The Kindness of Strangers

I was grocery shopping this morning with my sidekick. I had to go to two stores to get the things I needed. (I came away with some really great deals too, if I may pat myself on the back).
Anyway, I told Adrienne she could get a treat if she stayed next to me the whole time we were shopping. At the end of the trip she chose a bag of Goldfish for her treat.
We went to the checkout and I focused on the coupons, making sure Adrienne was still with me, and watching to make sure prices rang up correctly. (No, I am actually terrible at multi-tasking, as you will soon see).
I handed over the coupons, paid, checked the reciept, and was making my way out of the store when the checker called out to me and asked if the bag of Goldfish crackers still on the conveyer belt was ours. Unfortunately, it was Adrienne's treat and I forgot to have her put it on the counter as I unloaded the rest of my groceries so I could pay for it. I wasn't about to wait in line for a $1 bag of crackers after I just bought a cart full of groceries. Plus, I had just used the last of my cash to buy stamps.
I told the checker to keep it, and of course, when Adrienne heard this, she was distraught. I tried to hurry her out of the store while pushing my heavy cart with the one stupid wheel that doesn't work (why do I always get that one?).
The sweet checker ran the bag over to me and gave it to Adrienne. When I told her we hadn't paid for it, she pointed to the man standing in line behind me and said that he did.
I thanked him profusely. So grateful that he would be so thoughtful to a stranger and her little girl.

The Meanest Mom Ever, Really

As the years have passed, I have picked up a few pearls of parenting wisdom (or wiseguy-ness). I have found them to come in quite handy as I move along the path to teen-dom.
Coming in just a few short years....argh!
Some of these pearls I learned from my own parents, such as the "If I tell you why, will that be the end of it?" What joy I had when I first found myself in a situation to use that torturous juxtaposition on my own children.
Another pearl I picked up from my older sister. It is like a golden hammer in my tool box. It goes something like this:
Child X: "Mom, why can't I jump off the roof onto the trampoline with my bike?" Or some folly similar to this.
Me, The Mom: "Because I am the meanest mom, ever."

Now at this point, they are stuck. There is no way to win the argument. The response is either:
Child X: "Yes, you are the meanest mom."
Me, Meanest Mom: "I know, that is why you will not be doing X,Y, OR Z"

OR, it can go like this:
Child X: "No you're not, mom. You're really nice."
Me, The Complimented Meanest Mom: "Why, thank you."

Tee hee, it's diabolical.
Yesterday, however, I was the meanest mom in the whole world, ever.
Annika woke up saying she didn't feel well. She didn't want to go to primary. Now, in my defense, I hear this on a regular basis when she doesn't want to do something. I naturally brushed her off and told her to get her dress on and get out to the kitchen so I could do her hair. She obeyed, and returned with her prettiest dress on. I made her sit on the hard stool so I could get her hair out of her face and look nice for church. She had to sit there for about 15 minutes while I brushed, styled, and curled the ends. She kept begging to go and lay down to watch Veggie Tales (our daddy approved Sunday morning viewing). For those who know her, begging to watch TV is not altogether out of character either. But at this point, I began to wonder...
But it was time to go. I checked for fever--not a trace. I assured her that if she still felt ill after Sacrament Meeting we could go home.
She agreed to the plan and we headed out. Got there on time (yippee). Sat down. Everyone is mostly behaving (yahoo). We take the sacrament. Annika asks for her coloring book. A sign she is feeling okay, right? I hand it to her with the markers and then notice she has a strange look on her face. Uh-oh.
Then she starts to gag. Oh dear. I stupidly ask if she is going to throw up. She gives me a panicked look and nods.
I grab her hand, the other hand is still gripping the coloring book and rush out of the pew, down the aisle and to the bathroom. Fortunately, it is right outside the chapel and is a large family restroom. Unfortunately, it is locked. *%@#^! I realized the next closest bathroom is clear around the other side of the building. No time to get there!
I grabbed her arm, ran outside, found a sewer grate, held back the hair and the big fluffy dress, and Annika let 'er rip.
Poor girl. Time to go home.
The meanest mom in the whole wide world, ever, really.

My Baby

She is my baby, and always will be. She thinks she is a big girl, and is always stretching herself, trying all the big girl things. I will miss her terribly when she is finally out of the house for school. And the worst part is that she will be so excited for it all as I stand at the door watching the bus carry her away to new adventures that I could possibly never know about.
For now, I will make do with books after breakfast, companionship at the grocery store, and a buddy at the gym. We love going to the library, making lunch for Annika, and having quiet time together after lunch.

I love that she still lets me do her hair. I love how she has to run to the mirror to check it out after I'm finished. I love how excited she gets when the bus arrives with her playmates. I love how she sneaks into my bed in the wee hours every morning to give me good morning kisses.

She is truly a bundle of joy and energy. I am so grateful to be her mother.

This is her costume for her Tooth Fairy dance. There was a dress rehearsal last Tuesday. Do you love the crocs? Don't you love how they are on the wrong feet? They really go with the beautiful, dainty, graceful look.

She fell in the mud while playing at the neighbors. She is not very happy about it.

Here is the latest hairdo from Adrienne:

Rebate Debate

Rebates are a tricky thing. Everyone knows they are a gimmick, so I generally don't factor the rebate into the cost of an item because who knows how much of a headache you will have to endure in calling the rebate center if you don't get the rebate for some obscure reason. I got something a few years ago for Black Friday with a rebate, that was the last time. It took a year of letters exchanged, faxes, phone calls, and frustration to get my $150. As a rule, I generally avoid them, unless I would already purchase an item without the rebate included.

Except for these:

They are beer rebates. No, you don't have to buy beer to use them. They magically show up in beer displays in grocery stores, convenience stores, and who knows where else at the beginning of the month.
They come in different shapes, sizes, and forms, but generally are really easy to redeem. As you can see in the first one, all you have to buy are things that you probably normally purchase. Just save your receipts and send them in. I have never had a problem with getting my rebates.

If you find one, try it out (and send an extra one to me). It is an easy way to get some extra money. Check out my "Found Money" sidebar to see how much I rack up through the year. (I am looking forward to watching this as well, as Burke doesn't think all of this is worth the effort).

By the way, I found a new one at the grocery store the other day and grabbed a few extras. If you live in my state I can send you one to try, just leave a comment with your info.

Growing Up

Kade lost his first tooth right before we went to Vegas. It was wiggly for a few weeks, but he wouldn't wiggle it. I threatened to allow Grandpa T to have a go at it (he used pliers to pull my teeth out). Finally, the offer to put the picture up on my blog clinched it.

He wiggled, he twisted, and he pulled. Finally it came out. He was so proud of himself.

The tooth fairy brought $1. He's still saving for his Nintendo DS, so he was pretty excited. I am wondering if maybe the tooth fairy shouldn't have brought a little more...

How much does the tooth fairy leave at your house?

What Happens In Vegas--Goes On My Blog

We came, we saw, we took in a show...

Not that kind of show.

Anyhow, when you add in some great weather and family time on top of all that, and you have a really relaxing weekend. Except for trying to fit six people into two beds. Not so relaxing or restful.
We were there to see our niece's baptism, but we were able to see Burke's entire family, and all their children. It was a massive gathering of cousins. And they all loved it.

Burke's dad was even able to come. He was not feeling well, but made the trip to be a witness at his granddaughter's baptism.
Afterwards, we had a party and enjoyed the great food that had been prepared by my sister-in-law. The kids ran around and the adults had some time to visit. It has been a while since we have all gotten together, so we took the opportunity to catch up with the comings and goings of everyone.

Later that evening, my kind, gracious, brave, sister-in-law took all my kids into her home so that Burke, his brother and his wife, his sister, his mom, and I could all go to see Blue Man Group at the Venetian. The show was so much fun. It was really great to get out and do something that is geared toward adults. Although I kept thinking how much Nathan and Kade would have loved it. I guess you never really get away from being a mom, do you?

It was a great weekend. We really enjoyed seeing everyone again. Adrienne is still asking for her partner-in-crime cousin. We hope to be able to do it again soon.
We love you guys!

I'm Getting Warmer

It has been a whirlwind of activity this weekend with lots of things that are blogworthy. I don't have time to get it all in right now, so I will share the most important thing of all...

It was warm enough to break out the capris today!

I wore them all afternoon, despite the glare coming off my lily-white shins. Didn't care. It felt good.