My Five Little Monkeys

Thrifty Thursday III

I'm just wondering, when was the last time you took some time out for yourself. I don't mean sneaking off to the bathroom with a book tucked under your shirt, and I seriously don't mean feigning illness just to get an extra few minutes in bed in the morning. We've all done it. All of us. In some way or another, we've all neglected ourselves as Mom's.
One of the cooler things about my life as a Mom is my Husband's ability to recognize when I need a break. It may have been after a particularly stressful week, or perhaps after a long week of appointments and meetings, where my brain is tired. Just like I appreciate how hard he works for our family, he too appreciates how hard I work for our family. In order to get a break, I used to just sneak out of the house when Jon got home. I would go shopping and take some time for myself.  I never felt relaxed though when I came home, and felt probably more tired than I did when I left!
About a month ago, Jon was reading our local newspaper, when he came across an ad for a local Wellness Center and Day Spa. The ad said that they could do a full one hour massage for just $45!! Don't you know, Jon was on the phone that night calling to get an appointment for me? Sweet, I know. I was floored, and beyond excited. A massage? $45? I couldn't be, we knew full well that a hour massage was at least $60 if not $80. It must be a misprint. It had to be.
Jon and I are massage afficionados... We have had massages all over the world! On every vacation we go on, our first plan typically, is what type of massage we will have, and when we'll have it. It's certainly something to look forward to. Needless to say, for $45 I wasn't holding my breath on this being the BEST massage in the world, however I figured even if it meant me laying quietly in a room for an hour while someone rubbed my feet? How bad could it really be? Let's be honest with ourselves. $45 is a great deal...
When I arrived at New Leaf, a mere 10 minute drive from my home, I was pleasantly surprised by the professional staff, and the warm atmosphere. This was certainly not "the home of the $45 massage". This was an environment of relaxation... I was so happy to be there, and immediately at ease. I met my therapist Candra and she went over the paperwork I had been given to fill out. She was incredibly thorough and so pleasant... Meeting Candra though was a bit of a shock though. This little girl may weigh, I'm guessing, 90lbs soaking wet. Absolutely adorable, but teeny. Noelle could've given her a run for her money! I explained exactly what I was looking for in my massage. An hour later, when my massage was over... I was in absolute bliss. I never could have imagined that such a tiny person could have so much strength in her hands... She worked out knots that I didn't know that I had, but did it in such a way that was immensely relaxing and soothing and not at all painful. I immediately made an appointment for Jon to come in, especially since the cost was merely $45. He too was in awe of her technique. He said that he never thought she would be able to work out the muscles deep enough for him, but much to his surprise, she did a phenomenal job. We both commented that Candra's massage was topping our list of the top 5 massages that we've ever had. EVER. Right here in Winchester... How is that even possible??
I've made sure to continue to see Candra not because my muscles are all bound up, but because I feel like I deserve an hour to myself every few weeks. I love to have the time to myself, and to really relax. This week I even brought in my own CD to listen to... That was incredibly enjoyable.
New Leaf doesn't just offer massage, they are a full service wellness center. They offer steam treatments, body wraps, ear candling, hot stone massage, customized weight loss programs, and Reiki. The owner, Kelly Peacock is a Reiki Master and has been successfully practicing since 1999. Those of you not familiar with Reiki can find more information here.
Kelly handles all of the wellness aspects of the center.  There are many people that come to visit the center simply for weight loss counselling. New Leaf follows the same guidlelines as the AHDA, so it's not something that we've all never heard of. Kelly is someone to help guide you through your weight loss journey, understanding also that it's not always about weight loss. That it may be more about improving your life, and bettering your future.
Long story short, I'm no longer feeling the pressuree to decompress while trying to grocery shop, or making up fictitious stories about why my belly is so bloated (meanwhile it's actually a stack of magazines under my shirt...)
I'm just going to take my husbands advice and get a massage... It's something to look forward to, and it's really nice to see it on the calendar a few days away. Because if you're anything like me, it's always nice to have something to look forward to!

Too Busy! Too Busy!

Just the photos folks, Just the photos... I'm way too busy to write up a post for you all to enjoy, however I do have some pictures for your viewing pleasure...

Thrifty Thursday II

Today's Thrifty Thursday post is something that I think is incredibly helpful, but not something that I've been able to try out for myself. I think in these economic times, something as cool as Angel Food Ministries shouldn't be overlooked. AFM is, according to their mission statement, "a non-profit, non-denominational organization dedicated to providing food relief and contributing to benevolent outreaches in communities throughout the United States."
Founders Joe & Linda Wingo started Angel Food Ministries in 1994 with the anticipation of lending a helping hand to friends and neighbors who were struggling financially. Now, nearly 15 years later, AFM is helping more than 500,000 families a month to make ends meet.
Every month, AFM helps families create a balanced diet. For under $35 they help to provide your family with fresh restraunt grade meats, vegetables, and dairy products. The menus vary by month, and there are also add-ons that can be chosen for an additional fee. Literally for under $50 you can have fresh meat, cheese, fruits and vegetables.
the fabulous thing about this particular Food Bank, is that everyone qualifies. Unlike other programs that require minimums, income restrictions, and applications Angel Food does not. One unit of the monthly food, will feed a family of four for about a week and there is no limit to the number of boxes you can buy.
Best of all, the food that you receive is wonderful. After speaking to two seperate families who have been active in the program for over a year now, I was assured that the food is always fresh and never damaged. I love that people can get an entire box of fruit and vegetables for $22 and it's not overly ripe, bruised, second hand fruit... I wouldn't want to eat that, and neither would you.
Here's a Sample of this months menu:

REGULAR BOX

Balanced nutrition and variety with enough food to feed a family of four for a week.

1.5 lb. Ribeye Steaks (4 x 6 oz.)

3 lb. Split Chicken Breast

1.5 lb. Country Fried Steak Patties (6 x 4 oz)

1 lb. Package 80/20 Ground Beef

1 lb. Fully Cooked Meatballs

1 lb. Mild Italian Sausage

12 oz. Deli Sliced Ham

1 lb. California Blend

1 lb. Green Beans

20 oz. Shoestring Fries

1 lb. Pasta

28 oz. Marinara Sauce

21 oz. Condensed Soup
(makes 5 servings)

1 lb. Pinto Beans

32 oz. 2% Shelf Stable Milk

Dozen Eggs

Dessert

All of this for $30... It just amazes me. Needless to say, I would love to give it a whirl. The deadline to order boxes in my area are due by tomorrow March, 13th. The deadlines vary by state however. You can check here for a host site that is close to you. When we first moved here, our closest site was just about 20 miles from my home. In the 4 short years that we've been here, three sites have opened up two of them are in my town less than 2 miles from us.
Even if this program is something that might not be the best for you, or your family, think of someone that you know that could use the program... They also have a Senior Citizen box that can feed 1 senior for nearly a month. They also have an Allergen Free box which helps people with allergies to peanuts, soy, milk, eggs, shellfish, treenuts, and gluten! This organization is simply AMAZING...

You Light Up My Life...

Some kids are afraid of the dark. Then there are other kids that wish they were afraid of the dark. My kids fall into the latter category.
There are very few things that actually get my kids pampers into a bunch, and the dark is certainly not one of them. And in true fashion, when the fancy new nightlight showed up on my doorstep from Parent Bloggers Network, our kids were turning out lights and pulling down blinds everywhere just to test this bad boy out. They were duly impressed... Sylvania PalPODzzz are some of the cuter nightlights out there. Let's get honest though, in this life it's not all about cuteness. There's a whole lot of practicality built into these lil' suckers. Jon and I despise shutting the lights off and saying goodnight, only to find that the itty bitty little nightlight bulb is burnt out. You KNOW we don't keep those on hand...
The Sylvania PalPODzzz are ingenius in that:

• They're portable. Perfect for nighttime reading, Playing under the covers, All kinds of fun.
• No bulbs to replace. It's a nice cool LED light...Won't burn little fingers.
• Rechargeable! Lasts up to five hours after a full charge. FIVE HOURS.
• They come in two spiffy designs, a girly ladybug, and a handsome rocket.

The PalPODzzz design allows for the nigthlight, to immediately illuminate when it's lifted from the base during a power outage. There is a button of course for switching it on and off... We have the ladybug, and while the design is really cute, it's also really cool. The lady bug itself is the flashlight. The shape of the bug fits wonderfully in smaller hands. The ladybug perches itself on a leaf, where it sits and charges itself up until it's next adventure into our kids rooms.
I think the only thing Sylvania could've done better, is put a homing device on this lil' bug. Finding it is a bit of a joke sometimes because it really is so cute that it blends right in and looks just like a toy! So very sweet though, So very sweet...

Always At My Side...

Our boys have been sleeping in their big boy beds now for just about 2 months. It amazes me that we made this change, and the boys (and us!) transitioned so well through it. I fear change, worse than I fear anything in this life. I am of course fearful that I will push this unreasonable issue off on my children as well... I see so much of myself in William, and in Lilley as well. Nearly everyday that I drop William off at school, he tells me how he's afraid (even though he's not) and how he won't have fun (even though he will) and how he's mad at me (he probably really is)... Lilley on the other hand, just cries. Both of them however, always come home from their days at school, entirely happy, having had a wonderful time, and with stories abounding. So perhaps it's my trepidation brushing off on them? I guess we'll never know.
Evan, Jack, and Noelle have never had these problems. They've always been so independent, Noelle especially. At the ripe old age of nearly three, she is totally independent. She refuses to hold hands, refuses to have her face wiped, refuses to let anyone do anything for her...Unless of course, it's done on her terms. I worry sometimes that she's a little too independent, but I think I'm worrying just because of the stark difference between her and Lilley.
Last night Jon called me in to take a peek at the boys snoozing away. So many times we find Evan and Jack curled up together, if they're not curled up together they're on opposite sides of the bed but in the same position. I love to see how peaceful they look, and also we love to try and figure out who's who... :) We took this picture last night of all three of the boys. This one of Evan & Jack is just so sweet, it's amazing how even in sleep, they have that closeness. When we went in to wake them this morning, they were totally across the bed, and still touching... Totally amazing. The bed is huge in comparison to them.
If you'll notice in the picture, there is a small white orb on the right hand side near Jack... I love seeing things like that in photos. There are some folks out there that believe that these orbs caught in photos are actually ghosts, or spirits. Of course on the flipside, there are people out there that will tell you that these orbs are nothing more than dust floating in front of your camera at the time the photo was taken. In all honesty... I don't care either way. I just like the idea of the orbs. I've spoken about my sister Jennifer, and her death. I truthfully don't like to talk about it. I do however like to think about Jen, I also really like to think that she's here with me... Constantly supporting me, and living my life with me... I get a lot of peace out of the thought of that. I know that she's gone from here, but she hasn't left me entirely... I don't know that God would do that to me (or to her, really...).
When our boys were born, I remember Jen just thinking Jack was the bee's knees, and I only have photos of her holding Evan in the NICU. She adored my children... The time that she spent with those boys when they were newborns, was amazing. It was awesome for me as a new Mom, but it was also awesome for her...Knowing that she would probably never get the chance to Mother on her own. I remember confessing my fears to her so many times, and explaining my inadequacies... Amazingly my sister was able to reassure me, letting me know that while she too was in the dark, that she would help me every step of the way.
So, whether or not that orb is Jennifer, I'll never know. I'm pretty sure it was just a piece of dust. I think it's so very cool though, that Jennifer's orb is hanging out, on the bed with the boys (the ones who need her the most), and not by William... Coincidence? Or Conspiracy? You decide...

Cuter Than This? Impossible.

Thrifty Thursday!

When we first moved to this area, I thought I would never love it here. I thought it would never feel like home. And while I'm still a sucker for Massachusetts, and pretty much all things Boston, I find myself really feeling like this IS my home. I mean it only took 4 years right? Not too shabby if you ask me... Especially since I lived in MA nearly my whole life.
I've really fallen in love with the small town feel here. There are a few little places that make my life so much more awesome...
Greenwood Grocery & Deli
This little place is just a stones throw from our house, I probably could walk there if I was so inspired. But I'm not. They are really just a corner store. However, they're not you're average corner store. They sell gas, beer, groceries, and your daily paper... But what they also sell, is fresh, hot off the grill, food. It's GOOD food too. In the morning, they have a breakfast sandwich that will rival any fast food joint. It's quick, it's delicious, and best of all...It's cheap. I can get an egg sandwich (with scrapple!!) and it costs me less than $2. The eggs are fresh, the cheese is fresh, it's all delicious... Lunchtime doesn't disappoint either. They have the best BLT in town. HANDS DOWN. Again, the best part? That sandwich costs me $1.85. I just can't get good, fresh, hot food anywhere else in town on that kind of a budget. Oh! And one other thing! They also sell the paper for half price the next day. So I'm able to get Sunday's paper on Monday, for half price... That's a great deal for us coupon shoppers! I don't want the paper, but I sure love the coupons!
Chalk Dust
I couldn't be any more excited about this shop. Chalk Dust is actually a teacher supply store, since I'm not a teacher I wasn't sure that I really needed to explore this tiny tiny shop. However, I couldn't be more pleased to have discovered this gem. Apparently, teaching supply stores aren't something that you see on every street corner. So, to have one just down the street from my home is awesome... Inside this store was a plethora of tools for teachers obviously, but also for Parents just like me! Parents with children at home, Parents who homeschool, Parents with children with special needs... This shop addressed all of the needs that I had, and amazingly in such a small space! I was able to buy workbooks for William, to help him continue to work on his alphabet, and also to really help fine tune his handwriting. The workbooks are incredible, and already Will has expressed so much more interest in those particular activities. The store completely provided what I was looking for also for Evan. I needed some flashcards. I was making my own for him, providing him with words to expand his ever growing vocabulary. I really wanted something more legit, and also something, that when he didn't know the word...I could show him the photo, so that he could associate the word with the photo. They absolutely had that, as well as a number of word games. Word building exercises really... Anyway, their prices were really reasonable, and also the owners were lovely lovely people.
I think maybe I'm going to try to highlight some of the awesome places in our area as I go along... I mean I know that I have readers from all over, but you never know when you'll end up in the Shenandoah Valley!

Party Fit For a Princess!

Noelle and Lilley were invited to their very first big girl birthday party this weekend. One of our neighbors has a daughter who is in the same Preschool class as the girls. In the time that the girls have been in school, I have heard their Daughter Audrey's name mentioned occasionally. I was very pleasantly surprised to find the invite tucked in the front door a few weeks ago.
Getting the girls ready for this party was pretty exciting. They were instructed to dress up like princesses... Which is right up Lilley's alley. If you tell her that she looks like a princess, she just twirls around, and looks very very proud. It's very sweet. Lilley wore Cinderella's blue dress, and Noelle wore Sleeping Beauty's. They were very proud...
At the birthday party, it was amazing to see the difference between the two girls personalities. Noelle waltzed right into the party, like she was the guest of honor. Meanwhile, Lilley wanted nothing to do with any of it. She clung to my side and was very nervous of it all. She warmed up finally, but still wanted to just play alone. Meanwhile Noelle wanted to be the center of attention. She played with all of the girls, and talked to everyone. When it was time to eat cake, Noelle sat right down and waited  very patiently. Lilley refused to sit and went off by herself. She then wanted cake after everyone was all done eating... Noelle loved watching Audrey and her big sister Lauren open their gifts. Lilley refused to sit down, and was embarassed anytime anyone even looked at her. About 15 minutes before we left, I went looking for Lilley, and she was upstairs... Running through the guests home with about 10 other girls. As if she was just one of the crowd! I was completely confused... Meanwhile Noelle was downstairs playing quietly! Total role reversal. These girls, they keep me on my toes I tell you.