Annalyn’s birthday is in October, which falls a little too late for new fall clothes. We’ve learned that we can hold out for the bulk of her cool weather clothes, but we have to break down and buy some things to get through the first few weeks of fall.

Over the tax-free weekend, I bought a few pair of pants along with glue, crayons and safety scissors. And this past weekend, we visited the Carter’s outlet store where, of course, the whole store was 20 percent off.

As we head into a new season (and my daughter has grown at least a foot, I swear), I’m reminded of two things. One, I’m powerless to resist the cuteness that is a soft pink blanket sleeper with a monkey face on it – or a satin Christmas dress with white and pink polka dots. And two, for being so small (even when you’re looking at 5T – yes, 5T!), kids’ clothes are kind of expensive!

I guess the problem is that we have to pretty much round up an entire new wardrobe every four to six months. And it can add up.

One way to avoid some of the damage to your wallet is to shop garage sales. I got several super cute fall/winter outfits this summer at a garage sale. I was actually selling a few things, along with several other girls from church. I was so excited that one of my fellow sellers had a daughter older than mine – and good taste in clothes!

[For the record, I did make more than I spent. In case you were wondering. Not that my husband asked as soon as I got home.]

Another way to save money on the seasonal wardrobe upgrade is by participating in consignment sales. My friend Hillary has written a hilarious how-to post for rocking consignment sales, including a reminder to bring sharp elbows and a smile: Tips from the Consignment Sale Guru.

I also read another post recently at Longbrake Living, a top ten list of consignment sale strategy and practical tips from Mary-Carolyn.

It just so happens that my friend Keri is part of a huge consignment sale this coming weekend. Keri has twins just a few months older than Annalyn, and she’s active with a mothers of multiples group. They put on a great sale, so if you’re local – and would like to outfit your kiddos for less than retail – check it out.

The sale is one day only, open to the public and costs just $1. You’ll find tons of gently used clothes, shoes and outerwear, maternity clothes, car seats, bedding and furniture, toys, books, videos and much more.

Children’s Fall Consignment Sale
King of Kings Lutheran Church
1701 NE 96th Street, KCMO
September 11, 2010, 8 am – 2 pm

How do you save money when buying children’s clothes?

I suppose I should mention another way to clothe your children in style: win them on blogs. I won the adorable pillowcase dress on Annalyn (in the photo above) from The Finer Things in Life. It was made by Hot Tots Boutique, and I simply LOVE it!

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Last night I spent a couple hours with three ladies from my small group. We’ve known each other for several years, and recently we’ve decided that dedicating one night a month to adult conversation is a necessity. No whining or interrupting allowed – unless it’s done by someone over the age of 10!

Though we attend the same church and have the same basic values, we still have less in common than we do differences.

To read about how these girls and I are so very different yet manage to encourage each other and just have fun together, read the rest of this article at (in)courage. (And if you leave a comment, you’ll be entered to win a beautiful Dayspring necklace!)

Do you have a set girls’ night out – or a time you get together with friends on a regular basis?

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In what promises to be my most random set of links yet . . .

• Why We Choose Public School [For Now] — We are THAT Family
• Operation Shrink Charlie’s Big Butt: The Dear John Letter
• 24 Impressive Blog Plugins You Should Consider | Social Media Examiner
• Recipe for Beef & Spinach Shells w/ Creamy Tomato Basil Sauce {Faith Family Food & Fun}
• Boots for Wide Calves: You Wanted It, You Got It | The Stir
• S’mores Pudding Pie — A Southern Fairytale
• God, Success, and Failed French Church Plants (by Mary DeMuth)
• Mothering with a timer « A wife loved like the church
• Life on the Wild Side: Starting School

Have you read anything good lately? Share in the comments! This post will be linked to Saturday Stumbles at It’s Come to This.

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A couple weeks ago, I walked into Annalyn’s classroom to pick her up and saw that the room was covered in birthday decorations. “Wow! Whose birthday was it?” I asked.

It turns out that the next day (Monday, because that day was Friday) was Mr. Todd’s birthday, and they wanted to surprise him. Mr. Todd is the classroom’s lead teacher, and he opens by coming in at 6 a.m. every day.

As we walked to the car, I told Annalyn that I thought we should make a card for Mr. Todd. She thought that sounded like a brilliant plan. (Her words, not mine. Okay, they weren’t her words. But I’m sure she was thinking it.)

So, we went home and grabbed the camera, some paper and markers. I wrote, “Happy 30th Birthday, Mr. Todd” on five pieces of paper with the most worthless markers I’ve ever seen. (Seriously. Someone needs to buy markers around here.)

Next, I picked out several different outfits for Annalyn to wear. All the while, I was promising that yes, she could color after we made Mr. Todd’s birthday card. No, she could not use the markers yet (or EVER).

For each new piece of paper, I put her in a new outfit (although I forgot about the last one, so two are the same. Pretty sure nobody cares. Right?) and snapped her photo (or 20) while holding the paper. (“Hold it up. No, not in front of your face. In front of your tummy. NO, don’t look at your tummy. Okay, right there. Now smile. No, don’t wrinkle your nose. Just smile NORMAL!”)

I lucked out and got a pretty good shot of each pose, printed them in a 4×6 collage and stuck them on a card. Annalyn took it to Mr. Todd on Monday, and he LOVED it. I know that because he actually gave her a thank you note saying that it was his favorite card of the year.

Awww!

This post will be linked up with Sara’s brilliant idea, YOU:create. Seriously, I love that she encourages (pushes, maybe?) us to be creative in some way, every week. And then to share it! So, here I am, sharing.

Have you done anything creative this week?

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And there was this video, just waiting to brighten my day. Enjoy:

As you know, whether it’s watching my favorite dance movie or a reality TV show, I do love me some dance. Sometimes, I can even find it in my favorite non-dance shows, like Psych. I loved the episode a few weeks ago that featured Gus and Lassiter tap dancing. And check out this video. Could it get any better than a Psych/Glee mash-up? (Unless the video quality were better, but beggars can’t be choosers.)

For more about my obsession with love of dancing, check out these posts:

• Dancing by myself . . . in the mirror . . .
• I Coulda Been . . . a Dancer?
• There is nothing ironic about show choir.
• And if he still doesn’t answer, I simply say . . .
• Saturday Review: Flashdance

Do you enjoy dance? What’s your favorite dance movie? (Or TV show?)

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If I had to rank all the subjects in school, science would come in last every time. But somehow, armed with a tiny lab coat, beaker and pipette, science became fun when I recruited Annalyn for a little laundry experiment.

The new Wisk with Stain Spectrum Technology™ fights all kind of stains. Apparently – not that I’m telling you science nerds anything – stains fall into several basic categories such as proteins, carbohydrates and oils. This week’s experiment focused on the protein kind.

Protein stains can come from eggs or baby formula, but the best-known culprit is grass. Wisk sent me a grass-stained swatch, a science kit and some simple instructions. Here’s what happened:

First of all, I put the tiny lab coat on Annalyn. To say she got into her role would be an understatement. Later in the day, she wore her goggles to the store. I guess you never know when you might run into a science experiment.

I filled the beaker with warm water. Then I poured a small amount of Wisk detergent in the cap and filled the pipette. (Pipette?! When was the last time I said THAT word? Oh yeah. High school. College chemistry. Ugh.)

Then I drew a big A on the protein-stained swatch with the pipette.

Annalyn watched carefully as Wisk’s Stain Spectrum Technology started to work.

After a minute or so, I put the swatch into the beaker of water. Then we swished it around. (Yes, that’s the technical term. Duh!)

After we took the swatch out, we could see just how well – and how quickly! – the detergent works. Where I’d drawn the A, the stain was gone.

As you can see, Annalyn was VERY impressed.
And did I mention how GOOD Wisk smells?

This post will be linked to Works for Me Wednesday at We Are THAT Family and Wordful Wednesday at Seven Clown Circus.

Disclosure: This sponsored post on behalf of Wisk laundry detergent was facilitated by One2One Network. While I will be compensated for this post, the experiences and opinions expressed are my own.

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Do you ever find yourself watching a TV show and loving it – except for that one character? Have you ever wished a certain character would meet an untimely demise, as they say?

But what if he could change? What if she promises it will be different this time? What if they really mean it? Today’s Top 10 Tuesday is about TV characters who started out driving me up the wall . . . but ended up being my favorites (or at least bearable).

1. Morgan Grimes (Chuck): When my favorite show of all shows debuted, Chuck’s best friend was super annoying. While Chuck’s nerdiness was charming (and slightly unbelievable), Morgan’s was irritating and kind of made you watch to trip him in the hallway. But somewhere along the way, he calmed down and became someone you root for, and his discovery of Chuck’s spy status was one of the best parts of last season.

2. Madeline Westen (Burn Notice): I remember when this show first came on, I read several reviews complaining about Michael’s harpy of a mom. But rather than limit her time on screen, the showrunners made this character work. And this season, she’s become a full-blown member of the team, even helping them rob a bank.

3. Andy Bernard (The Office): Talk about a character reinvention! When Andy’s character was first introduced, he was an arrogant tool with an anger problem. But anger management classes worked wonders, and the New Andy was funny and sweet, though still really foolish. You may recall I denied my love for him a while back. I’m sticking by that post, of course.

4. Addison Montgomery (Grey’s Anatomy): From the moment her character was mentioned to the moment we met her, we were conditioned to hate Addison Montgomery. After all, she was the woman who broke McDreamy’s heart and the one who might come between Derek and Meredith. But it didn’t take long before Addison was one of the most sane, adult characters on the whole show. Let’s not talk about what happened when she moved to That Other Show, though.

5. Randy Disher (Monk): Somehow, while we were figuring out who killed Trudy and debating the merits of Sharona vs. Natalie, Randy went from a bumbling idiot to a real cop in the forty million seasons that Monk was on the air. I even kind of liked him toward the end.

6. Sheldon Cooper (Big Bang Theory): I’m not sure Sheldon really counts for this list. Being annoying is part of his character. He’s supposed to be weird and irritating. But while it seemed over the top at the beginning, it’s charming and lovable now. Did he change, or did I? I may never know . . .

7. Barney Stinson (How I Met Your Mother): It doesn’t make any sense. Why would I love a womanizing creep like Barney? And yet, I do. Even in a lackluster season like we had last year, he consistently had the funniest lines of every episode. You might say he’s legen…dary.

8. Marc and Amanda (Ugly Betty): These two characters were horrid. Just wretched. They were cruel and ugly and judgmental and, well, I could go on. But I won’t, because by the end of the series, they were truly Betty’s friends. And while they could still be catty (and hilarious), they were also pretty sweet.

9. Tracy Jordan (30 Rock): You might disagree with me on this one, but a lot of people think Tracy Jordan is funny. [I’m one of them. Don't judge.] I know. He’s ridiculous. I agree. But over the years, his mania and idiocy has gotten funnier and funnier – and sometimes is the only laugh-out-loud moment in an otherwise grin-but-don’t-laugh episode of 30 Rock.

10. Gob Bluth (Arrested Development): Don’t tell me you don’t still think of old Gob when you hear those familiar notes of The Final Countdown! And while he may have seemed annoying at the beginning, it didn’t take long for “I’ve made a huge mistake” to warm my heart. Okay, maybe not. But I can’t help but love Gob.

Has a TV character ever grown on you? Which TV characters do you find most annoying?

Affiliate links were used in this post. Also, this post will be linked to Top Ten Tuesday at OhAmanda.

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Friday morning, unfortunately, brought a reprise of the Major Meltdown (does that make anyone else want to salute, ala How I Met Your Mother?) of earlier in the week. It wasn’t quite as bad, but I also didn’t react nearly as well.

And that’s an understatement.

I blew up. I yelled. I yelled so much I cried. That calmed HER down for a bit. She didn’t say anything, but she tilted her head and looked at my tear-streaked face and oh-so-slowly reached out to touch my cheek.

Don’t be thinking that’s sweet. Because the fit resumed just as soon as I stopped yelling. Thankfully, though, it ended before we got in the car to head out for the day.

I was determined to be positive and calm when I picked her up after work. And I was – but she was not. So I dropped her off with my husband and drove straight to the grocery store. I bought cookie dough and rented a chick flick – and began the countdown to bedtime.

Soon enough, Mark went to work and Annalyn went to bed. I broke apart the cookie dough, baked up more cookies than I really needed and popped in my movie.

By the time I went to bed, I was feeling a little better.

[Movie review side note: The Back-Up Plan with Jennifer Lopez is ridiculous. But if you’re in the mood for – or in need of – a silly romantic comedy, this might do the trick. Unless you hate JLo. Then you should probably skip it.]

On Saturday, we hung around all day, enjoying Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, naps and a trip to the grocery store. (Okay, I wouldn’t say we ENJOYED the trip to the grocery store. But we did survive without any major incident.)

Then, after naptimes, showers and a frantic surface clean of the house, I picked up our babysitter and we went on a date.

Thanks to generous friends and family, we’ve never had to pay a babysitter to watch Annalyn, so this was a first. One of our pastors’ daughter, who is in choir with me and works in Annalyn’s nursery, agreed to come over and watch our daughter, so Mark and I could get a few hours of much-needed time together.

When I asked Annalyn the next morning if she liked “New Lauren” (because my sister-in-law’s name is Lauren, and there can’t possibly be TWO Laurens!), she said, “She’s nice, but she doesn’t talk.”

I’m not really sure what that means. But I am pretty sure New Lauren didn’t eat dinner. I told her she could have anything in the kitchen and even pointed out a few good options. So I don’t know what that’s about. Aside from getting paid – and the kids. Sometimes. – the best part about babysitting back in my day was the frozen burritos. And watching Baywatch and The Commish.

I don’t know. I’m weird.

Sunday was another low-key day. We went to church, ate leftovers for lunch and enjoyed long naps. We also played a lot of pretend, watched another Mickey movie and ate a bowl full of messy chips.

The best things I heard this weekend? Annalyn looking at Mark and me, as we sat on the couch with those chips: “We’re sharing. We’re a family.”

And THAT is a good weekend.

Later this week, I’ll link this up to Tuesdays Unwrapped on Chatting at the Sky and Finer Things Friday at Amy’s Finer Things.

How was your weekend? Do anything exciting? Or relaxing? Or BOTH?

P.S. Feel free to check out my post about Cheesy Chicken from a while back. I’m linking it up to recipe carnivals this week. And even though I still don’t have a photo (what can I say? It doesn’t LOOK pretty.), it is DELICIOUS. And pretty much our family’s favorite thing to fix.

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During my Blog-Warming Party, I gave away a copy of Just Between You & Me: A Novel of Losing Fear and Finding God by Jenny B. Jones. And then I promised a review . . . which never happened.

Until today. It’s happening right now. In case you hadn’t figured that out.

That’s a long title, right? Honestly, if I hadn’t seen the book on a list of recent award winners, I wouldn’t have requested it from the library. It sounds serious. And when it comes to my fiction, I almost always prefer, well, NOT serious.

Thankfully, I did check out this book. It was GREAT. As soon as I finished it, I got online to stalk research Jones. I HAD to know if she’d written other books. And if she had, you better believe they were going on reserve at the library, pronto.

Sadly, her other books – which look adorable and fun – are more of the YA variety. And while I like my chick lit fluffy, I don’t typically resort to reading YA. (Typically. I’m not saying never, because I loved As You Wish by Jackson Pearce.)

With the wonder that is Twitter, though, I found out that Jones (or Jenny. Should I call her Jenny?) has another adult contemporary coming out in a few months. I can’t wait.

Until then, I’m reading Jenny’s blog (Yeah, I decided first names are better.) and telling everyone I know that if you read Christian fiction, you should read this book. And, actually, even if you just like adult contemporary, read this book. The Christian aspect is not heavy-handed at all.

So, why do I like this book so much? Well, I’m so glad you asked. I like it because the characters talk like real people. The main character even thinks like a real person, saying things like, “I’m so sure.” and “Crap.”

Yep, that’s really all it takes for me. (See: Brad Meltzer’s first couple of books and my disappointment in his later novels.)

The novel follows the usual pattern of contemporary romance, but the situations play out a little more realistically than a lot of the fairytales – I mean, books – I read. I was hoping it would end differently, but I didn’t mind the story’s resolution too much.

A few times while I was reading it, I thought that it felt a lot like reading someone’s blog. And while I never want blogs to replace books completely (The horror!), I do enjoy hearing Jenny’s characters use a genuine conversational tone.

Here’s the summary:

The only thing scarier than living on the edge is stepping off it.

Maggie Montgomery lives a life of adventure. Her job as a cinematographer takes her from one exotic locale to the next. When Maggie’s not working, she loves to rappel off cliffs or go skydiving. Nothing frightens her.

Nothing, that is, except Ivy, Texas, where a family emergency pulls her back home to a town full of bad memories, painful secrets, and people Maggie left far behind . . . for a reason.

Forced to stay longer than she intended, Maggie finds her family a complete mess, including the niece her sister has abandoned. Ten-year-old Riley is struggling in school and out of control at home. The only person who can really handle the pint-sized troublemaker is Conner, the local vet and Ivy’s most eligible bachelor. But Conner and Maggie keep butting heads—he’s suspicious of her and, well, she doesn’t rely on anyone but herself.

As Maggie humorously fumbles her way from one mishap to another, she realizes she’s going to need to ask for help from the one person who scares her the most.

To save one little girl—and herself—can Maggie let go of her fears and just trust God?

What does it take for you to consider a book great?

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On Monday night, Annalyn woke up crying. Actually, it was technically Tuesday morning. Whatever you call it, it was dark – what we call “sleep time” in our house.

She didn’t calm down on her own (and it’s strange for her to do this in the first place), so I went in and rubbed her back. “What’s wrong, baby?”

“The PAINT on my FINGERS is coming off!” she wailed. WAILED.

You would have thought the world was, in fact, ending. I very calmly and without a hint of laughter said, “It’s okay, sweets. Just go back to sleep. It’s still sleep time.”

“But THE PAINT! Waaaahhhh!”

I finally had to tell her that if she didn’t quiet down and go to sleep, I would NOT put more paint on her fingers. It was a great way to spend an hour in the middle of the night.

Just over 24 hours later, on Wednesday morning, my little drama queen woke up early, though not technically during sleep time. Shortly after 6:30, she woke ME up, crying.

I went in, told her whiny self good morning and informed her, gently of course, that I’d get her out of her crib when she stopped whining.

So she did. And I did.

But as soon as I pulled her multicolor gingham skirt set out of the closet, she started throwing a doozy of a fit.

“I want to wear a DRESS!!!”

Normally, I indulge her. If the girl wants to wear a dress, I usually let her wear a dress. But that day, all her clean dresses (that fit) were in the laundry. So a skirt set it was.

But no. She wanted to throw a fit. Finally, in frustration, I told her that she could either quit crying or go back in her crib, naked, while I took my shower. “Is that what you want?” I asked her.

“Yes!”

Okey-doke. I put her (mostly naked, but she was wearing underwear) back in her crib, and I took my shower.

When I got out, I asked her if she was ready to behave nicely and put her clothes on. She said NO.

After that, I went back every few minutes and asked her the same thing. Each time, I got the same hateful answer. And the whole time, she was crying and hollering and pitching one heck of a fit.

Finally, we had to leave. So I wrestled her into her outfit, shoes and ponytail, and I picked her up to head out.

It was at THAT point that she decided to kick it up a notch. THAT is when the screaming started. At the TOP of her LUNGS.

She continued to scream all the way through the house into the car and all the way to her daycare. As we pulled up, I said (calmly, and I’m not sure where that calm even CAME from), “You can keep this up if you want. It’s your choice. But I’m going to carry you inside, and ALL your friends are going to see you acting like an animal.”

I know. Harsh, right? Totally mean. But IT DIDN’T PHASE HER.

She kept screaming. All the way up the sidewalk, into the daycare and down the hall. When her teacher said, “Annalyn! What is WRONG with you?” she didn’t even stop to take a breath. She just KEPT SCREAMING.

Her teacher urged me to just leave, so I did. And I only cried a little.

I have NEVER seen her act that way. She was completely out of control! I know it was a full moon this week – and even my cats were kind of spazzing out. And I know we’ve been too busy and had too little family time lately.

But seriously? More than an HOUR of the worst fit I’ve ever seen? What the heck???

Thankfully, about 25 minutes after I left her (SCREAMING) at daycare, her teacher called me at work to say that she’d calmed down. He even made her get on the phone and apologize to me.

She was fine when I picked her up that night. I told her that she’d made me really sad, and she apologized again. I told her that I forgive her and she hugged me.

But MY GOODNESS! That was TERRIBLE!

And here’s the kicker: I can’t even say, “Where on earth would she GET this?” Because, um, YEAH. I know. I can remember times not so long ago when I cried so hard I made myself physically sick.

Poor girl. The crazy comes naturally. Too bad it has to be so LOUD.

This post will be linked to Friday Fails. Because, well . . . do I have to explain?

How was YOUR week?

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