love thursdays

I love Thursdays.  Thursdays are my favorite day of the week.  Thursday are the days that I feel I am a real stay at home mom.  I cook, I clean, I play, I don't have no where I have to go, I can just stay at home, I love it.  I do though sometimes get a little overwhelmed when I have a lot of things I need to get done and my morning isn't as productive as I hoped.  Today is one of those overwhelmed days, I cleaned out a closet, but I also have to do laundry, would like to vacuum and mop the floors, prep dinner, clean the laundry room, ebay some stuff, and online yard sale some others, and spend time with Lily.  So Lily is taking a nap so I should get productive so I can check some stuff of my to-do list.

it was like black friday but on a wednesday

Sadly there is a Food Lion nearby that is closing and as a result the store went on sale today: 50% off and it was insane.  I stopped by after volunteering at Lance's school and before class thinking I could just run in and out (about 10 in the morning), but I realized right away that wasn't going to happen.  I called Jeff who was at home and asked him to come and over and wait in line and to bring a big tote so I could use it as a shopping cart since carts were not available.  As Jeff stood in line I walked around and gathered what I wanted then I left him to go to class, he was an awesome for staying and waiting in line to buy what I wanted.  I am extremely thankful, 50% off was just too good of a deal to pass up. I grabbed pull-ups, tums, claritin, juice boxes, batteries, cereal, cascade, freezer bags, and quite a few more, things that I normally buy and are on the expensive side, and most importantly things we use all the time.  Jeff was entertained in line, the lady in front of him spent over $500 dollars and he learned that the store required you to pay every $500, but they let her run over a little since she only had a few additional items.  There was a couple there who had 5 carts overflowing with items, they told him they stock up on store closing sales and spend several thousands of dollars.
After I left to go to class I called my two friends and told them about the sale because it was such a good deal.  Both went, one friend spent about 30 minutes in line and the other spent an hour and half.  I stopped by the store on my way home from class to help my friend entertain her daughter while she waited in line since Lily and her were friends, after 30 minutes the line wasn't moving so I took Lily and Ella back to our house.  While my friend waited to check out the computer system crashed so the registers stopped working and one register was never able to go back online.  The lines were so long that they locked the doors and would not let anyone else in.  At one point they started letting people in as others were leaving, if one person left, one got to go in, it was crazy and I was thankful that I had done my shopping in the morning.  Then to add to the madness, people followed my friend out to her car to get her cart, one person even loaded her groceries into her vehicle in return for getting her cart, insanity.  It is kind of funny what people will do for a good deal.  I have to say though that everyone was very polite and friendly, at least when I was there, I think it was getting a little tense when the line to get in started, but it was a much friendlier crowd then Black Friday and the wait was a lot longer.  As luck would have it, I have thought of twenty items I wish I would have  remembered to look for or buy when I was there, but I doubt anything will be left tomorrow and I certainly don't want to go back today.  The sad thing is, that Food Lion had more business today than it probably did in a month.

ten reasons why pinterest isn't just a waste of time

I, like almost everyone else, is spending lots of time on Pinterest.  I just have to say I LOVE Pinterest, really really love it and here's why I love it:

10- It has given me so many good ideas and it is a better method for organizing stuff then I have ever had.  For years I have bookmarked articles or pictures I have run across on the web, I have written down recipes, and I have torn out pages out of magazines and put them in a folder or bulletin board, but 9 times out of 10,  all these great ideas, recipes, pictures get forgotten, lost, or abandoned, but they don't with Pinterest.  I love that I can organize all the cool stuff and have it in one place.  I love that I can quickly like something and then check it out later to organize it on a board. 

9- I love that I have found a recipe on Pinterest to make Olive Garden like Salad Dressing and it doesn't require raw eggs!  I have found several recipes over the years to duplicate the salad dressing but got freaked out by raw eggs.   I have also forked over the money for the dressing, but thanks to Pinterest and The Country Cook, I have a recipe that tastes just like it and it so easy and inexpensive to make!  I made it last night and I love it, can't wait for salad tonight.

8- I love that I can make a Christmas or gift board for my family.  I am supposedly a hard person to get a gift for so I started a board of things I love or want, which is a great way for someone who loves me to see what I would really love to have but probably not going to buy for myself.  In fact, my husband bought me a watch for Christmas that I had pinned, unfortunately, it looks better in the picture than it did on my wrist, but that's another story.

7- I love that I have found some great homemade household cleaner recipes.  I made and love my homemade laundry detergent and I plan on making dishwasher detergent as well and hand soap eventually.  I could go on and on about the laundry detergent, but since I already have a whole post on that, I won't, but I still love my new detergent and it works great.

6-  It is a great place to organize ideas or crafts that I've tried and loved and will do again next season, such as the hanging leaf mobile that the kids and I made this past fall, that I can't wait to make again next year.  (didn't find this on Pinterest, but I found it and pinned it after reading it in a magazine because I knew I would lose the magazine)

5-  I have found lots of freezer meal ideas which I just love and having them all in one place to browse instead of pulling out 4 or 5 cookbooks is so nice. I found and made a chicken tikka masala recipe on Pinterest from What's Cooking Chicago. I am so happy that I found a recipe for one of my favorite meals that is from scratch and fresh and not a sauce from a jar.

4- I have found many ideas on how to re-purpose, remake, or just fix up things I already have which is so good financially and environmentally.  I found the other day a pin on how to remove scratches from dishes by using Bar Keepers friend, I haven't done all my plates yet, but it made a HUGE difference and I am so thankful because my plates were looking a bit sad, now they look new.

3-  My favorite pin find so far is the directions on how to cook bacon in the oven.  I love bacon, but I hate making it because I easily burn it and it requires so much attention in a skillet, but bacon in the oven is PERFECT.  I don't like extra crispy bacon and so bacon in the oven is ideal for me, I now am not afraid to try a recipe with bacon in it or I should say I will include bacon in a recipe that calls for it.  Bacon in the oven made Christmas morning breakfast a dream because I didn't have to stand over the stove for 25 minutes watching to make sure the bacon didn't burn.

2-  I love my dream home board.  One day we will move or renovate our house and when that day comes I will have a board with all kinds of ideas which is much neater than a folder full of torn out pages.  I also love how I can look easily follow a pin link to more pictures which you can't do with a torn out picture from a magazine.

1-  I love Pinterest is FREE.  I love magazines, but I don't like paying for a few pages of inspiration but tons of pages of advertising, I love that I can go to Pinterest, see what I want to see from a whole wide range of magazines and blogs in a little bit of time.  I can find Martha Stewart crafts, Southern Living decorating, and recipes from a food blogger all in one place, but it doesn't stop there, when I have time I follow the pins to see what other jewels can be found, and there are many.  I am inspired again and so thankful for the little things that have made life a bit more fun and a great conversation piece with friends!



For more top ten lists, try:

weekend

This was a birthday weekend.
Lance was invited to a friend's birthday party.  It was at the skating rink that also has an indoor climbing/jungle gym apparatus/contraption as well as an arcade.  Lance only knew the birthday boy and at age 5/6 in a huge place like we were in everyone kind of did their own thing, so Lance and I had some time to hang out together minus Lily, it was fun.
We played in the arcade first and I got to teach Lance how to play Skee-ball.  After we used up all our tokens we redeemed his tickets for some junk then he played in the indoor whatever then it was time in the party room.
The party room was crazy, it had moving lights on the wall.

the glow party room

  The kids had glow bracelets and necklaces, and they had cups that had lights that looked like they could induce seizures. 

the glow cup

After pizza, soda, and cupcakes we headed back out and Lance got to try roller skating. I wanted to skate myself to see if I could still do it, but it took all my concentration to keep Lance on his feet so I held him around the rink a few time before calling it quits.  We played a little more in the arcade which was kind of lame, most of the games were winning tickets by luck not skill, I say this as though skee-ball requires skill, but it is more than just putting in a token and pulling a handle.
So Lance and I had fun, me being the germ freak would not have chosen to spend the afternoon there, but we went and had fun.

trying out skating

We headed home and had a few hours to rest before our second birthday party, it was my sister birthday. Fortunately, this party was low key and we just enjoyed pizza and cake and the kids helped Amy open her presents.
Yesterday, we "worshipped" at the house of Panera. 

a moment of sweetness

We are looking for a church, but it has been difficult and the last couple of weeks we have spent time together as a family.  After breakfast and a trip to Target which involved finding some good deals since I visited every sale rack and endcap we headed home. 

breakfast

I prepped for lecture today and then we all headed outside to play.  We try and play outside everyday, it is easy in the spring and summer, but in the winter I hate it, especially when it is cold.  I put on a pair of leggings under my jeans and braved the 36 degrees to play outside.  I felt quite energized after being outside, it was the cure to a blah, cold, overcast day.  I got all my work done for this week (yay!) and did a little grocery shopping.  After fixing dinner, we watched Beauty and the Beast as a family and played with glow sticks. 

glow stick and camera fun

So for a cold, snow-free weekend, it was fun and the cold wasn't so bad.

pictures

I, like many others love instagram. I love that I can change the colors/lighting on a photo. I am no photo snob or professional and don't pretend to be one, some snub instagram, but me, I love how it captures moments of life:

a winter walk

afternoon outside play

watching a show on the ipad

princess lily

a rainy afternoon

my little pack rat

the trees at spy rock

the diva

i have a thing for trees, can't wait for the green leaves to return

the top of spy rock

it's official

I have a masters degree!  I passed my comprehensive exam in November and the semester was over in the middle of December, but they don't grant degrees until January.  So it is finally official, I have a masters of science education and I can keep working at the community college!

the top of the world

Last weekend we took a hike to a place called spy rock.

I didn't want to go, it was cold, I hate being cold and in the winter time everything is very monochromatic and blah.
I went and have to say, I am glad I went, the view was beautiful and the cold wasn't as bad as I feared it would be.

the trees near the top were very unique and I don't know if I would have fully appreciated them if they had been full of leaves.

the view at the top was breathtaking, and well worth the 1.5 hike up.

we even made a friend with a vulture that got a little too close.

I still can't get over the trees, they seemed to striking a pose.

I can't wait to go back in the spring or summer.

Disney

For over a year now I have been wanting to go to Disney World and go to sooner rather than later.  This fall I decided that we were going to try and go in June after everyone was out of school.  I guess it was around Thanksgiving when I was thinking about and planning for the spring semester I realized that my spring break at the community college would be the ideal time to go to Disney World, it would not be too hot, it would not be the busiest, and it would be sooner rather than later.  I convinced my mom to consider it and then asked my sister and her husband if they would like to go, my sister, thankfully really wanted to go.  My sister and her husband found out after Christmas that they could take off to go, so I am in the middle of planning a trip to Disney World for the first week of March.  It is kind of stressful because I don't have a lot of time, most people plan a trip 6 months to a year or more before they go, me two months, if even that.  It is also hard because we have so many people going, seven, maybe 8 depending if my mom's best friend joins us.  It would be cheaper to get separate rooms, but I think it would be nicer to get a Villa where we all could stay.  The other advantages to having a villa are the washer/dryer, and kitchen, I am prefer to make my own food instead of eating out all the time so the kitchen would be wonderful.  So I have to convince my mom the more expensive Villa is worth it, my one point is, we would all be together in one place and not as separated as we would in 3 different hotel rooms and who knows if we will ever be able to coordinate everyone going again so we should splurge, it has been several years since we have all vacationed together so who knows if we will ever do it again. 
Finding a place to stay isn't the only thing I have to figure out, I have to plan our schedule, which fortunately I think I have figured out:
Friday night: drive as far south as we can
Saturday: get to FL
Sunday: Sea World
Monday: Magic Kingdom
Tuesday: day off, hopefully meet up with friends and family who live in FL and we never get to see
Wednesday: Animal Kingdom
Thursday: Magic Kingdom
Friday: head to home
Saturday: get home
Our schedule is not as intensive as many people going to Disney would be, but Lily is only 3 and we want to have fun and not overwhelm her, Disney and Lily seem like it is a bad combination, but I hope she will prove us wrong.
So I have the schedule down, I know where I would like to stay, but I have to do some convincing, then there is the meal plan or not meal plan, the park hopper or not park hopper tickets, character breakfast or not, finding a place to stay near Sea World, and driving route planned, and before I know it, hopefully packing up.  Despite being overwhelmed with all of the decisions, I am super excited and can't wait to go.

rhythm

Winter break is over with and we have found our rhythm.  I like schedules and routine and rhythm.
Mondays- everyone school, my long work day
Tuesday- Lily and I off, small group, grocery shopping
Wednesday- everyone school, volunteer at lance's school, pick up living room
Thursday- Lily and I's day of staying at home, bathroom cleaning, laundry, we pick up lance from school and go to the library for the late afternoon
Friday- everyone goes to school, my morning for Target or other errands, homemade pizza night and movie
Saturday- day off, no plans, change the sheets on the beds and any lingering laundry and the fish aquarium cleaning day
Sunday- family day, we usually have a Panera breakfast and do something outside or out-of-town
so now that I have mentioned our routine it is going to get thrown off, until then, I will enjoy my new found rhythm and routine which has helped me to keep up with up with the chores that can get overwhelming, i.e. laundry and meal planning.  I would like my routine to get thrown off because of a snow day, though I doubt that it going to happen anytime.
The only change I sometimes change is not grocery shopping on Tuesday but earlier since Tuesdays are senior citizen discount day and the WORST day to go to Kroger.  
So life is good and I enjoy our schedule, it works for us. I should note as part of my routine I try and be electronics, mainly phone free from 4-6 pm every day, though there have been slip ups, I have been doing pretty good and come 8 pm I don't even know where my phone is which is good, because I can get sucked into words with friends, pinterest, among many other apps and websites. 

crunchy

I have been so tired of paying a ridiculous amount of money for laundry detergent. I have also been irritated at how hard it is to measure the proper amount of detergent to use, I think they do it on purpose so you use more and have to buy more of it.  I am also tired of getting holes in my t-shirts and after a google search I found that a culprit might be an anti-pilling agent in detergents.   Then there is the whole environmentally friendly aspect, detergent goes down the drain then into the watershed, I don't really know how good my detergent is.  So after a session on Pinterest, I found a recipe for homemade detergent and it seemed easy enough.  So yesterday afternoon I grated some ivory soap and stirred and stirred the shavings with some washing soda and borax and wallah! I have my own laundry detergent that uses a very small amount, costs next to nothing, is relatively smell neutral (I don't like strong smelling products), and I think is relatively earth friendly.  So far I have done 5 loads of laundry and though most of the laundry hasn't been super dirty, it seems to be working and I am happy with it, especially since total cost was about $8 and it seems like it is going to last A LOT longer than regular detergent.

ready to get back into the swing of things

So it's Tuesday and the kids have been home on winter break for almost 2.5 weeks, a crazy long time.  I have enjoyed spending all day with both kids, but the fighting between them has driven me a bit crazy.  I look forward to grocery shopping and errand shopping alone as well as a few morning to myself.  I will miss Lance, but hopefully we will have some snow days to enjoy in the near future, fingers crossed.  I have learned over the break that I am not cut out for homeschooling and I am thankful that Lance attends school, we just don't work well together and I am not disciplined enough to stay on top of him.  Then again, maybe if I was homeschooling him I would not also be teaching so I could more energy into his schooling, but then again, we don't work well together.  Tomorrow we start easing back into the busy school schedule, but I like a regular routine and look forward to the structure, I am geek like that.