My Blogoversary!!!

Hard to believe that it all began just one short year ago...

Here's some things that I learned along the way:

I can't teach my children better than they teach me

Iced Coffee in large amounts keeps me awake for far too long

That my children are amazing forgivers

My hubby looks cute in braids

Tornados can happen in Mid-October, too

Nick's cat likes to hide underneath his dresser

I am a blogging addict

My hubby and son look cute in their TaeKwonDo uniforms

My hubby is awesome...our story is a fun one!

I am a coupon addict

My son's cat, Sundae, is a great mommy cat

Aaron looks cute in a sombrero
It's been a fun year and I am looking forward to the next year...

The Last Softball Game....

Ok, it's official. The Phillies lost to the Cubs, and the Heat lost to the Bandits. Both were second loss games, so both of my kids are done with ball games for the season. While they were both upset and heartbroken, I honestly can't say that I am that sad. After all, we were living at that ball field. Some days, we would be there for 6 hours.

6 hours, people!!

So, it's over until next year. Now that life has slowed down a touch, I can get back to the business at hand. Starting next week, I should be able to get back to "In Other Words", and "This One's For You", as well as other things I have missed doing. Hopefully. See you soon!

Thought For The Day

America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves.
Abraham Lincoln

Homeschooling...why are we under attack?

From the NorthEast Missippi Daily Journal...written by Sonny Scott: I have to say a big "THANK YOU" for putting it just like it really is.

You see them at the grocery, or in a discount store.

It's a big family by today’s standards - "just like stair steps," as the old folks say. Freshly scrubbed boys with neatly trimmed hair and girls with braids, in clean but unfashionable clothes follow mom through the store as she fills her no-frills shopping list.

There's no begging for gimcracks, no fretting, and no threats from mom. The older watch the younger, freeing mom to go peacefully about her task.

You are looking at some of the estimated 2 million children being home schooled in the U.S., and the number is growing. Their reputation for academic achievement has caused colleges to begin aggressively recruiting them. Savings to the taxpayers in instructional costs are conservatively estimated at $4 billion, and some place the figure as high as $9 billion. When you consider that these families pay taxes to support public schools, but demand nothing from them, it seems quite a deal for the public.

Home schooling parents are usually better educated than the norm, and are more likely to attend worship services. Their motives are many and varied. Some fear contagion from the anti-clericalism, coarse speech, suggestive behavior and hedonistic values that characterize secular schools. Others are concerned for their children’s safety. Some want their children to be challenged beyond the minimal competencies of the public schools. Concern for a theistic world view largely permeates the movement.

Indications are that home schooling is working well for the kids, and the parents are pleased with their choice, but the practice is coming under increasing suspicion, and even official attack, as in California.

Why do we hate (or at least distrust) these people so much?

Methinks American middle-class people are uncomfortable around the home schooled for the same reason the alcoholic is uneasy around the teetotaler.

Their very existence represents a rejection of our values, and an indictment of our lifestyles. Those families are willing to render unto Caesar the things that Caesar’s be, but they draw the line at their children. Those of us who have put our trust in the secular state (and effectively surrendered our children to it) recognize this act of defiance as a rejection of our values, and we reject them in return.

Just as the jealous Chaldeans schemed to bring the wrath of the king upon the Hebrew eunuchs, we are happy to sic the state’s bureaucrats on these “trouble makers.” Their implicit rejection of America’s most venerated idol, Materialism, (a.k.a. “Individualism”) spurs us to heat the furnace and feed the lions.

Young families must make the decision: Will junior go to day care and day school, or will mom stay home and raise him? The rationalizations begin. "A family just can't make it on one income." (Our parents did.) "It just costs so much to raise a child nowadays." (Yeah, if you buy brand-name clothing, pre-prepared food, join every club and activity, and spend half the cost of a house on the daughter’s wedding, it does.) And so, the decision is made. We give up the bulk of our waking hours with our children, as well as the formation of their minds, philosophies, and attitudes, to strangers. We compensate by getting a boat to take them to the river, a van to carry them to Little League, a 2,800-square-foot house, an ATV, a zero-turn Cub Cadet, and a fund to finance a brand-name college education. And most significantly, we claim “our right” to pursue a career for our own
"self-fulfillment."

Deep down, however, we know that our generation has eaten its seed corn. We lack the discipline and the vision to deny ourselves in the hope of something enduring and worthy for our posterity. We are tired from working extra jobs, and the looming depression threatens our 401k’s. Credit cards are nearly maxed, and it costs a $100 to fuel the Suburban. Now the kid is raising hell again, demanding the latest Play Station as his price for doing his school work … and there goes that modest young woman in the home-made dress with her four bright-eyed, well-behaved home-schooled children in tow. Wouldn’t you just love to wipe that serene look right off her smug face?

Is it any wonder we hate her so?

Goodbye, dear kittens.....

We had to say "Goodbye" to some dear kitten babies today...all the girls have gone on to new homes. SodaPop and Cinnamon went together, so they won't be "lonely", and we know the people that adopted Tiger and Frisky Jr., so we are able to watch them "grow up". Kinda funny how they grew on us and I actually miss them...ok...I'm over it!

This Is Too Cool!

HEMA is a Dutch department store. The first store opened in November 4,1926,in Amsterdam. Now there are 150 stores all over the Netherlands. HEMA also has stores in Belgium, Luxemburg and Germany. In June of this year, HEMA was sold to British investment company Lion Capital.

Take a look at HEMA's product page. You can't order
anything and it's in Dutch but just wait a couple of seconds and watch what happens. (Don't worry, nothing will pop up and scare you. It does take a few moments to open,so be patient.)

This company has a sense of humor and a great computer programmer.

They Did It...

They Did It...
They Did It...
OH Yeah, Yeah, Yeah


The Heat was playing the Racers tonight. Well, the Heat was behind 6-15 in the last inning. It was hopeless. All that was left was just playing the last inning and hoping for mercy.

Or so it seemed...

The girls didn't lose heart...they scored 10 runs in the last inning bringing them ahead 16-15! And, when the other team went to bat, they got 3 outs one right after another...the third and final (and winning!) out was scored at home plate as the runner tried to cross. So, WE WON! WE WON!!!

Of course, this means that they will keep playing, just when I thought life would slow down, but they were so happy that I don't mind at all!

StoneWall Harris turns to 3rd

They are down to the tournaments now. It's a double elimination, which means that you have to lose two games before you're out. Well, Mikayla's team lost the first one on Tuesday, and tonight's game is an all or nothing. Both teams playing are in the loser bracket, which means that whoever loses tonight is done...pray for our third baseman tonight...

Menu Plan Monday

So, it's Wednesday...leave me alone...

I haven't really slept very well the last month or so, and it's starting to catch up with me. The ball games, the TaeKwonDo classes, the sleepovers with friends, and the kittens have all done their job at keeping my adrenaline going. So, it's hard to shut off at times. I have decided that going to the store when I am dead tired each week has caused me to make a few errors such as not following my list, not getting the best deal, and so forth. In an attempt to remedy that, I am trying to make our budget stretch by shopping one week with $100 and the next $40 for produce, fruit, and milk.

Having somewhat of a burst of energy today, I took the kiddos to the stores. I made it to 5 stores, but didn't take pictures. Sorry, I was just ready to be done when I got home. Here's the breakdown though:

Meijer- before coupons $42.95 After coupons $27.08
Aldi total $35.49
Kroger before coupons$30.38 after coupons $16.38
Pet Supplies Plus (dog and cat food) before coupons $21.36 after coupons $1.40

Martins (no coupons)$2.00
CVS before coupons$26.13 After coupons and ECB $9.90 ECB earned for next time $14.98

Total for day $92.25

What this translates into for my family is this for meals:

BREAKFAST

cereal

cottage cheese and banana bread

yogurt and toast

whole grain pancakes

coffee cake

scrambled eggs and sausage

frozen fruit smoothies

oatmeal

LUNCH

hot dogs

lunchmeat sandwiches

quesadillas

chicken nuggets

bread and butter w/dipping sauce and carrots

hamburgers (black bean-dont' tell the kids!)

DINNER

spaghetti

beans and rice

Mexican haystacks

BBQ Chicken sandwiches

homemade lasagna

roast chicken

dinner out

Tackle It Tuesday...New Window, Part 1

This is my wonderful hubby's project for this week...

Our house was built in 1907 and the windows probably were original when we bought it. So, we scored some almost new windows for $15 each and are replacing them. Well, this one has taken a whole lot longer than originally planned...hubby had to cut into 12 inches of petrified oak log to make the new frame fit! So, it's only partially done right now. Hey, he works 45 hours a week at his job, he has to sleep sometime! Stay tuned to see the new window!!

Here's what we have done so far:

Is HollyWood ready For Me??

Day 30...

At least that's what I think it is. 30 Days at least of not having a good nights sleep. I am running on autopilot at this time. My kids haven't cleaned their rooms in over a month, the laundry seems to grow and multiply faster than my washing machine can wash it, and the kitchen floors are so grungy. My walls and book shelves have about an inch of dust on them. And yet, here I blog away. Why?

Simply put, I have very little gumption right now. I can't seem to even have the desire to do anything around the house. It's not depression, though. I am just tired. Very, very, very tired. I am not sure why I am not sleeping. Maybe it's because it's hot and humid in my house with only a window A/C unit. Or, the kittens keep "meowing" all night. Or, maybe it's the stress of knowing that I am falling behind on basic things and I can't seem to get my mind around the fact that it's okay to let some things go.

Being a type A++++ personality, I think that I am prone to self imposed stress. (Ya think???) I am one of those people that believe that it's "all or nothing" and can't do "just good enough". But, since I am dragging for energy, I can't seem to finish anything. So, I do nothing. I know, doesn't make sense, does it?

Perhaps I need to have a vacation. Besides the short, private vacations that I take in the tropics on a semi-regular basis. (*aka* "hot flashes") Perhaps, I need a massage. But, the very idea of someone touching me right now just makes my skin crawl. I don't have time for a nap right now, since my older two kids have activities that keep me hopping and the 3 year old has decided that naps are not "in" right now.

So, I am left with vitamins, water, and trying to keep caffeine to a minimum. Anyone have any ideas? I would love to hear if anyone else has had insomnia and what they did to help....

How Financially Fit Are You?

MoneySavingMom shared this link for a fun quiz. Take it and see just how financially fit you are. I scored an 87% and that was due to issues that we are working on...will, insurance, that sorta thing. Go on over and take it...let me know how you are doing and how I can encourage you!

That Sky..she be talking to me today...

I wish that I had gone to school to be a meteorologist...maybe I still will...I would love to be paid to chase these things and to have that adreneline rush!!

Learning to Use the Litter Box

Can be very tiring on a small kitten as she actually fell asleep here


The kittens will be 6 weeks old on Tuesday, and their mother is starting to not let them nurse as often. She will get up and walk away while they are trying to nurse. It's almost comical to see the looks on their tiny faces.

They are going to have to find new homes soon. I put them up on Freecycle and have already gotten a call about Cinnamon and Frisky Jr. (the orange ones) Mikayla started to cry. I think that she was thinking that we would keep them all. Yeah, right! I am up to my eyeballs in kitty litter and would like to change that rapidly. Tiger and SodaPop have found homes already. Well, they've been spoken for. They haven't actually left yet. So, I am going to be down to the 2 boys. They are just adorable...anyone want one?

Why I LOVE Febreeze

Oh, Walmart....why???

I have shopped with you for as long as I can remember. I remember before you were open 24 hours all the time, when the 24hours was just during the Christmas holiday shopping season. I paraded up and down each wonderful aisle, full of deals and items that I "couldn't live without". Why, Walmart, why did you treat me like this?

Maybe it was because I had 62 items in my cart and 62 coupons. Maybe it was because the woman in the next checkout lane was in the same position. But until this day, I have never had an issue at Walmart. I have gone in there, with up to 50 coupons and never had a problem. Well, this time it was different. I am all for the cashier checking the coupons...hey, it's their job. I am for them making sure that they don't ring a coupon more than one time...it's their job. But, why on earth should I have to take every single item out of the cart that has already been bagged? Does your memory fail you that quickly? The coupons only beeped because they were over a $1 and it wanted you to verify the amount.

As if that wasn't bad enough, why did the Customer Service Manager have to come and re-verify everything? Is there a limit to the amount of savings that I can have? The amount of coupons I can use? I am not a criminal, Walmart. I am just a stay at home mom trying to make ends meet and save my family money.

Was it because I found many things that I could get cheaper or even free from CVS? Were you jealous, Walmart? Are you the "jilted lover"? in this scenario?

I am saving more money at Meijer and CVS than with you. They don't seem to mind all my coupons. They know that they have my loyalty now. They treat me like a valued customer every time I show up. So, this is good bye, Walmart, I can't even honestly say that I will miss you.

Painted Bread

This was an awesome idea that I got from Your Fun Family. Painted bread...how neat!



Painted bread is super simple and kids of all ages can do it and have fun. Just fill a few small cups with water and food coloring and start painting some bread. Make sure to not get the bread too wet and mushy. When you are all done you can either toast the bread or let it air dry. Eat them toasted, with butter, or make a sandwich. That boring lunch meat or cheese sandwich is now a beautiful masterpiece they made themselves.

If you would like to see some other silly food you can go to the main website and check out the Fun Food page.