Sioux Falls Frugal Mom: 100 Albums for $5! (MP3 Format)

Sioux Falls Frugal Mom: 100 Albums for $5! (MP3 Format)

Long summer

It's been forever since I updated this. April!!! I can't believe it! The spring/summer was quite busy. Bella played softball and their team won 1st place (Go Boss' Chicken & Pizza!), Mia got sick w/ Rotavirus the beginning of May and was hospitalized, we spent a lot of time outside and at the pools, Mia's bday was in June (2!), then in July it was Aiden's bday (4!) and we found a house and moved in at the beginning of August! It's soooo good to get out of the townhouse dwelling. UGH on the fucking drama mama drama.

So, now here we are in October and it has snowed already. Today was a super nice day, though, in the sixties and totally FALL. Loved it. I'm in my final semester of classes and next is my externship. I am so excited to graduate. I am going to attempt to get into the Nursing program at the University Center. Although, it is quite competative, we will see. A small break might be good though. I have a massive emotional breakdown every few weeks and seem to be on auto-pilot regarding life for a week or so. Then I magically snap out of it.

Bella started a new school and although we had some issues in the beginning, I believe we have them all smoothed out. She turns 9 years old on Wednesday, Oct 21st. I can't even think about the fact that I have been blessed by her for 9 years. She is a remarkable little girl with such a sweet heart. She is starting Cheer this week. We have to do something that will carry her into next softball season and she is genuinely excited. She is so smart and in the accelerated reading group at school. My little super reader! Loves to read like her mama.

Aiden started preschool, half days 4 days a week. He is doing excellent and learning his colors. FINALLY. The boy has such an superb memory but colors?!? Forget it. Anyway, doing much better. He is such a sweet, sweet boy. I can't believe how I was bummed out when I found out I was having a boy when I was pregnant with him. Yeah, I admit it - I cried! I had Bella, this awesome little girl for 4 years - all to myself. Well, 90% to myself (different story all in itself). But, all I can say about boys now is WOW. Mother ucking WOW. They are the most amazing little beings. So dependent on their mama's. His imagination is budding so well and it's a blast watching him and hearing what comes out of his mouth.

Mia Pia is my busy little ladybug. Busy is probably an understatement. The girl goes and goes until she literally passes out from exhaustion. She is relentlessly stubborn and will pick fights with Aiden like a bully in an alley. Smart as hell too. I love to just observe her and watch what she does b/c you can almost see the planning going on behind those big dark eyes. She wears me out with fits, screaming, and into everything. She is my fighter but I think she needed that instict to survive those first few weeks of life. Just stayed with her and that is A-OK with me. She goes potty on the toilet almost at least once daily but has no interest in keeping that into her daily routine. LOL. I think I will be sad to not see a cute cloth diaper on her booty when she does potty train. I shouldn't say "train", more like potty "leads". I am not pushing her at all.

Brennan is going to be 1 on Friday. =*) Where did this year go????? He is learning to walk and is doing dang well. Can usually cover half a room. He is working on saying Mama, says "kkkk" for kitty, "hiiiii" and waves his arms, loooooves to cuddle and give kisses to all. His smile will melt the hardest of hearts. He is still breastfeeding strongly and likes table food but his love of my boob trumps all.

That's my *little* update lol.
Night all!

ABC story about ME!!

Since this was a hit on Facebook - thought I would share it here....

ABC story about ME!!

Aubri is my middle name and

Brianna is my first.

Christopher was my first husband who gave me two beautiful children.

Douglas is my man now, who gave me two more.

Even though we are not yet married,

Forever isn’t an option, it just is.

Gone is a life of verbal and physical abuse and our

Home is now stable and loving.

I never thought my life would be so full of love and laughter.

Jumping back into school feet first was the latest step to a better me.

Keeping up with school, kids, appointments, and activities can be hard but such is

Life at this point in my journey.

Medical Assisting is what I am going to school for and I would love to work in the

Neonatal Intensive Care Unit or

OB Labor and Delivery ward at a hospital. My

Premature daughter inspired me to go back to school in the medical field. The last 2

Quarters I have been on the Dean’s List and that makes me proud of myself. I am

Reminded every day as to why I am putting myself through so much

Stress, it is to make an improved life for my family.

Together we make everything work in an organized, chaotic way. I believe the

Universe has plans for us all; it just takes a little time for each of us to find our own

Virtuous paths to travel. I still

Wonder if I am on the correct course. I could work in the medical office using the

Xerox machine or use my skills in the clinical field caring for babies in a

Yellow nursery. Either way, I know I will find my

Zone.

Forever and a day...

...to update! Not a lot going on. Finished Winter Semester at school and Spring Semester starts up next Monday. GD, can I fucking get more than a 2 week break?!?!?! I so need a break!!!! The fam and I went to MOA and did Nickelodeon Universe and the Underwater Aquarium. That was pretty much stuck in hell with heathens. Seriously, love my kids to death but wow, never taking them there again until Brennan is past Mia's age...unless he decides to not take after her ferocious behavior. We would have been fine, if not for Mia Pia. She runs the show - always - and she was in fine form that weekend! LOL My goodness I love that child but she is a full time job! Bella had a play at school last month. It was called Wackadoo Zoo. Basically, zoo animals that have the wrong "sound"...goat that barks, pigs that moo, etc. It was cute, and this poor little boy started feeling sick and had to go sit down with his parents in the audience. I felt bad for him. Probably nervous as all heck with lots of people there. Bella did excellent. She has fabulous rhythm and looked like the best performer. =) Kept making gestures for her Auntie to take her picture @@ - hello D I V A. Not much else to report, my birthday came and went without incidence. I survived it. I'm 30. HOLLA!

Margarita's and Xanax - Lunch anyone?

I have to say this: the days leading up to my 30th birthday have not been fun. Ok, I HATE change. Cried on my 18th birthday! WHAT?!?!? I don't want to grow up. End of story. But, apparently time is against me so here we are, on the eve of my 30th. I type in the dark, next to my two sleeping beautiful boys, listening to Matthew Sweet's Farther Down, and feeling like Daisy Depression has me wrapped around her finger. I wonder when it was that I lost myself and became this fiercely devoted mama who feels like I have no self worth, except at raising my children and even that is a far stretch in my imagination that I'm not doing it right. I have 4 beautiful babies, how in the hell did I get that lucky? Did the stars align just for that moment of luck? I've never been lucky?!?! Lucky is not being beat by an ex, lucky is not snorting so many drugs that my sinuses surely aren't all intact. Lucky IS finding someone who feels like my partner on this team, lucky is having healthy (for the most part, nothing major) children...why do I feel like I'm lacking in life? I know I'm not exactly where I want to be...I know my romantic relationship is nil at the moment (where the FUCK did THAT go?!) and I feel like I am geared in neutral and just being pushed along through the car wash, while everyone works on the exterior and the interior gets slighted. I'm here..in this world...but I'm lost. Yes, I am lost right now.

:::farther down i'm desperate for you...something...something takes my pain away....

P.S. I'm getting my tarot cards read tomorrow. I might have to update how that goes.

His new thing....

Been a minute.

Lots been going on here at the Sickie McSickerson's. Bella had strep, Mia had strep and RSV - which of course sucked. But, then lil baby Brennan was struck by the germs from germ girls. He was hospitalized with RSV and ear infection, released on Saturday only to be diagnosed with Pneumonia on Sunday. After a switch in medications (Rocephin shots for a couple days) he seems to be in good spirits. Still has an icky cough and not nursing well. I have heard somewhere or been told that a baby gets the majority of his milk in the first 5 minutes he nurses...sooo I am thinking he will be ok. He lets my milk release and gulps it down for a good couple minutes then it's pull and tug and let go, pull and tug and let go. He's a big boy now. 11lbs 2 oz!!!! YAY!!!

Preemies

Did you ever wonder how the mothers of premature babies are chosen? Somehow, I visualize God hovering over Earth, selecting his instruments for propagation with great care and deliberation. As he observes, he instructs his angels to take notes in a giant ledger. "Beth Armstrong, son. Patron Saint, Matthew. Marjorie Forrest, daughter. Patron Saint, Celia. Carrie Rutledge, twins. Patron Saint... give her Gerard. He's used to profanity."Finally, he passes a name to an angel and smiles. "Give her a preemie." The angel is curious. "Why this one, God? She's so happy.""Exactly," smiles God. "Could I give a premature baby a mother who knows no laughter? That would be cruel.""But does she have the patience?" asks the angel."I don't want her to have too much patience, or she'll drown in a sea of self-pity and despair. Once the shock and resentment wear off, she'll handle it. I watched her today. She has that sense of self and independence so rare and so necessary in a mother. You see, the child I'm going to give her has a world of its own. She has to make it live in her world, and that's not going to be easy. "But Lord, I don't think she even believes in you."God smiles. "No matter, I can fix that. This one is perfect. She has just the right amount of selfishness."The angel gasps, "Selfishness?! Is that a virtue?"God nods. "If she can't separate herself from the child occasionally, she will never survive. Yes, here is a woman whom I will bless with a child less than perfect. She doesn't know it yet, but she is to be envied. She will never take for granted a spoken word. She will never consider a step ordinary. When her child says 'mama' for the first time, she will be witness to a miracle and know it. I will permit her to see clearly the things I see – ignorance, cruelty, prejudice – and allow her to rise above them. She will never be alone. I will be at her side every minute of every day of her life because she is doing my work as surely as she is here by my side." "And what about her Patron Saint?" asks the angel, his pen poised in the air.God smiles. "A mirror will suffice."

Thought for today...

I can rest assured, that those who have hurt me had absolutely no idea of what they were doing and what was really going on.
It never occurred to them that I've become even more magnificent. That they'd be invoking my sympathy, adding to my compassion, and increasing my "sparkles." And it will still be eons before they can grasp that I've actually welcomed them into my life and played their little games for some of these very reasons.

Cute.

Retail Hell

I hate Walmart. But, ...it's 3 minutes away. SO, it is the store I visit most often mostly because it's a one stop shop. It gives me anxiety, lots of people that are undoubtedly going to stop mid aisle to talk to their neighbor from 10 years ago who moved away. Last night I needed to make a stop to pick up JR's (OMG I forgot to put him in my profile. Better go edit that....) Atenolol and some cough medicine. Well, I get there and decide to pick up a few more items; Humidifier, wipes, razors, laundry detergent, etc. OH! I also had to pick up Creatine for JR's friend....since I was out, you know...ahem. I go to get the RX and pull out my wallet to pay...where the fuck is my debit card?? Pulling out every card in that section of the wallet...nothing. Fucking wonderful, it's almost in the negatives outside, I do NOT want to leave and come back. So, I tell the clerk lady I will be back. I move to a bench by the pharmacy and sit down, tear my wallet apart. Oh, there it be - wrong section, upside down, and backwards (thanks Mia.) I stand up and flag down lady in pharmacy by window and she smiles at me knowing I am thanking the card God's that my debit was in there.

We continue doing our shopping and Brennan was being an excellent little man by sleeping thru the visit. Time to check out an hour or so and $192.00 later, heading to Self Checkout (I am really anti social at times) Bella helps me scan everything and I find my previous "lost card", slide it through. DECLINED. Jerk card. Try again. DECLINED. STUPID JERK CARD!!! I examine my card and realize it's the one that only had around $40 bucks on it. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! Now I gotta get one of the Self Checkout cashier helper people to cancel my transaction so I can just get the cold meds and detergent. Oh, by the way, I had already had self checkout cashier helper person over to verify I was 18 so I could purchase my cough syrup. So, grabs lady and brings her over, explains the situation and she voids it all. I scan the only items I can get at that point - oh fabulous - have to scan the cough syrup again. Oh laddddyyyyyy!!!! Bella is crying because I couldn't get her DS game, literally on the floor sobbing. ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!!??! Walmart hates me, I swear.

Bella is calmed, I have my items and we are heading out the door finally. Windy, cold, and dark I am pushing the cart with Brennan in his carseat, holding his blanket over with one hand, pushing cart with the other. Where the FUCK is my car?!?! It's on the complete opposite side of parking lot. LOVES IT. Wiping tears from the wind away, we trudge on through the sloppy sludge of snow, shopping cart trying it's hardest to roll through the shit. I am not a big cryer, but I was thisclose to tears. As we are one aisle over from my car ( we went down the wrong one on the right side then) cart stops and won't move, next to a parked car. Bullshit, I am leaving it. LOL. Bella, get the back and my purse, I will get Brennan lets hit the road, yo!

Sleep with me...

There is a current debate going on in a mom loop that I own. Co-sleeping. You know what really pisses me off during "loop debates?" When people spout off words without researching the subject. Can you please argue something that you are familiar with or actually *know* something about?! After nine months (or earlier in some cases) in the womb, it's pretty shocking for baby to be deported to the nursery. In the first few months of babies lives, they rely on their senses to be comforted. The smell of mama, the sound of her voice, etc. If you are a breastfeeding mama, then co-sleeping usually makes a happy mama. Sleep deprivation from nursing an infant every hour and a half during the night is common and having baby sleep in bed with you gives extra moments of sleep that are incredibly worthwhile, especially when trying to function during the day (..and if you have other kids that need you!) When Brennan starts to get restless, I can whip out said boob and plug him in without him getting too agitated and he can go back to sleep easily and so can I. If there are a lot of night interference then baby will have difficulty establishing days/nights pattern. That being said (and I could say more) please don't consider our parenting style baneful. I'm a more content mama then ever b/c my baby son is next to me snuggled.

Sooo everyone is doing it...

...why can't I??? Blog, that is. I decided since I stay home with my children, why not blog about the humorous snippets of my day. I'm sure anyone would love to hear about the stupid things that make me laugh and smile. Sometimes the only thing to get me through a day is to have a sense of humor.

Shit, I forgot to give the baby his Prevacid. Be back later.