Can of worms...

So, the kids recently went in for their annual physical and this opened a huge can of worms. That saying really makes no sense. A can of worms? Anyways! So, Ryanne had an irregular heart beat. This led to multiple trips to the hospital for testing only to find out that her irregular heart beat is actually her normal beat. I always tell my kids to be different and stand out but this wasn't exactly what I had in mind. Hehe!

Finally, there is Collin. The doctor thought he had sensory integration so he referred him to an occupational therapist where it was confirmed that Collin has Sensory Processing Disorder, specifically he is a sensory seeker. This means he is constantly craving sensory stimulation which is why he is always moving. For a year or so the doctor has suspected it was ADHD but this was confirmed to be false. It's all part of the SPD. We have also discovered he has poor fine motor skills and all his muscles are developed which means he is going to be evaluated by a physical therapist this week. So, we have extra exercises and therapies and tools to use throughout the week to help things go better. School is already easier. Oh! That's another thing. She said Collin would not function well in a regular brick and mortar school so home educating is the best thing we could have done for him. So, yay that we made the right choice there. ;)

Well, now you know what came of the kids' well child appointments. ;)

Mother daughter date

Ryanne and I have been having a lot of girl days. Recently she and I went out for a "fancy" dinner and ballet of Alice in Wonderland. The dinner was fancy b/c it was a nice little restaurant where the food was so expensive that Ryanne and I split our food and it still cost us $37. Ack! She LOVED it! Sh zoned out during the ballet and was so focused on it that she hardly spoke. Those of you who know Ryanne know how rare this is.

Thrift shopping!

So, yesterday Paul went off with a friend and Collin was at TaeKwonDo day camp so Ryanne and I had the whole day of just the two of us. Now, before I say what we did, let me explain that Ryanne had just gotten hand me downs from two people, so much that she split it with her cousin. So, Ryanne and I went shopping for clothes for Collin and me. I was down to two pair of pants that did not have holes in inappropriate places... Hehe! So, I spent a lot of money... Grand total of $48 on everything pictured below. While that was a lot of money, not bad for what we got. I even got Ryanne a jump rope, Collin a rubber snake, and both of them a bag of crayons. I also got myself a pair of boots and then all the clothes pictured.

Build and Grow

We have recently discovered a new family activity, the Build and Grown workshop offered at Lowe's. We have only been twice but it was awesome each time. The best thing is that it is absolutely FREE! Yay! I love free. The kids get the supplies to build something, all children are given an apron the first time, they are given a patch for each item built and then the kids get a snack on top of all that. Normally it's a juice box and a bag of chips so not the healthiest thing but still really nice of them and it's a nice treat for my kids.

From scratch

So, we have decided to try and cut out all processed food and artificial flavors/colors. Below are some pics of some of the things I have been making, yogurt, granola bars, cheese crackers, cookies, bread, crackers and veggie chips. It's been fun finding and trying different snacks. Our refrigerator is always full of fresh produce though. Storing leftovers gets a bit tricky. ;)

Tents....

So, I realized I have gotten very behind on the blog so I will be catching up today. We have been building tents and towers a lot in the living room. Here is a double for the kids made. :)

Steals and Deals for Janary

Remember, I allotted $30/month for random spending as well. Hopefully I'll gradually get better and better at this. So, first month of thrift shopping and searching out deals.. I also included freebies I got in this. :)


*6 baskets for my pantry - $6 (I looked these up online... from Walmart these 6 would have cost me $20.68.)

*2 pair of jeans for the kids - $5

*a new e-book $9 (I know!! I cheated! This one wasn't at a thrift store.)

So, since we got rid of our dining room table and built the bar, I realized there is just not enough room for us to do school projects. So, I decided I needed a coffee table for the kids to sit on the floor with. It's short enough that I won't feel claustrophobic and take up little space. I thought I could also paint the top with chalkboard paint so they can color on it with chalk as well. Fun!! So, I was checking out the local thrift shops and everything looked cheap. They were just poorly made and I couldn't convince myself to spend the money they were asking on it. Then, when I was speaking to someone about this they happened to have a coffee table in their storage shed they weren't using so they gave it to me with permission to sand and paint it.

So... I did.... I spent no extra money on the paint because I used paint I already had at home for other projects and my hubby owns an electric sander so... yay!! I have a can of chalkboard paint as well, I just need to tape it and spray the middle part of it and it'll be complete! YAY! But, art is today so I thought we'd use the table and then I'll pain it :)

Here is something else I got into... freebies! Did you know that companies are constantly giving away stuff as a marketing scheme. Genius! So, I've been signing up for freebies everywhere. Since I am hypoglycemic, I try to keep a protein bar or something in my purse. Guess what was a freebie this month? Yeapers!

I was at a thrift shop with a friend and I saw a wok. My hubby has been wanting a wok for years. She told me not to buy it because she had one she and her husband had been debating getting rid of so.... I have a new wok now that was free as well. It even has a lid which the one from the thrift shop did not have. Woot!

BEST DEAL AT THE GROCERY STORE THIS MONTH:

These normally sell for $3.99. They were on sale for $1 each and then I had a coupon so I bought 4 of them for $2. And, yes, I normally make my own but Paul doesn't so these are for him. That's a savings of $13.96. YAY!! :)

At the end of the month, I still have $8 left from my thrift store fun... savings! :) YAY!!

My goal for January was to keep groceries under $500(This includes toiletries, all dog/cat foods, cleaning supplies, everything that comes out of a grocery store). That is $4 per person per day of the month to eat off of. I know others who do better but $4/day sounded pretty good. Especially after seeing that on The Biggest Loser they called "frugal living" being $10/day/person. That even included fresh fruits and veggies from the local coop. Yay. So.... our total grocery spending for the month of January was....$431. Yay!! This ended up being an average of $3.40 per person per day. :) So... yay!! I'll get better. I will. Just be patient with me. =o)