Oh Poo!

I should start by saying how much we love our Niecey-poo. I’m so  happy that she is with us everyday. That’s not to say that there aren’t times where she drives me a little batty but why should she be any different than the other children and we get to be close to our Niece, the boys are close to their cousin and (let’s face it) she is so cute! 

In an effort to protect her innocence I gave her the alias of Niecey-poo thinking I’d come up with something more fitting as I spent more time with her. But what I’ve come to discover is that Niecey-poo is perfect. And it works on so many different levels! She is at an age that I especially like. Where their curiosity and inevitable baby cuteness (that has yet to wear off) tips the scale. That’s what allows us to continue on as parents and caregivers, the continuation of the species and all. The cute, it makes almost everything bearable. And fun! Here is an afternoon with Niecey-poo.

What’s that Auntie? You don’t want me in the windowsill pulling on the curtains?

But I’m sitting in the windowsill. See? I’m cute!

Oh, you were serious about getting down…

 

Later after nap…

Hello Auntie, it’s me again!!! See, I’m cute!

Are you still taking pictures when I want to get out? Again?!?

Okay, I’ll do it myself!!!

Hmm… Well that didn’t work.

Maybe if I just…

Cousin? Do I hear you? Will you help?

Uh, hello Auntie! Are you still taking pictures?

You’ll help me right? Go find a rope!!!

This is clearly what stability balls were designed for, I’ll try this!

Okay. You forced me to do it. I’m giving you my cute eyes. Look deep into my eyes. You are feeling warm and fuzzy and enveloped in a blanket of cute. You WILL pick me up and let me out.

 

Okay so I’m sure that last picture speaks for itself. Oh and those eyes, we call them the cute eyes. It is like the scene in Skrek where Puss in Boots takes his hat off and disarms his enemies with is hypnotic cute look. Cue the music….and there, you have cute eyes. And man, does she have it down!

Laughter is music

There are so many days that I’m ready to pull my hair out and I know I yell at the kids way more than I should but fortunately if you do enough things right some of the other things can be forgiven. And my kids, on a whole are happy. Could I be full of myself and in denial? Possibly. But I do know that their bad moods and tantrums pass and they frequently are caught enjoying life. Together.

Both my boys love books and love to giggle at the funny stories

or at something as simple as ribbon

 

Or maybe it is just that someone else is laughing…

What I do know is that I love all kinds of music for many different reasons, but my absolute favorite sound is the sound of my children laughing. It reminds me that even on my worst days  when I feel I am the crappiest parent that ever there was my children are not broken, they are quite the opposite.  Do they have the perfect Mommy? No. Do they have every toy known to man? No. They do have a love for life and love to laugh and it is music to my ears!

Why Does the Easter Bunny Hate Me?

I am convinced seasonal candy is part of  a massive  conspiracy to undermine the efforts of the overweight of America. Who can easily diet  eat healthy when there is always the tempting lure of brightly wrapped seasonal candy? Halloween, Christmas, Valentine’s Day and of course Easter. No wonder we have to work our booties off before swimsuit season, we eat candy all winter! I am sure that I am not alone in this, but I associate positive childhood memories with delicious treats. Not exclusively, but most of the family traditions I enjoy also include some sort of treat. Lets take trip down my memory lane…

These sweet little tarts were a staple of our childhood Easter Baskets. Yellow was the best.Chicks, Ducks, and Bunnies that are oh so sweet!!!

Oh yes, the beautifully colored foil covered chocolate eggs. Yum!

I don’t necessarily recall these being in our baskets as a child, I think I may have discovered them as a young adult. I do know that these delicious eggs would help keep me awake those long grave nights I used to work. Oh, and they have made red and green ones for Christmas, but they are not as good. Apparently they have to be pastel spring colors to be delicious, you know, like how the red M&Ms taste the best. Seriously, you know it to be true!

Jelly beans. Well, they’ve never really been a favorite of mine. I would never miss them in my basket, but if there must be jelly beans they absolutely have to be Starburst Jelly Beans. The best jelly beans evar!

We would get the little Robin Eggs every year, and I remember always getting them confused with the gum that was the same shape and size that we seemed to always get as well.

This is a World’s Finest Chocolate Solid Milk Chocolate Bunny. SOLID chocolate, none of that hollow bunny business.  Each of us would get one in our Easter Basket every year. This bad boy would take us weeks to eat. I have specific memories of slowly gnawing off ears and the basket (always in the same order) until it mostly a slobbery mess.

Sure this looks like a lot of candy, but as I recall the loose candy could easily fill about half of a sandwich size Ziploc bag so my parents weren’t putting us into sugar comas. But somehow as an adult I feel like it won’t be Easter without these tasty little sweets. It is silly of course, because my children are still young, they don’t know any better. But I still struggle with the thought that to get the warm fuzzy feelings I need to indulge in these treats. This year I said NO MORE! Okay, so I do believe I will still have some candy, but I have refused to continually buy bags  before Easter itself  to keep in our house as seasonal treats!

So I ask why does the Easter Bunny hate me? Why is undermining my efforts to be a healthier person? You know he’s not alone, Santa and that stupid baby with the bow and arrow are in on it too!

How about you? What are your favorite Easter memories? Do they include food? Am I the only one whose memories are riddled with candy?

 

How To Resell Your Stuff

Yesterday I was able to shop the Just Between Friends pre-sale (thanks to my fabulous friend!) and was shocked (or maybe not so shocked) at what people value their old stuff to be worth. For those of you who don’t know Just Between Friends is a semiannual consignment sale for children's items and anything baby/maternity. So a consigner can register with JBF and sell their items  and JBF obviously gets their cut as well. It actually is kind of a neat little system if you have enough to sell to make it worth your time and money. What isn’t neat, is what some people seem to think their old crap is worth. I get that since consigners pay a fee to sell and also don’t get 100% of the proceeds they are trying to recoup some of their money, but really if you are selling a bunch of things and are able to sell it ALL because you had it reasonably priced you are likely to make more than if your stuff is marked up a bunch.

So…I’m going to teach you how to resell your stuff! Consignment or yard sale I will give you some useful tips to help get rid of your stuff! So get out your pens and paper peeps because Mama Moo is about to school you!

What Qualifies Me

Since I was a child I have used my share of hand-me-downs, yard sale and thrift store items. Sure I got new stuff as gifts and from my parents but smart parents/people get good deals on quality items and sometimes those items are used. Some of my favorite articles of clothing growing up were used and some of my favorite items (clothing or otherwise) for my children have also been used. My family has had (and shopped) yard sales since I was very little and as an adult I have also put on a few of my own. We also regularly use craigslist and Freecycle with much success.

Why Are You Selling

Why are you selling your stuff? Are you moving and can’t take it with you? Just looking to make some space in your overpopulated home? If you are consigning are you making it a business? Are you hard-pressed for cash?  Obviously knowing your desired outcome makes a difference on how you will price things. If you are trying to make space or move clearly the important part is to get the stuff gone and the money is just a nice bonus, but if you need the money to support yourself obviously the goal is to get as much as you can for your item.

Your Trash My Treasure: Or Are You Just Selling Your Trash

It is said that one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. That does not mean that all of your trash is valuable. I mean sure, maybe you have a few treasures, and some of your stuff is still useful but let’s face it, some of your stuff is just plain…JUNK.

Some items should just be given away free or even go to the dump.  Freecycle is a great resource for the things that still have life but may not have monetary value. Save all you magazines? There are plenty of people who don’t mind reading magazines that are a couple months old (or older) but you are not likely to get money for them. Even things like board games with missing pieces can be useful to someone who does art projects with the pieces. There are many things that you should not be selling (or won’t get money for) that have plenty of life in them. Check out your local freecycle  network it has a lot to offer.  Then of course there is always donating to a local charity, which is something I always support. So when you are deciding to sell your stuff make sure it isn’t ACTUALLY trash. I know I don’t speak for everyone but these are a few things I would never buy from another person:

• worn used underwear, socks or your stinky old lawn mowing sneakers.

I was shocked at how many people at JBF were selling their children’s well worn, disgusting tennis shoes for $5 or more! Guess what, I wouldn’t pay any amount for them. A scuff or two yes, but definitely not ones that look like they’ve been buried in the dirt for a couple of years!

• Anything that is broken or missing pieces if it is a dresser missing a couple knobs it might interest me, but it will have to be an excellent deal, but things that are structurally broken nope.
• Old T-shirts more specifically the ones from the race you ran, cause you supported or with company logos on them. They meant something to you because they represent a memory but to me, nope. I won’t buy your old t-shirts to use as rags, I have my own old crap for that.
• Clothes with broken zippers, rips, stains or holes this shouldn’t have to be explained.
• Anything with an unpleasant odor do I need to explain why I don’t want your couch that smells like cat pee? Probably for the same reason you don’t. duh.
• Anything  with decades of dirt and grime there are plenty of things that need a good wiping down that have value. But you can usually tell if a little elbow grease will make it a prized possession or if it has been  at the bottom of the pile of crap at a hoarders’ house (have you seen that show, it is a real eye opener!)

Also, don’t empty this living room into your driveway and put up a yard sale sign. If I drive up and I find your dirty, dusty stuff mixed with garbage and no prices I will drive away.  Seems odd to have to say this, but I have seen these garage sales. $2 for an old dirty plate. No thanks. Which brings us to my next point.

How To Price Your Stuff

There are a couple things to consider but mostly ask yourself “What would I pay for this used?” and be realistic.  I don’t care about name brands. I won’t spend $5 on a used shirt just because it has GAP on it, especially when I can get it clearance for that price or less (I will cover that in a future post) just find a different brand and purchase it brand new. So I expect a good deal when I get used kids clothes, and I’m not the only one. When it comes to things that aren’t clothes a good rule of thumb is to know what it is worth new and, if your item is in excellent condition, you can start at 50% of that, but expect people to try and go down from there. Not everything retains its value well. Linens for example need to be marked down considerably. If you are still unsure try looking online at what other people are selling your item for in similar condition. Sure you can price it higher, and maybe someone will come along and buy it. maybe. If your goal is to get rid of stuff then price it to move. If your goal is to get a certain amount of money you might be waiting awhile if you have it priced too high. Remember that an item may have meaning to you because you have memories surrounding it, but people aren’t buying your memories, they are buying your stuff.

A Few Tips To Sell

• price the item to sell and label each item clearly with the price
• clean it! Don’t sell your kid’s toys with their leftover snack all over it!
• presentation this goes along with cleaning but how you place your items is important too. Put like items together and consider grouping multiple smaller items together to sell. Get it off the ground and on tables and don’t make people riffle through boxes! If I went to JBF and all of the clothes and toys were on tarps on the floor I would have turned around and left. I can’t look for hours on my knees and I won’t. Having things all over the ground encourages people to walk all over your stuff or miss the stuff in the middle out of fear of trampling your stuff. stuff, stuff, stuff! There, just in case I didn’t have enough in there.
• advertise the  more people that know, the better chance of actually selling your item(s)  Consider having a neighbor or two join in your sale too, the bigger the sale the more people it will draw.
• be flexible on price if someone seems interested in a particular item but wants it for less be flexible on price. Of course if it is the beginning of the sale you can give them your phone number and they can call you later in the day to see if it is still available and you can sell it for less then, but if no one else has shown any interest at all you may want to cut your losses. Consider marking everything half off the second half of your sale. Most likely you don’t want to move your stuff back into the house. I know plenty of people who don’t like haggling and feel like they are being taken. My personal opinion is that if they are offering something reasonable it is better than nothing at all.
• free, free, free! consider having a designated area at your sale for free stuff.

I don’t share all of this because I had a terrible experience at JBF because actually it was just the opposite. I found some great things for great deals, everything was laid out well and I went with two wonderful ladies who also value a great deal. However there were a LOT of grossly overpriced items given that they were used and I thought I could help others to successfully sell their stuff so that everyone walks away happy.

So how about you? Do you have any tips for selling your used items? Did I miss anything?

My $.02

Sadly I have been in a bit of a coupon funk. Trying to catch the sales and not planning it correctly. Sure I’m saving money, but not doing as well as I would like, especially since some of the stuff ends up being just stockpile, not things we need right away.  Saving money for our family is part of my job and frankly right now I am not doing a very well at it.

Yep, incase you didn’t know I am one of those people. Scary, I know! My friends kind of roll their eyes when I mention coupons, but what is so terrible about saving money? Then I watched an older episode of Extreme Couponing on TLC.

Holy Cow! I am not one of THOSE people. Sure if you have a large family it makes sense to shop like that because you are going to go through it all (hopefully) but when you have enough deodorant to last the average adult 150 years? I think you actually have a shopping/ hoarding problem.

Nope, I don’t take my family out dumpster diving either.

Yes I use coupons to get good great deals, but our food fits in our cupboards and our toiletries fit in our bathroom. I buy ahead so that if we don’t have to buy it at full price (or at least I try to stay that far ahead) but none of the stockpile I buy resides in large quantities in our garage…wait. Okay so maybe when there is a spectacular sale on goldfish crackers or chips there is one shelf in our garage (ONE shelf in a cabinet) that the overflow goes on. But it also allowed us to not have to go grocery shopping after we had Littlest Moo for awhile, except basic perishables. No rooms dedicated to stockpiles we could never possibly use. We use coupons to get the things we need or can use. What the people in these shows are doing is making couponing look like it is only done by crazy people, that it is too much work. It isn’t. Clearly if you don’t already use them even  just matching a few with good sales will still save you money. My shopping usually involves a little more planning. But what are these people stockpiling for? Seriously a childless couple does not need more than what could stock a small convenience store for a couple months. One of the guys on the show donated I think 1,000 boxes of cereal which was great and he ordered ahead for it but when you empty the shelves to buy large quantities of things that you already have stockpiled it just means that another family who may actually need that deal to make it by won’t get any. Come on people, don’t ruin it for everyone else!

Try some couponing etiquette or even just some common sense, what are you really going to do with that many toothbrushes?

Being Mom

My plan was to sit down to write an eloquent post about being a Mom, the struggles, heartaches and most importantly the rewards. Who knows, maybe my discombobulated thoughts will spiral into that. Doubtful, but let’s go for the ride and see! As I was saying, I was just sitting down to start this post, all the kids down for nap/quiet time, the pb & j scrubbed off the tables, ankle deep toys put away and I had even thrown some laundry in the washer when I started to hear Littlest Moo giggling in his crib. Now as I’ve mentioned in posts before he is a pretty happy little fella so him giggling is not what caught my attention, but that Niecey-poo was also talking which usually means that she has chucked the paci out of her playpen and she won’t lay down to sleep without it. Upon inspection this is what I found

 

Not just the paci was out of the playpen, but a whole Niecey-poo. Not only had she climbed of of the playpen she sleeps in but she had climbed into the crib!  Of course Littlest Moo thought it was funny, no one other than the cat has ever been in there with him, great fun!

Niecey-poo, what do you think you are doing?

Of course her response was something garbled behind the paci but judging from her gestures it goes something like this “Auntie, I don’t know how I got here, is this not where I belong?”

Being Mom. This moment sums it up quite beautifully. Sure I put the kids to nap so all should be sleeping peacefully, but they aren’t. With kids nothing is ever as straightforward as it should be.  And as I’m cursing in my head that I just wish I could have a few minutes of peace I walk in on little giggles of delight and Niecey-poo quite delighted with herself and her accomplishment.

Sure I could say that all the giggles and kisses make up for it and in the end it is true, I love my boys and niece in more than any words can express, but I struggle daily to be the Mom I want my kids to have. I fall short on most days but I pick myself up (or drag myself out of bed) the next day and try again, hoping this will be the day I get some sort of Mom epiphany and it will no longer be so much work or at the very least not seem so hard. Oh Mom epiphany where are you!?!?! But anyone who has ever cared for children knows just when you think you have it figured out, those kids will remind you that you don’t.

And they would be correct.

There is no way to know everything or do everything it just isn’t possible. So everyday I just do the best I can and remind myself that this is what I’ve wanted to do my whole life, be a Mom. Just like any other person with a career I have to make a conscious effort to better myself and to continue to learn with all the energy I can summon.