Children's Keepsakes

Many of you, I am sure, have held onto more stuff from one child than you have from your own childhood. I know I have! As I purged the boys closets (age 7 & 3) last night I cam acrossed a few things and I asked myself the following questions:


1. Does it fit? Nope

2. Would it serve another purpose? Not likely

3. Will your son want to save this when he is in his early 20's? I doubt it.

4. Do you want to save & STORE 5 years of hand painted holiday sweatshirts made at school by your 4 children? That's 20 sweatshirts!! Not really.

5. Is it something you have to have? No.


So...let us share our thoughts on what to keep, what to let go of, and why.

We can "memorialize" most of these keepsakes in photos. Why keep the shirt when I have aphoto of him wearing it proudly in a scrapbook album that says "Dane in his homemade holiday shirt he painted at the 1st grade school winter party!"

My kid (boys at least) is not going to want that ratty old stuffed animal he slept with for a year. I took 1,000 photos of him snuggles up with his "Spidey" (which by the way is NOT a spider man, but a Halloween stuffed spider that he slept with from Halloween to Halloween 2007- Halloween 2008.) LOL

Kids artwork-Take photos of the artwork itself and make a digital scrapbook of the best pieces. It's small, compact, orderly, and makes the artwork look like modern art! When my kids were in preschool I would frame their paintings in black frames with white mats and I hung a series of them in the hallway. I switched them out on occasion, and it was like a gallery display! Now I just do photos of them holding the art, or of the art itself! Here's an example :)

I kept all of their 1st pair of shoes, and an outfit. I adore the baby outfit of mine that mom saved, so I hope they will to someday!

girl world tour 2010

My tween daughter, and I were able to attend the girl world tour 2010 tonight courtesy of free tickets from Eternal Lizdom. (Thanks Liz!)

Rosalind Wiseman, an internationally-recognized author, mom and expert on teens & parenting hosted this evening of mother-daughter bonding. In addition to launching Rosalind’s latest books, the tour featured discussions about confidence, friendships, challenging moments for girls, and various mother-daughter challenges.

I was really looking forward to this event. Nadine and I have had our hare of struggles this year, and while I knew it was normal at this age, it sure wasn't fun sometimes. Sometimes it hurt.

Rosalind started off the evening talking about  Champions. She asked that all mothers write down a time when they remember their daughter acting like a champion. The daughters were given the same instruction.

Nadine said it was a challenge for her, and not because she could not remember a time when I was a champion, but because she thinks I am a champion every day. That just melted my heart!

I told Nadine that I thought she was a champion when she decided to stand up for a girl in school who was being left out, and picked on, and how she knew that the popular girls would judge her for it, but she did it anyway. That's a hard thing for a tween girl to do! She agreed.

Next we talked about listening. I asked Nadine if she thought I was a good listener. She said yes, and that she kind of disagrees with Rosalinds statement that mothers shouldn't ask a lot of questions. She said "It's not the asking lots of questions that annoys my friends, it's that their moms don't ask the right questions like you do." I told her that I appreciate her recognizing that I do ask really thought provoking questions, because it's my job to help my children think for themselves, not to think for them all the time.

We talked a bit about teasing. This was one of my favorite parts of the slide show. Rosalind explained how some friends may tease you, and they act like it's a joke, but if they tease you in a manner that hurts you, and they do not ask when you express your feelings about it that they are not a true friend.

I've tried to teach this to Nadine a dozen times. I'm glad that her hearing it from Rosalind seemed to sit with her much better than how I explained it. Nadine has always been a peace keeper, and while I adore that about her I felt like she needed to learn that we don't live in a dream land where everyone gets along, and plays nice, and sadly we probably never will.

This section, while not really applicable to us right now, was very informative for down the road. I am sure at some point this will be somewhat of a subject in our home. Nadine has friends who go home to their parents and snitch often. They don't really seem to care as much about what the child did as much as they would like to see that student get into trouble. Nadine has always been more of a reporter. She tends to lean towards not telling me certain things because she forgets that I'm not that mom that runs to school the next day to patch up her problems and embarass her like some of the other students mothers have in the past.

At the end of the seminar we were given an opportunity to join in on a Q & A and discuss more in depth with the parents around us. As much as I thought I would have enjoyed doing that it was clear to me by the end of this seminar that we didn't feel like we fit in real well. 

Nadine looked at me and asked, do you mind if we cut out of here. At first I was upset. I asked why she wanted to leave. She said "Mom, I think we're good here. We don't really seem to have the issues that these other moms are addressing, and we communicate real well if you ask me. We got this."

I smiled big and said, you just remember that statement in a year or two when you think I'm the most uncool mom in the world. She said "I really don't see that happening."

As we left we met a few of the volunteers. We received a copy of  Queen Bees and Wanabees for me, Boys, Girls, and other hazardous materials for my daughter, and reusable tote gift bag with samples of Dove deodorant, and body sprays for tween girls. I also received a year subscription to Family Circle magazine. 

The seminar was great because it gave me some perspective. My daughter has had her share of tween drama, but we are not as bad off as I might have thought. In fact, we are doing really well in comparison to some of the moms I met this evening. I recall one mother who told me about how her daughter wouldn't talk to her, was sneaking out of the house, and was a "little bitch" most days, as she put it. I am thankful that I've never thought of my daughter in those terms, and really hope to never get there!

We decided to stop at the Cricle Center mall. Nadine has never been to circle center, so this was a real treat for her. We also shared a Cinnabon, something else she had never had, and she was in love!

Tonight was a great night to reconnect with Nadine, and I really look forward to reading the books we received from the girl world tour!

Cheers! 

Mixed Media Monday: Laughter

Here's my contribution for the Mixed Media Monday challenge this week. Laughter! This is a scrapblog page is full of photos from a day at University Park with the kids and photographer Erricka Newbury-Jones. I love all of the fun embelishments, stickers, torn paper, and ribbon. So fun!

Be sure to hop on over to Mixed Media Monday and check out the many creative offerings for this weeks theme.

You aren't going to finish it all!

I think this was an important realization for me! There will be days where you do not get everything on your lists completed. That is okay! It's important to not try and "catch up"!


Just move onto the next day. You will return to that room/space/zone in your house eventually! You will have days where you finish early and may want to use that free time to do something you missed the day before.

Here are a few examples:

There are things that have to get done (charge my camera batteries for work, enter my reports, etc.)

There are things that I should get done (laundry, dishes, etc.)

and then there are things I want to get done (clean out couch cushions, purge clothing from my closet, etc.)


Often times I may not get every room vaccumed on my checklist. I may miss the couch cushions this week. Maybe I wanted to purge toys, but we had a family event that day. That's okay!

What I do is mark my checklist with a dry erase marker. When I get back to Tuesday on my list I will see that I did not clean out the fridge last week. I try to make it a priority this Tuesday, and do it before some of the other Power Hour activities.

If you try to complete your lists every day you will drive yourself crazy! This is why I try to stick to the plan. I try to limit that zone cleaning to just 15 minutes, so that I have time to work on Power Hour items.

You can only do your best, and there will be days you just slack off. Just get back into the routine tomorrow.

Once you get things caught up and in order it will be much more feasible to get that list going.

I also suggest you keep your checklist open and placed on a counter or table where your family members ( ahem *husband*) can find it, look at it, and can pitch in if he feels like helping. Explain your system to him, and if he asks "What can I do?" It's easy to glance at your checklists and say "Would you pleace change the sheets on the bed for me?"

Getting everyone involved helps mom out, and teachers the entire family new habits that can last a lifetime...at least, one can only hope, right?

Wordless Wednesday

Mixed Media Monday: Mardi Gras

This weeks theme is Mardi Gras. I've created a scrapblog page of my kids outfitted for celebration. This was a fun challenge because I didn't have much in the way of Mardi Gras clip art so I had to dip into other themes to create this one. Enjoy!

Be sure to visit Mixed Media Monday to enjoy the many creations for this weeks theme!

My Valentines

Happy Valentines day! Traditionally I buy a few bags of mini candy bars for the kids and split them up into reuseable metal heart shaped tins. With all the snow we've had this month I didn't care to treck down to the barn, shovel out the door, and dig them out. This means the kids got very lucky this year, they got lots of loot!

Nadine went out early with a friend to a car show so she missed out on the Vday distribution. I'll try to remember to take a fun pic of her with hers later tonight when she gets home.

Cupid left some treats on Nadines bed for her return home...tooth fairy style.

Andrew, my little nerd, just loves him some Nerds candy!

Dane is a choco-junkie. He asked if he could eat the whole box this morning!

Aiden only enjoyed a few licks of his tastey sucker before he whacked big brother in the head with it. No worries. I took it away. You just cannot plan for these things. *sigh*

I hope everyone has an enjoyable Vday. I know my little Valentines will <3

Bath & bedtime for the kids!

Years ago I read Simplify Your Life with Kids by Elaine St. James. It had tons of tips on ways to make life simpler, and cut down on the amount of work we do that robs us of our most precious commodity. Time! Establishing a regular bed and bathtime routine for the kids made a big improvement in how we end our days!


Establish a Regular Bath Routine:

Arrange your schedule so bathtime is consistant, and falls right before or after dinner (depending on what schedule you keep) The kids will recognize that routine and just know that when it is time, it is time!

Don't feel you have to bathe the kids every.single.night. Every other night is acceptable for some families depending on their schedule/daily activity.

Have a small supply of bath toys to make it more fun. Teach the child that these toys must be put away after every bath. This routine will save you cleaning time, and the toys will last longer if properly stored instead of left in water to grow mold!

Have the kids get intoa routine of brushing their teeth as part of the bathtime routine. Before or after doesn't matter (unless bath is before dinner, of course)

Keep extra toothbrushes downstairs if it makes brushing teeth after dinner an easier task.

Teach your child to put their dirty laundry in the hamper, put their shoes away, and to be accountable for any other items that are involved in getting to the bathtime routine.

Make bathtime a ritual that you and the kids look forward to. It wont be long before you are not a part of that ritual, and then your kids will have proper hygiene and know how to properly groom themselves.

Establish a Simple Bedtime Routine:

Set reasonable bedtimes for your children.

Avoid roughhousing, sibling intereference, unsettling tv programs, & family squabbles around bedtime.

Be consistant and stick to the decided timeslines for lights out, tv off, etc..

Set phone curfews for older children

Be sure bedtimes are realistic. If you are rushed to meet the bedtime, set it back 15 minutes and see how that time works for your family.

Aftr spending time with your child, and had your snuggles, hugs, kisses, story time, etc. say your good nights, turn the lights out, and quietly leave the room. If the child gets out of bed calmy walk them back to his/her bed, say goodnight again.

If your child is a night owl and simply will not go to sleep at a set time you can enforce a time for them to be in bed where they can play quietly with a night light on until they fall asleep.

Living with a bully

My sweet 11 year old daughter has turned into quite a monster. It ll started right around the beginning of 5th grade. She is constantly being rude to her brothers, both older and younger, and she is extremely hormonal and irrational.

If her brother is sitting to close for her comfort on the couch she will kick him, knock him off of the couch, engage him in name calling, and even hits the boys for seemingly no reason at all.

This week she crossed the line when she smacked a boy at school on his face. We've been looking for movies or books to try and educate her on the affects of bullying. I was overjoyed today when i read about the opportunity to win 2 tickets to the girlworld 2010. This opportunity is offered at Eternal Lizdom and you can find out more info at http://rosalindwiseman.com/events/girl-world-tour/ on the tour itself.

Wish me luck! May the odds be in our favor!

Aiden's 1st day

Aiden started attending a daycare today. I have lots to share, but no time right now...so here is a reminder for me when I have time to catch up!

Finders Keepers

For the past 2 years Reis Nichols has hosted a game called finders keepers from the 1st of February until Valentines day. They hide a piece of their jewelry in a secret location, post a clue to where it is hidden on their website as well as on teir Facebook fan page. Anyone can go search for the treasure, and whomever finds it gets to keep the jewelry as well as select a charity that Reis Nichols will donate $100 in your name.

Last year we had a lot of fun trying to figure out the clues and hunt down the prize. We did not find one, but a friend of mines boyfriend did find one and she received a beautiful necklace for Valentines day for free!

This year I wasn't into it as much. I read the daily clues and never had a bit of interest in going out to search. On Wednesday the clue they gave was "Mary Mary quite contrary, how does your garden grow?" Everyone seemed certain the clue hinted twoards Mary. I felt very strongly that the clue was more focused on "Garden" and that Mary was not related.

Still not having much interest in searching I told my friends I would check the Olive Garden restaurants, or even florists. On Thursday morning it was posted that Wedesdays prize had not been found. They posted a second clue. "With Southern smells, a welcome bell, and pretty maids all in a row"

I called my parents and asked if they had any ideas on the location. They did not. Fifteen minutes later my grandmother called and told me she thought it was at the Hilton Garden in South. This location was just 3 minutes from my home.

So I drove over to the Hilton Garden Inn. I uploaded a photo to my Facebook page when I arrived. I was certain that I was in the right spot! Garden, bell hops, maids, and we are in southern Indianapolis. I was quite surprised that when I arrived I could only see one set of footprints in the snow. It appeared that no one else had checked the area! My friends kept sending me text messages fro Facebook cheering me on to find that jewelry!

So I searched, and I searched. I had 2 hours to kill before the kids came home. I looked inside and around every trash can. I walked in snow up to my calves searching the patio, the gazebo, the fountain and garden areas. I even went inside and scoured the lobby! I gave up and decided there was no way it could be there. No way!

An hour later Reis Nichols posted on their website that they had checked on the jewelry and it was in fact still in it's undisclosed hiding spot. So I decided after the kids came home we'd go search the Olive Garden. The kids had a great time searching the snow for buried treasure for mommy.

We came home to find out that the piece had been found. It was found at...wait for it...are you ready for this...the Hilton Garden South! It had been there the whole time. I don't know how I overlooked it. I had the whole place to myself. So many days the secret location was flooded with searchers.

Congrats to the winner, who I am told did not actually find the piece. Apparently a man cleaning the parking lot found it and gave it to her!

The lady received the "key to her heart" necklace. It's all good though because it's not really my style and I wouldn't likely have worn it much.

When the school calls...

It's never a good thing. From illness, to behavioral issues, and everything inbetween. When I see the schools number on the caller ID the hairs on my arms stand straight up.

The school just called my cell...again...for the 2nd time this year...to inform me that my child is in ISS (In School Suspension) for slapping another student. That's right...my precious little sweet girl smacked a classmate right across his cheek!

Apparently the boy was intentionally blocking access to her locker and refused to move upon demand/request, so she reacted by smacking him. I don't know why she would do this. She does not get smacked at home for punishment. She does not get spankings or whipped with a belt. She may have experienced a few swats on the diaper as a toddler, but that was 9 years ago.

I'm not sure what creative discipline is going to happen tonight. I have dinner to prep, and an appointment after dinner so I need to get to working on that.

More to come later. Right now I need some time to think, and there is a dinner to make!

Super Easy Stuffed Peppers

You can make these ahead of time in the morning and store in the fridge until dinner time, just increase the cook time a bit. :)




Easy Stuffed Peppers

Preheat oven to 350

Ingredients:
5 cups water
1 lb ground beef (can use ground turkey or ground chicken as well)
1 can diced tomatoes
1 box Lipton Long Grain & Wild Rice
1 box Aldi Beef rice
6 large green bell peppers (can use yellow or red if you like)
Salt
Pepper
1 small can tomato sauce
1 tsp Worcestershire
1 dash hot sauce

Directions:

Start a large pot of boiling water while you cut the tops off of the peppers, remove the spines and seeds, rinse and drop them into the boiling water for 3 mins. Drain the peppers and place them in a baking dish. (I usually can fit 3 peppers in a pot at one time.)

Brown the ground meat while the peppers are boiling. Season the meat with salt & pepper. Add the beef rice to the pot with the UNdrained meat to brown the vermicelli, and sauté. Once vermicelli is toasty add the seasoning packet, the long grain & wild rice, and seasoning to the pot. Pour in 5 cups of water, bring to a boil and turn down to low. Add 1 can of diced tomatoes and let simmer for 25 minutes.

Mix 1 can of tomato sauce (can use ketchup if you'd like) and 1 Tsp of Worcestershire sauce with a dash of hot sauce.

Pour the meat & rice mix into each pepper evenly, and top all peppers with the tomato sauce. Bake at 350 for 40 mins (or 50-60 min if refrigerated)

Teaching on Tuesday

I teach a hip-hop class to 3-5 year olds on Tuesday night at the Parks Dept. Tonight went really well. My problem child student was absent and I was amazed at how much the others stood in line, payed attention, and stayed on task without that child being present. I really did not think of the child as a source of the constant disruption, but I now know that may likely be the cause.

There is no nice way to say "Hey-your child is out of control and is taking away from the other children's ability to learn" is there? This I know all too well. Having two boys with neurobiological disorders there are so many struggles that I've delt with along the lines of an innattentive nature.

I plan to try some old tricks on this one next week and see if I can redirect the childs behavior into a positive for the class, as well as for herself.

It's amazing how so many adults do not see how they affect the people around them. Seeing it happen between children really brings the domino effect to mind. I wonder what kinds of crazy stuff we stir up in every day life to those around us without even realizing it.

I wonder if my drive home doing 35 mpd i a 40 took someone to the brink on insanity. The snow was drifting so bad, and the strong winds made it hard to keep my van inbetween the lines that I couldn't see through the drifting snow anyway.

Not sure there is much meat to this entry...just felt like dumping the brain a bit :) Have a happy Wednesday!

Snow day!

We've been getting a lot of snow. I shoveled a path to open the back door for the dogs and my toddler decided he'd like to play too. The snow is pretty deep so he just played on the deck for a bit.

Do you see that cheeky little bird sitting on the fence. He looked so cold!

 

The snow makes the trees look so pretty, like they've put on their pearls for the occasion!

Everything looks almost monotone out here this week!

Mixed Media Monday: Romance

I'm pretty excited about Mixed Media Monday! This blog has offered up a weekly challenge that is right up my alley. I love creating digital things, and now I have a purpose to do so :)



Hop on over and visit Mixed Media Monday and check out some of the awesome things after you finish up your visit with me, of course!



So this weeks theme is "Romance" and I am quite in love with myself today, so here's a little romance for me ;)

Italian Meatball Stoup!

This delicious "Stoup" was inspired by Ree Drummond, The Pioneer Womans Italian Meatball Soup. She is my food goddess, keeping me in the know on what to make for dinner.

I love her recipes, but sometimes a working mom of 4 has to take shortcuts! So, here is my slightly modified version which turned out mighty tastey if I do say so myself!

Ingredients

Meatballs:
1 pound Ground Beef (or turkey/chicken)
½ cups Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese
3 Tablespoons Fresh Parsley, Minced
1 whole Egg
2 TBSP minced garlic
½ teaspoons Salt
½ teaspoons Black Pepper
¼ teaspoons Ground Oregano
2 teaspoons Lemon Juice

Stoup:
3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
6 cups Low Sodium Beef Stock
2 Tablespoons Fresh Parsley, Minced
½ teaspoons Salt
1/2 small can Tomato Paste
¾ cups Onion, Chopped
¾ cups Carrots, Chopped
¾ cups Celery, Chopped
1 cup Red Potato, Chopped (Peel on!)
½ pounds Cabbage Chopped
Grated Parmesan Cheese To Serve


Preparation Instructions

Meatballs: combine all meatball ingredients listed above in a large bowl and mix well. Shape into small 1" balls and chill for 20-30 minutes.

After chilling meatballs, heat olive oil over medium-low heat in a heavy pot. Briefly brown meatballs, then remove to a baking sheet. Bake for 20 mins or until cooked through. To pot, add onion, carrots, celery, and potatoes and stir until all oil and meatball drippings are well mixed with the veggies and the veggies are softening a little. Pour in the beef stock, water, salt, tomato paste, and bring to a boil. Simmer 30 minutes. Add the cooked meatballs and parsley and simmer 15 more minutes.

Serve with plenty of freshly grated Parmesan cheese sprinkled over the top.

Add a side of hot crusty french bread, or if you are feeling naughty try Ree's Garlic Cheese bread along side this. Oh my goodness...it will leave you fat & happy. I promise!.

Sunday in My City: Snow & Superbowl!

Sunday February 7th, 2010

It has been a cold week with lots of wet stuff in my city!

...and as some of you may heard, there were lots of fans in blue left feeling just that after the Super Bowl XLIV today. :( Way to go Saints! It was a well deserved win.:)

Local Colts Fans - More The Indianapolis Star Galleries

View this gallery at The Indianapolis Star: Local Colts Fans

This is my 1st "Sunday in My City" post, and I didn't take near as many photos this week as I normally would have, so it's short & sweet for this week. I just wanted to try out a test run, nd post the link to remind me where the idea came from! Have a great week!

Superbowl Sunday; A lesson on responsibility!

We sat down to dinner an hour before the big game tonight and I was surprised to see my daughter, Nadine, come to the table sporting her bothers Colts jersey. I am not much into football. Don't get me wrong, I love our Colts! I'm just not a dedicated enough fan to outfit the kids in full on gear, plan a party, and make blue Jello.

As we start to eat Nadine tells us that her 2 friends that live down the street will be staying up late to watch the game, and playing hookie from school tomorrow. I hold my tongue as I fight off words of judgement and disapproval. This is a conversation that has come up a lot on Indy MomsLikeMe in the recent weeks.

I just feel it is really not the best message to give our children. Teaching my children that it's okay to neglect your responsibilities is not a message that I am okay with, even in moderation. To each his own. In my experience it is three times as challenging to break bad habits as it is to teach good ones. After all, how would the world look if mom decided to skip out on a day of motherhood because a late night marathon of moms fave show took precedence?

So, while reserving my judgement I say nothing to my opinoin on the subject and simply asked my daughter, whom just turned 11 and is in the 5th grade, "What do you think about your friends skipping school for the game?" to which she replies "Well, I think the responsible thing to do is to either record the game and watch it tomorrow, or stay up late and suffer the next day."

For The Win! Finally a little validation on this whole parenting tween and teen thing! Thanks Colts ;)

Nadine decided to stay up late and be tired the next day. A choice she does not normally have to make. While I frown upon the idea of my children going to school tired and jepardizing their education, it is a semi special event, and I decided to make a compromise on this one. It was important for my cheerleader to be in the know when she went to school the next day.

She fell asleep at 9pm and wouldn't wake up until 10pm. She was pretty bummed to hear the news. The Saints won! Sorry sis :(

The Household Notebook

Making a household notebook is one easy way to simplify your life! It takes some time, and some expense upfront for supplies, but the results are well worth it!


I've shared this idea in various threads on IMLM over the years, but I thought it deserved it's own thread in our new group!

I use 3 ring binders to keep many things orderly in my home. My absolute fave is the Household Notebook! I found the idea at www.organizedhome.com and modified it to make it my own.

I used 5 tab dividers with pockets to divide the catagories. Why dividers with pockets? If I obtain a new address, phoene number, new credit card statement from new creditor, maybe a christmas card from someone new (save the envelope for the addres) etc., I can slip it into the pocket until I have time to add it to the master list. This keeps the papers off of my desk! I have one tab labeled for "Where are you", one for address/phone lists, one for "Neighbors", one for bills, and one for creditors.

I use this notebook at least 3-5 times a week! It's so nice to be able to find all of this info without having to dig through file cabinets, search for that missing address book, etc. It's definetly simplified several areas of my life!

Tab 1: "Where are you"

This section is a sheet I printed from Word that includes my and DHs name, all 4 kids names, our address, our home phone #'s, cell #'s, and a simple explanation of where we live "Off of X drive between x rd. and x rd. in (insert subdivision name here)

We made this tab for a few reasons. Should my Aunt or cousin be baby sitting we pull this sheet out and hang it on the fridge for easy access to this info. Should an emergency arise where they need to call for help they have quick access to all of the neccesary info. I also made this sheet so the kids know if they find a need to call for an emergency (911) if they panic and forget our address or something they know it's the 1st shee in our household notebook.

Tab 2: Address/phone list:



This is just what it says. Of course, we rarely use this list, but if we had to evacuate our home or needed a quick reference for mailing a card everyone we know/love is in this section. Name, address, phone #. If something were to happen to me I know DH would be able to reach anyone we know from this list. I have my #'s in my cell, but I created this list in excel where it can be easily updated annually without white out & eraser marks...because I'm OC like that!



Tab 3: Neighbors

I have a map of our neighborhood in this section. All parecel are outlined with addresses. I have had to call 911 a few times in the past few years and it helps to be able to know who lives where without walking down to their house! Plus, I have most of my neighbors names, kids names, addresses, and phone #'s in here. I started this section when I tried to start a neighborhood crime watch. The crime watch failed, but this section is useful for us. :)

Tab 4: Bills

The bills section has a monthly spreadsheet that I fill out as the bills come in to ensure no bill is overlooked. At the end of this section I have every account we have with acct #'s, payment addresses, website addresses, and passwords to the site. I know this may not be the safest way to store this info, but it is the most convenient for me, and I figure if someone wants to steal my info they will find a way. If they break into my house they could just as easily steal the card! I also have all my addresses and phone numbers in here.

This section is just a list of all of our current bills, when they are due, and the average monthly payment. I used to use this section each month. I would put the bills in the folder on the tab divider, and as I paid them I would staple the bill to the monthly bill sheet, mark the date paid and amt paid on the sheet, and file the stack of bills each month. DH pays the bills now and I haven't used that system in a while, but I keep it there...again, in case we have to evacuate at least I know when the bills are due :)

Tab 5: Creditors

This is an excel file I typed up that lists every creditor that owns me (lol), their billing address, their customer service #, my acct. #, their website address, and my login/user name for their website.

I used to have all of this info saved to my pc so I didn't have to know it...then one day my computer crashed and I no longer knew how to pay bills online. LOL! So, I made this list so I will always have the info easy to locate, and if we had to evacuate I wouldn't need my PC to log onto my accounts. Plus should DH or I would fall ill or something happen to one of us, it would be easy for the other one to know how to access all of our accounts!

Adult Women should not roller skate!

We had out monthly moms night out with the Cosmo moms, a group on Indy moms in their 30's, and we had a great time!

We enjoyed dinner at El Azabache  for dinner...and I use the term "enjoyed" loosely. Bleh.

...and then we went roller skating!

That's me, in the black in the last photo above with my girl, Satch. :)

One of our moms went down for the count, and apparently injured herself a bit. 

 She's laughing here, but we later found out she was hiding some real pain :(

After the skating we moved onto some hill jack bar by my house, and ended up at I Hop around 4am. I haven't stayed out so late or had so much fun in a long time! Yes, I Fb...even at bars!

Good times with some great moms. Man does my head hurt!