http://blasdellzoo.blogspot.com/2008/08/9-days-until-school-starts.html

This week we have been working down the 14 page list, implemented a new daily schedule and been getting ready to go back to school. So writing on the blog hasn't been happening. :)

About the list -- we have just about everything done. This week we need to tackle the dungeon, I mean basement and then I have to get a couple of hour blocks and get my room done and then we will have tackled the monster 14 page list.

New Daily Schedule -- I recently purchased Managers of Thier Home. It is primarily set up for homeschoolers, but I have been able to work it into my life with good results (and a little resistence from a couple of children). I will tweak it some next week for getting into back to school mode.

Back to School -- All the supplies have been purchased. Backpacks are packed. Yesterday we found out the teacher's for the middle four. Liz has her schedule. Monday Mandy has a get aquainted gathering at Harford Glen Environmental Education Center. Then she has freshman orientation on Thursday. Also on Thursday the middle for have a "sneak a peak" in the afternoon. So much for a quiet week before school.

But starting on Sunday I start the back to school routine. The school bedtimes are enforced, the children get up at thier school times. Dinner is back to it's school schedule. My the time Monday the 25th rolls around everyone is semi-prepared.

Kids Blog -- Amanda has started her own blog about our family life. Right now it is by invite only. If you are interested in reading about our life from one of the children's view let me know so we can get you an invite out.


Y'all have a wonderful weekend!

http://blasdellzoo.blogspot.com/2008/08/planning-for-holidays.html

A friend was talking about needed a site to help with organizing her house. I pointed her to one of my favorite sites, Organized Home. I love this site. It provides so much information and has a bunch of free printable forms that can help you come design a workable household management binder.

It also has a sister site, Organized Christmas. Another site I love. They have a Christmas Countdown that gets you ready for the holidays so that you can ENJOY them. They have a 12 week plan and a 6 week plan. This year I am going to do the 12 week plan. Again this site has printable forms to help you do things like organize your gift closet so you know what you have. Saves money so you aren't buying for someone twice.

Right now I am in the middle of the back to school cleaning. Once that is done I am going to jump right into the Christmas Countdown. It begins August 31st. Anyone else care to jump in too so we can enjoy the holidays this year?


Countdown Clocks at WishAFriend.com

http://blasdellzoo.blogspot.com/2008/08/working-on-list.html

We have spent the past three days working on the list. We have actually accomplished quite a bit. Two of the 4 bedrooms are clean. The linen closet has be purged and reorganized. (And I actually have room to spare!). The kids bathroom has been totally scrubbed, top to bottom. A few of the kitchen cabinets have been purged and reorganized too. The front porch and back deck of been de-junked, swept and hosed off.

So we are making great progress. Only 9-10 more pages to go. Since I have bits and pieces done on several pages. We keep up this pace we may have everything done by the end of next week. So that will leave the last week before school to relax and enjoy the rest of the summer!

http://blasdellzoo.blogspot.com/2008/08/who-are-you-in-100-acre-woods.h

Take the 100 Acre Personality Quiz!


Cute!

http://blasdellzoo.blogspot.com/2008/08/it-is-time.html

The children head back to school in 3 more weeks. I have decided to do a major clean and purge. So tonight I sat down at the computer and opened up Word. I typed and I typed. EVERYTHING I want to get done. I broke it down to cabinet level at times. You know -- the cabinet over the Oven. Empty everything out. Wipe down cabinet. Sort and purge. Organize remaining items and put away.

I have done this for every room, every closet, every cabinet in the house. And even some things outside the house. I have 14 pages to go through. What have I done?!? LOL Actually it is not too bad. I put it have it in 18 point Arial font. But I also like having it written out. When the children start talking about being bored, I can have the them pitch in and help. I can tell the older ones. Find something that isn't crossed off and do it. The middle ones can climb into the cabinets to get the things out. They can climb in and help put them away. I have a couple that love to vacuum and dust too so I will put them to work at the correct times.

I figure if I take one or two areas a day I should be able to get them all done within the three week time frame. Then I can feel better about having a house ready for the "new year." Even though the official new year is months away I always feel a new start when the new school year starts. So when the children walk out the door to go to school, my house will not look like a wrecking crew lived in it over the summer (although they really did).

Who else is in?

http://blasdellzoo.blogspot.com/2008/08/how-does-your-food-budget-compa

I like to track my food budget. It the main area where I can really control the household budget. I was poking around at the USDA site and found the official USDA food plan for June 2008. This report is put out, I believe, on a quarterly basis. It shows what the USDA expects a a family to spend on food. It is broken down into four food plans: Thrifty, Low-Cost, Moderate-Cost and Liberal. For fun I figured out what the Government says I should be spending on food for my family of 11 each month. Oh this money includes FOOD ONLY! They also assume all meals and snacks are prepared at home.

Thrifty: $1,311.30
Low-Cost: $1,680.00
Moderate: $2,062.40
Liberal: $2,474.40

I really need to get the USDA's publications Thrifty Food Plan, 2006 (2007) and The Low-Cost, Moderate-Cost and Liberal Food Plans, 2007 (2007). I want to see what these people "think" I should be buying!

I find these amounts to be ludicrous! I am able to purchase EVERYTHING my family needs, food, health & beauty, paper products, diapers and even pet supplies, for $700 a month. On a really "bad" month it may be closer to $900, but those are the months that I see great sales on meat and stock up. The next couple of months I spend less so it I would say the average is $700.

How does your budget compare? Here is the June Report.

http://blasdellzoo.blogspot.com/2008/08/rest-of-week-has-been-long-and-

The rest of the week has been long and full of events. Tomorrow is the Knights of Columbus Officer's Installation. I was asked to coordinate the hall decorations, on a very limited budget and so far I have been able to pull it off. All my prior event planning skils are being put to the test. The only wrinkle in the plan is the hall. Saturday mornings the church hosts The Sharing Table. A wonderful place where people can come and have a hot meal and are sent home with a bag food for the family. They are in the hall until 1:00 PM. I have to have that broken down and reset for 80 guest by 5:00 PM.

Then I "should" attend the mass and the installation. Of course somewhere in there I should also be getting a shower and getting dressed. It is going to be an interesting afternoon. I may wind up skipping the actual mass and installation and just attend Mass on Sunday.

Oh and top of it all Maggie has come down with one of those mystery fevers that baby's get. She started Thursday night running a fever of 103. Today it has been a manageable 101. Here is hoping it stays down for tonight and goes away by tomorrow or it will be a VERY interesting day.

Today was the last day of summer school for Patrick so we have 24 more days of "vacation." The next 3 weeks are going to be spent getting the house into fall mode and back to school shopping.

Y'all have a wonderful weekend!

http://blasdellzoo.blogspot.com/2008/07/we-got-bundled.html

We did it. We confess. We got bundled today! We were waiting for Verizon to get its act together and put FIOS into our area. After months of waiting and talking to them and getting no answer I decided I need to save money now! So we called and priced the cable, phone, internet bundle. We are going to save almost $100 a month over having those services with seperate companies. SCORE! :D

I suggest you all look into doing something like this. With the rising costs of fuel, energy and food every little bit helps.

http://blasdellzoo.blogspot.com/2008/07/boy-what-week.html

Why does it seems that the more you have to do, the less gets done? The past week or so has been spent doing a lot of research on line for various things. Then I have a little one in summer school so we are running back and forth with that. Oh and did I mention the house work needs to be done too?

Can't forget, have to take one child to spend a week here, then another to spend a week there. Oh and by the way you have to go pick them up too. Might as well throw in another trip to the doctor just for good measure too, since a child is complaining of ear pain.

Now lets get together with the MomsClub for Moms night out. Just how many times can your children call? Well the kicker was the child with the bleeding ear. Guess that means you cut the night short. Luckily the "blood pouring out the ear and soaking everything" has stopped by the time you get home and said child is asleep. So you need to plan another trip to the doctor for the morning. OOPS can't do that because you have the appointment scheduled two months ago that you have to go to. Oh and it is on the other side of the city, must plan at least a 90 minute trip to get there. And since it is in the afternoon, you know it will be 2 hours until you get home. So the trip to the doctor for the now stopped bleeding ear will wait a day.

WHEW the week is almost over! Well I spoke too soon, DH is having someone come over on Monday so that means you really need to do a deep clean rather then the lick and the promise that you have been doing the past two weeks. OOPS child with the ear is screaming in pain, so off you go to the doctor. BUT WAIT! The oldest son has to serve at Mass for the first time before that can happen. So you give the child in pain Motrin, take son to Mass. While leaving other children home with older child since DH is working and you aren't going to test the fates and take all of them by yourself.

Come home from Mass, take the screaming child to the urgent care center. Find out the drops you have been giving him for the past week have not been working. You finally get home in the late afternoon and realize the deep cleaning still needs to be done!

So you log onto the computer and decide to get caught up on the all the emails that have piled up the past week. Get through them and then make dinner. Get the dinner dishes cleaned up. And then start the deep clean, sort of. Get through the messiest/most cluttered part of the downstairs. Then you have an A HA moment. Decide since DH invited this person. HE gets to vacuum and dust the downstairs tomorrow.

Then you decide to update your blog. :)

So know you how my week has been going.

http://blasdellzoo.blogspot.com/2008/07/happy-anniversary.html

On this date in 1952 my mom and dad were married. Today they are celebrating 55 years of marriage. Almost a miracle in this day and age!

Yes they had their ups and downs, but they worked through it (and several of my dad's deployments). Their marriage showed me the meaning of commitment and love as I was growing up.

I hope my marriage is a great of a model to my children.

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY MOM & DAD!