An Iowa Mom

According To Molly

Yesterday Molly casually walked up to me out of nowhere and lovingly said ...

"Mommy?"

"Yeah"

"Mommy, you're not a poopie diaper baby with bugs on your head!"

Whew!  I'm so glad she reassured me of that. 

I was beginning to wonder.

2nd Grade Heartbreak

One day last week Drew got off the bus and moped up the sidewalk towards home at a snails pace.  I dreaded his entry as I was expecting the words that would come out of his mouth to be something like, "I got kicked off the bus again."  Or maybe, "I got sent to the office at school."  Ya know, the norm.

But, instead of those phrases escaping his lips, he trudged in with tears filling his eyes and his bottom lip quivering.  Several times I had to ask what had made him so upset, but he wasn't quite ready to tell me.

Finally, after at least 5 minutes and constant badgering ... he yelled, "[Friend Who Happens To Be A Girl] cheated on me.  She kissed [another child].  Not just on the cheek either.  On the LIPS!  She cheated.  I will never be her boyfriend again.  EVER!"

And being the great, compassionate mother that I am ...

I grabbed my camera.

What?  It was his first broken heart. 

That HAD to be documented. 

Don't worry, after I snapped the photos I hugged him and told him all girls are bitches and to get used to the feeling he was feeling right at that moment ... he'd be feeling it A LOT!

JUST KIDDING.  Geez, how bad of a mother do you think I am?

A Little Linky Love For Valentine's Day

Just wanted to let you know that I will be participating in the Bloggy Giveaway Carnival being held next week.  Be sure to check back and enter to win.  Okay?  I'll be offering a collection of handmade items.  All handmade by me.  I know you are just thrilled, aren't you?  AREN'T YOU?

That's what I thought.  :)

I know it's hard to wait, so to hold you over until then ... here is a little somethin' somethin' for ya ...

Iowa Geek is doing it again.  She's giving away a fabulous array of scrapbooking items for anyone who wants to go enter to win them.  And if you do head over to her blog, please please please let her know that An Iowa Mom sent you.  She really knows how to put together a giveaway and I wish you all good luck in winning.  But, in order to win, you have to enter ... so go!

Randy ...

Wake up Randy!

What movie?

Beauty or The Beast?

I did not want to post this video.  I really really didn't.  It's not quite the content I had envisioned for my blog.

Not that any of my content is ... but this definitely isn't.

Emily asked this question and when I didn't know the answer, she said, "Ask your blog."

Wow!  When I was four, there were no blogs.  And even if there were, I can pretty much bet that I wouldn't know what one was ... And even if I did ... I would not be asking a question on it.

Anyway ... obviously times have changed ...

If you couldn't understand her, she asked, "Does my hair look like Belle's when I'm dancin'?"

I don't know ... ahem ...  <cough>NOTACHANCEINHELL </cough> ... what do you think?

Is My Head Swelling?

A couple of months ago Jake, who is in the fourth grade, took a field trip to a Cedar Rapids Symphony Orchestra Youth Concert.  He was very excited about it, as he has always had a love for music.  Any kind of music.  Heavy Metal being his favorite ... oh dear Lord help me ... but classical music is something he listens to every night while drifting off to sleep and this field trip was eagerly anticipated.

Fast forward a couple of days and the following sheet comes home in his backpack.  No need to read the unimportant stuff.  Go right to #4.  You might have to click on the photo to enlarge it.

Go ahead.  I'll wait.

Oh yea!  Oh yea!  Who's your mama?  Who's your mama?  Finally some acknowledgment for all my yelling, screaming, grounding, fit throwing, badgering ways.   FINALLY!

And I didn't think he noticed. 

A mother is to just assume he was ignoring me and I was getting nowhere with him.  Guess not!  Shows you how much I know.

Now we just need to work on his handwriting.

Get The Most Bang For Your Buck

My friend over here is always talking crap about money and how you should save it, budget it, not buy needless things ... yadda yadda yadda ... and more yadda.  Finally, I just couldn't take it anymore, so rather than removing her from my blogroll and deleting her from my Google Reader, I jumped on her bandwagon.  It was just easier that way.

So we joined Dave Ramsey.  Started watching what we spend.  Paid off the credit card.  Paid off the Suburban.  You know ... the things people just don't do these days.  Call us weird ... we like it.  If you make fun of us ... we'll like it even better.  It means we're on the right track.

Anyway, I'm not a crazy person about it.  I still feed the kids the expensive sugar cereal for dinner.  I still launder the kids clothes after they've worn them a few times.  They are more than welcome to use a square of toilet paper when they use the restroom ... if they feel so inclined.  I  give them toothpaste ever other day to brush their teeth with.  I even allow the occasional bath ... with soap.   Because I wouldn't want to deprive them of anything.  I am a mother for crying out loud.

However, I now look to get the most bang for my buck.  Because of that, I was really interested in this contest Green3 is holding over at her place. 

You should head on over and enter to win a copy of The Tightwad Gazette: Promoting Thrift as a Viable Alternative Lifestyle (Paperback). 

Hello!  That is were she got the idea of cutting dryer sheets in half.  You can save a fortune with that tip alone.  Right?

Remember this though ... you certainly shouldn't buy this book.  That would defeat the purpose.  So you must win a copy.  And the only place I know where you can do that ... is here.

Now git.