I Don't Like Change

It's true.  I am a scheduled, stay on course kind of girl.  My husband couldn't be more the opposite. He is a spontaneous, laid back guy (just the things I loved the most about him when we were dating).  

Maybe I should explain this a little better.  I don't mind change that comes at me weeks, days or even hours in advance.  What I cannot stand is change that is thrown at me at the last minute.  I know there are other people like me in this area.  But, somehow, I seem to be the most affected in my circle of friends/family.  

I don't even like small things changing at the last minute.  It could be what we are having for lunch, the plans for the day or even a last minute decision for my kid to play at someone else's house.  It all makes me batty.  

My brain really needs a good 30 minutes to process the change and then develop a new plan of action.  I have never been a fly by the seat of my pants kind of person.  That became even more evident when we had kids.  Once I had 4 kids in 5 years, I didn't know how to survive without a schedule.  I can be a LOT more flexible now that they are older, but I still just want to know what the PLAN is!  

There are a couple times that this schedule nazi side of me can fade away.  It usually involves being away from home and having no children.  If I only have to worry about myself and my husband, plans to seem to be much easier to adjust.  I think this is probably one of the biggest things Cory is looking forward to on our cruise in a couple weeks.  There is not a scheduled bone in his body and I think he is going to love having a wife that will just relax and chill for 5 whole days!!

Now, if we can just get all these hurricanes out of the way before we head to the Bahamas, that would be great.  

I Survived the First Day Teaching!

Well, today was the first official day of school at my new job. I think it went very well. The kids did great and had a blast.
The biggest thing we realized today was that we don't have enough planned. Projects we thought would take 45 minutes, only took 15. Hmmm... that leaves you with a lot of down time. Don't worry though, we had plenty of coloring sheets, notebooks, scissors and glue to make up for it.

Other than one kid trying to eat glue and cut her own hair and one set of brothers getting into a small fist fight, things went without incident.

Well, there was the one boy who had to be reminded to take his hand out of his pants at least 30 times throughout the day.
Would you expect anything less? Looking forward to another week of 15 different personalities.

Mrs. L (that's what I'm called - I am so the cool teacher!)

Publix Grocery Store Deals and Coupons for 8/28-9/3

Ball Park Franks (bogo @ $3.79/2)
Use $1/2 from rp 8/24. You can combine with "free sara lee buns with the purchase of 2 Ball Park items" peelie coupon.
Makes them $1.40 a pack plus free buns

Yoplait Yogurt ($10/20)
Use $.40/6 from GM 8/10 insert
Makes them $.42 a cup

Hellmann's Mayo (bogo @ $5.17/2)
Use 2 $.60/1 from rp 8/17
Makes them $2 a jar

Wish-Bone Dressing (bogo @ $2.87/2)
Use $1/2 from rp 6/29 or 8/17
Makes them $.90 a bottle

Lawry's Marinade (bogo @ $2.81/2)
Use 2 $.50/1 from rp 6/22 or 8/17
Makes them $.90 a bottle

Mt. Olive Pickles (bogo @ $2.19/2)
Use 2 $.50/1 from recent insert (I can't find which one)
Makes them $.60 a jar

Ocean Spray Juice (bogo @ $5.19/2)
Use 2 $1/1 from rp 5/11
Makes them $1.60 a bottle

Campbell's Select Soup (bogo @ $2.39/2)
Use $.50/2 from ss 8/17
Makes them $.95 a can

Kellogg's Cereal (bogo @ $3.99/2 - includes Frosted Flakes, Rice Krispies, Apple Jacks, Corn Pops, Froot Loops, Cocoa Krispies, Cereal Straws)
Use $1/2 from 8/3 Kellogg's insert or $1/1 printable
Makes them $1 - $1.50 a box

Nature Valley Granola Bars (bogo @ $5.19/2)
Use 2 $.75/1 printable or here or 2 $.50/1 from 8/10 GM insert
Makes them $1.85 a box

Blue Diamond Almonds (bogo @ $3.19/2)
Use 2 $1/1 from ss 5/18
Makes them $.60 a can

Nabisco Chips Ahoy! (bogo @ $3.89/2)
Use $.75/2 from ss 7/27
Makes them $1.57 a package

Cheerios ($1.99)
Use $1/1 from Cheerios Challenge
Makes them $.99 a box

Don't forget to grab some $2/gallon milk!!

More bogo deals w/NO Coupons:
Lay's Chips (2/$3.79)
Lender's Bagels (2/$2.15)
Kraft Velveeta Cheese (2/$4.21)
Breyer's Ice Cream (2/$5.77)
Green Giant Veggies (2/$3.49)
Molli Coolz Ice Cream Beads (2/$4.69)
Stouffer's Pizza (2/$3.19)
Kraft BBQ Sauce (2/$1.43)
Barilla Pasta (2/$1.55)
General Mills Cereal (2/$3.59 - includes Trix, Cocoa Puffs, Chex)
Keebler Crackers (2/$3.69)
Hershey's Mini (2/$7.99)

Winn-Dixie Deals and Coupons for 8/27-9/2

Ball Park Franks (bogo @ $2.99/2)
Use $1/2 from rp 8/24. You can combine this coupon with the peelie "free sara lee buns w/purchase of 2 Ball Park" coupon.
Makes them $1 a pack and free buns

Oscar Mayer Lunchmeat (bogo @ $3.99/2)
Use $1/1 or $1/2 from dispenser in store
Makes them $1-$1.50 a package

Vlasic Pickles (bogo @ $3.99/2)
Use $1/1 printable
Makes them $1 a jar

Ritz Crackers (bogo @ $3.79/2)
Use $.75/2 from ss 7/27
Makes them $1.53 a box

General Mills Cereal (bogo @ $4.59/2)
Use 2 $.75/1 printable
Makes them $1.54 a box

Orville Popcorn (bogo @ $3.19/2)
Use 2 $.40/1 from ss 8/3
Makes them $1.20 a box

3 pack Trident, Dentyne, Stride Gum (bogo @ $3.49/2)
Use bogo from ss 7/20 and get both free!

Pillsbury Cake or Brownie Mix (bogo @ $2.29/2)
Use 2 $.40/1 from rp 7/27
Makes them $.75 a box

Crystal Light (bogo @ $3.99/2)
Use b3g1 free peelie in stores
Makes them $1 a box

Bogo Deals w/NO Coupons:
Breyers Ice Cream (2/$5.99)
Kraft Mayo or BBQ Sauce (2/$4.69)
Lay's Chips or Planters Nuts (2/$4.79)
Pepperidge Farm Garlic Loaf (2/$2.69)
T.G.I. Friday's Appetizers (2/$10.99)
Farm Rich Pizza Slices (2/$7.99)
Aunt Jemima Entrees (2/$2.19)
Cool Whip (2/$2.19)
SuperPretzel (2/$2.99)
Cheez-It Crackers (2/$4.19)
Nature's Own Buns (2/$2.69)
Smuckers Toppings (2/$2.59)
Thomas Bagels (2/$3.99)

Milk for $2 a Gallon at Publix!!

There is a new coupon book in Publix stores. It is the one with the black cover and says "Take a peek into my Pyramid" on the front. There are lots of store coupons inside (many of which match up with man. coupons). One of the ones I was excited about is the Smart Balance coupon. There is a $1/1 store coupon for this milk. I also have lots of $1/1 man. coupons from recent dispensers in the store (you can also order these through the coupon clippers link on the left).

These cartons are normally 2 half-gallons/$6. So, with both coupons, it makes the milk $2 for a whole gallon!! That is the kind of deal I am all over. Also, there are $1/1 seapak store coupons that you can combine with the $1/1 man. coupons for the deal that ends today. This would make the boxes $1.65 a piece! This is a great deal for seafood.

Be sure to grab a stack of these from your local store.

Art Class With Grandpa

I have mentioned my dad a couple times on my blog before. For a living, my dad is a professional fine artist. His artwork consists mostly of landscape paintings. They are amazing!! Truly, if you have never seen his artwork before, you should click here. O.k., I just had to get that plug for my dad. I know I may be slightly biased, but he is completely gifted by God.

So, that brings me to this post. I am an extremely left-brained personality (completely like my mom). I do NOT do messy! I know I need to allow my children to express their creativity. This is where grandpa comes in. He has taught my older 2 art class for the last year or so. This year, Sydney is old enough to join. He teaches them in his art studio. Look at how ready he was this morning...Today was the first class of the new school year and they are already looking forward to next Monday. They love grandpa and they love how creative he allows them to be.They are using acrylic paint, brushes and pallets. They are learning how to mix colors to get the shade and consistency they want. They are also learning to do things the way they want to. This is the part that is so difficult to me. I want to show them the way it SHOULD be! I am not very good at "out of the box" thinking.Here are the pictures after 1 hour of class today. They will finish them next week.I love that I don't have to do that part of schooling. I will be writing another post on how my children take gymnastics from their aunt Jaime.
I love homeschooling and getting to pick which village helps raise my kids!!

School Schedule

Here is the schedule that I have put together for school starting today!! Class is in session. For clarification, PGO stands for a learning opportunity expounding from what they will be learning Fridays at class. This can originate from 1 or 6 subjects (History, Bible, Art, Drama, Music and Science). I will probably focus mostly on History, Bible an Science. I do not have any other curriculum I will be using for those 6 subjects. Another clarification is that during the morning time with Morgan and Avery, I will be doing lots of instruction. During the afternoon, they will do mostly independent work while I instruct Sydney. I have Math on there in both time slots because I will teach the lesson in the morning, but they won't work on it until afternoon.
I am anxious to see how this schedule goes. I know it always looks great until you are in the middle of it. My biggest concern is the lack of time for housework anywhere in my schedule. That is going to be tricky to keep up with.

My Parent's Property is Now Lakefront!! (Thanks Fay!)

I didn't take the pictures or video on my camera, but my sister-in-law did. My parent's backyard is usually the greenway for a golf course. It looks a little different now. These pictures are from yesterday. The water has gone down a little, but it will probably take a couple weeks to return to "non-soggy". Check out the post here.

School Canceled

Today was supposed to be my first day teaching at the 1 day/week program. I spent the day yesterday getting all those last minute things together.
My kids were so excited, they didn't even mind going to bed early. Well, at about 9:45 last night, the decision was made to cancel school for today.
So, it is 7 a.m. and my kids are not awake yet. They are going to be so bummed. I actually am pretty bummed myself. I had gotten excited and pumped up. I guess I have one more week to prepare. We have Fay to blame.
Even though it has been just lots of rain where I am, one of the staff members for the school lives in an area where there was flooding. She said that her car is completely under water and her street is flooded waist high.
The worst we have had is being without power for a couple hours last night. Although, we weren't even here to deal with it. We were at a friend's house that didn't lose power at all.
To read a local paper with all the details, click here.
Hopefully, this storm will be gone by today and dissipate over the land and water by tomorrow.

Rain, Rain, Rain

Well, Tropical Storm Fay has made some interesting twists and turns and stalls along her path.
Although, we have not been in the direct path of the storm, we are getting our fair share of rain around here. It rained most of the day yesterday and it is forecasted to do the same thing today and tomorrow.
Usually, we stay indoors during weather like this, but it is our last day of Summer today. So, we are going to venture out to the library. The kids (and I) are ready for some time away from the house.
Who knows, maybe we will do something else fun today. I have some puzzles I can pull out and some games we can play. I only have 3 more things on my to-do list for the day. So, I think mommy should be available to spend some good, quality time with the kids before we get thrown into the schedule of school.

Publix Grocery Store Deals and Coupons for 8/21-8/27

For great deals at more stores, check out the Grocery Gathering.

There are some more great coupon matches to the deals. I am looking forward to a little less shopping this week than last.

Oscar Mayer Beef Franks (bogo @ $3.99/2)
Use b3g1 peelie coupon (these can be found near the crackers in my store) and pay for 1, get 3 free!!
Makes them $1 a pack

Ken's Steak House Dressing (bogo @ $3.09/2)
Use $1/2 from ss 8/3
Makes them $1.04 a bottle

A.1. Steak Sauce (bogo @ $4.09/2)
Use 2 $1/1 from peelie in store
Makes them $1.04 a bottle

Ken's Steak House Marinade (bogo @ $2.79/2)
Use 2 $1/1 from ss 8/3
Makes them $.40 a bottle

Mott's Apple Juice (bogo @ $2.97/2)
Use $1/2 from ss 8/10
Makes them $.99 a bottle

V8 Splash or Juice Blend (bogo @ $3.07/2)
Use $1/2 from ss 8/17
Makes them $1.03 a bottle

GM Cereal (bogo @ $4.09/2 - includes Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Lucky Charms, Reese's Puffs, Cookie Crisp, Kix, Golden Grahams, Breakfast Pack)
Use $1/2 from ss 7/13
Makes them $1.54 a box

Kraft Easy Mac (bogo @ $3.49/2)
I have heard rumors about a tearpad with a
$1/1 coupon, which would
Make them $.75 a 6pk

Post Cereal (bogo @ $3.99/2 - includes Spoon Size Shredded Wheat, Raisin Bran, Bran Flakes, Shredded Wheat with Real Strawberries)
Use $1/2 from ss 7/27
Makes them $1.50 a box

Orville Popcorn (bogo @ $4.53/2)
Use 2 $.40/1 from ss 8/3
Makes them $1.86 a box

Tostitos (bogo @ $4.89/2)
Use 2 $.55/1 chip and 1 dip from ss 6/8 or
1 $2/2 chips and 2 dips from peelie in store
Makes them $1.45 - $1.90 a bag (not including cost of dip)

Nabisco Crackers (bogo @ $3.89/2)
Use $.75/2 from ss 7/27
Makes them $1.62 a box

SeaPak (bogo @ $7.29/2)
Use $1/1 printable
Makes them $2.65 a box

Pillsbury Rolls or Crescents, Squares, Twists, Breadsticks, Pizza Crust, Loaf (3/$5)
Use 3 $.35/1 or $1/1 (depending on what you buy) printable
Makes them $.69 - $1.33 a roll

Cheerios ($1.99)
Use $1/1 from cheerios challenge
Makes them $.99 a box

More bogo deals w/ NO coupons:
Bush's Baked Beans (2/$2.15)
Prego Italian Sauce (2/$2.57)
Duncan Hines Cake Mix (2/$1.99)
Quaker Baked Bars (2/$3.29)
Dove Chocolate (2/$3.79)
Arnold Bread (2/$3.69)
Cheez-It (2/$4.31)
I Can't Believe It's Not Butter (2/$2.99)
Swiss Miss Pudding (2/$2.39)

Winn-Dixie Stores Sale and Coupons for 8/20-8/26

For great deals at more stores, check out the Grocery Gathering

Another fairly slow week at Winn-Dixie. Is anyone else disappointed with them lately?

General Mills Cereal - includes Lucky Charms, Apple Cinnamon, Frosted, Cookie Crisp, Double Chocolate Cookie Crisp, Reese's Puffs, Total Cranberry Crunch, Raisin Bran (bogo @ $4.39 - $4.59/2)
Use $1/2 from ss 7/13
Makes them $1.70 - $1.80 a box

Kellogg's Cereal - includes Grab 'n Go packs, Special K Red Berries, Special K Vanilla, Almond or Fruit and Yogurt, Special K or Raisin Bran (bogo @ $5.19/2)
Use $1/2 from 8/3 Kellogg's insert
Makes them $2 a box (this can go toward the Kellogg rebate deal)

Sara Lee (bogo @ $2.49/2)
Use FREE coupon from rp 8/17
Makes them both free!!

McCormick Grill Mates (bogo @ $2.59/2)
Use 2 $.25/1 from rp 5/4
Makes them $1.04 a pouch

Betty Crocker Brownie Mix (bogo @ $4.29/2)
Use $.50/2 printable
Makes them $1.90 a box

Other Bogo deals with no coupons:
Lender's Ref. Bagels (2/$2.19)
Ore-Ida Fries (2/$3.49)
Hungry Man Dinners (2/$5.99)
Del Monte Canned Veggies (2/$1.39)
McCormick Taco Seasoning (2/$1.39)

One More Week of Summer

Well, I have officially decided to wait until next week to start schooling at home. Their first day of school will be this Friday at the program I am teaching at. Then, we will start our own curriculum on Monday. So, 1st day of school followed by the weekend. How cool am I?

I have spent yesterday and today preparing things for homeschooling. I already had the curriculum and had a basic idea of what I wanted to do. But, we started to put a little structure to that plan yesterday.

Today, I sat down with the girls and gave them each a sheet of paper where they could write their own personal goals for the school year. I also wrote my own list of goals for them for the school year. When daddy got home, we went over all the list and adjusted where he saw a need.

Morgan's List

In case you can't read all that, it says learn alphabet in cursive, do school every 5 days (she means 5 days a week), do multiplication better, do devotions, do astronomy, listening better, keep desk clean and organized (that's my girl!), don't play (apparently all fun must stop when school starts), go to library every week, don't be mad when doing school, learn self-control, read more often, learn gymnastics.

Avery's List

You may notice a slight difference in the type of things on this list. She is my dyslexic child and if she messes up, just scribbles through and starts over. Her list includes: play jeopardy (this is a game in one of her classes at Foundations), be polite to boys (hopefully not too polite), learn astronomy, have self-control, reading better, stop asking for telescope (I love that this is a goal - by the way, she's getting one for her birthday), do chores better, be obedient, listen to teacher, be nice, help clean, don't be careless, learn gymnastics, don't use pizza card (this is also for the Foundations class. She wants to save some of her pizza).

Sydney's ListSimple and Sweet, just the way I like it. Her lists reads: read better, spelling, math, hand writing (apparently!!), listen (I'm assuming to me), playing nice.

And, here is my list for themI'm not going to type everything on mine. It's not nearly as funny and if you really want to know what it says, just click on the picture to enlarge.

I also put together a tentative weekly schedule. I am going to start this year splitting the school hours between morning and afternoon. I hope this goes well. We'll see. I'm sure there will need to be some minor adjustments as we get into a groove.

We also spent a little time passing out new school supplies. I say new, but I really mean free from CVS or $.01 from Staples. It was all the same to them though and it definitely helped to draw out some excitement over Largaespada school.

So, tomorrow we are going to spend some time clearing out their school desks and re-stocking them with our new supplies.

This is Morgan's Desk

These are the desks for the other 3 A good sign for me is that they keep asking when we are going to start school and if we are going to start tomorrow. Usually they are trying to talk me out of starting school. I think having the schedule and new things are getting them a little anxious.

So, here's to a good 2008-2009 school year!!

First Day of School

So, today is supposed to the first day of school for my kids. I have nothing prepared yet (except the curriculum I already bought). So, we will see if I can get it together by this afternoon. If not, we have 4 more days of Summer!! I just love the flexibility of homeschooling.

Orientation - The Teacher Perspective

Well, I have been on the parent perspective for 2 years now when it comes to school orientations. But, last night was my first experience coming from the teacher's perspective.
We spent about 1 hour before the parents arrived decorating the room, getting refreshments set up and putting place cards and gift bags for each child at their spot.
We had music playing in the background and props to help tell the parents what their kids would be learning.
As far as I could tell, things went great! We had a fun time meeting the kids and the parents. We even did a messy craft last during the evening. Both Jess and I have an art apron that we will wear while doing our art projects in the morning. So, Jess decided it would be super cute to get all the kid's hand prints on the front. We did. It looks cute. They had fun.
We also did a scavenger hunt with the kids.
**As a side note. We only had the parents in the room for 30 minutes. After that, we had the kids for 1 hour.
So, the scavenger hunt was looking for different clues that pertained to things they will be learning this year.
I think they all had a great time. We realized at the end of the night how tired we were after only 3 hours of work. What are we going to do after 7?

Publix Grocery Store Deals and Coupons for 8/14-8/20

For great deals at more stores, check out the Grocery Gathering

It is a decent week at Publix. There are a couple things I plan on stocking on. Happy Shopping :)

Kellogg's Frosted Mini-Wheats Cereal (bogo @ $4.09/2)
Use $1/2 from kellogg's insert 8/3
Makes them $1.54 a box

Tennessee Pride Sausage Roll (bogo @ $2.99/2)
Use $1/2 from rp 6/22
Makes them $1 a roll

Hormel Black Label Bacon (bogo @ $4.79/2)
Use 2 $.50/1 from ss 2/17
Makes them $1.90 a pack

Del Monte Fruit or Fruit&Gel or Fruit Chillers (bogo @ $2.57/2)
Use $1/2 from rp 6/29
Makes them $.78 a 4-pk

Keebler Cookies (bogo @ $4.09/2)
Use $1/2 from kellogg's insert 8/3
Makes them $1.54 a box

Nature's Own Bread (bogo @ $3.39/2)
Use 2 $.55/1 (available for purchase on ebay or
you should also be able to find these in the "Summer Savings" magazine in the front of some Publix stores)
Makes them $1.15 a loaf

Luigi's Real Italian Ice (bogo @ $3.19/2)
Use $1/2 from rp 6/22
Makes them $1.09 a box

Edward's Pie or Cheesecake Slices (bogo @ $2.79/2)
Use $1/2 from ss 3/9 or 6/29
Makes them $.89 a box

Vlasic Sandwich Stuffers (2/$2.79)

Use 2 $1/1 printable (thanks Lisa!)

Makes them $.40 a jar

More Bogo Deals with no coupons:
Celestial Seasoning Tea (2/$3.49)
Milford Valley Breaded Chicken (2/$5.99)
Publix Salad Blend (2/$3.09)
Toufayan Pita Bread (2/$1.29)
Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ Sauce (2/$2.89)
Valley Fresh Canned Chicken (2/$3.29)
Planters Trail Mix (2/$2.99)
Crystal Light Drink or On the Go Mix (2/$4.15)
McCormick Black Pepper (2/$3.59)
Snapple Iced Tea (2/$8.99)
Ruffles Potato Chips (2/$3.79)
Reese's Peanut Butter Cups Miniatures (2/$4.99)
Kozy Shack Pudding (2/$2.99)
Healthy Dairy Yogurt Smoothie (2/$1.50)
Lender's Bagels (2/$2.07)
Bird's Eye Frozen Veggies (50% off)

Winn-Dixie Grocery Store Deals and Coupon for 8/13-8/19

For great deals at more stores, check out the Grocery Gathering

It looks like another disappointing week at Winn-Dixie. Here are the few things I saw:

Kellogg's Cereal (bogo @ $4.79/2 - includes Apple Jacks, Froot Loops, Corn Pops)
Use $1/2 from Kellogg's insert 8/3
Makes them $1.90 a box

Bogo deals with no coupons:
Arnold Wide Pan Bread or Entenmann's All Butter Loaf Cake(2/$4.29)
Edy's Ice Cream (2/$5.89)
Kool-Aid, Country-Time, Crystal Light (2/$3.99)

Busy, busy, busy!

Jess and I have been getting ready all Summer for teaching this year.  The last couple of weeks have really kicked our butts though.  Tonight is the orientation for our class and so we have been going crazy this weekend and yesterday and today getting all that last minute stuff done.

My kids have been watching a lot of t.v. and movies and I have spent many hours on the computer.  I also have been dragging my kids to every craft, office and supply store you can imagine.  You know that's fun.

I am looking forward to meeting all these K-1 kids tonight and getting them excited for a fun school year.

Hopefully, after tonight, we will start to get in a little better groove at home.  We are going to start school either Wednesday of this week or Monday of next.  I don't feel completely ready to jump on that boat yet.  I have been so focused on this new classroom and all that is needed there, I don't think there is any brain power left for my kids.

I am looking forward to getting back into the school groove with my kids though.  We need some consistency and structure again.

Oh, Ya... I'm the Funnest!

Here are some picture from yesterday. We had another fun day. We spent a good part of the day swimming again. In Florida, during the Summer, this is what we do. After swimming, we started to play beauty parlor.
I started by washing their hair in the sink.
Then, everyone needed their nails painted. Look at daddy jumping in. Doesn't he look like he is having fun? He also helped blow dry hair.After our nails were done, it was time to work on the hair.Jordan wanted to be involved too. So, he dressed up like a lion and we made his hair the mane. Doesn't he look scary?It wouldn't be dress up without make-up. I even let them use the dark lipstick!
Once everyone had their hair and make-up done and dresses on, we added some of my mommy's jewelry. They got to wear my fanciest stuff and put on a fashion show. It fabulous darling, simply fabulous! This is Sydney and Annalise "striking a pose".Here is Abbie's pose.
This is Morgan making her way down the runway. Later on, she was the announcer for the other kids. I took several videos of that, but they are all sideways and I can't figure out how to rotate them. Notice the "red carpet".
And here is Avery striking a pose.
So, at the end of the day, everyone was screaming that I was the funnest!! I did it, I did it. I'm going to bed...

1st Day/Night - How Am I Doing?

O.k., tonight completes my first day becoming the "funnest" aunt and mom. Thank you for all the great ideas!! I may not be all that creative, but I can sure copy some ideas. So, here is how Day #1 went:

We started the day by swimming at my parents house. This is our normal Friday schedule, so nothing super yet.
After lunch, I laid Allison and Jordan down for a nap. I left the sleeping kids with my brother and took the 4 older girls with me on a trip.
My good friend Sunday hooked me up with a Starbucks gift card today. So, I decided to take the girls to Starbucks and get them a treat.Now, I would like you to take note of a couple things. First of all, I ordered 1, yes, 1 Venti Triple Chocolate Frappucino (no, there wasn't any coffee in it) and asked him to split it 4 ways. Do you see the size of each drink? How can that be one drink split 4 ways? I also ordered 1 drink for myself. After tax, I paid $.75 out of pocket. Thanks Sun!
Next, we headed to Publix (that's a whole other post) where the cashier and lady behind me in line asked for my blog address after seeing the savings. I love a shopping trip like that. Anyway, we got fixin's for homemade french bread pizza. I stole this idea from Dianna on my previous post. Look at the fun video:

Everyone got to make their own...
and they all loved the end result!!After pizza, we started the best part of the night. I made a call to my oldest brother and asked if we could borrow his tent (yes, another stolen idea from my friend Jen) He has a family-sized tent that sleeps 9. As you can imagine, this thing was HUGE!! We had to move all the furniture in the living room to make space for this 13 ft. x 17 ft. and 6 ft. tall tent.You should have heard the ooh's and aah's as Cory and erected this mammoth. They were all very impressed and couldn't wait to get inside.They brought all the comforter's in the house to make a bed-floor. They are all (minus the baby) going to sleep there tonight.Oh, and we ended the day by making brownies. Everyone got to do part.
So, how am I doing so far? I am saving some of the other ideas I got in the last post for tomorrow and Sunday. I'll keep you updated.
If you think of anything else, please let me know :)

The Funnest Aunt Award - Help!!

I have my 2 nieces for the weekend (Friday morning-Sunday afternoon), so that my husband's brother and his wife could go away for the weekend.
I am planning to reclaim the title as "the funnest" before the weekend is over. So, what are some great ideas on being a fun aunt. I already learned a couple from my cousin in Texas. She wrote a great post about cooking with her kids and niece. So, #1 on my list is to cook with the crew.
In case you are wondering, Jaime and I vie for the position as the funnest mom all the time. She is way better at letting them get messy and doing crafty projects with them. I am way better at letting them jump on furniture, run in the house and be crazy. Lately, she has done some fun things with the kids just to one-up me. Well, she is going down!!
But, I am going to need your help. I am not all that creative. So, give me your best (easy, non-messy) ideas for a fun weekend with 5 girls and 1 boy. I want to hear, "Aunt Cassie is the funnest!!" by Sunday :)

I Could SO Have 9 Kids!

Today, I spent the good part of the day in charge of 9 children. I had my 4, plus my 2 nieces and 3 of my friend's kids. Now, this is not particularly out of the norm when the moms are all there. This time though, I was flying solo.
So, lets see, the ages were 8,7,6,5,4,4,3,2,1. Does that sound like fun? Oh, you betcha! Luckily, I have parents that live around the corner and they have a pool. What else can entertain that many kids for a day? Nothing that I know of. So, we spent the day at my parents and everyone had a blast.
The funny thing is, it really wasn't all that hard. If they were all under 3, that might be a different story. But they played well together and they all obeyed very well.
Maybe it was a fluke or maybe they really do get easier as they get older (aside from the teen years, of course).

Publix Grocery Store Deals and Coupons for 8/7-8/13

For great deals at more stores, check out the Grocery Gathering @ BeCentsable.

It is another great week at Publix! Look at all the coupons that match up with the bogo items! I am excited to do some more stocking up!

Hamburger Helper (bogo @ $1.99/2)
Use 2 $.80/3 printable
Makes them $.73 a box (when you buy 6)

Post Cereal (bogo @ $3.99/2 - includes Pebbles, Honey Bunches of Oats, Hony-Comb, Alpha-Bits)
Use 2 $1/1 or $1/2 from ss 7/27
Makes them $1-$1.50 a box

Nature Valley Granola Bars (bogo @ $2.97/2)
Use 2 $.60/1 printable
Makes them $.87 a box

General Mills Cereal (bogo @ $3.99/2 - includes Fiber One, Oatmeal Crisp, Total, Basic 4, Wheaties, Honey Nut Clusters, Raisin Nut Bran)
Use 2 $.75/1 printable
Makes them $1.25 a box

Betty Crocker Fruit Snacks (bogo @ $2.81/2)
Use $.80/2 printable
Makes them $1 a box

Hunt's Ketchup (bogo @ $1.75/2)
Use 2 $.20/1 from ss 6/22
Makes them $.67 a bottle

Old El Paso Dinner Kit (bogo @ $2.67/2)
Use $1/2 printable
Makes them $.83 a box

Pop-Secret Premium (bogo @ $4.51/2)
Use $.60/2 printable
Makes them $1.95 a box

Nabisco Single Serve Tray (bogo @ $6.17/2)
Use $.75/2 from ss 7/27
Makes them $2.73 a box

Entenmann's Donuts (bogo @ $4.29/2)
Use 2 $.55/1 printable
Makes them $1.59 a box

Yoplait Yogurt 6-pk (bogo @ $2.87/2)
Use $1/2 printable
Makes them $.93 a 6-pk

Simply Potatoes Mashed Potatoes (bogo @ $2.67/2)
Use $1/2 from rp 6/1
Makes them $.83 a box

4 Grain Large Eggs (2/$4)

Silk Soymilk (2/$5)

More Bogo items with no coupons:
Green Giant Canned Veggies 4-pk (2/$4.29)
Lay's Chips (2/$3.79)
Publix Baby Carrots (bogo - price not listed)
Banquet Original Breaded Chicken (2/$4.99)
Peter Pan PB (2/$2.67)
Hidden Valley Dressing (2/$3.61)
Marie Callender's Croutons (2/$1.39)
Lance Cookies, Crackers or Wafers (2/$2.79)
Famous Amos Cookies (2/$3.39)
Hershey's Bliss Chocolate (2/$3.99)
PhillySwirl Products (2/$2.99)
Mrs. Paul Fish (2/$4.49)