Buy ALL the shoes!!

So I have been wondering where to buy Sanuks for kids and found them at Escape!!  Thanks for the tip Carey!!  Great customer service too!!  Three kids and an adult were hooked up in 15 minutes.  Everyone got what they wanted and no tears!!  The staff even seemed to enjoy it :)

Kids shoes are something I spend money on too.  There is a huge difference between how Walmart or Joe shoes pan out versus the name brands.

We got home and I realized that I cannot walk into my narrow front hallway because of all the shoes.  So I decided to give some away!!  The pile wasn't nearly as big as I was hoping it would be though...

Here's the thing...
The kids each have 1 pair of active outdoor shoes for every season and 1 pair of casual outdoor shoes for every season.  Plus a pair of dress shoes, and a pair of indoor shoes for school.

That is 12 pairs of shoes right there!

Will is the exception because he is new and shiny so he has so many shoes I don't even bother thinking about it!  Let's say he has 9 pairs of shoes just from the ones I can think of right now.

So we're at 17 pairs of shoes.

Then there are the shoes for Robert and I.  Adults have WAY more occasions that call for different shoes.  There are probably 10 pairs for both of us.

So now we're at 27 pairs of shoes sitting in my front entrance!!  That I can't get rid of yet!!  Normal??!!
Anyone??!!

Please someone make me feel better...

I do have a reno planned to help our narrow, long front entrance but not until fall when we aren't so busy outside ;)

You asked for it!! How to Get Compliments Grocery Shopping Part 1

One of the biggest things we have learned this year is that it is easy to blow the budget on food with a family of 5.  There really is no room for error or poor planning.

Being lazy costs $$.  Not planning ahead costs $$ too.  Having to run out for supper with 5 costs a minimum of $40 for McDick's.  If we want a decent meal where we can sit quietly and not listen to mayhem (we're demanding I know) it is about $60...just to sit!  Nothing special about this meal.

$40 to $100 may not seem like much for some to spend on a whim BUT I would rather spend that on a date night, or a couple decent pairs of shoes for the kids, or any form of entertainment that will last longer than 45min. Because we eat and run!  For us and for those sitting around us...

This is why I have become a prostar at the grocery planning.  In order to show people how I do it I have to plan ahead and track my spending.  I'll take a months worth of shopping trips and show receipts!

But in order to prep for that here are my own house rules for food!

1)  No snacks that come in crinkly packages...this sucks more for me than the kids.  I try to bake 2-3 snacks a week.  The only crinkly packages in my cupboards are soup crackers, raisins, nuts, and tuna.

2) I make all my own sauces and condiments.  It's really easier than it sounds!

3)  My cupboards are fully stocked with spices, stocks (in case I have run out of my own), and baking supplies.

4)  Be wary of "house brands".  These are not always cheaper.  Safeway is really good for showing how much you are paying per 100 grams on their prices.  I rarely buy house brands.

5) Contrary to #4 sometimes house brands are cheaper.  And I buy it.  Let's face it.  Crap is crap.  And if my kids are dying for some KD crap...I'd rather pay .48 cents for crap than $1 for the "better" crap.

6)  I try my hardest to go grocery shopping with the smallest number of kids possible.  Kids are a distraction and it is easy to break focus and just buy all the things and not look at prices!  And then buy yourself all the things to make yourself feel better because your kids are driving you insane.  This is what causes me to break the budget many times in the past.  No matter how badly your kids are behaving...you do not deserve a new dress.

7)  I watch flyers.  Sometimes Costco is cheaper, sometimes Superstore is cheaper, sometimes Walmart is cheaper...sometimes Shoppers!  Watch out.  I would thought I could coupon but that takes time.  And I watched one episode of Extreme Couponing and almost died of a heart attack at the extreme hoarding going on!

8) Beware of Super Centres that have it all.  It is easy to blow the budget on a good deal that isn't food!

People say they can't afford Safeway or Co-op but it is a lot easier to stay on budget when there is no other option at the store that isn't food.

9)  For fun snacks my kids get to pick out two fruits and two vegetables that they haven't tried before.  Sounds lame but kids really just like to have some control in their opinions and choices.  Who doesn't?  And they have come home with some cool stuff.  

10)  If it is out of the budget, I don't buy it.  It will just have to wait for next week.  Or figure out a cheaper option.

11)  A little more time (and I mean seconds) can save you at least half!  Yep.  Sliced bread doubles the cost of a loaf.  I can buy 4 loaves of whole wheat unsliced bread for $3.  It stays fresh longer and tastes better.  This rule applies to many other things.

12) Meal Planning is an absolute must.

13) Do a cupboard inventory every week to see what you have leftover that could be turned into a possible meal...beef up a meal on the meal plan...and to make sure you don't end up buying double!  I have cayenne pepper to last generations :s

14) Don't be a snob.  When my "random" household items is quite long I stop at Dollarama to see what they have.  You would be surprised to see how much brand name stuff they carry.

It's summer!  I'm way less experimental during the summer...which means an even cheaper bill!  We just want to eat something and get back outside.  Or BBQ.  Lately my bill has been $100-$150 a week :)  I've even gotten a few compliments from the cashiers lately...Which means more money for stuff that I want to spend $ on.  

Irrational Fear?

It has almost been a year since I've been taking anti anxiety meds and my doctor would like to start weaning me off.  Done breast feeding, Will is sleeping better, and it's summer!  Sun makes you happy!

But I'm scared.  

I'm scared that I need medication to love my family and enjoy my life.

I'm afraid of what it will do to my psyche if I can't handle life without the medication.

I was silly and wanted to try to stop the meds "cold turkey".  That didn't go well.  I felt dizzy, nauseous, numb, and was totally fine with all hell breaking loose in my house as long as I had my little bubble to hide in.

Not good.  I should probably mention that to my doctor...but I'm afraid of the lecture of trying to stop the meds myself.  I've always thought that other people deciding to go off their meds were crazy...but I do see the appeal in wanting to feel like you have some control over your life.

I'm having anxiety over having to give up my anxiety pills.

I have 30 days of pills left and I kind of want to take one every other day so that I have 60 days before I have to think about going to the doc and coming up with a plan.

This sucks.

I clearly don't know if I want them or not.

I never thought that I would be this mom.  Didn't even cross my mind.  I knew that it ran in the family but I thought that I was stronger than that.

What does it mean if I can't function without them?

I'm jealous of all the moms that can just go out with their babies in that first year.  I remember crying at home all day, my midwife taking me for practice runs walking around the block or driving my car without Will in hopes that someday I could do it with him.  I spent 3 weeks straight inside my house.  And Robert had to really be convincing in order to get me to walk around the block.  I really don't remember much about the first 6 months at all.  Instead of cherishing the first year I just wanted it to be over.  So is that person going to come back?

I hope that Will doesn't find out what his mom was like when he was a newborn.  And that if he does that he knows how sorry I am that I wasn't strong enough.  

How come other moms can handle the first year but I can't?  I'm always so afraid that other moms will judge me and think that I'm totally incompetent or judge Will and think that he is a horrible baby...(as if there is such a thing).  When really we are told all the time that he is the happiest baby most have seen.  Argh.

Hopefully I can remember all these things when I go to the doc...

I prefer blogging about the trials of parenthood.  But this needed to be a post so that I can move on.