Are you loyal to brands? Because I am absolutely not. I feel a bit guilty about it really. I mean the whole point of companies giving you a good deal on something is that they hope you'll get addicted to their stuff and then come back for more, right? I mean, isn't that the whole idea of Priceline? Randomly get assigned a hotel, love the hotel, never want to stay anywhere else?
Not I!
Give me the cheapest! Give me free! Give give give and I will forget about you the next day. It's really sad sometimes, but I can't overcome the cheapness.
Today I was sitting out on the lawn enjoying the nice spring day (94dgs, yowza) and watching Bentley play on his cozy coupe. I was debating about whether or not I should chase Swiper down. I had given him a chance to be the dog of my dreams. You know, the kind of dog who lazes about in the shade whilst the children play. A dog that just kind of sits in the background, seen but not heard, loyal and true and an overall joy to be around. So I let him out and he stayed by us for all of a millisecond before running off down the street. I started chasing after him but then decided that my loyalties lay with protecting my actual children from fire ants and babynappers. So I let him run free. Free as a jay bird. He didn't even have his collar on since I had given him a haircut the day before. At first I was a little concerned about him not having the collar, but then I realized how liberating it was. If he really wanted out, really really badly, then fine. No big loss. Well, no big loss except for financially and property value-ly. Big losses there. BUT who am I to keep an animal who doesn't want to be kept? So I let him run free.
Anyway, that was not part of the story. A strange man in a truck came and parked at my neighbors house. At first I thought he was probably a kidnapper or burglar, because I am paranoid about that kind of thing. He went up to the neighbors door and then just kind of walked around the house for a while, then back to the truck. Very strange. And...I can't help but mention that the main reason we keep Swiper around, besides to eat the food that Bentley throws on the floor and to pee on our carpet and chew up our stuff, is to scare away bad guys, so where was he now? Now, the one time we needed him he was off gallavanting through the 'hood. Awesome.
Eventually my neighbors came home and it turns out that mystery man was a handyman, fix-it guy. And he was fixing their sprinklers.
We've lived in our house for two years (wow, I think it has been EXACTLY two years, yep, two years tomorrow!). And the sprinklers have been broken for exactly two years. I keep meaning to call but then I keep thinking Blaine will get around to fixing them, or I will or Bentley will or someone will.
Anyway, I asked the guy to come and tell me how much it would be to fix my sprinklers. We have two main problems 1) half of our sprinkler heads are broken 2) the timer box doesn't work.
And while I sat there and talked to him he totally fixed the timer box. He told me all I owed him was a coke.
What a guy!
And because he was nice like that I am not even going to call and compare prices. I am going to have him come fix the sprinkler heads.
He got the no-conscience bargain hunter to give him business, and such a thing is not lightly done. Kudos to you sprinkler repairman. Kudos to you.
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Chameleon
Todd took some pictures of our family when they came over on Sunday. I put this one up as the desktop background on our computer.
Blaine walked by and was like, "Whoa....your hair isn't red" and I said, "um, yes it is". Then he asked me if I dyed it, and I said no. The last time I dyed it I dyed it jet black (whoopsie) and that was months ago. I used to think of myself as brunette but then one time I heard Janssen refer to me as having red hair, so I ran with that and now take the liberty of thinking of myself as kind of a chestnut redish-brownish haired person. But I am just curious...what would you say my hair color is...like say I committed a crime and you were giving the police my description... "short, little pudgy, mother-of-pearl teeth, [fill in blank] hair"? *
Also, since moving to Texas aka "the giant humidifier" I have come to think of myself as a curly haired person who sometimes wears her hair straight (or at least as straight as I can get it). Which is kind of new. I always had curly hair but I always straightened it (or tried to) and hardly ever wore it curly. Just now, like, as in the past three months, would I call myself a red, curly haired individual.
On a related note...I think if there were one piece of technology that would have drastically changed my teenage life it would have been a straightening iron. Don't you think?
But then I would be married to Richard Slack the highschool hearthrob and not Blaine, so thank heavens for my frizzy hair, right? I've heard it is no fun being married to macho football players anyways. Blaine loved me even when I looked like I stuck my finger in an electrical outlet, and that's the kind of love that lasts.
*If you say gray we are no longer friends.
Blaine walked by and was like, "Whoa....your hair isn't red" and I said, "um, yes it is". Then he asked me if I dyed it, and I said no. The last time I dyed it I dyed it jet black (whoopsie) and that was months ago. I used to think of myself as brunette but then one time I heard Janssen refer to me as having red hair, so I ran with that and now take the liberty of thinking of myself as kind of a chestnut redish-brownish haired person. But I am just curious...what would you say my hair color is...like say I committed a crime and you were giving the police my description... "short, little pudgy, mother-of-pearl teeth, [fill in blank] hair"? *
Also, since moving to Texas aka "the giant humidifier" I have come to think of myself as a curly haired person who sometimes wears her hair straight (or at least as straight as I can get it). Which is kind of new. I always had curly hair but I always straightened it (or tried to) and hardly ever wore it curly. Just now, like, as in the past three months, would I call myself a red, curly haired individual.
On a related note...I think if there were one piece of technology that would have drastically changed my teenage life it would have been a straightening iron. Don't you think?
But then I would be married to Richard Slack the highschool hearthrob and not Blaine, so thank heavens for my frizzy hair, right? I've heard it is no fun being married to macho football players anyways. Blaine loved me even when I looked like I stuck my finger in an electrical outlet, and that's the kind of love that lasts.
*If you say gray we are no longer friends.
Monday, May 4, 2009
Betrothal
Our friends Todd and Katie are perfect. Katie is beautiful. Seriously, if I could look like anyone I would look like her. And her beauty isn't only skin deep. It runs all the way through, there is not a nicer person in the world than Katie. Not only that but she is talented; plays the guitar, sings, and actually has perfect pitch. Not kidding.
The reason Katie and I became friends is that we were sitting next to each other one Sunday in church (at our BYU married ward) while our husbands were up blessing the sacrament. I was singing SO off key during the sacrament hymn and I looked at Katie, with whom I was sharing a hymn book, and out of embarrassment I started to giggle. Then she did too. Then I started laughing really hard, as did she....it pretty much turned in to full on guffawing by the end of the song. A perfect pitch person sitting next to a tone deaf person, the beginning of a beautiful friendship. We looked up at our husbands who saw the hullaballoo and that made us laugh more. We started to calm down in time for the prayer, but then I heard her snicker in the prayer and that was it. Laughing in the sacrament prayer, it felt so wrong, but it sealed the deal on our friendship!
(PS did you guys know that Ralphie is a really good singer too? What is it with me being friends with really good singers, sheesh).
And Todd is about the most hilarious person ever. Not only that but he can make a person feel really good about themselves. Really really good. Like say you have a blog that you enjoy writing in...if he comes to your house for dinner he might spend the better part of an hour telling you how awesome your blog is and how you should write a book. Then after dinner he'll make you feel really good about the over baked lemon cake that you made. See, everyone needs a friend like that.
Anyway, I've loved Todd and Katie since I first met them. So when we found out they were expecting a little baby boy two weeks before we were expecting our little baby girl, we decided that a betrothal was in order.
So we set it up.
and it ended in tears.
Because it is really important to us that Todd and Katie are a part of our lives forever we tried to set up the betrothal one more time.
But alas....Ivy is so emotional!
But don't worry, in six months we'll try again. Love takes work people.
The reason Katie and I became friends is that we were sitting next to each other one Sunday in church (at our BYU married ward) while our husbands were up blessing the sacrament. I was singing SO off key during the sacrament hymn and I looked at Katie, with whom I was sharing a hymn book, and out of embarrassment I started to giggle. Then she did too. Then I started laughing really hard, as did she....it pretty much turned in to full on guffawing by the end of the song. A perfect pitch person sitting next to a tone deaf person, the beginning of a beautiful friendship. We looked up at our husbands who saw the hullaballoo and that made us laugh more. We started to calm down in time for the prayer, but then I heard her snicker in the prayer and that was it. Laughing in the sacrament prayer, it felt so wrong, but it sealed the deal on our friendship!
(PS did you guys know that Ralphie is a really good singer too? What is it with me being friends with really good singers, sheesh).
And Todd is about the most hilarious person ever. Not only that but he can make a person feel really good about themselves. Really really good. Like say you have a blog that you enjoy writing in...if he comes to your house for dinner he might spend the better part of an hour telling you how awesome your blog is and how you should write a book. Then after dinner he'll make you feel really good about the over baked lemon cake that you made. See, everyone needs a friend like that.
Anyway, I've loved Todd and Katie since I first met them. So when we found out they were expecting a little baby boy two weeks before we were expecting our little baby girl, we decided that a betrothal was in order.
So we set it up.
and it ended in tears.
Because it is really important to us that Todd and Katie are a part of our lives forever we tried to set up the betrothal one more time.
But alas....Ivy is so emotional!
But don't worry, in six months we'll try again. Love takes work people.
Sunday, May 3, 2009
DEAL ALERT
Hi, remember how I paid $3 for gently used Robeez at a garage sale on Saturday?
Guess what?
If you sign up at emomrewards you get a brand spankin' new pair of Robeez for FREE.
Sorry Utah friends you get a different reward for signing up (like tummy honey something or other, but hey...free stuff!), but in Austin you get free Robeez!
Aren't you glad you read my blog? Long lost money, free Robeez, happiness and rainbows : )
Thanks Katie for the tip!
Guess what?
If you sign up at emomrewards you get a brand spankin' new pair of Robeez for FREE.
Sorry Utah friends you get a different reward for signing up (like tummy honey something or other, but hey...free stuff!), but in Austin you get free Robeez!
Aren't you glad you read my blog? Long lost money, free Robeez, happiness and rainbows : )
Thanks Katie for the tip!
Spare tire Sunday
Well, you didn't get an update this week. I actually had gone to the gym my three times that week. But I didn't go on Monday and then, coincidentally enough, I didn't go at all last week. So...who knows what my weight is and I ate nothing but junk the whole time my parents were here (it was SO FUN!). But I just wanted to let you know that yes, I will go to the gym tomorrow and I will work twice as hard. : )
Saturday, May 2, 2009
Tricks of the trade
Ah. There is no better time than Saturday mornings at 10AM when I get home and unload all of my garage sale spoils. I told myself I wouldn't go today. After all, last week I went on a garage sale-ing extravaganza and I thought I had had my fill for the next little while. This morning at 6:30AM though my eyes popped open and I started getting ancy. A huge neighborhood just down the road was having their annual garage sale and I couldn't possibly keep sleeping while others were out bargain hunting! I promised myself I would be EXTRA picky and headed out.
Best deal of the day?
These little numbers for fifty cents. Just the right size and way cuter than I could have picked out for myself at the store. Plus I bet they retailed at least $15 but seeing as how they are American Eagle I bet it was more. I had a pair kind of similar that I splurged and bought for $18 last year, swiper ate off both the bows, then chewed on the heel which makes me trip and fall all over the place. These are cuter and about 1/50th the cost!
And then I found some practically new Robeez for Ivy, sure they won't fit for a while, but HELLO! Retail $30? Craigslist $12? Me? 3$ and they are all still white and cute and....yeah.
And just last week I nearly paid $30 for a Cozy Coupe like this.
These thigs sell like hotcakes on craigslist for anywhere from $20-$30, I mean really like hot cakes. I would email as soon as one would be listed and they were always gone before I could get them. They retail for $79. Craigslist $30. Me? $10
So can you see how it is addicting? I try not to fill my house with Junk, but easy come easy go. Now if Bentley isn't playing with the Cozy Coupe? No loss, I can hock it on craigslist for more than I paid! Those Robeez are going for about $10 used on ebay.
I always wondered why I didn't like shopping and recently I've figured out it is because stuff is so expensive and even if you fork over the money to buy it it likely won't fit right or will get stained quickly....so really? What's the point?
By garage saleing for three hours on a Saturday morning I get my shopping fix, I pay no more than a dollar for things usually and if they get stained? Who cares! If Swiper chews up my new shoes I will be really sad, but at least I won't lament over how much they cost, fifty cents is cheaper than a doggy chew toy!
I've learned some garage saleing tips and I know you are all oh so interested... so listen up.
* Hit the neighborhood sales. It's not really worth the time and energy to go to an individual garage sale - they probably don't have your kids size anyway or it will be the wrong gender...yadda yadda. Neighborhood sales are the best.
* Prices are negotiable. Buy a few things and ask if they'll take less for it. Got $10 worth of stuff? I bet they'll take $8 probably $7.
*The early bird and the really really late bird get the worm, but especially the early bird. At least in our part of town tons of guys going around in pick up trucks make the garage sale rounds really early. They don't waste time. They walk up to the saler, ask prices for big items and haul them away. Likely before you've even thought about getting up and out of bed. So, get there at 7 and it's not really worth your time after about 930. At around 11 you can start getting good deals from people since they've realized their stuff is over priced and they are likely just taking it to Goodwill in twenty minutes anyway, but it's likely been really picked over.
*One thing I learned last week is to just walk up and ask about the big items you are interested before you start picking through clothes (like bikes, ride-ons, etc.) because odds are someone will snatch it while you are going ga ga over their cute kids clothes. Can we tell I am bitter? While I was getting some cute clothes some guy came and asked a lady the price for a radio flier trike in perfect condition. Two dollars. TWO. That jerk. I would have paid FIVE.
* If they have things individually priced get out of there. If people take the time to price each piece of clothing or book or whatever than it is likely the prices are too high and they are too sentimental about it ( I was SO guilty of this at my garage sale). Look for a giant sign that says "all clothes fifty cents" or whatever.
* My rule is that I hardly ever will pay over a dollar for a piece of kids clothing. Maybe if I really really really like it. And a dollar is pushing it, usually I draw the line at fifty cents.
But these are all just my own rules. I go every weekend, so if I bought every cute thing I saw for two dollars I would be chock full of stuff. So I had to set some boundaries : ).
What has been your best garage sale find?
Best deal of the day?
These little numbers for fifty cents. Just the right size and way cuter than I could have picked out for myself at the store. Plus I bet they retailed at least $15 but seeing as how they are American Eagle I bet it was more. I had a pair kind of similar that I splurged and bought for $18 last year, swiper ate off both the bows, then chewed on the heel which makes me trip and fall all over the place. These are cuter and about 1/50th the cost!
And then I found some practically new Robeez for Ivy, sure they won't fit for a while, but HELLO! Retail $30? Craigslist $12? Me? 3$ and they are all still white and cute and....yeah.
And just last week I nearly paid $30 for a Cozy Coupe like this.
These thigs sell like hotcakes on craigslist for anywhere from $20-$30, I mean really like hot cakes. I would email as soon as one would be listed and they were always gone before I could get them. They retail for $79. Craigslist $30. Me? $10
So can you see how it is addicting? I try not to fill my house with Junk, but easy come easy go. Now if Bentley isn't playing with the Cozy Coupe? No loss, I can hock it on craigslist for more than I paid! Those Robeez are going for about $10 used on ebay.
I always wondered why I didn't like shopping and recently I've figured out it is because stuff is so expensive and even if you fork over the money to buy it it likely won't fit right or will get stained quickly....so really? What's the point?
By garage saleing for three hours on a Saturday morning I get my shopping fix, I pay no more than a dollar for things usually and if they get stained? Who cares! If Swiper chews up my new shoes I will be really sad, but at least I won't lament over how much they cost, fifty cents is cheaper than a doggy chew toy!
I've learned some garage saleing tips and I know you are all oh so interested... so listen up.
* Hit the neighborhood sales. It's not really worth the time and energy to go to an individual garage sale - they probably don't have your kids size anyway or it will be the wrong gender...yadda yadda. Neighborhood sales are the best.
* Prices are negotiable. Buy a few things and ask if they'll take less for it. Got $10 worth of stuff? I bet they'll take $8 probably $7.
*The early bird and the really really late bird get the worm, but especially the early bird. At least in our part of town tons of guys going around in pick up trucks make the garage sale rounds really early. They don't waste time. They walk up to the saler, ask prices for big items and haul them away. Likely before you've even thought about getting up and out of bed. So, get there at 7 and it's not really worth your time after about 930. At around 11 you can start getting good deals from people since they've realized their stuff is over priced and they are likely just taking it to Goodwill in twenty minutes anyway, but it's likely been really picked over.
*One thing I learned last week is to just walk up and ask about the big items you are interested before you start picking through clothes (like bikes, ride-ons, etc.) because odds are someone will snatch it while you are going ga ga over their cute kids clothes. Can we tell I am bitter? While I was getting some cute clothes some guy came and asked a lady the price for a radio flier trike in perfect condition. Two dollars. TWO. That jerk. I would have paid FIVE.
* If they have things individually priced get out of there. If people take the time to price each piece of clothing or book or whatever than it is likely the prices are too high and they are too sentimental about it ( I was SO guilty of this at my garage sale). Look for a giant sign that says "all clothes fifty cents" or whatever.
* My rule is that I hardly ever will pay over a dollar for a piece of kids clothing. Maybe if I really really really like it. And a dollar is pushing it, usually I draw the line at fifty cents.
But these are all just my own rules. I go every weekend, so if I bought every cute thing I saw for two dollars I would be chock full of stuff. So I had to set some boundaries : ).
What has been your best garage sale find?
Friday, May 1, 2009
Fitting
Let the punishment fit the crime, that's what I always say. And that is also what they say in the Love & Logic parenting book.
Gwen was completely and fully potty trained for a good year, and now all of the sudden (well for the last several months) Gwen has been peeing in her panties. ALL the time. It's been a really frustrating thing. I've tried a number of punishments, rewards, etc. and nothing works. I even had her wear diapers again which was a complete and utter failure.
So today she is doing laundry. Well, today I am trying to have her do laundry. She is about halfway down the stairs with her basket. Already she bumped her foot which apparently has made it so she will "never be able to walk again". And at first she wouldn't even try to help (because she doesn't want to do laundry until she is a mommy), so I had her sit on a stool until she felt like doing the laundry. She told me she wouldn't do it until she grew up so I told her she would have to sit on her stool until she grew up and wouldn't that be awful to have to get married while sitting on a little stool in your room? Her bigger fear was having to sit there during the whole night.
Anyway, it may take me all day to get her to do it, but it seems like a fair thing. If she goes through three pairs of panties and three pairs of pants in one day then she ought to be the one to do the laundry. Not all of the laundry, just hers. I'm not that rude.
It is kind of nice seeing what a hard time she is having, makes me feel a bit like superwoman when I do five loads of laundry in a single day.
And lest you think I am a horrible mother, I have offered to help her (she helps me do laundry all of the time) but man, it is killing me to see her reaction she really really REALLY doesn't want to do it. Which is funny because helping me do laundry is one of her favorite things.
Kids. Sheesh.
Any other ideas for helping her with this little problem if the laundry idea doesn't pan out?
Gwen was completely and fully potty trained for a good year, and now all of the sudden (well for the last several months) Gwen has been peeing in her panties. ALL the time. It's been a really frustrating thing. I've tried a number of punishments, rewards, etc. and nothing works. I even had her wear diapers again which was a complete and utter failure.
So today she is doing laundry. Well, today I am trying to have her do laundry. She is about halfway down the stairs with her basket. Already she bumped her foot which apparently has made it so she will "never be able to walk again". And at first she wouldn't even try to help (because she doesn't want to do laundry until she is a mommy), so I had her sit on a stool until she felt like doing the laundry. She told me she wouldn't do it until she grew up so I told her she would have to sit on her stool until she grew up and wouldn't that be awful to have to get married while sitting on a little stool in your room? Her bigger fear was having to sit there during the whole night.
Anyway, it may take me all day to get her to do it, but it seems like a fair thing. If she goes through three pairs of panties and three pairs of pants in one day then she ought to be the one to do the laundry. Not all of the laundry, just hers. I'm not that rude.
It is kind of nice seeing what a hard time she is having, makes me feel a bit like superwoman when I do five loads of laundry in a single day.
And lest you think I am a horrible mother, I have offered to help her (she helps me do laundry all of the time) but man, it is killing me to see her reaction she really really REALLY doesn't want to do it. Which is funny because helping me do laundry is one of her favorite things.
Kids. Sheesh.
Any other ideas for helping her with this little problem if the laundry idea doesn't pan out?
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