You'll Find Me At School Blog

Here's the BLOG: http://apirateschool.blogspot.com/

Evie just recently started reading, she's somewhere between pre-reading and a level 1 reader. But she is pointing out words she knows in books and if you get a level 1 book and ask her word by word what it says she can tell you quite a few of the words (she'll fill in with what she can gather from the pictures for you when she doesn't know).

I posted some videos of her reading, and counting, naming shapes, and naming colors, doing sign language and other activities we've been working. As a result I had quite a few friends ask me "HOW DID YOU TEACH HER THAT?" My short reply is "I spent way too much money, made way too many mistakes, tour my hair out, banged my head into a wall and spent countless hours on google trying to figure out how people DO THIS!" my slightly longer answer is "after buying a ton of programs that didn't work, trying things that were way too complicated, giving up, picking it up again, wracking my brain and crying I realized it really isn't all that hard! After I realized this wasn't difficult the rest came pretty easy, I found programs (most of them free) that did work, and ways to teach that was fun for both of us!"

So alas I have created an entire blog dedicated to what we do everyday as far as homework and how you can do it too! Please if you follow me, support my new blog by following it! I would appreciate the support! Also the more impute the better, if you have found things that work with your kids, or that you want to try with your kids LET ME KNOW! I'm even getting together a little stock pile of prizes, I'm going to have a few drawings on that blog to get some participation going. Toys, gift cards, all soon to be given away! Thanks everyone :)

Here's THE BLOG: http://apirateschool.blogspot.com/

Christmas Shopping

I really can't stand not having my Christmas shopping done by the first day in November! And, I am slightly behind this year. So I made a master list today and I have very few done! Most of them started, but very few done!

I have all of Josh's extended family done. We sent all but one gift to Josh's dad's family back with him. The one is not being released until Black Friday and we already have it on pre-order. So it will be mailed to Texas in plenty of time for Christmas.

Josh's sister's (Halie and Makenzi) are done, his brother Kyle I have done, but not Dan. Dan is so hard to shop for. What do you get for someone who can afford to buy anything he wants for himself? Gr..!

His mother's present is picked out but not yet ordered. His father's (Craig) is also picked out but not ordered.

I have my entire families presents on lay-a-away and have half of our girls' presents done. I have Josh's presents ordered, picked out or on lay-a-way but don't yet have any of them in completion in my possession.

I am feeling a bit scattered! I am going to spend the next 2 weeks completing those that I am making, and picking up the pieces to complete any of them that are simply needing "pieces". Then I will be picking up wrapping paper, bows, and card stock to make the cards, and gift tags. Hopefully I'll be getting everything wrapped and ready to be shipped, delicately placed in a closet of waiting, or dropped off with candy canes and Christmas carols. :)

Just Purchased Over $420.00 in Groceries for $206.00

Here's the deal, I have this friend (Kim) who does all this bargain shopping at the grocery store. Now I'm all up for a sale but I have never spent the time to price match, clip coupons etc. Until I was reading her blog and it was making me crazy that I spend so much on food! So this last sunday I got the paper, clipped the coupons and looked though the ads! I took all the ads to wal-mart with me last night and a pad of sticket notes. I picked out the things that were on sale and would put a sticket note on them that read (price match for $--.-- as seen in ad for ___) and stuck it to each product. It took about 2 hour. Yeah that seems like a long time but keep reading...

I got Quaker Granola Bars for 5 for $5.00 and then had a coupon from Quaker we found online that was save $5.00 on any 10 boxes of Quaker Granola Bars!!! So I got 2 of the 5 for $5.00 deals and then saved $5.00 on top of that! Making 10 boxes of Granola bars $0.50 cents a box! Regularly $2.29 each. Oh yeah!!!

We got 5lb bags of Idaho Potatoes for $0.79 Cents a bag! Regularly $3.49 a bag.

Philadelphia Cream Cheese Spreads (I got Fat Free for me and Chive and Onion for Josh) Regularly $1.78 each, for $0.99 as advertised at Smiths plus we saved an additional $0.50 cents by using a coupon that was $0.50 off of any TWO spreads! Total: $149.00 for two for two of them!

We managed to get 2 bags of Kraft Shredded Cheese for free! Smiths had them on sale last week for $1.00 a bag if you bought 5 mix or match items (which we got some other items on the list), and we had a coupon for $2.00 off any TWO Kraft Cheese products 8oz or larger. Thus we got 2 bags at $1.00 each minus the $2.00 coupon at the end... FREE.

All in all we got everything we needed (even the items that were not on sale, or had coupons) and had 2 carts over filled with food, toilet paper, paper towels, boost drinks, and more for $206.00. Next time I'm taking pictures as Kim suggested!

For anyone that wants to keep up on these types of deals check out Kim's Blog at http://dealfindingmama.blogspot.com

Thanks Kim!

Putting Together a Menu (any ideas?)

I am putting together a menu for Josh and I, as I am starting my new schedule on Monday I will have more time to cook! :) Here's next weeks menu, does anyone have any good recipes they want to share for future weeks... if so please do!

Monday-

*Boost Shake

*BLT's

*Pasta with Cream of Mushroom Soup and Hamberger

(Snack, apple oatmeal cookies)

Tuesday-

*Slow Cooked Oatmal

*Tuna Melt

*Rice and Spring Rolls (home-made)

(Snack, Granola bar)

Wednesday-

*Fruit Cups

*Chili Potatoes

*Taco Salad

(apple and peanut butter)

Thursday -
*Boost Shake

* Yogurt and Granola

*Chicken Pot Pie

(Snack, Granola Bar)

Friday -

*Quish

*Soup and Grilled Cheese

* Sheppard's Pie

(apple and peanut butter)

Saturday -

*Pancakes

*Fruit Cups

*Grilled Chicken & Rice

(Low Fat Fig Newtons)

Sunday -

* Yogurt and Fruit

*BLT's

*Dinner with my parents

(Homemade bread/honey butter)