On a mission

I am trying to open the "thinking outside the box" portion of my brain to include getting the things I want for pretty much nothing. This isn't solely based on me not working right now, but that does heavily weigh in on my motives.

I am a somewhat recent Starbucks addict. Coffee used to revolt me. Plain old coffee still does actually. The problem is, I am a raging coffee snob. There is ONE and only one coffee drink that I will drink over and over again. It is the cinnamon dolce latte.  I am embarrassed to tell you how many times I purchased one of these this past school year...so I'm not going to tell you. Let's just say I got to the point where I bought my own look-alike Starbuck's cup to continue my environmentally friendly ways. Unfortunately, that cup seemed to only make it easier to spend entirely too much on a beverage entirely too often.

Enter summer! The insane heat hit and the thought of a super hot beverage made me ill. So I did what any Starbucks junkie would do and switched over to the caramel frappuccino for a few months.  They even make it light now and they claim it's only 150 calories! Jackpot!

I have justified this bad habit by telling myself that Seth eats out for lunch almost every day and I eat lunch at home. STILL, frivolously spending almost $5 on something that isn't a massive piece of chocolate cake or a greasy hamburger is just stupid.

A change must be made! However, when I say I'm addicted, it's not really an exaggeration. The minute I think about getting one, there's no going back. As I was leaving Starbucks today I decided I had to figure this out. I came home and googled how to make your own caramel frappuccino. Wouldn't you know this is what I found on multiple websites:

"To make your own version of the Starbucks caramel frappucino, you will need half a cup of cold coffee, 3 tbsp. sugar, half a cup of milk, 2 cups of ice, 3 tbsp. caramel sundae syrup and whipped cream. Combine all these ingredients into an osterizer, blend until the ice is crushed. Continue blending until consistency is smooth, serve in coffee glasses, top with whipped cream and an optional caramel syrup."

I don't believe it. I just don't. That sounds like probably the easiest thing to make on the planet. Could it be true? I also searched for the love of my life latte and that search is still ongoing because it seems WAY harder. I will be attempting the above "frappuccino" in the next few days. I am SO skeptical, but it's worth a shot.

In future money saving posts I will discuss my recent attempts at sewing pretty much everything...could get ugly...

"To me, beauty and motherhood are one"

When I entered the world of blogging I did for me. I did it to keep a record for myself and my kids. I did it as a release.  The more I follow blogs and read about the lives of friends and of strangers, the more I am astonished at how other people's blogs affect me.

I learn about raising kids and the joys, frustrations, and skills that come with being a parent.

I get a glimpse into intimate details of lives that aren't that different from mine even if they are miles and miles away or right around the corner.

Someone teaches me step by step how to sew a dress, bake a cake, or make a cheap meal.

I get a fantastic laugh at just the right moment.

Today, I stumbled upon this video and this blog and for the first time reading a blog has had more than just an everyday appeal. It is profound, moving, and inspiring. Religious or not, I challenge you to read about her life. Let me know what you think....I love comments (hint, hint).

http://nieniedialogues.blogspot.com/

The little Lila that could

New videos!

Here is what I DO want you to notice:                            
- I have a very persistent child.                                        
- How hard I tried to capture her persistence.                
- How well she takes those corners.          
- The part where I say she has been doing this for 45 minutes. It was true. She was sweating and I had to pry her fingers off of the thing so she could take a nap.
- The height of the stair on the deck (it's deceiving).
- How freaking cute and rolly my little girl is. Couldn't you just eat her up?                                                                  

Here is what I DO NOT want you to notice:
- The whining.
- How long the videos are.
- The corners....chewed by the dog as a puppy.
- That I told her eight times the deck was hot yet did nothing to stop her.
- The fact that she is walking around the house in a diaper and shirt. We don't like pants around here.

Seriously, these videos are long so if you don't absolutely adore my child and want to see every last minute I won't be offended....that is unless you are one of my parents, my sister, my best friend(s), my in-laws, or really anyone related to me or practically related to me because I have known you for forever. You know who you are.

Ok ready?

I'm sorry, you said what exactly?

**Disclaimer** Anything in parentheses I did not actually say out loud.

1) Seth:
I am going out of town today until Friday. I told you that Jana. I'm taking "my guys" deep sea fishing.
Me:
Oh, that's right. I must not have realized it was this week. Well have a good time! (You are going to not be here for four days? I am already struggling with what to do all day and all night with a one year old so that we both aren't bored to tears and you are going fishing? Seriously?)

2) Me:
My one year old daughter has had diarrhea on and off since we put her on whole milk full time. Do I need to come in?
Nurse:
No, you need to change her diet. Less fruits and more starches would be the way to "firm up her poop". Try potatoes...you know like french fries?
Me: Ok, yea, I'll get right on that. (Seriously? Did you, a nurse, just medically suggest I give my one year old french fries?)

3) AC guy:
alsdkjfalksdjfla ksjdlfjasldkjflaj sdljfaljsdlfjalskdjfl asjdfljadslkfjals kdjflasjdlfjasldjf alsdjfalksdjf
Me:
Yea that makes sense. Great thanks for coming and taking a look! (SERIOUSLY have no idea what you are talking about...I just called you to come check out our horrible AC unit so that you can tell my husband what needs to be done. Can you stop talking and just email him a quote please?)

4) Lila:
Dogga!  Baaaaa  Baaaaaa
Me:
Alright Lila, remind me to let your daddy know that when you are in kindergarten telling all of your friends that a dog says "baaa" that HE is responsible for the mix up and must explain it to your teacher.

The fruits of our labors

I honestly can't remember if I ever posted much about the vegetable garden that Sara and I started back in April/May. If you have seen any of these pictures already I apologize. Today I pulled the first tomato off of the plant! And I ate it! I wish Sara had been here. She was way more excited about this garden than I was to begin with and she was the only one to water it for a long time. But, she's in Europe!  So, maybe she's checking the blog and this will put a smile on her face...a bigger smile than she already has anyway :-)

In the beginning...

A little further along...

(had to throw her in there - sour face due to way too sunny :-)

And now.... (I ate the littlest one)

lettuce

lima beans

squash

please ignore the insanely high grass

Things I am reading....

I forgot how much I like to read. I really, truly forgot. I'm talking about reading things that I want to read and not things I have to read. There are blogs I read and check regularly, but lately I have had more time and can read things outside of the internet.

So, here's a quick look:

1) I got the new Parenting Magazine today and there was a great article called "Sweet Surrender". What I didn't know when I became a mom is that you are bombarded with the "shoulds" and "should nots" of parenting. Everyone has an opinion, and a lot of the time that opinion is crazy strong. At the end of the day those people usually don't know you as a parent and they don't know your child. I have decided that this article basically sums up how everyone should behave in regards to parenting. I later found out that it was written by two women who have also written a book and have a full on website/blog. Check it out!
www.saraandstephanie.com

2) Ok so this one is still internet...but, it seriously made me laugh out loud the entire time I read it...including the comments. It's called "Why having a toddler is like being at a frat party". Thanks Renee for sharing it on Facebook!
http://www.suburbansnapshots.com/2010/06/10-reasons-having-toddler-is-like-being.html

3) I mentioned in the last post that I am reading The Happiest Toddler on the Block. I am liking it more than I expected, but it's a lot to digest. Welcome to toddlerhood I suppose...here's a quote:
"Toddlerhood is like three parts fiesta mixed with two parts wrestling match and one part jungle safari." I will probably continue to discuss this one in later posts.

My next goal is to begin reading things that aren't kid related. I am also going to try really hard to post more about things that aren't kid related. I used to say I never wanted this to become solely a mommy blog and, of course, it has. SO, my next reads will be The Help and Sarah's Key because they come highly recommended. My next posts will (hopefully) be about things like Atlanta traffic/the road rage within, finding the right HVAC man (reminiscent of the younger blogging days?), and how to go entirely paperless in your home.

So this is what it's like...

....to have a clean house. Not just a clean house that is clean for a day. But a clean house that stays clean. Now, if I could just find a way to make Molly only shed when she goes outside...

...to go to a tennis lesson and not feel an insane amount of guilt because I have only seen Lila for two hours. Now I go AND go out to dinner with the team.

...to read a book. I bought The Happiest Toddler on the Block today and actually read a few chapters during nap time. I am loving it so far!

...to attempt to connect with other friends that have kids. I have "play dates" (more for the moms than the kids I think) scheduled and everything! AND, Katie and I are switching off Wednesdays taking care of the girls so we can do, well, whatever we want!

...to play with my dog for more than ten minutes. I'm sorry you got the biggest shaft ever for the past year Molly.

I really, really admire those women that truly feel they can have the career, be the mom, and get all the other crap done at the same time.

Pictures

I have cleaned just about everything I can find to clean. That was my plan when summer/full-time SAHM began. I wanted to clean EVERYTHING. I wanted to clean out everything and have less crap in my house and I have done all of that. I mean, there are things I still want to clean, but a person can only handle so much cleaning.

Today was the first day that I looked at Lila and thought, what on earth are we going to do today? That's when I remembered that I just finished my first photography class. Digital 101 is done and while I felt like I learned an insane amount of information, I was sure I didn't really know how to do anything.  I still don't feel confident. BUT, as I was taking an insane amount of pictures I noticed that I was switching modes and fixing lighting and even catching her when she was moving! I was kind of proud of myself. The new header picture is the very first picture that I have seen/taken of LJ that looks almost identical to a picture of me when I was a kid. I find myself seeing more of me in her lately.

That being said, the following pictures are supposedly a major no, no. It isn't supposed to look like the sun is coming out of her head and that's exactly what it looks like. BUT, I love them. I think they are fantastic. And for the first time I truly captured her hair.

Not sure what happened to the lighting but can we say flock of seagulls?

I mean, I don't even know what to say about this one...

Gotcha!

I had to give her all of the remote controls, my phone, and a piece of a magazine she had already torn so that she would sit in the light and stay there. She is feeding Molly the magazine...or trying to.

Two more favorites of the day...

Testy

When a person decides to become a SAHM (stay at home mom) they don't take it lightly. I knew what I was giving up/gaining. I don't have many friends that have kids. I would predict that when most of my friends do have kids, very few will be stay at home moms, if any. I can see both sides of working and not working now. I can appreciate both very much.

We took a trip to the Dekalb Farmer's Market today. This is one of my favorite places in Atlanta. I pretty much only shop there now. Usually Lila loves it too. I mean, it's like one big distraction after another. All sorts of people, foods, and sounds are everywhere. I decided we would go and eat lunch there and then shop. Lunch was spectacular. It was like our own little date.

Lately LJ has been boycotting shopping carts. I knew this, but I figured since it was the farmer's market I was safe because how could she possibly get bored?

I was wrong.

She screamed the whole time. Not the crying scream where tears are pouring and such. It was more like the scream you saw in the video in the previous post. The talking scream that pretty much lets everyone know she is there.

If you have never been to this particular farmers market you don't know that it is super loud already. So really, the only person she was probably driving crazy was me.

So instead of taking my time picking out the lovely fruits and veggies, I rushed and got to the checkout just in time for a meltdown. There was a girl who looked about 21 behind me who was so sweetly making faces and talking to LJ which helped for a while. Once that novelty wore off I gave her my keys which she promptly chucked at said sweet 21 year old. I then gave her my phone because typically it mystifies her. That immediately made a crash landing on the ground and the "baby proof" cover I bought for it quickly popped off and flew under the feet of the patrons a few lanes over. Some other important necessary part of the phone went sliding away as well.

At this point I am checking out with the slowest cashier in the joint who has shown no affect whatsoever and has gotten slower instead of faster as the meltdown builds.  I collect the pieces of my phone and look at Lila and rather defiantly say "well, that's all you get then". I proceeded to ignore her whining, finished checking out, and left trying not to catch people giving me the "you're a bad mommy" look.

Lila has been testing the limits the past few days. She knows what she wants and she wants it right then. The major problem I am having is that she and Seth carry this gene that infuriates me. When I want to be really mad and frustrated with them I find myself laughing. My friends will tell you I laugh at everything and they are probably right. But this is different. I am supposed to look stern and have some authority when Lila is attempting to leap off the changing table (or out of my arms as we head to the changing table). And yet, I find myself laughing hard and out loud. And she just looks at me like I have lost my mind. Am I prepared for 24 hour mommyhood?

All I can think is, yes may I have another?  :-)

Slow down!

The sheer speed with which my child is growing right in front of my eyes is, at this moment, the most overwhelming part of being a parent. Here is why:

I cleaned and put away all the bottles.

She says "dogga" and makes a solid attempt at saying "woof, woof". That is, until Seth tried to teach her sheep and baa and now she sometimes says "dogga, woof, woof" and other times says "dogga, baa, baa".

She is a full on dancing machine. Bravo Sara...I am waiting for you to come to my house to attempt to recreate the All the Single Ladies video. Sometimes she even dances to no music which I am certain she learned from Sara. Sara beats to the drum in her head and I LOVE that Lila hears the same drum ;-)

She spends an exorbitant amount of time talking. Not to me, not to Molly, but just to herself. Mirrors are the highlight of her day. I find this particular quality to be HYSTERICAL. I posted this video on Facebook with the note that I see the possibility of "talks too much" on a future report card....


And finally, SHE WALKED!!! Ok so, it was pretty forced on our parts, BUT, she officially CAN do it. Don't get me wrong...I don't want to rush this. Walking truly signifies that the teeny, tiny, baby days are over and I am not sure I can handle that. However, it is fun to help her see how capable she is...(please excuse my horrendous outfit...I spent nap time scrubbing down bathrooms today).

If you are looking for the middle of nowhere...

....I found it.

It's called Wadley, Georgia.

I'm sure there are many other middles of nowhere out there. I honestly thought I had seen it before. I mean, most of my family is from south Georgia so I drive through a lot of middles of nowhere to see them. BUT, there is a MAJOR difference between driving through and staying for a few days. There is an even bigger major difference in doing this when you have a one year old.

We spent the entire weekend in Wadley/Bartow, Georgia. Seth's cousin Jeanne got married there at a beautiful, old plantation style house in Bartow, and Lila was the flower girl.  As a disclaimer I need to say that the wedding and all events that went with it were beautiful and enjoyable.  The rest, well, wasn't. But more on the wedding in a minute.

Here is my beef with Wadley, Georgia:

1) I'm sure the hotel could have been worse, but the Wadley Inn was less than pleasant. Throw in the fact that I have a child that refuses to walk and is recently refusing to be held and you have hands, knees, feet, and sippy cups all over some SICK carpet.

2) Seth played golf most of Saturday with the guys while Lila and I hung out in and around the Wadley Inn. The closest place to eat was a Waffle King attached to a gas station. Inside the gas station there was a hand written list of about fifteen names of people that were not allowed in the Waffle King or the gas station. They even made the paper that the list was on long enough to add names if need be.  I had easy mac and a fruit cup for lunch.

3) Cops frequently drove up and down the road the hotel was on at all times of day. That should make me feel safe right? Not so much.

4) Grocery stores don't exist here. I asked the photographer at the rehearsal dinner on Friday if there was a store to get some whole milk for Lila. She pointed to a gas station. Seriously? What do Wadleans eat??

Alright, so moving on to the enjoyable part of the weekend. Lila experienced her first taste of what it means to be a woman in this world. Honestly, I thought we had a while before fancy dresses and "sucking it up" to stay pretty would be a part of her life. She totally rocked it though.

The wedding was outside and Lila was pulled down the aisle in a wagon by a junior groomsman whom I think she had a crush on. She withstood the rain that came down quickly right as the ceremony was supposed to start. She didn't cry as we waited for the rain to pass under the photographer's umbrella and then again in the house. She only tried to eat one rose petal and one fake flower off of her dress. She smiled for the camera and looked like a pro as people smiled at her while she was being pulled down the aisle. She danced with her daddy at the reception and partied hard until 10:30 pm which is way past her bedtime. She's like her mom in that she would have kept partying if I hadn't driven us back to our spectacular hotel to crash. She actually fell asleep on me, sat up and danced a little, and fell back asleep on me two seconds later. This is more reminiscent of aunt Meg, but it was her first attempt at partying :-)

Here are a few shots of the weekend. I did not take any of the inn. I figured you could just take my word for it.

At WAR

Now that I am not working I really am trying to find ways to save money and spend less. I feel like there are things that are definite and things that are left to interpretation. For instance, you have to buy toilet paper. There's no getting around it. There are things I have tried to "get around" buying. I started using cloth diapers. I am trying to use less paper towels and only use actual dish towels. I started a vegetable garden that will (hopefully) yield enough for me to not have to buy a few things for at least a little while.  We are making an effort not to eat out. I am going to the most horrific Walmart in America instead of going to Target (yes, Walmart is cheaper...but I also don't want that much in Walmart). So, as you can see I am seriously trying here.

When our third bout of ants began to attack our kitchen after multiple home remedy attempts, I called pest control. I chose to cancel our quarterly pest control last year. BAD CHOICE. Now they want me to pay $120 for the initial fixing of the ant problem, and then pay $65 every three months for the quarterly service again. I realize I never should have cancelled it. But $120??? Seriously? They are ants for God's sake. It's not like you are ridding my house of actual animals. So I set it up and then called Seth and we decided to see what else we could do to maybe figure it out ourselves.

Since that third bout we are now on instance number six where I kill them and they come back. My weapon of choice is Simple Green cleaner and I just spray them to death. The first time this was pretty liberating. I felt like I was winning. All of the previous times we used some gel stuff that Seth's friend gave us that was supposed to be the end and be all to getting rid of ants. It has never, ever worked completely. Today I have finally come to terms with the fact that I am losing the war. I spray and get frustrated and spray some more. It makes me feel like our house is disgusting.

Everyone says you have to find the source of the ants. Well obviously they come in from outside. I could crawl myself under our house, and maybe I would have a one a million chance of finding THE entrance the ants use. But let's be honest. What would I do then?

$120 is starting to not look like as much money as it did originally....