Back to school budget

So I finally did it this year. I gave my daughter a back-to-school budget. I gave her $300 to spend on jeans, shoes and tops. She is doing well. She has bought most of her jeans & even found a pair for $10! I was impressed. She has spent half of her budget & wants to hold onto the rest until she gets to school so she can see what everyone else is wearing.

I am proud of her. This management of money has been enlightening for her. I am trying to take her to the reasonable shops first like TJMaxx. She found a lot there. She had her arms loaded with clothes including the $10 jeans. We added up the amount together. When she realized how much money she spent then she had to make some tough choices. But she did it.

I have to admit too that we have been using coupons. This has helped immensely. Her favorite store Delia's is great for this. Last year we did the purchase punch card so we had $20 off from finishing the punch card. (She has been holding on to this punch card since May knowing it will help with her back-to-school budget) They also have a buy one pair of jeans get one 1/2 off sale right now. Plus if you try on the jeans then you get a $10 coupon for anything in the store. It is one of the best deals around. Did I mention I love Delia's!

We went to Old Navy next & had a 20% off bag. (If you are a card holder, they mail you a bag & you fill it, whatever is in the bag gets 20% off the total bill) Plus lots of items in the store were 40% off. My daughter found some shorts on clearance for $12 plus all of discounts. More importantly, they were long enough to wear to school!!! Please someone help me understand why most stores are making short shorts that nobody can wear to school?! My son also found some great stuff at Old Navy. On top of that, I found two pairs of khakis for my husband on clearance for $16 apiece plus our 20% off. My bill totaled $140 & I bought 2 pairs of jeans, 3 hoodies, 2 shorts, 2 khakis, 2 sweatpants and more. Gotta love it!

My daughter also took her last year's clothes which no longer fit to Plato's Closet. This is a teen-age resale shop. She sold the clothes to them for $55. She has been holding on to this money. This is her "extra" back-to-school money. Every time she picks up an extra item, I remind her that she has the money to spend. You can see her calculating in her mind if the money is worth spending on this item or not. So far she has found nothing to spend it on. I know that will change when she gets to school and spots a must-have item on somebody else. I am excited for her though to see what this special item will be.

My daughter is basically done with her shopping. My son is fine as usual. The only thing we have to find for him is "product" a.k.a hairspray for his 10 year old head of hair. (That is a whole other blog) We just need to find tennis shoes. I was flabbergasted when I went into Finish Line & saw children's tennis shoes for $70!!!!!! Thankfully my son did not like any shoes there. Normally for shoes we start at Value City and work our way up. That reminds me I have to look for their ad about buy one pair get one 1/2 off too.

So back-to-school in our house is now called back-to-budget. We are going to Marshall's next week for more jean purchases. Hopefully we will find another deal. I am so happy we are working within a budget & she understands what that means. September & August can be an expensive months for us with so many back to school purchases and expenses. This budget for her has helped her see where the money goes and it is a little bit of pre-education as well. She gets an A in budgeting.

Doo-dads and extras, why can't I make my blog pretty?

Among other things on my list of to-do's, I want to make my blog look pretty. I just do not have the time or the brain power to do it yet. I have a Spanish presentation to finish. My son's room needs to be done. I have to call the dr. & dentist for my daughter. I have vocabulary lists to type up for my 8th grade French class. I have to go school.

On top of all that, I am neglecting lots of other things that need to be done. Don't ask. My poor husband also needs some attention & who can get the dog to stop barking at me? So please accept my blog as is for now. It is pretty enough for me. I know I do not have any cute pics or advertisements adorning the sides yet. I think it looks good as is. Look ma, no spelling errors!

Fall in the summer

So yesterday the temperature went down a few degrees. A few degrees is enough for me to pull out my sweatshirts. I am cold-blooded. I do not want to fall to come but I admit that I look forward to what it brings.

It has a newness all its own. It is not the spring newness with new flowers, leaves on the trees and the bright sun. The newness of fall revolves around school. I love new books, new pencils and new shoes. I had to throw away my son's old tennis shoes the other day. You would not even believe the state they were in. I could not even think of giving them away.

Fall also brings a new sense of time. Summer provides the long days with no breaks from the heat. Fall provides cool days with a shorter time that makes one hurry to get all the fun stuff in. My son plays football in the fall. While the days are great for football with temps just right, it can be a rush to get the evening practices in before you can't see the ball or feel your fingers.

Don't get me wrong I am still enjoying summer. I do however start looking forward to pulling out my jeans and some long sleeved tees. I get to buy a new fleece jacket this year and I am looking forward to that. I do love my comfortable shorts and simple t-shirts that make summer so easy. I have my favorite flip flops waiting by the door. But my kids are already talking about school and fall sports while we loll around the house. I think we are in the dreaming stage about fall right now because of this touch of cool weather.

So that being said enjoy the few weeks of summer left. Go get that 1 last ice cream cone. Eat your one last piece of corn on the cob. Have a great glass of wine on your deck. Relish in the summer when livin' is truly easy and let time fall by the wayside before fall falls into our laps.

My luck is in a mid-life crisis

My luck has been awful lately. I do catch breaks from time to time but I would love to find a four leaf clover. The past 3 times I have tried to drive to EMU, I get stuck in some real jams. The day before I was to leave for Texas my engine light came on. My dog is on his last legs literally.

This year I have had my purse stolen out of my car by breaking the window to get it. One of my favorite aunts died. My job is in jeopardy. Two out of three of our pets have already died. I have a kidney stone. I took my daughter out of swimming and now she is bored!

I will turn forty next year & I feel like I coasted through my 30's. I'm wondering if there is some cosmic shift going on or is God playing catch up with me? I look at my bad luck and do not see earthquakes, fire or bankruptcy but we still have 4 more months of 2008!

I have prayed to God. I have tried to look on the bright side. My mom says it is just life. I feel like I am having a mid-life crisis. This is not the mid-life crisis I expected. I do not even get a sports car or Botox!

Where did the time go?

Yesterday I started getting ready for the new school year. I pulled out all of the school supplies I already have to sort through. Among those papers was my son's welcome to 4th grade letter from his teacher from last year. I teared up! Where did the time go?

I think back to last summer when my son was only 9 & still pulled out his "guys" (small plastic action figures) to have battles all over my living room. He lived at the swim club last year and it was the first time I did not have to watch him. He also loved to still watch cartoons like Transformers.

These activities have faded away over the fourth grade year. My son spends most of his time playing some sport or on his skateboard. He is not a skaterboy yet. He watches ICarly on t.v. & I think he has a crush on the star! We have also been invaded by Tech Decks & the action figures are staying put in a bin in the basement. Hopefully one day, he will have a son who will get them.

So yes I teared up! I could descibe their toys they have left behind like stuffed animals and Lego's. I could list all of the sweet things he used to say. The saddest thing is I hope I will not be left behind too. I no longer kiss boo-boos or tuck anyone into bed. I spend my days driving and buying. I spend my days talking and sometimes shouting.

The good part is we do different things now. We play cards together. We take hikes. We play sports. We go to museums and movies. We can do these things for a long time without naps or snacks. I barely carry any bags filled with necessities like snacks and extra clothes or god forbid, diapers around anymore. We can go to any type of restaurant and leisurely sit and enjoy a meal.

The hard part and the sad part is that the time goes too quickly. I think about first days of school, first bike rides and all the other firsts that have come and go and I would like to rewind. I miss it. I know I am halfway through my children's lives with me. Someday they will be gone. They seem to be leaving a little bit grade by grade. So this year I will put a 5th grader on the bus with his new backpack and his sudden urgent need for an IPod.

I will wave good-bye to him as he leaves for his last year of elementary school. I will wave good-bye to a boy who is quickly becoming a man. I hope he too carries the sweet memories. I hope these memories make him stronger. I hope these memories carry him through good and bad times. I hope he knows I love him as the boy he was and the man he is becoming.

My Favorite Things

Favorite animal - dog
Favorite color - blue
Favorite time of day - morning
Favorite season - summer
Favorite item of clothing - jeans
Favorite place in the world - tie between Paris, France & Ocracoke, NC
Favorite food - steak (ironic becuz I do not like to eat meat)
Favorite drink - Diet Coke
Favorite song - In Your Eye's
Favorite artist - Peter Gabriel
Favorite movie - Love Actually
Favorite actor/actress - Katherine Hepburn
Favorite book - The Stand by Stephen King
Favorite author - Jan Karon
Favorite age - 29