Just One of Those Weeks

 So, I didn't realize there was a universal law dictating that one's child must acquire a disfiguring scar on his or her face just in time for first birthday pictures. I had heard these stories from several of you, but I didn't realize it was a rite of passage for which I needed to be prepared.

Monday was the lip busting. The little guy tumbled over and bit his lip so hard that it bled for awhile.

Tuesday Ian flipped over a diaper box while pushing it, but no visible scrapes resulted.

Wednesday Ian was playing in the living room and ran into the leg of our coffee table. Not the top edge, which we have protected with foam, but the leg. He just crawled into it and ended up with a corner-shaped bruise.

Thursday was blissfully accident-free, and I was relieved to see that his previous battle wounds were fading.

But Friday...... oh, dear. Friday. Friday is when Ian continued to chase the cat despite hearing "No kitty" several times. Friday is when I wasn't quite fast enough to intervene. Friday is when Ian got a giant kitty scratch across his face.

Sigh.

It could have been much worse, and I'm thankful that Ian's forehead got the force of the scratch rather than his eye. But still. The day before his birthday? Across his face? Sheesh.

I was quite worried that when the grandmothers arrived for our family gathering on Saturday, they would either call Child Protective Services or quickly dispatch the cat to a farm in the country. Fortunately, they  both raised little boys of their own, so they know how such things go. (However, grandmothers, if the cat disappears, I'm questioning you first!)

Ian seemed to have a wonderful time celebrating his first birthday with Mommy, Daddy, Grammy, Papaw, Granmama, Grandaddy, and Uncle Matt. He even got a taste of his first cupcake!

However, all the pictures of the day look like this:



Created with flickr slideshow.



Okay, okay, maybe not. The scratch wasn't that bad, and besides, who can resist this adorable mug?

Team Emmett

There's Team Edward and Team Jacob....Team Jennifer and Team Angelina....  today I want to tell you about Team Emmett.

Emmett Stalling is husband, father, and musician who in February was diagnosed with Stage IV esophageal cancer. He and his wife have a four-year-old boy named Quinn.

To my knowledge, I have never met Emmett or his wife, Wendy, but some friends of mine know them well. Yet in reading about their journey on their blog, I feel like I am getting to know the family. I can't imagine Wendy's heartbreak right now. Before he became sick, Emmett was a stay-at-home dad with Quinn, so this has been a lot of change for that little guy, too.

If you are the praying type, please pray for Emmett and his family. Their faith in Christ is shining as a clear beacon during this time, and they need us to keep lifting them up.

If you have been blessed financially and would like to contribute to Emmett's medical bills and other expenses, you can do that at their website, TeamEmmett.com. There are some nifty wristbands available that can serve as a great reminder to pray for Emmett, Wendy, and Quinn.

Hearing Emmett's story has reminded me to be grateful for all of the amazing blessings in my life and to treasure Paul and Ian even more. 

Happy Mama

I've found a new favorite baby product. For whatever reason, I was really looking forward to giving Ian the little wagon wheels and yogurt snacks made for babies. I guess that was a mommy right-of-passage for me. However, I became frustrated when I looked at the nutritional info on some of these snacks. Tons of sugar, way too much sodium....

A couple of weeks ago I was shopping at Harris Teeter and found the Happy Baby line of products. The Happy Baby line is similar to other baby snacks on the market, except they generally contain less sugar and fewer preservatives. Plus, they are made from organic ingredients! I bought banana mango Happy Melts and veggie crunchies for Ian, and they were a hit! (He especially loves the yogurt melts.)

The Happy Baby line is a little more expensive than conventional brands, so when I got home from the grocery trip I hit Google to look for coupons and deals. I signed up for Happy Baby's newsletter, which has yielded one coupon so far. I also found the blog Pacifier in My Pocket, where Caitlin was giving away a Happy Baby gift pack -- WHICH I WON. w00t. I received the veggie crunchies, happy melts, rice cereal, and some coupons.

I really glad to find a healthier alternative to some of the other baby snacks out there. As much as I like to be an organic-crunchy-granola mama, I'm also a busy mommy looking for shortcuts to healthy snacks, so the Happy Baby line is a good find for me.

So, uh, I guess the moral of the story is that it pays to read mommy blogs because they have cool contests where you can win fun things. Or that baby snacks are fun.

Saling

So I'm totally into the couponing/grocery sales thing right now. Inspired by Nancy and Ashley, I started following Southern Savers and Faithful Provisions to learn how to save money on my grocery bills every month. I would say I spend an extra 2 hours on grocery planning each week with this new (to me) method, but I find it worth my time.

I loathe buying anything at full price any more. Publix and Harris Teeter run so many buy-one-get-one sales that I can get many items I need for half price. For instance, the items I bought at half price during today's grocery run include lean ground turkey, lasagna noodles, organic baby food, and turkey bacon.

Aside from the crazy money I have to spend on baby formula, I generally save 30-40% on my grocery bill by shopping the sales and clipping coupons. I buy what I can at half price or deeply discounted and then spend the rest of my budget on things that don't go on crazy sales, usually organic produce.

Central to this method of grocery shopping is the ability to stock up on items when they are at a good price. I currently have three boxes of cereal in my basement because it was on BOGO sale. My freezer is filled with chicken and vegetables that were half price. I also have a decent assortment of snack food, much of it purchased during Harris Teeter's super doubles promotions (when they double coupons under $1.98).

 I know Kelly from Faithful Provisions uses a lot of her savings to purchase extra food that she can donate to food banks. Often she can find items for donation that are free after coupons and sales. I'm not quite that skilled yet, but I hope I'll get there.

Another area that's a bit beyond me is drugstore rebates. CVS and Walgreens often give cashback on future purchases as incentives on certain products, and I've heard that is the cheapest way to by cosmetics, medicine, and many household items. I'm not sure I'm ready to jump into that arena, though.

What about you? Do you have any grocery savings secrets? Do you work the drugstore rebate system? Are you embarrassed at how excited you get when the new Publix ad comes out each week? (Raising my hand....)

Ugh

Does anybody remember All Summer in A Day by Ray Bradbury?

I feel like the little girl who was locked in a closet and missed the only day of sun. Except, instead of being locked in a closet by my classmates, I was imprisoned by my own busy-ness.

We had that beautiful weekend of sunshine a couple of weeks ago, but I was too busy with grocery shopping and housework to get outside and enjoy the light. I caught about 10 minutes of the gorgeous weather when I took Cameron for a walk on Sunday at dusk, but that was it.

And the gray, rainy, icky days that have followed seem relentless. My mood is slowly turning gray and brooding to match the weather.

I am ready for spring, for the earth and for my heart! I know God has dominion over both of those, so I wait for His grace....