Happy Halloween!

What a fun holiday when you have kids!! Even though Jackson is only 8 months old, he still celebrated the day with not one, but two costumes!

Here he is:

 

Hope you all had a Happy Halloween!!

,

Tabitha & Jackson

This Week’s Menu & Challenge Update

So I have been working hard on my challenge for October – to cut our grocery bills by 30-40%. I’ve done pretty well so far and hope to keep this up in the future. The best tools I have used to save money are menu planning and using coupons. I have found that planning ahead helps a ton when I am in the store because I don’t impulse buy.

So here is an update of my weekly expenditures:

Week 1: $101.58

Week 2: $150

Week 3: $168

Week 4: $132.15

Week 5: $157

Week 6: $101.97

Total = $810.70

Total Savings based on $200 per week average = $389 or 32%

And here is our menu for this week:

Sunday – Turkey Broccoli Casserole (I don’t have a recipe because it’s one of those throw-it-all-together meals)

Monday – Shrimp Scampi ( I just cook shrimp, angel hair pasta, and throw it together with sauce and we are good!)

Tuesday – Orange Chicken Slow Cooker Style. I got the recipe here.

Wednesday – Leftovers

Thursday – Chicken with potatoes and butternut squash

Friday – Pizza

Saturday – Leftovers

So there you have it – 32% is pretty good overall. I think I am going to strive for 35% next month – I’ll keep you updated.

As for November’s challenge, I can’t decide between a fitness challenge or a craft challenge. Any thoughts??

Welcome, Friends

Hey there – if this is your first time visiting me blog corner, welcome! If you are a regular here, then you may already know all the stuff below so you can just click back over to Facebook or refresh your memories :)

Here’s a little about me:

I am a wife:

 

I am a friend:

I love to hike and be outside:

I love to travel:

I like to make things:

And my most important job - I am a new momma as of February 2011 – to this little man:

So nice of you all to drop by – hope to see you again soon!

,

Tabitha

Linking up to October Followers Fest:

Take Me the Way I am

So I’ve been blogging for a while now. I love it. It’s fab and great and I really love checking out other blogs.
But, I’ve been hiding something.
The real me. Not like I’m not the momma that loves to post about her baby and about baking and about preciousness, but there’s more.
I’ve been blogging like I’m attending a work function – polite, appropriate, casual. Not like the sassy, sarcastic, ridiculously silly and wine-loving girl that I am.
Even though I have a baby I still like to go out with my lady friends and get dressed up and eat yummy food. I still like to stalk people on Facebook, and I still talk about them with my lady friends when we are out eating delicious food in our lovely dress-up clothes.
I’ve been pretending that since I had Jackson I don’t drop the ‘F-bomb’ occasionally (or every day, but never to my baby, of course), or that I don’t like to watch The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and gossip about them to my friends like these women live next door.
I guess I’ve been worried that someone will judge me or think I am a bad momma because I have days that I wish I had a babysitter to help me finish laundry/rock my teething baby/change the 8th poopy diaper for me because honestly, I can’t wipe any more sh*t today and I just want to workout for an hour without worrying what I have to cook for dinner and why the hell can’t I seem to lose this damn muffin top??
But my favorite blogs (Heir to Blair, Cleared for Takeoff, and Miss Mommy) always tell it like it is for them and that’s why I love to read what they have to say.
SO, here goes a new start for me. I can’t promise you will think I’m funny, but I think I’m hilarious and I probably read this blog more than anyone else (except my husband, bless his soul, and he better think I’m pee-your-pants funny), so I’ll tell myself jokes if I have to :).
Here’s the pre-momma me:


And the apres-momma me:


Some things never change… forever will I have the “kissy-face”. Take it or leave it :)

Your Forever Momma

To My Little Bear:

I will forever be your momma
I will love you always and without reserve
I will wipe away your tears, your snot, and all the food you smear on your precious face
I will be here when you learn to walk, to run, and to jump
I will be here when you learn to talk and when you can yell my name
Forever I will call you my sweet baby boy, my JB, my nugget
I will be here when you come home from your first day of school
I will high-five you when you kick a goal, when you write a great story, when you dance your first dance
I will hug you when you fall, when you lose a tooth, when you get rejected by a girl
I will laugh when you tell jokes, when you are silly, and even when you aren't trying to be funny
I will teach you how to be kind, to respect life, and how to make fun of your daddy
I will watch you grow up into an amazing man and person
I will see you off to college, to get married, and I will hold your babies and love them to pieces
I will relish in every moment of your life knowing that I created you...with the best man ever as your daddy
I will be proud forever to be your momma...always

The Mysteries of an Infant

There are so many quirks I would love to figure out about babies, but I think they will remain mysteries. Maybe it’s better that way…,

You know, things like:

Their kung-fu grip – how the heck can babies hold onto your hair for dear life? It would be awesome if I could teach Jackson how to open sticky jars and zip up his own sleepers.

Their ability to poo right after you change them – seriously, JB does this every day. I don’t want to leave him wet or dirty, so I change him and he goes like 5 minutes later. It’s maddening!!

Their attention span – You could give a baby a toy with a million colors and songs and such and I swear that my baby would rather play with the popsicle stick the doctor gives him after checking his throat. It’s amazing to me that the simplest things impress babies. It’s too bad the remote only keeps him occupied for so long  or I would buy 10 remotes, clean them, and let him go to town.

Their 6th sense of mommy sickness – Whenever I am tired or sick Jack seems to pick up on this and become extra needy. He needs extra love, he wakes up in the middle of the night, and he is a bit more fussy than usual. I don’t think he is getting sick too because this happens during Mommy’s, well, Mommy time of the month as well as any other time I am not feeling great.

I’m sure there are many more to add – any thoughts??

8 Months

I cannot even believe that our baby is 8 months old! It’s so crazy to me that he is crawling all over the place with two teeth and has his own very distinct personality. Every day I think about how incredible my life is now that he is in it. I want to pinch myself to make sure it’s real, but I don’t have to because JB usually bites me on my leg/knee as I’m daydreaming these precious thoughts.

He is still not into “solid foods'’ like puffs, chunks of fruit/veggies, etc. I am hoping he starts to like them soon, especially since the holidays are coming up and I want him to experience all the yummy foods.

I took a few photos of him last weekend (when it was 80 degrees outside):

 

And here is the view from my back patio this morning:

I love Colorado!