LOL.23

Real Montessori - Object Boxes mixup

Now that we finally have objects in all of our object boxes (See our post about that here), we have started introducing all of the objects to Bella.  Most of them are fine, though we sometimes come across an object that just doesn't seem to work for her.  For instance, the antelope is always called 'cantaloupe' no matter how many times I say it.  Alligator is sometimes said "A-A-crocodile."  She's really starting to get the sounds and understanding the letters though, and that is really exciting.

Our newest use of the object boxes is to take 3 boxes with letters that make very different sounds and mix all of the objects together and then try to sort them into their correct boxes.  The sorting doesn't always happen as efficiently as I like, but I'm working hard on take a step back and letting her work at it with her own process.  Which sometimes means that she goofs around with the objects.  Exhibit A (B and C):

Anyone else having Michael Jackson flashbacks?

Couponing

OK, so I've seen those shows where crazy coupon people have 500 tubes of toothpaste and buy all kinds of crazy stuff they'll never use.  I've been a little hesitant about stepping out into that world because I don't want to be that crazy person.  So I started getting a google reader feed from a site called southern savers (here's the link if you're interested) and I've been getting their feeds for a few weeks and the whole concept totally went over my head...until a few days ago.  I sat down and actually bothered to read their section called 'how to coupon.' (I know, reading how to do something is a crazy concept) 


You basically click on which grocery store you want to go to, click on the post for which week you want to shop, and look at the list of what is on sale that is a good deal and put a check next to each one.  Then you tell it to print a shopping list and you have a whole list of what to buy (and which coupons to use and where to find them too!).  You go to the store, get the stuff on the list, hand them your coupons...done!  I went to Lowe's Foods and spent around $86 and saved $79 doing that...and all on things that we usually buy anyway...YAY!

Warning: It's addictive

I was on cloud nine.  I had already planned on hitting the commissary on Friday and I had my coupons all ready there.  The drug store coupons still confused the heck out of me, so I avoided looking at those.  Then my friend Sabrina said she was going to go to Walgreens and she'd show me how it worked.  Which was good, because it was REALLY CONFUSING and I would have probably cried 3 times without her. (So, Sabrina, I love you)  We hit the Walgreens and and hour and half later and I had all of this:

OK, I know you're thinking that doesn't look like much, right?  Let me break it down for you:

I spent: $165.83
These products(before sales or coupons) cost: $434.47
______________________________
Total Savings: 268.64

Holy Crap, right!?  There is a lot of expensive stuff in that pile like razors and medications.  And 90% of it is stuff we would have bought anyway, another 9% is stuff we would have bought, but likely the generic brand.  The only thing I bought that we don't use was a vitamin that made me $3 every time I bought it...yeah that's right...they paid me to take it out of the store.  So I'll find someone to give it to. 

I'm floating on cloud 9 tonight.  The reality check is this: I'm not doing this every week...not this much at least.  Because 3 containers of body wash is enough for me for a good while, even if it is a really good deal.  I'm not going to have more than 5 extra of anything in my basement.  I will not hoard. (I needed to remind myself) The same types of deals come around about every 6 weeks, so you only need to keep enough on hand for a 6 week cycle. 

Definitely fun though, and exhilarating.

Have you ever tried couponing?  What do you think of those crazy people who have to build extra garages to keep all their couponed crazyness? 

Baby you can drive my car

Normally when we go visit my dad (who Bella calls Papadaddy) we usually go to his house and just hang out a little while at his house.  He is in a wheelchair and therefore can't travel much.  As a special treat for his birthday, we rented a wheelchair van and picked him up for a day out of the house.  He wanted to take Bella shopping, so we headed to Toys R Us and let Bella run wild. (scary thought, I know)  He was really set on getting her a Power Wheels vehicle of some sort.  Which is good, because when she saw them, she basically refused to leave.

We tried desperately to get her to love the mustang, but she was set on the jeep.  It had doors that opened and shut...therefore it was far superior in her eyes.  

 Then there was this gem, on sale at a whole 0 dollar discount!

Bella loved the jeep, even when it didn't move, so she was more excited when she learned what it did.

Unfortunately the concept of a steering wheel evades her still.  So I gave in and rode with her a little.  It was definitely not built for me.  But I rode down the REALLY steep hill on the side of the house with her.  Which was pretty scary but she loved it.  Finally we figured out that she was better off if we turned the steering wheel as far to the right as possible and let her ride around and around in little circles.

And a bit of short video for posterity's sake:

Have your kids gotten into the electric moving toys?  How long did it take yours to figure out a steering wheel?  Or peddles on a tricycle? Any tips?

Happy Birthday to Pippen

Our little Pippen turns 1 year old today.  He's such a goofball and loves to snuggle.  And he is so sweet with Bella, even though she isn't very sweet to him most of the time.  Happy Birthday Pipperdoodle!

Hurricane Irene hits us in Eastern North Carolina

We're no strangers to hurricanes.  I remember hurricane Hugo hitting NC as a child (Vinny was living in Puerto Rico at the time and experienced it as well) and then he and I went through hurricane Katrina together in 2005.  We wavered about staying for Irene but ultimately decided to stay.  It was a little scary a few times when the big wind gusts hit the windows (that cover the entire back of the house), and it sounded like they might not withstand it.  We lost power for about 14 hours, but at the end of the storm, we're all safe, the house has some minor damage (which is the landlord's responsibility), we have some yard cleanup to do, and it's a gorgeous day outside.  I thought I would share with you some of the photos and videos I took during the storm.

This was just as the storm was beginning.  In particular, pay attention to where the water is on the dock next door and those three crepe myrtles in the center of the yard (you can probably guess that they now look like matchsticks).

A few hours later, the wind started.  This is the crepe myrtle outside the kitchen:

This is the same tree after the storm:

By Saturday morning, the waves were really rolling in, but the winds were still pretty manageable:

Here is a still of what high tide looked like with the storm coming in:

By early afternoon our power was out and it really started picking up and the rain was driving hard.

Once the storm started passing us by, I figured it would get better, but it was rough even on the backside.  It seemed to go on forever.

Our crepe myrtle in the front (which was probably the prettiest one we had) was cracked into pieces.

One of our bedroom windows is messed up and would lock at the top but not the bottom.  It was making an awful racket and driving us crazy.  Made it very hard to take a nap.  So naturally I want to share it, in all its annoying radiance, with you.  Also in this video, check out the crepe myrtle outside our bedroom.  It used to look just like one in the second video above that is outside the kitchen.  Eek.  It looks like fall has come early.

And pretty much every room had some sort of water damage on the ceiling or wall that looked like this:

Our landlord came by to assess the damage, so we'll see what he does for repairs.

We had an awesome dinner since we were trying to use up stuff in the freezer that would go bad if we didn't get power back quickly.  So we had grilled halibut and swordfish, beans and turnip greens, and cantaloupe.  Yum. Our stovetop is gas, so we still had access to that, we just had to light it with a lighter since the igniter is electric.

Once it got dark we pulled out the emergency flashlights and candles.  Bella went to bed relatively easy and Vinny and I sat up and I painted pieces for a project I have going on (I know the anticipation is killing you), and we listened to an MP3 book through Vinny's phone.  It was nice and cool outside so we opened the door and some windows to let the cool air in.  Power came back on about 3am on Sunday morning and we closed them then.

Today (Sunday) the river is like glass and the sun is shining.  We've put our patio furniture back out, cleaned up all the dishes we dirtied, took showers, and now we're starting yard cleanup.  Josie decided to help too:

Now I just have to wait and hear how our house in Rhode Island fared!  Wherever you are, I hope you and your loved ones weathered the storm without too much trouble!  

EDIT: just went outside to start picking up sticks that fell from the trees and realized we have 2 trees that got pushed up by their roots, a lot of the retaining wall boards by the water got pulled off by the waves, and the boat ramp is cracked and separated.  Bummer.  

Ice Ice Baby

Since it has been so hot this summer, we've been trying to do things to keep cool.  When the folks over at NAMC suggested working with ice, it sounded perfect.  So we got out 7 cubes of ice (enough to fit in the tray I had on hand) and headed out to the porch.

Bella started off trying to move the ice cubes with the tweezers, but that was pretty tough, even for me, so I suggested maybe she try some other ways of picking it up.  

So she tried a teaspoon, and a tablespoon and finally, her hands. Which was still fun, and helped us cool off.  We counted, we laughed at how slippery the ice was.  She giggled trying to fit the ice cubes into the tray right.

We also played around using a sponge for each segment of the tray too.  Which was nice because it worked in the fine motor skill of squeezing in order to ring the water out of each piece. Definitely an activity we're continuing to modify and use.  Soon, I'm hoping to make her a big block of ice with little objects inside that she can get to by chipping away with a hammer.

How are you keeping cool?