CENTSable ADDitude

Florida Was Fun

2009-03-17T18:45:00.002-04:00

2009-03-15T20:50:00.002-04:00

I am going to rework the blog and begin posting again. I doubt I will post shopping deals (I recomend my friend Jodi at NeverPayRetailAgain for that!) as I simply do not have the time but I will be posting Life With The Dickeys including cute photos of my kiddos on our FL vacation. So hold on....just a little longer.

Today's Headlines...

2009-02-04T15:31:00.001-05:00

Super Cool Website!!!

I love this cartoon!

2009-02-01T19:17:00.000-05:00

What really happened on the Hudson

2009-01-20T11:17:00.003-05:00

On January 20th, 2009 the country will be witness to a historic event of epicproportions. The United States of America will be swearing in the firstAfrican-American President ever!

YES... I am alive

2009-01-18T10:34:00.005-05:00

The Dickey's are alive and doing well. We survived the Holidays (photos below!) and a rocky BTSchool week. Our new puppy "Ridley" the Doodle Dickey is adjusting well to our chaotic home. Everyone is healthy and 2 of our 3 scheduled IEPs are behind us (and were successful!).

My coupon binder is an absolute MESS, CVS is worried about how many deals I have missed out on and my menu planning has been sketchy at best but starting today I hope to get it all cranked up again as soon we we finish our award winning Pinewood Derby car :-) wish us luck!

Thank you for all of the emails! I am amazed how many people still check-in with me and email me HOT Deals. I love a good deal. I hit the Target 75% Christmas as well as the Target 75% Toy Sale (which is still underway as some is still 30-50%, I know I am looking at some camping gear if it makes it to 75%). So if you are reading this send me your HOT Deals. I may not get them posted but if I don't I will forward them to Jodi at NeverPayRetail she is working on growing her Blog to the best on the web!

PS, If you or yours are Gluten Free - PLEASE EMAIL ME! as many of you know I have considered this for a LONG time but it is so overwhelming to me. I am looking for good Gluten Free products to try before we dive right in. I specifically need help with Pasta, Pizza Dough, Soy Sauce and Breakfast Bars and/or Cereal. Thanks!

2008-12-06T21:29:00.000-05:00

I can not believe almost a month has passed since I have posted. WOW. Thank you all for the emails checking on me. Me and Mine are doing fine :-) or rather all is as all always is I just got out of the habit of blogging (long before my last post)- typical of my all or nothing ADD personality.

I apologize for those of you that were loyal followers I do hope to pick it back up again after the holidays, please check back then.

Merry Christmas!

Amy

2008-11-01T18:47:00.000-04:00

We had a very happy holiday. Lots of festive fun food and good times.

LilC as himself Super Cooper
EB the GoGo Girl
BigC as Mario from his fave video game!
Trick-Or-Treat
Time to trade candy before Mom takes it all

2008-10-29T16:45:00.000-04:00

Don't toss those pumpkin seeds!

Toast or roast them in your oven (I hear there are even recipes for the microwave and skillet!).

They can can be salted or spiced to suit your palate. Hmmm salted butter or cinnamon sugar! Even my kids like them!

What a great source of fiber.

Have a pumpkin recipe? Do share!

Hmmmm

2008-10-28T21:36:00.000-04:00

Obama is outperforming any Democrat back to Jimmy Carter among white voters, getting 45 percent to McCain's 52 percent. But in the South, it is a very different story. Obama fares worse among Southern whites than any Democrat since George McGovern in 1972.
Whites in the East and West tilt narrowly toward Obama (he's up 8 and 7 points, respectively), and the two run about evenly among those in the Midwest. By contrast, Southern whites break more than 2 to 1 for McCain, 65 percent to 32 percent.

2008-10-25T09:38:00.000-04:00

Jim Wallis and the 2008 Elections

I think the principles put forth by Jim Wallis on the 2008 elections are well worth considering. Here is what he has to say:

“I am in no position to tell anyone what is ‘non-negotiable,’ and neither is any bishop or megachurch pastor, but let me tell you the ‘faith priorities’ and values I will be voting on this year:“1. With more than 2,000 verses in the Bible about how we treat the poor and oppressed, I will examine the record, plans, policies, and promises made by the candidates on what they will do to overcome the scandal of extreme global poverty and the shame of such unnecessary domestic poverty in the richest nation in the world. Such a central theme of the Bible simply cannot be ignored at election time, as too many Christians have done for years. And any solution to the economic crisis that simply bails out the rich, and even the middle class, but ignores those at the bottom should simply be unacceptable to people of faith.“2. From the biblical prophets to Jesus, there is, at least, a biblical presumption against war and the hope of beating our swords into instruments of peace. So I will choose the candidates who will be least likely to lead us into more disastrous wars and find better ways to resolve the inevitable conflicts in the world and make us all safer. I will choose the candidates who seem to best understand that our security depends upon other people’s security (everyone having "their own vine and fig tree, so no one can make them afraid," as the prophets say) more than upon how high we can build walls or a stockpile of weapons. Christians should never expect a pacifist president, but we can insist on one who views military force only as a very last resort, when all other diplomatic and economic measures have failed, and never as a preferred or habitual response to conflict. “3. ‘Choosing life’ is a constant biblical theme, so I will choose candidates who have the most consistent ethic of life, addressing all the threats to human life and dignity that we face — not just one. Thirty-thousand children dying globally each day of preventable hunger and disease is a life issue. The genocide in Darfur is a life issue. Health care is a life issue. War is a life issue. The death penalty is a life issue. And on abortion, I will choose candidates who have the best chance to pursue the practical and proven policies which could dramatically reduce the number of abortions in America and therefore save precious unborn lives, rather than those who simply repeat the polarized legal debates and ‘pro-choice’ and ‘pro-life’ mantras from either side.“4. God’s fragile creation is clearly under assault, and I will choose the candidates who will likely be most faithful in our care of the environment. In particular, I will choose the candidates who will most clearly take on the growing threat of climate change, and who have the strongest commitment to the conversion of our economy and way of life to a cleaner, safer, and more renewable energy future. And that choice could accomplish other key moral priorities like the redemption of a dangerous foreign policy built on Middle East oil dependence, and the great prospects of job creation and economic renewal from a new ‘green’ economy built on more spiritual values of conservation, stewardship, sustainability, respect, responsibility, co-dependence, modesty, and even humility.“5. Every human being is made in the image of God, so I will choose the candidates who are most likely to protect human rights and human dignity. Sexual and economic slavery is on the rise around the world, and an end to human trafficking must become a top priority. As many religious leaders have now said, torture is completely morally unacceptable, under any circumstances, and I will choose the candidates who are most committed to reversing American policy on the treatment of prisoners. And I will choose the candidates who understand that the immigration system is totally broken and needs comprehensive reform, but must be changed in ways that are compassionate, fair, just, and consistent with the biblical command to ‘welcome the stranger.’“6. Healthy families are the foundation of our community life, and nothing is more important than how we are raising up the next generation. As the father of two young boys, I am deeply concerned about the values our leaders model in the midst of the cultural degeneracy assaulting our children. Which candidates will best exemplify and articulate strong family values, using the White House and other offices as bully pulpits to speak of sexual restraint and integrity, marital fidelity, strong parenting, and putting family values over economic values? And I will choose the candidates who promise to really deal with the enormous economic and cultural pressures that have made parenting such a ‘countercultural activity’ in America today, rather than those who merely scapegoat gay people for the serious problems of heterosexual family breakdown.”

Mary Hunt is a WISE Woman!

2008-10-22T18:02:00.000-04:00

Dealing With the Urge to Splurge

When they handed out compulsive tendencies, I ended up with more thanthe standard allotment. I can sit down to watch the evening news andend up owning a pasta machine. I can stop by the mall to look aroundand come out with three dresses I'll never wear, a gift I'll nevergive and several things for the garden. I see what I like and WHAM! Ithink I need it, I'm entitled to it, and pity the poor soul who triesto stop me from having it.While my compulsive tendencies will forever be part of who I am,thankfully, I have found ways to tame them.
PARENT YOURSELF. When tempted to give in to my demands to have what Iwant and have it right now, I ask myself: Would I accept from mychildren the behavior I'm about to accept from myself? Seeing mybehavior as that of a spoiled bratty kid with an intimidated parentwrapped around her little finger usually stops me dead in my tracks.
AVOID "SLIPPERY" PLACES. Alcoholics Anonymous defines a slippery placeas any situation that will provide a tempting opportunity to drink. Myslippery places are stores, television shopping channels, slickadvertisements and mail order catalogs. If I don't frequent them, I'mnot tempted.When I cannot avoid a trip to the store, I plan my route right down towhere I'll park and which entrance I'll use so I can get in and outbefore I have the opportunity to slip. I've also reprogrammed the TVso it doesn't stop at shopping channels.
MAKE SPENDING DIFFICULT. Think of all the ways our culture makesspending money so convenient: checkbooks, credit cards, debit cards,deferred payment, equity lines of credit, electronic transfers and onit goes. I choose to take the convenience out of spending. I carryenough cash to meet my needs for the day. Sometimes it's a pain, but Ido avoid many opportunities to act compulsively.
TALK TO YOURSELF. When confronted with a tempting purchase, self-talk is my lifesaver:If this weren't on sale would you still buy it? If the answer is no, Ipass. Don't you already have something that will do just as well? Iusually do. You don't have to buy this just to prove you can; no one really cares. Reality check. Go home and think about it for 24 hours.I rarely return.
DISCOVER THE CAUSE. I'm learning that many of my compulsive tendencies find their roots in my need for approval. I've also had to admit that spending money is a mood-changer, even an anti-depressant. It was not easy to admit that spending was a mask I wore to hide deeper and more serious issues. By reading good books, talking about compulsive behavior and receiving help from wise counselors, I've discovered why I do the things I do.I can't change who I am, but I've learned how to change the way Irespond. That has made all the difference.

Ok I could crack that I have enough to parent and that I already talk to myself but there is no denying that Mrs Hunt has it going on- I spend sooooooooooooo much less when I avoid shopping (except for that pesky internet children's clothing habit I had to break LOL)

Super Cooper!

2008-10-15T17:46:00.000-04:00

Look what I found. I looked up KDs website to get her contact info for my aunt and saw she is now blogging. When I clicked her blog I found my lil man Super Cooper! Check it out! and if you are looking to have pics made... KD rocks!

2008-10-03T14:53:00.000-04:00

My kids love Halloween as much as I love Thanksgiving. They have been all over me to get their costumes... C debated a few choices but settled on Mario if Cooper will not dress up with him and Luigi if he will. B has not decided but is considering Dorthy, Hippie, Cleopatra a Carolina Panther and Princess Peach. LilC wants to be "Super Cooper"- anyone got an idea how to make that? I could not get him to go for my spaghetti and meatballs suggestion- sigh. We are going to go browse a local Halloween store today and see if anything inspires us. According to Ebay resells he will NOT be SuperWhy- if I had the foresight to buy it I would resell it- wow some people have more money than they know what to do with (either that or they are part of the bailout eh?)
Anyway I was googling some cute Eyeball Cupcakes I found in Parent & Child today (no luck so I can't share it unless I make them ... waaah) when I found some fun things for us to make and eat this month. Here are a few from Family Fun:

Lunch Box Treats...
Cheese Finger Foods
Edible Eyeballs
Witch's Brooms
Salty Bones
Spider Pretzels
BP& Jackolantern

More Ideas...
Apple Bites
Crystal Ball
More Edible Eyeballs
Creepy Peepers
Cheesy Corns
Pizza Mummies
Monster Paws

Be sure to post any that you make or find. I hope to make a few a week- why? for the fun of it!

2008-10-02T19:36:00.000-04:00

Are you watching tonight's debate? I can't wait!

Dedication

2008-09-18T20:07:00.000-04:00

Never question that I am a dedicated person. I was up and out before 7am today... why? to coupon shop before my J O B :-)

I hit the friendly WC-HT and rushed @ grabbing a few "must haves". I unloaded them on Mr J and rushed to work. Where Mrs Jennifer surprised me with Starbucks. (Does she know how to make me happy or what?)

After work I greeted the kidlets at the bus stop, did snacks and homework, planned a few more coupon runs and took lil C to a bday party at Space Kidetts. (I was previously NOT a fan, but it was a nice party. Ideal/Safe set up for a child under 5).

On our way home we ran in Siskey-HT for more goodies. I got home after 7pm (yes I skipped a night of MPM)

That 12+hrs flew by... but it was productive. I am now $22OOP (with a savings of 87%) and over half way done shopping triples. (Sorry no visual today).

Unfortunately when I got home my house was WILD with Wii and lil C quickly went from sleepy to WIRED but it is 8:15 now and all are in bed... so not too terrible now I need to go catch my house up....

Oh and for once I am super thankful that C wears glasses. He was playing with a neighbor and got a scratch on his nose (metal pipe!) upon further inspection it also scratched his glasses. ChaChing that is one copay I will gladly pay as it sure beats a copay for a scratched eye, eh? Thank you God! Now I know I need to go ahead and buy a new backup pair before JCP sale ends next week.

Oh POOPIE

2008-09-14T16:50:00.000-04:00

Take a moment to read Nesting Place's P.O.O.P.I.E Party! post. Too funny (and true).
Man I do love her new and improved wreath... wish the inspiration it makes me feel outweigh the stress. Ah, oh well. GG how about you make me a wreath like that? I am a good daughter! I will even trade you some free Kashi. Or perhaps one of you readers is crafty and has nothing better to do that make my home Boooteeful ... I will blog brag all about it, I promise!

Life with me...

2008-09-14T15:52:00.001-04:00

As you can tell from the lack of posts- things have been BiZe here. School is back in. So far so good. All 3 kids like their teachers (C loves his and we can tell why!) and they seem to holding their own. Cooper has given Mrs Janice a run for her money! (Playing with water in bathroom, telling a child he ruined his day, spilling his lunch everywhere, pinching another child...sigh... I better start saving up for her a nice Christmas present LOL).

I am working M-Th 8:30-2 (my co-worker is a slave driver LOL jk Jennifer). Really work is going pretty good- 4 days is a LOT and I was worried about how behind I would get but lets face it my house is never clean and I am too cheap to give up my frugal ways the only thing suffering is this blog- oops) Plus the kids are precious and they love me. I am their fave teacher ever (right Jennifer? LOL) C has started football (2x week) plus we have Scouts and will be adding in drama and art soon. We had pedi appts and got EBs PsychEd retsults and both C and lilC had/have bday parties to attend and there was a church consignment sale (I got to preshop thanks to Shelia, thanks again! - and I am excited there 2 more this week!) and we had Panthers box tickets (due to sitter issues I skipped it. Mr J. took a coworker to help him hobnob) and of course couponing.

Dang, why am I always behind? You would not believe my couponing mess right now. On the positive side though I went to HT Thrs night (I needed the ad since we do not get the Wed paper. I normally plan/post of my evic but hte 10 boxtops was over my head. I am a visual person). Then I returned Friday morning and did 4 more transactions (w/ Cooper) and on Saturday afternoon I did 2 more. (Planned on more but I did not make it back up there sans-kids). Then today I did 2 more (w/ all 3 kids). My total OOP is now @ $44 for almost $500 in groceries. If I can keep my kidlets out of the pantry (not looking good) we will be stocked for a while and that is not including next week's triple coupons! WooHoo! (I so need to be filing instead of blogging but I am already down from 200 daily readers to 40 so I thought I would check in with you loyal few 1st).

Oh and did I mention I did the Target deal 2x and made $6? I also hit the CVS on Thrs night and Walgreens on Sat. My Wags suggestions are on the comments part of this post. It is not too late for any of those deals but the Robo. so go get yourself so mouthwash and visine! As for CVS I am so hoping they stop their Friday ad "trial" I cant seem to get the ad outlined and to you in a timely manner. I know this week I will buy milk there and use the FL Nabiscio cookie coupons and I will of course do the Excedrin but I cant remember what else. I will try to post this week's deals later tonight.
For those of you not sure what I am talking about grocery wise see my HT post. All 4 of the Catalina deals (GGVeggies, PSPocorn, NVGranolaBars and BCFruitSnacks) stack on top of the $4 off 10. Plus you can get Pillsbury fridge products, OEPaso, BC Baking products (with Lowes coupon) and more. The Catalina and Lowes coupons work in to triples but auto $4 eands on Tuesday. If you do not coupon but want a deal I would opt for 5 GG Veggies and 5 PSPopcorn. You will pay $8.2x+ tax and get $6.50 OYNO not bad for $1.75OOP with NO coupons! Another good deal is if you have the Lowes ad do 6 BC Fruit Chews and 4 BC Brownies or Muffins. You will pay $10ish and get back $3 or $3.50 (my brain is tried). So is you do both for @ $9 you can get 20 items! Not bad for you non-couponers!
Well thats all folks. I gotta go put our roast in and you need to go to the store! (Don't forget your rainchecks!)

HEELARIOUS or OVER THE TOP?

2008-09-13T18:18:00.002-04:00

Have you seen these in stores or lil tooties in your neighborhood?

What do you think???

7 Years

2008-09-11T19:01:00.000-04:00

7 years. Do you remember where you were?

2008-09-11T08:10:00.000-04:00

2008-09-08T19:54:00.000-04:00

I received these updates today and I want to post it here, above all else I believe in the truth! so take this kind of like my own "retraction"/correction..

"Palin did not cut funding for special needs education in Alaska by 62 percent. She didn’t cut it at all. In fact, she tripled per-pupil funding over just three years."

and while I did not post this, here is another worth noting:

"She did not demand that books be banned from the Wasilla library. Some of the books on a widely circulated list were not even in print at the time. The librarian has said Palin asked a "What if?" question, but the librarian continued in her job through most of Palin's first term."

Harry Potter has a Learning Disability....

2008-09-06T10:31:00.000-04:00

....sort of. Daniel Radcliffe, the actor who plays Harry Potter, has confirmed that he has dyspraxia. Dyspraxia is a disorder that affects motor development. According to NCLD People with dyspraxia have difficulty planning and completing intended fine motor tasks. It is estimated that as many as 6% of all children show some signs of dyspraxia (2 of my 3 kids have it)., and in the general population, about 70% of those affected by dyspraxia are male. Dyspraxia can affect different areas of functioning, varying from simple motor tasks such as waving goodbye to more complex tasks like brushing teeth.
What a positive role model for other children who have the same condition. They could easily look at Daniel's mega success and find encouragement and hope. They could see that he overcame his disorder and succeeded in spite of it. Thanks for sharing and acknowledging your dyspraxia, Daniel. You may very well become a true hero to our LD children!
To learn more about dyspraxia visit NCLD.org. You can alo read the article pertaining to Daniel's admission on Britain's Daily Mail website.
Shared by Shane http://adhdguide.blogspot.com/2008/09/harry-potter-has-learning-disability.html

2008-09-04T15:22:00.001-04:00

Palin's speech gets RAVE REVIEWS! And there is no denying that anyone that watched saw that she is beautiful, intelligent and well spoken. There were a few pesky problems with facts but that seems to be a common thread. That said I thought I would post/clarify a few that stood out to me.

Palin: "To the families of special-needs children all across this country, I have a message: For years, you sought to make America a more welcoming place for your sons and daughters. I pledge to you that if we are elected, you will have a friend and advocate in the White House."
I am guessing Sarah Palin must have changed her mind on this one recently? As she actually slashed funding for schools for special needs kids by 62%. Budgets: 2007, 2008, 2009.

Palin: "I told the Congress "thanks, but no thanks," for that Bridge to Nowhere. If our state wanted a bridge, we'd build it ourselves."
Congress' requirement that funds be earmarked for "the bridge" were removed before Sarah Palin became governor. She was therefore in no position to tell Congress anything about the bridge. However, during her campaign, she said she supported funding for "the bridge". "Would you continue state funding for the proposed Knik Arm and Gravina Island bridges?- Yes. I would like to see Alaska's infrastructure projects built sooner rather than later. The window is now--while our congressional delegation is in a strong position to assist." - Anchorage Dialy News.
By the way she later accepted the, no longer earmarked, money and used it for other infrastructure projects.

Palin: "The Democratic nominee for president supports plans to raise income taxes ... raise payroll taxes ... raise investment income taxes ... raise the death tax ... raise business taxes ... and increase the tax burden on the American people by hundreds of billions of dollars. My sister Heather and her husband have just built a service station that's now opened for business - like millions of others who run small businesses. How are they going to be any better off if taxes go up?"
How much does Heather and her husband make? if they bring home less than $250,000, their taxes will not go up. In fact most Americans will pay less in taxes under Obama's plan than under McCain's.

Palin: "But listening to him speak, it's easy to forget that this is a man who has authored two memoirs but not a single major law or reform - not even in the state senate."
Here you can read a rundown of Obama's accomplishments in the Senate. They include the Lugar-Obama bill and an ethics reform package that the Washington Post called "the strongest ethics legislation to emerge from Congress yet." Oh and like being a community organizer I was not not aware that writing memoirs was something to be ashamed of. Hum. Either way, Obama has written only one "memoir" it is McCain that has written a minimum of two.

Palin: "America needs more energy ... our opponent is against producing it."
Obama plans to develop a lot more energy than McCain does. Plus, Obama hasn't skipped the last eight votes on renewable energy.

The Dickey's Wish YOU a Happy Labor Day Holiday!

2008-08-31T17:23:00.000-04:00

I made the caricature at VistaPrint. Cute huh?

It is one of the many FREE items they have!