Watch out for the mud

The sun going down is a constant source of wonder for Natalie. The first few times she asked where it was I told her Jesus put it to bed (the lazy mamma's response!). After her asking over and over and not buying the bedtime bit, I told her.

I went on and on about how the ground we walk on is just a big ball (I figure sphere is too high tech) made of rocks with dirt on top. And that our ball was called Earth and it was really big. We stick to Earth because of gravity. It spins around in circles in space and goes around the sun, a bright shiny ball. When we are facing the sun, it is bright and sunny. When we turn around, it is dark.

I spoke for about 20 minutes on the subject (we had just gotten in the car on the way to work). And this is her summary...

We live on a big ball mama, its name is erf. We stick to it like grabbity tape so we won't fall into the big mud puddle in space.

Hmmm... I think we need to talk a little more! :)

Where's my tree??

Who would thought I'd be so excited to buy worms? lol

All those banana peels will be toast with these little suckers.

Now assuming I don't kill all of them (that would totally suck, they aren't cheap) I'll buy them a condo in 6 months:

But for now, I am going to use the rubbermaid method:

http://whatcom.wsu.edu/ag/compost/Easywormbin.htm

Now I just have to figure out the yard, over the next couple of years, I am going to zero scape it and add fruit trees. Wheeeeeeeee

Kim (<--- tree hugging wanna be)

poooor thing - what ever will she wear?

I organized clothes. The baby stuff isn't as bad as I thought, I had a single layer of clothes over a bunch of Natalie's stuff in a tote. When I sorted it by size, I have about 6 days of clothes in each size for DD2. That isn't too bad!

This is Natalie's pile for summer. This is the Old Navy summer, where I got all those pieces for practically nothing. Add in some serious yard sales, a few hand me downs and consignment and tada! A pile of clothes! All in all, like 25-30 outfits or two loads of laundry. Miss skinny butt still fits into a lot of clothes from last year because she lost the diaper. Get this, a lot of her shorts? Size 18 months. I'm glad I tried everything on her, normally I wouldn't of even tried that size.

Even the bathing suit I bought in advance fits! So for this summer all she needs is one extra bathing suit and a pair of pink crocs. Woot!

Her cute little apple outfit. Top, $1.50 from penny's, skirt, $4 from ON, tights, 50 cents yard sale, shoes, hand me downs. So $6 total and she gets to wear tights (her favorite).

My 2010 Resolutions - a little late

I've got the other blog going again, something I do at the beginning of every year it seems lol It is tracking spending and noting just how cheap frugal I am (or want to be).

Part of my goals for 2010 is to:
1. Cut down on the consumption of paper goods by using cloth substitutes. Our household is a simple one and we wipe our mouths at dinner using a square cut from a t-shirt or a bandanna.

2. Cut down on the purchase of toys for the year. Natalie prefers a box still. For her Birthday she is getting a board game, musical piano and a book pillow thing from a yard sale.

3. To go with #2, I am going to try to give more home made or used items as gifts. Think of all the times you've seen something brand new with tags at consignment sales or yard sales. I want to give those items new good homes where they'll be used.

4. To get a part time job. I won't lie, I don't need the money. But I have this urge to make more. Can't explain it. I am going to ask next week if I can't work part time at Natalie's daycare so I won't spend more time away from her. Maybe I'll find another kiddo to babysit? I think it will be something child related that I can take Natalie too.

5. Cut down on our grocery bill by using up leftovers and planning out meals. I throw away more food than we eat. That simply has to stop.

6. Grow a garden. Or at least try!

7. Start a compost bin for the garden. I had the realization while watching sid the science kid. He said we should scoop up all the used banana peels and make a slide. I eat a banana every day of my life. Natalie eats one at least every other day. That is 546 banana peels going in the trash every year. yikes.

8. To donate to Salvation Army. Like everything. Minus Christmas decorations, if I don't use it once every week or two, it is going. My tax write off this year will be monstrous to the point of making me nervous. So I am making a very detailed itemization list and I am taking pictures!

9. Organize the playroom, even if it is with cardboard boxes, so Natalie can access everything that is age appropriate. I still need to hang decorations and her princess gowns that are too big.

10. Go through my huge piles of baby loot and trim it down, tag it and get it ready for the consignment sale. I am going to make sets of all my separates and get rid of things that don't go. If you are wondering about the longie pieces below, I am ordered those pants for DD2. I'll seek out matching tops from consignment or yardsale. Or maybe I'll learn to applique.

11. Cool it on baby stuff. Seriously, is there a 12 step program? I have a wicked addiction to all things small and pink.

12. Stop putting feelings into stuff. Stuff is stuff, simple as that. Memories, in the form of pictures rock, and are the best things you can have in your life.

13. Transfer all the home movies from reel to DVD. This will cost me hundreds of dollars. But it is my childhood and worth it. I also plan to scan hundreds of pictures, all the way way to my great grandparents on my Dad' s side. I also need to make a better effort at getting all our pictures on DVD and the copies put in the safety deposit box.

14. Make an inventory of the clothing I have stored for Natalie so I won't end up with 27 pairs of 4T jeans.

15. Buy more used clothes for myself. I was able to get 2 pairs of jeans the other day at the consignment store for $6 (NWT) and $1. So I do look, I'm just not often lucky.

16. Make a sign of my 5 year goal. List the steps I need to accomplish to make it. Then put it above my computer as a reminder (I won't post my goal yet, it's a secret! lol)

17. There are more. I'll have to keep adding to my list at a later date!

What are you resolutions? Mine center around waste. Do you have a theme?

Disney Recipes! YAY!

(I'm going to Orlando for 14 days. Going to do lots of fun stuff. But I'm most excited about my one measly day at Disney!)

Birthday Plans

We are going to the mouse - not the one I love, but the one I tolerate - Chuck!

I've invited 12 little girls under the age of 4. The plan is to fill them full of soda, pizza and cake. Then arm them with tutus and tokens. Fun!

My work in progress. I have three made and need more ribbon before I make them all.

I can't wait to see action shots!

We are not going to do the party through CEC but at CEC. I'm going early to snag a big table. I have princess hats, plates, tablecloths, napkins & goody bags ready to go. Oh ya, and pink balloons. In true Kim fashion, I have coupons for all the food and tokens. It is going to be a fru fru as you can get at a mini arcade!

On her birthday I am sending Mickey Mouse cookies to school! I have a Mickey cutter, I am going to do multicolored sugar cookies. Fun huh?

tada! (can't turn three and still pee pee in your panties you know!)

vacation

So I had $400 planned for vacation this year. An off week at the beach. Ha

Now we are doing 2 weeks in Orlando. I got a Baymont room on hotwire for $29 a night. With tax, $470 split in two.

Then listen to this!

Hotwire emails me and says they had a typo on the listing and the children's program had been canceled. They offered a cancellation and $50 hotwire bucks or keep the ressie and get 50% hotwire bucks! Hot dang! I now have $235 in hotwire credits to use on another trip! Woot! I didn't know there was a children's program lol

We are going to volunteer for a day to get the Disney ticket. We are also going to get the $99 Seaworld/Aquatica unlimited 14 day pass. A shuttle launch is scheduled for the first week we are there so we'll drive over. I've requested Kenney Space Center passes from my Senator (that is supposed to work) . We'll hit the beach several days. We'll also go to the Disney salvage store!

So my $400 trip? Eh. Maybe $750 if I am lucky. But it will be fun, I've never gone to Orlando without focusing on Disney the whole time. Natalie will get a kick out of Seaworld. Aquatica looks super cool!

We are going to "room cook" which is fun if you've never done it. First, you need to be poor. If you have any money, after day two, you'll be like screw it! I'll just eat fast food! Room cooking involves planning out what food you can take with you and what food needs to be purchased there. It requires a hot pot, crock pot and electric skillet (oh ya, we ARE that redneck family). It requires adding a few items to your shopping list everytime you go so you don't have that $200 pretrip run to the store. Some popular things "room cookers" make is:
Sandwiches - well duh. PB&J, ham, turkey. We'll get fancy and use the electric skillet to make some of them hot!
Baked potatoes - nothing says "ohh I'm on vacation!" like a big old baked potato in your hotel room. This delicacy is simple to make when you have a microwave. One night we'll do ranch and canned chicken breast, another night we'll do chili and cheese.
Spaghetti - yes we did go there. On one of our pool days, we'll put our precooked frozen ground beef (brought from home, remember it is in the plan) and mix it in with all the traditional sauce fixings in the.....crock pot! Yay for the crock pot! And guess what? We'll make noodles in the....hot pot! Are we having fun yet?
Breakfast for Dinner - Electric skillet? Check! One night we'll have sausage, eggs & toast. One night we'll have french toast and bacon. Who doesn't like breakfast for dinner?
Chicken fingers - why not? We have an electric skillet.
hamburgers - um hello? I said we have an electric skillet!

Add in the fruit, salad fixings, raw veggies, snacky salty foods & chocolate and it's not too shabby!
(I know three of you just said - she has to be kidding - but be assured, I'm not! I already have the cooking layout planned based on the room. I already have the shopping lists and cooking items lists ready. I know what type of containers I need to store food (in FL, you double store food and wipe all your counters down three times!) Shoot, planning out your room cooking is half the fun of planning.)

AND overplanning-control-freak-kim isn't going to research anything past the times when the parks open. I'm not going to preplan our meals at the parks, I'm not going to search for uber super things to do. I'm just going to ....go. On vacation, like to relax. And if we miss a super show/parade yada ya, then so be it. It won't be the end of the world and we'll be back at Disney in 2 years anyway!

Bargain Cutie

Jacket, gymbo, $1 consignment store
top - hand me down
jeans - Levis, $1 yard sale
socks - included with the jacket (with tags!)
Croc Mocs - $5 (Cabellas Blowout!)
-----$7

She thinks its funny her socks match her jacket :)

tutu cute :)

I made this in about 45 minutes tonight :) She is pretty pleased with herself!

Hi Bernadine :)

I saw your comments on the clothes post. I am adopting again this year, domestic bi-racial or AA girl. there are several agencies in the US that specialize in it, I have two in Utah I like and one in GA. The wait time is very short! I am hoping for an Oct birth, I'll be turning in my paperwork in March/April (I am selling a house and a condo, I want one of those sold before I send in papers). I've been told not to turn it in too soon because I'll start hearing about situations and I'll want them all :)

The cool thing about domestic, you can sign up with an agency and not pay anything until you are matched. So I'll probably get into the system of all three agencies and see what happens :)

Yes, we like purple - why do you ask?

Consignment Fun

Ya, I went again. It is a disease :) Yellow tags were $1. I did buy baby clothes that I didn't need, but I got some great pieces for Natalie that she'll start wearing next winter.