Friday, September 27, 2013

New idea!!!! Crockpot Browning Meat in Crockpot

Oh I am sooooo excited about this post I ran across!!
I am so gonna do this immediately!

I hate browning ground beef over and over and over.  I usually do extra
and freeze it but it's something you have to tend to constantly and I am
one that tends to wonder off too much.  :P


Thank you bunches to - thefrugalgirls.com for this FAB idea!!

Link is:
Crockpot Browning Meat in Crockpot Recipe, Kitchen Tips, Recipes

Friday, September 20, 2013

15 Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Mess With A Homeschool Mom

As most of you know, we are homeschooling our granddaughter.  Haylee is now doing 1st grade.

I keep reading it's pretty typical of most homeschool parents that some days are hair pulling, nerves crunching, fingernail nibbling, neck tightening, wondering what the heck you are doing, kind of days.

Others, you wouldn't trade the world for the moment you are going through right at that instant. 

Those are the moments you sooo look forward to and that make it all worthwhile.  

The moment you show her a shortcut of stacking two double digit numbers and adding the columns together and she thinks I'm magic and amazing.  :D

And at the same time that little light bulb glows very brightly as she totally got what you just did.  Woo Hoo!

Other great moments are when she completely amazes Gramps when she explains something new and totally unexpected, and he is completely amazed that she knows and understands and is also able to explain.  

Also for the moments that my very patient hubby comes in and yet again, I haven't gotten much of anything accomplished for the day except staying in one room all day long working with lessons, and hair not even finished and not even sure if I have totally dressed for the day.

When I, myself feeling a bit overwhelmed that not much of anything has been accomplished in the household maintenance/care all week, except maybe the minute or two that half of the dishwasher has been unloaded and now can't decide if it's clean or dirty.  :P)
Ya know, the kind of days when I have to stop and think if I did or didn't have a shower today. 

But on those days I bet I could tell you our layout and order we worked our lesson plan for the day and probably which pages we even read, along with percentages of plans finished and how many to go before the end of the week since I have turned OCD on homeschool routine from household things. :/

Yesterday was one of the wonderful, I was told I was amazing days with DGD, (darlin' granddaughter) and then a change of attitudes that leads to today's hair pulling & graying, neck wrenching, counting to who knows what number while mumbling a quick "more patience please, Lord, kind of day.

Which it was all I could do to keep trying to be as patient as possible just to make it through a few of the lessons and try to re-vamp for the afternoon.  
That was during a run to the library for a required book needed yesterday, and run a couple of quick errands including refueling the cow juice.  (I swear it would be easier to milk a cow on a daily basis to keep up with the milk usage around here.  lol!)

So after reading all of this rambling - my point is, when I ran across this article on Facebook, 
after a "challenging" kind of day (my fav word - challenging!), I got a huge kick 
out of this.  

Although, we only have one to homeschool when others have more than one in more than one grade, I would have even more of the less hair turning gray.  (make sense? not sure of that one.  lol!  it's that kind of day.)  And I'm teaching. Bahaha!


Thanks to homeschooldiaries.com for a great and entertaining article.  
Definitely the highlight of this 
wild 
and 
crazy kind of day.  :)


Here is the article I was originally writing about. 


Here are 15 reasons why you should never mess with a homeschool mom:

1.  She has a laminator and knows how to use it.
2.  She often mumbles to herself, and claims she’s having a parent-teacher conference. Some may perceive this as craziness, to the homeschool mom, it’s normal.
3.  She can juggle a meal, fold clothes, and teach a spelling lesson, all while holding a baby on her hip. You may even call her a multi-tasker. {Gasp}
4.  She’s protective of her kids, to the point of psychotic. Urban legend claims the termmama-bear originated from the homeschool mom. Research is pending.
5.  She’s got moves like Jagger. Runs from room to room, putting out fires, or even starting a few of her own.
6.  She’s wise beyond years, constantly studying, researching and growing, to keep ahead of her brood of youngins.
7.  She’s not afraid to wear PJs after 10 a.m. or yoga pants ALL. DAY. LONG.
8.  She almost never calls in sick.
9.  She makes a list and checks it twice, or three and four times depending on how Type Ashe is.
10. She’ll go toe-to-toe with any stranger who questions in the wrong tone or before she’s had a second cup of coffee – “What about socialization?”
11. She stares algebra in the eye and makes y run from x. She will later tell a bad math joke –Dear Algebra, stop asking us to locate your X, she’s never coming back. {Insert evil laugh}
12. She’s been known to cancel school and declare a sun day, instead of a snow day, just because she can.
13. She handles dead animals and bugs with ease, all in the name of science.
14. She’s not afraid to face the Warden of Words (the librarian) to square up on late fees.
15. She won’t claim harassment when the ‘principal‘ pats her on the booty.
Why do you think a homeschool mom is a force to be reckoned with?

Link for this is:

15 Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Mess With A Homeschool Mom

Can't Fail Hard Boiled Eggs


When you want to hard boil eggs, 

just place them in a pot and cover them

with cold water.


Bring the water to a boil, cover with a lid, 
and take off the heat. 

Let them sit for 30 minutes. 

The heat of the water will cook them completely, 
and you will have less broken eggs. 

Sounds much more simple than wondering 
if they are done enough and/or
just waiting and waiting. 

Make your own Laundry Detergent

I am already a huge fan of DIY mixes since they usually 
work so much better than store bought products
and are so much cheaper to mix and use.  

Here is a new twist on laundry detergent that I am going to try.  
I LOVE the regular one that calls for pretty much the 
same ingredients, just use as a powder.  

Thanks to Budget101.com for the great idea.
Super Laundry Sauce

Link is:

Friday, September 13, 2013

My shopping adventure 9/13/13

I made a run to Walmart for some matchup shopping.  
Scored some great deals on meats and made sure to stock up a bit.  :)

So pumped at the savings I got today by checking ads in local paper 
and checking out a very few websites.  
No coupon clipped at all for these savings I have listed!
I did have several for other things with little savings here and there.  
I don't think I bought over a dozen items not on sale and/or coupons.

LOVE IT!  Talk about a fun game.  hehe!

Here are some of my matchups so you can try to grab some too.  
(I wrote how many I purchased of each so you can see the
totals at the end.

I purchased:

2x Ground chuck (family pk) matched to 
Sherwood Grocery for $13.15 (2.38/lb) to 
Walmart price of $19.98 ($3.56/lb)
**That's a savings of $6.83/per pkg!!

2x Chicken breast (frozen 5 lb bag store brand) matched to 
Edward's Food Giant $5.98 (avg. 1.19/lb) to 
Walmart price of $11.98 (avg 2.40/lb)
** That's a savings of $6.00/bag ($1.21/lb)!!

2x Cube Steak (family pk) matched to 
Sherwood Grocery $2.29/lb
Walmart $4.48/lb
**That's a savings of $2.20/lb

Other saving items were:

3x Eggs - medium store brand
Parker's Big Star (Quitman) $.89/doz
Walmart $1.74/doz
**Savings of $.85/per doz.

4x General Mills Cereals up to 21.6 oz
Knight's Super Foods - 2/$5 ($2.50 ea)
Walmart - avg price $3.98
**Savings of 1.46/per box

4x Shredded Cheese - store brand 8 oz
Cash Saver @ Greenbrier - 1.46+10%=$1.61/ea
**Walmart - $2.18
Thats a savings of $0.57/per pkg

4x Kraft cheese singles (16 slices)
Kroger - $1.49/pkg
Walmart $2.98/pkg
**That's savings of 1/2 = $1.49 saved per pkg.

4x Pringles - any variety regular can
Cash Saver (Heber) $0.75/ea+10%=$.83
Walmart $1.50 each
**Thats a savings of $0.67/per can

2x Oscar Meyer bacon 12-16oz pkg
Kroger $4.99
Walmart - forgot to write down but almost postive
it was about $2. off.

I forgot to check the savings but you ought to on 
Top sirloin steaks (family pack)
Sherwood Grocery - $3.49/lb
Walmart - ?

On the meats I purchased 2 pkgs of each 
and Walmart price would have been $72.08
I matched them and only paid $44.24
***I saved $27.84 on just meats with matchups
*(not counting top sirloin savings)

On a total of savings:
Walmart - $121.86
My price match down to $72.03 on items listed.

That's just on the items that I wrote here.  
I had smaller savings and didn't track them as good.

Remember - you do NOT have to present the ads 
when checking out - this is CORPORATE policy.

It is so much easier if you check out with all your
price matching items all together and your list ready
therefore you present yourself as you know what 
you are talking about.  
I try my best to make sure the cashier has all the info
she needs on which store, price per lb. for that size, etc.

And don't forget to be nice.  
Stand your ground if you happen to have a question 
from the cashier.  Never be afraid to ask for supervisor cashier.

Many times the cashier's or the supervisors come up
to me and ask what I have saved on today.  
Talk about fun!  That's a blast.  I have many times
handed over my list to someone else or just fill
them in on the info.  

I do this so often I hardly ever get any questions, 
but never know, once in a while someone does 
balk.  I have even had the supervisor do so too, 
but when I explain and have them check their 
own "corporate" rules, it's usually resolved 
very easily.  

And look at the savings that is sooooo well worth it!!

And have fun!!!


Friday, September 6, 2013

What Can You Freeze? How to freeze 30 Foods

What can you freeze

Great post with lots of clickable links to find out what you can freeze and the best ways to do so.  
Be sure to check them out and plan to purchase an extra this and that to build a stock of many of your regularly used products that you can find on sale and with coupons for even more savings (along with the convience of not running out when you are wanting to make your extra special dish at the last minute.  :)
(link below)



Thanks to Stockpiling mom's for another great post to help all of us.  :)

Link is: