Tonight, after coming home from the grocery store, I went through my receipt to check the purchases made. That's when I noticed on the bottom of our receipt there was this very bold type face with letters all in caps stating: IMPORTANT RECALL NOTICE. Apparently, my children's favorite bars have been recalled.
Awesome.
They've been contaminated with salmonella.
Sweet.
We've only gone through approximately ten-ish or so boxes since when the company believes they were contaminated.
I'm so glad that since they WERE ON SALE we were able to really stock up on our favorite bars.
Don't worry, you can take in your boxes for a full refund. Oh, wait! We have no more boxes! Why? They've ALL BEEN EATEN.
Now what?
Friday, February 26, 2010
Monday, February 22, 2010
This Past Week...
1. The Girl only had a four day week. Thank you, Mr. Presidents.
2. I had a voice for only four of the seven days due to a tickle in the back of my throat for seven of the seven days. Not really sick, just annoying. My voice is back today, thankfully. Now, the kids can stop saying "What?" when I talk to them (which was NOT annoying at all). Also, they were clearing their throats for me, so I think that it was annoying for them too. The Little Man said to me, "When will your voice stop sounding so weird?"
3. We lived in a hypothetical world for a little while as The Girl tried to explain a new rule at school, and why it was put into place. Let's just say, "For example: She and a few friends (which she named with first and last names), for example, were working in groups on their homework, for example, and they could have been sharing their answers with each other, for example" She followed that up with, "That just could be why they said we can't work on homework anymore in the carpool lane because that was just an "example" of what could be happening." She wasn't sure though.
I think I am VERY clear on what was going on...first and last name.
4. I gave up Facebook for lent. I will still be posting stuff for Been Blessed, but socially, you will not see me there. If it seems like you haven't "seen" me there in a while, that's because you haven't. Prior to lent, I had grounded myself from the site for two weeks. I had a few days in between the two, in which I kind of caught up, but was mostly reminded why I should not be on the site for awhile anyway.
Moderation.
That's all I have to say about that.
5. We moved The Girl one step closer to bigger girl, and not so much baby girl. While I would love for her to stay little forever, the truth of the matter is that she is seven. While I feel pretty passionate about protecting childhood, and not letting kids grow up too fast, it was time.
Seriously, as all that above sounds so good, mostly, I got tired of her room being in a constant state of disaster. So, first step, was to get rid of her doll house style bookcase. The second step was to figure out where, oh where, all of her books would go. Lastly, it was time for The Girl to have her own desk for homework and such. Now that all of that is done, I wanted it to all stay organized and clean...at least for a little bit. So, part two was to use bribery. Honestly, people, the coveted Mother of the Year Award is not leaving this household for awhile.
She's been begging and pleading for a pet fish for about a year now. Actually, begging and pleading doesn't really begin to cover it. I, however, would prefer that we not have another pet in our home...forever. Yes, I know, goldfish hardly count as a pet, but oh, they so do. They still need to be fed and tank cleaned (if they live that long). It's the tank cleaning part I am not too thrilled about. They stink so bad. Soooooo, I told her if she could prove she was responsible enough to care for a pet she could have one. This responsibility includes personal hygiene (which she has to learn to do by herself), caring for her living space (Hello! Keep your room clean!), taking care of the things she uses (cleaning/picking up her toys and toy room, and taking care of her dishes), and taking care of things she cares about (making sure her homework is done promptly, doing flashcards, and feeding her dog).
At first, I thought this was a lot for her to take on, but she is seven now. Mostly, it's a lot for me to give up control over, and trust she is going to do the best she can. Whew! We did make a chart for her to have. This way she has a place to go check things off daily and make sure she stays on track. If she stays on track for one full month, she can have a fish. She's so confident that she has already decided where she will keep her fish and what kind/color she wants. As much as I want to step in and help, I am going to have to force myself to walk away and allow her to make mistakes. Not only will mistakes buy me more time in being a fish free home, it will also help her become more independent, and learn that when she makes mistakes it will cost a little. As a bonus, The Little Man "cleaned" his room. He thinks he'll be getting a fish at the end of all of this too.
Now, I am NOT going to check on her room, and see if she picked it up before she went to school this morning. She DID get all the way ready for school this morning without me riding, er I mean, helping her.
Oh! I almost forgot! When I was helping her get her room cleaned and organized yesterday, so she could have a fresh start and know what a clean room looked like (hey! it's been a while), she said to me, "Mom, you didn't look into that diary of mine that has animals all over it did you?" I assured her I didn't, but that I did put it into her desk. She came back with, "Good. I have some really private things in there that you should never know about."
Now, WHAT IN THE WORLD am I supposed to do with THAT information?
Seriously.
6. Last, but certainly not least, we had a return visit from this guy:
Oh, how I heart him.
2. I had a voice for only four of the seven days due to a tickle in the back of my throat for seven of the seven days. Not really sick, just annoying. My voice is back today, thankfully. Now, the kids can stop saying "What?" when I talk to them (which was NOT annoying at all). Also, they were clearing their throats for me, so I think that it was annoying for them too. The Little Man said to me, "When will your voice stop sounding so weird?"
3. We lived in a hypothetical world for a little while as The Girl tried to explain a new rule at school, and why it was put into place. Let's just say, "For example: She and a few friends (which she named with first and last names), for example, were working in groups on their homework, for example, and they could have been sharing their answers with each other, for example" She followed that up with, "That just could be why they said we can't work on homework anymore in the carpool lane because that was just an "example" of what could be happening." She wasn't sure though.
I think I am VERY clear on what was going on...first and last name.
4. I gave up Facebook for lent. I will still be posting stuff for Been Blessed, but socially, you will not see me there. If it seems like you haven't "seen" me there in a while, that's because you haven't. Prior to lent, I had grounded myself from the site for two weeks. I had a few days in between the two, in which I kind of caught up, but was mostly reminded why I should not be on the site for awhile anyway.
Moderation.
That's all I have to say about that.
5. We moved The Girl one step closer to bigger girl, and not so much baby girl. While I would love for her to stay little forever, the truth of the matter is that she is seven. While I feel pretty passionate about protecting childhood, and not letting kids grow up too fast, it was time.
Seriously, as all that above sounds so good, mostly, I got tired of her room being in a constant state of disaster. So, first step, was to get rid of her doll house style bookcase. The second step was to figure out where, oh where, all of her books would go. Lastly, it was time for The Girl to have her own desk for homework and such. Now that all of that is done, I wanted it to all stay organized and clean...at least for a little bit. So, part two was to use bribery. Honestly, people, the coveted Mother of the Year Award is not leaving this household for awhile.
She's been begging and pleading for a pet fish for about a year now. Actually, begging and pleading doesn't really begin to cover it. I, however, would prefer that we not have another pet in our home...forever. Yes, I know, goldfish hardly count as a pet, but oh, they so do. They still need to be fed and tank cleaned (if they live that long). It's the tank cleaning part I am not too thrilled about. They stink so bad. Soooooo, I told her if she could prove she was responsible enough to care for a pet she could have one. This responsibility includes personal hygiene (which she has to learn to do by herself), caring for her living space (Hello! Keep your room clean!), taking care of the things she uses (cleaning/picking up her toys and toy room, and taking care of her dishes), and taking care of things she cares about (making sure her homework is done promptly, doing flashcards, and feeding her dog).
At first, I thought this was a lot for her to take on, but she is seven now. Mostly, it's a lot for me to give up control over, and trust she is going to do the best she can. Whew! We did make a chart for her to have. This way she has a place to go check things off daily and make sure she stays on track. If she stays on track for one full month, she can have a fish. She's so confident that she has already decided where she will keep her fish and what kind/color she wants. As much as I want to step in and help, I am going to have to force myself to walk away and allow her to make mistakes. Not only will mistakes buy me more time in being a fish free home, it will also help her become more independent, and learn that when she makes mistakes it will cost a little. As a bonus, The Little Man "cleaned" his room. He thinks he'll be getting a fish at the end of all of this too.
Now, I am NOT going to check on her room, and see if she picked it up before she went to school this morning. She DID get all the way ready for school this morning without me riding, er I mean, helping her.
Oh! I almost forgot! When I was helping her get her room cleaned and organized yesterday, so she could have a fresh start and know what a clean room looked like (hey! it's been a while), she said to me, "Mom, you didn't look into that diary of mine that has animals all over it did you?" I assured her I didn't, but that I did put it into her desk. She came back with, "Good. I have some really private things in there that you should never know about."
Now, WHAT IN THE WORLD am I supposed to do with THAT information?
Seriously.
6. Last, but certainly not least, we had a return visit from this guy:
Oh, how I heart him.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Valentine's Love {Project Two Times Twelve}
So, remember at the beginning of the year when I was going through photos, and had thought that I didn't take enough of my own kids? Remember how I didn't especially like that feeling? Well, meet Project Two Times Twelve. Twelve months to take photos of two kids. Of course, I will still take snaps of the kids through out the year whenever, but at least once a month, I am vowing to myself to take more than just snaps. I am going to make a concentrated effort to document life, beautifully.
Since this month is all about Valentines and love, and as well as being totally frigid out, we were inside and doing studio style portraits. It's been a while since I have gone studio style with the kids, so we were due. I think I can safely say, that this will be the last time for awhile, as well.
Not because they were poorly behaved, or that it takes about an hour just to set up and tear down again (maybe that is part of it, actually), I just don't think it captures our lives. It's too set up. Too posed. Too Sears photo studio-ish (not that there is anything wrong with that). It's just too not what I was going for.
Hey! I had to do it wrong to find out that I wasn't doing it right. Now, the goal is to steer in the right direction next month.
Here's what we have this month:
It's been awhile since I have taken a pic of the two of them together. I love The Girl's gapped smile. By the end of the year, that will be gone, so I am glad I got it now...as crazy as it is.
Casual and cool, The Little Man:
She looks too old in these:
Next month: No studio!
It's time to capture life.
Since this month is all about Valentines and love, and as well as being totally frigid out, we were inside and doing studio style portraits. It's been a while since I have gone studio style with the kids, so we were due. I think I can safely say, that this will be the last time for awhile, as well.
Not because they were poorly behaved, or that it takes about an hour just to set up and tear down again (maybe that is part of it, actually), I just don't think it captures our lives. It's too set up. Too posed. Too Sears photo studio-ish (not that there is anything wrong with that). It's just too not what I was going for.
Hey! I had to do it wrong to find out that I wasn't doing it right. Now, the goal is to steer in the right direction next month.
Here's what we have this month:
It's been awhile since I have taken a pic of the two of them together. I love The Girl's gapped smile. By the end of the year, that will be gone, so I am glad I got it now...as crazy as it is.
Casual and cool, The Little Man:
She looks too old in these:
Next month: No studio!
It's time to capture life.
Friday, February 12, 2010
FYI...
The Jammie Day? It was fabulous.
We did in fact head out for dinner, though, to my mom's house. Guess what? I stayed in my jammies for that too.
It was a little awkward to be in my jammies in front of my sister's boyfriend, but that quickly subsided. Plus, he saw me in my Christmas Jammies when he hung with us on Christmas morning.
And afternoon.
And Evening.
Well, the whole day really. I never got out of my jammies that day either.
Jammie Days ROCK!
We did in fact head out for dinner, though, to my mom's house. Guess what? I stayed in my jammies for that too.
It was a little awkward to be in my jammies in front of my sister's boyfriend, but that quickly subsided. Plus, he saw me in my Christmas Jammies when he hung with us on Christmas morning.
And afternoon.
And Evening.
Well, the whole day really. I never got out of my jammies that day either.
Jammie Days ROCK!
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Valentine's Day, Batman, Wedding Rings, and Other Related Stuff
Both kids have their Valentine's Parties tomorrow. I had to wonder tonight, "Who have I become?" Somehow, I have shifted from just having the kids fill out cheap, ehem less expensive, little Valentines with their names on the "from" line and "friend" on the "to" line, to filling baggies full of heart cookies, lollipops, cards, and then tying it all up with a cute bow.
So what if the cookies were from the refrigerated section. I still had to break them apart and bake them!
I guess I thought since The Little Man's class only had thirteen kids in it, including himself, that it would be as good a time as any to get cute. I did feel weird doing it though. I can also say, with a reasonable amount of assurance, that it won't happen again.
I don't know why I am so grumpy about Valentine's Day this year, I did love it as a kid, but as a parent, it's just another one of those holiday parties when my kids come home all jacked up on sugar. They also usually bring a bag of more sugar home with them to keep them all ramped up through the weekend.
BUT!!
But, we do get a four day weekend.
LOVE that!
Please, let just ONE of those days be a jammie day!
I will close with these quotes from the kids that are completely unrelated to one another or the rest of this post (What? Did you expect this post to flow?):
The Little Man got a Batman book from the library today. As we were driving home, he was working his way through the book looking at all the pictures.
p: Oh my gosh, Mom! They even have a picture of the Laughter in here!
me: Huh? The Laughter? What do you mean?
p: You know, the mean guy with the big smile painted on his face.
me: Oh! You mean the Joker?
p: Ya! The Joker.
While The Girl played with a magnetized rock from her rock collection, she formed a ring and placed it on her ring finger.
d: You know, if you put a ring on your ring finger it means that you are married.
me: Oh ya?
d: Ya. I am just putting it on my finger now though to get some practice, and to let my finger get used to the feeling.
On her wedding day, you can call her anything but unprepared.
So what if the cookies were from the refrigerated section. I still had to break them apart and bake them!
I guess I thought since The Little Man's class only had thirteen kids in it, including himself, that it would be as good a time as any to get cute. I did feel weird doing it though. I can also say, with a reasonable amount of assurance, that it won't happen again.
I don't know why I am so grumpy about Valentine's Day this year, I did love it as a kid, but as a parent, it's just another one of those holiday parties when my kids come home all jacked up on sugar. They also usually bring a bag of more sugar home with them to keep them all ramped up through the weekend.
BUT!!
But, we do get a four day weekend.
LOVE that!
Please, let just ONE of those days be a jammie day!
I will close with these quotes from the kids that are completely unrelated to one another or the rest of this post (What? Did you expect this post to flow?):
The Little Man got a Batman book from the library today. As we were driving home, he was working his way through the book looking at all the pictures.
p: Oh my gosh, Mom! They even have a picture of the Laughter in here!
me: Huh? The Laughter? What do you mean?
p: You know, the mean guy with the big smile painted on his face.
me: Oh! You mean the Joker?
p: Ya! The Joker.
While The Girl played with a magnetized rock from her rock collection, she formed a ring and placed it on her ring finger.
d: You know, if you put a ring on your ring finger it means that you are married.
me: Oh ya?
d: Ya. I am just putting it on my finger now though to get some practice, and to let my finger get used to the feeling.
On her wedding day, you can call her anything but unprepared.
Saturday, February 6, 2010
My Adorable, Green Loving, Fashionista
It's becoming evident that we are going to have to hop off the gravy train called "The Cousin's Hand-Me-Downs" for The Little Man. I didn't expect that it would end until much much later on down the road, like when the boys stop growing, since they are a year apart in age. However, The Little Man started on a growth spurt oh, about a year ago, and has literally not stopped since. He is now often confused for a five to six year old. Since that is the age of the cousin we are getting hand-me-downs from, this poses a problem.
At first the shopping for clothing for him was kind of painful. I haven't had to spend money on clothing for either of my kids (The Girl also has an older cousin)! Then, I started getting into a groove. Yesterday, I can say, I actually enjoyed myself. There is some fun in being able to choose the clothing your kid is going to wear for the season (we were shopping for summer...oh yes, yes, we were.). Also, I loved getting to see what The Little Man would pick out for himself. Compared to The Girl, he is much more of a fashionista.
Shocking, I know.
He really likes green right now. So, pretty much any time I gave him a choice between a few items of clothing, if it had green in it, he picked that one. We came home with these shorts.
Oh, yes we did.
We'll make it work.
I think the highlights of the trip were: 1) when I tried to find a shirt that would better match a pair of shorts he chose (no not the green plaid ones), I ventured into the toddler section. You would have thought I had committed some horrid act. "I don't wear clothes from here! These clothes are for babies!" he told me. and 2) While trying a few things on in the dressing room, The Little Man took a look at himself in the mirror. There he was in a shirt and his Batman underwear. He took in a deep breath and proclaimed "I am ADORABLE!" He even summoned me to take a look because, "Mom, I am just so aDORable!"
He was adorable.
Humble, no. Adorable, yes.
I am looking forward to many more shopping trips with my new shopping buddy.
At first the shopping for clothing for him was kind of painful. I haven't had to spend money on clothing for either of my kids (The Girl also has an older cousin)! Then, I started getting into a groove. Yesterday, I can say, I actually enjoyed myself. There is some fun in being able to choose the clothing your kid is going to wear for the season (we were shopping for summer...oh yes, yes, we were.). Also, I loved getting to see what The Little Man would pick out for himself. Compared to The Girl, he is much more of a fashionista.
Shocking, I know.
He really likes green right now. So, pretty much any time I gave him a choice between a few items of clothing, if it had green in it, he picked that one. We came home with these shorts.
Oh, yes we did.
We'll make it work.
I think the highlights of the trip were: 1) when I tried to find a shirt that would better match a pair of shorts he chose (no not the green plaid ones), I ventured into the toddler section. You would have thought I had committed some horrid act. "I don't wear clothes from here! These clothes are for babies!" he told me. and 2) While trying a few things on in the dressing room, The Little Man took a look at himself in the mirror. There he was in a shirt and his Batman underwear. He took in a deep breath and proclaimed "I am ADORABLE!" He even summoned me to take a look because, "Mom, I am just so aDORable!"
He was adorable.
Humble, no. Adorable, yes.
I am looking forward to many more shopping trips with my new shopping buddy.
Monday, February 1, 2010
From Cartoons to Reality TV
In order to be fair, here's a little 4-1-1 on The Girl.
First, she has been seven now for exactly 28 days. Do you remember last year when this happened? Do you remember how sad I was that her face would be forever changed because the new teeth growing in would be so much bigger? Do you remember how this sadness drove me to frantically take pictures of my girl even though her teeth were just barely hanging in her head?
Well, since that day, she has lost a total of EIGHT teeth! They, indeed, have grown in bigger, but she is still my baby girl, and the change in her face is not as dramatic as I thought it was going to be.
Either that or I have just gotten used to it.
She can't pick a favorite show right now. She loves them all, but top on the list is Biggest Loser, Survivor, Cake Boss, the Planet Earth series, and How It's Made. There are a few more, but I'll stop there so that I don't embarrass myself by revealing the quantity of reality TV that is watched in my house.
In my defense, can I just say that it is winter? It's not like we are at a time of year when we can enjoy the great outdoors without feeling like we are going to freeze to death. Also, The Girl doesn't get home from school until an hour before it is dark out. That doesn't leave much time to play outside.
Speaking of school, The Girl still loves going to school and being with her friends. This year is proving to be much more difficult. There are some difficult and interesting dynamics happening in the classroom, and we pray for these each night. It's hard as her mother to watch some of this happen, but I know and trust that this will build her up and prepare her for other situations later in life...or the next year...whichever. That's about all I can say without being too specific.
I will tell you very clearly and specifically, The Girl HATES math homework. That's about all I have to say about that. Oh, except because of this, I too HATE math homework. It's not that she can't do it, or that she doesn't understand it. It's just that she doesn't want to do it. Because really? If there is an option of word problems, a subtractions fact sheet, or an episode of the Cake Boss, I can tell you hands down which one comes out on top.
And just to quickly wrap this up:
Her favorite food: Bertolli
Current Sport: Basketball
Favorite Activity: Collecting and caring for bugs
Favorite Toy: Kirsten her American Girl Doll
Room Status: Always a wreck...it's hard to keep things clean when you have so much reality TV to watch...
First, she has been seven now for exactly 28 days. Do you remember last year when this happened? Do you remember how sad I was that her face would be forever changed because the new teeth growing in would be so much bigger? Do you remember how this sadness drove me to frantically take pictures of my girl even though her teeth were just barely hanging in her head?
Well, since that day, she has lost a total of EIGHT teeth! They, indeed, have grown in bigger, but she is still my baby girl, and the change in her face is not as dramatic as I thought it was going to be.
Either that or I have just gotten used to it.
She can't pick a favorite show right now. She loves them all, but top on the list is Biggest Loser, Survivor, Cake Boss, the Planet Earth series, and How It's Made. There are a few more, but I'll stop there so that I don't embarrass myself by revealing the quantity of reality TV that is watched in my house.
In my defense, can I just say that it is winter? It's not like we are at a time of year when we can enjoy the great outdoors without feeling like we are going to freeze to death. Also, The Girl doesn't get home from school until an hour before it is dark out. That doesn't leave much time to play outside.
Speaking of school, The Girl still loves going to school and being with her friends. This year is proving to be much more difficult. There are some difficult and interesting dynamics happening in the classroom, and we pray for these each night. It's hard as her mother to watch some of this happen, but I know and trust that this will build her up and prepare her for other situations later in life...or the next year...whichever. That's about all I can say without being too specific.
I will tell you very clearly and specifically, The Girl HATES math homework. That's about all I have to say about that. Oh, except because of this, I too HATE math homework. It's not that she can't do it, or that she doesn't understand it. It's just that she doesn't want to do it. Because really? If there is an option of word problems, a subtractions fact sheet, or an episode of the Cake Boss, I can tell you hands down which one comes out on top.
And just to quickly wrap this up:
Her favorite food: Bertolli
Current Sport: Basketball
Favorite Activity: Collecting and caring for bugs
Favorite Toy: Kirsten her American Girl Doll
Room Status: Always a wreck...it's hard to keep things clean when you have so much reality TV to watch...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)