I don't know about all of you, but getting a really good deal on something can really make my day. As such, I thought I would share today's bargain with all of you and if you hurry, you just might get a bargain of your own!
This week Smith's is having a buy-ten-get-$5-off event. Select varieties of Kellogg's cereal end up being $1 a box. In the Sunday newspaper there were coupons for Kellogg's cereal and a $10 rebate with purchase of ten Kellogg's products. So I bought ten boxes of cereal (All Matthew friendly, but the way. Not a small feat!), used two coupons and spent $8. My rebate will go in the mail tomorrow.
I love that Kellogg's is paying me $2 to eat ten boxes of their cereal!
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Sunday, August 3, 2008
XOXO
In the last couple of weeks Matthew has started toddling up to people, laying his head on their knee (which is as high as his head reaches), and smacking his lips together. If this has happened to you, feel lucky because you have been gifted with Matthew's version of a hug and a kiss. It cracks me up.
Aloha, Little Dude!
I made this shirt for Daniel when he was six months old.
In two weeks, Matthew will hit the 18 month mark.
Little, Little Dude.
(And as a comment about the picture, I believe Matthew
was attempting to get me to trade the camera for the cup.)
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Laughter
A comment on my last post reminded me of a laugh I had in Primary on Sunday. During singing time, Kathie asked the kids what they did for Pioneer Day as an introduction to a pioneer song. Daniel, in all his blunt glory, proceeded to tell everyone about the lanterns (which he liked a lot) and then said, "And we made applesauce gingerbread, but it didn't turn out very good." Understatement of the year! But such a diplomatic child. He did not say, " . . .but my mom tried to burn the house down and ruined it!"
Melissa and I were sitting in the back laughing. One of the pros to blogging is that I rarely have to explain to people what the humor is about when things like this happen.
Melissa and I were sitting in the back laughing. One of the pros to blogging is that I rarely have to explain to people what the humor is about when things like this happen.
Monday, July 28, 2008
3 of 4 . . .
. . . elements have added a tiny bit of chaos to our already chaotic life.
FIRE: This has reference to the smoldering gingerbread incident of July 24th.
AIR: We have spent the last four days trying to get the smell of scorched molasses out of our house.
WATER: On Saturday night, as I was toweling off after a shower, I heard the sound of rain . . . inside the house. Without my glasses I couldn't see where it was coming from (Without my glasses a rhinoceros could stampede through my living room and I would hear the noise but miss the rhino.) so I finished drying off and grabbed my glasses. And lo and behold, an indoor rain storm was occurring in the bathroom. I hollered for Kev and a bucket and then vacated the bathroom so Kev and Dave could figure out what was causing our indoor weather system. After running every faucet and flushing every toilet in the house, they finally discovered that the water was leaking down through a crack in the floor of the upstairs bathroom. An exuberant young bather had poured water in just the right (or wrong, in this case) place for it to run along the edge of the tub and down into the crack. Luckily for us, it was a fairly easy fix once the problem was discovered. At least it wasn't toilet water.
So having had capricious visits from three of four, if the sandbox mysteriously implodes creating a sinkhole in the back yard, I'll probably sit down and laugh my head off.
FIRE: This has reference to the smoldering gingerbread incident of July 24th.
AIR: We have spent the last four days trying to get the smell of scorched molasses out of our house.
WATER: On Saturday night, as I was toweling off after a shower, I heard the sound of rain . . . inside the house. Without my glasses I couldn't see where it was coming from (Without my glasses a rhinoceros could stampede through my living room and I would hear the noise but miss the rhino.) so I finished drying off and grabbed my glasses. And lo and behold, an indoor rain storm was occurring in the bathroom. I hollered for Kev and a bucket and then vacated the bathroom so Kev and Dave could figure out what was causing our indoor weather system. After running every faucet and flushing every toilet in the house, they finally discovered that the water was leaking down through a crack in the floor of the upstairs bathroom. An exuberant young bather had poured water in just the right (or wrong, in this case) place for it to run along the edge of the tub and down into the crack. Luckily for us, it was a fairly easy fix once the problem was discovered. At least it wasn't toilet water.
So having had capricious visits from three of four, if the sandbox mysteriously implodes creating a sinkhole in the back yard, I'll probably sit down and laugh my head off.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Party Like It's 1849
I know. Pioneer Day is a celebration of when the first Mormon pioneers came into the Salt Lake Valley in 1847. But the arrivals continued for well over a decade, so the title still works!
Earlier this week, Nathan asked me if we could have a "Pioneer Party" on the 24th. So after our decidedly un-pioneer dinner (I neither killed nor butchered the cow that gave us our hamburgers), we had a little pioneer celebration. First, we made gingerbread, the old fashioned kind that is actually a cake. We did it just like the pioneers: in addition to the flour, sugar, and molasses, we added some milk-free butter from our non-dairy cow, a not-egg from our almost-chicken, and then beat everything up with our oxen-powered hand mixer.
Next we poured the batter into a pan and baked it in our buffalo chip-fueled Whirlpool oven. Unfortunately for us, the thing overflowed all over the oven, making our entire house smell like the previously mentioned all natural fuel. When I pulled it out of the oven, the top was cooked, the edges were smoldering, and the bottom was still raw. So I slid a middle piece onto a plate and stuck it in the microwave to see if I could finish cooking it so the boys could at least have a taste. In spite of the fact that we have had our current microwave for nearly a year, eight years of habit still rule my microwaving skills and I forget that the new one is more powerful. Can you see where this is going? It wasn't long before wisps of smoke started escaping from the microwave and when I opened it up, I couldn't even see the plate for the smoke. (I really am a better cook than this, I swear! But since I don't believe in doing anything halfway, a disaster always seems to turn into a total catastrophe!) Nathan asked if we can try again with a pan "this tall" (his hands were about a foot apart). I felt really bad for burning his pioneer party dessert. And we didn't even get to do the part where we poured our applesauce (that we actually did make just like the pioneers, and may I say that homemade applesauce beats anything in a can!) on the top.
While the gingerbread was baking (before it started to look like the inside of a volcano in here), we made tin can lanterns. The boys drew designs for their lanterns, but before I thought to tell Daniel it needed to be a simple design, he had this whole elaborate plan drawn up. It had a picture of the space shuttle and an airplane and I think it even had a covered wagon. The words were something about the "pioneering spirit." I felt bad telling him it wouldn't work for this project. He was sad for a minute or two, then drew a solar system. This part of the party was a complete success.
The boys spent an hour hammering nails and were mighty pleased with their results. We didn't have time to put on handles or find candles tall enough to fit in the can and still light (we had a microwave induced inferno to deal with), so we just lit a tea candle and inverted the can over the top (hence the reason Nathan's trees are upside down in the picture).
After that (since our dessert was a bit crispy from our indoor campfire), we acted just like the pioneers and put everyone to bed when it got dark. Those pioneers really knew how to party!
But seriously, I'm so grateful for all the hard work the pioneers did and all the sacrifices they made so that I can be where I am, living the wonderful life that I do. I never would have survived the life they lived. Considering I nearly burned the house down this evening without once actually dealing with an open flame (Kev handled the candles!), I probably would have turned the entire wagon train into kindling long before we reached the Rockies.
Earlier this week, Nathan asked me if we could have a "Pioneer Party" on the 24th. So after our decidedly un-pioneer dinner (I neither killed nor butchered the cow that gave us our hamburgers), we had a little pioneer celebration. First, we made gingerbread, the old fashioned kind that is actually a cake. We did it just like the pioneers: in addition to the flour, sugar, and molasses, we added some milk-free butter from our non-dairy cow, a not-egg from our almost-chicken, and then beat everything up with our oxen-powered hand mixer.
Next we poured the batter into a pan and baked it in our buffalo chip-fueled Whirlpool oven. Unfortunately for us, the thing overflowed all over the oven, making our entire house smell like the previously mentioned all natural fuel. When I pulled it out of the oven, the top was cooked, the edges were smoldering, and the bottom was still raw. So I slid a middle piece onto a plate and stuck it in the microwave to see if I could finish cooking it so the boys could at least have a taste. In spite of the fact that we have had our current microwave for nearly a year, eight years of habit still rule my microwaving skills and I forget that the new one is more powerful. Can you see where this is going? It wasn't long before wisps of smoke started escaping from the microwave and when I opened it up, I couldn't even see the plate for the smoke. (I really am a better cook than this, I swear! But since I don't believe in doing anything halfway, a disaster always seems to turn into a total catastrophe!) Nathan asked if we can try again with a pan "this tall" (his hands were about a foot apart). I felt really bad for burning his pioneer party dessert. And we didn't even get to do the part where we poured our applesauce (that we actually did make just like the pioneers, and may I say that homemade applesauce beats anything in a can!) on the top.
While the gingerbread was baking (before it started to look like the inside of a volcano in here), we made tin can lanterns. The boys drew designs for their lanterns, but before I thought to tell Daniel it needed to be a simple design, he had this whole elaborate plan drawn up. It had a picture of the space shuttle and an airplane and I think it even had a covered wagon. The words were something about the "pioneering spirit." I felt bad telling him it wouldn't work for this project. He was sad for a minute or two, then drew a solar system. This part of the party was a complete success.
The boys spent an hour hammering nails and were mighty pleased with their results. We didn't have time to put on handles or find candles tall enough to fit in the can and still light (we had a microwave induced inferno to deal with), so we just lit a tea candle and inverted the can over the top (hence the reason Nathan's trees are upside down in the picture).
After that (since our dessert was a bit crispy from our indoor campfire), we acted just like the pioneers and put everyone to bed when it got dark. Those pioneers really knew how to party!
But seriously, I'm so grateful for all the hard work the pioneers did and all the sacrifices they made so that I can be where I am, living the wonderful life that I do. I never would have survived the life they lived. Considering I nearly burned the house down this evening without once actually dealing with an open flame (Kev handled the candles!), I probably would have turned the entire wagon train into kindling long before we reached the Rockies.
Monday, July 21, 2008
Negatory, Good Buddy!
Matthew learned how to say no yesterday. He has had the head shake down for a while, but now he is verbal as well. Considering how stubborn he is, this could be a very bad thing.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Attack of the Slime Monsters
In an attempt to keep Daniel and Nathan from killing each other, periodically throughout the summer we do activities designed to distract them from boredom and keep them occupied for awhile. Today we made slime. This is super cool goo that feels like a cross between playdough and jello. Totally fun. Nathan told me that he is a slime artist, explaining to me that he makes art out of slime. Daniel wasn't going to touch it at first, but once he saw how fun it was he changed his mind.
Daniel taking his stirring very seriously.
Nathan getting all the Borax dissolved.
Whoaa!
We went to the library this morning and got our July prize for the summer reading program. Daniel pulled out a plastic fly ring. Nathan pulled out a ladybug eraser and was not happy about it. I think he was taking his frustrations out on the slime. He was much happier afterward. I think slime therapy works for him.
Slime Monsters!
CRAFT MATERIALS:
Two mixing bowls
Measuring cups and spoons
Glue
Borax
Green food coloring
Water
Time needed: Under 1 Hour
1. Mix together 3/4 cup warm water, 1 cup glue and several drops of green food coloring in the first bowl.
2. In the second bowl, mix together 4 teaspoons borax and 1 1/3 cups warm water.
3. Pour the contents of the first bowl into the second, but don’t stir. Let it sit for 1 minute, then lift the now-congealed slime out of the bowl.
4. Divide slime so that each child has a piece to play with. The glue in slime can make it stick to certain fabrics. To minimize accidents, give each little monster a zip-top bag to store it in.
Tips:
SAFETY NOTE: Since borax is toxic in large doses, be sure to keep the slime away from kids younger than age three.
Note: If any of you want to make this come get some Borax from me! I comes in a five pound box and since a recipe of slime only uses 4 tsp., I have tons!
Daniel taking his stirring very seriously.
Nathan getting all the Borax dissolved.
Whoaa!
We went to the library this morning and got our July prize for the summer reading program. Daniel pulled out a plastic fly ring. Nathan pulled out a ladybug eraser and was not happy about it. I think he was taking his frustrations out on the slime. He was much happier afterward. I think slime therapy works for him.
Slime Monsters!Homemade Slime
CRAFT MATERIALS:
Two mixing bowls
Measuring cups and spoons
Glue
Borax
Green food coloring
Water
Time needed: Under 1 Hour
1. Mix together 3/4 cup warm water, 1 cup glue and several drops of green food coloring in the first bowl.
2. In the second bowl, mix together 4 teaspoons borax and 1 1/3 cups warm water.
3. Pour the contents of the first bowl into the second, but don’t stir. Let it sit for 1 minute, then lift the now-congealed slime out of the bowl.
4. Divide slime so that each child has a piece to play with. The glue in slime can make it stick to certain fabrics. To minimize accidents, give each little monster a zip-top bag to store it in.
Tips:
SAFETY NOTE: Since borax is toxic in large doses, be sure to keep the slime away from kids younger than age three.
Note: If any of you want to make this come get some Borax from me! I comes in a five pound box and since a recipe of slime only uses 4 tsp., I have tons!
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