While Owen would have loved a pink and purple Barbie jeep (afterall, he did pick out something pretty similar for Christmas) Scott had a plan and worked on the weekends after Owen went to bed to make this special.  In the end, it wasn’t exactly free but it was definitely worth it!

This is what it looks like now:

We gave it to Owen a couple days ago…

The first thing he said?  ”Clarkie said he wanted a green one.”  Translation: “I wanted a green one and how dare you give me this thing!” He got over it soon enough.  I don’t know who likes it more…Owen or Clark?

I think Daddy did a pretty fantastic job…even if it wasn’t a green one.

Clark was so excited he had to break it down at the beginning of this video:

It even has lights!

I’ve also been busy cutting the budget and clipping coupons like a crazy lady.  I find myself buying things because they’re $.25 or free…things we don’t even use!  I’ve been getting some awesome deals, though.  We started out with a grocery budget of $120 a week and I’ve quickly brought it down to $100.  However, this week, I managed to only spend (drum roll please)…$70 on groceries!  I’M NOT KIDDING.  I think it might have just been a good week but we’ll see.  And we’re not eating a bunch of food from a box, I’m making dinners I’m proud of every night.  It feels good.  The budgeting has been going so well we even built up a little emergency fund…and now just two weeks later the washing machine is draining out onto our floor and the plumber is coming out tomorrow.  Ahh…I guess that’s just life.  This will not stop us from getting things DONE!

An example of what we’ve been eating – pork chops with a Cuban flare and black beans and rice:

Not your style?  Eh, Clark doesn’t care…can you see how much he loved it?  The rice is all over his face and shirt…

What is he doing in this picture?  Clark has a new trick.  You say, “Put your hands up, Clarkers!”  The kid obeys.  Watch…

I love this kid…

Owen has really been into disciplining us lately.  Scott was watching the Purdue/Ohio State game during dinner which is a big no-no in our house.  Owen said, “Daddy, there is no TV at the dinner table.”  At some point, one of us (or both) must’ve said “now” (probably something like, “Get up in your seat and eat your dinner NOW!”) and this is what he said about that:

He obviously has been threatened with a little vinegar for saying bad things.

And finally, a mini-daddy picture:

Go Ohio State…err, I mean PURDUE!

Funny conversation between the cashier and Owen…

Cashier: “I bet Santa brought you a lot of gifts for Christmas!”

Owen: “He brought me my Geotrax with a note…it said I had to pee and poop and fart on the potty.”

(Oh how I wanted to slip out of the store…)

The cashier laughed and few seconds later this is what went down…

Cashier: “You’re a big help to your mommy!”

Owen: “I flushed too much toilet paper down the potty.”

Me: “True story…”

I think we need to work on his social skills.

Anyway, why am I telling you how much I saved a Walgreens?  Something big happened this week…I am officially in charge of the finances.  This is huge for me and let me tell you why.  I stay at home all day.  I don’t make any money and for years I’ve not seen the check book.  At first I was okay with this because I had just had Owen and stressing over money was the last thing I needed on top of the postpartum depression that hung over me like a big dark cloud when they tossed a baby up in my arms and sent me on my merry way with no manual for this screaming kid.  Now it’s a different story.  Now I feel so lost and in the dark about everything involving money…our future.  Scott makes the money and I don’t even know how much that is or what goes where…I feel like a kid living in my parents’ house!  I’ve been wanting to take over this for awhile and Scott finally gave in.  I feel like I’m finally making a contribution!

And why am I telling you this?  This post is more for me.  This post is me putting it out into the universe (HEY, UNIVERSE!) that as of right now, I’m chiseling away at our debt with a plan to be debt free (with the exception of the house) in two short years from now.  I know that I could get a part-time job and bring in a steady side income and bring it down much faster…but that’s not how I want to live.  I want to be here for the boys.  I’ll never get these years back.  However, I have decided (for about the third…maybe fourth…okay…maybe fifth time) to try my hand at this photography gig again.  I always talk myself out of it because I’m too afraid of all the responsibility that goes with it (EEEK!  TAXES!) but I want this.  I need this.  And if you have any advice, then send it my way.  I love being “mom” but I crave being more.

So here it is in writing to remind me of my goals…and for all of you to remind us of our goals.  We need to stay on track so when that kid with poor social skills (I’m kidding) says, “I want to travel the world.”  We’ll be able to say, “Here is how we’ll help you do that.”

And when this budding genius says, “I want to go to Harvard.”  We can say, “Let’s make it happen.”

And when Scott and I are old and gray (really just Scott…I mentioned earlier that I’m already gray) and decide to move here…

We can say, “Pack up the house.”

And now you know…universe.

Today, other than the deep congested coughing coming from both boys, you wouldn’t know they were sick.  They played all day and Clark climbed all over Owen as usual.  I hope tonight is better…I’ve had a total of 3 hours sleep in the last 36 hours.  Ouch.

I probably shouldn’t have put him in bed with me last night…but how can you say no to this face?

He’s pulling up to everything now.  You can’t take your eyes off him!

Thanks for the penguin, Uncle Chris!

Look at these snuggly boys…

I say that they acted okay today but now that I think about it, there was quite a bit of this today…

I think we’ll be making a call to the doctor in the morning.  I’m almost certain it’s his ears bothering him.

Then there’s this kid…I can only say “no” so many times a day.  He usually hits that limit by noon.

big brother kisses, originally uploaded by monsterslivedownthehall.
Posted in clark, flickr, owen Tagged: flickr ]]> http://monsterslivedownthehall.wordpress.com/2010/01/20/big-brother-kisses/feed/ 0 Monsters' Mom http://monsterslivedownthehall.wordpress.com/2010/01/18/big-boy-room/ http://monsterslivedownthehall.wordpress.com/2010/01/18/big-boy-room/#comments Tue, 19 Jan 2010 02:14:59 +0000 Monsters' Mom http://monsterslivedownthehall.wordpress.com/?p=709 Continue reading →]]> The day has finally come and we now have a big boy room for Owen.  The toddler bed is gone and in it’s place is a twin mattress.  He was so excited to sleep on it tonight.  Our original plan was to paint the room but now that I see it all together, I think I may like it just the way it is.  There is so much room for him to play and soon enough there will be plenty of storage.  I like when everything has a place…even if it doesn’t always make it there.  I made up the bed and Scott laughed at me and said, “How long do you think it’ll stay that way?”  I don’t care…but it looked nice for the few minutes it took to take some pictures! haha

Here’s his new bed:

We found the old box spring with the mattress in storage so it saved me from having to make his bed (which I was all prepared to do.  Do you know how much a platform bed is?!  INSANE!)  I also grabbed a couple Ikea tables from around the house and they fit perfectly between the bed and the walls…it was meant to be!  Those are huge crates pushed under the tables for storage.  I think I may take down the little shelves and have Owen makes some art for me on blank canvases…or maybe not.  You never how it might turn out with that kid.

He has two little reading lamps at both ends.  (I know you can’t see them, but they have green shades.)

And he’s already enjoyed his first movie in his new cozy, cute room.  The animal prints are left from his “little boy” room.  I’m thinking about getting Buzz Lightyear and Woody out for a little photo shoot and hanging their pictures up on the wall.  I hope they cooperate.

I’m impressed that it took very little money to pull the whole thing together…and with school coming up, that’s a good thing.  Kids are expensive…who knew?!  ha!