Kids keepin' it Crazy

I "cereal"sly like you!

2012-02-14T14:44:00.002-06:00

Suplies needed:

small boxes of cereal

plastic spoons

I wrote them names of each of my daughter's classmates on the pens.

Then attach a note that says I "cereal"sly like you! Love, _____

and attach the spoon with some tape.

hot cocoa with GIANT marshmallows!

2012-02-14T14:19:00.000-06:00

A yummy hot cocoa treat on cold wintery day!

The marshmallow is almost bigger than the mug!

This little girl thinks it's yummy!

This little boy loves it too!

Trying to eat the marshmallow! :D

Weekly Menu Board

2012-02-12T08:33:00.002-06:00

I saw this on Pinterest a while back and just knew I had to make it! So simple and SO cute!

I found the pictuer frame at Michael's and bought it without a coupon (I know, crazy!) and it was only $8!

I bought a ocuple of 12x12 sheets of paper (although I probably already had something that would have worked) and added letters that I already had, and in no time had a weekly menu board!

I had Saturday and Sunday share a day since we quite often eat leftovers or end up eating somewhere other than home.

The arrows you see are our votes of good or bad meal. :)

Just use a dry erase marker and it wipes off with anything - no water or spray needed!

happy new year!

2012-01-02T17:42:00.000-06:00

For dinner tonight we enjoyed one last meal of complete unhealthiness
.....if you ignore the glass of milk. ;)

(the kids drank hot cocoa with their waffles!)

the 12th day of Christmas

2011-12-18T20:24:00.001-06:00

For the 12th day of Christmas,

12 pens you'll find right here.

I wish you a Merry Christmas,

And a Happy New Year!

the 11th day of Christmas

2011-12-18T20:22:00.000-06:00

For the 11th day of Christmas,

Some lotion I hope you need.

Zion Lutheran is so lucky

To have you, indeed!

the 10th day of Christmas

2011-12-18T20:16:00.000-06:00

For the 10th day of Christmas,
$10 for Subway (or Bath & Body Works!) I bring to you.
You surprise me every day
With all the fun stuff we do!

the 9th day of Christmas

2011-12-18T20:14:00.000-06:00

For the 9th day of Christmas,
Some candy for a snack.
Sorry, that's all the food
I could fit in my backpack!

the 8th day of Christmas

2011-12-18T20:11:00.000-06:00

For the 8th day of Christmas,
here are 8 paperclips multiplied by 10.
Hope you're enjoying this,
'Cause tomorrow I'll do it again!

homemade soap "crayons"

2011-12-17T22:12:00.000-06:00

Grate a bar of soap.

One bar makes about 3 cups of grated soap.

Add about 3 tablespoons of water to grated soap and mix together. Add a few drops of food coloring and mix some more. This part was fun - it's like soapy play doh! :)

I used a small cookie scoop to scoop the soap into a silicone ice cube tray to make Christmas Trees. (I used the red to make circles using a silicone muffin pan.)

Place in freezer for a few hours or overnight!

Makes great party favors or stocking stuffers!

homemade laundry soap

2011-12-17T21:37:00.000-06:00

To make homemade laundry soap, you need 1/3 of a bar of Fels Naptha soap or 1 whole bar of Ivory soap, grated. I have used both, depending on what I had on hand. You also need 1/2 cup Arm & Hammer washing soda (NOT baking soda), and 1/2 cup Borax. I found all my ingredients at Woodman's. You also need a container to hold your soap in. This recipe makes about a gallon. I keep mine in a 5 quart ice cream bucket. It's best to keep it in a fairly open container as this recipe turns into a pretty solid gel and you will need to be able to scoop it.

I use a cheese grater to grate my soap. It's amazing to me how soft soap really is!

It grates very quickly and easily!

Grate your soap - 1 full bar of Ivory soap or 1/3 bar of Fels Naptha.

Put the grated soap into a pot. Add 6 cups of water and heat until soap is melted.

Add the 1/2 c of washing soda and 1/2 c of borax. Stir until it is dissolved. Remove from heat.

Pour 4 cups of water into a bucket. Add the soap mixture and stir.

Add another 6 cups of water and stir again.

Your laundry soap will look like a very runny gel.

Let this sit about 24 hours, stirring every so often. It will end up being a very thick gel, almost solid.

Use 1/4 cup of soap per load of laundry.

I've read that you can add 1/2 to 1 ounce of essential oils to your soap if you want it to have a scent. I haven't tried it yet. I love how clean and fresh it smells as it is.

I love this recipe of laundry soap! I didn't have time to make more last time I ran out and had to buy a bottle of Tide. I can't tell a difference in the cleanliness of our clothes. This recipe cost less than $1 per batch to make!!!

the 7th day of Christmas

2011-12-17T18:45:00.002-06:00

For the 7th day of Christmas,

I've brought you chewing gum.

It feels like Christmas break

Is never going to come!

the 6th day of Christmas!

2011-12-15T21:28:00.000-06:00

For the 6th day of Christmas,

6 canes of red and white.

Guess who my favorite teacher is.....

If you guessed you, you're right!

the 5th day of Christmas

2011-12-13T20:54:00.002-06:00

For the 5th day of Christmas,

I give 5 binder clips.

I'm sure it could be tempting

To use them on some lips!

the 4th day of Christmas

2011-12-05T21:11:00.000-06:00

For the 4th day of Christmas,

Dry-Erase markers come in four....

As my 1st grade\5K teacher,

You really make me soar!

the 3rd day of Christmas

2011-12-05T21:08:00.000-06:00

For the 3rd day of Christmas,
Cold hands, face, and toes.
Warm up with these 3 packs
of cocoa with marshmallows.

the 2nd day of Christmas

2011-12-05T21:04:00.000-06:00

For the 2nd day of Christmas,
Your students are busy little bees.
You can correct their papers
With these 2 red sharpies!

the 1st day of Christmas

2011-12-05T16:16:00.000-06:00

On Pinterest, I found the idea to do a "12 days of Christmas" set of gifts for teachers.
Here is the 1st day:

For the 1st day of Christmas,
Something for you to use.
I'm giving you this clipboard,
So your papers you won't lose!

I used me new Cricut that I got on black Friday to cut out the teachers' names and then used Modge Podge to add some scrapbook paper to add some color to a plain brown clipboard. I'm thrilled with how they turned out!

The kids LOVED the idea of sneaking gifts onto the teachers' desks without them knowing. Mrs Wolff figured it out, partly because she knows me so well, and partly because she asked the class who the gift was from and Tori started to raise her hand then remembered it was supposed to be a surprise and put her hand back down real quick. :)

Jenga!

2011-11-03T13:38:00.000-05:00

Jenga blocks
+Matchbox cars
+My Little Ponies
+VeggieTales & Dora characters
= hours of fun!

bug vacuum = learning experience!

2011-10-18T21:47:00.001-05:00

Jeremiah got a bug vacuum for his birthday, and Jeff and I have been using it to vacuum up various bugs in our house. :) we have been finding a lot of bees in our house this fall, so mostly those, but the other day we caught 2 centipede things. then Jeff sucked up a spider for Tori. you should have seen that spider go after those centipedes! tonight we sucked up a bee and watched the spider in action!

here you can really see the spider up on top and the bee down on the bottom. it was really cool to be able to watch the spider dropping his web down and trying to get the bee without getting too close itself.

it's also really cool to be able to look at a live bee this close!!

Day 4

2011-01-13T08:40:00.000-06:00

Day 4

A picture of your favorite night

Victoria was BEGGING to wash some dishes for me. she loves to help out, and is always asking me what she can do to help me. Generally the only dishes I have to wash are the ones that are too big for the dishwasher or ones that need to be really scrubbed, but this day I had just purchased some plastic bowls and plates, so I let her wash them up for me. :)

Day 3

2011-01-12T19:39:00.000-06:00

Day 03 -

A picture of the cast from your favorite show:

Psych & Monk - 2 of my favorite shows!

Day 2

2011-01-11T09:18:00.000-06:00

Day 2

A picture of you and the person you have been closest with the longest:

My husband - we met in the spring of 96 and got married in May of 98.....

we've been together for nearly 15 years!

Day 1

2011-01-10T09:40:00.000-06:00

Day 1

Photo of yourself with 10 facts:

1. I loved climbing trees when I was a kid...and I still do!

2. I am incredibly afraid of mice, dead or alive.

3. Psych is one of my favorite shows.

4. I love to decorate cakes.

5. I babysit for my job.

6. My kids are only 15 months apart.

7. I hate the taste of coffee, but love the smell of it.

8. I secretly think the Three Stooges is funny....but don't tell Jeff!

9. Purple is my favorite color...all shades of it.

10. I already miss my Christmas music

30 Day Photo Challenge!

2011-01-10T09:37:00.000-06:00

I am going to attempt to do this 30 photo challenge on my blog and on facebook...some of the pictures will be the same, some will be different! ;) Enjoy!

Day 01 - A picture of yourself with ten facts

Day 02 - A picture of you and the person you have been closest with the longest

Day 03 - A picture of the cast from your favorite show

Day 04 - A picture of your favourite night

Day 05 - A picture of your favorite memory

Day 06 - A picture of a person you'd love to trade places with for a day

Day 07 - A picture of your most treasured item

Day 08 - A picture that makes you laugh

Day 09 - A picture of the person who has gotten you through the most

Day 10 - A picture of the person you do the most messed up things with

Day 11 - A picture of something you hate

Day 12 - A picture of something you love

Day 13 - A picture of your favorite band or artist

Day 14 - A picture of someone you could never imagine your life without

Day 15 - A picture of something you want to do before you die

Day 16 - A picture of someone who inspires you

Day 17 - A picture of something that has made a huge impact on your life recently

Day 18 - A picture of your biggest insecurity

Day 19 - A picture and a letter

Day 20 - A picture of somewhere you'd love to travel

Day 21 - A picture of something you wish you could forget

Day 22 - A picture of something you wish you were better at

Day 23 - A picture of your favorite book

Day 24 - A picture of something you wish you could change

Day 25 - A picture of your day

Day 26 - A picture of something that means a lot to you

Day 27 - A picture of yourself and a family member

Day 28 - A picture of something you're afraid of

Day 29 - A picture that can always make you smile

Day 30 - A picture of someone you miss

Happy New Year!

2011-01-08T20:36:00.003-06:00

Jeremiah, 6 years old!

Victoria, almost 5 years old!

December 16

2010-12-18T08:20:00.001-06:00

A trip to visit the Jackson farm:

going to see a demolition derby:

it was SOOOO hot! Jeremiah's hair is dripping from sweat, and he wasn't even moving around!

it was a lot of fun watching the cars & trucks crash into each other!

Grandpa showing Jeremiah & Victoria his new motorcycle

Victoria REALLY liked it!

Great Grandpa Jackson at the Jackson family reunion....he got to go for a ride with Jeff's dad!

our family!

the boy cousins!

the girl cousins!

December 15

2010-12-15T12:17:00.000-06:00

Free tickets to Mount Olympus!!!!

a lot of the kiddie rides were strong enough for the parents to ride, too!

SWINGS!

race cars!!!

their 1st real roller coaster! it went up and down a bit and they LOVED it!

driving an airplane!

December 14

2010-12-15T12:05:00.000-06:00

Fun days in June.....

visiting the animals at the zoo.....

playing on the playground at the zoo.....

riding bikes through the "car wash".....

"helping mom".....

December 13

2010-12-13T13:24:00.001-06:00

Memorial Day weekend

time spent relaxing and hanging out with good friends!

matching clothes with our friends is SO fun!

you would never guess these 2 boys are only 8 months apart! :D

and that the girls are only 6 months apart!

(By the way, you can't really tell, but Tori DOES have shorts on under that shirt - I undersetimated how long it would be on her!!!)

The weather was perfect and gorgeous the entire weekend!

December 12

2010-12-13T13:11:00.000-06:00

May brought.....

weather warm enough for us to play in the sprinkler!!!!

weather warm enough for us to play with bubbles!

weather warm enough to play in the sand box!

weather warm enough to go to the park!

December 11

2010-12-13T12:45:00.000-06:00

Last winter, we stored a man's project car in our garage for him. He came and got it in May.

It was really fun to look at! :) Thie kids thought it was hilarious!

After getting that out of our 1 1/2 car deep and 3 car wide garage, Jeff was able to turn his car around INSIDE the garage!!!

December 10

2010-12-13T12:33:00.000-06:00

Snuggling with Daddy in his chair!

Victoria LOVES her Uncle Nate!!!!

December 9

2010-12-09T07:18:00.000-06:00

homemade finger paints!

cleaning the van

my grocery list....Jeremiah had to add popsicles! (sorry this one is sideways - it was right when I clicked on it to upload....)

Tori being a vampire......ggggrrrrrrrr....

fun at the zoo with friends - I told them all to make a funny face - it's hilarious that the girls made the faces and the boys didn't! :D

December 8

2010-12-08T10:26:00.000-06:00

Homeschool co-op....

we tried out homeschooling last year

(and learned that it was NOT for me!!)

we did a homeschool co-op, where Jeremiah got to learn about art and about the body. he loved it!!

this is the display of stuff he did:

this is a spacechip from an OLD cartoon show

that he got to watch at our friends' house

Victoria's class was a preschool class, and she learned about letters and made a book from the year:

So proud, showing us her letter book!

December 7

2010-12-08T09:42:00.000-06:00

FUN WITH FRIENDS!!!

December 6

2010-12-08T09:35:00.000-06:00

April.....

Jeremiah loves his Sophie Ann (Grandma Smith's kitty)

coloring Easter eggs with Grandma Smith

one morning, I had to wake the kids up....I went back to check on them a few minutes later, and I found that Tori was up already.....and then I found her in Jeremiah's room with him. :)

December 5

2010-12-08T09:17:00.000-06:00

Awana awards night!!!

Jeremiah got an award for finishing his book!

December 4

2010-12-04T15:05:00.000-06:00

In March, we got to go on a vacation for a week with friends and family to Gulf Shores, Alabama!

December 3

2010-12-04T14:53:00.000-06:00

March brought us warmer weather so we could.......

eat outside

and play & paint outside!

December 2

2010-12-04T14:45:00.000-06:00

Last winter, we got snow time after time after time, and we got DUMPED on each time. I was SO thankful for our snowblower that was able to handle it all and for a husband who did all the snowblowing!

kids playing in the snow while mom & dad cleaned off the driveway and sidewalks

so pretty!

December 1

2010-12-04T14:00:00.000-06:00

From January 2010 -

Victoria in the tub with all her "ducks all in a row"

wow, it's been a while!

2010-12-04T13:52:00.001-06:00

Wow, it's been a long time since I've posted anything on here. I had been thinking about doing a post everyday for the 25 days before Christmas with pictures from this year, but then December snuck up on me! Then I saw two of my friends doing it and I was re-inspired, so keep an eye out! I'm going to try to do it and will catch up on the 3 days I missed! ENJOY! :)

Joe the Moose’s weekend with Victoria

2010-09-20T08:50:00.000-05:00

Victoria got to bring home Joe the Moose from preschool this weekend and write (tell me so I can write) a story in the journal about what Joe did and add some pictures to the journal.....I just thought I'd share it with all of you! :)

On Friday, I got to come home with Victoria for the whole weekend! When we got home, I got to watch Angelina Ballerina with Victoria and her friend Addie. A little later, we colored a Diego picture together. Victoria went to her Daddy’s band practice that night. I stayed home, because there were a LOT of kids there and I’m really shy.
On Saturday, Victoria and I helped her mommy sell stuff at a garage sale. I stayed over by Victoria’s mommy so I wouldn’t accidentally get sold! Then it rained! And Victoria saved me from the rain and kept me dry….because I don’t like to get wet! Then I got to meet some of Victoria’s baby dolls and go for a walk in her baby stroller. That was fun….we did some shopping in her backyard, too! We bought some golf stuff, plates, chalk, a balloon and a wagon to hold stuff.
On Sunday, Victoria woke up sick. :( So, we stayed home with Victoria’s mommy and watched movies all day. I sat pretty far away from Victoria so I didn’t catch her germs. By bedtime, Victoria was feeling all better, so her mommy let me go to bed with her!
On Monday morning, I “ate” breakfast with Victoria. Her friend Addie is here again this morning. We’re all coloring now and ready to go to school!
I had a really fun time with Victoria this weekend!

1st week of school

2010-08-31T19:58:00.000-05:00

after playing with our "across the street friends" after we got home from school....all sweaty! :)

very 1st day of school....Tori being like a scare crow...I'm really not sure why! LOL!

CHEESE!
(really sunny day which explaains Jeremiah's squinty eyes.....not sure what Tori was looking at, but that's pretty normal for pictures of her! LOL!!!)

But I'm not tired.....

2010-07-26T17:03:00.001-05:00

I made my cranky & crazy kids have quiet time today.

Jeremiah said he liked to play in his room instead, but I told him he had to look at books today...no playing.

Tori said she didn't want to and she wasn't tired. I told her too bad. She could sit on her bed and read, but she had to have quiet time.

Thankful

2010-06-11T14:02:00.001-05:00

Today I'm thankful.....

for a wonderful husband who loves me so much,

for a McDonald's that has free WiFi and a toddler friendly playground,

for Facebook so I can reconnect with friends I haven't see or talked to in over 15 years,

for fairly obedient kids so I can take them into Wal-mart not in a shopping cart,

for weather that is not too hot and not too cool,

for quiet time,

for Baker's Joy cooking spray with flour in it,

for free movie rental codes,

for a night out to a Tupperware party and to see an old friend,

for Google calendar,

for left-overs for dinner,

for my hubby to get to go out with the guys,

for a chance to try out my new castle cake set,

for parents who live close by,

for the Internet so I can look at pictures of castle cakes that other people have made,

for text messaging......

Ladies' Spring Tea

2010-05-20T07:14:00.001-05:00

Here are a couple pictures of my table at the Ladies' Spring Tea last weekend. I wish I had thought to take my camera the night before and get pictures of everyone else's table. everything looked so lovely!!

A trip to the zoo

2010-05-01T09:23:00.000-05:00

I was surprised to see the brown bears out and about today, they are usually lying around when we stop by.

We rarely get to see the lion this closely and awake!!!

I guess the giraffe didn't want me to take his picture! He was hiding behind the tree and looks like he was yelling at me!

The sea lions had a fun time swimming by the kids and the kids LOVED it!!!

I think Toris is teaching her other girlfriends how to make funny faces! :) And the boys just didn't seem to care about getting their pictures taken today....

Jeremiah's first time on the firemans' pole!!! He's getting to be such a big boy!!!

Pick N Save's Double Coupon Deals!

2010-04-29T11:10:00.009-05:00

(Imagine there are 12 boxes of cereal there, not 2) I should have paid $88.28, but I paid only $38.95 for all of this stuff, saving over $50:

These are my CHEAPEST deals: I should have paid $17.77, but I only paid $4.03 for all this, saving over $13:

Here are just some of the best deals I got with Pick N Save's double coupon deals last night:

Airwick airfresheners refills -
regularly $5.85/2pack, on sale $5.17/2 pack, paid $3.17/2pack, total savings:$2.68

Philly cream cheese minis -
regularly $1.79, paid $.79, total savings:$1

Danimals yogurt smoothies - (my kids love these, but they drink them so fast that I hate to pay almost the price of a gallon of milk for 6 little bottles of yogurt drink, but when I find a deal like this, I buy them as a treat for the kids)
regularly $2.69, paid $.69, total savings:$2

Dan-o-nino yogurts - (another thing my kids love, but I hate to buy because they are SO small, but a deal llike this is a steal!!!)
regularly $2.19, paid $.19, total savings:$2

Windex (all natural with vinegar) -
regularly $3.45, on sale for $2.79, paid $.79, total savings:$2.66

Old Wisconsin beef sticks - (something my hubby loves and I try to keep on to snack on)
regularly $4.50, on sale for $3.69, paid $.69, total savings:$3.90

Milk -
regularly $2.99, on sale for $2.50, paid $1.50, total savings $1.49

Motts Tots Apple juice (40% less sugar than other apple juices) - (we never have juice here, so this is another treat for the kids)
regularly $3.15, on sale for $2.19, paid $.88, total savings:$2.17

Oxiclean max force -
regularly $3.69, on sale for $3.44, paid $1.94, total savings $1.75

Cereal - on sale for buy 6, save $10
Cheerios (plain) -
bought 6-14oz boxes: regulary $3.99
Kix (plain) -
bought 5-14oz boxes: regularly $4.29
Kix (plain)
bought 1-12oz box (I took the last of the 14oz boxes!): regulary $3.75
total regular price:$49.14, total sale price:$29.14, paid: $23.64 = $1.97/box, and I got the biggest boxes they had! I usually aim to pay no more than $2 a box for smaller boxes!

Awana

2010-03-23T14:53:00.001-05:00

Tori's Cubbies class:

Jeremiah's Sparks class (he's a whole head shorter than EVERYONE, but he also went into Sparks a little early...it's supposed to be for K5, but he was 5 the second week of club so we let him go there instead of Cubbies):

Jeremiah's group of kids that finished the 1st book:

Alabama

2010-03-16T08:30:00.000-05:00

playing sleep

2010-03-03T21:12:00.001-06:00

I found this in my kitchen the other day....apparently, Victoria was going to play sleep with Jeremiah, so she got a "bed" all ready for them. I love all the detail she put into this - each of their pillows, their own blankies, plus Jeremiah's teddy bear is covered with Jeremiah's little blankie, and Tori has a small "bear bunny" (a teddy bear that is wearing a hat with bunny ears that I got when I was a kid, recently found in a box at my parents' house), a necklace so she can look pretty (although I NEVER let her wear those to bed!), and Tori's cup.

What a deal!!!

2010-02-24T08:05:00.003-06:00

Here are a couple DEALS we found at Goodwill recently:

1st, I've been wanting to get the game Guess Who? for Jeremiah for a while now, but I'm not willing to pay almost $20 for it. I found this one at Goodwill for $2, and when we got it home, it had ALL the pieces and even some extras for incase stuff breaks! Jeremiah is LOVING this game!

Retail cost at Target - $17

Cost at Goodwill - $2

less 25% for my birthday coupon from Club Goodwill, and 5% for spending more than $20 from Club Goodwill

Total cost with tax - $1.50

____________________________________________

I've seen these at Target, and have been wanting one of these shelves for a while now, and plan on getting some nice fabric baskets to put in the cubbies, but didn't want to spend the money for one of these.

Retail cost at Target - $50

Cost at Goodwill - $30

less 25% for my birthday coupon from Club Goodwill and 5% for spending more than $20 from Club Goodwill

Total cost with tax - $22.50

_____________________________________________

For Christmas, Jeff wanted to get a racetrack for Jeremiah. we found one, but it wasn't quite what he had in mind, and when we got it opened and Jeremaih was playing with it, it was too much work for him to get it together. lots of pieces that have to be put together just right, etc...

Then Jeff spotted this, brand new in the box:

"Hot Wheels Race Aces 3 Lane Super Speedway"

Jeremiah can put it together by himself and even Tori loves it! You can race 10+ cars at one time (we had about 15 on it at one point, I think), and has 2 different places where you can push buttons to casue the cars to change lanes.

Sold only at Target, but must be a seasonal thing or something, as we can't find it there anymore.

Retail cost online - $100 - $120

Cost at Goodwill - $15

Less 25% from y birthday coupon from Club Goodwill and 5% for spending more than $20 from Club Goodwill

Total cost with tax - $11.25

"helping mom...."

2010-02-24T07:39:00.001-06:00

The kids love to watch me decorate cakes, but it's very distracting to have the kids asking me so many questions about what I'm doing and having them tell me that I've missed a spot (when I wasn't even to that part yet), so..... This keeps them busy and they don't ask so many questions: I let them clean off the beater from making the frosting. :)

a little OCD.....

2010-02-24T07:19:00.001-06:00

Victoria likes to clean so much, she didn't want to stop while we were at Grandma & Grandpa's house. They are in the midst of redecorating my old bedroom which is now the kids' playroom, so the house is a little 'messy', so Tori wanted to help out. but we were trying to leave and she still didn't want to stop! she's a little obsessed with cleaning. she walked around 'dusting' things for 2 days. she likes to clean so much, I bought her her own 'swifter-type' duster for Christmas. the other day, she was cleaning her room....again.....and I hear this little voice come from upstairs, "Mommy? can you come up here and dust the top of my dresser? I can't reach." Her dad had to tell her one night, "Tori, if you get out of bed to clean again, you're going to be in trouble!" Seriously, where did get this urge to clean, because neither of her parents have it!!! :)

Tori

2010-02-24T07:14:00.001-06:00

Swimming at Mrs Lenz's house this past summer....there was NO way she was going to drown!!!

IHOP National Pancake Day - February 23, 2010

2010-02-23T10:22:00.000-06:00

IHOP National Pancake Day - February 23, 2010

free pancakes at IHOP today!!!!

crickets & worms.....

2010-02-08T17:14:00.002-06:00

our friend Eric was given small boxes of bacon & cheese flavored "crickettes" (I think they are baby crickets?) and cheddar flavored "larvettes" (baby worms). All of the kids were offered them, but only Tori and Josiah (Eric's son) were brave (?!?!?) enough to eat them:

this is Tori AFTER she ate the crickette.....

and this is Tori eating the worm....she was thisty a little later, but apparently liked them! :{ I felt sick the rest of the night just thinking of it!!!!

I'm so proud that my little girl that can be such a "girlie girl" ate bugs! :)

Tori finally got her ducks all in a row.....

2010-01-27T09:39:00.004-06:00

Victoria loves her ducks!

I see a little bit of OCD in her..... She loves to put her things just so.

Sledding with Grandpa

2010-01-23T00:57:00.001-06:00

Best Friends!

2010-01-10T18:31:00.001-06:00

Tori & Brooklyn - they are a year apart and they LOVE each other! so sweet! :)

SNOW!

2009-12-21T08:51:00.002-06:00

The 1st snow of the year this year!

The kids helped me shovel the driveway (there wasn't enough to use the snow blower!)

As random as their shoveling was, it actually did help! :) Jeremiah did a really good job helping me by shoveling the front and back step and the back sidewalk mostly by himself!!!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-12-21T08:48:00.001-06:00

Our "Turkey Bread" - several different kinds of bread shaped into a turkey! :)

saving money

2009-11-20T11:02:00.003-06:00

I'm so excited about the deals I got at Pick N Save this week. I just have to share!!!

I cut coupons, and shopped the ad, then went on Wednesday when they have double coupon day. I had to "split" my groceries into 3 orders, so I could do this, because Pick N Save only doubles up to 5 coupons ($1 and under) per order of $25 or more. Here's just a few of the best deals I got:

Box of "Green Bay Packers" cheerios cereal - reg $2.99, on sale for $.99
McCormick seasonings - 2 different pepper grinders - reg $2.49, on sale for $1.25
Airwick warmer - reg $1.99, on sale for $1.69, coupon scanned for -$2.19...they paid me $.50!!!
Airwick warmer refills 2-pack- reg $5.85, on sale for $4.99, $1 coupon doubles - I paid $2.99
Trident layers gum - 2 packs for $2.90, coupon for bogo free - I paid $1.41
Mentos gum - reg price $1.59, on slae for $1.43, $.55 coupon doubles - I paid $.33
Advil migraine - reg price $6.69, on sale for $4.59, $1 coupon doubles - I paid $2.59
Hilshire cocktail wienies - reg $3.99, on sale for $3.00, $1 coupon doubles - I paid $2
Sargento Fancy Shredded Mexican Cheese, 8 oz - reg $3.49, on sale for $1.66, $.50 coupon doubles - I paid $.66
Tabasco Sauce - reg $1.99, not on sale, $.60 coupon doubles - I paid $.79
Cheerios 4 boxes- reg $15.96 ($3.99 each box), on sale for $11, 2 coupons for $1 off 2 boxes doubles - I paid $7 ($1.75 each box)
Kashi granola bars (2 boxes)- reg $6.98, on sale $5.00, coupon for $1 off 2 boxes doubles - I paid $3 ($1.50 each box)
Frank's Red Hot Wing Sauce - Reg $279, not on sale, $1 coupon doubles, I paid $.79!!!
And this was just a few of my better deals!!!

All in all, I spent $118.78, and saved $53.45, just by buying sale items and using coupons. I don't do this every week, but at least once a month. Buying the Sunday newspaper has more than paid for itself with the coupons and the ads I get each week. Also, I don't always buy the name brand items. Sometimes the generic brands are still cheaper, and I find that most of the time, they are just as good!

Happy saving!

Jeremiah's birthday party

2009-11-16T08:08:00.001-06:00

Jeremiah had a birthday party here with 8 of his friends from church.

kids singing happy birthday to Jeremiah:

each kid got a try at the pinata, then Daddy got to have a turn, and all the kids had a chance to get the candy!

Arrrrr, matey!!!!

look at those pirate teeth!

Go Pack Go!

2009-11-15T18:55:00.001-06:00

we got to go to a Packer practice back in September...here's a few pictures of the kids from that! :)

chicken wings!

2009-11-13T14:26:00.001-06:00

Out to eat somewhere....I forget where. Jeff took these pics with his cell phone.

Victoria LOVES chicken wings!

cute kids

2009-11-12T21:01:00.001-06:00

Family Fun Fest

2009-10-11T19:27:00.002-05:00

Family Fun Fest in West Bend.....

Jeremiah got to break a board!!!!

bowling!!!

jump house with a slide - they actually had about 5 other regular jump houses for the kids to rotate through and jump in.

Tori driving a police car... :)

The kids had a great time! And everything was FREE!!!!

My baby boy turned 5!!!

2009-10-02T07:05:00.005-05:00

October 1st, 2004

1 year old

2 years old

3 years old

4 years old

5 years old

Favorite pics from this year's church picnic

2009-09-22T08:10:00.004-05:00

Tori LOVES hot wings!!!

2009-09-16T07:11:00.003-05:00

My little girl hot wings, just like her daddy!

Gotta take a drink between bites - careful not to get the cup all messy (she gets this from her mommy!)

living in the city!

2009-09-14T09:57:00.001-05:00

We spent a few hours with our neighbors yesterday. One of them was getting rid of a couch, and had it by the side of the road incase someone wants it. The kids are having a blast with it! :)

Tori....

2009-07-10T08:33:00.004-05:00

such a tough girl! she's "grrrr-ing" at me here. Notice her glittery gold "dancing shoes"? LOL!

The kids LOVE the train at the zoo!

2009-05-18T15:40:00.003-05:00

My favorite is Jeremiah's laugh at the end after he waves and says hi to complete strangers!

garage sale finds!!!

2009-05-18T10:04:00.005-05:00

I went to Jackson this last weekend to the town rummage sales. Here are the great deals I found on Saturday. I still ahve to take pictures of my deals from Friday, too!

ALL of this for just $2!!! 8 pairs of pants (including one pair that still had the tags on and one of the jeans was from Old Navy!), 14 shirts (one actual Christmas outfit!), and 3 pairs of winter pj's, plus they threw in the Care Bears puzzle!
All this for only $7 total. A few of the things that I let the kids pick out while we going from house to house...they have so much fun garage sale-ing! I got 2 pairs of jeans for 50 cents each - Old Navy and Levi brand, and they are both in great shape! Jeremiah has a new pair of Scooby Doo swim shorts for 25 cents, a baby blanket I really don't need, but it was really windy out, so I bought it for 50 cents for Tori to wrap up in, and 2 more pairs of pants for her for 25 cents each! Tupperware container and Shape-O-Ball for $1 each!
And THIS is all the stuff we got for FREE!!! mostly toys - it seems a lot of people like to give toys to kids as they come to rummages. The last sale I went to for the day was ready to get rid of stuff - they were bringing stuff to my kids and telling them that if Mom said it was ok, they could have it! The Strawberry Shortcake tin has a puzzle in it, too!

I love garage sales in the summer!!!!!

A SPECIAL thank you to my Aunt Jan, My Grandma Smith, and my mom for teaching me a t young age the joy of garage sales!!!

Alabama, Day 3

2009-03-29T20:35:00.005-05:00

On our 3rd day in Alabama, we visited The Track Family Recreation Center. We all had a wonderful time, and the kids really had a blast!

There were a handful of "kiddie rides" that the kids really enjoyed:

The "kiddie swings":
Daddy watching the kids have fun:
Uncle Nate watching the kids, too:
Riding the "kiddie train":
There was even a bell that Jeremiah was able to ring - it was a little hard for him to do at first, but he got the hang of it pretty quick:
Riding the "kiddie ferris wheel":
Uncle Nate on the race track:
Daddy & Jeremiah on the race track:My favorite thing at The Track was the bumper boats. You get to bump each other while driving in circles, and also squirt each other!

Crazy Dad trying to get me and Victoria:

Grandpa & Jeremiah got pretty wet. I think the rest of us might have been gaining up on Grandpa just a little bit:

After a fun day at the Track, we did some swimming and relaxed. We all got just a touch of sunburn, but not too bad.

Sunset on the beach is beautiful!!!

Alabama, Day 2

2009-03-26T09:59:00.004-05:00

Day two.....

Poor Victoria was just exhausted after being awake all night traveling, then playing and such the day before. She woke up because she heard all of us talking, and she didn't want to miss anything. She even took a bite of breakfast, but she just couldn't stay awake!

After sleeping a bit more, Victoria was up and ready for the day!
We went to the beach to fly kites ($1 each at Wal-mart!!!)

Jeremiah thought it was just great!
Victoria had a hard time letting Daddy get her kite up into the air. She wanted to hold it and have it fly all at the same time - kind of like having your cake and eating it too? :)

When we finally got it up in the air for her, she held on to it for all of 2 minutes.....maybe less!

The kids' kites:

More Alabama.....Day one

2009-03-18T20:12:00.006-05:00

The view from our patio.....

Nobody we know - oil rig off shore....
Grandpa & Tori on the beach
Uncle Nate
On the beach on the way to the water....The kids were a little nervous about the waves.....
Daddy went in...maybe it's not so bad......Jeremiah is braver with his sister next to him
Jeremiah ended up tripping once he did get into the water, and his shirt got soaked. The water was a bit chilly, and it was windy, so we had to take off his shirt.

Look up there, mommy!!!
A kite!!!!!!

We made it to Alabama....

2009-03-16T08:02:00.003-05:00

We left for Alabama at 1 in the afternoon on Friday, and made it there by 6:30AM on Saturday. Both kids took about 2 hour naps in the car. Jeremiah fell asleep around 8, and woke up about 10, then stayed awake the rest of the way down, until about 5 minutes from the resort! I still can not believe that he stayed up until almost 6:30 in the morning! He then slept for a few hours once we got there, which gave me & the hubby a chance to catch up on a bit of sleep. Victoria had her nap earlier in the evening, then stayed up only until 2AM!!!!! Then she slept the rest of the way there, but woke up once we got there, and stayed awake the whole day!

Victoria and mommy needed a morning snack - I had Mountain Dew and some Jelly Belly jelly beans, and Victoria had some water and cereal snack with a couple jelly beans mixed in (I give her the ones I don't like!)

Zoe needed a snack too! :)
Victoria helped Zoe see the view from our house....

My life.....

2009-02-27T22:46:00.001-06:00

I read this on GirlTalk today, and it reminds me of my life (except mine would be chocolate milk, not coffee!!!)

The "mommy version" of If You Give A Mouse A Cookie:

If You Give A Mom A Muffin

Original Author Unknown

If you give a mom a muffin,
She'll want a cup of coffee to go with it.
She'll pour herself some.
Her three-year-old will spill the coffee.
She'll wipe it up.
Wiping the floor, she'll find dirty socks.
She'll remember she has to do laundry.
When she puts the laundry in the washer,
She'll trip over boots and bump into the freezer.
Bumping into the freezer will remind her she has to plan for supper.
She will get out a pound of hamburger.
She'll look for her cookbook ("101 Things To Do With a Pound of Hamburger").
The cookbook is sitting under a pile of mail.
She will see the phone bill, which is due tomorrow.
She will look for her checkbook.
The check book is in her purse that is being dumped out by her two-year-old.
She'll smell something funny.
She'll change the two year old's diaper.
While she is changing the diaper, the phone will ring.
Her five-year-old will answer and hang up.
She'll remember she wants to phone a friend for coffee.
Thinking of coffee will remind her that she was going to have a cup.
And chances are...
If she has a cup of coffee,
Her kids will have eaten the muffin that went with it.

girls.....

2009-02-19T13:42:00.005-06:00

I'm babysitting today & tomorrow, and my kids just LOVE playing with this little girl. This morning, Victoria had me help her and her friend get dressed up:

birthday party at Noodles & Co

2009-02-13T08:54:00.005-06:00

My dad put his business card in the bowl at Noodles & Co, and his name was drawn. We celebrated Mom's birthday and got to have a free tasting of anything off the menu. We figure we had more than $150 worth of food, plus drinks for 8 adults and 2 kids. It was a lot of fun!

Uncle Nate's so silly! (Plus Kelsey is hiding behind him!)
Victoria LOVES her mac & cheese!
Grandpa wants Jeremiah to share his food!

We had quite the crowd - us, my brother and his girlfriend, my parents, their neighors, and my 2 kids:

Just want to share

2009-02-12T19:49:00.002-06:00

Hi, everyone - I just wanted to share a site I have been introduced to. It belongs to the mom of a dear friend of mine. Check it out - I hope you enjoy it as I have!

Calico Woman

New Blog

2009-01-13T09:05:00.004-06:00

I started another blog - one for just cakes, and also some recipes when I have the time.

So far, I have just put on the pics of the cakes I've done since I took my 1st cake decorating class last September.

Check it out!!!

Mostly cakes....

Kids.....

2009-01-06T16:35:00.003-06:00

Ever wonder what my kids do while I'm doing a cooking day, and I'm trying to cook several meals in one day to freeze for later meals? This is one thing they did today that I thought was totally them.....

They love to build towers!

Here's a couple of the things I got made today - both are for breakfast:

Quiche muffins, filled with egg, cheese, and bacon:
Breakfast Quiche, filled with eggs, cheese, sausage, mushrooms, and peppers:

Just for fun....

2009-01-05T14:24:00.003-06:00

This is just for fun....

1. Go to the place on your computer where you store your photos.

2. Open the fourth folder.

3. Post and explain the fourth photo in that folder.
I got the idea from Tina. I had to go to multiple 4th folders, because I am so organized - I have everything sorted by year, then by month in the year folder, then sorted into groups inside each month folder. So, this is Jeremiah from April, 2007, talking on an old phone of ours that was broken, so we had put it with his toys.

Favorites from December!

2009-01-05T13:28:00.004-06:00

Just a few favorite recent pics!

Jeremiah showing me his hat he found....he RARELY wears hats! :)

Victoria with her nameVictoria's babies...she lined them up herself
A yummy Christmas treat
Jeremiah & Victoria being "Awwwww...."

Hugs!

Jeremiah loves this new present from Uncle Nate & Kelsey!A BOX!!!!!! YAY!!!!

Such a sweetie!
our tree!

Christmas

2009-01-03T12:03:00.003-06:00

Thanksgiving pictures

2008-12-12T08:49:00.004-06:00

Kids eating a quick breakfast while Grandma & Grandpa are on their way over to pick them up to take them to Michigan

Victoria got her hair cut a couple days before. I love how it curls down and frames her face. It's layered, and flips out just a bit in the back.
The kids LOVED my Aunt & Uncle's dog!
Sitting on Aunt Joan's bed, watching a cartoon.

Bye, Auntie Kim!

2008-12-11T07:52:00.003-06:00

Just a few pics from when we went out to eat with Auntie Kim a couple days before she left.....

The kids were troopers - we had just driven home from Tomah that morning, and had been home for only an hour or so, before it was time to get back in the car to go to lunch!

Of course, they had to show us all their funny faces that they make....

Jeremiah told us he learned this one in his Sunday School class.....knowing the kids in his Sunday School class, that doesn't surprise me!! lol!
This is the only funny face Victoria ever makes!
We ordered a hamburger kids meal for Victoria - the burger was as big as her head!!!

We miss you, Auntie Kim!

moving....

2008-12-10T08:57:00.003-06:00

Apparently, this is the only picture I took while we were in the moving process......

My friend Stephanie came over to help me move my kitchen, and this is what the kids were doing at one point.....Some of them are supposed to be doing schoolwork.... :) I forget what cartoon was on at that moment.

birthdays - cakes & parties!

2008-11-19T21:01:00.006-06:00

We had a combo birthday party for the kids at a waterpark a couple weeks ago - a bit late for Jeremiah, and a bit early for Victoria. Both sides of our families got to come....well, most of them, anyway! :) Here are a few pics of all the fun the kids had!

Here, Jeremiah is plugging the spray of water from the beaver, then letting it go suddenly - Victoria loved it!Jeremiah is still plugging the water spray, but Tori has gotten distracted with the water fountains, and trying to stomp them down!

Jeremiah loved the "big" kids slides - he even did the other bigger ones, but we forgot to go get a picture of him on those.

Jeremiah was playing peek a boo with Grandpa S & the camera around the beaver.

He LOVES hot tubs! We have to limit his time in them, so he doesn't get overheated! He likes to walk around the edge on the bench, because he's over waist high in the water.
Victoria got a Dora birthday cake:
Notice the inside of the cake is pink for the girls to match the pink plates? :)
Jeremiah got a Spiderman birthday cake:
Notice the cake is BLUE? to match the blue plates the boys got? :)And here are a few cute shots of Victoria - she's SO photogenic!

last cake class.......and duplex for rent!

2008-10-30T07:05:00.004-05:00

Here is the last cake from my cake class.... I made it for my neighbors - it didn't even come in the house! :) They are moving this weekend. I am a little sad, because we have been neighbors with them for 4 1/2 years. It's going to be strange not to have them on the other side of the wall from us (we share a duplex).

On a side note, we are getting desperate for new neighbors!!! Anybody looking for a 3 bedroom duplex with garage space? :) Let us know!

More cakes....

2008-10-29T13:22:00.004-05:00

We spent the weekend visiting my in-laws this past weekend. It was Grandma J's birthday on Monday, so I surprised her with a cake. I also made a small little cake that we took with us when we went to meet her at Applebee's on her birthday.

I tried to put Winnie the Pooh on the cake, but it just didn't turn out right - I didn't have all my stuff with me, and I couldn't get a dark enough color of frosting to do the outlining and the detailing on Pooh bear's face....so I had to scrape it off. If you look carefully, you can see a hint of yellow in the middle of the cake. In the end, the cake tasted REALLY good! :)

Recent cakes.......

2008-10-22T08:53:00.004-05:00

Here are some of my most recent cake decorations.....

Practice cake in class.....

Cookie cutter stars outlined with a gel pen and filled with stars.
Mini Cheesecakes for a personal shower.....

Dad's birthday cake.....

It's a bonfire because he did a big bonfire with the kids a few nights ago....not because he's so old! :) It's hard to tell in the photo, but I did bag striping on the fire - yellow/orange frosting with orange striping.

Car Blankets

2008-10-15T09:45:00.003-05:00

I bought some fleece last year for the kids, so I could make them some blankets for the van......WELLLLLLL......I never got around to making them! :) So I finally sat down last night and made them. It took me all of 15 minutes or so! LOL! I love the size they turned out - perfect size for them to put over their legs in when we go somewhere in the van. Maybe about 2 feet square.
I had Tori sit on hers so you could really see how small these are.
Of course, she had to sit on her brother's blanket, then too! :)

Investment tips for 2008

2008-10-14T11:11:00.000-05:00

For all of you with any money left, be aware of the next expected mergers so that you can get in on the ground floor and make some BIG bucks.

Watch for these consolidations in 2008:

1. Hale Business Systems, Mary Kay Cosmetics, Fuller Brush, and W. R. Grace Co. Will merge and become: Hale, Mary, Fuller, Grace.

2. PolygramRecords, Warner Bros., and ZestaCrackers join forces and become:
Poly, Warner Cracker.

3. 3M will merge with Goodyear and become:
MMMGood.

4. ZippoManufacturing, AudiMotors, Dofasco, and Dakota Mining will merge and be come:
ZipAudiDoDa.

5. FedEx is expected to join its competitor, UPS, and become:
FedUP.

6. Fairchild Electronics and Honeywell Computers will become:
Fairwell Honeychild.

7. Grey Poupon and Docker Pants are expected to become: PouponPants.

A trip to Holy Hill

2008-10-13T07:31:00.004-05:00

We went to Holy Hill with a group of friends yesterday, and we got some fun pictures of the kids:

Victoria, Allison, Jeremiah, and Elijah
Jeremiah told me he wasn't happy, and he wouldn't smile for me for this picutre - too bad, because it would have been super cute!

When I took this picture, he informed me - "Mommy. I wasn't happy back there, but now I'm happy." Tori & Ali - best friends

Victoria -
It was a beautiful day - the colors were gorgeous, the weather was warm (a little TOO warm, as it was 80 degrees!!!), and the sun was shining.