You Don't See That Every Day

This year our back to school clothes shopping has taken a twist. We tried something different with the kids. In the past I would take a couple of them, or sometimes all five, and spend hours going to stores, debating about the clothes with them, trying to find nice items for a nice price. It was usually exhausting for all of us. This year I have enjoyed B2SCS! The kids each have their own money set aside from their earnings this summer (selling veggies). I dropped the older three at a store, went and did my errands (shopping with the younger two) and then came back to preview their selections. Mostly approved, perhaps a few times of discussion about their choices. And then the kids purchase it. We all go home happy. I am not stressed about bleeding money; they like the clothes they get; and they learn to shop. My girls are great at finding bargains, and scouring the clearance section. Another step towards independence.

Today is "Parents Day" according to my calendar. So my husband and I decided to take advantage of the day and go out without children. Can I just say how nice it is to have kids that are teen-aged and responsible enough to babysit their younger siblings?! G and I drove to a Nike outlet store to use our special friends and family coupon during their sale. What a madhouse! There were so many people in the store it felt like a Christmas Eve rush. At least there was no fighting over any items, and the people were nice and polite all around the store. G was able to score a pair of running shoes to replace his worn ones. They were on sale, and then we got them marked down another 30%, so we knew we couldn't get a better deal elsewhere. After that we wandered around the outlet center. I used to really enjoy doing this kind of thing. But I have either gotten too old, or too practical or too tightfisted with my money, because I didn't really enjoy the stores. I found a few t...

Just another day in paradise- loads of laundry to finish folding while chasing a runny-nosed toddler who would rather not wear clothes. I wouldn't trade it for anything!

After a day of preparing for Christmas - shopping, returning certain items, finding the right sizes, colors, shapes; making gifts and delivering goodies - I was able to sit down and relax after our traditional chili and rice supper. And it was photo op time too. The kids were bathed and in their brand new jammies, so we had a little fun with it. Getting 5 kids to cooperate was hard enough; getting a 20-month old to participate was near-impossible. So we tried some funny stuff. . It isn't as easy as it sounds to sit upside down on a couch. But they managed to hold it for a few seconds. And then they turned the camera on us. Of course my husband decided to goof around also. The kids got to pick out one gift to open on this night, and then they were off to bed, a little late, and full of excitement for the next day!

Do you ever wonder how the powers that be come up with the number of uses on their products? (sorry for the blurriness. these packages don't like their photo to be taken.) I have been buying this laundry detergent for a number of years now. I love the way it cleans our clothes, and the scent it leaves. But it wasn't until recently that I thought, gee, I have been going through a lot of detergent lately. Sure there is another kid in the house, but that shouldn't account for so much laundry! No, there are other culprits at work here. My girls are notorious for changing clothes; putting clean ones in the laundry basket; or using a towel once after a shower and dumping it in the basket. So I began an experiment. Just to see how much we were using. I like to run a full load when I do laundry (twice a week these days!) so I fill to the 2nd line on the measuring cup. And that has made all the difference . It appears that the "95 loads" is for those who don't...

Ranting today about: Memory. For a moment there I actually almost forgot the topic. My memory is going, or mostly gone, or just comes back in spurts. It's kind of like Swiss cheese. Randomly missing parts.This past week I have had 2 phone messages. I wrote down "Call (name)" so that I would remember to return their call. Thankfully they were not super duper important must return right away life or death phone calls. Because I forgot to call back. And then as I was feeding or changing someone, I would think "Oh, yeah I gotta call them" and then promptly forget. My poor friend must think I don't care anymore. I just keep forgetting to call people back. Last week I went to the store to pick up some chili for the guys to take on their campout. I wrote it on my grocery list. I mentioned it to my children who were with me the entire time. And I forgot to buy the chili. Got everything else though. Ah, memory, come back to me. My rant today: I love l...