S&H Green Stamps....a childhood memory

Back in the olden days (I think I can say that now? I wonder how many of you remember or have even SEEN a green stamp?) we had green stamps.

If I remember correctly (and I was young, so my memory could be skewed? but I doubt it) when we shopped at either Kroger or Piggly Wiggly - for every dollar you spent, you got a stamp with the value of a penny - every 10 dollars, you'd get a ten cent stamp? Anyway - a ridiculously low amount of stamps for the money you spent. Maybe it was a 10% ratio? I don't rightly recollect, but I DO RECALL one day, I must have asked my mom about this huge bag of green stamps she had. (And when I say huge bag, I'm not talking about a little ziplock bag, or even a gallon sized ziplock bag, I don't even think those were invented back then, but I'm talking about a grocery bag, and again - not your standard grocery bag...the BROWN PAPER BAG - because I don't think the plastic grocery bag with handles had yet been invented...but I do remember when they were invented because back then they gave you a choice "paper or plastic" whereas now, they dis-invented paper. Can't find a paper grocery bag anywhere...try it! I don't know what to drain my meatballs on - but I digress....)

So picture a brown paper grocery bag full of S&H green stamps - IN THE RAW - meaning - the combined value of said stamps were undetermined because as of yet, they had not been affixed to an S&H Green stamp BOOK (see picture above) It was my job, as a 5 year old (maybe I was older?) to organize these stamps into books - they were the kind of stamps that you had to lick. I remember because I had to lick them all - to get them to stick in the book. This was before self-adhesive was invented.

So as a four year old - who was highly intelligent - yet talked too much (if you can even IMAGINE me talking too much...) my mother kept my mouth busy by sitting me in front of our radio (this was WELL before cable was invented) and licking these stamps. Now, I must have been a highly intelligent 3 year old - because each page on the book had different value systems. I believe you could fill the page with penny stamps, or half of the page with 5 cent stamps - or one row of the page with 10 cent stamps. So...(and this is where it could get confusing for a 2 1/2 year old) you could put 5-one cent stamps and then two rows minus one 5 cent stamps - or two five cent stamps and then a row minus a ten cent stamps - but under no circumstances were you allowed to put 3 five cent stamps and rip one of the ten cent stamps in half. I had to write that on the board a hundred times - my mom was strict about wasting the S&H green stamps....

Anyway - so the ultimate goal of collecting all these green stamps & books was that you could go to the S&H green stamp store and BUY whatever you wanted - the more books you saved, the more items - or nicer items - or bigger items you could "purchase" - If I remember correctly (and I always do) I had filled 326 books of these S&H stamps. (I remember this because part of the educational system in Texas was to find any number and divide it by two, then add 3, divide it by 2 again - repeat those steps until you come up with your age - that's how I remember I was about three years old.)

As a reward for licking all the stamps and putting them in the books, I got to go with my mom to the S&H store (plus - I think I Had to, because the babysitter didn't take S&H books as payment) I remember that day clearly - I was so excited when we finally had enough books to buy a square yellow sponge, so I no longer had to lick stamps.

Now, I can see my mother reading this and objecting about making me lick all those stamps - but I remember it clearly - I was a very skinny child. I didn't eat a lot of sweets, by choice, but I didn't eat a lot of anything else, on the count of my tongue always sticking to the roof of my mouth - and I also remember after cashing in all those books - I didn't have any more green stamps to lick - so I was able to eat solid foods again - and I ate a whole lot - my uncles would tease me about being able to put an entire pancake in my mouth in one bite - I'd fold it up into a little square piece and open my mouth real wide - it fit (we were poor, the pancakes were watered down and were more like crepe's anyway - so it was doable) And the first time my aunt saw me do that she said, "My goodness, Heidi, I can't believe you can eat so much - you're so skinny! Where do you put all those calories?" and truth be told - I'm not sure what I answered her, but I have recently discovered what I did with all those calories I ate when I was younger...I stored them in my late 30's.

My thought on the LAWof Attraction

Saw something on TV the other day - some celebrity was telling a news anchor about how she became famous. It was the ultimate "fault" of the Law of Attraction. She said "no negatives, the universe doesn't understand negatives."

In other words - if you don't want to get fat, you can't think "I don't want to get fat" because the universe doesn't hear "don't" it just hears "I want fat" - so you get fatter.

Never mind the fact that the universe is SMART enough to know exactly where galaxies, planets and stars all fit perfectly without too much history of catastrophic collisions...lets just pretend that the universe is only "smart" enough to manage EARTH. (because, if you think about it, really, that's quite the accomplishment. The UNIVERSE has to understand completely the EXACT location of the proximity of the earth to the sun - so we don't fry - so perfect the alignment, tilt - and rotation of the planet that it's able to sustain life - on several different levels - from temperatures ranging to hundreds below zero - to well over 100 - where several different life forms are able to thrive.

But yet, it doesn't understand the word "don't" my Baby is 14 months old. She understands the word "don't." In fact, Perhaps the universe has hit it's rebellious teenagers in universal light years - and is rebelling against all those who "don't" want to be fat...because I also have a 15 year old - and while he understands the word "don't" he doesn't necessarily heed that word.

So tell me, is the universe not bright enough to know when we're asking in negative speech - or is it rebelling?

Once you understand how to speak the universal language of the universe, you will have your dreams come true - according to one site "Patience is not necessary...without time and space, there is instant manifestation..." Well. DUHR. Is this universal Law of Attraction saying that - if we WILL time and space to negate itself, we don't need patience?

The fact of the matter remains, there IS time and space...in fact, the UNIVERSE created it, therefore, there must needs be PATIENCE.

WTH? Just sayin'

The obligatory Mother's Day post....

Lets just preface this by saying I started out the week diminishing the inventory of the gravel pit that is my kidney - by two - I had twins (one of them died in an experiment to see how hard I'd have to punch it to get it to break down - it took a hammer...) Here's the other one:


Now for the mother's day post:

A lot of my friends always have TERRIBLE mothers days - if it's not one thing, it's always another. I used to be like that, until I decided that mother's day was not so much about ME being served, but rather, about me being a mom!

A lot of my friends don't see it my way - but until you do, your mothers day will always stink! There will always be someone NOT doing dishes - or kissing up to you the right amount! There will always be a sibling fight - there will always be an extra mess left especially for mother to clean.

So - I sort of do it backwards. In years past, I've gotten my children each a mother's day gift. To thank them for the opportunity to be a mother. I'm not a perfect mother 364 days a year - so this ONE day a year, I put forth every ounce of my mother energy to be PERFECT.

Obviously if you have a rotten mother's day because you're not "served" adequately - then you're a sucky little muthah to begin with because clearly you didn't teach your children the value of service! You'll always lose! Instead of hitting that angle on the mothering front - I get up first thing - and make the best favoritest breakfast imaginable - then I spend extra time with them - combing hair - playing cards - whatever, no Sunday nap for me.

It helps have a great day...no expectations - except from my own actions!

This was a great mother's day - having no expectations...I woke up to my kids bringing in a TV tray with WAFFLES & ICE CREAM! SWEET! I'm not a sugar-for-breakfast fan, but hey, it's hard to say NO to this - especially when they're so excited about it - plus, it was Blue Bell ice cream. I think there's a law against not eating all of it?

The day before MD, I was STUCK buying and organizing 25 corsages, 8 flower arrangements and putting together some 16 bags of hershey kisses. ALL for the other mothers in the ward to support my husband and the scouts in their annual fund raising for camp efforts.

As I'm putting these items into separate piles for delivery - counting them out - organizing the delivery routes & other such SERVICE from my husband - and son - to other 25 mothers in the ward - I couldn't help but get a little bitter. My husband didn't secretly order an extra set of flowery arrangements, corsages or even the coveted chocolate bag (the boys were at Father/Son campout - they weren't available to organize this event....)

Well, the husband called - and told me he was not far from home - so again - I'm in a race to make sure he's happy when he gets home by cleaning up the kitchen (something I avoid on weekends - since he's home - and the kids are home - I let them do it, but they were dispersed this weekend.)

So as I'm in a frantic fury of white-tornato-ing in the kitchen - my kids walk in - I'm borderline annoyed w/ all my "other mother" rewards - when my 8 year old walked in with a McDonalds cup full of fresh-cut wild flowers. The most vivid orange, bright red, light purple - and greenery!

This is particularly touching to me - since every time we're out on the freeway in the "wild" I always mention the flowers and how I want to stop just to take a picture. Something about these wild flowers - they're 10 times more vivid in color than any one you can purchase! And they're not your average "rose" or "daisy" or "sunflower" they're desert flowers! BEAUTIFUL!

SO right then I was forced to blink back emotion...I mean - after all, it was no corsage...but it was an extra 30 minutes added to their drive-home-time - after a camp-out...stopping at just the right spots, 3 different times - to gather these flowers! Then having to stop again to get them some water from the cooler in the back!

WOW! They totally shouldn't have set the expectations so high - I'm bound to have a disappointing mothers day, for sure!!!

Well, after I ate my waffles & ice cream, I got ready for church & did that whole thing - hopped up on a few hundred more grams of sugar from the bishopric with milk & cookies (every mother's dream, right?)

I got home from church - and hit the hay - had a nice long nap - and then woke up to offers of the annual MOM-SPA!

Kiersten got a foot bath and massage, Kali also got excited about massaging my feet - (like I'm going to turn any of it down) Coby jumped in on the action combing my hair - Brynn wanted to comb, then the kids did that whole "walk on my back" massage thing - it was great!


I got about 300 little notes from Kali & Brynn about how much they loved me - and some cute scribbly pictures of nothing short of whatever I imagined them to be....

I really do love being a mom...and regardless of the little messes left for me to clean up on Monday, without taking credit for how wonderful my children are, I find that I learn so much more from them, than I can ever hope to teach them.

Love my babies! (And no, I won't sneak into their homes when they're in their 30's to rock them in the rocking chair when they're sleeping - that's just SICK and TWISTED whoever came up with THAT idea!)

More strawberry freezer jam...

Strawberry season is upon me again. The prices are even better than they were last year. So I - again - bought three flats. $7 a flat - who could resist - it was $7.50 last year - and my friend just told me today (the day after I bought 3 flats) that she found them for $6.50 a flat. How annoying!

Anyway - picked up my flats yesterday - and today -so far- I've made 16 containers (about 2 cups each) only 1 1/2 flats to go.

The reason I'm recording this information - is so NEXT YEAR when strawberry season is upon me - I can see how much we went through - and how much more I need to make to make it last until NEXT strawberry season - as compared to THIS year.

I need to make more, but I think I'm out of containers.

Maybe I should clean out the fridge.

Maybe I should just freeze the last flat (smoothie supply?) & eat the last 1/2 flat?

I'm strawberried out.

OH - also - to remind me next year - I accidentally followed the freezer JELLY recipe instead of JAM and did 3 cups of juice to 6 cups of sugar - I always remembered it being 2 cups of juice to 4 cups of sugar. So I realized it just at my last few things of pectin.

OH - and also to remind myself - so far I've gone through 5 boxes of pectin.

But that might all be screwed up since my juice/sugar mixes were different than normal. I hope they taste okay, anyway...shouldn't taste different, right? Maybe just different texture? Anyone ever done this before?

Ahhhh - The call of the wild....

I haven't been camping since I was pregnant with Brynn - almost 4 years ago! I decided on that camping trip that I would NEVER go camping again. Mostly because - it's not fun to get up in the middle of the night 4 or 5 times for a potty break. Not. Fun.

So, it should come as a shock that - when our friends asked if we wanted to go I was actually pretty excited!

We went to a new place this year - about 1 hour and 45 minutes from our home - that would be 45 minutes on freeway - and about an hour - on a terrible washboard, pot-holed gravel/dirt road.


When we got there - our trailer was pretty thrashed...

BUT - it was a lot of fun! I enjoyed this weekend. We got away from the house, the city, the TV, the COMPUTER, the fights. Yah - the kids got along splendidly! I forgot how nice it was to go camping!


It was a nice 20 degrees cooler at our campground than in the city - and little Ross was driving around on the quad with short sleeves (I think the low that night was 18?) So - brrrrr!


We went on hikes. Found a creek - with actual WATER in it (this is unusual for Phoenix - our river beds have nothing in it - weeds - but no moisture!) So a creek was exceptional!



Look - a teeter totter!




Running around the land on the rhino & quad...



More hikes (India was panning for iron pyrite) the water was so clear and the mud was so sparkly with gold-colored flecks...


Kiersten had a blast on the quad! Gabby enjoyed riding on the back! (she was too afraid to drive it - never mind that her chauffeur was only 13....)



And - I know we live in a desert - and while our view consisted mainly of cactus and sage brush - look at the blossoms on the cactus -


and the half-dead-infected oak tree - right in front of us - see the little "bush" growing on it's branch - it's mistletoe! Cool, huh!?


Going home - the 60 minute washboard/pot hole dirt road made little Ross sick - but Coby hummed to the bumps & played peek-a-boo!

And for the first time - in probably 30 years, while I was scrubbing dirt from my person - I got a finger-full of soap in my eye! OUCH - I can say that honestly hurt - and if anyone was in the room when I did it - I would have cried like a baby - so to answer the question - if a tree falls in the forest - I mean - if you get soap in your eye - and no one is around to hear you cry....do you? Nope...I bucked up - but ouch. it REALLY burned!

Party at the local grocer....

not kidding..."KIDS - HOP IN THE CAR - LETS GO TO THE GROCERY STORE!!!"

That's what I heard myself saying as I grabbed the camera and made a dash for the car, because last one in the car eats a rotten egg, you know.

I had Ross pick up some pepperoni on the way home from work - he said the grocery store was having a mini-Easter party - Easter bunny will be there & everything.

Who cares...right?

Not me...I mean - how more commercial can we make a religious holiday? I've never been a fan of visiting the Easter bunny ever since they invented an Easter bunny to visit (there wuddin' no Easter bunny in MY day to visit! He was too busy making candy for the hollow eggs to visit kids - plus - it's not like you can TELL the EB what to get you for Easter - 'cept the token church dress and chocolate bunny - plus EB doesn't even talk...DUH!) So there was never a dumber holiday representative to visit than the Easter Bunny - unless, of course, someone wises up and gets a suit for Valentines day - which if they do, I hope it's all glob shaped and pulsing with blue blood and all....but I digress...

Going to the grocery store because they have an 8 hour special - for the next 8 hours, you can get hamburger meat for 88 cents a pound...limit 2...we have to bring the gang so we can get 14 (Coby can't purchase items yet, she'd rather eat the money than give it to the cashier) -

Meanwhile, while I'm shopping, they have a fun little area set up where the kids can decorate cookies.

Yes, I brought the camera. Doesn't everyone bring a camera with them to the grocery store?

The first thought when we walked in was to get all the kids - regardless of their age - or belief in a 7 foot tall bunny with fake fur and a lazy eye to sit by the bunny & take a picture.

Here we take a rare look into their thoughts:
Coby: Yay! It's not Santa Claus!
Ross: I hope no one else notices I'm wearing my jammy bottoms....
Kiersten: I'm on the floor. And they want me to smile.
Brynn: Hippity Hoppity, I'm a bunny rabbit...I have NO idea what this means, but it's a GIANT bunny - and there's a lot of chocolate ALL around him!
Howie: Take the picture so we can decorate cookies.
Kali: Good hare day.


Here's the cookie decorating part of it.




And the best part is that I didn't have a mess in my own house! WONDERFUL!

No, I didn't take a picture of the hamburger we bought.

Coby's Birthday!

I can't believe my baby is ONE! Seems like just yesterday. Of course, everyone says that...how fast the years fly! I made a quick 3 minute video of these past 12 months! (with sound, so turn on the speakers!)

So, gosh, watching that video is about how fast this last year went! My two book ends - the oldest and the youngest - in the same month! I could say the last 15 years flew by - but I guess as I watch all Coby's milestones, I just appreciate it that much more, and before I know it, she'll be having her 15th birthday - then Rossi will be 30...oh - BOY, I don't know WHY I just thought of that...ugh!

If watching that video is just too long for you to spend on one blog, here are some pictures I took of her just this morning!





It's so hard not to run to her bed while she's napping right now, pick her up and squeeze her! Well, I guess that means I should do dishes?

Happy 15th Rossi!

It's our first of six - 15th birthdays. I know - confusing sentence. I have to tell you what a fun birthday party this was! We surprised Rossi! Yep.

Let me tell you the story -

My oldest is SO responsible - I think my friends get sick of me bragging on what a great kid he is! He gets himself up every morning - and makes his own breakfast - and jumps on his bike every morning at 5:30 to go to school (2 miles away). He's been getting himself up and making his own breakfast for about 10 years now. Not only that, he comes to my bedroom door and quietly shuts it so his breakfast noises don't wake us! I KNOW! WOW!

Just before Christmas this year - I took a ride on Ross' bike. His seat is not a steady seat. It is quite like a loose tooth, actually. When I got in from riding the bike & told him how terrible it was - he laughed and said "I know." Never complained about it.

So for Christmas, he got a new bicycle seat! He was so excited - really - kind of fun that he didn't have to stand while riding his bike to school in the morning.

A few weeks later, Kiersten and I were out on a bike ride, I was on her bike, she was on Ross'. The chain came off - WHAT? She said he told her it happens a lot. What a piece of crap, right? Not only that, he uses the Fred Flintstone breaks - they're as good as your shoes! So a friend of mine told me that she saw him riding his bike to school, and he really needs a light on that bike. Yah - I guess it's dark in the winter at 5:30 in the morning (summer is a whole different story -it's bright sunny at 5!)

THE BIRTHDAY STORY.

I got home from the store today after Rossi got home from school. He was on the computer and was watching a video that his friend uploaded on youtube. I kicked him off & told him he needed to do his homework - blah blah - you know - "every day" stuff!

Then he told me I needed to see an e-mail he sent me, I pulled up my e-mail and saw an e-mail from his aunt w/ a birthday e-card on it! So here's some of our conversation:

Me: OH!! It's your BIRTHDAY TODAY!? (acting like I forgot - which I DIDN'T!!)

Ross: (not upset, but razzing me) I can't believe my own mother forgot my birthday!!!

Me: Wow, that's terrible, I can't believe it! If I would have known that I would have made breakfast for you this morning!! I'm SOOO SORRY!! (not the case, I would NOT have gotten up at 5 to make him breakfast, I love him, but there's a reason why he's morning independent!!!)

Ross: MY own MOTHER forgot my BIRTHDAY!

Me: I feel bad - what do you want for dinner? What kind of cake can I make you? Ice cream cake?!

So we went to the store...got the ingredients for his favorite dinner & ice cream cake.

The whole time I kept asking him what I could get him for his birthday. I kept telling him I didn't have any money - and asked him if I could get him his favorite box of cereal. (This is funny in my head because this was actual birthday presents in my family growing up! LOL! - so it's just an inside joke w/ me to get my kids cereal on their birthday - they don't get it - but it always cracks me up)

Anyway - he kept saying "I'd like something that lasts, not food" and I'd retort by telling him, "But a BIG bag of cereal would REALLY last!"

We get home & he grabbed the mail - to find a birthday card in there from the bishop! "Look mom, even the bishop remembered my birthday - and he wasn't even THERE that day!" (he was really just teasing me, he wasn't bummed, he thought it was funny.)

So I made the ice cream cake - Kiersten got home from school shortly after & made his favorite dinner! His daddy came home from work - and we opened presents.

His first present was what he found while we were at Walmart getting stuff for his ice cream cake. This is what he bought himself w/ the money that his Grandma & Grandpa Luekenga gave him! (Also money from Aunt & Uncle J&J). I told him I was going to wrap it up and he should act surprised...Good job, right? LOL!

THEN - He opened bike headlight & tail light. "Look - this way you won't get run over on your way to school in the morning!!!" He didn't seem so excited! But he acted like he was happy because - well, he knew his mommy forgot his birthday - and didn't want to make her feel bad about it.

"Ross, lets go put it on your bike quick before it gets dark!!!" So he ran out - I followed him - and went to the side of the house - where he dutifully parked his bike (that he got the Christmas before he turned 11) when he got home this afternoon!

He got to the side of the house - and the bike was gone. The side gate was opened. "It's GONE?! What? The gate is opened?!" I almost felt bad, the look on his face was SICKENING.

I played along. "You left the gate opened?!"

"NO! I swear I closed it!" Then he walked around the front of the house hoping that one of his siblings perhaps rode it somewhere and didn't put it back. Nope, not there!

By now, Kali & Howie are running around "what, the bike's gone?"

I told them to run back in & tell their dad.

Ross (the dad) came around the side of the house - MAD because - well, someone didn't take care of something - the bike was GONE! His answer, "Well, lets get in the car & see if we can drive around & catch someone on the bike riding away - I'll go one way - mom, you go the other, whose coming with me?"

We opened the garage door to get the car - and well, there was a bike there. Ross' knees buckled under him! He slid down the front of the car as relief & excitement set in!

Ross was SO relieved, and excited - I tried to catch the glistening in his eye! When he realized all at once, he would have breaks & shocks, at the same time realizing that the missing bike was part of the excitement toward the unveiling of the new bike!

He ran upstairs to get his shoes to take the new bike out for a spin! It went super-fast - like new shoes do when you're 5!

Then we had ice-cream cake. Couldn't find the candles - so we went with tea-lights.

He got them all.

And then played guitar hero...not to be left out - Brynn got her guitar and joined in!

Just wondering

When we recycle, we keep landfills from filling up. But in order to recycle, we need to wash our garbage out. I live in a city where water is a valuable resource. So should I wash my trash before I recycle it - or contribute the landfill?

And here's some Coby candy. She's so cute!

Random pictures & stories.

Kiersten had a birthday. She got cake decorating classes for her birthday present. This is her first cake. Ross & I had an anniversary. We went to the Biltmore for a few days. 9 heated pools. We brought the kids. Gaggles & gaggles of fun. Brynn got tired after the two days of swimming & couldn't make it all the way up the stairs. The budding artists: We went to the school yesterday and found this outside Howie's classroom. They "decorated" gingerbread men. Can you pick out Howie's? (hint: his is the un-boring one - my little punk rocker son) He also got his bobcat award for cub scouts. My other artist, Brynn, likes fingernail polish. We also purchased a LOOOOONG time ago - some trees for the back yard. We finally picked them up & planted them. We have a Grapefruit, Tangelo, Lemon, kumquat and a nectarine! I'm VERY excited about the nectarine! Look how pretty....blossoms! And saving my favorite for last (not favorite child, of course, I love them all the same!) but these videos are just CA-YUTE! Here's Coby climbing the stairs, she's So determined - I tried to get her to stop, but that just made her go faster. Then watch her interact with me - as she shakes her head "nothing's going to break my determination"
And do you remember the first time you swung in a swing? Watching her giggle, as you KNOW she's getting butterflies on the "down" part of this swing - just CRACKS me up!!!

I would say this is my favorite age, but dang, I'm pretty much in love with all the ages - up until they start to sass! But from newborn until about 4-6? My FAVE!