No Spend Challenge Update

Friday morning I decided to take another look through my gift stash and struck gold. I had a stepping stone making kit that would work just great for a girl. I try to not give more "stuff" for gifts, so this also went a long with my gift philosophy. Her mom probably isn't too stoked but that really isn't my problem right? Money saved $15.00.

Friday I washed jeans and found $7 in my pocket! Love that.

Z's birthday party was at McDonalds. When I went to pick him up M requested a chocolate shake. Their shake machine was broken so I ordered a sundae instead. Spent $1.07 from the found money. He didn't eat it and I found it melted a few hours later.

By the end of Friday I was starting to worry that M wasn't going to eat anything at all. Thursday night he had tried a Michelena's Alfredo Lasagna with Broccoli and eaten a bunch. When I asked him what he wanted for dinner he wanted another one of those. So I ran to the store (amazing what a starving child will do for your resolve to spend money). I grabbed 3 plus 2 mac and cheese. I also grabbed 4 Powerades, figuring he'd probably drank a total of 4 oz in the last 24 hours and I was worried about dehydration. I grabbed a pumpkin pie and a package of broccoli cheese soup. Total $23.50.

Saturday my mom called and wondered what she bring M while he was recuperating. I suggested we just head to the bookstore together so I could get something I knew he would like, plus I always buy my kids a few books for Christmas and I wanted to check out the offerings. I found a series that another little boy recommended while I was there. Total $39.51.

Today was a No Spend day. Good for me, I can actually do it.

I need to go fill prescription tomorrow or Tuesday. I can't decide if I should use the one that gives you a $20 GC to Smiths, or the $30 GC to Rite-Aid. I think Smiths is more versatile, but $30 is pretty good. I'll have to think about it overnight.

I am surprised at how hard it is to not spend money. I am realizing I am a convenience shopper. For instance I bought the Christmas books because I don't foresee myself heading to Barnes & Noble again and I didn't want to make a special trip. But I should have checked to see if Costco carries the same series, because if they do and they are cheaper, I will be taking the ones from Barnes & Noble back. Which is an extra trip. Note to self, think things through. It's not like I won't be in the neighborhood in the next month. Observation noted.

I'm hoping by Tuesday or Wednesday M is eating again and a wider range of foods. I don't want to head to the store again. Which reminds me, I should mix up some milk tonight and put it out in the fridge in the garage. Or mix it into the 1/2 gallon we have left to stretch it and mask the taste a bit. I don't foresee needing anything else in the next week, so besides the prescriptions, I should be able to stay out of the store.

10 Day No Spending Challenge

A few months ago a couple of blogs I like to read had a No Spending Challenge. I think it was for a month. Since I'm out of money for the month, I'm going to try my own version for the next 10 days.

What We Have
We have A LOT of food on hand. Really more than enough to last for a while. I may need to buy milk. I do have dry milk. Hmmm. I wonder if I could slide it past the boys. I'm going to give it a whirl.
M just had his tonsils out yesterday. The bill won't come for at least 30 days and then I can take 90 days to pay for it all. So nothing should be spent there. I bought his meds yesterday, so they don't count.
Z brought home 2 notes for the Thanksgiving feast on Tuesday. One says to bring a Sweet. The other says to bring a Meat. Not sure which one his teacher really wants, so I'm going with the Meat. I have a ton of pepperoni in the freezer. I'll send that.
Tonight is Bunco. Since I'm not hosting it's free for me.
M can't go out this weekend since he's not supposed to be around people for at least a week. So nothing should be spent.
I paid my car insurance this morning. I had the money saved in an ING sub account. So since it was saved especially for that purpose I'm not counting it.
We don't really have much planned for next week. I need to talk to my mom about Thanksgiving. I'm sure I will need to bring something. I just need to make sure it is something I already have on hand or can make from what we have.
We have 2 FREE coupons for 1 night rentals on RedBox DVDs. Good entertainment for a non-school night.

What I Don't Have
Saturday I have an appointment for some hair removal. I missed the last appointment so I don't really feel I can cancel. Cost $30.
I HAVE to get my oil changed. Soon. Like last month. I think it is usually about $25 at JiffyLube. I have a $10 off coupon. So $15.
I have one prescription that needs to be filled before the end of the month. It's $30 but if I fill it at Smiths I can get a $20 GC.
Z had a birthday party tomorrow. For a girl. I have no gifts stockpiled for girls. I usually spend about $15. If I buy it at Smith's I can use the GC. Cost $0. Love that!

What I'm Deferring
Our cat needs his vaccinations (again. Note: if you don't come back when they tell you to for the next set, you have to start over) so that I can get him fixed. Cat is growing himself quite a set of cajones. So $26 for the shots, $40 for the neuter. $66 to the Humane Society. This can't be deferred past December.
I owe on a library book. $20. I'm going to have to pay this if I want to check out books. But both my boys have cards we can use. I can reasonably defer this until January.
Christmas!
Paint-I am dying to paint my bedroom. We've been here 3 1/2 years and I still have a drab, flat white bedroom. I have the color picked out. And I'm ready to repaint M room a lighter color. So $30-$60 in paint. This, or course, can be deferred indefinitely. I'm thinking I may just ask my folks for cash for Christmas to redo my bedroom.
New Christmas decor. I really want some new stuff. We've had all the same stuff for about 10 years now. I'm going to wait until after Christmas to get some new ornaments on clearance.

What I'm Giving Up
My good friend is having a Girls Night Away this weekend at a hotel. The cost would be about $100. Just not going to happen.

So honestly, I'm in pretty good shape. I just have to do it! I'm actually excited.

This and That

It's been awhile. I've been BUSY! So in no particular order here is a bit of this and that from my life.

Philadelphia-I took M to Philly with Nana and Pops to see Aunt L and Uncle Fancypants (aka S). The weather was great. We did the historical stuff the first day and then had the most fantastic banana split at the cutest old fashioned ice cream parlor. The second day we decided to take a double decker bus tour which I have found is a great way to see a lot of a city in a short amount of time. The two most interesting things we saw that day were the Eastern State Penitentiary and the National Geographic exhibit Real Pirates! at the Franklin Institute. Both very cool.

Day 3 was a daytrip to DC. So many cool things. The Smithsonian was amazing and would easily take a week to see everything. My favorite memorial was the Korean War Memorial. I thought it was all really cool though. By the time we returned my ears were actually tired from listening to M talk non-stop for 5 days straight. But we had a lot of fun and I'm glad we had a chance to do this together. And I always love to see L and S. I will be glad when they move back.

Halloween-Thank goodness it was on a Friday this year so it wasn't dragged out all week. What a marathon day though-parade, parties, trick or treat and another party. But they were surprisingly pleasant. Z was Indiana Jones and M was The Unknown Phantom. I am in shock at the amount of candy they brought home. I don't think I ever got that much.

Obama-Oh my hell I am so glad that Obama won. For the first time in a LONG time I don't feel like I'm looking around and wondering what the hell are you people thinking!!! When I watch him speak I am comforted by his calm demeanor, his obvious love for his wife and daughters, his quiet confidence, and his intellect. This is a man who GETS IT! Will life be rosy and wonderful just because he was elected? Obviously not. But having someone in office that is bright, articulate, understands our role in the world, diplomatic and positive is certainly a breath of fresh air. Now WE the American people will have to pay for the mistake of electing Bush and Cheney. It won't be easy, but we have a huge hole to dig ourselves out of. Obama understands that if we don't, our children have no future.

McCain-I didn't hate McCain. Really. A couple of years ago I even said that if another Republican were to be the next president, I hoped it would be him because I respected his integrity and agreed with many of his opinions. Then he decided he wanted to win the election at all costs and his integrity flew right out the window. Not only did he reverse many of his opinions to win the GOPs support, but he chose a VP that in essence is the opposite of everything he stood for, just to get the conservative vote. And the kind of negative campaign he ran against Obama was downright disgusting. Since he threw the inexperience card out the window with Palin, he had to resort to the old GOP favorite tactic, fear. Fortunately most level headed Americans saw it for what it was, desperation. But there are those that it struck a chord with and believe that Obama is a friend of terrorists, a socialist, and too foreign. And those people happen to be the whack jobs that scare me. Using fear as a weapon is the definition of terrorism. Scare people to get what you want. Truly disappointing.

Palin-Yuck. Snarky, bitchy, self-righteous, ignorant, ambitious, power hungy and pretty. A frightening combination. I really hope her 15 minutes are up.

Prop 8-Or as I like to say Prop H8te. It's discrimination pure and simple. You cannot deny a certain segment of the population the same rights that everyone else has. If I can marry whom I choose, then everyone should have the right to marry whomever they choose. You can't take away a gay person's right to procreate. So they already have families. Why not make it a stable, committed family with all the rights other families have? I don't understand why people don't get that. Somebody else's marraige doesn't change my marraige at all. Honestly I don't think it will be long before it is legal. Hopefully sooner than later.

Winter-Already hate it. I hate the decrease in light almost as much as I hate the cold. Sure, I like to snowboard. It's making a bad situation tolerable. But I could give that up with all the rest of winter. I don't need a white Christmas. I would easily give up sweater, sledding, hot cocoa, quilts and a fireplace. I'd rather surf, wear sandals, drink lemonade and soak up the warm, light giving, happy happy sun.

Weight-I'm down to what I thought was my goal. And so of course I've revised that goal and want to lose 5 more. But if I don't, that is OK too. I just don't want to gain it back during the holidays. Now I really need to tone up. I should go to Pilates. But I'm so weak!!! It hurts!! Which means I really need to go. I need new clothes but have no cash. Better than needing bigger clothes right?

Cat-Getting big. Totally psycho and cute at the same time.

Dog-Mellowing out finally. Still cute too.

Homework-Hate, hate, hate. I know they need to do it to learn. It's just such a pain in the butt to have to do it EVERY night. It's too much. It isn't good for household harmony.

Our house-We finally cut a "window" between the living room and kitchen. I love it. It feels very airy and bright now. We also added a door to the storage beneath the stairs making it far more accessable. Now I'm anxious to get the pantry done. And I'd like to paint my bedroom and a couple of the walls in M's room, and get new flooring in the kitchen, and many more projects that we have neither the time or funds for. Someday! I have been decluttering like crazy and organizing and I feel much better about our house now.

Finances-It's not great, but it could be worse. No Costa Rica this year. Such is life.

Twilight-I think Robert Pattinson is hot. I know a lot of women were a little disappointed. He doesn't look like the Edward I had in my mind, but he is pretty perfect. And he can sing too! Pretty dreamy I think. The hair is a little crazy, but we all go through our phases. Not sure I'll see the movie though. I don't want to change the way I think about the books.

So that is what I think about all of that! Agree, disagree, whatever. It's MY blog!

Girlfriend Weekend-Thanks Bitches!

Each year the women in our mommy play group get together at my parent's cabin at Bear Lake. My sister was the brainchild of this event and I am so glad she thought of it. This year I took my turn at planning the weekend so I decided to invite some other Mommy's In Need of a Break. I only convinced one of the new invitees, Kari, to attend, and I'm so glad she did. She was a great addition to our group. This year our group was the largest yet, 12, which I was excited and worried about at the same time. No worries, it went swimmingly.
I was glad to ride up with Piper. She has been gone for 12 days and we hadn't had time to catch up since she'd been home. I did most the talking though because she has a nasty cold and not much of a voice. It was great to get all my Sara Palin bitching out!!
We stayed up LATE the first night laughing and telling stories. I won't repeat any of the hilarious stories and conversations, but OMG. I hang out with the funniest people!
The next day many of us slept in to catch up on much needed sleep. One of the things I love most about this weekend is the flexibility. Everyone is totally content to do their own thing and let everyone else do theirs. The weather decided we weren't going to have any beach time this year. It rained and rained and rained. Which was actually very peaceful and made the landscape really beautiful. Some brave souls headed out for a walk despite the downpour while the rest of us had a lazy morning of lounging and eating Sara and Mandy's delish breakfast of homemade zucchini bread and fresh fruit. Sooo good. Then our resident Pilates instructor Piper led us in an ab destroying, butt burning session. My abs are still groaning, I need to go to some of her classes on a regular basis. Lunch was a delish duo of salads by Piper (who, my son Myles will gratuitously tell random people, is a FANTASTIC chef). The afternoon consisted of napping, reading, scrapbooking, snacking, and, of course, more wonderful conversation. Piper, Sara, Kelli and I played a round of Balderdash. I'm good at writing false definitions, and I won, but I must say I suck royally at the strategic aspect of the game. I lost track of the times Piper rolled her eyes at me! LOL. It was really fun. And I don't usually love games.
Kari gave me the most fabulous session of acupressure. I learned that the reason I am always so stiff and knotted on the right side is that is is my masculine side, which is your doing, logical, practical side. Apparently, I'm not as comfortable, or confident with that aspect of myself, so I strain and end up holding on to the tension in my neck and back on the right side. When she told me that I knew she was absolutely correct and impressed with her intuition.
For dinner we had Keri's and Patrice's fantastic dinner of enchiladas and spanish rice. Oh how I love good food. Thank goodness there was no shortage of that! We stayed up to talk some more and watched the Sex in the City movie. I never got into the series, so I'm sure I missed a lot of the details and connections, but I still enjoyed it. Made me realize that I don't want to be Miranda. I need to pay more attention to my man. I stayed up to read a bit because I am totally and embarassingly addicted to the Twilight books. One word, Edward. 'Nuff said.
Sunday was a spectacular day, overcast and breezy with crisp, sweet air. The lake was deep blue and sparkled. If I knew I had one month to live, I'd just head right up to Bear Lake. It is far and away my favorite place on earth. More home to me than my parent's house. My happy place.
Piper headed out early for a social obligation. The rest of us ate my breakfast, that Sara so generously prepared for me because I couldn't get my lazy ass out of bed. Cinnamon Apple Oven Pancake. It was good. Then more of the same wonderful easy going lounging around. Lunch was Angie's Sweet potato Sausage Leek casserole. My mom started making this for Thanksgiving instead of the usual candied sweet potatoes (which none of us liked ) when I was teenage. Even my husband, who doesn't love sweet potatoes, agrees it is fabulous. Poor Jenny made a huge pot of soup, got distracted and had to throw it out because it scorched. Poor us too. I love her soup.
Ang decided to leave early and once she started packing up, everyone else did too. I wasn't at all ready to come home, but we cleaned up and took off about 3. I really enjoyed the ride home with Jaymison, Jenny and Kari. When I got home the fam damily wasn't here, and I decided to take advantage of the peace for as long as it lasted.
Then, in door came my two balls of energy. I'm so glad they were as happy to see me as I was them. R did a fantastic job this weekend. House clean, meals made, snowbird season pass pictures taken, sleep schedule maintained, playdates with friends, and happy kids on top of all that. Maybe he should be the stay at home parent. He really did do a great job. I'm a lucky woman.
Such a great weekend. I look forward to it all year and I can't believe it flew by so fast. I wish we could go up for a week! I don't know what I am going to do when Z starts 1st grade and I don't have a kid to take to play group. Seriously, I don't know what I will do without my weekly social hour. I have such great friends!!

Fun with Childhood illnesses

Two weeks ago Friday, M went to the pediatrician for his well-child check. All good except that his tonsils are huge. They always have been but this time his ped wanted him to go see an ENT to look at them. Since our deductible is HUGE, I put it off.

Two weeks ago Sataurday, Z came down with an obvious classic case of strep. Fever. Sore throat. Big nap on a Saturday. So down to the express care for a culture and a course of amoxicillan.

I kept waiting for M to get it because he always does when it's going around. But two weeks pass and I began to think we had managed to dodge it this time. I finally schedule an appointment with the ENT for Friday (yesterday) because M has been stuffy, but not obviously sick, for about a month. I figured it was allergies (praying it's dust and pollan and not the cat), but since he needed to have his tonsils checked out anyway, I figured I'd just bite the bullet and get it all checked out.

Thursday M wakes up and says "My throat feels weird". I ask if it hurts-no, not really. Does it hurt when you swallow? No, just feels weird. I take his temp-normal. He eats breakfast and heads to school. About 11:30 I get a call because he forgot his library book. I ask if his throat still feels weird. Yep, but it doesn't hurt. I make the executive decision to pull him out of school and go get him tested for strep. I check the back of his throat, bright red and patchy. Another trip to the express care, another positive culture, another round of amoxicillan. And to top it off, two ear infections brewing. Nice. And all he says is his throat feels weird.

Dr. says he's fine for school the next day, so off he goes. But today he's added a major gooey nose. I pick him up early and head to the ENT. He takes one look at his tonsils and says, schedule the surgery, sooner than later. Not only will it help him not get strep 2-3 times every year, but he should sleep a whole lot better and that should help his anxiety level come down a bit. And by the way, he has chronic sinitis, not allergies, which the amoxicillan won't touch. So another trip to the pharmacy, a new antibiotic, and I've dropped over $200 on strep throat this month. Ouch!

So I'm trying to figure out the best time to take little Einstein out of school for 10 days. He was initially freaking out about the idea of surgery, but the promise of 10 days of no school, TV, Playstation and ice cream seems to have comforted him quite a bit. Plus a friend at school told him that it really wasn't that bad. I'm thinking the week before Thanksgiving because those two weeks are a joke anyway with all the short days and days off.

I don't even want to know what the surgery will cost. We may actually meet our deductible this year. At least it's tax deductible, right?

Discipline

So R and I have decided that we really do need to be on the same page for discipline at our house. M has gotten quite mouthy and argumentative. Z is more passive-agressive and just ignores me and does whatever he wants anyway. He's also very sneaky and prone to lying a bit. When it comes to discipline, I'm the softy, the slacker. I just want peace. R is the toughy, the yeller. He doesn't want to be embarassed or inconvenienced. One day M told us that he wished we were more like his teacher from last year, Mrs. Jones. He felt like she was strict, but nice. Firm, but fair. Well, there's nothing like your kid telling you to get your act together.

We have picked the book "How to Behave So Your Kids Will Too" by Sal Severe. What an awesome book. Exactly the mix between giving kid's power and responsibility relative to their age and actions, and the parent's having the authority that is needed in a family. We have started some of the recommendations immediately while we work through the book together.

Yesterday was our first day with our new time-out rules. It was so unbelievable difficult to stay committed when your child is in total meltdown. But we did, and the difference it is already making is pretty unbelievable. M only needed one time-out, but it took a long time for him to stop arguing and muttering so that we could actually start the time. Z also had an extremely long time-out because he wouldn't stay put. But we made it through.

The rest of the day M was rather quiet, which always worries me. But he was also amazingly compliant and cooperative. We went for a hike in the afternoon, which he usually will complain about before, during and after. Yesterday he actually enjoyed the hike, and told us so several times. At the end we realized we had locked our keys in the car. R was grumpy and short for a few minutes. M just played quietly while we waited for the locksmith to unlock the car. Before bed we talked and worked out any lingering bad feelings. He also mentioned he thought he handled the locked car more maturely than R. I laughed and had to agree. He felt really proud of himself. He fell right asleep. Today he asked me to please help him work through an argument with Z. Amazing!

Z is still testing to see if we are serious. We had another time-out today that took about 20 minutes total. He just won't stop trying to get "one more chance". But I have also given him several warnings today that he is headed towards a bad decision, and he has quickly corrected his behavior. He's pretty bull-headed, so it may take a little longer with him.

All in all, we have had two really pleasant days. I haven't had to yell or threaten or feel upset that I'm being ignored. The boys are playing together well and doing what they are asked to do with minimal protest. I am really excited about the book and the progress. Now I just have to stay consistent, which is always the hard part for me. But it helps to have R on board and the two of us working toward the same goal.

School has Started!!!

Well, Summer is over. It's official and I'm having mixed feelings.

M started back Monday. He likes his teacher so far. He isn't too stoked on who is in his class this year, but is old enough to realize that it doesn't change who he chooses to play with at recess. I peeked in yesterday and they were doing yoga after working on their reading. His teacher is an old hippie. I think we are going to get a long just fine. He is walking most of the way with some friends which makes him feel so grown up and simplifies mornings. And dad can leave for work whenever he wants without making us all crazy because he doesn't want to be late. But homework, oh the dreaded homework. Finishing his Summer Math packet was P-U-R-E H-E-L-L!!!! I have rarely disliked my own child sooo much. I'm positive the sentiment was exactly the same on his end. NOT FUN! But it's done. And so, I have instituted a few new rules at our house. I hate rules, because I have to enforce them, and because I hate following them myself. But sometimes I see the necessary in their evil. So #1 No TV or Playstation until after homework. I'm not going to nag, but it's his choice to miss those activities if he procrastinates all day and evening. And #2 We are going to do something each day even if he doesn't have an assignment due. We are renaming homework time, enrichment time instead. So at a minimum he needs to go over his math flashcards with me once and read for 20 minutes and practice his handwriting for 10 minutes. Did he love that yesterday. Oh, no. No he did not. But he did it. And I think he'll get used to it. My goal for him this year is to learn to work, and perservere, and quit being a lazy, whiny, you know what.

Poor Z, he doesn't start for a week. And he has decided he is ready! He asks everyday if today is finally the day. We had a picnic in the park with his classmates yesterday and his new teacher. It was great. His teacher is really just the most perfect Kindergarten teacher ever. I am really excited for him. I'm sure I'll tear up on his first day, but for now, I can't wait for him to go too.

I have volunteered to be copy mom and assignment correcter in M class. For Z I am doing Junior Achievement once a month. I am also considering being the assistant Den Mother for cub scouts. Am I crazy? Obviously, but I think I need to be more involved. So we will see how that goes.

R mentioned hiring someone to do what I've been doing at work with him. Sounds kind of nice, but I hate to pay someone to do it when I am perfectly capable and can find the time. Not sure if he was serious, but I may take him up on it.

M and I are going to visit L and S in Philly at the end of the month. I'm really excited. I'm trying to figure out how long I can leave R with Z without it being really hard, and how long we need to go to see everything I'd like to while we are there. It promises to be interesting, that is for sure.

Things I Hate

Not sure why, but I'm just in the mood to talk about a few things I hate. Not that I'm in a grumpy mood, I'm not. More a pensive mood, a mood of self-discovery and a mood that feels like sharing this self-discovery with all of cyber-space (a bit self-important, I know). Lucky readers, here are a few things I hate, in no particular order:

1. Negative, viral campaign e-mails. It's just lying, spreading rumors and gossip. How is this OK, especially by those who consider themselves the Religious Right or The Keepers of Good Values? I haven't been to church in a while, but I'm pretty sure there are commandments and such about that shiz.

2. Raw onions. They are just so wrong. I can do an onion-ring. I can do carmelized. I can do french onion soup. Love roasted veggies including onion. Hate, hate, hate finding a raw onion in a salad of any type (green, pasta, and especially hard to find in potato salad). And don't get me started on those little nasty ass bits of disgustingness they try to pass for onion on McDonalds cheeseburgers. I think those actually started my hate-affair with onions as a child.

3. The phone. OK, hate may be a little strong. But I really don't love to answer the phone. I know it's necessary, and I do like to stay in the loop. But there is little I dislike more than being in the middle of, oh just about anything, and hearing the phone ring. The problem, who is sitting around doing nothing waiting for the phone to ring? And calling people, almost borders on a phobia for me. Yay, facebook! I am working on both, I promise y'all. I actually got rid of caller ID so that curiousity gets the better of me and I answer. But I WILL NOT run for the phone. I have issues, I am aware.

4. KSL talk radio and people who think that because someone said it on the radio, it must be true and EVERYONE feels that way. Makes me want to FREAK OUT!!! 'Nuff said.

5. Country music. Well, more like 95% of country music. It just couldn't be any more cliched, trite and overly sentimental. Who honestly likes to go around feeling mushy all the time? I guess it just makes me feel manipulated into feeling whatever it is they are going for, and I hate overt manipulation. Every so often I catch M in his room listening to country and I know it's when he's just feeling sad and wants to wallow in his poor, sorry, 8 year old life. Which is probably why people listen to country music in the first place. I guess I'm just not a fan of wallowing. I thank my mother for passing along this trait (though I certainly didn't enjoy it at 13, and I know my fam damily doesn't always appreciate it either. Tough!).

6. The ticket redemption prize counter at any arcade. Makes me want to PULL MY HAIR OUT! If that was the last job on earth, I would starve. Truly. I so admire a little old man who works behind the counter at the arcade in the Eureka in Mesquite Nevada. He asked my kids how many tickets they had, looked like he was thinking long and hard, and suggested what he thought must surely be the perfect prize for each kid that, amazingly enough, used up almost all their tickets. Then he would round up how many they still had by a few and give them another prize. Wham bam, done! And my kids just thought he was like Santa, picking out such great prizes. I knew he had just learned to get them in, and out! Oh, so wise.

7. Taking my darlings to the grocery store, especially together. Oh the fighting, the whining, the running around, the whacking, the obnoxiousness. For some reason, at the grocery store, or even more so, IKEA (whose damn kinderland is ALWAYS full), turns them into the most rotten version of themselves possible. One kid, a doable trip. Both kids, not unless it is a major emergency. We will eat canned soup for days before I will take them both.

8. Nagging. I hate to nag and I hate to be nagged. My husband (whom I love dearly, don't get me wrong) is SUCH A NAG!! "Hurry-up! We're going to be late!", "Chew with your mouth closed, you sound like a cow", "Quit rocking that chair", "You know you want to wakeboard, why don't you just try. Come-on, I know you'll like it", and my particular favorite, "You're going to stay on budget this month, right?" asked almost daily. Makes me crazy. I don't think of myself as a nag, but I'm sure the boys would tell you differently. Mostly I nag when I can tell my dear husband is thinking things should be happening differently. Then I get all anxious about him freaking out, and I start to nag. So I'm going to blame it all on R. And the boys are certainly learning how to really lock-in for a good nag fest if they really think they can wear me down. Which unfortunately, sometimes they can, because I'm a sucker, if you must know the truth.

9. Pokemon and Yu-gi Oh! cards. I don't get it, I don't want to get it, I don't want to hear about it, I don't want to look at your cards, I don't want to hear about your amazing trade, I don't want to listen to your teacher bitch about you playing with them when you should be listening, I don't want to pick them up, I don't want to pay the ridiculous amount they cost, I don't want to hear you fighting with your brother about whose is whose. I don't want anything to do with them. They are dumb, please grow out of them.

10. The end of Summer. I always have such high hopes. It just doesn't last long enough to get everything done that I'd like to do. I worry as much as the kids do at the beginning of the school year about who their teacher is, and will it be a good match? How will the homework be? Which activities should we do? Summer is just so much easier. The kids can sleep as long as they need to. There is no rushing home in the evening to get them to bed by 8 o'clock. No homework or projects, just read whatever you want. Dinner when it happens. Outside play. I'd rather do yardwork than housework any day of the week. It just feels so sad when it's over. Bring on responsibility. Bring on the work. Bring on the cold and being stuck in the dumb house. Just sad. I wonder if people who live in San Diego feel this way.

11. People who live by the book. Always. Can't be logical. No commonsense. Must follow the rules. For instance, I took my 1999 Subaru to have the Safety and Emmisions test so I can register it, cuz it's 18 days late I already got myself out of one ticket. I took it to the same place I went last year. This year they won't pass the safety because the tint on the back window is over the brake light in that window, because it is on the inside of the hatchback door. Okkaayyy, but I've had this car for 9 years and this hasn't been a problem before, not even last year, at the same place. Supposedly the UHP is "really cracking down" on this monumental safety issue, except that I've never been pulled over for that, and when I did it was because MY CAR WASN'T REGISTERED! Not because I have tint in my windows that isn't very dark that covers an optional light that my car has had for 9 years!!! Sorry, that's the rule, you can razor blade around the light and scrape the tint off, it shouldn't look too shitty. Thanks dude, you're super neat.

12. People who write anonymous letters or call the cops. Just have the balls to ring my doorbell and talk to me about whatever it is that is making your ass twitch. My dog barking? Good to know! I'll make sure he's inside when we leave. Party too loud, we'll tone it down. Don't like the color I painted my front door? Bugger off, you don't have a say in my decorating decisions. Is it possible for an anonymous letter to be taken objectively? I don't think so, I think it puts people on the defensively instantly. And a visit from "the man"? Just gonna piss me off.

13. Stepping on a lego or matchbox car in the dark. Well I hate it in the light too now that I think about it. Those little buggers are sharp. Hate to admit it, but when one of the monkeys stepped on one and had quite a little gash, I secretly felt a little glad. See!?! It effin' hurts, huh! How about we pick them up when we are done playing? I don't feel one bit bad when they "accidentally" get vacuumed up. Accidents happen. It's a cold, cruel world.

14. Hornets, wasps, yellow-jackets and species of their ilk. I think they are taking over the world. I try to be an "organic" type and not use much in the way of chemicals. I don't kill spiders, I just put them outside. But those rotten, ever-present, stinging pests, I don't mind spraying with instantly deadly neurotoxin. Not one little bit. It's all I can do to stop myself from yelling, "die Mother F-er, die!". But I just say it in my head. Usually.

and to end this little love, er hate (love to hate?) fest...

15. Hummers, the 80's band Midnight Oil, Juniper bushes, kids not sleeping in the own bed, kid's fighting all the time, unexpected expenses, those naked lady mudflaps and calvin peeing on stuff window decals, fake apologies, morning radio, myrtle spurge, "clever" news reporter banter, commercials, spam, health insurance (or the lack thereof), people that refuse to recycle, olympic judges that do a crappy job, getting older and saggier, when people want to talk while I'm obviously reading and can't possibly do both at the same time, when R wants to go to bed at 8 o'clock, not being able to go on vacation, Miley Cyrus (she just bugs!), and cantaloupe.

Well there. I hope you enjoyed my venomous spewing as much as I did. I feels GREAT to get all that off my chest. Have a fantastic day!

Distance Makes the Heart Grow Fonder

It's true.

R is at his annual guy's golf tournament this weekend in Mesquite. Since his mom lives in Mesquite, it makes sense for him to drive the boys down with him and drop them off for some quality time with grandma J. Last year they both went. I honestly didn't know what to do with myself for 4 whole days! This year, Z didn't want to go. He's been quite a homebody lately. I think he's worried about going to Kindergarten. So it has just been the two of us.

Friday night we drive up to Bear Lake with my good friend and her 3 year old boy. It was very quiet up there this weekend, none of my siblings went, so we just hung out with my parents. It was a nice time. Our boys decided to act like big brother-little brother towards the end, bugging each other just to hear the other scream. Boys will be boys.

Today and tomorrow it's just the two of us (and the creatures, of course). I think today we will go see Wall-e and get a treat of some sort. We slept in, cuddled for a long time, & played 2 games of Candyland, which he won both times ;). It's great to have a chance to talk and be together without someone else competing for attention. Tomorrow he has summer camp, so today is play day.

As much as I'm enjoying some quiet, non-fighting, time with my Z-man, I will be glad to have M home. I miss his chatter, his morning cuddles, his deep thoughts, and his help around the house. While I know that his grandparents are spoiling him rotten and taking good care of him, I worry when I'm not there. I guess it's a loss of control and a surrender of one of my most precious people to the care of someone else. And I always worry about my boys when they are on the road.

R is working so hard these days, and I so often go to Bear Lake without him, that I didn't really start to miss him until last night. We spent a few hours with our awesome neighbors and their visiting extended family. I had a great time, but more than once I wished R was there to enjoy it with me. And going to bed alone (if you consider sleeping with a kid, a cat and a dog alone) is always hard for me. I just don't sleep well without R. Sometimes I take for granted what he does around the house. I almost missed garbage pickup this morning!

It's good to have a break from each other sometimes and to have seperate experiences. R is having some much needed guy time, and some much needed time away from work to have fun. M gets to experience being the center of attention and bonding with his grandma, who is sorely missed since she moved. He gets to drive down and back with dad. Who knows, maybe he'll even miss his little bro (yeah, right). Z gets to have the whole house to himself for a few days, some quality time with mom before school starts, and total access to the new kitty (poor cat). I get some room to think and time to enjoy my youngest child before he starts into the big world of elementary school (which I must admit is kind of freaking me out). All in all, good experiences for everyone. Nice for a few days...

But I can't wait until they are home!

Wrapping Things Up and Preparing to Get Started

August is one of those months where I feel pulled in two directions. As the last month of Summer I feel it is my duty to squeeze every last minute of the chance to be carefree. I want to swim, hike, travel and lounge as much as possible. We still haven't gone to Raging Waters, Boondocks, Antelope Island (the one thing I want to do this year because I have never been), a baseball game. Every year I think Summer gets shorter and shorter. I don't want it to end. I'm NOT ready to send my kids back to school. I feel like the grasshopper, I'll prepare for Winter tomorrow, I want to play today!

This is a great time to make a list of what you still want to accomplish and do this Summer. It's also a fanatastic time to take stock of what is working this Summer, and what you would like to change for next year. I personally think we have been too planned out this Summer with camps and sports. We haven't had enough to chill and just play. Next year I am thinking we may not do summercamp every week, and just pick one or two weeks that we think look fun. Or I may stick with the Winner School but just do 2 days a week. Or a combo or both. Or we may not do it all. I can work from home and we can go do all the fun stuff they do at camp (maybe not the most realistic option, I'm not much of a crafter). Nothing has to be decided right now, it's just a good time to think about it and ask the kids how they think this Summer has gone and what they would change.

At the same time I know I have to start getting ready for school and Winter. It's time to begin harvesting my garden and preserving the excess for later. Planning Fall yard projects. What needs to be done before it gets cold or snows? There are back to school clothing inventories to do, shoes to buy,school supplies to stock-up on backpacks to pick-out. Is there a particular type of clothing or shoes that they feel the just have to have? I need to find out now so I can scope out sales. It's time to start getting the kids back on a more school friendly schedule, earlier to bed, earlier to rise. To start talking about what to expect from this school year. Will there be more homework this year? Times tables and cursive? What about the Kindergartener who needs some extra reassurance about going to school? Are the kids old enough to walk by themselves? Do they want to take school lunch? It's time to think about what may be new and stressful, and start talking about it now.

It's time to start thinking about the upcoming holidays. What should we do over Fall Recess? Do we have any idea what we'd like to be for Halloween and can we start pulling together a costume? Are we traveling for Thanksgiving and need to start looking into airfare or lodging? Or staying home? And it is never to late to start thinking about Christmas. Incidentally, this is a great time to stock-up on art supplies to use as gifts all year round. What kid doesn't love an art kit with brand new fresh crayons, paints, markers and pencils? Great for Christmas as well as birthday parties. And when buying Back-to School clothing, I plan to pick-up a few extra cool T-shirts and sweatshirts, while they are on sale, as gifts for Christmas as well. And why not peruse the clearance rack for clothes for next Summer? It's a great time to grab flip-flops, swimsuits, beach towels, and shorts. Think ahead, who do you know that is pregnant or just had a baby? Can you find any cute summer baby clothes at a huge discount? What about lawn and garden-it's all on clearance now.

This year, I must admit, I didn't really budget to stock-up for next year. I'm trying to decide if I should grab a little from the emergency fund to do so with the plan of replenishing as quickly as possible. In the long run it will save us money. But I hate to see the balance going down.

Today I am going to take a minute to make my Summer list of things we want to do before school starts, ways to maximize these last few days of freedom and schedule a time to do it. Over the next few days I'm going to make a list of what I can do now, bit by bit so as not to canniblize our summer, to prepare for the upcoming months. I'm not going to use up our time running from store to store to stock up. But while we are there, I will certainly stock-up on what is on sale. I'm also going to see what I can do on-line to save time. Most importantly, I'm just going to relax and enjoy the last golden days of Summer!