Money Probs

Money problems always stink no matter how you look at it. Unfortunately we need it to survive. Our money problems have definitely evolved since having children. First it was because we were young, married, and trying to make ends meet. Now it’s because of these creatures we live with. Oh sure everyone tells you kids are expensive. Yeah ,yeah sure, whatever.  I began to think they were liars because our babies were actually pretty cheap right? Free breastmilk! Seemingly lifetime supply of diapers and wipes from all those wonderful showers. And the clothes? Dang people love to pick out clothes for babies! But then they began to grow. No one buys clothes for your kid when they get to a size 4T!(besides their sweet Mimi) No one told me that. And shoes. They grow a shoe size every time I turn around. Either that or they throw one of their shoes at a random location when my head is turned and we have to buy a new pair anyway. Ahem, E. My hubby acts like “those kids really need more clothes and shoes??” Poor thing doesn’t understand either.  And it has nothing to do with my obsession with Carters and Gymboree so don’t look at me that way.

Oh and those diapers I thought would last until they were potty trained? 6 months tops. Now instead of changing that precious bottom every time they go, the name of the game is see how long we can get out of that diaper before it actually falls off their little bottom from the weight of it. Don’t judge. And go figure, after they’re done breastfeeding and begin to eat food, they begin to eat you out of house and home! Now instead of money probs because we are irresponsible with it and go out to eat all the time or get an occasional pedi, or buy a new cute Easter dress for myself, or whatever, now we drop a small fortune at Publix every week! I’m talking they should personally thank us for helping their stocks go up (I don’t even know if that’s how it works but you get the idea). Growing boys are expensive to feed! And don’t you know that you have to feed them all the time?? They’re constantly hungry. Every time I turn around I’m like I need to feed ya’ll again?? And by the way, people who say eating healthy doesn't have to be expensive are just not telling the truth.  We’ve dedicated our family to mostly clean eating and it’s not cheap. Not to say we don’t have a Goldfish habit. Pretty sure they aren't "clean" but try to tell J and E that.

So because of the commitment we have made for me to be a stay at home mama, we depend on one income to constantly feed those monsters we call our children. And I try really hard not to think about the fact that in a short few years from now they will both be teenagers at the same time and thinking they eat a lot now is pretty much a joke. Yikes!

Wouldn’t have it any other way. (Most days)

PS: Anyone else notice that all my posts involve Publix in some way? Weird.

Blessings,

L

Piss and Vinegar

Okay so I don't usually use words like "piss" but special circumstances call for special words. My mom used the phrase "full of piss and vinegar" growing up. It refers to the behavior of small children or pets that can be somewhat disconcerting to their others. (Now let's be clear, it was used when describing my brother, not me.) To those like my hubby who are unfamiliar with the term, some synonyms would be: Rowdy, boisterous, full of youthful energy, ornery, trouble maker, stinker; characterized by getting into everything, becoming like a mini human tornado and destroying everything in sight, and generally driving someone nuts. This is one of the phrases I used with Little E this morning. Little E just happened to wake up this morning full of piss and vinegar. He also fits the description of Stitch in Lilo and Stitch. She tells him " This is your badness level. It's unusually high for someone your size."All before about 9:30 AM, here is some of the mischief he got into.

Photo Cred: Pinterest

First thing, he was contentedly eating his cereal and grapes in our room until I didn't hear him anymore. I heard something in the kitchen and not wanting to get up myself, and not being able to force hubby to go check, I sent the 3 year old. "Go see what your brother is doing." J comes running in saying "He got into the cat food! And he dumped out all the powder!!" Oh no. Under the usually locked cabinet under the sink where I keep the cat food, comet with bleach, and antibacterial wipes. He had dumped out almost the whole can of Comet. UGH! As soon as that was cleaned he quickly moved on to the ink pen and notebook. He loves to draw. This time it was all over himself. J said "Looks like E drew a snowflake on his tummy!"
Among other things, he also dragged the chair over to the counter to reach the bug spray,emptied out the medicine container, dumped out cupfuls of bath water onto the bathroom floor, and peed in the tub. Oh wait, that's a regular occurrence, guess I can't count that one. He is quick. And before you're able to recover from the last thing, he's moved on to the next.

See Little E is what hubby and I call a Sour Patch. You know those commercials where the sour patch kids do something terrible and then something sweet that totally endears the person to them? Like kick you in the shin and then come give you a kiss? That's Little E. He does all these crazy, frustrating antics and then he literally does it with the sweetest most charming smile. He looks at you like "What? Aren't you just as pleased with what I did as I am?!" And then he comes and hugs your leg. Dang that kid is cute! We believe God made him that way so we wouldn't strangle him. God's smart like that. 

Video Cred: Youtube

Crazy Old Diaper Lady

Our sense of smell has a very strong influence on the way we think about and remember things. Smells can take us back to our childhoods, remind us of people and places we haven't even thought of in years. My sense of smell is particularly strong. I can smell things from really far away and pinpoint what it is with surprising accuracy. It's a gift and a curse. Just imagine what it was like for me when I was pregnant! And imagine what it's like to be my husband! "Eww don't come near me, I know you had garlic at lunch!" Or, "Ooh honey smells like fresh cut grass, you've been mowing the lawn?"

Confession time.Promise not to judge? I'm pretty sure I have a problem. A diaper problem. Like I love to smell diapers kind of problem. And no not dirty ones, I don't have THAT kind of problem. But since we're on the topic, I sure have sniffed for a poopy diaper a time or two or a thousand. What mom hasn' t?! No these diapers have to be fresh. And not just any kind of diapers, but Pampers diapers. Have you ever smelled a Pampers diaper? They smell like all things beautiful and precious about babies. They smell like clean, powdered baby bottom. I have been known to open a new bag and inhale deeply and smile. My hubby probably thinks, "what the heck? Oh whatever, it's just one of her quirky things." I love to smell them because they remind me of my baby. Because that's what he smells like! I just love it.

You know those little old ladies you see in the grocery store? Maybe it's just me because we are always there in the morning and it's only old people there. But you know who I'm talking about. Pushing that cart, shuffling down the aisles, getting their tuna fish and crackers and whatever else little old ladies eat. She always stops when we come down the aisle. It doesn't matter how unruly my children are being she's always smiling, never judging like others might. She says "what sweet boys!" She may even be bold enough to reach over and pinch their cheeks or tickle their chubby feet. I always smile and nod. These ladies delight in seeing little ones because sadly, they are by themselves most of the day. It may just be the highlight of their day to go to the store and pinch some stranger's baby's cheeks. And bless their hearts, those sweet old ladies have their own crazy quirks too.

Fast forward 60 years or so. I AM THAT LADY. I am the crazy, old, diaper lady. Because I am old and have lived my life. My hubby, God rest his soul has passed on (sorry babe) and left me alone. My children are all grown. My grandchildren are scattered. No little ones are there to throw all the stuff out of the cart, to insist on getting the eggs himself and subsequently break a half dozen, to yell and beg for candy at the checkout. So I shuffle down those aisles alone with my cart and stop in the baby section. I walk to the diapers and I shakily reach for a bag of Pampers. I look around to see if anyone is watching. I debate whether to track down that young mother two aisles over and ask if I can smell her baby's bottom. I think better of it. So I slowly inhale the delicious scent. Mmmm. Clean, powdered, baby bottom. And all those memories come rushing back like they were yesterday. Memories of snuggling a newborn close while they nurse. Memories of countless diaper changes. Memories of being peed on when you least expect it. Memories of cuddling with a toddler before naptime. Memories of a little one running around the house in only a diaper. Smelling that smell and remembering my babies when they were babies. And I smile. God bless the Pampers company. And now I'd love to know how many of you went and smelled your baby's diapers?

Blessings,
Lynsey

Hello There!

This is my official entrance into the world of blogging! Most of my “readers” (feels so cool to type that!) will already know me, but on the off chance there’s someone out there reading who doesn’t know me personally, allow me to introduce myself. I am a 27 year old stay at home mama of two sweet and busy boys - our little 19 month old who I will refer to as “E”, and our 3 –almost- 4 year- old who will be “J”. I am married to my high school sweetheart for six years, with a background in elementary education, currently using it on my kids. I am unapologetically a Christ follower, which makes me a conservative republican (gasp!) and yes I do have some strong views and beliefs, grounded on the Bible. Some adjectives that could describe me: perfectionist, book nerd, passionate, loving, impatient, hard worker, mama, short tempered, giving, wife, daughter, daughter in love, sister. When I look at all those things, seems like they can’t possibly be the same person. Oh but they are!  We are all a very interesting mix of so many things- our upbringing, our genes, our environment, and our beliefs among other things. Thank the Lord He continues to sanctify me and change me to be better all the time!

So it brings me to the topic of this blog. Like some of my Facebook friends would know, I have gone back and forth about starting a blog for a long time. Being an insecure female at times, I kept telling myself that there are so many mommy blogs out there, better known, better written, more humorous, etc, etc. So who would want to read mine? But I kept feeling a tugging at my heart to do it. And I always liked writing in school and really love reading, especially other blogs. I think they connect us somehow, especially us stay at homers who need to connect with another human who isn’t asking you to come “do some wiping action” from the bathroom.

 Some sweet friends and family encouraged me to start to write and I decided to go for it! After all, everyone has a story. And everyone’s story is different and can touch people in different ways. See, I know that as a stay at home mama really funny and crazy and sweet and frustrating things happen every day. And I always have the urge to share. Share the joy, share the exhaustion, share the laughs, share lives! Because after all isn’t that what life and relationships are for? Sharing it with each other? So I hope you take this motherhood journey with me and that you enjoy it. And keep in touch with me and let me know what you think!

Oh and for those of you who are just DYING to know why we chose the title of the blog, “Swordfights and Cheerios”: Sword fights because our child adores sword fighting. And shooting. And just plain fighting. His favorite characters are always the villains. Captain Hook, Zurg, heck even Al  from Al’s Toy Barn can be subject matter for our boy’s make believe games. For those of you who aren’t familiar with all things Disney, Al is a character from Toy Story 2. See, while all your precious little girls are fawning over Elsa and Anna and trying to be like them, dress like them, sing like them, my child is trying to hunt them down to capture and harm them. No joke here.  I’ve been wondering if I should be worried about this. Is my child going to grow up to be a psychotic murderer?? Is he never going to have friends because he scares them all off with his pirate talk, his incessant bang bang noises, and his roaring?? Will he grow up to be a sweet, humble, man of God in spite of the scariness that is being a 3 year old little boy? Lord I pray so. At least we know he has a great sense of imagination right? So anyway, there’s the sword fighting piece. And oh the cheerios. Every morning. It’s a requirement of the morning routine that he get his “cereal, milk, and juice”. It’s amazing where you will find these cheerios. In our bed, under our bed, smashed in the carpet, scattered all over the house. I think it’s a game for little E to find lost ones and eat them no matter how old and gross they are. And so, these two seemingly random things go together to showcase just a little of our parenting lives.

Blessings,

Lynsey