After baby class

They have all these classes to teach you about what to expect when you have a baby, and how to care for them in the first few weeks. They teach you things like...
How to give them a bath
How to feed them
How to hold and support their head

What they need to start doing is having a class that teaches you how to do other things that you don't really think of until you have to do them. For instance....

How to change a 30 inch tall, squirmy child when there is no changing table, you are by yourself, and there is no room on the counter. (You would practice sitting on the toilet, balancing the child on your legs and trying really hard not to get poop on your jeans or drop him.)

How to order food at a fast food counter and carry your child, diaper bag, and a tray with food to the table - while not allowing said child to grab a hold of a fry or tip your drink over. (You learn to order it 'to go' so it comes in a sack...and get really excited when the restaurant has the highchair on wheels so you can just wheel them around with you)

How to pee in a public restroom while holding your child becuase you did not bring the stroller in the restraunt. (I'll let you fill in the details on that one)

Locating that perfect parking space so you can nurse your child without giving the shoppers at the local Piggly Wiggly a show.

These are just a few of the skills that I was able to practice while Austin and I were out on a trip today.

Oh the joys of motherhood....Good thing he's cute :)

What a deal!

A fellow Blogger asked how I was saving money at CVS. Here is how I scored today on my best trip yet. The following is a picture of everything I got.


Two Boxes Cereal
One nivea for men body wash
One bag of Candy Corn
One Tylenol Precise Heat therapy patch (4 count)
Three containers of mini candy bars
Four scented oil refills
Three oil warmers


And the grand total out of pocket cost was......$5.77

I made three transactions in order to use the Extra Care Bucks

#1
Nivea - Originally 4.99 (had 1.00off Coup)[Got 4.99 extra care bucks](1.00 Money maker!)
Candy Corn - Originally 0.99 [Received 0.99 extra care buck] (free)

#2
Tylenol Precision 5.99 (had 2.00 off coupon from paper and 2.00 off CVS coupon from Internet) used Extra care bucks from transaction #1 and I also got 2.00 extra care bucks from this one!(free)
#3
Four Airwick Oils (CVS sale - Spend 10 get 5 extra care bucks) + (Coupons for 0.50 off each) [0.75 each]
Three Warmers (had 3 coupons for 'buy an oil get a warmer free') [Free}
Cereal - (CVS sale 1.88 each) + (Coupon for 0.50 off) [ 1.30 each]
Candy - on Sale for 0.77 had to use these to get my total up to $20 so I could use a $4 off $20 internet coupon from CVS) [free]
I also used my extra care bucks from transaction 1 and 2 to help pay for this.

Not every trip is this good...but you get the idea. Yeah for savings!

Saving money

My new job has become learning how to 'play the coupon game'. I have gotten pretty good at it.

I came home last night with 6 bottles of Sobe Water, 8 bottles of Johnson and Johnson babywash and shampoo and 2 sippy cups all for $8 from CVS....(That's about 75 cents per bottle of baby stuff and the Sobe's were free!! Austin will be clean all year now!)

I noticed the bottom of my receipt the following

Summer 2010 spending $163.97
Year to Date Savings $772.50

I think stores like CVS hate customers like me!

I wonder if I can get to $1000 savings before the year is over?

Things Austin is learning about his parents

Dad has A LOT of tools. (And I am thankfull for that!)






Mom can not pass up a deal! (I got 50 free Sobe waters over the course of a week...well, I had to pay 2 cents tax on each, but still that was awesome!)

History of gifts

I admit I am not a history buff...never was my favorite subject in school. But I have been reading a bit in tour books to get ready for our trip to France and realized we did weird things back in the 'old days'.

Take gift giving. We used to give actual presents to people, but recently the gift card has become a very popular item to give people. Back in the old day countries would give huge monumental gifts to each other. For instance the Statue of Liberty...it was a gift to us, the United States. Quite frankly I would not know what to write on that thank you note.

Thank you for the huge statue that we now have to find a place to put, people to ship it there, others to assemble it....etc

Anyway, a lot of the places in the tour books on France talk about how they were built as gifts, or to try and 'smooth the waters' after a certain battle...how odd. We don't do that now-a-days. I wonder what the country size equivalent to the gift card is since we are no longer getting actual gifts....

I am not a runner...Im just saying...

I recently ran in a 5K. That is a little over 3 miles....in a row...running. I think I got tricked into it. A few mom friends of mine were walking in the mornings, then they started walking and running a bit. I joined them and the next thing I know, we're knee deep in four week training course for a 5K. Two of us ran the first race and didn't die. There was a run and a stroller jog. The stroller jog started 5 min after the 5K, so our goal was to not walk and not get passed by someone pushing a stroller. We succeeded in both of our goals, so what do we do?? We sign up for another one. So I have now ran in two 5K's in the past two months and continue to run 2 or 3 times a week.

I ran in high school, but I ran the 100 meter hurdles...one of the shortest races. I did not like running all the way around the track, i preferred the straight line when I could see the finish line at all times and knew when I would be able to stop. Funny thing is, my friend and I keep saying 'we're not runners, we hate running' yet we keep doing it.

We used to run a bit in the morning with the kids in a stroller, then summer came and it was too blasted hot. So now we run at 8:15 at night when it is only 95 degrees out. The kids are asleep at home with the dads so it's our time to be 'not moms'. I guess that's why we do it. We talk the entire time. I didn't realize that was odd until our first race, and no one else was talking. They are all serious and concentrating....and we are just chatting away. Oh well, it makes our race time pass by faster.

I can't believe i am going to type this, but she talked me into running a half marathon in January! Thats 13 miles....about 3.5 hours of running!!! But...I'm not a runner....just so you know.

Brownie trimmer

I admit it....I am a brownie trimmer. Lucky for me, my husband is a crooked cutter.

You know what I mean, right? When the pan of brownies reaches a completed row, and you realize that if you cut one, then it shows and everyone knows that you had two (maybe three) brownies to eat that day. Well, I will just trim the edge so it's like eating one really long skinny brownie. I can go back and 'trim' multiple times and I don't feel as bad about eating them. I have learned to do the same with rice Krispy treats. As I stated above, Bob cuts them very crooked, so I get to do a lot of trimming! Yum.

Fish

We have a fish tank full of fish. They make great pets. They don't chew up your furniture, shed hair, or pee on the floor. They don't have to be walked in the cold or rain, and there is never a debate about letting them sleep in the bed or on the floor on a mat. You can forget to feed them for a day and they are still okay, and if you leave for vacation, they make time release food disks. Some even have personalities...

Singing sign

I have seen this sign a few times and can't help but sing when I drive by. Bob was nice enough to tape it for me this time. It goes by fast, but look close at the bottom of the sign.They actually spent the money to put the musical notes on the 'official' sign. How cool.



(bummer, when I view it on my blog you can't see it very well...there is a musical staff across the whole bottom of the sign and notes that show the song)

Outdoors inside

Bob did a lot of bulb planting this year. We are getting see all the fruits of his labor. I brought in some of the fresh flowers last weekend.

Easter fun

Have you seen it yet? The Rice Krispy comercial where the mom is with her kids and they are making easter treats? They roll the snacks into 'eggs' and then dip them in chocolate and sprinkles....well I made some (without the kids...he's too young and the other one was at work :>)



Thanks for the bowls mom!!


It was actually hard to get the eggs to stick. Had to let them cool for awhile to become sticky, but not too much that they hardened.



Just don't tell anyone I used "Great Value' Krispy cereal and marshmallows...not the real thing.

Bald Baby

So...if you have been following from the beginning you know that Austin had a ton of hair when he was born.


Well recently, it's been falling out. I know that I shed a lot, I find my hair all over this house. but you can't really tell because I don't have bald spots. Not the case for my poor little one. When I pick him up in the morning, his sheets are covered with his hair :( And it's not very stylish for the poor guy. Take a look..





If it gets too bad, I may start rubbing the top of his head to make it match the rest.

Poor job

Man I have sucked at this blogging thing recently. I need to get on more and post updates. I am on the computer a lot, but I am usually reading what everyone else is up to and then don't have time to post what we have been up to. So here is a short recap without a lot of pictures....

Austin is now almost 3 months old and he is definitely a big baby. I compare him to friends kids who are 5-7 months, and Austin is the same size. He carries most of it in his cheeks and his tummy. He is in the 90% for height and weight so I guess that means he is proportioned.



My mother was in town for her second visit last week (She was on spring break and spent half in Maryland with my Dad looking at houses, and the other half with us) oh yeah...I think I forgot to tell people. My dad found a job after over 9 months of looking...it happens to be in Maryland so my parents are moving again. Indiana, to California, to Texas, to Maryland. If they go to North Dakota next they would have lived in all four edges of the US. It was great to have her here...I always seam to get so much more done when she is around. (It's probably because she does all my housework for me)



We also had a second set of visitors this month..the Kilmers braved the Atlanta traffic on their way back from Florida and parked at the best RV stop in Tifton - Our house. Lisa and Colton tagged along so we got to see everyone for a night. It was great to catch up, i just wish they could have stayed longer

That's all I can think of now so that's all you get...besides I have dishes soaking in the sink and have to go dry my hair because I am going out in public today to a baby shower. Bob has nighttime duty.

Ironic

Bob pointed something out to me that is a bit ironic about the following picture.



The store 'structure' closed quite a few years back. Yet the shirt he is wearing is dated 2010. Hmm...


On a side note....I also realized this is a picture of three generations of Landi Men...cool

Random

So. I had a bunch of random pictures that I was going to write funny posts about. Well, I am just going to post the pictures now because I don't have the time to post the big funny story about them.

I found this on the bathroom floor one day. Any guesses as to what it was?....not a jellyfish, it is what happens to a 'poof' if you let the middle come untied. Bob broke it two days after I hung it in the shower.



Remember PEZ candy? Bob loves them and actually loaded the dispenser he got for Christmas from his mom.




I made a turkey in December. They really wanted to make sure we knew when it was done....hence two timers



Here ia a pic when Austin was a bit younger :). My brother sent us an official sash from the miss Teen Pageant. I look so official...and round.



Last month we had some friends over for Farkle and Fondue...Mom i got to use the crazy place mats!!! (Thanks for the set Kevin!)

Bargin days are here again

So...two weeks ago it snowed on Friday. Last week it was in the high 60s on Saturday. I thought the midwest was the only place with weird weather swings. Anyway, we decided to do some outside work because it was so nice. We went to Lowes and found the best deal ever. We got all these plants (16 containers of primrose) for.....


a grand total of $4.00. They were on a 90% off rack because they were 'hit by the cold spell that came through and need TLC'. Bonus!!!
This opportunity also allowed us to use Bob's new tool.

We highly recommend one of these if anyone does a lot of planting. We planted all those plants in like 10 min. It was amazing. Here is a video of how easy it was to dig the hole.

McDonalds

My most recent conversation at McDonalds Drive through...

Speaker: 'Welcome to McDonalds would you like to try one of our new Carmel frappy drinks?' (I forget the official name so for the purpose of this post I'll call it that)

Me: No thank you, I'll just have a Carmel Sundae

Speaker: 'We only have strawberry and Hot fudge'

Me: Out loud 'Okay, I'll take a strawberry one'
Me: In my head 'you have carmel frappy drinks, but not carmel sundae???'
hmmm...

Photo session

Not too much time to type. He is naping in the swing and I have a load of laundry I need to get folded and kitchen cleaned up before he wakes up to eat again. Here are a few photos for those of you who have not seen them on Facebook. A friend came over and had a photo shoot with Austin.

Diaper conversations

This was our conversation while changing Austin's diaper this evening...

Me: (while struggling to get his arm to straighten out and fit into the sleeve of his PJ's) I can't wait for him to dress himself

Bob: I can't wait for him to say something

Me: (With a grin) Like 'Mommy'? I say that to him all the time during the day! It's going to be his first word..'I love Mommy', ' Mommy'....

Bob: that's not fair you're cheating! (as he picks up Austin and leaves the room saying) Daddy....it's much easier to say, come on...Daddy, Daddy.....


I love our new life.....

Mishap in the Kitchen

Tonight Austin was a bit lonely and wanted to hang out with me. So I put him in the sling that I borrowed from a friend.



This is my view of my little kangaroo...so cute.



I was making brownies and happened to glance down while pouring the batter and saw this....



Yeah...that's what you think it is....look a little closer...



He is just like his father..wants to lick the bowl, I guess he figured I would just pick it up and put it back in his mouth.

Shout Out to West Side

Lisa, Austin is not quite as good as Colton on the "West Side" hand signal..but he's working on it.....

Cheerios and Flys

Those of you who have been long time readers, remember a few of my older posts about the urinal at Wrigley field that is just a long slit in the ground, and my picture of the very sleek looking sinks at the Jacksonville Airport. Well, a friend recently showed me this and I had to share!


This is a picture from the men's room in the Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam.



Here is what it says in case the writing is too small:
In Amsterdam the tile under the Shciphol urinals would pass inspection in an operating room, but no one notices. What everyone does notice is that every urinal has a fly in it.

Look harder and that fly turns into an etched outline in the porcelain. It improves aim. If a man sees a fly, he aims for it. Fly-in-Urinal research found that the etching reduces spillage by 80%. It gives the guy something to think about. The perfect example of Process Control.



How clever! I have heard of using cheerios to teach young boys to aim when potty training. I didn't realize they had the same thing for grown men. Clever idea Amsterdam! Now someone needs to make a business plan and offer this service to households. Porcelain etching - you choose the design, we'll etch it on your toilet. I wonder if that would reduce spillage by 80% at home???

It happened...

Awhile ago I commented on the fact that I like wearing pants with no zipper or button. I enjoyed the prego pants and wondered what it would be like when I went back to 'normal' pants.
Well, Yesterday I decided to try on 'real' pants to go to Baby shower. I was a bit afraid to try them on, but they were my 'big' jeans so I thought, what the heck. Well, I got them on, zipped, and buttoned! yippee!! The only problem is that twice I tried to pull them down without un-doing them. And I was worried the whole time that I would forget to zip them. Who would have thought I'd have to relearn to button and zip once I start fitting into more of my regular pants.

So if you see me out in public..dont be afraid to let me know 'XYZ' (eXamine Your Zipper)

Cutest baby

In case you have not seen this yet, it's my favorite video of Austin so far. He is just one day old here and Bob is holding him in the hospital. I have a second favorite but it appears to be too large to post. I'll keep trying.




So far things are going well. Austin has been a very good baby and I hope he keeps it up. We are looking forward to a visit from my dad soon, and Bob's parents will be coming down also. Lots of time for the grandparents to spoil him. I just hope he doesn't keep them up to much at night while they are here.