A very strange hobby

I get this question from my husband a lot, “What is your hobby?  Is there something you would like to do?”  And for the most part I’ve thought, “When do I have time for a hobby???”  Well, it has recently hit me that I do have a hobby – it’s odd, but I love it and I do it every week…  coupons!  I am addicted to getting items for free or at least very cheap, and as a stay-at-home mama it’s a great way for me to help the family budget.  I apologize in advance for how ridiculous/boring this might seem to those actually reading this blog :-).

Here’s a picture of this week’s drug store “haul” and the details are below – enjoy!

I started at Rite Aid, where I transferred two prescriptions and was rewarded with $50 in gift cards!  I then bought 2 hair gels, 2 deodorants and a razor.  The total (after coupons) was $11.30 (I used my gift card and didn’t spend any money), of that I will get an $11 rebate in the mail – not bad!  Next stop – Walgreens, where I bought 2 toothbrushes, 3 neutrogena face soaps and another razor.  The total (after coupons) was $15.01, and I got $14 to spend on my next visit!  A few days later I headed back to Rite Aid to pick up a couple more items with my free gift cards.  On my second trip to Rite Aid I bought a pack of diapers, 2 hairbrushes, 1 comb, a pack of pony tail holders, and desitin.  This time my total (after coupons) was $16.38 (gift card money) and I got $1 back to spend on my next visit and will get another $2 check in the mail.  Final stop – CVS, where I bought 2 body washes and one more razor.  The total was $8.41 and I got $12 to spend on my next visit!  On top of that the razor had a “try me free” rebate and I will get another $8.97 back.

In case you stopped reading, here is the bottom line:  Money spent – $23.52  Rebates/Money back – $48.97…  I was paid over $25 to TAKE all those products home – and that, is my hobby :-)

New Goals

For anyone who knows me, it comes as no surprise that I’m a very competitive, goal-oriented person.  So, when I decided to head back to the gym a month ago, I knew I needed a goal – besides the, “lose those last 3 pounds of baby weight” goal.  The decision – train to run a 5k. 

I found a plan online that would help me go from zero running to running 3.1 miles within a 2 month period: http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml?cmp=488  It’s a great plan and I just finished the 4th week of training (I did week 3 twice because my knees were killing me).  I just looked on to next week and see I’ll be running 2 miles without a break… we’ll see :-).

It has been great to get out of the house, drop of the kids, and just take care of me for an hour!  Abby Ruth loves going to the gym because they have sooo many toys and Tripp likes it because some very nice ladies hold him the whole time :-).  As for those last 3 pounds… now there are only 2 ;-)

Weekend Whirlwind

I will try to blog a few memories from each weekend on Mondays – hopefully this will cause me to have at least one blog post a week!

*  We had successful potty training days – including poo-poo in the potty!

*  Tripp added pears to his food list – he says they are much tastier than green beans :-)

*  Abby Ruth has begun picking up any object and pretending it’s a phone – SOO funny.  Her words are a blur but the inflections are all there and she always says “Hi” and ”Bye!”

*  As I was getting the kids ready for baths on Saturday, Abby Ruth decided to help… by pouring a cup of water on Tripp’s head BEFORE he got into the tub.  We had a very wet bath mat :-)

Tripp – 5 months

I need to update Tripp’s stats for the month – before another month passes!  He is now 5 months old, which is hard for this mama to believe.  It seems like just yesterday I found out I was having another baby and wondering how I would ever handle two kids under two… now I’m potty training a two-year-old and my 5 month old is eating solids – where does the time go?!?!

*  He weighs close to 17 pounds (according to our home scale).  He wears 6 month clothes and size 3 diapers.

*  He nurses 4 times a day and takes a bottle before bed – he also eats solids in the morning and at night – we are doing fruit and oatmeal in the am and a veggie at night.  Thus far Tripp is not a fan of the veggies… but that’s understandable since he is used to sweet milk as his main food source!

*  He is an EARLY riser!  Tripp goes to bed around 7 – but he wakes up at 5!  However, we have discovered that he will go back to sleep for and hour or two if you go in and give him his pacifier… so that’s what we do!

*  He is VERY good at holding his head and chest up while on his tummy.  Tripp will do whatever it takes to get to his stomach – he does NOT enjoy being on his back and struggles through diaper & clothing changes because he wants to get onto his stomach.

*  Tripp loves his sister and thinks she is hilarious.  The other night Tom was playing with Abby Ruth and had her giggling – Tripp couldn’t even see them but started laughing with his sister!

*  He isn’t a big cryer – but he does complain a lot!  Tripp is more of a loud whiner… trust me, this is just as irritating as crying :-)

*  He loves to be out of the house, just like his sister – neither of my kids like to stay home!

Update from the potty

We are into our 3^rd week of potty training and things are going VERY well!  I will spare you some of the “dirty” details but I will say Abby Ruth has caught on to the whole concept quite well.  There have been some amusing moments (of course) – we have to remind her to take off her panties before using the potty and this often means she pulls them down in the middle of the living room and runs toward the bathroom bare bottomed!  She also calls everything “poo poo” – which is embarrassing when out in public :-). 

On average, I’d say we have 2-3 accidents each day (I count it as an accident if she doesn’t keep her diaper dry during a nap or when we are out running errands ).  It hasn’t been a big deal since I have to clean up spit-up several times a day anyway – why not add another bodily fluid!  We are very proud of her progress and excited to only be using a couple of diapers a day – soon we might be done for good!

A quiet house no more!

After months and months of waiting on Abby Ruth to say…. ANYTHING at all, it seems we finally have a talker.  It is definitely true that kids say the CUTEST things!  My favorite new phrase is, “Don’t cry!” – this is espescially adorable because Abby makes it sound more like “cwry” and she is very serious about it.  It’s funny because her brother doesn’t really cry that much – not compared to other babies!  This afternoon he was getting quite upset in his swing and Abby Ruth repeatedly said, “Don’t cwry, don’t cwry!” and then added, “Please Doot Doot!”  I literally laughed out loud – I love to hear her string words together and let us see how her mind works :-).

One thing I’ve learned while waiting on her to communicate for the past year is that comparisons will KILL you.  I spent way too much time thinking about how far behind she was (compared to my friend’s kids) and not nearly enough time enjoying my girl and letting her do things at her own pace.  I won’t make the same mistake with Tripp – I hope!

The newest adventure

This might be the week for potty training… if I don’t chicken out!  We have been working on this for a couple of months now – just trying to put Abby Ruth on the potty after naps and maybe a few other times during the day.  Truthfully, I have been very inconsistent and fearful of how it would all go… but the signs are all there and I think our little girl is ready to do this thing – so she is in panties this morning and I’m hopeful that I won’t clean up too many accidents :-). 

We’ll see how it goes – I’ll keep you posted!

Quiet mornings

I am currently enjoying a slow start to the day on our deck.  Tom’s family bought us some chairs and side tables for Tom’s birthday and we have started almost every day enjoying them!  It is a wonderful place to have our family devotional and focus on God’s beautiful creation!  Sitting here, I am reminded how much I have to be thankful for – beautiful weather, healthy kids, a husband who loves me and works hard to provide for us… I’m so very blessed!

One of my favorite things to do is watch my kids interact together.  Even at this young age (2 years and 4 ½ months) I can see them watching each other and there is LOVE in their eyes.  Tripp obviously adores his sister as he smiles whenever he sees her – and she only has eyes for him.  A moment ago he started to spit up and she quickly grabbed his bib and placed it on his chest – she is so attentive to his needs!  I pray they always love each other and are good friends into adulthood. 

I just read this verse and it sums up my feelings this morning:

“Praise the LORD, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name.  Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits- who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagles.”  Psalm 103: 1-5

Oh let me not forget to praise you Lord – your benefits are more than I can say!

Tripp is 4 months old!

This is Tripp’s monthly blog update.  It’s a little late because of all the excitement surrounding his 4 month birthday, nevertheless, here’s what Tripp is up to now that he is 4 months old!

*  Tripp is a BIG boy – at his 4 month appointment (May 14^th) he weighed 15 pounds, 9 ounces (without clothes or a diaper!!!) and was 26 inches long.  This puts him in the 75% and 85%!

*  He has definitely had some crabby days mixed in with his otherwise happy demeanor – he spits up a lot and I guess that might have something to do with his irritability.  The doctor prescribed Zantac and so far it has helped reduce the spitting.  Tripp is happier and we are cleaning up fewer messes – a definite win!

*  Tripp rolls from front to back AND back to front now.  He actually rolls from back to front more often than the other… which is harder to do!  The boy loves his tummy and I definitely don’t have to worry about him getting enough “tummy time.”

*  He still sleeps for 10-11 hours each night – his bedtime has been moved closer to his sister’s and he is now in bed by 7:30 each night.  If I could just get him to sleep until 6 every day I’d be happy!

*  He continues to eat 5 times a day (sometimes a 6^th snack feeding is in there)– nursing 4 and a bottle before bed.  We haven’t started solids yet but might do that in the next month or so.

*  He takes 2 long naps (one morning and one afternoon) now and that has been a GREAT transition.  I have been using the morning nap to get something done around the house (while Abby Ruth plays by herself) and the afternoon nap is dedicated to some R&R.  I love that both kids are down at the same time every afternoon – what a life saver!

*  He’s a talker!  Tripp is almost never quiet – he is a happy little man, but he is definitely a boy.. so loud!

Onto year 3!

2 years ago God gave me the most amazing gift – a sweet baby girl.  He entrusted Tom & I to raise her and love her… it’s very hard for me to believe that 2 years have gone by since Abigail Ruth was born.  I am overwhelmed with love for her and thankful for the blessing that she is to here daddy and me.  Two years have passed far too quickly but I look forward to what lies ahead for our “little monkey.”  She brings a smile our faces and we love her dearly!

*  At her 2-year-old check up, Abby Ruth weighed 28 pounds, 2 ounces and was 34 inches tall.  She is in the 70th percentile for height and weight – very well rounded :-)

*  She is really starting to talk – what a relief.  The doctor said that she is making enough progress each month and we can officially stop worrying!  i don’t know if that will work or not, but it’s worth a try – HA!

*  She seems ready to start potty training - we have been putting her on the potty after naps for about a month now and she is really getting the hang of it.  We no longer have to wait 5 - 10 minutes for her to “go” – she does it right away.

*  Abby Ruth still loves to read and will sit in anyone’s lap who would like to read to her!  Her favorite TV program is now Veggie Tales - this makes me happy because it isn’t nearly as annoying as “The Wiggles.”  She also loves to be outside – the playground, the pool, the driveway… it doesn’t matter, as long as she is out!