Glory Hallelujah !!!

Okay so I know I'm not the only one that has scored on the huge cereal deal going around.  But here is where I find that couponing is starting to pay off.  Now if I can get in on all the other "GREAT" deals that come around ....  

So to start off, I thought going to a local grocer to buy 5 boxes of Quaker Life Cereal and pay .98 cents a box after using an in ad coupon was a great deal.  And the one with buying 5 boxes of the 10 count Quaker Chewy Granola bars for the same deal after using the coupon. 

But last night, I realized that Smiths had the same thing on sale (almost minus the granola bars) but that if you bought the 5 boxes and then used that same coupon for $3.00 off.... guess what I paid only .40 cents a box for a 15 oz box of Life original and Life (cinnamon). 

So just today I went and stocked up on cereal at 40 cents a box... here are the totals. 
Trip 1 I bought 10 boxes of Life Original cereal and a 6 pack of Dove soap (which I had a .75 cents off coupon for) and then I bought a box of Wheat thins, and Nature Valley Granola bars ( I had coupons to get each of those things free)

Total before savings and coupons:  $45.90  after savings and coupons (Any guesses)  .... $ 8.89


Trip #2 :  I bought 20 boxes of Life cinnamon, and 5 boxes of Life regular.... 

Total:  Before savings ... $79.51 ... (Really like I'd go and spend that much just on cereal.)   So after coupons and savings for 25 total boxes I spent $10.76

Picture of all the cereal I bought just today.

So after all the cereal adventures.... I now have 40 boxes of Life cereal and no milk to go with it.  Better go get some milk.  So it's important when using coupons to find the best deal around, and go for it. (Assuming you have some funds to do so.) 

When eating a chocolate chip cookie..... Think of me.

Can't go to wrong with chocolate chip cookies!! Especially, when you wake up to the livingroom being completely cleaned, and the boys room has stayed cleaned since FRIDAY.

Call me lame, but this is like a HUGE deal for me.  I used to keep my place spotless.  I had no problem having my dwelling stay neat. But add a few toddlers into the mix, that like to "pull" things from every location possible, and well within a huge time span of about 5 minutes or less, you have a huge mess on your hands.  And the endless efforts of going right behind them, and repicking everything up that you just put away is almost redundant. (HECK, I think it actually is.)

So I added a few more kids to the mix, and before they were to an age to really be of any great amount of help, I kept trying to be SUPER MOM.  But, my energy and efforts seemed almost in vain, to no avail.  So I guess you can say I almost kind of "GAVE UP" on trying to be SUPER MOM. The effort it took to be so, and the amount of energy to be one required way more than I seemed willing to give anymore, at that time.

I now have kids that are older, and all five kids help with the dishes (at least when I'm on my game) and now that I have the boy's bedroom cleaned up, it's been easy to stay on top of them tidying up the room every afternoon and evening.  And the livingroom is getting tidied up in the evening as well. 

I'm not supermom, but I'm starting to realize that it really is just outside my grasp. With a little more practice, I'm sure I'll be up to par again.  I have a huge issue called LAUNDRY.  But I have been getting rid of extra clothing, and donating to second hand stores.  And the more I give to them, the LESS I have to deal with. 

And when it's a Monday, and the kids have gone back to school after a week long spring break with no where to go, it was fun to be in the semi clean house, and feel somewhat at peace today.  And trying to get the kids going on homework, while also letting them have time to be kids while the daylight is out and get dinner on the table before bedtime,  can be almost a hard thing to juggle and balance. 

So I applaud those women who have it together.  And for each of them "IT" seems to be always different. 

I have my friend Christina who seems to be a great example of a Mother.  She's expecting her 8th child, has a set of twins, and five of her 7 kids are in school.  And she always seems to have activities going on for them, and places they go for family trips and such, and it probably helps that she has a great husband helping her with a great job too.  She is organized, and has goals, and ideals of what she wants her kids to be like as adults.  She is patient and loving, and really loves being with her kids.  There is a lot that I learn from her.  And she is also a budding photographer as well. 

I also have my friend Kanani who isn't a blogger, but she lives in my neighborhood, and she has 6 children, and never seems to "lose" her mind at all.  She's very thoughtful and caring of her family, and she also tries to help her friends and check on them as well.  She has lots of ideas on how to serve other people, and just because she has a baby, she doesn't let that slow her down.  She exercises, and takes her kids to places for soccer and such, and fullfills her role as a woman very well. 

Then there is Elisha.  She has three beautiful little girls.  I can totally relate to that part, since my first three were little girls, now they have grown up to be bigger girls.  But with Elisha, she enjoys the simple moments in her life.  She gets involved with the activities her children do.  She takes pictures of them, and has all sorts of creative talents.  She isn't afraid to try new things, and always goes on limb to help another out.  She's great at serving her little family, and showing how much others mean to her.  She never has anything negative to say about anyone.  She's always finding good things to say!! She also has a knack for wearing "grungy" clothes and making them look good. 

There is also Jennifer who is a neighbor, that I just adore!! We're both the mothers of five children, and have similar stories to share and feel relieved in the fact that we have someone else who understands where we are at, and have been and are headed.  She's not perfect, and neither am I, but she's headed in the right direction. She knows what her family lacks in and tries her best to get them what is needed, (speaking spiritually here) and she is amazing with what she has done over the last several years, with loosing weight and totally keeping it off.  She's determined, and consistent.  Traits I wish I were better at.  She has a system down with her kids for cleaning up, and putting things away...and I learn so much from her.

There is Stephanie, who is just starting her journey in motherhood as of three years ago, and already expecting number 3 in a few more weeks (May I think).  She's doing her best already to be SUPER MOM, trying to feed her kids healthy food, developing talents, going with her ideas, a good friend, and super great at living a good life.  She has so many great talents, and aspires to become better at them, and learn more as she goes.  She is great with her kids, and although I see her stuggle sometimes, I know what she's going through, since I've already been there,   but she seems to deal with it better.


These are just a few of the friends I have that I've learned a lot from recently, and I could go on and maybe some other time I will.  They aren't famous people, but they take their roles as women, wifes and mothers to heart and do their best.  Someday I hope to take all the things from these ladies and be just as great as they are. 

So after having a simple little lesson on families tonight for FHE (which stands for Family Home Evening) I started thinking about examples in my life, that I wanted to be more like. Thanks for your examples!! It means a lot to me.

So I think I'm at a starting point now, and will continue in this direction, but in the meantime, I'll go eat a few cookies and continue to read the second Fablehaven book.  (That is a good series by the way)  

** If you weren't mentioned, don't take it personally.  This post is already half the length of a novel.  Because there are several of you out there that I know, love and respect for how you handle your roles.  So give yourselves a pat on the back, and the next time you eat or see a chocolate chip cookie.... know I'm thinking of you.   I MEAN IT!!!

Taking the higher road.... a lesson learned.

Do you ever have occasion to meet the

Teacher people, that for some reason

or another just seem to "ERK" you just so?

Well, I was having one of those times,

over the course of the last several weeks.

The teacher is that of a Musical nature,

but also teaches Saxon math to a group of

students.

I was so close, and I'm not kidding,

to writing a NASTY letter to the administration

saying how this teacher isn't doing her job, and

seriously is "failing" my daughter in her educational

pursuit of acquiring such skills in a mathematical

nature that will enable her to get to college,

and upon graduation will probably not use a lick

of ....

Oh wait, let me get back on track, as I was saying

my child was frustrated with having to do homework for

this particular class, and would even start screaming

at the top of her lungs that she didn't want to do it.

And then commence into tears, and all out crying because

she claims it is too hard. So to try and be a "Good" mom,

I just tried to encourage, but seriously she wouldn't budge.

So that was that!
No homework tonight, turned into
27 
or so

MISSING
assignments.  

(there goes my Mother of the year award) 
YIKES!!! 
WHAT??!!

So since this week just happens to be Parent Teacher Conferences

which really are just a time for Parent and Child to go to the

school to "TALK" about what could have taken place at home.

I've only gone through one conference so far, and I had like

ZIPPO interaction from the teacher, except for him to tell me,

that that student is at an 8th grade reading level. AWESOME!!!

But seriously, after that conference I walked to the

other end of the school to see if I could talk with

that TEACHER whom I was getting
frustrated with almost everyday.

She happily let me talk with her RIGHT then, about the

situation, and let me ask some questions, that might

have been borderline offensive if she wasn't the

great teacher, that I came
to find out, she actually is.  I seriously wondered
what they spent all their time in class doing?  So I
was bold and just asked her, so she walked me through
a random lesson plan on her laptop, and I was
having a complete change of heart for this TEACHER.

She made sure to tell me that she loved my child. And
thought that she was an absolute joy to have in class.
And asked me to pass on that my child is doing absolutely
great for where she is at!!! 

So I feel reassured in my daughters educational

pursuits once again. And am now out to figure

out how we can qualify to "accomodate" her. She

isn't the fastest child in the class on her math facts,

but what she does get answered, is very accurate!!

Another fact to know, this daughter is like the YOUNGEST

in her grade, and the class is combined 2nd and 3rd graders.

She has started feeling like she isn't as good as the others

and this I believe is the reason why she isn't wanting to

do the homework anymore.

She is a fairly normal child, but the problem 

actually comes from having to answer so many 

fact problems (mulitiplication, subtraction, addition) 

in a given set of time, and after that time is up, 

you count how many are right.  And that is the score. 

So if you have 100 problems and you only answer 60 of 

them, and you miss one, that would equal 59/100 

See where I'm going? 

All the problems she answered were correct, but because 

she isn't FAST, she gets penalized.  And this is making 

her feel like she isn't any good.  (I want to cry for her now) 

So after talking with the teacher we feel it best to 

find a way to accommodate  her and her "special" need. 

That way she can feel good about herself. 

I'm glad I decided to approach this situation head on, 

instead of taking the cowardly approach through 

a letter.  I feel better, the teacher feels better, now 

if we can get my child's grade better....

Everyone will be happy.