Children's Place Outlet.

I have never found deals quite so amazing at any other store than this one. When the kids were in toddler sizes, I frequently would buy items for .66 cents a piece. It's hit or miss, but when it's on they are great deals.

I ended up at the Children's Place Outlet in Folsom yesterday and they had lots of rounders for 1.99 and 3.99. I purchased $340 worth of clothes for $80. Several t shirts for next summer and some winter things too! Good enough for me!

Day 36. Just do it.

Today I am tired and my head just might actually explode. So, after a morning run for 64 ounces of caffeine and crushed ice, I declared it our first official jammie day.

I used to think that I a fairly disciplined person because I can accomplish a lot. Then I heard a sermon years ago that defined discipline as doing something you don't want to do. O.k., so today school was a matter of sheer discipline on my part, as my bed was calling out to me....loudly!

It is so awesome to me that every time I am in a shlumpy mood it seems that our work load for the day is super light. Today was no exception. Not sure what the deal was, but we got through school in 2 hours. Did everything.

I find it very interesting to watch how comfortable my kids are becoming with the whole home school thing. They are definitely testing their boundaries. For example, Taylor asks me today..."Mom, can I just copy Cameron's answers?" "um, why?" I ask. "I just don't feel like doing it." she says. Ironically the subject was Bible.

We had October's class store today. Prior to shopping time I worked the stick system to get some "complaining free cleaning" done. They could earn 5 sticks a piece for 5 chores done with no whining. 15 chores done for me while I stood in the kitchen and passed out pretty colored sticks. I am a genius. Then I dished out 5 more sticks a piece for 5 things that they liked best about school.

The kids are doing great at saving for their grand prizes. No tears today from Emma. She spent 20 of her sticks, Taylor spent 10, and Cameron spent 2. It's sooo funny to watch their personalities emerge in these situations. They love the ability to have the power to make the decisions to spend or save, but at the same time completely crave the answers from me on what they should do. I explain their choices, but absolutely do not tell them what to do.

Another day done. More lessons learned for all of us. Now there are just 134 school days left until summer.

Crock Pots.

How I never had a crock pot until last year, I will never know. It is PERFECT to throw food in, in the morning and end up with pure deliciousness at night. I feel very obligated now that I am home a whole lot more, to have a whole lot more of home cooked meals on the table. This is our favorite Crock Pot Creation so far!

Cranberry Chicken

2-3lbs boneless, skinless breasts ( I use the Foster Farms Chicken breast tenders from Costco)
1 (15-ounce) can whole cranberry sauce
4 tablespoons brown sugar
1 (2-ounce) envelope onion soup mix

Place chicken in crock pot and top with cranberry sauce, brown sugar and onion soup mix. Cook on low for 6 hours.

I serve it with stuffing and a veggie. Yum.

Day 35. Absence makes the heart grow fonder.

I have 3 weeks of work left and about 8 weeks of work that I want to accomplish before I leave. I want to leave everything super clean, organized, and ready for the next person...to the best of my ability. So, grandma to the rescue AGAIN!

The kids completed their full day of school. After they accomplished their work, they headed out for some grandma field trip fun. Kinda wish I could have joined them, but I was able to accomplish a lot at the office. I also had the special treat of eating lunch with three other grown ups. I ate an entire meal in peace, with adult conversation and that's always welcomed in my world.

First stop for the kids was to Safetyville. For just $2 you can enter this town built to 1/3 scale of a normal city. It's complete with real sidewalks, crosswalks, and buildings. Next stop was the mall. Dinner at Carl's and Build a bear!

I picked the kids back up from my mom at 7:30. I love my kids tremendously, but we were all in need of a break from each other. Now there is just 135 school days left until summer.

World's Best Bran Muffins.

Yeah I just said that. Bran Muffins CAN be good if you add enough other junk to it! The health value is not high on these, but they are yummy! This recipe is one my mom used to make all the time growing up. It makes a ton of batter that can be stored in the fridge. It rocks in the morning to just scoop out the dough and pop them in the oven. You end up feeling like a domestic queen with very little effort. That works for me. Here's the recipe!

Bran Muffins

1 15 0unce box bran flakes cereal

1 cup melted margarine

3 cups sugar

4 beaten eggs

1 quart buttermilk

2.5 cups white flour

2.5 cups whole wheat flour

5 t baking soda

2 t salt

Mix dry ingredients. Add eggs, margarine, and buttermilk.

Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

Can store in refrigerator for 6 weeks.

Day 34. Boo.

With the weekend comes Halloween. When I assigned the kids their work for the weekend, I made sure and discussed with them our schedule and that we were gonna be busy. They needed to plan their work in advance in order to accomplish it. We talked about some options and then I let them go.

The kids were very excited about Halloween this year. Between Shawn and I over the last 6 years or so, which is most of their memories of Halloween, one or both of us has been working, or in charge of our Church Fall Festival. Not this year, as our church did not have one. So, we had LOTS more time on our hands. We carved pumpkins together, a first for all three of my kids. Sad, but true. We also attended a large church festival in town, as regular attending people. It was strange, but fun. We came back to the house and trick or treated in the neighborhood, as well. I loved being with my family, but I enjoy putting on a party far more than attending one.

The kids ended off putting a lot of their work off until Sunday, despite our Thursday conversations. Cameron, especially, ended up really upset about the fact that he had decided to wait so long. This has been consistent with him for the past few weeks. This week however, I think we had a light bulb moment for him. For the first time, he talked to me about ways he could make sure he didn't "forget" to do his work. Putting notes up on the mirror and in his room. YAY! Crossing my fingers for next weekend. They need to take ownership of their work and learn to start figuring out how to accomplish it independently. Sometimes, unfortunately, a little bit of suffering is the best lesson. It all got accomplished and now there are just 136 school days left until summer.

The Wonder of Felt.

I filled the classroom with some quiet toys and things to do for the down time for the kids, in between lessons. One of my best and most used purchases was these felt boards. I found a pack of 5 boards with 5 different scenes to make on the boards. They were at Lakeshore and were 19.99 for the whole set. I dumped all the pieces in a plastic box, and all three of my kids will play consistently with these. There was camping, pet store, cafe, etc....The best part about them is they truly are quiet!