I am not even going to try and bore you with all the movies I have seen in the last 2-3 months since I have been MIA. We get Netflix so we are always getting new movies and John and I actually went to the theater not too long ago to see one. I will try and review a good variety... the movie at the theater, a kid's movie and oh, I don't know. Maybe that's it :p
The Men Who Stare at Goats: This was the movie John and I saw in theaters. We went to dinner at Texas Roadhouse on Veteran's day, then went to a 530 showing of this movie. It was still matinee prices and we get a military discount so it only cost us $10 to see the movie. How great is that?! And honestly, it wasn't even worth that. The movie was very lame. It had some funny parts... George Clooney plays a good crazy man, but for the most part we were sitting there thinking WTF?! Yah, so if you do have the desire to see it, I say wait for it to come out on video. It was great to sit with my husband for two hours but maybe a different movie would have been better.
Horton Hears a Who: We just got this for the kids from Netflix. It has been on their queue for ever and John finally moved it to the top so we could see it. Fantastic movie. The entire family loved it. I laughed so hard I thought I was going to pee my pants. Jim Carrey and Steve Carrell are hilarious. Definitely a movie to watch with the family and anytime you need a good laugh.
Monday, November 23, 2009
Sunday, November 22, 2009
The Way That I Am
Do you know what I hate?
I hate people that say they are going to do something, and then they don't. But that is ME, with this blog. I come on here and say, "Oh sorry, I promise to do better." and I don't. Well, I do for awhile, but then something changes and I have no desire to write anything further. Not very disciplined, huh.
Doesn't surprise me though. There has been nothing in my life that I have kept up with. I have always quit something. I quit dance as a kid, I quit gymnastics, I quit softball, I quit being friend's with certain people, I quit jobs (many, many jobs), and somewhere along the line I quit believing in myself because I knew I would eventually quit whatever it was I thought I could do.
The only thing I have not quit doing is being a mother to all my babies. That does not mean that I believe I am a good mother, or even that I am a bad mother... but more like a mediocre one. Your average, run of the mill, screw them up kinda mother.
That's me... and I am not here looking for any kind of sympathy or praise from anyone. I know a lot of people out there think I am some supermom but I don't feel like it most days. Don't get me wrong, there are days I don't lose my mind, I get my house cleaned, the kids are fed wonderful meals for breakfast, lunch AND dinner and my husband gets some much needed attention too which makes me feel like some sort of superhero but those days are rare.
I am just average. And maybe I can learn to be ok with that... with the way that I am.
I hate people that say they are going to do something, and then they don't. But that is ME, with this blog. I come on here and say, "Oh sorry, I promise to do better." and I don't. Well, I do for awhile, but then something changes and I have no desire to write anything further. Not very disciplined, huh.
Doesn't surprise me though. There has been nothing in my life that I have kept up with. I have always quit something. I quit dance as a kid, I quit gymnastics, I quit softball, I quit being friend's with certain people, I quit jobs (many, many jobs), and somewhere along the line I quit believing in myself because I knew I would eventually quit whatever it was I thought I could do.
The only thing I have not quit doing is being a mother to all my babies. That does not mean that I believe I am a good mother, or even that I am a bad mother... but more like a mediocre one. Your average, run of the mill, screw them up kinda mother.
That's me... and I am not here looking for any kind of sympathy or praise from anyone. I know a lot of people out there think I am some supermom but I don't feel like it most days. Don't get me wrong, there are days I don't lose my mind, I get my house cleaned, the kids are fed wonderful meals for breakfast, lunch AND dinner and my husband gets some much needed attention too which makes me feel like some sort of superhero but those days are rare.
I am just average. And maybe I can learn to be ok with that... with the way that I am.
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Fun Photo Friday - The Saturday Edition
I don't know how my Fridays keep getting away from me. Maybe I should start writing my blogs a day early that way I know they get out on time. So since we don't have soccer today due to all the rain we had the last two days I figured I would take this time to get some ADORABLE pictures up of my babies from the last couple of weeks.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Thrifty Thursday
Today's Thrifty Thursday blog is about shopping around and getting a lot of stuff for little money.
There are several places that offer rewards for buying certain products. One such place is Walgreen's. Every week their ad will show you what products are offering a reward coupon. This week they had Herbal Essences products on sale for $2.99 then you received a $2 reward coupon to be used on your next purchase. You can only get one reward certificate for each product advertised so you may have to make several trips to get what you need and to get the best value. You also have to make sure that you have the same number of items as you do coupons or you won't be able to use them all and that the total price is more than your coupon total.
I made three trips to Walgreen's and I must confess that the majority of the stuff, I did not NEED but could use at some point or another. When I was deciding what I would get, I found it was a better value to get things I knew I didn't need on top of the stuff I needed because I would end up getting more for my money. During trip one you will spend the most. I spent $30.02, that was with only using one $1 off coupon for the Herbal Essences Shampoo and I received $11 in reward coupons. I made a run to the grocery store then on my way back I stopped back at Walgreen's. I forgot about needing 4 items to use the 4 coupons I had so I could only use two coupons. I ended up spending $3.55 this trip and getting one more reward coupon. Trip three I did two transactions since I knew I would be getting a $2 reward back, which the cashier did not mind. Sometimes they will make you leave and come back in and they do have the right to limit the amount of sale and reward items you buy but I have not had any problems (then again this was only my first time shopping with the rewards). My first transaction totaled $1.16 and my second a mere 24 cents that I HAD to put on my debit card since I used all my change this weekend for tolls :p
For a total of $34.97 including tax, this is what I bought... Herbal Essences Shampoo, Conditioner and Hairspray (had a $1 off coupon plus reward coupon), a 2oz Glade Soy Based Candle (had a coupon for a free candle), 2 6oz cans of Blue Diamond honey roasted almonds (buy one get one free in ad), 2 bags of caramels (for making caramel apples mmmmm, on sale for 2/$3 plus reward coupon), 8 rolls of paper towels (always only $5), 2 Jumbo packs of Easy Up Training Pants (on sale 2/$20 plus reward coupon), 5 individual size Pirate's Booty popcorn (on clearance for 25 cents each), a large can of Arizona Raspberry Iced Tea, and an Oral B 1-2-3 toothbrush.
If you have a Sam's Club membership you can find some amazing deals on bulk items. A year membership only costs $35 and can be bought as a gift (ours was given to us for Christmas). I usually only get my meat and some various snacks. Today I happened to find a 5.4lb pack of hamburger, 90% lean, for only $5.37. Much to my luck, it was mispriced and it rang up at that insanely low price. I knew it wasn't only the 2.31lbs it was marked at. They also have seasonal and one time buy items that are usually fantastic deals. This time I got a 3 pack of Chex cereals (one of each kind) for less than $7... perfect for making Chex Mix! I filled my cart with snacks, meat, and juice boxes for only $127!
This is what I got... 72 fruit snacks, a large container of animal crackers, a large container of rod pretzels, two fudge making kits (includes everything you need except butter), 6 bags of Chex cereal, 36 snack pack puddings, 36 individual apple sauces and 10 everything bagels (plus about 10lbs of hamburger, 6 1/2 lbs of chicken breast tenders, 4 boxes of Capri Sun juice pouches and the large can of nuts my 3yr old thought needed to go in the freezer)...
ALDI is another place to find great deals. Like Sam's Club, you cannot use coupons but their prices are pretty low on a lot of things. For awhile their milk was only $1.49 a gallon and was the only reason for me going there. They don't have 1% though and just this trip I decided to make the plunge to skim milk since their prices changed. 2% was now $2.15 and skim was only $1.93 per gallon. Their hotdogs are only 79 cents and if you are not brand picky with your hotdogs it makes them a great deal. Today I spent less than $6 and got two gallons of milk, a can of kidney beans and a can of chili beans. I was hoping for less than that, but we needed milk and you can't really find it cheaper anywhere else.
Now to take care of all this stuff I just bought :p
There are several places that offer rewards for buying certain products. One such place is Walgreen's. Every week their ad will show you what products are offering a reward coupon. This week they had Herbal Essences products on sale for $2.99 then you received a $2 reward coupon to be used on your next purchase. You can only get one reward certificate for each product advertised so you may have to make several trips to get what you need and to get the best value. You also have to make sure that you have the same number of items as you do coupons or you won't be able to use them all and that the total price is more than your coupon total.
I made three trips to Walgreen's and I must confess that the majority of the stuff, I did not NEED but could use at some point or another. When I was deciding what I would get, I found it was a better value to get things I knew I didn't need on top of the stuff I needed because I would end up getting more for my money. During trip one you will spend the most. I spent $30.02, that was with only using one $1 off coupon for the Herbal Essences Shampoo and I received $11 in reward coupons. I made a run to the grocery store then on my way back I stopped back at Walgreen's. I forgot about needing 4 items to use the 4 coupons I had so I could only use two coupons. I ended up spending $3.55 this trip and getting one more reward coupon. Trip three I did two transactions since I knew I would be getting a $2 reward back, which the cashier did not mind. Sometimes they will make you leave and come back in and they do have the right to limit the amount of sale and reward items you buy but I have not had any problems (then again this was only my first time shopping with the rewards). My first transaction totaled $1.16 and my second a mere 24 cents that I HAD to put on my debit card since I used all my change this weekend for tolls :p
For a total of $34.97 including tax, this is what I bought... Herbal Essences Shampoo, Conditioner and Hairspray (had a $1 off coupon plus reward coupon), a 2oz Glade Soy Based Candle (had a coupon for a free candle), 2 6oz cans of Blue Diamond honey roasted almonds (buy one get one free in ad), 2 bags of caramels (for making caramel apples mmmmm, on sale for 2/$3 plus reward coupon), 8 rolls of paper towels (always only $5), 2 Jumbo packs of Easy Up Training Pants (on sale 2/$20 plus reward coupon), 5 individual size Pirate's Booty popcorn (on clearance for 25 cents each), a large can of Arizona Raspberry Iced Tea, and an Oral B 1-2-3 toothbrush.
If you have a Sam's Club membership you can find some amazing deals on bulk items. A year membership only costs $35 and can be bought as a gift (ours was given to us for Christmas). I usually only get my meat and some various snacks. Today I happened to find a 5.4lb pack of hamburger, 90% lean, for only $5.37. Much to my luck, it was mispriced and it rang up at that insanely low price. I knew it wasn't only the 2.31lbs it was marked at. They also have seasonal and one time buy items that are usually fantastic deals. This time I got a 3 pack of Chex cereals (one of each kind) for less than $7... perfect for making Chex Mix! I filled my cart with snacks, meat, and juice boxes for only $127!
This is what I got... 72 fruit snacks, a large container of animal crackers, a large container of rod pretzels, two fudge making kits (includes everything you need except butter), 6 bags of Chex cereal, 36 snack pack puddings, 36 individual apple sauces and 10 everything bagels (plus about 10lbs of hamburger, 6 1/2 lbs of chicken breast tenders, 4 boxes of Capri Sun juice pouches and the large can of nuts my 3yr old thought needed to go in the freezer)...
ALDI is another place to find great deals. Like Sam's Club, you cannot use coupons but their prices are pretty low on a lot of things. For awhile their milk was only $1.49 a gallon and was the only reason for me going there. They don't have 1% though and just this trip I decided to make the plunge to skim milk since their prices changed. 2% was now $2.15 and skim was only $1.93 per gallon. Their hotdogs are only 79 cents and if you are not brand picky with your hotdogs it makes them a great deal. Today I spent less than $6 and got two gallons of milk, a can of kidney beans and a can of chili beans. I was hoping for less than that, but we needed milk and you can't really find it cheaper anywhere else.
Now to take care of all this stuff I just bought :p
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
What's for Dinner Wednesday
Since we have TONS of apples from apple picking this past weekend I was looking for something to do with them. I only ended up using one but it made the pork chops oh-so-yummy!
Tonight's dinner was Apple Cinnamon Pork Chops with microwaved baked potatoes, canned corn and salad on the side.
I placed my pork chops in a single layer in a glass baking dishing then liberally sprinkled brown sugar over them. While the oven was preheating, I sliced the apples. I then placed 4 small slices of apples on each pork chop and sprinkled with cinnamon. I then put a bit more brown sugar on top... we like brown sugar.
I baked the pork chops for about 45 minutes in a 350 degree oven. With 15 minutes left, I washed the potatoes and poked holes for ventilation. No one wants potato guts all over the inside of their microwave. Place potatoes on a microwave safe plate and rub with olive oil and sea salt. Bake 2 1/2 minutes per potato or according to your microwave directions.
While the potatoes are nuking, put the corn in a pot and heat to desired temp. Take this time to set your table too... or yell at the kids... or check facebook... or even better, to read my blog ;) Everything should finish up right about the same time. Transfer everything to the table and enjoy!
The pork chops were delicious! Not too sweet and just the right amount of flavoring to not need any dipping sauces or ketchup. Only one of my kids used ketchup, one ate only a few bites because she didn't like it... but everyone else ate it as it was made and I heard no complaints. The apples seemed to have just a bit too much cinnamon but were yummy none-the-less. You could pair this with green beans or another green veggie of your choosing... all but one of us likes salad so that is usually the green vegetable of choice in our house.
*I wish I would have taken a picture before dinner was devoured. My kids ate like they hadn't eaten in days HA!*
Tonight's dinner was Apple Cinnamon Pork Chops with microwaved baked potatoes, canned corn and salad on the side.
I placed my pork chops in a single layer in a glass baking dishing then liberally sprinkled brown sugar over them. While the oven was preheating, I sliced the apples. I then placed 4 small slices of apples on each pork chop and sprinkled with cinnamon. I then put a bit more brown sugar on top... we like brown sugar.
I baked the pork chops for about 45 minutes in a 350 degree oven. With 15 minutes left, I washed the potatoes and poked holes for ventilation. No one wants potato guts all over the inside of their microwave. Place potatoes on a microwave safe plate and rub with olive oil and sea salt. Bake 2 1/2 minutes per potato or according to your microwave directions.
While the potatoes are nuking, put the corn in a pot and heat to desired temp. Take this time to set your table too... or yell at the kids... or check facebook... or even better, to read my blog ;) Everything should finish up right about the same time. Transfer everything to the table and enjoy!
The pork chops were delicious! Not too sweet and just the right amount of flavoring to not need any dipping sauces or ketchup. Only one of my kids used ketchup, one ate only a few bites because she didn't like it... but everyone else ate it as it was made and I heard no complaints. The apples seemed to have just a bit too much cinnamon but were yummy none-the-less. You could pair this with green beans or another green veggie of your choosing... all but one of us likes salad so that is usually the green vegetable of choice in our house.
*I wish I would have taken a picture before dinner was devoured. My kids ate like they hadn't eaten in days HA!*
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Time Travel Tuesday (Post 2)
September 29th 1999
10 years ago I went in to take my second driving test. I had high hopes. I would not make the same mistake I made last week. My aunt Tammy took me again so I could drive her car. My mom's car wouldn't pass the inspection so thankfully we knew someone whose car would.
I got in the car less nervous than I was the week before. After all, I already did this once and I now knew what NOT to do. HA! I hated not being able to have the radio on. It made the drive seem so awkward.
I took the driving test according to the directions given by the rent-a-cop (that's what I called her last week, right?!) and was very pleased. I didn't speed. I used my blinkers. And I most definitely did NOT pull out into traffic. It helped that traffic was much lighter today than it was last week. I think the traffic gods were on my side.
We got back to the station and I awaited my results. Much to my dismay and to my aunt's, I failed! Again! What went wrong?! Apparently I "ran a stop sign." I put that in quotations because the way the stop sign is makes it a trick "question" for anyone that has never taken a driver's education class and running a stop sign is automatic failure. So since I did not come to a complete stop 6ft before the intersection where the stop sign is posted, I failed. Nice.
Was I ever going to get my driver's license? It was looking pretty dim.
10 years ago I went in to take my second driving test. I had high hopes. I would not make the same mistake I made last week. My aunt Tammy took me again so I could drive her car. My mom's car wouldn't pass the inspection so thankfully we knew someone whose car would.
I got in the car less nervous than I was the week before. After all, I already did this once and I now knew what NOT to do. HA! I hated not being able to have the radio on. It made the drive seem so awkward.
I took the driving test according to the directions given by the rent-a-cop (that's what I called her last week, right?!) and was very pleased. I didn't speed. I used my blinkers. And I most definitely did NOT pull out into traffic. It helped that traffic was much lighter today than it was last week. I think the traffic gods were on my side.
We got back to the station and I awaited my results. Much to my dismay and to my aunt's, I failed! Again! What went wrong?! Apparently I "ran a stop sign." I put that in quotations because the way the stop sign is makes it a trick "question" for anyone that has never taken a driver's education class and running a stop sign is automatic failure. So since I did not come to a complete stop 6ft before the intersection where the stop sign is posted, I failed. Nice.
Was I ever going to get my driver's license? It was looking pretty dim.
Time Travel Tuesday
September 29th 2004
Today was my due date 5 years ago. It was also John's report date to Fort Stewart, GA. Since Kadie was only 2 weeks old we let Daddy go on without us and find us a place to live.
It was just me, the baby, a 2yr old and a 3yr old. My sister moved in to help me out and it was a great setup. The kids love her to death and she is a neat freak so I knew my house would get cleaned at least every once in awhile LoL
John and I weren't exactly having the best time before he left and I almost didn't want to move to Georgia with him since he was deploying in January. Part of me wishes we would have just stuck around in Toledo and not had to move twice in a year (we ended up moving back in September 2005), but I know it was for the best. I firmly believe that if we hadn't had those couple of months together before he deployed that we would not have lasted this long. I do not think I could have gone through a 12 month deployment with three kids while fighting with my husband. I am strong but not that strong! HA!
Five years ago, had you asked me where I would be today I would probably have told you I didn't know... or divorced. Ask me again today and I still may not have a clue but divorce would never cross my mind.
Today was my due date 5 years ago. It was also John's report date to Fort Stewart, GA. Since Kadie was only 2 weeks old we let Daddy go on without us and find us a place to live.
It was just me, the baby, a 2yr old and a 3yr old. My sister moved in to help me out and it was a great setup. The kids love her to death and she is a neat freak so I knew my house would get cleaned at least every once in awhile LoL
John and I weren't exactly having the best time before he left and I almost didn't want to move to Georgia with him since he was deploying in January. Part of me wishes we would have just stuck around in Toledo and not had to move twice in a year (we ended up moving back in September 2005), but I know it was for the best. I firmly believe that if we hadn't had those couple of months together before he deployed that we would not have lasted this long. I do not think I could have gone through a 12 month deployment with three kids while fighting with my husband. I am strong but not that strong! HA!
Five years ago, had you asked me where I would be today I would probably have told you I didn't know... or divorced. Ask me again today and I still may not have a clue but divorce would never cross my mind.
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Stockpile Saturday
I was extremely busy Thursday, so I missed Thrifty Thursday... then I was driving to Ohio with Adam & Sara yesterday so I missed Fun Photo Friday AGAIN (not to mention I don't really have any pics with me to share... but I will improvise) and now today is a soccer day but I am out of town so I have to miss soccer again (last week was due to our yard sale).
Thrifty Thursday:
I went to a mom's coupon night at a friend's house followed by the Grey's Anatomy season premiere. I learned a bit while I was there.
I am already using baseball card inserts to organize my coupons but another good idea is the paper size inserts to hold coupons related to specific stores... not the manufacturer's coupons. That way you don't have to go through your mass amount of coupons to find the ones for a specific store.
You also want to find coupons online. There are two that I learned about while there. The first is SwagBucks. You go there and download the toolbar for your computer and anytime you want to go to a website type it in there. It is like a bonus to Googling. An offer will sometimes pop up when you type your search word or phrase and you will get SwagBucks that you can add up to purchase things. For instance, a Wii game is only 118 SwagBucks or you can save your bucks for something bigger/better. I have not done this yet but a friend has and she just purchased some cute pony tail holders for her daughter with her SwagBucks. The second is CouponClipper.com. I am not quite sure how it works but I know you have to buy the coupons. I know... why would I want to PAY for a coupon! Doesn't that defeat the purpose? Well no... it doesn't. You are still saving way more than you are spending especially when you can get things for free or close to free from using the coupons you buy. What internet sites help you save money?
Fun Photo Friday:
I was going to post a video of Kadie scoring her first soccer goal but the computer is being weird and won't copy and paste what I want. So instead, I am going to post some random phone pics I took.
And for Saturday:
I have a wedding to go to! My cousin is getting married for the second time today and I am looking forward to actually getting to attend this one! Now to get off here and get ready for the day :)
Thrifty Thursday:
I went to a mom's coupon night at a friend's house followed by the Grey's Anatomy season premiere. I learned a bit while I was there.
I am already using baseball card inserts to organize my coupons but another good idea is the paper size inserts to hold coupons related to specific stores... not the manufacturer's coupons. That way you don't have to go through your mass amount of coupons to find the ones for a specific store.
You also want to find coupons online. There are two that I learned about while there. The first is SwagBucks. You go there and download the toolbar for your computer and anytime you want to go to a website type it in there. It is like a bonus to Googling. An offer will sometimes pop up when you type your search word or phrase and you will get SwagBucks that you can add up to purchase things. For instance, a Wii game is only 118 SwagBucks or you can save your bucks for something bigger/better. I have not done this yet but a friend has and she just purchased some cute pony tail holders for her daughter with her SwagBucks. The second is CouponClipper.com. I am not quite sure how it works but I know you have to buy the coupons. I know... why would I want to PAY for a coupon! Doesn't that defeat the purpose? Well no... it doesn't. You are still saving way more than you are spending especially when you can get things for free or close to free from using the coupons you buy. What internet sites help you save money?
Fun Photo Friday:
I was going to post a video of Kadie scoring her first soccer goal but the computer is being weird and won't copy and paste what I want. So instead, I am going to post some random phone pics I took.
And for Saturday:
I have a wedding to go to! My cousin is getting married for the second time today and I am looking forward to actually getting to attend this one! Now to get off here and get ready for the day :)
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
What's for Dinner Wednesday
I took a HUGE roast out of the freezer the other day that needed cooked up so that is what we are having for dinner tonight.
A yummy roast with carrots and peeled potatoes, add some corn on the cob on the side and then ghettofy it with some ramen noodles. HA!
At the bottom of the crockpot I have got a small bag of baby carrots. That was all I had in the fridge. Remember, I took out the roast and hadn't cooked it yet... there's the reason. Well that, and I didn't have any potatoes. I had a friend bring me a few potatoes this morning and peeled and cut those to throw in the bottom of the crockpot with the carrots.
Then I rubbed some garlic and seasoned salt on the roast and placed it on top of the veggies. Covered that in one can of cream of mushroom and one can of cream of chicken followed by a can of water. I usually throw in some onion soup mix but I didn't have any. Set the crockpot low and it has been cooking ever since.
Now to get the rest of dinner finished up. Gotta throw in the corn on the cob and hope it turns out just as perfect as the last time. Probably not since the last time it was fresh from the grocery store and this time it has been sitting in my fridge. Oh well... one can hope right. And the ramen is so Lexi has a little something extra besides a side salad to go with her roast. She is so damn picky.
A yummy roast with carrots and peeled potatoes, add some corn on the cob on the side and then ghettofy it with some ramen noodles. HA!
At the bottom of the crockpot I have got a small bag of baby carrots. That was all I had in the fridge. Remember, I took out the roast and hadn't cooked it yet... there's the reason. Well that, and I didn't have any potatoes. I had a friend bring me a few potatoes this morning and peeled and cut those to throw in the bottom of the crockpot with the carrots.
Then I rubbed some garlic and seasoned salt on the roast and placed it on top of the veggies. Covered that in one can of cream of mushroom and one can of cream of chicken followed by a can of water. I usually throw in some onion soup mix but I didn't have any. Set the crockpot low and it has been cooking ever since.
Now to get the rest of dinner finished up. Gotta throw in the corn on the cob and hope it turns out just as perfect as the last time. Probably not since the last time it was fresh from the grocery store and this time it has been sitting in my fridge. Oh well... one can hope right. And the ramen is so Lexi has a little something extra besides a side salad to go with her roast. She is so damn picky.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Time Travel Tuesday
September 22nd 1999
10 years ago, to the day... I was going to take my driver's license test for the first time. My aunt Tammy let me use her car and she waited with me while I took both the writing and the driving portions of the test. I had not taken any driver's education classes and my mom didn't let me practice that much. I felt ready... a little nervous, but ready.
I flew through the written test and passed with flying colors. Ok, I may have gotten a couple wrong but some of those questions are worded weird. I know you know what I am talking about. None-the-less, I passed that portion.
Next was the driving portion. The part where I had to drive the car with a rent-a-cop passenger grading my driving. I was only slightly nervous. I had several people telling me not to wait too long to pull out onto Heatherdowns and definitely not to pull out too quickly. This was the only part of the driving test that had me nervous.
It was the middle of the afternoon and traffic on Heatherdowns was crazy. I sat there in the driver's seat waiting and waiting and waiting some more for a clearing where I could pull out. Turning left there at anytime was a challenge. I saw a clearing and I went for it. Apparently the rent-a-cop did NOT. She grabbed a hold of the steering wheel and made me stop in the turn lane in the middle of the 4 lane road. I wanted to smack her. What the hell?! She was thinking the same about me and she actually said, "What the hell?!" I guess I scared the crap out of her but in my defense... there was plenty of room to pull out. I couldn't wait forever for NO cars AT ALL.
I finished the test, more nervous than I had started and I wasn't sure what would happen. She didn't say more than necessary to me the entire time I was driving and even as we got back to the station she still looked as white as a ghost.
Needless to say, I failed. Apparently "pulling out into traffic" is an automatic failure. Wish she would have just let me stop there and not waste everyone's time while I finished the remainder of the driving test. I could come back in a week to retake the driving portion.
So there I was, 18 going on 19 and still did not have my driver's license. I mean, up until then I didn't need it. I had a boyfriend to drive me around and friends close by if need be. Now I didn't have that... I needed to find a new job, my mom was moving and I had graduated high school. I was in a bind.
Stay tuned for next week's addition to see how my retest goes.
10 years ago, to the day... I was going to take my driver's license test for the first time. My aunt Tammy let me use her car and she waited with me while I took both the writing and the driving portions of the test. I had not taken any driver's education classes and my mom didn't let me practice that much. I felt ready... a little nervous, but ready.
I flew through the written test and passed with flying colors. Ok, I may have gotten a couple wrong but some of those questions are worded weird. I know you know what I am talking about. None-the-less, I passed that portion.
Next was the driving portion. The part where I had to drive the car with a rent-a-cop passenger grading my driving. I was only slightly nervous. I had several people telling me not to wait too long to pull out onto Heatherdowns and definitely not to pull out too quickly. This was the only part of the driving test that had me nervous.
It was the middle of the afternoon and traffic on Heatherdowns was crazy. I sat there in the driver's seat waiting and waiting and waiting some more for a clearing where I could pull out. Turning left there at anytime was a challenge. I saw a clearing and I went for it. Apparently the rent-a-cop did NOT. She grabbed a hold of the steering wheel and made me stop in the turn lane in the middle of the 4 lane road. I wanted to smack her. What the hell?! She was thinking the same about me and she actually said, "What the hell?!" I guess I scared the crap out of her but in my defense... there was plenty of room to pull out. I couldn't wait forever for NO cars AT ALL.
I finished the test, more nervous than I had started and I wasn't sure what would happen. She didn't say more than necessary to me the entire time I was driving and even as we got back to the station she still looked as white as a ghost.
Needless to say, I failed. Apparently "pulling out into traffic" is an automatic failure. Wish she would have just let me stop there and not waste everyone's time while I finished the remainder of the driving test. I could come back in a week to retake the driving portion.
So there I was, 18 going on 19 and still did not have my driver's license. I mean, up until then I didn't need it. I had a boyfriend to drive me around and friends close by if need be. Now I didn't have that... I needed to find a new job, my mom was moving and I had graduated high school. I was in a bind.
Stay tuned for next week's addition to see how my retest goes.
Monday, September 21, 2009
Movie Review Monday
I know... I missed Fun Photo Friday and Soccer Saturdays. I can be such a bad blogger sometimes. In my defense though... my computer is in the shop, so finding photos to post proves to be a little more difficult. Not in possible, just more of a hassle. I also was not home the majority of the day on Friday so I was not online very much. We had a yardsale at a friend's house so we were there from 630am til about 230pm. After that is pretty much a blur... I was tired LoL Then on Saturday we had the yardsale again so I missed soccer and was only home for a couple of hours... just enough time to take a shower, do my makeup and dry and straighten my hair before going out with a friend to a bachelorette party. Which was a blast! So I wasn't just sitting around the house, twiddling my thumbs and ignoring my blog. Now since you came here for a movie review and NOT a long excuse as to why I am such a bad blogger, I will get to it.
What did I watch recently? Well recently I have watched the first two discs of the one and only season of the television series Kidnapped. LOVE that show! Cannot wait to see how it ends. I have watched 10 episodes and there is one more disc. I wish it would have lasted more than one season back in 2006 but maybe the end didn't leave much room for continuing... I don't know yet. The kids watched Disney Nature Earth but they didn't care for it much and John thought it was too "National Geographic" which I am assuming was the point but seeing the previews my kids and John all wanted to watch it. Sadly, it disappointed them. Then last night, John watched Hellboy II. I was so tired I couldn't stay up to watch it... but the 10 minutes I did see were pretty good. I guess I just reviewed three movies without actually reviewing movies the way I usually do. Too funny. Anyway, here are a few "normal" movie reviews.
Hancock: Will Smith plays an unlikely superhero. He has super powers, uses them to help people, but leaves more pricey damages than anyone like Superman or Batman. Funny, suspenseful and just an all around great movie. There is a bit of bad language but I would let my kids watch the movie since we watch all the other "superhero" movies.
Mamma Mia: A corny musical about a girl that is getting married and wants her father to walk her down the aisle. Only problem is she doesn't know who her father is... and neither does her mother. It could be one of three men so she sends invites "from her mother" to the three estranged lovers to attend her wedding in hopes of finding out which one is her real dad. Funny, romantic, cute and no doubt a movie your hubby will grown about watching :p
Twilight: I have not read the books and I wanted to see what all the hype was about so I added this to my Netflix queue. If you have been living under a rock, and do not know what Twilight is about... I will be kind enough to tell you. A teenage girl goes to live with her dad in a strange town. She starts to fall for a fellow classmate and learns his secret... he is a vampire. A love story, not a vampire story. The first time John saw it, he didn't like it... but he likes movies like Blade and did not realize this was a romantic drama... not a vampire movie. I liked it... I didn't love it but I would buy it and watch it again. Jacob (7) loved it, Kadie (5) was scared and Lexi (8) had no opinion. I think she thought it was alright. We have a new friend named Bella and when my older kids found out they said, "Like in that movie?!" Yup, like in Twilight LoL Oh, and for the record... I am not on Team Edward. I do not think he is hot. ;)
New in Town: Cheesy chick flick with Renee Zellweger. A Miami business exec. volunteers to go to Minnesota to revamp a factory. Adjusting to small town life is difficult and pleasant all at the same time. She finds herself caring for these people and their small town company. It wasn't great but it didn't suck either. I gave it three stars on Netflix.
Pineapple Express: A process server witnesses a murder and has to outwit a high powered pot dealer and his cop girlfriend. Hilarious and bloody. Every other word is fuck. Drugs, profanity, violence. Not one for the kids to watch even though it grabbed my three year old's attention and would not let go. We had assumed he would fall asleep since it was after 10 but he seemed to like the movie more than he wanted to sleep. 4 out of 5 stars for being absolutely hilarious.
What did I watch recently? Well recently I have watched the first two discs of the one and only season of the television series Kidnapped. LOVE that show! Cannot wait to see how it ends. I have watched 10 episodes and there is one more disc. I wish it would have lasted more than one season back in 2006 but maybe the end didn't leave much room for continuing... I don't know yet. The kids watched Disney Nature Earth but they didn't care for it much and John thought it was too "National Geographic" which I am assuming was the point but seeing the previews my kids and John all wanted to watch it. Sadly, it disappointed them. Then last night, John watched Hellboy II. I was so tired I couldn't stay up to watch it... but the 10 minutes I did see were pretty good. I guess I just reviewed three movies without actually reviewing movies the way I usually do. Too funny. Anyway, here are a few "normal" movie reviews.
Hancock: Will Smith plays an unlikely superhero. He has super powers, uses them to help people, but leaves more pricey damages than anyone like Superman or Batman. Funny, suspenseful and just an all around great movie. There is a bit of bad language but I would let my kids watch the movie since we watch all the other "superhero" movies.
Mamma Mia: A corny musical about a girl that is getting married and wants her father to walk her down the aisle. Only problem is she doesn't know who her father is... and neither does her mother. It could be one of three men so she sends invites "from her mother" to the three estranged lovers to attend her wedding in hopes of finding out which one is her real dad. Funny, romantic, cute and no doubt a movie your hubby will grown about watching :p
Twilight: I have not read the books and I wanted to see what all the hype was about so I added this to my Netflix queue. If you have been living under a rock, and do not know what Twilight is about... I will be kind enough to tell you. A teenage girl goes to live with her dad in a strange town. She starts to fall for a fellow classmate and learns his secret... he is a vampire. A love story, not a vampire story. The first time John saw it, he didn't like it... but he likes movies like Blade and did not realize this was a romantic drama... not a vampire movie. I liked it... I didn't love it but I would buy it and watch it again. Jacob (7) loved it, Kadie (5) was scared and Lexi (8) had no opinion. I think she thought it was alright. We have a new friend named Bella and when my older kids found out they said, "Like in that movie?!" Yup, like in Twilight LoL Oh, and for the record... I am not on Team Edward. I do not think he is hot. ;)
New in Town: Cheesy chick flick with Renee Zellweger. A Miami business exec. volunteers to go to Minnesota to revamp a factory. Adjusting to small town life is difficult and pleasant all at the same time. She finds herself caring for these people and their small town company. It wasn't great but it didn't suck either. I gave it three stars on Netflix.
Pineapple Express: A process server witnesses a murder and has to outwit a high powered pot dealer and his cop girlfriend. Hilarious and bloody. Every other word is fuck. Drugs, profanity, violence. Not one for the kids to watch even though it grabbed my three year old's attention and would not let go. We had assumed he would fall asleep since it was after 10 but he seemed to like the movie more than he wanted to sleep. 4 out of 5 stars for being absolutely hilarious.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Thrifty Thursday
Everyone likes to go out to dinner every once in awhile... but who wants to pay the ridiculous prices?! Have you seen what kids meals are running these days?! There are several options for eating out with your family that will save you money.
1. Look for kids eat free (or cheap) deals. There is a website called MyKidsEatFree where you can search for participating restaurants in your area. Just go to that website, click on search at the top of the screen, select your state and city then click on search. It will tell you what days the kids eat free (or cheap) at what restaurants. Be sure to call them first to make sure the information is accurate before dragging your kids there only to find out they no longer participate.
2. Go to www.restaurant.com and buy discounted gift certificates for select restaurants in your area. You can get a $25 gift certificate for only $10. Most have a restriction of spending $35 or more before you can use it but a family of 5 could easily spend that much. If you were to spend exactly $35 you would actually only be spending $20 for your whole dinner... the $10 for the gift certificate and then the extra $10 you had to spend over the gift certificate amount. Just go to here, enter your zipcode and click on search. You can search anywhere between 1 and 30 miles from the center of your zipcode and then choose your gift certificates. They are then saved to your account within 24-48 hours and you can print them from your account page.
3. Try a buffet. A lot of buffets offer a variety for the whole family and varied prices for adults and children. Most places allow under 3 to eat for free and children are often cheaper than adults. If you go for a late lunch/early dinner you know everyone will be hungry and get your money's worth ;) Having dessert included with your meal price makes it all that much better.
4. $5 pizzas! Many pizza places are now offering medium pizzas at only $5. They may not be AS good as the larger more expensive pizzas but the kids love them and the money you save makes it worth it. Little Caesar's has hot and ready cheese and pepperoni pizzas. Some locations offer sausage hot and ready as well. They are also LARGE pizzas instead of the medium you would get elsewhere. For our family of 7 we can spend less than $16 and feed us all. That is 2 large pizzas, an order of crazy bread and a 2 liter of pop (so take out the pop and it is even cheaper!).
5. Go when they are running specials or check your paper for coupons. Olive Garden, Red Lobster and Applebee's often put $2-$4 coupons in the Sunday paper. Olive Garden has a soup, Salad and breadstick deal for only $7. You get unlimited of all 3 but their kids meals are rather pricey. If they are young enough you can usually get away with letting them eat some of your salad and breadsticks without having to pay for them. They are also offering their endless pasta right now. All you can eat pasta is only $8.95 and you also get the salad and breadsticks. Red Lobster currently has their endless shrimp going on. All you can eat shrimp for only $15.99 which includes a salad, rolls and I believe two sides of your choice. Not a bad deal. I also saw that Applebee's is running a special currently... for $20 you get 1 appetizer and 2 entrees. Also not a bad deal.
So be sure to look around, or even call around and inquire on specials or kid nights before choosing where to eat out next time. Might save you some money... or on the other hand, it might make you spend more money going out to eat knowing how cheap it can be ;)
Kids Eat Free/Cheap in the Quad Cities (Verified):
*The Machine Shed $0.99 on Tuesdays
*IHOP Free Every Night from 4pm-10pm (1 per adult meal) <- this may have ended already
*Hooters Free Sundays
*Steak n Shake Free Saturdays & Sundays (1 for every $8 spent, including the kids meals)
Kids Eat Free/Cheap in the Quad Cities (Not Verified):
*Applebee's $0.99 Wednesdays after 4pm
*Bennigan's Free Tuesdays after 4pm
*Buffalo Wild Wings $0.99 Wednesdays
*Denny's Free Tuesdays & Sundays 4pm-10pm(2 per adult meal)
1. Look for kids eat free (or cheap) deals. There is a website called MyKidsEatFree where you can search for participating restaurants in your area. Just go to that website, click on search at the top of the screen, select your state and city then click on search. It will tell you what days the kids eat free (or cheap) at what restaurants. Be sure to call them first to make sure the information is accurate before dragging your kids there only to find out they no longer participate.
2. Go to www.restaurant.com and buy discounted gift certificates for select restaurants in your area. You can get a $25 gift certificate for only $10. Most have a restriction of spending $35 or more before you can use it but a family of 5 could easily spend that much. If you were to spend exactly $35 you would actually only be spending $20 for your whole dinner... the $10 for the gift certificate and then the extra $10 you had to spend over the gift certificate amount. Just go to here, enter your zipcode and click on search. You can search anywhere between 1 and 30 miles from the center of your zipcode and then choose your gift certificates. They are then saved to your account within 24-48 hours and you can print them from your account page.
3. Try a buffet. A lot of buffets offer a variety for the whole family and varied prices for adults and children. Most places allow under 3 to eat for free and children are often cheaper than adults. If you go for a late lunch/early dinner you know everyone will be hungry and get your money's worth ;) Having dessert included with your meal price makes it all that much better.
4. $5 pizzas! Many pizza places are now offering medium pizzas at only $5. They may not be AS good as the larger more expensive pizzas but the kids love them and the money you save makes it worth it. Little Caesar's has hot and ready cheese and pepperoni pizzas. Some locations offer sausage hot and ready as well. They are also LARGE pizzas instead of the medium you would get elsewhere. For our family of 7 we can spend less than $16 and feed us all. That is 2 large pizzas, an order of crazy bread and a 2 liter of pop (so take out the pop and it is even cheaper!).
5. Go when they are running specials or check your paper for coupons. Olive Garden, Red Lobster and Applebee's often put $2-$4 coupons in the Sunday paper. Olive Garden has a soup, Salad and breadstick deal for only $7. You get unlimited of all 3 but their kids meals are rather pricey. If they are young enough you can usually get away with letting them eat some of your salad and breadsticks without having to pay for them. They are also offering their endless pasta right now. All you can eat pasta is only $8.95 and you also get the salad and breadsticks. Red Lobster currently has their endless shrimp going on. All you can eat shrimp for only $15.99 which includes a salad, rolls and I believe two sides of your choice. Not a bad deal. I also saw that Applebee's is running a special currently... for $20 you get 1 appetizer and 2 entrees. Also not a bad deal.
So be sure to look around, or even call around and inquire on specials or kid nights before choosing where to eat out next time. Might save you some money... or on the other hand, it might make you spend more money going out to eat knowing how cheap it can be ;)
Kids Eat Free/Cheap in the Quad Cities (Verified):
*The Machine Shed $0.99 on Tuesdays
*IHOP Free Every Night from 4pm-10pm (1 per adult meal) <- this may have ended already
*Hooters Free Sundays
*Steak n Shake Free Saturdays & Sundays (1 for every $8 spent, including the kids meals)
Kids Eat Free/Cheap in the Quad Cities (Not Verified):
*Applebee's $0.99 Wednesdays after 4pm
*Bennigan's Free Tuesdays after 4pm
*Buffalo Wild Wings $0.99 Wednesdays
*Denny's Free Tuesdays & Sundays 4pm-10pm(2 per adult meal)
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
What's for Dinner Wednesday
That is a good question!
Once again, I forgot to take anything out for dinner. That is not to say I didn't already think about it... I am just forgetful. Sorry to ruin any image of perfection I may have imposed upon you, my loyal readers. I am, in fact, not perfect. Surprise, surprise!
Anyway... so since I have failed to take anything out for dinner I have decided to go the easy, yet yummy route. Breakfast for dinner! I mean, who doesn't love having breakfast for dinner. It won't be anything elaborate like eggs benedict or strawberry crepes but it is sure to please my wild and crazy bunch.
Pancakes or waffles, is now the question of the day.
Pancakes are easy and quick. I can make them whatever shape my kids so desire. In the past I have done snowmen, Mickey Mouse, bunnies, clovers and even letters for their first day back to school. They love it. I can even color the batter with food coloring to make it even more fun. Lots of times we throw in chocolate chips and cover the pancakes with powdered sugar. Not exactly the healthiest dinner (or breakfast for that matter) but they are oh-so-yummy!
Waffles, on the other hand, are my preference. They are easy but take a bit longer to make in the waffle iron that only delivers two waffles at a time. Not that I am complaining, cause I love my waffle iron but waiting 5 minutes or more for two waffles is a bit, well, time consuming. I also don't do all the fun things with my waffles. They are just cooked and served then topped with butter and syrup. Just the way everyone loves them. I could throw in some food coloring to mix it up a bit too I suppose but generally we just go with the plain ol' waffle color.
I would throw in some bacon or scrambled eggs to go with our waffles or pancakes but this mom has some grocery shopping to do. Another reason pancakes or waffles is the way to go for tonight's dinner. My shopping list keeps growing and growing... we need lettuce, eggs, butter... oh crap! No butter for our pancakes or waffles.... at least we have syrup, right?!
Once again, I forgot to take anything out for dinner. That is not to say I didn't already think about it... I am just forgetful. Sorry to ruin any image of perfection I may have imposed upon you, my loyal readers. I am, in fact, not perfect. Surprise, surprise!
Anyway... so since I have failed to take anything out for dinner I have decided to go the easy, yet yummy route. Breakfast for dinner! I mean, who doesn't love having breakfast for dinner. It won't be anything elaborate like eggs benedict or strawberry crepes but it is sure to please my wild and crazy bunch.
Pancakes or waffles, is now the question of the day.
Pancakes are easy and quick. I can make them whatever shape my kids so desire. In the past I have done snowmen, Mickey Mouse, bunnies, clovers and even letters for their first day back to school. They love it. I can even color the batter with food coloring to make it even more fun. Lots of times we throw in chocolate chips and cover the pancakes with powdered sugar. Not exactly the healthiest dinner (or breakfast for that matter) but they are oh-so-yummy!
Waffles, on the other hand, are my preference. They are easy but take a bit longer to make in the waffle iron that only delivers two waffles at a time. Not that I am complaining, cause I love my waffle iron but waiting 5 minutes or more for two waffles is a bit, well, time consuming. I also don't do all the fun things with my waffles. They are just cooked and served then topped with butter and syrup. Just the way everyone loves them. I could throw in some food coloring to mix it up a bit too I suppose but generally we just go with the plain ol' waffle color.
I would throw in some bacon or scrambled eggs to go with our waffles or pancakes but this mom has some grocery shopping to do. Another reason pancakes or waffles is the way to go for tonight's dinner. My shopping list keeps growing and growing... we need lettuce, eggs, butter... oh crap! No butter for our pancakes or waffles.... at least we have syrup, right?!
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Time Travel Tuesday
The day is September 15th 2004. My doctor has agreed to induce me at 38 weeks because John has to report to Fort Stewart, GA by my due date.
Other than John leaving there was another reason I wanted induced. My first pregnancy ended in a stillbirth and one of the causes was a placental insufficiency. My previous doctor insisted on inducing me for my next two pregnancies to avoid anything happening to the placenta. He was a great doctor. Very patient friendly and made you feel comfortable even when something was wrong. I was sad to have him move away and me have to find a new doctor... a new doctor that was not as patient friendly.
So my new doctor did not think my medical reason was an actual medical reason and refused to induce me. When I told him about John leaving he responded with, "Well now that is a good reason to induce." Huh? What? Ok, well at least I am getting my wish. Can't complain too much.
So here I am... at Flower Hospital at 9am in the morning. Why he didn't have me come in the night before like my previous two births was beyond me. He had me start on pitocin, to kick start labor. I was hoping for a round of cervadil to soften my cervix but I never asked. I should have but I didn't. The last time I delivered with just cervadil... it put me into labor so I didn't need any pitocin. But this time around it was like a kick in my uterus.
Contractions started almost immediately and persisted strong and close together all day. I should have taken a hint from my labor about my third child's personality. Stubborn is putting it mildly. This went on for over 12 hours and it was not very pleasant. I can see why some people hate being induced. My view on it would only change slightly.
At 940pm my beautiful, stubborn little girl was born. Weighing in at 6lbs 15oz, the same as her big sister with no cleft lip or cleft palate (her older brother was born with both). She had red hair, just like the other two... they get that from their grandma.
Now, 5 years later, almost to the hour we celebrate the birth of that little girl. That little girl that is turning into a big girl. She started Kindergarten this year with only having 2 months of preschool under her belt. They assured me at her morning school that she was not as shy and reserved as she acted when I dropped her off and picked her up. I am hoping being in a classroom setting will help her overcome that obstacle.
5 years old and finishing up her 1st month of school and thinking she runs this house. Our little tomboy-princess. Happy 5th Birthday, Kaydence BreAnne!
Other than John leaving there was another reason I wanted induced. My first pregnancy ended in a stillbirth and one of the causes was a placental insufficiency. My previous doctor insisted on inducing me for my next two pregnancies to avoid anything happening to the placenta. He was a great doctor. Very patient friendly and made you feel comfortable even when something was wrong. I was sad to have him move away and me have to find a new doctor... a new doctor that was not as patient friendly.
So my new doctor did not think my medical reason was an actual medical reason and refused to induce me. When I told him about John leaving he responded with, "Well now that is a good reason to induce." Huh? What? Ok, well at least I am getting my wish. Can't complain too much.
So here I am... at Flower Hospital at 9am in the morning. Why he didn't have me come in the night before like my previous two births was beyond me. He had me start on pitocin, to kick start labor. I was hoping for a round of cervadil to soften my cervix but I never asked. I should have but I didn't. The last time I delivered with just cervadil... it put me into labor so I didn't need any pitocin. But this time around it was like a kick in my uterus.
Contractions started almost immediately and persisted strong and close together all day. I should have taken a hint from my labor about my third child's personality. Stubborn is putting it mildly. This went on for over 12 hours and it was not very pleasant. I can see why some people hate being induced. My view on it would only change slightly.
At 940pm my beautiful, stubborn little girl was born. Weighing in at 6lbs 15oz, the same as her big sister with no cleft lip or cleft palate (her older brother was born with both). She had red hair, just like the other two... they get that from their grandma.
Now, 5 years later, almost to the hour we celebrate the birth of that little girl. That little girl that is turning into a big girl. She started Kindergarten this year with only having 2 months of preschool under her belt. They assured me at her morning school that she was not as shy and reserved as she acted when I dropped her off and picked her up. I am hoping being in a classroom setting will help her overcome that obstacle.
5 years old and finishing up her 1st month of school and thinking she runs this house. Our little tomboy-princess. Happy 5th Birthday, Kaydence BreAnne!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
