I just had the conversation that I’d like to limit H’s TV watching a bit more, I fear we may be creating some unappreciated habits. But for the moment, I just need a minute to sit and zone out. So, hot dog – hot dog, hot diggety dog we go.
To say that our lives have been nothing short of chaotic lately might be the understatement of the year. Husband has been faced with some “professional decisions” (prayers welcome), we purchased a rental house and have had numerous incidents of making visits or having family visitors. I must clarify, most of this chaos is the positive kind – the stuff that improves life and makes it worth living. But navigating chaos while keeping your sanity is a learned trait.
Just now my sister and her crew of 3 munchkins just left after an overnight visit. 5 kids (2 of them babies) vs. 2 moms requires some energy, even when the kids all get along and enjoy one another. Getting them through evening rituals of dinner, bath and bed – even when they enjoy all 3 aspects – can be a chore. It’s even more waring when you know you have a skillet cookie and knitting lessons awaiting. And your husband is nothing short of exhausted.
However, and I say it every time, it’s welcomed chaos. In the moments following the pandemonium – when the fam leaves and my kids have had such a good time they’re ready for a nap 30 minutes earlier – I know it’s worth it. To have family that makes a priority of creating memories, to have a lifestyle that is accommodating to mid-week visits, to have family that you enjoy spending time with – these are rich, rich blessings. I could want “normal” – when my kids stay home and play, I get a bit of work done on the computer, the house is organized and chores aren’t waiting. But that’s boring. And at the end of it all, what do I have to appreciate? Will I reflect on my life and be joyful over the moments of timely folded laundry? So, I may drag a bit today. The kids may be slightly out of sorts from reduced sleep and being out of routine. But give ’em a day or two. They’ll recover. And when they grow up, they won’t think back to their patterned days of nap time – I’m hoping they remember the times of sleepovers and adventures.
Month: February 2011 (Page 2 of 3)
Per the recommendation of my sister, I checked into Amazon’s subscribe and save to try to save on diapers and regularly purchased household items. We signed up for some pampers, but as I priced out the toiletpaper and dog food, it just didn’t match up to our local Kroger prices. Boo hiss, because we’re regularly running to the store at 9pm for dog food. But I’m talking about a significant price diff, so it’s just not worth it – not even with the extra 15% for the S’nS and another 15% as an “Amazon Mom” – I totally signed up for the free Prime shipping on all purchases for 3 months, with additional months by buying at least $25 in baby products each month. Easily attainable by diapers, I do believe. Amazon wins again.
So in my dry goods price comparison, I pulled up the weekly add for Kroger to confirm my hunch; on the recommendation from another friend, I put in my shopper card info and can download weekly coupons before I go to the store. No more dropping them or keeping them out of children’s reach! Or forgetting you have them all together! This, my friends, is a selling feature.
But with great privilege comes… disappointment. I went through all of the Kroger coupon options – and they’re all pretty good, I must say, but all for products I don’t normally buy. This might be a sign that perhaps I take my home-making to an obscene limit. There was a good deal on Tide, but I’m making my own detergent nowadays for much cheaper than what I would pay even with 5 coupons. Of course, they didn’t have a coupon for the brand of soap I use to make it. Hmph. We also buy very little in the way of crackers, cereal or chips (though it’s not habit for me to ban all foods that begin with “C”), all of which are the top coupon downloads.
You know what I couldn’t find a coupon for? Bananas and broccoli. Flour. Paprika. Blocks of cheese. These are the things that fill my cart, but apparently no one wants to offer secondary financial reward to being cheap.
So, I like the idea of loading up my coupons to go, and I believe I’ll continue to do so (if I remember). But My hopes have been dashed that I might ever reach the “150 coupon” downloaded coupon limit.
I walked into the bathroom to find H sharing a moment with Lion this morning:
Apparently, Lion had to go potty.
(Can you tell how we entertain him while we wait for the magical moment?)
“Lion, all done! Good job!” he said.
And then it was time for Lion to refill.