Home Organization 101

Two weeks ago, I found a blog through pinterest called, A Bowl Full of Lemons. I am always on the search for ways to make better use of my time. I hate reinventing the wheel each time I get the "organization bug" but that is what I usually do. I spent the last several months looking for home management binders, cleaning plans, etc etc etc. When I found this blog, I found the Home Organization 101 Challenge!  I really thought that it was something that I could do.

The challenge lasts 14 weeks. Each week Toni posts a new room to clean and declutter. One room a week? Yes, I can do this. I signed up on the tail-end of Week One, the kitchen. Week Two was the garage (we don't have one). I should have done the kitchen that week but I had a lot of PTA duties to take care of---excuses, excuses.

Last Saturday, Week Three was the pantry! Can I just say that for about a month I have been saying, "I need to clean out the pantry!" Since I have had the baby, I have been wanting to get back to my couponing ways. But I really needed to get the pantry cleaned out and organized. So this week was perfect for me. In typical form, I waited until the last day to get it done! But it is finally done!!

This is before. Top shelf was cereal, cake mixes and dinner mixes.
Second shelf: misc. stuff--basically the shelf that everything gets stuck on
Third shelf: condiments, canned goods.
Floor: chips, juice, jugs, and everything else.

As you can see it really got out of hand. We were just shoving stuff in there where ever it would go. I didn't really know what we had in there. I took my husband's advice and put hands on every single item. Wow! I had food that had expired in 2008! I didn't know it had been THAT long since I really cleaned out the pantry. It took me several hours (like about 6 LOL) to get it done. In my defense, I have to stop every couple of hours to feed the baby. I also got interrupted several (read: a million) times.

This is what it looks like now! WOOHOO! I rearranged things in a way that I think will be easier.

The cake mixes are still on the top shelf. I moved my stockpiled stuff (ketchup, salad dressing, bbq sauce, etc) up there. On the second shelf is where I moved the cereal so that all the children can reach it. I also put all the pasta, rice, potato things here. The next shelf still has the canned goods along with bottles of vinegar and snack crackers. I tried to organize the floor a little better but it still looks crowded to me. I need some way to organize the chips. At least now they are neat. I will try to think and look for something I can use. There are bins down there too that hold our cookie mixes, popcorn, and baking things (chocolate chips, powdered sugar, etc).

If you want to join in on the challenge, visit Toni over at A Bowl Full of Lemons. Week Four has been posted and it is The Office. I don't have an office *room* but I do have a filing cabinet and some hanging file folder boxes that need to be sorted.

On a personal note, I will post an update-type post soon. It has been a long time since I have been around...

Rant from an Ol' Time Couponer

This past week, I have been looking around facebook at pictures of other people's deals that they get. I admit to being a little bit jealous but the more I looked around, the more irritated I got. I mean, 40 packs of pens at one time??? Hundreds of cans of pasta??? There is no reason for that...even if you ARE donating it. There are those of us couponing in an attempt to feed our families. If you are clearing shelves, SHAME ON YOU!

My irritation grew when I ventured to Publix today with my modest list of deals to get. I found NO feta, NO Bugles, NO toothpaste!! Empty shelves. Then I see wandering through the aisles with her coupon binder in tow, a lady with at least 20 boxes of mini wheats--along with fruit snacks, coffee, and other things. (And yes, I did check to see if she had a bunch of bugles LOL).

Don't get my wrong, I like a good deal as much as anybody. But there was a time when it was thrilling--like hunting. You would literally squeal in the aisles when you happened upon something great!

I remember going to Target one day to see my favorite pricing lady, marking down toys in the big toy clearance to 75 percent and there being 3 full aisles worth!! Or walking to the holiday clearance and seeing candy left on the shelves when it hit 90 percent....or ANYTHING left at 90 percent. Now, people snatch that stuff up when it hits 30. Or how about the lists of secret stuff to look for hidden among the regular stuff.

There was a time when you could go to CVS on a Friday evening and get everything that you painstakingly wrote up in your scenarios IN ORDER without trying to work on the fly because there was no more Herbal Essence.

But not any more.

I understand that times are tough and couponing is the latest fad for some people--especially with coupon classes on every corner and TLCs Extreme Coupon show, but something's gotta give. I have heard from many long time couponers that it almost isn't worth it anymore. I think it still is we just need to bide our time. Wait it out. Like legwarmers, parachute pants, and TAB--this fad will fade and we can again triumphantly walk into a store and find shelves and shelves of clearance just waiting for us to snatch it up and take it home....just wait it out....

Ch-ch-change.....

Lots of changes going on in our home. So I thought it was time to update all 2 of you who read my blog on what is going on with us.

Back in March, our oldest son decided he would venture out on his own. He met someone online and moved to be with her. They plan to marry next year sometime. They live in Illinois. He has found a job and seems to be happy.

Our oldest daughter, Amanda, was honored to be chosen to attend the Crossroad program at Hellenic College in Boston. It was her first flight anywhere. And actually her first time being that far from home. She very much enjoyed it. She is also now thinking about what to do after she graduates in 2011.

We decided that after 14 years of home schooling, it was time to pack up the books and send the children to public school. This was by far one of the hardest decisions I have had to make. Our 14 year old expressed an interest in going to public school. I suggested to Jeff that it might be a good idea since we were seeing how many hoops we would need to jump through to get them to college. He said that if we were going to send her, we should just send them all. And there it was, my life/identity as a home school mom was gone. I cried a lot.

Although my heart was broken, I understood that this was best for all of us. We had fallen into some bad habits with our schooling and honestly my heart was not in it 100 percent any more. We were burnt out. I tried so hard to look like those home schoolers you see in magazines or on-line but I failed over and over again. I hated it. I hated that I couldn't live up to what everyone thought I should be. People told me that they admired me for home schooling my children, when inside I felt like a failure. Oh, we did school and my children were learning but it wasn't fun any more. Deep down, I knew that I was a flop. I knew that I probably should give it up but pride made me keep moving on. In the past, I had critics. I felt like I still needed to prove myself to them, even though most of them we hadn't seen in years. I felt like if I gave up home schooling, they would all cluck their tongues and say, "See we told you you couldn't do it!! We were right all along!!"

Then there are all those home schooling friends. The ones who to your face say, "You need to do what is best for your family..." but behind your back are saying, "Those poor Newport children, being throw to the wolves of the public school system....tsk tsk tsk..." Those people who preach to you the vileness of government schools, who say the would NEVER send their children there, instead of coming along side of you to say, "You know, I am sorry for the loss of your dream."

There are also those people who just don't understand. They don't get why your heart is breaking in two. They don't understand that deep down in your heart, you think you are a failure.

It is a tough spot to be in. Critics think they were right along and don't offer encouragement; home schoolers think you are a traitor and look at you with disgust or pity; and non-home schoolers just don't get it. So I am left with my own tears and thoughts of failure.

Don't get me wrong, I am excited to see how my children will do in the public school setting. I really think that they will thrive and blossom. But when you start home schooling, you often find yourself saying, "I will be home schooling until I am 60 years old!" not ever thinking that your plans can change quickly. One day I was a home schooler, the next I was looking at the school board website for registration forms. You feel like you are losing your identiy. Who will I be when I am not, "Rebecca, the lady with 8 kids who home schools them all?

The last few weeks we have been working on their CATs and getting those scores in. It has been a relief for me to see them all do "above average" on their tests. It helps me to see I am not a complete failure!

This past week, Moriah, our rising Freshman, has been attending a program called, Summer Bridge, at her high school. She has enjoyed it and has made a few friends.

I have been busy filling out paper work, looking for school supplies and uniforms. It is exciting and yet scary. I am sure that they will do fine and once we are into the school year, my Mother's heart will heal and I will be busy with activities and such.

On top of all of that, my husband, Jeff has decided, after MONTHS and MONTHS (maybe years!) of going back and forth, to apply to Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology. He has met with both priests at our church who have given him the A-OK. He has been working on essays and getting references. We are trying to get his application in as soon as we can so we can know for sure what we will be doing. It is a big decision to make. He will be done with his BA in December and would (God willing) start seminary August 2011. Being ever the pessimist, he doesn't think he will get in or that he will get in but the money will not be there to do it. I just ignore him. We got the ball rolling and will see what happens next.

So lots of changes happening here. Lots of stuff to get done and take care of. But it is exciting. We look forward to seeing what God has next for our family!

"You saved how much????"

That was what the lady behind me in line today asked when I checked out at Publix. "You saved how much??" When I pointed to the screen, she said, "People say you can save with coupons. I just don't see how..." I smiled and said while taking my receipt from the cashier, "Like THAT!" She just shook her head. There will always be doubters. Those people who say, "There are never coupons for what I buy..." Or, "Generic is cheaper than that..." Oh really? You can buy generic cookie mix for 30 cents? Yea, I didn't think so.

I go through lazy spurts. I see the deals but just don't make it to the store. I do have seven children at home now plus 2 different auto-immune diseases so I think it is understandable that I don't get EVERY deal out there. When I go through these spurts, it seems to get compounded by my lack of enthusiasm to sort, cut, file my coupons. I have coupons here and there and every where. So earlier this week, I removed the dead desktop computer from the desk it was on and set me up a little coupon nook. Now I can sit at the desk and work on coupons. I bought a new hanging file folder to put everything in--including some household, school and church stuff.

Here is where the magic happens. And yes, that is my twitter feed off to the side of my laptop screen. LOL

I think it will work out nicely. The desk is right by the dining room table where we do school so I can sit here and work while the children do school. So, since I had a nice new set up, it would seem foolish to not do some deal shopping, right?

On Monday, I made a CVS run. I hadn't been in a while and had ECBs the were expiring that day. This is what I got (no picture, sorry): 1 Softsoap, 2 Oral B toothbrushes, 2 Nivea body wash, 2 Nivea lip care products, 2 sets of Nailene nails and 1 pk of mints (for my shopping helper). Total was 45.10 before coupons. After my coupons and ECBs, I ended up paying 9.14 out of pocket and got back 14.00 ECBs for next time. Not bad.

Tuesday, we went to Staples. There I purchased 2 20-count packs of batteries (9.99 each); 2 reams of paper (6.49 each) and 2 clearanced Bendaroos (2.50 each). Subtotal was 37.96. I used my Staples rewards from buying toner last month (11.00) so total out of pocket was 28.85. I will get back 19.98 for the batteries in Staples rewards and submitted for a rebate on the paper (10.98). So after I get those back I made 2.11 even WITH the bendaroos (which were NOT on my list).

Then there was today, Wednesday. I managed a quick trip to Publix. And got a bunch of good deals...and this time, there is a picture!

They were out of a few things that I wanted to get but I am not up to asking for rain checks yet, maybe someday but for now I am content to get what I can get. And I think I did pretty good.

10 bags of Steamfresh Veggies
2 50 oz bottles of All detergent
8 pints of Whole Fruit Sorbet
8 boxes of Fruit Chillers
3 4-pks of Yoplus yogurt
6 cans of Campbells Chunky Soup
4 packs of Pepperidge Farms Flats
10 bags of Betty Crocker cookie mix
3 boxes of Fruit Loops
3 boxes of Frosted Flakes
4 boxes of Rice Krispies

Total before coupons/sales: 167.79
Total Savings (coupons and sales): 132.11
Total out of pocket: 35.68

Total savings: 78.74%

Who says you can't save with coupons??

Wow! It has been a long time since I have updated here. I apologize for my absence. I kind of fell off the saving, coupon, blogging bandwagon a while ago and I am just now getting back on it.

I was trying to think what did it for me. Was I tired of saving money? Tired of shopping? Just plain lame? I think the kicker was when my little boys, or rather ONE of my little boys, lost my key chain with ALL my loyalty cards on it. We searched and searched and could not find it. I kept putting off canceling all of them or getting new ones issued because I KNEW it would turn up...some day. Guess what? It did, 4 months later. It was under the boys' bed, just like I knew it was. I was so happy to see those little plastic tags!

But even finding that didn't make me jump up and start deal hunting again. I think that maybe I just needed a break. I had several things happen during those months of non-saving. And when I say "non-saving" I mean, I didn't cut any coupons. I didn't read deal sites. I didn't even save the ads on Sundays to make out scenarios.

As the new year approached, I made the decision to get my coupons back in order first. I was saving inserts but hadn't cut and filed in 2-3 months. And my box was full of expireds. Each week, I would go to the grocery store and get disgusted that I didn't have any coupons for a sale and also disgusted to see how high my bill was getting.

One week as I entered the store, I looked at my girls and said, "This is the LAST week I shop with no coupons!" And that was that. I got my coupons cleaned out, new ones cut and filed. I sat with my sale papers and made my list. I was happy to see my total below $100 for the first time in MONTHS.

I haven't jumped back into CVS'ing or Walgreens yet but need to--our toothpaste stockpile is dwindling. LOL

Hopefully in the coming weeks and months, I can bore you with my shopping trips and deal shopping. I might even throw in some funny or thought provoking posts now and then.

Bird Feeder Update

If you remember a long time ago I posted pictures of Alexander and my husband, Jeff making a bird feeder out of an empty two-litre bottle. For many months, no birds ever came to it. None. Alexander was quite discouraged because he was all set to look at the birds and see what kinds would come. We didn't know what to do. We knew that the birds just needed to find the feeder but we also knew that that might be skiddish since we had several stray cats hanging out on our porch too.

We managed to shoo the cats away and finally the birds came. Alexander has enjoyed looking at them and trying to figure out what they are. The birds are now used to seeing movement at the screen door and don't fly away as quickly as they did at first. Even the baby, Gregory, gets excited when he sees a bird at the feeder.

(Jeff did make the holes a little bigger for the seed to come out easier.)

Here are a few pictures of the birds we have seen.

Female House Finch

Both female and male (the red headed one) House Finch

Cardinal

We also have a family of cardinals that have been coming. It looks like a male, female and 2 babies. We need to research it a little but I think that cardinals are the kind of birds that will continue to come back to the same feeder for a long time.

We have also had a chickadee come but we haven't gotten a picture of it yet. Also the doves are starting to show up more since the other birds tend to fling the seed all over the porch looking for their favorite kind. LOL

I think that the feeder was a good project for Alexander. I felt bad that it took so long for birds to come but once they did, he was thrilled!!

Our weekend

It started earlier in the week really when the drum went out on our laser printer and it quit printing. I ordered the part and chose Priority shipping so we could get it by (hopefully) Friday or Saturday---hasn't come yet. So we have been printer less since like Wednesday.

On Friday, dh came home and mentioned that it was warmer in here that usual. I told him that it also was very hot. But he reminded ME that the a/c shouldn't be working as hard as it is. He used to work on a/c units so he started fiddling with it and discovered that the fan motor was red hot and that was all she wrote. We were at the end of June, in Savannah, Georgia, with 10 people in our house, and no a/c. *thud* Not a major problem though because as I said, dh is handy and in his words, "It is an easy fix. Just needs a new motor."

We spend a hot night in bed but it wasn't completely unbearable. I woke up with a migraine which is typical for me when under stress.

Saturday morning, Jeff started calling supply places for a new fan motor. Now we are having a problem, it seems the supply places that would have a motor, are closed on Saturdays. Again, not a problem because Jeff's boss, Jim has a couple of window units we can borrow until Monday when Jeff can fix the a/c.

Jeff tries to call his boss but there is no answer. He is having a yard sale so not close to his phone. Jeff decides to drive out to his house. He and our oldest son load up and take off. About 10 minutes after they leave, my phones rings. "The truck died," states my husband. "Try to call Jim's house. We might need to call a wrecker."

I sigh and try his boss a few times. I call Jeff back and he says to just call a tow truck. So I find one that will take my credit card info over the phone because dh has no cash nor debit card. I call him back and tell him that help is on the way.

About an hour later, the wrecker comes with the work truck, Jeff and Jeffrey. They seem in good spirits. We all eat lunch and Jeff decides to head out to Jim's house in our van to get the window units. It is now early afternoon in Savannah, and we are pushing 90-93 in the house.

Jeff is gone about an hour when my phone rings again, "I am on my way home but we might want to see if we can afford a battery for the van. Jim had to jump start it when I went to leave." I remind Jeff that my Mother's Day gift last year was a new battery so it should still be good. LOL He says that he will see me when he gets home....BUT about 45 minutes later the phone rings again, "Van's dead. I am at Habersham and Derenne. You need to come jump me." *shaking my head*

I get our son's truck and drive to rescue Jeff and the van. We make it home...barely. But thankfully, he has the window units!!

Jeff installs one in the living room and one in the dining room. It is still hot but it starts to get a little cooler. We know where we will all be sleeping this night! In the Living room.

After the a/c units are installed, Jeff and I take the van to the mechanic who agrees with hubby, it is the alternator. Great.

For those keeping score it is: one printer, one work truck, on a/c, and one van. We are having a GREAT weekend.

We know we aren't going to be able to cook with the air out because it will make the house even hotter. So I run to the store (in my son's truck which also has no a/c) for lunch meat and other easy things. We are looking on the bright side--we get to watch movies and enjoy some time together.

Saturday night we got 3 twin mattresses and the mattress off our bed and lined them up in the living room and dining room. Our oldest 3 each got a twin, the next 4 slept on our mattress sideways, the baby was in the playpen, Jeff got the couch and I had the love seat. It was cozy and we all hoped that the person farthest from the bathroom didn't have to go because there were a lot of people to walk over to get there!

Sunday morning we all woke up and enjoyed day old donuts from the store. I grabbed the milk from the fridge to take my RA medicine and said, "Honey....this milk is warm." He came to see and sure enough, the fridge was warm. I wanted to scream!!!

Being the kind of person I am, I changed my status on Facebook to reflect our new mechanical failure. Jeff and I began to figure out a plan for getting ice and stuff to keep from losing too much. He fiddled with the fridge (since he is handy) and determined that it was (again) an easy fix. But now it was Sunday and again, no parts places were open. About the time we were trying to decide what to do, there was a knock on our door.

To our great pleasure, a friend of ours was there with 3 coolers full of ice, bottled water and cans of coke. He raided his father-in-laws automatic ice machine for us! We were very grateful.

After lunch, the mechanic called to tell us the van was fixed! And it would only cost us about 360.00. LOL Before Jeff and I could go to get that, another friend from church stopped by to deliver some chicken dinners. Sunday was our church's Patronal Feast Day---which we missed. But they were nice enough to bring us some leftovers from the luncheon.

Oh and did I mention that Sunday was also our Andrew's 6th birthday? LOL Poor kid, he gets a do-over later. LOL

Things are looking better by Sunday night: the van is fixed and the fridge is cold again but we still have no air and a broken work truck in the yard.

Monday morning, Jeff's boss picks him up for work. He has left me specific instructions for what to get from the supply place. I call the first one, they don't have the part. Second place, no they don't either. But they gave me the number of another, BINGO! They have it. My two oldest sons and I jump in the van to get the part. Success! The part is bought and we are back home.

Jeff comes home from work a little early Monday evening. He replaces the fan motor but in the process, breaks the old motor shaft in the fan blade. He tells me to go get another. Supply place closes in one hour---can I make it. Success!! I return with a new fan blade. Jeff hooks it all up, turns the breakers back on and Ta-Da...still no a/c. Crap!

He says to me that it must be the capacitor. But the capacitor they gave me with the fan motor is not the same as the one we need. So guess what I get to do Tuesday morning? And guess where we are all sleeping again on Monday night??? *sigh* At this point, I am wondering who we made mad!

Another night with all 10 of us in the living room and another day of keeping very active little boys from generating more body heat in the house.

Tuesday I go ASAP to get the new part. The guy knew immediately what I needed. He said, "Yea, this isn't supposed to look like this." LOL Jeff had told me that this part would be at least $40 (later he told me it would be anywhere from 40.00 up to 140.00). So I was prepared to pay a lot. The parts guy gave me a total of 8.82. I said, "80.82 ?? " thinking I had misheard. He said, "No, 8.82." I was so thankful!!!! And relieved!

On the way home, I called Jeff to tell him I had the part. He said that as soon as the concrete guy left, they would run home and put it on. At lunchtime, Jeff, Jeffrey and Jim, the boss, all showed up. They fixed the a/c and then enjoyed their lunch in the living room with all of us.

Tuesday night, we all slept in our own beds!! *woot*

Lest you think things are looking up, Jeff is still fiddling with the a/c because it still isn't working quite right. He is pretty sure it is the fan blade they gave us but he doesn't know how to make it work better. We are waiting on the part for the fridge and the drum for the printer still has not come in...which really irritates me.

Tonight though, I really need to focus on the positives because I am starting to get a little cranky. And why am I cranky? Because of all that happened this weekend, I was unable to get to my Publix list until this evening. Because I have been lax in getting my coupons filed, it took me a while to hunt down my bbq sauce and mustard ones. By the time I was done, it was 8:30. Too late for me to go to the store. So I am cranky! I wasn't really cranky when the a/c went out, or the truck broke down or the van...no I get cranky because I couldn't get cheap condiments!!

How lame is that????

Crafting With Daddy

Alexander is our crafter. Along with Moriah, he loves to create and draw and all that good stuff. He is always collecting things and wanting to make stuff. His latest thing is making "people" out of coke bottles. He will tape yarn to the lid for hair, tape paper on for clothes and set them up to play with. When I cleaned their room a few weeks ago, I found a bunch of these people. LOL

My parents were here this past week and Grandpa sprang for coke in 2-liter bottles. When we emptied them, Alexander asked if he could have them. Grandma asked what he would make with it and he told her, "People." She went on to explain how MY Grandma Boring (my Dad's mom) would make bird feeders out of them. His eyes lit up. Something that Alexander likes as much as crafting is birds! He immediately asked if we could do that.

After googling "bird feeder from 2 liter bottle", we found a set of instructions that would work. Then for the next 24 hours, he asked constantly when we would make it. LOL CONSTANTLY! LOL

On Saturday, he talked Daddy into making the feeder part with him. Mom told him that we would get the bird seed on Sunday (We didn't--I was ill. But I told him tomorrow for sure. LOL).

Daddy is a construction worker so of course he got out the drill to make the holes for the skewers and seed to come out. I figured that Jeff would just do it himself but then I heard, "Hold it right here so you can feel how it is. OK now pull the trigger..." LOL So Alexander got to drill the holes himself. Then they added bamboo skewers for the perches. We still have not gotten the bird seed but will since Alexander asked every five minutes. LOL

I will post a picture of the finished product.

A Non-Deal Post

Originally, this blog was going to be for deal posting only but I have found that I just can't keep up with more than one blog. I have the other one still up but it has not been updated since November.

For those of you who may have popped in here from elsewhere, let me tell you a little bit about myself.

I am Rebecca. I live in Savannah, Georgia with my husband of 19 years, Jeff. He is a construction worker and full-time student working on his English degree. He blogs too but rather infrequently. He is the witty and deep one of the family. But right now, most of his time is spent working 8 hours then coming home and working on school for 4-5 hours. We met in New York right out of high school. We lived in Kissimmee, Florida for several years before moving to Georgia.

We are the proud parents to 8 great kids. Our oldest, Jeff Jr, just turned 18 this past December. Oddly, I was more emotional when my oldest daughter turned 16 than I did when he became an adult. He works full time with Jeff is the construction business. He is thinking of going to tech school in the fall or spring. Right now he is working on his GED.

Next in line is our 16yo daughter, Amanda. She is the second mom in the house. She is a great help with the little boys. She also loves to write and bake. Her latest obsession is Broadway musicals. Our next step with her is to get her driving permit.

The third child is Moriah. She is 13. She is different from Amanda yet in some ways very similar. She is our fashionista. She LOVES purses and going shopping. She is truly a girly-girl. Where Amanda doesn't really care about wearing make-up, Moriah asks all the time when she will be allowed. She also is my crafter. She likes to knit, stamp and bead.

I love both my girls. They are so special to me. They are truly growing into lovely young ladies. I can't wait to see where God takes them from here.

Timothy is our fourth child. He is 10 years old. He loves his family. He is the one who will bring me water when I am sick or offer a hug when I am down. He also loves his video games. LOL He is also Jeffrey's shadow but Jeffrey doesn't mind and THAT I love. Timothy has recently discovered a love for reading and is reading just about everything he can get his hands on.

Alexander is next. He is 8 and shares a birthday with Moriah. Alexander is so very sensitive. He collects roly-poly bugs but the thousands (well it seems that way LOL). He likes to draw and color. He has said for a few years that he wishes to be an artist when he grows up.

(Only three more left LOL)
Andrew is our 5yo and first red-head. He is a sweet boy. It took him forever to potty train but he is still a sweet boy. LOL He loves Legos and playing on the playstation. He is pretty "active" and can often be found running back and forth in the living room battling invisible bad guys.

Symeon is 3 years old and our 2nd red-head. LOL He is so cute. LOL I know I am probably biased but he is!! But he is a rough and tumble little boy. He is ALL boy. He can be very shy or he can be very loud---just depends on his mood.

And lastly we have Gregory. Gregory will be one on April 17th. He is trying to walk--well, he walks if no one is looking at him. He has two volumes: loud and louder. He just likes to "talk" loudly. He is a cutey too.

If you lost count, that is 6 boys, 2 girls. We didn't really plan a large family but I am very happy that God chose to give me one.

We don't have any inside pets. We have a cat, Baby, that was given to us by Andrew's Godfather. He is an outside cat now who has taken a "wife" and fathered 3 kittens with more on the way. *shaking head*.

Other things of interest about our family...
I homeschool the children and have from the beginning.

We are Eastern Orthodox and attend a Greek parish. My husband is an Ordained Subdeacon and teaches the Jr High Sunday School class. My oldest 2 boys serve at the altar. I am a member of the ladies group, Philoptocos Society. I serve on the board and am in charge of special coffee hours.

I like to sew and crochet although since being diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis this past October, I haven't done much of either. I am not a good cook--well, I can be a good cook, I am just too lazy. LOL I know that my family appreciates when I cook well and add new things to the menu so I should do that more.

We are a family that loves football, basketball, hockey--any sport really, EXCEPT Nascar and baseball. Our favorite though is football and in the fall we can be found watching the Gators or Buckeyes on Saturday and who ever we can catch on Sundays.

My latest obsession is couponing. I have always used coupons but in the last year or so, I have REALLY gotten into it. LOL Jeff says that I am like an addict and when people bring me their coupons he jokes that they are "feeding my habit" LOL I got into shopping CVS a little over a year ago. My girls are usually with me when I hit CVS or do any clearance shopping. They know that if toothpaste is more than 50 cents--we are NOT getting it. LOL We laugh at 15 or 30 percent off clearance at Target.

I love reading other blogs about deals and shopping. I am a fairly new twitterer and I am on facebook. If you want to read more of my boring life or to see pictures, pop over to my old blog and take a look around.

In addition to deal posts, I will add some of our life stuff and I will try to not be boring. If you read this far, thanks and I hope you stick around.

Advent

Being Eastern Orthodox, we began our Advent season on November 15th. In our family, we normally start the 40 days off well but then we kind of peter out.



When we were first Orthodox we did the Advent wreath as found in "Making God Real in the Orthodox Home" After the first few years though, we found it to be kind of cheesy. We found some Advent materials from an Orthodox publisher and started using those. This year we opted to go back to the Making God Real advent wreath with the different colored candles but adding in our own discussion and such.



I also bought an Advent Calendar from Paidea Press for this year. The kids are really enjoying it so far. We open a window in the morning when we do our regular prayers, Gospel and Saints before school.



Normally we place our wreath on the dining room table but often we would have to move it for school or eating or whatever. This year though about 2 days before the fast started, a friend of ours from church gave me a sewing machine in a cabinet. I wasn't sure where I was going to put it so had just scooted it out of the way but then thought, "Hey this would be perfect for our advent stuff!" So that is what I did.

As you can see, to the left of this is our icon corner. So far it has worked out pretty good.

The children are now looking forward to St Nicholas day (I ordered chocolate coins from Paidea as well). We decorate on December 6th--or close to it. Then we have St Herman day which is my oldest's feast day on December 13th and then on the 19th my oldest turns 18. *sigh*

December is full of stuff but I like having the Advent stuff out in the living room to help us remember what our focus really is during this time.

I'm a Winner!!

Look at all that great stuff!! I usually do not enter giveaways that I see on blogs simply because I always think, "I would never win" but look...the first time I decide to enter one, what happens?? I WIN!! *woot*

These are products from Kiss My Face new children's line.

I found this great giveaway over at Common Sense with Money.

I received my box yesterday and I was totally surprised at how much stuff there was. I mean I knew from the blog post what was being sent but I guess I didn't really *think* about it. LOL

My winnings included:

• A set of two lip balms
• A Detangler
• One Bubble Wash
• Two Toothpaste tubes : one with fluoride and one without
• One Self foaming Hand Wash
• One Shampoo and Conditioner
• One Self Foaming Shampoo and Body Wash
• A Whale of a Soap Set (two soaps)

All were full size products and let me tell you, they smell soooooo good! I don't think I will have a problem having the boys get a bath tonight! LOL

I just might enter more blog giveaways in the future! Real people DO win these!!

Twice in One Day

I have not had major problems using coupons at my favorite stores. One day last week, the cashier at Food Lion asked the manager about some I had but they were all OK. Today though was a different story. *sigh*

I only had 4 coupons I wanted to use all for the same thing, Gorton's Fish which was B1G1. I bought 4 bags and had 4 q's to use. As soon as the cashier looked at them she said, "Oh honey, we aren't going to be able to take these." Then she turned to get the manager. When the manager came over she explained that it is certain internet coupons they would not be taking. I asked if there was a way to know for sure? And she said that there were certain things that they will be looking at to determine. I said, "So it would be better to not bring in printables?"

"Oh no, you can bring them but we will just decide if we will let you use them."

I wanted to explain that I use my coupons to get the lowest price and that I shop and plan my menus based on the q's I have but there was no use. *sigh* Another one bites the dust due to fraud.

Later in the afternoon, I went to Walmart to pick up film but wanted to also get cheap chocolate chips. I again had 2 internet q's to use. My fave cashier in the garden center said that they had had a meeting just that morning saying that they were no longer taking printables. *grrr*

And another one gone...

I do the bulk of my shopping at Food Lion but I might need to venture to Publix more in order to get the good deals.

Oh well. I guess it was bound to happen. I was having a crappy day anyhow. LOL

To all of you who use coupons fraudulently, I just want to say, thanks for screwing it up for those of us who are honest and just trying to feed our families! Thank you very much!

Mall Savings

Not only do I check other blogs for deals but I also seek them out via message boards. One of my favorites is Fishing For Deals This is a community of women who simply post what they are finding where they are so that you can check your stores. Most often I look at the Target thread and Kmart. It is also good reference to know when sales will be starting which is what I used it for yesterday. I noticed an Old Navy post mentioned 50% off all clearance.

For those not familiar with this wonderful sale, let me fill you in! ALL of the clearance stuff is an ADDITIONAL 50% off!! Old Navy usually has it twice each year; once in January and again in July. I usually go in January to load up on boys pants. In my opinion, these pants hold up incredibly well! I have six boys---I know of what I speak! In July, I just grab whatever we need at the moment--this time it was shirts for church and baby clothes.

I noticed in the post at FFD, that not all stores were having the sale so it was suggested that you call to make sure. Yesterday I called my local (and only) Old Navy. A friendly young man named, Thomas answered the phone. I said, "Can you tell me if you are having the add...." and he jumped in, "Additional 50% off clearance? Yes we are!! Come on in and get you some stuff!!" I told him I would!

Today I made my way to the mall. Our ON always has a bunch of stuff on clearance. Sometimes it is overwhelming (I know, that is hard to believe but it is true!) Today was no exception. Rack after rack of clothes. My two girls made their way to the young ladies stuff while I wandered through young mens, boys, infant and toddler. I did pretty good I think.

I tallied up what we had before we got the register so that I would know for sure--I didn't want to spend more than $60 (for 8 kids that is pretty low). At the register, I chatted with Aaron who was impressed with my "Cadillac of Strollers" I was apparently "rockin'" LOL. I found that his father had 11 children and we chatted about free babysitting and loving' my girls (me not him LOL). When he gave me my total it was about $66, then he handed me a $10 off coupon which I started to stick in my purse. He kind of quietly said, "Girl, hold up, read that...that is good from TODAY until the 31st." I smiled and said, "Oh, can I use this today???" acting very innocent. He said, "Sure, ma'am!" LOL

So in the end I purchased: 16 shirts; 1 pair of jeans; 1 set of PJs and 2 packs of socks (3 pr each) for a total of 55.38! A total discount savings of almost $72!! *woot*

After we left Old Navy our savings was not done! I remembered to bring an Aunt Annie's coupone with me so we also got 2 pretzels (B1G1). Then we sat in the food court eating our pretzels while I fed the baby.

Next stop was EB Games for the oldest son who was at home babysitting. I found 2 games he wanted for 7.99 each and another for 2.99 so everyone was happy.

Stockpile

For several weeks, I have had on my to do list, "hall closet." This was a reminder to me that I needed to re-organize my stockpile and write down what we have there so that we know. I kept putting this job off because, well, other things came up, like playing on the computer and, um, well other stuff. LOL

Last night, dh came home from work and mentioned that he had cut himself at work (he works construction). When he got out of the shower he asked for a bandaid. I told him they were in the hall closet. He opened the door and his eyes grew very wide. I knew that trying to explain to him WHERE the bandaids were would be harder than just getting up and getting him one. I knew then that the hall closet job had to be done ASAP.

This is one of those posts that would be really cool with pictures showing before, during and after. But *sigh* I have no camera anymore. *sigh* I miss my camera. One of my friends suggested saving my ECBs to get a new one, which really isn't a bad idea. ::giggle::

Back to my stockpile, at one point my 15yo dd walked through the dining room where everything was sitting in nice little rows and said, "Um, are you opening a CVS?" *he he he*

Here is what I have:
19 tubes of toothpaste
4 Extra strength pain reliever
2 Advil PM
4 aspirin
2 Excedrin Migraine
5 mouthwash
5 ladies' deoderant
7 men's deoderant
2 air freshener spray
3 glade wisp candles
2 kids' shampoos
5 regular shampoo
3 conditioner
2 body wash type soap
3 big bottles of purell
3 little bottles of purell
3 face cleaner soap type things (noxema, etc)
2 hair gel
5 hand soap
3 women's razors
2 men's razors (but one is a 3-pack)
4 lip balm
9 manual toothbrushes
2 battery toothbrushes
4 packs of cotton swabs
2 boxes of PrepH wipes
3 boxes of Tums packet thingys

When my parents were here last month, I gave them several items. They take care of first aid at motorcycle events with the Christian Motorcycle Association. So I gave them the 3 glucose monitors I had along with several first aid type things. And since my dh prefers electric razors, I gave my Daddy some of the razors I had.

I am sure my stockpile is not as impressive as some others but I think this is pretty good for only doing this about 6 months or so. And now I know what I have and what we might want more of and what we DON'T need. LOL

School Supplies!!

I love this time of year when I can get school supplies for cheap!!!

Until tomorrow, you can get pencils, folder and Purell for 1 penny. They also have 3 ring binders for 25 cents. Since I am a homeschooler, I have a teacher reward card, this allowed me to get double the limit of stuff. So for about $2.50 we got: 20 2-pocket folders; 4 Purell; 4 pks of pencils; and 8 3 ring binders. Since Staple's is less than a mile from us, I might make another trip this afternoon and maybe tomorrow too. LOL

I also hit Walmart school supplies yesterday. Last year, we purchased about 300 notebooks for 10 cents each--not all at once, I would get about 100 each time. We might have gotten more than 300 but I don't remember. This year notebooks are 5 cents each!! *woot* I bought 50 yesterday (total 2.50). I will probably get more as time goes on. My little boys like to draw in these and for 5 cents each---I say, Draw Away!!

I don't get a lot of school stuff until Target has its big clearance. Then we tend to load up on scissors and other stuff like that.

Not to figure out where to put all this stuff. Hmmm....

First Post

I am thinking of moving my blog to a place where it is easier to post and put things into categories. This might work.

I like to shop for different deals and my first few posts will be about this since I am dumping pics from my camera in anticipation for our trip to Tennessee tomorrow.

Will post more in depth stuff when I have time---I am supposed to be packing and giving hair cuts right now.