Yummy Dinner

We had breakfast for dinner tonight, but it was more fun than the boring bacon and eggs I usually make. And since I found all the recipes online (well, Molly found one of them and sent it to me), I thought I'd share. We had Emily's Famous Hash Browns (That's actually what the recipe is called; I didn't make it up. I omit the onion whenever I make these.), Bacon Quiche (I substituted Monterey cheese for the Swiss at Molly's recommendation and omitted the onion), Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins (Leftovers from Sunday. I used sour cream instead of yogurt. Apparently I have to make a change to every recipes I use.), and Orange/Banana/ Peach smoothies (2 c orange juice with added calcium, 2 frozen bananas, Greek style vanilla yogurt, and about 1 c frozen peaches). It was very yummy. Alexa liked the quiche but not the hash brows, and Caleb liked the hash browns but not the quiche. Oh well, I can't please everyone.

A Caleb Funny

Each day when we have school time, we take something off of Caleb's learning poster to replace it with the new item we are studying this week. For instance, today we took down the black circle to replace it with the whit crescent. Caleb loves to say, "Bye, bye," to whatever we are taking down, and then he goes and throws it in the trash. Today, though, while he was carrying the black circle to the kitchen trash can, he added something new and said, "Bye, bye, circle. Love you." I mean the circle had been on his poster for a whole 2 weeks and all, so it was apparently a sad goodbye.

Busy Day!

This morning I got everyone up, dressed, and fed then almost immediately put Alexa down for a nap. While she was napping, I cleaned up from breakfast, finished putting away all the stuff from church yesterday, packed snacks and diaper bags and did my hair and makeup. Once she was up, off we went.

Stop #1 - Gas station
My gas light was on, so I decided it really was time to wait in line for gas with 2 children who don't like the car. I had been putting it off hoping gas supply would be up, but I could put it off no longer. From start to finish, it took me about 33 minutes at the gas station. The station I went to was very organized though. They had blocked off one entrance so that everyone had to form one line. There was an attendant at the front of the line directing people to the correct pumps. I read a a magazine while we waited and the kids ate their snacks.

Stop #2 - Alexa's 15 month check up
Fortunately waiting in line for gas did not make us late. Like it would have mattered anyway since we waited about 30 minutes in the waiting room then another 30 minutes in the exam room. Alexa weighs 20 lbs 2 oz (25th percentile) and is 30.5 inches long (60th percentile). She is healthy and growing just fine. While we were waiting for the doctor, I weighed Caleb. He is holding steady at 32 lbs.

Stop #3 - Chickfila
This was a reward for the kids behaving well at the doctor, but mostly it was a reward for Mommy who had spent the last 2 hours cooped up with children in small spaces.

Stop #4 - Target
I grabbed 6 boxes of Electrasol dish washing tabs, and I paid $1.14, which was a savings of 94%.

Stop #5 - Publix
The penny item this week was peanut butter which we (Dave) go through very quickly. So I took advantage of being right near a different Publix today. I saved 76% on this trip.

We got home just in time for naps, and Alexa slept until after Dave got home (very rare). Meanwhile Caleb had rest time, school time, and snack time, and Mommy had computer time, school time, and chores time.

After dinner tonight, I headed out to get some more bargains.

#1 - CVS
I paid $.34 for 4 12 packs of coke, a diabetes monitor (for the donation pile), Purex laundry detergent, Cover girl foundation, Cover girl concealer, and a Fusion razor (Dave's new favorite).

#2 - Target
I went to grab some more Electrasol, but the price was $.60 higher than at the other Target so I didn't get any.

#3 - Kohls
I paid $0 for 2 shirts and 2 pairs of shorts for Alexa for next summer. I called my mom after this stop to tell her that if she is not careful I might beat her as the Queen of Clearance Racks. The total of all 4 pieces of clothing came to $5 exactly. And I received a coupon for $5 off a $5 or more purchase for signing up my e-mail at Kohls.com. I didn't even owe tax after using that coupon, so I paid nothing. Fun, fun.

#4 Walgreens
I bought one Fusion razor, used a $4 coupon, paid with a gift card, and then I was supposed to receive a Register Reward for $4. It didn't print out because the paper was jammed, so the manager gave me $4 on a gift card. Even better, because I could used the gift card to do the deal again, but a Register Reward cannot be used on the same deal.

#5 Another Walgreens
I bought another Fusion razor, used a $4 coupon, paid with the gift card and $1 and some change, and got back my $4 Register Reward to spend another day.

#6 Another Publix
I wanted to get another peanut butter for a penny, so I stopped at my usual Publix. I saved 70% on this trip.

Now I am finishing up my snack, and I am off to bed soon. Good night!

Menu Plan Monday

Tonight - Chicken breasts with pesto butter, pasta, carrots
Tuesday - Bacon quiche, hash browns, fruit
Wednesday - Stromboli, salad, corn
Thursday - Garlic chicken pasta, cheese toast
Friday - Hamburgers, hotdogs, fries, applesauce
Saturday $5 pizza
Sunday - Lunch at church

North Georgia State Fair: Part II

The fair had free admission and free rides again this morning. Since Dave is out of town, my mom came over to take the kids to the fair with me. She and my dad are actually going again tonight to hear a concert, and they will get in for free then by bringing 5 non-perishable food items each for Must Ministries. I'm all about getting things for free these days, including admission to the fair.

Anyway, here are some pictures.

Let me out of this stroller, Mom!

I'm not going to look at you or smile.

Riding the carousel.

And the boats.

The cars. Alexa actually didn't ride this one because she got bored waiting for it to start.

Riding the elephant ride. He's actually almost smiling.

Fishing with Grammy.

Caught one!

The bubbles, perhaps their favorite part of the morning.

Bubbles are so fun!

More bubbles.

Fifteen Months Old

Cost of Dinner

Publix is advertising this week a meal you can purchase at their store that will feed a family of four for $19.66. They compare this to the over $40 a family of four would spend to go out to eat.

Well, I'm going to compare it to a dinner I made at home with mostly items purchased at Publix.

Hamburger Helper Cheeseburger Macaroni: -$.20 (Yes, that is a negative sign. Publix paid me to take this home a few weeks ago.)
3/4 lb ground beef: ~$1.50
Green Giant Valley Fresh Steamers sweet peas: -$.10 (They paid me to take these home as well.)
Bartlett Pear: ~$.44 (The kids and I shared one large pear that I bought on sale; Dave is out of town and doesn't eat pears anyway. To be completely fair, you would need more than one pear to serve 4).

Total cost for dinner for 3 (plus enough leftovers for 1-2 more servings): $1.64 :)

79% Savings at Publix

Here's my receipt from my Publix shopping trip today.
And here's the whole kitchen table full of things I bought.
My final total was $35.87, and my savings was $136.41. I had so many coupons that a manager had to come over and override the last several. And the poor man who was waiting behind me at the register has been stuck behind me once before. At least he was very patient both times. Here's a quick list of what I got. For price breakdowns, see my earlier Publix post.

6 Birds Eye Voila meals
2 packages Kraft American singles
3 Lean Cuisine Paninis
6 Sara Lee Cheesecake bites (most of which are for Dave's party, but one of which somehow already got opened and declared very yummy)
1 Sara Lee pound cake
2 160 ct Dixie Napkins
10 boxes Reduced Sugar cake mix (I bake something for church every Sunday, so these will get used. I have a great cook book called the Cake Mix Doctor that has lots of recipes to make with cake mixes)
1 Friendship Sour cream
1 Dole peaches and 1 Dole pears
6 cups Cheerios
2 Muir Glen tomato sauce
1 Zone perfect bar
1 Quaker instant oat meal
2 Quaker instant grits
6 Campbell's Select soup
5 Ronzoni Healthy Harvest pasta
9 Ronzoni Smart Taste pasta
6 Chinet crystal tumblers
Publix baby carrots

Thankful Thursday

My students and I were discussing the Pilgrims and the first Thanksgiving in class today. Obviously I am thankful for God, my family, my friends, etc., but here, in no apparent order, are 10 other fun, random things I am thankful for.

1) Starbucks gift cards and the free grande vanilla latte I had this morning

2) Smoothies because my kids ingest fruit and calcium without a fight

3) Gasoline and especially the fact that I did not need to get any to make it to school or back home today

4) Coupons not only because they save me money but also because they have become a fun hobby

5) Caller ID which we just got in the last few months so that I don't have to answer dumb, annoying phone calls

6) Chickfila because it is yummy, both my kids like it, and not having to cook makes me happy

7) Dora the Explorer for keeping Caleb entertained while I do grading and lesson planning

8) Dark chocolate, enough said

9) Cute hair clips for days like today when I do not feel like messing with a curling iron

10) Calculators not for doing math but for keeping my kids happy while in the car or at a store

What are you thankful for today?

Publix Deals For the Week

There are some great deals coming up at Publix this week. The sale starts tomorrow and runs until Wednesday, at least in my county. Here are some of the things I plan to get.

Birds Eye Voila Meals - $2.50 each after BOGO sale
Use $1/1 coupons from several magazines (Parents, Redbook, All You, Parenting. How convenient that I have free subscriptions to some of these) to make them $1.50 each.
Or use $1/1 coupon here.
Or at my Publix, there are $1.25 coupons in a blinkie machine on the freezer door making them $1.25 each.

Our favorites are the Garlic Chicken and Three Cheese Chicken. One bag feeds all 4 of us. These are a great cheap meal for nights when the cook needs a night off (like tonight).

Even better, send in 3 UPC codes and get a free Charlie Brown DVD. Form is found here.

Cambell Select or Select Harvest Soups - $1.20 each after BOGO sale
Use $.50/2 coupons from 9/14 or 8/17 SS inserts making them $.70 each.

Sara Lee Deserts - 50% off
I plan to get some of the cheesecake bites for Dave's upcoming graduation party. There was a $1 coupon in the 8/24 RP making these about $.99 each. There was also a $1 coupon in 9/21 RP for the pound cake.

Dole Fruit Bowls - $1.33 each after BOGO sale
Use $.75/2 coupon from 8/10 or 8/24 SS making them $.97 each. Caleb loves the peaches and pears. I try to get the ones canned in fruit juice if I can find them.

Ronzoni Healthy Harvest or Smart Taste Pasta - $.90 each after BOGO sale
Use $1/1 coupon from 8/24 SS to get these free or with $.10 overage depending on your store.

Chinet Crystal Tumblers - $1.25 each on Advantage Buy until October 10th
Use $1/1 coupons from 6/29 SS or Smart Summertime Savings Publix Booklet or here to get these for $.25 each. I am stocking up for Dave's graduation party and upcoming holidays.

Dixie 160ct Napkins - $1.50 each on Advantage Buy until October 10th
Use $.50/1 from 8/17 RP to get these for $.50.

Cheerios - $1.99
Use $1 coupons here, here, or here to get these for $.99. Or use the coupons on the small cups that are $1.00 to get them for free.

Muir Glen tomato sauce - $.89 regular price
Print $1 coupon here to get this for free or $.11 overage.

Zone Perfect Bars - $1.00 each on Advantage Buy until September 26th
Use $1 coupon from 9/7 SS to get for free. Coupon is limited to one per transaction.

Publix Baby Carrots - BOGO

Pillsbury Cake Mix - $.85 each after BOGO sale
Use $.40/1 coupon for the Reduced Sugar variety from 9/7 RP to get these for $.05 each. In my experience these taste fine but tend to cook a bit faster than the back of the box says, so watch them carefully.

Quaker Instant Grits - $1.25 each after BOGO sale
Use $1/2 coupon from 9/7 RP to get these for $.75 each.

Dressed for Success

In jammies, black Mary Janes, and an oven mitt.

Saved $101.64 at Kroger today

No pictures as I went tonight after the kids were in bed, so it was late. I just wanted to get everything put away (and blogged about), so I could go take a bubble bath.

This is the biggest shopping trip that I have done in awhile. Lately, I have been hitting a few different store a few times a week and spending under $20, often under $10. Kroger this week had great prices on chicken and cheese, which we use a lot of, and I also needed to stock up on flour and sugar since I have been doing a lot of baking lately.

Anyway, I spent $47.97, and I saved $101.64, which is a savings of 69%. I also got back $12 in coupons to spend on my next order (OYNO), as well as coupons for free A&W root beer and some really cheap Johnson's Buddy soaps.

Here's what I got and the coupons I used -
$5/$75 purchase from Entertainment book (so sad these will not be in next year's book)
2 $2 OYNO coupons from Glade
Kroger bacon - $2.50
12 Purdue chicken breasts - $1.99/lb
1 lb ground beef - $1.79/lb
3 4 packs Cottonelle toilet paper - free after $.50 coupon that doubled
4 packages of Old El Paso tortillas - $1 on sale, used $1/2 coupons
margarine - $.69
Eggs - $1.69/dzn
Cottage cheese - $1
2 jars Kroger peanut butter - $1 each
6 Powerade Zero - $.79 each, got back $4 OYNO coupon
6 Pillsbury brownie mixes - $1 each, used 6 $.40/1 coupons that doubled
4 packages Kroger cheese - $1.67 each
2 5lb bags Kroger flour
1 4lb bag Kroger sugar
6 1/2 gallons Turkey Hill tea - free after $1/1 coupon (I don't drink tea, but I am sending one to a family I am taking a meal to and using the rest for church.)
Tortilla chips - $1
2 pkgs Nestle chocolate/white chocolate chips - on clearance for $1.79, used $.50 coupons that doubled
1 pkg Kroger chocolate chips
3 Johnsons Buddy bars - $1.09 each, used $3/3 coupon, received $3/3 catalina coupon
Kroger gallon orange juice - $2.48
Bartlett pears - $1/lb
Red grapes - $1.29/lb
3 pkgs Trident gum - BOGO free, free after $.55 coupon
2 Glade Wisp Flameless candles - $8.99, used BOGO coupon and $5 coupon, got back 2 $4 OYNO coupons
One thing on my receipt labeled CC IC that I cannot remember what it is - $.99 (I just checked my list, and I remembered! This is Fudge Ripple Ice Cream.)

Playing With Mommy's Old Dolls

Caleb shared his cold with me, so we stayed home today since I am not feeling so hot. We pulled out my old dolls to play with for some extra entertainment. Caleb put a baby down for a nap on his bed, and he keeps telling Alexa, "Baby sleep in Caleb's room." Alexa thought that the dolls' blankie and bottle were for her.

Monday Fun

Playing "train" in the living room. Caleb's preschool theme this week is trains.


Coloring with sidewalk chalk.

Plumbing Project: Part II

Thanks, Daddy!

Super Savings at CVS and Publix

CVS - I paid $1.35.
I bought:
1 pack Huggies diapers
2 Huggies Cleanteam wipes
4 boxes Kleenex
1 Ambi face cream (which went straight into the donation box)
1 Adidas deodorant (which Dave says smells like Tennis players)
1 Nivea for Men body wash

Publix - I paid $8.84. I saved $21.04, or 70%.
I bought:
3 Fantastik cleaners
3 bananas
6 pack Publix spring water (penny item)
Olive Oil
Cheerios
Chinet cups
Zone perfect bar

Check out Fiddledeedee! for more Publix savings.

Menu Plan Monday

Monday - Cheesy chicken bundles, green beans, rice pilaf
Tuesday - Nasi Goreng (recipe below), breadsticks, salad
Wednesday - Grilled pork chops, oven roasted potatoes, corn
Thursday - Eggs, bacon, grits, fruit
Friday - (Dave gone) Hamburger Helper, peas
Saturday - (Dave gone) Sandwiches, fruit
Sunday - Lunch at Molly's

Nasi Goreng/Indonesian Fried Rice - an adaptation of a recipe from Dave's mom
serves 5-6

Cook 2 cups white rice.

Heat 3 T oil in a large skillet. Saute 1 large onion, chopped roughly, until golden brown. Add and saute for one minute:
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp tumeric
1 tsp Laos (Java gallingale root)
1/4 tsp sereh powder (lemon grass)
1 tsp salt
pinch of crushed red pepper flakes.

While preparing the above saute 3/4 lb of cubed chicken in a separate skillet.

Add cooked rice and sauteed meat to spice mixture. Saute over low heat, stirring occasionally for about 10 minutes to blend flavors.

In another skillet, fry one egg per person. Top each serving of Nasi Goreng with a fried egg. Season with Maggi and Sambal Oelek at the table.

North Georgia State Fair

We took the kids over to the North Georgia State Fair this morning. It is held right across from our neighborhood, so we walked to save on parking. This morning, admission and rides were free from 10:00-11:00. We let Caleb ride as many rides as he could during that time. Then we played a few games, had a snack, and went to the petting zoo, which both kids loved. We headed home for lunch and naps, and Alexa fell asleep as soon as her head hit the bed.

Take Me Out to the Ballgame Again

My parents babysat last night while we went to Covenant College night at the Braves game with Molly and Nick. I didn't watch much (any) of the game, but I did enjoy chatting with Molly (since I haven't seen her since Thursday and all) and snacking since we were sitting in the All-You-Can-Eat seats.

Nine Circles

A Day In My Life

On Thursdays, I teach from 9:00 until 2:00. 5 measly hours with 45 minutes for lunch even. And yet these 5 hours take me at least 10 to accomplish. That does not include the time during the week that I spend grading, lesson planning, and answering e-mails.

Last Night -
Pack diaper bag and place in car
Pack 4 lunches (I bribed Dave to watch the kids by offering to pack his lunch in exchange. He normally makes it himself)
Set out 4 outfits (I actually do pick Dave's clothes every day but Saturday).
Pack up all my school stuff and place in car (I have a whole rolling crate full of books)
Pick out some toys, books, and movies for Caleb and place in car (Our babysitter, Annette, has a one year old, so I try to pack some age appropriate toys for Caleb
Figure out what I need to bring to swap with Molly and place in car (I know this doesn't really have to do with work, but this is often the only day we see each other besides Sunday and we always seem to have stuff to give each other)

This morning -
Get up at 6:15 (Why in the world do I have to get up 2 hours and 45 minutes before school starts to get there on time?)
Get myself ready and fed before 7:00
Get the kids' breakfast ready and fill milk cups for the car
Wake two sleepy, grumpy kids up around 7:00 and get them changed, dressed, and in the car (Dave has already left for school by this point, so he is no help)
Leave the house between 7:15 and 7:20
Drive to Annette's house while attempting to feed both kids breakfast, figuring out which CD Caleb wants to listen to, and checking out the Publix ad and coupons from the Thursday paper at stop lights
Arrive to Annette's house shortly after 8:00 (what would normally take me just over half and hour takes about 45-50 minutes)
Take all the multitude of kid stuff from the car into Annette's house, try to convince Caleb to eat the breakfast that he wouldn't eat in the car, laugh at Alexa who ate every crumb of her breakfast in the car but is now eating breakfast again because everyone else is eating
Set up double jogging stroller for Annette to take the kids to the playground
Say goodbye to the kids who, except for Annette's on Tiny V, do not say goodbye or even seem to notice or care that I am leaving
Arrive to school around 8:30
Drag my crate full of stuff into my classroom, rearrange everything that got moved, set out all my books.

Teach for 5 hours

This afternoon-
Pack up all my books
Leave school around 2:15
Arrive at Annette's house and pack up all the kids' stuff
Collapse double jogger stroller and load back in the van
Sit around reading or talking to Annette for awhile while kids sleep
Get up one sleepy child and wake up other sleepy child
Get kids and stuff in the car and feed them snacks while we drive
Listen to the same exciting kids' CD that we already listened to that morning, twice
Run any errands that are nearby or on the way home (the only other time that we are in this area is on Sunday for church, so I try to sneak in errands if I need to to cut down on gas)
Arrive home around 4:00
Get stuff out of van
Empty lunch boxes and diaper bag
Put away jogger, school books, toys, books, etc.
Wait for Daddy to get home to beg him to take us out for dinner :)

Yawn! As I mentioned yesterday, I really do love teaching. And I know my kids are in good hands while I am gone. But just thinking about Thursdays makes me tired and reminds me that I am so very blessed to be able to stay home with my children the other 6 days of the week. Now it's off to bed for me.

Works For Me Wednesday: Teaching Home Schooled Students

I love to teach. More specifically I love to teach 5th grade or thereabouts. Even more specifically I love to teach English and history. I taught full time for a year after Caleb was born and then decided that I needed to look for a part time position. Traditional schools often offer part time positions, but they usually require coming in for a portion of each day. I was really hoping to teach only a few days a week, but I was not sure if this was possible. I can't really remember now how I stumbled upon the idea of teaching home schooled students, but it is a great idea for me. I love being home with my children, and yet I love to teach. I also love getting a paycheck that helps us make ends meet. The first time I taught home schooled students, I taught 2 days a week from 9:00-2:30. In the morning, I taught 2 sections of 5th grade English, and in the afternoon, I taught two sections of 5th grade history. I took last school year off after Alexa was born. This year, I am only teaching one day a week from 9:00-2:00. I have 4 5th and 6th grade students, and I am again teaching English and History. Teaching home schooled students helps me pursue my love of teaching while still spending most days home with my children, and that works for me.

Plumbing Project

My parents graciously bought us a new kitchen faucet as we still have the original two handle style that was installed when the house was built. They got us one with one handle and a shiny white sprayer.

Here's the old faucet -

Here's all the stuff that was under the sink -

And here's the new faucet -
Yep, still in the box. :) I played around with it a little bit this afternoon only to determine that being a plumber is not in my future. Now to sweet talk my daddy into installing it for me.

Painting Fun

We are going to visit Grammy at work today, so the kids painted her pictures this morning. Alexa tried to put the paint brush in her mouth once, so fortunately the paint is non-toxic. It also washes of hands very well when a certain little girl decides she'd rather finger paint.




ETA: We forgot to take Grammy her paintings. I'm not sure if they were dry yet anyway, so we will just give them to her Friday night.