A *year* of no spending???

A gal I am acquainted with on a sewing forum has undertaken this challenge, along with her whole family. Aside from bills, food, and their rules, no spending. Trying to get out of debt. See happilyfrugal.com for their rules.

Could you do it? Would you try? Have you tried something similar?

The closest to this we have come is no eating out for a month. And I recently cut out several things to trim our budget by about $100/month. Hubby started working more hours, so that helps tremendously with the budgeting.

If we stick to the current plan, our credit card will be paid off in 4 months. Even though we will still have hospital, car, and house debt after that, we will be putting aside that money for a new van. The hospital does not charge us interest, and we will still have to make car and mortgage payments, but we need a mini van and really don't want to be making payments on it (having learned our lesson with *still* being upside down in the car after 3 years of payments). We also talked today about various places we'd like to travel (Europe, Japan, the Pacific Northwest to see family and friends, Disney, etc.), and hubby said, "If we had 20K in the bank, I'd say let's go. But we don't." Well. hmph. Let's find out how much of a tightwad I can be ...

So ... As far as windfalls go, the Christmas money is about to arrive. I still don't know what we're doing, but we'd really like a Wii. Do we spend half the check on the Wii and accessories, a gift card for Small Fry, and stash the rest? Or do we spend $100 on each of us and stash the rest? Or do we blow the whole of it, knowing it's the last "fun" money we're going to have for a while?

The tax return next year: Not sure how big it'll be, assuming we get one, but really, I'd like to just put it all in the bank.

My goal? How much can we save in the next year. You may see me on the computer and blog less, as I try and work a little extra every day to put towards that savings ... I don't know that we'll be able to do the "no spend for a year" thing, but we can definitely be more frugal and thrifty ...

Surreality

Having a baby is a nebulous thing ... It's so vague when you start thinking about it. Sure, a baby, that sounds good. It's not until they're here and start developing their own personalities that it becomes really ... real.

We started trying to get pregnant nearly 2 years ago. We had an early miscarriage in May 2007, and then kept trying. I got so absorbed with the "trying" part, charting temperatures, tracking ovulation, taking Clomid, all that stuff, that once I finally peed on a stick and got the "Pregnant" sign in the window, I started panicking. I'd been so focused on getting pregnant, I hadn't thought about the BABY. LOL.

The pregnancy, as many of you know, was not easy. But I felt a lot of reassurance from his little kicks and pokes and nudges at first, and then the feet slamming into my sides whenever I went to bed ... It was comforting, actually. He definitely had opinions on me working during the pregnancy, and those opinions have just gotten more tough. He is such a joy, until I sit down to type ... and then he yells. *sigh*

The last week has been very challenging for me working, but I realized that he is only going to be little and wanting me all the time for a very short time, and hubby deciding on his own to work more hours has eased my mind (and our budget) a lot. We've cut back on some things (if you have our home phone number in your cell phone, you may want to reprogram my cell phone as the main number since I disconnected the house phone this week ...), and are looking at others, and working on paying off our one credit card and all the medical bills, hopefully within the next 6 months. I'm still working, still have to, but I don't have to try and work a billion hours anymore while caring for this little person.

Tonight baby was laying on me, tummy to tummy, and he was just smiling and cooing (and drooling and spitting up onto the burp cloth I stuck between us). And it hit me how blessed we are to have him, and how he's developing his own personality. He's so cute and I'm just happy getting to know him. He has his own wants and needs and choices ... it may seem like babies are just there, but he definitely has opinions. He wants formula 3 or 4 times a day. I'll happily give it to him if he's going to not scream at me. And he's still nursing well the rest of the time, but he definitely knows when he wants the formula. His smiles light up our whole house -- hubby and kiddo came in the nursery and fawned all over him too. He's changed our lives in such positive ways (mostly), and he's still so little ... But he definitely has his own ideas about what we should be doing.

So I'm working from 3 a.m. to 8 a.m., whenever he's sleeping (I usually have to feed him in there), then I'm with him most of the day, working during a couple of naps as well, sleeping during one of them with him, and I usually go to bed when he and kiddo go down for the night. It's not easy, but boy it's worth it, being able to just snuggle with him and sing to him and rock him without stressing.

And then I remembered how awesome it was to be able to do the same thing with kiddo when she was tiny because my parents let us live with them for so long. It's been such a long time since I had a baby, I'd forgotten a LOT of stuff, pregnancy and new baby wise. It's wonderful to remember things she did when he does them. Kiddo is totally jealous of all the time baby gets, but I keep reminding her she had me all to herself for a very long time. lol. She's being such a big help lately, too ... I just feel very blessed these days. Even if life isn't perfect.

Friday Fave Five

1. On-the-Spot Renewal. Our printer is out of ink, I don't want to wait for the P.O., and I would have wasted time and gas going to the DMV place, so even though they charge $10 to log into the state's website and hand you a sticker, I did it anyway. And the registration is renewed.

2. Rotisserie chicken. Moist, tender, inexpensive ... relatively speaking ... kiddo chopped up potatoes and made mashies (with some help from me and no milk), and served dinner with raw carrots.

3. Kiddo's Diner. She served a menu alongside the dinner plates and asked for $1 each from me and hubby. lol.

4. Pepsi. Hi, I'm Stewie, and Pepsi is crack to me ...

5. Baby tylenol. Sucks to have a sick baby. Sucks to have a sick baby who got shots earlier in the week. Sucks even more to have a sick baby who had shots earlier in the week, who also had to have a penile adhesion taken down. Bad mommy, I thought I was caring for his circ just fine ... but no, he had one adhesion. *sigh* (okay now call me a bad mommy for medicating my vaccinated, circumcised son ... lol)

There you have it.

Tonga and Bumblebees

I just had the weirdest dream. I left the baby and Kiddo home with Hubby and went to Tonga to visit his sisters.

They don't live in Tonga. One lives about 4 hours away from us by car, the other lives two hours by plane.

The flight only took an hour, no customs, nothing. I only stayed a day, then came home to feed the baby.

It was weird.

I got woken up by an unhappy 9-year-old coming in my room and saying, "Mom, I had a dream you died. Huge bumblebees attacked you." I'm allergic to bees and wasps, and she showed me how big the bumblebees were in her dream. About 5 inches. Yeah ... it scared her. She said a prayer and went back to bed. I put the baby back in his bassinet in his room (he wasn't feeling well last night, so I never attempted to put him in there after feeding him; we both just passed out in my bed) and now I'm getting to work. Yay me.

I'm taking work off Conference weekend

Or at least, I'm hoping I am.

My friend who got me hooked up with this job is also one of the team leads ... she's really awesome, love her to pieces. when she got my email about conference saturday being off, she called me. "Sooooo, what are you doing?" lol. She's not a member, but I explained our church's worldwide leadership is speaking that weekend and that I want to listen. She was cool about it, but said the boss has to approve it. She was just giving me crap.

My other reason? I AM GOING TO CLEAN THIS *BLANK* HOUSE while conference is on. Sure ... I'll have to feed the baby and all that stuff, but the house will be cleaned that weekend, and I don't just mean "grab this and shove it there." I will be taking garbage bags through all the rooms, getting rid of things we don't use/wear/fit into/need. Clutter will magically disappear, dusting will be done, floors will be swept/vacuumed ... all while listening to conference and wearing a baby.

Maybe I'm setting myself up for failure by expecting it all to be done. But OTOH, someone has to do it before I lose my mind. And it's going to be me apparently. lol

9-1/2 weeks old

and he's just so darn cute. yes, his left eyebrow is raised at me. he does that a lot.

Literary Rules

A good guy/girl can't get screwed. That's in the rules for romances, per my sister the romance author. So usually the "other" person in a love triangle has some major character flaw (like he's a lush or extremely controlling or what have you) so that it's obvious which choice to make.

But sometimes our choices in life aren't always between good and bad. Sometimes, they're between good and good, or good and better, or at least better for us.

If you've seen Made of Honor, you know the choice she makes. It was refreshing to see a dose of "reality" in a romantic comedy as far as that goes. Sometimes ... often times, a good guy DOES get screwed. Just ask any "nice" guy. My best guy friend, Josephina Minckerbottom, used to tell me that all the time. Hubby felt the same way, until he finally got the girl of his dreams (ha!).

Thanks Treen

This is teh awesome. In case you didn't click/copy&paste her comment below.

How to Buy a Car Without Getting Screwed | Viral | SPIKE.com

pfffffft ...

so, my neighbors recently bought a new car and one of our other neighbors said, "how fun!" and I thought to myself ... why is that FUN?

Oh, don't get me wrong. I like driving. But I DESPISE dealerships and being hustled. I know what I want when I go those places, and I do my homework before I even make any sort of contact. I do not need to be sold on anything, nor do I need someone to tell me all of the information I have is WRONG, or that I couldn't possibly have a lower interest rate already than the one they were offering because it was through the same credit union (which the credit union told me they would do), or to push for closing a deal when my 2-month-old is pitching a fit already and I've already told them I need to leave.

*sigh*

I'm going back to the credit union in the morning to find out what kind of loan they'll prequal me for, and then I'll shop around for a van. If I can get a dealer who will make it make financial sense for me to buy one, I will. But going into a 6-year loan already owing 5K more than the used van with no warranty is worth is NOT smart. GAHHH.

ahh ... now I get it.

About 6 months before I bought this place, I'd put in an offer on a house in Eagle Mountain. The deal fell through, and this whole time I'd assumed it was because of the commute my husband would have had after we married, and the fact that I'd never see my family.

That all may be part of it, but I'd also intended on purchasing a rather large dog afterward to help protect my daughter and me from unwanted "guests." When the deal fell through and we found this tiny condo, I started looking at lap dogs, but decided not to get one when we found out about my heart. My husband does not like dogs. At all. So I'm glad I decided, in the end, not to get one.

So a couple of nights ago, hubby was showing me something on his thigh and next to it, I saw a scar I'd never noticed before. It's about 1/4 inch wide and about 1 inch long. "What's that from?" "A dog bite." Shock. "What?? That doesn't look like a dog bite." He pointed to his knee, a good 9 inches away from the other scar. "That's the other part of it." There were a bunch of scars crisscrossing the knee. Turns out, when he was a very small child in the Islands, a German shepherd bit him and shook him around like a rag doll. He remembers being attacked, but that's all, and he is sort of afraid of big dogs still (even though he's 6'1" and close to 280 ...). His older brother remembers seeing the whole thing. So as he's grown, the scars have grown apart.

The topic of a pet dog is now closed. Permanently.

awesome. i love esl docs.

Skin/Breasts: The patient is status post 5th toe removed on the right leg.

HUH???

oh yeah ...

i'm a great mommy.

happy 2-month birthday Mojo!

Girl's Night Out!

So ... it's about time we had another one. Where? The Clubhouse. Who? Girls. Duh. (if you have small children who need to come, mine will be there, too, so no big deal). WHEN? October 1st from 6 to 9. We'd originally discussed it just being a "stitch and *w*itch" night ... but that's not a mandatory thing. But you can bring a project you haven't finished yet, gossip, a movie, a treat to share, a goat, whatever ... Just come and have fun.

If you need directions or more info, email me!

Love Guru (i.e., some reviews of movies)

We have a membership at Hollywood that lets us rent up to 3 movies at a time with no late fees. Ever. It's saved us a bundle because we kept racking up late fees, and we rented movies almost every weekend anyway. It's not as cheap as Netflix, but I get to pick them in the store and no waiting, and when I had Netflix, I'd rent other movies anyway. So it works for us. So why not watch the stupid movies at home (essentially for free), and save the big bucks for going out? We watch way too many movies. Maybe I can spare you some pain.

Hubby wanted to see Love Guru in the theater.

I vetoed, but picked it up for him today.

The funniest line wasn't even *in* the movie. It was as the credits start rolling. They're shooting a scene with the coach, played by a dwarf, and Mike Myers. "Can we move in the shot? All I can see are [butts]." Coach says, "Now you know what it's like." Cracked me up. And the entire crew.

Anyway. Unless you're a fan of the stupid and Mike Myers, I don't recommend it. "D"

****

Jumper: Hayden Christensen doesn't totally suck in this movie, unlike the Star Wars movies. The plot left too many holes and unexplained bits, but if you're just looking at the surface and taking it for a brain-numbing movie, it's okay. "C"

****

The Forbidden Kingdom: Even though it's PG-13, we let Kiddo watch this with us Monday night. We all rather enjoyed it: Jackie Chan and Jet Li!!! Come on, martial arts movies don't get better than that. Hubby wants to buy it, which I will probably get for him for Christmas or his birthday.

****

I also picked up Made of Honor, thinking "chick flick, cool, I'll watch it tonight." I'll have to let you know on that one though because hubby got all offended I wanted to watch it without him. He likes Patrick Dempsey. Who knew? Actually, I did because of Enchanted, but he'd said he didn't want to see Made of Honor until he saw the cover and realized who the lead was. lol.

So ... more reviews to come as I have time ...

caffeine withdrawal

ever have one of those days where you just can't seem to do anything right? your baby screamed at you half the night, then your husband came home in a bad mood and led you to believe bad things about yourself, then your older child threw a fit because she got in trouble for not cleaning her room, and then you got an email from work saying you messed up? And to top it all of, after a hysterical crying fit to your sister, you realize something. You haven't had a Pepsi since Monday, no caffeine at all, and you're out of chocolate! No wonder it feels like the world is coming down on your head -- caffeine withdrawals and hormones are a bad combination.

Thank heaven for Excedrin Tension. Caffeine and acetaminophen.

And for a baby bouncer with brightly colored toys hanging above it. He wants them and he quit yelling at me.

And for kiddo realizing mommy can't do everything.

And for hubby sleeping with his CPAP on so when you go in there and hand him the baby so you can go potty and find the drugs, he wakes up and acts semi coherent and takes care of him for 5 minutes and is actually nice and says he loves you when you leave the room.

and for the sweet smell of the cuddly baby. and for the little smile that lights up his whole face when he sees you.

now i have to go get some chocolate ... and maybe pepsi...

Anyone need dairy formula?

Enfamil sent me two cans. Plus whatever we got at the hospital. Baby can't tolerate dairy formula ... so ... it's either going in the trash, or someone who wants it can have it.

Success!

Along the same line of answers to prayers ...

So, when the baby acts hungrier after a feeding, hubby just says, "oh, just give him a bottle." He's trying to be supportive but can't stand his son being hungry. So he got up to two bottles a day, between 3 and 6 ounces, and then he would keep spitting up ... and then this morning acted starving again even though I was feeding him and milk was dripping out.

I'd tried rice cereal last week at the suggestion of a friend and he just didn't want it. But we tried again this morning, with hubby saying, "I thought you were putting it in his bottle!" NO, I'm not going to compound the problem by giving him yet another bottle and make it more appealing to him.

Mojo ate about 1/2 Tbs, making funny faces and chewing it, lol, then he asked to nurse but didn't eat much and fell asleep again. So far, he hasn't spit up either. Woohoo!!! Hopefully it works again later.

And I got a check yesterday from a class action law suit I didn't know I was a part of, and it will almost pay off the neurologist's bill from hubby's sleep study (the part the insurance didn't cover). We've almost hit our out of pocket max for the year, so we're going to see an ENT about getting his "huge" tonsils removed.

Sleeping baby, happy mommy, kiddo getting ready for school, hubby happy because baby is happy ... I guess I'd better work.

Answers to prayers

I lost my keys.

Then my cell phone.

And then I lost *hubby's* keys.

I found my keys and phone this morning, but wasn't too worried about hubby's because I'd found my set of keys to the car and house, so what's the worry, right?

Well. His key to his work locker is on his keychain. He was stressing. Oops.

So, I thought I remembered putting them in the diaper bag yesterday after church, and even had the thought, "remember where you're putting these. you will need them tomorrow." But I couldn't find them in there! I searched frantically for about 15 minutes until I stopped and said a prayer to find the keys. Kept looking, but was much more calm, and then looked in the small outside pocket of the diaper bag for them. There they were.

Thank heaven. Hubby was able to calm down enough to sleep now, so at least I'm not in trouble anymore ... and I did say a prayer of thanks.

Just little things like that remind me that God does hear and answer our prayers, no matter how small or great ... even if it's not the way we expect them to be answered.

I realized this weekend that it doesn't matter how many supplements I take to make more milk if the baby wants a bottle with formula twice a day. That helped me feel better too, and then I remembered the inspiration in the hospital to supplement with the catheter back then ... and realized if the Lord hadn't given me that piece of information, the baby probably wouldn't be breast feeding at ALL by now, let alone most of the time. that made me feel even better.

I'm so thankful for the inspiration and answers to prayers, and the other answers that make me realize we're being blessed even if it's not in the way I think it's going to happen. Like with hubby suddenly asking for more hours at work, and Kaje bringing over gripe water (which I am using most nights), or Steph helping fix up the baby's room, or kiddo making dinner and enjoying cooking, or when my parents were here last and cleaned and helped with food. I don't have to do it all myself and physically can't, so I'm just really thankful for all the blessings and help we've received.

Friday Fave Five

In no particular order ...

1. Ritter Sport dark chocolate with Marzipan. I love marzipan. I love dark chocolate. There is no milk in it. oh my gosh ... evil evil evil.

2. Steph. *sniff* She came and helped finish getting the baby's room ready. The play yard/bassinet is still the bed (need a new crib mattress as a light bulb shattered and sprayed the other mattress in the garage), but even just dragging out the bookcase and moving in the dresser ... and sorting through the clothes ... HUGE help. hubby helps when he's ready to, and sometimes it takes a while ... and ... since he did #3 this week, I'm not going to push him helping more around the house.

3. Hubby requested more hours at work and got approved for the bigger schedule. Why? Well. We had a discussion or two about "what is best for our financial picture," and he decided on his own that if he worked more hours, it would help. I have never suggested it or told him to work more (although I have expressed disappointment when his paychecks suck because he called off a lot), so this really was all his doing.

4. Kiddo. She's made dinner a few times and made cupcakes last night after making yummy goulash ... I heart that kid. She has been soooo much more helpful lately. wahoo!

5. The supportive people I've been meeting lately, the ones who don't try and make me feel bad for my parenting choices. It's formula, not rat poison, and he only gets 2-4 ounces a day. The other 17-28 ounces (not sure how much he takes in since it's breast milk; that's based on an average from the LLL) is all from me. And yes, the ones who might be trying to make me feel bad are also trying to be supportive of my choice to breast feed, but there are times he WANTS a bottle (usually lunchtime and bedtime), and I'm not going to fight the screaming baby. We're both so much happier if he takes them, I'm not going to fuss about it. Still drinking the herbal tea every day though because when I miss it, I'm making less milk. So anyway. I'm just thankful for all the support. :)



random movie quote: Where were you this weekend, man? We had the best frat party ever! We almost had a girl there!



Andddd ... I'm thankful I don't live in Texas right now. See, a position opened up at work that would have required a relocation to Texas. Houston, to be exact. With Ike headed straight for them ... I'm glad I didn't apply. There were other reasons since Ike wasn't around yet, but ... yeah. Ssoooooo glad we live here right now. lol

awww, he's so nice!

That was my thought when I heard the garage door open this morning when hubby took kiddo to school. I had fallen asleep while nursing Mojo, and just apparently really needed the nap. I fell right back to sleep.

When hubby got home about 10 minutes later, I woke up again to the garage and thanked him for letting me sleep. "That was so nice of you, I really appreciate you letting me sleep."

He gave me The Look.

"Not really. I tried to wake you up, but you wouldn't move."

hahahahaha. I love that man.

Funny lines. Random movies.

"Your eggs are from, like, the '40s!"

"You're a ... you're a ... teacher?!!?" "Part time."

"And it's your turn to do the dishes!"

ahem.

I went to a La Leche League meeting this morning. Steph called it "boobie class." lol. Apparently, having one slow boob and one fast boob as far as milk let down is completely normal, and the fact that Mojo refuses the slow one sometimes is also normal. He's doing better now though, and neither of us is nearly so frustrated. YAY!

Still going to get some brewer's yeast and more "boobie" tea and stuff to help me make more milk. Hopefully we can get off the formula entirely ... except ... it was really convenient to have a bottle the other day in the car when he was screaming ... Kiddo fed him part of the bottle until we got home, then I nursed him. Hmmmmm ... Wonder if I am making more milk if I'd actually be able to get any out with the dang pump.

Thunder, lightning, better jet.

Yay for Microsoft!!

Weird. don't think i've ever said that before.

Anyway.

My keyboard quit working about 1-1/2 weeks ago. Might have been a water spill or something, but it's an ergonomic keyboard and not cheap. I switched keyboards and used a different one for a week (also ergonomic, had to buy a PS2 to USB switch, but I found one locally), and then tried it again. Nope. Still didn't work. I called them around 5 a.m. (whenever they open) last Friday, and they sent me a new one. Immediately. No questions asked.

Last night, kiddo and I managed to spill about 2 cups of water on the other ergo keyboard. *sigh* I typed for a little while using the one remaining extra keyboard we have in the house, and then my hands hurt, so I went to bed. Got up this morning to try again, and they hurt again. Decided I'd have to tough it out until the new keyboard got here.

*ding dong* IT'S HERE!!!! Four days. Niiiiiiiiiiice.

WTG Microsoft. You did something right.

Now if only you could make Vista less stupid ...

I am an idiot.

Um, yeah, so hubby's work sent us a gift card to be redeemed through some website for having the baby. I thought I'd ordered the baby bouncer like a month ago and haven't been able to figure out why it's not here yet. Found the card *just now* after emailing their customer service department to find out what's up, went back to the website, and re-entered the order.

Either I never clicked submit or something happened with our internet when I tried to order it, because the redemption code was still valid, and just now when I re-entered everything, I got an immediate email saying "Thanks for your order. This is your invoice number."

Derf.

Maybe we'll get the bouncer sometime before he outgrows it ...

Stake Conference

I don't usually go to Stake Conference. I'm horrible, I know. We didn't make it to the adult session last night either. But ... we got a letter a couple weeks ago saying that "someone from the First Presidency and/or someone from the Quorum of the Twelve" would be addressing us, so I decided I was going and kiddo was coming with me, even if hubby didn't.

Well. He decided to go.

It was really 135-stakes stake conference. President Packer and President Uchtdorf were there at the Marriott Center, and we just went to the stake center next door to hear them speak. It was a really great meeting. The entire chapel and cultural hall were totally full. It was even better that it was broadcast into the relief society and primary rooms, so we got to be in the small room hearing the words of our leaders and hubby didn't have a panic attack or anything, and I got to rest my weary tailbone on the soft chairs. I had to take the baby into the mother's lounge to nurse near the end, and I was the only one in there, so that was nice and quiet, too, whereas the RS room was a bit more noisy with all the kids in there.

One of the seventies spoke about being kinder to one another, and realizing there are those among us who feel "different" and like they don't belong for whatever reason. He spoke of his brother, who was brain damaged at birth due to a lack of oxygen, and how some people treated him poorly, even people in the church. It was obviously a tender subject for him, and I really enjoyed how he presented it, talking about people who suffer from depression or feelings of inadequacy, singles, divorcees, otherwise good members whose lives don't necessarily fit the ideal also need to be treated with more kindness. It was touching.

Then Sister Dibb? (I think) spoke. She's President Monson's daughter and second counselor in the general young women's presidency. She talked about living a real life, as opposed to Satan's counterfeit that he wants us to live. The best statement? "Satan doesn't have a family, and he wants YOURS." Someone gave her that on a card at Women's Conference. He's going to do anything he can to destroy our families, and sometimes that something just starts with greed or wanting something like a fancy car. But when you get the fancy car, you start wanting the next better one. She said to choose NOT to get into that race. Makes sense to me. :)

President Packer spoke next, and he spoke more of the history of the Provo region and the mountain man trapper from Canada whose last name was Provost for whom the area was named. (incidentally, I went to Provost elementary school in second grade, so I'd learned about him way back then.) Then he spoke about the pioneers who settled the area later on and various other historical things. (to be honest, I was having a hard time focusing during his talk -- noisy kids).

President Uchtdorf is a funny, funny man. He spoke of missionary work and how one young American missionary blessed his life by choosing to serve and teaching his wife's family. He said when he saw the new family the missionary brought to church, including the 13-yo Harriet who would later become his wife, he thought that missionary was doing a great job. lol. He also told the young men to, "forget the truck with big tires, especially you young men in Utah and Wasatch Counties. That's a risky investment anyway." And told them to choose instead to spend that money on a mission, which is an investment of eternal significance. He also said when he was flying planes for Lufthansa and flew over Utah (from Frankfurt to L.A.), he'd point out BYU to all his passengers. "It's good to be the captain, in control of the public address system." HA!

Anyway. It was a wonderful meeting, and I'm glad we all managed to go. Even if we were a few minutes late because I slept in and then had to bathe the baby and change a diaper and then he puked all over me, and I barely had two minutes to get myself dressed and makeup on ... and then we had to leave a few minutes early because bambino was starving and my blood sugar was dropping (missed breakfast). Hubby is now in bed, kiddo and I have had lunch, the baby has been fed and burped and changed, and I have to work (argh, I know).

Guess what?

So, guess what he's doing? Hethab says he's constipated (thanks kuno) or another baby ninja kicked his butt. I think he's annoyed I'm taking yet another pic of him. to be fair, he did have a giant poop a couple hours later ... anyway. i thought it was a cute face. lol

*sob* (sad post)

Okay, I don't know what my problem is today. I had this nightmare that Mojo was crying while I was in the garage and hubby was supposed to be watching him but hubby couldn't find the baby. I found him and he was fine, and then I woke up.

After I woke up, the face of some actress kept flashing in my head, so I looked her up on IMDB.com While on her page and another one trying to figure out what the heck is bugging me, why she's been in my brain, I ran across another actress ... who died when she was 10 years old and voiced my two favorite voices on kiddo's two favorite movies from when she was younger. I didn't know about it when she died because it happened TWENTY YEARS AGO (before I paid attention to such things) and I've been upset about it all morning. Granted, it was an abuse situation and her father killed the whole family and lit the house on fire before killing himself so it was dramatic, but ...

Hubby said it probably reminded me of my own sitch with my ex, and yes, it did. Made me grateful I am where I am today and not back where I was then. but I still can't figure out why it would make me bawl like a baby all morning. *sigh*

Okay, last post for the day, I promise

Kiddo made dinner.

By herself.

I told her what to do, but she cooked. Browned the ground beef, added sauce, made the noodles ... I was feeding the baby. Then she gave him a bottle (it's his hungry time -- he nurses, takes a bottle, then nurses some more to sleep) and I served it up.

Holy hannah, my little kid is growing up.

Friday Fave Five!

1. Chocolate without dairy in the ingredients (even if it says it may contain traces). Choxie dark and Ritter Sport dark chocolate (a european brand) are the two I've enjoyed that I've tried. I think the Lindt bar I got is too much cocoa (85% or something insane). It's bitter.
2. CPAP. It's the machine hubby's using when he sleeps because he quits breathing and chokes in his sleep. guess what? His arousal index is normal now after one month of use.
3. Luvs. I'm still not using cloth full time, but I really like the Luvs we've bought. We're going to try the costco brand as well, but if I hate them, at least I know these work. (so did the free Walgreen's dipes, but their normal price is similar to Luvs normal price, AND they're not as "cushy" so Luvs it is.)
4. Prevacid, Mylicon, and gripe water -- a combination of the three is keeping Mojo happy these days.
5. Hubby working regularly again. WHeeeeeeeeeee!

What Happens in Vegas

So, I hadn't wanted to see this because Cameron Diaz kind of bugs me (something about her nose ...). But I picked it up yesterday anyway, thinking it might be mildly funny and needing a laugh. Plus, Ashton Kutcher is cute ... so ...

Summary: Joy got dumped and her BFF convinced her to go to Vegas. Jack got fired and he convinced his BFF to go to Vegas. They're both from NYC, and live completely different lifestyles. They meet, they get really, really drunk, and end up married. As they are breaking up, he plays a slot on her quarter at her machine and wins 3 million dollars. She claims it's hers and they end up in court, where the judge freezes the money and sentences them to 6 months "hard marriage," including couples therapy (thank you Queen Latifah!). Of course, being a chick flick, you know how the story ends ... but ... It was *hilarious*. Hubby heard me laughing in the bedroom and came to investigate ... and watched most of the rest of it with me. Score, a semi chick flick without anyone DYING, which hubby liked too? WOOOOOOOOOOO!

So there ya go. Two thumbs up. Of course, if you have a problem with Ashton Kutcher having his shirt off or Cameron Diaz in a bra and panties (and her girl friend in them in a different scene), then you shouldn't watch it ...

Peeved

Our house is a disaster all the time these days. As soon as I get something cleaned up, someone destroys it. It's not just kiddo or hubby or Mojo or me. It's all of us. We're all equally guilty (except maybe the baby -- his big messes are usually in his diapers and sometimes he spits up all over me and the bed, but those are easier to contain than the messes made by the big people). And none of us has enough time in the day to clean it all over and over, so it just keeps looking like crap even when we clean.

So, I was reading this month's Ensign a week or two ago, and there was an article by a daughter about her aging parents. It talks about how her mother used to gripe and moan about toothpaste splashes being on the mirror, and how she blamed her husband for it all. Then after her husband died, she kept finding toothpaste splashes on the mirror and realized it was her, too.

My first thought was, duh. Then I kept reading, and she said she regretted how much time she spent griping at him about it.

Well. I don't gripe at my DH about toothpaste or stuff like that, but I do get SO frustrated when the kitchen looks like a pig sty. I realized if I want the dishes done every night and the sinks wiped out (because ew stuff in the bottom of any sink is my pet peeve), then I need to do it myself and not have a bad attitude about it. The messy stove grosses me out, too, but I only have so much time to clean. So I picked the thing that bugs me the most (the sink and dishes) and I'm working on it, making sure I take time every day to get it done.

Guess what? My attitude has changed and it's getting done, and even if the rest of the house looks like crap, I know there are clean sinks in the kitchen 90% of the time. Wheeeeeeeeee. I mentioned it to hubby and he was like, "Oh, good." See, he knows my pet peeve about the sinks. I don't gripe about it, but did mention it to him once fairly recently (before the Ensign article), and he's been working on keeping the sinks in the bathroom cleaner ever since.

(and as soon as we're caught up on bills and we have a routine down so I can work more consistently, i'm hiring a maid)

Wednesday Wackies

As much as we don't like hubby's job, there are things I love about them. Like their insurance. And free formula. We just got 32 coupons in the mail for $13 off their brand of formula. No, I can't give them away, trade them, or give the formula away (hubby could lose his job over it), but hey. 32 cans (i.e. a year's worth) of free formula? Sign me up. He's taking 2 ounces of it most days, 4 the other night, and will be taking bigger bottles as he gets older, so ... it helps. And we stocked up on some frozen food the other day so kiddo has stuff to eat when I'm too busy or too tired or too spacey to cook lunches when she's home and dinners sometimes (yes, I'm a horrible mother at times).

So things have been tight lately, for obvious reasons. Mojo is now in cloth dipes about 3-5 hours a day, depending on how quickly he wets/soils them after I put them on him. Any more than that and I won't keep up with the laundry (like I am now, ha. at least it's all clean, whether it's put away is another matter entirely). Saving on dipes is grand.

AND, I found the best nursing bra. I bought it right after we got home from the hospital the second time, tried it on, and promptly misplaced it. found it this morning while gathering up dirty laundry on hubby's side of the bed. It is SO comfy, SO supportive, feels like I'm not wearing a bra ... who cares if it is white cotton and boring? My back doesn't hurt and it's staying in place! Rock on!!! Now I need to get some new jeans ... when we can afford them.

Thank Goodness

Steph came over last night for a little while. I'm glad she did -- totally at my wit's end by then. Kiddo went to bed and Mojo finally started calming down ... and today? He's passed out peacefully first in his car seat and now in my arms (in a sling, but you get the point). I think the high maintenance, high strung emotions of his sister bothered him this weekend, and then add in the other high flying emotions of a daddy who is bipolar and whose moods affect mommy ... and mommy had a bunch of milk on friday when daddy made dinner ... and you get a fussy baby. SO glad school started again today and things are calmer at the house ... being out of that routine really made him unhappy and grumpy and tired. *sigh*

*edit* poor baby ... I had to be mean. He pooped while he was falling asleep, so I had to wake him up and change him. He tried to sleep through but couldn't quite manage. Being a baby is so dang hard.

It's a good thing I got roses ...

The rest of the weekend has, well, sucked. Baby is fussy, hubby is ornery, kiddo is acting out, and I'm just plain tired. ugh.

The room darkening shade in baby's room fell while I was trying to rearrange things in there so I can actually put him to bed in his own room (instead of in bed with ME) and y'know have it a bit organized or something. Gaaaahhhhh. He nursed for 1-1/2 hours, chucked all over me, still said he was hungry, pooped, kept saying he was hungry, kiddo gave him some formula, and then he nursed for another 5 minutes before he passed out. I swaddled him, put him in his bassinet, threatened kiddo with bodily harm if she woke him up (not really), and went to the bathroom alone for the first time all day. *crossing fingers* He's still in there. I'd be napping or working if A) I could sleep or B) if there was any work (it's a holiday, a lot of docs aren't working today).

At least the roses are still pretty. They made me smile when I saw them this morning.