Q

I have a new obsession. I can't believe I have gone so many years without using these really great tools. Seriously!!!!! How come no one has clued me in? I have tried off and on for a few years to save money on groceries by couponing. I am just not good at it. I would spend an hour or more on cutting coupons and making my list only just to blow almost my entire grocery budget on random items that didn't really equal to meals. So I've gone back to planning a menu based on the sale ads alone and have been consistently under budget since. I buy tons of fresh produce, things for food storage, and a few extras all while staying under my budget just on sales alone. I still use coupons on a good sale on things like cereal, snack items, etc. So on to my new obsession. I've signed up for several deal a day sites like groupon, screamin' daily deals, and more. I also started following a couple of blogs that are great at telling you where the really great deals are to be found online. I don't have to spend hours on these. The updates for the daily deals come to my e-mail, and if I like it then I can buy it. The blogs I view through google reader (which I love) and just few the posts that catch my interest. Here are a couple of examples of things I have purchased recently for Christmas:
**Two pair of rainboots for my kids from Kidorable for $12 shipped (the boots alone retail for $50)
**Lucky brand lounge pants shipped for $9 and some change (retail for around $45 I think?)
**Jarom is getting a really awesome birthday present. Something he has wanted to do for a very long time, but it's pricey. Well I got the package for 50% off so there you go.
**8 pair of baby legs for $19 shipped (these retail for $8-$10 per pair) I love, love baby legs!
**Two wristbands to Jungle Jims for $3 ($8.95 each normally)

So I got rainboots to give to the kids for Christmas, pajama pants for me, birthday present for Jarom, stash of baby gifts, entertainment for the kids. I could keep going. The point is that I am saving money on entertainment, gifts, and other everyday things. I am so tempted to take advantage of every deal, but I am only doing the ones that would be a part of our everyday expenditures anyways.

yAHOO!

Fall

To Mom & Dad

I have had this post rolling around in my head for awhile now but haven't had time to put it here. Again, I should be studying or taking care of my house, but it's Friday & I need a break. Since I started school I have been driving Jarom's car more frequently. Well, he likes to listen to talk radio so I have been getting my fair share of talk about politics and sports recently. I always come home very fired up after listening to the interviews and/or debates about certain issues that are happening around the country/world. A lot of them leave me thinking/worrying about the future for my children. Will they still have their freedoms that we have today? More specifically, freedom of religion, speech, etc, etc. What will they do if they have to go to school/work with children who come from an extreme Muslim background? I wish I could just put them in a bubble and protect them forever, but that's not really the purpose of bringing them into this world so....I worry about whether I am doing a good enough job in raising them and teaching them to send them out into the world and trust that they will make the right decisions. Will they choose good friends? Will they stand up for themselves when everyone around them is doing "it" whatever that may be? Will they be a good friend and example to those around them? Will they have strong testimonies? These are just a few things that I lose sleep over on a regular basis. It often leaves me wondering if my parents had these same concerns. Hopefully they are resting better now that we are all "grown up." Which also leads me to think about how great my parents are. I am not perfect by any means, and I have made my fair share of mistakes. But I feel like I've turned out pretty good, and I know that is partly/mostly due to how I was raised. So Thank You to my mom & dad for everything (not enough space or time to list them all) you have done for me and taught me the past 29 years!! I only hope I am doing half as great a job with my children. I love you!

Busy as a Bee

The weeks since I last posted have flown by. I have not had time to blog, and really, I should be studying or attending to my poor house right now. So here is a little about what everyone has been up to the past while.
Mya:She just turned 11 months so that means we are a few short weeks away from her first birthday. This year has gone by so fast, and I know that it's just going to go faster from here on out. Mya is such a sweet thing. We love having her in our family. She is not quite walking yet which is fine with me because she's busy enough as it is. Seriously, I know this is a busy age, but she never stops and always wants to be on the go. Just like her big brother. She loves loves to play outside. She loves to play in the dirt and is quite content to roam the yard exploring. This is the only time I wish she was walking--when we're outside. She likes to play at the park, dogs, other kids/people, swinging, jumping on the trampoline. She also likes to eat. And she likes to cuddle her dolls and stuffed animals. She gets so excited to see her favorite ones and just loves on them. She'll pat their backs and hold them up to her face. Love her...Oh and I must mention that she is a daddy's girl. She cries when he goes to work sometimes. And one more thing, she slept 9 hours straight two nights ago for the first time....ever. Last night was almost as good. She only woke up once after I went to bed so hopefully we are on the road to better sleep.

Jacob: He turned 4 the end of August. We had a birthday party with his friends which included craziness, sugar, and lots of friends amongst a few games and such. He wanted a dragon party so we had a dragon pinata and treats. I tried to do dragon type games, but the kids just wanted to run around the yard. We also took a trip to the zoo (Grandma & Grandpa Taylor joined us there), and we had a little family party at the park. Jarom did a fantastic job with the dragon cake (see facebook for a picture when I get it on there). Jacob has also started preschool. We are doing a co-op this year with a few of his favorite friends. It's been great so far. He loves going to his friends' houses each week to see what they will learn/talk about that day. I do have to say that I like age 4 better than 3 so far. He's really grown up the past couple of months, and I love it. I love to see his imagination run wild and boy does it! If you haven't been to our house to play animal kingdom yet you are missing out. While you are here you will have to go on his private tour of the backyard zoo and catch a lesson on why all of his animals are females. Oh and don't forget snipe hunting. He likes to get on pbskids.org and will spend a good hour on Dinosaur Train games, videos, etc. He really likes the field guide, and he knows more about different dinosaurs than I even knew existed. Jacob would love to tell you all about a carnitaurus or an eoraptor. He loves to be with his dad too working in the yard or wrestling downstairs. And bedtime is just not the same without a story from dad.

Jarom: We are so lucky to have him in our lives. He takes such good care of us. Like I mentioned before the kids adore him, and he's the best dad. He's been especially supportive of me as I've started school this past month. What a great guy! Oh and we celebrated our 6th anniversary September 11. Where does the time go?

I'm too lazy to post pictures here so look at them on facebook :)

What do you think?

We are tired at our house. Well, Jacob isn't, but the rest of us are. Jarom thinks we need to sleep train Mya. I am not a fan of letting her cry, and my excuse is that she shares a room with Jacob so we can't let her wake him up now that he is an awesome sleeper (it only took 3 years to turn him into a great sleeper:)).

So moms--what do you think of cry it out methods? What else have you done that helped your baby self soothe during the night?

Yesterday was a sad, sad day for the people in the state of California. Well, really for the United States of America. That judge single-handedly overruled the desire and opinion of over 7 million people. What a slap in the face! Aren't we a democracy? For the people, of the people, etc...UGH!!

yesterday

was one of those days. one of those days that starts too early and with me in a foggy, sleep-deprived sort of state. i tried to do fun things with my kids to help my attitude. we walked to the park, jacob had a playdate, we went to the aquarium, we went hiking up the canyon, we got custard at the custard shop. despite all of this, i still found myself short of patience throughout the day. all i wanted was some "me" time. i desperately wanted a break from my kids. sometimes i blog stalk in an attempt to escape what's going on around me. i came across this blog yesterday. the great thing about the blogosphere is that you get to hear these stories that are so inspiring and amazing. stories that you most likely would not otherwise hear about. this is one such story. in short, this mom has never been able to bring her little girl home. she has lived in a medical facility since birth. i cannot even imagine what that must be like. i take for granted that i get to snuggle my kids every day and night. yes, sometimes i just plain take my kids for granted. i am trying harder not to do that. i am working to find a balance so that i don't get that desperation for "me" time that leaves me feeling irritated and/or short of patience. i am doing the best i can. but i can always do better.