Thursday, quiet Thursday

Wow, I realized it's been nearly a week since I updated!  Sorry.  I have no new pictures and nothing is baking at the moment, either.  I did notice that I haven't put up any more "Bitter Homeschooler" funnies, so here you go:

4 Don't assume that every homeschooler you meet is homeschooling for the same reasons and in the same way as that one homeschooler you know.

5 If that homeschooler you know is actually someone you saw on TV, either on the news or on a "reality" show, the above goes double.

10 We didn't go through all the reading, learning, thinking, weighing of options, experimenting, and worrying that goes into homeschooling just to annoy you. Really. This was a deeply personal decision, tailored to the specifics of our family. Stop taking the bare fact of our being homeschoolers as either an affront or a
judgment about your own educational decisions.

17 Stop saying, "Oh, I could never homeschool!" Even if you think it's some kind of compliment, it sounds more like you're horrified.  One of these days, I won't bother disagreeing with you any more.

This Saturday is "Coupons and Cocktails" at my house again.  I have a TON of coupons (and Mike's Hard drinks) ready to share with everyone.  I will, once again, be making lots and lots of pizza.  I better start running now. 

Tuesday is not only Cinco de Mayo (ole!) but it's also Kali's 6th birthday!  SIX!  I get to spend the whole day at Epcot with her while the rest of the gang heads over to Sea World.  Hey, it's not 'free on your birthday' if you have to pay for everyone to get in, right?  We have passes for Sea World, so that really is free!  Kali cannot wait to go to Epcot.  This is my girl who could give a rats rear end about the rides, she wants to learn all about the countries that are there and wants to taste all the different foods, too.  I told her that we'd eat our way through the countries.  Once I start running for that pizza, I better not stop!  I'm certain to have tons of pictures when we get back.  She is determined to stay there all day until the fireworks that night.

Speaking of running, I'm now up to 4 miles without wanting to kill someone.  While we're out in Orlando, I'll be enjoying my morning run right through Downtown Disney; I'm quite excited about that! 

I'm off to the kitchen to work on dinner now!

Weekly Menu

Hi All!!!

The new menu is up, but I have a problem. I need something for Monday. I need something new, something yummy, and preferably, something without dairy. Since I'm also doing my best to stretch a dollar, it needs to be inexpensive, too. Help a girl out, would you? Give me a good recipe, a link to a recipe, your grandma's recipe for whatever.........just help me! I'll add you to my menu; hopefully on a permanent rotation.

Spring Break - the finale!!!

On Saturday we went to Dinosaur World. I've lived here for 10 years and have never gone there. Okay, so I really didn't have a reason to go there since Mary wasn't a big dinosaur fan! Kali, however, loves them and the Easter Bunny left us a day at Dino World in an egg. What a nice bunny.

Here's some pictures from our morning over there:


Dang...look!! Finally, Alex feels short. ;)




It was a bit chilly Saturday morning. Yikes, look how wrinkled Hannah's jacket is!! We leave them in the car just in case we need them; we needed them.


Tyrannosaurus Hannah


The girls loved this place, as did Alex & I. It was really cool!




Watching all the fish.




Watch out for that T-Rex, Kali!!!!!




The girls went on a fossil dig. That was cute.


Uh oh, someone lost a leg bone!


I loved all the trees there. They made such a pretty canopy over us and kept us cool the whole time we were there.


Kali has a dinosaur stuffed animal she got at T-Rex in Downtown Disney. She kept looking for the same kind of dinosaur at Dino World. Well, this was it. She was not happy to see it was a skeleton! She screamed and then covered her stuffed animal's eyes. :) What a goofball.




Just because I like to take different pictures.




Sitting down for lunch. Geeze, honey, don't be so mean!!! :)

After lunch we walked for a little bit more and then realized we had seen it all. We could have stayed longer and just hung out, but we decided since daddy was with us for the day, we'd head over to Busch Garden so he could go on the Phoenix with Hannah. What is that, you ask?!






Yes, and not only does it do this, but it goes all the way around a few times, too! I've been on it once. Once. About 9 years ago and that was enough.


She LOVED it. Alex......not so much!


Gosh I love my girls.


This gorilla was just laying there and staring at us. Like she was just checking us crazy animals out and wondering what we were doing staring at her.


Scurry, sniff, flinch!!

We had lots of fun Saturday and went home exhausted! I think the girls were sleeping before their heads hit the pillow.

Today is Earth Day and I took the girls to the Disney Store for a little recycling Disney style. For each 3 plastic bottles you brought in, you got a reusable water bottle. We brought in 3 bottles each, so we brought home 3 water bottles. That was fun! Nothing like a field trip for Earth Day!

Time to get the girls in bed now. Hope you enjoyed our pictures!

Spring Break - Continued

On Friday, I took the girls to Sea World.  Pictures are better than stories, so here you go!


Kali says "Word."  She's so silly lately.  Where the Pets Ahoy show is, they had some new Elmo show twice a day.  While my kids are past the Elmo stage, we still thought we'd go and see it.  It was really cute!




Hannah wanted to sit by the oyster divers and eat lunch.  Sounded like a good choice to me!


I promise those are not real tattoos on her.  Only the 18 year old has one of those.  :)


We went to go see Believe.  I love this show!  Hannah was asked to be in the show, and she turned them down.  Dang!  She said she did not want to be standing up in front of all those people there.  She was having no part of it......

See!


It was hot, so they stood under the misters for a while. 


Just a pretty shot. 

And then we decided we had had enough.  When one is in Orlando, and one needs somewhere else to go, where does one go?!


Why, Downtown Disney, of course!!!!

Now, I will say that I did end up spending more than the $1.06 I spent at Busch Gardens on Wednesday.  Between Sea World and Downtown Disney, I spent $12.50. 

The girls had lots of fun in the Art of Disney store checking out all the paintings and things.





Right now I'm enjoying some quiet time while Alex is outside with the girls.  Shhhhh......enjoy the silence.......

Stay tuned for what we did on Saturday!!!!

Spring Break!

The girls and I are on spring break this week.  I don't know who is happier about that, either!!  I feel like I'm on vacation!  Yesterday I took Hannah and Kali to Busch Gardens.  I think the whole world heard that we were going, so they thought they'd all come, too.  OMG.  It took a good 1/2 hour just to get into the parking lot!  However, Busch Gardens has their act together (at least they did yesterday!) and you would not have known the crowd was so big. 

Want to see what my kids do while they're at a theme park?!?




Is that funny or what?!  I couldn't believe they even brought them in the park, let alone whipped 'em out while we were eating lunch.  Goofy kids.  They thought this was really, really funny.


Hannah was hanging out with this huge bunny!  She wanted to take him (her?) home. 


We stopped off at the bird gardens.  It's really pretty back there.


Check out the mama and her baby ducks.  Awwwwww.


Hannah really, really wants to go on SheiKra.  However, none of us are brave enough to go on it.  Anyone want to go on it with her?  Really?! 


Come on, you know you want to!


I don't know what she was doing here, but she's just so darn cute!


They were trying to figure out what the 'tree trunk' was made out of.


Hannah loves this ride.  Kali despises it.  She was even freaked out that Hannah was going on it.  :)


I, again, have no clue what was going on here.  Maybe she was bored?  Tired?  Freaked out that she was going to be tossed down to the ground?


She got off the ride, and got right back in line. 


Someone go on SheiKra with my little daredevil.  Please. 

Tomorrow we're headed off to Sea World and/or Downtown Disney for the day.  Depends on some small childrens' moods, I guess.  Or how many flippin' people will pack Sea World!  Hopefully I won't spend more than the $1.06 I spent at Busch Gardens yesterday.  I'm such a big spender, aren't I?!  I did just bake a batch of breakfast cookies for the morning, and, as usual, we'll bring our lunch and snacks with us.  I might have to bring dinner with us, too, since we'll be in no hurry to get home.  Well, not really.  Saturday we're headed off to Dino Land (see, I told you I felt like I was on vacation!)  It's homeschooling month there, so I can get us in for $5 each.  We might stop at Busch Gardens on the way home (it's super close) so Alex and little miss daredevil can ride a coaster.  Though it won't be SheiKra since he refuses to get on that beast.  Kali and I will just watch and giggle.


I did my weekly shopping today since we won't be home tomorrow.  I will say that I have a $10 coupon I need to use on Sunday at SweetBay, so I'll *gasp* be a the store then!  I'll get some chicken or something.  Anyway, without my normal breakdown since I'm feelin' a bit lazy....here's what I did:

Spent:  $96.08
Saved: $83.01!!!!!!  Go MEEEEE.  My cart was overflowing.  They had to put a big bag on the bottom.  :)  My one and only complaint about Publix (or is this just every store??) is that why, oh why, do the baggers feel the need to put the produce on the BOTTOM and stack shit on top of it?!  Really.  I don't want tomato sauce, I want tomatoes!!!  Every freakin' time I go, this happens.  Is it just me?!  I'm surprised they don't put my eggs down there, too.  Okay, rant over with.