Here she comes - Anxiety Girl!

Does anxiety really need to effect you so far away from what might be bothering?? I have a few things on my plate this week - a test, a dinner, a weekend trip, etc....that seem to be causing anxiety. At least that's what I think it is - I'm bitchy & sensitive. I truly hate to admit it but it's almost uncontrollable and it's not me normally. I'm not the anxious type.

The worst anxiety I remember experiencing is how I felt about 5 days before I'd get chemo. I went through 8 months of chemo for Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma in 2000. All is well now but that anxiety was THE WORST....talk about bitchy!

Anyhow, the only ways I know to relieve this feeling is deep breaths, exercise & stretching....oh, & continuously telling myself to relax. Actually, I really appreciated sharing some time with a newer friend today - for about 45 minutes I just enjoyed her company & conversation, anxiety-free. Thank you!

I'm off to chill & breath deeply -

Tangled Locks of Love

Are children born with the will or want to help others or is it learned? Some children seem so giving though many seem so very possessive & unsharing. I agree sharing is a learned skill but is sharing to actually help another person?

Zoey, my 5 y/o, & I were combing through her hair after a bath. She proclaimed to me, "I want to grow my hair long to the floor like Tangled." As quickly as she said it, I was overcome with with the fear of having a daughter who grows her hair super long, gets too attached to it to cut it & has an emotional breakdown when I try to coax her to trim it. OMG! I will openly admit - I can't stand "those girls". Those girls that don't cut their hair for YEARS & they are proud of it. Really?! Proud of not taking care of your hair?! Do they not see how crappy that really looks? Sorry if you are one of "those" but seriously.....it's hair....it'll grow back - have some fun! A haircut is not a permanent situation.

Anyhow, back to Tangled & my fear of a locks loving little girl. I quickly inquired as to really how long she was thinking. And why I ever thought to say this....especially to a 5 y/o...I'll never know - I asked Zoey if she would like to grow her hair long so she could donate it to another little girl that didn't have hair...that was sick. I explained to her that she could grow it long & then cut it into the cute bob cut she had before. She was actually very enthusiastic!

5 y/o cute!....I asked Zoey if she'd like to look on the internet & see some of the kids that are sick & need hair. She said yes and then hesitated. She said, "But my hair's not long enough yet." That made my laugh & I explained that it'll take time for her hair to grow but that she could see now kids that are waiting for hair. She agreed looking online was a good idea. She even told her daycare teacher about her plans to grow her hair & donate to "sick kids".

I love the giving heart she is showing. Philanthropy is so close to my heart. For my lil' Z to grow her hair (10 inches she'll need) & cut if off with someone else in mind - THAT makes me a proud mama!!

Should I call it a kill?....

I stopped in Target today for a 'haul' - AKA I popped in Target to focus-shop on some good coupon deals. I did well on quality brand name items I need & could use. Here's the deal:

Food Items:

V8 Fusion Juice - big bottle (2)

Kashi Crackers (2)

Kashi Cookies (3)

(Kashi Special: buy 4 get 1 FREE)

Ortega Diced Chilis (2)

Ortega Diced Jalapenos (2)

Non-Food Items:

Aveeno Sunscreen Lotion (1)

Target Brand Nail Polish Remover (1)

20# Tidy Cat Scoopable Litter (1)

Tums 24ct (1)

NexCare Bandaids (1)

Papermate Ballpoint Pens 2-pk (1)

Scotch 'Magic' Tape (1)

2 Kid shorts for Zoey (under dress shorts I found on Clearance)

Here's the stats less the dry details:

Without planning & stacking coupons: $57.27.

With Zoey Shorts (no coupons), Target & Mfg Coupons: $29.25

Take Zoey's shorts out & my total would have been ~$23.50

- That's $1.31 an item!!!

Mind you, with Zoey's shorts it's an additional 15 cents an item. I was far too lazy to take a pic of all the items DESPITE I think that's "cheezy" when people post that on the coupon sites anyhow. Either way, I was feelin' a bit like a bad-arss to score the quality brands I did at that cost.

Am I crazy for getting so excited over my Target shopping "kill?" I wanna know if I have any hiding closet coupon friends...

I Quit - sort of.....

For almost 3 years I have spent ~$15/mo. (over $500+) for my CouponSense subscription. I have recently found a plethora of websites, let alone, RSS feeds that give me all the info I need. Now, I don't really understand what RSS Feeds are....all I know is that I get LOTS of updates in my gReader & those updates keep me "pumped" & motivated to save $$$. Online I can find all the match-up deals, printable coupons, specials, catalinas & more...without paying! So saving $500+ may not sound like THAT much....but there's lots of things I could do with $500+....cute platforms & a handbag!

Anyhow, as I was saying....saving $$$. I get such a total thrill out of saving $ on things I need. (Drives me crazy to see those crazy coupon people buying all the things they don't even need.) Do understand, I am highly competitive - ask my hubby about playing Monopoly with me. Also, I don't buy all the processed, packaged foods that are many of the coupons offered. I use my coupons to buy toothbrushes/floss, deodorant, cleaners, sunscreen, scotch tape, hair product for the kiddos & more. Oh wait, I got a GREAT deal last week at Target on Morningstar Chik'N Nuggets - so I do buy some frozen goodies.

So I quit my CouponSense...and as I type my hubby is shopping cars online & stressing about getting a deal. I'm already thinking about how he can get a better deal....

Best 50 cents I've ever spent

The ol' saying, "one man's trash is another man's treasure"....so true for my 5 yr old daughter, Zoey.

We recently took a trip up to Dad's ranch - 105 acres that borders Nat'l Forest near Pagosa Springs, CO. We decided to drive into town & check-out the 4th of July weekend fair - complete with pony ride, flying elephants, giant slides & of course the standard ping-pong in the fish bowl/goldfish game. On our way home (JoAnne & I had taken a separate car from Papa, Daddy & the girls), we stumbled upon the local church thrift shop. Me....always curious of these types of small shops says, "JoAnne - wanna take a peak?" Both curious, we wandered inside.

Now, when I'm alone, I truly enjoy the quiet time of sifting through racks of clothes. (This is my serious "me time".) And even though I wasn't alone - I ran through some racks quickly & stumbled upon a lil' aqua shrug....the looks of Children's Place. It looked a lil' big for Zoey but I thought she might like it & she'd grow into it. Funny thing, I liked that lil' jacket much better when I checked out - a Winnie the Pooh outfit for Karli, summer dress for Zoey & that aqua shrug. My grand total: $1.60 - that was 50 cents a piece & 10 cents for tax. I about fell over - I've shopped thrift stores in the past but this was the best deal ever.

Back at the ranch I proudly showed Zoey the treasures I found. I loved that even when I tell her 'Ganny & I stopped at a thrift shop....', she didn't blink, whine, judge or make comments. She grabbed the summer dress with flowers and spaghetti straps - held it up to herself & beamed a smile of thanks. Then her eyes bolted to the aqua shrug.....she asked, "is that for me?" She tried it on & walked so proudly showing Papa & Daddy....full on twirl to model the whole thing.

Back to the best 50 cents I've ever spent - every day since we've been home from the ranch Zoey gets her shrug & wears it proudly. The first couple days she did it I had to tell her that it was going to be about 110 degrees outside...she pouted for about 2 seconds & then understood. This morning the shrug was being modeled & I started to say something about how warm the day would be & I heard, "I know mom, I'm just wearing it 'til I go to school."

Moral: Don't ever steer away from thrift shops because you don't know the treasure you may find....for only 50 cents!