Last night I bought some stuff online. I had a giftcard. There was a sale at The Limited. The dresses I've been eyeing for months were on their final sale. My favorite trouser pants were on sale. I had a 20% off coupon. Everything was screaming at me: "Buy ME!" So, I ended my challenge. I also came to the realization that shopping online makes my life much more simple.
I am a working Mom. And if you add in the fact that I live in a super small town, you'll come up with the top two reasons I enjoy shopping online. 1) I don't have much time so 'shop around'. 2) I don't have much time to drive to the 'city' and buy all of the things we so desperately need [insert sarcastic voice].
Another reason: Shopping online provides me with a little retail therapy...retail therapy that can be done at midnight, in my lounge pants, in my bed, with a glass of wine, while watching The Bachelor. Enough said.
So, judge me all you want for not following through on my challenge...but, I am done with it. I made it 21 days...which is not bad in my book.
What I am going to challenge myself to do [forever] is not respond to every coupon, email, savings pass, etc. that I get for all of my favorite stores. I'm slowing it down. Only buying when I've really thought about it...
Now...I'm off to buy some Valentines Day goodies on Amazon. Gotta have 'em, right?!
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Sunday, January 29, 2012
FINALLY...Feeling Better
The past few weeks have seen a lot of this...
and this...
and this...
We've had lots of runny noses, coughs, and more vomit than I care to EVER see again. We've only had two or three meals that didn't end in my little guy loosing it [literally] and being rushed to the bathtub. We've watched countless episodes of Blues Clues, as it is the only thing that will calm Andrew down when he is not feeling good...that and his Momma snuggled up close.
We've gone through gajillions of Kleenex's...Benadryl...two rounds of antibiotics...Dimetapp...Advil....and we've even tried baby reflux medicine...trying EVERYTHING we can think of to give my baby boy some relief.
I hate these days. I hate watching my kids suffer in any way...especially when I can't make it go away. I hate not knowing what's wrong and I hate not being able to cure their pain.
And, it's especially sad, when they can't tell you what hurts and what's wrong.
But, finally we had today. Today my Andrew looked and acted like he was feeling better. So good, in fact, that we decided to go to the park for a while and get some much needed fresh air and Vitamin D. I hope that today is a sign of what our week holds!
Wishing you and your family a wonderful week!
and this...
and this...
We've had lots of runny noses, coughs, and more vomit than I care to EVER see again. We've only had two or three meals that didn't end in my little guy loosing it [literally] and being rushed to the bathtub. We've watched countless episodes of Blues Clues, as it is the only thing that will calm Andrew down when he is not feeling good...that and his Momma snuggled up close.
We've gone through gajillions of Kleenex's...Benadryl...two rounds of antibiotics...Dimetapp...Advil....and we've even tried baby reflux medicine...trying EVERYTHING we can think of to give my baby boy some relief.
I hate these days. I hate watching my kids suffer in any way...especially when I can't make it go away. I hate not knowing what's wrong and I hate not being able to cure their pain.
And, it's especially sad, when they can't tell you what hurts and what's wrong.
But, finally we had today. Today my Andrew looked and acted like he was feeling better. So good, in fact, that we decided to go to the park for a while and get some much needed fresh air and Vitamin D. I hope that today is a sign of what our week holds!
Wishing you and your family a wonderful week!
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Sweet On Parker
With Valentines Day coming up, my big guy has been talking a lot about who he's going to give Valentines to at school [eventually he names off every girl in his class], asking me if we have more Valentine's Day decorations, telling Dad what he should get Mom for the special day, and asking if we can make Valentines Day cookies.
He's also been on this girlfriend/boyfriend kick.
So, when his little girl [that's a] friend from school came over before school one day, I didn't know what to expect....but, I knew that my Parker was going to be head over heels excited that she was coming over to his house. Now, my Parker gets pretty excited whenever one of his buddies comes over to play....he starts to act goofy, wants to get every toy out, and begs and begs and begs to play with something that isn't a 'normal' toy at our house [like Play-Doh, the X-Box, the ball pit, etc].
But when sweet C came over last week, he waited and waited by the window until she pulled up in the driveway. He awkwardly answered the door and walked outside to let her in. He asked her what she wanted to do....and he didn't argue a bit when she said she wanted to play with the girly looking Little People Valentines Day set that is normally reserved for Andrew [because it's too girly for a big guy like Parker]. He didn't say a word when she wanted to go downstairs and play 'house' in the ball pit. And, when she asked how to play his DS....he handed it over to her...only using it briefly to show her how to play it.
I even heard sweet little C say, "Parker, you are so handsome." Parker's reply, "Yeah, I know, my mom tells me I'm cool." Now, the real story behind this is that whenever I tell Parker he's handsome, I get a grouchy face and a super loud Parker that says, "No, MOM, I am COOL!" But, he didn't say this to his friend...he sweetly agreed with her...no argument here.
And, this morning when we dropped Parker off at school. C's dad said, "You know....the other day C asked me if she could take down her Justin Bieber calendar. And, when I asked her why, she said it was because she wanted to hang up a Parker calendar...because, dad, he's a lot cuter than Justin Bieber."
I die.
She is definitely sweet on my Parker-Man.
But, then again, who wouldn't be sweet on this guy?
He's also been on this girlfriend/boyfriend kick.
So, when his little girl [that's a] friend from school came over before school one day, I didn't know what to expect....but, I knew that my Parker was going to be head over heels excited that she was coming over to his house. Now, my Parker gets pretty excited whenever one of his buddies comes over to play....he starts to act goofy, wants to get every toy out, and begs and begs and begs to play with something that isn't a 'normal' toy at our house [like Play-Doh, the X-Box, the ball pit, etc].
But when sweet C came over last week, he waited and waited by the window until she pulled up in the driveway. He awkwardly answered the door and walked outside to let her in. He asked her what she wanted to do....and he didn't argue a bit when she said she wanted to play with the girly looking Little People Valentines Day set that is normally reserved for Andrew [because it's too girly for a big guy like Parker]. He didn't say a word when she wanted to go downstairs and play 'house' in the ball pit. And, when she asked how to play his DS....he handed it over to her...only using it briefly to show her how to play it.
I even heard sweet little C say, "Parker, you are so handsome." Parker's reply, "Yeah, I know, my mom tells me I'm cool." Now, the real story behind this is that whenever I tell Parker he's handsome, I get a grouchy face and a super loud Parker that says, "No, MOM, I am COOL!" But, he didn't say this to his friend...he sweetly agreed with her...no argument here.
And, this morning when we dropped Parker off at school. C's dad said, "You know....the other day C asked me if she could take down her Justin Bieber calendar. And, when I asked her why, she said it was because she wanted to hang up a Parker calendar...because, dad, he's a lot cuter than Justin Bieber."
I die.
She is definitely sweet on my Parker-Man.
But, then again, who wouldn't be sweet on this guy?
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Challenge Update
It's been 14 days now and I haven't purchased anything online! So proud of myself. I've deleted hundreds of emails from my favorite shops trying to lure me onto their website and I've thought of many things that I would love to purchase, but I haven't....it's nice to take control of something and actually think about buying these things before I make one simple click and get it.
[Now...I will admit that I asked Brandon to buy a new lense for our camera because ours is broken and he had to use my Amazon account to do it. But, that's a necessity in my book. Plus, it wasn't me that clicked on 'buy'...so that doesn't count!]
The best part about this challenge: I am buying more and more items from our local retailers! For example, Parker has been asking and asking for tie shoes (not to be confused with Thai shoes...or Japanese shoes, or Mexican shoes) for a couple of months now. And, after he finally convinced me that he would use his new shoes to learn how to tie shoes, I caved in and decided to get some. But, wait a second here! Where will I buy these shoes if I can't get on my favorite Piperlime website to buy them??!!
Oh yeah. We've got a super awesome [sometimes more expensive] shoe store downtown! And, wouldn't you know...they had the perfect pair for Parker!
[As you can see, they've been worn everyday since then. Parker loves these shoes!]
And I had a great time going into that shoe shop....I picked out a few pairs for myself...had the cashier keep them in a registry....and told her that I'd send my husband in before Valentine's Day to pick them up for me! Now, that's some good shopping!
[Now...I will admit that I asked Brandon to buy a new lense for our camera because ours is broken and he had to use my Amazon account to do it. But, that's a necessity in my book. Plus, it wasn't me that clicked on 'buy'...so that doesn't count!]
The best part about this challenge: I am buying more and more items from our local retailers! For example, Parker has been asking and asking for tie shoes (not to be confused with Thai shoes...or Japanese shoes, or Mexican shoes) for a couple of months now. And, after he finally convinced me that he would use his new shoes to learn how to tie shoes, I caved in and decided to get some. But, wait a second here! Where will I buy these shoes if I can't get on my favorite Piperlime website to buy them??!!
Oh yeah. We've got a super awesome [sometimes more expensive] shoe store downtown! And, wouldn't you know...they had the perfect pair for Parker!
[As you can see, they've been worn everyday since then. Parker loves these shoes!]
And I had a great time going into that shoe shop....I picked out a few pairs for myself...had the cashier keep them in a registry....and told her that I'd send my husband in before Valentine's Day to pick them up for me! Now, that's some good shopping!
Friday, January 20, 2012
Flashback Friday: Little Boys
Remember this little guy? This was one year ago....Andrew was so small, so quiet, so easy.
And, while my littlest man is still a super easy going kid...he's no longer small [he's only about 12 pounds lighter than Parker at 26 lbs.], he's no longer quiet [you should hear the lungs on this kid], he's no longer walking everywhere- he's running, he talks to us, he dances, he plays with cars, trucks, and anything else that he sees his big bro playing with. He loves hats of every kind. He loves to pretend like he's cooking. He loves the vacuum. He loves Blues Clues. He loves puzzles. He loves cookies [Oreos to be exact]. He loves grapes. He loves pizza and Fruit Loops. He loves to put on Brandon's slippers and he gets upset if he catches Brandon wearing them. He loves to play tug-o-war with Bella. He loves to pretend like he's playing on the X-Box with Parker...in fact, he loves to do ANYTHING that Parker is doing and believes with his whole heart that he knows how to play Parker's DS. Andrew loves his brother. He loves his DaDa. And, he loves his Momma.
Andrew has quite a vocabulary. He can say Momma, Dada, Bubba, Bella, bowl, car, more, please, book, dog, bues cues [Blues Clues], he can shake his head yes, and yes, he even has his own sign for 'I Love You'. He can say socks, shoes, and he knows so many more than that [he just can't say them]...he is one smart cookie!
Like my Parker always did, Andrew LOVES to be outside.
My baby boy is no longer a baby, but he is our little Andrew-Man. We can't imagine what life would be like without him. He is my sugar and our 'little Bubba'. And, today he is 14 months old!
[Unfortunately, our camera has been broken for a few weeks...we've ordered the new part and will have it fixed soon...so, here is a video of my boys doing something they love to do. They are putting on a puppet show.}
Remember these hands from last year?
Well, they are even bigger. They've done so much this past year and the boy that they belong to is one amazing kid. Parker is so smart. He is learning how to read. He is writing his name, his middle name, and his last name....thank you to the teachers at preschool. He has the best imagination. He loves his friends. He loves to play games. He loves his cousins. He loves to watch the Wild Kratts. He loves to teach his brother how to do things....but, he also loves to torment his brother. He loves to eat...and he will try to eat anything...but can't guarantee that he won't gag upon trying it. He loves to go camping. He loves to help set the table and make dinner. He loves to play on his DS, the X-Box, his computer, and the iPad [he is just like his dad]. He loves to visit his grandparents. He loves to go to the park and he loves to invite his friends over to play. He loves going to daycare and preschool and has grown so much this year because of these two places. Parker loves his dad. He loves his brother. And, he is still a Momma's boy...and is such a loving boy.
Whew! I love these flashbacks and I love to see just how much my boys have grown in the past year. So much has changed this year....I am absolutely in love with my family and all that they are!
Happy Friday!!
**Thank you to all of our friends who have checked in on us this week! Our week has gotten much better!! We love all of you and are very blessed to have YOU in our lives! Isn't it funny how something yucky happening, makes us more aware of our actions, our words, and our perspective on this crazy life?
And, while my littlest man is still a super easy going kid...he's no longer small [he's only about 12 pounds lighter than Parker at 26 lbs.], he's no longer quiet [you should hear the lungs on this kid], he's no longer walking everywhere- he's running, he talks to us, he dances, he plays with cars, trucks, and anything else that he sees his big bro playing with. He loves hats of every kind. He loves to pretend like he's cooking. He loves the vacuum. He loves Blues Clues. He loves puzzles. He loves cookies [Oreos to be exact]. He loves grapes. He loves pizza and Fruit Loops. He loves to put on Brandon's slippers and he gets upset if he catches Brandon wearing them. He loves to play tug-o-war with Bella. He loves to pretend like he's playing on the X-Box with Parker...in fact, he loves to do ANYTHING that Parker is doing and believes with his whole heart that he knows how to play Parker's DS. Andrew loves his brother. He loves his DaDa. And, he loves his Momma.
Andrew has quite a vocabulary. He can say Momma, Dada, Bubba, Bella, bowl, car, more, please, book, dog, bues cues [Blues Clues], he can shake his head yes, and yes, he even has his own sign for 'I Love You'. He can say socks, shoes, and he knows so many more than that [he just can't say them]...he is one smart cookie!
Like my Parker always did, Andrew LOVES to be outside.
My baby boy is no longer a baby, but he is our little Andrew-Man. We can't imagine what life would be like without him. He is my sugar and our 'little Bubba'. And, today he is 14 months old!
[Unfortunately, our camera has been broken for a few weeks...we've ordered the new part and will have it fixed soon...so, here is a video of my boys doing something they love to do. They are putting on a puppet show.}
Remember these hands from last year?
Well, they are even bigger. They've done so much this past year and the boy that they belong to is one amazing kid. Parker is so smart. He is learning how to read. He is writing his name, his middle name, and his last name....thank you to the teachers at preschool. He has the best imagination. He loves his friends. He loves to play games. He loves his cousins. He loves to watch the Wild Kratts. He loves to teach his brother how to do things....but, he also loves to torment his brother. He loves to eat...and he will try to eat anything...but can't guarantee that he won't gag upon trying it. He loves to go camping. He loves to help set the table and make dinner. He loves to play on his DS, the X-Box, his computer, and the iPad [he is just like his dad]. He loves to visit his grandparents. He loves to go to the park and he loves to invite his friends over to play. He loves going to daycare and preschool and has grown so much this year because of these two places. Parker loves his dad. He loves his brother. And, he is still a Momma's boy...and is such a loving boy.
Whew! I love these flashbacks and I love to see just how much my boys have grown in the past year. So much has changed this year....I am absolutely in love with my family and all that they are!
Happy Friday!!
**Thank you to all of our friends who have checked in on us this week! Our week has gotten much better!! We love all of you and are very blessed to have YOU in our lives! Isn't it funny how something yucky happening, makes us more aware of our actions, our words, and our perspective on this crazy life?
Monday, January 16, 2012
Reminder
We've had quite a roller coaster going on here at our house lately.
First of all, Brandon and I have been blessed with WONDERFUL sleep. Yes, that's right, our two boys have been sleeping all night, in their own beds, without a peep, or a cry, or a scary dream about ceiling fans with eyes and noses...it's been awesome to wake up refreshed....not dreading the wee hours of the morning, but actually completely by-passing them and rolling over to snuggle my husband, rather than toes that have somehow made their way to my head. Bliss...pure bliss.
But, we've had a bit of the blues lately. I'm not sure why. Brandon and I have always felt extremely blessed, lucky, stable, and most importantly, loved, but for some reason lately we've been cutting each other short, finding the negative in a lot of things goin' on, and we've just been in a funk. You know that feeling?
Well, my remedy for that is always to talk about it...and we've been doing a lot of chatting lately. We've also been getting out...remember my theory on getting out of the house and enjoying some fresh air and sunshine? And, it's been helping, but then today, we got some disappointing news....news that could have gone either way, but went south for us. It's frustrating, and I am bitter, but instead of pouring out negativity, do you know what my husband did? He made me feel good about it. He reminded me of just how WONDERFUL our lives are, even with this sour news. He made me feel better (although, I'm still a little bitter) and he moved on. Smart husband.
And, tonight, while that smart husband went out to enjoy the KU game (Rock Chalk!), I drove home from Lawrence (of course we had to go to Lawrence and eat dinner with him, Papa, and Uncle Joe)....and as I was driving on awful 59 Hwy, with my two sweet boys in the backseat, I just about creamed a deer...and I was reminded of just how insignificant my little bitterness is in this world. That there is something out there greater than me...something that is leading our lives down one path, even when we think that path should have gone a different way.
So, this reminder is for me, more than anything. It's a reminder to stop and take it all in. Take in all of the WONDERFUL things happening around me. We are so blessed...there are too many to count or list or describe. Stop for a minute and thank God for this life He is leading us through. Just a little reminder.
First of all, Brandon and I have been blessed with WONDERFUL sleep. Yes, that's right, our two boys have been sleeping all night, in their own beds, without a peep, or a cry, or a scary dream about ceiling fans with eyes and noses...it's been awesome to wake up refreshed....not dreading the wee hours of the morning, but actually completely by-passing them and rolling over to snuggle my husband, rather than toes that have somehow made their way to my head. Bliss...pure bliss.
But, we've had a bit of the blues lately. I'm not sure why. Brandon and I have always felt extremely blessed, lucky, stable, and most importantly, loved, but for some reason lately we've been cutting each other short, finding the negative in a lot of things goin' on, and we've just been in a funk. You know that feeling?
Well, my remedy for that is always to talk about it...and we've been doing a lot of chatting lately. We've also been getting out...remember my theory on getting out of the house and enjoying some fresh air and sunshine? And, it's been helping, but then today, we got some disappointing news....news that could have gone either way, but went south for us. It's frustrating, and I am bitter, but instead of pouring out negativity, do you know what my husband did? He made me feel good about it. He reminded me of just how WONDERFUL our lives are, even with this sour news. He made me feel better (although, I'm still a little bitter) and he moved on. Smart husband.
And, tonight, while that smart husband went out to enjoy the KU game (Rock Chalk!), I drove home from Lawrence (of course we had to go to Lawrence and eat dinner with him, Papa, and Uncle Joe)....and as I was driving on awful 59 Hwy, with my two sweet boys in the backseat, I just about creamed a deer...and I was reminded of just how insignificant my little bitterness is in this world. That there is something out there greater than me...something that is leading our lives down one path, even when we think that path should have gone a different way.
So, this reminder is for me, more than anything. It's a reminder to stop and take it all in. Take in all of the WONDERFUL things happening around me. We are so blessed...there are too many to count or list or describe. Stop for a minute and thank God for this life He is leading us through. Just a little reminder.
Sunday, January 15, 2012
The Rink
Eighties music....strobe light....the Limbo...funky techno carpet...a dated tile rink...yep, that's right my friends, I am talking about that famous rink that so many of us spent hours at in grade school, gossiping with our friends, showing off for our latest love interest, trying to go as low as we could go, eating Fun Dip, and enjoying every minute of our youth, without a care in the world except for how tight we could get our jeans to roll and which NKOTB guy we liked the most.
What a blast from the past!
On Saturday, some of our neighbor friends invited us to meet them at our local skating rink. I thought, 'why not?' Parker and I were just heading home from the grocery store and Brandon and Andrew were just going down for an afternoon nap.
Isn't it funny how tiny, little moments can give our little people the greatest memories? Here we were, not doing much on our Saturday afternoon, when all of a sudden....Parker was super excited to try out his roller skates at an ACTUAL SKATING RINK!
Now....do you know how hard it is to try and take a picture while roller skating...especially since it's been about 15 years since I've had any type of skate on my feet?! It's difficult...and no way was I going to take my Canon out there on that rink...so, bear with my grainy, dark and blurry photo and video...
Even though Parker's skating abilities were more of a scuffle and he fell down more times than I can count....you should have seen his face when he did the Limbo for the first time! You should have seen the way he blushed when this super cute 'older' girl told him how good he was and then proceeded to ask him if he would like to skate with her...holding hands! Don't worry, my boy said 'no' and stuck to his Momma...[yes!]. You should have seen his eyes light up when it got dark and the strobe light threw sparkles and light onto the skate floor and, yes, you should have seen his little dance moves to all of the eighties music they played that day [imagine the robot + a little skate scuffle + a super serious Parker face....priceless].
And, when the grown [somewhat special] men on the rink ran into Parker...then ran into his buddy....then ran into another little girl...you should have seen this Momma Hen show them who was boss...and then Parker's buddy's mom told them what was up! No, really...it was one of our finest moments. Just sayin you shouldn't mess with this Mom and her boy.
Just to prove this day to all of you and to mark it in Riffel history for all time, here's a video of Parker on his first ever roller skating adventure. And, nope, I didn't fall down once....it came back to me like I was in 4th grade.
I hope your weekend brought some little, but special moments that will last a lifetime!
What a blast from the past!
On Saturday, some of our neighbor friends invited us to meet them at our local skating rink. I thought, 'why not?' Parker and I were just heading home from the grocery store and Brandon and Andrew were just going down for an afternoon nap.
Isn't it funny how tiny, little moments can give our little people the greatest memories? Here we were, not doing much on our Saturday afternoon, when all of a sudden....Parker was super excited to try out his roller skates at an ACTUAL SKATING RINK!
Now....do you know how hard it is to try and take a picture while roller skating...especially since it's been about 15 years since I've had any type of skate on my feet?! It's difficult...and no way was I going to take my Canon out there on that rink...so, bear with my grainy, dark and blurry photo and video...
Even though Parker's skating abilities were more of a scuffle and he fell down more times than I can count....you should have seen his face when he did the Limbo for the first time! You should have seen the way he blushed when this super cute 'older' girl told him how good he was and then proceeded to ask him if he would like to skate with her...holding hands! Don't worry, my boy said 'no' and stuck to his Momma...[yes!]. You should have seen his eyes light up when it got dark and the strobe light threw sparkles and light onto the skate floor and, yes, you should have seen his little dance moves to all of the eighties music they played that day [imagine the robot + a little skate scuffle + a super serious Parker face....priceless].
And, when the grown [somewhat special] men on the rink ran into Parker...then ran into his buddy....then ran into another little girl...you should have seen this Momma Hen show them who was boss...and then Parker's buddy's mom told them what was up! No, really...it was one of our finest moments. Just sayin you shouldn't mess with this Mom and her boy.
Just to prove this day to all of you and to mark it in Riffel history for all time, here's a video of Parker on his first ever roller skating adventure. And, nope, I didn't fall down once....it came back to me like I was in 4th grade.
I hope your weekend brought some little, but special moments that will last a lifetime!
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