Memories of Mom

As I was looking over Twitter I found an interesting daily blog prompt I thought would be easy for me to sit and write about. The prompt, "What is your most memorable time with your Mother and/or Grandmother? - Was it when you went on a special vacation? Did you have a heart to heart conversation? Why is she special to you? What makes her the best?"  So here it goes.

My mom was my best friend, confidant and held a very special place in my heart.  There are so many memorable times with my mom I don't even know where to begin.  There is the time that she and I went to Myrtle Beach for a weekend getaway and decided to go on a casino boat.  On this cruises you have to sail a hour out into international waters to begin the gambling.  This hour of cruising can included some choppy waters and it can take a little while to get your "sea legs".  While the boat was still docked I headed to the bar and took a motion sickness pill with a vodka cranberry. My mom on the other hand did not.  She was so sick almost the entire cruise, she began to feel better just as they were ready to stop the gambling to return the boat dock.  Word to the wise, if you have not been on one of these cruises before, there are barf bags everywhere, so they are ready at all times; if you have to use the restroom, use it before you leave as you will see nothing but the back of people's feet under the stalls as they are suffering from the motion sickness and finally and probably most importantly, DO NOT each greasy food before going.  My mom and I had stopped at Johnny Rockets and shared Chili Cheese Fries and some Onion Rings before boarding.  I am not sure if she was more sick from the boat or the greasy food bouncing around in her stomach.

There was the time that I surprised my mom for Mother's Day by buying her tickets to see Bob Segar. We had a blast at the concert and is a time I will never forget.

I will never forget how beautiful and nervous she was on my wedding day or the reminder that I was on my honeymoon when she was calling me daily.

Although we had our feuds, as I am sure that most moms and daughters do, I loved her more than anything in this world and now I am left with a whole in my heart. 

On Sunday, June 8, 2008, I received a phone call stating that my mom had been in a car accident.  Expecting nothing major, I made my way calmly to the hospital. Just weeks prior she had been diagnosed cancer free after a long battle with cervical cancer. The reality hit me when I walked into the ER and saw a chaplain and a social worker talking with my family who was already there.  The hospital does not send these people unless it is serious.  After waiting what seemed a lifetime, the doctors came and spoke with us and told us that she was being moved to the ICU but the prognosis was not good.  Tearful, my family and I made our way to the ICU waiting room praying that things would take a turn for the better.  Within minutes of arriving in the waiting room, a "Code Blue" was called over the load speaker, all nearby doctors and nurses took off running.  I looked at my husband and told him that was it, she was gone.  About fifteen minutes later, we were asked to go to the family room because the doctors wanted to speak with us.  Once in there the doctors told us that due to the multiple injuries she had received her body was in shock and her heart could no longer handle it.  They took a minute to "clean her up" and took us back to see her.  She was so peaceful lying there.  She was covered up to her neck with a sheet and her head was wrapped with a bandage, all we could see was her beautiful face which had a blackened eye.  The reality of the situation hit me hard and panic sank in, my husband and a nurse did all they could just to get me to breath.  My 90 year old grandfather was given a chair so he would not loose his footing.  We were given a few minutes to say our goodbyes and we left. 

This is the hardest thing I have ever had to deal with in my life. My mother was taken from us just a short three and a half months after I was married.  She wanted nothing more than grandchildren, thirteen months after her accident, I gave birth to our beautiful twin girls.  There are times when I am so angry that she never got to hold them but I know that she is the best guardian angel they could have.

I try to remember the good times we had and the way she laughed and her smile that could light up a room.  Our last conversation was about making baked potatoes on the grill.  These are things I will never forget.  I hold tight to my memories of her and the love that we had for each other and I know that I will see her again one day.

Hold tight to the ones that you love as you never know that today could be their last.

For writing prompts, visit the following website:
http://www.socialmoms.com/forum/topic/listForTag?tag=writing+prompt

Bath & Body Works $20 VIP Tote ($100 value)

Bath & Body Works is currently offering their Spring 2011 VIP tote for $20 with an additional $40 purchase.  The tote includes: A full-size Shower Gel (10 oz.), Body Lotion (8 oz.) and Fragrance Mist (8 oz.) in Country Chic, a travel-size Body Lotion in Coconut Mango (2 oz.), Anti-Bacterial Gentle Foaming Hand Soap (8.75 oz.) in Fresh Lavender, PocketBac Hand Sanitizer in Fresh Picked Strawberries, Red Glitter PocketBac holder, Pink Flower Wallflower Starter, Wallflower Single Refill in Hydrangea, and a Gauze Sponge.

I always pick up one of these on Black Friday and they are great.  The totes are always really nice and you can either keep the contents for yourself or split them up for gifts.  You really can't beat the price.

http://www.bathandbodyworks.com/product/index.jsp?productId=11542849&cm_mmc=CH-_-20110425TOTE-_-10019979-_-mainINVITE&cm_lm=barkeep23@gmail.com&cp=4090263

Sleep deprivation!

Usually as a mom of twins when it comes to talking about sleep deprivation I am talking about myself, this time I am talking about the girls.  My girls had gotten off of their normal sleep routine which makes for some grumpy girls (and mom and dad!).  After running all day on Sunday, my youngest Isabelle refused to go to bed.  We put them to bed around 8:30 and within a few minutes she was screaming.  We try to let them cry it out for a few minutes to see if they will go to sleep but this time she had herself so worked up that she was covered in sweat.  Into their room I went and back into the living room they both came.  After a little mom and dad time we attempted to put them back to bed again.  Within minutes she was screaming again.  Back into their room to check on them and once again, they were both back in the living room.  Gracie always tags along as she is afraid she will miss something no matter how tired she may be.  After a little more quality time and past dad's bed time, we put them back down again.  Within a few more minutes Isabelle was screaming again, I went back into her room to comfort her and try to get her to sleep but she wanted nothing to do with it.  Gracie had given up and was sleeping soundly.  At this time is was 10:00, with Isabelle on my lap and my husband and other daughter sleeping soundly, we watched the County Music Awards until she couldn't stand to be awake any longer.  She finally went to bed around 10:45.  With all of this in mind this is where the sleep deprivation part actually comes into play.  They both slept until almost 10:00 yesterday morning.  They usually nap around 12 or 1, not today, I was keeping them up all day so they could get back on their normal sleep routine.  The day was rather uneventful, a few bouts of crying here and there until after dinner.  Isabelle was so sleepy at 6:30 that she cried for almost 15 minutes until she fell asleep on my chest.  In an effort to keep her awake until closer to her normal bed time, we decided to give them a bath.  At first she wanted nothing to do with it and cried until we got her out.  She stood at the side of the tub for awhile until she decided that she wanted to get in and play with her sister.  The bath continued for awhile (30-40 minutes) and then the fun of getting them dried off and clothes on began.  They both went to bed close to 8:00 and slept all night long until around 8:30 this morning.  My husband in all of his wisdom says that maybe we should keep them up all day so they will sleep all night and when I reminded him of the screaming and crying due to sleep deprivation, he quickly changed his mind.  It is about nap time and I hope that the deprivation from yesterday has gotten them back onto their normal schedule.  If not, it will be more sleep deprivation for me.

My Savings

Yesterday was grocery shopping day for me.  After about an hour of sitting at the computer and looking at the sales ad and clipping coupons and completing my grocery list I was ready to shop.  I went to the store with my coupons organized and my shopping list in hand.  I strayed little from my list and bought a cart full of groceries. I quickly realized that even with a coupon some items just were not worth the money and I decided to save the coupon until a sale. I always wait until after everything is scanned to present my shopper card and my coupons; I just love watching all of my savings come off.  My total prior to card and coupons was around $275, after savings $209.08, I saved $67.55 with my card and coupons.  Woohoo!!!  While the cashier was scanning my coupons a couple of them were given back to me as I had digitally loaded them on my shopper card, after reviewing my receipt here is the lesson I have learned from that, if a coupon can be doubled, do NOT load digitally as it does not get doubled.  It may have only been $.25 but every little penny adds up.  I absolutely despise grocery shopping but I love the thrill of saving money.

COAL

Last night I watched the series premier of "COAL" on Spike TV.  The show is set in McDowell County, WV and follows the lives of coal miners as they work on a start up mine that is trying to turn a profit.  As a native West Virginian, I am proud of the work that Spike has done on this series, it portrays actual miners and the dangers they face every day.  Being from WV, I would say that nearly every native West Virginian knows of someone whether it is family or not that is employed with some aspect of mining.  This show brings a new appreciation for the risks that the miners take every day to keep our lights on.  If you have the opportunity, I would suggest that you check this show out.

Below is a link to a preview of the season, I hope that you take the time to check it out.

http://www.spike.com/video-clips/odid1s/coal-preview-what-happens-this-season-on-coal

Getting started

After subscribing to numerous blogs on saving money, I thought that I might try to do a blog myself.  Being a stay at home mom of 20 month old twin girls leads me to having days when I feel like I don't use my brain at all.  Hopefully with this blog, I will be able to use it as a tool to not only use my brain but to learn some money saving techniques from other saavy followers.  After leaving my well paying job with the birth of my twins, I have tried several ways to save money.  I am now a coupon clipper and try to follow sale ads.  A lot more of my holiday shopping was completed online this year and through the website http://www.ebates.com/, I earned a nice little rebate check just for doing my shopping online.  I want to know what are some of your best money saving techniques?  What is the best deal you have gotten? How do you make your family stay on a budget?