Getting a little anxious. The next 7 days are going to be so chaotic. And there's no way we can finish the table before we move so it has to wait. But that's ok. I'm just overwhelmed and under-energized. :)
Sigh.
Friday, January 27, 2012
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
I can be a handyman....errr, handywoman!
Ok, so I left you hanging with my last post. :) It's been a crazy few days since then!
On Sunday I went up the road to buy some chairs I found on craigslist. I thought they were white with blue cushions, but they turned out to be cream colored chairs with tan gingham cushions. I loved the cream color of the chairs but the cushions had to go. Too bland and boring. But I was excited because I scored them for a great deal. One of the backs was broken but I was certain Adam could fix that! (He was not as sure because it was broken and splintered...but as expected, my man came through in a big way!!)
Our next step in the plan was to build a new table. Our current table is a metal frame and pressed board/veneer covered top. We were going to take the top off of the table and get a big piece of wood to replace it. Then stain and seal and voila...new table! But then I got the chairs home. And they are HUGE. I mean HHUUGGEE next to our table. Crap.
So I was back to looking for a table. And I emailed everyone and their brother on craigslist that had ANYTHING that might work. Nothing. Not a single emailed response. Heart breaking. :(
I've been OBSESSED with tables for days. :( I hate that feeling.
But today I got to get out of the house with my lovely Hillary. Likely for the last time (I try not to think about it because it makes me super sad!). We had lunch at The Wine Kitchen (ohmy. Amazing.) and then hit up a few antique shops downtown. Let me just say...the first one we went to...one of the grossest things I've ever seen. Like really. And like previous searching had already informed me, antiques are ugly and overpriced.
We ran to a few more places and then over to the new Goodwill in town. We were just there on Saturday and didn't see anything, but Hillary wanted to see the new store so we ran in. There in the furniture section was a dining room table. It looked like it might be big enough...had all four legs (so that's a plus!) and after some searching we found its missing leaf over on some chairs. We stretched it out and tried to measure it. But we had no tape measure and the great guy at Goodwill had lent his to someone earlier in the day and it had since walked away. So, because we're so resourceful, Hill pulled up an app on her iPhone to help us measure....but we couldn't figure out how to use it. :) But we did see that the iPhone screen was three inches, so we measured it that way (and got a few chuckles out of other Goodwill shoppers) and it seemed like it might be the right size!
For $20, I figured it was worth the risk. But it was a big risk. The table was gnarly. Peeled off stickers, TONS of crayon marks, pen marks, food stains, sticky glass rings...it was rough. But Adam ok'd it and I brought it home. And he didn't make me give it to Hillary when he saw it. After a trip to Lowe's (and $40 later), we started the refinishing. And let me just say...it is going to be LOVELY!!! :)
On Sunday I went up the road to buy some chairs I found on craigslist. I thought they were white with blue cushions, but they turned out to be cream colored chairs with tan gingham cushions. I loved the cream color of the chairs but the cushions had to go. Too bland and boring. But I was excited because I scored them for a great deal. One of the backs was broken but I was certain Adam could fix that! (He was not as sure because it was broken and splintered...but as expected, my man came through in a big way!!)
Our next step in the plan was to build a new table. Our current table is a metal frame and pressed board/veneer covered top. We were going to take the top off of the table and get a big piece of wood to replace it. Then stain and seal and voila...new table! But then I got the chairs home. And they are HUGE. I mean HHUUGGEE next to our table. Crap.
So I was back to looking for a table. And I emailed everyone and their brother on craigslist that had ANYTHING that might work. Nothing. Not a single emailed response. Heart breaking. :(
I've been OBSESSED with tables for days. :( I hate that feeling.
But today I got to get out of the house with my lovely Hillary. Likely for the last time (I try not to think about it because it makes me super sad!). We had lunch at The Wine Kitchen (ohmy. Amazing.) and then hit up a few antique shops downtown. Let me just say...the first one we went to...one of the grossest things I've ever seen. Like really. And like previous searching had already informed me, antiques are ugly and overpriced.
We ran to a few more places and then over to the new Goodwill in town. We were just there on Saturday and didn't see anything, but Hillary wanted to see the new store so we ran in. There in the furniture section was a dining room table. It looked like it might be big enough...had all four legs (so that's a plus!) and after some searching we found its missing leaf over on some chairs. We stretched it out and tried to measure it. But we had no tape measure and the great guy at Goodwill had lent his to someone earlier in the day and it had since walked away. So, because we're so resourceful, Hill pulled up an app on her iPhone to help us measure....but we couldn't figure out how to use it. :) But we did see that the iPhone screen was three inches, so we measured it that way (and got a few chuckles out of other Goodwill shoppers) and it seemed like it might be the right size!
For $20, I figured it was worth the risk. But it was a big risk. The table was gnarly. Peeled off stickers, TONS of crayon marks, pen marks, food stains, sticky glass rings...it was rough. But Adam ok'd it and I brought it home. And he didn't make me give it to Hillary when he saw it. After a trip to Lowe's (and $40 later), we started the refinishing. And let me just say...it is going to be LOVELY!!! :)
Saturday, January 21, 2012
"Mom? Are those balls in the dryer??"
Now on to drying.
A few weeks ago we were shopping at Toys R Us (the boys have birthday and Christmas money to spend!) and I had some TRU Rewards to spend from Christmas shopping. The boys picked out their new toys and as we were heading toward the cash registers, I saw that they had the Totally Toddler items Buy One, Get One Free so I snatched up two boxes of dryer balls. I'd been wanting to try them out.
I immediately put two of them in the dryer. As far as softness goes, I don't know if I've ever pulled my clothes out of the dryer and thought "wow, these sure are stiff clothes..." So they've done their job as far as that goes. One thing they don't do so well at is reducing static. So I looked up a few ways to combat that. I settled on a rag pinned with a few safety pins. And that's not really working either. So my next step is to use 1/2 c. of vinegar in the rinse cycle of my washing. Even with the static, we're still using the dryer balls.
The cost of the dryer balls was $10.98 each, BUT they were buy one get one free (2 balls come in each package) so now it's $10.98 for two packs. I had coupons totaling $9 off my purchase so I paid around $2 for two packs of dryer balls that should last me AT LEAST a year per each set.
Score!
A few weeks ago we were shopping at Toys R Us (the boys have birthday and Christmas money to spend!) and I had some TRU Rewards to spend from Christmas shopping. The boys picked out their new toys and as we were heading toward the cash registers, I saw that they had the Totally Toddler items Buy One, Get One Free so I snatched up two boxes of dryer balls. I'd been wanting to try them out.
I immediately put two of them in the dryer. As far as softness goes, I don't know if I've ever pulled my clothes out of the dryer and thought "wow, these sure are stiff clothes..." So they've done their job as far as that goes. One thing they don't do so well at is reducing static. So I looked up a few ways to combat that. I settled on a rag pinned with a few safety pins. And that's not really working either. So my next step is to use 1/2 c. of vinegar in the rinse cycle of my washing. Even with the static, we're still using the dryer balls.
The cost of the dryer balls was $10.98 each, BUT they were buy one get one free (2 balls come in each package) so now it's $10.98 for two packs. I had coupons totaling $9 off my purchase so I paid around $2 for two packs of dryer balls that should last me AT LEAST a year per each set.
Score!
My new way to do laundry
At least a load a day. That's how much laundry I need to do to keep up with a family of five. At least. If someone has an incident with urine (I have an occasional night time pee-er) or a toddler decides to spill his sippy cup on my bed, I have another load of bedding to do. My boys seem to go through a ton of clothes, too.
I used to make my own detergent. Before we moved to Maryland from Kentucky, I made my own detergent from Borax, washing soda, and Fels Naptha. I made larges batches of it at once. It was super cheap to make and relatively easy. But it's cleaning ability...well, it wasn't the greatest. I didn't notice it at first, but after awhile I could see that my clothes seemed kind of dingy and didn't appear as clean as with commercial detergent. It really wasn't as effective as I was hoping. I know some people, well, lots of people, make their own detergent and LOVE it! I'm just not one of those people anymore. :( Which is too bad...it was the most cost effective way to wash my clothes! (Price comparisons will be at the end)
Anyway, I buy Purex or Arm & Hammer detergent, when it's on sale and I'll occasionally have a coupon (for Arm & Hammer). I've had a nice little stockpile of detergent going on for awhile, but when we realized we'd be leaving here sooner than originally anticipated, I realized I needed to use up my stockpile before we moved. You can't have detergent packed by the movers. So I'm down to my last bottle. But....I've found something new to replace my bottles of detergent.
So, I no longer have to buy bottles of detergent. It saves space (not a ton, but space is space when there's five of us!), saves on the use of plastic bottles and commercial additives. Soap nuts are green, cost effective, easy, and kinda fun! (I'm a dork, I know!!) I hope I continue to be pleased with the results. :)
(insert a head tilt and a "huh?" here)
What on earth am I talking about, right? Soap nuts are dried shells from the soapberry. The berries are the fruit from a unique tree species. The shells contain a substance called saponin that produces a soaping effect. These "nuts" have been used for a very LONG time by people in the Himalayan region and have been recognized throughout the world for their green way of cleaning. Ok....that may be a lot of talk that doesn't say anything so I'll give you my take on soap nuts.
Soap nuts are little dried round "nuts" that when used in your laundry release saponin into the water and clean your clothes. That's it. And here's how you do it. You order your soap nuts (unless you know of a place that sells them locally, which I don't) and wait impatiently for them to arrive. :) When it's time to do laundry, you place 4-6 soap nuts (I use 5) in a drawstring muslin bag (that you'll likely get with your order). You throw the whole bag in washer and that's it. They get wet, the release the saponin, and clean your clothes.
So I know you're skeptical and thinking...uh, no way. But I'll tell you...they work!!! :) Now, if you have a tough stain, you'll need to pre-treat, just like you would with regular detergent, but the soapnuts work! They have a slight vinegar smell, but my clothes have never smelled like vinegar. They don't smell like anything...they are just clean. They say your soap nuts will last for 4-6 washes (more for cold water, less for hot water). When they turn light tan, get squishy, fall apart. Then you replace them. I will say that I'm on load 7 of the same nuts and I wash 90% of our clothes in cold water. I'm a soap nut convert.
Ok, the price comparison:
Homemade laundry detergent:
I calculated out what it took to make a batch. I don't have the calculations anymore, but I know the cost was less than 2 cents per load. Yep, that cheap. So, by far, the cheapest detergent. Unfortunately not the most effective.
I calculated out what it took to make a batch. I don't have the calculations anymore, but I know the cost was less than 2 cents per load. Yep, that cheap. So, by far, the cheapest detergent. Unfortunately not the most effective.
Commercial detergent:
My price point for store bought detergent is $2.50-$3.00 for a 32 load bottle. At $3 that averages out to 9.3 cents per load.
My price point for store bought detergent is $2.50-$3.00 for a 32 load bottle. At $3 that averages out to 9.3 cents per load.
SoapNuts:
I bought 1 pound of soapnuts for $19.95 (I've since found them a little cheaper, but it is what it is now. :) I counted how many soap nuts that was for me, the count will vary each time based on the size of each individual nut, and I had 155 nuts. I use 5 nuts per wash so that will give me 31 refills. (155/5=31) If each refill gets me 8 loads (I've already done 7 and I know they will go at least another load) that will give me 248 loads of laundry. That is 8 cents per load. If I can get each refill to last just one more load, my cost goes down to 7.1 cents per load. If I would have scored my soap nuts at a better price (but I'm happy with what I paid) then my per load cost goes down again.
So, I no longer have to buy bottles of detergent. It saves space (not a ton, but space is space when there's five of us!), saves on the use of plastic bottles and commercial additives. Soap nuts are green, cost effective, easy, and kinda fun! (I'm a dork, I know!!) I hope I continue to be pleased with the results. :)
Ok, next post on my dryer update!
Mama's gotta work (to save the money...)
Ok, so here are the other things I wanted to talk about. So as a family of five on a single income, I'm forever searching for ways to stretch our money. Any saving I can do on our expenses, to free up some money for getting to fun stuff with the boys, is what I work hard to do. Here are some of the things that I've been doing lately to save some of our hard earned moolah. :)
Mystery Shopping
I've only had the opportunity to do this once locally. I hope to get one more shop in before we move. I visited a local salon and had a shampoo, cut, trim, and my eyebrows waxed for free. :) I paid the total and tip after my service, came home and wrote up a report and submitted it. They checked it out, approved it, and sent me a check. Ok, so that didn't "earn" me money, but I got to get some pampering done and it didn't cost me anything. :)
Using ShopAtHome
So over the holidays, I did nearly all of my Christmas shopping online. It's very difficult to get out and go shopping for gifts with three kids in tow. Especially if the gifts are for them. This year, I really took advantage of using ShopAtHome for my purchases. If you aren't familiar, this is the general idea...you go to ShopAtHome, sign in, find the store you're looking for and start shopping. Then ShopAtHome pays you a percentage of cash back. The percentage is based on the company. For instance, at Toys R Us, I got 1% back, but at Snapfish, I got 12% back. It all adds up and when you get to $20, they send you a check. Over Christmas, I earned $45! It doesn't cost anything and it's super easy...so I LOVE it!!
Ooma
What on earth is Ooma? :) Ooma is Free Home Phone Service. You buy an Ooma device (looks like a black box), you hook it up to your cable/dsl internet connection, you hook the other end up to your regular home phone...now you have phone service. You pay a one time fee to buy an Ooma box (which is then yours to have forever). The box can seem costly to start with ($160 for a refurbished model directly from Ooma), however, the savings are great. After you buy the box and hook it up, you have home phone service...for FREE! Ok, the disclaimer here is that you still have to pay applicable taxes every month. But it's not fees that Ooma charges...they are the Regulatory Compliance Fee, 911 Service Fee, Federal Universal Service Charge, and State and Local taxes. And it's about $3.47 a month. Less than $4.00 a month for phone service. Now, I know lots of people are cell only families, but to me, I want to have a reliable phone for my boys to use should there be an emergency. And we've been a VoIP family for years now, so this isn't an adjustment for us. Saving $30 a month will be wonderful, though. :)
Ok, I have a few more things to blog about, but this post is already longer than all of my posts from last week combined. So, I'll wrap this one up and blog again tomorrow...about SoapNuts and dryer balls. :)
Mystery Shopping
I've only had the opportunity to do this once locally. I hope to get one more shop in before we move. I visited a local salon and had a shampoo, cut, trim, and my eyebrows waxed for free. :) I paid the total and tip after my service, came home and wrote up a report and submitted it. They checked it out, approved it, and sent me a check. Ok, so that didn't "earn" me money, but I got to get some pampering done and it didn't cost me anything. :)
Using ShopAtHome
So over the holidays, I did nearly all of my Christmas shopping online. It's very difficult to get out and go shopping for gifts with three kids in tow. Especially if the gifts are for them. This year, I really took advantage of using ShopAtHome for my purchases. If you aren't familiar, this is the general idea...you go to ShopAtHome, sign in, find the store you're looking for and start shopping. Then ShopAtHome pays you a percentage of cash back. The percentage is based on the company. For instance, at Toys R Us, I got 1% back, but at Snapfish, I got 12% back. It all adds up and when you get to $20, they send you a check. Over Christmas, I earned $45! It doesn't cost anything and it's super easy...so I LOVE it!!
Ooma
What on earth is Ooma? :) Ooma is Free Home Phone Service. You buy an Ooma device (looks like a black box), you hook it up to your cable/dsl internet connection, you hook the other end up to your regular home phone...now you have phone service. You pay a one time fee to buy an Ooma box (which is then yours to have forever). The box can seem costly to start with ($160 for a refurbished model directly from Ooma), however, the savings are great. After you buy the box and hook it up, you have home phone service...for FREE! Ok, the disclaimer here is that you still have to pay applicable taxes every month. But it's not fees that Ooma charges...they are the Regulatory Compliance Fee, 911 Service Fee, Federal Universal Service Charge, and State and Local taxes. And it's about $3.47 a month. Less than $4.00 a month for phone service. Now, I know lots of people are cell only families, but to me, I want to have a reliable phone for my boys to use should there be an emergency. And we've been a VoIP family for years now, so this isn't an adjustment for us. Saving $30 a month will be wonderful, though. :)
Ok, I have a few more things to blog about, but this post is already longer than all of my posts from last week combined. So, I'll wrap this one up and blog again tomorrow...about SoapNuts and dryer balls. :)
Friday, January 20, 2012
So busy, but I haven't forgotten you, my lonesome little blog...
Sooo, last weekend me and my homegirl Hillary drove down to Fayetteville to find me a house! :) I haven't been on a kid free road trip since before I had kids. :) We had such a great time! On Saturday, we visited five houses. Of the five, one was a "uhhh, no", two were, "Oh, HECK NO!", one was "eh" and one was "doable"....so not the best house hunting trip. So, I checked out a few houses online and asked my lovely real estate agent if he could look up a few more for us to see on Sunday. He did and we went to visit a few more houses. One was too small and the other....well, it was just right. :) And we applied and we were accepted and it's ours!!
So here is a link to the house (with lots of pictures available):
Our New House!!!
We're so excited! It has all the space we need and then some and the boys will have a HUGE room to play in!!
I have more things I want to blog about, but I've gotta eat some dinner. In the best words of Mr. Schwarzenegger, I'll be back.
So here is a link to the house (with lots of pictures available):
Our New House!!!
We're so excited! It has all the space we need and then some and the boys will have a HUGE room to play in!!
I have more things I want to blog about, but I've gotta eat some dinner. In the best words of Mr. Schwarzenegger, I'll be back.
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Moving Goodies!!
Adam started the clearing process today. That's military speak for "started getting ready for the move". He got some cute goodies for the kids and they were pretty excited! It's times like these when I realize how great the Army can be. Sure, it's a small thing, but it's just another way they show they care about even the youngest people affected by a PCS (errr, that's a move for you civilians).
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
It's my 200th post!!! :)
I don't post with much regularity or really have anyone that reads what I write anyway, but this is officially my 200th post here on my blog. I started to keep in touch with Adam and with family since we live out of state, but Adam couldn't tell you my blog address if someone paid him and I'm nearly certain that none of my family members have ever stopped by. But it's totally fine, I blog because I wanna. I blog because I like to write...though I never write about anything that interesting to others...just my life with the boys.
Tomorrow Jaxon turns 2. Already. My little guy is growing up so fast! It's hard to believe that we'll never again have little baby clothes to hang up in the closet, or a cute little swing in the living room, or a brand new baby to hold and snuggle. Sometimes the finality of our decision to stop having kids is sad. Sometimes the thought that I'll never have a daughter is a little more than sad. But the constant reminders of my amazing life with these amazing boys is overwhelming and wonderful. I'm so blessed. The idea that we'll soon be able to go places without worrying about diapers and sippy cups does sound pretty exciting. :)
Today we finally got started on school work again. We took a break for Christmas and because we were outta town and we definitely needed to get back on track. Because we'll be moving in just three weeks, I'm trying to keep things light and not too overwhelming. I'm hoping to get the next six weeks planned out this weekend. Adisson did ok today, but grumbles so much about math that he ended up doing twice as much work because of his attitude. I don't want to use school work as a punishment, but I want him to understand how great it is that he learns at home. Even with extra work today, we only schooled for three hours. I mean, he got to spend a chunk of his afternoon playing the xbox with his Dad. You think he would have been a little less grumpy. :)
Zander did his school work today. He's learning to write his letters and I told him after he's done with that, he gets to work on learning to read. He seems pretty excited. I'm excited to be the one who gets to teach him to read. I get to be the one that sits beside him as he learns how words go together and as he figures out what it's like to read. To be a reader!! :) It's an exciting thing for me!!
I didn't have my treatment today because my hemotologist's office didn't get my insurance referral secured before today's appointment. :-/ It was a little frustrating because my old doctor's receptionist would have never let that happen. She took care of everything for me. And I miss her. :)
So I guess it's about that time. I'd like to get some cleaning done tonight so I can sleep in a little tomorrow before my favorite 10 month old comes over. But that would mean Jaxon would have to quit terrorizing me, the dog, his dad, his sleeping brothers....in order for me to do that. :)
Tomorrow Jaxon turns 2. Already. My little guy is growing up so fast! It's hard to believe that we'll never again have little baby clothes to hang up in the closet, or a cute little swing in the living room, or a brand new baby to hold and snuggle. Sometimes the finality of our decision to stop having kids is sad. Sometimes the thought that I'll never have a daughter is a little more than sad. But the constant reminders of my amazing life with these amazing boys is overwhelming and wonderful. I'm so blessed. The idea that we'll soon be able to go places without worrying about diapers and sippy cups does sound pretty exciting. :)
Today we finally got started on school work again. We took a break for Christmas and because we were outta town and we definitely needed to get back on track. Because we'll be moving in just three weeks, I'm trying to keep things light and not too overwhelming. I'm hoping to get the next six weeks planned out this weekend. Adisson did ok today, but grumbles so much about math that he ended up doing twice as much work because of his attitude. I don't want to use school work as a punishment, but I want him to understand how great it is that he learns at home. Even with extra work today, we only schooled for three hours. I mean, he got to spend a chunk of his afternoon playing the xbox with his Dad. You think he would have been a little less grumpy. :)
Zander did his school work today. He's learning to write his letters and I told him after he's done with that, he gets to work on learning to read. He seems pretty excited. I'm excited to be the one who gets to teach him to read. I get to be the one that sits beside him as he learns how words go together and as he figures out what it's like to read. To be a reader!! :) It's an exciting thing for me!!
I didn't have my treatment today because my hemotologist's office didn't get my insurance referral secured before today's appointment. :-/ It was a little frustrating because my old doctor's receptionist would have never let that happen. She took care of everything for me. And I miss her. :)
So I guess it's about that time. I'd like to get some cleaning done tonight so I can sleep in a little tomorrow before my favorite 10 month old comes over. But that would mean Jaxon would have to quit terrorizing me, the dog, his dad, his sleeping brothers....in order for me to do that. :)
Monday, January 9, 2012
If only I knew how to say "gyro"....
I had SUCH a good night with my girlfriends. I try not to think about leaving them because when I do, it just breaks my heart, but anyway....
I FINALLY got my coupon binder updated and reorganized. It looks so pretty! Plus my girlies got an impromptu coupon lesson tonight after dinner. (Hey, they asked!!)
And I finished proofreading Heidi St. John's book and sent her my suggestions. It felt kinda weird...telling a published author what errors you found in her book. I don't handle criticism well, so I hope I didn't sound critical in my email back to her. It was such a good book! It had so many great tips and ideas that I can't wait to implement after we get settled in North Carolina.
I think my treatment is tomorrow, but my doctor's receptionist never calls me anymore to tell me when my appointment is. :( I got moved to a different doctor at the center after my doctor left and it's been a crazy mess since then. I'm hoping it's tomorrow since I already lined up childcare. :)
Jaxon's birthday is on Wednesday. I need to get him a little gift since his "big" gift (little table and chairs) is taking its sweet time getting delivered. Hillary is going to come over on Wednesday afternoon to help me make cupcakes. We're going to make cupcakes like Elmo's face...hopefully they don't look a complete mess when we're done.
So I think I'm making a road trip to Fayetteville this weekend. One of the houses on my list had a huge rent reduction today so I really want to see if it can be the house we need. I started thinking this afternoon that we maybe shouldn't wait until we get there to find a place. Adam's uncomfortable not having a definite house prior to arrival in the area. I talked to him about making a super fast road trip and he seemed ok with the idea. I hope to get down there, check out as many houses as I can, then get back home and have Adam help me decide which one we like. Then maybe get something official lined up. We'll see how it all goes.
Anyway, time to sleep.
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Trust me, I've been a lot of candles.
I didn't get nearly as much done today as I was hoping. Like, I'm terribly behind. Oops. :)
This week I've got to catch up on some reading.
- Finish proofreading Heidi St. John's new homeschooling book.
- Get caught up on my Bible reading plan.
- Finish reading One Bite at a Time.
I've got to get school stuff organized, planned, and scheduled for the next few weeks...including for the move.
Spend 15 minutes each day decluttering my two big catch-all rooms: the craft closet and my school room.
Get my coupons finished (I was reallllly far behind so it's been taking me awhile to catch up but I'm almost there).
Stay caught up on laundry and dishes. It's been so nice and wonderful to not have piles of dirty clothes and a mountain of dirty dishes. I'm a little (really, A LOT) worried about how long it's going to last. When this phase is over (and I'm anticipating that it will be soon), I'm going to miss it. :(
Ok, so there's the stuff I have to get done this week. Plus my little guy turns 2 this week. With all that's going on, we're not going to have a big party (we ask that people not bring gifts so if that's what you're worried he'd miss out on...have no fear!), we're going to have McDonald's (Jaxon's fave), cake, and ice cream. And of course his gifts from us.
Right, so lots to do and I want to read for a little while tonight. gooooodnight, my non-existent readers. :)
Saturday, January 7, 2012
The joy of a sleeping toddler... :)
Well, with a nice and tidy house, I've been trying VERY hard to keep it clean and organized. If you know me, you know that I'm not the best housekeeper. I'm not dirty...I'm just messy. There isn't trash piled up anywhere, dirty diapers littered all over the floor, no flies or fleas, but there's likely a pile of magazines, papers, coupons, bills, and receipts on just about every flat surface in the house. And Adam HATES that. So I'm trying. I don't want to say it's a New Year's Resolution, I want it to be a life change. I want to be purposeful in all that I'm doing.
Speaking of, so I'm proofreading Heidi St. John's new book on homeschooling. And ohhhmygoodness do I love it!! I feel like she's sitting beside me and telling me she struggles with the same things I do. She gives so much hope and encouragement. I can't wait to tell her that when I email her tomorrow. I'm just being so very blessed by reading this "rough copy" of her book.
I've also found a few other books I want to read. I'll link them up tomorrow. Fortunately, most were free snags thanks to the online world of free (for a limited time) ebooks. :) Tiffany told me that if the world ends this year (uhh, we don't really think that...we just joke about it a lot) she'd hate to stand before God and say she didn't have the time to read the Bible in its entirety. So that's also on my list of things to do...because I haven't done that yet...oops. I found a super awesome devotional bible and downloaded it to my Nook...with a great reading plan in it. I'm a little behind (already?? It's barely the second week of the year!!) so I'm hoping to find time tomorrow to catch up.
Anyway, I spent a few hours with my coupon binder tonight. I got some cute new divider tabs and wanted to reorganize. Now I have to sort through a TON of coupon's...and get TONS and TONS more tomorrow with the purchase of four Posts. I haven't been very purposeful in my coupon using lately and I want to be much better about it. It's another goal.
So, it's late and I need to get to bed...tomorrow I've got coupons coming outta my ears and weeks and weeks of school to plan. What on earth am I doing online?? :)
Speaking of, so I'm proofreading Heidi St. John's new book on homeschooling. And ohhhmygoodness do I love it!! I feel like she's sitting beside me and telling me she struggles with the same things I do. She gives so much hope and encouragement. I can't wait to tell her that when I email her tomorrow. I'm just being so very blessed by reading this "rough copy" of her book.
I've also found a few other books I want to read. I'll link them up tomorrow. Fortunately, most were free snags thanks to the online world of free (for a limited time) ebooks. :) Tiffany told me that if the world ends this year (uhh, we don't really think that...we just joke about it a lot) she'd hate to stand before God and say she didn't have the time to read the Bible in its entirety. So that's also on my list of things to do...because I haven't done that yet...oops. I found a super awesome devotional bible and downloaded it to my Nook...with a great reading plan in it. I'm a little behind (already?? It's barely the second week of the year!!) so I'm hoping to find time tomorrow to catch up.
Anyway, I spent a few hours with my coupon binder tonight. I got some cute new divider tabs and wanted to reorganize. Now I have to sort through a TON of coupon's...and get TONS and TONS more tomorrow with the purchase of four Posts. I haven't been very purposeful in my coupon using lately and I want to be much better about it. It's another goal.
So, it's late and I need to get to bed...tomorrow I've got coupons coming outta my ears and weeks and weeks of school to plan. What on earth am I doing online?? :)
Friday, January 6, 2012
Make the screaming stop!!! :)
Tonight, I've been adding some new books to my Nook. I'd love to get some reading done. I think it's because my lovely Tiffany has been going on and on about all her reading lately and I want to take some time to get some reading done, too. I want to do a lot of things on purpose. Reading is a great one. :)
So the potential renters came by today. I wish I coulda been a fly on the wall to hear what they had to say. I know this isn't "our" house but I would like to know what they thought. Our landlord called us while we were shopping in Toys R Us (the boys have gift cards to spend) and told us that we'd know by Monday (well, that they would know and I'm assuming they will pass the info along to us). He also said his wife was very pleased with how nice the house looked. That was nice to hear.
I'm about to head upstairs to work on some coupon organizing and list making. This weekend, I've got to get six weeks of school planned out for our upcoming traveling "vacation" to a our new house. I hope I can do some stuff to keep the boys engaged and entertained. Not everything is supposed to be fun, but it's harder to learn if it's dreadfully boring. :)
I'm praying that we'll find a house. I'm trying very hard to let go and let God handle this situation, but that's difficult for me. I can't believe we're going to pack up and MOVE to North Carolina without having a guarantee of a signed lease. I feel like we're being crazy, but it's my idea to wait until we get there to look at places and pick one...so I'll quit worrying about it and it will all be ok. :)
Just keep swimming, just keep swimming!
So the potential renters came by today. I wish I coulda been a fly on the wall to hear what they had to say. I know this isn't "our" house but I would like to know what they thought. Our landlord called us while we were shopping in Toys R Us (the boys have gift cards to spend) and told us that we'd know by Monday (well, that they would know and I'm assuming they will pass the info along to us). He also said his wife was very pleased with how nice the house looked. That was nice to hear.
I'm about to head upstairs to work on some coupon organizing and list making. This weekend, I've got to get six weeks of school planned out for our upcoming traveling "vacation" to a our new house. I hope I can do some stuff to keep the boys engaged and entertained. Not everything is supposed to be fun, but it's harder to learn if it's dreadfully boring. :)
I'm praying that we'll find a house. I'm trying very hard to let go and let God handle this situation, but that's difficult for me. I can't believe we're going to pack up and MOVE to North Carolina without having a guarantee of a signed lease. I feel like we're being crazy, but it's my idea to wait until we get there to look at places and pick one...so I'll quit worrying about it and it will all be ok. :)
Just keep swimming, just keep swimming!
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Oh, the love of an Aunt... :)
Ohmygoodness. We spent hours and hours cleaning and such today. The potential renters are coming tomorrow to see the house and with as much as we're working, you'd think we owned this place! My landlord and his wife are really nice people and I really want them to find new renters, quickly, since we're bailing on this lease early. I really hope they like the house. Our main goal today has been cleaning and making the house look as nice as we can. Then for the rest of the month I'll be working on decluttering this whole house. I don't want movers to box up and move stuff we don't need/use/want. I hate unpacking something and thinking "Why on earth do we have this??"
All this cleaning should free up some of my time this weekend to get school stuff planned for the next six weeks. Everything the boys need will have to fit into one bag that can travel with us as we'll be schooling out of a bag until we get unpacked in the middle of February. I'll be excited to get back in the swing of things with school. I'm not sure the boys will agree....but that doesn't surprise me. :)
I follow The Busy Homeschool Mom on Facebook and tonight she was looking for a few people to proofread her new book prior to its release. I emailed her to let her know I'd be interested and she sent me a copy! I'm so excited!!! I can't wait to read it and help with any suggestions...so I suppose I'll wrap this up so I can start reading! Oh, but here's a pic to share...
This is a picture of Sophia (left) and Sawyer (right). Soph was fussing and Sawyer reached over and moved her bottle for her. :)
All this cleaning should free up some of my time this weekend to get school stuff planned for the next six weeks. Everything the boys need will have to fit into one bag that can travel with us as we'll be schooling out of a bag until we get unpacked in the middle of February. I'll be excited to get back in the swing of things with school. I'm not sure the boys will agree....but that doesn't surprise me. :)
I follow The Busy Homeschool Mom on Facebook and tonight she was looking for a few people to proofread her new book prior to its release. I emailed her to let her know I'd be interested and she sent me a copy! I'm so excited!!! I can't wait to read it and help with any suggestions...so I suppose I'll wrap this up so I can start reading! Oh, but here's a pic to share...
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
This melody was meant for you, just sing along to my stereo
Oh my gosh. I think the trip gets longer each time we make it! Sadly, that was our last trip from Ohio to Maryland. Soon, we'll be living in NC. It still seems very surreal. Like it can't be really happening. I try not to think about how much I'll miss my besties here.... :(
And I'm sad to not be in Ohio. It was kinda a lousy trip. Jax was barfy and gross for the first few days and by barfy I mean, took several opportunities to vomit curdled milk DIRECTLY on to me. Yummmm. And when we're visiting, I just expect everyone to drop everything to hang out with us. They don't. And that's selfish anyway, but still. :) But it was so good to spend time with my brothers and their kids. My baby nieces were over the top precious and lovely and my nephews get cuter and goofier by the day. And everyone LOVES Aunt Cole!!
Anyway, we have people coming to look at the house on Friday. So I have a little bit (read: LOTS) of cleaning to get done. The contents of a VERY full van, loaded down with Christmas gifts, have exploded all over our house and I'm trying hard to find new homes for all of our new things. And I have about 40 hours to do it in. :) Always up for a challenge I guess.
I'm still working on my list of New Year's Resolutions, but I think some of them might be New House Resolutions because they might need to wait until we get moved and settled. Ok, this post was a whole lotta rambling about nothing, but it's late, I'm tired and I had a heckuva long day. More nonsense tomorrow....
And I'm sad to not be in Ohio. It was kinda a lousy trip. Jax was barfy and gross for the first few days and by barfy I mean, took several opportunities to vomit curdled milk DIRECTLY on to me. Yummmm. And when we're visiting, I just expect everyone to drop everything to hang out with us. They don't. And that's selfish anyway, but still. :) But it was so good to spend time with my brothers and their kids. My baby nieces were over the top precious and lovely and my nephews get cuter and goofier by the day. And everyone LOVES Aunt Cole!!
Anyway, we have people coming to look at the house on Friday. So I have a little bit (read: LOTS) of cleaning to get done. The contents of a VERY full van, loaded down with Christmas gifts, have exploded all over our house and I'm trying hard to find new homes for all of our new things. And I have about 40 hours to do it in. :) Always up for a challenge I guess.
I'm still working on my list of New Year's Resolutions, but I think some of them might be New House Resolutions because they might need to wait until we get moved and settled. Ok, this post was a whole lotta rambling about nothing, but it's late, I'm tired and I had a heckuva long day. More nonsense tomorrow....
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Make me your radio, turn me up when you feel low
We gave our notice to the landlord. It's official. I felt bad since we signed a two year lease and we haven't even been there 11 months yet, but what can ya do? Fortunately, he has an interested applicant that wants to see the house this Friday. Unfortunately, I'm about to live the life of a person that has to have their house show ready all the time. :( This will be a long month.
I can't believe our time in Ohio is over. :( I hate being so far away from my brothers, sister-in-law(s), nieces and nephews. Sure, it stinks being away from the rest of our families as well, but when we're around, those are the people we spend a majority of our time with. I'll miss them. Jordan's kids are finally getting to the point where they remember that I'm Aunt Cole and not just some weird, loud person wanting to give them hugs and kisses. And Luke's girls are so teensy and precious that I'll miss seeing them get bigger and even more fun. But again, this is the life we live.
Sigh. I'm so so so overwhelmed. House decluttering and cleaning, new house hunting...just everything....It's going to be a long, slow, fast, crazy, chaotic month for us. And February is only going to bring the stress of moving, unpacking, finding our way in a new place, adjusting....
But this is what we do, this is how we roll. And you know what, bring it on. :) As long as my boys are happy, healthy, and with me...we can do whatever, we can be wherever.
I can't believe our time in Ohio is over. :( I hate being so far away from my brothers, sister-in-law(s), nieces and nephews. Sure, it stinks being away from the rest of our families as well, but when we're around, those are the people we spend a majority of our time with. I'll miss them. Jordan's kids are finally getting to the point where they remember that I'm Aunt Cole and not just some weird, loud person wanting to give them hugs and kisses. And Luke's girls are so teensy and precious that I'll miss seeing them get bigger and even more fun. But again, this is the life we live.
Sigh. I'm so so so overwhelmed. House decluttering and cleaning, new house hunting...just everything....It's going to be a long, slow, fast, crazy, chaotic month for us. And February is only going to bring the stress of moving, unpacking, finding our way in a new place, adjusting....
But this is what we do, this is how we roll. And you know what, bring it on. :) As long as my boys are happy, healthy, and with me...we can do whatever, we can be wherever.
Sunday, January 1, 2012
Lotsa goals to set...hopefully some work out!! :)
So I follow Money Saving Mom and LOVE HER!! She posted some goals she has for the new year and I'd like to compose a list of my own. Sure, you could call them New Year's Resolutions...I've got plenty of those, but I'll call them goals...it seems less likely to fail that way.
So for the next week, I'm working on coming up with a new goal for each month. Crystal at MSM has a new homemade goody that she's trying each month and while that sounds super neat, I'm gonna modify my list to be more suitable for me (the point of personal goals).
Also, Crystal has a new book coming out. Preorder it on Amazon and show this amazing lady some love. I can't wait to read it!!
I'm still thinking about what I want my list to look like. I'm also gonna work on a book list of different books I want to read over the course of the year. It's hard for me to do too much list making at this point, because we move to a whole new state in exactly one month. Like a month from today, I'm going to be cleaning up my house after the movers have loaded up all of our stuff. Crazy thought.
Maybe my goal for January is to COMPLETELY declutter my house. Oh and find a new house....gotta have a place for all these boys to live!! :)
So for the next week, I'm working on coming up with a new goal for each month. Crystal at MSM has a new homemade goody that she's trying each month and while that sounds super neat, I'm gonna modify my list to be more suitable for me (the point of personal goals).
Also, Crystal has a new book coming out. Preorder it on Amazon and show this amazing lady some love. I can't wait to read it!!
I'm still thinking about what I want my list to look like. I'm also gonna work on a book list of different books I want to read over the course of the year. It's hard for me to do too much list making at this point, because we move to a whole new state in exactly one month. Like a month from today, I'm going to be cleaning up my house after the movers have loaded up all of our stuff. Crazy thought.
Maybe my goal for January is to COMPLETELY declutter my house. Oh and find a new house....gotta have a place for all these boys to live!! :)
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