Tools For Success!

Would you work on your car without the proper tools?  So why work on your body without important tools that you NEED to have?  Losing weight can be such a yo-yo.  You do well, you don't do well, you do well, you don't do well.  However, I feel that if you have the proper tools in hand, you can truly succeed.
I want to tell you about the tools that work for me!  Here are MY top ten tools for my success!
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1.  I LOVE this webpage/app.  I have tried others and they didn't work as well for me.  Sparkspeople, while didn't work for me, is another great tool if you find you do not like myfitnesspal.  This little secret weapon logs your exercise and your food.  The food database is massive and I rarely find that it doesn't have what I need.  And the best part for me is that there is a barcode scanner in the food adding section.  It's a quick easy to way to add the food to your log, you simply click the barcode icon, hold your phone over the food labels barcode, and VIOLA!  99% of the time it adds it!  the other 1% is that rare occasion it doesn't have your phone in the database.  Again, very rare for me!
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2.  My ROKU!  This little bad boy is my favorite thing in my entertainment center.  I actually got rid of my Dish because I found I NEVER watched it anymore.  This has Netflix, Hulu+, and a TON of free channels.  One of those channels is All Fitness TV.  It has SO MANY free workouts on it that I never get bored.  The only downside to this channel is the 3-4 30 second commercials before EVERY show you watch.  So if you are just clicking on things to see if they work for you (which I do a lot) that can be time consuming.  Otherwise, this is a great channel on a great tool.  It also has Pandora which we use a lot in this house too.  When I am cleaning or want to dance around the house with the kids, we just turn this little bad boy on.  Also, this is a super kid friendly device, my 5 year old was using it no problems in the mornings.  If you do not mind paying a monthly fee for a workout assistant, I would go with Daily Burn.  I have browsed that site many times and I think it's a fantastic tool that would help many people with losing weight. It has customized nutrition, workouts, etc.  And it's only about $7.50 a month from what I read on the website.  Now if you don't like any of those channels, that is ok, because the Roku 2 XS model has a USB port for your flash drive.  Put what you want to watch on that bad boy and slap it in the Roku.  Occasionally I have to reformat whatever it is I want to watch, but there are a TON of free converters out there.  You can also play games on it, like Angry Birds.  I paid about $90 for it at Costco and I rarely have to burn DVDs anymore from the movies and show I buy and download.  Great for the environment, great for the wallet!
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3.  We all know what Pandora is, right?  Free radio that streams through more devices than I can name!?  Well, I mentioned earlier that I use it with my Roku.  But, what I didn't tell you is how I feel this is such an important tool for working out because I have quite a few playlists for specific workouts.  While I love the traditional playlist, what I do not like is that even on shuffle, I tend to get bored really fast of my iPod playlists.  Pandora gives me variety that I need but the songs that I crave.  My two favorite workout stations are:
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Great stuff!  Give it a go if good music is an issue for you for working out!
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4.  Rip 60 baby!  About a year ago I got some personal training at my local gym and something that he used on me was something similar to this.  The version he used was called TRX, but Rip 60 is a bit cheaper, and I got a ton of DVDs with it.

The Rip 60 Training System features suspended rotation. The Rip 60 Training System forces your body to stabilize and balance throughout your workout for maximum muscle activation. You'll not only lose weight and strengthen muscles, but you'll increase flexibility, power and endurance. With this ultimate at-home workout system, you'll completely transform your body in just 60 days! The Rip 60 Training System includes: Rip 60 straps 8 Workout DVDs Rip 60 for Runners DVD Rip 60 Nylon Carrying Bag Jillian Michael Fat Shredding DVD Georges St. Pierre Lean Muscle DVD Rip 60 Power Yoga Workout DVD 60 Day Nutrition Guide Dimensions: 10.3"L x 3"W x 17.7"H

That is what is advertised with it online.  It really works!  You HAVE to use it though, it can't just hang on your door all day everyday staring at you.  Trust me, I tried that.  But it is so easy to use, and if you do not like weights, like the space they take up, or just need something a little different, this is it.  And you can make it as hard or easy as you want my simply adjusting your body a little bit.  Great for legs, core, arms....everything!
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5.  Weight Watchers.  Hands down one of the best tools I have ever used.  I do not actually use it anymore, BUT when I was just starting out and not sure what to do, this was my saving grace.  The points system made it easy and stress free for me to lose the weight.  I lost 20 pounds on it.  When I quit the program I gained it all back because I didn't continue eating healthy and eating smaller portions.  I went back to my old ways, and that was a personal struggle, not a Weight Watchers failure.  My in-laws also used Jenny Craig and they lost A TON of weight on that!  So it doesn't hurt to at least call and talk to someone if you feel this is an area you are stuck in!
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6.  Yoga and Pilates are two amazing workouts that can literally transform your body and your way of working out.  I can sometimes get more/better results with yoga or Pilates than I do with hardcore cardio.  I highly recommend this for 1-2 times a week!  It is relaxing, it is very beginner friendly if you find the right DVD and it's great for sore muscles and getting a nice lean body.  Bob Harper's Weight Loss Yoga is one of my personal favorites in this category.  Don't have a mat?  That is ok because if you are doing a gym class, they more often than not provide ones to borrow for the class.  Try it, and keep trying it until you find one you like.  Pilates actually got rid of my saddlebags on my thighs from having children.  I did about 5 Pilates workouts and noticed a HUGE difference.  I am not saying this will work for everyone, but I am saying give it a shot because it is worth it!
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6.  Pinterest really has brought me many things, one of them being health and fitness.  Between normal people like you and me posting workout, recipes, and inspirational pictures/quotes, I have found this to be a great tool.  You would be surprised at the things you can find on this site!  LOVE IT!  You can follow your friends too and see what their using and what works for them on their boards.  Pin now, read later :)
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7.  Inspiration.  I can't tell you how many times I would have quit had I found something to inspire me.  So I have quotes that inspire me all over.  In my fitness notebook, on the background of my computer and phone, etc.  And yes, Facebook.  This blog is one of those tools.  I know that maybe one person a month reads this thing, but if I can inspire that one person, I will keep writing.  And because I need to write I need to commit.  This is something that drives me and everyone needs that in their life.  Your frame of mind really does dictate success!  Don't say things to yourself that you would never let anyone else say to you!  As Ghandi says "Be the change you want to see in the world".  You can't just want something, you have to really work at it, and sometimes that is hard, so get some extra umph!
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8.  My fitness notebook.  I live out of this thing.  I really do!  I have Monday-Sunday workouts written in it.  Two for each day so I never feel bored.  They are all a little different but all do the job.  I also have other random workouts that I found online in it so if I get to Tuesday and I don't want to do that workout, I just skim really quick through my randoms and VIOLA! A workout!  I also write down songs in it I hear off my Pandora playlists that I want to buy online, great fitness and eating tips I come across, etc.  Make it what you want but make it yours and make it important!
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9.  Food Measuring Tools.  You can't accurately count your calories if you don't know how much is in your bowl or on your plate!  YOU NEED TO MEASURE! I cannot say this enough!  Measure Measure Measure Measure Measure!  And write it all down!  Use your myfitnesspal, Sparkspeople, your notebook, whatever works for you, but measure and log!!!!!  Do not "eyeball" it!  That does not work!!
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10.  Last but not least, SUPPORT!  You need to have someone on your side supporting you during the good and the bad.  Someone who will tell you how worth it you are, how YOU CAN DO THIS, and they will be there for you every step of the way!  Everyone needs at least one person in their corner!  I am blessed to have a wonderful supportive husband who even while in the ocean at work can somehow find to support me!  Find this person and never let them go!
I hope at least one of these tools you find useful!  If not, find your own tools!  You can't get very far without tools!  You can't write a paper with pen, paper, or a computer.  You cannot get a haircut without the correct scissors.  So please, do not try and get healthy and fit without the proper tools!
I wish everyone good luck!
*Disclaimer:  I am not in anyway affiliated with any of these products.  I truly love these and hope others do too.  I also found all my images on Google Images and if I offended anyone or used an image that they own rights to I apologize and will fix it immediately!


COUPONING


How to coupon (the sane way)
I applaud the extreme couponers from the reality show.  However, I do not need to own 400 bottles of shampoo nor do I need 200 bottles of mayo.  Even if they are free.  That being said, I like to coupon to save money on the things I actually buy and use.  I feel no need to have a stockpile of food (even if the world is ending in whatever month it happens to be today...because ya can't live off mayo and shampoo anyways).  So this is how you do it MY way.

Every week I sit down and make a meal plan.  I try and do what I call "doubling".  This means, for example, I make a whole chicken on Monday and on Thursday we use the rest of the chicken for something else.  We hardly ever eat the WHOLE chicken the first night and so with the left-overs I make things like chicken tacos, enchiladas or whatever sounds good.  I also believe in simplicity of meals.  I refuse to make a recipe if it calls for more than 7 ingredients.  I need to save time AND make a delicious and healthy meal for my family.  I am not Bobby Flay so I am ok with simple yummy meals.

Now that you have the meal plan, go through and make your grocery list based off that.  It helps to do EVERY meal, including snacks, in your meal plan.  To save money on ink and paper I bought a whiteboard version but I also included one I found online that you can print. 
Now that you have your grocery list (and if you use the pantry inventory  list make sure to check that to restock your spices, etc.) you know what coupons to look out for.  If you see a coupon for save $.50 on Cheetos but it is not on your meal plan, you are NOT saving.  Now if you know you are having a party within the next month and you will be serving chips and such, then go ahead and snag them because you saved money in the end.  So never forget about holidays or events when planning your food for the week.  One thing I DO stock up on to an extent is meat.  I can freeze it.  If I see that a whole chicken is on sale for $.89 a pound I pick up two.  That is FOUR meals for me and my family and they usually run about $5-6 a chicken.  I throw in a veggie which averages about $.25 a person, if that, and that makes each person's meal $.87.  (I did 5 divided by 2 for two meals per chicken, then divided it by how many family members I have which is 4, then added the cost of a veggie).  Safeway is also notorious for doing BOGO on roasts.  So I spend about $8 per roast, and get one free.  And that lasts us THREE meals.  

It also is more than the coupons.  One thing that makes it hard in this area (Northern Idaho) is that Walmart is the only store (that I know of) that does Ad-Matches.  And now you have to BRING in the ad.  They also will not honor the BOGO's from other stores unless the price is displayed in the ad.  So if it says your laundry soap is BOGO but doesn't tell you that each bottle is whatever price it is, then they won't match it. 

How do I get all this wonderful coupon and ad-match knowledge?  I get the Sunday paper.  We have two papers in my area so what I do is I peak inside each one and see which has more ads.  Each papers seems to vary week to week.  I also use the internet to look at each stores page that did not have an ad.  One website I use for printable coupons is Swagbucks.com.  I like this site because there is no extra effort on my part.  You sign up, install the toolbar (it's not one of those annoying ones or I would NOT have it) and you get swagbucks for searching on the web, printing coupons, taking surveys, and more.  With those swagbucks you can turn them into REAL bucks.  You can get gift cards to your favorite stores like Target and REI or if you like the online shopping you can get Amazon cards.  So when you print the coupons off their site and turn them in (the same coupons you get everywhere else) you get swagbucks.  It's not for everyone, but it is for me.  

Find whatever system works best for you in terms of organizing your coupons.  I find that CD pages work well just for that sitting down weekly and organizing process. Then I can just fold them up and stick them in a drawer in the kitchen until I need to pull them out or put more coupons in.  I have each little section labeled for various sections like meat, household supplies, canned food, dairy, etc.
So this is how I do it.  You will find over time a system that works better for you, but DO find that system.  I save us about $200 a month in groceries because of this, and it really is little effort.  If I can do this, so can you! 

GOOD LUCK!

The January Promise

So it is a New Year and with a new year comes new years resolutions.  The most popular one being "get healthy" and/or "lose weight".  Lots of people want to get healthy by eating right and exercising, but has anyone thought about your health in terms of your surroundings?  The everyday items in your life that can be introducing chemicals into your body?  Well I have been doing A LOT of thinking about this topic and it seems that every year the world gets more and more polluted which prompts more people to GO GREEN!  Most of us remember the Reduce! Reuse! Recycle! phrase from school and it has been ingrained in us to RECYCLE!  For most of us though, we think of this as drink a pop and throw the can in the recycle container or the junk mail in the paper bin but that is there is an entire step that people overlook and that is where the item came from to begin with! So this month I am going to go over lots of different ways to clean up those chemicals in your everyday life!  You will surprise yourself at how easy so much of it is AND you can save a few bucks too!

How to create a favicon.ico...

Ok so WHAT IS a favicon.ico? Look up at your address bar.  See that icon to the left of it?  That is called a favicon short for favorite icon.  These show up in tabs, bookmarks, and next to the address bar.  These are handy little tools to help "mark" your website and just give it a little something extra.  Also, I think they are pretty neat in general.  Doing them is a LOT easier than it sounds too.

First off I recommend downloading this 100% free program called Photobie. I have been using this program for a couple years and I have to say, it's pretty amazing for free. And no, I am not getting paid or bribed to say this.  Although maybe I should because I think I tell EVERYONE about it!

Keep in mind that some images just won't look good at 16x16 pixels, which is what a favicon is.

Ok, so you have downloaded photobie (or a program that can do the following). Open your image up in the program then go to file>save as and name it favicon and instead of gif or jpg pic the ico extension.  Make sure this has NO CAPS.  Go to your websites file directory and upload the file in the documents section, not the images section.  I use Microsoft Live Web as my directory because it is free and you have a great amount of free space available.

Once it is uploaded to your site of choice it should look something like this: http://jocelynbrown.web.officelive.com/Documents/favicon.ico

Now in your html code find /head and RIGHT ABOVE IT put this code :
<link href='http://www.blogger.com/favicon.ico' rel='icon' type='image/vnd.microsoft.icon'/>

Now preview your page and it SHOULD be there.  I have had some problems with some webpages refusing to acknowledge the icon and some read it no problem.  When this happens I usually google the issue I am having and an answer pops right up!  Hopefully this helps!



Easy Shmeezy Neck Wraps


I started making these neck wraps about a year ago, and while these pictures do not do it justice (would LOVE a professional camera-but that won't happen for awhile) they are still cute in my book.

Go to your local fabric store like JoAnnes and find the section of PRECUT quilt squares.  Only get cotton materials and avoid fabrics like fleece and velvet as they do not do well in the microwave.

I love these because they come in all sorts of pretty patterns and you don't need to measure!

Take your favorite one (or all) and fold it lengthwise with the pattern facing inward like so:
At the fold, with fabric scissors cut upward as straight as you can. I never get it perfect and it doesn't have to be.

Take one half and set aside. With the other half, again fold in half lengthwise, pattern facing inward.  I suggest a sewing machine to sew these but I have done them by hand before. They just take longer. Sew from the bottom, up the side, and to the top but leaving about an inch unsewn like this:
So as you are looking at it, it is inside out so you want to, through the hole, turn it right side out like how it is in the picture above.  Take the unsewn corner and fold it over and down so the top resembles a triangle like this:
Where my finger is is a good place to put a button so that it is holding piece down. So you would put the hole where my finger is and underneath on the not-folded piece of material you would sew the button. The reason I do this is because I use these wraps ALL the time when I am sick and with this button I can empty out the rice to refill it for different scents and wash the material.  If you want you can just sew the hole up entirely.  I put mine in the microwave for no more than 1 minute otherwise it will get to hot and your button can melt.

These make great gifts, they are easy to make, and they are from the heart. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!

Budgeting Basics and Tips

It took me and my husband 2 years of very poor spending to realize that regardless of how much you make you ALWAYS need to keep track of your expenses and have a budget.  We didn't keep track of the outgo vs ingo and now we are climbing our way out of debt. But we learned early enough that we can thankfully fix it before we eventually retire.  As far as actual budgeting goes there are a few things I would like to point out:
Having a system is KEY! I use an excel spreadsheet similar to this one HERE. I have no clue where I found this from as it has been sitting in my documents for quite some time.  Mine is more detailed however and has four tabs in my excel sheet.  The first tab is our monthly expenses, the second is our debts that we are paying off, third is all our login info for bills (which I recommend password protecting if you let others use your computer), and I keep what I call a Temporary register.  I sit down twice a month and pay bills.  Each time I do so I go into that tab and at the top type in what our balance is. Then I type out what bill I just paid, how much it was, and the balance after.  This way I can keep an eye on the bank account to make sure it all goes through. Once it does I erase it for the next set of bill paying.  I also on the first tab of monthly expenses have a color code.  If the balance is in black it is paid on time no problem. If it is in red we are late or owe on that bill, purple means it is not yet due but I know how much it will be so I can plan ahead, and blue means it is taken out of the account automatically every month.  I suggest if you are trying really hard to get a handle on your finances and budget to do it manually for a few months so you can see where it all goes first hand. And if you have a bill that takes out every month that overdrafts your account every time, you need to fix that.  That being said here is how you start this process:
1.  Sit down (if you can or have one, with your partner) and gather up ALL your monthly billing statements.  Things that are due EVERY MONTH (or like one of mine, every other month) like your utilities, mortgage/rent, phone, etc.  Sometimes you have to look online at your account to get this information if you are doing estatements so do not forget about those. Here is what is should resemble:




Company Date Due MARCH
Daycare 1 $120.00
Mortgage 1 $0.00
Dish Network 11 $0.00
Time Warner 12 $8.72




 

So you have the company you pay to, the date in which it is due (and if you notice I list them in order) then under the month in which I have to pay them how much I owe. After a few months of doing this you also start to see trends in your bills. Some are higher than others in certain times of the year, others are consistent which helps you get a baseline for your finances should you get overcharged for something at some point.  You will see a red flag when the amount due is higher than normal. This is actually a funny month for me to be giving an example because we were ahead in our mortgage, that was our first month of Dish so it was free and I overpaid Time Warner the month before so that is all I owed lol. I promise you, my bills look NOTHING like that lol.  Moving on.

Your second step is to sit down and add up (bank statements come in handy for this) how much you spend per month on NON bill things.  Such as groceries, eating out (this is separate from groceries), clothes, shoes, etc.  Things that you know you need/want but you do not actually get a bill once a month to pay it. An example would be:




             March
Clothes 20
Eating out 50
Groceries 600

If you have a hard time knowing what you spend your money on, look at your bank statements, start saving receipts, and sometimes you can get your financial institution to provide you with a breakdown of the previous years expense report which will show you restaurants, grocery stores, clothing, etc. Our credit card does this and seeing 60% going into eating out was an EYE OPENER!  But we were living out of a hospital room..and that is another blog for another time.

Now that you have those two tasks done, add up what you make each month.  What is your AFTER TAXES income?  Add your monthly bills separate of your NON bill expenses.  Now compare those two numbers with your income.  Are you scared yet?  I was.  You think on a daily basis "it's only 10 dollars" but those dollars add up.  Ever gone to the dollar store and next thing you know you spent fifty bucks?  The whole time you kept thinking "wow this is only a dollar!" and you walk out fifty dollars poorer.  How many of those things did you NEED?  It took me a LONG time to get out of that habit.  Now I talk myself out of everything and it drives my husband nuts lol.

Looking at those numbers, what can you cut?  Do you HAVE to have the QUICKEST internet just to facebook?  Do you have that quick internet for gaming?  Cutting out the gaming and lowering your internet can save you anywhere from 20-50 dollars per month depending on your internet provider and gaming costs if you have any.  What about your cell phone plan.  Do you need 1400 minutes? Are you even using those? Look at your usage for a lot of your expenses and you will notice you can cut back a lot.  I got rid of my blackberry because I am a stay at home mom so I have my computer handy and do not need internet.  By doing that I save 30 a month.  Now they have tiered plans which aids in that amount but I still do not need that excess.  Do you go out to Starbucks EVERYDAY?  Limit yourself to once a week and find a local coffee stand to purchase from.  These little places are privately owned so that money is going right back into your community, most of them have punch cards where you can earn a free one, and the prices tend to be lower.  Also when you become a regular the girls actually make an effort to get to know you where at Starbucks sometimes they do not care as much.  I will make another blog about some more money saving tips, but this is a good start for you.

I hope that this helps and you find that there IS a light at the end of the tunnel of debt.  It can be a little overwhelming at first, but do not be afraid to seek help from financial advisers, your bank, or even a family or friend!

GOOD LUCK!

Mommy Meltdown

Ok moms, I hope you can relate to this and I am not just crazy. But today has to be one of those days where you think to yourself "Why the hell did I become a mom?! I can't take ANYMORE!" I should have known that when I could not get to sleep before 1 am last night/this morning today was going to not be all that great. Then I got up with baby at 4:45 am and could not get back to sleep when I put him back down at 5:30am. So I became Twitter-pated and tweeted to my hearts content.  My kids rolled out of bed at 8 and I was thinking "hey this is pretty cool" because who doesn't like it when their kids sleep in?? So I go to make oatmeal for breakfast for them because I am out of just about everything in my kitchen since I didn't go shopping last week because of my vacation. I have no milk. Oatmeal made with water....ugh. So now, here I am tired, irritated at my empty kitchen and drinking a cup of left-over-coffee from yesterday because I haven't had a chance to make more (Hey don't judge...I was DESPERATE for some caffeine) and my 4 yr old says "I don't feel good my tummy hurts". He says this ALL the time. Seriously. He even said it first thing when he woke up this morning.  I have learned to say "Oh I'm sorry Ryley" and I smile and kiss his tummy all better.  Well this morning apparently he meant it. He started puking. Lovely. I have to get my 2 month old to his 2 month check up at 1030 in the morning, its now 830 and my oldest is puking. I can't reschedule because I have already rescheduled once and I REALLY needed to talk to the dr about his serious issue of constant crying and I knew his lack of weight gain would be an issue.  Call my mom. She can't take him because she has to go see her elderly grandfather and take him some items from the store. Well...he seemed fine the rest of the morning...until we are literally walking out the door and to the bathroom he runs. More puking. Joy. We are going to the drs anyways, so I guess it is fitting.  Now, I live in northern Idaho and like most of the US we keep getting slammed with snow. And, also probably like most of the US, people can't seem to figure out how to drive and park in this stuff.  Parking lot was a disaster...I had to park a mile away (ok so maybe a 1/4 mile but with 2 small children and a car seat, whats the difference right?).  Now the snow is melty and gross in the parking lot leaving behind BIG puddles...I have boys...do you see where this is going? If not here :
SPLASH SPLASH SPLASH SPLASH SPLASH SPLASH SPLASH SPLASH SPLASH SPLASH alllll the way to the front door. Joy some more. I then proceed to check in where I chew the girls out for there stupidity in my co-pays (saying I had none then sending me a bill for a hundred bucks in co-pays and telling me it's my fault...when it clearly states on my card and they argued with me I didn't have one). I'm already heated and the stupidity and horrible customer service these front girls project just kind of added fuel to my simmering fire. Get your head out of your keester and do your damn job. And don't talk to me like I am an idiot.  I did your job for 5+ years ditz. AAAAAnyways.  We get back into our little room and I started getting a little weepy with the nurse letting her know how very unsatisfied I am with those front girls. I figure after 4 years of being the perfect damn patients mom, I can throw a stink about this, right? Now, keep in mind, my 4 year old is whiney from not feeling good, my 2 year old NEVER is quiet (when he is not talking noise comes out constantly....who put the damn batteries in him I'll never know but if I find out I'm going to kick their ass), and my 2 month old who refuses to really gain weight (and my 2 yr old had failure to thrive his first year of life...ugh) also refuses to STOP CRYING. The nurse leaves and I am waiting for the dr to come in and my 4 yr old threatens more puking so I have him kneel on the stool and keep his head in the sink. Here we are, his head in the sink, yelling at my 2 yr old to stop standing in front of the door, and the baby who won't stop screaming...I'm walking birth control. You have a hormonal, over-worked, emotional, married yet single mother, on ONE cup of STALE coffee who HAS HAD ENOUGH.  Still with me? Now they give my baby his shots, samples of the new OVERPRICED Nutramigen formula which my 2 yr old was on his first year too, and we get sent on our merry way.  Back through that parking lot of puddles. SPLASH SPLASH SPLASH. Curses under breath.

Needless to say I just came home. I am still out of milk. And all other foods. We are down to rice and frozen fruit mix. Oh and crackers, I have a crap-ton of crackers. I also am pretty sure after today I AM crackers.

I can't be ALL complainy because the little old lady next door has been having her son snowblow the copious amounts of snow in my driveway.  And I had a coupon for a free coffee at my favorite coffee place called Dutch Bros. But still. It is only 1230 pm and I am debating on curling up under the covers and sucking my thumb into a self soothing coma.

Ok. Now I can go back to being the perky annoyance you all know and roll your eyes at =)