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We knew this would happen.

Knew eventually Lucy would figure out she does not have to stay in one place. Knew it wouldn't take long. Knew she would be like the others.

Today she did the unthinkable.

She got bored just sitting in her crib.

She leaned to the side and pulled herself up to her knees.

She looked at us and smiled.

Little monster knows what she's doing.

Knows this is a big step. The big step.

Freedom is just around the corner.

Heaven help us...

Bargain Shopper

I am a huge fan of coupons. After watching a few GMA shows on budgeting, I've also learned to forgo brand loyalty on most things in order to get the best bang for my buck.

The few items that I always always always shop the same brands for are things for Lucy. I always buy Enfamil. Huggies. Pampers. Johnson & Johnson. Gerber.

Being a huge fan of Target, I tend to get loads of coupons from them. (Apparently they like me too.) Last week I got a handful of coupons for their baby line. They're trying out a new look and offered me some nice incentives to try it out too. $1 off wipes, sunscreen, diapers. $2 off formula.

Nice coupons, but that would mean leaving the security of the brand names I feel comfortable with.

Who abandons the name brands that 'good' parents use? Who knowingly opts for store brands when the brands you 'trust', the brands you 'know', the brands that are 'best' for your baby are every bit as affordable to you as they always were?

Well, turns out I do. I got the coupons and tried them out.

The wipes worked as well as wipes do.

The diapers surprised me. I thought they were far better than luvs, comparable to pampers & huggies.

I was skeptical of only the formula, I really don't want to mess with my baby's developing brains. I want those to be good for a long time. Great even, if they can be. So the formula I researched. Googled it a million and a half times. And found one thing constantly...

The FDA regulates what is in the can so they must contain the same key ingredients. Name brands may be finer and dissolve better, but they do not contain any more for your baby that the store brands. Of the store brands, Target has the most variety available. (Check out this blog for great info and lots of other great money saving tips: Baby Cheapskate)

I gave it a shot. It's not as fine, but per the labeling, they have the exact same things inside. More importantly, Lucy didn't seem to care about the switch. (If any of you remember when I did that last time, it took 7 days for her to get back to 'normal' afterward.)

So here is what it all comes down to...

In a 2 week period I buy the following things: 3 cans of formula. 5 'jumbo' packs of diapers, 1 'refill' pack of 200+ wipes.

This is how much I spend on name brands (not including the coupons I get here and there for $1-3 off a package): $26 for 1 Enfamil formula. $10 for 1 pack of diapers. $6 for 1 pack of wipes.

Do the math: $78 for formula. $50 for diapers. $6 for wipes. = $134 in 2 weeks/$268 a month

This is how much the Target brands cost: $12 for a can of formula. $6 for diapers. $4 for wipes.

Math again:$36. $30. $4. = $64 in 2 weeks/$128 a month.

Holy Cow. $140 savings just for switching these 3 items that I buy every month. In one year this switch will save me over $1600. That's a small vacation or a crap load of fabric.

Needless to say, we've certainly switched.

Job Description

When I took Spot to the Dr. yesterday I was asked to look over some forms. In huge big black letters under my name and info I read the most infuriating word...

UNEMPLOYED

It immediately made me angry. I had to hold back every inch of my being from crossing it off and writing UNPAID in the employment space.

So I don't have a job I get paid for. It hardly means I don't work. I bust my little fanny every day, doing much more than this little chickadee sitting on her own bottom answering phones and browsing my insurance card.

I didn't make the change, despite the pen gravitating toward that space every chance it got.

I also resisted the urge to tell everyone in the office what I thought about my current position of unemployment. I wanted to shout at them and tell them exactly what 'unemployed' means in my world. 'Cause it sure as hell doesn't mean 'out of work'. I wanted to go over the things I have done this week. To compare them to what they do from sunrise to sunset Monday through Friday.

Since I'm a bit of a wiener, I didn't do that either.

But if I would have, this is how I would have done it...

(ME:) Excuse me Ms. Chickadee, but there is a mistake here. I am not UNEMPLOYED, I have a job I am incredibly good at.

(CHICKADEE:) Well Mrs. E, please write down what you do in the space provided.

(M) I'm afraid I can't fit everything into that teensy little box because I do so damn much every day that if I tried I would need a bazillion extra pieces of paper.

(C) How about if you just tell me then.

(M) Well, don't say I didn't warn you...

Today I woke up at 4:30 am. I fed Lucy, changed her, played with her. (NANNY) I made coffee for myself, Turbo & Lisa and put away the clean dishes from last night. (MAID) I checked my email & bloggerdom, had my first cup of coffee before 5 am. (15 min mandatory break time) I woke up Turbo, woke up the boys. (ALARM CLOCK) I made eggs & toast for the boys. (PERSONAL CHEF) I carried Lucy around, while I helped round up Nate's stuff for school (PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR). I rounded up laundry, started load of laundry. (LAUNDRESS) Bathed and dressed Rex, then Lucy. Put Lucy down for a nap. (NANNY, again) I paid the bills and balanced the weekly budget. (ACCOUNTANT) Created a pattern for a crayon case, cut fabric for said case, sewed the case, photographed case. (CRAFTER, SEAMSTRESS, PHOTOGRAPHER) While I did this I helped Rex do 2 puzzles and play reading games on PBSKids.com. (TEACHER) I moved all of my computer files, including Lisa's & Nate's, onto a new external hard drive. (IT PROFESSIONAL) I folded first batch of laundry, started another. (LAUNDRESS, again) I made lunch for Rex, more coffee for me, mashed an avocado for Lucy. (PERSONAL CHEF, again) I took the kids outside to play with the dog. (DOG SITTER) Checked over the newly planted garden and flowers. (GARDENER) Taught Rex about asparagus & chives, let Rex try fresh asparagus & chives. Showed Lucy some flowers, let her touch & explore lilacs. (TEACHER, again) I took a shower and got dressed. (30 min mandatory lunch break) But the kids were in the bathroom with me, so I sang the ABC song and counted to 147 with Rex. (TEACHER, again) I also jumped out of the shower once to get a toy Lucy dropped. (NANNY, again) Started slow cooker dinner. (PERSONAL CHEF, again) I folded second batch of laundry, started another. (LAUNDRESS, again) I took Spot to the Dr., where I helped Rex write a letter in the waiting room, and then went with the kids to the library. (CHAUFFEUR, TEACHER, again)

At this point her head may have exploded, but I still had another half of the day left. If she came home with me she would have also heard about the job I have after 3 pm. My second shift job.

When I got home from our field trip I...

Cleaned up a mess the dog made while we were gone, did dishes, vacuumed floor. (MAID, again) Played with Lucy, did mini art project with Rex. (TEACHER, again) Blogged about the Dr. trip. (15 min mandatory break time) Talked to Nate about his day, fed Lucy dinner, sent the boys out to play. (NANNY, again) Made a salad, laid out appropriate healthy options for dinner. (PERSONAL CHEF, again, DIETITIAN) Ate dinner. (30 min mandatory dinner break) Read over sewing & business books from library while Lucy played. (RESEARCHER) I folded third batch of laundry. (LAUNDRESS, again) Took Lucy to bed. (NANNY, again) Went to bed at 8 pm, read a little bit of a book. (QUITTING TIME)

But, Lucy didn't go to bed. So I stayed up and tried to put her to sleep. (NANNY, again) And Nate needed help on a project for school. (TEACHER, again) And Rex got in trouble. (TEACHER, again, but this time the PRINCIPAL) And Lucy still wouldn't fall asleep for me, so I read her a book. (TEACHER, again) Then I took her to Turbo because I could not put in anymore overtime without it severely effecting my job performance. So I went to bed at 10:30 pm, read a little more of a book. (QUITTING TIME, again)

(M): So you see Chickadee, this is what I do. In 1 day. It does not include the extra hours I put in in the middle of the night when Spot refuses to sleep, nor does it include the mountains of diapers I change or bottles I feed. It says nothing about shopping excursions, sick days (and please don't read that as my sick time, because I don't have any), horribly naughty kid days.

Now, I do understand that this was a choice. A responsibility that I opted to take, a job I knowingly accepted. But so help me god, if you call me UNEMPLOYED ever again I am going to make 'Going Postal' sound like a day at the beach compared to 'Going Stay-at-home-mom'.

Spot Goes to the Doctor

Lucy saw the dermatologist today.

Her spot is fine, no changes to note.

Great news for us, and her too of course.

Since there is no change we can decide later
if we want to treat it, or wait and let her decide.

Just depends on whether or not we ever
want her to wear bikinis and short skirts...

Last Show of the Year

The Jr. High Band had their final concert of the year.

Nate's performance did not disappoint. He is becoming a very skilled percussionist (quite to our amazement, since he never practices).

We only returned home with one upset.

The photographs.

I reluctantly gave Rex the camera to chronicle the performance. He gets bored and I failed to bring anything to occupy the guy. Feeling bad, I handed it over so I could enjoy some of the show.

This is what I found today when I went to find a picture of Nate (for the blog).

There are several of these, including this guy, and
two women I assume are his wife and daughter.
Wish I had their address. They might enjoy a copy.

I am pretty sure this is Rex's nostril.

This is most definitely his shoe.
I know this because he insists on wearing
his 'fancy wedding shoes' everywhere we go.

This is me. A very close up me.
Nice.

Here Come the Hawks

I've been a hockey fan all of my life.

Starting very early on the nearby lake, my dad had me, my brother, and all of the neighborhood kids out on the ice the day it froze. I very clearly remember them coming to the door... skates over shoulders, sticks in hand, covered head to toe in winter gear...looking for Harry to take them to the lake. How he became the their favorite is clear. He moved around the ice at lightning speed, let all of the kids play, taught them his tricks.

I still love the ice, love the feeling of a pair of skates under my feet as I glide around the smooth surface. Love holding the kids' hands as they tiptoe around it, watching and trying to get it right. Another bunch of kids searching for a way to make their movements as fluid as my dads.

When Turbo came around it was inevitable that he someday gain a love for the sport.

It took over 10 years, but last night it was him I heard shouting from his front row TV seat as the Blackhawks skated their way to a win over the Canucks.

Here, it is a happy day. We're going to talk highlights, praise Patty Kane, sing Here Come the Hawks. Most importantly, we're going to rejoice in being one step closer to the Cup.

A Conversation With Rex

Last night Turbo had a little talk with Rex about growing up.

It went sort of like this...

Turbo: Hey Rex, where are you going to live when you grow up?

Rex: In a house. A really big house. Because I am going to buy a really big house because I will be really rich and I will live in it by myself.

T: Are you going to get married?

R: Yes.

T: How are you going to meet a girl?

R: I will go to her house and get her. I will blindfold her man and take him outside so he won't hear me steal her. Then I will get her and take her to my house. (There was more talk about tying him up and even some about how he would actually steal her, I don't remember the details so much because I was trying very hard not to laugh.)
Then she will buy a dress and I will get a wedding suit and we will have a party and then we will be married. (Thanks J&J, your wedding summed up any questions he had about how this works!)

T: Really...So you're going to take her? That's how you get a wife?

R: Yes.

T: What about being nice to her?

R: Oh, you could do that too.

T: Will you have any kids?

R: Yes.

T: Where will you get them?

R: I will go the doctor and they will give them to me.

T: That sounds about right.

While holding back giggles, I turned to Turbo and said maybe we should tell him to work on ladies that don't already have 'men'.