not good

My in-laws live on a country road, or at least what in this area is called a country road.

I have known them almost eleven years, and this morning, there was an accident on the road in front of their house. It was the fourth accident in the time that I've known them. This morning, two high school boys died as a result of the accident. They were on their way to school, six miles from the house.

This is really bothering me today ... I don't know if it's because I've got kids of my own, or if it's because I "know" the house it happened at ... this is the house that we are considering buying, once my in-laws retire and downsize. Is that it - am I going to have to make myself familiar with "the sound" of an accident happening? Am I going to have a conversation with my kids, using phrases, "oh, they usually are heading the other direction" or "I had to find which side of the house they were on"?

Whatever the reason for my being upset, it's really not about me. It's about two boys that didn't make it to school. Two sets of parents that won't be poking their head in the bedroom door, or listening for steps that aren't coming home again. There won't be the sound of their child pulling in the driveway, only people bringing condolences.

I hope that the families and friends are able to look back and remember with a smile through the tears, and that they are able to make their way from this awful point.

forever thankful

Each year, I ask various relatives to get me a short list (three things) that they are thankful for. I compile them into one giant list, and we share this list at dinner. Some things are serious, some are silly, almost all of them are heartfelt.

This year, I only got responses from five people, not including my kids or husband. Once I beat an answer out of them, I'll be up to eight. Not such a big list this year ...

But, instead of being all ho-hum about what I did not get, I'll focus on the list that I did get. I'll be working on that first thing in the morning, while watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and the bread and brownies are baking. Then, we'll load up the car and head to my Aunt & Uncle's house to spend the afternoon there. My bio-dad is up near the UP in Michigan with his girlfriend for the weekend. My step-dad is in Florida, he'll spend the day with his friends. My in-laws will go out to dinner, but we may stop by on our way home from Aunt & Uncle's House.

I have so many fond memories of Thanksgiving growing up ... the smell of sage that went into the stuffing that I never ate, unless it was cooked OUTside of the bird, the steamy kitchen windows from all the cooking going on, the pie my mom "flew" across the kitchen when the oven rack came flying out of the oven one year - it's amazing the mess an almost cooked pumpkin pie can make. My grandma's cornbread dressing (she spoils me!), the funny little ridge that is on the can of cranberries (I don't eat those either, unless they're made fresh), green beans and corn, mashed potatoes and gravy, sweet potatoes with melted marshmellows on top ... then an afternoon of football.

I remember way back when ... before we had vcrs and dvrs and what not ... it was every year that we got to watch The Wizard of Oz, and it was always on Thanksgiving, and it was such a treat! That may have been the highlight of my day ... we always had to be home in time, so we could get pajamas on, make some popcorn with a little bit of garlic salt, and watch the movie. It was the perfect ending to a wonderful day.

Thats why I want my Thankful List ... I want my kids to have a memory of something special we did on Thanksgiving, maybe they'll keep if for themselves and their families, maybe they won't, but I just hope that when they look back at Thanksgiving, they'll look back and smile too.

more political talk

So, as Q is sitting here having a snack before bed, he's talking politics again.

Q: Who is the old president, I forget his name
Me: George Bush is president until January when Barack Obama moves to the White House and becomes President.
Q: Oh, that's right.
Me: Yes, because right now Barack Obama lives in Chicago, then he will move to Washington, DC
Q: Yes, even if I'm an artist, I can be president
Me: Yes, you can ...
Q: I'll be an artist in the morning, and then when they call me in the afternoon, I'll drive there. But I won't move to Chicago. I won't take all my stuff, just a few things that I need. You don't want to bring all your stuff.

So there you have it ... my son the lightly traveling, future Artist President. Both are evidently going to be part time jobs too. You think that'll fly?

serious crafting going on

I'm taking a bit of a break today from a serious crafting session. I don't know what has gotten into me, other than the cold I feel coming on, so I highly doubt it's that, but I am on a serious roll. In the last twenty four hours, I have finished;

two pillows for the living room sofa
two baby blankets
a rice bag for my father in law for Christmas

Yes, it doesn't sound like much, but if you also factor in six hours of sleep and the three hours of company/cook dinner/entertain, I've gotten quite a bit done, for me anyway.

I'm hoping to get a start on curtains for the spare bedroom tonight too ... that would be sweet.

Aah ... it feels good to get something done and have something to show for it.

results

The results of the election are in, and Barack Obama has won. He will be going to the White House and John McCain will be going back to the Senate.

Q is six years old, and in First Grade. Both at home and at school, we have been discussing the election and the voting process, on his level.

This is what he did to last weeks Time Magazine cover.

Do you see the word "helps" over John McCain, with the arrow pointing to Barack Obama?

I think he gets it.

getting political

This is about as political as I'll get, so get ready ...

Today is Election Day - don't forget to go out and vote, if you haven't already taken advantage of early voting.

If you ask The Bee, we'll be voting for Michael Phelps.

Why is it?

Why is it that the toy you remember playing so fondly as a child is so much louder now that you're a parent?

A few weeks ago I wandered through an antique/thrift store, looking for a few specific things - some fabric to make produce bags, cloth handkerchiefs for the upcoming winter season, anything that might make Halloween costumes a bit easier to assemble.

On my way out, I stepped into the kids/game aisle. Much to my surprise, I found Hungry Hungry Hippos, the 80's version - not the snap together version, but the all in one, big piece of plastic version. Woo Hoo - let's relive my childhood! I had been looking for this, because I wanted the kids to have the solid piece version of the game. And, even better, it was 50% off the yellow tags, so I got it for $1.50!

So, now as my kids play this on a fairly regular basis, why do I find the noise so loud and irritating? I don't remember the game being this loud when I was eagerly attempting to eat marbles in the early 1980's. I just remember the joy from watching marble roll into the catch basin ...

Ah well ... they're having fun, and I've got Tylenol.

brr ... getting ready for the cold

It's getting ready to get cold around these parts, so I'm getting ready for winter.

Let's see ...

Garage cleared out so at least one of us can park in there - check!
Flannel sheets on our bed, nice and cozy - check!
Electric blanket on our bed, just because you can never be too warm - check!
Gloves, scarves and hats out, in the basket by the door - check!
Plastic on the windows along the west side of the house - not quite a check, I have four windows to go ...
Screen door off, storm door on - not yet
One final cutting of the grass - nope, it may have gotten away from us this year
The raking of the leaves and adding to the compost tumbler - later this week

Other things I want to do, that aren't necessarily house related:

Pomegranite jelly, round 2
Apple pie filling, round 2
Blueberry pie filling, round 1

Gathering so I have things to do (ha!) when we don't feel like going out:

Yarn, waiting to be made into dishcloths
Netting, waiting to be made into produce bags
Fabric, waiting to be made into baby blankets
Fleece, waiting to be made into winter hats
A stack of books, by the couch and by the bed, perfect companions for a cup of tea or chocolate

I'm getting ready to hunker down here - what are you doing to get ready for the upcoming cold weather season?

a crazy busy long while

is what it's been around here.

And, it looks like it's gonna be another few days, because I hear myself being called into another direction.

I might be back later tonight, but it's highly unlikely.

Next Monday is looking pretty good ...

falling into fall

I love the arrival of fall, probably as much as I enjoy the arrival of spring. Each brings out the best of a variety of things, and I find myself looking forward to the arrival of each season more each year. It's not that I don't enjoy winter and summer, because I do, but spring and fall are much more appreciated around here for some reason.

With the arrival of fall, I get:

• waking up in a cold bedroom, and grabbing a pair of socks immediately
• watching my burning bushes in the backyard turn a glorious shade of red
• cooking with pumpkin - bars, muffins, bread, cake - all of it yum!
• the leaves are starting to turn from green to golds, reds, oranges and browns
• crunch crunch crunch as we walk to and from school
• heavy foods - stews, soups, casseroles - everything that was too much for summer
• jeans and sweaters
• apples and cranberries, together and apart, ready to be turned into applesauce, cranberry sauce, apple pie filling, butter and jam
  

I've already hit the pumpkin hard this week - three batches of pumpkin muffins, in addition to the two loaves of banana bread.

Even though we're having a bit of a last hurrah for summer - it's been in the upper 70's all week - the mornings have been glorious, perfect for a cup of hot coffee and a bit of a book before the day gets rolling.

Even though I know that fall comes to an end, and my least favorite weather follows, I'm glad that fall is here.

score!

I may have scored at a garage sale this morning.

My Mother In Law is in search of a daybed for the spare bedroom for The Girls. I happened to see one at a garage sale in my subdivision this morning, so I stopped.

Well, she didn't get the bed, but I saw three large tubs of canning jars under a table in the garage. Woo Hoo!

I ended up bringing home one dozen large mouth quart jars, a half gallon wide mouth jar, and two dozen smooth sided pint jars. I also brought home ten of the slip top jars for storage. These may be fairly old, of the 'vintage' era, whatever that may be. I just think they're cool - if a jar can be pretty, these are them.

I also cleared out her stash of cloth napkins and three table cloths that match. I don't think I'll ever use the tablecloths (they're plaid, and my eating area curtains have vertical stripes), but the twenty four cloth napkins will come in very handy around here.

clean up

So yes, it stopped raining.

I read in the newspaper that the Chicago area got 20% of it's annual rainfall in a 30 hour period last weekend. No wonder we're all under water.

The carpet is out, and the floor doesn't look too bad. The basement smells weird, though.

Also, I'm glad I cleaned out earlier this year, or my job would have been much worse.

Heading into a sunny weekend, for The Husband's Twenty Year High School Reunion. He's old.

rain

It feels like it's been raining forever. I think we got something like six inches of rain yesterday, which is being followed up by more rain today. It's supposed to dry out this week, which is a good thing.

Our basement had a water problem yesterday, which gives me this week to tear out the basement carpet and clean a cement floor. I also get to buy an area rug. Because my list of "home improvements" wasn't long enough, ya know. That, and I have an endless supply of money to do all these things with.

I'm also tempted to toss my kids out into the rain and let it wash the snark out of them. They are having a serious case of the aggravate-each-others.

I am just a bunch of good cheer today, aren't I? Blech. I am never moving to the Pacific Northwest - I'll go back on a vacation, but I'm never living there.

And yes, while I'm sure that if someone happens to stumble across me, they'll think me an insensitive little snot, complaining about my bit of rain, when there are people in Galveston and Houston, and all parts in between, having lost everything in feet of water, that definitely won't clean up anytime soon or as easily as a ripped out carpet. I get it. I know. I'm aware. I know it could be worse, and that in the whole scheme of things, my problems are miniscule, but this is my pity party, and I'm the hostess, so I'll let it be for now. My pity parties tend to be short lived anyway.

side note

I think that the Food Saver may be one of the best inventions ever.

harvesting

Yesterday, I got a phone call from my mother in law, letting me know that the corn was ready to be picked. This was somewhat funny, considering that earlier in the summer, I had asked about corn, and was told that they were not going to be planting any. So, I had resigned myself to getting corn from the farmers market, and the possibility of not having any to freeze. Hmm ... bad assumption.

Here's a timeline:

3:30 phone call from MIL - they have 24 rows of sweet corn, want some?
3:40 leave the house with two complaining children
4:00 arrive at farm where MIL works and start picking
4:45 leave farm where MIL works with 157 ears of corn!
8:30 look at corn and say to DH - what was I thinking?
10:30 tell DH that we're done for the night, we ran out of freezer bags for corn cut off the cob

9:00 am start shucking corn, again, another 60 ears to be frozen on the cob
10:20 take a break while waiting for water to boil and blog about overwhelming amounts of corn

So ... my freezer is slowly being taken over by corn.

In addition to the 25 pounds of blueberries I've already frozen.
In addition to the tomatoes from our garden that I've been freezing
Not including two gallons of blackberries waiting to be made into jam.

And I was going to make a batch of sloppy spaghetti this afternoon, so that is another six quarts of sauce I'll have to freeze.

I think I may have a problem. In more ways than one.

quiet

So, I'm sitting here, eating my lunch, uninterrupted, after having a hot, from start to finish, cup of coffee.

Why do I feel so uncomfortable with this?

This morning, The Husband took The Bee to preschool, and then I loaded Q into the bike trailer and we pedaled over to First Grade. I was home, in my strangely quiet house, at 8:18 am.

This was the first day I've had to myself, with no plans, in 6 1/2 years. Sure, the kids have been gone before, but I've either been sick, had a migraine or had some sort of project that I needed the house empty for. This is just a Friday. Nothing special about it, outside of my sisters 23rd Birthday.

I'm heading out at 1:00 to get the oil changed, and then over to pick up the kids, and then take them for hair cuts. So, the afternoon will by typical, but this morning just feels odd.

So, I'm off to finish a project - I've already finished two minor sewing projects - and to toss a load of laundry in the machine. Woo hoo, how's that for excitement.

I miss my kids.

a new skill

I learned how to knit last night.

Or at least the beginners version of it. I am currently six rows in to an oatmeal colored dish cloth.

My goal is to get six of these made in time for Christmas. I think that this may actually be a goal that I can meet.

one last weekend

Before school starts on Monday.

The supplies have been bought, the laundry not yet done, back pack not yet packed, but it's our last weekend before school starts. Q will be a full time first grader on Monday, and The Bee starts 4 year old preschool.

Today we will be going to a friend who really lives out in the sticks, to spend the day and night with them, an afternoon of swimming in the pool and dinner on the grill, complete with sweet corn from todays Farmers Market. We'll come home tomorrow, and we'll just spend the day knocking around at home. There is a function I'm supposed to be going to, but I'm going to skip it and spend the day at home with my family.

Monday I'll be up at six, and get the kids up at 7:00, to be at school by 8:00, camera in hand.

*big sigh*

I wonder if it will be like this every year, getting ready to go back to school, amazed that it's the start of another year.

something to keep

My new niece!

I made it to Michigan yesterday in time for the birth of my niece, who I will call QueenE. Her brother is The Prince. He's 2 1/2.

She's beautiful, and watching my sister give birth was amazing, and 100 more words that are completely inadequate to describe it. I've got goosebumps now, just thinking about it.

And, it makes my ovaries itch ... some days I think I'm really okay with having only two children, but then there are days like yesterday and today, and the thought of being done makes me sad.

But, more on that another day ... this is a happy post!

Welcome to the World, QueenE! Your Auntie loves you!

two things

And I'm not sure I want either.

1. I discovered a possum living between our shed and our house tonight. Yuck. It looked at me with it's beady black eyes from the spot it has commandeered. He/she is definitely a most unwelcome guest, and can go away at any time. My biggest hope is that it isn't a pregnant female, ready to populate my yard with her beady eyed littles.

--- and ---

2. Our family now owns a Hannah Montana cd. The Bee is 4, and has never watched this show before, but every time we go out and she sees her, she yells out her name. And believe me, Hannah/Miley is everywhere - tshirts, folders, backpacks, signs in the store. The Bee has been saving her money, and when Q used his money to buy a computer game tonight, she decided she wanted to go and buy the HM cd. So, as much as I am opposed to the marketing machine and all that, we agreed to let our 4 year old buy a cd. The music isn't bad, and the message seems to be pretty positive, but why do I feel like such a crap parent over this one, like it wasn't the best decision we could have made?

can you be too green?

Okay, so my green-ness may be getting away from me. I don't even know what posessed me to do this, it just sort of popped into my head.

I have just cut up my grandma's old living room shears and turned them into five reusable produce bags for the grocery store.

The shears were in the fabric bin already, and there was no intense emotional connection to them - it was just pretty, lightweight fabric that I figured I'd use one day. Well, today was the day.

I also weighed a plastic bag with three peaches and my fabric bag with three peaches, and the weight difference was only 0.4 ounces. It's not a huge difference at all. Even if I use all five bags in one shopping trip, it will only be a two ounce difference. Not enough to notice for me.

I wonder how many goofy looks I'll get when I go to the grocery store in two weeks? Reactions from the cashiers?

What is the Mother of Invention?

Or maybe it should be, Who Is?

Actually, I don't know who it is or what it is. All I know is that I'm too cheap to get what I really want, one of these. So, I bought a $0.99 Tazo Iced Tea, which is a treat for me these days, and I turned it into my reusable water bottle.

Reduced - yes
Reused - yes
Recycled - in the end, when it has lived it's life, yes
Repurposed - sure did

Since, in reality, it's an empty tea bottle, I don't care if it gets left behind on accident.

Not that we ever leave anything behind.

No, not us.

And, for the ultimate in Cheap Mommy Fashion, I took one of the 942 errant kids socks I have, and turned it into a koozie for my water bottle. And, since I have a few additional socks laying in a pile upstairs in my room, I could probably coordinate my bottle cover with my clothing, should I choose to.

Not bad for a $0.99 tea bottle.

Any other resourceful, repurpose it, reuse it ideas out there?

The Husband ...

He may be getting a little bit green!

We were at Hobby Lobby yesterday, killing time between dinner and picking up the kids from a birthday party, and of course I headed back into the fabric department. They have their Christmas prints out already, and I saw a plaid that I already have in a pair of pajamas. They happened to be in the Christmas rack, although I don't think my pajamas are particularly Christmas-y. Any hoo ... he looked at me and said, "You know what would be cool? If we bought this fabric and made bags for our Christmas gifts with it." And he had this really sort of dreamy, don't-I-have-a-good-idea look on his face.

Then I broke it to him that I bought a bunch of fabric this past January (one yard of five different fabrics for $5) for that exact purpose - I just haven't gotten that far yet. And, since I'm on a finish what you've got before you get anything new kick, I suppose I'll be working on those things this fall too.

It's funny ... the last time I made a bunch of fabric gift bags he looked at me like I was weird. I wonder what the difference is this time, other than the idea was his?

Maybe my green goings on are having an impact.

Next, he'll probably hope his "save for retirement" goings on will do the same for me.

Who'd a thunk it?

The kids and I stopped at Michael's today, looking for something to paint - their request. We found what we were looking for, and wandered our way over to the clearance aisle, just in case.

The end cap next to the clearance aisle, and that whole aisle next to it - Halloween Decorations! And I'm not talking craft supplies to gear up for it, but the actual chotchkis and battery powered decorations and spooky ghosts and all.

Poor Q - he wanted to go in there and look, but I told him no. I told him, as I have every other year, that I am not going to start celebrating Halloween in July. Seriously - the 4th of July was LAST WEEK PEOPLE. By the time the real thing gets here, we'll be sick of it. Nope, we celebrate on a time line here. It goes something like this:

August & September - full of birthdays, carnivals and back to school
October - my birthday falls early in the month and then, after my birthday, we can get out Halloween decorations. By the time November gets here, they've been out for almost three weeks.
November - Thanksgiving comes out after Halloween goes away.
December - Christmas comes out the day after Thanksgiving, and no sooner. It stays up until the 1st or 2nd weekend in January, depending on when the holidays fall.

I am a one holiday at a time type of gal. That's not to say if I see something on sale that I know someone would like for a Christmas gift, I won't buy it in July, and I've been known to get the "stuff" to make a project several weeks in advance, but my decorations. No way. Those stay in the basement until my appointed timer says they can come up.

I'd rather enjoy something for a shorter amount of time as opposed to celebrate it for months on end. To me, it's a bit more special and enjoyable to do it that way. If it drags on forever, I don't think you like it as much by the time the actual holiday day gets here.

So am I crazy and uptight, or what? I'm waiting for someone to tell me I'm wrecking it for my kids, or that I'm raising a couple of cynics. And if I am, at least we'll celebrate it in a timely fashion and won't drag it out.

care to take a trip?

So ... you may be wondering why I would be sharing a picture of my very messy living room today. No, it's not to make anyone feel better, but if it does that too, then good. My house is trashed, yours is trashed, we've probably both got kids, and it'll only be clean again after they move out. Then, though, we'll be wishing for just one more mess, and just one more run through the house with dirty, sandy feet, yelling "Moooooooooom!"

The actual reason for the picture of my very - messy living room is to show what my kids did this morning. Trash the living room - yes. But, while they were doing that, they actually made a ship. Technically, it's an airplane, underwater ship that also has the ability to turn into a train.

This morning, Q sat on the big bendy cushion on the floor, The Bee sat behind him as the co-pilot, and I sat to her right, under the red blanket. The two big rectangle pillows on the floor are the wings. You can stand on them if you need to, and it won't break your plane.

We went to Arizona, then to Minnesota. While we were in Minnesota, we traveled under water, and then converted to a train. And, because my son may have watched too much Star Wars, we had to defend ourselves from the bad guys as they were attacking our train. Good thing for us, we survived, and managed to get away and make it back home.

So, while my living room may look like a cyclone hit, their imaginations were in full gear this morning, and we had a bit of an adventure without having to get dressed or leave our living room.

couponing

I was over visiting on one of the "Mom Boards" that I frequent, and I came across a thread about couponing. I thought it was a "oh my gosh, I saved $X in coupons today" type of thread, but these moms took it beyond that.

I didn't know it, but there is a program at CVS that lets you buy items, and then you get bucks back, to use on your next purchase. Some of the moms go crazy, and buy a ton of things, some that they may or may not use, so they can get the extra bucks. Then, on their next purchase, they use the extra bucks, and get things for very close to free. Some of the shoppers will later have a garage sale and sell a tube of toothpaste that they got for free for a dollar, others donate the items to shelters or send them to soldiers that are currently serving over seas. Hmm ... interesting. I don't know if I could have a garage sale, but I could definitely see adding these things to the boxes that I am sending to "our" soldier.

Last week, I had a coupon for Buy One toothbrush, Get one free. And, on top of that, the store was giving back $5.50 in register rewards. So, for two battery powered toothbrushes, I paid $6.33. Not bad. And it's something we can use.

Today, I saw that they had cereal on sale 3 for $7. I had a coupon for $1 off of two boxes, so I got three boxes for $6. Then, I used the $5.50 in register rewards, and ended up paying $0.62 for three full sized boxes of cereal. Definitely something we use at our house. And, I got two more coupons - one specifically for cereal and another $2 reward for my next purchase, whatever it may be.

In two weeks, I have gotten two battery powered toothbrushes and three boxes of cereal, and I have spent $6.95.

I think I get the idea of couponing, and now I see how some people get caught up in the deal scoring aspect of it. After reading through some of those posts, I didn't know why they were so jazzed ... but now I do. I ended up paying $0.21 per box! The only thing better than that would be free.

With the price of gas what it is, and money tighter than it used to be, I'm paying a bit more attention to coupons and sale flyers, and definitely the money being spent. Now, after having figured this out, I think I have another angle to approach it from.

Goings On

The kids have been enjoying their summer so far ... we're still having a bit of a goofy time, and they are definitely in some "I don't feel the need to listen to my Mom, and I will do exactly what she is telling me NOT to do while she is standing right here"

It is a daily reminder in our house to not jump on The Bee's bed. I tell them to stop. They do. I walk away. They jump. Rinse. Lather. Repeat.

Today Niece Number 1 was over, and at some point I had wandered upstairs and noticed that the shelf above The Bee's bed was hanging by only one hook - not how it usually hangs. So, I asked Q and The Bee what happened. Of course, she pointed left and he pointed right.

She said that he threw his lion and it smashed the shelf down.
He said that he didn't know.

So, I said I would have to talk to Daddy when he got home to see how we were going to deal with this.

Tonight, I replayed the above to The Husband, and then he called The Bee into her room, where we were sitting. He asked her what happened.

She said that Q did a kick punch and knocked the shelf down.

Us: What were you doing?

Bee: Jumping.

Us: Are you supposed to be jumping?

Bee: I tried to stop, but my brakes didn't work (holds up her left foot). I need to get a new foot because my brake didn't work, so I couldn't stop jumping.

Us: Oh.

Bee: Yeah, my foot is broken.

I don't remember much after that point because I think I was holding my breath hard from trying not to laugh that I may have suffered a mini blackout type of thing or something.

It turns out that Q did knock the shelf down, but it was an accident. However, they were jumping on the bed. The shelf was able to be re-hung with minimal effort, although I wanted to exaggerate my efforts in re-hanging it, but I didn't.

We'll see what the rest of the week brings.

A silly reason to be jealous

I was talking to a friend today, and she paid $3.99 a gallon for gas on Sunday.

Today I paid $4.07, down from $4.19 last Friday. Needless to say, I coasted into the station today, and still didn't fill my tank.

I think it's pathetic that we were both excited about our deals.

I think it's more pathetic that I was jealous of the price she paid for gas.

What's next?

The Farm

I mentioned that we went to a local farm today, and I thought I'd put the information here in case all of my (zero) readers are interested in what we do or do not do. It's not a traditional red barn with a silo type of farm, but it's a farm nonetheless.

Heritage Prairie Market in Elburn is a wonderful little place. It's just outside of town, but still in the middle of what farm land we have left in the area. The shop has a variety of wholesome, organic, locally made items, including some wonderful honey! I bought some of the Buckthorn Honey today and I can't wait to have some on my toast for breakfast tomorrow. It's reminds me more of molasses than honey, though. It's not something to put in your tea.

We also talked to the goats and the chickens, and looked at their plantings. I resisted the urge to buy more herbs to plant. The kids were so excited to be out and at a farm, they were a bit zooey today, so we didn't stay as long as I would have liked. They eventually calmed down after about twenty minutes, and I'm hoping that when we go back for story time next Friday, they'll be a bit calmer.

It was nice to be at a place that is in sync with the lifestyle choices you're making - supporting local grown, organic farming practices. I know it has become the eco thing to do of late, but for those of us that have been trying to make these lifestyle choices, or at least to live in greater harmony with the planet that supports us, it's nice to see other people catching on. All of the stuff that I've done that people thought strange (worms, composting, biking, recycling, tote bags) is becoming more widely accepted these days, and either I'm not so weird, or the world is getting weirder with me.

Back on a schedule

So, it's only Week 2 of Summer Vacation, and we already need to be back on a schedule. This whole idea of "ooh, let's just see what the day brings us and run with it" isn't working, at least for us. I think, by nature, that The Husband and I, created kids that need the structure. They're not totally lost with free time, but the seemingly endless free time we've had going on was starting to get to them. And me.

So, I decided, since I work on Tuesday & Thursday, that the other week days will have a plan.

Mondays will stay our Staying Home Day - the day I've always used to clean up after the weekend, to do laundry, vacuum, make bread, etc. I tend to like Mondays, even if they are busy working sort of days.

Wednesday is now our Field Trip Day. It's our day to have an adventure of sorts. Today we went to a local Farm, and checked out their chickens and goats. And I bought some really good Buckthorn Honey. Yum. I can't wait to have toast in the morning. Next week, we're meeting friends at the Dollar Movie at the mall. So what if we've already seen it - it's a dollar and we're out, with friends, having fun. It makes it so we can see the movie and have lunch.

Friday is going to be our Library Day, which I think I'm going to alternate with days at the Farm, because they have Story Time on Fridays at 11:00 and 1:30. The library has a great kids section, and as long as I know what I'm looking for, I can leave them there for the three minutes it takes me to run and get my own book. Plus, I can't resist the Used Book Racks. It's like a treasure chest every time I go there.

The weekends are just the weekends ... June is already booked and so is half of July and half of August. I don't know how it happens, but all of a sudden, BAM! and the weekends are full. I'm already looking at the middle to end of August, which is right before school starts back up. It's strange, because school just let out two weeks ago, and I'm already looking at when it starts back up. I hope I get to enjoy the time between the two events.

So that's what we've got going on for the summer ... any ideas or suggestions are welcome.

Still Here

Just laying low ...

We finished up the end of the school year, and I was rewarded for that with ten days of some horrible stomach ick that I seem to have finally recovered from. I was actually interested in food for the first time this past Saturday, after avoiding it for the eight days before that. Lovely. I started it off with a day in the bathroom and ended it with a migraine. No small illnesses for me - start and end with a bang.

And, speaking of bangs, it's raining again, after another big thunderstorm at midnight last night. I really wish I had a rain barrel or two. I'll have to see what I can do to remedy that.

Already Today

The kids were up at the strangely early hour of 5:20, and who was up with them? Me, of course.

But thats not the point of this ...

I came downstairs and told Q "Happy Birthday".

His response was a very big hug and, "Thank you for my birthday, Mom"

Not a bad way to start the day.

We are now at T minus six hours and counting until the party.

Let's just hope that I'm as ready as he is.

Tomorrow

At this time six years ago, I was very pregnant and very ready to meet my first child. I had already been sent home from the hospital once the Monday before and had been having prodromal labor all week. For those of you that have not had it, prodromal labor is not the most fun way to spend an entire week, especially when your husband is so freaked out that you could go into labor at any moment, that he doesn't want you to go any further than the mailbox.

But ... in just over 24 hours (25:12, to be exact), my son will turn six.

Tomorrow is his birthday party, so today was spent getting ready for it - making salsa, making a cake and sloppy joes. We will spend the day with some friends and family, and then we'll spend the evening as a family of four, enjoying each others company. I know I'll sit back and take the time to remember all the joy that The Boy Child has brought to us. I can't remember my life before him, other than I was getting more sleep back then. But, even if I can't remember my life before kids, I can tell you, I'll take sleep deprivation any day.

Hugs to my almost birthday boy - your Mama loves you buddy.

Half of Us

Half of my family left for Arizona last Thursday. The Husband and Q flew to Arizona to visit with The Husband's grandparents for a few days. They will be home tomorrow night, just in time to spend a few hours with my husband on his 38th birthday!

So for us, it has been a girls weekend, and a somewhat lazy one at that. We spent Friday night at a friends house, then Saturday at home in the rain. Saturday night we went to dinner with my in-laws to celebrate their 39th! Anniversary. And today was spent at home, lazy, playing and watching tv. I'm now sitting here, catching up on some old tv, procrastinating, avoiding the things I really should be doing.

And, while in the midst of this diversion, I got a phone call from Arizona. It went something like this:

"Hi Mommy, did you know I don't have a loose tooth anymore?"
"Oh, did you lose your tooth?"
"I did. It came right out at the resturant, and it didn't even hurt, and it came right out, and now theres no tooth."
"Really. That's great. How does it feel to not have a tooth there?"
"Fine, Mommy. It didn't hurt at all."

There was more to it, but I was lost in silent tears and feeling bad that I wasn't there for it.

So I skyped them, while still on the phone with them, and saw it on video ... and it looks strange to not see his little chicklet of a tooth there anymore.

So ... not only is tomorrow my husbands birthday and the day they come home, but I get to see the gap in my sons beautiful grin! Tomorrow's gonna be good!

milestones

While at the dinner table tonight, Q mentioned that his tooth hurt. He said something about biting a white cup (styrofoam ?) at school and now it was hurting. Well, just a few minutes ago, while brushing teeth, he mentioned it again. So, I checked, and sure enough, it's loose.

When his little mini-chicklet tooth wiggled, my heart sped up and then it dropped. Seriously.

He, on the other hand, jumped up and down and squealed (literally, squealed) with delight.

We came downstairs and told Daddy, who is of course, duly excited.

In the whole scheme of things, it's only a tooth. But it's my sons tooth - my first child has his first loose tooth and I feel like crying. He is upstairs right now, singing the joys of his loose tooth. His words, getting in to bed tonight, "Oh, I can't wait to tell everyone about my tooth. Well, except people that don't know me." He's so excited, and I feel awful for feeling awful.

He is convinced that his tooth will fall out by the time he turns six, which is in about six weeks.

We'll see how it goes. I may need somebody to hand me a kleenex.

quoteables

Our kids spent the night at a friends house last night, and when I called to check in this morning, this is what Q told his Dad:

"Daddy, I know you miss me, but don't worry, I'll be home soon."

This is one of the best things about being a parent - not the away for the night, although I will admit, it is kind of nice to have some down time and be able to sleep past 6am on occasion, but the love that they send back your way.

Awesome.

junk, part 2

In the post before this one, I mentioned the stack of fliers that we had received for the elections. In Illinois we had an early primary - in February. But, because our local congressman stepped down early, we were so lucky that we got to have a special election in March. Not one, but two elections. How could we be so lucky?

With this election, it was narrowed down to two candidates, and we received only 38 fliers, as compared to the fifty-whatever we got the first time around. Upon closer look, it was really only 19 fliers, but because there are two registered voters, we got two of everything.

Seriously folks - use some of your money and buy the program that figures out that there are multiple people at one address. You'll more than make up what you spend on the software by saving money on postage. Plus, the annoyance level in homes will decrease, possibly giving people a better attitude towards campaigning in general.

Just a thought.

junk

So, amongst the scrap papers on my desk is the one that says "tags" "ties" and "flyers"

It's a good thing I am an expert in cryptic, because I am the only one that would understand that note.

It means: last year (2007) I saved every twist tie and plastic bag tag that came into the house. This was something very do-able - a small bowl on the counter - and on January 1, 2008 I tallied it up. The number was quite high - 71 bread type tags (the plastic flat ones) and 69 twist ties. That is 140 tags and ties that came here and eventually would have gone to the landfill, had I not put them in a ziploc bag in my pantry. It doesn't sound like that much, and it definitely doesn't look like that much, but if we are an average household, imagine that number multiplied across my street, my county, my state, and then the entire United States. Holy crap that's a lot of plastic. I have no ideas or solutions to offer - it was just something I did for a year, and am doing it again this year. The kicker is that I even reuse these things - if I open a bag of frozen peas, I grab a twistie and put it on there. There were weeks when I even made our own bread, so I'm sure our number could have been a bit higher. Interesting.

Another interesting number I came up with, and this is slightly more annoying, is the number of flyers for political candidates we received in the weeks and months leading up to the election on February 5th. I ended up with 54 flyers, a stack that was over an inch high. This is crazy. And, we're not done yet because I have started another stack of flyers that we are getting on an almost daily basis for the special election which is next Saturday, March 8th. The stack won't be as impressive this time, seeing as there are only two candidates running, but since there are two registered voters here, we get two of everything, from each candidate. You would think that they would have a mailing program that would let you do a query and eliminate duplicate addresses, or something like that.

So that's my rant about junk. It's just something to think about, or at least it's something I think about.

Above Freezing

It was finally above freezing today, and not raining, with the sun shining. I don't know when we had that combination last ... so we took advantage of it.

While I vacuumed out the car (and found 36 cents and my Burts Bees peppermint chap stick) the kids got their bikes out and rode up and down the sidewalk and through the slush today. We were joined by the Neighbor Girl shortly thereafter, literally bundled up to her eyeballs, and we were out playing for over an hour. How wonderful it was.

I suppose the weather will be horrid tomorrow - rain, sleet, snow, ice - something not pleasant. But after today, I don't think I care ... it was just so nice to be outside and in the fresh air.

Maybe I'll start planning a garden this weekend.

Naah ... maybe not. I'll just end up ready to go and unable to do anything for six more weeks. I'll start the thinking process instead.

Nice, while she lasted

I think we may have had the worlds shortest pet ownership today.

We brought the fish, which ended up being named Buddy, home from preschool at 5:00 today.
At 8:15 she was swimming around the tank we had set up. We had called The Grandparents to tell them about Buddy.

At 8:45, after Tae Kwon Do and showers, we (The Husband, Q and I) had this conversation:

Q: The fish isn't moving
Us: Oh, that's okay, is she at the top of the water or the bottom?
Q: The bottom, but it's not moving
Us: (to each other) Oh Sh!t.
Q: "C'mon ... wake up. Mom, is it sleeping?"

The Husband and I walked into the other room and sure enough, Buddy had curved over on herself and was at the bottom of the tank, looking pretty dead.

Q: Is it dead?
Us: Oh, yes, it is. It looks like Buddy died.
Q: Oh, this is so sad. Why did it die? Oh, The Bee is going to be very sad in the morning.
Us: Well, Q, sometimes fish die. We talked about how they could die, remember?
Q: But why? Did it have too much water?
Us: No, I don't think that fish can have too much water.
Q: Oh, this is not good.

Seriously ... I figured if the fish lasted four days it would be a miracle. It didn't even last four hours. I know that the handling it got between leaving school and getting put in the tank was putting it at a high risk, but I didn't think it would die the same night we brought it home. Now, I have to explain to my daughter that her fish died last night, but, knowing how life works, her brother will get to her first and I'll get blasted by a crying child at 6am. Tomorrow morning could be very interesting.

So, it looks like we're taking a trip to the pet store tomorrow to get two fish instead of just one.

Let's pray that these next two fish last more than this one did.

fresh

In the middle of winter, on the eve of another supposed Winter Storm, I got a burst of summer today when I grabbed my jar of bay leaves, to put one in the chicken and dumplings I am making for dinner tonight.

I opened the jar and WOOSH! the smell of fresh bay leaves. What a lovely memory of summer.

I grew these myself last summer and dried them in the basement, and have been able to use them as my heart desires ... and I have plenty to get me through the year. The plant got kinda big.

Now I'm really looking forward to spring!

The Library

I must say, I love the library. I probably don't take the kids as often as I should, but they are just now getting to the age where they can both appreciate it and all it has to offer. And, most importantly, they have stopped yelling across the building to each other, which is key at the library.

Two weeks ago, I came home with a stack of books for us to read, some stories on cd (my car doesn't have a tape player), which the kids love to listen to. We don't always follow along in the book, but they love to listen to the stories. We've been listening to them in the car since we checked them out, and it's very popular. It's also a nice diversion from the kid music which is usually playing.

Today, we went and we checked out so many books that they didn't fit in our tote bag. What a wonderful problem to have. I came home with five books for me to read, and the kids have three stories on cd and a computer game to keep busy if we get the snow that we're supposed to.

I think what I love most of all is the used book section. On my two week ago trip, I also managed to pick up five other books for $2, one of which is an out of print allergy cookbook that I can use to get recipes for my nephew.

I have great memories of going to the library with my Dad when I was little - we used to go every Saturday, and for some reason, one of the things I remember the most, outside of the smell, was the melted album that they had on the counter with a warning not to leave them in your car, otherwise they could melt and you would have to pay the replacement costs. So yes, this post officially dates me, but I remember that melted album.

My first job in high school was located right next to the library and during my lunch hours, I could often be found next door checking out books, or reading on my lunch hour. I wish I could say that I always returned them on time, but that would be a fib.

I'm hoping that my kids can get as much enjoyment from the library as I do. Books are such a wonderful world ... I cannot imagine not going where books take me or the things they teach me ... I hope that they enjoy books and reading as much as my husband and I do. I'd say we're off to a good start now.

Off to read for a few ...

Woot!

Okay, so this is quick because we're headed out the door .... to deliver two sets of completed curtains! Hot dog! Finally, after who knows how many months, I have finally finished Kris' laundry room curtains, although not the way I had originally planned, so I scrapped the first idea and did a traditional hem on them instead.

Second, Katelyn's bedroom curtains are hanging on the back of the laundry room door, ready to be loaded into the car.

It feels so good to finally get these projects finished and out the door.

Next - baby blankets for Quinn and Beckett.

Funny

This was at the corner of Rte. 31 & Indian Trail Road in Aurora.


And, I called the number, and it gets you to Corporate White Castle. I pressed "0" for operator, and nobody ever answered, and I gave up after two minutes.

Also, note the Bimbo truck in the background ... I just think that is a funny name for a company, and every time I see it, I laugh.

Goings On

Oh, it's been busy around here ... I've got a mental list that feels like it's a mile long of things I want to blog about, and I barely find the time to make it over here, much less check in on friends and people that I could only aspire to be like.

We have been shoveling, painting, Play-Doh'ing, making lots of jam and jelly, jumping on the trampoline, building forts out of couch cushions, reading our library books, making suckers and candy, decorating our Valentines ... all while trying to stay warm. It looks like we're supposed to get more snow this weekend, so I'm off to the store tomorrow morning, instead of my usual every other Sunday afternoon excursion. If I didn't shop only every two weeks, it wouldn't be a big deal, but we're pretty much out of everything here, so this weekend, shopping is a must.

Let's see ... what else ...

Today, Q said to The Bee, "Don't bother me, I need a piece of quiet!"

I finished a hat for my niece last week, and for The Bee and Q today. Nothing fancy, just having some fun with fleece. I'm hoping to get a baby blanket finished for my newest cousin tonight, so I can visit on Monday, weather permitting.

I have an actual list floating around here somewhere ... and it's odd, now that I've actually cleaned my desk, I can't find it. That's what you get for trying to be organized and proactive. Give me chaos and a slack ass attitude any day.

Maybe I'll get to some more of it tonight ... I've got to set up the iron and get cracking on that blanket ... more on that baby later too. He doesn't even have a name yet, so I refer to him as Gavin. I like it.

Hmm ...

Perhaps I underestimate things, but they just cancelled afternoon kindergarten for today.

Snow day #2 for us.

Evidently there are going to be dangerous white out conditions once the storm hits.

This should be fun.

Oh the weather outside is frightful ...

And something else is so delightful ... something about a place to go ...

Let it snow
Let it snow
Let it snow

Well, Chicago has been singing that song for weeks now ... it's like we're stuck in some weird Groundhog Day type of loop ... cold, snow, warm up a bit, open the windows (I did, anyway), melt some, make some slush, freeze so everything is a sheet of ice, warm up again, snow again, rain, get really windy, snow some more. Lather. Rinse. Repeat.

And to top it off, people are acting like we need to bring out the chains for our tires.

It's Chicago, people. This should not be anything new to anybody that has been living here for more than a couple of years.

You don't need to drive 12 mph, but you also don't need to drive 80 mph (you, in the supersize SUV, I'm talking about you!).

Driving in the tire tracks is a good idea. However, you cannot take the right most tire track from the left lane and the left most tire track from the right lane and drive down the center of two lanes. Nope. Choose one. Stay there.

Granted, I say this, and I will likely be the one to slide into someone or a ditch. It happened a couple of years ago when I was pregnant with The Bee and had Q in the car ... somehow I managed to miss the metal road signs indicating a curve and I missed sixteen trees. I was 150 feet off the road in somebody's very large front yard. I consider myself a very lucky gal.

So, off to bundle up again, get out the shovels and head back outside.

I will say that after all of this, I am really starting to look forward to spring. I'm not completely tired of winter, but the thought of playing in the dirt is much more fun than playing in the snow.

Switching Gears - My Mom

It's that time of year again, the time of year that brings the crap to a bit of a close for me ... it's the end of the My Birthday-Halloween-Thanksgiving-Christmas-New Years string of events that I typically have a hard time facing.

Last Friday, January 25th, it was the 8 year Anniversary of the day my Mom became an Angel. It was the day I became Motherless.

I have had several up and down years since then, and it has been a hell of a trip, taking me all across the emotional universe, to places I didn't even know existed. I saw places that I never want to see again.

This year, however, was different, and I don't know why.

I still miss her. Some days I have a hard time remembering her voice. I still think that my kids were cheated, that they never got to know what I know would have been a Kick Ass Grandma. I know my Stepdad still misses her, I can see it in his face and hear it in his voice. He had to make a new plan for retirement, one that didn't include her.

This year, though, came and went with nary a blip in the radar. I woke up that morning, I knew it was the 25th, thought about what it meant and then I got out of bed. Maybe it was because the kids already had a twenty minute head start on me and were already downstairs squabbling over who knows what.

Or, just maybe, I'm at the point now where my grief/sadness/anger/fear/loneliness is more of a scar, not even a scab anymore. When she first died it was a deep gaping wound that took forever to heal, only to re-open without notice. Then it was like a wound that had scabbed over - it was still there, and you knew it, but it took just a bit more for it to open back up, and the healing was quicker and somewhat easier when it did. And now, it's like a scar. It's there, I can see it, but it's closed. This is not to say that I never feel down about the path that my life took in regards to my Mom, but it's not so damn overwhelming anymore - it's workable, and I can function.

I am thankful for the 25 years that I had her - I wish I could have had 25 more, but that was not meant to be.

This is the hand I was dealt, I don't necessarily like it, but I better play it and make the most of it.

Week Three - No Spend January

For the last week, this is what I spent:

Thursday, I spent $7.01 on prescriptions for my upcoming dental procedure. I like the Blue Cross drug card.

Friday, Saturday and Sunday were spent at home, laying low, so nothing was spent.

Monday I spent $4.04 on a cup of coffee! Yikes. I was considering it a treat after the previous three days. I shouldn't have, I didn't need it.

Tuesday I spent $2.80 on food since the soup I brought for lunch wasn't enough. I don't know if I have mentioned it yet, but if I ever eat soup again at any time within the next four months, I may be sick. I'm tired of soup, it's all I've been eating for almost a week.

Today - ack! I spent $42.75 on gas, $34.06 on supplements and $8.54 on milk. I also spent $17.23 on fabric at Hobby Lobby for a baby blanket and hat. The baby shower is on 2/2, so I had to get the fabric now, otherwise I would have waited. I paid with cash for everything except the gas. That'll be really nice in February when the statement comes in.

I will have to run to the store tomorrow and pick up dish soap ... I thought I could last the month, but I guessed wrong. After that, I think I'm good until the end of the month.

My Grand Total for the month is ... $527.51. Not too bad, and I think the only thing I've charged is gas, everything else was cash or a check. Cool.

Hungry

So, it's been a long week. Last Friday I had a visit with the periodontist ... while not a completely horrible visit, there were easily a dozen other things I'd rather be doing. If I thought for more than a minute, I bet I could come up with a dozen more.

I remember when I was pregnant with Q, I ended up avoiding the lunch room because I couldn't stand the stories - "Oh Lord, my labor was four days long!" "I had a ten pound baby and seven thousand stitches" "My sister has this friend ... " and so it went. I retreated to my desk for the last few months in order to preserve my sanity.

Much the same for my periodontal work. When I mentioned to someone that I was having a gum graft (not too pleasant of a title, eh?) they would make this face and then say, "Oh, I'm sorry, I bet that's gonna hurt" or "Better you than me" or "Wow, sucks to be you, huh?"

By the time 10:00 rolled around Friday morning, I was going to punch the next person who even dared comment about a procedure that they know NOTHING about. What I wanted to do was ask my brother in law how it felt when the doctor stuck his finger up his butt for a prostate exam, I bet that's not too comfortable now is it. But no, I kept my thoughts to myself and proceeded to the perio. I was in a stellar mood when I got there, though.

It wasn't too bad, the recovery isn't horrible, although I will admit that I am hungrier than all get out, since I can only eat soft foods on the right side of my mouth. Plus, I have stitches in the roof of my mouth and I can feel them when I talk. That's just annoying. I hope they get taken out on Friday when I go back for my follow up.

Maybe thats it - if you can't be nice, maybe you shouldn't say anything at all, especially when it's obvious that the person that said procedure will be done to is already nervous to start with.

Week Two, Part Two - No Spend January

So I thought the weekend would be pretty uneventful, and it was. I still ended up spending money, though. Nothing extra, nothing more than I had really planned, it's just that I cringe every time I see the grocery bill.

Sunday, I filled the gas tank to the tune of $56.19. Ouch. Then I went to the grocery store, to the tune of $141.25. Ouch again, although this was for two and a half weeks, so it's not that bad, I suppose. Then I stopped at the Milk Store and that was another $10.46 for two gallons of milk.

Today, and I am ashamed to admit this, I finally mailed my Dad's Christmas gifts. That was $10.85 at FedEx. The box got moved for a Christmas Party, and I didn't notice it until after Christmas, and I have no real excuse for not getting it mailed until today. It's been boxed up for a week or so riding around in my car. What can I say, I'm a flunky. And then back to the other grocery store (the first one didn't have veal or plum tomatoes, what's that all about?) for $24.21. Eleven dollars of that was soda for my husband at work.

We sure do eat a lot, but I enjoy cooking, so I don't mind that much.

Tomorrow I will have to stop at the Post Office, but that will only be $2 or so. I should be good for the rest of the week ... I have lunch ready and I don't see anything on the horizon.

Now, if I could only figure out a way to make $1700 ... that's a lot of jelly and sewing!

Week Two - No Spend January

Hmm ... this is tough. Not the no-spending part, but the tracking part.

January 5: $4.57 at the O'Hare Oasis on our way back from the airport.
January 6: $11.38 at Borders for calendars and what not ... DH had $80 in gift cards/store credit to spend, so he got a pile of books too.
January 7: $4 at the car wash because I couldn't see, and I figure the $4 there is cheaper than my $500 deductible; $78.72 at the grocery store for the week. It should last a bit longer than that, though. Did I also mention that I am doing the Great Freezer & Pantry Cookdown. Over the last two months we seem to have acquired an odd assortment of ingredients and random pieces of meat. January is typically one of the three months during the year when we do the Great Freezer & Pantry Cookdown. I'm not sure why I have a jar of plum jam in the pantry, but I'll be using it next week!
January 8: I returned the crack filler, and then spent an additional $1.06 for some batteries. Watch batteries are so expensive, especially if you consider their size - the size per dollar ratio is not in favor of the dollar.
January 9: I returned some things at Target and got $10.03 back. I did spend $43 at Michaels, on a gift card, to finish a project that I had started and some things for the kids to paint. I also spent $6.14 at Jewel for dinner - the first store didn't have what I needed.


That is $95.84, plus what I've already spent. I don't anticipate going anywhere or spending any money Thursday or Friday this week, and the weekend is looking pretty harmless too.

Happy New Year!

It's January 1, 2008. We survived another year, and welcomed 2008 in semi-grand fashion, with a house full of friends and a midnight dip into their (outdoor) hot tub for my husband. I am too cold, even in the summer, to even contemplate getting into a hot tub when it's 10 degrees outside. Call me crazy, but a member of the Polar Bear Club I will NOT be.

In the spirit of the New Year, everyone is talking about resolutions. I don't make them. I prefer to set a goal for the month/year/season and see if I can do it. I don't vow to exercise more, eat less ... not for me.

For January, I've decided it's a no-spend month. This means that the only money we spend will be from the gift cards given to us, or on bills (gas, electric, etc) or on things that we truly need, not want. It really makes you think about what you're buying and why you're buying it.

In February, we are talking about taking a long weekend and going to Wisconsin Dells with the kids for a mid-winter break.

In March, The Husband will take Q to Arizona to visit his (The Husband's) grandparents. They are in their 80's ... there may not be too many more chances to visit, so we're doing it now. The Bee went with her Dad two years ago, so now it's Q's turn.

Today, we filled the gas tank in my car (gulp) to the tune of $56.78. I hate the gas station. Granted, I was at an eighth of a tank, but I still hate it.

I'm off to spend the rest of a lazy day with my kids and husband. I like January 1st.

Grand Total spent in January: $56.78 (which, is the keys 45678 in a row - nice start!)