Thursday, January 27, 2011
Thelma and Louise (and kiddos) Ride Again!
Here it is, friends! The Harrington's new-to-us Honda mini-van! Now, many say that they are not mini-van type people (we were also those people!) but when Nathan recently had a mishap with a patch of ice and our little "putt around town" Rav 4 (yes, it had 238,000 miles!) we decided that we are a minivan family and needed some extra space. Not only does it accomodate our family but I am especially excited about spending time with my sister as we take our "field trips"!
My sister and I teach in the same district but at rival schools. Okay they are not rival schools, that just makes it seem a little more interesting. We both teach in a great district that truely loves its students. But what is also important is that this means that our breaks (spring, fall, etc) fall at the same time and we enjoy getting out with the kids and taking field trips! As spring and summer approach-which isn't soon enough-I will give you some ideas and lists of summer freebies and programs that we love to attend. Kara and I have been known to pack up the Pacifica (which was our version of a non-mini-van but could still fit our family) and take the kids to the pool, library, movies, etc on a family friendly budget. Needless to say, space is a little tight sometimes with 2 baby carseats and asking the kids to climb over the console through the middle and to the back. Isn't it confusing just to read it?! The van will help to accomodate this issue and I am very excited about the storage in the back!
It's crazy how one can actually get excited about a mini-van. But I think that maybe it's more of the possibilities and memories-such as the fun of summer, loading up and hitting the road! Although we aren't running from the law-we enjoy taking the kids out to enjoy new activities and have fun with our favorites as well. I will be so glad when it's warmer and this modern day, family friendly, Thelma and Louise (along with our kiddos) can ride again!
Celebrating A Life
Originally, I started my weekly (for the most part) entry on Sunday, January 23rd. It was a fairly normal Sunday morning with the exception that my big kids had spent the night with their aunt & cousins in Lexington so we were leaving a little early to get them & then go to church. I'd spent the last couple of days collecting some cute snow day pictures to post along with my snow day entry (which will come...)but didn't have time to get it all finished. We headed to Lexington to get the kids and then on to church.
Isn't it funny how your life can change with in a split second with a phone call? As we everyone was loaded up to come home & got on the road, we recieved a call that my grandfather had passed out with chest pains & an ambulance had been called. I told myself that he could pull out of this, however, deep down in the pits of my stomach I knew it wasn't good. We received a phone call minutes later that confirmed that feeling from deep down-he didn't make it.
Robert F Burden (Bobby) was a man that certainly made his mark on all that he came into contact with, be it church, community organizations, the farm and definately his family. He worked hard & expected the same out of others. He always had kind word & if not, he didn't say it out loud :) If you've met him, you know that he always had a story to tell. He was proud of his service in the Army and many of his stories reflected his experiences. He was preceeded in death by my grandmother Betty, who died in August 2009.
My grandparents had been together for over 50 years (no one knows for sure because my grandmother did not want anyone to know her age and the were married young). Their relationship was always one I watched because if you've been together for that long, I think there's something to be learned from that! :) I remember one morning, I had spent the night with and gotten up and gone to the kitchen. While Betty stood at the stove, Bobby came up behind her, hugged her and then pinched her on the bottom! She said, "Bobby! Stop that! Kristin will see you!" At the time, I was in my teens (maybe 15 or so) and he replied "Well, she's 15 and if that's the first time she's seen it there's a problem!" Ha! How funny! He would also tell me that you have to be picky about who you date because once you're involved, you can't always help who you fall in love with. He later walked me down the aisle at my own wedding.
Those are just two little memories of an entire lifetime. This has been a bitter sweet week thus far. Our family is very close, with dinners here, a party there and remembering to celebrate life. The last year and a half holds many great memories with the new babies and special times, but I also know that he missed and would have loved to share those special times with my grandmother. I believe that he is doing that now. While his death has left a void here on Earth in the hearts of many, he has completed his time here and is now spending his time in Eternity.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Snow Says!
One winter morning Peter woke up and looked out the window. Snow had fallen during the night. It covered everything as far as he could see.
(The Snowy Day, by Ezra Jack Keats)
Lately, it seems as though our snowy weather is much like the very first page of this children's book that my children and I enjoy reading about this time each year! I normally mark the number of snow days on my kitchen calendar as the winter rolls along, but after this week and the last round of snow, I have officially lost count! In addition, we have been notified by our school district that teachers may still be asked to report to work depending on road conditions in order to begin making up days that we have missed! It goes without saying that I love snow days and love to spend that time at home with my kiddos, but I think we've seen too many this year! However, since snow is our current reality, I thought I would share a snow day in the life of the Harringtons.
On a snow day, we typically wake up around 7:30 am and start off with breakfast (or else my children act a though they may starve to death).
Above, you can see that we are having muffins for breakfast-McKenna loves to lick the bowl! On this particular morning, Asher was still asleep but Ian was up & at em' early also!
Typically snow days may include movies, cleaning (although it always seems as though that doesn't last long!), sorting through clothes and organizing, trying out new recipes and organizing my coupons :) However, as you can see, this snow day was special as Ian's friends came over to play! The big kids finally got to get out and play in the snow and we made snow cream! Yum!
For our snow cream, we used snow (but not the yellow or dirty kind!), white sugar, vanilla extract and milk. Although, I am sure there are precise measurements-we mix a little of each until it tastes just right!
I hope you enjoy some of the pictures of a snow day in our home!
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Monday, January 17, 2011
Mad Skills...
When I was home for the summer and on maternity leave with "Peter Parker" this past year, I started to experiment a little with couponing. Scanning ads, cutting, clipping, downloading, etc, etc. I was fairly good at it- I once got my grocery bill from $100 to $40- which included name brand formula, diapers and wipes! However, as school started back in August, my coupon clipping, money saving efforts went by the wayside :( I once again simply returned to my shopping by using "the cheapest I could find and quickest way to get in and out of the store" method.
Until this weekend...as Nathan and I sat watching Extreme Couponing on TLC, we thought to ourselves, "Hey! We could do this!". Now, by no means, do I think that we will be THAT extreme with the years worth of products in stockpiles and 9 grocery carts when I go to the store. But you have to admit, they have some mad skills! WOW! One person bought $5,000 worth of groceries for $250!
As we watched, we started to reevaluate the current couponing system. I currently have a wallet sized, accordian envelope in which my coupons are filed in no specific order (simply what makes sense to me). This will be changed to a binder style with baseball card pockets with a table of contents. You can see the Krazy Coupon Lady for more information about this system as I found it on her website after watching her feature on the show. I plan to also use couponmom.com to help me match up which coupons go with which store sales each week for the maximum % saved.
After just a little bit of planning, we decided to put this new idea to a small test. We went to the grocery store shortly after church where I knew there was a sale on ALL laundry detergent. Here, I got a package of Huggies diapers and the laundry detergent for a total of about $10. Not too bad (the diapers were acutally $9.99 regular price), but I bet we can do better.
Once again, I consulted the couponmom.com website and started to sort out which coupons would be expiring and which coupons we would need this next week according to what was going to be on sale . It turns out I had 3 coupons for colgate toothpaste and one for a free salad dressing at our local grocery store-all expiring on 1/16/11! In one final attempt for the evening, I ran to the grocery to put my new skill to practice. I got 3 tubes of Colgate toothpaste and 1 bottle of salad dressing for a total of $1.18! Now, this may not seem like a huge deal for some, I did not get thousands of dollars in groceries for a couple of hundred, but it is an exciting start! In a family that is growing in age and size, any little bit of savings helps! I've also decided that stockpiling some things such as wipes, diapers, health and beauty products may be fairly easy to store (especially if I am paying almost nothing-we can make room) so I will keep you posted on the stockpiling issue. I have listed some websites below that I have found to be helpful (in addition to finding coupons at specific manufacturers' websites). If you have any tips or ideas, please feel free to share-I am very new at this!
Our next venture will be to cut down on eating out. This is a HUGE issue for us, especially on the weekends! For some reason, we become LAZY each weekend (and around pay days) and eating out just seems effortless-and expensive! I try to keep up with some restaurant coupons and I know where you can find kids eat free or cheap deals (I will include a list of links below if you're interested), but our family still seems to go overboard. We are working to put some limits on this and be more responsible in the area of eating out. Ideas, tips, etc are welcome :)
Coupon Websites:
couponmom.com
The Krazy Coupon Lady
Kroger (upload coupons to your card)
Shortcuts
Coupons.com
cellfire.com
CouponNerdz
Restaurant Deals:
Restaurant.com
Kids Meal Deals
Groupon
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Have I mentioned we love Saturdays at our house?
I struggled with what I should title my entry today because it is two fold! It will tell you a little bit about our family & our typical Saturday activities but it will also serve as a review of our experience at the new (drum roll………) CHICK FIL A here in Georgetown!! No, they did not ask for a review, but I’ve had many friends ask if I had been yet so I wanted to let you know that “yes we have!”
So…have I mentioned that here at our house, we love Saturdays?! Saturdays here in the Harrington house often include errands, laundry, dishes, cleaning and projects around the house but they also include lazy days in our pjs & watching tv, library visits or other little outings and soon will include indoor soccer and gymnastics at the YMCA. THIS Saturday has turned out to be an exciting day :)
Originally, the plan was to go build the game box activity at Lowes Build and Grow or go to the Explorium in Lexington for Scott County Day (Scott Co residents get in 1/2 off) but it started out as one of those lazy days as the snow fell outside. We finally got it together enough to try to catch the end of the build activity so off we went! However-as we drove by Chick Fil A, we realized that the line was not all the way out in the street to get in for the first time since Thursday! HOLY COW! (this is what I thought of titling my entry) CHANGE OF PLANS!!
We parked the car (which we had a spot that was sort of inconvenient, but we can make it work) and hauled it in. Now, every other Saturday Nathan has to work until 2 (which is way better than 6) so I am left to my own devices when it comes to morning adventures with the kids. Today is one of those days and so when I say “hauled it in” that is what I mean. I haul in the kids, car seat, bag, etc and when you are by yourself you must move like a well oiled machine with precision and strategy. However at a place like Chick Fil A, you are not alone as I noticed that many families, moms, dads, etc, came in with their millions of kids too! Okay, so I don’t have a million and neither did they (it was more around 2-5) but they hauled it in with their kids as well. Anyway, we ordered, got our drinks and were helped to our seat by the cashier. No, I don’t think it was pity-lol! They do this for everyone, along with helping to throw away your trash, get refills, ketchup, etc. We were greeted by the cow, samples of brownies, coupons and smiling faces that said “It’s my pleasure” as they serve you. Everyone ate and enjoyed their lunch then my “big kids” went out to break in the new play area-which the said was “the best ever!” :) Needless to say it was a successful trip and we had a wonderful lunch in this Christian, family friendly atmosphere (even had Christian music playing in the restaurant). We will be back many times, I’m sure. They have a facebook page (CFA Georgetown, KY) if you’re interested…
As for the rest of our day it is shaping up to be a good one. We went on to Lowes where although we missed building, we got faucets that will later be installed as today’s project. And our friend Hadley is coming over to play! As I said, we love Saturdays!
So…have I mentioned that here at our house, we love Saturdays?! Saturdays here in the Harrington house often include errands, laundry, dishes, cleaning and projects around the house but they also include lazy days in our pjs & watching tv, library visits or other little outings and soon will include indoor soccer and gymnastics at the YMCA. THIS Saturday has turned out to be an exciting day :)
Originally, the plan was to go build the game box activity at Lowes Build and Grow or go to the Explorium in Lexington for Scott County Day (Scott Co residents get in 1/2 off) but it started out as one of those lazy days as the snow fell outside. We finally got it together enough to try to catch the end of the build activity so off we went! However-as we drove by Chick Fil A, we realized that the line was not all the way out in the street to get in for the first time since Thursday! HOLY COW! (this is what I thought of titling my entry) CHANGE OF PLANS!!
We parked the car (which we had a spot that was sort of inconvenient, but we can make it work) and hauled it in. Now, every other Saturday Nathan has to work until 2 (which is way better than 6) so I am left to my own devices when it comes to morning adventures with the kids. Today is one of those days and so when I say “hauled it in” that is what I mean. I haul in the kids, car seat, bag, etc and when you are by yourself you must move like a well oiled machine with precision and strategy. However at a place like Chick Fil A, you are not alone as I noticed that many families, moms, dads, etc, came in with their millions of kids too! Okay, so I don’t have a million and neither did they (it was more around 2-5) but they hauled it in with their kids as well. Anyway, we ordered, got our drinks and were helped to our seat by the cashier. No, I don’t think it was pity-lol! They do this for everyone, along with helping to throw away your trash, get refills, ketchup, etc. We were greeted by the cow, samples of brownies, coupons and smiling faces that said “It’s my pleasure” as they serve you. Everyone ate and enjoyed their lunch then my “big kids” went out to break in the new play area-which the said was “the best ever!” :) Needless to say it was a successful trip and we had a wonderful lunch in this Christian, family friendly atmosphere (even had Christian music playing in the restaurant). We will be back many times, I’m sure. They have a facebook page (CFA Georgetown, KY) if you’re interested…
As for the rest of our day it is shaping up to be a good one. We went on to Lowes where although we missed building, we got faucets that will later be installed as today’s project. And our friend Hadley is coming over to play! As I said, we love Saturdays!
Latest and Greatest...
It is no secret that I am always looking for the latest and greatest good deal! Each year,the youth group at our church sells The Entertainment Book . This is a book full of coupons for your local area (recreation, food, etc) and to my excitement they included a contest this year so that whoever saves the most gets theirs free next year! I'm in!
Last night, I made one of my biggest entries on my savings log so far ($11.00) and it coincides with our family game night. Sunday night is our family game night-it's a good way to close up the weekend before we start up school and our busy weekly schedule once again. We've played lots of games from games on our wii, board games (Don't Break the Ice & Sorry are recent favorites) and last week we played card games (miniature versions of Cranium) that the kids actually got in their kids meals at Chick Fil A. With my coupon from our book, I am using a free trial at www.gamefly.com. This is a service similar to Netflix, except, it is for video games. We are very excited to add a little more fun to game night-we are going to try a kids' dance game, Toy Story and of course Mario! The free trial is for 15 days (and yes, let's be honest, I will probably cancel after the free trial) and the normal cost is about $22.00 a month. But definitely worth a try if there's no cost!
Game night has been fun for us (I'll include some more ideas at the end of my post and please fill me in on any you may want to suggest :) and always changing. I know as the kids grow it may change to once or twice a month and may evolve to Family Night to include movies or going out for fun things as a family, but for now, Nathan and I make sure that there is at least one night a week that we hang out at the house and have fun together.
Here are some other sites or ideas that may be interesting to you:
Hasbro Family Game Night
Family Education
Kaboose
Million Minute Family Challenge
Family Movie Night
Last night, I made one of my biggest entries on my savings log so far ($11.00) and it coincides with our family game night. Sunday night is our family game night-it's a good way to close up the weekend before we start up school and our busy weekly schedule once again. We've played lots of games from games on our wii, board games (Don't Break the Ice & Sorry are recent favorites) and last week we played card games (miniature versions of Cranium) that the kids actually got in their kids meals at Chick Fil A. With my coupon from our book, I am using a free trial at www.gamefly.com. This is a service similar to Netflix, except, it is for video games. We are very excited to add a little more fun to game night-we are going to try a kids' dance game, Toy Story and of course Mario! The free trial is for 15 days (and yes, let's be honest, I will probably cancel after the free trial) and the normal cost is about $22.00 a month. But definitely worth a try if there's no cost!
Game night has been fun for us (I'll include some more ideas at the end of my post and please fill me in on any you may want to suggest :) and always changing. I know as the kids grow it may change to once or twice a month and may evolve to Family Night to include movies or going out for fun things as a family, but for now, Nathan and I make sure that there is at least one night a week that we hang out at the house and have fun together.
Here are some other sites or ideas that may be interesting to you:
Hasbro Family Game Night
Family Education
Kaboose
Million Minute Family Challenge
Family Movie Night
Thursday, January 6, 2011
In My Next 30 Years...
January usually brings about a time of resolutions and reflections. However, the year of 2011 has brought a lot of reflection to both Nathan and I as we are both turning the BIG 30 this year-Nathan of course will be 30 before me :-) When we first got married, we set goals and label them as, "within 5 years", "within 10 years" and "by the time we're 30". I think that it goes without saying that life does not happen according to our plan but according to what God has planned for us and, BOY! His plan was certainly different than ours!
By the time we are 30, Nathan and I had plans to be out of debt. We were going to be finished having our children (2 or 3-which would be small at this time because we did not want to start until at least 3 or 4 years of marriage and I obtained my degree). I was going to be working as a counselor or therapist and Nathan would be self employed (doing real estate or some business that he could run from our home).
Instead, Nathan and I have worked hard to cut down our debt and although not paid off completely, we are in a good spot for us and our family. Times can be tight and we often make sacrifices, but we are hard workers and have a plan.
We have been blessed from the beginning of our marriage with the gift of a growing family. Little did we know that God planned to give us such blessings right away :) But we have 3 beautiful children that light up our lives (and make it VERY interesting) each day and whether we are finished completely is still to be decided! We never expected to have (what is by my standards) a big family, and it is not for everyone-but we love our family and love to be surrounded by our loud and crazy life.
As for being a counselor or therapist, I do that everyday! I spent much of my life deciding that I did not want to be a teacher. Many individuals in may family are teachers and I wanted to get out and do something different. Until, I thought, that just maybe, Special Education would be something in which I could be interested. It is an understatement to say that I like teaching. I love my job. Yes, there is a ton of paperwork, often difficult issues to deal with and there are days that I feel as though I will never be finished and I am EXHAUSTED-before I even get home! But I love it-I am constantly surrounded by kids who I don't just teach, but teach me in return. As for Nathan and his job, I cannot speak for him, but I know that God has a plan and puts us right where we need to be at the correct moment. I am excited to see what lies ahead.
I am so glad that God has put me where I am in life. He knew the plan that was laid out for me, and the journey is just beginning. So, in 2011 (AND my next 30 years) I will continue to work hard, love my family and keep my eyes open for what God has in store (in the good and the bad).
By the time we are 30, Nathan and I had plans to be out of debt. We were going to be finished having our children (2 or 3-which would be small at this time because we did not want to start until at least 3 or 4 years of marriage and I obtained my degree). I was going to be working as a counselor or therapist and Nathan would be self employed (doing real estate or some business that he could run from our home).
Instead, Nathan and I have worked hard to cut down our debt and although not paid off completely, we are in a good spot for us and our family. Times can be tight and we often make sacrifices, but we are hard workers and have a plan.
We have been blessed from the beginning of our marriage with the gift of a growing family. Little did we know that God planned to give us such blessings right away :) But we have 3 beautiful children that light up our lives (and make it VERY interesting) each day and whether we are finished completely is still to be decided! We never expected to have (what is by my standards) a big family, and it is not for everyone-but we love our family and love to be surrounded by our loud and crazy life.
As for being a counselor or therapist, I do that everyday! I spent much of my life deciding that I did not want to be a teacher. Many individuals in may family are teachers and I wanted to get out and do something different. Until, I thought, that just maybe, Special Education would be something in which I could be interested. It is an understatement to say that I like teaching. I love my job. Yes, there is a ton of paperwork, often difficult issues to deal with and there are days that I feel as though I will never be finished and I am EXHAUSTED-before I even get home! But I love it-I am constantly surrounded by kids who I don't just teach, but teach me in return. As for Nathan and his job, I cannot speak for him, but I know that God has a plan and puts us right where we need to be at the correct moment. I am excited to see what lies ahead.
I am so glad that God has put me where I am in life. He knew the plan that was laid out for me, and the journey is just beginning. So, in 2011 (AND my next 30 years) I will continue to work hard, love my family and keep my eyes open for what God has in store (in the good and the bad).
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