I can't seem to catch a break here
It's been a stressful-as-hell few weeks, and this weekend hasn't been any help, unfortunately. Despite the fact that the kids have been able to break up the weekend with sleepovers and playdates, we still had quite a busy weekend. My cousin Cara, who I haven't seen in several years (since our cousin Jennifer was married), dropped by, and we were happy have her by, though the house was (as usual) in total chaos. Still, we managed to get the kitchen and living room half-presentable.
The biggest crisis we've had was last night -- James got a stomach bug from somewhere, we're not sure where, and ended up spending several hours throwing up and having diarrhea. So that was pleasant. Having experienced a similar problem back in January, I felt really bad for him. Today he's okay, although he's still a bit whiny and, not surprisingly, his appetite is off. But we're just trying to keep him hydrated and keep the complaints down to a minimum.
I ended up going grocery shopping last night, and I'm constantly amazed and horrified by what it ends up costing to feed the family and keep clothes clean for a week. Last night's tally totaled $175, including a few bottles of detergent and household cleaners (always the most expensive portion) and that's after coupons.
That was the third big shop I've done in a seven day stretch; a week ago I'd grabbed almost $250 worth of groceries, and mid-week I'd stocked up to the tune of $80 or so. Plus a trip to K-Mart to stock up on two 300 ounce bottles of All detergent, which were on sale for $10. That's a great price, and it'll keep us well stocked in day-to-day laundry detergent for a while. Bonnie keeps the washing machine and dryer going practically non-stop every day usually just to try to stay on top of all the kids' laundry, so I guess it's little surprise that my electric bill regularly tops $200 a month.