Three Really LONG Takes

Where do I even begin?

I've had all the best intentions of writing here over the last couple of weeks  -  so many great (in my mind!) blog post ideas, but zero follow-through. Instead, this will be a total jumble of updates and whatnot. Consider yourself warned.

1) First, you may be wondering how "Austerity" is going for us. How is life with no cable, limited Target access, little to no eating out? Well, here's the thing - we have cheated a little. We haven't managed to limit ourselves to one meal out a week. But in our defense, we HAVE decreased the frequency a smidgen, and we've increased the GUILT we feel when we do eat out. So kind of a wash, right? As far as Target goes, we have done pretty well - we've mainly stuck to our once-a-month goal. It's a bit misleading, though, because we do end up buying stuff here and there from other stores, like Walmart (gasp! though I hate shopping there, so I'm usually in and out without much fanfare) or the grocery store. But still, I chalk it up as a win. And finally - cable. We are still cable-free, and so far it hasn't been too rough (and the price savings had been GREAT). Though you may want to ask M. to weigh in on that - he was a bit despondent during the NCAA basketball tournament and the Masters. He seems OK now, but it may just be that he's completely given up hope on ever witnessing the thrill of a good game again. I have a feeling the despondency will be back when football season starts up, too.

Also, I will say that the lack of live TV, network or cable, has probably contributed to my infrequent blogging, weirdly enough. Our time in front of the TV is now very purposeful - we select a show to watch, and we watch it. And since these are all shows we are "invested" in, we feel obligated to pay attention. Gone are the days of throwing on HGTV to play in the background while I tool around on the internet. And clearly, gone are the days where M. will put on a baseball game that I can ignore while I blog beside him. There are no baseball games. THERE IS NO HGTV. Not unless I want to pay $1.99 an episode (I do not).

All in all, we are doing well with our goals, but not great. We ARE still making some "unnecessary" purchases, like some new clothes for me and - well, that's really all. I'm the only spoiled one. And we have some house expenses coming up - a mixture of planned and unplanned - that weren't part of the original plan (I'll get to those in a minute, or eventually, depending on how things go here). But we upped our contributions to our savings account by quite a bit, and we're still getting by, so that is a major step in the right direction. Single family home, you will be MINE one day!!

2) Chapter 2 of this novel is Finn. Can you believe school is over in two flipping days?!? I cannot. Finn, of course, can. According to him, the school year has been SO LONG. Said with heaving sigh full of emotion. But goodness, where has the time gone? How do I suddenly have a rising first grader?

I must say that all in all, he has had a really good year, and we couldn't be happier with his elementary school.* Yes, yes, he has had some behavior hiccups. But he HAS shown a lot of improvement in that area, and more than that, he has really gained a lot of confidence academically. Even as late as March or April, he was avowing that he could NOT read - no, uh uh, wouldn't even try. But NOW it's like he's a whole different kid. All it took was reading one or two simple books on his own, and he was off like a rocket. In March, he knew 40 of the 44 "Kindergarten words," and only 6 of the "First Grade words." As of May, he knew all 44 of the Kindergarten words, and 73 of the first grade words. This kid is on fire, and it's so wonderful to witness.

He is also fairly hysterical. I'm finally that mom that has ridiculously cute and funny things that her child has written for school assignments. They all got sent home with Finn today, so hopefully I'll bore you all by photographing them, posting them here, and translating (he may be able to read, but he is not a great speller yet).

By the way, did you know that our elementary school puts together a yearbook for purchase each year? We can buy a copy to treasure forever for the low, low price of $23. Flrpphtp. Really? It takes me back to the dim room off the cafeteria where a group of us poured over photos and layouts and design elements to product my senior yearbook. You know, when I was 18. Why on earth would a 6-year-old, or even an 11-year-old, need a yearbook to memorialize one year of elementary school? What poor person had to put this together? Is this something that happens in your area, too?

Anyway, Finn is so sweet and funny and charming and ah, six is such a great age! Really, I highly recommend it.

There have been a few articles floating around, bringing some attention back to the families affected by the Newtown, CT shooting 6 months ago - really moving, heart-wrenching articles. I can't help but read them, so shocked that someone could wipe out the lives of similarly wonderful, amazing, loving 6- and 7-year-olds. I have been showering Finn with hugs and kisses lately - I just can't help it. I can't imagine the pain those families feel, and yet I can, and my heart breaks thinking of all the "what ifs."

OK, don't want to be too much of a downer, so let's visit "the other hand." As in, Finn is SO great right now, but Lucy, on the other hand..."

3) Lucy, Lucy, Lucy. I had to go back and re-read some of the blog posts I wrote about 2 and a half years ago, to reassure myself that she isn't an especially psychotic child. Luckily (I think?), I was reminded by my past rantings about Finn that all four year olds are... (hmm, searching for non-four-letterish word here) challenging. Yes, particularly CHALLENGING. This too shall pass, amiright?

Some of the stuff she says to us.... and HOW she says it. Oh God, I am in for it. Yes, God with a capital G. This is my payback, and my mother will 100% back me up on this. Her mannerisms, her attempts to cut us to the quick - it's all me. She is me, 32 (or 22) years ago.

She already tells us we are the worst parents IN THE WORLD. Worst. That is a direct quote.

But oh goodness, I still love her so much, despite it all. And she gets just as many hugs and kisses as Finn, no worries there. Who could help it, really?

In more charming news, Lucy had her first "real" dance recital last weekend. She did have a small one back in December, but it was a simple deal and there were no costumes involved. This was the real thing - two costumes, stage make-up, a dress rehearsal, an audience full of dressed-up family members holding flowers, etc. Despite the fact that her class has been working on their two numbers since January, Lucy only knew about two steps of the tap number. This may not be her calling. And don't get me started on the lack of technique I saw in the older girls (does no one point a toe or straighten a knee these days?!?!? My former dance teachers would have cringed), so even if it is her calling (one day), this may not be the dance school we go with for the long haul. However, she did passably well during the ballet number, and looked damn cute in both costumes. Lucky for you, I captured the momentous occasion on film. With very poor videography skills, I might add.

Ballet was first. You should note that I accidentally focused on the wrong girls at first, because I was too busy looking through the camera screen to make sure I was in focus. Lucy is the third one from the right end of the line:



And here is the tap number. She spent a lot of time seemingly fiddling with her costume under her arms. Not sure what was going on there. If you ask her, she nailed it - got all the steps down. I'm pretty sure her feet didn't move. But again, cute. And maybe she was just REALLY nailing the ducky arms? Not sure. She's the fourth one from the right this time, though in a lot of the video it looks like she's third from right (I cut off the last girl in line):



And a few still photos from the event:

At home, post make-up but pre-costume

Primping in the dressing room before the ballet dance

Rubber duckie!!

I have more to blog about (home renovations! Exercise! Recipes! Some other stuff I can't remember right now!), but I've run out of steam. It's late, and I'm tired. More soon, I hope.

*except for all the Chick Fil A fundraisers that were constantly shoved down our throats. I could have done with WAY less of that.

The Good and the Stinky

I'm interrupting my regularly scheduled "too long between blog posts" mojo to provide you with some retail information that may or may not aid you one day.

First, the good. Which WAS preceded by some bad news, at least for me. M. and I are faithful coffee drinkers, and each morning we brew a pot of coffee, fill up our travel coffee mugs, and trot off to work with them. We always try to have a couple sets of travel mugs on hand because M. NEVER washes his coffee mug at work (I USUALLY do, but not always), and it's good to have some back ups if we haven't run the dishwasher or one of us left a mug at work. Long ago we purchased some Thermos brand coffee mugs that have served us oh-so-well. They fit in our cup holders, they have an easy lid to use (though they aren't leak proof if you tip them over), and they keep coffee warm for a ridiculous amount of time (read: three-ish hours). We LOVE these mugs. Love. And we haven't been able to find more of them. We've purchased several cheap travel mugs over the years to supplement the Thermos mugs, and they all universally suck. The coffee gets cold nearly immediately, they break easily, and the lids leak a ridiculous amount - one was so difficult to drink from that I ended up spilling all over myself (from tipping the cup up too high) at least a half dozen times. Not fun during a work meeting. But it was OK, because at least we had our trusty Thermos mugs to fall back on.

Well. During M.'s last work trip, the one where he was gone from Thursday through Monday during a three-day weekend? And the kids woke me up multiple times each night? And I MAY have stayed up a bit too late one night watching the Downtown Abbey finale? Needless to say, I was feeling a bit wiped out that weekend. And so I brought my ration of caffeine with me to the 10 a.m. birthday party Finn was invited to, in my beloved, paint-peeling, dinged-up Thermos mug.

Which I promptly left behind at the party venue when I bundled us back home.

Woe and sadness!!

I immediately hopped online, resolved with myself that I wouldn't "cheap out" (this was before Austerity!), and scoured Amazon for the best mug possible that could be delivered to my house within 2 business days. And I did it, I finally did it - I found the perfect travel mug!

Behold, a thing of beauty, the Thermos Stainless King 16-ounce Leak-Proof Travel Mug!:



At just over $20, these are not cheap (for a mug). But trust me, it has been money well spent! I bought two, one with a handle (for M. - he prefers a handle he can clutch while he runs to catch the train - quite literally, often) and one without (for moi). We've been using these mugs for about three weeks now, and I can honestly say that I haven't missed my old mug once. This Thermos mug keeps my coffee even hotter than the old one (five hours! The coffee is warm five hours later!), and better yet, it's leak proof (well, as long as it is "closed", which didn't help me when I rattled through the parking lot with the open mug in the front basket of a grocery cart and it tipped over and spilled coffee all over a bag of groceries. But when it's closed, it's leak proof!).

That is a story that has a happy ending. This next one, not so much.

As part of our "Austerity!" effort, I made a bunch of food about a week and a half ago, and froze the extra to save for later. I made refried beans (with this recipe) that are SO GOOD! And marinara sauce (from this recipe) which is also SO GOOD! And I was psyched to have all this awesome, frugal, yummy food waiting for me to use in the freezer, neatly labeled and stored away in ziploc freezer bags.

Yesterday I thawed a bag of the marinara to use on top of calzones. And discovered that my awesome marinara sauce? Now tastes like dryer sheets. The freezer bags we had (and that I unknowingly bought) were Ziploc "Fresh Shield" freezer bags. I guess the "fresh shield" is supposed to keep food from getting a freezer funk smell, maybe? I don't know, but what I do know is that it tasted BAD. Why would you ever store food in something that smells like dryer sheets? Apparently it's supposed to (according to Walmart) lock in freshness and help food retain nutrients. I refuse to link to the product because I canNOT recommend that you buy it.

And now I have several bags of food in the freezer destined to turn whatever meal I pair them with into the scent of fresh laundry. Which is great on laundry, don't get me wrong. Just not so great with food. I'm currently trying to "off gas" the refried beans I'm goint to use to make burritoes tonight in an open container in the fridge to see if that helps.

Just some friendly shopping tips, from me to you :-).

Life Without Cable, Part I

I jotted down some notes about our initial experiences without cable:

Night 1 (Tuesday of this week): The bottom line? Suck. The cable was officially turned off today, and we can’t figure out how to get our TV to receive regular digital broadcasting. Seems we may need an antenna? Not sure. Ordered one from Amazon that will get here in two-ish days, pending the outcome of the “Snowquester” that is supposed to hit tonight. In the meantime, tried watching Suburgatory on abc.com. Major suck. The show stopped to buffer/load every 15 seconds or less. Gave up after 15 minutes of frustrating effort and only about 65 seconds of actual programming viewed. No TV tonight. This isn’t looking good, but I’m willing to admit it’s too soon to tell. On the plus side, I may find more time to read on my hands…

Night 2: An improvement, by far. Today was a snow day (that was lacking in much actual snow, sadly), and the kids spent a fair amount of time watching kid shows on Netflix through the Wii that is connected to the living room TV (did you know there was a She-Hulk? Like half the girls born in the ‘80’s, her name was Jennifer). In the evening, M. and I could have paid bills and finished our taxes, but instead we drank red wine, ate minty brownies (from scratch! I rock!), and watched mindless sitcoms. Since we are still Roku-less (UPS sissy-ed out on the whole “delivering in mildly wintry weather” situation), we hooked up the laptop to our TV with an HDMI cable and watched a couple of episodes of Modern Family and the Suburgatory episode I couldn’t get through the night before on Hulu Plus. Overall it worked pretty well (no buffering! Ha – the first time I typed that I wrote “buggering.” There was also no buggering, that’s true), but scenes with rapid movement were pretty jerky, especially on the Modern Family episodes. Overall, I consider it a win.

Night 3: The Roku has arrived. It is fairly simple to set up. Soon we are up and running and watching a couple of episodes of Raising Hope via Hulu Plus. There is no issue with any “jerky” scenes at all – an improvement over the night before.

Night 4: Since it’s a Friday, the kids get to watch TV after school. I fire up the Wii and launch Netflix. Finn is in time out (dude has SUCH an attitude lately!), so Lucy chooses first. We watch a 51 minute showing of various “Angelina Ballerina” episodes. She is enthralled, Finn less so. It is followed by a short episode of the Avengers. Both kids are mainly happy. Once they are in bed, Mark and I try hooking up our new antenna to the basement TV, which has just arrived. Based on where we are holding it, we can receive anywhere from 4 to 7 channels. These channels include NBC (spotty), Fox (very spotty), the CW, Qubo, and some other stuff I’ve never hear of like Ion and Ion Life. Cannot receive ABC or CBS. This is not looking good. We give up and decide to try the antenna on the living room TV tomorrow, and watch two episodes of the original Netflix series “House of Cards” instead. It’s pretty good, actually, with decent star power (Kevin Spacey, Robin Wright) (side note, did you know that M. has never seen Forrest Gump? I think that’s a crime). It’s kind of like West Wing without the witty banter.

Day/Night 5: Saturday morning is easy – the kids are fully entertained by the Avengers and whatnot available on Netflix. They also throw lots of fits when the TV gets turned off, which is both normal and super annoying. M. tries the new antenna on the living room TV and finds it gets the same seven channels the basement TV does. Suck. I don’t understand this, since when we first moved to this house and didn’t have cable yet, we got lots of digital TV channels – somehow, and neither one of us can remember how. I think we are doing something wrong. However, he tries the antenna with the TV up in our bedroom, and it gets about 20 channels, including the major networks. At least there is one room in the house where M. can watch some sports. At night we watch the remake of Footloose for free from Amazon Prime down in the basement. Despite my extreme love of and loyalty to the original, I can say that the remake is pretty good. The new Ren could never be as cool as Kevin Bacon, but he’s pretty good. Julianne Hough is just too cute to be Ariel – I don’t buy her “angry rebellion.” But it’s an enjoyable hour and forty minutes. We also spend some time searching the Roku to find more TV shows, and many of them disappointingly seem to be NOT FREE. Duck Dynasty (shut up, it’s entertaining), House Hunters, all of these seem to cost $1.99 an episode through Amazon. I need to explore online more, as this seems ridiculous to me. Why would an episode of House Hunters from 2002 cost me $1.99 when I’m already an Amazon Prime member? It does seem, though, that we could watch any number of Doctor Who episodes for free…

Now you have a little bit of insight into the sick amount of TV we watch. Also, clearly this is a process we are still trying to improve/perfect. Onward, eh?