A Change...

Hello All...It has been a while but I think I am going to give this another shot. However, with a change...

My goals for 2011 were to become healthier and to be more frugal! To date I have only accomplished one of my goals...to become healthier!

On January 8, 2011 I began HCG Platinum. This was a weightloss drug that helped me successfully lose 45 lbs and learn how to eat healthier!

So with that out of the way I think it is time to become more frugal.

My Plan:

Meal Plan Menu: I will write out the MONTHS meals on a printable calendar at the beggining of each month.
Grocery Shopping: I will only grocery shop TWO times a month! I will however pick up the essentials (milk, bread, etc) as we need them. I know I can get them cheap at the local gas station (weird but it is cheaper there then the store!)
Coupons: This past Sunday I purchased 2 papers (one for Des Moines and one for Cedar Falls/Waterloo) I was able to clip some really good coupons! I will try to use these as I can. I also get my coupons from redplum.com, smartsource.com, and coupons.com.
Websites: I have a few favorite websites and blogs I like to follow that give me ideas of how to use my coupons and which stores have deals on what (Blog: Living the Frugal Life. Website: Coupondivas.com)

I am hoping that with this plan I can save quite a bit of money.

I will use my blog to A) inform you of what deals I am finding B) to keep my self accountable!

If you have any suggestions please let me know!!!

Shannon

Happy Memorial Day!

Memorial Day is a day to remember our soldiers that have fought for us! I am so proud of all our soldiers that have done everything they have to ensure that I have my freedom and can do the things I love with my family.

This weekend has been very eventful. We went to Chicago, well north of Chicago, on Saturday. We went to go and see the Medevil Times show. The kids were very excited and could not wait to have a night away! The kids loved the show and had a great time! We came home on Sunday and the car ride was a long one.

Monday has been full of projects so far...I was finally able to finish painting the basement bathroom (pics to come), Troy finally cleaned up the mess in the basement, the lawn was finally mowed, and I was able to get a tan. Now I am waiting for Troy to finish our steaks...Aww, bring on the summer!!! The Aldrich's are loving it!!!

What have I gotten myself into???

Ok, first off I will start today by listing a few good things about today:

The sun is shining and the humidity has finally broken. It is now a great opportunity to spend time outdoors but of course Uncle Sam wants his money, opps keepin it positive!

It is Thursday which means I have today and tomorrow then a 3 day weekend!!

And most importantly, my family and I are in relativly good health, a few colds and allergies are crazy, but we are all alive and kickin'!

Now What have I gotten myself into?????? Class last night was good other than finding that I have a very busy few weeks ahead of me! Lots of projects including the biggest one due in 2 weeks and my theorist that I have has very limitied information avaliable!!!

I really seem to be struggling to stay afloat in my math class. The problems are very complicated and I have no clue how to even start them. I went to visit the tutor that we have on campus and he refused to help me because he is part of a program that I do not qualify for since I have my 4 year degree. It is only offered to students that do not have a BA or BS!!! I am becoming discouraged and can not wait for this class to be over!!!!!!

Other than that, things are good on the home front. Everyone is really looking forward to the weekend in Chicago and some time away from the 'Loo!

So Sleepy!

Last night was a long night. Dalten seemed to be feeling a little under the weather with his allergies (poor kid) and went to sleep really early. I thought it was a good thing until the "bad dreams" started. I had enough of him waking up every half hour at about 11 so I put him in my bed and all was good for the rest of the night. Sorry Troy, but you looked comfy on the couch!

Troy has been working a lot of overtime (Woo Hoo) and has not been getting home until about 8:30pm. This is nice for me but Devin seems bummed that he does not get to see dad all night. I just keep reminding him that this weekend is a long one and we will all be together the whole time.

We are traveling to Chicago this weekend to take the kids to the Midevil Times. The in-laws are coming with, so it should be interesting! I am starting my list on things that need to be done and what needs to be packed. I am a list person and my list is getting longer and longer and longer!

I have another long day today as I have class this evening. Not only do I have class but during my break and after class I need to meet with the tutor so I can get some math questions answered! Grr, I am really starting to hate this math class. It is very trying and I do not understand why my class from UNI did not transfer over! But as for the class tonight, I really enjoy it. It is giving me lots of different ideas on how to engage students in my class and how to deal with those who misbehave. Of course I run everything through Katelin since she is at the age I will be teaching. We talk alot about how teachers could improve (in her eyes) and get the students to be better in the class. She has some very good insight and it is all very resonable! Who woulda thunk from a 14 yr old!

Here goes the first blog!

Welcome Friends and Family! I am so glad you decided to check out my blog!!! I am going to try hard to update this almost daily on the daily happenings in my and my families life! I will try to post pictures everytime I post!!! Keep me accountable!

We have been working very hard in completing the basement bathroom in our house. It has been a very trying project that Troy and I both agree that we will NEVER do again! It is turning out nice, we have a few more little things to do and I need to get into gear on finishing the painting!


This is the big trench that was made to do the piping!


Finally a shower!



My paint job! I love the colors!






Hopefully this project will be completed really soon so that we can move onto the next.

The heat has begun to rise and I am loving it. Last night I sent the kids outside to play in the hose, so I could get homework done. They all had a blast and I think they are happy that the weather is finally warm and they can be outside doing things until 7:30! I am not however looking forward to having to explain to Dalten why he has to go to bed when it is still light outside. Hopefully, he doesn't catch on...at least this year!