Keeping the 'scarries' away?

I've been having issues with The Kid and her being scared of every thing!!! Actually it's nothing, from what I can tell. She seems to be afraid of the unknown. Like what might be under the bed or is there something lurking behind the closed shower curtain. If a door is just barely open she won't go past it or if she has to go into a room by her self, that pretty much doesn't happen any more. I have to go with her to the bathroom and then stand there and wait for her, after I have closed the tub drain. I used to tell my self when she was small with the bad gas and the middle of the night feedings, It will get better. The worries will change but it will all get easier. I still need to tell my self this.

It has gotten easier. They get older and have more independence and the joys continue. But they will always need you no matter how old they get. I have to keep telling my self it gets easier. Because lately I might as well be getting up every two hours to feed her since that's about how often she wakes scared in the night. It takes hours for her to get to sleep from the time we are ready and getting into bed till she is actually asleep. And then it's ever few hours I'm going in to check on her. Not because she has woken up screaming like a bad dream or night terrors. More like she wakes to toss and turn and realizes that it's night and she's alone so she'll start to whimper, whine and cry till I come in. I try to make it as quick as possible so that she is reassured that I am very close and can be there in a snap when needed. But I also would like her to be able to deal on her own so she's not used to or expecting me every time just because she's whining. It's such a fine line between when you should comfort and when you should teach some tough love. 

At times I can see how scared she is and I remember being that scared about things when I was little. I remember making my mom take me out of the tub before she let the water out because I thought I would get sucked down into it with the water. I was also creeped out by the stairs in Sears because I thought there was a crazy man that lived down there that would shave our head if we were to wonder into his domain. Come to find out it was just the furniture department. (we always took the escalator and when you're 5 you apparently can't or don't make the connection.) I found out years later my mother told us all that to keep us from wondering off in the mall and store. (She'll claim it was my brothers idea and she just went along with it. Right Mom.) :) But I remember being that scared. I feel so bad for her, especially with that look of complete fright and helplessness on her face, I just want to hold her tight and tell her it's okay. But that doesn't work. And not much is working and I'm starting to wonder about things like what actually makes a person go insane and what sort of copping drugs do other moms get that have insurance. Not to mention what the hell is going on in my kids head and if I can't find a solution soon, how will this effect her later on. Which is why I have been trying just about every solution I can find out there. And so far I've tried about six different things. Next is putting her bed directly on the floor off of the frame so there is no space under it for 'scarries'. With her BFF The Dog in there at night and her monster doll that helps keep the 'scarries' away and the numerous night lights she's got on with her flashlight right next to her and already sleeping on the floor next to The Dog we are still looking for remedies. 

It doesn't stop there. As I said, she can't even go potty by herself. ..IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DAY! If she's in the living room watching a movie or playing and listening to music, she'll freak out as soon as the movie or music has ended. Like when it gets too quiet and no one is in the same room with her she'll get scared and run and find me or start to whine and freak out till I come in. So the bedroom solutions my be helping slightly and If we continue to have her help guide us in a remedy for sleeping peacefully than we are making progress and that's excellent. I'm sure it will eventually pass if we continue to make her comfortable. (I'm fully aware that this is something that is very normal for an almost 4 year old.) But we still have the issue of her being scared. Since it's not just localized to her bedroom or night time or any thing specific it's hard to help her through it or to help her be brave against it. We have no idea what it is. It's not even like she's looking off into the air or at the wall or a corner. I could understand that. The 'scarries' would at least be identified as ghosts, spirits or what ever you may refer to them as. But that doesn't seem like the case either. It's more like the unknown. What's behind that door? What's in that crack over there? Is there something lurking in that open cupboard I can't see the back of? What was that sound? How do you teach bravery? Comments here are very welcome. I've seen about every tip or hint there is out there and tried half of them so far, but please feel free to coach away since I may not have tried your tip. I'm loosing valuable prime time TV these days and need some help!!! 

What's for dinner?

One of these days I will get a handle on the blog thing and have these posts in categories and tags and all sorts of fancy navigation systems. But for now this is how you get it. ;) And it just so happens that I had an epiphany last night and now after a whole morning of research and planning, feel the need to write about my discovery. And it turns out that I wasn't as bad off as I had thought. Well, at least not in this particular subject. 


We desperately need a budget. Not that I'm going to bore you with lectures and statistics on how I've learned how to save and live comfortably. Because honestly I am FAR from that. lol But as I was researching and checking on budgeting my grocery bill as one of my starts, I realized that I was already half way there. With the grocery bill that is. 


A few of the starting tips I had gathered were that you need to figure what you are already spending in a months time. You don't know what you need to cut back on until you know where it is going in the first place. I already have a pretty good average on what I spend (these days. we always spend more in the summer.) at the grocery store in the course of a month. The other tip was to plan your meals. And as I looked through some of the topics on how to go about this, I realized I had been doing this subconsciously already. So apparently it is easier than I had imagined and had made it out to be with every other attempt I over complicated.


About 6 month ago I finally got fed up with the constant daily struggle of deciding what to make for dinner. The Hubby was NEVER any help with that daunting question and The Kid would inevitably say, "Chicken and fries, please". (even if I was asking about breakfast. lol) And with out a plan there was usually no meat pulled from the freezer with anticipation. Adding to the fact that we do not own a microwave. I know, you probably just gasped right then. Most people do. We just don't have the room for one and when we moved in, the rental we came from had a built in over the stove, hood style. So we just opted to do with out since I'm sure the process, nor the products made for microwaves (that are so easy to have on hand for just in case.) are not good for you in any way. So some of my preparation takes a little longer, but I justify by telling myself it's a healthier route.


How I came up with my starter plan was fairly easy. It was inspired by my brother who has spaghetti every Wednesday. (Actually I think a lot of people have this weird tradition.) So I figured that's all I needed to do is have a specific meal each night and every week do that same thing. ... Well not exactly that. That would get really boring. But I did have a theme for each night. It has evolved a bit since I started, but this is sort of how it went. Monday night was a surprise night. I would get something out to thaw for the weekend and then get caught up in activities and not make what I had intended. So Monday was my do over day for dinner. Tuesday nights (at the time) I was doing a Zumba class, so I made those night 'Find it your self' night. :) Easy enough. Wednesday was, of course, spaghetti night. Thursday was breakfast night inspired by my husband who normally only gets a home cooked hot breakfast maybe once a week. Now he looks forward to every Thursday night. Friday was Mexican night. We love Mexican food as much as (maybe more than) Italian food so this was an easy one too. Saturday and Sunday ended up being another surprise night and BBQ. The only thing that has changed much is that I no longer do the Zumba class on Tuesday nights. I've recently found lots of supper easy crock pot recipes so now I dedicate Tuesday nights to them. And Wednesdays are now Italian night to give me a little more options. 


I have now gone as far as creating a menu board on my cupboard in order to have a place for the weeks recipe cards. Since I have been doing the weekly planning, shopping for groceries has become a little easier as well. So that's when I decided to take on this menu thing full force. I bought a pack of cork sheets from Wal-Mart and some of the sticky puddy you use for mounting glow stars (that stuff is awesome and I use it for every thing now). I cut the cork to fit on the inside of my cupboard and added cute days of the week tags. Under each one I can pin my recipe card so it's easy to see and use when remembering what needs to be taken out to thaw. At the beginning of the week or the end of the previous I sit and look through my recipes or find a new one or two. Then I compare the ingredients to my pantry and fridge and add what's needed to the shopping list. Then tack the appropriate dinner to the right themed night and I don't have to worry about dinner until it's time to make dinner. This last time I even prepped the chicken while separating them (I bought a large bulk package.) with anticipation of my menu this week. It's basically lead to a LOT less waist. I buy what I need to cook (with the exceptions of the staples that are just plane handy to have on hand) and there is nothing left going to waist because I have bought hastily unsure of what I will even use it for or when. I can tell already that this will teach me to look at our spending much differently.  


My next step is to go back to grocery shopping with cash. Since we have started having our checks direct deposited, I use my card mostly and it's lots easier to loose track of the bill. I used to count every piece that went into the cart and I need to go back to that. It's unfortunate that eating better (no more frozen dinners and less processed foods) doesn't save a ton on the grocery bill (just yet, I'm still new), yet I have not been spending any more. What could be better to be healthier, more frugal and have more time and less thought about dinner every day?

Let's go camping!!

I must apologize for any randomness of my posts. I'd like to have a blog filled with informative and enjoyable reading. If nothing else at least to crack a smile or provoke a thought. Being new to this blogging thing (if you haven't noticed) I'm at little scattered with my thoughts, stories and information that I'd like to share with you. One of my main focuses is to stay true to my self. That is, I want this blog to be about all the things I am proud of, the things that I have learned through my life and experiences that I have had. In staying true to my self and hoping to be informative for you I would like to talk about something very special to me in so many different ways. Camping!!! Oh, the word even give me goose bumps. I've been doing it since before I could walk. And so has my kid. Here's how we do it. 


If you've read any of my previous posts you might have found that my husband and I are very different. When I first met him he hadn't been camping a whole lot. He would go with his buddies to a camp site with 50 other campers in a maybe 3 acre camp ground. He would bring beer, hot dogs, maybe a sleeping bag for in the car, a pillow and more beer. But mostly he was a city boy who liked to just party and listen to his music. The first few times we went camping together he gave me such a hard time about how much stuff we were bringing. He would say, "It's just the two of us. We are not supplying the whole gang. We are only going for like 3 days. ...Really? Do we really need all this??" And every time he'd be like, "Oh shit! Do we have a can opener?" Yes. "Crap, did you bring any band aids?" Yes. "I totally just stepped in the grossest, muckiest slop puddle ever. Wish I had a change of socks and dry shoes. What?? You have that TOO??" After 10 years he no longer bothers me about what I make him pack into the truck. :) 


Normally we do not go to a traditional camp ground where you have a spot among 20 to 100 other paid camp sites. When I was growing up we did. Some times we did not when we would camp and motorcycle ride out in the dessert. So I had experience with both which is surprisingly helpful. But mostly up here in the Northwest we just park it where ever looks good and has a flat spot for the camper or tent. Something to think about when at a camp site with bathrooms. Some are just hole in the ground out houses and some are equipped with plumbing and showers even. Either way bring your own toilet paper. Chances are EVERY ONE will be using the same toilet or few. Yuk! Bring flip flops for any time you may think you want to be bare foot. If you don't have any of these to worry about because a bush is your bathroom, bring LOTS of toilet paper and a shovel. I've thought about crafting myself a home made john for my city boy husband (who insists on driving to the nearest plumbed restroom 10 miles or so away before he will use a bush and a hole for #2) and now even more since this will be the first year The Kid is out of diapers. I'll have to update you on that project. Just remember, double stock the cleansing products; T.P., water (lots of it!), wash clothes/towels, wipes (extremely handy and a must have for camping even if you don't have kids. I use one on my face every morning if nothing else while out in the woods), diapers (if needed), soap, paper towels, etc. It's a dirty world out there and it's all good, but clean at the end of the day is good too. :)


As for supplies I think of where we are going. What type of terrain will it be? I try to envision what we will be doing. What type of food will we be eating. We might take a hike one day so we'll need every thing we would need for sandwiches from containers to condiments to utensils for putting the condiments on and don't forget snacks (very important). I try to make cooking as easy as possible so I envision my menu too. I may make ahead spaghetti or fried chicken to reheat. What will I need to reheat it and eat it? I also like to do hobo bags of veggies and things. Chop those ahead too and don't forget heavy duty tin foil for throwing them in the fire. What if something happens like a booboo or a sunburn or lot of bugs or ?? Make sure you have an up-to-date first aid kit (also very important .. as much as the snacks). Are you going to be doing nothing at all? I mean you are out in nature, I like to take advantage of the free atmosphere and bring books (now I can just bring my kindle *giggle giggle*) and color books and crayons for The Kid (along with a whole stockpile of toys, her favorite being her own made detective kit complete with magnifying glass, tape measure, compass and enough room for a whole pile of cool rocks and maybe a pine cone or two for The Dog). And Hubby likes to catch up on missed sleep. Things we can all do in our own peaceful time. 


Other than that just enjoy your time and each other. Nature is a wonderful gift for all of us to enjoy and engulf our selves in. Remember to respect it and all the things you bring into it, take it all with you. Growing up I've seen many ... way too many beautiful places shut down to the public because of the abuse and garbage people left behind. One of the many things my parents taught me when they were sure I was not listening was, if you pick it in you pack it out. So remember all the things to take all this stuff back home in. Trash bags, laundry bags, wet bags for bathing suits, etc. (to cut back on garbage burn paper and cans in the fire, but please recycle or throw away the glass and plastic. Glass will remain for unsuspecting tender feet and plastic is an even nastier chemical when it is not solid).


I would tell my then boyfriend that it was better to be safe than sorry when it came to being out in the woods far from conveniences that we take for granted. It is so wonderful to be out in the peacefulness of the woods and far away from technology. But in this day and age this is all much more enjoyable if you don't run out of T.P. with bushes for bathrooms or forget the can opener but decided to go the easy route and do canned dinners the whole trip. Maybe it was because I was camping before I new what camping was or maybe it's because I was a girl scout. How ever I developed a passion and knack for all this doesn't matter. What matter's is Tuesday it's going to be 71 degrees Fahrenheit and that means it's time to get the camping gear out and make sure it's all in shape and ready to go! YEAAAAAA! =) Hear I come, woods!!!