Jenny's Jottings

Catching Up

2012-01-24T08:13:00.006-06:00

In the last month or so we:
Took the wagon to get a Christmas tree at the corner gas station

Watched Remy sing Christmas songs at preschool

Celebrated Ollie's third birthday with cake and a new Guess Who game

Old Guess Who pieces--drawed on, missing pieces, bent up

New pieces--all pieces accounted for

Went sledding in the backyard

Watched Jackson play basketball

Made French bread

Photography Challenge Week 20: Self-Portrait

2011-12-15T10:24:00.003-06:00

It's already the last week of Laura Beth's Photography Challenge at A Step in the Journey! The theme this week is self-portrait. I thought about using this photo of my shadow that I didn't notice until I looked at the picture:

but instead I played around with taking my picture in a Christmas ornament.

Thanks to Laura Beth for hosting the Photography Challenge. I've learned more about my camera, but have much more to learn. I may have to search for a new challenge to join!

Photography Challenge Week 19: From a Distance

2011-12-09T09:33:00.005-06:00

Three weeks since my last blog post? Time to get back to it with a photography challenge post with photos taken from a distance. When I went Christmas shopping last weekend, I left the kids home with Barry. It's about an hour's drive to good shopping, and there are dozens of photographic opportunities between here and there. Like Minnesota landmark Split Rock Lighthouse:

We often see ore ships on Lake Superior. This ship was anchored by Duluth when I was heading back home again:

The sun was setting:

And the moon was out (love the color of the sky here!):

See more photographs taken from a distance at A Step in the Journey.

Photography Challenge Week 17: Someone You Love

2011-11-17T09:30:00.007-06:00

I can't pick just one person I love for this week's photography challenge, so I have photos of all my kids this week. On Saturday, we went outside for a "photo shoot," so I have a bunch of pictures to pick from for creating Christmas cards. I snapped over 350 photos. As I'm typing this, there's snow on the ground, so I'm glad we were out last weekend when we could still play in the leaves!

Jackson, 12

Raina, 7

Remy, 4

Ollie, 2 (soon to be 3!)

See more photographs at A Step in the Journey.

Backyard Football

2011-11-16T09:12:00.003-06:00

Who knew that Jackson could kick so high?

Photography Challenge Week 16: Something You Made

2011-11-11T20:38:00.003-06:00

This week's photography challenge was something you made. My husband and I have been experimenting with making bread on the weekend, and this week we made Cinnamon Raisin Bread. It smelled heavenly while it was baking, and I was pleased with how it turned out. One loaf I put a glaze on top; the second I left plain.

See more things that people made at A Step in the Journey.

Busy Week

2011-11-11T20:29:00.003-06:00

We had a busy week last week with Halloween, a choir concert and a band concert making for a few late nights.

When we got to Friday and went to Duluth to run a few errands, the little boys just couldn't stay awake.

They even missed the colorful sunset on the way down.

Photography Challenge Week 15: Your Shoes

2011-11-03T08:17:00.005-05:00

I gotta say, I felt a little silly taking pictures of my shoes for the photography challenge this week! My thought process went something like this:
What would my shoes look like against the sidewalk? I better include these leaves, too.

Or maybe just on the grass would work.

Look, here's some purple clover--is that too distracting?

I don't have a lot of shoes, in fact I think my husband probably has more than I do. I look for shoes that are comfortable and easy to get on and off for running errands, dropping off and picking up kids from school or activities, bringing out trash or recycling, or taking a walk with the family.

See more pictures of SHOES at A Step in the Journey.

Halloween 2011

2011-11-02T14:50:00.005-05:00

Four large pumpkins

Yield a lot of guts

And seeds

Pre-Trick or Treating healthy snack, trying to combat the sugar that was to come

Super Heroes Ms. Marvel, Thor and Captain America ready to go Trick or Treating

Photography Challenge Week 14: Sunset

2011-10-27T08:14:00.005-05:00

This week's photography challenge theme is Sunset. I was trying to remember all week to be aware of when the sun was setting, but most days I didn't remember until it was already dark. The one day I did remember, it had rained earlier and the clouds were pink and orange as the sun was setting.

See more photos of sunsets at A Step in the Journey.

Corn Maze

2011-10-26T15:43:00.002-05:00

We took the kids to a corn maze last weekend. They had fun finding each number (that had a corresponding clue to figure out which way to go) and making their way through the corn.

They worked up an appetite, so we went out for pizza. Winter is around the corner, so we then went to Target because Raina needed new boots and gloves. Jackson also needed new pants, as suddenly most of his were a couple inches too short.

Photography Challenge Week 13: Silhouette

2011-10-20T09:33:00.006-05:00

This week's photography challenge was silhouette, where the subject is lit from behind so it appears dark. This was a tough challenge for me. The best time to get a good silhouette photograph is around sunrise or sunset, so there's a limited time to capture the perfect photo. It was also overcast much of the week, so the lighting wasn't great. I went out in the morning in the middle of getting kids ready for school, so I didn't spend a lot of time on it. Here's what I ended up getting:

I like the color of the sunrise, but not the power lines.

No flash and no tripod makes for a blurry photo.

More blur.

Again, I like the color in this one, but there's too much going on. There's not one thing to focus on.

See more silhouettes at A Step in the Journey.

Fall Colors

2011-10-17T14:50:00.007-05:00

Sadly, the leaves are almost all blown off the trees. But just a short time ago, they were a display of red and gold that Raina and Remy and I saw on a recent hike.

Photography Challenge Week 12: Bokeh

2011-10-13T09:19:00.003-05:00

This week's photography challenge was Bokeh. Bokeh is the blurring of parts of a photograph while the subject is in focus. I went hiking with two of my kids and took this photo of a birch tree with surrounding leaves and trees in the background. I wish I could say I used the camera on manual, but with two energetic kids, I wasn't stopping to try different settings to achieve the bokeh effect. I let the camera do the work for me.

See more photos with Bokeh at A Step in the Journey.

Deer in the Backyard

2011-10-08T16:35:00.003-05:00

This deer came wandering through our backyard at dusk yesterday. We were all outside watching it, as it calmly walked on by.

The pictures aren't great because they were taken with my phone, which doesn't take good low-light pictures.

Photography Challenge Week 11: Orange

2011-10-06T08:08:00.005-05:00

The theme for this week's photography challenge is ORANGE. When I was walking on the trail behind our house, I noticed the orange arrow sign directing ATV's to the curve ahead. I played around with focusing on the sign versus focusing on the branches in front of the sign. This is my favorite:

The branches are in focus, but the orange of the sign is still prominent.

I really like this picture, but there wasn't enough orange showing.

These two I focused first on the sign, and then on the branch to get two different looks.
See more photos with orange at A Step in the Journey.

Amazon Freebies

2011-09-29T09:12:00.003-05:00

I used my Kindle Special Offer for 50% off back to school groceries on this trail mix with almonds, dark chocolate covered almonds and dried cherries (3 bags). Original price around $16, 50% off $8. It's all natural and is a little addictive. I make sure to portion it into a separate snack dish instead of eating it out of the bag.

Jackson needed a scientific calculator for school. This one was around $12. I used gift cards I earned through Swagbucks and other survey sites and only had to pay a little over $1 out of pocket for the trail mix and the calculator.

Photography Challenge Week 10: Hands

2011-09-29T08:04:00.006-05:00

The theme for this week's photography challenge is hands. We were playing outside the other day and my 4-year-old held up a leaf, saying, "Look mom! A fall leaf!" He's been very interested in watching the leaves change color.

Go to A Step in the Journey to see more photos of hands.

Sunday Afternoon Walk

2011-09-26T13:37:00.004-05:00

A sunny Sunday afternoon is the perfect time for a family walk. We took a walk on a trail near our house. The kids tend to walk (or run) ahead, so I just took pictures of the natural surroundings along the way.

Rocky Taconite greets visitors

Overgrown Tomato Plant

2011-09-26T13:19:00.003-05:00

This tomato plant was nice and healthy back at the beginning of July.

By the end of July it had grown quite a bit.

By September, it had grown so big the tomato cage could no longer hold it up.

We enjoyed the bell pepper from the nearby plant on our homemade pizza the other night. I'm not sure if the tomatoes will ripen before frost sets in for good.

Photography Challenge Week 9: A Mess

2011-09-22T09:07:00.003-05:00

This week's photography challenge was to photograph a mess. There is certainly no shortage of messes in this house! Look no further than the kids' bedrooms and you'd know what I'm talking about. However, I won't be sharing those messes with the blog world.
One thing I love about fall and the cooler weather is I pick up crocheting after taking a break over the summer. I've been trying to think of a better way to organize my yarn, but for now they're in canvas bins like this:

At least it's a colorful mess! See more messes at A Step in the Journey.

Photography Challenge Week 8: Black and White

2011-09-15T08:55:00.004-05:00

The photography challenge for this week is Black and White. I didn't go traditional with this one by taking (or editing) a photo in black and white. Instead I focused on the contrast between the black night sky and the bright moon. I'm still not venturing outside of the auto settings on the camera, but I am beginning to understand a little more about how it works.
I set the camera flash to off and snapped my first picture of the moon:

Oops, my hand wasn't steady enough for the several seconds the camera needed me to be. I didn't want to get the tripod out, so instead I put the camera on top of a car. Then I could hold down the button while the camera stayed steady.

Laura Beth at A Step in the Journey has posted a guide this week from PictureCorrect.com on How to Take Pictures in Low Light. This guide describes much better than I could how aperture, shutter speed, and ISO affect how photos turn out.

See more black and white photos at Laura Beth's site!

DIY Desk Redo

2011-09-12T13:10:00.007-05:00

While doing the Couch to 5K this summer, I took notice of neighbors leaving things on their curb that they no longer wanted. I got some vinyl blinds for the living room that were almost brand new (dated Home Depot 2009). They're a big improvement over the sheer white curtains that were there.
Shortly after I found the blinds, I found a small roll top desk. After I got back from my run and showered, I hurried back to snatch it up before someone else had a chance to take it. I opened the side door of the van, but quickly realized it wouldn't fit. I opened that back and it still wouldn't fit, so I folded down the back seat and wrestled the desk onto it's back on top of the seat. The legs were still sticking out a little too far to shut the door, so I bungeed the door shut and hoped for the best. Good thing I was only a couple blocks from home.

This is what the desk originally looked like:

The roll top was quite damaged, so I removed it completely.

To get it ready for a new look, I tightened up the wingnuts in the corners to make it more sturdy, sanded it down, and primed it.

After sanding

Primed

Then I spray painted it a nice shade of sage green, sanded it down to give it some character and moved it into my bedroom. For primer, paint, and a paintbrush, this redo cost me about $25. If you want to redo some of your own laminate furniture, check out these step-by-step directions at Living with Lindsay.

I should have taken pictures outside before I brought the desk in! The light isn't great inside, and it's hard to find a good angle to take a picture.

By the way, another neighbor doing some remodeling left a toilet on their curb. I decided to NOT take it home with me.

Back to School

2011-09-12T09:18:00.005-05:00

It's that time of year again! No more lazy summer days, back to setting the alarm clock. The kids have gone back to school.
Jackson is in seventh grade and is in a new section of the school building. He switches teachers for all his classes.

Jackson, seventh grade

Jackson, sixth grade

Raina is in second grade and is excited to learn about weather in science.

Raina, second grade

Raina, first grade

Remy started preschool. He'll go Monday and Wednesday from 8:00-11:00. He was excited to start this morning and had no trouble leaving me to go into the classroom.

Remy, preschool (Ollie running in the background--so much energy for first thing in the morning!)

Remy, 3 years old

That leaves Ollie home with me for a few hours a couple times a week. I see book reading and block building in our future.

Ollie, 2 1/2 years old, still in his jammies

Ollie, 1 1/2 years old

Nice to see them getting along so well!

Couch to 5K, The End?

2011-09-08T07:51:00.003-05:00

Last Monday I went back to week 4 of the Couch to 5K with a 3 minute run, 1 1/2 minute walk, 5 minute run, 2 1/2 minute walk and then repeat. It was not too bad! No burning in my calves like the first time I did week 4. I made myself go three times around the circle I run so that I ran extra time after the regular podcast.
I haven't run since then. Life interfered with 7th grade orientation, rainy weather, grocery shopping and car trouble.
So I'm leaving the running behind for now. I'm going to still try to run one day on the weekend to keep it up a little until the weather gets too cold or snowy. Time to dig out the Jillian Michaels DVD's!

Photography Challenge Week 7: What You Wore Today

2011-09-08T07:42:00.004-05:00

The photography challenge this week is what you wore today. My favorite shirts are the Merona T-shirts from Target. They come in an array of colors, are inexpensive, and are long enough to cover everything I want covered. This heather gray tee is one of my current favorites.

To see more of what people are wearing this week, visit A Step in the Journey.

A Few Deals

2011-09-03T15:42:00.004-05:00

I finally hit 40% savings at Super One this week, saving $133.53 in the process. Here are some of the best deals:

Buy Doritos, get FREE Lays ($4.29 for both/$2.15 each)

Knorr pasta and rice sides, 10/$10 plus get FREE Gold'n Plump drumsticks

Nabisco crackers $1.99 when you buy 4, used $1/2 and $0.75/2 coupons=$1.50-$1.62 each

Kashi pita crisps $3.29-$1.50 coupon=$1.79, graham crackers $1.66, Wacky Mac $0.99-$0.40=$0.59

Campbell's chicken noodle and tomato soup, $0.50 each

Box Tops for Education dead $5 off when you buy 10 products:
General Mills cereal $1.99-$1.50/3 coupon=$1.49 each
Betty Crocker supreme brownies $1.99-$0.75/2 coupon=$1.62 each
Pillsbury Sweet Moments $1.99-$1 coupons=$0.99 each

Pillsbury Grands biscuits $1.19-$0.30/2 coupon=$1.04 each

Kraft BBQ sauce $0.99, Country Time $2.77-$2 when you buy 2 Kraft BBQ sauce=$0.77, Planters peanut butter $1.49-$1 coupon =$0.49, Dannon Oikos yogurt FREE with coupon

From Amazon, I have a Kindle with special offers. One offer was 50% off select back-to-school groceries. To get free shipping, my order had to be at least $25. I picked Quaker granola bars, 12 boxes of 8. In addition to the 50% discount, I used the Subscribe and Save option for another 15% discount, a Kraft discount for an additional 10% discount, and another $5 discount that was saved in my account from a previous Kindle special offer. My total was less than $3, which I paid with a gift card earned for doing online surveys. Total out of pocket: $0!

Jump!

2011-09-02T23:46:00.001-05:00

Photography Challenge Week 6: Shoot from a Low Point

2011-08-31T23:04:00.005-05:00

Last week I shared a picture of a zinnia bud. This week, the flower has bloomed into this cheery pink flower:

This week we're shooting from a low point. I'm making a point of only picking photos I take each week for the challenge, even if photos I've taken in the past fit the criteria. Like this photo of an eggplant blossom:

So for this week, I have a view of my daughter looking like a giant as I lay down on the floor looking up at her:

And me looking up at smiley:

Not good lighting, but a cutie none-the-less!

See more photos taken from a low point at A Step in the Journey.

Beyond Couch to 5K, Return to Week 3

2011-08-31T22:53:00.002-05:00

Last week was a return to week three, 1 1/2 minute run then walk, 3 minute run then walk, and repeat.
The first day it felt like I was running up all the hills. I should have run the opposite direction to try to hit the hills during a walking segment.
Day two was tough for some reason. I started out running at a decent speed, but by the end I slowed down and tired out quickly.
Day three I did a long run without walking segments. I think it was my best run yet! I got in the zone, didn't stop or even feel like I needed to stop and felt good the whole way through. Maybe the faster running segments ARE helping!

I'm logging many miles on my tennies this summer!

In the Kitchen

2011-08-31T22:34:00.006-05:00

Now that the weather is finally cooling off a little, I've been spending more time in the kitchen.

I made no-knead bread. This is an Artisan style bread with a crusty outside and a soft middle.

Lots of air bubbles make the bread light.

This is an oatmeal bread.

It worked well for sandwiches and toast.

After being at my parents for the weekend, I brought home extra garden produce. I got nine pints of tomato juice out of the box of tomatoes.

Dad picked lots of cucumbers, and I've done up seven jars of refrigerator pickles.

I'm supposed to wait four days before I can eat them.

I still have many cucumbers left, but I ran out of suitable jars.

I took home three large zucchinis. I made some blueberry zucchini bread and muffins. Yes, a certain four year old tried to sample the bread while it was cooling on the counter. I added the rest of what was shredded to the baked spaghetti we had for supper. I still have two zucchinis left.

Wednesday is dessert night at our house, so I made up some chocolate chips bars--always a favorite!

Photography Challenge Week 5: Shoot from a High Point

2011-08-25T14:14:00.006-05:00

I didn't take photos from high on a mountain or building or even a ladder this week, but I did shoot facing the camera down, from a point higher than the subjects I was shooting. I have three different photos to share this week.

A stump in the back yard. I like that I can see how the stump is beginning to break apart.

The seat of a green metal deck chair. I like how the seat is in focus with the lawn underneath being out of focus.

A zinnia bud. I like the small bit of color surrounded by the green leaves.

See more photos shot from on high at A Step in the Journey.

Beyond Couch to 5K, Return to Week 2

2011-08-24T23:00:00.003-05:00

I returned to week two, with six 90 second runs followed by 2 minute walks.
The first day was hot again, 79 degrees at the end of my run. I added about five minutes of run time at the end of the regular week 2 podcast.
The second day had lower humidity, so it was a little more pleasant to run.
The third day I did a longer run again, but it was not a great running day. I think I stayed up too late the night before, waiting for Barry to get home and caught up in the Internet drama. My knees weren't happy, either.
What I have liked about following along with the podcasts each week is having someone tell me exactly what to do--when to run, when to walk, when it's time to cool down. Now I'm the one making more of those decisions. I'm trying to push myself to run faster (at least faster than I did the first nine weeks of the program) and longer. I don't want to talk myself into walking just a little farther rather than running at the end. It's still a challenge, and it's still not easy. I'm at a strange paradox where on one hand, I don't feel like running, but on the other hand I look forward to it.

Almost home!

Mr. Personality

2011-08-24T22:38:00.005-05:00

Ollie can be quite a funny little guy. His facial expressions show his true feelings.

He can turn a cupboard full of canned goods into building blocks or drums.

I love that he's talking more so I can get a glimpse into what goes on inside his head. Like when we went to the library the other afternoon, and he asked, "Goin' swimming?", no doubt remembering the two days a week we went to swimming lessons earlier in the summer. Or when we went outside to play and he chanted, "Back-yard-Bible-School!" like the kids did every day last week after lunch.

His antics never fail to amuse!

Back Yard Bible School

2011-08-24T22:28:00.004-05:00

The kids learned about some miracles of Jesus last week at our Back Yard Bible School. We heard the stories of Jesus feeding the 5000 people, Jesus walking on water, Jesus healing the paralyzed man and Jesus turns water into wine. We also used our imagination with the stories, like pretending the kids were the disciples in the boat seeing Jesus walk on the water.

(Tarp=water, various seating=boat)

We built a Mega Bloks house to show the paralyzed man's friends lowering him down to Jesus.

We memorized Bible verses like "All things are possible with God," "I am the Bread of Life," and "Our sins are forgiven."

It was exciting for the kids to participate, and for me to see them so excited about learning more about Jesus.

A Few Deals

2011-08-20T12:23:00.004-05:00

The grocery deals have been few and far between this summer, but with back to school time come deals on snacks and school supplies. Overall I saved $80.57 or 31% shopping the sales and using coupons. A few things from this week:

Super One had a store coupon to save $2.50 on 5 Kellogg's or Keebler products. I also used coupons, so the Rice Krispie treats were $0.74, the granola bars were $1.49 each, and the cookies were $0.49 each.

Sara Lee bread was $1.84-$0.55 coupons=$1.29 each

Arm & Hammer detergent was $2.74-$1/2 coupon=$2.24 each. The Suave body wash was free with a coupon I got in the mail.

At Pamida, these stainless steel water bottles were $3.88 each

Glue was $0.25 each, Bic pens were $0.25 per ten pack. I used two $1/2 coupons on the pens, so I had $1 overage from the coupons.

Photography Challenge Week 4: Dinner

2011-08-20T11:50:00.003-05:00

Taken with my cell phone

I wasn't very creative in the kitchen this week. Barry and Jackson (hubby and oldest son, who had the "good" camera) were gone several evenings this week, and I stuck to easy, kid-friendly fare. One night I made pasta, stirred in some sauce, and served a piece of rustic bread on the side.

See more photos of DINNER at A Step in the Journey:

Beyond Couch to 5K, Return to Week 1

2011-08-20T11:33:00.003-05:00

Even though I finished the Couch to 5K program, I didn't feel that I could just stop running after all that. So I've returned to the beginning, week 1, to work on speed and distance. Here's where I was at week 1 (Click).
This week alternates 1 minute running with 1 1/2 minutes of walking. I actually ran the 1 minute segments, enough to be winded at the end of each minute, but still able to recover by the end of the walk time. I could run up the hills much easier than in week 1. At the end of the podcast, I ran an additional five or so minutes. After about a 20 minute break when I got done, I still had enough energy to mow the lawn.
On Wednesday, I drank coffee before I went out to run, and had a dry mouth and throat. No more coffee before running.
While I was working on speed the first two runs of the week, I don't want to lose the longer distance running. Since week 9 ended with a 30 minute run, I added about 2 minutes for a 32 minute run plus 5 minute warm up and cool down. I used the week 9 podcast and then during my extended running time each day, I listened to Zero 7, nice mellow music to finish a run.

Partly cloudy sky to run under

Finally, Eggplant! And a Pansy Transplant

2011-08-15T14:41:00.004-05:00

I have finally spotted a couple of eggplants growing.

And the "special" eggplant continues to grow.

This pansy was a volunteer plant that was growing in the weeds at the edge of the trees in our backyard. I transplanted it to a pot, and it finally bloomed.

Couch to 5K, Week 9

2011-08-13T17:20:00.002-05:00

I'm still a week behind in updating about the 5K. I went into Week 9 questioning why I was running. I didn't feel like going out, I was feeling frustrated about my slow time, and I am still not running a 5K distance. I made myself get out and do Week 9 anyway, with a 5 minute warm-up, 30 minute run and 5 minute cool down. I ran on Monday, Thursday and Saturday.
The weather all week was in the 70's and humid. Not great running conditions, but when reading about others running in 90's and humid I can't complain too much.
The music was a little repetitive this week, not too interesting, but I just got in a zone with running and wasn't very focused on the music.
Despite a reluctance at the beginning of the week to continue the Couch to 5K program, I did it anyway, and have now completed the program!
Do I stop running? Keep going? Try for more speed and distance? I'll let you know in my next C25K update!

More wildflowers on the way home

Photography Challenge Week 3: Bold Colors

2011-08-11T16:01:00.004-05:00

For me, the most obvious BOLD COLORS this time of year are in the flowers blooming everywhere. I first was going to use this picture, taken after the rain a few days ago. The yellow really popped against the green surrounding it.

Then I went outside this morning to find this flower that suddenly bloomed overnight. I noticed the bud yesterday evening and had no idea there would be a flower today! I planted a packet of wildflower seeds, so I don't even know what kind of flower this is.

Join the photography challenge, or look at more photos with BOLD COLORS, just click the button below.

Garden Visitor

2011-08-11T15:50:00.005-05:00

We had a visitor in our garden a few days ago. Unfortunately, it ate most of the leaves off of my green beans. I guess it's a good thing I didn't plant more after all.

Deer tracks

Not many leaves left

It also ate the tops of a few carrots, so we pulled most of them and ate them in stir fry.

Not much to look at, but fun to eat!

We have four eggplant plants, three that are dark purple, each with several blossoms but no eggplants. The fourth has greener leaves, and I finally found an eggplant growing this week. It's about the size of an egg and is purple with white stripes.

The peas haven't done great in the heat, but we did harvest a handful this week.

More peppers keep appearing on various plants. This plant is growing long and skinny peppers.

I see tomatoes here and there starting to turn orange, so by next week we'll be eating fresh tomatoes!

Couch to 5K, Week 8

2011-08-08T17:00:00.002-05:00

I'm still catching up--Week 8 of C25K fell during vacation, so I actually ran while we were on vacation! It wasn't a very exciting place to run, just on the side of the road. On Monday, the sun was HOT on my face. Wednesday was more overcast and not quite so hot. I didn't want to run on my last day of vacation (Friday), so I waited until we were home on Saturday to finish week 8.
Week 8 is a 5 minute warm-up walk, 28 minute run, 5 minute cool down. I did it at my usual slow pace without too much trouble. One week left!
My reward this week was finding wild raspberries on the trail during my cool down walk.

Photography Challenge Week 2: What Makes You Smile?

2011-08-06T11:24:00.006-05:00

One of my goals is to learn how to use our camera and to take better pictures. What better way to do so than by taking more pictures? In my blog hopping, I found a photography challenge at A Step in the Journey. It's week two now, but better late than never, right? The theme this week is "What makes you smile?" I picked a big bowl of popcorn to eat with the family while we watched a movie (The Phineas and Ferb movie).

Other bloggers have linked to the photography challenge with their pictures for the week. Click the button above to check them out!

Interesting Weather

2011-08-06T11:17:00.002-05:00

Yesterday we had blue skies and wispy clouds on the east side of our house

And gray clouds and pending rain to the west

Garden 2011

2011-08-05T18:51:00.007-05:00

After getting back from vacation, I found the plants in our garden had done a whole lot of growing.

A cluster of four cherry tomatoes, almost ready to eat! (And we did a day or so later--can't beat a the taste of a home grown tomato!)

More tomatoes growing larger

A cluster of Roma tomatoes

At one point, this plant looked dead. I almost pulled it out, but left it and it grew new leaves. We may get tomatoes from it after all!

Green beans. I wish I had planted more!

Blossoms and tiny green beans; almost a week later and some are almost ready to pick!

The elusive eggplant. I've seen several blossoms, but still no actual eggplant

Carrots; Raina asks me all the time if they're ready yet. The kids love to just wash them off and eat them raw.

Beets; I love the color of the leaves--green with purple throughout. I pulled most of these out today and will cook them soon.

I think this is a banana pepper. I need to figure out how to know when I should pick peppers, and how to use them.

These might be jalapenos, although I'm not sure

Blossoms on the pea plant; only a few days later and I've seen at least a dozen peas; I'll be picking some in the next week I'm sure. Again, the kids love to eat these raw, straight from the garden.

The tomato plants keep growing and growing. Bring on the tomatoes!

First garden harvest of the year: beets!

Tubing on Little Winnie

2011-08-04T13:37:00.009-05:00

Little Winnie

The older kids (and Jason, my brother-in-law) tried tubing on the lake during vacation. I think they all had a blast! (Click photos to enlarge.)

Jackson's turn

Raina decided to ride with Ashley

Jason's ready to go And he got tipped off

Can you see his head and feet in the water?

The boat ride was too much for Ollie--he fell asleep on my mom's lap!

Ashley and Preston rode the tube back to the dock

Mom fishing off the dock when the kids were no longer interested.

The long . . .

. . . long walk back.

Couch to 5K, Week 7

2011-08-04T13:26:00.004-05:00

I'm still catching up after vacation last week! Week 7 of C25K is a five minute warm-up, 25 minute run, five minute cool-down for all three days.
The first day was about 72 degrees with 70 degree dew point and high humidity. Many times I wanted to stop and walk, but I kept going. I was literally dripping sweat by the end.
Day two went a little better, although I speed walked about 5 seconds at the end of the second hill.
Day three it was 79 degrees at the end of the run. I was lucky enough to get to run past a house that had sprinklers on, so I got a bit of cold watered sprinkled on me. No speed walking this time, just slow jogging. At the end a nasty deerfly bit me on the shoulder. Ouch!
The music this week was a little weird. One song had maniacal laughing like you might hear in a horror movie. It's a good thing I don't run in the woods or I would have been a little freaked out. Another song had the sound of a puttering old car. Just plain weird.

The homestretch, when I can finally stop running and slow down to a walk

2011 Goals, Summer Edition

2011-08-01T17:26:00.002-05:00

I haven't posted an update in awhile, since April in fact. Some of my goals have fallen by the wayside. Something about summer, having all the kids home from school, being busy with swimming and baseball and vacation and trying to keep cool, and I haven't been focusing on these goals. Here's where I am:

Spiritual Goals:
Last update I had started reading Romans. I got about 10 chapters in and haven't been reading for awhile. I have been reading a couple different devotionals on my Kindle, one geared towards moms and one about prayer.

Marriage
Barry's parents were nice enough to watch the kids for us over our anniversary weekend. We enjoyed a couple of days to focus on each other without the distraction of the kids around.

Family
We (well, the kids) spend a lot of hot afternoons in the kiddie pool. Haven't played a lot of games, though.

Personal
More 40 by 40 coming soon!

Financial
I haven't been tracking my coupon savings in a few months. Once I raided the jar when I needed cash and didn't have any on hand in my wallet, and I have neglected to keep track since then. I have spend some money to help me achieve my health goals, like new workout clothes and an armband to hold my phone so I can listen to music.

Health and fitness
I've been plodding through the Couch to 5K program and am now on the final week! I've lost a few pounds since I started at the beginning of June, but nothing earth-shattering.

Cleaning/organization
I've followed some of the Just Mommies calendar, but didn't even print off July's calendar, which reminds me--I'll go print the August calendar as soon as I'm done with this post!

Couch to 5K, Week 6

2011-07-17T23:03:00.008-05:00

I took notes this week so I could remember how the week went! Like last week, each day had different running times.
Monday was on the warm side in the 70's. I did the five minute warm-up walk, then 5 minute jog, 3 minute walk, 8 minute jog, 3 minute walk, and 5 minute jog, ending with the five minute cool down.
The end of the 8 minute jog was up a hill, and I speed walked more than jogged through it, but I kept running form. The second 5 minute jog was tough, but I made it through. This was the farthest I've run so far, probably 1/4 mile or more than previously.
Wednesday was cooler, in the 60's. After the five minute warm-up walk, I did a 10 minute jog, 3 minute walk, 10 minute jog and 5 minute cool down walk. The second 10 minute jog started at the bottom of a hill and again, I speed walked more than jogged. It did get easier once I made it up the hill and the running path evened out. My earphone cord was a little too long and kept getting in my way, but I didn't want to break my stride to deal with it, so I just tried to keep it out of my way.
Friday was another nice morning in the 60's, and was time for another long jog, this time 25 minutes after the 5 minute warm-up.
The podcast I was listening to was for all of week six, so I still heard the cues from days 1 and 2. When the first five minutes were done, I couldn't believe five minutes had already passed. I had no problem getting through the first five minutes, but still had 20 to go.
The next cue was at 8 minutes, when I still had 17 to go. I was still doing pretty well, knowing I had a long time still ahead of me.
The next cue was only 2 minutes later from the end of day 2's 10 minute run. I had 15 minutes to go. A short 3 minutes later (at the end of day 2's walk time), I was suddenly at 13 minutes done and 12 to go--over half done!
The last three cues I was trying to figure in my head how many minutes I had left (9, then 6, then 1), and before I knew it, I had jogged for 25 minutes straight! I only speed walked up the second hill, and found it fairly easy to recover once the path leveled out again. Well, easy is not the right word, but it wasn't nearly as hard as getting up the hill.
Overall, I'm finding it takes a bit to find my stride, but after a few minutes I get my rhythm and am on pace with the music and my breathing and jogging.
My legs have been tired out this week, not quite sore, but definitely feeling the effects of running longer distances and times.
On a fun note, I rewarded myself for getting through last week's first long run of 20 minutes and got some new workout clothes and a handy dandy armband to hold my phone that plays the podcasts I listen to. I needed to replace the old pants I had that were becoming thread bare on the inner thighs, and also got a couple of sports bras so I no longer have to wear a ratty old nursing bra when I'm running.
That got a little long! I guess I had a lot to say this week.

It's got to be more exciting to run outside. I would not see wildflowers along my path if I were running on a treadmill!

Garden Progress

2011-07-13T17:05:00.004-05:00

Our little garden is starting to take off finally.

Green beans

Blossom on eggplant

Beets

Carrots, with a rogue bean plant one of the kids "misplaced"

Peas, blending in with the lawn, ready to grab on to the fence

Tomato plant, peppers in the background

Up close and personal with the lawn

The first tomatoes starting to form (how long until they're ready to harvest? I can almost taste them now!)

Anniversary Weekend

2011-07-13T16:14:00.008-05:00

Thirteen years married!

Barry and I celebrated our 13th anniversary on Monday the 11th, and we were fortunate to be able to spend the weekend kid-free. Barry's parents were willing to watch the kids for a couple of days, so we brought them down on Friday. Barry was sick with a bad cold, so after going out for supper, we drove the 3 hours home.
Saturday was cool, rainy and foggy. We had talked about going on one of the train rides that leaves from Duluth, or seeing the city from Enger Tower, but the weather wasn't cooperating. Instead, we had some lunch at the New London Cafe. Then we did some shopping for exciting things like bed sheets, workout clothes, and a cutting board to replace the one Remy broke when he accidentally dropped it.

That's a lot of glass to clean up!

No trip to Duluth is complete without a walk in Canal Park. We were reminded of our own wedding when we saw two wedding parties having pictures taken by the lake.

Foggy Duluth

A view of the lake walk from the pier

Aerial Lift Bridge

Fountain of the Wind

Sidewalk fountain?

Brick sidewalk

Yes, yes I do

On our way home, we stopped at the grocery store to get some T-Bone steaks to grill. A couple friends came over and we grilled the steaks, chicken and fish for the non-red meat eater, sweet corn, asparagus, and bread from Amazing Grace.

Sunday morning was the sun was shining once again. We ate breakfast in town, then took a walk at the marina and explored a lesser-known spot along Lake Superior. Then it was back home to wait for the kids to be return home.

Chainsaw eagle carving at the marina

A picture perfect day

Rock that form the safe harbor

These purple flowers are prolific in the ditches up here

Someday I will go kayaking

I never tire of the view of Lake Superior

While we didn't go on an extravagant vacation or venture far from home, it was nice to be able to focus on each other instead of focusing on the kids.

(As always, click on photos to view larger)

Couch to 5K, Week 5

2011-07-13T16:03:00.003-05:00

I was glad to be back to my Monday-Wednesday-Friday schedule this week. Instead of every day being the same, each day gradually added more running time.
Monday was jog 5 minutes, walk 3, jog 5, walk 3, jog 5, 5 minute cool down walk.
Wednesday was jog 8 minutes, walk 5, jog 8, 5 minute cool down.
Friday was the big one--after the 5 minute warm up, jog for 20 minutes, then 5 minute cool down walk.
I was a little scared at the beginning of the week. I had just been getting used to running five minutes at a time. Now I'd be at 20 minutes by the end of the week?! The way I've been getting through the tough parts is just by putting one foot in front of the other, and telling myself to keep going. I don't remember specifics of each day's run, just that I made it through all the runs without stopping to walk--even the 20 minutes! I'll admit it was slow going for much of the 20 minutes, but I did it!
The music this week had a very strong beat, making it easier to set a pace for jogging. The weather was on the warm side, in the middle to upper 70's all three days.

Couch to 5K, Week 4

2011-07-04T17:23:00.003-05:00

I had to run on Monday, Thursday and Saturday this week as Barry and Jackson were out of town on Wednesday so I had no one else to watch the younger kids. If you would have told me when I started the Couch to 5K program and was struggling to run for one minute that I would be up to five minute runs in a few weeks, I wouldn't have believed it.
This week alternated 3 minute run, 1 1/2 minute walk, 5 minute run, 2 1/2 minute walk, 3 minute run, 1 1/2 minute walk, 5 minute run, then 5 minute cool down walk. I ran every segment as I was supposed to, although I'm still running at a slow jog. The burning in my calves was back this week with the longer runs and the hills.
It's getting warmer now that summer's finally here, and on Saturday's run it was 73 degrees when I started and 79 degrees at the end. I much prefer running at 50-60 degrees.
I didn't like this week's music selection as much as previous week's--it was a little too 80's sounding to me. The best music was in the last minute of the last run when it pumped up enough to get me through to the end.
I always enjoy the 5 minute cool down at the end when I'm on the ATV trail behind our house in the shade of these lovely trees:

Popsicles and Kiddie Pools

2011-07-04T17:18:00.005-05:00

Make my kids happy

Couch to 5K, Week 3

2011-06-26T21:56:00.003-05:00

The weather interfered with my running plans last week. Normally I plan to to go out Monday/Wednesday/Friday. On Monday when I woke up, it was windy and gray outside. I went back to sleep. A few hours later, the guilt set in. I had checked the weather and a lot of rain was predicted for the week ahead. So I laced up my shoes and did my first walk/run for the week.
The week started with a five minute warm-up, then 1 1/2 minute jog, 1 1/2 minute walk, 3 minute jog, 3 minute walk, and repeat one time. Three minutes was twice as long as the previous week's run time, and three times as long as the first week. Apparently my body continues to adjust to the longer times, as I completed all the running segments this week.
I had less burning in my calves, but my knees are feeling the impact of running more. Hopefully they just need some time to adapt to the demands I'm putting on them.
Wednesday morning I woke up to pouring rain and gale force winds. We do not have a treadmill or other indoor running options, so I did not run. Thursday morning the rain had stopped, although it was a bit misty outside. I did Day 2 for the week, switching my route so that the longer runs were down hill or on a flatter course.
The program suggests taking rest days in between running days to give your body time to recover, so although Friday was my regular running day, I waited until Saturday for Day 3. It was a little muggy outside, but overall was a nice morning to be out.
Despite challenging weather, I have completed week 3 of the Couch to 5K program!

Photography

2011-06-20T16:52:00.006-05:00

I've taken pictures with a 2.0 megapixel camera for the longest time. It has allowed me to capture memories and take okay pictures, but has been nothing spectacular. Awhile back, Barry bought a friend's camera when his friend got a new one. It's rather heavy and bulky, too much for when he goes on the road, so I've started to experiment with using this camera. Someday I'd like to take a photography class, because I don't know much about different photography terms like aperture, ISO speed, shutter speed or white balance. But for now, here is some of what I've taken just by experimenting.

Remy, a flash of blue through the trees

Ollie, rock collector

More rocks to play with

Spring leaves

Lilac (This picture is amazing to me because it was really windy, so instead of trying to wait until the wind stopped blowing, I took the picture, which came out pretty clear instead of blurry)

Fallen branches on the ATV path

Garden 2011

2011-06-20T16:22:00.008-05:00

We finally got our garden planted just over a week ago, and were happy to see seeds sprouting today. They're just barely coming up; look around the center of the photo to see.

Pea--white seed with a little green poking through

Another pea leaf just poking through

Beet--just a little purple and green showing

Another beet, just a little purple showing

Green bean

I'm still waiting for carrots, spinach and lettuce to sprout. We also have tomatoes, peppers and eggplant from Barry's friend planted here and there.

Father's Day Project

2011-06-20T16:11:00.002-05:00

Hard at work creating

I came across this great Father's Day project idea (I can't remember where, or I'd link it) that the kids worked on the other day. I traced and cut out each kids' hand, they decorated one with stickers and wrote I Love You on the other hand. In between the hands, we folded a strip of paper back and forth, wrote This Much on the inside squares, and glued each end to a hand. When they gave Barry their cards, he read I Love You on the outside and This Much on the inside.
It's fun to see the progressively bigger hands from Ollie up to Jackson.

Couch to 5K, Week 2

2011-06-20T15:59:00.003-05:00

I made it through week two of the Couch to 5K program. This week alternated 1 1/2 minutes jogging with 2 minutes brisk walking six times. With the exception of the first day when I walked the last 5-10 seconds of one of the (uphill) jogging segments, I complete all 1 1/2 minute jogging segments.
The hills were still hard, and my calves were burning by the time I reached the top. While I was breathing pretty heavy at the end of each jog, I have been able to recover by the end of each walk segment. At the end of each day and the five minute cool down, I'm feeling great! In fact, I seem to get a nice energy pickup for the rest of the day on days I run.
I liked the last song on this podcast, with strings and piano and lyrics that said something like "the sun is shining bright, it's such a great day!"

And Just Like That, Summer's Here

2011-06-11T09:52:00.004-05:00

Last week, the kids were busy with end of the school year activities. Jackson had a 6th grade track meet, baseball practice, elementary awards program, and a last day of school sleepover. He got a math award from his teacher and will be taking 8th grade math next year. We've heard many times about what a great class he's in--kids that work hard and are high achievers. We think it's the perfect place for him to be, and we're thankful for a small school where he can be with the same kids from year to year instead of a new mix each year.
Raina had a field trip to Wolf Ridge to learn about birds, was one a few kids in her class to run an entire mile, and got a near perfect attendance award for only missing 1 day of school all year.
Summer activities start right away, so on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons all the kids have swimming lessons and Jackson plays baseball. In swimming, Jackson is in level 4 (he missed a few years here and there with new babies and a move taking up our time) and is the only kid in his swimming class. Raina is in level 2 and has had only 1 other girl in her class. Remy is in level 1, in the pool without a parent for the first time. There are 4-5 other kids in his class. He surprised me on the first day when he jumped in the pool to the instructor without hesitation. Ollie gets to be in the pool with me for Aqua Tots. Only one other mom/kid has been in the pool with us so far. I think more people take morning lessons or on Monday/Wednesday, because it almost feels like we have the pool to ourselves!
Rather than expect Remy and Ollie to sit and watch Raina swim for 1/2 hour, we have the option of going to the playground at the school to run off some energy.

I was lucky to get a shot of Remy, who ran from one area to the next nearly non-stop

Peekaboo!

Jackson preferred to sit and read

Couch to 5K, Week 1

2011-06-11T09:23:00.003-05:00

"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." -Chinese proverb

This week I took my first steps towards being able to run a 5K. I'm following the Couch to 5K program, which alternates running and walking to build up endurance. After starting out with a 5 minute brisk walk to warm up, week one alternates 1 minute of running (or slow jogging in my case) with 1 1/2 minutes of walking. After eight run/walk cycles, then a five minute cool down, I was done!

I've never been a runner, in fact I didn't even like to play tag when I was a kid. So training for a 5K is a completely new experience for me. Couch to 5K is a nine week program, running three times per week, so by the end of the summer I should be able to run 5K.

I've learned a few things already:
I really enjoy being out by myself, at my pace, without keeping track of kids! Usually when we take a walk, some kids are ahead, some kids are behind, and I'm somewhere in the middle.

I listen to a podcast by Robert Ullrey with music to energize me. He gives encouragement along the way and tells me when to run and when to walk. About halfway through the Week 1 podcast, he says something like you should be feeling the effects of your running, but not be out of breath, and I thought, "Really, because I'm sucking wind here!" But in the end, I ran every single one minute segment this week.

The smallest hills can be brutal.

Run on the opposite side of the street from where dogs were nipping at my butt (literally!) as I ran past.

Friday morning was 46 degrees with a chilly wind. I was still sweaty and red-faced when I finished for the day.

For more information on the Couch to 5K program, check out these websites:

Cool Running

c25k

Seven Years Old

2011-06-06T13:24:00.004-05:00

Raina turned 7 yesterday! She picked homemade chicken noodle soup for her birthday supper and marble cupcakes for the birthday cake. She's growing up too fast, don't you think?

First birthday

Two years old

Three years old

Twelve Years Old

2011-05-17T21:23:00.006-05:00

I can hardly believe it, but Jackson turned 12 years old today. Here's a look back at past birthdays:

First birthday cake

One year old

Two years old

Second birthday cake

Five years old, last birthday as an only child

Fifth birthday presents; he had the hardest time walking in those sandals

Six years old

Seven years old

Eight years old

Eleven years old

Twelve years old, sporting his new Timberwolves hat from Abby and Jason, eating birthday brownie sundae.

Being Two

2011-05-17T07:50:00.002-05:00

Can wear a person out.

New Month, New Grocery Budget

2011-05-02T15:45:00.004-05:00

After only picking up a few groceries last week, I definitely needed to do a big grocery shopping trip. And since it's a new month, I have a whole month's grocery budget to work with. I only saved 32%, or $102.07 by shopping the sales and using coupons. Here are the best deals this week:

Duncan Hines brownies: $0.99-$0.50 coupon=$0.49 each
Duncan Hines frosting: 2/$3, used coupon for free cake mix when you buy 2 frosting
Also bought Pillsbury cake mix for $0.77
We have two birthdays coming up in the next month, so it doesn't hurt to have these on hand!

Cinco de Mayo deals:
Old El Paso taco shells (1) and enchilada sauce (2): $1.25 each
Old El Paso chiles: $1.00
Used coupons for free taco seasoning when you buy 2 Old El Paso products

Kool Aid: This is nice to have on hand to drink something different once in awhile. It's not something we drink a lot.
On sale for $1.66-$1/2 coupon=$1.16 each

Kellogg's cereal: $1.97-$1/3 coupon=$1.64 each

Snacks/treats:
Oreo Fudgees--$2.99-$1.00 coupon=$1.99
Nestle Crunch and Baby Ruth--2/$0.88-$0.50/2 coupon=2/$0.38, or $0.19 each
Toasteds crackers--$3.19, found tearpad coupon in the aisle to save $2 on a deli item when you buy Toasted. Since I already planned to buy deli ham for school lunches, it's like paying $1.19 for the crackers.

Chips (I don't normally buy five bags of chips in a shopping trip, but this price was right this time):
Lays--$2.49-$1/2 coupon=$1.99
Tostitos--$2.49-$1.00 coupon=$1.49
Sun Chips--$2.49-$2/2 coupon=$1.49 each; also had a coupon for free Sierra Mist when you buy 2 Sun Chips

Forty by Forty, Part Two

2011-05-02T15:35:00.002-05:00

The next ten goals for my 40 by 40 list:

Adventure in our local area (these are all things I can do without traveling far, and this is where the courage comes in):

12. Kayak

13. Snowshoe

14. Cross country ski

15. Polar bear plunge (a little unsure about that one!)

16. Hike to Tettegouche High Falls (I haven't done this since we first moved up here, three years ago)

17. Go snowmobiling

18. Go four wheeling (there are tons of trails up here for snowmobiling/four wheeling, and also a place to rent them since we don't own either one)

19. Hike the Split Rock hiking trail again (the five mile hike our family did in October 2009)

Personal interest:

20. Take a photography class

21. Learn how to use my sewing machine

At the Marina

2011-04-24T21:05:00.006-05:00

The weather is slowly improving enough to get outside, so the kids and I went to the marina down the road a bit.

Carefully crossing,

but still getting muddy pants.

A few minutes later, her feet were wet.

Ollie was really checking out the rocks

. . . quite closely.

On the beach

Finding the perfect skipping stones

and getting at least 10 skips with one stone.

Yes, that's a plastic comb he found.

Remy and Raina, always a few steps ahead.

What good is a walk without a stick in hand?

2011 Goals, April Update

2011-04-19T09:56:00.002-05:00

Time for another update!

Spiritual Goals:
I finished reading through Proverbs. Some of my favorite verses:
18:10--The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe. (This verse immediately brings to mind the praise and worship song with these words directly from Proverbs.)
18:22--He who finds a wife finds what is good and receives favor from the Lord
19:14--Houses and wealth are inherited from parents, but a prudent wife is from the Lord. (These two give me a lot to live up to I think!)
19:21--Many are the plans in a mans heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails.
20:1--Wine is a mocker and beer a brawler; whoever is led astray by them is not wise.
21:9--Better to live on a corner of the roof than share a house with a quarrelsome wife.
And similarly, 21:19--Better to live in a desert than with a quarrelsome and ill-tempered wife.
21:30--There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan that can succeed against the Lord.
22:6--Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.
I could go on, but I won't. I was struck as I read through Proverbs by the comparisons made, of wise vs. foolish, lazy vs. hardworking, rich vs. poor, and I will strive to be wise and hardworking, and a good steward of all God has given me.
I'm now reading through Romans.

Marriage
Looking forward to a summer getaway, time and place yet to be decided.

Family
I know we played Uno a few times in March. That's all I remember.

Personal
Part two of my 40 by 40 coming soon!

Financial
My coupon jar had $76.62 at the end of March. I'm using the money to buy things that contribute to a healthier lifestyle. In March I bought Torani syrup for coffee as an alternative to the chemical concoction known as non-dairy creamer. It is made of natural ingredients, but still has a high amount of sugar, so it's not exactly healthy. I bought some seeds for the garden--if it ever warms up! I also bought a new digital scale so I can weigh myself with more accuracy.

Health and fitness
I exercised 14 days in March. I got a new scale partway through the month, but I think my weight stayed the same through the month. Still trying to make lots of little changes that lead to a healthier lifestyle.

Cleaning/organization
I followed the JustMommies task calendar and did many of the same jobs as I did in February. Thinking about doing some major spring cleaning soon.

Super One Highlights

2011-04-16T10:57:00.007-05:00

Since we were in Two Harbors for Remy's checkup we did our grocery shopping for the week. Overall I saved 39%, or $111.70, by shopping the sales and using coupons. Here are my best deals:

Birdseye frozen veggies were $1 each, used $1/3 coupon=$0.67 each

Brownberry bread was $1.88 each, and it's not made with high fructose corn syrup

General Mills: Buy 4 products at 4/$10, get free Cinnamon Cheerios
Used two $1/2 coupons, so end price was 5/$8, or $1.60 each

$1.00 produce:
Avacadoes, celery, lettuce and 5 pounds of potatoes were $1.00 each
Zucchini/yellow squash and pink lady apples were $1 per pound

Yogurt: Yoplait Greek yogurt 4 packs were $1.77, used two $1 coupons=$0.77 each
Stonyfield organic yogurt: Big container was $4.39, used $1 printable coupon (from the Stonyfield website)=$3.39
Small containers were $0.99 each, used $1/3 coupon=$0.66 each, which is more than I usually pay for regular, non-organic yogurt, but considerably less than the regular price of $1.19.

Colgate: $0.99-$0.75 coupons=$0.24 each
Softsoap: $1.00-$0.35=$0.65

Cranberry Naturals (made with truvia instead of high fructose corn syrup): FREE with coupon from promotion

This and That

2011-04-14T08:46:00.004-05:00

I see I haven't updated in awhile. The kids had Spring Break the last week of March, although it wasn't very spring-like. One day it snowed and Raina made a snowman.

Jackson's ready for spring so he can play baseball.

Ollie showing how he eats snow.

We ended the week with haircuts/trims for everyone. It was finally time for Ollie to get rid of the curls. Now he has a big boy haircut.

Last weekend I left the kids home with Barry so I could spend time with my sisters before one moved to Colorado. We couldn't remember the last time we had spend together without kids/spouses, and decided we should do it more often.

Remy had his 4 year old checkup this week. He's 38 1/2 pounds and 43 1/2 inches. He's always good for a laugh, like during his eye check where he had to identify pictures. He got to the moon and said, "Crescent moon." The last line (for 20/10 vision, where everything is tiny), the nurse pointed to a teacup and he said, "Polka dot." So thankful for funny, healthy kids!

A Few Deals

2011-03-21T16:57:00.003-05:00

Super One has had some buy x get $x off the last couple of weeks, and March is frozen food month, so my freezer has lots of frozen veggies stocked up. Here are the best deals:

The new Honey Bunches of Oats with Raisins: $2.50-$1.00 coupons=$1.50 each
Kellogg's cereal: 3/$8-$1/2 coupon-FREE milk wyb 3 ($3.79)=3/$3.21, or $1.07 each, since I would have bought the milk anyway

FREE Pulls Ups with coupon from House Party

FREE Coffeemate creamer with Facebook coupon
FREE Orbit gum with coupon from magazine

Birdseye frozen veggies: $0.99-$1/3 coupons=$0.66 each
The next week Flavorite veggies were 50% off, or $0.64 each

And cheap meals--everything in this picture for $5.00
Peter Pan peanut butter 2/$3, get free Taystee bread (the only time I'll buy white bread is when it's free or nearly free)
Hunt's spaghetti sauce 3/$3, get free Creamette pasta

Not pictured--Kraft buy 10 items, get $5 off
I got 2 Planters dry roasted peanuts for $1.99 after promo
2 Capri Sun for $1.99 after promo
Oscar Mayer hot dogs for $1.49 a.p.
Kraft American cheese for $1.94 after promo and coupon
2 Kraft shredded cheese for $0.99 after promo and coupon
2 Kraft block cheese for $1.49 a.p.

Nabisco crackers were $1.25 each after promotion for $3 off 4 and coupons for $1/2.

2011 Goals, March Update

2011-03-16T16:04:00.002-05:00

Time for another update!

Spiritual Goals:
At the end of January, I was through chapter 4 of Proverbs. At the end of February, I was on chapter 17. A couple verses I've found especially interesting:
16:31--Gray hair is a crown of splendor; it is attained by a righteous life.
17:1--Better a dry crust with peace and quiet than a house full of feasting, with strife.
17:12--Better to meet a bear robbed of her cubs than a fool in his folly.
As a family, we started reading the Family Bible I got a few years ago. The stories are straight from the Bible and are long enough to be a substantial reading, but short enough to keep the kids' attention.

Marriage
Same as February's updated: it's Barry's busy time of year for work, so I don't see a weekend getaway in the near future. Probably in the summer, when I can send the kids to grandma's for a night or two!

Family
I played Boggle with Jackson, Zingo with Remy and Guess Who? with Raina and Jackson. It's hard to have a dedicated family game night when the kids play at different levels.

Personal
The first part of my 40 by 40 list is posted below!

Financial
My coupon jar had $55.06 at the end of February. I'm using the money to buy things that contribute to a healthier lifestyle. In February I bought Kashi cereal at full price without a coupon (most cereal I buy is on sale with a coupon), natural peanut butter (made without partially hydrogenated oils) and quinoa, a grain that is a complete protein.

Health and fitness
I exercised 9 days in February. I was sick the better part of one week and didn't exercise at all that week. I did not lose any weight. Therefore, my goal for March is to exercise a minimum of four days per week.
Still working on the sweets, trying to find the balance between moderation and depriving myself and then going overboard.
Have been doing pretty well eating fruits and veggies.
Not losing hope! Just trying to make lots of little changes that will eventually lead to a healthier lifestyle.

Cleaning/organization
I followed the JustMommies task calendar and did many of the same jobs as I did in January--wiped down kitchen cabinets and pantry, swept entrance ways, wiped down kitchen chairs, wiped down baseboards in living room, cleaned the oven and stove top, cleaned toaster, coffee maker and small kitchen appliances, dusted kitchen light fixtures and cleaned refrigerator and microwave.

Forty by Forty, Part One

2011-03-16T15:46:00.006-05:00

Somewhere in my blog-hopping I came across a blogger who had a forty by forty list of things to accomplish by the time she turns 40. I have since written my own list to work on in the next four years. Some items are inexpensive and easy. Others I'll have to save up for--either money or courage. My overall goal is to live life with intention, so I don't get to 40 and wonder what I've done in my life.

New food to try (most are things I see on cooking shows a lot and that I've never eaten before):

1. Lamb

2. Scallops

3. Fried calamari

4. Sushi

or make:

5. Quinoa (done March 2011)

6. Artisan bread

7. A great pizza dough recipe

8. Steel cut oats

Health/fitness goals:

9. Complete the Couch to 5K program

10. Run a 5K

11. Lose 40 pounds

Smells Like Boy

2011-03-11T22:23:00.006-06:00

Sometimes I just have to laugh at what kids come up with. The other day, Remy washed off his Spiderman guy in the bathroom and then asked me to smell it. I told him it smelled good, like flowers. He looked rather disgusted with me and told me no, it smelled like boy! I asked him what boys smell like, and he replied, "Motor oil." Okay, then!

It felt great to be outside earlier this week with the temp above freezing. The boys had so much fun playing in the snow, falling knee-deep into drifts, and sledding down the tiny hill in the backyard.

We tried quinoa for the first time this week. I made a recipe for Quinoa with Carrots and Raisins. It was okay, but kind of a strange flavor combination. Next week I think I'll try making some for breakfast.

My parents were here this week, before/during/after their stay on the Gunflint Trail north of here. They got to see Jackson's band concert on Monday night.

Raina's class did a play on Thursday during school. Unfortunately, Raina did not get to participate as I got called to pick her up early after she got sick at school.

Barry will finally be home in a couple days after being on the road to New Mexico, Texas and Tennessee for nearly three weeks. We're all ready to have him back again!

Sorry for the sideways videos--apparently I need to hold my phone differently when video taping.

Empty Fridge

2011-03-05T22:35:00.007-06:00

The fridge was looking a little empty,

so I packed up the kids on Friday to go grocery shopping at Super One. Overall I saved 37% or $123.38 by shopping the sales and using coupons. Here are the best deals:

Propel Zero: FREE with catalina coupons that printed out during earlier shopping trips

Quaker Oatmeal Squares: $2.50-$1 coupons=$1.50 each
Quaker Instant Oatmeal: $2.50-$1 coupons=$1.50 each
And I got a $1 catalina to use on my next shopping trip

Pillsbury cake mix: On sale for $0.66

Pringles: 2/$3-$1/2 coupon=$1 each

French's mustard: $0.99-$1/2 coupon=$0.49 each

Pepperoni: $1.99-$1/2 coupon=$1.49 each (regular price is $2.99)

Yellow onions: $0.44

Activia $1.99-$1 coupon=$0.99
Dean's Dips: $0.99-$1/2 coupon=$0.49 each

New Kraft products--Super One had coupon to save $2 when you buy 4 new Kraft products

Planters Nutrition mix: $3.99-$1.00 coupon-$0.50 promo deal=$2.49
Planters Flavor Grove almonds: $2.99-$1 coupon-$0.50 promo deal=$1.49 each
Philadelphia cooking creme: $2.49-$1.50 coupon-$0.50 promo deal=$0.49

I also ordered organic quinoa from Amazon. It was $19.23 for six packages when I used the subscribe and save option. I used $15.71 in gift cards earned through Swagbucks, and only paid $3.52 out of pocket. I've never tried quinoa before and am looking forward to finding some great recipes!

Birthday and Basketball

2011-02-24T10:21:00.004-06:00

Jackson on the left, #40

Jackson's been playing basketball this winter with other 4th-6th graders from his school. He was excited that he scored 4 points in his first game, and although he didn't score in the second game, he did play well defensively and had several rebounds. The kids and I watched his game in Two Harbors. I think Ollie wanted to take a nap instead.

Remy turned 4 on February 16. He picked chocolate cake with chocolate frosting and sprinkles. He was thrilled to get some new Super Hero toys (and shirt from Grandma).

The temperature soared to 55 degrees on his birthday, so we took a walk around the block after lunch. It was a much needed respite in the middle of a long winter!

Recent Shopping

2011-02-24T09:51:00.006-06:00

Super One recently had a General Mills deal to buy 10 products, save $5.00.
I bought two Pillsbury crescent rolls: $1.69-$1/2 coupon-$0.50 promotion=$0.69 each
Two Pillsbury Sweet Moments brownie bites: $2.49-$1.00 coupons-$0.50 promotion=$0.99 each. I've been wanting to try these, but not at the regular price of over $3.00. They were sooooo good that I can not buy them on a regular basis--too much temptation!
and six Green Giant Steamers: $0.99-$0.50/2 coupons-$0.50 promotion=$0.24 each.

I also bought Snack Pack pudding on sale for $0.99-$0.60/3 coupon=$0.79 each

Ragu on sale for $0.88-$1/2 coupon=$0.38 each

Hunt's tomatoes on sale for $1 each-$0.45/3 coupon=$0.89 each, plus got free chili seasoning

Swiss Miss hot cocoa mix was FREE for buying two Reddi Wips.

The next week Super one had a few $0.25 deals:

Betty Crocker pizza crust
Hunt's tomato sauce
Land O'Lakes yogurt

And at Pamida I found winter coats on clearance. I bought a size ahead for Raina ($10), Remy ($10) and Ollie ($6, plus $3 for pajamas).

2011 Goals, February Update

2011-02-05T11:00:00.005-06:00

I set my 2011 goals a month ago. I've found some goals easier to attain than others.

Spiritual Goals:
I started reading Proverbs. I only got through chapter 4 in January. There are 31 chapters in Proverbs, so I hope to get to the end by the end of February.
I haven't done anything specific with the kids. I guess I'm overthinking, wanting to pick the right devotion book or readings, but I just need to pick something.

Marriage
It's Barry's busy time of year for work, so I don't see a weekend getaway in the near future. Probably in the summer, when I can send the kids to grandma's for a night or two!

Family
We haven't had a family game night since I posted my goals. I guess tonight's the night!

Personal
Still working on my 40 by 40 list. Hopefully more on this soon!

Financial
I set aside my coupon savings for January, and have $32.78 as of 1/31.

Health and fitness
I exercised 10 days in January (plus shoveled snow on a couple days), a little short of my goal of a minimum of three times per week. It can be a challenge because while Ollie sometimes likes to "exercise" with me, he also likes to use me as a jungle gym.

I did not lose any weight.
Still working on the sweets.
Have been eating more fresh fruits and veggies.
Losing weight is hard anytime, but it seems especially hard in January, the dead of winter, after the holiday excess.

Cleaning/organization
I followed the JustMommies task calendar and in January I wiped down kitchen chairs, wiped down baseboards in the living room, kitchen and bathroom, cleaned the kitchen sink area, replaced the furnace filter, vacuumed the insides of the couches, cleaned my oven, dusted the light fixtures in the living room, cleaned my refrigerator and microwave and washed out the trash can.

Super Bowl Shopping

2011-02-05T10:24:00.004-06:00

Go Packers! Okay, I'm not a big football fan and we're not having a big Super Bowl party or anything, but a lot of the sales at Super One this week were based on food for the big game. I save 39% or $117.84 by shopping the sales and using coupons. Here are the best deals I found:
Lot of snacks,Like crackers--
Triscuits and Wheat Thins, $1.99-$1/2 coupon=$1.49 each
Wheatables, $1.66-$1/2 coupon=$1.16 each
Planters peanuts, $2.50-$1.00 peelie (coupon on product in the store)=$1.50
M & M's, $1.99-$1/2 coupon=$1.49 each
Chex Mix/Bugles, 3 for $5 used $0.50/2 coupon=$1.50 each

Cereal--General Mills cereal, $1.66-$0.75 off Golden Grahams=$0.91, $1.66-$1/2 Cinnamon Toast Crunch=$1.16 each

Ortega products--Taco shells, $1.67-$0.50/2=$1.42
Green chiles and refried beans, $0.99-$0.50/2=$0.74 each
Taco seasoning, $0.75-$0.50/2=$0.50

Dole canned fruit--$0.99-$1/3 coupon=$0.66 each

Printable coupons--Filippo Berio olive oil, $3.99-$1.00=$2.99
Gold'n Plump drumstick, $3.33-$1.00=$2.33

Lipton/Knorr sides-- 10/$10-$0.50/2 coupon=$0.95 each. Raina's class collects food for the local food bank, so some of these will go to school with her.

Freebies--Coke 2 liter, free for buying 3 Chex Mix/Bugles
Gold'n Plump chicken, free for buying 10 Lipton/Knorr sides
Oral B toothbrushes, $0.99-$1 coupons=$0.01 overage (these coupons came from a Proctor and Gamble coupon book I got for sending in receipts totaling $50 in P & G products. I didn't buy anything special to get this, just went through my receipts and found Pampers, Luvs, Dawn dish soap, Pringles, and Tide that added up to $50.)

Trying New Things

2011-01-31T16:34:00.004-06:00

Left: Ugli fruit Right: Cara Cara orange

Last time I went grocery shopping Super One had some "exotic" fruit on sale, so I bought an Ugli fruit and a Cara Cara orange for us to try.
An ugli fruit is a hybrid of a grapefruit, tangerine and orange. The one we had was very juicy, but had a thicker membrane that was hard to chew. It would probably be easier to eat like grapefruit, cut in half and with a spoon. It was okay, but not our favorite.
The Cara Cara orange has pinkish fruit and is sweeter and less acidic than other naval oranges. We really liked this, and will look for it in the grocery stores again.

Left: Cara Cara orange Right: Ugli fruit

Latest Grocery Trip

2011-01-10T16:45:00.005-06:00

A new year of savings ahead! My latest grocery trip I saved 40% (haven't seen that number in awhile!), or $97.70, by shopping sales and using coupons. Here are some of the highlights:

Organic celery and carrots: $1.19 each-$1/2 coupon=$0.69 each

Vitamin D (gotta combat the lack of winter sun exposure!): $4.19-50% off store coupon=$2.10 each-$1 coupon on each=$1.10 each

Used store catalina to get these Breathe Right strips for free!

Blue Diamond Almond Breeze: $1.99-$0.55 coupon=$1.44. I plan to use this in smoothies.

Birdseye frozen veggies: $0.99-$0.50/2 coupon=$0.74 each

Reese's and Kit Kat: 2/$1-buy one get one free coupons=$0.25 each

CoffeeMate creamer: $1 each, used a combination of coupons worth $2.30=$0.54 each

Honey Nut Cheerios: $2.49-$1/2 coupon=$1.99-$0.50 store coupon when you buy 5 GM products ($3 off 5, I bought 6 items)=$1.49 each
Pillsbury Grands biscuits: $1.59-$0.30/2 coupon=$1.29-$0.50 store coupon wyb 5 GM products=$0.79 each
Green Giant veggies: $1.29-$0.50/2 coupon=$1.04--$0.50 store coupon when you buy 5 GM products=$0.54 each

I also checked out Pamida's holiday clearance, where they were marking items down to 70% off. I found a wet/dry hand vac for $5.99, a red cloth tablecloth for $3.90, white LED lights for $2.99 and two snowman platters for $0.59 each.

2011 Goals

2011-01-04T13:15:00.001-06:00

The start of a new year feels like a fresh start in many ways—time to recommit to better ways of living, to being intentional about how we live our life rather than just letting things happen. I sat down and made a list of some of my goals for the coming year.

Spiritual:
*Read/study the Bible more. I was terribly lax about this in 2010.

*Do family devotions with the kids.

Marriage:

*Plan a getaway weekend for just the two of us.

Family:

*Have more family game nights

Personal:

*Work on my 40 by 40 list (more on this later)

Financial:

*Save more. One way I'm doing this is by setting aside the amount of money I save by using coupons at the grocery store. I'll save up this money to use towards adding more healthy eating options, like gardening supplies and money for the Farmer's Market.

Health and fitness:

*Lose 24 pounds. A mere two pounds per month seems like an attainable goal if I--

Exercise regularly, a minimum of three times per week

Eat less sweets (my downfall!)

Eat more whole foods

Cleaning/organization:

*I do a pretty good job keeping up with daily tasks like laundry and dishes, but with four kids in a small house it's easily overrun by toys and other clutter. I printed out a cleaning task calendar from Just Mommies to give me specific daily and monthly cleaning jobs to do.

Happy New Year!

2011-01-01T21:09:00.002-06:00

From our family to yours:

We had a rather uneventful 2010—no new babies, no moves, no major illnesses or injury. That's not to say we haven't been busy. With four kids and a husband who travels frequently, that's a given. Here are some highlights of our year--

Barry is still working in the dirt track racing industry. He's done a lot of video taping and editing and produced his first DVD of the Como Modified Racing Series.

Jenny holds down the fort when Barry's gone. I deal in all things domestic, from laundry, dishes, and cooking, to getting kids off to school and keeping Remy and Ollie occupied during the day.

Jackson is in sixth grade and has started to be more involved in activities. He played baseball during the summer, started playing trumpet, is on the School Patrol, and is now playing basketball.

Raina is in first grade and is reading a lot of books. She's also been visited by the tooth fairy eight times this year.

Remy is 3 ½ and has seemed to grow up a lot this year. His latest obsession is with all things Super Hero.

Ollie turned two on Christmas Eve. He's starting to talk a lot and repeat what we say. He always makes us laugh.

We're thankful for a healthy, growing family, and hope this finds you to be happy and healthy as well.

Triple Coupons Week Three

2010-11-27T09:36:00.004-06:00

Pamida had one more week of triple coupons on Sun/Mon Nov. 21-22. I picked up Jackson, who had spent the day with my sister Melisa and her family in Duluth, and we did a little bargain shopping.
I saved 91% on my triple coupon items. I bought yarn and drinking glasses on sale without a coupon. The following items were a great deal after triple coupons (price after coupons):
Angel Soft toilet paper--$2.97
Jello No Bake cheesecake--$0.50 each
Butter Kernal canned veggies--$0.13 each
Reach toothbrushes--$0.29 each
Carmex--$0.59
The following items were free after triple coupons:
20 oz. Coke and king size Reese's
Ziploc containers
Werthers
Kotex
Kiwi shoelaces
Colgate toothpaste
Price for all before triple coupons (not including yarn or glasses): $40.89
Price after triple coupons: $3.68

More Pamida Triple Coupons

2010-11-17T16:11:00.006-06:00

Pamida had a second week of triple coupons on Sunday and Monday. I was going grocery shopping on Monday anyway, so Ollie and Remy went with me to Pamida to see what deals we could find. The following items would have been $16.60 without coupons and were $1.86 after coupons, a savings of 89%:

(Price is after triple coupons)
Hall's Refresh--$0.04 each
Softsoap--FREE
Tic Tacs--$0.75 overage
Cover Girl eye shadow--$0.49
Cappuccino mix--$1.85

Pamida is having one more Sunday/Monday of triple coupons coming up on November 21/22.

Super Heroes

2010-11-17T13:11:00.002-06:00

Remy's latest obsession is super heroes, like Captain America, Spiderman, Batman and Incredible Hulk (known as "Green Death"). They even watched us make applesauce the other day.

Pamida Triple Coupons

2010-11-08T15:34:00.004-06:00

Pamida is offering triple coupons for Sunday and Monday, November 7 and 8. Here are the deals I found:My total for all the items above, before the cashier started ringing in my coupons, was just over $100. When all coupons had been entered, my total was $28.67. I bought a glass 9 x 13 pan ($4.98) and bread pan ($1.98) since mine had broken. I also bought Raina and Remy (who were shopping with me) some stickers for a total of $2.97. I saved about 82%.

These items were good deals (price listed is after triple coupons):

Sunsweet Prunes--$0.89
Arm & Hammer laundry detergent--$1.50
Windex wipes--$0.49
Pledge wipes--$1.79 (Barry likes these for cleaning his computer equipment)
Pampers--$7.00
Reach toothbrushes--$0.29 each
Arm & Hammer toothpaste--$1.49 (I looked at the wrong item/price--I wouldn't have bought this)
Cover Girl eye shadows--$0.29 each

These items were free/almost free or gave overage:

Garnier Fructis shampoo--FREE
Quaker Oats--$0.21 over
Rubbermaid Easy Find Lid containers--$0.21 over for each
Crest toothpaste--$0.50 over for each
Oral B toothbrushes--$0.25 each
Kiwi shoelaces--$1.71 over
Duracell batteries--FREE

Pumpkin Time

2010-11-08T09:41:00.005-06:00

We declared the Friday before Halloween to be Pumpkin Day. We started the day off with pumpkin pancakes, using chocolate chips for the faces.

Then we went to pick out our pumpkins. Barry and the kids picked out six BIG pumpkins this year.

We made pumpkin dump cake.
Everyone helped clean the guts out of their pumpkin. Barry is the resident carver in our family, so while we were waiting for him to carve we got out the silly faces.

There's definitely not room in the house for six BIG pumpkins, so they went out on the front step.

We always toast the seeds from our pumpkins, and had a lot this year. (I soak in water to clean, drain, pat dry, melt about a tablespoon of butter on a sheet pan, add a single layer of seeds, sprinkle with seasoning salt and bake at 325 until crispy.)

For Halloween, we had candy corn veggies, swamp monster meatloat and ghostly potatoes. My parents were up visiting, and it was fun to spend a holiday with them.

Finally, here are my little "pumpkins" ready to go trick or treating:

Season's Greetings

2010-11-01T14:32:00.003-05:00

Halloween is over and retailers nationwide are already switching gears and getting ready for the holidays. I'm not ready yet to put up the tree, decorate the house, or bake our favorite Christmas cookies, but I am thinking about our family's Christmas card.

In the past, I've used Shutterfly to make photo cards to send out to friends and family, like this photo from Christmas 2009. I picked this design for the traditional Christmas colors and the word joy that not only reflects the joy in my kids' faces, but the joy we feel at Christmas remembering the birth of Jesus.

Shutterfly has new card designs for 2010 with colors and styles to fit everyone's personal taste, from traditional red and green to hip and modern blue and brown. You can include one picture of your entire family, or if you can't get all the kids to cooperate in one photo, pick the best individual picture for each family member.

Matching address labels are also available to coordinate with your card.

Ready to order? Shutterfly is offering 20% off holiday cards. Have fun picking out the perfect on for your family!

Disclosure: Shutterfly is offering 50 free cards for this post. All opinions are mine only.

What We've Been Up To

2010-10-14T23:02:00.006-05:00

Walking on the ATV trail behind our house:

Arts and Crafts:

Projects:
Mom found a free dresser for Jackson last year that is structurally sound but wasn't much to look at. I painted it red with black trim. It already has some scratches and imperfections, and someday I'll replace the handles as there's always been one missing, but it's a big improvement.

An old frame I found at a thrift shop for $2. I took out the old "artwork," painted the mat and frame black and added some postage stamp art.

Hiking in the school forest:

At the end of last school year, the kids' school made some improvements to the school forest on the outskirts of town. Jackson's class worked on this sign at the beginning of a trail. Jackson helped to write one of the articles posted along the way. His class also helped put up signs that point out the trails.
Raina has a picture on the top of K2 Observation Outlook. Her class visited the forest last week and looked for animal homes, so she pointed out all the little caves and crevices where animals may make their homes.

Back to School

2010-09-20T14:17:00.007-05:00

Jackson and Raina have been back to school for two weeks now, and have made the transition from carefree summer days to the routine of school. Sixth grade looks to be a busy year as Jackson has already gone on an overnight school field trip to Wolf Ridge, has joined the School Patrol, and is looking into starting band.
The school board voted to have a four day school week to save money, so they're going to school Monday through Thursday most weeks. I'm not letting them slack on Fridays, though, and we're doing music lessons (piano for both and guitar for Jackson), math enrichment, and other fun learning activities together.
Ollie takes a good afternoon nap every day which gives me time to do things with just Remy. Last week we painted with apples. Raina had a little fit when she found out Remy got to paint and she didn't, and I had to explain that she does lots of fun things at school that Remy doesn't get to do.

When I see the kids day to day, I don't always see realize how much they grow in a year. Here's how they've each changed in the past year:

Ollie, 8 1/2 months

Ollie, 20 1/2 months

Ollie would not stand still, he kept running away or crouching down, so I made him sit instead

Remy, 2 1/2

Remy, 3 1/2

Raina, Kindergarten

Raina, First Grade

Jackson, Fifth Grade

Jackson, Sixth Grade

Summer Recap

2010-09-04T22:03:00.007-05:00

Here we are at the last weekend of summer. The kids go back to school on Tuesday, and I'm sure we'll quickly settle back into that routine again. Here's some of what we've been up to since I last posted in July:

Running through the sprinkler on a hot day

The sand table has been an endless source of entertainment

At a rest stop off I-35--I guess no one wanted their picture taken

After eating pizza at Do North in Two Harbors, we watched a ship come in

Sometimes we split the kids up--Raina and Remy had breakfast with me at Betty's Pies, we went on a little hike along the lake, and then we went grocery shopping

The garden looked like this early in the summer, but flourished enough to produce plenty of veggies to go with our summer grilling:

Peas, which the kids ate raw straight from the garden

Green beans, lettuce and more peas

Roma tomatoes
and also some stubby carrots and round cucumbers

I made freezer jam for the first time out of raspberries from my mom and blueberries (I bought a case)

Remy has been attached to Woody most of the summer after seeing Toy Story 3

And my buddy Ollie

Fourth of July Weekend

2010-07-07T23:59:00.003-05:00

Root beer floats

Kiddie parade in town

Fruit sparklers

Water balloons

Sliding

2010-07-01T22:49:00.002-05:00

Jackson had a Little League game today, and the younger kids have a hard timing lasting through a whole game, so I took them to the playground and let them slide to their heart's content.

Snippets of Summer

2010-06-19T23:05:00.004-05:00

We started out the week on Monday by signing up for the summer reading program at the local library. The kids can earn small prizes for reading and do fun craft activities at the library.

Back from the library with their bag of goodies

On Tuesday, Raina lost her front tooth. How cute is that?

I went grocery shopping on Wednesday with Raina, Remy and Ollie (Jackson was out of town with Barry). I've found the best way to shop when I have the little boys with me:

Apparently, I can't get both boys . . .

. . . to look at me at the same time!

Tuesday and Thursday the kids have swimming lessons. Swim caps are required at our pool:

Jackson and Raina are on their own, and then I take Remy and Ollie in for Aqua Tots. One of their favorite things to do is sit on the edge of the pool and jump to me. Except on Thursday, I had just caught Remy when Ollie jumped in before I was ready to catch him. My heart skipped a beat, I let go of Remy to grab Ollie, then grabbed Remy again, and it was all over in a second or two. Neither boy was upset or choking on the water, but it was a little scary for those seconds.
It wasn't the worst part of the day, though. We changed out of our swimming suits after lessons and were just about ready to leave when I heard Remy start crying. His finger got stuck in the locker room door, and he was bleeding all over the place. Thankfully another mom I know called the EMT, took care of Ollie for me, gave me a rag to hold on the bleeding finger, and was a calm presence in the chaos. Barry was home and got to the school in a few minutes, just as the EMT arrived. She wrapped his finger up with gauze and suggested we take him to the local clinic where they would be able to x-ray and assess the damage.
The x-ray showed a small fracture on the very tip of the finger, and because it was an open fracture (skin was broken), they sent us on to Duluth where they're better equipped to handle young children.So I left the other kids home with Barry and took off with Remy. At the ER, the doctor said his fingernail was only hanging on by about 10% and would need to be removed completely. The side of his finger was also cut pretty deeply. He had stitches there and along the nail bed where the nail ripped off. They had to numb his finger with lidocaine (injection) and the nurses did a great job distracting him with stickers, a popsicle, bubbles, and a glove blown up to look like a turkey. Remy entertained them by saying, "Mom, get me out of here," and when we were ready to go and he had all his treats in hand, he said, "It's my lucky day!"
I have to keep his finger bandaged and try to keep it clean and dry. Stitches will be removed next week Friday. It only seems to bother him when I have to change the dressing.
It was a tough afternoon, and I'm so glad he's handling it so well.
Jackson had his first baseball game, also on Thursday so I couldn't watch, but his team won and Jackson had a couple hits and also scored two runs for his team.

Ollie is as busy as ever. On this day, he tried to climb into the cabinet.

Kohl's Clearance

2010-06-12T22:29:00.003-05:00

Raina needed some summer clothes, so when I heard about Kohl's clearance sale online, I found some things for her: plaid capris and matching green shirt and a butterfly skirt. These three pieces were just over $11 when I used a discount code from retailmenot.com. The original retail price for all three items was $48, so I saved 77%.

Garden

2010-06-12T22:23:00.002-05:00

We've already harvested the first radish from our garden. It's not super impressive, but it looks like we'll get many more. The only thing that hasn't sprouted is the spinach--maybe I got a bad batch of seeds. We've had plenty of rain the past few days, so hopefully we'll get lots of sun this week.