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Archive for September, 2016

Finished Training for the Exercise Class I Teach

September 28th, 2016 at 12:07 am

Last weekend was a whirwind and the rest of this month promises to be as well...

So last Friday and Saturday all day I was in a recertification for the exercise class I teach (Bodypump). I was so tired, so spent! It was like doing 3 classes in a row each day. And when it was all over... I got a cold! I think I was just too exhausted. I spent the day in bed today. I am the kind of person who can't handle not doing something so it was hard.

This weekend... F has a sleepover birthday. She's one of just a few kids invited - it's her best friend's b-day. And a soccer game on Saturday.

The following weekend - hope it's low-key! We are going over to the house of someone I know (but we're not close friends) so I can help her with her deck. Also she runs a non-profit in town and I want D to get to know her since he wouldn't mind doing work for them again. She's a really nice person, so I'm happy to help her, but it's good for D, too. And F is good with little kids, so she can entertain their son.

Then - my closest friend is getting married! We found the ballet flats for F. She's a 6 1/2 (same size as me!!!).

Next weekend - another sleepover, another soccer game! Yikes!

I have to buy some birthday presents, but I have over $100 in the "gifts for others" category.

Other exciting news:
- Mortgage is down to $25,849.56. Below 26k! But it still doesn't feel exciting for some reason. When will it feel exciting?

My List!

September 18th, 2016 at 01:52 am

I have LOVED reading everyone's 20 things... I am not sure there are 20 interesting facts about me... But I will give it a try!

1. My daughter and I are currently doing mother-daughter aerials (trapeze and silks) together!
2. Everywhere I've ever lived is jam-packed with tourists! (Los Angeles, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Santa Fe NM and Dublin Ireland)
3. My 11-year-old daughter is just about my height and wears the same shoe size (I am short).
4. I would prefer to only wear pajamas.
5. My birthday is Halloween (I will be 50 this year!)
6. I have big, wavy, static-filled, crazy-person hair like early Hermione Granger. But only 6 grey hairs so far!
7. I have designed about 12 fire stations.
8. I have an uncontrollable potty mouth, particularly while driving.
9. I hate shopping.
10. I tend to wear my clothes until they shred (see #9)
11. My daughter and I play a game called "Would I Drive that to School" and I would not be embarrassed to drive pretty much anything.
12. I draw a cartoon for my daughter's lunch every day.
13. I can't carry a tune. At all. But I sing often!
14. I wore a uniform in high school and LOVED it (see #9 again)
15. I love animals; we have a dog, cat and bird, but I'd love a goat and chickens and a rat...
16. I don't like soda. Yuck.
17. I love cutting the dog hair off of the vacuum roller. So satisfying!

OK, I got to 17... that's enough, right?

Shopping and Food Planning

September 5th, 2016 at 10:29 pm

Very mellow Labor Day... I did the shopping but other than that, we've all just stayed in. F is exhausted from her soccer tournament and her allergies are acting up.

I went to the store and spent almost exactly $100 for the week. I did buy some things that were two-for-one at Sprouts which will be eaten in future weeks (soup, rice). So that's a pretty successful weekly shop. I also got gas for the week (even when my car isn't empty I fill up after I do the grocery shopping on the weekend because I don't have time during the week to fill up - it takes a lot of stress off of my week!).

I also bought toilet paper at Target (got a $5 gift card with my two packages). And clothing for F in the next size up: two pairs of long leggings (it's already getting cool), long sleeved tshirt, cami and a fall jacket. The hand-me-downs for this age are pretty rare because they seem to wear things until they are threadbare. Also F is tall, but really thin, and the girl that she used to get things from is not the same shape. Actually the only girls her shape/size are on her soccer team... maybe I should make friends with the moms on a slightly older team?

Meanwhile, I have some old soccer shorts to hand down. I do know a lot of those moms, so I need to think about which of those girls has like a 10" waist and can fit in those ridiculously small shorts.

Here is the menu plan for the (short) week:

M - frittata and toast (I know; this isn't really Labor Day food)
T - fish, broccoli, rice and sauce
W - pollo pibil and black beans and salad
T - pasta carbonara and peas
F - Soccer Team party - baked potato bar - each family is bring some toppings or a dessert or fruit
S - tostadas

And for F's lunches (you know I do this on a spreadsheet, right?):
- chicken strips (from Trader Joe's, I make in the morning and put in the thermos to stay hot), salad with ranch, melon, veggie chips, caramel/cashew cluster from the bulk bins - this is in lieu of the school's overly-expensive hot lunch
- turkey wrap, cucumber and dip, peach, chips and salsa, cookie
- burrito, carrots and dip, watermelon, rice crackers, cookie
- slice of pizza from the freezer (leftover), snap peas, grapes, rice crackers, cookie

Her snack is usually some trail mix or cheese and crackers or some pineapple chunks.

Do you have a plan for your child's lunch?


The "Need to Buy" List

September 4th, 2016 at 02:10 pm

Today is Day 2 of the soccer tournament. I've already packed a lunch for me and F; D is in charge of his own (although I did a big tupperware full of watermelon for all of us, and there's a piece of cornbread I made last night waiting for him to take).

One thing I can say for soccer tournaments: it is a frugal day out! Except for the hour-long heart attack I have while F is playing her games, it is super fun as well. The families on her team are all friends. We love hanging out with each other, and it's a good time to catch up.

We need to leave at 9:15, so I have a couple of minutes to vacuum the den and bedroom and to dust before I take a shower. That just leaves a little bit of housework for this evening.

What I really wanted to talk about was my "need to buy" list. Do you have a list like that? There aren't a lot of things on it, but as we move into winter, I can see how I need to budget a little bit for some planned expenses:
- new tires for my car (I think I need two)
- snow boots for F (she grew out of the old ones)
- waterproof pants for F (same problem)
- faux ugg boots (bear paw boots) for F (still the same problem)
- new brush for F (she used her friend's brush on the school overnight and loved it, and said she could brush her own hair, so that's a plus)
- maybe a new kettle but that could definitely wait - it's fussy - doesn't always heat up and you have to jiggle it a little bit

My mother called last night to say she bought a new car yesterday. Hers was almost 10 years old and had 60k miles; that's what my car has and it's completely fine! Anyway, a car is not on my "need to buy" list and hopefully won't be for a long time!!

Lots of Updates

September 2nd, 2016 at 11:20 pm

Lots of updates to report!

- D's dad - the social workers (or whatever they are called in the UK) finally determined that D's dad couldn't stay in D's sister's house. Finally! He is in nursing care now, and they will determine if he can be out on his own again (he can't). D hasn't talked to his dad in weeks because his sister was out of town, and the phone doesn't work in the room his dad was staying in. There was a woman who lives in a van on their property who was popping in to feed D's dad while they were away; I am amazed that this was an acceptable arrangement. No one there with him, and he didn't have the ability to make calls. In the move to the care facility, somehow D's sister lost the ipad charger D got for his dad, so he doesn't have an ipad either.

- Our nephew - We are still trying to make arrangements with D's sister for our nephew to come stay for a few months. Everyone is excited about this, but as you can tell, D's sister isn't that great at making plans. New tactic: we look for possible tickets, and if they ok an itinerary, we make the arrangements. D's mum is going to pay for the tickets.

- F's anxiety - So, so much better. She just did an overnight with school and had a GREAT time! The teacher texted me yesterday afternoon to say F was doing well, which was so nice of her.

- Soccer Tournament - F's team is playing in a tournament this weekend (2 games Saturday, 2 Sunday). This is always difficult because I usually clean house on the weekends, and do the shopping. Also - we don't want to succumb to eating out just for convenience - too expensive!! D stopped by the store to pick up some sliced turkey for sandwiches. We have chips and crisps and fruit and string cheese and cookies. We'll be fine this weekend.

- Meal Plan - the tournament messes with the meal planning a little bit, too. Tonight is pasta and red sauce with oven-roasted brussels sprouts. Tomorrow - ???. Maybe a freezer meal? And then I can plan next week. I'm assuming I can shop on labor day.