The Thanksgiving dinner food was fantastic and a fun time was had by all! The week was filled with playtime for the kids, adult time, shopping, eating, and even napping. It was perfect! The weather was even surprisingly mild for this time of year.
We stayed with my brother, Cole, and his family in their new house. The house backs up to a cornfield. How cool is that? Cole's son, Aiden, will be able to run amongst corn stalks in the late summer.
Oh, I have some excellent news to share! If you remember, several months ago Cole's wife, Madeline, miscarried their second child in the 7th week of her pregnancy. That miscarriage has been a tough thing for them to get through. But we learned this past week that she is pregnant again! It's very early in her pregnancy (she's not due until early July) and they were hesitant to share the news, even with family, but they did. I'm glad they did because now I can keep that unborn child in my prayers. I so hope that Madeline's pregnancy is successful and that the baby arrives healthy in July. The baby is due right around Aiden's 3rd birthday!
Of course, the days we were with my side of the family flew by all too quickly. I didn't even have time to blog as much as I expected. Oh how I wished I lived closer to my side of the family!
So, how was your Thanksgiving? Did you go out of town to be with family or did you get to stay at home?
And now, for a few pictures to be shared:
10/06- Snuggle Bug playing with rocks in Mexico. 
11/22/06- Snuggle Bug playing with his NE cousins. All 3 boys were born in '04!
11/24/06- Snuggle Bug at a Husker tailgate party.
11/27/06- Snuggle Bug with his 2 cousins, reading a story.
Labels: baby, celebration, family, holiday, home, memories, photos, Snuggle Bug
It's time to post yet another WFMW tip.Early this month I offered a Quick & Healthy Toddler food list and in return I got a lot of great food ideas from those of you that shared in the comments section.
As a follow up to that post, I'd now like to offer a How to get your toddler to eat more healthy foods list. This list, from one of the many parenting websites out there, deals more with techniques rather than food ideas. For example, one of the suggestions is to Go to the Source. Take your toddler on an outing to an orchard, berry farm, or dairy so he can see where the food that he eats and the milk he drinks comes from. At this age he won't truly understand the concept, but the experience might inspire him to try something he wouldn't otherwise be interested in. I did this! I took Snuggle Bug apple picking and that day he ate several apples that he picked from the trees himself. Previous to this outing, he had no interest in apples, no matter how often I offered them to him. Now, he asks for them!
If you'd like a copy of this 2 page list of techniques, just leave me your email and I'll send it to you. I promise not to use your email for spam purposes.
If you'd like to share something that works for you, please leave me a comment. And be sure to link yourself over at Shannon's, the creator of Works-For-Me Wednesday.
My past WFMW entries:
Reindeer Puppet
Grocery Game website
No Fear Shakespeare
list of age appropriate children's chores
linking within comments
baptism gift
creating blogger categories
alternate use for pot rack
cake decorating tips
unique way to stay connected
cake baking tip
comforts of home while traveling
quenching the thirst of your little one
pie crust made in bulk
hot chocolate kicked up a notch
Labels: health, toddler, Works-For-Me Wednesday
Traveling to get here was time consuming, but thankfully there were no delays, our luggage was waiting for us, and Snuggle Bug was a fantastic little traveler! He played, slept twice on the 2 flights we took, and had a wonderful time watching all the planes take-off during our 3 hour layover.
Being home with my family has been fantastic thus far! The weather is mild for this time of the year. Snuggle Bug is right now playing with 5 of his 6 cousins. My older sister's house is a tangled jungle of toys strewn all about the house, but the kids are having a blast! Thankfully, Snuggle Bug has shown no signs of shyness around his aunts, uncles, and cousins thus far. He just gets in there and plays with the best of them. I'm getting some cute pictures which I'll try to post later.
Tomorrow our entire family is getting together for a huge Thanksgiving feast. I can't wait! Of course, naps will follow shortly thereafter. :)
I'm off to eat dinner. More another time!
Have a great Thanksgiving everyone! I'd be interested in seeing some Thanksgiving leftover recipes this Friday for my Favorite Ingredient Friday recipe exchange!
Labels: family, holiday, Snuggle Bug, toddler, vacation
Oronzo, Snuggle Bug, and I are flying to my home state early tomorrow morning, to celebrate Thanksgiving with my side of the family! We'll be there for a whole week.I'm not lining up guest bloggers for this trip because I'm staying with my brother, Cole, and his family and we'll have Internet access, so I'll be able to continue to blog next week. Hooray!
I'm really excited to be going home. I'll be able to hang out with my entire family, as well as some aunts and uncles. I may even have time to visit with some of my college friends while I'm back.
Snuggle Bug will be able to play with his 6 cousins while we're back and his aunts and uncles and grandparents will be able to love on him! Most haven't seen him since last Christmas.
My family has requested two things of Oronzo. First, they want him to make a big pot of his scrumptious Italian marinara sauce. Next, they want him to take professional pictures of each of my family members. These will probably be used as Christmas pictures this year. Oronzo is lugging home some of his camera equipment through the airport. I'm insisting that the 3 of us have our pictures taken as well. Despite the fact that Oronzo is a professional photographer, it's rare that I get a nice picture of the 3 of us.
I wish it weren't so expensive to fly back home. This trip is costing us approximately $660 in airfare alone. After Snuggle Bug turns 2 in late December, it'll cost even more than that because he will no longer be able to travel for free. Yikes! I'm hoping to convince my family to come my way next year for Christmas. We'll see how that goes.
Stay tuned this week for details on how our trip is going. I'm sure we'll have lots of fun!
Labels: celebration, family, holiday, home, Oronzo, Snuggle Bug, vacation
The recipe I'm about to share is from quick and simple to make. It's also a favorite for most kids because it involves pasta and cheese. I guess it's a favorite for parents too because I love that combination!
Ingredients
- 3 cups farfalle (bow-tie pasta), cooked & drained
- 1 jar (14 oz.) spaghetti sauce
- 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese, divided
Preparation
- COMBINE pasta, spaghetti sauce, ricotta cheese, 1/2 cup of the mozzarella cheese and 2 Tbsp. of Parmesan cheese in large skillet or large saucepan.
- COOK on medium heat 10 min. or until heated through, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat.
- SPRINKLE with the remaining 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese and remaining 2 Tbsp. Parmesan cheese; cover. Let stand 5 min. or until mozzarella cheese is melted.
- Serve with mixed green salad for a quick-and-tasty weeknight meal.
- Optional: we like to add sweet Italian sausage, cooked and diced
Snuggle Bug loves this type of pasta dish! If you decide to try it, I hope you will too!
I look forward to seeing your Favorite Ingredients Friday recipe! Don't forget to link your specific recipe post link on Mr. Linky so I can see what's cooking at your house!
Oh, and be sure to put the title of your recipe in parenthesis! It makes it so much quicker for me to go back and search for recipes as I build my weekly menu.
My previous Favorite Ingredients Friday recipes
Scalloped Potatoes
Chocolate Crepes
Chocolate Cream Pie
Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
Caramel Brownies
Peach Banana Daiquiri
Thanks so much for your participation. I do appreciate it!
Labels: cooking, Favorite Ingredients Friday, recipe exchange
It's time to post another WFMW tip. This time Shannon is calling for a Christmas Edition.I'm always on the lookout for fun crafts to do with Snuggle Bug. Granted, since he's not quite 2 years old yet, I usually do most of the work and he has fun making a mess, but that's okay. I got this idea from the Enchanted Learning website.
Paper Bag Reindeer Puppet
Craft Materials:
Paper bags
Deep red (or another color) construction paper
Glue
Scissors
Markers or crayons
Optional (google eyes)
Instructions:
1. Trace two hands on red construction paper. Cut them out. These will be the reindeer's antlers.
2. Fold the two square edges of a paper bag under (at the dotted lines), to form the reindeer's head.
3. You now have the shape of the reindeer's head for the puppet.
4. Glue, tape, or staple the handprints behind the reindeer's head.
5. Cut out eyes from construction paper (or glue on googly eyes). Using red paper, cut out and glue on a large red nose. Glue them to the reindeer's face. Draw a mouth with a marker or crayons.
This project and the Enchanted Learning website works for me!
If you'd like to share something that works for you, please leave me a comment. And be sure to link yourself over at Shannon's, the creator of Works-For-Me Wednesday.
My past WFMW entries:
Quick & Healthy toddler food
Grocery Game website
No Fear Shakespeare
list of age appropriate children's chores
linking within comments
baptism gift
creating blogger categories
alternate use for pot rack
cake decorating tips
unique way to stay connected
cake baking tip
comforts of home while traveling
quenching the thirst of your little one
pie crust made in bulk
hot chocolate kicked up a notch
Labels: Works-For-Me Wednesday
Celebrating my 200th Post!I can't believe it, this is my 200th post! How did that happen? Whew, I just type a lot I guess.
I'm not sure what one does to celebrate a 200th post, but I must confess, I'm feeling a bit emotionally drained today so I'm not sure I'm in the right frame of mind for celebration.
Our research efforts for Adoption #2 are, unfortunately, causing me considerable stress and anxiety at the moment. I foolishly thought that our efforts to adopt a second child would be much easier simply because we are already parents to a beautiful little boy and we have so much blessing in our lives to focus on. If only it were that easy.
The more I research various agencies and now the State, the more confused and distraught I feel. I just don't know what to do!
Do we scramble to get together anywhere from $10,000-$20,000+ to adopt through an agency and have at least the assurance that at some point we'll become parents a second time again (because even if an adoption is disrupted you don't have to ante up again, you just get put back in the pool), and try to let go of my annoyance at having a 3rd party in the form of an agency mediate and control that process?
Or, do we play Russian roulette with the State by going through their foster-to-adopt program where we don't pay fees but we take the chance of having to wait 12-24 months after a child is placed in our home to find out if we get to adopt that child and have even more people involved in our lives and even less control? At the meeting last night I learned that we'd have a 40%-50% of being allowed to adopt a child in a foster-to-adopt program and that we'd have anywhere from 6-7 people involved in our lives on a fairly regular basis up until the child is able to be adopted, if that comes to pass. Of course, the State's first and foremost priority is to re-unite that child with their biological families. I understand that and I believe that this is the way it should be. But that doesn't prevent me from still being very concerned with the emotional damages our entire family would suffer if that came to pass with a child we'd had in our home for an extended length of time was removed on short notice to be returned to their family. Why can't I be okay with this risk like Oronzo is? I want to be okay with this risk but it still terrifies me!
And then there's the private, domestic adoption scenario where we're matched through a family member or a friend, like we were with Snuggle Bug, where we have some people involved in our process, but not nearly as many as the two previous situations I've listed. A private, domestic adoption is the scenario we most desire to have happen, but it's not happening thus far. And even if it does, there are still no guarantees there either. I know, there are no guarantees in life, period.
I think the decision I'm making at this point in time is to not make a decision. I'm feeling too discouraged at the moment. I think I need to spend some time weighing the financial impact (agency adoption) against the emotional impact (State adoption) and try to figure out which one I'm better equipped to handle. I don't know that answer yet.
I can't control all of this, I learned that with Snuggle Bug's adoption. I've done what I can for now with all the research, questioning, and comparing. Now I need to offer it all up to God in prayer and ask Him to lead us to the right decision, the right path for our next adoption journey. Many of you have commented that our next child is out there waiting for us. I believe that. I need to remind myself to have patience and to let God's will be done.
And in the meantime, I'm going to give my little Snuggle Bug all the love and attention that I can and allow myself to take joy and comfort in his sweet natured presence in my life because he is truly a blessing to us.
As always, thank you for listening and thank you for your moral support.
Labels: adoption #2, foster-to-adopt, fostering
As Oronzo and I continue to research our options for Adoption #2 we've decided to attend a meeting tonight to learn more about adopting through the State. We're only interested in exploring the possibility of the State's foster-to-adopt program and even that situation scares me a bit.
Oronzo and I are willing to consider children newborn up to 1 year in age (we want Snuggle Bug to remain the eldest and we want at least a year between our children) and with the foster-to-adopt program we could specify that this age range is the only one we will consider.
Here's what I think I know thus far. If we go through the State, we will be matched with at risk children, children that have been removed from their biological families due to drug exposure or abuse of some kind. In the foster-to-adopt program, we have to accept that the number one goal of the State is reunification with the child's family of origin. I believe they give most parents at least a year to take advantage of the resources offered by the State to stabilize their lives and become able to provide a safe and loving environment for their children placed in foster care.
During this year, we as foster-to-adopt parents would be required to take the children to supervised visits with their parents (the frequency varies but I've heard twice a week is typical). We would also take the children to any therapy or doctor's appointments that the State deems necessary. And, of course, we would provide this child with a stable and loving home environment and help them to cope and heal from the trauma they've been through.
If after a year, or whatever pre-determined length of time set by the State, the parents haven't been able to stabilize their lives and become able to provide a safe and loving environment for their children, then their rights are severed and then we'd be allowed to proceed with the adoption of the child that has been living during that time.
My heart is attempting to persuade me to seriously consider this course because there are so many children that need and deserve the loving home environment that we could offer.
My mind struggles as I consider this option. It's not the at risk children that concerns me. I feel Oronzo and I are up to some of those challenges caused either by drug exposure or abuse. What concerns me is the length of time that it would take for it to be determined whether or not we'd be allowed to proceed with an adoption. I'm so afraid that we'd have a child in our home for a year to two years, loving and bonding with that child, and then be told we have to return the child to it's parents.
I know, I know that the best scenario is for that child to be with it's biological parents. My mind understands that. But how would my heart be able to cope with the possibility of loving a child for that long and then loosing them? Could I bear that?
Oronzo, bless his heart, is already at peace with the possibility of this scenario. In his mind, he would love that child with every fiber of his being for as long as he had that child. And if that child was returned to his/her parents, he said he could cope with that.
Oronzo has said he will support my decision even if I decide that I'm not emotionally ready to consider a foster-to-adopt option. We're going to a meeting tonight hosted by a State-contracted agency because I want to make an educated decision, not just a fear-based decision.
If anyone has adopted through the State, I'd appreciate your insight. And as we weigh all our adoption options, I would appreciate your prayers and encouragement! :)
Labels: adoption, adoption #2, family, foster-to-adopt, fostering
The recipe I'm about to share is from a college boyfriend's mother. I know, it's a bit convoluted. Barb was a wonderful cook and, during that time, I loved it when my boyfriend took me to his parent's house for dinner. Barb was kind enough to share many of her recipes with me and over 15 years later I still treasure them!
Here's one of my favorites from Barb. Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 6-8 potatoes (sliced thin)
- 1/2 onion (diced)
- 1 can evaporated milk
- 1/2 to 3/4 cup flour
- parsley and/or dill weed
- 1 stick butter
Preparation
- Layer sliced potatoes, 4-5 pats of butter, and onions, seasoned with salt and pepper to taste, in 9x11 casserole dish. Repeat layering until all potatoes are used.
- Heat evaporated milk and 1 can of water together in the microwave.
- Sprinkle 1/2 to 3/4 cup flour on top of layered potatoes.
- Pour hot milk mixture over the potatoes (just covering them).
- Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 1 hour.
- Optional: put shredded cheese on top and bake for 10 more minutes or until cheese is melted.
Wow, my mouth is watering just thinking about these scalloped potatoes. They're always so yummy!
I look forward to seeing your Favorite Ingredients Friday recipe! Don't forget to link your specific recipe post link on Mr. Linky so I can see what's cooking at your house!
Oh, and be sure to put the title of your recipe in parenthesis! It makes it so much quicker for me to go back and search for recipes as I build my weekly menu.
My previous Favorite Ingredients Friday recipes
Chocolate Crepes
Chocolate Cream Pie
Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
Caramel Brownies
Peach Banana Daiquiri
Thanks so much for your participation. I do appreciate it!
Labels: Favorite Ingredients Friday
Time to participate again in the slow cooker recipe exchange that Sandra over at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom hosts each week. This one satisfies my craving for warm and hearty soup in the winter and fall months. It's a quick and easy recipe and quite yummy! :)
Ingredients:
- 2 cans (16 oz) whole kernel corn, drained
- 3 to 4 medium potatoes, chopped
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- pepper to taste
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 2 cups whole milk or half-and-half
- 1/4 cup butter or margarine
- bacon bits
Preparation:
- Combine first 6 ingredients in slow cooker.
- Cover and cook on low for 7 to 9 hours.
- Puree in a blender or food processor, if desired, then return to pot.
- Stir in milk and butter; cover and cook on HIGH about 30 to 60 minutes longer.
- Garnish with bacon bits before serving. (optional)
Makes 6-8 servings.
Well, that's all for now. Please visit other Slow Cooker Thursday bloggers, starting with Sandra. Please leave me a comment if you've done one yourself so I can go check it out.
Thanks!
It's time to post another WFMW tip.One of the many parenting websites that I peruse clued me in on this information.
How many of you have toddlers? How many of you with toddlers have troubles enticing them to eat healthy meals and snacks? How many of you with toddlers feel at a loss as to what to serve your toddler to ensure that they're getting the nutrients that they need?
I'm one of those mothers that struggles daily to get my 22 month old son to eat well balanced, nutritional meals. If it were up to Snuggle Bug, he'd eat meat, meat, and more meat. Okay, I guess he'd also eat apples, bagels, grapes, pudding, and yogurt from time to time as well, but meat is his favorite thing to eat. Believe me, I know that too much meat is not good for him. And can I just say that getting him to eat veggies is nearly impossible?!
So, I'm sorry, I don't remember exactly what website I got this information from or I'd just give you the link, but not long ago I gathered information that gave me ideas on what to serve my son for meals and snacks.
Since I can't attach my Word document to this post, I'd be happy to email you a copy of this 2 page list of "Quick & Healthy breakfast, lunch, and snack food to serve your toddler/kids." If you'd like a copy, just leave your email in my comments and I'll get it sent to you. I promise I won't use your email for spam purposes.
This list works as a great reminder for me, perhaps it will work for you.
Do me a favor will you? Please leave me some suggestions on healthy foods that you serve your toddler/kids! I'm always looking for new ideas. Thanks!
If you'd like to share something that works for you, please leave me a comment. And be sure to link yourself over at Shannon's, the creator of Works-For-Me Wednesday.
My past WFMW entries:
Grocery Game website
No Fear Shakespeare
list of age appropriate children's chores
linking within comments
baptism gift
creating blogger categories
alternate use for pot rack
cake decorating tips
unique way to stay connected
cake baking tip
comforts of home while traveling
quenching the thirst of your little one
pie crust made in bulk
hot chocolate kicked up a notch
Labels: Works-For-Me Wednesday
If it weren't for the fact that we sent her a video DVD of Snuggle Bug last month, I don't know how long it would've taken her to tell us. We sent the DVD to her cousin's house, where she's been staying, not knowing she had moved. I emailed her after we hadn't heard anything from her for a couple of weeks, just to make sure she got the DVD. She was responding to that email and let me know that she hasn't gotten it from her cousin yet, because she's moved, but that she will soon when she comes back to get the rest of her things.
Giselle and Quinn moved to this bigger city because Quinn was offered a better job and Giselle moved with him. That's great news! That means Quinn's job is going well and it also means that Giselle and Quinn's relationship is hanging in there and it looks like it's getting on more solid ground. The move will probably be good from them in the respect that they'll have a bit more distance between Giselle's family and, since Giselle's family have never liked Quinn much, that will be a good thing.
Wow, Giselle and Quinn are no longer living in the same city as us! That seems so odd to me. It's not as if we saw them, both sides agreed that we did not want post-adoption visits, but I guess it's been a source of comfort to me knowing they're close by. I know, 2 hours isn't that far away but still. Strangely, I find myself missing her, now that I know she's gone.
I can't help but wonder if Quinn and Giselle will get married in the near future. Perhaps they'll have more children together. I would honestly be quite happy for both of them if this happens. Giselle said she'd email me more details when she had more time and maybe that's what she'll tell me, that they're getting married.
I'm thankful that she's still willing to keep in touch with us. I wish both her and Quinn the very best.
Thanks for listening to my rambling thoughts. :)
Not much going on at this end. I tried to do a whole lot of nothing over the weekend, in an attempt to get over this nasty cold I have. I'm still not totally over it, but at least I got to nap when Snuggle Bug napped.
Oronzo and I are watching the new Battle Star Galactica series and it's wonderful! We've made it about 1/2 way through season two. I think this is one of the best Sci Fi series I've watched.
Saturday we got a visit from Aleiza, Oronzo's mom. She came bearing gifts. One in particular was quite large. She brought Snuggle Bug a Little Tykes kitchen set and he loves it! Saturday night he "cooked" dinner while I did. Yesterday morning he insisted that his breakfast plate be put on his kitchen counter and he stood there and ate. Who would've thought he'd love a play kitchen set so much? Maybe he's going to grow up and be a famous chef and cook for his mama a lot! :)
Yesterday, we got together with an old friend that's in from Boston on business. We went out for ice cream, then dinner (yes, we had dessert first) and then we walked a few blocks to watch a big All Souls Procession (dia de los muertos). I've never been to one of these before but the music, the costumes, the larger than life skeletons and puppets, the totems, and the masks were absolutely amazing! Snuggle Bug did pretty well with it all. He wanted Daddy to hold him close and he kept saying "ghosts" but he didn't appear to be overly frightened by it all.Well, that's all for now. What did you do this past weekend?
Magi over at Kaffee-klatsch is hosting a fun Gifts From the Heart exchange and I thought I'd share one of my favorite Christmas gifts to give.
Fireside Coffee
Ingredients
2 cup non-dairy coffee creamer
1-1/2 cup hot cocoa mix (dry)
1-1/2 cup instant coffee
1-1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
Preparation
Combine all ingredients.
Store in an airtight container.
For one cup: Mix 2 tablespoons of mix with 8 to 10 ounces of hot water. Stir well.
When I give this yummy treat as a gift I make it in bulk. Then I go to Michael's or any other store and buy pretty class containers. I put the mix into the containers, then I create a pretty recipe card and print out the recipe on it. I attach the recipe card with a ribbon and viola, the gift is ready to go!
This gift has been a big hit in past years, I think your loved ones will enjoy it to!
If you have gifts from the heart to share, go link yourself over at Magi's blog!
Just a quick reminder of the guidelines with this newly revised recipe exchange:
1) Please aim for simplicity in your recipes, no matter how many ingredients they have. Simplicity was the whole appeal to me of the 5 ingredients or less. I don't want to loose that, but I think we don't have to even with recipes that have more ingredients.
2) Please number your ingredients within your post so that, at a quick glance, we all know how many ingredients we'll be working with if we make your dish.
That's it. And now for my recipe.
The recipe I'm about to share is from my Best 50 Crepe Recipes cookbook. We got this cookbook as a wedding gift, along with a VillaWare crepe maker. I love both the cookbook and the crepe maker and Oronzo loves it when I treat him to crepes! I've even made crepes at work and my co-workers fight over them! :)
I know there are quite a few ingredients (I guess I can't follow my own guidelines) but it's a simple recipe because you just dump them all in a blender and blend. Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 2 eggs
- 1 Tbsp melted butter
- 1 oz. melted semisweet chocolate
- 1 Tbsp cocoa
- 1 1/4 cups milk
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp chocolate extract (if you have it)
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 cup flour
- dash of salt
- dash of cinnamon
Preparation
- Place ingredients in a blender or food processor and process for 20 to 30 seconds.
- Scrape down sides of container and process for a few more seconds.
- Cook crepes according to directions given by the crepe maker manufacturer.
- If you don't have a crepe maker, you can make these in an omelet pan. Check out this website for instructions on how to master the fine art of making crepes without a crepe maker.
These crepes are Heavenly when stuffed with raspberries or other fruits. I also like to top them with real whipped cream (I whip my heavy cream with clear vanilla extract, sugar, and a bit of cinnamon)! Talk about a decedent breakfast that your entire family will enjoy!
I look forward to seeing your Favorite Ingredients Friday recipe! Don't forget to link your specific recipe post link on Mr. Linky so I can see what's cooking at your house!
Oh, and be sure to put the title of your recipe in parenthesis! It makes it so much quicker for me to go back and search for recipes as I build my weekly menu.
Labels: Favorite Ingredients Friday
We got Snuggle Bug's Tigger costume from Babies R Us several months ago and hoped he wouldn't grow out of it before it was time to wear it. Luckily, he didn't. The costume fit him perfectly and this year he wasn't trying to take the hat part of his costume off. He actually liked his costume and walked around saying "Tigger" a lot. He did manage to smear his nose and whisker paint a bit.
This is Snuggle Bug standing outside of our neighbor's house, waiting for them to respond to his doorbell ring. Frank and Betty are our favorite neighbors. Snuggle Bug loves to go to their house and play. They keep toys in a spare bedroom just for him.
As you can see, Snuggle Bug grasped the concept of getting candy rather quickly. Around our neighborhood last night, he had no problems walking up, holding out his bucket, and saying "candy". Thankfully his good manners were present as well. He was great about saying "tank you" to everyone who gave him candy. Our neighbors thought he was adorable and he got extra candy from each of them. It wasn't long before his bucket got too heavy for him to carry by himself.
Snuggle Bug lasted about an hour last night (6:30-7:30). He and I went around with our next door neighbors, a 3 year old named Natasha and her parents. Oronzo stayed at home to take care of the trick-or-treaters that came to our house. As we went from house to house, Snuggle Bug willingly followed Natasha when she said, "Come on Tiggy!" After an hour we had hit almost all the houses up and down our street. Natasha turned a corner and headed for another street in our neighborhood but this time Snuggle Bug didn't follow. He walked the opposite direction and headed straight for home. He'd had enough and he wanted his milk and bed. He didn't even tell Natasha goodbye.
Hope you all had a nice Halloween!
It's time to post another WFMW tip. My sister-in-law clued me in to this one.I'm trying to be better about using coupons to save money on groceries and to watch for sales, rather than making impulse purchases at the time that I actually need something. Thanks to my SIL, I know have a website that helps me achieve those goals. It's called
Here's how it works:
1) Log on and sign up for a $1 trial period for 4 weeks.
2) Using your temporary account, select which grocery stores you'd like to have monitored.
3) Each Sunday, log on and view "Teri's List" for your selected stores to see what sales are being offered.
4) Grocery Game compares the grocery store ads for sales against coupons that were circulated in the Sunday paper and breaks it into three categories.
a. Green items- are FREE!
b. Blue items- are best deals offered for stockpiling.
c. Black items- are discounted items, but not as discounted as blue items.
5) Each line will show you:
a. Original Price
b. Sale Price
c. Manf coupon offered
d. Store coupon offered
e. Final price
f. Amount saved (%)
I print out the lists for 3 major grocery stores (I'm allowed to select only items that I'm interested in and print out only those highlighted items) and then I go through my saved coupons and match them up to those items. I take the list and the coupons into the store with me when I shop.
Of course, after the trial period is over, there is a cost. I believe it's $5 per store that you have monitored and you pay every 8 weeks. I think my SIL are going to share an account and therefore share the expense.
Grocery Game does all the calculations and comparison shopping for me! It's so easy! This works for me. Maybe it'll work for you too!
If you'd like to share something that works for you, please leave me a comment. And be sure to link yourself over at Shannon's, the creator of Works-For-Me Wednesday.
My past WFMW entries:No Fear Shakespeare
list of age appropriate children's chores
linking within comments
baptism gift
creating blogger categories
alternate use for pot rack
cake decorating tips
unique way to stay connected
cake baking tip
comforts of home while traveling
quenching the thirst of your little one
pie crust made in bulk
hot chocolate kicked up a notch
Labels: Works-For-Me Wednesday
