Coupon Queens

This past week I was introduced to something new while at school. Maybe not completely new, but something I haven't always been very good about unless it came to diapers.

Coupons.

Last week I had been at Girl's Camp and met the "Coupon Queen" who showed us how she bought all the first aid kits for the girls and after using her coupons and rebates she MADE MONEY... at that moment I began to realize that I just might be missing out on something big... Then this week at school I walked into the classroom to find two students and one instructor surrounded by hundreds and hundreds of coupons. Nothing but coupons. To walk into the classroom and find these girls working away amidst all of these little annoying pieces of paper that end up at the bottom of my bag unused was a little surprising, unexpected and intriguing. I decided to ask questions.

"Whatcha doin?"

"What do you mean? Don't you be telling me you don't use coupons? Girl, I got three kids and I'm on my own. I have to look after myself. Let me show you...."

Seriously, it was the scariest lecture I have had so far.

And who said you don't learn anything in cosmetology school? I think this student is on to something. She saves on average 60% on her groceries. The numbers sound a little far-fetched to me but she proceeded to sit me down and teach. I learned about the coupon organizer, the benefits of triple coupons, stocking up, not purchasing without a list and coupons, holding out for a better deal and so forth. She would have made any enrichment leader proud. I was in awe. So much so that I have decided to embark on this journey as well. I even bought coupon organizer... it's blue.

Hmmmm

To be sitting in hair school, truly the most unlikely of places, among a few women who live on a budget much like my own (string bean), are as busy as I am, have children, outside obligations etc and to hear them talking about stocking up, saving, preparing.... it just made me think. Am I at church? Ok, I didn't thing that but I have to admit I kind of thought only LDS people did the whole food storage/let's be scandolously cheap/be prepared thing. So I was in a little shock. I REALLY must be missing out on something here... Two encounters in less than one week. Someone upstairs is trying to show me something... So here's to coupons.

Wish me luck!

PS Row has started his second and third consonant sounds. Babbababbabba and lalallaa. The babaaba is his favorite. AND when he is upset he just says mamamamamamma. He's smart and he's on to something too! Plus he knows I'll come running just on the hope that he does get what 'mama' means....

And we'll do a post soon for Mik-she turned FOUR!!

Imaginary Friends

So I (Randy) haven't read every blog left on this site, so I am not sure how often, if ever, Mikayla's imaginary friend "Chilanga" has been mentioned. Suffice it to say that, well, she has an imaginary friend and, yep, you guessed it, her name is Chilanga. We aren't sure where the name originated, but Chilanga has been a guest in our house for awhile now.

Yesterday Mikayla came to me holding her shoulder and said in a whiny voice, "Daddy, Chilanga just hit me." I asked her to nicely tell Chilanga that we shouldn't hit and that we should always play nice. After about 3 seconds, "Dad, she hit me again. Will you tell her to stop?" So, never knowing what to do, I looked about a foot to the side of Mikayla and said, "Chilanga, you need to stop hitting. Please try and be nice to Mikayla." Almost before I finished my sentence, Mikayla said, "Well Dad, she did it again." This is not an uncommon scenario, and it has been known to go on for a long time, so in a moment of frustration I said, "Mikayla, you tell Chilanga that if she can't be nice then she will have to leave our house and not come back." Yep. I threatened to kick an imaginary little girl out of our home. A real tough guy.

Not surprising, Chilanga began to behave and Mikayla walked off. She came back about 2 minutes later and said, "Daddy, my crap is kinda funny, but it hurt me a little." I was speechless, but full of laughter. Mikayla asked me not to laugh at her. I said, "Mikayla, I must have misunderstood you. What did you say?" Her response, "My crap just hurt me a little bit, but its kinda funny too." I again lost it. "Mikayla, I don't think I understand." I watched her as she mumbled something about her new friend crawling around on the ground and realized that she was talking about her new imaginary friend: a crab. Oh, how a minor mispronunciation can make an entire day so much happier.

6 Month Check-Up

A few things to note about Rowan:

At his 6 month check up he weighed in at 17 pounds 8 ounces (before his normal 8 oz bottle and after a huge diaper... I think I'm actually toting around an 18 pound baby)

His head circumference is 17 and 3/4 (I'm going from memory here... that number sounds large but it just may be right because we often get comments about how big his head is....)

I can't remember how long he is but it is in the affirmative that he is growing (he is about the size Mikayla was at one year.)

We were surprised to hear that he is 'average.' I guess that I am so used to a smaller baby, not that Mikayla was unusually small or anything, but Rowan seems so much larger. Apparently NOT.

Rowan is a very calm baby. I thought Mickey was calm but Row has proven to be a very mellow mini-man. These are most definitely Randy's genetics. We all know I am not programmed that way.

He has started to crawl. He started at 5 and 1/2 months wiggling to get things and about a week later it became his official mode of transportation. Albeit he is not on his hands and knees- he does have one arm down and is doing more of an army crawl. Either way, I am in deep mourning over his new feat. My life of ease is OVER. We all know that children who are mobile are dangerous.

Rowan cannot sit up on his own, but if we place him in a sitting position he can hold it for almost a minute and then gracefully fall over and then begin crawling to the next toy or food.

As I type this I am listening to the beginnings of baby babble. Amamamamamaaaamamma warms my heart. Excuse me for a moment while I go pick up my son.