don't think that we can do the ear piercing just yet.
  • Joshua has been busy practicing his swing. He can't wait for tee ball to start again.

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Child-Proof?

If your 19 month old can figure out the child-proof lock, do you get a refund?

We are really limited on the safety locks that we can use on our doors. The pantry is the only door that I NEED locked at all times!!! Unfortunately, our little guy has figured it out and now my days are filled with getting him out of the pantry. He loves getting anything and everything out. Sometimes he eats it and other times he just dumps it all out onto the floor. Just the other day, he dumped out the entire bag of pretzels all over the floor (those little pieces of salt are the worst to clean up). It is very important that this door remained locked at all times. I haven't seen any other kind of safety lock for a lever door knob. I think that we are going to have to change out the door knob in the kitchen for the time being. We'll see you at Lowe's!


Busted!


I only go after the good stuff!


This is my weakness!

Monday, January 19, 2009

Informed

Abby Kate informed me this morning that I "really needed to do some laundry!"

Yes, sweetie, this is what happens when a momma tries to enjoy her weekend just like everyone else! She plays "catch-up" on Monday and quickly realizes that she only has one cup of detergent left and six loads of laundry. So, she must make a run to Sam's with the children in the freezing cold. Unfortunately, the laundry never quits piling up!


Sunday, January 18, 2009

March for Babies 2009

Abby Kate ~ 4 pounds, 7 ounces, 18 inches
Joshua ~ 2 pounds, 5 ounces, 14 inches


The mission of the March of Dimes is to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth, and infant mortality.

About 12.5 million babies are born too early each and every year. I went into preterm labor with the twins at 20 weeks and was put on bed rest immediately after being given medicine to stop my contractions. At 33 weeks, our twins were born weighing in at 4 and 2 pounds. Almost 13 percent of premature babies are born between 32 and 33 weeks. I also went into preterm labor with Jackson at 26 weeks, but I was able to carry him to term with the help of medicine and rest.

Premature babies can suffer from a wide variety of health complications. Thankfully, Joshua and Abby Kate were both healthy and strong, just a little on the small side. We will always be grateful for the special care our twins received from the doctors and nurses of the NICU at this critical time in their lives. Since then, the March of Dimes has been a cause that has been very near to our hearts.

The March of Dimes helps give children like ours the attention and treatment they need. Premature birth is the leading cause of newborn death and many life long disabilities. The funds we raise for the March of Dimes supports research that saves babies' lives.

Please check out our personal page and consider making a donation to a very special cause that is near and dear to our hearts.

We would like to invite all family and friends out to this year's March for Babies Campaign on Saturday, April 4, 2009. If you would like to join our family in this year's March for Babies, please let me know. It would be our honor to have you participate with us in a cause that is so important to our family. We had the best time walking with our friends last year and we hope that you can join us this year!


March for Babies 2008
We are so thankful for our healthy babies!

Thursday, January 15, 2009

Your Preferred Method of Payment

Cash or Debit?

I hardly ever carry cash.

I am the one using my debit card for all the small purchases.

It doesn't matter if my purchase is $1.99 or $60, I use my debit card.

I remember the first time I received my debit card and I thought it was so convenient.

I still think that my debit card is convenient.

That is until, I go to record ALL of my receipts in my checkbook register.

And when I go to balance my checkbook at the end of each month.

It is at those moments that I wonder why I don't just go to the bank and get cash.

That sure would cut down on all of my receipt recording.

But when I carry cash, I find that I can't remember where it has gone so quickly.

I begin to worry that I have somehow misplaced it.

I really like the idea of carrying cash, but my debit card sure is convenient.

That is until I have to record ALL of my purchases!

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Our Fussy Time

Ever since our twins were about two months old, my afternoons have been filled with crying, screams, fights, giggles, meltdowns, and playing. Early on Joshua and Abby Kate's fussy time was from about 4:30 to dinner time. To this day, their fussy/loud/fighting time is still from about 4:30 to dinner time.

Joshua and Abby Kate were very fussy babies in the afternoons. I always felt so bad when Jason would come home to a house filled with two babies screaming and crying. It never, ever failed! As soon as he would come home, he would take care of the babies and I would go and get dinner together.

When Joshua and Abby Kate got a little bigger, I thought that we would finally be moving out of the fussy afternoon time (no more colic or acid reflux). I was wrong! Around 4:30 or 5:00, there was always some kind of a meltdown. However, when the babies were a little bigger, they could express their excitement when Jason came home for the evening. He would keep the kids entertained for me while I fixed our dinner. (I think that this is why I absolutely LOVE cooking. It's kind of like my getaway for the day.)

Fast forward to present day and I find that Joshua and Abby Kate have just about had it come 4:30! I don't know what the cause is, but there is not a day that goes by that my house is calm at 4:30. There is always someone crying, fighting, running, yelling, or screaming. Sure there are times when the kids are playing nicely together, but they are SO UNBELIEVABLY LOUD!!! I really don't know what it is about that time of day, but I am open for suggestions. Do your kids have a time where it seems like it is just pure chaos? What do you do during those "fussy times"?

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Summoned

I have recently busied myself with various projects throughout the house. I am working on all three kids' baby books and documenting fifteen photo albums. (Yes, FIFTEEN! That's 3,000 pictures to document!) I did not have the time to do these things when Joshua and Abby Kate were babies. All that I was consumed with during those first few years was survival! Fortunately, I jotted down important dates and milestones in the twins' daily log. I have spent these last few weeks organizing that information and copying it down into their baby books. I have a box that is filled with baby shower lists and gifts, food sign ups, birthday invitations, hospital forms, and the like. While going through all of this the other day, I stumbled upon a letter that I had received in the mail a few weeks after the birth of the babies.

I had been summoned to appear for jury duty!

My original due date was set for August 24, 2004. I was summoned to appear for jury duty on August 23rd. When I received the notification in the mail I laughed out loud! I could not believe that out of all the chances to appear for jury duty, mine had just happened after the most life changing event in my life.

My notification arrived in the mail at the end of July. Joshua hadn't even been discharged from the hospital! Abby Kate had only been home for a couple of weeks. I was trying to manage my time with a newborn preemie, nursing, pumping, running up to the hospital to visit Joshua and wondering how in the world I was going to make it with TWO babies at home! To say that I was stressed, would be quite the understatement. The only thing that I could do when I received the notification was laugh out loud!!!

I did the only thing that I could do, I called to be excused. I read the fine print and I thought that surely I met the "qualifications" to be excused.

"Excuse from jury service is granted only in cases of extreme inconvenience, undue hardship, or public necessity. Any request to be excused prior to the reporting date must be directed to the person at the number listed in this summons".

I plead my case to the lady on the phone and waited in silence for her answer. Surely I would have a pass! I just gave birth to twins via C-Section. One baby was home, while the other was in the NICU. I was nursing a preemie and pumping for my baby still in the hospital. I didn't have any family in town to take care of my babies while I would supposedly sit in a courthouse room for x number of hours. I just couldn't do this. This must be some kind of a cruel joke against me! Finally, after what felt like an eternity, she sighed and said that she would excuse me!

Sunday, January 11, 2009

It All Started..

Late Sunday night, December 28th, Joshua woke us all up with an upset stomach. After a day of the BRAT diet (and several loads of laundry later), he was as good as new. (At the time, we thought he must have eaten too much at dinner and we didn't think anything of it).

The following Friday night, we were having dinner over at our friends' house and Abby Kate got sick. It was right after dinner and Jason was telling this big story when Abby Kate came up and started tugging on his pants saying, "Daddy...". He said to her, "Hang on a minute, I'm talking. Don't interrupt." and then he went back to telling his story. Next thing you know, she throws up all over him! She was sick about 6 more times that night before finally falling asleep at about 2am. A day of the BRAT diet (and several more loads of laundry!) and she seemed to be doing much better.

That was until the following Sunday afternoon when she woke up from her nap screaming in pain and got sick again (twice)! Once again, there were several loads of laundry, another day of the BRAT diet and she seemed to be just fine.

Monday morning when I went in to get Jackson out of his crib, he clearly had gotten sick just a few moments earlier. He immediately went on the BRAT diet, while all of his crib sheets and pajamas got washed. (Ugh, the laundry!!!) He didn't seem to be feeling any better as the day went on, but at least he didn't get sick again.

Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, Abby Kate got sick yet again! At this point, I started to worry a bit and ended up taking her in to see our doctor. This was after we'd spent most of the day in Birmingham for Joshua's appointment. Our doctor said she had some kind of "G.I. Bug" and wrote her a prescription. She seems to finally be doing better (fingers crossed!).

Of course, after returning home from taking Abby Kate to the doctor, Jackson got sick again! Both Abby Kate and Jackson spent Thursday on the BRAT diet, while I washed and dried my umpteenth load of laundry for the week.

By Thursday night, everything seemed to have calmed down. We had turned the page, we were out of the woods....

...until I woke up Friday morning and found myself sick. I was sick ALL DAY LONG!!! Fortunately Jason's day off is Friday, so he was able to take care of me and watch after the kids. After taking it easy on Friday, I was OK on Saturday. I felt great this morning, too. But this afternoon, it hit me yet again. I've felt terrible for the past 10 hours or so.

I have absolutely no strength left in me! The pink stuff is my new best friend. I still have 3 kids to take care of and I don't know how I'm going to do it! I just hope that Jason doesn't get it!

When will this bug ever leave our house???

Thursday, January 08, 2009

Abby Kate's Showcase

Abby Kate is very excited to show you some of her most recent colorings and paintings.
She loves art and would color and paint all day!
She hopes that you enjoy her showcase!










Watercolors


"Abby Kate"
I asked her to write her name for me.
She is still working very hard on writing her "y" and "k".


After writing out her name for her, she wrote it again.
I love how "Kate" is in all caps.
It's just too cute!

Wednesday, January 07, 2009

Tears of Joy

Joshua had his appointment with his endocrinologist today. We were beyond thrilled with the results. Joshua has grown 1 and 1/2 inches in the past 6 months!!! That is HUGE!!! For the first time ever, my preemie 2 pounder is on the growth chart! He is in the .8 percentile and I am so proud of him.

Tuesday, January 06, 2009

A Year of Savings

I spent the majority of 2008 learning the art of saving money in the grocery store. I shopped with coupons, waited for sales, searched the internet for some great deals and found myself saving money. I must say that it is quite addictive. It makes me really sad to think about all of the times (before kids, when we had two incomes instead of one) that I would just buy what I needed at the moment and not use any coupons or wait for a sale. I am still no pro, but I always love a good challenge and the store is my battlefield.

We get the Sunday paper and I look at the sales fliers and coupons while the kids are down for a nap. I have started planning our meals around what items are on sale for that week. When I see a good deal, I stock up (this is the reason that I have countless boxes of cereal and Campbell's cream soups). I love shopping the SALE items at Krogers and Publix. Both stores double coupons up to $.50. When you can catch an item as low as $1.00, you are basically getting the item for free. If you know your WalMart prices, you can wait and see if the featured sale item (at Kroger or Publix) will be any cheaper after doubling the coupon. I have found this to be true in most cases. If I need to get something that is not on sale, or hardly ever goes on sale, I usually turn to WalMart. CVS is another great store where you can score countless deals! I always like to wait for the perfect sale and get busy saving. I always hold out hope for one day just not caring and doing all of my grocery shopping at one of the nicer stores, but I don't think that I could waste all of that money now.

When I started doing this last year, I noticed the "you saved _____" printed at the bottom of each receipt. Krogers, Publix and (now) Target prints this at the bottom of your receipt. My goal all last year was to save more than I purchased. I achieved this goal countless times and am still very proud of myself to this day! My favorite was when I saved over $50 at Krogers!

I map out my plan of action first. I have to do this while the kids are sleeping so that I can think. I usually write out the scenario and when I go into the store, I know exactly what I am going to do. The only time that I make purchases back to back is when I go shopping at CVS. Their extra care bucks are awesome and you can get the ones that you need from one purchase and then turn right around and use it on the next purchase (which I do right there in line). I have yet to find a store that doesn't stack manufactor coupons with store coupons. For instance, I always get coupons in the mail from Target for Pampers. When I shop the sale for Pampers, I use a manufactor's coupon in addition to the one from Target. It all equals extra savings.

This year, I have decided to keep a running tally of the money that I am saving at stores like CVS, Krogers and Publix on my sidebar. I also decided to keep up with the coupons that I am using to save money at WalMart. I am hoping to see big numbers at the end of this year.

I can always find the time to save my family some money. Sure, it is exhausting running to several stores a week, but the kids love it. They love riding in the car at Kroger and the big green monster at Publix. I somehow maintain my sanity with 3 kids in tow and somewhere along the way, we all learn a little life lesson. My favorite websites to look at for deals are at Baby Cheapskate and Money Saving Mom. I ran across RetailMeNot the other day while looking for an online coupon for a new backpack for Jack. This website is great if you are buying anything online. Jason and I have used it several times since discovering it.

I just found out about this deal today. If you have bought/buy (12/14/2008 - 1/31/2009) $50 in P&G products, you'll get $120 worth of coupons in the mail. I didn't think that I had spent that much, but after looking at a few receipts, I spent that and then some. I can't wait to get my coupon book in the mail to buy more diapers.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My next project is to see how many meals I can make, half and freeze. I need to read up on all things frozen to see what the do's and don'ts are, but it should be fun! I might end up needing a deep freeze if this goes over well. :)

Monday, January 05, 2009

What Happens When You Multiply Your Family?

What happens when you multiply your family? Things have to be even and you collect much more stuff all at one time. Every single one of these riding toys belongs to Joshua and Abby Kate. And yes, they ride each and every one. Sometimes the kids even fight over that "one" riding toy (even though they have 7 other options). Jackson is fortunate enough to get the hand me downs and he loves riding in both cozy coupes. Abby Kate got her big girl bike from Santa this year and she absolutely loves it! She is already such a pro and looks like such a big girl on her bike! Joshua got a Diego trike from Santa and is in love with it. He doesn't pedal his bikes, but he can scoot along at record breaking speeds. When he rounds a corner, the wheels leave the ground. He is quite the speeder!

I wonder if we will get a nice trade in value at the car dealership in about twelve years!

Friday, January 02, 2009

Let Your Voices Be Heard

For once, I don't know what to say. So, I am turning it over to you. Let you voices be heard!

1. What was one of your favorite gifts that you received for Christmas?

2. What did you eat on Christmas Day?

3. Are you making any resolutions this year? If so, what is one of yours?

4. What's for dinner?

5. What is your favorite book from this past year that you would recommend?

6. Is your tree still up?

7. How many times did you celebrate Christmas with family and friends?

8. What did you do on New Year's Eve?

9. What is your favorite flavor of Kool-Aid?