STORM!

Since we've had a new cable company and no longer a dish company, I'm loving this new channel with all weather all the time.  No outages with storms and such and you can just flip the channel and BAM it's there.

Sooooo....I was checking the weather about 4:15 and noticed that there were storms out to the west.  Thinking ahead, I thought that the storms would arrive right about swim lesson time, thus no swim lessons, thus let's go to the pool  now!  It's too hot to play outside and we're not just going to sit around watching cartoons in the AC all day, so why not?

Went to the pool for about 45 minutes before they made us get out of the water because of "lightening moving into the area."  Granted it was dark, but no lightening.  Glad they have those detectors there!

Came home, took the dog potty real quick and it was getting dark FAST!  Chad's still at the farm helping his Dad with harvest, so I've got 3 scaredy cats all by myself.  (4 if you count me!)  I decide this is an evening that calls for Mac N Cheese.  Made it real quick, and I kid you not, the moment the Mac was done cooking, the power goes off.  It goes on and off and on and off and on and off.  So I give each kid a flashlight.  The wind is HORRIFIC!  I make the kids take their mac behind the island in the kitchen (still on hardwood floor easy to clean up) and camp out and have a picnic.  

Later I look outside and find this:

That is the fort that used to stand upright with a wood roof-which is now shattered on the ground.  It also took the slide and pulled it off the wood so that it is completely detached now.  It had huge bolts in it, too!

And then our small adult swing.....

Then I start to hear a 'wooom-wooom-wooom' sound coming from a return air vent.  Um......

"Hello-Best HVAC person with the best overtime rates around, can you come take a look?"

So dad comes over. 

I think he had a little TOO much help.

Couldn't find anything wrong with the AC, the fort can be fixed, and fetched the pool from the neighbor's yard.  All is good.

My BIG Boy

OK.  So the last 24 hours has been rough.  Josh started running a high fever after nap yesterday, and was not feeling well.  Got some Tylenol in him and he wanted to go to the first night of swim lessons. 

Swim lessons were a bust, but that's another post.

Came home, took a bath, and off to bed.  Slept REALLY good.  Better than he's slept in a while.  

Today, I wasn't sure if we'd be able to go to the dentist.  Both Josh and I have been looking forward to this for some time.  And no, I'm not joking.

I went to see if he was up, and his light was on under his door.  He was laying naked from the waist down on his floor with his head on a pillow curled up in a ball.  Not a good sign.  Asked him if he wanted chocolate milk.  He said no.  Uh.......MAYDAY!  This kid NEVER turns down chocolate milk! 

Took his temp and it was 102, if you are from the theory to add a degree under the arm-it would've been 103.  I finished getting ready because even if he didn't go, I still had to.

After I got ready, I called mom to tell her my plan for the day.  (She was going to watch Macey while Josh and I ran to town.)  Told her I had an appointment at the doctor and that Josh would watch a cartoon in the corner on his LeapPad.  When he heard he might not go to the dentist, he was devastated!  He WANTED to go to the dentist.  Again, not joking.

Fast forward-went to the dentist.  Had our friend clean our teeth.  She did great.  She talked with Josh and did a great job.  He even had 2 panoramic x-rays taken of his teeth.  Those aren't easy when you're 4 and don't understand.  He stood still, bit the stick, and didn't move.  And those x-rays showed his permanent teeth starting to form under his baby teeth.  It was SOOOO cool!  He let her clean each part of his tooth (front, back, sides), floss, and even touch the teeth with the metal counter.  (The plaque scraper for us older folks.)  Then at the very end, she even scraped the tiniest bit of plaque off the front teeth on the bottom!  Last year he would've rather lost a leg than have that done!  The dentist was very kind, took his time with us, and was very impressed by Josh.  I have to say, so was I.  

NO CAVITIES!!!!  

For Josh or me!

Prizes for everyone!!!

But first we had to run and get a hair cut real quick.  I can always tell when he needs one because he gets 'bed head' real bad.  He was even a big boy for the hairdresser.

Then we went to the doctor and got an antibiotic.  Poor kid-fever, sore throat, but doesn't want to slow down.  He seems to be doing fine as long as he doesn't have the fever.  But when that fever comes, he is miserable!  The doctor asked him if he'd been kissing any girls lately.  Josh didn't know what to say, so I said, "Only his Mama!"  And then the Dr. asked Josh if that was true and Josh said, "Yeah, I like to kiss her all the time."  Insert Mama's heart melting....

Then we had enough time to go and get his prize for a good visit to the dentist.  We went to Target and picked out his prize.  He really wanted dinosaurs, but there were none there.  So we settled on some new fast cars. 

Then we met Mimi and this snazzy girl for lunch at Pizza Hut.  

Josh can normally eat his weight in thin crust cheese pizza, light on the sauce.  (Just like his Papa Ray.)  He didn't eat as much as he normally does.  He kept complaining that it was hard to swallow.

Then he asked if I'd take a picture of his new cars.

Then it came time for dessert.  Mace and I both had room for it! 

She missed me so much she just wanted to be as close as she could to me.  

Here we are laughing at how much that girl can pack in her mouth.  She must get that from Chad....

On the way home, this is always how Macey rides.  

I take that back.  On ANY trip, this is how Macey rides.  Watching a movie (preferably Curious George), sucking on her fingers (no matter how much we tell her to stop), petting her dotted blanket, and holding Minnie Mouse. 

And tonight after dinner at Mimi's, swim lessons, bath, and using his new toothbrush, he reminded me he needed to floss.  Say what?  He actually wanted to floss!  He was sooooo into it!  I'm so proud!

Today was a GREAT day.  My big boy is getting so grown up.  

Bargains!!!

I went shopping today and got some real good deals.

Here's some of my best:

The Venus razors were regularly $5.49, but on sale buy 4 get $4 off which made them $4.49 each. BUT....I had a $5 off coupon, which they PAID me to take the razors out of the store!  I got 4 of them, but I'm going to go thru my coupons and find more and go back. 

The Speed Stick deodorant (3 for me and 1 for Chad) were regularly $2.09, but on sale B4G$4 which made them $1.09.  So I paid 9 cents for each stick of deodorant.

The Finish Dishwasher All-in-1 tabs were regularly $3.99, but on sale for B4G$4 which made them $2.99, but I had a $2.15 coupon, which made them 84 cents a box!  (I bought 4.)

The Kraft Macaroni and cheese was regularly $1.59, but on sale for B4G$4 which made them 59 cents a box!  Now, it'll take us MONTHS to eat all these boxes, but I buy as much as I can at a rock-bottom price.  I think I bought 12 boxes.

The boys pajamas laying on the counter are for my nephew.  They're up in size a little, but for $1, I just couldn't pass them up!  $1 for PJs?!  Come on!

The fun paper plates are for my kids on vacations.  They were regularly $1.98, but I had a 55 cent off coupon, which made them $1.43.  The kids love these and they're a nice treat.  And we don't break the china wherever we're staying...

Terro Liquid Ant Baits.  You know we have a bug problem around here, and the ants are outnumbering us.  Well, not for long!  I price-matched these from Menards at WalMart and saved over $2 on each box!  At WalMart, they are regularly $5.97, but I price matched them for $3.50 for a savings of $2.47.  

And last but not least, the M&Ms from the check out.  I try REALLY really hard not to buy anything at the check outs.  They're overpriced and smaller packages, but I had a coupon!  Each package was on sale for 89 cents, but I had a coupon that doubled to $1 off, which made each bag about 35 cents.  That 35 cents was going to be well spent when I used these as a bribe sometimes.  (That's right.  I bribe my children.  Every good parent does!)

I know some people may not take the time or have the know how to do all this.  But, when you're staying home to raise babies and your husband works, you'll do ANYTHING to save a buck.  

Because for me, it's not just saving money.  It's what allows me to stay home.  It IS my paycheck!!

Cherry Pickin'!

We went Cherry Pickin' last Wednesday.  

We watch for this time of year every year.  Last year it was WAY early (like the last week in May!).  

This year since we've moved, the orchard (a whole 12 trees or something like that) is a WHOLE lot closer.  It's only like a 20 minute drive.  

I was so pumped!!  After about 3 years with a kid, you know what to pack.  

Here are my cherry pickin' essentials:

• lots of pans or a large container.
• small buckets (sand buckets from the Dollar store work GREAT!)
• Wet Cloth in a bag (your hands will get really sticky!)
• Snacks and drinks for the kids (water for the grown-ups)
• small step ladders (preferably one for you one for the kid.)

Macey is still just a little too young to go.  I'm serious about cherry pickin' when I'm there.  It's like the world series of cherry pickin' and by golly-I'M GUNNA WIN!

Last year I think I picked close to 30 pounds of cherries.  That's not a typo.  3-0 pounds of cherries.  I think I had enough for a pie a month for the entire year. 

I'm wild about cherry pie.  It is by far my favorite.  And as my mom always told me, tart pie cherries make the best pie.  And that's just what these are.

Josh remembers it from last year and was excited to go to!

Last year, there were so many of them, you could just randomly reach up into the tree and grab a handful.  

This year wasn't as plentiful, but still, not bad pickin'!

I was trying to get a picture of Josh, but in the picture above he said, "No Mom.  I've gotta go pick cherries!" 

Well, far be it for me to stand in his way!  

Just make sure you dump them in Mommy's stash, not Mimi's!

Well, I wasn't giving up that easy.  

He still wouldn't stop for me!

But do you see what I mean about needing a ladder for the kid, too!

Somehow, mine always got used....

Ah!  There it is.  My sweet little cherry pickin' boy!

He did spend most of the time pickin' with Mimi.  Which made me go a whole lot faster.  

I wasn't having to worry about him falling off a ladder, tripping in the ruts between trees, or getting hit by a car.  (There's a road right beside the farm that the speed limit must say "How Ever Fast You Wanna Go" because everyone hauls butt.  Even the semis.)

Every farm has a dog.  It's like an unspoken rule.  You can't be a real farm without a dog.

This dog was so friendly.  It must've been some type of cattle dog.  It was a puppy, that's for sure! He was so rambunctious!

After Josh started to poop out, he took a break with Mimi in the car.  They talked, told stories, had a drink and some snacks, and then came back pickin'.  They did this 2 or 3 times.  It kept Josh happy and I think Mimi liked the break.

Cherry pickin' is hard work!  

Here's the final weigh in.......in 2013 I picked 27.75 pounds of cherries!  

To be real honest, I didn't think I'd picked that much.  I just knew that I wanted a TON because I L-0-V-E cherry pie!  

Yep, that's right.  The entire time I was pickin' I kept saying to myself, "just a little more.  think of the yummy cherry pie!"

Food is always my motivation!  

And here's how we paid.  It was $1.25 a pound.  The lady left a notebook, pen, and calculator on the scale and it's just the honor system.  

You write down how much you picked and leave the cash under the scale.

How cool is that!

I spent about 3 hours picking, but pitting.  Oh yuck.  

Don't you just look at the cherries and feel happy?  I mean, look how bright red and cheery they are?

But, then you realize you have to pit all of them.  That's why God made them cheery looking.  If they looked like blueberries, no one would spend the time to pit them.

I spent AT LEAST 6 hours pitting.  

But I would pit in shifts.  I'd only pit about 2 hours or so at a time, which was long enough to usually make 2 pies.

Here's a close up of the weird cherries.

There were lots of them!  

At first they looked like something else, but then the more I looked at them, the more I heard Sir MixALot's "I like big butts and I cannot lie" song in my head.

Don't they look like Bubble Butts?

I love cherry pie, which is the ONLY reason I do this.  28 pounds of cherries and 9 hours later, I'm a tired but happy girl.  

Cherry pie anyone????

Poor Dog

Zoey has done a lot of adjusting. 

She adjusted to loud noises and fast movements when we had Josh.

She adjusted to more loud noises and huggin' and lovin' when we had Macey.  (Macey can't keep her hands off of Zoey.  She loves to just squeeze her.  A puppy would be her speed, but NO WAY!)

She gets sleep when and where she can and Sunday morning was no different.

Sometimes she hides at the end of a dark hallway, sometimes she hides behind a chair...

See if you can spot her.

Messy room, I know.

But did you find her?

Look again.

That's her half under the bed.  

She usually goes all the way under, but I guess just couldn't muster up any more energy to make it the last 3 inches.

Poor Dog.

Olympics....Here We Come!

Josh had his last day of tumbling class last Friday.  

He didn't really understand the finality of it until yesterday (Monday) morning when we didn't have to go anywhere.

For tumbling, he attended with other kids (the class was PreK-1st) everyday for about an hour in the early afternoon.  

This was Josh's first drop-off class.  I didn't stay.  

It was a lot harder on me than on him.

Still looking for a tattoo that will automatically disappear when he hits 18 with his name and phone number.  Need to invent it.

For his last day of tumbling, the parents were invited to a performance to see what all the kids had learned.

I love the sheepish smile he has waiting in line.

That's the thing...he was smiling THE ENTIRE TIME!  And it wasn't just because he got the chance to show off.  It's just because he had joy to just BE there.

Here he is getting assistance doing and handstand.  

He's got a long way to go, but had total faith and confidence in his teachers.  He didn't know these ladies from squat and he trusted them to help him stand on his head.  Love it!

I love the fact that he seems to be actively listening to his teachers.  Don't get me wrong, there were times during the class that he was 'too tired' or squirming around or making funny comments.  But, in his defense, he did seem to have the best personality.  Not that I'm partial or anything.

And there he was just coming out of a somersault.  In a picture on down, look how long the mat is across the floor.  They had to do somersault, frog hops, bear crawls, and one more thing all the way down the mat and then run back.  It was a long way!  And I don't know about you, but after 3 somersaults, I'm dizzy.

There was the frog hop.  Blurry.  Ummmm.  Yep.  

And this was something else, but after this picture, it was priceless.

He ran over and said he got hurt and that he had to quit.  He'd just sit the rest of the time.

I gave him a quick Mommy pep-talk and sent him on his merry way.  I didn't come here to sit in a stinky wrestling room to watch 3 other kids show their stuff.  Get out there and show Mama!

So on his way back to the group, he yells, "Wait up guys!  I just had to get a kiss from my mom!"

I hope he still says that in high school....

And Macey was a really good audience member, too.  She kept cheering when the kids did something good.

And she kept herself entertained by my phone.

The kids were doing the bear crawl above.

And below here he is making faces at me when he should be standing in line waiting his turn for help with handstands.

And this.....

"What me call China?  Noooooo...."

And after class, his teachers gave him a little treat bag.  It had a Piston Cup in it!  (A Piston Cup is the championship cup for winning a race....as in Lightening McQueen.)

He told us on the way to tumbling that he was going to win the Piston Cup.  We tried to warn him that he might not get a Piston Cup.  (Disappointment is always a booger when you're tired, so I wanted prep him.)

But he was right!

I'm so proud of him.  

He did something new, tried it, practiced a couple of times, and loved it. 

Kinda makes me sad....my baby is growing up!