Thank You !

I want to give a giant THANK YOU to my readers today.  I found out this morning that I won the first round of the Crafterbowl.   I could not do it without my wonderful followers.  Thank you for all your continued support.

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One Last Request

Today is the last day of voting for my round  in the Crafterbowl.  I entered the tulle headband and necklace Kara is wearing in her most recent pictures.  She loved them,  and wore them to school on Valentines Day.   Amie posted on her blog today that the voting is really close. If you have not voted yet, I would love to have you vote for me.  Thanks so much!!  

Vote HERE on Pinkapotamus  

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Kids Fun Times Two

I am so excited to share an idea I had this weekend. We will be starting two new series of weekly posts for kids, by kids.

As you have read this week, I went on a grocery shopping with my son, who is now known as the "Food Police".   Using the information he heard in health class, he is  on a mission to change our family eating habits.    I had him go to the store with me so he could see the actual prices of food, and that grocery shopping isn't randomly throwing high price  items in the cart.  I shared with him how we need to make healthy choices, but also stay on a budget.   I have been getting a lot of positive responses from my friends and family about our  shopping adventure, and his health tips.  Then I realized, I might be onto something.   While Kyle is on this health kick, he can help pick healthy recipes for our family using items that are on sale for the week.    Once a week I will be featuring a Cooking with Kyle recipe/ tutorial. It will be a healthy, budget friendly, AND kid friendly recipe for those picky eaters.

Long time followers might remember two kid craft features that Kara has shared on the blog.   In August, she showed how to make her clay creations,  a penguin, and an Angry Bird.  I also featured some of her doll clothes she made for her stuffed animals. She loves crafting, and will be sharing crafts for kids in her series,  Crafting with Kara. 


The kids are  excited about their new adventures.  Look forward to their first in both their series to be posted soon.

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Shopping with the "Food Police"

This is my son, A.K.A. "The Food Police."  He is currently taking a health class in school, and is learning about nutrition.  Until just recently, he didn't really care about what he ate.  This past week, however, things have suddenly changed.  Now is he worried about trans fats, sodium, and his cholesterol.  While I am all for being healthy, his sudden change in eating habits is actually kind of annoying.  Yesterday, I poured myself a glass of pop to drink and was told I shouldn't drink it because it is full of sugar and sodium. I want to enjoy my pop, not be lectured by my son, thank you very much.   Today we had a day off of school for winter break.  I decided that he should come along with me to the grocery store, because he wanted me to buy a long list of "healthy" items.  The only problem with his long list, we try to stay on a grocery budget, and his list would definitely break that budget.  I wanted him to see how to expensive food prices really are, and also have him  help pick out the healthy foods.  There have been many weeks that I have had to throw out produce, because it sat mostly untouched by picky kids.

He takes a packed lunch to school everyday. One of the items he likes in his lunch is a pudding cup.  Here he compares the labels between fat free Meijer pudding, and another brand of regular pudding.  After much thought, he went with the fat free.

One of his favorite foods "was" Hot Pockets four meat, four cheese pizza.  He informed me that he is no longer going to eat them anymore. (we will see how long that lasts) Here he  is looking at the back of the box and telling me how unhealthy it was.

Shopping took a bit longer today  than it normally does.  I ran into a friend I had not seen in awhile.  Then he constantly stopped and read the labels.  Add to that, my coupons were not organized, so it took me longer to find what I needed.  He started to get impatient about halfway through the shopping trip, but we finally finished the task.

He was surprised how quickly the price of our groceries added up.  I brought along a calculator to show him.  I told him what the budget was, and showed him how much we were over before coupons. I also showed him how to chose between two items when one was on sale and very similar in nutritional value to the other one.  I think he now understands that grocery shopping for me each week,  is not just throwing random items in the cart.

I was hoping he would unload the cart for me, but right after I took the picture above, he got mad and jumped in the car. He was mad that I was taking pictures of him instead of helping unload.  He had reached his limit. Two hours of grocery shopping for a kid with Aspergers is like an eternity.  I quickly got the food into the car, and on the way home I found out the following things.

The 3 things he learned while shopping, according to him.
1. Grocery shopping takes way too long.
2. Grocery shopping makes his feet hurt. He whined about it constantly.
3. Grocery shopping is BORING!

His 5 Top Tips to be  healthy

5. Be sure to look at the labels on the food.  A lot is not as healthy as we think.
4. Eat whole grain breads, they are healthier than white.
3. Add more fruits and vegetables to your diet.
2. A balanced diet and exercise daily, will help keep you healthy
1. His most important tip..  Stay away from foods that have high fructose corn syrup and are hydrogenated. .

Since I had no idea what hydrogenated really was...   this is what he told me..
"When something is hydrogenated, it mean that extra hydrogen was added.  It helps the product last longer, but it  is also a man made trans fat, and not good for you."   It's weird learning that from your 12 year old.

The healthy items that were in our cart.

The small "healthier" choices he made today.  He asked for 1% milk instead of 2%.  He chose a lite syrup to eat on his waffles.  Instead of taking chips in his lunch box, he now wants tortilla chips and salsa.  He also switched to fat free pudding, instead of  the regular version.

The items he told me that I shouldn't buy, but I did anyway.  He says he will not eat any of the cinnamon rolls because it has some hydrogenated oil. They were on sale and I had coupons, and the rest of the family loves them.  The cereals have too much sugar for him. (he rarely eats cereal anyway) and of course my  pop.  He informed me that he doesn't mind if I drink it, but he doesn't want any.. Fine with me!

.I have a feeling he might not go shopping with me again, for a long time.  

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New Hormel Coupons

• 

$1.00 off 1 HORMEL Refrigerated Entree
$0.55 off 2 HORMEL Chili products
$1.00 off HORMEL™ COUNTRY CROCK side
$1.00 off HORMEL ALWAYS TENDER meat
$1.00 off 2 HORMEL COMPLEATS kids meals
$1.00 off HORMEL COMPLEATS microwave meals
$0.55 off two HORMEL Pepperoni packages 

I guess you can say I am on a coupon kick this morning.  I am just about to go grocery shopping with the food police.  I know I will be using some of these wonderful Hormel coupons today at Meijer.   Some Hormel products are on sale this week, so with these coupons and the MPerks coupons,  it should be an excellent deal.  

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Sunday Paper Coupons

The Sunday Coupon Preview has this upcoming coupons up.  See what coupons to expect this coming weekend, to plan your shopping lists.

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Why I Dislike Health Class

My son who has Aspergers, is taking health this quarter.  It is a required class for his grade, and I don't really mind that he is taking it.   He is learning to become a healthier person, which is a good thing.  The thing that I find really annoying though, is he has turned into the food police overnight. My pizza roll loving, didn't care what I bought child, is now worried about trans fats, sodium, and his cholesterol level. He is reading labels to look for anything hydrogenated.   Just now, he was looking a light vinaigrette we have in our fridge, and freaked out because white wine one of the trace ingredients. He told me I had to be careful if  I used it.  I do admit that I  drink a glass or two of pop from time to time. (okay... daily!)   When I poured myself a small glass, he informed me I shouldn't drink it because it was full of sugar and sodium. I told him in a nice way that I didn't care.  I was going to drink my glass of pop, and enjoy  it.  I try to eat relatively healthy.  I don't drink or smoke, so he could not take my pop away. It's not like I am drinking several cans a day, just a small cup or two.  Today he told me he wants me to buy  a lot more produce and whole grain breads.  I informed him that he better eat these items if I buy them, because usually  I have to throw away some of that produce, because he didn't help eat it. I also told him that I agree that whole grain bread is best, but if it is $3 a loaf, and another type of healthy bread can be bought for under $1 a loaf, I am going to pick the one that is in the budget.  One good thing I can see coming out of this, is he is going to go to the grocery store with me tomorrow.  He can pick out the healthy items he wants to eat, and I can teach him how to grocery shop on a budget.

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Why So Quiet?

You may have noticed things have been quiet on my blog for a couple of days.  It's been a few days of Dr. appointments and just catching up.     Kara is still having a lot of pain.   She was home Monday and today. She went into school Tuesday and Wednesday, but not the entire day.  Because she was in too much pain to ride the bus, I have been  driving her to school  and picking up her at the end of the day.   If you read my "Getting Back to Normal" post, you know that I had quite a few things to catch up on.   I am happy to say there have been some updates..

The laundry pile, well that is still too big.. I think I have only done 2 or 3 loads this week

The cats are no longer following me around.  I bought them food a few days, ago, and their bellies are full

Going to school a couple of days this week, my daughter did catch up on some of her missed work

The Dr. appointments went well.   My son does not have any cavities. Yea!    My moles look good, and I am cleared until next year.  The spot on my foot is also okay.  Nothing has to be cut out our removed, and I am fine with that!

Now if only I can get my shopping list and coupons in order,  I have not been to the store in 11 days other than a quick milk and bread run.   I plan on going tomorrow and will hopefully be posting Meijer deals again.

At least things are starting to feel a little bit  back to "normal".

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Crafterbowl is LIVE

Please VOTE for me in this week's Crafterbowl  at  Pinkapotamus !  Voting just went live and the winner will be announced on Monday.

Vote HERE

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Getting Back to Normal

What is normal?  I am not sure if I have ever been "normal",  but I am ready to get back to our regular routines, and have the feeling of being mostly caught up again.   Between sick kids, and hospital visits, life around here has been a little more chaotic than "normal" lately.

The laundry pile is has become a bit larger than "normal" because I have not really had time to mess with it

We have been running out of milk faster than "normal" because I have not had the chance to get to the store

The cats have been following me around more than "normal", because we ran out of cat food yesterday, and they want me to feed them NOW. (I will pick it up today when I pick up more milk)

Homework has been piling up more than "normal" because my poor daughter has missed 8+ days in the last two weeks because of her illness and hospital l visits

We have a few extra appointments this week. I am hoping that the results are "normal".  I hope at my son's dentist appointment today he does not have a cavity, and I hope my dermatologist tells me that my moles and whatever that is one foot are "normal". (I have had to have many moles removed in the past)

We have a much needed winter break from school coming up when we will have 4 day weekend.. Ahhhh..  Maybe that is just what we need to get back to  "normal"

                  Happy Valentine's Day from my "normal" 10 yr old giving some attitude.

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Tulle Headband and Necklace

When Amie mentioned the the first contest was going to be a tulle project for Valentine's Day, I immediately thought of my  youngest daughter.  She loves to wear all types of accessories, so why not try and make something that she could wear this Feb 14th.

I used dollar store headbands, and white tulle rolls from the wedding section.  I bought the red and pink tulle for 40% off at JoAnns.

I used the white tulle and wrapped it around the plastic headband until it was nicely padded.

Using the colored tulle, I made tulle roses.  I cut off a piece that was about 18 inches long and 1 inch wide.  I gathers on side and then rolled it into the flower shape.  Depending on how you stitch them you can make them a loose flower  like the pink, or a  tight  flower like the red.

I stitched a few loose flowers onto the headband.

I made the necklace by folding  a 12 inch piece of white tulle around a long  piece of red organdy ribbon. I then stitched it  with a slip stitch on one side to keep the ribbon in place.  I found the glitter heart ornament  for 50% off at JoAnns. I thought it was the perfect size for a pendant. and stitched to the back of the ribbon.   Kara requested that I add one of the red roses as well, which make a nice touch.  I then tied the necklace on her with the ribbon.

The color of the tulle can easily be changed to wear these any time of the year. I already have request for a blue one.

To vote for my craft in the Crafterbowl at Pinkapotamus, click HERE. Thanks for voting!

See where I like party HERE

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Chocolate Heart Box

I had a post planned tonight.  I tried something new for dinner and had a thumbs up from everyone.  I went to download my pics and my camera USB cord broke. UGH! I hate when that happens. Now all of my pictures are stuck in my camera. I am going to try and find a new cord tomorrow and will be posting that post soon.

When I saw this super sweet chocolate heart box from Hungry Happenings, I knew it would be the perfect thing to post about instead.   I really enjoy the blog Hungry Happenings.  Beth's ideas are always fun and original.  How about making a chocolate heart box to share with someone for Valentine's Day. You can, with her awesome tutorial on her site.  Be sure to check it out here.

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The Dance That Almost Wasn't

With everything going on today, I only took two very quick photos before she left for the dance. When she got home from the E.R. she had only 20 minutes to get ready before their dinner reservation. (her hair was curled, because she wore her  curlers all day at the hospital)   This photo  was taken after dinner, but before I drove them to the dance. We were in a hurry because the dance had already started when they were still at dinner.   It was her dad's idea for me to drop them off at the front door, so she didn't have to have long walk through the high school parking lot.  After dropping them off, I ran to Target to pick up a couple of things.  She was only there about 30-40 minutes when I got the call to come back and pick them up. She was worn out, and he was hoping to get her out of there before everyone else was ready to leave. Our local dance is one of the biggest in the area with hundreds of girls and daddy's attending.

We had made a nice boutonniere, but since I had not had time to look for a corsage pin, he couldn't actually wear it.

I took this photo once she got home from the dance.  I wanted to show her adorable dress I found on clearance at Kohls for only $12!

Notice anything interesting in this picture?  She is still wearing her hospital band.  We forgot to take it off before she left! Oops! You can also see the band aid where her IV was today.

Here is a picture of the corsage, she almost didn't get to wear.  We wanted to get a close up picture of her wearing it before she changed out of her dress.

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Oops, it happened again!

I am not sure if you can tell what is going on in this picture.  Last night I heard something that sounded like someone was trapped,  and trying to get out. It  seems something was trapped.   This time it was our large male cat that somehow  managed to get himself in a jam.  He is an extremely smart kitty.  (not saying my other cat isn't, but I think he is more so.. LOL)  Within a couple of minutes, he had figured out how to get out on his own.  No holes in the couch required.   (if you have no idea what I am talking about, read this post on what to do with a hole in your couch.

He moved too fast to catch his face.    Here he is climbing out on his own.

Here he is after the ordeal, a free kitty.  Hopefully another lesson learned.  

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Back in the E.R.

Wow what a couple of days we have had.   This morning, my daughter had showered and we had just put in her curlers for tonight's Daddy-Daughter dance.  She went downstairs, and  a few minutes later I heard her scream.  She had been arguing over the Wii with her brother, and somehow fell and hit her belly area.  She claims she was pushed, he claims that he accidently bumped her when they were both trying to get the Wii first.  When you have mono, you need to be very careful because it is very easy to rupture your spleen.  I immediately came downstairs and found her in the fetal position, holding her belly, and crying in pain.   I helped her to the couch for a minute.  It was one of those, what should I do moments.  Was this another E.R. worthy injury?  Is it just a temporary pain that will subside in a few minutes?  Seeing the pain in her eyes, her dad and I felt this was an E.R. moment.   A ruptured spleen could be life threatening.  The local freestanding E.R. was not that far, and only about 10 minutes away.  We decided to go ahead and go there.  She got into a room rather quickly, and within 1 hour of falling was already having a cat scan. She also had her 3rd I.V. bag and shot of morphine  in 12 days.   Our local E.R. was a busy place today too.  We were told by her nurse, that the results appeared to be okay and that we should hear from the Dr. soon.  A few hours later, we were told that they wanted to a urine test before she could be released, and we still had not heard from the Dr.. Another hour after that,  we were finally given the word.  The cat scan showed that her spleen was still in one piece,  and that it had actually no longer looked swollen from the mono.  The Dr. told me then that she was really worried when we first came in that it actually was ruptured. We were told we definitely made the right decision bringing her in.  Kara is  still a little sore, so most likely she bumped  it or hit a muscle.  We are to go back to the E.R. if the pain worsens, or doesn't go away in a 12-24 hours.   Since she already had her dress and shoes, and her daddy already had her corsage and dinner  reservations, she is still going to get to go on the date with her daddy. She has been looking forward to this day for weeks.   She is only going to go to the dance to have her photo taken, eat  her dessert and get her goody bag.  I am going to drive them, and drop her directly at the door, so she does not have to walk through a large parking lot.  This year's dance is definitely going to be a memorable one.

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