All Growed Up

Chloe started the pre-K CLUE program this week, and loved every minute of it. On Tuesday and Thursday mornings this semester, she'll be putting on a uniform, grabbing a backpack, and mingling with the big kids at Downtown Elementary. We've been working on the CLUE process since September, so we've been anticipating her entering the class for what seems like forever. But at the same time, it seems so sudden! I don't have any babies anymore, and that's just that. And yeah, I cried just now when I typed that.

Taking a Stand

Recently, an opportunity arose for me to get a "stand-up" desk for my office. For many reasons, I decided to go for it.

So here's where I stand on standing- it's pretty cool. As you can see, when I'm on the computer I'm standing, but there's a chair and a lower desk for when I'm on the phone, or reading something, etc. I'm on the computer probably 85% of the time, so I'm standing most of the day, but I feel free to sit down a few minutes if I need some relief.

The biggest adjustment for me has been regarding my shoes. I quickly found that my legs weren't fatigued, but my feet were. Depending on whether I wore flats or heels, a different part of my foot hurt at the end of the day. So I've had to invest in some more supportive shoes, and the search has been entertaining. It seems there are cute shoes, and there are supportive shoes, but there isn't nearly as much overlap as one would hope. I can always kick off my shoes and stand around barefoot if I need to, and that option has been a big help.

Overall, I'll give standing while you work four out five stars. And I'll give Hush Puppies a slight edge over Naturalizers.

Snowmom

A Memphis Miracle

Whenever snow is predicted more than one day in advance, it never actually snows. So we were extra glad that it did.

We made a snowman this afternoon. It's dressed like me, and I don't know if that's a compliment or not. Pictures still to come.

Fives

Our boy drives the lane. . .

and puts it up for two.

He hustles back on defense. . .

and gets the steal.

Saturday's victory was made all the more sweet by having Shannon, Carrie and Maisy there to witness it. Although they are the kind of people who find the clueless, non-athletic kids to be "adorable." The Chockley-Maravich family has no time for that foolishness. But we appreciate their support nonetheless.

Offspring Summit

It was an exciting day when Harper and Maisy finally met. Exciting for Chloe, that is, since now she has two little girls to fawn all over! But it's safe to say that Connor has quietly fallen in love with both of them, too. He's going to like being everyone's de facto big brother.

We're ready to call this hat, which Sherri knitted for Harper, a family heirloom.

Did you really think we'd get them all to look at the same camera at the same time?

I totally got the raw end of this deal.

Coupon Resolution

I tend to go to the grocery store and buy the brands I want with little or no savvy comparison shopping. Food is just something I'm picky about, and I'm never going to buy the store-brand parmesean cheese just because it's cheaper than the Kraft. I need the Kraft. Also, I go to Schnuck's and Whole Foods a lot because basically I hate Kroger. Not exactly fiscally responsible decisions on my part.

The point of that is, I've realized that the only way I'll ever save money on groceries is if I start clipping coupons, and then remembering to look through those coupons before going to the store. As incentive, I'm going to use this post to keep track of the money I save with this resolution. You know I love to keep a log of things, and this seemed more motivating than just my usual Google spreadsheet. Although you know I'll keep one of those too- the formula for finding the sum is just too sexy to be tossed aside in favor of a blog post.

1/2/11     $3.50
1/9/11     $6.10*  (Snowpocalypse Savings!)  
*Earlier this week I watched an episode of Extreme Couponing on TLC and now I feel a little bit insane when I visit coupons.com. If I ever start paying for coupons, please have me committed.
1/16/11   $6.00
1/23/11   $6.50
I feel like the same 3-4 items that I use have coupons, and that's it. I mean, they are things I normally buy, but it still feels weird. Do coupons run on a monthly cycle or something? In February, will it be different items?
1/30/11   $5.00
January savings: $27.10- Not bad!
2/6/11     Nothing! Absolutely nothing. I looked high and low for something useful, but nada.
2/13/11   $8.25  Making up for last week, I suppose.
2/20/11   $3.70 No coupon circular in the paper! Gasp!!!!!!!!
2/27/11   $5.80
February savings: $17.75
2011 year to date: $44.85
3/6/11    $3.80
3/13/11  $1.00
March savings: $4.80 (So lame!)
2011 year to date: $49.65
4/3/11   $4.55
4/10/11 $7.85 I actually used $2.00 worth of coupons at Target this week.
5/15/11 $6.20 I've been slacking lately- I'll cut out the coupons, but forget to bring them to the store with me. Also, Chip went to the store for me a couple of times.