A Gift From God

Wednesday we went to the park to say goodbye to Jacob and his mom Nicole. It was a very cold and rainy day....very miserable!! Jacob was in my 4 year old class, and his mom subbed with me a lot when Melody was out. They are moving to Wilmington in two weeks. Nicole also became very special to me because I feel that God sent her to me at just his timing. I always talk to all the moms of the preschool children. Some you feel a connection too and some you wish would hurry up and leave, but I do talk to all of them. We were in the process of trying to get into Hilltop Christian which was 18 miles one way. I was set on it and just waiting for the enrollment to open up to new members. Nicole walks in one day to pick up Jacob and she had her daughter with her. I remember asking if she was sick and Nicole told me they had a half day. I thought maybe she was in a Wake County School and Nicole proceeded to tell me that she went to Southside. We started talking about it and I realized that is where Jenine Davis taught, so we had some common ground. I told her I knew about the school, but knew you had to be a member of the church. She told me how enrollment was going on now and they opened it up to other people of other churches. I didn't think much about it. In fact, I brushed it aside. Something told me to call the school. The lady told me they had one opening left for Joshua's class and they had already had several applications. Again, I figured what the use. I called again, spoke to Jenine and arranged for a visit. Jenine had a lot of input getting us in. She told the board members "this was the kind of family you want in your school" (I hope we live up to the expectation). God opened and shut doors for us and I know most of it was because of Nicole being in the right place at the right time. Without her, we would have never known that the school was opening up to the public. With gas prices at close to $4 a gallon and no relief in sight, I thank God that I don't have to travel 36 miles twice a day (too early to do math). It also just brought to my mind how God can use you at any time at any place, even when we do not know it. Nicole had no idea that God was using her to open and shut doors for us. Sometimes we will never know either. Since then, Nicole and I starting forming a friendship and I will never forget her. I will miss seeing her around next year!

The "Party"

Jacob had a good birthday. We went to the park, picked up his cake (which had to be the highlight for him) ate dinner at Logan's and then opened presents. Grandma and Grandpa came too! It was a late night for them, but the boys were up at 6:15 ready to play with the new toys!! They crack me up! I can never get Joshua up for school, but you have Saturday morning cartoons or new toys, and they are up!! I was a little disorganized the entire night. My camera ran out of batteries, so Jack took the rest of the pictures with his phone (Jake and his cake) and then I left the food at Logans. Jacob had some chicken left and we had two rolls left....how could I leave those rolls behind? What a nice breakfast it would have been!! I swear, my mind is going crazy lately!

Happy Birthday, Jacob!!!!

Someone in our house is turning 5 today!!! Yes, 5 years old! Happy Birthday, Jacob!!! We love you so much and hope you have a wonderful birthday! I plan to go pick up your Scooby Doo cake, and we will have a nice dinner at Logan's! You are such a sweet, loving boy with such enthusiasm for life! I can't believe you will be off to kindergarten!! We love you!! Happy Birthday!!

Memorial Day

We had a nice Memorial Day. Jack to the boys to the go cart place for Jacob's birthday (which is Thursday). This got me out of getting a dog for now!! They had a really good time. Jenna and I went shopping. I really enjoyed getting out and taking my time shopping. I also love taking Jenna. She is a good shopper and fun to have around. She helps me pick out things. The two of us left before 10 and didn't get home until after 1. I also enjoyed this because I pretty much had the house to myself. I got to clean like I wanted to. I have been wanting time to clean without the kids around, so it was really cool. Jenna played in her room and then Jenna next door (yes it gets confusing) asked her to come play Barbie's with her, so I did have some much needed time.

I got this pink beach bag Friday at graduation. All the teachers got them. (I think it looks like Sara Mincy). I can't wait to use it at the beach. Inside was a beach towel, a book, and two class pictures. I wish I could read the book at the beach, but making sure three little ones are safe and have not wondered off takes up a lot of my time.

Date Night and Freebies for the Week

Last night mom kept the kids for us (thanks a bunch mom). Jack and I went to see Prince Caspian and then ate dinner. I loved the movie. I am not a sword fighting kind of girl, but this movie was great. I don't like long movies either, this one was 2 1/2 hours. I had to get up and use the bathroom and ran the entire way because I didn't want to miss the action. I looked at my watch and noticed there was only 30 minutes left in the movie! It's rare that something keeps my attention like that! It was a great night! I can't wait to see it again.
I didn't get pictures for the week, but my freebies this week included 2 bottles of Garnier shampoo (which is my favorite), a nice razor for Jack, mascara, and eye shadow. I did pretty good, but I only have $3 left in ECB so I guess I will have to start back over.

Graduation Day is Finally Here....

That was one of Jacob's songs. He did great today. He was just perfect. Every child gets an award at graduation. He got the "Honest Abe" award because he always admits when he does something when he is asked, sometimes when he hasn't even done it. I wish he was like that at home. I did good. The preschool director told me to "be a mom today". I told her Jack was taping the entire thing, and if I saw the powerpoint presentation put to songs, and then heard Pomp and Circumstance I would just lose it, so I decided to play teacher. I saw everything except the popwerpoint and the kids marching in (I was at the end of the line). I am looking forward to time off next week! Here are pictures. My mom was able to come and the other one is Jacob's teacher, Miss Holly (who will be Jenna's teacher next year)

Jack took the day off so we spend time working in the yard. We followed that by our regular "Friday night Taco night". For family night we made smores (thanks to Food Lion for the coupons and having everything on sale). The kids really loved roasting the marshmallows and eating them! I heard from two of them that it was the best family night we have had in a long time.

Friday

I got blessed with several gifts the last two days. Jack teases me and says I teach so that I can get presents. He also says I get presents all the time, but that is not true. I LOVE this job and I am proud to have found something that I love, but at the same time, I am not abandoning my kids. I know I don’t have to do this, but frankly, the last few months we have needed the extra money. I have struggled the last few months with “fitting in the mold”. Most of our church home schools and I am not part of that “group”. No one has ever treated me differently, but I put the pressure on myself, thinking I am not “right” or part of the group because I am not home schooling right now. The time is not right for me to home school, and I knot the time is coming where I will home school and be a part of the others. Right now God has called me to “work” and I am happy. Anyway, I didn’t mean to ramble. I just wanted to know that I am human too and struggle with things. Anyway, I got all these wonderful gifts….flowers, jewelry, lotion, note cards, $20 to Target (whoo hoo) $30 to Blockbuster (better get a membership). Melody also made me this movie package filled with Runts (love them), popcorn, candy blockbuster gift card) and diet coke. It will work great because hopefully tomorrow Jack and I can see Narnia! I am so excited!! I can’t smuggle the 2 liter diet coke in, but I can take some candy! I’ll post graduation pictures soon!

Last Day of Preschool

Today is the last day of preschool. I can’t believe it is over. I am ready for a break, yet I am so attached to these kids and I will miss them. Yesterday we had graduation practice. I got misty eyed when they started playing the graduation song. There is just something about hearing that song….it’s like the wedding march…I’ll cry every time. They all look so cute in their cap and gown. I got these shots of my class and Jacob’s class. I’ll post more graduation pictures either tomorrow afternoon or Saturday. Here is my class. Everyone is here except Jeremy, who refuses to put on a cap and gown, and Julian is sick. Hopefully, he will be better by Friday.

Here is Jacob's class. My cutie is on the left

Scaredy Cat

Tonight (Tuesday) Jack was out with his friend. They like to get together and hang out. Normally it doesn't bother me too much (ok sometimes) but tonight it really did. We got some really bad storms and I of course freak out. I get so scared when I hear thunder and the lightning gets close. We had one HUGE tree hit once while I was here. We had another hit last year, so of course I worry. Then, we get hail again. I was able to get pictures this time. The bad part is that we lost power so I had no idea when things were expected to get better. We were out for about an hour and a half. It's funny because the kids want to turn on lights, or turn the TV on, or start the microwave. I keep reminding them we can't do anything! Everything is A-Ok now and we are safe and of course power is back on!

The Preschool Graduate

Only four more days of work/preschool! Whoo Hooo....I love my job, but since the end has been in sight, it seems to be dragging. I am ready for a little break. Friday is graduation day. Jacob graduates from kindergarten. Isn't he cute? (ok, so I am prejudice). Another one off to school. I'll have to hold on to Jenna. Maybe I won't let her go!

Thank Goodness for Go Carts......

Last Saturday Joshua went to Travis' birthday party. He had it at putt putt golf on Tryon Road. He had SO MUCH fun! First of all he was with Travis, but secondly, he got to ride the go carts. He was able to ride one by himself, the other he needed Jack to take him. Jacob, Jenna and I came back to pick them up and Jacob really wanted to play. He decided that he wanted to do this for his birthday and the good news is, I think I have talked him out of the dog for his birthday if he gets presents and a trip to the go cart place!!! Thank goodness for the go carts! I did have someone last night call me and tell me they have a dog for us, but I am not sure I am going to pursue it right now.

Just Another Sign That I'm Getting Old

During the last few days of Jacob being sick we have watched a lot of videos. Three Stooges, Scooby, Veggie Tales, Cars, you name it. He really likes his new Scooby DVD. I was talking to the kids on the way to school yesterday about Scooby. I told them that I used to watch Scooby when I was a little girl. Joshua said "Wow, mom, you mean Scooby has been around that long?" I felt like saying "yes, and when I was little I used to walk 3 miles in the snow to get to school"!!! It made me feel very old!
Jacob is better. He is down to a cold right now. He has a bad cough and runny nose. I figured out a trick to get him to take his Motrin....give him gumballs right after....he gobbles up the pills now!!!

Look What 93 Cents Will Buy

First of all an update on Jacob. He is doing better. He actually went outside last night to play and had a spark! I took his temp this morning and it was 100.7, so that is better. I will work today, but I will keep him in another room apart from the kids. He can watch DVD's and play like he would if he were home. I called the nurse yesterday because his temp got up to 103, and she said there was some virus going around (can't say the name) and kids have about 15 different symptoms, and they all run high fevers. I can bring him in today if I feel it is needed, but unless his temp goes higher, I will let it run it's course. Between him and Joshua, I am looking forward to a night of uninterrupted sleep!

Next, my deals. I post this not to brag, but to help you save if you want to do it.Some of you have asked how I get all this free stuff. Here is how I did my savings for the week. I had $11.97 in ECB’s. You can use your ECB’s like a coupon. In this case, I would need to spend $11.97 to get the deal. (in other words if I spent $8.50, I couldn’t use the coupon). I bought 5 packs of coke, 1 tube of toothpaste and contact wash for Jack. My total came to $20.97 or something like that. I used a $3 off $15 order (which prints for me almost every week). I also had a coupon for $1 off the toothpaste. I handed the lady my last coupon and poof…my order for all of this came to $.93 cents! Yipee!! I also got $2.99 for my next shopping trip. I still have $6.98 that I can add to that.

Ok, so here is how I do this. You have to have a CVS card. My first rule is that I only buy things that I can use, give as gifts. Secondly, you have to be willing to spend money up front to get the ball rolling. I would also recommend starting small, like I did. I also studied for several weeks the blog of moneysavingmom.com. I watched her for several weeks and read up on how to do this. I highly recommend this as she walks you through the steps in detail. You also have to study the weekly ads, and the monthly paper (that is found in the stores). Here is how I started a few months ago. They had toothpaste for $2.99 and gave you $2.99 back in ECB’s for your next visit. Everything will have a limit. For example, you can only buy 3 of these toothpastes and then the ECB’s no longer work. Eventually, you start getting the ball rolling and your ECB’s get bigger. What really works good is if you use your ECB’s for the next weeks deals that give you more ECB’s. Tonight I got this toothpaste for 2.99, got $2.99 in ECB’s, and I also had a dollar coupon. That makes the deal extra sweet. This trip I only got $2.99 in ECB’s, however, I was able to get a nice sale item on the drinks. I am pretty much done for the week and the month of May. I’ll check again Sunday to see if there is anything else. Some weeks are great, and some are really lousy. I have cut my grocery bill down by getting items like this here. Also, I haven’t shopped Walmart in a long time! I hate driving over there, and it always seems dirty, but that is my opinion. I’d be happy to answer any questions if I can, but again, check out moneysavingmom.com. I think on the side she has a link about starting the CVS savings.

Home Sick

I have a day off today, not by choice. Jacob is still sick. He has been running a fever since Sunday afternoon. It was 102 this morning. I got it down to 99 yesterday, but that was only by alternating tylenol and motrin every two hours. I was going to take him to school and let him watch DVD's in another room away from other children, but he went to the bathroom, started coughing and threw up. I really don't think this is a stomach bug. He did this yesterday too. Normally, my kids can't keep anything down. Yesterday he kept everything down, although he didn't eat much at all. I guess it could be a late case of the "flu". I am not really sure. So, I'll take Joshua and Jenna to school and the two of us will hang out for the morning. I am sad about missing. First of all, I have no time left, so this is without pay. That won't destroy us or anything but we only have 8 days left and I want to be there as much as possible. I have to remind myself of the title of my blog..."joyful j-walking". Joyful, even when your kids are sick and things don't go as planned.

Mothers Day

With everything going on with Joshua, I didn't get a chance to post pictures from his muffins with mom day. I really enjoyed spending time with him. He made me a coupon book, a handprint poem and a soap dish. Mother's day was good. We were going to go to an early dinner because I didn't want to mess with lunch crowds. Jacob started running a fever. We tossed around ideas forever and it was getting late. We were going to have Jack just bring back take out, but the Motrin helped Jacob snap out of it so we went to Logan's for dinner. Thank you to my family for such a wonderful mother's day. Jacob isn't feeling the greatest today, but I'll give him some TLC. Joshua is still itching, but all this will pass!!

Super Savings Saturday and Family Fun Night

Let me start by updating Joshua. (See pictures of previous post). He is still ok. Itching, but fine. He is still broken out on his stomach, back and legs. I'll take him tomorrow because he is not contagious and he hasn't been sick this entire time. I am still looking for any home remedies or any thoughts on how to stop the itching and clear this up! (Joshua won't let me take any more pictures of his rash)

Family fun night....Jack and I worked in the yard. I got on the rider (I love to do this) and he worked in other places. The kids really wanted family night, so we came in and popped popcorn, watched 3 stooges, and then let them have a "slumber party" in our room. I saved the day! They were thrilled! I was glad they were in with me as a bad storm came by. I have never heard so much hail come down. The winds started to blow and I thought we might have to take them in the closet. So all is well.

My super savings Saturday. I had to run to CVS last Sunday after church to get Joshua some Benadryl. I paid for that, and got a 12 pack of Mountain Dew, 3 toothbrushes and 2 toothpastes absolutely free, and I got about $13 in ECB's to use!!! I love this game!!!