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12/12/2004 |
| Name: Kelly Age: 31 Home: PA Occupation: Registered Nurse, Stay at Home Mom for the past 2 years. Family: Husband, Joe 32 Daughter, Ashley 13 Son, Aidan 2 Hobbies: I love any free time to have a nice date out alone with my hubby, freebie hunting, couponing, working out at the gym, walking, reading and meeting up with my book club, sharing time with my friends from Moms Club and their children and monthly fun-filled Mom's Nights Out. What Funny Things Do Your kids Do/Say: My 2 year old son Aidan comes out with something funny and off the wall everyday!! As his vocabulary builds, he just keeps coming up with better phrases all the time. He is our family's mini comedian. His newest is due to my husband's obsession with watching Donald Trump's The Apprentice. Aidan runs around pointing his finger saying "Trump says, Ya Farted, ya farted!!" (Instead of "You're Fired!!) On the flip side, my 13 year old daughter Ashley thinks everything I do is so "Geeky!!" Although I feel like a young Mom, she thinks I am so "OLD"!! The Most Rewarding Thing About Parenting: There is no one thing that I can pinpoint as the most rewarding thing about being a parent. Just being a parent is one of life's greatest experiences. I never feel alone. I am always surrounded by laughter, tears, shouting or cuddles. Watching my children sleep each night, knowing they are safe, warm and happy assures me on a daily basis that I am doing a great job providing them with unconditional love and happiness. Having been a teenage Mom, I have spent a good part of my life being a Mom, and I am amazed at how much I have grown and realized what is most important in life. I can't think of a better way to be spending my time than being a Mommy. The Most Challenging Thing About Parenting: Having a 2 year old and a 13 year old at the same time has been quite an eye opener. Their needs are so different and they are at such opposite points in their life. Trying to find individual time to balance with each of them separately can be very challenging. My 13 year old often feels like more of the attention is focused on my 2 year old because his needs are so much greater. It was also very hard for her growing up as an only child with a single Mom for such a long time. I am constantly working to assure a perfect balance of my time for each of them. Favorites: My daughter Ashley and I love watching chick flicks and nibbling on popcorn, having our own "Girls' Night" when we can. Aidan loves all kind of books, play food, and his Leap Frog ABC Refrigerator Magnet. His cartoon favorites include Spongebob, Blues Clues, Spiderman, Wiggles, Sesame Street, Dora and Disney movies. At this age, pretty much anything new and exciting will keep his attention. Money Saving Tips: I love my coupons. My husband jokes that I have a coupon for everything. Whenever our grocery store has triple coupons, I think the local stores probably post pictures of me in the staff room to be aware that I am the coupon lady!! I also buy produce at our produce market, stock up on bread at the local bread outlet and freeze it, utilize the library rather than buying books, take advantage of free movie screenings, hunt down freebies and enjoy, cooking meals at home on a regular basis and shopping at Aldi, BJ's Warehouse and other discount stores. I also buy many of my son's clothes at consignment shops such as Kid to Kid. Oh, and I love sharing all of my money saving tips with friends :) Best Bargain Ever: I once saved $130 after coupons on a grocery bill. (The cashier nearly passed out) A week later, I went to Strawbridges and a shirt that was marked down on the clearance rack rang up as $0.01. Now that is my idea of a bargain!! In the Kitchen: I love my crockpot!! I had no idea how many things can be cooked in a crockpot! The less time I have to spend in the kitchen, the more time I can spend with the kids and still come home to a hearty hot meal. I search the web for new recipes all the time. I have found that recipes from the internet are a great way to keep variety in my meal planning. I have also learned that cooking extra and freezing little meals is an easy way to keep things on hand for those days I just do not feel like cooking or I do not have the time. Organization: This is my favorite area to read each week. I have truly benefited from many of the tips other Moms have contributed. Organization is definitely not my strongest feature. It is something I continue to work on everyday. My husband is the most organized person I know and he has taught me so much. I am learning to just cut back the clutter and find a place for everything. I like going to the dollar store and finding plastic shoe boxes to house all of my son's little toys and my daughters makeup and hair goodies. I think a big key is putting things away as soon as you are finished with them. |
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