Wordless Wednesday

Up at 4 a.m.; down at 2 p.m.! This is probably only her second nap in the last year!

5 things I miss

I've been a Facebook junkie for the last week. I've reconnected with a number of old friends and have been musing a bit about life. First, let me say, I REALLY like my life a lot and wouldn't trade my home or family for all the tea in China. But there ARE a few things I miss....

1. An unwrinkled forehead (Botox, here we come!)
2. Sushi for dinner 4 nights a week
3. Spending my Christmas gift cards on stuff for me rather than clothes for my daughter or stuff from Lowe's.
4. Sleeping all night, uninterrupted.
5. My '94 Miata

Menu Planning Monday

Monday: Beef stew, rice, roasted asparagus, green salad
Tuesday: Roasted chicken, brown rice, green beans, tossed salad
Wednesday: Chicken noodle casserole, peas, tossed salad
Thursday: Minestrone
Friday: Pizza
Saturday: hmmmm
Sunday: more hmmmm

I'm not motivated enough to think past Friday right now!

Baby Talk

Sophie, playing Hide-N-Seek:

...eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen....HERE I COME OR NOT!

I'm easy to find because I'm laughing so hard!

Energy Crisis

Who cares about the so-called "oil crisis?" What I want to know is how a sick four year old still has infinitely more energy than a healthy adult! I should have sent her to gymnastics this morning to burn some of this off. I could really use a nap right now, and SJ doesn't even take naps anymore. Arrrgh again.

Sickness in the house

What is it about saying "I can't believe we haven't been sick all season. Knock on wood." that causes an immediate epidemic in my house? Arrrgh. Sniffling kid, wheezing husband....I can't believe I haven't caught it. Knock on wood.

Menu Planning Monday

Monday: Pork chops, pasta, green beans
Tuesday: Baked tilapia, salad, roasted new potatoes with rosemary
Wednesday: Spaghetti
Thursday: Shrimp scampi, pasta, veggie
Friday: Meatloaf, mashed potatoes, veggie
Saturday: OUT
Sunday: Stir fry chicken with rice

CVS Deals

This week I got:

1 - Colgate toothpaste (2.50)
1 - Colgate kid's toothpaste (2.50)
2 - ALL laundry detergent (7.49)
2 - Robitussin cough syrup (6.49)
3 - Kleenex (1.49)
1 - Gummy Vites (6.49)

and used these coupons:
-.40 ALL
-.40 ALL
-.50 Kleenex
-.75 Colgate
-1.00 Colgate
-1.00 Robitussin
-1.00 Robitussin
-5.00 CVS email coupon
-10.50 ECB

Paid only $10.26 and got $2 ECB back!

What a brat!

I have been pondering last night and all morning trying to determine what on earth got into my sweet natured little girl this past weekend. She was insufferable: screaming in a restaurant, openly defiant when asked not to do something, pushing and hitting her friend (and other children), and slapping and biting herself. The bite was pretty disturbing to watch as she bit down on her forearm hard enough to leave marks two days later! Time outs did nothing at all but deliver more screaming and slapping.

First, the backstory - we had friends visit for the weekend who have a son the same age (4) as Sophie, and we just love them all to pieces. Usually, we vacation together, and honestly the kids are never really a problem...BUT...this time, my sweet girl turned into psycho kid!

After much thinking and rethinking, I think the problem was that we were here at home with the same old "at home" rules...You know that crazy stuff like "Don't jump on my bed & hang from the pulley chains on my ceiling fan." (I'm so unreasonable.) When on vacation in a neutral place, frankly I am much more lax (primarily because I don't have to replace the furniture, curtains, dishes, etc.).

I'll need some help planning our next get together. Obviously the "No rules theory" doesn't flush with me; and the "I hate rules theory" is Sophie's personal philosophy when it comes to our get-togethers. There has to be some middle ground that seems fair to a four year old yet keeps me from replacing everything in my house. Anyone have advice?

Another New Year

WELCOME 2009, I've been waiting for you. I've been tossing all the ideas & plans for things I need to accomplish into a mental pile in anticipation [dread] of this year's resolutions. As a rule, I am ridiculously organized, but writing these resolutions has been HARD this year, so much so that I'm two days late. And so...ta da...THE LIST (in no particular order):

FINANCIAL:

• I will not use my credit card ONE SINGLE TIME all year.
• I will pay off our credit card balance.
• I will pay down (waaaay down) our HELOC.
• I will enroll in autodraft for our weekly tithes.

SPIRITUAL:

• I will read a devotional every day.
• I will rejoin my ladies group for Bible study & accountability.
• I will be a more loving & tolerant mother.
• I will commit at least one hour per week to volunteering.

PHYSICAL:

• I will lose 2 dress sizes.
• I will quit smoking.
• I will get at least four hours of exercise every week.

It was easier when all this was still in my mental pile where no one could hold me accountable, but that's not the way we're supposed to live, is it? I'm praying all these will be painless. Hope yours are too!

Cleaning Frenzy!

I found out yesterday a.m. that two great friends & their son are coming for a weekend visit. Unfortunately, I had yet to take down my Christmas trees so all the decorations, boxes, wrapping paper, etc. were piled HIGH in our office/guest room. YIKES...all day today I've been in a frenzy just to pack up all the holiday decor and clear out this room (it looks great; the attic, not so much).

I've decided that I'd like someone to come every year at this time to MOTIVATE me!! It takes me weeks to put all my decorations up, and now everything came down in one day. WOO HOO!!