Excuse The Mess. My kids are busy making memories!

Settling in? What's that?

2011-09-09T14:42:00.000-07:00

For the past 6 months I’ve been saying, “Once Troy is in school I’ll be able to ______.” I should realize by now that nothing ever goes as planned. I had visions of working out, getting things organized around the house, and finally being that clean-house-dinner-on-the-table stay-at-home-mom. We’re only two weeks in to the school year, but I can tell that’s not going to happen.

South Bend has a tiered system of schools. For many reason (too many to discuss in this post) we decided on the middle ground, which is a magnet school. While they do offer busing options, he would have to ride for 40 minutes plus to get to a school that is a 10 minute drive from our house so we’ve decided to drop him off and pick him up. So far it’s worked out that Tim drops him off on the way to work and I pick him up in the afternoon. This has been a bigger adjustment than I anticipated.

On Monday, Wednesday, and Friday Addison is home with me. Of course, Troy’s pick up time is smack dab in the middle of her usual nap time. Yes! Addison still naps. It wasn’t uncommon for her to go down at 12:30 and have to be woken around 4pm. On most days she’s up by 3:30, but since Troy has to be picked up between 2 and 2:20, that doesn’t work anymore. Last week I put her down at noon. To my surprise, she was fast asleep within minutes, but each time I had to wake her up to go get Troy. The results weren’t horrible, but not great either. Yesterday I tried keeping her up, which she can do when needed, but that was a disaster too.

Honestly, I’m not sure if the bad times with the nap were a function of her not getting enough sleep or Troy dealing with the adjustment to kindergarten. He LOVES kindergarten (another post, I’m sure) and seems to be adjusting really well, but last week I also noticed a lot of arguing and acting out. He was fighting with his sister almost from the minute he came home until they went to bed. And, if that wasn’t bad enough he seemed to be arguing with us over EVERYTHING! Like he suddenly knew it all and felt the need to set us straight.

That seems to be calming down this week. I think he was feeling left out. I had taken him for a special day at the bowling alley before he started school and I honestly think he thought I took Addison there any time she wasn’t in school, but he was. Now that we’ve been doing this a little longer, I think he realizes that her one-on-one time with me is about the same as his time after school before we pick her up – errands, cleaning, and such.

Part of me is still holding out hope that things will settle down and I will find time to work out, clean, organize, etc. The realistic me is learning to accept the fact that it may never happen. I may spend every Tuesday and Thursday running errands, desperately seeking a nap (since Addison is back to waking up throughout the night), or vegging out in front of one of my many electronic devices. I'll throw out a phrase that drives my mom crazy - It is what it is! I'll settle for that right now.

Out of Practice and Totally Addicted

2011-09-07T18:52:00.000-07:00

It's true! I've fallen victim to the addictive nature of facebook.While I'd like to pretend we've been busy doing all these amazing things all summer, I have to admit I've spent an enormous about of time logged on to facebook. There is always something to check out, a group to visit, someone to chat with. It's gotten to the point where I only check 1 or 2 blogs any more. It's totally replaced most of my "reading" and all my writing.

That said, we have actually had a VERY busy summer. We joined a community pool, took our first official family vacation (from Indiana to New Jersey in a car), did some home improvements, and got Troy ready for the start of kindergarten. It's also be a bit of an inwardly focused summer for me, my marriage, and my family. We've been strengthening our bonds and building memories.

Now that we are getting settled in to a routine (some what) and I'm making an effort to return to one of my favorite therapeutic avenues, I'm looking forward to reading more and writing more in the blogging community. I'm hoping to carve out a little time each day to do blogging. I doubt I'll publish every day, but I need to make more of an effort to at least give myself time each day to slow down and think about it. Bear with me as I dust off the cobwebs!

Summer Fun!

2011-07-02T18:40:00.000-07:00

If you looked around my house right now, you'd see that I'm definitely living up to the name of the blog. My house is a DISASTER! We've been in a dump and run mode for the past several weeks. Tim got injured, we had family in town, we went out of town for a school reunion, and all around life just happened!

When I look around my house I cringe. If anyone saw my house like this I would be completely embarrassed. It seems like every minute of every day is busy and when I do have "free time" I am too drained to do anything. We've been having a lot of fun so far this summer too - zoo, beach, family, pool. All the summer activities that I hope my children will remember for years. Now... if I could only find some time to post pictures and do some blogging. Maybe soon!

Staycation Across the Nation

2011-05-24T08:43:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I posted some staycation ideas for South Bend, IN. Today I am excited to share information for 84 other locations across the country. Hopefully you'll find a few exciting things in your neck of the woods!

New England

Connecticut - Parenting Miracles
Boston, Massachusetts - ‎ Maven of Savin'
Manchester, New Hampshire - Common Sense with Money
Western Maine - Bubblegum and Lollipops

Mid-Atlantic

Erie, Pennsylvania - Growing Kids Ministry
Gettysburg, Pennsylvania - Somewhat Crunchy
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania - Family Balance Sheet
Buffalo/Niagara Falls, New York - Coupons, Deals and More
New Jersey - Oh! Diane

Midwest

Cedar Rapids, Iowa - Indoor Garden Musings
Mansfield, Ohio - Live the Adventure
Cincinnati, Ohio - Savings Lifestyle~Cincinnati
Mount Vernon, Ohio - Living Better One Day at a Time
Dayton, Ohio - Savings Lifestyle~Dayton
Grand Rapids, Michigan - Kitchen Stewardship
Metro Detroit, Michigan - "Cents"able Momma
Oakland County, Michigan - Bargain Shopper Mom
Warren, Michigan - Saving Dollars and Sense
Grand Forks, North Dakota - Frugal Front Porch
Indianapolis, Indiana - Bargain Briana
South Bend, Indiana - Excuse The Mess
Kansas City, Kansas/Missouri - Kansas City Mamas
St. Louis, Missouri - The Pickledpigsfeet
Branson, Missouri - Getting Freedom from Debt
Springfield, Missouri - I Think I Can
Rochester, Minnesota - Everyday Notions
York, Nebraska - Heavenly Homemakers
Omaha, Nebraska - Mom Endeavors
Madison, Wisconsin - Many Little Blessings
Oshkosh, Wisconsin - A Little Bit of This and That
Chicago, Illinois - Chicagoland Homeschool Network
Champaign, Illinois - Chambanamoms
Black Hills, South Dakota - Little House on the Prairie Living

South Central

Checotah, Oklahoma - Blessed With One Income
Tulsa, Oklahoma - Lynn's Kitchen Adventures
Gadsden, Alabama - Aint Mimi
Dallas, Texas - Funky Faith Girl
Dallas, Texas - Grocery Shop For FREE
East Dallas, Texas - Surviving The Stores
Fort Worth, Texas - Smockity Frocks
Austin, Texas - Stetted
Houston, Texas - Moms Travel Tales
McKinney, Texas - Wisdom Begun
East Texas - The Full Pantry
Murfreesboro, Tennessee - Life in a Barn
Nashville, Tennessee - The Country Chic Cottage
Mobile, Alabama - A Penny Saved is a Penny Earned
Birmingham, Alabama - iGoBOGO
Brunswick & the Golden Isles, Georgia - Teri Lynne Underwood
Alpharetta, Georgia - Cuponeando
Atlanta, Georgia - See Jamie Blog
Augusta, Georgia - Hyperactive Lu
Athens, Georgia and Mississippi - Tractors and Tire Swings
Little Rock, Arkansas - It's Real Life

South Atlantic

Ft. Bragg, North Carolina - Military Wives Saving
Charlotte, North Carolina - The Carolina Clipper
Charleston, South Carolina - The Tween & Me
Greensboro, North Carolina - Mrs. Happy Homemaker
Jacksonville, Florida - Saving The Family Money
Orlando, Florida - Orlando's Best Deals
Virginia Beach, Virginia - The Singley Fam Blog
Richmond, Virginia - Daily Dwelling
Hampton Roads, Virginia - A Home Made by Kiki
Charlottesville, Virginia - How to Have it All
Blackwater Falls State Park/Davis, West Virginia - Holy Spirit Led Homeschooling
Treasure Coast, Florida - The Cardamom's Pod
Saint Augustine, Florida - Jypsie Visions
Lake Norman, North Carolina - Stretching Pennies Saving Dollars
Washington, DC - The WiC Project
Baltimore, Maryland - The Happy Housewife

Mountain

Tucson, Arizona - Saving with Pam
Phoenix, Arizona - Sara Wellensiek
Albuquerque, New Mexico - The Chou Life
Kalispell, Montana - Our Family Adventures
Salt Lake City, Utah - Just the 2 of Us
Thermopolis, Wyoming - The McDonald Family
Denver, Colorado - Denver Bargains
Colorado Springs, Colorado - Colorado Springs Bargains

Pacific

San Diego, California - Life As Mom
Yosemite National Park, California -Handbook of Nature Study
Seattle, Washington - Queen Bee Coupons & Savings
Whidbey Island, Washington - Manning the Homefront
Olympia, Washington The Coupon Savant
Portland, Oregon - Frugal Living NW
Willamette Valley, Oregon - An Oregon Cottage

Frugal Vacation Tips

Vacation or Stay-cation: Eating without Busting the Budget - Eat at Home

Staycation: South Bend

2011-05-23T14:54:00.000-07:00

One of the many things I love about South Bend is the seemingly endless list of things to do with the kids. When I saw that The Happy Housewife was looking for people to write about a few staycation ideas in their hometowns, I couldn't resist. What would a Dave Ramsey summer be without a few kid-friendly staycation ideas? With long summer days fast approaching, I'm so glad I took on this challenge because I've discovered more than I ever knew and know my kids are going to appreciate all the fun and exciting things ahead. So what will we be doing this summer? Here are our top 5 favorites (with more to come soon)...

Potowatomi Zoo: This isn't new to us, but we will certainly be getting our use of this great asset this summer. I some times forget what a valuable resource this is until we go on the weekend and see the parking lot filled with out of area license plates. The zoo is doing a lot to expand and improve their facility this year. With the addition of some lively river otters and a new ant-eater exhibit, I'm looking forward to our weekly trips to Potowatomi Zoo. Adults: $8, Children: $6. We actually became members several years ago and utilize all the reciprocal zoos when ever we can. We've gotten every penny's worth and more out of this local treasure.

Center for History: This is a little gem we discovered during those long winter month. Thanks to a coupon in the Entertainment book, we joined the Center for History this past winter. Children under 5 are always free and adults are only $7, but I know we've already recovered our membership dues this year. If you really want to make it affordable, you can check out a museum pass from the St. Joseph County Library's main branch and get several people (6, I think) in for free. What will you find when you get there? A pioneer village with a one room school room, log cabin, covered wagon, tee pee and more. The best part is every thing is really easy to see and monitor from one central location allowing your kids the opportunity to explore to their heart's content.

Healthworks Museum: When you visit the main branch of the library, you can also check out a pass to the Healthworks Museum. We visited this hands-on museum for the first time this year. It can be a bit overwhelming during field trip season, but this summer it should be a little less chaotic. I love the giant "Operation" game. The kids like the lights and sound board. It's the perfect place for the slightly older kid who likes to learn about scabs and snot. They even have some summer camps (ages 5 and up) that will surely entertain and provide a nice break for us parents too!

Public Parks: I was surprised at what a variety of public parks there are in South Bend. We have a play group that rotates through various parks in the City. It's been a great way to discover these little islands of fun in the middle of various neighborhoods throughout Michiana. A couple of our favorites are the Potowatomi Playground, a huge newly constructed playland adjacent to the zoo, and Clay Park, a great play area on the north size of town adjacent to endless ball fields. Clay Park has been coined the "bumpy slide park" by my kids because of the unique play equipment they have. They even have a toddler town so the younger kids can fully enjoy the play time too. With plenty of shade trees, it's always a great place for a picnic. As the summer goes on, I will continue to review and post the many parks we explore. I'm especially looking forward to St. Patrick's County Park.

Lake Michigan: Okay, so this isn't technically part of South Bend, but it's certainly close enough to count as a staycation favorite in our books. I'm personally drawn to Michigan City because I grew up there. Just a short 45-minute to hour drive away, it's the perfect little day trip. The beautiful white sands can provide endless hours of fun for the kids and the water actually gets warm enough in the late summer to entertain the whole family (even the "wimpy" adults). Washington Park does charge for parking, but you can get your money's worth if your plans include a trip to the Washington Park Zoo (50% reciprocal with Potowatomi Zoo membership) and take advantage of the newly installed splash pad. This has to be the staycation destination that I'm most looking forward to this summer. Now that the kids are old enough to walk through the sands on their own, it should make it a lot easier on mommy. My favorite tip -- be sure to pack the baby powder. A quick shake after the fun is done and all the sand will fall right off.

On Sundays throughout the summer I'll be sharing reviews and updates from other staycation locations we'll be exploring. I'm looking forward to checking out some new and exciting places and may even add some short day trips to the mix. If you have any suggestions of places we should visit and review, please feel free to let me know!

Life's a Mess

2011-05-22T18:05:00.000-07:00

Photo Credit: http://www.dreamstime.com/

I've had many (and I mean, many) blogs over the years. I've tried to use them to organize my thoughts, to clear my head, to inspire. As I share, I try to compartmentalize - a financial blog, a parenting blog, a fertility blog. My life isn't that neat and organized, though. It's a HUGE mess! And I LOVE IT!!!

So... welcome to my new household motto -- Excuse the Mess. My kids are busy making Memories! We look forward to sharing our journey along the way!

Fruits of our labor - Our new deck and pergola!

2010-06-09T10:23:00.001-07:00

I can't believe I haven't posted pictures here yet. Our deck is done!!! I'm going to add some finishing touches - flowers, shade cloth, and a couple trim pieces - but for the most part it is finished!! WE LOVE IT!!! See for yourself...

Edible Fun!

2009-04-12T19:05:00.000-07:00

What do you do with a cheap pineapple?...

Make an edible center piece. I would have liked to do more - added embellishments, chocolate dipping sauce, etc, but I ran out of time. It was mostly an experiment to see how it held up. Surprisingly well, actually. The book I saw it in used a head of lettuce to hold the skewers, but I didn't have a good container. I used jelly beans (appropriately timed) to help weight the jar and keep it from tipping. The only thing is that you can't really make some thing like this too far ahead, so you have to plan it out well. I am really glad I gave it a shot, though, because I think it will give me more confidence to try more. This was VERY easy and quite impressive on the table. I just had to share!

TGI Funday

2009-01-09T16:14:00.000-08:00

I'm hoping to make this a weekly post, but only time (and life) will tell. Troy is in daycare on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The rest of the week seems pretty crazy most of the time. I'm hoping that by designating one day (Friday) as a day where we do a new fun activity, it will provide some sanity and joy to the chaos.

Today we made soft pretzels. I remember doing this with my mom as a kid. I did a quick search this morning and found an easy recipe on the web:

1. Dissolve 1 packet of yeast in 1-1/2 cups warm water
2. Add 1 teaspoon salt
3. Add 1 Tablespoon sugar
4. Stir in 4 cups of flour (I mixed in 3 cups and kneaded in the 4th)
5. Knead and shape
6. Brush with beaten egg and sprinkle with Kosher salt
- Bake at 425 degrees for 12-15 minutes.

I think Troy (at 2-1/2) is still a little young to fully enjoy this, but it was still fun. He helped mix every thing and like playing with the dough. He then got distracted playing in the sink while I shaped the dough. He had fun helping me eat them, though. They can be very addicting if you're not careful.

This will be a great activity when he's older. You can make letters, shapes, etc. I probably would have done more if he hadn't been so districted by the sink. Now I am wondering if we could make pretzel dogs with these. With such a simple and cheap recipe, I may have to try that some time. I like projects we can eat.

Homemade Holiday

2008-12-04T18:11:00.000-08:00

Despite the fact that we have a TON of Christmas ornaments and decorations, I've decided that our tree is going to be exclusively homemade. With the exception of the lights, every thing going on the tree is going to me homemade. We had made apple-sauce cinnamon ornaments, but I dropped most of them and they pretty much all shattered. That was a great opportunity to try some thing new. I found a simple recipe for salt dough ornaments online.

1/2 cup salt
1 cup flour
1/2 cup water

Mix the three ingredients together until it's in a dough. You may have to add more flour if it's sticky. Roll out and cut with cookie cutters. Using a toothpick or straw, poke a hole for ribbon to hang them. Bake at 200 degrees for 2 hours.

The results are great. They are really simple and toddler friendly. Some of them puffed up and turned out better than others. I think it has to do with how much you work the dough; the first few you cut may puff more than the ones that are on the 2nd or 3rd roll of the dough.

I tried mixing food coloring in to the dough in a second batch I made. It colored them well, but they definitely did not puff up this time. Either way turned out cute, so you could do what works for you. This was a good project in that it turned in to 2 different days worth of activities for Troy. On Monday we made the ornaments and on Wednesday we painted them.

They turned out really cute. Troy's not much in the painting, but I had fun with it. I'll post pictures of the completed ones soon. Maybe I'll save the pictures of the final products until we get them all together on our tree. We'll see.

So... any suggestions for homemade ornaments or decorations?

Not working

2008-08-13T08:47:00.000-07:00

"I just don't understand how if you don't have to get up and get dressed for work in the morning your house is such a mess." (Yes, some one actually said that to me recently)

I don't even know where to start with that one. I'll be the first to admit that I don't keep a tidy house. I firmly believe, however, that it would be a lot easier to keep a clean house if I DID work outside the home. The couple days I spent over at my parent's house working on the garage sale were great. I came home and the floor was still clean, the toys were still put away, there still weren't any dishes in the sink. When I'm home all day, we're playing with things, making lunch (and dishes to go with them), doing laundry, etc. I probably could do better at making sure Troy picks up his toys throughout the day, but it's not always a priority.

Some thing else over looked in that comment is that I DO work. Just because I don't leave the house doesn't mean it's easy. In fact, I think it's harder. I end up working a lot of evenings and weekends because people figure you're always available since you work from home. Similarly, people assume you are always available during the day to run errands for them or do other things. It's not that easy.

With all that said, I have to admit that I'm finding it really hard to get in to a cleaning routine. With the garage sale a few weeks ago, and then again last week... I really haven't worked on a zone in quite some time. This week should be the kids rooms, but I find that doing the daily stuff - laundry, dishes, etc - take up the majority of my day. It would probably be a lot easier if I wasn't working on the days that Troy is in daycare. I also tend to schedule all the other things I need to get done - grocery shopping, errands, appointments, etc - for those days too. I keep thinking that if I just get in to a routine, I'll be able to find the time. Maybe after I clear my desk of a few tasks, I'll be able to free up some time.

How did you develop your daily routine? Any tips to get me on track?

Cooking with Kids

2008-08-03T12:00:00.000-07:00

Troy really likes to help, so I've tried to let him do some cooking with me. The first few attempts weren't too successful (too many distractions), so this time I had all the ingredients premeasured and ready with the counters totally cleared from distractions. Eventually, we'll work on measuring and counting, but for not putting it in the bowl is a big enough accomplishment for a 2 year old.

We were making Banana Muffins:

2 cups flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
1 cup mashed ripe banana (about 3)
1/2 cup margarine
2 eggs
6 Tablespoons milk

1. In a medium bowl mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.
2. In a separate bowl, cream sugar and margarine. Add eggs and mix until smooth. Stir in milk and mashed banana until well mixed.
3. Fold in flour mixture to liquite ingredients until combined
4. Fill greased muffin tins 2/3 full
5. Bake in a preheated 350 degree F oven for 25 - 30 minutes (shorter for mini-muffins).

I let Troy mash the bananas, which he loves to do.

He also helped add all the ingredients. We talked about what we had to do first (a concept he loves right now) and what each of the ingredients were. It went much better this time since I had planned things out a little more. It was well worth the extra time. I made them in mini-muffin size just for Troy. They seem more manageable this way.

I like this recipe because it's simple with common ingredients you almost always have on hand. They were almost all gone within 2-3 days.