No Average Mom

If you know about what might be the best diet pill please tell me! I have gained a bit of weight since we moved and am seriously not pleased with myself. I know what the problem is but until after the holidays there isn’t much I can do about it. It is just impossible for me to not make cookies and cook a delicious Christmas dinner and worry about fat and calories. There isn’t anyone to blame but me and I intend to take drastic measures right after Christmas but until then please send me some diet pills!

I dont think I will ever remember how to…cook for just 2 people. Of course both of my kids are athletes and both are good eaters so I always make good size meals. I am a huge believer in eating as a family at the table at home as many nights a week as possible and if there are more people at that table that is just an added blessing. On the occasion that its just DH and me.. I still end up cooking too much because I am so used to it. It will be a huge adjustment when its just the two of us every night. My friends who have empty nests all say it takes a while to relearn how to cook for just you and DH. I could always open a restaurant or get a job as a house mother at a fraternity if I get to missing the huge pots of food.Of course this all a long way off with a toddler in the house and all…

What do you think is a reasonable spending limit for Christmas gifts for children still at home? I have one friend who spends about $20 on her children. I find this a little absurd but they tend to indulge the kids throughout the year with many toys and activities. I on the other hand buy toys only on birthdays and at Christmas. I would have to guess that I spend about $100-200 on my two boys for Christmas if we have the money. I buy a little bit throughout the year and put it away so it isn’t that much all at once. This works for our family and teaches the children not to beg for gifts throughout the year because it just isn’t going to happen.

Throughout the year we make it a point not to buy our children an excessive amount of things. Christmas is the one time of the year that I tend to splurge if our finances allow it. This year is no exception! Our old son has desperately wanted a video game system for some time. I finally have relented an found a place that sells wholesale electronics. He is going to be one happy boy this Christmas. From the sounds of it his Grandparents have also gone overboard. I don’t really consider it being spoiled given that it only happens this one time of the year. Our children are not showered with gifts any other time so I don’t think being a little spoiled for one day is going to turn them into little greedy monsters.

Anyone read it? I checked it out from the library yesterday and have hardly been able to put it down since. Really eye opening and thought provoking. I already want my own copy…I can see myself reading this one over and over for new ideas and inspiration.
Not sure which ideas I’m ready to implement right now though It also makes you very aware of the amount of waste in our everyday lives. My friend is very wasteful, but if I am over visiting she will always ask me ,”Do you want this” or “I have a coupon for that” She will help me be frugal but not herself. Funny isn’t it.

My older son has invited his Grandma over for a sleep over this weekend. I know the typical routine for a sleep over is for the parents to stay home and monitor the children and make sure they don’t get into trouble. Do you think there would be anything wrong in this case if we just went and slept somewhere else? I have to giggle to think of my son and his Grandma needing yelled at to go to sleep at 2 am when they are still up giggling.

About 4 years ago we tried having a dog. This particular dog just didn’t work out for our family despite our best efforts and ended up being a fairly traumatizing experience for all of us. The dog we adopted had been surrendered by another family which should have been some sort of clue to us but her sweet face won us over instead of common sense. In the months we had her she became increasingly aggressive towards our son and virtually anyone other than me. In the end it became clear that for the safety of our child and others that she needed a home other than what we could provide. This ended up being a good experience on some levels because it cemented for us exactly what we needed in a dog and made it clear that the time and fit had to be perfect. I am so hoping that waiting 4 years to get another dog and one from a loving home will make all the difference.

My last post got me to thinking about things that our house is missing right now. For some people I am sure the first thing they would look for when they come in our house is the exit sign simply because of our bold color choices. Truth be told I could care less what you think of my purple bedroom or my son’s brilliant orange room with dragon pictures on the wall! What I need to make our house feel like home is pictures on the wall. We have yet to hang anything on our freshly painted walls in just about every room. No matter how much I love the house or the colors within the walls I need to see the smiling faces of my children on the walls!