Blogging Break

As shown by my recent lack of posting, I haven't had much to talk about in our lives.  

Life has slowed down dramatically for us, since we haven't been busy with moving, and we are just enjoying living in this new house.

Life is good right now, and I am enjoying it.  I've passed the 7 month mark, and I feel different.  I feel less grief most of the time, and I feel more at peace with what has happened to us.  Last night for the first time, I was able to say to someone, frankly and bluntly..."Barry is dead, and he's not coming back".  I need to get on with my life!

We have some exciting events happening in the next month!  The kids got accepted into their grief camp, so we have the welcoming pizza party for that on the 26th, and then they go to camp June 11-13.  I'm going to see Jim Norton in Seattle on the 28th, which I am extremely excited for.  I plan to take a sharpie and have him sign my boobage! Yes, I totally am going to do that! And this upcoming week, I will be booking our trip to Florida, so that is going to take some time for me too, with all the logistics of car rentals, and hotels and flights etc etc. 

I don't feel that I have anything to write right now, so I am going to take a break from blogging.  Not long I'm sure, I just didn't want to leave this blog unattended, and have everyone wonder where I am.  I'm here, just living!   I'll be back soon!! 

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas

And I'm tired already!!

I haven't posted much this weekend/week yet because life has just been crazy, and I am just worn out. I don't mean to be ignoring my blog, I just don't have the energy. We had a busy holiday week last week, and this week I've been preparing for my mom's visit this weekend. And then my daughter has a choir performance on Thursday night at 7PM (ugh, not looking forward to that with a two year old! lol). Friday night I am doing a bit of shopping...maybe. Saturday morning I am picking up my layaway for my mom and sister's gifts, they're arriving later that morning. I'm busy till next Tuesday basically!!!!

Christmas prep is in full swing here at our house! I've been listening to Christmas music on iTunes and on the radio and our XM radio in the van. We've put up all of our decorations except our tree, which we will put up this weekend when my mom and sister come to visit. Yesterday I was able to get to our storage unit and get all of my Christmas decor out. Once the kids came home from school, they went crazy with decoration, and had a lot of fun. I collect snowmen and snow globes, so our decor is predominately that. I don't really "do" Santa, so we only have a few of those.

I'm almost done with my shopping too, which is a big relief. All I have left to do is purchase the kids' books, a couple stocking stuffers and order the extra controllers for the Wii we bought the kids.

Baking will wait till the kids are off school. I simply do not have the freezer room to store anything long term, so it always has to wait. Since my mom and sister are coming this weekend, we will probably do our gingerbread houses next weekend, and then the following weekend will will start our baking.

Tis the Season to be Jolly, right? So I'd better get my jolly on, it is lacking a little bit.

Ah, and thank you to MamaBear over at GottaLittleSpaceToFill for including my post Easy Peasy Branmuffins, in this weeks Make It From Scratch Carnival

Pieces Of You

Today my husband went back on the road. He was home for a week and will be back around Christmas sometime. We're hoping for Christmas eve, which is what normally happens. We might see if he can't come home for a day or two in November, but no promises.

I miss him more than anything when he leaves, but I can't dwell on it too much otherwise I am miserable. I have to get back into a routine, back to normal. When he is home, we're on a vacation almost. We don't have to worry about him going to work, or schedules except for school for the kids. The kids have early release all week because of parent teacher conferences (we did ours yesterday), so since daddy is gone, I've been trying to think of fun stuff for us to do. Today I picked up a huge box of Play-doh and they're all at the kitchen table enjoying themselves. Yes, my almost 8 year olds still like play-doh. Tomorrow we're going for flu shots...eek! But Thursday or Friday, I think we're going to head back to the pumpkin farm so the kids can get a better look since we didn't get much of a chance on Sunday. And of course, we have Friday family movie night-and we'll be watching the new Indiana Jones movie.

Anyway, my post is titled "pieces of you". I used that title because I like to leave pieces of my husbands "life" around the house when he leaves. Almost to recognized that this is still his home, and though he may be gone, he still belongs here. I like seeing things of his laying around too though. Like right now, his slippers are still on the living room floor where he left them. He has an almost empty can of shaving cream in the bathroom that I like to leave there. Or an empty can of chewing tobacco that is on the dash of my van and rolls around as I drive. And sometimes, for a few nights or so, I sleep with his pillow too.

Does it seem silly and rather childish? Perhaps to some, but it helps remind me of him and I think it is nice for the kids to see bits and pieces of daddy around the house.

Date Night

Last night the man and I were able to go out on a date...our first since we saw HP 5 last summer!!! We went to Outback for dinner and had some delicious food, where we proceeded to get a little tipsy and he a little drunk, lol! It was a great meal, and I enjoyed spending the time with him. We then headed over to the mall for our movie, but we were an hour early, so we went and played some air hockey. That was so fun!! And I beat him once. We want an Air hockey table now ;o)

The movie was a late showing at 10:10, and we saw Religulous. Go see it if you haven't done so already, it is fantastic! Very funny. I'm not very good at describing movies in great detail, so go read my husband's blog and he'll give you the low-down on it. Though as he says, it make you a little "hot under the collar" if you're very religious. I plan to buy it once it comes out on DVD. We like to see movies like this, it is very informative. Did you know that the story of Horus, the Egyptian god, is almost the exact same as the story of Jesus? Yet the story of Horus was written before Jesus was born. Check out this site for a good read on it.

Anyway, I had a great evening with my husband. It was nice to get a kid-free night and just enjoy our time as a couple, and even more special because we don't get that time together very often.

My Man Is Coming Home!

Originally he was supposed to be home today, but since we decided we weren't going to my cousin's wedding, he should be home monday or tuesday. We have a busy hometime planned for next week. Our daughter's birthday is on the 8th, so we have that day and then her birthday party on the 11th. On the 10th we're going to volunteer at the kids' Pumpkin Fund Run at their school, and that's in the afternoon. On the evening of the 11th, he and I are going on a date while my mom watches the kids. On the 12th we're going to a local pumpkin patch with the kids. We're looking forward to that, they have a corn maze, haunted house, a cider mill, all kinds of fun stuff. The 13th we have parent teacher conferences. And during that time, we have to schedule a day for me to get my glasses (I decided against the contacts. Even though I love having a glasses free face, the dryness was just too much to bear. I was going through a bottle of drops every week, and that's expensive. The only drops I can use that don't sting my eyes are $7 a bottle!), and we also have to find time to go to our storage unit and bring stuff there that we don't need at home. Plus, we are going to take out our Xmas stuff, and bring that home. He won't be home again till Xmas, so he gets it out for me so I can decorate beforehand.

Did you get tired reading that? I think we'll be exhausted by the week's end. And I still have to clean this weekend. I haven't done much around the house because I've been sick, so I have a lot to catch up on!

When It Rains It Pours

It always happens right?

Tonight when I dropped my son off at his Karate Promotion, I was told that it would take 1.5 hours. Hmmm...more like 2.5. You try telling a 2.5 year old she can't use the bathroom in there, so we have to sit it out in the van and just entertain ourselves because otherwise the girls will be too "distracting". Finally at 8:30 they were done, and we were on our merry way home.

But wait...the brakes are being noisy, and groaning when I use them, so guess what? Off to Midas I go in the morning! Lovely. Except, tomorrow is my yard sale, right? so how am I supposed to set everything up and get to Midas? I will have to do it all when I get back, which means I miss out on a LOT of potential sales if things take too long at Midas. great!

So I sit here at 11:30 while I bake cookies for my daughter's lemonade stand, and I realized I burnt some by accident. Thankfully I have Rice Krispie squares and brownies that I made earlier today.

Preparing for this trip to Canada is stressful! It is costing us a fortune to go up there. We have $150 for the pets to be kenneled, because we have no one to watch them. A tank or two of gas. Money for a wedding gift. The cats need their shots and I have to buy an extra carrier so they can get to the kennel. And we need to cover two meals...one there and one back. That adds up to over $500 just for a weekend. That is a lot of money for a family of 6 on one income. Of course, the extra meal might not happen if we get home in time for lunch on the way back (we're aiming for that because otherwise we have to pay more for the kennels anyway). And I don't think we will need two tanks of gas-most likely 1.5 if that, but we need to budget just in case. So that could possibly bring us down about $60, which helps, but not a ton.

Can it get any worse?

I wish we could catch a break.

Please wish me luck for the yard sale, I really really need to make some money for the trip. Especially now with the brakes acting funny, that might really cut into our trip $$.

I ate a brownie today. *sigh*

If anyone feels generous enough to donate to our plight, please let me know and I will gladly give you my PayPal email.

I Am Such A Bum Today!

Here I sit, 10AM in my pajamas. The house is messy. I have errands to run, but obviously I have not gotten out of the house yet. My 2.5 year old is dressed and watching TV, and I have not done one thing today.

This is a lesson learned...I need to shower at night. If I did so, I would feel more motivated. I guess since I went to the gym yesterday and showered in the morning, I thought I could shower this morning. It isn't doing me a lick of good is it?

Another thing that has been on my mind today has been my diet. It's not going so well. I'm trying, and working out, but not to my full potential I guess. I'm really struggling, and I have a deadline too. My cousin's wedding is on Oct 3d and I am not anywhere near ready. I still have to buy a dress and all that awful shapewear to go with it. I feel panicky and anxious when I think about it, because who wants to be a fat girl and go dress shopping?

*sigh*

I really need to go shower now. I have to go to the Tea Shop, Children's Place to exchange a shirt for the boy, Target for a new toothbrush for the baby b/c she decided to give hers a toilet bath. Time to get off my ass!

Back To The Real World #2

The man of the house left this morning after we got the three older kids off to school, so it is back to the real world for me! School started today, and I am HAPPY! Well, I do miss the laid back atmosphere of Summer vacation, but it will do me some good to get into a routine again. Our routine goes to shit during the summer!

No more sleeping in except for the weekends, I have to get up early m-f. My schedule that started today is the normal school day schedule for us...get up at 6:30 Am, the kids get on the bus at 8:22 and they're home at 3:49PM. During that time, I plan to go to the gym 4 days a week, m-thursday, and friday is my free day for whatever I want to do. We've also got Karate starting up next week, so that takes up 1 hour every tuesday and thursday afternoons. And every other thursday I have MOPS to attend. Plus I need to do my usual housework and cooking, and we can't forget...shopping!!

Last night we had the back to school orientation. Really fun. Do you know how much of a pain in the butt it is to fill out 10 or so odd forms for EACH child? lol Ok, maybe I am exaggerating a bit, but there were probably 5 each. So the man and I both worked on them together tonight after the kid went to bed.

Yesterday I also got all three older kids a hair cut. They look so cute!! The girls got their hair cut shoulder length with some layers, and we all LOVE it on them. My middle daughter has really wavy hair, lots of curl underneath, so this really helps bring out the curl, and it looks really cute. Of course the kids were happy, because they got a Hannah Montanna and Camp Rock poster there too! Last night after their showers, the girls were really excited to pick out their school clothes. I think the oldest has been pining for this day, as she knew EXACTLY what she wanted to wear. It is this combo:




She doesn't have the hat, or the mj shoes, but does have the knee highs. She'll wear it with plain black mjs.

Our middle daughter picked this out to wear, but without the shoes or hat, and plain jeans and some sort of shoe. She does like to wear skirts and dresses too, but not tomorrow. Both girls are outfitted in Gymboree. lol



I don't have pictures of the boy's outfit, but he is wearing baggy jeans, a guitar shirt form ON and his new skate shoes. lol

Wish me luck for tonight, that is when the real test comes. I'll have to get everyone bathed, fed, kitchen cleaned etc etc and go to bed on time, and start all over tomorrow. I have to keep telling myself that it will be good for me. I can handle it!

What I Did Today

Load upon load upon load upon load upon load of laundry. Washing, Drying, Folding, Putting away. That will teach me not to get behind!!!

Mopped all the non-carpeted floors

Vacuumed all the carpets

Dusted all the surfaces

Mowed the grass

Cleaned my huge bathroom

De cluttered all the living areas

Balanced the check-book

Bathed the baby, and made sure the other three "de-stank" themselves.

Tried the baby's Halloween costume on her after she had just woken up from her nap. Why do I do this to myself? Because it's freakin' cute, that's why! (And I should mention that after she had it on, she was excited to be a Bee, and did not want to take her costume off.

Listened to my 7.5 year old daughter scream and cry as I was trying to comb and brush out the tangles in her long blond hair. De-tangler does not work for her hair.

Called Amazon to see why my order hasn't shipped yet even though I paid for normal shipping and not super saver shipping.

Ran the dishwasher 3 times, the 2ND time because I accidentally spilled a can of Pepsi all over the clean dishes that I had yet to unload, and because my piece-of-shit dishwasher can't be fully loaded, or else it will not clean one bit.


I would have gotten at least half of this done yesterday, but I was feeling sick yesterday and still had to go to TWO grocery stores. Plus, when I got on I-5 to get to Wal-Mart, traffic was backed up for MILES, so I had to back track through town, which made my trip to Wal Mart take twice as long. So needless to say, I was too tired to do anything yesterday. The good news is that I am done now with my cleaning. I just have to do my nails and toes and I'm good to go!

My eyes are tired, and the words I am typing are blurry! I seriously did not sit down all morning from the time I made breakfast at 8:30 till 1Pm. Then we got to eat lunch, and then it was back up and doing chores again. I just sat down after the kids went to bed at 9, and I watched a bit of TV before mopping. I still have to shower and shave and I feel like I am dead on my feet! He won't be home till mid to late afternoon tomorrow, but I really really hate scrambling to do things last minute.

My hubby better appreciate this! lol

On the plus side, I finished the "Twilight Saga" late last night, and I have started to read it again! This time I will take it a lot slower, and enjoy the books even more.

My summer vacation is essentially over, even though school doesn't start for another week. I was not able to sleep in this past weekend because we had errands to run, and when hubby is home, he hates to sleep in. Plus, I have to get the kids on a back to school schedule, so I will start implementing that with hubby tomorrow night. That means bed time at 8/8:30 for them, and I have to be in bed on time too because I have to get up at 6:30 each morning. I really should have done it today, but I was not in any mood to do it.

Seeing as the man comes home tomorrow, don't expect to see me for awhile. I will try to update when I can, but we have a busy week ahead of us and I haven't seen my man in five weeks. *wink wink*

Back To The Real World

If you read my post the other day, I have been completely and totally enthralled with the "Twilight" saga. I have been reading the books so fast that I had to actually buy two at a time the other day, just so I wouldn't make an extra trip to Target to buy the 3d and 4th ones.

So last night I started reading the fourth book. I love it. I love Edward. I want to be a Vampire! lol Can I turn my husband into Edward? my dreams would be fulfilled then.

In all seriousness though, I haven't read too far into it because I am trying to make this last book last. And also because the man will be home on Tuesday! You know what this means, back to the cleaning, which I have slacked this last week because I have been fantasizing about what life with Edward would be like.

Today I have to go grocery shopping, and also take the kids to the library's end of the summer party. They are featuring the "Very Hungry Caterpillar", which just happens to be my youngest daughter's favorite book. So we're looking forward to that. The kids also got free coupons for pizza, because they completed the reading program at the library, so we'll be enjoying something yummy for dinner!

Tomorrow I am headed off to Old Navy FIRST thing in the morning. They are having a sale on jeans, $7 per pair for kids jeans. The catch is, they limit you to 3 pairs per customer. So guess what? my kids will be buying their jeans! Yep, you read that right, mommy dearest is going to give her children $25 each to pay for their jeans. Just watch Old Navy try to stop me! Mwuhahahaha.

And then comes the cleaning. I need to pull myself away from my book because if I don't, I will be scrambling like crazy on monday to clean.

Wish me luck!

Roses Are Red

Two days ago the dog was barking up a storm, and I didn't pay him any attention because he always barks. He barks at the wind! But this time he kept barking, so I went outside to check, and the Fed-Ex guy was here for what seemed the umpteenth time this week. But this time he comes out with a really long box...and inside the box were these (pardon my dog's feet, it is really hard to get him to move sometimes):






The pictures don't do them justice! They are gorgeous. Don't I have an awesome hubby? I love him so much!!

This Just Made My Day!!!

I dont know if anyone remembers, but I have written about Rob
TheLoneFilmMaker. I have followed his progress on YouTube faithfully, enjoying every video.

Rob commented that my blog intrigued him, because I said I had a husband, but was a single mom. lol Well, the truth is that my husband is a truck driver and gone weeks at a time. We rarely see him, usually one week out of every 7.

Well, today when I got home...Rob had commented on my blog!!! I know it might seem silly to you all, but I feel like I got a visit from a celebrity! I am so excited!!!

So Rob, if you are reading this again, thank you so much for commenting! You've made my day. Thank you so much for coming by here.

Hi Everybody!!

So the man is gone, and it time to update my blog again! I apologize for being so lax in my posting, but with my hubby home we were very busy!

Tomorrow I plan to get back into the swing of things, and I am starting it off by going on a DIET AND going back to the gym. I took some time off while my man was home. Also, tomorrow afternoon my 2 year olds bed is being delivered, so I have a lot of housework to do today. Mostly in the girls' room though, because its a pig sty.

I can't believe we're past mid july already. This year has just flown by, hasn't it? Summer vacation will be over in a month and a half, so in about a month or so, I have to wean my 3 older children off their summer schedule and ease back into the school schedule. I am looking forward to it! lol

Last week we signed up our son for swimming lessons so he could go with his sisters, so next week, starting the 29th, I will be at the YMCA from 4:30-6pm Tues and Thurs. I plan to use some of that time to work out too.

And even better, my man will be home in 5 weeks again at the end of august!!!

I still have Mt St Helen's photos to upload to here, so be patient...they're coming. I just have to add a watermark to them with my new snazzy Paint Shop Pro that I got for my b-day last week.

Happy Birthday To Me!!

Today I turn 28!!!
I got woken up with a ton of great presents from my hubby and the kids, and my favorite was Paint Shop Pro photo software!!! I can't wait to use it.

I haven't updated in awhile because we have been so busy. Monday we were at Mt St Helens, and I have some awesome pictures to share, once I get around to it. lol

I'll write later...just wanted to update a little.

He's Home!!

I was suspecting my man today, but he told me he would actually be home last night after the kids went to bed. I was getting them bathed and ready for bed when one of the neighbours rang the doorbell, or so I thought. I thought that was kind of funny because why would they come over at 8:30PM, and when I opened it, it was my husband! When he and I had talked a few minutes before that he told me he was two hours away (when in fact he was only 5 minutes away).

Anyway, we're enjoying having him here. He will be home for about 10 days!!

Till later...

And This Makes 203

Well, I had thought I would celebrate my blog having two hundred posts, but I forgot. 203 is just as good, right?

This blogging thing has eluded (spelling? is it an E or an A?) me off and on. Some days I can't shut up, some days I have nothing to say! I get writers block quite a bit I think. Maybe I don't think my life is very interesting? lol Since the man of the house is coming home in two days (possibly tomorrow night! does that mean I need to get out the weed whacker? lol), I will be pretty busy, but I will continue to post as much as possible. Monday I am pretty excited for, as we're going to visit Mt. St. Helen's. I'll be sure to try and post some pictures! And how can I forget to post about my exciting day on Saturday? I'm dying to go shopping and eat cheesecake! lol

Until later my dearest readers...

I'll Be MIA Soon!!

Well, the time has come for my dearest to come home! I have not seen my hubby in about 10 weeks!!! Though frankly, the time has passed very quickly. This is our longest stretch each year, and it isn't really that bad, as we keep pretty busy around the house. We go to Karate lessons, Swimming lessons, the kids had school up until a couple weeks ago, etc etc.

He will be home on Thursday, and home for 8 whole days. I don't expect to be around that much, we are always busy. I will try to post on here at least once or twice though.

Friday the 11Th, he has an eye appointment, we have to buy our youngest daughter her first twin bed (Yaay!!!), he needs shoes, and we also have to purchase a new microwave since ours just shit the bed, and we're purchasing a freezer. Crazy day that day!!!

Saturday is the day I am going out with my friends. Just us three girls, no husbands, no kids, no responsibilities! Yaay! We're headed to an outlet mall to hit up the Gap, Gymboree and Children's Place outlet stores. Then we'll head to Ikea, which I am excited about the most since I haven't been to one since we lived in Germany. Then it is off to The Cheesecake Factory for dinner! We are all very excited to go.

No idea what we're doing on Sunday, but Monday I think we're headed to Mt. St. Helen's for a day trip. We do have other plans, but the first few days are always the busiest for us.

Now I get to spend the next few days getting the house super clean and prettying myself up, as he likes my nails red. ;o)

Till later!

Life As A Mom

I am not sure if many of you readers know, but I function every day as a single parent. Yes, a single mom of four young children. Three are in school (well, it is summer vacation now), and one is just a toddler. Their ages are 7.5, 7.5, almost 6 and 2.

But in reality, I am not a single mom. I do have a husband, whom I have been married to for almost 9 wonderful years. His job, however, takes him away from us for weeks at a time, so I always joke that he is my "sugar daddy".

Being a mom is such a hard job. I am always "on call", and almost never get time to myself. The only time I really get to myself, is when I am at the YMCA working out, and the kids are in childcare. It is an hour and a half of peace, quiet, and ME time. I do have an iPod I listen to, but I shamelessly say that music is much more peaceful compared to 4 loud, and screaming children. And I only get this "time out" 2-3 times per week.

I am not super-mom, though my friends Candace and Heather are quick to say that. I love them for that, even though I vehemently deny any truthfulness to their statements. Last night in fact, as they were chatting away online while I was getting my kid ready for bed, they mentioned they thought I was a super-mom. Candace said I should write a book, and the title was "how to take care of the kids and still manage your man the true tales of a bj giving wife". I had to laugh at that!

My husband is finally coming home in one week. We have not seen him since early May. Though we do talk on the phone daily, it still does not fill the void of him being gone. There are benefits to being by myself though; I get a king sized bed all to myself, I get to watch whatever I want on TV. lol. But I can't wait till he comes home next week! I miss him so much. I get hugs from the kids, but nothing compares to a hug and kiss from the love of your life.

After he comes home, next week saturday, my friends and I are going out for a day of shopping, and out to The Cheesecake Factory for dinner. All afternoon and day without kids, plus awesome food and shopping, is sounding like bliss right now!

I just don't like the term "super-mom" because I really feel I am not one. My house is still messy, I am feeding my kids hot dogs for dinner, there is laundry piled up, and my floor desperately needs mopping. But what is a mom to do? If I make jam all afternoon, can I be expected to prepare a huge dinner? I think not! lol
Perhaps I should make jam every day!!

disclaimer...this post was written wednesday afternoon while my jam was setting and the kids were outside before dinner.

A Little Update, Amidst The Sweltering Heat

I haven't had much to write lately, we've been pretty busy!

The kids start Karate and Swimming lessons tomorrow night, and they are all excited! I started back at the gym today, and man, I felt awesome! I hadn't been in two weeks and I felt so empowered once I started rockin' on that elliptical machine.

My husband is coming home on the 10th, so I have started to get the house ready for him. He always likes it to be a certain way (meaning clean! LOL), so I need to get that taken care of. We're excited to see him, as he hasn't been home since the beginning of may.

And the baby's potty training...it is going really well! Still having a few accidents, but she is doing well with recognizing the urge to go. Not good with #2 yet, but we've only been doing this since Friday, so I did not expect her to do it overnight. She is staying dry most of the time, and rarely has a pee accident either. Naps are ok for staying dry, and I wake her up at midnight too. Sometimes she wakes up wet, but night time training is quite hard to master. She only wears regular cotton panties during the day, and at night time, or naps (or when we're out), thick cotton training pants and a vinyl/plastic cover.

And I have to share, a good friend of mine passed her American Citizenship test! Yaay Heather!!! She has her ceremony on Monday. I will be applying for my citizenship in two years, as I have to have my green card for 2 years and 9 months before I can apply.

Till next time!

Breaking Away From "Wal Mart"

I had a pretty disastrous trip to Wal Mart a couple weeks ago.

Where we used to live, our Wal Mart was great. Not too busy, everything in stock, and tidy. Now that we live in a new city, I get to experience a new Wal Mart. With a new store comes a hoard of bad experiences. Imagine a super Wal Mart twice as big as what you are used to, and it has to service thousands of people in a large metro area, including two LARGE military bases. So you can imagine that it is very messy sometimes, and every time you go, something will be out of stock.

I live 20 minutes away with good traffic, on a bad day it could take me up to a half hour to get home, so I can't run to Wal Mart for every little thing like I used to be able to do. The last time I was there, the two most important things I needed were out of stock and they didn't know when they would have them again. Cat food and Cat litter. If you have a pet, you know you can't just switch things up on them because something is out of stock. So what was I to do? I had to go to Pet Smart and get some there.

I am so flippin' tired of that crap. So we decided to break away from Wal Mart. It has been a little difficult, but not too bad. I actually buy all of my non-grocery items at Target now, which I prefer to Wal Mart anyway. I go to a different grocery store, and just yesterday went to The Grocery Outlet (they didnt have everything I needed, but I can get all the canned stuff we need, bread, some dairy, dry goods, most beef and chicken, and snacks). The Grocery outlet is right by Wal Mart, but I don't mind driving there because they are CHEAP, cheaper than Wal Mart! And I have two Safeway's within 5 minutes of my house, so I shop there for stuff that I need in between large grocery trips, or items I can not find at The Grocery Outlet (such as certain brands I refuse to stray from, like Jif PB, or some of the meat and dairy I can't find elsewhere).

And on the weekend I did even more. I shopped at the Farmers Market for produce. Yeah, it is a bit more expensive than some grocery stores. I spent $10 on apples, $10on cherries, and $13 on pears, and $5 on some awesome, kick-ass, fresh salsa. I don't normally buy cherries, because they are so expensive and just a treat for us. The farmers market prices are comparable to Safeway "not on sale".

Yeah, I do a bit more shopping, but I prefer it this way.

I hate Wal Mart. Not saying I won't ever shop there again, I do like their cheap prices on certain items. I might buy toys there for X-mas, or maybe not. Probably not. I'd like to say I won't ever shop there again unless I am desperate and have no other option. And it is better to support the small businesses at the farmers market anyway.