To the Extreme

So...I have a tiny confession to make. I'm kind of an extreme couponer.

Let me give you a little background before you stamp me as a hoarder. Because I really am not. No, seriously. I am not.

It started in California, among the chaos of organizing a massive cross country move...etc. I saw the TLC show. I was intrigued. I'm good a math. I am good at shopping. And the impending price tags on the move and salary cuts we were about to make prompted me to really think this through. My husband was about to take a 60% pay cut and I was essentially doing the same. We were moving to an area where the cost of living is most certainly lower, but so are the salaries. I was saving money like a squirrel hiding acorns for winter.

I started buying the Sunday paper and printing coupons online. The first big trip I planned....I saved over 73%. In CALIFORNIA WITHOUT DOUBLE COUPONS. That was it for me. I was hooked. I had and have no intentions of having 30k stockpiles in my house, but I see no reason that I cannot get my groceries for rock bottom prices or for free. I free. If anyone says they won't take something that is for free, they are a LIAR.

After the move, our food budget was sliced in half. And then sliced again once we actually figured out how much (or how little) money we were going to bringing in for the first year of grad school after a 12k move (yes it was $12,000 by the time all was said and done, most of it paid in cash thank you very much!). I did a few smaller trips, saving about 45-55%. And then I really got into the swing of it.

I get the Sunday paper, and so does my grandma...and so does my mom. They save the coupons for me. And my once skeptical husband who watches me leave the house with $50 and come home with almost $300 in groceries saves inserts from his job for me (they are closed on Sunday but the paper is there on Monday morning when he comes into work).

You know what? It's not hard. Once you clip the coupons for stuff you use and have them saved, all you do is wait for it to go on sale. I am pretty sure (or at least I hope) everyone uses detergent and toilet paper and juice. And you know what? You can get those for free. WITHOUT STEALING.

Examples? 2 weeks ago, my grocery store was having a buy 10 for $10 and get an 11th item free sale. And it was mix and match. They also double coupons. One of the products was Angel Soft bathroom tissue. It was $1. I had a coupon for $0.50 of any size that the store doubles. Actually I had 4. I got 16 free rolls of toilet paper. Also included in the sale were those scalloped potatoes that Isaac loves. I had a coupon for 0.50 off 2, and a store coupon for the same. My coupon (I actually had 3) doubled. So I got 6. 6 boxes of potatoes that normally cost me about $2 a piece, I got for $2.50 total. And that was 10 items. So I got an 11th item for free. It got about 4 groups of products like this.

Another example: Isaac's shampoo was on sale for 3/$5. I had 2 Buy one get one free coupons. So I got 4. And then I had 2 0.50 coupons off 2 that doubled to $1 each. That ended up making 2 shampoos that normally cost $1.98 each about $0.34 each.

I haven't bought 300 candy bars or 600 gatorades. I buy stuff that we use, and the saving allow me to buy healthy things as well. I am able to stretch out our budget as much as possible. I am buy meat in bulk and freeze it in our deep freezer. I have built up a great stockpile that will get us through a few months without buying anything but milk and bread.

I don't just coupon with groceries. I just got a winter coat on sale, from $138.00 marked down to $78. With a 20% off coupon and $20 giftcard, I spent about $40 on the coat when all was said and shipped.

Sooooo...yeah. I'm a couponer. I'm good at it. I am going to keep doing it. Not to hoard, but to balance out our dip in income without sacrificing our eating habits.

(I realize that I have been MIA from the blogosphere for the past month....I am still trying to find my new balance. I am NOT spending every spare second couponing. I have a plan to get back to this space.)

Isaac's Egg-cellant Easter

Isaac really got into Easter this year! We started celebrating by coloring eggs, which he totally rocked. I put a smock on him, but that was soon abandoned. He thought the best way to create colorfullness was to keep dipping the eggs in multiple colors. Every egg was dyed after about 5 minutes. I cut him off after they turned brown. And his hands were sufficiently dyed green. A few eggs cracked because he thought it best to drop the egg into the dye cup from a considerable distance. Thankfully, the garbage took most of the splatter and only a bit got onto the carpet and onto Isaac's clothes.

On Easter, we did 4, count em 4, egg hunts, 2 inside and 2 out. Ben and I hid all the eggs. He loved it. So much in fact, that he had to hold all the eggs he found at once. Baskets are for Pansies!

Once he figured that I would follow him with the basket, he liked it more. We hid the same 14 eggs over and over. The next morning, and the next...and next...the first thing he said when he woke up was "Find eggs?!" Sigh.

We haven't decided if we are going with the whole Easter Bunny idea yet. Right now, he is too little to understand anything more than finding eggs.

We had a great day. The days when the my husband's stores are closed are a blessing in themselves. It means for those 3 days every year, his phone stays silent, and his blood pressure stays low. For the most part anyway...Isaac creates his own blood pressure spikes in us. :) We get to spend the day just as a family. And we get to enjoy it. :)

The New Favorite

Meet Chuck. Chuck is Isaac's favorite toy. And he's MY least favorite toy. Let me explain...

Way back when in October, Isaac got to meet some of his Grandpa's family, who brought him a little green dump truck of the same kind. You push the license plate and this toy rolls and climbs up a ramp. We kept his house at my MILs while in Ohio, and by the time we left to come back to California, it was "broke."

I say this because I was unaware of this toy's true ability to drive me insane at the time.

Closer to his 2nd birthday, my grandma sent him a giftcard. While shopping at the store, we saw a display of clearance toys and behold...a play yard set with Chuck! For only $9.99. Isaac was very happy, and as patient as one can expect a 2 year old to be while assembling said structure. It involved a ramp and some track and a bridge thing. In the instructions, I noticed that these vehicles do in fact take batteries, and most likely Isaac had not "broke" the green truck. 2 fresh AA batteries later, the green truck was ready to use on the yard. Boy, oh boy, was Isaac a happy camper.

We took Isaac to TRU a few days later to pick a toy for his birthday. He quickly noticed a a fire truck of the same line. The truck was on clearance, so I bought it for him. He was very excited. If you are keeping track, Isaac now has 3 of these vehicles.

A short time after that the Chuck truck broke. Like really broke. It would barely roll, let alone climb like it was supposed to. So...I returned it. And I got a new one. When I did, I bought the 4th truck, a blue tow truck.

Isaac loves the trucks. He plays with them. He plays with them ALL THE TIME. This means a few things.

First, I have to have a large stock of AA batteries on hand, because GOD FORBID, one of the trucks doesn't work! And they drain batteries FAST. I am almost considering buying enough rechargeable ones. Until then, I suggest buying stock in Duracell.

Second....3 of the trucks don't work. I mean, they don't climb anymore. And I figured out why. Isaac lets them roll into the wall or to the carpet or furniture. They are turned on so the gears are rolling and they can't climb and something...breaks. I don't know, I am not a toy mechanic :) He gets kind of upset that they don't function properly, so he "helps" them along the ramps. And that's loud too.

Third, can't you see where these annoyances are heading?! HE IS OBSESSED WITH THE TRUCKS! They are noisy. And the break. They are the first thing he asks for every morning. He wants them to go EVERYWHERE with us (which they don't...I need a break from the noise). The positive side is that these trucks keep him occupied for hours on end. Literally. HOURS. And he doesn't really understand why they can't roll through puddles. Or take a bath with him. They also eat with him.

The other night, he wanted to take one of them to sleep with him. He cried when I took it away before bed. Usually, they sit ontop of his dresser, because he is this close to climbing out of the crib and when he does, I do not want to awake to that sound of the trucks. And I don't want him to think that bedtime is playtime. I gave in, and he promised to leave it sitting by the stuffed Goofy. I made it clear that if I heard the truck, I would come into his room and take it away. I layed down and about 10 minutes later, I heard the motor switch on and quickly off again. Sigh. I got up and went into his room. As soon as I walked in, he said "Mama, no!" I looked into his crib and he was hugging the truck like he normally does his stuffed animals. It melted me, and I let him keep it.

Well, now all 4 trucks must be in his crib for him to sleep. ALL 4. Plus his Mickey light from Disneyland. Plus his cup. Every Disney animal he has now has a designated object to hold. And my nightly check-in takes longer as I have a million things to remove.

For Easter, he is getting another stunt set, featuring the blue tow truck...which is one that is broken. It was on clearance online, and I MIGHT have just ordered the other 2 that are broken....that means he will have um, 7. 7!!!!!

I can't help it, I am a sucker for that little boy's happiness and smiles! Even at the cost of my sanity... ;)

OCD

I am a firm believer that everyone has some form of OCD in some way or another. Everyone has little things that absolutely have to be a certain way, or it drives them nuts. I have a few, to say the least.

***I am a chronic handwasher. Seriously. When I am getting ready for work or whatnot in the morning, I wash my hands about 25 times. I can literally FEEL stuff on them. Leftover hair serum. Toothpaste. Eyeshadow. Dust from the cornflakes and cheerios. It's bad. My chronic handwashing leads to very dry hands, and consequently I always have lotion with me. However, if there is too much lotion on  my hands, guess what? Yep, back to the sink.

***I checked that all our doors and windows are locked about 20 million times before I leave the house or go to bed. Not only the actual door is locked, but the screen doors are locked as well (only at nightime). I will check them before I go change into my pjs. Again after. Again after I brush my teeth. Again after I check on Isaac. Sometimes I will even get out of bed to check them again, because I know I had to unlock the doors to check the locks on the screen doors. I know, I am SICK.

***This last one is the kicker. The one that drives even me NUTSO. I don't stress over things or events. Like, big tests, meetings, etc. I know how to prepare for said events, and I do so. But I also know that there is only so much I can do and that stressing over them doesn't help. The KICKER is this: then I stress that I am not stressed out about it. Um, true story. I stress about not being stressed over something. HOW DO I FIX THAT?!

Anyway, hopefully you don't find me certifiable. And hopefuly, my son does not inherit these wonderful, um..."quirks."

The Challenge Has Been Accepted

I have this almost OCD where I have to have full cupboards and a full freezer/fridge. I buy in bulk and when stuff is on sale. I got a vacuum packer for my bridal shower, and I love it. I can buy the value packs of meat and then put them in the deep freezer. I save money or so I think. The problem is I forget that I have it. Example: I buy spaghetti when it goes on sale for 75 cents a box. I put it in my cupboard. We don't use the spaghetti, and I go shopping the next week. Spaghetti is on sale again. I can't remember if I have any, so I buy more. I end up with 5 boxes of spaghetti in my cupboards. 5 boxes! That's 10 meals with that type of pasta! Another example: chicken goes on sale and I buy a value pack. I vacuum pack it into meal portions. I put some in my freezer and some in my deep freezer. I may or may not use some that was stored in my freezer. I go shopping again and this time the bags of chicken are on sale. I buy one, maybe two because 3 pounds of chicken for 2.99 is a good deal! The bags go into my deep freezer. You get the idea.

My current grocery budget is about $75-$100 a week, putting us between $300 and $400 per month. For a family of 3, that includes a toddler. Granted, my husband eats alot. And so does my toddler. And sometimes we are feeding my BIL and various other people, and we take leftovers for lunch so we don't waste a whole lot of food.

Or do we?

Here is my challenge. For the next 3 weeks, I am only alloted a grocery budget of $10 per week. This should buy fresh milk and produce and possibly bread for lunches if needed. For all other food, I have to use up what I have in the house. It's time to deplete the stash.

This should not be too hard, in all honesty. But I am really nervous about it. BECAUSE I AM A PACK RAT! I HAVE A DISEASE, PEOPLE!

This was sparked yesterday evening when I went to the store for crescent rolls and grapes and came out $50 later. Upon putting things away, I realized I already had most of the items I had just purchased or something very similar. The challenge starts today, and I don't get my $10 budget until Monday since I already went shopping. I should need milk by then, so that's my $ date. I have to get through until at least October 8th.

So here we go! On tonight's menu: Oven fried chicken, southwestern hashbrowns and leftover veggies.

Mommy's Little Science Geek

I am a science geek. I have been for many, many years...pretty much since freshman Biology in High School. I went to undergrad and got my degree in Biology, concentrating in Marine Biology and then onto grad school where I got my Master's in Biology concentrating in behavioral physiology and conservation genetics. Now I work as an environmental biologist and water quality specialist for an environmental consulting firm and I am pursuing a professional certification in Wetland Science. This means every few months, I get to take more classes. I occassionally do peer reviews and my journal articles are finally getting published (knock on wood, fingers crossed, holding my breath). I read Scien.tific Amer.ican for FUN. I love, love, love do stats.


See? Totally science geek.


I also love Shark Week. Sharks are just seriously cool. One day I would love to go shark diving. Sans cage. Anyhoo, this week was Shark Week on Discovery Channel. HEAVEN!

Early in the week I was folding laundry while Isaac was taking his nap. I was folding it in the living room because the TV out there is so much better and sharks are always better in HiDef. Isaac woke up and I turned the TV off, and went to get him. We did our after-nap routine, and I put him loose to run around the house while I put the laundry away.

One of Isaac's many talents is turning on the TV (and ordering movies, but that's another story), which he did once he made it into the living room (he pretty much checks out every room of the house after his nap, I think to make sure everything is still the same. And maybe to scout the cats, again another story for another day.) Almost instantly, I hear him start exclaiming.

"Mama! Mama! Ooooohhhh! Big fishie! fishie! Oh wow! Oh my! Mama! Do you see him? I see him! Mama! Whoa!"

I run into the living room to see him watching "Air Jaws" and there is a massive Great White flying through the air with a seal in it's mouth. And of course they have those killer slow motion cameras, so Isaac can really take in the action. He was laughing and smiling, not realizing that when the water turned red, that meant the seal was um...sleeping. Eh, well.

It was one of the proudest moments I have had as a mother, watching my baby love something that I love. He's going to be a little science geek like his mommy. This is a sign. :)

To Tree or Not to Tree

That is my question.

Remember how I love Christmas? And that I didn't get a tree last year? :(

I was completely planning on getting a tree this year. I have so many new ornaments that must be displayed, since I have had almost 2 years to collect them. And I have a good amount of "baby-safe" ornaments that he can pull off the tree.

And then someone said that unless I have a baby gate around the tree, I should rethink it, period.

WHAT?!

I talked about it with Ben. It kinda makes sense. I can see my baby pulling the tree down...over, and over, and over.... He's a pretty strong kid.

Sigh. So now I face a major conundrum (Did I use that word correctly? I hope so! It sounded fun and I wanted to use it. :) )

We talked about nixing the tree this year. Not the best option in my opinion. Another option is to block it with a baby gate of sorts, but we really don't have the space. I wouldn't want the gate right around the tree, just surrounding the area. I am not even sure how that would work. I would essentially be creating a "tree room" in my living room. A third option is to anchor the tree. Either with an exceptionally heavy and sturdy base, or to tether the tree to the wall or ceiling. This option is the one that gets my vote.

But I don't really know what that entails either. Or if it would be too much work and trouble.

I had a hard enough time without a Christmas tree last year. I already have to forego the snow (The only downfall of Cali.fornia weather. It just doesn't seem like Christmas without snow. And to be clear I don't like blizzard amounts. Just enough to make it a white Christmas. And only at Christmas.).

I really, really, want my tree.

Welcome to Motherhood!

My mind has been stolen.

I still have my brain, but it isn't functioning quite the same. I am pretty sure my mind is floating around out there somewhere. The one that graduated valedictorian, magna cum laude, and got her Master's. I am pretty sure it is next to that flip flop I can't find for the life of me.

I recently read (or maybe it was a while ago...again, my mind is missing. It could have been years ago, really.) that everyone talks about how your mind goes to mush when you are pregnant, and you get pregnancy brain. And what they don't tell you is that YOU NEVER GET YOUR MIND BACK. (If the person that said this is reading this, let me know. You are my hero.)

IT'S TRUE.

Sometimes I wander into a room and forget why I came in there. Oh wait, it gets better. After a couple of dumbfounded minutes, I give up and go back to what I was doing. Then I will remember and go back into the other room, only to realize...I have forgotten again. After about the third time, I give up. Sometimes I am determined, and I will let it go to 6 times. True story.

So I am pretty sure that when that baby popped out, my mind popped out with him and rolled under the hospital bed. In all the commotion, I am pretty sure it got thrown out with the bedsheets.

And you know what went with it? THE ABILITY TO RELAX.

I used to enjoy filling up the tub with bubbles, pouring a glass of wine and watching SATC episodes on my laptop everynight to unwind. (Relax, the computer was always on the closed toilet or counter. I wasn't THAT tipsy.) I can't do that anymore. For several reasons.

First, I can't go anywhere in this house while Isaac is here and in a different room without hearing him cry. He is most times not even crying. But I hear him in my mind. I am constantly listening for his cries, so subconsiously, I rush through whatever I am doing. Monitors don't help. I have tried.

Second, our bath tub here is ginormous and I would drown. I can't get comfy or I will drown. Plus you know, I can't consume as much alcohol while I am nursing.

Even when I am in the house by myself, I can't relax. I try to catch up on some DVRed shows (because I can never watch shows when they are airing. DVR was invented by a mother. I am sure of it.), and I can't focus on them because I am thinking about 10 million other things that I should be doing instead of watched the DVRed shows. Every time I close my eyes at night, I see things I should be doing. If I wasn't so exhausted\, I would probably haul myself out of bed to do them. Really.

I must need to try some meditation classes or yog or SOMETHING. I need to learn to shut this busy mind off and escape somewhere where I don't hear imaginary baby cries or see dust bunnies blow across the floor amongst the crushed kitty crunchies and gerber puffs. And where I can cut out of work a few hours early without having to recrunch our budget in my head to see if I can actually afford to do so without forcing my hsuband and baby to eat ramen for dinner. I am pretty sure this land doesn't exist.

How do I know this?

Um...because I am a mother.

So fellow mommies, fellow bloggers, ANYONE. HOW DO YOU RELAX? HELP ME!!!!!!

I will say I do enjoy naming all the things I can now do one-handed though. It's staggering and impressive.

O-H!........I-O!!!!!

Isaac has been a football fan since birth. No, really. It's true. At 5 days, he was already throwing up his arms for touchdowns.

See? That's even his OSU baby fleece blanket. (PS, that is a NEWBORN onesie hanging off of him! Sob. My baby!)



Ok, so he may have been a little too small to understand what he was doing. And, ok, he probably still is. But he's a Buckeye Baby. And yesterday was the first OSU football game of the season and that meant we had spirit! Since Daddy had to work, we had to wear OSU jammies.

We DVRed the game so Ben could watch it, and he was thrilled when Isaac woke up just before he sat down to watch it (Me, not so much. It was 8:45.) Anyway, he was so excited, I let Isaac stay up an extra 30 minutes to watch some football with his Dad.


You know, that's why Dad's want boys! :) To have a football buddy. And he's got plenty of Buckeye Baby clothes to wear for all the games. And a special one for the Michigan game, coem November. :) Don't even get me started on his halloween costume. :)

Isaac enjoyed it. He liked the whistles. Ben was thrilled he got his first Father-Son Football game. They were both THRILLED when I pulled their attention away for a picture. Thank goodness we have the ability to pause. :) And Guiliani likes the games too. He tries to follow the football on the screen. Seriously.

And the Buckeyes won! :) Isaac wasn't up for that part, he was back asleep by 9:30. We had to have a whole conversation about how to watch football while the baby is sleeping, ahem...no SCREAMING at the TV and no loud cheers and claps. When I was pregnant last season, I swear every time Ben would yell, Isaac jumped in my belly. SWEAR.

This Weekend

This weekend....

This weekend was TOO HOT. Hello, California? Not so much fun to jump from low 80's to 104 back to 80's.


Saturday was rough because it was sooo damn HOOOOOTTTTT. Isaac just couldn't nap, so he was tired and fussy. And uncomfortable. Around 2:30, I gave up the napping fight and loaded him into the air conditioned car and we went shopping to spend Daddy's hard earned moolah. We bought some Christmas presents from....gulp....Toys R Us. Yes, I went back there. Diaper genie refills were on sale! And now that we can't change Isaac in the pack n play anymore, we go through them like no other. Plus he needed more cereal and those bastards have the biggest selection. And...the R Us locals are the only place I can find the Valupacks of the Pampers 2-3 size.


Anyway, we also loaded up on clearance 18+months clothes for next summer. They were buy one, get one for $1, so we got some shorts and swim trunks.


And I got the Handy Manny phone. It was on clearance and I had a coupon so it cost like $7. It will be for Christmas. I also realized that this store buys used video games in exchange for Toys R Us credit. Guess how we are buying the rest of Isaac's presents?


Why am I shopping so early? And why am I shopping at my nemesis stores? Well, simple. I hate them. But I hate them MORE with crazed holiday shoppers. Last year we picked up the crib 2 days before Christmas and had to listen to employees explain to the same shopper 50 times, that the Wii Fit mat, was not in fact, the actual Wii Fit bundle which they had been sold out of for days. Nope, still isn't the bundle when you take it to a different employee. Nopers, the sign in the empty display that says "we are currently out of stock and do not know when the product will be delivered" still means that they are SOLD OUT. Maybe next time don't wait until 2 days before Christmas to buy the hot item of that year, hmmmm??? And quit cutting in line to further illustrate that you are stupid and annoying and can't read. Thanks.

So I am getting all the toy shopping done now, while I have coupons and while stuff is in stock. Is it worth saving a few more dollars when Christmas sales roll around? No, my sanity and the safety of other customers who have the potential to irritate me is not worth saving an additional buck or two. Plus then I can enjoy the holiday season with Isaac at home, watching Rudolph, baking cookies, and wrapping presents while the psycho cats try to knock ornaments off the tree. :)


We also hit up Bed, Bath and Beyond to get these freezer cubes. We are starting meats this month, and I want to use these. I have been stockpiling the 20% off coupons since May and we got 5 of the 2 ounce and 3 of the 1 ounce sets for $30. Hurrah! :)


And we took a stroll into Pe.tCo as well, so Isaac could see the kitties, birds, and fish. And so I could try to find a flap to cover the litter box door because Isaac is THIS CLOSE to crawling and I have visions of cat poo in my child's hands. NOT SO MUCH. And I didn't find one, but I have an idea on how to rig one up. :)

***********************************************************************************

This weekend was TOO SHORT.


Like the past 7+ months, it went by too quickly.

I finally folded up the baby clothes that have been waiting to be put away. They were in the bassinet. The bassinet that my baby hasn't slept in for over a month.


The bassinet that when he started sleeping in the crib, I still pulled right next to the bed just in case....and for my own security. Without it right next too me, there was too much space. It felt empty.


The bassinet that I worked so hard to get Isaac into, from his co-sleeper, from my arms at night.


The bassinet that I put him in a few days ago while I went to the bathroom and didn't want to leave him on my bed. He screamed because it was too cramped. He hated it.


It broke my heart.

When did he get so big? When did that happen?


The bassinet needs to be packed up soon. It just sits against the wall and I throw clothes and pillows into it. It just makes me so sad to move it.


And I packed up the bassinet sheets and waterproof pads. I took out the blanket. I just stared at the empty bassinet. :(


Isaac sits up on his own. He is pulling himself up on his knees adn . He is feeding himself Che.erios and Gerber puffs.


He's just growing so darn fast.

*************************************************************************************
This weekend was a good one.


We went to the Bod.ega Bay Seafo.od, Ar.t and Wi.ne Festival. I scarfed some beer battered fries and bacon wrapped BBQ prawns (Did you mouth just fill with saliva? Cause mine did!). Friend A and I did wine tasting while Isaac attracted the attention of all the ladies. TRUE STORY. For some reason, they flocked to my baby and not the others in the tent. What can I say, I have a ladies' man on my hands. We bought some awesome shell jewelry and had a great time. Then we went swimming. Isaac loves the big boy pool. We floated around in his raft, then I took him out and bounced around with him. Just for fun, I flipped him onto his tummy, and I SWEAR TO GOD the child stretched out his arms and started kicking his feet. I think I have a swimmer on my hands.

To-Do: Trash the List

Everyone has a To-Do List. I swear I have had the same list for about the past 5 months. I hate my to-do list. HATE IT. It just makes me feel inferior because I never, ever get to cross everything off. I even write things on it that I have already done, just so I can cross them off. It never works. The list just grows and grows.

So this past weekend...I threw it away. I don't need a constant reminder of what needs done. I mean, if it was important enough to make it onto the list, I will remember it. Like, everytime I open the cupboard, I can see I need to rearrange the tupperware and throw out whatever doesn't have a lid. Whenever I walk into the guest room I can see that I need to wash the blanket that Layla puked on (It's not still in the room, it's in the basment and has been Shouted many times over, I just see the empty spot on the bed), and that maybe I should file my Mary Kay order slips and unpack the boxes in the corner. I don't need a daily reminder to make me feel inadequete. True story.

Instead, in the morning, I pick one thing that I want to get done that day. And then at the end of every day, I am writing out what I did get done. For example yesterday I wanted to make mini apple pies with the apples from our yard. This is what my Done list looked like:

-swept floor
-unloaded and reloaded dishwasher
-lysoled kitchen counters
-made apple pies
-rearranged living room to accomodate packnplay
-put bottles together
-uploaded 6 month pics to flash drive
-unloaded and reloaded dishwasher again
-took out recycling
-dusted living room and dining room
-sprayed Guiliani in the face 4 times because he ran outside.

I feel better about myself when I see what I actually have gotten done, not what I have not even gotten close to beginning. Call me crazy, but this little mind game works for me.

Baby Crack

Someone needs to alert the police to Satan's minyons at work down at the Fish.er Pri.ce HQ....they are known distributors of baby crack...or should I say Mommy crack?

Our drug of choice? Precious Planet. Had I known that this collection would arrive soon after my newborn arrival, I would have held off on several purchases to acquire this collection. And my husband informs me that I am not, under any means, to buy an additional swing, play pen, bouncer, jumperoo....etc. I think he threw in the words "baby spending allowance" and "therapy."

Seriously, I can't stop buying the stuff. While I am forbidden on the larger scale items, I have snuck in quite a few of the smaller ones. And like a typical addict, the receipts and goods are well hidden. So far we have scored some kick butt dope in the form of hooded towels, wash clothes, a monkey bank, 2 blankets, a slew of bibs...and this:

And I am totally blaming this gal for enabling my addiction because she tweeted this link and being the twittering fool I am, I fell right into her drug ring. (Note: I don't know if this was the EXACT link, but it's pretty darn close...I followed it from my blackberry and the internet is sometimes not so hot in that form.)

Yep, this adorable little piano that Isaac can play with his feet gave me my next buzz. And I think him, too. He loves it! He's like a little Moza.rt. And see how entranced Sophie is with his masterpieces?

Ah, but the high only lasts so long and I am already looking to score my next buzz. And soon...I'm starting to shake like a dope fiend. I am thinking it's the bath toys. Those are small and seem easy enough to hide. What I really want is the booster chair. If I get really bold in my habit, it might end up in my house sooner than later. Perhaps I can distract the hubs with something from his Daddy crack habit (Ahem! Oh.io Sta.te).....

DISCLAIMER: If I have enabled any fellow FPPP baby crack addicts, I am not sorry. If I'm going down, I am taking y'all with me! Also note, if you purchase any of said FPPP baby crack and post pictures on your blog, or even mention it, you best have an alarm system because my habit might force me to score my next buzz at your house. Or least I will be insanely jealous. :)

DISCLAMER #2: If you work for FP, I realize and fully admit that you don't ACTUALLY sell crack to babies or mothers for that matter. All in good fun, my friends. Don't call the FP peeps if you really are looking for crack.

Christmas in April....

So I do not consider myself to be a crafty type person. I made Isaac's baby shower trains, and I just finished painting a picture frame for his room, but compared to certain godmothers who shall remain nameless ( he he :) ), my craftiness could fit on the head of a pin. However, I have this burning desire to make my son a Christmas stocking. I did some browsing today via internet and I found this one that I really like from Buc.illa:

I love Christmas. I love decorating, baking cookies (which may be an understatement given Christmas cookie weekend), buying and wrapping gifts, Christmas music....you name it and I love it. I am thinking that making this stocking will take me quite a bit of time given my new distractions and what seems to be A.D.D....seriously, right now I am supposed to be making a mexican meatloaf for dinner. And what am I doing? Shopping for a stocking that I should not buy yet and won't be able to start for about a month or so. I guess it is just my new compulsive nature or OCD to have everything done and done right now....except the meatloaf. :)

Oh! and I got my first insurance statement for my labor and delivery. The hospital billed them over 13k. My insurance believes that they only need about 4k, of which I only have to pay about $800. Whew. I was expecting way more. The Dr.'s contracted rate for labor and delivery and post partum care is covered 100% so I don't have to worry about that. Whew again. (Ps. his rate was over 5k....and he was seriously in my room for 20 minutes.) The only thing that I haven't seen yet is the anesthesiologist (sp?) bill for the happy meds. EPIDURAL = LOVE. However, I do not believe that will make up the balance of my OP max which is $2500 per year. And of that amount I had already used about 200 I think. We kept notes on every pill, pad, and napkin we used in the hospital. Everytime I asked for something or they brought me anything, we wrote it down (by we I mean my husband....I was otherwise occupied with pushing a baby from my loins). Thankfully, my madre is an insurance coder and biller, so she will go over everything before we pay a cent.

And I will close with an Isaac update and picture: the cry it out method...not working so well. I did get him to nap though (still sleeping in fact) on my bed by doing the side nurse. Another skill he has mastered at least somewhat is that when I go to change his diaper, he pulls his legs up for me once the diaper is off. :) However, he refuses to put them down when the new diaper is in place and ready to be fastened. We are working on it. He also LOVES the alphabet song. Someone gave him a leap frog toy that sings it and he laughs and laughs. I took a video but haven't figured out the software for the video camera yet.

The picture was taken by the aforementioned disgustingly talented godmother...but we love her anyway. :)

Nursery Update

I had a very productive day today! The nursery is almost complete. I work my behind off and couldn't even relax for a nap even though I was so tired. I just laid on the couch an thought about the room. Almost all the clothes are washed, there are just two small loads left. I still need to find a rug, letters to spell his name, a trashcan, and a shelf. I am really glad I got so much done today. It really looks like a baby room now. :)

I am meeting friend H tomorrow at the dreaded Babies R Us tomorrow. I called customer service today and they were very helpful. I was looking at the overcharged items while working in the room and noticed there were new item number stickers over the old ones. This is why they didn't ring up correctly or show up on my registry. EVEN THOUGH THEY WERE THE EXACT SAME ITEM. I peeled one of the new stickers off and saw the old number beneath it and yep....it matches the number and price point on the registry print out. H agreed to go with me, even though I warned her that it may not be pretty. I also need a few other little things and have a couple more things to return that after spending the day baby-fying, I realized we don't need. After this BRU trip, we are going to hit Cheese.cake Fac.tory. Screw the blood sugar, I am getting a big slice! :)

I had several dreams about BRU last night. That is just how neurotic I am these days. :(

What the F*** is this?!

Ok, before I got preggo, I was not the most patient person. This is one of the main reasons I could never be a teacher. As the pregnancy hormones keep ramping up, especially getting so close to delivery and given my increasing discomfort, my patience level has sunk even lower.


With that said:


I had noticed on BRU that the gym we chose for Peanut was on sale, 20% off. With that discount and several others we had, we could get the thing almost 50% off. Additionally, BRU just had free shipping on $100 orders. So, given my anal state of needing everything done and ready, we orderd the gym and a few other not so fun things, like the hamper. Now, when I registered for the hamper, I picked the ecru colored one. It also comes in blue and green and pink. I picked the eggshell because it was neutral and we didn't know if we were going to do a theme or anything yet. And this was one of those items that every color had an individual number so if you wanted a particular color, you scanned that one. When I did the order for the gym and hamper, I was looking for other thigns to get me above the $100 mark and noticed that some items, like pacifiers, said "Colors selected at random upon shipping" meaning that even though I chose the blue pacifiers or something, whoever filled the order to ship could just pick a color set at random, and it may not be the one I chose. Did it say this for the hamper? Um, no. Because again, each color has a seperate number you register for. AND, the free shipping didn't come through when I was placing the order online, so I had to call for assistance, at which time the kind salesperson took my entire order. When I received the confirmation email, it said "Folding Hamper - ECRU." So imagine my dismay when I open the box yesterday and pull out a box that says "Folding Hamper - PINK!" Seriously! WTF!!!!!!!!! Of all the colors available, they send the one we absolutely can't use. I was instantly ANGRY. Upon inspecting the packing slip and invoice, it indeed says "Folding Hamper-ECRU." I had to run some errands and was going by a TRU, so I took the heinous hamper in there. To my further irritation, they don't carry it there, because it is an exclusive BRU item. OF COURSE. The closest actual BRU store is about 35 minutes away from me. I called customer service when I got home, and I can return it through the mail and they will send a new one. However; I will have to pay shipping on the correct hamper! WTF!?! It was their error, not mine. I said to forget it, I will haul it to a store. So tomorrow on the way to pick up Z from the aeropuerto, I have to stop into the BRU nightmare. This situation did not help my patience level.


Then, today I discovered that the security deposit refund check that we had been waiting for and waiting for and finally received, DID NOT CLEAR THE BANK! Now we have overdraft protection just in case, but we only keep a couple hundred dollars in that account. Plus, since we were waiting so long for this freaking check, I had to use that money to actually pay bills, as all our other money is in a seperate bank that we don't live close to, so we don't take out. That means our checking account turned into one of those big inflatable houses with stuff bouncing all over the place. I was MAD. So I went to the bank and had them explain what happened. All they could tell me was that they had tried to put the check through twice and it would not clear. I then called the apartment manager. OF COURSE she was so helpful. She ended up checking with their bank and said there was plenty of money in the account and there was not anything she could do to help me. I stopped at home on my way to run a work errand to grab some lunch, and what was in the mail? The check! The bank had not been able to clear it because the manager didn't sign it! Needless to say, they got another phone call and we kinda got into it because it still apparently was not "their fault." I was asked if I checked to see if it signed before I put it in the bank, to which I responded "did you check to see if you signed it before you mailed it!?!" WTF!?! So now, in addition to my journey to BRU to return the heinous hamper, I have to swing by the old apartment in order to have the damn thing signed so I can deposit it again. And I fully intend to submit my fees to the manager once they are all in. I am MAD.

On the plus side: my hair cut went well and I love it. It is still long enough to put up and has style once again. Friend K asked what was wrong with it before and all I could say was "it was just overgrown." True story.

I did get alot done this evening. I am still obsessed with cleaning the floor. I also decided that the nursery furniture needed to be rearranged. I want the hamper, the right one that is, and the diaper genie to be on either side of the changing table and in order to do that, it needed to be moved. I put the bouncer together and it works really well. The replacement motor for the swing came and it is so much better and quieter. I understand that all swings make some noise if they had a motor, but this was BAD, especially hearing how much better this new one is. I have to call Graco to see what they want me to do with the old one. I also put batteries in the mobile. It is so cute! I love how it puts stars and stuff on the ceiling, although it is kinda distorted at the moment given the angle the crib is at. I will have to fix that. Baby stuff is so much fun to play with! I have to get more batteries to make sure everything works, and I still need to get stuff washed.

I also got my SDI paperwork completed and am ready for my maternity leave. My temp starts training full time next week, and that kinda freaks me out.

Ugh, I so need this fun weekend with Z, even though it is a short one! I just need to not obsess for a few days! :)

"No! It Just Needs to Get Done!!!!"

...is my exclamation and response to when my husband, mother, friends...pretty much anyone tells me to chill out and just wait for stuff.

Case in point: I am all hyper about making sure we have everything the baby needs before he gets here. I know my baby shower is this weekend, but I am still making lists of what needs to get bought, how much it is, what coupons I have, etc. I have been so completely hyper about this that Ben has sworn to take me to Babies R Us next Wednesday in order to get everything on my list. Countless people have told me to relax and just wait to see what we get from the shower, and that the baby really doesn't need such and such when he is first born...blah blah blah. It doesn't matter to me. IT JUST NEEDS TO BE DONE FOR MY PEACE OF MIND. It seems easier to do it now then to tote a newborn somewhere to get it.

Another example: We have new hardwood floors in the house. I do not like to feel the grit and litter beneath my bare feet. I sweep the floor about 17000 times per day. And as soon as I feel the grit, it has to be swept up right away. I can't stand it. Ben thinks I am nutso. He comes in from the garage and I sweep up the dirt behind him.

There are many examples. Really I just want it done. It is the nesting kicking in full force.

In other baby news: Today is baby day #11 (I think). 36 week appointment happens at 4:20 pm. I think they do the test for Strep B, but I am not sure. I also have a long list for the doctor as to what has been happening. ALERT: what I am about to say may be TMI for some. My boobs are leaking some runny clear gel-like stuff. I have been told this is completely normal and it is just the colostrum. It still freaks me out.

I am now able to use my belly as a table. The baby doesn't like hot plates and such so I have to put a blanket over it, but it still saves me from getting out a tray, which doesn't work anyway since the belly is too big and the tray is essentially over my knees. My new favorite thing to do is grab on to his little knees when he sticks them into my sides and shake him a little. He responds by yanking away his knee and then kicking his little feet. :) I also like to push on one side of my belly and watch the other side respond.

I am not sure what is going on with the baby shower this weekend. :) It is kind of a surprise, which I am excited about. It will be just my friends which I am really excited about, especially since I haven't seen most of them in quite some time.

I have made the decision to cut my hair. It is hella long right now, and becoming a pain in the arse. It takes forever to dry and style. I am leaving it long enough to pull up when the baby arrives, but short enough that I can actually style it in the morning.

And lastly: I keep having dreams that I go into the doctor and he tells me that my fluid is low or something and the baby has to be born right now. Fingers crossed that doesn't happen.

TGIF!

I am soooooo glad it is Friday! I finally get a weekend that involves relaxing and getting my house set up. I just want to sleep tomorrow morning. :)

So I did not pass my glucola test! I just barely failed it! like when my sugar was supposed to be 95 it was 97. I just barely missed all the limits. My doctor says this qualifies me as a gestational diabetic and I have been referred for diabetic counseling. I guess this involves setting up a diet for the next 8 weeks and times to have my blood sugar monitored. I am waiting for the office I was referred to to call me back.

Otherwise, the baby is good! my blood pressure went back down. I still didn't gain the desired amount of weight, but the baby is growing well. I can feel him getting bigger! His movements are not the little flutters and kicks they once were, but big rolls and pushes now. I can feel his little knees and elbows, and his head. I have had to go to the bathroom way more lately.

The walk through at the old apartment went ok. We will leave it at that. Let's just say I will never rent from an apartment business again. EVER.

I think I am going to venture to BRU tonight to spend the last of our shower dinero and coupons. We ordered our pack and play the other night, and can I just say that the next day it went on sale?! I called customer service and they were really nice. The price was originally $119.99 and we ended up paying $84.99 with free shipping, paid for with gift card! :) We also ordered our swing and the bassinet sheets. I am trying to prioritize what we need and how soon we will need it, so I think tonight I will get the changing table, table pad, and diaper genie. I have a handful of coupons to use, so hopefully I can combine some of them. I also have a bottle coupon that is going to expire this month that has to be used. After that, I think we will be ok should the baby come early. Early as in before the next shower. :)

Ben helped me unpack all the shower stuff we got last night, and organize it into the closet. We got alot of clothes and blankets and toys. We went over our registries again. Peanut needs socks and booties. :) Can I have a bootie themed shower? :)

That's My What?!

I forgot to mention that at my last doctor's appointment, the doctor showed me where the top of my uterus was and now I am addicted to feeling it. That is wierd I know, but since I can't feel Peanut yet, I like to feel the place where he/she lives. And now I know what I am feeling for, I can track the progress of the uterus expansion. Again, that is wierd, I know.

I tried to get my husband to feel it, but he refuses. He thinks that is just gross. I even pointed out that it is not wierd, it is where the baby lives. He didn't budge.

He just doesn't know what he is missing, I guess. :)

Little Buckeye Fan

Being from Ohio, my husband is a huge OSU football fan. Since I fully intend to impart my MatchboxTwenty fanaticism onto our child, I have deemed it acceptable for him to do the same with Buckeye football. To show my support for this, I have scouted several OSU baby items that will be his, like the OSU diaper bag, OSU car shade for his car, pacificers, onesie's, booties, etc. Normal baby stuff. While searching for this stuff, I stumbled upon this, and had to order it. It was originally back ordered, and I couldn't find it anywhere else, but finally it was in stock again.

The one one the left is the front, and the right is the back.
It is made of a soft satiny material that looks like a real football jersey. It buttons on the bottom like a onesie, and also on the right shoulder.(I apologize for the poor quality of the photos and the wrinkly-ness of the background pillow case. I was in a hurry, and it is still more attractive than if I just laid it on the carpet. )

It is so cute and small. :) and Ben really likes it. Now, I am guessing that this was made with baby boys in mind. However, all the OSU stuff for baby girls is pink! I am one of those people that believes that it just isn't OSU if it is not scarlett and grey. If it turns out we are having a girl, she can wear this with a cute little skirt and a little red bow in her hair.

You Taste Like Honey, Honey, Tell Me Can I Be Your Honeybee?

So last night, I finally got some pictures ready. I have to say that I had more motivation as my Matchbox20 2008 Best of Exile USB wristband download came yesterday and I had to load it onto my ipod. (Hence, the title...) And to clarify, the USB wristband is exactly what it sounds like. A small USB drive embedded into the end of a rubber wristband, and on this drive is the best performances of the band's 2008 tour. They sell a wristband for each show that they did, so you can buy the one you went to, which I did, but this one has the best performances voted on by fans. Yes, I am a huge-mongous MB20 fan and nothing will ever change that.

Anyhoo, last Saturday Ben and I drove up to Konoc.hti Resort and Spa at Clea.rlake for the last stop on the Exile in America tour. (Yes, this was my third MB20 concert within a year.) It was a beautiful drive through the mountains to this huge, gorgeous blue lake in the middle of nowhere. We had tickets to the pre-show BBQ cookout, so we really got to enjoy the scenery. The dinner was great, if by the quantity my husband consumed was any indication...we certainly got our money's worth out of that buffet.

The concert was in the outdoor amphitheatre, so it was a pretty small venue. In my opinion, the performances in the smaller venues are always a million times better. It always seem like the people that are there are really the people who want to be there, not just because they got company tickets or something. Our seats were excellant, right in the center front of the floor. The show was amazing, and we had such a great time. MB20 does a great live show, and they always put so much energy and soul into each song they perform. And given my enhanced hormonal state, I cried about 4 times during the show.

I like to think that Peanut had a good time too. Baby Lahman's first concert. :) The baby can feel my excitement and happiness right?

I love that you can take pictures at concerts now. :) We ended up with some really good ones....and I may have "accidently" hit the video button a few times as well. Funny how that happens.

Ah, Rob Thomas.

This would be one of the times I cried. I love it when he plays the piano.

They aren't doing a USB wristband for this show, sadly. I know I already have two...but again, I can't get enough of MB20. They did some great covers during this show. Plus, I would listen to Rob Thomas read the phone book and scream racial slurs. No joke. Yep, just like he says "I've got a disease, deep inside me, makes me feel uneasy, baby. I can't live without you, tell me what am I sposed to do about it?"