'Bout Time

Ok, so it has been a long time since I have updated my blog. I guess I figure my life is not all that thrilling and if you are interested, you can find me on facebook. I update that all the time. However, I decided to do a little updating on here for anyone who might actually check this thing on occasion.

We have been staying busy. Kerry has been working and doing a lot of running, which is what I call his new mistress. As a family, we are also trying hard to support Kerry in his running. We attend all his races and cheer him on as much as possible. I enjoy seeing him finish and feel he accomplished something he feels good about. I try to take pictures of each race, not really for memory sake actually. Kerry will use them to analyze his form and to also compare distances and times of other runners he competes against. He is in several running clubs and I will try to get several pictures of them as well and he puts them on his facebook.

Dalton is attending Kindergarten and after a rough few weeks, things have leveled off some for him. He still has trouble keeping his hands to himself at school, but at least he is getting out of the car without a screaming fit. He does a pretty good job staying on green at school and as stated before...him keeping his hands to his self is the main issue that gets him in trouble. He enjoys math the most and does very well in his other areas as well. He does not quite understand though why sometimes for homework he only gets to count to about 30. He would much rather count past 100 and go on and on.

Xander is growing like crazy and talking all the time. He loves to sing and try to be like his big brother, which at times is not so great. It would be much nicer if he'd pick up the better behaved qualities of his older sibling. He is quite the momma's boy most of the time, though he has learned to use daddy as an excuse to stay up just a little bit longer. After I get him in bed, says our prayers, and sing a song, he decides he needs a daddy song too. Pretty smart if you ask me.

I am staying home and chasing kids mostly. I have picked up the hobby of couponing and really enjoy getting a good deal. It is kind of addicting when you can get such great deals. I stock pile some things for donating to our church pantry at later dates, so I feel it is something good to do. I am sure I drive my friends crazy with all my emails about good deals and such. So far, no one has begged me to stop. I think they just roll their eyes and delete. Doesn't bother me...I'll never know. :)

Kerry and I did take a short trip to Cozumel in September for a scuba diving trip with some friends. My mom was gracious enough to watch the boys for us. Kerry had been taking classes to be certified, so this was an exciting trip and especially since I got to just hang out on the beach while everyone else went diving. I am absolutely terrified of water in that aspect, so I just went along for the ride. While Kerry enjoyed the diving, I think the plane we had to fly in from Cancun to Cozumel was the most thrilling part for him. I sat right behind the pilot. I mean, I could have given the guy a back massage without even unbuckling my seat belt. If we would have known the front passenger seat right next to the pilot was free game, Kerry would have jumped at the chance. Kerry was right behind the passenger and could see everything up close. It was the closest Kerry has ever been to actually flying a plane himself.

We keep chugging along here and will be attending more races the next few months as well as some Christmas programs and other school events, so maybe I can throw a few more interesting tid bits on here later.

Freebies

Office Depot shows free supplies with rebates. Sale ends Thursday 23rd. If you don't need them for your own clan, we will be having a school supplies drive at church soon. So if you are willing to do the rebates, grab some supplies for the drive. (Last year Office Depot had penny and nickel sales on great supplies like crayons, markers etc. I will try to let everyone know when that comes around. I am all for stretching the dollar to get more for the supply drive.

http://officedepot.shoplocal.com/officedepot/Default.aspx?action=entryflash&

Rebates are one per household in most cases. Staples you can do online..not sure about Office Depot.


Staples also had some freebies this week. I cannot remember how long that sale was going on. It appears to be on till the 25th. If it is still going on and they are out, they may give you a raincheck, but you'd have to check on the rebates. You can also get a free backpack if you join their rewards program. Any backpack! So, get one for your kids or for a kid in need. The Staples just opened off of Bay Area and I 45.

staples.com for an ad

Walgreens has very cheap pens on sale as well as other items. .19 for a pack of 10. Also, if you shop there often, you can buy the G2 Gel pens (pck of 2) and get a Register Reward (like a walgreens coupon) back making the pens free. Use them for yourself or grab some for the church. Please keep in mind though the the register rewards will expire at some point. Also, if you think you might want to try to use that register reward to buy another pack of pens and get 2 freebies, nice thought, but they will not give you a second RR (register reward) if you use the same RR to buy the exact same product. You'll end up paying some for the pens if you try to use it for the same thing. However, if you decided to use your RR to get a few packs of the .19 pens, then you spent 1.00 and got a lot of pens for your kids or whatever. Do separate transactions if you want.

If you are indeed interested in these deals, I will try to start posting them in my blog. I am no a huge blogger, but that may be a better way to keep up with the deals.

I was also just told that the CVS deals from last week reset and you should be able to get 2 free spirals, 2 free glues, 2 free 5" scissors, and 2 free rulers if you use the extra care bucks. I have not validated this by purchasing again however. It was supposed to be for 3 days last week, but was stuff was still on sale in the stores. Which means the sales this week may also reset next week if you have already maxed out your deals card. If someone does this and gets the extra care bucks back..please let me know.

Good money saving sites
hip2save.com
moneysavingmom.com
hotcouponworld.com

Take a bow!

Dalton has a flare for the obvious. If you have spent much time with him, you know he is quite good at telling you where you are, where you should be going even though you already know, or what is broken ect. It gets on my nerves a bit and I have had several chats with him about how he does not need to tell me to go b/c the light is green. I am thinking the car in front of me would not like me pushing him through the green light and that we should at least give people time to move their foot from the break to the gas. That of course is just one example of many.

Kerry deals with it better than I do. He will often look at Dalton and say sarcastically, Thank you Dalton! Usually, Dalton can catch some of the sarcasm and stops saying it..over, and over. He knows that we are quite aware of what is going on and no commentary is needed.

He did however totally catch us off guard. We have tried to remember what he was stating when Kerry once again sarcastically thanked him, but we just can't seem to remember because the finale was too funny. We remember falling over laughing when Dalton just flatly looked at Kerry and said, "You are welcomed Daddy. I will take a bow!"

What! Take a bow! Yes..he took a bow! A comedian could not have had better timing. Now, you may read this and think nothing of it...one of those you had to be there things, but ugh....we hurt after that. Makes me wonder when I will get the first call from his Kindergarten teacher next year. Oh boy!

How Sweet It Is!

Kerry has been running in some 5Ks runs starting with the Brad Wims Fun Run. He was very proud to run for Brad and even place 2nd for his age group. That run kicked of several more runs in the following month. A couple of weeks ago, I was told about Dublin, Tx and how they still bottle the original Dr. Pepper using Imperial Sugar instead of syrups. I looked it up and notice there was a run coming up. Kerry seemed interested because not only would he get to run, but I would also get to celebrate my favorite drink. AAaaaahhhh, Dr. Pepper. Yes..how sweet it is.

So, we were off to Dublin, Tx this past weekend and Kerry had decided to run the 10K. It was the Dr. Pepper Bottling plant's 118th bday. Dr. Pepper, Tx, as they call it one day a year, were having a 2, 4, and 10 K in honor of a past advertisement of when to drink Dr. Pepper. 2, 4, and 10, which also had something to do with blood sugar level dropping or something. I was wrestling a 2 year old, so I missed that part. They were also having games, activities, a bike ride, free cake, and the best of all...all the free Dublin Dr. Pepper you could drink. Other than it being about 100 degrees...it was Heaven for me.

Anyway, the trip up was pretty good. We did get caught by a broken train crossing and after trying to find our way around it, found our way around just in time for the arms to come up. Oh well..that is just how our life goes. We stayed the night in Stephenville, did some driving around that night investigating Dublin, swimming, and just relaxing before Kerry's big run.

The next morning, off we go to Dublin. It was very hot! I did not even run a race and I was sweating like crazy. Kerry ran his race and did quite well. He finished 12th all round and 2nd in his age group. The awards were a bit odd however. As you ran across the line, they asked you if you had run the 10 K. (4k and 10k started at the same time, so some of the faster 10kers caught some of the leisurely 4kers). Anyway, if you said yes, they handed you a medal. Ok..worked for me. They did not have medals for winners like most races we have been to. Top 3 finishers in male, female, and masters received a small cash reward, a huge DP bottle cap that Kerry thought was a chip bowl, and bottled DP. Kerry, as an age group winner received some canned DP. Hey, I was thrilled with that.

We spent the rest of the morning and part of the afternoon doing tours through the bottling plant and DP museum, purchasing cases of DP, cashing in on free cups of cold DP, and finding some one to unlock our keys out of our van. Yes, you read right. Just so you know, it was not me. Kerry grabbed the wrong keys after returning my "large clump of keys" to the van so we did not have to deal with mine. It was actually quite humorous. I had just emptied the cash out of Kerry's wallet not long before that b/c they were not taking credit cards and I wanted to make sure I had enough money should I find something to get. So, while the boys and I waited in line for one of the tours, Kerry had a guy come unlock the van. While waiting, I thought to myself..hmmm..I don't think Kerry knows where his wallet is b/c I hid it. Well, if he finds it, he doesn't have any cash b/c I took it. Uh, oh... Luckily, the guy took credit cards and Kerry made it back just in time to stand in front of the nice cool fan before going into the tour. Even though it took longer for the guy to run our card then it did to unlock the door.

As I said before..it was soooo hot. Xander was sweating like crazy and at one point during the day I gave him a sip of my DP. Now you must understand, Xander has never had actual cola anything! I am not a health nut, I just don't think they need it b/c I know that I am completely addicted, so why start them that young. :) Well...I did not get my cup back after that and when we went into the bottling plant, they gave everyone a free bottle of DP. Xander was so excited. I told him to be careful b/c it was glass and he held onto that thing for dear life. Not sure if it was b/c I told him it was glass or b/c he thought I would take away his DP. He loved the stuff, but later called it apple juice. Dalton however...took one sip and asked for water instead.

So a fun time was had by all and we hope to do it again next year..but hopefully, it will be cooler.

Things I pondered today

I had to go get Xander today from my mother's so I had 5 hours, round trip to think. Dalton was pretty much silent on the way there and isn't much of a talker when I try to chat and on the way back, the boys pretty much entertained each other. Soooo, I thought. Some of my thinking lead to my current fb status as I pondered on the economy, the struggles of some of my friends and family, and how blessed I am to be comfortable and secure in that area. There were however a few other thoughts.

Death...yes death. It seems to be something that pops into my head quite often when I drive I-10. With all that construction and traffic..what else would pop into my mind. Yikes! It could also be that each time I drive that route, I pass by the cemetery where my dear friend Lee is buried. It also didn't help that a song called "Holes in the Floor of Heaven" came on. I love that song b/c while it makes me sad some, but it also gives me hope to think that those whom I have loved so dearly and have gone to be with our Heavenly Father are somehow still there with me. The idea of Uncle Lee seeing my boys in all their successes and even orneriness makes me smile. He loved my children very deeply and I appreciated that. I often harassed him about going to the doctor and my statement would be, "Lee, I want you around to see my boys grow up!" So, while he is not here to see my children get into all sorts of trouble, he is still "here", in our hearts and influencing our daily lives by how he lived his, how he loved others, and how he gave his whole life in service to God. His favorite verse, Proverbs 17:17 and he did.

I also thought about excitement and how you show it. There are few things that I really want to happen and soon. One is a new cell phone. Ok...so that may be a little weak, but I am so out of touch with everyone when it comes to that. My current phone is really acting up so that is one thing I want to get fixed, but I also can't wait till I keep up with everyone, pray immediately when it is requested, meet someone when they just suddenly decide to grab a bite, or tell my friends what an awesome sale I just found. How silly is that, that I will be so tickled when I can actually do that? My reaction when it finally comes to play: smiles, lots of chatter and some serious attempts to email, etc.

Another exciting thing is that Kerry wants to move closer to NASA, so we are seriously pondering a move. I know of course, my plan may not be God's plan and I can tell you right now...it is not Kerry's plan either and that is to be moved by the end of the summer. Now I know...it most likely will not happen that way b/c we have a lot of work to do on this house just to get it close to selling, but I am still going to pray and work to move toward that goal. Well, we are going to go ahead and look at a few houses on occassion that peak our interest and I am excited. This made me think more about excitement b/c the house we are going to go look at is near "my" school I taught at and has nearly everything I want. I have definately had a little skip in my step since we have set up the appointment to see it.
When I was a teenager and I was excited about something, how I responded really depended on what the situation was. Getting a 1 in marching competition: jumping, screaming, hugging, tears...Ok, well, I was not alone, others were doing the same thing and we shared the excitement. Guy I had a crush on ask me out: smile real big, say yes, get details, hang up the phone then scream, jump, spin in circles etc. Hey..no one was watching. If a close girl friend was there, ok, we may both do it, but if it happen say in the school hall, I was cool as cucumber even though I thought I might pee my pants with excitement. I could not help but wonder, do we hold back our excitement now that we are older? I watch people win big things on TV and sometimes, they absolutely freak out. I want to laugh, but isn't it nice how they just don't hold back with how they feel. Maybe I should be more open to my excitement about things, less of a cool cucumber. Not real sure if I will do the screaming, spinning in circles thing I did as a teenager (at least in public), but maybe I will work on being more excited about things. Life, love, God ( I should be way more excited and appreciative of Him) and when my boys are excited about the bug they saw. I mean, I like to be excited about things. It is a high if you will. The sheer positive feelings you get from it are good for your soul. So...find something to be excited about today.

Spare the rod?

Ok...so I was spanked as a child. I think I turned out just fine! I mean..I was not afraid of my parents. I never felt abused in the literal sense. I am sure in my own immature mind, I thought I was heavily "abused" if I did not get my way, but physically or emotionally..never! However, I knew that if I crossed the line, swats were coming. I also knew that swats at school meant swats at home, so I knew not to cross lines there too. It is either Jeff Foxworthy or Bill Engvall that says in one of his acts that there is nothing like the sound of a belt clearing belt loops. Let me tell you..he is sooo right! I would hear that and I was instant angel. I think that is a talent that not many can pull off these days.

I have noticed several articles about spanking in the last few months. One article I read stated that children who were spanked were far more likely to participate in violent, sexual deviant behavior as teens and adults. Hmmm...must have not yet reached that stage of my life! In my own experiences, it seems that with a pendulum swing in the direction of no spankings, we are seeing more discipline struggles now! I have also noticed a decline in school behavior. Schools are struggling with all sorts of disruptive behavior. Students are not concerned over any consequence it seems. I wonder if there could possibly be a connection!!?!?!

As a teacher, I would honestly have been devastated if I had had to spank one of my students. That issue usually became the job of the administrators. When I first started teaching, however, I had been having trouble with a class. I looked around the room and in sheer frustration asked, "How many of you get spankings at home?" Three kids raised their hands. A point to notice is that they were the most respectful, honest, well behaved and successful kids in my class. Hmmm, I thought. While grades are not always tied to butt bustings at home, behavior at school usually is. Not all children need spanking as a discipline. Some kids may react to a simple stern look, others need a more obvious approach. As a child, if you told me you were upset with me, I was devastated. My sister on the other hand needed more convincing. That is why I have found this Newsweek article so interesting. I think this principal may have something. He does not take the paddling he gives lightly, but notice the change in the school. The kids are not afraid of him, but they are afraid of his paddle. I also love the fact that he does not take the swats he gives likely.

http://www.newsweek.com/id/195119?Gt1=43002

Maybe I am wrong, but has there really ever been any research done to prove any of what they say spankings cause? I just know what I see. There are just too many functioning adults in society that were spank as children to convince me that spanking is wrong. However, I am seeing an increase in school issues as well as societal issues now that spanking is not the thing. Don't want to spank your child..fine!!! However, do not tell me that people who spank their children are abusive and raising complete heathens, unless you are going to change the definition of heathen and maybe define me and my husband as the new definitions because we were both spanked as children.

For your eyes only

As a mother of 2 children, much less boys, I have zero privacy. I dream of the day that one of my boys is not right there to hand me toilet paper or offer to flush the toilet for me. It amazes me how they can both be completely involved in playing cars or something until I try to take a bathroom break then I suddenly have 2 tag-a-longs.
Since Dalton is getting older, I have decided it is important that I get more forceful about him allowing mommy privacy as well as being more modest himself. These conversations are quite interesting and usually end if me just finally saying something like, "Mommy is a big girl and can get dressed by herself." I have not had much luck, so last week, I told Dalton that he no longer needed be in the same room with mommy during those times and definately did not need to look at me. A simple "alright" was all I got.
Some time later, Dalton was sitting on my bed, reading a book while I was getting ready for bed in my bathroom. I had forgot my gown, so I walked into the "privacy" of my room, not even remembering him being on the bed, to get my gown. After all, it is my room. I turn around after getting my gown to see Dalton sitting on my bed with his hand over his eyes. It just looked so funny him sitting there trying to give me privacy. It cracked me up.
I guess the lesson is sinking in some. Now if I can just get him to understand that when I asked him to get dressed and he brings his clothes to where I am, that just b/c he covers his private parts with his hand as he tries to put on underwear, that does not mean is being modest. The concept of changing in privacy is still trying to sink in.