Sunday, March 23, 2008

Type Suitable Title Here

I used all my 50% off coupons at Michaels' yesterday - this activity involved purchasing only one item at a time, walking with it out to my car, walking back in, purchasing the next one....seems silly, right? But I saved $6.25 for just 15 minutes worth of effort, which translates into earning $25 an hour. Without taxes. And I got some very nice wool yarn for $2.50 a skein.

Hey, it makes me happy.

Yesterday afternoon, I tried to get out of pushing Susie around the neighborhood on her tricycle by running into the house and telling her that I'd be "right back." I figured she would wander off to play at the tot lot with the other kids. 20 minutes later, Anna reported that Susie was still sitting there on her little pink tricycle, trusting that her mommy would come back as she had promised. Makes me feel sort of bad for forgetting all about her, you know?

Perhaps I should finally invest in one of those trikes with the long handle to push by. I always thought that the people pushing those expensive contraptions around the block were money-wasting idiots; but now I realize that buying one just might save me on chiropractic bills. Raising little ones is a younger person's game, it turns out.

At 5:30 this evening (that is, a mere 15 hours before Easter Mass) Anna announced that her Easter outfit was not at all satisfactory. You know, the outfit I spent all last Saturday afternoon taking her to stores to find, the one she loved, and that I decided was just barely long enough to be acceptable. But it turns out that there is a shoe issue. Isn't there always? Heels versus flats....you don't need the details. Suffice it to say that today she balled up the dress, shoved it into a bag with the new shoes, and handed it to me, saying, with a sob, "I can't wear these tomorrow."

I don't know when it became her job to make me feel lousy, but she certainly is good at it.

Larry and I took the younger 4 on a forced march through the woods today. (Why? To keep them from driving us crazy at home, that's why.) They did all right until it started to rain. Brian totally freaked out because he was getting wet. As Larry said, "What is wrong with him?" We hiked damply back to the car (well, Susie was on Larry's shoulders), getting lost only once. And Brian didn't melt. There was a slight crisis in the car on the way home: I had brought only 3 granola bars as provisions, so Rachel and Susie had to share one. Did I mention it was only a 5-minute drive? It felt way longer. But no one starved to death, I promise.

Where was I? Oh, yes, Larry took me out to dinner tonight. We shared a burrito, and then he bought me a kids' size hot cocoa at Starbucks. Big spenders, that's us. And then, as if that weren't enough, Larry bought me a book at B&N - Alan King's Great Jewish Joke Book. The cashier was a little put out when I presented my homeschooler's teacher discount card at the register. "We only give the discount for items actually used for homeschooling," he sniffed. But he gave in when I said, "That's right - we're studying ethnic humor." I guess he was too tired to argue. After all, we all know what happens when you mess with homeschoolers. (I'm linking to paragraphs 4 and 5 of that article - but I don't know how to link to just part of an article, so just skip the first part)(I mean, unless you want to read about California court decisions, then go right ahead).

Time to put some jelly beans in plastic eggs and hide them around the living room (the ones I don't eat, that is)...have a Happy Easter!

16 comments:

  1. Glad to hear you all didn't turn into the Donner party on that long 5 minute drive home. Only 3 granola bars? And no one died??

    Maybe you could just hook a garden rake over the back step of the trike and push with that. (Somewhere I hear Jeff Foxworthy making a joke about that...)

    Have a great Easter!

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  2. I kind of want you to hide the jelly-beaned eggs out in the woods, thus pushing the kiddles into ANOTHER forced hike. Maybe leave all the eggs empty, in fact, to make those three granola bars look killer good, in comparison.

    I love your posts. They assure me I'm not the only one in the world living this life. You have mine times three.

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  3. jocelyn - I am kicking myself for not thinking of that. I bow to a superior mind (or at least, a meaner mommy).

    jennifer h - Donner party - ha! You would think so, from the wailing and moaning...

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  4. I'm waiting for the kiddos to actually go to sleep before I do tonight so that I, too, can hide things in the house. Parents are a strange lot.

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  5. Just got back from a wild night out--an Applebee's Weight Watcher's dinner and Home Depot for sink shopping. WooHoo! Sounds like we run at about the same speed socially.

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  6. I can't believe that clerk tried to deny the discount - how friggin' cheap is that? Good for you for thinking on your feet.

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  7. Ethnic humor! It's a good thing you didn't tell him you were using it for Hebrew history.

    We actually do put our plastic candy eggs in the woods, Jocelyn. But it doesn't work; the kids still come back.

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  8. I don't blame him for being upset. I don't like to get wet unexpectedly either.

    Happy Easter!

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  9. Michael's 50% off coupons......

    Hooray!!!

    I have always wanted to do what you did with the coupons, but never had the guts. Good for you!
    Did you go to a different cashier each time?

    As for your daughter's dress, why didn't you just buy matching shoes in every heel height available?
    Seriously, what were you thinking?
    ;0)

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  10. Ethnic humor! That's a good one!
    Oh I hear you about forced marches. I'm this close to kicking Team Testosterone outside into the blowing snow to take out their aggression away from my ears and nerves...

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  11. I'm going to try that coupon thing with BB&B. And even though there are two cashiers I'm totally bringing disguises in the car. You're a genius.

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  12. All my fav. jokes are Jewish...but mostly unbloggable due to slightly risque nature.
    Is this humour through adversity?
    Hence the genuinely educational nature of this book!

    Have a lovely Easter / Passover / Buona Pasqua....
    whichever - have a truly wonderful and relaxing holiday!
    Hen

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  13. Sounds like the hike did a world of good. Except...what WAS the outcome of the Easter dress? You can't just leave us hanging now!

    Once they get the pedaling down on the trike. That is LIVIN' LARGE! And you're "listening" to a woman far greater in years! LOL

    Hope Easter was great!

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  14. Teenagers....

    I feel your pain.

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  15. I hope you were able to get the wardrobe issue figured out in time for Mass!

    And as usual, your post left me chuckling!

    I hope you have a wonderful Easter!

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  16. That judge is in trouble. Besides spending 15 minutes saving money on yarn, you got some exercise to boot!

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