Merry Christmas

Our family

would love to wish your family a very Merry & Blessed Christmas.  May your day be filled with laughter and love.  If your are traveling today, may your travels be safe:)

And to give you a heads up, we will be venturing to NC tomorrow to celebrate Christmas with family.  So, I won't be blogging or around here to answer any questions or emails until after January 2nd.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from our family to yours~ see you all next year:)

Adventures in Gingerbread House building

The boys had a lot of fun building gingerbread houses out of graham crackers at the library.  I quickly learned that gingerbread house building was an art form that cannot be rushed.  We were there for 2 hours:)  All the boys had a blast.  Here are some pictures of their adventure:

Chris & Nathan decorating their houses

Who has time to decorate when sugar NEEDS to be consumed:)

Little Michael's gingerbread house using candy he hadn't eaten

All the boys gingerbread houses

They did a great job:)  Tomorrow, we revisit the library and learn how to make snowman popcorn balls- how fun:)

My Shopping Days~ 12/15/12 & 12/16/2012

Due to hubby traveling for work, we decided to go shopping on Saturday with a trip to CVS on Sunday after church.  Plus we discovered a nice surprise of a flat tire Saturday morning.  We took the van to Walmart, had them replace the 2 rear tires and shopped while we waited.  Here are the details of our shopping trip:

Walmart
$1.28- Cake mix
$0.94- Spaghetti sauce
$0.88- Fish oil
$1.28- Coffee filter
$2.48- Peanut Butter
$1.00- Calculator
$11.56- (4) gallons skim milk
$4.00- (4) loaves bread
$2.32- lunchmeat
$1.00- Bananas
$4.56- (2) pkgs chocolate donuts for class Christmas Brunch
$2.00- (2) pkgs M&M's for teacher gift
$34.16

Dollar Tree
$1.00- Basket
$1.00- Chocolate candy for teacher gift
$1.00- Chocolate Santa's for teacher gift
$1.00- 2pk gift bags for teacher gift
$1.00- Christmas chocolate for teacher gift
$1.00- AAA batteries
$2.00- (2) pkgs Christmas pencils for class stockings
$1.00- Chistmas lollipops for class stockings
$1.00- Bakery bags
$10.40

CVS
$4.99- Revlon nail color
$4.99- Revlon nail color
$9.98
-0.99 ECB
-0.99 ECB
-4.00 ECB
-1.00 ECB
-1.00 ECB
$2.50 Total and got back $6 ECB and $1 ECB  for bag tag

This shopping trip has been added to our December Monthly Spending post, where I keep track of what we spend for the month of December.

Menu Plan for the week of 12/17/2012

Here is our menu plan for this week:

Breakfast
Homemade Yogurt with oats and raisins X2
Oatmeal X2
Pancakes X2
Scrambled eggs with turkey sausage and toast

Lunch
Sandwich, banana and popcorn

Dinner
Leftovers
3 Cheese Chicken Garlic pasta with green beans
Taco bean rice with peas
Homemade hashbrowns with scrambled eggs, sausage and fruit
Chicken and rice with corn
Chicken Potpie
Chicken Alfredo with green beans

Snacks
Kettle Corn experiment
Apple Slices
Carrot sticks with PB

What yummy things do you have planned on your menu this week?

Extreme Decluttering......

As many of you have noticed, I haven't posted in a few days.  Life got super busy.  I have gotten pulled in so many different directions.

Thursday, hubby and I went to our eye doctor's appointment.  Something, I have put off many times before.  My poor glasses are taped together :(  Every time I had planned to make an appointment, something popped up. We have 2 boys in glasses and things had started to slow down or so I thought.  So, I jumped at the chance and made the appointment for hubby and I to get our eyes checked.  My eyes were not as bad as I had thought they were going to be.  The Optometrist said that we were only going up one notch to help me see better:)  Now, I am trying to be as patient as possible until my new glasses come in.  Hubby's eyes are fine and he doesn't need glasses.  Unfortunately, from having my glasses off and the stuff she put in my eyes, I came home with a horrible headache.  All I wanted to do was crawl into bed.

Friday and Saturday, we went out and did most of our Christmas and grocery shopping since Michael had to leave for work on Monday.  Plus throw in the flat tire and waiting to get it fixed.  Those were both loooong days

Monday, I had a Scentsy event at an Elementary school near Richmond, VA.  Making sure I had everything I needed took any available hours I had left over the weekend.  We packed everything in the van on Sunday.  The event was all day yesterday.  By the time I got home, I was exhausted.  But I did have a great time.  I met most of the teachers and staff at the school and did the event with a good friend:)

Today was Story Time at the library and after was lunch with Santa.

I just found out that tomorrow the library is making Gingerbread houses out of graham crackers- the boys are excited about it.  Then Thursday, we have the toddler time at the library.  As you can see, I have been here and there.  And I still have Christmas presents to make and wrap for everyone.

I would love to continue my Extreme Decluttering journey but don't feel I have to time to devote to it right now.  So, we will be postponing it until January 2013. 

If you have company coming over for the holidays, check out Crystal's post on how to Whip you house into Shape in 2 hours.  With everything crazy over here, I may end doing this myself:)

Extreme Decluttering~ Day 5

Hope everyone is doing well on this chilly morning.  Today is going to be a busy one, so lets see how much we can get done today while juggling everything else I need to do today:)

Today's assignment is still in your Living Room and is:

1) Look over your list of weekly goals and mark which ones you want to accomplish today

2) Pick a different area in your Living Room that desperately needs your attention- this is your project for today. If at all possible, move everything from that area to another area nearby. Look at and examine every item you move. If it is broken, get rid of it. If it is not your taste or style, get rid of it. Touch every item and make sure it is something that you truly love before putting it back. Also, before putting the item back, take the time to dust or clean the item. Remember the more knick knacks you have, the more you have to dust.

3) Make a goal of getting rid of at least 10 items today. If 10 is to painful to attempt right off the bat, then start light with 1 item and see how that feels. You may surprise yourself and find that you don't NEED as many items as you thought you did.

Come back this evening and let me know how you did with today's assignment:) 

Extreme Decluttering~ Day 4

New day, new assignment.  Who's ready?  I am loving how my living room is coming along- without all the extra stuff, my living room is opening up quite nicely:)  Let's dive right on in, shall we.

Today's assignment is still in your Living Room and is:

1) Look over your list of weekly goals and mark which ones you want to accomplish today

2) Pick a different area in your Living Room that desperately needs your attention- this is your project for today. If at all possible, move everything from that area to another area nearby. Look at and examine every item you move. If it is broken, get rid of it. If it is not your taste or style, get rid of it. Touch every item and make sure it is something that you truly love before putting it back. Also, before putting the item back, take the time to dust or clean the item. Remember the more knick knacks you have, the more you have to dust.

3) Make a goal of getting rid of at least 10 items today. If 10 is to painful to attempt right off the bat, then start light with 1 item and see how that feels. You may surprise yourself and find that you don't NEED as many items as you thought you did.

Come back this evening and let me know how you did with today's assignment:)

Extreme Decluttering~ Day 3 Results

How did today go for you?  We had a great day today full of homeschooling, spending time with the little one and decluttering another part of our living room:)

Here is how today's assignment went for us:

Today's assignment was to:

1) Look over your list of weekly goals and mark which ones you want to accomplish today~ Done
My weekly goals:
Laundry~ Got 3 loads of laundry washed and hung out
Fix boys school lunches for the week~ Done
Homeschool, read to little Michael and morning devotions~ Ongoing
Start on decluttering Living Room~ Section 2 done:)
Start working on Christmas gifts for family- can't get into details as some of my family reads my blog:)
Get Scentsy stuff together and ready for event next week
Put package in mail for young lady at church
Baked carrot experiment, make yogurt, pancakes and oatmeal chocolate chip muffins~ made yogurt, pancakes and baked and deboned a chicken
Walk at least 2 miles each day for 5 days~ Walked 2 miles on treadmill
Wrapping paper count- make sure I have enough wrapping paper this year
Find and experiment with Kettle Corn recipe~ Found a Kettle Corn recipe- now to experiment with it:)

2) Pick an area in your Living Room that desperately needs your attention- this is your project for today. If at all possible, move everything from that area to another area nearby. Look at and examine every item you move. If it is broken, get rid of it. If it is not your taste or style, get rid of it. Touch every item and make sure it is something that you truly love before putting it back. Also, before putting the item back, take the time to dust or clean the item. Remember the more knick knacks you have, the more you have to dust.
Today I picked the couch in our living room to unclutter.  This is what happens when I put my older ones in charge of getting the clothes off the line, sorting through and putting away their own clothes along with the younger boys clothes:

Complete with coats and clothes thrown on the couch and a comfy cozy sleeping cat:)  This project wasn't so bad.  I got a hold of the couch and folded and put away all the clothes and hung up all the coats in the closet.  Now the couch looks like this:

Much better:)  The fun part is going to be keeping it this way.

3) Make a goal of getting rid of at least 10 items today. If 10 is to painful to attempt right off the bat, then start light with 1 item and see how that feels. You may surprise yourself and find that you don't NEED as many items as you thought you did.
We didn't throw away anything from the couch but we did find some receipts and papers that were hiding.  The younger boys are going through their books and finding which ones they want to keep:

How did you do with today's assignment?  Post below and let me know:)

Come back tomorrow morning for a new assignment.  Have a great night:)

Extreme Decluttering~ Day 3

Ready for this new day of our decluttering journey?  Please remember that your house didn't get cluttered all in a day, so it will take some time to get your whole house totally uncluttered.  There may be some sweat and maybe even some tears along the way, just keep trucking, you will be so proud of yourself in the end.

Today's assignment takes place in your Living Room and is:

1) Look over your list of weekly goals and mark which ones you want to accomplish today

2) Pick a  different area in your Living Room that desperately needs your attention- this is your project for today. If at all possible, move everything from that area to another area nearby. Look at and examine every item you move. If it is broken, get rid of it. If it is not your taste or style, get rid of it. Touch every item and make sure it is something that you truly love before putting it back. Also, before putting the item back, take the time to dust or clean the item. Remember the more knick knacks you have, the more you have to dust.

3) Make a goal of getting rid of at least 10 items today. If 10 is to painful to attempt right off the bat, then start light with 1 item and see how that feels. You may surprise yourself and find that you don't NEED as many items as you thought you did.

Come back this evening and let me know how you did with today's assignment:)

My Shopping Day~ 12/10/2012

Well, shopping was definately interesting yesterday.  Hubby has an out of state business meeting and had to leave early in the morning, leaving Kevin, little Michael and I to do the shopping.  Luckily, we got most of what we needed last week.  Thankfully, our shopping trip was a light one.  I was reminded of why I normally leave little Michael with daddy on Monday's to come out to the store:)

Our shopping trip:

Dollar Tree
$1.00- Comb
$1.00- Big clip for my hair
$1.00- Lollipops
$2.00- (2) boxes tissues
$5.23 Total after tax

Walmart
$11.16- (2) whole chickens
$5.90- Frozen veggies
$2.32- Lunchmeat
$11.56- (4) gallons skim milk
$0.84- Bananas
$1.98- Grape Jam
$1.94- Batteries
$2.88- Sliced cheese
$1.00- Cornstarch
$4.47- Allergy meds
$1.88- Juice boxes
$4.34- Canning lids
$3.17- Canning lids
$0.97- Paper towels
$3.00- (3) loaves bread
$1.00- Popsicles
$1.48- Butter
$61.68- Total after tax

This shopping trip has been added to our December Monthly Spending post, where I keep track of what we spend for the month of December.

Extreme Decluttering~ Day 2 Results

How did your day go?  I was very pleased with myself today.  We had a busy day with a trip to the library for story time, which little Michael actually sat through the whole time.  I am very proud.  Even with homeschooling, I got quite a bit accomplished today- yay:)

Here is how today's assignment went for me:

Today's assignment was to:

1) Look over your list of weekly goals and mark which ones you want to accomplish today~ Done
My weekly goals:
Laundry
Fix boys school lunches for the week~ Done
Homeschool, read to little Michael and morning devotions~ Ongoing
Start on decluttering Living Room~ Section 1 done:)
Start working on Christmas gifts for family- can't get into details as some of my family reads my blog:)
Get Scentsy stuff together and ready for event next week
Put package in mail for young lady at church
Baked carrot experiment, make yogurt, pancakes and oatmeal chocolate chip muffins~ made yogurt, pancakes and baked and deboned a chicken
Walk at least 2 miles each day for 5 days~ Walked 2 miles on treadmill for the last 2 days
Wrapping paper count- make sure I have enough wrapping paper this year
Find and experiment with Kettle Corn recipe~ Found a Kettle Corn recipe- now to experiment with it:)

2) Pick an area in your Living Room that desperately needs your attention- this is your project for today. If at all possible, move everything from that area to another area nearby. Look at and examine every item you move. If it is broken, get rid of it. If it is not your taste or style, get rid of it. Touch every item and make sure it is something that you truly love before putting it back. Also, before putting the item back, take the time to dust or clean the item. Remember the more knick knacks you have, the more you have to dust.
When you walk into my house, the first thing you see is my computer desk, which was in desperate need of attention.  Those who have been in house know exactly what I am talking about.  My computer desk has a little of everything on it~ receipts, school papers, work papers, camera cords, Nerf darts, Lego pieces, etc.  Here is a before picture- brace yourself- it is not pretty:

Yikes.  After some much needed decluttering, I must say I am loving the way my desk is looking now.  Let's see how long it stays that way:)  Here is the after picture-  I still need to do some dusting and my cork board needs some organizing but all in all, I must say it is looking a lot better.  See for yourself:

3) Make a goal of getting rid of at least 10 items today. If 10 is to painful to attempt right off the bat, then start light with 1 item and see how that feels. You may surprise yourself and find that you don't NEED as many items as you thought you did.
I got rid of more than 10 things today- yay:)  I was able to fill up a small box just with stuff from my desk.

How did your day go?  Did you get everything on your to do list that you wanted to accomplish today done?  Post below and let me know.  I would love to hear all about how your declutter project went today:)

Rest up- tomorrow is a new day with a new assignment:)  See you in the morning.

Extreme Decluttering~ Day 2

Ready for the fun that is about to take place today?  I know I am.  This has been a long time coming for my house.  Today marks Day 2 in our Extreme Delcuttering Challenge.  Let's stall no more and jump right on in to today's assignment:

Today's assignment takes place in your Living Room and is:

1)  Look over your list of weekly goals and mark which ones you want to accomplish today

2)  Pick an area in your Living Room that desperately needs your attention- this is your project for today.  If at all possible, move everything from that area to another area nearby.  Look at and examine every item you move.  If it is broken, get rid of it.  If it is not your taste or style, get rid of it.  Touch every item and make sure it is something that you truly love before putting it back.  Also, before putting the item back, take the time to dust or clean the item.  Remember the more knick knacks you have, the more you have to dust.

3) Make a goal of getting rid of at least 10 items today.  If 10 is to painful to attempt right off the bat, then start light with 1 item and see how that feels.  You may surprise yourself and find that you don't NEED as many items as you thought you did.

Come back this evening and let me know how you did with today's assignment:)

Menu Plan for the week of 12/10/2012

Here is our menu plan for this week:

Breakfast
Cinnamon Sugar Scones without glaze
Oatmeal chocolate chip muffins X2
Pancakes with homemade syrup
Homemade yogurt with oatmeal and raisins X2
Strawberry smoothies with PB toast

Lunch
Sandwich, banana and popcorn

Dinner
Chicken Alfredo with green beans
3 cheese chicken garlic pasta with corn
Taco beans and rice served with tortilla chips and peas
Chocolate chip pancakes with fruit
Chicken and rice with green beans
Chicken Noodle Soup

Snacks and desserts
Yogurt
Carrots sticks
Baked carrot experiment- hopefully
Popcorn
Chocolate chip cookies
Red Velvet cake leftover from Kevin's birthday party lunch at my dad's house

What do you have on your menu for this week?

Extreme Decluttering~ Day 1 Results

How did your day flow today?  Are you on board with me for this decluttering journey or am I going to have to go at this alone?  Either way, my house is about to get lighter:)

How did you do with today's assignment?

Here is our we did with today's assignment:

Today's assignment was to:

1) Make a list of this weeks goals you hope to accomplish this week~ Done
My weekly goals:
Laundry
Fix boys school lunches for the week
Homeschool and read to little Michael
Start on decluttering Living Room
Start working on Christmas gifts for family- can't get into details as some of my family reads my blog:)
Get Scentsy stuff together and ready for event next week
Put package in mail for young lady at church
Baked carrot experiment, make yogurt, pancakes and oatmeal chocolate chip muffins
Walk at least 2 miles each day for 5 days
Wrapping paper count- make sure I have enough wrapping paper this year
Find and experiment with Kettle Corn recipe

2) Grab a sheet of paper and make a list of all the rooms you NEED to declutter. Now walk through each room and write down specifically each thing you need to tackle in each room to get that room clutter free and organized.~ Done making list for Living Room and Kitchen

3) Clean out your purse and/or wallet~ wow I needed that.  I am embarrased with how much stuff was shoved in my purse.  I can't believe how lighter it is now:)  Will post pics tomorrow, hopefully- for some reason blogger is not letting me upload any pics this evening :(

How did you do with today's assignment?  Post below and let me know. 

Rest up- tomorrow we start our Extreme Declutter in the Living Room:)  See you in the morning:)

Extreme Decluttering~ Day 1

While I have enjoyed the last 4 weeks of cleaning with Crystal, I feel like I need more.  I need a little push.  I can clean and reorganize my house and the 3 year old tornado comes through and I feel like all my cleaning and rearranging have gone down the drain. 

My family of 6 lives in a small house and we have way too much stuff.  I am tired of walking around, stepping over and constantly not being able to find the things I need.  I have had enough:)  I know, you can find previous blog posts about my decluttering attempts that have gone strong and have puttered out.  We are house hunting for a bigger house and I really don't want to declutter our new house right off the bat.  We are hoping to move after Christopher graduates high school, which is 6 short months ahead.  I need to get on the ball and get rocking and rolling:)  This may be the push I need.

I have been thinking about how I want my house to look and how I want to live.  The simple life is how I want to live.  I want to spend my extra time with my family not with all my stuff.  I want to snuggle with my little one while I have the time before he grows up and figures out that snuggling with mommy is not cool:)  I want to be organized and to be able to find the things I need without making a bigger mess digging around trying to find what I was looking for in the first place.  I do believe that a more simple life will save my sanity:)  Plus the less clutter I have, the less I will HAVE to do.  I do believe that simplicity will save my sanity:)  We shall see:)

Who is with me?  Who is ready for a hard core decluttering journey with me?  I want to see what I can get done before Christmas gets here.  I know that I will not be able to do the whole house before Christmas.  If I can get done at least 2 rooms, I will be a happy camper.

For anyone that reads my blog on a regular basis knows that Monday's are our shopping day. So, our first day is going to be a light one.  This is the day we figure out what we want to do.

Today's assignment is to:

1) Make a list of this weeks goals you hope to accomplish this week

2) Grab a sheet of paper and make a list of all the rooms you NEED to declutter.  Now walk through each room and write down specifically each thing you need to tackle in each room to get that room clutter free and organized.

3) Clean out your purse and/or wallet

Come back this evening and see how we did with today's assignment.  Plus come back and let me how you did with today's assignment:)  Have a great day~ see you this evening:)

Walgreens deals for the week of 12/09/2012

Things to keep in mind when shopping at Walgreens:
1) You must have as many items as manufactur's coupons
2) Register Rewards (RR) are considered manufactur's coupons
3) You are allowed 1 Manufactur's coupon and 1 store coupon per item
4) Cannot use RR printed from item to pay for same item and get RR's again~
For example- If you were to purchase Colgate for $3 and get $3 RR, if you purchase the Colgate again and use the RR's earned from the 1st Colgate purchase you will not earn the RR's again

Walgreens has rolled out a new program called Balance Rewards. You earn points you can later redeem. Click here to read more about this new program.

Children toys- Buy 1 at $6.99 and get 1 FREE

General Mills cereal- $1.99
1/2 General Mills cereal cpn- 12/09 SS
$1/2 General Mills Chex cereal cpn- 12/02 SS
$1/2 General Mills Chex cereal cpn- 11/11 SS
$1/3 General Mills cereal cpn- 11/04 SS

Progresso- $5/4
$1/4 Progresso cpn- 12/09 SS
$1/4 Progresso cpn- 11/11 SS

Jello Gelatin- $1/2 with in ad cpn- Limit 4

Nice Seasonings- $0.79 with in ad cpn- Limit 6

Butterball chicken broth or Hunts tomato sauce- $1/2 with in ad cpn- Limit 6

Lindsay Olives- $0.99 with in ad cpn- Limit 3

Nice mushrooms or oranges- $0.69 with in ad cpn- Limit 6

Hershey candy- $0.59 with in ad cpn- Limit 6

Werthers, Riesen, Tofify, Life Savers, Skittles, Starburst Gummiburst- $1.99 or $4/3 - Buy 3 and get 250 points
$1/2 Lifesavers, Skittle or Starburst cpn- 12/02 RP

Stride, Trident, Dentyne or ID- $2.99 or $5/2- Buy 2 and get 250 points

Betty Crocker cake, cookies, brownies mix, Warm Delights or Frosting- $1.99 or $3/2- Buy 4 and get 1000 points
$0.40 Betty Crocker cookie mix cpn- 12/09 SS
$0.40 Betty Crocker cookie mix cpn- 11/18 SS
$0.40 Betty Crocker cookie mix cpn- 11/04 SS

Russell Stover holiday candy- $0.39 with in ad cpn- Limit 6

Joybrite candy canes- $0.99 with in ad cpn- Limit 4- Buy 2 and get 100 points

Joy or Ajax- $0.89 with in ad cpn- Limit 3

Nice facial tissues- $0.99 with in ad cpn- Limit 3

Nice snack, sandwich or storage bags- $0.99 with in ad cpn- Limit 3

Nice coffee filters- $0.99

Duracell batteries- $6.49- Buy 2 and get 500 points
$0.50 Duracell cpn- 12/09 RP

Wexford tape or Scotch mailer- $0.39 with in ad cpn- Limit 3

Sticker books or tablets- $1/3 with in ad cpn -Limit 6

Dial Nutriskin lotion- $4.99
Use $2 Walgreens store cpn

Ban- $1.99

Softsoap hand soap- $0.99 with in ad cpn- Limit 3

Goody Colour Collection Contour Clips- $2 and get $2 RR

Bic disposable razors- $4.99
$2 Bic razor cpn- 12/09 SS

Pepsodent or Aim toothpaste- $0.89

Zantac- $8.99
Use $2 Walgreens store cpn

Carmex lip- $3/3 with in ad cpn- Buy 3 and get 1000 points
$0.75 Carmex moisturizer plus cpn- 12/02 SS
$0.55 Carmex lip cpn- 12/02 SS
$0.30 Carmex lip cpn- 10/21 SS

Help I can't sleep- $3.99 and get $3 RR

Robitussin, Dimetapp, Advil congestion or Allergy & Congestion- $4.99
$1 Advil congestion, Allergy & Congestion, Cold & Sinus or Allergy cpn- 12/09 RP
$1 Advil congestion, Allergy & Congestion, Cold & Sinus or Allergy cpn- 11/11 RP
$1 Advil congestion, Allergy & Congestion, Cold & Sinus or Allergy cpn- 10/14 RP
$1 Dimetapp children cpn- 12/09 RP
$1 Dimetapp children cpn- 11/11 RP
$1 Robitussin cpn- 10/28 SS

Oral B ProHealth, Cross Action or 5 way complete toothbrush, Crest ProHealth or 3D White toothpaste or ProHealth mouthwash- $2.99- Buy 2 and get 1000 points
$1 Oral B toothbrush battery or 3D White Action rechargeable toothbrush cpn- 12/09 RP
$1 Oral B ProHealth brush or refill cpn- 11/25 P&G

**This is not the entire Walgreens Register Rewards (RR) or Balance Reward Points sale items- these are some of the great deals I spotted in the upcoming Walgreens ad.**

CVS deals for the week of 12/09/2012

Don't forget to....
1) Go to cvs.com/email and sign up for the ExtraCare email and receive a $4/20 cpn
2) Stop by the Red ExtraCare coupon center and get CVS cpns
3) You can use a manufacturer's cpn along with a CVS cpn
4) You can use a B1G1Free cpn along with a B1G1Free sale to get both products for FREE

Hershey holiday assorted- $6/2 and get $1 ECB
$1.50/2 Hershey kisses, Reese's, Rolo, York, nuggets, minis or Bliss cpn- 12/09 SS
$1/2 Hershey kisses, Reese's, Rolo, York, nuggets, minis or Bliss cpn- 11/18 SS

M&M's- $10/4 and get $3 ECB

Pringles- $6/4
$1/4 Pringles Super Stack cpn- 12/09 RP
$1/4 Pringles Super Stack cpn- 11/11 RP

General Mills cereal- $5/2- Limit 4
1/2 General Mills cereal cpn- 12/09 SS
$1/2 General Mills Chex cereal cpn- 12/02 SS
$1/2 General Mills Chex cereal cpn- 11/11 SS
$1/3 General Mills cereal cpn- 11/04 SS

Kellogg's Corn Flakes, Cocoa or Rice Krispies cereal- $1.99
$1/3 Kellogg's cereal cpn- 11/11 RP

$3 ECB when you buy 3 Hallmark cards $1.99+

Spend $12 Loreal cosmetics and get $4 ECB- Limit 2
$1 Loreal Paris eye shadow or liner cpn- 12/09 RP
$1 Loreal Paris eye cpn- 12/09 RP
$1 Loreal lip cpn- 11/11 RP
$1 Loreal Paris eye cpn- 10/21 RP

Buy 2 Almay cosmetics and get $5 ECB
$1 Almay cosmetics cpn- 11/18 SS

Aussie or Herbal Essence- $15/4 and get 3 ECB
$1/2 Aussie or Herbal Essence cpn- 11/25 P&G

Color Therapy sets- $9.99 and get $2 ECB

Thermacare-$13.98/2 and get 4 ECB
$2 Thermacare cpn- 12/09 RP
$1 Thermacare cpn- 10/28 RP

Zantac- $19.99 and get $5 ECB- Limit 3

Zegrid OTC- $24.99 and get $7 ECB- Limit 3

$3 ECB when you buy 2 Advil, PM, Childrens, liquid, congestion, cold & sinus, Dimetapp or Robitussin- Limit 5
$1 Advil congestion, Allergy & Congestion, Cold & Sinus or Allergy cpn- 12/09 RP
$1 Advil children cpn- 12/09 RP
$1 Advil regular or Migrane cpn- 12/09 RP
$1 Advil congestion, Allergy & Congestion, Cold & Sinus or Allergy cpn- 11/11 RP
$1 Advil PM cpn- 10/28 RP
$1 Advil children cpn- 10/28 RP
$1 Advil regular or Migrane cpn- 10/28 RP
$1 Advil congestion, Allergy & Congestion, Cold & Sinus or Allergy cpn- 10/14 RP
$1 Dimetapp children cpn- 12/09 RP
$1 Dimetapp children cpn- 11/11 RP
$1 Robitussin cpn- 10/28 SS

Spend $12 and get $4 ECB on the following:
Jet Dry- $8/2
$0.25 Jet Dry cpn- 11/18 SS
Airwick odor detect or Lysol Neutra Air Freshmatic kit- $5/2
Lysol cleaner, wipes or Neutra Air- $5/2
Air Wick twin pack oil refills- $5
Air Wick candle- $6
$2/2 Air Wick candles cpn- 11/11 SS

Progresso- $6/4 and get $1 ECB
$1/4 Progresso cpn- 12/09 SS
$1/4 Progresso cpn- 11/11 SS

Colgate Total, MaxFresh, Clean or 2-in-1- $5.50/2 and get 2 ECB- Limit 2
$0.50 Colgate toothpaste cpn- 12/02 SS

Buy 2 Loreal hair color or Ever hair care and get $5 ECB
$1 Ever treatment cpn- 12/02 RP
$1 Ever hair care cpn- 12/02 RP
$2 Loreal Preference cpn- 11/04 RP
$2 Loreal Excellence cpn- 10/21 RP
$2 Loreal Ever treatment cpn- 10/21 RP
$2 Loreal Ever hair care cpn- 10/21 RP

Kleenex- $3/2
$0.30/3 Kleenex cpn- 12/02 SS


**This is not the entire CVS ECB sale items- these are some of the great deals I spotted in the upcoming CVS ad.**

4 weeks to a More Organized Home series~ Day 20 Results

How did your day go?  I missed out on updating yesterday, Nathan and I had a hair appointment.  I am in love with my cut and color:)  Nathan had a blast playing with her kids, who he hasn't seen in a while.  Pam and I got to talking and well..... the cut and color kind of took a little longer than expected.  But we did get to catch up which was nice.  By the time I got home, it was time to eat, do homework and go to bed.  Yesterday's update didn't get posted.

Yesterday and today's assignments were to:

Get dressed in something that makes you feel great~ Done both days

Sit down with a cup of coffee or tea and refer to your weekly goals list and make a list of no more than 5-7 specific things you want to accomplish today
My weekly goals for this week:
Pay bills~ Done
Homeschool~ Ongoing
Read to little Michael before nap and bedtime~ Ongoing
Make baked oatmeal, pancakes, syrup, yogurt, carrots and cookies~ Made baked oatmeal and chocolate chip cookies, pancakes and syrup
Get LV decluttered one section at a time~ Got one section done:)
Get under cabinet under sink painted
Start working on Christmas gifts
Walk at least 2 miles for 5 days this week~ Ran for 30 minutes yesterday and walked 1.5 miles on treadmill tonight
Order table for event~ Thankfully, didn't have to order a table, my mother in law is letting me borrow a table from her:)  Thanks mom:)
Get caught up on the never ending laundry pile~ Got 2 loads of clothes washed and hung out yesterday and since it rained today- no laundry today.

Set the timer for 15 minutes and wipe down the windowsills and trim around your windows. Wipe down the baseboards and clean the windows if time allows.~ Done- I didn't realize the windowsills that are hidden behind our couch in the living room were very dirty.

Clean out and re-organize your medicine cabinet. Make sure you check expiration dates and dispose of properly.~ Done

Set the timer for at least 15 minutes and do something you really enjoy and that relaxes and rejuvenates you.~ Snuggled on the couch with little Michael and took a short nap while he napped before the older boys got home.

How did you do with today's final 4 weeks to a More Organized Home assignment?  How did you do with all the assignments in this series?  I feel my home is cleaner but I feel I need more.  Details coming Monday:)

Have a blessed and safe weekend:)

4 weeks to a More Organized Home series~ Day 20

Today brings the final day of Crystal's 4 weeks to a More Organized Home series.  Since this is a lot later than I wanted to post this, let's dive right on in and see what Crystal has planned for us today.

Today's assignment is to:

Get dressed in something that makes you feel great

Sit down with a cup of coffee or tea, refer to your weekly goals and make a list of no more than 5-7 specific things you want to accomplish today

Clean out and re-organize your medicine cabinet.  Make sure you check expiration dates and dispose of properly.

Set the timer for at least 15 minutes and do something you really enjoy and that relaxes and rejuvenates you

Come back this evening and see how we did with today's assignment.

4 weeks to a More Organized Home series~ Day 19

I am ready to see what Crystal has planned for us today.  I have to get everything I can done this morning as Nathan and I are going to get our hair cut this afternoon:)  My hair is long overdue for attention.  So, let's see what today's assignment is, so we can get busy before I have to head out.

Today's assignment is to:

Get dressed in something that makes you feel great

Sit down with a cup of coffee or tea and refer to your weekly goals list and make a list of no more than 5-7 specific things you want to accomplish today

Set the timer for 15 minutes and wipe down the windowsills and trimn around your windows.  Wipe down the baseboards and clean the windows if time allows.

Come back this evening and see how we did with today's assignment. Good luck and have fun:)

Lowes Build & Grow Clinic~ 12/08/2012

Lowes will be hosting a Build & Grow Clinic on December 8, 2012 at 10am.

If you are looking for a great free activity that you can do with your kids- you should check out the Lowes Build & Grow Clinics. Little Michael and Nathan love them. They love being able to do hands on projects with our help.

This Saturday, Lowes Build and Grow Clinic will be building a Gingerbread House.

To sign up for this Build & Grow Clinic, simply go to the Lowes Build & Grow Clinic website, which they have redone to make it more user friendly. I am loving this new website. You register all your information. Then when you visit the website to sign up for an upcoming clinic, all you have to do is sign in and check which kids you are signing up. Don't forget to print and sign the waiver. And you and your child(ren) are ready for a really cool FREE hands on project.

Once you and your child(ren) complete the project they will receive a neat patch to put on their Lowes Build & Grow apron. If this is your first clinic, your child(ren) will receive a free Lowes Build & Grow apron and goggles:) The more clinics you do, the more patches you get to put on your kids apron and they can show them off with pride:)

4 weeks to a More Organized Home series~ Day 18 Results

How did you do with today's assignment?  Were you able to tackle everything you wanted to get done from your to do list? 

Here is how we did with today's assignment:

Today's assignment was to:

Get dressed in something that makes you feel great~ Done

Sit down with a cup of coffee or tea and refer to your weekly goals list and make a list of no more than 5-7 specific things you want to accomplish today
My weekly goals for this week:
Pay bills~ Done
Homeschool~ Ongoing
Read to little Michael before nap and bedtime~ Ongoing
Make baked oatmeal, pancakes, syrup, yogurt, carrots and cookies~ Made baked oatmeal and chocolate chip cookies, pancakes and syrup
Get LV decluttered one section at a time~ Got one section done:)
Get under cabinet under sink painted
Start working on Christmas gifts
Walk at least 2 miles for 5 days this week~ Ran for 30 minutes and walked on treadmill for 2 miles
Order table for event
Get caught up on the never ending laundry pile~ Got 2 loads of clothes washed and hung out

Set the timer for 15 minutes and vacuum the main living areas of your home~ Living room is picked up and vacuumed for the moment.  At least until the toddler tornado comes blowing through- LOL:)

Vacuum or sweep and mop your closets. Remove all items from closet floor get rid of clutter, trash and things that don't belong in that closet~ Did not get done.  Definately going on the to do list.  This is not something that can be done in the time we had today.  I cannot see the floor in any of our closets :(  This will have to be done when we have a day with time to do it.

How did you do with Crystal's assignment for today? 

Come back tomorrow to see what Crystal has planned for us in this final stretch of her series:)

4 weeks to a More Organized Home series~ Day 18

Kevin. little Michael and I got into  homeschooling mode and I just now realized I forgot to post Crystal's 4 weeks to a More Organized Home assignment for today.  Let's jump right into it and see what Crystal has planned for us today.

Today's assignment is to:

Get dressed in something that makes you feel great

Sit down with a cup of coffee or tea and refer to your weekly goals list and make a list of no more than 5-7 specific things you want to accomplish today

Set the timer for 15 minutes and vacuum the main living areas of your home

Vacuum or sweep and mop your closets.  Remove all items from closet floor get rid of clutter, trash and things that don't belong in that closet

Come back this evening and see how we did with today's assignment.  Good luck and have fun:)

December 2012 Monthly Spending

Here is where I will keep a list of our spending for the month of December. Our monthly budget has changed due to a couple of unexpected hospital bills.  We have paid off 1 hospital bill and just wrote the check to pay off the 2nd one- yay:)  We are going to attempt to have a $300 grocery budget. This is for everything for our family of 6 and 2 pets. We went over by $4 last month. Let's see how we do this month:

12/02/2012
$74.32- Sams
$51.87- Walmart
$4.20- Dollar Tree

12/10/12
$61.68- Walmart
$5.23- Dollar Tree

12/15&16/2012
$34.16- Walmart
$10.40- Dollar Tree
$2.50- CVS and got bsack $7 ECB's

12/24/2012
$31.21- Walmart
$2.49- CVS and got back $2 ECB

$278.06 Running Total for December

My Shopping Day~ 12/02/2012

We needed to go shopping Sunday after church instead of Monday, our normal shopping day due to my hubby working out of state this week.  I took Christopher with me shopping. He had a blast.  I didn't know that he had never been to Sam's Club before.  They had several free samples- he was in heaven.

Here is what we got:

Dollar Tree
$1.00- Gallon zip bags
$1.00- Qt zip bags
$2.00- (2) pkgs paint brushes
$4.20- Total after tax

Walmart
$2.58- 18ct eggs
$0.98- Butterscotch
$2.00- 2 pints half and half
$1.78- Cream cheese
$1.84- Butter
$1.26- Bananas
$11.56- 4 gallons skim milk
$2.28- Coffee Mate Bliss Coffee Creamer
$2.28- Coffee Mate Bliss Coffee Creamer
$2.64- Parm cheese
$1.00- Onion
$1.25- Mushrooms
$5.34- Black beans
$1.38- Kidney beans
$1.76- Lentils
$1.58- Pinto beans
$2.32- Lunchmeat
$3.92- Frozen veggies
$2.78- Ground turkey
$3.00- 3 loaves bread
$53.53
-1.50- Coffee Mate Bliss creamer cpn
-1.50- Coffee Mate Bliss creamer cpn
$51.87- Total after tax

Sams
$11.98- Folgers decaf coffee
$3.88- Potatoes
$6.44- 2 cans crushed tomatoes
$8.98- Canola oil
$3.17- Ketchup
$1.78- 2 drinks
$7.92- Tortilla chips
$8.78- Gummy vitamins
$4.98- Sugar
$5.48- Elbow macaroni
$8.86- Flour
$74.32- Total after tax

This shopping trip has been added to our December Monthly Spending post, where I keep track of what we spend for the month of December.

4 weeks to a More Organized Home series~ Day 17 Results

How did your day go today?  How did you do with Crystal's assignment for today?

Little Michael wasn't feeling so great this morning so  he didn't eat much breakfast.  At 11am, the poor thing was starving, so we had an early lunch.  Followed by a much needed nap for both of us.  He seems to be feeling better, he is acting much like his silly self.  Unfortunately, his poor tummy seems to be upset.  I hope this doesn't keep him up all night :(

Here is how we did with today's assignment:

Today's assignment was to:

Get dressed in something that makes you feel great~ Done

Sit down with a cup of coffee or tea and refer to your weekly goals list and make a list of no more than 5-7 specific things you want to accomplish today
My weekly goals for this week:
Pay bills~ Done
Homeschool~ Ongoing
Read to little Michael before nap and bedtime~ Ongoing
Make baked oatmeal, pancakes, syrup, yogurt, carrots and cookies~ Made baked oatmeal and chocolate chip cookies
Get LV decluttered one section at a time~ Got one section done:)
Get under cabinet under sink painted
Start working on Christmas gifts
Walk at least 2 miles for 5 days this week~ Ran for 30 minutes and walked on treadmill for 2 miles
Order table for event
Get caught up on the never ending laundry pile~ Got 2 loads of clothes washed and hung out

Set the timer for 15 minutes and do a quick clean of your bathroom~ Did a very very quick clean of both bathrooms

Clean out and reorganize at least 1 or 2 of your messiest kitchen cupboards. If you have time clean and organize your pantry, if you have one~ I need to do this and it has been put on my to do list

How did you do with your assignment for today?  Post below and let me know:) 

See you tomorrow morning for another 4 weeks to a More Organized Home assignment.

4 weeks to a More Organized Home series~ Day 17

Hope your morning is going a little better than ours is.  Little one went to bed last night feeling kind of warm and woke up this morning still feeling warm and very cranky.  I really hope he is not coming down with something.  This crazy weather has my poor allergies all in an uproar.  Both yesterday and today are in the 70's and we return right back into the 40's by Thursday.  We are going to try to enjoy this nice spring like beautiful day today the best we can:)

Let's dive right into today's assignment:

Today's assignment is to:

Get dressed in something that makes you feel great

Sit down with a cup of coffee or tea and refer to your weekly goals list and make a list of no more than 5-7 specific things you want to accomplish today

Set the timer for 15 minutes and do a quick clean of your bathroom

Clean out and reorganize at least 1 or 2 of your messiest kitchen cupboards.  If you have time clean and organize your pantry, if you have one

Come back this evening and see how we did and how little Micheal is feeling.  Have a great day:)

Menu Plan for the week of 12/03/2012

Here is our menu plan for this week:

Breakfast
Baked Oatmeal with Apples X2
Pancakes with homemade syrup
Banana Bread from the freezer X2
Yogurt with oatmeal and raisins X2

Lunch
Sandwich, banana and popcorn

Dinner
Chili over cornbread
Brocolli Rice Cheese Garlic dish
Taco beans and rice served with tortilla chips and green beans
Homemade hashbrowns with sausage and scrambled eggs and fruit
Chicken Noodle soup with grilled cheese
Chili over baked potatoes
Spaghetti with peas and homemade rolls

Snacks
Apple slices with PB
Popcorn
Carrot sticks
Yogurt
Chocolate chip cookies

What do you have on your menu plan for this week for your family?

4 weeks to a More Organized Home series~ Day 16 Results

How did your day go today?  I hope everyone had a good day.  My day consisted of heading out to 2 craft stores only to not find what I was looking for, even though I found the product on the store websites.  But after coming home and reading a review for this product, I am glad I did not buy it.  We will have to buy a different product elsewhere.  Then we spent way to long at Lowe's waiting for them to find someone to go and retrieve our kitchen counter.  The upside, the guy did put the counter in our van for us.  The last time we picked up our 1st counter, a different guy brought the counter out to us and left- we figured out how to get it in our van by ourselves.  We came home and got some homeschool work out of the way and attempted to do today's assignments.

How did you do with today's assignments?  Here is how we did:

Today's assignment was to:

Get dressed in something that makes you feel great~ Done

Sit down with a cup of coffee or tea and come up with a list of weekly goals
My weekly goals for this week:
Pay bills
Homeschool
Read to little Michael before nap and bedtime
Make baked oatmeal, pancakes, syrup, yogurt, carrots and cookies
Get LV decluttered one section at a time
Get under cabinet under sink painted
Start working on Christmas gifts
Walk at least 2 miles for 5 days this week
Order table for event
Get caught up on the never ending laundry pile

Set the timer for 15 minutes and quickly pick up your house and put things back in order after the weekend~ Done

Clean your vents. If you have floor vents that can be removed, remove then and wash them with soapy water. Vacuum/clean any dirt of grime around the floor vent and replace the vent. Use your vacuum attachment and/or a wet rag to dust/clean your other vents~ Did not get done. Our vents are screwed into the floor.  I could not get them unscrewed and didn't want to strip the screw, so we left them alone.  Will have to wait for hubby to get back from his business trip to do this one.

How did you do with today's assignment?  Post below and let me know.  See you in the morning for tomorrow's assignment:)

4 weeks to a More Organized Home series~ Day 16

We hope that everyone had a great weekend.  We had a nice and busy weekend- will tell you all about it this evening:)

Who is ready for a new 4 weeks to a More Organized Home series assignment?  Let's see what Crystal has in store for us today.

Today's assignment is to:

Get dressed in something that makes you feel great

Sit down with a cup of coffee or tea and come up with a list of weekly goals

Set the timer for 15 minutes and quickly pick up your house and put things back in order after the weekend

Clean your vents. If you have floor vents that can be removed, remove then and wash them with soapy water. Vacuum/clean any dirt of grime around the floor vent and replace the vent. Use your vacuum attachment and/or a wet rag to dust/clean your other vents

Come back this evening and see how we did with today's assignment.  Have fun and have a great day:)

FREE Hand Cream at CVS- Facebook offer

Head on over to the MinuteClinc facebook page and you will be able to sign up for a coupon to be emailed to you for a FREE Essence of Beauty hand cream. 

Print the coupon out, take it to CVS and choose between 3 scents of Essence of Beauty hand cream.

4 weeks to a More Organized Home series~ Day 15 Results

How did your Friday go?  Were you able to get all your weekly goals accomplished?

Today was a sleepy kind of day- boy was I dragging.  But we made it through.  We didn't get much done in the housework department but we did have fun and enjoy ourselves.  We cuddled on the couch and watched a little Netflix while Kevin worked on his school work.  We made some pancakes for the freezer and had a blast whipping up some chocolate chip cookies.  Little Kevin had a blast cooking in the kitchen- he loves being my helper.

Here is how we did with our assignment today:

Today's assignment was to:

Get dressed in something that makes you feel great- Done

Sit down with a cup of coffee or tea, refer to your weekly goals and make a list of no more than 5-7 specific things you want to accomplish today
My weekly goals
Get some baking done- Got chocolate chip baked oatmeal, 3 loaves of banana bread (2 in the freezer) and pancakes done
Put up and decorate Christmas tree- Got Christmas tree up and decorated
Homeschool- Ongoing
Read to little Michael before nap and bedtime- Ongoing
Walk at least 5 miles for 5 days- Walked 1.5 miles today
Portion and freeze cheese- Hooray we finally got the cheese divided and in the freezer
Work on and email Christmas lists- Got everyone's list typed out, emailed and printed out for my dad
Work on menu plan and shopping list for December- Got 3 weeks of December menu planned
Dinner prep done early- got beans simmering for tomorrow nights dinner and got the potato soup on early and let it cook:)
Label Scentsy catalogs and samples- Done

Wipe down your computer, clean out your email box, organize files and photos on your computer, if you have time- Did not get all the way done- was able to get some of my emails cleaned out and some pictures deleted from my blog to make room for more pictures.

Set the timer for at least 15 minutes and do something you really enjoy and that relaxes and rejuvenates you~ we made chocolate chip cookies, cuddled and watched Netflix with my little munchkin and even had a much needed nap:)  It kind of went over 15 minutes but we enjoyed every minute of it:)

Wow- looking at my weekly goal list, we were able to get them all done with the exception of walking 5 miles everyday.  Will try to do better on that next week:)

How did have you done with the weekly goals you set for yourself?  Post below and let me know:)

We hope everyone has a safe and happy weekend.  We have a busy Saturday ahead of us filled with Lowes Build & Grow Clinic, a local arts and craft show and our local Christmas Parade:)

4 weeks to a More Organized Home series~ Day 15

I am tired~ someone under the age of 4 decided that he didn't feel like going to bed until around midnight.  I have to get up at 6am to get breakfast ready, lunches packed and the boys that attend school up.  That certain someone mentioned above then decided it was time to rise and shine at 6:30 this morning.  Oh boy, he has been some kind of cranky so far today.  I think a nap is calling both our names:)  So, I am not sure how much of today's assignment we will get done, but we shall see.

Today's assignment is to:

Get dressed in something that makes you feel great

Sit down with a cup of coffee or tea, refer to your weekly goals and make a list of no more than 5-7 specific things you want to accomplish today

Wipe down your computer, clean out your email box, organize files and photos on your computer, if you have time

Set the timer for at least 15 minutes and do something you really enjoy and that relaxes and rejuvenates you

Don't forget to come back this evening and see how we did with today's assignment. Plus come back and let me know how today worked for you:)

Free Ebooks for your Kindle

My hubby got a Kindle for his birthday.  We love it:)  I keep finding all kinds of books and apps to add to it.  And I love when I can get the books for free:)

Here are some of the ebooks that have caught my attention recently.  They are free to add to your Kindle.  If you don't own a Kindle, never fear, you can download Kindle for PC and read all your favorite and/or free Kindle books right on your computer- that is what I do:)

Little Bad Wolf and Red Riding Hood

The Night before Christmas and Other Popular Stories for Children

Traveling Light- ebook of poems

Pennsylvania Dutch Cooking

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

Grimm's Fairy Tales

Twas The Night Before Christmas

Mrs. Claus and The School of Christmas Spirit (A Kat McGee Story)

The Ugly Duckling

What The Fox Learnt

There are so many more ebooks that are free, these are just a few~ enjoy:)




**This post contains my affiliate links**

Coffee Mate Bliss Coffee Creamer Facebook coupon

I was on my coffee creamer coupon search.  I have cut and clipped all the paper coupons I could find.  I am not brand loyal to any coffee creamer.  If it tastes good, I will use it. 

It hit me to check on Facebook to see if any of the coffee creamer companies had any good coupons available.  I hit the jackpot~ Coffee Mate Natural Bliss has a $1.50 printable coupon available on their facebook page.  The Walmart in our area has Coffee Mate Bliss coffee creamer for around $1.78, use this coupon and you will only pay around $0.28 for a bottle of coffee creamer- yay:)

I was able to print 2 Coffee Mate Natural Coffee Creamer coupons.  If you are in the market for cheap coffee creamer, then head on over to the Coffee Mate Natural Bliss facebook page or click here and print it out:)

4 weeks to a More Organized Home series~ Day 14 Results

How was your day today?  I hope today brought you joy:)  Today was good for us.  Kevin continued to plug away at his school work- he got behind but is now catching up.  Little Michael and I had a lovely day complete with cars, play dough soup and ice cream, drawing on the chalkboard, coloring and a nice relaxing nap:)  We went to the Library toddler program only to find out that the rest of the kids were sick, so it was cancelled:(  Little Michael was sad but went over to the dvd's and picked out a Dora and a Diego dvd all was good.  Plus we came home and made delicious chocolate chip pancakes for dinner- mmmmm.

Doesn't it look tasty- LOL:)  We had a great time pretending

How did you do with today's assignment?

Here is how we did with today's assignment:

Today's assignment was to:

Get dressed in something that makes you feel great- Done

Sit down with a cup of coffee or tea, refer to your weekly goals and make a list of no more than 5-7 specific things you want to accomplish today
My weekly goals
Get some baking done- Got chocolate chip baked oatmeal and 3 loaves of banana bread (2 in the freezer)
Put up and decorate Christmas tree- Got Christmas tree up and decorated
Homeschool- Ongoing
Read to little Michael before nap and bedtime- Ongoing
Walk at least 5 miles for 5 days- Walked 5 miles today
Portion and freeze cheese
Work on and email Christmas lists- Got everyone's list typed out, emailed and printed out for my dad
Work on menu plan and shopping list for December- Got 3 weeks of December menu planned
Dinner prep done early- did not do any early prep work for dinner tonight
Label Scentsy catalogs and samples- Done

Set your timer for 15 minutes and clean the mirrors and glass doors in your home- The older boys did all cleaned all the mirrors in the bathroom and the 2 glass doors

Clean out your utensil drawer(s) and your junk drawer(s) in your kitchen- Cleaned out the large utensil box- it was a little crummy.  Thankfully, we do not have a junk drawer:)

How did you do today with your assignment?  I would love to hear all about your day- post below and let me know.

4 weeks to a More Organized Home series~ Day 14

I wanted to post this this morning, but as you can see that just didn't happen.  Kevin & I got into his English homeschool work and next thing I knew it was lunch time.  Today looks like an easy one, so that helps.  Let's dive right on in, shall we.

Today's assignment is to:

Get dressed in something that makes you feel great

Sit down with a cup of coffee or tea, refer to your weekly goals and make a list of no more than 5-7 specific things you want to accomplish today

Set your timer for 15 minutes and clean the mirrors and glass doors in your home

Clean out your utensil drawer(s) and your junk drawer(s) in your kitchen

Don't forget to come back this evening and see how we did with today's assignment. Plus come back and let me know how today worked for you:)

Lowes Build & Grow Clinic ~ 12/01/2012

Lowes will be hosting a Build & Grow Clinic on December 1, 2012 at 10am.

If you are looking for a great free activity that you can do with your kids- you should check out the Lowes Build & Grow Clinics. Little Michael and Nathan love them. They love being able to do hands on projects with our help.

This Saturday, Lowes Build and Grow Clinic will be building Sandman's Plane.

 

To sign up for this Build & Grow Clinic, simply go to the Lowes Build & Grow Clinic website, which they have redone to make it more user friendly. I am loving this new website. You register all your information. Then when you visit the website to sign up for an upcoming clinic, all you have to do is sign in and check which kids you are signing up. Don't forget to print and sign the waiver. And you and your child(ren) are ready for a really cool FREE hands on project.

Once you and your child(ren) complete the project they will receive a neat patch to put on their Lowes Build & Grow apron. If this is your first clinic, your child(ren) will receive a free Lowes Build & Grow apron and goggles:) The more clinics you do, the more patches you get to put on your kids apron and they can show them off with pride:)

4 weeks to a More Organized Home series~ Day 13 Results

How did your day go today?  Were you able to get everything on your to do list done?  Our day was busy as usual. We were supposed to spend the morning at the library for a Home School Research Class that is taught there.  We got there on time today but couldn't find the librarian.  Come to find out the room was double booked- oops.  So we waited and started later than we usually do.  It was a good class and I managed to learn something new:)

Here is how today's assignment went for us today:

Today's assignment was to:

Get dressed in something that makes you feel great~ Done

Sit down with a cup of coffee or tea, refer to your weekly goals and make a list of no more than 5-7 specific things you want to accomplish today
My weekly goals
Get some baking done- Got chocolate chip baked oatmeal done
Put up and decorate Christmas tree- Got Christmas tree up and decorated
Homeschool- Ongoing
Read to little Michael before nap and bedtime- Ongoing
Walk at least 5 miles for 5 days- Walked 8 miles today- yay:)
Portion and freeze cheese
Work on and email Christmas lists- Got everyone's list typed out, emailed and printed out for my dad
Work on menu plan and shopping list for December- Got first week of December planned
Dinner prep done early- pulled cooked beans out of freezer
Label Scentsy catalogs and samples- Done

Set your timer for 15 minutes and do a quick clean of your bathroom- Did not get done today

Clean the tops of your kitchen cupboards, the top of your refrigerator and the outside of your kitchen cupboards~ We cleaned the top of the refrigerator, moved all the magnets and cleaned the outside of the whole refrigerator.  We wiped down all the cabinets in the kitchen.  We did not do the top of the cupboards as I cannot reach them.  Will have to save that task for when hubby is home.

How did you do with today's assignment?  Post below and let me know:) 

4 weeks to a More Organized Home series~ Day 13

As we get ready to head out to the Library Homeschool Research Class, I wanted to share with you Crystal's 4 weeks to a More Organized Home series assignment for today.  I am really loving the simplicity of these assignments.  With our crazy hectic schedule, these assignments work well for us- it gives us just the right amount to do without being too overwhelmed:)

Today's assignment is to:

Get dressed in something that makes you feel great

Sit down with a cup of coffee or tea, refer to your weekly goals and make a list of no more than 5-7 specific things you want to accomplish today

Set your timer for 15 minutes and do a quick clean of your bathroom

Clean the tops of your kitchen cupboards, the top of your refrigerator and the outside of your kitchen cupboards

Don't forget to come back this evening and see how we did with today's assignment.  Plus come back and let me know how today worked for you:)