I hate the grocery store

Posted in Family, Isabella/Munchkin by

But I love all the food I come home with!

Grocery shopping is something I dread. I don’t like dealing with the crowds or waiting in line at the checkout or scouring the shelves for something I can’t find. Plus, the cheap skate in me sees dollar signs as I continue to fill up my cart.

To counter that, I clip coupons. Yes, I’m a coupon clipper. I don’t go crazy like some women do. I simply check the Sunday paper looking for deals on things which we normally buy. A coupon is not a savings if it ‘tricks’ you in to buying something you wouldn’t normally get.

Anyway, today I realized that I needed to bite the bullet and go. Our cupboards were getting bare and Munchkin was running out of some essentials too. So I began the process: 1) take a quick inventory and make a list of what’s needed 2) go through cookbooks and plan meals for the week. Add necessary items to the list. 3) Go through coupons and see what can be used. 4) Pack Munchkin in the car and hit the road!

I have a routine once I get to the store too. Start at produce and work my way across the store, checking off items on my list as I go. I try to stick to the list and the coupons but I occasionally add extra things. I’m also starting to “stock up” and add items that we use regularly that we might not need right away, but if it’s on sale, makes sense to grab.

Today I had Munchkin with me. She is actually a really good shopper. She sits in the cart and pretty much watches everyone. Sometimes she is antsy so I always have a good supply of toys/snacks with me to keep her distracted. Today she was in to the whole “experience” so as we walked down the aisles, I pointed out things to her that she would recognize. “Peaches!” “Red apples!” “Crackers” We got stopped by no less than 3 people telling me how cute she is. She simply flashed her best smile at them and giggled. What a charmer!

Most of the time the overhead music sort of fades in to the background for me, along with the other white noise like people on their cell phones, the chop of meat on the butcher block, the squeaky wheels of the carts, kids screaming for mom, and the beep of the cash register. But today I really noticed it because Munchkin noticed it. She was cart dancing! She would bop her head, shimmy a little, and swing her feet. It was so darn cute! That in turn made me want to dance so we moved up and down the aisles, shaking to the beat.

I was able to get lots of yummy healthy options for us to have on hand. When I got home I went in to organizational mode and started putting things away, while also tossing old items. The cupboards not only look full, but also neat and tidy!

Right now I have some chicken noodle soup in the crock pot, simmering. Dinner will be that with some whole wheat rolls and brownies or cupcakes for dessert. Yum!

TT Thursday

Posted in Volleyball and Team Trader by

This has been a crazy volleyball season as far as subs go. We’re in our 6th week and have yet to have a full team.

Courtney has been out for work. Sybille has been sick. Cindy F. has been traveling. Cindy B. has had baby-sitter issues. Sara and I are the only two who have been at every game.

Fortunately we have a "roster " of good subs. I try to use the same subs if possible to keep some consistency. It hasn’t hurt us yet this season because we have awesome subs who fit right in.

Tonight we have 3 subs again. I know we’ll do well. We really need to win all 6 games in order to have a shot at first place.

Go Team Trader!

I have a drinking problem

Posted in Health and Weightloss by

No, not that kind of drinking problem. I have the kind where I don’t drink enough during the day. They say you’re supposed to drink 8 – 8 oz cups of water (or other liquids) a day. That’s 64 oz. That’s a lot of water! I have a water bottle at work that holds 32 oz. Obviously I would need to drink 2 of those to hit the 64 oz goal. On most days, I’m lucky if I drink half of it!

I’ve always been a slow drinker. In school when others were downing cans of pop all day long, I could barely finish one for the entire day!! It would go flat and get warm before I could finish so I ended up tossing nearly half of it.

When I was pregnant, the doc told me to drink 96 oz. of water. What!?!? Is she crazy! That seemed nearly impossible for me! I did manage to drink more than usual but I never made it to 96 oz a day. I just can’t drink that much. Besides, it had me going to the bathroom every 15 minutes! Who can get anything done when you’re getting up that much?

I still try to push myself to drink as much as I can. I get about 12 oz. in each morning during my workouts. I usually have milk or juice with breakfast and I always have a cup of tea when I get to work. So my mornings start out pretty good. But once I’m done with my tea, it’s a struggle to get more liquids in. What can I say, I’m a sipper, not a gulper.

My goal for the day is to finish all 32 oz. in my water bottle. Baby steps. I’ll be sitting in a meeting all day so there’s no excuse. {raising a glass} Cheers!

Crafty costumes

Posted in Holidays and Seasons, Isabella/Munchkin by

I’ve never been very creative when it comes to crafts. Art I can do. Crafts, no. Scrapbooking? Photography? Yes. Needlepoint? Crocheting? No.

But now that I’m a mom, that is starting to change. For Isabella’s 1st birthday, I made her a onesie that has the number “1” on the front and the Team Trader logo on the back.

Front

Back

Now we’re in October which of course means Halloween. And that means costumes. Last year I bought Isabella a costume. She was only a month old so it didn’t seem worth the effort to make something. But this year I didn’t want to go buy something that any other kid could wear. I wanted to make her something special. But what?
 
Well it hit us the other day as we were watching her walk. CJ commented that she looked like Frankenstein or a mummy because she walks stiff with her hands out in front. A mummy! That’s what she can be! So I went out and bought some white pants, a white shirt, hat and twin sheet. Last night I started the costume and it was really easy. I ripped up the sheet into strips and simply glued them on the clothes, going around so that it looked ‘wrapped’. I even took some of the strips and soaked them in tea to give them that yellowed, old look. I will attach those pieces tonight once they’re dry. It looks really cute. I’m toying with the idea of writing “Mommy’s Mummy” on the front or just leaving it as it. We’ll see.
 
I’m quite proud of myself for getting all crafty and attempting to make something. I can’t promise to do this every year but for now, it’s kind of a fun challenge!