The Benefits of a Tiny Pop Tab :)

I am the chairperson of a pop tab program at my kids' elementary school. For anyone unfamiliar, you can pull off the tab on the top of your pop can, beer can, soup can, pet food can, etc... and do wonderous things for charity!

The charity that we go with is the Ronald McDonald House. I have been doing this project for 8 years now and have always went with them. We have made a game out of it at BC Elementary. The kids bring in their pop tabs and we collect and weigh them twice a year. We award the top class in the school with a Happy Meal party provided by our local McDonalds and the runner up class receives dessert. Once the tabs are all weighed and taken to the recycling center, the check is sent out. This money will go towards housing the families of the children in the hospital receiving treatments. What a great way for our children to learn about charity work so early in life! We ended up with just over 500 lb of pop tabs for the entire school for the first semester :)

All children and adults, who have helped out with the collecting should be extremely proud of themselves...you have done a very good deed and all you had to do was open a can of pop :)

Mailbox Monday!! Weeks of 11/7/10-11/20/10

It has been a few weeks since I posted my goodies last. These are my mailbox findings, all freebies, for the weeks of 11/7/10-11/20/10.

1st issue of Interview magazine: free subscription

2 issues of Soap Opera Digest magazine: free subscription

Bath & Body Works Coupon "Free Item $13 value"

Tom's Cool Peppermint Toothpaste

Dove Ultimate Go Fresh Cool Essentials Deodorant

2 Sample Packs of Prilosec OTC

Southern Belle Gourmet Sample: Mexican Fiesta Dip

Connoisseurs Diamond Dazzle Stick (Love this item!!!)

Parent's Choice Infant Formula Full Day Supply

Bookmark/6 month 2011 calendar/daily prayer card

Wellness Ambassador Enmotion rubber bracelet (my son collects rubber bracelets :)

Glad 13 Gallon Tall Kitchen Drawstring Bag + coupon

Nestle Coupon Packet

Pampers Kandoo Coupon

Tide/Febreze Coupons

Can't forget the stamp signed Thanksgiving card from our insurance agent!!

Project Cleanup! Week 1

I have kept my word and have just gotten through week 1 of Project Cleanup. For anyone who didn't know about this project, I will give you a quick summary. My house is clean, but in my opinion, is too cluttered. Most would say my house is not even close to cluttered, but for my taste, I think it is. So, I have decided to go through rooms and get rid of items that will either be boxed up to sell in a yard sale this summer, donated to the mission, or tossed. I am very determined on this project, so there will be quite a bit gone through and recorded just for my peace of mind.

This week, I took down my Halloween/Fall decorations so I thought I would start there. After going through 3 bins, here is what I cleaned out.





1. Fall Harvest Primitive Wreath
2. Happy Fall Y'all 2 Piece Scarecrow Pumpkin Insert
3. Brand New Avon 6 Piece Black Cat Pumpkin Inserts
4. Primitive Fleece Stuffed Pumpkin
5. Halloween Handle Light
6. Halloween Handle Light
7. Halloween Handle Light
8. Primitive Jack-o-Lantern Cutout Luminary Top (missing stick) Homemaker's Idea
9. Jack-O-Lantern Tree
10. Large Plastic Bucket
11. Medium Plastic Bucket
12. Small Plastic Bucket
13. Bag of Jack-o-Lantern Light Coverings for strand lights.
14. Fleece Halloween Drawstring Bag
15. Mini Candy Corn Candle
16. Mini Caramel Scent Candle

I found this original Halloween handle light in my decorations.




I can remember as a child dressing up in my costume and making sure I had new batteries in my light. I had just as much excitement holding this light as I did actually trick-or-treating. He has accompanied me on many a nights over the years, but has no use in today since trick-or-treating is so early in the daylight. Thank you friend, for leading the way in my darkness...

A total of 16 items cleaned out for this week. Not a bad start :) These items will be boxed up for the yard sale this summer.

Ice cream cones equal fun!!!

Boy, this brings back memories. I remember as a child sitting and eating ice cream cones, the cake cones that were peach colored, but then...they came out with these!!! Colored cones :) No difference in taste, but somehow added a lot of excitement to eating that cone! Green, red and brown were the options. Just like my son pictured below, I always went with the green...just something about eating a green ice cream cone....

Project Cleanup!

This week, it has occurred to me that there is entirely too much stuff in this house. I know, with 6 kids and 14 rooms, it does tend to get filled pretty quickly (don't get me started on the attached 2 car garage and detached 4 car garage) I really want to get started on re-decorating and have begun adding a few pieces here and there. My total design revamp will occur in no less than 2 years...the redecorating changeup is just to satisfy me until then. I just don't think it is possible to even start until I really get some things out of here...not just the few yard sale items here and there. I have decided to start a new segment on my blog:

Project Cleanup!!!

Over the next few months, I will cleanout and then post what I have gotten rid of in the process. What interesting items will be posted? Stay tuned....

Painful Coincidence?!

Was this just a painful coincidence or what?!

Earlier today, I took this photo of a wasp attached to the outside of my foyer window:




Hours later while cleaning out the garage, I shook a piece of clothing out and a wasp wrapped up in it...went down my shirt!! I got stung 5 times in the chest!!

Ouch! Ouch! Ouch! Ouch and might I add, OUCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Christmas Wish Lists

Every year, just before Christmas I take my 6 kids out to write down ideas for a wish list.....anyone want to just hand me the gun on this one?! Am I nuts????!!!! My extended family members are always requesting lists around Halloween so I have to try to get them going pretty quickly.

Did the lists come together quickly? The following are random scenes from Walmart....

Cameron flying around on a skateboard...


Kaplyn: Can we buy cheese?
Reiner: Cheese makes me gas.




Brandis trying to break the how-long-can-you-cry-in-a-store record....


Reiner hula-hooping in the CD section....



Cameron: Mommy, how come you can buy 20 things off of the $1 clothing rack and I can't buy a $1 candy bar.


Kaplyn writing down what seems like the entire store inventory as her wish list...


Genin: Mommy, can I buy this?
Mommy: No.
Genin: Mommy, can I buy this?
Mommy: No.
Genin: Mommy, can I buy this?
Mommy: No.
Genin: Mommy, what can I buy?
Mommy: No.


Reiner: I want Cars underwear!!!!!




Kaplyn: Can I buy some lip gloss? My lips need to feel sparkly!




Brandis: ABCDEFGHIJK lemma lemma P, QRSTUV, W and a vest, Y and Z.

And the ever popular statement out of my husband Greg's mouth every year:

Greg: Next time we write our wish list online.....




Wish lists finished?! Um......no.