starting anew

http://frogsbugsmudandboys.blogspot.com/


I am starting over.  It seems that this blog kind of fell to the wayside.  I decided instead of trying to resurrect it, I will just start a new one.  so come visit me there!

Baby Bird

Yesterday the boys found a baby bird in the neighbors yard, put it in a little laundry basket and brought it into the house.  Boys are just really nuts, or fun... depends on how you look at it.   They also said that they fed it a worm (they had dug some up the other day). 

Oh the joy of living in a house of boys.

nolan dancing

Christmas Planning

The ideas are already swimming in my head.  What to get who.  Who will give what (I buy for my mother-in-law and at least one of my brothers)  I just love browsing the ads and thinking about what we are going to get.  I have started my spread sheet to track what I am spending. 

I just love picking out presents for the boys and trying to figure out what I can get for a good deal that they will still like.

Johny the Elf on the Shelf: Week 1

We had a small issue this week, when E touched Johny when he was in the bathroom.  Johny didn't go see Santa that night, but the next day we reread the book, and talked again about the rule of not touching Johny, the next day Johny was on the little candle/lamp in the Living Room holding a pen.  He had left a note for B, E and N.  In the note it said that he missed us for that day, and that he was glad to have his magic back, and to see us again, but to remember not to touch because he doesn't think he will be able to get his magic back a second time.

I will say I had lots of fun this week with Johny.  He peed in the toilet (green food coloring) and wrote the boys a note.   I can't wait to see what else this little elf gets into...

jessie

Child Nutrition Act

Have you heard about it, if not try reading this article, Inside The Last Minute Fight to Pass the Child Nutrition Act.   Essentially this bill has passed the Senate but is stalled in the House.  If you are interested in healthier food choices in your school please call or e-mail you Representative to let them know.  To call or e-mail our Representatives just call 1-800-826-3688 and ask for your Congressman or woman, or go to www.house.gov and e-mail them from there.

New backround

Do you like it.  B picked it out.  I like it, I just need to find a new top picture that works better with the backround.   Plus that picture is a year old already, can you believe it I sure can't. 

talk to you later

Jessie

Elf on the Shelf

I heard about the Elf on the Shelf last year, and wanted to get one, but didn't because I didn't feel it was worth it (I am cheap you know).  But today I saw it on the shelf at Gifts from the Heart and I couldn't resist, so I bought it.  I know a impulse buy that totally goes against my nature, but I couldn't resist.

The idea of the Elf on the Shelf, family tradition.  Is that the elf works for Santa, and he fly's to Santa every night and reports to him what the kids have been up to.  Usually I think the Elf come out after Thanksgiving, or St. Nicks day, ours is out now, I couldn't resist getting it out.   Although B at first said it wasn't real, he has since been converted (he picked up some cards, and made sure to tell me he was doing it so the Elf would see. lol)  I am thinking about getting this for my newest niece and nephew,  so they can start the tradition early. 

 

you can get it from amazon if you want.  I got mine from Gifts from the Heart.

IGA trip today

It was a really good trip.  I feel like I could have done better, but still did better than I have in a while.

here is what I got/did

i spent 51
i saved 31
total value 82
total % saved 38%

i got
3 betty crocker potatos  99 each
2 carnation evaporated milk .79--1.58 total
5  flour   .79---3.95 total (just plain white flour)
1 sugar  .69
1 cheese slices  1.50
2- marshmellows .79---1.58
1-milk  3.19
1 mustard 1.19
4- brown sugar .99---3.96
2 whipped topping .99---1.98
4 white bread  .88--3.52
3 imperial margernine quarters .50---1.50
2 muss. apple sauce 2$----4$
1 pillsburry brownie mix .99
1 pillsubrry white cake .79
2 pillsburry yellow cake .79---1.58
ground beef 7.14
link pork sausage 5.28


and i forgot to get yeast.. it was .79 for a package of 3... i was going to get a bunch of them...

if i had stuff in order i probably had some coupons for the betty crocker stuff and pillsburry (pretty much everything else was IGA Brand)


now I would like to add that I am changing my coupon storage method AGAIN.  I had stopped just storing the inserts by date a while ago, and had been using envelopes, but those are already falling apart, so back to the binder for me.   Instead of just using one of the cheap binders I have here though, I bought a mead zipper binder with some pockets off of Amazon, and got some new insert sheets off of Ebay.  The sheets are not just the regular baseball card sheets either.  Hopefully starting out with a little more to my system will help me to keep up with it.

Halloween

Halloween Parade

getting ready to trick or treat

 

Enjoying the loot

 another parade one

Bumped Head

B fell and hit his head on the corner of the chest in my room.  

 

This is the actual small gouge that caused all of that blood.

Here We Go Again

I am back.  I have been pretty busy lately, with the start of school, and such.  S is coaching baseball, he is very busy.

B is doing great this year.  It is just amazing to S and I how much better this year in K is compared to last year.  and guess what today he finally learned his phone number.  Isn't that wonderful, you may think that isn't such a big thing, but we worked on that all last year and on and off during the summer.  We hit it hard for about 3 days, and he knows it!  I'm so excited for him.

E is loving Pre-K.  He loves ridding the bus and has a great day pretty much everyday.

N, well N is just N.  He is definitely 2, but really a young 2.  Sometimes the issues of a two year old seem minor compared to the issues of a 6 year old.  know what I mean.  N is talking more, and Kim comes for therapy through Early Intervention.


so in other words we are doing pretty good here.  I hope to keep this up more, but we will see.

spent 16.57
saved 10.23
total value 26.80
total % saved 38%

 

spent 38
saved 25
total value 63
total % saved 40%

 

total

spent 55
saved 35
total value 90
total % saved 39%

Ethan at meet the teacher day.

Weekly spending

Super Valu

Total Spent 33
Total Saved 17
total value 50
Total % saved 34%


IGA trip 1

total spent 35
total saved 15
total value 50
total % saved 30%


IGA trip 2

spent 15$
saved 12$
total value 27$
total % saved 44%


total

spent 83
saved 44
total value 127
total % saved 35%

weekly spending

super valu

total spent 42$
total saved 20$
total value 62$
total % saved 32%

Iga

Spent 11
saved 6
total value 17
total % saved 35%

CVS

Spent 2$
total saved 16
total value 18
total % saved 89%

totals for the week

total spent 55
total saved 42
total value 97
total % saved 43%

Fly lady Day 3

Ok, well I messed up one day but that is ok, we just keep going.

todays task is to keep doing what you are doing.  So keep shinning your sink and getting dressed to you shoes.  I am doing ok.  I do need to clean my sink and will in a minute.  I do not wear shoes in that have laces most of the time, so that just doesn't happen, oh well.

if you are interested in doing Flylday go to www.flylady.net.

Restarting Flylady

I have been dragging when it comes to flylady.  Except for the houseblessings, not much has been getting done.  My control journal is non existent.  So today I will restart the flylady's 31 beginner steps.

So the first baby step is Shine Your Sink.

http://flylady.net/pages/begin_babysteps.asp

I ddid do this some yesterday, but I plan to really shine it today.

Super Valu trip

Today we made a trip to Super Valu.

I spent 72
I saved 28
total value 100
Total % saved 28%


I know due to my modem being down, I didn't post my spending for last week (and maybe the week before)  I did save my receipts (I think) so hopefully I will be able to catch those up.

Groupon deal

One Adult or Child Triceratops Ticket to DinoQuest at the Missouri Botanical Garden and Butterfly House
from $6 worth: discount: savings: $10 40% $4 Company Information: Missouri Botanical Garden website Locations: 4344 Shaw Blvd. St. Louis, Missouri 63110

Their is some fine print, like when they expire that you may want to read. 

have you signed up for groupon.  They have coupons like this daily, for things in your area.  Go to Groupon.com and sign up.  It can be almost anything, from something like this to 1/2 off a hair cut at a St. Louis Salon, you never know what you are going to get.