Here goes:
1. Round two of the pre-K drawing was today..drumroll please...we moved from spot 100 (barely squeezing in..there were 100 slots) to number 73! YAY! BUT the Governor is now talking about making pre-k a half day program and I really, really do not like that. I was looking forward to having the boys in school so I could focus on Emma and Kaitlin during the day with Abby in the half-day preschool. Plus it makes running errands in Augusta next to impossible....hoping they figure it all out soon!
2. We have signed all the paperwork for Fred's MEB retirement..they rated him at 60% (not sure if I mentioned that already?) which is good, but still a big crunch. Yikes. We are just waiting on all the paperwork to come back from San Antonio now with his retirement date and benefits forms, etc.
3. Then we have to wait for his leave check to come through..we are cashing in his 60 days and using it to buy a new car...hoping it comes through quickly because...
4. Our van is dying. :( Yep, Lightning McQueen is barely hanging on...4 sensors, 2 tires, and some brakes all need replacing and the transmission is acting up again. Just trying to narrow it down between a large SUV (suburban), another minivan, or a bigger conversion or 12 passenger type van. They all offer lots of good pros/cons and we are trying to narrow them all down.
5. We are getting an iPhone..Yep, we are joining the craze. I like all the benefits - camera, GPS, music, internet, phone, etc. that it offers and my contract is coming up on it's renewal date AND my current phone is on it's last legs. I think they plan it that way..seriously, the thing is possessed. Turns off and on when it wants to, takes random pictures..fun stuff.
6. Emma is going to homeschool next year with Kaitlin. We are leaning towards the Calvert Curriculum for her. She's very excited about it. Owen wants to also, but we have decided to stay with public schools until at least the end of 1st grade. Then they can come home if we think it's a good fit for them - case by case basis. :) And how much Mom can handle!
7. We have been doing great with coupons lately - got 2 FREE pairs of jeans today from Target...which brings me to number
8. The jeans are actually too small for me. It's part of my plan. I have to lose this weight and I figure it will give me some motivation. I'm starting an aerobics class on Thursday, riding my bike, walking the track at the church. I really want to give up the soda but it's K.I.L.L.I.N.G. M.E.
9. Kaitlin survived her first youth group trip - skiing!! First ski trip and first youth trip. I'm really old. : ) She loved it! They are scheduled to go to Massachusetts in July to help with a VBS there and will get to go to Maine to see a lighthouse, Sleepy Hollow, the Red Sox field, Boston, etc. It'll be so cool for her!
10. Emma got in a fight with her best friend at school. Well, Faith told her (for no reason according to Emma), that she didn't want to be friends anymore and took back the eraser she gave her. Emma's solution? "I know how to fix it Mom. I'll just wait till tommorrow and we'll be friends again. Faith always forgets everything." Must have worked because they were back to trading stickers and pencils the very next day. ;-) Ah, the simple life of a 6-almost-7 year old.
See you later!
Hugs,
KT
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Friday, February 4, 2011
It's Friday Five Time
Okay, here's the updates - it's pretty much sick, sick, and more sick. It started with Abby and Emma and has quickly moved through the ranks all the way to Fred who went (finally) to the doctor today and got some meds for his brochitis - Kaitlin and I are still the only healthy ones although I'm fighting a sore throat. I'm trying the ignore it and it will go away treatment. :)
1. I am on an organizing kick this week - new menu boards, chore boards, and more. We are going to a daily game plan - I can't function in chaos and that's what it's been lately. Time to get back into a routine.
2. We've started couponing and have created quite a stockpile in the pantry. I got 8 boxes of pasta for FREE yesterday at the store. Then went to Target and spent $70, but save $56. We have enough food for 56 days in the freezers so I think we are on a roll. I figure the more I stock up now, the better it will be to only have to buy sales/loss leaders after we are on the lower income.
3. Fred finally got his paperwork back from the M.E.B. in San Antonio. They rated him at 60% which doesn't suck - it means we keep our insurance (currently only $460 a year), but it's still a heck of a paycut. Disability doesn't include housing or food, so it's only 60% of his base pay. We are hoping to supplement with VA disability and social security, but it will take awhile to do that so it's going to be tight for a while. At least we are a little closer to being able to move on to whatever is next.
4. Emma is playing basketball for Upward at the church and is doing really well. She wasn't sure of the whole point to going back and forth when there was a basket right there in front of her, but now she knows the rules and it's much easier. :)
5. We had a thunderstorm the other day and I've made a little wager that it will snow sometime in the next week...fingers crossed :)
Next week we should have more kid updates, it's been a little slow with everyone just laying on the couch watching tv and sleeping. Hopefully the fevers, coughs and runny noses will go away this weekend in time for Valentines' Day parties! <3
Hugs
Katie
1. I am on an organizing kick this week - new menu boards, chore boards, and more. We are going to a daily game plan - I can't function in chaos and that's what it's been lately. Time to get back into a routine.
2. We've started couponing and have created quite a stockpile in the pantry. I got 8 boxes of pasta for FREE yesterday at the store. Then went to Target and spent $70, but save $56. We have enough food for 56 days in the freezers so I think we are on a roll. I figure the more I stock up now, the better it will be to only have to buy sales/loss leaders after we are on the lower income.
3. Fred finally got his paperwork back from the M.E.B. in San Antonio. They rated him at 60% which doesn't suck - it means we keep our insurance (currently only $460 a year), but it's still a heck of a paycut. Disability doesn't include housing or food, so it's only 60% of his base pay. We are hoping to supplement with VA disability and social security, but it will take awhile to do that so it's going to be tight for a while. At least we are a little closer to being able to move on to whatever is next.
4. Emma is playing basketball for Upward at the church and is doing really well. She wasn't sure of the whole point to going back and forth when there was a basket right there in front of her, but now she knows the rules and it's much easier. :)
5. We had a thunderstorm the other day and I've made a little wager that it will snow sometime in the next week...fingers crossed :)
Next week we should have more kid updates, it's been a little slow with everyone just laying on the couch watching tv and sleeping. Hopefully the fevers, coughs and runny noses will go away this weekend in time for Valentines' Day parties! <3
Hugs
Katie
Friday, January 28, 2011
Five on Friday
1. Emma lost her second tooth finally! : ) At school and she pulled it herself - she was so proud. Kaitlin likes that she gets to play tooth fairy because if we go up the stairs we always hit the creaky spot and she stirs, so Kait can sneak over there and do it without much touble. Thank goodness for big sisters! :)
2. We have to register Joey for Pre-K next week at Maxwell. It's a lottery again this year. It will be really hard to explain to him why he can't go to the same school that Owen and Emma went to if he doesn't get in. February 17th is the big drawing. It's going to be a long day...hopefully he's not one of the last ones drawn like Owen was.
3. Owen is going to a birthday party for Richard tomm. I believe, from what I'm told, that Richard is his best friend and they like to play superheros on the playground. And I also believe that Paige is going to be there...she is Owen's "not my girlfriend" ;-) And she's got really, really long hair. And she likes the monkey bars.
4. Abby alternates between being a girly girl who loves her baby dolls and a lumberjack. Seriously. She does this hunched up walk when she's pretending to be someone else (like if Emma and she are playing dolls)and she looks like a lumberjack. It's pretty amusing to watch..
5. Kaitlin finally has a bike..and she loves it. I've had to push her but she's finally going around the neighborhood and getting some fresh air. :) And she's loving it! She's going skiing with her youth group in a few weeks to Wintergreen and she's busy, busy. I can't believe that in 3 short years she'll be driving a car...or at least legally able to....
Alrighty, that's everyone - Fred's packet is FINALLY being sent to San Antonio so we should hear something soon. Fingers crossed and prayers said that it is a good rating the first time and we don't have to appeal it. I'm finally starting to feel a little bit better after surgery, pulmonary embolism, strep, bronchitis, viral infection and God knows what else (oh, pink eye). My lung function test still isn't completely normal and I'm going to be seeing a geneticist to do some testing for genetic diseases like Marfan's and other connective tissue disorders. Hopefully they'll find something so I can stop feeling crazy! :)
Hugs
Katie
2. We have to register Joey for Pre-K next week at Maxwell. It's a lottery again this year. It will be really hard to explain to him why he can't go to the same school that Owen and Emma went to if he doesn't get in. February 17th is the big drawing. It's going to be a long day...hopefully he's not one of the last ones drawn like Owen was.
3. Owen is going to a birthday party for Richard tomm. I believe, from what I'm told, that Richard is his best friend and they like to play superheros on the playground. And I also believe that Paige is going to be there...she is Owen's "not my girlfriend" ;-) And she's got really, really long hair. And she likes the monkey bars.
4. Abby alternates between being a girly girl who loves her baby dolls and a lumberjack. Seriously. She does this hunched up walk when she's pretending to be someone else (like if Emma and she are playing dolls)and she looks like a lumberjack. It's pretty amusing to watch..
5. Kaitlin finally has a bike..and she loves it. I've had to push her but she's finally going around the neighborhood and getting some fresh air. :) And she's loving it! She's going skiing with her youth group in a few weeks to Wintergreen and she's busy, busy. I can't believe that in 3 short years she'll be driving a car...or at least legally able to....
Alrighty, that's everyone - Fred's packet is FINALLY being sent to San Antonio so we should hear something soon. Fingers crossed and prayers said that it is a good rating the first time and we don't have to appeal it. I'm finally starting to feel a little bit better after surgery, pulmonary embolism, strep, bronchitis, viral infection and God knows what else (oh, pink eye). My lung function test still isn't completely normal and I'm going to be seeing a geneticist to do some testing for genetic diseases like Marfan's and other connective tissue disorders. Hopefully they'll find something so I can stop feeling crazy! :)
Hugs
Katie
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Pictures of the Kids - finally! :)
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Santa
While at the Augusta Christmas parade yesterday, we decided to walk down the road while they were setting up the tree lighting festivities/craft fair to avoid the crowds and we happened upon the Santa booth..where he was waiting with NO LINES!! If you have one child, you know how hard it is to stand in line at the mall with them waiting and waiting and waiting. Multiply that by five and you have the reason I have not done it for two years...until now. : ) Thank you City of Augusta and Santa Claus for making my holiday season just a teeny tiny bit easier!
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Wiseman..or King
So cute!! Can't wait till all the activities this weekend! Sorry for the yuck quality of the pic, used my phone because my camera is still broken! Hopefully I will find a decent lens soon!
Katie
Friday, November 5, 2010
Weekend Plans
Projects for tommorrow include stripping the GORGEOUS doors that Melinda gave us from her barn storage pile (thanks to the previous owner) so that we can have something like this on the front of the house :) And eventually replacing that god awful gigantic thing that they call a light fixture over it....Building one of these...
And mapping out the area for the deck off the mudroom and the patio with firepit in the backyard. And then to scour craigslist for the materials...fingers crossed someone is smiling down on us. I'd love to find some really, really, really cheap adirondack chairs that I can paint! :)
Katie
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