No More Training Wheels!

AJ has learned to ride his bike without training wheels! He is so proud of himself (as are we). He is having a ball riding up & down the street. Stopping is the tricky part. Daddy explained that he should try to make a skid mark, then put his feet down. He's about 50/50 on graceful dismounts, but he's getting there. Way to go, AJ!!

What happened here?

It tends to be a tad bit curious for the boys to quietly entertain themselves upstairs for any length of time. So when I hadn't heard any yelling, crying, etc. for half an hour one morning, I went to check on things. This is what I found.

Apparently, they decided to build a "fort". AJ's bed not only had the bedding stripped off entirely, but the mattress had been removed as well. Pillows and blankets from the guest bed had also made their way to the boys room to create the "walls" of the fort. I was pretty impressed with their efforts, I must say. Putting the rooms back together was another story.

More Crumbs, Please!

Here is JJ being served his requested apple for breakfast after AJ had already finished his breakfast (cinnamon toast). JJ all of a sudden ditched his fruit for the crumbs left behind by his brother. When I heard him ask, "More crumbs, please." I went to investigate. Of course you like the crumbs, JJ! Those are sprinkles of SUGAR you are eating! I had to eat the apple myself so it wouldn't go to waste. Sigh.

What can I say? We LOVE cookies!

A couple of Saturday's ago, we baked cookies with the boys. Daddy is the "cookie chef" at our house, the boys are expert tasters, and I clean up (and eat a few myself, who could resist?). Our favorite recipe is Mrs. C's world famous chocolate chip cookie recipe. Well, it may not be quite that famous. But these cookies hold many childhood memories for J and his best bud Matt as they were growing up in their tiny Kansas town. Mrs. C, Matt's mom, no doubt loved baking for her son and his best friend. I'm sure she thought they could use the calories since they were both pretty skinny kids. Don't even ask how many dozen these boys could put away in a single day during their younger years without an extra pound to show for it! Thanks for the recipe Mrs. C! My boys love it as much as yours did! And they too can use the calories!

Yummy Goodness!

Want a bite?

The guys were teenagers when they created this recipe book.

Try it for your family and let us know what you think.

Ingredients:

2 1/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup butter
1/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 3.5 oz package vanilla instant pudding
2 eggs
12 oz. semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Directions:

Combine flour & baking soda: set aside. Combine butter, sugars, vanilla, & pudding mix in large mixing bowl. Beat until smooth & creamy. Beat in eggs. Gradually add flour mixture. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts. Drop by teaspoonfuls, 2 inches apart, onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake at 375 degrees for 9 to 9 1/2 minutes or until browned.

Yeilds about 4 dozen cookies. Enjoy!

Not Me Monday

Taking the lead from MckMama of My Charming Kids, this is my first "Not Me Monday" post. It's meant to be a cute spin on funny or embarrassing things that you may have done but don't really want to own up to. So hear goes:

I've been fighting a head cold all week long and medicating myself to get through the days. This is true. But I most certainly did not take a drug induced nap while my two precious boys watched a video marathon! And I did not wake up to find my oldest had wet his pants and my youngest had poop in his diaper for who knows how long! Not me!

I had a wonderful time helping AJ with his valentines for school and I made a special homemade treat for his class party. This is true. But I would never take candy from a child, especially if it were an ENORMOUS chocolate bar to melt and drizzle over strawberries and eat it myself! No, not me! Who gives a preschooler a KING SIZE chocolate bar anyway????

On Valentines Day, a day that is supposed to be romantic and spent with those you love, I did not stay in bed all afternoon napping in my sweatpants and surrounded by Kleenex. Not me! (Thanks, Honey, for keeping the boys quietly entertained so I could get some much needed rest.)

And since I wasn't feeling well and barely able to keep up with the basic needs of our family, I wasn't a bad daughter and granddaughter by not having the boys make Valentines for their grandparents. My apologies Grandparents and Great-Grandparents! We will make up for that one! We love you!

I guess the worst one of all is that I'm not ready to celebrate OUR birthday tomorrow because I did not wait until the weekend to get my twin sister a birthday card. And because it didn't occur to me that this "Not Me Monday" is a federal holiday, she won't receive her gift from me until days after OUR special day! You won't hold it against me. Will you Sis??? Love You!

So that's my week. I am feeling better and starting to get caught up on things I let go this last week. If you have any "Not Me" moments, please feel free to leave them in the comment section. Have a good week!

Drugstore Deals

I'm new to the drugstore coupon game, but I got some great deals today and thought I would share. In case you didn't know about Walgreens and the EasySaver rebate program, Register Rewards, and store coupon & manufacturer coupon stacking policy, I'm here to tell you that you can save a bundle with a little research & coupon clipping. Today I purchased the following:

2 rolls Bounty Basic Paper Towels for $.64 each
12 rolls Scott's TP for $5.99
5 Assorted Cleaning Products for $.50 each (after rebate)
2 cans Progresso Soup for $.15 each
2 Quaker Instant Oatmeal for $1.50 each (after rebate)
Walgreens brand contact lens solution (free after rebate)
Revlon Lip Gloss (free after rebate)
Gillette Fusion razor (free after coupons & RR)
2 Sunday papers

I bought $61 worth of products and spent only $15.14 out of pocket after my coupons and gift card (from a prescription transfer). Then I'll turn in rebates totaling $17, so my trip today will end up totally free! I'm pretty excited about that! Let me know if this sparks an interest for you.

My New Love

I have a new love in my life. My sweetie J hasn't been totally replaced, but he definitely has competition! My new love is a machine. Now don't think I'm being dirty!!! My new love is actually the opposite of all things dirty.

This is my new love. Super capacity, high efficiency, front loading washer & dryer. I did four mega-loads of laundry today in 4.5 hours! I tell you, I'm in LOVE!!!

Now I understand why Shelly said her set "changed her life" and why Leanne has been seen hugging hers!


The boys had a blast playing in one of the boxes. They turned it into their new house complete with windows. Still a little decorating left to do, but they have colored all over it.