Shopping Is a Pleasure

The last time I went food shopping, I had just finished decorating my house for Christmas.  I didn't want to deal with food shopping around the holidays.  December 25th passed, and then New Years, and many days with sick kiddies passed, and then MLK Day spent in Jersey....time kept on passing me by.  Of course, I made a few trips for milk and eggs and bread.  Over the last six months, our stockpile just kept adding up.  It was nice to be able to take a break from food shopping.  Billy finally said last week that maybe I should get back into couponing.  I took the hint and started printing and clipping away.  I am still wondering how some pros get their grocery bill from hundreds of dollars to under 20 bucks.  But I was happy to walk away from Publix with $185 worth of goodies for $63.  My day of deals will be complete when my family makes a trip to Chic-Fila-A tonight.  It's Receipt Day, so we will order dinner...and then we can return with our receipt within the next month and get it all over again...for FREE!

Cailin's hair

Cailin's golden locks are quite beautiful.  Put them with her blue eyes and freckles and it's hard to be upset with her.  At times those locks hang in front of her face and it has been said that she resembles Kurt Cobain...especially when the emotions are in full swing.  In fact Billy just bought her big, round white shades that he posed with on some Nirvana posters.  We are working on getting her to try them on so we can get a picture.  Her hair is long enough now for pigtails and pony tails.  She prefers to put her own clippie in her hair, no matter what color it is.  I look at her crazy hair when she wakes up and it's a complete mess and I think to myself that she's my beautiful disaster.  Today during rest time, she came out of her room with a hand full of her hair.  She said, "Mommy, there was too much hair on one side." So she cut the hair that was hanging down in front of her face.  Now I'm not so sure how the Nirvana photo shoot will turn out.

Yuck

All I have to say is: yuck.  The stomach bug started with Alayna last Thursday.  She still has it.  Since then Ella was next.  Then Eric.  Cailin now has a cold that is getting worse.  And the others are starting to sneeze right along with her.  Over Christmas break they all had the flu.  

This is just nasty.  Loads upon loads of laundry. Carpet cleaner. Disinfecting sprays. Room deodorizers.  Throw up buckets. Despite the chilly temperatures we have had the windows open periodically.  One minute they are cruising along, next something dramatic and disgusting happens.  

Each day that passes gets a little more nerve racking.  Will Cailin, too, get the bug? (Which btw I'm pretty sure the girls think there are actual bugs in their bellies.)  Will Billy and I also catch this wretched thing? We are leaving on Saturday morning for our first weekend away sans kids.  Will the kids spread this to the grandparents? Will we take it on the plane with and spread it across the east coast? 

Ahh. Yes. Memories....

Please tell me this won't happen...



                                                                                                                                                         pic from matate10quilter.blogspot.com

New Beginnings

New year...new beginnings. I like it.

Read minimum of five minutes in the Word of God.  Obviously, longer if possible.  Exercise minimum of five minutes of day.  Actually, run down my very long street.  Sounds short, I know.   I need to make better habits.  Good habits are too hard to make if they are lofty ideas of what we can accomplish.   I also want to drink a whole water bottle before I have my morning coffee and several more throughout the day.  I want to unleash my creative side more too.  Billy bought me a sewing machine for Christmas.  I have absolutely no idea what I am doing with it.  But I am determined to make pretty things with it.

I also have ideas for Miss Ella Mae in 2011.  No crib. No diapers. No paci.  Mission one: accomplished.  Mission two: in the works.  No diapers...with exceptions: church, nap and bedtime.  No diapers at home, at grandparents' houses, nor the car!  We are a couple of days in on this adventure...I have hope that before she's two (in two months), she will be potty trained.  Please don't bring it up that I mentioned this...when it's summertime and I am a frustrated mama with a little girl who wets her pants all day long, when at 22 months she only had one accident a day.  I need hope.  New year...new beginnings.  A girl can dream, right? As for Mission three: I plan on sending that pacifier away with some fairy or something after she turns two.  She is my only baby who has ever liked those pacifer-binkie-nipple things.  (It took me a while to settle on a name for it...we went with paci.)  She only uses it at nap and bedtime...and it has made her one of the best sleepers we have had...I am not messing with taking it away till she's past birthday number two.

Lots of changes, for the better in the new year.  We'll see how it goes.  Ask me about my five and five plan (for reading and exercising).  Those "ten" minutes will be the most challenging.  And as for Ella...I'll be needing the prayers, not her. She'll be fine with the changes. She doesn't have the choice.  I am the one who has to stick with the plans...I guess we'll just have to see how it goes.