Facts of the Day

Fact #1: Baby Jaws puts his dirty clothes in the laundry basket all by himself.

Fact #2: When he did this after getting dressed this morning, I said to him, "Wow. You do a better job than your Daddy."

Fact #3: My husband was offended.

Fact #4: He knew I was right.

"He's a Good Guy"

I love talking to my 4 year old. You just never know what is going to come out of his mouth. Most of the time, I fear for what he will say. But this time, it was really sweet.

While we were driving home from shopping yesterday, he asked again,"Why did Gramps have to die?" and said that he didn't want to die.

I told him not to worry about dying. I tried to explain to him again that Gramps was just really old and really sick. Then he said, "He's up with God now."

I said, "Yep. I bet he really likes it up there."

Big Brother added, "Yep. God likes people. He's a good guy."

#100 Woot!

I can't believe I've made it to 100! I just had to post my awesome deal I got at CVS this morning. I really need to start a coupon blog. Anyway, I got all of this pictured below for $6.23.

4 Tide (32 loads) $6/each
1 Puffs $1
1 Vaseline Sheer Fusion lotion $7.99

All of this totaled $32.99 without tax.
But you know me. I had lots of coupons!

First of all, I used a $5 off $25 coupon I was able to print at cvs.com after taking an online flu quiz which brought my total down to $27.99.
Then I used 4 $1 off any size Tide coupons which brought my total down to $23.99.
I then used my ECB's (Extra Care Bucks) I had earned a couple weeks ago doing another deal. These are pretty much free money and you can continue rolling them and buying only products that earn more ECB's.
I had a total of $18.16 ECB's from previous purchases which brought my total down to $5.83 plus $.40 tax gave me my total of $6.23.

Here's the good part. Buying the Tide and Puffs which totaled $25, gave me another $10 in ECB's. The deal this week is buy $25 worth of Proctor and Gamble items listed in their ad and receive $10 ECB's.

The Vaseline cost $7.99, but during their 3 day sale, it earns back $7 in ECB's. In reality, I only paid $.99 for it.

So I earned another $17.00 in ECB's which I will use to buy more products I need/want that earn even more ECB's. I love my coupons!

Stormtrooper Sighting

My husband laughed as he told the Stormtrooper, "Yeah, let's see you bend down there to his level." Let me tell you, Stormtroopers are not flexible.

Big Brother was a little scared as we walked by. (I get a bit scared myself of nerds who dress up as their favorite movie characters.) But as we were leaving, the Stormtrooper asked him to give him five. That's all it took to win over Big Brother.

I Love a Sale

I don't know what I love more: shopping with coupons or shopping at yard sales! It used to drive me crazy when my Mom and Dad would drag me around to yard sales, but now I couldn't live without them. I started really loving yard sales while I was pregnant with Big Brother. I began hunting baby clothes and became addicted. I am still an addict and it's rubbing off on Big Brother. He loves them too.

I have found so many things for my kids at yard sales. My favorite thing to find is the clothing. I would say I buy 80% of my kids clothes at yard sales. Of course I buy brand new socks, underwear, jeans and shoes at a store and buy things on clearance when I find a great deal. I rarely buy anything for full price, unless it's just so cute I have to have it. But I love yard sales the best because I find name brand, practically new clothes for next to nothing.

I've also found a lot of great toys at yard sales. Most of Big Brother's Thomas the Train cars are from yard sales. His Little Tikes workbench came from one as well as his Lego table. My Mom and Dad bought Baby Jaws his Craftsman mower at a yard sale. I've bought a lot of the boys' books at yard sales; just like new and a whole lot cheaper.

Here's a picture of what I found this morning. I bought two John Deere shirts (Big Brother is obsessed), a Nike shirt, two Adidas shirts, a Fisher Price puzzle and a block train. I got it all for $3.50. I can only imagine what it all cost brand new.


Here's another great find we came upon for Baby Jaws a couple of months ago. A Little Tikes cilmber/slide for only $3. It was definitely worth that, as much fun as he has playing on it.


I just love yard sales! I don't love the crappy ones though. I leave if clothes are thrown in piles or stained or have dog hair on them. It happens more than you think. Disgusting! And if you don't have anything priced, it really irritates me and I just leave. I don't even bother looking. But when I find a good, clean, organized yard sale, I'm a happy camper. I just love them!

Marriage Quotes

My husband forwarded me these quotes on marriage he got in an email. Funny and maybe just a little true!

"You know what I did before I got married? Anything I wanted to."
-Henny Youngman

"My wife dresses to kill. She cooks the same way."
-Henny Youngman

"The best way to get most husbands to do something is to suggest that perhaps they're too old to do it."
-Ann Bancroft

"What's the difference between a boyfriend and a husband? About 30 pounds."
-Cindy Garner

"I married Miss Right. I just didn't know her first name was Always."
-Henny Youngman

"My wife and I were happy for twenty years. Then we met."
-Rodney Dangerfield

"Losing a wife can be hard. In my case, it was almost impossible."
-Henny Youngman

"I haven't spoken to my wife in 18 months-I don't like to interrupt her."
-Rodney Dangerfield

"A good wife always forgives her husband when she's wrong."
-Milton Berle

Oh Baby!

Oh my!
The equivalent of 4 Baby Jaws at the time of his birth. I cannot imagine!

What is with the baby stories today?!

And did you see this one?
Oh my times two! I really cannot imagine!

Target Trip

I was so mad at myself yesterday. You will see why later. I got all of this at Target for $7.76. My receipt says I saved $29.78. The great thing about it is, The Goonies movie alone was $7.50. (I just had to have this movie. It is my favorite movie from my childhood and every time I try to find it when it's on sale, it's always sold out. Had to have it!) So I pretty much got the rest for free.

Here's how I did it:
-The Goonies $7.50
-2 Cheerios (Big Brother's favorite) $2.50 each, but I had a Target coupon for $1 off 2 and a manufacturer coupon for $1 off 2. I only paid $1.50 for each box.
-2 Healthy Choice meals $2.04 each and had 2 $2 coupons. I only paid $.04 each.
-10 Crystal Lights (the girls love these) on clearance for $.68 each. I had 5 coupons for $2 off 2. I actually got overage on these and made $.32 on each pack for an extra $3.20 taken off my order.

I was pretty happy knowing I just paid for the movie and my overage even paid for some of the tax on it. I was happy until we walked outside and I realized I had a $5 Target gift card I got from buying toilet paper a while back. I forgot to use it! I was so mad at myself! I could have bought all of this for only $2.76 out of my pocket. You may think I'm insane for looking at it like that. I'm pretty sure my husband thinks I'm a little nutty for getting mad over saving money. I was just mad that I could have saved even more money. This is such a game to me so maybe I am a little insane.

It'll be alright though, because I'm going to watch The Goonies! I love Chunk!

Use #48 for a Happy Meal Box

"No pictures please."

Great disguise to keep the paparazzi from photographing
you on your way out of the club.

Adventures at Dollar Tree

We met my husband for lunch yesterday. As we were leaving, here is the conversation that took place: a conversation that would later cause me to suffer temporary insanity.

Him: "Are you going anywhere else?"
Me: "Why?"
Him: "I need a squirt bottle for work. Like a ketchup or mustard bottle."
Me: "They probably have some at the dollar store. Want me to check?"
Him: "If you want to."

So off we went, Big Brother, Baby Jaws and myself. While at the dollar store, our conversation continued by way of texting.

Me: They don't have any squirt bottles.
Him: No mustard or ketchup bottles at all? That sucks.
Me: Nope.
Him: Dang it.

A few minutes later, ready to pull my hair out...
Me: Big Brother just knocked over a giant display of glow in the dark fairy wands.
Him: That's funny.
Me: No, it wasn't.

A few more minutes later, holding onto my bald spot...
Me: Big Brother just let a balloon go and the air vent sucked it half way across the store. Oh, this child!

And after all that, all I ended up with was a little less hair and a toy four-wheeler made in China which, for all I know, has already been recalled because it contains lead paint or kryptonite or something else my darling, well-behaved child isn't supposed to play with. It would be my luck.

Manager of the Year

We ended up at KFC Saturday. Don't ask. It was actually pretty good. The last time I was there, years ago, it was so disgusting I swore I would never go back. But we ended up there after getting soaked at a reunion and driving through a monsoon. As we walked in, what to my wondering eyes should appear? A HUGE leak in the ceiling, as if I wasn't wet enough already. I snapped a picture with my cell phone. If you look closely, you can see the stream of water pouring from the ceiling and the puddle on the table which overflowed all over the floor. Oh wait, it gets better.


The ceiling tile, where this giant leak had sprung, was bulging down like a bloated dog tick. We were sitting two tables away from the giant leak. Yes, I picked our seats. Why not sit a few feet from a giant leak? It could be interesting. Oh, it was interesting alright. All of a sudden my husband said, "Check this out. They're gonna poke a hole in it."

I wasn't paying much attention at first, but the manager and another poor employee were plotting their next move. They came out with a pen, stood at the table and stared up at the ceiling. You could just see the hamster wheels spinning inside their brains. The manager tried to stand on the table and actually said to the employee, "I need you to spot me." I was just thinking, 'are you kidding me and I had better not get wet from this.'

The manager tried to climb onto the wobbly table, but didn't have the guts to go through with it. She said, "I'm not a big girl, but I'm not sure about this." True, she wasn't a big girl, but she was no Nicole Richie either. The manager and employee walked back to the kitchen as my husband mumbled, "Why don't you get a ladder, Ding Dong?" So just in case you're wondering, neither of us has learned to watch our mouths because Big Brother then said at the top of his lungs, "Why don't you get a ladder, Ding Dong?!" Apparently, they didn't have one.

They both came back out to the table with their trusty pen. The manager handed it to the poor employee and said, "You see that hole? Poke it in there fast."

Oh my gosh! I was afraid. Very afraid. (I wish I would have taken a picture of the ceiling tile too. If you would have seen it, you would have been very afraid too.) I was just imagining a waterfall coming down on all of us. The employee jumped up on the table, poked the pen right into the hole and water started pouring out of the ceiling even faster. I couldn't believe it myself at first, but it was actually going into the bucket. The manager and employee were so proud of themselves and went back to cooking up some secret recipe.

I just sat there amazed that I had been able to witness such an act of pure genius. I was a little leery of your bright idea at first, but I thank you for not making me become even more soaked. I commend you KFC manager and nominate you for Manager of the Year. And the entertainment value of it all was priceless.

Five Quote Friday

"Many people lose their tempers merely from seeing you keep yours."
-Frank Moore Colby

"You will become as small as your controlling desire; as great as your dominant aspiration."
-James Allen

"It is not enough to be busy; so are the ants. The question is: what are we busy about?"
-Henry David Thoreau

"The trouble with most of us is that we would rather be ruined by praise than saved by criticism."
-Norman Vincent Peale

"If you don't know where you are going, you will probably wind up somewhere else."
-David Campbell

Why I Like the UPS Guy

We get a lot of car parts shipped to us on a weekly basis since my husband needs them for the cars he restores in his business. I really like it when the parts come by UPS. Our UPS guy is so nice and friendly. He always has a smile on his face and is joking around. He is so helpful too. We have received a few very heavy parts that he carries right into the house for me. He always waits for me to answer the door to hand me the packages. Most of the time, my boys are already waiting at the door for him because even they like the UPS guy. They like seeing the big truck in our driveway too.

So the FedEx guy came to our house this morning. The first thing he did was drive past our house. He turned around, drove back, parked on the road, backed up, parked a few feet farther down the road in a spot that I would not park for fear of being hit. I guess he thinks if he doesn't park in our driveway, he can make a quicker getaway. He finally brought the part up to the door. I was watching him the whole time and I knew he'd try to make a break for it. He always does. He always gives the door this really fast knock and sprints back to his truck like a kid leaving a flaming bag of poop on an old man's porch. But today, I caught him.

As he tiptoed up to the porch and dropped off the package, I swung open the door and made him jump. He looked like a deer in headlights or a burglar that had just been caught. It was great. He sort of stammered out a "Hey" as he glanced down at the package.

I was thinking, 'Yeah, I see the package there-the package that you apparently want me to believe the FedEx fairy left because you don't seem to want to be seen by another human being unless you're inside the safety of your truck and heaven forbid you would ever have to speak to me.'

I've worked at both FedEx and UPS, not as a driver of course. I didn't even work with any packages, but I know that both companies are big on customer service for anyone working with customers-at least, they used to be. Maybe the FedEx guy missed that day of training. Maybe he's just shy, but I had fun catching him by surprise. I'm sure he'll be on the lookout for me next time he stops by.

The UPS guy just drove by our house a little while ago as we were outside playing. Big Brother was disappointed he didn't stop, but was excited that he smiled and waved at him. That's why I like the UPS guy.

Hold Me Jesus

This video is a song by Rich Mullins, my favorite singer ever. This is one of my favorite songs of his, though I love all of his songs. He's been gone for years now, but I still listen to his music constantly. I just feel like sharing it today.

There is a funeral being held this afternoon for the youth pastor at my brother and his family's church. I never met the man myself, but I can tell you from what I've seen, heard and read: he touched a lot of lives. Maybe more importantly, he touched a lot of kids' lives. This situation has even affected me and like I said, I didn't even know him.

We don't know why God does the things he does. We don't understand his timing. We don't understand his plans. God had a plan for his life, although down here, many think it was cut short. To God, it was perfect timing. I'll be praying for his family, his friends, his church and all of those kids who looked up to him as a leader. I pray they will not forget him and more importantly not forget who he lived for.

Be still, and know that I am God. Psalm 46:10

A Love Story

I was just thinking today of a conversation that I had with my husband before we were married (I am female-I remember everything for years). And I just have to share, hoping he'll catch some flack for it.

He had a couple of cars at the time; the one he drove daily and his 1985 Firebird (in pieces waiting for him to restore). I don't remember what we were even talking about, but I do remember asking him this question, "Do you love me more than your car?"

Here is a list of things he did NOT say:

-I love you more than any car money can buy.
-I love you more than life itself.
-I love you more than anyone in the world.
-I love you so much it hurts.
-I love you more with each breath I take.

When I asked him, "Do you love me more than your car?"

He answered, "Which one?"

After I unleashed my wrath upon him, I guess I forgave him because hey, he's still here. I did not however forget and probably never will. He's a sweet talker he is; one of the many reasons I love him so.

Spilled Milk

We don't cry over spilled milk around here. We play in it. I found out the hard way that leaving an empty bowl of cereal on the table while I ran into the kitchen for all of five seconds was not such a great idea. Come to find out, Baby Jaws is tall enough and quiet enough to reach it without me knowing.

Remember

Now I Know My ABC's

Big Brother announced to me yesterday that he had to poop. I told him to go for it. Just be sure to pee first so you don't sit down and spray all over the bathroom like a lawn sprinkler. That's happened too many times to count.

So a couple of minutes later, I asked if he was finished.

"Yep. I made a poop 'J'."

"A what?" I asked, wondering if I had heard him right.

"A poop 'J'," as he turned his head around and looked over his little butt into the toilet.

What a lovely sight it was. At least he knows his letters. Again, I'm so proud...I think. And the good news is we didn't have to break out the new plunger.

The Plunger

My husband brought home a new plunger yesterday. It's such a long story of how our old plunger finally bit the dust from being overused because of Big Brother. The problem is not too much toilet paper if that's what you're thinking. The problem is always too much or too big of why you need the toilet paper in the first place. We're still amazed that such a little bottom can produce such an amount.

So as I was playing with the boys in their room, my husband walked in with the new plunger and told Big Brother if it doesn't unclog his clogs, we're going to have to get him an outhouse. Then my husband put the plunger on his gut and pulled it off and actually said, "I bet that left a plunger hickey." He lifted his shirt and sure enough, he had a nice red round spot on his stomach. I was literally rolling on the floor, trying not to pee my pants because I was laughing so hard. He kept asking me what was wrong with me and I could hardly breathe. But I finally got it out, "I'm so writing about this on my blog!"

Pathetic

I'm just going to throw this out here before anyone hears it from my husband. Yesterday afternoon, I hit rock bottom.

I will be the first to admit, I'm a tad bit addicted to Facebook. I joined this past spring since all my friends were doing it; nothing like peer pressure in your 30's. I actually signed up one day and forgot about it. Then, my only friend on Facebook at the time, started writing on my wall and teasing that she was my only friend. She teased me about having no pictures. I was just a faceless person with only one friend.

It didn't take long for that to change. I posted pictures, added friends and became an addict. My husband made fun of me for being on Facebook so much. It does have it's pros and cons. I think it's awesome that I have found old friends, many I haven't seen or talked to since high school. I have a few friends on Facebook I went to school with from kindergarten until we graduated high school. Come on, that's pretty cool! I have friends on Facebook I see every week at church and I have family on Facebook. My brother and my nephew and his wife live far enough away that I don't get to see them that often. So seeing them on Facebook is great.

Just this weekend, I got to see pictures of my 'first friend's' new baby girl just a day after she was born. It's exciting to see the updates of friends' lives and to see their families now. I love seeing pictures of my great-niece, otherwise known as the cutest little girl in the world. I love reading my nieces' posts because those two are just a hoot!

So after my husband made fun of me for a week or two and signed up on Facebook himself, he too became addicted because he started playing games. At first it was the car racing game, Overdrive. He kept inviting me to play it. Finally, I gave in and became addicted to Overdrive too.

A few weeks later, he began playing Farmville. Every time I would see him planting his crops, I would make fun of him and tell him how dorky that game looked. He kept telling me to try it and I'd probably like it...so began my downfall.

I am freakin addicted to Farmville! I have this cute little farmer chick in her cute little pigtails and cute little overalls. Wish I was that cute! Oh, and she's such a great farmer. She has so many animals that she takes such good care of. She harvests her crops at just the right time. She has a tractor, a harvester, a workshop and a tool shed. Rumor has it that she has been to another farmer's tool shed on more than one occasion (just a dirty little joke my wonderful husband started).

So I'm already such a sad soul, checking on my farm when the boys are napping and after they go to sleep each night. Big Brother even likes to help me run the tractor if I check on the farm while he's around. It took me a long time to catch up to my husband and I'm now on a higher level than he is. Woo hoo! I even got into a little race (all in my head) with one of my friends. I would sign onto my Farmville, only to find she had passed me (you know who you are) and would try to plant more crops just to catch up. My husband would tell me, "It's not a race," and I would snap back, "But she passed me again!" Addicted! She has since passed me and I've given up trying to catch up.

But yesterday afternoon, I hit rock bottom. Big Brother was playing outside with Big Sisters and Daddy. Baby Jaws was taking a nap. It seemed like the perfect time for me to harvest some crops. So I tried to go to Facebook. Didn't happen. It wouldn't log on. I checked our connection, modem, router, everything. It told me to contact our internet service provider. What?! On a holiday?! Would there even be anyone there?!

My husband finally got through to a technician who told him there was a very widespread internet outage. They had no idea what had caused it, but were working on it. He told us to try to log back on in a couple of hours. I was crushed when my husband told me this and here is where I hit rock bottom. Here is where I was completely pathetic. I actually said, (yes, these words actually came out of my mouth),

"Are you kidding me? My crops are going to wither away!"

Pathetic.

PETA, Pita

With four kids, there is bound to be a misunderstanding daily at our house, usually more often than that. This weekend while the girls were over, we were talking about fish. We love fish. We love to go fishing and love eating what we catch. We love it fried, baked, grilled...just about any way you can prepare fish, we'll eat it. My oldest step-daughter, Little Miss Priss, told us she didn't like fish anymore. She used to like fish and would eat it all the time. Apparently, becoming a teenager changes a lot of things.

So my husband jokingly asked her, "You're not going to be one of those PETA people who never eat any animals are you?" to which her younger and confused sister, Little Miss Happy Go Lucky, replied, "We love pitas. Mom fixes them for us all the time."

I Love Coupons

Here's my great deal of the day I got for free: six Dove body washes originally $4 a piece. I got them today at Dollar General for free. They were all on clearance for $2 a piece and I had six $2 off coupons. The cashier was impressed that I got them all for free and another employee kept asking me if this stuff was really that good since I was buying so many. I tried to explain I was just getting this many because I had coupons for them.
I probably won't use all six, but will give some away. That's another plus to my crazy couponing. When I can get anything really cheap or free, whether it be groceries or health/beauty products, I usually always get it. Even if my family doesn't use it or even like it, I can always give it away to someone who might really need it and enjoy it.

Five Quote Friday

"I don't need a friend who changes when I change and nods when I nod; my shadow does that much better."
-Plutarch

"Children have never been very good at listening to their elders, but they have never failed to imitate them."
-James Baldwin

"Nobody really cares if you're miserable, so you might as well be happy."
-Cynthia Wells

"Don't be fooled by the calendar. There are only as many days in the year as you make use of."
-Charles Richards

"God made the world round so we would never be able to see too far down the road."
-Isak Dinesen

So Far

So far this morning, because of my second born, I have cleaned up the following:

Half a bag of goldfish crackers that he first poured out of the bag and into a bowl. We were so proud of him for hitting the bowl until he dumped it onto the floor, drove Lightning McQueen through the crunchy mess about 20 times all while scooting through it on his butt and dragging dead goldfish everywhere. Once again, I am thankful for hardwood floors.

A puddle in the bathroom. While I was blow drying my hair, Baby Jaws decided to come in and dig through the bath toys where he found a ball full of water and squeezed it all out onto the floor and scooted through it once again which made the goldfish remaining on his butt all soggy.

A poopy diaper.

A snotty, boogery nose.

Granola bar out of his hair, off the floor, off the rug, off the couch.

A pile of everyone's shoes that he tried to put on his little feet.

And I see my next clean up job. He is now sitting in and throwing a pile of groceries I had bagged up and ready to give away.

This has become my outlook on life though with two little boys: as long as no one is screaming or in danger, I really don't care what kind of mess is made.

A box of markers. While I was typing my outlook on life, Baby Jaws wondered off and was being very quiet. I found him with a box of markers dumped on the floor. Thank goodness he didn't get the lids off. I know my list is not going to end today and Baby Jaws is being very quiet again so I'm off to clean up another mess.

A bag of wood chips for the grill sitting by the back door. I don't even know how that child got to them. I can see this is going to be the day of the never ending mess.

Just My Two Cents

I received my first comment on my blog over the weekend. I was so excited! I don't know who left it though, because they did it anonymously. Apparently, they didn't like my Jabba the Butt post.

I really don't think a friend or family member left it because I think they know me well enough to realize I am joking. And a friend or family member would also know the answer to the question left in the comment. If it was left by someone I know, I hope you don't think any less of me for joking about my life. With Jabba the Butt being a part of my life, it makes putting up with her a little easier. If it was left by a stranger, I couldn't care less. If you don't want to read about my life, feel free to not visit.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have another email to reply to from a new found friend with a fortune to share with me.

Gonna Be Rich

I'm so excited! I have a new found friend, a bank manager from the Ivory Coast, who is willing to share some large sums of money that he has been taking care of for his late customer who apparently met his demise in a plane crash off the coast of Abidjan. How sad!

So this dead guy has no next of kin on the entire face of the earth and I am next in line. I told you this was exciting! My new friend is going to send me the remaining $12,500,000.00 that was left in dead guy's account. Whoa baby! I'm so excited, I'm about to pee my pants! But I have to go for now.

I need to email my new friend immediately and give him my full name, address, telephone number, fax number, cell phone number, date of birth, social security number, name of my kindergarten teacher, name of my first parakeet, shoe size, bra size, date of my last period, date I last ate cheese, a list of my top five favorite movies, date I last cut my toenails, my last three employers, date I last threw up and drivers license number.

Oh gosh! I didn't think it could get any better! I received another email and I've won a British Lottery. Crap, I'm gonna be rich!