My Dreams VS Reality

In my dreams I wake up fully rested after no less than 8 hours of UNINTERRUPTED sleep. 

In my dreams I am able to use the bathroom and shower without any little people watching over me.  

In my dreams I am able to down a freshly brewed cup of coffee and check my email while the house is still quiet.  

In my dreams I have a brand spanking new Chrysler Town & Country minivan.

In my dreams I spend my mornings running the kids to play dates and story times.

In my dreams my house is beautiful and clean and the laundry is always washed, folded and put away where it belongs.

In my dreams there is always a family dinner with a nice healthy meal (and dessert).

In my dreams my children are all well behaved and they do not fight, bicker or talk back.

The reality is that I have 5 kids.  I am lucky if I get 2 hours of uninterrupted sleep.  I rarely use the bathroom alone. Usually when I am drinking my coffee I am nursing the baby or fighting to keep my eyes open.

The reality is that my minivan is almost 9 years old, is filled with crumbs and carseats and every seat is occupied by a member of our family.

The reality is that I spend my mornings picking up around the house, working when the time allows for it and watching children’s programming on Netflix or PBS.

The reality is that my house is lived in, there is always dirty laundry, it’s never all washed, folded and put away where it belongs.

The reality is that dinner is always thrown together at the last minute these days because I am too tired to plan ahead.

The reality is that my kids are constantly arguing, someone is always yelling or dislikes the other one and they all talk back.

In my dreams my life is perfect, in reality….my life is chaos and I don’t know if I would want it any other way!

 

Save Big at Kayser Dodge of Watertown

*This post is brought to you by Kayser Dodge of Watertown.*

For all of my friends in Watertown Wisconsin and the surrounding areas, if you are getting ready to prepare your vehicles for the upcoming Wisconsin winter, do it now and take advantage of some great specials at Kayser Dodge of Watertown.

Between now and November 30th 2013 take advantage of the following savings!

(To print any of the following specials, click on the graphic below)

Kayser Chrysler Center Of Watertown

And these aren’t the only great offers available! Be sure to stop over to the Kayser Dodge Of Watertown website for more great specials.

EXPIRED: Today we’ve got to play!

Do you ever find yourself looking at your child and wishing you could just stop time? You are not alone! The folks at Gymboree want you to join them in celebrating and sharing cherished moments in childhood. Gymboree has created an amazing new video to help kick off this campaign and I am thrilled to share it with you. This video is truly touching and must be watched by all parents. So watch and enjoy, then share your favorite cherished childhood moments in the comments! Be sure to use the hashtag #cherishchildhood when commenting or if you share this video with friends! Without further ado, I present to you “Today we’ve got to play!” sponsored by Gymboree: 

The Wing Eating Championship Competition

Back in May, Alex competed in a local wing eating competition at Legend Larry’s.  When he first mentioned entering this competition I figured it would be a win/win situation.  He would be out of the house for a few hours and get to eat for free and I would be able to enjoy some quiet time at home and get some work done.

In the end, it was definitely more of a win/win situation then I thought it would be.

Here he is in the local competition.

That day, the Alex polished off 2.58lbs of medium chicken wings in 10 minutes AND he won the local competition. Winning the local competition earned him a $50 gift card to Legend Larry’s and a spot to compete at the championship competition.  

No, they didn’t really put a tiara on him, I did that for my own entertainment!

This past weekend, we packed up the family minivan and made our way to the Legend Larry’s in Sheboygan Falls for the big championship competition.

It was the Alex vs 5 other guys who had one at the other Legend Larry’s restaurants and the bars that use the LL’s sauce on their wings.  Not only did we get to make the way to Sheboygan Falls for the competition but Legend Larry’s also put us up at the beautiful Blue Harbor Resort for the night (but that’s a whole other post).

Here’s Alex competing at the championship.

Yes, he won….again!

This time around he won $300 and gets to have his name on the giant trophy.  It was pretty amazing to watch him compete and even though he didn’t win enough money for us to stop at the Sheboygan Chrysler Dealership and buy a new van, it was more than enough for us to have some fun and leave some in the bank.

All in all, we had a great time at the competition and the hotel and enjoyed getting away from home for a bit!

Back to Being a 2 Car Family

You may recall back in October of 2011 when we sold my beloved KIA Spectra and became a one car family.  Since then, things have REALLY changed around here.  When we sold the car, Alex was working 3rd shift and we were expecting baby #4 which also meant our family would no longer fit, as a whole, in the car.  During that time, gas prices were also outrageous and it just made more sense, financially, to only have one car.

While, since then, Alex has moved to 2nd shift, we welcomed baby #5 AND we now have a 2nd car once again (and it only cost us $1.00 plus license, title and registration).

Now that we are rocking two cars once again, I try to do whatever I can to save when it comes to vehicle maintenance, which can get very expensive.  This year, we’ve already put new tires on the van in addition to new wipers, an alignment and of course an oil change too. 

Since we are approaching fall and soon winter will arrive along with the holidays, I am pinching every penny I can and trying to stick to a strict budget.  This is when I search the internet for the best deals and I have discovered that there are great savings on car maintenance as well at many places, including Lynch Chevy of WI.  With great service specials, we will be able to prepare our vehicles for winter at a price that we can afford!

It is because of my penny pinching and budgeting during this time of year that we are able to have a great holiday season and spoil the kids with gifts!

Exit mobile version