TGIF..... I think

Well, hubby was supposed to come home before baby's bedtime tonight and THAT didn't happen. We'll see if he makes it by tomorrow a.m. Happy Un-valentine's day is right! :) Got some awesome photos to upload tomorrow.

BTW - do you know how to print photos from your phonbe?

Darn that Murphy!

Ok, so Murphy's law of the hubby being out of town, as I've mentioned before, is this: Usually, it rains or is really cold outside so I have to manage taking the dogs to pee and poop while the baby sleeps. Typically, the little black dog will run out the front door and off to the golf course or around the neighborhood at least once, eat grass and then poop or puke all over the house. Not to mention get into something like the pantry or steal the bread off the counter.

Here is what has happened so far on this trip (thankfully, over tomorrow!): The baby has strep throat. Yeah, and I missed it. I've got a horrible head cold. The little black dog puked this morning and then while we went to the park to enjoy the beautiful weather, the door blew open and the other dog ran out. I guess I've learned that if it's not one thing (crappy weather vs. strep throat) (black dog running off or orange dog) then it's another...... I wonder what would happen if these things didn't happen while he was gone?

Flip Flops en Fevrier

It is a crisp 62 degrees this morning and I love it! I woke up around 3:30 a.m. with the little one and decided it was too hot so I opened the window. I'm a little congested, so I didn't think I would be able to smell the fresh air, but boy do I!

Waking up to this beautiful morning reminded me of a lazy Sunday back in Kansas City. Peaceful, serene, no agendas, no work, just a day of rest and maybe a little exploration...... I want to grab my coffee and head to the back patio and just sit and soak up the beautiful air and sunshine with a good book - and follow it with a road trip to a funky, unique shop or area - and in my heart that is what I'll do today.

But in reality, my daughter is starting to stir, reminding me that yes, I have some very important things I need to take care of today.......

Strep Throat....

So the bambina had strep throat last summer like 3 times. I kept thinking she had it over the fall and winter only to find out that she didn't and maybe I was being paranoid. The past couple days she's had quite a runny nose and since I'm kind of feeling under the weather and nasaly, I figured the lack of appetite was due to the drainage and the slight headache (maybe she doesn't have these same symptoms...)

Anyway, her half birthday is today - she's 18 months old and had to see the Dr. for shots and general health. (She's 31 inches long and 22 lbs. 10 oz.) So the Dr. sees the little rash developing on her shoulders and tummy. She says she thinks it looks like a sweat rash/heat rash, but she's going to swab her for strep anyway.

Of course, my daughter has strep throat because I didn't even think she was that sick. No fever, no other symptoms. It's just crazy. I feel like the worst mother in the world. And of course we had all the friends and their kids over for dinner last night and a playdate yesterday morning......

I guess this is a new one in the Murphy's Law of hubby leaving town. Sick kid. :(

Multiplication - kid style!

So here's one for you.... how is it that one child can breed so many toys? Somehow, must be while we are sleeping, they are going off in pairs and coming back in families of 3 and 4 and 5. How does this happen? Where do they come from? Do I have someone's permission to give them away so the next kid (God willing) gets a few new things, too?

While I'm not sure where they come from (aside from Santa and a few weak moments in the toy section at Target) I get to pick them up. I pick up behind her while she's playing, I pick up during nap time, I pick up when she's in bed at night. I sing the clean up song, "Clean up, Clean up, everybody everywhere. Clean up, Clean up, everybody do your share" in an attempt to motivate her to do it herself - and yet I still pick up 90% of them on average 5 times a day.

I know I have to keep this in perspective. Not too long ago, I was complaining to my sister MLM about how she (the little one, not my sister) likes to dump her plate on the floor when she's done with her meal. She is especially fond of this practice when she's eating something like blackberries or avocados or cottage cheese - you know, stuff even the dogs can't clean up entirely. MLM kindly reminded me to be glad that she's just dumping her plate. "Just" dumping her plate????? Of course. Just dumping her plate when she could be 17 and smoking pot. (Well, she is kind of a wine-o but that's a story for another day....)

There will be a day when I miss picking up toys, right? Like when I have to start picking up school books and car keys and i-pods or whatever other expensive little electronic gadget she HAS TO HAVE RIGHT NOW!!!!!

I guess I can wait a little longer for that while I pick up "Tomas the Choo Choo" and "Burt and Oiney, Elmo and Cookie Moster" a few more times.....today.

Facebook Fanatic!

Well..... I have to thank K.S. for her encouragement to play around with Facebook. I spent 2 1/2 hours on there last night finding long lost friends and family members. It was wild! I have to say.... much cooler than myspace - and surprisingly I've had my facebook account longer! Ha!

Today is Monday and I had to get up at 4:32 to register the little bambina for Parent's Night Out at the YMCA. They open up online registration about that time of day for Saturday night. Kind of cool that this week is Valentine's day - even though we won't be celebrating that holiday. (Here's a funny story: When my spouse and I were dating, I was working as a fundraiser for the American Heart Association. He went to Japan for a couple weeks and came back with all these cute, romantic little gifts.... before he could give them to me, I opened my big fat mouth and told him how, since I had worked at the AHA, everyone thought I would appreciate all the heart shaped stuff - I meant paper weights and candle holders and the like - which I just had so much at that point, I certainly didn't need more. I also told him how I could really give 2 craps about Valentine's Day and how I think it's a "Hallmark" holiday. This conversation took place on February 4th; and my husband, not even missing a beat - hands me a daintly little heart shaped pendant with a beautiful Mikimoto pearl in it and says, "Well, Happy UN-Valentine's Day" and we've been celebrating UN-Valentine's Day ever since.....Can you believe he still asked me to marry him????? :))

In a jam! hee hee

So this morning I jammed my toe on the damn door jam. Before that happened, I was planning to go to the gym today and run because I am apparently trying to get in shape to run a St. Patrick's Day 8K with my friend K.S. I just got to the point where I can run 2.2 miles in 30 minutes (I know, it's a slow pace for some, but I have such a short stride and such chunky legs, it's pretty good for me) without stopping for air or water or even slowing down for that matter. I'm really hoping it's not broken.

Yesterday we hit all the stops - Target, TJ Maxx, Harris Teeter and did some shopping. I got a few things to send to family and a few good finds to sell on Ebay (Ralph Lauren polo shirts size 2T for $3!!!!! Those should make me a couple bucks.) plus a few staples for little to no money because of triple coupons (we are currently swimming in paper plates and Snyder's veggie crisps and Eat Smart multigrain cheetos - the child loves them and there really is fiber in them.). Now, we just need some milk and our household will run fine while the hubby is in our Nation's Capitol this week.

Meanwhile, I will figure out how to walk the dogs without killing myself. Hopefully the weather will be nice and it won't rain, but we've got the Murphy's Law of hubby leaving town..... It's cold, it rains and at least one dog pukes all over downstairs when he's gone. :)

Frugal Friday

Ok, well..... I guess how I was frugal today is that I substituted in the child's class today and earned $25 instead of spending anythign at Harris Teeter...... I'm amazed at how inexpensive a stay at home mom's time is considered when people pay you to do things. I mean, shoot, I used to make about $25 AN HOUR - not $25 for 4..... Ah, well..... what can one do? I guess when you have more time it becomes less valuable in terms of dollars? I am still as educated as I was.

I realize, too that when I spend time on my ebay business, I may end up earning $1 - $2 on each item I post to sell online. That is IF it sells. It takes approximately an hour to put 7 - 10 things online, depending on how similar the items are. After spending time packaging and shipping stuff, I think I make about $5 for each hour I spend. I know there have to be higher return items, but so far, I haven't found them. Any suggestions?

Deal Scoping Day

So, I just read yesterday that a regional grocery store Harris Teeter is having triple coupons this weekend. I am so stocked up, that I really don't feel the need to take advantage of this - they will do it again in a couple months. I am going to look and see what is really on sale and compare with my coupons..... but only in their ad. I'm not going to make a trip unless I find a really good deal.

Today is Wednesday, so part of my routine is to check the grocery ads and see what I can find on sale with my coupons. Farm Fresh - a local grocery store - doubles up to $1 today - so I need to check. But again.... not really too worried about missing some deals, as our pantry is really full!

Instead, I am going to scope out some other deals..... did you know you can sell Lucky Charms to the U.K. on Ebay? Well, I thought I'd give that a try in addition to some other recommendations from Ebay Selling Coach..... Plus, I need to get to the gym and run a little bit or I'll never be ready to run an 8K in March......

Back to it after all this time

Well, the other blog is lost in cyberspace..... they keep emailing us at the old email..... oh well... what can one do? First, let's start with a recent photo of the babe..... Isn't she something? Talking up a storm, too!

So, not a lot going on here these days except for some money saving madness. I've been couponing like crazy this past month - you should see our pantry and the deep freeze in the garage. The hubby keeps telling me that if Armageddon should happen, we'll be able to feed any remaining souls for a month while they repent! :) Seriously, we are blessed to be in a recession proof (for the most part) career and I am really honing this money saving skill of stockpiling. We've done so well, I've been able to share food and clothing with MANY! I'm sure they don't laugh when a box of free stuff ends up at their doorstep. They do think I'm a little obsessive about it, but you have to keep up on stuff to take full advantage!