Doing Something Right?

If you're a parent, do you ever wonder like I do if I do anything right with my parenting skills? I've already had 2 of my kids tell me that I suck at it! What a horrible Mother I am and have been. Breaks the old heart since I have always put them first (and for the record, I have never been arrested, not even a speeding ticket. I don't do drugs. Rarely drink. Don't steal. Try to live a life that the Lord would like..etc.) But, it is what it is and all I can do is continue on and do what I feel is best.

Have I made mistakes. You bet your sweet behind I have. I am human after all. But, my kids have and always will come first ahead of myself. Period

Today I was checking out the sale flyer from the Kroger I will be shopping at once I get to Ohio. Yes, I am mildly obsessed with the grocery store. Not sure why, but I am! My 8 year old had to come over to the computer and check it out as well. She was getting all excited and going on and on about the cheaper prices than what we have in Florida. We got to the Doritos that are on sale for 2/$5.00. Here they're $4.39 for 1 bag, so that's a super great deal in my book. Apparently in her book as well. She stated, "Oh yeah, I'll be living the dream!"

Sometimes, it's the little things in life that set you back on track I guess. She's also accompanied me on shopping trips that we have discussed getting better deals, etc. If all of this helps her when she gets older to be more aware of what things cost, I will be a happy camper. What this has to do with the older kids telling me how crappy I am, I don't know really. I suppose only time will tell...

TGIF....Again!

Holy smokes, I can't believe that January is almost over already! Or am I the only one that thinks it's going quickly? I guess I really hadn't thought about it until this very second. Less than 2 months I will be in Ohio! O flipping HI O! Scary. Exciting. Stressful. All rolled into 1 at that thought.

Having kids that don't feel well doesn't help that stress level any. Not sure if my youngest has allergies. Cold. Or what. She didn't sleep well last night which made my sleep just as bad. Yet she insisted on going to school today. She *had* to wear the Shoo, Fly Guy costume I made her yesterday.

With that being said, I will share their favorite book characters with you:

Judy Moody

 

Yeah, not brushing that hair this morning drove me crazy! But, she had to go in character..

Shoo, Fly Guy (and sick Kid)

Judy Moody trying to Shoo, Fly Guy

And there you have what I spent yesterday doing 

For Judy I painted "I Ate A Shark" and a shark on the front of her shirt (Sharpie markers are great aren't they?). That was the easy one. Fly Guy needed eyes, wings and antenna. Strictly out of everyday items we had laying around the house. Eyes were 8.5x11 pieces of photo printer paper. Used a round pan the size I wanted the eyes to be to make the circle (tacked them on with a few hand stitches on a stretchy headband we had laying around). Wings were a leftover piece of poster board from another school project we did. It was hot pink, so I used the "wrong" side of wrapping paper to wrap it to be white. Antenna were an unused electrical cord. Cut 2 pieces to the length I wanted. Wrapped each one in black electrical tape and then used the tape to tape each onto the head band. I pinned the wings onto the back of her shirt this morning so that the Teacher would be able to unfasten them fairly easy once the book character event was over..

Busy Little Bee

No packing today or anything to do with the move. Instead, I did Mommy stuff. Both Girls can wear costumes tomorrow to school of their favorite character from a book. So in true fashion, we waited until the last minute. How fun is it to be prepared anyway right?

I was going to run to the store to pick up some supplies, but decided that I was going to make due with the things I had laying around the house. I won't give it away who they're going to be. I will wait until I take pictures of them in the morning as we head to school.

Gourmet Grilled Cheese

This Man Shows You How To Make A Perfect Grilled Cheese Sandwich 

This is a great starting point. So much you can do with this recipe. So many combinations. Tonight I made this for the first time. It was a little greasy. I used too much butter. It was my own fault though. The best part was the crunchy crust on the bread from the cheese.

My Version

 

I used Wonder bread. Unsalted butter. Sliced American cheese for the middle. Shredded cheddar cheese for the outside. Once I get to Ohio, I think I will try experimenting more with this. My Hubby is a good sport and doesn't mind trying my creations.

No Electronics Day

At least that's what it was supposed to be for the Girls. School was doing an assignment on this. If you could go without any electronics for 1 day, you can wear all black tomorrow. You might not think that sounds like a good incentive, but they wear uniforms. Any day that they can wear something different, the more they like it.

Except for this assignment. Let's face it, we are unfortunately a society of technology. I for 1 have to have sound. I don't like the quiet. I know, not good. But it is what it is. I was careful to make sure this morning the Girls didn't see the tv. I turned the radio off in the van. When I got them from school, the tv was off when they got home.

I bet you're wondering how it's going now? Yeah, that lasted a whopping 1 1/2 hours until 1 of the Girls caved. And there is no cheating in this house. If they didn't earn the privilege, they don't get to participate. At least Friday is dress like a character from your favorite book. No strings attached to that fun dress-up day.

Faux Baking

What is faux baking you ask? Well, it's when you use boxed mixes instead of from scratch. At least that's my definition!

I had these 3 boxes staring at me for some time now, so figured I would make them instead of moving them 1200 miles. Made more sense to me!

 I made mini loaves from the lemon cake mix and added some lemon glaze to the top. Personally I loved it. My 8 year old that usually loves all things lemon, not so much..

The plate of goodies I took to my Neighbors. I love to share. Sharing is fun :)

Day to Bake

Just not feeling the packing, decluttering, etc. today. Been in this mood for a couple of days now. Not sure why I get like this. Not too concerned since I still have time before we leave Florida. About a month and a half. Unfortunately..

So instead of just doing laundry today, I think I may do some baking. I personally don't need to eat any of it, but the oven might take the chill out of the house. Our heater went out and since we're moving, we don't plan on getting it fixed. We do have some space heaters if it gets too chilly inside. The temperature is 48 right now, but is supposed to get up to 69/70 today. Tomorrow will be a different story. Only forecast to be 63! Loving it..

Now to decide what sounds good to bake. The Girls will love cookies. Maybe some muffins. Sharing with the Neighbors will be a nice gesture as well. Happy Tuesday and stay warm!

New Week

And another day closer to the move! I still am feeling so overwhelmed! There is still so much packing, decluttering, figuring out what I will be bringing, etc.. As I try to keep this house afloat, my Husband is now in charge of getting the utilities, cable, etc. turned on and anything else the new place needs. We're not bringing our furniture. We think it would be a bigger pain than it's worth lugging it 1200 miles. Nothing we have is great anyway. We're hoping it will make the move less stressful this way. Of course I think it makes getting into the new place even more stressful since we are basically starting over again.

I think that's one of the main reasons why we wanted the move in the first place. Well, besides the good job that he was offered. And I honestly believe if we had sat down and thought about any of this, there's a good chance we would have stayed in Florida. Only time will tell if this was a good decision or not. But one thing is for sure, we will make the best of it. We will enjoy Ohio. We will be together again soon.

Sunday Funday

I thought it would be fun to take the day off from packing and decluttering. I decided to make dog treats for the furbabies instead. I found a good and easy recipe that all the pups liked. Win. Win.

Homemade Peanut Butter Dog Treats

 Simple Ingredients

The Girls are proud of their work!

They both insisted on trying the treats. Why not?

Yeah, that didn't go over so well with the human folk..

But the furbaby loves them (as does his brothers and sisters)

 

 

Thanks, Damn Delicious for the recipe! We will be making these again!

Florida is Freezing

Not really! I love it. I don't like the heat. I don't like to sweat (which I seem to do more of thanks to menopause). I would much rather have to layer my clothes then take them all off and still be hot. Yeah, that's a scary thought to me too!

So since our insides will need warming, I am going to be making something hearty for dinner tonight. Chili. Beef Stew. Pot Roast. Cheesy Vegetable Chowder. You get the idea.

But first, a trip to the grocery store. I have a feeling half the town will be out this morning trying to buy supplies to make some chili too. Hey, we all need to do what we need to do.

I wish you a happy, safe, warm (if you're in a cool climate) and blessed Sunday.

It ain't easy with the breezy!

Windy, rainy day today. I heard we have a "cold" front coming through. That always kills me when the meteorologist tells us that! Really? I guess in South Florida if it's going to be 5 degrees cooler, that's considered cold and we're all going to freeze. Get out those electric blankets and snow shovels y'all!

Now, when I ever get to Ohio and I hear that on the news, I really will get out the electric blankets and snow shovels. Add in some wood for the fireplace and we have a deal..

TGIF

Although when you're a stay at home Mom, usually Friday is just like any other day in your life.

Yesterday I got in touch with the school district the Girls will be attending. So easy. Not sure why I tend to overstress on certain things. Now I can look back and say, "Wasn't that stupid?"

Packing more stuff to be donated so that I can make a Goodwill run this morning. I need to contact my Friend that works at the grocery store to see if she can save me some more boxes too. I am completely out.

Here's hoping and praying that the day stays calm and uneventful.

Who Said That?

When we first announced that we would be moving to Ohio, I had quite a few people tell me that "people in Ohio aren't nice". Typically I believe everything I am told, but this time it seemed too far fetched that *everyone* in Ohio isn't nice. Or friendly.

I have found several groups on facebook for the area we are moving to. From looking for housing. To selling unwanted items. To people helping people. Unfriendly? Not seeing it. As a matter of fact, we found our house on 1 of those fb sites. And I have had so many very nice Ladies helping with the schooling issues for my Girls i.e. which school they will attend. Phone numbers. Open enrollment. Etc. I have also made a new friend already that lives in my new area.

So today's lesson is don't believe everything you are told!

Clutter. Clutter. And more Clutter.

Oh my goodness. I don't think you realize just how much clutter you accumulate in life. Especially if you have lived in the same place for any length of time. I have been in the same house for over 20 years and let me tell you, deciding to move isn't very fun for me right now. My Husband moved to Ohio in October 2014, so this entire packing, donating, taking care of Kids and running this house has been alone. Not complaining, it's just the way the cookie crumbled this time.

I tried selling some of our excess online, but people want something for nothing. If that's the case (which it seemed to be a trend for me), I figured it's just easier to load everything up and donate it to Goodwill. I know, some people have issues with that place, but I have to think about convenience and my sanity (or what's left of it) too.

Honestly I think hoarding runs in my family. Not like the tv show, but just feeling the need to keep "stuff"! I had a china hutch full of items that were my Moms and both my Grandmothers that have all passed. I swear, if I thought it would bring them back or give me another moment to see them, I would keep every single thing. But it won't. I don't know any history on any of the stuff. I asked my Kids what they wanted out of the hutch. If anything. I was left with more then they took. There's your sign right there.

So now I am off again to start decluttering some more before getting kids from school. I am finding it's easier to get rid of stuff before deciding what to keep. I think I might be doing it the backwards way. Hey, this is definitely a learning experience for me. I welcome ideas and suggestions if you have any .

Wednesday is the New Monday

At least in my little bubble! Had a 6 year old come into my bedroom before 6 this morning. Might not seem like a big deal. Really it wasn't. But when this is our "early" morning, every second of sleep counts. Then, the lightbulb went out in the bedside lamp. Pitch black trying to get my bearings and get moving.

8 year old continually yelling at 6 year old while they're trying to eat and get dressed. 6 year old crying like, well, a 6 year old! Get them to school for their I Am Second club only to be yelled at by some woman (school worker) for dropping the Girls off where I am suppose to. Apparently she didn't get the memo about that. Came home. Called the school. Was told I was right and they would tell her. UGH! Really?

Watching Good Morning America. Getting disgusted at the news! Makes me really want to find a cave on the side of a mountain somewhere and become a hermit.

Yesterday I sat at this computer all day (which is a whole other story. Don't get me started on that). I have a huge word of advice if you want to hear it. Good, I will elaborate..If you have school aged children and plan on moving, find out about your new areas school system before jumping in feet first as we did! I have never even been to the state of Ohio and now I am moving there. No clue about *anything*! This is going to be a learning experience for sure. I plan on sharing the things I have learned along the way.

New Start

So, I decided to try my hand at this blogging thing. I especially wanted to document my move from South Florida, where I was born and raised, to the beautiful state of Ohio (go Buckeyes even though I don't watch sports). I am tired of living in an overcrowded, hot state. I want snow! I want to see the season's changing. I want a slower pace in life.

Moving 1200 miles away from my home state is a huge deal to me! And my family. My Hubby got a very good job at a cattle farm. Yes, you read that right! A cattle farm. He's the maintenance manager. He gets to have fun all day walking in cow manure. And playing on tractors. And some days he even gets to rustle cattle if there is a "jail break". Jealous yet?

So, if you're reading this and have gotten this far, thank you! I hope to make you laugh, cry, smile, or whatever other emotion it is you are looking for in life. I know I will be jumping in, feet first :)