Jack Russel Terrors

I have two Jack Russell Terriers. In case you aren't sure what they are, that's TWO too many. They are high energy, spunky, smart, fearless, yappy little dogs. They weigh 10-20 pounds, but fully believe they are 80 pound pit bulls. My husband and I were never allowed to have dogs when we were children. Naturally, as soon as we got our own place, we went dog crazy and ended up with TWO JRT's. Jacques was our first. We adopted him before we even got married. I was 21 and living in my own apartment. He lived with me, but it was agreed he was OUR dog. He was the sweetest little thing, but I should have known he was trouble when on the way home from picking him up, he pooped in the front seat of my car.

He was a handful to say the least, but was so much fun. Time went by and my husband and I married and moved in together. It was then that we got the brilliant idea that Jacques needed a playmate. We adopted a female JRT we called Lily. We thought having two of them would keep them busy all day long and they would love each other and live happily ever after. Well, Lily ended up dominating Jacques and little did we know we had just sentenced poor Jacques to a lifetime of servitude to the domineering Lily. These dogs were the center of our lives for years. When our son came along, the dogs took a back seat and now I'm sad to say drive me completely insane. They bark when my son is napping and they pee on my kitchen floor. There are days when I fantasize about putting a post on Craigslist and sending Jacques and Lily on their way. However, when I see my son with them, I am reminded why I got these silly dogs in the first place. The dogs and my dear son are in love with each other. JRT's are notoriously bad with children as many smart dog breeds are. Jacques and Lily, however, are so very patient with my son. He steals their bones and pulls their ears and pokes their eyes, but all they do is soak up the attention. I keep telling myself (daily) that in a few years this trio will be inseparable. (Plus I'll have someone to help me clean up the dog poop in the backyard)

Other People's Kids

I haven't posted in a while! I'm going to try to be better. I've been keeping very busy. I now babysit a six year old boy for a couple hours each afternoon. It is really a perfect situation because I can bring my son. I just finished my first week and have come to the realization (again) that I just don't like other people's kids. Is that completely terrible? I've always been that way. My childhood was filled with dreams of wanting to be a mother. I played dolls until I was 16. (Yes you read the right and no it wasn't a typo) I guess I'm not a baby or kid person. I'm not good with kids. I'm coming to terms with that. I love my DS to pieces and want more children, but when it comes to other kids....I have no idea what to do. I have a cousin that is a kid magnet. She knows all the fun games and knows just what to say to get any person under the age of 12 in a fit of giggles. What's her secret? I remember asking my grandmother when I was a teenager if I was going to be a bad mother because I never felt comfortable talking or working with babies. She promised me that it was different with your own children. She was very right.
The little boy that I'm babysitting is a sweet, energetic six year old. Wow can he test limits though! Each day he gets off his bus awkwardly struggling under the weight of his backpack. He greets us with a smile and launches into a story about his day at kindergarten. I take his backpack and help him into the house. My heart is warmed by his chatter and after he kicks his sneakers off we finish talking about his day. Then I see his wheels beginning to turn. "I think I'll have my snack now," He says coyly. He bolts into the kitchen and disappears into the pantry. Keep in mind I have my toddling son to watch out for in a home with lots of small things and breakables! I chase after my little six year old buddy and there he is half way through a chocolate bar. Somehow, the little monkey scaled the pantry shelves and found someones hidden chocolate stash. I quickly flash back to the days when I did my own pantry shelf scaling and think of my poor mother. How did she put up with me? There is a list posted on the fridge of approved after school snacks and guess what ISN'T on there? That's right, chocolate bars! I calmly, yet firmly, tell the child that chocolate bars are not one of the snacks he can have. As I say this he somehow shoves the rest of the bar down his throat. "But I'm already done eating it!" He says through a full mouth. Battle number one and I lose. We spend the rest of our time together playing hide and seek. Let me tell you, you haven't lived until you've stood in a broom closet next to a litter box holding an antsy 11 month old while a six year old counts to forty. Strangely enough, the six year old seems to actually have fun when we play these games and battle over snacks. How can this be? I never know the right games to play or the right things to say to him. Maybe that doesn't matter??
I'll be honest, part of me loves my two hours of babysitting, but am I the only one that feels like I'm constantly being outsmarted by a six year old? I suppose I have a lot to learn.

Grocery Shopping Mondays

I meal plan and grocery shop every Monday. Our grocery bills have been consistently over $100 every week. Since becoming a SAHM, I've been working hard to get that bill down. I don't cut coupons yet, but with a few simple changes and some extra work with meal planning I've reduced my bill to $65 a week! Here is what I've been doing:

**Sunday mornings I look through the weekly circular at the local grocery store and see what's on sale. When something is buy 1 get 1 or buy 1 get 2, I purchase that and use it for this week's dinner and also the following weeks. I plan out all meals, sides, and veggies for the week.
**I no longer buy cookies or snacks. I bake everything myself. Not only does this cut down on spending, but it's healthier too. I purchase one "Treat of the week" that is on sale. This week is ice cream as it is buy 1 get 1!
**Another thing I've been doing is make enough food at each dinner to have enough for lunches the following day.
**When I get home from the store, I write out the menu for the next three weeks. Then I separate meats for the next three weeks and store them in bags in the freezer labeled by week. This keeps me organized and helps me stick to my meal plan

Most of you probably already do these things, but as a shopper that went into the store with a vague list of what I needed, this is a huge change for me!