The truth about Valentine’s

I would like to talk about my annoyance at over-achieving holiday craft moms, particularly when it comes to Valentine’s Day.

You see, YOU are making super cute Valentines for “your kid.” And I have to put “your kid” in parentheses because I don’t really think that you’re making these for your kid, as much as you’re making it to put on your blog… you’d be surprised at the things people do with their kids for the sake of a blog post. (We can talk about THAT later.)

But when I see you making overly cute Valentine’s, I assume that you:

• only have one kid AND
• that, that kid is in a small-ish class AND
• that your Valentine budget is much higher than mine.

You see, for MY children, I am willing to spend no more than $10 on ALL of their Valentines…. COMBINED. And really, I’m more comfortable in the $5 range, which is easily accomplished by going to the dollar store and saying, “Pick a box.”

And you see, THAT is how I am being KIND and THOUGHTFUL because if I wanted, I could go to the store myself and pick out really embarrassing Valentine’s for people to pass out, which I may have done in the past, because that is my right as a parent.

However, this year, I’m even going one step further, and letting my kids design their own Valentines. These, we will print out, 6 to a page, and then, my kids will cut them out themselves…. because I’m a giver, and also realistic.

All that aside, the number one reason I think it’s stupid to make fancy Valentines is because they get thrown IN THE GARBAGE.

You are spending time and money on something that other moms are not going to let your kids keep. There is going to be a class party, that might last 30 minutes, and then your sugar-riddled child will come home and the Valentines will be tossed that day.

It’s a harsh reality, I know, and yet, I feel like we need to discuss it.

I mean, you might as well just take the cash out of your wallet, and burn it, because IT’S THE SAME THING.

So while you are staying up late, cutting and gluing and assembling your fancy schmancy Valentine’s, just remember, that they are going to get thrown in the trash. And one more thing: YOUR child? Is going to love the generic, store-bought Valentine character card that we give ‘em.

How to manage your pain

Someone asked me a question about pain management and if I had any advice for them. I said, yes, yes, I did.

1. Don’t get sick

2. Take lots of pills

3. Have lots of naps.

I don’t think it’s quite the answer they were looking for… oh well. 

New Year, New Me

I have to put myself back on a schedule. And it’s obnoxious, and I am not looking forward to it. I mean, sure, I have a loose schedule. Wake up, get the kids off to school and all that, but *I* *PERSONALLY* need to have a firm schedule, with naps. LIKE I’M A BABY.

That’s why it’s obnoxious.

Lately, I have been going to bed at 10, and getting up about 7. Except that I can barely get out of bed and it’s a few more hours before I am functioning. And by functioning, I  full on mean able to do anything, like shower, or run an errand.

So starting tonight, I’m going to bed at nine. NINE! Do you know how weird that sounds to me? Me, the zombie insomniac who would sleep for a few hours every couple of days? It’s like I’m learning to be a whole new person, and it’s dumb. AND my house is now a disaster. And I have to tell you, if the trade off to more sleep is a dirty house, I don’t like it.  I don’t like it one bit.

This little piggy…

I found this when I was cleaning up my hard drive. It’s nice to find gems like this.

Budgeting

I always think it’s interesting to hear how people budget their money, because different people have different priorities.

For example: today I did errands.

And I had X amount of money to spend, and that is our groceries/gas/everything money for the week. I guess, it’s more of my run the household money, than my grocery money, since I use it for more than just food. ANYHOW.

I knew that I had X amount of money for the week. I also knew that I would pass a thrift store, and I would go in and look, because sometimes I find good stuff in there, and sometimes I don’t.

And TODAY, I found good stuff. Actually, it was perfect. You see, I decorate things over TIME, and my style, is country cottage quirky with a touch of minimalist modern. I know, it sounds weird, but I promise, it’s kinda cute. And when it comes to getting stuff for my house, I’m of the mind that you should only get stuff you absolutely love, can’t live without, and it will all come together eventually.

At any rate, the wall at the top of my stairs and me have been working on a weird collection of pictures and things  that I love, and I had this one empty spot that was long and narrow, next to our machete (yes really), and I knew that I would find something eventually that would fit, but I didn’t really know what that something WAS.

But I found a mirror that was exactly the right size.

And I also got some bookends. I couldn’t help it. IT WAS AN AMPERSAND.

And there was a set of 3 white solid wood shelves for $4.00 FOUR DOLLARS PEOPLE.

And there was a brand new dress, tags still on, that was exactly Taylor’s size, and it had STRIPES, which is an extra bonus, because did I tell you that Taylor only wants to wear STRIPES and RUFFLES these days? And if she doesn’t have those things, then she walks around the house in her underwear. And sometimes, I turn the heater way down and then she tells me “I’m cold” and I tell her “put on some pants” and it’s a parenting roller coaster that never, ever ends.

ANYWAYS.

I spent some of my “grocery money” and I adjusted my shopping list accordingly.

But I know that some people wouldn’t even stop unless they are specifically looking for something and going to a certain place to get that. And if I’m shopping for clothes for myself, then yes, totally need a game plan, and set budget, and all that jazz.

But, you know, I got home and hung up my new/old stuff, and I just looked over at that wall, and it makes me smile.