Hurricane's, Couponing and Pre-K .......

Hurricane...That's not typically a word that you hear up here in the Northeast. Here in NY we usually get nothing more than a tropical storm and where I am upstate, we just get wind and rain. This past weekend we had Hurricane Irene come through...Lets just say the song "Good night Irene" was never more sung. She whipped through the NY and tri-state area with high-winds and tons of rain. It was the rain that bothered most. Homes that didn't usually flood had water damage, yard damage, etc. We had minimal damage. Our landscaped area in front had all the mulch washed away. Not a big deal at all. We are so blessed. No water damage, no wind damage.

We did lose our electricity, this was something that I knew would happen and was prepared for. Or was I? I thought I was prepared...I thought I could handle it. I was wrong.
NO electricity and having a 3 y/o and a 6 month old is tough!! We lost our electricity on Sunday morning and Monday evening we found out that they weren't working on it and we'd probably not have electricity until Friday. At that point...I was NOT a happy camper. I never let the kids know. To this day Sarah calls it a "Fun adventure.".

I had to put David in disposable diapers. Thankfully my hubby had called me from Sam's club and said that he was picking up disposable diapers, "just in case". I put one on David and I couldn't believe how trim and thin they were. I liked em'!!! I liked them that is ...until he pee'd in it. Then I felt it expand and this gel/gooey substance grew and grew. I realized at that point that this is the chemical which makes them so absorbent. The chemical which produces dioxins, which are now against my son's skin. Oh well..it was only for a few days. He didn't seem to mind and truth be told, his clothing fit him better.

My hubby suggested that we go to a hotel. He's a smart guy...I love him. Problem...every hotel/motel and Inn was booked solid. We weren't the only ones who thought of that. I called every hotel. I prayed, "Lord Please find us one, and I'd like one with a swimming pool for the kids". I finally called the Holiday Inn Express in Chester. They had a Vacancy!! AND an indoor swimming pool!! YAY!!! Thank you God. He really does answer prayers. This was the beginning of Sarah's wonderful adventure. Have I mentioned that 3 y/o's are fun? Yea...she's a fun kid and a very positive outlook. She loved the hotel , or as she put it, "Patel". David on the other hand..not a happy camper. He's only 6 months old and his personality is starting to come out. He's happy and always smiling but made it very clear that he wanted to be home. David apparently does not like change.

We were very blessed that our electricity came back on Tuesday night. We came home that night, after letting Sarah swim in the indoor pool. We unpacked and relaxed in light and AC and a flushing toilette and a shower...you get the idea.

Now that the hurricane was over and the house back in order I had to decide what preschool program I wanted to do with Sarah. I found a great one for FREE!! Yes...For FREE!! And before you ask...here's the Link:

http://www.hubbardscupboard.org/index.html

I decided to do the 3 year curriculum with her, "Bible and Rhyme". I wasnt' sure if I should do the 3 or 4 year. I decided to do the 3 year because she isnt' ready to start writing and doesn't know her numbers as well as her alphabet. She knows her colors, shapes, abc's and even knows some of the sounds. This is going to a fun year for her.

Today I printed out the first 6 weeks of lessons, games, manipulatives, bible verses, etc. It's a 3 day program so our weekly routine will look like this:

Monday: Cleaning/Laundry
Tuesday: Laundry/school time
Wednesday: Baking/School time
Thursday: Grocery Shopping/School time
Friday: Cleaning/Laundry/Errands

She does other stuff on Monday and Friday. She helps me cook, clean and do laundry. Although these days, she's getting wise and only volunteers for the cooking.

David is content to play and when he's cranky or tired, likes to cuddle up on my back. I put him in my Ergo and he snuggles up and falls asleep. Sometimes he stays there for his whole nap and other times I take him off and lay him down. It depends on what I'm doing.

Other than a few supplies, I'm all ready and Sarah and I will start this Tuesday. I'm going to post a daily blog of what we do.

Today I watched a show for the first time, "Extreme Couponing". I really liked it. While I do think those mom's are wondeful, I don't need 100 boxes of Fruity Pebbles. I don't allow Sarah to eat those things.

I was thinking of trying it. My only hesitation is that we don't eat alot of prepackaged foods but my 19 year old son does. He's in college and works two jobs. (yup, he's a great kid, the Lord really blessed us). He is NOT eating healthy...so i'm thinking that having that stuff around for him would be beneficial.

One mom on the show said that she gives her stuff to food pantries..I thought that was a WONDERFUL Idea. That alone made me think about it.

I'm gonna try it. I'm going to start collecting coupons and seeing where I can save money.

Here is how I've started already:
1. I emailed someone I know who delivers news papers and asked about their left over coupon inserts.

2. I'm going to have our local paper delivered to us on Sundays.

More to come as I start on this journey.