weekend away.....with 300+ college students

ahhhhh home again : )
as our pediatrician said on Friday - when i took the "one who deals with it all" to the Dr....b/c she was diagnosed with STREP from her classmates (and guess what, it wasn't)-   that i deserved a medal to spend a weekend with college students away with my family....i just laughed....b/c i love it....WE love it : )

HOWEVER...this morning at 730am.....did NOT love it!  we had THREE, yes THREE, crying children...they were tired and grumpy and generally NOT FUN to deal with ....but, thankfully they turned it around *and slept a bit* on the mini-bus ride home, that we managed to have all in bed happily by 830pm!

The retreat was awesome....great speaker....great fellowship....great seeing our kids rekindle friendships from staff kids from around the region....but what i HATE is packing food for lil Em *the one with the food allergies*.....poor child exists off of microwaveable bacon, soy yogurt, rice chips and rice cakes plus many fruits and rice milk in single serve juice boxes for 2 days....bless her heart!  oh yes, she also ate gluten free pretzels and applesauce and fruit snacks...but DANG....it is NOT easy!

 I have to pack up grocery sacks of food, request a dorm with a fridge, and run back and forth to make sure she is fed when everyone else is eating....and making sure she doesn't touch anyone or anything that she is allergic to, or have anyone feed her for that matter!  SHE did famously and i am SO thankful....another successful trip with out an epi-pen use.  However, the funniest line of all was lil girl telling a LARGE UK LINEMAN that she has "jello birthday cakes".  He could not understand and thus we broke it down for him.....thankfully the girl rolls with it....tells people and is VERy self-aware of the situation- for THAT, i am eternally grateful!

 We actually go to the allergist for the dreaded PRICK test THIS FRIDAY!  not looking forward to that one bit...but as she said "keep your fingers crossed but don't hold your breath" that she might grow out of some allergies....  So, we are crossing our fingers but mostly praying that she will : )  We are SUPER thankful that her kidney bladder reflux is GONE : )  so, we are hopeful!  If not, we continue to press on, with our routine of "travel foods" and a great lil girl who makes the best of it!!!!

Thanks for listening .....my cute bus-drivin hubby hopes to fix our hole in the ceiling tomorrow....so maybe i will actually post on that ALREADY!!!

seize the day....

bargain shopping at its best....

so i have this friend who kept telling me to blog about my wonderful "finds" in the shopping world.  I do love shopping.  But i love BARGAIN shopping better- which is definitely a better option for the occupation i have been called to....so...let the games begin ; )


I put the kibosh on any and all shopping when we had some home improvement projects happening and promised myself until i actually 'fit' back into the clothing i had- i was not going to shop ; )  well.....i have this LOFT credit card...solely used for purchases there and at SAM'S *since they do not take Visa*.  Well, i opened the mail not too long ago to find some REWARDS cards (free money) as well as a free $25 to use there as well for simply using the card (VERY EXCITED) and yes, they all had expiration dates.....so i HAD to go shopping!


Finally all three kiddos were at school *after several snow days upon snow days* so i had a free 45 minutes to shop at the LOFT today!  so very excited---especially since i was salivating over the MEGA markdowns and sales i would see in my inbox almost daily.  so, i popped in.  the shelves were close to bare on the SALE racks...HOWEVER, i did manage to score some ridiculous deals for next to nothing.....


my favorite :  $189 boots *did i mention i LOVE shoes* for $17.50!!!!  : )  indeed the first time in my life i was glad i have big feet as MY SIZE was the ONLY pair left!!!!  love.


then i just could not pass up the super cute skirt that retailed for $49.50.....guess what i paid for it?!  less than most spend at Starbucks......$4.74!!!!  CRAZY!!!!!!


why so low....all sale merchandise was an ADDITIONAL 50% off!!!!  my kind of sale.  i also bought a pair of pants that were tagged at $69.50 for $14 and some odd change!  madness.


so that was my shopping and i even made it home for a conference call!!!!  


my other bargain shopping tips were for Valentines Day.  i wanted to do something FUN for the kids on our mantel...so, i was led to Garden Ridge *why, not sure? have not been in that store for years* and guess what?  all Christmas stuff was 90% off.  a light bulb went off in my brain...maybe they have something RED or SILVER or WHITE that i could use?  guess what? they did...i found some FUN red curly stuff for .19cents and bought several...adding to that $1 bin hearts from Target plus 2 things i bought POST-Vday last year...and hooray- Valentines Day is decorated at our house!  I also dug out our Pottery Barn Kids placements i bought post-Vday years ago that are still going strong....decorating on a budget for sure! : )


Pretty boring for my second post....but, i was excited and decided to share, just in case YOU had reward cards or coupons and needed a sweater or two?!  plus, LOFT does a special discount for all you teachers out there as well!!!! *i don't score that bonus*


I promise to spruce up the blog when I share about the craziness in our house from the last few snow days....it involves moving furniture, clogged toilets and holes in ceilings ......


can't wait eh?

The Journey Begins....

           After close to three years of people telling me I "should start a blog".....I am.  : )  Before I begin "blogging" , I need to give a disclaimer.  I was a Chemistry Major in college.  I did not write or enjoy writing.  Even for my "area 1" classes in college, I chose theater and classes that involved as few papers to write as possible.  So, please excuse any grammar, spelling or vocab misuse!  If you can't excuse it....please don't read!

People began telling me I should blog since I had a Caringbridge Page for our son.  His site is www.caringbridge.org/visit/crosbynathaniel 
I started that reluctantly when he was diagnosed with cancer...thankfully, he is a miracle and I only post there when there are tests, routine scans or other medical stuff!  


However, TOO MUCH crazy stuff happens in my home and my life that has led to this blog...and thus, the name.  I grew up in the Seinfeld era and SO MANY times I have thought that I could have given him material for at least another 2 seasons (Elaine playing my life, of course).  So, the post-chemo life, the school days life, the 3 yr old who eats batteries and money, the food allergies, the crazy summers we embark upon….not to mention an old house, a job dealing with college students, baby weight that has never been lost, living in the “South” as an East Coast girl, traveling across the country with 3 kids,  and a marriage of 14plus years…certainly no loss for good stories!  ; )

Yea, we were only supposed to be in Lexington for a year when originally assigned here the summer after UK won its LAST National Championship in hoops….yep, we keep waiting and hoping that we will BE HERE when they win another.  ; )  so here we are….13 years, one house, 3 kids and many experiences later….still in Lexington – now our HOME. 

My next post will most likely be about our home and holes in it due to some plumbing and kids home for a SNOW DAY!  ahhhhhhhhh the fun!  But I will leave now as I have football to watch (yes, i LOVE sports), a kitchen to clean, and laundry to dry!  Hopefully I will not have any material after Crosby's nose scope tomorrow at the ENT!  Praying that the tumor site is clean and clear and Forever cancer-free.  

Cheers,

Mer