You have to read this story.

I know my page says Happy Thanksgiving. I like it, so, just get over it ok? And we are 11 days away from staring thanksgiving down anyway, so, why not.



When I was in college. . (I was a wild one in college) a few of my girlfriends and hopped in my White Acura Integra (that had the cool fin on the back. . it was my dream. . I loved that car) and we drove to Vegas.



We had a hot date with BONO.



We had bought our tickets on-line (or was it in-line? I can't remember) and we were pumped... as pumped as 5 or 6 college girls on the way to scream their heads off at a concert might be. I don't remember where we stopped. I don't remember where we ate. I don't remember much of anything. Except, when we got there, we were like wild animals. Pulsing with wild anxiety and excitement. (Was that too much of an explanation? I'll think about that one some more.)



Anywho. We found some friends at the concert. They were in the nose bleed section. We were on the floor. At first, we had no idea WHERE our tickets were. We had to ask several people until we could figure it out, and then we were told they were on the floor. . . 11 rows back from the front. We were screaming. . shouting and clutching each other. . jumping up and down and telling our friends our great stroke of luck.



Just as we were doing so, a guy with a U2 t-shirt on told us to give him our tickets. He insisted. We rejected him and said we would NEVER give up our great seats. He smiled at us. . me, my friends, and my friends with the nose bleed seats and said, "I'll give you front row seats."



I guess Bono wanted to stock the stage with some screaming chicks. We were just the girls he was looking for. We grabbed our new seats and headed down with our friends. To be honest, the 11 row seats were better and next to the cat walk. Bono knows how to work a cat walk my friends. He does. Yes. He. Does.

Photo courtesy of some site I just snagged it off of. (Zimbio)

I don't even remember the opening act. I didn't care. Public Enemy maybe? I know. I just wanted to see Bono. The concert was amazing. Seriously. Amazing. I hadn't been to many concerts, but you don't have to stretch your imagination too far to realize U2 is going to put on an awesome show.



Bono walked the cat walk SEVERAL times. I finally climbed the fence. Realizing that my freakishly long arms could maybe grab his pant leg. I am not sure what I would have done with it after that but, I wasn't thinking that far ahead. Here he comes... down the cat walk. . . He picks up someones shoe... he is walking toward me. . REACH... REACH... REACH!!!!!



Bono handed me a shoe.



Who's shoe?



I don't know.



I don't care.



I have a shoe bequeathed to me by Bono. It is a miracle. (ok, maybe that is going too far)



Of course there was a major frenzy in the stands where I was. My friends causing the most of it. A few seconds later security approached me. . .



"You have to give us the shoe."



me: NO!



"It doesn't belong to you"



me: SO!?



"The girl wants it back"



me: I don't care! She chucked it up there!!!!



"Give us the shoe"



They were big. I am Mormon. I gave them the shoe.



U2 is going to be in concert here tonight. I bought tickets. . .





6 months ago





without talking to, or asking my husband.



We have never been to a concert together. . . Married 9 years. I know! 6 months ago, when I bought them, I figured we would be far enough past all of our drama to celebrate. I was close. We still have a lot of drama, but I want to celebrate anyway.



He has no idea.



I wrote this two hours ago.



I am driving to his work right now.



He. Has. No. Idea.

11 days

Isn't that kinda a record for me? I mean, 11 days since you heard from me. . . and no one even wondered where I was. Or did you? Well, I guess I did mention something about fall break, didn't I? Let me just say, it was CRAZY.





I think it was CRAZY good. But there are always some CRAZY BAD moments as well. I was saved in the middle of the 2 1/2 week "break" (it makes me snort a little inside every time I type that word-Break, what a joke) by Peter's parents coming to visit. I am sure they would have LOVED to see Peter for more than the 4 hours they spent with him... But never mind, they had a great time with US!





As a matter of fact, my head is just kinda spinning... spinning... spinning... and no point in getting it to stop now, because K-lo and G-pa are comin' this way today. . So, let's just keep partyin' people. . (But can the kids go back to school now? Please?)





Oh I am awful. Just awful. I am sure if I didn't have crazy K in the mix, I could be gettin' along just fine, but when your baby decides to have a "fussy week" i.e. waking up at 4:00 a.m. FOR THE DAY, while your in-laws, who are trying to rest after jam packed days with 4 kids under 8, are sleeping just down the hall. It just makes for a tired mommy. . . I mean, glazed... over... nobody is home . . kinda feelin' you know? We made the best of it and had a total blast. Even taking in my first visit to the Phoenix Zoo, and now I am a proud card carrying MEMBER! (They spoil us. . anyone else out there have one?-- Let's go together!)

Anywho... we did so much stuff, I can't even remember 1/2 of it. It is a good thing I had my camera with me to document a few good moments. Like Abby and Jaxon riding on the camel at the zoo!


And a few of our peeps at Schneff Farms.

Kinda looks like fall doesn't it? I mean, for a second, Schnepf farms kinda fool you. . . I mean, they have hay bales, and corn mazes, and pumpkins and for a second. . you feel like it is fall! Even in the desert. . . until you step out of the car and it is 100 degrees! It didn't feel too bad to us, but, it took a quick toll on the grandparents. I think we were lucky to get them out of there standing in an up right position! They spoiled us rotten, like they always do, and we had a great time. I hope they did too! Even with that noisy baby down the hall!

Now, it is back to business(?) and the kids have ONE MORE DAY to enjoy the freedoms of no school. I am on the cusp of a secret that I have been keeping for 6 months... I can't believe I have kept a secret for more than 23 hours. I am amazed at myself. Miracles DO happen. I will let you know how it goes over, but to be honest, I am a little nervous. We will see what happens I guess! Until then, treat yourself to some Butterscotch Sauce in my honor. . . this recipe has even started small obsessions in my old neck of the woods. Try it. You will like it.

Random Thoughts

• I am making Pumpkin Muffins right now. Like RIGHT NOW. Make some. Be sure to put the Cream Cheese Frosting on top. . . Don't even think about leaving it off. DON'T. If you do. . you don't love me.
• You will thank me later.
• Take the last swig of milk RIGHT out of the milk jug. It is liberating.
• I fought today, and won. Keep fightin'.
• Loved Nie on Oprah. Loved her synopsis even more.
• I wish they would have spent more time on her. Her story was more 'inspirational' and to me, the other story just seemed plumb tragic.
• Fall TV, do you have any new favorite shows? Let me know, because I could possibly provide my ever so charming critique.
• I need a nap.
• Speaking of which, K woke up upset at about 4:45 (she went back to sleep THANK GOODNESS!). As I walked to her bedroom, I saw the light glowing downstairs. Wade was up watching The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown. . It was on to the second video on the DVD. I am not sure how long he was up, but, he has been asking to go back to bed since 10:00 this morning. So, I guess. . . he was probably up since 3:00 a.m.?
• Yes, Wade can turn on the TV, DVD, and even knows how to work the DVR. It is sad/scary, but true.
• My house smells like pumpkin muffins.
• I don't like the smell of this rental. Except for now.
• Applesauce is on sale for $1.75/6 pack at Target. If you buy 5 (=$8.75) they will give you a $5 gift card. . . It is like paying .75 a 6 pack.
• I LOVE COUPONING
• and canning raw meat.

Reality Bites.

Click on this picture:

Look closely.

This is my life.

Chaotic.

It is our "FALL BREAK".

To me,

there is nothing "BREAK" about it.

Maybe I caused a little of this chaos.

By buying 10 lbs. of Strawberries. (On sale for $1 a lb!)

And canning 10 1/2 pints of freezer jam.

And canning 6 pints of cooked jam.

And canning 18 pints of meat today.

Except for I didn't do that here.

But, it looks like I may have.

Take a nice look around that picture.

It is crazy.

It won't be clean.

Until next week, when my in-laws show up.

I love cleaning for the in-laws.

NO REALLY!

Because, if they didn't come.

My kitchen just MIGHT look like this EVERYDAY.

It didn't used to.

But,

I blame a 4th child.

I REALLY DO.

I just throws my world out of wack.

Or maybe she is just wack.

I should be in bed.

Goodnight.



****Thanks for helping my can my meat today Danika! YOU ARE AWESOME! And your pressure cooker too. AND your clean house too! :)

I left my husband.

I did. I can't believe I did it either. It was after a week of complete chaos too. It was crazy, but I had to meet up with my sisters for our FIRST Girls trip!!

Where did we go?

VEGAS.

Of course!(?)

I took off Friday morning and drive with my other PHX sister to Las Vegas to meet up with my mom and 3 other sisters! No, this family knows no boys... just ones now related by marriage. It has always been kind of difficult to attempt something like this. . . I mean, we realized after we left, that we had left a total of 17 children behind. . . Was that an accomplishment? Or just sheer stupidity. (We still aren't sure) I think all the men made it. . I know my husband did anyway-- and he had it the worst for sure!!

We took in a great show . . Le Reve at the Wynn

and ate some even GREATER food! If you know anything about my family, it is that we LOVE FOOD!

Do we look alike?

We had a great time and it was fun to spend so much time with people I LOVE! Thanks girls! It was a blast! Let's do it again. . . . When Kaylie is a little older -per Peter's request! :)

PS- As I left for my trip, I gave Peter his "list" and jokingly said, Oh, and potty train Wade while you are at it. When I got home, they were on day 3 of potty training! Brave brave BRAVE daddy!

PUT A RING ON IT

This kid totally makes me smile right now. Like, all the time.

I know you have all seen THIS adorable youtube video right? (Worth the click, I promise)


Lately, Wade has taken to singing and dancing. . He is quite a natural. However, the SECOND I turn on the video recorder he stops singing and does THIS:








Some of my favorite songs that he sings are:



Popeye the Sailorman (Sounds like Popeye the cinnamon)


All the Single Ladies (Sounds like all the single babies)


I Got a Feelin', By the Black Eyed Peas. . I am trying to get it on video, it will be worth it.


You Got a Friend In Me (current Buzz Lightyear addiction)


The theme song to Hong Kong Fooey (yes the 80s cartoon. We have a BOOMERANG addiction around here. . )


I had the HONG KONG FOOEY video taped at one point, and now I can't find the video on my computer! Oh well, I will show you what I DID get. I was a little bumbed that he wasn't singing, but, I think I got lucky with some of the special "moves" he showed me. Especially the 1/2 turn right in the middle. Nice move.









Hopefully more to come. . . ENJOY!

The Highlight of Parent Teacher Conferences. . .

Jaxon's Self Portrait

If you can't see it well, it is worth a click . .

Green Eyes Check. . .

Everything else is questionable.

Want to guess on the patch of green hair?

I dare you.

The good news is: He is in the top reading group in his class.

Her life is a STAGE

We were going to Costco tonight... Good way to burn up some time on nights that the husband works late. . .

Upon arrival, Abby announced that she and Jaxon would be setting up their "stage" and doing performances while they were at Costco.

Me: Um, no Abby. . we need to get our shopping done and I can't leave you there.

Abby: Mom, why doesn't anyone ever give us money when we perform?

Me: Well, the people who set up and perform on streets are usually professionals. . . and they just do set up on streets to make extra money.

Abby: So, you are saying we aren't good enough ?!?!?! (Darn, she is perceptive)

Me: *crickets*


So how would you answer YOUR budding actress without snuffing out all of her hopes and dreams of putting on performances for money? I have not doubt, that someday, Abby will INDEED put her dramatic and artistic flare to good use FOR MONEY. . . but for now. . honestly. I am stumped.

The DISH

I have made a goal. . .



I KNOW.



I don't make many. . because they are endlessly and seamlessly dashed by the 4 people who REALLY run this household, and out of the 4, NONE of them are me.


Anywho. .



Back to my goal.


I am going vegetarian. . .JUST KIDDING! I had to put that in the same line to save your health from falling off your chair in dis-belief. Yeah, you're right. I would never do such a thing.


But I want to.



Like once (maybe twice) a week?


PROBLEM IS:


I don't have Veggie recipes.


I have a *few*


But what are your favs?


Please e-mail. Send links. Comment. What ever you do. DO IT. Cuz, I want one goal I can keep



And



I think



THIS IS IT.



Here is what I made that was Veggie tonight. My kids smashed it down FAST! Musta been good. TONIGHT'S VEGGIE DINNER VIA EVERYDAY FOOD VIA MY FAMILY FOOD BLOG.

The Happy List

RIDING MY BIKE FOR AN HOUR THIS MORNING to THIS SONG. (Thanks to Cassi, this is her fam riding through one of my former hoods, Sandpoint, ID. . . She inspired me to add it to my play list. Doesn't it just make you want to ride a bike?


IN 80 DEGREE WEATHER (NOW you can be jealous of my weather) with BEAUTIFUL SUNSHINE. (Oh wait, it is sunny here every day)


K is FINALLY used to her HELMET.


EATING SUSHI WITH MY LITTLE GIRL! (cuz my hubby is out of town)


EATING SUSHI DURING HAPPY HOUR WHERE SUSHI IS 50% OFF!


MY HUSBAND IS COMING HOME TOMORROW! YAY!


GOING TO CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MEATBALLS WITH MY LITTLE GIRL. . AND GOING TO HARKINS THEATERS. .


I LOVE HARKINS THEATERS. From their $1 re-fillable cups to their Re-fillable popcorn that you can bring on a DIFFERENT visit. That makes for CHEAP movie treats friends!!


K is *SLEEPING THROUGH THE NIGHT* 6 to 6. . No 5 AM wake up for the past 3 days! YIPPEE!!! I can even let her sit in there for a few mins. because she just talks to herself!


Lots to be happy about today. . .

Dear Donny Osmond . . .

Picture via abc.com -- Example of Donny pulling a "face"... but not nearly as bad as last night.

So, we all watched DWTS last night right? (If you do not know what that acronym stands for, you have no business reading this post. Mkay?)

And I just have a few things to say.

Dear Donny,

PLEASE lay off on the facial expressions. They weren't . . how should I say this. . good. They didn't look. . um. . se*y. They looked WEIRD. Like old man and bad plastic surgery weird. . .Like the over bite deacon shuffle weird. Just stop. Ok? Thanks.


Dear Tom,

You being on the show is creepy. YOU are creepy. Please stop. To your partner Cheryl. . You can't win every year, so, please, stop looking so pained to have Tom be your partner, even though he IS creepy.

Dear Ashley,

I know your dad was on the show. I know who he is, but who are you. Seriously. Have you EVER been on TV before this? I know this is very much a "D" list show. . But what are you? Like K? M?

Dear Chuck,

You are scary. Even when they try to make you look nice. You still look scary.

Dear Louie,

Len took the words right out of my mouth. . Hobbit Head.

Dear Maksim,

You looked like a sad, kicked puppy last night, and you were only on TV for 5 minutes. Do you and Cheryl need to hang out in the sad face Dept?

Dear Karina,

I know you just broke up with Maks, but do you have to look so HAPPY? I am sure you guys broke up because of your mis-matched desires to start a family because your career is so *HOT* right now (look, I just know these things) and I have one thing to say to you. . . Jennifer Aniston.

Signing off.

Cracker Flacker

I bought a new cracker. . . I think it will remain nameless.

I told Abby to put one in her lunch.

She looked at me with fear in her eyes.

I said, "What's the problem?"

She said, "My friend had one and said they were DISGUSTING!" (Said with complete and total drama--nostrils flared)

I said, "Did you try it?"

She said, "No".

I said, "You have to try it, before you can say you don't like it"

She said, "NO!"

I opened one.

She protested more.

I threatened everything I could think of.

She still said no.

I giggled to myself thinking, "I can't believe this is this big of a deal?!?!?!"

But I couldn't lose the battle.

I was holding a quarter sized bite in my fingers that was causing severe emotional trauma.

It was rediculous.

She started to CRY! CRY?!?!?!??!!

I thought, "I can't believe this! She hasn't even TRIED IT!!!!"

I insisted.

I was mad.

She finally took the smallest tiniest ity bity bite. (While plugging her nose)

She was replused.

ppppppsffffffffffttttttttttt.

She was being rediculous.

I think she needs an Academy Award.

I think I need a straight jacket.

There is a spring in my step. .

I wasn't sure what it was . . I just felt different today. There was a spring in my step. A kind of giddy-ness. I felt free. I felt happy. I wanted to dance and sing and shout, HURRAY! I wanted to "lunch out". I wanted to celebrate.


I wondered to myself, "Wow, why am I so happy today?"


and I realized.

















Because it is under 100 degrees. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. . . Thank you.

Have you met Jessica?

This picture was totally stolen from her blog. Mkay?


She posts comments on my blog from time to time. Ok, like every time I post a post. . she makes a comment. It makes for a LOVE/LOVE relationship. . She is amazing. She has two girls and is an adoptive parent to one stinkin' cute boy named little-c. Well, that is just what they call him anyway. She has got some serious ambition, and I love her. . . Want proof?




This is me, at like, MIDNIGHT, at her house this summer. We were watching SYTYCD (see her on her couch?) And she let my hairdresser come over (HI WHITNEY! --Cute blonde girl) and cut like, 5 inches off my head in her kitchen. . NOW THAT IS LOVE.

I tried to make it up to her though, because I brought her my favorite cup cakes from THIS bakery in her home town/my old home town.

Looking at this picture makes me instantly hungry and makes me crave cupcakes. . NOW. Sad. I am like a Pavlovian dog. . . trained to respond to cupcakes. Anywho...

Back to Jessica. .

Ambitious.. . That is what I was saying. . and awesome. . and author. . You can check it out here. Say hello, and tell her she is great. . Because she is. :)

POP Culture

The VMA's were last night. I didn't watch them, but, I heard there was some "drama" so, I went to the site to check it out. . Here is what I found:

Lady Gaga (photo via mtv.com)

Can you say, issues?


I mean, this takes issues to a whole new level. . no? (Lady Gaga--again)

And Madge, you need to lay off the plastic surgery. You aren't foolin' anyone anymore as the most youthful 51 year old. Mmmkay? You are starting to look like the cat woman. .

I'm just sayin'. . you are about one step away. . It is a fine, fine line.


But now, to the REAL reason I visited the VMA site. . I heard they previewed a new movie trailer. .

Have you seen the movie Twilight? I mean, during the day, when you are not surrounded by a million screaming teenagers, and when you are not hopped up on caffeine? Because there were parts that were laughable. Seriously. Don't hurt me.

THE GOOD NEWS IS: NEW MOON LOOKS A WHOLE LOT BETTER!!!

Movie Trailers - Movies Blog

PS- Dear Kanye, we are all tired of your tirades. . Time to lay off the sauce and go to rehab.

Things I LIke

There were so many things that I liked around the blogosphere this week... I usually post them because I want you to get in on "the deal" too. But this week, it wasn't as much about the "deal" as it was about the stuff! I like that too. So, I think from time to time, I am going to do a 'Round the Blogosphere' post. Except, I need a catchier phrase. . . ANYONE? ANYONE? No, ok. . . Moving on.

Ever wanted to know how to do a smokey eye? I wanted to! And got a play by play with pix here: SMOKEY EYE. I tried it. . and I think I would have looked JUST LIKE HER except that I don't have that cool eye shape and have WAY TOO MUCH SKIN ON MY EYELID! (Thanks Dad) Just add that to the plastic surgery bill. . .


I was reminded of a great book that I LOVE and now I want to buy it for Abby, Jacko too. I think they would BOTH dig it. I did when I was a kid. . COOL BOOK.


Ok, So, I DID do a little on-line shopping. . Ugh. I am such a sucker... and if you are wondering where I get the $$$ for this stuff, I EBAY! I heart selling stuff on Ebay. . . Oh back to the purchase: CHEAPO EARRINGS What a deal huh? I found a few cute pairs. . .


Here is a fun way to decorate! I love decorating. I wouldn't say I am a pro at it, but I sure do like to think about it! Even if it is not my house! Here is a great idea and a tutorial to go along with it! :) IDEA: TUTORIAL: I LOVE a good decorating idea!


Some girlies in my old ward started a blog about freezer meals. It has been on my mind lately, yours too? Unfortunately, I don't have room in my freezer for ANYTHING. (Because of all my coupon-ing) BUT, if I did, I would totally try out some of their ideas. . . Lately, I would have really liked coming home to a home cooked meal that I didn't cook that day. . . ? Anywho, it is HERE: FREEZER MEALS.


And for ONE thing I DiD NOT like. . . Ed and Jill on Ellen. I haven't watched the Ellen show in forever, and for some reason, my tivo picked up an episode last week and Ed and Jill were on "defending their love". . Blech. She was acting weird and not touching him (her body language was speaking VOLUMES) and he sounded. . Stupid. Ed, if I ever said I was rooting for you, I now apologize for being soooo wrong about you.


Oh, I also like it when people read books that I might want to read, but then, give me a synopsis, so I don't have to read it. ;) Book on
Homework and Kids. Thanks D-Dawg!

And then, there is Natalie. She doesn't post very often, but when she does, you are in for an "experience". We met in "blogland" and she blog stalked me for a while (I have a lot of those... NAME YOURSELF!) then, we met in TRUE LIFE when she saw me at a fundraiser for Nie Nie! (Can you believe that was a year ago Nat? We need to get together!) Anywho.. I just so WHOLEHEARTEDLY loved reading her last two posts... Just loved. Kisses Nat. You are a good mom.

That's it for now! Enjoy my slice of the blogosphere!

No Babies Were Actually Harmed for this Blog Post

And although mighty-minis might not be considered "babyfood" the sure help out in the teething department. . . K is trying to debut some new bottom teeth, and she devoured a couple of mighty minis in an effort to "chill" them out. . .


However, post mighty mini-she looked somewhat like an accident victim. .

But, I promise, it was under very close supervision. . . Right on top of my counter... >
Don't worry. I balanced out all that sugar with some real fruit later :)

However, someone else had a hankering for mighty mini's at about 4:00 a.m. He came into my room anyway. I didn't realize his hankering until I was shooing him back down the stairs. . There was one on the steps about 3 steps down that he ever so politely picked up and gave to me. . .

Oh, and then a butter knife? One more item to pick up on our route to bed. . ANOTHER mighty mini. . (I guess he was REALLY hungry) Of course, when we got to his bedroom door, it was locked. (A butter knife is the prefered method of opening doors around here... Now it is all making sense?) I opened the door and got him back into bed. . . Who knows what else he did while he was galavanting around the house last night... But it wasn't my usual sneaker. I have a new one.
Maybe the smurfs made him do it. . . Wish him luck tomorrow... He is going to be seeing smurfs in his sleep at the surgery center! ;)

How do you solve a problem like Kaylin?

Please re-read that title and sing it to the "How do you solve a problem like Maria? "


Because K got fitted for her Cranial Band today. But, from here on out, let's just call it a helmet. Ok? Cuz that is what it is.

And no, that is not it.. She was just being fitted today... As you can see from the pix last time.. it will be much more sleek. . Today, she just had to look like Maria for a little while.

She was pretty good. Cried a little. . I think she liked her photo shoot. I love it because the Dr. was trying to "reassure me" that it wasn't going to hurt and that she would be fine. . . I was like. . Sir, this is the last of 4 children of mine. . . and you don't know the 1/2 of what I have been through... .I'll be fine--I am not worried. That seemed to put him at ease. . .



But, she was more happy when she got to take off her habit. . I mean, plaster mold. :)


But, maybe we should borrow the mold for Halloween. . no?

Cheery and Random

How about a more cheery post than the one before, mkay? Sorry about that. . . sometimes . . well, you know.



Anywho. . I am still dreadfully ill, but, moving on. . I got something CUTE IN THE MAIL!!! Remember this? Well, I got my GET CUTE NOW stuff in the mail, and it is FAR BETTER than I had hoped.



I got them for so cheap that I thought, just for a minute, maybe they are super tiny or something?? You know, sometimes deals just aren't what they seem. . But nope! They are fabulous and I LOVE them! I am so glad I spotted them because they were such a great deal, and although I still tote my diaper bag (even though it is super cute) for the most part, now, if I leave K home, I don't have to take my diaper bag!! YAY!




Here is me (during my sick days.. sorry, no make-up. Just keepin' it REAL ya'll!) toting the black bag and Abby toting the Green (almost was orange, but chose green at the last second) bag!

See how super serious of a model she is? Yeah. When I handed her the bag she said, is this one mine??? Hahahah.. Not on your life girlfriend! What she goes from 8 to 16in like point 2!

I love em! And you will be seeing alot of those purses if you see me around! If you got one, post and tell me which one! I hope you scored a great deal too!

In other news: Thank you to Kathy Ireland who has let all the world see her post baby body. . If you want a good idea of what mine looks like, here you go.

That is pretty much my gut in a nut shell. Ugh. To make me even a little more crazy, my hubby is losing weight. I hate that. (Good for you honey, really, I mean it. And you are NOT going to catch me. . even though I say you might) I really need to do something now... . I think I might have to post a before pick on here with measurements and blog about it every week, because I am just not feelin' the motivation to work out. I think I might need a little encouragement from blog land.

In other big news: Kaylin is getting one of these:

Why you might ask? She needs one. Remember when I asked if anyone knew anything about Torticollis? (Was that just on the FB?) Anyway, she had it. I think I worked through it pretty well for the most part, but, there are some head shape issues. The Dr. who fits babies for this asked me how severe I thought it was on a scale from 1-5. I said a 3. After measuring her head, he said, "Well, I would say on scale from 1-5, she is about a 3. . . " [Cheater] Anywho. It is purely cosmetic. And you might say, THAT IS CRUEL! And to you I would say, This baby has an 99.9% chance that she will be over 6'1" tall. She needs to have a nice head shape and no other abnormalities... trust me. (currently she is sporting a nice sloped forehead b/c of the torticollis, and although it is slight, and mostly hidden by her hair, I don't want to take any chances.) Besides, she is dangerously close to learning how to crawl, so, she could use a little extra head padding, don't cha think?

Oh, this blog post is so fun! Are you bored to tears yet? You are probably only still reading if you know me personally... Thank you.

Last bit of news: Wade is getting tubes and an adenoidectomy next Friday. YIPPEE! I say that with all sincerity because he has already had 4 ear infections since ONE of his tubes has fallen out and we are on our way into fall. . . after which Peter has promised to snip all of his binki's off. Stay tuned for that fun week.

Did I mention we have ROCKIN' health insurance??? SERIOUSLY ROCKIN! I am on my way into checking about my varicose veins, Peter's vasectomy and a possible tummy tuck for me. . . I am sure I can find some medical reason for it! :)

Delusional Motherhood

Today I was sick. I mean, flu, yuk sick. It stunk. The worst part was, I had to take care of two kids while I was sick. It made is stink even worse. It was a long, long, long, tiresome day. But, it is over.

I was thinking how "hard" Kaylin has been. You know, she is not sleeping through the night. . . Ok, she does on occasion, but then wakes up at 5:00 a.m. It is killing me. I am tired. I would love to consider getting my body back, but I am so stinkin' tired, I don't even know what to do with myself. The funny thing is. . I was sitting here thinking that Kaylin is definitely my hardest baby. D.E.F.I.N.I.T.E.L.Y. I mean, she is soooooooooooo high maintenance!!!

She is starting to want to get up on all fours, and I was trying to remember when my other kids got up on all 4's, so I ventured into Abby's room to get her baby calendar. Yep, I did one of those. . . for my FIRST child. Anyone out there do one for a second child? If you did, you are my idol. Seriously.

I started to read it, and started to laugh. . out loud because I have basically no memory of Abby. Ok, well, I do, but not exactly as I had written it down. I remember she had a hard time going to sleep. . Like, she would cry . . FOREVER! An hour! Sometimes 2!! If she could hear me and Peter (in our 800 sq.ft. apartment) or see any light under the door, she would SCREAM! She hated going to bed because she felt like she was going to miss the party. . (Um, not too much unlike she is now). Anywho. ..

Her calendar goes like this:

April 7th: Naps were a struggle again today. I think you are teething and growing!
April 11th: You wanted to stay up late tonight!
April 12th: You have been waking up at 5:00 a.m.! Mommy doesn't like it!
(There were entries on the days in between the 12th and the 19th but they had nothing to do with sleep deprivation, so, I am omitting them)
April 19th: You did not want to take an afternoon nap today! You cried for 2 hours!

Under Your Habits I put: You don't like going to bed, you think crawling is awesome and you growl when you eat!

Now, if you would have asked me, I would have said she woke up at 6 or 6:30. . . and that she was an excellent baby on a great schedule. . . The truth of the matter is, she struggled with nap time and woke up too early and cried for an hour every night before going to bed.

Delusional Motherhood.

It is why we do it again, right? Well, I am here to state that I WILL NOT BE DOING IT AGAIN, and I am trying sooooooooooooooo hard to enjoy this baby, but the truth of the matter is: I AM SO TIRED it is hard to. . . I am just too old for this biz, and if you were to read Kaylin's "calendar" (which I am not doing) it would read:

August 29th: You woke up at the crack of dawn. I am exhausted
August 30st: You woke up at 3:00 a.m. and then decided to wake up at 6:00 a.m. for the day. I need more sleep.
September 1st: I have no idea what day it is and I am losing my mind over sleep deprivation.
September 2nd. I am sick as a dog, and can barely handle myself, let alone a baby and a 2 year old. . . Calgon take me away.

There you have it folks! I have spent the last few weeks reading about how you all are home alone all day and having nothing to do. . and let me tell you. . I am ready to join your ranks! (In like, 5 years. . . )

COSTCO ROUND-UP

Prices vary each region as well as from month to month! If you would like to add to this list, please post it in the comment section and I will add it to the list! THANK YOU!





Milk $3.15 2 Gallons = $1.57 per Gallon



Chocolate Chips $8.79 72 oz. = $1.46 per 12 oz.



Butter $6.25/ 4 lbs. = $1.56 per lb.



Skippy Peanut Butter $7.99 2 jars = $3.99 48 oz. jar (usually store jars are much smaller)



Juice Boxes (K-brand) $8.29 = .23/piece



String Cheese 48 sticks



Apple Juice (Tree Top) $6.91 2/128 oz. = $3.45 128 oz.



Frozen Chicken Breasts $1.99 lb.



Fiber One Bars .32 piece



Nature Valley Nut Bars .24 piece



Paper Towels $1.46/ 100 ft. roll



Bounty PT $2.00/100 ft. roll



TP $.993/100 sq ft.



Brand TP $2.09/100 sq ft.



Ziplock Sanwich Bags $1.51/ 100 bags



Trash Bags $5.24/100 bags (white kitchen draw string)

My First Convert

I had my first convert. . to the world of coupon-ing. Actually, she had done it before, but had long since given it up. Too much work, not enough reward. . she didn't know that you could combine coupons WITH a sale, and back when she was doing it, the blogging world wasn't so hot!

I took a few hours with her on Friday, and she took her husband out that night for a date night to the grocery store. . EVERY MAN'S DREAM! no?

She came back and posted her results here! She was excited and so was I. It is fun to share something you know, and have that fire pass on to someone else. . . Kinda like missionary work. (Hey, it kinda is! REALLY!)

Anyway, she had a lot of really great questions for me and the greatest one was, are these prices really better than Sam's Club? Well, honestly, I have no idea, because I don't have a Sam's club membership. But I DO have a Costco membership, and believe me. . it is a burning question in my mind too!

SO: My next post will be my Costco Roundup. . . i.e. What I buy at Costco, and how much it is. That way, the next time I see a screamin' deal, I can know if I can find it cheaper at Costco. Hope it helps you too! (Of course, prices may vary from region to region!)

GET CUTE NOW!

My lil' sis bought this handbag not too long ago. I always thought it was so cute. It made her look hip... cool... I so want to be her.... AND NOW I CAN!

She bought it for ALMOST full price here: But you can get it FOR JUST $19.99 + 25% off! Be cute... I dare you.

I got this purse because I am not as cool as her and could NEVER pull off a bag like that. But I did get this bag for $14.99 (Originally $79.00)


AND this bag. . .

I got in in GREEN. But I SERIOUSLY CONTEMPLATED ORANGE. (Did I make a mistake?) It was only $11.24. So, I guess it is ok if I did. :0

GET ONE! (I don't care if we match... I am just not that vain.)

Still a little good in the world . .

I don't watch the news... Unless you call THIS the news. It is just too grisly. Especially in a big city like PHX. I like to live in my nice sheltered life and not really know what is going on in the world around me. It is bad, because then I don't catch important news either. . . . but anyway. . .







Today, I am here to tell you that there still is some good in the world because yesterday, I set off to get my oil changed. I am WAY over due. But tell me getting your oil changed is high on your list when you have a 2 year old and 6 month old. Yeah, me neither. But, I did a babysitting swap and dropped Wade off so that waiting for an oil change would only be 1/2 as bad and it would have been. . if I would have ever gotten there.







I just happened to stop off here for some gas. . . to GET to my oil change. Recognize it? It is the Costco Gas station. . .

I pulled in, started pumping and left the key in the ignition. Then I hopped in the back seat to try to deal with K who has decided that she H.A.T.E.S her car seat again. She hated it, then she got used to it and then I had to put her in a REAL car seat (not a carrier) because she is so stinkin' big and now she is back to hating it. I can't win.

Anyway, I finished up, put her back in her seat and she started to scream right away and I went to turn the car on and NOTHIN'. . I mean, SOMETHING. . .But not enough to start the car! It is definitely at the top of my list to be stuck outside in 100+ degree weather with no car battery.

A nice lady in front of me offered her jumper cables and Trevor (the guy manning the station) came over to help. He told me that if I went to buy a battery at the store, and brought it back out he would put it in for me. . . NOW THAT IS SERVICE!!!

But the store wasn't open. I drove around until it was open and hopped back on over for Trevor to help me out.

Before I knew it, another guy had come over and was helping out too! He said, "I just changed my wife's battery! She has a Honda too!" and then he just went to work. . . talking about how he has kids and he wouldn't want his wife out here in the heat with his baby and so on. They were so amazing. As a matter of fact. Here they are. . hard at work.



If you go to the Gilbert Costco gas station EVER, say hi to Trevor for me, and thank him again for helping me. It meant the world to me! (He said he changes brakes too! I can't wait to go back to him with my brake pads in hand!)

And the other guy. . . I asked his name before he left and asked him what on earth he was doing at Costco in the middle of the day. He said he was going to buy his wife some jewelry . . . GOOD MAN. . GOOD MAN. . I asked him what he did and he said, "Well, I am not soliciting business, but if your husband needs a vasectomy. . . " I took his card with GLEE and said, "HE DOES." (If your husband needs one, please see Dr. Lin. . he is GREAT at changing a car battery, so, I am sure he would do a great job with your husband's plumbing!)

Doubting Thomas. .

I can hear you out there... Saying.. SHE'S CRAZY!!! I can't BELIEVE that she would drive around to ALL those stores and do all that couponing. Just NUTTER!

Well, believe it. . but believe it because I have all those stores within a close driving distance. I happen to live in the shopping mecca.. So, it is easy. It may be easier for me, than it is for you. However, Kmart IS NOT CLOSE, but sooooooooo totally worth it sometimes.(I try to go after Peter gets home from work too. . the more concentration, the better/more fun it is and less mistakes I make)


However, it is not without some serious pain-in-the-butt-ness most times because I do have two children in tow. But sometimes, it is just WORTH IT!


Like, when you can score 3 bottles of Johnson and Johnson's baby wash for .19 a piece. (Did today at Target)

Or two spongebob toothpastes for free. Yeah, they are travel sized, but who cares. . . they actually PAID ME to take them off the shelf. Because I printed out this coupon. (Expires in 2 days $1.00 off Spongebob Toothpaste) and when I went to the store, the travel size were only .52 a piece. Yep. Target PAID ME .96 to take these off their shelves for them. :) AND LIKE YOU DON'T GO TO TARGET! Sheesh. Maybe I should have bought more. . . you can print as many of those coupons as you want!

Ok, here is my challenge to all you, "Couponing is too much work!" Nay sayers (Because baby, I hear ya. . I said it ALL THE TIME TOO)

Add THIS BLOG to your Google Reader. Because if there is a deal to be had, SHE is going to have it on her blog.

and ONLY COUPON at the store that you go to... I.e. Target, and your local grocery store. DEAL?

AND (one more challenge)

ONLY buy things that you would normally buy.

DO IT FOR 4 weeks.

Because after that, I know you will be hooked. You will make some mistakes, but don't beat yourself up about it.

READ YOUR WEEKLY GROCERY AD.

Keep the coupons from your weekend paper (you don't even have to clip them out-- you can just look them up on Couponmom.com and see if there is a coupon for something you need to buy) If you don't get the paper, just print the ones that you will USE off Coupons.com. You can print two of each coupon and more if you have access to another computer/printer. (I.e. Your momma's house or your friendly neighbor who wouldn't dream of couponing)

ONLY BUY IT IF YOU HAVE A COUPON AND it is on SALE!!! BOTH! Not one, or the OTHER!

Pretty soon, you will be able to spot your own deals from a MILE AWAY and you won't even really need the "Hip" girl anymore. . Oh wait, you will, b/c she always finds the best deals!



On a side note: Does weaning your baby make you grumpy?? Because it sure has been making ME grumpy... Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr....

Happy Birthday Bub

My little Bub... He turned 6 today.

Sometimes it seems like it all went by so fast,

And sometimes it feels like it has been FOREVER!

Jaxon comes with his own set of challenges.

But we wouldn't have it any other way.

The other day, I knelt beside him for his night time prayer and he asked Heavenly Father to help him.

He said, "Please help my brain, that it will work right and do what I want it to do."

I put my arms around him after he finished and said, "Jax, it WILL. You just have to listen. Heavenly Father will TELL you what to do and if you do it, you will be happy."

Sometimes having a child with special needs is a priceless experience.

And sometimes it is down right difficult.

But, I wouldn't change it for the world. I mean, just look at him. . .

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY BIG BOY JAXON!!

To see Jax open his favorite Birthday present today, view the video below. To see "Optimus Prime" in action, check back tomorrow.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uP41HZ9eytA

YES: ANOTHER CONFESSION

I have another confession to make. . . this is added to a LONG list of Confessions that I have put on this blog. I just looked over them. They are good ones. . .I laughed at myself when I read back over them. . moving on. . I HAVE ANOTHER CONFESSION:

I HAVE BECOME THE CRAZY COUPON LADY

You know the one. . the one that you get behind in line at the grocery store. . when the store is closing at 10:00 p.m. and she plunks down 20 coupons and most of them are ringing up wrong and so they have to turn on the blinking light for her? Yeah, that is me.

And I don't care.

I can't help myself.

I love couponing.

I might need an intervention.

I know I have posted about couponing on this blog before.

It is funny, because I just read one of my first posts on couponing from March! So, I am still a novice...

But I am getting to be a really GOOD novice.

You wanna try? Just once? You'll be hooked. But you just can't pass up a smokin' deal can ya?

Here is a few I just cashed in on.

Walgreens:

Buy on Great Lash Mascara get a coupon for a FREE one. (You don't even have to do the buy one get one 50% off) Just buy ONE and get a FREE ONE. (It will print off after you complete the purchase)

Get Huggies wipes on the CHEAP there too! They have a $2 coupon with the coupon books up front. Read about it HERE: With Walgreens, you can use their coupons for however many items you have. Want 4? Get 4. No problem. Wipes: .99 box.

Oh, and if you spend $25 at Walgreens (before coupons) they will print you a $5 register reward! (Spend like cash on your next visit-- which can be after you walk around the store one more time like I did today!)

KMART is also doing doublers this week. And believe it or not, I got Jars of Welch's Grape Jelly for .50 a piece!!! You can print coupons for the Jelly at coupons.com and you can print two per computer. They are on sale for $2/4 at Kmart, and Kmart then DOUBLES your .75 coupon and VOILA! JELLY FOR .50! And it was a BIG jar too! :)

The other Kmart deal I snagged was Motts Apple Sauce. Print off as many coupons as you want here: I printed like 6 of them and I never came across a "you reached your limit" sign. So, PRINT AWAY !! Kmart is selling them $2/5 so, $2.50 a piece. You give them your $1 coupon. They DOUBLE IT and VOILA! A 6 pack of applesauce for .50 a piece!!! I walked away with 3 only b/c I had already used my other coupons at Target last night-- I got them for $1.25 at Target which is still a great deal, but you CANNOT BEAT KMART!

Need ANOTHER reason to go to KMART? You can do this TRANSFORMERS DEAL HERE. They look like little match box cars, but hey. . $1.16 a piece? You can't beat that for a stocking stuffer or SOMETHING!

Ok, just ONE MORE REASON TO GO TO KMART: Trio toys. They are building blocks and they are on sale. $5 off. . Then, you can get a coupon HERE for ANOTHER $5 off and get a toy for 12.99 for just a couple of dollars. Yup. I did it. TWICE. And if you don't use the $5 off $20 coupon on the Transformers, you might be able to use it on this and score them for free. I am just sayin. . . Can you RESIST??

I can't.

Me and Her

A year ago , we had been in Arizona for a little over a month. Well, exactly a month. In that short amount of time, we had found out that the guy that we had bought "our future" from had lied about our investment and we had no choice but to enter into a large legal battle with him to get our investment (or a small part of it) back.

We had moved away from family, friends, and made a big sacrifice to be "on our own" and "doing our own thing." We had calculated and prayed before we signed on all the lines but, it wasn't enough. Sometimes you just can't control what OTHER people are doing. Like, forging documents.

I was pregnant. Newly pregnant and frustrated. Frustrated that I was pregnant. I mean, the timing was not great. The economy was going into a major recession. Our "new business" was floundering. We were in a law suit with the man who mis-lead us and it looked like we were going to have to completely re-invent the wheel. Peter was going to have to find work and it was unclear if we would ever recover our losses. Not the greatest time to be pregnant . . for emotional reasons. Losing all of your financial stability is a lot to take on as a general stress level when you are newly pregnant.

I struggled daily with our new position. For the most part, our hopes were high. We hoped things would work out. We felt like we were here for a "reason", even though that "reason" was completely unclear. It was a Sunday night, and I was laying on my couch reading blogs. I was reading Cjane. Which is a blog that I came across after asking a few people about their favorite blogs to read. It quickly became a favorite, but that night, a year ago today, I was reading her blog in complete and total shock. An extreme accident had happened. I clicked over to the accident victim's blog, her sister, Nie Nie. I read, and I read, and I read. I had never read her blog before. But I sat and read for probably 3 or more hours (it was after the kids had gone to bed) and suddenly, I realized that my problems were very, very, very small.

Over the next year, I followed Stephanie's progress, as many of you did and I watched in awe as she recovered, came back to life and even started blogging again! When Peter and I would come up to hurdles in our law suit, or in finding work, being a completely sleep deprived mother of a new born who was packing up her boxes for her 9th move in 9 years or in having the same guy STOP making his settlement payments to us, I would think of her and I would try to remember that there were others out there who suffered more than we did.

Today, Nie Nie showed the WORLD just how brave she really is, and it is far, far, far more brave than I ever have been, or maybe ever would be. You can see why HERE.

I am sure she will never read this blog, but I just would like to thank her personally. Thank you for being so strong. Thank you for being a wonderful example of hope. Thank you for enduring happily, or as happily as you can. Thank you for showing us all what it means to be strong. Thank you. I hope to be more like you.

Lindsey

Struggling

Peter works late 2 nights a week. But I have prided myself on getting all the homework and reading done on my own. Hey, I think I am doing pretty well for having an infant on hand! I recently got Jaxon a "Hooked on Phonics" work book and CD. (On Major Clearance at CashBaq!) Anyway, he had been doing so well and was totally picking up on reading! I tried to read with him last year and it was dismal. He could barely remember ANY sounds and always got them wrong.

It had been a few days since we had last practised. A lesson usually takes about 20 minutes. The in-laws came into town on Friday, so, Thursday night was pretty much the last time we had sat down to work on it.

It went horribly. He was getting "p" "d" and "b" all mixed up and a few times just completely guessed at words without even trying to sound them out. I was devastated, and became quickly frustrated at his lack of concentration. It was almost unbearable to get through a page. I made him stop several times to focus just on letters and sounds and when he would start again, he would be fine. However, a few minutes later it would all be jumbled up in his head again.

It was painstaking, but we finished the page. I put my arm across his chest and laid him down on the bed (we were sitting on the edge of the bed in the room with the only cd player in the house--darn ipods). With frustrated anxiety in my voice I sighed and said, "Jaxon! What happened!!??? You were doing so well a few days ago! You knew all of these words!"

And then something I didn't anticipate happened. His eyes welled up with tears. We were both lying down, gazing straight into each others eyes and there was such a clarity in those big green eyes. He started to cry. Not in a sad way, but in a truly frustrated way and said, "I can't help it mom. My brain doesn't always know what to tell my mouth. And sometimes I look at a word and I just don't say the right one!" Tears started to flow from both of our eyes and I took a few minutes and told him it would be ok. I told him I KNEW he could do it, because he did it just last week! I told him we would practise (earlier than right before bed) every night, so that he can learn to read. He seemed, for once, relieved that I was going to help him and that he was going to make it. So many times I think that he doesn't really worry about his life. That he doesn't think about the future, but after last night, it was clear to me that he DOES care and in the worst way possible he wants to be "normal".

It is heartbreaking to watch your child, who has his obvious impairments struggle with the reality that he is different and suddenly realize that his differences are causing his struggle. He wants to badly to have friends, be liked and do well in school. I realized last night that I have a huge responsibility to do every thing in my power to give him those opportunities. And I will. Day by day, minute by minute. . reading one word at a time. We will do it, and he will win. I just know it.