Life in the Farm

Saturday

Up early ~ pumpkin muffins and coffee ~ vacuum crumbs off kitchen floor ~ Meijer super sale ~ laundry ~ leaf raking ~ gutter cleaning ~ work on 6 month letter and pictures for J ~ taco salad for lunch ~ car wash ~ more laundry ~ play with Little People ~ NAPS! ~ Nate to work ~ Max & Ruby ~ library ~ it's warm out! ~ autumn sausage casserole for dinner ~ dancing in living room ~ Lex to bed ~ Nate home ~ more laundry ~ Sasha meltdown ~ Sasha books ~ Sasha kisses and hugs ~ Sasha to bed ~ super quick trip to Target alone! ~ silence!

My living room looks like this...

One of those days

Really, it's sort of been one of those weeks.  One of those weeks where life as a mom isn't the most fun.  We've got a ton of sick friends, which has resulted in cancelled playdates and our best buds not making it to school.  And you know that when everyone around you is sick, it means it is only a matter of time before your family has it too! 

We've had a week of disrupted naps and so much crankiness as a result.  I was SURE that today was the day Sasha was going to get the rest she needs so badly, but an hour into her nap, the chimney fix-it people came and started pounding right outside her window.  Once I heard them I knew it was over and I caved and allowed Sasha to watch two more episodes of Max and Ruby.  Because it was 2:00pm on a Friday and it's all about survival now people!  (I hid in the kitchen and ate chocolate chip cookies while she watched).  This has also been a week of early wake ups, still resulting from the time change.  Now I know I can't complain too much, because early for Sasha is 6:45am, and there are plenty of kids who are up at 6:00am ready to rock and I am grateful I'm not dealing with that.  But you get used to a 7:45am wake up time and suddenly you aren't so good humored an hour earlier.  Nate can attest to my lack of good humor this week!

Let's see, what else?  We went on a walk after lunch and I decided to be responsible and close my garage door (which I rarely do when I go on walks) and we get back all ready to head in for naps when we find out that the battery on the keypad is dead and we are locked out.  Thank goodness for husbands who are easily found and have flexible jobs that allow them to drive home in the middle of the day to push their garage door opener. 

Then add on a Sasha who dumps out her breakfast smoothie and smears it all over the counter and floor while I am upstairs getting Alexis, who eats the last of her pretzels then turns the bowl over to be sure that all the leftover salt gets in the carpet (how did that bowl get in the living room anyway?), who colors her hands and face with marker, who eats her playdough, and is really into screaming at me when she doesn't like what I say.  Gotta give Alexis some credit too, for loads of nasty diapers (thanks solid food!), also deciding that she loves to scream, and for suddenly becoming a master spitter-upper.  Then let's just make it more fun by adding on the clutter in my house that is paralyzing me.

Don't worry, I say this in jest (sort of) because believe me, I know this is par for the course. And I know that there are so many other moms out there doing the same thing I am.  But sometimes it's fun to complain!  Bring on the weekend!

Miracle

It's a pooping miracle!  Sorry for the poop talk, but this is the big event around the Cole house today.  You may remember from here and here that Sasha caught onto the potty training thing pretty fast.  She stopped wearing diapers on a full time basis back in March and only wears them for naps and bedtime.  The reason she still wears them at those times is because she has a major poop issue.  As in she doesn't want to use the toilet.  As in she holds it all day until she takes a nap, then lets it fly the second her diaper is on.  The majority of the advice I heard was to just wait it out because she will do it when she is ready. 

That was my plan, until I got sick and tired of it after about 6 months. (I lasted 6 months of being cool as a cucumber about it, not bad!)  Then I decided I would show her who was boss.  My master plan was to remove the option of diapers and just force the issue.  Well, one day we had a serious showdown and it occurred to me that there was no breaking the will of this strong-willed girl, at least in the realm of poop land.  She is way too smart and way too stubborn.  I came to the conclusion (after talking to smart friends) that it wasn't worth going to battle every day all day and to go back to my plan of waiting it out. 

Fast forward a month later.  Sasha started asking to have a diaper put on her when she had to go at a time that wasn't naptime.  I complied.  Then the next day I told her she had to stand in the bathroom when doing it.  Then today, I told her she had to sit on the potty.  She considered putting up a fight, but we called Daddy and he talked her through it.  (Have I mentioned he is the BEST?)  She sat on the potty with a diaper on and pooped.  There was much rejoicing and M & M eating.  She said tomorrow she will do it without a diaper on.  Even if she doesn't, this was a major step in the right direction! 

Time to get a reader!

So I found this video today on one of my fave blogs.  I am a little obsessed with telling people that they need to get a reader (RSS feed) for their blogs.  I'm not bossy...I just like people to save time, right?  It's all because I care about YOU!  I got my dad all set up with Google reader when he was here and maybe it will catch on in the fam!  (I'm a Bloglines girl myself, Nate does Google).  The only bummer about using a reader is that unless you go to the actual blog, which you probably won't once you see how sweet a reader is, that the blog doesn't get a hit.  So I won't know you came to visit, because technically you didn't.  Unless you feel a strong desire to comment, in which you would go to the blog to do that.  So comment, people, or I won't know you came!  And if all of this is confusing, check out the video...

couponing update

Since I clearly am going to be in need of blogging topics this month, today I'll post about my latest coupon strategies.  Like most of the phases I go through, couponing has also calmed down a bit.  Partially this is because of the arrival of Alexis and the fact that it takes a lot more for me to get motivated to make several trips to different stores and haul a toddler and a baby along.  But the other part is that I have a pretty darn good stockpile of items that I got for free or very cheap, so I just don't need to purchase as many things each week.  I am still completely amazed how my approach to shopping has changed over the past year and how much money it has saved me.  Other than buying produce and milk and maybe a few other things, I can go weeks without needing to go grocery shopping, and still have food to feed the fam.  So, basically I just add to my stockpile each week and keep a look out for only the very best deals. 

My new favorite savings strategies are Target's price matching policy, which got me some very cheap cereal and granola bars last week, and allowing the CVS pharmacy to pay me money each month.  Just tonight Nate bought a prescription for 5 dollars and they gave him a gift card for 25 dollars.  (We do that by using the Rite Aid transfer coupons that CVS will honor.)  I am so giddy each time I do this.  I know the smartest move would be to only use that money for things I absolutely need, but every now and then I splurge and buy a pint of Ben and Jerry's.  I know, I live on the edge, don't I?  For anyone who wants to learn more about how to overhaul your spending with coupons, go visit Laura and she will tell you all about it!  :)

November's Challenge

I was reading dear Sarah's blog this morning and was reminded that it is NaBloPoMo.  I have not participated in this in the past, but I think this is the year!  You know, cause I have all this spare time and nothing to do with it!  So I am officially signed up and it turns out I could win a prize.  Sweet.  I have a feeling there will be lots of picture posts, cause blogging every day for an entire month is a lot.  I don't know if I have THAT much to say.  We'll find out!  But since I am still recovering from Halloween, here are some thoughts:

1.  I LOVED Halloween this year.  It was so fun doing all the activities and watching Sasha actually Trick or Treat for the first time!

2.  I do not look forward to the day when I don't get total control over the costume choice.  I am a bit of a control freak (works well with a toddler, didn't you know?) and lets just say I have some opinions on costumes!

3.  it was great having my parents here to be a part of it.  We had several occasions where we dressed the girls up and my mom got quite good at getting that horse on the cow girl.

4.  We had more Trick or Treaters than ever before....I believe the count was 160.  We also bought less candy than ever before, so we sort of ran out.  We started giving out Sasha's candy (our least favorites of course!) to the kids who came by.  A very good strategy, I think.

5.  Speaking of candy, this was Sasha's year.  I refused to let her eat any last year (she didn't even know what candy was back then) but it couldn't be avoided this year.  We let her have a couple pieces and then I told her it was all gone, which it pretty much was anyway.  And then I hid it in a brilliant place...right next to my bed.  This worked until this morning when Sasha went to climb on my bed to do a little jumping (yes, I allow this) and she said "Hey!  My pumpkin!"  I was busted.  I told her she could have a piece later today and hopefully she will forget about it!

6.  Speaking of moms eating their kid's candy, I am all for it.  What I am not all for is moms who bring their own bag along when Trick or Treating with their kids and get it filled up too.  I didn't actually see this, but my mom who was handing out candy said it happened several times.  Isn't that annoying?

Okay, let's end this list with some more pictures!  Some live shots of the Zoo Boo and Trick or Treating...

 

 

Halloween!

My parents are on the plane, the girls are in bed, and we are about to find a movie to watch.  But I know you are just dying to see some pictures of the girls in their Halloween costumes, right?  Here are a few...

Alexis the butterfly.  (You may remember this costume from here.)

 

Sasha the cowgirl

 

 

photo shoot with the fam - Todd and Allie just don't appear on this blog enough, do they?

 

More to come!

The Grandparents Have Landed

Grandma and Grandpa K are here for their annual fall visit.  So far they have done lots of Sasha entertaining and Alexis holding.  I don't know what it is about my dad and babies, but Alexis thinks he is hilarious.  I remember Sasha did too at that age (not that she still doesn't think so!).  I have never heard Alexis as vocal as she was yesterday, her personality is coming out like crazy.  We were all in the car on the way to the Zoo Boo last night and we had Sasha yammering away as usual and Alexis "Ga-ga-ga-ba-ba-ba'ing" and Nate and I looked at each other and we were like "We will never have a quiet car ride again!"

The Zoo Boo was really fun, I would definitely do it again next year.  It helped that it was about 70 degrees outside.  I'll post some pics of the Zoo Boo and the costumes later, but this will do for now...

Example of Alexis holding (she is wearing a "My First Halloween" outfit - thanks Kelly!)

 

Example of Sasha entertaining - you would not catch me out in this weather but Grandma will go!

Sasha and Julie

Yesterday it was so beautiful outside so we had to take advantage of it.  Thankfully the Webbers were up for a little play time!  Sasha and Julie were being their adorable selves and I did my best to capture it on film, but they move too quick for me!  Plus they aren't fans of looking at the camera and smiling when I want them to.  Here they are taking a little break from our walk to pick Matt and Kayla up from school...

And now for a little dancing...

Doing a little "stick writing"

Important discussion

 Matt, Kalya and Alexis aren't pictured because Alexis was practially asleep and Matt and Kayla move WAY too fast for me.  I'll have to get them next time!  Thanks for a fun afternoon Webbers!  :)
 
 
 

where I take strange pictures

I love, love, love making my own baby food. I loved doing it for Sasha and I had been looking forward to making it for Alexis too.  I thought I remembered a previous blog post with me gushing about my love for homemade baby food and I looked around for it for awhile.  I didn't find exactly the post I remember, but I talked about it a little here.  Anyway, this time around has been even more fun because I am a little more confident about what I am doing.  So far Alexis has had sweet potato, bananas, peaches, pears, nectarines, butternut squash, acorn squash, asparagus and avacado.  She has eaten everything very willingly!  I really need to get going on some more green veggies, but I was mostly doing what was super cheap at the store the past month.  I was making some asparagus this morning and thought the bright green color in the white ice cube trays was seriously beautiful (I am a strange one) so I took a picture.  And while I was at it, I took a picture of my squash in it's freezer bag.  As usual, the pictures don't do it justice, but wouldn't you love to eat this yummy stuff?