My Real Life

February 11, 2012

When We Were Six

Filed under: Uncategorized — Amy @ 6:00 am
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Baby Monkey is 6 today.

I could wax poetic, but I’ve already done that, here and here.

So, instead, I think I’m going to sum up my little guy by quoting Real Man.

About a month or two ago, we were at dinner and Baby Monkey said something that was typical of his usual dinner chatter.

I don’t remember what it was, but I do remember Real Man’s comment.

He said, “Baby Monkey…how is it that everything you do is tinged with awesomeness?”

And that is the perfect way to describe Baby Monkey.

There’s a little awesome in every single thing that kid says and does.

Everything.

I love him.

And that’s all there is to it.

February 10, 2012

Five Question Friday

Filed under: Uncategorized — Amy @ 6:00 am

So, we’re going to alternate our Frugal Fridays with Five Question Fridays and anything else I decide to throw in on a Friday!

Why?

Because I can.

1. How often do you shave your legs in the winter?

Um, not often.

There.

I said it.

2. Valentine’s Day cards for your spouse: funny or romantic?
One of each.
Can’t resist.
3. What are you most looking forward to about spring?
Going to the park with the kids.
I think I love parks more than they do.
This spring, however, there will be much more activity for me than there has been in the past few years, as I will have to chase around Tiny, but that’s okay.
We’ll be outside!
4. What’s your favorite way to pamper yourself?
I think we’ve discussed this in another Five Question Friday.
I love when it’s time to get my hair done.
I sit in the chair, let them wash my hair, foil me up, sit under the dryer, all the while reading a book and not speaking and not having anyone speak to me.
My hair stylist knows this is my quiet time and respects it.
I leave looking better, feeling better, and completely rested.
5. Does your tax return go into savings or do you spend it instantly?
Ahahahahaha….
I’d love a tax return to do anything with!
If we ever got one, we’d save it.

February 9, 2012

Ka-Ra-Tay

Filed under: Uncategorized — Amy @ 6:00 am
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So, Monkey in the Middle and Baby Monkey are taking Karate this winter.

It is through the town rec program, so it’s not like they are at a dojo, or anything, but it’s still a full karate program.

As with all things, Monkey in the Middle is into it and working to learn his moves and is ready to kick some butt.

Baby Monkey is just along for the ride.

It’s fun to take them (although I am very grateful when Real Man offers to take them, as well) because you never quite know what you are going to see.

Like a sparring match up between Baby Monkey (one of the smallest guys in the class) and the sensei, one of the tallest people I’ve ever seen.

But don’t you worry…

Baby Monkey showed him a thing or two.

Of course, the real reason either of these boys ever want to go to karate is because the sensei ends each class with a game of dodge ball.

With karate helmets.

They’ve each got the strategy down.

Stay in the back and be invisible.

Monkey in the Middle does get aggressive and starts playing a mean game of dodge ball with helmets.

Baby Monkey needs to be prompted to play, and yet, he almost always winds up as the last one out there.

It’s always a good time, watching them get down with their karate selves.

Last week, the boys came home after being at karate with Real Man and wanted to show me their new moves.

“Bully me, Daddy!  Bully me, Daddy!” they were yelling.

“Huh?” was my response.

So, Real Man showed me how they learned two different ways to break away from an attacker, and they were adorable doing it, and it made me feel really good to know that they knew how to defend themselves or how to get away in a dangerous situation.

So, karate…

…adorable AND potentially life-saving!

February 8, 2012

Wordless Wednesday

Filed under: Wordless Wednesday — Amy @ 6:00 am
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Okay, a few words.

It’s jumpy at first, but it gets better.

Other than that…it leaves me speechless.  They are nuts.  All of ’em.

February 7, 2012

Truthful Tuesday

Filed under: Truthful Tuesday — Amy @ 6:00 am
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“I don’t know how you do it,” is a phrase I hear a lot.

When I hear it, I smile and say “I have really good kids and a really supportive husband,” because it’s the truth.

Then they say “Yeah, but still, I don’t know how you do it.”

I often wonder what exactly this “IT” is that they think I do.

And I certainly hope that “IT” doesn’t equal “ALL” because I don’t do it all.

One of the blogs I read, “Tiny Twig Goes Out on a Limb,” covered this very topic, last week, and I thought she did a beautiful job.

You can read her take on doing it all here.

As for me, I certainly don’t do it all, either.

Here are my contributions to Tiny Twig’s list:

1.  I don’t deep clean my house.  In fact, I have a cleaning lady that comes every other week.  She scrubs, she shines, and does the deep cleaning I could be doing instead of hanging with the monkeys when I get home from work.  Let’s be honest…we’re in the midst of play season.  Add that to my teaching day, plus piano, and I’m leaving at 7:15 in the morning and not walking in the door again until 5:30, sometimes 6:00.  I wanna play Wii tennis or chess or cut stuff out of construction paper with the monkeys.  I don’t want to have to deep clean the house.  So, for about 3 hours, once every two weeks, my house is sparkling clean.  The rest of the time, it’s clean enough.

2.  This brings me to point number two.  I love to play games and do stuff with the monkeys.  I do.  But, I don’t want anyone thinking that’s all I do when I’m home.  I would think that’s evident just from the mere fact that I write this blog, which takes up a bit of time.  But I also like to read, to run on the treadmill, to play the piano, and do other things to relax, and a lot of these things don’t involve my kids.  My children are my life.  But, my children aren’t my life.  I have other interests, as well as being a Mom, and I think that’s just fine.  On Facebook the other day, my Mom posted that she called here to talk to Baby Monkey and while they were on the phone, he called over his shoulder to his siblings, “I could use a little quiet, here.”  He got that from me.

3.  This comes as no surprise to regular readers, but I suck at laundry.  I simply cannot stay on top of it.  Can. Not. Do. It.  In fact, (and this is absolutely no joke), if I knew someone I could hire to do our laundry, I would.  I don’t like spending money, but this would be somewhere I would absolutely spend my money.  I hate it.  I don’t know why I hate it so much.  It’s not the washing or the drying.  It’s the folding, hanging and putting away.  And the fact that I’m doing laundry for 6.  So, we’re all always looking for this shirt or those pants and my answer is always, “It’s probably still dirty.”  And sometimes, we wear it dirty.

4.  I don’t do it all, because I don’t have to.  I have an incredible husband and we’re a team. You want to talk about someone who does it all?  Talk about a single Mom.  My friend, Jodi, does it all and does it by herself and does it beautifully.  She’s who I look up to.

So, these are just a few of the things that I don’t do, or even that I don’t do well.

No one does it all.

No one should even try.

I do the best that I can and try not to beat myself up over the stuff I’m not doing as well as someone else is doing it.

Because, odds are, I’m probably a rock star at something they are struggling with.

February 6, 2012

If You Give a Mom an Hour

Filed under: Uncategorized — Amy @ 6:00 am
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So, as I wrote my post about my brain not shutting off while I was trying to sleep, the other night, I was reminded of the “If You Give a  Mouse a Cookie” books.  Several people commented that that post reminded them of the books, as well.

I decided to go ahead and give a stab at actually writing a post along the lines of the books.

So, here’s what might happen…

If You Give a Mom an Hour

If Dad takes the kids to the park and you give a Mom an hour…

She’s going to want a cup of tea.

She’ll turn on the tea kettle and reach for a mug in the cabinet.

Except, there won’t be any mugs.

So she’ll open the dishwasher that is full of clean dishes, because her daughter (whose chore it is to unload) hasn’t gotten around to emptying it yet.

She’ll pull out the mug, and then spot the dirty dishes in the sink, and decide to empty and reload the dishwasher.

When she’s done, she’ll go to sit down to wait for the kettle, and as she walks to the table, her foot will crunch on a Cheerio.

She’ll grab the broom from the laundry room and sweep the kitchen floor.

As she empties the dustpan into the garbage, she’ll notice that it’s pretty full, and she’ll take it out to the trash bins.

As she walks back into the house, she’ll notice a tricycle, left in a corner of the driveway.

When she wheels it back to it’s spot in the garage, she’ll find her 5 year old’s baseball cap.

She’ll pick it up and take it inside, and up to his room, tripping on a toy on the stairs.

After dropping off the hat, she’ll pick up the toy and take it to the basement, discovering the empty popcorn bowl from the night before.

As she brings the bowl to the kitchen, she’ll turn off the kettle, knowing it’s about to whistle, will grab a tea bag, and will pour the hot water into her mug.

She’ll know it’s too hot to drink, so she’ll turn to the pantry to find something to nibble on with her tea and will find an empty box of 100 Calorie snack packs.

She’ll break down the cardboard and will notice two empty cereal boxes on the counter, so she’ll break those down, too.

As she carries them to the laundry room, where the cardboard is kept, the dryer will buzz, and she’ll pull out the clothes and hang them, quickly, before they wrinkle.

Then, she’ll move the clothes from the washer into the dryer and realize she forgot to get the basket of dirty clothes from her room.

So, she’ll trudge back upstairs and head to her bedroom.

As she grabs the laundry basket, she’ll notice that someone probably crawled into her bed to watch television and she needs to remake the bed.

While she’s making the bed, she’ll step on an empty inhaler that she probably dropped there, in the night, after using it.

She’ll look in her nightstand to see if she has another, and when she realizes she doesn’t, she’ll quickly call the pharmacy to renew the prescription.

When she hangs up the phone, she’ll see her iPad and remember that she was in the middle of a good part in her book (on the Nook) when she fell asleep last night, so she’ll put the iPad on top of the laundry in the basket and bring it downstairs with her.

She’ll load up the washer, pick up the iPad, and walk back to the counter.

Her tea will be just the right temperature for drinking, so she’ll take the iPad and the tea to the living room, and as she sinks into the comfy couch, the front door will open.

“Mom!  We’re home!”

February 5, 2012

Babbling or Brilliance?

Filed under: Posts with Video — Amy @ 6:00 am
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Okay, okay…I realize it’s probably just baby babbling that sounds like a sentence.

Like when Monkey Girl was a few months old and Real Man said “I love you” while changing her and she replied “Love you!”

Or, she replied “Uh Ooh” and as first time parents, we were sure she was speaking real words to her Daddy.

Or, she was a genius.

Anyway…

On Tuesday, Tiny was sick and was grumpy for most of the day.

He hadn’t napped more than a half hour at his sitters, and napped for only a few minutes in the car on the way to the doctor.

By bedtime, he was a grumpy mess.

So, I decided to text Helena, his amazing sitter, a “night-night” video message.

I held up my phone, prompted him to say “night-night,” thinking he would wave his arm at her like he does when he says goodbye, or hello, or night-night, or stop it, or that’s funny, or hey, that’s my toy, or anything else he wants to say excitedly.

Instead, apparently, he told her he wanted to go to bed.

Listen.

 

February 4, 2012

No Rest for the Weary

Filed under: Uncategorized — Amy @ 6:00 am
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As I write this, I am in the middle of Night #3 of no sleep for me.

Night #1 was due to a 3 am rendezvous with Tiny.

Night #2 and Night #3…it’s all me.

Can’t blame Tiny.

In fact,  I can hear him sawing a whole forest of logs in there, right now.

I’ve tried…I really have.

But, I can’t turn my mind off.

I start thinking about something funny that happened at work.

Which reminds me of the papers I need to grade at work.

Which reminds me that my grades need to be entered into the system at work, so I really need to finish grading those papers so I can get the grades done in my grading program and then transfer them to the report card system.

Which makes me think that maybe I should just get out the computer and start working on it.

Which reminds me of the Social Studies project that Monkey Girl was borrowing my laptop to complete tonight.

Which makes me smile because I remember how much fun I had cleaning the kitchen while she was working on the project, just chatting away.

Which reminds me that we really need to sweep the kitchen more often, because Tiny is now a crawler and will put absolutely anything that he can pinch between those impossibly small fingers into his mouth.

Which makes me envision the laundry room, off of the kitchen, where the broom is kept.

Which makes me a little nauseous because, aside from the broom, I am also envisioning the sickening loads of laundry that are in there, just waiting to be dealt with.

Which makes me remember that all 3 big kids have “Sports Day” tomorrow, and they all want to wear Giant jerseys.

Which makes me a little upset, because I wanted to wear my Giants jersey to school tomorrow, but Monkey Girl is going to borrow it, so I have to think of a Plan B.

Which makes me nauseous, again, because now I’m mentally going through my closet, and in that closet is a laundry basket full of laundry that needs to be done.

Which reminds me that tomorrow is Friday, which starts the weekend, and I’m hoping to get the laundry squared away this weekend.

Which makes my neck tense, because it makes me think about the fact that the Christmas tree is still up.

Which makes me smile because it reminds me of Christmas and how much fun the monkeys had.

Which makes me get a little tic because, in thinking about Christmas presents, I realize that we are now in February, and all 4 monkeys have birthdays this month, which means lots of parties to plan and presents to buy.

Which reminds me I have to transfer some money from savings into checking to pay some bills tomorrow.

Which makes me wonder if Real Man is getting paid this week or next week.

Which makes me remember that Monkey in the Middle wants to buy a snack a lunch tomorrow, with his own money, instead of having me pack one.

Which makes me worry that I don’t remember where I moved his wallet last time he left it out on the counter.

Which makes me think of the kitchen and the mess on the counter.

Which reminds me of the mess on the floor.

Which makes me think of Tiny and makes me listen to him sawing wood in his crib, over the monitor.

Which finally makes me sleepy.

Okay, I think I’m good now.

February 3, 2012

Frugal Friday

Filed under: Frugal Friday — Amy @ 6:00 am
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My apologies in advance for the clumpy format.  WordPress is testing my patience today, and, much like Charlie Sheen, is winning.
In the month of February, I thought I’d try something new with our Friday time together.  And so, Frugal Friday is born!
On Frugal Fridays, I’ll talk about ways that I save money around here, but also ways to make some extra money.
I decided to start, today, with making some money, so that we’d have some money to save in the weeks ahead.
One of the ways that I make a little extra cash is by selling things on eBay.  Old electronics, old clothes, books, movies.
I’m not making enough to send anyone to college, but I do have the money put directly in our PayPal account, which then is used to order birthday and Christmas gifts online.
It works out nicely.
For a long time, however, I wasn’t very good at eBay.  My stuff didn’t sell, and I was annoyed.
So, I went to the one person I know who is an eBay expert.
My friend, Jen.
Among her many talents (one of which is writing a very funny blog called Who Died and Made You Boss? ) is being a bit of an eBay guru.
With Jen’s help, I started making some real money with eBay, so I decided to ask Jen to be the first person to write for me on Frugal Friday.
Read on to see our Q&A session to get some of Jen’s best advice for becoming a successful eBayer!
1.  How did you get started with eBay?
   I started in 1999 just buying things.  I eventually worked the nerve up to try to sell something. I honestly can’t remember the first thing I sold, but I know I was pretty much hooked from there. I remember one of the first few things I sold was a VHS tape that was still in the plastic. I was selling it because it was never watched and it was given to my husband at the time by an ex girlfriend.  That was an easy choice. I figured I would get a few bucks for it. However, I couldn’t have been more wrong! That stupid video tape sold for $75!!!! No kidding. If I wasn’t hooked already, I was now!!!
2.  What types of items do you find sell the best?
   Anything and everything. You would be surprised at the things people would buy. If you own it, 99% chance someone else is looking for it.
3.  Where do you get your items to sell?
   Hmmmmmm, I don’t know if I should give away all my secrets, but I will tell you some of the most common places. Obviously I start in my own house. I make piles of things I will sell, donate or throw away. It only makes the sell pile if I feel it will make it worth my while. If not, it’s getting donated so someone else who really needs it can get it cheap.
   I hit garage sales every weekend. I am picky about garage sales. But when I find a good one, I clean house. For instance, last summer I had to waste time before my daughter’s softball game. So I went driving around and that day I made a killing. I found Coach purses for $8, resold them for $40 or more. I found brand new, still with the tags, Vera Bradley bags for $10.  I resold those for $45 or more. I stopped at a rummage sale and bought designer clothes for $1 a piece. I resold these starting at $20.
   Whenever I am driving, I always look at the curbs when people have piles. I won’t stop unless I see something I know is collectible or expensive. I found a Lionel train set still in the box from the 1970’s. The man was cleaning out his basement, getting rid of all his grown kids toys. I can’t remember what I resold that for, but even if it sold for $10, it was pure profit!
   I also sell on consignment. People give me their items to sell on eBay and I agree to sell it for a percentage of the selling price. That way the person makes money on their item and I make money for doing all the work.
   Finally, I hit sales at department stores. You can make a fortune off a clearance rack. Remember that! If you want to at least double your money, shop the clearance racks at department stores.  Love their change of season sales! They sell off the summer stuff when it’s still summer!! It’s all profit for you!
4.  About how much do you make per month selling items on eBay?
   This is a tricky one. It all depends on what I sell and how much I sell. I can have a great month and make $800 (in profit) or a crappy month and only make $200.  No matter what, though, I never make less than $200 a month. This is after I subtract the eBay and PayPal fees and the cost of the item if I bought it to resell. If you make eBay into a full time job, you could make anything you want. There are people who live off their eBay profits. I’m not one of them, but there are a lot more out there than you think.
5.  What would be your top 3 tips for selling on eBay?
My top 3 tips…….I hope I can narrow it down!
Tip #1: Take great pictures! Not good pictures, GREAT pictures. The better the picture, the better the profit. You have to make sure you have good lighting. Who wants to buy a purse from you when it’s hard to see the purse in the dark picture? Not me! Also, take a picture of every angle of your item. Let them see you aren’t trying to hide anything. If there is a hole, take a picture of it. If there is a stain, take a picture. If there are special embellishments, take close ups. Think like a buyer.  And please, no blurry shots. Really…who wants to get sick from trying to look at a blurry picture? That’s annoying and I won’t buy from you. I want to know you aren’t trying to pass off junk as new in a blurry shot!
Tip #2: Write detailed descriptions. You write the heck out of that shirt.  You talk that thing up like its the best shirt that was ever made. BUT, you also be honest. Again, always let the buyer know about flaws, holes, tears, stains, etc.  Because  if you don’t, when they get it, they will file a complaint with eBay. You can either choose to refund them on your own or eBay will refund them for you whether you want to or not. So always be honest and very detailed.
Tip #3: Ship right away! If you sold it on Monday night, have it at the post office Tuesday. Buyers do not want to wait for their purchase. Don’t be lazy. Just package it up, print your shipping label using eBay and drop it in a mailbox.  How easy is that?!?!
Here’s an extra tip, I won’t charge you for it either……..
Use USPS Priority Mail boxes. They are FREE! You order them online and your freakin’ mailman delivers them right to your door. This way you aren’t spending all your profits on shipping materials. If you are selling just a few items, and do not need 10 or more boxes, go to the post office and grab some there. Also flat rate shipping is great. If it fits, it ships. I ship all my jeans in flat rate envelopes. This way buyers are paying for fast shipping at a cheap rate. Buyers hate over inflated shipping charges. So be fair, don’t try to make a profit off of shipping. It will only bite you in the ass and screw with your feedback rating.
So, there you have it!  Jen’s best advice.
Give it a try, make some cash!  Then, next week we’ll talk about how to make the most of that money!
Jen is a stay at home mom of 4 kids ranging in age from 13 to 2.   She has to stay sane somehow by having a hobby, and her hobby of choice is eBay. Her kids are scared to leave things out, because they think she will sell it!  She tells them all the time, “take care of your crap or it’s going on eBay.”   Nothing scares a kid into cleaning up their toys more than threatening to sell them. And the great thing is, they know she’s not full of empty threats; she’ll do it!  😉

February 2, 2012

Sick

Filed under: Uncategorized — Amy @ 6:00 am

I’m sick.

I’m tired.

There is nothing, nothing that could make me smile today.

Except for the fact that when I was putting away Tiny’s laundry, he was crawling around on his bedroom floor, crawled over to his crib, reached out, touched it, turned to me, shook his head and said very, very seriously, “No-no, Ni-ni.  No-no, Ni-ni.”

That made me smile.

I picked him up, assured him that it was not, in fact, time for “night-night,” and was rewarded with a kiss.

A Tiny kiss, which is an open-mouthed, drooly, boogery, slop-fest on your cheek.

And that made me laugh.

Kids.

Good stuff.

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