Sunday, January 31, 2010

Miss, You've Saved Too Much Money

Last weekend I saved too much money at the grocery store and an override had to be done. It rocked. I took advantage of my Chopper Shopper card, actually cut coupons and had a raincheck for Weight Watchers Smart Ones. I usually like shopping at Aldi since I save more money there, but when I HAVE to go to Price Chopper for the better apples and oranges and some other choice stuff, I hate walking out spending $300 and needing help out with my two carts.

If I were rich, I would get my groceries delivered. Hell, I'd have all my MEALS delivered.

Do you enjoy grocery shopping, or is it a necessary evil? Do you like the thrill of the SAVE by using coupons? Should I join Sam's Club? Should I join Overeaters Anonymous?

Friday, January 29, 2010

Freaky Things We Do Re-Post

Short on time for posting this week, so here is an old post from 2008 that talks about the freaky things we do as a family. Enjoy!

Thursday, January 28, 2010

Recipe: Pumpkin Pancakes

This is a great recipe for using up any cans of pumpkin you have laying around from Thanksgiving. Or maybe you are one of those freaks who cooks from FRESH pumpkin (just kidding ... I admire you). Either way, these rock. And kids will probably dig 'em.

Pumpkin Pancakes

1 cup flour
3 T sugar
1 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
3/4 t cinnamon
1/4 t nutmeg
1 egg
1 cup plain low-fat yogurt (or sour cream)
1/4 cup canned pumpkin puree
2 T butter, melted and cooled, plus 1 T for the skillet

I'm assuming ya'll know how to cook a pancake, so this is the basic recipe for what to mix together.

Beat the egg til fluffly, then add yogurt, pumpkin and 2 T melted butter and beat well. Stir in dry ingredients and mix until combined. Cook those pancakes in a hot buttered skillet!

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Forever Changed by the NICU

I really appreciate my dad for taking this video, but I want to know when I'm going to be able to watch it without crying? How do people handle life so well and move on when their baby is in the NICU for months? My heart goes out to all of you. I took life for granted, but not so much anymore.

Monday, January 25, 2010

Hoarders

Has anyone seen this show yet? My mom taped it for me. We thought it would be interesting and funny. It’s interesting, but certainly not funny. It’s very sad.

I was on my way to becoming a hoarder once. My apartment had cat crap in the spare bedroom when I was single, I had Cosmopolitan magazines going back for years, and the list goes on and on. I had about 5 times the clothing I have now.

The more kids I had, the more of my own stuff I got rid of, and the easier it was to sort through their stuff and get rid of some of it. These days I have a small closet with my maternity AND regular wardrobe in it. I have very few books anymore.

Most of my clutter nowadays is old journal papers … thousands of them. My dream is to someday transcribe all the papers from my handwriting to computer and have a big old bonfire (after I back up all the files on an external hard drive or two, of course).

And I feel free.

I just read Candy Spelling’s book and I think she’s a total hoarder … even though she calls them “collections” and has pondered the hoarding issue. I’m interested to see what she does with all her crap when her 73,000 square feet (including the attic) of crap-holding space turns into 17,000 when she moves.

Do you or someone you know have any hoarding issues? Yeah, like you're really gonna tell ME!

Sunday, January 24, 2010

Newsflash: SAHMs Do Nothing All Day Long

I'm loving my Attachment Parenting group because they "get" me.

Recently a woman wrote about how she has 3 kids and is pregnant and her family assumes she has nothing better to do than make a last-minute trip to the airport to pick up some relatives. My reply:

"yeah, you have NOTHING going on for sure. i'll never forget when i had my ONE kid 8 years ago and i was the first in my family to nurse and to stay at home and to family bed, blah blah. one family member asked me if i was BORED yet. another family member, a teenager, asked what i do all day. i was speechless.

here's my answer: i sit on my butt and hold my baby while he naps. i stare at him. i read books. i watch tv. i've earned this time with my kid. we are bonding. he may not remember, but it's in his SOUL. and i've done the same parenting with all FIVE of my kids. this BUSY and INCONSIDERATE culture of ours is nuts. and yet I'M the crazy one for treating my kids like GOLD."

Saturday, January 23, 2010

Dr. Barbie & I Feel Sorry for Men These Days

Feminism got us all these cool rights and privileges (like being able to vote, to get paid what men get paid and to sleep around with many partners … ha!). Then Mattel goes and makes (in the year 2009, no less) Dr. Barbie.

Eva got Dr. Barbie from Santa (Mrs. Claus, actually) for Christmas and I don’t think Mrs. Claus knew what Mrs. Claus was doing. Instead of being a symbol of what girls should try to be when they grow up, here are some of Dr. Barbie’s attributes:

1. A very short outfit.

2. No undies.

3. Gladiator heels. What doctor do you know who wears heels all day long?

4. A button on her back that makes her rock these 2 babies. Isn’t that the nurse’s job? Doesn’t the doctor just do the exam and then bolt?

Do you think "President-of-a-Fortune-500-Corporation Barbie" would be dressed like this?

I feel sorry for men these days. They have to battle online porn addiction and watch young girls walk into church in short skirts and watch their mothers bend over and show their pretty little thong underwear. Now they have to try to avoid Dr. Barbie in their own home!

I miss good old Barbie of the 1950s … one-piece black and white swimsuit (strapless though it was), classy red coat (I have one of those!), practical Capri pants and pissed-off look on her face.

I won’t let my girls have Bratz dolls (we call them Slutz or Hoez) because of the way they dress, the makeup and the Restalyned lips. So how did Dr. Barbie make it into my house?

Do you have girls? Do you let them play with Barbies? Bratz dollz? Do you feel sorry for men? And yes, if you are a man reading this blog, you can feel sorry for yourself.

Oops, Dr. Barbie just got transferred to another hospital called The Thrift Store.

Friday, January 22, 2010

How Do You Get It All Done?

A cool chick on my Kansas City Attachment Parenting site was wondering how other moms get it all done. Like how do they cook, clean, find time for kids, husband, self, organize, set up appointments, blah blah blah?????

So I tried to help the best I could:

"From the homeschooling writer mama of 5:

1. don't give a sh** what others think of your house. hubby will have to deal, as well. do your best.

2. get rid of as much crap as you can. easier to keep it all clean.

3. involve the kids in cleaning up. gets easier. there comes a point when they actually listen and it's awesome!

4. make some time to do something you really wanna so you aren't so freaking bitter doing dishes and laundry for the 5,000th time.

5. even if you don't feel like it, prepare as much in advance as you can ... repack diaper bag, make and freeze double batches of food.

6. systems don't work for everyone. i've tried them all, too.

P.S. I don't have Internet access during the week, so my need to check email every 5 seconds is thwarted, dammit.

Thursday, January 21, 2010

Junior Horsey Rides


I swear this one was Aron's idea; I just took the picture. Eva doesn't like to wear a shirt around the house anymore, by the way. She does, however, like to give horsey rides to her baby brother. You can never start those too early!

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Yes, I Do Have Other Kids Besides Sam

Eva (aka Plumpie) pursuing her new pastime: looking at scrapbooks from back when I had time to scrapbook


Joel is a huge help, holding Sam for me so I can do miscellaneous chores (like eating bon bons in the bubble bath and running out for smokes ... ha ha)


Sorry for the sideways Callie (all made up) with her baby brother


Michael with his prized Glo-Doodle, Aron pontificating in the background


I hope you've enjoyed this edition of "Yes, I Do Have Other Kids Besides Sam".

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Christmas Eve Crack

I love going to church only to see a mom bend down to get into her diaper bag so I can see half of her thong hanging out of her low-rise jeans.

Who invented low-rise jeans, anyway?

If your thong isn’t hanging out, your muffin top is. There aren’t a lot of people who should be wearing them. Not most moms. Not little girls. Not fat chicks. Definitely not me.

I’m going to invent some jeans that go up under my boobs so nobody sees my undies.

Monday, January 18, 2010

Moral and Monetary Bankruptcy

I heard this commercial where they said something like:

"You have the RIGHT to settle your credit card debt for a fraction of what you owe."

I know this has been going on for a long time. But it’s starting to piss me off.

Why do you have the RIGHT to charge stuff, use it and then NOT pay for some of it?

Isn’t this teaching our kids to go ahead and do whatever they want and ask forgiveness later?

It’s like how I was brought up to see Catholics: they do whatever they want and then go to Confession later. Now that I’m a Catholic, I’m certainly not like that and don’t know many who are. I don’t kiss other guys, thinking, “I can just confess this later at church and to Aron and it’ll be okay.”

So why can I buy all the shoes I want and all the chocolate and crap and then NOT pay for all of it?

Sounds similar to bankruptcy to me. MORAL bankruptcy.

*Edited to add: I guess when I posted this I had severe baby brain and now realize that some people might not, for instance, have health insurance for whatever reason, and get debt that way. School me on this one, people!

Sunday, January 17, 2010

Poor Sam


Today is Sam's Baptism and celebration at our house. Wanted to share this photo of him as a Spam Samwich on bread. You gotta feel sorry for the poor kid with parents like us. Who takes a picture of their kid between bread? You have to love the wary face he's making. It will come in handy in his case for Emancipation in about 12 years.

Don't worry, tomorrow I'll give Sam a rest and will write about something else!

Saturday, January 16, 2010

Babies in Longjohns


This is Sam on Christmas Eve asleep on the chair for a few minutes. Don't you dig the longjohns?

Friday, January 15, 2010

3-Month-Old Babies


As you can see, Samuel is doing quite well at just over 3 months of age. He has this congestion problem thingie that keeps me up at night a lot sleeping upright and squirting saline nasal spray up his schnoz, but he's growing, sleeping and eating well, so I let it go. In this pic he's on my dad's lap (shirt says The Beatles) with his Chatter Elmo, an excellent toy that can be turned off.

I thank God daily for the NICU care he received and that he was born so quickly.

We love you, Sammy-san, my little bald boyfriend and man of a thousand nicknames.

Below, with my cousin

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Cabin Fever with Kids

School was out around these parts for 3 days last week due to tons of snow and ridiculously low temps. Even though I homeschool, it affects my life. For one thing, we get to watch the neighbor girl, which is always fun. They all play together well, so I generally make it a very low-homeschool day so they can just mess around. They get a quasi-snow day at my house. One day I had 7, then 9 kids at my house. YIKES!

So you could tell it was a boring situation when my husband says, "Who wants to flush the new toilet?"

And all the kids excitedly ran up to the bathroom like it was a ride at Disneyland ... or the Hershey Park.

Monday, January 11, 2010

Nintendo DS for Kids? That's a Bunch of D.S.!

Can I just ask you some questions?

Would you give a 6-year-old a $100 bill to take care of for years?

Do you even let your 6-year-old cross the street alone?

Then why do you buy a little hand-held video game system called a DS (I can't figure out what the hell that stands for) and let them take it everywhere they go?

You know they'll drop it on the concrete.

You know they'll leave it at a friend's house.

You know my Eva will get ahold of it and try to eat it or otherwise ruin it somehow.

You know kids don't have a ton of sense til they're like 25.

So why do you do it? I'm genuinely curious. And love to rile you up!

Saturday, January 9, 2010

Video Games

Hear me out.

I hate video games and I figured out why. It's because my first husband played them constantly. He once wore out a Nintendo player, bought a new one, then put the old one in the box and RETURNED IT and they actually gave him his money back. He was a real jerk, a great scam artist.

So we don't have the games here. I'm lucky to have a TV with the way my husband is. We don't want our kids going stupid or getting thumb arthritis.

But I have to tell you I have Chuzzle and Diner Dash on my computer and I LOVE THEM. They are my stress relief: matching colored puff balls and playing a waitress. The kids play Chuzzle sometimes, but usually I am mean and make them play with each other or read or something instead.

Got a favorite video game?

Thursday, January 7, 2010

Flabby Body as Shell

For those of you who believe the human body is merely a shell to hold our souls: I absolutely agree with you!

However, the back part of shell hurts more lately because of the boobie and belly and back fat roll weight it has to support. And my shell moves more slowly, which is bad when I have kids to save and I need cat-like reflexes. And my shell doesn't need diabetes or further heart issues. My man loves my shell like it is, but I want my shell healthier.

I don't expect my shell, at age 38, to be bikini-ready by June. I'm cool with stretch marks, saggy boobs and cellulite.

But if I don't lose this weight now, menopause will soon slow my metabolism down so freaking fast that I won't have a chance of being even merely comfortable in the years to come. And what if, God forbid, I get pregnant again? What I weigh today is what I should weigh NINE MONTHS PREGNANT. I can't imagine packing on another 25 pounds to this frame as-is.

And yes, I plan to bore the living crap out of you about weight loss. I started at 159, by the way, and am not afraid to share that. I am 5 feet and 2 inches tall. And I am going to lose this weight ... the goal is 129, in case you are interested. And I'm going to do it without Weight Watchers. Or Jenny Craig. Just me counting calories and attempting to move my butt. Do you think I can exercise and breastfeed at the same time? I'm gonna try, dammit.

Help me out here ... share with me your body issues so I know I'm not alone! And please don't tell me I look good for having 5 kids or that I'm still nursing and shouldn't try to drop the weight. I'll sit on you, and you know I will.

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Journaling for Weight Loss

I'm telling you, journaling works. If not for journaling, I would've killed many a person over the years. And if not for journaling my weight loss (yep, I have a special spiral notebook just for weight loss ramblings), I would bore my friends and family nonstop about my food obsessions. Also, it holds me accountable.

Where do I find the time to journal, you ask? Well, I try to do it whenever I sit down to nurse and hold a sleeping baby on my lap. Hopefully by the time Baby Sam is old enough to stop napping I'll not need to journal anymore because hopefully I'll have my food issues under control.

Sunday, January 3, 2010

Breastfeeding and Weight Loss Myth

Why is it that I can eat what I want when pregnant and only gain 25 pounds each time, yet when I'm nursing I eat twice that amount and start packing it on even faster? I weight 12 pounds more today than I did at 13 weeks pregnant with my latest son.

I'm RAVENOUS when I'm nursing. That's why weight loss is so dang hard this time around. You know how you are buring like 500 calories while nursing? Well, I EAT those extra 500 calories, twice over. And I do it after giving birth because I'm stressed out. Taking care of a baby takes everything you have. It's completely physical. I didn't gain much when I only had 1 kid to take care of because I could pour myself entirely into him.

But with each kid I had starting with Joel, I gained an extra 5 pounds, for a total of 25 (okay, it's actually 30) pounds. That really adds up on a 5'2" frame.

My pal over at Meet Virginia is having the same struggle after the birth of multiple children. It's good to have support, and that's what ya'll are to me. My dad and his wife just lost a lot of weight ... I'm hoping to follow in his healthy footsteps.

Friday, January 1, 2010

New Year's Resolutions 2013

Happy New Year! Yes, I'm gonna try to drop some pounds this year ... only I started last Sunday instead of today. It's getting bad when your back rolls have rolls of their own. I don't have the time or money to join Weight Watchers again, but I do know how the program works, so I'm going with that. Instead of trying to count the points of every freaking food I put in my mouth, which I certainly don't have the time to do these days, I'm going to end this sentence because it's a run-on.

So I had Aron buy me a bunch of WW Smart Ones so I know the amount of points each has. I also have a bunch of yogurts for breakfast that I know the points of. I know the points of apples and veggies and milk. And I plan to hit the site of a WW meeting so I can buy some of their chocolate snacks with the points written on them. That way all I have to do is write points down somewhere each day and keep track and not go over 30 (the points a nursing mom gets to eat in one day, plus she gets an extra 30 for the entire week if she wants to use them ).

I also need to journal about what's going on because I'm practically a food addict. I wish Dr. Drew had a Food Rehab to go with his Drug Rehab and Sex Rehab.

Don't worry, I'll probably keep you annoyingly abreast of my weight loss fun. Hoping to not turn into one of those annoying Food Nazis. Friends and family, please don't bring me sugary stuff!

My biggest challenges: Dr. Pepper, Coke, anything chocolate, Quarter Pounders with Cheese