Linton's Enchanted Garden

A trip to Linton's Enchanted Gardens. It's an enormous nursery and garden store and also have lots of home decor and gifts. What we didn't know is that they have a free petting zoo! Minutes from our house. Very, very cool place. We've never been there and just happen to be next door so the kids and I stopped. We will definitely go back. If it were up to Riley - we would have never left! He was ready to bring the miniature pony home - he said it could sleep in his bed and play with our dog. Maybe for Christmas Riley...

Two Down...

Today I tackled two of the items on my list (I know! It's not even July yet!). I have to give lots of credit to Simple Mom because I got both of my 'solutions' from her!

Which two items am I able to now cross off the list? First down is the daily routine. I basically stole the daily routine from this post and tweaked it a little to make it my own. It is flexible enough that I really think it will work well for us - but will still give me a guideline each day that I'm looking for.

Second item down was the family budget!! This really wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. I went to Pear Budget and signed up for the free trial. The website walked me through everything and was SO simple to use.

Ah, I'm starting to like this feeling of accomplishment...:-)

* On a side note, last night Riley was 'helping' us fold laundry. Once we were finished, Jeff said, "Thanks bubb!" How does Riley respond? "It's all part of the job." WHAT?? I thought we would die laughing. Where the heck does he get this stuff??

We had an exciting and spontaneous visit to a petting zoo today...hope to post about it tomorrow!

Let's Get It Started...And Then Maybe Finish It

Hi, my name is Bethany and I'm a starter.

Hi Bethany!

I have a very bad habit of starting things and then never really finish them. For example, right now I am reading 5 books. I have them scattered all over the house, primarily in our two bathrooms (because really, where else am I going to get peace a quiet?) Another example? My husband and I have been married for almost 6 years and I still haven't finished our wedding scrapbook. It's not like I have stacks and stacks of pictures to still put in it. No, the pictures are all in there. What haven't I finished yet? The journaling on the very last page. That's it. I know what I want it to say, but I haven't finished it because I want the perfect paper, font, spacing, etc.

I read recently that starting things and not finishing them is a sign of a perfectionist. This makes me laugh because when I think of a perfectionist I think Martha Stewart - and Martha I am NOT! But the explanation made sense. It said something to the effect of, "We start things but are so afraid of failure or not doing it 'just right' that we just keep putting it off until we have time to do it 'perfectly'". Huh. So I'm starting a challenge. I'm going to make a list of ten things I've started and haven't finished and then finish them by the end of July. I will not start any new books, new craft projects, etc. until the list is finished! I'll be updating my blog with my progress...see the side bar for my list of projects to do!

Have anything you would like to finish? Join my challenge!

My Son...

• Has many imaginary pets which include: a rabbit named Harvey, a dog named Carrot, and a cat named Dat. This is in addition to all his stuffed animals: Hippo, D-Dog, Tiger the Lion, Giraffe, and B-Bear.
• Has mastered potty training and EVERYTIME he poops I hear him yelling from the bathroom, "Mommy! Come here! I have a surprise for you!" he then tells me to close my eyes really tight and slides his naked butt cheeks off the toilet to show me the surprise...you guessed it - poop. EVERY SINGLE TIME.
  
• Frequently has me tie Brenna's pink blanket around his neck so he can be a super hero, then follows me around the house saying, "Do you need help?"
  
• Can talk like a pirate.
• Is determined to one day catch our cat and carry her. He caught her once and 'carried' her with his hands wrapped around her neck. She's become a little faster since that's happened.
  
• Will lean back against his plastic kiddie pool and sigh, saying, "Aahhh, this is nice"
• Adores his sister until she touches his trains, then all hell breaks loose.
• Has no qualms about walking around naked when our windows are open. I have no idea where he gets that *ahem*
• Plays an imaginary tuba
• Is just simply the greatest thing since sliced bread.
  

Today I ...

• Was stood up for an appointment
  
• Got a flat tire
  
• Changed the flat tire in 90 degree weather, heels and a skirt
• Was hung up on twice
• Lost my patience with Riley more than once
• Forgot to go to the library and will have a million dollars in overdue fees
  
• Still have a to-do list a mile long

But I also...

• Snuggled with both kids in bed for an hour this morning watching Seasame Street
• Listened to Brenna squeal while watching the fish at the pet store
• Didn't have to cook dinner
• And I also found this

It's been a good day.

Menu Plan Monday

This week it will be:

Monday - Garlic Chicken and Mushrooms
Tuesday - Chicken Stir Fry
Wednesday - Crock Pot Chicken Stew
Thursday - Turkey Burgers
Friday - Pizza

I learned a trick from Simple Mom. I used Google Calendar (I used this anyway for my personal schedule) and made a calendar specifically for menu planning. I picked 14 recipes that we normally have and added them as events for the next two weeks - then edited the event to repeat every other week! So a month's worth of menus done in a snap!

Check out Simple Mom's blog...it's quickly become one of my favorites! Then hop over to Org Junkie's website for more menu ideas!

Anything that makes life easier...

I recently picked up the Purex Complete 3-in-1 Laundry Sheets to give them a whirl. (They were on sale and I had a sweet coupon!). The verdict? I give it an A!


The Pros:

• One sheet really does do everything - even though they only come with 20 sheets it still works out to be cheaper than buying detergent, softener and dryer sheets.


• They smell good!



• They did a good job of cleaning and softening our clothes. I was worried - I thought it wouldn't do the trick on getting out all the little boy and baby messes we have. But the clothes were really clean!

The Cons:

• It doesn't smell quite as good as Gain...my previous favorite.


• There is no way to break them up to do a smaller load. This is a minor thing for me though. With the four of us, when do we NOT have a full load of laundry?

They retail for $5.99 for a 20 sheet starter set. There was a $2 coupon in the paper last Sunday. You can also get a coupon for them here. Purex also will donate $1 to a female entrepreneur to help her bring her family out of poverty. I'm helping Dexie - donated $3 already. :-)

Purex Changes Lives Widget

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"Five Buck Club"

A friend recently told me about the "Five Buck Club" with Kerasotes Theaters. If you go to their website, on the left there is a button for the "Five Buck Club". Sign up (it's free), and every week they will send you an email telling you which movies are now in the "Five Buck Club". Take your card to the theater and see a movie for just $5! Now that's a bargain!

Now if only we could find a babysitter for $5...

These are the Days...

Today Brenna is teething and VERY grouchy. Riley is being demanding and needy. The dog is driving me crazy. The sink is full of dishes and the chair is full of laundry that needs folded and put away. I'm having a hard time feeling grateful right now. Thankfully there are people out there who always seem to have the best outlook on life and someone else who always knows just what I need to hear when I need to hear it. Check out the below post. :-)

http://www.jessicasprague.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=979:making-days-to-remember&catid=69:jscom-articles&Itemid=147#comments

Reading is hot...

I've always enjoyed reading and have tried to indulge myself a little more lately. There is a new Barnes and Noble in Mishawaka that I could spend HOURS in - it's a good thing that it's 45 minutes away, otherwise we'd be there a lot more! Trips to Barnes and Noble are a special treat for myself. I don't take anyone else with me - it's just "me" time.

Back in November, a group of friends and I started a 'book club' of sorts. It orignally started so we could have an excuse to get together and discuss all the Twilight books in detail (yes, we are "Twi-hard" dorks! Some of them are much bigger dorks than I am....) But this past month we finished the Twilight series and decided to move on. We drew a name to see who would pick the next book. The next book chosen? Angels and Demons. I'm glad this was chosen because I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have read it otherwise! I'm almost finished - about 100 pages to go - and I can't believe how well it is written. I've been on the edge of my seat for 600 pages and have even gasped out loud a few times. Very suspensful! I've been trying to find a book to suggest for next month, just in case my name is drawn. I have a few ideas but I'm curious...anyone out there have a suggestion??

11 Months

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Practice a NON-random act of kindness

The below article is a post directly from the blog The Happiness Project. I thought it was really interesting and hope you enjoy it as well!

A while back, I posted about Happiness Myth #7: Doing “random acts of kindness” brings happiness. I wasn’t arguing that acts of kindness wouldn’t make you happy, but only that those acts shouldn’t be random. Random, unpredictable kindness makes people puzzled and suspicious, but purposeful kindness is exhilarating. Non-random doesn't mean that you have to know the people involved; it just means that they have to understand the context of your behavior.
For example, I was talking about this myth on a radio show, and the host recounted that he’d once been stopped on the street by a large man who announced, “I’m giving away free hugs!” and hugged him. This hug, though free and a quite random act of kindness, was not appreciated.
On the other hand, a friend told me a wonderful story about a non-random act of kindness she’d performed. On April 15 a few years ago, she was standing in a post office crowded with people who needed to mail their tax returns. There was a huge line in front of the one machine that dispensed stamps.
When my friend’s turn finally came, instead of buying the minimum number of stamps, she bought $20 worth. Then she went along the line of people behind her, handing each person as many stamps as needed, until she ran out.
The people who got the free stamps were ecstatic – and even the people who didn’t get the free stamps were ecstatic, because the long, slow line got so much shorter so quickly. Everyone was surprised, excited, and laughing.
It makes me so happy to think about this moment! For $20, my friend transformed a miserable taxpaying visit to the post office into a moment of elevation – not just for herself, but for the strangers in line with her. And for me, too.
It reminds me of Henri-Frederic Amiel’s exhortation: “Life’s short and we never have enough time for the hearts of those who travel the way with us. O, be swift to love! Make haste to be kind.”
As the Second Splendid Truth sets out:
One of the best ways to make yourself happy is to make other people happy;One of the best ways to make other people happy is to be happy yourself.
A non-random act of kindness is a great way to put Splendid Truth 2A into practice. Have you ever done (or received) a non-random act of kindness that made you very happy?

Grab some tissues and watch...

http://www.mysanantonio.com/videos/en/?bctid=25329763001

Wordless Wednesday : Splashin'

I always end up almost as wet as they are after bathtime. They love splashin'!

The Challenge

I'm in love with blogs. I follow about 20 of them right now and my list just keeps getting longer and longer. (I just added two yesterday! Thank you Google Reader!) A few of them that I read are "frugal" blogs. I like to think that the money saving tips are soaking in without me having to make too much extra effort. I am fascinated with budgeting - and by fascinated I mean I like the idea of it but I'm not sure how it's relevant to me - kind of like knowing how to hand wash dishes or fold underwear. But I recently found myself BUDGETING. It snuck up on me...here's how.

I was reading about how Rachel spends $40 a week on groceries. The idea of only spending $40 a week at the grocery store intrigued me! So I thought, "If she can do it - so can I!" Never mind the fact that she is buying just for herself, her husband, and a small dog...while I have two additional mouths, a Lab/Horse named Lucy and a cat. But still! It seems like a reasonable amount and my two additional mouths are very, very small. So I broke it down like this:

Normally we spend around $100/week on groceries. This includes diapers, toilet paper, cleaner, etc. So instead of having the blanket $100 a week - I'll spend $40 a week ($160 a month) on food and a total of $100 a month on the miscellaneous stuff, including clothes and eating out.

So how am I doing? Well...

As of this morning we have spent $93.10 on groceries and $228.41 on miscellaneous. And it's the 8th. I still have 22 days to go! What the heck! I've blown the miscellaneous budget for this month (diapers for both kids, much needed clothes for my incredible shrinking husband and three dinners out...we normally don't eat out that much!) But I wonder if I could finish out the month with spending only $160 in groceries?!??! That's about $20/week...

Looks like I need to start paying extra attention to those frugal blogs!

My Big, Silly, Stinky Boy

Riley has nearly mastered potty training! We're still having issues with #2, but he's doing really, really well with it! What's our secret? Reverse bribery.

Before we kept telling him that if he went in the toilet, he'd get a new train. Since he already has so many he could have cared less! So we started taking away trains if he went in his pull-up (2 trains for #1, 1 train for #2) Worked like a charm! He can earn them back and hasn't had a train taken in two days! He has become strangely obsessed with his testicles (in our house, we refer to them as the politically correct term, "your junk"). I know it's just him exploring, but I'm finding things coming out of my mouth that I never imagined I would say, like:

"Riley leave your junk alone."
(and my personal favorite) "Don't wipe your junk on the shower curtain."

Seriously.

The interest is starting to fade - his junk is losing it's allure. For now.