My Mom Bag

Okay, so I didn't get the "mom" haircut {well I don't think I did, I picture it looking like the brady bunch mom} I didn't get the Mom car {although if I could get a NEW car that would be nice} I don't wear Mom clothes {I guess when I wear them they are Mom clothes, but you know what I mean} But one Mom thing I couldn't avoid was my bag. Whether I call it my diaper bag, my purse, or just "the bag" it screams "MOM" I love it though. Where else can I find a first aid kit, a diaper station, a mess clean up zone, money, and snacks all in one place? I didn't really realize how crazy my bag was until my Grandma was amazed at what I had hidden in there. From toys to wipes to cheerios I always seemed to have something on hand for my little man when we went out. I never really thought about it, but its true, its a great bag. Although to others it may just look like a bag full of random junk, to me it is my little baby station on the go. Who doesn't need wipes every now and then {or every couple of minutes if you have a toddler} and it is nice to be the one to offer up band- aids when someone falls down. I have actually done a pretty good job at keeping my bag to a minimum. When I would first venture out with my son I had a HUGE diaper bag, being a first time Mom I believed I needed everything, I mean everything my son might need whenever I left the house. After a couple of months of lugging this giant bag around I finally decided I didn't need 10 diapers and his whole baby  medicine cabinet everyday. In my son's first year I have had three diaper bags, and my latest is the best in my opinion. For awhile I tried to really scale down, I was using a sleek little shoulder bag I used to carry on when I traveled. I soon realized it just wasn't quite big enough so I had to move up a bit in size. The funny thing is I don't actually have a "diaper bag" it is really a "cooler" bag, it is a great size, I love the pattern, and the inside has a great lining that can easily be wiped clean. And it has a zipper, oh wow, don't buy a diaper bag without a good closure or you will regret it, I left the zipper open the other day and had to bend in a funny way to catch my son {a little Mommy yoga} and everything fell out, not a pretty site. I got everything back into the bag while trying to keep my little guy next to me and quickly zipped it up! My mom bag also holds something very important to me, my coupon wallet. It looks like a large wallet, but is actually filled with little dividers and all my most precious coupons. This may seem a little nuts but it has come in handy. The other day while at Target I passed by the clearance section and noticed a few items I had coupons for, and with the clearance prices I got them for free! If I hadn't of had my coupons with me I wouldn't have come back just for free deodorant and soap, but why not grab some freebies while I was there anyway? Oh how I love my coupons, and I am glad they have a safe place, in my coupon wallet, secure in my mom bag. I think of the day I will have to give up my mom bag, I will be a little sad to loose all that space and all my little extras, I am sure I will be happy to use my actual purse again {especially since its a Juicy my hubby bought me} but it sure won't hold everything I now think I need with me. No need to worry about that now, I will surely need my Mom bag for a few more years....and who knows maybe they'll be a baby #2 in the future and I may need to keep my perfect Mom bag even longer, we'll see. For now I will enjoy my bag and be happy to offer up random helpful items when people least expect it. And of course I will enjoy the fact that my mom bag holds so many items to cheer my son, because he is the whole reason behind the mom bag, without my little prince it would just be a cooler.

Kelly Callahan

The Mall

As I am sure most Mom's know, the mall is a dangerous place. Well, it is a dangerous place for everyone really. The mall is such an easy place to go walk some laps and get a little exercise when the weather is less than nice, the trick is avoiding temptation. Today was not quite nice enough for the park, and since I needed to go to Target for dog treats anyway I decided we would walk around the mall {I will miss our super target connected to the mall when we move....but that's all} We start at my favorite entrance {4and a half} which I always wonder why its my favorite as I struggle to get through the door with the stroller every time.It really is funny how long people will wait for you to get through a door and not even think of helping you. Maybe deep down I enjoy finding inventive ways of getting through the door with my stroller. We make it in the mall and start our laps, this mall is great for laps, just one big circle. You would think on about your third lap the people at the little kiosks would start to recognize you and stop offering you a free sample of lotion, but no. We head into Target to get the dog treats, and what do I see? 75 percent off Easter stuff, now I don't need any candy but they did have cake and cookie mixes included in the clearance. With an expiration date of July 2012 and a price of 42 cents I had to get some. I will for sure make a cake and cookies in the next year. I also stopped by the photo area and printed off 20 pictures for just 2 dollars {after my coupon from Target.com} I figure I might as well print some of my favorite Easter pictures now. My little guy was patient until the "print in seconds" Kodak machine turned into the "Prints very slowly" machine. Then I had to get creative. We were close enough to the food court that I decided to leave the machine as it printed off my photos at a snails pace {who would want to steal my Easter pictures anyway?} I asked for a cup of ice, after a strange look I got my ice. My son loves ice, most ice cubes are too big so I have to bite them into smaller pieces, but I will gladly do this to keep him happy while our 20 pictures slowly come out. He is thrilled that I have gotten him ice and I get to work chewing up some more for him. The pictures are finally done {not in seconds Kodak...} We then get back to our laps. I did a VERY good job today, I didn't go into any stores other than my planned stop at Target. I did not need to spend any money {well I hardly ever NEED to spend money} I realized today that I need to only buy what I need, now did I need the cookie and cake mixes? No I guess not, but will I use them? Yes I will, and it will make my son very happy when I do. So I guess I just need to think a lot about what I want to buy before I buy it. At least when I use my coupons and get things free I don't need to think about those items! Speaking of coupons, I am very excited to watch my Extreme Couponing show on TLC tonight. I hope to get some new tips and to be inspired {which I always am, I end up looking through my coupons every Wednesday night} So today our activity was the mall, which doesn't sound exciting to most, but to me it is a free gym {only free if I stay on my track} and to my son it is an ever changing museum of people. He seems to put up with our mall walks, and when the weather is yucky I will take advantage of that.

Kelly Callahan

Messy Monday

I will start by saying we had an amazing Easter weekend. My little man loved being around family and going crazy at Grandma and Grandpa's house. We do our best to baby proof over there....but its hard. So my Mom and I are tired from chasing a 17 month old around a house all weekend {not to mention trying to avoid tripping over one of the four dogs that were in the house} My son didn't quite grasp the Easter egg hunt this year, he loved to find the eggs and open them, but didn't know why we kept telling him to collect them in the bucket {what good to him were these empty eggs?} I even had a special Sponge Bob Easter basket for him to put the eggs....but nope, I ended up holding that. After a busy weekend away from home you would think there wouldn't be a huge mess on Monday, but somehow there was. I pretty much took the weekend off from my job as a maid, and wow it is a mess in here. Actually was a mess, I have tackled most of it but still need to finish Laundry and as always there is always more to clean. I even moved some furniture today, and I didn't even break anything...well I broke a bookcase, but I was throwing it away anyway so that doesn't count. We got a great new storage thingy for our kitchen from my parents and for it to fit where I wanted it {which was actually in a house, but that hasn't happened yet} I needed to move our wine rack, which I figure was a good idea anyway.{before my 17 month old figures out how to get the wine out.} So I now have a bar in my master bedroom {yay} it actually looks nice, it is the same dark wood as our bedroom furniture, and our bedroom is huge {unlike the rest of the apartment} so it fits nicely. I should mention all the fun my husband and I had getting this very heavy new piece of furniture into the apartment. Of course I was doing it all wrong {can a wife ever lift something correctly?} but somehow with lots of pushing, lifting, and bickering we made it up the three flights of stairs. By that point I was done and left the mess for morning. I have also decided when we move we will be hiring movers, there is no way I am helping move all of our heavy stuff down all those stairs.{I'll start a piggy bank to pay for the movers} Now that most of the cleaning is done I need to fix another problem, the empty fridge. Well, its not empty, we have milk, hard boiled eggs {colored of course}, and tons of condiments. But I figure if I wanted to make any healthy meals this week I will have to get my butt to the store. Usually I would decide to go late, after my son is in bed, but tonight that is not an option. My husband has two softball games and will not be home until after 11, and I do not want to shop that late. So I will be headed off to the store with my little man to help.....this will be fun. I am also bummed because there were no coupons in the Sunday paper, do they think people don't go shopping the week after Easter? So I had to be very thrifty in combing  food I have and coupons I have saved to make a list that will hopefully be under 100 bucks, that's the goal anyway. I will head out on my journey after nap time. And we'll have to walk the dog again, and avoid the crazy old lady {if my dog barks at her she tells me she is going to call animal control, I told her go ahead, and I reminded her that dogs bark.} I really need to move, I can't stand apartments. ...uggg. And I actually decided today that I will start packing, this will make me feel better. I will only pack things I hardly use and won't miss for awhile, but just getting things organized and ready to get out of this place will cheer me. {I think the last encounter with the crazy dog hater pushed me over the edge} So I will clean and pack and hopefully buy some food today. And in the middle of all that I will be Mommy, which will always come first.

Kelly Callahan

The Mom Workout

I know I keep saying that I need to get into shape and start working out more.... but then I realized how much of a workout I can really get from a day with my son. This morning we woke up and walked the dog as usual, we'll consider this my warm up. We took a nice winding path through the apartments and ended with three flights of stairs, a little cardio. I then got my son breakfast, and started my cleaning rituals. I figure this can be considered some low impact cardio, as I go from one room to the other with random toys or things my son has thrown around the house. Thinking that I had to work later that day I was trying to do all of this very quickly, so I could come home to a clean house after work. Then I got a call, the little girl I watch was sick today so they didn't need me to come in. To me this is great news {not that she is sick, just that I am not working} I really wasn't "feeling" the whole go to work thing today {does anyone ever feel like working though?} As soon as I got my news I informed my friend that we needed to hang out. We then change our pace from cleaning to getting ready for a fun day with our best friends. And if you have ever tried to dress a 17 month old who does not want to wear clothes you know that this was indeed a workout. Once we are finally ready to head out the door {and down 3 flights of steps} I realize we should take out the trash when we leave. Toddler in one arm, trash in the other we make our way to the dumpster. We head over to our friends house to have some lunch and play. The boys play in the yard as we get lunch ready {more like my friend got lunch ready, since I was chasing my son around the yard} After lunch we decide to walk to the park. And we make the great decision to go to the park that is further from the house. We want to get more of a workout, which sounded great until we were half way up the big hill and my stroller suddenly felt much heavier. But we made it. And I am sure it was a good workout, it was a better workout than sitting at home I know that. After we run around the park, burning more calories, we start our journey home. Downhill is much easier {well not for my friend who by this point is carrying her 3 year old} We get back just in time for naps. And although I could take a nap, I don't. Not only are there way too many other things I need to get done, but I do not need to mess my sleep schedule up anymore. I figure I will run around cleaning some more, we will go on another walk with the dog, and I will end up climbing our 3 flights of stairs at least 4 more times today. So all in all I say I am going to get a pretty good workout without going to the gym. And if I do ever get my butt in gear and go to the gym I should be looking better really fast. But for now I figure I will just stay active with my son, and as my friend pointed out, that's easy to do in the summer. I have fun chasing my little man around and going down slides, I am just happy I am in good enough shape to fit down the slides with him! We had a great day so far, and we have so many fun things to look forward too this weekend I can't even count them. We start tomorrow with an Easter egg hunt with family and friends, and then we have a fun filled family weekend. When all my family comes to town we know how to make the best of it and we plan on doing just that this weekend. And of course Sunday is not only Easter, but yes, I get more coupons! But there will be no time for that on Sunday, it will have to wait until Monday. And of course I have already made plans to coupon clip and plan some shopping trips with my friend . I hope that my son keeps me so active that I get my bikini body in time for summer, I am sure the candy he gets tomorrow will help. Well... until he crashes, then the goal is that Mommy doesn't crash with him. Being a Mom is a mental and physical workout and I can't wait to reap the rewards!

Kelly Callahan

so much for sleeping

Well tonight did not go as planned. let's start from the beginning. I have not been sleeping well, this is nothing new. For the past 17 months I have had a little man to wake me up at all hours of the night. The new part? Now my little man is FINALLY starting to sleep through most of the night, but that doesn't mean I am. I think my body is very confused, after over a year of waking up so many odd times and then getting up and heading to work in the morning it just decided it didn't need sleep. Well body, I have decided we do need sleep. So I decided after too many nights with very little sleep to go to the doctor. so I ventured out this morning, toddler in tow, to the doctor. They always seem surprised that I bring my baby.... do they really think I would get a babysitter (not that I have one) just to go to a doctors appt? Once we were called in (I think you get called back faster when your child is splashing water from their pretty fountain all over the floor.) I do my best to keep my little guy amused as they do the usual, blood pressure, pulse, temp. He actually seemed to think it was very interesting when the doctor was messing with Mommy and not him. we finally see the doctor (who also seems to think people should have on call babysitters for doctor visits, okay she wasn't mean or anything, but you could tell she was surprised to see him there) I tell her the problem and she writes me a prescription. I have also been having bad headaches (probably since I don't sleep much) so she gives me some samples of a pill to try if I need it. Great, we are done here. Off to Target, why Target? Because I have a coupon(surprise!) that will give me a 10 dollar gift card with any new prescription. I reach into the little bag the doctor gave me and pull out the piece of paper and hand over the jibberish. Ten minutes later we are headed home. Well..... when I open the prescription it is not what I expected.... it was medicine for headaches not insomnia.....hmmmm. So I thought I was only given one prescription in my little baggie, but no, there were two in there. I guess she wrote me one for the headache medicine in case it worked and I wanted it. So of course I happened to pick out the one I didn't have to have to give to the pharmacy. AND I had payed 30 dollars for 9 pills.....really? And the cost without insurance? 254 dollars, are you kidding me? These better me miracle pills, I was mad over the thirty dollars so I don't know how I would react if I didn't have insurance (running away may be involved) I figure at least I got a ten dollar gift card, making them more reasonable. So now I know we have to head back to Target (and yes I have a second coupon for a 10 dollar gift card for this second prescription, this is a great reason to save all the coupons you get, you never know when something will come up and you'll use it) We head back to Target after lunch and a chat with my BFF to tell her how stupid I felt. It is busy this time so we have a longer wait. Since we are at the Target connected to the mall we walk a lap, bad idea. Of course I see a big sign for 50 percent off clearance at one of my favorite stores and I have to just look.... well I found two super cute sweatshirts and couldn't resist. At ten dollars a piece it is worth the splurge to me. Once we are back on track and are finished following the choo choo train that circles the mall (my son is just as happy following behind the train yelling choo choo as he is riding it, so for now we save our 6 dollars and get our exercise.) we are back to Target and the prescripton I thought I was getting earlier is ready, and much more affordable at 8 bucks. I feel great spending 8 dollars that I would spend no matter what and having them hand me a ten dollar gift card for my next shopping trip:) I get home and put little man down for his nap. I make dinner, do the dishes, and pick up around the house. The night flies by as it always does and I put my son down to bed. As usual I walk the dog after he goes down..... now I make my mistake. When I come back from walking the dog I let the door close too loudly (if you ask my husband I slammed it, but that's just not true) either way it was loud enough to make my son start screaming. Usually when he hears the door close and he isn't with me he cries, because he thinks I left, so I assume this is what he was thinking. I decide to go in and try to calm him down. He is VERY upset and then.... he throws up on me....lovely. I am hoping this is just due to the crying and mini freak out. I get his clothes and my clothes into the washer along with his teddy bear who got hit. I sit him on the couch and turn on a cartoon. Somewhere in this mess my husband has gone missing, he threw a towel at me when I first got hit with the throw up and I haven't seen him since. I guess he saw the mess on the carpet and wanted to make sure he wasn't getting anywhere near it. I get out the carpet cleaner and go to work. I am very happy that I didn't stick to my original plan of taking my sleeping pill as soon as my son went to sleep, or I might be feeling "drugged" at this point(really, that's what it says on the package under side effects) By the time I get everything cleaned, disinfected and in the washer I am happy that my son is acting normal and playing with toys. We then end up staying up another two hours, I guess my hubby fell asleep since he isn't here to play with us. So much for getting a great nights sleep tonight, now I will be on alert for any sign that my son is sick. But with no fever and a logical reason behind the first episode I am pretty confident this is not the flu (fingers crossed) Paranoid as I am, I pour out the rest of his milk and open a new carton before giving him his bed time bottle(again). My son is now sleeping sound with a nice fresh teddy bear. I should be in bed right now, but whats the point when I know I will just toss and turn? Maybe tomorrow I can try out my little sleeping helper and get a full nights rest. I guess this is just another reminder that I am no longer in charge, my son has taken over that position, but I am happy to obey.

Kelly Callahan

FUN

Wow, Time Flies!! Everyone knows this but as a Mom you seem to really notice it. It seems like just yesterday I had my old job, working M-F 9-5{not so fun}. Wow, that sure has changed. I love it. I get so much more time with my friends, and of course my little man gets to go play in new and exciting places with his little friends. I still work, but much less. I think it is so important for Moms to have other "mom" friends, I love love love my best friend { I think my husband is getting a little jealous of her} We have so much in common, and we really don't care that our conversations have changed from nights out and vegas trips to cooking tips and coupon deals. I can talk to her about anything and she won't judge me, she is in the same place in her life and understands me in ways a hubby just can't. Yes I love talking to my husband, but I can't talk to him about all my little stresses because he doesn't realize what I go through everyday with my son. I love every experience, but it sure does have its stressful moments and sometimes{okay all the time} it is nice to vent to a friend, and it is nice to have a friend who can vent back and give advice, or support{and doesn't mind the constant phone calls}. And it is really nice to be able to support other "mom" friends too. Well, I hope that I support my "mom" friends, I try too. No one has all the answers, but you seem to pick up some tricks along the way,so it is nice to share, or feel like you at the very least offered some "venting" time {which can make any Mom feel better}Since time goes by so fast I want to enjoy it, and I want to spend it with friends and family. I am glad my work life has changed, I am less stressed, have greatly improved my relationships, and can have FUN with my son. I love having fun, and I want my son to have plenty of it. When I was working all day long it was hard to always make it fun for my son, you can only play with the same toys in so many ways! And I am sure he thinks mommy is more fun when she isn't stressed about work. And I am sure my husband loves having the house clean, laundry done, and dinner ready every day when he gets home. There are a lot of perks to working less, the only downfall is the money {duh} But is the extra money worth being stressed out and having less fun raising your child? I don't think so, I rather stick to my couponing and save when we can{winning the lottery wouldn't hurt}. I want to have FUN FUN FUN, because why shouldn't I?

Kelly Callahan

My Big Boy

My sweet little baby boy has changed into a big boy. Lucky for me, he still always wants his Mommy, which I REALLY enjoy :) We went to White Fence Farm for dinner tonight and just watching him run around and play made me see how much he has grown up, of course his behavior while trying to eat dinner showed me how he is still my little guy....It is funny how I will do ANYTHING I possibly can to make him happy while we eat dinner, I will let him make a mess {of me, him, the table, whatever} he can eat what he wants, he can drink my tea, I will even let him drink Daddy's soda..... but it doesn't matter, no matter how patient I am, there seems to be no way to get my little man to sit down to dinner at a restaurant.{and tonight I sure received a lot of "glares" but I was fast to shrug them off} It's okay though, if I choose to go out to eat I know what I am in for, which is why I come with patience and the ability to eat very quickly. My husband is always in shock how fast I eat my meals, if he was used to eating all his meals with a 17 month old {YES, my son is 17 months old today!!} I think he would start eating faster too. I was happy to be at White Fence Farm, since not only do they have great fried chicken {I ate way too much food} they also have a petting zoo, I think I love petting the animals just as much as my son does{although after eating fried chicken I felt a little guilty around the chickens,I gave them lots of the nasty pet food you buy for a quarter as my way of apologizing} So even though our "eating" portion of the night may have had its stressful moments, before and after dinner was all about family fun! My big boy even decided to venture to other family members more than he ever has, this made me so proud, he is growing up! And hearing him MOO at the cow made reading him his zoo book a thousand times so worth it. It is just amazing to me how fast kids grow when they are young, they are rolling, crawling, walking, and then talking all within a year and a half. I wish I could accomplish that much in that time period :) I guess I could... I could learn a new language, start tumbling, and learn to walk on stilts..... but with work,Mommy,and Wife duties I just don't have the time. Or maybe babies are just much more motivated than I am. I can't wait to see what giant leaps my son will be taking in the months to come, I can't believe how fast time goes when you have children, I guess it has always gone by this fast but I never realized it. I just went to work everyday,and waited for the weekends and vacations. Now that I have my amazing little guy my time means so much more and I want it to last forever so I see it flying by. I want to be the best Mom and give my son the world {is there a book on that?} I will do my best everyday to be super mom, but I know I will falter, I will get upset over spilled milk, I will get mad when he pours out my expensive blush, but then I will see that he is all that matters, and I will feel silly for wasting my energy on those pointless frustrations. I guess in time I will learn to be all that I can be, well in the Mom department anyway. The rest of my life.... well I can figure that out later, right?

Kelly Callahan

What was I doing?

It seems that along with being a Mom I have lost some of my memory. I find myself relaxing in the shower { oh how I love my alone time} and all of the sudden I can't remember if I washed my hair or not.... well I figure I might as well do it again { it does say rinse and repeat, so better safe than sorry} Just yesterday I was driving with my son to Total Beverage...This is what coupons have done to me, I drove out of my way just to get a great deal on great wine, I didn't need the wine, but I like wine so I know I will drink it. {and I have a nice wine rack that is looking pretty sad these days, except for all that red wine that I don't like} As I was driving and singing along to the radio; this really does cheer up my son, not just me; I forgot where I was going.... only for a second, but I really did ask myself what was I doing? Sad huh? We got to the store and my son decided he hated shopping for wine, not a big surprise since he now hates shopping carts. So I need to hurry, I grab my wine as quick as I can {four yummy bottles for 15 dollars!} and we are out the door. I now know that my son is hungry for lunch, and since I drove out of my way for the wine we aren't super close to home. What do I do? I go to Wendy's... I know I said I was going to eat better, but it seems I do not have the motivation for that right now. I think I just like to eat too much, and with all my coupon deals I always seem to have too many yummy snacks at home. Maybe once summer gets here and I start wearing my swim suit everyday I'll get back on track. Maybe. Today my son and I were up early...6am, it was the one day we had to get to work early and of course this is the day we wake up to snow. So after a slushy walk with the dog we head off to work. I was so happy to see a coffee cup sitting on the counter for me and coffee that was still hot, how thoughtful. I don't really like coffee, but if I add some white mocha creamer and milk I don't mind it, and I really needed some help waking up today. Once my caffeine kicked in the kids and I had a blast playing, and our day at work went by pretty fast. Once we were home I started to prep dinner, but was interrupted by a fussy little guy hanging on my leg. Guess its nap time. After I put my son down I hop online to do you know what... look at coupons. I then realize  haven't had lunch, so I had to the kitchen where I see the start of my dinner prep.... oh yeah I was doing that wasn't I? So I finish prepping the fajitas and stick them into the fridge to marinate.  finally eat some lunch and remember I haven't added to my blog in awhile! It's not that I don't have anything to say, it's just that I get side tracked, very easily. My short term memory comes back in pieces ,I will suddenly remember there are clothes in the dryer, or dishes to do. I wonder if my memory will get better? Until then I will try to keep my things organized so I don't lose everything, and I will do my best to stay focused.

A little side note.. Last night I watched Extreme Couponing again and they made me mad, why do you need 80 bottles of Vitamin Water? Just because it is free doesn't mean you have to go nuts. Maybe it is a good thing that our stores limit people to three of the same  coupon, or we might get some crazies in our neck of the woods. Also, they showed a lady who had thousands of diapers saved, but she had no children!!! She said she plans on having children one day, and since they were free she couldn't resist...wow, just because it is cheap or free it doesn't mean you need to get it. That is my biggest coupon tip. Make a list of what you WANT at the store and then look for coupons to match that. Sure, you'll find some deals to maybe try something new or use a different brand, but PLEASE don't buy things you won't eat or use just because its free... that's just stupid, and wasteful. And if you have to get your free deal and don't want to use it then donate it.

Kelly Callahan

Toddler Time

I realized this weekend that I no longer exist in real time, I now live in toddler time{and sometimes husband weekend time}. Most of the time this works out just fine, except for when we have to enter into real time, then we can have some problems. I woke up this Saturday with a plan of a yummy breakfast and a trip to Costco, then a nap and maybe dinner out. Here's what happened.... My little man had stayed up late Friday night, since as I mentioned he runs on toddler time, so he randomly changes his nap time and sleeping patterns. Since he was up late he slept in, don't get me wrong it was great to get the extra sleep, but it seems to be a lot harder to get going if you get a late start. Okay, I am back on track, it is 10:30 and my little man and I are ready for our Costco trip.... but there's Daddy, watching TV on the couch, still in his PJ's. This is where Daddy weekend time comes in. Daddy works hard all week so on Saturday's he likes to relax. This is fine, I am all for relaxing....but can't you relax during nap time? I don't think he realizes how short our window of opportunity has become for our trip out, my little man is only in a GREAT mood for so long before it gets too close to nap time to attempt to do anything outside the house. I figure he can just throw on some clothes and we'll be out the door in no time, but no, he still has to shower.... okay. Well, once he takes his shower and is ready it is lunch time. So I make my little man some mac and cheese and I have a salad. Then I realize I need to clean up the kitchen, how it got so messy from when I cleaned on Friday baffles me, but none the less it needs to be cleaned. My little man plays with Daddy while I do the dishes and wipe down the counters. Then we need to walk the dog, and since it is so nice out I decide not to rush my little man as he searches for the perfect rock. By the time we get back in and I look at the clock it is almost 2:30. Uh oh.... nap time is fast approaching, there is no way we are going out before my little guy takes his nap. So I put little man down for his nap and pick up the disaster of a living room. As I watch the time go by I realize I am not going to even get to Costco today, it is already 4:30 and they close at 6{since Costco runs in real time they won't stay open late because of a long nap, darn}. My little guy doesn't wake up until almost 5, so one, we aren't going to Costco, and 2, he will be up late again. We decide to grab some dinner at Buffalo Wild Wings, for some reason my little man always sits still there and eats lots of food, I assume it is because it is so loud, and all the big TV's can't hurt. we get there and there is a 45 minute wait, we don't do waits over ten minutes, it just doesn't work with a 16 month old. So we head across the street to test our luck at Johnny Carinos. No wait, this is good, but my little guy refuses to sit in the high chair. I should mention for the past couple of days my little man has decided he needs Mommy ALL the time, Mommy can't do anything alone, and he would prefer to always have me hold him, if I refuse then his legs turn to jello and I have to lay him on the floor. Anyway, I decide to just let him sit in my lap. I think everything is about to fall apart, but then the soup comes, wow does little man want that soup, I think the whole restaurant knew he wanted it. We let it cool down and decide to just give him a spoon and let him go for it, if it makes him happy and keeps him quiet we are all for it. We are able to eat our meals in peace { my nice jeans were now covered in Minestrone, but it was worth it} I can't believe how fast our Saturday had gone by, we ended the day with some ice cream I shouldn't be eating, a bath for little man { where he did something for the first time... pooped in the tub....that was great} and then it was off to bed. Daddy and I got to watch a movie before we called it a night, so I guess even though toddler time and Daddy weekend time threw us off, we still had a good day. On Sunday I was up at 6 am. You guessed it I was off to get my paper. I was able to look through all the coupons, clip any I was saving, and make my shopping list all before anyone else woke up. I am usually not a fan of waking up early, but it sure is nice how much more day I feel like I get when I do it. With the house clean, my coupons organized, and everyone ready to go, we finally head off to Costco.{just a day late} I only wanted to buy meat, refried beans, and chips there, but I knew that wasn't happening. And I couldn't resist the GIANT strawberries I found, they were huge, and every time we have gotten strawberries at Costco they have been great, so I had to have them. Once we spend too much and come home I put little man down for a nap and head off to do my shopping.... I didn't do too well, I mean it was better than not using coupons. I saved 52 % so I shouldn't complain, but I felt like I should've done better, that's what I get for watching that Extreme Couponing show. That night we make a nice steak dinner at home and watch some cartoons. As my son woke me up at 6 am today I was very happy that I lived on toddler time, since I knew on this particular day, we didn't need to enter real time, we didn't have to be at work, didn't have to get anywhere before it closed, or even a reason to get out of our PJs {we did, but it was nice knowing we didn't Have to} I am happy to live in the ever changing world of toddler time, and will just have to deal with it when we have to be at work by a certain time, or try and get to the store before 9. I feel my body is already used to the changing sleep patterns, I just need to get better about getting out the door in time when we HAVE to go. It's funny because I used to be very punctual, but in the land of toddler time it is hard to keep up my reputation.

Kelly Callahan

I love my Dog

 I love my dog. First, I consider her my first born, she was my baby, and I spoiled her. My dog was so spoiled at one point that she even came to work with me. As you may know I have been a nanny for a long time now, and at my first nanny job {wow, what a first nanny job this was... trips to the Bahamas, Puerto Rico, the random week at Crested Butte or Sante Fe. And all the while I was getting paid to hang out with a sweet little girl} The lady I worked for loved dogs and hated the thought of me leaving my little baby girl at home. So,from then on, I didn't. My dog and I would get up together, take a walk and hop in the car, she even had a doggie seat belt since she was driving with me during rush hour {who wouldn't buckle up their baby?} She always looked so cute sitting so still in her little seat belt, so happy to be coming with me. Dogs are so happy just to be with their owners, and her simple satisfaction makes me love her more. My dog is always there for me, if i'm sad she kisses me, if I need a hug, she'll let me hold her, if I don't feel good,she is by my side. As soon as I was pregnant I know she knew, she would gently rest her head on my belly every night, as if to keep it safe. When I was 5 months pregnant she saved my life. Really, she did. I had a rough pregnancy, with morning sickness that lasted all day every day, but this Sunday morning it got worse. I woke up early, feeling queasy as usual, I walked my dog and headed into the bathroom, from here I just have to tell you the story from my husbands eyes because the next thing I remember is waking up in an ambulance. I guess I had closed the door behind me,  and my husband woke up to my perfect blessing of a dog barking and scraping at the bathroom door. My husband rushed in finding me having a seizure, he rolled me onto my side and called 911. If my dog had not alerted my hubby I am scared to think what could have happened, I needed to be rolled to my side so I could breathe, and alone in a bathroom that wouldn't have happened. I remember waking up in the ambulance and I couldn't remember a thing, not the day,the month, and at first not even my name. As I looked around I still remember feeling happy that they had put my IV in already{I hate needles, really hate them so getting an IV is torture to me} I still think it's funny looking back and having that be one of my first thoughts. Turns out my little man had deprived me of blood and oxygen and that had caused my seizure {this was concluded after lots of fun testing} I had to quit my job and go on bedrest. I gave my doggie so much love I am sure it made it even harder for her to share me once little man arrived. She knew how important that crying mini human was to us and she took care of him. She is so good with my son it is amazing, she lets him do anything {especially now, since he loves to feed her} And she is still always there for me, she still doesn't like me going into bathrooms alone. I am so lucky to have such a great dog, I think I'll go give her a nice rub down before I go to sleep. She deserves that, since she gave me everything.

Kelly Callahan

I'm Moving

I'm outta here. I am going to move somewhere special, just a few requirements.
1- Money will grow on trees
2- No one will mark my blog as "abusive" on facebook
3- My neighbors will not complain when I walk around my apartment
4- No one will hit my car while it is parked and not leave a note
5-Everything will go as I plan it
6-It will NOT be an apartment

I think these are reasonable. I'm not asking for too much am I?

I woke up this morning, walked the dog as usual { since while living in an apartment my dog does not have the option to just go in the yard } After the dog was finished and my son had filled his pockets with rocks for his collection we headed up for breakfast. After some scrambled eggs we were off to work. A great short work day and we were headed home for nap time. As the apartment was silent I received a lovely phone call. My new neighbors below have complained of loud banging and slamming of doors....today? Yes today, and other days this week. Okay, well unless my black lab was slamming doors all day I think they may be crazy. And since I have a toddler running around most doors say shut to keep him contained, so no doors have been slammed this week. I not so kindly explained this to the not so nice apartment lady,and she told me they would see if it was maybe another apartment they were hearing, I told her that was a good idea. I just know that the new couple below us has not lived in an apartment for a very long time, if ever. I find it amusing that people believe they will not hear someone living above them, so I am sorry for walking around my apartment and chasing my child,maybe they should live on the top floor, or maybe they should just deal with it and be happy they don't live below college kids who love to party. We have lived here three years now {that was not the plan} and we have never had anyone complain about us. The apartment people have complained.... we couldn't have a shovel on our patio, and most recently I was forced to take down my wind chime I got for Christmas{I am still mad about this one} I don't think I can handle anymore of this apartment living, it's just not for me. I want a house, or a townhouse. I want a yard, I want a driveway {this may sound silly, but I've never had a driveway, so it would make me SO happy} There are a lot of things I may want, but I know that without that money tree I will just have to keep waiting. Hopefully not too long for the house though, I refuse to sign another lease at this place. No way. So I recover from my call from the not so nice apartment lady, and the family is ready to head out to dinner. That's when I see it, another not so nice person has hit the side of my car, and yes I mean hit, it's not just a scratch, it's a decent sized dent in the side of my car. Great. And is there a note? No, that makes them even more not nice. Tomorrow I plan on searching for suspects in the lot, not that I know what I would do if I found the offender. But I did have a wonderful time with my little man today, and he was an angel at dinner, we actually looked like we had an amazingly well behaved toddler as the child next to us had a breakdown. This was a new experience, and it was nice. And I did not "glare" at the poor Mom next to us trying to calm her daughter, it didn't bother me one little bit. Once September rolls around and we move out of this apartment I will be SO thrilled to open the back door and let the dog out, I will even clean up her "bizness" so my son can enjoy the yard I hope to have. {it doesn't have to be big to please me, it just has to exist} I hope to enjoy the beautiful weather tomorrow, finish the laundry, and possibly meet someone who is giving away houses and money trees. As long as I get to talk to some nice people I will be happy. And I am sure my little guy will come up with a new way to make me laugh, and as usual, it will make my day.

Kelly Callahan

I'm not Negative, right?

I was looking through my facebook page today and noticed a blog from another mom, she was not a facebook friend, just a blogger from a coupon website. I decided to see what she had to say. And what she did say made me a little mad. She said that all of the blogs that she reads that are written by Mothers are negative, and that they only show the bad side of being a Mom. She said that Mom's writing blogs make other women not want to have kids. Well... I hope that I am not being negative. I know I write about things that have gone wrong, or not as planned, but I feel I try and put as much good as bad in my blog entries. And, I feel like the negative things I talk about do not give a "negative" reflection on parenting. I love being a Mom, and I would never want to make anyone think that any part of being a Mom is "bad". Yes as a Mom you will have some hard days and very challenging moments, but it still doesn't make it"bad" to be a Mom. I have some hard days with my little guy but at the end of the day I never regret my decision to have a baby, and I am always happy to have the title of Mom. And wow, I never knew love until the doctor put my little man in my arms. He is so amazing I can't say enough about it. I would do anything for him, anything. And I know that we will have our share of tubless nights and peeling pirate ships, but as long as we have them together they will all be worth while experiences. So I hope my 9 followers don't think I am too negative. I'm not, am I?

On another note, tonight is a big night.... Extreme Couponing is on TLC. Before this was just a special, but now it will be a series. I have mixed feelings though. YES I do want to see the crazy savings people get and learn tips from them{of course I will scale down their jumbo trips} but..... a lot of people have been pointing out that this show is going to ruin it for us small time couponers. These people get greedy....who needs 100 bottles of shampoo, or 500 toothbrushes? They only get these crazy quantities because they know they can get them for free or close to it. I do love my free chocolate bars every once in awhile, but I get 4, not 400.  And as managers of grocery stores see these shows it may make them want to tighten their belts a bit more on coupon policies. And wow would I be sad if my King Soopers stopped doubling my coupons, it would be tragic :( But my hope is that since Colorado already has limits on coupons that this show will not effect us at all. I will have to see if I can learn any new tricks after watching the first new episode...I'll let ya know. I better go sneak in my shower before enjoying one of my free Dove candy bars in front of my coupon show! It's crazy how life changes once you're a Mom. Five years ago I would call myself a loser for being this excited over the premier of a Couponing show.... too bad, old me can make fun of new me all she wants, I'm happy where I am.

Kelly Callahan

I'll Take the Usual

Today was a good day, it wasn't a Monday, so it had that going for it from the start. It was very nice outside but very windy so I decided on a day at the pool {indoor pool} We usually go to the APEX  center with our friends every week, but since they have been sick and are now leaving us for Mickey Mouse in California, I decided we could try somewhere different. We love the pool at the APEX, so why did I not just stick with the usual? Because silly me believes everything she reads. Last night I got a Lakewood Commons packet in the mail, it had listings of all the pools in the area. One sounded great, it had a pirate ship with water features, a dragon slide, and a family pool. This sounded great so I wrote down the address, grabbed my GPS {because I always get lost} and we were out the door. I type in the address and wait for the GPS to tell me where to go. It leads me to a closed road, so I try and go around, but I end up going in circles. I am also starting to notice that this does not look like an area for a rec center, not at all. I decide to stop, google the name and get the phone number. I call and ask how to get there from my current cross streets. WOW my GPS was way off today, there must be more than one Reed St. and I obviously wasn't specific enough somewhere along the way. By the time we find our way to the pool I realize that going to the APEX would've been faster, this pool is closer to our house, but I knew where the other one was. I put the drive behind me, grab my cute little guy and head in for some fun. We pay up front and get our wristbands. As we approach the glass doors to the pool I am in shock.... really.... this is the great pool I read about? All I see is a little pretend pirate ship, with broken water features and peeling paint. Oh and did I mention the two small dry slides for the little kids? Those were fun. Okay, so nothing works in the kids area, and I see paint chips in the water from the amazing ship so maybe we'll go down the dragon slide. Maybe not. The dragon slide is a pitch black tunnel that starts with a big drop, which is not ideal for a Mom with a baby on her lap. The slide then disappears out the wall and then comes back and spits you out of darkness into the pool. I take my man to the top to see what he thinks about this dragon slide.... he screams. So we didn't do that. Okay we can still go in that great family pool area I read about. Well, the family pool area is 7 feet deep, and although I am trying to get in shape I don't want to tread water while holding my 25 pound little man above water.I don't really see how this little 7 foot deep square is family friendly, but that's just me. We left about ten minutes after getting there. We had fun trying to explore, but if I had just stuck to our usual routine we would've had a MUCH better swim day. I used to think it was a good thing to always explore new things and try new places, but now that my choice effects the outcome of our day I think it may be wise for me to stick to the tried and true places on my list. I also do this at restaurants, just ask my Husband, he always points it out.I will have something I love at a certain restaurant but I feel like trying something new, I think it will be great and it will be fun to try something different! Does this ever turn out well? Rarely. I usually really don't like my new choice and find myself wishing I had got my usual, this is when my Husband points out that I always do this, and that I should just get what I KNOW I like. But where's the fun in that? Well, I guess the fun is knowing that I will enjoy me meal. So from now on I am going to stick to the usual. I am going to go to the usual places, eat my usual food, and I am going to try and incorporate a usual workout into my routine. I think I will try this plan for awhile and see how it goes. Maybe once my son is older I will be more adventurous again, but not now. So tonight will be the first night I try to add in my new workout to my daily routine. I figure if I can stick to it for a couple of months then it will become the "usual" thing for me to go do after my son goes to bed, that's my plan anyway. So I am off to have another usual night, and I am hoping for a nice usual day tomorrow, no more dragons please.

Kelly Callahan

Stupid Monday's

I hate Mondays. I have always hated Mondays, who doesn't? Today made me hate Mondays even more. The day started off okay, wake up around 8, make my little man some breakfast, walk the dog, the usual. Then I was ready for my big trip to Walgreens, I was very excited to see how much I could save on the items I had decided to stock up on. This part of my Monday went smoothly. The cashier was a nice old lady who thought all my coupons were just great, she was happy to scan them all in, very slowly. I knew I would be pushing my luck if I went anywhere else but I needed to get tomatoes for our dinner {we didn't just eat tomatoes} and I really didn't want to HAVE to leave the house again. So I risk it, I head to King Soopers. I decide while I am there I will go ahead and buy the Swiffer wet jet I didn't get yesterday, I had an e coupon loaded to my card and a manufactures coupon in my purse. I go to checkout, all the lanes are busy so I go to self checkout, big mistake. I scan my items and hand off my precious coupon to the "mean" man. He gets very mad, and tells me I CAN NOT use an e coupon and a manufacturers coupon on one item, I kindly reply that in their coupon policy it clearly says I can. { I didn't mention that I had been doing it for over a month to score free stuff and get great deals} He says "Well young lady, at this store you can't" Wow, really? Did he have to go there? Why be so mean, if you won't take my coupon and you see I have a fussy kid in tow at least let me down easy. I somehow keep my cool and tell him to just take the swiffer off and give me back my coupon. As we left with our tomatoes I was crushed. I had never had a coupon plan fail, and I guess I am just lucky that this plan was small. All my big shopping trips have worked perfectly. I now know that I need to always go to my "favorite" cashiers, because I guess all they need to do to make my coupon work is press a button, and they have obviously done that a lot for me. So a big thank you goes out to all the nice cashiers out there. My big issue? Why do they care??? My coupon was for 5 dollars off, they would not be adding any "extra" savings to my coupon and they will get the face value of the coupon back from the manufacturer. I can understand when they don't want me to buy ten of the same item just because its crazy cheap with my coupon,but when I want to buy one thing with a coupon that won't make a difference to them, what's the problem? What is wrong with a Mom, or anyone, trying to save money for their family? I am not trying to cheat their system,I am just trying to use all available coupons to my advantage so I can shop for less. Don't they put out coupons to encourage people to come to their store?Okay I will stop ranting about this. Anyway, that was my morning. We head home for some lunch and thankfully a nap. As usual on Mondays I have a pile of Laundry to tackle as soon as nap time begins. I don't mind laundry as much ever since we got a new washer and dryer, wow I love those things. I am now SO happy our old washer and dryer broke, even if at the time I was very upset. I was probably so upset because this happened the same week I lost my job. Funny how bad things seem to come in packages. Maybe I got through all of my bad things at the beginning of the year, so now I will have a lot of good things to look forward to. After I start Laundry I decide to write a letter to King Soopers. I will update you on what they respond, I am interested to see if they say anything at all. Then little man is up from his nap and he is very fussy, he REALLY didn't want me to make dinner, but I did. We ate and his mood slightly improved. After his nightly bath, and a haircut.... why a haircut on a Monday night? Because Daddy let him play with his electric razor an he turned it on and took a big chunk of hair off the top of is head, way to go Daddy. But, he does look adorable, so I guess it all worked out. Okay, I made it,bedtime. We go through our routine and I put him down just after 8. Then my husband notices he doesn't have his glove for his softball game tonight, where is the glove? You guessed it, in my son's room. Great, he isn't asleep yet so of course when he sees me come in there is no way I am walking back out that door alone. So before I know it it's 9:15 and we are trying bedtime again. So far so good. Now I just need to sneak in a shower {I can't remember the last time I showered in the morning} and I plan to put on a movie. I figure I might as well watch a movie, since I can't sleep anymore. I try to fall asleep but I just can't, and I don't want to take any medicine to help me sleep because I am afraid I wouldn't hear my son wake up in the middle of the night. Too bad, I have learned to live on very little sleep, I think all Mom's have. I am just happy to say goodbye to Monday, maybe I will just stay in on Mondays from now on.  Next Monday we aren't going anywhere, we'll see how that works out, anything would be better than my traumatic coupon failure. Hopefully next Sunday I can redeem myself with a good shopping trip and once again hold my head high as I walk the isles of the store.

Kelly Callahan

Weekend in a Nutshell

After yet another week of dealing with an overly fussy little man I was very happy to have the weekend come. And then with the highs in the 70s this Saturday I was even more excited. My plan? Picnic at the park, and some fun times on the slide. Reality? Mommy got to try and eat while chasing a little man chasing geese, and Daddy? Daddy got to sit at the picnic table and enjoy his meal, your welcome. After scaring all the geese into the lake we headed to the playground. Of course my son picks the tallest slide which happens to be a TINY little tube slide. I was afraid I would get stuck, but instead we gained speed fast and we flew out the bottom of the slide and right to the ground. FUN. After repeating this about ten times we switched to the tall open slide with the bumps, lovely. Once we all started looking a little pink we decided we should head to an indoor activity. I was so happy when my husband offered up shopping as an option. As we began to drive to the store I could hear my shopping trip fall apart in the backseat. My son is now screaming, he is too tired to last at a store, sadly I know we have no chance of anything except a total meltdown if we continue with our plan, so I instruct Daddy yo just go home :( After a nice nap for little man we rush off to work, yeah I know, work on a Saturday, Bummer. But as you know I have a new job and I want to be very "flexible" at this point to help them feel they made a good decision in hiring me. So we go off to have some fun with my little guy's new playmate. We play in the yard, go for a walk, and read some books. Then before I know it we are done and headed home for a late bedtime. When my son doesn't get to bed until almost ten I seem to be awake at least another two hours. This would be fine if he slept through the night, but this was not the case. I fall asleep around 12:30 and my son wakes up at 2:30. After a hug and a bottle we are back to sleep. Then its 6:30 and someone is awake again. Thankfully he falls back asleep after a bottle and I get a little more sleep! And now that it is Sunday morning I am excited to get to my Sunday coupons. At first I was a little disappointed in the new coupons but once I make a list and search my saved coupons and online e coupons I come up with a pretty decent plan. But first we are off to see Grandma and Grandpa. My little guy loves to run wild at a different house, and loves having new people to chase him. After a crazy shopping trip; more like Mommy and Grandma chasing little man through the store and grabbing some sponge bob sandals along the way, we head home for nap time. After a yummy dinner delivered by Dominos Mommy heads off for her one trip alone, the grocery store. At the store I realize how crazy about coupons I have become, my eyes are drawn to them. I was headed down the baby isle {to get jumbo packs of diapers for just $3.50 a pack} and a coupon on the bottom isle caught my eye. Silly that a little piece of paper stops me in my tacks, people would think I was going for a dollar bill, which in a small way I was.{the coupon was for a dollar off!} I really don't care how silly I may look with all my coupon obsessions, I am just happy my senses have been heightened to a new coupon sensing level! I end up with a total of  $152.99, and I managed to lower that down to $74.46. I love my coupons and found myself looking at other people's carts, just knowing how much money they are losing by not using coupons makes me want to give a little lecture in the checkout lane. I decide against the lecture and leave being very pleased with myself. I get home to a fussy man ready for bed. After putting away my loot I get little man ready for bed and we say goodnight. You would think after going shopping the last thing I would do is plan another trip, but that's exactly what I did! I went back to my coupon stacks and turned to the Walgreens ad to find my deals for tomorrows trip {I guess I had to keep my coupon high going} I plan on getting three boxes of Crest 3D White Strips for $1.99 each, 4 free tooth brushes, 3 Laundry Detergents for 5 bucks, and 2 free tubes of toothpaste. They also have a coupon for 39cent candy bars.... but I really should pass on those. {I bet I won't} I look forward to my little shopping trip at Walgreens tomorrow and another adventurous week as a Mother. I can only hope for a wonderful week and another great weekend to follow, and of course I will be happy when my next set of coupons arrives, gotta get my fix.

Kelly Callahan

Let it Go

I find myself hanging onto things for way too long. From small things to big things I need to learn to let it go. I figure maybe if I tackle some bigger "let go items" by writing about them it might get me going to more letting go. So here goes nothing.

About a year ago, when my son was just 4 months old I decided to go back to work. And if you have been reading my blog you know that I am a nanny. Giving me the great opportunity to watch my son grow and make some money. It is funny how when you really need a job you can never find one, but this time around I was just looking and not too worried about finding a job when one was dropped in my lap. It seemed perfect, they had a little girl only a month older than my little man and they SAID the hours would be from 9-2. This sounded reasonable, since I was not sleeping through the night, and well, I still don't. After the first week they decided they needed me more, could  work 9-5? Well, I guess all that extra money would be nice, even though I was really only thinking about working part time. But, I said yes. I know that all Mom's know how long 8 hours can feel while stuck in the house, well this was my life for a couple of months until  was warm enough to take the kids out for walks. Now if you want to lose some weight, like baby weight, fast, here's my secret. Strap one baby to your chest, put another in a stroller, and walk around the neighborhood for a couple of hours each day. How was I motivated to walk so long? Because I knew as soon as I got back to their house I would be stuck inside until 5pm. The trick was to leave right after both babies just ate so we could stay out for three hours. My pants were falling off before I knew it! And now my new employers let me in on their secret, she was pregnant. So now I had a little baby to look forward too, I knew it would be ruff but I knew it could all work out. So month after month I made it through my 40 hour weeks with no adult conversation and endless diapers and bottles. I enjoyed my walks, being with my son, and my paychecks. I always told myself that I was getting through the hard part and that as soon as they were older and could do more this job would be perfect, my son would have a playmate, they could color,go to the park, play with play-dough. All of these activities really excited me as I sang the ABC's to two little babies staring back at me. So let's fast forward..... everything has been going fine, I stay late for them almost every night, I come in early when needed. But yes I do have a little baby boy, and he did get sick about three times that year so we took some days off for that. They said it was no problem. But then after they got back from traveling this holiday season they hit me with it, they no longer need me, they were putting the kids in school. Ouch, I had put in all this work, become a part of their family and now they are done with me? I did my best not to cry, but I was really upset.{I didn't cry, I was very professional and wished their children the best of luck at the new school} For the past year I had been caring for their daughter, and lately their newborn. I had done their laundry, done the dishes, and picked up all the toys. I saw myself as a great nanny. They told me that they loved me and that they were sad to have me leave, but a lot of things had changed. They didn't tell me what had changed and to this day I still don't know what they were talking about. I wanted to say if you love me so much then don't let me go, keep me. I had my life planned out for the next couple of years, and this job was a big part of it. I guess that just shows me what I get for planning too far ahead. They wanted me to stay until I found another job, but for me that was too awkward, I no longer felt wanted there, and it was very awkward for me. I decided to leave at the end of that week. They said they would give me wonderful reviews because I was so amazing....once again if I was so amazing why were they letting me go? I have to point out that I have made some progress on letting this go, I used to say I was fired, but my mother convinced me that I was "let go" because I wasn't really being replaced, they were just going in a different direction when it came to child care. Now they have availability from 7am to 7pm Monday through Friday, and I am sure they like it. I know I shouldn't be bitter about this, but I am. I even went out of my way to make them a very thoughtful gift basket for their Christmas gift. I went to the little girls birthday party, she came to my sons, I was nice to her grandparents, I made sure the animals in the house got plenty of love. Ahhh. I feel like I always went above and beyond, and what do I get... FIRED {okay sorry, let go.} This was in February, it is now April and I am working for a new family, part time. This is nice, I have more time to do whatever I want with my son, and more time at home for my job as a maid:) I need to look at the up-side to all of this. I used to leave home at 8:15 and get home at 6:15 Monday through Friday, my new schedule is MUCH easier and I know I need to enjoy it, even if the paychecks are smaller. I am less stressed and I am sure my son has more fun. So why can't I let it go? Hopefully this little bit of venting helps, doesn't hurt to try.  hope that I can learn to let things go that I don't need to hold onto, whether it is losing a job, or my son ruining my new jeans, it isn't worth being upset. I need to focus on my amazing family and all the blessings in my life, not all the bumps along the way.

Kelly Callahan

Time for a Weekend Getaway? Maybe not...

At three AM this morning I started to think maybe I could use a little change from the normal weekend. My son, who would not sleep, was happy watching Yo Gabba Gabba, but for some reason my mind was wondering. I began to think of fun places we could go, things we could do as a family... but then I started to get flashbacks from about 8 months ago. Our trip to Colorado Springs. This seemed like a very simple trip when I planned it and I didn't see why anything would not go smoothly. Well ,I had never traveled with an eight month old before.
As you can see above we did have fun, but in between our fun times were some very stressful one, let's take a look back and see. We would leave Friday morning and stay Friday night and maybe Saturday night if things went well (ha) I book a nice hotel on a travel website and plan different places to go. We pack up and head out, actually on time. We start our drive with a fussy little guy in the back seat and a hungry husband, are husbands always hungry while in the car, or is that just my husband? Anyway, we decide to stop for some food to cheer everyone up. The rest of the drive goes pretty smoothly, I end up in the backseat to entertain the little guy and before we know it we are in Manitou Springs. This is a great little town near Colorado Springs, and if we were to go again I would have us stay here.  You would pay a little more for a hotel room, but you could walk right out the door to shops, restaurants, and a park we never ended up going to :( It looked very nice though. The streets in this small town weren't exactly meant for my hubby's truck so we had to look long and hard for a place to park. Sadly by the time we get out to enjoy the nice shops and get mommy the fudge she saw a sign for as we circled for parking, my little guy was VERY fussy. Who knows why, he just was, so we had to cut the trip very short and decided to head to the cliff dwellings {And no, I didn't get my fudge}. I was very excited for these cliff dwellings and have to admit I was a little sad when I saw how small they were, it is crazy how much bigger they looked in the picture they took for their website. Still, despite the small size it was very interesting and it seemed to cheer up my fussy man so I was happy.{I decided to show you a picture to prove we did have some fun!} It was nap time by this point so we decided to drive up to Pikes Peak so he could nap in the car. Now, if anyone ever tells you that the drive up to Pikes Peak is really cool.... well either they didn't go all the way to the top, or they are NOT afraid of heights. The drive starts out beautiful, tree's, lakes, and wildlife. Then you go past the checkpoint, this is when you are going above treeline, you are so high trees don't even grow up here.  When you take away all of those big trees suddenly you can see all of the cliffs a lot better, and of course the road is now un-paved and much smaller and closer to the edge. I want to just close my eyes but this makes it worse. I love that my little guy was gooing and gawing in the backseat not knowing how nervous this drive made his mommy. So was it worth it for the view, I'd have to say no. I enjoyed the view just fine when I was where trees could grow, this was too intense for me.  I do think the drive was scarier since we were in a VERY big truck that felt like it was always hanging over the edge. And if you think I am exaggerating the incline in any way think about this, half way down the mountain they have you stop and they take the temperature of your breaks before letting you continue, this was a first for me. Next time I think I would rather pay more money to take the nice little train that takes you to the top without as many scary cliffs. The train happens to leave from Manitou Springs, so my next trip out is coming together nicely {yet it is looking like my next trip will need a bigger budget} :) Half way back to town a huge thunderstorm starts so we decide it is time to go to the hotel. It is now pouring down rain and the thunder is ridiculously loud, and of course this big truck I've been talking about does not fit in the parking garage for our hotel. Great. So we get to park two blocks away in a little gravel lot, which costs 15 dollars overnight. Perfect situation for a thunderstorm. Luckily my hubby was nice enough to drop us off and brave the elements on his own. Finally time to check out our room. Wait....where's the tub....no really hunny, there is no tub. Are you kidding me? A hotel room with no bathtub?? This is not good. My son has a nightly routine of a bath before bed and this could be a disaster. I call down to the front desk, offering any amount of money for a room with a tub{I'm desperate}...they say the hotel is booked. Great. We make it through a quick dinner from the hotel "pub" and I enjoy a beer, I usually don't like beer, but it tasted good after this day. Now its time to see if my son will sleep without his nap...Nope. So where do I end up at midnight? Sitting on the little bench in our handicap bathroom with the shower hitting my son's back. This calms him down, but he does not want to leave the water, the water that is not really getting to mommy, so I am freezing.  Around 2 am he falls asleep in the bed with me and we get a little sleep. After a well deserved breakfast in bed we decide to head to the cave of the winds (where they so kindly tell us we will be removed from the tour if our son is a disturbance, they obviously don't encourage babies on the tour.) We take our chances and about 30 minutes in we are really hoping the end is near. I think a baby can only take so much of walking through dark caves{or maybe mommies can only handle so much of walking through a cave with a baby strapped to their chest}. As we start to see daylight we are happy to be free from the little cave and excited that at least we weren't kicked out. We then make the decision that maybe we should just head home. On the way out of town we decide that we could walk around the Garden of the Gods for a bit before lunch, since we are here.This is our last attempt to make our trip a little longer, and do at least one more thing on my list. Ha, trying to park at this place on a nice Saturday morning is impossible especially in the truck you all know we are driving}, so we skip it and grab some lunch. Lunch was great, actually the best meal we had the whole trip, so at least we are leaving on a high note. So we ended up not doing a lot of the things on my list, and not really sleeping. But, we did get away from normal, and we did have time together as a family. So it in no way was a waste but it sure does make me hesitate when  thinking of another night away from home with my little guy. I just haven't decided an age where it won't be too hard,maybe 12?  So for now I think I will stick to day trips and stay away from overnights, just until I can forget my tubless night in the Springs.

Kelly Callahan