Yard Sale Update

After a long day I am now the proud owner of $100, a sunburn, and a new side chair for the basement. Yesterday morning we arrived at the church parking lot at 6am and started setting up. I am always amazed at the people who show up that early at yard sales and don't buy anything, or try to get rock bottom prices when the day hasn't even started yet! Our goal was to not come home with any of our stuff at the end of the day.

About two hours before the end, we started putting more and more in the "free" box, and it was a good move. I was happy to have a child walk away with a free puzzle or toy than have to bring it home. When we were done, we packed up everything left and my mom took it to the Salvation Army. We both made $100 and cleaned out our houses a bit.

I couldn't let the day go by without my own find though. I bought a new chair that will go great in the new family room or in the den. I think it has sat in a corner of the church rectory for 20 years, and I'd be surprised if it has seen more than a handful of tushes sitting on it! For $15 I think it was a steal!

Frugal Friday... not so much

Some Fridays I like to look back over the week and reflect on the choices we made. Where did we make smart choices with our money, and where could we have done better. This week was a week of extremes.

- I spent the week sorting through things for a yard sale our church is having on Saturday. My mom and I are sharing a spot and both of us have been busy asking save, sell or dump? Our goal is to get rid of the things, but if I can get a dollar for something I would normally freecycle for nothing, all the better. I hope to make a few dollars and enjoy some time with my mom.

- I had to stay home yesterday when the carpeting in the new basement family room was installed. It took eleven and a half hours! The poor guy. The good side of that was I stayed home instead of going out shopping and it forced me to pull together a meal from the fridge and pantry.

- Last weekend I took advantage of some Memorial Day grocery sales and got a number of things for pennies.

And on the opposite side of frugal...

- I ordered a new pair of shoes as my feet have been bothering me.

- We spent money on mulch and flowers last weekend. Every spring it kills me to do that, and I swear I will put in more perennials, but I never do.

- We made the last payment to the contractor for the family room.... gulp! Six months ago we never in a million years have guessed we would be spending all this money on a new room in the basement. But here we are, and we are very excited about it. Stay tuned for before and after pictures! I just pulled out the camera and my batteries were dead. Typical.

***For more frugal ideas check out Jennifer's weekly post here***

Both the good and the bad of Memorial Day

Here the kids are sitting on Main Street during the Memorial Day Parade. We had a lot of fun seeing the marching bands, the veterans, the cub scouts and brownies. It was a beautiful sunny day and Jason didn't have to work. What better way to spend a morning? That was the good part.

This morning when I got up I hadn't even poured the coffee yet and I heard the kids. Noah was saying, "I'm not going to tell you, you have to ask Mom and Dad!" Finally Alanya came in and in her sweet way said, "Mama, what does nine-eleven mean?" Ben was right on her heals wanting an answer too. I took a deep breath and asked for a few minutes to have my coffee and get my thoughts together. How do you explain such hatred and fear to children? It's too bad you have to.

In the end I told them my nine-eleven story. It was Noah's very first day of preschool, he was three, and he screamed bloody murder as I handed him over to the teacher. I tore myself away holding Ben who was 10 months old and cried the whole way home. I put Ben down for a nap, turned on the Today Show and watched live right as the second plane hit. After about 30 minutes of watching the news coverage and seeing all the uncertainty unfold, my first reaction was to rush right back to that school and scoop Noah up in my arms, never to let him out of my sight again. I remember calling Jason at work to find out what I should do and he assured me he didn't think a preschool that was housed in a high school building in a suburban town would be a terrorist target. He told me Noah needed to stay.

That day was surreal, and I'm not sure I was fully able to describe what it meant to my 6 and 8 year olds, but I tried. I gave them the facts, and Noah also reminded me of the heroes on the plane that crashed in Pennsylvania. It seems so long ago now, but Memorial Day was a good opportunity to talk about it with the kids. A chance to be thankful for our freedoms and remember everyone who has given us that freedom.

Benjamin Bunny

Sometime in the last 8 years the little baby we called Benjamin Bunny grew up and I'm amazed at the boy he has become. On Sunday Ben received his First Communion and over the last few days I have taken a few moments to just stop and watch him. My how he has changed.

When he was born, Ben was a serious baby who used to stop and take in the world. Noah on the other hand was always giggling and silly and squinty-eyed smiling. By contrast, Ben's somber demeanor took me aback. I remember once seeing him playing in his exersaucer and when I pulled out the video camera he immediately stopped playing and sat and stared at me holding the camera. I have a good 5 to 7 minutes of video of a drooling baby staring at me while I try to encourage him to laugh and smile and play. I should have realized then that Ben does only what he wants to do, not what others want him to do.

Ben has always had a soft spot for stuffed animals, and names and treasures every single one. His favorite though is Monkey, a small beanie baby sized zebra he has had since he was a newborn. Ben has literally loved Monkey so much he is nearly disintegrating, his velour fabric almost see-through now and his head wobbly and limp. Every few months I gently hand wash Monkey in woolite and Ben makes a bed of towels for him on his nightstand to dry. We have talked about the eventual passing of Monkey and the conversations never go well. Ben just swells with sadness at the thought and his eyes fill up.

Ben is a rule follower and he likes lists. He likes puzzles, origami, sudoku, classical and jazz. Electronic gadgets are his new favorite thing... he loves to sit on Jason's lap and play with Jason's new ipod touch. He loves amusement parks and can tell you all about Walt Disney and the history of Walt Disney World, and his favorite computer game is one where you build a virtual park. He's bright, handsome and loving, and determined to be his own person.

When did all that happen?? Eight short years. What will he be like in another eight?

Just as good as Farter's Day

Not too long ago, Jason got a card on Father's Day and one of the boys had written with sure confidence "Happy Farter's Day". It was classic. They had no idea, and we didn't let on that it was wrong. The other day Alanya gave me a book that is just as good as that Farter's Day card. Here it is with all her original spellings. It doesn't get much better than this when a little hand writes these words for you.

Happy Mathrs Day.

Tobay is mathrs bay. It's may 10th the best day evre.

Because it cams wants a year. and the best prt is that I mad a book for my momay.

It is not abut you. It's abut your mom. the best persin ever.

It's fun fur every won. The best day of hre life. I love you mom.

Happy Mother's Day

This picture was taken Christmas Eve, 2002. Four generations of women. A perfect picture to celebrate Mother's Day. Thank you for everything you have taught me Mom. You continue to provide a shining example of how to be a great mother and loving wife. And thinking of my Nana who always had a way of making you feel like you were the only grandchild in her life because she made you feel so special, and my Mere who did everything she could to treat and spoil us. Happy Mother's Day!

Happy 40th Birthday!

It was a beautiful May day when this gorgeous guy was born 40 years ago.

The hair got even longer, and he got even cuter if that was possible.

Then the unthinkable happened... he became a teenager in the 80's!

Luckily it's not the size of the hair, or the number of years that matters, it's the Happy.

I love you!

Today better be good!

Today Jason stood with his coffee at the window, looking out at the sunny morning. He took a deep breath and said "Well, today is my prime!"

He's turning 40 tomorrow and apparently at midnight tonight it's all downhill!

Piano practice at 6am?

Being woken up at six to the kids arguing, watching the TV too loud, or simply having a kid tap you on the shoulder because they want something is painful. However when you get woken up at 6am to the piano being played it's absolutely delightful. It means whoever is playing is playing for themselves and not begrudgingly because you nagged them for an hour. Music played at dawn is even more sweet when it wafts up to your sleeping ears.

Did ya know?

My friend Becca did a blog post like this a few weeks ago, and even though I talk to her regularly, I learned some things about her family. So for those of you who aren't with us day in and day out... here are a few "Did ya knows".

Did ya know....

...Alanya is FINALLY learning how to shampoo her hair? This has been a long time coming.

...Ben is learning how to play that classic Peanuts piece Linus and Lucy on the piano? I hope he plays it for his recital!

...Noah is making huge strides catching in baseball? He has been working on the quick power throw to second base.

...I am determined this year to stay on top of our flower beds with edging and weeding? I was out there three days this week and am slowly making a dent. By the time I finish the weeds should just be coming up in the first bed!

...I gave Jason a hammock a few years ago but every time I catch him in it I tell him there are things that need to be done in the yard?

...Jason is turning 40 in one week? I told him he could lie in his hammock as much as he wants on his birthday!