Do people eat mermaids?

Things are good around here. Not super exciting. The kids are good. Nobody is sick, which is a huge success for the month of February.

Mya has a science project due soon which I pretty much hate because it gives me the kind of stress I had when I was in school. I thought I was done with that when I got my associates degree at the local community college. Turns out, having kids forces you to do school all over again. That's totally fine. I was super good at school. Straight A's actually. I was not great at college, however. Way too much freedom for an 18 year old. I digress. I just hate science projects. Science isn't my thing. My first B was in science. Okay I'm lying. I got a C in chemistry. It brought down my whole GPA and I didn't get into the Honor society. I'm still bitter. I was a straight A student until 10th grade though.

For her science project, Mya chose to prove that you can make colored water turn clear by adding bleach. It worked. I just don't have that pic handy.

Dan has been home for a while kind of bored out of his gourd. He wants to do so many things like remodel the kitchen or build a workbench but he can't because he just had surgery so he's forced to sit around. I often come in the kitchen to find him staring at cupboards with his arms crossed in front of him. It's how he plans all of his projects. The first stage is staring at the area for minutes at a time and working out exactly what he's going to do with it in his head. The second stage is online research. The third stage is going to hardware stores or other stores that carry cabinets, tile etc. The fourth stage is calling around to local companies or having people come over to the house so he can pick their brain and get estimates. Then comes the actual doing of the project. That's my wife perspective at least. But fortunately for him, the two stages involve sitting around so he can totally do that right now.

Having him home sort of throws us all off because we're used to him leaving for a couple of days and then coming back home. The kids and I slack off a bit when he's gone. We don't clean as thoroughly, we aren't as punctual, bedtimes tend to be a bit later and homework isn't done perfectly. Then the night before he comes home, we clean the house and act like responsible people. It totally works for us. I'm not saying that Dan is too rigid and I'm not saying I'm too laid back. We are the perfect mixture of both working together beautifully to create a thing called marriage. We're just used to not having Daddy home all the time.

It has been so cold lately this last month that I haven't been my usual anti-home self. Normally, I hate being at home unless I'm manically purging and organizing Marie Kondo Style. Home feels cage-like. Outside feels free and fun. But it's been soooo cold! And my closet is not prepared for this kind of weather. It is filled with sweaters, jeans, thin socks and converse. I need snow attire. I'm not even being dramatic. The weather people issued a cold weather warning a couple of weeks ago. Keep your pets inside they said. It's serious.

So as a result, we've been spending a bit too much time together as a family. Dan loves it. I think about running away frequently. I'm kidding. It's way too cold to run away.

Whilst playing with her barbies the other day, Addie asked us, "Do people eat mermaids?"
Without even pausing to think about the oddness of the question, or even looking up from his phone, Dan responded, "All the time." Addie accepted his answer and kept playing with her barbies.

Also heard from the lips of my 5 year old:

Addie: Mom, I have a secret to tell you. I have a boyfriend and his name is Oliver S.
Me: Really! What does that mean exactly?
Addie: I have no idea.

Here are the girls' class portraits from this year. I know I'm way late. They were taken in October I think. They missed the the first picture day because we were on vacation. They actually just took their spring photos last week. Doesn't matter. Here they are. Wendy is still buying them because she insists they are necessary.

Mya Lynn - 4th grade

Winter Paige - 2nd grade

Adelyn Marie - TK 

(If you ask Addie to recreate this smile, she totally can. It's her fake smile)

This chandelier is like 10 feet high. The girls threw doll clothes up there "accidentally" and then threw more doll clothes up there to get the "accidental" ones back down. So now there are like 4 baby items hanging from the chandelier. Whatever. And by the way, I totally knew how to spell chandelier without spell check. And that's something to be proud of. Fun fact: When I tried out for the spelling bee in 6th grade, I misspelled my first word, cartwheel. So I didn't get to participate. Spelling's not my thing. Ironically, I've always been REALLY good at cartwheels. 

Winter is a wounded horse...obviously. And all those torn pieces of paper on the blanket are hay... obviously. 

I love that Winter can dress up super fancy with a frilly sequencey dress and heels for no reason at all OR play dart wars with the neighbor boys in the rain, whatever she's feeling that day.

The other day when the rain couldn't decide if it was coming or going, the confusion caused this awesome giant rainbow in our "backyard." I yelled Where's the good camera?! How long do rainbows last?! Fortunately, long enough to get this pic.

I like to report the good and bad of motherhood because there is often a lot of both. That's reality. But the good parts are so good. And the bad parts aren't really that bad. Winter and Mya drive me nuts because they are still learning so much about what it means to be a kind, selfless human. Aren't we all. 

BUT it makes me so proud when they are kind to their little sister and bro without me even suggesting it. This is Winter helping Addie with her homework. 

It's hard to know what her actual homework is because they play school all the time and Winter has collected materials from teachers over the years. We actually did the wrong assignment first. I had Addie put it in her backpack to turn it in to her teacher the next day. She would have been slightly confused. 

But then I found this one, the one her teacher actually assigned, at the bottom of a stack of papers. 

Mya and Angus didn't make the cut I guess. She only had 3 spaces after all.

Mya likes to go to her school library and get books to read to Angus. I know. She's pretty amazing. Last week Angus demanded a construction vehicle book and trash truck book. She brought home both. 

After dinner last night, Angus took a deep breath, let it out and said, "Well, that was a goooood eat." Love him.

Mya came home last week and told me she got to go to a track and field competition at the local college because she was the winner of the frisbee competition for the 4th grade girls. She was the only girl who entered so she won by default. But she did beat a lot of the boys as well, she said. All those vacations in Newport paid off I guess. So we went to the track and field meet but it was canceled at the last minute due to rain. Boo. She would have done awesome though, I'm sure.

I saw this on Mya's dresser. She said Angus missed me when I wasn't home one night. His reason? Because I have a giant head of course. Why else. 

Why she would want to write that down, I'm not sure. He mentioned it again the other day. He said, "Mom I wuv yo big head." It's fine. I know my head is quite normal in size. It is pretty big compared to his I guess. It's like the time Addie told me I had big knees. And Winter commented on the fact that my butt was so big that I didn't fall through the toilet like she did as a 4 year old. My kids are observant which is a good thing.

"No one ever pets these guys" This was really nice of Mya because she doesn't like getting dirty or being around smelly things. She also doesn't really like being around boys at school because they tend to sweat during recess. I'm good with that.

A typical Friday night at the Wags. Kids and laundry covering our bed.

Thrift store find. Best $3.99 I've ever spent. Who would get rid of this? I don't know if you can zoom in but you can see me in the mirror, mouth open big, not sure why. Perhaps I'm making lion noises.

One night at the dinner table last week:

 Dan baked some scalloped potatoes we got from Costco. They were actually pretty good but I knew they would not go over well with the kids. Dan always insists the kids have to try at least one bite of everything. I could care less. My goal is for them to have some fruit or veggies with their rice or noodles. Angus loves blueberries, Addie loves baby carrots, Mya likes tomatoes and Winter eats everything, including salad. The only thing she does not eat is potatoes. Even french fries are disgusting to her. So I knew she would NOT be on board with creamy cheesy potatoes. And Addie is Winter's little groupie so whatever Winter says is what Addie says. 

Dan bribed Winter and Addie with candy. Winter took a bite and said it was disgusting. Addie, who has a strong gag reflex, took a deep breath and took a bite. Immediately she turned red and started gagging. Mya screamed and covered her ears and closed her eyes. If you're new around here, Mya has a giant puke-phobia. I put up my napkin to Addie's mouth and told her to spit it out. She did. No puke thank goodness. Mya immediately put her plate in the sink and went upstairs, far away from gaggy Addie. 

Addie 10 points, Dan 0. 

leftovers

This is a SUPER long post. I'm doing a little house cleaning on the blog. I just discovered a bunch of drafts I never posted for different reasons. Some of them sounded stupid or embarrassing to me at the time, (some still do) some of them were incomplete and some I just forgot about I guess. So here's a bunch of random posts that were never posted. Kind of like leftovers. Not quite as good as the real thing but they get the job done. I have still omitted some posts because they still sound stupid or TMI years later. You're welcome.

(I apologize for the font issue. Computers are not my thing. I've changed the font back to the default but it still wants to be it's own font. So who am I to tell my letters what font they should be?)

Written 11-12-15 - Totally random.

Well because my mom thoughts are pretty random I thought I'd share a few of them...

after changing a bazillion diapers, I appreciate clean poops that are hanging out in the diaper not all peanut butter like on baby's bum. (no pic needed)

And that reminds me, I often find stuff in the peanut butter because the girls make their own sandwiches these days. Sometimes I let them put sprinkles in them. Thanks Mari! ;) So now, whenever I want peanut butter, it always has pink or purple sprinkles in it. I don't mind it. I think it adds a little something to my peanut butter and apples snack. 

Written 11-20-15 - Two and four.

I think these two are going to be buddies. Winter has always preferred to hang out with boys than girls. She's into boy things like dirt and bugs and trucks and trains. Angus is pretty chill so far. He will be a good match for Winter. It will be fun to see the relationships form between my kids through the years. 

Written 2-19-16 - The little things. (my list was just one thing)

It's all about the little things in life. Okay it's about the big things too. But the little things give you that extra boost that makes you smile when you're cranky or makes your good day even better.

I have certain little things I look forward to each day. And if I get to enjoy them, I experience a few minutes of joy. Here are a few.

1. A perfectly ripe banana. Overly ripe bananas gross me out. I'm kind of high-maintenance when it comes to fruit. It has to be pretty perfect for me to eat it. Something that started when I was pregnant with Mya that I haven't really recovered from. A greenish stem and a yellow spotless body. Perfect.

Written 2-25-16 - Mom ideas. (I feel like I posted some of this this one already but it's still in drafts...)

1. Christmas is a comin' and if you have a couple of kids, in order to keep them guessing, wrap each kid's (and Dad's) presents in a different kind of wrapping. That way, only you know who's is who and there will be no guessing what's in the box AND you don't have to put tags or names on anything... brilliant. (unless you forget who's wrapping goes with who)

2. One of my favorite things to do at home is go through stuff, get rid of junk, and organize. I've always loved organizing things. My home is NOT like one of those Pinterest websites and my life is far from organized but it still gives me joy to do it. Last year I divided the toys into different boxes. The only problem has been that the girls didn't know which box to put things back into because all of them would get dumped out. So I printed out pictures of what goes inside like Barbies, My Little Pony's, tea party dishes, fake food and dress up accessories. That way Winter, who can't read, can still put things back where they belong. It has worked pretty well so far. 

3. Whipped cream makes things fun! And it's low in sugar... And if your mind is in the gutter, I'm talking about pancakes, fruit and smoothies. If it's not, sorry to go there =) 

Mya had whipped cream on something at Mari's house. Now she wants it on everything but she now eats a ton of fruit, so yay for that.

4. This is a weird one but it has come in so handy, especially in the newborn stage. I keep a toothbrush and toothpaste in the shower. That way I can brush while I shower. It's so much nicer with hot water running on my back. It doesn't exactly conserve water but it makes sense to me. And promotes more brushing for longer which I need to do because I'm prone to plaque build-up and gum disease. 

5. Okay, again another thing I learned from Mari. I swear she is the wisest friend I have. (No offense to the other friends who have taught me nothing. I love you just the same =))

If you buy a bottle of wine that you don't particularly like, make sangria! Kind of taking lemons and making them into lemonade.

6. We have to make two packages of mac and cheese now with three hungry little girls devouring two bowls a piece. I make the macaroni and only use one of the packets. I find that it is plenty cheesy. I save the other one and use it with noodles when I'm out of the boxed kind. They can have cheesy spaghetti, cheesy bowtie pasta, cheesy shells, whatever I have in the pantry.

Written 8-15-16 - Me

About me. I had a realization the other day when I lost my cool for the 100th time this summer. I screamed something at Mya and slammed a cupboard or two. I realized that kids and babies... not really my cup of tea. I'm sure you're thinking, Well that's because you had four in 5 years. But I really think it's true. I don't like a lot of high pitched noises or screaming or constant touching, hugging, little people all up in my space or kid shows with kids singing, or listening to pounding piano keys. (like anyone likes that) I like quiet alone time daily. I don't hate kids. I just like them in small doses. 

I love my kids. They are adorable and fun. But I know other super moms that would handle my four kids much better than I do. And then they would want more kids. And they would miss the baby stage.

This isn't sad or make me any less loving. It makes me a little less tolerant of the little years, however. And realizing that actually makes me feel better. I pinpointed what my problem is. I'm not totally heartless. I do love my little guys. They are pretty cute. But I do understand Miss Hannigan from Annie a lot more now.

I'm not really sure what people are taking about when they smell my babies' heads and say, mmmm baby smell. Personally I think they smell like spit up. Unless I've just bathed them... I've never felt the need to hold someone's baby to get my baby fix. I hold babies because I've been there. I know that mama just needs 5 seconds to pee or eat or fix her ponytail or just breathe. And that mama likes it when other mamas gush and tell her how precious that wee one is. That's why I hold babies. Now you know. I've actually gone to a new mama's house to deliver a meal and forgot to look at the baby and gush. Wups. 

I don't miss being pregnant, or nursing... I've done it 4 times. I don't miss holding a baby that doesn't outweigh my 2 year old. Angus's first steps didn't evoke anything but excitement. I just can't keep carrying that dude everywhere.

Do you hear my joy? 

Written - (About two years ago?, not sure of the date because I accidentally saved it, erasing the original date) Toys

We have a bit of a toy problem. It haunts my dreams at night. One day I'll figure out what to do about it. 

Until then, I'll just keep attempting to organize it. It doesn't look like it here but I'm making serious headway. 

(February 2019 toy update: Still a huge problem. Possibly bigger than it was two years ago)

Written 8-28-16 - Faves at TJ's

I love so many things at Trader Joe's. I thought why not post them all here? So here they are, my top things at TJ's.

Ice cream sandwiches - the circle ones with the mini choc chips
orange chicken
mini quiches
the rectangle frozen hash browns
mahi mahi burgers
sesame cracker salad thingies
soy sauce crackers
dark chocolate covered almonds
trail mix cookies
coffee - smooth and mellow blend
pot stickers - veggie ones are my fave
nacho cheese tortilla chips (with sour cream)
caramel and cheddar cheese popcorn
and they have the best avocados

Written 8-28-16 - My new toy.

The best thing Dan has ever agreed to buy.

Okay this is totally an ad for the best calendar ever. Click here to buy it on Amazon =) It's not cheap but SOOOO worth it. It is 2 X 3 feet of glorious organizational goodness. It makes me happy just looking at it. Sometimes I just stand in front of it thinking of things to write or maybe dates I've forgotten. I think that deep down I am super organized but just don't have the time or something. Don't laugh at me. I really am. I think it makes Dan pretty happy too. He suggested I write the dates in 3 different colors for the 3 different shifts at his work. I was like, "Uh YEAH I will!"

Written - 10-6-16 - I'll do me, you do you.

I've read a few blog posts about this but it's something I forget and have to remind myself of daily. So since I hadn't read one in a while I thought I'd write a post to myself and anyone that needs the reminder.

I'm mostly talking about motherhood but I'm also talking about life in general. Nothing provoked this either. I just noticed that this is an area that I've grown. And I have to say that I'm proud of myself. 

When I had my first baby, I was so worried that I was doing it all wrong. Was I messing her up? Was I starting habits that were unfixable? Was I missing out on opportunities to make her smart and social? There was so much advice coming at me and so many rights and wrongs of parenting. Then I had my second and I'm not sure when or how but I decided that the way I was doing things was just fine. I probably just became exhausted worrying about doing it the right way. After all, I am a smart, capable, loving person. If I can't raise a good kid, what chance does anyone else have? 

Now, with four, although I don't have the mom thing down to a science as that is pretty impossible, I'm totally fine with making any decision regarding my children without the help of other moms or professionals. Obviously I can still learn a lot from others, but I've learned that my instincts are pretty darn dependable. 

So. Do what works for you. It's simple but gets hard when you let friends, family and social media influence what that means. We are all very different people with very different stories with different things that make us tick.

As a mommy who has an appreciation for schedules and organization but sucks at implementing it all, it would be more work to train myself to be that way than it would be to have to follow the schedule I have planned out.  I have come to realize I have little patience, a low threshold for noise, and am not super affectionate and not super nurturing. I know how to set boundaries with my kids. I've learned to communicate nicely that mommy needs space or quiet. And that's totally fine. It is my house and they are my kids. 

How I mother my little people is going to be very different than any other mama out there. Of course I'm going to look for mamas with similar mothering styles so we don't completely clash when we hang out, but even those mamas will do it a different way than I would.

A mom of three girls will mother very different from a mom of three boys. A mom of one toddler will do it differently than a mom of 3 or 4. Even the same mom will change her parenting style a lot from her first baby to her fourth. Things change and I have to roll with it and do it works for me.

Even the professionals have differing opinions so really, it just comes down to what works for our family. All 6 of us. I am going to do my best the way I think is best. Someone else's way will simply not work.  

11-1-16 - In my head

I have spent a ridiculous amount of time trying to find a balance between my soothing music in the kitchen and the toddler YouTube music in the living room. Not easy.

Why does Addie only repeat the bad things I say? All afternoon she's been singing asuuuupid adogs! Asuuuupid adogs! I may have said stupid dogs as I let them in the house after they were barking at nothing again.

Written - 11-5-16 - Confessions of a mom of four  

(The ages of the kids when I wrote this were 1, 2, 5 and 7. A lot of this is embarrassing and I'm proud to say things have improved A LOT since then)

I write this not to let everyone know how dirty or lazy I am, but to encourage others in my role that this is a season and they are not alone. So, Wendy, let's leave this one off of Facebook hmm? Thanks.

I've not always lived like this. I once was very clean, organized and let's throw in smart too. But kid by kid, I've learned that I can't have it all. I simply cannot. So, as a result, I do what I can and leave the rest for another time, like 10 years from now perhaps. And I do what I have to do to keep me sane and the kids alive.

Addie and Angus both still get a bottle of milk at nap time and bedtime. I know that's highly frowned upon, and I probably need to stop before Addie turns 3, but right now, it makes them happy and they go to sleep. That is the goal. Sleep. My favorite time of day. Mya and Winter also took a bottle to go to sleep. And they both are cavity free. AND Mya didn't go to the dentist until she was four. FOUR. Go figure. It must be their dad's good teeth genes. That man has never had a cavity in his life.

Addie still has a pacifier in her mouth at all times. And I love it. Don't worry, there are plans to wean her. But not yet. She is loud. She is whiny. The paci helps.

Bathing is a luxury I do not have every day. It's dangerous to bathe during the day when the kids are awake. Who knows what could happen. So I shower at night... sometimes. Sometimes, there simply is not energy or time. And when I do manage to get in the shower, sometimes I skip the hair washing part and just rinse off. And if I'm being honest, a lot of the time I don't even take my makeup off or brush my teeth, especially if Dan's at work. I just put on some pajama pants and fall into bed. And if the remote is in reach, I'll watch a show and fall asleep 10 minutes into it. I have really come to appreciate makeup remover wipes, dry shampoo and deodorant. And also, I rarely shave.

The kids do not bathe daily either, not even close. Mya and Winter can bathe themselves now so sometimes I send them upstairs to shower if they're fighting or making me crazy. And sometimes I discover in the morning that they have leftover food or dirt from the day before and they get a baby wipe bath. I can tell we don't bathe the kids enough because they all get really excited at the mention of a bath or shower. And as a result, we are doing our part to conserve water.

I brush my teeth twice a day normally and floss too. But that's only because I have horrible teeth. I go to the dentist every 6 months and every time they tell me to come in more often. We tell the kids to brush their teeth before they go to bed. Does it actually happen? Who knows. The only time I brush their teeth myself is if they have a lot of candy, like on Halloween or Valentine's Day. I don't even know if they know what flossing is. I know Addie doesn't because she asked me what it was the other day.

Addie: What dat mama?

Me: Floss

Addie: Foss? What it do?

Me: It's for my teeth.

Addie: Oooooh in yo mouf?

Me: Yeah

Addie: Ooooooh okay

And that was the end of it. Floss is way above and beyond. I'm happy if the toothbrush finds its way into my kids' dirty little mouths.

Something I've tried to make a priority is getting fruits and veggies into their tummies at least once a day. Sounds easy. It's not. Thank goodness for those way overpriced fruit&veggie pouches. Otherwise, they would survive on mac & cheese and pretzels. Angus and Addie rarely eat lunch. It's usually a pouch of applesauce or yogurt and fish crackers on the way to school pickup.

Let's talk about my house. It is always a mess. ALWAYS. If I'm hosting a party, I clean the downstairs by throwing everything upstairs. Then I close the doors in case someone wonders up there. I never deep clean. We get the house professionally cleaned twice a year. I don't own a mop. I own a swiffer sweeper that's never been used. I bought it two years ago. Oh wait, I take that back. Angus finds it and pushes it around the kitchen from time to time so there's that.

Sometimes I sweep because the dog hair starts to take over. I do the dishes daily but that's only because we need forks to eat with. The laundry is also something that needs to be done pretty regularly because Dan gets mad when his underwear drawer is empty. But most of the time, the clean clothes are in the dryer or in a pile on my bed. The girls know to look there for underwear and socks.

Sometimes I pull something out of the dirty clothes like a soccer jersey and throw it in the dryer with two sheets of bounce. Isn't that what they're for? Sometimes I forget to feed the big girls breakfast before school and I have to go for a granola bar hunt in the van on the way. I throw it back to them and tell them to eat it as fast as they can. That's why I always leave snacks in there. Sometimes I forget Addie's underwear and she cries when I put her in the car seat and I have to figure out what ma pannieeeeees means. Last time I thought she wanted her paci but she already had it in her mouth. I was so confused. After I brought her 3 different pacifiers, I figured out that she didn't have any panties on under her dress.

Sometimes I put Addie and Angus in tennis shoes with no socks. Sometimes I reuse a pull-up if it has not been peed in. Sometimes Angus wears girl pajamas to bed. Who's gonna know? Well besides you all. Sometimes the dogs poop on the rug by the back door. I clean it up with baby wipes and Lysol spray. Done.

I don't read to my kids, like ever. Sometimes I convince Mya to read to Winter or Addie. And sometimes my mom reads to them. Sometimes babysitters do. How crucial is it really? Are they going to grow up to be idiots if they aren't read to?

Sometimes I amaze myself and sometimes I feel like I am failing miserably.

When people ask me how I'm doing, I often reply, "We're surviving." And that's the truth. There is no way to know what it is like to have 4 kids unless you have 4 kids. It is pure madness. There is a lot of yelling, a lot of crying, a lot of hugs and a lot of apologies. And at night when I look at all my sleeping babies, I can't imagine my life without all four of them in it. One day I'm going to shower every day and my house will be clean for more than 10 minutes at a time. And I'm going to sleep at least 8 hours a night. But not today. Today, I'm going to live one day at a time with lots of prayer, coffee and baby wipes and do my best. And I'm totally okay with that.

11-8-16 - Lists

One of my favorite things to do is to sit down on the couch with a clean paper and a sharp pencil and make a list. Any list will do. Things to take on a trip, things to get done this week, things to buy from the store, places in my house that need organizing/decluttering, you get it. And it has to be on real paper with a real pencil. None of that iPhone app list stuff. There are probably hundreds of list apps out there. But they wouldn't satisfy my organizational cravings like a physical notebook. Something about it makes me so happy. I don't know why. Maybe I like organizing my brain. I feel so frazzled most days. It's a mom thing. But making a list unfrazzles me and motivates me to do something productive. Even if it's just one thing. Ah lists. Love them.

Written - 11-21-16

There are a few things I've come across lately that have really helped me out in the mom department.

I got these candles at IKEA.

(no pic)

They work perfectly as a night light. They came in a pack of 3 and are battery operated so you can put them anywhere in the room. All 3 of my girls hate the dark so these allow enough light to see but not so much that it keeps them up. Perfect. (They still use them today - Feb 2019)

Pouches and snack packs. Pouches are the best invention ever. They are way more expensive than buying a jar of applesauce but sooooo worth the money in my opinion. And my kids actually get fruits and veggies in their little bodies. Angus will eat almost anything if it comes in pouch form. He is definitely the youngest of my kids to try Kale. Didn't even notice it wasn't completely apple sauce. They even have yogurt in a pouch. And you can buy it off the shelf. Angus won't eat anything that's not room temperature so I was pretty happy the day I found out about those little yogurt pouches. You can take them anywhere and you don't have to refrigerate them. And the big girls love the little Starwars and Frozen themed apple sauce pouches. Brilliant.
And did you know olives came in a snack pack? My kids love olives. I'm always looking for healthy things to put in their lunches.

Calmoseptine: It's magical for any kind of diaper rash. It is the ONLY thing that heals any rash instantly. It can be found at most drug stores or pharmacies. Not Target though, boo.

These are magical cleaning sponges. They are better than anything else out there. Don't get the generic brand either. It's gotta be Mr. Clean. 

Written 11-27-16 - Angus cuteness

Written 1-10-17 - Mo money mo problems.

I wouldn't know about that haha! It's just a good post title. 

I'm not a finance expert. Actually I'm the opposite. I would definitely be in debt big time if I wasn't married to super saver Dan. I'm the worst when it comes to saving. But I'm a thrifty shopper by nature so I have that going for me. I've never been into labels or high quality things. Especially now that they would just get dirty or broken with all the little ones around. And I have a tendency to break stuff myself. 

Dan and I recently decided that we need to spend way less. Well that's always been a goal but we're serious this time. The salary he makes covers our basic bills but not food, gas or anything else we need. So yeah, he works a lot of overtime to make ends meet. He doesn't enjoy working over time and I don't enjoy being a single mom. So we decided to go over our bills and credit card statements to see what we could do differently.

Most of our overspending is food related. I spend a ton of money at target, my bff/devil store. My sis Wendy calls it the $100 store. You just can't go to buy eggs and not come out with 5 grocery bags full of things you didn't know you needed. Most of the stuff I buy at Target is prepackaged snacks for lunches like granola bars, applesauce pouches (best and worst invention ever), 100 calorie packs of crackers, individually sized peanut butters etc. Yes they are super convenient but unnecessary at this stage in our life. The girls make their own lunches. They can go into a bag of crackers and put a handful in a baggy. Not hard. 

I rarely make a list before I go to the store and usually come back with items we already have like salad kits, chicken nuggets or waffles. That stuff adds up big time. Especially those dumb pouches. The kids can go through 3 boxes of applesauce pouches in one day. At $5 a pop that adds up. The way I shop is going to be the first thing we need to change. I'm going to plan our meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks) for the week, make a list, buy what I can in bulk and get the other things at target or Trader Joe's. I plan on only shopping once per week at each store. Hopefully Costco only twice per month. We'll see how it goes. If I really want to save I can use Mondays leftovers for Tuesdays dinner like leftover chicken for tacos or enchiladas or something. 

Most people would say just make a budget and stick to it. But I see no need since my budget is pretty much as little as possible without getting crazy like only eating beans and rice for a year.

I want to use up everything in our freezer and pantry before shopping for more food items. So my meal plans for the next couple weeks will be made of freezer and pantry stuff until that runs out. I need to use everything I buy. Easy to say. Super hard to do. I'm extremely picky about my fruit. It has to be just about perfect, but I'll eat flawed fruit in a smoothie. Same with veggies. I can make soups with stuff that is on its way out. I can use the fruits and veggies that go bad quicker like strawberries and cucumbers first. And save the stuff that lasts a while like apples and carrots for the end of the week. 

We also usually eat take-out/delivery most nights when Dan's home because we're just too tired to cook. That's gonna change. One order of Chinese food usually costs at least $50. That's crazy. We need to cook dinner ourselves or order something cheaper like tacos for $12. Much better. 

We also like In-N-Out when we're running errands. Twenty bucks here and there adds up. We can wait till we get home and have a sandwich.

We canceled our cable recently. That's huge. Such a waste of money. Netflix and Hulu play everything on TV anyway. So much cheaper. But I went a step further and canceled my Netflix. I can watch my ABC app for free and Amazon Prime has shows as well. I just cannot part with Amazon Prime. It's $50/year so less than $5/month for everything prime has to offer. Totally worth it to us. I also canceled my Pandora One subscription. I guess I'll have to live with commercials. 

I decided to stop doing individual sized coffee too. I got a free coffee maker that's kind of like a Keurig but the pods are pricey. I would save so much money just using a regular old coffee pot. So that's what we're doing. When the pods run out, we're getting the Mr. Coffee back out. 

An easy fun way to score free new (to you) stuff is to host a swap party. People bring things (in gently used condition) that they don't want and leave with new (to them) stuff. Just put some soda out and have people bring an appetizer and you don't have to buy food. You can even have a couple of people bring plates, utensils, napkins and drinks. It can be an entirely free night. I mostly get clothes and shoes for the kids at swap parties. Kids shoes are pricey and they grow out of them so fast. I always check for good shoes at the thrift store and the clearance section at target. 

Dan mentioned that we could probably do better in the "leaving lights on" department. We could probably stand it a little colder in the winter and a little warmer in the summer too. It's the little things that add up. We don't really buy big expensive things. It's all the little things we buy that are killing us. 

Some ways we already save:

Buy in bulk - Costco gives you a check through the executive membership if you spend a certain amount of money there. The more you spend, the more you get back. Our check usually covers most of the membership price. We don't even buy everything we should there. If we shopped there more regularly our membership would be free. 

I buy everything that I can 2nd hand. I always look to see if i can get it cheaper on eBay, Craigslist or a Facebook group. I bought an awesome black coach bag that I absolutely love for $25 through a Facebook online yard sale group. Been using it for over 2 years now. And a lot of the kids' Christmas was purchased there as well. 

I Sell stuff - Online yards sales on Facebook are a huge part of my life. There are tons in my area with thousands of members.  Every time my kids grow out of clothes, I take a few cute outfits out and sell them for $5 and give the rest away to friends who need them. And if we have too much of something I sell what we don't need. I love to get rid of things so it's a win win. 

The dollar store. Helpful and dangerous. I buy what I can there like notebooks, coloring books and random household things like clothes pins and cheap tablecloths. But I have to be careful or I'll end up with $50 of junk I don't need.

Birthday presents can get pricey. But I save gift bags and buy tissue paper and birthday cards in bulk so that's covered. And gifts don't have to be pricey if you get creative and plan ahead. I made a cute burlap banner for a friend's birthday that costed me $0 because I already had the stuff. Everyone is getting a banner this year.  Kids are pretty easy too. They love cheap stuff from the dollar spot like bubbles and play dough. I even have stuff to make play dough. Another free gift.  My neighbor loves zucchini bread so that'll be his birthday gift this year. I also have a gift box where I put gifts I don't want and gifts I find on clearance so I have stuff when I need it. 

I think saving money is all about planning ahead and having a saver mentality. I just need to start thinking like a saver. Look for sales. I have a friend that waits until the end of a season, winter let's say, and buys all the sweatshirts and stuff on clearance for the following year for her kids. Brilliant. And planning ahead big time. A lot of saving is willpower too. I will try not to go places where I'll spend money unless I absolutely have to. Like target. Rather than going to Target because I have a few things on my Target list, I can ask myself do I need that now or can it wait until my next trip? If I cut down on trips, I cut down on spending. Less chance of being tempted to buy things I don't need. 

It's a new year and I'm excited to make positive changes. I'll let you know how it goes.

Written - 3-26-17 - Pics and thoughts.

There's no way a parent invented this toy. There has to be balance between what keeps them happy and what drives you mad...

Swap party treasure! (Sweatpants)

I love this tree's mess. It's annoying for whoever has to clean it up... Dan and the gardener I guess =) But it's so pretty.

Written - 4-25-17 - Happy belated Easter.

I have mixed feelings about Easter. The word comes from the goddess of spring and fertility, having nothing to do with Christ or the resurrection. But I think anything that raises awareness that Christ died on the cross for our sins and arose is a good thing so I like to celebrate that. However, I don't want to punish my children and leave a bad taste in their mouth about Easter by not letting them be a part of the egg hunts and candy and Easter bunny stuff. (even though I'm sure Mya would not come near anyone dressed as a large bunny)

We usually go to my Aunt's house in Simi Valley for food, laughs and of course a giant Easter egg hunt. I had an awesome salad and a bunch of eggs filled with money and jelly beans when Winter came into my room Easter morning to tell me that her tummy hurt... Aaaaaand then she started puking. A lot. All day. All night. Off and on for 3 days followed by other tummy related things I won't get into. Poor thing. I was so worried about her. Usually the stomach flu lasts 12-24 hours and you can go back to normal or tend to another kid that catches it. But not this time. It went on for what seemed like an eternity.

She finally felt better Thursday morning after my bible study group prayed Wednesday night and my mom of course was praying for her daily. It took a few more days for her to feel like herself again. Sooooo, we finally had an Easter egg hunt Saturday. I hid the eggs in the back yard which turned out to be absolutely perfect.

5-29-17 - Thankful Thursday - Pepe's tacos.

I'm thankful for Pepe's. It's about a block away and their delicious street tacos are $1.25 or $1.50 if you get the fish ones. We can feed our whole family for $20. And we eat a lot of tacos. We walk here often. Dan and I wonder how they stay in business selling tacos so cheap... Never leave us Pepe!

Written 6-16-17 - Mom stuff

Being a mom is all about short cuts and quick fixes and faster ways to do stuff. Every now and then I find things that same me time so I thought I'd share a few. 

Just bought this at Walmart for $5. I almost NEVER go to Walmart but I was trying to find white paper bags which I stupidly signed up to bring for Winter's Easter whatever thing. I did not find them there by the way but I did find this. I had another one that I got from Bed Bath and Beyond for way more that was okay. But this one is stretchy and so so soft and just lovely. You must get one. You throw it on your head when you get out of the shower and by the time you get around to actually looking in the mirror cuz you're so busy cuz you're a mom, your hair is like... dry.

I'm always kind of trying to be a healthy eater. Kale is super good for you. At least that's what they say. It pretty much prevents all diseases from coming your way so you must eat it every day. I didn't mean to rhyme but sometimes that happens. Anyway, I am way too busy and tired to make salads so I buy these kale salad kits at Target, Trader Joes or any grocery store really. And then I add avocado and tomato. I buy cherry tomatoes because they are way faster to cut up than big tomatoes and you don't even need to cut them. I figured this out one day when I cut up half a tomato and put the other half in the fridge and knew I would never touch it again. Cherry and grape tomatoes are just faster and more sensible. 

Then, in order to get the dressing all over the salad, I put it in a ziploc bag and shake shake shake and voila. Done. AND since it's kale, it's hearty enough to hang out in your fridge for a day or two WITH dressing on it and still be good the next day. Try it. You're welcome. I sometimes take it a step further and throw chicken nuggets (the healthy kind of course) in the toaster oven to bake while I make my salad. Then I cut them up and throw them in the shake shake bag. 

Written - over a year ago (again lost the date I wrote it) - Aaaaaand she's out.

(Mya originally didn't want anyone to know about this so I never posted it. She's fine with it now a year later. But probably best if you don't bring it up 😉)

I remember my grandma Dora (mom's mom) telling me that her mom used to faint regularly at the sight of blood. One time when little Dora was about 10 years old, she was riding a horse and the horse turned sharp and threw her into a barb wire fence. She and was cut all over and covered in blood. She managed to get home and when her mom saw her she just passed out on the floor, leaving her cut up blood covered daughter to take care of herself and her unconscious mother. They survived.

I remember that story well because I've always had a reaction to needles and blood and that sort of thing. I've never actually fainted in that kind of situation but I've come very close many times. I would make a horrible surgeon. Good thing that wasn't my dream.

Anyway, I've come to find that Mya is like me and my great-grandmother. About a year ago, she was inspecting a cut on her leg and got dizzy. I told her to sit down and gave her some juice. That was the end of that. Then, last July, she fainted while standing on a chair. Not good. We had her blood tested and everything came back normal. Well, she did have a form of walking pneumonia but her blood work was fine otherwise.

A couple Sundays ago, before church, the day came for Mya and Winter to take out their earring studs and put in real earrings for the first time. They were told to wait 6 weeks and they were free to switch them out. They were super excited about wearing new earrings to church so I called Dan who was at work and made sure he was okay with missing out on this momentous occasion. He gave them the go ahead and they picked out their favorite pair from their special earring drawer.

I tried to take the backing off of Winter's earring but it was stuck on pretty good. Mya thought that maybe they screwed off so we began turning. Nothing. Finally Mya's earring popped off after she gave it a good tug. I noticed her ear was bleeding so she went to the bathroom to investigate.

I cleaned off her bloody ear and told her I didn't think we should put new earrings in and maybe we should put the old hypoallergenic studs back in and let them heal a bit more. She agreed and tried to stick it back in. It didn't really go back in easily and hurt to try.

Mya got dizzy. She turned pale. I made her lie down on the couch and went to grab an apple sauce pouch. I asked her if she had eaten breakfast yet and she didn't answer. I turned around and saw her passed out on the couch. Awesome. She came to and I made her some breakfast and we missed the first service. Not a big deal. I wasn't too concerned given my history with these things and her history with these things and the fact that she hadn't eaten.

For some reason, when anything is urgent around here, it seems like there is always at least one more urgent matter to tend to. Like someone puking while another kid is having a potty accident or more than one spill or more than one coffee mug breaking. I digress.

So our old black lab, Twitch, nearly 14, recently had surgery to remove 8 or so benign cysts. It's gross and I don't like to talk about it. He's now wearing the cone of shame as my 9 year old neighbor boy likes to call it. He's kind of blind so he keeps running into everything with his giant cone, including my leg all the time. And kind of funny and sad but our other dog is afraid of the cone so she won't go near Twitch. So it really is the cone of shame. I do love the dog. But it's just one more thing to add to this Wagenbrenner circus.

So, because Twitch runs into everything with his cone, the cone kind of comes undone and I have to attach it back together. Otherwise, he would lick or bite his stitches and who knows what kind of bad things would happen.

So as Mya is having her dizzy fainting crises, Twitch's cone is coming off. Again. I had to make a choice between tending to my dizzy daughter or fixing the stupid cone so Twitch didn't undo his stitches. I chose Mya obviously. But after she came to and color started coming back into her cheeks, I gave her an applesauce pouch, got the duct tape out and taped that stupid flipping cone back together.

Just another regular day around here. I'll try to wrap the story up for those of you who need closure. Mya attended the 2nd service in big church with me. I wasn't going to let her out of my sight for a good 8 hours. We came home, put Angus down for a nap, ate lots of food, and after I bribed her with 15 gummy bears, she got up the courage to put the earring back in her ear by herself. (I offered to do it but she was not havin' any of that) What a brave little girl. She got dizzy again but didn't faint. Success. We're going to wait another few weeks to try again.

This is Mya before church. I braided her hair to kind of cover her ears so hopefully no one would notice. She was very self conscious about her missing earring. 

This it! Happy Wednesday!