Frugal Friday: August Edition

In case you're wondering why I haven’t been doing my Frugal Friday post every second week, as promised (because I know you have been up all night contemplating this), I have decided to do the Frugal Friday posts only once a month. 

If only my To Do list was actually this short.

Being reminded of the exorbitant cost of shoving food down my throat is not something I find particularly enjoyable, and I’m not sure I could handle it every two weeks. Plus, I’m lazy.

Here are this month’s Feats and Fails:

Feat:

We brought our grocery bill down to $750 this month! We accomplished this by stocking up on sale items, meal planning, reading the flyers, and schlepping all over the city in search of bargains. I sometimes wonder whether the exorbitant cost of gas negates the money we save from going to a bunch of different stores. If only our local grocery store did price matching.

Fail:

I drove across town to No Frills specifically to buy an item that I knew was on sale. When I got home and looked at the receipt, I realized that they accidentally charged me full price. Fail. I should have known the cashier wasn’t too swift when she held up my bag of green beans and asked “What are these?” I would have paid closer attention at the cash register, but I was busy trying to prevent my daughter from devouring the store flyer, and any other pseudo-edible items she could get her hands on.

Feat:

I realized that my goal of becoming a saavy shopper is being hindered by the fact that I have absolutely no idea what things cost. I tend to assume that if something is on sale it must be a good deal, even though it might be cheaper elsewhere at regular price. I have a terrible memory for numbers, so I started making a list of the regular prices of the items we typically buy, so I’ll know when something is actually a good deal.  

Fail:

Remember that Pampers coupon that I told you about last time? Well, I was feeling like a couponing champ as I smugly headed to cash at the grocery store where I had specifically gone because I knew diapers were on sale, and of course, I forgot to use my coupon. Twice.

Do you have any feats, fails or finds to share this Frugal Friday?

Guest Post: Fearing A World Without Strollers

I’m super excited that Meredith from The Mom of the Year is guest posting today.  Meredith is one of my favourite bloggers, and if you haven’t read her blog, I highly recommend you check it out. The Mom of The Year is a thoughtful, honest, witty and account of the day to day life of a stay at home mom. 

I can’t get enough of Meredith's hilarious blog, because every time I read one of her posts, I think “Yesss! Exaaaaactly! Get out of my head!” It’s like she took my thoughts, made them smart and funny, and put them on the internet. And since I love reading smarter, funnier versions of my own thoughts, I love reading The Mom of the Year. Plus, she also writes about a lot of other really great stuff that doesn’t remind me of my own thoughts, which is good for those of you who can’t imagine anything more unappealing than getting inside my crazy head. 

So, without further ado, I present you with the following guest post from The Mom of the Year.

------

Fearing A World Without Strollers 

By: Meredith from The Mom of the Year

When Laura asked me to guest post, I wasn't even sure where to start.  I mean, her blog is really cool and all-too relevant.  What kind of post would do it justice?

Then I took a step back, considered the title of her blog and promptly started to panic.  Stroller Parking Only??  My children are 1 & 3.  It won't be tomorrow, but we are going to be outgrowing strollers in the semi-near future.  Crap!!  Will I still be welcome at this blog?!  And oh, BTW, what the heck was I going to do without my stroller?!  Might not seem like a tremendous deal for those of you not currently rockin' the stroller scene, but the stroller is basically like one of those juiced up walkers you see elderly people pushing around (you know, the ones with the seats and the baskets and all)--100% totally necessary to my mobility.  Sure, I stash the kids in it, but moreover, I throw all my junk in it and hold myself up when I'm too tired to stand.  I love my strollers--all of them.  They have become entirely quintessential.

I have yet to read Confessions of Shopaholic and a Baby, but I hear that as soon as Becky discovers she is pregnant, she quickly makes the mental connect that she can push around a stroller and use it as a veritable cart for all of her shopping bags.  What do people do without strollers?!  Where will I put my bags?  The fold-up potty seat?  My water bottle?  Even if I decide to "go light", where will my wallet go? Chapstick?? Excuse me while I go hyperventilate in a paper bag over the thought of having to start wearing a neon fanny pack or something awful...

This could be a very ugly scene, people.  I think my husband and I have sealed up the womb with no plans to birth more children, but this may be a reasonable cause to reconsider.  Continuing to pop out children for the sole reason of never having to give up my stroller seems like excellent logic at this point.  And this Mom of the Year is obviously all about careful logic and planning, so I'm thinking it's safe to assume loads more babies, in the style of Michelle Duggar, will now be on the way--all to ensure the continuance of the stroller, of course.

On the off chance that my husband doesn't share this logic, please, please, please don't shut me out Laura!  I promise to always uphold my reverence for strollers--and your awesome blog ;)

Meredith blogs at The Mom of the Year. You can also find her on Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter. 

I'm Guest Posting Today at My So Called Mommy Life

I’m guest posting today at My So Called Mommy Life. Do you remember that mid 90s TV show, My So Called Life? Well, My So Called Mommy Life is kind of like that. Except without the teen angst, without the flannel, and without the Jordan Catalano.  So okay, not really like My So Called Life at all, but I do kind of feel the need to rock out to the Cranberries when I read her adorable blog. 

On that note, please stop by My So Called Mommy Life to read my guest post about one of my favourite topics- traveling with a baby. And while you're there, please check out the rest of her blog (and let me know if you happen to see Tino).

Dear Rude (Possibly Drunk) Random Stranger

Dear Rude (Possibly Drunk) Random Stranger who accosted me on the street to tell me that “he” (my daughter) should have a hat on because it’s hot out:

First of all, “he” is a girl. I generally assume that babies who are wearing pink frilly dresses are girls, but that’s just me.

Also, please note the sun hat (also pink) in her hands. Obviously, that’s just there for decoration, and not because I put it on her head and she kept taking it off every 3 seconds. No baby in the history of life has ever taken their hat off. Nope.

And just for the record, while I do agree that she should be wearing a hat, it really has nothing to do with the fact that it’s hot out. It’s because it’s sunny out. But maybe that distinction is a little too advanced for you, so I'll let that one slide.

Oh, and here’s a little lesson in etiquette, if you talk to someone and they reply with a barely audible “uh huh” and keep walking, it means that you should shut up and walk away. It does not mean that you should continue harassing them and telling them repeatedly how their kid needs a hat and how you’re a parent too (and whatever else you rambled on about).

Also, since you are a parent too, maybe you should go home and spend some time with your kids (who I’m sure are perfectly outfitted for the weather), instead of being drunk in the street at 5 in the afternoon, telling strangers how to raise their children.

Yours truly,

Laura

If Babies Had Their Own Conferences

It seems that all I hear about in the blogging world lately is the BlogHer12 Conference. Apparently, it was kind of a big deal. Reading all these posts about BlogHer12 got me thinking about conferences, and I started to wonder what it would be like if they had conferences just for babies. Yes, I am aware that my thought process is not exactly linear, but stay with me for a minute.

All practicalities, safety issues, and impossibilities aside, I think this babies-only conference would be quite the interesting affair, filled with fascinating dialogue and debate. I imagine two babies small-talking between sessions, and it goes kind of like this:

“Hi Sophie.”

“Hi Isabella. Good to see you again. How has your year been?”

“It’s been pretty good Sophie, pretty good. I mean, I had a pretty rough first quarter, you know, with the being born and all, but overall, things are on the up and up.”

“That’s great.”

“Yeah, so how about you? How’s your family? How are your grownups?”

“They’re doing really well, thanks for asking. They are truly the loves of my life.”

“That’s so sweet.”

“Yeah, do you want to see a picture?”

“Of course, I’d love to!”

(pulls out phone)

“Aww, they are adorable. So sweet.”

“Thanks!”

“So did you attend the session on Feeding Your Grownup?”

“Yeah. It was great. I loved all the stuff about mealtime etiquette.”

“Me too! I can totally relate to everything they said. I mean, the feeding is going okay, but my mom keeps insisting on using a spoon, and I’m really trying to wean her off of it.”

“Oh, I know how you feel. I keep trying to teach my dad about putting your food on your face before it goes in your mouth, but he just doesn’t seem to get it.”

“Yeah, having grownups is definitely a challenge.”

“Tell me about it.” 

“But I wouldn’t change it for the world.”

“Oh, I know. Me neither.”

“So are you going to the event tonight?”

“No, I wasn’t invited. I guess I’m not one of the popular babies.”

“Yeah, well you kind of do cry a lot.”

 “That’s true. I have to work on that. Are you going to the party?”

“Yeah I’m really excited. I heard Elmo is going to be there.”

“Wow. What are you wearing?”

“I’m so glad you asked! I’ve been planning my outfit for weeks. It’s amazing. Ready for it? …I bedazzled my pajamas…ironically.”

“Oh wow. That is amazing. Bedazzling is so risqué. I hear choking hazards are all the rage this season.”

“I know, right? Well, anyway, it was great seeing you. I’m off to take a giant crap in my diaper before the next session.”

“Awesome. Have a good one.”

“You too!”

What would your baby talk about if he/she went to a babies-only conference?

Stuff People Say To New Moms

Since becoming a mom, I have noticed that there are a lot of people who have the annoying habit of asking really annoying/intrusive/just-plain-dumb questions, and making really annoying/intrusive/just-plain-dumb comments.  

That being said, I am probably guilty of saying some (many?) inappropriate things to other moms, so I’m certainly not an expert in mommy etiquette. What I do know is that the following questions/comments are particularly annoying:

“It only gets harder the older they get.”

Thank you. Thank you for that completely useless piece of information. 

 

“Don’t you think letting your baby cry it out (CIO) will cause long-term brain damage and ADHD?”

            No. I don’t. And do you really think I would have done it if I believed it did any harm?

“Aren’t you going to sign her up for any classes?”

           Um, she’s a baby. She chews her feet, and watches the ceiling fan as if it were freaking Cirque de
           Soleil. Sure, I might sign her up for some mom and tot classes, but you know what? I might not.  I
           don’t know, maybe she won’t get into Harvard because I didn’t sign her up for baby mathletes, but
           I’ll take my chances.

“Is she (insert milestone of your choice here) yet?” 


           No, she’s not walking yet. No, she’s not talking yet. No, she’s not inventing the flying car (yet). But,
           now that you mention it, I’m starting to get worried that she’s behind on her milestones. I know I’m
           overreacting, and this is a totally innocent question, but it’s the kind of questions that is really un-fun
           to answer, when the answer is “No.”

“Your body will never be the same now that you’ve had a baby.”

 
           Just because your ass grew to the size of Texas while you were pregnant and it stayed that way
           doesn’t mean you have to bring me down with you. First of all, lots of  some women do get their
           pre-pregnancy bodies back, and even though I’m not one of them, please don’t ruin my fantasy.
           I’m still convinced that the washboard abs I had when I was 12 are under the flab somewhere,
           getting ready to make their comeback.

“How do you like being a mom?” 

       

          So for the record, I think being a mom is more awesome than cheesecake, but what if I didn’t like  

          being a mom? Let me demonstrate through a hypothetical exchange between a mom and an  

          Annoying Question Asker

Annoying Question Asker: “Congratulations on your new baby! How do you like being a mom?”

            Mom: “Actually, it kind of sucks.”

          Clearly, this would put a bit of a damper on the conversation. I’m pretty sure there’s only one
          acceptable way to answer this question, so unless you are comfortable hearing about how someone
          hates being a mom (which some women do), then just don’t ask!

“You really need to take some time for yourself”

         Thanks. I never thought of that. All this time, it never even occurred to me that it might be nice to take
         a shower, or watch an episode of The Real Housewives, or (dare I say it) sleep in. I really don’t
         know why this didn’t occur to me. In fact, I think I’ll go get a pedicure right this second. Oh wait, the   
         baby.