I think it's safe to say......

that Jack is glad he isn't an only child. 

No really.  I'm serious. 

He is the fourth child, and has no concept of life without a constant companion.....or well....he didn't until last week.

First day of summer vacation, Memorial Day, and Destin was volunteering at work with his daddy....which left Jack at home with me and Karissa. 

It was a beautiful day, and we had tossed around a few ideas....maybe bowling with some free passes we had,  but it's no fun to bowl alone, and between an untimely pinched nerve in my neck and his sister's ongoing struggle with her shoulder and hips, he would have been literally bowling alone.  Not cool. 

So at the last minute I asked him if he would like to just go down to the pier and see if he could catch any fish....to which he agreed.  He loaded up his things....but it just didn't seem the same without Destin. 

Sophie thought she should get to come along since we didn't have Destin....and she thoroughly enjoyed the view, and the wind in her hair....and she even looked rather patriotic....well....sort of.

So Jack began setting out the crab baskets, baiting them with chicken legs....and after getting them all down in the water, he proceeded to walk to the end of the pier.....all by himself. 

I think that was a long walk......













But he was a good sport about it, and began fishing.....alone.

But it wasn't long before I could see from my view that somebody was missin' his older brother.......

He's killin' me here......

Ahem.  I'm getting too sappy these days....moving on. 






So then he decided to try his hand at throwing the cast net.  Now....I need to just go ahead and tell you that it appears that has become a lost art or talent.....or however that saying goes. 

No...really!  When Darwin was a kid.....he threw it all the time, and I would venture to say that he wasn't the only kid his age who would be out on the pier doing it!  But now....you'd think I had a traveling road show the way people stop, watch, look, and ask questions about what exactly he is doing and what he is trying to catch!  (Well.....it DOES seem like I have a traveling road show when they all pile out of the van......but that's another story for another day.)

Those questioning folks are all very obviously not native to this area.....

And I'm not even gonna' lie.....it is pretty cool to watch.  Especially when you have a handy dandy new camera that can catch multiple shots :) get ready.....there's gonna' be a few pictures. 

How cool is that???




Don't worry....I'm not quitting my day job being a stay at home mom to become a fast action sports photographer.....but I was rather impressed with the setting that allowed me to snap multiple consecutive pictures and actually capture the moment. 

I know....I'm easily impressed. 

But after only catching a few little bait fish, and spending all day alone....checking for crabs in the baskets

And tempting the scavengers  sea gulls who suddenly were his best friends while taking the bait out of the crab baskets.....he decided to call it a day. 

But the day wasn't a total loss....we got to witness several family outings.......

I guess Canadian Geese celebrate Memorial Day too??

And it WAS the official beginning of summer....so it would stand to reason that we could do the same thing two days in a row...only this time.....we were gonna' do it right.  With his very best friend in the whole world. 

That's right.  The next day Destin came along.  And thank goodness he did....not only was he good moral support, he got things rolling early!!!!  He caught a red fish! And even though he couldn't keep him....it did give them some hope that things would be looking up that day!

Aren't my photography skills amazing?  Ummm......was I more concerned about snapping a pic of the fish from my phone than including my son's face???

Embarrassing really. 

Let's move on to that function on the fancy camera that snaps multiple shots, shall we?  Perhaps I won't cut off faces that way.

So Destin decided it was time to bring out the big guns...and by that...I mean the mack daddy cast net.  Very heavy, very big, and able to spread out and hopefully catch some mullet.

I get exhausted just watching them throw the cast net from my chair under the shade tree. 

I know....I know....it's a tough life but somebody's gotta' supervise, and we definitely don't want mama out there showing off her cast net throwing skills...because....well....I have none. 

But Destin does.....and it paid off on the first throw.

Yep....he caught two mullet in that throw.  And for those of you that aren't local?  That means that whatever you had planned for dinner tonight or tomorrow just changed.....because that's some good eatin'. 

However...mullet doesn't freeze well.  At all.  Don't let anyone try to tell you that it does.  It gets strong and fishy tasting.  So it MUST be fixed right away.....and to be honest....fried is the way to go.  I am all about eating healthy and grilling fish....but mullet needs to go straight into some seasoned corn meal and into a fryer. 

Problem is....we gotta' have more than two.  You do the math.  That's only four fillets, and I gotta' feed those big ole' boys!!!

So back at it he went.  All.  Day.  Long.   Searching out the best place to throw...to see if the "mullet were running" (another locals term.) 

And he must have just gotten lucky on the first throw because he only caught two more the rest of the day.....but that was enough to warrant bringing them home.  So I bought some fish to go with it and Destin was the hero for dinner that night.

Fried Mullet, Cheese Grits, and Coleslaw....that my friends is what these southern folks would call a good dinner. 



And I think it's safe to say, that Jack will always be thankful that God didn't choose for him to be an only child.....because this is how I usually find them.  Together. 

Because they are best buds. 

I'm just sayin'.

Finishing up the week.....in his own words.....

Destin's "week of groceries for $40" ended on a bit of a hectic note....as Darwin and I were traveling to a long awaited appointment for our daughter, in Nashville, and the boys were staying with some gracious friends. 

We were only suppose to be gone overnight, and Destin was only suppose to get to eat a couple of meals there and come home to wrap up the last of his 7 days.  As it turned out, we had to stay an extra night, so Destin lucked up and got to enjoy different food for two days/nights before coming home and finishing it up.  And to "finish it up" he just slapped together a ham sandwich for dinner....nothing too fancy. 

However...the purpose of this project was to see if he could plan, shop and cook for himself for a week on $40. 

And that he did. 

Quite well in my opinion.

You can catch up here if you haven't already read these....

Day 1- http://www.leah-imjustsayin.blogspot.com/2012/02/it-all-started.html
Day 2- http://www.leah-imjustsayin.blogspot.com/2012/02/progress-so-farthis-could-get-tough.html
Day 3- http://www.leah-imjustsayin.blogspot.com/2012/02/so-first-thing-he-wants-to-know.html
Day 4- http://www.leah-imjustsayin.blogspot.com/2012/03/day-4-man-momdollar-general-has.html
Day 5- http://www.leah-imjustsayin.blogspot.com/2012/03/day-5-buffalo-never-tasted-so-good.html

Several of you have asked to hear about his week "in his words", which I had already planned on doing....so here you have it....in his own words.

No, silly....I'm not expecting that you read that....I just wanted you to see his written version before I type it.....you gotta love me! :)








the back side of the paper






My experience of eating off of $40 on my own was a long lasting week.  If I had to keep something on my menu it would be stew, milk, brownies, and raisin bran crunch.  I really would not want to keep Ramen noodles because every flavor tastes the same.  Also I would not keep chicken unless I cooked it differently like maybe BBQ chicken.  I am very thankful for beef stew seasoning because if I didn't use it, it would not taste the same if I used separate spices.  I think I shouldn't of bought bananas and used that money for more milk because I was eating out of salsa dishes on my 3rd day.  The downside to rootbeer is that it last 3 or 4 days and then it is flat and I'm all out.  Some things I should've tried were potatoe salad, fried rice, and baked red potatoes.  I really think the week took forever but when I went to spend the night, I was in heaven.  I know that cooking takes long and I missed T.V. shows such as "swamp people" and "larry the cable guy" and I missed playing with friends because I was cooking.  On my last day it was amazing.  For a snack I had almost 1/2 a pound of ham on a sandwich and I chugged down the rest of my milk.  To finish it up I might do this again, but it needs to be in a year or so because I want to enjoy what is in the pantry and freezer again.  And thats all I got to say about that.

Now let me just say that he only watches "Larry the Cable Guy" with strong supervision....so don't judge me or my parenting.  

At the end of the week...all he had left was the rest of his ham (hence the reason he ate about a 1/2 pound on a sandwich), the rest of his stick of butter, the whole pound of rice, and some potatoes.  That's not too shabby for a 12 year old kid having to "fend for himself" for the week....

I'm just sayin'.

Day 5 - Buffalo never tasted so good.....

or wait....was it Elk....or maybe wild hog? 

You see....our church has a "Wild Game Dinner" every year, and Darwin and the boys always go and enjoy good food,  fellowship, prizes and a guest speaker. 

Problem is....when this whole "week of groceries for $40" started, we had all forgotten.....

that event was March 2.  Sigh.

That would have been last night. 

How in the world could I have forgotten this???  I would have never had him start his "week of groceries for $40" if I had remembered.  

How was I going to tell him he couldn't go now??  This was something he looked forward to every year......and this wasn't going to be easy......


Had ya' going there for a minute didn't I?

Oh go ahead and admit it...you were feeling sorry for him and thinking I had gone overboard by suggesting that he not get to go to one of his favorite events of the year.  

Well....I would NEVER have done that.  

Not to mention he has handled this week like a saint.  Still not a single complaint, and immediately willing to just tack on another meal to the end of his week in lieu of getting to eat out at the dinner. He just got really lucky!

But from the looks of this......he wasn't quite as lucky as his brother!!

 Yep....you're reading correctly.  Jack won a 22 rifle.  Although, when they called his name as a winner, he thought he had won a couple of "handmade wooden arrows" that had been used in a comical promotional video for the event.  He didn't know until he went forward that he had, in fact, won a rifle!!

So all the way around....it was a great night!  Jack was happy, and Destin's belly was full of something he had not had to make himself. 

And I'll just bet that he appreciated that meal more than he ever has before.

I'm just sayin'.

Day 4 - "Man, Mom.....Dollar General has EVERYTHING!"

And I just had to smile. 

Because they pretty much do. 

And when you've used all of your grocery money but $2, cents matters.  Why pay $1.79 for a cake mix at the over priced local grocery store if you can walk down to the Dollar General and buy it for less? 

You see....Destin has a bit of a sweet tooth, (can't imagine where he got that from ;-), and his Great Value Honey Buns didn't last long. 

After looking around a bit, he realized that he could buy a brownie mix instead for $1.65 and it would make a whole 9x13 pan!  Plus he wouldn't need frosting.

Sold!  To the 12 year old trying to get to the end of his week on $40 of grocery money. 

Yep...a pan of brownies is sure to last him until Monday. 

And lucky for him....as he was just about to put it back on the shelf, because he realized it needed eggs and oil, I told him that a sweet neighbor had just given us a dozen farm eggs.  I sure couldn't charge him for something I didn't have to pay for.  So he paid me the rest of his change for the dab of oil needed, and here's hoping he doesn't run out of anything else before his week is over. 

And I would imagine he is gonna' enjoy having something besides chicken legs and ramen, as he has had them for lunch and dinner again today! 

I have a sneaky suspicion he is going to be thankful that he didn't give in to the hurried realization this morning, that his lunch wasn't packed.  He said, "Well...I guess I'll just spend my last $2 on lunch at school." 

And knowing he would probably regret that decision....I told him to hurry and pack it....so into the lunchbox went two drumsticks and some leftover cold Ramen. 

I'll bet he's glad now....

I'm just sayin'.

Day 3 - So the first thing he wants to know.....

when in he comes in from school today....is if I will let  him go fishing in the neighboring subdivision's pond. 

Can you guess why??

Yep...you guessed it.  He's thinking about how he could get more food for his week of groceries!!  :-)

If you're just now joining us (welcome to our new readers that are visiting us from www.owlhaven.net where this idea started to begin with!)....what you're reading is Day 3 of a very interesting economics project.  I encourage you to read it here if you haven't already.

For those of you anxious to know how things are progressing....you've come to the right place. 

So we are on Day 3 of the Week of Groceries for $40 experiment....and after his consumption of a whole pot of stew over the first day and a half, I was a little concerned about how the rest of the week was going to go. 

Day 1 - http://www.leah-imjustsayin.blogspot.com/2012/02/it-all-started.html

Day 2 - http://www.leah-imjustsayin.blogspot.com/2012/02/progress-so-farthis-could-get-tough.html

In typical fashion....things were a little crazy this morning, and frankly, neither Destin nor I are used to him having to plan his dinner in the morning.  We talked about him throwing his chicken legs in the crock pot, and that's about as far as it got.  I walked back into the kitchen after taking him to school, only to realize that he had, in fact, forgotten. 

And it would have been soooo easy for me to throw them in the crock pot for him so that they could cook all day while he was at school, but if this experiment is to truly prepare them for real life, then I wouldn't have been doing him any favors by stepping in. 

So I didn't. 

And that was hard. 

But you know what?  He came in, and after asking if he could go fishing in the next few days (gotta' love that he isn't whining and asking for more money...but instead thinking of ways to acquire food for free), he got right to work on his chicken. 

For those wondering.....no.....I am not doing any of the cooking.  He is doing it all himself....asking a lot of questions, but that is to be expected, and I am welcoming them!

I found it interesting that when I told him that at this point the crock pot was no longer an option if he wanted chicken tonight, he opted to bake it in the oven rather than boil on the stove top.  Said he didn't really like the smell of boiling chicken...(me neither!)

All seasoned up and ready to go!!

And yes...that is just half of a package of chicken legs from Sam's Club.  I landed them marked down to $5.50 a few weeks back and let Destin purchase half of them from me for $2.25. 

He seasoned them with the "freebies" from my cabinet.  The standard three seasonings we use on just about everything!  Cavender's Greek Seasoning, Lawry's Seasoning Salt, and Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning.  

Can I just say that although baked chicken isn't pretty....(and don't lie...you know it ain't)....it tasted amazing!  No...I didn't eat his food...I tasted a morsel that he wanted me to taste, and I was so impressed!

 While it baked he microwaved a serving of frozen cauliflower and added a slice of cheese...and right before the chicken got done, he made two packages of ramen noodles.  (We have never used Ramen as a soup....so the liquid is all poured off). 

Day 3 dinner is served!

And let me just tell you....by the time he finished cooking he was so ready to eat!!  From the sounds he was making, you would have thought he was eating prime rib! 

And believe it or not.....he actually didn't eat all of the Ramen noodles.  He had a small serving left and informed me tonight that he is going to take them for lunch tomorrow along with a chicken leg. 

As things were cooking, he told me that he sure wished I had a cookbook of just seafood....which I did have and he just didn't realize it.  He looked at for a while, and I could tell the wheels in his head were turning as he asked me about going down to the pier with crab nets. 

Can I just tell you that I am so proud of him?  He hasn't complained once yet...although that may change when he comes home tomorrow and there are no more of the honey buns left.  He hasn't exactly rationed those very well.  But he does still have $2 left and he can always grab another cheap box of somethin' sweet if he really has a hankerin'.

I'm just sayin'.

Day 2 - Progress so far.....this could get tough.....

Destin started Day 1 off by throwing his stew meat into the crock pot before running out the door to catch his ride to school at 7:10am. 

(If you're new to the blog.....you can read how this started here:  http://leah-imjustsayin.blogspot.com/2012/02/it-all-started.html )

And I'm not a huge fan of beef stew, but it simmered all day and smelled pretty tasty.  He came in from school ready to dive into it....and that he did.  He got busy right away cutting his carrots....

 






He even got adventurous and decided to use red potatoes and leave the peeling on, and sprinkled in some cayenne pepper!

Dinner is served.....over a couple slices of bread...it's a southern thang!!!
But don't let that big ole' pot of stew fool you....that was only Day 1....

But before we move on, I thought you might enjoy some things I have overheard.....

“Mom….do you think I could trade you some regular potatoes for some red potatoes that you have?” “Do you think red potatoes would work?” “Now….how big do I cut these pieces of potatoes?”

“How much Cayenne Pepper do you think I could put in here?”



With arms wrapped lovingly around me…..”You think I could have a piece of that garlic toast?”

While putting his leftover stew into a container for the fridge, “Hey, uh….mom…..I don’t think I’m gonna be burning out on this stew….I’ll be running out of it!!” (and that would be after he ate four slices of bread and two large helpings of stew, and a rationed honey bun)

“Mom….since I didn’t get to eat any of the pop-tarts before my “week” started….do you think I could buy a package from you?” (And he did…for 30cents)

“Man…..does making a meal make THIS much of a mess??” And he ALWAYS has to unload/reload dishwasher, but this time, he had dirtied cutting board, knife, colander, crock pot, bowl, another pot……a wee bit more of a mess.

Now here we are...nearing the end of Day 2, and I regret to inform you that the big pot of stew you saw earlier?  Ummm.....that would be gone.  He has eaten four large bowls since he got home from school today, and now there is just a tiny bit at the bottom of the storage container.   

Perhaps $40 for the week wasn't enough for a boy who has grown 12 inches in one year, is only 12 years old and is now 5' 8" and wears a men's size 13 shoe.....

No.  I'm not kidding or exaggerating.  I think I know why my money isn't going as far as it used to!! 

Suffice it to say he is now thawing out his package of chicken legs and planning for the next couple of days.  So much for that pot of stew!!! 

More to come....

I'm just sayin'. 

Day 1-It all started.....

with me curled up in my favorite spot on the couch, under my blanket, drinking my coffee, and reading an interesting post from one of my favorite bloggers and childhood friend, Mary.  


You see....my friend, Mary, (who happens to have ten children that she home-schools) posted recently about a very interesting project that she and her husband came up with to better prepare their teenage children for the real world.  You should go and read it!!!

  http://www.owlhaven.net/2012/02/01/preparing-teens-for-life/

She and her husband gave their older children $20 and they were to plan, shop and prepare all of their meals for one week, (with the obvious knowledge that she would not allow them to starve).


I found it to be very interesting, so I was reading all about it....and...in typical fashion, Destin was curled up next to me on the couch trying to wake up.  But when I began reading and scrolling down...it caught his eye too.  One thing led to another, and before I knew it, all of the kids were looking over my shoulder to read about how her teens were going to survive on $20 for the week, and all of them thought it would be so cool to try to do! 


So in talking it over with Darwin...he jumped on the bandwagon and said, "I'll tell you what....if they're serious....since groceries are higher here...I'll give them $40 and they can do it too." 


(Now let me just interject right here and say that the cost of groceries in Idaho seems to be considerably less than here in Alabama.  And....given the amount of time that my kids are at school, there had to be some consideration given to that.  They simply do not have the same time as if they were homeschooled, to do money saving things such as make homemade bread, etc., but they will still learn some valuable real life lessons, I'm sure.)


Well....who knew???  Who knew that not one, but all three of my children still left here at home would be so eager to try to do this on their own?  EVEN Jack...who is only 9. 


So last week....the boys sat down and began list making....amidst a table set for dinner and a pre-dinner snack of carrots and hummus.  (And please forgive the quality of these pictures....they are taken from my phone.)

(Notice the washcloths for napkins? :-) Another great money saving tip from Mary!)


And there's a handy dandy app for your iPhone that you can get....the Wal-Mart app.  You can look up prices on many items!! 


Listening in on the conversation was priceless, as they thought about different things they could buy.  $40 seemed like SO much money to them.... 


I was so impressed with all of them for wanting to do this, but was especially surprised at Destin....just being 12....and having such a good, common sense approach and plan for his week.

(And yes....I know his handwriting needs improvement, but I have found that boys find that less important than girls do, and in the broad scheme of things....who cares...this is just a grocery list!)


Now bear in mind that this is just a rough idea of prices.  Estimations mostly and a general plan of making a pot of beef stew to eat off of for the week and grilling chicken. :-)  ( I had my concerns, but that worked itself out later....read on.)


So after feeling like his list was complete.....we sat down together, and he calculated how much it looked like this was going to cost...based on the estimations. 


$56.00 !!!!  He just couldn't believe it.  He said, "Man!  I thought for sure I was gonna' have some money left over!!"  (Dontcha' just love when they see the reality of life!!)


So he immediately had to begin scratching things off the list and decided that even buying chicken legs from me at $2.50 (half a pack that I found marked down recently), might need to go.  He decided that grilling chicken and zucchini wasn't necessary and that he could live off of the stew. 


Well....a few scratches here and there off the list, and a couple of add-back-to-the-list items, and we were headed to the stores.....off to find the best bargain....with little brother Jack to make sure that he knew that "Great Value brands are just as good, Destin!" (smile)


Destin even managed to find a local ad for Wal-Mart to match so that he could afford some Doritos!!  My only stipulation was that they had to have a fruit and vegetable included in their purchases....but one bag of Doritos I could handle ;-) 

Now all we had to do was make a couple more stops (yes...Wal-Mart is a one-stop shopping experience, but I don't like to buy their meat, and Sam's has a better price on milk)

I don't think he did so bad for a first time shopper.  I let him purchase things like a stick of butter from me for .60 so he wouldn't have to buy a whole pound, and a pound of rice from me for .40 since I buy it in bulk from Sam's. 

The reality of how ridiculously over priced cereal is really hit him.  He was originally planning on a fried egg for his breakfasts, but then decided he wanted the convenience of something faster.  He searched the cereal aisle for what seemed like FOREVER looking for a decent cereal that wasn't completely laden with sugar....for less than $2.00....and he finally found some Great Value Raisin Bran for $1.97.

The receipts are shown below, and then he paid me for the groceries he bought from me as opposed to buying in bulk from the store. 

And I would say this list has been in and out of a 12 year old boy's pocket a time or two, but you can see on the right where he figures up what he owes me.  The total for all of his groceries came to $37.76 and he has $2.24 leftover for anything unexpected this week.

Wonder what he'll spend it on???  Time will tell....I'll keep you posted....but for now, he's got a mean batch of stew in the crock pot that he started before he left for school this morning. 

I'm just sayin'.

So that you'll feel better about yourself, your garden and your yard......

I'll let you take a look at mine. 

You see, we haven't had any rain in forever, so we have had to water the garden with a sprinkler....therefore resulting in very high grass in just that area. 

And we've been busy with swim team practice, making pickles, getting orientated along with Kaleigh at Camp War Eagle (aka Camp Information Overload for parents of incoming freshmen...I'm just sayin'), and the yard and garden has...well....

been neglected a little.

Oh okay....a lot.

Ummm, yea....that would be the "scarecrow" thing Destin built a while back, and yes those ARE ginormous green onions....I...ummm....I....tried a new variety this year??? 

And I was so upset when I realized that  our mammoth squash plants had been attacked by the "squash vine borer" (yes...I googled it) that we had to uproot all of the dead plants and I guess you could say we've just abandoned the garden with the exception of an occasional picking of tomatoes and jalapenos.  But even the jalapenos have been disappointing this year.  They are not hot...at all.

Seriously....even for you wimpy  less seasoned spicy food eaters...these things are like eating a regular green pepper.  Zero heat.....so what's the point???

Isn't that why you eat jalapenos??  For the heat??

Sigh. 

Yea....that's what I thought. 

And, well, yes the grass is very tall....Angel feels like she is in the jungle when it's like that.....and I'm not even gonna' lie...it's pretty funny to see her out there in the thick of it, looking like a tiger on the prowl. 

But today....just as I was sitting down to take a much needed rest from being on my feet all day, listening to the sound of the dishwasher running and the sound of Destin cutting the grass, I knew I was in trouble when I heard the lawn mower bogging down and sputtering to go further, and then revving up again.  The same routine, over and over.....

So I felt sorta' bad, and went to the window to check on Destin....and there he was just steadily pushing the mower, determined to cut the jungle out there, in spite of the fact that it was nearly 100 degrees and had rained heavily this morning.

But....what are you to do??  When you're not home, you're not home, and it doesn't cut itself. 

Deciding that this was okay for him to be doing (after all....he is eleven and in optimum shape from swimming every day), I decided it would be okay for me to sit down and rest again.....(because I'm not eleven and in optimum shape)......

until the sound of the mower ceased altogether. 

One of two things had happened.  He had either lost his gumption, or the darn mower was out of gas. 

Yep...you guessed it.  Out of gas. 

Sigh.   I guess it's just not meant to be for me to be able to sit and rest my feet.

So off to the gas station I went, talking to myself, and confirming that THIS in fact, is why it has gotten so out of hand to begin with.  There's just always something else calling our name, needing our attention that feels more important than cutting the patch of grass that's growing....because believe me.....the part that wasn't getting watered was not tall at all. 

And I know you can't tell it by looking at this unsightly picture of the dill I have grown, but I was rather proud when we made pickles a week ago, to be able to just walk out the back door and break off a "tree" of dill to be able to use!  Although it's looking a wee bit out of control too. 

But you want to know the funniest part of this whole story??? 

I was just sitting here typing the blog, and heard Destin's voice outside over the loud sound of the mower, so I got concerned that perhaps he needed something or had seen a snake (not that I would be of ANY help at all, which is exactly why I sent Jack out to see what he needed....stop laughing), so he stops the motor, comes in and says, "What mom??" 

I said, "Well, Destin, I was just concerned about you....I could hear your voice out there over the loud sound of the lawn mower." 

To which he replied, "Oh I was just singing, I Am a Man of Constant Sorrows."   And surely you know the song, but click and listen again....

And I'm sorry to admit this but I just started cackling right out loud!!  Because I'll bet he WAS thinking that!!!!!

You go boy!!!!  Sing it!!!

And I still say that the best solution to the out of control schedule and yard maintenance, is closing the blinds and pretending it doesn't exist. 

I'm just sayin'.  ;-)