This week Reagan did two absolutely amazing things! The first: she FINALLY learned how to blow a bubble! YAH Reagan!!!
And the second---she came up with her OWN magic trick. I was completely stunned sitting at the table with her. She's not even three! Where does she come up with this stuff!?!?
Reagan's Magic Trick: Mommy had made a playdoh pumpkin for her, but use whatever trinket around the house you have! Take one empty playdoh cup and put the pumpkin/trinket inside. Then take a second cup and put it inside the first cup. Have your unsuspecting mom shake the cans--laugh to yourself as she gazes perplexedly at the cup that appears empty yet sounds full! ;)
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Easy Halloween Treats
Materials:
Suckers
White Napkins or Cloth
Marker
Ribbon or rubber band
Simply secure the napkin over the sucker with the rubber band or ribbon. On one side make eyes, a nose and a smiley face---you have a cute little ghost sucker!
Suckers
White Napkins or Cloth
Marker
Ribbon or rubber band
Simply secure the napkin over the sucker with the rubber band or ribbon. On one side make eyes, a nose and a smiley face---you have a cute little ghost sucker!
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Our new van!
We are offically parents (which begs the question 'what have you been for the past three years??') Ok. So in terms of vehicles, we are now officially parents. This weekend we bought a Honda Odyssey. I absolutely love her!
Reagan is having some adjustment issues, however, asking us to bring back our old vehicle. But she does seem to enjoy being able to see EVERYTHING from her seat now.
Let me tell you about the van: She's gold and not new, but new to us (and as a former car salesman, let me tell you to NEVER NEVER buy a new car....quite frankly, you are literally THROWING your money away if you do). She's an EX model with beige interior and literally spotless. I love that she has dual sliding keyless doors and a CD player AND a cassette player (I have a lot of old music left over!) and Josh and I plan on putting a DVD player in for Reagan when we go on trips. She has a great tailgating feature and lots of power and handles like a car. These are all things I've always loved about the Odyssey (I sold Hondas in a previous life ;) )and really appreciate all the more now that I'm a mom.
Thanks Honda, for making a great, reliable vehicle! I can't tell you how happy I am to finally be back to a two-Honda family instead of just a one-Honda family....there is no other car I trust more and no other vehicle I'd rather have (ok, maybe the Honda Pilot!!).
I could go on expounding the virtues of Hondas for days, but unfortunately I need to get to bed at sometime tonight. At any rate, this has really been an amazing weekend for us and we're really happy with our new purchase!
Reagan is having some adjustment issues, however, asking us to bring back our old vehicle. But she does seem to enjoy being able to see EVERYTHING from her seat now.
Let me tell you about the van: She's gold and not new, but new to us (and as a former car salesman, let me tell you to NEVER NEVER buy a new car....quite frankly, you are literally THROWING your money away if you do). She's an EX model with beige interior and literally spotless. I love that she has dual sliding keyless doors and a CD player AND a cassette player (I have a lot of old music left over!) and Josh and I plan on putting a DVD player in for Reagan when we go on trips. She has a great tailgating feature and lots of power and handles like a car. These are all things I've always loved about the Odyssey (I sold Hondas in a previous life ;) )and really appreciate all the more now that I'm a mom.
Thanks Honda, for making a great, reliable vehicle! I can't tell you how happy I am to finally be back to a two-Honda family instead of just a one-Honda family....there is no other car I trust more and no other vehicle I'd rather have (ok, maybe the Honda Pilot!!).
I could go on expounding the virtues of Hondas for days, but unfortunately I need to get to bed at sometime tonight. At any rate, this has really been an amazing weekend for us and we're really happy with our new purchase!
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Obama's "Historic" Presidency
Check out this link. Apparently Obama is getting that historic presidency he wanted...just not in the way he thought---worst poll rating drop in the last 50 years of any presidency!
Luckily this helps decrease his chances for reelection. Perhaps we'll get REAL change in 2012.
Luckily this helps decrease his chances for reelection. Perhaps we'll get REAL change in 2012.
Friday, October 23, 2009
The Great Walmart Experiment
Reagan hates Wal-mart. Absolutely despises it. Everytime we need to go there, she cries and begs me not to take her. And this from the girl that absolutely loves shopping in general. Today I told her we had to get groceries. She said "Where are we going?" "To Kroger." "Kroger? Oh, I love Kroger! I'm so glad we're not going to Wal-mart Mommy!"
Hmm....
Which led me to wonder what would happen to my finances if I gave in to my daughter's wishes and avoided Wal-Mart completely? What would happen if I did something radical and didn't shop at Wal-Mart for the next year? Would our spending dramatically decrease? After all, every single time I go in there for one thing I end up with an entire cartful of stuff I didn't anticipate AND when I do manage to walk out with only one or two bags, I've at least spent $60 or $70 or more!
So I looked over our finances. And Josh, sweetie, if you're reading this, look way. NOW. Are you still reading? Really, look away. You don't want to see this.
Ok. Big breath.
Our 12-month average for groceries (and that includes household items and even clothing) and retail store purchases (which is basically everything but utilities, mortgage and gas!) is...gulp....$988.73 PER MONTH.
For someone who claims to love bargains THAT does not seem like a bargain number at all. That seems like someone who has a spending problem. That also seems like a lot of money wasted at...you got it...Wal-Mart. Now keep in mind we live in a small town and it is so much easier to drive to Wal-Mart for virtually anything rather than driving 30 minutes to a larger town to get whatever it was we needed in the first place. We have pretty much two shopping options here: Kroger and Wal-Mart, and Kroger only carries food...so much of the optional spending goes to, again, Wal-Mart.
So, I've made a radical decision. I'm giving up Wal-Mart. I do not intend to step foot in it again for the next year..and possibly beyond if necessary. On December 1, I'm going to look at our monthly average and see how much we've saved...and deposit that money into our new home fund. I plan to do the same every single month. I also plan to share here how much I'm saving simply by staying out of Wal-Mart.
There are some rules of course:
1. If someone is SICK and there is something we absolutely must have and no one else has it or they are closed, we WILL utilize Wal-Mart. After all, they're the only ones within 30 minutes of us that are open around the clock. And germs don't go by store hours.
2. If there is absolutely something my husband and I BOTH have decided on that we need, and Wal-Mart is the least expensive place to purchase it (say, for example, a Brita water pitcher) then we'll buy it there. However, my husband will have to do the purchasing, because there is no way I go in there for one thing and manage to come out with only ONE thing.
3. No substitutions. This should be easy to follow since there aren't any substitute stores nearby. This means I can't replace my spending at Wal-Mart at various other stores. No going to Meijer's to shop for something just because of the no Wal-Mart rule. (which is perfectly fine because I find that store to be disgustingly dirty and disorganized!)
Otherwise I plan to do NOTHING different. I'll still buy what I need to buy...food, t-shirts, wipes, etc, etc. Use coupons. Meal plan. So on and so forth. I can't wait to see what this little experiment says about my shopping habits and how much money we can save.
Hmm....
Which led me to wonder what would happen to my finances if I gave in to my daughter's wishes and avoided Wal-Mart completely? What would happen if I did something radical and didn't shop at Wal-Mart for the next year? Would our spending dramatically decrease? After all, every single time I go in there for one thing I end up with an entire cartful of stuff I didn't anticipate AND when I do manage to walk out with only one or two bags, I've at least spent $60 or $70 or more!
So I looked over our finances. And Josh, sweetie, if you're reading this, look way. NOW. Are you still reading? Really, look away. You don't want to see this.
Ok. Big breath.
Our 12-month average for groceries (and that includes household items and even clothing) and retail store purchases (which is basically everything but utilities, mortgage and gas!) is...gulp....$988.73 PER MONTH.
For someone who claims to love bargains THAT does not seem like a bargain number at all. That seems like someone who has a spending problem. That also seems like a lot of money wasted at...you got it...Wal-Mart. Now keep in mind we live in a small town and it is so much easier to drive to Wal-Mart for virtually anything rather than driving 30 minutes to a larger town to get whatever it was we needed in the first place. We have pretty much two shopping options here: Kroger and Wal-Mart, and Kroger only carries food...so much of the optional spending goes to, again, Wal-Mart.
So, I've made a radical decision. I'm giving up Wal-Mart. I do not intend to step foot in it again for the next year..and possibly beyond if necessary. On December 1, I'm going to look at our monthly average and see how much we've saved...and deposit that money into our new home fund. I plan to do the same every single month. I also plan to share here how much I'm saving simply by staying out of Wal-Mart.
There are some rules of course:
1. If someone is SICK and there is something we absolutely must have and no one else has it or they are closed, we WILL utilize Wal-Mart. After all, they're the only ones within 30 minutes of us that are open around the clock. And germs don't go by store hours.
2. If there is absolutely something my husband and I BOTH have decided on that we need, and Wal-Mart is the least expensive place to purchase it (say, for example, a Brita water pitcher) then we'll buy it there. However, my husband will have to do the purchasing, because there is no way I go in there for one thing and manage to come out with only ONE thing.
3. No substitutions. This should be easy to follow since there aren't any substitute stores nearby. This means I can't replace my spending at Wal-Mart at various other stores. No going to Meijer's to shop for something just because of the no Wal-Mart rule. (which is perfectly fine because I find that store to be disgustingly dirty and disorganized!)
Otherwise I plan to do NOTHING different. I'll still buy what I need to buy...food, t-shirts, wipes, etc, etc. Use coupons. Meal plan. So on and so forth. I can't wait to see what this little experiment says about my shopping habits and how much money we can save.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
The Great Pumpkin Debaucle...
Yesterday Reagan and I went to a pumpkin patch with some friends. Somehow, I managed to bring home five or six (I can't remember now) nice sized pie pumpkins along with various other farm stand items. Tomorrow begins the interesting experiment of seeing how fast I can cook, puree and make into pumpkin pies, these little doozies. Promise I'll share them all in a few days!
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
The War on Christmas
Not ALL liberals are horrible people...but there are many that DO help promote the idea that most liberals are completely intolerant of anything they do not agree with and are extremely hate filled people. And for my friends that consider themselves liberal (since there are a few of you :) ), if you're going to call yourself a liberal, these are the types of people you're aligning yourself with.
Let me give you a little example:
I'm a member of a mom's board. And Christmas season is just around the corner. Since I'm a stay at home mom we especially need to conserve funds around this time of year. So I thought, 'hmm, why not start a Christmas deal forum where everyone can share great deals they find and coupons?' Sounds like a good idea, right?
WRONG.
It immediately turned into liberals up in arms about the fact that I hadn't made a general deal forum and that I had put the word "Christmas" in the title..and so on and so forth and generally just harassing me for the use of the word "Christmas". Maybe if I wanted to be PC I could have avoided the word Christmas..but to tell you the truth, the thought never even entered my head. To me, the Christmas season is just that. Christmas. We celebrate Christ's birth. Christmas.
I have absolutely no problem if you don't want to celebrate Christmas. If you celebrate Kwanza, Hanukkah, the Winter Solstice or whatever..fine...that's what YOU celebrate. But DO NOT inhibit my ability to celebrate Christmas. No one is forcing you to celebate Christmas or even call it that. BUT DO NOT tell me what I can and cannot call this season.
How hard is it for someone to start their own "Holiday" deal forum if that's what they want to call it? Instead of taking offense to and harrassing those who prefer to celebrate Christmas for what it is to them? It's as one mom said: "There are forums all over this particular mom's board for cloth diapering moms, and I'm not one of them. Does that mean that there shouldn't be cloth diapering forums?"
Hate filled intolerance. Harrassment. Voting fraud. Murder of unborn children. Blatant disrespect of God and His law. Rewarding of laziness instead of hard work. This is the liberal America we're living in. Oh, and let's not forget Obama's government ban and all-out war against Fox News for not promoting his liberal agenda. Is this even America anymore???
Let me give you a little example:
I'm a member of a mom's board. And Christmas season is just around the corner. Since I'm a stay at home mom we especially need to conserve funds around this time of year. So I thought, 'hmm, why not start a Christmas deal forum where everyone can share great deals they find and coupons?' Sounds like a good idea, right?
WRONG.
It immediately turned into liberals up in arms about the fact that I hadn't made a general deal forum and that I had put the word "Christmas" in the title..and so on and so forth and generally just harassing me for the use of the word "Christmas". Maybe if I wanted to be PC I could have avoided the word Christmas..but to tell you the truth, the thought never even entered my head. To me, the Christmas season is just that. Christmas. We celebrate Christ's birth. Christmas.
I have absolutely no problem if you don't want to celebrate Christmas. If you celebrate Kwanza, Hanukkah, the Winter Solstice or whatever..fine...that's what YOU celebrate. But DO NOT inhibit my ability to celebrate Christmas. No one is forcing you to celebate Christmas or even call it that. BUT DO NOT tell me what I can and cannot call this season.
How hard is it for someone to start their own "Holiday" deal forum if that's what they want to call it? Instead of taking offense to and harrassing those who prefer to celebrate Christmas for what it is to them? It's as one mom said: "There are forums all over this particular mom's board for cloth diapering moms, and I'm not one of them. Does that mean that there shouldn't be cloth diapering forums?"
Hate filled intolerance. Harrassment. Voting fraud. Murder of unborn children. Blatant disrespect of God and His law. Rewarding of laziness instead of hard work. This is the liberal America we're living in. Oh, and let's not forget Obama's government ban and all-out war against Fox News for not promoting his liberal agenda. Is this even America anymore???
Monday, October 19, 2009
Fun Fall Crafts for Kids
Here are a few fun fall activities Reagan and I have been working on the past few weeks:
Decorating Pumpkins: We used glitter and paint on ours, but you can dress them up with anything of course!
Washing Pumpkins: Kids love this because they get to make a mess in the water..and grownups love it to because you don't have to worry about all the dirt and grime from the pumpkin all over your house! Just fill a small tub with soapy water, lay a towel on the floor and provide your child with lots of sponges, squeegies and washcloths.
Crinkly Leaves: Cut out a leaf on construction paper, or download a leaf template and cut out. Let your child squish and crinkle dried leaves that you've collected (in a bowl..much less messy). Apply a coating of glue to the leaf and then sprinkle leaves over the glue. Let dry and hang in a window.
Decorating Acorns: You can use an acorn template (or draw it freehand) or collect actual acorns. Decorate with glitter, paint, crayons, etc. If using real acorns hang up using a loop of coordinating ribbons or use them as napkin ties for the Thanksgiving dinner (imagine how proud your little one will be showing them off!)
Fingerprint pumpkin patch: Have your child dip her thumb in orange paint and then make prints all over a piece of construction paper. After the paint has dried, have your child go back over with a green marker to add vines, leaves and stems.
Toilet paper roll pumpkin: Items needed: One roll of toilet paper, one paper lunch sack (brown), fabric in fall colors (1/4 yard). Have your child place the toilet paper roll (with paper still on it!) in center of fabric. Going all the way around the fabric, tuck all loose ends into the center of the roll. Roll paper sack up lengthwise and insert into toilet paper roll center. You have an adorable pumpkin! You can even use pipe cleaners to add leaves and vines.
Corn project: Download corn template and have your child color as he wishes. Then have him glue on hardened corn kernals.
Pumpkin face project: Pick up a cheap pumpkin shaped placemat from a discount store (preferably fabric). Using felt, cut out a variety of noses, mouths and eyes. Have your child decorate and redecorate her pumpkin!
There are also tons of fall themed snacks you can make with your child including pumpkin bread, muffins and pies to popcorn and apple cider.
Enjoy!
Decorating Pumpkins: We used glitter and paint on ours, but you can dress them up with anything of course!
Washing Pumpkins: Kids love this because they get to make a mess in the water..and grownups love it to because you don't have to worry about all the dirt and grime from the pumpkin all over your house! Just fill a small tub with soapy water, lay a towel on the floor and provide your child with lots of sponges, squeegies and washcloths.
Crinkly Leaves: Cut out a leaf on construction paper, or download a leaf template and cut out. Let your child squish and crinkle dried leaves that you've collected (in a bowl..much less messy). Apply a coating of glue to the leaf and then sprinkle leaves over the glue. Let dry and hang in a window.
Decorating Acorns: You can use an acorn template (or draw it freehand) or collect actual acorns. Decorate with glitter, paint, crayons, etc. If using real acorns hang up using a loop of coordinating ribbons or use them as napkin ties for the Thanksgiving dinner (imagine how proud your little one will be showing them off!)
Fingerprint pumpkin patch: Have your child dip her thumb in orange paint and then make prints all over a piece of construction paper. After the paint has dried, have your child go back over with a green marker to add vines, leaves and stems.
Toilet paper roll pumpkin: Items needed: One roll of toilet paper, one paper lunch sack (brown), fabric in fall colors (1/4 yard). Have your child place the toilet paper roll (with paper still on it!) in center of fabric. Going all the way around the fabric, tuck all loose ends into the center of the roll. Roll paper sack up lengthwise and insert into toilet paper roll center. You have an adorable pumpkin! You can even use pipe cleaners to add leaves and vines.
Corn project: Download corn template and have your child color as he wishes. Then have him glue on hardened corn kernals.
Pumpkin face project: Pick up a cheap pumpkin shaped placemat from a discount store (preferably fabric). Using felt, cut out a variety of noses, mouths and eyes. Have your child decorate and redecorate her pumpkin!
There are also tons of fall themed snacks you can make with your child including pumpkin bread, muffins and pies to popcorn and apple cider.
Enjoy!
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Happy Birthday Dad!
My Dad's birthday is today--we're sending you lots of love and lots of hugs and kisses from your favorite granddaughter!
Friday, October 16, 2009
Reaganisms!
Yesterday we were leaving the library with my friend Monica and her two little ones. As soon as the door closed Reagan said "All of us are going in here??? We'll NEVER get out of here now!" Did I mention she's hysterical?
**********
The other day Reagan kept falling every time she tried to walk somewhere. Finally, at the end of the day, and utterly discouraged she fell again and looked up, complete with quivering chin and stated "I don't know how to walk." Awwwwww.
*********
When I try to put Reagan in time out now, she immediately responds with "Are you KIDDING ME!?!?!?" (inflection in just the right places of course to make me choke on laughter during what should be a serious mommy moment!)
**********
The other day Reagan kept falling every time she tried to walk somewhere. Finally, at the end of the day, and utterly discouraged she fell again and looked up, complete with quivering chin and stated "I don't know how to walk." Awwwwww.
*********
When I try to put Reagan in time out now, she immediately responds with "Are you KIDDING ME!?!?!?" (inflection in just the right places of course to make me choke on laughter during what should be a serious mommy moment!)
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