7 Quick Takes Friday, #7

1. My Lenten cleaning plan (as mentioned last week) is right on track. Which means I'm only about 4 days behind, due to not following it on the weekend, and Mia's sickness taking up all my spare moments. Exactly how I planned it. On tap for today: play catch up with closet organizing and large appliance detox. There's probably not enough time to do it all well, so instead I think I'll...

Read a book. This will motivate me to be extra hard-working during the weekend, right?

2. That awful cold that Mia's had for most of the week? Has now been passed to Lauren, who is nearly drowning in snot. We are blowing through kleenex here like they're free and lovely. I see no end in sight. Hold me.

3. Yesterday, I made some goodies to take to a mother's group meeting at my church today. (More on the goodies later this weekend.) A meeting that I will not be attending, after all. As I was baking, I had no worry that either of the girls wouldn't be well enough to spend the morning in the nursery (so mama could get her girl-gab on).

Poor Lauren was coughing her way through the night last night, and woke up even more congested than before. What's worse, she feels like she's getting a fever. She has a hard enough time being left in a nursery when she's completely healthy; I can't subject her to that scary ol' nursery when she's sick.

It was only on second thought that I considered the other kids who'd be there. They don't deserve to be coughed upon by my girls and their parents don't deserve a week of house arrest tending to a cold.

4. In an effort to spend less money (and time) at the grocery store, I'm in the middle of an experiment.

I read a list of tips on saving money on food, which got me thinking. The list was pretty common sense, including things like clipping coupons, using up leftovers, making from scratch, and buying the least processed versions of food available. For example, buy a whole chicken instead of a package of breasts. I do all these things already to some extent, but there was one tip that I hadn't tried yet: go to the grocery store every 2 weeks, instead of weekly. Make the trip as seldom as possible, so as to cut out the extra purchases that add up to a cart-full when you just run in for a few items.

So, last week on shopping day, I was armed with a list for 2 weeks worth of food. I had a feeling that if I stuck tight to that list, I'd come away with a bill that wasn't much higher than I usually spend in just one week, due to multiple trips for forgotten items. I started getting nervous when the cart was piled higher than ever, with more things we still needed, but I plowed on. The checkout was a nightmare, as I watched the bill climb higher and higher. The total came to about $180. More than we've ever spent in a single grocery shopping trip.

I planned on making an exception for milk and fresh produce, planning on stopping at Braum's as needed. We go through those two things more than I was comfortable with for buying 2 weeks worth and worrying about spoilage. So, two trips to Braum's for milk, fruit, and veggies added an extra $33. Added to our total, that's approximately $213 for two weeks of groceries.

Then I looked back at how much we spent over several trips to the store during a typical two week period. We spent anywhere from $300 to $370, with an average of $325 for two weeks.

From $325 down to $213. I'm no mathematical genius, but to me that looks like money saved.

5. Last night I went to my cousin Scott's 21st birthday party - this makes me feel old and decrepit . He's the baby of my generation of cousins, and now he's 21. I remember when he was born. I remember his curly baby hair, and his sweet little boy's voice. I remember how he loved dinosaurs and thought they lived in "the great valley" behind my grandparents' house.

Time flies. Happy Birthday, Scotty-man.

6a. Mia flat-out cracks me up sometimes. Lately when she's playing with her dolls or ponies, and giving voice to their pretend dramas, she slips into 'narration' mode.

"Oh, little darlin' let's go see if we can make you feel better said the mama." This is all related in her sweet little sing-song tone.

Only this week, her sing-song tone is highlighted with congestion, so that last part goes something like, "said the baba."

6b. This was too funny not to include: Just now, out of the corner of my eye, I saw Mia digging around in her nose. Then, having found something worthy of being picked, she hopped up, ran over to the box of kleenex, wiped her finger on the top tissue, and ran away again. Here's hoping I remember to remove the used tissue from the box before anyone else needs one.

7. Happy First Day of Spring! When I was younger I never minded winter. Snow days, Christmas, hot chocolate, warm clothes - these things all made me happy. Since having kids, though, I find myself soooo ready for spring to be here. Let's get out of the house! Let's banish static cling! Let's get rid of the car-seat-clogging coats! In other words - YAY FOR SPRING!

Head over to Jen's for more Quick Takes.