La Bump Sisters

Party of 9 Grocery Challenge

2009-09-05T07:33:00.001-07:00

With our super fun and super full house, the grocery shopping might seem like a big pain and an even bigger expense. Enter 2 great coupon-clipping minds like Jennie and I and you've got a fantastic grocery challenge on your hands! We've decided to feed all these peeps for $200 in September! We have spent $64 so far. Mostly on milk (organic 2%, regular 2%, skim and goat milk that we mix with carrot juice and flax oil for the little boy) and produce. To be fair, we do have a freezer full of meat AND the pantry is well stocked at this point. The challenge will really be figuring out what to make with all of our plenty.

We have done two things so far. The first was a baking day. We made pumpkin muffins and a loaf of bread to add to our store of already frozen banana muffins. We use these things for a quick breakfast on school days. The second thing we're trying is a neighborhood hotdish exchange. Jennie and I along with 2 other mommies will each take a Thursday this month to make 4 hotdishes. Then between 5-530PM we deliver the dish to the other families. PRESTO! A hot, homemade and ready to eat dinner once a week! I've attached a couple of pics. One of baking day (when we also made a coconut curry sauce for our dinner) and one of the preparations for the first hotdish night (which I would call a smashing success).

Everything else is going great! Ava stuck a pea up her nose last night but Aaron promptly got her to blow it out (shooting it across the room!) We're heading into the long weekend where we have plans all 3 days to eat and eat and eat with good friends! I love this last summer hurrah! More to come, stay tuned...

And then there were nine...

2009-09-03T06:56:00.001-07:00

It's a really exciting time here at the ol' Marlowe household! By some stroke of luck, Jennie and Joe were BOTH able to transfer with their current jobs to brand-spanking new Dallas locations! So, until their house in Kansas City is sold, they are staying with us! For those who are counting, that makes 4 parents, 5 kids, 2 cats, 1 dog and 1 fish. A fine bunch if you ask me! AND, except for a yucky case of strep throat that made its way through the 3 littles, we're all doing great!

Claire (3rd grade) and Emily (1st grade) started at the elementary school and Ava (pre-k 3) started at the early childhood school. That leaves Julia and Holden home with me to play and snuggle (and wash a little laundry and make dinner when possible) and drop-kids-off and pick-kids-up from school.

The funniest time of the day, by far, is meal time. Particularly breakfast and dinner. I can't believe that everyone gets fed every time and most times the kitchen gets a swift cleaning, too! We started a neighborhood hotdish exchange to make life a little easier. The routine is settling in and now we anxiously await the arrival of our new niece/cousin, Lily. Only 4 weeks to go! For the record, Lily's family is not moving in with us, but we would love it if they could. A newborn is a little demanding, but she comes with 2 parents! That would help even the score a little bit.

That's what is going on here. Stay tuned for my next post about our "Marsen" or "Hanlowe" household grocery challenge. We're going to feed all these peeps for under $200 this month!

6 weeks and counting!

2009-08-17T10:35:00.001-07:00

Okay, okay, so really it’s 6 and a half but still, I like the sound of 6 sooooo much better than 7! All is going well and baby girl is right on schedule according to El Doctor. It’s been ages since I last wrote. Of particular note, we have FINALLY decided on a name: Lily Marie. I love that we have decided. It is thanks in no small part to our niece Claire – who thought of this beautiful name, and to my sister, Jill, who gave me a nudge in the right direction. Thank you so much, ladies! I not only love the name but I love the fact that now when people ask I don’t have to say “oh we’re thinking of this or that.” I have learned that when you’re still thinking of something – and you’re not full committed – people see your reluctance as an opportunity to tell you what they really think about your choice. When you just tell them that her name is X, or Lily as the case may be, everyone says something nice. Whether they mean it or not. And I’ve learned that I prefer niceties to honesty in this particular situation.

Lily’s room is coming together too! It’s so cute with all of her little things. She has more clothes than I do – and that’s not easy to accomplish! And I’m starting to believe that I might not actually be pregnant for the rest of my life and that this little girl might just be born one day! Pregnancy lasts a REALLY long time for those of you not fortunate enough to have experienced it quite yet. I almost can’t believe that one day my little girl will be here! Her daddy is getting pretty excited too. He is working on car seat installations today (did you know that 80% of car seats are installed incorrectly!?!) Fortunately, there are free inspection sites in most major cities to help you get it right: http://www.seatcheck.org/

I’m working on preparing myself to let go of perfectionism after Lily is born. Did you notice that I said “working on preparing to?” I guess that means I’m at least two steps away from the actual act of letting go of my expectations of order in the household. Don’t get me wrong – I’m no Martha Stewart (although I fully admit I freaking love that lady – I don’t care who disagrees). It’s just that I have a hard time letting go. I feel better when things are in their places, when the fridge is full, and okay, I’ll admit it, when all the labels face out in the pantry. Does that make me a bad person? I don’t think so. But, it might make me a nervous wreck in the aftermath of baby girl’s arrival sooooooo I think it’s time to loosen the reigns and prepare to let it be and focus on other, more important things. Like the tiny fingers and toes and cute little smiles that are coming soon! Can’t wait! Please stay posted.

Staycation

2009-06-13T17:00:00.001-07:00

Jill here...a couple of years ago, Aarons family decided to stop giving gifts for all the holidays that pop up throughout the year. Birthdays, Mothers Day, Fathers Day, Christmas...they all pass now with an easy trip to the store for meaningful cards instead of a hectic (not to mention expensive) trip out for gifts. Instead, we set aside some money so that we can go on a family trip together. We have been to Martha's Vineyard, Grand Canyon and St. George Island Florida...all great trips and nice time spent together.

This year with so many really little kids and Brooke expecting her second baby in December, we decided to do a "Stay-cation". We spent the week at Aaron's parents place on Lake Fork. We just returned today from our week there, and what a lovely time it was! Emily was able to join us for the week and my mom, Julia and Jennie stopped in for a visit too. We had great meals (each family was responsible for 2 dinners), lots of fishing, boating, a little tubing, three birthdays, 1 trip to a tiger refuge and lots of general laziness (picture laziness with 5 kids, ages: 7 months, 2, 3, 6 and 7). Here are a few pics!

Coupon Crazy!

2009-06-02T11:53:00.000-07:00

It’s true. I’m a couponer. Just as I once thought I’d never consider driving a mini-van. I swore I would NOT end up one of those crazy mothers with 3 kids in tow in a grocery store with a coupon pack larger than a duffel bag, but well, here I am. And I LOVE it! The days of paying for toiletries and pantry staples are LONG GONE and I couldn’t be happier.

Those of you who think you’re too busy, well, maybe you are. But I promise you, it’s worth the time and, of course, the money. Yes, I have 2 small children at home, yes my husband works 12 hours a day, and yes, I have a full-time job. I still coupon, and I am still sane. Not only that, I spend about 60% less on groceries and Target stuff than I did before but the best part is, it’s FUN!
Last year this time, we were spending about $220/week at our Target Supercenter . Now, we hardly ever spend over $80. And LOTS of weeks its less than $50.
How do you start? I’ll list the steps I took and I’ll list a few links that helped me get started.

1. First, you’re going to have to start collecting coupons. Here’s a link that will help you acquire a nice stash of coupons, but if you want to go oldschool, and just use ONE set of coupons from your Sunday paper, that will work too. Get yourself a coupon sorter, start getting the Sunday paper, and KEEP YOUR OLD INSERTS. (I put my inserts in a file folder with 12 dividers – one for each month.)

2. Second, change the way you shop. Buy things at their rock bottom prices, STOCK UP, and USE COUPONS! Learn more about rock bottom pricing and couponing 101 here.

3. Third, go the drugstore route. Some of the best purchases I make are at CVS and Walgreens. I no longer pay for razors, toothpaste, toothbrushes, deodorant, lotion, aspirin, mouthwash, or panty liners. These items are all FREE. This week at CVS, the free items include sunscreen and Alka seltzer. Last week it was Band-Aids, tampons, nail polish, Clearasil and toothpaste. Every week there’s something free and though you might not need toothpaste right now, you’ll need it eventually, so you might as well stock up while it’s FREE! Check MSM for your weekly list of FREE stuff!

4. Lastly, enjoy what you do! Maybe if we were dirt poor and this were the only way to eat it wouldn’t be fun. OR maybe if I hated doing it and I only did it so I could get my nagging husband off my back for spending so much on groceries, it wouldn’t be worth it. But I LOVE couponing. It makes me feel like a smarter shopper, a better wife, and certainly a better Mommy. I’m teaching my kids about the value of the items we use or consume every day and besides that, it’s fun, it’s FREE and it’s frugal!

So if you still say you’re too busy or you don’t have time to do it, then don’t. But, like Dave says, you probably don’t have time NOT to.

I’d love to hear from those of you who are just starting out, and I’d be happy to answer questions if you’re mid-stride. Couponing takes some getting used to but once you catch on, it takes hardly any extra time, and the value you get in return is awesome.
Now go out, and get yourself some FREE STUFF!

Week 22: What's in a name?

2009-05-30T15:01:00.000-07:00

I would like to apologize for every time I’ve snickered, made a snide comment, blatantly made fun of or even thought of making a joke about some parent’s seemingly misguided baby-naming efforts. As I’ve learned over the past several weeks, it’s just plain gut wrenching trying to name another human being!!! I now understand that at some point you want to throw in the towel and just name the little darling whatever next enters your stream of consciousness. I’m thinking this may be how all of those months of the year names came to be (and don’t get me wrong, some of them are simply adorable).

Perhaps dear husband and I put too much pressure on ourselves when we decided (more than just a tad altruistically) that this baby’s name would have MEANING! We would not just thrust a darling name upon her, instead we would sift through long forgotten relatives, discuss favorite authors, consider strong women from mythology, and come to agreement on the most fitting and inspiring name possible! After several weeks of discussion, sometimes heated, and lots of time spent with books, baby naming websites, and more than a handful of Swedish baby name lists (who knew Ida was so popular in my homeland?) we’re no further along than when we started. And suddenly May and June sound quite appealing.

And what’s with everyone you’ve ever met thinking they should weigh in on your naming options? I’m considering adopting the approach of a good friend, who kept the name a secret until her little one’s birthday. Not a bad idea. After all, it’s easy to criticize a planned name like Trixie or Lolita, but if instead someone hands you a tiny newborn and you’ve fallen in love with her tiny little fingers and upturned nose just as the new parent announces that she would like to introduce you to little Lolita, suddenly the name doesn’t carry quite the same offense.

For now anyway, out little one remains nameless. Stay tuned.

18 Weeks!

2009-04-30T17:11:00.000-07:00

That’s right, I am at 18 weeks today! It’s true, I’m no good at math and if you’ve been keeping track, I did skip a week here. But at my last doctor’s appointment, my fabulous doctor confirmed what I’ve known all along - I am actually a week ahead of his projected due date. Oh, the joy of affirmation!

And, we found out we’re having a GIRL!!!! Well, at least we are pretty sure it’s a girl. The doctor couldn’t give us an absolute answer but it seemed pretty clear. We’ll know for sure in two weeks after the sonogram.

In the meantime, my husband and I have shifted into girl-prep mode! My poor husband is only slightly terrified at the thought of a baby girl. He grew up in a very blue house. Luckily a good friend suggested a book called “Be Prepared.” Think of it as a MacGyver-esque guide for new dads. It looks FABULOUS and it’s already on the way to us from our friends at Amazon. I promise I’m not in the business of plugging anything BUT all of you first-time parents out there should check this book out. The website has a lot of very funny (and seemingly practical) advice: http://www.beprepared.net/ Plus, I think it makes my husband feel quite manly about the whole daddy thing. There are lots of pictures of dads looking like lumberjacks and several references to scouting and tools and the like. What ever it takes! I know you ladies are with me on that one.

Please keep sharing your tips and thoughts. We love to hear from you!

Until next time,

Beth from LaBump (that’s )

Weel 16

2009-04-21T07:06:00.000-07:00

Hello friends, well I am almost all the way to week 16. Officially, the count is 15 weeks and 5 days (but who’s counting). Second trimester ROCKS!!! I have so much more energy, I don’t feel like I’m living a lie and I’m embracing wearing comfy clothes. I still can’t make maternity clothes work but I’ve just decided that it’s fine to wear the exact same 3 or 4 things over and over until they do. I’ve warned co-workers and friends to go ahead and get used to my exactly 2 dresses and 2 pairs of pants that fit. I must say, people have been quite kind.

I’m pretty much back into a regular routine now that I can keep my eyes open for more than 8 or so hours a day. I’ve even been making it to the gym in the mornings again. Word on the street is that I better enjoy it while it lasts because apparently during T3 the exhaustion will be back with a vengeance.

So here’s my pregnancy tip for the week – don’t be afraid to show a little skin while pregnant. Now ladies, I’m not talking about va-va-voom or risqué here, but seriously, why not? Especially during that time where no one can really tell that you’re pregnant (at least not until 5 seconds or so after you meet since you likely will have told them by then) and you just sort of look like you’re growing a spare tire, why not show off those shoulders or legs a little? By all means, let’s take the attention off the tree trunk middle! You are beautiful, so put on a little spray tan and grab a cute tank top or an adorable skirt (just be sure it’s stretchy).

Please share your pregnancy tips and advice here. Goodness knows we’ve all read enough about drinking 10 glasses of water and eating plenty of fiber! Let’s get to the good stuff! What are your thoughts, insights and secret tips? Please share for the good of swollen, broken out, pregnant women everywhere. We need all the help we can get!

Una Mas Bump!

2009-04-13T13:37:00.000-07:00

Beth here,

Well friends, the cat is officially out of the bag. For the past three months I feel like I've been lying to everyone. I am not good at keeping secrets (just ask my sisters). It's not that I can't or that I don't understand the sanctity of a really big secret. It's just that I feel SO guilty NOT telling. Anyway, this baby secret has been a doozy! And I haven't done a great job of keeping it either. Included in my misadventures with secret keeping was a fairly embarrasing face book moment where I thought I was confidentially telling a good friend the news. I learned quickly that there's no such thing as confidential on facebook! I really hate Facebook! Luckily, a sympathetic on-looker pointed out my mistake and I was able to yank the post after only a few hundred people had seen it. I spent the past several weeks hoping my boss wasn't included in that group.

For those of you that don't know me personally, this is my first baby. I'm going to be sharing some of my pregnancy adventures here. I'll try to avoid all of the boring and obvious stuff - like how we're so excited we don't quite know what to do with ourselves (and we are, of course) - and stick to the more interesting (and usually embarassing) subjects like, is it possible that NONE of my pants fit me and it's only week 8???? Please share your thoughts and comments. Goodness knows, I can use all the good advice I can get.

So here I am in the middle of week 14. Okay, so according to my doctor, I'm only in the middle of week 13. I disagree with his math. He changed my due date from October 3 to October 9th a few weeks back, but ever since he's been telling me that the baby measures really big. I really love my doctor, please don't get me wrong. I think it's really just that I WANT to be further along in this little journey than I am. I think I'm pretty much the most excited person on earth about becoming a new mom. The problem is, I'm not quite so excited about the whole, pimply, bloated, headachy, fat-pants wearing journey that leads to a new baby. Am I a terrible person? I fully get that there's A LOT more physical discomfort to come when this little one is born. It's just that, at that point, I'll also have perfect little fingers and toes to look at and a little tummy to kiss.

What I'm thinking about this week:

Weight gain. That's right. As much as we all want it to be a non-issue during pregnancy, if you're like me, it's on your mind! So last week my doctor commented that I hadn't gained any weight in awhile. Don't worry - the baby is totally doing great and looks like a rock star on the ultrasound, if I do say so myself. And let me just clarify that I see my doctor much more frequently than you might expect. I had a miscarraige awhile ago and in addition to that, it's just his style to do visits every 3 weeks instead of once a month. Anyway, after that no-weight-gain comment I went home and felt I had permission to eat pretty much the entire bag of cheesy Baked Lays - next to the Dorito, these are the yummiest chips in existence, in my opinion. Plus, I like to pretend they are health food based on the whole "baked" thing. Okay, so I recognize that there's just not much nutritional value there and all that but man those chips are sooooo good! Then, I spent most of the weekend eating waffles, mexican food and cheese plates (only the hard cheeses of course). Somehow I was a tad shocked when I realized I had gained 3 pounds in just under the same number of days. nice. I'm pretty sure this isn't what El Doctoro had in mind. Perhaps I can start wearing those cute maternity jeans a little earlier than I thought.

3 Birthday parties, Camping, and tying down the Trampoline!

2009-03-23T20:01:00.000-07:00

We went CAMPING! And by “we” I mean, Jill & Aaron, Me & Joe, Claire (7), Emily (6), Ava (2), Julia (22 mo.) and Holden (4.5 mo.). It was super-fun! We headed down to TenCamper State Park in Oklahoma for our 4 day, 3 night adventure. Though it was indeed called Tenkiller, Jill wouldn’t come along unless we called it something less scary. So . . . .TenCAMPER was born! No, I’m not pregnant – there were actually only 9 of us camping. The last time we went camping (I was pregnant) Jill didn’t seem to have any issue with Devil’s Den State Park but I guess I can see how Tenkiller is more scary than the Devil. Whatever.

Despite the State-wide burn-ban, we camped, made s’mores and Emily had her 6th Birthday Party in the woods! We “roughed it” in our 3 bedroom cabin and though we’ve had to defend our position of camping in a cabin to more folks than one, we stand by our claim! The fact is, 2 sizes of diapers, 2 sets of bunk beds, and a pink potty seat is as much camping as a family traveling with 5 kids needs. EVER. Oh, did I mention the tiny, cute infant who nurses every 3 hours? You can set your clock to it. (As long as you’re in a cabin, that is – tents don’t have clocks.)

Aaron had enough of the fun and flew home to the comforts of his own bed (actually work called, but you get the idea). Jill and her 3, and me with my 3 (Joe included) headed north to KC. Dad came down on Monday followed by Mom the next day. I left for Chicago at 4am on Monday morning and missed Emily’s real birthday – I SUCK. Luckily, she was having too much fun to notice I was gone. I got home just in time for everyone to leave. Dad whipped the house into shape just in time for Joe’s dad and Jade & Anna (2 of our 3 MN nieces) who arrived on Friday evening moments after we got home. Luckily, they came bearing gifts – about 40 pounds of Chinese food included!

Em had her third 6th birthday party on Saturday at the Roller Rink – I would recommend holding off on the roller-skating until your kiddos are a little older. Say, oh 14 or so. LOL! Anyway, thanks to all of you for coming . . .camping, cooking, skating, all of it. I love you! Oh, and I had to tie down the trampoline tonight because of the crazy strong wind! Last time it ended up in our big maple tree! Uff da!

My trip to Walgreens...saved 84%!!

2009-03-08T12:19:00.000-07:00

Can't resist...I didn't do as well as Jennie I'm sure, but look at this!!

4 Jumbo packs of Huggies
2 packs of Huggies wipes
2 boxes of NutriPals fruit bars
5 Garnier hair products
1 RightGuard deoderant
1 French's mustard
2 packages of Revlon emery boards
1 Walgreens coloring book
1 pack of Duracell hearing aid batteries (16 count) for my Grandma
2 cans of Pringles

I paid $18.91 for all of this which had a total value of $119.66!!!

Vaccines...

2009-03-05T08:19:00.000-08:00

As I mentioned at the end of my post from yesterday, Holden had his 4 month check-up yesterday. He received 2 shots as well as the oral Rotavirus vaccine. While I firmly believe that kids should receive their vaccines, I do understand the debate that's out there. I feel really lucky to have good health care (although we have really bad insurance that doesn't pay for hardly anything) for my kids. I'd love to hear what everyone has to say about vaccines. This is what I was thinking yesterday:

On Ava's two-year birthday last summer she got sick. It was while we were on our annual month-long visit to our family in Minnesota. She got sicker and sicker and her fever went higher and higher and she had no wet diapers for hours and hours. Finally, I was near panic and took her to the ER. Turns out she had Rotavirus and pretty much the only problem was that she was seriously dehydrated. She spent 3 days and nights in the hospital (pic of Aaron holding her in the hosp, which we did pretty much round the clock). It wasn't that scary because I knew that as soon as she had enough hydration, she'd be fine with no long term problems. After she got out of the hospital, she was fine. It took her about a week to return to her normal self. We did have 1 day in there when we thought we might have to take her back to the hospital, but she rounded the corner and recovered fully.

This long story just to say...I'm really glad Holden was able to get the Rotavirus vaccine (they weren't doing it when Ava was tiny).

I'd love your comments and viewpoints on the vaccine controversy.

Super Cheap Cereal!

2009-03-04T13:25:00.000-08:00

Jill again...well, I know that this is not a blog dedicated to shopping tips, but I just can't resist one more entry about the great deals out there this week! I just returned from a quick trip to my local grocery store, Tom Thumb, because they sent out a mid-week circular announcing new sales that start today. Buy 5 boxes of Kellogs Corn Flakes or Quaker Life cereal at $1.99 AND receive an instant $5 credit on the shopping trip! Doing the math, that makes each box $0.99! Then I had 2 coupons for $1 off 2 boxes of Life cereal making my grand total for 5 boxes of cereal....$3.00! If only every trip out of the house could be so gratifying!

P.S. Holden went to the doctor today and weights 14.5 pounds (40%) and was over 25 inches long (70%). He's getting so BIG!!

Coupon Crazy!

2009-03-03T11:28:00.001-08:00

Jill here - I'm fairly new to the underground world of super-couponing, but everything I know I learned from Jennie! I've learned that really there are 2 keys to successful saving: clip LOTS of coupons AND study the weekly ads from the newspaper. Here are the results from my two shopping trips this week:

Groceries: My family does a big grocery shop once a month and then we get a few things here and there as we need them (like produce and fresh bread items). I knew that we would go to the grocery on Sat morning because there was a $10 coupon in the Tom Thumb weekly circular that expired on Sat, so that was a given. I also had my quarterly $5 coupon to Tom Thumb in the passbook. With $15 guaranteed savings, I studied the circular like crazy to get the scoop on meat prices as well as BOGO or other great sale items. Then I went through ALL of my coupons and matched them up with the great deals offered by the store. In the end we spent $153 BUT we SAVED $136 (48%) with coupons and in-store sales which is FANTASTIC for us!

CVS: I was so happy with my shopping at CVS this week that I actually took a pic of the stuff I brought home! I got 6 Dawn dish soaps, 2 boxes of Glucerna snack bars, 2 trial size Act mouthwashes, a Gillette Fusion Gamer razor and a package of SweetTarts (Claire was with me). I had coupons for every item except the mouthwash and candy. I used $4 in CVS Extra Care Bucks and paid $0.02 cash for the entire purchase. In addition, I got $6 in CVS Extra Care Bucks back to spend next time! Can't wait to see what's in the CVS Sunday circular this week!

Congratulations!

2009-02-25T13:21:00.001-08:00

Congratulations to the winner of our fabulous La Bump grocery tote! The True Random number generator selected Comment 9 from our list and "TargetMom" has been contacted regarding her fabulous prize! Thanks to all of who who signed up!

Canvas Grocery Tote Give away!

2009-02-18T12:26:00.001-08:00

In order to thank our fabulous La Bump users, for the month of February, we are offering this chic La Bump grocery tote in a FREE give away!

If you’re a first time visitor, check out La Bump while you’re here and let us know what you think! All you need to do to register is leave a comment! A random winner will be selected on Tuesday Feb 24th. Good luck, and thanks for using La Bump! (If you're not a blogger, please leave your email address so we can get in touch with you if you win.)

About La Bump: As every smart mommy knows, one of the ultimate forms of recycling is recirculating gently used items for children and mothers. We have put a new spin on typical hand me down clothing by creating a network of women in your city who can buy sell and trade maternity clothing and accessories and gently used clothing, toys, and gear for our little ones. We offer this service free to our members so there is never a fee for our new form of maternity consignment. Our goal is to make a collection of fabulously chic maternity clothing and kids items accessible for smart moms like you!

Do these kids ever SLEEP??

2009-02-04T07:46:00.000-08:00

None of the little cousins have been sleeping very well lately...except for Claire, I guess. At my house, we're pretty sure that Ava and little Holden set up some sort of schedule before bedtime. We believe it's some version of this:

Ava: OK, little cute, cute, cute Holden brother, I'm going to fuss a lot when they put me to bed. Then I'm going to sleep until around midnight. While I'm sleeping, you scream at the top of your lungs off and on until 11PM. OK?

Holden: [Cute, cute smile at Ava.]

Ava: Good! Give daddy just enough time to get cozy, cozy in his bed. Then at midnight I'll cry and not tell them what the problem is. It'll just be that I need to go potty, but I won't say it and they'll be too dazed and sleepy to figure it out. Then I'll go back to sleep eventually.

Holden: [Repeat cute, cute smile.]

Ava: Then you get up at 2AM and 430AM to eat. And, here's the best part! You refuse to go back to sleep until 615AM. When the alarm goes off at 622AM they won't be able to believe it and they'll wish they were in comas at the hospital so that at least they could get a little rest.

Holden: [You guessed it, cute, cute smile!]

Not sure what kind of arrangement Emily and Julia have set up. Something like this, maybe:

Emily: Julia, it would be great if you could be fairly crabby this evening and demand to go to bed at about 630PM. That way we can lull them into thinking it's going to be an early and easy night. OK?

Julia: NO!

Emily: Then I'll be angelic and cute until 8PM when I should be ready to sleep but instead I'll fuss about being hungry (since I won't eat my dinner) and I'll talk on the phone to Amma and Poppy until 1130 or so. I'll finally go to sleep. Then you get up and go get in bed with mommy and daddy. Sound good?

Julia: NO EMILY!

Emily: Good. Then I'll start calling out for a drink of water and a purp around 1AM while you squirm around uncontrollably all night until the alarm at 530AM. Do we have a deal?

Julia: NO!

So you see, there is very little rest at either house, again, except for Claire who is still grumpy in the morning despite her 10 or so hours of uninterrupted sleep. Seriously.

Entertaining on a Budget

2009-01-30T09:06:00.000-08:00

I LOVE to entertain. I love having people in my home, filling up the place with loud conversation and laughter. But, as we all know, entertaining can get EXPENSIVE fast!!! By the time you buy groceries, drinks, and (after forgetting at least twice) run back to the store for fresh flowers and more ice, you’ve spent enough to feed your family for month!

I have found some great ways to entertain on a budget. So don’t stop socializing just because you can’t afford to break the bank to do it!

First, an-old fashioned pot luck can be so much fun! A dinner party is so much more interesting if your guests bring something to share. Guests are invested in the experience and the pressure is off the hostess! My favorite way to host a pot luck is to choose a theme for the guests. Have an Italian night or a Mediteranean theme – there’s no end to the options! Ask each guest to sign up to bring something on evite or another on line forum so it’s easy for everyone to see what’s still needed (no one wants to end up with 4 plates of humus and no main dishes). Ask those that don’t like to cook to be in charge of drinks, napkins, board games for later etc.

Another great option is hosting your own iron chef competition. Jill had a mac n cheese contest at her house awhile back. Every family brought a mac n cheese entry and Jill had awards for winners in the “kids’ choice” and “grown ups favorites” categories.
Something I’m planning to try this winter (this one is really just for grown ups) is a beer tasting. I’m planning to make a big pot of chili and have each guest bring a different unique beer selection (not anything commercial). Making chili and a little corn bread is cheap and very easy, and each guest only has to spend a few dollars on beer. The taste test can be done blind by covering the labels on the beer. This kind of thing is much more fun if you create little score cards for each participant to write their notes down. Make the cards similar to those you would use for a wine tasting – because it’s sooooo funny to hear a big beer guzzling guy describe the nose on a hefeweizen or the notes in a pilsner!!

Have fun with entertaining but most importantly remember, you don’t have to have the house in perfect condition to entertain. Let go of your perfectionism – these are your FRIENDS after all! They know you’re not perfect and believe me they have pets that shed, and messy kids too.

Please share your ideas for entertaining on a budget! We would really love to hear from you!

The Grocery Challenge

2009-01-24T07:05:00.000-08:00

A couple of weeks ago, Jan 11th to be exact, I read a great article in the Dallas Morning News about a family who is entering their second year of a serious consumer re-think. They purchase nothing new except for: food, toiletries and home repair items (like air conditioner filters, light bulbs, etc.). Everything else they buy second hand or learn a way to do without. To kick off the start of the new year, they decided to spend only $100 on groceries for the month of January. They felt they could do this because they had quite a bit of stuff stocked up over the holidays. They were going to use what they had on hand and spend their $100 on perishable items they needed along the way.

The Marlowe family decided to take the grocery challenge, too! Since we didn't read about this until the 11th, we started then but still need the challenge to end on Feb 1st because we're having some friends over for a Super Bowl/Birthday Party for Aaron and we'll need some stuff for that. [DISCLAIMER: We spend $40 on organic milk at Costco before we started, so we didn't include that cost in the hundred bucks. We drink a LOT of milk!]

It's been fun trying to think of creative meals to use the things we have on hand. One example is that we had 1 frozen chicken breast and about 12 or so frozen shrimp. Neither would be enough for us to have for a meal (since there are 4 of us who eat solid food now), but I used both of them and put them in a pasta sauce (a version of the Shady Lady recipe from a previous post) and !PRESTO!, we had a meal! Otherwise the single chicken breast and the small amount of shrimp may have shivered in our freezer, unused, until we threw them away.

The challenge is....challenging....but fun and definitely do-able, especially with the money we're saving using coupons, etc. See my receipts to see how we're doing so far.

Cheap and Easy???

2009-01-20T09:00:00.000-08:00

I got this new cookbook for Christmas and I LOVE it! I also happen to love the name "Cheap & Easy: A Cookbook for Girls on the Go". We've tried 4 entree recipes out of this book and they're all great. Our fav, however, is called "Shady Lady Pasta Puttanesca". Here is the recipe for your cheap & easy as well as quick and delicious dinner (the following serves 2 so I doubled):

8 ounces penne pasta
3 T olive oil
3 large garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 c pitted black olives, chopped
1/2 cup red or white wine (I used white)
2 T capers, drained
Generous handful of chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 t crushed red pepper flakes (I used less because of the kiddos)
1 15 ounce can diced tomatoes, with juice
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Cook pasta.
2. Heat oil in 2 quart saucepan over high heat. Add garlic and reduce heat to med. Saute lightly, adding the olives, wine, capers, parsley and red pepper flakes.
3. Simmer, uncovered, for 2-3 min and then add tomatoes, letting whole mixture cook down over med-high heat to the consistency of a chunky sauce.
4. Adjust seasoning to taste before serving. Pour over pasta.

Love it!!

Happy January (and Happy New Year!) to you all!

2009-01-05T08:14:00.000-08:00

It's Jennie here, and I must say that I'm feeling refreshed! The Long holiday break was somehow relaxing and exhausting all at the same time, but it was definitely refreshing! The feeling of starting a new year with great ideas and fabulous plans brings a new bit of excitement to the air! LaBump has big plans for 2009 and we're excited that you are a part of our network!

We hope that you will remember to buy locally (as it reduces waste) and consider resale when it comes to your kiddos ever-changing needs. Recirculating gently used items is the best kind of recycling! (And it's budget-friendly too!)

Jill tried out "green" shopping this Christmas, buying as many items as she could from previous owners or organically friendly merchants. I say 'previous owners' as opposed to 'used' because the majority of the items she purchased still had the tags on! My kiddos loved their new clothes and the books were great too! What a fabulous idea, Jill - Kudos to you! :)

Beth continues her venture in helping pair those in need of an item, with someone who has it available for sale on the site! Anyone in Houston need a new booster seat? Brand new, still in the box, $10! LOL! Good work Beth - I wish I had your charisma!

I will keep closer track of my couponing in 2009 and let you know how it goes. Combining the efforts of a $40/week consumables budget (diapers, food, toiletries, household items,etc) with recycling, children's re-sale, and keeping it simple has changed my life. Somehow I feel like a better mommy, wife, and person for doing it.

Thanks for being a part of the LaBump family! Be strong, live simple, and enjoy what you do!

COUPONS, cookies and Christmas exaustion!

2008-12-20T20:15:00.000-08:00

Beth here. Oh my goodness folks, Christmas has been wearing me out this week! But, midway through the week, after an encounter with a poor soul at the post office who was somehow more frazzled than me, I decided to pull it together, refocus and find the joy that this whole season is supposed to be about! I'm letting go and relaxing and accepting the fact that everything is NOT going to be perfect, every gift is NOT going to have a bow (not sure they're all going to even get wrapped at this point), and my Christmas tree may not get fresh water every day. Every other's not so bad right? But I WILL enjoy the next few days and laugh as much as I can (even if it's mostly at myself). So here I am, sitting with my feet up, sipping a little white wine knowing full well that the dishes will be there after I've relaxed a little and toasted the Christmas season!

I spent today baking 4 kinds of cookies with my mother-in-law (with lots and lots of coffee breaks in between). We made snickerdoodles for the first time ever - LOVE those!!! They win the "best dough" award for today! We also made some oatmeal cookies (half with rasins for my husband and the other half without for people like me who belive you should never put raisins where the chocolate chips should be), some peanut butter with chocolate kisses - mmmmmmmm, and chocoate cookies with peanut butter filling. I'm pretty sure I ate my weight in dough.

So the other thing I've been working on today is coupons. You may know that I've been doing an experiment to determine wheather coupon clipping is worth the time for me and my family. I've decided for the next couple of months I'm going to whole heartedly embrace all the coupon clipping maddness to see whether it can save us money. I'm about a month in and I have to say, I think I'm a convert. My sister Jennie is the master - one of many moms feeding her family on $40 per week with the help of the Money Saving Mom (http://www.moneysavingmom.com). Jennie is constantly getting piles of free items by combining store specials with coupons and rebates. Will post photos of some of her stashes for you to take a peek at. I was feeling like a bit of a failure at first. Then, it all came together. I organized my coupon stash, made a plan and headed to the store. This week, I'm SO proud to report that I got the following items FREE from Walgreens after using the tips from moneysavingmom.com:

2 jars of Skippy peanut butter
2 bottles of mouthwash
4 cans of Progresso soup
2 boxes of Chocolates

That was just on one (well planned) trip. I've also reduced my grocery bills significantly. Are you making progresse with coupons?? Please let us know your thoughts and tips!

Free Gift from Oprah

2008-12-19T05:35:00.000-08:00

On Thursday's Oprah, she announced a FREE downloadable holiday CD for 48 hours only. We LOVE a free download!!!
Please check it out: here to get your free music!

La Bump goes LIVE on Good Morning Texas!

2008-11-21T12:41:00.000-08:00

Jill and Beth had the awesome opportunity to spread the word about La Bump on live television this week!

Good Morning Texas' Paige Smith has a daily segment titled "Penny Pinching" and featured La Bump's resale website as a clever way to pinch pennies, go green, and save the world. Okay, maybe not save the world, but decide for yourself. Click here to view the link!

He’s HERE!!!!!

2008-11-08T09:18:00.000-08:00

Hi all! Amma here! Holden Jack was born on October 30th at 2:55 p.m. He weighed in at 8 pounds and was 20 inches long, and he is, without a doubt, a perfect baby boy! We have been very busy at Jill’s house since Holden’s arrival. Ava is adjusting to being a big sister quite nicely (she just loves “her baby” so much!) And Claire – an old hat at this whole big sister thing - was quickly back to business as usual. So much to do as a busy 2nd grader!

By now, Jill is a pro at giving birth. She looked great moments after delivery. Beth joked that she took out her to do list, crossed off “give birth” and asked who was ready to make a run to the grocery store? Ha! She is a super woman, that’s for sure!

So we’ve now got 5 in the Marlowe family – a bit of a rarity these days. I grew up with 4 kids in my family and back then it certainly wasn’t unusual for families to have 5 or more children. How things have changed! We recently overheard 7 year old Claire talking with some friends about new babies. One little friend said, “I can’t believe you’re going to have THREE kids in your family!” Another little boy said, “that’s nothing, I heard about a kid once who’s family had FOUR KIDS!!!!” At that point, all the kids were rendered speechless. Stunned at the thought! After hearing this exchange, a very pregnant Jill turned around, shrugged, and said, “well, I guess that means we’re one kid short of a freak show.”

Maternity Resale . . . Kids Resale . . . Thank Goodness for www.LaBump.com

2008-11-08T09:08:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone, Beth here. I can’t help but comment on the current state of our economy. As smart mommies we must work together to take care of our families during these times. Women have been making do and taking care of things with few resources for ages so I know we can do it! We really do need to band together as women to get the job done! La Bump is just one way that we can make our dollars go further, reuse kids’ stuff, share, swap and trade maternity clothes. All of these little steps make a huge difference. Here are some tips that the La Bump sisters love for saving money during these tough times:

www.moneysavingmom.com has the BEST coupon saving tips!!! Our favorites are the CVS and Walgreens programs, you MUST get started!

Implement soup and sandwich night at home. One night a week, open a can of Progresso soup and make some yummy sandwiches (we like to melt some cheese on whatever sandwich in the frying pan or the George Foreman grill to make it super gooey) and PRESTO...you have a really inexpensive, not to mention QUICK and EASY TO CLEAN UP, evening meal. It's a nice break during the winter months.

And of course, our favorite tip of all (the original “craigslist for moms) www.LaBump.com. Try an experiment for 1 week or 1 month or even 1 year! Try not to purchase anything new (except consumables like food and toiletries). This is a great way to "reduce, reuse and recycle". Help do your part for the earth and save yourself some money along the way. Remember La Bump for maternity resale, kids resale, no cost consignment, nursing supplies, etc.

La Bump! This is what we're up to right now!

2008-10-23T10:29:00.000-07:00

So, we've recently learned about this cool thing to do with our kids. It's called Baby Loves Disco (http://www.babylovesdisco.com) and we don't think there's anything more fun than this concept! Here's the premise (from their own website):

all across the country, baby loves disco is slowly but surely transforming the hippest night clubs into child proof discos as toddlers, pre-schoolers and parents looking for a break from the routine playground circuit let loose for some post naptime, pre-dinner fun. make no mistake, this is not the mickey mouse club, and barney is banned. baby loves disco is an afternoon dance party featuring real music spun and mixed by real djs blending classic disco tunes from the 70s, & 80s guaranteed to get those little booties moving and grooving.

They actually change a REAL night club into something that is family-friendly and safe for our little dancing queens (and kings). La Bump is proud to be a sponsor at 2 upcoming BLD events! We'll be providing face painting and stickers in addition to all the other fun and cool stuff that is always at BLD events. Please join us in:

Houston - November 1, 2008; 2-5PM; Rich's - 2401 San Jacinto St.

Dallas - November 22, 2008; 2-5PM; Purgatory Dallas - 2208 Main St # 10

See the BLD website for ticket information. We understand that it's best to purchase tickets in advance. Hope to see you there!

P.S. The pic was NOT taken at a BLD event. It's of Claire from several years ago at Jennie's wedding...CUTE!

The Hansens LOVE composting!

2008-10-21T10:36:00.000-07:00

I just want you all to know that I LOVE composting. We initially started doing it because our trash can had a less-than-pleasant odor taking over our garage. But since then, it has taken on a new meaning for our family. It has become a pretty fun post-dinner event for the kids too! Our CP (as we call it) is about 20 yards from our deck in the back yard – so it’s a bit of a hike compared to the kitchen trash can, but it has been such a fun experience. The girls love to see what has disappeared from the day before and my oldest, Emily loves to take all of the neighborhood kids back there and tell them about how its good to “return the food to the earth.” She sounds like a tiny little scientist.

When we first started the CP, it was mostly just grass, weeds and leaves from our yard, but we quickly started adding watermelon rinds, bad tomatoes from our garden and other ‘outdoor’ trash items. It didn’t take long for us to include all of our “perishable” (or in my words garage-stinkable) food items. Now we take all of our scraps from meals, (apple cores, bones from meat, potato peels, onion skin, high-chair mess, and uneaten food from the kids’ plates) out to the pile. In conjunction with recycling everything that our city will take, this has significantly reduced the amount of trash that we are contributing to our local land fill each week. Now, our family of four typically only puts out 2-3 bags of trash a week which is MUCH less than last year at this time, when our super-stinky trash can lid was un-closable because of the amount of stuff we were throwing away.

Starting out, I did have a couple of gross-out fears with the idea of a compost pile. First I was concerned about an unpleasant odor or neighborhood dogs or squirrels routing around in the mess. To date, this has not happened. Second, I was told I would need to get some ‘bacteria’ (aka dog poop) in order for the CP to function properly – we have (thankfully) also found this to be untrue. BUT, should you have a family four-legged friend, I think this could be an added benefit for all of you dog owners! Third, the ugly post-dinner garbage sitting around on the kitchen counter really grossed me out. So . . . instead of that yucky option, we take the scraps out after every kitchen clean-up. It’s a fun little 3-minte breath of fresh air plus, its cute to watch my little 18-month old bark at the neighbors GIANT blood hound who chases us up and down his fence while we walk. Its great. So there’s my take on composting. I fully understand it’s not for every family but it is an awesome thing for ours. Now . . . if I could only find a way to compost those dirty diapers!

More opportunities to help with Hurricane IKE relief – PLEASE READ!

2008-10-16T17:09:00.000-07:00

Please see the attached note about the 600 homeless families that are currently living in a “tent city” in Galveston. 55 of the people living in the shelters are under the age of 12 and 9 are infants. If you can help, please let us know or contact The Children’s Center (contact info is below). We are more than happy to collect items from you and deliver them to the Children’s Center. Of course, you can also send donations directly to the Center. The list of the most needed items is at the bottom of this post. If you would like to contact us directly about coordinating donation delivery, please email us at info@LaBump.com Thank you so much!

Dear Friends,
Hurricane Ike has left Galveston with a tremendous amount of homeless
families due to devastated or severely damaged homes. The Children's
Center, Inc. (TCCI), founded in 1878, is the only social service
agency in Galveston that has a shelter for homeless families. The website is: http://thechildrenscenterinc.org

As some of you may know, there are close to 600 homeless families
living in the Red Cross "tent city" in the area surrounding Alamo
School. Of that number, 55 of them are children ages 12 and under; 9
are infants.

Currently, TCCI is working closely with the Red Cross and the City of
Galveston to place the most vulnerable women, children and families
in the Family Crisis Shelter, and the Respite Care building. Due to
other shelter buildings being damaged, TCCI is only able to take a
select few, approximately 60 people, including children. These
families will be transitioned to the shelters at the end of this week.

Therefore there is a tremendous and immediate need for supplies and
household items in order to make the children and families
comfortable and safe. I have attached a list of PRIORITY needs in the
hopes that you may be able to help The Children's Center help these
most vulnerable families and children in Galveston.

Thank you, in advance, for your time and support.
Eliza

Eliza K. Quigley, LMSW
Vice President of Development & Community Relations
The Children's Center, Inc.
PO Box 2600
Galveston, Texas 77553
409-789-1112
elizaq@comcast.net

Rasins, Jink-a wata, and a Purp!

2008-10-15T06:46:00.000-07:00

My little lady is learning how to read. How cute! In turn, she is also learning how to spell (and not spell) and wants to spell everything she sees, hears and talks about. This includes everything that I talk about as well spelling out what all of the neighbors are working on. My least favorite part about the spelling is the stringing along of an endless group of letters and then wondering what she has spelled. Mommy, it has to say something, just READ IT to me!! Yesterday I finally convinced her it was more fun to sound out a word and try to make an actual word than to just hope for a magical one hidden in all of the carefully scribed letters. So, she picked Jink-a. Mommy LOOK! I spelled J-I-N-K-A! You know, I wanta a jinka wata!

Shortly after the correction of drink starts with “d” (sound it out honey . . . dhh rrr iiinn kkk – oh I know you’ve all been there) there came the question of the raisin. “Mommy, sometimes I get hungry at school – can’t I just take one little raisin in my sock?” Gross. My husband suggested a hotdog or maybe a banana in her sock instead and I think she got the picture. So she went off to school and had a wonderful day and learned how to spell the color brown (to the tune of row, row, row your boat).

My dad is here keeping Julia this week (yaaaay Papa!) and was there yesterday to meet Emily at the bus stop. We did the daily after-school mad-dash that we all know and love including dinner, clean-up, quick trip to Target, Sheridan’s (for a free hot fudge sundae) bath-time, stories, crying about bedtime and rocking the baby to sleep for the hundredth time in the same day. It’s a much nicer dash when you have an extra grown-up to help out! We finally got everyone to sleep, I snuck to CVS for some free couponing, (go www.moneysavingmom.com) and Joe finally made it home from work. Whew, another day is done!

At about 2:30 this morning, I hear one of the many nightly calls from my two lovely ladies – this time it’s Emily. “Mooommmmm-eee!” I stumble to her room and she tells me she needs a “jink-a wata and a purp.” Poor kid, I forgot to give her the little purple Benadryl that helps her sleep cough-free through the night. So she gets her purp, gulps down the glass of water and out she goes until morning when we do it all again! I love being a mommy!

TX State Fair!

2008-10-13T19:40:00.000-07:00

The Marlowe family headed out to the Texas State Fair last Wednesday afternoon (enjoying the discount admission of 3 soup cans + $1). We had a wonderful time! Started out in the petting barn where the girls could feed and pet all sorts of animals...favs included the tiny baby goats and the donkeys. Then they went through the little farm.

The good stuff...tornado taters, lemonade and Fletchers corny dogs were next! Claire wanted to ride all of the scary rides (in the kiddie section) including the roller coaster, the super high slide, the haunted house, and several other spinning delights. Nana offered to take Ava on the carousel, but Ava insisted it was too scary and sat it out in the stroller. She did manage to take 2 rides with big sister Claire, though. So CUTE!

We finished off with cotton candy, lots of bottled water and a cranky (not to mention sticky) ride home. Next year there will be another little Marlowe (probably walking by then) to enjoy the trip to the fair. A BOY BABY...2 weeks to go!

Hurricane Relief for Newborns

2008-10-07T08:40:00.000-07:00

As you know, the La Bump team is committed to providing a non-invasive forum for you to buy sell and trade your maternity, baby and kids’ items. We are committed to providing that forum in a no strings attached way! With that said, we are reaching out to you today to ask for help with something that is very near and dear to our hearts. As you may know, La Bump was started by three sisters. One of us, my sister Beth, lives in Houston and has been dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Ike. She was without power for two weeks but, thank goodness, she and her family are safe and sound. Lots of people in Houston are still very much in need, however. We think the La Bump community can help with one very specific need.

There is a critical need for items for newborns in the Houston community. Many relief efforts do not focus on this need. Please help me gather together supplies for these little ones! Many people are still rebuilding and trying to recover from weeks away from work without pay. We can help! We are willing to collect FORMULA, DIAPERS, and BABY FOOD and bring them to Houston's Local Infant Formula for Emergencies (LIFE) office (check out www.lifehouston.org). Beth lives in the Houston Heights and will be dropping off all that she can collect to that office. Of course, donations of money are also a HUGE help to Life Houston.

We have created a “Hurricane Ike Relief” location on www.LaBump.com where you can get more info about donating. Or, feel free to simply email me (Jill@LaBump.com) or Beth (Beth@Labump.com) to coordinate dropping off your donation. If it's easier, please bring your items directly to the LIFE office closest to you! Either way, please let us know what you plan to do - the La Bump community can make a BIG difference!!!

Putting up fruit

2008-10-01T12:17:00.000-07:00

Hi there, Beth here. Jill and I got together a little early this year for our annual holiday gift making weekend. With Jill’s little one on the way we knew we had to get it done early or we wouldn’t have a chance. This is the weekend where we get together and mass produce as many holiday gifts as we possibly can in one 48 hour period. We try to make enough of whatever we’re making so that we’ll have gifts for co-workers, family friends, neighbors etc. etc. (you know how long that list gets!)

In past years we’ve made aprons, table runners and napkins and MILLIONS of cookies! Check out the photo of our cookie stash from last year! By the end of the 48 hours we are usually exhausted, disheveled and a tad sick from eating mass quantities of cookie dough – I just CAN’T STOP!!! Jennie was with us last year thank goodness – she’s been known to put ketchup on my personal cookie dough sampling stash because it’s about the only thing that will stop me. BTW, it’s quite an effective technique in case you’re looking for one.

Because we got together so early this year we had ditch the cookies and focus on something that will keep until the holidays. So we decided to try our hand at canning jam. We had tried making jam once before with less than perfect results BUT we had high hopes for better results this time. After lots of on line research and a trip to the farmers market we were armed with enough plums to feed an army! At the last minute we decided to throw some apple butter into the mix too (the apples are just SO good this time of year!)

The process started with blanching all those plums (taking the skins off so for those of you who haven’t gotten your fill of the Food Network recently). It’s sort of a yucky mess with the plums. Luckily, 7 year old Claire was up for the challenge! She did a fabulous job helping get all those pesky skins off of the plums.

We chopped boiled, thickened, sweetened and stirred ALL weekend!! I think I still have some sugar under my fingernails. At one point, I found a blob of jelly in my hair. It’s not glamorous work, Ladies! But I am very proud to report that at the end of it all we are proud to have “put up” as they say in the canning world, 20 jars of plum jelly and 10 jars of apple butter. YUM!!! The house smelled delightful!!!!

State Fair of Texas 2008 Admission Discounts

2008-09-29T06:52:00.000-07:00

The State Fair of TX is going on right now and we're planning to take the kids after school next Wednesday. Why a Wednesday, you ask? Check out these great deals you can receive on your admission price (I got this via email from the PR office of the Fair, so I definitely consider this reliable). Next week you'll be able to read about all the fun, food and swollen feet we had while we were there! HA! Oh, the pics are from our trip the the fair last year...

State Fair of Texas 2008 promotions:

Participating North Texas KROGER stores
Advance purchase General Admission tickets are $12.50. A Season Pass is
$29.95. They may be purchased at the check-out counter or at the service
desk.

Opening Day-Sept. 26--Bring a full 20 oz. Coca-Cola product for donation
to the North Texas Food Bank containers at Fair admission gates and
enter the State Fair for $4 per donation per person.

Dr Pepper $3 Tuesdays--Every Tuesday, bring an empty Dr Pepper can and
enter for $3. Most rides (excluding the Thrillway and the Texas Star)
are 5 coupons.

Kroger "Three for $1" each Wednesday--Admission is $1 for each visitor
bringing 3 cans of food for area food banks.

Coke $4 Thursday--Bring an empty 20 oz. bottle of a Coca-Cola product
and enter the Fair for $4 admission.

Mature Texan Magazine sponsor of Seniors FREE Thursdays--Senior
Citizens 60 years and older get in to the State Fair FREE each Thursday.

FREE Thursday admission with a Cinemark Theater ticket stub.

Any Day--McDonald's offers $3 off General Admission with one of their
State Fair coupons any day of the Fair. The other coupon McDonald's
offers with one general admission ($14.00) at the gates you get a child
in free. Offer may not be combined with any other offer.

Wide awake...

2008-09-23T02:15:00.000-07:00

I'm wide awake again during the middle of the night. I spend all day feeling really sleepy and then can't sleep at night. What is that about? I'm thinking about how the baby is breech with only 5 weeks to go. I tried something new today, I went to a chiropractor to see if she could help make some room for the baby to turn around on his own. I do think that it helped, but am pretty sure that the baby is still breech. If this fails, I'll have to go into the hospital and see if the doctor can turn the baby around in order to avoid a c-section. I'm trying to stay positive because I don't think the baby is that big and I do think he can still turn, but I also know that time for that is running short. If anyone has suggestions on what I can do to help, please send them my way!

Enough of that. Claire is back in soccer and her team is (slowly) improving. She's really quick and has nearly endless amounts of energy, so she's in the right sport for sure. Plus, she loves it! Aaron is helping to coach the team this year and I think he really likes doing that too. Ava and I wander around watching during practice and games. Mostly we pick flowers and marvel at the outdoors (tree balls, pine cones, ants, sticks, etc.). We're all ready for the weather to cool down; it's back in the 90's this week and after a long, hot summer, we could use a break. That's all for now...

Heading North . . . Fleeing IKE and Baby Room Remodels

2008-09-11T09:13:00.000-07:00

Well we’re preparing to head for drier ground this morning. Houstonians have actually been fairly calm so far. Having grown up (safely inland) in Minnesota I am not quite so calm. I have to say, Houston is now my home but I prefer a blizzard to a Hurricane any day! Many of my fellow Houstonians are “hunkering down” as we like to say here. Not me! I’m headed to Dallas. Here in Houston, the old hands at this play it very cool. They are un-phased and many refuse to admit any concern at all. Texans are just too tough to be bothered by Ike. A good friend of mine is planning a hurricane party – it will no doubt be a fabulous get together. Mention of good last minute party will normally stop my in my tracks and have me touching up my lipstick while making a u-turn in traffic to make it to the festivities. Not this time. Indeed, I’m a scared-y cat. Luckily I was already planning to head to Dallas this weekend because I promised Jill long ago that I would help her paint her baby room. So, I have an excellent excuse and I can flee to the safety of DFW, all the while pretending I would love to be here for the action if only I didn’t have a prior commitment.

So, back to this baby room. After having a pink house for the last seven years - and I do mean VERY PINK (Jill’s little girls are as girly as can be! I don’t think Claire wore a pair of pants – or at least not without protest – until she was 5 or 6) we are preparing for baby number three and, get this . . . IT’S A BOY!!! So, the mission for the weekend – after escaping Ike, that is – is turning a very pink nursery BLUE! How exciting. Jill still thinks this baby might surprise us and come out a girl. If so, Jill has instructed me to throw some pink pillows and blankets into the room before she gets home from the hospital. Her emergency procedure in case of gender mix up has relaxed considerably since baby number 2. Had Ava come out a boy, I was under strict instruction to (very quickly) re-paint the nursery with a cute farm/cowboy motif before the baby was released from the hospital. Thank goodness that didn’t happen! I’m quite sure paint fumes are bad for newborns.

Anyway, back to the task at hand. Hurricane prep is really a crap shoot. What do you buy? How much? If you load up on the big cafeteria sized spaghetti-o’s you’re in good shape right? But how do you get those giant cans open anyway? And the thought of eating spaghetti-o’s at all is just a tad yucky – and much more so when there’s no power (meaning no microwave). One of my friend’s husbands headed to the store to stock up on essentials for the grown ups this morning. She had already stocked up on diapers and formula. He came home with a case of wine and a jumbo sized can of chili. I’m not even going to make a comment on that. I’ll just say, hurricane prep is an interesting time. I’ve seen enough. See you in Dallas!

The List of Things We Thought We'd Never Have to Say...

2008-09-07T11:01:00.000-07:00

Oh, Ava, please don't lick the cat.

Honey, don't sprinkle cheese on your baby sisters head.

I told you a hundred times not to tug-o-war with the jump rope.

Honey, don't put your hotdog in the guitar like that.

How many times do I have to tell you Emily, please don't lick another person on the face!

Please don't eat off the bottom of your foot - I'll get you some new lunch meat.

Oh honey, please don't put that stick up into the ceiling fan like that.

Eat what I gave you, not what's in the trash. Honey, you can't eat trash.

Julia, three and a half eggs is enough for breakfast, you're only one year old (as she cries "mo, mo!" over and over again pointing to her empty bowl).

Please post your own...add a comment!

P.S. Check out this cool review of our site: www.thewiseyoungmommy.blogspot.com

State Fair, Second Grade & Labor Day Weekend

2008-09-02T13:34:00.000-07:00

So, Claire and I made our annual trip up to MN for the state fair. Mom, Kevin, Steve and Dad were there. It was great! We ate snacks galore (favorites include fried cheese curds, french fries, snow cone, chocolate milk and lefse), Claire rode rides and spent tons of time in the Miracle of Birth center. She came home with 3 tiny caterpillars who grew and grew and made a cocoon. Now we wait for butterflies to emerge. The whole thing was great and we can't wait until next year!

We got home just in time (with 1 day to spare) for Claire to start 2nd grade. Aaron and Ava had attended "Meet the Teacher" while we were gone. She's doing great, has a locker on top this year, art (her fav subject) is on Tuesdays, and best of all, they get a snack in the morning this year! When her teacher asked her where she was during "Meet the Teacher" Claire told her we were at the MN fair. Ironically, her teacher is from the same town in MN where I grew up. It's a small, small world...truly!

After only 5 days of school, we had a long Labor Day weekend. Scheels and Kuhs joined us out at the lake for a nice, relaxing (minus the occasional kid drama) weekend. It was good just to be out of town and overall, the kids (all 5 of them) really were good. We did lots of fishing, swimming, cooking, eating and a little boating, too.

So that's what's up for now. I'm trying to get Jennie to post this list she's been keeping. It's a list of things we should never have to say to our kids but end up saying anyway. Stay tuned...

Good morning!

2008-08-27T14:16:00.000-07:00

So at 6:19AM Claire came into our room and said that Lucy (our 11 year old dog who sleeps in Claires room) needed to go out to go to the bathroom. As Aaron mumbled and slowly started to roll out of bed, I can hear Lucy peeing on the floor. Aaron cleans it up somewhat with a towel. I suggest that maybe he should squirt a little cleaner of some sort on the spot to lessen the smell of dog urine in our bedroom. It's gross, but we move on.

We get Claire and Aaron out the door to school and work. Ava and I settle into our morning routine. I shower while Dora babysits from the TV. Tammy calls. Then I hear this noise. I know what it is, but am REALLY afraid to look. I'm 31 weeks pregnant and the smell of what is to come scares me tremendously. Lucy has thrown up (heaps of undigested dog food) in 2 spots in the hall outside my bedroom. I call Aaron and suggest (not in my kindest voice) that he make the dog an appointment to see the vet (she's been acting funny since we went on vacation and she spent 8 days in boarding). Dogs are gross.

Fast forward 30 minutes or so. Aaron picks up the dog and as he leaves, the doorbell rings. It's the housekeeper, that I tried to fire 2 weeks ago, showing up to clean the house. I call Beth to translate the "...we don't need you to clean our house anymore..." even though this housekeeper DOES speak english but a some point when I asked her to vacuum the steps, she decided to only speak Spanish to me.

So that's over and Beth and I are talking about how the Spanish conversation went and Ava tells me her panties are yucky. Potty training is also gross.

I do the only thing I can think to do. I put a diaper on Ava (are you supposed to do that during potty training???) and head out to Target.

Not a great morning, but in the big picture, I have taken a shower, Ava had bath, the dog is not at home anymore, the house is both messy and dusty (but I have started the laundry) and I get to go to Target! I'll take it over my previous life of sitting in my cubicle. This is the thought that gets me through these really gross, stinky mornings!

La Bump Has Arrived!!!

2008-08-20T07:19:00.000-07:00

Well Ladies, the time is FINALLY here! We have www.LaBump.com off the ground and running! The LaBump sisters are so proud of our site! Please check it out. Here's more info about us and how we got started:

http://www.labump.com/about.php

Please look around the site and visit us here often as well. We are going to use this space as a way to communicate with other mommies and share tips, ideas, and stories.