I am so ready for spring. This is the time of the year that I start giving up on winter. Ash Wednesday is this week, and that means Easter is not far away, and with it, daffodils and tulips and little sprouts in my garden. Sunshine. Green grass. That spring smell in the air. I went to Target today and picked up a pair of shorts and a t-shirt for my little one, on sale. Ah, spring.
The ironic part of this is that I would also welcome a snow day, as in day-off-from-school, as well. The little one had her winter break last week, but it went by way to quickly and didn't get to do too much. She caught yet another cold -- GERMS, BE GONE FROM THIS HOUSE! -- and we had to stay home a lot for three visits, yes, THREE, from the dishwasher repair man. And, oh yeah, it's not fixed.
I have to schedule a FOURTH visit. I've alread sunk more than $100 into this repair on my decade-old appliance, and expect to spend another $100 or so. Why not buy a new one, you ask? Well, a lot of reasons. For one, it's actually cheaper to repair it for $200 or so than buy a new dishwasher, which could cost two-to-three times that. The stupid homeowners before us put in a tile floor IN FRONT of the dishwasher and it's kind of impossible to pull it out without removing the counters. And I was hoping not to replace it until we do a major kitchen remodel, which probably won't come for another five years or so. So I will try to repair this thing. And then repair my dishpan hands.
So, back to last week. My nephew spent one day with us, which my daughter was totally looking forward to. But unlike the last time he spent a day off from school with us (his mom works) I don't think they had as much fun. (He and my little one are a year apart and go to the same school. They usually love to see each other.) He wanted to play the Wii, but my hubs hooked the thing up a weird way and I couldn't figure out how to turn the thing on and hubby was in a meeting at work. He wanted to play outside, but the little one was very hoarse from her cold and I thought it wasn't a good idea, since it was very chilly outside. I brought the duo for a fast food lunch -- always a treat -- and then we visited the local library. My nephew doesn't ever get to do that -- he's been to a library ONCE in his five years. So I signed him up for a library card, let him pick out books, helped them do a craft, and tried to make it fun. My daughter's friend showed up, so she was thrilled and talking with her. My nephew didn't seem to want to join in and kept asking when we were going home. So we finally left, and then they played for a little while until his dad picked him up.
By the next day, my poor child was in a full-blown cold, so we just stayed home and rested. I did work, laundry, cleaned... I was a little disappointed, though. I had hoped to take her spring clothes shopping -- I have a bunch of coupons and I know right now there are some good deals out there, especially on clothes I could buy on clearnace for next year. But it didn't happen.
We had planned a weekend getaway to Cape Cod on Friday. My husband's family has a condo, so it's a free place to stay. We did go and it was nice to just be somewhere else for a few days. We didn't do much, although I did get to go to Christmas Tree Shops on Saturday, hubby took a bunch of nature photos, we ate out a lot, and watched DVDs at night when the little one was in bed. We left early Sunday morning to get home and get the little one ready for her return to school.
So today, she's back at school and I'm attempting to get motivated into a routine. I went to Target this morning to pick up the afforementioned shorts and T because they were on sale. I'm all about the sales right now -- but they have to be GOOD sales.
I lugged my new copy of
The Complete Tightwad Gazzette to the Cape this weekend. I'm about halfway through it's 900-plus pages, and I'm not sure what to make of it yet. My initial impression is this: I don't know if I could live author Amy Dacyczyn's life. I just don't think I could, nor would I want to. But it is inspiring -- very inspiring. So inspiring that I started washing out some of my Ziploc bags. I always felt bad for throwing them out after they held something solely "crumbly" like pretzels or crackers or Goldfish or something. And I know that it only save a few cents, but hey, the little things add up, right?
So back to the Tightwad book. I think my philosophy is a little more "Frugal with Style." I don't know if I could make ALL the cuts in life that Mrs. Dacyczyn made. She's right about most everything, and I totally admire her devotion to frugality and her commitment to reducing waste on this precious earth. And I have a big, big concern about a full commitment to the Tightwad lifestyle -- I just don't have the "room" or "time" to do it. I save enough junk as it is, but if I spent a lot of time perusing tag sales and thrift shops weekly and storing junk to repair and re-use or for some future purpose two things would happen: (1) I would not be able to live in my small home or be organized and (2) when would I find the time to do all this "repair" work? (I guess I could give up blogging and reality show watching -- hee hee!) So my take is only buy things you really love and/or would have the time to fix, re-work, etc.
There are several recipes in the book that I'd like to try out, of course, and her commitment to saving pennies here and there is making me more mindful of our intake. Just today, at Target, I was able to truly stick to my purpose for being there -- everything I bought seems useful to me. I do confess that I walked out with extra stuff that was not on my list -- but my extra stuff was $1 merchandise that was 75 percent off.
I bought three birthday cards, Valentine treat bags for next year, a back of napkins, four things for my nephew's Easter treat bag, a 2-pack of post-its and four packs of Christmas/New Year scrapbooking paper. Each thing was 25 cents! I just couldn't pass it up. Two of the birthday cards are for boys, which I need for my nephew's birthday and an upcoming kid party. Usually I have the little one "make" a card, but sometimes there just isn't time to get that task done, so I know I have back-up for both parties -- if she makes a card, I'll just file it away in my card box. The treat bags are something I always buy on clearance, and am grateful the next year to have them in my stash. The scrapbooking stuff? I'm sure I could have "made do" without -- Mrs. Tightwad might not "approve" -- but I hope to work on holiday photos soon and it will be time-saving to have appropriate paper without having to come up with some holiday design to make it look festive.
And those sticky notes and napkins are something I use daily. My little girl takes lunch every single day and since the first day of school, I include note in her lunch. I write it on a post-it (usually Target clearance post-its, not real expensive ones) and I stick it on her sandwich container. She loves it... I forgot once and she was so sad that she didn't have her Mommy note, she told me. What do a write on these notes? Everything from jokes to just "have fun at recess" to little drawings or reminders about afternoon activities. And I always try to put a "fun" napkin in her lunch -- I buy dollar store holiday ones or clearance party napkins, like the ones from Target today. It may not be the most frugal thing, but since she's brown-bagging it every day (and saving me a ton of money!), I figure the little fancy touch gives her a little happiness at mid-day.
(Last week, a school aide who is on duty at my daughter's lunch stopped me at school and said "I just love how you put those napkins and notes in her bag -- it's such a nice thing!" That made me feel good, although I know saying that is kind of ridiculous, but it did!)
I don't know how much longer my little one will take her lunch, as she is noticing the hot lunch menu now. I hope she takes lunch most of the time -- I feel like she gets food she likes and it's healthy and she will eat it -- but I don't mind if she buys lunch once a week or every two weeks or something, like a treat. Apparently her schoolmates are always buying food, even when they bring lunch. At Girl Scouts one of her friends blurted out that my daughter "never has snack money or ice cream money!" I was kind of shocked by this statement, as my little one has never asked for such a thing. I would give it to her once a week or so, for a little treat, but it was an eye opener to me, as many children seem to be hauling money for treats to school every day. I wish they would send a "lunch memo" home, like a price list with snack listings so I could say to her "Here's 50 cents for ice cream." As this is my first experience with the school cafeteria, it's hard to rely on a non-savvy 6-year-old to relay information on what's available and what it costs, etc. And I'd rather send her with just enough money and not a $5 bill so she won't lose it.
OK, that's enough school lunch babbling... Let's get on to better things.
Like TV. I watched the Oscars last night, like a do every year. Not much to say except I can't freakin' stand Angelina Jolie. She is just so.... haughty. I don't get it. This is a woman who wore Billy Bob Thorton's blood in a vile around her neck and kissed her brother on the lips on national television. Why does she come across as so... high and mighty? It's just so weird to me, and every time I see I want to just say please, please, just be gracious to the press because they are aiding in your celebrity, which earns you a great living, which affords you the option to have a zillion kids and care for them and live in wonderful places and travel and do good things. Please.
And speaking of Angelina Jolie, how about that Ocuplet mom? She's a freak, I tell you. Please, TV producers, DO NOT give this woman a reality show. Please. She scares me. And her face is clearly altered -- how did she afford that? How? Something is totally weird there.
Back to TV... Have you been watching the "Real Housewives of New York"? I do think they are my fave of the housewives. Perhaps it's because I'm close to the Big Apple, perhaps it's because they just seem to really say what they mean, no holds barred. Those Orange County ones are just so completely messed up that they don't have the same... grit, I guess. The OC wives are so plastic and so mean! That Tamra is one mean and jealous cookie, I'll tell you. I don't like that woman. And that horrid Vicki is just as bad. The NYC wives seem pretty smart to me... and I'm so fascinated/appalled/intrigued by the husband-and-wife social climbers, Alex and Simon. The Atlanta housewives? I watched it, but didn't like them much. They were probably the most "materialistic" of the bunch, even though all the housewives place too much value on stuff and labels.
Jon & Kate is on tonight, and I have to say I'm not loving the episodes since the moved to this new house. It's just not the same -- I'm not feeling the "average surburan family" bent anymore. The house is beautiful -- don't get me wrong -- I had to say I felt a twinge of jealousy seening that beautiful tree-lined driveway and the beautiful stone-facade on the house, and all that space! But I'm getting a little disgusted with all their "freebies." I understand WHY they get them, but it's seeming a little excessive in such a poor economy. Does Kate really need two new washers and dryers -- which, by the way, retail at abour $1,300 dollars EACH -- when she left the same thing behind at her old house? And a new dishwasher (I'D WELCOME THAT RIGHT NOW) and a new fridge, especially after she made such a big deal about cleaning that old fridge, which I actually thought was kind of nice... And now they are getting free furniture from Lane Furniture? They must be making a ton of dough to afford that home. I hope they can keep the ride up. The 'tups will be in full-day school soon, so I'd be surprised how on earth they could get all the filming done with school and activities and homework and everything else. Oy vey. My bet is that Kate is taking her constant spokesperson gigs for KMart and Proctor & Gamble and the grain association and parlays that into "branding" -- like soon we will see J&K merchandise at KMart along with Martha Stewart. I wouldn't be shocked. Apparently she has a new book coming out this spring, and a cookbook in the fall. I'll have to review her first book for you soon.
(Tonight J&K episode is about them getting not one, but TWO German Shepherd puppies... I don't have high hopes that the dogs will be actually living in the house, with Kate, do you? I mean, fur and potty accidents? She's going to flip, I'm sure. And getting dogs is like having kids -- a lot of work, especially if you do it right -- and let's face it, they've got enough kids!)
I have been reading those snarky J&K blogs for some time, but I'm finding that they are way over the edge. I mean, I'm certainly not fond of the woman, at all, but they take picking apart their life to the extreme, with no flack, or they twist situations that I don't think are twistable.
That said, the blogs provide a wealth of information on them -- both true and untrue. I did read about Jon's appearance at a university, where he mentioned that the family will be taking a trip to Korea to explore his roots or something like that. And I've seen an interview with Kate that she would like to adopt a Korean baby girl because she still wants to know what it's like to just have "one" at a time. My guess is that when the 'tups outgrow their baby cuteness, a new baby will be added to the mix. Maybe that's why they are taking a trip to Korea? I think the country is getting ready to crack down on international adoptions soon...
I've been watching the Duggars too, and waiting for the new daughter-in-law to announce her pregnancy. You know it's going to happen soon, don't you? I'm sure it has too. Mom Duggar and daughter-in-law will probably be pregnant at the same time -- "Father of the Bride II" anyone? Did anyone see the Duggars trip to El Salvador? Daddy Jim-Bob is so.... ignorant. That's all I have to say about that.
OK, I really should get to work. I have laundry to do and it's time to get my tax stuff in order, which I've been dreading and putting off. But I told hubby I would do it this week, so an office clean-out/organization is on the list. Bye, bye blogland, I'm signing off!
