Thursday Three: This week...

I really want to get back to blogging everyday.  But here is a catch up of the week:

1) Monday was "National something on a stick" day.  So I had one of those Jimmy D's pancake/sausage things.  And that's maple syrup on the side, not mustard...  I read on this site that these were pretty yummy.  And indeed it was!  Really good - easy to heat too!  

2) Just listened/watched an online interview and "mini concert" with Laura Story.  It was amazing!  Just what I needed to hear today!  

3) Went to my first very big "kid's consignment" sale today.  There was definitely more stuff there than I thought there would be.  I got a few things.  And a new little drum toy that baby LOVES already! 

Fun for Friday: CVSing

I started couponing recently.  Not like crazy, get 10 papers and use a huge binder couponing.  But if that's your thing, then that's cool.  I like the easier way of using this great website that lists the sales for the week and the corresponding coupons!  Thus the best savings for the week.  I have developed a modest "stockpile" - meaning...  a couple boxes of noodles, canned tomatoes, toothpaste.  Just a couple of shelves in an extra pantry too.  And stuff that we are actually going to use.

So my next step in saving money was to learn to "CVS" and then to learn to do it well.  And I think that I'm on the road to getting good at it.  Today I got all of this stuff and only spent $13 - including tax.  And notice the almost $10 of bucks for next time that I left with.



I had a few extra "bucks" I could have used, but I am saving them for next week.  I'm eyeing some meds and mascara that are going to be on sale next week.  Save, plan, spend!!!

Thursday Three: Long night, Long day

1. Last night was pretty rough.  Baby had a fever and was also missing mommy apparently.  So I was up with her, which is out of the norm.

2. So this morning was a two coffee morning.  And with the first cup of coffee, I took some Aleve.  I've never really done that before, taking meds with a hot beverage.  I've almost done it.  But this morning, I did it without realizing it.  Quite a surprise.  I definitely needed that second cup of coffee...

3. And today was my first day without my acid reflux medicine.  I have been taking for a long time now.  And recently with a change of insurance, the new carrier really just doesn't WANT to pay for it anymore.  I have been getting the runaround for the past 4 months.  They have been filling it, but have been making it increasingly harder for me to get it every time.  So I have run out again.  My prescription was supposed to be for 12 refills (a year's worth).  But I guess 4 refills was enough for them.  When I went to refill it, the computer information had apparently "reset" itself to say that I have ZERO refills.  I just don't want to fight it anymore.  So, I'm just going to see what happens without it.

Wednesday Wares: Stroller

So I went to the "mart" - I do not like going there.  But what I wanted to get... it was going to be the best place.  I got an umbrella stroller.  I wanted to have a little stroller in my arsenal for quick trips, or sharing vehicles - and to possibly take with us on our trip this summer.  And I found one.  One that I really liked (Winnie the Pooh).  And it was the right price.  But of course, there was only ONE left, and it was on the bottom of a big pile of pink princess ones.  Not that the pink ones were bad, just not for me...
So I dug it out, with one hand - baby was in the other arm.
And she really does like it!  I wheeled her around the house in it and she had a blast!

Tales for Tuesday: determination and perseverance

So I'm running in a 5K race this weekend.  I use the terms "run" and "race" very loosely.  I have wanted to get back into running.  I used to run in high school and college.  In high school, I ran cross country - and often ran 6-10 miles a day.  Boy, that sounds crazy!!  Now I'm just trying to run.  My goal is to run about 2 or 3.  And I'm at about 2 miles.  I hope.  Guess we will find out just how far I can run on Saturday!

With all this running, I am learning to appreciate two main lessons:  determination and perseverance.  Which are obviously being applied while I run, but I am needed to apply these principles in so many other areas of my life now.  I'm needing these skills in my life now, as a mom, more than when I didn't have a baby. Sometimes just getting up takes determination.  And I have to have perseverance in feeding the baby girl.  She is just not a great eater, so I have to keep trying - slogging through those yucky faces and refusals to try yet again.  That's sometimes harder than running up that last hill in those last few minutes of my morning run.  I'm going to hang onto and hone these skills.  Because I'm going to need them...

Making up for last week...on Monday: ABC's

A. Age: mid-thirties!!

B. Breakfast food: Love it!  Pancakes, waffles, eggs, bacon (mostly turkey bacon) - but I usually just have a bowl of cereal! 

C. Chore you dislike: Probably dusting. I have to do it every week mainly for health reasons.  If I don't, it's even more of a pain when dusting the next week.  I don't do it good enough either.  And you can't really SEE a big difference - or smell one - when it's done.  

D. Dogs: Molly, a sweet weenie dog that has been so sweet to the baby.  Even sweeter than I thought she was going to be! 

E. Essential start to the day: Coffee, cereal, coffee.

F. Favorite color: Gray

G. Gold or silver: pretty much always silver

H. Height: 5'7 on a good day.

I. Instruments: 10 years of piano that I have pretty much forgotten, but not lost the appreciation for the playing or the music!  Also played guitar in high school.  Still have the guitar and I think I remember 3 chords.  I want to play again...soon.  And do Rock Band drums count?! 

J. Job title:  Stay at home mom.  Or that crazy lady with the baby. 

K. Kids:  One sweet baby girl - that actually turns ONE pretty soon. 

L. Live:  In the south - where it's already summer...  in March. 

M. Month:  November.  Just cool enough.  Just enough rain.  And football! 

N. Nicknames:  Um, not really. 

O. Overnight hospital stays:  A couple of minor surgeries, before EVERYTHING was outpatient.  

P. Pet peeves:  Cars not pulling over for emergency vehicles.  Words that people use in all seriousness that aren't real words but kind of sound like the words they are trying to say - that are accepted as correct.  [Read: things that Joey might have said on Friends]

Q. Quote from a movie:  I had to think about this for a while.  I like various types of movies, many of them not really quotable.  But my favorite "random quote" has to be from Blues Brothers: "This place has got everything" [when they are being chased by the police through a mall]
But my new favorite quote comes from a movie that I thought I wouldn't like.  With an actor that I usually can't watch.  Evan Almighty.  Morgan Freeman, playing God, says this: 
"Let me ask you something. If someone prays for patience, you think God gives them patience? Or does he give them the opportunity to be patient? If he prayed for courage, does God give him courage, or does he give him opportunities to be courageous?"
Pretty amazing thought from a movie.  

R. Righty or lefty: Right

S. Siblings: none.  

T. Time you wake up: When the baby wakes up.  Pretty much about 7 am everyday. 

U. Uniform:  Jeans, knit shirt of some type, usually some gray on.  Flip flops in the summer (or just when it's warm enough!)

V. Vegetables you don’t like:  Water chestnut.  Is it a nut?  Whatever it is, it's gross.  

W. What makes you run late:  Just being me?  Ha.  I'd like to say "the baby," but really, I'm just a late person.  I really don't want to be.  I try not to be. 

X. X-rays you’ve had:  Teeth (regular dentist checkup), Hand (see above, surgery - removal of needle)

Y. Yummy food you make:  I make pretty good baked goods, not pretty, but good! 


Z. Zoo animal favorites:  Sea Lions - how they jump and swim and lay in the sun!  So cute! 

Thursday Three: The squirrel adventure

1) Hear noise and see squirrel IN screen porch

2) Let squirrel out

3) Fix door

So here's the story of my little afternoon adventure.  I heard this noise on my screen porch - this weird thumping.  I didn't like the sound of it...so of course I went to investigate.  And as I looked out the window of the back door, this squirrel popped his head up over a chair.  So, I thought to myself - Uh squirrel on porch... now what?  And of course I grabbed the camera for a quick shot!  So here's the squirrel where I first saw him.  I didn't want to open the door to the porch from inside the house.  THAT could lead to something pretty bad.  Squirrel in porch, ok.  Squirrel in house, no thanks.  

So my plan was to go around to the back deck to the screen door.  I can reach the latch on this door from the outside.  I figured that out a few weeks ago, and that discovery came in handy today.  So I slowly walked over to the door.  I was trying not to scream or squeak or freak out.  The squirrel was doing no such thing.  He was running around like crazy, up on the window ledges and around the chair legs on the ground.  He wanted out of there pretty bad.  I was just hoping that he'd let me get out of the way first.  So I got the door unlatched and hooked it open (I have this other latch that will prop the door open - another very handy thing to have today).  So I opened the door as fast as I could, staying quiet (but jumpy inside) and then I ran to the opposite corner of the deck.  The squirrel - seeing the open door - sprinted for it.  It was so funny to see him just run right for the door and then down the stairs and then all the way to the farthest part of our back yard and up a tree.  Poor thing.  Guess he was ready to be as far away from the porch as he could be.  He didn't stop until he was in that tree - running full speed.  

So the squirrel gone, I wanted to see how he got in.  All the "openings" are screened closed.  But I saw that the screen on the bottom of the door had come out of the groove, and there was a little tear in a part of it.  So I immediately went and got the staple gun.  And sealed up that opening!  And I even got some tape to close up that little tear.  I don't want any more visitors!    

Wednesday Word: Technological Convenience

I was thinking about something today...  The convenience of being able to do things instantly that is causing me to slow down.  Interesting.  I guess it's just the nature of the beast - TV, internet, iPhone.  All the things that are modern conveniences are making my life, well, LESS convenient.  With a baby in the house, that is now more than just a cute little lump that just eats and sleeps, more of my time is being given (gladly) to her.  And I don't think that I'm going to be giving up TV or the internet completely any time soon - nor ever.  So I'm after a way to find how to use these modern technologies (and any new ones I get in the future...) to actually make things more efficient.  Maybe just one tab at a time... I tend to "snowball" and can get sucked in coming up with "new things" to look at.  Maybe moving things around in the house...  I think location of technology might be causing a problem too.  I'm going to figure out how to make it work for ME instead of the other way around.

Tales for Tuesday: Lent

I've never given something up for Lent.  But something has been on my mind to do - to try to change something - to make a new habit.  And this is a good time to focus on it...  

I want to work on communication.  I want to NOT say certain things - and TO say other things.  I want to work on thoughtful speech.  It's not really certain words that I'm not wanting to say.  It's just general content.  I want to pay more attention to what comes out.  This is going to take more than what I have in me.  Integral to this change - prayer, power and grace from God.  But this is something that I want.  That I need.  So I'm in.  

Making on...Monday: National Cereal Day

In honor of National Cereal Day:

I, of course, had cereal for breakfast.  It is a rare day that I don't.  But to "celebrate" I accidentally poured my cereal on my lap.  And not just a little.  But, don't cry over spilt milk?

Thursday Three: Triple threes...

Use for baby mittens by the baby: 

1) To chew on

2) Put on a stuffed animal to distract her during diaper changes

3) As puppets (they have cute little faces on them)

but not as mittens - when they are on her hands they come right off

Things that I never did everyday (but always really wanted to) but now having a baby I DO everyday:

1) Load (or unload) the dishwasher - never letting dishes sit on the counter - I run out of baby dishes quickly!

2) Make the bed - I just feel messy if it's not done now

3) Journaling - I have been off and on with journaling in my life, and for the past year I've been doing it everyday.  For things I want to remember.  For things I need to think through.  For things that I just need to get out of my head.  It's a wonderful pondering and cleansing exercise for my brain.  

Things that I am learning being a mommy:

1) Sometimes I don't need to "fix it" - it will just fix itself 

2) Phases - I recently read something about phases - That really everything is a phase, the bad stuff is a phase that you get through, and the good stuff is a phase also, that you need to cherish and enjoy!

3) Happiness is contagious.  If I'm happy and silly (most times) the baby is too! 

Wednesday Ware/Wow: Nutella

So I got some Nutella this week.  And I don't know why I have never had it before.  I have heard great (and yummy) things about it for so long, but had just never tried it.  And this week, I grabbed it.  And I am so glad that I did!  So far, I've had it on fruit - banana and Nutella YUM!!
To me it has a chocolaty, almost coffee flavor to it, that I really love.  And maybe several years ago, before my love of coffee really kicked in, I wouldn't have really liked it.  But now... it's going to be a staple in the house!!  And any "Nutella on" ideas are welcome and requested!!

Tales for Tuesday: The Solicitor

Today during naptime, the doorbell rang.  Unexpectedly.  I usually prepare for evasive doorbell action when the UPS man, etc comes down the street - ready to take the dog downstairs if she starts barking/we get a delivery.  I don't want her barking to disturb the baby sleeping.  But today, there was no warning.  Just a doorbell ringing and then the dog barking.
I don't like opening the door for people if I can't tell who they are - or what they represent.  A few months ago, I had a random doorbell ring and it was the meter reader.  I could see his uniform and well-marked truck in front of my house.  And I'm glad I got that one...we had a really bad leak that needed to be taken care of immediately!
But today, there was an unkempt lady with a messy clipboard on my front porch.  And I looked for a vehicle.  Nothing in my driveway or directly in front of my house.  There was an unmarked white van kind of down the street a little.  No way was I opening the door.  So I gathered up the dog and put her on the back porch to calm down a little.  But then the lady rang the doorbell again.  I was getting a little frustrated by then.  Because the second ring - she pushed twice.  Ring Ring.  Annoying.  Then a third time, she beat on the door and rang the doorbell.  The poor dog was barking like crazy - good for her.  She was alerting the neighbors about this crazy person!
Finally she gave up.  I went to another window to see where she was headed, and there was a cop car that had pulled up to the van.  Someone had called the cops on them.  The policeman talked to the guy that was driving the van for about 10 minutes (yeah, I kept an eye on the situation) and the lady I guess was "called" back to the van by the cop.  And then the van left (hopefully with a ticket or citation of some sort) while the police stayed for a minute after they drove off.
I have never been accosted like that by a solicitor...  Well, my door was accosted, not me.  And I have never gotten such instant gratification of justice.  I was disturbed - so was the dog - not so much the baby though, but she could have been.  And then just like that - law enforcement was there to run them off!!  Yea!!
It was a pretty exciting day on my street today!