A Common Shepherdess

Yes, coupon is a verb. I'm addicted. I'm a coupon geek. Here is what I got this morning at Walgreens: This is the run-down (including sale prices): 2 boxes Wheat Thins (2/$5) 2 bags Ritz Toasted Chips (2/$3.79) 2 boxes South Beach Cereal Bars (2/$5) 1 Crystal Light lemonade ($1.99) 2 Crystal Light On The Go ($3.98) 1 Peter Pan peanut butter ($1.67) 1 Neosporin (with free Band-Aid carrying case) ($5.99) 1 box Band-Aids ($3.99) 1 Oscar Mayer hot dogs ($2) 2 Ocean Spray CranGrape juice (2/$5) 1 Puffs facial tissue ($0.89) 1 Chemistry hair masque ($7.99) 1 L'Oreal Anti-Wrinkle Concentrate Serum ($12.36) 2 packages filler paper ($1.98) 1 L'Oreal hair color (clearance for $2.50) 1 Revlon nail color ($4.79) 1 Nivea men's body wash ($4.99) 1 Northern bath tissue ($4) 3 Glade scented oil candles (clearance for $1.49 each = $4.47) 1 CapriSun juice ($3.79) Total before coupons: $86.17 - $38.04 in coupons (both manufacturer and Walgreens Qs) = $48.13 + $2.77 tax = $50.90 tota

We have all been very sick this past week. We are still recovering. So what does a homeschool mom do when she is too weak to do much except lay around all day? Why, more planning of course! I put together checklists and organized the assignments for my two boys. I bought them each a three-ring binder and made them each a cover sheet using a picture from their readings. The boys colored them. (You can see my younger one is still learning his spelling rules. "Mom, we can't end an English word with an 'i' so I added the silent E." "Or we change the 'i'..." "OH! *smacks forehead* I should have changed it to a 'y'!") In each book I put their weekday schedule, showing them which subjects we study on what days. There is also a calendar to mark off each day we do school. Another page helps them keep track of which week of the curriculum we are doing. Last week my 7 yo finished week 26 of Ambleside's Year 1 and my oldest

Most days I try to fix a hot breakfast. Pancakes are a staple in our menu. I'm always fooling around with the recipe and trying new things. Here was my creation this morning. Sweet Potato Pancakes In a large bowl, mix together 1 1/2 cups flour 1 1/2 tsp baking powder Pinch of salt 1 Tbsp sugar Generous sprinkling of pumpkin pie spice (or even just cinnamon) In medium bowl, mix together 1 oz. softened cream cheese 3 Tbsp leftover sweet potato casserole (complete with melted marshmallows!--or use canned sweet potatoes or pumpkin, then use 3 Tbsp sugar above) 1/2 tsp vanilla 2 eggs 1 1/4 cups milk Add the milk mixture to the dry ingredients and mix well. Stir in 3 Tbsp melted butter. Cook on a hot griddle. The kids seemed to enjoy them!