Lost

I am just keeping it real today. Somewhere between changing dirty diapers, folding laundry, cleaning toilets, wiping up spills, picking up toys, cooking dinner, washing dishes, breaking up fights, kissing boo boos, feeding the dogs, taking kids to the dentist, paying bills, and bathing children I have become lost. I see this form that resembles me, but the true me appears to have gone MIA. In my place is some sort of robot that starts first thing in the morning and doesn't stop until late at night, but still doesn't finish a fraction of the things on the to-do list. I feel invisible to the people around me. People that I once thought good friends seem to have gone with the wind. I have somehow lost my identity. I must be in a strange phase of life I guess. I love my kids dearly, it is just that I miss me.

Frugal Friday

My tip for today is to know which stores take both manufacturer coupons and store coupons on the same item. These combine for a great deal! For instance Target, CVS, and Walgreens all let you combine their store coupons and manufacturer coupons for the same item while HEB does not and you have to choose which coupon you would like to use. My favorite is Kroger which will allow you to combine a store coupon, manufacturer coupon, and an Internet coupon all on the same item. I have gotten lots of Huggies and Pampers diapers for $2 a pack...sometimes even FREE doing this. Shortcuts and Cellfire are my favorite 2 online coupon sites where you load ecoupons onto your shopping cards. I get tons of yogurt for free from Kroger combining ecoupons and manufacturer coupons from the paper.

In a nutshell, today's tip is to know your local stores and their coupon policies. There is a TON of money to be saved using coupons.

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday

Plum Picking

Another homeschooling mom that is on a local email loop with me invited us to come out and pick plums at her house. The boys have never picked fruit before so we decided to take her up on the offer. The plums this year were very small, but they boys had a great time and said they tasted the same as the larger plums.

Brayden

Bryson

Brandt and Brayden

Brennan

It was a dirty job......there were butterflies to watch...

...and toads to catch.

In the end we had a colorful bounty to show for our hard work fun.

Frugal Friday

Sorry I missed last week's Frugal Friday, but I was attending a homeschooling conference out of town and my sister took us to the Houston Astros vs. Chicago Cubs baseball game that night.

This week my tip is to check out your local hair design schools. We have a local one named Charles and Sue's. I call and ask for a student who is close to graduation, and I usually get someone who is within 2-3 weeks of graduation. I get lots of compliments on my hair, and people can not believe I get it done there. The plus is I can get a hair cut, 2 different shade of highlights, the special shampoo and conditioner, blow dried and styled for $50 after tip. That is at least half of the price of having the same person do my hair 2 weeks later at their new job. An instructor does check your hair before you leave. The downside to this is you always get someone new doing your hair since your last person is now graduated and working at a salon.

10 on Thursday

Dustin and I went to our very 1st homeschooling conference last week in Houston. Here are 10 things I learned at the conference.

1. Deciding curriculum is overwhelming, there are so many to choose from.
2. In the homeschooling community we have a small family, average at best. There were so many families and people that we met that had 5+ children (6 seemed to be average).
3. While there were families there that the women had very long hair and only wore skirts, most people did not fit that stereotype.
4. I love spending time with just my husband, even if it is just sitting in a session with him.
5. We have very similar taste, and only once did we decide to go to different sessions.
6. When I had my last baby a month before I turned 28 that made me a super young mom. There were lots of women there in their mid 40s and pregnant.
7. What works for one child might not work for another child. We could end up having to buy each child new curriculum that is best suited for them each year.
8. Curriculum is not cheap.
9. The possibilities are endless out there for my children and their education.
10. I am very excited to start this chapter and considering my children have asked me everyday if we can start homeschooling now I would say they are too.

Wordless Wednesday