Menu Planning Monday

If you want to push my buttons please ask me while I am walking through the door after work and before I am headed out to take everyone to ball practice "WHAT IS FOR DINNER" Well since what ever you can find only gets you so far and a plate full of snacks is more expensive than going out to eat I had to take a long hard look at things. I decided that instead of having my buttons pushed I would come up with a menu post it on the fridge and stick to it no matter what. I have breakfast, lunch and snack on it since hubby and I pack our lunches. Not only does it cut the grocery bill way down it cuts the frustration level way down as well. So no more pushing the lets ask mom what is for dinner and watch how red her face gets and steam comes out of her ears button, I am sure they are huddled up now inventing a new button but for now all is well that ends well!

Upcoming Deals!

Kerr Drug Store:
Get Suave Shampoo for $1.19
Use Coupon from www.suave.com and get conditioner FREE!

K-Mart:
Herbal Essences Hair Care Products are on sale 2 for $4
Use the coupon from Sunday's paper ( a couple of weeks back) and get them for $1

Ingles:
(keep in mind Ingles will double coupons that are valued at 50 cents or less so if you have a 50 cent coupon you will get a dollar off)

Smart Balance Buttery Spread on sale for 1.88
Use 50 cent coupon from paper (it gets doubled) get it 88 cents

Gorton's Fist Fillets or Sticks BOGO makes them 3.24 each
coupon from Sunday's paper 50 cents off (doubled) get it for 2.24

Campbell's Chunky Soups 2 for $3
coupon from Sundays paper $1 off 2 get it for $1 a can

Smithfield Sausage or Kielbasa 2 for $5 makes them 2.50 each
coupon from Sunday's paper for 75 cents off and get it for 1.75

Smithfield Bacon 2.78
coupon from Sunday's paper for .75 cents off get it for 2.03



2 Must Check Out Stores in Sylva, NC
SAVMOR Groceries (some stuff isn't better deals than other stores but check out meat and produce!!!!)
Discount Bread (and no the bread isn't molded or bad) you can get 3 loaves of bread for a little over a buck
same with buns!!!

I Did It!

My goal was to make $100 extra dollars this month and I did. I sold 4 books on amzon! They were books that my husband and I had from classes we had taken! Whew!

Kmart Deals This Week! (Jan 26th thru Feb 2nd)

Head And Shoulders Shampoo 3 for $9 (which makes them $3)
Coupon from Sundays Paper $3 off
Get it for FREE


Honey Bunches Of Oats 5 for $10 (which makes them $2 a box)
Ccoupon from www.onespoonful.com for $2.oo off
Get it for FREE


Colgate on Sale 2 for $4
online coupon (can't recall where I got it probably typing in printable coupon for Clogate in the search engine) $1.50 off
Get it for 50 cents

Let It Snow!!!!

Well, we got some snow finally! We had about 3 inches this morning at around 3am but buy 9am it was only an inch due to rain! I love to look at snow but could care less about freezing out there! The kids and hubby on the other hand can't get enough of it. They were out in it at 9am and it is 3 pm and they are still out there only breaking for lunch! I can remember going out in the snow with about 5 pairs of socks on each hand for mittens and 2 pairs of pants and 2 shirts and a coat. It didn't matter how many layers I put on my fingers became numb and my toes too! So I gladly passed that tradition on to the kids! I did get them a good pair of gloves though that are water proof. It does no good though when the snow gets in the glove! The last snow we got hubby kept going outside and hosing down the driveway. Yep you heard me right hosing down the driveway. When approached with this he simply said " just picture the fun I am going to have on this thing" Sure enough the four wheeler slid all over the place with kids hanging on for dear life smiling the whole time. The funny thing is when I look at the house and say just picture it when we get this or that done hubby can't for the life of him see what I see. I guess he can't get past the long honey do list to envision anything! I know it has been a long time since I blogged, but thanks to the nagging of my mom and step dad I will try to be more faithful! This year we have decided to be FRUGAL! I hope to spend less and save more this year. The kids are even a part of this. Currently there is a list on my fridge that has 10 ways we can save money! Joseph and I have a list to but it entails mainly finances. We will see how this goes.

A Little Of This And That

Monday night cooking classes have been a big hit at our house. For the past few weeks we have been making different kinds of cookie doughs and putting them in the freezer in hopes of making Christmas Cooking Baskets.
I still haven't used my dryer! Yeah for me and the beginning of my frugal life! As I mentioned I was planning on starting to see how cheap I could get the grocery bill. Hubby messed that up by trying to help and going to the grocery store and spending far more than I ever would have on any day! So am planning on starting that next week.
We were sitting around the table and the phone rang(imagine that with 7 of us) Anyway it happened to be for me. It was the school needing volunteers. So I quickly agreed to help with the health fair. Then it happened. God smiled down on me and let his humor fly again. It was asked if my husband or I would be interested in supervising the upcoming dance. I quickly without hesitation volunteered my husband for this (partly because he always aggravates the children saying that he is going to do it) As I shared the joy with the folks at the table first a glare came from hubby (you know the look....the one that says....I was only saying that to get a rise out of the kids......why do you do this stuff to me) then the kids sunk in their seats saying please don't do it. The more they begged the more hubby was okay with it. So Oldest daughter said Okay you can go (as if she had a choice in the whole thing) anyway she said We gotta lay some ground rules. #1 you don't know me #2 I don't know you #3 stay with the other parents #4 don't try to dance #5 don't try to sing #6 and most important don't get up out of your seat, speak or make eye contact with anyone. HAHAHHAHHA Oldest son said my only request is don't hollar across the room " WHAZ UP DAWG" like a wanna be cool parent might.
Oldest son who is sensitive, sweet, and all around an easy child decided to change sports. So what do you do with a soft spoken, tender hearted boy? Sign him up for wrestling of course. The sick thing is he LOVES it. I tried to watch but feel the urge to go jank them monsters off my baby so have chosen to wait in the van until the end of practice.
Oldest daughter is back in basketball season full swing. She is good, if I do say so myself. Ask anyone in the stands they can tell you.....I think she is good. Which brings me to what I was told. Only and I do mean ONLY cheer when the other parents are cheering. I should not hear GO HOPIE GO at all I shouldn't hear you because of everyone else mom GEEEEZE
Youngest son last night while we were waiting in the van for wrestling to get over with got my key chain flashlight and started looking in everyone ear. We were all told that we have tubes and they look good and we could expect them to fall out at any time but not to be scared cause it want hurt. Then our eyes were looked at yep still seeing spots from this one. As we were told yep looks like you need glasses I think spider man ones will suite you fine. You have to take care of them and not sleep with them. Finally the one that brought tears was when he shined the light on our heads and said oh my what is that you got tumors but don't worry you get to take fun trips to the head dr. and if you are really good you can stay at the Ronald McDonald house and eat whatever you want to. You will have to have a shot though and it will hurt but then I will put you in a machine and look at your head and give you a toy so its okay. HAHAHAHA he is hilarious
Middle son is learning that no matter what I do at school or who I do it to my parents are going to find out so I might as well stop doing it. I will never say that he is coping with his ADHD well because if I do the bottom will surely fall out before I get home to catch it. So I am going to leave this paragraph with middle son is showing rays of sunshine at this time.
Youngest daughter has finally found a way to study multiplication without crying and snotting all over me. We have found a website that you type in whatever facts you are working on 7's or whatever and then a game pops up and she plays it for 30 min. each day and is getting very sharp at her facts now. I am very very proud.
Hubby well he is hubby. I wrote a note to his boss and the first line read 10 reasons why you should make Joe's check payable to me. Funny thing is the last line read ooops looks like Joe needs a raise.

Finally A New Post

This month has been busy, leaving little time to catch up on my blog.

I had a girls night our for the first time in a long time. Some friends and myself went to the Mexican restaurant, it was a lot of fun. When the Waiter asked what we wanted to drink I said Coke please but was quickly interrupted by a Friend who insisted that I wanted a daiquiris. One daiquiri led to another which led to me getting REALLY REALLY SICK but not before I muttered to my friend that she STUNK AS A GUARDIAN. You Cant take some one out who never goes out and expect them to run with the bid dawgs geeze.

I had dental surgery. I had all my wisdom teeth pulled out, 2 molars cut out, deep cleaning to gums and some bone graphs. The next day I felt good got a lot done around the house and then it hit me that night I was hurting. The next day we had a Halloween party for the kids at My sister's house. Hubby had to make 40 cupcakes after I slumped over in the recliner and began to drool (turns out pain pills make you do crazy things) the party went really good until my lovely brother in law thought it would be hilarious to turn on the fog machine right where I was standing and a tall kid was headed. The outcome of this hilarious action was the direct result of me getting head butted right in the jaw. Needless to say I ducked out of the party after that and hid in the living room. I think I am pretty much back to normal now (2 pain pill bottles later). The party turned out great and there was a big turn out.

Went to A Home and Garden's Party. My friends will appreciate this story. We had this "Get To Know You Game" you had to write down something about yourself that no body else knew. Seeing how these were all of my sister's peeps I didn't know anyone and thought I could write down anything or something that would embarrass my sister. So I took the higher road, nah only kidding I went for the embarrassment. I wrote that I have been married more times than anyone in the room. Turns out my sister has a bigger mouth than me and everyone guessed it. The humor comes in however when someone wrote I had a serious boyfriend and married someone else. Again everyone guessed me! WHAT IS WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE! The joke was on them cause it turns out I wasn't the only wild child in the crowd. There was a sweet older lady sitting a couple of people away from me named Sarah. When she sheepishly said it was her. I was the one who jumped to my feet gave her a hive five with a GO SARAH YOU GO GIRL. Only to be told later that it was my sister's preacher's wife. My purchase came to 40 bucks the night however was priceless!!!!

The kids all had different classes they wanted to sign up for each being quite pricey so I came up with an alternative on Monday nights we now have a class (just me and the kids) This month is cooking. So far we have tackled and won the battle of sugar cookies. I even sent treat bags of the cookies to hubbies coworkers. Could have sworn I heard hubby mumble under his breath this is stupid. It was confirmed when one of his coworkers thanked me for the cookies that indeed that is what he said cause he said thanks for the cookies even though Joe said I know its stupid she made me bring 'em. Oh well, can't train them all. Next month they want to make crafts and then in January they want photography, in which I will be enlisting the help of my older sister.

Also this month I have managed to tackle two crafts for Thanksgiving. The first being collecting leaves and letting (telling) the kids to make place mats for the table. I then laminated them they turned out really good. We also tackled a little Thanksgiving Craft gift for the grandparents. It's always fun when you have one who doesn't want to do it and wants to slap it together to prove a point. It is even funner when I say WOW THAT LOOKS GREAT I HOPE GRANDMA HANGS IT SOMEWHERE SURE TO BE SEEN BY EVERYONE AND TELL HER YOU MADE IT!

My mom would be proud to know that I haven't used my dryer in 3 weeks in hopes of seeing a difference on the power bill. I wash a load a night before I go to bed and before getting ready for work I hang the load on the line to dry during the day. I am determined at her guidance to be more frugal and stop blowing money! I am taking small steps. My next big move is to see how cheap I can get the grocery bill and still feed the family. WHOO that will be fun. Little Debby is the devil anyways she goes straight to the hips.

I got the flu shot this month, and plan on taking the children to the pediatrician lining them up and getting theirs too.

I signed up for college (for myself not hubby) for next semester and hope to finally finish my degree.(while working full time, raising 5 kids and taking care of hubby)

Finally, I am getting my own office at work and am in the process of packing up and moving out. So I hope to start blogging once a week faithfully. I started out wanting to do daily but there is just know way. Hope everyone's day is more uneventful than mine.