Have You Seen My Brain???

The aliens that live in my computer have absconded with my brain.

Really.

I have proof.

For the last 2+ days I've been sitting here mindlessly following links and reading blogs and filling out forms. It began Saturday, when I happened onto a blog, Thrifty Florida Mom, who talked about buying all kinds of groceries and drug store items for little or no money! Really!

Twenty-four hours later I have checked out about fifty different sites and stores and applied for several bonus cards. I've also printed about 20 pages worth of coupons. (and then went to Food Lion and got Eggo Waffles and 2 kinds of tissues for pennies!!)

Of course, then I needed a coupon organizer, and that necessitated about 10 more online stores, then another hour trying to make my own, then a trip to Roses to purchase said coupon holder for $2.00. Later today I plan to visit at least 2 different drugstores and another Food Lion (for more whole grain waffles).

Yup - I have issues.

It gets worse. This morning, following some link on a blog, I arrived at Slick Deals. There I followes ALL kinds of links and eventually started filling out forms to get free stuff (the USB bracelet should arrive shortly). Then - without any conscious thought - I began filling out survey forms to earn points towards Amazon gift cards.

Several hours later, after being caught in a never-ending form, I woke up.

OMG!!!

Shouldn't computers come with an UNDO button???

So.....to recap:

I now have 120 coupons with more arriving daily, many bonus cards, and 2.7 million emails, snail mail and probably phone calls from people who want me to buy their crappy goods. Does that about wrap it up???

I've spent the last two hours digging out the house, doing laundry, dishes and general de-cluttering. This is the FIRST I've written - in days.

Beating myself up now...

The Downside of Being a Grown-up

Actually, there are a LOT of downsides to being a grown-up. Not only must you take responsibility for yourself, your actions and your choices - you're usually responsible for other people, as well!

Let's see...five things I've been horrified to learn:

1. Animals are MUCH more fun when my mother is cleaning up after them.
2. Toilets are NOT self-cleaning.
3. Doing the best for your children usually requires delaying what's best for YOU!
4. Household bills - and grocery bills - increase at a terrifying rate.
5. Grown-ups are not supposed to wrap themselves in blankies and hide under the dining room table - at least not for long!

In case you hadn't figured it out - this will NOT be one of my hoo-rah inspiring entries. Why not, you ask?

1. It's Monday. [see older posts for THAT horror]
2. It's 10 degrees and windy - and that's inside!
3. I was at the Super Wal-Mart grocery shopping on Saturday AND Sunday - UGH!
4. I paid the bills. Now the goal is to spend NO money for the next two weeks.
5. I have no wine. :(

Pretty pathetic, isn't it? I have a hard time being productive when I'm cold. Now I DID manage to make tea and hominy (started THAT last night), homeschool three children, catch up with friends & family AND send out a writing proposal. I was feeling....ok. And then I paid bills.

Ignorance certainly IS bliss. (though it leads to stupid choices)

All right - enough is enough! Time to put on some good music & dance! Maybe have a special cup of Harney tea - and make a pot of potato-leek soup! And THEN wrap up in a blankie in my chair and read a book!

After all - tomorrow is another day! (with apologies to Margaret Mitchell)

If it's Thursday it must be Barley...

In honor of the new year - and hoping to save a few bucks - I've been endeavoring to cook healthier foods. Whole grains - bought in bulk - and sometimes simmered overnight. In the past couple of days I've made some awesome grits - did you know they DON'T have to be the watery wallpaper paste you get in restaurants??? Who knew? Cooked with milk and water - I add salt with garlic, cheddar cheese and parmesean cheese - and they ROCK!!! This time 2/3 kids actually liked them (after complaining for 30 minutes). The one who didn't like them is the one who likes everything else!!!! Go figure.

I've also - quite frequently - taken some cracked 9-grain blend & cooked it - then stirred in wheat germ and crushed flax seed. Then I serve it with plain yogurt (from the Amish market), honey and dried cranberries. Delicious! At least to me.

Tonight's dinner is almost vegetarian chili (I had a wee bit of sausage in the fridge)and cornbread.

My husband's not sure he's going to survive this - he really prefers cheeseburgers. Did I mention I put barley in the chili? I'm hoping my husband doesn't notice. I've been cooking with barley a lot. Everyone still hates it. They'll eventually get used to the flavors - right???

I guess only time will tell.

Speaking of time - my baby has his first loose tooth - he's very excited. He's six and a half - so he's past due. Do other six year old's swing back and forth between being absolutely delighful and so outright defiant you want to mail them to Mexico??? Or am I just lucky???

Dancing Womyn

January has been an amazing month for me - I'm finally reconnecting to the Universe and finding my place and my voice. I'm working on unleasing my creativity - and sharing the results with the world.

I've made a door quilt to help insulate our living room, a quilt square for a friend's mother's blessingway, and many delicious, healthy meals {note: children may disagree with the last statement}.

Even better, I'm writing - a LOT. I have a regular post on Donne Tempo, an online womyn's magazine; I'm writing a tween's fiction novel - and researching the Civil War on the Eastern Shore for the book; AND....I wrote a song. Yup - ME! Actually, I used to write songs, but never really did anything with them. This time I'm lining up musicians and seeking options. I'll eventually record it to share with you!

Oh, AND...the picture of the dancing womyn? I DREW that!!! (and I don't draw!!!) My wonderful husband took the picture of the moon in our backyard, and superimposed the dancing womyn on it. The words are from my song - it sounds better put to music!

One month down - many to go. Isn't life a wonderful journey?

Namaste.