My week

I'm sorry I'm not on here more, but the month of May is such a busy time for me. We've been getting the garden ready to go. I'm going to do the lasagna gardening this year so we have to cover the whole thing with newspapers and cardboard, alfalfa hay, and then composted manure. The newspaper part has proven to be quite the job. It seems like it's always windy here so we have a hard time getting them down and then have to keep watering so they won't blow away. It makes that electricity generating windmill seem even more like something we need :o)
My "garden tub" full of garden plants is growing like a weed and I can't wait to plant them in a couple of weeks. Gotta be sure to wait long enough so they won't freeze :o)
Unfortunately we are still going to have to file bankruptcy and that's a tough one. We went to see the attorney this week and have a ton of paperwork to fill out. It just sucks that even with a corporation we weren't able to avoid being responsible for the debts of the company. I guess it is what it is and we'll survive. We've learned to live without so much now that we can live on about 1/2 of what we used to. And that's good considering how frugal I was to begin with. I'll bet you'd have a hard time finding someone that spends less on food than we do, and that's including our all-natural diet. We LOVE to buy the "loss leaders" at all of the grocery stores. Loss leaders are super low priced items that just get you into the store with hopes that you'll buy more stuff. My Hubby is great about stopping at all of the different stores each week on his way home. He's passing them anyways, why not stop and get natural chicken breasts for $1.68 per lb., and 10 bottles of apple juice for $10. That's one benefit of living just outside a metropolitan area. We have Cub, Walmart, Target, Jubilee, and Rainbow Foods. Deals galore. Plus I print coupons online and save even more :O)
We've turned the heat down/up to keep the gas and electric bills down, and of course, the garden that will feed us wonderfully. I buy clothes for the kids off the clearance racks for the next season, and also hit the thrift stores when I really need something. The other day I went to the Salvation Army and got 8 pairs of knit pants for P, for $10! She goes through them like crazy because she hops and walks on her knees.
I also like to make snacks instead of buying everything. We make cookies, marshmallows, fruit breads, muffins, cakes, popsicles, jello, etc. I just found a great recipe for granola that we are going to try. All of this stuff is almost free, it's so inexpensive.
We were in foster care training last weekend and the lady couldn't believe that I could feed my family for a week on what other people would spend on one meal at a restaurant. A bag of flour, sugar, some milk, eggs, etc., goes a LONG way. Pasta, veggies, cheese, etc. are great to buy in bulk at Sam's Club.
"A" had her last week of dance class this week. Next week is rehearsal and then their recital the next weekend. I'm SO proud of her. She's front and center this year for her dances so it will be nice to be able to see her every move.
School is winding down. My kids have worked so hard that they are almost done with the year. Now we are slacking back a little so we can have fun and enjoy the beautiful weather. I'm just starting to get the curriculum together for next year. We are looking at Mammoth Math. It's on sale right now on the Homeschool Buyers Coop for 40% off in a group buy. It's basically a disk that has grades 1-5 in math! You just print off what you need, or the whole grade book. How great for me and my big family that I won't have to buy math again for several years. However, A & W are both a year ahead in math so at the rate they're going we might be done sooner. That's fine with me though because we value academics bigtime in our house and will always push our kids to do their best. The time and attention that I have to work with them allows them to jump past the easy parts that they learn quickly, and spend more time on the things they have more trouble with. It's SO fun to see their little tickers ticking in their heads when they are learning. "A" just learned how to subtract double digit numbers with borrowing. It was tough but I just took out the little counter blocks and showed her visually what she was doing. Right away she got the point much better than just the explaination. Hard to believe that a year ago, in public school, she was in Title 1 because she was behind in Kindergarten math! Now she's in 1st grade and finishing up 2nd grade math. She finished 1st grade math right after Christmas.
This weekend is going to be fun. Two of my Mom's sisters, and their 2 daughters are coming down tomorrow to spend the day and then we are going to do the Race for the Cure on Sunday at the Mall of America again. My Mom, Mother in law, my Mom's friend Jill, her daughter Janna, and Janna's Mother in law, are also walking with us. It's such a blast!
WOW, I guess I made up for lost time, lol!
Have a fantabulous weekend everyone!