Dollar Tree Shopping

I usually avoid the Dollar Tree like the plague. It's not that I dislike it. In fact I actually like the variety of things they carry. For personal reasons I generally do not go to the one here. Well I am trying to budget my grocery spending. So I decided to hell with my personal reasons, I was going to check out the grocery section.The Princess thought I had lost my mind. The Brain didn't care as long as he got his waffles. So here was my Dollar Tree grocery haul.

Ribeye steaks.... yes thin but individually wrapped.
Sausage links...
Frozen blueberries...
Frozen peaches....
Frozen shrimp... tiny bag
Frozen scallops... also tiny bags
Waffles....
Sandwich meat.... it's not really a bargain but it often goes to waste here so the smaller packs work for us
Campbells salsa...
Frozen stir fry veggies...
Frozen broccoli cauliflower mix...
Bagged cereal... same stuff I get from Wal-Mart only smaller bags
Chips.. regular size bags
Cookies..
Pasta sides..

I got an assortment of snacks, and foods that I generally buy for double the price. Of course somethings are not a bargain, but I feel the overall trip was a success. I will be going back at least every other week to stock up on snacks and, single meal items. We all eat at different times, and I usually end up cooking several times a day for each of us. The single servings of meats are actually very helpful.

So if you are on a budget Check out your local Dollar Tree. 

OCD Much?

    I have a wedding to attend this weekend. I'm really excited about it. I get to witness two people I care a lot about get married. I've never been to a wedding, and I can't wait. Sounds great right? Well it is except that I'm a fruitcake. I freak out about everything. OMG what are we going to wear? What am I going to do with our hair? What is appropriate? etc...

     So I went shopping. Thrift store style. Here we have several Thrift stores. For the wedding outfits I hit the one with the $10 brown bag special. So last week I took the brain , and my 15 year old neighbor (Haley has style!) and we hit the shop. She loves this store. Whatever qualifying items you can fit in the brown bag you get for $10. I got 4 skirts, numerous tops, 5 pair of jeans, 4 pairs of shorts, and quiet a few pieces for my two kids and Haley. 

     I am a blue jeans type of chick. I happen to wear jeans well, and that is my comfort zone! Oh I like to dress them up with heals, and a hot top. I feel sexy in jeans. I feel confident in them. Jeans make me feel empowered. Yes I am a complete idiot, but I like it. So for this wedding I am wearing a skirt. Its a hot skirt. It flatters my figure without screaming look at me. It is knee length, form fitting with a little flair at the bottom. Paired with a black and white top, and sandals to match. This is not in my comfort zone, but it is doable. The other three skirts I bought will be re-purposed into shirts. I intend to keep the black skirt just in case I have need for it again (shudder).

     Oh now for the hair.I found the perfect hairstyle. A retro bouffant chignon. It is a simple style allowing me to pull my long hair up, but has volume so I don't look like a depressed librarian. 

     So with my wardrobe, and hair taken care of that leaves the princess. She wants Elsa's braid from the movie Frozen. I have never french braided in my life until tonight. I did pretty good for my first time. My mother used to french braid our hair, and I hated it. So I never had the urge to learn until now. Funny how things work out. If my mother likes it you can just about bet that I hate it. If I like it the princess doesn't. Ah its great lol. So tomorrow we will master the volume and poofieness of the Elsa braid. No worries on her wardrobe. For a child that claims to hate girly things she has more dresses and shoes than Wal-mart. 

     As for the brain.... well he is simple, and easy to please. I think he may even be ready to cut his hair. He wants long hair like our neighbor. The thing is the neighbors hair is straight. The brains hair is curly, and he doesn't like the curls. It isn't long enough to straighten out yet. So that leaves him with 2 choices. Get it cut, or let me wash it and apply products. Oh he hates that. I use Garnier Fructice leave in conditioner, mouse, and Dark-n-Lovely curl glaze. Combed straight back until it dries completely. Then it just curls so prettily. 

     I have 3 days. I have micro-managed every detail so far. Hopefully I wont think of anything else to worry about. It is in my nature to try to achieve perfection for whatever event I'm facing. I did take most of today off from wedding prep. I went thrift shopping again. This time it was at a different shop (my favorite). It supports our local children's home. I found a handmade desk for $10. It is so beautiful, and it was built to last. Then on the way home I stopped by Fred's to get a few necessities. I found shampoo and conditioner for fifty cents a bottle. We are stocked up for at least 6 months! GREAT DAY!!! 

Crazy Momma!

I have a habit of becoming overwhelmed, and flipping out at the smallest things. I yell. I curse. Well I used to. No I am not proud of this. No I did not yell, curse, and flip out all the time. That doesn't excuse it, or make it okay. It is never okay to flip out on your kids, but we are all human. I'm pretty sure every parent out there has lost their temper at one time or another. Now with that being said.... My youngest broke my tablet yesterday. He came to me holding it to his chest. I had company, but I knew immediately something was wrong. There were streaks on his face from crying. His expression was pure detestation. So when he showed me instead of flipping out I hugged him. I told him it was okay. I comforted him. I told him how proud I was of him for telling me the truth. For me this is a big step, and strengthened our bond that much more. In the future he will recall my reaction, and know that he can come to me. This helps right some of my crazy momma moments.