Dolphin Dash

Cougar has been preparing for the Dolphin Dash for the entire school year and the big event finally arrived!

He ran an 8 minute mile. Matching his personal best time.

Juliet was excited to find a classmate to watch with.

Yay, Cougar! Great Job!

The Problem with Princesses

Disney has done us no favors, folks. This morning I roused my sleepy 5 year-old out of bed and carried her into the living room to watch the Royal Wedding between Prince William and Kate Middleton. I thought she would be delighted to see a common girl become a princess in real life before her very eyes.

I was wrong. She watched in awe at first, and then there was a transition in her attitude. Before I knew it, she is on the ground kicking and crying. It was a fit of tumultuous jealousy and pure rage.

Lately she's been telling who ever will listen that she will become a princess. I began thinking of how this could be possible.

1. Hubby and I could go found or conquer a country and place our selves on the throne - making her a princess. Not going to happen.

2. Possibly switched at birth? Being in the US it would be too hard to get switched with a royal baby considering we have no royalty here. So no.

3. Hubby or I could leave one another and marry into royalty. Since I love my husband and have yet to ever even MEET royalty. That won't be happening.

4. We could put her up for adoption and perhaps a royal family would pick her up. It happened to Moses, but not real likely.

5. Of all the ways for her to achieve princessness the most practical and the only one she could maneuver of her own doing would be to marry a prince. Still a toughy.

Even of the Disney Princesses, Cinderella and Belle were the only ones that were not princesses in their own right before marrying. However, Cinderella's father was a Duke, so she was by birthright already royalty. Belle was the only commoner to become a princess and she thought she was getting any ugly beast. Royalty was only a bonus.

My daughter's aspirations to become a princess places her personal value on status and name of her future husband. I would rather her spend her childhood aspiring to be her best self in her activities. I don't want to raise a gold digger; I want to raise a strong independent woman who marries a good man whom she loves.

I want for her the happiness in marriage I have. I met my husband when we were in our young teens, and I married him when his major was undeclared. I would have been just as happy if he had gone into farming rather than medicine. My husband doesn't define me; my children don't define me; I define me.

I know childhood is a time for dreaming without limits. Nonetheless, I want my daughter to focus on what she can do with her life, not how she can elevate her status through marriage. I want her to take fate into her own hands and dream of dreams that she alone can achieve. I hope to help her adjust her mindset and separate fantasy and pretend from dreams and goals.

The last thing I want to do as a mother is release into the world a young women who believes she deserves royal treatment and should receive unearned entitlements. Trust me, I know women like this and it ain't pretty as a princess.

Easter Sunday 2011- True Story

Hey Kids! Let's take a picture before ya'll are covered with chocolate and marker.

Smile! Hey wait, One, Two... I seem to be missing a kid.

Brock! Come here Brock.

Brock! Please, smile for Mommy.

Come on, Man, ... fine, Brock, fine...

Juliet will let me take HER picture.

Stacie's Got a Gun

We went trap shooting with my cousin Keri and her husband Perry while they were in town visiting this weekend. My shotgun was having some problems, so I had to borrow Chad's. It is crazy heavy and my arms a sore today just from lifting it. I did hit a clay pigeon. That was exciting!

New Website

I have been rebuilding my website: www.thefamousstacie.com
and I am ready to announce it to the world! I am going to move my sewing and cooking projects over there and keep daily life, kiddos and some crafts etc... here.

I am hoping my website can link all my places together: YouTube, Twitter, Zazzle, Create Space and Blogger into one nice neat package!

Please come visit me at the all New www.TheFamousStacie.com

Poor Cougar, poor poor Cougar

I am quite tempted to send the parent's of the kid that knocked Cougar down on the playground a bill. That wouldn't be very nice of me would it? People just don't do that right?! Half kidding here.

 It was just an accident.  Unfortunately, he will miss the last half of the baseball season.  We paid for the whole season, I should add that to the bill.... He won't get to play the song he has worked so hard to memorize for his piano recital.  No swimming at the beach, or the pool.  Ho hummm

Tying up Loose Ends

I started this scarf in November. Juliet had a short and reasonable Christmas list that included a purple scarf. Of course, I have to do everything the hard way and I never EVER quit no matter how hopeless the project may seem...

So at long last tonight I presented Juliet with her Christmas gift.

6 months later, a scarf made with love.

Trying on the Fashionista's Easter Dress

I just finished the hem of the long awaited, I think I first drew the design in January, Easter Dress http://thefamousstacie.blogspot.com/2011/01/easter-dress-sketch.html. Juliet was waiting with drool on her face to get zipped into her fashion dream dress of 2011. She's ready to hit the runway!

Watch out Tyra

Here comes America's Top Model

Work it girl!

That's right

Show that camera who's boss!

Ummmm seriously?!

First Haircut (that did not require a headlock)

How to Save Money on Gas

(without moving or buying a new car)

At the Gas Station

Filll up in the morning while the ground is cool. Gasoline expands in the heat.

Put the trigger thingy in slow mode. This allows the least amount of fumes to escape.

When putting the gas cap on, turn it until you hear it click 3 times to avoid losing any gas from evaporation.

Drive Less

"No Doy," you say, I know, but hear me out. I might bring up something totally obvious that you might not have thought about yet.

Carpool. Impossible you say. So I thought, too, but sure enough we found somebody close by who wanted to carpool. Get out there and start asking, you could get lucky!

Minimize trips. I make a list of everything that must get done and find creative routes to get it all completed in one trip. Even if I have an hour between places I'll pack a picnic for the kids and stop at a park during the off-time. Find a work-out place close to your kids' activities. Plan detailed meals for about two weeks ahead to avoid running out to the store.

Say no to summer camps. They are expensive and require lots of driving back and forth. Find a pool close enough to bike or walk to. Every place I have lived I have been able to find a pool close by. I hope you can, too. Say yes to playing in the backyard and the neighborhood, bikes, scooters and big wheels, like when we were kids.

My bike

Ride a Bike, or like I like to think of it, ride your eco-friendly mini van. I pull my pile of kids behind me in a bright yellow trailer and my oldest son rides beside me on his bike. I once saw a woman riding her bike with one child in a front mount bike seat, another child in a back mount bike seat, and two more children in a bike trailer she was pulling behind her. My children and I have scouted out everywhere we can get to on our bikes and try to take advantage when we can.

Adjust Driving Habits

Driving aggressively wastes gas. Try to smoothly accelerate. Avoid breaking frequently and try to coast to a stop as often as possible. Using the breaks wastes the gas we just used to accelerate the vehicle.

Driving 60 and under gets the best mileage. Every five miles over 60 cost us an extra quarter right now per gallon!

Use Cruise Control when possible to keep from accidentally going faster than you want.

The Vehicle Itself

Take out anything that doesn't NEED to be in there. A heavier car uses more gas.

Regularly monitor your tire pressure. Get your own little gauge and look at the number next to the letters PSI. You want these numbers to come close to matching for your best mileage.

The A/C

Park in the shade when possible and always use windshield shades to lower the temperature inside the car. This makes less work for the A/C when the car is turned on.

When driving in town it is most efficient to lower the windows to stay cool. On the highways or at higher speeds roll up the windows and use the A/C to avoid drag.

Be Aware

Know exactly how much gas it takes to follow your normal routes. I know that each driving in and out of town costs me $1.50. I know that my husband's drive to work and back is about $6.

Pay close attention to your spending. Record when and how much you pay for gas. Record how long you can go between fill ups and set goal to extend that time range.

Bargain shop for gas. Every penny counts. Fill up when you are at Sam's or BJ's. Walmart usually has pretty competitive gas prices. Pay attention to gas signs and stop when you see a good deal.

Other Ideas

Stop at places that will give you a discount on a carwash.

Get a flying J rewards card and get a penny off every gallon.

Ditch the gas-guzzler and opt to rent an economy car for road trips. Bonus: You won't have all that mileage on YOUR car.

Save gas, ride a pony : )

*I am an expert on frugal and thrifty living. I gather information to allow my family income to stretch to its furthest length. I am not a car expert and I don’t work for Myth Busters so your guess is as good as mine.

Anything I missed???? Leave a comment!