The last few weeks have been a whirlwind for me. I visited my family for a week. I came home for a few days, then my sister and two friends stayed with me for another week. We had fun times, but it was a relatively busy time for me. I thought I might owe my followers a new post.
My next adventure is going to be making homemade baby food for Little A. I’m reading a book right now called, The Wholesome Baby Food Guide. It is chock-full of yummy recipes for little ones. I think I’ll post a few pictures so you can follow along with me.
On a completely different note, I have been sucked into reading the Fifty Shades trilogy. I’m almost finished with the third book now. It has taken me less than a week to read them. I’m pretty sure I’m going to reach my personal goal of reading 10 books over the summer. That makes 6 for me so far!
Friday, July 27, 2012
Thursday, July 26, 2012
Banishing the Whiney Shopper
Today, I took Big A shopping for school clothes. She didn’t need a lot, but I want her to start her 3rd Grade year with confidence.
Let me preface this story by shedding a little bit of light on her ‘style’ situation. I can’t say that she doesn’t have a sense of style, because most of the time she picks out cute stuff. It’s when she tries to pair up outfits that makes me cringe. As far as her taste goes, she's inconsistent and it DRIVES ME CRAZY! She will wear the heck out of a shirt with hearts on it, but she won’t wear the jeans with hearts embroidered on them, and loves the jeans with butterflies on them. She picked out tennis shoes that were black and pink last week when we were shopping. Today, I found a pair almost identical to last week's pair, and she said they were ugly. Fickle. The child is fickle.
Any of you with a child of any age knows that when they see something they want, they turn into some kind of whiney mutant with a high-pitched voice that says, “Pleeeeaaaassseeee, Mom!” about 12,398 times, even after you said no. Big A is that child. No matter how many times I say no, there’s always a, “Pleeeeeassse, Mom!” after it.
Every.Single.Time.
Today, I was bound and determined to have a day without the whiney ‘Please, Mom!’s’. My plan worked.
I feel like friggin’ SuperMom right now. Bow to my greatness, all of you!
OK--Really, people have been doing this for years, but I decided to give it a try.
I went to the ATM and withdrew $100, handed it to Big A, and told her that’s all she gets for the day. She asked, “If I run out, will you pay?” My response was, “No. That’s it. When it’s gone, it’s gone. You’re done shopping." I only required that she bought at least 2 pairs of pants, the rest can be spent on whatever she wants, as long as it can be worn to school. Of course, the child was in heaven. She’s thinking she’s got the jackpot in her hand. I could see the dollar signs roll into her eyes like a slot machine.
Our first stop was Old Navy. They have great jeans for kids, and Big A is a tricky kid to buy jeans for. I have to buy her slim sizes because regulars are too big. Old Navy has kids’ jeans $30 for 2 pairs, so that’s where we went! When we finished there, we headed for the mall. I was tempted to stick to big-box department stores since they’re cheaper. In the end, I decided to try the mall anyway.
We went to no less than 10 stores while we were there. Usually after about the second or third store, the whiney mutant comes out, but Big A was on a mission. She had seventy dollars to spend! We actually had fun shopping instead of arguing over what she could and couldn’t buy. There were multiple times she debated over certain items and ultimately put them back on the rack because the price wasn’t low enough for her. At one point, she saw a pair of high tops she just had to have in a store window. We went in to check out the price and they were $54.99. She shrugged her shoulders and said, “I only have fifty dollars left,” then turned and walked out. I am so glad, too. Those were probably the ugliest shoes I had ever seen in my life!
At the end of the day, she ended up with 7 shirts, 2 pairs of pants, and less than a dollar in change. She spent every dollar and learned how to make good decisions with money along the way.
Let me preface this story by shedding a little bit of light on her ‘style’ situation. I can’t say that she doesn’t have a sense of style, because most of the time she picks out cute stuff. It’s when she tries to pair up outfits that makes me cringe. As far as her taste goes, she's inconsistent and it DRIVES ME CRAZY! She will wear the heck out of a shirt with hearts on it, but she won’t wear the jeans with hearts embroidered on them, and loves the jeans with butterflies on them. She picked out tennis shoes that were black and pink last week when we were shopping. Today, I found a pair almost identical to last week's pair, and she said they were ugly. Fickle. The child is fickle.
Any of you with a child of any age knows that when they see something they want, they turn into some kind of whiney mutant with a high-pitched voice that says, “Pleeeeaaaassseeee, Mom!” about 12,398 times, even after you said no. Big A is that child. No matter how many times I say no, there’s always a, “Pleeeeeassse, Mom!” after it.
Every.Single.Time.
Today, I was bound and determined to have a day without the whiney ‘Please, Mom!’s’. My plan worked.
I feel like friggin’ SuperMom right now. Bow to my greatness, all of you!
OK--Really, people have been doing this for years, but I decided to give it a try.
I went to the ATM and withdrew $100, handed it to Big A, and told her that’s all she gets for the day. She asked, “If I run out, will you pay?” My response was, “No. That’s it. When it’s gone, it’s gone. You’re done shopping." I only required that she bought at least 2 pairs of pants, the rest can be spent on whatever she wants, as long as it can be worn to school. Of course, the child was in heaven. She’s thinking she’s got the jackpot in her hand. I could see the dollar signs roll into her eyes like a slot machine.
Our first stop was Old Navy. They have great jeans for kids, and Big A is a tricky kid to buy jeans for. I have to buy her slim sizes because regulars are too big. Old Navy has kids’ jeans $30 for 2 pairs, so that’s where we went! When we finished there, we headed for the mall. I was tempted to stick to big-box department stores since they’re cheaper. In the end, I decided to try the mall anyway.
We went to no less than 10 stores while we were there. Usually after about the second or third store, the whiney mutant comes out, but Big A was on a mission. She had seventy dollars to spend! We actually had fun shopping instead of arguing over what she could and couldn’t buy. There were multiple times she debated over certain items and ultimately put them back on the rack because the price wasn’t low enough for her. At one point, she saw a pair of high tops she just had to have in a store window. We went in to check out the price and they were $54.99. She shrugged her shoulders and said, “I only have fifty dollars left,” then turned and walked out. I am so glad, too. Those were probably the ugliest shoes I had ever seen in my life!
At the end of the day, she ended up with 7 shirts, 2 pairs of pants, and less than a dollar in change. She spent every dollar and learned how to make good decisions with money along the way.
Monday, July 16, 2012
Where Did Summer Break Go?
I feel like summer is just beginning, and really it is. Summer officially started only three weeks ago. Unfortunately for us (and the rest of our county) school starts in just 16 days! AAACK! I mean, seriously? Who came up with this school schedule? This is not at all the calendar that I voted for last year. From what I can tell, based on quite a few conversations with other parents in our school system, almost no one voted to start school on August 1st.
BOO! BOO, I say!
We live in Metro-Atlanta. It’s freakin’ 100ºF outside during the summertime! Last I checked, August is STILL summer. Our kids are going to roast on the school bus and during recess.
Whatever. I guess they ask the parents to vote on a school calendar to give us the illusion that our opinion counts.
__________________________
Stepping off soapbox now....
We have been staying busy since school got out. We had a week of Vacation Bible School, the girls and I visited my family for a week, we took a trip to Helen, GA. In between, we’ve had play dates, trips to the library, and trips to Six Flags White Water. Lots of fun!
I’ve been slacking from my blogging because, quite frankly, my kids come first. Sorry, readers. If I’m wrapped up in doing something with or for my kids, that’s what I’m focusing on. I do have some new things in mind for my blog. I’m working on a weekly (or bi-weekly) video segment that Big A and I will be doing together, as well as more DIY projects and tutorials. I can’t wait to share my new ideas with you.
Meanwhile, I’ve already become involved in a new and exciting thing!
I’ll be part of a group of blogs that will be reviewing books at the request of the authors, and sharing them with our followers. I am super excited about this! I love reading, so I am absolutely honored to be part of a wonderful project that my great friend Sage has put together! My first book review will be coming in about a month, so keep an eye out for it!
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Sage’s Blog Tours
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Book Review: Taste, by Kate Evangelista
I've had the privilege of being asked to review Taste by Kate Evangelista.
I love to read great books. One of my requirements of reading fiction is that the book pulls you into the world created by the author. If an author fails to do that within the first few chapters, the book is a dud for me. Kate Evangelista did a wonderful job of creating the scene and immediately submerging the reader into a unique setting--Brinkoff Academy. This school is unique in that its students are oblivious to the fact that they share the school with a terrifyingly beautiful race of students at night.
One of the day students, Phoenix, happens to break the one and only rule at Brinkoff Academy: no students on campus after curfew. This causes her to stumble upon a few of the night students. Now having found a secret within her school, Phoenix makes it her priority to find out more about these mysterious night students. Little does she know that her life is in danger every time she encounters one of them.
My first thought would have been that these students were vampires, but you can rest assured that this is not yet another book about a vulnerable girl falling in love with a vampire, sparkly or otherwise. It follows the latest trends in young adult literature, but is set apart by Evangelista’s new spin on a supernatural race. Actually, I would absolutely love to see more books featuring the characters in Taste. I definitely enjoyed reading this book and would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a good read. You can purchase it for your Kindle here.
I love to read great books. One of my requirements of reading fiction is that the book pulls you into the world created by the author. If an author fails to do that within the first few chapters, the book is a dud for me. Kate Evangelista did a wonderful job of creating the scene and immediately submerging the reader into a unique setting--Brinkoff Academy. This school is unique in that its students are oblivious to the fact that they share the school with a terrifyingly beautiful race of students at night.
One of the day students, Phoenix, happens to break the one and only rule at Brinkoff Academy: no students on campus after curfew. This causes her to stumble upon a few of the night students. Now having found a secret within her school, Phoenix makes it her priority to find out more about these mysterious night students. Little does she know that her life is in danger every time she encounters one of them.
My first thought would have been that these students were vampires, but you can rest assured that this is not yet another book about a vulnerable girl falling in love with a vampire, sparkly or otherwise. It follows the latest trends in young adult literature, but is set apart by Evangelista’s new spin on a supernatural race. Actually, I would absolutely love to see more books featuring the characters in Taste. I definitely enjoyed reading this book and would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a good read. You can purchase it for your Kindle here.
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