ROSEAU

Memorial Day

It’s the soldier, not the reporter who has given us
Freedom of the Press.

It’s the soldier, not the poet, who has given us
Freedom of Speech.

It’s the soldier, not the campus organizer, who has given us the
Freedom to Demonstrate.

It’s the soldier, not the lawyer, who has given us the
Right to a Fair Trial.

It’s the soldier who salutes the flag, serves under the flag and whose coffin is draped by the flag, Who gives the protester the right to burn the flag.

~Father Dennis Edward O’Brien, USMC

Happy Memorial Day to my husband, and all others who currently/have served!

Getting into toys and his exersaucer. He's growing so fast I can't believe it- makes me wish so badly Harold could be here. 1 month down, 5 to go!

Missing Daddy

Gymbucks!

If you're a mom, you've heard of/purchased from Gymboree. Great clothes, affordable (I still pretty much only buy sale items =)). Gymbucks is an awesome way to get some money back- for every 50 bucks you spend, you get 25 "Gymbucks" so that the next time you spend $50, you can use 25 Gymbucks towards that. Essentially 50% off! Even better, you can get 30% off EVERYTHING May 14th-17th! Full price & resale items. Who says kids can't have adorable clothes for cheap??

Use this code at checkout: GYMCIRCLE

Enjoy!



Harold comes home in 160 days!!!! That's not so long, right?

Coupon Clipper

Well, this post is pretty self-explanatory. coupons(dot)com. If you haven't been to coupons(dot)com yet, you definitely need to check it out. It couldn't be easier to collect and print coupons- you do have to download a "coupon printer" but after that, it's easy as pie. speaking of pie... here's a good recipe we had the other night. A weight watchers point splurge at 7 points, but worth it! it was really easy, and really tasty.
.




http://www.weightwatchers.com/util/prt/recipe.aspx?Type=1&RecipeID=93741

Big HP

Tonight is the hardest night I have had yet. I am missing Harold so much it is indescribable. I miss him on a level I have never experienced before- and I've done my fair share of long-distance (if you consider hours long distance) relationships, including while Harold and I were dating. Not to mention picking up and moving 1200 miles away from any family or friends. It is a feeling that could be medicated simply with a phone conversation. But I can't call him. I cannot pick up the phone to contact my husband. It is such an awful feeling.

Adding a child to this mix makes everything infinitely worse. Harrison is a constant reminder to me of his father. Everytime he smiles, or learns something new, it just breaks my heart that Harold has to miss it. Running to grab the video camera only soothes me a little bit. I am so grateful that I only have to do this for 6 months- but right now it feels like a lifetime.

The internet in Harold's room isn't working- I had gotten used to being able to chat nightly (before work for him) and not getting that makes a huge difference in my day and my mood. There are so many women in this country going through the same thing that I am- I am even one of the fortunate ones. My husband is behind 15-foot walls and guards- not everyone gets that feeling of security.

I need him simply because he is my best friend. It doesn't even matter what I am feeling sad about, the fact that I can't talk to him about it is the devastating part. All I can do is send an email. And wait. Who knows when he'll even get time to write back? His only internet connection right now is when he's working.

Thank you for listening to my ranting. I am aware of how infinitely blessed I am, and how this is just a little bump in the road of a wonderful life. It just feels like a huge mountain right at this moment.

freecycle

Ever had anything you would rather just give away then deal with selling? Check out http://www.freecycle.org/

It’s a great website that allows you to give away items, get items, even request certain items. When I found out I was pregnant with Harrison I was single and a live-in nanny. I knew in order to get everything I wanted for my kid I was going to have to settle for used items. Little did I know how wonderful and easy it is to do that! Kids things, like swings, highchairs, etc. don’t always get used all that much. Families are done having kids, but their stuff isn’t done being used! It still has a lot of life left. Think of how many parents go to Toys R Us, spend $150 on a swing, and their kid hates it and it gets used 5-10 times? Their loss can be your gain!

My husband and I got our changing table from freecycle.org. It is AMAZING! It had a few blemishes on the bottom shelf, but for free, I’m not complaining!
There’s lots of other stuff besides baby things- give it a try!

Free KFC

So you have T-15 hours to claim your free KFC from Oprah! Till 10 PM tomorrow you can download a coupon for a free KFC meal, good until May 19th. Even the Weight Watchers points can't keep me away from FREE KFC! =)

http://www.oprah.com/article/oprahshow/20090430-tows-kfc-coupon-download



Since 11 AM my four-month-old has slept for about 2 hours total. If it was 2 hours in a row... eh, I could deal with that. It's this half hour crap that's going to drive me crazy. Not to mention the few nap attempts of my own that where very rudely interrupted. He's lucky he's the damn cutest baby in all of the universe. I truly have no right to complain, my parents get up with him most mornings when at 5:30 the final attempt for more sleep by putting the paci back in fails. When I get home, my world is going to change in a big way! Harrison's will too- being fawned over by 3 people all day long must be pretty nice. Now it's time to make dinner- I'm in charge, as my mom is working. I'm pretty hungry. But I'm not going to cry about it, unlike some people I know...

Coupons!

My new found love of life is clipping coupons- along with feeling economical, it's actually fun! Sunday is an exciting day of the week- I run to the Walgreens down the street, shell out the $2, in order to save a lot more! Kate from "Jon & Kate + 8" once said that as a stay at home mom, a huge part of her job is making Jon's hard-earned money stretch. That is definitely how I feel. I am so fortunate to be able to spend my days with Harrison. It would obviously not be possible without the hard work of my husband. The more money I save, the more we can spend on other things- movies, dinners, and my favorite- clothes!

Here's some Target coupons- we all love to shop at Target. I think most would agree it's a more enjoyable experience than Wal-Mart, or others. Target is not, however, always the cheapest. Well, coupons help! You can check back every week for more- Target.com, scroll down to "Target Stores" and click on "Grocery Coupons". There's no Supertarget here in my hometown, (boo!) but hopefully wherever you are you can access one! The coupons can still be used at a regular Target.



http://sites.target.com/site/en/supertarget/page.jsp?title=coupons_specials



Here's a great tip my mom got off of "The Today Show"- create an alternative email designated only for retailers- Old Navy, Target, Proctor and Gamble, Crate & Barrel... etc. Anyplace that commonly offers deals, sales, or coupons. Your personal email inbox will be free of all that crap, and you can check only when you have some free time, or free money. =) Google coupons- sign up for emails!

Please leave comments- especially if you have any tips of your own!



http://joandbaby.blogspot.com/