FRIDAY!

ONE
I am so tired this week.  State performance testing has really taken it out of me.  Despite the fact that I am doing no teaching really, I am only proctoring tests.  I have fallen asleep before nine every night this week.  Sleeping in tomorrow isn't looking too promising either.  Isaac has a baseball game at 8 am with a report time of 7:30--- earlier than a school day!


TWO

 

 How cute are my kids?  Wherever Isaac is Hannah wants to be right next to him-- like as close as physically possible.  Good thing he is almost always patient and willing to let her tag along.  

THREE

 Ryan and I ended up going to the movies to see Insurgent, which is the movie based on the second book of the Divergent series.  Ryan has read all of the books and I have read none, so I was pretty lost on some of the nuances on the movie.  However, our movie tickets came with a free ebook download of Divergent, the first book in the series.  Ryan loaded it up on my phone and I have been enjoying reading it here and there when I have a minute.  I usually am against the idea of an e-book but it has been very convenient.  I am already 100 pages in just from picking it up my phone when I was waiting for someone and it feels more productive than endlessly flipping through facebook.  I am still working my way through Mercy by Jodi Piccoult in paperback too.


FOUR
 

I bought some inserts for the first time ever.  It had the 95 cent Little Debbie Coupon which makes the Cosmic Brownies free at grocery stores that double.  Purchasing inserts makes me really start to feel like one of those cRaZy couponers you see on TV but I have gotten ten free boxes now for the price of one.  Not a bad deal in my opinion.


FIVE
We are off to the Reading Phillies tonight, our local minor league baseball team.  Ryan purchased a partial season ticket package and this is the home opener.  I am not exactly looking forward to it, but Isaac sure is!


TGIF!!!!

I can't live without coupons!

I am linking up for a Thursday blog party about things you couldn't live without.  I definitely could never live without coupons!

I post some of my hauls/deals on instagram or facebook and occasionally people say "Teach me!" or "Explain!"

I had tried couponing many times in the past and could never understand it, or figure out how to make it work.  When Hannah was born and breastfeeding didn't work out, I became obsessed with trying to get formula as cheap as possible. From there I began to figure out deals for diapers, cleaning products, and other grocery items.  It can be very overwhelming at first, but with a little bit of dedication, it can become second nature.  I stumbled across a local couponing group in my town that was very active.  People posted deals in stores that were near me, and what coupons they used and I began to follow along and copied what they did.  Then the admins of the group offered a class that I went to and then after that I was officially hooked.  Now I find myself answering the questions on the page instead of asking them.  I honestly don't think I could ever live without coupons now!

Lotion for .64?  Yes please!

It is hard to boil down everything about couponing into one blog post but here are some basic tips to get started saving money:

1. Get your hands on some coupons.  Buy a Sunday paper.  I get one paper delivered to my house and my mother gives me her inserts.  If it is a good week I will buy more papers.  I also print a lot of coupons.  The best website is coupons.com.  Other good sites are redplum.com and smartsource.com.  These websites will have a limited number of times you can print certain coupons.  You can get around that by printing from different devices.  If there is a really hot coupon I will print it at work, from my laptop, from Ryan and Isaac's ipads.  I have also written to and called companies for coupons.  A great place for local PA people is Turkey Hill.  You can call every month for more coupons.

You can also just google coupons.  Ryan and I literally don't buy anything without checking to see if there are coupons first. A simple search brought up coupons for our zoo membership and oil changes.  Retailmentnot is one we check for stores and restaurant coupons.

Giant will double this coupon, making the sugar free.

2.  Know which stores double coupons and what their policies are.  Around me the stores that double coupons are Giant, Weis and Wegman's.  Stores vary a bit-- not all grocery stores are the same, and even my local Giant may have a different policy than the Giant by my mom's house.  For example, my Giant will double coupons for less than a dollar.  So a .75 cent coupon will save you 1.50 but a 1.00 off coupon will not double. Wegman's will double up to 4 like coupons, whereas Giant will only double the first of multiple coupons.  Target, CVS, Walmart, etc. do not double coupons.  Coupon policies can take a while to get the hang of, so it is easiest when you are starting out to just focus on one store.  Just be patient and persistent.

3. The most important part of couponing is matching the coupon up with a sale.

 This can be tricky but there are lots of websites that do the work for you.  Some of my favorites are thekrazycouponlady.com and forthemommas.com.  They will have the whole breakdown for you: what coupons to use and where it can be found with a link if it is printable.  I use my phone and take a screenshot of the breakdown to refer to later.

My favorite deals are Giant frequently offers "buy XX amount of certain products, save XX dollars instantly".  For example, last week they had a deal to buy 4 General Mills Cereals, save $6 instantly.  You could stack coupons on top of that making cereal about $1 a box.  I did the deal three times.  Another great way to take advantage of sales is CVS which prints out Extracare bucks for buying certain items. These are essentially gift cards that can be used on a future purchase. They print on the bottom of your receipt and look like this:

You can use the Extracarebucks on deals that generate more bucks and pay pennies out of pocket.  Again, there are literally whole websites dedicated to match-ups to help you learn the ropes.  You will need to get the store savings card and you will want to make sure they have up-to-date email and mailing addresses.

4. When you see a good deal, stock up!  Couponers who stockpile have reputations for being looney, but that is the best way to save money.

I have over 20 containers of laundry detergent that I got for less than $1 a piece.  Now I don't have to budget for laundry soap in my weekly grocery budget and I can afford to hold out until the next time I can find it that cheap.

One of my shelves of stockpiled items.  We just bought this one for about $30 at Costco. 

We will always need cereal, deodorant, toothpaste, diapers, laundry detergent, etc. and I have the room to store it, so to me it makes sense to stockpile.  We are looking into a deep freezer so we can store more perishable items.  I have also been able to donate some food and hygiene items to local needy families, which has been awesome.

Couponing has helped me save so much money on grocery items.  Even if we hit the lottery, I think I would still do it, because saving money is such a rush and couponing is a fun hobby.

SIA and Snow

First off, I am participating in a fashion challenge Style Imitates Art. The idea is to put together an outfit inspired by a piece of artwork. I have participated in the past (here and here).

This is the inspiration painting:

Here is my outfit inspiration (disclaimer, it was really hard to get some decent photos with lighting, etc.  I tried bribing Isaac my ten year old to take the pictures.  He recommended a selfie stick. :P)

I thought of my new blue button down right away when I saw the painting.  It reminded me of her head scarf.  I am not usually a leggings as pants kind of gal, but for an afternoon of errand running, I thought it worked.

Check out the other outfits in the challenge here.

Other random noteworthy things:

1. Hannah has mastered calling me "MUM!" and calls for me about 119809832 times a day.  It's actually quite adorable.  In this picture she is randomly playing with a meat thermometer... cause.. that's how we roll these days.

2. Today we finally have some beautiful weather with temperatures in the 50s, which is long overdue.  I had three actual snow days from school last week.   Even Ryan got a snow day from work Thursday which was nice.

 Hannah liked running around in the snow but wasn't such a fan of the sled.  Isaac was a good sport and entertained her until she had enough.

Today I did my carline duty at school without a jacket, only four days after these pictures were taken.  Isaac was out playing cricket with the neighborhood boys (in a driveway, since the yards are still filled with snow and slush.

Happy Monday!

Stream of Consciousness Sunday -- Job Woes

I am trying to blog more.  I really am.  I used to use this blog as a place to just write and write and now I feel like it is only used for weekly monthly posts about what the kids and I have been up to. I came across a link up where you set a timer for five minutes and just write.  No editing.  It's Monday but since I have a delayed opening at work, I decided to give it a shot.

So I have been stuck in an endless thought cycle about what to do about my job.  I am really unhappy there.  I don't feel appreciated or respected.  I am doing a job that was two teachers' job last year.  I don't look forward to going to work anymore.  I have always said if I am going to go to work 40 hours a week it better be doing something that I love and that makes a difference.

There is no doubt that I am burnt out from my current position but then sometimes I just feel so disillusioned with teaching in general.  There is a new law in PA that affects my teacher evaluation.  I work with some low functioning kids and if I can't get them up to a certain preset reading standard by the end of the year, I fail that portion of my evaluation, no matter what.  Add that to the fact that I will probably keep my same caseload next year and things look more and more grim.  I could be labelled a failing teacher.  I hate that I have to spend so much of my time with a timer in my hand: "How fast can you name this series of random letters?"  "How fast can you read these ridiculous made up nonsense words?" Now is the point in the year when we stop teaching science and social studies and start doing non-stop "test practice" for the upcoming standardized state tests.  I hate it and so do the kids.

Well, that five minutes went fast and my post was kind of a downer. I just scratched the surface of what could probably be a 45 minute brain dump, but at least I wrote about something not entirely superficial.   Happy Monday everyone!

What I Have Learned About Parenting Babies (So Far)

What I Have Learned About Parenting Babies (So Far)

1. You could spend a small fortune on things for your baby.  You honestly could.  But you really don't need to.  Babies (especially tiny ones) really don't need much.  True story, when I brought Isaac home from the hospital he slept next my bed on a pillow in a laundry basket.  What they do need, you can scrounge up.  Almost everything we needed/wanted for Hannah we have been able to secure for free from church swaps, facebook yard sale sites and tons of stuff from a coworker whose kids are older: two excersaucers, a jumparoo, a high chair, two bumbo chairs, a doorway jumper, bottles, feeding supplies, burp cloths, etc.   And of course, she likes the jankety swing we found on the side of the road with a "free" sign on it much better than the nearly 200 dollar swing handed down from the coworker.  She could care less that it swings multiple directions,  plays soothing womb noises and you can plug your ipod into it.  We never got around to getting a crib mobile but she loved staring at our ceiling fan.  It's easy to get carried away when you are pushing a cart around Babies R Us or pinning amazing nurseries. Keep it simple.

2. It's okay if you don't hear the angels singing the Hallelujah chorus when you first see your baby.  Maybe it's just me.  Labor and delivery is a really intense mix of anxiety and hormones and drugs and lack of sleep and the result of it may not be an instant rush of fierce motherly love for the screaming vernix encrusted little newborn they hold up to your face.  But it will be come.  From what I understand talking candidly to my girlfriends, it's also pretty normal at some point during that first day/night home with your newborn to think to yourself, "What on earth have I done?  I just want things to go back the way they were".

3.  Breastfeeding may be natural, but it's not easy.  Breast is best.  I know this. We all know this.  I have chronicled my painful attempt at breastfeeding Hannah on the blog (three weeks of agony-- literally the most painful thing I have ever experienced). It's not as easy as the baby opens her mouth and you jam your boob in-- there is pillows and propping and positioning and baby's tiny mouth and flailing arms and suction, cracking, bleeding, cramping, leaking and engorgement....   I called the nurses in more than once as baby and I were both in tears while she was rooting around in a panic with my nipple already inside her mouth. Aside from how physically hard it is, I personally found it terrifically overwhelming to be the only person who could feed the baby, especially once Ryan went back to work after two weeks.  Cut yourself some slack if breastfeeding is not the warm, glowy, easy experience the happy lactation consultants or your well meaning girlfriend described to you when you were pregnant.  Everyone's situation is different.

4.  Don't get too caught up in what you're "supposed" to do.  For example, Ryan and I were determined we would not give Hannah a pacifier.  Everything we read said it was supposed to impede on breastfeeding progress and I had nightmarish flashbacks to Isaac still using his at almost age 3. "Not going to happen this time around.  No plastic comfort object for our little princess," we said confidently.  When  Hannah came back from the hospital nursery with one inside her little isolette on our second night, we threw it in the trashcan in self righteous anger.  Flash forward 24 hours when I made Ryan fish it out, wash it off and give it to her.  We discovered that Hannah had a very, very strong need to suck to be comforted and since we weren't offering her a pacifier, I was becoming the pacifier (see number 3-- intense pain).  Whether it's trying to decide how to get your baby to sleep, or how to feed him, or any number of things, you will find that everyone has an opinion.  Don't get caught up comparing milestones and parenting styles, but trust your gut about what is best for you and your family.

5.   It's okay to want to go to work.  And it's okay if you don't want to, too.  I had a lot of different feelings both times I returned to work after having my babies.  With Isaac, I dropped him off at daycare and expected to feel crushing guilt and found that I had an odd sense of relief as I drove into campus for my first day back.  With Hannah, it was not that easy. There have been times when I have called the sitter to check on things and have heard baby crying in the background and it was a stab to the heart.   But I don't feel guilty saying I enjoy my job and I was excited to go back.  There is something about office life that appeals to the human need to accomplish things, a need which seems to never be fulfilled on maternity leave.  Jonny's IEP-- check, it's done.  Lesson plans for the week-- check, they are complete.  Parenting a newborn is the opposite of that.  It's endless circles of laundry, rocking the baby to sleep, diapering, feeding, bathing.  It's work that never really gets done, and, honestly, is a bit monotonous and isolating.  I was desperate to talk to grown-ups both times I was on maternity leave. But on the other hand, there is a real biological need to be with your baby when they are little.   I remember I would count down the days until it was Isaac's visitation weekend with his dad, when I could finally, finally get a break.  And then after about an hour or two I would miss him terribly.  Again, to work or not to work is one of those things that everyone has an opinion to share and there is plenty of guilt to go around.  Try to minimize contact with people who are not supportive of whatever decision you reach.

6.  Just because you've done it before, doesn't mean you remember any of it.  Ryan and I already had 4 kids between us when Hannah was born.  One time the nurse in the hospital made an offhanded remark about how she didn't need to go over bathing a newborn, since we had done it before.  Both of us were like "Please!  Review it with us!".  When Hannah started drooling like crazy and my mother in law suggested it could be teething.  Ryan and I both looked at each other and shrugged.  Record things.  Write stuff down.  Snap pictures.  Read the parenting articles.  You won't remember it later.


Linking up with Molly and Carly

Monday Funday

Hey look!  I got dressed in real clothes!  Isaac spent part of the weekend with his dad, and I was tempted to roll out in pajamas, but I changed at the last minute.  I was glad I did.  I had some wind shield wiper issues and had to stop

at a gas station and to deal with it.  It would have been pretty embarrassing if I had opted for the hot pink slippers.

Winter in PA rages on as you can see from the snowy pictures.  I can't even talk about it anymore.  Thank goodness Ryan was already off of work when the worst of the snow hit.  He and Isaac did a great job staying on top of all of the snow.

Hannah and I had no part of the shoveling.  We cuddled on the couch and even did a little tummy time (which she hates).

And of course, even a foot of snow on the ground couldn't thwart viola practice (this time to a captive audience).  

Ryan surprised me with these lovely flowers.  

The other big news is Hannah finally had a better nights rest.  I am not naive enough to suggest that this could be anything more than a fluke.  The girl who gets up at 9, 11, 1, 3 and 5 like clockwork had an 8 o'clock bottle, a bottle at 1:30 and then at 5.  All because Ryan put her down on her stomach to sleep.  I know sleeping on her back is "better" but it was sure nice to get some longer stretches of rest for the first time in 7 weeks. 

Happy Monday!

Linking up with Molly

The Update on Hannah

Miss Hannah Marie is just starting to outgrow her tiny newborn sized clothes and fit into some of her 0-3 clothes and 3 month sleepers. My mother and aunt have spoiled her with an enormous amount of adorable clothes so we have lots of fun choices!  

This little sleeper is one of my favorites, from The Children's Place.

Hannah continues to be a good baby and an easy baby.  She rarely cries.  She is happy in the car and good to take out. She has smiled at her dad and brother, and also at the ceiling fan but so far no smiles for me yet but mostly her resting face is quite serious.  She and Isaac continue to have a special sibling relationship.  He rushes right to her when he gets home from school.  He does a great job comforting her when she is upset.

  I have to laugh because he sounds just like a mini-me.  She will turn towards him if she hears his voice and is happy in his arms.

Sleeping is not going great but better now that we can give her a bottle at night.  Usually she will eat and settle back to sleep but the other day she was wide awake and chilling from 3:00 to 4:30.

We are still working on sleeping in the bouncy chair, swing, pack and play or, really, anywhere but our arms.  Ryan isn't bothered by holding her all night, but it is getting old for me.  

One thing about her though is she makes a noise constantly.  She started it even in the hospital, one nurse commented "This is the baby who doesn't cry, she just moans to let you know she is unhappy."  And now she spends a good deal of the day making it.  I describe it as a grunt, Ryan describes it as a growl, my mother always swears she is creating a messy diaper.  She isn't constipated, but she makes these noises all day and night long like she is.  She will even stop eating  to make them and she does it in her sleep (until she is deeply asleep).  It is worse in the afternoons/evenings and she makes it more often since we started formula.  She doesn't cry, so I don't think she is in pain, but she doesn't seem comfortable.  Anyone every heard of something like this?

Linking up to the Mama Baby Link Up on Katie's Blog

wahoo! it's the weekend!

Hi five for Friday!

Typical September, the weeks have been crazy.  Between Isaac's after school activities, the onslaught of beginning of the year paperwork, meetings, parent concerns, and the exhaustion of hauling around a body that is roughly the size of a Buick, it has been a looooong week.  I am excited to spend some time with my parents tonight (high five for all you can eat Amish Smorgasboards!) and relax tomorrow.

1. I had an IEP meeting this week and so I decided to make a little more of an effort with my outfit.  It's the same old black maternity skirt but a super stretchy mint top my mom had gotten me a while ago.  Scarves and boots feel so fall!

2. Speaking of fall, we have been soccer, soccer and more soccer here.  Isaac had two games of his own last weekend (one nearly an hour away almost in Maryland!) and then he was the ball boy for the JV and Varsity High School soccer teams on Monday.  There were some cute little girls in the stands watching their older brothers play soccer and I suddenly realized that will be baby H and Isaac.  She will be about 7 or 8 when he is playing in high school. 

3. The weather has been perfect for soccer too.  Upper 60's and blue skies. This was our view for one of Isaac's games last weekend. 

Yesterday he said to me "Mom, imagine Adam and Eve playing soccer in the Garden of Eden.  Like, being all naked and kicking around a coconut."  Sometimes the things he says just make me laugh.

4.  Ryan and I ended up with a Friday night to ourselves last week and decided to try Joe's Crab Shack.  I hate all things Seafood but Ryan almost always lets me choose the restaurant without complaint, so I decided this time I could go somewhere "out of my comfort zone".   Plus, it is located right next to a Babies R Us, so that helped sway me.  Ryan ordered this huge pot of random animals and body parts and ate every bite! 

5.  Isaac has finally got his hands on the coveted toy the Rainbow Loom.  My mom went three places looking for one for him.  We did make one bracelet (emphasis on "we") and we are watching youtube videos to do more complicated patterns. 

Have a happy day!


Linking up with Lauren and Jeanette.

Afternoon of miracles!

So a few weeks ago I found out I was missing a Praxis exam. Yeah, I have taken so many, but apparently I wasn't done.  These are special standardized tests I took as part of my graduate work in my teaching program.  I only had a small window left to take it.  I checked and was able to sign up for a spot within the required window,.  Wahoo!

Today was the day.  I went to print my admission ticket and realized to my complete horror that I had signed up to take it in CENTER CITY PHILLY instead of the suburban testing center that I meant to.  (Pregnancy brain strikes again, seriously).  In panic mode I hopped in the car with little hope I would be able to make it in time.

Well, miracle of miracles, there was NO traffic going to the city at 4:30, which is basically unheard of.  I got to Center City in under an hour, which, it usually take at least an hour and fifteen minutes from where I live.  It was almost creepy how quickly traffic was moving and with no congestion.  That alone calls for a celebration!

I was a little dismayed when I realized the testing center was in Old City (about two blocks from the Liberty Bell) an area which is infamous for NO parking!  I didn't have enough money to pay to park in a garage which is what I usually do when I drive to Center City.  I drive a big bad mini-van and parallel parking that beast is no joke.  I circled the block once and then, cue the Hallejulah angel chorus, a huge van pulled out of a spot, right in front of the testing center!  I was able to pull right in with no trouble.  Another cause for celebration!!

Then the meter would not take my dollar bills!  I kept trying to put them in, but they wouldn't take them.  Finally I figured I was so lucky to even make it there and I would just deal with the parking ticket later.  I ran into the testing center and took my test.

And it was freakin' hard. There were lots of questions about art and phys ed, and I have no experience to draw on there at all. But, at the end, the computer gave me an unofficial score, and I passed!  Actually, not to toot my own horn, but after I e-mailed my advisor he let me know that this was an EXCEPTIONAL score.  So go me.  More celebration!

Then, when I came out my car windshield was TICKET FREE!  I was shocked!  I have gotten a ticket after parking like ten minutes illegally in the city, and it took me over an hour to take the test, so this was truly miraculous.

So, all in all, there was lots of cause for celebration this afternoon.

I am linking up with Lindsay for her monthly link-up.  Happy Tuesday!

Third Thursday Threads

It's time to get ready for school to start again.  That means getting my new classroom in order and actually getting dressed in something other than yoga pants.  As you can see from the background, I still have a long way to go to get the new room in order.   Bri was having a link up for geometric prints so I thought this dress would be perfect for the theme.

It first made it's appearance at brother's rehearsal dinner in my new favorite family photo of the three of us.
 

It's not a maternity dress but it works really well as one.  I expect to get a few more months worth of wear out of it.

Isaac was getting jealous and wanted in on the classroom self timer pics.  Of course, his new WWE championship belt had to make an appearance too.

 

 

 Happy Thursday everyone!

Random Thursday Vlogitty Vlog

It's not Friday yet, but we're getting there. Time for another

 

 

 

 

Today's topic is...

I decided to participate vlog style (see my other attempt at vlogging here). And yes, the irony that I am discussing beauty products while my hair is unbrushed and I am not wearing a stitch of make-up is not lost on me.  Hey, it was a long day at work. 

Moisturizer / Foundation /  Shower smoothie /  Toner /  Face wash / Foot lotion / Foot mask /  Face scrub / Naked Palette /  Naked 2  /  Perfume / More perfume

Linking up with Lin, Em, and Meg