Memories aren't made ... they are lived and re-lived in our minds and hearts. Cherish each day, embrace the chaos and live these moments from beginning to end.
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Monday Memories: Flying and walking
It's always a whirlwind (but fun) time when Simon and Annabel are home. CJ always gets so excited to see them and I know they love spending time with him as well. Now that he is more active and mobile, the interaction amongst them is fun to watch.
Overall, the week was a blast. We kicked it off with a trip to Typhoon Lagoon which ended up being the highlight of the week for Annabel. CJ enjoyed himself as well - a big step up from our last outing at a water park-like place. On the Disney Dream, he hated the splash zone, but at Typhoon, he had a blast, playing in the Ketchakiddee Creek, letting the waves hit him in the wave pool and floating down the lazy river in his own innertube. I had a blast and John, Simon and Annabel were able to enjoy some of the big kid slides (I even got to go with the kids on Crush 'n' Gusher).
John had taken the week off of work, so him and Simon and Annabel enjoyed a different adventure every day doing everything from visiting the Science Center (playing at their favorite exhibit - the orange tree) to surviving an almost tornado on the way to Monkey Joes.
The week ended with a trip to the Sun n Fun air show. This was my first air show and I loved it. It was CJ's first air show and he was on the fence about it. Simon and Annabel seemed to keep forgetting that we were at an air show, so I'm not sure how they felt about it. CJ cried a few times because unbeknownst to me, those planes are crazy loud. We saw the Raptor F-22 and then the show ended with an awesome, cry-inducing (CJ) show by the Blue Angels.
However, my favorite things this week were a few milestones that CJ hit. I can't believe how excited I get over the simplest things. Being a mom makes the world's problems seem so small and so big at the same time. They shrink in comparison to things like CJ figuring out how to drink out of a sippy cup (which he did at the airshow) or taking his first steps! I literally squealed with delight when he took a few steps (and even after he has done it several times, I still get equally excited - watching my little man grow is better than any trashy reality show). But then the world's problems seem so big because I want my baby to grow up in a way similar to how I grew up. Thinking about things like 2012 really bum me out (ask John, I've gotten to tears thinking about it). I want to see CJ go to his first day of school, help him through whatever activities he chooses to do, support him in all of life's big moments. I want there to be those moments, none of this 2012 talk!
So, I'm going to hold on and cherish every moment with my wonderful family. Coming home after a stressful to a smile from my baby and a hug from my best friend and husband washes away all my worries, at least for a minute or two.
Overall, the week was a blast. We kicked it off with a trip to Typhoon Lagoon which ended up being the highlight of the week for Annabel. CJ enjoyed himself as well - a big step up from our last outing at a water park-like place. On the Disney Dream, he hated the splash zone, but at Typhoon, he had a blast, playing in the Ketchakiddee Creek, letting the waves hit him in the wave pool and floating down the lazy river in his own innertube. I had a blast and John, Simon and Annabel were able to enjoy some of the big kid slides (I even got to go with the kids on Crush 'n' Gusher).
John had taken the week off of work, so him and Simon and Annabel enjoyed a different adventure every day doing everything from visiting the Science Center (playing at their favorite exhibit - the orange tree) to surviving an almost tornado on the way to Monkey Joes.
The week ended with a trip to the Sun n Fun air show. This was my first air show and I loved it. It was CJ's first air show and he was on the fence about it. Simon and Annabel seemed to keep forgetting that we were at an air show, so I'm not sure how they felt about it. CJ cried a few times because unbeknownst to me, those planes are crazy loud. We saw the Raptor F-22 and then the show ended with an awesome, cry-inducing (CJ) show by the Blue Angels.
However, my favorite things this week were a few milestones that CJ hit. I can't believe how excited I get over the simplest things. Being a mom makes the world's problems seem so small and so big at the same time. They shrink in comparison to things like CJ figuring out how to drink out of a sippy cup (which he did at the airshow) or taking his first steps! I literally squealed with delight when he took a few steps (and even after he has done it several times, I still get equally excited - watching my little man grow is better than any trashy reality show). But then the world's problems seem so big because I want my baby to grow up in a way similar to how I grew up. Thinking about things like 2012 really bum me out (ask John, I've gotten to tears thinking about it). I want to see CJ go to his first day of school, help him through whatever activities he chooses to do, support him in all of life's big moments. I want there to be those moments, none of this 2012 talk!
So, I'm going to hold on and cherish every moment with my wonderful family. Coming home after a stressful to a smile from my baby and a hug from my best friend and husband washes away all my worries, at least for a minute or two.
Monday, April 4, 2011
Sunday shopping scorecard (a day late)
After a week of having a full house and working on an intense project for my drawing class, I decided to take some time on Sunday to just sit. Not watch TV, not do homework, not check Facebook. Just sit (and snuggle with John and play with CJ).
My mind and body really needed a break from the constant activity and sitting hit the spot. Needless to say, I did not successfully kick off my plan for blogging each day. I’ve got the outline of what I want to write about each day, but my body had become one with the floor and my heart was happy just to be enjoying my family on a beautiful Sunday afternoon.
So here’s my Sunday shopping scorecard a day late…
On Saturday, with the hope of new job possibilities on the horizon, I decided I needed to pick up a few additional pairs of dress pants because I am taking the advice of “dressing for the job you want” seriously. But of course, I refuse to pay full price for pretty much anything, including clothes. And where can you ALWAYS find a deal on decent quality and fashionable clothes? New York and Company. There is always some kind of sale (BOGO) or coupon available. This weekend happened to be the end of a season (I assume) and everything, yes, everything, in the store was 50% off. I bought 3 pairs of pants, 3 shirts and a watch for a relatively low price. I am now dressed head-to-toe in New York and Company attire in preparation for a chance meeting with future bosses. Hopefully the great deals will pay off (literally) and I won’t have to always look for a deal.
Yeah, right, who am I kidding, I always look for deals, even at discount stores like TJ Maxx and Marshalls! I’m forever a discount digger thanks to years of following my mom around store after store when she wasn't chauffering me from sporting event to sporting event.
My grocery shopping was light this week mostly because I didn’t have a whole lot of time to rifle through my stash of coupons before heading to the store. We wanted to get something going in Crockpot, but were missing a few key ingredients. (We still haven’t been able to find cream of cheese soup anywhere, so John ended up making it from scratch yesterday.) Due to the making of the cheese soup and the chicken being frozen, we weren’t able to start the crockpot meal. So we’ll be having that on Tuesday night.
Back to the grocery trip…so I didn’t get a whole lot, but most everything I bought, I had a coupon for AND it was on sale. The Gerber GoodStart coupon was back in the Publix ad and I was so bummed because the additional $5 coupons I have expired 3/31/2011. But as luck would have it, I received a coupon envelope from Gerber on Friday with a $5.25 formula check for Gerber GoodStart 2. For the third week in a row, I was able to get a can of formula which costs $19 for less than $10. That’s a steal. Too bad I didn’t have a second check, or I would’ve stocked up on another can. CJ is an eating machine lately - must be going through a growth spurt (I hope). Beyond that, I bought more baby food since Earth’s Best was BOGO and I had a manufacturer coupon.
Overall it was a good weekend. I saved a total of $21.50 (paid a total of $39.69) at the grocery store. It’s a fun game, seeing how much I can save and still buy the things I like/need. Couponing saves me money that I’m able to spend on fun outings (like going to Typhoon Lagoon and the Sun n Fun air show) or on my precious little baby because I am quite the sucker for baby clothes.
 |
| My super-intense drawing project (drawing fabric pinned to the wall) |
My mind and body really needed a break from the constant activity and sitting hit the spot. Needless to say, I did not successfully kick off my plan for blogging each day. I’ve got the outline of what I want to write about each day, but my body had become one with the floor and my heart was happy just to be enjoying my family on a beautiful Sunday afternoon.
 |
| My happy little boy just playing on Sunday afternoon |
On Saturday, with the hope of new job possibilities on the horizon, I decided I needed to pick up a few additional pairs of dress pants because I am taking the advice of “dressing for the job you want” seriously. But of course, I refuse to pay full price for pretty much anything, including clothes. And where can you ALWAYS find a deal on decent quality and fashionable clothes? New York and Company. There is always some kind of sale (BOGO) or coupon available. This weekend happened to be the end of a season (I assume) and everything, yes, everything, in the store was 50% off. I bought 3 pairs of pants, 3 shirts and a watch for a relatively low price. I am now dressed head-to-toe in New York and Company attire in preparation for a chance meeting with future bosses. Hopefully the great deals will pay off (literally) and I won’t have to always look for a deal.
Yeah, right, who am I kidding, I always look for deals, even at discount stores like TJ Maxx and Marshalls! I’m forever a discount digger thanks to years of following my mom around store after store when she wasn't chauffering me from sporting event to sporting event.
My grocery shopping was light this week mostly because I didn’t have a whole lot of time to rifle through my stash of coupons before heading to the store. We wanted to get something going in Crockpot, but were missing a few key ingredients. (We still haven’t been able to find cream of cheese soup anywhere, so John ended up making it from scratch yesterday.) Due to the making of the cheese soup and the chicken being frozen, we weren’t able to start the crockpot meal. So we’ll be having that on Tuesday night.
Overall it was a good weekend. I saved a total of $21.50 (paid a total of $39.69) at the grocery store. It’s a fun game, seeing how much I can save and still buy the things I like/need. Couponing saves me money that I’m able to spend on fun outings (like going to Typhoon Lagoon and the Sun n Fun air show) or on my precious little baby because I am quite the sucker for baby clothes.
More about the fun family time tomorrow along with a second post ... need to catch up.
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