World's Worst Mother

Mackenzie has had a fever since Wednesday night. I try to let these things pass, because more often than not it is just a virus that a doctor can do little about. By Sunday she still had a fever. It would go down with Motrin and she would be acting normal for the most part until it wore off, which is why I wasn't overly concerned. So since she was still running a fever yesterday, I decided to check her throat. It was horribly swollen with a lovely white spot. So I took her to the Walgreens After Care Clinic (which is quite convenient and a whole lot cheaper than the ER or Urgent care), and sure enough, she has strep throat. Bailey has never had strep throat or even very many sore throats, which is why it took so long for me to even consider that maybe her throat was giving her problems. So I made my baby suffer for 4 days!! Luckily I was smart and we stayed home when she had a fever so we did not infect the world with strep.

Yesterday Bailey was full of rotten attitude (gotta love being called a jackass by your 8 year old--and he didn't learn that word from me!!) so I bagged up a bunch of his toys and took them hostage. He definitely thought I was the world's worst mother.

The Big 10!

Today is our 10 year anniversary! This is a big deal to me. For one, being with any one person for 10 years and still loving them seems amazing these days. Plus when you elope after only knowing each other for 2 months the chances are higher that your marriage won't make it through. It seems like divorce is all over the place. Even our extended family is being affected by it. Many times it is best for people to get divorced, but I hate it when some people don't even try to work it out and think the grass is greener somewhere else.

Anyway, enough about divorce. This post is supposed to be celebrating marriage!! So in celebration, here is a list of 10 things I love about my husband.

1. He is such a hard worker! I love how he provides for our family and allows me to stay at home with the kiddos. There have been many times he has wanted to quit, but he sticks with it. Thanks!
2. He is Mr Outgoing. So opposite from me, but someone I want to be more like!
3. He has such a cute smile with dimples! I love those long eyelashes and I am so glad the kids have inherited them from him!
4. He is always willing to warm me up in bed.
5. He always tells me how much he loves me. I don't think I could have imagined someone loving me so much.
6. He always supports my everchanging hobbies.
7. He will let me sleep in on Saturdays.
8. He is pretty handy around the house (except for the occasional plumbing problem!)
9. He is such a good, safe driver. Since he drives for work, I don't have to worry about him quite so much, plus when we go places I feel safe.
10. He has given me two of the most wonderful kids in the world and he loves them to death.

I love you!! Here's to 10 years, and many more happy years in the future.

Look at my good deals!!

Do you see all the stuff I got? 3 packs of Pullups (because potty training is going so badly), a pack of diapers, 2 big packs of wipes, 2 Irish Spring body washes, 1 Mylanta, 6 packs of gum, 3 Garnier shampoos, 2 conditioners, 2 style products and 4 Glade Sense and Sprays (I also bought 1 dozen eggs, but forgot to put them in the picture). Guess how much I paid for all that good stuff. Come on, guess. My total out of pocket was....... (drumroll please)

$3.54!!!

Not too bad, huh? I was pretty impressed. Especially to get all that diaper stuff. I bought it all at Walgreens where I worked their system to get stuff for free. The haircare stuff? All for free. The Sense and Sprays? They actually paid me $8 to take it out of the store! The bodywash was also free. I did spend $28 of Register Rewards (when you buy stuff at Walgreens they will run special deals, like if you buy $25 of Huggies you get a $10 Register Reward that you can use on a later purchase), but I also got $20 back in Register Rewards.

Couponing takes a lot of research and time, but for me it is so fun and rewarding. Plus I love the high I feel when I get an extra good deal!!!

Bailey loves me, I think

At church yesterday Bailey had to write down what made his mother so great. He said some nice things about me, like I am nice and fun and I play games with him. But the very first thing he thought of and wrote down was that I am cheap (he spelled it ceep, but I knew exactly what he was trying to say). Along with cheap he said I like coupons and I save money. I know he meant it as a compliment, but still. No one likes to be called cheap! He now has a new word in his vocabulary: frugal.

I also learned that teaching him certain phrases isn't the best at times. Bailey also called me a stick in the mud. Jared and I have been teasing each other whenever we act boring (which, I will admit, is a lot of the time), we call each other a stick in the mud. I guess Bailey has decided that it is a term that fits me well.

It is funny what kids come up with!

Where has my baby gone?

Has it really been that long since she was that size? This month Mackenzie will be 2 1/2. She already thinks she is big stuff, with a big attitude to go with her tiny self. The other day we brought a mattress from the basement and put it in her room so we would have enough places to sleep when friends stayed with us on Saturday. I ended up sleeping there Sunday as well to stay away from the germ room. Mackenzie wants to sleep on it too, so the last two days she has taken naps on this mattress. She hates the crib anyway and just climbs out all the time.

So last night I put her to bed in her crib without issue. Usually she will cry for a minute, but not that night. I didn't think anything of it until I went to go to bed in that room. She had gotten out of the crib and fallen asleep on the mattress. I went to sleep in Bailey's room instead, but when we woke in the morning we discovered that sometime in the night Mackenzie had climbed back into the crib!! Funny girl.

But now I am thinking she might be ready for a big bed. I just sort of want to keep her in a crib forever. She is my baby you know.

As much as I don't want her to grow up, I would like her to grow out of this stage of constantly fighting me over everything. Putting on clothes, leaving to go home, doing anything I asked. It is getting tiring. Please tell me it will end soon. Good thing she is so cute!

I have never washed my hands so much in one day

My husband has succumbed to the flu. I have him pretty much quarrentined in the bedroom, I think he has only been out of it once. I am trying so super hard not to get it and to keep the kids healthy as well. They did get flu shots, we didn't, but who knows if the strain he has is one that the shot is for.

So I have been washing my hands every time I come out of the bedroom. I have even slept on a mattress on Mackenzie's floor so I don't have to breathe in germs all night. I keep praying and doing everything I can, but who knows.

Luckily spring is right around the corner. Fresh air and less sickness!