Ho ho ho...

Last year I didn't take Grant to see Santa at all. I didn't really care if he got his picture with Santa. I figured we had plenty of years for Santa pictures. However, this year we just happened to be at Bass Pro Shops in the middle of November and Santa was already there. I thought why not I don't have to wait in line and we won't have to worry about it later.

Grant wasn't even scared (you wouldn't guess by the look on his face). As he walked up to Santa he was waving at him. It was pretty cute.

Trimming the Tree

Last week we finally put up our Christmas tree. Mike and I were excited for Grant to help us. However, G-man didn't have any desire to help. He just wanted to watch the "train" movie.

So here is he watching Polar Express. As you can see he can't be bothered by putting up the Christmas decorations.

Mikey putting his touches on the tree

Jewelry Sale - Take a look

See side bar (down below for a sneak peak). I will also be adding more items in the next couple of days. Remember to enter "mailer" at check out to receive the discount.

It might just be a.....

Giving Thanks

Last week we spent the week in Utah. (Sorry we missed seeing a lot of friends and family while we were there, but time just got away from us.) It was great to spend time with family. We spent a couple of days at my dad's house in a huge mess. My dad had just had a pipe break in his basement a couple of days before we got there so the whole basement was a disaster. However, we made the best of the situation and Grant got to know Grand-dad a little better. Saturday night after we got there my sister came down with her kids and they had Grant running until 10:00 pm. He was just going going going. What more could he ask for than attention from 4 cousins that can't leave him alone.



We spent the rest of the week at my mom's house where Grant actually got to catch up on his sleep. Grant sleeps in a pack'n'play in the walk in closet. It is away from the action at my mom's house so he slept through all the noise of the kids and everything else.



I spent most of the week running errands and shopping with my mom and my sisters. Of course we did end up shopping on "Black Friday" which is CRAZY and it might be another few years before I do it again. Grant spent most of the week playing with his cousins and taking 3-4 hour naps during the day. Mike was a trooper and spent his days working, watching Grant, or following me around with my family. Mike also spent some time at his brother's house.

It is great to see family but we always miss them when it is time to come home. Grant was ready to come home. We walked into our house on Sunday night and he just kept saying "back, back".

(Sorry I have some pictures but don't have my cord with me right now!)

Cart Surfing

I think Grant and Mike may have created a new sport. Next time you run into Mike at the store he may just ask you to compete in the Cart Surfing war so start prepping your kids. If you haven't had your chance to see these two in action please feast your eyes on the video.

I know you are all wondering how this even got started; well it all begins when your son gets to stay home with his dad everyday and there is no mom around to give guidance. It actually started at WalMart (yes, I know). Grant decided that he wanted to push the cart. Mike got frustrated because they were going to slow and so attempted to push the cart faster. Grant eventually slipped and fell and kept hanging on smiling the whole way as Mike drug him through the store. Grant now loves it and can't wait to push the cart. However, he really doesn't push the cart anymore; he just plops right down on the floor waiting for the surfing to begin. Grant even tries to do it behind his stroller on our carpet at home.

I guess boys will be boys.

Grant's New Shirt

AARRGG, a pirate's life for me.....

Halloween week was quite eventful between Trunk or Treat and actually taking Grant out Trick or Treating.

Thursday night we had Trunk or Treat. Our ward set up in the cultural hall and had a bunch of carnival booths that each organization was in charge of. Of course the Elders were in charge of a fish pond. Mike decided it was a good idea to give out actual fish. Thankfully we didn't end up with any of them. Grant however, couldn't stay out of "his" swimming pool. So I had to find other activities to distract him from Mike like eating lots and lots of cotton candy.

On Saturday we took Grant out trick or treating early evening and went to about 8 house (that was plenty). Grant was getting the hang of it by the end. I think his favorite part was ringing the doorbell and being able to grab his own candy (and no this could would take handfuls).

Trying to get me.

Don't worry it is a fake.

Give Away

My company is currently giving away 3 pairs of earrings t0 3 different people.

Go here to find more details on how to enter.

Check out a small list of items that we currently have for sale at thebeadgirls.etsy.com

360 Tour

Last night Mike and I got to go to the U2 concert. Can I just tell you that I have NEVER EVER been disappointed with one of their shows. Bono, The Edge, Larry, and Adam put on quite a show. Last night they played for over 2 hours straight - no breaks. And how amazing do you have to be to actually have the Black Eyed Peas open for you. Fergie was pretty awesome too; boy that girl can really sing.

(The stag was massive and was just WOW!)

Mike and I got off to a rough start being stuck in traffic FOREVER. As most of you know I am a HUGE U2 fan and so being stuck in traffic missing any part of the show was very very stressful. I didn't pay money to sit on the freeway or in the parking lot for almost 2 hours. When we finally did get to the parking lot Mike kicked me out of the car. (It is ok I totally deserved it because I just kept yelling at the stupid traffic directors and I don't do very well in traffic with Mike driving.)

Then to make matters worse I see a guy coming out of the bushes pulling up his pants and doing up his belt. Really he did just use the bathroom in the bushes when we were so close to the stadium. At that point I had had enough. I shook my head at him and and said "You are disgusting!" He told me he couldn't wait and I pointed to the building and said it is right there you couldn't wait that long. This was his direct quote "Well that is like 300 yards away and I just couldn't make it." Really dude really it wasn't even that far away and plus you are 50 not some little kid that can't hold it.



The night did end GREAT and we left during the very very last song (we heard most of it walking around the stadium). I just didn't want to get stuck in the parking lot and Mike for sure didn't want to get stuck in the parking lot with me again or I may have had to walk home.

Black Eyed Peas

U2
Black Eye Peas
(Sorry it is pretty crappy video)

U2 AMAZING. When Can I see you again????

(I told Mike in Paris 2010, but I don't know if he will go for that.)

Clean Clean Clean

So what is your favorite cleaning product? We all have one that we love and that we would hate to give up. Or maybe you have a special trick to save some time on tasks that you really hate.

I hate ironing. I am to much of a perfectionist when it comes to ironing so it takes me forever. For a long time I just took everything to the dry cleaners because I thought it was easier and saved me a ton of time. I would drop them off in the morning and then I would pick them up on my way home from work. Now that is a huge time saver. However, when I had Grant it was a different story and the dry cleaner wasn't really cleaning the clothes like I wanted. So for a little while I would wash them myself and still take them to the dryer cleaner for another clean and press. But I was still disappointed and decided that I should probably save the $25 a month and just do it myself. Don't get me wrong there are still some items that I have to take to the cleaners because washing them just doesn't work (I tried but it was a failed attempt).

Are you asking yourself what I use to save time on the ironing. Well I still don't iron and only iron when I have too. I actually use liquid starch. I mix 1/2 water and 1/2 liquid starch in a spray bottle and spray my clothes when they come out of the dryer and then hang them up. It works miracles. Of course you don't get the clean pressed lines that I like but it works great for t-shirts and pants. Give it a try....

Tell me what is your favorite cleaning product or cleaning tip???

No Spend Month - 30 Day EMBARRASMENT

Ok, I have been dreading this post because after the last post it just went down hill from there. Mike was such a great sport and would really try hard to save money when he was grocery shopping. The last time we did no spend month I did the grocery shopping and I did the cooking. However, roles were reversed this time because of my ear infection and now the current virus (cough, runny nose, and lots of congestion) I am trying to fight. Mike did a great job grocery shopping of resiting all those yummy snacks, but when it comes to getting creative in the kitchen that just isn't him. Don't get me wrong he will make things that I pull out and give him a recipe for but I was just too lazy to even do that.

So here is the dreaded news for the last two weeks (totals are only the last 1/2 of the month)

Grocery: $167

Gas: $72 (1 fill up for me and 1 of Mike)

Eating OUT: $65 (Yes, this was a killer. Ok, so I had a hard time liking my lunch that I brought to work and wouldn't eat it because it was leftovers that I have been eating for lunch the last 2 days. We also did get pizza one night because I didn't want to cook and Mike LOVES pizza and will pretty much do anything to have a pizza night - only Papa Johns.)

If any of you are adding up yes, we well exceeded our goal which was originally set at $300. Alright I know you all have your calculators out to see the amount we spent so I will just tell if you if you promise to put your calculators away (or maybe I am just the geek that has a calculator sitting by my computer for easy access). So the total for the month was $563. (Yes, it is small for a reason).

I know this month wasn't that big of a flop because we did spend less than normal and I will continue to try random NO spend months but hopefully we just won't be sick the next time.


HAPPY SHOPPING BECAUSE IT IS NOW OCTOBER!!!!!!

No SPEND Month - 14 days

Well, so far so bad. We have spent way more than we should have and we are only half way through the month.

Groceries: $163 (which also includes a large box of diapers from Costco)

Gas: $70 - not too bad with a road trip included

Misc. $26 - (a part for Mikey's buggy while we were at the ranch)

We only have $41 left to go. I don't think we are going to make it, but hey at least we will have spent a lot less this month than last month.

Road Rash

Grant has been waking up early this week. So on Tuesday he was up early and Mike didn't sleep very well, so I decided to take him on my run with me. He was a great little companion. He thought it was great because he saw a small dog that of course he thought was a cat and was meowing at it. He also got to see the moon which was still up.

Ever since that morning Grant wants to go for a walk. He goes to the door and tries to open it and starts saying "walk". I guess on Tuesday after my run Grant kept telling Mike "walk" all day. Finally after dinner we got to go for a walk. Grant spent most of the time out of the stroller bouncing up the street. Well we were a 1/2 block from home and Grant was in his stroller when he decided that he leaned forward and tumbled out of the stroller.

Of course it didn't look as bad that night. But when he woke up the next morning this is what he looked like.

Playing in the Garden

Last week we replanted our garden and this is what Grant came out wearing. He was so proud of himself. He just kept saying "hat". He actually wore it for a while before he finally took it off.

Throwing rocks into the water.

We love Tennis

A couple of weeks ago we were watching a tennis match with Serena Williams. Grant thought it was so funny. Every time a point would start Grant would just start laughing.

Another NO SPEND Month

Have you ever felt like this???

I thought I would take another try at the NO spend month that we did in Feb. However, this time we will be having a budget of $300 rather than our $250.

You may be asking:

What is a NO spend month?

Several months ago I happened to come across this blog that talked about her NO Spend Month . I thought it was such a great idea and a great challenge to learn to live on strict budget. I know everybody is trying to cut back on everything in their life and I thought what better way to learn to cut back than live off $250 for a whole month.

What does my $300 cover?
Food, entertainment, household items, gas, clothing, and any other basic items that I would purchase every month.

What is NOT covered by my $300?
Rent, car payment, medical expenses, phone, Internet, water, power, tithing and other monthly recurring bills (thankfully we don't have too many).

Why the move from $250 to $300?

Well it is because this weekend we are going out of town and I am hoping that the extra $50 will cover the gas we need to get up there.

How can you survive on only $300?

Well I don't know how we will survive this month. So far it has been 3 days and I already want to go shopping. It doesn't matter what I buy I just want to buy. Hopefully by the end of the month I won't feel that way and I have learned that I can live without things.

What will I learn?

I want to learn the difference between NEED and WANT. Hopefully I can use lots of food that has been sitting in my cupboard for months. What greater thing than just simple meal planning so you don't have the WANT to out to eat.

What is the potential of living off $300?

$,$$$. Need I say more!

Did I stock up supplies in August?

No, I work really hard not too. My car didn't have a full tank when I started the month. I probably had a 1/2 tank of gas. However, I didn't fill up on the 31st. I also noticed Grant was getting low on diapers (well I knew I would have to buy some in Sept). However, I didn't buy any yet. Last week I used all our Mayo, Miracle Whip and butter. Well I didn't make a run at 10pm to the store on the 31st even though I should have. So no stocking up for us.

How does Mike handle it?

Well, Mike tolerates it to say the least. I don't think that he really cares about it and I think he finds it a complete inconvenience, but I don't care because I learn that I can live without certain things and we can make do with what we have. I for sure learn that restaurant food is usually NOT better than a home cooked meal.

What I want NOW!!!

Alright for several years now I have been receiving the Lucky Magazine and I love it. It gives me some great ideas for fashion and beauty tips that I would have never found out about. Any way every month they have a section that some of the editors put together is is entiled "What I want Now". It allows each individual to choose the latest fashion trends they want.

So here is my....

What I want NOW

Time

Hopefully to spend with Grant and Mikey.

Flowers

Don't you just love this sweater. It is so girly. I just want flowers on everything right now. I love the detail it provides to any outfit.

Thanks JCrew.

Vacation A nice long vacation with Mikey.

OR

The Beach

A pair of Great Shoes.

I haven't found them yet but when I do I will get you a picture.

oH the pLagUe

While we were in Utah our family picked up some kind of bug. We aren't sure what it is but it has been brutal. Mike has 2 ear infections and a pretty bad cough. Grant threw up for 3 days and now has diarrhea. I have been having some stomach issues too, but not nearly as bad as Grant.

So to say the least this week has been quite eventful. However, we have managed to get some laughs out of it.

Funny things Grant has said/did this week:
While taking a trip to get out of the house Mike took Grant to Bass Pro. When they were looking at the boats Grant said "Bubbles". (Grant currently loves bubbles and will shake his sippy cup so he can see bubbles.) Mike thought it was kind of strange so he asked Grant, "where are the bubbles?" Grant in turn points to his belly and then says "Ut-oh". Mike knew that probably wasn't a good sign and was hoping to make it home without a big mess in the car. However, the car seat needed a deep cleaning.

Grant now knows that you get bubbles in your stomach when you have an upset stomach. He has now said "Bubbles" for his belly a couple of times.

Funny things I get from Mike:
I received the following email from Mike earlier this week.

Subject Line: Ano

He just sat on my head and wet farted! It's bad. It's really really bad.

And I received the following email from Mike yesterday.

Subject Line: I need a Hazmat suit

He did four hours. When I went in to get him I almost passed out. Poor guy.

I later called home to find Grant having a bubble bath and Mike having changed all of Grant's sheets and blankets.


So to say the least we have had quite the eventful week.

Wedding Day

Last week my little brother got married. Yeah!!! We are so happy for him and Esther. They got married in the Draper temple on Wednesday. It was a beautiful day.

Here are a few pictures that I got to take. Mike got mad at me for trying to take more rather than take care of Grant. So I guess this is all we get. Hopefully I can get some from my brother in law.

Cam & Esther are officially married.

Poor Grant having to put up with his bossy cousins. However, they do really love him because they called me several times on our way up to Utah wondering when they would get to see Grant.

The nieces dancing while waiting for Cam and Esther to come out of the temple.

The boys with Cam. Spencer and Grant I guess really didn't want to be in the picture.

Funny faces.

All the boys.

Date night!

Friday was date night for me and Grant. Since this month I have been working like crazy I haven't had a chance to really spend quality time with Grant. Mike was busy Friday night studying and helping somebody move, so I decided to take Grant to his first movie.

I have been wanting to take Grant to the movies for a little while. However, I wasn't sure if he would sit through a whole movie. I also didn't want to pay full price for a movie either in case we had to leave. So I found the $1 theater close to us (well in AZ it is the $2.50 theater).

When I got home from work on Friday I picked up Grant and we headed to the theater. I hadn't ever been to that theater before so I called Mike a couple of times to see if he knew exactly where the theater was at the mall.

When we got to the mall I found the theater and Grant and I walked inside. We were kind of in a hurray because the movie was going to start. As we were walking in Grant saw a water fountain outside and pointed to it and said "wah-wah." I told him that we would see it when we got done with the movie.

Inside the theater we paid for a our ticket and bought some popcorn. My hands were full with my purse, Grant's sippy, Grant's teddy and Grant. So I set Grant on the counter as we were paying for our tickets and popcorn. As soon as the lady set down the popcorn Grant grabbed a large handful. I knew I couldn't carry Grant while carrying the popcorn so I set him down to follow me. We went and put some butter on our popcorn and Grant just couldn't resit the popcorn that fell on the floor. So I gave him another handful of popcorn from our bag so he wouldn't eat the popcorn on the floor. However, he just couldn't leave all that popcorn on the floor. So I had to grab his hand and drag him along. We finally made it to where we turn in our tickets. Of course there was more spilled popcorn on the floor. Grant just couldn't resist that popcorn either. After some persuasion we finally made it in the theater.

While entering the theater I grabbed a booster seat for Grant. I set the booster in his chair and realized how was I going to get Grant into the chair. I couldn't set the popcorn down on the ground because it would spill all over. I know for sure I can't pick Grant up with one hand because he is just too heavy. I then realized that I might be able to fit the popcorn in between the folding seat. Sure enough it worked and I got Grant situated in his booster.

We only sat in our chairs for a couple of minutes before the movie started. As soon as the big screen went on Grant was transfixed. He loved it. He would point to things and tell me about them. He saw a picture of a cat and of course started to meow. Thankfully the theater only had about 10 people in it so I didn't feel bad that he was talking.

Grant munched on popcorn for the first 45 min of the movie. Every time I would try to move the popcorn (because he wasn't eating it) he would look at me and say "noooo." Good thing for the popcorn because Grant stayed in his seat for that whole 45 min. After that he moved to my lap for the rest of the movie. The movie was 1 hour 34 min which was about 10 min to long for Grant. But he did great.

Next movie on our list is "UP". Hopefully it will be at the $1 theater soon.

After the movie I had promised Grant that we would see the fountain. Of course he remembered. As soon as we got outside he started running toward the fountain.

Hopefully Grant and I can have another date night soon.

Freedom and the Smell of Gas

I think we all have a few special moments in life when we are completely content. The first I remember was riding just in front of my Uncle Greg on an atc. I was straddling the gas tank holding on to the inside of the handlebars while he powered up a steep hill.

Another time I couldn't keep from dumbsmiling was when I rode on the back of my father-in-law's Harley just a few years ago. It was just up the street and I wasn't even driving, but the moment he pulled into traffic from the driveway and opened up the throttle I was free and eight years old again.

So, I got this. And it's awesome. There's nothing like sitting on five and a half horses on an open road at twilight with your son on a jimmy-rigged bicycle seat in front of you.

bust a MOVE

What else can I say, this kid loves to dance.

Kellis Family Fun

View from our condo.

This past week we have spent with the Keillis family in Oceanside. Grant had a great time playing with his cousins.


We left Mesa on Saturday and drove to Oceanside. Alli (Mike's little sister) rode with us. It was great to have some entertainment for Grant.

Unfortunately I had to work on Sunday and ALL day Monday because of some tight deadlines at work. Mike was a great sport and let me work at the last minute. He was great and took Grant to the pool and the beach while I was working.

We went to Legoland, Sea World and spent some time at the beach. It was a great vacation. It was also good to spend time with Mike's family.

Thanks to Brent and Lucile for putting the reunion together. We loved every minute of the trip.

View of the beach from the Pier (our condo in the background on the far left)

Beach

Our condo was right on the beach. It was great to be so close to the beach. However, Grant got sand everywhere. Why do people love to take their kids to the beach? It was too much sand for me and it was freezing (yes, we have been in Arizona too long).



Grant loved it.... well until he got rocked by a few waves. Mike took him down to the beach on Monday while I was working and I guess he got knocked down by a few waves. When we went back to the beach on Friday morning Grant was hesitant to run all the way in the water. However, he still loved the sand and would only get his feet in the water. It was a little cold that morning so that maybe why he wasn't going full board too.

Our first night at the beach.

Grant playing at the playground by the beach.

(The beach was soooo busy as you can see from all the people)

Playing with the sand.

What more could a little boy ask for: sand & a stick?

Grant loving swimming at the beach. (We just couldn't keep him out!!!)

Sea World

Sea World was great for Grant. He loved looking at all the animals and the shows were great for little kids. The park had some great interactive spots that were great. Grant got to touch a Bat Ray and Starfish. What more could a kid ask for then a whole days being able to splash in puddles and touching animals.

Sea Turtles

Starfish

Sesame Street Land

Bat Ray

Grant even got to feed the sea lions. We even got attacked by a bird because it wanted our fish. Too bad we didn't get that on video.

Legoland

Our first outing in Oceanside was a trip to Legoland. Mike's siblings all had passes to Legoland so we thought we would try it out one day. Well since we have one child and he doesn't really care about lego we didn't really enjoy the park. Many of the rides had height restrictions and there wasn't much for little kids. We did find a few things that Grant did like.

It was pretty cool to see so many things made out of legos. I don't know how the designers do it but they are amazing the things that they can make.