Goodbye August

We are trying desperately to grasp onto the final remnants of summer as the start of the school year gets closer and closer.  It has really been a lovely summer, the perfect balance of being busy with projects and activities and long stretches of unscheduled play time with the kids.  I didn't teacher summer school or write summer ieps and it felt like a true break from the stresses of school.  Despite my denial, the school year is looming overhead.  I already had to go in three days last week and do a back to school night.  We get tomorrow and then Tuesday we all go back, ready or not.

It has already been a rocky start to the school year.  I am in a bit of conflict with the district over my laptop, so I have limited access to technology.  We were supposed to be unpacking boxes and moving into a newly renovated school but construction is behind so we were forced to unpack the same boxes we packed up at the end of last year in the same temporary school we have been using.  I am keeping almost my same caseload as last year, which has it's advantages, but has contributed to my apathy about getting ready for the new year.

We have finally called it quits on our Cub Scout efforts.  Ryan and I have been holding up our struggling little pack for over a year now.  We are down to only 1 other boy besides Isaac who also is able to come consistently and he is about to start sports.  It isn't very fun for anyone to rush home from work, slap dinner on the table and then drag the baby over to the church only to find that Isaac is stuck doing an activity alone with me.   We are going to give our neighborhood Cub group a try.  That didn't go over that well with the primary president.  I hate how things like "convenience" and "fun" are viewed as frivolous considerations in the context of church life.

Another change this school year is Hannah will be going to a new babysitter.  Grandma and Ryan will still be helping out, but she will also be spending time with Asher a baby friend from church several days a week.  It will be a big change but I know she will do well.  She is getting another tooth on the bottom which has made her rather miserable the past few days.  It hasn't stopped her from attempting to climb stairs every time I turn my back on her.

(Notice the TWO unused baby gates in the background?  Parenting fail).  Today I went to move the laundry along and when I came back she was standing on the fourth step up, all proud of herself.  Someone in our neighborhood was throwing out a gate today, so we have three now (all trashpicked, cause we're classy like that)  which is sufficient to block all of our stairways.  Now we just need to remember to actually put them up.

In other news I am finally getting the hang of couponing.  I have attempted coupons a few times in the past but could never really make it work.  But now I am starting to understand it better and I am really seeing the results in my wallet. It is almost like a high watching her scan the coupons and seeing the total go down, down, down.  I am far from being an extreme couponer but I am definitely enjoying it.   Here are some recent trips:

Paid $2 @ CVS

Free @ CVS

$17 @ Giant (total before coupons/savings $40).

I also had a great trip to Target where I got $23 dollars worth of diapers and formula for $3 out of pocket.  It is fun to have a hobby that actually saves money and even Isaac is getting into it.  There other day we were at a store and passed one of the coupon machines in the aisle and he was like, "Look mom!  Coupons!"

That's about it for us.  HAPPY MONDAY!