I love Tuesdays! Mostly because I get a few child-free hours to myself and I am always super productive once the babysitter arrives. Our babysitter, Jessica, is fabulous! She is attentive, patient, caring, kind and most importantly... punctual! I'm so relieved we found a reliable babysitter who is as devoted to her job, as I am to mine. It makes leaving Bella a little bit easier. This morning was no different than any other time Jessica has watched Bella and she arrived 15-minutes early! I briefed her on what Bella had been up to and quickly got to work finishing a few chores around the house. I made a list that contained 8 chores/errands for the morning. Most of my day was spent running errands, but I had a few chores, like laundry, to take care of before I left the house for the morning.
I've been on top of the laundry recently, but had a small basket that needed to be put away. Since we switched entirely to free & clear detergents and fabric softener sheets, I sometimes have mixed loads of laundry. The basket had my clothes, Bella's clothes and baby #2's clothes. I don't know why I didn't make the switch sooner because using one detergent for the entire family makes laundry so simple. Maybe it was because we buy detergent in bulk and having two giant bottles of detergent takes a lot longer to get through. Anyway... I made quick work of that basket of clean laundry, mostly because I didn't have my "helper" assisting me in folding (and unfolding) clean clothes. I also wanted to store some of Bella's clothes in space bags, but that didn't get accomplished.
My list of errands seemed endless today. I had to run to the bank, drop Kaiser off at the groomer, get a pedicure (rough life, I know), run to Michael's, run to Walmart, pick up Kaiser at the groomer and eat lunch. All of this needed to be accomplished before 12:30pm. Kaiser and I headed out the door and stopped at the bank. He sat patiently in the car, while I ran up to the ATM to make a transaction. We then drove to PetSmart, where I dropped off Kaiser and picked up a bag of dog food. I then took 60 (wonderful) minutes for myself while I had a pedicure and eye brow wax. I planned for 90-minutes at the nail salon, so I was pleasantly surprised when I realized I was 30-minutes ahead of schedule. I hopped in the car and headed to Michael's to pick up some frames and card stock for a project in the girls' bathroom. With the help of an awesome sale on frames and a few coupons, I managed to pick up 7 frames, card stock and adhesive tape, a grand total of $156, for only $71, a savings of $84! The frames were 40%, plus an additional 25% with a coupon. And I had a 40% any item coupon, which really came in handy. I love a good sale and I'm so happy I'll be able to complete this project once and for all. After Michael's I headed to Walmart to pick up a site-to-store shipment that has been waiting for me (nothing exciting, just laminating pockets). I then received the call that Kaiser was ready to be picked up. I drove back to PetSmart, picked up Kaiser and then we headed home. On the way home I grabbed a quick bite to eat and was home by 12:20pm.
By 12:20pm, I had managed to cross 7 out of 8 things off my to-do list! Feeling very accomplished and exhausted, I rewarded myself with a 2-hour nap, during Bella's nap time. It's amazing what a mom can accomplish without children in tow. I can only imagine how things will be once I have two children, one of them being a newborn. Maybe this is the time I begin begging Ian for a full-time nanny... just kidding!
It's been a long and productive day, so I'd better unwind and get myself into bed. Tomorrow we have a play date and a dinner date with friends, both of which I'm very excited about. Keeping busy makes for a happier Bella and a happier mommy, too. Nighty night, y'all!
Love always,
Ian, Kim, Bella & Baby #2
Showing posts with label productive day. Show all posts
Showing posts with label productive day. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Cookies, cookies and more cookies!
Today started early and I am exhausted. I had a to-do list a mile long and I accomplished every task on my list. I love productive days!
I spent the morning participating in a market research study downtown. I was instructed to arrive early, as a $15 incentive was being given out to those who showed up early. I made it a point to have the babysitter arrive super early to our house. She is as punctual as I am and she arrived by 7:30am. I was out the door by 7:50am and arrived to my destination by 8:30am. I was the second person to arrive and so I qualified for the $15 incentive... woo-hoo! In less than two hours, I made $140 for simply giving my opinion about a product.
I ran a few errands in preparation for our play date on Thursday. I went to Whole Foods to pick up a some tasty treats for our friends, including the most beautiful looking kiwis and strawberries I have ever seen. I picked up a few other things, but those will remain a surprise until Thursday. I also stopped by Publix for a few ingredients for my cookie recipe. We're having our annual cookie swap at our play date and I am making homemade peanut butter cookies. It's such a simple recipe and I love passing on quick and easy recipes to my friends. I did add an extra ingredient or two, but those will also remain a surprise until Thursday.
When I returned home from my errands, Bella was down for her afternoon nap. I walked the babysitter out and started baking... and baking... and baking. I ended up baking 6 dozen cookies because I wasn't happy with my first two batches of cookies. The first two batches are delicious, but they just don't look pretty. Part of cooking/baking is presentation and I definitely failed on my first two batches. Oh well, I had more than enough ingredients and time to bake another 2 dozen cookies and so I did. And just a side note, my house smells absolutely wonderful!!! There is nothing like the smell of freshly baked cookies to make a house feel like a home!
Once Bella woke up from her nap, we took a walk around the neighborhood. The weather was cool and it just seemed like good wagon walking weather. Bella LOVES taking walks in her wagon and I could use the exercise. We then headed home to get ready to go out for dinner. Mexican sounded good, so we headed to a local restaurant for some yummy Mexican food. After dinner, we ran a few errands and then headed home for bath, book and bed time. I am now catching up on a few DVR'ed shows and relaxing with a glass of... water. Oh how I miss wine, but water will have to do until April.
I am so thankful that I was able to get so much accomplished today. I am very grateful that my body was able to keep up with my mind. It makes my less than productive Sunday feel like a distant memory. I am grateful for all of the sweet moments I shared with Bella today. While she may have had a meltdown or two, the moment she patted my belly and said, "baby... tummy" made those meltdowns melt away. I am also thankful for a sweet friend who reminded me that we need to be grateful, even when it isn't always easy... thank you, Ursula!
Love always,
Ian, Kim, Bella & Baby #2
P.S. The babysitter sent me an adorable picture of Bella wearing her shoes today. I just thought I'd share the cuteness with everyone... enjoy! And might I just add, this little girl LOVES shoes!!!
I spent the morning participating in a market research study downtown. I was instructed to arrive early, as a $15 incentive was being given out to those who showed up early. I made it a point to have the babysitter arrive super early to our house. She is as punctual as I am and she arrived by 7:30am. I was out the door by 7:50am and arrived to my destination by 8:30am. I was the second person to arrive and so I qualified for the $15 incentive... woo-hoo! In less than two hours, I made $140 for simply giving my opinion about a product.
I ran a few errands in preparation for our play date on Thursday. I went to Whole Foods to pick up a some tasty treats for our friends, including the most beautiful looking kiwis and strawberries I have ever seen. I picked up a few other things, but those will remain a surprise until Thursday. I also stopped by Publix for a few ingredients for my cookie recipe. We're having our annual cookie swap at our play date and I am making homemade peanut butter cookies. It's such a simple recipe and I love passing on quick and easy recipes to my friends. I did add an extra ingredient or two, but those will also remain a surprise until Thursday.
When I returned home from my errands, Bella was down for her afternoon nap. I walked the babysitter out and started baking... and baking... and baking. I ended up baking 6 dozen cookies because I wasn't happy with my first two batches of cookies. The first two batches are delicious, but they just don't look pretty. Part of cooking/baking is presentation and I definitely failed on my first two batches. Oh well, I had more than enough ingredients and time to bake another 2 dozen cookies and so I did. And just a side note, my house smells absolutely wonderful!!! There is nothing like the smell of freshly baked cookies to make a house feel like a home!
Once Bella woke up from her nap, we took a walk around the neighborhood. The weather was cool and it just seemed like good wagon walking weather. Bella LOVES taking walks in her wagon and I could use the exercise. We then headed home to get ready to go out for dinner. Mexican sounded good, so we headed to a local restaurant for some yummy Mexican food. After dinner, we ran a few errands and then headed home for bath, book and bed time. I am now catching up on a few DVR'ed shows and relaxing with a glass of... water. Oh how I miss wine, but water will have to do until April.
I am so thankful that I was able to get so much accomplished today. I am very grateful that my body was able to keep up with my mind. It makes my less than productive Sunday feel like a distant memory. I am grateful for all of the sweet moments I shared with Bella today. While she may have had a meltdown or two, the moment she patted my belly and said, "baby... tummy" made those meltdowns melt away. I am also thankful for a sweet friend who reminded me that we need to be grateful, even when it isn't always easy... thank you, Ursula!
Love always,
Ian, Kim, Bella & Baby #2
P.S. The babysitter sent me an adorable picture of Bella wearing her shoes today. I just thought I'd share the cuteness with everyone... enjoy! And might I just add, this little girl LOVES shoes!!!
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Productive little Tuesday
While Bella spent the day with Grandma Ruth, Ian and I ran errands all day. We left the house around 11am and didn't return home until 6pm. It was a long day, but it was a productive day.
We went to Regions Bank and Bank of America to close out several accounts. We've been meaning to do this for quite some time, but we've never both been available to take care of it during normal business hours. We have been members of a credit union and would like to consolidate our checking and savings accounts. We opened a savings account for Bella, using the money we received when we closed our other accounts. That little girl has a pretty nice chunk of change for only being 18-months-old, what a lucky girl!
We stopped and had lunch at the Italian Kitchen, a favorite restaurant of ours. The food is always delicious and the service is always great. I actually prefer their lunch menu over their dinner menu and we devoured the sandwiches we ordered. It's not that I don't like their dinner menu, it's just that you can't find a decent meatball sub or Italian cold cut sub around here.
Our afternoon consisted of registering for a few items for Bella and baby #2 at Buy Buy Baby. Normally I wouldn't have registered, but Buy Buy Baby offers a 10% completion coupon which can be used on brands not covered by their normal coupons. The double stroller I want is available at Buy Buy Baby and the normal 20% off coupons exclude the Baby Jogger brand. I registered for the stroller and a few other things we need, which turned out to be a lot of fun. There's something about walking around a store with a tagging gun that is such fun. I don't expect nor do I want a baby shower, but family members will ask what we want or need for baby #2 and it will be nice to have a few necessities on a registry for them to buy.
I was planning on getting a pedicure today, so I took Ian with me and we got pedicures. At first, he wasn't too keen on the idea, but once his feet began soaking in the warm water, he was sold! It was fun having Ian there with me and we both left feeling refreshed and relaxed. I'm not sure if Ian will be returning for a pedicure any time soon, but he seemed to enjoy himself today. He said he liked the massage chair and the foot massage he received. Not to mention, his feet look so much better! It's amazing what a little pampering can do to a person's feet!
We went shopping after our pedicures. We headed to Pearle Vision to buy a new pair of sunglasses for Ian. He bought an awesome pair of Oakleys, using our insurance and paid only $85! He had LASIK done several years ago, so he doesn't need prescription sunglasses. It's pretty great that our insurance will still cover a percentage of the frames. We love Pearle Vision and love the service we receive there. The ophthalmologist, Dr. Pierce is awesome and the optometrists are also awesome. I have a feeling we will be patients/customers for years to come. We then went to the mall so I could buy a few pairs of new flip flops with a Groupon a purchased a few months ago. Papa needed a new pair of sunglasses and mama needed a new pair (or two) of shoes.
We had an early dinner at a new Japanese restaurant called "Sakura" in Riverview. They offer an unbeatable happy hour special and since we were Bella-less, we decided to give it a try. It was AWESOME! For $25.95, we each had a crab rangoon appetizer, miso soup, ginger salad and teppanyaki steak with fried rice, noodles and vegetables. The food was plentiful and delicious, and the price was great. We will definitely be going back to "Sakura" in the near future.
Our day was busy, productive and fun. It's very rare that we actually have fun while running errands. Tomorrow Ian is scheduled to get a massage and I plan to sleep in. Being on vacation (while at home) is so relaxing! We will pick up Bella tomorrow afternoon and I can't wait to see that little girl! We spoke with her on the phone several times today and she was so cute! But until then, I'm going to make the most of my toddler-free evening and enjoy some mindless television.
Love always,
Ian, Kim, Bella & Baby #2
We went to Regions Bank and Bank of America to close out several accounts. We've been meaning to do this for quite some time, but we've never both been available to take care of it during normal business hours. We have been members of a credit union and would like to consolidate our checking and savings accounts. We opened a savings account for Bella, using the money we received when we closed our other accounts. That little girl has a pretty nice chunk of change for only being 18-months-old, what a lucky girl!
We stopped and had lunch at the Italian Kitchen, a favorite restaurant of ours. The food is always delicious and the service is always great. I actually prefer their lunch menu over their dinner menu and we devoured the sandwiches we ordered. It's not that I don't like their dinner menu, it's just that you can't find a decent meatball sub or Italian cold cut sub around here.
Our afternoon consisted of registering for a few items for Bella and baby #2 at Buy Buy Baby. Normally I wouldn't have registered, but Buy Buy Baby offers a 10% completion coupon which can be used on brands not covered by their normal coupons. The double stroller I want is available at Buy Buy Baby and the normal 20% off coupons exclude the Baby Jogger brand. I registered for the stroller and a few other things we need, which turned out to be a lot of fun. There's something about walking around a store with a tagging gun that is such fun. I don't expect nor do I want a baby shower, but family members will ask what we want or need for baby #2 and it will be nice to have a few necessities on a registry for them to buy.
I was planning on getting a pedicure today, so I took Ian with me and we got pedicures. At first, he wasn't too keen on the idea, but once his feet began soaking in the warm water, he was sold! It was fun having Ian there with me and we both left feeling refreshed and relaxed. I'm not sure if Ian will be returning for a pedicure any time soon, but he seemed to enjoy himself today. He said he liked the massage chair and the foot massage he received. Not to mention, his feet look so much better! It's amazing what a little pampering can do to a person's feet!
We went shopping after our pedicures. We headed to Pearle Vision to buy a new pair of sunglasses for Ian. He bought an awesome pair of Oakleys, using our insurance and paid only $85! He had LASIK done several years ago, so he doesn't need prescription sunglasses. It's pretty great that our insurance will still cover a percentage of the frames. We love Pearle Vision and love the service we receive there. The ophthalmologist, Dr. Pierce is awesome and the optometrists are also awesome. I have a feeling we will be patients/customers for years to come. We then went to the mall so I could buy a few pairs of new flip flops with a Groupon a purchased a few months ago. Papa needed a new pair of sunglasses and mama needed a new pair (or two) of shoes.
We had an early dinner at a new Japanese restaurant called "Sakura" in Riverview. They offer an unbeatable happy hour special and since we were Bella-less, we decided to give it a try. It was AWESOME! For $25.95, we each had a crab rangoon appetizer, miso soup, ginger salad and teppanyaki steak with fried rice, noodles and vegetables. The food was plentiful and delicious, and the price was great. We will definitely be going back to "Sakura" in the near future.
Our day was busy, productive and fun. It's very rare that we actually have fun while running errands. Tomorrow Ian is scheduled to get a massage and I plan to sleep in. Being on vacation (while at home) is so relaxing! We will pick up Bella tomorrow afternoon and I can't wait to see that little girl! We spoke with her on the phone several times today and she was so cute! But until then, I'm going to make the most of my toddler-free evening and enjoy some mindless television.
Love always,
Ian, Kim, Bella & Baby #2
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