March « 2011 « Paper Clips and Play Pens

Archive for March, 2011

Continuing to Purge…

Thursday, March 31st, 2011

So, I don’t really have photos of my organizational adventures from this week, because really, who wants to see a photo of a single garbage bag full of paper?

Yep, that’s really all I did. One medium-sized garbage bag of paper.

I would like to report that I did have some success this week. I would like to announce that my desk looks almost exactly like it did last week, with no new clutter either on the desk or in the drawers. I stuck with my active file system, and no mail came into the house without being sorted. All junk mail and other trash skipped all surfaces and went straight to the recycle bin or trash can.

I’ve found that having my desk in the foyer, where the girls can access it easily, prevents me from leaving anything out on the desktop…because they are basically my own little mobile paper-shredders, even when I have not assigned them that job. The second day that my desk was in the foyer, I spent twenty minutes taping ragged, torn scraps of notepad paper back together, trying to decipher the password I had jotted down on it an hour before. I learned my lesson pretty well after that.

So, I consider these to be positive steps, even though I didn’t make much progress on the stacks of boxes full of paper and crap that need to be sorted and filed. At least I didn’t add to the clutter.

So, next week will be insane. Doctor appointments out of town, deadlines, and a small vacation to one of my favorite events of the year will limit the time I get for purging, but I am determined to get through at least one box of random paper next week, and, hopefully, toss at least 90% of it. Also, starting on what we call our “pantry cabinet,” as I have deemed it to be the most logical place for our random stuff including batteries, buttons, binoculars…and maybe some things that do not start with the letter “b.” I’m going to try to take Super Beth‘s advice, and see what I can’t get rid of, and try to find a new way to approach organizing for the rest of it.

Oh, and for the ladies who are having a hard time using Morgan’s button, try this code (same as Morgan’s, but with the quotation marks replaced with inch marks):

Tags: Thursday Purgeday
Posted in Organization | No Comments »

Spring – Take 2

Wednesday, March 30th, 2011

So, a while back, I reported that Spring had finally shown it’s face around here, after a seemingly endless Winter.

Well, apparently, Spring was just visiting, as it proceeded to get super cold again (read: cold for us). There was even a durn frost advisory! In South Carolina! In March!

We were all very excited to see the temperatures get back to normal March weather this afternoon, and the girls and I did not squander our chance to get outside to enjoy it.

Although, I hear its going to rain, storm and get cold again tomorrow.

…wait, I’m blogging about the weather. Pretty sure there’s yet another sign that I’m getting old.

Anyway, enjoy these lovely pictures of my flowers while I go watch ma’stories and snack on prunes.

Front yard, short Azaleas

Spring Flowers - Azalea

Front yard, the big Azalea

Spring Flowers - Azalea

Back yard, Bridal Wreath

Spring Flowers - Bridal Wreath

Back yard, Lady Banks Rose

Spring Flowers - Lady Banks Rose

Back yard, Pecan Tree

Spring Flowers - Pecan Tree

PS – I’m apparently totally incorrect in my thinking that Spring is way late this year. I checked my blog archives from 2010, and you know what I saw? My flowers bloomed earlier this year than last year…almost two weeks early.

This year, my daffodils started blooming around the first of March. Last year? April 10th.

And the Azaleas, Bridal Wreath and Lady Banks Rose? April 14th.

Is this really crazy, or is my mind just easily blown?

Tags: Azalea, bridal wreath, Lady Banks Rose
Posted in Gardening and Yard Work | 1 Comment »

WTH, Creepy Spammers

Tuesday, March 29th, 2011

So, being a web designer, I’m in charge of the upkeep and periodic maintenance on several of my clients’ corporate and organizational blogs. One of my duties is to deal with the spam comments that come in to the blogs that are not updated regularly.

I’ve been highly disturbed by the turn that spam comments have taken lately. Gone are the days when I just had to perform a cursory scan for dirty words and genitalia and call it a day. Now, it seems, that they’ve resorted to creepy poetry.

Observe:

The sun may have defined how I lived, but it was him that defined how I truly would grow. My blood stained his clothes and hands a few times, from the mess I left on them, but never did it taint the way he would continue to smile privately to me.

Um, what?

Mind you, whatever this is has nothing to do with the website linked from the display name. I think it may have been knock-off designer jeans.

Seriously, I kind of miss the “let’s just leave a comment in which we repeat the various slang terms for our genitalia over and over” comments. They, at least, didn’t leave me feeling icky afterward.

Posted in A Funny Thing Happened | No Comments »

False Alarm

Monday, March 28th, 2011

After a week of slightly more intense effort mixed in with few weak moments of shame, I got on the Wii Fit board this morning not really expecting any great news.

Repeating “Please don’t gain, please don’t gain, please don’t gain”, I watched the screen come up to tell me my BMI…died…and then frantically switched over to the weight screen, to confirm what I just saw in numbers that I understand.

McFatty Monday

OMG!!! Could it be?! NORMAL. I’m in the normal range for my weight?! I’ve dropped two pounds in the last week?!

I ran around in circles for a minute, trying to decide if I wanted to call my mom or my husband first, or send out a mass email to all of my girlfriends, or start a Twitter account just to announce this news.

Then a thought crossed my mind…what if the Wii Fit is wrong? I did not work hard enough last week to lose two pounds.

I stepped on the bathroom scale, and my fears were confirmed. So I did my Wii Fit body test again, making sure I selected the correct option for the weight of my clothes.

And I got this:

McFatty Monday

Gained two tenths of a pound, rather than losing two whole pounds. Ugh.

I was elated when I saw the first weight. I was thrilled beyond words.

See, the last time I got my weight that low, I was only using my analog bathroom scale, and it knows about as much about calculating BMI as my one-year-old, so I had no idea of my accomplishment at the time. I was so excited to reach this milestone and truly be able to enjoy the knowledge that I was no longer “overweight.”

I kind of hate it that I decided to double check.

But now, when I want to sit out the couch and “reward” myself with a small bowl of chips, I need to remember how good that moment of mistaken elation felt. When I try to rationalize why another glass of Coke won’t be a big deal, I need to think about that fleeting sense of accomplishment that came with those inaccurate numbers.

I really really want to see those numbers again, very soon, and know that they’re for real.

Hrumph, now to my actual stats…

3/28/11 (AM)
Weight: 137.8 lbs.
BMI: 25.38
Waist: 32″
Hips: 39.5″
Thighs: 41.5″

Change since last weigh-in:
Weight: gain of .2 lbs
BMI: gain of .06
Waist: no change
Hips: no change
Thighs: no change

Total
Total Weight Loss: .7 lbs.
Total BMI Loss: .1
Total Inches Lost in Waist: .5″
Total Inches Lost in Hips: 0″
Total Inches Lost in Thighs: .5″

Ok, here is my progress on my goals…that I have been working on for a month now:

1. Make healthy recipe list (for real!) and add at least two really healthy meals to the dinner schedule
Ok, I started my healthy recipe list, but I’m having issues…specifically, finding healthy recipes that I actually want to eat. I do not want a spinach salad with chick peas and wheat wafers. Or feta soy burgers. None of that sounds appealing to me. And I don’t want to make things that require more than seven ingredients, because I really do not enjoy cooking enough to wait two plus hours to eat. So, I made the effort on this goal, but I could use some assistance…

Anybody know where I can find recipes that are healthy and would sound appealing to someone who would eat shrimp scampi, mac & cheese and bacon cheeseburgers every day for the rest of their life if given the option?

2. Work out on the Wii for at least a half hour, four times
Ok, I didn’t really work out on the Wii at all. I did get outside and get some exercise twice, and tried to be more active in general (i.e, instead of sitting in front of the computer and messing around on the internet for an hour, I would straighten up the house and work on the laundry…just choosing to be inactive less often).

3. Continue weeding out bad habits and replacing with exercise and other active choices. Do not back slide on nail-biting, and try to get rid of other “picky” nervous/bored habits.
I’m actually doing really well with this one. Two bad habits are gone, and one of the big ones should be knocked out this week. I haven’t exactly replaced any of them with exercise or active choices, but they haven’t been replaced with negative choices, so I count that as a win.

4. Avoid snacks like the plague. One fattening junk food snack allowed every three to four days max, and only if I’ve worked out for more than a half hour that day.
Ok, I snacked a few times. I did limit myself to tiny toddler sized bowls when snacking, and I didn’t snack near as much as these chilly rainy days made me want to. Kind of a half-win? Or mostly a fail.

5. And the big one…limit myself to one serving/glass of Coca-Cola per day.
Almost every day, I had no more than one glass of Coke. Huge for me. I had one day where I had three or more glasses, and one day where I had two. This week, for real, no more than one a day.

Alright, keep working on the same goals, because I seem to be a bit struck on them, and I refuse to give up. Also, get my real stats to match this week’s mistaken stats.

Go.

Tags: McFatty Monday
Posted in Postpartum Weight Loss | 1 Comment »

On the First Week of Purging, My True Love Said to Me…

Friday, March 25th, 2011

It seems like all I do these days is talk about things I want to improve…and I kind of feel like I’m on some crazy self-improvement mission.

This past week has seen some pretty great successes in various areas of my life, the biggest area being my purging and organizing.

I showed you the new desk from last week (which, I know, bringing more things into the house does not really fit with the whole “purging” thing, but just hear me out). Since I got the pretty new desk, the old desk had to go.

Have I mentioned how much I love Craig’s List? Put that baby up before I went to bed, had three responses by noon, and it was gone before 2PM. Now that is some purging… got rid of 70+ pounds and three square feet of unnecessary in one morning. Rock.

So, the new desk…it’s not completely done, but it’s done enough for the time being. It’s been sanded within an inch of it’s life, and painted with several coats of gray, blue and white. I haven’t found new hardware for the drawers yet, but it works out pretty well, since it means that the girls can’t get in there. I’m pretty thrilled with the whole thing so far.

This project taught me that it is so worth it to sand between coats of paint. The finish is so smooth that its hard to keep myself from touching it all of the time. Seriously, I sit there and feel my desk up. Its bad.

Now, the plan is to eventually replace the middle drawer (which is not there in these pictures) with a keyboard tray and build doors on the front of the desk to conceal the keyboard tray and my massive machine, Shelby.

Yes, I named my computer. And yes, I do like to “go big,” how did you know? No cute little laptops for me!

So, on the organizing front, I actually still have boxes and boxes and boxes full of papers and other random junk on the floor of the dining room that I need to go through. Some is trash, some is paperwork that needs to be filed, some is just completely random crap that I have no idea what to do with. But none of it is coming to my new desk until it has been gone through and dealt with. I am determined to keep a nice, clean desk area, so nothing gets to come to the new desk until it has been needed. Then, when I need it, I make sure there is a logical place for it.

I kind of feel like I’m to the “hard part” now. Oh, well, at least I’ve got a pretty place to do it!

New Desk - Purgeday Thursday
My new desk! So much better

New Desk - Purgeday Thursday
I either need a keyboard tray, or a wireless keyboard and mouse…those cables are bugging me

New Desk - Purgeday Thursday
Some pretty desk things…including my vintage Rolodex that will become a calendar and a cigar box that I use to hold my small USB cables (for cameras and such)

New Desk - Purgeday Thursday
And more pretty desk things…including my planner with custom fabric cover (seen here) and my mason jar pencil holder

New Desk - Purgeday Thursday
A close-up of pretty things. I got this bird at a Mast General Store on vacation last year and the vase was a wedding present from the infamous and indescribable Barney Oatmeal.

New Desk - Purgeday Thursday
The awesome pull-out extra desktop thing. Wonder what this is actually called? I’m sure it has a name.

New Desk - Purgeday Thursday
Here’s where the organizational magic happens…

New Desk - Purgeday Thursday
The top drawer houses my supplies for now. I used some little cup/bowl things to break up the drawer space and organize the supplies. There’s also a special “Mom bowl” for me to stash broken toys or random things I’ve taken from the girls, plus my Tide-to-Go pens.

New Desk - Purgeday Thursday
The second drawer houses my “Active Files” (thanks Morgan & Beth!) The sections are labeled “Bills to Pay,” “Pending,” “To File,” “To Read,” “To Respond,” and the back section is for mailing supplies.

New Desk - Purgeday Thursday
The “To File” section

New Desk - Purgeday Thursday
Behind the other sectioned areas that hold my active files, at the back of the drawer, is a space for my note cards, envelopes and stamps.

Ok, so now, the big “Before and After”…

The desk…
Before and After - Purgeday Thursday

And the office area…
Before and After - Purgeday Thursday

I would definitely call this progress. Still a long way to go…

Tags: Thursday Purgeday
Posted in Furniture, Organization | 3 Comments »

A Little Progress

Monday, March 21st, 2011

Yeah, the past two weeks have been nuts in my world. Work, kids, sleep, lack-of-sleep, more work, etc. has just left me totally lacking the motivation to do much of anything else.

That is, until this past weekend, when I decided to get my butt in gear.

I am so sick and effing tired of my body being a mess, my mind being a mess, my house being a mess, and my life in general being…yep, a mess.

I want to enjoy my life, and I don’t want to spend so much precious time being unhappy with how things are. I’m looking at everything that needs fixing, and doing something about it. Everything that’s really not a big deal, I’m using to help myself relearn a lesson in prioritizing…if it ain’t broke, I ain’t gonna worry about fixing it. I’ve got too much else that really does need my attention.

So, even though the progress is slow-going right now, it just seems to make me want that progress more and more.

McFatty Monday

3/21/11 (AM)
Weight: 137.6 lbs.
BMI: 25.32
Waist: 32″
Hips: 39.5″
Thighs: 41.5″

Change since last weigh-in:
Weight: loss of .9 lbs
BMI: loss of .16
Waist: loss of .5″
Hips: no change
Thighs: loss of .5″

Total
Total Weight Loss: .9 lbs.
Total BMI Loss: .16
Total Inches Lost in Waist: .5″
Total Inches Lost in Hips: 0″
Total Inches Lost in Thighs: .5″

Ok, here is my progress on my goals from…however many weeks ago it was:

1. Make healthy recipe list (for real!) and add at least two really healthy meals to the dinner schedule
Ugh. Yeah, totally didn’t do this…again. We even ordered pizza one night when we were feeling super lazy. Big fat FAIL.

2. Work out on the Wii for at least a half hour, four times
Ok, not exactly, but close. I did work out on the Wii some, but not four time per week. I did, however, start sanding and painting my new desk, which was a pretty decent workout.

3. Continue weeding out bad habits and replacing with exercise and other active choices. Do not back slide on nail-biting, and try to get rid of other “picky” nervous/bored habits.
I did really good with this one. It’s now been weeks since I bit my nails, or even picked at them, which is huge for me. Nervous picking is at an all-time low, and, while I haven’t replaced anything with exercise, I have developed a new night-time routine that makes me feel pretty good and involves more moisturizer, more lotion, more Omega-3′s, and borderline-excessive dental hygiene. It takes me a half hour to get ready for bed now…but I feel so much better climbing into the sheets knowing I’ve ended the day by being productive.

4. If big work check comes, buy Just Dance for Wii (since I’ve seen that recommended by seven people in the past five days, which has to be a sign, and since I think the girls would have a great time dancing with Mommy)
I totally got it…and I love it! Even the girls like dancing with Mommy, so I think this is going to work out really well. Also, it’s super fun, even if I occasionally feel like an idiot shaking my fat butt around like a maniac.

5. Avoid snacks like the plague. One fattening junk food snack allowed every three to four days max, and only if I’ve worked out for more than a half hour that day.
I actually didn’t snack too much at all the past couple of weeks…until the In-Laws brought two bags of Doritos over when they came to visit.

6. And the big one…limit myself to one serving/glass of Coca-Cola per day.
I actually accomplished this goal on several different days, but overall, another big FAIL.

So, I’m keeping the same goals for this week, since I didn’t do so great on them the first go round. Maybe that was just practice?

Tags: McFatty Monday
Posted in Postpartum Weight Loss | 6 Comments »

I Just Can’t Take It Anymore

Sunday, March 20th, 2011

The Office Area - Before

^ This. I cannot take this any more.

This is what my office area looks like when it is at it’s worst…at the end of a week when Kyla worked 60+ hours and I had five projects going on for work and we had therapies and doctor appointments and laundry and phone meetings and…well, you get the idea.

This is what happens to my desk (and the surrounding area) when I am stressed. Sometimes, it looks a lot better than that (usually, after I’ve taken absolutely everything off of the desk and thrown it into an empty diaper box, and written on the side “PAPERS TO FILE.”)

Want to know a secret? I have four of those diaper boxes under my bed right now. Ok, plus two in the attic. Full of random paper. It’s a total fire hazard, I know. I check my smoke alarms regularly, I promise.

Yeah, my system of de-cluttering involves throwing everything….everything…into boxes and hiding them from myself. And I wonder why I can’t find anything.

And I CANNOT deal with it anymore.

My to-do list had included the line item “Organize Office Area” for about, oh, two years. And I still haven’t done it. I still haven’t changed how I handle daily life in order to avoid this situation in the future

I’m going to skip the part where I examine the deep psychological reasons for my messiness, or analyze my organizational abilities and go straight to the part where I realize that I am just lazy.

I have file cabinets, I have folders, I have cute little wicker baskets. Yet, all of my paperwork and coupons, and bills and junk mail, and random pieces of paper scrawled with illegible notes, and every other damned thing that comes into this house, ends up in a pile on or around my desk.

So, I’m finally doing something about it. I have a plan, and it starts with a new desk, and a new desk location.

I’ve been wanting a desk with drawers and more desktop space, and I want to move my office area to the foyer (which has more sunlight and a better view of the room where the girls play during the day). I’m hoping that starting my new office space with these particulars will help me feel like I’m starting fresh.

So, after months and months of kind-of looking, I found a desk last week, at the thrift store, right down the street from my house. And, after paying some nice gentlemen who I found on Craig’s List to pick up the desk and deliver it for me, my new desk was introduced to it’s new home.

The Desk - Before

Now, the next part of the plan is to paint the desk. Don’t worry, wood lovers, I feel your pain…and I assure you that most of this desk is, in fact, MDF or some other wood composite, and not really able to be refinished and stained. So, I’m going to paint it, give it a slightly distressed look, and move it to the long wall in our foyer.

Then, after that, comes the fun part…working on getting rid of all of the crap that I don’t need, going through all of those diaper boxes full of random papers, and clearing out everything that does not need to move with me to my new desk.

Ugh…that’s going to be so much less fun that thrift store shopping for the perfect desk.

And, because I want to keep myself on track using the threat of public embarrassment, I’m going to link up my journey of de-cluttering and organization with Morgan’s Thursday Purgeday.

Oh, and BTW, since Morgan didn’t post until Friday, it’s so totally ok for me to not post until Sunday

Tags: Thursday Purgeday
Posted in Furniture, Organization | 1 Comment »

Getting Started…Again

Monday, March 7th, 2011

Well, this marks the end of my first week back on the weight-loss wagon.

I’m actually really excited about this…and I feel like I’m really going to do it. I’m going to get down to my goal weight, and I’m going to stay there. I have to.

I went to Old Navy yesterday to try to take advantage of the Stock Up and Save sale, and, as always happens when I go shopping by myself, I tried on top after top after top and hated every single one. I walked away with two shirts for Kyla and some tank tops/under shirts for me.

That’s it.

I had a coupon and a great sale that covered most of the store, and I couldn’t find anything I liked on me except for tank tops that are supposed to be worn under cute tops that I don’t even have. I looked at my stomach and my “love handles” in the mirror and realized that I totally have a “spare tire.”

Ugghhh. I hate saying that. I have a spare tire…where my cute little mostly-flat stomach should be.

It’s just gotta go. I think I can deal with the big rear-end, but the spare tire just ain’t cuttin’ it. The thunder thighs aren’t really my favorite, but I think I can deal with them for now…if I can just do something with this stomach.

So, with renewed energy and motivation, I am going to tackle the shit out of my weight-loss goals. And by June, I am going to go shopping and buy at least three new tops that I absolutely love to wear and that I think look fabulous on me. That’s going to be my first mini-goal.

Now, let’s look at where we are as of right now. Here are my official starting stats:

McFatty Monday

3/7/11 (AM)
Weight: 138.5 lbs.
BMI: 25.48
Waist: 32.5″
Hips: 39.5″
Thighs: 42″

Change since last weigh-in:
Weight: gain of 3lbs
BMI: gain of .58
Waist: gain of .5″
Hips: gain of .5″
Thighs: gain of 1″

Total
I’m starting over on my totals. These are news goals, and they’ll be counted separately from the weight I lost last year (especially since I’ve gained almost a third of it back…ugh)

And, here is my progress on my goals from last week:

1. ~~Purchase the switch thing that will allow me to hook my Wii back up to the TV, get it hooked up~~
Done! Wii is hooked up, and all I have to do to play it is press a button on the switch…that is an example of something I love about technology.

2. ~~Document starting weight and other stats~~
Done! (See above)

3. ~~Start replacing all of the minor bad habits with light exercise (knock one minor bad habit out completely)~~
This is kind of a work-in-progress, but I’m happy to report that I have not bitten my nails at all, all week. I haven’t quite “replaced” any habits with exercise, but I have lightened up on some of the bad habits and started exercising again, so that’s a start, and I’m going to consider that goal met for the week.

4. ~~Work out on the Wii for at least a half hour, three times~~
Totally got it. Here are my work-out times:
3/1 – 78 minutes, 194 calories burned
3/2 – :37, 87 cal
3/6 – :46, 136 cal

5. Make healthy recipe list and add at least two really healthy meals to the dinner schedule
Ok, I did not do this one at all. We did have fish several times this week, and had vegetables with every dinner, so those are both positive changes. Oh, and we also ate all whole wheat bread and whole wheat pasta this week. Overall, I think we ate better, and did try to be more conscious of those decisions, but I’ll try to work on the schedule a little more this next week.

Here are my new and revised goals for what I want accomplish this week:

1. Make healthy recipe list (for real!) and add at least two really healthy meals to the dinner schedule

2. Work out on the Wii for at least a half hour, four times

3. Continue weeding out bad habits and replacing with exercise and other active choices. Do not back slide on nail-biting, and try to get rid of other “picky” nervous/bored habits.

5. Avoid snacks like the plague. One fattening junk food snack allowed every three to four days max, and only if I’ve worked out for more than a half hour that day.

6. And the big one…limit myself to one serving/glass of Coca-Cola per day.

Again, pretty lofty goals. But I can totally do it.

Tags: McFatty Monday
Posted in Postpartum Weight Loss | 2 Comments »

Super Savers

Thursday, March 3rd, 2011

Back to reporting on my couponing progress…primarily because I totally do not keep up with it if I don’t write it in the blog, and it’s really fun to go back and see how much I’ve saved.

I did alright this past week with grabbing some stuff we needed, but not going overboard on non-sale items. We’ve been doing pantry challenges quite often recently, and this was an in-between week, which meant that we had to stock back up on a few things.

I am not reporting on the trips to just buy diapers, because diapers are really in a class by themselves as far as our budget goes, and there haven’t been any really good coupons for them lately anyway (Proctor & Gamble, please hear my cry!)

Couponing

2/27 – CVS

17 items
What I Bought:
(2) Facial Tissue
(2) Laundry Detergent
(2) Dish Soap
(1) Paper Towels
(2) Power Toothbrush
(2) Toilet Paper
(1) Toothpaste
(1) Dental Floss
(2) Fish Oil Caplets
(1) Baby Laundry Detergent
(1) Baby Wipes

TOTAL SPENT: 39.97
TOTAL SAVED: 81.70

Savings Details:
(Manufacturer coupons: 31.49, Sale Pricing: 33.63, ECB redeemed: 16.58
ECB earned: 23.58
ECB Remaining: 7
Percent Saved: 67%

3/1 – Publix

No photos, because Kyla was at home and starting putting stuff away before I even got everything inside.

42 items
What I Bought:
(4) Frozen Garlic/Cheese Bread
(1) Frozen Fish Sticks
(4) Frozen Vegetables
(9) Refrigerated Canned Biscuits
(1) Bread
(4) Boxed Pasta
(2) Boxed Mac and Cheese
(1) Jar Spaghetti Sauce
(4) Canned Tomatoes
(1) Manwich Sauce
(8) Canned Vegetables
(1) Potato Chips
(1) Lotion
(1) Dental Floss

TOTAL SPENT: 33.40
TOTAL SAVED: 48.59

Savings Details:
(Manufacturer coupons: 5.70, Sale Pricing: 30.74, Store Coupon: 12.15
Percent Saved: 59%

3/2 – Publix

Again, no photos, because of my husband jumping the gun.

And, yes, I did go two days in a row…to get both last week and this week’s ad items, duh. Plus, they only do the Penny Item on Wednesday, so that is a must.

17 items
What I Bought:
(1) Bag of Tortilla Chips
(1) Cheese Singles
(1) Instant Oatmeal
(2) Boxed Frozen Fish Fillets
(1) Milk
(1) Package of Tiny Muffins
(4) Packages of Crackers
(1) Bread
(2) Popcorn
(1) Mayonaise
(2) Coke

TOTAL SPENT: 31.08
TOTAL SAVED: 35.44

Savings Details:
(Manufacturer coupons: 3.18, Sale Pricing: 27.26, Store Coupon: 5.00
Percent Saved: 53%

Totals: 3/4

Total Items Purchased: 76
TOTAL SPENT: 104.45
TOTAL SAVED: 165.73
Percent Saved: 61%

Tags: couponing for beginners
Posted in Couponing | No Comments »

This Little Piggy

Wednesday, March 2nd, 2011

This Little Piggy

My girls both love playing “This Little Piggy.” In fact, they adore it.

As soon as I grab their big toe, they’re already giggling. Even the one whose toe is not being grabbed will start giggling and squealing with anticipation for the rhyme to start.

And really, I cannot resist doing anything that will send them both into fits of laughter, because it is the greatest sound in the history of the world…my girls giggling their heads off, together, feeding off of each others’ joy.

It’s a good thing that they love it so much and make me melt into a little pile of Mommy-goo over the cuteness…because if their reaction to the little game was one of only mild contentment or reluctant acceptance, rather than pure and unadulterated joy, I would so never do “This Little Piggy” ever again.

See, I have always loved that game (I guess you call it a game…an activity, maybe?). I don’t have a foot fetish or anything, but there’s just something about the playing with of toes that seems so fun and silly.

But my husband (the butcher, meat man extraordinaire who also happens to have a deep love of sharing any piece of trivial knowledge he has ever heard in his life) pretty much ruined it for me.

This is the slightly paraphrased version of the conversation in question.

Ol’ Kyla Brown: You know what they mean when they say the first little piggy went to market, right?

Me: I guess he went to the grocery store to get some milk…I don’t know. I never thought about why he was going to the market.

Kyla: You know how we (“we” referring to the grocery store business) call the meat department “The Market.”

Me: Pigs eat meat, right? (Then I start babbling about how nursery rhymes use animals as people and allegory and other literary devices to make some kind of point, but I don’t know what the point here is, etc. etc. until Kyla interrupts me with:)

Kyla: *Hand meets forehead* Babe, the pig went to market as “the meat.” He didn’t just waltz on down to the store…he was probably already packaged up as bacon or pork chops.

Me: OMG NO!!! Why would you pull on a child’s toe while talking about a dead piggy?!

Am I seriously the only person who did not ever think about it like this? Does Kyla only know it because he’s got the inside track on the meat jargon?

And, more importantly, will I be depriving my children of an important part of childhood if I change the words to say “This little piggy went to Target?”

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