Time for Exercise!!

With all of the struggles of parenting, relationships and household duties, sometimes our priorites get a little mixed up!  We often forget about ourselves and put many people first.  I know that I do that all of the time!  I feel like my family and friends should get all of my energy and don't realize that by doing that, I'm neglecting myself.  We need to prioritize and make sure that we give our bodies what it needs.

One way of doing this is by exercising.  I know, that word is not a good one.  Here's the good news -- playing with your kids outside counts!  As does walking them to the bus stop.  And all of those errands you run (you know, the ones where you are trying to find as many good deals as you can, to stretch the budget.....) park a little further from the store to get a few extra steps in.

Take 10 minutes to stretch in the morning, another 10 later in the day for walking and another 10 in the evening doing yoga or pilates.  Or throw some weight training in a 10 minute slot.  The possibilities are endless and you should never get bored. 

Try to find somewhere where you can go swimming with the family.  We try to take the kids to the Y and after swimming we hang out in the gym shooting hoops.  Get your kids or significant other to join you and get some quality time together.

You're Worth It!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We Survived the First Day of School

Yesterday I sent my oldest off to middle school for the first time, while my younger two went back to elementary school.  So now, I'm going to try and balance myself between the two schools.  But that is for another day!

My oldest woke up crying yesterday and didn't want to eat anything before he left. He was all packed up and ready so the morning went fairly well (except for the fact that we have to get up so early). I got him on the bus and told him I'd see him at the end of the day.

My younger two woke up after my oldest left and I went through the same routine with them except there were no tears this time.  This was pretty much routine for them since they were going back to the same school.  Drove them to the bus stop. 

Then I went to school to help a teacher organize all of the school supplies that came in. Ran a few errands after that and then it was time to do the pickups at the bus stop. I'm beginning to feel like I'm going to be living there......................

The middle school/high school bus was about 10 minutes late. No biggie!  Came home and went through all of the papers with my son, heard about his day (with excitement in his voice) and heard about what supplies he needed.

Back up to the bus stop.........

Elementary bus was 25 minutes late. Oh well!!  Life goes on.  Came home with the other two plus my two extras and heard about their day, went through the mountain of paperwork and found out what else they needed to take to school.

And out of the mouth of my youngest was the best thing of all "My teacher is so pretty, mommy!!"

I can't wait to see what else we all learn together this year.

Hurrican Irene and a lot to be thankful for.....................

It was a change from what normally happens at my house when a hurrican is threatening to hit the U.S.  Usually it threatens Florida, where my mom and sister live. I usually call down there to make sure they're ready for it and they check in after it has hit and gone by. This time, it was threatening the East Coast and my mom and sister called me to make sure we were ready and had everything we needed to "hunker down". 

We did survive the storm with minimal damage, although some towns around us were not as fortunate.  Rivers flooded, roads washed out, houses flooded and cars were swept away by the water.  The number of people lost by this storm is not yet known, as I'm sure the number will rise for a few more days. That is definitely the worst part of any tragedy. You can survive with the loss of your house or things but the loss of life is a hard thing to overcome.

It makes you even more aware that you should be grateful for everyone in your life, even if you aren't on the best of terms with some people, you should still be grateful for them. You never know when these people might step up and help you out unexpectantly. You should be grateful for the little ones in your house, even if they wake you up multiple times overnight. Your husband's annoying habits should make you smile (after all they did at one time or you wouldn't have married him).

Don't let things be a major part of what you love. People should be the most loved in your life and everyone should learn to live with less of everything else.

A long time and one busy summer!

It has been so long since I have sat down to actually write a post and I've missed it so much!  I can't wait until school starts and I can get a regular routine going. 

We went out to my grandma's to visit and we surprised her.  She wasn't expected us and was really happy when we showed up.  It was a nice 3 days of visiting!

Right now we're trying to get all of our school supplies together and we're still waiting for my oldest sons schedule.  A whole lot of waiting................

My youngest stepdaughter just started college and today is her second day of classes.  She went to pick up her textbooks today and spent $341.  Not sure what to expect when these 3 younger ones get to college!  Hoping that everything will be electronic by then and we won't have to pay anything???

Planning on a great weekend since it's my birthday weekend and I'm hoping to order a dishwasher for my house.  I cleaned out some drawers and cabinets today so we will actually have room for it.  I can't wait till I don't have to do quite so many dishes by hand.  Now I just have to get my husband on board!  Any ideas there???

Vocalpoint Info

If you are not a Vocalpoint member, now may be the time to  join!  You get a lot of good samples, freebies and coupons.  This upcoming Tuesday you will receive a way to help your teen learn how to spend smart!  A definite must for all parents!  I can't wait to see exactly what it is and how it works......

Here is the link you will need to join and access the info:

http://link.vocalpoint.com/u.d?LYGhctg34NSrAL8Iylz0=281&s=1CE12770-8192-4A66-B981-1C2F67BA2EEB

Good luck with this adventure and have fun!  Life is always an adventure and everyone learns something new every day!

Summer Time Adventures

This summer has definitely been full of adventure!  Not so much like last summer, when I decided I needed excitement and broke my foot.  Much, much different this year.

We were able to go to Massachussetts for a week with the kids and hung out by the pool and mini golf course most of the time.  However, we did squeeze in a trip to Six Flags New England.  This was made possible because we have season passes to Six Flags Great Escape, which is close to our house.  Financially, the day didn't go as planned......When we arrived at the park, we showed our season parking pass for our park, only to find out that they no longer accepted it from other parks.  What??!!!!???  $20 later, we parked the car for the day!  I decided against packing lunches, since it would take a long time to walk back to the car during the day and since it was so hot, I knew that would just make hungry kids crankier.  Well, I was expecting high food prices but not what I found!  A meal with 4 chicken tenders and a couple of handfuls of fries cost about $15, maybe a little more. I think I'm still in shock over that.....Needless to say, we split the meal between all of us.

The rest of the day went well, the kids enjoyed the rides they went on and we left early enough to enjoy a dinner back in Lee at Arizona Pizza.  Very yummy and we all ate a nice, big dinner for around $30 (I even had a coupon that I used)!

We went to the Great Escape this past weekend and the kids enjoyed the rides, I was able to use my season parking pass and we enjoyed a little snack.  The prices were a little better, but they still seem to be really outrageous!  How are we as families supposed to go out and do things and help the economy, when prices are skyrocketing????  You can only stretch your finances so much........

With many more things on my to do list this summer, some of them I will use coupons for , some I will use passes that we got for half price and others we will have received for free (like our Enchanted Forest/Water Safari tickets I won from MaltaMama  :)  ).  The things that don't fit into those categories, I guess I will have to rethink and see if it's something we really need or want to do.  My 3 seem happy hanging out around the house and finding things to amuse themselves.  Mainly annoying one another but there are some good moments too.

All in a summer's day...........................

Summer Fun For Families

There are so many things that you can do as a family during the summer and you don't even have to spend a lot of money!  The main thing is to spend time together, have a good time and make sure you are all having a chance to do something that each of you enjoys.

Many stores have activities for children to do and they are FREE
      AC Moore, Home Depot, Lowes, Michaels to name a few

Museums and zoos have days where you can in for free.  Who wouldn't love to see art pieces or animals???

National and State parks are also free or cheap day trips.  Lots of room to play, walk and picnic!

Just about every neighborhood has a playground nearby.  It may not be in walking distance, but if it is, what a great way to get some extra exercise.  Just remember, bring snacks and lots to drink!

Libraries are a great resource.  Not only do they have air conditioning for those hot summer day escapes, they have many books, dvd's, magazines and newspapers - ALL for FREE!  And, if your library is like mine, they have a fabulous reading program for the kids (mine even has one for us BIG KIDS!).  Prizes for books read and different entertainment for the kiddos. What a way to browse for books  --  can we say peace and quiet, with no interruptions???

How about a day of fun and games right in your own backyard?

Or a day of playing chef or baker right in your kitchen?  (perfect for those rainy days)

Or scientist?  teacher? 

The possibilities are endless!

If you have any ideas that I haven't mentioned, please share.  We all need a little inspiration on occasion!