Tag: kids

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Shopping for summer

I’ve noticed this month is the best time it seems to shop for our summer clothes. I went to some various stores last week, and didn’t find many sales so instead I sort of held off in hopes of finding better prices on clothes and shoes/sandals that we could wear this summer.

While picking up some bath and shower items that my daughter and I were low on, I had to pass the woman’s clothing section. Wow! The store I was in had so many sales I nearly forgot the bath things. I got my daughter the basic skinny strap tanks she loves to wear for only about 4.00 a piece, compared to 11.00. I went a bit nuts on these, buying one of each color I could find. They will be put to good use though, as she wears these as “undershirts” in the winter also. I’m saving a lot of money so I’m glad I waited a week before buying these kind of items. I also got some great storage containers on sale to store the winter clothes after they are organized. I like this kind of shopping!

The shoe department at that store didn’t have much to choose from in way of sales, but I went to a popular shoe store at the mall and found great sales on sandals there. Some were buy one and get 50% off another pair, which was great, as most of the sandals were only about ten dollars. So all in all, I did pretty good this morning and it’s still early. I needed to come home to get my daughter so she could pick out her own short and underclothes!

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Kids counting the days

My two youngest who are in high school are counting the days until school is finally out for the summer. I’m not. Officially they have four more days, but two are only half days, so to me, they will be out of school too soon. Summer Holidays…Oh Joy.

I don’t mean to sound like a mother that doesn’t want her kids around. That isn’t it. It is the boredom they will claim after they are home for a week. Heck, on weekends they tell me they are bored. What are they going to do for three months?

I would mention jobs, but I don’t see that happening. Of course, I’m not going to be a bank for them either, so it will either be work for it, or go without, as far as I’m concerned. That would cure boredom and also put some money in their pocket. 🙂

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A spoon full of protein

Earlier my son came in and told me he was hungry for something, yet didn’t know what he was hungry for. I threw out a couple ideas for him, none of which he was interested in. He kept wandering around the kitchen, looking in cupboards and in both of the refrigerators and freezers.

There is plenty of healthy snacks, fruit and fixings to make sandwiches out of. At one point, I thought he just was on the lazy side today and wanted me to fix him something. Finally, I did what my mom used to do when as a kid and didn’t know what I wanted to eat. I got out the peanut butter and a large spoon, scooped out a spoonful of the peanut butter and handed it to him. I was tired of him hanging on the refrigerator door with it open, if truth be known.

He asked the silly question of course, “What is that?” (I knew that he would) And I just told him it was a new easy snack called peanut butter on a spoon. He shrugged and ate it. He even washed his spoon after he was finished. And it made him stop hanging out in the kitchen and hanging on my fridge doors, plus he got a bit of protein in his lanky body!

 

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Plans changed with saleing

It’s nearly midnight and I’m thinking that today’s plans were not what had been planned in the first place. I love it when there are NO plans. The kids and I did hit some garage sales, but then we passed a place to eat. Once that was finished, we decided to go real shopping, as they call it.

We found some great bargains on summer things. I actually thought that prices would be low after the holidays, but I was pleasantly surprised at the great sales we hit.

Now everyone is in their bedroom waiting until tomorrow to figure out plans and what they all want to do without me tagging around. Fine by me. I need to play in the gardens and call some blogging buddy about her bale gardening. It would be good to meet up with her again and we could do a quick see what we can see and find trip. Maybe some flea markets or antique shops.

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Great cloth diapers and diaper covers for gifts

It seems that all of my oldest daughter’s friends, have decided this summer is the time to have their second and third child, which means my gift of  cloth diapers and even diapers services are now to be thought about. At last count, there are four of the girls who have been best friends for years, that are expecting little ones in the next five months. They, I noticed spaced their children out in age, so they didn’t have two little babies in the home at the same time. In this period of time, things have change a lot for all of them.

When my daughter first got pregnant, I asked her to consider using cloth diapers and saving some money while doing so. She wasn’t too keen on the subject, since she was 13 when I had her first little brother. She saw me washing diapers and at that point in her life, she wasn’t into doing her own laundry, though she would help fold the diapers and diaper covers for me.

While my daughter and I were together last week, planning on big baby shower for all four girls together, such as tradition I showed my daughter the site I had found online shopping, that carries every type of diaper one could possibly imagine. The little covers are so awesome and cute now. It’s changed so much since I had to diaper my baby in plain white. Now it’s might be fun to change a baby’s diapers!

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The Bunk Bed has arrived

For a long time, I waited patiently to find just the right Bunk Bed for my two son’s who share a room. There is a five year difference in ages, but they are really close and call one another best friends. Now that they both have to share a room, it means organization and also planning for storage space, going on in that said room. So far there hasn’t been any big arguments, but I expect to hear some in the future. They do get on one another’s nerves every now and then. It’s bound to happen in a room that size.

To make matters a bit more cramped, they have moved in a full drum set. This, along with all the other musical instruments and such, takes up a great deal of space. My guys decided that they wanted a new set of bunk beds, since the one they had was rather bulky and took up a lot of wall and floor space that they need.

I told my guys that I wanted to get them beds with enough room left over for their desks and computer things. Then I began some looking for what I thought would be a serviceable piece of furniture and not just a bed. I found is called the Empire Loft, and it will be perfect in the room. With both in the room, they both will have their own space while doing work and homework.

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Musical kids

My sons are very musically inclined. It seems they have teamed up with my friend and blogging buddy Lindsay’s sons to form not one, but two bands. Her sons are nearly the same age as mine, and actually that is how we started being friends. We met through our kids since they all were and are interested in the same things. It was sort of uncanny at first, but now we are both used to.

Today was sort of a blessing for me, for awhile anyway, but my poor friend is about to experience the wonders of music through a whole complete drum set. 🙂 Oh the joys of kids swapping musical instruments.

I think now in this house at least, we are down to 11 various kinds and makes of guitars, a flute, a mandolin, a dulcimer, an electric piano and I know there are a few I’m missing, but you all get the idea. I feel sort of sorry for Linds, but I’m sure there will be another drum set in the house, and I’m going to want to do some home improvement and get the room they play in, sound proofed. It will help a lot with to save the family’s hearing and relaxation.

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Home improvement with young adults

Deciding what colors to paint the living room, has been a challenge for me. The room is only 13’x13″ and I want to make it look bigger using paint color and mirrors and lighting from the windows. My son is trying to help me decide on the colors and other planning, but he is color blind. Yes, he was tested and indeed he is color blind. Some people call it colored blind, so this is the same thing. However, despite of his troubles with certain colors and shades, he is one excellent-judge of them, and then mixing various colors together, that one wouldn’t think would work for wall.

We’re both leaning to a deep terracotta. I call it, baked pumpkin pie…the top, before it is cut into. White trim and ceiling. and a deep blue. The only way I can describe it, is in the old big boxes of crayons that Crayola made. After they changed the original colors and shades, I stopped buying the big pack. The color blue was the original Midnight Blue. Forest Green was another awesome shade.

So tomorrow we’ll be paint or at least some sample cans if there are any available. I love home improving, especially when one of my kids have a creative streak. I welcome their input. I also like the fact that they help me find bargains and who doesn’t like to save money?

 

 

 

 

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Peaceful Easter day

It was a really nice day with the family all getting together and celebrating Easter together. I really enjoyed it. Since had already gotten everything  made and cooked and ready for today. All I had to do is pop the ham in the oven this morning, before I went to Mass and then put out all the food when I got back in time for everyone to be ready to eat. I love buffets. Much easier than a sit down dinner and I know the family like it better too.

The family all just hung out. Some watched television and others got a card game going. Some of the kids (they are still kids to me no matter how old they are) went for a walk and all in all, it was peaceful for a change.

The only thing that put sort of a damper on the day, was that it was windy and despite it being a bit over 60 degrees outside, the wind was strong and it was cold! At least it didn’t rain though and the sun was shining! I would have liked to do some gardening with the plants I was given for Easter, but it was too cold outside for me.

 

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Picking out Pansy seeds

My oldest son has never taken an interest in any kind of gardening or plants until recently. It surprised me today while we were at the market and he stopped at the seed display, and immediately reached out and picked up a packet of mixed pansies. He said they would look good surrounding my big tree in the front yard. Since he has never showed an interest in my garden except to photograph flowers that were in interesting lite once in awhile, I never thought he noticed the pansies I had grown under the tree. I looked at the price and nixed it.

This particular store, raises the prices according to their idea of how much things cost, despite of the price on the package. That is why I rarely go shopping there. I knew I was going to Lowes this weekend, and they have seeds on sale. I’ll buy enough pansy’s to keep my son busy tending to the pansies this summer! Thinking about it, I might just take him into the garden supply section of the store. Maybe he’ll want some garden tools. 😉