Before I Forget

I absolutely despise going grocery shopping and not having control over the coupons! Shopping with the girls right now is a nightmare but a necessity. Went to Publix today and I handed over a stack of coupons to the cashier, apologetically because the girls were fussing and I didn't have time to sort them out or remove the paper clips. She was a kind cashier, assured me it was all okay.

However, as I'm reviewing my receipt, I swear the competitor coupon I gave her was for $10 off of $50, but I see a $5 credit. Maybe I was wrong, and there's no way for me to tell now. I also had a coupon for the dog treats, B2G1 and the store was also running a BOGO, so I should have gotten two of them, no, three of them for free. Don't think that happened. I see strange vendor coupon credit amounts, but none match the dollar amount of the treats.

Oh well. In all, I saved 70% on my groceries today, paying $41.95 (not including tax) for value of $142.60. Too much money in my book, but still a decent amount to save considering I had fresh produce, CFL bulbs, and some meat. Yes, had a coupon for the meat and the bulbs, but not the produce.

Best Deals: Kraft Philadelpha Indulgence White Chocolate, which were 2/$4, and I had store coupon for $2/2 and also 2 $1/1 coupons... FREE! Also the Kraft Philadelphia Cooking Creme containers, 2/$4, and I had the $2/2 store coupon and $1/1 and $0.55/1... so, that was 2 for $0.45!
Also scored 4 bottles of Purell, 8oz for $0.50 with a competitor coupon $1/1 and manufacturer coupon $1/1.

My iffy purchases were the International Delight creamers which were BOGO $2.15 -- I couldn't find my MQ (manufacturer's coupon)s for $0.55/1, but I opted to just buy them anyway since the flavors sounded so good and they were working out to be $1.075 each. Found my coupons, by the way... sitting at home, on my desk, taunting me...

In all, 70% is nothing to be sad about... just wish I had more control over the coupons at checkout.

Posted by Karen at 01:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I'm thankful for the love in my life, for my wonderful family, and for our good health. Hoping everyone has a wonderful and filling Thanksgiving day. I'm pretty sure I will!

Made an apple cranberry pie tonight, which was supposed to be part of tomorrow's dessert, but it was so good only one small dish of it is left. Ha! We're having a pretty traditional meal tomorrow. Roasted turkey breast, stuffing, green bean casserole, a little bit of mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce (canned jellied and a dish of fresh cranberry sauce).... And rice, of course. I seem to have forgotten about the gravy though. Oops. I'm sure we'll manage to whip something up. Oh, and a pumpkin cheesecake. It all sounds good, but I can't wait to eat that stuffing. My favorite part of the meal!!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Posted by Karen at 12:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Well, there's another little peanut on the way!! We went to the doctor last week Tuesday. I took about 6 home pregnancy tests. A little overboard, but the first few were the Equate ones, and the line was faint. Anyway, once we got to the doctor, the nurse didn't make me pee in a cup, which I was astounded by. She took me to the ultrasound room and I was thinking, gee, I hope I really am pregnant, otherwise we're not gonna see anything!

But, once the doctor came in and started, the fears subsided somewhat. He did all kinds of measurements, and it wasn't until he said Congratulations was I relieved.

The estimated due date is June 15th.

I've been taking it easy, not wanting anything to cause a problem after last time. My workouts are pretty much done with. I'm too exhausted anyway, but am hoping to take Billy for a walk today to the grocery store. Exhaustion, nausea, bloating, indigestion.... welcome back! I welcome it all back if that means the baby will be healthy.

Now I need to dig the maternity clothes out and see what I can wear. Apparently after the first pregnancy you tend to show sooner.... my clothes are getting a bit too tight!

Posted by Karen at 11:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

We visited with Bill's estate planning attorney today. The days leading up this has been grueling because we had to think about what would happen if both of us died leaving Billy with no parents before he became an adult. I think we got it ironed out. So, I guess I have a will now. Woo.

Billy got another buzz cut the other night. Poor kid is sporting some rather short hair on his head, but he's still adorable!

Bill's dad had another surgery on Wednesday. I hear he is doing well, no feeding tube necessary. Looking forward to visiting with them again in a few days. We should be leaving for NY this weekend. We'll drop mutt off at their place, spend a few days there, and then traipse off to Cleveland for the flight to HAWAII. That deserves a Woo Hoo!.

Can't wait.

Posted by Karen at 01:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I was looking in the pantry for something for Billy to have for breakfast. I came up with applesauce and mixed fruit. But, Billy spied something WAY better. Mini Yakko arare.

Since there is no reasoning with him yet and denying him would only result in a massive shrieking fit, he got a little bowl with a little bit of arare. The entire time he was eating the tasty bits, he was expressing his pleasure, "mmm mmm mmm!!"

You have to hear and see him to appreciate this. We went to Friendly's the other night for a bite to eat, and he was VERY exuberant in his Mmm Mmm Mmm'ing. Kind of embarrassing, but so cute. At least he wasn't screaming and crying (at the moment).

So, there you go. Mini Yakko arare, the breakfast of little champions.

Posted by Karen at 10:07 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

We've heard of the saying that all roads lead to Rome. Yesterday I had a good laugh as I swiveled my chair away from my desk to get up, and saw this sight. The view is skewed, since I am obviously not in the chair anymore, but yes. In this house, all roads lead to Mommy!

Posted by Karen at 06:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It was two years ago my little peanut entered this crazy world. Then, he was all about the "uh huh, uh huh, uh huh". Now, it's all about "Yeah!", "No!", "Are you sure?", etc. He's very into animals (duck quack quack, horse neigh, sheep baa, bird tweet tweet!, dog woof woof), trucks, trains, bikes, rice, maui onion chips, mini yakko, apple or orange juice, Thomas the Tank Engine, Blue's Clues, crayons and coloring, building blocks, and shapes. He's a little OCD sometimes with putting toys away. He loves his Daddy and doggie. He loves to go swimming. He loves his books at bed and naptime.

Happy Birthday, Billy!

We had a little party here on Sunday. We were sad that Grandpa Bill was in the hospital and couldn't be here too. But, with the people here, we had a great time. It was slightly less stressful as last year, with fewer number of people. I was slightly less late in food prep. Hash brown potato casserole, ginger chicken, teri beef, shrimp skewers, rice, pasta salad, chinese chicken salad, fruits, cheese, crackers, chips, and dips. Of course, there was dessert too. That's always the best part. Birthday cake (always yummy from Publix), Peanut Butter Chocolate Cream Cheese pie, and Sensational Strawberry Dessert. All winners!! The casserole was a big hit too.

Billy had a blast with so many people around (Okay, whenever it's more than just me he is thrilled). He kept a close eye on the baby Damian to make sure he didn't get too comfortable in his little chair, played with the guests, entertained, went for a swim unintentionally ("Isn't anyone going to stop him??"), and basically had a great time. Thanks to everyone for celebrating with us!

Posted by Karen at 09:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Since we put the new hardwood floors in, we're very conscious of the rough nature of Billy's ride-on toys' wheels. So, I improvised...

This is my first attempt, which has worked wonderfully. I attached industrial strength velcro to the wheels and attached strips I cut from a bath rug I purchased for this task. Fabulous! And oh, so funny!

Posted by Karen at 12:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Recently, Billy has been doing some things that amuse me and surprise me. I posted previously about the deviousness of my child. Last night, he did something that made me laugh and then left me feeling a little strange. He had just finished his bath and I had him on the changing table for the nightly ritual of getting dressed, lotion, brushing teeth, etc. He is a "big boy" now and wanted to do the lotion himself. He's been struggling to get the bottle cap open, and he's now mastered that, but now he just can't figure out how to get the lotion out of the bottle (thank god). So, he's sitting there turning the bottle upside down and pressing it on his legs and arms. He's getting a little annoyed, and apparently I was too close to the bottle and he thought I was going to interfere. He grabbed my hand, pushed my hand away from him, and then pointed to the bathroom. He did this two or three times. I was amazed. He was trying to tell me to go away. Of course, the longer I sit here and think about it, the sadder it makes me. Ah well. It's inevitable, right?!

I bought this bottle of bubble bath from Target the other day. It's Thomas the Tank Engine berry-scented bubble bath, and it had a light up figurine that came with it. Totally cool!! You touch the sensors at the bottom, or put the sensors in water, and the lights inside turn on and makes for a glowy Thomas. It broke at the beginning of his second bath using the toy. Doesn't light up anymore. Awww!

Anyway, thank god Bill is coming home tonight. He's somewhere over the ocean, maybe around Hawaii by now, on the way to LAX. Finally. Those international trips are horrendous.

Have a great week...

Posted by Karen at 08:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Billy made me laugh twice yesterday because of the way his mind was working.

Continue reading "Mischievous Should Be His Middle Name" »

Posted by Karen at 02:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

So, I'm getting pretty darn irritated that Billy finds it fun to push the power button on my Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS). He's done it twice today. The spare TiVo is attached to it, along with my desktop computer and who knows what else.

Here's my solution. Let's see if it works.

Continue reading "No means NO!" »

Posted by Karen at 02:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I just realized something about the loss of my journal previously hosted by the evil-web-host.

I no longer have record of my pregnancy or the miscellaneous updates about what was going on with the baby.

I'm so sad. My last saved backup is from Feb 2006.

Posted by Karen at 05:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Thanksgiving holiday left me feeling quite blah. Just because I've been spending a LOT of time in front of the computer working, doing journal stuff, and shopping for deals... I'm feeling lethargic, overwhelmed, and frustrated. I developed an eyebrow twitch!

Continue reading "Blahdom and Twitchiness" »

Posted by Karen at 01:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Billy has been a little chatterbox. He says things like: Big Jet, Jet, There he is, Here (or there, can't really tell), Doggie, Hello, Hi There... But the funniest thing was said tonight...

Continue reading "Shi shi!" »

Posted by Karen at 12:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Cora forwarded this to me, and I love this. I haven't had the time to get the lyrics (lord, who has? there's a lot of lyrics here!), but I love this woman's song. Too funny.

And then, in the back of my mind, I'm singing, "Hurry up, hurry up, get the pig pig pigs". You'd understand if you had a little one watching Little Einsteins.

Continue reading "Great "Because" Video" »

Posted by Karen at 04:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)