PUMP.... Giggle, giggle.

2 Months ago.
At work

me: when the door is shut, that means "do not disturb", please
my boss(mb)(who is a grown man by the way): why?
me: because that means that I am pumping
mb: pumping what?
me: uhhh... well, you know. for my baby. making the milk. like a cow...
mb: (snicker, snicker, smile, red face) Oh. ok.

1 day later
overheard outside the locked door.

coworker: I need to talk to her, why is the door closed?
mb: her door is closed?
coworker: yeah, its never closed, is she yelling at someone? (note: I have been know to do this but not often, I am not a monster, just a little agravated when grown adults can't take elementary instruction.)
mb: oh (snicker, snicker) she is uhhh... busy.
coworker: ok. well tell her that I need to talk to her.
me: (yelling through the door) I can hear you. I will be done in 5 minutes.
mb: (snicker, snicker) take your time.

cut to today.
In a meeting, near the end, wrapping up. ( I am dieing b/c the meeting was worthless, got nothing accomplished and my boobs are about to explode, or implode, didn't care, just needed relief, sweet relief.)

me: uhhh... so to summarize... oh, who are we kidding, I will email you with my plans to make the process smoother, and an eta on the implementation. Does anyone have any other ideas, that we can talk about for 10 more minutes just to come to the same conclusion of the fact we have no ideas to begin with. (note: yes, I am on edge and aggitated)
mb: Yeah, this was kind of useless
me: really?!! Thanks for wasting 2 hours of my day, that I pray I can get some sort of short term amnesia and never ever remember, it was the most excrutiatingly mind numbing experience and I think I should be paid double... no triple time... for the wasted and lost cells and psychological neurosis I attained in that amount of time, you flubbering idiots. (note: did not actually say this, I thought every bit of it in my head and looked at every person in that meeting and hoped to pathologically send the idea to them.)
me: (for real) well, we can all brainstorm throughout the day and email me with any new ideas. (that I will not use because I could have just solved it on my own, it didn't need a meeting) Are we done?
mb: whoa! where is the fire, I would like to discuss this further after the meeting if you have the time.
me: (in front of 3 other guys other than my boss) ummm... we can discuss it in apprximately 30 minutes.
mb: why? what other meetings do you have going (he has a little bit of meeting envy, loves to be involved in all the meetings)
me: not a meeting, just need to do something.
mb: what other projects do you have?
me: a little something called project pump.
mb: ooooohhhh.... you have to go and pump. (snicker, snicker, oh and another snicker, in fact a round of snickers and red faces)
me: ok. have fun with that.

Put another penny in the psychologist fund for Noah's future

It is only the middle of summer and I decided to knit Noah a...

yup, a hat.
I figured that fall is coming up pretty quick so I better get going on making him his warm sweaters and vests and hats. This is a new pattern. It is called the meathead. I don't know why but I think it looks more pixie.

I will be embellishing it with a patch or a pocket.

Noah is wondering why mom is making him wear this rediculous hat in the heat.
We all do crazy things. Will this be something he thanks me for later?
Probably not.
I hope he doesn't come back to this post to prove to the courts that I am clinically insane.
I'm not.
Am I?

5 Months

Dear Noah,

Sheesh! 5 months! I can't believe my eyes. You have really changed this past month. We have had a pretty mellow month, staying at home and hanging out. We really like staying at home. It has been pretty warm, and we have had to put you in lighter sleepers and swaddlers for bed.

Yeppers, you still like being swaddled to go to sleep. Your arms are wild and they attack you and keep you from sleeping so therefore, the baby straightjacket. There has been a few nights that you have woken up at 4 or 5 thinking it was time to wake up. But mom and dad have had to tell you otherwise. We think you might have either been too cold, too hot or going through a phase of wanting to get. Don't really know. We asked you but all you do is coo.

That is something you are doing that is new. You have been cooing a lot more in kind of a singing manner. Also the screaching! I love it but can we try not to do it in the middle of church at the quietest times? Oh also the brrrring of the lips. That is the only way I can explain it. You are really enjoying your lips.

Drooling is another thing... it is kind of out of control. I think you might be working on a tooth, either that or there is something seriously wrong with your salivary gland. Your shirt is sometimes so wet from your drool.

You are becoming quite resourceful. You are able to use your legs like they are arms, grabbing things and pinching them. You also grab your toes all the time. Oh yeah... look at those chubbs on your legs. They are getting quite "muscular".

Toys are a lot more fun to you. It seems you have quite the friends. You carry on your conversations with them and you like to see how they taste. All the toys go directly to your mouth. Oh the love you have for them.

We have done a lot of bonding in the last month. I really feel like you recognize daddy and I. When nursing you have been pausing to smile at me midway. My heart practically bursts with happiness every time you do this. You also grab my face and hair. The hair pulling hurts but I know you do it out of curiosity. With daddy you have been doing a lot of reading and a game he calls " _____ drop". Daddy drops a stuffed animal toy and says whatever the animal is and drop. You love this game, laughing and hugging the animals. Oh and the other day you rolled over from your tummy to your back! You haven't replicated it, but we are ok with waiting to see it again.

Yep, I will have to agree with Missy, each stage is increasingly my favorite stage. I love watching you get bigger and happier.

Love,

Mommy

Mint - Not so refreshing

I know that I have been on this whole saving thing for awhile but I just can't help it. I am determined that by the time #2 kid comes around that we will be completely debt free and I can stay home. I agonize every day that I am away from my little man.

So I signed up with Mint.com(free) you upload all your debt and checking accounts and investments and such (it is safe). And it gives you trending on what you spend and gives suggestions on how you save. Me, being the pie chart nerd, I love it because it is all charts and percentages (breaking down your trending on gas spending and groceries by store).

The hard part was seeing that the overspending and useless purchases are all....

ahem...

me.

My husband doesn't spend a thing. He has been selfless and doesn't even hardly ask to buy anything.

We took Dave Ramsey's debt free living course last summer and I have been applying it but not severe enough. I am now committed to paying these things down!

Don't worry, I am not making this blog all about becoming debt free.

But I am about showing you why we need to do it. :)

If Parenting were a job description (this is right up my alley)

POSITION: Mom, Mommy, Mama, Ma, Dad, Daddy, Dada, Pa, Pop
JOB DESCRIPTION:
Long term, team players needed, for challenging permanent work in an often chaotic environment. Candidates must possess excellent communication and organizational skills and be willing to work variable hours, which will include evenings and weekends and frequent 24 hour shifts on call. Some overnight travel required, including trips to primitive camping sites on rainy weekends and endless sports tournaments in far away cities! Travel expenses not reimbursed. Extensive courier duties also required.
RESPONSIBILITIES:
The rest of your life. Must be willing to be hated, at least temporarily, until someone needs $5. Must be willing to bite tongue repeatedly. Also, must possess the physical stamina of a pack mule and be able to go from zero to 60 mph in three seconds flat in case, this time, the screams from the backyard are not someone just crying wolf. Must be willing to face stimulating technical challenges, such as small gadget repair, mysteriously sluggish toilets and stuck zippers. Must screen phone calls, maintain calendars and coordinate production of multiple homework projects. Must have ability to plan and organize social gatherings for clients of all ages and mental outlooks. Must be willing to be indispensable one minute, an embarrassment the next. Must handle assembly and product safety testing of a half million cheap, plastic toys, and battery operated devices. Must always hope for the best but be prepared for the worst. Must assume final, complete accountability for the quality of the end product. Responsibilities also include floor maintenance and janitorial work throughout the facility.
POSSIBILITY FOR ADVANCEMENT & PROMOTION:
None. Your job is to remain in the same position for years, without complaining, constantly retraining and updating your skills, so that those in your charge can ultimately surpass you.
PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE:
None required unfortunately. On-the-job training offered on a continually exhausting basis.
WAGES AND COMPENSATION:
Get this!You pay the children! Offering them frequent raises and bonuses. A balloon payment is due when they turn 18 because of the assumption that college will help them become financially independent. When you die, you give them whatever is left. The oddest thing about this reverse-salary scheme is that you actually enjoy it and wish you could only do more.
BENEFITS:
While no health or dental insurance, no pension, no tuition reimbursement, no paid holidays and no stock options are offered; this job supplies limitless opportunities for personal growth, unconditional love, and free hugs and kisses for life if you play your cards right.

** AND A FOOTNOTE...THERE IS NO RETIREMENT -- EVER!!!

Blogs worth your time and $$

I added a list of blogs on the left hand side that I read to find out the best deals.
It would be so much work for me to scan all the adds and match them with my coupons. What I usually do is copy and paste the finds off the blogs onto another spreadsheet and then print it out by store and then go and match up my coupons before hand. I know it seems a little OCD, but we have gotten a lot of free stuff from me clipping the coupons.
Just a reminder: Winco does not take coupons printed off the internet, at least the ones here. Oh and Tams, you can get some great deals by reading the CVS blogs because they have great deals, we don't have them here or in ID.
Oh, and because I am dense and it took me awhile to get the hang of the lingo, make sure you read the right hand column of the centsible sawyers blog.
These ladies are hard core savers, almost to the extreme of getting too much good stuff. I just take what we need or if I will get it for free (without excess) I will go and get it. I plan to start a box of free stuff and give it to family or people at church who are in need.
OK. Start Saving your monies!
And a pic of my boy, he has another cold, as does the whole family. yuck.

Saving

So as I said before, since going back to work part time, I have been looking for ways to save money.

Walgreens
They have a promotion going where they have an easy saver coupon of $5 off 2 packages of their jumbo diaper packages, then if you buy 3 packages you get a $5 coupon off your next purchase.
I got 2 packages of diapers (7.99 each - $5 coupon = 11.00)
and a bottle of desitin (5.99 - 1 man coupon)
total 15.00 getting a $5 coupon off next purchase.
transaction 2
2 packages diapers (7.99 each - $5 coupon = 11.00)
total 11.00 - $5 coupon = 6 dollars
I think getting 192 diapers for 17 dollars is pretty good. The walgreens brand diapers seem fine to use.
Safeway
I just have been couponing it up! I saved $75 today and spent $75 and got a $5 coupon off my next purchase. They are having a summer savings deal going right now and only $25 more dollars til we can get .10 off each gallon of gas at their gas station.
Albertsons
They are having a buy 10 general mills products and get 2 free movie tickets
I have coupons for cereal and betty crocker items.
Office Max
Sign up for their max rewards and you can get 3 dollar credit for each empty cartridge. I have tons of empty cartridges and each set comes with 6 cartridges and is 35 dollars for the cartridges and 200 4x6 photo papers. Yeah!


Lastly, I bought this book

The idea is that you make your dough and refrigerate it and pull out the amount of dough every day and bake for that day. IT WORKS!
All I have done is made the dough (in Kitchen Aid mixer with dough hook) You just throw it all in the stand mixer and turn it on until it is incorporated (like 5 minutes).
Put the dough in this bucket and let it sit for 2-5 hours depending on dough recipe, this one is the challah recipe


Then put it in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
The first night I made the regular Challah.

Then today, I made hot dog buns for lunch.

This is saving us money because I am not buying buns or bread. This is the second batch. I have made cinnamon rolls, hamburger buns, and regular bread. I love it because it takes 20 min to preheat the oven, I rip a piece of dough out of the bin and then form it (no kneading) and bake it for 20-25 minutes and voila!

Uhhh... How is it Wednesday July 9th, ALREADY??!!!

Yikes. Time flies when uuuuhhhhhhh you are

...living

...working

...loving

...eating

So the fourth was fun O rama... and family O rama

There was pig roasting

Oh the love of pig

It was kind of gross to watch

But Oh so delicious to eat

And Bubbles!

These are so easy to make and soooo fun. Just take a water bottle, cut out the bottom and rubberband a cut out peice of an old washcloth on the end, stick the end in water and dish soap and blow! Instant bubble foam. I had so much fun with it and so did the kids!

Picking Strawberries!

Putting on makeup!

Monkeying around

Uncle Ben thought it would be funny to give Noah a banana

Feeding the goats

Noah met Uncle Bart

Oh and these were delicious (there was a chocolate bar in the center)

and the fireworks.