tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-53383700784676841632024-03-13T08:55:21.059-07:00Blessed ImperfectionMariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01424802501424691055noreply@blogger.comBlogger237125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5338370078467684163.post-83631725964986968872012-06-18T01:08:00.001-07:002012-06-18T01:08:21.931-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01424802501424691055noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5338370078467684163.post-27232693818329970472011-11-10T07:00:00.000-08:002011-11-10T07:02:14.493-08:00Homemade Sloppy JoesI love Sloppy Joes, but Devin and I came to a pass when we got married because he grew up with the McCormick seasoning packet and I grew up with Manwich. For years we've been using the seasoning packet and a can of undrained diced tomatoes with green chilis. It's really yummy that way, but the other day I couldn't for the life of me track down where the seasoning packets were at Price Chopper, and I was tired of relying on a stupid seasoning packet when I had a cupboard full of spices. I found a great recipe on allrecipes.com<br />
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The original one can be found <a href="http://allrecipes.com/Recipe-Tools/Print/Recipe.aspx?RecipeID=24264&origin=detail&&Servings=6">here</a>, but I tweaked it a little:<br />
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1 lb ground beef<br />
1/4 cup chopped onion (I used red but I can't see that it matters)<br />
1/4 cup green bell pepper (I used yellow because that's all we had)<br />
can petite cut diced tomatoes (drained. You could use less ketchup/tomato sauce below if you leave them undrained)<br />
1/2 tsp garlic powder<br />
1 teaspoon dry mustard<br />
1 cup ketchup (or you could use plain tomato sauce, but you may want to add a little more sugar and I'd start with 3/4 cup instead of a full cup in case it's runnier)<br />
3 teaspoons brown sugar<br />
1/2 tsp chili powder (add more if you'd like a little more zip. I did)<br />
1/3 tsp cayenne pepper (if you don't have kids that complain about things being too spicy all the time. I do have kids like that, so no cayenne pepper for us. Wimps.)<br />
salt to taste<br />
ground black pepper to taste<br />
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In a medium skillet over medium heat, brown the beef, onion, and green pepper. Drain off liquids. Add tomatoes.<br />
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Add everything else and mix thoroughly. Reduce heat and simmer. The recipe says for 30 minutes, but we only let it simmer for 7 minutes and it was perfectly yummy.<br />
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I like to serve them over sandwich thins, but it's sloppy joes, not rocket science. You can figure out which kind of bun you all like best. :)Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01424802501424691055noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5338370078467684163.post-22202470671531483102011-09-06T16:34:00.000-07:002011-09-06T16:34:38.462-07:00Words I thought I'd never say: I love my vanI know everyone who owns a van says that. It's a running joke amongst all young families. Our family had a gray Dodge Caravan circa 1992 that had no ac and pop out windows that pinched your fingers when you popped them closed. We drove all over Europe in that thing. My parents also hated it due to the 5 transmissions that had to be replaced in the car. It was a happy moment in the Teetsel family when we donated it to missions and bought a Ford Taurus (????) instead. We never bought another van and I railed against vans all throughout high school, college, and after college. I'll never forget going to Spring Canyon after I had been out of college for a year and a gal I was working with just got a new Sienna for her family. She was so excited and I just didn't understand what could be so exciting about a minivan......<br />
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Fast forward a bunch of years. I really like our Camry, but now that we have all these dang kids, it has become quite the pain in the rear to pack up and go...anywhere. Addison has to get in first to the middle seat, I put Ian's carseat on the ground and go over to Ainsley's side, strap her in, come back around to Addison who is still whining and complaining that she can't get to her buckle, buckle her, stick Ian in, and then go back around to my side of the car. I inevitably leave a door open and have to go back and close it. Yeah. ANYWHERE WE GO!!! Then there's the proximity of the kids in the backseat, but I'm sure you can imagine how annoying that was. With Devin's car on the fritz, we decided to start a "van fund" asap!<br />
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I had been scoping out craigslist for several months looking for a Toyota Sienna or a Honda Odyssey that had less than 100k miles and was in our price range (under $10k) and just wasn't finding anything. I live in Johnson County. We like our vans here. So when I was perusing craigslist and found a really well maintained 2004 Odyssey with 79,000 just slightly out of price range I got really excited. Then I talked the owner down to our price range and got really, really excited. Then I remembered that our price range was dependant on Devin selling his car and my excitement dwindled. Then I thought "well maybe we could just borrow some money--it's only $2 or 3k, which is what Devin will get for his car, it'll be ok." Even if Devin didn't sell his car we knew we could pay back the loan in a couple of months. <br />
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We were all set to go ahead and borrow the money to get the van, but we just had a bad feeling about it. It wasn't a huge bad feeling--just a small bad feeling deep down inside. I kept trying to drown it out by using logic. The truth is we had been looking a long time and hadn't found anything like this car. I knew a dealer was going to buy the van and sell it for $3,000 more if we didn't buy it. It also wasn't like we had just decided to buy a car out of the blue one day. It was exactly what I had been looking for. The more I thought about the van, the more I knew it just wasn't a good idea to borrow the money. We had just paid off $62,000 in December and we were really looking forward to the feeling of paying cash for a car for the first time ever in our lives. I honestly felt like God was telling me "just wait, just wait. Trust me, I'll provide for you." I just had no peace about going forward with the loan and I am blessed to have a husband who listens to his wife's "gut feelings". He said we could wait.<br />
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It sounds so ridiculous, but I threw a big fat hissy fit. I was really bummed out about having to shove those kids in the Camry for who knows how many more months. The truth is--I felt a lot better deep inside and had peace.<br />
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I emailed the seller and basically just laid it out to her: that we had most of the money and just needed to sell Devin's car and that we didn't feel right about borrowing money. I told her we were really disappointed and that I was really mad at Dave Ramsey at the moment. :) I honestly felt kind of stupid telling her all those details, but hey, it was the truth!<br />
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I got an email from her later that evening. This is what it said:<br />
<i>I have been listening to Dave Ramsey for years and I would really like for your beautiful family to have this van. If you really want it, we can wait for you to do it the right way. Like I told you, I don't want to sell it to a dealer and we are not in a hurry. If you still want to get it checked tomorrow by a mechanic, and then wait till your other car sells, we are ok with that. Just your word that you will let us know if you change your mind is all we need. I can take it off of craigslist and give you time to get yours sold. This is has been a wonderful vehicle for our family and it would make me feel really good to know that it is going to be appreciated by a family who needs it as much as we did when we bought it. Talk it over and let me know what you decide. </i><br />
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Hurray!! Yay God!! Yay Dave Ramsey!!We put Devin's car on craigslist that night and would you believe it sold two days later? Yep. A guy was driving through Kansas from Illinois on his way to Denver and wanted a 4Runner. He grilled Devin about the car over the phone and paid him $2300 in cash at 10:30 at night. This was especially exciting because if you haven't seen Devin's car, it's...special. <br />
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We picked up the van the next evening and have been happily driving it these last couple weeks. The only thing missing is the family members stickers for the back window. Here is a corny picture of "the trading of the vans" from their family to ours. <br />
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Thanks for reading our story. It is definitely a memorable one for our little family.Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01424802501424691055noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5338370078467684163.post-81668171209417426992011-04-22T21:41:00.000-07:002011-04-22T21:41:42.930-07:00Kicking worry to the curbI haven't blogged in so long that I almost don't know where to begin!<br />
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Did you know that I am a closet worrier? I try my very best to hide it behind a laid back demeanor, but yeah...it's true. I think it was easy for me to hide it because I don't worry about a lot of things that other moms might obsess over: germs, napping schedules, food allergies, THAT stuff.<br />
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I guess in my mind I thought it was acceptable or even wise to worry about the biggies. For years I thought God was "preparing me for the worst" when I'd worry about things in my own life, or that I was showing "Christian Concern" when I'd worry about my friends and loved ones. If I'm being vague here are some examples:<br />
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-When we didn't have life insurance I worried when Devin was just a few minutes late coming home. I thought for sure that he had died in a car accident and that I'd be a destitute widow. <br />
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-I thought for sure that since some of my very best friends suffered through miscarriages that "God was preparing me" to lose baby Ainsley. I worried to the point of tears through most of my pregnancy. She was just fine!<br />
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-I worried about my dad finding a job...twice.<br />
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-I worried that my sweet mother in law would never regain her sense of smell or taste and how that would impact her life.<br />
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-I worried lots and lots and lots about money.<br />
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-I worried lots about my friends: for their marriages, loss of jobs, that they'd find a relationship, etc etc etc etc etc.<br />
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-Then there's the usuals: that my kids could get very sick, in a horrible freak accident, SIDS, etc. etc etc etc etc etc<br />
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I thought all of this was normal! I thought worrying for my loved ones was a way for my mercy gift to be put to use.<br />
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This last year God has been really teaching me that I was so very wrong and that I was robbing myself of joy, trying to be in control, and um, sinning.<br />
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You know that verse in Matthew? The one in all red because it's all Jesus talking. The one where he directly tells us not to worry? Yeah. That's about everything. When we choose to ignore that and worry anyway, we are ignoring a direct command from Jesus. I learned this a few weeks ago at a women's retreat and it was really eye opening for me. I know it's not mind boggling or anything like that, but it's truth that hit me in a new light. Here are some more of my favorite verses about worry: <br />
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For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline<br />
2 Timothy 1:7<br />
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Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.<br />
John 14:27<br />
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Here's my all-time favorite: <br />
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Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://bible.cc/philippians/4-7.htm"><b>7</b></a></span>And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.<br />
Philippians 4:6-7 <br />
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So let me tell you what I've been doing, how I've been stopping the madness:<br />
Most of the times my worries come when I'm sitting in church (I have a short attention span) or laying in bed at night and my mind is whirling. The fear will pop in my head. I can't stop it from popping up, but I can choose what to do with it at that point: I can either go down the "rabbit hole of what-ifs" where I create whole scenerios (that are usually awful) or I can talk to God about it.<br />
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Last week I was sitting in church and kind of sort of listening to the sermon when I started becoming fearful that something could happen to baby Ian during childbirth. The rabbit hole started: I started to dwell on how I'd handle it, what I'd say to people, even what I'd do with the baby room until I literally had to tell myself to STOP! I immediately prayed to God and told him my fear and asked him to take it away. That instant I had an image of a smiling boy in my head. Seriously! My first thought was "Did I imagine that or did God put that there?" I guess I'll never know for sure, but I believe it was God, and I am so grateful for that little moment.<br />
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This is all going to take lots of time. I think the temptation to worry will always be there. Sometimes I have to pray about the same fear, oh, 25 times a day. I have good days and bad days, and I am determined to beat this, but it will not be with my own strength. The only way I will kick worry to the curb is through the grace of God. My kids and husband deserve a wife who isn't a crazy person. Let's face it, I've already got a few strikes against me with my whole cat obsession. :) <br />
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Anyway thanks for reading this book of a blog post. Is worry something you struggle with? Anyone want to join me on this journey?Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01424802501424691055noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5338370078467684163.post-80974535195917068172011-03-01T22:22:00.000-08:002011-03-01T22:22:24.978-08:00Awkward can be worth itDevin spent all afternoon on Sunday making the walls of our house look beautiful. He was busy hammering, puttying, sanding, and painting until midnight. Because I'm the epitome of a perfect wife, instead of thanking him for all the hard work he did, I blamed him when the outlets quit working in the bathroom that day. "You must have screwed up the wires when you were hammering!" I know, he's just SO lucky! I mean, who wouldn't want me for a wife right? <br />
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I realized I never apologized for being such a nag (and when I say nag I am adding some extra a's..naaaaaag...Fran Drescher style). I should do that (apologize, not nag some more).<br />
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Anyway he tried pushing the reset button on the outlet and tripping the fuse box a few times with no luck. <br />
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I gave it two days for the problem to miraculously solve itself (funny, that never seems to work out very well!) and finally called the electrician (Tann Electric). I used them two years ago when our lights were flickering and our power was going out. Eddie put in a new fuse box and saved our house from burning to the ground (seriously). You know things are bad when you hear a sizzling sound coming from the fuse box. <br />
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I was happy to see Eddie again (even though he was four hours late) until he came out of the bathroom less than THREE minutes after he arrived saying "ok it's fixed now." Apparently the outlet in the garage is connected to the outlet in the bathroom, which powers the upstairs outlet. He had to push the reset button in the garage and that was all. I felt pretty dumb for not knowing that, but whatever. I was just glad it was going to be a cheap bill. <br />
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I got out the checkbook and asked him what the price was. $94. For three minutes. For pushing a button. I waited all day for him to get there and he pushed a button. I begged him for a discount. He said I should just be grateful that it wasn't something worse and told me all his stories about his other dumb customers that had to pay $100 for him to screw in a lightbulb. NOT HELPING. <br />
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I begged and pleaded some more and gave him my most pathetic, pregnancy face. He said he had no control over the pricing. I wrote the check, but just couldn't summon the strength to hand him nearly a hundred dollars for pushing a button. <br />
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I gave him more sad, pregnant puppy eyes. He said I could try calling his manager and that maybe they could give me a credit for next time. Yipee. Not. I asked if I could call before he left. I told him I appreciated all of his hard work and made double sure he wouldn't be offended. He said to "Go for it" and that he wouldn't be offended in the least and that he knew how ridiculous that price was.<br />
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Oh my gosh, it was so awkward! I had to call and leave the details with the receptionist and then wait, with Eddie sitting on my couch, for the manager to call back. Longest six minutes ever. I was offering him drinks, trying to make small talk, feeling like such a friggin' cheapskate the whole time. Finally the manager called Eddie and I overheard Eddie tell him "Man, she's pregnant with two small kids and could really use the money." Thanks Eddie!! <br />
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They slashed my bill from $94 to $45. I think the awkwardness was worth it! I have totally turned into <em>that</em> person...the cheapskate that embarasses her kids, but who cares. It put close to fifty bucks back into my pocket. <br />
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So lesson of the day, folks: it never hurts to ask!<br />
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I think I'm going to start blogging again. My life has been brimming with blog fodder lately, thanks to Addison and Ainsley. <br />
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The Addison quote of the day: "Mom, why do you life coffee so much?" <br />
The Ainsley quote of the day: "Addison spit my head!" Devin found a puddle of spit on the top of her head. Seriously. Who DOES THAT?! Apparently my daughter....Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01424802501424691055noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5338370078467684163.post-87936202963698290232011-02-21T21:36:00.000-08:002011-02-21T21:36:38.351-08:00Blog, ShlogI'm sorry I've been absent for so long. There are so many things I could blog about my now I just feel too overwhelmed and don't know where to start! I could blog about:<br />
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-how I heard Addison reading aloud from the Bible about a witch that steals the sparkles from furry ponies<br />
-how I've developed a second chin from this pregnancy and my belly is starting to hang out of all my shirts (takes the idea of mooning to a whole new level)<br />
-how much easier Addison is to get along with these days and how we're already into "silly stage" where she runs around saying things like "miss me, miss me, now you're gonna kiss me" because she heard Shane say it at preschool and thought it was just so funny. <br />
-how Ainsley bit my leg today and I am trying to decide if I need to start spraying her mouth with apple cider vinegar or just keep doing the time outs. <br />
-how I'm supposed to rub prozac cream on my neighbor's cat's ear while she's in Mexico this week, but the blasted cat hisses and growls and scares the daylights out of me. And Devin!<br />
-how part of me can't wait to have this baby if only to get a break from life for awhile to stay cooped up in the house with him, in sweats, and get a pass from all other obligations.<br />
-how ridiculously difficult it has been to make a decision about where Addison will go to Kindergarten next year and how crazy fast these last 4.5 years have gone by!!<br />
-that we've decide to name our little guy Ian Timothy Riley. And that Addison picked the name Ian on our way to church one Sunday and double checks from time to time that we're still going to name him that. Timothy is Devin's middle name as well as his dad's middle name.<br />
-that Ian means God is merciful. We picked the name because we liked it and that it was kinda fun to tell him his sister chose it, so it could have meant "tree" and we still would have gone with it. I love that it represents the trait of God that means the most to me.<br />
-how Ainsley turned 2 last week and how dang funny she is these days. Her favorite two songs are Jesus Loves Me and Jingle Bells and she asks to sing them both in the car whenever we go anywhere.<br />
-how nice it is to be debt free and how totally worth all that hard work it is. Sadly Dave doesn't seem to want to take my call.<br />
-how our stray cat, Squatter, survived his 4th winter living on our deck and how Devin bought me a house for him for my birthday because he knew I was worried about him AND how I fashioned a door out of duct tape AND how I know if my dad reads this he will mock me for life. It's all good--I was proud of that door!<br />
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The possiblities are endless. Someday I'll be back. For now I'll stick with being a blog stalker!Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01424802501424691055noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5338370078467684163.post-50312310264284829222011-01-19T21:45:00.000-08:002011-01-19T21:45:12.163-08:00E-MealzI've been trying e-mealz for the past couple weeks. I've got to say I have really enjoyed it! There have been a few things that I just flat out refused to make because I knew we wouldn't like them, a few things that have been really good, and a few things that turned out to be just ok and I probably won't try again.<br />
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Pros:<br />
-The recipes are printed off for you along with a grocery list so you just print your list and go to the store<br />
-The meals were all pretty healthy (I'm trying the any store points plan)<br />
-There are always one or two vegetarian options each week, which I think is great. <br />
-Even though they weren't based on sale prices, I was able to get most of my ingredients for 6 meals for about $60, which isn't bad at all!<br />
-I had food! I had ingredients to make dinner! That panicky feeling around 3:00 that I usually get was non existent because I had options in my fridge and pantry! Yipeeee!<br />
-Even though I wasn't crazy about some of the choices, I still had a starting point. For instance one of the meals was Curried Broccoli Chicken, which sounded like a less yummy version of Chicken Divan, one of our family's favorites. It was really easy to just switch that up a little.<br />
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Cons:<br />
-Catfish? Ewwwww.....skipping that one!<br />
-They didn't really plan the meals based on the fruits/vegetables that are in season. For instance they called for fresh basil and blueberries for a couple meals this week. I went ahead and paid $3 for the basil, but was not going to shell out money for out of season, wrinkled blueberries just for fruit salad. We had pears instead. <br />
-A couple of the meals were a little lame. For one of them you used a box of jambalya mix and added frozen peppers/onions and chicken. I will admit that my four year old gobbled it up with no complaining. It was pretty tasty.....Ok so maybe that isn't a con. Nevermind!<br />
-I wish they had a specific store list for my area that is based on what's on sale. It's hard to shell out money for the specific meat they call for if it's not on sale. It does seem like they use a lot of chicken and ground turkey, which is easy to stock up on. <br />
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I think we're going to stick with it for awhile. Even though I probably am spending a little more than we did before, it's worth the peace of mind and the fact that we're not eating at 8 pm because I had no idea what to make for dinner. Just my two cents!Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01424802501424691055noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5338370078467684163.post-16095419186968370082011-01-13T14:19:00.000-08:002011-01-13T14:19:32.601-08:00Ainsley's new bedI bought the girls some new bedding from Target a few weeks ago. Ainsley's little toddler comforter and sheets were just so cute that I couldn't resist asking around for a toddler bed to put them on. Then, when a friend from church said I could have her toddler bed and mattress for a grand total of $10, the crib went down and in went the toddler bed<br />
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</div>Awww so cute! We even kept the bumper because she is obsessed with it. At first I don't think she realized she could actually get out of it and that made me really excited. Yeah that didn't last very long. Night time has been going ok, but naptime is a whole different story. This girl just loves her new found freedom. Maybe I should paint her face blue and call her Braveheart...errr....William Wallace. Nevermind.<br />
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The point is I really wish we had just kept the stinking crib up a little longer. This is what happened today:<br />
12:30 Ainsley falls asleep in car when dropping Addison off at school. Yes! I can transition her! This is will be perfect...<br />
12:35 Ainsley wakes up when I take her coat and boots off, but drowsily reaches for her bumper and closes her eyes.<br />
12:40 I hear chatter from upstairs. I try to ignore it but go upstairs and see Ainsley playing with some of Addison's jewelry...with a poopy diaper. Back in bed she goes with a myriad of binkies to choose from as well as some books to look at.<br />
1:00 Talking has not subsided. Hear a crash upstairs. Ainsley is sitting in one of the plastic bins under Addison's bed seen in picture #1. Back in bed she goes with more books and a kiss goodnight.<br />
1:15 I hear "mommmmmma! mommmmma! and more banging. Ignore it for a few minutes and look in the room. Hmm. No Ainsley. I look in my room and the bathroom. Still no Ainsley. I hear her calling me. She shut herself in the closet. ARRRRGGGHHH! Back in bed she goes. This child is not napping.<br />
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I eventually gave up on naptime when I realized I'd have to wake her up in 45 minutes to pick Addison up at preschool. I decided to try again after preschool. She proceeds to have the biggest meltdown imaginable because...big surprise....SHE'S TIRED!<br />
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After school she got up a few times but the Supernanny methode of sticking her back in bed without saying a word finally did the trick and she's sleeping. I know this will get easier...<br />
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ANYWAY<br />
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The last few days have been busy, but good! <a href="http://eck-family.blogspot.com/">Rachel</a> came in to town and sadly we did not get a single picture together. We had a great lunch with <a href="http://afamilyoffoxes.blogspot.com/">Andrea</a> and Kelly on Saturday, and then she came over on Tuesday while Brandon interviewed for some jobs and spent the whole morning and afternoon together. It was wonderful. We talked, drank coffee (with creamer of course), I got to have lots of cuddle time with little Nolan, and we even played a few rounds of Go Fish and Princess Yahtzee (to Addison's great delight). Rach I am not sure what these next few months have in store for you, but it sure is great having you back in town! <br />
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I'm at about 23 weeks and feeling pretty good: just BIG. My belly and other anatomical parts are growing at a rapid pace that I find slightly disturbing. My doctor reassured me that I am measuring where I should be, but I feel like a boat. A yacht, actually. Things are different with #3. How the heck did Michelle Duggar do this 20 times?! I always feel a little out of breath and am just plain pooped all the time.<br />
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I think we have pretty much settled on the name Ian for this little guy, picked by his 4 year old sister. We were in the car on the way to church discussing names and she piped up from her carseat "How about Ian?" We aren't sure on a middle name yet, but we'll keep you posted.<br />
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Now I am going to enjoy this brief moment of peace and quiet while it lasts....Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01424802501424691055noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5338370078467684163.post-75641209744280912432010-12-02T17:20:00.000-08:002010-12-02T17:20:58.274-08:00Stuff heard 'round these parts"Diaper cream is for bottoms not faces, Ainsley"<br />
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Addison: "Here you go Mom" as she hands me something...<br />
Me: "What <i>is </i>that?"<br />
Addison: "My booger"<br />
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"Ainsley is that poop on your hands?!?"<br />
Ainsley: "yep!"<br />
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"Ainsley, plastic bags don't go on your head." <br />
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I would also like to announce that the kids singing "Sloppy Joes, sloppy sloppy Joes" from Billy Madison are mine. Can I help it if it comes to mind every time I make one? "I'll make them extra schloppy for ya!" ;)<br />
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Now if you'll excuse me I need to get downstairs. I do believe Ainsley could be walking around with that bag still on her head.Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01424802501424691055noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5338370078467684163.post-47698032423510319162010-11-27T23:15:00.000-08:002010-11-27T23:15:13.937-08:00A good laugh at work...A mom is shopping at Baby Gap with her 3 year old. Three year old picks up a pair of fleece pj's and says "This is sexy!"<br />
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Laughter ensues.Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01424802501424691055noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5338370078467684163.post-28511652269687672082010-11-23T21:18:00.000-08:002010-11-23T21:22:30.122-08:00Priceless GiftI have heard about Jesse trees for about a year now. They're a different kind of way to celebrate advent, but very visual and interesting for kids. It basically traces the lineage of Jesus back to Adam w/ really neat symbols and Bible verses. <br />
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I got an email awhile ago from a friend that said she was putting together a Jesse Tree ornament exchange. You pick your symbol, make 28 of the same ornament, and trade them amongst friends so everyone goes home with a completed tree. My first thought was "oh heck no. I don't do crafts and I don't do 28 crafts. And I don't do 28 crafts in the middle of all this morning sickness and busy-ness. I also don't do 28 crafts with Ainsley anywhere in the house." Can we say disaster? Then there was the money aspect: I know you can craft on the cheap, but I just didn't have any extra pennies to put toward this idea this year. To summarize: not the year for it. I found some neat Jesse Tree printouts and so my plan (for NEXT year!!) was to just hang those on a tree and eventually trade the printouts for ornaments as the years progressed. <br />
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At MOPS on Monday the presenter (who happened to be one of the ladies involved in the Jesse Tree exchange) had the finished tree on the stage to show off to give all the moms ideas for ways to introduce Spiritual things to our kiddos around the holidays. I sat there looking at that tree, wishing I had just summoned the energy to make the ornaments so I could have one to do with Addison and Ainsley. Again, it inspired me for next year (or let's be honest here....the next year after that!)<br />
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Tonight Devin and I were having dinner with my very wonderful friend Alicia and her husband John. At the end of dinner she came over with a shirt box and said "This is a Christmas present from the Hansens to the Rileys." I knew what was in there, and I started crying before I even opened the box. Inside were 28 ornaments from the Jesse Tree exchange. Alicia had taken part in the exchange and had given me all of <em>her </em>ornaments. The ornaments were all created by ladies from church that I love and admire. These ornaments will be in the Riley household for YEARS, and everytime I pull one out I will remember each of those ladies, and Alicia for so selflessfly giving me this special gift. I honestly can't think of a cooler way to kick off the Christmas season. I love you Alicia. Thank you so very much. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_JJyZY091CE0/TOye9-KfjvI/AAAAAAAACs4/f6hye6ujunY/s1600/CIMG0010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" ox="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_JJyZY091CE0/TOye9-KfjvI/AAAAAAAACs4/f6hye6ujunY/s320/CIMG0010.jpg" width="239" /></a></div>Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01424802501424691055noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5338370078467684163.post-40716982982666555552010-11-01T11:17:00.000-07:002010-11-01T11:17:05.752-07:00Taking 2 kids to your OB check upsMy mom has watched the girls for me the last couple times, but let's face it: there are lots of appointments and sometimes it just seems easier to bring them along. Here were the highlights:<br />
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-getting lost on the way even though I've already been there twice this pregnancy.<br />
-having our name called quickly and getting my hopes up that our wait will be really short, only to end up waiting longer in the tiny exam room instead of out in the nice big open waiting room with a kids area. Next time we're going back out there to wait and the doc can come get us! <br />
-peeing in a cup in a tiny bathroom with my two kids standing right in front of me and wondering what in the heck I am doing. <br />
-bringing skittles for them to eat during the appointment. Ainsley managed to eat them neatly for the first half of the bag. The second half was smeared all over her face, shirt, and hands. That was a nice sticky mess. <br />
-Addison saying "I have to go to the bathroom!" right in the middle of my time with the midwife. She was super sweet about it and even offered to keep Ainsley entertained while I took Addison (even though I know she had other people waiting. My sincere apologies to those people who were waiting, but you gotta do what you gotta do). It helps when your midwife is a mom of two young kids too.<br />
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Really, in the grand scheme of things, this was a pretty easy breezy experience. No trantrums. No poopy diaper blowouts or accidents, etc. etc. etc. The best part was that my midwife plopped the girls up on the exam table with me and let them help "hear" the baby's heartbeat. She had to completely maneuver around both of them, but it was a really sweet moment.<br />
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I think we'll get to find out the sex in about 6 weeks! <br />
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Oh and yeah we stayed another 15 minutes so the kids could play in the play area. I got to read a magazine. They played. Win-win.Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01424802501424691055noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5338370078467684163.post-79538835343179257982010-10-28T07:40:00.000-07:002010-10-28T07:40:01.741-07:00Halloween PlansAs a kid we went trick or treating and dressed up in normal costumes until my mom decided those days were over. Then it was the good 'ol Halloween Alternatives at the church! Yep biblical costumes and all! I was Queen Esther and Eric was Jonah (complete with a gigantic blow up whale). I think in middle school we started trick or treating again with friends and that was the end of that. I never went to another Halloween alternative celebration again and swore I would never do that to my kids. I mean, it's just so....dorky. <br />
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The idea of them just kinda bugs me. I mean, if you think it's that evil of a holiday than why are you still participating in the general idea? Is putting on a costume and going to church different than putting on a costume and walking around the neighborhood? In 9th or 10th grade my mom decided to put bible verses on all the candy we handed out and I was MORTIFIED at the time, but now I think that was a pretty stinking good idea!<br />
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As for me personally, I know my own boundaries. I can't step foot in a haunted house or watch a horror movie because I really can't handle scary things. I get images in my head that I can't get out and I have a difficult time sleeping without nightmares. At the same time, I really don't feel convicted about putting Addison in a princess costume and walking around the neighborhood with her.<br />
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Our church never did the Halloween alternative thing. Ever (well in the 5 years we've lived here). And we're Baptist!! All those years I was so proud.... Then I was at a MOPS steering team meeting and someone announced that we were having a trunk or treat. My heart kind of sank a little. I mean, not totally, but a little bit. REALLY? Our church is doing that?! Awww maaaaan!! What's next our own church gym or church yoga studio? Just kidding....<br />
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Then I thought about it for a couple of months. Hmmmm...this could be kind of fun. First we're going to have a big carnival with blow ups and rides and food and then the kids will go around and get candy from people we know. How fun is that?! To see so many friends and see their kids' costumes? You know I am a girl who loves to socialize. We'll all be in the same place! A couple in our life group has a vintage car from the 50s in great condition so we decided to use their car and do a soda shop theme. I mean, this is going to be really fun! I am totally on board now. <br />
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Ha! You should have seen the look on my mom's face when I told her the news about participating in this thing. Like my next move would be to dress the girls in denim jumpers, french braid their hair, and talk about homeschooling (not that I have anything against homeschooling. If someone else wants to homeschool my kids (for free) they're hired!!).<br />
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Yes I have changed. Who'd have thunk? What are you guys doing for Halloween?Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01424802501424691055noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5338370078467684163.post-84543457548540932682010-10-08T17:19:00.000-07:002010-10-08T17:19:00.413-07:00New, Yummy RecipeI made Italian Skillet Dinner last night and we all happily chowed it down. Addison even ate two bowls of it. It's really good, easy and really healthy. I thought I'd share it with you since I'm all about food these days.<br />
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1 lb turkey Italian Sausage<br />
1/2 chopped green pepper<br />
1 medium onion, chopped<br />
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes <br />
2 cups vegetable juice<br />
1 1/2 cups brown INSTANT rice (uncooked) <br />
1 c shredded mozzarella cheese<br />
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Cook sausage w/ a small amount of olive oil so it doesn't stick to the pan for 4 minutes. Add peppers and onion and cook until softened.<br />
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Add tomatoes and vegetable juice. Cook and stir until mixture boils. Remove from heat and stir in rice (uncooked). Let simmer for about 5 minutes, stir, and remove from heat. Cover and let stand for another 5 minutes or so until the rice is cooked. <br />
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Add mozzarella cheese and serve.<br />
Because the v8 juice cooks the rice, it is really flavorful.<br />
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Anyway things around here have been ok. I've still been dealing with my little friend called morning sickness and this friend is not treating me well. I have tried everything under the sun and there have been a few things that help:<br />
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-Eating all the time. So much that I am totally dreading getting on the scale for my next appointment.<br />
-Those preggie pops. Yes they actually work. I was a total skeptic, but I shelled out the $5 for that tiny little tin and they came through for me. They leave a horrible taste in my mouth so I have to keep peppermint gum around to help with that.<br />
-Yogurt--not sure why, but it does help relieve the nausea a bit. <br />
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Here are my latest cravings:<br />
-Fish tacos (oh my gosh I want to go to On the Border or Houlihans or Cheesecake Factory SO BAD!!)<br />
-Jamoca Shake from Arby's. I wouldn't recommend giving some to your 20 month old. She will dance and jump all over the place late in the evening and you will have to explain to your husband why she is so hyper. I really wish I had video taped this....<br />
-grapes, yogurt (see there are some healthy things on the list)<br />
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ANYWAY<br />
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Devin had a long work trip to California last week, so the girls and I drove to Manhattan with Heather and Noah and had a little sleepover with the lovely Leah Graves. Yes Leah hosted us and all of our crazy kids. We ate all her food and made a lot of noise and probably scarred her husband for life, but he was extremely sweet and welcoming too. He even made mac n cheese for all the kids. It was a great little getaway and I got to have all my favorite Manhattan things like Rock-A-Belly Deli and Call Hall Ice Cream combined with seeing wonderful friends. It was fun to show Addison where Dev and I went to college even though I'm not sure she totally understood. I need to buy one of those shirts that says "I Miss Manhattan" because it is certainly true.<br />
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This Wednesday I am going on another little adventure: the girls and I are flying to DC to see Devin's parents and for me to attend Dan Triman and Julia Golden's wedding. Dan and I went to high school together in Maryland. He was dating one of my best friends and we became friends. When they broke up she and I had kind of drifted apart, but Dan and I realized how good of friends we had become and stayed in touch all through college and beyond. Julia is wonderful and they are perfect for each other. I just need to find where the heck Woodstock, Maryland is and I'm all set to celebrate with them! I am also really excited to spend time with Devin's parents too. There's lots of celebrating to do with them: Roz's surgery went extremely well, Devin's dad got a new job and they are in contract on a new house. Then there's the whole baby thing. :)<br />
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I am sorry I don't have any pics to post. Our camera is a real piece of junk and barely works these days. We really need to get a new one, especially before baby comes along.<br />
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Love you guys!Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01424802501424691055noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5338370078467684163.post-32938756844332012002010-09-23T14:09:00.000-07:002010-09-23T14:15:04.121-07:00It's been awhile!Hi blogging friends!<br />
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Sorry I've been out of commission for the last few weeks! There has been lots happening around the Riley house: some good, some not so good and to top it all off I've been really busy!<br />
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I'm pretty sure all of you know by now, but we are pregnant with Riley kid #3. I was so excited about this baby and the whole idea of having a 3rd just brings me so much joy. I am not sure how we are going to fit this baby in our house or in our Camry, but we have about 8 months or so to figure it out.<br />
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I wish I could figure out an easy way to get rid of this morning sickness. It is killing me! Oh man...I wake up each day feeling nauseous and go to bed every night feeling the same way. When I wake up in the middle of the night the nausea is still there. I have heard that morning sickness indicates a surge in hormones and that there is a less chance in miscarriage, so on one hand the nausea makes me feel a sense of relief, but WOW, it sure is hard to deal with this everyday. Praise the Lord for preschool!!! Addison goes to preschool for 2 1/2 hours 3 days a week and it's only 4 minutes away. We drop her off, Ainsley takes a nap, and I watch TV and nap and rest and do nothing (and feel kind of guilty) for that whole time. It is worth every penny.<br />
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It helps that Addison loves preschool. She unbuckles herself, throws her backpack over her shoulder and runs up the steps to the door full speed ahead, always stopping to wave and say "Bye mommy!" I don't even have to get out of the car! It's even cuter when we pick her up. Ainsley and I come inside and Ainsley runs in front of all the parents who are waiting to catch a glimpse of Addison. She is always so happy to see her after those 2 hours. Then Addison hugs all of her new friends and gives me the "preschool scoop" on the way home. "Mom, Trent got in trouble because he was chewing with his mouth open" etc...<br />
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Because I can't seem to write a post without talking about car drama, I've got more for you! All summer long the Camry's been giving us trouble, but Devin's 97 4runner was holding strong. Then it started overheating and leaking coolant. Thinking it would probably be a quick fix, we took it in. Baaaaaad news awaited us at Midas: $3k Have you ever heard of such a thing? THREE THOUSAND DOLLARS to fix a car? What the heck? That is just crazy! Well considering:<br />
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-the radio doesn't work<br />
-two of the doors are pink<br />
-the back won't open because the bumper is dented <br />
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and all of this new stuff, Devin doesn't want to fix it. It's only worth $3k to begin with. So now it's up for sale on craigslist and we're trying to decide what we're going to do next. We are only a few months away from paying off our debt, so we have decided to try the one car thing, pay off the debt, and then start saving up for another car. <br />
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I know it is not the end of the world, but frankly, I am really frustrated and angry. We have been working so hard and staying on a budget for four years, the end is in site, and now any money that would be used for a fun "we're out of debt" trip has to go towards another car. The thing is, I know we could go out today and get a really nice car with probably a pretty low payment. It would be so easy and it's so tempting. I just know that is not the answer. If we did that, what will we have learned this whole time? I am not judging anyone who has a car payment, I just know how difficult paying off all this debt has been and I don't really want to jump back into round 2. We'd also like to start saving up for a down payment on a bigger house, but how can we do all of these things?<br />
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I was so furious this afternoon. Sure we won't have any debt, but I thought we were supposed to feel "richer" than this. But I don't. Things are just as tight around here as they were before and will be even tighter if we have to save up for another car. Anyway I was pretty mad and felt like God was leading me to open up the Bible to get some perspective. Nope. Didn't want to. Too frustrated. I watched Oprah instead. It was about this Colombian lady who was kidnapped for 6 and a half years. Now THAT is perspective. She talked about how she was brought to God during the ordeal and her favorite verse was from 2 Corinthians 12:9 "My grace is sufficient for thee."<br />
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Not a fun get out of debt trip, not a nicer car, not having the ease of two cars, but just Him. That should be enough. He will provide our needs; he always has. I feel like I am learning this lesson a whole bunch of times, and it's always hard to go through, but I am so thankful for a God who gives us second chances and a God who does care about our needs, trivial that they may be sometimes.<br />
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Thanks for listening!Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01424802501424691055noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5338370078467684163.post-5981957486495934992010-08-30T11:08:00.000-07:002010-08-30T11:16:46.993-07:00My Mom<a href="http;//www.binreallife.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i988.photobucket.com/albums/af9/binreallife/mommyguilt6.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Link over to <a href="http://www.binreallife.com/2010/08/d-team.html">Brooke</a> for more info on Mommy Guilt Monday.<br /><br />Today we're all posting a little something about our moms.<br /><br />I think the thing I should appreciate more about my mom is how firmly she believes in me. She accepts me for who I am and doesn't expect me to be like her, but she believes in me so much she won't let me believe lies. Whenever I start to act like a martyr or feel sorry for myself, she speaks truth. Sometimes it upsets me. Let's face it, when life sucks sometimes you just want to sit in a big ol' pitty pot for a little bit. Considering my spiritual gift is mercy, when people I love are hurting I like to jump in the pit with them and stay awhile. I believe this is good initially, but not for too long. That's where my mom comes in. She is just amazing at pushing her loved ones to be what God has in mind for them. <br /><br />There's a quote that says "A friend loves you for who you are, understands where you've been, and still gently invites you to grow." She is just so wonderful at that. Whenever I throw out my dreams ( I have a lot of ideas) she is the one to say "Well what would the first step to that be?" When I got a grant writing position she believed in me and said "Yes I believe you can do that!" even though I had a lot of doubts. <br /><br />Even though I say things like "let me be" or "leave me alone" or "quit pushing me" to her fairly often, I am so thankful for a mom who wants me to grow. It has nothing to do with measuring up. I know she loves me where I am; it's about her knowing what is best <span style="font-weight: bold;">for me</span>.<br /><br />Love you mom.Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01424802501424691055noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5338370078467684163.post-40998893828951163802010-08-29T20:39:00.000-07:002010-08-29T20:52:41.165-07:00Mom of the YearI volunteer at the church every Thursday. My job is to send out postcards and call all the parents of preschoolers who visit our church. I love it! It's so fun to meet with all these new people and get them plugged in. <br /><br />Anyway, now that Addison has started preschool we have to bring a lunch to church and eat there because she has to go right to school when we're done at church. On this particular day I had little Lucy with me (one year old girl I nanny for twice a week). I manage to get all the kids outside to the playground at church, settled and eating lunch. Ainsley as usual wanders over to the playground to play, Addison's munching, and I'm spoonfeeding Lucy. All of a sudden I hear the words few parents enjoy hearing when they're in the middle of something:<br /><br />"I have to go to the bathroom"<br /><br />Great.<br /><br />We are outside, on the opposite end of the church where the restrooms are. Our food is all laid out, the kids are all settled. There's no way I'm getting three kids inside in time. Not happening.<br /><br />There was lots of nice grass around the playground. Hmmm....<br />No one is around right now.....the parking lot is dead....... Hmmmmmm<br /><br />Plan B!<br /><br />Addison and I walked over to the side of the playground, I maneuvered her in squatting position, and she went.<br /><br />In the middle of the "going" I hear a car beep. Uh oh. I look up and there is Judy, the director of our Childrens' Ministry opening up her car door. Right next to us. <br /><br />I was mortified. I started stammering something about having three kids with me...too hard...bla bla bla, but inside I was DYING. I mean, who lets their daughter pee in the grass right in front of church?!<br /><br />She just chuckled and said "Ohh I'm just smiling." I take it she's been there, done that, bought the t-shirt. One can only hope.<br /><br />P.S. Addison loves preschool<br />P.S.S. I love the delightful 2 1/2 hours I have to myself while Addison is in preschool.Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01424802501424691055noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5338370078467684163.post-42849187493882935992010-08-24T13:04:00.000-07:002010-08-24T13:27:18.936-07:00I love to laugh.....HA HA HA!(Mary Poppins)<br /><br />but sometimes my sense of humor gets me into trouble. It's been this way since I was in jr. high. Even to this day, I can take it a touch too far. People who don't know me that well think I'm a weirdo or just completely inappropriate. It even messes up my witness as a Christian. <br /><br />Like how at Spring Canyon (when I was 15) I got in trouble for my "I Never" statements, and I felt so terrible about it, telling my supervisor "I don't want people to think I'm nasty!!!!"<br /><br />Or the time at 17 how my friend and I made up a fairy tale that involved trolls and dragons and one particular staffer that we didn't care for. It got in the wrong hands. Oops again. <br /><br />Perhaps 25/30 facebook status updates? Oops.<br /><br />Or my snarky comment about my co-worker at Baby Gap. I felt so bad about that one that I had to go back and tell him what I had said and ask if he'd forgive me. That was tough.<br /><br />There are so many other instances. I'm 28 and sometimes I still do and say stuff that I wish I hadn't. I wish I had remembered the filter. I call it "foot in mouth" disease.<br /><br />Gossip is right up there with that stuff. There is something about having a nice piece of juicy gossip--you just can't wait to tell it to someone. I am not sure if it is because you want to fit in or again, make people laugh. The thing is, once it's out...you feel disgusting. You feel like a failure. You lose people's trust. It's really pretty awful. I am making a pledge to give that up forever. I know I will fail at this more times than not, but I was thinking how amazing it would be to never gossip again. To never say "have you heard about so and so?" What if you had that legacy? And you all know me well enough to know I don't think I'm better than anyone else. It's hard for us all. The thing is, I've seen what gossip can do to people when it gets bad. It destroys relationships. It's terrible. <br /><br />Let's just be real for a quick sec: I'm not talking about celebrity gossip!! Like Jake and Vienna: will they get back together? and should the Duggars really have another baby?! That doesn't count!!<br /><br /><br />Anyway I'm still learning, and I'm trying to be honest about where the line is. Sometimes it's hard to find the balance between "real" and inappropriate. It's so wonderful to have a great laugh (a belly laugh) but not at someone else's expense. You know?<br /><br />Like I said. I'm still learning. No this is not about that triathlon shirt comment on facebook. That shirt was hysterical. I want one, but my dad thinks it was only funny because the lady wearing it was well in her 50s and quite heavy. Then again Devin would be mortified. Or would he be proud?! See, here I go again....I CAN'T STOP!<br /><br />This is actually referring to my wine picture on my facebook page. We are supposed to submit pictures for our first Mops meeting. I stumbled across that one of me drinking a glass of wine at Cheesecake Factory and thought about sending it to the girl collecting them to see what she'd say. Thinking she might not get the joke I instead posted it for all of my 700 friends to see......<br /><br />That would be fine and good except for now I have a leadership position at MOPS and have 95 new friends. Some of them might not get that I only had one glass and not 6. :::sigh::::<br /><br />Live and learn. And keep on laughing, but maybe I should try to take it down a notch. <br /><br />Thanks for listening.Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01424802501424691055noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5338370078467684163.post-25210608761774272352010-08-22T21:29:00.000-07:002010-08-22T21:38:37.450-07:00Ainsley.....Yesterday afternoon was a little crazy. Devin took Addison for the afternoon to scope out Longview Lake, and I was home with Ainsley (18 months). I was putzing around on the internet and texting and basically not paying much attention to her. Our house is pretty childproof these days, and I saw her running back and forth so I wasn't too worried about her getting into anything.<br /><br />Oops.<br /><br />I see her toss a big handful of something onto the couch next to me and realize what it is. Oh dear Lord it's cat litter. It's everywhere. She dumped it on both of our living room chairs, all over the kitchen floor, all over the living room floor, and all over the couch. It was a mess. It was disgusting. I wanted to cry thinking about cleaning/disinfecting all of this nastiness. Thank God almighty Devin had changed the box right before he left or it would have been even more disgusting.<br /><br />It seriously took about 45 minutes to clean up in there. I had to empy the vacuum cleaner three times.<br /><br />Normally Addison and Ainsley are together 24/7, so that means Ainsley has her own security detail all day long. Addison tells me EVERYTHING she is doing (or thinking about doing). But toddler-cop was out with Dad for the afternoon, and Ainsley was having some serious fun making that big (disgusting) mess.<br /><br />I definitely learned a big lesson about watching that little munchkin. She's only in the 3rd percentile for weight, but she sure does know how to get into some big trouble.Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01424802501424691055noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5338370078467684163.post-24840652797378935242010-08-20T11:09:00.000-07:002010-08-20T11:41:47.731-07:00A silly post...I grew up an Army brat, so my mom mostly shopped at the commissary. Even when we lived a good hour or so from the closest commissary, my mom would take the cooler once a month and load up. The commissary doesn't (or didn't back in the day) carry generic items, so I grew up with Kraft singles, Yoplait yogurt, Teddy Grahams, Ritz crackers, Peter Pan Peanut Butter and Wheat Thins. The result of my upbringing, is that I turned into a total food snob. This lasted through college. I refused to shop at Aldi (when we should have been shopping there the most) because I heard they didn't carry any brand names. I thought about the one or two experiences I had at Food 4 Less when I literally saw a roach crawling in the produce section, and figured Aldi would be the same way.<br /><br />Then we had to get on a budget and that included food. Oh and there's no more commissary (even though my mom still takes me sometimes and I have a grand 'ol time there with all my coupons). I love using coupons and combining them with rock bottom sales, so I haven't had to completely give up the good stuff. In fact, sometimes it's cheaper to buy name brand with a coupon and a good sale than generic stuff. Like with toothpaste. I haven't paid for toothpaste in four years.<br /><br />Well sometimes there are no sales and no coupons, at least when it comes to stuff you need and I am here to tell you that in these past four years, I HAVE EMBRACED THE GENERICS! THEY ARE MY BFF'S.<br /><br />$3.50 for a box of Ritz crackers? I think not. I'll go with the "Thin Wheat Crackers" for a $1.75 thank you very much.<br /><br />My mom and my brother were arguing about who makes the best peanut butter, and while Peter Pan still remains my fave, I piped in "I like Midwest Country Fair!!!" They all looked me like I was a frugal freak. It's ok. A lot of people think that, including my Grandpa who said "She just might have a little Yiddish in her" to my dad.<br /><br />We buy generic toilet paper (it's true; sometimes our bathroom is no different than a gas station--just cleaner), generic applesauce, generic pasta, generic brownies (those Aldi brownies are really good) and even Aldi's whole bean dark roast coffee. My pantry is a smorgasbord of generic goodness. <br /><br />Let's be honest for a minute though: does anyone else cringe when they have to reach for the Always Save brand? I'd almost rather pay 10 cents more than reach for that disturbingly florescent yellow can. They should really look into changing their packaging.<br /><br />Although I am no longer a food label snob, there are a few things I won't budge on:<br /><br />-Tide (it's my favorite). I use it for the really dirty stuff and use whatever else is on sale for the dark stuff.<br /><br />-Oscar Meyer lunchmeat. I am ok with Hillshire Farm or some fresh deli meat from the counter, but I can't choke down some of those other brands. Neither will the kids.<br /><br />-Sliced Cheese. Have you ever noticed there are levels in quality with the sliced cheese? Even at Aldi. There's the good stuff and the plastic stuff. I've made this mistake. I go for the good stuff.<br /><br />-Coffee creamer. I get that there's "bad stuff" in there, but it's my fave. It makes coffee drinking an experience. The generic brands have even more bad stuff than the name brands, so we go with the name brands.<br /><br />-Nutrition stuff. We buy whole grain bread rather than white bread because it's better for you; same with whole wheat tortillas, low fat shredded cheese, whole grain pasta, etc. etc. I'm starting to see more and more versions of healthy generic stuff, but it's just worth it in the long run to pay a little more. You can buy 3 boxes of fruit snacks for the price of a pint or two of blueberries sometimes, but it's just worth it.<br /><br />Soapbox moment: Does that really bother anyone else? I hate that about this country. No one should have to stand in the grocery aisle and debate a pint of blueberries vs. box of graham crackers for a snack. When our grocery envelope is really low, I have had to do that and frankly, it pisses me off! I tried growing my own strawberries but my lawn guy killed them all (he's no longer our lawn guy).<br /><br />What are your favorite brands? What won't you budge on? How do you keep your grocery budget down?Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01424802501424691055noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5338370078467684163.post-21328077311283105822010-08-17T14:02:00.000-07:002010-08-17T14:17:47.925-07:00Are you sure you want me on your leadership team?Here's a tip for all you moms out there, and this is free advice:<br /><br />Make sure when you get a text invite for a playdate that you know who the text is from.<br /><br />Otherwise you will get your kids + little Lucy (nanny for her twice a week) packed up in the car (in the rain), unload them (in the rain) , get them up two flights of stairs, knock on the door only to be greeted by your friend's very confused four year old. You will realize very quickly that the playdate was actually 25 minutes away at a different friend's house. You will feel quite stupid, but this friend has been your friend for a long time and will just shake her head and chuckle at you.<br /><br />Thankfully <a href="http://www.blogsbybrenda.blogspot.com">this friend</a> was invited to the same playdate, and is running late too. Then, the two of you will somehow get all 6 kids down the stairs, back out to the car (still raining), buckled in, and to the correct location.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.christinaestes.blogspot.com">The friend of the correct playdate</a> location might think you are totally crazy, but still lets you show up an hour late, serves you and your kids a delicious lunch, and all the kids have a great time together. The moms do too.<br /><br />Her name is now programmed in my cell phone. :)<br /><br />Good thing my kids are relatively flexible. Life with me is always an adventure.Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01424802501424691055noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5338370078467684163.post-3840717090158846842010-08-07T19:02:00.000-07:002010-08-09T08:11:41.764-07:00Bad-mommy-rehab<a href="http://www.binreallife.com/2010/08/bad-mommy-rehab.html"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">READ THIS FIRST! </span></a><br /><br />Hello, My name is Marie, and I am a Mommy Guilt-a-holic.....<br />But not anymore!<br /><br />Here are some of the reasons why I think I am a pretty dang good mom:<br /><br /><br />-My heart swelled with pride when Devin showed me a "camera" Addison made out of duplo legos, complete with a "flash" and viewfinder.<br />-I may not use organic this or that, but I can make some pretty rad designs out of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and carrot sticks.<br />-I discovered my kids will eat blueberries like candy (and beg for them) if they are frozen.<br />-I let Addison crack the eggs even though I grimace seeing the bits of egg shells in the muffin and cookie batter<br />-I let my 18 month old fingerpaint even though it was the messiest disaster you've ever seen (see post below)<br />-I let Ainsley fall asleep in my lap last night instead of screaming in her bed. She is getting some molars and I can tell she's in a lot of pain. I had a lot of work to do on the computer for MOPS, but she needed me.<br />-Addison asks "Is this on sale?" instead of "Can I have this?" when she wants something from the store because she knows I'll say "No, it's not on sale" I guess this is more of a "good frugal mom, but it makes me laugh"<br />-Ainsley yells out "AMEN!" multiple times when we're praying because she's heard us say it.<br />-Both the girls will know how much God loves them.<br />-I have swirled many a poopy panty in the toilet and washed them (WITH BLEACH) instead of throwing them away because it's usually Addison's favorite pairs that get pooped in, and I try my best to salvage them.<br />-I let Addison wear a black, long sleeved, VELVET dress w/ mismatched socks and brown shoes in 98 degree heat because that was what she wanted to wear. Thank goodness we were only going to the goodwill store, and she played nicely with a little boy who wasn't wearing any shoes.<br />-We spend a lot of time with friends. I am hoping I'm teaching my girls the value of a good friendship, and that sometimes it's ok to let all the housework slide to develop a relationship.<br />-I love making up songs and singing them. Once we made up a song about being late for church. Another time we made up a song about how much Ainsley likes to eat bananas. Addison thinks my songs are the greatest thing ever, and Ainsley likes to dance to them.<br /><br /><br />Good idea Brooke. Moms need to do this kind of stuff more often!Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01424802501424691055noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5338370078467684163.post-27510269197652867012010-08-06T23:24:00.001-07:002010-08-06T23:42:11.108-07:00Why we haven't fingerpainted in over a yearSomeone gave us a whole bunch of finger paints, like, two years ago. I've let Addison use them a few times, but it really just stresses me out. I know...you'd think I'd be the kind of person who would be fine with my kid making a big huge mess and well, I just really hate cleaning up all that paint.<br /><br />Anyway, Addison was begging me to let her "hand paint" and Ainsley has never<br />had the chance to give it a try, so I let them go outside and paint. <br /><br />Things started off ok: Ainsley started off by taking a big taste of the paint (of course), but then figured out what to do from watching Addison<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_JJyZY091CE0/TFz9p5OhmQI/AAAAAAAACrg/TLdplC1HWKM/s1600/Photo_080210_002.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_JJyZY091CE0/TFz9p5OhmQI/AAAAAAAACrg/TLdplC1HWKM/s400/Photo_080210_002.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5502551740918110466" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Look of pure delight<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_JJyZY091CE0/TFz9qcjBDlI/AAAAAAAACro/6--sbcctkN0/s1600/Photo_080210_003.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_JJyZY091CE0/TFz9qcjBDlI/AAAAAAAACro/6--sbcctkN0/s400/Photo_080210_003.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5502551750399299154" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Starting to get a little messier now. Hmmm...going off the table.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_JJyZY091CE0/TFz_DDtSksI/AAAAAAAACsA/swWuGDvw69Y/s1600/Photo_080210_004.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_JJyZY091CE0/TFz_DDtSksI/AAAAAAAACsA/swWuGDvw69Y/s400/Photo_080210_004.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5502553272739861186" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Oh dear....<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_JJyZY091CE0/TFz9rOPRi2I/AAAAAAAACr4/ukInvWWI4C8/s1600/Photo_080210_006.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_JJyZY091CE0/TFz9rOPRi2I/AAAAAAAACr4/ukInvWWI4C8/s400/Photo_080210_006.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5502551763738266466" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Mmmk. Where's the hose? <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_JJyZY091CE0/TFz9qsKsO5I/AAAAAAAACrw/lG9hTlrYBoI/s1600/Photo_080210_005.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_JJyZY091CE0/TFz9qsKsO5I/AAAAAAAACrw/lG9hTlrYBoI/s400/Photo_080210_005.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5502551754592238482" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />See you next year fingerpaints.Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01424802501424691055noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5338370078467684163.post-44506781661531000362010-08-05T21:55:00.000-07:002010-08-05T22:24:14.324-07:00Nag Alert, neeeeenerrrrrrrPlease don't let this silly post keep you from reading about my mother-in-law Roz and praying for her (see below). <br /><br />Anyway,<br /><br />I blogged awhile back about being a nag/ control freak. It hasn't been too pretty lately. I owe lots of people apologies. I nag my four year old about wearing weird pool shoes with a cream colored poofy party dress just in case someone at Hy-vee thinks I can't dress my kid. <br /><br />I nag my poor friend about MOPs stuff instead of patiently waiting for her to get back to me. <br /><br />Poor Devin. He's been the prey of the nagging; I've been the hawk. Before the words even come out of my mouth, I am prodded by what I'm almost certain is the Holy Spirit "Don't go there Marie. That's nagging...no.....don't say it! You'll regret it.....d'oh. Too late." I don't think the Holy Spirit channels Bart Simpson, but you get the idea. <br /><br />So what is it with the controlling thing? Why do I want control so much? I guess there are lots of reasons:<br /><br />So other people will perceive me as having it altogether or being dependable<br />Because I always think I'm right....<br />Because it feels good to get my way?<br /><br />I don't know. I just know that I need some help. I reallllllllly don't want to be like this mom who called into Dave Ramsey today. Her adult daughter was in a lot of debt and the daughter was completely inept at handling any decision making. The mom was calling all the creditors, negotiating everything, etc. etc. When Dave asked where her husband was the mom said "Oh I've basically been in charge of this household for the past 23 years." I thought that was really sad. There wasn't any partnership. She was the helicopter mom who always saved the day but coddled her child. The dad basically ignored her and let her do whatever. <br /><br />No one likes a micro-manager. There's no trust there. I need to do a better job of trusting those around me and having patience. I need to remember "apart from me you can do NOTHING" and that ultimately God is in control and it's not always about me me me all the time. I need to let my daughter feel some sense of pride in choosing her own clothes and brushing her own hair. I need to be more respectful of Devin.<br /><br />Anyway, thanks for reading. Do you like being a control freak too?Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01424802501424691055noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5338370078467684163.post-62328940126028000402010-08-05T05:46:00.000-07:002010-08-05T06:01:36.032-07:00Prayers appreciatedHey Everyone,<br />Devin's mom (Roz) is in ICU at Walter Reed (Washington DC). She just had surgery to remove a benign tumor on her brain. This is something that we have known about for several months. The doctors aren't sure how long it has been there (could have been years), but it was starting to cause sinus problems, headaches and other problems. The surgery went great on Tuesday, and she is doing well now. The biggest prayer requests I believe we have at this point are<br /><br />- That she'll continue to recover without any complications<br />-That the "taste and smell" nerve was not severed during surgery (I guess this happens 9 out of 10 times) Don (Devin's dad) said she ate some soup yesterday and liked it, so hopefully that is a good sign. <br /><br />I apologize for my horrible lack of details, but God knows all that stuff. Just lift her up in prayer please!<br /><br />She'll be in the ICU for one more night, then recovery room for 4-5 days, then she'll be home.<br /><br />I just had to include an excerpt from Don's email, that nearly brought me to tears:<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:Tahoma;font-size:100%;" ><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Tahoma;">I will stay with her again tonight (recliner, pillow, and blanket) to just help keep watch on her -- I can help notice her symptoms, translate her moans, hold her hand, rub her arms, and pray. She enjoyed listening to Bible reading this morning (especially Psalm 91). Will also be able to wake up with her on our anniversary - and look out the window towards the Chapel (just a hundred yards away from her room) where we were married 32 years ago. A speciall treat! </span></span><br /><br />He is such a loving husband.Mariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01424802501424691055noreply@blogger.com9