Thankful Thursday

 

 

 

 

 

 

This week, I’m thankful for taxes… Yup, while they may be a pain in the butt.. Without them every year, I could not get ahead just enough to make it through another year. Living in a one income family, in rural Maine does not make for a millionaire..

We do as good as we can, and make it alright, but with very little to spare… Therefore, our taxes make it easier, to help fix car issues, buy books for the next school year, get extra clothes for the next year, and anything else that we may need to purchase at a bigger cost.

Today I am very thankful for that… what are you thankful for??

Wednesday Hodgepodge:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. It's that most wonderful time of the year...tax season! Do you complete your own returns or farm that job out to the professionals?

I do my own.. why pay someone for something I can do?? Less money in my pocket that way.. Blah!

2. This next question comes from Kansas Bob...he posed it in his response to something I asked in an earlier Wednesday post and I asked him if I could add it to the Hodgepodge some day. Today's the day....

Which do you think has changed you more-love or pain?

I would have to say they are probably equal. They both make a difference in our lives, and we learn and grown from each experience whether it be good or bad right?!

3. Tangerine Tango has been named color of the year for 2012. Your thoughts? Would I find this color anywhere in your house? How about in your closet? If not, will you be adding this color to your life in some way in 2012? If you're not sure what tangerine tango looks like click here.

Interesting.. I am a liker of bright colors, so I would probably paint a wall or room this color. As of right now though, I can’t think of where I would put it.. Maybe a bathroom?? Hmm..

4. Are you a collector? What do you collect and does it get admired, used, and/or dusted regularly?

Kind of, I collect snowman and village pieces for my Christmas decorations, but they are only out around the holidays… Then they are stored.

I stopped collecting things, cause I am an organizer, can’t stand clutter or mess.. Ask my kids, they are hoarders and it drives me NUTS!

5. February is National Heart Month...besides a green salad what is one tasty heart healthy dish you like to prepare?

Fish! I love fish!!!!
I am a big supporter of this cause, as I have a friend with numerous heart issues, and I wish more than anything they could find a solution for her…  <3 you girl!!!

6. When was the last time you had car trouble?

Car trouble… depends on what you call trouble? I had to replace some tires this last week, and this week found out that I need to get a new Steering rack, and pinion. Yup, being a mechanic’s daughter can come in handy!  

7. Have you been more demanding on yourself lately or less? Is that a good trend?

I am always to demanding on myself, but I am trying to get better about that… Hope that it becomes a good trend.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

My baby is going to be 7, in 13 days! Oh my, where has the time gone?? I’m so sad… and proud all at the same time, she is a beautiful, kind soul… but sad she is growing up so fast..

Yoplait Lactose Free Yogurt Review & Giveaway:

When we got the opportunity to try this one.. I jumped at it literally!! (I got up out of my chair an jumped in delight) For a few reasons really.. 


The first being, my kids love yogurt, but two of my kids are limited to, or don’t have lactose in their diet. My son being the biggest one. He would eat yogurt EVERY day several times a day, if allowed. 

When I told him about this opportunity and that he was going to be able to try it he was super excited. So off the store we went.. took us a couple of stores to find some. As they just hit the shelves this month… When he found them he was overjoyed. He was sad that they only came in four flavors right now, but is hoping it will expand soon. He had Strawberry, Peach, French-Vanilla, and Cherry to choose from. He loves peach yogurt, so that was his decision. 


As soon as we got home, he popped it open and dug in! He said “Mom, this really doesn’t taste much different to me”. I was thrilled to hear that! We are excited to add this to our shopping list now. Monkey Man is happy to have his favorite treat available to eat more than a few times a month again. 

Ready for the best part??? 


A giveaway!!! 

The prize pack includes…

• A coupon for a free Yoplait Lactose Free Yogurt
• Lunch Tote
• 2 Gel Packs
• A bowl
• A spoon

What part to did I get out of this?? I got the AWESOME Lime green lunch bag. Did I mention lime green is my FAVORITE color???!!! The lunch bag is awesome too! Oh, and I claimed the green bowl too! 


Good luck!!!

It’s that time of year again….

when all those nasty cold germs are floating about… and you have to remind them to watch their hands 50 times a day so they don’t catch some nasty virus going around.. 

Although, despite our best efforts as parents, they still get sick sometimes don’t they? 

One great things for us, has been since we have started to Homeschool, they have been pretty healthy, knock on wood (Tap,tap). Don’t get me wrong they still get a sniffle now and again, or a nagging cough, but they are less likely to get something much worse. 

This week for instance, two of the Monkey’s are sick. They have these deep coughs, that don’t go away… especially in the middle of the night. Their heads are congested, and their noses are dripping… ((sigh)) 

So what are some of your go to remedies? For a cough, I love to use a cough syrup with honey in it, or straight honey. However, that doesn’t always do the trick, so we also really like delsyum. 

Before they get to bad, we also give them a glass a day of Emergen-C to drink. That makes an enormous difference. They don’t have the cold for nearly as long, and sometimes it only comes with a few sniffles. 

For those nights when that doesn’t work though, we use a Tylenol or ibuprofen for fever, and pain reliever like Children’s Advil. We recently got a bottle of Children’s Advil to try.. we have had to use it a couple of times since the kids got sick. It worked well, and the kids liked the flavor. It seemed to last longer than some of the no-name brands we have tried in the past. 

Children’s Advil is great for helping relieve a fever for up to 8 hours with only one dose. It comes in 4 great flavors for those kids who don’t like a medicine taste.. You can find it in Dye-Free – White Grape (which I like to get, they don’t need added chemicals), Grape, Fruit, and Blue Raspberry. Two of my monkey’s are not huge on pill form or chewable medicine, so this makes it great for them. Its designed for ages 2-11 but is liquid form. 


What are some of your remedies for when your kids get sick? 


I have some extra $1 off Any 1 Children’s Advil Product coupons… so I’m going to run a quick giveaway and mail them to the winners. These coupons are good until May. 


a Rafflecopter giveaway








*I was given a sample of Children’s Advil and coupons in exchange for my honest review as part as Smiley360. All opinions are 100% mine or my monkey’s.

Menu Plan Monday

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sunday:

Chicken with Kraft’s new Shake’n bake sorta thing, mashed potatoes, and veggies.

Monday:

Subway

Tuesday:

Applesauce Pork Loin,  Egg noodles with a garlic parmesan sauce, carrots

Wednesday:

Spaghetti, garlic bread

Thursday:

Leftovers

Friday:

Dinner with friends (maybe) or Soup & Grilled Cheese

Saturday:

Banquet dinner at Blue & Gold

Simple Woman’s Daybook

 

 

 

 

 

FOR TODAY

January 30th, 2012

Outside my window...

Sunny, with a slight chance of snow flurries, again.. (we are quite used to it around here)

I am thinking...

I have so many projects, and things on my To-do list, that I should get crackin! Anyone else have this problem too??

I am thankful for... 

An upcoming week away that me and my family are going to enjoy.

From the learning rooms...

We are zooming right along… Only 2 more weeks, and we are off for a week or two. (Love that I get to decide when we start back up)

Want to read more… Check out our Homeschool blog.. The Monkey School

From the kitchen... 

I’m still working on that… Check back in an hour or so, when I post Menu Monday!  

I am wearing... 

Jeans, a t-shirt, and my new sweater from my mom.

I am creating... 

Some party favors, and ideas for Little Monkey’s Smurfalicious B-day party in a few weeks!

I am going...

to be super busy for the next month. Hope I have time to come up and catch my breath!

I am reading...

Nothing til my next book comes in from the library.

I am hoping...

To get some more of my reorganizing done this next couple weeks. I will take before and after photo’s, when we finally fully dive into the project.

I am hearing...  

The girls playing a card game, while they wait for the rest of us to get ready for the day…

Around the house... 

I have lots of laundry to fold and put away. Then I need to sweep and mop floors, bathrooms to clean.. and dishes to do. You?

One of my favorite things...

Having Monday be a guaranteed family day, since Daddy always has it off, and we all go to 4H, and even though we break apart for scouts, we still really enjoy being together for the whole day.

A few plans for the rest of the week:

4H, Library, Cub Scouts, Lunch with my cousin, shopping, fun with friends, Daisy event, Blue & Gold Banquet, and a birthday party.

 
Here is picture for thought I am sharing...

A picture of my niece that I love… I took this on Christmas Eve. Isn’t it adorable!  

The Homeschool Mother’s Journal:

 

 

 

 

 

 

In my life this week… 

This week I have been extremely busy.. I prepped for a Girl Scout meeting on Monday but our weather made it so it was canceled….Then I spent Wednesday waiting for my mom at an appointment, and then we did a bit of shopping and lunch, that was nice…

Thursday Middle Monkey had a hearing test…

Friday we ended up having to get two new tires put on, and then clean up from another storm.

Yesterday we spent with my Sister-in-law , and attended a birthday party. We had a good day…

Now today we are spending at home, relaxing, watching a few shows, catching up on blogs.. and the kids are playing with Barbie's, and Lego’s, while resting so we can get rid of this crud that has attacked them!

 

In our homeschool this week…

This week, was a bit of a sporadic week. We did school like normal on Monday, and Tuesday… The rest of the week was when we could work around other things. Learned more about Ancient History, Monkey Man learned how to do Mean, Median, and Modes in math.. (found that he thought they were fun) and summed up our week with some reading..

To see more about our week go to our Homeschool Blog… The Monkey School (think I should go update it then huh??!)

Helpful homeschooling tips or advice to share…

Find fun things to break up the day to day things.. Like last week we had a playdate, this week we did lunch out.. and next week we are meeting friends for lunch again.. maybe a trip to the bookstore for a few new books.

Places we’re going and people we’re seeing…

This next week, we are going to 4H, Cub Scouts, Lunch with a cousin, 4 wheel alignment, some shopping, maybe a movie night with friends, Daisy event, Blue & Gold Banquet, and then another birthday party to round out the weekend… you?

My favorite thing this week was…

Breakfast with my Middle Monkey out by ourselves, before her appointment this week.

What’s working/not working for us…

Doing TOS reviews… My kids have loved being able to throw in some new curriculum here and there, to give us a break from the norm. We really enjoy it!

Questions/thoughts I have…

Think I have narrowed down the things we want to get for next year, but wandering if anyone has experience with Teaching Textbooks, looking for feedback on it.

Things I’m working on…

Planning some fun activities for this year… Looking forward to some exciting day trips, and couple day get aways!

 

I’m reading…

Nothing at the moment, waiting for my next book to come in.

I’m cooking…

Tonight we are having Chicken covered in this new Kraft Shake’n Bake kinda thing we found at the store, mashed potatoes, and a veggie.

I’m grateful for…

Dates with my kids, they don’t come often enough, but are so cherished when they do!  

A photo, video, link, or quote to share…

Homemade Granola Bars we made a few weeks ago… they were very yummy!