Columbia Children's Theater

Last year, we got to go enjoy the play Nutty Nutcracker put on by the Columbia Children's Theater and Patch LOVED it! Franklin enjoyed it too but Patch still talks about it. I guess we really should go to more plays. Patch was also very excited that his friends Jesse & Chloe were in the play Peter Pan a while ago (and boy have I been in hot water for not getting him to that audition!!) So, I made sure to get him to the audition for Music Man Jr. last weekend. We got the casting list today and I have a slightly happy boy on my hands...

It looks like we'll be at rehearsals for a while! The play will be the first weekend in August. I hope you all will be there!!

Speech Class

Today is Patch's last speech class for the school year. :( He has really loved going to see Ms. Tangie every week and I know he'll miss her over the summer.

Patch has improved already and I love how patient he is with us and anyone who has a hard time understanding him. If you repeat what he says or just say 'what?' he'll slow down and work on saying the right words. Only occasionally will he say 'nevermind.' He rocks!!


Well, today was suppose to be Patch's last speech class. :( He missed last Thursday because he got hit with a nasty cold and then Monday was Memorial Day. He was so excited to show up for his last class but apparently there were no classes this afternoon. I'm not thrilled that we weren't told. Patch worked on a thank you note and we got his teacher a gift card but now I don't know what to do with it. There didn't seem to be a mail slot or anywhere we could have put it.

So far, I am not overly impressed with the public school system. I've felt like a 2nd class citizen while we've been there - and doing things like not telling us there's no class today certainly didn't help. I sent a note to the teacher apologizing if I should have hung around for class anyhow. To her credit, she did email me back to apologize for not letting me know.

But, look how excited he was about going today!

my cutie patootie :)

My Organizer...

Okay, Todd and I have worked hard on this couponing stuff and I decided that I'd borrow an idea or two from my homeschooling moms too. I might have to figure out a separate organizer for the homeschooling school year - to keep the forms, the planner/diary and samples of their work handy. But, that's a different project to work on this summer.

So.... the first thing you get when you start couponing is coupons! Looking at this, you would think 'Lego Box'

Well, you'd be wrong! I rescued it from the garage and it now holds all the flyers that I've gone through and cut coupons out of that I hope to use sometime. These are things that we normally eat or use and maybe a couple of new things to try. It also keeps my scissors where I 'should' be able to find them - I know you moms out there know how easily scissors can disappear.

Friends and Todd's co-workers have been great about sharing their unused coupons with me. They just need to stop using all the coupons I want! LOL But, seriously - they've been great! and I will have to make them some cookies or brownies from what I get free or cheap thanks to them :)

So, here is my organizer. I can't call it my coupon binder because it's more than that.

I got it for $10 from Walmart. I bought some baseball card holders there but they're really too small so the boys will have some holders for all their Pokemon or whatever cards.  The front flap will hold an iPod and has a place for the ear buds or something to come out from - sorry, I'm not taking this thing jogging with me! (Well, the extra weight might help.... I might have to rethink that - after I get an iPod or whatever plays music - I know, I'm so techno savvy. ;-) )

The front flap opens up to where I can store pens/pencils, keys, a business card or two... and maybe more if I need it.

Inside, it has a file folder system on the left, I could put some flyers in there but I don't want to carry them all! So, right now that's open to options. The right side has a 3-ring binder where I have a notebook for duh... notes, a calendar and other things.

The calendar goes through Dec 2012 so I can plan for the future a bit :)

Next is the great part that Todd helped me with. I have the store coupon policies, current deals I'm interested in getting and then... THE COUPONS!! I have them sorted into store coupons, food coupons and non-food coupons and all the coupons are alphabetical. I think that will work best for my brain. Not all coupons have made it into the binder yet. I need more holder thingys.

So... now I need to go get organized and get to the store, hopefully saving more money than I have before! And, if I run into someone or something that needs to book some time in our day, I'll have my calendar with me! This will be after I get dressed and hopefully gather some broccoli from the garden!! YAY!

This couponing stuff...

I have clipped coupons on and off over the years but I'm seriously getting more involved with it. When I do the couponing, I can save 35-40% off my bill and I'm stocking up on the pantry goods!

I do not have a place to have a big stash like on that show Extreme Couponing. I'm not sure where I'm going to start hiding things! We already took over the kids refrigerator for the dog stuff. ;-)

We've decided that Idahoian mashed potatoes are yummy :) We haven't tried the sweet potato fries from Ore Ida yet though but we will!

I'm still working on my coupon binder but... It will have my calendar so I can keep myself organized all in one place :) the store coupon policies, current promos I'm interested in and of course, coupons! Todd has been a great help in getting that organized - we're still working on it so I'll post pictures at some later date. We're sorting them first by food and non-food items and then alphabetically. I think that will help me the best way. And I need to get some currency holders as I think this looks like the easiest size to hold the different size coupons.

I get info from a LOT of different places on the internet who have great deals and do coupon matching for me (getting store sales to match coupons.) but I'm thinking I might want to start my own matching. Mostly because the sites that I use have more deals than I can find so I'm thinking they're not local.

Look at some of the freebies I've gotten recently - and yes, I'm including my Avon samples that we haven't tried yet - I can hook you up with a great Avon lady, if you'd like! (She'll give me a catalog just so I can see all the cute guys. :D )

Anyhow, I plan on continuing this and no, I don't expect to be on the Extreme Couponing show anytime soon. I'm not dumpster diving for coupons! LOL

I know, I know! I've been a bad blogger lately :(

We have been busy having fun, working ourselves half to death, gardening and trying to fit some school work and field trips in lately!

First off, I am better now. I was rather under the weather for a while but all is good now. :) All the boys are good too.

I think our first social outing in a while was a visit w/ Marsha and the girls to see the WONDERFUL job they did in the play, Peter Pan. I was way impressed with them both. :) I'm still debating letting my boys try out for Music Man Jr. as I hate the gas prices lately but I know Patch would really love to be in a play. I'm not sure if Franklin is interested now that he saw the girl's play or not. I do love a good play though!

Then we went to visit our friends, Pat & Jan and helped them build a cool Topsy Turvy garden. I hope it's finished and growing well. I know Pat couldn't finish it because he had carpal tunnel surgery on his right hand and can't do anything with it for a while - well, he can lift a soda can this week, if he has too. ;-)

He has to hook up the watering system and I think it will be really cool when it's done. I'm thinking that next year, Todd will be doing something similar for me :) Less weeds! They could hang up at least 8 topsy turvy plants on there!

Pat, in case you're reading this... I had a thought for you the other day. Since you are one handed I was thinking that something fun you could do is to write poems. I know it's slow typing with your other hand but you always come up with some funny poems responding to things the boys say and I think you'd be good at it! I hope your hand isn't bothering you too much and that Jan is taking good care of you. (Well, I know she's doing that!)

The boys and I enjoyed a really fun field trip at Nosoca Pines Ranch last week. They have some great looking camps if you want to send your kids away for a week. We got to go out on the lake - the weather was perfect for that!

We got to go horseback riding :)

Even the moms got to ride the horses! We had a picnic, the kids played basket ball and tennis. Then we went on a nature walk and got totally lost on their map but again, it was a beautiful day for a walk in the woods. We did head back to the ranch and April asked for directions and we finally found the mine shaft hidden in the woods. That was REALLY cool!

That, Hope! She is so much fun! She got right in everything with the kids. :) She was about to crawl under the wooden wall through the dirt and out the back end of the mine shaft. She braved all the spiders and snakes for the kids. You rock, Hope!

If April is kind enough to schedule this again next year, we are so there!

Saturday and Sunday, we worked on the garden. Hopefully, we'll get some veggies out of it soon

Sunday, we went to Todd's company picnic and the boys had a blast at Saluda Shoals Park at the water park and the rock wall area.

I hope all my friends out there are doing well!

Good news!

I saw the doctor today (and yes, she saw me) and she said that I'm healing well and they got all the bad, nasty cells out of me.  :) Life can go on as normal. A pap in 4 months and then another 6 months after that and if they come back clean, I can go back to the regular annual exam!

Thank you for all the positive thoughts and prayers. They helped a lot!

I hate to blog about me

But, I know some of you knew I was having surgery on Monday and I wanted to let you know that everything is going well. I have a follow up on Monday so the doctor can feel better about my recovery. Mostly sleepy - and hungry!