J.O.B.

Whew! We made it through our first week of my working. Can you really call it a job if you only put in 12 hours a week? If you get paid for it, you can.

We had two really good days this week. The first day was a little more hectic, with more kids in my class and Mr. P. not doing too well in his. Today was much more smooth. Both days, to my immense relief, we were ready to go in plenty of time to stop at Sonic for a Diet Coke, a must for a good day! Also, I managed to get out of cooking both nights :) Always a good thing.

The Princess seems to find it the most odd that Mommy has to go to work! She can't stop saying it, but as with VBS the past two years, she seems proud too. G-Monkey is just happy to be able to finally go to a "school" after two years of watching big sister leave her behind. We have been having some behavior issues with her again at home but DH and I brainstormed and we have some good ideas to deal with it. Hopefully, things will get a little easier soon.

As for me, I am proud too. I really stressed about this decision. I really don't feel like P is ready to be in a childcare situation but I knew the girls would love it and with me teaching it is free for them so I agreed to try it for the summer. I really like it and I am pleasantly surprised. I don't remember ever having a job I liked, even on the first day. But, I like this one. The days fly by, the kids are precious. The questions are - what will a bad day be like? And, should I continue in the fall or stay home as planned? I didn't think it would be a hard decision but it looks like it might...

Economic Thoughts...I had to go there!

I've been having economic thoughts...have you? Here is a little of what I've been thinking about in no particular order. This was brought on by the fact that I spent every last dollar of my weekly grocery budget on Saturday and didn't get everything I needed...seriously, like diapers.

1. I should have planted a larger garden! Our spinach died (it was overtaken by the tomatoes which are flourishing monster tomatoes!) and it now costs close to $4 a bag at the grocery store. Do I try to replant, spend $16/month on spinach or do without fresh spinach in our salads? When you are lucky enough to have kids who love spinach shouldn't you feed it to them?

2. What are people doing that are living in debt or on a fixed income or make minimum wage or don't know how to tighten their belts? This is the first week I've noticed a big difference but I know there are people out there who are really hurting.

3. How bad will it get? Are we talking recession or depression bad? Or just more of the same?

4. What are some things you are doing or planning on doing? I've seen some great ideas while blog hopping such as combiing errands to save gas... I am planning on driving less, buying less, eating out less, being less wasteful, buying in bulk and using my freezer more and cooking more from scratch as it is cheaper and healthier. I tried shopping at the local farmer's market but it was more than the grocery store and when I got it home half of it was rotten.

I would love to hear some ideas of what works for you or see links to helpful sites.

Random Thoughts...

I can't believe I never blogged about our trip! I'll just say that it was a lot of fun. The girls didn't fight once while we were gone (like they are fighting now!). It was a much needed break for me. At one point we were all five around this little table in the kitchen just laughing and having fun and I thought, this is what it's all about. I think it really helped us that there was no tv reception. I'm betting that families were closer when there wasn't a boob tube to stare at. I wish I could be brave enough to get rid of ours but I'm not. I like tv too much. We have discussed upgrading our cable service so that we can just dvr the shows we like and not waste time flipping channels....but what would we do for fun?

Anyway, we loved the trip and can't wait for the next one. Princess A and I loved the history we saw. She really got excited to hear that some of her "people" were history makers in Texas. We even visited Round Top, a town that some of our ancestors started. I can't wait to take her to the Alamo and let her see the names of our relatives on the memorial there...

We all enjoyed Blue Bell and I discovered a new favorite flavor...Birthday cake. I realized I hadn't tried a new flavor since I was a little girl and tried pink bubblegum at Baskin Robbins...I need to get out more!

Mr. P. seemed to enjoy the miniature horses the most. I never knew he liked animals so much. I foresee lots of zoo trips in our future.

The G monkey says she liked it all! And, I really think she did. She never seemed bored and except for around nap time her behavior was great. I also noticed that she really bonded with Daddy this trip and came home more of a Daddy's Girl than ever!

Daddy and really all of us had a lot of fun fishing. We made some great memories!

Now it is time to get back to routine and a new start for us. I'll be starting teaching MDO next week. I think it will be great for the girls to have this to do over the summer but I am worried about P and me. I'll let you know how it goes...

Exploring Texas

Pictures From the Last Few Days

Last Days and First Days

The last days of school were soooo busy but very fun. Princess A had her end of year party on Thursday. I was brave and took the little ones with me to watch for a few minutes. They did well considering that it is very hard to be 3 and not allowed to participate! Mr. P loved it though. There was a dj playing songs from the 80's and he loves to dance! I remember at one moment thinking that when I was in Catholic school in the 80's we weren't allowed to listen to Madonna and here she was playing at a kindergarten party...I felt really old!

As the day went on I realized that the G-Monkey still wasn't acting like herself...she had a fever and some tummy troubles and she ended up vomiting on Friday morning! She is fine now and didn't require a doctor's visit but she is still really tired and we are all paying the price with her tantrums.

The last day was really exciting for the princess. Daddy went that day to James Avery and bought her a "real" necklace that she loves. So far, she only takes it off to bathe. That night we took her out for dinner. I wish I could say it was fun but everyone was exhausted and NOT on their best behavior. Next time I will be the parent that says - let's put this off - instead of trying to just fit it all in.

The weekend was just a regular weekend. We tried to rest but the girls fought a lot and we ended up wishing we had kept them busier. Lesson learned.

Monday was very nice. We had the Princess' first (in a really long time) Grandma Day that included lunch at a favorite restaurant and a visit to MeMaw's and PaPaw's. Last night the Princess lost her second tooth and looks so cute! I was really worried that she would look snaggle toothed but she just got cuter - how is it possible?

Today we stayed home but I tried to keep them busier. We had a nap time! All three kids asleep at the same time! We started the summer allowance system and I think the girls are pretty excited about it. They each have a paper and whenever they help with a chore (and finish it) or make a really good choice they get a sticker. Each sticker is worth 10 cents on payday. The only thing is that the Princess already asked if she could have a sticker for getting her sister a yogurt out of the fridge. My response : I'm not going to pay you to be nice to your sister. We'll have to see how this goes... By the way - the reason they wanted yogurt is that they refused the dinner I made them. Yes, Mom, I am getting paid back in spades. I can hear you laughing from here!

Check back next week for pictures from our trip. We are so excited to take our first family trip with all three kids! Pray for us!