Ask and Ye Shall Receive

So two of my, um, three followers said I should blog more than twice a year.  I was soooo productive this morning, cleaning like a mofo, and Dh is making salmon for dinner, so I find myself with a spot of time right now.  I can blog, since watching Breaking Bad is limited to naptime and after kids go to bed.  NSFK.  That is totally an acronym now.  Anyway, the point is, ask and ye shall receive!  A blog post!

I have been up to...

• Reducing the household budget in any way possible.  Dh started a new job in January, and it came with a sizable pay cut.  We sat down and crunched the numbers...and there's just not much left after all the bills are paid.  And Netflix counts as a bill, because I had to draw the line there.  Seriously.  We did have the freezer and a chest freezer stocked with mostly meat before this went down, so Dh hasn't had to go vegetarian.  I have been baking more so I can mostly stop buying snack food.  Cookies, waffles, kettle corn.  Honestly the kids are snacking better now!
• Listening to podcasts.  Hardcore History, Mormon Stories, and The Naked Scientists are all rocking my world.  Naturally those are all free.
• Knitting and crocheting.  I've recently churned out a black winter hat for myself, a scarf for E, a short-sleeved sweater for C, and an open cardigan for myself.  Now I'm working on a blue cap for Ace and a baby blanket for a pending niece.
• Reading.  Would a blog post by yours truly be complete without a mention of books?  Recent books I've enjoyed: Birthmarked, What Do Women Want?, Magic Rises (6th book in the Kate Daniels urban fantasy series), and Infidel by Tim Hetherington (kind of a companion book to the movie Restrepo, which I finally watched last month).  Right now I'm very slowly making my way through The God Who Weeps (very good so far) and Where'd You Go, Bernadette? (trying too hard to be funny, but I'm committed.  Maybe it will improve?)
• Travel & family fun.  We had a reunion on Dh's side in central Washington in late June.  We flew to NY for a reunion on my side in mid July. (Oi that's a post all its own.)  We hit the local amusement park and the zoo.  E & Ace did two weeks of swim lessons and made a LOT of progress, so there was lots of pool fun in the backyard with friends coming over.  E also did a soccer camp.  Towards the end, she confidently told me, "If I keep playing soccer, I could be in the Olympics."

Ace started kindergarten this year and E started 2nd grade.  Due to geography, Ace is in afternoon kinder, and C still takes naps, so the entire kinder school day is kid-free for me!  (Thus Breaking Bad.)  Ace had a rough time starting school.  The week leading up to school he started throwing these awful fits where he would refuse to do anything and cover his ears, and scream, etc etc.  Very annoying and frustrating.  I asked Dh to get off work to accompany us to Ace's first day because I had a feeling he would freak.  And freak he did.  When we left he was throwing books on the floor.  Quietly, at least.  Ugh.  One of his teachers reported later it took him an hour to calm down.  The next day, for two hours leading up to school-time, Ace was a pill.  He refused to eat lunch, he threw fit after fit and spent a lot of time in his room.  But then he did fine at school.  I think he threw one more fit at home that week (last week).  Then this week, on Monday C curled up in her bed and fell asleep well before kindergarten started.  I am anal about naps, so I wasn't going to wake her up.  I put Ace on the bus.  Kicking and screaming!  Then his teacher called, saying he refused to get off the bus!  So the bus driver brought him back home.  When C woke up, I matter-of-factly told Ace it was time to go to school, and he complied.  He's been fine since then.  He rides the bus HOME just fine, so I do not see what is different!  Whatever.  At least the fits are pretty much over.  He really doesn't like change.  He also does not like to be late (I figured that out during swim lessons this summer).

Well this is quite long enough for one day, think you not?  Stay tuned for my newest beauty discoveries!

Photo Dump!

 Ace lost his first tooth!

My kids are total hams.

E on her first day of school.  Yes this is a crappy pic; it doesn't even show her cute skirt & shoes, I am too lazy to fix the nice pic.  Also, the pic of Ace is still on the camera and I am too lazy to upload it!

Dh was the camera man so there is no evidence he went to the zoo.  I am wearing the cardi I knit!

How do YOU measure up?