balancing checkbook
I always thought in books and movies how rude it was that the dad was balancing the checkbook and was always sniping at the kids when they came around, now I find myself doing it. I do spend lots of time with my kids so this isn't like the only time I could be with them, but I still feel guilty, something about watching money disapear and finding new gas charges with no reciepts is rather depressing.

OK I don't mind rolling coins, no big you count sort and stuff. Then the reward of seeing how much you have to take to the bank. But money is dirty! and to make it worse somehow there was green icky stuff over ALL of our coins! I spent the first hour washing them so they wouldn't stick so much.

Scrooge I am not, I do not like the feel of money at all! I like knowing we have security, I like knowing we have some for fun, wait we don't. Oh well I HATE touching it!

So I did some looking into campgrounds near pgh, and it turns out there is one KOA within 30 minutes, and one withing 45. Just depends on how close they are to the rest of the family. Plus I have to figure out if we want to camp. Which we have never done before, at any point in our lives, much less pregnant witha 1 year old and a 3 year old (and a sleepy cranky daddy).

but the initaial cost of the tent and such should pay for itself in savings on the hotel. I guestimated the hotel between 350 and 400 and the camping between 200 and 250. I also realized that we tend to spend about 50 while there normally. so anything I can do to bring the cost down to 50 is good news. (ILs give us cash to cover gas and such)

So I did some calculating and with eating out extra (no fridge or stove to take advantage of) It is looking around 400$ for a two day trip, a lot more than the break even we are used to. DH and I talked and we will only be able to do that once, which will be closer to 500, cause if we are only going once we are going when the renfest is in town whihc means we need an extra day, ugh.

I was thinking buying a tent would be soooo much cheaper, but so far as I know the closes camp grounds are like 2 hours away, and asking DH to drive 2 hours on top of the 7 to get to pgh is just a bit much. Sucks. Remind me when I am a MIL to tolorate anything short of abuse with NO COMMENT!

DH took DS while DD and I napped, man it is impossible to recover from the trip! I still have a headache!

But we got some much needed stuff and with DH making a trip to the grocery store we should be done for groceries for the week hopefully under the 75 we have been aiming for. Now that my stockpiles are gone I had to up the weekly spending to 75 (ok baby 3 has something to do with it) but still is better than the 100 or more we used to be spending.

Got the CC bill yesterday and it was really cool to see the new total so dramatically different due to the income tax return, I know it wouldn't have been so high if we had been using the money thru the year, but then again I didn't wake up and smell the debt till around october ish, whenever I joined here shortly before that. So it prolly would have been that high. Next year we are not looking at much money from the govt at all, DH changed his number claimed and now we have nothing taken out going to the feds. which bothers him a lot, but I think with the addition of another kid we need the money, and we always get ALL of what we send back.

Well pgh was interesting, we managed to find a hat for DS which we have been looking for for a loooong time, and I relized a major difference between my family spending and most everyone else. We did not buy anything for DD, we wern't looking for anything for DD. SHe doesn't need anything, cept maybe girly shirts and I didn't like any for the price. Apparently we are supposed to get her in the habit of recieving things when her big bro does? weird to me. But I am (and my DH) completly different in parenting habits from my ILs so I should be used to that.

Unfortunatly our next trip will be dramatically more expensive, we will have to stay in a hotel. Stress of not being home is bad enough without the MIL stress on top.

Today is the day we get to find out if DS likes the class. I am excited, he is more excited anbout going to pgh though, so he may not be all that into it.

I also talked to my Mom about being my shopper for my DHs birthday present, hopefully she can find the right thing for the right price (she ebays and stuff, I don't) AND she is looking into getting DS a violin for Christmas. I hope she gets a used one like I asked for, that way if DS isn't in to it as much in person she can turn around and ebay it, hopefully for the same price (or more .) He has been asking for the violin for around 6 months. So I am petty confident he will like it.

Well to get there from here is about 2 tanks of gas each way (plus some for down there) then there is the grocery shopping, we spend as much shopping there if not more than here, and we don't have to buy as many meals, mainly cause I don't really have the same options, not my kitchen so I can't use it fully. Not to mention the stockpiles we have here don't help, my MIL has the perfect stuffede to the gils cuboard of nothing to eat. She needs flylady .

Anyway that is going to run around 100$ plus the trip to the science center at 14 each adult and 10 for DS (he just turned 3 and started costing us money .)

That should be it though, and the ILs usually give us some loot so we might break even, or at least not spend more than 50$ total.

Now all I have to do is go pack . I hate packing nowadays, with the kids you have to try and find some stuff the ILs got for them that they will wear, and pack extras for accidents, and I no longer pack double outfits, in case DH and I go out, we just don't

OH and my sandals busted!!!! not so good, I am down to 2 pairs of pants that fit and then I have a couple dresses, I do not wear tennis shoes with dresses, so I can't wear them till I get new sandals, which wont be till after we get back from PGH! unless I buy them there?

Well my dreams are vividly real and wierd (pregnancy induced), and last night involved money! First DH gave me a billion things of clothing, including a size 5 pair of jeans!!!! (I am a 6 when not pregnant, but a 12 right now) weird, he is VERY good about getting me clothing, though I often have to get him to stop, I am just like the kids, I wear my fav half dozen things. Anyway in the dream there was also a couple sweat shirts (I only sleep in them, how many different PJs can you own!) And some other stuff I can't remember.

Then their was something about a bank teller friend and her on again off again boyfriend, and the security escort to the car, like the danger stops at the car? (she was carring the money) and of course the wonderful pregnancy hormones give you 'adult' dreams so that had to enter into it, AND the bank lady was acting hormonal and disprganized (classic pregnancy signs) so there was the discussion of that, and some fake non alcholic beer, like who would drink that nasty stuff without the buzz, thats the only reason to down it! (no offense to anyone who likes the taste, I just don't)

Well tonight is the April GN, we have three confirmed guests comming, and I know I am doing somethihng with potatoes, not sure what yet, but something. We bought a huge bag of them on sale and I can now get rid of the rest of them.

So I couldn't get my neighbor to let us drive this time to BJs so I am making a coconut cream pie to give them in return for the trip, I need to come up with more stuff cause they will prolly never let us drive, but I do like the savings by not driving, and they do go nearly every week themselves so why not share.

DH went to the grocery store on his way home Wednesday and got around 60$ worth of stuff, lots of beef there was a good sale, and of course since I wasn't there he got some, but I am looking forward to enjoing the steaks tonight .

Next Week we are going to pgh, so don't even want to think about the gas on the way there! but we miss the family, err not the ILs though, sigh I miss MY family, and the only way to get them is to stay with the ILs.

So we took him he is off the charts on size and prety big on weight , perfectly following moms family (DH was an oddball tall guy)

Good news apparently a 3 year old is cheaper than a 15 month old,

bad news he has to go back in a month or two to get a nother shot, he just missed the shot came out the year after he was born, so he is getting it now, but unlike a baby he doesn't normally see the doc so often and doesn't normally have to get shots his third year. Oh well, don't want him to get pnemonia or anything. Several friends of ours have recently had it and I don't want my poor kid in the hospital.

Very cool I found a second teacher willing to let DS take lessons, that means an oportunity for lower price, the second place took longer to answer and has a cheesier website, I am hoiping the instructors are good but less money on websites means hopefully less money on lessons.

And of course new days bring new expense possibilities . DS wants to take martial arts lessons (he isn't to particular about the branch) and he wants a violin, and he wants to go play hocky in Russia.

Well there is no way I am going to Russia anytime soon, but he does get to skate in the local rink pretty often (DD too now .)

and I don't think I am getting Violin lessons but I am going to inform the grandparents that he is wanting one (has for awhile) and see if they can find one on Ebay or something (has to be small he is 3)

I looked into the martial arts and found a teacher willing to talk to him to see if he will participate, but I have to figure out how to pay for it, and I have to figure out how to get him there, it is almost 8 miles away so walking is not an option! and the timeing is not good for DH to take him. I think my neighbor will make a trade with me some pumplkin bread for a ride to see if DS likes it, but I don't think that would be fair to do everyweek, though she would prolly do it. I will let him go and see what the cost is, then decide if he is allowed to go.

Do you know how much pizza for 14 costs? A lot, though we did have coupons and we did get cheap pizza, it was still alot.

But we had fun, the kids haed fun, even my SIL who isn't to fond of us had fun for most of it . DS got to dig up the treasure which the kids thought was pretty cool, and noone was too rude or anything, one niece asked to play on the computer 5 minutes before they went home, and one nephew played his handheld game thing for part of the party (and then left it out where my toddler or preschooler could find it, not smart)

We made baloon 'lightsabers' hightech pirate I guess. I already had the ballons and air pump from ages ago. We tried to convince DS to use a cutlass to be more piraty, but he wanted the lightsaber, oh well he is three . The other kids had fun making hats and other stuff from the ballons, but one of them broke my air pump, not happy bout that.

Well we are going to buy pizza for the party, I just couldn't feed that many people something that DS likes, it is after all his birthday. But we are having him pay for it, so when grandmas money comes in it goes back to us for groceries.

We had great time last night, dinner was 14 instead of 8 but still very good, and the cost was cause of DKs being voracious eaters, along side of Mom and dad .

Skating we found out DD is big enough to skate! she did great with daddy but it will be a looong time before mommy can help her (I am not very good skating) DS actually let go of me for a bit, I was so proud of him, he fell several times and there was no trouble with that, he laughed and got right back up again . DD kept saying 'ice ice' every time DH tried to take a break, it is a lot of hard work holding up a 16 month old on the ice!

Well God has been doing a wonderful job of watering my grass and carrots, so I don't have to

Bad news is the DW is busted

Good news my DS is turning 3 today! It is officially the day, and I am the only one up. But last night I managed to get his presents wrapped, MIL gave him some loot and we used it to buy black sheet set (really odd kid I know but he will love it .) and we might use the rest to go out to eat at the ice skating rink tonight, sould be able to get dinner for us all for around 8 bucks, which is a lot more than the 2$ in pnut butter sandwhiches and drinks we usually pack, but it is his birthday! Terryaki chiken is a cool bday present (and I don't have to wrap it .)

He is also getting his first lego set (not that physical of a kid, but we are testing the foollow directions part, and it is a pirate boat. I'll let you knw what he thinks)

And a clock, did I mention he was an odd kid? He will like it I am sure. It is digital and I know a lot of people think kids should learn analog before digital, but he can't count by 5s yet, he does know all the numbers up to 100 fairly well. So he can read the digital one now. And we do have analog clocks in DDs room (wel actually it is in DSs room but that wil change) and in the bathroom. So he will get a chance to read them later. BEst feature of the clock, it has a picture of the outline of the USA on it kid will love that, and it has daddys work logo on it (was free from work BTW .)

And what I think will be his best present is a treasure map that we made out of a brown grocery bag soaked in soysauce(darken it) and then oiled, and then burnt (next time I think I will burn before the oil, oil paper burns funny) and then pressed to make the folds stay. I was worried at first cause after burning it was VERY stiff and I thought it would crack instead of fold, but I re-oiled it an then slowly bent it and it managed to stay intact (thou a crack or two just adds to the old cooness of it)

Anyway the map leads to a spot in the backyard where we buried some gold coins (in a plastic box), and a few other things he will like, some glass flat marbles, a necklace of dads he has been eying, a ring of dads, and one of mine for DD (she is one figure she needs something) And a few other things that he will like. 5$ in gold coins, which he will use the next time we go to a renfest, he loves giving the oney himself (well he loves holding it) and we like that a coin is eaisier to keep track of and doesn't rip in a klutzy kids hands.