Just a quick check-in 'cause I'm at work. No internet at home again for a few days because the charger cord broke. Going to try a cheap replacement. It's on order from Amazon. $8. The "real" HP cord is $71 so I would LOVE for the cheapie to work out.

Will be update on April spending and all that as soon as I have more time.

Inlaws visiting this weekend. A bit of spending for that and Mother's Day.

Baby's first birthday was yesterday!

The Giants have won a few of their games since my last post so I've added $6 to the EF. Balance now at $3931.

Have a great weekend!

Giants won last night. $2 to the EF. Balance now $3915.

I am taking care of my kitty-sitting client this weekend. I went early this morning and was paid with a $100 bill! $25 more than expected.
I've already put it to the cc debt.

I went grocery shopping this morning afterwards and spent $135. I bought a bunch of fresh fruit and veggies. Oranges, apples, pears, bananas, lettuce, cherry tomatoes, a sweet potato, spinach, broccoli, cucumber, mushrooms. Also milk, butter, cheese, yogurt, bread, ground turkey, cereal, and on and on. Gatorade was on a good sale; $0.79/32oz bottle.

There was a photography company with a display inside the grocery store this morning. They were running a special deal on Sepia/old fashioned style photos. $5 sitting fee and one 11X13 for $10, additional prints and packages at regular prices. I signed up for DS and DD to have a photo together. Total price of $15. The hard part will be for me to ONLY buy the one specially priced photo and no others!

I just realized I hadn't posted our past two weeks of the $175/wk spending.
April 1 to April 7: We went over by $88.
April 8 to April 14: We went over by $48.

After shopping today we have $5 left for the rest of the week. Hmm..I still need to buy formula.

I'm off work today, hence all the posting!
I have Rosacea and had a little treatment on my face at my dermatologist yesterday afternoon. (Paid for as a Christmas gift.) It usually leaves my face swollen and busied, so I took today and Monday off. Today I hardly have any swelling and just a tiny bruise. The dermatologist has a new machine and they told me it works more effectively. It's great, this time my face doesn’t look like I had a terrible allergic reaction. It seems like I will be totally capable of working on Monday if I choose to.

All of that to explain I am at home playing on the computer and playing with little DS, who is AKA The Remote Thief..


He is also getting into everything else!

We got our federal return on Monday.
2k to mom, 1k to EF, $500 to MIL, $200 to checking account.

I am updating the sidebar and I am making a 5k goal for our EF by the end of the year.

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I have been meeting my workout goals for the month so far.

I went last night to a Zumba class. It is free at our gym so I thought "Why not, I should try it out." But by the time I got home from work (6:10pm) I was ready to just stay home. DH kinda pushed me out the door to go try it. I'm glad he did. It was fun and an hour went by in a flash. And boy it kinda kicked my butt, hehe. I used to dance in high school, but last night I was feeling old and slow. Not picking up the steps as fast as I'd like. The instructor is an older lady, which I thought set a great example, and she kept the class very upbeat and relaxed. It was a good mix of ages and body types too. I told DH I am going to try to make it a regular thing.

Gym four times a week???? If I don't lose weight from that...

DH and I are going tonight in about 40 minutes. I'll do about 30 minutes of something and then I've got to take DD to a class skating fundraiser thingy.

Never a dull moment here.

This weekend I made the chicken club casserole that Frugal Foodie posted. Thank you FF, it was tasty and like you said made plenty for two casseroles. We had one Sunday night and the other is in the freezer. I did make it up from scratch, as in I didn't have any leftover chicken or bacon, so I had to cook everything first before I could assemble the casserole. That took a bit of time. Next time I'd like to add more cheese and bacon. DH bought me the chicken when he stopped at the store and he totally scored these huge boneless, skinless breasts for 1.59/lb.
I also have plans to make Monkey Mama's pistachio cake at some point. I love pistachios and pistachio pudding, so that's right up my alley.

Sunday a local girl scout stopped by and I bought three boxes of cookies. My box was the Samoas, DD's pick was the Dolce De Leche, and DH's fav is the Do-si-dos. $12.

Sunday evening DD fell off her scooter and scraped up her knees, her upper lip and chipped both front teeth! I already had a dentist appointment schedualed for her on March 1st. I think at some point she's going to need some cosmetic work for those teeth.

CeeJay recently asked about parenting successes. And you know it seems strange, but right now I can't think of just one time. It feels like each day there are some success and sometimes failures (like losing your temper or being "too" busy).

Some things I have learned that help me are:

*Give two choices to your child. Both results are okay with you. It gives them a feeling of power over their own life. Builds self-confidence and self-worth.

*Let them do things on their own. How else will they learn?

*I've always told my DD, and I will tell my son, the truth about things. Kids know when you lie and they lose respect for you.

*Have a good sense of humor. It feels a lot better to laugh than be angry about that 'spilt milk'.

*Choose your battles. (Who cares if their clothes don't match??)

*Give lots of hugs and loves. Play and do things together.

*When your kids make mistakes be sure they know you still love and support them.

*You set the example. For everything!

*Help them pick good friends.


My children make me proud everyday.

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She also asked "What would you change in your life?"

Well the shortest answer would be - nothing. If you use the reasoning that if you change something then you alter how something else turned out.
But if I could keep everything I love and change just a few things it would be:

****Financial****
More money in retirement and savings. Wished we started much earlier.

****Personal****
Nicer legs. (Thinner and w/out any spider veins)

Baby DS is nine months old! How time flies! He is crawling and pulling up and has two bottom front teeth.
He is 21 pounds and 29 inches long now.


I have to resist the urge to post more pics of him in every post. lol!

I have my laptop back. It needed another hard drive. Go figure. The repair tech said that the disk drive wasn't "talking" to the rest of the computer because the hard drive wasn't connecting things right. I'm glad I didn't have a bunch of things saved to the computer because I would have lost them all again. Still a pain in the butt!! I do have all my Microsoft Word, Works and Excel loaded in now. The silver lining was the repairs didn't cost anything.

The past couple weeks have been uneventful, just trying to keep spending down. Budget was tight in January and will be tighter in February - Short month and all. I have been taking lunch to work everyday since the middle of January. I almost always take a frozen meal like Eating Right (Safeway brand) or Lean Cuisine, a piece of fruit and a yogurt for an afternoon snack. $2/meal + $0.50/fruit + $0.60/yogurt = healthy for under $4. I really need and want to buckle down on my weight loss. I've gained almost 40lbs. (Ouch, I don't like typing that!) It is frustrating because I am trying to be good and so far I'm only down 2 lbs. Ugh! I need more weight loss to keep me motivated. It took me a long time to lose the baby weight after DD. I think my body just really holds on to the "mama fat".

Last weekend we visited family. Stayed at my in-law's house Friday and Saturday night. DH told me he was talking to his dad and that they want to refi their mortgage. They're at 7%!!! I was shocked, I mean I would have refinanced LONG ago. I don't understand why they aren't in a hurry..??..
On Saturday I took DD to Mount Shasta for her first downhill skiing experience. She took two 90 minute lessons with equipment rental was $70. This was paid by my mom as a Christmas gift. We just didn't have time to do it around Christmas, but did manage to squeeze it in before the snow melts. DD loved it and was a natural. Her afternoon instructor said she is ready for the chairlift her next time out. Now I will need to brush up so we can ski together, the last time I was skiing was 10 years ago. Would like to get my BFF and my dad to go with us too.

Yesterday was a big spending day. Baby had his 9mo checkup for $125. DD and DH went grocery shopping for lunch supplies for the two of them for $52. I ordered diapers and wipes at Diapers.com for $27. I bought baby formula and other needed supplies at Target for $104. At Target I needed to buy paper plates and napkins for DD's class party this Friday. I was going to buy some cute heart print plates with matching napkins, but then I found the clearance aisle in the back corner of the store.. I bought a 125ct pack of paper plates for $4.50 and a 400ct pack of napkins for $5. Sure they were just plain white, but now her class will have enough for all their parties for the rest of this year. I also scored a six pack of binkies for DS for $7.50. They are regularly $6/pair. Now I can have a spare everywhere.

I paid the Sears card off. Don't get too excited for me though because I tacked it on to another card.
I had to pay Sears before the 20th to avoid the intrest from the past year being applied. It was 0% for the year if paid in full by January 20th. I had fully intended to do this and was on track to until I was was out on maternity leave. Doh!

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Did major grocery and Costco shopping this past week. Used some nice coupons at Costco. $4 off boneless porkchops, $2.50 off laundry soap, $3.50 off dishwasher tabs. They have Quicken there for $65 and I have a coupon for $20 off. (I am very tempted to pick it up. Sounds like a good deal, but I haven't checked around at all.) We also buy our razors there (DH and I use the same kind) it's a 52 ct. for $23. I also bought 12 fresh, boneless, skinless chicken breasts for $20, 6lbs of hamburger, papertowels, a six-pack of Lean Cuisine $7.59 (great for lunch) and several other items. Total $210.

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I have my W-2 already, now waiting for DH's. I also need to get the year statement from DD's school's childcare and the mortgage companies. I guess there isn't any hurry with all the news I hear of the IRS delay. But I am going to start plugging in numbers today to my online tax program. I have used FreeTaxUSA the past several (5) years. $20 for state and federal. With our new tax deduction (DS ) and my decreased income I am curious to see how things will calculate.
Here's to getting some money back!

And Happy almost New Year!

I had this post all typed up on Sunday morning (12/26) and Blam-O my computer kicked me off the internet. I haven't had any time to re-type until now.....


Belated Merry Christmas to all! I am hoping all of you had a lovely holiday. This year more than ever I felt so lucky to have what I have. We are so very lucky. May we all have good luck and success in 2011!

We hosted this year for the first time ever. Inlaws came Thursday afternoon in their motorhome and my parents and my sister came Christmas Eve morning and everyone stayed until Sunday morning. FIL and DH were in charge of the prime rib (from Costco) for Christmas dinner and it was AWESOME! I tried two new recipes - roasted carrots with ginger and brown sugar glaze and a potato gratin made with heavy cream. The carrots were fab, the potatos I'll make again with more cheese Also had ham, green beans, fruit salad, dinner rolls and a ton of desserts. I made the hashbrown quiche and lemon scones for Christmas morning. Had to laugh a bit because FIL was kinda "eh..quiche..hu?" until he tasted it and then there wasn't enough of it. It went fast! Could've made a triple batch! DH made breakfast Sunday morning for everyone. Total for the Christmas groceries about $230. Also had the housecleaners come for $90.

I feel good about our spending on gifts this year too. Less than in past years, but scored some very nice gifts too. Best find for me was a Giants jersey for DH's big/Santa present. $60 on Ebay. Very nice.

As DH pointed it out it was nice not having to travel and really nice not having to pack up all the gifts and drive them home. We just unwrapped and pretty much put them away.

Of course the kids (just DD and DS) were spoiled rotten with all the grandparent and auntie time, plus their gifts. Baby was so cute, he opened his presents pretty much by himself (a little help from big sis to get started) and he got so excited when he saw all the goodies inside the paper. Of course the wrapping paper itself was exciting also.

SO Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!

I have been so busy working and running around trying to get Christmas things done. Tree, outdoor lights, Christmas cards, shopping, wrapping, etc.. I had been meaning to make a posting titled "Runaway $$ Train" because of all the cash that's flying out the station here. But I couldn't get enough time on the computer until today. I wasn't feeling very well - sore throat, headache and DS has a runny nose and cough. So he and I have been snuggled up most of the day just resting.

I never had a chance to put a December budget together and am reduced to marking off which bills have been paid on a "To Do" list. Part of the problem is I haven't gotten any document or spreadsheet software for the laptop yet. My FIL has the Microsoft disks and we meant to bring them home after Thanksgiving and totally forgot them. He is going to bring them to our house for Christmas. If that doesn't work out I am going to try Open Office suggested to me by Monkey Mama. I'll just muddle thru the rest of the year, all two weeks of it , and start fresh January.

That's the other thing: We're hosting Christmas at our house this year. DH's idea. Hey, I would rather go to our parent's houses where they get to take on the cooking and cleaning!

My BFF came for a visit this past weekend. It was so great! She hadn't seen our house yet. It had been so long since her last visit (maybe three years?) She and I went to San Francisco Saturday evening for a show. We stopped for a nightcap and once we got back home we stayed up until 3am talking. The tickets to the show were a Christmas present to me from DH.

Baby is up, gotta go..
I'll leave you with a picture of him and Santa.

Thanks for all the great dinner ideas on my last post everyone! I will be trying the ones we don't make already. I will also post any good ones I find.

The salmon was very easy and tasty and I will make it again. I did overcook it a bit, but the flavor was excellent. Thanks Monkey Mama!

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We had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I am echoing the rest of you in saying how thankful I am to have family and a home and work and health. Very thankful indeed. Saw my mom, dad, MIL, FIL, Grandma and Grandpa and our horses. Would have loved a chance to see some cousins and my BFF, but conflicting schedules this visit.

Friday DD was able to play in the snow at my grandparent's house.


Our horses.
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My DH is driving me nuts! He wants a new (used) motorcycle. His dad is selling the one my DH really likes for $5k. This is the only thing he has on his Christmas list and tells everyone about how this is the only thing he wants this year. Ugh! A few years back he wanted an off-road ATV (four-wheeler) for Christmas. So I bought him one - A toy one! It even had a little rider figure with it and I covered the name on the package with DH's name. So it said "B...., The ATV Champion" I hope I can do the same for the motorcycle this year.

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Watching football and relaxing today before the week starts up again. Ran to the grocery store for a few things this morning. Great deal on baby formula. Reduced price and $3 off coupons. Yay! I will have to venture out again to take care of a kitty. But right now DH is working a short side job, DS is napping and DD is outside playing. A few minutes of Me Time.

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Crockpot dinner tonight is BBQ Beef Sandwiches. It smells SO GOOD in my house right now! You could use chicken or pork with this. And it is good in summer or winter.
2-3lb Chuck Roast
1cup BBQ Sauce
1/2cup Apricot jam
1/2 Bell Pepper chopped
1/2-1 med. onion thinly sliced
3/4cup salsa
2tsp. Brown Sugar
1Tblsp. Dijon mustard
I like to put the roast in the crockpot and "stab" it with a fork a little and season with a little salt and pepper. Then I put all the sauce fixings in a small sauce pot on the stove. Heat and mix for about 2 minutes and pour over roast. Cook on HIGH for 4 hours or LOW for 8-9 hours. I like to serve on sourdough sandwich rolls with cheddar cheese. In summer I pair with potato salad and tonight it will be baked potatoes or fresh, hot fries.

My boss is out today, so I get the day off. Spending the day home with the kids. That saves money on childcare. (Yikes that's been a big bill recently) Will try to get some household chores done..I am not feeling very motivated And I am making salmon for dinner tonight. Trying Monkey Mama's crockpot recipe.

This brings me to a bit of a problem I have had for awhile and would love some help with. I keep wanting to post and then forget. Really need new ideas for dinner. What is your family's favorite? And favorites that can be made ahead or frozen. Healthy is a plus, but a distant third to tasty or quick. I bet we'll all find these recipes helpful.

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Traveling to family for the Thanksgiving holiday. We will be leaving Thursday morning and eating dinner at my mom and dad's house. My inlaws will join us there and later we will travel to their house to stay Thursday and Friday night. My DH and his dad like to shop Black Friday. I can't stand all the crowds and crazyness, so I never go out. I think I will take the kids to visit my grandparents on Friday. My grandma's back has been hurting her so she doesn't want to make the three hour drive to my mom's house. I really want to see my grandparents and give them a chance to see baby DS and DD. We will save money by not having to buy food, but spend money on extra gas. It is very important to me to see my family as often as I can and especially around the holidays.

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I will be doing some kitty care next week and will make $200. Christmas money. My most recent kitty care money has gone to pay on the CC. A little to this and a little to that. Trying to balance.

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And the computer woes continue. I realized I had
pictures of myself while I was pregnant with DS on the computer that I don't think we backed up anywhere else. AND, I don't have any programs! No Word, Works, Excel etc. And we can't find any disks for these. These programs were on the computer when we bought it, so shouldn't we have some way of getting them back without having to buy them?

Did you all miss me? I've missed you.

Two weeks ago DD had a report due at school and she was using the laptop to type it out. Well, she dropped it on the floor and it died. Long story short I took it in to Staples and had it repaired for $263. It needed a new hard drive and a new disk reader. Luck for us all the tech services are 1/2 off this month. I just picked the computer up last night and it works as good as new!

DD had almost finished typing her report out. We are talking like two more sentences left to go. So it was a quick rush to set up the desktop and get the report re-typed. Then our printer wouldn't print. It was the "Report from He77". Nah..I was able to load it on a flash drive and have it printed at Kinko's near our house.

Nothing could be recovered from the hard drive, so I lost budgets and financial goals, a few games, but really nothing else. Trying to get some bills payed online now and catch up on the checking account. We have the Internet at work, but I am not in front of the computer long enough to do much of anything. I was able to check my mail about every other day and look up a few web sites, otherwise no time to do anything else.

Speaking of work, my boss laid off one of the other gals because we're heading into the slower period of the year. Of course, it was only slow for about two days!! I miss her, she was really my assistant. The other news is the boss' wife has stepped in to do the business financials and get the bills caught up. AND I got a $1/hour raise with another planned in the spring!! Well overdue for that, so I am happy.

What else???

Oh yeah.. got rid of all the lice! Yay!
Only to have DD get them back again. Boo!
But, I am thinking we've got them beat again. Five days now with no sign of the buggers.

Trying to gear up for the holidays. It is so hard because the weather has been unnaturally warm. Like 70F+ most days. And Christmas is when?!?

I know I've plugged for diapers.com before, but I love 'em!
Last time I ordered diapers I enrolled in their program were I get 30% of the price of the diapers back as a credit on my account with them. Yesterday when I checked my email I had two coupon codes from them. One was for 25% off Halloween costumes (code: Halloween25) and the other was 15% off any one item (code: Treat15). I browsed thru their costumes and found a little fireman bunting. Too cute and discounted. DS needed some more cool weather clothes so I found a four piece everyday set with a hat, a long sleeve onesie, footed pants and a sleeper suit to use the 15% off code. Free shipping, no tax, -$6.50/coupons, -$11.10/account credit made the cost $14.

Now I can't wait to order more diapers to get more credit. lol!

The other cool thing I just recieved the package about 20 minutes ago. The stuff is CUTE!

Not trying to gross you all out....
Bad News - DD found a lice in her hair last week. **CRAP** You SA parents know what I mean. Just a wonderful part of childhood and parenting, Right?
So it has been a flurry of washing and vacuuming and spraying and combing..Arg. Luckily I haven't found any on me or DH or DS. And DD only had a few. Good thing it seems we caught on to the little buggers early. Everyone I know has gone thru this in their life at least once. I remember having them when I was about 10. Horrible because I've had long hair my whole life. Past my waist when I was that age. She's never had them before; we've been able to dodge the bullet all the other times it made the rounds at school.
The thing is it is expensive to treat. I was unpleasantly surprised when I spent $57 at CVS on shampoo, creme rinse and a metal toothed comb. Then there is all the time and water/energy to wash and dry everything. I was saying to my mom,
"How could low income families afford to do this?" My mom countered with,
"Think how hard/more expensive it would be if you didn't own a nice washer and dryer and you'd have to take everything to the Laundromat?"
WOW, I hadn't even thought about that. I realized I totally take my situation for granted. We are very lucky. Even though we're not "rolling in dough" all of our needs are more then met.
So after a short battle this weekend so far DD's head is all clear.

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Good News - (Actually VERY good )
Received a check from our previous mortgage holder for $2475! It seems our mortgage broker got the payoff amount just before our October payment posted. So the money is our refunded October payment and the balance from our escrow account.
I am not sure where all this unexpected money will be going. I will put it all in the EF for now. I will absolutely be keeping at least 1k there for the EF goal. I will now check that off in the sidebar.

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Little DS is now five and a half months. Here is a recent picture.


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And ... GO GIANTS!!!

Our new mortgage is $289.13/mo less now with the refi(saving $126/mo on P/I) and the lower property taxes. WhooHoo!

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This past weekend my family (DD and DH) decided we needed some new Halloween decor for the yard. They picked out three foam tombstones, a strobe light and I picked out a string of purple lights. We also bought some cool window clings that look like bloody hand prints and splotches.

And we bought a costume for DD. Spent $70 on everything. DD bought a wig for her costume with her own money for $9. I tried to talk her out of it, but it's hard when it is HER money she has the choice. I told her we won't be carrying it around on Halloween night if she gets too hot wearing it. She still bought it. Oh well..

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Crazy fall weather here. Last week we were using our AC and Sunday we had the heat on. I am kind of feeling ready for the cooler fall weather. Snuggling inside on the weekends with coffee and football. 'Course right now I'm watching a lot of baseball - GO GIANTS! I told DH this morning that I might need to call off work today and just stay home to watch game 3 playoffs. And do laundry!! (Always have laundry to do. ) I'll be going to work soon. My boss will have the game on the radio in his office so I'm sure I'll catch the important parts.

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Would love to catch up on all your blogs now, but I have got to get caught up on the checkbook register. My budget is current, but the checkbook is behind!! I can't remember the last time I was so lax. Will take care of that right now while little DS is taking his little AM nap. Such a good baby!

It seems that I keep starting all my posts with.."I'm so busy..." But I have no other excuse. I am busy.

My trip to Kentucky was awesome! The countryside was beautiful and the company was super. I had not spent that much time with my aunt in years. It was also fun to share a room with my sister again. Girl talk and all that. Our flights to and from were uneventful. We attended a few of the events at the World Equestrian Games (WEG), stopped to look at some stallions at a horse farm and toured two bourbon distilleries. I will post some pictures when I've got my camera handy.

I did pretty well spending wise. $45 spent in cash and about $220 on the credit card to be paid next week. The $220 included treating for dinner for the four of us twice and gift/souvenir items. I bought myself a pair of blown glass earrings in the shape of a horse head. (I'll take a pic of them too for you all to see)

Everyone did well at home without me. My MIL came to stay and help DH. She bought food and some home improvement stuff for us. My DH surprised me by completing a few of his TO DO projects around the house. Cleaned the garage and finished some crown molding and baseboards, and tore into a wall in our bathroom!! He did pretty well not spending much money. About $32 while I was gone.

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Refi is all done. 4.75% 30 year fixed.
The only hitch was I had to come up with the mortgage payment about two weeks earlier than I would have normally. Made for a tight squeeze right before I left and until the first. Did move money over from the EF. Darn, 'cause I was almost to the 1k mark! The good news is that now I'm back ahead of the game and that means having the money to pay bills earlier. Makes it all run more smoothly.

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Back to work full time now. Keeping very busy there.

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Baby DS is great. Five months now. Wow!
DD is also doing great. Although she chipped a front tooth a few days back. Not very bad at all, but still.....

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Time to start dinner. Thursdays are about the only weekday I have time to make a nice dinner because I get off work early.

And I've got to cheer on the Giants. Playoff game tonight vs. the Braves.

The Wife will play..

Okay, not really!

But I've been very, very busy doing double duty here at the house. Plus I have started the ball rolling on our refi. Looking to reduce our rate to close to 4.5%, depending on when we lock. That should equate to approximately $170/mo savings. And with our property taxes down we are looking at saving another $100/mo in taxes!
Yip-ee!

Also had a Comcast (cable TV co.) salesman come by the house yesterday. They come by about every two months or so and want to "bundle" our phone and internet services with our cable. In the past I've never been real interested in changing anything. But yesterday I was like, "Oh what the heck..We'll try it." $120/mo for phone, internet, TV.
We will be getting a faster internet connection, more phone services like caller ID and call waiting, free install, a free HD DVR, all the HD channels and one of the premium movie channel packages (Starz). It won't be any huge savings, about $5-$10/mo, but lots more "stuff". Of course saving is saving; it's all good! We'll see..

Told DH about it on the phone. He said he is totally fine with any changes, just as long as I don't change the locks!

He has 65lbs of Halibut and 30lbs of Salmon so far. I'm thinking packages of fish as Christmas gifts - Just kidding!

I am going to try the salmon crock pot recipe that Monkey Mama posted once the fish gets here.

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I have pretty much had a NSWeek so far (Mon - Fri). Only had to buy diesel for the truck. $75. I have been too busy/too lazy to do any shopping. I will have to go grocery shopping this weekend and Costco next week. This week has been cheap!

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Baby DS has started some solid food. Baby oatmeal, of course, and he really likes sweet potatoes. That's it so far. Tonight I might try carrots.

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Sold a pair of DD's old riding boots $12. I paid $8 for them two summers ago. Made $40 this AM from my elderly cat side "job". This money will be going to the EF which is very close to the first 1k goal mark!

I must be a good girl..the money is flowing my way..

A very generous client gave us a gift at work. $200 for me!

My coworker paid me back $50.

I made $40 by making a housecall to my friend's neighbor. I've been helping them with their elderly cat who needs regular blood draws, but HATES the vet. (I've been there a few times now so actually I've made $200 so far.)

And DH gave me the $6 he had in his pocket.

WaHoo!
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Other Updates:

Looking into a refi for the house...
DS going to try out his new highchair tonight..
DH headed to Alaska on Saturday... A whole week of having the bed to myself!!

Just bought a highchair. DS will be ready to try "real" food very soon. He has been watching us eat with great interest the past few weeks. I have been buying baby foods anytime they've been on sale plus using coupons. I've been getting good deals and will be using them soon enough.

I DID NOT buy the $200+ highchair. I bought a $55 chair. Very cute and functional. And it converts to a booster as he gets older. Excellent reviews also.

I just ordered thru Diapers.com and will get it and more diapers on my doorstep tomorrow! (I love getting packages ) Had a $10 referral credit and a promo code for the chair saved an additional $5.40. No tax and no shipping. So I spent $76 total.

I think I did pretty well.

Haven't had a chance to catch up here. So busy!

DD started fourth grade on Wednesday. So far she is really liking her class and teacher. Her school has an onsite childcare center for before/after school. It is VERY nice. The registration fee is $60 for the year if you want to take advantage of the lower contract price vs. the drop in rate ($0.50/hr more). $124 with registration and the August contract. Tonight the school has their ice cream social and you can buy t-shirts and pick up the LOADS of paperwork that needs to be filled out. Yay.

Not much back to school spending here. We're lucky that DD is so lucky to have family and friends buy her stuff. We bought a backpack $20 and new shoes. I wasn't going to buy shoes yet, but we found a cute pair of tennis shoes at WalMart $10. I never buy "cheap" shoes, but as hard as she is on shoes I'll be buying new ones in a few months anyway no matter the quality. From her grandmas: two pairs of jeans, really cute shirts (3), hoodie, glue, paper, pens, crayons, and more. From our friend/daycare lady (GB) a pair of Sketcher clogs, pens, pencils, crayons, sharpeners, etc.. Took her for a haircut at a local small business $21 including tip. Her last haircut was over a year ago!
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Had a nice time with the kids and inlaws at the Giants game on Sunday. Weather was gorgeous, but the Giants lost. Spent $25 which included the toll on the Golden Gate. Inlaws bought beer and hotdogs and parking. We also drove in their SUV, so gas too.
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So far this month we've spent less than $200 on food! I will be going to the store tomorrow, but it's really just for the fresh stuff. Last month we really loaded the freezer with meat (2 tri tips, hamburger, chicken breasts) and frozen dinner ideas (lasagna, enchiladas, mac'n'cheese). I expect to spend $120 tomorrow.

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DH doing well with his "allowance". This week he didn't get any cash at all and did fine.
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With the tainted egg troubles I am so glad all of our eggs come right from the back yard. Talk about eating local! Keeping hens is pretty easy too. This site is good for more info if you're interested:

http://www.ranchhaghens.com
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My last post touched on my interest in other careers. I want to be clear, the driving factor for wanting a new job is to make more money. I really enjoy the work I do now and I'm very good at it. But at my current place there isn't any opportunity to "advance"; I already boss the boss. (Which is cool.) I haven't had a raise in three years. The more I've thought about it the more I really think the problem is my boss' poor finances. He lets his family way overspend and the business suffers. Bounced checks, not being able to buy new equipment, not being able to order the supplies we need. Meanwhile, his wife and daughter are out shopping and getting massages! Arg!!! I am sure that is why I haven't had a raise. It gets so wearing on me and the other gals... I think we'd all have found new jobs if we didn't like each other so much. Our office is fun and laid back. No problem if you need to take time off for family or trips. Gotta leave early? Come in late? Take the day off? No problem. This is important to me. Can you put a price on that perk?
I would also enjoy the challenges and fun in learning new skills. Our junior college offers lots of online classes so I am thinking of signing up for some that would go toward fulfilling requirements for bookkeeping. It useful knowledge even if I never use it to make money. Last Saturday one of our clients who is a CPA came in and I was picking her brain about her job. She told me how much she enjoyed her job. Although she said the classes were soooo boring.
I have looked at job offerings for my field of work. I could make more in other hospitals, but might not get 100% medical paid. But might get 401k. Some offices I would steer clear of because they have a high turnover. Or the doctor is crappy. Etc..
I really just want my boss to get his financial "poo" in order and give me my much deserved raise!

Ugh..I forgot to pay Capital One last month.. I thought about it, but I didn't think a payment was due. And in all the busyness at the end of the month I never logged on to check. We don't carry a balance on the card; we have ONE automatic bill payed by the card. $25 per month. The charge is usually made about the 22nd or so each month and almost every month I pay it on/about the 25th. So it's not even on the card for more than a week. I guess in June I missed it so July it was due and I thought "no big deal I've got 30 days." Wrong. Now I'll have to call and ask if they will please remove the $15 late fee. Yesh, it's a whole eight days late on $25!
Really need to change the billing to another card. I would right now, but DH will need to do it; account is in his name only.
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In other news, my DH met with an independent cell phone dealer last week. He found her through a local business group that his work is a member of. She works with all the carriers and has discounts on the phones. So the phone that I wanted that was $80 online thru our carrier was $50 with her. The $29 car charger was $10 thru her. He also changed our plan to the lower shared minutes plan for $70 per month, plus the taxes etc. so I'm thinking it'll be like $76/mo. Yay! Saving money feels so good!
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A note about my last post where I wrote about going over budget. My DH had an "extra" paycheck last month (with the five Fridays)that's what covered the overage. I was really trying to forget about that "extra" check, but in the end I kept thinking I can pay this/that with the "extra" check. Boy do I WISH I had an "extra" check this month too! Big time childcare costs with both DD and DS going for the first two weeks this month. It won't be as bad once DD is back in school. She will have just a few hours each afternoon once school starts.

As promised, Baby DS at three months.

Driving home this afternoon DD was looking at the newspaper insert ads. I think it was a JC Penney or Kohls ad when she said, "Look at these cute shoes mama." They were cute little pink plaid ballet flats. But, uh, $28!! Not for my nine year old who wears holes in her shoes before she even outgrows them! (If they were everyday shoes - okay, I'd buy them.)

I said, "Honey, wow, those shoes are kinda pricey."

"But mama, look the regular price is $39."

Ahh, a "teachable moment"...

"Well sweetie, that's how the stores get you to buy something like that. They make you think you're getting a good deal. Sometimes you are. But not on those shoes." I said.

She thought about that and was like, "Okay, maybe we can find some like these for a lot less, then we could buy them."

"Maybe." (universal parent answer. )

She does need a new backpack and lunch sack for school. I usually wait until fall, Oct/Nov, to buy clothes and new shoes. So far she has always been fine with wearing "old" clothes to the start of school. Sure hope that doesn't change anytime soon.

Gosh, she'll be back to school on August 18th! Fourth grade! *WOW*

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Today baby DS is three months old. I will have to take/post a picture soon. Such a cutie!

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Grocery shopping yesterday. $108. Dinners for the next week easy, plus milk, bread and cereal. Tonight it's Sloppy Joes, broccoli, and homemade fried french fries. Yum!

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Overspent last month *sigh* Over budget by $900. Money I would have LOVED to put toward bills or savings. My excuse - long month and we did a lot and had several one time/occasional expenses (car registration, medical/dental etc..)
This month it'll be childcare and increased fuel usage.

Crunching numbers now.

I started back to work yesterday. Part time for now. It was still hard leaving baby DS even though it was five hours and I knew he was in good hands. Worked until 6 pm, picked up the kids, had to stop for gas, $60, was home just before 7 pm.

Going back will really limit the time I have to play with the kids, be online with you all, get housework done, etc..etc..

Work is so inconvenient.

Yesterday was also the first day in the new office building. Trying to unpack boxes and organize supplies and equipment. In the new place it seems we have storage in all the wrong places. The fax machine isn't working yet, no internet yet, something funny going on with the phone lines AND we're out of coffee! Of course my boss in his infinite wisdom started seeing appointments yesterday afternoon! It was almost laughable because nothing is easy to find and everything took three times longer to do. This new building is shaped like an L. Our old building was a square. For proper "flow" you really need the square shape. The new building means a lot more walking until we get stuff stocked at both "ends" of the L.

It will be very nice, and much prettier, once we get everything done. I am thinking that will be a few weeks to put things away and even longer to get really comfortable.

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Had a very nice visit with DNiece and even with the inlaws too. Everyone left yesterday morning. Now I have to work on getting my August budget put together and balance the checkbook. I am about 10 days behind with all my financial keeping because of all the busy days and company.

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DH and I had a good time at the Giants game Sunday. Beautiful weather and they won! We have tickets for a Sunday day game in two weeks. Going with the inlaws, DD and baby DS.

Keeping busy here. I've missed catching up on all the postings. Maybe later.

DNiece (15yo) is visiting. She is so helpful and sweet. Only get to see her about once a year now that she's moved to Maryland.

Saturday: DD's bday party was a success! The pool cost $12. Food about $35 plus the cake. We made pizza with the girls who stayed for the slumber party. Yum! It had been so long since we made pizza at home. We'll be doing it again sooner rather than later. Trouble is it's more expensive to make it that to buy take and bake, which is sooo good too.

Sunday: a clean up and relax day.

Monday: grocery shopping. $195.

Tuesday: county fair opening day. $26. DD, DN, DS and me. Lovely weather. We built a scarecrow in a contest and won! The prize was free funnel cake. ($6) DS was such a good baby. He liked the fair. We looked at the exhibits and stage entertainment (Acrobatic Cats, hehe)

Wednesday: Costco $180. Other errands.

Today: Great America. Rides and water slides! $90 for tickets. I will also be paying $15 for "preferred parking". Closer to the entrance for packing in/out all our stuff and baby DS. I am thinking of having lunch at the car too. We'll take food and see how the day goes.

Weekend plans -
Friday: Relax and chores.
Saturday: The beach ? Ice skating ?
Sunday: Giants game.
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In other news... My cell phone is dead. It was three years old. Really, they MUST make them only well enough to last for the two year contracts. lol. I have activated my old phone, which was DH's phone before that. So it's REALLY old, but still operational. Somewhat.. sometimes I can't hear the person on the other end of the line and have to use speaker..arrggg.. I won't be replacing with a fancy phone. Still looking at $80 for a phone and getting back into a contract.. *sigh* I guess it's not that bad, we hadn't been thinking of changing service anyway. This has got me looking at changing our plan. We could go for a low anytime minute (700) share plan with no frills, $79/month, and save about $30/month. I looked at our 12 month usage for "anytime" minutes. My average was about 200 and DH about 400. Totally worth trying it out.

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In-Laws coming to visit Friday PM thru Monday AM. (Please give me strength and patience ) They will be watching the kids Sunday when DH and I go to the Giants game. And they will be taking DN with them when they leave.

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Going back to work Monday afternoon... *sigh* Love my job, but LOVE being at home..

Today we are having DD's birthday party. I've had five kids RSVP with a "YES" out of fourteen total invitees. That's a summer party. Everyone is busy busy. It's okay. Makes the party very manageable.
This will save money at the pool.
And money on food too. However, I was out of town the past three days and I asked DH to pick up an ice cream cake. He is such a good helper and bought the largest size! $40. It is a good and bad thing; I really like ice cream cake!

We picked up DNiece last night and she will be staying with us for the week. Going to have some outings and that equals money spending. Aiming for small amounts and big fun. Picnic at the beach, rollerskating, swimming, ice skating...and???

Now I'm off to the grocery store.

Had a MUCH more frugal weekend. Phew!
NSD Saturday and a $16 Sunday.
Saturday my mom, DD, baby and I went to one of the California missions. A state park in Sonoma. Toured the misson and the general's home. It was very cool. They had lots of the original belongings from the family. My mom paid for the admission and lunch.
She and DD left to go traveling for the next several days. They are visiting several California Missions and other sights.

Sunday DH, baby and I helped our friend move. We also visited the new work building. I think it's going to be very nice. There is still a bunch of work to do on it and we're supposed to be in there by August! My boss was there too. So we had a quick visit. He seems very happy and excited about the move, and not worried about not being ready. He is a pretty positive person. Makes it easy to work with him.

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No bites on my CraigsList stuff. I will repost closer to the first of the month. Maybe when people have more money.

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Going to another Giants game on Sunday August 1st. Free tickets for a suite! With a suite you also get free snacks and non alcoholic beverages. I am thinking about taking baby with us. He already has a Giants outfit given to him as a gift!

DD is going to horse camp all this week. This is my parents birthday gift to her. She attended the same camp last summer and this year she is going with two friends. It's good because us moms have split up the driving; it takes about 90 minutes round trip. I really don't mind the drive, but saves money on diesel.

Planning her birthday party. Going to be very frugal. Swim party at the city pool $2 per kid. I think I'll buy their "Swim Pass" 12 swims for $20. We'll serve some finger foods, punch and icecream cake. $50. Then some of the girls will come back to our house for a slumber party. A movie and popcorn - we have both - $0. Pancakes for breakfast. $10. DH and I already gave DD her gift from us on Sunday. An inexpensive digital camera and a little case. $85. We gave it to her early so she could take pics at camp this week and on her trip with grandma next week.

Now I've got to email out more party invites.