Star Charts!

 At the start of July I started implementing Star Charts found here http://www.dltk-cards.com/chart/index.html. You can also find some great home school or weekend activities on that site. A lot of Learning and coloring!

 We are trying to teach the kids to be accountable and to help around the home doing chores and other helpful duties that intend for the boys to take care of themselves later in life. I was giving the kids a few bucks at the end of the week for doing their normal duties like taking care of the animals. I had a hard time separating the two sets of chores  like making the bed, cleaning their room and cleaning up toys should be automatic family duties..I felt there must be a system where they can see their progress. I found this chart and thought if they do the things that are asked of them they will get a star.

I  want them to be able to earn their own money so when they ask me for toys, I can tell them to save their own money.   I printed these off of the link listed above. I can tell you the first week was a whopping 17 stars. The enthusiasm died down followed by week two with 14 stars. I will have to admit that some days were my fault. Because the kids are learning and each chore has to be followed through by mom checking their status. This has been a great way to make sure we get the routine down.

I can say the charts are going great! I woke up in a panic 2 times this past week. I fell asleep at 7:00 pm. that means I forgot to check the chicken coop(I also forgot to remind everyone to close the coop) and to my surprise the boys had done it.  I'm making that the one thing they have to do is help me keep up the yard and the animals.  So after  a month of consistent reminders they are doing it. We also lost our latest hen from Mom accidentally forgetting to close the coop  one night. I think not helping to close it leaves room for error and room for all the neighborwood critters!

The coloring looks better the second month. We learned we like to use crayons and color pencils to color these with. The markers made the page rip.

They both are about tied.

The boys need about 3 more stars to earn $5.00( it has taken almost 6 weeks to earn $5) once they learn they can do more chores each day they will learn they can earn money faster by working longer and helping Mom more. 

 

Here is the list of the chores/Behavior that earn a star:
make bed/get dressed
Feed Animals, Coop duties
Set the table/clearing
Folding and putting away laundry
Help Mom in the garden
Pick up trash outside
Bathtime
Bedtime
Pick up Toys
Good Attitude
Being kind to siblings and neighbors

311 Rocked as usual :)

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How do you like my new hot date Jacob!

 It was kind of funny when Zach and I thought of it, 311 was the last concert we went to before we left Cali! I got Zach surprise tickets for his graduation! The header last time was Ziggy Marley and that rocked! This was our first Texas Concert.

311 is so talented each and every last one of them. They are so inspiring because they are so polished on their instruments! Peanut busted out with an 8 string bass. Zach plays the 6 string bass and both Zach and I had never seen a 8 string bass. That was awesome to watch! The fact he could play it like a mad man was pretty impressive too.

I have to give it up for Sublime with Rome! Rome lived up to the infamous Brad Nowell who died in 1996 of a heroin overdose.. Wow, if someone was going to re-live sublime Rome sure does...  I'm giving you fair warning there are a few F-bombs in the song(in the video).. :)  These bands have been our favorite since we were teens!  It was nice hearing some new tunes too. I somehow with the 3 kids don't keep up with the music scene as much as I like!  We had a great date!

Check Out My Cooking Blog!

Okay I finally got a post up on the cooking blog! Fat Flush starters and more recipe's on the way!

http://andersonssoulfood.blogspot.com/

We Started A Book Club

Well we are starting our first book club meeting next Tuesday. I could sound really smart by calling it our first colloquium meeting but I will stick to book club most of the time. I was inspired once again by A Thomas Jefferson Education and how the book suggests to read the classics and discuss them. We hope to do more family reading and discussions once the summer slows and comes to an end.  I was also inspired by a home school family(The Wyetts) back home that started their own book colloquium a few years ago.  I was able to attend a few of their meetings and really enjoyed the discussions. I would of loved participating more but my schedule was so darn packed back then.
     If you haven't noticed by my posts I like to talk, write, speak and well talk some more. I especially like to debate issues on politics, religion and well just about anything that makes most people cringe!

We are at a cross road right now in America. Will we choose to be free? Will we wake up from our dead sleep? Will we turn off the t.v., computer and video games? Will we read more books?  Will we study the past so we won't repeat it?  They say not even 10 % of Americans read books anymore. Not even 1 book a year? Why? (well I can say maybe that I know or that I think I know) “The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.” 


I don't claim to have the answers. I have strong opinions but I know that, that can be destructive sometimes as well. As Martin Luther King Jr put it “When you are right you cannot be too radical; when you are wrong, you cannot be too conservative.”


There is a fine line to tread on but as it be known that I am a firm believer of "Don't Tread On Me"


I decided to pick from a few books I had already begun to read this year. I also took a few book suggestions from A Thomas and Jefferson Education and I also put a few books from the Wyetts colloquium list from last year(since I missed it and moved) on my list. 


I will try not to be on my soap box at the meetings, lol   I can't promise that I won't be on my soap box here on my blog but I will utter only 1,000 words during our first meeting.


It will be only family at first. I was going to pass out fliers to my neighbors and friends but with no car and this weather(heat) it will have to wait.


We are at the brink of changing history I thought it would be appropriate to pick Ron Paul's new book! While he has won C-Pac 2 years in a row. while the media keeps ignoring his progress. How he has had more donations from the people then the corporations who donate to the likes of Romney and Bachman.  Yes, they should be scared of Ron Paul and his movement. We believe in Liberty and justice for all men.. I guess we are a bunch of crazies and Ron Pauls views are extreme.... Wow, white sure seems black these days or is it the black that seems white?


 Liberty Defined

The Daily Show
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http://youtu.be/wn7FAXVnSR8




I couldn't help posting this!!!!  We Are The Resistance!!!  Ron Paul 2012!

Did I Mention I Coupon?

Total 24.33.  It would of only been 14.33 but Keynan swindled a Mr. Potato head. I'm sure I got Extra Care Bucks back but I don't remember how much(click picture to enlarge its hard to see it all here) The savings printed on the receipt for that day was 84.55. I also received a $10.00 gas card from this transaction.(A promotion CVS is having  when you buy 30.00 in certain products) Paying with coupons is just like  paying with Federal Reserve notes! So even though I only paid 24.33 I still got the gas card deal.

Total: 25.76 Total Savings 61.83 I also got 10 ECB back which would make my total 15.76

 I also received a $10.00 gas card

I also will be submitting my Raisin Bran UPC for a $10.00 gas card(a promotion Kellogg cereal has going on right now)

Total: $3.27 After coupons and ECB's.

Total: 52 cents after coupons and ECB's and another $10.00 gas card!

For the last year I have been learning how to coupon. I used to coupon with my Mom when it was just her and I. My Mom being a single Mom  and my Dad never paying a dime of child support.. Sorry I had to throw that one in(but it still burns my butt, but it has made me who I am today I suppose)! So my Mom and I would cut coupons to make our grocery budget stretch.  When I stopped working we lost a good $30,000 a year, ouch!!!  I have been trying to figure out ways to make our budget stretch!
    A new concept I have learned in this couponing journey is called stock piling.  You stock up on items like toilet paper, paper towels, shampoo, soap, razors, maxi pads. So you never have to run into town and pay full price. I also love this concept because I'm out in the Country. When we run out it is not a hop skip and a jump to town! This is also great for any emergency's or natural disaster.. Say we could not get to the stores for 3 weeks. I would have stuff for my family and possibly my neighbors.
   I wanted to start sharing my incredible savings. So within the last few months I have photographed a few of my latest trips.  I started a coupon blog but for some reason it will not let me post pics on there. I will work out the kinks but for now I am posting here.  I can tell you that couponing is a pain in the butt for me. I do not get into town a lot so I miss a lot of the deals. I'm learning to coordinate a bit better.  I am coming closer of reaching a better organization method with my coupons.  I use both Sunday paper coupons and also online coupons.

 My first steps were finding out how much items cost. For instance they have at the store a can of Campbell soup on sale for 99cents. Well I know I can get Campbell soup for 40 cents each with coupons and sales. So knowing how much you pay per square ft of toilet paper helps knowing what a good deal is and what is advertised to be a good deal and isn't. In my journey I have found the stores I prefer. Which the first one is CVS. I never shopped here before because the prices are higher then most but with coupons the price is near to nothing. I also shop Target and sometimes occasionally Walmart. My favorite store to shop at is Costco and I only make it in there every 3-4 months. I would buy all my groceries there back home and I would buy them here every month if I could. The Costco is in Houston and a little farther then our beet up cars would like to go right now. I do get a free membership because my Mom works there so that is a bonus. I shop at a grocery store here called HEB and that suits me good when I can't get into Costco. It all depends on the sale and the store and the coupons I have. I have also discovered Amazon. I buy all my books on there. I also buy groceries and toilet paper. You can pay a pretty penny on there so you have to be careful and know what a good deal is. I also have Amazon's prime member ship which makes mostly everything ship for free. I think you can check out amazon mom and get the prime membership for 3 months free. I also by things from Amazon that I would normally get in the Health food store. Just recently I got flax seed oil and oil of Oregonal for half the price! There also is their subscribe and save feature that I use and there is even coupons that amazon offers with their sales.

CVS offers 2% back on everything you spend at the end of each quarter(and so does Costco with a certain membership)They also offer Extra Care Bucks which are printed out cvs dollars.

I have been told about a new show on tv called extreme couponing. I hope I never get to extreme because I can see how you can get addicted to just about anything these days.. Everything in moderation even couponing, ha,ha.  I can mostly thank all the coupon blogs out there that have helped me through this journey. Most of these women must spend countless hours hunting down the deals! They have saved me a lot of time and money!

On my CVS Receipt this is what it reads:
Year to date Savings  738.09
Summer 2011 Spending 154.09

There are also deals that CVS offers. Like for every $50.00 you spend on beauty products(Shampoo, makeup, etc) you get $ 5.00 and you got to love the magic coupon machine inside that spits out $10.00 off!

Check out my coupon blog if you haven't yet and if you have any questions on couponing hit me up!

http://delightmedeals.blogspot.com/

Happy Shopping in this recession or do I mean depression.. Oh wait the Bankers fixed all that with the printing presses.... ha,ha  Yeah Right!

So Technically!

So Technically I was suppose to start the Fat Flush on the 1st of August. I had a few hiccups that included me getting all I needed for it. So I decided to wait until the 8th. Zach and I started off strong and have been doing well since Monday 8/8, I will be posting some yummy recipes so stay posted!

I also technically should be on my schedule today because it is Thursday(dinner should be getting started) but my air conditioning decided to take a dive again today. It is really hard to think with the temp above 80 inside and plus the humidity I could scream! I have gotten spoiled with air conditioning. I could literally cry a sob story that it has been going out frequently due to the high record temperatures here in Texas.The kids ate cereal tonight! At least that is rare around here.

So technically after the water line broke in the house.  We had to drill into the floor in the bathroom to reach the pipe to fix it. After 3 days with no water I was ready for the faucet to magically run over!  After only about an hour of it finally working again our well went south.. Luckily Zach is pretty handy and was able to fix the well in a timely matter before I had a nervous break down(just kidding)!  It was kind of fun letting the dishes pile up for 3 days(not)! I could of used my spare water in jugs but why o why?! That seemed like even more of a chore!

unbolting the engine head.

Thayne and Robert unscrewing who knows what!

So technically this is the 3rd blown tire in 4 weeks!   The first car we bought broke down within 3 weeks of buying it and it cost more in repairs then it was worth to fix it. We just got the 95 jeep(weird going from brand spanking new car to a 20 year old car) the end of April and we have replaced 4 tires. We also had to  replace the head gasket of our jeep ourselves a few weeks before. I won't lie Warren helped us fix it but we know how to replace a head gasket now! Oh and we replaced the radiator,  and a few other things that  I don't want to spell. Can you tell I'm really proud of that?

 Well Zach was stranded once again so I decided to chance driving the 1st old hooptie we bought. I had only been driving it around  on the dirt roads once in awhile(back and forth to neighbors houses) and she was doing okay. I got to where Zach was pretty smooth but after Zach and I changed the tire on the jeep the hooptie wouldn't start. To make a long story short.. We then called Warren(next door neighbor) to rescue us and we towed the car back by ourselves. We hooked her up to the jeep and by the grace of God did not lose the jeeps bumper. We all didn't arrive home until midnight that night.

 That's right folks this is country living  at its finest and there isn't one easy thing about it! No, paved roads, no trash service, no store within in minuets... The commuting takes a tole on all our vehicles. We technically rescued Warren the day after(after he rescued us the day before) he  had another flat. I believe he is on his 5th tire replacement in the last 8 weeks.

  A little tip on tires that we have learned. When you go to buy new tires at a tire store or where ever.. Look and see what year they are. You should only buy tires that are within the last 4 years. Believe me they will sell you a 10 year old tire for the same price. We don't even buy new anymore. We learned having the Pilot's brand new tires out here eroded them within two months. We learned never to buy new if you live in the country and sometimes you don't have a choice buying used or at the junk yard.   If you can afford 140 dollars every few weeks in tires then go for it.
    I hear the big trucks that are so prevalent out here in Texas will run you about 800.00 a tire...(not on sale of course)! ouch! Another great quiz about tires, How many gallons of oil does it take to make a tire?(see the answer at the end of this post)! Do I miss my  $30,000 vehicle, yes I do but I  don't miss the 3 jobs I worked to pay for it! 

So technically my computer crashes every time I start up photo shop.. This has been happening for the last 4 months.  So I get to work on projects for about 5 min. before the darn thing crashes. I apologize to anyone who I owe edited photo's, Collages, or a darn Cd... It is just the way it is right now and there really isn't much I can do but assume no one will hate me in the future...It even crashes when I try to post. I think this is my 5th attempt today :(

 So technically I am still watering my half dead garden and technically the raccoons are eating my cantaloupe and watermelon at night. I guess it could be other critters too. I guess I am not going to get technical about it. How bitter sweet, water or not to water that is the question?

So did I mention it is 112 outside and technically my air conditioning is not running today.... oh yeah I guess I did :)



So there are some more technicalities but I feel blessed regardless.  I technically have two functioning kidneys, healthy happy kids, a great husband who loves me and honestly a love for my life! I love the trials and they are so small in this huge world. I am grateful and happy that I can see the good in all the misfortune. I can see the lessons and the character it builds.  I thank God my trials are not huge. Yesterday my sis in- law got a call from the Relief Society President, one of the sisters lost her home to a fire last night and the church needed some donations. That really puts things into perspective..Things are just things and there is no need to get so attached them. Bearing each others burdens is a lesson for us all. Understanding that life is not perfect here in this time and space. Don't get me wrong I have my pity party days but they are few and far in between. So role with the punches is what I always say.. If I were my Grandma I would say something like," put on your iron pants and get over it". Oh and Grandma if you are hearing this from heaven. I wish you were here to help me with my garden. I was so young when I would help you with yours that I hardly remember..  You still would be proud!  Oh and to my other Grandma you would be proud of all the financial decisions we have made this year. We have saved more money in 1 year then in our last 12 years together!  I miss you both dearly.

So technically did I mention I'm still smiling!

I'm not sure why my teeth look bucked here! Or maybe I am just being critical because it's weird seeing pics of myself since there are not that many! We are on our way to rescue Warren and his flat tire!

Zach has technically been outside for the last two hours changing the oil, air and fuel filter in the jeep!  He had to get all the supplies after work so he got home real late. He ended up changing all of it in the dark using a flash light! I kept asking why don't you just change it tomorrow? Well because  he said I have a surprise for you!  His buddy at work won some tickets on the radio and wasn't going to be able to go, so he gave the tickets to Zach!  Zach wanted the car to run real nice tomorrow because he's taking me out!!! Technically 311/Sublime are one  of Zach and I's favorite bands. I guess we are going to The Woodlands for the first time tomorrow! We haven't been on a date since Cancun which was almost 2 years ago, I guess we are a little over due.

So technically is probably not a good grammatical structure!
So technically I didn't take pictures of all the hoopla because who needs memories of towing cars and drilling into the floor!
Aren't you tired of me saying technically yet? yeah I am too! 




Oh and it takes 7 gallons of oil to make one tire and probably more for the bigger tires... That is why Crude rules the world and will technically be ruling more then just that in the near future!

P.S. This pay period we were able to afford a star wrench and a jack! We are moving on up!

Swimming

 A few weeks ago we packed up the car filled up the ice chest and headed to the Aquatic Center in Huntsville.  It was an over cast day so we beat the scorching sunshine. They allow you to go in and out of the recreational area.  After a few hours of swimming we had a picnic outside the gates. The aquatic center was located next to a huge park so we rolled out the ice chest and sat at one of the picnic tables to eat. The kids could hardly wait to get back inside to go swimming so our picnic didn't last long.

We also met up with Tiffany and the kids and we enjoyed watching the kids play all day. We thought we would be there for a few hours. We ended up staying until closing and we were there for a total of 10 hours. Our boys enjoyed the slide the whole time. One life guard decided to tell us that the boys were not tall enough. Even though the life guard before had let them slide for over an hour. The boys got really bummed and made a huge stink over it. I thought from that point we would be leaving soon. All they could think about was that darn slide.  I told them the next time the life guard switches to check back. Sure enough the new life guard let them ride on it. I'm not sure what the deal was but their  chin had to be over the bar not touching. I think it was not even a half inch for their chin to be completely over the bar.  Kudos' to the other life guards that didn't make such a stink.

I was really excited to go  swimming, it was my first time all summer. We miss it so much. We use to go to the aquatic center in Lompochttp://www.cityoflompoc.com/parks_rec/AquaticCenter.htm  which is by far the best one I have ever been to.

 I guess they don't need it indoors here in Texas it is plenty hot!

This is not the first time I've been told to shut down my camera.  I remember almost crying last baseball season when they said I could not photograph my boys playing baseball. Actually I think I did cry because all the parents were staring at me like I was a weirdo. Well I am a weirdo I love photographing my sons.   You can be assured I went to the Five Cities Baseball League and protested my civil liberties. at the end of the season I got an apology by the Chair head. He assured me that no future Parents or myself will be told they can not photograph or video. There is a waver you must sign though. Mind you last year I had the waiver signed before and still got told to shut down my equipment. 

  I guess it is against the Aquatic policy's to video or take pictures. Maybe someone could get electrocuted ha,ha.  I noticed a Dad taking a picture of his son swimming with out floaties for the first time. The Dad was so excited so he pulled out his phone to take a few pics. These pics and video are from my phone as well..  Guess I have to get use to all these policies. Soon I won't be able to pick my nose without the state telling me when to do so!  I was nice when the life guard told me to put the video away..(its not her fault). I still got most of the kids going down the slide. Silas was a little timid at first but after we all cheered him on he went down!

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