Frugality Tip: Save Money on Groceries and Food

I used to have a problem with fast food. More like an addiction. I craved it and when I would get a writing paycheck in the mail I would cash it and spend it on fast food or ice cream or something else food-ish.

Something happened recently that I can't quite explain.

I stopped craving it. I also stopped taking second helpings of every meal at home. I can't tell you the last time I bought myself a fancy coffee. I make coffee at home when I am dying for it and keep a $2.50 bag of M&Ms in my diaper bag for my sweets cravings. That bag lasts me about a week, then I get another.

I lost weight and saved money for LegoLand. I have to give some credit to Geneen Roth and Bethenny Frankel Hoppy ... they say don't deprive yourself, but don't pig food in when you are faced with something you love. Have that chili cheese dog, but only eat half of it now. You will not starve. There will always be more food.

What are your tips for eating less and eating out less?

Frugality Tip: Sell Your Old Junk

Usually I just donate our old stuff since it’s the easiest route, but lately we’re trying to make money for our dream goal of going to LegoLand in California someday, so we are saving every cent we can. Here’s the order of events in getting rid of stuff:

Garage sale. Oh, how I hate having a garage sale, but my kids love it, so I reluctantly do it about once a year. For one thing, we are not early birds. We never end up making money, but this year I decided to advertise it for free on Craigslist and put in the ad that we were only open from 10-4. We made $45, which is like half a ticket to LegoLand.
Consignment shop. We have a kid consignment store down the road, so I took all the toys that did not sell at the garage sale (they’re too picky about clothes) and tried to sell them there. I made another $14.

Craigslist. I put an ad on Craigslist advertising a “lot” of toys for one low price. Perfect for a daycare or a new grandma trying to stock up her house. I put special stuff in their own ad (Littlest Pet Shop, Thomas trains, my husbands tools). We were able to quickly unload a tool of my husband's for $15. (I never have buyers come to my home unless my husband is home because I'm a big scaredy cat).

Thrift stores. After about a week, what was left went in the back of my van and to the local thrift store.

Your challenge: to sell some old junk and not spend the money on fast food. Put the money away ... like in a savings account!

Games to Play with Baked Lays on Mother's Day: Go Chip

This here is what you'd call a "break" from Frugality Month. I'm not loving the theme months, but I'm committed (or should be ... ha!), but I can take a break on the even days if I wanna.

On Mother's Day Michael and I were on the deck eating Baked Lays. All of a sudden he put them in his hand all fanned out like they were cards. He said, "Let's play Go Chip."

I didn't miss a beat and put my own chips in my hand and made a discard pile of chips. We started playing, like this:

Michael, "Do you have a .... [pause] chip?"

Me, "No. Go chip." Then he picked from the discard pile. Then I asked, "Do you have a ... chip?"

Michael, "Yes." Then he gives me two chips that are close together in his hand. I eat one and add one to my hand.

We continued on like this for a few minutes until our chips were eaten.

Then I started laughing my butt off at the absurdity that is us! We have a lot of fun around here!

Frugality Tip: Use the Library

You Know You Have a Good Book When …

I love the library. So I sometimes have to wait months to get my hands on the latest bestseller. It’s free!

I used to overuse my PayPal account to buy used books on ebay (imagine if Amazon and Half.com took PayPal!!!). Then I realized I was getting books, reading them and then never looking at them again. So I’d sell them for a fraction of what I paid or just give them away. I know, some people save every book they’ve ever read, and I used to do that. Then I took a look around my 1,327 square foot home and saw the space our homeschooling stuff took up and realized I just can’t save books unless I’m using them for something.

You know you have a good book when …

… you want to stay up late reading it.

… you lock yourself in the bathroom pretending to be having bowel issues.

… you read instead of watching The Real Housewives (or your favorite show).

… you get excited to get back home to dive into it.

… you find your mind wandering in social situations because you’d much rather be with your book friends.

I'm so excited about adding Amazon to my blog ... you can now purchase books directly from this site. Sometimes you check out a book from the library and just HAVE to own it. Or sometimes you hear the title and HAVE to own it (like how I just had to have The Sane Woman's Guide to Raising a Large Family, and my friend bought it immediately, as well!).

Frugality Tip: Stop Spending Money on Unnecessaries

Say “no” to every telemarketer who calls, even if they talk about childhood cancer. I like to turn it into sport, like when they call about me paying for life insurance or funeral costs for firefighters and cops. I feel a little bad, but I have to ask, "Um, my husband pays for OUR life insurance, so why aren't THEY paying for their OWN life insurance?" or "How come my tax dollars aren't going to the vets instead of you calling ME personally and asking me for money, 1/2 of which is going into the pocket of your CEO?" The telemarketer gets all flustered and doesn't know what to say, and that's the end of that.

Buy ONE box of Girl Scout cookies every year, not 10.

Spend less at Christmas (we don’t go crazy AT ALL, but I noticed last year the kids were tired of opening presents after about the 4th of 9 … so this year how about 5 gifts per kid and head to Craigslist!)

Spend less on gifts for the endless birthday parties we attend (working on an article on this; remind me to link to it once it’s out)

Check Dave Ramsey’s site and contact an insurance Endorsed Local Provider to see if we can get a better rate on our car and home insurance. Cancel full coverage on our trashed-out minivan, which will save about $30 per month.

If I can’t afford a $5 coffee, then I can’t get it until the next writing check or payday, no matter how badly I may want or need it. I’ll just make coffee at home or else buy a $1 iced tea at McDonald’s or take a B12 with a bunch of water.

Share your ideas with me!

25 Ways to Make Some Extra Money

f you can’t cut your expenses, here are some ways to make extra money as a stay-at-home mom who doesn’t want to put her kids in daycare (I’ve starred the ones I’ve personally done) ... oh, and don't forget your husband can also do some of this stuff if he's only working part-time or something like that:

*Mystery shopping

*Market research

*Babysitting at home

*Babysitting at churches
 Babysitting at health clubs (free membership included usually!)

*Freelance writing (magazines, but also sales letters and marketing manuals, as well as ebooks (GetPublishedParentingMags.com)

*Blogging

*Magazine delivery to businesses

Newspaper delivery

Mowing lawns (good exercise, Mama!)

Dog walking or sitting

House sitting

Anything you were good at in your previous work life that you can turn into money at home (legal advice, PR services, proofreading, doing taxes … sky’s the limit!)

*Sell some crap (books at Half Price Books, garage sale, Craigslist, consignment shops)

I wrote an article once called Moms Making Money and researched some obscure ways to make money at home, which include*:

Audio-to-Text Transcriber (www.TigerFish.com; www.ProductionTranscripts.com)

Direct Seller (www.TiensNA.com for health and wellness products; www.TheTravelingVineyard.com for fine wine)

E-Juror (www.eJury.com; www.TrialPractice.com)

Online User Guide (www.about.com; www.chacha.com; www.JustAnswer.com)

Online Tutor (www.tutor.com)

Professional Blogger (www.BlogHer.com; http://www.blogsvertise.com/)

Sales Call Verifier (http://www.voicelog.com/)

Telemarketer (www.Intrep.com; www.Telereach.com; http://www.west.com/)

Virtual Assistant (www.TeamDoubleClick.com; http://www.virtualassistantjobs.com/)

Virtual Customer Service Agent (www.AlpineAccess.com; http://www.workingsol.com/)

Virtual Publicist (www.OrcaCommunications.com; http://www.wasabipublicity.com/)

*Tory Johnson’s Work-from-Home Tips www.abcnews.go.com/gma/takecontrolofyourlife/story?id=2621388&page=1 (except for Professional Blogger sites)

Have files of article reprints that you own but have no clue where to start reselling them? Have ideas for some fantastic new pieces but no idea who might want them? Check out my 386-page PDF of tips, tricks, and insider information, as well as 384 paying parenting and family markets for only $9.99! Just head to this page to download How to Get Published (and Paid!) Writing About Your Kids and get started immediately!

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Frugality Tip: Save on Baby Gear

Lookie! It's a playpen!

When I was pregnant with my first child 10 years ago, we went all out on baby gear. Thankfully, most of it was gifted to us, and much of it has lasted through 5 kids, but there are some things we really could have saved a lot of money on:

1. High chair. Instead of having my dad get us a new $100 high chair, we could have hunted garage sales, thrift stores and craigslist.com and saved up to 75%. Then Dad could have spent the money he saved on a huge chocolate stash for his favorite (only) daughter.
2. Stationary walker. Ditto from above, except insert "my mom".
3. Stroller. Ditto from above, except insert "me" spending $110 on a double stroller. Should've saved the leftover money for nursing bras because those dang things are exPENsive!
4. Car seat. Our first kid's carseat came FREE from the hospital because by law they can't send a baby home NOT in a carseat. I found that out and didn't take one with me, so we got one for free. It was cheesy with no handle and pleather, but it got us around for a while til someone gave us a used one. Yes, I am aware that you aren't supposed to use used carseats, but some truly broke people have no choice but to trust that a seat hasn't been in an accident (and even if it has, they have to take their chances that THEY won't get in an accident, and so on).
5. Cloth diapers. Sounds gross, but you can buy them used and just bleach the heck outta them.
6. Clothing. Garage sales and kid consignment shops save you a ton of cash on baby clothes. Also, taking any handouts from people who have older children is a huge budget saver!
7. A changing table. I've never owned one of these. I prefer to change diapers on the floor or on a bed, where I am FACING my baby and am not at a weird angle to him/her while trying to keep him/her from falling off a high surface!

I'm sure I'll come up with 50 more things I could've bought used. In the meantime, give me YOUR ideas!

Frugal Tip: Cheap or Free Haircuts

Welcome to the kickoff of Frugality Month at The Kerrie Show. By the end of this month you should pretty much figure out that I'm so tight I squeak when I walk. The reason for this is that I do not like to feel out of control as far as money goes. I like to have zero debt and money saved. I do know how to enjoy myself and how to treat my family to some fun, though. Read on ...

Callie after Paul Mitchell cut



Joel is happy to get his Mommy-cut

Why not let the 3-year-old try hair-cutting?

Better yet, let the 1-year-old give it a shot!

We love to do at-home haircuts. We spent about $20 10 years ago on a clipper set and have saved hundreds of dollars. I cut my husband's hair, as well as my two sons' hair. Sam will be next! I do bang trims on myself and my girls. Callie has only had 2 real haircuts in her life, both at Paul Mitchell school for $10 each (sounds expensive!). I get my hair layered MAYBE twice a year at the rate of $13 per cut. No coloring needed for me yet, thankfully (heck, I'll just do it at home out of a bottle anyway!).

Don't forget that lots of places will give you a FREE haircut if you have a bunch of hair to chop off and donate to Locks of Love. I've done this THREE times (not for the free cut but because my hair grows fast and I want to help someone out). Start by contacting Great Clips for this, but some high-end salons will also do this for kid, women and men.

No photo of me to share this time around, folks, because I asked for a shaggy, messy haircut and now look a lot like Jon Bon Jovi's long-lost sister. I'm trying to rock my new style, and thankin' God at the same time that my hair grows 1/2 inch a month. Whew.

It’s no secret that I like to save money on some things so I can spend them on others. That’s why I was THRILLED when we got an electric hair cutting thingie about 8 years ago. Aron guided me through cutting his hair, and it looked pretty good.

In the years since having 2 boys, the hair cutting thing has paid for itself over and over and we’ve saved probably close to $1,000* on haircuts. Pair that with nursing and cloth diapering, and I’ve saved this family thousands of dollars (yes, I’m proud of it). I know someone who has formula-fed and disposable diapered TEN – count ‘em – TEN children. They could own an island by now had they been more awesome like yours truly.

So the thing about giving a haircut is this:

You always have to say, “Oops!” at some point in the haircut. This gets my husband every time. Sometimes it’s a true Oops, but usually I’m just messing with him.

*I estimate I’ve cut Aron’s hair 40 times, Joel’s 20 and Michael’s 12. Let’s say a haircut is 10 bucks even, including tip (I’m probably being cheap, too). That totals $720, and I don’t plan on stopping anytime soon.

Update as of November 5, 2018 ... I grew out my bangs, which I had been cutting myself anyway, and started cutting all my hair. I toss it up in a ponytail, bend over, and cut away. I end up with a lovely shag that I could never get even when I was begging and explaining and showing pictures and paying $50 ... and I do it myself in about 2 minutes and it's FREE. Do you know how good that feels?!

Naked Toolbench Baby

Sam is such a character. He loves to be naked and he loves his tools. This is the toolbench Santa brought him last Christmas. It sits right next to my writing desk. I love to watch him play, and he always makes me laugh.

The Bucket Kid from Parenthood

Remember that movie Parenthood? Remember that kid who liked to put a bucket on his head and ram into things? That was Eva one day, and I had to get a photo. Parenthood is truly like a roller coaster. This is what I love about having a big family ... life is always fun and challenging and rewarding and crazy and chaotic. I don't think it's for everyone, but it definitely works for us.

Frugality Tip: Do It Yourself

Generally we play it safe around our house because we aren't sure if we'll be moving someday. We love our house but live on a busy corner. So our other rooms are pale green, pale brown, etc. We did get crazy with "the baby's" room in 2001 and made it shocking lime green with a beach mural on one wall painted by my husband. Then the girls' room is a cool turquoise and purple. Anyway, we went nutty and chose the color POINSETTIA for our upstairs hallway. I highly recommend it, even at 3 coats.

We save a lot of money by doing our own house projects. Don't forget May is Frugality Month ... coming up!

We Love Jordan

One night I went to a baby shower. Eva got sleepy early, so Jordan held her while she fell asleep.

Jordan loves Sam in onesies and convinced me to buy him a few at $1.50 each at a used kid clothes store. This one is like a nametag that says his name is Mr. Adorable.

Jordan always has fun with the kids, and we love her so much! Sam likes her piggyback rides!

Matchy Matchy

Eva, me and Callie, with Sam's head poking out.

Callie and Mommy ... lately she wants to try to dress like me.

Kids and Toy Guns Yes or No?

Sammy is all boy, that's for sure. He loves stealing his brother's Nerf gun. My husband (who has 3 brothers) wasn't allowed to play with guns when he was growing up. He just used sticks instead. What do you think about kids and toy guns? And if you love this picture, you'll really dig this guest post by Sam himself, around age 2.

Dino Bowling

Michael strikes again (get it?!) ... dino bowling.

I Hate Clothes Shopping

I know, my son tells me most girls like to shop. I, however, would rather get a root canal or clean the bathroom toilet with my own toothbrush. And then brush my teeth with it.

When I grocery shop, I know I will come out of the store with what I went in for. Same at the homeschool store.

Clothes shopping is not a sure thing. First you have to find something you like. Then you have to find it in a size that fits. Spending quality time in a dressing room is not my idea of fun. Wait, there’s a step for me that comes BEFORE first. That step is called: Secure a person at home to watch the other kids while you go shopping for the kid in question or for yourself.

Don’t get me started on bathing suit shopping, which is something I need to do since I’m not pregnant this year and won’t need a nursing suit because I’m hoping Sam can get through a couple of hours at the pool without nursing. Or maybe I should look at tankinis? Flowy ones. Maybe I’ll hunt down a maternity nursing suit. What a mess.

My dream closet at this point in my life would consist of 7 T-shirts in the same size in different colors that show off my waist and minimize my tummy and chest. Then throw in 7 of those in long-sleeved, plus some jeans and shorts and you’ve got a deal.

Thank you Jesus for hand-me-downs (clothes, shoes, bathing suits for the kids plus all the clothes for me personally) from my friends. Without them my husband would not have a boat, for sure. So if you’ve ever given us your kids’ old clothes, you may call my husband for a ride in his fishing boat.

Starbuck’s Via Instant Coffee

I’m not normally a fan of instant coffee, but a friend who works at Starbuck’s gave me some of the “markout” (meaning past or almost past the expiration date; Starbuck’s are sticklers for freshness) Via instant coffee packets. My friend cringed when I told her how I make my Via because apparently microwaving kills something in the milk and I should STEAM it (yeah, right), but here’s my “recipe” anyway:

Pour 1 cup milk and 1 cup water into a 2 cup container.

Microwave until smokin’ hot (which is like 3 minutes on my microwave since it’s literally from 1990).

Pour Via packet into milk/water mixture and stir.

Add cream and sugar to taste (for me, it’s about a cup of sugar and 19 tablespoons of powdered creamer) and stir.

Pour into a coffee mug and enjoy. Nuke the rest later and pour it into your mug, as well.

*This recipe is for coffee lightweights like myself who have never had a cup of black coffee.

Undie Hats

Poor Sam. He is Child #5. And as such he has to wear Hannah Montana underwear on his head like a little French beret. And then he is made to say "Cheese" or fromage or queso or whatever. Such a good sport.

I Don’t Own a Crib

Don’t freak out on me here. Stay with me. Hear me out.

The year was 2000, and my boss gave me a sweet bonus for Christmas. Seeing as how I was a whopping 2 months pregnant, I knew it was time to go baby shopping. But what to get? There was so much out there. I decided on a $100 double stroller which I still have (duct taped on the storage basket underneath, of course, because that’s just how I roll … cheap) and a crib.

I got a $400 crib and a $100 mattress. My kid would have to have the best, hardest, safest mattress and the prettiest crib. Dark wood with a storage drawer underneath.

Fast forward to our first night with a new baby at home. We tried, like normal people, to lay him in the crib once I nursed him to sleep. Lucky for me, I got me a husband who could not stand to hear our baby cry, and not just because he wanted some sleep. I nursed baby Joel in bed and we fell asleep and never looked back.

After that, the crib was kept for sentimental purposes and because we were maybe hoping to have a baby who would at least NAP in the darn thing, but crazy me always wanted to hold my babies for naps, so the crib sat all lonely.

When I was pregnant with my third, I tried to sell the crib. A first-time preggie came by with her husband wondering why I was selling it and I told her we sleep with our kids and they looked at me like I told her I’m a polygamist. They did not buy the crib.

A family friend ended up trading us the crib for a cool couch for our living room. This is the same couch on which Sam was almost born.

To answer your question in advance: no, we don’t sleep with all 5 of our kids. The oldest boys sleep in bunk beds in their own room and have for about 4 years. Callie just moved in to her own room after Aron got it all painted and pretty for her. Eva sleeps in her own twin bed pushed up to our bed. Sam snuggles with us every night and sleeps on me every day while I read to the kids, watch some TV, return phone calls, homeschool or whatever.

Thanks for listening. I'm not so crazy after all, am I? Don't answer that.

Kids and Chores

Heck, yeah, we start 'em early at my house. The 1.5 year old can certainly earn his keep by vacuuming, am I wrong?

*Just kidding, sheesh!

Baby Junk You Don’t Need

Some of my biggest goals in life currently are to save money and to save space in my 1,327 square foot (gross living area) home. Here’s some stuff I don’t have or store most of the time or just never needed.

Some of this stuff costs a lot of money, and it floors me when broke people go further into debt (in addition to their freaking welfare and food stamps) to purchase stupid baby equipment at full price. As if the baby will care! Trust me, your kid cares a lot more that you were AROUND and that you were, I don’t know, maybe, LOVING and nurturing and caring.

High chair takes up too much space in my house, even if it folds up. I used one religiously for my first 4 kids as a feeding space AND as a place to park the baby. But Sam wasn’t havin’ it, so we put it back in the basement. We fed him on our laps or he stood in a chair (supervised, of course). Recently I got him a baby seat that straps onto a chair for $5 at a thrift store.

Boppy … unless you get this as a gift, just use pillows. I loved it with my first 3 kids until my first two pulled it apart tug-of-war style. I was too cheap and lazy to buy another so I just used pillows and built up my arm muscles or rested my arm on my Yoga-posed leg (just kidding!) when pillows weren’t available.

Playpen. My mom always says I needed one of these, and Lord knows enough people gave me their used “play yards.” But I was always holding my babies or else parking them in a stationary walker (is that an oxymoron or what?!) or in the bouncy seat. If they were on the floor, I was watching closely and yelling at my other kids to NOT STEP ON THE BABY OR I WILL STEP ON YOU.

Wipes warmer. Use the body heat on your hand, moron. My kids will probably not bring up in therapy that I wiped their butts with cold wipes in the middle of winter.

Shoes. Please don’t get me started. Moms, you know these are only for decoration and serve no purpose, kinda like a spleen or appendix.

A crib. We’ll visit this one in the next post.

Sibling Torture

I'm sure when my child therapist friend brought over this tub full o' goodies she never thought the kids would use it to trap their baby brother.

Wood Project: See-Through Birdhouse (Plans to Come!)

My husband strikes again: spending quality time with his son making a gorgeous birdhouse. Once again, my goal is to make millions as a writer so he can stay home doing woodworking.

UPDATED 12/20/13: Mr. Kerrie says he will work on plans for this birdhouse so he can get them to all you guys who have been pinning this photo! Stay tuned to my blog for updates and plans!

“Her Fearful Symmetry” Book Review

Her Fearful Symmetry is by Audrey Niffenegger, the author of The Time Traveler’s Wife. The Time Traveler’s Wife was a great book.

Her Fearful Symmetry is a creepy, long book, but it’s good.

You should get it at the library and read it.

I know. I totally have a career as a book reviewer ahead of me. I’m very thorough and helpful.

Big Sisters

Eva, clad in wedding dress, feeds Sam M&Ms by spoon at a little desk.

Do We Homeschool in the Summer?

Yep.

I don’t want them to forget everything they learned all year, so we keep up a light schedule in the summer. What else are we doing on summer mornings anyway? The pool doesn’t open til noon!

There’s no reason they can’t do a couple of pages of English and a couple of pages of Math every day with other subjects thrown in every now and then.

Also, summer is a great time for tons of field trips to nature centers, natural history museums, zoos, pet stores, children’s museums, parks and so much more. Kansas City is an amazing place to homeschool.

Regular school suggests kids do a workbook over the summer to keep up their skills, but how many people do you know who actually do that, especially if the kids are in day camp, daycare, at the sitter, etc.?

Shoveling Snow as Men’s Work?!

Who said shoveling snow was men’s work?

I love to shovel snow in my butt-kicking Land’s End boots, red coat, gloves and earmuffs.

I just can’t get away from Sam for more than a few minutes to do it. When he realizes I’m outside he starts to cry.

I love the exercise. I love helping my husband. I’m 5 years younger and not with a bad back, after all. I love the solitude.

But you don’t see too many women out shoveling snow. How come?

I also love to mow the lawn. With my youngest in a sling. With headphones on and music blasting, my tennis shoes turning green.

But ask my parents … I didn’t always love to do these things. When I was a teenager it was probably pretty hard to get me to get up and do much of anything. Hey, I was a teenager. I was using my energy to grow, right?

As for Aron ... it’s like you wind him up and he won’t stop shoveling. Then his back is killing him for days.

Resentment Toward Your Spouse

I’d been feeling a little resentful toward Aron. It seemed like the more kids we had, the less he helped out with the boring stuff like laundry and dishes.

Sure, he does outside stuff and takes care of the cars and fixes things as they break (which is quite the job, let me tell you).

But I was feeling ungrateful and like I was doing more than my share with cooking, cleaning, homeschooling, errands, and so on.

Then I started typing up old DayRunner pages from before we were even married and from when we were first married. I want to have everything in one place as far as journaling goes for when I start scrapbooking, plus then I recycle the pages, so that’s less junk in my house!

Anyway, DANG! I sure took a lot of naps in those days before I had kids (it’s a wonder he’d want to marry such a sloth!).

And Aron cooked for me all the time.

And he was there for me when my parents were divorcing (that was a lot of tears on my part).

And he never complained about my dad hanging out with us all the time (he actually enjoyed it, as did I).

And he called my mom on her birthday and helped my dad paint his house.

And he was supportive about me finishing my little ole 2-year juco degree.

And when he was laid off from his job, he went on unemployment for a while, but he worked as a cook to supplement and did not take the full unemployment payment. (who does that these days?!)

And he saved his travel food allowance so he could buy me an engagement/wedding ring.

And he doesn’t say one word about the fact that my fingers are currently too thick to wear that ring. That is priceless to me.

When things are so different and always changing after 15 plus years with someone, it’s nice to be reminded of why you are with someone in the first place.

Now I think I’ll go do something I’ve NEVER done … I’ll bunch his socks together in sets so it’s easier for him to get ready for work and I’ll maybe even go crazy and fold his underwear.

Last-Minute Field Trip to Crown Center in KCMO

* couldn't get the underline function to turn off, dangit.

Whenever Jordan is out of school we like to get the heck out of Dodge.

She had off February 11, so we loaded up and made the arduous, 15-minute trip to Crown Center. Actually, it took a lot longer than that because we stopped at Sonic first (we had coupons and I’d just cashed a whopping $27 writing check!)

Then I took the long way there, via SM Parkway (my old ‘hood was Roeland Park), Ward Parkway, then into the Plaza and down Main Street. Sorry, Overland Park, but things are just more “alive” and energetic toward the heart of the city.

(Overland Park is my wife, but Westport, the Plaza, Crown Center and Downtown are my mistresses.)

As we approached the “Eifely Tower” (pronounced I-full-ee), which is the KCPT tower, we had to pull up near it for photos because Callie thinks it’s the real Eifel Tower. Maybe with my next $27 writing check I’ll fly us all to Paris.

We drove around Union Hill to check out the cool houses (most of them for sale … one can be my summer home), then to Crown Center, where we built our muscles dragging the double stroller up and down stairs from the parking lot to get to the elevators.

First stop: Chip’s Chocolate Factory. I spent way too much on various kinds of bark for the kids. Jordan and I gained weight just watching the kids eat it.

And yes, that was me taking the double stroller down the escalator. Some woman asks me, “Are you sure you don’t want to take the elevator?” I said, “Look, lady, I have to keep my family of 16 together. I can’t take the elevator because my other kids are down THERE already.” Sigh. Such are the problems of mine, looking like a teenager and all that. I get all kinds of unsolicited advice.

Next stop: Under the Sea exhibit at the end of the lower level. Photos below, need I say more? Crazy fun. May I suggest a nice leash for your child at this exhibit so he doesn’t get lost? They should rent leashes at the dang door because they leave the doors wide open and kids escape all the time.

Next stop: Shoot, what’s it called? The hotel that’s connected to Crown Center. We like to ride the glass elevator up and down until we puke. Great view of the city. After that, against my better judgment, I let the kids ride the escalators at the hotel whilst annoying many a businessman. I looked at them and said, “You were a kid once too, Mister, and you’re just jealous you’re working and not riding the escalator, too.”

I must stop here to both blame and thank my parents for my smart mouth. I learned from the best!

We took the long way home (excellent SuperTramp song, by the way) so Jordan could get some schoolin’ of the city … Downtown, specifically.

We love you, Kansas City! You are an awesome place to homeschool for sure.

Mascara and Babies Don't Mix

Adopting Older Kids

Every Sunday in our local paper, The Kansas City Star, there is a picture of a kid or kids and the caption says FAMILY WANTED.

Every time I see the photo and read what’s under it, I could just die. I start to cry every single time. I think of how my kids have everything they could ever want … food, a home, two parents who love each other and who planned each and every pregnancy, grandparents who live close by, clothing, beds, toys, books, education, opportunities like dance and gymnastics classes, memberships to the zoo and to the pool every year and so much more.

Here’s one from Sunday, January 23, 2011 that broke my heart because the kids are the same age as my kids are right now and have the same interests (of course, what kid DOESN’T like spending time outside?!):

“These four would like a family willing to provide them a safe and stable environment. Merlin, 9, does well in school and loves to read. His hobbies include playing outside and riding his bike. Caitlin, 7, is a loving child who does well in school and enjoys spending time outside. She enjoys being involved with 4-H activities. Fiona, 5, loves being creative and coloring. She likes spending time with animals, being outside and playing with her dolls. Colin, 3, likes animals, spending time outdoors and coloring. He shows an interest in sports. To learn more about adoption, visit www.adoptkids.org or call 877-457-5430.”

FREE Indoor Kansas City Playtime: Cedar Ridge Christian Church

Back in January we decided to go somewhere we hadn’t been in about 2 years: Cedar Ridge Christian Church at 87th and Lackman in Lenexa, Kansas. They have a big carpeted room with large Little Tikes toys for kids to play around and a few tables for moms to hang out at. They used to have puzzles and books and toys, but kids probably stole them, so now the place is pretty bare.

They also have a gym that you can play in as long as it isn’t already reserved by another group (like those crazy homeschoolers or attachment parenting mamas). The gym has tables to sit at and basketballs, scooters and small ride-on toys. Some kids bring in their own Razor scooters.

There’s also a small rock wall just inside the doors of the church.

The best part for me, though, is the Parkside Café. HEAVEN! Their coffee drinks all rock, but recently I got a Peach Extreme smoothie that transported me to a tropical island, where in my mind I sat and watched episodes of The Real Housewives while sipping my magical drink.

They have no problem with you bringing food in as long as you clean up after yourself. That day we hit Aldi on the way and brought juice pouches and Lunch Buddies (a Lunchables knockoff I never let the kids get). I dropped 5 bucks on my smoothie, but it was so worth it.

Now I just want to know … where’s the coffee bar at MY church?

Kansas City Field Trip: Crown Center, Fritz’s, Kaleidoscope

For the last 2 years the kids and I haven’t been hitting the town like we used to. Toward the end of my pregnancy with Sam I was pretty sick (turned out to be an infection I should’ve gone to the doctor for or maybe Sam wouldn’t have been born with meconium aspiration … I’ll ask God when I’m dead).

Then having 5 kids was just a bit overwhelming as far as taking them all places, since my oldest was only 8 at the time. Whenever I’d do it, I was so proud of myself! We went to the zoo a few times and even made it to Crown Center once last fall. But Callie sleeps in, then by the time we get around Aron comes home for lunch, then Sam naps, then school is out, then it’s dinnertime. The days fly by, often without us leaving the house!

This time was different because we got to take along Jordan, who was out of school. It was a Friday in January. I love going to Crown Center because I used to work there … at Fleishman-Hillard Public Relations. My old boss, Betsey Solberg, told me on the day she canned me that I needed to “focus.” The trouble was, I was focused on having babies someday and wasn’t the best worker I could be!

So having kids for Aron and me (or is it still I?) was obviously a dream come true, and taking them to Crown Center, where I used to dream of them in advance, is always special and emotional.

Before you call The State on me for letting my kids play in fountains in January, keep in mind it was an unseasonably warm day! Here are some pics:

Mommy Got to Wear Heels

A couple of weeks ago Aron and I got to go on an actual date. Our last date was in October for our anniversary, and it stunk because Michael was having OCD stuff and we went to dinner anyway and pretty much scowled at each other the whole time because we disagreed on how to handle the OCD (turns out Aron was right). Anyway, we try to go out on a date once a year whether we need to or not, so we went out recently for Valentine's Day, leaving all 5 kids in the capable hands of Jordan for TWO HOURS ... almost a record! We ate at On the Border and ran into the best boss I ever had and his awesome wife. So ... let's recap. I got to wear stretchy skinny jeans with these heels, I got to be alone with my husband, didn't have to cook, had adult conversation with other people, and none of my little people even cried while I was gone. We may just have to work this sort of thing into the budget THREE TIMES A YEAR!

How about you? Ladies, when was the last time you wore heels, or do you wear them all the time? I personally love the look of them but hate the feel. These are the only heels I own, along with my other like 5 pair of shoes. I know, I'm such a guy.

As for dating, how often do you date? My friend dates her husband weekly. Some do it annually and have a strong marriage.

No Artificial Birth Control for Us

I don’t really think that often about the ways I’m different from regular folks (even though technically I’m a total outcast hippie freak).

Then I realize something like how I haven’t been on The Pill since 1996 (amazing how those headaches disappeared!) … .that’s 15 YEARS! This also includes nothing else going into my body or on my man’s body.

It’s a wonder we only have 5 kids, right?! (don’t forget that Natural Family Planning is NOT the old rhythm method … I’m not even going to capitalize it because it doesn’t deserve it because it failed more often than not I’m guessing).

At a cost of at least $10 per month for the Pill (actually, our copay is probably double that), I’ve saved about $1800 … so far. Natural Family Planning isn’t just good for the Catholics; it’s also good for those who want to go green, do something natural for their body and save a ton of bank!

Future Breastfeeders of America

January 26, 2011

Today 15-month-old Sam wanted to nurse and I was busy, so Callie lifted her shirt for him to nurse.

He looked at her funny and pulled her shirt down for her.

Then he headed back to me, saying “nay nay” (nursing), which he’s been saying for months.

Someone recently asked me if size matters when you’re nursing (his wife has big ones, apparently). Nah, size doesn’t matter. My breast is always bigger than my newborn’s head, and, amazingly enough, I haven’t smothered one yet.

Wordless Wednesday (Kids on Computers)

Textercising Video

Everywhere I go I see people texting and multitasking.

I almost ran over my neighbor at the Quik Trip one day because she was walking across the parking lot while texting and wasn’t paying a lick of attention.

I see people walking down the sidewalk while texting.

Hanging out with friends while texting.

My advice: grab your head with both hands … and pull it out of your butt.

I have a Textercising video if you want to really multitask. I really didn't want to go the YouTube route, but Blogger wasn't uploading the video in less than like, a YEAR.

I Hide Organic Liver in Meals

So we get organic beef from a farmer and have for a few years now (Craig Sharp in Humboldt, Kansas, 620-473-3588 or 620-473-0511). We love it, but we end up with too much liver. It piles up because we don’t love it. I even give it away to whoever wants some, and I still have tons left. Every now and then we flour it and fry it up, but it’s not always a hit.

I don’t like to waste food, so I had to figure out a way to cook this stuff and use it.
So I’ve decided to find a way to disguise it.
I’ll cook it like normal … flour it and fry it in a pan until it’s nice and dry.

Then I’ll chop it all up super-fine with a big ole knife.
Then I’ll sneak it into stuff like shepherd’s pie, tater tot casserole and hamburgers.

Nobody will even notice. I’m not wasting food, and everybody gets their iron. We all win.

Got anymore ideas for where I can hide liver, besides in Aron’s underwear drawer?

My Husband, Mr. Aron McLoughlin, Blood Donor

We met 15 ½ years ago. We were inseparable from the start. We weren’t friends first. We dove in with both feet and have never looked back. 

Something I love about Aron is that he regularly donates not just his blood, but also platelets, which is a 2-hour process. He has a rare blood type, and also has some special thing about his blood where he never got some childhood illness that most kids get, so his blood is coveted.

The boy is a Blood Donor Star. Things arrive in the mail from the donation place because you can choose prizes according to how much you donate.

He never gripes about it hurting or acts woozy after doing it. He just does it. I am envious of him because I have these dinky, rolling veins that make it difficult for me to give blood. Then I get all woozy and have to lay around for hours even eating cookies and drinking juice. If I could just give blood when I’m pregnant, the blood bank would have a fridge full of my blood. When I’m pregnant my veins are huge and I have all sorts of extra blood.

Anyway, Happy Valentine’s Day and a big I love you to my husband, who subscribes to this blog so he can get it in his email box at work when I post.

P.S. Why is January blood donor month? Shouldn’t it be February, since it’s a heart-y month and the heart pumps blood?

Arrested Development

I’ve been doing a lot of soul searching lately, which may be very boring for you to read, but it very fascinating for me, so bear with me.

When I was 11 my Great Aunt Eva died.

When I was around 13 my Nanny (great grandma) died.

These women were very important to me.

BREAKTHROUGH.

Now I understand why I am so immature! My emotional development was stopped when I was a tween!

Now that I have my life all figured out, I have to decide if I even WANT to start acting like a true adult.

Nah.

Sea Monkeys Still Rock!

Sea monkeys are all over their little habitat, reproducing (or are they eating each other? we can't really tell!) and havin' babies left and right.

So much fun!

Cheap fun, my favorite kind!

The kids are thrilled and it's a nice homeschool science experiment for our household.

Highly recommended!

Too Old to Have Babies? NEVER!

I know a lot of people who think they are too old to have children, and they are infecting my household. Because they have their opinion and I have mine, I want them to think about a few things.

So I ask you this: would you (potentially) rather go to your child’s graduation or wedding in a wheelchair or would you rather live with the knowledge that you killed that baby due to abortion? I know what I would choose, because the regret of abortion is unfathomable, believe me.

And sure, you could die before you see your kid have kids, but you could also get hit by a texting driver tomorrow!

The time you are spending griping about this issue could be instead spent exercising or researching and purchasing some awesome vitamins, minerals and other healthy supplements. Put down the fried chicken strips and pick up a salad, people!

This whole thing might seem silly when you’re 100 and healthy and your kid is 50. Hey, John Travolta and Kelly Preston just had another kid at ages 56 and 48. Yeah, I know they're rich, and they have a lot of amazing potential guardians to choose from.

If you know someone who had a baby over age 40, please send them here to comment. I’d love to know the good, the bad and the ugly (and the positive and the miracles!).

LL Bean Pima Cotton Sucks

I was so excited when I ordered my LL Bean Pima Cotton long-sleeved T-shirts. I usually spend about $5-10 per long-sleeved shirt at Target, but they don’t last long, they fade and they stretch out and get holey. So I figured I’d drop $20 per shirt at LL Bean since they got rave reviews about lasting almost until the end of time. I love the V-neck and the crewneck, but the boatneck definitely isn’t for those of us of the large-breasted variety of women. And the worst part of all was …

THEY ALL SHRANK IN LENGTH.

For those of us of the rounded tummy variety of women (gimme a break; I’ve had 5 kids and love chocolate), this is the kiss of death in a shirt. We want our butt half-covered and our belly fully covered. Shrinking upwards is not acceptable.

Guess I’m heading back to Target until I can drop some weight … I mean, I'm chunky cute and proud of it, but I still want to look my best, ya know? What's so wrong with that?!

Passing on Weight Issues to Our Daughters

here's something i recently tweeted: "i'm going to call myself "chunky cute" and love my 155 pounds (after 5 kids, dammit)."


someone asked: "Why are you so obsessed with weight? You look great! What sort of message are you sending to your girls (and boys) if this is the thing you are focusing on?"

here is my reply: "wouldn't say i'm "obsessed" with weight, but i do want to feel my best. i like being able to chase my kids and actually catch them if they are, say, running toward the street. thanks for saying that ... and that's what i'm trying to say, as well. the message i'm sending my girls is that i love my extra weight if it chooses to stick around. however, if i lose it by eating better foods for me, that's fine, too. i don't need cellulite-free thighs or higher boobies, just to feel great. when my moods are altered by M&Ms in a bad way, that's sending a bad message: that I can't stop myself from eating too much crap when i feel bad or bored or whatever. i want them to eat as good as they can and to look how they want, how they are happy with themselves. basically as a woman you can't win, it would seem!"

if a woman says she never thinks about her weight, she is lying. we all struggle with it. we all struggle with appearing nice and enlightened so we can pass on good things to our daughters. i'm coming to terms with the fact that i like myself no matter what i weight. how is that a bad thing to pass on to my girls? i'm not obsessed, just wanting to open the discussion!

Don’t Go To Bed Mad?!?!

How come? So you’ll both sleep better?

That’s dumb. I’ve been with my guy for 15 years now and we’ve gone to bed mad tons of times. You get tired of arguing and being mad at some point, ya know?

And do you notice how most guys can fall asleep anytime? It’s not like my husband is tossing and turning and worrying all night long, so I don’t, either.

I need the sleep so I can argue or ignore more the next day.

Age-old advice doesn’t work for everyone. Always remember that.

My nephew RaShaun's blog ... inoperable tumor

My nephew RaShaun has an inoperable tumor in his body. He's the same age as my Callie ... almost 6. Rather than go into all the details, I helped his mom (my husband's sister and my sister-in-law, obviously!) set up a blog for him. Some of the posts are written from RaShaun's perspective, some from his sisters' or his brother's or his grandma's. They want to get the word out about this rare thing and try to find out if anyone else out there is struggling with something similar. They need support and they need prayers.


Head to http://www.rashaunjames.blogspot.com/. If you forget, it's down the left side of my blog on my blogroll (mess that it is; I desperately need to clean up my blogroll!!!).

Thanks!

Question for Geneen Roth

Here's a problem I have with food. I'm supposed to concentrate on what I'm eating and eat what my body wants, but when I'm at a family gathering and am focusing on the kids not breaking stuff, I just want to shove food in my mouth quickly to get it over with and then concentrate on keeping the kids from being too nuts.

OR ... the opposite of that ... I want to tune the kids out and hope Aron or someone else handles them while I really get into my huge plate of food.

Balance is always hard. More so with kids, I am taking a risk by saying.

Geneen, when are you going to write a book with the personal experiences of the moms who have been to your workshops? I could really  use it right now!

Treadmill for sale in KC

The library now closes at 6 on Fridays, so I had to run to get Aron's work key, then run to his work, and now Jordan has called to say Sam is crying, so I'm in a rush and can't sign up at Craigslit right now. Anyone want a treadmill? ProForm CrossWalk Plus circa 1997. Asking $75. Never had a problem with it, never replaced belt. Leave me a comment and I can grab it on here via my sitter's cell phone ... how lame is THAT?!

Thanks, bloggy friends! Oh, and must live in the KC area!

Sea Monkeys ROCK!

I recently wrote about how we tried over and over again to get the Smithsonian Sea Monsters kit work. Well, Michael got some sea monkeys for Christmas and they HAVE HATCHED!

Yippee!

They are teeny tiny, but there is clearly something moving around in the little tank that is not sawdust.

Stay tuned.