sleep?? what's that???

So, Brady is home, and we are all happy. Got grossed out when they showed us the lump they removed...he should be about 2 lbs lighter now.

I didn't get any sewing done because of the high stress in the house and trying to keep the children from going at each other....but I'm hopeful that maybe today I will at least get some things cut out.

Hopeful because...well...there wasn't a lot of sleep happening last night. DD is extremely upset at the vet for what was done to Brady (she says they made him ugly), DS only wants to love on him, but we won't let him because we don't want Brady getting too excited and such. DH slept downstairs with Brady last night, using the couch cushions as his mattress. Apparently, Brady decided to lay down in the kitchen, and when he woke up from a dream, couldn't figure out where he was and started howling until DH called him back into the living room. Alarm went off at 5am, so downstairs I went....to wake DH up so he could get ready for work, and to take over his place on the couch cushions......2 hours later I was awakened by a big dog head pushing into my side.

Not a lot of sleep.....even though I started upstairs, in my own bed, I was tossing and turning....waking up every few minutes it seemed....who'd have thought a dog would cause this much worry....odd, isn't it?

So....we are only going out of the house for the kids' swim lessons, then will be back home for the rest of the day - means no karate at all this week, but better no karate then a stressed out pup who might injure himself.

PROMISE to get some pictures of the current and upcoming projects so that this blog can go back to what it's original purpose is....after I take a nap.

Surgery day for Brady

Took my goofy pup (he's only 7 so yes, he gets referred to as a puppy) to the Vet yesterday on the way to DSs appointment. At some point this morning, he will be having surgery to remove a lump on his chest......it had started as a loose fatty lump in the middle of his chest and over the past year or so, has migrated to under his left front leg AND it has gotten larger and harder....so.....yeah.

It was very quiet in the house last night, and both DH and I almost called Brady to go outside before remembering that he was spending the night at the vet's office....argh, we are so used to the big dope being right behind us whenever we go outside.

So.....as of an hour ago, he was happily wagging his tail and looking around at everyone, but the surgery schedule hadn't been decided yet. I verified that they would call me if they needed to and reminded them that there was only 1 hour or so that I wouldn't be at home, and to PLEASE try the cell phone if there was no answer at home...they said no problem.

I'm going to be moving all of Brady's toys and bedding downstairs because we don't want him to go up and down the stairs for a while....definitely not while wearing a big plastic cone around his neck. Now I'm thinking that I should make him a little lovey...yeah, I know spoiled dog...lol.

But, there you have it....that's my morning so far.....time to go be domestic. With any luck, I can get some more postings done since it's summer time....will have lots of patterns and such to review, I hope....and since the kiddos want to do Home Ec lessons, I will probably use their lessons as blog posts as well....have a great day....it's rainy here, but we still have swim lessons to go to

summertime

So, it's July 5th....kids got out of school practically a month ago and will go back to school on August 23rd. What to do with ALL that time......well....to make it productive and prepare them for the next school year, here's what we do in our house:

Using "Summer Bridges" (since our local education supply store closed, I order them from Amazon.com), the kids do a page or 2 a day....not that long at all, to review what they should have learned during the school year they just finished, and to prepare them for the upcoming school year. They also have requested that we start with Home Ec lessons.....they are learning how to cook with minimal supervision and are having a blast. So far, their favorites are the cinnamon toast and scrambled eggs....lol. They are really looking forward to the sewing lessons because they have been BEGGING to use my sewing machine for months. Of course, we will be starting with simple straight stitches.....most likely making napkins for the first projects. DD wants to make skirts...DS isn't sure what he wants to make, but he wants to use the machine.

We also do weekly Bible study, particularly since we seem to be unable to make it to our church due to some behavior issues associated with having a child on the Autism Spectrum.

All total, this work should take no more than 30 minutes - an hour if they are having trouble with the work they are supposed to do. So....that leaves basically the entire day for them.....we have done exercises and weight training, they have been taking swim lessons, and we are learning about SHARING RESPONSIBILITY....something you would think that a 7yo and 11yo would have already figured out. Oy!! So far, we have covered folding clothes and putting them away properly....lol.....they have also figured out how to work together to get their chores done faster....yes, they both have chores that they are responsible for.

No real vacation planned during the summer because we have bigger family plans later in the year. However, they seem to be having a blast swinging in the hammock or playing in the backyard pool (temporary one that we set up every year). The progress that they are making in swimming is astounding.....can't wait to see what the end result is from these lessons.

SO....what do you do with your kids during the summer??? Do you work with them to prepare them for the upcoming school year?? Do you send them to camp? relatives?? just let them goof off??? Would really like some feedback on this.....

The ultimate in meal planning

I had to share what I just discovered tonight. I did meal planning yesterday and got to Jan. 22nd...but I wanted more....so I did some grocery shopping for things that we use and that were on sale and/or that I had a coupon for.

Here's what I wrote on another site:

So, I sat back down to go through the food once again (I think last time I had planned through the 24th or 25th of December). Well....I think I might have actually gotten through January....not quite sure how it happened.....this will be SO awesome if it's true.....just need to verify meals with inventory to make sure I didn't schedule something that we didn't have supplies for (had help, and not sure they crossed off things as I mentioned them....limited attention span...lol).
So, once I figure this all out, you'll probably see a HUGE happy dance SweetPea on here.
Hubby decided we needed to go to Disney to celebrate his finishing his BA degree, we need to replace a sleeper sofa, I have to pay the $100 fee for him to receive his diploma....those are the major "long term" expenses that I'm working with right now, not to mention trying to build our savings back up a bit. So......now you can understand why I'm freaking out a little....this would be better than I have ever done before and I might just have a major mental freak out if this is correct.....the chance to actually put money AWAY.....too awesome

*followed by this update:*
Having done all of my dancing...lol...I have to tell you this....I have dinners planned through February 4th!!! Not sure exactly how I did this....guess I gave up planning when I got Christmas, but apparently there was a bit more in stock than I had thought.
NO grocery shopping in January other than for milk, bread, meds.....this should allow for saving up and for paying towards the family vacation....and for paying off the home equity loan (which is HUGE because once that's paid off, I can start looking for a replacement minivan....should have it paid off in a few months!!)
Phew....brain hurts...not sure how I did this, but wow
Just figured it out....since 11/4, I've spent a total of $571.61, but have gotten food for 13 weeks, which works out to $43.97 per week for a family of 4, plus 2 cats and a dog....WOW!!! I have managed to impress myself

Now THAT'S how you do it ladies!!

End of year round up

Well, it's the last day of 2010 and I thought I'd look back over the blog. I've gotten a couple of new followers, missed SEVERAL months due to general distractions or personal antipathy, and have posted numerous recipes, both from my personal family cookbooks, or from some generous, kind-hearted friends.

So....the questions, as I've asked before is....does anybody actually read this thing, or is it just being written as a catharsis for me to deal with my crazy-busy-hectic life??

Whatever

So....There was Black Friday (I laughed because I haven't shopped on BF in years....and the most recent was an accident - I actually forgot it was BF and ran out to get shelving for DSs bedroom...crazy!). Did you find any bargains?? Was it *really* worth it to rush out early, stand in line with all those other people?? Eh, I prefer my method...get a cup of coffee, sit in the main part of the mall, and chuckle at all the people running around like crazy.

Then there was "the last shopping weekend before Christmas" where stores saw yet another boom in sales as those who had postponed their shopping tried to get gifts for all those people that they felt obligated to give gifts to. Please note the word "obligated" That is NOT what Christmas is about, yet it seems that is what society has turned it into....just another mass-market commercialized day in the year. {sigh}

Finally, there is the Day After Christmas.....HUGE discounts....what can I say, that one is harder for me to break that BF because that's when I buy the clothing for the children for next year. This year was NOT fun as I couldn't find the lined cargo pants and jeans that my sensory-sensitive son likes to wear. Managed to find them online - and still on sale! But it was still crazy trying to find them - apparently they aren't carried anywhere other than Old Navy...if anybody else knows where I can get them, PLEASE tell me!!!

However, thanks to a productive morning (up at 5am, out by 545am, not back home until noon...and I was out with my Mother doing her shopping and my shopping!!), I don't have to buy birthday or Christmas presents for either child!! I even found a few things for my husband....didn't look for things for myself this year as I'm determined to MAKE my clothes (have had some fabrics sitting in my storage for nearly 7 years...it's time to turn them into clothing). Once DSs pants arrive, my shopping (for presents anyway) will be 95% for 2011...how awesome is that??!!???

Now....groceries...oy! I thought I only had groceries to get me through 12/25....last major shopping trip was back in November....early November at that...lol. Well, I sat down yesterday and played with more meal plans, and it looks like I have most of January taken care of as well!! I *did* do some shopping yesterday due to sales and having coupons that matched with what was on sale. If I did as well as I think I did, I may not have to do a major shopping trip until sometime in February!!! WooHoo!!!! This is more than awesome....this is freaking mindblowing!!.......er....fudging mindblowing...lol

DS has discovered Sci-Fi novels, and was upset at the language used in just the first paragraph of the one he bought (gift card from grandparents...both kids thought it was awesome that they got to spend their own "money" for their books). So....we started substituting new words....

@ss=apple
b!tch=banana
sh!t=sugar
d@mn=donut

You get the idea.....but sometimes it's too funny...like when discussing our DDs behavior and it ends up being: she needs to stop acting like a spoiled banana....argh....it rapidly dissolves into laughter...yup, some interesting changes going on in the house

Well, I hope that you've enjoyed 2010...I will do my best to post more regularly in 2011...

New Year's Resolutions

We all make them, some of us keep them....so what are some of YOUR resolutions for 2011??

In a couple of groups that I belong to, this question was raised, and since I responded there, I thought I'd post them here....feel free to add your own.....:

• 1-get back to daily workouts

  2-learn more frugal recipes and cook double batches of meals so that we have them ready for nights when things are really crazy

  3-work through the stashed fabric and actually finish outfits for myself and the children (DS just wants more cargo pants, but DD and I have enough outfits for whole new wardrobes....but all still in the flat-fold fabric stage...lol)

  4-learn how to do more than make pickles

and from another group (still my responses):

• 1- to do better at planning so that we don't get caught between paychecks with little money in the bank

  2-to spend less on spur-of-the-moment purchases

  3-to go to the store without the children when I can

  4-to make the clothes that I bought supplies for (mostly me and DD) instead of purchasing cheaply made things from mass-market stores

  5-to learn how to make pet treats because store-bought ones are WAY too expensive

  6-to learn how to can more things (though apparently the pickles are a HUGE hit) and how to do other preserving

  7-to make double batches of certain meals so that we have them ready for those nights when things are just too crazy

  8-to NOT have fast food in the house more than once a month

I probably should add in...become a better manager of my time. SO much of my time seems to be spent on things that, in the long run, are trivial....and not enough time is spent with my family or getting the things done that I need to do (to further save money)......ah, well....would be nice if we had just a 28 hour day every now and then, but.....

Spirit of Christmas

So, it's Christmas time again....and the question is...what is Christmas all about. Yes, it celebrates the birth of Jesus. Given that we live in a materialistic society, it seems that Christmas has become nothing more than a retailers dream.....buy buy buy....with the children shouting gimme gimme gimme.

We should remember that it's about GIVING, not about GETTING.....God GAVE us His Son...what's so hard about that?

I'm not saying that we shouldn't have presents under the tree or anything like that, but we need to remember what Christmas is really about.

Oh, and since this is where I give frugal tips and hints and such...if you feel the need to give presents, why not do something that costs less, but means more. Give of yourself, give some of your time, make things by hand ......cut back on your list of who you "must" give presents to. And most importantly, give to those less fortunate than yourself. Keep in mind that, no matter how bad things might seem for you, there are always others that have less than you.