Back to school prep

This week I've been focused on getting everything ready for the kids to go back to school.  As I mentioned before, my shopping reflected it. FG and I also spent a little extra and hit up Costco today for some lunch items and I went to the "regular" grocery store and stocked us up on fresh fruits & veggies among more back-to-school foods for all three meals of the day.  It went a bit beyond my normal budget but we were able to swing it so it's all good.  I got the kids involved so they could pick some items out for lunches too. 
Speaking of that, did you see pigs fly today?  While at the deli for FG and I, DS was looking in the case and said he would like to try the peppered turkey.  The girl gave him a sample slice and he gobbled it up (I snagged a bit of it for DD to try too).  They both asked me to buy them some.  Uh, yeah!  So I was looking all day for those flying pigs.

Here's what we've done so far to get ready for the big transition next week:

• Kept the supply list in my purse so when I would see something cheap, I knew what I needed.
• Marked off what we already had on hand at home so I didn't double buy (really? DS does not need a new pair of scissors every year. Crayons, yes, because there's something about starting off with a brand new box of crayons, colored pencils & markers.  Scissors, backpack, pencil box, ruler?  Not necessary to waste money on every single year!)
• Bought supplies when they were super-cheap a couple of weeks ago. Can't beat $.15 for a notebook!
• Cleaned out the backpacks
• Cleaned out the lunchboxes
• Divided up the supplies into each kid's backpack and checked the list. I do have two more small things to pick up.
• Started to re-read The Out of Sync Child so I can help DS as much as possible and not sound like an idiot when I try to explain his "quirkiness" to his new teacher.
• Checked the ice packs for leaks in case I needed to buy new ones.
• Bought DD a Thermos though I haven't given it to her yet.
• Bought the kids new shoes since they live in flip flops all summer and those are a No No at school (not that I would want them in flip flops on the school playground anyway)
• Went through the kids clothes to assess what will be needed.
• Splurged and bough DD a new outfit for her first day of 1st grade
• Organized the pantry so it's easier to grab breakfast items and lunch items.
• Made breakfast for dinner tonight so I could make a quadruple batch of waffles to freeze for school mornings. (My kids don't know Eggos.  Mine are so much better anyway!)
• Started getting them to bed earlier and getting them up earlier.  sniff sniff. HATE this part!
• This morning had them do a "run through" as if they had to get to school so they did their morning routine the way it will be during the week.  DD has never had to do this as she went to afternoon kindergarten.  It's more for her to get used to it and for me to see if I need to make some changes to make it go smoother.
• Turned down the first request for help in DD's classroom.  I have to work during the day now so I had a decent excuse but dang, school hasn't even started yet and I got asked to stay the first day to help out.  Sometimes that good reputation as a helper isn't a good thing!
• Took a walk with the kids on their bikes and enjoyed the cool evening air!  Soon it will be homework time and earlier sunsets and cold temps!

Whew!

The class lists came out yesterday. 
I waited as long as I could before I went up to the school to check.  Yeah, that would be 10:15.  hee hee. I wanted to go at 9 when the school doors should have opened.
Thankfully there were no surprises. 

DS - got the "organized" teacher I was hoping for. I'd heard good things about her though I have never had any interaction with her.  I just polled lots of parents and everyone who had her liked her.  Always a good sign.  The fact that she's considered organized and very "on-task" with the kids is a plus for DS.  I dread transitions with him.  I feel like I have to break in a new teacher every fall.  It takes time to get to know his quirks and I pray every year that they are at least familiar with the  concept of SPD.  I am usually very willing to lend out my books if they want to gather some more info on how his crazy brain works.  And help me, he's already talking about the stupid Fire Drill.  It's like he's being set on fire when it happens. He screams, covers his ears and basically it's torture for him.  It's torture for the other kids too because if they know him, they roll their eyes and say, "He's at it again."  If they don't know him, it's not a great first impression for him to overcome.  Poor kid.  He's immediately labeled as "weird". 
His BFF isn't in his class - thankfully. That was on purpose too.  I have tried to get him to understand that it's ok to not be in the same class.  When it's class time, it's work/serious time.  They can make a place to meet on the playground for recesses.  Still, he's uneasy about not having that comfort of his friend with him.  I get it. But secretly I'm hoping he branches out and makes some new friends too. 

DD - got the team taught class I was expecting too.  Over the summer I heard rumors of a 1st & 2nd grade combo class.  Uh oh.  NO ONE I talked to was excited about this save for  one mother.  One parent went so far as to tell me she didn't think the particular teacher assigned to it would be able to adequately teach that way.  So I was nervous that things would be different than I expected.  Nope.  She's in class with her BFF and two other good girlfriends.  We showed her her classroom door (locked at the time though I think the teacher was in there, can't blame her for not wanting to be disturbed though!).  We showed her where she will line up outside when the bell rings before school and at recess.  She's excited now.  She's finally dropped the "Mom! Will you just please homeschool me?" routine.  Right. 'cause that's gonna happen!

While we were there, we stopped in to see DS's 3rd grade teacher.  It's a comfort to him knowing that she will be just down the hall from his new classroom.  He told her he may come see her and get some advice through the school year.  He's never been excited to go back and visit a past teacher before.  They just really bonded! 

Me working hard on having a good relationship and reputation among the teachers is going well.  She asked me for advice on a few things with dealing with parents for the upcoming year.  She's been teaching a lot longer than I've had kids in school so that was a surprise.  But it was flattering all the same.  DD's teachers have already been told by her K teacher that I'm "wonderful".  I know this because I saw the note at the bottom of her end of the year evaluation that goes with them to the next class.  :D  It's such a fine line to walk - I want to be there and make sure my kids are getting the best they can and being treated fairly but I don't want to be overbearing and a busy-body.  I want to keep the reputation of "you want this woman's children in your class" among the teachers like I have now.  I saw that when DS was in 1st grade and one mom went off the 2nd week of school about her precious baby being treated unfairly.  It was a small incident really and my DS was involved too.  I spoke to the teacher and that was that.  This mom went off and emailed the teachers, the principal and kept going & going.  The 2nd week of school? Really?!  Well she now has a reputation that  I don't want around the school. 

So now we will sharpen the pencils, label the supplies and pack up the backpacks.  The kids got excited about it all over again just being at the school yesterday.  I'm uneasy, as I am every school year, and waiting to get to know the teachers.  Praying that they "get" my kids the way ones in the past have and that it all goes smoothly.  It's exciting and nerve-wracking for all of us.

My savings!

Whoohoo! Today has been a good shopping day.  My measly paycheck went about as far as I could make it go.  FG is at the office now, hopefully getting in some client checks so I can finish shopping.  Actually, I don't have all that much leftover after today's adventure and I do still have a bit of cash in my wallet.  But I want to keep some of it there for a bit!

So our first stop today - Raley's.  I saved 58%.  I took advantage of their Buy 4 boxes of Kellogg's cereal and get them for $1.74 each.  I bought 8. I had two $1 off 2 coupons.  I got 2 gallons of milk to go with all that cereal (my cereal stockpile is now at a whopping 12 boxes of unopened and another 8 of opened ones).

Second stop wasn't that  successful but it was still good. It was stuff we needed too, like laundry soap and face wash and flouride rinse for the kids. Target - Saved almost $17, spent almost $52.  I did get a good deal on fabric softener which was on sale and then I had two coupons totalling $3 off.  My splurge was that I bought myself a new belt since my old ones are toast.  It was also on sale and I had a $2 off coupon.  Target Online Coupons.
Side note on our Target trip. I bought the kids Icees and with the first sip, DS's tooth popped out and landed on the floor.  We put it in my pocket for the toothfairy later.

Third stop was Smith's (Kroger affiiate).  This was a great one.  I took advantage of their $4 off 8 items deal and got $8 off.  I got 3 pkgs ground beef (really the only meat we need right now anyway), a bunch of Powerade for FG, Capri Sun for the kids, and some lunch-food items for school lunch too.  Spent $30, saved $22. 

I promised the kids if they were good we would go get some Silly Bands at the toystore so I took them there.  LOVE my discount!  They each picked out a package and immediately put them on.  My boss came out to say hello and told me that I shouldn't have paid for them and let the kids pick out another pack each.  So sweet!

Then we headed to Payless.  BOGO plus a 20% off coupon.  Got the kids each a new pair of tennis shoes for school.  Now usually we buy them "better" shoes but DD's foot grows fast and she won't wear these every day.  DS wanted these ugly Airwalk ones and I know his current tennis shoes are too small.  So I let him get them.  FG wasn't happy but oh well.  We'll go get him some better ones in a couple of months when he no longer wears sandals regularly.  At least I saved $20!  Since it's 2 doors down from the toystore, they give me a 10% discount for working in the center.  Unfortunately, she tried to give it to me on top of the other discounts and it wouldn't go through.  Oh well. It was a nice shot and it's nice that they offer that to us anyway.

I arrived home a few hours later to more food in the house plus two new chairs - a leather living room chair and a sort of "futon" chair.  Don't be thinking "college dorm room" stuff.  This is a nice chair.  FG's dad sold their cabin at the lake and we got some of the furniture.  It's only a few years old and I know his snobby wife paid a lot for it all brand new.

I also got the email confirmation that I'm a finalist for the Capri Sun House Party!  AWESOME!!!!!!!

The transition

Right now I'm sitting here sniffling and doing exactly what I didn't want to do - staying in bed way too late, letting the kids watch too many cartoons in their jammies and eat breakfast ridiculously late.  They got up early at least.  I have a lovely summer cold.  ARGH!  So I must give myself a little break and not be so hard on myself but dammit, it doesn't fit with my plan! 

My plan of transition is slowing working.  Slowly.  I'm actually getting the kids to bed at a decent hour.  I'm trying to get myself to bed at a decent hour too.  But this morning I woke up just before 6 and started sneezing and sniffling again and haven't stopped. At least I slept well from 11 - 6! Poor FG. I woke him up too.  He left for the day and I went back to sleep.  I heard one of the kids come in and ask if they could turn on cartoons and I mumbled a stuffy- "Yeth"and went back to sleep.  I know, I know, my body needs the rest and better to let it now and get over this blasted bug while I can and don't HAVE to get up and get the kids out the door to school. 

I'm struggling with my grocery shopping list too.  Ey yi yi!  I have a week of "summer" left and then the first week of packing 2 lunches every. single. day. for two very different kids.  Since I shop every two weeks on payday, today's my day!  I'm scanning the ads, printing coupons, matching up deals at various stores...  and my mind is reeling.  Dinners for the next two weeks.... snacks for the boat and home..... lunches at home..... lunches at school.... will DD need a mid-morning snack of her own or will the class have a group snack like DS did in 1st grade?  will she even have a snack?  will DS need one?  his 3rd grade teacher had us send one every day because they don't get a break in the morning so she implemented one for the class of 10 minutes to eat a healthy snack, stretch their legs, go to the bathroom and transition into the next subject. Should I plan for that this year or is 4th grade getting too old for "snack time"?  Oh yeah, afterschool snacks too and then easier to prepare, quick cleanup dinners since we'll all be getting used to new schedules - me included with working while the kids are in school 3 days a week. That means I won't be able to feel like making anything that takes a whole lot of time or effort those 3 days.  Time to bust out the crock pot! I have to get out of the mindset of finding super-easy stuff for FG to get on the table for the kids and find stuff that I can handle.  (He's a frozen pizza, chicken nugget & canned green beans cook. He's improved but I couldn't throw too much at him.) 

Right now I'm thankful that the sun is setting a bit earlier.  No, I don't want summer to end but if it has to and the kids need to start back to school, it's much easier to get them into bed when it's darker out than in June & July when it is fairly bright at 8:30 pm.  They are anxious and getting excited about the upcoming year too.  I think they are getting tired of each other and missing friends.  Playdates are great but they are together 24/7 and even when there's a break with other friends in the mix, they are still together.  The other night they were bickering and both near tears over little things. I said, "Ok, I think it's bedtime!" and oddly, they both agreed and went up to bed.  I wondered who took my kids and replaced them! 

I'll let you know what sort of deals I get at the store today.  I'm armed with coupons and sale flyers.  I was so excited when I saw that cereal boxes, the regular size ones, were $.48 at one of our stores.  I know it's a typo and will be corrected when we get there.  If for some odd reason they honor it, I'm buying 16 boxes (it's a buy 8 & get them at that price deal).  I would buy more but I don't have that much room to even store 16 boxes! Wish me and my sniffly nose luck today!

Label Reading

FG and I were having a conversation this past weekend about food.  An old friend of mine works at Whole Foods.  I've told FG that I should go work there - trade a discount on toys for a discount on food.  The only problem is, I can't afford Whole Foods! She was telling me that their employees are given a discount based on health. The healthier they are, the bigger the discount (I think it's up to 30% off).  In our conversation, FG and I both agreed that 1) sure we want to feed us all healthier 2) I would need that 30% off to come remotely close to what I save now!

I don't think I do all that bad feeding the kids really.  While I would LOVE to feed us better meats,  I don't do that horribly.  That is probably the one area that I could really really improve but the better quality, orgainic meats are out of the budget as of right now.  Someday. 

What I do is read a lot of labels.  Here are just a few of the things I do that help us cut out the junk.

• Cereal. I do allow my kids the sugary, kid-crap.  BUT I have always always made them mix it with something with no sugar.  They want Lucky Charms, fine but they gotta mix it with Joe's O's (Trader Joe's Cherrios), Rice Krispies or Corn Flakes.  The ratio is usually 1/2 & 1/2 or sometimes I can get away with 1/3 - 2/3 (2/3 being the no-sugar, no color boring stuff).  This just law in our house and they deal with it.
• Yogurt.  I used to let DS eat Trix yogurt.  Until I read labels.  No more Yoplait for me either!  No more getting enticed by the fun flavor combinations, or the bright colored packages because I'm pretty sure the color they use to dye the cardboard box is the same junk they put inside the yogurt.  They match.  Ewwww.  Nope, I discovered that Danimals has no HFCS, no artificial colors AND the containers are recycleable.  What a great company!  The kids want to have what their friends have though and I am willing to let them try the new Simply Gogurt that has no colors or HFCS. 
• Fruit Snacks.  Again, the same colors used to dye the boxes of those ever-kid-pleasing fruit snacks in their fun shapes and characters are probably the same dyes on the inside.  Also filled with HFCS.  I found a couple of different options that don't break the bank.  For a giant box at Costco of Tree Top fruit snacks, I pay $10. 
• Juice Boxes.  If I pick up a box at the store, I get the Capri Sun.  Not my all time favorite option because they are sugar.  I prefer, and will need to grab a package this week, of the 100% Juice Capri Sun.  Again, Costco usually has a good price on the variety pack. 
• Lunchables.  Some of you may have read my post about making my own with my Ziploc containers. It has been successful.  I just use my own pizza dough recipe and bake up a bunch of them at once.  I put sauce, cheese and pepperoni (usually turkey pepperoni. Shhh, dont' tell anyone!) into the container and boom, my own lunchable!  The kids haven't seemed to mind either. 

Those are just a few of the many many things I do.  I make my own homemade waffles, freeze them individually and then use those for breakfasts.  Same thing with pancakes. I've started making my own mini-pancakes instead of buying them.  I know exactly what is in them and how long ago they were made.  I started getting Log Cabin syrup with no HFCS.  Still has sugar but I am a firm believer that our bodies can process natural foods better than artificial.  So yes, we still have sugar and fats but it's a compromise.  I'm not doing that horribly feeding the fam.  The kids don't feel like freaks when they eat these things in front of their friends.  One little boy in DD's K class was like that. I felt sooo bad for him too.  His mother sent him with a snack every day and it was usually some off the wall thing like tortillas made from a grain I had to go look up.  While the other kids were munching away on their pretzels, Ritz crackers or Goldfish, he was tearing off pieces of his tortilla with his dirty dirty little fingers.  (I don't think the parents were all that keen on bathing either, this poor kid was a gross mess every day!)

I'm always looking for ways to improve.  DD loves bagels but has never had anything but a 100% whole wheat.  She loves cereal bars but I only buy them from Trader Joe's where they are 1) cheap & 2) made with natural ingredients.  Since she will eat them like candy, I prefer that option.  Yes, they go get plenty of sugar, they do get some artificial colors and HFCS but I've cut it out where I can feasibly do so without upsetting the natives. I'll just keep reading labels and hope that major food manufacturers get the picture that we don't want all the additives!

Menu Plan Monday! 8/16

No header picture - long story.

I'm trying. I really am!  My menu is all messed up from what I created 2 weeks ago but at least it's giving me ideas of what is in the freezer/pantry/fridge. :)

• Sunday - Leftover Buffet!! We had spaghetti, ribs, hot dogs, potato/zucchini pancakes, fruit.  The kids actually ate it (rare around here, they hate leftovers!) and the fridge got cleaned out.  I didn't have much to do except warm things up.
• Monday - Pulled Pork BBQ Sandwiches, green salad, noodles.
• Tuesday & Wednesday - I work in the evening, FG gets to figure out dinner.  One night will be chicken nuggets, applesauce & green beans & the other he may want me to defrost the leftover spaghetti sauce because those two meals he can really handle.
• Thursday - Grilled Chicken Fajita Quesadillas, green salad (peppers from my parent's garden)
• Friday - ? No idea. I'm hoping we can pick up take out!  Or I'll make some pizza. We haven't had that in awhile!
• Saturday - Tri-tip steak, pasta salad, cabbage slaw

A little pat on the back for myself today.  I have both kids playing nicely in the playroom together, with toys.  No TV.  Only a bit of bickering.  I'm getting the laundry & cleaning done.  Mondays have been good "stay home & catch up" days!  I have the pork roast in the crock pot for dinner.  I paid $6 for the roast and will easily get 3 meals (and a few lunches) out of it.  The BBQ sauce for it I make myself which uses a spicy ketchup I can only find in IL.  I need to get to the store to get some fresh fruit & veggies.  I also need to get a berry cobbler made.  I bought berries a week ago and haven't had time to make anything with them.  I've been on quite a blueberry kick though, eating them a lot. I did manage to freeze 2 pounds of them but gosh, I have eaten nearly 4 lbs on my own!  Blackberries were $.98 for a 1 lb pack at my store last week. So I'll toss together some blueberries, blackberries & strawberries for the cobbler. Ohhh, I can't wait for dessert tonight! 

I also started the kids on local honey.  Poor DS gets such sniffles from allergies!  I have tried Claritin and Zyrtec, both of which work ok but not great.  So I got a big ol jar of local honey at the farmers market last weekend and give each kid 1 tsp. per day.  In about 2 - 3 weeks, their bodies should adjust to the pollen and the allergies should be minimal or gone.  Yay!!!!  I have heard about this soooo much lately and there was recently an article in our paper about people who were able to stop all medicine, including allergy shots, after trying the honey.  I will keep you posted on our results!

While I'm at it - pictures!

A little glimpse of our summer....

Sunset on Donner Lake, July 4, 2010

How we watch fireworks every year - over Donner Lake

6th Birthday Family Party July, 2010

Her present from her brother.  SO excited!

She wanted the same cake as last year.  I think it turned out great!  (Yes, I made it)

Danish roll lesson with my Grandma

DS took a nice picture of us!

The true test... Dad said they were perfect! He hasn't had them in years and my mom could never get them right.  DD sure loved them too!

The Cast

DD doing her solo part during "So Long, Farewell" ("I leave and heave a sigh and say Goodbye. GOOOOODDDDDD BYYYYYYEEEEEEEEE")  Aug 1, 2010

Swimming with her BFF.  My dad put the big fountain in for the girls and they had a blast!

Zucchini!

My parents have a large garden this year. They built 4 more raised beds that are about 4 x 12 and are growing everything I can think of.  They have had rhubarb growing in their yard for several years too.  Now they have a blue million zucchini (why don't people only plant ONE plant?  It seems like about this time of year people just give the stuff away).  So I get sent home with large zucchini and several rhubarb stalks just about every time I am at their house.  Which is a few times a week during the summer because we use the pool so often.

Like any person of my generation, I turned to the internet looking for recipes of what the heck to do with all of this.  Zucchini Cakes. Flop.  I'm not big on plain zucch either.  I'll occasionally saute it in a stir fry but it's just not my favorite.  Right now I have some shredded and draining in the fridge with some shredded russett potatoes to make potato pancakes.  I'm betting if I just go with how *I* normally make potato pancakes (which is without a recipe really, just by how I think they should look), they will be better and everyone will eat them. 
Then there's the ol' standby - Zucchini Bread.  I made this and DD loved it.  She even knew it had zucchini in it! 

Zucchini Bread

1 1/2 c. all purpose flour

1 1/2 c. whole wheat flour

1 t. salt

1 t. baking soda

1 t. baking powder

2 t. cinnamon

1/2 t. ground nutmeg

3 eggs

1 t. vanilla extract

1/2 c. vegetable oil

1/2 c. applesauce

1 c. brown sugar

1 c. granulated sugar

2 - 2 1/2c. grated zucchini (do not drain)

1 c. chopped nuts (optional)

2-3 T. raw sugar (optional)

Grease and flour 2 loaf pans.  Heat oven to 325 degrees.

Beat eggs, vanilla, oil, applesauce, and sugars together until well mixed.

Sift (or stir like I do) together dry ingredients and add to wet mixture.  Stir until combined.

Add zucchini and nuts and stir until combined.

Pour batter into prepared pans.

Sprinkle top of batter with raw sugar.

Bake for 40 - 60 minutes (start testing at 40 min.) or until tester comes out clean.  Cool in pan 10 minutes and remove to cool completely on wire rack.

This bread is so moist and yummy that what was left of my last loaf spoiled after several days.  I'm just happy DD ate it!  I am out of wheat flour so today I used only all purpose flour.  It's a bit less "healthy" that way but it comes out fine.  The applesauce and fresh zucchini make the bread so yummy!

Meal planning and schedules

There's been a chill in the air, the sun is setting a bit earlier.  Yesterday really felt more like September than August.  (This will all change in a few days when we have a heat wave in the low 100's with lows in the 60's).  I looked up the bus schedule, talked to a mom "in-the-know" from the school about some rumors I had heard and had a craving for chicken pot pie.  As much as I LOVE summer and don't want it to get cold and grey and have short days, I am also hitting the stage I do every August.... the desire for a routine and a schedule.

My boss talked to me yesterday and it looks like I have two weeks of craziness left before I'll be working every Monday and Tuesday during the day and still every other Saturday.  Yipee!!!!  That leaves Wed. am for school volunteering, our business or myself, Wed afternoon for our business where we are on a tight schedule.  Thursday & Friday for school volunteering, household care, whatever may need done for the business and gee, maybe even some time for ME.  Let me tell you, that is a big ol' carrot dangling in front of me! I cannot wait to have every evening free, every afternoon without the ulcer growing while I impatiently wait for FG to get home so I literally pass him in the doorway as I rush off to work.  I'll have Tuesday nights off for all the school functions that happen a few times a month, the PTA meetings on Tuesday afternoons once per month. I'll have Wednesday afternoons to be home and wait for the bus which will now arrive 45 minutes earlier for "Professional Development".  I'll be home to tackle homework and projects each night. (hmmm, that could be the downside here!)

I checked out The $5 Dinner Mom Cookbook at the library a couple of weeks ago.  I've been reading the tips more than the recipes so far.  Last week I had a bit of extra cash and I made amazing use of it.  I got all the toiletries we needed, most of the school supplies and lots of food at great bargains.  My best bargain.... spent $86 at Target (we have a very very limited grocery section at our Target - no produce or anything like that so this was all school supplies, cleaning supplies, toiletries and some packaged food like cereal) but I saved $40.  Out of all of my shopping, I got 9 boxes of cereal and didn't pay more than $2 for each.  The ones I did pay $2 for were GIANT too. :)  I got razors for FG and I at a steal too.  I used my coupons wisely with sales and BOGO offers.  Yay for me!!!

I also managed to make a menu for roughly 2 weeks.  It, of course, got thrown out of whack immediately when we had DS's teacher from last year over to dinner. What an enjoyable evening it was!!!  But I wasn't going to serve her the hot dogs I had on the menu that night! Instead I got a great deal on some petite sirloin steak which I marinated all day to tenderize it.  Corn was on sale.  She brought a salad.  I made a peach pie with fresh peaches that were on sale too.  I made homemade bread in my bread machine.  All in all, I think I spent about $15 on the dinner total.  It has felt good to have a menu again and soon, I will be sharing it on here again.  Hopefully with some new recipes and some more interesting content than what I've had lately!

Other items of note... DD finally pulled out her first loose tooth.  It's been hanging there for over a week.  While I was at work this past Tuesday, FG had the kids outside playing and DS's bike chain came loose, which meant he had no brakes.  Going down the slope of our street.  He panicked, FG didn't have much time to think so he literally used his body to stop DS from getting hurt.  Instead FG got hurt pretty badly and most likely cut an artery in his ankle.  From the puddles of bright orange blood I cleaned up and the way it took a few hours to stop bleeding heavily that's my best guess.  We are not sure if he broke something, sprained something or just really bruised his bone but he did something nasty to it beyond a deep cut.  He couldn't put any weight on it yesterday and was ready to go get himself a walking boot.  This morning he woke up and it felt a lot better.  He could bear weight on it but not his full weight.  We'll see how it is.  I must say, I'm a pretty good wound cleaner!  I got home and fixed him all up and have been changing his dressing as needed.  Poor DS feels awful that he hurt his dad but keeps calling his dad his "hero" for saving his life.  :D

Giving myself the day

Well the kids too.  I planned to take them to the beach today but decided not to.  I am not sure if DD's BFF and her brother are coming over here this afternoon or not.  Their parents, while extremely nice and great people, are a tad, um, unorganized and flaky.  While I am an overachiving planner and I know I drive my friends bat-$!@# crazy with it, they are somewhat the opposite.  A planner?  A calendar?  eh! Who needs 'em!  Yes, the thought makes my skin all tingly and I get light-headed as mine is rarely a few feet from me and certainly never left at home when I am out and about.  God bless whoever invented the electronic organizer. 

But because I decided to give myself the day and I have a list a mile long of things I would like to accomplish, I am not doing anything!  I stayed in bed until an embarassing hour.  The kids were up and watching TV (no need for mom anymore, they can both work the darn thing perfectly).  I finally rolled out of bed and showered.  I finally made them brunch. Do I know what's for dinner?  Nope. That's on my list of things I want to get done today - read through some recipes and possibly try something new!  DS has requested hot dogs or steak.  Kids are weird.

I just realized it's nearly noon.  Holy crap. I have nothing done besides feeding my kids one meal. At least I cooked it for them and it was a large meal so I doubt they will really want any lunch soon.  It's a gorgeous day outside too.  We should be out enjoying it! 

Am I the only one who does this?  It seems like so many people I know get so many things accomplished. I guess they don't laze around in bed all morning.  I'm feeling guilty yet free all in one big ball of confusion.  I feel like I'm wasting time but still enjoying slowing down a bit.  So what is wrong with me?  I'm going to be kicking myself later when I think of all I need to get done and just piddled the time away.  I know I'm going to feel guilty, scratch that because I already do, that my kids are watching TV instead of playing a game with them or taking them somewhere fun and interesting with friends.  Why can't I just feel normal and happy?!  I really do think I'm losing my mind some days. Stress is killing off brain cells way faster than any amounts of alcohol. 

Now, off to make a couple of phone calls, write out a list so I can cross things off and hopefully get my rear in gear!  What are you doing today?

Dare I really say it?

I am getting into the groove of thinking about school starting and I'm really not minding it all that much.  Whew. That was a round about way of saying I'm looking forward to school starting.  Ok, well, I am and I am not.  It's going to be so tough to have both of my babies gone ALL. DAY. LONG. and it's going to be tough to deal with two sets of nightly homework, spelling test lists, science fair projects, read-a-thon times..... you get the idea.  But FG and I have both noticed that the days are getting a bit shorter and the nights are getting a bit cooler. But I am really in need of a break from these two!  I can barely think straight (ha, no comments please, I am fully aware I have Mommy Brain!).

This post was just interrupted by me telling my 9 1/2 year old son that he sounds like an idiot and kids will make fun of him for acting the way he was at that moment.  I told him I didn't mean to hurt his feelings but he will get made fun of by other kids and that probably will hurt his feelings a lot more if he keeps up acting like a complete fool.  He screeches like a girl and he makes these noises that sound like a strangled cat.  It grates on my every last nerve.

Where was I?.... oh yes, Mommy Brain.  My patience is running very thin from all the running we've been doing.  Our diet isn't great these days.  The fruit basket is E.M.P.T.Y., the carbs and overall crap foods are up.  Maybe that's the explanation for the idiotic behavior?  This week was supposed to be a bit slower but alas, no such luck.  Monday my mom was off work so I took the kids to swim. I normally do laundry and clean up the house on Mondays.  I've been piece-mealing the laundry all week and that is just not my style!  I do it all at once and get that shit folded and put away that very same day.  It's all in baskets in my bedroom right now - unfolded and wrinkling. I've been piece-mealing the housecleaning too.  Ok, that really doesn't work!  Then I get no respite!  I'm doing a "big" job every day and usually it's at some God-awful time like 10:30 at night.  It feels like once I get one bathroom cleaned and a floor mopped, it's time to do it all over again. 
Yesterday was only Tuesday but it was a work day for me both at the toystore and in the office.  So I rushed DS out to golf then rushed DD and I to the office to get some paperwork done for 2 hours then rushed out to get DS then rushed home to throw some food in all of us (at 3:30. Yep, that's when my kids finally ate some lunch which was a lovely balanced meal of chocolate milk and pizza rolls.  That was after DD had a cereal bar & a sucker around 12:30).  Then I rushed off to work at the toystore and no frickin wonder I didn't feel like doing anything when I got home.  I didn't have any patience when I tried to get the kids to bed either.  Yes! I'll start clearning room for my Mom of the Year Award.  So along with our wonderful diet, my psyche is not in a good spot.

4 weeks.  That's when school will start.  Things will really change around here and change with an SPD kid is always a big struggle.  That's another post rattling around in my head - the vast differences between a "normal" kid and mine.  I've got one of each and boy howdy does it keep me on my toes! 
Any advice out there to make the transition easier, please please pass it along.  We all suffer every school year getting the routine going.  Try as I may to start it early with earlier bedtimes and a more rigid schedule, I struggle with trying to make the most of the last precious lazy days of summer. 

I feel like I haven't read a blog all summer, like all I've done on mine is b&m about how busy we've been and how crazy it makes me.  I haven't baked or tried new recipes. Heck, I've barely cooked much!  I miss my bloggy friends and I know I'm here talking to myself because of it.  I'm headed to a new era and I'm scared.  On top of that, I think I'm going to work days at the store instead of nights.  I'm waiting to see what will happen but they are opening a new location in town (Liz, up by you!!!).  I talked to my boss and told her that I would ideally like to work a few days while the kids are in school. This works out for her too because the college girls go back to class soon too, making them unavailable during the day.  I may still work every other Saturday day because that is actually fun for me.  I see the kids and the parents from school and get to retain my "Rock Star" status among the elementary school age kids.  I wrap a heck of a lot of presents and don't do a lot of store cleaning.  So we'll see how this whole transition works out for this family of 4.  Until then, I'm trying to figure out how to get a break but still enjoy the last few weeks of summer with my idiotic wonderful little children!