john wayne hayes

Sunday Grandma and Papaw Jerry stopped by our house and told us about John Wayne Hayes, the man riding his horse from Michigan to New Mexico. He left home earlier in the month and had made his way to New Lebanon. He stayed the night in the field next door to my grandparents and they had gotten the chance to meet and talk with him. He was heading towards Germantown on Sunday, so while my grandpa and Daniel worked on fixing the Saturn we went to look for him. We spotted him near the highschool and pulled over to take a picture and let Bugman see his dog and horses (Bitty fell asleep in the car).

He was incredibly friendly and stopped to chat and take a few pictures.

He gave Bugman his first piece of gum (which he swallowed). Someone was rather shy, so mommy got her picture taken too (in her oh so attractive Sunday Sweats :)

...And then he was on his way, hoping to make it to his next stop by dark.

Wordless Wednesday

PS Someone's still famous a year later ;) Check it out here!

Couponing 101 - Now what?

If you did your homework a few weeks ago you checked out The Grocery Game, Money Saving Mom, and Thrifty in the Cincy. Hopefully you've been clipping (or at least saving) the inserts from your Sunday paper. So now what? I had some doubts and questions when I started.

1. I don't have any of the coupons that I need.

This is where you have to be patient and diligent about clipping your coupons. If you notice the expiration dates on your coupons, you'll notice that they expire in 4-6 weeks. What this means is, it will take you a good 4-6 weeks before you have all of the coupons you need for a particular week. This part is frustrating in the beginning. Trust me, give it a good 6 weeks before you give up.

2. I didn't spend any less at the grocery.

Another frustration in the beginning. As you begin stockpiling (buying items when they are at their lowest price, before you need them) you will notice that your NEEDS list will still be pretty long. As your stockpile grows, your needs list will continue to shrink, as will your grocery bill. This can take a few months time. Once you feel that your have a pretty good stockpile, I would suggest starting a grocery budget. Look at what you are currently spending per week and what you think you could easily manage to start. We used to spend at least $125 a week in groceries. I cut back to $100, and then to $75. Could I cut it more? Sure, but $75 gives us plenty of wiggle room, room to buy all natural and organic products, and works for us. By cutting $50 a week in groceries I've freed up over $200 a month for other things. What would you do with $200 a month??

3. I don't see anything that I use.

Some weeks are better than others. There are definitely weeks that I don't see much on the list that we need/use. Those weeks I spend less than our weekly budget or stock up on some organic products/meat/etc. I also suggest being open to trying new things, and new brands. Would you try a new deoderant if it were free? Would you try a different brand of bread/milk/butter/vegetables if it saved you money? We've tried different cuts of meat that were on sale, but weren't cuts we would typically buy.

What I don't suggest is buying items just because they are a great deal. Even if I can get it for free, I don't let my kids eat sugary cereal. Daniel doesn't like boxed lunch meat. These are a couple of items that we NEVER buy, even if its free. It wouldn't be used and would go to waste.

Naptime Stuggles

Soon after Bitty was born we figured out that it was necessary (for sanity's sake) for both boys to nap at the same time. Luckily, by the time Bitty was about 6 weeks old, we had figured out a daytime routine that worked for him and had him and Bugman napping at the same time during the afternoon. That summer, both boys would sleep anywhere from 1.5 - 3+ hours each afternoon. I could clean up the house, blog, catch a nap myself, or all three, depending on the day. This afternoon time has remained sacred ever since.

Lately, Bugman has been refusing to take a nap. We had this problem occasionally over the summer, but were able to tell him he did not have to sleep, but he did have to read or play in his bed. Inevitably he would fall asleep. This old trick is no longer working. Because the Bugs share a room, he is keeping his brother up as well, talking to him, and climbing into the crib with him.

One theory could be that he is outgrowing his nap, but he is still napping for 1.5 - 2 hours every day at Kim's. He is also EVIL by 5:00 on days he won't nap. This tells me he is tired and needs to rest. Because the Bugs get up at 6:30 on weekdays and sleep until 8:00 or 8:30 on weekends, I lay them down a little later for a nap. The only current solution I can come up with is getting up at 6:30 on the weekends to keep their schedule the same. Ummm, not gonna happen - this momma LOVES her sleep.

Any ideas??? Anyone??? HELP, our sanity depends on it!!!

Fall Parties - Part 2

Daniel has been officiating Peewee football on Saturdays this fall. For fall party #2, he took the day off to go with us. We headed out the Voss' farm in Farmersville for an evening of fun. After the boys let go of our legs, they had a great time playing in the playhouse. Soon they were running around the outside with all of the other munchkins. The bugs L-O-V-E big kids, and love 'playing' with them, even if the big kids don't realize they are there.



Both Bugs enjoyed kicking the soccer ball, and The Bugman kicked it right into the bonfire... Goal or Disaster?? Luckily once the ball was retrieved and the fire smothered out, it was good to go again.



Favorite part of the night - Bugman found the Fooseball table. He was enamored and is hoping that Santa might bring him a table for Christmas. Uhhhh, Santa, could you finish my basement first??



















We ended the evening listening to some music around the bonfire, and with two little bugs fast asleep.

Fall Parties - Part 1

Our October calendar has been full of fun parties starting with my school team party in Tipp City. I have to be honest when I say I was not too sure about driving all the way up to Tipp for a party, but one of my teammates insisted we would have a blast at their family farm - and she was right. After we finally arrived (after a detour to New Carlisle) the Bugs both decided to cling to my legs. Sigh, I love that they love their mommy, but sometimes the shyness is a little much, especially since Bugman's big 0-3 b-day.

We started the evening with a Hayride around the farm and through the woods.

Here is our fabulous driver.

It quickly turned the Bugs' unsure faces into this:

and this

Towards the end of the hayride we saw some dust in one of the fields. Bugman had a guess as to what it was, and he was right.

A BIG combine! Pure Bliss for my truck/car/tractor lovers.

When we came back we had a scarecrow building race. Here is our team's masterpiece. What can I say, we tried.

Next the kids found candy that had been left by fairies in the yard (there was a cute story to go along with it, but I cannot remember it).

As it got dark we ate and sat around the bonfire until it was time to go home. Bugman is still talking about the hayride and wants to go back to "that farm."

too little, too late

Last weekend after the Pretzel Festival we took the boys to Cox Arboretum to get some fun fall fotos. Unfortunately we got there a little later than planned and quickly ran out of light. Maybe we'll try again one night this week.

Oh, how I love those short little legs!

Laughing with that big brother.

Wishing mommy would put that darn camera away already!!

the pretzel festival

Last weekend was the 29th annual Pretzel Festival in good ol' G-town. We made it exactly one hour before it closed down on Sunday evening. What this meant was we did not look at any crafts, but we did have plenty of time to eat some incredibly unhealthy, yet delicious festival food. My favorite - elephant ears! The Bugs enjoyed some ribs with their daddy.

Washed it down with some water.

and finished it off with a little ice cream.

This is what we all felt like when we were done...

Thought for the day... What kinds of grand things will be planned for the 30th annual pretzel festival next year?? I'm thinking maybe some actual pretzels... Very thought provoking, I know. Feel free to discuss amongst yourselves for the next 12 months.