No Average Mom

We seem to go through digital cameras very rapidly for some reason. I bought a new one less than a year ago and it is already behaving the same as our old one did. Considering they are two different brands I don’t really know what the deal is. I have heard good things about the Canon Powershot and am considering using my Christmas money to get one. It is so frustrating to want to take pictures of the kids only to find out the camera is not working. Hopefully, it is just bad coincidence and a new one is indeed the answer.

With the economy the way it is I think more people will be trying their hand at gardening. We have done this in the past with success. I thought I would share some tips we found useful~
We dug ourselves a garden bed out across the back fence. We dug it over, got rid of the grass and then dug in compost. Despite the cost, I prefer the big bags you get from the hardware stores than a trailer full from a gardening place….the gardening place stuff seems to bring in new weeds!!!!! You could dig in chook poo or cow poo or blood and bone. Anything that will enrich the soil until your own compost is ready for use ~ probably next season.

Once all the goodies are dug in, I’d leave it a week or two, depending on what you use. We use seedlings, but if you’re brave and have time before planting you could try raising seeds. I’m lazy…but it is cheaper. You just need a seed raising tray and seed raising mix. It’s not that hard.

When you’ve planted out, we use a seeping hose (due to water restrictions) connected to a timer we set for when we’re allowed to water. Then we cover that and the garden bed with a thick layer of sugar cane mulch. Even in our harsh summer and us being away for 3 weeks on holidays our vegie garden survives very nicely.

Why sugar cane mulch? It’s not too expensive, it’s good for the soil and the best plus is that you don’t get any extra weeds. When you use hay or pea straw they send out little shoots….not things you want growing in your vegie patch!

I can’t believe my oldest son turned 9 years old today! It seems like just yesterday when we bought him home. I still remember that day so vividly. We came home from the hospital on Christmas Eve. As new parents we were so full of emotions about how were we ever going to manage caring for this little person. It is funny how in the midst of those moments you just figure it out.

You are so caught up in the moment that you don’t spend a single moment worrying about loosing weight and finding the best diet pills to get back to “who you were before”. Suddenly and overnight there is a new and improved you that focuses all your energy on this one tiny, helpless, and beautiful little being.

I just finished reading “We Were the Mulvaney’s”. I thought it was so interesting how the individuals reacted to a really bad thing- short term and long term- and how it affected themselves and their family. I don’t want to say too much for those who haven’t read it.

The premise is a close look at a family and what they go through. the story is written by the youngest son, yet you get inside each character for different parts of the story. the book is so well written, though while some descriptions were just magical, other times I found myself skimming when it got “wordy”. It took me a few chapters to settle into it, but then I was right there with these people.

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!

A friend was telling me that she knows a woman who buys clothes at places like Old Navy when they are on clearance for just a couple of dollars, then resells them on EBay.

It sounded like a good idea to me, but then she said that she actually thought it was illegal to buy retail merchandise with the intent of turning around and re-selling it online. Is that true??? It doesn’t make sense to me, but I don’t want to do anything illegal, so that I’d ask “the experts”, who read this blog, what they have heard.

I tend to stockpile just about everything. When I see a good sale on everything from cat supplies to pasta I will buy as much as I can afford. Many people I know don’t understand this line of thinking or find it funny. To me it is about two things- the first is saving money. Why on earth should I spend more than I have to on something we routinely use just because we don’t want to have stuff sitting in our basement? The second reason is convenience. It is SO nice to just go downstairs and know that I have what I need and don’t have to load up the kids and run to the store every day. It may seem silly to you but oh well!

Last night we drove through our old neighborhood on the way to visit family. As soon as we turned the corner my eye started to twitch. This twitching is something it did the entire final two years that we lived there. I believe it was related to stress. I can’t helped but wonder how the new people living there are doing. Question pop into my mind and I wonder if they too have had to install security cameras? I truly hope that the neighborhood is being kinder to them than it was to us. It would be nice to know we battled living next door to such evil people for a reason.