After dinner one night we went out and lounged together...the kids of course came out also.
Pondering
10 years ago
Monday, June 14, 2010
Hammock Fun
Thomas has always enjoyed lounging in a hammock and awhile back found one for a pretty good price. So, when we moved into the house he wanted to find a place to hang it up. One day he had gone out to work on stuff and I didn't know what he was doing, but called me out some time later for me to see!
After dinner one night we went out and lounged together...the kids of course came out also.
After dinner one night we went out and lounged together...the kids of course came out also. Sunday, June 13, 2010
T-ball odds/ends and endings
As the boys 2nd season of t-ball comes to an end I have some odds and ends to share with you.
After one of the games one of the grandparents bought the team snow cones and of course the boys enjoyed theirs!
Each boy was able to try out at catcher. I think this is Tyler taking his turn. Tyler actually did a better job at catcher then Tanner, but still had trouble moving around in the gear.
After one of the games one of the grandparents bought the team snow cones and of course the boys enjoyed theirs!
Each boy was able to try out at catcher. I think this is Tyler taking his turn. Tyler actually did a better job at catcher then Tanner, but still had trouble moving around in the gear.
Tanner as catcher.
Tanner
Tanner had a lot of trouble moving around in the catchers gear and ended up not getting to many of the balls. The gear was bigger than he was so its no big surprise!
At the end of the games the couch would often pull the team together and sometimes they would run around the bases as a group.
One week before the last game I asked the coach if they were planning anything for the end of the season. He said normally the team mom would do that, but she was nowhere to be found! So, I took upon myself to organize the end of the season cookout and ordering of trophies! This years coach was a lot better than our last years. He worked with the kids more and didn't have to chase after his children...which helped! I did talk to him once about some issues, but he fixed things so that was great!
Tanner
Tanner had a lot of trouble moving around in the catchers gear and ended up not getting to many of the balls. The gear was bigger than he was so its no big surprise!
At the end of the games the couch would often pull the team together and sometimes they would run around the bases as a group.
One week before the last game I asked the coach if they were planning anything for the end of the season. He said normally the team mom would do that, but she was nowhere to be found! So, I took upon myself to organize the end of the season cookout and ordering of trophies! This years coach was a lot better than our last years. He worked with the kids more and didn't have to chase after his children...which helped! I did talk to him once about some issues, but he fixed things so that was great!
Friday, June 11, 2010
VBS - Saddle Ridge Ranch
The boys always love Vacation Bible School during the summer. Normally, we go to VBS through NPUMC, but this years vacation was the same week as their VBS so I started looking for a different one to attend.
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At Rivers and Spires I was handed an invitation to Saddle Ridge Ranch VBS through Hilldale Baptist, this is the same church that my friend Kelley attends and thought the boys would enjoy the ranch theme so I signed them up. The only thing I was a little disappointed in was that Tapanga wouldn't be allowed to participate, but that would be ok. My friends Joy and Melissa also signed their kids up.
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It was nice to have friends there. Tanner was assigned to the green class and Tyler to the blue class, Melissa's children were also in green and blue. Eric was with Tyler in the blue class and I worried about this a little since they can be rough together, but there was only one day when I was told they had trouble so that was good.
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VBS didn't get out till 12:15 so the kids were hungry when they got out. On Monday, we went to get something to eat and the lines were long everywhere! Since Melissa lives pretty close to the church on Tuesday, we went to her house and ate lunch before heading to the library. This was nice.
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Funny from Monday, when we walked into the Sanctuary a bunch of people were wearing the teal VBS shirts. Every other VBS we have done has always been smaller, with the teachers only wearing the shirts. So when the boys saw 300 people wearing the same shirt, they were a little unsure. Tyler said to me, "Mommy why are they all wearing the same shirt? I want one." So, I go buy them some shirts, but do they want to put them on...NO! Tyler did end up wearing his on Tuesday and then both did on Thursday.
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Thursday, was the church program where the kids can show off what they have learned all week. Instead of going back across town and then coming all the way back, I decided to take the kids to the pool after lunch. Where they swam and had a good time for about 4 hours, but by the time we got to the program the kids were tired and a little sun burnt!
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Tanners teacher was saving the hats and vests that the kids had made during the week and so he got to wear it for the program. I had Tyler's hat in the car so I ran back and got it for him. This was a really great theme for them, they loved it, especially with us going to Texas it fit perfectly!
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At Rivers and Spires I was handed an invitation to Saddle Ridge Ranch VBS through Hilldale Baptist, this is the same church that my friend Kelley attends and thought the boys would enjoy the ranch theme so I signed them up. The only thing I was a little disappointed in was that Tapanga wouldn't be allowed to participate, but that would be ok. My friends Joy and Melissa also signed their kids up.
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It was nice to have friends there. Tanner was assigned to the green class and Tyler to the blue class, Melissa's children were also in green and blue. Eric was with Tyler in the blue class and I worried about this a little since they can be rough together, but there was only one day when I was told they had trouble so that was good.
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VBS didn't get out till 12:15 so the kids were hungry when they got out. On Monday, we went to get something to eat and the lines were long everywhere! Since Melissa lives pretty close to the church on Tuesday, we went to her house and ate lunch before heading to the library. This was nice.
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Funny from Monday, when we walked into the Sanctuary a bunch of people were wearing the teal VBS shirts. Every other VBS we have done has always been smaller, with the teachers only wearing the shirts. So when the boys saw 300 people wearing the same shirt, they were a little unsure. Tyler said to me, "Mommy why are they all wearing the same shirt? I want one." So, I go buy them some shirts, but do they want to put them on...NO! Tyler did end up wearing his on Tuesday and then both did on Thursday.
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Thursday, was the church program where the kids can show off what they have learned all week. Instead of going back across town and then coming all the way back, I decided to take the kids to the pool after lunch. Where they swam and had a good time for about 4 hours, but by the time we got to the program the kids were tired and a little sun burnt!
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Tanners teacher was saving the hats and vests that the kids had made during the week and so he got to wear it for the program. I had Tyler's hat in the car so I ran back and got it for him. This was a really great theme for them, they loved it, especially with us going to Texas it fit perfectly!
The boys loved wearing their cowboy boots all week and they fit into the theme!
Notice the yawning...the boys were tired...sorry guys!
Eric and Tyler were standing next to each other during the presentation and got distracted only a few times. Look and Tyler and Eric while everyone else is singing.
The boys had a really great time at VBS and we look forward to next year when Tapanga can also join in the fun!
Eric and Tyler were standing next to each other during the presentation and got distracted only a few times. Look and Tyler and Eric while everyone else is singing.
The boys had a really great time at VBS and we look forward to next year when Tapanga can also join in the fun!Saturday, June 5, 2010
Canning Party
My friend Laura recently got a house party from houseparty.com, this party was a Ball Canning Party! I had heard of canning before, but had never done it. Of course everything I knew about canning was from old way, with the big pressure cooker and the dangers of explosions and stuff. So this was one of those things I was very leery of!
This was a very good house party...Laura got a lot of great things in her package, including a big pots, coupons for free jars and so much more.
It was very informative to watch and not as difficult as I thought. The pressure cooker isn't needed anymore, so that's a big sigh of relief. The ease of canning was really shown and this party ALMOST made me want to do it at home...almost!
To prepare for this party, Laura had to cut up a bunch of ingredients! 
She had even practiced the canning process a few days before and made the Zesty Salsa to show off and share, but we made a new batch so that's what I brought home!
The party guests each had to be an active participant in the salsa making and constant stirring of the vegetables.
Strawberry jam was also made and the first step is smashing the strawberries...which aren't the easiest to smash!
I took a break from canning to help with baby Loni...I still have the touch, she fell asleep!
Melissa and Joy helped a lot with the strawberry jam preparations!
The canning process was a lot easier than I expected and if my garden ever gets big enough maybe I would consider it. This was a fun experience, but in the end it would still be a lot of work!
This was a very good house party...Laura got a lot of great things in her package, including a big pots, coupons for free jars and so much more.
It was very informative to watch and not as difficult as I thought. The pressure cooker isn't needed anymore, so that's a big sigh of relief. The ease of canning was really shown and this party ALMOST made me want to do it at home...almost!
To prepare for this party, Laura had to cut up a bunch of ingredients! 
She had even practiced the canning process a few days before and made the Zesty Salsa to show off and share, but we made a new batch so that's what I brought home!
The party guests each had to be an active participant in the salsa making and constant stirring of the vegetables.
Strawberry jam was also made and the first step is smashing the strawberries...which aren't the easiest to smash!
I took a break from canning to help with baby Loni...I still have the touch, she fell asleep!
Melissa and Joy helped a lot with the strawberry jam preparations!
The canning process was a lot easier than I expected and if my garden ever gets big enough maybe I would consider it. This was a fun experience, but in the end it would still be a lot of work!
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Bowling
This summer hundreds of bowling alleys are offering free bowling for kids, mainly to introduce the sport to young children. All we had to do was sign up on a website and then each Sunday my weekly coupons are mailed to me. If we wanted we could get 2 free games of bowling everyday!
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Of course, it is more fun to do things with our friends, so recently we went for the first time with the Nelsons and Nolans. The smallest ball is an 8 pounder and is a little heavy for the boys, but they can work on their muscles this summer and get stronger! We will have to work on the rolling of the ball and not the dropping of the ball!
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Even though we had a good time, the kids got bored and only lasted one game versus the two we could do. Ryan did the best this time out of all of the kids!
Update: We went again on Monday, June 14 and Tyler did the best (with a 68)...which is funny because when it wasn't his turn he would go to the rack of balls and spin them in circles...but he has always been fascinated with spinning things since he was a baby! Maybe this is the sport for him!
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Of course, it is more fun to do things with our friends, so recently we went for the first time with the Nelsons and Nolans. The smallest ball is an 8 pounder and is a little heavy for the boys, but they can work on their muscles this summer and get stronger! We will have to work on the rolling of the ball and not the dropping of the ball!
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Even though we had a good time, the kids got bored and only lasted one game versus the two we could do. Ryan did the best this time out of all of the kids!
Update: We went again on Monday, June 14 and Tyler did the best (with a 68)...which is funny because when it wasn't his turn he would go to the rack of balls and spin them in circles...but he has always been fascinated with spinning things since he was a baby! Maybe this is the sport for him!
SAVINGS and Chick Fil A
I feel like I must apologize before I even begin writing. My thoughts for this post are going in all kinds of different directions and I am not really sure where they will end up! So sorry for any rambling you might come across!
Let me tell you...that sandwich was SPICY!!! But it was free and I suffered through it! While there they gave us another coupon for a free spicy sandwich which I will definitely save for Thomas!
As you can see, the kids love hanging out and going places with their friends and we like to do a lot of this during the summer. I have to do everything I can to save a little so we can, in the end, do more!
I have always been a coupon user. That is the main reason I subscribe to the newspaper, for the coupons that come in the Sunday paper. Until recently I would cut out the coupons I might use and throw the rest away. Did you notice I said until recently? Well, my friend Joy introduced me to the website Hip2Save.com and since then, I have not thrown out even the dog food coupons!
Why, might you ask? Well this website offers ideas on the best way to use your coupons! It tells you some of the great sales going on at local stores, like Target, Walmart and such and then how to use your coupons at these sales to get the most for your money! Sometimes, with the sales and coupons you can get free products! This is where the "I haven't thrown any coupon away" comes in, because sometimes these great deals are on products I wouldn't normally buy, but you can't pass up on free...can you? I am willing to try different products, especially if it is cheap to buy!
Why, might you ask? Well this website offers ideas on the best way to use your coupons! It tells you some of the great sales going on at local stores, like Target, Walmart and such and then how to use your coupons at these sales to get the most for your money! Sometimes, with the sales and coupons you can get free products! This is where the "I haven't thrown any coupon away" comes in, because sometimes these great deals are on products I wouldn't normally buy, but you can't pass up on free...can you? I am willing to try different products, especially if it is cheap to buy!-
Now, this brings me to a thought I have had many times over the years about coupons and where I am going to take a detour for a moment. I often wonder if coupons, even though they are suppose to be a tool for saving, sometimes actually make you spend more money? Many coupons are save so much if you buy a certain number of products. So the question is would I normally buy 3 of the product if I didn't have the coupon?
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For my house and the way I shop, it doesn't really matter. I don't shop with a particular weekly or biweekly menu in mind. I shop to fill the pantry and freezer with different meal choices. So, buying three of something fits into this. If I really want to save on my groceries I know what I need to do, which is plan a menu, shop only for that menu and not detour from that (along with not going out to eat as much...but that's for thought later :) ).
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So all these thoughts together bring me to this...I am trying to save money, I have enjoyed the hip2save website, but just like coupons I think I sometimes spend more using this website and coupons buying things I don't really need, but is such a good deal don't want to pass it up!
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Now that I think about this, I did this when I was introduced to the Fishing for Deals website, bought lots of stuff because of the "deals". I don't use this website as much anymore, so maybe this to will pass and I will go back to my usual way of doing things!
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Have you looked at the title to this post? You might be wondering where does Chick Fil A fit into all this...well I have become somewhat of a cheapskate and a recent trip to Chick Fil A is an example of this!
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My friend Joy, yes her again ( :) ), sent me a link to sign up for a free Chick Fil A sandwich. Chick Fil A was getting ready to unveil their new spicy chick and they were offering a free sandwich preview to people who signed up. Well I like Chick Fil A and I like free so ok, I signed up!
I have a bunch of free coupons from Chick Fil A, including free kids meals, fries, drinks...all sorts, but I didn't want to use them all in one trip to the store. I like to save them and get a little savings each time we go. Anyways, for this trip to Chick Fil A I decided to bring the kids some of their meal with me. This way I could use a few of the coupons and get them some food, but then I wouldn't have to spend to much money at the store. I brought along grapes and chips and capri suns for the kids, with my coupons and of course the free Spicy Chicken Sandwich, I ended up only spending $3 and some change!
Let me tell you...that sandwich was SPICY!!! But it was free and I suffered through it! While there they gave us another coupon for a free spicy sandwich which I will definitely save for Thomas!
As you can see, the kids love hanging out and going places with their friends and we like to do a lot of this during the summer. I have to do everything I can to save a little so we can, in the end, do more!
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