Sleepy Boy

Robert has been sleeping very fitfully lately, which is sad for all of us. I don't know exactly why, but he wakes fussing several times in the night, cries for a few moments, and then subsides. When we go in, he's sleeping, but he does it again a little bit later. Then he wakes up much earlier than usual, which is also quite unfortunate. During the day he's tired and naps a lot, and is fussy in the evening. I wonder if this is a teething thing, and hope he's not sick or something. He's not running a fever or anything, and is active, so maybe it's just the dreaded teeth.

M went out to class today, but other than that we all stayed home all day. I cleaned up the living room and vacuumed again, because Robert was having a rolly day. He wants to crawl so much, he just can't quite get those legs under him! Soon, very soon. We watched Fraggles, ate soup, and fed the baby bananas and rice. It was pretty much a quiet and more importantly, very inexpensive day. The baby was obviously exhausted by about six, and against my better judgment, I put him to bed at six-thirty. I am afraid of how early he will be up in the morning.

A Little Night Robert

It's late, once again, and here I am dashing off a post just before I go to bed. I am a bad mommyblogger, I totally forgot to even take a picture today! I had to sneak into Robert's room just now, aim the camera by guessing (the LCD screen is useless in a dark room) and snap a single picture.Surprisingly it turned out okay, though you can't see much of his face.

Robert made it an early morning this morning. He fussed a little at 3:30, then wanted a diaper change at half past four. He was up for the day at six, which made M and I both very sad and tired. We watched him and took turns napping to catch up on sleep. At least the baby was in a good mood, even though he got up so early. He ate pears and garden veggies and pasta, and lots of bottles. He still will have little to do with bottles of regular water, and nothing at all to do with the sippy cup. I think I may need to try another kind. Out of curiosity, I tried to drink from the sippy, and found it very difficult. Maybe he can't get the idea because it's too hard.

We went to Kroger in the evening and took advantage of the mega sale again. I made a rookie mistake in my counting that makes me mad and cost me a few dollars of savings, but it turned out that some of my coupons rang up better than I thought they would, so in aggregate, I spent exactly what I expected and got a few dollars-off coupons for next time. Unfortunately, I am already over budget for groceries this month because there have been so many good stock up sales! Oh no! Well, it's not like we need a lot more food this month, and the things I would still like to get are just that, things I'd like rather than things I need. Still, there's a heck of a lot of month left. Boo. August is the cruelest month in this household, definitely. But I still have a couple of CVS and Walgreens gift cards, and a small gift card to Sams, so I'm not totally cut off, just curtailed. It'll give me time to (sigh) organize. And I don't regret all the money I spent on school supplies, either. Some kids will have a better start to their school year because I'm getting creative with the groceries for a couple weeks, and that's nice.

Dog Days of Summer

Man, is it hot out. I don't care to think what our electricity bill is going to be this month, but it's just too doggone hot not to run the air most of the day and into the night. It's not even leaving the 80s till midnight these days, and hitting ninety well before noon. I need some autumn action, but it's August. Not even mid-August yet, either. We have miles of hot to go before we see any relief. I'm just grateful that we have air conditioning in our apartment! Driving anywhere is a misery these days, and results in sweaty, fussy baby if we stay out even a few minutes too long.

Today we didn't leave the house much. M went to his class and came back, reporting on the extreme hotness. Robert and I went out for lunch with my friend from church, who is having a baby in  February. We went out to a place that I had a Restaurant.com gift certificate for. I've never actually used one before, and I wanted to test it out. Typically, at Restaurant.com, you buy a 25 dollar gift certificate for 10 dollars and you can use it, say, on an order of 35 dollars or more. I bought mine on sale for two dollars, good deal there. My friend and I had to get 35 dollars worth of lunch to make it work, though, so we both got soft drinks, appetizers, entrees, and pie. Big lunch, but it was great, and I had leftovers to bring home. All of that, including the tip, ended up costing us ten dollars apiece, and we got to spend a long time chatting and talking. I won't say it was the most economical thing I've done lately, but it sure was a bargain for what we got. Robert was very good too, especially once he got his bottle.

After lunch, we went to Kroger, where they are doing a mega-event this week. If you buy eight of their sale items, you get four dollars off at the register. I went and stocked up on tuna and more Helpers, picked up a couple of avocados for Robert, and got some soup and Chex Mix. I have more shopping to do there, but it was a pretty good haul. I was excited to find a hanging Topsy Turvy pepper planter on the 50% off clearance rack. All summer I have been eying the various Topsy Turvy hangers avariciously, but they were just too expensive. This one was only 3.50 after all the various discounts! It has no perishable parts, so I'll just pop it in the closet and next summer get an early start growing myself some peppers!

After that we came home, and were home for the rest of the day. I made barbecue chicken in the crockpot, enough for sandwiches and pizza for the rest of the week, and it's quite nice. Robert played and played and played and then fell asleep on the floor, then played some more. He was a busy boy today. I gave him the blueberries and bananas for the first time, but I think it was a little bit tart and strong for him. Next time I will mix it with more rice and a little formula to take the edge off. He has about twice as many taste buds as I do, after all! Tomorrow we're going to try and head to the library, but for now, it is bedtime.

Having and Giving

You know, I think there are three real pleasures inherent in couponing. The first and probably the most superficial is the fun of the game. Couponing make me feel quite clever, and if I get a really good deal, I feel like I've won something. This is nice because I am a competitive person, but M doesn't like to play board games with me. Competing in a battle of wits against the store, to abide by all the rules and yet come away with a better deal than anticipated, that's quite a rush, and I have been known to brag about it all day. That's part of what this blog is about, of course, telling everyone who'll listen about all the cool stuff I got for so little money.

The second pleasure of couponing is the having. I love having things. This is not necessarily an ideal love in an 850 square foot apartment, but I do anyways. I come from a reasonably affluent background, as does M, and we are both used to having things that we want. These days, having what we want must compete with having what we need and paying for what we can't afford to lose. If you have read the very earliest articles in my blog, before the reboot, I'm sure you can probably see my gritty desperation about how on earth we would ever get by on the money M made. It was a deprivation lifestyle, and it was very difficult! Couponing doesn't let me have everything I want, of course, but it lets me have things. Oftentimes the things I can get for free are brand new items on the market, and they are cool, and I love that! Having new cool things helps make up for not always being able to afford things I would like. And I can afford more things that I like because I'm not spending as much money on the things that we need.

Today Robert and I went out in the morning. We went to the library first for baby readalong, but found that it is done for the summer. So sad! We can go back in September, though. So we went off to Staples instead, where I had crazy coupons. I got a 2GB flash drive, two big reams of multicolored printer paper, 100 sheets of 8x10 photo paper, two boxes of pens, five bottles of glue, six notebooks, four scrubbie sponges, and a bottle of glass cleaner, all for 20 dollars. We are always looking for new flash drives around here, and getting one for a dollar after rebate is irresistible. And while right now I cannot afford to buy origami paper, I now have a ton of colored printer paper that will work almost as well, and is making my fingers itch to play with it.

The third great pleasure of couponing, one I've been exploring a lot lately, is the giving. Once you have, I've found, you start wanting to share more. Especially if you live in a place where space is restricted. =) In my first few months of couponing, I found it hard to part with things like toothbrushes and deodorant, things I use and need. Now I've realized that those things always go on sale, and there's no reason for me to stockpile in our limited space. Now when I get them for free, I make sure I have a couple months' worth socked away for my own family, and I can give the rest away. I've totally lost count of how much I have given to the food bank and other places since I started, but it makes me feel good when I can fill one of the baskets at church with the fruits of my shopping labors. More than that, when I give, it makes me feel less poor. Concentrating on others' needs lets me remember my own blessings. When I give away a stick of deodorant or a bottle of body wash, I remember that I am blessed to always have enough of those things, even if I don't have the latest gadget or book or whatever. Filling a bag of school supplies reminds me of how I always went to school with new things, and how I want someone else to have that experience too.

After Staples, Robert and I went over to the New Hope Center, where M and I did our prenatal classes and where I went to clinic. I know I've spoken about them before here. They hold a special place in my heart for all they did for us. Our counselor, Joan, was not in today, but we saw Denise instead, who remembered us right away and was happy to see us. Robert is having some stranger anxiety this week, but he let her hold him for a minute or two, while I brought in the diapers from the car. I decided that the best thing to do with the Size 2 diapers I couldn't return to the store would be to give them to someone who can distribute them where they are needed. There were quite a few diapers, too! Five full jumbo packs of Huggies, one partial jumbo pack of Huggies, and one partial store brand pack. I hope they will help someone out who needs diapers. I still remember that article about women who can't afford to change their babies when they are wet, and it makes me so sad. I have always had enough diapers for Robert, thanks to couponing and to the kindness of people like the ones at New Hope. That's a big blessing!

When we got home, Robert took a two hour nap, and spent the rest of the afternoon on a hyperactive baby tear. I'm not sure what got into him, but he was in quite a mood. Luckily, M was around to help deal with him as well! I spent some time in the kitchen, freezing more blueberries and baby food. Today the green bananas were yellow, so I took two of those and pureed them with blueberries into a lovely mush that I froze in an ice cube tray. When Robert is ready for blueberries, he'll have such a treat! I couldn't resist eating one myself, after they were frozen. This freezer is definitely a blessing. I love it so much! It is going to help me save so much money!

Stocking the Freezer

Today was a lovely day! Robert woke up at 5:30 and needed a diaper change (he's been doing that recently, maybe something to do with solid foods), but he let himself be sung back to bed and slept till the blissful hour of eight thirty. We played around and snuggled on the bed and watched Fraggles, and he ate some peas very nicely. When M came home from class, I even got a chance to take a nap, which is always wonderful. After my nap and Robert's nap, we went shopping and left M to have a nap and a few hours of peace and quiet as well.

And there was plenty of shopping to be done! I had to skip the stores that I would've had to take the interstate to get to because of an unexplained traffic jam, but we still hit up four different stores. At Office Depot, we got five cent pencil sharpeners and folders and 25 cent scissors, plus a fifty cent composition book for M, and new paper clips for my coupon binder. At CVS I got a new Schick Hydro 3 razor, a very nice razor that is normally ten dollars. I had to pay 1.50 because the other items I was going to buy were not in stock, but since I got 4 dollars back in extra care bucks, I feel pretty good about it. Now that M is shaving with a blade, we need twice as many good razors! At Walgreens, I got some free low-dose aspirin for the food bank, a couple of free pens, and clued in a nice lady with a lovely English accent about the sale on glue sticks, before picking some up myself. All of that stuff from all those stores cost me about five dollars total, not counting the ECBs I got back.

We finished up at Meijer, with some serious grocery shopping. There were some great sales in the deli, so I got ham, turkey and cheese, plus a half-loaf of day-old italian bread for sandwiches. I got four pints of blueberries and some peaches and some bananas, all of which will be pureed (except for what M and I eat) into baby food. There was also another sale on chicken legs and thighs, and this time I could stock up, because I have a freezer! Between that, the deli, and two pounds of ground turkey, I bought fifteen pounds of meat today. Meat is what we needed though, because we still have tons of stuff in the pantry that could be used with meat. I got bread too, for more sandwiches, and almost got some giant marshmallows, but they were too expensive, Oh well.

Robert was super good through the trip, getting compliments from the checker at CVS and the man stocking the frozen meat section at Meijer. He's in a bit of a solemn phase now, and that just makes people all the more eager to get him to smile. The cashier at CVS said I could just leave him right there with her, but I said my husband would probably have some hard questions if I came home without the baby. He was getting tired by the end of the fourth store though, and fussed a bit in line, but that was the worst of it. He's such a good shopper. We came home and he had a bottle and some banana mango food, and I made big fancy sandwiches on the italian bread for supper. I also bagged up the chicken pieces into crock-pot sized batches and put them in the freezer, and froze a tray of blueberries to eat later. I took a whole pint of blueberries and put them in the blender with a little rice cereal, then poured the puree into an ice cube tray and froze that too. When all the blueberries were frozen, I put the berries in a bag and the berry cubes in a bag, and, you guessed it, put them back in the freezer! I love the freezer!

Oh, and my niece advised me to try the Nuk sippy cup with Robert, since that's what worked with her kids. I actually happened to have one around that I picked up on clearance months ago, so I pulled it out to give it a try. Not a lot of progress today, but I have hope. We'll keep working on it. =)

Day of Rest...of the Laundry

Church this morning was really fun. The past few weeks have mostly been quiet, with Robert as the only baby in the back of the sanctuary. (Our church is small, so there is no nursery in the summer, parents sit with their babies in the back of the sanctuary on this big colorful blanket so the babies can play.) Today, though, there were three other, bigger babies there as well. What fun! Robert was not quite up to joining in on the shenaniganry, but he is fascinated by the antics of older babies who can crawl and run and play with far more facility than he can. It was a little noisy sometimes, but fun, and we all had a good time. Our pastor was back after two weeks away too, so that was nice.

There was salad and a movie after church, but Robert was getting kind of fractious and we didn't stay. Also, M is not nearly as fond of salad as he is of soup. We start Soup Sundays again soon, and he'll be very happy about that. I need to get some new recipes! Oh, and I dropped off all the school supplies I got free or almost free this week, plus all the stuff I found when I was cleaning our room that I meant to donate and forgot about. A lot of body wash and deodorant, which I'm sure will not go amiss with the weather this hot! Being clean and not stinky is not as important as having enough to eat, but it goes a long way to making you feel better about yourself, I think.

I finally did all the laundry this afternoon, after some unsubtle nudging from M about it. I wasn't very happy with him, as the division of laundry is a bit of a sore subject in our household. He sort of got out of it by default with his habit of not pocket checking and ruining things, which is not the best way to get out of something. But while I did the laundry he did do the dishes, so that helped. Also, Robert pooped all over him, and that was funny, and I felt better. I am a terrible person. Hey, lucky I was already doing the laundry, right? For supper I made pork fried rice as promised, and it turned out very nice. Hurrah for one meal doing a week's worth of work!

Picture Day!

Today was picture day! The morning was mostly devoted to getting ready for picture day, even though part of that consisted of M and I trying to banish some circles under our eyes by taking turns for extra napping. Robert and I got a bath, M showered and shaved, and I even put on makeup for the first time in forever. Robert had outgrown the pants I was hoping he could wear, so we had to make a last-minute substitution, but in the end, we all looked good. Luckily, Robert doesn't need a lot of primping to look adorable! The car even cooperated, today wasn't quite as hot as other days this week have been, and the air conditioning stayed on long enough for us to take the interstate to the mall with the windows rolled up, rather than driving with them down on the surface streets, in deference to my hair.

The photo session itself was very funny. We thought ahead of time to bring along Robert's monkey, because it's his current favorite awake-time toy (it's much too big for the crib, so his brown and white puppy accompanies him there). We figured that if the photographer had a hard time getting him to smile, she could use the monkey. It turned out to be a really good idea. Robert had just woken from a nap when we went to the studio, and he was feeling very somber apparently. Not crying, just giving his studious look to everyone and everything. The photographer got no smiles from him at all until she started using the monkey, and even then she had to be so outrageous that M and I spoiled a few shots by laughing ourselves! We even ended up taking a few pictures of Robert with the monkey, to commemorate his love. Once again I had a package coupon for a single pose, and once again I spent an extra ten dollars on an extra 8x10 of a different pose, but at least it was only one. It was still just 20 dollars total for our family picture sitting, three 8x10s, two 5x7s, four 3.5x5s, and sixteen wallet size. I think that's an excellent deal. With all these 8x10s though, I'm going to need to get a gigantic photo album, as I do not have near enough picture frames.

While we were out and about, we decided to celebrate August and M's paycheck and a successful photography expedition by using a few more coupons. We got BOGOF pretzels at Auntie Anne's and 50% off a small cup of Dippin' Dots that we shared. I had never had Dippin' Dots, and had always been quite curious. Now I know I never need to have them again. For dinner, we went to Cici's Buffet and had two dinners and soft drinks for 10 dollars with my coupon. Robert was so worn out by all this that he slept through most of the meal. He was feeling good at home though, and giggled and rolled all over the place, drank two bottles, and played his electric piano with great verve before succumbing to sleep.

Today's pictures, by the way, are the low-res versions of the poses we decided on. If you want to see all of them, follow this link and give my first and last name with no capital letters in the customer's name field. For some reason the site won't work with Chrome, so if that's your browser, you'll have to work around it.