Last Christmas

Sometimes disappointment can be a wonderful thing.  Sometimes what causes that disappointment can provide better things.  John Dirkse taught me that, in a way.

In 2000, Christmas Eve was on a sunday.  Faith was going to have a big service, with the choir doing several songs, and the worship team leading the rest of the singing. 

That meant I'd be in Spokane for Christmas instead of Quincy. I figured I'd just sing and then spend the holiday with the McKannas.  Even though we weren't really dating anymore, I was still close to Terry's family, and his sister that I was closest to was going to be home for Christmas.

It wasn't until John made his decisions that my plans changed.

John decided that at the Christmas Eve service, he only wanted one of the two altos on worship team to sing.  And that alto was not me. 

I was surpirsed, and probably a bit hurt.  That meant that all I'd be doing at the Christmas Eve service was singing in the choir.  That choir had a ton of good altos; my voice in the middle of the crowd wasn't going to change anything.

I also had tried out for a solo that year.  I never had tried out before; I don't know what made me do it that year, except I figured if I'd made worship team, I must have a decent voice.  I remember not even being sure I wanted to, but I did.  And did not get the solo.  Another decision John made that, in retrospect, was God-ordained.

So I decided not to sing that year.

John tried to talk me out of not participating.  I explained that our family always had Christmas Eve with my mom's family and Christmas day with my dad's.  Even just staying for church and then driving to Quincy would mean I'd miss most of the day with mom.

I went with mom to Quincy on the 23rd.  During the drive there we talked about David, sang christmas songs, probably talked about Dr. Berndt retiring.....I just remember being with her.  And enjoying it.

Six weeks later, she was in a hospital bed that she would never leave.

What if John had let me sing??  I would've missed mom's last Christmas.

Expectation

Amy and Andre came over last night for a couple of hours, and while we were talking, Andre asked how I was enjoying being back.  I said it was great, and he asked what was different this time.

Fair question, I suppose. 

Last time, I expected not to like it here.

I didn't want to move here.  I wanted to be in Arizona.  This was just a bump in the road because there were no jobs available in Tucson.  Someone had told me it was yucky, and that's what I saw once we got here.  A yucky place that wasn't Arizona.

This time, I expect that I will like it here, because I know what to anticipate.

Two words in that sentence are key:  I Know.

I know that there are not-nice areas of town.  I know that the roads will make you seasick.  I know that it can be cold and windy one moment, sunny and warm the next.  I know that my face will be so dry in the winter that my skin will peel off in sheets. I know that there will be things that I won't like about being here.

But I also know that I expect to like it this time, because I can focus on all the good things about living here.

That's the difference- my expectations.

First New-House Project

This was what I wanted to do in our new house.  Thank you, Pinterest, for filling my mind with visions of perfection that I will never attain.  But anyway...

I found some gorgeous framed bulletin boards at Hobby Lobby.  And they were 50% off.  So they came home with me and I started laying them out where I wanted them. 

My wall is not as long as I imagined. 

The frames were two inches too long for the wall.  I tried staggering them, but the symmetry in this picture wouldn't allow me to have everything off-center like that, especially since there were four frames.  Five, I might've been able to handle.  Not four.  The peanut gallery -- that would be David-- might have rolled their eyes and huffed away in disgust that I couldn't just live with non-symmetry.

Back to Hob Lob, minus small people this time.  I walked every aisle, looked at every bulletin board, frame, mirror, and picture.  I took pictures.  I considered pretending I only had three kids so my original frames would work.

After I found my initial beyond-awesome frames, I went down the wall hook aisle.  The troops were getting restless by this point, so I couldn't browse for long.  But the door knobs and drawer pulls in the same spot grabbed my attention.  Hmmm, I also have a Pin about using drawer knobs as wall hooks in an entryway....

So this is what I ended up with. Not really even close to the original inspiration, and probably girlier than the boys will like in coming years. 

Aren't the knobs pretty? 

 

 

We had trouble with two of them because they were smaller than the rest, but it finally worked.

With about 17 holes drilled in the walls, I sure hope these things work for awhile.  I'm going to paint this area of the house at some point, so if I end up hating it, I can fill everything in before we repaint.  And keep my eyes open for tall, skinny framed bulletin boards.

This is the road that never ends....it just goes on and on, my friends...

This trip was not fun.  Not awful, but not fun. 

The first day we were supposed to drive to Bozeman.  Thanks to both stops taking longer than expected, we hit Idaho just as it was getting dark.

I hate driving in the dark.

Snoqualmie Pass had all sorts of weather advisories.  There was nothing.  A hint of snow on the sides of the road- that was it.

Lookout Pass- that was the one we should've been worried about.

Dark.  Foggy. Snow blowing sideways.  Semi trucks parked halfway in the right lane and halfway on the shoulder chaining up.  Dark. 

It was not enjoyable.

A few miles after the pass, we stopped for gas.  I had decided in the car that we just needed to stop in Missoula.  I was tired and having trouble staying awake.  We still had four hours until Bozeman, and I knew I wouldn't make it.

David and Andre talked me out of it- actually, that's not right.  They just both said no, let's keep going.  I left the gas station crying because I knew I wasn't going to make it four more hours.

A mile or two after the gas station, a tire blew on one of the trucks.  I took all four kids and Hank and drove the hour to Missoula.  David and Andre stayed with the trucks.  Mandy-the-travel-agent got us hotel rooms, and I called the guys to tell them where we were.

WHAT did people do without cellphones and internet?????

When I was packing the stuff we were taking in the cars, I initially packed a bag for me and Hope, one for the twins, and one for Daniel.  For some reason I decided to repack by night- all our stuff in one laundry basket for Tuesday night, one for Wednesday night. 

That move saved my butt.

I had to get four kids, all our stuff, a sleeping bag, a dog and his stuff, into a hotel room by  myself.  At 10pm when everyone was beyond tired.  After we got to the room, I got everyone in their jammies and into bed. 

I made Hope supervise the room and went back out to the car to get some of Hank's stuff that I couldn't find at first.  Then I had to go back and get Hank and take him out to walk.  Then the poor little dog got a drink of water and a bit of food- I couldn't let him have much of anything because I knew he wasn't going to get to go out again until morning. 

This trip will be easier in three years when the kids are a bit more capable of helping out.  Although I will say that Joel was very helpful in carrying stuff in, and fairly cooperative even.

After several calls and texts that allowed me only to nap instead of actually sleep, David and Andre finally got to the hotel at 2:30am.  Poor guys- I bet the last thing they wanted to do was get up at 7:30 and drive for another day.

After that night though, things went smoothly.  Again, Mandy played travel agent and found us a place somewhere in South Dakota. We didn't get there until 11:30 that night. 

I've realized that planning a trip where I will be driving means taking into account when sunset is.  I was fine driving all day.  In fact, I was in the lead and was so intent on just driving that we didn't even stop for meals until a very late dinner. 

Once it was dark, though, I started nodding off.  Even though it was only seven o'clock.  Sunset = bedtime:)

Thursday was much the same.  Drove all day.  Got here at 11:30.  The kids got out of the cars and were running all over the yard.  The neighbors are going to hate us before we've even moved in.

Here We Go Again

Time to sell another house. 

I do not like getting houses ready to sell.  This is the third house in six and a half years that we've sold.  And this one was the worst.  It needed LOTS of touch-up paint.  I washed all the walls, repainted a bunch, David shampooed all the carpet downstairs.  We re-stained both porches.  There was a long list of things that needed fixed; some were crossed off, some were ignored.

Our realtor told us the house would sell for asking price and it would go quick.  I didn't believe her.  I wanted to, but I didn't.

I think she might know what she's talking about.

When we sold our Spokane house, I remember being so disappointed after it had been on the market three days and hadn't sold. 

When we sold our Rockford house, I knew it would take awhile and prayed so often for it to sell.  It took 4 months to finally close, even though there had been an offer on it after 2 weeks.  Not too bad when you consider that the house behind our Rockford house has been on the market for about 4 years.

This house- Oh, I hoped it would sell before we left.  Again, I just dreaded leaving without it sold because there would be so much unknown.  Our realtor helped calm a bunch of the worries, but I still was nervous.

When I bought this house, it had been on the market for over a year.  It was the only house on the block that hadn't sold.  I was afraid, especially with the unimprovements on the other side of the fence, that it would take another year to sell.

Three days.  It took three days for the first offer to come in.  It took two more days for the next two offers to come in. 

We're still in the middle of the 'keep-the-house-immaculately-clean-and-leave-at-the-drop-of-a-hat-so-people-can-look-at-the-house', but it's a bit less irritating when we know that the house will sell, and each person that looks at it might have to make a better competing offer if they're interested. 

I'm probably one of the few people in the real estate market who wishes people would quit calling me wanting to look at the house.

I Win

Earlier today, Joel and Naomi were playing Uno.  He didn't win, and to show his frustration, he threw the entire deck of cards across the room. 

I asked him twice to pick them up, and he said there were too many and he couldn't do it.

I really wanted to nag him. 
I really wanted to remind him to pick them up.
I wanted to threaten.  I wanted to bargain.
But I kept my mouth shut.

Score at least one point right there.

At lunch time, I told the kids to come to the table for lunch.  When Joel got there, he saw that there were only two plates: one for Daniel, one for Naomi. 

"As soon as the cards are picked up, you can eat."

Crying ensued.

"If you aren't going to eat lunch, then it's naptime."

Getting him to go to bed involved getting out the spoon, but he went to bed and laid there for five minutes crying.

Then I saw a little body come around the corner, bend down, and start picking up cards.

Score another battle for me.

We Need To Talk About Joel

I just finished reading "We need to talk about Kevin". It's a book about the mother of a teenager who killed a bunch of people at his junior high, a la Columbine. Not a true story, but based on a composite of many middle school murderers.

I didn't even know what it was about when I reserved it; it was just recommended as a good book. But not too many pages into it, Kevin as a small child started to seem terribly familiar...

impossible to discipline, because nothing seems to phase him...

argumentative, simply for the sake of causing conflict...

a loner, because nobody wants to be friends with the troublemaker...

destroys things in his house out of maliciousness, just to see how mad his mother will get....

only obeys when his mother has reached the point of physically harming him (and later tells his mother he was 'proud of her' for standing up to him when she threw him across a room and caused a compound fracture of his arm)...

his sibling gets hurt when they play together...

behaves well around his father, but acts out when mom is the only parent around...

a mother who is at such odds with her son all the time that she grows to dislike him, suspect him, and turn him against her...

I don't think Joel is going to grow up to be a murderer, but I do worry that Naomi or Daniel will be the victim of Joel's thoughtlessness. He simply doesn't think about how his actions will end.

And how many times has he told me he was going to kill someone....

The author of the book has said that reviews of her book fall into one of two categories: people who think the son is inherently evil, and people who think the mother drove her son to become a monster.

I'm in the first group.

Joel has more normal emotional responses to me than Kevin has to him mom, but I know how it feels to have a child that there is Just Something Wrong With.

No one believes me. The child psych says he won't diagnose him because 'you didn't say he was getting worse', and dad says "he's a boy", but there is something wrong with Joel. I know other boys. I have other boys. He's not "just a boy".

Anyone who thinks differently needs to spend more time with him.

And reading that book makes me hope the people spending more time with him won't be prison guards.

Growing Up

Tonight I was laying in bed with Daniel trying to get him to go to sleep.  He was playing with my hair, rubbing my cheek, and patting my shoulder.  As I felt his puffy little fat hands, it broke my heart to realize that in the blink of an eye, those hands will be holding some other female's hand, or holding his child's hand.  I hate that my babies have to grow up.

Duplicate Puppers

A couple of years ago, Joel lost Puppers.  We bought a replacement on Ebay, and then about a month later, the old Puppers showed up.  So new Pup went into the top of the closet.

I was going through Joel's too-big clothes yesterday and new Puppers fell off one of the boxes.  Joel walked in and saw him, without realizing it wasn't the real Pup.  He picked the dog up and started to hug him, but then he looked at it and realized something was wrong.  In a most horrified voice, he yelled, "wait, this isn't Puppers.....WHAT IS THIS?!?!?"  It was hilarious.  The poor little boy was SO confused- he threw the dog and ran out of the room.  I got him the real Puppers and explained why there were two, and then he was ok.  Now he has to have both of them- Puppers and Fuzzy Puppers. 

Celebrating Naomi!

I don't think we've ever done anything for Naomi's birthdays. Maybe Red Robin once?? But David suggested, since her birthday was on a Saturday this year, that we go downtown for the day. And since it was supposed to be sunny and close to 80 degrees, it sounded like a good plan. But she wanted to go to Chuck E Cheese instead. She was overruled on that one.

So first we went to Pike Place Market.

We watched 'em throw around the fish, looked at some of the art that people have for sale (pretty, but I'm not paying $125 for a little painting), and admired all the flowers.

Then we went down to the waterfront and walked around. The kids saw a bunch of boats and two cruise ships, went through the Curiosity Shop (not nearly as weird when you're little and can't read what all the bizarre stuff is), and went on the carousel. There is a new ferris wheel that is supposed to be like the London Eye that they wanted to go on, but it was ridiculously expensive. For David and the three musketeers, it was going to be $45. It goes around three times. Um, thanks anyway. I'll spend my $45 going up in the Space Needle where I can spend as much time as I want for the same (probably better) view. And I pointed out that they can go on a ferris wheel at the Grant County Fair for about five bucks.  No one seemed very happy about my observations.   

Lunch at Ivars was a given, even though Naomi doesn't love fish. Luckily, there is no Chuck E Cheese on the waterfront;) We had a great table the the end of the pier and we watched the ferries coming in and unloading. We decided that it might be fun for the kids to just take the ferry over and back, and they loved it. Daniel really enjoyed just watching the water.

See, there's the ferris wheel. Worth $45? I didn't think so. It should be out of business soon.

Then we walked back through the market, bought some really pretty wall flower vases for David's moms, and bought some flowers. If you're there already, or live close, you can't beat the flowers. I'd have fresh flowers every day if I lived nearby. I got this huge bouquet for $15. That's the most expensive ones- most of the arrangements are $10, and they have really nice bunches for $5. Actually, it's probably a good thing I don't live by the market- I'd go broke buying cheap flowers!

Then we came home, opened presents (books and a Barbie), and had cake and ice cream. And because Hope is not the nicest of siblings and doesn't play nicely unless the game is the way she wants it, Naomi and David are upstairs playing Barbie! Hope you enjoyed your birthday, Naomi Jill!

Sunday Shopping Wrap Up

So, six months of shopping at Walgreens and RiteAid....

Walgreens: saved 71.5%, on average

RiteAid: only saved about 57%, but the UP+ system is a bit easier to use.

In reality, I'll keep shopping at both stores.  It was fun to keep track of how much I saved and realize how much a 15-minute shopping trip once a week can make a difference in the amount of money we spend around this joint. 

Opposites Attract

It's funny, how  attitudes toward money seem to be inborn. Hope is SO much like David. If she has a dollar, she'd better find a way to spend that dollar. Saving is for sissies. Even though she really wants a DS, she still isn't willing to save her money to get one. Naomi- she's more my kid. She'll spend her money if Hope tells her she should buy something, but otherwise, she just doesn't much care.

Today Hope was bemoaning the fact that I won't let her take her allowance to the YMCA so she can buy a ridiculously overpriced bordering on highway robbery snack out of the vending machine.  From the back seat, I heard Naomi mutter, "I thought you wanted to buy a DS.  If you do, you need to save your money."  She's a smart kid, that Mimi.:)

Sunday Shopping

Walgreens:
No picture, because David took the camera camping with him.  Two Suave shampoos, 2 bags of Dumdum suckers for the munchkins.
Spent today: $1.17
Spent ytd: $158.54
Saved ytd: 532.67
Have : $2 RR

Read Book

David and the older three went camping this weekend, so it's just me and Daniel for a few days.  This morning when I woke up, I could hear him in his room crying and saying something, but I couldn't tell what.  When I went in there, he was reaching out to the toybox and saying "read book".  I grabbed a book for him and he plopped down in the pack-n-play and started looking at it.  I got some clothes out for him and put them on the changing table, and then I tried to get him out of the pack-n-play so I could change his diaper.  "No, want read book!"

Yesterday he accidentally pulled my hair, and when I said ouch, he said "torry" in his sweet little baby voice.  He's said a couple of other things this weekend that I've never heard him say before.  I wonder if he's been saying them all along and in the chaos I just haven't noticed, or he suddenly has a plethora of new words.  One of my faves is okay; he says it "ho-kaaay".

Bedtime

Every night at bedtime, I read Joel two books.  Tonight Naomi wanted to listen too, and I noticed Hope lingering by the door, so they all sat on the bed while I read.  Then Hope offered to read a book to the other two.  Since there just wasn't enough room for all of us to lay there (and since the book she was reading is one Joel loves and I hate), I laid at the foot of the bed while the three of them snuggled and listened to Hope read.

Joel has the stupid book memorized, so every time Hope would mess up, he'd correct her.  Finally he said, "if you need help reading it, I can help you."  Yeah right Joel, the 4-year-old who can't even recognize too many letters is going to tell the 9-year-old who has probably a 5th or 6th grade reading level how to read.  And then after a bit he leaned over to where I was, kissed my arm, and said "you're being very good lying there so quietly."  I wish he was this sweet all the time.

I took the kiddos to the dentist today.  While I was waiting for them to be called back, there were two teenage boys sitting in the waiting room.  I knew both of them but didn't say anything to either; I didn't figure they'd care to tell me all about their lives when they're not in a captive situation.  But then one of their moms came in and recognized me.  She said she missed seeing me last time she was in and asked if we were done with school- they homeschool too and she knew I didn't follow the public school schedule.  Then another patient came in and said hi to me- this patient was a puzzle to me at first, but finally I got her to where she'd talk pretty easily.

I went back with the kids to make sure they were all settled and behaving, and then I went back to the waiting room.  The homeschooling mom was still out there, and after a few minutes she asked if I was still working there.  I said I was just filling in some, and she said, "well, I hope you're filling in the next time I'm here".  I've had several other people say similar things on the days that I have been there. 

My goal in life is not to make a bunch of random people like me, but it's nice to know that, as unfriendly as I really am, I must do a pretty decent job of faking it.  Dr. Todd told me once that I was better with patients than I even knew- and I know I'm really good with them.  I think that might be something he was right about.

That Joel- he's a cute little demon...

I love to watch him talk. His puffy little lips and his lisp make a cute combo. And he enunciates things very dramatically. 

The other day we were at the store and I grabbed a bag of oyster crackers for Daniel because they're a good size for him and they're ubercheap.  Today Joel asked me if he could have some of Daniel's Easter crackers.  He also calls granola bars "gorilla bars".

Sunday Shopping

Again, due to a return, I got money back this week, hence the negative balance spent for today.

Spent today: - $9.30
Spent ytd: $204.69
Saved ytd: $438.22
Have: $5 UP+ and will get $10 rebate

Sunday Shopping

Walgreens:

Never went back last week, although I probably could've rolled the extra RRs.  Oh well.
Spent today: $9.30
Spent ytd: $157.37
Saved ytd: $ 522.57
Have :$5 RR

RiteAid:

Spent today: $44.95
Spent ytd: $213.99
Saved ytd: $363.63
Have $41UP+

Sunday Shopping

Walgreens: 

Why do they never order the stuff that they know is going to be in high demand?  The Omega vitamins that were free after RR- they had five.  In the whole store.  And they were hidden in a back office.  And the kids brainstrong stuff.  One.  And luckily, the nice lady who grabbed it and then saw me looking for them gave the box to me.  Grrr. I think I'll try to go back Friday after their next shipment comes in and buy another of each because they're free after RR, plus I have $3 and $4 coupons for them, but do I really want to try to roll $40 in RR? I'll have to ponder (and look at the next few ads).
Spent today: $15.85
Spent ytd: $148.07
Saved ytd: $486.29
Have: $20RR

RiteAid:

Spent today: $31.72
Spent ytd: $169.04
Saved ytd: $ 293.55
Have: $13UP+

Daniel's current favorite phrase:  no no goggie.  Walks around saying it.....all.the.live.long.day.  Even when the dog is nowhere in sight.  Poor Hank- he's going to get a complex.

How long before I panic?

You know how people say if your kids act up in public, just keep walking- they'll follow you because they're afraid of being left?

Not so much.

When we dropped Daniel off at the childcare before swimming lessons, Joel took off.  He often stands outside the classroom and just watches through the window, so I wasn't too worried, until he wasn't at the window.  But he'd just gone out to the lobby and was standing with Hope and Naomi.

After swimming lessons when we went to pick up Daniel, he took off again.  I figured he'd be out front, but he wasn't.  After looking all over and not finding him, I put the other three in the car and went back in to look for him.  Finally, I saw him walking out of the building, and when I asked him where he'd been, he said, "Looking fowa you, and dat wath WUDE of you to leave me!"

Little boy, you were the one who left, I don't see how I was rude.

And yes, I had a talk with him about not leaving a building if he ever gets lost again.

But from now on, he goes into the childcare center with me. 

Seriously, I don't see how shock collars for children is a bad idea.  But David keeps telling me I won't get away with putting one on him.  We'll just see......

Sunday Shopping

Walgreens:

Had to spend some RR, otherwise I wouldn't have gone this week.
Spent today: $0
Spent ytd: $132.22
Saved ytd: $452.02
Have $ 2 RR

RiteAid:

Spent today: $23.89
Spent ytd: $137.32
Saved ytd: $ 250.62
Have: $10 UP+

Attitude Adjustment......along with Sunday Shopping

I was in a MOOD when I left this morning. Mad. As. Heck. But at both stores, in addition to having everything I wanted in stock, something happened to bring my total down even further than planned. I was actually smiling by the time I drove home! Walgreens:

Spent today: $ .09
Spent ytd: $ 132.22
Saved ytd: $448.57
Have: $3.50 in RRs

RiteAid:

Spent today: $1.20
Spent ytd: $113.43
Saved ytd: $232.19
Have: $11 in UP+, plus will get a $3 rebate

Get Sleepy

At Joel's visit to the bad kid doc, we were advised to help him get more sleep.  The doctor said we could try drugging him with Benadryl, or chamomile tea.  The Benadryl really didn't seem to help much- some nights he'd be tired, others he'd still be awake for two hours after bedtime.  So I got some tea and told him he'd get to drink some before bed.  We tried it twice and he didn't like it either time- he'd only drink a sip or two.

So I put him to bed the other night and didn't bother giving him any.  After an hour or two, he showed up downstairs and said "You forgot to get me my coffee."  So the past couple nights, David and Joel have sat down at the table before bed and had their cups of "coffee".  I still don't think it helps, but he enjoys coffee time with his dad.

Sunday Shopping

Walgreens:

Spent today: $6.08
Spent ytd: $132.13
Saved ytd: $432.55
Have: $3 RR

RiteAid:

Spent today: $12.89
Spent ytd: $112.23
Saved ytd: $212.16
Have: $13 UP+

Rewarding Obedience

Daniel has figured out that he can open the doors on the buffet, and occasionally I catch him playing in there.  Tonight was one of those times.

I told him to shut the door.  He did, and I clapped and told him good job.

Fast forward five minutes, and he's into the cabinet again.  So I went over there to get him out of it.  As soon as he saw me, he grabbed my glasses that he'd taken out, put them back, and shut the door.  And waited........and then started clapping for himself when I didn't do it. 

I'll clap once for obeying.  But after that, I'm not going to reward you for being disobedient just so you can obey again.  Sorry kiddo, you're going to have to be your own cheering section for that one.

How to convince the new employee that her cash register is broken...aka, Sunday Shopping

Walgreens:
New Girl couldn't figure out why her register wouldn't total.  She called Grouchy Boy to look at it, who said "That is the total."  "All that!?!  For only three bucks??"  "Yep."

Spent today: $3.70
Spent ytd: $126.05
Saved ytd: $426.72

RiteAid:
What can I say- it was free.

Spent today: $3.00
Spent ytd: $99.34
Saved ytd: $191.26
Have: $8 UP+

Sunday Shopping

RiteAid:
So, what's better than a free FatHair product after coupons and UP+?  Free FatHair that's packaged in a Buy 1 Get 1 Free two-pack!  Two FatHair shampoos for free!!
P.S.- all those Reeses- they're for David. I figured he'd be a bit happier with some chocolate.

Spent today: $1.86
Spent ytd: $96.34
Saved ytd:$182.34
Have: $5 UP+

Sunday Shopping

Walgreens:

Spent today: $14.56
Spent ytd: $122.35
Saved ytd: $ 405.11
Have: $7 in RR, and will get a $3 rebate from today's purchase.

RiteAid:

I bought two packs of diapers, but one got opened before the pic got taken.
Spent today: $14.15
Spent ytd: $94.48
Saved ytd: $166.23
Have: $2 UP+, and will get a $3 rebate from today's purchase.

Sunday Shopping

Walgreens:

I wouldn't have gone this week, but I had a $10RR I had to spend, so I bought some Easter candy and found a few good clearance things.
Spent today: $4.39
Spent ytd: $107.79
Saved ytd: $376.52

RiteAid:

After I got home, I realized that only $4 of my $6 UP+ rewards were used because one thing I bought was on sale and I hadn't spent as much as I'd planned. So I went back later and bought 7 Russell Stover coconut cream eggs- yum! The total is for everything, even though the eggs aren't pictured.
Spent today:$ 1.50
Spent ytd: $80.33
Saved ytd: $160.20
Have: $1.99 UP+

Questions

I'll admit it. I watch 19 Kids and Counting. I started watching it more as a "how-to" because I do not know how someone takes care of that many small children. I've realized, of course, that the older kids take care of the younger kids. What I needed was 6 Kids and Counting. That was when I actually would've gotten some pointers. But I've come to really like the show.

Tonight was the episode when their 20th child died. Technically, it was really just a miscarriage; did we need a full-fledged funeral? But, considering that the civilized world knew she was prego, they probably had to do things a bit differently than us normal folk. And as I watched said funeral, I started thinking about my younger brother.

I really don't know how far along mom was when he died; I think it was about five months, but I was six- what did I know. I don't know how far along she was when she found out he was dead- I think she thought he'd been dead a couple weeks by the time she found out. I don't know what labor was like, just that she was induced. I do remember asking her once how big he was, and she said he was tiny and fit in the palm of her hand. I never asked why she didn't name him. I wonder, if grandpa hadn't just died and had a cemetary plot, would he even have been buried? I never asked why she didn't take a single picture of her only son.

As I sat here and cried over this little girl half a continent away, from a family I've never even met, I realize how many questions I never bothered to ask about my own flesh and blood. So many things that I can't ask now; the only person who knew the answers is gone. And I wonder- what other questions am I not asking? I know there aren't many years left with several people; I fully expect to lose the remaining grandparents and parent within the next ten years. And I hope that I don't have nearly as many unasked questions when they're gone.

New Words

Daniel has started saying two new words this week- Doo-a and Gee-go. That's Dora and Deigo for people who don't speak his dialect. I will be extremely glad when all of my children are past the stage of adventuring with young hispanic explorers who always seem to be yelling.

I love the moment when I realize that one of my children has actually listened to the stuff I say. Today I asked Joel to put away the chairs to his little table. He picked up both of them and started back to the table. I said, "Wow- both at once?" He replied, "God gave us two hands, so I can carry two things."

Sunday Shopping

Walgreens:

Spent today: $1.38
Spent ytd: $103.40
Saved ytd: $353.04
Have: $10RR

RiteAid:

Because I returned something that was supposed to trigger an UP+ but didn't, I had a negative total balance today.
Spent today: - $1.15
Spent ytd: $78.83
Saved ytd: $146.20
Have: $6 UP+

Morbid Fascination

Naomi was asking today what I liked best in the world, besides the munchkins. I wasn't paying a whole lot of attention to her, but she kept hounding me, so I finally asked why she wanted to know. "Well, we have to figure out what to put on that stone thing we put over your head when you die." I told her we didn't need to worry about it quite yet and we'd talk about it later. "Ok, we can talk about it tomorrow; you'll be a little bit closer to dying then."

Sunday Shopping

Walgreens:This was all they had...I made Grouchy Boy check.

Spent today: $21.72
Spent ytd: $102.02
Saved ytd: $318.23
Have: $10 RR


RiteAid:

Observant persons might notice that there are only 3 Gardettos in this photo. I bought 4; one just didn't make it to photo time.
Spent today: $5.45
Spent ytd: $79.98
Saved ytd: $113.20
Have: $16 UP+

Sunday Shopping

And I thought I was done with RiteAid...I don't like how they're not printing out the UP+ rewards anymore, but when they have such a good sale on diapers, I can't help but go. And tomorrow, I'm dragging David to a different RiteAid to sign him up for a rewards card so I can buy more diapers. He'll do just about anything for Reeses!

Spent today: $29.23
Spent ytd: $45.30
Saved ytd: $52.26
Have $15 UP+

ETA: I did this same transaction the next day with another card so I could get another $15 UP+. So the new totals are:
Spent ytd: $74.53
Saved ytd: $69.65
Have: $30 UP+

Delay

This week, my Walgreens excursion was very delayed, thanks to a trip to visit the old folks on Sunday. Had I had my stuff together, I would've gone on the way there, and I don't even remember why last Saturday was busy enough that I didn't go through the sales. Boring week anyway, so it didn't make a difference.

Spent today: $ .39
Spent ytd: $80.30
Saved ytd: $305.48

Sunday Shopping

Walgreens:

Spent today:$ 3.04
Spent ytd: $79.91
Saved ytd: $295.49
Have $2RR

RiteAid:
Here's the problem with utilizing Register Rewards and UP+ Rewards: they expire. RiteAid hasn't had much lately that I need, and I had to use my $2UP, so today was 'stock up for Valentine's Day and David's birthday with candy' day.

Spent today: $1.96
Spent ytd: $16.07
Saved ytd: $ 34.87