Update? Yes, yes.

1.  Sarah can now pull herself up in her crib.  I can't believe it.  She can also climb up on the fireplace hearth.  I decided after she bonked her head that it'd be a good time to bring back the body pillow for the fireplace and the gate to the stairs.  Poor second child.

2. Jeremiah never needs to condition his hair.  I found him yesterday in his room glistening from the thick hand cream I use for his dry skin ALL over his face, in his hair, on the wall, on his bedposts, on his bedspread.  As we Campbells say, you don't eat it, you put it on your head...

3. Sarah feed me a Cheerio yesterday.  She's sweet. 

4.  All the coloring pages and projects that Jeremiah 'worked' on at preschool get sent home every week.   He did a finger painting page with chocolate pudding.  His teacher attached a note with what he said during the activity: "Mmmm, tastes like cookies!"  He has a wonderful teacher and is always so happy there.  When I pick him up, I'll call his name and he'll repeat "Jeremiah! Jeremiah!"

5. He is such a mimic and repeats everything.  He'll repeat "love you" and knows to ask for a hug when he's in trouble.  When Dad puts him in time out, you'd think the sun had stopped shining.  Sometimes he'll recite foods: "Tomatoes. Carrots. Hamburger. Chicken."  Or commands: "Stopit. Stopit. Stopit."  In the morning, the first thing he'll say some days (completely monotone) is "Toy Story.  Yes, yes, yes.  Toy Story. Yes, yes, yes."  Or later in the day, "Please candy. Yes, yes."

6. Jeremiah will pick at sliced up apples, but eat a whole one down to the core.  Just thought that deserved remembering.

Here they are in action:

 Our third year at the fair!

Completely spontaneous sibling affection!

J's very conditioned hair after 2 washes

Deeeep Thoughts...

With Melissa.

1.  I pulled out a college photo album to rob it of 4 x 6 photo pages to put in my coupon binder.  Yup.  I did it.  It's obnoxious. 

2.  Looking at those pictures of me at about age 19 to 20, I cannot believe what a kid I was just a few years ago.  Didn't have a clue.  Or a care.  I wonder what I'll think of myself now when I'm 40?  Shudder. 

3.  Those pictures I pulled out were so precious to me back then and moreso, the people in the pictures.  Most I will never see in person again; a few I exchange emails with, even fewer I pick up the phone to call.  The passage of time never ceases to baffle me.

3. Today, I managed to throw out two passive-agressive judgements on two perfectly nice women without even realizing it.  One on a lady who has her own natural children and it providing foster care for others.  One is getting pets with small children in the home.  Anything wrong with that? No. Not at all.  Yet, I somehow manage to slide in some off-handed comment that implies "You must be crazy to do what you are doing because I never would/could do that."  I am realizing that I do that a lot in an effort to make conversation or an attempt at humor.  Different is different, not better or worse.  When someone does something that I think is out of the norm (all the parenting/schooling/family size debates), that does not mean they are wrong.  Why do I/we do this?  I guess it's insecurity.  Mea culpa.  My bad.

Now I'm going to look in my mirror and say my daily affirmations.  Say it with me, y'all. 

"I'm good enough.  I'm smart enough.  And doggone it, people like me!"

Now,  don't we all feel better?

(Really, I like me.  And you.  Hugs, not drugs!)

I just made myself laugh.

Sweethearts

 A rare nap...

My favorite time of day is letting the two kids play together in Sarah's room.  Jeremiah mothers her baby dolls and she loves to pull his hair and watch his antics.  I put them both in the crib and they put on a little show.

Oh, no I di-n't

But I did.  I took a picture of my grocery store deals.  Next thing you know I'll be ironing a teddy bear applique circa 1989 onto a white sweatshirt and bringing out the jingle bell necklace.  (Anyone?  That was the cool thing to wear in 5th grade).

I am a little pumped with my deals.  They are:

2 boxes of Barilla Whole Wheat pasta, BOGO .64 cents each minus a $1 off two = .14 cents each
2 boxes of General Mills Cereal, BOGO, 1.99 each minus a $1 off two = 1.50 each
5 packages of Kraft cheese (block or shredded) on sale for $2 each minus $5 off five items plus a .75 cents off three items Target coupon= 4.25 for 5 or .85 cents each
Nature's Own 12 Grain Bread BOGO for 1.57 minus .75 cents off coupon= .82 cents
Wheat Thins for 2.50 minus $1 off= $1.50
Marie's Cole Slaw Dressing (a secret for making really good slaw), $2 minus $1 coupon= $1
Savings in Coupons: $10.50
Publix Sale Price Savings: $15.13
Grand Total Out of Pocket: $11.65 spent on 12 items

I saved more than I spent. Woot!  Now I will get the rest of my week's groceries from Kroger and hope to come in at $50 or under.  We'll see.

I printed most of the coupons off coupons.com and read up on the specials via the Coupon Savings Game for this week's Publix deals.  Publix will accept a competitor's coupon within 5 miles of the store, so I was able to use the Target coupon with another manufacturer's coupon.

Okay, here's the obnoxious picture.  I was thinking I should ask my sis to bring down her sewing machine over Christmas and give me a tutorial.  Help.  I'm becoming precious.

It's Not You, It's Me

I pulled down my facebook profile last Thursday.  I'm not sure the etiquette regarding this, so I didn't make a big deal of time by informing anyone.  I did it just to pull away.  I like facebook, nothing inherently bad in it; I just felt a personal conviction to pull away from it for a time.  I've thought about doing it several times, but just did it.  I am doing a bible study by Beth Moore called "Breaking Free" and the first several lessons review how the kings of Isaiah's time lost God's blessing because they continued to allow sacrifice to be given to other gods on the "high places". 

Please don't think I'm being falsely spiritual or preachy.  For me, my 'profile' is a high place that needs to be brought down.   When it's not, then maybe it can go back up.  Believe me, I miss reading about what others are doing.  But I don't think it is healthy for ME, no judgment on anyone else. I think a false picture of reality is presented on such sites.  None of us are always smiling, happy, LOLing, etc.

And yes, this blog is self-serving.   But if you are reading it, you chose to and you are probably family.  And you'd miss my unique viewpoint on life, right?

Please don't consider my absence a rejection.  Like it said, it's me.

Sending you a transcendental BFF necklace and lots of hugs,

Melissa