Superman J and The Ugly Truth

Okay. First up, The Ugly Truth. Gentle Reader, if you look a few feet ahead of this blog you'll see it: The Deep End. I am almost there with my crazed "Stock Up" phase. If it weren't so embarrassing, I'd take a picture of my PACKED refrigerator, my PACKED freezer and my storage area (currently under renovation, to be discussed in a moment). I'm not sure what brought on the craze...perhaps it was the idea of an income tax return so that I could have a little more budget for this, but who knows. I've been in this haze of "I really need some more brown sugar," or "I need to get some dried Ginger" and "I really need another thing of toilet paper" or even "I think I need 20 lbs of flour and rice and pinto beans...each!" (20 lbs of pinto beans? I mean, my kids don't even eat a small cans worth, for crying out loud).


J has been EXCEPTIONAL and we even had a little talk about what it would take for me to feel more relaxed about this, and last night I finally came to my senses...after another trip to Costco (oh dear...). I think that's because I actually bought some useful vegetables and tomatoes for the collection. But more importantly, I believe I've finally started to emerge from this insanity because J (aka Mr. Superman himself) has been creating a set of shelves like this out of some existing shelves we already had in the basement (and thus saving us at least $400, because that's how much one of these beauties costs...sheesh!).



What's nice about that is I can now see what we have and the quantities, and it's AMAZING how knowledge is, indeed, power. So far, Gentle Reader, I have ascertained that my family will not go hungry because we have an unnatural amount of Cream of Chicken soup. Hmmmmm. Yes, Gentle Reader...Cream. Of. Chicken. Soup. It is the only canned good that fills up it's entire row (top and bottom) and then some. Again, I have no good explanation for this because it's not my favorite soup...I do enjoy it in casseroles and things of that nature, but still. Who Knew?


Anyway, I just have to say THANK YOU with a big KISS to my personal Man of Steel for putting up with this bit of "supply insanity"...and to all the future meals with a base of Cream of Chicken soup in them.

Pioneer Woman and the Gift Certificate

Over at one of my favorite blogs, The Pioneer Woman Cooks, she had this crazy-fun, literally random giveaway of a $400 William-Sonoma gift card (which I did not enter, but LOVED the idea of doing so). This is how I know, besides all the comments, that this site is getting HUGE with readers...because she can afford to have a random giveaway like this.

But the question posed was: What would your last meal look like? I thought it was a great question. My answer right now? Oh So Sad and Pathetic: probably what I had for lunch today (though, confessedly, I *wanted* the dumplings, I need to MAKE the dumplings again before I can have them again...but I wanted one because they are SOOOOOO good). I reserve the right to change it when I am not pregnant, but for today it was like manna from heaven...sigh...

Jokes Heard from the Backseat...

Picking up E from preschool, we have our friend JK with us. E, JK and A are in the backseat telling knock knock jokes that I'm trying to steer away from the riotous punchlines of things like "poopy diapers" and "toilets." A tells JK the following:

"Knock Knock"
"Who's there?" he asks.
"Cow."
"Cow who?"
"Cows don't say who, they say 'mooooooooooooooo'."

For some reason, even though it's admittedly cringe worthy, I thought it was pretty funny for a 5 year old to come up with.

Tantrums

Good morning!!!! On such a rainy day, I'm trying to say that bright and shiny and all-cheerful like because I have come to the sad truth that my sweet 21-month old baby, O, has in fact, entered her "Terrible Two's" (which, in all honesty, runs right through the 3's) and has done so to such an extent to which we have never before experienced.

Like everything else she does, O is an all out, throw herself to the ground, kick and scream kinda girl when she is M.A.D. And lately, it seems that just about anything can set her off. She's also entered the phase that if I touch something wrong, I have DESECRATED it and it cannot be accepted in any good natured way. NO! It. Is. Ruined!!!!!!!! Oh, and she also likes to bellow "NO NO NO NO NO" to me, whilst in the midst of her tantrums (to which I like to reply, "I know! That's what *I'm* saying." This always causes me to chuckle...a blessing in the middle of a tantrum because I think that answer is hoot. O, kicking and screaming...not so much).

Ah, yes. When one gets a sweet angel like this, one often reflects on how the other children didn't seem quite so terrible after all. Who KNEW that A was, truly, the model child???? Who knew that E, while utterly blissful to ignore you even if it meant a time out while you pulled your hair out in a corner, was a slice of ease and sanity? I mean, granted, O sleeps better through the night (and sooner) than the other two...but at what price?

This, I'm sure, will be Karma coming back to visit me. I, Miss L, am a 3 of 4 child. O, Miss Tantrum, will be 3 of 4 child. She is headstrong and determined and wicked smart. She is also so dang cute when she wants to be...holy cow is she cute. But. Not always. I think the Lord sends a 3 of 4 to you only AFTER you've had the experience of parenting two others because seriously, sometimes during one of her tantrums, I just want to set her out at the curb and go back into the house alone, but because of prior experience, I know that feeling is fleeting and I just have to hang on for a few more minutes. Never-the-less.

I bring this up because this morning has been CHUCK full of these *ahem* delicious tantrums. I've checked her for fever. Nope. She did get up a few times during the night...so she could be grumpy because she is tired (heaven knows I'm feeling that way), but other than that, there's no discernible reason for this attitude. It is just "one of those days."

Ahhhhhh, joy. I think this means another edition of "Things that help me be a better mom" because I'll be looking to remind myself of all the good things about being a mom that are out there.

For now, though, I must go and reclaim some crayons that A has assured me have rolled into the vents and under a vacuum cleaner. And who, pray tell, has dumped the bucket o' crayons? Yes. Miss Tantrum '08, O!!!!

Cindy's Walk for March of Dimes

My friend from grad school is walking for a FABULOUS cause on April 19 in Columbia, MO, and I just wanted to put this on here in case you are interested in helping out. It's the March for Babies sponsored by the March of Dimes. She's getting so close to her goal! Go Cindy!!! Here's some more information, explained by Miss Cindy herself:

"I will be participating again this year in the March of Dimes fundraiser called the March for Babies. This is a five mile walk to raise money for research regarding premature births. Supporting research in preventing premature births has become very important to me since my niece, Carly, was born prematurely in 2006 at 30 weeks. She weighed 2 lbs. 11 oz. It was a gut wrenching experience for my whole family and I attribute her current health and well-being to the excellent medical care that she received after her birth.

"If you would be interested in supporting my walk (or even just want to see an up-to-date photo of my cutie-tutie niece), go to http://www.marchforbabies.org/cindybassett . I know that many people make charitable contributions and I hope this is a cause you will choose. Contributing to my walk online is fast, easy and secure. You can donate directly from my personal webpage with a credit/debit card or PayPal. If you prefer, I can also accept cash or check. Just click the appropriate box on my webpage."

Admissions

Two things to fess up about: I'm going through my "stock up" phase again, and I'm craving pizza. What does this mean, Gentle Reader? Yes. You are correct: A trip to Costco.

WAIT! I hear you saying. You are on the ALDI's plan. What's up with this deviation? Didn't you just go to Wal-mart???? Doesn't that blow your budget for, like, the rest of the month????? Why yes. Yes, it does. And sadly (see above), I'm strangely okay about it...though looking at the date today and it is only April 9. Ugh. This does not bode well. But at least I've got 6 gallons of milk in the fridge (did you know whole milk is less than $3.00 at Costco???)

Anyhoo....All this talk about economic recession in the news has me thinking...what if something terrible happens? On one hand, I'm comforted because at least it's spring/summer and we have some seeds in storage that we can grow vegetables with. But how to supplement while waiting at least the month (plus) to get it going? Yes, we'll have fresh herbs thanks to the basement garden thing, but kids under 5 are not that crazy about eating such things by themselves (and let's face it...there's a reason we aren't eating basil salads without tomatoes and mozzarella). So, it means beefing up the "year" supply (which, honestly, ranges from 2-6 months and currently has about 7 cans of vegetables in it, but I digress). And Costco...FABULOUS place for beefing up said supply storage. AND, just as importantly, you can get some really good, AMAZINGLY priced pizza.

Which brings me to the next item: Craving Pizza. Brace yourself because this is probably going to gross you out a bit, but I am actually not craving fresh hot pizza, but cold pizza. I. Have. No. Idea. Why. Oh well. The only way to get cold pizza is to start with the fresh hot pizza, and so be it. I have to say, I'm a fan of Papa John's, but when you can spend $25-ish on two of their "large" pizza (though their Tuscan 6 cheese pizza...YUM! The Rustic Italian Meat is definitely OKAY!) currently on sale for $11.99 OR $20.00 on two HUGE pizzas from Costco...well, you can guess which wins out. And I'm fine with Costco Pizza, especially when they cook it there because I like how the crust turns out more than when we try to bake it ourselves at home.

So, we went to Costco today and I feel like I was very restrained in my purchases, but I did get some things that I feel good about adding to our supply. And I got two pizzas. I'm not sure which I'm most excited about. Do you ever go through these types of phases????

It's not easy feeling green

We had the house sprayed for bugs this afternoon, and can I just say, I think it smells toxic in here (even though I was reassured by the bug guy that it was just fine). It stinks so much I have a bit of a headache and am feeling queasy. ugh. On the flip side, J is making dinner tonight because I cannot face cooking something that I don't know I can keep down.

I have all sorts of interesting things I wanted to chat about but I must confess that I don't feel fabulous and actually just want to go lay down. So, I'll keep all my anecdotes close to my heart tonight and shall hopefully share more tomorrow.

Til then, hope you are having a great day. :)

Oh. And congratulations to the Jayhawks for their big win. Yay Kansas.

Stranger Danger for the Psycho Mom

So, Gentle Reader, you should know that being pregnant makes me even more of a freak than I normally perceive myself. And here's why:

I am not a violent person. I genuinely try to follow the golden rule and adhere to a "Kindness begins with me" mentality. But in this day and age, as a mother, I am a protectoress. What I am willing to endure is nothing compared to what I am willing to do if someone threatens my children. Add to that when I am pregnant, I seriously start thinking of people doing all sorts of nefarious things to my family and I, without a moment of hesitation, am very willing to literally gouge their eyes out and try to break their neck (or in any other way, inflict painful physical harm to them) in retribution for invading my children's space. Ugh.

Further, I will often wake up at night/early morning and be up for the rest of the night while my mind plays the cruel game of "Worst Case Scenario." For example, J and I are going on a getaway before the new baby comes, and the other night, I woke up around 4 a.m. and could not get back to bed because I started fretting that while I am gone, E would accept candy from a stranger and vanish. This is NOT what I want to happen nor do I expect it to happen, but this highly unlikely scenario kept me up for the rest of the morning and upset me so much that I went in and laid down by E in her bed. Later that morning, I went to Amazon.com to look for some good books to buy about Stranger Danger and safety and such.

And then I thought, but I am a LIBRARIAN! What am I doing spending money on books that may or may not be what I want? So, instead I requested the books I wanted from my local library (thus saving a ton of money) and I got the first two today, just in time for tonight's F.H.E. I will let you know how they are received.

The moral of the story is this: even though this started out as a completely irrational fear of my hormonal mind, knowledge is power regardless of how old you are. It's a good way for me to get my kids to realize that in today's world, you just have to be careful.