Today Elijah got the hang of climbing on the kitchen chairs...I came out of the bathroom and found him standing on one. After being reprimanded ("Chairs are for sitting, not standing!") and removed from the chair, I went into the bedroom to get something. I was gone for maybe 30 seconds and returned to find this:



That is the kitchen table. Nothing is safe anymore. I think I might be a little frightened!

So I have three basic rules when it comes to certain necessities in my life:
1. No generic aluminum foil...it never works as well and I end up wasting money.
2. No generic toilet paper...I don't enjoy the feeling of sandpaper-like tissue anywhere.
3. No generic tampons...sorry if that's TMI but I feel strongly about it!

Other than those three, I'm pretty much open to generics. I believe that generic prescriptions work just as well and I take advantage of the fact that they are cheaper. I have no shame in buying store brand products (except, of course, for those listed above) when I think they taste/function the same as a brand name. Sometimes it just makes sense.

I broke my rule #2 recently. Money is tight and when I shop, I find myself counting every penny and searching for the best deal before I go to a store. So when I recently went to Target to buy diapers, cat food, cat litter and toilet paper, I went there because all were listed in the weekly store ad as on sale, and they were indeed good deals. But when I got to the toilet paper, which was the last item I needed to get, I instinctively reached for the 12 pack of Cottenelle double rolls because that is my brand of choice. It was on sale for $6. Right next to the pack that I was going to grab was Target brand toilet paper. It was 12 double rolls for $5.80. At first I said "20 cents? Not worth it..." but then I began my investigative techniques. Target compares their brand to Northern TP. I have used Northern and it was okay. I just always preferred Cottonelle. The rolls of Target TP are slightly wider than Cottenelle TP. I would get more square footage of TP with Target's brand. It was indeed the better deal. With a little hesitation, I picked up the Target brand and headed for the checkout line before I changed my mind. I figured it was worth a try.

Adam came home from being on the road that week and I shared with him my new product purchase. His response was expected: "You bought store brand TP?" Yes honey, I did. And quite frankly, since I am home more than you are and I need to use it EVERY time I enter the facility, if it sucks, I'll be the one to suffer. I actually was eager for our other TP to run out so we could start the experiment.

Guess what? It is not awful TP! In fact, I like it. It doesn't hurt my nose if I have to blow my nose on it. It's quite soft and the rolls are indeed larger. I have found that I use less (which would make my father so proud!). And it isn't linty...which isn't a huge problem with Cottonelle but it is an issue nonetheless. Adam even said to me "That's actually not bad TP!" after his experience with it. And he mentioned that he wants to take a roll with him on the road so he doesn't have to use truck stop TP all the time. But wait...it gets even better! When you get to the end of the roll, they didn't use that annoying glue to secure it to the roll. YOU GET ALL THE TP OFF THE ROLL! I remember holding our old brand's empty roll and feeling slightly discouraged by the amount of TP left on the roll...it was almost 4 whole squares! Four squares was considered adequate TP for doing your #1 in my house when I growing up. How many squares have I wasted over the years? My gosh...it must be...oh, I don't even want to fathom a guess. It's a lot of wasted TP.

NO MORE WASTED TP FOR ME! I'm a changed woman. Target has made a believer out of me. Listen as I shout it from the rooftop:

I LOVE TARGET TOILET PAPER!

But you know what? I've tried their version of Rule #3 above and, sorry Target, it can't compare with my chosen brand. But with the extra 20 cents I'll be saving every time I buy TP from now on, I can afford to go brand name on that one!

Since I've been so busy trying to decide what's up with a name (!), I have failed to post some pictures from the past few weeks. Enjoy...

Kitties enjoying the afternoon sunlight:


Some random Elijah photos:



This bath time is brought to you by the letter "G":

(What a cheesy face!)

This is what Elijah does when I tell him that Daddy is coming home and he should go watch for him!

Of course, we rearranged the living room and now the couch is there...so I have to let him stand on the couch to see out the window (for now!)

Mother's Day:

Elijah and Great Grandma Guenther....

Sadie and Sandy enjoying the big, comfy chair...I could sleep in that chair!


And finally a sad story...Puppy-Puppy had an accident:

BEFORE:


And after a run in with the Reynold's dogs:

Poor Puppy-Puppy!

The following is taken from the IRS website...they are so helpful!

Q. I chose direct deposit for my 2007 tax refund but also requested a refund anticipation loan (RAL) from my preparer. How does that affect my stimulus payment?

A. Taxpayers who use Refund Anticipation Loans (RALs) or enter into any other loans or financial agreements with a tax professional, such as agreeing to have return preparation fees deducted from their refunds, cannot receive their stimulus payments by direct deposit and instead will get paper checks based on the paper check distribution schedule.


Can I just say this: What a bunch of stinky cat poop! Our taxes were done in February. Our refund was direct deposited, but since I prepared them online and paid for the service out of my refund, I can't get a STIMULUS CHECK direct deposited? Based on SSN, we should have seen money by Friday, but I am told I must wait for a paper check. Again, I say stinky cat poop. I would really like to say more but, alas, I digress. I shall refrain from turning this into a rant about government, and how this just seems typical.

I made my point.

Have a wonderful day.

My little monkey is napping. All four cats are napping. I, however, am not napping.
(that was pretty deep, hey?)

It is chilly and kind of rainy today. I'm waiting for the sun to come out, as the weather people have promised it will. It's just gray and dreary right now. Elijah and I got everything accomplished this morning that had to be done. One positive is there is a lady selling her baby clothes...mostly 18 month, 24 month and 2T. Sweet...I got 4 summer pajama sets (shirt and shorts), three shirts and 3 pairs of shorts for $10. They went through her two boys and are still in really good shape, too. I went to her house this morning to pick them up...it was actually pretty cool. She has a 3 year old that Elijah wanted to play with immediately. It was good to see Elijah being more social...he doesn't get around other children nearly enough and is usually pretty scared at first. Not today...he didn't want to leave. So anyhow, this lady has 4 kids total, and the two youngest are girls so she isn't keeping any of her boy clothes (she said after 4, she decided that was enough...) She said she has like 5 Rubbermaid bins that she's going through now and posting clothes on Craigslist. And since she is like 20 minutes away from me (not all that far, but far enough that I don't want to drive it every day!), she told me to keep looking and jot down posting numbers if I see stuff I like/want. She'll set them aside and I can come pick them up when it's convenient and there is enough to warrant making the trip. Sweet.

We also went grocery shopping. Elijah grabbed a loaf of bread while I was getting something else and totally squished the last 4-5 pieces by the time I got it out of his claws. I was amused, to say the least...and then, I turned the loaf around and stuck it back on the shelf! I also noticed that Elijah is going to have to be watched more closely when I go shopping with him now. We got to the frozen foods (last stop!) and I pulled over to check and make sure I had everything. I did...and some other stuff that I didn't get. Elijah was putting it in the cart! It wasn't even good stuff that I could "justify" getting (such as chocolate)...it was weird stuff: a can of cabbage, one potato from the produce dept., some sort of leafy type end of some vegetable, a package of dehydrated gravy, and a jar of cloves. Well, I couldn't justify just leaving this stuff on the closest shelf either (especially after the bread incident!) so I found the closest stocker dude and asked him if he could return this stuff...that my son told me he didn't want them anymore. He looked at me CRAZY...it was great! So yeah, that was shopping.

That's my excitement for today. Ooooo...except I see the sun! Yay! Now maybe it'll warm up a little. I'm not a big fan of the 50's (degrees)...it's not warm enough for me to be comfortable in short sleeves. I'm getting tired of sweatshirts.

Anyway, adios...

Why I am feeling good today:

• My super awesome husband got his CDL yesterday...and, provided his drug test comes back clean (which it had better!), he will get a new truck...which means he will have WAY fewer truck problems...which hopefully means he'll be home a little more quickly after his runs!
  
• I am going to take a kickboxing class this summer! Until now, the only place I could find a class was through a health club...which, if you're not a member, was INSANELY expensive. This is through the Milwaukee Rec. Department and because we are residents, it's very cheap...I am totally excited
• I am FINALLY losing weight. I knew it would happen eventually but I was getting tired of exercising and not seeing results. Now I just feel more motivated
  
• I JUST found out you can use Ziploc Zip 'n Steam bags for frozen vegetables...this is good because my son is obsessed with green beans!
  
• Adam taught Elijah to grunt when he's putting on his shoes...it is so cute! Now, when I hear caveman-type grunting from another area of the house, I know that Elijah needs a little help putting a shoe back on!
  
• My upstairs neighbors aren't fighting anymore (it got pretty loud this afternoon)...not only am I grateful for the quiet, but I'm thankful that they're NOT fighting!
• I bought boneless, skinless chicken breasts for $1.88 a pound yesterday! I love chicken and so does Elijah!
• Even though it's pretty chilly outside, the sun is still out. I love the sun.
• Elijah is almost done eating dinner, the dishes are DONE (we don't have a dishwasher), Elijah is going to take a bath and then we can just relax tonight until he goes to bed.
• Ooooh...and when I gave Elijah his dinner tonight, I told him to say "thank you" and he did! And it really sounded like "thank you"...he said it yesterday morning, too.
• Elijah also says "bless you" to me when I sneeze...he actually says "bah" but he says it every time I sneeze, and sometimes when the cats sneeze so I know he's trying.
• Elijah loves to read books. Before he goes to bed at night, I always tell him to go get a book to read...and about 10 books later, he's ready for bed. Plus, sometimes during the day when he gets quiet (and I get worried that he's misbehaving!), I check on him and find that he's sitting quietly, "reading" a book.
• Apparently, we're supposed to have rain/snow showers tomorrow...but I know it won't stick to the ground!
• My house is clean. So tonight after Elijah goes to bed, I am going to take a bath and enjoy the silence.

Well, I am sure there are more reasons but that's a pretty good list, if I do say so myself. Hope everyone had a good weekend!

Paper: $1.00

Finger paint: $2.50

Baby soap: $3.00

Floor cleaner: $3.50

Finger painting with a 17 month old: PRICELESS








Here are a couple extra photos for your viewing pleasure:


Elijah wearing a maternity swim suit

and


ANGRY TACO CAT!!!
(of course I'd be angry too if someone made me wear a taco costume!)