Working my tush off

We have been busy. The girls room is almost completely done and organized, and I am happy to report that it looks great! They have more room now to play, and everything has a place, so it should be easy to keep clean. The only thing remaining is to switch Haven's clothes over, which should be pretty easy. I still need a few organizing things from Ikea, but we are really close to being done.

The rest of today will be spent doing the mundane, laundry, vacuuming, general upkeep. I am also going to TRY to relax. Tomorrow morning hubby has promised to help with the under the stairs closet :)

And as a random side note, I just found out something about a good good good friend from way back when that threw me for a loop. Once she tells me the whole story, I am hoping to be posting congrats all over the place, but for now I remain flabbergasted!

Just so you know

no nap for me.

But husband did go to the store for me and is doing the dishes. In the next few minutes I am heading upstairs to bed and am hoping to actually sleep.

I don't nap

ever. I mean I have napped, but I never ask to lay down unless something is really wrong. I napped last spring when I passed out, and maybe when I had pneumonia, but usually I don't nap.

It is almost 5:30 and I have fed the kids and done everything on my to-do list except the dishes and my paper. i just sent Haven upstairs to wake Ryan so I can lay down for an hour...yes, I am going to lay down. I am hoping that when I get up, I can bang out my paper, and I am REALLY hoping Ryan and the kids can finish straightening the house and do the dishes.

The best sound

So, I feel bad, but I have a lot that needs to be done.

So far today I have had my conference call, done some chores and canned 8 pints of dilled beans. The best sound in the world is the pop of the lid sealing, it make my heart full knowing that there is food for the future, all made with love.

I still need to clean another 5 pounds of beans and get them frozen, but that can wait until morning.

The kids have demanded popovers for dinner, I think I have created addicts, and they will eat eggs and sausage since I have so many eggs :)

Now I am off to finish grading and to vacuum and switch laundry. Maybe husband will help out tonight and do the dishes for me, we will see.....

Smoke alarm

So I needed to roast some more coffee, and got out one I haven't used before and boy oh boy did it smoke!!!

I had to open all the windows and use a fan to blow the smoke out. Then the kids and I went and tended to the garden, picked a few tomatoes and a cuke and saw the first zucchini of the season growing :) The tomato plants out back are full of fruit, so once they ripen we will have lots of tomatoes to can and freeze. Our watermelon is growing well, still no pumpkins on the enormous vines, but lots of flowers, cukes are going well and the carrots will be harvested in a few weeks.

After tending the garden, we came back inside and I roasted another batch of coffee. I was more gentle this time, and there was not nearly as much smoke.

I have my work call at 11, and while on the call I am going to be getting my beans ready for pickling. It takes a long time for the water to boil in the canner, so that will be set up, the jars will run through the dishwasher to be sterilized and heated, the beans cuts, and the garlic and dill prepped for the jars. We are using fresh dill (local), fresh garlic (csa/local), beans (local) and the brine is made with red pepper, mustard seed, vinegar, etc.

This is getting old

Still sick, worse even.

I couldn't fall asleep until almost 2 last night. I was tired, but every time I laid back I had a coughing fit. My ribs are aching and I just feel so bad.

I am worried I am going to end up woth pneumonia if this doesn't go away. I also have a lot to do with Ryan this week, and only one day to do it, so I need to feel better tomorrow.

Oh this just stinks....

Popovers=JOY

As a kid, my mom made popovers all the time. I loved the eggy delicate pastry feel of them, and have always favored them steaming hot with butter.

When I was pregnant with Haven, there was a company that put out boxed popover mix. I remember coming home from work and using a muffin tin to make popovers, and while they weren't perfect, I was happy to have them. I had to have eaten a fifty popovers while preggers with Havey.

Since then, I haven't had popovers, the boxed kind disappeared from shelves and I was always unsure of how to make them from scratch. When Ryan gave me my gift card for my birthday, I ordered a popover pan, and I am so happy I did.

Tonight, since I feel so lousy, I whipped up the batter and baked off the popovers. It was super easy and so yummy, and the warm fluffy popovers even made me feel a little better :)

Dinner the bain of my existance

So I feel really bad, but I ran a million errands and took Britt to her friend's house and went to the farm. I got home after 4 and since I bailed out on making dinner last night, I felt I needed to step up tonight. The plan was honey balsamic chicken with angel hair and heirloom tomatoes. I didn't realize that I was out of balsamic vinager, so now I have chicken with garlic and those heirloom tomatoes cooking with some lemon basil and purple basil. This will be served over pasta and hopefully the masses will enjoy.

I do need to make something that uses eggs, since O have three dozen sitting in the fridge. Maybe tomorrow night we have a quiche, I know I have the fixins for a bacon and onion and ham and cheese quiche....hmmm, ideas.

Sometimes you just get it right

OK, so lots of people swear by chores, and other don't, I don't care to debate. My kids are spoiled, they have everything they could ever want, they enjoy a large home with a million toys and they eat like kings. I feel they need to contribute, it is hard to keep up with a house with three kids, two jobs and school. The chore list is a dream come true!

The kids do their chores as asked, they get a check mark, and they know that once their father and I feel they have been consistent, they get a reward. All rewards will be family focused (we are big on being a team here) so it will be a family movie night or a trip out all together (daddy included). Some may say kids just need to do the chores and shouldn't be rewarded, but I feel that as long as the reward is a family event, it just builds more of a strong foundation.

Hooray for chores :)

It's no good

to wake up and feel just as crappy, if not crappier than you did at bedtime. This thing is kicking my rear, and since I had pneumonia two years ago, I don't think I have felt this bad. Ah well, the world doesn't stop for me.

Today Britt has a playdate scheduled and she is very excited. They will be tie dying and swimming, so she is very anxious for 11 o clock to come. While she is at her playdate, the other kids and I will be here doing some chores. My plan includes some laundry, dishes, vacuuming and bathroom cleaning. The kids have been doing their new chore list for a few days, and while they aren't perfect, it has helped keep the house picked up and at least one room a day they work on dusting, etc. This morning it is the dining room, so the table and chairs will get a good cleaning, and the windows will be wiped. The floor gets vacuumed and I will give it a mop.

After picking Britt up after her playdate, we are off to the farm, then to see Dr Tom, maybe he can help move this sickness out of my chest.

So so sad

Before we left for my parents I checked our pear trees. They were still full of fruit, and I figured we would have canned pears within the month. Today as I drove by the trees looked too perky. Sure enough, there were NO pears to be found, not ONE!!!!

I am so sad, i was looking forward to juicy pears, plus a bunch jarred up for the winter. I guess we will have to net the trees next year, and pick extra apples this year. Now I need to find apple trees to plant.

Errands done

So, the kids and I rocked at the errands today. Even though I feel like I have been hit with a truck, we were out the door at 9:30 and hit Rite Aid, then Target, the saw Dr. Tom, then picked up CSA, then I got them lunch, then Shoppers and then CVS. WHEW. The good thing is, all the errands for the week are done except the farm. I also got a ton of green beans for pickling, although I couldn't find the pickling salt and may have to make a special run for that. I also have a lot of pickling cukes from the CSA, so I may whip together some fridge pickles for the family.

Tonight I have a really nice dinner planned, but I will have to see if I can do it, I really feel yucky. If I get it done, we will have grilled chicken over pasta with heirloom tomatoes and fresh basil. Popovers were also on the list. We will see....

Tomorrow will be quite the day!

So the plan is laid out for tomorrow. The kids will get a big, homemade breakfast to help tide them over through the errands. After breakfast and morning chores, we will head out to a number of stops. First on the list are CVS, Rite Aid, Target and Dr. Tom's. Then, if time allows, I will try to get to Ikea, although I know it is a long shot. Next we have to pick up the CSA and head home for lunch.

After lunch I am hoping to get moving on organizing the girl's room. We have a few things I need before it is all done, but I still want to get going tomorrow. Also on the agenda for tomorrow, bake 4 loaves of bread and make something good for dinner.

Compensation

We have learned alot this year through our garden. We discovered that the side garden works great as long as it doesn't wash out. Next year it will be framed and used for winter squash and pumpkins. We found that some plants are resilent, as is seen by the lone surviving cucumber plant that has grown to an immense size and is getting ready to bombard us with cukes. We found a watermelon growing today, and our beans continue to surprise us despite the late start. Carrots will be ready soon and we should have bushels of tasty tomatoes to enjoy.

Next year I plan to try corn, even though we have alot of shade, I am confident it will work. After a winter of composting, and hopefully the addition of manure-chicken and horse, the garden soil next year will be much better. We also must get on having the next garden tier added, I want to begin the planning early this year.

We are enjoying the fruits of our labor, and know that it will only get better in years to come!

Home and sick :(

We came home today, and I am so happy to be back. Ryan busted his rear end and got most of the upstairs done, so I was very excited to come home and have the beds all moved.

I seemed to have gotten a cold from Brittan and it has settled in my chest. I feel yucky, and hopefully the meds will kick in soon and I will be passed out in my bed :)

Missing home

I am happy we are visiting my parents, but I am missing home.

I never really enjoy being away, especially when it is just me and the kids. I miss my husband, and my own space. Part of being who I am is being in control, and whenever I am out of my element, I feel I lose some of that.

Tomorrow my mom and I are going out just the two of us, I am very happy that we will have time to spend together without fighting the kids to get a word in. Then on Friday we will try to find something fun for everyone to do, then we head home on Saturday afternoon.

The summer is running away on me, I get home and have only a month before it is back to PT school and the kids are back to their routines. As crazy as they can make me, I will miss them when summer is over.

Back in the Carolinas

We made it!

We left today after picking up our milk and yogurt from the farm, and high tailed it down to my parent's house in NC. The kids were awesome in the car, no fighting or screaming and just one small crying incident, but that was before Richmond, so it doesn't count :)

We did hit some serious rain, if you can even call it that. It was more of an attack from above...and the side. Crazy rain, but it only lasted a little while and we made it through. The kids are all in PJs and playing with Nana and Papa's toys. I am getting ready to shuffle them to bed so I can make some coffee and get my work done before my parents come home (they had a prior engagement). We are so sad Ryan couldn't come and miss him terribly, but I am also thrilled that I will come home to the girls moved into the big room...woohooo!

Tomorrow, if all goes as planned, we will be laid out all over the beach :)

Gearing up to go

So we made it to see Dr. Tom this morning, all our necks and backs are thankful!

Then off to get the CSA and almost got backed into by a HUGE UPS truck! When they finally stopped, they were just inches from the side of my car, and it would have been pretty bad since they were backing up fast. Gray and I would have been hurt and the car would have been totalled, so I am glad they didn't hit us!

We got a ton of great stuff this week. A nice melon, some cukes, tons of squash (great since we have none here), tomatoes, herbs, lettuce and onions. As we are leaving, I will skin the tomatoes tonight and freeze them. When our tomatoes come in, I will skin them, add the frozen ones, herbs and lemon juice and can everything. The squash will also be frozen today, some we will eat with dinner, the rest will e put up for future use.

I am not sure what we will have for dinner tonight. I have some leftover steak from last night that the kids can have. I may also have chicken for Ryan, I can make a big salad, some squash and rice. I don't want to leave a lot of leftovers, so I am using up what we have here before we leave.

Off to pack!

The sad affair that is our garden

We knew this year wouldn't be the best, mostly because we were trying some new things, and out garden was brand new and the soil was iffy. We built the large two tiered structure in the spring and tried to amend the soil, but it just wasn't enough. We have gotten some lettuce, green beans and snow peas. The tomatoes in the back are HUGE, and in the next few weeks I should have a ton of tomatoes to freeze and can. The squash and zucchini plants are big and full of flowers, but still not fruit :( My lone pepper plant has two peppers about ready to pick, and the one cucumber plant to make it through the floods looks like it will make up for the ones we lost, although we won't have any pickling cukes. I also have carrots that are doing well back there The side garden that suffered the big washout in the spring is redeeming itself. The pumpkins are taking over, and the sweet potatoes seem to be doing OK as well.

For next year, I have my eye on an area for corn. The side garden will get a frame around it to protect it from washouts and will house only pumpkins and winter squashes. We want to add one more tier to the back gardens, the lowest tier will have lettuce, carrots and potatoes. The middle tier will have cukes, peppers, eggplants, zucchini/yellow squash, the top tier will house the tomatoes and beans, hopefully on arches.

We have a ton of compost for fall, and will till the current gardens in preparation for winter. If we can swing the cost, we will have the low garden built late fall so the soil can be amended through the winter, giving us a better chance to get results in spring. Ah the joys of gardening :)

I have been crabby

So, the last few days I have been crabby with the husband and kids. Although much of the crabbiness has come as a direct result of the husband and kids, I have decided enough is enough. So they screwed up and made extra work for me. So I am really tired now and feeling overwhelmed. Now I need to focus on moving forward. I had the kids help me make the bread, they each had jobs to so an seemed to enjoy being part of the process. I still need to make dinner tonight, switch laundry, fold laundry, pack for the kids, run a few errands and work. The kids are watching a movie, so I will get some work done now. In a bit, they will gather what they can to be packed and I will marinate the chicken and shape the bread. Then I can switch laundry and finish packing what is needed, and I can run errands while they eat dinner. I know it is going to be another long day, and tomorrow looks to be the same, but that is life. I am now going to try very hard to not be crabby.

Revisiting the slave labor idea

So, we got the inside of the car cleaned out, wiped down and vacuumed. The kids were not so keen on the helping thing, so we never did wash the outside. I am thinking of enticing them later with promises of getting soaking wet and bribing with a popsicle when they are done. I really don't want to have to go to the car wash.

Tonight we will have a nice homemade dinner, I have been sort of slacking off the last few days cooking quick meals like tacos. I will grill up some chicken breasts, and I am planning to back bread. We have a ton of beautiful greens, and I might even have a few tomatoes hiding in the garden, so we will have a grilled chicken salad with homemade bread. MMMMM!

Oh and did I mention that my sister got me a new canning book and a subscription to Mother Earth News? We love that magazine, and now each month we can keep planning our next house which we plan to build on loads of land as eco friendly as possible!

Times are tight, so use slave labor

Everyone can agree that the economy stinks and most people I know are trying to stretch a buck. We leave on Tuesday to head to NC and the car is a wreck, it needs a good vacuum and washing before we leave. Normally I would empty the car and take it to car wash and spend $20 to have it cleaned. I decided today that I have three little worker bees who make the mess, so they are going to help me clean. Tomorrow morning after breakfast, we will head out and clean the car out before it gets hot. Then they can help me vacuum and wipe the interior and the windows. Then we can make a big bucket of soapy water and wash the car the old fashioned way!

The best part is, the sponges, soap and interior cleaner cost me less than a single wash, and I can get about 30 washes out of them.

Bounced out!

We had a great time at the indoor bounce house place. There were almost no other people there when we arrived, so the kids got to run from bounce house to bounce house and check everything out. There were 3 large and 1 smaller bouncies, plus a whole play kitchen/store area, Foosball, a mini train for little kids, and airplane balancer, ball pit and more. Each kid found something they really liked, and everyone bounced and bounced and bounced. The best part was that there were no husbands, so my sister and I actually had a chance to talk to each other. We don't have a lot in common, but sometimes it is really nice to chat and catch up!

After the bounce place, we headed over to Friendly's for lunch and ice cream. The kids were really great, everyone was starving so they ate all of their lunch and all of their ice cream!

Then we came home and the kids and I are so sleepy. They are happy watching a movie in the family room, and I am trying to get some work done. If all goes well, they will fall asleep early and I can write my paper and get to bed early myself. The bounce place will be my winter secret weapon for when Grayson is tired of being trapped inside and needs to burn off some energy!

Restless nights and bounce houses

Last night I had one of those awful sleeps where you fall into a gorgeous deep sleep and then at 2 am for some reason you wake panicked. Then the rest of the night, you doze into sleep and then wake panicked again. Needless to say, I am a bit sleepy.

This morning the kids and I are going to meet my sister and her kids at the indoor bounce house place. The kids can leap and hope and burn off tons of energy. After wards, we will go grab some lunch and then I will head home to finish cleaning the house.

Liar Liar

Here is what happens in my house when you keep doing a crap job cleaning the playroom, I dump everything out and make you start at the beginning. Then, after hours of fighting, screaming, bitching and whining you tell me you are done. I walk in and the room is not clean, and you just haphazardly threw stuff in bins including trash, and you hid, YES HID, blocks behind the couch. What happens then is I dump everything out again and I clean the room the right way, and I vacuum and dust and I BAN you from using the playroom.

Both my girls are banned from using the playroom for one week. We decided that we are nice enough to give them one of the largest common rooms in the house for toys, their computer and their tv, and they just keep abusing it. So now they can't use the room, only Grayson can.


They don't even seem to care.

What a day

We had plans to do some simple housework, and it seems to have exploded. Currently the playroom is in shambles as the kids clean, the upstairs is a mess as Ryan is organizing, I have scrubbed the dining room, folded a ton of laundry, washed more laundry and more and more.

Now I need to go and make the bread dough, unload and load the dishwasher and switch laundry. Then I will vacuum the playroom and clean the bathroom. Make tacos for dinner for the kids, something else for ry and I.

Off to work

Decisions

So, my husband is hating his job....but the economy kind of sucks. I found a bunch of IT jobs at a university about an 1 1/2 away, nice back road ride and he commutes that long anyway. He would have a secure position, probably more pay, and IF we decided to stay here in VA, him working there would give me more options for teaching positions and the ability to move to an area that is more rural.

It might be difficult to manage the kids on the days I teach. Worse comes to worse, I am sure I beg Em to keep Gray after school on Fridays, and Ryan should be home in time for me to leave on Wednesdays. Now I guess we will apply him and see what happens. I would love for him to be on a traditional schedule, and the pay scale was really great.

We will see....

Reflections

So, tomorrow Brittan turns six. I cannot believe it has been six years since that sweet baby entered our lives. She was a rough delivery, emergency c-section and a double blood transfusion. I wasn't awake when she was born and I don't remember much from the first few days since I was so ill. From the day we came home, I knew it was all worth it. She was such a happy baby, all smiles and joy. She has always been a bit standoffish, and to this day is still the least likely to have an extreme reaction to anything. She is however, a sweet loving little girl, always willing to do what needs to be done and quick to give a hug to someone who needs it. We love you Bubbles!

Watch me flounder

So, anyone who thinks I breeze through life, baking bread, writing papers, shepherding children, I am sorry to tell you that I don't. Right now I am in a drowning stage, they hit from time to time. I have a lot of stress over the economy, both the world's and my own. I also have a lot going on with work, plus school is busy and I have to get ready for heading back to PT school and the kids going back as well. In addition, the house is just tough to keep up with. With all the kids home, that means way more dishes, more laundry and more messes. I feel like I am spending all of my time picking up after them, that I cannot get to the big tasks I have looming. Laundry is always an issue, plus moving the girls room will be a beast. I need to regrout the kitchen counters, plus get ready for my parents visit and the work we will be doing then in August. Add in that I need to pack, tomorrow is Brittan's birthday, and that I have two faculty calls!

So tomorrow Haven has riding at 9:30, we need to take Brittan to lunch for her birthday at 11, I have a call at 1:30, then another at 9. Add in that I have to do my regular work, and well, it is a crazy day!

Today I will finish my conference call and take the kids to the pool. I need to get home by 4 so I can make dinner, then write a paper and run out to pick up Britt's birthday present.

I need a break!

One tired mama

We were busy today, especially given the lack of sleep :)

Went to Rite Aid, they were out of what I wanted, got a raincheck. Also got the kids water bottles that have the frozen thingy in them for the trip to my parents. They are pretty small, which will help me monitor the fluid going in, and the potty breaks. I will bring some extra water with me for refills as needed.

Nest we went and had lunch with Em and the kids. My two were demons, but they had my soup and I was very excited about that! Then Em offered to drive to the farm, I am not sure she knew what she was getting into. Not only did Gray whine most of the time, but I gave her a hard time about recycling. I promise I am tired and I was just trying to understand and sometimes I am not so good at it!

Then I stopped by Dr. Tom's and am here to tell everyone, that if you are ever here, and you need a chiropractor, he's your guy!

Now I am home, I did a little work and I am about to switch laundry and vacuum. I have school work to do, and the kids are just having and egg and ham scramble for dinner, easy peasy.

Another rough night

So I had a hard time falling asleep, and around midnight, Gray woke up. He was then up for 3 1/2 hours. We finally fell asleep around 3:45 and got up at 8:30. Needless to say, I am very tired. Add to it that Brittan's old room-which will become the girls new shared room, was TRASHED. They even shoved clothes I had just washed and folded into the corner of the closet. So after breakfast they need to go get that room under control.

I was going to start clearing rooms next week, but I think Ryan and I may need to work together while he is off this week. I think we can dismantle the big bed and lean the mattress, I can help him get his stuff out of the closet, and I can deal with Brittan's stuff so the closet is empty except for hanging stuff. Then all I have to do is empty Haven's cabinet and bookcase, and he can worry about the beds.

Going to be a busy few days :)

I had to share

OK, so I ran out to hit CVS to stock up on some goodies and I wanted to run to Bloom to see if they had the ice pops and italian ices the kids wanted and they were out of yesterday.

Here is the tally for CVS
10 folders
2 downy
4 airwick warmers
4 air wick refills
3 things of werthers (ry loves them)
1 shampoo
1 conditioner
3 body wash
3 deodorant
4 boxes of cereal
2 shave gel
Should have cost me just over $96, I paid $29

Hit Bloom
Got 3 Powerades-the big ones
4 fruit juice bars
4 italian ices
Should have cost $29, cost me $9.

That just makes my heart skip!

Oh, and we got patty pan squash in our CSA bag this week and it was so yummy cooked up with the freshly dug onions.

Big bursts of energy!

So I decided to get a few things done. First I went through my CVS list and found a bunch of stuff for cheap that I can stock up on, I will make that run tonight after dinner. I also found a few more coupons for Rite Aid for the free things, so tomorrow before Carlos I will stop in there too. I then decided to clean the downstairs, vacuumed the whole thing, had the kids make the playroom presentable, cleaned a few walls (if you have kids and animals, you understand the need for this), did dishers, prepped dinner and so on. I feel much better, I always hate when Ryan comes home or wakes up to a crazy messy house.

Now I just need to finish dinner, the squash and onions are cooking (all CSA), the chicken and baked beans are baking and the coleslaw is sitting in the fridge getting yummy. Mostly I am just happy it is all almost made :)

What is going on here???

I swear I am more tired today than I was yesterday. I was up until after 11 last night after only 3 1/2 hours sleep, and this morning I had a terrible time getting up. Rolled out of bed at 8, took a shower and got ready for the day. Kids and I went and picked up the CSA and ran into the farmer, John, again. It is so nice to see him and to hear all of the great things he is doing on his farm. I also feel great knowing who grew our food, and playing a part in keeping his family farm going, as I know he loves what he does!

Ran home, dropped off the goodies and went to Big Lots. Didn't realize that they were getting ready to be torn down (whole shopping center is being redone) so the pickings were slim. I ended up spending more than I wanted, but I got some things that were needed and will keep the house stocked while I am away.

Today is my mom's birthday, so we wished her a happy day. We are getting excited to head down there next week, the kids always have fun and I always have help :) Too bad I have work and school while I am there, but the class I am in isn't too bad and I know my job well enough to be able to get things done ahead of time.

I need to go do some cleanup and work on dinner. Tonight we will have BBQ chicken, homemade baked beans (real from scratch), coleslaw (CSA) and sauteed squash (CSA). Yummy!

Whoops, I forgot

So, Husband got up, we ate, then he reminded me he was going in early...uh oh.

Well it is fine, he is off to work and I packed his lunch, dinner is cleaned up and put away, dishes are done and I think the kids are in bed.

I am very sleepy now.

Yet another small moment

As I have said, I am very, very, VERY tired right now. Dinner is cooking away, the honey ham is ready and staying warm, the candied carrots are finishing up, the creamed corn requested by Haven is moving along as well (easy tonight since I had a ton of left over corn on the cob). I need to put the biscuits in the oven in about 20 minutes.

So everything is truckin away and the kids all came in all excited. I asked why and they said that dinner smells SO GOOD and they cannot wait to eat. My kid's are not dinner eaters, so that is quite the compliment.

After they go to bed, I am pretty sure I will crash. Maybe I should head upstairs when they do :)

Wiped out

OK, the lack of sleep is setting in.

It is almost 2:30 and I need to go unload and reload teh dishwasher, vacuum the house, switch the laundry and start dinner. Right now I don't want to do any of it, any volunteers?

OK, I am off to do what needs to be done.

Shopping with monkeys

OK, so we made it out and back. I cannot say it went perfectly or that everyone was well behaved. Gray was just terrible in all three store, I think he is just at the age where if something (shopping) is boring, he will do whatever he needs to entertain himself, although it gets him in trouble. I had one small mishap at Rite Aid, I bought 2 too many dish detergents for the coupons I had, so I actually had to PAY something. No biggie, I will just go back and return those tomorrow.

Here is the tally:
Rite Aid
2 loreal vive shampoo-FREE
2 loreal vive conditioner-FREE
1 electrasol gel pacs-paid .75 for one and will get $2.00 rebate (yes, they PAID me 1.25)
1 electrasol jet ball-same deal as above, and yes they paid me again.
4 nutra air -All FREE

Total original cost of products: $40.96 Total out of pocket was $8.86, but when I return to two mistaken products it will be about $2.00. Plus I will get 2 $2.00 rebates, I made money on this one!!

Target:
This was a bit harder
4 various boxes of General Mills cereal
2 packages of butter
1 big thing of bleach
2 packs of sandwich meat
small sour cream
1 all natural dog food (7 lb bag)
1 HUGE 38 lb thing of litter
2 new coupon files to save my sanity

Normal cost (some estimates as it isn't on the reciept)
$60.33, I paid $39.98-not too shabby, not fantastic either (saved 34%)

Bloom
6 yogurts
2 pkgs tortilla
1 hard shell taco
2 taco seasoning
milk
2 orangeade/lemonade
2 brownie mix
1 1/2 lbs of american cheese (they eat ALOT of cheese)
1/2 lb salami
2 boxes all natural juice pops
1 package of bone in chicken breast

should have cost:$54.20
Did cost $ 31.75 (41% savinggs)

overall
Spent $73.73
Should have cost $155.49

Saved 53%

Coffee helps

So I finally fell asleep around 4 am, and the kids were up at 7:30 as expected. When I am this tired, I usually turn into super nice mom, I give them lots of treats, don't yell, etc. They are lucky I only got 3 1/2 hours sleep, four or more and things run as usual :)

We have a TON to do today, which is ok since being tired and stuck at home would stink. As it is Sunday, I have to lay low a bit longer and then we will venture out, I really need us to be home for lunch. Today we are going to Rite Aid, and unusual shop for me, but all the things on my list there are FREE after coupons, so it is worth the extra few minutes. Then we must hit up Target. I haven't been there in awhile, but there are about 5 things I must purchase there, most importantly a great deal on cereal, and the way my kids eat cereal, I need all the deals I can find! Next will be Petsmart, great deal on cat litter for the three smelly little beasts. Finally we will hit Bloom, there is a treat on my list so I know the kids will get through that last store, and then home.

Who needs sleep, umm...me?

I hate insomnia, I really do!

Summer is a stressful time for me, we are down an income and around now I begin to panic. Oh I have done all the things you should to prepare, but a tumbling economy, some misplanned changes, and unforeseen trip to NY, well, they wrecked my plan.

I can only hope to do better next summer, and somehow make it through this one. To be fair, we will be a-ok, just tighter than I like. But come September, and my extra pay...well then I feel much better.

I am off to TRY to sleep. At least all I have to do is run errands tomorrow, I can always doze on the couch if needed!

Day in and day out

We had a productive, yet quiet, day. I got a lot done around the house, made the family a nice dinner of lime/basil shrimp and rice, baked and iced a chocolate layer cake and ran a quick errand to get dog food. I also picked up two extra newspapers (Sunday) so I could get a jump on cutting coupons. I told Ryan that I am enjoying the quiet time, cutting and organizing, and he said that he could see how the repetitive action could be pretty zen to me. He is right, not only do I enjoy saving the money, I also enjoy the time I spend just cutting and organizing. Funny what different people find calming!

Tomorrow I fear we will need to venture out, I need to go to the pet store and Target, Monday is CSA pick up and grocery store runs (although those may happen while the family eats dinner) and Tuesday is farm day. I so enjoy our schedule.

So very quiet

My kids have been sent upstairs, hopefully Gray will rest since he is being a bear, and the girls could use some quiet time!

I need to get the floor mopped while they are entertained, and then I promised them them a chocolate cake for dessert, so I will get busy baking. What is it about summer that makes you feel so laid back? The same things are getting done, but not having to drag the kids out the door every morning just makes it so much easier. Just when I think we have it all down, it will be time to go back :(

Finding joy in where you are

I had a dream last night about someone I knew from HS. In the dream he seemed so sad with his life, so unhappy with his marriage, etc. When I woke up, the first thing I thought was, wow, I am so glad I don't feel that way anymore. For so long I expected things to be more than they could, to be easier than they should, and I never could understand why I was unhappy.

Life is is different now, more relaxed and more fun. I really enjoy my family, I enjoy being with them and feel we have hit our stride. Do the kids have bad days, YES! Do Ryan and I have bad days....YES YES YES! But there are fewer bad days and we learned to get over things faster.

Right now, we are both happy in the marriage and with the kids, now if only we could move!

Plan plan plan

So.....we owed my parents a visit since we never made it down there after the trip to the outer banks, this was due to the wedding we needed to attend in NY.

So in a week and a half, the kids and I will again pile into the car and head to NC. This time Ryan will stay home, and he will take on the task of moving all the beds around. Without us underfoot, it should be easier and quicker for him. When we get home, the girls and their beds will be in the bigger bedroom (Britt's old room) and the queen sized bed will be in Haven's old room-now the guest room. The closet will be emptied, and I will be able to come in and organize the closet and dressers to get the most space possible out of the room. On the agenda, buy one of the Ikea wall mounted desks although the color is wrong and I will need to repaint, the girls can store all the markers, etc in here and lock it up!

Then my parents will come in August for Gray's birthday and they are going to help us take care of some the wants in the house. Buying a house that is older and wasn't cared for has been a lot of work the last 5 years, but we have done a lot to address the problems. Still on the list, we NEED to address drainage out back which means jack hammering and building a wall, and we NEED to redo our bathroom, rip out the shower and replace it and the floor. So the wants right now include painting the kitchen cabinets and replacing the hinges, redoing the fireplace mantle and finishing the molding in the dining room. As an anniversary gift, my parents are coming to help and will buy the supplies, so my wants will be done and we can stay focused on the needs. Wooohooo!

oh so not moving

The girls and I were up at 7:30. Gray got up around 8:30 and I guess he woke Ryan up since they both came down, too bad as I was planning to let Ry sleep in today.

So far, I haven't done much today, sent a work email, ran the dishwasher, switched the laundry and vacuumed the family room. I do have a huge list of things I NEED to do, so maybe I will get cracking soon. I must do more laundry, I must mop the kitchen and bathroom, I must unload and reload the dishwasher, I must clean my bathroom and Haven must clean the hamster cage.

I am making hamburgers and hot dogs on the grill with corn on the cob, pasta salad and regular salad for dinner, gotta love summer dinners! I may make two more loaves of bread, we are down to just over half a loaf, and after lunch, that will be gone. Today will be a quiet family day at home, maybe we will watch a movie tonight and I was thinking of making cupcakes for dessert.

Confessions of an OCDer

OK, I have OCD and an addictive personality. When I decide to do something, I go all the way. When I decided to go back to school, I went to the extreme. Let's go organic, local and eco friendly you say....I go all the way and throw myself into it.

So right now my obsessions are the grocery shopping group I joined that is saving me TONS of money and a ridiculously tasty ice cream flavor called Graham Central Station. Thankfully I am spending way more time on the planning of shopping than on eating ice cream :)

Lonely movies

So I took the kids to see the American Girl Movie. Between me and my three and Emily and her three, there was a total of........8 people in the theater. That's right, we were the only ones there, which was good because the kids, specifically Grayson, seemed to have ants in his pants.

I like when we have our own theater....would have been good for a date ;)

This bakes my beans....

OK, there are lots of issues that I feel passionately about, but the one that makes me the most angry is in regards to human relationships. I never understood why anyone cared who sleeps with who. People get all bent out of shape about gays and lesbians, why do they care? People get all stressed and angry over open marriages and polygamy, hey if all partners are for it, why do you care? I am so sick of hearing all the biblical reasons why gays are wrong, bigamy is wrong, etc. Did anyone ever think that the people who are the so called "sinners" don't believe the same things or don't adhere to that bible. For me, it is like telling me that Aesop's fables said something was wrong, so the whole world should adhere!

Please people, let everyone go about their business as they want to. Be happy for those who find love and happiness, does it matter the gender? Does it matter that there are two wives instead of one? As long as everyone involved is happy, content, willing and of age, leave it be.

Readjusting the plan

So we got a late start, Britt, Gray and I slept until 8:30, and Haven just got up at 9. It is already raining, so my plans to do the garden this morning are already put on the back burner. Maybe this afternoon it will clear and not be too hot, and I can finally get the peas planted and the weeds pulled!

I am anxiously awaiting a new shipment of coffee, and it should be here today! I am very excited as I have had to drink the crummy coffee, and I miss my good stuff.

If I can get moving, I may get the bread dough going before my call, but I also need to move the clean laundry out and get laundry pushed through. Lots of laundry to do, a paper to write, bread to bake and homemade sauce to make for tonight's dinner. It will be a long and productive day.

I need a day at home...

I am just exhausted, not sure why, but I am.

Tomorrow I am refusing to leave the house. That being said, I have a lot to accomplish. I have to weed the upper garden in the morning, and plant a new round of snow peas. I then have a conference call at 11. Then feed the kids, bake two loaves of bread and do laundry. I also have a ridiculous amount of basil, so I am thinking of making and canning some tomato sauce. Lots of housework, but I can do it in my PJs. Lastly I will need to write a paper. Maybe I should go out :)

The big haul!

My Sur La Table order arrived and I am so excited!!! It was so thoughtful of Ryan to sneak to Sur La Table and get me a gift card, he knows I love the store, but also that I would never spend the money on myself. He also had to stop on his way home at the big mall which I am sure was a pain when he was tired. He is so very sweet!

Here it is...2 big bread pans, one smaller one, a silicone pastry brush, salt pig, dough scraper, popover pan and ceramic baking dish. Tomorrow the new pans will be used for bread (the big ones), the smaller pan is perfect for zucchini or banana bread. The ceramic dish is the just the right size for roasted root veggies and I have been missing popovers for years!

Thinking ahead

So as I recently stated, we are planning to add a fourth kiddo to the tribe, if all the stars align.

I think moving into having another child, and our quest to be more eco friendly has lead me to plan to try out cloth diapering. Will I still use disposables, probably sometimes. The new diapering systems are so much easier than when I looked into for Haven. Being that our kids are home with us all the time, I wouldn't have to worry about someone else navigating cloth diapers, and being that we have a bit more flexibility in our income, we have the option to stock up ahead of time.

We will have to see if we actually get pregnant, but it only seems right not to clog up the landfills with more disposables.

Hard to get going....

It is just after 9 am and I have to get moving. The kids are fed and a few are dressed. I need to vacuum the house, get dressed, get the bottles for the farm and get ready to go. I would like to leave at at 11, so we can do an hour at CEC, then the farm, then we will see what the weather looks like for the pool. I am planning to grab suits and take them with me, just in case we can swing by for a quick dip. Hopefully Emily will give us some fridge space to store the milk and yogurt :)

Oh so tired

My busy day of shopping and then making a full huge dinner has wiped me out!

I promised the kiddos a trip the Chuck E Cheese, then the farm, and if the weather cooperates, a trip to the pool. Not sure about dinner tomorrow, I never did get those candied carrots made (we had green beans instead) so I was planning a meatloaf, but I am not sure I will be home in time.

Now Wednesday, I am staying home, cleaning the house and doing laundry, and then hubby is home and maybe we can attack the upstairs!

Wow wow wow

We have been a busy bunch over here.

Last night's dinner was a huge success, so much so that the kids had the leftover pizza for lunch!

We got up and at 'em early today and attacked the list of errands I had to do. We left before 9 am and hit up a grocery store, saw Dr. Tom, hit another grocer store, went to get the CSA and came home for lunch. Then back out for CVS and a treat for the kids for being so patient with the errands. I am really enjoying the new program I joined, I feel like I am saving a TON of money! I will try to list what we bought and what I spent a bit later when I have it all together.

In the midst of making lunch, I fielded another call from my mother-there was one last night as well. After the call, Emily really helped me see some things clearly, and understand that my mother doesn't know who I am because I made a choice to change my life drastically 10 years ago. She had a great suggestion that I write to my mom and give her an opportunity to get to know the person I am now, so that she and I don't fall into old patterns.

We are now home and a roast chicken is cooking for dinner. We had some beautiful fresh sage in the CSA today, so that is stuffed in the chicken. We also had cucumbers and carrots, the cukes will be in tonights salad, the carrots will be candied and I will make some stuffing. A nice home cooked meal to soothe the soul!

Here's what we are doing today

I opted for a quiet day at home, as I know that tomorrow and Tuesday we run around a lot!

So far I have vacuumed, done laundry, did some work, gotten the errand lists together for the week and fed the kids two meals. I also reorganized all three freezers. It is so nice that everything is in its place now, but it was quite a task!

I am about to switch laundry again and fold clothes, dust, do the dishes and start on dinner. Husband wanted me to make a pizza dough that we saw in a cookbook a friend just sent, so I will make one batch of the pizza dough and the kids will make pita pizzas so they can customize.

Tomorrow we will go see Dr. Tom, stop at one grocery store to pick up some deals and then off to get the CSA. Dinner will probably be potstickers, I am planning to make the filling tonight so it can chill really well before I assemble.

Tuesday I promised the kids a trip to Chuck E Cheese (I have a pass for free food and tokens!), then we will run to the farm and put the milk in a cooler, then to another grocery store to grab their deals :)

A better morning

Well, it isn't bright and shiny, the weather is still a bit gloomy, but again I am not having to water the garden.

The kids slept in a bit, and woke up in good moods. I am not in as much of a funk, I got some decent sleep and terrific cuddles first thing this morning, so that helped.

I just joined one of those grocery sites where you get a list of sales, coupons, etc for your local store. I don't get too much at the grocery, but enough that I feel the pinch of the high prices. Let's face it, it may not hurt much buying laundry detergent for one or two people, but for a family of five with a huge dog and three cats, I need to buy the good stuff on sale :)

I have tried coupons before and found them frustrating, so I hope this will keep me organized. Yes I do know it is odd to be so excited about grocery prices, but I am looking to save where ever I can!

Funky funk funk

I am in a funk, a bad, bad, funk.

Maybe tomorrow morning will be shiny and bright. Maybe I will be able to get into the garden and weed. Maybe tomorrow the funk will go away.

Our little secret....

OK world, some of you may know that we are thinking of having a fourth child, but some don't. This has taken quite a bit of talking and discussing and now the time is here where we will begin trying. What is interesting to me is that we never had to try with the other kids, I was fortunate enough to get pregnant very quickly. Now I am much older and figure it may take a few months, but I hope that next spring/summmer brings a new member of the tribe!

Well we are quite the match

Husband is superior as well!

130 As a 1930s husband, I am Very Superior Take the test!

So strange

Now I am quite the modern woman, educated, opinionated, etc. I am also a traditional wife, I cook, clean, take care of the children, etc. I saw this on another site and thought for sure that I would be a nightmare as a 1930's wife, but lookey here.....

82 As a 1930s wife, I am Very Superior Take the test!

We need to get organized

I have a lot of projects looming, and I am watching summer run away with us. The first big project is to organize the house. I think I will splurge on a desk for the girls, plus we need to move the girls into Brittan's old room, which means lots of taking apart and putting together of beds. I need to paint my bathroom and put in a new floor, thankfully I found a cute shower curtain here

The bathroom is an odd shape and the shower is small, so I am going for the bold curtain to jazz the room up a bit. I am guessing I will paint the room sage, although I may use a contrasting color in one area that is like a small alcove. The best part about having a teeny tiny shower is that you can cut the curtain in half and use the other half to make matching curtains!

Following the girl's room, general organization and the bathroom, I MUST paint the kitchen cabinets. That can wait until later in summer, but it is a huge job and I need to find new hinges to match the hardware, so it will be quite the task!

Where are my children??????

Since we came back from the beach/NY trip, my kids have been terrible! Mouthy, whiney, and into EVERYTHING! I just cannot take it anymore, Grayson has decided that destroying things and being disgusting is funny, well, it's not. Brittan has become his partner in crime, never thought I would see that day come. Haven has just been practicing for her teenage years, pulling nasty faces and mouthing off. We need a better plan for next week.

Dark morning

I woke today to pancakes made by my husband and a rainy, gloomy day. On the bright side, I don't need to water the garden.

Yesterday's random storm that cropped up during dinner had torrential rain and huge straight winds that came out of nowhere. It caused a lot of damage around the neighborhood, next door lost a tree and I though we had only lost a few branches, until.....

Ryan went out to the car and saw that a huge portion of the tree that had been hanging over the driveway, and making me nuts when I parked the car, had broken off. Thanks mother nature, now I have a clear walkway again!

Small moments

There are small moments that fill my heart and make me believe that it IS worth all the hard work, and that choosing to live our life the way we have is positive for our kids.

I had planned on baking a cake for dessert and making a red, white and blue trifle. We got busy, there was rain that delayed dinner and a cake was never baked. I decided to go the healthy route and make parfaits for the kids. A layer of farm vanilla yogurt (all natural, no antibiotics or hormones), a layer of the strawberry topping I canned after Haven's birthday party, another layer of yogurt, fresh blueberries on top. They went CRAZY for it! They want it for dessert every night and couldn't stop saying how yummy it was. It made me so happy that they enjoyed the parfaits so much and that I knew what I was feeding them was healthy, local and delicious.

In a jam

So, the day was off to a rough emotional start for me, but we had jam to make and no time to wallow. Thankfully, Ryan and Haven helped me check the berries and remove stems. We made the jam, and Ryan was eager to be involved which made it fun. A few hours later, we have 10 jars of blueberry jam and they are lovely and thick and delicious. I always feel better about myself when I complete a big task or provide something for my family. I am still struggling a bit emotionally, this morning was quite a slap, but Ryan and the kids make it easier, and I am just moving forward, tomorrow is a new day.

Volatile relationships

Those who know me also know that my relationship with my mother has always been rocky. As I have grown older, and possibly wiser, I have learned to let go of a lot of the things from the past. I will admit I was a trying teenager, although a good student and still always there for my family. I understand how people go through life with filters, and that perceptions are more important than truth. My mother sees me as someone I am not, and it is really hard to deal with and makes me very sad. She thinks I don't care about her, and when I tell her I call a number of times a week and ask her about her life, she doesn't share with me. She tells me she doesn't want to let me in because I don't care (but I do and I try to show her) and she tells me that I am mean (which I don't think I am). I admit, I hold people to a high level, but I also hold myself to that level if not higher, and I am pretty forgiving if I am wronged.

Right now she is mad because a few weeks ago I told her that something she did hurt my feelings and I thought was wrong. I thought about what I wanted to say for days, and tried to approach this as calmly and rationally as possible, but it still blew up. The things she says I said are not true, she claims I said she was a bad person, bad grandmother, etc but I never said those things, implied them or even thought them. I can understand that she is so upset given what she believes I said, but I cannot get across to her what I really said and meant.

We had a phone call of over an hour in which she cried and yelled at me. My heart breaks for her, as she is never happy and really doesn't see people or life for what they are. I do love my mother, I care for her and want to be a part of her life. She shuts me down at every turn, she can be quite nasty and sour, and I know she disapproves of many of my choices in life. I am sorry she sees me the way she does, and I really wish she knew the real me, I think she would like me. I hate that this is still going on, that she can't let go of the past or understand that I have moved on. All I can hope is that I don't allow this to happen with my kids, that I make sure to enjoy what I have and to love them, even if I don't understand their choices.

My whole life I have felt like a disappointment, and now as an adult, I refuse to judge myself through my mother's eyes, but as a daughter, I still wish I had her approval. I dreaded telling her I was pregnant each time, and I know she will be unhappy if we have another child. She doesn't understand how Ryan and I stayed married, she cannot understand that sometimes you have to let the past go and move forward and be happy.

I wish she was happy, she has a great life now, and I wish we could be close.

Lazy summer days!

So it is just after 9 am and the whole family just came down for breakfast. The kids were kind enough to let Ryan and I doze in bed while they watched a movie. Brittan was especially kind as I know she was up around 6:30 am!

Now they are rested and fed and happy!

So excited

Ryan got me a gift card for Sur La Table for my birthday, and I just SPENT IT...whooooooooohoooooo!

I would never spend so much money on myself, so it is always so much fun when I get a gift card and can be a bit self indulgant. This time I got quite a haul, three bread pans, a salt pig, a ceramic baking dish, a popover pan, a dough scraper and a new pastry brush. I just received an email that my order has shipped, and I cannot wait for it to get here so I can try everything out!

Blueberries baskets

So we went blueberry picking. It was hot, hot, hot! Thankfully the farm is very close to the house, and when chatting with the owner we found out she lived in a house just down our street before moving to her little farmette!

The berries are delicious and we got about 7 1/2 pounds. I will be processing them in the morning, I am just too tired to do it today and want to enjoy a quiet afternoon. Half the berries will be frozen for pies, tarts, muffins, scones and pancakes, the other half will become jam.

If we get daring, and it isn't as hot, the kid and I may go back out next week in the morning. The only bad thing was that Haven had two little ticks on her pants when we left. No one was bit and the kids stripped down and took showers when we came home, so they are spic and span now too!

Proof

Here are some pictures of my big freezer, one small freezer and some of the pantry....yes, just some. I still need to stock up on canned goods, especially home canned items, so those shelves will be packed by fall!

Eat what you have

We have been learning to use everything we have, repurpose what we can, and most importantly, eat the food we have in the house. There have been a bunch of things in the CSA haul that we have never had before, or that I don't usually use, but we have found a way to use them or save them for later.

Today I processed and froze our chinese cabbage knowing it will be used in pot stickers, so the texture is not as important. We also froze some baby broccoli, it wasn't enough for a side dish, but will be great in veggie soup come fall. I have also blanched and frozen kale for sausage soup in the fall and winter. I love using new ingredients and using what we have up.

I wasn't sure it would fit!

So Emily and I loaded up the six kids in her Acadia and drove to pick up our meat. We left with 10 boxes of beef-3/4 of a cow (4 for Dr. Tom and 6 for us), 2 gallons of milk in half gallon glass bottles, a quart of half and half, a quart of yogurt, two huge bouquets of flowers, tomatoes, peaches (for em so we don't kill Haven), zucchini, squash, 3 dozen eggs, and six pounds of sausage(I think that is it). The kids in the middle row rode with boxes at their feet, the kids in the back had milk, and I had flowers on my lap, but we were still comfy and fit it all in, it was AMAZING!!

We dropped Tom's eggs and meat off and then Em and I sorted in the parking lot, and sorted and sorted and sorted. I came home and thankfully Ryan was up to help, and we crammed all of the food into the big freezer. Now I have a lot of freezer space, 1 upright and two top freezers, and I think we are packed in pretty well now and will be eating what we can reach :)

At this point, between the fresh stuff from the garden and the CSA, we should only need minimal things for the summer. We will rock the Eat Local Challenge!

I will try to get some decent pictures of the freezer and mud room, and the worse part is, I still have a ton more canning and freezing to do for winter eats. This will be interesting!

Making him crazy...in a good way

So I think my marriage is the best it has ever been. Sure we argue, and sometimes it is loud, but at the end of the day, I think we are pretty kind and loving to each other. Hubby has come a long way in the last five years, and I have learned to roll with some things, so it makes for a happier household.

I am so happy he is off the next three nights, and yes I do know that he was on vacation with us and off for 12 days, but we had fun and miss him when he is gone.

Tomorrow morning I will go get the meat, get adjusted, and then come home to clean the house, bake some bread, do some laundry and make a yummy dinner for the family. Summer is very calming :)


Oh, and I had a great shopping day today, 14 boxes of cereal, 2 packs of ziplock bags, the HUGE thing of cat litter, and two organic shopping bags for $50, and then 5 cases of soda (we don't drink it often, but it is good to have and was soooo cheap) and 24 ears of corn for $15! The girls husked half the corn and we packed it up in groups of four to be frozen. We will husk the rest tomorrow and eat some for dinner and freeze the rest, I may even go back and get 12 more ears, I mean corn for .16 cents, that is a good deal.

Dinner tomorrow will be steak from the cow, corn and smashed taters from the CSA. Thursday we will have grilled sausage from the farm, cole slaw from the cabbage in the CSA and some starch, probably rice. I also will be making potstickers with the chinese cabbage, some leftover water chestnuts and ground pork that I will grab at the farm tomorrow for a quick meal this week. This family eats great :)

To continue the theme

My girls decided to cover themselves with tattoos. The most interesting placement were the two butterflies on Brittans rear end. I think I am in trouble here......

Kid's are funny

He decided that the fish mask from the nebulizer was his firefighter mask.

Too cute!