I am a coupon freak

Ok - I watched Oprah last week - there was this show on there about this lady that slashes her grocery bill in half and gets tons of free stuff by getting 3-4 Sunday papers a week and clipping the coupons.... I have gotton so mich stuff for free this week just from clipping last week and this week. You guys should go check out this web site and try it. I got free excedrin, free shampoo, free cereal this week. That is just a few things that I got great deals on this week. Go check it out.... www.couponmom.com read her free ebook. It will tell you what to do. I did it for a week and I am hooked. I am never paying full price for any shampoo or soaps again!

Fun Run Fundraiser

My kids participated in this "Boosterthon Fun Run" at their school. They had so much fun running and all. I just wanted to vent some things out on my blog to other mothers that maybe do or do not share my frustrations.

I love my kids school. The teachers are there to educate. Princlpals to discipline. Etc, Etc, They have this darn Fundrasing Committee at the school. I am sure that all schools have these as well but let me tell you how annoying and irritating that this group is. We have fundrasers for everything.

Let me list all the fundrasers that we have.

1. Pizza night at Stevie-B's

2. Monkey Joe's (play place for the kids)

3. Bar-B-Cutie (resturant)

4. El Cotija's (resturant)

5. Lollipop's on Friday in the Atrium (I've heard rumor that part of this money goes to another teacher to fund her wedding)

6. Boosterthon Fun Run

7. Coke sales (they go buy cases of Cokes Dr. P's and sell them for $20.

8. magizine sales

9. there's more - we just haven't done them yet... and it's only Oct.

They do 1-4 at least once a month. I mostly want to concentrate on #6. We are very much enemies. This was our first year here starting at this school. Three weeks into school they announce they are going to have this "fun run." Keep in mind I am already tapped out from just sending my kids back to school (backpacks, lunchboxes, new clothes)

These ADHD (not really - I just think so) college kids from Athens GA (they actually run this fundraiser) come in to the school pumping my kids up and saying things like if you raise "x" amount of dollars per lap you get to win "x" prize. So just for running the fun run you get a free t-shirt. The list goes as follows.

$1 per LAP- wristband

$3 per LAP- Beachball

$5 per LAP - watch

$7 per LAP - football

$20 per LAP - razor scooter

$35 per LAP - IPOD shuffle

Let me tell you what - these ADHD guys were in my kids school every day filling their little heads full of it. Not to mention that Preston's teacher told them they would get into the treasure chest if they came to school the very next day with 3 pledges. Not only is he thinking he wants the scooter but he's totally getting into the treasure chest. So they all come home and are all like "we have to get three pledges" - we'll go to these neighbors (complete strangers) we'll stop random people on ths street...... blah blah blah. If you know me at all..... you know there are a few things that I really dislike. They are as follows: smashed bread (people call me a Bread Natzi) and Fundraisers. I know it's for somewhat a good cause - but they still dirve me nuts. Anyways - back to my story. My kids all have their eye on the Razor scooter............. that's $20 per lap. Not just $20 ---- no it's per lap. The Flyer states that most children run 25-30 laps. Let's see the math .... $500-$600. So what did I do?

Knowing that Preston just had to have 3 pledges I made up fake pledges for my family and relatives. I put down a $1 flat pledge from mommy. That seemed to suffice until around 6:00 when Eric got home.... Then they were tring to figure out how to get him to pledge as well.

That evening we were heading off to bed and Preston keeps reminding me that I need to call Grandma and Uncle Chris and etc. Anyways to make my very long story short - I filled out flat $1 donations in my brother and my mom's name. At 3:00 AM =Preston comes in my room and thanks me and wakes his brothers up as well. He was very worried I wouldn't call (for fake) my brother and mom.

I did go and watch the run their little hearts out. Jace ran 32 laps, Preston 31 and Kenny did 25. I did finally convince them if they just forgot about the fun run I would buy them a scooter - and I did. I hope they had a fun time running. I have such fond memories of the ADHD guys.

Fall is knocking on my door....

This is one of my favorite times of the year. I love when fall comes and everything starts to cool off. When I say cool off I more so mean that it's still in the high 70's and it may get to the mid 60's at night. Yes the kids are still wearing shorts to school. There have been a handful of days that I sent the boys to school in pants. I pick the boys up from school and after we arrived home Preston runs inside and the phone is ringing..... he's all like running.... it's my mom. My mom asks the usual questions like "How was your day?" "What are you doing?" "Did you have a good day?" and Preston responds (to the last question) "My mom made me wear pants today and I was SO hot all day. " Then the phone gets passed over to me.... My mom tells me what he said, we both had a pretty good laugh. He is just the funniest child ever. I finally decided I guess I should try checking the weather more diligently to see if it's going to get hot in the afternoon or what - cause if I don't - I'm goin' to get in trouble.

I posted a picture of Preston when he was probably 1 - just the cutest and sweetest daddy's boy . Who knew he'd grow up to be so opinionated? I still love those cute little cheeks.

For those of you that didn't know - we used to have a dog. Her name was Sadie. Lab mix - black.... She was the sweetest dog in the world. We got her from the humane society - she house trained quickly and my boys fell in love with her. We took her on walks - or more like she dragged us...... she loved to chew everything. We lost countless pairs of shoes to her "teething." Then came the news that we were going to move in with my parents for a little while and my mom (fully knowing about Sadie's need to chew shoes) said we couldn't have her at her house. So we found her a new home.....

The boys always talk about her like we are going to go back to get her someday.... not going to happen. Just today - after getting home from school, my little Jace decided to make a little house out of boxes. Then Kenny and Preston decided they wanted to get boxes and make little houses for a dog. Then comes the questioning.... when can we get a dog? Like next week? How old will I be? Can we go to the pet store today? Then come the promises... I'll keep my shoes in my room. I will pick my toys up every day. I will scoop the poop. I promise - I will definitely scoop the poop. Those of you - when your child says this do not believe them. They make all sorts of promises. Anything for a promise of a dog.

Preston is definitely my most persistent child...... He will ask over and over and over again. Trying to get me to give in. I must confess - I have given in many times. But I now know that If I just keep saying no and then saying "Does mommy change her mind after I say no? " They eventually walk off. Preston will keep coming back and nagging more..... so finally I say" I will let you buy a dog when you save $900. You may think that is too much for a dog - but I had already explained to him that there were dogs that some people just give away for free. I was trying to tell him that it wasn't about how much money it was going to cost = it was that I didn't want a dog... right now. So after I tell him about the $900 - he runs off and tells Jace that he has to sleep in his bed every night. We just recently got him out of our bed - he goes in cycles in our bed then out. So I have told him that if he sleeps in his bed I will give him a quarter. After about 2 weeks I decided to change it to a dime. It's still as exciting to him. So back to my dog story.... Preston runs off and says Jace you have to sleep in your bed every night so you can get a dime. Yes - I know.... at that rate he will be on his own before he gets $900.

Then Preston comes in my room - after realizing this is going to take forever. He's trying to talk me down to $10. All I have to say is - that's not going to happen.

I hope you had a good laugh...... I sure do most days. Little boys just say whatever they are thinking.