The Price is Right

I guess with an accounting degree you could say that I like numbers. And memorizing things. I definitely have a lot of useless knowledge memorized. Back when I was on the BYU tax team, my friend Lauren and I memorized hundreds of Internal Revenue Code sections (could I be any nerdier? The team did come with a free trip to Florida and $$, so I feel a little better.)

Now that I am doing the mom gig full-time, I have decided to put my love for numbers and memorizing to good use in my grocery shopping!

We probably live in one of the most expensive places in the US, and I am pretty proud that we are actually spending LESS on food here then we did in Provo. And we have even added another little mouth to the mix. Steven does get free lunch at work, so that helps, but I would say that our food budget is pretty darn low.

We live really close to lots of stores, so I don't waste a ton of gas going around. So I do all my shopping between Target, Fresh & Easy, Costco, and Safeway. Usually all of them.

For example, I know that Yo Baby Yogurt (a staple in Aubrey's diet), is $2.54 at Target, $2.69 at Safeway, and $2.99 at F&E. Combine Target with 50 cent off coupons from the company website, and I get a darn good deal. If you live in the Bay Area and want to know grocery prices, I can definitely help out!

If I get coupons, things definitely change, but here is a general mix of what I buy from where:

Costco- diapers, cheese, tortillas, sour cream, milk, chicken. There might be more here that has a lower unit price, but these are the only things we eat enough of to justify.

F&E- most produce, ground beef, granola, canned goods.

Target- household items, cleaners, baby clothes/items, yogurt, bread, pasta.

Safeway- cereal, berries (usually have a 2 for 1 deal), salsa.

Grocery shopping may be a slightly dorky "hobby" but I find it to be a game to stay within our budget and still cook good, healthy, interesting food.

And, quite honestly, as a mom, it feels good to keep my brain working. Even if it is working memorizing hundreds of different prices. I should so be a contestant on the Price is Right.

Rainy days of March

Aubrey is slightly obsessed with electronics. Seriously.... she is driving me crazy. If she sees a phone, camera, computer, or anything like it she thinks that she just has to have it! I have to do an "electronics check" before getting her up in the morning and from naps to make sure everything is put away to avoid as many freak outs as possible.

Anyways... we had an old camera that I gave to her to try and help keep our real electronics safe. She loves it and is quite hilarious with it. Besides taking beautiful shots like these...

she is such a ham. She turns on the camera, then hands it to me and gives a big cheesy smile so I can take her picture. She is so funny!

Here are a couple more favorites from the past week:

They are definitely my favorite people in the whole world. 

Life has been pretty low-key the past couple of weeks. Aubrey got a version of hand foot and mouth disease (ick!), and the weather has just been dreary and raining. March is definitely the worst month weather-wise in the Bay Area and I'm looking forward to the sun and fun that April will bring. 

Mom Weekend

We are in the middle of a fun weekend with my mom in town. She is stopping back through on her way home from helping my sister with her new little guy. Even though she is only here for a few short days, I love it! I really miss being around family.

We decided to spruce up our front door and did a mother-daughter project of a new wreath. The bright green color is definitely not something I would choose, but I feel better about the look of it now:

We did lots of shopping as well. My mom is my shopping buddy. Aubrey is also so funny when shopping. She browses through the racks, taking clothes off and then putting them back. She also yells, "hey!" to anybody that walks by. We had some fun girl time.

(photo shoots with Aubrey are pretty much impossible these days)

We had today to also hang out with Steven. We went to LinkedIn and gave my mom a tour. Let's just say it is a good thing that I don't work there. I think I ate enough free snacks and treats in our Saturday visit to last a while. 

(this picture obviously wasn't taken at LinkedIn, but it was the only shot I got of Steven... and I think it is super cute.)

We also tried Aubrey's first pony tail today. Love it!

 But, my goodness! When did my baby turn into such a spunky, fun, slightly demanding, high-energy little girl? My mom says she is just like me when I was little... and I have heard many stories about how while I was a good little girl.... I was also a LOT of work. I think I am in for it :)

I love having my mom around. Can't wait until she comes back!

Lately

I have been so bad at taking pictures lately. I want to document and remember this time of our lives, but this is all I get!

I'm going to try and be better especially since my mom is always asking if I have updated the blog, and most of the time the answer is "no."

So, here is what the Foote family has been up to lately:

Aubrey- As fun as ever, although the temper tantrums have begun. She is just a determined little girl, and even my best attempts at distraction usually fail. She wants what she wants, and lets me know how she feels if she doesn't get it! But, other than that she is so cute. Gives lots of hugs and kisses, loves to play with her friends, and is learning new things all the time. She says her name- "Aub-ee" which is probably my new favorite thing.

Steven- is LOVING his new job. We seriously can't say enough good things about how amazing working at LinkedIn can be. He gets to bike to work every day (20 mile round trip) and is getting in darn good shape. Which is a good thing because he has oodles and oodles of free food to eat at work. He is also now home in time to hang out and play!

Paige- I'm just trying to keep up with my crazy toddler, be a good mom and wife, and also keep a part of "Paige" alive. For a while after Aubrey was born, I wasn't quite sure what to do since the traditional sewing and crafting hobbies are not really my thing. But, I am finding my niche- I've been couponing and budgeting and decorating and organizing. I honestly probably spend too much time cleaning. I've also been working out (below pre-baby weight!), and I try to make play dates or park dates or lunch dates at least 3 times a week. I'm a social mom :)

While life is not without its challenges, our family is in a good place right now. We feel very blessed.