Ga-ro-dee

You very well may throw up in your mouth after reading this.  Just know there is a caution attached to this post.  So CAUTION...Grody picture ahead...GA-RO-DEE!

The picture is completely out of focus, but you get the point.  This is what was swept up after lunch at my house.  In fact, this picture reflects any given day after any give meal.  You could feed a small country with the daily leftovers on the floor.  For this reason alone, I will never have an area rug under my table.  Ever.  Never ever.  Well, not until I've taught these children how to eat like children and not like wolves.  So basically, I will purchase a fancy area rug to go along with that white couch when the kids go off to college.  Then again, their father will still live at home.  Scratch the white couch...and fancy area rug.  It's a hopeless cause.

A Few Minutes

We are getting ready to embark on a loooonnnnngggg car ride together as a family.  We've done it once before when Little Miss was 7 months old.  It went well, but it's such a loooooonnnnnngggg time in the car.  I mean loooonnnnnngggg.  I'm trying to keep my mind off how long the car ride will be so I decided to plan our spending while we're in Chicago.  We've saved for a few months so we're able to take the kids to The Field Museum and Children's Museum at Navy Pier, but you all know I love to save $$$.

With a few minutes time, I checked free admission days to both museums.  Too bad they aren't for the days we'll be there, but I did find a coupon for the Children's Museum and a discount for teachers at the Field Museum.  Technically, I'm still under contract with the former school system I worked for so I still have a current teacher badge. 

Then I planned where we were going to eat while in Chi-Town.  Since Chicago is a HUGE city, they have a plethora of restaurants that put out printable coupons.  A quick search at Retail Me Not helped me print out quite a few choices for the Lakeshore Drive area. 

We also have some 'regular' stops we make on the drive.  All of them artery clogging establishments.  I'll pay for it later, but we can't break tradition.  Going directly to the websites of our 'regular' places led me to even more coupons.  I now have my envelope of cash and an envelope of coupons to take on the road with us.  I'm hoping to come back with some leftover cash to stash in savings.  We'll see!!!

If you're making a trip over the Holidays, you don't have to spend an arm and a leg doing the fun stuff or eating out.  A few minutes preparing for your trip can allow you to save quite a bit.

Where Did We Go Wrong???

We want our kids to appreciate what they have been given.  I think everyone does.  So when you continually hear your four year old say, "I wanna get that sometime," you start to wonder where you went wrong.  It's not wrong for him to ask for things he wants.  We want him to ask, but we don't want him to ask about everything in sight, and then pout when he doesn't get what he wants.  So I decided we should focus on buying something for a child who is not as privileged as Little Man. 

With Christmas around the corner Samaritan's Purse has already started Operation Christmas Child.  I thought this would be perfect for Little Man to get involved in giving to others.  At first, I thought it was a lost cause.  Shopping at the store, he started wandering down the boy aisle searching for the toys he wanted.   Frustrating.  He whined that he didn't want to buy toys for a little girl his age.  Frustrating.  How in the world did I raise and ungrateful child???  I kept on.  Asking Little Man what he wanted to purchase for our Christmas Child.  Eventually, he decided on art supplies.  A sharp left onto art supply aisle.  Yes!  He's starting to get it.  That's when Little Miss started up.  She noticed the little Cinderella figurine in the cart.  "Rella, Rella.  I want Rella."  I couldn't catch a break!  Frustrating. 

Standing in line to pay for the items, both the kids had settled down and I look over to Little Man who is touching the items on the belt.  He looks at me and says, "I think she's really gonna like this Mommy.  I think she's gonna like it 'cause I like it."  I almost cried.  He got it.  Then I glanced over at Little Miss.  She was picking her nose.  She didn't get it.  One out of two's not bad.  I'll take what I can get.

Later on in the evening, we wrapped the box and packed it full.  Both Little Miss and Little Man were making a gigantic mess out of the wrapping paper and tape helpers.  The wrapping job could have gone a lot faster had I done it after they'd gone to bed, but I wanted them to be apart of the whole process.  I want them to know that giving is one of the best feelings they will experience in their life.  So tomorrow we will head off to a drop off location and send our package on its way to a precious child somewhere in this world. 

{Showing off their purchase}

 

{The final package}

If you are interested in participating in Operation Christmas Child, it's not too late.  This week is the week to drop off your box at the designated locations. If you don't have time to get the goodies, you can always donate $7 or more to help pay for the shipping costs of all these boxes.

Menu Monday

It's officially the week before Thanksgiving, and we will begin our 600 mile journey to visit family on Saturday.  Early Saturday.  Steven has decided we need to be on the road at 3:00am.  I think he forgot we have two young kids...and that I enjoy sleep.  Actually, I need sleep.  He may regret taking me on this Thanksgiving journey.  That or decide to depart from Chicago at a normal time.  We will see.  Until then, here's the menu for this week...

Monday-Grilled Lemon Pepper Chicken, Pepperoni Pasta Salad, and Cheesy Biscuits
Tuesday-Chicken Club Salad with Honey Bread
Wednesday-Minestrone Soup, Italian Cheesy Bread, and Olive Garden Style Salad
Thursday-Chicken with Garlic and Tomatoes, Green Bean Casserole , and The Bread
Friday-Leftovers...I'll be too busy packing the family and going to bed at 4pm for that early rise Saturday morning.  I'm sure you'll think about me as you sleep in on Saturday morning.  All snug in your bed while I'm roughing it with the traveling version of Hitler in the car.  Go ahead, say a prayer for me.

Randomness

Because I have absolutely nothing to write about pertaining to one particular subject, you will receive a bunch of random things floating around in my head this morning.  Read at your own risk.  You very well may be stupider after reading this.  Not just stupider, but more stupider.

1. Using 'stupider' is actually bugging me.  It's not correct grammar.
2. I sure hope my former students would be able to recognize it's wrong.
3. My former students are off school today.  I know because they have a lot of posts of facebook today.  I think some of them forget they have their teacher as a friend because the use of the "F" bomb is astronomical.
4. I told those stinkers that using cuss words show a lack of vocabulary.  I guess they got stupider.
5. My left thumb hurts something fierce.
6. A very large 10 year old...and when I say large, I mean out weighing me by 50 lbs...slaughtered it at gymnastics last night.
7. Note to self...move hand before gigantic legs curl up in a back handspring thus smashing the thumb.
8. That could be the very reason why I've asked her to keep her legs STRAIGHT.
9. I think she gets it now.
10. I HOPE she gets it now.
11. I can see the dust on my furniture. 
12. It's disgusting.
13. I need to dust, but I am instead making a random list.
14. I also have unmade beds and laundry awaiting me.  Yuck.
15. Honestly, I have a toothbrush that is awaiting me as well.  Good thing you can't smell through a computer.
16. Little Man and Little Miss are coloring with markers.
17. Little Miss just got purple marker on her thumb.  She hates that she's messy.
18. She is now done.
19. I'm afraid I've passed on a very disastrous gene. 
20. So disastrous, I going to stop my random list.  If I don't, I'll have to continue to #25 or #30 because I must stop on a number ending in 5 or 0.  I told you it was a disastrous gene.

The Most Prized Jars

When we moved from our little house to our big house it was like Christmas.  Since our little house was approximately 1200 sq ft, we had little room for extras.  Simply put, our attic was crammed with items given to us when we were married that could not be squeezed into the house.  Most of the items were for the kitchen that my Grandma had passed down to me.  When we moved into our new house and I opened the boxes that had been stored for 7 years, I cried.  Not really, but I was excited.  Inside one of the boxes was a group of original Mason Jars.  I had not a clue they were tucked away all those years. If I had, I certainly would have found a space for them in the old house.  Granted it would have probably been in the living room since the kitchen was busting at the seams, but STILL...

Anyway, I have since cleaned them out and filled them with my baking staples.  It makes baking all the more sweet to open my pantry, reach in, and pull out a Mason Jar with the patent date of 1858.  Love it.  Absolutely love it.  And since I love it, you'll love it too...or...at least indulge me in my craziness.  Yes, that's probably what you'll do.  I'm quite certain there is no one else who would 'share' about their Mason Jars, but if you did I would come rejoice with you.  Totally.

The Party and the Day

It's been hard.  Having a four year old and all.  Not hard because of him, but hard that he's getting older.  Do you people realize he starts school in August?  AUGUST!  That's only nine months away.  I can't even fathom the thought of spending 1/2 a day away from him, and that's exactly what's going to happen.  I do not like this gettign older stuff.  Not one bit.  I guess for now we'll just enjoy our time together and forget about the future.  The future that will not include me for his every waking moment.

Saturday was Little Man's actual birthday and we had his actual party on that day too.  He pretty much had a four year old fun filled day.  Little Man woke up to his presents.  Bed head and all.  Have I mentioned that I love this guy?  I do.  I love him to pieces.

After he had some time to dig into that Play-Doh, we loaded up an headed to an old donut shop on our local Main St. The entire family definitely ate their fill of donuts.  Definitely.  Then we went to a children's museum in a neighboring city.  It wasn't as clean as I would have liked, but the kids had a blast.  I had a blast with the hand sanitizer afterwards.  If that wasn't enough, we still had an evening party.  Here's a glimpse of the party...

He had a great day, and Steven and I would like to thank those of you who were able to come to Little Man's party.  You helped make his day all the more special!