Kitchen Updates, No Naps, and Boo-Boos

It was a busy day for us.  Steve and I have been working really hard around here doing simple remodeling projects.  Currently we are working on the kitchen.  We are stripping, sanding, and staining the cabinets, painting the walls, and updating the counter top.  We hope to have everything done before Kaysen's birthday party. 

In the mean time, the boys refused to nap today.  So guess who is going to bed EARLY (like before 7pm) while mommy and daddy paint the kitchen/dining room?!?  And of course, lack of sleep means my boys are clumsy and cranky.  To keep them busy, Steve was wrestling around with them.  Caleb wasn't watching where he was going, and he ran right into the computer desk.  OUCH!

Poor baby.  His head is just starting to heal from where he fell on the concrete a few weeks ago.  At least that one was on the other side of his head.  After the pain went away he was up and running around again, begging for daddy to chase him and wrestle.  Total B-O-Y!

A Typical Sunday

Today was a typical Sunday.  It was the day to meal plan, the day to make out my grocery list, and the day to sort out my coupons.   The boys played while I drank my coffee and Steve made breakfast.  Then he went to work and we had a pretty easy day here at home.  I've decided to treat us out to Chinese tonight after the boys go to sleep for a little "date night".  It will be nice to just sit and be together.

Here's a recent picture of me and the boys.  It was just taken this morning.

I'm off to clean up the house and pick Steve up from work.  I hope it's an easy evening.

Saturday Reflections

Chatterboxes

Caleb's speech has EXPLODED over the past 3 weeks.  This little guy went from having a handful of words and a few basic signs to over 300+ words, sounds, signs and phrases.  Not kidding.  It was like something just clicked with him.  He has so much confidence and it makes me feel so good when he tries to pronounce a new word.  He is repeating words that we say to him, babbling on his own, and using phrases when he needs something from me.  Now instead of crying or whining that he needs something, he comes up to me and says, "Mom, banana"  or "Mom, more please".  Or, "No No No Kaysen!"  He is trying to spell the letters in his name and pronounce numbers while pointing at objects.  I am so proud of my little 2 yr old.  I can't believe he is getting so big.

Kaysen is a little chatterbox too.  His new thing is the word "this".  He points to everything, looks at me, and says "this".  Then I tell him what it is.  He also loves snakes.  We gave him a little rubber snake and that child is so attached to it.  He will carry it around in his mouth around the house.  When I ask him what it is he will say "sssssssss".   I think he's up to about 5 or 6 words now.  He likes to roar like a lion too, which is really cute when you are reading to him.

Fall is Approaching

It's sad that the days are getting shorter now.  It's only 8pm and it's so dark already.  I guess that means that it will be time for me to start going back to the gym on a regular basis.  (I took some time off because I was spending so much time outside and just didn't fit it into my day)  I have only been there a few times in the last month and a half.  Not a good excuse, I know.  But I have been exercising so much here at home that I didn't see the point of going to the gym as much.  I take the boys on almost daily walks around the neighborhood and we are very active during the day.  I'm curious to see how much weight I have lost since I made it there last...   

BBQ Chicken

Mmmmm doesn't that sound so good?  Well, it smells so good too.  I'm trying out a new recipe today.  Actually I think it's so easy that you can't even call it a recipe.

PULLED BBQ CHICKEN SANDWICHES

Chicken (frozen/dark meat/bone in)

BBQ sauce

Put chicken into a crock pot and cover with BBQ sauce.

Cook on low 8-10 hrs.

Pull meat off bone, shred, and put on hamb. buns

ENJOY!

I think instead of putting making them into sandwiches I'm just going to pull the meat off the bone and serve it beside home baked fries and maybe corn on the cob.  Sounds really yummy and the smell is driving me insane!  I got the chicken at .59 a pound for the whole chicken.  I used the white meat last week in a crock pot dish and I'm using the dark meat today.  I paid $2 and some change, and it is enough to feed our family twice.

It is becoming easier and easier to stay within my weekly grocery budget.  I recently switched to the cash envelope system for all our expenses and it is the greatest thing that could have happened to our budget!  Why didn't I do it before?!? 

Here's what we do.  At the beginning of every pay period I sit down and write out our budget for the next two weeks.  It was difficult for me in the beginning to take the time to budget this often.  But now that I've been doing it for a while it has became really simple to do.  I already know what our bills are and when they are due, so that is first.  Then I write down my weekly expenses for EVERYTHING I need to buy for the next two weeks, go to the bank, and withdraw cash.  The cash gets categorized and put into envelopes.  There is a category for everything:  Play money for going out to eat, groceries, gas, things like that.  Once the money is gone from the envelope, it is gone.  And we cannot spend any more in that area until pay day.

I'm going to share my grocery budget, just because I think it is amazing that we can do this and still have plenty of food in the house.  I allow myself $50 a week for groceries and $10 a week for all the household/baby items I need to buy.  ($200-$240 per month)  Household budget includes everything from stamps, my Sunday paper, cleaning supplies, personal hygiene, bathroom products, paper products, baby wipes and diapers, etc.  I never spend my full $60 a week.  I actually made it through the past two weeks by just spending $25 a week on groceries.  I'm pretty picky on what we eat too.  Bread has to be 100% whole wheat.  Milk has to be skim (except for Caleb and Kaysen).  We can go through 4-5 gallons of milk a week between all of us.  And watch out for little Kaysen!  That kid can eat!  Sometimes I think he eats almost as much as I do. 

One day I will get into more detail about my coupon adventures.  But for right now I'm going to go stir my chicken and pick up the toys laying around while my boys try to fall asleep. 

A much needed HAIRCUT

Caleb FINALLY got his hair cut today.  He looks so handsome and grown up.  Steve wanted me to trim the back of Kaysen's hair too but I didn't.  As soon as I have to cut his hair it means that my little baby is gone.  It is getting really long in the back.  Maybe for his first birthday....
Anyway, here's my little man. 

The boys wanted to get out of the house so we went to the mall for an hour or so today.  It was really quiet because all the kids just recently went back to school.  We had the entire mall to ourselves.  We stopped at the bookstore and the boys played for a few.  Then we let them run around in the kid area of the mall.  Overall, a really calm day. 

I have to say that I really like creating my own blog.  It is fun to grab my camera and snap some pictures of the boys in their day to day life.  And I'm shocked at how easy it is to put together too.

Great Weather!!

Steve has the day off today so we had the opportunity to go outside and work a little in the back yard.  The boys were so happy to just go outside and play.  I pulled some weeds and Steve continued digging out the stone path we are making from our back door to our garage.  The weather is so nice.  It's a perfect day to just enjoy the summer.

My bushes have been blooming for a few weeks now.  These poor things were less than a foot tall at the beginning of spring because my dog chewed them down.  They hit a growth spurt and now look great!

ICE CREAM

Last night we took the boys out for ice cream.  They love our little family nights together.  They kept turning their heads when I tried to snap a few pictures, but I was able to get a couple.

How far can you stretch $5?

I love a good bargain.  I consider myself a fairly frugal person and I enjoy finding ways to stretch a dollar.  One of the challenges I set for myself over the past 2 weeks was to see how many things I could actually buy with only five dollars. (not including tax)  Well, I'm on week #2, have over half of my money left, and the list is still growing.   I'll post my list now and then update whenever I finally reach my goal of $5.  It may take a while...

(5) Air Wick Freshmatic I motion starter kits
(3) Skintimate Shaving gel
(2) Gillette Fusion Power Razors
(2) Bags of Ceser Dog Treats
(2) Bottles of Listerine Zero
(2) Crest ProHealth Toothpaste
(3) Chef Michael 3oz moist Dog Food
(10) Right Guard Deodorant
Blink Tears
Pilot G2 Pens 2pk
Pilot Easy Touch Pens 2pk
(2) Dawn Dish soap
(4) Sobe Lifewater
Arizona tea
(2) Travel size Shout Wipes
Travel size Tide Detergent
Travel size Right Guard
Eraser

My Total So Far:  2.17   Yes...  Two dollars and 17 cents
Total left to spend:  2.83

MY BOYS

It is amazing how fast these two grow every day.  They are constantly learning and changing and surprising me with how much they know.  It's hard to believe that they will soon both be toddlers.

Caleb is my quiet perfectionist.  He is extremely smart, loving, independent, and quite stubborn.  He helps me around the house with our daily chores and he warns me if his brother is getting into trouble.   

Kaysen is my tiny chatterbox.  He adores his brother wants to copy everything he does.  Including getting into all of Caleb's toys.  He is very attached to mommy and babbles words to her all day long.  He loves to chew on anything he can get his little fingers on.

                                                                                                        

                                                                     

Puppy Dogs and Polka Dots

My first blog post.  I have to admit, I'm really excited.  Besides the fact that I really have no clue what I am doing when it comes to this whole BLOG thing.  But I will learn as I go along.

I guess I will start by explaining my blog name PUPPY DOGS AND POLKA DOTS.  Puppy dogs represent my 2 boys, Caleb and Kaysen.  It represents everything that is pure b-o-y!  From dump trucks to footballs, dirt and rocks, puppy dogs and building blocks.  It is the person I become when I am a mom.  Polka Dots represent me.  It is what makes me who I am, outside my 2 boys.  From coupons to the outdoors, to my husband and our home.  It is the part of me that is not just a stay at home mom, but the things I love to do that allows me to just be me.  And the balance of these two things, puppy dogs and polka dots, pushes me to be the glue that holds our family together.