Happy 10th Wedding Anniversary

Mark and I celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary on April 17. We left the kidos with his sister, Alison. We then traveled to Shreveport, Louisiana for a long weekend. We arrived at Sam's Town, who had comp. our room for both nights, check-in and then headed to the steak house.

The steak house was great! It was very nice and quiet. Mark had the Ribeye and I had Blackend Snapper with a crawfish cream cheese sauce. We split an order or chesse grits w/red pepper and grilled asparagus. We then had split dessert.

After such a nice meal we headed to the to play the slots. Mark showed me a lot of the new slots and how to play some of the table games. The last time I was in a casino they still used the coins. Well, they have taken the coins out and it is all computerized. We did sit down to a blackjack table and enjoyed ourselves for a long while until we ran out of money. We decided to go ahead and head to bed. This was at 11:30pm.

Well, the next day I just couldn't sleep in. So, I got ready and went downstairs to the coffee shop with a book. Mark eventually joined me. We walked around outside a while and then had a big breakfast. After breakfast we got the car and went to the boardwalk. The boardwalk has all these shopping places, restaurants, boweling alley and movie theater. We shopped some and walked a lot.

We then headed to an Italian place for Lunch. It was starting to sprinkle on us but we didn't care. We had a caprse salad and a margarita pizza. The pizza was made like we had had when we went to Italy. The owner is from Italy and he had something on the deck. By this time the rain was coming down in sheets. I realized that the man had a huge block of ice. When we asked about it he said that he was going to carve the ice in a face. We left very satisfied.

We then went back to the boardwalk and watched the movie "Knowing". If you haven't seen it go, it was really good. We then walked around more and did some more shopping. We then went to eat at Coplands Cheescake Bistro. We had Cheese dip, Cesear salad, and hot wings the size of turkey legs.

We then went back to Sam's Town and went to bed. I sleep in till 9:00am. I do not remember the last time I sleep in for that long. We got up and Mark went for a run. I went to the coffee shop and read my book. We did a little gambling and then went and packed up. We headed to Barnes and Noble and looked around for a while. Afterwards we went to Superior Bar and Grille for Lunch around 1:00pm. They have the best fajitas in the country. We then headed home.

What a great 10th wedding anniversary!

First Family Campout

Friday I packed everything that the whole family would need for our first campout. Mark and Zachary has gone to Dad and Lad and Zachary and I have gone to Mom and Me but this was the first campout that the entire family was together, including Brooke. The campout was with the other families from Zachary's Cub Scout Pack.

Brooke, Zachary and I arrived at Lake Bob Sandlin Stat Park around 1:30pm. I set up camp by myself. And NO it didn't fall! Another family showed up shortly afterwards and the boys played. We went on a short nature walk and then came back and relaxed. Other campers started arriving around 3:30pm and all the boys had a blast running around and acting crazy. Mark got there around 5:00pm.

The ladies started setting up the food tables for dinner around 5:00pm and I got started cooking 44 hamburger patties and 20 hotdogs. After dinner the boys played in the dark with glow sticks while the adults sat around the campfire and talked.

Brooke started getting sleepy around 9:00pm so our family went ahead and got ready for the night. The others were still up till 10:00pm which made it difficult for Mark and I to go to sleep. But the kidos where off to sleep very fast despite all the screaming outside our tents. Apparently someone cut open one of the glow sticks and it got on the dog that was there. Then everyone started cutting them open and putting it on each other and playing like they were infecting each other.

I sleep ok except for the fact that Brooke was in my sleeping bag with me and I was falling off the side of the blow up mattress. About 5:00am this morning Zachary crawled onto the blow up mattress and said he was cold. So, I feel off the mattress completely. I felt of Brooke and she was running fever. I estimated it to be atleast 102. So, I went to the bathroom and then came back and got Brooke. We left the camp grounds around 5:30am. Once home I gave her some medicine and we laid down in my bed together until 8:30am. Now that was the best 2 hours of sleep all night.

Mark and Zachary stayed and had pancakes for breakfast. The boys played while the men talked around the campfire. Then a park ranger came and talked to the boys about local snakes and fishing. Did you know that you can fish off of any bank or dock in any state park without having a fishing lic. We didn't know that. Mark packed the campsite up and loaded everything into his car. Thankfully we had 2 cars at the park.

So, as a first family campout this wasn't the best. Brooke got sick and Zachary is coughing too. Maybe next time we go camping it will be better!

And OH, by the way I didn't take any pictures. I did bring my camera but was to into the moment. But atleast taking the camera is a good step. Usually I forget the camera. Maybe next time I will actually take pictures.

Savings on groceries and family update

Yes, I know I haven't blogged in a while. Having only 1 computer and not being able to do anything with pictures is keeping me away from blogging. Oh, and also being soooo busy.

Family Update
Brooke was sick with a bad virus. Her fever got over 105. We took her to see the doc twice and pretty much it just had to run its course. She is better and doing fine. She has actually started to walk. She has taken 2-5 steps by herself and she will walk for a bit holding one of my hands. She also has a new phrase " Oh, Man". If any of you have kids you know where she get's this phrase from. Yes, it is Dora or more specificly Swipper. She just loves that show.

Zachary has been very busy. He is learning his multiplication tables, he just received his Wolf badge from cubscouts (so next year he will be a Bear), and we just participated in a Geography Fair in which he did Jamaica.

Grocery Savings
Ok, ladies if you want to save some money here you go. This is at CVS. This is from Money Savings Mom.

Good only through Tuesday) Buy 1 Irish Spring Body Wash 15-18 oz. at $4.99, Get $4.99 ECBs (Limit 1)
Use $0.50/1 coupon from the 3/15 SmartSource insert
Free plus $0.50 overage after coupon and ECBs

Buy 1 Dry Idea deodorant at $2.99, Get $2 ECB (Limit 1)
Use $2/1 coupon here
Free plus a $1 overage after coupon and ECBs

Buy 1 Colgate Max Whitening Toothpaste (4.6-6 oz.) at $2.99, Get $2.99 ECBs (Limit 1)
Use $0.75/1 coupon from the 2/22 or 3/15 Smartource insert
Free plus $0.75 overage after coupon and ECBs

******NON-ECB DEALS******

Wheat Thins or Ritz Crackers are on sale for $1. Buy 2 and use the $2/2 coupon from the 1/25 SmartSource insert to get both packages free.


******MARCH ECB DEALS******

Buy 1 CVS Pharmacy Vitamin D 400, 100-ct. at $2.99, Get $2.99 ECBs (Limit 1)
Free after ECBs


If you don't understand what all this is gooogle Money Saving Mom and she will be able to explain it.

Zachary and School

Zachary has finished 2nd grade math. Today he is starting 3rd grade math with Abeka. The beginning will be a review but we are excited about the new workbook. Third grade Abeka math really focues on Multiplication, Division, and Measurements. He already knows his 0's, 1's, most of his 2's, 5's, 10's, and 11's multiplication facts. So, we are really going to focus him memeorizing the rest of 2's, 3's, 4's, 6's, 7,' and 9's. Once Zachary has all of his multiplication facts memeorized I don't believe that we will be in the 3rd grade math book for long. He just picks up math so fast.

Starting next year Zachary will be attending Texas Virtual Academy at Southwest www.k12.com/txva. This is a public school that is virtual. This means that he will be in public school next year but he will be at home. 25% of the curriculum is delivered through the computer the rest is through textbooks at home. So, it is homeschooling and public school all in one. TXVA provides the child with a computer, a stipend for internet service, and all the textbooks and extras that the child will need. The child will be assigned a teacher and she keeps up with with the child is doing. The virtual school doesn't start till 3rd grade and Zachary will be only a 2nd grader next year per his age. But, they have agreed that they will let him enroll into 3rd grade next year. Which I don't believe will be a problem. At the end of the year Zachary will have to take the TEKS test and the CBE's from Texas Tech University and make a 70's average on 3 of the 4 major subjects to past his grade level. By doing this if we ever decide to put Zachary into the public school system here in MP he will just transfer from TXVA to MP. MP school district will have to except the transfer b/c it is from one public school to another. They will also have to accept what every grade Zachary is in.

Update

Ok, there is a lot to update. The biggest update is that my big computer is dead. This is the computer that I downloded all the pictures I take. So, I can't add pictures right now and I have some interesting ones. So, no pictures till the big computer get fixed.

Guest
We had an interesting visitor the other day. Our dog was barking so we went outside to see who was at our house that early 7:00am. We got outside and discovered our dog had ran a racoon up to the roof of our shed. It was really interesting to see a racoon that close up. I took some really neat pictures of this visitor.

Brooke
Brooke has started standing up by herself without holding onto anything. We are thinking that she may be walking in the next 4 weeks.

Business
I have also closed down my company www.AbundantCrosses.com. The company that was hosting the website was charging me $30 a month and I wasn't bringing in enough money to cover that. I may bring the website back up later but with a different hosting company. Right now I am in the process of building a website for Titus County CARES. Once this is finished which I am hoping by tomorrow I will start on an old business of mine. I make flashcards and then sell them as .pdf files. I have partnered with www.CurrClick.com and they will sell my products along with my website. Right now you can preview and purchase at www.DiscountedMontessoriFlashcards.com but coming soon will be www.MontessoriCards.com.

Slow Fade Video

This song is so true.

Weekend in Big D

Saturday we went to Dallas. We got up and packed when we decided to and we left around 11:30 a.m. When we arrived in Dallas we ate at Razzoo's Cajun Cafe. We ate crawfish, french fries, catfish with a jalapeno sauce and rice. While the kidos has popcorn shrimp and fries. Brooke likes crawfish. But, I haven't found to much that that girl will not eat. The kids had milk to drink while Mark and I indulged in a New Orleans treat called a Hurricane. UMMMMM!

After eating we headed up to Frisco. We stayed in a really nice hotel called the Aloft. The Aloft is part of the W hotels. Actually they call it " a baby W". The room was very nice but very modern. The rooms have 10' foot ceilings. As you walk into your room the sink area is open (no walls). There is a sliding door to where the toilet and huge walk-in shower are located. As you go further into the room there was 2 queen size platform bed (no box springs). On the opposite wall was a huge flat screen tv, a long sitting bench and a table that looked at one of the two huge windows. You also had the ability to hook up cameras or any electronically device and it would play on the TV. Down on the first floor was a pool table, a sitting area with a fire place and a bar. All of this was in walking distance to the Frisco Mall and the surrounding shopping center. It was a very nice location for under a hundred dollars.

We attended our old church, Fellowship Church in Grapevine. The message was really good, the music was wonderful. Zachary had a great time in the children's worship service. It is nice to be able to set through a service without correcting a child.

After that it was party time. Long time friends of ours was hosting their annual Christmas/New Years party that was also a housewarming/going away. He had accepted a position through his company that would take him and his family to Sweden for 2 years. Upon arriving to the party we learned they the job transfer and move is on hold b/c of the economy. Zachary stayed mainly upstairs and played PS360 and stayed up till 11:30pm. Brooke finally went to sleep around 9:45pm. She did have a small accident when she slipped and fell on the brick fireplace. A little blood but she is fine. We party hard till 11:30pm. We went back to the hotel and we all asleep by 12:00am.

The kids woke up around 6:30am. So, we got dress and went to Main Street Bread Baking Company in the colony. Nice little place for breakfast. We then went back to our hotel and packed and checked out. We headed to Alison apartment and visited for a while. Then we made the trip to Central Market. This store is a luxury that we partake in every time we go to Dallas. We grab lunch there and shop. We get fresh mozzarella, pancetta, hummus, cous cous, and other items that we can not find in Mt. Podunk.

After shopping and eating we headed home. After such a long and busy weekend we are glad to be back. But, we are always longing to go back to the Big D for the food, shopping and old friends.

Sorry for all of you that want pictures. I did take a few with my phone but will have to figure out how to go from my phone to the web. I will try to remember my camera from now on.