Mash Potatoes Mash Potatoes!

What do Mash Potatoes have to do with anything? They don't. Except that I tackled cleaning/reorganizing the pantry this weekend. After the 3 days I spent trying to move as little as possible due to the sunburn from heck. I was burned and blistery. At least when I was feeling better, the two youngest kids helped me sort the cans and the boxes and re-put them back in the pantry. Now I know what I have and what I needed. I still have to update my inventory on my phone.

Last week was the boys last P.E. class. I'm kinda glad, but kinda sad. Glad we don't have to wake up early and drive tons and come back, but at the same point, I liked getting out of the house. Today was the last tutoring for Daredevil. He has improved a LOT from where he was at. Apparently he wrote "poop" at tutoring. I see that as a small step in the right direction- at least he is writing and spelling words. However, I'd like him to spell something other then poop.

Princess goes in Thursday to get the pin taken out of her arm. She is going to a surgery center to get it out. I just want this whole arm-pin thing to be DONE and over with. The doctor wont remove it at the office, so we had to get the insurance to agree for the surgery center. Today Daredevil and Princess were playing and she bumped her arm and it was all gross. Hubby says to take her to the doctor tonight. Yeah- no thanks. She's not in pain and it's not bleeding, and she'll get it out Thursday at the crack of dawn. That's going to go over really well with her! At least it is so early, she wont notice she doesn't get food in the morning.

Genius and Daredevil have been working really hard on the garden. Part of the grass in the backyard got sacrificed for a cornfield. They have a lot of determination in their digging, mulching, and watering. I really hope the corn and watermelon grow. They still have carrots and green beats to start once the corn gets on it's way. It will be worth it to have some food we grew ourselves, and it's neat to see the comprehension on Daredevil's face- "ohhhh- that's what a root looks like!".

I went to Stater Bros today and for $30 got 4 boxes of crackers, 2 bottles of salad dressing, 2 packs of hot dogs, 6 lbs of boneless skinless chicken, 3 lbs of ground beef, 1.5 lbs of stew pork meat, and 2 lbs of pork loin, oh, and a gallon of ice cream. Not too bad. I also finished my Rite Aid rolling of the diaper & little swimmers deals, and the sunblock deal. I love the spray on sunblock, so getting it for really cheap was a big plus. Now to just remember to USE it.

Doorbuster fell asleep watching Thomas in the living room. Princess helped rock him to sleep. She was very proud of herself.

Work Smarter, Not Harder

These are maybe half of the geotrax we own. Now that I look at the picture, probably 35% of what we actually have. I love trains, hubby loves trains, and no matter what kids and what age they are, they play trains. I've gotten pretty patient at stepping around large, complicated train tracks. Not to mention it's a great excuse not to vacuum for a day. Only problem is, these tracks have been sitting in my garage for the past 8 months, and under the stairs at my old house for quite a bit. They are dusty and grimy.

My lovely hubby let me sleep in on Saturday. I woke up and was laying in bed, enjoying that no one was bothering me yet, when I hear the dishwasher going. I smelled pancakes, so I got up and went in the kitchen, hoping to see it picked up and to be able to enjoy my pancakes. When I went in there, it was still a huge mess, but yet, the dishwasher was going. Hubby proudly showed me what he had been up to:

He had the kids pick up the track, loaded them in the dishwasher, and had them clean the living room too. Isn't he just the sweetest? Not to mention I was trying to figure out when I could dump all the track in the bathtub to scrub them, when here he got them all nice and clean (and sanitized), in about 30 min.

So if you need to clean your train track, toss them in the dishwasher.

Super Saving Saturday

This week was a light shopping week for the most part. I do have to laugh to myself when people say that you can't save money in Southern California because they don't double coupons and it's just so expensive here. Or, you shouldn't coupon because you wont get free things all the time. Well, there are stores that double coupons, and any money you save is more money that stays in your pocket.



$13 at Staters-

$30 at Winco-  (No picture here). I did use $9 in coupons, and I got 6 boxes of hamburger helper, hot sauce, 2 big jars of Ragu (the biggest they make), a gallon tub of ice cream, Popsicles, 2 Knorrs Rice sides, 3 boxes of Jose's Taquitos, 15 kool-aid packets (to make snowcone syrup), graham crackers, saltine crackers, 2 cans of refried beans, 2 bottles of dressing and a little box of animal crackers.


Then comes Rite Aid. Not free stuff like usual, but some good deals. And I broke my rule about buying more diapers, because I couldn't pass up buying them at $1.75. This is half the Rite Aid shopping I will do, I've been breaking them into $15 chunks so I can use my $3 off $15 survey coupons. They have a promo with kimberley clark ($10 up when you buy $30) and a skincare/suncare ($15 up for when you buy $50 worth). I started with $2 in ups, and when I am done with my next trip, I will have at least $25 in UPs.

Transaction #1:

Shampoo was $4.99 with $4.99 up reward (so free), burn relief was B1G1 Free. Used $3/$15, my $2 UP, paid $12 OOP (received 2 $4.99 UPs).

Transaction #2:

Used $2 off Little Movers Q, Used $2 off little swimmers, used $3/15, used $4.99 in UPS, paid $5 OOP.


Transaction #3

Used $1 off Coppertone Q, $2 off Coppertone Rite Aid Q, Used $1 Banana Boat and got one free (wish I would of been able to use another $1 off, but it was still a good deal). Used $3/15 Q and $4.99 in ups, paid $7, received $2 in Ups.

I currently have $25.00 and $15.58 toward the big UPs rewards, so I will repeat the sunblock and diapers one more time (and substitute something else for the burn cream, as I don't think I need more then two bottles). I am sooo burnt I'm blistering! It does NOT pay to be frugal and only sunblock your kids and put them in UV rash guards. Not when you have tons of sunblock you bought already, and when you have two rashguards of your own you should of put on. Lesson learned!

Awana Awards

Thankfully, all of our activities are winding down for the summer. I rather like having unscheduled time when we can pack up and go places. The kids had their Awana awards.

Cubbies- Beth's last year
 (and hopefully Grandma has better pictures of this!)

Sparks

T&T

The kids had a good year, and they had lots of fun doing the Grand Prix, Awana games, and the drive in movie night. Both boys only got halfway through their books, and Princess finished hers. I see lots of memorizing in their future so they can get caught up. Some of the verses are really hard! There are a few parents working though the books and racing their kids, so maybe next year I will race them through their books for the fun of it. At least I saved Daredevil's old book so I can start working with Princess on the starting verse over the summer. She likes to say things HER way, so getting her to say things the correct way will be interesting.

Rite Aid's New Coupon Policy....My Thoughts

A lot of people have been rather angry over Rite Aid's new coupon policy. I was disappointed in it, but it's not the end of the world, nor will I be boycotting Rite Aid.

I'm not loyal to any store, or brand. I'm loyal to my family and our finances. I check 3 different drugstores, Target, Walmart, and all of our local grocery stores for deals. The ones that have the low prices on the things we need to stock up on, are the places I go. I generally narrow things down to 2 drugstores, 2 grocery stores, and Target (unless someone else is having a super great deal on a few items we need). If there is something we need to get that isn't on sale, I usually end up buying it at whatever stores I happen to be at.

In my city, I have 2 Rite Aids, 2 CVS, and 2 Walgreens, and all of them are located smack dab next to each other. It's really easy to walk to each one and pick up the best deals. So if Rite Aid cuts back on their deals, I'll just take my money to the other stores. Even with the little money I do spend, I've spent more money at Rite Aid in the past 6 months then I have in the past 10 years. If they don't want my money, I know quite a few other stores who will take my money. I'll take what deals I can, and if they end up being nonexistent with their coupon change, that's their problem. I appreciate what deals I got, and what deals we will get.

Take Rite Aid's paper plates. They usually (every other month) give a video value coupon for $2/2 Dixie Paper Plates. The paper plates are $3.99 at my store when not on sale. Usually you wait until a buy one get one free sale, then use the $2/2 coupon, so you would get 2 for $2. I'd wait for the sale and buy my plates. Now with the coupon change, I'd have to buy 4 sets of plates to use my $2 coupon, getting 4 sets for $6. I can go to Walmart and get the same plates for $1 (maybe $1.25) without a coupon. Stack that with a few other Walmart deals, and maybe my time is better spent going to Walmart with my other coupon stuff, then going to Rite Aid.

The only part of the policy that I do like is the limit of 4 like coupons per transaction (and if you want to use more, it's up to the manager). Maybe this will cut down on a bit of the shelf clearing that goes on at Rite Aid for the good deals. Also the limits on how many UP rewards you can get on a deal. I hope it makes it a little more fair so that the deals can be available to everyone, not just those who are at the store first thing on Friday morning to take all the stock. I have no problem if at the end of the sale, if there's stuff left to let people take it, but at the beginning rather stinks!

So only time will tell if Rite Aid will pay for the change.

Simple Daybook

I'm at a bit of a hmmmm as to what to write today (and I'm avoiding cleaning for a bit), so I'll fall back on my old standby!

Outside my window- It's sunny, and hot. There's a lot of pincher bugs that hide in everything. It's driving me nuts!

I am thinking- How long do pincher bugs live, anyways? I also need to come up with a place to plant all the seeds that are sprouting. That will be this weekend's job for the boys.

I am thankful for-  being able to stay home and play trains with the kids. I'm thankful for coupons, and for my hubby cooking an awesome, yummy, dinner last night. And for the insurance company who was so quick at approving Princess's surgery at the surgery center. YAY for no hospital!

I am praying for- a quick, easy, painless surgery for Princess to get the pin out of her arm. Also, for my eye to quit twitching, it's rather annoying. I'm also praying for the people of Joplin, and the people from the other disasters that have happened back east.

From the learning room- Reading, reading, reading, subtracting, multiplying, circuits, and citizenship.

From the kitchen- Made Cinnamon rolls today, I think they are too sticky when I double the filling, so next time I am not doubling it. I made a huge batch of waffles and froze them, which has been the best help ever. I printed a menu plan from Money Saving Mom, put it in a page protector, and taped it to my pantry door. Now I can meal plan from my pantry, and write on the page protector with a erasable marker. Cheap and easy!

I am creating- I have a pile stacking up of things that need to be sewn, I just lack the time to get to the sewing. Other then that, not really creating at the moment.

I am going- It's time for Awana's award ceremony, the last PE class until next year, the last tutoring meeting, and then we are FREE for the summer. (Well, free of going those places, as we school during the summer in reading and math).

I continue reading- Finished books 7, 8, 9, 10 of the Left Behind series, about 3 chapters into book 11. They are good books, and sure hook you in when you get reading.

I am hearing- The happy sounds of 4 kids playing geo trax.

Around the house- I need to vacuum the popcorn up from the living room floor, finish washing dishes, and get the house presentable for company on Thursday. I did swap the foil/plastic wrap drawer with the silverware drawer, and cleaned both out really well.

One of my favorite things- Hubby made fried chicken last night. I dream of his fried chicken. It's sooo good!

Here is a picture for thought:


(There's not picture here, as I can't find the camera. Oops). 

End of the Year- Curriculum!

It's every homeschooler's favorite topic! What curriculum to use? We've started and stopped a lot of different stuff, and I think I'm actually getting to the point where I know what I want to use for next year. Alright, probably not. But I'm spending this summer really trying to plan out what to use for all three (yes, THREE) kids at the same time. I'm sure my plan will change many times, but hey, that's why we homeschool.

So here are some thoughts on a few of the things we've used this year:


First Language Lessons- These were OK for Genius, I just think we lacked the vocabulary part of it (there wasn't any- which kinda puts him behind in STAR Testing). He also hates the repeating of everything, he hates saying things over and over out loud like you are supposed to. The lower level books all have a lot of memorizing, which did not work at all for Daredevil. It has a lot of graphic out sentances, which I think Genius liked, he just didn't want to repeat or memorize what he was really doing. We returned this, along with the Writing Lessons from the same company. I learned I love the sound of a classical education, but it's just not for us.

Real Science 4 Kids- I liked the books, I thought they were really pretty and well done. The kids did not share that feeling. The easy ones were over Daredevils head, Genius didn't like them because he wasn't interested in cells or biology. We sent these back, along with the worksheet CD.

Science in a Nutshell- I LOVE these kits! I'm going to try and order some more for next year that match up with the science book we will be using. At least- this will be for Princess and Daredevil to do. I'm going to leave Genius with picking his own science stuff to work with.  Princess and Daredevil will probably be doing their science together. But, before I decide that for sure, we're going to do a few test runs to see how it goes. The kids loved these kits too, they are fun and everything is right there, so you don't have to hunt for supplies.

Thames & Kosmos Kits- The Chemistry Set was a little hard- it seemed like the directions were missing a few steps. The solar system kit was pretty nice, but if you were buying it, you could probably just make some print outs and stuff to use instead. The Electronics I kit was Genius's favorite. It was really easy, written really well, and he must of spent three days straight just doing the experiments out of it. If you have a kid who likes electronics, they would LOVE that kit. It was perfect for a 9-10 year old. The Electronics II kit is a big step up from the first kit. It starts from the beginning, so you could easily buy the II kit and not be missing anything. It's not written like a story though, its pretty cut and dry. It then progresses into very technical language. This kit is more of a challenge for Genius, and he is really having to work slowly and try things many times to get them right. It's a great kit.

Lexia Learning- Daredevil is doing so much better in his reading since we've been using Lexia Learning. He uses it every day for 30 min. The hardest part of this curriculum is knowing how much you're supposed to use it! It's great from my perspective, I set it up, give him headphones, and set the timer. I peek in on him to see how he's doing. I will be starting Princess on this when she starts kindergarten. He is actually sounding words out and starting to read simple books much, much easier. We will be using this again next year.

Reading Plus- I give Genius a choice between Readingplus for 30 min, or reading a book for 30 min. If he's reading a good book, he picks the book. If he's not, he picks Reading Plus. It helps his reading and comprehension. He doesn't mind doing it since he doesn't have to write a lot. He likes to do things on the computer, he doesn't like to write. It's way easier to get him to be happy about schoolwork when he is doing things he likes to do. We'll be using this again next year.


Of course, I will probably go through a bunch of choices again next year, as there is so much curriculum to pick through, and all of it looks so neat!

Rite Aid- Awesome week!

I guess this week makes up for the lack of good deals for next week. Here's my first trip:

(Ignore the Air Fresheners- I returned them since they were $9.99 each, not B1G1 Free)

Purex- $.97 (Sale for $1.97, used $1 off Q)
Ziploc bags $1.00 each (Used $1.00 off 2 Q, got $1 Up for buying 2)
Ziploc Containers $.75 each (Used $1.50 off 2 Q, got $1 Up for buying 2)
John Frieda $1.99 (Used $5 Q, $5 Rite Aid Q)
Toothpaste -$.50 ($2.99, used $1.50 Q, got $2 Up)
Toothbrush - $.50 ($2.99, used $1.50 Q, got $2 Up)

I also used a $3/$15 Survey Coupon, and 2 $1 off video Value Coupons.
Total OOP was $7.93 before Tax, with $6.00 in UP rewards that I rolled into Huggies.
  (This total is a ballpark, since I returned the Freshener that had other coupons involved, and the receipt isn't very detailed)

2 packs of Huggies- $20.00
Used $3.00 off and $2.00 off Q,
Used $6 in Ups
Paid $9.00
Recieved a $5.00 up for buying $20 in Huggies.

Which I then rolled one more time today:
2 Pacs of Huggies- $20.00
Used 2 $3.00 off Qs
Used a $3/$15 survey Q
Used $5.00 in Ups
Paid $6.00
Received $5 up for buying $20 in Huggies


So I'm at 4 packs of Huggies, laundry detergent, 4 things of ziploc bags, Hair Dye, toothbrush and toothpaste for a total of $22.93 OOP, plus I still have $5 left to roll into the next week. That's a little more then the price of buying 2 packages of diapers at Target/Walmart.

Dinnertime!

It's not dinner and a show, it's dinner and a hair-do.

And I'm testing posting from my phone. Kinda neat!

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Oooo Look What I Found!

I was checking another Goodwill for a mixer and I found this little beauty. It's a snow cone maker! It looks like it's brand new, just missing the box. It even had the little scooper spoon still wrapped in plastic inside it. The kids were so excited when they saw it, that we had to get it. A little bit of washing, a bit of breath holding, and it worked perfectly! Now we'll really give the ice maker a good work out! I squeezed some fresh orange juice over the ice to make it a little bit of a healthy treat.

We also cancelled our TV service today. We were paying $150 a month (I swear, it should of been $110), for the DVR, boxes, etc for fios. After spending an hour and a half on the phone with verizon, I figured I had enough aggravation that I'd just keep the internet. Most of the time the kids don't watch TV, and I don't need to pay an extra $85 or so a month so they can watch Disney channel before they fall asleep. We have netflix (and with the money we aren't paying for TV anymore) we can get 2 or 3 discs out at a time. I'm also trying out a thing called playon, that lets you steam Hulu and a bunch of other stuff from your computer to your Wii (and ipod/ipad/droid phone). It looks pretty neat so far. It just wont play on my phone since it doesn't have flash (or I have something wrong on it).

The sad thing too in cancelling the TV part, they didn't even try to switch me to a cheaper bundle or offer any specials. It was just ok, it's cancelled, thanks for calling. I guess they really don't want my money each month, seeing it took and hour and a half to just pay my bill.

Either way, it's just silly to pay all that extra money for something we hardly use. Most everything I watch is online now for free. Besides, we want to spend much more time hanging out at the park, and playing outside. Plus, the kids need to learn to play in the sprinklers!

Super Saving Saturday

Princess and I had some fun searching a area with a bunch of thrift stores. It was fun looking, but we didn't find anything that we really wanted to buy. I did find the turbo brush attachment to the steam cleaner used at our favorite vacuum repair shop. He charged me half price, which was great!

We found this little bike at Goodwill. Princess insisted Doorbuster needed it. She is so thoughtful. It was a whole $5. It's the perfect hight for him to push along. He gave Princess a hug for it. Awwww. I was hoping to find a mixer of some sort at the thrift stores we went to, but we just saw a lot of toasters, coffee machines and bread machines.

Then Princess and I went to Ralph's, and I got some more stuff from their mega deal sale. I was missing a few coupons I thought I had but didn't. Oh well. My total was $12.40.

Pretzels- $1.50 each ($2.49 -$.50 mega sale- $.50 Q)
Uncle Ben Ready Rice $.49   ($1.99 - $.50 mega sale - $1.00 Q)
Ragu 2 at $.99, 2 at $1.49  ($1.99- $.50 mega - $1.00 off 2 Qx1)
Whole Grain Uncle Ben $.49  ($1.99 - $.50 mega sale $.75 Q doubled to $1)
Chef Boyardi $.50 each  ($1.00, B1G1 Free)
Ritz $2.49 
Mom's Cereal- Free ($1.00 - $.75 Q doubled to $1.00)
Crunch bars- Free ($.50 each, used 2 $.50 off wyb2 Q, doubled x 2)

I would of done a bit better had I remembered my Rice cake coupons, and had one more ragu coupon, but it was still a good deal on the ragu. My total saved was $27.34. Not bad for a quick trip!

From Start to Finish!

Today we donated 50 items to the Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive. Every year I'd swear I was going to put stuff out, but we never ended up having any extras to put out. Thanks to couponing, we donated 50 items! A little here and a little there sure adds up. The kids have all helped with the coupon cutting, with getting the coupons counted, with shopping, with making sure our totals are right, and picking out what to donate.

Hopefully we can donate more next year, and donate during the year too. It's important to bless others when you are blessed. I love to help other people learn to coupon, or at least to save a few dollars here and there. It adds up.

The older kids helped too, they just don't like to have their pictures taken very often, so I save it for important things. Or I sneak some pictures.

Thankfully, I have two very willing models. And they helped me carry the bag and the box out. It was heavy! Doorbuster is funny these days. He takes picture taking very seriously. 

How to Pump Gas at Costco

With gas prices being so high, everyone wants a deal. Costco usually has the cheapest gas and the longest lines.

No matter what Costco in what area I go too, I always find the same long lines and the same people doing the same things to make the lines even longer.

So here are some helpful tips if you are going to go fill up the old gas-guzzler.

1) You can pump gas on either side of the pump. The hose is long, it will reach around your car. Pick a lane, practice your kindergarten skills and wait in one line for your turn.

2) While waiting in line, pull your Costco/debit/Amex card out of your purse or where-ever else you've stashed it. If it's in the bottom of your largest purse and you have to open five pockets and eight locks to get it out, get it out BEFORE you get to the pump. Don't wait until you are AT the pump to start digging around for your method of payment. Help everyone out by getting everything ready before it's your turn at the pump.

3) When it's your turn at the pump, park your car and get out and pump gas. Now is not the time to make phone calls, do your make-up or read a book on your kindle. Get out of the car (with your card in your hand), and go to the gas pump. If there's no one behind you, take all the time in the world! When there's a line out into the street, everyone will appreciate you getting straight to business.

4) When you are done pumping gas and it's time to get back in the car, start your car and move away from the pump. Don't spend 20 minutes tucking your card into your wallet, putting your wallet in your purse, make a phone call, etc. etc. while other's could be pumping gas. Pull forward into the parking lot and take care of whatever you must do. Then you can spend hours digging around in your car or looking at yourself in the mirror. Just keep the line moving so others can get gas and get on with their day.

Just some friendly tips to help everyone during this time where every penny saved helps! The less cars wasting gas in the parking lot, the better!

Mother's Day

My Mother's Day was perfect! We stayed home (well, aside from me going on a quiet little quick target trip). Hubby made brunch, my favorite potatoes, onions and bacon, all fried up, yum! It was sooooo good! Then hubby and I watched Easy A, which was a really funny movie. I played some warcraft. I watched Hubby mow the lawn, and Doorbuster helped. Hubby also put the meat in the crockpot and made really good shredded beef tacos for dinner. The kids made me homemade cards that were so cute! Hubby even cleaned the kitchen for me. It was a nice, relaxing day spent with my family, which was exactly what I wanted!

Teaching him right! 

These are the best Mother's Day roses, they keep on giving!

My New Coupon Organizer

I was reluctant to do it, but my coupon organizer grew up. I couldn't close my old one anymore. It now has a new home with someone who will put it to good use!

Here is my new coupon organizer:

It's a little on the bulky side, and I get some odd looks when I am toting it around open. Before I go to the store, I pull out the coupons I am using and stick them in the envelope for the store I am going to. That's my shopping list of things I am going to buy. If I come across a sale, or something on clearance that I have a coupon for, it's really easy and quick to find the coupon I am looking for. I even have a pocket in the front just for wayward coupons that need to be re-filed, and a pocket where I can tuck my money and cellphone in.

Then I tote my binder and my reusable bags all together so I can carry one thing into the store:

Because my hands are usually very full with this little guy. He's learning how to behave in the store- no touching things, no running down isles, no standing in front of the cart. Yes, he's on a leash for this trip, though most of the time the end is stuck inside of itself. I generally don't hold onto it unless he's not behaving. He did awesome this trip and was so patient!

There are days when I don't want to see or clip another coupon or wait until somethings on sale. Then there are days when I am so thankful for coupons and the wonderful websites that match everything up for you. This was one of those thankful days. I bought half of this to keep, and the other half to go for the USPS food drive next weekend.

All that food for $.51! I couldn't believe my eyes, and for a while was staring blankly at the cashier trying to figure out how to pay the 51 cents! I had stuck in my head the $98 I first saw when she was ringing up groceries and thinking what I fool I was going to look like when I had to put most of it back! Thankfully, the cashier was very patient and helped me make sure I had all the items in the right quantities for the sale (I checked and double checked and triple checked, but you can never be too sure). It was also encouraging to see a few others with their coupons in hand when I passed them in the isles. 

Fun with $5!

I had a $5 gift card leftover from my last target trip, so I gave myself the challenge of seeing what I could buy at target with my $5 and my coupons. Doorbuster came along with me, and since he was sleeping, I got plenty of time to wander up and down the isles to my hearts content. Then I came home to BBQ hamburgers cooked by my hubby. YUM!

My grand total was $4.72:
Aquafresh- Free ($1.89 used $1.00 Q plus $.89 Target Q)
Aveeno- $.49 each ($2.99 used $3.00/2 Q plus 2 $1.00 off 1 Target Q)
Revalon- Profit $.47 (2 at $1.27, used $1.00 Target Q and a $2.00 Target Q that wasn't adjusted)
4 ivory soap for $.3 total ($.95 each, used 3 $1.00 off, one $.50 off)
Nivea $.4 ($3.04 used $3.00 off Q)
Stayfree $1.08 each (on clearance for $2.08, had 2 $1.00 Q)

I was just bummed I didn't find the John Frieda hair dye, because I would have made $1.98 buying it! Maybe another week we will have that deal out this way.

Little Bit of This, Little Bit of That

Princess and I off to lunch with our hats,
in honor of the royal wedding

His hideout- he's fixing it

Wrestling Champs

I think him wearing the apron is cute!

Ready to help cook!

It's almost the end of the school year, YAY! Not like we are taking the summer off, but the kids will just do some reading and some math to keep things fresh in their heads. It just means a break from tutoring, PE and Awanas. We are looking forward to some beach trips, lots of playing at the water park, and hopefully some trips to some museums (and definitely back to the Griffith Observatory!). Lately we've been doing schoolwork, doing chores, and hanging out outside in the sunshine. My goal this summer is to get Genius to tan some. I think that's my goal every summer, but oh well.

We are still having an invasion of the pincher bugs. I find them in the strangest places, like in the rice cooker between the pot and the cooker. I now keep everything off the kitchen counters so they have no places to hide, and the kids are getting much better at picking up their toys. If they leave them out, there may be a bug under it. Yuck!

Speaking of the Royal Wedding, wasn't Kate's dress just perfect? It was so beautiful! It was classic, it fit, it wasn't too showy and it wasn't too plain. I loved looking at all the hats. I wish more people wore fancy hats over here. They all show so much personality.

Daredevil is doing so much better with his reading. His tutor says he recognizes words a lot easier then he has been. I think the readingplus program is really helping him. He was even able to read a few stories out of a first grade reader, which is GREAT! Now to help with his writing a bit more, he pushes too hard on his pencil which makes it really shaky. I'm thrilled over how much I see him progressing.

Weekend Excitement

Once upon a time, weekends used to be filled with going places, eating out, and doing exciting things. Now we make our own pizzas from scratch and watch movies off netflix. I am not missing the excitement at all, because nothing is better then this! 

Kid's pizzas they made themselves. 

My pizza, BBQ smoked chicken, pepperonis,
and then my pizza was BBQ'd and smoked. 

Same for hubby, but he added wing sauce. Yum! 

Boy's side

Lonely girl's side. 

Doorbuster talking after dinner: