Clean out Your Clutter Challenge

Over at Money Saving Mom, Crystal is hosting a Clean out you Clutter Challenge! I am participating! I have already made a few efforts this past month to organize, clean, and get rid of clutter.

"we’ll be working through our homes room-by-room in an effort to ruthlessly rid our lives of unnecessary things.

Clear Out the Clutter Assignment #1
::Go through your living room, coat closet and hall closet (or any other closets or cupboards which reside in your living room area) and then ruthlessly clear out any and all clutter and unnecessary items you find.
::Tally up the approximate amount of items you’re getting rid of. You’ll need that number to enter the giveaway tomorrow!"

Here's Crystals first assignment accomplishments!

Here's My first assignment accomplishments!

Who's with us? Starts today!

A matter of perspective.

"Thank God for dirty dishes; They have a tale to tell.

While others may go hungry, We're eating very well.
With home, health, and happiness, I shouldn't want to fuss;
By the stack of evidence, God's been very good to us.

This poem keeps running through my head. I loathe the mess that awaits me each evening, after I put the kids in bed. If only I could snap my fingers like Mary Poppins and everything would put itself away. Tonight, however, I remembered this cute little poem and reminded myself that some of the worst things (like a messy house) are actually blessings in disquise. A messy house is a very small price to pay for these little people I love so much."

I read this on a friend's blog and decided to share it with you, I hope she doesn't mind. I find myself reminding myself every night this same concept with my own little personalized twist to it. When my girls want me to lay down with them for 45 minutes in bed while they fall asleep and I just REALLY don't want to because 45 minutes is precious to me and well I lay with them almost EVERY night. I have to tell myself "This does NOT last forever. This IS what is important RIGHT NOW." Usually that gets my mommy butt in gear and I stop whatever it is I am doing. Head straight upstairs and into a squashed twin bed with my 5 and 2 year old girls. And my dishes, books, the computer, and sometimes my husband awaits till hopefully later if I manage to stay awake longer than my children. Some sacrifices are actually blessings in disguise. And like my friend says "A messy house (or personal time alone) is a very small price to pay for these little people I love so much."

Behavior

Hi, I just wanted to share this idea I got from Flipflops and Applesauce. Specifically this post. I used it with Avery and it seems to have work very well. It gave her an direct visual of what was her punishment, also what and when she would receive her privilege back.

See my lovely version. Not as pretty when it comes to the artistic aspects but either way it does the job effectively.

Little Swimmers Deal @ Babies R Us.

Alisa and I went today and got this great deal on Huggies Little Swimmers at Babies R Us. And it's just in time for summer! They are regularly priced at $8.49 a package. (price may vary in different locations) I purchased three packages and two small packages of wipes for $10.25!! It just can't get any better than that! You'll need these coupon for this deal:

Three $3/1 Huggies swimmers coupon (there is a limit of two coupon prints per computer)
One Babies R Us $5 off $25 purchase coupon
Two $1/1 Seventh Generation Coupons

On this deal you can omit Seventh Generation wipes if you don't want them. The checkers had a problem scanning the Babies R Us coupon but they just manually did it for us. And don't let them tell you diapers are not eligible!! Coupon does not specify.

Family Fun: April 4-5th

Here some stuff going on this weekend if u want to get the kids out and have some family fun. Some are in the Austin area while others are national, just have to find a store or participating location near you.

Saturday:
Kid's Workshop @ Home Depot : make a window bird house!
Great Easter Adventure @ Toys r us : Free Gift for kids!
Free Museum Admittance for BoA members
TEXPploration Bob Bullock Story time: Austin, TX
Wildfire Awareness Day @ Austin Nature & Science Center: Austin, Tx

Sunday:
Cedar Park Egg-Stravaganza @ Milburn Park  : Cedar Park, TX

Have a wonderful weekend!!

New and reset coupons!! HERE Time to snag all those great coupons for the month.

A little warning would have been nice!

"The world is full of women blindsided by the unceasing demands of motherhood, still flabbergasted by how a job can be terrific and torcherous."

Anna Quindlen

Mothers everywhere, who are under the impression that things will get easier when:

a) your child sleeps through the night

b) your child can walk by him/herself

c) your child can feed himself

d)your child is potty trained

e)your child is in preschool

f) you child is in Kindergarten

g) your child has a hobby

h) your child can do homework on his/her own

i) your child is old enough to help out

I am here to burst your bubble. Lol. Motherhood gets easier in some regards and more difficult in others. It gets busier (chaffeur, anyone?), and dirtier (always have wet wipes with you, even for the 9 year old!), and crazier (starting with me). And I for one, 4 children later, am just as tired as ever. But I truly was among those that thought my reprieve would come as I checked each item off my to do list. That list just gets longer and longer, my friends.

So yeah, we may never escape chaos, but there is joy amidst that chaos. I think we become better at our calling as we go along... more efficient, more organized, more REALISTIC. With that comes confidence, and the ease to enjoy motherhood. Hence, we tend to laugh at ourselves more easily when we, say, try to put socks on our kid's hands instead of their feet. :)

So I'm here to set the record straight, it woulda been nice for somebody to have done so for me... The next time somebody catches you in a fluster and pauses to tell you "It gets easier, dear...", you may look back at them with an all knowing eye and be not deceived. Because they're not saying that your burden becomes any lighter, they're just saying that you learn to adapt.

Just one more reason to keep on keepin' on...

I got this from a friends blog and she was nice enough to let me share it.

Back it up!

http://www.bloggled.com/

Back up your blog for FREE!! (for one any more costs) I think I would DIE if I somehow deleted or lost my blog. Especially since it has taken place of my journals and scrap books at the moment. So, I use bloggled to back it up and keep it stored in case of a horrible accident happening.

Just wanted to share...

Some good places I have been finding information, deals, and coupons...

http://hip2save.blogspot.com/

http://www.couponmom.com/

this one is a friend, not all she blogs is specifically for Cedar Park area...
http://cedarparkdeals.blogspot.com/

Please share your knowledge with us too...

Save Save Save

I was just wondering what all you moms out there do to save money?

Recently I have been trying to make a few changes in effort to save. At the beginning of the year I stopped eating lunch out. We used to hit a kid friendly food place probably once a week. This has been surprisingly difficult.

Also, I am giving up my swifering. It's definitley more expensive, thanks to my husband for pointing out the actually cost per mopping, so I bought a mop and used it for the first time yesterday.

We used to leave our computer on 24/7 but now I make sure to turn it off every night and again surprisingly sometimes it doesn't come back on till after mid day. Unfortunetly that savings is hard to see.

And as Alisa mentioned we are going to start cutting coupons and watching sales. I think we are both on the fence about maybe doing the grocery game.

So, I am really interested!! What do you do? I could use some help and ideas in my efforts to save!

Operation Playtime.

Unplug Your Play!

I am honored to be a part of Operation Playtime, 12 days of play , exploration and not a battery in sight! The goal isn't to banish the video games or battery powered trucks forever, just to find a balance and make sure that every child gets some good old fashion unplugged play!

All the fun starts January 20th !

I saw this on a blog I read called No Time for Flash Cards. It's a lofty goal but what the heck I will try to have more balance. It's definitely more work. Try it with me! 

how old is old enough???

Got a question for you ladies. How old is old enough to let your children play outside by themselves. Especially in the front yard. I have friends in my neighborhood who let their four year olds play outside together unattended. But I just don't feel comfortable with it....

children and guns

I know this is more of a boy thing but I wanted to know what if any of you have taught your children about guns. Avery went to a birthday party for a friend (a boy). He had lots of play guns and some of the kids were running around shooting each other. Avery joined in.
I've heard moms say that there is no way getting around guns with boys because even if you do not buy toy guns they'll end up using a stick or their fingers. (which Avery did when she got home) I believe that's true, they find a way.
What concerns me is when you can not tell the difference between real and fake guns. And kids don't understand the concept that there is a difference. And a majority of American's own a gun, especially here in Texas. So what do you do?

12 is too many!

Today I went though all our toys we own. This is actually not the first time I have done this this year. I hate to admit that probably 6 months ago I gave a ton of toys to some friends and also to our church nursery. And still Avery had 12 baby dolls, thanks to grandmas, which is a whole other issue. In my opinion 12 is too many. She picked half to keep and we are giving away the other half. Any of you know of a good place I can take Avery to donate her baby dolls? I was actually hoping for a place that she can actually physically give the dolls to either less fortunate or ill little girls. 

If I can't find a place, do any of your little girls need a baby doll??

preschool and parties?

I hate to be a scrooge but this has been bugging me and I don't know if this is how it is suppose to be or not. I kind of feel like I am the only parent who finds it to be ridiculous and honestly am ANNOYED.

Here's the thing. I signed up to be a room mom for Avery's preschool class to discover that we were going to be party planners. For some reason I guess I thought we'd be helping in other ways. So, we planned a fall party the week of Halloween...took cute picture on the play ground, moved to the class room and had four stations with a snack, game, and two crafts. The other room mom's did most of the work, not because I wasn't willing but because well...they just did. Since then we had two teachers birthdays and cupcakes for Thanksgiving. (thank goodness the other room moms agreed to not do another party or what they were calling a "feast") Now they are planning a Christmas Party in which they are asking for everyone to give $5 for a gift to the teachers and a wrapped book for a exchange. Oh, and last week I just sent $8 to school for a Christmas keepsake they are making in class.

To the point. I am paying a hefty sum of money to have Avery attend 8 hours of preschool a week. I think all the extra fluff (or parties) are totally unnecessary. Do I keep my mouth shut and go along (be a sheep) with the rest of the class? I also can't decide if I am just being sour and a little annoyed at the other room moms for taking over all the responsibilities. I finally told them, in a nice way, they could be the two room moms and I'd help only if they wanted or needed me to(haven't heard from them since). Are all preschools like this with parties and stuff?

Expectations

I know not everyone who reads or contributes to Happy Mommy belongs to the LDS church, so I am sorry if this is way off base for you, but maybe it's not? Do any of you feel a little or well a lot of expectations from life. I brought up the LDS church because for a some time I have felt bogged down and almost insanely anxious and nervous attending church and other functions. I have come to the realization that I feel this way because I feel pressure to say, do, act, and BE a certain way as a LDS member. I may be going into paranoia here but I almost feel like I am being watched and scrutinized. Watched to BE this certain way. The expectation is definitely there. An expectation to be a great faithful mother/homemaker, wife, daughter of God...

I have made some new friends with my neighbors and one particular neighbor that is becoming a very good friend. They are not LDS. Over the last week or two I have been out with them on a girls night and also on a date night for her birthday. I have noticed a huge difference when I am around them and around my church friends. No expectation. Ok, not all my church friends make me go into a anxiety attack (I am exaggerating) but when it becomes a bigger group I guard up a little. I feel an instant pressure from the expectation to BE someone. I don't even know this someone I am suppose to BE. Whoever SHE is I am not HER. If I am not HER than I am not sure what will happen.

Maybe I am just a little crazy?

picky, independent, spoiled

First off, I am sorry for all the posts I have been making. All of you must think I am irritated and yelling at my kids all day. Which I do have those days and they feel often sometimes but we do have a lot of fun times too. At least that is what I keep telling myself.

This morning Avery and I had one of those mornings...again. I feel really upset about it for a couple of reasons. One, I feel bad that for some reason I just can not handle her independence when it comes to getting dressed. Two, I do feel a little irritated and justified in feeling so. Third, kids have a way of putting you in your place, innocently and then telling everyone about it.

For quite some time now Avery has been really picky when it comes to her clothing. I have come to the resort of she can dress herself because I just can't handle trying to help her and always fighting about it. I often get asked "Did Avery dress herself today?" That should give you some ideas as to what she puts on. And frankly I do not care much because I feel relieved that I didn't have to help, argue, or deal with a fit. So, I let her wear a white dress with yellow flowers that looks to fancy for the park, a pink jacket, red socks, and pink sneakers. It's all good.

I have also come to the resort that I can not shop for her either. That is just how picky she is. A couple of weeks ago I went shopping without her and bought her a sweater dress. I thought it was good because it was a dress. But nope she will not wear it. (all of a sudden she does not like the color grey-where did that come from?) Nor will she wear any of the jeans that are brand new with tags on and everything hanging in her closet. I can't return them because I bought them at the end of last season when they were clearanced. What a waste. She is going to have a reality check once we can no longer afford new clothes for her. (I know I am a little irritated with the situation, I just can't help but think she is so spoiled and we are looking into a recession that our family is feeling, frustrating.)

Back to getting dressed...it's all good...

Until we are on a time crunch. This morning I actually let her pick out Ady's clothes too. It made her happy. I did something right this morning. I have asked Avery to get dress for 15 minutes. She wants me to help. Pick two underwear's out, she picks one out of the two. Whoa, that worked, what a relief. I pick two outfits. (Jess' suggestion) Present them to her, pick one of the two. Nope, not good enough. Here comes the fit, laying on the floor, you know the drill... "I want a pink dress." There isn't one, well one that is too fancy for school, I do have to draw the line sometimes. I just get up and say "fine, dress yourself." (not all that calmly I must sadly admit) Avery continues throwing her fit and cries more. I go downstairs to do the other things to get us all ready to take her to school...make her lunch, feed Ady breakfast, ect... I am down stairs thinking... Why don't I just take her out of preschool? This is not worth it. Then I come to realize next year she'll be in Kindergarden...that will not be an option. What will next year be like at 6am!?!

Back upstairs I go. Avery is waiting for me. "Mom, you hurt my feelings." There is the innocent putting me into my place. "I am sorry." I give her hugs. We talk about it, much calmer now. I say "I feel frustrated and upset that you won't get dressed. Why?" reply "Because I don't like anyone else picking out my clothes." well, why did she ask for help? I wonder. "That is fine, I said you could go pick out your own outfit." Avery gets dressed, she does initially go for the fancy pink dress, but then picks a blue one with white polka dots. Then we go brush her hair and teeth. I put a blue flower in her hair. "I don't like blue." Breath. Close eyes take deep breaths. Avery is wearing a blue dress, what is she talking about? I say "That's fine."and she ends up forgetting about the flower by the time we finish brushing her teeth. 

I drop her off at school and she tells her teacher and friend, the only ones present at the time. "My mommy was being mean to me." Again with the putting me in my place. I couldn't help but cry when I got the the car. Even now I am tearing up. What is the big deal? Why is getting dress such a big problem? Why can I absolutely not handle it? Gosh, What is wrong with me? It's not a big deal. I should be able to handle this. Why does Avery have to be so picky and independent? Why does it drive me nuts, out of my mind, pull out your hair crazy. I never thought I was bent on being in control but WOW is this something I've got to let go of. I wonder does Avery act so picky and independent because that's her personality or because of my reactions? Maybe a little of both, I know without a doubt she does have the independence trait. 

I need to get a grip, that is also without a doubt.

"I don't love you."

Another little problem we are having these days are these four words coming out of Avery's mouth. "I don't love you." They are about 99.9% of the time directed at me. Pretty much anytime she gets into trouble or does not like something that is what she tells me. I remember a friend telling me about her daughter doing this exact thing, Avery was an infant at the time. Gosh, I remember thinking her daughter was so cute and funny. She told me "just wait till it's you." Man, was she RIGHT! It may seem funny and cute but it really sucks hearing it everyday and many times a day. I usually just reply "I am sorry you feel that way, I love you a lot." You would think that would change her attitude but nope usually she just tells me "Well, I don't love you." or better yet she will then add she only loves her Dad. (Daddy's girl) Jess and I have both talked to her together and individually about how saying things of this sort makes people feel sad and hurt. No luck thus far. Early this week I really was at the end of my rope with it. Trying to cook, having an 'ink incident' in full force, after asked Avery numerous times to please put the stamps and ink away, and those four words coming out of her mouth threw me right off my ledge. I was so mad..."Stop telling me that every time you don't like something I do and go sit in time out right now!" **SIGH** I wish I could cut those words right out of her vocabulary...

"Liar, Liar, pants on fire!"

Our little Avery who is four has started to tell lies. We have had numerous small instances over the last month or so. Today I realized it is becoming a problem...I left her and Ady for a few minutes and when I came back Ady had marker colored all over her face and arms. I asked what happened and who colored all over Ady. Avery immediately said Ady did it to herself, but guess who was holding the open marker in her hands...Avery. Which you could say Avery took the marker away from Ady but with all the marks on Ady's face they just could not have been self inflicted by a 17 month old with no hand gripping coordination. I asked Avery again who colored with marker all over Ady? This time the answer was one of her friends, I asked a third time, telling Avery to be honest. Once again the answer changed and she actually named a friend...who unfortunately for Avery was not present at the time(we were home alone). I placed Avery in time out. I talked with Avery about not coloring on Ady then expressed that we never tell lies or make up stories. I really doubt the message got though, since  for one it caught me off guard I don't think I did my best in this instance and two I had to direct Avery's attention to me talking to her a few times...I think it may be time for a FHE on lies and honesty. Any good stories or ideas to help me teach Avery about being honest.

Blender help

I need a new blender and am not good about 'doing homework' on these sort of things. I really covet the Vitamix blender but it's WAY outside my budget. Any good reviews, ideas, or reports to help me find out what blender to buy.