Life is always teaching us something and it’s important to pay attention. Why just today, I’ve learned a number of useful tidbits.
- It is possible for a two-year-old to empty an entire bottle of Elmer’s glue on the table in the 4.5 seconds it takes a mother to walk to the sink and back.
- When chasing FIVE wayward cows from front lawn to pasture, be assured they will ALL get out minutes later. After fixing the broken board, be sure to look for stretched wires as well.
- Even though washing the tie-dye shirts your kids made SHOULD have removed any excess dye, do not, I repeat: DO NOT put them in with lighter colors for the first 25 washings at least.
- Kittens DO indeed climb curtains … the cartoons are not exaggerating.
- If you pay for new wheel bearings one week, rest assured the brakes will go the next.
- Two-year-olds enjoy watching pennies float to the bottom of the fish tank. Five- and seven-year-olds also find it amusing.
- If little girls use glitter for any craft project, it will grace every plausible surface for weeks (including behind their ears).
Those are the highlights of today’s educational journey. Oh … one other thing. Netflix is awesome! One day we read a Magic School Bus book on water purification, evaporation and condensation, and the next we were watching the cartoon on our Netflix DVD. We’ll send it back tomorrow and by Friday hubby and I will have a movie for Friday night date night. No, we don’t “go out” much these days. Why? No one wants to babysit for one thing. And then there is the rising cost of goods and services. Here’s some other wisdom I’ll share:
$ 8.00 = 2 gallons of gas for trip to a town with a movie theater
$16.00 = two movie tickets
$ 8.00 = large popcorn and two drinks
$25.00 = babysitter for three kids
Total: $57.00 (without dinner)
OR
$ 8.00 = Candlelit steak dinner after kids go to bed (steaks from freezer and garden veggies)
$ 0.89 = DVD movie from Netflix ($8.99 a month for unlimited DVDs—we average 10/month)
$ 0.00 = Relaxing, romantic, gourmet experience in the comfort of home
Total: Priceless … for less than ten bucks.
I’m not as frugal as I’d like to be …
I’d love to kick my Diet Coke addiction, for instance. It would save me $5 a week at least. It’s just that I adore my icy-cold caffeine. On the bright side, it’s cheaper than $5 cups of coffee that some folks can’t live without.
Then there’s my vehicle. It’s true: I drive a gas-guzzling SUV. I have three kids, I haul other people’s kids. I haul various pieces of large furniture for my business. Occasionally I haul animals, feed and of course those caseloads of Diet Coke. I need the extra room. I need all that towing capacity for our little 15-foot camper, NellieBelle. Shake your head … wag your finger. I don’t mind. I love my ‘burb. I’d rather sacrifice the caffeine than give up my battleship. And to be honest, the gas mileage isn’t any worse than a pick-up truck. Well, unless I’m in a hurry. I don’t go very far very often anyway.
I have made allowances to make up for my gasoline. Just this month I’ve saved $16 on my electric bill because I no longer use the dryer. You see, I wash at least one load of clothes a day and it adds up. I’ve come to love my clotheslines. My porch now resembles a large spider’s web, but my clothes smell sunshine-fresh. I tried to buy more clothespins the other day, but the store was out. Apparently I’m not the only one conserving this summer.
Anyway … those are my little nuggets of knowledge for the day. Enjoy!
FOOTNOTE: Never leave a two-year-old unattended while blogging. They will inevitably find the fingernail polish left out by the five-year-old. They will then redecorate your bathroom counter.
Farmgirl Follies 