It's only Tuesday?

I am so off this week. I can not believe it is only Tuesday. This may be a very looooooong week. Today was very busy. Sami had a friend over after school. We are still in the unpacking and organizing stages, but I feel I can't hold the kids off any longer from having playdates. Maya helped me make chocolate chip cookies. I did that alot with Sami in the old house, but not so much wiht Maya. It was nice to have the time just the two of us while Sami played with her friend. I want to make an effort to spend more one on one time with each of the girls. After I everyone had gone, I started making dinner, which was lasagna and homemade sauce. Chris is the "sauce maker" in the family. This was one of the first solo attempts. It came out ok, I guess. I used sugar to weaken the acidity of the tomatoes. Chris usually uses carrots, but we were all out. The end product was quite a mess in the kitchen and a very "cheesy" lasagna. Still room for improvement! The good news is I have three jars of sauce to freeze and keep using!

Toulabean now open on Etsy!!

I am super excited to announce the opening of Toulabean on Etsy!

I have been a long admirer of people's beautiful work on Etsy. I've always wanted to open a shop, but have yet to get myself organized enough. Finally, I've convinced my super talented husband to put his design skills to good use and collaborate with me to offer some unbelievable art prints! Chris has such a great eye for design and specializes in a clean, modern style. I am so excited to begin this venture with him. He loves creating designs and its time he puts them out there for everyone to see. The first series of prints he designed is a set of 4 camera illustrations. I love the colorful look of these prints. Please check out our new shop, we would love feedback as we are new to this!

Apple Camp

I'm super excited that I reserved a spot for Samantha at Apple Camp. This looks like it will be so creative and fun. Sami loves all things computer and technological, so she will be psyched! This is a free three-day workshop run at Apple stores nationwide for kids ages 8-12 yrs old. Check the Apple site for more details.

My goal this summer is to really try to enjoy things with the girls, but also take advantage of all the freebies out there! Being a stay home mom can get expensive in the summer when you are trying to entertain two kids. Even the beach cost money! So I was thrilled to be able to get Sami a spot at this Camp.

Thanks, MoneySavingMom for the tip!

Baby Bullet!!

I am up way too late, fighting a battle in my kitchen with teenie tiny ants. Not fun!! In the midst of my frustration I get a little ray of sunshine when something on the tv catches my eye. It's the Baby Bullet!! Have you seen this?

I am probably the last one to see this as my baby days are a few years behind me. I've been so longing to have a third, but we are trying to wait until the time is right. Now that the girls are 8 and 6 yrs old, the possibility of a third seems more distant each day. But then comes a commercial for Baby Bullet and I'm swooning all over again. Look at the cute little faces on the cups! Love it!! I never did have a chance to make my own baby food because at the time I had a horrible job in a telecommunications company. There are so many things I would want to do with a third baby now that I am home. Ah, wishful thinking. If a miracle does happen and we get pregnant again, this may be the first purchase I make!!

Low key weekend

We have been keeping it pretty low key this weekend. Maya came home from school Friday with a fever of 102.5 and that set the tone for the weekend. We went to the doctors, spent way too much on co-pays and prescriptions, only to find that she has yet another ear infection. Life as a kindergarten-er can be very exhausting. This has been a rough year for her. She has had five bouts of strep and now two ear-infection. Tonsillectomy is scheduled for this summer. My poor lil ducky!

Chris did the early morning duty and took Sami to softball at 8:30.



Maya and I took a pass and stayed home snuggled up watching Good Luck Charlie. Sometimes it is nice to have a reason to stay all cozied up with Mama!

I spent the afternoon dosing out antibiotics and cutting up some of my neglected coupon stash. Now that we have been moved into the house for more than a month I feel its time to get back to business with the coupons. CVS is now offering a promo where you can earn $10 gas cards with $30 in qualifying purchases. Pretty good since gas prices are going so high. I'm excited to get my Sunday paper tomorrow because I've heard of alot of good deals this coming week!

By the end of the day, everyone was feeling a little better, so we took a trip to a fairly new restaurant The Great Escape in Salem, MA. This restaurant opened maybe a year ago. There was quite a bit of hype around it because it is the old Salem Jail converted into a restaurant. I grew up in Salem, so all the spookiness of the witch trials is somewhat lost on me. When you've grown up around it, the history somewhat loses the appeal. But a while ago I had purchased a Groupon for a discount there, so we figured we would give it a try. The food was decent, but too pricey. The atmosphere was cool, but the interior is very small compared to the size of the building. I had homemade fusilli pasta which was really good. However, we probably wouldn't go back unless we were able to get another discount. The menu was overpriced and they even charged for soda refills. Chris had to listen to me complain about that the whole ride home, haha.

Tomorrow's forecast includes a soccer game, more arguments with Maya over why antibiotics are important, laundry and groceries. Blah! I am hoping to get my scrapbooking space finally set up, but we'll see. Hope you enjoy what's left of the weekend!!