Princess Perky's Page

I actually discovered that my finances were a mess because of flylady.

Let me back up a bit. I am a disorganized person with a todo list a mile long, who always managed to pull it together for the occassion, just don't supprise me!

Well any parent will tell you kids are nothing but suprises! I discovered after having my first that my last minute ditch for paying bills or cleaning up the clutter were not going to work. Guranteed when I needed that 5 or 10 minutes of work, my son was going to need me. No matter that for the past week he took a nap at this time or played on the floor, whatever, today when I need the time that is when he would have a problem.

I tried to do it my way for months, Mostly I managed, but then I had my DD, now I had two kids needing me when I was supposed to be working, all my bandaid solutions were falling appart, I was paying overdraft fees and CC bills were piling up (using the CC to try and avoid the overdraft fees!)

I found Flylady and discovered I was not alone! I struggled with the idea that a routine is worthless when it is constantly interupted and finally hit uppon the perpetual todo list, when I am done fixing the kid 'emergency' (potty, sharing, booboos, whatever) I would go right back to wherever I was on my list. Simple right? but if my list wasn't written down, I would lose my place!

After I managed all that, life was much easier, and I again managed to get it all together err mostly. Then I discovered I had time for that dreaded thing I kept pushing further and further down the todo list in hopes it would disapear, the checkbook balancing! At first I tried dusting instead (another dreaded chore) but I discovered a calculator was still better than the duster, so I went back to the checkbook. I needed help! and Savingadvice was there for me, lots of little ideas, lots of encouragement, and best of all no telling me what an idiot I had been!

Now I have things mostly in order, but I am slipping I can't balance the checkbook a math error is escaping me, and the longer I avoid it the more hopeless I feel.

(BTW I still don't dust!)

My kid can crawl! I just want to share

He also slept from midnight to 5ish without pestering me! (meaning he didn't wake himself up cooughing for the first time in weeks!)

And he is pulling up to his knees! It is so cute, and he gets stuck there, which is good I havn't even gotten used to how well he crawls much less ready for him to pull up and get stuff from the couch or table!

Plus he is so smart! Last night he was chasing a toy and I hid it under a towel, at first he lost it, but I showed it to him a couple times and he started pulling the towel off to get to the toy, way cool.

Oh and he now has two teeth poking out!

K back to your regulary scheduled financial 'stuff'

"You don't need that you want it" -GMC, April 06

I heard that comment from my son the other day and I swelled up with pride. One of the first steps in avoiding debt is to stop buying what you don't need and can't afford. That can be pretty hard if you think every whim is a need.

Back when I started trying to seriously straighten out my finances (couldn't have done it without www.savingadvice.com!) I started looking at my own needs/wants. I came up with quite a few splurges that I was taking for granted.

Then I started to notice how often my kids said they needed something. When it comes to a potty or food, they often did need it. But toys? Nope those were wants so I started telling them.

When I heard a whine of "I need that part to build my whatever" I corrected the need phrasing first("you don't need it you want it"), then I worked on the sharing. (how about you get that part in 2 minutes while your sibling has a turn, or try this part it is almost the same)

It is never to early to start, and someday my kids will be 20something looking at a brand new gizmo and hearing Moms voice, "You don't need it you just want it" maybe they will get the gizmo anyway, but hopefully they will appriciate the ability to fill wants, not chalk it up to a 'need'.

Kids are like sponges, they soak up information whether you want it or not, we can only chose what information is available.

I can't really say again, it's not like we were all healthy in between. But now instead of an odd cough on GMC, and a horrid snorkle on UE, we now have a horrid cough/snorkle on UE, an odd cough on JC, and GMC seems to be better. Oh yeah plus My husband doesn't feel good and I am miserable. I hate being sick.

I have no desire to go use a cloth diaper (Thank you God I don't Have to)

I have no desire to go hang dry any laundry (Thank you God I actually have a dryer!)

I also have no desire to go workout, eat healthy, or any other good for you things, which may be adding to my miserableness. I think when I work out more and eat better I get sick less.


Edit to add, nevermind about GMC, he just had his sickness move up to the nose, and out of the coughing mostly. weird.

Never go shopping without the next meal packed, I think that will be my new motto! Ever since the CC got paid off I have been rather lax about packing meals and it shows we've been out to eat twice this month both because shopping ran late and we wanted dinner/lunch.

On a good note the grocery bill wasn't too terrible though we do have to the other store to get yogurt tommorrow. And I found a birthday presant for my niece, and a cool book with map 'stuff' for my son (I can make up math and English, but maps and geography?)

I put some pdf sheets for anyone to use online (the princess parenting website), I used them with JC and I just sort of wanted to see if they were worth using by anyone, and I got a request for more! I am so amazed really! I know it is silly but knowing someone wants something I made is awesome, even if it is just kids schoolwork.

I wonder if I should make a way for people to contact me from the kids site (I realized putting stuff online about them was more fun, but it looked odd on the PP website)

Every year we try to hit the after easter sales, we love cool easter eggs, and they have been comming out with neat ones lately.

This year we found pink camaflauge and some shaped like a train a truck and a plane. For I think 50 cents a bag. Way better than the origional 2$ price.

Plus I found a couple bendy rabbits, just for fun and only 35 cents. and a goofy rabibit stacking game, again just for fun, and I think 75 cents.

The prices I am fudgy on, because my mother bought them, and I have no memory (my son stole it!) with no reciept to remind me, I am left to guess. but the whole row of sale stuff was all less than a buck each.

I also splurged on some whoppers for my DH and I. (and discovered DS read them as whoahpers .)

We are finally home! REally home.

We had an interesting time.

Tuesday we got a flat tire, plus lost twice. (Dh was NOT happy!) but we fixed Grandmas computer, no printer or internet though..Forgot to hand over half the stuff we had.

Wednesday we got lost once, late twice, forgot to hand over half the stuff we had.

Thursday I caught the oven on fire...Boy does a fire extinguisher make a HUGE mess!

Friday I escapped! I went out shopping with my mother, and dinner with my cousin, best day of vacation I have EVER had! (took UE with me, left the older two with the ILs)

Cost wise the trip actually turned out pretty cheap, every one kept treating us!

Working thru a maze is great for logical thinking, and honestly old fashioned try again. Very important for my perfectionist.

but most online mazes come in two formats, easy enough for a 2 year old and hard enough to challenge me. Not what I need for my kid!

I finally found a site I like!

(pre meaning from able to sit up to able to write circles and lines)

Coloring
Coloring is a great way to encourage creativity, but it can also be a way to learn colors, shapes, counting, and more.

My son was never really into art, still isn't, so he would get bored with scribbling, and ask me to make things with his crayons. Sometimes he wanted shapes (I am much better at proper squares and circles thanks to him!) Sometimes it was numbers, sometimes it was names. (Momma, Daddy, his name, friends names)
Somedays we would count the shapes he asked me to make. Most days he would specify "make a green circle" He learned all his colors and most of the numbers very early just be coloring!

Some things I would ask/say:
"Can I have the blue crayon?"
"..the short fat black crayon?"
"Can you make a spiral?" (most early circle attempts are spirals or lowercase es or ovals)
"Can you make a line/one?"
"Check out my tiger with the oval eyes!"
"I put my name on my paper, would you like your name on yours?"

Kids are like sponges, they soak up information whether you want it or not, we can only chose what information is available.

EC generally means asking your infant to pee on demand. It doesn't mean you have to head to the potty every hour, or give up diapers, just that you allow your infant a greater than normal chance to understand and control elimination.

EC stands for Elimination Comunication, implying some wonderful connection where you actually know what your baby is trying to tell you, I never had any such connection! But then I am dense, some mothers actually do get it. (they often become 'diaper free' mothers)

Another term often used is IPT, meaning Infant Potty Training, implying actually training your infant as you would a 2 year old, but that is too drastic for me.

For me I really do just ask my kid to pee on demand, thats it till they want to hold it, and can ask for the potty. I can tell you what I do with my kids, but please if you decide to try it, do it your own way, don't think EC is all the Perky way or nothing!

Step one: Communicate tell your baby from the start (or from right now) anytime they are peeing, or pooping. Not in a bad way, just matter of fact yep thats pee, pee on me, pee on the floor, you are peeing. (if you must have emotion giggling is better than anger!) Treat each and every event as a learning experience (though no need to leave your kid to pee any more than you are comfortable with, most newborns pee on you often enough with diapers!)

step 2: Figure out the hold After they can hold their head up(you can do this earlier, even from birth, but I don't), hold them comfortably over a potty asking them to pee, or poop. This is the step that feels the hardest, cause you as the parent have to figure out what is most comfortable for you both, a postition you can hold for a minute that they will not get angry for(never force your kid to be anywhere near a potty!). If at first you don't succeed wait a day, week or more, then try again, if nothing else you only wasted a minute, not gonna hurt, (at some point your baby will gain the balance and eventually not need you for sitting)

During step two your kid will prolly pee on the floor in the bathroom, or the wall or even in the potty! (or the tub..) name and praise (you peed, good job, yeah pee in the bathroom/potty!)

step 3: Pee on demand up the number of times you ask to whatever you are comfortable with, I have no desire to spend all day in the bathroom, but I find a couple times a day my kid happens to be dry I figure a potty is prolly going to work. and if I fail, he is only 5 months no big deal! So far you have not even asked your kid to 'hold it' so don't be annoyed if they don't!

step 4:Yeah dry! Praise dry diapers, now that your kid can pee o demand there will likely be some dry diapers. But don't be mad if there aren't

step 5:More communication Wait for communication from your child about their desire to use a potty. This might be when they crawl/toddle to the door (and might be a boredom buster of theirs) or might be when they learn the word pee. Or might be when they follow you in. Or when they see their friends doing it. Whatever. just continue with step 3 and 4 till they do, always use words (shall we pee now?) always stop before you get frustrated.

Step 6: Ask your kid to 'hold it' Just ask, Ask for dry diapers, praise when you get them. One simple way to avoid a mess is to have your kid stand in the tub and wait their turn(mommy has to pee too!), if they pee, no big, little spray little water, tubs is clean.

Step 7: Fully train Wait a bit then finish up, maybe you now have a day trained kid who still pees at night, or one who pees once a day on the floor but the rest in the potty, or one who pees on demand but only asks when bored. Kids ar all different, the first steps (pee on demand, then hold it) are the same, but what makes a kid decide to never (or practically never) pee anywhere but a potty varies. Some like underware, some like 'big beds' some like freedom (soap they can do on their own) some need stickers. By this time you prolly have a 1.5 or 2 year old and you can modify traditional rewards. (but you will have saved many diapers over the last year, and have an easier time, no fear of potty to overcome.)

JC didn't start till around 7 months (when she followed GMC in the potty) but was fully night and day trained at 1.5 (cept when sick she pees the bed now at 2)

Right now my 5 month old is in step 3 and 4, I am not moving on till he is older, we are just enjoying the self pride when he pees or poops in the potty (oh and almost no poopy diapers from him! pretty much all in the potty, pee on the other hand takes longer)

I am not the type to pad my house, or put my kids in a bubble, but I am reasonably intelligent, I put knives out of reach and teach kids not to mess with the mini blind cords...unfortunatly I also have a kid now who looks like he was in a fight with a long fingered demon!


I left my two reasonably well behaved (well ok so mostly the misbehavior involves inapropriate giggling) in one room to watch fire trucks, while I went to change a diaper in the other room, I came back to find my 4 year old in the window (for a better view) I of course gave that look, you know the one meaning 'you know that is not acceptable, don't make me yell at you'. He got out of the window and onto his bed, with a cord around his neck, couldn't have been more than 3 seconds but that was long enough for an awful mark!

here is a website dedicated to information about blinds

Heh, I just discovered I had used that title already, guess I make a lot of mistakes!

This time it is the cloth diapers, I am a 'closet ECer' which means I ask my baby to pee on demand, honest he can do it, and I never would have considered such a crazy thing except JC did it, (and I thought that was pretty crazy too.)

So wheres the oops? It is next to impossible to pin a diaper on a baby while they are standing up on the counter (it is merely hard to fasten a disposable diaper), which means you have to get them to lay down, pretty hard when they are busy bouncing in self pride!

The solution would be a pull up, but that is expensive if disposable, and not to cheap for washable. I think I need to honestly look getting some washable ones though, UE loves peeing in the potty and hate diaper changes (and is not old enough to old it for real underware, though I know many who do that)

(pre meaning from able to sit up to able to write circles and lines)

By far the cheapest game for teaching I have ever played is 'clean up' I am serious, cleaning up is sooo educational, and can be more educational if you want it!

Take a toy, any toy you have been playing with. ask your kid to 'sort' as you pick up. Whatever you ask for don't get mad the first billion times when your kid doesn't get it (eventually they will, and will ask you for the toys!)

Now you know your kid wont start out having a clue what sort means, so we start with simple questions:

"can I have the short skinny block?"
"the square block?"
"the doll with brown hair?"
"with blue eyes?"
"all the big trucks"
"all the green dinosaurs"
"the A piece/book"
"the number 5"

If you allow more than one toy out at a time back up to 'all the blocks' or 'all the cars' move on to more specific when the room has only one type out (or only a few).

Kids are like sponges, they soak up information whether you want it or not, we can only chose what information is available.

err, I can't! No I am kidding, really we do pretty good.

This trip will be longish for us, leaving Monday night not comming back till Friday night. We will have the use of the ILs house (they will oddly enough be here in NC) but we still have lots of food we need to buy/pack and gas, tons of gas!

My plan is to make cookies to share when we vist (make here then take with)
plus trail mix, maybe some muffins, (if I have time.)

We will buy whole wheat bread and peanut butter there, prolly (I HATE peanut butter sandwiches now!) plus whole wheat english muffins or breakfast, but we will not be anywhere to cook for dinners so that will be all eating out. (two of the family functions are at a restaurant anyway) I still need to look into some more healthier snacks to pack/buy there.

Can't do anything about the gas though .

We ran out of diapers, that means we have to use cloth, or have a kid pee on us, or an emergency run to the store.

Actually it is easier to have to use them, than it is to chose to use them!!!

very odd.... I might have to think about that the next time I sigh in choosing a frugal rout. It might just be the choice that is the hard part!

But we will be making a run to the store before Easter vacation, for veggies at least if not diapers, oh and diapers out, I am not packing/washing diapers at the ILs!

Well my baby had to go to the Docs yesterday, he ccame home with two perscriptions, one for albuteral! They have a nifty little inhailer thing for kids, very odd looking, but does the trick, he had the best nights sleep up till 3 am in 4 days, I on the other hand had company, so I still didn't sleep!

The scripts came to 50, a 150 without insurance. The apointment was 40, again 150 with no insurance. I have normally healthy kids (4 sick visit in 4 years) but with all the vacinations, and well kid checkups (and pregnancy) we still save money having insurance.

(3 am btw, we changed a diaper worried about the new weezing then fell asllep, without wheezing or gurgle breathing, no meds, just pray and wait, and this morning he ate solid food!)

Well I saw the blog about different coin jars, and thought how weird mine is now.

We have one for pennies, I am not usre why? Partly because we don't drive the church crazy by letting the kids take pennies, which brings us to our other 'jar'.

A tupperware coin tower. The kids love to sort the coins and then take them to sunday school (no bills, they would rip) meaning we generally have none to call our own around.


Except wierd coins and special coins, for that we have a lock box (like anyone wants our 2$ worth of foriegn currency and holey coins (really with holes)

Mainly I think it all takes up space, so what does that say about us? we have to much junk?

Well I found the best 'games' for a birthday party-science! GMC got a book on gravity and wanted to do some 'tests' so we did, water that won't pour (and later goes up into the bottle) and balloons that wobble. (not to mention pop, twist and wiggle!)

I also discovered as much as I dreaded it, just how much fun making (decorating) a dinosaur cake could be, messy, not perfect, but loads of fun! We did one big one and I also had a bread pan that we let GMC decorate. (the picture is his version)

We are on our way yet again. I have a list of things to look for

-reading material for DS, he still needs reduced number of letters per page, he gets frustrated looking at the same page for more than a paragraph..

-books on paleantology for DS, he is majorly interested in dinosaurs right now.

-books on counting/math to spark more interest in DD

-books on anything they like, cause I hate reading the same thing over and over, I have a once a day limit!

-Oh and maybe something for me to read, in caase I have time and no kid listening!

I am sooo proud of myself, I made a box for books! Now to understand what on earth I am talking about you might need to have seen the Saxon lil readers...

Which I doubt you have, but they are small readers perfect for little hands, and with a few words per page (building up to more of course) I love them, though they are really to slow of a progression for the grades, but thats beside the point, I homeschool I can use them when my kid is ready!

Anyway what on earth am I going to do with all the advanced readers while JC gets them one at a time, answer a book box, just like the Saxon one, only for the 'unearned books' I just copied the pattern of the built one (or best guess) and made a construction paper one for the books. (and of course I am reusing the ones GMC used, no way am I buying a new set!)

Have I mentioned how proud I am that JC can read

It finally kicked the bucket... I suppose when DH gets home he can check into it to see what might be fixable, but I am not much of an optomist, it is dead, and I am going to be line drying more than just the occassional load, or the 'Im in a frugal mood' kind... That sucks, I really hate line drying cothes! well I shouldn't complain, at least I have a working washer(err knock on wood?)

Well since I commited to ten a day, I find myself sticking with the

It is small, really small, but hard....get a plant to grow!!!!

Every spring we try and every spring we get, well some shoots, but his year I am going to do it right! I am going to remember to water them (ok make the kids do that!) and remember to weed sometimes, and I might research frugal fertalizer.

Now all I have to do is plant them!

Keep good insurance! I just had to get two perscriptions filled for my two kids. cost to us 6$, cost without insurance 70!

The drs apointments were almost 70 for us, but without insurance they would have been almost 300!

Really glad we have insurance!

Putting all that food (breastmilk, puree, whatever) means only one thing. More output! Which must be caught, disposed of and cleaned up somehow. I am not going to tell you that to be frugal you must have cloth, (though it certainly works!)

I am not going to say to be frugal you should IPT or EC (potty train an infant) (though it again can work.)

I am not going to say you should get the cheapest store brand (though they may work).

Nor that you need cloth wipes to afford a kid (err I still don't use them!) I just think researching the options will open up lots of ideas for saving money. Decide what is important (not changing diapers any longer than neccessary is my priority!) and research the cheapest way to meet that goal. (we EC, use cloth at home, and disposable medium brand out a mix that fits!)

Rule number 3: there are multiple waste options! Pick the cheapest you are comfortable with.

There is soo much more that can be done! right now I am going to go work on rule 4 (education)

I keep seeing all these estimates of how expensive kids are, and I am wondering where they come up with the expense. sure they can cost, but they don't have to be that bad. (though any cost is more than zero, I'll give you that) Looking at my own budget I can safely say that 5 are living as cheaply as the two of us used to. So what makes us so different?

If I look at the first cost of a baby, the hospital, good insurance is essential! My boys cost me around 300 each, my Girl, well she was one of those, 'lower the insurance and just don't get pregnant' I learned my lesson!

Rule number 1: Have good insurance, check maternity care first! Then check well baby/child visits.

Then there is feeding a newborn, really breast milk is practically free, a little extra food for mom, and that is it! No you don't need a pump unless you really want to go back to work (search info on the 'two income trap' before you buy one) Once your baby is ready for solids, invest 10 or 20 in a hand blender, then cook and puree your own, it really is easy, not quite as easy as opening a jar, but almost (and you never have to worry about running out so long as you have a bag of frozen fruit, or vegetable around..which you should since the rest of the family is eating healthy right?) Once you move to 'table food' (meaning non pureed) it is even easier, smush up exactly what mom and dad are eating. No extra work!

Rule number two: Feed them real food! (it is cheaper, and healthier

I'll get back to you with more, but right now I have to attend to rule number three- potty business!

I feel terrible about it, but DH just took the kitten off to be cared for by someone experienced at this sort of thing. I just couldn't do the midnight double feedings (several for the kitten, several for my baby)

Now I am going to miss the little thing, I didn't even get a picture

Well the backyard scrap stealer had kittens, and is now MIA, which leaves us with one adorable kitten, umbilical cord still on!

Wanna know how much formula for a kitten costs? I havn't found out yet, but I bet it will be a depressing number, and sad to say I am a pessimist, there is no way a baby cat looks about a day or two old, will survive! But I am not going ot let it starve without trying...

I suppose I am happy that Jeffery and Nate are making some money, but....