Mother's Day

It has been a busy, wonderful day!

Little Sis slept in until after 7:00 for the first time in two weeks, giving me my first gift of the day.

Big Sister's preschool choir sang in church, and I visited Sunday School classes to find sponsors for my remaining Compassion child packets.

We came home and my fantastic husband made pancakes, bacon and eggs for brunch.

Big Sister gave me some great artwork she made at school. Little Sister decorated a precious flower pot. I also had some beautiful gifts from my garden!


Everyone took a long afternoon nap. SO nice!

We went out to eat for dinner. We couldn't decide on Chinese, Italian, or Mexican, so we went to Applebee's. The fact that we had two coupons was also a deciding factor. (On a side note, Little Sister was obsessed with our server, Holly. All during the meal, she'd ask, "Where Holly go?")

After dinner we went somewhere I've been wanting to go as a family for a long time. I'll share pictures tomorrow! The girls were worn out and ready for bed when we got home, which is another gift in itself!

To my mom, my "other mothers," my grandma, and all of my mommy friends out there, Happy Mother's Day! I hope you too had a wonderful day. You deserve it!

Song for Sunday: All I can say is thank you, Mom

A Mother's Day
by Jim Brickman

Mom and Dad were reading in the den
Mom said, 'I'm gonna go to bed, it's late.'
She went to the kitchen to make three
School lunches another night in a mother's day.
Put the cereal bowls out for breakfast,
Set the coffee maker for 6:00am;
Sewed a loose button on brother's shirt for him;

Checked sister's math homework, sent a note to the teacher,
Added eggs to the grocery list;
Started a load of wash, made sure the doors were locked,
Put water in the puppy's dish;
Wrote a check to the children's piano teacher,
Turn the dishwasher on;
And Dad called out, 'Honey what's takin' you so long?'

Have I ever thanked you for everything you've done?
Now all that I can say is, 'I love you Mom.'

Hung some art on the refrigerator door and
Headed up the stairs;
Kissed all the children and helped Sister comb her
Wavy golden hair.
Washed her make-up off and turned on the bath;
Lay down in the moon soft light
And kissed dad goodnight.

Have I ever thanked you for everything you've done?
Now all that I can say is, 'I love you Mom.'

Thank you for nursing me through all those colds and fevers;
Thank you for believin' in me when they were no other believers.

And it's never too late to say, 'I love you Mom.'

I DO love you, Mom! (and my "other mothers" too!) I'm late as usual getting something in the mail to you, but it doesn't mean I'm not thinking of and missing you today!

Probably too much excitement over coupons...

... but I don't care!

I just went to CVS (most non-24 hour stores start their Sunday sales on the Saturday evening before) and cleaned up.

I got Crest pro-health mouthwash and toothpaste, two (sticks?) of Right Guard deodorant for Hubs, Pantene shampoo and conditioner, aspirin, two boxes of Kellogg's cereal, a 12 pack of Cottonelle, Kotex (sorry for TMI) and Huggies diapers (yes, we still try to use cloth at home, but day cares in our state require disposables. Boo!) for a grand total of about $15 before tax. Plus I have $2 in Extra Care Bucks to use next time. My CVS receipts say that I saved $55. That's almost 80%.

Then I went to Publix and I got two big reusable bags full of groceries. I spent $33.95 and I saved $24.84. I would have done even better if I had gone earlier in the week, but instead I have a raincheck for some things for next time.

When I was in the store, I remembered that I needed butter. Since I hadn't planned ahead, I ended up rummaging through my coupons to see if I had any match ups. Two different ladies said something to me about how awesome they thought it was that I was using coupons and that they wished they could just get started. It blows my mind to think about NOT clipping coupons! I haven't paid for a tube of toothpaste in over a year. Sometimes, the store even pays ME to buy it! That alone is enough incentive to sit down with the Sunday paper and a pair of scissors while the girls watch Dinosaur Train.

My only reservation is from the way couponing sometimes directs my shopping choices. I buy the brands with the best deals sometimes, and it is a lot harder to find coupons for green or organic choices. But I am able to save a lot of money for my family as we try to pay off seminary and car loans. It's a hard balance, but the sense of accomplishment I feel when I get deals like today tells me I'm doing okay.

How about you? Do you coupon? What are your favorite stores, or tips, or savings sites?

Well rested children get to go to the zoo

She did it!

Little Sister went to sleep without fussing and slept through the night.

She still woke up early, but I went in once to remind her that the sun wasn't up, and then left her in her crib until it was time to get up. She wasn't happy, but quickly got over it when I finally came in and opened the curtains to let in the morning light.

Since neither of the girls had gone back to sleep, they were both a little crabby. BUT, this was the most rest they've gotten in at least three days, and I wanted to wear them out so they would nap well, so we decided to head to the zoo. Plus, on Wednesdays admission is just $1.

We had a great time!

And before you ask, it was Big Sister's idea to wear matching outfits.

We saw quite a few animals...

Some more up close than others...

(This capybara was one of the girls' favorites. He came right over to us. Some of the other moms were uneasy after they read it was a giant rodent. Guess their kids don't have hamsters. And guess who's kids (mine) are pretty much going to be asking Santa for the biggest hamster he can find?)

The prairie dog liked us a lot too. Can you see it trying to climb the glass? He was even jumping up in an effort to get to Big Sister and another little girl next to her.


The more I think about it, I wonder if the other little girl was sneaking it some food... oh well. Here's another cute little shot of our friend.

We waited for a while trying to see the cougar as it rested and chewed on a water bottle between some trees. As soon as all of the kids around us left, the big cat got up. He (she?) carried the bottle over to another (much closer) spot and started rolling around, wrestling with it- just like our Sophie or Keaton would do! We were by ourselves in a caboose-turned-observation-area taking in the magical moment.

Of course, there was a petting zoo. I don't know why they don't just call it a "goat farm." We got a little food for them and were immediately surrounded by the rude little guys. Except this one below. Big Sister still feels guilty because she didn't save him any food. We didn't see him until after the crowd of greedy goats dispersed.

Oh, yeah... there was a pig too.


I thought it was cute. Until it bit my arm!

It didn't hurt. (I'm remembering the moment in Babe when he first tries to be a sheepdog and "bites" a sheep. "Ya got any teeth in that mouth?") But it was GROSS. I had this crescent of mud & slobber & snot caked on my arm until we left the petting area and while we waited in a long line to wash our hands. Not the most glorious moment of the day, but definitely a memory!

As was this moment when the girls happened upon this African Crowned Crane.

As soon as anyone got close to the glass, he pecked!


Big Sister thought it was hilarious. But Little Sis was not so sure.

After we visited all of the animal exhibits, we rode the carousel and had a healthy snack of goldfish, hot dogs, and funnel cake. I know, mother of the year, right?

We stopped at the playground one more time before we loaded up the car. You know, just to be sure they were good and worn out...

And it worked! Both girls napped! And, as much as I hated it, I woke Little Sister after two hours so that she would sleep tonight. So far, so good...

More sleep woes

Little Sister will. not. sleep.

At. all.

Last night we put her to bed around 7:45. She FINALLY crashed at about 10. I lost track of how many times one of us went into the room to get her to stop-jumping-in-the-crib-and-lay-down-for-the-love-of-everything-holy!

And what's worse is that Big Sister is so freaked out by bad dreams that she would rather have a fussing Jumpy-McJumperson going strong for hours than be left alone to fend off the monsters.

And the Purple People Eaters. Yes, that was the inspiration for the drawing. She had heard that song in preschool a few times but never knew what they were singing, until her genius Mommy filled her in. Now, it is the stuff of nightmares. And ominous stories involving spiders and heroines who save the day by removing his lungs.

Yes, his lungs. Don't ask me how. I have no idea.

I couldn't make this stuff up.

So both children have been going to sleep at about the same time that I usually go to bed.

But the worst part is that Little Sister is still getting up early. In fact, this morning she decided that 6:30 was too late, and our little Early Bird was grabbing worms jumping in her crib before 6. I had told both girls that they would be staying in bed until after 7, no matter what. I offered Big Sis the option to go into the spare room, and I think she took it at some point. But NO ONE went back to sleep.

I remember something from my favorite sleep book that said that kids often wake too early from actually getting too little sleep, rather than too much. And that makes a lot of sense, because the other piece of the puzzle I haven't shared yet is Little Sister's new found addiction to three hour naps.

So we're sleep training here. Which means we're testing the limits of my sanity, and with all of my anxiety and hormonal woes of late, those limits are a little tenuous.

I put Little Sister in bed tonight right before 7 and right after she tossed a plate of pizza and strawberries on the floor. She actually went down without a fight.

But, heaven forbid I should get off that easily, Big Sis stepped in to fill the void. After special treatment (watching the same Angelina Ballerina movie we've seen ninety-two times this week and playing Pixie Hollow with Mommy) we got ready for bed. She whined the whole time. As soon as she leaned back against her pillow, she said, "I can't sleep." And then she said it again after tiptoeing out of her room & down the stairs.

I almost lost it.

I think every Mommy has a few things that push her buttons more than anything else. One of mine is sleep. I know how much it messes EVERYTHING up when my kids (or I, for pete's sake) don't get it. And I know how much work it is to get either one of my children to go back to sleep after having been abruptly awaken from what amounts to be a short catnap. So I hate when one has the potential to mess up the other's sleep.

It's a super anxious time for me because I feel powerless. I have no control over the situation. I have to try to make one child know that I mean business without upsetting her enough that she wakes up her sister. She holds all the cards.

I don't even like sharing the cards.

As I type this, all is quiet. I told Big Sis to count as high as she could, or name Disney Princesses, until she fell asleep. But I'm still waiting anxiously for Little Sister to wake up from what she has surely understood to be a nap. The sleep book says either don't go, or at least only "check & console."

Could make for a long night...

Any of you mommies out there have any advice?

Or Valium?

Nightmares

Big Sister has been having a rough time going to bed lately. She notices every shadow, every noise and every movement of the curtains (or the calendar, or whatever) as they are blown by the fan.

I think this is due in part to conversations with kids at school. We were at a birthday party this weekend, and one little girl kept talking about "zombies and werewolves." I must have looked a little shocked because her mother rolled her eyes and said, "Scooby Doo." I tried to tell Big Sis that at the end of every Scooby Doo episode, they find out that the zombie or werewolf is really just a crotchety old man, but she doesn't believe me.

We don't "doo" Scooby at our house, but that doesn't mean we are free from scary villians. The Princess & The Frog spooked Big Sister enough that she hasn't wanted to watch it again. And Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, and sometimes even Aladdin are too scary for her to watch by herself.

But there is another "monster" we've discussed lately. One about which Big Sis knew very little, until I opened by big mouth. And now, well, she thinks about it a lot. And draws pictures.

(warning: this is not a cute little drawing like the Earth Day fable... I'd hate for someone else to have nightmares!)

And she even sings a song.

Can you guess what it is?!

Song for Sunday: which one do you want to be?

Todd Agnew is one of the coolest guys I've ever met. I was thinking about him today as I watched person after person avoid eye contact with me as I stood by my Compassion display at church. When we worked for Student Life, he pitched Compassion so well, he made it so REAL, and he made our selfishness sound SO ridiculous, that I ran out of packets. I liked his songs before that night. I LOVE them after. This one is probably my favorite.

My Jesus
by Todd Agnew

Which Jesus do you follow?
Which Jesus do you serve?
If Ephesians says to imitate Christ,
Then why do you look so much like the world?

Cause my Jesus bled and died.
He spent His time with thieves and liars.
He loved the poor and accosted the arrogant.
So which one do you want to be?

Blessed are the poor in spirit
Or do we pray to be blessed with the wealth of this land?
Blessed are they that hunger and thirst for righteousness
Or do we ache for another taste of this world of shifting sand?

Cause my Jesus bled and died for my sins.
He spent His time with thieves and sluts and liars.
He loved the poor and accosted the rich.
So which one do you want to be?

Who is this that you follow,
This picture of the American dream?
If Jesus was here would you walk right by on the other side
or fall down and worship at His holy feet?

Pretty blue eyes and curly brown hair and a clear complexion
Is how you see Him as He dies for Your sins,
But the Word says He was battered and scarred
Or did you miss that part?
Sometimes I doubt we'd recognize Him.

Cause my Jesus bled and died.
He spent His time with thieves and the least of these.
He loved the poor and accosted the comfortable
So which one do you want to be?

Cause my Jesus would never be accepted in my church;
The blood and dirt on His feet might stain the carpet.
But He reaches for the hurting and despises the proud.
I think He'd prefer Beale St. to the stained glass crowd,
And I know that He can hear me if I cry out loud.

I want to be like my Jesus!

Not a posterchild for American prosperity, but like my Jesus
You see I'm tired of living for success and popularity
I want to be like my Jesus but I'm not sure what that means
to be like You Jesus
Cause You said to live like You, love like You
but then You died for me

Can I be like You Jesus?
I want to be like you Jesus!
I want to be like my Jesus!