A real mom's mom.....

Well here we are, 2 days before the kids start back to school...can I get a little; "WOO-HOO"!?
Actually we've had a great summer and I really enjoyed our time. But it is time for the hectic crazy days of school! I'm looking forward to, almost looking at it as a challenge waiting to be conquered. I find myself psyching myself up for it, how sad is that? I've cleaned and organized everything imaginable this past weekend in the hopes of becoming a well managed mom-you know the typed the one who is always on top of it all. The ones that have 5 kids, work full time, go to school, volunteer at the school and manage the soup kitchen...and somehow always have their nails freshly manicured and look like they just stepped off the run way. I HATE those moms! I am the mom who drives her kids to school in her pajamas, I don't get out of the car though. There are times they got off the bus in the afternoon though that I am still in the same PJ's. My goal this year is to be the OTHER mom. I want to be the mom who has the laundry done, dinner ready and time to volunteer at the kids school. I've even told Wes that I want to start getting up with him in the AM...for those of you that don't know that's 5:30AM...and I'm NOT, I repeat NOT a morning person. But that hour before the kids wake up, could really be the key to it all....oh, who am I kidding? The key to it all is speed, legal or illegal speed! LOL! Maybe I will just live on energy drinks and start smoking? hmmm....I wonder what June Cleavers secret was?


Okay so I friend of mine was giving this by a friend when she got married...

Bridal Show-1950 vs. Now

1950's Guide to Marriage
1. Have dinner ready: Plan ahead, even the night before, to have a delicious meal - on time. This is a way of letting him know that you have been thinking about him, and are concerned about his needs. Most men are hungry when they come home and the prospects of a good meal are part of the warm welcome needed.

2. Prepare yourself: Take 15 minutes to rest so you will be refreshed when he arrives. Touch up your makeup, put a ribbon in your hair and be fresh looking. He has just been with a lot of work weary people. Be a little gay and a little more interesting. His boring day may need a lift.

3. Clear away the clutter: Make one last trip through the main part of the house just before your husband arrives, gathering up school books, toys, paper, etc. Then run a dust cloth over the tables. Your husband will feel he has reached a haven of rest and order, and it will give you a lift, too.

4. Prepare the children: Take a few minutes to wash the children's hands and faces if they are small, comb their hair, and if necessary, change their clothes. They are little treasures and he would like to see them playing the part.

5. Minimize the noise: At the time of his arrival, eliminate all noise of washer, dryer, dishwasher or vacuum. Try to encourage the children to be quiet. Be happy to see him. Greet him with a warm smile and be glad to see him.

6. Don't greet him with problems or complaints. Don't complain if he's late for dinner. Count this as minor compared with what he might have gone through that day.

7. Make him comfortable: Have him lean back in a comfortable chair or suggest he lie down in the bedroom. Have a cool or warm drink ready for him. Arrange his pillow and off to take off his shoes. Speak in a low, soft, soothing and pleasant voice. Allow him to relax and unwind.

8. Listen to him: You may have a dozen things to tell him, but the moment of his arrival is not the time. Let him talk first.

9. Make the evening his: Never complain if he does not take you out to dinner or to other places of entertainment; instead, try to understand his world of strain and pressure, his need to be home and relax.

10. The goal: Try to make you home a place of peace and order where your husband can relax.

~NOW THE UPDATED VERSION FOR THE 2009 WOMAN: ~
1. Have dinner ready: Make reservations ahead of time. If your day becomes too hectic just leave him a voice mail message regarding where you'd like to eat and at what time. This lets him know that your day has been crappy and gives him an opportunity to change your mood.

2. Prepare yourself: A quick stop at the "LANCÔME" counter on your way home will do wonders for your outlook and will keep you from becoming irritated every time he opens his mouth. (Don't forget to use his credit card!)

3. Clear away the clutter: Call the housekeeper and tell her that any miscellaneous items left on the floor by the children can be placed in the Goodwill box in the garage.

4. Prepare the children: Send the children to their rooms to watch television or play Nintendo.

5. Minimize the noise: If you happen to be home when he arrives, be in the bathroom with the door locked.

6. Some DON'TS: Don't greet him with problems and complaints. Let him speak first, and then your complaints will get more attention and remain fresh in his mind throughout dinner. Don't complain if he's late for dinner; simply remind him that the leftovers are in the refrigerator and you left the dishes for him to do.

7. Make him comfortable: Tell him where he can find a blanket if he's cold. This will really show you care.

8. Listen to him: But don't ever let him get the last word.

9. Make the evening his: Never complain if he does not take you out to dinner or to other places of entertainment; go with a friend or go shopping (and, of course, use his credit card).

10. The Goal: Try to keep things amicable without reminding him that he only thinks the world revolves around him

Okay....here is MY version!

1-Dinner-ask him to pick a rotisserie chicken up on the way home and whip up some instant mashed potatoes.

2-Prepare yourself: brush the cheerios out of your hair, throw on some clean clothes and run the vacuum so it at least LOOKS like I did something besides cruise facebook all day-there I said it, I admit it!

3-Clear away the clutter-toss all the diet coke bottles and spray some febreeze so the room smells fresh.

4-Prepare the children-woops forgot to get them from school this afternoon…make a quick trip to go get them before the school calls.

5-Some don’ts…don’t set the bar too high your first few years or they will bite you in the ass for the rest of your life. Do complain if he’s late for dinner, after all he was to bring the rotisserie chicken home!

6-Make him comfortable-clear your laptop and your people magazine off the couch so he can sit on the couch, while you re-heat the chicken.

7-Listen to him-AKA tune him out. I find this is easiest done while watching Greys Anatomy and imagining he’s McDreamy.

8-Make the evening his-the kids, the dogs, the laundry….they are all his!

9-The goal…there really isn’t one.

10-Remember that all of this is a my attempt at humor! It's not really how we live our life...well not all the time!

Where has all the money gone? Oh, we ate it!

My family has not been affected much by the recession. In fact we live in an area that is often referred to as "recession proof". My husband (God bless him) is in the Marine Corps. It means we can rely on a steady pay check, we know exactly how much he will be making every pay day. It also means we live in an area with other military families, so we aren't affected as much by layoffs in todays economy, because the military doesn't "fire" it's service men and women. But, the downside of being a military family sometimes means that we aren't 'rolling in money'. My husband doesn't get over time (even though he typically works over 40 hours a week), and we don't get 'Christmas bonuses'. More often than not, when you hear about military pay raises it equates to no more than about $70 more a pay check. Soooo...even though we aren't affectd much by the recession, we are a budget conscious family.
There are 5 of us in our family. My husband and I, and our 3 children ages 8,6 and 4. As I've said, my husband is in the military and I stay at home with the kids. One of biggest monthly bills is our grocery bill. I feel like we are just spending WAY to much! I typically go grocery shopping every 2 weeks (every pay day) and spend about $250 each grocery trip. This wouldn't be too bad except we find our selves making improtu runs to the store for things that we find ourselves needing here and there, and these little jaunts are adding up to an extra $100 every 2 weeks. This is where our savings are dwindling.
I've recently taking on the art of coupon clipping once again. So far I have decided...coupons suck! I shoulnd't say that, but have you noticed that coupons aren't what they used to be? It used to be you could actually get coupons in your Sunday paper for grocery items, it seems lately that all you get our ads aand coupons for thigns like slippers, Chuck E Cheese, and thigns you wouldn't normally dream of buying. There are sites though that supposedly help you to find the coupons you use and need more often. I've joined couponmom.com which I find way too garbled with ads and links to other sites. But the site is free. There is another site called grocery game.com, this site does charge a fee ($10 every 8 weeks) but appears to be better organized. They offer a 4 week trial period so I am going to look into it a bit.
So here are it goes with living frugal on a budget...eek!