The Blogging World!

We sisters have been talking for a couple months about what we have to contribute to the world via blogging.
Thankfully, the best thing we have going for us is the fact that we are two very different people with different interests and different strengths/weaknesses.
Margie is very, very tech savvy. She has been designing websites for more than 12 years. She can surf the net faster than anyone, and has a keen eye for efficient and asthetic flow. She is a full time working mom of 3 and lives in the civilian world.
Audrey is not tech savvy. She hasn't even had consistent internet for the last 12 years! But she is a networker, a kitchen savvy mother of 4 who lives in the military world.

Between the two of us, we have a 12 yr, 11 yr, 10 yr, 9 yr, 7 yr, 4 yr and 1 yr olds. Since motherhood is the constant factor, that is what we are going to work on contributing to the blogging world.
But now the search continues....the search for a specific and original point of view, catchy title, available website address, contributors and content (lots and lots of content).

So today's task is to brainstorm on what our point of view is. What part of motherhood do we want to talk about???
Off to go brainstorm!! Let you know tomorrow what we decide on!

We Love Staples!!

Okay, everyone! 1 cent sale this week!!!

Notebook paper is a penny!

Also, a ream of printer paper will run you $1 as well as a 2GB Flash Drive for $1.

Now, for free! (Well, you can get a rebate...)

1. Scotch Pop-up Tape Dispenser
2. Stickie Notes
3. Retractable Highlighters

Find out more info here. Be sure to enter your zip code to verify sales in your area!

Happy School Shopping!

Back To School -Time to Mentally Gear Up!

Very often, the days before school starts are filled with nerves and anxiety.

Will I like my new teacher?
Will my friends be glad to see me?
Can I do this new, harder work?

If you're placing your kids in a new school situation, there may be questions like:

Will I fit in?
How will I know where to go?

As parents, we feel the pressure to prepare our kids with notebook paper, pencils, new tennis shoes and cool t-shirts, but there is much to be done to mentally prepare our elementary school kids.

Consider your routine. Begin going to bed at an earlier hour the week before school starts. Slowly ease your wake up time back to the school wake up time. This will help the kids be rested and know what to expect.

Attend "Meet Your Teacher" day. Many schools will have a time to go and meet your new teacher. This provides kids and their parents to get comfortable with the classroom. Take your time walking from the drop off area to the classroom so your child can get orientated. Let him peruse his new classroom with you nearby. This will help him in knowing that you are comfortable there too!

Start asking questions. It's time to wake up those brains! As you go throughout your day, start to ask questions that will reignite your child's desire to learn.

• "That's an interesting bug! What kind do you think it is?"
• "I just saw a license plate for Georgia. Do you remember what the capital of Georgia is?"
• "You can play outside for 25 minutes. What time will you need to come in?"
• "Let's bake some cupcakes. Can you help me double the recipe?"

Listen. As the first day of school approaches, listen to what your child is and is NOT saying. Does she need reassurance about carrying her lunch tray? Maybe he is nervous about reading out loud in a new classroom. Do what you can to help develop some of these areas where they lack confidence.

And remember this great quote:

"Children have never been good at listening to their elders,
but they have never failed to imitate them."
- James Arthur Baldwin

In light of this: stay calm, stay interested, and stay involved.

Like I tell my kids, "I'm sure this will be the greatest year yet!"

Brown Bags vs. Reusable Bag

Am I the only one who has the inner struggle on whether to "go green" and use a reusable lunch bag, or stick w/ easy and use brown paper lunch bags?

So this is my thought process:

Brown vs. Reusable

Brown:

+disposable-just throw it away

+you have to have them anyway for field trips, so you might as well just use them

+inexpensive-100 for $.99

+can't forget it at school

+if something spills, just throw it all away, no need to wipe it out

Reusable:

+"green" -improve our carbon footprint

+can use gladware or tupperware containers, then kids just put it back in lunch box and bring home

+can fit more in it than a brown bag

+some are insulatable

What are some of your thoughts? I need some help w/ this decision and school starts SOON!

Fight the School Lunch Boredom!

If I make another peanut butter and something sandwich, I am going to scream!

All last year my first grader only asked for peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, my fourth grader asked for only peanut butter and honey and my 6th grader asked for just plain peanut butter sandwiches. Seriously! Everyday!

So this year I am going for it....peanut butter as seldom as possible, maybe not at all!! Well, let's not get too crazy.

So as I googled for some ideas today, I stumbled upon The Hillbilly Housewife blog. I'm from the south, so that title cracked me up! So here is her list for school lunch ideas to beat the boredom of pbj:
*Tuna salad w/ celery
*Egg Salad w/ pickles
*Chicken Salad w/ raisins
*Baloney and cheese w/ mustard, may
*Turkey and cranberry sauce
*Fried spam and cheese
*Fried canned corned beef & sauerkraut
*Meatballs in hotdog bun w/ marinara
*Meatloaf w/ tomato slices
*BLT
*Bacon and fried eggs
*Fried Baloney and fried eggs
*Sloppy Joes
*Turkey and Bacon and bean sprouts
*Sliced cucumbers and butter
*Sliced Cucumbers and cream cheese
*Cream cheese and jelly
*Sausage and Egg biscuit
*Egg and cheese sandwich
*Pork bbq and coleslaw
*Roast beef and horseradish
*beef and swiss cheese
*beef and cream cheese
*Roast beef and fried onions/mushrooms
*Fried hamburger and onions and cheese
*burritos w/ beef or beans and cheese
*Tacos
*Quesadilla
*Baloney, mayo and pineapple ring
*cream cheese and minced peppers
*baked beans w/ pickle relish
*hamburger w/ fixings
*corn dogs
*hot dogs w/ chili
*hot dogs w/ cheese
*hot dogs w/ coleslaw
*chopped chicken and bbq sauce
*ham salad w/ pickles
*fajitas w/ beef or chicken
*baloney, mustard and sprouts wrapped in tortilla
*fried chicken
*leftover pizza
*chef salad
*pasta and meat salad
*bbq chicken
*ribs
*chicken teriyaki
*boiled eggs

Now some of those my kids would love and some might get a raised eyebrow...

But we all need some help thinking outside the luchbox sometimes.
So for now, I'm stocking up on ideas, brown paper bags and containers that the kids could throw away at school, like butter tubs, cream cheese tubs, etc.

Can't wait to see what Margie posts tomorrow...she finds the BEST deals!
See ya!

Back To School

August marks the beginning of a new school year!! This year I will have a 7th grader and a 4th grader. (Plus a little peanut who is only 17 months old so he doesn't count when it comes to "back to school".) It seems with each passing year I find that school shopping gets a little more in depth and considerably more expensive!

We still have three weeks until school starts here in central Florida, so I'm in the "preparation" stage. Here are our goals for this week:

• Purchase any deals that are "better than tax free" (which is in two weeks).

• Make a list of clothing items that are "needed".

• Take inventory of what supplies we can reuse/recycle from last year or the summer.

Last week we took advantage of Staples "free backpack" week, so we'll have a Staples card for the full price of the backpack on it's way soon. I'm thinking we can use that for extra printer cartridges so we're not scrambling in the evenings.

Also, I'm adding tri-fold project boards, foam board and poster board to our school supply list this year. It always seems that we need one of those things...right now!! (Your kids probably don't do that. What IS your secret?!)

The one "must have" purchase of the week?

Target. Memory sticks. Love 'em.

USB, dude

Portable USB drives make saving homework, documents, and photos easy. And fun designs such as surfboards, skateboards, and snowboards make these USB drives all the more unique.

USB Boards, $14; available in Target Stores.

B and A

Well, I feel like I should start this post with "Don't judge me." It's that bad.

Here is a before picture of my closet.


I told you.

Now a closet doesn't get like this overnight. It's a few "I don't think I'll wear this today..." followed by a few "If I hide my stack of laundry in here, no one will ever see it..." with a little "Don't have a spot for it? Give it to me, I'll put it somewhere..." mixed in. I'm ashamed...but the story doesn't end there!

This is after.

Doesn't that look better?!? I put my winter clothes up in the attic (well they're in a tub and I suppose when my sweetie gets tired of stepping over the tub, it'll go in the attic...) and even put some clothes in a "give away" pile. I have a lot more to do in that arena, but one day at a time.

I have a place for "extras" (usually purchased with a Walgreens coupon deal) that I didn't have before.


On my wall I have a place for my most-used bags. From left to right: Pool bag, workout bag, and my favorite "go-to" bags. And now, I can get to them! (And you have to keep ONE pair of flipflops out. You never know when you'll need them!)


So, I have one more Before and After to show you.

This may be my favorite B and A:


Yep. The easiest cookie recipe ever! 1 cup sugar, 1 cup peanut butter, 1 egg gives you:


Yay! Oh, wait. There's one missing!

"Don't judge me."