Mmmm....Cereal

After more than 6 months of silence here on the family blog, this will seem like an odd post but we have to start somewhere. I hope to catch you up but I have learned to not make promises I may not be able to keep.

One of the things keeping me busy is couponing and trying to do magic with the family food budget. It is a game to see how many food/household/cleaning/toiletry items I can get for the least amount of money out of pocket. Today was a good day at the grocery store. Here is a photo of some of the things we purchased.

Yes, those are 20 boxes of cereal. On http://www.coupons.com/  there are several .75 coupons for new cereals from General Mills. They happen to be on sale this week at Tops for 2.50 a box so after doubling the coupons, they are only $1 a box. That is a stock up price in our house since the 3 guys are rather addicted to cereal. Tops also had 8oz POM juice for $1 a bottle, free after $1 coupons in today's paper (as well as some a few weeks ago and some on-line). I also purchased 14 Hot Pockets Snackers, .50 each (free after $1/2 internet printable coupons) and 4 yogurt packs for lunches.

Total retail of my shopping trip today $142.60 (gulp!!)

Total paid $24.60

83% savings 

I also earned another .40/per gallon off our gas by using so many coupons. We are up to $1.10 off a gallon so far.

I average between 50%-65% off most trips so this was indeed a good day.

Greg left today for another round of classes in Charlotte so the boys and I had a taste test of the 3 new cereals by GM. 

On a scale of 1-10...

Frosted Toast Crunch scored a 5, 7, 7

Dulce de Leche Cheerios scored a 6, 5, 5

Mulitgrain Cheerios with Peanut Butter scored all 8's!

None of them horrible, which is good since we have several boxes of each, lol. The Multigrain Cheerios with PB was by far the favorite. Not a strong PB taste and a nice crunch.

With a new year ahead of us, it is a good time to set some savings goals. I will be trying to tighten our food budget by another $25-$50 a week in the months ahead. I think I can...

Getting to the ROOT of it!

It's always something around here.

For the last month or so it has been septics, pipes and water.

A bit of a sink hole developed in the backyard this spring. Now, we have had a LOT of rain this spring so we weren't sure if we should be concerned or not. Just to be safe we had a septic company come out to advise us. That led to our septic tank getting emptied out. It had apparently been a loooong time since that had been done. How they can tell the age of the contents of a septic tank is both interesting and gross, lol. We wondered how our real estate agent and lawyer dropped that ball since it is a requirement when a house with a septic sells. Hmmmm. Lesson learned, move on.

The septic man was very helpful, spending a good amount of time with Greg trouble shooting the possible issues and offering suggestions for addressing them. He could do the job for a price of course, but I appreciate his honesty in telling Greg that it was probably a job he and the boys could tackle. So began the digging. And more digging. The goal was to expose the entire length of pipe running from the pump to the ditch so we could check for problems. (There really is no "we" in this gig, unless you count documenting it the most I have done is deliver a glass of cold water on occasion.) The whole process was interrupted several times by weather, work, hockey and life in general.

Tonight they finally exposed the entire length of pipe. Yep, the entire channel of dirt and stone was dug by hand. More of the "man training" as Greg calls it.

You can tell by the tall grass how long they have been working at this "little" project. The water at the end shows you just how high the water table is at the moment. It's even gone down some.

They pulled out all the sections of pipe and sure enough, just as we expected...they were stuffed like a sausage. A sausage of roots. Ick!!

At least the roots were easily pulled from the pipes. That will save a few more dollars since we can use the same pipes. Greg has a few new items to purchase before the pipes can be reassembled and put back into place and the channel covered back up. The end is in sight now.

Where did all those roots come from?? The HUGE willow tree that we had cut down a couple of years ago. Well, mostly cut down. The trunk is so big around that we don't know of anyone with a chainsaw long enough to take down what is left. The boys have fun climbing it. Any guesses on how many years it will take to rot?? This whole process confirms it was the right move to cut it down.

I am out numbered in our house. Living with boys makes for interesting conversations and eventually they all come back to bodily functions. So, what do you think they thought of the root sausage??? I'll give you three guesses and the first two don't count!

Yep, that is the father of my children. Pastor. Leader. Nut job!!

That is all for now. Tune in again for more trials, tribulations and other generally odd bits of news from the Ransomville Harps.

Harp Update

We are half way through May already, where does time go?? As usual things around our house have been going pretty much at warp speed. Try as I might, I can't seem to find the slow-down lever, I think it has been disabled. So, here is a bit of what we have been up to since February.

-Kaleb became a teenager in April. He is doing really well in school although math and science still aren't his friends. He is mid way through his hockey season. Wilson School is now into it's third year of having a hockey program and the best that they have been able to do is tie one game. So far it hasn't been a matter of losing but rather by how many goals. They have a mercy rule where they stop displaying goals beyond 8. We were thrilled last game when the scoreboard reflected the actual score, lol. Character building, yeah, that's it. Kaleb calls it something else. But I can say all the kids look better on the ice so they have learned some things and improved their skills.

-Josh did get accepted to the SCA for this summer. He will spend 3 weeks in August in the Delaware River Gap (in PA) doing conservation projects. We are still waiting for final details but he is very excited.

-Greg is now just a few weeks away from his third trip to Charlotte for school. His kidney stone was finally blasted and removed and we are praying for a less eventful trip this time around.

-I hosted the 4th annual Spring Fest 2 weeks ago. We had 85 stampers from 3 states and Canada attend a day of stamping. This may have been the best one yet. It just happened to be that April was the most stressful month I have experienced in years. My job has about pushed me over the edge but thankfully at the moment, things are improving. My caseload is now near 60 and some days I feel like I am paddling like a mad woman and yet the stream is still washing me away.

Here is a family photo taken at Easter.

There is more to say but I am late for work. Until next time!!

Mark the Calendar!

I am posting 2 days in a row! My dad would always say "mark the calendar" whenever we did something remarkable. Sadly, it was usually something like taking out the trash without reminders, lol.

Yesterday I told you about my little shopping obsession. I am not sure you can call it "shopping" if I don't spend money, or very little money. Not only am I saving lots of money and filling up the pantry but there is plenty of man training going on too. The boys are helping me clip and organize my coupons and I take them along occasionally so they can see the pay-off. They have become tough critics lately. If I spend more than $5 out of pocket they call me a slacker!

If you know anything at all about Greg and the boys, then you know they LOVE cereal. We go through some serious cereal and at $4-$5 a box, it could quickly put us in the poor house. When I find a good deal I stock up. This is part of our stash at the moment....

Yep, 30 boxes! None more than $1/box. I give it a month, maybe less, before it is all eaten.

This basket of snacks was completely free. Somehow they taste better than usual ;).

Over the last month I have stocked up a years worth of dish washer detergent, loads of body wash, deodorant, toothpaste and shampoo. Most of it free. You can't be brand picky if you want the best deals. Lucky for me, Greg and the boys eat or use just about anything.

This is my freebie basket I told you about. It is time to empty it out so I can start again.

It is a bit time consuming but so worth it. The lessons the boys are learning are priceless. Kaleb asked me the other day why I give stuff away rather than sell it to make money. We had a great conversation about using our gifts/talents/resources to bless others. We have taught them to tithe but giving goes beyond that. And giving isn't just about $.

We have gotten some good laughs from talking about the trunk of treasures I will gather for them when they go off to college. I hope I am that mom that other boys in the dorm love because of all the cool care packages.

Their only complaint is that they can't score these kinds of deals at Dick's or Gander Mountain.

Until next time...

Best of Intentions

I wish there was a direct line from my mind to this blog! I have "written" some pretty incredible stuff these last two months, too bad it never materialized so you could read it! I would tell you I am getting to it but then I would just be heaping guilt onto myself every time I think about what I didn't do.

So, here are some random things from our house...

**Greg has come and gone to session #2 of doctoral work in Charlotte. A trip to the ER (while out of town) turned up a very large, impassible kidney stone. He has now had 2 "surgical" procedures and has one more to go. He is a real trooper!

**Josh is anxiously waiting to find out if he will be accepted to the Student Conservation Association for this coming summer. If he is, he will be gone for a month long trip to who knows where, doing who knows what with who knows who. We're still thinking it's a good thing.

**Kaleb is now a hockey player. YIKES! I never thought I would see that day. He will be playing on the school's modified team and because ice time is so precious around these parts his practices won't start until mid March and games will be April-June. You know what that means? I get to freeze my butt off even in the summer, lol!

**My job is going well, but with a new governor who know if I will have a job for long. I am all for cutting spending, reducing our governmental overhead, balancing our state budget, cutting waste. I just hope I am not the "waste".

**Watching the news and reading the papers makes me depressed. Gas is going up, wars are breaking out everywhere, people are out of work, things cost more but incomes are shrinking. What is a girl to do? Especially when so much of it seems beyond my control. Well, pray for one. Second...coupon. I have become a bit obsessive of late with shopping sales, clipping coupons, looking for ways to save. I am all about free these days... free shampoo, free toothpaste, free food. This is one thing you may hear more about from me. If I can't keep the prices from rising and I can't make my income go up, then I will work the system to squeeze out what I can. The cool thing is that I have gotten so many free, or nearly free, items lately that I am giving the excess to others. I have a freebie basket on the counter and when it gets full it goes with me to work to share with my co-workers or the food pantry at church. Maybe someone else will be less crunched as a result. There are a few blogs that post great information on making the most of sales, check them out if you'd like.

http://www.commonsensewithmoney.com/

http://moneysavingmom.com/

http://www.couponsforyourfamily.com/

http://www.givemeneither.com/

**The dog is still a pain

**I am sick, no, make that SICK of winter! Greg and the boys do not share my sentiment.

**I miss my old friends more that anyone will ever know. There is a part of me that feels dead and I know it is due to the lack of girl time. That makes me so sad.

**Our oven is messed up so I can't even make cookies to feed my depression, lol.

**God is still God and He is still good!

That's all for now, the boys and I have gotta run to church.

I Survived!

Have you ever put off something for so long it became a bit ridiculous? Not that you intended to put whatever "it" is off for so long, it just happened. Well that was me with going to the dentist.

It started when I had 2 of my 3 wisdom teeth pulled. It was not a pleasant experience so I decided I would give my teeth a break. Our dentist at the time was very thorough and gentle, just the way you want a dentist. Except that he was so good that he kept himself in business by always having a "to do" list in your mouth. For many years we had no dental insurance so I "chose" not to go to the dentist to save money. Convenient.

Every month for the last 2 years I have been writing a check for dental insurance for the family. Greg and the boys have been making fabulous use of the service. At least someone was!

All my excuses were striped away but anxiety now replaced all the rational reasons to not visit the dentist. Tick. Tock. Time just keep marching on. How could I go after not going for so long? Totally rational right?! I suppose I should be truthful with you, just so you get the full picture. The last time I went to the dentist I was not yet a mom or even pregnant. Hmmm, Josh is 14 1/2, so I figure it's been about 16 years! {{GASP}} I KNOW!! What good mother faithfully makes her children go to the dentist and yet sets such a poor example for them? Fifty lashes with a wet noodle as my 7th grade math teacher, Mrs Smith, used to say.

IF I went to the dentist he would surely yell at me. I had visions of those rotting teeth photos they showed us in 6th grade health class. Do you remember the ones? The pictures of smokers who had cancer of the mouth, totally decayed teeth and bleeding gums. I think it was the scared straight program for dental hygiene! I had dreams of root canals and gum disease. I had created a monster in my mind. Funny how the imagination runs wild when it goes unchecked!

Pain. It was inevitable. I low, dull pain in the upper right side of my mouth. I knew I could not continue living a fantasy. I called the dentist and made an appointment for a cleaning. Gotta start somewhere, right? I thought a million times about cancelling but it did get me out of work 2 hours early. Thankfully work is so busy I didn't have time to think about it until it was time. Plus I had told Greg and the boys and they would surely ask me about it when I got home. I didn't want to compound "lame" mom with "wimp" mom.

When I made my appointment I begged the receptionist for a gentle and kind hygienist. I threatened her with ugliness, potential passing out. vomiting or hysteria. She agreed, at least I hoped she agreed rather than secretly throwing me to the dental wolves, lol. Please no Nurse Ratched!! I think they knew they had a nut case on their hands because they didn't let me linger in the waiting room. They left no time for me to flee. The poor dental hygienist assigned to my care was a much older woman. My first thought was this could go two ways. She could either be sweet and gentle or she could be one of those people who takes no guff. Sit. Behave. Deal! She caught on quickly that I had left one line blank on my new patient forms. The line that asks when you last visited the dentist. I really hoped it wouldn't come up.

She asks "three years?"

Nope.

Five?

Nope.

Ten???

Nope.

To put an end to her misery, I told her 15. Close enough.

She didn't yell. At least not out loud. She looked around my mouth and simply said, "well it's not a total dental disaster in there".

Whew!!

I asked her how long she had been doing this line of work. Just making small talk. She started in 1968! I told her that was the year I was born so we both knew how long it had been, lol. I promptly told her we didn't need to pursue that conversation any further.

So, I got the works, bite wing x-rays, full mouth scan, scrapping, polishing...

I knew the last step was for the dentist to come have a looksy. We love Dr Bonnevie, he's the boy's ortho. Great guy and for a spell his is filling in seeing "regular" dental patients until the new dentist is up and running. He pulled up my x-rays and walked me through everything. He totally held my hand. Not literally, but you know what I mean. He didn't even yell. There was need of a filling though. But no root canal. Just an $86 filling, after insurance. I was leaping for joy inside. He asked me how I was feeling now that it was all over. I told him I was convinced that 15 years of plaque was surely holding my teeth together and I was very glad to hear I didn't have a dental disaster. He just laughed! And he didn't give me a laundry list of things to be done. He rocks!!

I survived. It didn't kill me. I might even go back!

Oh the Dreams...

The dreams and hopes we have for our children begin when we first learn about the life we are carrying. We pray for our children to be healthy, that they will grow up to know and love the Lord, that they will have character and heart, that they will be able to safely navigate the world and all its challenges. But we don't know exactly what form or shape their lives will ultimately take. We pour ourselves into them as best as we can, we pray for God to protect them and then we watch the wonder unfold. What will they like? dislike? what strengths and weaknesses will they possess? what talents will God gift them with? The unknowns are so great! I often feel like being a parent is like riding a roller coaster, exhilarating and frightening at the same time and to be quite honest, I often find myself screaming at the top of my lungs to get off the dang ride!! But after it is all said and done I run to the end of the line to get on the ride over and over again.

My boys are fast becoming men and though I try not to blink, life is marching on anyway. When kids are younger they are by your side day and night. You know their comings and goings, what goes in and quite literally, what comes out, lol. But as they get older they are away from you more and more. They start becoming more independent with personalities all their own. They start deciding what they will eat and where they will go, who they will befriend and how they will spend their time. Joshua is well on the road to being his own person. More and more these days I am having flashes of my little blonde boy and wondering where did he go?

Although neither Greg or I fish, Joshua loves fishing!! He has caught some monster sized fish over the past few years.

For the second, or perhaps third year, he has gone duck hunting with my brother. You have never caught Greg or I in waders waist deep in a swamp! I can pretty much promise you that you will never catch me in waders waist deep in a swamp. Well, maybe for some really big money and 100% guarantee of no holes in my waders, lol. But Joshua loves it, even with an occasional hole.

And no one in our family, with the exception of my brother, has ever gotten a deer!! But Josh can tell you all about his adventure this past Thanksgiving when he took his FIRST shot at a deer and got it!! He even helped to gut it before taking it to the deer processor.

I seriously don't know where this kid came from some days! He was the only baby on the unit when he was born, so I know he IS mine and he looks too much like us for anyone to ever claim otherwise. Yet, he is definitely his own person. His favorite thing to wear is anything camouflage and I have to remind him there are other clothes in his closet! He does however, have my admiration. I have little to nothing to do with his love of hunting or fishing but he gets lots of high fives for his passion, skill and determination.

If we are ever hurting for food, I know who I will be calling upon!!