I Did It!

This is a big day for me.  I made it a whole month of posting every day.  AND it's my 200th post!!

Stop laughing. 

I know some of you either a) don't blog so don't understand the magnitude of such trivial things
or b) you blog every day already and passed the number 200 about 5 trillion posts ago.

I love blogging.  I like putting my thoughts on "paper".  I like looking back on the weird adorable things my kids have done. 

Awhile ago, I posted about all the grief blogging can cause.  But, I don't think I'm stopping.  I will probably back off a bit.  Maybe not. 

Someone said it's about finding a balance.  I thought I had a pretty good balance until I actually used a timer and saw the "real" time I was spending on blogging, reading blogs and other internet "social networking". 

It was disgusting!  It's really opened my eyes to why maybe, perhaps, things weren't getting done around here. 

But stopping all together isn't realistic for me. 

So, I'm off to find balance. 

Sometimes the Stars Align Just Right

At times, it seems life just kicks you when you're down.
Other times, it seems things go just right.

We bought a 46" LCD/HDTV Feb. of 2008.  It wasn't a hasty purchase.  It was something we researched for months before spending over $1000 on it.  Plus, the extra extended warranty. 

In May of that same year (when the t.v. was 3 months old) we had to have it fixed.  It was covered under the manufacturers warranty. 

Since then, we've had the stupid thing fixed over 6 times.  All through the extended warranty.  It has gotten to the point that our children now know the t.v. repair man by his first name. 
"Hi Dave!!  Look what I can do!" 

Thank God we purchased the extra warranty.  But, it still was ridiculous to keep fixing the thing.  We have now exceeded the cost of the purchase price. 

Everyone would tell us "Just ask for a new t.v."  and we did.  But, every time we'd ask, they'd just send "Dave" out to fix it.  These repairs came to about $800.   Each. 

Part of the problem was when I'd call the warranty company, the representative did not speak English as a first language.  It was easier to just go along with what they were saying than try to argue.  And, we figured at some point they'd give up and replace it. 

Well, this last week, the t.v. went out.  Again. 
I had enough!  I was determined to get it replaced, not repaired. 
I called the warranty company, planning on asking for an English speaking supervisor immediately. 

The representative answered.  It was a woman.  With a Texas accent.  I decided, my luck,asking for a supervisor would get me some non-English speaking dude.

I very politely told her my problem.  When I was done "Ida" says:  "Darlin'!  I cannot believe they've done this to ya!  Ya hold on now while I go talk to my supervisor.  M'Kay?"

After about 3 minutes she comes back on and tells me that a replacement has been approved! 
What they do is look up the specs. for our current t.v. and offer us a similar set or a check. 
Someone will be calling us in 3-5 days.  Oh, and they'll send a prepaid shipping box for our dumb defective set. 

The whole phone call took about 20 min.  After months and months of dealing with this issue. 

Some people will say I should have gotten firmer with the warranty company in the first place.  Believe me, I tired.  But in the end, I got the desired results by being nice.  And, good old Ida. 


By the way, I wrote down Ida's direct number so I can call her next time.  She is my new best friend.

Don't Ask Too Many Questions

One of these days, I'm going to count how many questions I get asked.  I would probably lose count by noon.

Some questions you would expect:  "Can I have breakfast?"  "Can I have chips for breakfast?"  "Can you tell Josie to stop looking at me?"  "What does gynecological exam mean?"
You know, the mundane questions you normally get from your children.

Then, there's the questions that you really wish they wouldn't ask:  "Are you going potty?"  "Why does your tummy look like that?"  "Why is that man so short?"  "Why does that woman look like a man?"

Then. Then there's the ones that drive me nuts: "Do you know this song?"  "Who was that on the phone?"  "Who is that present for?"  "Why are we buying that kind of cheese?"
These questions bother me more because I don't want to have to explain why I'm singing along to the radio.  I just want to sing!  I don't want to tell them who was on the phone.  The present is for someone they don't even know.  We are buying this kind of cheese because I want to. 

When you become a parent, you do give up things.  The privilege to do something without answering a million questions is one of them.   There have been times I've wanted to say "I'm going to fart now.  I just thought I would tell you all before hand so there will be no questions about it." 

But, I think the irony would be lost on them.

I Am Getting Too Old For This!

I got up at 3a.m. to go shopping. 

Just typing that sentence makes me seem a little crazy!

By 7a.m. we had hit 4 stores and were ready to go home.

The lines were long but I think the longest wait we had was about 30 min.  Not too bad really.
On a normal day at Walmart, I think that's about average. 

What I did notice that was different this year was everyone seemed happy.
We did not encounter one grumpy person.  All the cashiers were friendly and helpful (and they should be, considering how much money was spent in their fine establishment today).  Our fellow line people were friendly and were eager to exchange Black Friday stories.  I even heard one lady offer to hold a complete stranger' place in line since they had to go to the restroom.

Getting in the Christmas spirit can sometimes be hard for me.   Money, unfortunately, plays too big of a role in Christmas.  Especially when you have 4 kids that have wish lists.  Fortunately, my kids do keep them pretty simple and are easy to please. 

With the Christmas season upon us, I find my mood going up and then down.  Worried about the financial aspect of it but then happy about all that we do have and knowing that the important part is being together.  And, it's the birthday of my Saviour!  How can that not make me happy? 

Tonight, I am finding it hard to keep my eyes open.  I normally stay up late at night, reading or watching t.v.
I think I may beat the kids to bed tonight.

I will close with a funny:   I bought the little boys new socks today (50% off!).  When they tried them on, they both exclaimed that they made them run sooo fast! 
Jeven even said "These new socks make me dizzy!!" 

Hmmmm....I wonder if the new socks made him draw all over himself as well? 

Thanksgiving 2009

It was a great day.  Exhausting but great. 

Had 2 dinners so I'm more stuffed than the turkey. 

Tomorrow, I am getting up at 3 a.m. to hit the sales.   It's  fun to go with my SIL.
Normally, my husband has the day off so I stay gone pretty much all day.  But, since there were no "special requests" for days off, he has to work.  I am a little bummed that my day will be cut short but since I don't have money... in the 4 hours that I will have, I will get enough done.

I cannot even believe that I am Christmas shopping already!  Seems it gets here earlier and earlier every year. 
As a kid, Christmas couldn't get here fast enough.  As an adult, it's the opposite problem!

I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving!
I know I have many, many things on my thankful list. 

What I'm Thankful For

There's the obvious:

 

And the not so obvious:

I have a mortgage I get to pay every month.

I have groceries I get to buy every week.

I have kids that drive me insane.

I have a husband that cares enough about me to voice his opinion.

I have a body that wakes up every morning.

I have a car that constantly needs gas.


It's so easy to be thankful for the "main things" in life.  But, to be thankful for the stuff that maybe we think we'd rather not have?  That's difficult. 

But, you see, if we didn't have those things, if they were replaced with other things, maybe they'd be worse.

I don't even want to imagine the worst case scenario.

I had a friend from high school recently contact me.  After 16 yrs.  Through facebook.
He looked through my profile, my pictures.

He said "It's obvious you are happy.  And no one deserves it more than you!"

You know what, D.?  You're right!
I do deserve my life.

I wouldn't trade it for anything.   

Grief

My husband gives me alot of it.  About blogging. 

He thinks I'm putting waayy too much information on the world wide web.  For perfect strangers to see.  And judge.  Which I'm sure happens, the judging.  But, it doesn't bother me. 

He doesn't understand the need to write things down.  To have others give supporting comments.  Or to cry with you and even laugh with you.

He doesn't understand how fun it is to read other's stories.  And to comment, cry and laugh with them. 

I want to respect my husband's wishes though. 

I've posted every day this month and will continue until the end of November. 

After that, I think I will back off a tad. 

Maybe a little more one -on- one attention will do us both some good. 
After all, with the Holidays approaching, spending more time off the computer and more time with the family is not a bad thing.  In no way is my husband a controlling, insensitive guy.  I think it honestly boils down to feeling left out. 

But, I'm curious--what does your husband think of the whole blogging thing? 

Uh-Oh!

I am running out of things to post. 

My thoughts just aren't that interesting. 

My kids are interesting but yet, it's hard to put it all on paper. 

I find myself looking through old pictures.

Here's a mix of some "Uh-Oh!" moments.

Jarrett.  About age 2.

Josie stuck in the exersaucer.  Probably about age 2.                                                                                    

Also Josie.

Josie.  Again.  She was a handful, okay!?

Jeven.  Like the look on his face?  "MOM!!Put down the

camera and help Dad!  He's gonna rip my leg clear off!! MOM!!" 

Turns out, I have many, many pictures of "Uh-Oh!"s. 

I am glad that I took the time to take pictures.  I am glad that we can look back and laugh.  Now.  Then, not so funny.  But, now?  Funny.

Family Fun

Dude.  How early does this store open? 

My husband found this in a local sporting goods store ad.  We both thought it was pretty funny.  Because we all know how much time we, as a family, practice punching and kicking.  With this kit, we could get all our necessary supplies all in one kit.  For one low price. 

How awesome! 

More Realistic

Sometimes, my kids do things that make me go "Hmmmm?"
Sometimes, they are so naughty that I can't figure out what is going on in their pea brains.
Sometimes, it is so sweet and thoughtful that I can't figure out what I did right. 
Sometimes,it's both.

As was the case this morning. 

My husband got up this morning (he is off today.  In 6 more weeks, he'll get another Saturday off!) and made breakfast. 

*For those of you that know my husband in any way, I will calmly wait while you pick yourself up off the floor*

We were all sitting at the table, enjoying a family breakfast of eggs, sausage and toast. 
Jeven says "May I have some  more sausage, please?"

Judd and I look at each other.
"What was THAT?!"  Politeness?  Niceness?  At the kitchen table?  How can this be?  Did our constant drilling and correcting finally make a difference?  What DO we do?

Before we can answer our awesomely polite young man, we hear:

"BBBBUUUUURRRPPPP!"

"So, you gonna pass me the sausage or what?"

I have to be honest, we actually sighed a little with relief.  We were now back on familiar ground. 

*Judd wanted me to make sure I let everyone know that the breakfast was delicious*

*I would like to let everyone know that although he made breakfast, I still had to clean up the kitchen.  Even with a new dishwasher, it still is not my favorite thing to do.  Seemed a little unfair that when I cook, I clean up.  Shouldn't it be the same rule when he cleans?  Yes, I think so too*

Working Out, They Do

A couple days ago, I posted THIS.

These clothes have been on craigslist for so long, I forgot about them

I got a phone call at 8:30 this morning, asking if I still had them.  I said I did.  She asked if I could email her pictures.  Of. Every. Item. 

We're talking over 30 pieces of clothing. 

So, I spent the day laying out the clothes and taking pictures (I did have pictures in the original ad but just as a group) and I emailed her.  Thinking I wouldn't hear from her again.

I was wrong.  She said she'd take them. 

AWESOME!! 

We met across town at Toysrus.  She paid me the $30.  We walked into Toysrus and purchased Josie's main Christmas gift, a bike, for $36. 

Basically, I'm looking at it as we paid $6 for a brand new bike! 

Things always have a way of working out, they do.  Says Yoda. 

The Married Store

Mawwiage. Mawwiage is what bwings us togethew today. 

Just had to get that out of my system. 

Ok, so I am thinking this is probably normal.  If it is not, please don't tell me otherwise.  Let me stay safe in my cocoon of "normalcy".

Jeven likes to kiss me.  And I mean K.I.S.S. me. 
"I want a big kiss Mom!"  Then he'll proceed to put his arms around my neck, put his puckered lips on mine and move all around.  I am thankful there's no tongue.

Tonight, we were snuggling on the couch and he gives me a "big kiss".  Then says, "Now, we're married."

I say:  "Well, no.  I'm already married!"
Jeven:  "WHAT!!" 
Me:  "Yep.  I got married a long time ago".
Jeven:  "To who?  The lady at church?"
Me:  "WHAT!!"
Jeven:  "Who you married to?"
Me:  "Daddy silly!"
Jeven:  "Did you drive to the married store or something?"
Me:  "Something like that."
Jeven:  "You suppose to marry me!"  (said with pouty face)
Me:  "Oh, I'm sorry but I still love you very much.  Someday you'll get big and marry a very special girl."
Jeven: "NOT JOSIE!!"

So, Jeven kisses his mother inappropriately and wants to marry her.  But, at least he doesn't want to marry his sister.  That's something, right? 

Needy Family

This posting every day is hard.  My life is just too....regular. 
"Stuff" happens every day but it's hard to write about.

"Today, I yelled too much at my kids.  They ran around naked some.  They fought some.  They ate too much and slept too little.  

The phone rang but I couldn't hear what was being said because of previously stated nakedness and fighting.

I cooked.  I cleaned.  I laughed.  I didn't cry today, though.  Tomorrow is another day."

You can see why posting every day can be a challenge. 

I will leave with this:

Throughout the year, I sell things on Craigslist.  For two reasons-to get rid of stuff and to make a little extra cash.

During the holidays, I really try to get things on every day or at least every week.

I put some of the kids' clothes on this week.  Several days went by and I got no responses. 
Except for this:  "Would you consider donating these clothes to a needy family?"

HELLOOOOO!!!!!  I am selling my stuff on Craiglsist!  I AM the needy family!!!!

What is a Boy?

Judd's grandma gave me this little plaque when Jayce was born.  It used to hang in her boys' room. 

What is a Boy?

Between the innocence of babyhood and the dignity of manhood we find a delightful creature called a boy.  Boys come in assorted sizes, weights, and colors, but all boys have the same creed:  To enjoy every second of every minute of every hour of every day and to protest with noise (their only weapon) when their last minute is finished and the adult males pack them off to bed at night.

Boys are found everywhere- on top of, underneath, inside of, climbing on, swinging from, running around, or jumping to.  Mothers love them, little girls hate them, older sisters and brothers tolerate them, adults ignore them, and Heaven protects them.  A boy is Truth with dirt on its face, Beauty with a cut on its finger, Wisdom with bubble gum in its hair, and the Hope of the future with a frog in its pocket. 

When you are busy, a boy is an inconsiderate, bothersome, intruding jangle of noise.  When you want him to make a good impression, his brain turns to jelly or else he becomes a savage, sadistic, jungle creature bent on destroying the world and himself in it.

A boy is a composite-he has the appetite of a horse, the digestion of a sword swallower, the energy of a pocket-size atomic bomb, the curiosity of a cat, the lungs of a dictator, the imagination of a Paul Bunyan, the shyness of a violet, the audacity of a steel trap, the enthusiasm of a fire cracker, and when he makes something he has five thumbs on each hand.

He likes ice cream, knives, saws, Christmas, comic books, the boy across the street, woods, water (in its natural habitat), large animals, Dad, trains, Saturday mornings, and fire engines.  He is not much for Sunday School, company, schools. books without pictures, music lessons, neckties, barbers, girls, overcoats, adults, or bedtime.

Nobody else is so early to rise, or so late to supper.  Nobody else gets so much fun out of trees, dogs, and breezes.  Nobody else can cram into one pocket a rusty knife, a half-eaten apple, 3 feet of string, an empty Bull Durham sack, 2 gum drops, 6 cents, a sling shot, a chunk of unknown substance, and a genuine super-sonic code ring with a secret compartment.

A boy is a magical creature-you can lock him out of your work shop, but you can't lock him out of your heart.  You can get him out of your study, but you can't get him out of your mind.  Might as well give up-he is your captor, your jailer, your boss, and your master--a freckle-faced, pint-sized, cat-chasing bundle of noise.  But when you*put him to bed at night, with only the shattered pieces of your hopes and dreams, he can mend them like new with three magic words-" I Love You!"


* I took the liberty of changing this last part.  Originally it contained something about Dad coming home and being greeted by his son.*

This made me smile.  And look at my sons a little differently.  

Referral

When Jayce was about a year old, I did in-home daycare.  I had 3 extra little boys, 5 days a week.  It was a  nice extra income and gave Jayce someone to play with.

Throughout the years, I've backed off doing the "official daycare" thing but still babysit.  For family and friends. 

To me, the biggest compliment is being asked to care for someone else's child.  Do I always feel like it?  Of course not.  (And I'm not shy about saying "No!".  After all, I figure why would you want someone to watch your child if they don't really want to?)

Tonight, I got a call from a gal asking me to be a "sub" for her regular daycare provider.  Turns out, her friend, my cousin, gave her my number. 

I was so pleasantly surprised! 

Of course, she may never call again.  The background noise ("JEVEN!!  Take the pencil out of your sandwich!") may have turned her off. 
I know it did me.

Oldie

 I am feeling under the weather tonight but am really trying to post every day this month.
I was reading through some of my older posts and found this one.  It still makes me laugh. 


**********************************************************************************
Only my child

..would accidentally dial 911. While I am in. The. Bathroom.

Yes, I am serious.

I let my little kids play with my cell phone sometimes, it keeps them happy in the grocery store or busy for a minute while I get something done. Like going to the bathroom. But, I ALWAYS make sure it is key locked.
Yesterday, I was in the bathroom (have a mentioned I was in the bathroom?) and I could hear a little rough housing going on out in the living room but, heck, that's usual. Especially if (everyone now:) I'm in the bathroom. Well, Josie soon comes in and she's crying and has the cell phone up to her ear. She says "The lady wants to talk to you"
I say: Hello?
Lady: This is the 911 operator. It seems like your baby has called 911 and I need to make sure there is no emergency.
Me: Um. Who is this??
Lady: see previous statement made by Lady.
Me: I am so sorry! I don't know how that happened, it is key locked.
Lady: Ok. Maybe don't let the baby play with the phone.

I get off with her and I double check to make sure my phone was key locked and it WAS!!
I went online and found that even if a cell phone (at least mine) is key locked, all you have to do is hold down the dial button for at least 3 seconds and viola! You're talking to the 911 operator. While you're in the bathroom!

What a Trip

When did I get so old?  When did a day out of town, for a friend's babyshower, make me so darned tired?

Maybe it was the fact I drove 2 1/2 hours north, attended the shower, and drove 2 1/2 hours back home.  With my 6 yr. old daughter.  That girl wears me out!! 

The seriously tripping part is that the baby shower was for my oldest friend in the world.  We have known each other since we were Josie's age.  Younger actually.  We met in kindergarten. 
She was my roommate in college.  She was a bridesmaid at my wedding. 

The years have brought many changes.  In distance.  In life style.  In many circumstances.

But I was such fun to see her today, all pregnant and beautiful. 

I regret we didn't get any pictures today.  Hopefully, when that little baby girl arrives, I will make another
5 hr. round trip to hold her.  And get a picture with her and her marvelous mommy! 

I love you Laura!  I know you'll make a great mommy! 

Let Me Introduce...

...the newest member of our family.

She's black, cream and tan.

She's fairly noisy.

But she doesn't seem to leak.

She works hard.

She's loaded.  Every day.

She was FREE!!

We have yet to pick out a name for her.  Waiting for her true personality to come thru.

She's beautiful to me.

She certainly completes our family.

Sleeping Like a Sock?

This is what I found today, when I went to check and see if the little boys were actually, indeed sleeping:

*Please.  No rude comments on how filthy his pillow is.  It is an old pillow of his biggest brother's.
I've washed it hundreds of times, I've put cases over it and it always ends up naked and nasty. 

*Please. No rude comments such as "that's what she said" on the naked and nasty part above.

Hard at Work or Hardly Working?

Examples

Just thought I'd share a few pictures of some things that might seem weird to most people.  But, are perfectly normal here. 

A picture drawn by my 4 yr. old.  What exactly am I supposed to say? 

What?  You don't serve your food on the floor?                                                                                            

 What do you do with your gum when you're done with it?

And last, but certainly not least: 

Marshmallows.  On the front porch.  For the kitty. 

Guess How Much

$3.86!! 

Some friends of mine have taken up "couponing".  And although I've always used coupons when I could, I never went through the trouble of going online and printing them up.  Or asking all the relatives in this area to save them for me. Or collecting all the currents ads.
But, apparently, doing all this results in free food!! 
And who doesn't like that? 

Open Wound

Why do we, as women, hurt so easily?  By hurt, I mean our feelings.

I think I do pretty well not taking things so personally.  Most of the time. We all know that "sometimes" we get overly emotional and cranky and witchy. 

I used to not be so "tough".  I used to come home from any social event and ponder what so-and-so meant by some harmless comment.  Or worry that I said the wrong thing to someone. 

I think having kids has made me say what I mean and mean what I say. 
I can usually be tactful and express myself so there's no wondering what I mean or what someone meant by what they said. 

Except when it comes to those that are the closest to me.

Family and super-close friends have the power to hurt me like nobody else. 

And it seems that once a wound is inflicted on me, it just gets salt poured on it, over and over again.
It may develop a scab and start to heal, but then the wound gets bumped and hurts all over again.

Currently I'm hurting. Again. 
And it's because I opened myself up, even though I knew what the result would be. I still put myself out there. 

I'm not sure whom I most angry with--the one who caused the pain. Or myself.

My Girl

Had a fun day. Went to lunch, out of town, with my daughter,mother, grandmother, aunt and cousin and her son and hubby.
And the boys stayed home with Papa and Nana and had their own fun.

It was a nice get away. But, I'm pooped.


I don't like pictures with me in them. But, this one, I like.

It was a good day.

All I Want For Christmas. Or Soon After

My hubby and I don't unusually buy gifts for each other at Christmas.  We can barely afford all the children! 

One of the few many pluses of having 4 children is we tend to get a rather large income tax refund every year.  It  just so happens that my husband's yearly bonus comes at the same time. 
So, for a few weeks a year, we're rich!

That's when we buy our "Christmas/Valentine's Day/Birthday/Anniversary" presents.

My husband usually knows exactly what he wants and plans accordingly all  year. 
When the time comes, I can't ever think of anything "big".  I usually take my portion and spend it little by little. Here and there.

But, I now know what I want!  And I figure if I record here, I'll remember!!

I want one of these:

"We" have an Xbox 360 and a PS3 but I don't use those much.  Most of the games I like to play are hard to find because...well, I'm told they're lame.

However; there's lots of lame games available for this! And I want something that's MINE.

On one hand, you could say that if I can't remember in a few months that I want one of these, then I probably don't want it that much.  On the other hand... I want a new toy darnit!! 

Nothin' Like It

My hubby and I had a date tonight.  Nothing special, spent a whole $10.  But, it was needed and fun.

As we were driving through town on this rainy, dark night, we had to cross traffic at one point. We couldn't tell if there was a median in the road or not.

Which reminded me of the time he drove his little Datsun truck into the median.  Way back when we were first dating.

That got us reminiscing about all those years ago.

The conversation went like this:

Me: Remember how on our second date, that truck over heated?
Him:  Nooooo
Me:  Well it did and you had to come into my house and get water.  And I thought it was all a ploy to come into the house.  But, you really did just get water. 
Him:  Oh yeah!
Me:  And that one time, when I threw your nude air fresheners out the window!
Him:  Yes.  I miss those things.

The conversation goes on for quite awhile.  Both of us coming up with old memories of when we first started dating.

Then it was silent.  Both of us lost in fond memories of first love.  How young we were.  How we had no idea what life had in store for us.

At least I thought we were both lost in those memories.

At last he speaks.
"Yeah.  There's nothing like..." wait for it....wait for it...."your first car".

To say that killed the mood would be an understatement!

A New Do and Double Identity

Jarrett received a new haircut today:

I don't know if you can see it in this picture but it's not pretty,trust me.  Apparently, there was some fuzz in his hair and "someone" (I'm not naming names but it rhymes with Posie) decided scissors was the best way to remove it.  And Jarrett let her.  Urg.


This was one way of solving the problem:

But now, we don't know if it's Wall-E or Spiderman!??

A Call

I actually had jobs before I was a mom.  Shocking, I know.

Once I got pregnant with Jayce, we then decided that I would stay home with the baby.  At least for awhile.  And the rest they say, is history.

But, way back in the day, I worked retail.  I even went to college. 

For a few Christmas seasons, I worked seasonal jobs.  When we only had one kid and my husband's schedule was a little more predictable.

Then we had more kids and hubby got a different job.

But, for the last few Christmas seasons, I've put in applications anywhere and everywhere.  The extra money would be nice but it would be a headache trying to fit everything into an already hectic life. 
We figured if it was meant for me to work, I'd get an offer.

I've never even received a phone call.  Nothing. Nada. Zip.
I figured I just can't compete with young people who don't have huge gaps in their resumes.

The other night, I once again filled out apps., online.

The next day, I got a call!  Woo-hoo!!

The lady asked me if I could type at least 25 w.p.m with 80% accuracy.
Yes! ( Thank you blogging!)
Could I run a multi-lined phone?
Yes!
Would I be able to give good customer service?
Yes! (I'm really getting my hopes up at this point)
Could I work 12 a.m. to 7 a.m.?
Ummm.... NO!  (which is why I wrote I wanted to work evenings on my app!)

Oh well.  At least I got a call.

Four or Fork?

While at the local grocery store the other day, with all 4 of my children, pushing one of those stupid fun carts that look like a fire truck, we passed a "free sample" table. 

The sample was of some sort of chicken marinara dish. The young man running the table was kind enough to give all of the kids a sample.  They loved it!  The young (he was probably 22, for crying out loud!  I'm talking like a true old person now!) gave us a coupon for the actual dish which made the item FREE!

Fabulous! 

I go to the freezer section, pick out the dish, read the label that said:  Four tender chicken breasts in old world marinara sauce.

Fabulous!  The kids can have it for lunch!

Get home, heat up the  dish.  Peel off the plastic to find ONE itsy, bitsy, pathetic chicken breast.  With about a gallon of the old world marinara sauce.

What the....??

I dig the wrapper out of the garbage and re-read it:  Fork tender chicken breasts in about a gallon of old world marinara sauce. 

Turns out, I don't know how to read after all! 

Because all the kids liked the dish so much, there was no way I could only give it to one.  So, I split that fork tender chicken breast into 4 itsy, bitsy, pathetic pieces.

Then made PB&J to go with it!!

The Daily Grind

My husband shot a deer earlier this week, "just" a doe ( a deer.  a female deer) but we are happy to have meat in the freezer. 

My mother in law, who just happens to be a meat cutter at the local grocery store, came over and help us cut it up! 

We have several packages of deer steak and 15lbs of burger in the freezer!!  To me, that's like money in the bank.

Hunting used to be a hobby of my husband's that was annoying and truth be told, stupid.  But now, with 4 kids and 3 of them being boys, I now encourage him to go hunting and bring home the meat. 

The deer hung in our garage for a few days, drying out and such.  When my dad came over today, he asked my hubby "Where did you get the deer?" (meaning, where did he shoot it) and Jarrett says: " In the garage Papa!  Duh!"

If it were only that easy!