Superpaige's Pad

The Trials of a Busy Mom

Category: General (Page 7 of 11)

The big pink flying pig

September 7, 2007 / / 2 Comments

This morning, as I was leaving Curves for my morning workout, the phone was ringing when I opened the car door. I answered it quickly, thinking it had to either be Ryan calling from Denver, or one of my kids calling about an emergency at home.

“Mom,” it was Megan.

“Yes?” I panted.

“That giant balloon pig just landed in the next door neighbor’s back yard!” she told me excitedly.

“I’m on my way home.  I can see it!”

And sure enough, there was a giant hot air balloon of the big pink pig that says Bank of American Fork right there in the neighbor’s back yard.  And all the neighbors gathered around to see it.  By the time I got my camera, it had taken off and was up in the sky, so I didn’t get a good picture.  But that’s sure an exciting way to start the day.

I had to herd the girls back inside to get ready, and John ended up playing outside with his friends in his pajamas, but it’s all good.

Is there a hidden camera around here somewhere?

August 30, 2007 / / 7 Comments

Today while at the grocery store, I was seriously thinking about which brand and size of toilet paper was the better deal. If I use this coupon, would it be cheaper than buying that brand without a coupon? Boring, I know. I looked over at the other side of the isle, and there were these Scotties hypoallergenic tissues. I haven’t really heard of this brand, but they were on sale for $1 a box, so I was interested. We go through a lot of tissues in our house (yes, I have a box in every room of the house AND the cars. It’s called being prepared.), so I’m always trying to get them when they are on sale, and I have to make sure to NEVER EVER even think about buying the Puffs with LOTION. Or the cool antibacterial kind. Why? Need you ask? The anti-lotionator who I live with, that’s why. Just teasin’, Ryan. So, when I see non-scented tissues for cheap, I start tossing them into the cart.

As I was grabbing a box, I knocked over this silly looking little black box thing, which fell on the floor. As I bent to pick it up, it spit out a coupon. A coupon for the exact product I was currently putting in my cart. 30 cents off each box of Scotties Hypoallergenic tissues. Wow! Not 30 cents off when you buy three boxes, as is typically the case with those pop-up coupons. But it appeared to be out of coupons. Oh, darn. Hey, look, there’s one crumpled up on the shelf. I uncrumple it, and sure enough, it’s a coupon for Scotties. Just then, the little coupon spitter decides to pop out another coupon. Ok. I’ll take it, thanks. I picked up the coupon thing to see if I could make it give me one more. I bang it on the top, and out comes another one, accompanied by a sad little noise, like the coupon thing is saying, “I’m tired. Could you just leave me alone?” But, no I will NOT leave it alone, because I can use all the coupons I can get. Bang Bang Bang. Nothing. Just when I’m about to leave and continue with my shopping, out comes a coupon. What the heck? Bang Bang. Maybe I should drop it on the floor again. I wait a minute, and sure enough, out comes another coupon. This goes on for quite some time, and I’m laughing to myself wondering if there’s some hidden camera there, and they wait until I’m about to leave to make the little coupon device give up it’s precious 30 cent coupon. I even look around to see if anyone is watching me, or if I can see the hidden camera. Reality tv show, maybe?

I ended up with 10. I don’t know how many I could have gotten out of the stingy little thing, had I had the patience to wait. But it gave me a good laugh, and I saved $3.00 on my 10 boxes of tissues.

Enjoying the quiet.

August 24, 2007 / / 1 Comment

The kids have been in school for 4 days now, and it’s just John and I at home.  And I have to say, it’s going quite nicely.  I’m able to get a few things done, a little bit organized, and have some fun with just John.  I’ve never ever had a 3 year old at home without having a younger child, so this is new territory for me.  Yesterday we went to the haircut place to get his hair cut.  He looks SO DANG CUTE with his new short haircut, by the way.  Afterwards, since he was a good boy, we got lunch at Wendy’s.  As we walked into the house, he asked me, ‘Where’s Jenna’s lunch?’  He misses Jenna!  I explained to him that Jenna goes to school all day, now, and eats lunch at school, instead of at home with us.  And at that moment, I was very glad that John won’t be leaving me to eat lunch at school for a few years yet.  I miss the other kids, and I would most definitely miss my little guy.

Today he actually gets to go out to lunch and shopping with his grandparents for his birthday.  They take the kids out to eat and then shopping.  John chose McDonald’s for his lunch place, and then he didn’t care where they were going shopping.  Probably Wal-mart.  It’s always fun to see what kind of toy or gift they come home with.  This is his first time to go out with them, since they only take the 4-12 year olds.  After 12, they still take them out to eat, but just give them cash instead of shopping with them.  It’s a nice tradition and something the kids look forward to.

So I’ve been writing letters to local businesses asking for donations and support for our PTA Reflections contest, which I am in charge of again this year.  I’m trying to come up with a skit to introduce the theme for this year, which is, “I can make a difference by…”.  Hmmm.  Any ideas?

And I’ve been de-sequining a shirt.  Yes, you read that correctly.  De-sequining.  I bought this cute shirt at Kohl’s the other day for 30% off of $4.  I like it, and it’s a good color and everything, but it’s got these silly sequins scattered around the shirt.  I don’t have anything against sequins, per say.   If you are a nine year old girl, you probably really like them.  And they aren’t that noticable, so I don’t really mind them, except that they are scratchy.  Every time I move my arms or do anything that rubs against the shirt,…scratch, scratch, scratch.  Well, that simply won’t do, so I just cut them all off.  Because I’m creative like that.  I like to take regular clothes and make them even plainer.

So, there you have it folks.  The excitement that is my day.  I’m kind of enjoying it.

Wishful thinking

August 21, 2007 / / 4 Comments

Today was the first day of school.  Even though two kids forgot their lunches, they seemed to all enjoy their first day in their new classes.

Here’s my list of what I sort of thought I’d get done, now that 4 out of 5 of my kids are gone to school all day..

Organize my recipes;
Sew curtains for my office;
Sort, wash and fold all the laundry, including match up that whole basket of socks;
Mail 2 packages;
Do something fun with John.  Maybe go to the Zoo;
Make a delicious and nutritious dinner that all the family would eat and enjoy;
Clean out the pantry and the mudroom.

Here’s what I actually got done:

Go to curves (hooray for me!  I have to figure out exactly how early I need to go and still get back home in time to help everyone get ready.  Today I left at about 10 minutes to 7, and got home about 7:35.  Cole has to leave at 7:45, so that may not be early enough to prod him to do the things he needs to get done in the morning).

Attend the “Back to school Bus Stop Breakfast” that I organized.  It was fun, the kids were all so excited to start school, and the moms all took lots of pictures.  Great neighborhood tradition.

Go shop at Kohl’s.  I had to use that 30% off coupon, and had to return one thing.  So, I returned one item, bought a bunch more, and picked up some much needed socks for a lot of the needy feet in the family.

Went to Costco to get gas (empty!) and Pull-ups (we were down to NONE), eggs and garbage bags, and a few other needed items.

John had a picnic with his friend, and then they played with trains.  Not a huge outing, but at least he had some fun.

Sliced about 1/2 of our peaches that I picked from my very own tree yesterday!  And they are beautiful and oh-so-delicious!  I’ve been cutting them up and then freezing them on a cookie sheet so that when I put them into a gallon Ziplock bag they won’t all clump together.  Then they are perfect for smoothies.  Yum!

Cleaned all the kids’ crap off the counter.  It looked nice until they came home from school, and now it’s piled with stuff again.

Bought some treats to give to the kids teachers.  A back to school treat, if you will.  And I’m making up a basket of treats and diet coke and aspirin for the office ladies, too.  I’m hoping to deliver those tomorrow.

Made dinner.  Fried rice.  Not well received by the masses, but I don’t really care, now do I?

And now that two of the kids are off to their evening activities, (soccer practice and scouts) and the other kids are watching a tivoed episode of Madeline, I’m tired and don’t have the energy to do any of the things on my list.  And it’s ok.

Why I need to buy myself yet another new pair of shoes

August 10, 2007 / / 6 Comments

I have a few pairs of shoes, ok? Show me a girl who doesn’t. And just the other day I bought myself (eek) 3 pairs of shoes on clearance from Target. (They were on clearance! And there were two pairs with animal prints, but different, and I couldn’t decide which one was cuter, and they were only $5 each so I brought them both home. If and when I decide which one I like better I may or may not take the other pair back. So there!) So I thought my shoe buying was done for quite a while.

But…… I joined Curves this week. Yes, I did. It’s close, and it’s convenient and I can go before the kids all have to get ready for school. And I’ve worked out 4 times this week so far. Hooray for me! Anyway, at Curves they have this little shoe policy. There are signs all over the place about how you are supposed to wear shoes that have only been worn indoors. What? Who has shoes that have only been worn indoors, for heaven’s sake? That’s why we have shoes–to wear them places. I guess the point is to keep the dirt and grit from the outdoors off their machines, to keep the equipment nice and new and clean. If you don’t have new (or only indoors) shoes, you are supposed to wear these little blue booties over your shoes. Like in the hospital. And I just don’t want to wear the booties. It’s just too embarrassing.

Sure, I’m there in no make-up with my hair in a pony tail or pulled back, and I’m wearing my bleached shirt and yoga pants and look OH-So-Attractive, but the booties just are too much. A girl has to have some shred of dignity, doesn’t she?

So I’ll be off buying some new shoes soon. I saw a really cute pair of tennis shoes the other day when shopping with Megan. I wonder if they still have those….

Clothes shopping in one hour or less

August 8, 2007 / / 5 Comments

After driving to Payson to return the borrowed flute (gave him a thank you note with $20 in Toys R Us gift cards, by the way), and before the afternoon showing of Shrek the third, I realized we had an hour to kill.  I was feeling a tiny bit guilty that I haven’t really bought my kids any school clothes.  Nope.  Nothing.  So, I hatched up a plan where I give them an allotment of money to spend on whatever they’d like to buy at the children’s clothing store.  I thought $20 was both reasonable and generous.  They are just kids, after all, and they still have a lot of clothes they can wear.  If they didn’t find things to buy, or didn’t use their full $20, they could get the balance–divided in 1/2–in cash.  So, if they only spent $10 of their $20, they would get $5 back.  Unfair and a bit arbitrary, you say?  Well, it’s my plan, and my money–so there.  I explained this to the kids on the way to the store, and Cole, always hard up for money, said, “Can I just take my 10 bucks right now?”  I told him to look around.  Maybe he’d find something he liked.

In typical Natalie fashion, she wanted to know exactly how much she could get, and was there any money left to buy more stuff?  A headband or two to go with her cute new outfit of a shirt and skirt, perhaps?  She actually went over by 50 cents.  She’ll have to pay me back.  Jenna wasn’t all that interested, nor could she make up her mind.  She did find two cute shirts and a headband, and I think she gets $2 back in cash.  Megan found some cute cargo pants that we can cinch in real tight to fit her skinny frame for a year or two, and a green stiped shirt to go with them.  $19 for her, so she’ll get 50 cents back.  Cole found a shirt for $6, and he’s happy to get $7 back (he needs money to buy the Ryan Shupe CD that we got autographed).  John doesn’t care about, nor does he need any new clothes right now.  Besides, he had been asleep in the car, so he was too busy hanging on me and whining and fussing to notice that we were even in a clothing store.

There you have it, folks.  Back to school shopping in one hour or less.

Oh, and Shrek the third was funny but too long.  And I really appreciate Jenna’s waiting to throw up until after the movie and the drive home.  That shows great self control, don’t you think?

Strange Dream

July 28, 2007 / / 3 Comments

I’ve been having really disturbing dreams lately. The kind where I wake up with my jaw clenched and my eyes squoze shut and my hands in fists. Not really restful, I tell you.

Most of you know I play handbells in a bell choir. In my dream we were at a sort of “hand bell retreat” or something up in the mountains. There were cabins, and a bunch of bell choirs came together to learn, practice, and perform together and for each other. But it wasn’t the choir I’m with now, it was more of a high school level choir. And we weren’t the cool choir up there. There was another choir who was more of a “show choir” only with handbells. They did skits, musical numbers, singing, handbell ringing, and had flashy costumes. Everybody thought they were the coolest and wanted to be like them.

There was a fire threatening the canyon where we were, but not having radios and phones left us kind of out of the loop. People kept talking about an evacuation, but then it didn’t really happen. There were some tractors up there, and they were doing some work (on what I don’t know), and broke into a water pipe that threatened much of the large meeting cabin area, but we got out the food and things that seemed to be at risk, and then went back to our group’s area.

Eventually, it was time to get out, and get out fast. I had my car up there, only it wasn’t my high school car or my current car, it was my Mazda GLC from college. (Too bad I hadn’t driven my suburban that I currently own, as I could have fit a lot more into it.) We were gathering up as many bells as we could. I even took them out of their cases and put them in bags to try to save as many as I could. I figured they would be better scratched or damaged then totally melted, right? Teresa and Courtney, two members of my current bell choir, were pushing a huge wheeled case up a hill, trying to save as many bells as possible. I’m not sure where they were going to put all those bells or if they just planned on pushing the case all the way home, but they were determined to save as much as they could. I remember thinking “Where is Alex (our very capable stage manager) when we need him,” come to think of it, where was Mr. W? Where were any ‘adult’ authority figures? Well, remember, friends, it was, after all, a dream. My friend Liz and I (both a high school friend and a friend in my current bell choir, so it stands to reason she would be in my dream) loaded up as much as we could get in my car, and drove as quickly as we could to safety.

That’s when I woke up.

There are so many reasons why this is illogical (bells in the mountains? Why?) and irrational, and I can piece together where certain fears are coming from if I wanted to analyze it, but I guess I just wanted to get it all down so I won’t forget it. And to let you in on just how psychotic I really am.

What the heck is going on around here?

July 27, 2007 / / 2 Comments

This morning, John lovingly carried the jar of peanut butter to the counter, and gave it a kiss. Yes, the boy loves his pb.

I had to bribe Megan with candy to do her piano practicing, and even that wasn’t fun. That girl just doesn’t enjoy practicing. Too bad for you, kiddo, since you are not allowed to quit piano until you are 16! (evil laugh ha ha ha)

Robin took off with her kids to go see some sights in Salt Lake. Her son Jacob whined and complained that she was dragging him away. Away from what? I ask you? Jobs and piano practicing? Nothing exciting going on here, I tell you, but still, he’d rather be here. Thanks for the complement!

I haven’t seen Cole since I told him to stop reading that Harry Potter book and get dressed. I suspect he took the Harry Potter book with him to go and get dressed, and he’s still reading it. Probably still not dressed. Today is Harry Potter’s birthday party at our library. We go every year, and it’s usually a fun event, but with WAY too many kids there. This year you had to sign up for a time slot, so maybe it won’t be so absolutely crowded. Maybe.

And me? I just wasted too much time watching phone guy.

A few things

July 26, 2007 / / 5 Comments

Just a few things for you today.

First, I had no idea we would get so many comments to enter the little contest.  If you came by just to sign up, I hope you’ll stop by again and see what we’re up to.  I will have to cut off comments at 8 am Friday morning, and then we’ll randomly draw for winners.

Second, I can’t wait until John is 4.  I’m hoping this 3 year old attitude problem will go away when he’s 4.  Today we had a screaming kicking fit that ended in him screaming “Go Away!” over and over and over again from his bed while I sat and calmly started reading the 7th Harry Potter book that was sitting on the floor until he gave up the fight to be grumpy and fell asleep for a MUCH needed nap.  And I’m not even sure what the whole fit was about.

Thirdly, I got my hair cut yesterday, and if I do say so myself, it looks so cute!  But then my beloved hairstylist, who has cut my hair for about 12 years now (off and on) told me that she’s getting out of the hair styling business.  Her husband is no longer a struggling teacher or a starving student, he’s a lawyer, and she doesn’t need to have a job anymore.  She’d rather spend more time with her kids.  I’m going to try to convince her that I only come 4 times a year, and if needed I’ll cut it back to twice a year if she’ll just please continue to do my highlights.  But if that doesn’t work, I’ll have to go out and find someone I trust to cut my hair.  Humph.

And lastly, Robin took her kids and two of my kids camping last night, and they had such fun.  They got to sleep in her newest Vanagan, and how much fun is that?  Cool!  Maybe the little kids can sleep out there tonight.

Summer’s screaming by, and there’s less than a month until the kids go back to school.  I hope I can think of enough fun things to do to fill that time, and that we all enjoy the last month of summer together.  (There’s also less than 5 months until Christmas, too!)

Children’s Books to Avoid

June 26, 2007 / / 2 Comments

Children’s Books To Avoid

1. You’re Different — And That’s Bad
2. The Boy Who Died from Eating All His Vegetables
3. Robert: Dad’s New Wife
4. Fun Four-Letter Words to Know and Share
5. The Kids’ Guide to Hitchhiking
6. Kathy Was So Bad That her Mom Stopped Loving Her
7. Curious George and the High-Voltage Fence
8. All Cats Go to Hell
9. The Little Sissy That Snitched
10. Why Can’t Mr. Fork and Mrs. Electrical Outlet be Friends?
11. Grandpa Gets a Casket
12. Controlling the Playground: Respect Through Fear
13. The Pop-Up Book of Human Anatomy
14. Strangers Have the Best Candy
15. Whining, Kicking and Crying to Get Your Way
16. Things Rich Kids Have, But You Never Will
17. Daddy Drinks Because You Cry
18. Your Nightmares Are Real
19. You’ve Got Hepatitis B, Charlie Brown
20. Valuable Protein and Other Nutritional Benefits of Things from Your Nose
21.The Comprehensive List of All Closet-Dwelling Monsters
22.Clothes are for Sissies
23.Killer Bees – A Do-it-Yourself kit
24.The Brave Little Toaster Takes a Bath
25.Fluffy Meets the Dishwasher
26.Mommy DOES Love Your Sister Better
27.The Little Girls’ Diet Book

Yes, I stole this from somewhere else, but I’d like to add my own favorite titles, which include:

I left my foot in the lawnmower,
10 things your mom hates about you, and
Fun with Sharpies and Scissors

I thought this would be a welcome break than hearing me go on and on about my week of organizing.  It’s going ok, by the way, and I’ll have to post some before and after pictures whey I get to the after part.

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