Is it weird that I have a crush on a 17 year old American Idol boy? The word on the street is that he is even a sweet little Mormon boy :)! Watch this video and see if this cutie patootie melts your heart too. I am predicting now that he will win.
So, money is usually pretty tight around our house, and I am trying to think of ways that I can cut back on expenses right now so I can start saving money. I would love to hear ideas from you guys of how you make your money stretch.. here are some of mine:
1) 90% of my kids clothes are garage sale clothes. I know many of you think I am obsessed with garage sales.. and I kind of am. Chris might claim that buying too much garage sale stuff doesn't really save that much money, but I beg to differ my dear. I already have a closet of 5 or 6 4t dresses for Sofia just waiting for her to grow into.. which leads me to my next one on the list.
2) Buy ahead. If I hit a great winter sale at Old Navy, I will buy the kids hats, coats etc.. for the next year so that I don't have to go out and spend a ton when things are not on sale.
3)I buy food locally and do u-pick in the summer as much as possible. In the summer and fall, most of our produce comes from local farms. I like having fresher food and picking your own food is good for kids to do and cheap! (In my next house, I want to grow a lot of my own food).
4)I try to think of things to do as a family that don't cost a lot of money. In the summer we are at the fountains downtown, on walks, or playing at the park all of the time. It is not so easy to think of cheap things to do in the winter here.. ideas?
Those are just a few of my ideas.... please share all of yours.
So after reading our friend Jeff's blog post about immigration, I am feeling all passionate about the subject myself. In fact, it was about this time last year that my letter to the editor was published in the Herald and News in defense to a crazy letter written by an old Henley High teacher talking about how horrible illegal immigrants are. I think that we are used to such a crazily high standard of living here (even those of us married to teachers!) that we sometimes forget that most of the world lives off of $2 a day. Why do we feel so self righteous,prideful, and entitled when most of the immigrants in this country have just come for a better life? I am good friends with many Mexicans in Corvallis from my previous jobs, and they are all here working hard and enhancing our communities. As for politicians who think that sending all of the immigrants home or building some sort of crazy wall, I ask,"What would Jesus Do?" (Sorry for the vent... but this is a hot topic for me).
Chris did a little spontaneous photo shoot today, and here are a few of the pictures that we liked. Oh my sweet little kiddos. Gabe has started sucking his thumb lately, and he is starting to roll over a lot more now. He is such a happy boy. Because Sofia can be such a wild girl at times, it is good for me to take time to think about what I love about her. She is so good at saying please and thank you, but at the same time she is such a free spirit. I am realizing more and more that babies come with their little temperaments, and we are blessed to nurture them and help them reach their full potential. Okay.. a little cheesy I know, but Sunday is overall the day I reflect the most and get the cheesiest. It is easy to get caught up on the things about life that we don't like or want to change sometimes, but I am so blessed. Life is pretty sweet right now.
*Ways I know that I am way out of shape: 1)I get sore from doing "ring around the rosy" too much. 2) My legs get sore from carrying Gabe in the Bjorn(why would my legs be sore?). I am going to try and train for the 1/2 Marathon in Eugene in 2 months, and if I can't get ready in time, I will run the 10k.
*I watched part of American Idol tonight, and so far I think Asia is the best.
*This whole beef recall thing is making me rethink eating meat. Meat is yummy to eat every once in awhile as long as you don't think about where it comes from!! In my next house I want to have my own chickens (for eggs.. not meat) and grow a garden. It is good when you know where your food comes from.
*Sofia is doing a lot better about not being as aggressive with her little friends... except with Marshall. Those two kiddos are so crazy together! They are like WWF wrestlers when they fight. When Sofia fights Marshall, she gets this fiery look in her eyes that reminds me of the look in the eyes of two cowgirls who I watched fight in high school. It was nasty.. I remember one kicking the other with her cowgirl boots.. ouch!!! I'm pretty confident that this phase will end by high school.
*Sofia has all of the music we listen to memorized. It makes me want to rethink what I listen to and make sure the messages are appropriate for a 2 year old to repeat!
*My prediction for Gabe's personality: I think that he is going to be a very active and hyper boy.. but a little more laid back than Sofia... only time will tell.
*I have been on a homemade bread kick lately. Homemade bread is a cinch with a kitchen aid. I feel all "domestic" and motherly when I make it, and it is so easy. Goodbye forever store bought bread.
*I so wanted to go to a Lunar Eclipse party I was invited to, but instead I stayed home to put a cranky toddler to bed. When a parent is dealing with a cranky toddler, watching a lunar eclipse all of a sudden doesn't sound so fun or exciting.
*We spent over 2 hour today playing at a park. Hooraaahhhhh!!! for nice days.
*We are looking into buying an area rug for our living room so Gabe has a soft area to be on the floor. I had no idea how expensive rugs are!!! Does anyone know of anywhere I can buy a nice quality inexpensive rug?
Sorry that I haven't posted for a long time. I have been busy soaking up sunshine. It has been so nice for the last week, and it just started raining again today, so I am back to my old blogiliscous self. Chris' family was in town last weekend, and we had a good time staying the night at the coast with them. I will write more soon, but I am pooped today!
You have to watch this video!! I am feeling the love for Obama. I think that he is inspiring.. something missing from politics these days! I bet you can't make it to the end of the video without yelling "Yes We Can!" Try.
As you can all see, I have a new question of the week. Who do you prefer.... Oprah or Ellen? The reason I post this question is because I think that it is so funny that my little Sofia has an opinion on the matter. On the rare occasion that I get the chance to chill out and flip between Oprah and Ellen (they are on at the same time here), Sofia always freaks out when I switch the channel from Ellen to Oprah. She whines and whines "Not her..I want Ellen!" So if you all had to choose one, which one will it be? The ever so witty and charming Ellen who can make me laugh my head off.. or the "You go girl" Oprah who is more likely to amaze you at her insight as she explores transgenderism (is that a word) or some other strange but interesting topic?
I am also making a call for good music you all have been listening to. As you can all see from my list, I mainly like Chic music. I don't know why this is.. maybe the fact that I can sing a long and try to sound like them? The only reason I even included a few male singers is because I didn't want to look like the girl who only likes chic music.. so I hurry and though of a few men that I like. So to all of you.. I post a challenge: Introduce me to male singers that I may like (Amanda.. don't try Bon Jovi again.. it's not going to happen).
