Saving $

We had a great weekend. We spent Saturday with my mom. Hayden loves his Grammy. He got very upset that we had to leave and go home. My mom and I took Hayden to the park. He wanted to take his t-ball stuff with him (of course). We ended up playing baseball for an hour. We figured out that he hits better left handed. David says he switches a lot when hitting. I guess I haven't noticed. We spent the rest of the day shopping. Hayden was trooper. Karen (David's mom) e-mailed me her friends link about using coupons and different things you can do to save money at the grocery store. I began doing research about couponing. I stayed up late reading tips online. I called several grocery stores around here asking if they double or triple coupons and if they priced matched advertising. I got some good information. The biggest thing I learned is you have to be organized and read ads. So today after church I went and bought 3 papers. I went to Kroger my total bill 160 dollars but I payed 100. I used website like coupon mom and the grocery game. I like the grocery game better because the fonts are in different colors so that you can see which items are great buys. The grocery game is free for 4 weeks. You can also compare store prices with the grocery game. I guess I need to get better at this but I only had 1 weeks worth of coupons. As time goes on I will be able to save more coupons. I enjoyed the adventure. I was so excited when I got home and told David what deals I found. I bought Bounty paper towels for 46 cents. Yogurt for Hayden for 70 cents. Mrs. Bairds bread for 75 cents. I am not perfect at this but I hope I can do better. The bulk of our grocery budget comes from fruits and veggies. I am hoping in the spring Farmers Market will open. We went out to eat tonight. I bought a gift card worth 25 dollars. It only cost us 2 dollars but you have to spend 35 dollars and leave 18% tip. I thought it was a good deal. Our total meal was 15 bucks for all 3 of us to eat. I finished all of my SFA stuff. YES!!!! I am so excited. Now it is a waiting game to see if I get accepted into the program. Hayden still has a cough. Tonight he coughed so much that he threw up. I am taking him to the doctor tomorrow.

Somethings Missing

Hayden has a habit of waking up in the middle of the night and doing things we are unaware of. In the past he has eaten a whole cake, watched cartoons, played Battlefield, and played on the computer. When we wake up the next morning the TV's usually on or has the laptop on the couch. I am not sure if he wakes up to do these things or gets distracted when walking from his room to our room. The other night I left him like this


and when I woke up the next morning I found this


He got up and found an apple in the drawer took a few bites out of it and then ate about 6 or 7 strawberries. He left the stem from the strawberries in the container. When I asked him what happened he didn't know. I don't know if he is sleep walking or what. We used to have a lock on the fridge to keep him out when he was younger. I might have to put it back on if this keeps happening.

Hayden has not be listening. We have been cracking down on how many times we ask him to do something. The first time he gets a warning and the second time he has to sit in time out for 3 minutes. When he gets out of time out we discuss what happened. I ask him what he did and why he did it. Last night he was telling me what he did. I guess I was giving him the "look" (where your eye brows are raised...I call it the teacher look). Hayden leaned in really close he grabbed my eyebrows and said "put those down" (referring to my eyebrows). I tried my best to not laugh in the middle of our conversation. It remind me how funny he can be! I am so excited for the weekend. We are going to play lots of baseball. I am almost finished with my SFA stuff can't wait until I get it in the mail.

America's Past Time

We signed Hayden up for t-ball a few weeks ago. Last night we had a parent's meeting. I think this is going the be an exciting adventure for all of us. Hayden's games are going to be on Saturdays staring March 26th. If you want to come send me an e-mail and I will give you the address. We aren't sure of the time. After his meeting we went to Academy to buy him a glove, cleats, and some soft baseballs. As soon as we got home Hayden wanted to try everything out. It was dark so we couldn't play. As soon as we got home today we spent evening play ball. Hayden was grinning from ear to ear. He loved running around catch, hitting, and chasing the ball. The one thing about blogging again is I find myself saying gotta take pictures for the blog. I am finally taking more pictures. When he was a baby he changed so much that we were constantly taking pictures. It has been a busy week. David has been subbing. He sub for a Kindergarten teacher at my school. I think he is finding an appreciation for what I do.

Family Time

This weekend flew by fast. The weekends always do. Friday David stayed home to clean the garage. He put all of Hayden's baby stuff in the attic. I am glad that I wasn't home to help. I like to get out Hayden's baby clothes and think back when he could wear them. It brings back so many memories...a lot of first. I am know many first await us like first day of Kindergarten, first t-ball game, first time to write his name, etc. We spent Friday afternoon playing t-ball outside. Hayden had a hard time catching with a glove...We need to practice!! On Saturday, we cleaned the house...Man I forget how dirty it can get. We try to pick up every night. We usually don't have time to mop and vacuum so it gets pushed to Saturdays. Hayden hates it. He has to sort all of his toys and put them in the correct tub. If it was up to him all of his toys would be mixed together and he wouldn't find anything. Saturday afternoon Emily and I went to the mall. I had a great time. It was a lot of fun to get out of the house with out any kids. We could catch up and have a conversation without anybody interrupting. I guess I need to do that more often. I find it hard to make time for myself. I feel guilty because that time should be spent with Hayden. Hayden was taking a nap so it wasn't so bad. Today we went and spent time with family. I love the fact that we have family near. It is so nice. Hayden is beginning to build relationships with his grandparents. I found these pictures on my Iphone. Enjoy!!



When I was doing grades this morning he was eating. He said look mom. He had to stick a few pretzels up his nose for me to get a decent picture but it was pretty funny.

Mini Me

The last week or so Hayden has been a little Mini Me. Whenever David or I do something he does the exact same thing. David has been subbing in Baytown so I pack lunches for us. Hayden decided he needed a lunch (he was going to pack it). He put fruit, yogurt, cheese, juice in it (he begged for a sandwich and a lemon). I said no to both because he eats at school. He has been into putting deodorant on. One night this week I caught him in the bathroom with David's deodorant and it was every where. He had the stuff in the sink, his nails, shirt, on his shoulders. When I looked at the deodorant it had holes in it. His response to the mess was, I was trying to be like daddy :) I think Hayden pays attention more then we give him credit for. When I work on school work he has to been there "working" too. The weather has been so nice here. I think this weekend we will take a trip to the park. Hayden hates to write his name so I have been trying to get him to draw pictures. When I ask him to write his name, he makes a huge H and then an a. That is all he really likes to write. I think we are going to write letters to family. He loves to get mail so it will be a win win for him. Hayden has show and tell on Fridays. Every morning he asks "Is it Friday"? I say no and then he asks "How many days until Friday"? Tonight he took out two toys he wanted to show his friends.

Happy Birthday David

This weekend came and went so fast. On Saturday I went to a training about how poverty effects the brain. I learned a lot of neat stuff. I can't believe all the things that a kid in poverty will face by the time they are 5. The thing that caught me off guard the most was that toddlers from middle and upper class used more words when talking to their parents than a mother in poverty used in talking to their own child CRAZY!!! I can't imagine only saying a handful of words a day to Hayden. We are constantly talking to him. Kids in poverty usually have underdeveloped brains so I learned ways to help these students. It was also neat to see how I can challenge Hayden. I loved all of the facts. Hayden got to spend the day with David. Hayden loved every minute of it. I guess that they played a lot because Hayden kept asking me to play games. (David and him make up games and then Hayden corrects me when I don't play it right). Hayden loves building a fort with blankets and pillows. Then when its built you have to tell stories when you are inside of the fort. We did that last night until I fell asleep. Today I made breakfast. We had waffles from scratch, homemade blueberry syrup, and bacon. (The waffles were terrible. If you know a decent recipe let me know). Hayden and I went to the grocery store. When I got home I made David a cake for his birthday party. We went to Chuy's with his family. We had a good time. David told me when we got home that his cake was really good. It was a Heath cake. I made a Hershey chocolate cake then added Heath chips. Baked it then added Heath chips to the top. Baked a few minutes longer, once it cooled made chocolate icing and then iced it. David topped it with crushed up Heath bars. It was very rich and chocolaty but good. Hayden has a cough and a runny nose. David is going to take him to the doctor in the morning. Hayden was begging to go tonight. For awhile we have been buying Hayden cars from the Cars movie. He informed David that he now has 5 cars. Then proceed to list the cars he had. He was so cute because he was being so serious and matter of fact.

Valentine's Day

The past few days flew by fast. I can't really remember what we did or if anything exciting happened. I do know that Hayden has been on NO BAD word kick. I guess it is a good thing. Every time we say a bad word he catches us. Tonight I said 3 words in two hours they include crap, stupid, and freaking. David informed me that he hasn't said one. Hayden helped me make dinner tonight. We had homemade pizza. Hayden helped me sprinkled the cheese and put some pepperoni on. Hayden was putting the pepperoni on and then picked up some cheese (to eat). He then covered the hole with pepperoni. I guess he didn't want me to know he ate the cheese. I spent last night getting things ready for Hayden's and my Valentine's party. Hayden wanted to bring sandwiches. So we cut ham, cheese, and bread into hearts. He loved it. He ate a lot of the food. I did most of the cutting. Then we made sugar cookies. Hayden loves using the cookie cutter. Hayden is so excited about Valentines. He wants to give his friends their cards. He was so cute. He picked out the card for each kid. I had a list I was reading and I would say a name. He would tell me all of his classmates last name. If I would say a name wrong he corrected me. He is a smart kid. I have been looking into a few private schools for him. We aren't sure what we are going to do for next year. I want him to be challenged but I think when he goes to Kindergarten he might be bored. I hate that he has an October birthday. He will almost be 6 before he starts. He learns thing really fast. He already knows what I teach the first semester of Kindergarten. I am going to load a video of him dancing this weekend. He learned it from watching the super bowl.

Busy

This weekend flew by fast. We spent Saturday morning celebrating David's grandmothers birthday. We went out to eat and had a buffet. I think that was Hayden's first buffet that he was old enough to decide what he wanted. He loved the dessert and fruit. He was eating watermelon by the rind. I guess he has never seen it with the rind on. I usually cut it up in pieces. We spent the rest of the afternoon cleaning the house. We convinced Hayden to give his guinea pig to a neighbor kid. (The guinea pig made a huge mess. Every time we vacuumed we had to move all of the furniture to pick up all of the bedding). The only way he would consider the deal was to get another animal. We agreed on a fish. We went and he picked it out. He hasn't decided on a name yet. He was so cute. He was carrying the fish around the store. Walking really slow so he didn't drop it.


Hayden is kissing his fish!


On Sunday we went to see my mom. She bought Hayden a pair of handcuffs so he has be "arresting" David and I. He gets so into it. He loves for us to put him in "jail". The handcuffs are to big so he gets out really quick. On Sunday night we watched the big game. Hayden loved the half time show. He was so intrigued by the dancing and the music.

WOW

We have been hearing about the terrible snow storm and arctic blast that happened to several states. Well it came to Houston. On Thursday I got out of school two hours early. So I picked up Hayden we had to run some errands (to prepare for this event). I went to the grocery store picked up some necessities. While we were there Hayden was dying to get some silly putty, so I agreed. That stuff has been everywhere. I am pretty sure that it is gone now. When he first opened it he would stretch it out and these tiny strings would get everywhere. So then he had a brilliant idea. He would make it flat like a pancake (Hayden's words) and stick it to his forehead. (Mind you we were out shopping and he had the huge flat thing stuck to his head. When we left the store he had to put his hat on. Of course he thought his hat could just go over it. Well it did but the putty came off his head and now was stuck to his hat). Once we got home he was in tears because he could no longer play with it. So I did my best to remove the putty from his hat. He then made the putty stick all over his face. Around 7 on Friday morning he came to watch cartoons in bed with me. When he was laying next to me I was talking to him and I noticed the patches all over his face. I forgot all about the putty. I mean that kid is creative. He has officially stuck the stuff to every surface. (including toys and clothes) He eventually lost the stuff. I am still finding bits and pieces everywhere (pillows, blankets, walls, floor, in the dogs hair...) So now back to the storm. I was watching the news every time it was on. I was pretty sure it was going to snow. I mean 2-4 inches.....RIGHT!!! I went to bed after the 10:30 news. Set my alarm clock for 12,2,4,and 6. (I got clothes set out so when it started to snow we could all get dressed and play in it). I am so disappointed I didn't even see rain when I woke up. I opened the blind in our room and I would check there first. When I didn't see anything I opened the back door. When I got out of bed all I saw was ice. ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!! NO SNOW!!! I was so convinced with all the accurate weather reports. We did get a snow day but we have a day set up to make it up. So a snow day with no snow. David and I did researched how to make snow. So maybe when it gets could enough (either this year or next) we will make it so we all can play in it. Hayden will get to see and make a snow angel. Dale and Sara this is for you Hayden was convinced that he could stay how from school 3 days in a row. Just like his Aunt and Uncle did. So maybe you could freeze Hayden a snow ball and save it for him!!!

100th Day

So yesterday was the 100th day of school for us. We had a blast. It is hard to imagine that 100 days ago was the 1st day of Kindergarten. My kiddos have come a long way. I can't believe that we only have 77 days of school left. The year is flying by. We did lots of crafts and ate a ton of snacks. We spent the majority of the day counting. Today was a crazy day for me. My school lost power 3 times and the water was off the last hour or so. My classroom doesn't have a window so it is pitch black. I had one tiny flashlight. Tomorrow because of the weather we are getting out of school 2 hours earlier. I hope that gets me home in time before all the raining (snow/sleet) starts. Hayden is dying to make snow angles. No idea how he knows what a snow angel is but he makes them on the carpet in the living room. It is too cute!! He wants to see snow. He is dying to go visit papa Dale. Hayden loves to read at night so every night we read 2 or 3 books before he goes to sleep. We have been reading How Does a Dinosaur Get Well Soon. (if you haven't heard of these books they are about what dinosaurs do not do like don't take their medicine, throw tissues on the floor, won't open their mouth at the doctors etc. They have a few about different things). We have read it every night for about 2 weeks now. So this morning he brought me this book when I was getting ready. I thought he was going to ask me to read it, but he didn't. He read the book. (I am guessing he either memorized or used the pictures). I don't really care that he didn't "read" it. You want them to get the idea of how to read. That the print contains a message. I do make him read some words like I, a, no, and dinosaur. He is catching on to things and asks why about 50 times a day. I am now making him figure out why. Today he asked why do I have to wear my jacket and hat. I said why do you think you have to. He said because it is freezing outside. I want him to be able to problem solve. Yesterday was the day to sign up for t-ball. I called Monday afternoon to see what time they closed. (so I could run by there after work). The girl on the phone said they are usually full by noon. So we asked Mimi and Pop if they could sign him up. They did...Thanks!!! So his first game will be on March 26th. He will have practice for an hour once a week. I am glad it is nothing crazy. He will be able to have fun. We need to find him a decent bat. He uses a plastic ball and bat. I think we need to use a real one.