So, this is what happens when you think you've vacuumed the car really good, but didn't get all the cereal and crackers that fell between the seats and piled up underneath them; AND you also happen to have a rather large, hungry rat living in your garage that you thought was gone because you hadn't seen any "evidence" of it in a while; AND one of your kids left the car door open AND you didn't notice...
Yeah, that's right,
A - RAT - ATE -
THE - BACK - SEAT - OF - MY - CAR!
A rat.
A real, live rat - ate my back car seat! Scurried right in that open car door and feasted on kiddy snacks hidden in the abyss beneath my back seat.
It's hard to imagine and yet I have photographic proof.
It's truly disturbing.
It's time to start getting back on a routine. I'm easing my kids into an earlier bedtime already so it's not such a shock to their system. (I've been spoiling them by letting them stay up later this summer)
My mother-in-law was kind enough to assist me in registering my daughter for Kindergarten and took her school supply shopping. I'm telling you it's a scavenger hunt trying to find the very precise items required by the school. We went to two stores and still haven't bought all the necessary supplies. This is all new to me. I missed the Elementary school's sale of pre-packaged school supplies (which they don't sell during registration?? Does it make sense for a school to make it easy for the kids who already go there and difficult for the new students???)
Well, I'll know for next year and hopefully you'll know now too!!
Wal-Mart and Target do have special end-cap displays set up with school supplies required by local schools. In addition, the stores have copies of the local school supply lists available.
My mother-in-law also did the back-to-school clothes shopping for my daughter-what a huge help! 
OH-AND DON'T FORGET IT'S A TAX-FREE WEEKEND this weekend (August 17-19, 2007) in case you're still in need of back-to-school items! (or in my case, a new pair of shoes!)
A friend of mine is feeling guilty these days because she lost her temper with her 9-month-old son and raised her voice and wanted a break. I don't know one mom who hasn't raised her voice at one time or a mom who hasn't felt the need for a break. For her, I'd like to share an older post-
You're Not A Bad Mom If...
(abbreviated list-it could go on for days)
...you didn't have a natural, drug-free birth
....you didn't/don't breastfeed....you have/had postpartum depression
...you don't cook a homemade meal every night. (Did you know spaghetti O's don't have preservatives? Pair with a salad if it makes you feel better)
...you're just too tired to read a book to your child tonight. (Your child might want 2 books the next night when you have the energy)
...you can't afford a trip to DisneyWorld
....you raised your voice....you need a break from your kid(s)
....your house isn't spotless and free of toy-debris
....your child throws a tantrum. (for most kids, it's the best way they know how to communicate their feelings)
Being a mom shouldn't mean living with the guilt of not living up to the title of "perfect parent."You're not supermom. You can't always do everything you or your kids want.You're human, you're going to make mistakes and you learn from them.I know it's difficult not to feel guilt or inadequacy. But, remember those feelings come from judgments of how you think things should be based on the perceptions of the world. In other words, you feel that way because you think you're supposed to.
As parents, we're constantly judged by others. I have strangers walk up to me in the grocery store and tell me with an appalled tone to put socks on my son. "Aren't you worried his feet are getting cold?" I just ignore them. I know I do worry about my son, but he keeps taking off his socks and throwing them on the ground. I think he'll survive while we purchase some diapers and milk. While we were out running errands another time, strangers remarked about my daughter having a dirty face. Yes, I would prefer my daughter have a clean face too. But, I'm not going to fight or bribe her if she doesn't want to clean her face-especially since the main reason to clean her face is the thought of how others are going to perceive her and me. Since then, she's learned on her own to clean her face.It's the same scenario as when a kid throws a tantrum in public. We're so worried about what on-lookers are thinking, we change our parenting. We should stay our parenting course. It shouldn't matter what others think.Always remember, YOU'RE DOING THE BEST YOU CAN and YOU'RE A GREAT MOM!
If you're on a budget or just frugal (or both like me), you know the expenses of a child's birthday party can really add up. But, parties can still be fun and inexpensive thanks to the dollar store. If you have a fear of the dollar store selling only cheap crap, you'd be surprized what kinds of quality items are available. If you still have an aversion-many mega-stores such as Target, Wal-Mart and even the sports store Academy have $1 aisles or areas in order to compete with dollar stores.
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The games included balloon toss and Fishin'. (I wrote the name of the prizes on small, floating foam rings that I placed face-down in the baby pool. I used a kid fishing rod with a hook I made from a large paper clip. The kids then fished for the foam rings-which ever ring they caught was the prize they won. The littler kids were allowed to use a butterfly net to catch their prize rings). nu=3235)43+);89)WSNRCG=32326;3275(83nu0mrj.jpg)
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Fish of all kinds, lighthouses, sailboats, etc adorned the food tables on serving trays my mom loaned to me and even the napkins (which I found cheap at WalMart). I had small, beach-themed tumblers full of goldfish crackers and goldfish pretzels. As for the cake, it was a fish too! I highly recommend cupcake-cakes. They are awesome -whether you make it yourself or buy at the store. It's simply several cupcakes placed and iced all together forming what looks like a traditional cake-but without having to cut it up! I happened to be blessed with good birthday party karma the night before the party and found this cake at Signature Kroger's (for $14.95!!):
...You've ever used the phrase "hug my neck."
...You've ever gone grocery shopping in the middle of the night, in your PJ's. (sometimes you're so excited about shopping by yourself-you forget what you're wearing!)
...You've ever called a grocery cart a "buggy."
...You've ever taken your kid to the store who's wearing nothing but a too-big t-shirt and full britches.
...You use the word "Britches" in place of diaper.
...You're children always answer to elders with "Yes, Ma'am" or "Yes, Sir."
...You've ever gone to fill up your gas tank in the middle of the night, barefoot.
...You've ever used the word "whoopin"
...You're children play in the front yard naked and you pretend you didn't notice.
...You're kids love to eat "beans and weenies."
...The local cops call you the "wagon lady." (hey, radio fliers are cheaper than those fancy jogger-strollers and I'm getting my exercise!)
