More Lucy Than June

I promise you that tonight’s post is not some feeble attempt to get you to “follow” me on Twitter.

In fact, it’s a pretty lame post if you’ve read my Twitters already. It’s just that we had an interesting week…and I felt the need to post something tonight…and I was tired and this was the best I could come up with.

So if you haven’t read the Tweets, well…this should keep you entertained for at least a minute and 13 seconds. Or so.

I have de-Twitter-fied them so that they are easier to read. That means I made them more than the 140 characters that you are limited to on ye ole Twitter. In other words, they don’t read like some 14 year old’s text message screen. You know, something like:

U r 2 cool! LOL, BFF! BRB!

So, let the good times roll. Here are some of this week’s most interesting Tweets from my cellular device. Oh, and the italicized comments are what I added for this blog post to further explain or update the situation. (See? I’m spicing it up for those who’ve already seen the Tweets? No need to thank me. My pleasure.)

So here goes… (OH. And, my apologies for the funky lay-out and weird bolding/un-bolded/highlighted stuff.  I guess if you highlight and bold a bunch of stuff, Wordpress gets freaked out and decides to revolt. And since I am not wise in the ways of Wordpress, I can’t fix it. I’m sure the hubster could, but he’s busy burning the midnight oil on someone else’s more important paying website.)

Slow going this morning. Shouldn’t have stayed up till 2. Then the babe woke early cause the diaper leaked. It leaked BAAAAADDDD. (Parent’s Choice diapers for nighttime=BIG FAT FAIL.)

School called & said Kenni’s on a waiting list. Translation: She’s too smart for pre-k but too young for Kindergarten. Urgh. Homeschool, here we come. (More to come on this later. Way disappointed in the school system right now…)

Well, I have come up with a new grocery day and time for my weekly schedule.

And it is NOT Friday.

You wait till Friday and you get NOTHIN’ at the ole Harris Teeter on super doubles week.

I managed to get a few things at HT, but it was nothing like my grand plan I had all worked out.

That’s cool though, cause I learned alot from my failure. Isn’t that the point?

So, here we go…

The Friday Finals

The CVS Run

I would like to add here that Stephen is embarrassed to tears that I posted a pic of my “feminine products” on my blog.

Anywho, let’s talk totals…

• 1 John Frieda hair product
• 2 Glade candle holders
• 2 Glade candle refills
• 4 Glade scented oil refills (nevermind that I don’t have the holder for them…they were all out of that!)
• 4 Carefree pantiliners
• 2 Poise pantiliners
• 1 Cascade dish detergent
• 1 gallon milk

3 transactions. Total= $6.63

The 1st Harris Teeter (disappointing) run

• 3 trial size Edge shave gel
• 1 Clean and Clear face wash
• 1 J&J First Aid gauze
• 1 J&J First Aid tape
• 2 pkgs. chicken breast
• 1 Red Baron pizza
• 1 loaf of bread

Total= $10.73

The 2nd Harris Teeter (less disappointing) run

• 2 Red Baron frozen pizzas
• 1 Danimals yogurt smoothie (6pk.)
• 1 Yo-Plus yogurt (4pk.)
• 1 kids toothpaste
• 1 Pert Plus for men shampoo
• 1 Sure for men deodorant (this was a bummer purchase…should’ve been free, but the coupon had EXPIRED! Boo.)

Total= $9.24

And finally…the Publix run

Horrible photo, but I had to rush because three children and one husband were asking where lunch was.

• 1 Aunt Jemima frozen french toast
• 1 Aunt Jemima frozen pancakes
• 2 lbs. bananas
• 2 Dial bodywash
• 3 lb. bag apples
• 2 South Beach living snack bars
• 5 Campbell’s Select soups
• 1 can Publix sliced peaches
• 1 Publix cat food
• 1 jumbo pack Huggies
• 3 Orville Redenbacher microwave popcorn
• 1 gallon milk
• 1 A1 steak sauce
• 1 Gerber graduates meal
• 1 Gerber meat sticks (ugh! the meat sticks are back in our house these days thanks to the babe who likes table food)
• 1 pkg. Solo plates
• 1 Mott’s apple punch
• 2 pkgs. top round steak
• 1 pkg. pork spareribs

Total= $45.51

Savings= $48.12

So there you have it…family of 5. Groceries for a week= $72.11 Total savings= $175.10

I feel like I could get that total down even more, but alot of this is stock-piling stuff. I mean, I should have enough pads to last me till menopause at this point. Just sayin’.

And the Glade stuff…well, my house should smell good for a long while. If only I could find one of those warming units for the 4 packages of blasted refills I got.

So, I perused a few blogs today.

It seems that EVERYONE has a blog these days, right?

I like Mommy blogs, because…I’m a Mommy.

I like funny stories. I like poignant stories.

I have a friend, Terri, who would make the best blogger ever (she tells good stories), but I have not been able to convince her to start a blog yet. Maybe we could start a petition or something towards that effort…

Anyway…the Mommy blogs.

I like to read ABOUT the Mommy herself on these blogs. I love to read the profiles that list a wealth of info on what the Mommy likes, dislikes, parenting styles, etc.

So, I started thinking…

What kind of mommy am I?

I know you’re all terribly intrigued. Well, for what it’s worth, I thought I’d throw together a hodge-podge list of the kind of mommy, the kind of WOMAN I am.

I read my kids bedtime stories. I’ve yelled at my kids in frustration.

I make grilled cheese sandwiches in the shape of hearts just so the kids will eat them. I open cans of pre-fab ravioli to feed my kids.

We go to the park somedays. We watch too much TV somedays.

Mommy gets on the floor to play legos and dollhouse. Mommy lays on the couch for a few extra zzzz’s while the kids dismantle the living room.

Mommy does the dishes faithfully. Mommy lets the dishes pile up in the sink till Daddy asks, “What stinks in here?”

I buy crafts to do with the children. I make homemade play-doh. I draw hopscotch boards on the sidewalk.

I lock myself in the bathroom for longer than I need to for some quiet time. I let them play on the computer so I can get some “me time” alone.

I wore my baby in a sling. I didn’t wear my baby in a sling.

I breast-fed. I formula-fed.

I scheduled my baby’s feeding. I demand fed my baby.

I let my baby cry-it-out. I rocked my baby to sleep.

I buy fruits and veggies and healthy snacks for my babes. I buy cookies, ice cream, and gummy bears for my kids.

I teach my kids patience by making them wait for things. I give them lollipops so I don’t have to hear them whine.

I am schedule driven. I am survival driven.

I vaccinate. I circumcise. (Well, I don’t…I have a trusted medical professional do that stuff…)

But if you don’t vaccinate or circumcise (and I have several good friends who don’t), then that’s great with me too.

I taught public school, but I’m homeschooling McKenna for pre-K this year. And next year, she’ll go to public school.

I read Dr. Dobson AND Dr. Sears…AND I watch the Super Nanny.

You see, I’m not one of those parents that criticizes others for how they do or don’t do things. Because I don’t have one specific way for everything myself. Each child is different. Each family is different. Each MOMMY is different.

So what kind of mommy am I?

Well, I’m still making my way through that one, I think. I do what works for me. I do what works for my family.

It varies from day to day. And it varies from kid to kid (to kid).

I have friends that LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Babywise parenting. Me? Not so much. And here’s why…

I think that if Babywise works for you, then that is AWESOME. I’m not saying it’s innately “bad”…but it might be bad for some babies.

Because there are some babies that, no matter what you do, will NOT be scheduled. I tried Babywise with my oldest.

And I do believe that if she could have, my sweet little baby would have taken that book and thrown it in my face. The book drove me nuts… Just sayin’. Don’t be offended if you’re a Babywise fan. I think if it works for you, then that’s wonderful. I just don’t think it’s “gospel” or an “end all be all”.

Second-born babe, on the other hand, loved a schedule. I could set a watch by her.

Third-born babe loves a ROUTINE. There’s a difference between a routine and a schedule.

Anyway, back to my post. (Me? Rabbit trail? Never.)

So, what kind of woman am I? What do I like? What do I dislike? What defines me?

Above it all, I am a Christ-follower. But that by no means makes me perfect. Or always right.

I love fall and changing leaves and anything pumpkin. I love the fair that comes in September and caramel apples and funnel cakes. I love baking, and fall is the official kick-off of baking season. I love my crock-pot, my coffee, my sunglasses.

I love dancing and singing with my girlies. I love soaking in the tub. I love chocolate, cheese, new make-up and a new book.

I have a list of books I want to read (The Time Traveler’s Wife, My Sister’s Keeper, Dare to Discipline…not kidding about that last one), but it’s rare I finish a book in a year.

I wanted to be a bus driver, a teacher, a lawyer, an actress when I grew up.

I love Carol Burnett and Lucille Ball and Dick Van Dyke.

I think that vintage 50’s homemaker images are the bomb-diggity. (Oh yeah. I said that…)

I love Rascal Flatts and Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood. And 80’s and 90’s pop/rock.

I think Miley Cyrus is a good actress. I really do. And I let my kid watch her show. But if you don’t, that’s cool.

Twizzlers, Pumpkin Spice Lattes, new stationery, and coupons make my day.

I would spend all my discretionary income at Bath and Body Works, Old Navy, Gap, Carter’s, The Children’s Place, and Target. Oh, and Barnes and Noble. (It might just take me awhile to get through the book.)

I love celebrity gossip, and I wish I had a subscription to People.

I watch 24, American Idol, Whale Wars, The Office, and anything Food Network.

80’s movies make me smile. Can’t Buy Me Love, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, The Goonies, The ‘Burbs, Back to the Future.

I can quote Nat’l Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation almost verbatim.

I have the best Thanksgiving turkey recipe ever, thanks to Alton Brown.

I love candles, the smell of honeysuckle, the color brown, and Saturday Night Live. (Kristen Wiig rocks it out. But vintage 90’s SNL is fab, too.)

I could go on, but I won’t.

So that was some randonmess about me. About the Mommy and the Woman that I am.

That was very therapeutic to write. I feel like I reminded myself that underneath the caked on babyfood, the mountain of laundry, the leaking diapers, the tantrum-ing 2 year olds, the sassy 4 year old, and the teething babe, there is a mommy who tries to give her babes a balanced approach. I am not the perfect wife, mother, or friend nor will I ever be. I just do the best I can with the help of the only One who will ever be enough.

And there is a woman behind the mommy who has very real likes, passions and feelings.

“There’s no place like home.”

“I’m going home, back to the place where I belong…”

Just a quick post this evening to let you know…we are back home tonight!!!

I have never been so excited to see my front door!!!

Don’t misunderstand me. I am BEYOND GRATEFUL to my precious in-laws for all they did and gave up to allow us to live with them these past two weeks. It’s just that there is something about sleeping in your own bed that is soooooo comforting.

My follow-up visit to the doctor went well. Took out my sutures (are you beyond disgusted yet?? sorry…), and told me I could start showering again.

Uh, yeah. About that…

He gave me the evil eye when he asked if I had, and I told him…well, yes.

(Hey. I may be a lot of things, but one thing I am not is a liar. This is probably to my demise, at times.)

He says I need to wear the back brace till I come back to him in 8 weeks. Not the most pleasant situation…I hate, no…I LOATHE that back brace. It makes me all sweaty, and I can’t move very well in it. But I think that might be the point. (The whole “can’t move very well” bit…not the “sweaty” part…)

He did seem concerned when I told him that I was still having some leg pain. He asked me how I felt about a lumbar fusion. (People, this involves hardware and stuff being placed on my spine…) I told him, no thanks.

But then I had to get serious and ask him what the odds really were of that. He paused and told me to ask him again in 8 weeks.

Great.

BUT…but, but, but…

I went home, took the ibuprofen he told me I could start taking again (instead of the knock-you-out-Percocet/Flexeril-combo that I had been on).

The leg pain was almost completely gone by evening!!

And today, as I got out of the car at each of our stops on our road trip back to C-town, I stood up straight EACH time. I don’t remember the last time that I could stand up straight.

The sciatic pain is still slightly there, and i have a bit of a sore back (but hey, I mean, they did just cut it open, right?), but I feel so much more confident in a full recovery now than I did before!!!

I am not foolish enough to believe that it was merely the ibuprofen that helped. I know that many, many prayers have gone up for me…and I cannot begin to tell you how thankful and grateful I am!!!!!!!!

Please continue to keep us in your prayers…the road to a full recovery is a couple of months long. This means I cannot bend over to pick up anything. That includes my children.  (tear, sigh, bigger sigh…)

Stephen has gone above and beyond the call of duty in adding my job of maintaining the daily lives of all of the kiddos to everything else he is trying to do here in Charleston. He is my hero, and I cannot imagine going through this without him!!!!

So, there you have my brief post this evening.

Who are we kidding, folks? Nothing about my life is “brief”.

…but still pretty decent, I think!

• 2 packages of Pampers (although Caia looks like she may be on her way to potty training…OH, how this will help my budget if she is!!!)
• 2 one-subject notebooks
• 2 pocket folders
• 1 Softsoap Nutri Serum (huh? what does that mean?) bodywash
• 1 Blink tears eyedrops (hoping my husband gets dry eyes so he can use ‘em…okay, not really, but I had to get them because I made money off of them)

The total for all of that was….

$12.96

Total savings = $36.22

If you buy diapers often like I do, then you know it’s a pretty good steal for two packs of diapers, because my total for all that stuff was about average to one pack of diapers.

So, all in all…I felt like I could have done better, but I’ll be happy with my total anyway!

Oh! And I have $7.98 to start out with next time!!!

(Hope Stephen realizes he’ll be making next week’s CVS trip due to the fact I’ll be laid up in bed and all…)