{ raindrops on roses... }

...and whiskers on kittens. Perhaps you just envisioned Julie Andrews frolicking through tall grasses (a.k.a. weeds) singing about the hills being alive. Now I may not have the best eyesight in the world, but thanks to corrective lenses I can assure you- those hills are MOUNTAINS. There's no need to call them hills. I know that in the Midwest they call their hills mountains, but having lived next to the rocky mountains for the majority of my life has made me somewhat of an expert on what type of "mound" qualifies to be ever-so classified under "mountain". The dictionary defines a mountain as: a natural elevation of the earth's surface rising more or less abruptly to a summit, and attaining an altitude greater than that of a hill, usually greater than 2000 ft.

I think those "hills" behind Julie Andrews qualify.

But I want to move on to another subject in that lovely movie. My Favorite Things. Which I am pretty tired of hearing every Christmas 'cuz it's Not A Christmas Song!!! Oh well. But while thinking upon that, I decided to make my own list of

Favorite Things In the Whole Wide World:

1. Unseen utensil found when turning on disposal *nice*
2. Have a 7lb baby, but come out of the hospital only 5lbs lighter *hmmmm*
3. The lovely film left on the stove after rice overflows *my favorite*
4. Billy Mayes voice *why does he have to shout?*
5. The urge to pee EVERY time I start to rinse the dishes in warm water... *it's been going on since I was 7*
6. The new Geico commercials *because not just ANYONE can come up with sticking googly eyes on a wad of money- those are some pretty creative experts in their ad department*
7. My HOA *'nuff said*
8. The parking "sheriffs" the before mentioned association hired *I better not get started*
9. Items that I forget are NOT dishwasher safe until it's too late *Love. It.*
10. My independent 2 year old who fills the glass PAST the point of overflowing *and keeps on pourin'*
11. Waking up to find my daughter pulled off her diaper and peed on her bed, the carpet, and the blanket trunk *how can a 2 year old bladder HOLD so MUCH????*
12. Finding out that the same child pulled off her diaper when more than liquids were involved *I think she was just making sure my GAG reflexes still worked- rest assured that they are Fully Functional*
13. Fingerprints on DVD's *you betcha*
14. The word "NO" *which seems to come out of my son's mouth Way Too Frequently these days*
15. The pants hanging in the mall window that No Normal Sized Person Could EVER Wear *and the teenage girls complaining they have to wear a size 2 now- cry me a river and name it Mississippi*
16. Murphy. And his stupid law *who put him in charge of that anyway?*
17. Adult acne *why does this even EXIST?? There should be a law and Murphy BETTER NOT be in charge of it*
18. Artificial sweetener *just give me the real stuff- I'd rather be fat than dead*
19. When Presidential speeches are on EVERY blasted channel and make me miss my show *I got stuck watching the weather channel............. riveting*
20. Stepping in a puddle of something when you have socks on *and with a 2 year old, that could be Anything*

And those are just a FEW of my FAVORITE things. There's more. Shall I continue?

Toothpaste on mirrors and white hairs from kittens
Banging copper kettles and warm unknown liquids
My two and my six year old tied up with strings
These are a few of my favorite things

Colored on ponies dipped in crisp apple streudels
Doorbells and phone calls while you're trying to eat noodles
Pigeons that fly with who-knows-what on their wings
These are a few of my favorite things

Girls that should never wear little white dresses
Boys that cut off sister's long, curly tresses
Silver white winters make mud in the spring
These are a few of my favorite things

When the kid bites
Then there's door dings
When I want to curse-
I simply remember my favorite things
And think it could be much worse!

[BTW- Thanks to those who voted on the shoe cost! Sadly, no one was able to guess the actual cost. I Paid 2 Bucks For Them. YAY!!!! I could not pass that up. And for those of you wondering where-in-the-heck-I-found-them, my secret weapon is Ross. You have to be patient, but you'll find all sorts of treasures there. ]

{ camryn's corner }

Yes, it's the beginning of the week! Check out Camryn's cute story she posted. It is an extremely relate-able story. So click on the mean mommy link and ENJOY!

{ children and trash cans }

Children are ExPeNsIvE!!! And I'm not talking about the usual going through 3 trillion diapers in one month, or the excessive amount of cereal it takes to feed a 6 year old, or the obnoxious amount of fruit snacks we purchase that have the capability of feeding the entire African Nation.

Oh no... I'm talking about the little things that our children do that seem to cost more than a dollar amount. It costs us our Sanity. It's the oatmeal/ DVD player engagement, the baseball/TV encounter or the marker/wall affair.But being a piano teacher, I did feel a small sense of pride when I saw the up-side-down bass clef sign in the midst of my daughter's work of art:

Here is a PERFECT story to further illustrate My Point.

Once upon a time my son needed new pants. As we all know, children grow faster than my rear during pregnancy. And being of the male nature, there were holes in the knees of the ones that DID fit. So we make a special trip to an outlet store and I purchase 2 high quality (but majorly discounted) jeans. So, being proud of my savings-of-the-day, we went home. The next day, he chose to wear the ones that came with the snazzy belt. As we are walking out the door to go to school, he has to run to the bathroom. And as we all know AGAIN, when a 6 year old needs to pee, they aren't kidding and it has do be done NOW. My son seems to think that playing, no, make that ANYTHING is more important than the occasional run to the restroom. You may have seen it before with your children. I call it The Potty Dance. It's the running up and down the hall, the physical hold (ew, I know) and the sitting and bouncing (or rocking) from side to side. And then when he finally decides that he can't hold it any longer, he runs to the bathroom (dancing as he pulls down his pants) and goes. But he's held it for sooo long that it doesn't make it into the water at first. It Bursts out all over the back of the toilet, the wall, the shower curtain, floor or anything else with in aiming distance. I don't think he'd do well in the army 'cuz I'm pretty sure you don't get points for friendly fire. And we all know now that he can't aim under pressure.

Back to the story. So as he fumbles with his belt, the thought crosses my mind "You should probably take that off for school, just in case". But he barely made it so I told myself he'll be fine- ignoring The Voice Of Warning. Take a moment to snicker.

He gets home from school in a different pair of pants, but I can't deal with it at that moment- I have to teach piano. So after I finish, I call the school to see if they're open, but they're not and it's a Friday so I must wait until Monday to try again. I ask my son what happened (knowing full well he had an accident- this would not be the first time) and where he left his new pants. To my HORROR he told me this: "I threw them in the trash can." Of course you did. Monday comes. I comb the school, retracing his Friday steps, hoping that he got a little confused and meant to say he threw them in the ART ROOM. Yeah. Right. No pants. And believe me, I was almost tempted to go dumpster diving, but the trash was picked up on Saturday.

Brand new, never been worn before pants.

And then he lost his coat at school, but we found it a week and a half later. Luckily I told him, after the pants incident, that I refused to buy him a replacement for anything else he lost at school. This time I heeded The Voice Of Warning.

So that is why I love it when I find an amazing deal! It fills me with a sense of PRIDE and ACCOMPLISHMENT and I feel that I must share it with the whole and entire world. So here is my bargain basement deal of the day:How much would you guess that I purchased these fabulous [originally $40] shoes for?

{Click the link on the right to submit your guess}

And to tie in my "shoe" theme, I must also share another fabulous find.
These shoes were originally $50. I purchased them for $16.99 [a savings of 75%]. Woo-hoo!

Okay, so I have one more bargain basement deal. Which means I must change my "shoe" theme to a "leather" theme. I purchased this leather vintage trench coat for a mere $10. Yes, you read that right, I did not forget a zero somewhere.

I must confess that I love playing this game. I also love it when I get in a "Those are so cute! I got mine for $40! Isn't that an amazing deal? How mush did yours cost?" conversation where I can smirk and say: "$17". It's a moment straight out of the movie "The Perfect Man" (yes, I did watch it- I didn't want to, they MADE me watch it- they placed me in a dark room, gagged me and tied me to a chair) where Hillary Duff goes to school in an outfit I can't quite figure out and got into a who-got-their-boots-cheaper-war. She won with a got-them-out-of-a-dumpster sneak-attack! And you will never catch me saying this about Hillary Duff again, but that's my kinda girl! [The free boots part and not the dumpster-diving part.]
Soooo.......

FACT:

It is completely possible to be trendy and frugal-ish at the exact same time.
All while raising kids.
{Just make sure you never send your 6 year old to school wearing a belt.}

{ extra credit }

Do you need extra credit for being a mom?  Let us know by leaving us comments here at mma and over at mmu- we may just award you with one of these beauties...

{ camryn's corner }

Head on over to Camryn's Corner of the Mean Mommy World- she just posted!

{click on the link to the right}

{ i'm (not so much) lovin' it}

I must ask, how many of you have purchased a kid's meal from any fast-food establishment?
(Please raise your hand)

Now, how many of you have kept the toy that came with said kid meal?
(If you haven't, please put your hand down. If you have, please keep it up)

Out of those who are left, how many own MULTIPLE toys?

It is to those of you who are left that I am writing to.
(Especially if you can see of those toys Right Now from where you are sitting)

Here's my beef. These kid's meals usually have 4 to 8 different toys in their "themes", right? So why is it that EVERY time we go, we get THE EXACT SAME FREAKIN' TOY??!!! (Apparently our local McDonalds only stocked Country Clay)It doesn't matter how we plan it.

Is it every week that they rotate? Is it every other day? I wish they would have a "TOY CALENDAR" that informs us "collectors" of the rotation system. I'm sick and tired of owning multiple Kung-Fu Panda's (and ONLY the Panda), the same orange and pink Polly Pocket, etc.

(I know it's a sales trick. To keep me coming back. I have bee sucked into their lies for quite some time now.)

And WHY is it that we always get the LAME-O toy out of the bunch????? At least if we were going to get multiples, let it be the COOL one! Once there was a not-to-be-names fast food chain that advertised a new theme with COOL toys! Yay! So we went, purchased our meals, and went home. A few days later we were out and about when we decided to stop and get lunch. Excited that even if we got the exact same toy, it would still be heralded in the Hall of Cool...

BUT OH, NO! They didn't even have that "theme" anymore and we got a cardboard something or other that was to go down in history as Lameness to the Maximus. A toy that was from, I swear, last year. How can you be out of COOL toys in say, oh, I don't know, 3 DAYS?!!

Soooooo, instead of keeping our collections, I have now decided to throw away the "multiple" and (to the horror of some) the "singles". I am tired of waking up in the night because a wee one of mine has had a bad dream, or needs liquid refreshment, only to step on a "multiple" of "single" and SCREAM out in pure agony because of the sensitivity of my feet. No, cursing's don't leave my mouth because I am too busy CRYING. It is a trait that I have been ashamed of in the past, but now that the rating level in our home has been set to G, it has been a blessing. So as I am sobbing, I look down only to see one of the MANY remarkably sharp edged kid's toy that I sooo Loath. And of course it's the oh-so-not-cool-one.Why do I not throw them away the minute I get them, you may ask. Let me tell you: It is because my children KNOW that a new-special-something is waiting for them in the bag, and YES I use it to my advantage. I threaten that I will not open said delight until they have eaten EVERY bite of their meal. It works. My children eat. Which means I HAVE to let them play with it. And it doesn't matter where it ranks on my "Cool Meter", it is cherished and loved with every fiber of their beings. (Although I must admit that once I intervened and trashed the "girl" toy because it was just too hideous to be seen in ANY light.)But if I am not compelled to throw away a toy BEFORE it is seen, that night, after they go to sleep, I grab these toys and hide, yes I said HIDE these toys in the trash. But it's not as simple as it may sound, There are VERY important steps to follow:

It has to be covered, but in the middle of the garbage bag and not on the edge, so that when I pull it out, the color of the toy is not seen through the whiteness of the bag. Believe me. It's not fun pulling out a toy from the depths of utter gross-ness because of the wailing's of a child, or cleaning up utter gross-ness because your child has done the diving himself and pulled out everything ABOVE to get to the toy BELOW.

I also recommend that if you still have a little one in diapers, that you shove the toy in a used one, but remember to hide the diaper under papers or something because the toy may still stick out a bit. And every bit of "color" in the trash will attract the curiosity of ANY child. Unless you are confident in your toy-hiding-in-dirt-diaper technique, this step is crucial. I would say that I am at a level 3. It's still gross to me, so I'm not that good at it yet. I have a sensitive gag reflex.

So now you know my System, Feel free to apply it in your own home. You may be rewarded with SANITY. Or at least a little taste of it.

(And it'll save your feet from some pain, too.)