On how to acquire a beautiful velvet box

A 40% off coupon at Family Christian Bookstore.  Valid only on the weekend, when I have multiple children.  A 25% off coupon, valid on the weekdays, when I only have one child.  

What to do, what to do?  

Calculate the difference between coupons on the item I need.  About $6.  Okay, worth it to go on Saturday, since we were going to be near the store anyway.  And bonus - I only had three children after all!

En route to store.  Reiterate the importance of not touching the many breakable things we would be encountering.  Stay close to mom and don't touch.  

At check out.  Kids have been relatively good and we have made it through the process unscathed thus far.  

Crash!  My head jerks up as I hear glass shatter into a million pieces. . .in the vicinity of one of my children.  

I step the few feet to assess the situation.  I see a beautiful velvet box sitting on a table, empty. I hold my breath as I flip it over. 

$27.99.

Sigh.  

After coupons, I have purchased a lovely burgundy box for $18.  Actually, the offending child has paid for it.  And I have to say, though many tears were shed, and sorrow and apologies expressed, that soft little box has been quite loved and cherished thus far.

But I can't quite say the whole event was worth it.  If you're in the market for an exquisite velvet box, I suggest you buy the ornament too, in the customary way.  

A penny saved is a penny earned!

The other day, I was enjoying one of my favorite activities: shopping at Target with little K.  She was chatting in her sweet way as I got into line and I was drinking it all in.

Suddenly, the merchandise on the conveyer belt in front of me caught my attention, and my conversation with little K stalled.  The gal ahead of me was piling item upon item of name brand, individual-packaged, convenience packs onto the counter.  I watched, fascinated, all the while thinking how much I could save her if she would give me her list.  Even at Target I could have saved her a bundle!  But if I could have shopped at a few other stores, the savings would have been even greater.

I held my breath and tried not to look like a stalker as I ignored K and strained to hear her total.  $395!  I nearly fell over.  She didn't buy anything large - all small items that added up to that crazy amount.  She didn't look concerned by the total and paid in cash, so she must have the means to shop that way.  But still - heavens!  I know I am cheap, frugal, whatever you want to call me.  But aren't there other things you could spend that money on?  I can think of more than a few!

School ain't what it used to be!

My convo with my youngest daughter on the way home from preschool today:

"Hi sweetie!  How was school today?"

"Well, Minnie Mouse came to our classroom today!"

"Really?  Like a stuffed animal?"

"Nooo, like a person."

"Oh.  Someone dressed up as Minnie Mouse?"

"There were two Minnie Mouses and three Mickey Mouses. . .(unintelligible mumbling). . .in the Bible story."

"Mickey Mouse was in the Bible Story???"

"Jesus loves you!", followed by a quiet rendition of Jesus Loves Me, This I Know.

Just the two of us

My husband and I just returned home from a beautiful trip to San Diego.  A few thoughts from the trip:

1.  The beaches are uh-maze-ing.  Gorgeous and enormous.  We walked, relaxed, read and just plain took it all in.

2.  San Diego offers many and various kinds of fish tacos.  I think it is safe to say that we sampled each and every one.  We literally had seafood at every single meal.  And we didn't feel like it was repetitive. So either we are incredibly monotonous, or the chefs were all unique.  I'm going with the latter, whether it's true or not.

3.  My husband is marvelous.  Spending so much time together without the constant interruptions we have at home was priceless.

4.  My parents are troopers.  Five kids, countless activities, a few minor meltdowns, a semi-sick child and five days.  And they survived!  And said they'd do it again sometime - but not for a little while!

Fall combo

I had to (read: got to) run a bunch of errands today.  On shopping days, I am in my element.  I feel that all is right with the world.

How sad is that?

Anyway, it was an enjoyable day for me and my little assistant.  The sun tried to shine much of the day, and the trees were ablaze with color.  As I drove, I glanced down and saw this:

And it just made me happy.  The color combo shouted out, "It's fall!"  And crisp, cool air, fall colors, leaves a-changin', and shopping all together made for a lovely day.

How beautifully leaves grow old.  How full of light and color are their last days. 

 ~John Burroughs

Mammamilk - The Morning Edition

Here's a rundown of our morning.  Enjoy.

6:50  I come downstairs in plenty of time to start breakfast, so I decide to make pancakes.  All is good, all is smooth, everyone is happy.

7:00 Pancakes on the table, kids shuffling in to start eating.

7:10  My husband comes in and we remember that he has to take my van instead of his car to school today (all five kids can't fit in his uber-cool Sportage, so they must take my not-so-uber-cool Astro van).  Rapidly we realize this causes problems - he needs to keep it all day because of a field trip he is going on - and his car doesn't have a car seat for K for her midday pick up.  We resolve this crisis.

7:12  Child going on field trip complains that the Sportage will not be the mode of transportation.  I attempt to point out the Astro's fine features.  Child does not buy it.  The Sportage is cooler - no getting around it.

7:13  I divulge that my van doesn't have enough gas for the field trip.  This puts my husband into high gear and me into drill sergeant mode with the children.

7:18 I continue prodding the children - "GO, GO, GO! You have to get gas before school!"

7:23  The kids are almost ready to get in the van. . .except one.  I go to the stairs to tell him to come down, to hear --

7:25  "I fell into the toilet!!", followed by hysterical crying.

7:26 Suppressing the urge to bang my head against the wall, but permitting the urge to roll my eyes and sigh, I go upstairs to investigate.

7:27  Sure enough, the boy is soaked - entire uniform must be scrapped.  I help him-who-is-still-hysterically-crying clean up and change into new clothes, while saying things like "I am 39 years old.  I have never fallen into a toilet.  How did this happen?"

7:28  I listen to his explanation ("I was going to sit down!  I didn't know it was open!") and try to be understanding.  I may or may not have succeeded in this.

7:30  Get the child in new clothes (after trying two different pairs of undies and two pants, because the first set was bunchy) and send him downstairs and into the van.

7:32  I go turn on the van to see just how much gas there is left.  Report to my husband, who says, "Oh, that'll be enough to get us there - I can get some after I take the kids to school."

7:33  Watch them drive away, shut the door and have a drink.  Oh, okay.  It was a drink of water.

So!   How was your morning?

Musings at the foot of the cross

Today while waiting for my children to get out of school, my little three year old and I sat in the office. Soon she was looking at the brochure about our church and school, which had a picture of Jesus on the cross.  She spent several seconds looking at the picture thoughtfully, then --

"Mommy, why does Jesus have blood?  Why does he have owies?"

"Jesus needs a bandaid, Mommy!"

"Is he all better now?"

"Poor Jesus!"

"I am here for you, Jesus!"

"Jesus is in my heart, Mommy."

I answered as best I could, in terms she could understand, but truly, I was more caught up in just listening to her faith, growing by leaps and bounds.  She gets it - at age three, that Jesus loves her and lives in her heart.  

Joy.