New blog

Well you have all been picking my brain lately on how I find all my bargains, so I have started a new blog. Add it to your favorites and check in daily for the latest cheap finds I come across. Please read all the posts from the bottom up so you don't miss anything! http://adollarhereadollarthere.blogspot.com

Fun Day

I love my month long breaks so much because they give me time to do so many fun things with my boys. On Friday I met my friends Elyse (AHS & UCSB) and Brandy (UCSB). It was so nice catching up. Between the 3 of us we had 6 boys all aged 4 and under. Would you believe me if I say they were pretty darn good? They actually were. I had a great time girls. Let's do it again soon. :)

Last Day of Swim Lessons

One of my favorite things about summer break- swim lessons- is over. I am so happy that Gavin is SWIMMING!!!! On the last day the man who runs the lessons has all the kids swimmers or not jump off the ledge so they know what it feels like to fall in and to see if they can swim to the side. (Of course there is another instructor right there to catch the ones who can't swim). Not only did Gavin jump off on his own but he thought it was SO fun that he went back a second and a third time. Last summer they had to toss him off kicking and screaming. Hooray :)

Catalina Island

For those of you who know the background on this story- yes I gave in. You win some you lose some. If you don't know the background here it is in a nutshell. My in-laws moor their boat each summer off Catalina Island. Jeremy really wanted to take Gavin but I was hesitant. VERY hesitant. The boat is moored not docked meaning it is surrounded by water all on sides. Deep water. And Gavin is only 4 and he has only been swimming for a few weeks. I panicked at the thought of Gavin sleep walking right off the edge of the boat so at first I said no way, no how. I eventually gave in after deciding that 4 adults to one child was a pretty good ratio. And seeing as Gavin has never walked in his sleep before. And seeing as Jeremy swore he would sleep with an arm on top of him in one of the downstairs bedrooms. And seeing as my brother in law would be sleeping upstairs next to the locked door. And seeing as I was losing this battle anyhow. I finally said he could go. He had a ball (being spoiled rotten) and he came back in one piece. Jeremy on the other hand came back with a swollen knee (ouch). Like I said you win some- you lose some.....

Eleven Dollars.....

I'm getting pretty good at this bargain hunting thing!

Join me

Jessica (our dear friend and babysitter's daughter) is having surgery tomorrow. On her last MRI they found 2 more lesions and have decided to go in to remove them tomorrow. (Go to her blog for details) Please join me in prayer for this beautiful little girl and her family. I'm already on my knees.....

Picnic at the Ramsey's

Jeremy had a rare Saturday night off so we headed off to his best friend Myles' house to see new baby Myla Grace. The Harpsters joined us for a picnic by the lake. The kiddos got to try fishing and run around. The baby is just beautiful. Congrats Myles and Maria!

It's official....

Derek is potty training. Wish him luck (and us too)!

What the heck????

If you've ever seen our older son Gavin's room you will know that it is pretty darn awesome (if I do say so myself). It is the perfect match of PBK and comfort. I loved decorating it in a beach theme (my favorite) and it is truly one of my favorite rooms in the house. From the super cool bunk beds to the white beadboard it is the perfect little boy room.
Then there is the room that belongs to my second child. I'm not sure what happened to my decorating gusto that I used to have but I am SO not interested in decorating anymore. Maybe I'm too tired or maybe we're too broke but poor Derek's room looks like we bought a big boy bed and threw it in a tiny baby nursery. Oh yeah- that's exactly what we did. So now that I'm on vacation I thought I would TRY to bring his room together (on a budget of course). So I bought these things called "wallies." They are repositionable stickers used for decorating and they only cost nine bucks. So I put them up the other day and they looked all right. Nothing great but anything was an improvement over what we had. Well this is what I walked into yesterday morning. The dumb thingys are falling off everywhere you look. (And no that colorful one is not supposed to be on the picture rail). I got out the directions and I didn't do anything wrong but they apparently don't like our textured walls too much. So there you have it. Derek now not only has barely any decor up in his room, but now he must watch out for falling stickers in the night. Nice....

Beach Day

I'm not really the type of mom who likes to hang out at home every day. So this morning I got the boys in the car and we headed to the beach. (Not so painful on the pocketbook when your gas is guaranteed at $2.99 a gallon). It was such a nice way to spend the morning. It reminds me so much of being a kid. I think my mom must have felt the same way because many a summer morning she threw us in the car and headed to the sand. I love California.... :)

Happy 4th of July!

We had an absolutely wonderful day swimming and BBQing at Jeremy's parents' home. ALL of the kids were so good and Gavin was actually swimming like a little fish. He only put on the floaties when he was exhausted! Our day ended with watching the fireworks show at Mt. Rubidoux. The day was simply put- perfect. Thanks to the Harpsters, Paulos and my parents for hanging out with us. Happy birthday America!

Swim Lessons

It's that time of year again. The boys are ending their second week of swim lessons. Gavin has pretty well graduated to the big pool. He is finally putting his face in the water and swimming. (Not strokes yet, but making it from point A to point B). Derek is in a daddy and me class with Jeremy. He basically screams the entire time except when he knows they're going under the water and then he is smart enough to close his mouth. Much to Derek's relief tomorrow is his last day but Gavin has another 2 weeks.

Jackpot!

You know how when someone hits it big in the movies a gazillion quarters come falling into their lap? Well, we only wanted one. Apparently we missed it but for sure when we went for another xray today, lo and behold, the quarter was GONE! Obviously flushed away into never never land (I admit I had gotten a bit lax after a month of digging through you know what, I probably missed it). So there I was in Kaiser doing the happy dance since we got to avoid the "procedure," while Gavin continued to be in total oblivion to the whole situation. The moral of the story folks is, if your kid must swallow money please check to be sure it is a dime or penny. Take it from me, the circumference of the quarter is just too big and causes too much stress! P.S. In all seriousness, thanks for all those prayers-they worked.