Call Me Mean

I am a broken record.

I tell my kids this but that means nothing to them in the age that they are growing up in.

My Disney Peter Pan record had a big scratch right when the Indians captured Wendy.
"And a band of indians....
And a band of indians....
And a band of indians.....
And a band of indians...."

Over and over until we knocked the needle a bit to get past the scratch.

I don't know if they will ever understand that analogy but I find myself repeating myself over and over.

Pick up your clothes off the floor.

Put your shoes in the mudroom bench.

Who left their socks scattered in the kitchen?

Put your school folder in your backpack.

Don't forget to clear off your cereal bowl.

I drive myself crazy so I'm SURE I drive my kids crazy.

I know what my problem is.  Say it once.  Expect obedience.  Punish disobedience.  Obedience the 2nd time is disobedience.  It sounds so simple, but for me....well, I must be hard-headed or just extremely merciful which is coming back to bite me.

I'm the queen of new systems to maintain order in my home.  Charts.  Stickers.  Reward systems.  Prizes.  Praise.  Ask the Fish Sticks.  (Rolling of the eyes...."Mom's got a new chart, everyone.")  They are fleeting and it's because of me.  I just can't seem to keep them all up.  OR they lose their motivation with my Fish Sticks.
 
So what's new in the Fish House?  The Lost and Found Box.  New Rule:  Every night after kids are tucked away, I pick up the house....all over....bedrooms included.  Anything OUT OF ITS PLACE gets put into my Lost and Found Box.  No daily reminders.  No repeated directions.  No mercy.  I'm not nagging.  I'm not aggravated.  Just a happy sweep of the house at 8:30.

So how do they redeem their prized possessions that they neglected to put where they belong?  They have a choice:  pay 25 cents per item (that would be 50 cents for a pair of shoes) OR do a chore that is equivalent to 25 cents (I keep a list of pay-worthy chores in my home management notebook.).

This is week 2.  I think 95% of the things you see in this box were collected on Days 1-4.  I think that means its working.

Call me mean, but the needle has been pushed off "And the band of indians...." and I think I've become sweeter because of it.  And what's better than a sweet Mama.....with a picked up house?  :)

Lost and Found Box

Witches Brew for the Fall

I have come to LOVE herbal remedies.  They work for us and I've enjoyed learning about the healing nature of herbs that God gave to us and I think it's fun making the concoctions....call me crazy...it's o.k....you won't be the first.

So with cold season fast approaching, I'm getting prepared to make some herbal remedies.  My son, years ago, teased me and called my herbs Witches Brew.  My Man liked the term and it's tossed around in the house regularly.  I'm not sure if I should laugh, pout or make them the most bitter concoction I can and make them drink it! 

My friend said that Nettle Leaf Glycerite works well for seasonal allergies.  My Man has such a rough time with allergies that I was interested in trying that.  I have run out of the amazing, homemade vanilla extract and made up another quart of that.  I decided to make a healing, first-aid salve and sell it in small jars to help with our adoption fundraising.  I call it Boo Boo Better.  It's great for cuts, bruises, bites, stings - all things first-aid.  Each jar is $5 and I have only sold half of my stock, so let me know if you want some.  It's great to keep in your purse, your kitchen, your bathroom and pass out to friends and family.  And last I am making an immune boosting tincture.  At the first onset of symptoms, I give it to all the kids.  It helps knock out the symptoms and prevent it from spreading to everyone.

My 4 jars of Witches Brew

For my Boo Boo Better Salve, I had to heat the oil-infused herbs in my crock pot for several days until the oil was pretty and dark green.  Smelled so nice!...at least to this Herbal Girl.

Taco Soup

I know we've only had a hint of fall weather here in middle TN, but I'm so ready!  I absolutely love fall and to hopefully bring fall on quicker, I've been cooking up some soups.  We love soup because they are easy to make, perfect for the crock pot and such a good, comfort food.  One of our favorites is Taco Soup.  If you haven't tried it, you must!

Perfectly ready cooked on slow in the crock pot

Here's the recipe I use.  Hope you can read it.  It was taken with my phone.

Glad for this recipe - it saved my soup!

I found myself this time without taco seasoning.  Have you ever done that?  I grabbed one of my cookbooks and found a great and easy recipe for Taco Seasoning.  Perfect!  Google is great for that too.

We enjoy the soup with chips and homemade salsa as a side and a dollup of sour cream and a sprinkle of Mexican cheese on each yummy bowl of soup.  It'd be the perfect meal to share with company or when someone else needs a meal.  Try it!

Weekly Deals

I'm sorry this is late.  I know it's too late for you to run get these deals.  I took photos of my loot on my phone and totally forgot to post. 

Here it is anyway.  Hope you all grabbed some great deals too.

Dentel Picks - 50 cents each
Candy - 49 cents each (stocking up for a candy bouquet I make for gifts)
Jack's Pizza - $1.59 each
Bagged Candy - $1 each (great for treat at football games)
Pantene - $1 each
Herbal Essence - $1 each

Walgreens Deals

Root Beer - 69 cents
Dawn - 67 cents
Colgate Toothpaste - 49 cents
Colgate Mouthwash - Free!
Colgate toothbrush - 49 cents

I planned on getting Sundown gummy vitamins for $1 and Rescue Gum for FREE! but I was in a rush and couldn't find either.

CVS Deals

Apples to Applesauce

One of our 2 apple trees had the best harvest we've had so far.  We did find a disease on one of them and google told us it was a disease from an evergreen tree in our front yard.  We will have to address it aggressively next year with pesticides in order to prevent the problem again, but for now, don't they look yummy?

After hours and hours of peeling, coring and cubing, I made 3 big bowls of applesauce which have already been totally devoured by the Fish Sticks.

Homemade applesauce always reminds me of my Mimi Blair.  She kept a freezer full of it!  YUM!

Good Deals

For some reason there have been super deals on cereal the last couple of weeks.  Like deals I have not seen in FOREVER!!  When cereal is under $2 a box, snag a bunch!

Walgreens was a bit hit yesterday.  I got Chex Mix (6 bags - perfect snack for football games) at 75 cents a bag.  Nivea face cleaner and shave gel for $1 each.  GM cereals were $1.67 and I had a coupon that brought it down to $1.33 a box.  I got 9 boxes.  Even without the coupon, it's a great deal!  Oscar Meyer hotdogs were BIGI with a free pack of buns so 2 hot dogs with 1 pack of buns totaled $3.49 - another great meal for football games.  Scope mouthwash and Crest toothpaste both came to 49 cents each and Charmin toilet paper was $3.14.

I plan to go to CVS today.  There is another cereal deal there.  Time to stock up!

Great deals!

Homemade Swiffer

How you do like my Swiffer?  It cleans the floors great and even burns calories.  I think I have a patent in my future.

Doing the Pin

We altered tee shirts this summer from a pin on Pinterest. My girls love them. What a cute alternative to the plain ole tee.