LiterallyVague

2013-05-12T23:39:00.001-05:00

2013-04-08T21:51:00.001-05:00

Stuck a Fork in It

2012-10-03T20:55:00.003-05:00

Crock pot dinner #2 turned out better than last night's porkchops (which were good but I think I'm going to try that ranch/cream sauce on chicken next time). I have only found one recipe (so far) that I like for chicken breasts and that includes mayo (fatty). I think its a texture thing. The chicken can not seem to get moist enough for me, even in the crock pot. Tot3 seems to agree with me. He is my semi-vegatarian. He will only eat steak or hot dogs. My wallet does not like the steak.

I did barbeque chicken in the crock pot with a new recipe for the sauce which was really good. And it was easy. Husband put the thawed chicken in the pot and then poured the sauce I mixed up last night before bed.

The hard part was I found a delicious looking recipe for chedder and herb biscuits that I wanted to do because my family would eat biscuits every night if I bought them. I am all for convenience but waiting for dough to rise or using 6 bowls for separate incorporation instantly shuts me down. We usually do the cresent rolls from Pillsbury but I only buy two rolls a week in order to incorporate variety. These were pretty good, even if they weren't as pretty as the picture. Next time I think I will add the suggested two cups of cheese and double the garlic. We are not a huge fan of garlic but I could barely taste it.

I would like to thank Stick a Fork in It for dinner tonight. I'm on my third biscuit!

Pinterest of the Day

2012-10-03T20:32:00.001-05:00

Edible Tea Cups via Stevie Phillips

Who has that much time? If you do, please come to my house. I have 3 pages of to do's that you can help me with!

Seriously, though, I could do this Pumpkin Decor via Brandi Maze:

and will when we get pumpkins for the year. I got a hook this year for Jason's Mother's Day present of flowers which died.

From Airplanes to Potties to Girls

2012-10-03T20:01:00.002-05:00

"I need to get big and strong and be like daddy so I can jump from an airplane!"

***

"Why is that man dancing? I don't like when men dance! I only like when girls dance!!"

***

"I saw airplanes today but there were no bathrooms."
I ask, "Where do the people who fly the planes go potty, then?"
"They have to stop and go in the ocean."

Bellyacher

2012-10-02T22:12:00.002-05:00

Dinner prepped for tomorrow
Crock pot cleaned and waiting for husband
Snack set for school
Coffee ready to be pushed "ON"
Shower done
Clothes laid out for work tomorrow

Yes, I really suck that bad in the morning.

What's for Dinner

2012-10-02T12:11:00.000-05:00

I had planned on working today but my supervisor called on Friday to cancel. It all worked out in the end because child9 would've missed orchestra because husband has to work tonight. He would've had to stay up till noon to take tot3 to school and then crash till 5pm. I would've been home by school pick up but on Tuesday's both of us have to go to school to pick up a kid. One drops the other off at the elementary school and picks up child9 and takes him to the middle school. The other waits for tot3 to get out of pre-k five minutes later. Now husband can sleep and help with the afterschool activity. Bonus: I get an extra day to get through this hacking cough.

So crockpot dinner it was and still is because it sounds like a rather good idea so I don't have to feel rushed when we get home around 4:15 (dinner needs to be done by 5 at the latest).

Smells good so far but it is the first time I have used ranch dressing in a recipe:

Ranch House Pork Chops

We'll see how mine looks soon!

Pinterest Weekly

2012-10-02T11:57:00.003-05:00

Okay, I have sufficently dug myself out from under the mound of tissues. Sick kids are the worst because the nurse gets sick and then the second kid will get sick and the nurse will get sick again just as she got better. I am 7 days behind on Pinterest Posts of the Day, and who knows what else, so here is my top 7 for the week:

1. Corkboard inside the cabinet doors for more note usage. I don't think I'd do it. I'm afraid that the paper would fall off because of the kids shutting the cabinets too hard. Neat, nonetheless.

via Brenda Bell

2. Bacon. Enough said. Oh wait. Turkey... *Drool*

via Robin Tater

3. My Handprint Calendar Something I'm thinking about doing for the grandparents this year for Christmas. Last year I did the VistaPrint deal of $4.99 for a 12 month calendar of the kids.

via Kristi Ackerler Sullivan

4. Cake and rum. Yum.

via Malori Seegel

5. Easy and cheap for fall snacks or a Thanksgiving dessert to pass.

Burt Christina Corley

6. Holy Cow! Rock wall. Great idea. We don't have a two story house but this is really awesome! Of course, I would prefer if there was some way to make it look safer.

via alison yunker

7. Quick Apple Crisp. You had me at "quick".

via Facebook this morning.

Conversations of a 3 Year Old

2012-10-02T11:09:00.001-05:00

"I want toast and cheese!" he exclaims.
"Okay, let me finish cooking dinner," I reply.
"Why are you cooking dinner now?" he asks because it's only 10:30 in the morning and lunch should come before dinner, of course.
"So we can go to the park after school," I answer.
"Yay!"
"Can you get me the cheese out?" I ask about five minutes later.
"Sure!"
I begin toasting the bread and ask without looking at him. "Where's the cheese?"
"It's hiding!"
"Oh, no! I can't cook without the cheese!" My voice is full of fake exasperation.
"Here, it is!" he replies as he pulls it out from under him.
"Yay!" I exclaim and melt the cheese sandwich in the microwave.
"Oh, no! I only have one arm!" he shouts two seconds later from his booster seat. He has hidden one arm behind his back.
"Oh, no! I guess you'll have to eat with your toes..."
"Yep!" he agrees. He switches arms, then says, "I only have one arm again!"
"Hey, that's the other one! I guess you'll have to eat with your elbows," I joke.
"Yep!" Two seconds later he raises both arms into the air and he says, "Look, I have two arms now!"
"Yay! Do you want squares, triangles or rectangles?" I ask.
"Ummm....two triangles, please."

I cut the sandwich diagonally and proceed to roll up his long sleeve shirt in an attempt to save it and not have to change him before school starts. He whines, "Why are you rolling my sleeves up?"
"Do you want to change your shirt again?" I ask because he just had a bath.
"NO."
"That's why I'm rolling up your sleeves. We don't want to get cheese or juice on your shirt, right?" I explain.
"Nope."
I get a cup of fruit out of the pantry and hear more indiscernable whining. "What's wrong?" I ask. "Talk to me. I can't understand that."
Looking devasted, he holds his arms out to me. "My sleeves are up."
"They have to be up." We both sigh and then I ask with hope, "Can we take it off and put it back on after your done?"

He nods slowly and thankfully eats, shirtless.

Pinterest of the Day

2012-09-25T20:46:00.001-05:00

via Wendy Baiamonte

Seriously. Someone honked at me today when I was at the long red light. My husband would've stopped in the middle of the intersection and then slowly crept through it to make the person behind him mad. I moved on. Well, sort of. It still irks me. Just like it irks me when parents park in front of the "No Parking" rope at school for drop off.

Actual Pinterest of the day:

via Tonya Milligan Holt

Chocolate cake in an orange over the campfire. Or maybe a pan less version for the oven, if adjusted. Oh man, I really want some chocolate! Now if I could only figure out an easy way to get an orange out of its peel.

The Dark Drug

2012-09-25T20:11:00.002-05:00

***

Yes, I am drinking coffee. Delicious (free) coffee by the way. Yes, I have gained 5 pounds since returning from our cruise. No it was not from cruise food (I actually lost 2 lbs on the cruise). No, I do not care.

As of this week, I want salty, sweet, chocolate food and I will eat it all (if I had some)! Also, I am sick and when I am sick I eat everything. For some reason it makes me feel better, even when I am not hungry. Child3 has been in school for only two weeks and the contagious spread of germs from 3 and 4 year olds has begun. Even the teacher was sick yesterday. I cannot even imagine how she isn't sick every week with all the toddlers putting their hands in the garbage cans because they want to know what is in there, wiping their hands on her, and spitting on the classroom desks.

I will start my "diet" on Monday. I will eliminate coffee on Monday. Today I need to stay awake or my children will tie me up like the giant in Gulliver's Travels and my husband will find me gagged in the closet in the morning.

It really isn't a diet. I just eliminate the foods I know I'm not supposed to eat by not buying them when I go shopping. I watch my calorie count so I can keep track of how much I am actually snacking. When I'm bored, I snack. I was using an online calorie counter but I know my max and what I feel comfortable with. I am aware of my portions now and have felt guilty this past month when I know I do not need to fill my plate that full to be full. I enjoy food, though. I have to eat because I'm anemic and I need the iron.

I enjoy food.

My poor husband has had to make his own sweets for the past couple of months because if I cook it I will eat it. Now, my husband cooking is not a bad thing. However, it doesn't excite my taste buds. He cooks out of a box because it is fast and efficient. I want to cook now that the weather is changing. I like to experiment with new recipes based off of the ingredients in my pantry. It was a very depressing day when I received the letter from school stating that we can no longer bring in food for snacks, birthday treats or holidays unless it has a store label on it. I did not sign up for child9's holiday food helper this year because it was not fun last year. I felt obligated to sign up for Valentine's day and just picked up some mini red velvet cupcakes from the store. The pre-school has its own funding for everything so we are not allowed to bring in any food for any holiday, even birthdays. I'm thinking of finding inventive ways to make goodie bags that are cheap enough for at least tot3's birthday in April. I understand the school's take on food allergies because I have family and friends with specific allergies but it still is a damper on my fun in the kitchen.

Now this really didn't have much a point besides that I am drinking coffee and I will not share! And I am sad that it is only two cups because I used a packet that I took from the hotel we stayed at last month. Oh well, at least its not de-caf.

***Picture taken from: Purex on Facebook.

Swagcode till 6 central

2012-09-25T16:43:00.000-05:00

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And I quote:

"To all of our Swaggernauts who are observing Yom Kippur, we wish you "AnEasyFast" - enter that in the "gimme" box on the Swagbucks homepage by 4pm PDT for 4 Swag Bucks."

Self explanatory.

If you haven't signed up for Swagsbucks you can check out my information on my FREE Easy Money Sites that Work for Me page.

FREE Kindle Book on Amazon

2012-09-25T12:55:00.001-05:00

I do not know if I'll read it but I will browse through it for anything useful. Besides its a FREE ebook! FREE is the keyword. :)

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009FNV8W2/ref=cm_sw_r_fa_ask

Pinterest of the Day

2012-09-25T00:24:00.003-05:00

via Chynna Fletcher

Just kidding. But it did make me laugh because I have to wonder if its not a photoshop and I like the twisted mind.

But really here it is:

https://pinterest.com/pin/245164773436132539/ Simple enough. One of those "Uuuuh, why didn't I think of that?"

Inside View

2012-09-24T23:32:00.001-05:00

I watched a rerun of House last night. There was an epidemic in the maternity ward of the hospital and babies were sick. I never caught on exactly what was wrong with them because the first scene I saw was a baby, not even 2 days old, having a seizure. My brain froze and I could hear my heart beating rapidly in the silence of the living room.

I can watch Criminal Minds where people get their bodies mutilated, Bones where decomposed, jellied bodies and skeletons are laid/squeezed on the table and the news where the latest underage child is killed in a drive by, gangster or race related incident with interest, or no interest, but this was (for a lack of a better word) freaky. Then my mind raced through the what if's and the anxiety a mother has about their children. Random accidents (such as the recent article I read about a girl suffocating while playing hide and seek because she hid in a beanbag and no one found her in time), car crashes, home invasions, kidnapping...I could go on and my mind does often enough. Just like I often question what my actions would be if one of my children were choking, bleeding, or missing. I've had the blood draining feeling of turning around to find my child not behind me in the store and to find him, 2 seconds later (felt like hours), one aisle over because he got distracted by an action figure. Would I be the one that is focused and in control enough to hide my child from the attacker while I pray help gets here in time? Or would I panic? Take the wrong chance? What if my child became mentally ill, physically handicap or any one of the emotional stressors that could happen? Would life crumble around us? The people who can hold it all together, make a life out of a unexpected situation or have control are my heroes.

Staying on the phone with a 911 operator,calling the police or taking someone to the emergency room because they are hurt is different because they are not your own. You haven't watched them fall down to get back up or find a frog in the grass or pick out their first backpack. Even if you are related to said person, there is a disconnection and more of looking at it from the outside view. How would I react from the inside view?

What kind of parent are you? What kind of parent am I?

I want sex!

2012-09-24T19:37:00.001-05:00

I'm reclining on the loveseat, mindlessly clicking through one of the million Facebook applications, when child3 comes running in.

Breathlessly, he says, "I want sex!"

Three seconds pass with me staring at him while my mind is rewinding the day in search of a memory of watching SOMETHING on the television that he might have picked that phrase up from. I draw a blank and ask, "What?"

"I want sex! I want sex!"

He's getting all excited now and waves his hand eagerly to dad in the bathroom. I smell the faint scent of Axe body spray and it finally clicks! "Go ask dad", I say with a smile and watch him run and disappear into the bathroom. He slides on his socks back down the hallway to me after a few moments. After sticking his chest out and using what I think is supposed to resemble his best masculine voice he yells, "I'm sexy now!"

Resurrection

2012-09-24T19:09:00.002-05:00

How does a person begin to start their blog/writing platform again after a year of no activity? There is such a big void from that year that is not online and not filled in. It may be part of my memory but to reference it could be a problem or give me more material to write about. Hmmm.....

Why does a person blog? A few reason could be the endless sighs of boredom, a need to talk to someone besides myself (and have someone besides myself answer back!) or possibly the idea that I could MAYBE make some money. I think the blank stares at the computer screen for hours on end is the winner. :) I previously made $2.50 a week writing this blog and I'm NOT going to make a great income from that.

Now how could I be ansty? I have two kids that are under 9 years old (one potty-training), a husband who works nights 48+ hours a week and I work. I should be chaotic-busy wiping butts, cleaning floors, doing laundry, coupon clipping and helping with homework. However, my 9 year old is in school all day, my 3 year old is in pre-school for 2 1/2 hours every day throughout the week and I only work part-time because we do not have a full time babysitter. We only have one after-school activity because child9 has not adjusted to the homework load yet. I'm not a socialite and my part-time work pays for all the "extras" so when I do not work, there are no "extras". My problem is finding something to do in all the downtime.

I recently read about women who have 3 or more children, are going to school for their Masters and working full time. I cannot even imagine that kind of life. I'm nervous, excited, and dreading when I get called into work. Sometimes I do not work for 3 weeks and sometimes I work a week straight. My stomach flip flops and I have the first day of school jitters when I work after 3 weeks and I just want it to be done when I work the week straight . I like my free time and the time I get to spend with my kids and husband, but right now there is no way to make either more even.

The blog will be "literally vague". It will be about the random acts of my weird children, odd questions that pop into my head and the "stuff" that occupies my short attention span.

Hamburger, Steak or Pork?

2011-06-13T16:21:00.000-05:00

I know many people don't eat pork, either because of diet or religion, but we happen to have it at least once a week. Sometimes two. Aldi carries boneless pork ribs for $4.50 or so for 1 1/2 lbs. which are great grilled. I used this Marinade for Pork Ribs from food.com.

Dadcode on Swagbucks till 4pm central

2011-06-13T14:15:00.000-05:00

They are slowly getting to the finish of their Father's Day codes for who's the best Dad. There is a code for 6 bucks on their blog and it is active till 4pm central.

For those who haven't checked out Swagbucks do so here. It is definately worth it. I've made $15 in Amazon cards this WEEK with only 1 referral.

Check out my other recommended FREE sign up sites that let you earn a little extra $$$.

Swagcode till 10 am central for 4 bucks

2011-06-13T08:09:00.002-05:00

Easy. The question is on their Twitter page. I didn't even need to look it up but did anyways just to make sure I was right!

2 Walgreens Transactions week of 6/5-6/12

2011-06-09T20:01:00.001-05:00

transaction 1:

Father's Day card $5.99
Salt x2 2/$1.00
Taster's Choice box of single packets x2 $.77 each
Coppertone Sunscreen spray $9.99
Pampers Pull-ups $8.99
Walgreen Comfort Wipes $6.49

I had a BOGO FREE on the Taster's Choice, $1.00 off the Coppertone and $1.50 off the Pull-ups and *$2.50 off 2 Reach (see below)
Total: $30.46
I received $9 in Register Rewards plus $1 off Glade Carpet Spray
Receipt Total Savings: $9.21

*Now I have a funny (to me) story. Originally I had bought the Total Care 2 Pack Advanced Reach Toothbrushes because 1. They were in the flyer for the Register Rewards 2. There was a yellow Register Reward sticker beneath them in the store 3. I had a coupon for $2.50 off of 2. I purchased them and they rang up for $5.99 each. So I went to customer service and asked why they didn't ring up for 2/$5. I forgot to grab the ad and show him because the kids were going at each other. He said that they weren't part of the sale so I asked to return them. He put the $12.82 back on my card. However, when I got home I checked my Register Rewards and the "magic machine" had printed out the $3 Register Reward for Reach AND the $1 Register Reward for the unpublished deal Buy 2 get $1 going on with Reach! Plus I had used the $2.50 off of 2 coupon which the assistant manager didn't deduct from my receipt. So a bonus for me.

(I know the picture is really blurry but everyone had already opened their items by the time I realized it was. The Butterfinger's are missing because hubby ate them in the car :))

Transaction 2:

Butterfinger Candy Bar x2 $1.49 total

Coppertone Sunscreen Spray $9.99

Sobe Water $.99

Nivea Bodywash for Men x2 2/$7
Pampers Pull-ups $8.99
Junior Swimmask w/Snorkel $5.99
Adult Swim Goggles $5.99

I had $9 in Register Rewards, $1.50 off Pampers, $1.00 off Coppertone and $2.00 off the Nivea x2

Total: $27.77
I received $8 in Register Rewards and $2.00 off Always tampons
Reciept total savings: $23.58

So for all of the above I spent $58.23, saved $32.79 and received $8 in Register Rewards. Still over my budget but I am saving money compared to 3 months ago. I did buy 2 papers this week in order to have double of the Nivea, diapers and more. Good news is that they decreased the paper price from $3 to $2.

Another Dadcode in Swagblog till Noon Central

2011-06-09T10:35:00.000-05:00

http://blog.swagbucks.com/

Swagcode for 6 bucks till noon central time zone in their blog! Its only one so look for the other one later?

Can't Forget Dessert!

2011-06-08T21:49:00.001-05:00

Oven was on for dinner so I popped these in at the same time. Why waste the heat? Oddly enough, this is out of a box from Aldi's. Coffee Swirl Bread Mix turned into muffins because if its not portable nobody in the house will eat it. Although, in my opinion if it has icing it's a cupcake. :) I haven't baked in awhile because of the 98+ degree weather and have been craving sweets.

Meatloaf and Mac

2011-06-08T21:34:00.000-05:00

Meatloaf with Mac & Cheese. Everyone has their own meatloaf recipe I bet. I got mine off of an onion soup box, which I can't find anymore. I've made it more than a handful of times, so now I don't really measure. In a pinch, its about a TBS of italian seasoning, salt, pepper, 1 diced yellow onion, 2 lbs hamburger, 2 eggs, 3/4 cup ketchup (or so), 2 TBS A1 sauce, and enough breadcrumbs to make it not so wet but not too much to make it dried up (maybe about 3/4 cup). And, of course ketchup on top.

We haven't had boxed Mac & Cheese in a long time. I was buying the 4 cheese kind from Walgreens but with the 2 kids screaming at the top of their lungs and me wondering if they were going to kill each other or put a hole in the wall, this worked.

Dadcodes on Swagbucks till 3pm

2011-06-08T12:25:00.001-05:00

2 swagcodes for 3 bucks each till 3pm central in their blog.

http://blog.swagbucks.com/