Costco

I love the place (minus the people who don't know how to steer their carts and the people who block the aisle waiting on a free sample). As many of you know, these wholesale stores can make a girlfriend go B-R-O-K-E.  Two hundred dollars for a half-filled cart?  Ah, the lure of bulk packs.

But have you looked closely at the prices?  You THINK everything is cheaper because, well, you're at Costco (or Sams, or whatever). My challenge to you shoppers who frequent these retailers: check the unit price. (For those of you who already do this, and I'm sure many of you do, high-five!) You may not believe what a rip-off you're getting, especially on the 8+ packs (of anything). Sure, a 2-box package of Cheerios is easy to figure out how much per box you're paying, but you may not take the time to think about the price per roll of a 20-pack of toilet paper. 

I recently got a smart phone, and I use the calculator function for just this reason. I know, I sound like a tightwad. But, drastic times call for desperate measures.  Meaning: I WANT A NEW CAR!  And the only way I'll get it is to save, save, save. A challenge, considering I'm also trying to shed a few (30+) pounds since having this beautiful girl:

I have been using Money Saving Mom as a helpful tool to getting great (even free) deals on groceries and household items. Check it out to save some $!

Awakenings

Just as I sit to type...the girl wakes up from her too-short nap. Ah, the life.

I Had a Dream.

And it was not good.  Ever since 9/11, I have had a moderate fear of flying. I'll do it, but I have to take dramamine to make me extra sleepy, and I pretty much have sweaty palms the whole time. I jump at every bit of turbulence. I watch for strange-acting people. I sit close to the exits.

In April 2008, G and I flew to San Francisco to celebrate our 2nd anniversary. We took off, got up past 10,000 feet, and it seemed that we would rise up and then drop down a bit repeatedly. I was SO nervous. About 30 minutes into the 2- hour flight, which was around 8 a.m., the plane was turning around so that the sunlight was suddenly pouring through the windows on the other side of the plane. "Oh, God", I thought. There is something wrong. We were headed back in the direction from which we came, without explanation. About 10 minutes later (and after quite a bit of turbulence), the pilot announced that they were having trouble maintaining cabin pressure. G looked at me because he knew I was freaking out...and I practically squeezed the blood out of his left hand until we touched back down.  To make matters worse, they made us stay ON THE PLANE, like they were going to use the same plane again. WTF ever. I was not staying on this effing plane. After further inspection (and realizing there was a crack in the plane....yeah. seriously.), they switched planes, and we enjoyed the rest of our trip.

Fast forward 10 months, February 2009.  We flew to Las Vegas for a work-related convention. From our room at Mandalay Bay, I could watch planes take off...it seemed therapeutic at the time. On our last night in Vegas, Feb 13th,  we were getting ready for bed while watching the news. All of a sudden breaking news...a Continental Express jet crashed in Buffalo, NY, killing all aboard.  I was devastated and enthralled all at the same time. I wanted to know exactly.what.happened. Sick, right? Because this [crashing] is my biggest fear, like that Alanis Morisette song, "Ironic".  I slept only 4 hours that night, and was frightened until we made it back home the next morning.

Four weeks later, I took a trip by myself to Reno, NV to visit a good friend. The trip went well, and I was waiting to board the flight back home. There was a delay, and an hour after our flight was supposed to depart, the attendants had no information for us, except that there was a spill in the plane that they were trying to clean up, and that we would board shortly. No less than a half-hour later, I see 3 fire trucks pull up, with several men in aluminum-foil-looking haz mat suits getting out and heading to the plane with mercury spill kits. I'm watching in amazement, thinking, "You've gotta be kidding me! " I have the worst luck/Karma with planes.  Thankfully, we weren't allowed on the plane and had to wait for another to arrive.

Now to my dream. I am one of 20 or so people on an almost-empy commercial plane, and all of a sudden we go into a tailspin...and then I wake up.  It doesn't seem bad, but I've had this dream more times than I can count on both hands.  I never get past the tailspin part. What does this mean? 

Do I feel as though I'm losing control of something?
Is it a literal interpretation of my fear of flying these days?

I have no idea, but the dream scares.the.crap.out.of.me every time.

It's sad, but I'm mentally preparing myself for another flight to Vegas in August, and I am a bit nervous.

Wordless Wednesday

Flame-Free Confessions

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3 months

Katelyn, my sweetie, you turned 3 months old yesterday! I can't believe time has passed so quickly...I'm back to work, you're STTN, and I'm packing up too-tiny socks and sleepers that just don't fit anymore!

You also LOVE bathtime now! You kick and grin, but you don't last very long when the shivering begins.

You love it when mommy and daddy make funny faces at you, but you especially love it when we stick out our tongues like froggies do. You are now beginning to laugh on a regular basis, but you save your belly laughs for rare instances.

You still have your visual attachment to the pretty orchid above your changing table, but you, my dear, are now in love with YOURSELF! You catch a glance in every mirror that catches your eye, especially the one attached to your play mat. In fact, that's the only way that mommy has a chance to make dinner and catch up with chores lately.

The funniest thing you do, by far, is when you're lying on your back. You stick out your tongue, kick your legs and arms at the same time, open your eyes wide, and semi-scream as you watch your toys dangle above you. You get so excited! Plus, you can now hold and shake your rattle, but only if mommy helps you first.

I went to get you out of your crib this morning, and you had turned yourself sideways! One arm was sticking through the slats (and it's times like this I wonder why bumpers aren't recommended), and when I said "Good morning, sugar!" you shyly grinned and then reached your arms up to me! You are so amazing.I don't know how it's possible, but I love you more and more every day. Yes, even when you're screaming your head off for 45 minutes.

Because that's what mommies do.

On second thought...

I just need a wife!

Just a thought.

Every mother should have the right to clone herself on demand.

The hubs is just not cutting the mustard when it comes to sharing baby duty. However, If it came to teaching baby how to ignore mommy and play videogames, he would be stellar.

I can't believe my ears

I have now gone 10 hours and 15 minutes without the cry of my baby. No, she's not sick. She STTN! I had to actually get up and check on her a couple of times because I thought surely something must be wrong. But, the gentle heave of her chest as she slept reassured me that, yes, my baby is growing up! In fact, she is still sleeping. Folks, that means I have posted 2 blog entries in the same span of baby sleeping! If I were a gambling woman, I would be the biggest loser because I never would have guessed she'd sleep this long.

How'd she change her sleeping habits so quickly?

We put her to bed BEFORE she fell asleep. What?! Yes. The last 2 nights, I got tired of waiting for her to fall asleep while nursing or cradled in my arms (as per usual). She was crying, I put her in her crib with her Soothing Seahorse, and within 20 minutes the first night and 5 minutes lastnight, she was asleep! So if any of you new moms out there are struggling with getting baby to sleep, I highly suggest this method. No, I didn't read about the Ferber method or any other get-baby-to-sleep book. I used my motherly intuition (and a well-written article in Parenting magazine) to spark the change. OK, OK, so the magazine helped more than my intuition...but it worked!

Now I get to paint my toenails without interruption and enjoy my day off from work. Yes, folks, that's right. I just went back to work yesterday. And today is my day off. Pretty hilarious, but that's the way the cookie crumbled when it came to my schedule...and in my head I dream of ripping my boss' head off...because me having Mondays (or Wednesdays or Fridays) off just would not work for her. Ugh.

Oh, and for those of you that read this blog, even if you've never commented, could you write me a short blurb to let me know that you're reading??? Because I'm needy that way. :)

Going back and making cuts

So I made it through my first day back to work, but not without tears. Initially I was fine, rocking in the glider, eating my oatmeal as she snacked on the boobie. Then she finished, looked up at me, grinned her little toothless grin, and I broke down. Tears welled up and messed my freshly applied eye makeup (that I rarely wear these days)...but all I could think of was someone else feeding her, seeing her smiles, rocking her to sleep. All while I'm listening to an 85-year-old man complain to me that I can't reverse his arthritis.

BUT

Once I got to work, I realized the comraderie I've missed from all of my coworkers. I have to say that most of them are awesome. Plus, everyone loved my new look...

Before:


















After:













What do ya think?