Naptime Blog

I saw my OB/GYN yesterday for my 6 month follow-up after Joseph’s birth.  He did a complete exam (including the ‘oh so lovely pap’ – YEAH, RIGHT!)…  In the middle of my breast exam the doctor asked me how old I am…  I don’t know why I enthusiastically replied that my 35tth birthday will be coming up next week, but his response was “OH, so you’ll need to set up your mammogram”.  My grandmother had breast cancer and now that i will be 35 I need to start them…

Well, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!  Luckily he said we could hold off until the end of the summer, but that still doesn’t make me feel any better.
So in a few short days, I will be in another life bracket.  The 35 and older club.  Not only do I get to check another box in the forms for my age (wonderful) I also start mammograms…

I know how important this is.  One of my dear friends, only 2 years older than me, just had a double mastectomy after finding a cancerous tumor just last year.  The thought “It can’t happen to me” is not always true, and it is better to be safe than sorry.  I have just heard horror stories with how painful mammograms are and how they take your breast and flatten it like a pancake.  I have also heard that it is even more painful for larger breasted woman (oh, joy!).  Needless to say, I am not looking forward to making this appointment and I will be happy when it is over. Good news is, my doctor said that if all goes well, I would not need another one until I am around 39, so that gives me some time to recuperate! 

Hmmm.  Birthdays aren’t what they used to be!

Jennifer
Wife to Paul, Mom to Juliana (7), Anthony and Louis (1) and Joseph (4 months)www.nevaland.com

Next week is our “Spring Break” :) and the next thing a teacher loves best beyond our students is our “SPRING BREAK” This year we have been blessed enough that my husband has enough vacation time to take off with me! I love that. We are planning to load up the old SUV and hit the road, this year we are headed north.

My oldest son who is 9 has always wanted to see the BIG city. So we are jumping on Hwy 13 to the New Jersey Turnpike. Yes, you may have guessed it; we are headed to New York City baby!! This is going to be an easy breezy road trip. We are saving money by staying with family members.

Our agenda goes a little something like this:  (but we will remain flexible w/ children onboard)

• 1st  Stop granddaddy’s house (Delaware)
• 2nd Stop New Jersey to visit family and get a free room for a couple of nights (LOL)
• 3rd Stop New York CITY!!!!!!!!!!!!
• 4th  Stop Washington, D.C
• 5th  Williamsburg, VA to Busch Gardens

Last but certainly not least, home sweet home. Wish us safe travels,,,,

~Shanta

Growing up, my mom used to love to make tuna casserole. She made a big pot of macaroni and cheese, added a can of tuna and some peas and mixed it all up. I was not a fan. My sister loved it. To each their own, right?

I do, however, love macaroni and cheese. I also love making my own casserole concoctions with it. The boys will gobble mac and cheese up, so I want to add as many healthy ingredients to it as I can. Recently, I tried the Great Value Macaroni & Cheese and loved the taste. I love that I can save money, too!

Here is a simple recipe:

1 box Great Value (or any brand) Macaroni & Cheese
1 cup frozen green peas
Browned hamburger meat, turkey or chopped up ham (use as much or as little as you like)

Prepare the macaroni and cheese per box instructions. Warm the frozen peas then dump them into the prepared macaroni and cheese. Now mix in the meat. You can also top this with cracker crumbs and cheddar cheese then brown under the broiler if you’d like. There are many variations. I sometimes throw in sun dried tomato or corn.

Do you have a favorite “throw together” casserole?

Shannon
Potamus Prefers
http://www.potamusprefers.com/

A week ago I wrote about eating generic. I found an even better way to save money. With two people eating ALL the time, I’m not ashamed to admit that I will do anything to save a dime (have you heard about my stay at home etsy mom obsession?)

That’s right, boys and girls, reusable bags. Know what that means? Mama’s saving money. And, Mama is also helping to save the environment. Want a disturbing little factoid? Each year, an estimated five billion to one trillion plastic bags are consumed worldwide. By the time my kids are adults they’ll apparently be heading to the beach to swim in plastic. Building little plastic bag castles on the plastic. Sitting under their umbrella, soaking up some plastic. Nothing like a little plastic to relax on/ with/ around.

I currently have switched to cloth diapers, reusable bags, reusable snack bags, un-paper towels, and I no longer buy single serve water. I want to save money and the earth for my children. The bag pictured hangs on my oven and my un-paper towels go in it when they are wet and dirty. It’s a water proof bag and I LOVE IT!

So go to etsy one day and look around. You can support America but buying American and home-made and save some money and the earth while you are at it.

-Chrystal

Is it possible that I have passed on to my son this gift of gab?

Surely my husband and I talk to Shaughn every day but Shaughn is definitely more like me. I have a tendency to just talk and talk with people I get along with, even if its meeting with them for the first time. My son will just be sitting there, will make eye contact with you and start yapping away. Its non-stop and he uses his hands a lot for what seems to be his punctuation. I do this. I don’t know why I do but I very much do these things with my hands that to me, I’m assuming, makes it feel as if my point is getting across more. Does that make any sense or am I just weird? Today while the three of uswere eating lunch, he took a bite of his food, chewed it up and swallowed then said “Mmmm!” and just continued in this dialogue. The mmm part was a delightful sound, like he enjoyed the food, and then the rest was just babbling as if he were describing to us what it tasted like and how good he was. Brent and I started to laugh because of how into it he was, and when he finished saying whatever he had to say he laughed with us then opened his mouth and said “ahh” for another piece. All you can do is agree with him, imagining what it is that he’s thinking about. Well, I’m hoping he was talking about it being delicious because if it was the opposite, he’s gonna be stuck with momma’s bad cooking for 17 more years!

Krystle

Well Feb 28, 2010 celebrated two years married to my wonderful husband! The night before, we went down to Dave & Busters to dine and game which was really fun. Of course the picture booth they had there was broken so we could not get one of those silly pictures done but besides that we had a good time. My mom took Shaughn for the night and on Sunday Brent and I just relaxed for a little bit until Shaughn came home. Doesn’t sound like a super fancy anniversary, but it was still wonderful and gave us time to ourselves. Before we had actually married, we would of course talk about it and think of what it would be like.

While in Missouri, during the last 10 months of his 6 year enlistment with the Air Force we had talked about having kids one day. His preference was to be a father before the age of 30, and while in the military our health care would be completely covered. We decided to give it a try and 4 weeks later, a pregnancy test was positive! (Ok, I used 6 different pregnancy tests lol) The marriage process was definitely sped up because of it but would have happened soon anyway! Nine months later, our beautiful boy blessed our lives and it has certainly been an adventure. Every day is a gift that we appreciate and here’s to many more anniversaries to come! What are things that you like to do to celebrate your anniversary with your loved one?

-Krystle

I do 12-15 loads of laundry a week or more.  If I let the laundry go a few days, I have to “dig out” of the piles that take over the whole room.  I might spend the whole day washing, drying and folding laundry.
I have asked my husband and daughter (she is almost OVER AND OVER again to turn their clothes back after they take them off every night but the two of them repeatedly throw clothes into the hampers inside out.  Laundry takes up enough of my time as it is, I don’t need to spend forever turning clothes the right side out as well!

So I have decided that from now on, I am NOT going to turn either of their clothes right side out anymore.  I am washing them exactly the way they are thrown into the hamper.  I will dry them that way as well.  And I am folding them inside out!

Now, you might be wondering if the clothes will be put back into their drawers that way.  Luckily, for the most part, I only put the laundry away for me and the boys.  I am sure that my husband will realize that his shirts are backwards and will turn them right side out before putting them away, and as he begins to realize that they are ALL that way, he probably will say something to me.  Paul’s a good sport, so he’ll likely be understanding when I explain my new motto “If you throw your clothes in the hamper inside out, that’s the way they’ll stay”.  Not sure if he will adjust his habits, but we will see.  My daughter on the other hand?  I wouldn’t be surprised if she wears those clothes inside out again the next time she wears them!

Oh, who am I kidding?  I am just making more work for me in the end.  I am sure that in the end, I will find myself turning my daughter’s whole wardrobe right side out in all her drawers in a few weeks.  I guess no matter what I can’t win.

Who flips the laundry right side out in your house?

Jennifer
Wife to Paul, Mom to Juliana (7), Anthony and Louis (1) and Joseph (4 months)www.nevaland.com

Jayce is really developing his own little personality. You can usually tell what he likes and what he Doesn’t like pretty quickly. I true staple has been the Mott’s® Apple sauce.

Their new Healthy Harvest line offers a wide variety of flavors and textures. His favorites are the chunky and the pear flavored apple sauce. I love the nutrition benefits and the savings. They are packaged great, 6 for around $2.50. I love that!!!

You can do so many other things with apple sauce too. Try adding it to your cake or muffin mix, hmmmm moist. I also use it as a dip with graham crackers, yummy.

I include a link for the Mott’s ® website, that will lead you to information on all their products and COUPONS. We love coupons,,,,,

http://motts.com/

~Shanta

I’m not crafty. Well, I WANT to be crafty. I have all these ideas in my head, but I’m not the type of person who can figure out how to make them come to life.
I see something cute and think to myself, “I can do that!” but can I? lol I am the type of person who needs exact directions to make sure I don’t burn a recipe. Now, if I have good directions I can do anything (well, except put together kid’s toys). It’s just hard for me to let my mind wander and just create when I have so much swirling around in there.

Well, yesterday, I went to the fabric store and bought a bunch of fabric pieces and other supplies and am going to try and put one of my crafty thoughts into motion. I’ll let you know how that goes!

I’d love advice, though. How do you keep the creative juices flowing when some days are just about survival? With two toddlers born a year apart, I see a successful day as one where the dog hasn’t chewed up a diaper all over the living room rug and both kids are clean, fed and happy. I have friends that do this AND make beautiful crocheted blankets, read long novels and enjoy extended soaks in a warm bath.

So, how do they do it? I would love some ideas!

Shannon
Potamus Prefers
http://www.potamusprefers.com/

Growing up, there were five children living in our house on a permanent/ semi-permanent basis. That’s a lot of mouths to feed. It was my twin sister and I and my Moms best friends three sons. It used to make me crazy that my mom would shop at our local grocery store and bring home the generic versions of Doritos and peanut butter and cookies. I remember being envious when I saw those pretty red bags of cheesy chip goodness at my friends’ houses. At our house, there were cabinets of white bags, cans and boxes with red writing. Generic, for as far as the eye could see. I’m sure we had name brand products as well, but I know for a fact that the majority of the food us kids ate came in an ugly white package with red writing.

Finally, I get it.

Although I’ve not always made the best financial decisions in life, I’ve never been much of a shopper. The older I’ve gotten, the more fiscally responsible I’ve gotten as well. And now that Tristan in the picture, I find that I am even more of a penny pincher. As much as I hate to admit it, it’s possible that I might even border on being a little cheap. But, for the sake of my ego, let’s just say that I’m frugal.

Some of my favorite money saving tactics include:

• Reading unit prices on EVERYTHING. I’ve come to learn that bigger isn’t always cheaper. Sometimes the bigger packages actually cost more per unit. Isn’t that nice of the manufacturers of these products? “Family size” is more expensive… trickery, pure trickery.
• Coupons and lots of them. And, not always using them because I have them, but using them because they are really worth it.
• Unless it’s a staple item, I only buy sale items at the grocery store. Therefore, we have a pantry stocked with ten cans of corn, five boxes of rice, four cans of soup…. and on and on it goes. If I buy things when they’re on sale, I won’t ever have to pay full price for anything unless absolutely necessary.
• When it comes to parties, gift giving and all that good stuff, I try to be proactive. For example, I am always on the look-out for sale items that could be used as party favors, party supplies and gifts for friends’ kids’ birthday parties.
• I also scour the after Valentine’s sales, Easter sales, etc. for non-holiday looking favor items. Then, I store them for later.
• Generic. Sorry, but it’s true. I’ve become my mother. I buy generic. Of course, I won’t give in when it comes to some items. Triscuits? Can’t be replicated. Frosted Mini Wheats? Only the real deal. Coffee? You’ve got to be kidding me if you think I’m doing that in the generic form. Some generics just can’t hold their own. But, for things like pasta, green beans, macaroni and cheese and frozen waffles, it really doesn’t matter much, especially to the girls. Oddly and disturbingly, the boxes are white. With blue writing. It’s just eerie.

-Chrystal