the trouble with coupons

I've been working on clippng coupons for these last couple of months. Actually I don't clip them until I need them which cuts down a lot on the mess for me. So here's a picture of the stuff I bought yesterday.

The details:

Spent 59.45

Store savings: 84.17 (all the stuff I bought was on sale)

Coupon savings: 28.81

SO I spent $60 and saved $114 that's 66% savings. Plus we got 2 free movie tickets to Star Trek.

Here's the problem: We would never buy most of this stuff. We would buy BBQ sauce ($.70 each) Peter Pan PB (less than $1.50 each) and refried beans ($.60 each) but all this other stuff we don't really need and I don't really want to use to feed the family. Sure every once in a while we might buy carmel popcorn (more than likely we'd make it) and sometimes its nice to have treats on hand for last minute stuff but never in my life would I feed my kids poptarts. Of course I bought them yesterday to get the free movie tickets. Do we want to see Star Trek? No, and if we did we'd wait til it got to the dollar theaters.

This is more my style. One grocery store with good deals without coupons. Of course if there were coupons on practical stuff like produce then I'd be sure to use them. This was two full bags of produce for $27. 00

stawberries: 4/$5

aples: $.88/lb

cluster tomatoes: $.99/lb.

lettuce and celery $.88/each

grapefruit 4/$1

red peppers $.99/each

cauliflower 4/$5

etc. etc.

Now I know you can find these prices at a regular grocery store at times but never so much produce on sale at one place. Its great!

I'm not giving up on coupons. I just need to practice using them more productively. So far the biggest thing I've learned is that coupons don't really save you money until they're combine with good sales. The good thing is that I get the coupons for free from2 seperate neighbors (they are so happy to not be throwing them away now.) Yay for free stuff!

sleeping on the job

the job: finishing the cereal you chose for breakfast

payment: get to do anything you want when the jobs done.

reasons not to do the job: it looks bad and probably doesn't taste very good.

things to do instead of doing the job:

1. cry


2. stick your tongue out at mom


3. sneak away to play playmobil


4. call mom "stinky baby"


5. have a time out

All in all its pretty exhausting work.

A Weekend Project

Unlike the last post, I thought about this project for a couple of weeks and finished it a few days. Sometimes when I look at it I think, "I should really work on THAT flower for a while." Seriously though, its been a month since I finished it I'm still tired of it and don't think I have it in me to keep working on it.

By the way, here's our living room.

I love the unusual fireplace and the skylights.

This very great priced couch was the perfect fit for the room and gives so much more seating than we've ever had before. Incidentally it is the first couch we have ever purchased.

THE 5 YEAR QUILT

5 years ago I wanted to make a star quilt

3 years ago I started picking out fabric and let it sit around for several months

2 years ago I finished piecing the quilt

over 1 year ago I started quilting

last month I finished--whoopee!

Hitting the wall

In honor of the Boston Marathon today I've been thinking about "hitting the wall". In a marathon hitting the wall "describes the condition when an athlete suddenly loses energy and becomes fatigued" (wikepedia). Since I do not enjoy endurance runs I've never actually experienced this phenomenon but I've felt it in parenting. It seems like every few months or at best once a year I "hit the wall" and just want to give up. This happened a couple of days ago. It was Carl being gone (not even having Friday night to look forward to with him and knowing he'd be gone all day Saturday) mixed with crabby kids and my bad attitude that created this hopelessness. Not that I would actually walk away from the family but I would either 1) angrily send everyone to bed early or 2) lock myself in my room, totally ignoring every one's needs. When people "hit the wall" in a race they often never finish. I've heard this is very common at Heartbreak Hill (a hill near the end of the race) in the Boston Marathon. In parenting maybe after I hit the wall I don't actually quit but I gingerly walk to the end not trying very hard. It took a girls night out with my sister (darn Em, you moved too early) to change my thinking. I think its good to get away sometime in order to have a better look at the big picture. It was nothing big--just a Wendy's side caesar salad and some fabric shopping. I didn't even buy a lot and still I felt pretty happy. Now I'm recommitted to making the most of the hard times (at least this week). I know I have it in me to create a good atmosphere in this house. I love being at home with the kids and I'm determined to expect trouble and be willing to make the most of it. Maybe laugh more at the chaos.

Incidentally, I've heard at Heartbreak Hill (near mile 22) there is a roaring crowd of students at the top of the hill (from Boston College I think) that are cheering on the runners. At least one runner I know was so curious about the noise that he made it up the hill without trouble. It made me think of those people who cheer me on when I'm struggling up life's hills. I want to be a better cheerer.

Charts by Alex

"Mom where's a ruler?" asked Alex. After working on a project downstairs Alex posted the following charts on the fridge and declared, "Whoever is good will get a check on the chart and when they get a lot of checks I will give them a prize." Hmm, I wonder where he got that idea. See he has a spot for Katie, Jordan, Grant, mom and dad. He gives his checks much more generously than I do.

"What do these letters mean?" I asked. Here's what I learned (left chart):

SDthG means "super duper thuper good"

SDG means "super duper good"

G means "good"

B means "bad"

I'm hoping not to have my name written in the "bad" section. We'll see how it goes.

Sentences

For part of Alex's homework he makes up and writes sentences using his spelling words. Here are the ones he wrote last week (spelling words in bold). They make me laugh:

the bug went to the log
the bug dug
I hug my dad
the bug went in the jug
mug is a name
I have a rug
tug ware (I think he meant tug of war)
are we hear
I like to jump on my bed
no bugs on my bed
I fed my dog
I like the name Jed
I led Grant to his room
Ned did the aBcs
I have a red Shrt
Ted is a name
wed bed sied me (he says it says, wed bed said me) Hmmm?
I like me (this is my favorite)
the dog begs for a bone
we have a leg (love this one)
we noe Meg
you put a peg in a hole
StegaSauris (Steg apparently is a name)
we do it
do you like to play
do you have a cane

the Lisette way

I have this friend LISETTE. She impressed me with her non procrastinating ways long ago (well at least a few years ago). So here's what she does--when asked to do something she starts on it right away. Sounds easy right? Well, it is for me but I'm usually a 'write it down and get to it later' girl. But I've tried it these last few days with our house in Massachusetts and its worked great. Since we're in the middle of giving away--I mean selling our house, there's been quite a few things I've had to do. Call people, get information from one person to another etc. etc. Normally I would write down something I have to do and then do it later. I've found though that taking care of the thing right away usually saves me a lot of BRAIN SPACE. For example instead of thinking about calling a company to take care of our Title V inspection (septic system nonsense) I called around RIGHT AWAY to find someone that would do a good job. In 10 minutes I found that the company we had used previously had been sued numerous times and charged up to 3 times more than another well known and highly recommended company. Appointments were set and information was given to all who needed it in just a matter on minutes. (Woohoo-the inspection is over and we passed.)

There's something about writing things down that gnaws at me until I've finished it. (Note: this gnawing doesn't usually occur if I don't write things down but the embarrassment isn't worth it in the end--forgotten appointments, missing kids programs at school etc.) When I met Lisette, I really wanted to be more like her but it just seemed impossible with baby Grant. Life was a little more overwhelming then. Now I feel free to live the LISETTE way (well at least this week).

Good: just remembering
Better: writing things down
Best: the Lisette way

I miss you Lisette

WICKED

LOVED IT!

First Tooth

While making Easter treats, in a previous post, Carl double knotted a piece of dental floss to Alex's tooth for the second time this week. Let me be clear--this tooth has been loose since Christmas. Its been THIS loose for the last week. Alex, who has a very low tolerance of pain cried any time anyone got close to his mouth. I thought it would be a good idea to keep the floss long and accidentally step on it while Alex was running around, but alas the floss was too short. Instead Grant "accidentally" pulled on the string and it popped right out. It didn't hurt a bit.

easter treats

Here's Grant washing his hands while making cookies. Yes, he dressed himself. No he couldn't find his underwear.
Here's Mr. Grant making carrots with the cookie dough.

"I'm gone give dees doo da bunnies." (I'm going to give these to the bunnies.)

easter eggs

Katie and cousin Sabrina coloring eggs.

This year we discovered that once the eggs are colored you can use a wac crayon and die it an unlimited number of times.
















Deep thoughts by Alex:

Alex: "It doesn't make sense that there's an Easter BUNNY because bunnies don't lay eggs."

Me: "What do you think it should be instead of a bunny?"

Alex: "An Easter chicken because roosters don't lays eggs either--they're like dad chickens."

getting it

Grant: "Mom, MOOOOOOM, gum (come) ear (here). I need to go bafoom!" (bathroom)

Me: "Do you need me to turn on the light?"

Grant: "Light aree (already) on" (pulling me into the bathroom)

Me: "What do you need?"

Grant: "ants in dare (there)"

Me: "Oh, I don't see any ants."

Grant: "dares one"

Me: "They won't hurt you."

Grant: "Ants nice?"

Me: "They don't bite, unless they're red and you live in Texas."

Grant: "Ants nice. Tigers bite!"


Later

Grant to Dad: "Dad, ants nice. Tigers bite."

Even Later

Grant to Katie: "Katie, ants nice!"

His fear of ants soon turned to friendliness and he spent the next several minutes picking them up and carrying them around the house.

differences

I thought when I had Katie that mothering would be easy because I already had almost 2 years under my belt and babies couldn't vary that much. How wrong I was. If I had 10 more kids I bet they would all be just as different as the first 4.

Here are some differences I've noticed in the kids:
Jordan-has a physics mind (noticeable even when he was really young). Ponders a lot-often during chore time. Great at math. Slow reader but comprehension is at 100%. Creative-draws made up creatures.

Katie-seems her greatest quality is SWEET. Doesn't feel the need to push herself. Totally layed back. Gets along with everyone. Has to be around people unless she is reading.

Alex-prefers playing by himself. Gets crabby when we have to go somewhere. Has to have incentives to get chores done. Needs a schedule--if you spring anything on him at the last minute he almost always falls apart. Loves being at home.

Grant-Learns by doing. Uses energy well by doing projects-cutting paper and tracing pictures is where he concentrates the best.

In my own family (the one I grew up in) we've noticed a pattern--every third child has several similar qualities. Here are some examples:

1st and 4th: Both are very creative and love doing projects (it is kind of a family quality among the girls but these two seem to thrive on projects a little more than others). Look alike (that is now that they're older). Sometimes have strong opinions about where to eat, what to do when everyone is together etc. (this usually helps combat the "I don't know, what do you want to do" problem in some families). Have great ideas about fun activities to do. Willing to work hard to pull off a great dinner or activity.

2 and 5th: Fair coloring. Same nose. Introspective. Slender. Blonde, blonde hair. (family: please add to this one. I always get stumped).

3 and 6th: Both born cross-eyed. Hair grows the same (although only 1 has helmet hair). Both kind of layed back. Peacemakers (at least when young-Zach I'm not including the time I kicked a hole in the door when you provoked me). Of course each person has their own personality. It is interesting though to see some obvious similarities.

unlocking the brain

Beware: this is a very long and potentially boring post.

Alex is a very unusual Cleaver. We've noticed over the last year that he has an uncanny ability to understand a few different concepts. His latest is multiplication. One day a few months ago he watched as I showed Katie that 8 time 8 is the same as 8 times 4 doubled. I wrote it out on paper like this:

8

8 32

8

8 64

8

8

8 32

8

I guess I didn't think anything of Alex looking on. A few minutes later he started saying things like: 3 times 3 is 9 because three plus three plus three is nine. He wanted me to ask him other times questions to see if he could get him right. A few weeks later when he answered 12 times 4 correctly. I said, "Alex how did you figure that out?" His excited reply: "I just used my brain." I would like to know what exactly he thinks in his brain since he doesn't use his fingers to count--just thinks. Math is not the only thing that comes easy for Alex, I've also noticed how much he understand when we read the scriptures at night. Right now we're reading Matthew in the New Testament. After reading a parable I ask the kids what the different symbols are in the parable. Alex seems to always get it right off. He gets excited as he talks about different things. He says things like, "so that's why we should be nice to people even when they're not nice to us." Its interesting to note that Jordan is a great critical thinker too. Katie on the other hand is always playing with her hair and doesn't really care. Reading comprehension isn't her strength.

Watching Alex has made me wonder about the brain and how it seems so efficient in some people and not so efficient in others. I cannot take any credit for Alex's math skills. It seems he was just born with an ability to learn quickly. But I did teach him (if you can call pushing him to do his reading lessons teaching) to read before he started kindergarten and I wonder if maybe that helped unlock his brain. While he was in the middle of the reading book (Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons) I noticed that he suddenly understood how to read music under my sister's tutelage (she was his piano teacher at the time). It seemed to just click. (I've heard reading age is the best to teach a child piano because they already understand that a symbol equates to a word and connecting a different symbol to a note on the piano makes sense.) Also once he started getting the reading down and it wasn't such a chore I noticed he felt more confident in himself. I've noticed this with the other kids too. When Jordan learned to tie his shoes it seems he was happy about it and much more motivated to learn other things. I guess its the same for me even now. When I accomplish something that I didn't really enjoy in the beginning it makes me think maybe I can learn other new things. So I'm thinking maybe reading unlocked Alex's brain.

Do you remember when your brain was unlocked? For me it wasn't until I was a Junior in high school and had a really great set of teachers. We had critical thinking writing assignments daily and at least a couple of times a month we had debates about any given topic. We were required to study our side of the debate and be prepared to backup our philosophies with credible sources. It seemed all the sudden I could think on my own.

So it seems Alex and Jordan have a head start on me. I wonder about Katie though. How to unlock her brain. She was also an early reader and really quick with math at an early age but she has never been successful with critical thinking. It makes me wonder what I can do to help that. She has a totally different personality and learning style than the boys. I guess its back to the books to figure out what learning style she has and what to do about it.