Sleeping Like a Baby

When you google the term "sleeping like a baby" it is defined as sleeping soundly.  For example "nothing can wake me, I sleep like a baby".  There is no author listed for this phrase.  I would like to find him for a sit down discussion  and ask him questions like....Do you have kids? Do they have special powers? Was it opposite day when you coined this phrase? Were you on crack?  You may have noticed that I assume the author is a "him".  That in itself my provide the explanation.

There are often mornings that my husband wakes up refreshed and rested and is thrilled that the baby has slept through the night with no interruptions.  I quickly glance (or maybe glare) at him with dark circles under my eyes and provide him with the breakdown of the early morning hours of baby cries, sweet babbling (however cuter in the PM hours), and random call outs from the 2 year old.  He will look at me confused and say "Really? I must have been sleeping like a baby".  Hello!?!  Perhaps in my household we should reinvent this over used and misused phrase to "sleeping like a man".  Yes, I like it.  Maybe it should go on one of those pictures with witty phrases that floats around pinterest.  Imagine a picture of baby screaming, a man sleeping, and a mom stepping on land mines (toys scattered around the house) as she makes one more trip to the babies room in darkness.  Don't forget the dark circles!!

Lately, I have been trying to encourage baby R to soothe himself and get himself to sleep. Putting him to sleep drowsy and awake, checking on him briefly when he cries, and yes.......the controversial Cry It Out method.

When I visited my sister recently, we noticed that R is very attached to me.  Some (my sister) would say obsessed.  I am extremely blessed to have a baby that can clearly communicate his emotions of love for me in unmistakable ways.  I know this and I love every piece of him.  However, I also think it is important that he is able to soothe himself on his own.  I am a fan of the Cry It Out method.  Don't throw stones if you are totally against this.  Thats okay.  We all have our own ways of doing what we think is right for our families.

Night #1 - Layed in crib drowsy and awake wrapped in his miracle blanket with his legs exposed.  We think he is able to get out of the miracle blanket using his legs. Cried for a total of 45 minutes with check ins at 5 minute intervals.  I mean....REALLY cried.  He was angry and no longer drowsy.  I went in for just a minute, rubbed his head and straightened him back up in the crib (he moves himself all over the place). The last check in came from D.  The baby never cried again.  Not even through the night.

Night #2 - Layed in crib drowsy and awake wrapped in his miracle blanket with legs exposed. He cried for 10 minutes (not nearly as angry this time) before I checked on him. I straightened him back up, rubbed his head, and left.  He went to sleep.  He woke up a couple of times in the night and "talked", but went back to sleep.  I woke him up in the morning and the miracle blanket was wrapped around his neck.......EEEEK!! That was scary! No more miracle blanket....it is time to give it up.

Night #3 - He fell asleep before I could lay him down in the crib.  So he went down asleep with no miracle blanket.  I am very nervous at this point!!!!  He took about an hour nap and then began to cry.  Not a bad cry, more of a whine.  D was quick to say that we are going to have to wrap him up for him to sleep.  I wanted to hold out.  And guess what? He went back to sleep!! He again woke up a couple of times to talk, but never cried.

That is the update so far!!!

I have also been up since 4:11 AM when RL called out that she had teeteed in the bed.  Then she wanted to read books for an hour.  We read 22 of them.  I was suppose to have my repeat uranalysis this morning to follow up with my glucose, however fasting is required.  There is just no possible way I can be up since 4:11 with no coffee.  Clearly it was postponed.

I read an inspiring blog post this morning that simply being a mom is enough.  The words are encouraging and remind me that I am guilty everyday of trying to accomplish too many things in a 24 time period.  The hour of reading I did with RL at 4:11 AM  matters.  That being said......I should take the rest of the day off. :)

http://rachelmariemartin.blogspot.com/2013/07/why-being-mom-is-enough.html

Target deals this week

Today was one of my favorite target trips. I feel so good about my lot that I can't bring myself to take down this grand presentation to relocate each item to its place. Maybe after I share my finds with my 3 to 4 consistent readers I can let go. Obsessed!!


Here is a list of what I carried home:

5 packs of crayons - 25 cents -used a moble coupon for $1 off 4 up and up school supplies plus a free crayon target coupon - all 5 packs free!!

13 packs of gum - clearance 26 cents each

2 Flavor creations - clearance .46 cents- used 2 $1 smartsource.com coupon (no longer available) - both free

Hydro razor - 7.99. $4 off from coupons.com and $4 target coupon - free

Reach floss - price cut 92 cents. $1 off from coupons.com - free

2 cover girl eyeshadow - clearance 2.18 each- $2/2 target coupon and $3/2 eye products from 7/28 paper - free

Paper towels - $1 - 50 cent target coupon plus cartwheel - 47
Cents

Pasta and pasta sauce - $2 - $1 target coupon - both for $1

2 box of playtex - $6.99 - 2 $3 from coupons.com $1 target coupon plus $5 giftcard back - 99 cents per box

The rest is a collection of other items using target coupons!! So much fun!!

Dinner tonight consisted of a hamburger patty topped with provolone cheese, sautee mushrooms and onions plus a side of corn. Nothing too exciting here.



Then RL and I worked on making straight lines.  Ruler 19 cents from Walgreens this week. :)

Deals this Week - July 29th

First off....Happy Bday to D!! The kids wanted to represent well this morning, so "they" decided on daddy themed outfits.



RL is really starting to understand birthdays and was very happy to offer her Leap Frog cake to D to "blow out" the candles.  Of course, he didn't "do it right" so she had to quickly come to his rescue.  She also made him a card.  I pulled out all of our art supplies and she chose her materials.  I gave her a picture of herself to glue and she insisted that it wasn't complete without a picture of mamma and daddy.  She didn't mention Ruddick.  Poor baby.

The deals....

It is a big week in the couponing world.  So big that I once again left the house at 6:30 AM on Sunday morning to catch the sales.  I had a few things to pick up from Wal-Mart and then on to Walgreens and Rite Aid.  I have mentioned several times that I don't often find great deals at Rite Aid, but they proved me wrong this week.

Use 75 cents from pg 7/7 or 50 cents from pg 7/28. This is a moneymaker and can be done twice



Use chexmix coupon from coupons.com. Makes them 75 cents a bag!



2nd foods 2 packs are $1.79. So with the up rewards, its 29 cents each 2 pack. You can get 4 rewards!



Use $1 coupon from coupons.com to equal a free toothbrush! The limit is 2.


Finally, free school supplies. The monroe rite aid had a very low supply. You can do this deal once.

Here is my presentation.



Fun times!!

I picked up a few things a walgreens. There is a $2 coupon on coupons.com for a 2 pack reach toothbrush and you also get $2 rewards. This is a $1 moneymaker. I also got 10 folders for 10 cents each and a dozen eggs for 99 cents!


>These are the best
deals in my opinion at Rite Aid this week.It makes it worth the trip.After paying tax and then subtracting what you got back, the cost is around $5. Since I had previous Up rewards to use on my purchase, I paid about $16 out of pocket and received about $23 in Up rewards. This means
I will be stalking great deals at Rite Aid for the next couple of weeks to use my rewards.

Favorite Things Friday

Here are a few of my favorite things from san antonio.



I found this in my sisters cabinet. It's beautiful and inspires me to have a tea party. I also want to wear a fancy hat.



If you ever visit san antonio, it is an absolutely MUST that you stop by the Magnolia Pancake Haus to taste the incredible buttermilk pancakes. If the thought "pancakes are pancakes" entered your mind, you are not alone. I thought the same. Then I took my first bite and I realized that not all pancakes are created equal or even similiar. These are amazing!!!!






Obviously these precious babies top my favorite things list. I am soaking up every minute I have with them!

Learning new things

I am so excited to be in san antonio visiting with my sis and her baby boy john as well as mom, brother n law, and nephew john. I brought Ruddick with me and he did great on his first flight ever!! He slept through most of the time!!

I am learning so many new things while visiting. I love to inspect my friends and families homes. Not in a judgy way but in a desire to search for new ideas kind of way. Some friends know this about me and encourage me in a walk through their home. Some even get offended if I dont take notice of something they are especially proud of. For my more sensitive friends, I make my observations in secret. No need to risk a friendship due to my constant curiosity.

So let's move on to some new things I've learned.

Groovebook


This is an app that makes 100 of your moble pictures into a book each month! For 2.99 a month, I am so excited to have a rolling record of my kids activities with such ease.

Learning colors


My 2 year old nephew is a genius! I'm teaching him to say so himself! So, my sis must be doing something right, right? Therefore, I'm taking notes. Here are her Colored circles in the kitchen as a constant and fun reminder when learning colors.

New blogs:

Mix match mama



Plain chicken



And my child can now push up all the way!



Thats all for now, but I still have another day to learn!

Usps is not my friend

You know that sickish feeling you get in your stomach when your worried. When you think of something that makes your heart drop into the pit of your stomach?

Well, I feel terrible today. Let me explain.  When Ruddick was born my sister loaned me a ton of her precious baby clothes.  I mean, a ton!  Nice clothes.  The time came where my chunky baby grew out of them and my sis was getting ready to have her second baby boy.  So, of course I mailed them back to her (who lives in San Antonio) in plenty of time to rewash, pack for the hospital, and see if she needed anything else for her expected new son. 

Well.......she is having the baby tomorrow and the clothes have not arrived.  Of course, I cleaned out my purse a couple of days ago and decided that she surely has received the package by now so therefore i tossed the tracking number.  I (my husband) was able to sweet talk Office Depot into finding the tracking number for us that revealed that it was undeliverable as addressed.  Great....did I mess that up???? 

Do you ever feel like you are doing so "good in life", churning out the workload, making wise parenting decisions, keeping up with laundry, keeping kids fed and bathed and then one bad decision totally cancels everything out?  How could I mess up the address? I checked it three times??

I feel absolutely terrible.  She was so generous and willing to offer pretty much everything she had and now she goes into the hospital with nothing to bring the baby home in!!! This is a big deal!!!

 The US Postal Service just has not been my friend today.  Tuesday is typically my favorite day to check the mail.  Brookshires circular of course.  Today I also received a thank you card from the mother of a friend who recently passed away.  My heart dug itself further into my gut.  I saw the name on the return address label and I immediately went to prayer.  I cannot imagine the pain and all I can do is pray.  It took me a minute to gain the courage to open the envelope and her handwritting was suddently familiar.  She was also my junior high teacher.  She recalled fond memories of me and her daughter and asked for continued prayers.  I often say "I will be praying for you", but I also often forget.  I don't want to forget this family and their pain and challenge myself to remember to pray.

Next on the mailman's drop off was some lab results.  Boo!! Apparently my cholesterol is not perfect.  Really? Cholesterol? I am not sure what that even means.  The letter states that it is "close to the normal range", however requires lifestyle changes.  Um, yes....lifestyle changes.  I will need to put that on my to do list.  Again, I am not even sure what that means.  I also had a high number of glucose spillage and will need to be re-tested in a couple of weeks.  I had gestational diabetes which means I have a 80% chance of developing it later in life.  I just didnt think later in life would be 6 months after birth.  Let's pray that the glucose is just a random result.  I am 33 years old and have bad cholesterol and possible diabetes.  Who would have thought????



And here is my bonus pic of baby boy!!



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10 Scary Things

Check out this article on Scary things that can actually be safe for your baby.

http://www.mom365.com/slideshows/062513-scary-things-that-are-safe-for-baby?utm_source=edit+email&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Edit+emailscary+6/27#sa51c9acd8b15977c13e000001=p10

I did alot of research on "risky play" and the effects on personality and development when I was in college.  I was actually a big supporter of the idea.  Now that I have kids, I am still a fan, but I am alot more fearful.

Several years ago I worked in a children's hospital where we did supervised syringe play to help kids cope with being out of control and hopefully conquer their fear with what little control they could have.  Allowing the syringe to be something that they could carefully touch and manipulate instead of simply a source of pain, provided a safe outlet for emotions.  Participating in "risky play" forces kids to learn at different levels that may not be possible if they are constantly shielded from unsafe experiences.

These are just my thoughts today.  I am sure I would have completely different emotions if I saw RL walking on a tree limb tight rope style.

This is not really me :)

Deals this week - July 21

There are not a ton of great deals out there this week, so other than a few school supply items I plan to take this week off.

In order to stay within your set budget each month, there needs to be weeks that you spend zero on groceries. Take your random kitchen items and make random meals. I have plenty of them, but I won't bore you. Want to share your go to weekly meals?

Deals I noticed in the paper:

Office depot - use these to hold your coupons in your purse!


Target


And lots from walgreens



Composition book


Backpacks



Erasers

Im excited about what I am doing with school supplies this season!!! I have a good friend who serves as a missionary/teacher in Pane Honduras. She is an amazing selfless woman who has given up all of the convenience of the
American life for she and her son to serve others on a volunteer bases. I have known her for about 8 years and she has always talked about her desire to serve in this area. I am so inspired by her obedience and patience as she watched God pave the way to move her to Honduras.

Let's be real and honest. I am just too selfish of a person to do the work she does. I place alot of value on materials and convenience...internet shopping, a vehicle in the garage, air condition. I can't imagine giving those things up for an undetermined amount of time.

So how can I support her? School supplies are really expensive there, so a school supply drive we will have!!!!

If you are in town drop offs can be made at first west and first west fairbanks or I can pick up. If your not in town, you can donate $ and I will shop for you. Do you know how many kids you can provide for with just $5???

I know that I could never do what she does everyday, but this is what I can do.

Remember the day craft box.

This out of date recipe box was passed down to me from a cowoker moving out of the country.



Since recipes can easily be found with a quick google search these days I didnt have a huge need to store recipes, however I liked the shape so I wanted to use it for something.

I remembered seeing a pin about writing a note about your children and/or family on an index card everyday of the year. Jotting down what you did that day, something you noticed, or their current likes and dislikes. What a perfect box!

Modpodge/scrapbook paper/wooden letter






I LOVE how it turned out!! Now lets see how many days in a row I can remember to do this!!!

Chalkboard menu

I am obsessed with the presentation of meals. Really with any type of presentation.

The last few times I've had people over and created a "dinner spread", I felt like something was missing. I wanted some type of personalization. My table only seats 4 (1 highchair) so really just 3 therefore a tablescape is out.

I typically lay all my food items across the bar countertop buffet style, so this is where I needed the extra punch. I'm sure I didnt come up with this on my own, I must have seen it somewhere but I dont know where.

Chalkboard menu:

I took a wooden picture frame from goodwill and painted the wood with color of choice and the glass with chalkboard paint





This project was actually an all day event. It took several layers of chalkboard paint to cover the glass. You will need to paint both sides so that any streaks you create will still be black.

I painted a layer, let dry, held the glass in front of a window to check for streaks, and painted again.

Loved the way it turned out!

Cartwheel at target

Cartwheel is a new way to save at target that can be very overwhelming at first glance. Its actually much easier than it appears.

What is it? It is basically an extra percentage of savings on selected items. It can be stacked on top of target coupons AND regular coupons (all 3 can be used on 1 item).

1) You select the items you want to save on (you will have a limit of item offers at a time)

2) You add to your cartwheel list

3) You have one barcode to scan at the register for savings on all of your selected items.

Lets get started...

Step one - download the app. Its quicker, easier, and you dont have to print out anything to bring in with you to the store.



I was overwhelmed with the app at first so I chose to go the print out route, which caused 2 registers to freeze while checking out. Lesson learned. App only for me!!

Step two- browse offers.



There are a ton of offers. You can browse specifically or all offers. If you have trouble getting to the menu page, swipe to the right.

Step three - select your offer by touching the item and selecting "add"



Be mindful of the expiration date.

Once all your items are selected, go shopping!!!

Step four- select "my bar code" and show to cashier BEFORE using other coupons at check out.



And thats it!! Savings on all of your selected items are subtracted.

Tips:

As with any coupons, dont buy items just because you save. Look for items you are going to buy anyway (diapers)

Maximize savings by stacking with other coupons

A target red card is a MUST. It is simply a debit card attached to your checking account. No extra fees. With this card you save an additional 5 percent on your total bill!!!

Never buy anything from target without searching to see if savings are available.  You can do this while your walking in.  Sometimes I feel like everything in the store is available on cartwheel!!

Mexican Tilapia Bowl

I found a recipe for a fish taco bowl and made a few alterations that work best for my family. The run down follows:

Mix the following

1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper



Spray Casserole dish and add 4 tilapia filets. (I use the individual wrapped frozen fillets and defrost in water)

Spread season mixture over both sides of fish



Broil for about 10 minutes until fish are done.



In the meantime, dice up onions and bell peppers and sautee in EVOO

Serve over a spinach salad with steamed corn, black beans, sauteed peppers and onions and a couple of drizzles of EVOO



D immediately confirmed this healthy awesomeness. He rated it a 9 and said that 1point could easily be earned with some type of healthy dressing option. The bottom layer of spinach was dry. Perhaps I should layer next time.

Here she goes again.......issues


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MOM THOUGHTS..

Wouldn’t it be lovely if we actually had time to do all of the things we post on Pinterest.  At one time I had to boycott the site.  It started to make me a little depressed and guilty for not doing every cute art project with my child or cooking all of the new “easy” recipes for my husband.  I have not yet mastered the art of simply keeping up with life and now this manipulative website wants to remind me of all the possibilities out there beyond my restricted walls?  Unfortunately, I also have a sickness of being determined to do even more.  I typically feel overwhelmed and anxious of the fact that I never feel like I can “catch up”.  That feeling battles the procrastination side of me that dims the Must Do To Do list and welcomes the Must Do BC I Want To list.  Hence the reason I never catch up.  Those Must Dos remain stagnant and lingers in the back of my mind while I joyously research the best couponing deals.

Deals this week.

There a lot of great deals this week that allowed me to stock up on items that my family regular uses rather its on sale or not.
Kashi and Special K cereal on sale for 2.50 at Walgreens compared to $3 at Walmart (i had a few $1 off coupons collected from the back of previous boxes).



Also at Walgreens, chex mix bogo ($3.17) plus I had a couple of 50 cents off 1 and 60 cents off 2 so I got them for $1.08 and $1.28.



Plus....a great price on water. $1.99!!



Rite aid has the crest mouthwash on sale for 4.99 with a $3 up rewards. Use a $1.10 coupon from coupons.com and score it for 89 cents.



Plus reach toothbrush on sale with up rewards and coupon from coupons.com



Cvs has tampons with $3 extra bucks plus $3 coupon from coupons.com equals $1.99.



These are just a few highlights. Let me know if your looking for even more deals!!!

I served seared Tuna last night!! I've posted my recipe before and it is soooooo good. Garlic ginger (found in the Asian aisle) is the key. This is not something that can be made unless someone else is in control of the kids. You have to really watch the tuna when it's in the skillet. Total time is only about 25 mins.
I pour a mixture of rice vinegar, balsamic vinegar, garlic ginger, and season with salt and pepper. Use the back of a fork and press into the tuna a bit.



The rice vinegar and balsamic vinegar are totally not necessary. I just had it, so I added it.




Heat evoo on med heat for about 3 mins until hot and then place the tuna.




I added celery.




If you want it good and seared it takes about 3 to 4 minutes per side.

After removing from the skillet, I reseason with salt, pepper, and soy.

It is great over a spinach salad with balsamic vinegarette dressing.




And for an update on the family. We are trying out a new sticker chart strategy with RL. We really need to get her in the habit of picking up after herself,
Poopooing in the potty (and not her panties or the floor) and also keeping her clothes on.

I let her help decorate it.



I started out by giving her a sticker for anything she slightly did good. I wanted her to get the hang of it. The p stands for prize ( 10 stickers equals a trip to the prize box) and the t stands for tea party (which she loves). This is also a good way to reinforce letters and counting.

Yesterday was Ruddick's 6 mth bday and I totally forgot. Mom fail. He is just now getting the hang of rolling over. Both of my kids were "behind" in this milestone. RL actually had to attend physical therapy when she still wasn't pushing up at 6 mths. I am so thankful that Ruddick is progressing.

*****i intended to include a super cute pic here but he fell asleep before I got one ******

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