Don't forget Frugal Fridays!

Saving money in these difficult financial times is becoming a necessity rather than a luxury. One good way to save money is to see what other people are doing. Frugal Friday, a weekly blog meme currently being hosted at Life as Mom, is a weekly collection of money savings tips.

I haven't shared an idea through this forum in quite a while. What I am sharing today is actually rather tongue in cheek. However, I do review the ideas found there from time to time and suggest you do the same.

My money saving idea this week is simply this:

Don't get a hair cut. Get them all cut.

This is a picture of my Son charlie taken two weeks ago. As you can see he is in need of a haircut. My Dad often cuts his hair, so that saves money . Sometimes we just can't find the time to get him over to my Dad's so yesterday I took him out to get a haircut. I had a 2.00 coupon so I saved a little money on the haircut.

My real money saving tip is this.

Extend times between visits.

This cut was all Charlie's idea as attested by his joyous expression. The stylist begged him to reconsider his 1 1/2 top 1 back approach. It will be some time before he needs a hair cut and that saves money!

For some real money saving tips head over to Life as Mom for Frugal Friday.

Next Time: Six Word Saturday

March . . .

and the world marches with you.

February . . .

and you feb alone.

Say Uncle

Six Word Saturday time.

Uncle for ninth and first time!

I was on my way out to take my kids to see a play Thursday Morning. My SIL was trying to reach my wife at work, because her water had just broke. Early Friday morning she gave birth to Connor Mark. Amy was able to participate in the birth and Mom, Dad and Baby are doing fine.

I am now the uncle of nine children. Connor is a little different as he is my first nephew by marriage rather than blood. This is generally not too great of a distinction. However, being related to me by blood is not exactly a picnic. Sure I have my rugged good looks. I have no allergies and I am of pretty healthy stock. The problem is if being a goofball is hereditary, than you don't really want to have me swimming in your gene pool. Puns, parodies, crazy ideas, not to forget my scary math skills. Let's face it, Connor has a definite advantage of not having genetic predisposition to my random thoughts and nut job tendencies.

The flip side is that he is related by blood to Amy. Amy may well be every bit the lunatic that I am. After all, we did co write the song I'm insane, your insane, who's gonna win?

So, if 12 years from now at Grandma Kayrene's birthday bash Connor writes down the first thing that comes into his mind during a spirited game of Balderdash, we can know for sure that Amy's influence (nature or nurture) is to blame. Katie, Danny you knew what kind of relatives you had and you chose to continue those blood lines anyway. I say to you congratulations and good luck!

Head on over to Show my face dot come for more Six Word Saturday.

Next Time: C+H Book Review

Lucy, Bears, and Meat Loaf. Oh My!

Time again for things this Thursday.


1. Lucy the Artist.


















We had a piece of saran wrap like packaging material around the house. Lucy wanted to make a project of it. I taped it up to two pieces of construction paper so it wouldn't rip. Lucy proceeded to make the design pictured here. I removed the tape from the construction paper and displayed it in our room.















2. Lucy, the graphic novelist.

The same day all the kids were working on some school work. Lucy was drawing pictures. Sometimes she likes to write words on the pictures so she asks me how to spell the words. On this particular occasion she asked: "Dad how do you spell " a long time ago in Mexico in a library that was far away from Carpentersville? She then proceeded to illustrate and dictate narration to a ten page story of kitties in a Mexican library.



3. TV


I don't regularly watch the show House. Amy watches it sometimes and I have sat down and watched it with her. A recent episode entitled 5 to 9 followed the day of the Hospital administrator. Even though the focus of this episode was not House and his antics, I found that it did a good job of grounding the new or infrequent viewer into what the Show is about. You can watch the episode on HULU by clicking here.

4. Dinner











Last week I made meatloaf for dinner. I used a traditional recipes that uses tomato soup. The only significant departure I made was to substitute oyster cracker crumbs for bread crumbs. I even put whole oyster crackers on top. It actually turned out to be very good. Better than the after picture shows.





5. Polar Bear backwards is Polar Bear.

I took the kids to the zoo last weekend. We always try to go see the Polar bears. A few years ago Amy and the kids saw one of the bears do this.


On Saturday we watched a polar bear doing this

over and over again. I took 4 separate videos of the bear walking on the ledge

and then backing up.

So those are my things this Thursday. Join in by clinking on Mr. Linky below.

Next Time: Six Word Saturday

Wordless Wednesday: The Z Double O

For more Wordless Wednesday click here.

Next Time: Things This Thursday