Weaning: What if Mom Isn't Ready?

The Guppy is showing signs of weaning.

She is ready, but I am not. This is harder for me than I thought.

Or is it?

Today I am over at Attachment Parenting International Speaks, talking about my feelings about the Guppy weaning and why it is so hard. Please join me over there and feel free to comment; I would love to hear about your weaning stories!

Weaning: What if Mom Isn't Ready?

Loaded Up With Curriculum

On Saturday, a local homeschooling co-op held their annual used curriculum sale. Those who volunteered for at least three hours to help set up were allowed to shop an hour earlier than everyone else. Since I heard how long the lines get at the sale and how fast the good curriculum goes, I eagerly volunteered on Thursday in order to get in early.

The reason why I wanted to hit this sale was because I had heard that they devote an entire room to free curriculum, which sounds perfect for us and our tight budget! And let me tell you, "room" was an understatement; it was more like an entire floor of free things that you could just take! I ended up having to make five trips just to get all the books into the van, and then I let the girls come in to pick out some books that they wanted to read.

We were exhausted when we finally got home, so the Knight unloaded the van into the living room, where the books sat for a few hours until I labeled and sorted and boxed them up to be used later.

To get an idea of how much free curriculum we got, here are some pics of some of the books (there were more on the floor under the window):

I will definitely volunteer again next year, it was so worth it!

What tips do you have for homeschooling on a tight budget?

Loaded Up With Curriculum

Homeschool Update

Homeschooling in our house has been a little wayward.

I've been overwhelmed lately and the girls have had a lot of stuff to do as well. We had that period of beautiful weather where the girls spent all day outside, so we didn't do much schooling then. Then that beautiful weather went away and was replaced by rain, rain and more rain so we got more schooling done but then came a couple of weeks where we had activities planned out of the home every day, so it fell to the back burner again.


I keep reminding myself that the girls are only 2 and 4, they don't need any official schooling yet...and that going outside to play, and participating in activities with friends is part of what homeschooling is all about. But I feel bad because the Mermaid is really into having "learning time" and so, at the end of the day when we've been running around like crazy and I'm exhausted because I'm still in the adjustment period for my paper route, she asks for learning time and I just don't have the energy.

My goal for the next month is to have more down time. Going out for playdates and activities is a blast and is important, but doing it every day for seven days straight is a little exhausting. The Guppy got sick yesterday and I wonder if that was her trying to slow us down a little, to just take at least one day a week and stay home and just chill.

I'm not sure why I feel pressured to get out of the house all the time, whether it's because I am doubting myself or I am trying to show the sceptics in our family how much socialization you can do while homeschooling, I don't know. I just know that it's been overwhelming and now the Mermaid is acting up and I am starting to yell again.

I hate it when I yell.

So, next week I plan to spend at least 3 days just staying home and having some down time. I'd like to flip through How To Talk So Kids Will Listen and Listen So Kids Will Talk again, as that book has definitely been a life saver in this house and I really need a refresher. I'm looking forward to it for my own reasons as well; studying for my CBE certification has really fallen to the back burner this month and I am ready to open up those books again.

To other homeschoolers out there, please give me some tips and advice on how to balance out of the home activities and down time while homeschooling. I would love to hear what works for your family!

And, if you are a family who lives in MA, I'm over at MassMoms today with a list of homeschooling resources.

Homeschool Update

Because I Can't Be More Than Two Place At Once...

Yesterday, our computer crashed. Yikes.

And while we do have another computer, it is an old and very slow desktop that is in the finished basement. Since the girls generally play upstairs, and I can't be in two places at once, that doesn't leave me much time to blog, read other people's blogs, etc. So, if I happen to disappear for a bit, you know why.

In the meantime, here are some updates:

~ I lost one pound this week, yay! Probably from all the running I do on my paper route.

~ I bought a bread maker and a smoothie maker off of Craigslist. I am so excited to make healthy bread, bagels, and smoothies for my family!

~ Yesterday the girls and I met up with friends and went to see a free movie at a local Regal Entertainment theatre. The girls were soo cute, bubbling with excitement over going to the movies! Afterwards we went to my friends house where they played the day away.

~ I signed the girls up for dance class. They are both in the same class, a 6 week series that runs one hour a week and teaches both ballet and tap. I picked up their ballet slippers yesterday and I'm picking up their leotards and tights this week. I am so excited to see them dance around, but a little wary about how the Guppy will do. She says she wants to take the class, but she is so much more shy and timid than the Mermaid, although I'm sure having the Mermaid in the class will help.

~ The Guppy has slowly started to use the potty. She asks at least twice a day and uses it successfully once a day. I'm completely letting her take the lead, only offering occasional encouragement and of course, praise when she does use it.

That's basically it for updates. Hopefully I will still be posting on a regular basis. :o)

Because I Can't Be More Than Two Place At Once...

Weekly Deals

I did okay this week, both in CVS'ing and in grocery deals.

First, my trip to CVS:

The deals I focused on were: buy 4 Soy Joy bars at $1 each, get $4 in ECBs; buy Crest twin pack at $5.99, get $3 in ECBs; buy Tylenol at $4.99, get $2 in ECBs. I also wanted to buy a ThermaCare arm wrap for $2.49, get $2.49 in ECBs but had to settle for a rain check. We also needed some garbage bags, at $7.50 each.

Transaction:
Bought 20 Soy Joy bars
Bought 2 boxes of Tylenol (1 PM, 1 extra strength)
Bought 1 Crest twin pack
Bought 2 bags of garbage bags.

Used $10 off coupon that printed out for me at the machine
Used 2 $2 off 10 Soy Joy Bars coupon from newspaper insert
Used 5 BOGOF Soy Joy Bars coupon from newspaper insert
Used 2 $1 off Tylenol coupon
Used $13 in ECB's from last week

Total before discounts and coupons: $57.70
Total OOP: $17.97 (basically just paid for the garbage bags)
Total ECBs received: $27 to use next week!

Now, onto grocery deals. This picture shows just what I got at Price Chopper; Big Y had some great deals, too.

Price Chopper:

Transaction:
Strawberries, on sale for $1 each!! Bought 2.
Gillette Shave Foam, $2.29 on sale BOGO
Price Chopper Cheese Singles, on sale, $1, bought 5
Price Chopper Hydogen Peroxide, $0.99, bought 1 (needed for science experiment)
Bocca meatless chicken patties, on sale for $2.99, bought 4.

Used 2 $1 off 2 Bocca meatless products
Used 2 Dollar Doubler coupons from the Big Y flier

Total before discounts and coupons: $50.86
Total OOP: $23.24, plus I saved $0.30 per gallon on gas.

Big Y:

Big Y Shredded Cheese, $3.39 on sale B2G2Free! Bought 4.
Streamfresh veggies, on sale $1 each, bought 2
Total before discounts: $18.14
Total OOP: $8.78

What deals did you come across this week?

Weekly Deals

I Feel Much Older Than I Am..

Sunday was Father's Day (Happy Father's Day to my shining knight!). It was also my birthday.

On Saturday we had a cookout and invited family and friends to celebrate. Thank goodness we picked the one day in the past TWO WEEKS that it hasn't rained. Because really? Two weeks straight of rain? But that's a whole 'nother post...

Anyways, we had lots of fun visiting with each other and that mystical ball of light called the Sun. It was the first cookout we've held at our house and I must say, it was a success. I got some great presents, too:

New sneakers for running and exercising; a teapot for brewing my lovely tea; the book Spiritual Midwifery; the movie The Business of Being Born; and incense stick thingies. And, my mom got me my absolute favorite flowers, sunflowers!I love it when my family takes the time to get things off my wish list. A guaranteed hit for me. Plus, I also got lots of cash. I love cash for presents....so many possibilities.

I didn't know how nice the sneakers were until I wore them while doing my paper route this morning instead of my cheap payless sneakers. OMGoodness, what a difference; it was the first time ever that my legs were not screaming at me by the time I finished the route.

Which was a really, really good thing, because my jeep broke down on me. In the middle of my route. I know I like to strive for balance in my life, but having a crappy day after a wonderful day is not the type of balance I had in mind. But, my wonderful mother has AAA, so we got it towed and the Knight took the day off, which is always fabulous.

Plus, my feet look really cool in my new shoes.

I Feel Much Older Than I Am..

Cloth Diapering...Is It Right For You?

Photo by spiral owl creations

Desiree over at So Fawned is doing a great series on cloth diapers; why use them, how to use them, etc.

Anyone who is a regular reader knows that I've been using cloth since the Mermaid was 8 months old. I started out using them to save money, and will continue to use them because I love how environmental friendly they are and I can't stand the chemicals that they put in disposables.

Today I am over at So Fawned as a guest blogger as part of her cloth diapering series. If you are interested in trying cloth diapers but are overwhelmed by all the choices out there, then head on over....I've written a post specifically for you!

Cloth Diapering...Is It Right For You?