Mom and Me ~ with Sam!

Riley was invited to Join some friends at JumpZone ~ a place full of inflatables. While he was out jumping the day away ~ I took Sam to a place called Apricot Girls ~ specializes in younger girls -for a mani/pedi makeover. She had fun ~ I enjoyed watching her!

ETA ~ photos ~ this was my first (and last with photos) attempt at blogging from my phone.

Cozi.com

I know that you all have probably heard for Flylady.net, right?  While I think she has some awesome ideas and I do use many of her suggestions, I cannot use her on a routine basis. Two reasons - one, too many emails for me and two, I hate shoes...

Anyways, in my recent attempts at keeping my sink shiny and drinking my water, I learned of Cozi.com.  I loaded it to my phone and to hubby's phone.  I didn't think much more about it until he called one day to tell me he had entered his work schedule for the next two weeks on the calendar.  My first thought was, if he's gonna use it then I guess I better.  That has been almost a year and we continue to use it faithfully. The kiddos got a Nook for Christmas and I have downloaded the app for them and they are using it as well.  Since it has been such a great tool in our household this past year, I thought I would share it with you all.

There are several components to Cozi.com.  First, it is internet based, so when Roger or I update anything in the app - it's already there for the other to see. The different options are Calendar, To Do, Shopping List & Journal (Oh, and Meal Planning - but it's not available through the phone yet - however, I am using it and I do love it!).

CALENDAR:  We each have our own color, including one for ALL of us & one for Chunky & Goosey (my niece and nephew).  Like I mentioned, the kiddos have access to it so they can see what all is going on, as well as add to what plans we already have.  The print feature has a few options ~ this week, next three weeks or month.  You can choose where to start on each of these.   I use the next three weeks option and sometime during Friday or Saturday, I print out the next three weeks, starting with Sunday.  I do this each weekend, allowing for any additions or changes that have been made over the week.  This goes on the fridge. It is the middle page between the two magnet strips.

MEAL PLANNING: The bottom page, hanging by a clip is our meal plan for the week.  I plan out a week at a time, printing it out on Tuesday morning (Monday's are our usual errand day, so I plan my meals Tuesday-Monday.) I don't plan too far out because it will print all you have planned, and one week is enough! I usually don't worry about the next week until closer to the weekend, so I can work in meals that we planned for but something else came up ~ but I still have all the ingredients to make! 

SHOPPING: This allows for multiple lists ~ love it! I have an ongoing Kroger, WalMart, Pet Store, Hobby Lobby, Dollar General  list ~ everyone is pretty good about adding to the list (mostly grocery, and I still have to direct them as to which list some items need to go in). 

TO DO: This also has a place for multiple lists.  I have a few ongoing in there as well ~ ERRANDS (I just add to it as I think of things I need to do on the following Monday - then that morning, I can check it to make sure I have everything I need!).  I also have a MAIN to do list for me, as well as a CLEANING LIST for me, a TO DO list for ROGER.  Currently, I have a list of things to do in the camper when it gets home from deer camp (Rog's dad brought it home Saturday, so I guess that we will get on that list soon!).  

JOURNAL: This feature can be used in many different ways ~ I have used it to journal field trips, because I can do it from my phone, while we are on the trip! You can only add one photo per entry from the phone, but you can make as many entry's per date that you want.  I usually do at least 2 - one for Samantha and one for Riley on each of our field trips.  I think now that they have access through their Nooks, they can start doing the journaling part, after I add the photo!

So, there is how our life works best with Cozi.com!  Like I said, it is internet based, so anyone can use it as long as you have web access ~ but it's even better as an app on your smart phone!

*(Oh, and the top calendar on the fridge in the photo ~ http://www.mysimplerlife.com/2012.htm ~ working on decluttering this year!)

TOP 5 Projects/Goals for your Heart & Home in 2012

I have recently joined a group on facebook called Devotional for the Disorganized.  It is a group that plans to work through Dandelionseeds Clean Heart, Clean Home devotional.  In addition to the devotional, the moderators will be issuing weekly challenges. All of this will be starting on January 1st.  She has actually issued us an early challenge to list our top 5 projects/goals for our heart and home for 2012.  The challenge is for 5 total, but after some thought, I am going to list 5 each.

Personal Goals:
1. Daily Bible reading and quiet time
2. My health. Not just the weight issues, but focusing heavily on getting my Lupus under control
3. More fun and educational learning things with the kiddos
4. Once a month date night
5. Once a month family dates

Clean Home Goals:
1. Get my recipes organized in my new recipe binder
2. Office clean!
3. De-clutter throughout the entire house
4. Kiddos rooms re-arranged and in order
5. Get finances in order

So, there is a start on what my goals are for this next year.  Are you feeling a little disorganized? Start by downloading the Devotional from Dandelion Seeds and if you want, join the group on Facebook~ it is a closed group, so email me if you want in and I will figure out how to get you in there!

Kibbles ~ our Elf on a Shelf

The weekend (Friday morning to be exact) before Christmas, we woke up to a book on the table and an extra set of eyes on the kiddos ~ they named him Kibbles. Appropriate, because if he lands anywhere that the dog can reach him, well... let's not go there...

This is where he showed up Friday morning ~ on the hutch by the kitchen table ~ the book was close by and neither kid paid any attention to the book, until the elf caught their eye...

Saturday and Sunday morning, he was just in various places~ I guess getting comfortable here at our house?

Monday morning, he had erased my baking list and wrote a message from Santa... he sat on the fridge all day Monday...

Tuesday, he got into the pancake mix that I had left out from Monday morning...

What a mess...

He must have been paying attention to us Tuesday night when we cleaned out the turtle cage & thought he wanted to help? 

Thursday morning, thankfully he didn't make a mess, just re-arranged my ducks..

He thought he would hang on to the Mt. Dew ~ Roger takes one with him in the mornings...

Waiting on me to light the candle? This was where he was the last morning he was with us.

You know, the kiddos really loved looking for him each morning and thought the things he did was pretty funny ~ as I am finishing this post up on Monday night, they haven't said one thing about him... wonder how long it will be?

Christmas Trees for breakfast

I don't feel like we have done much this December, I have tried to do some fun things that they would remember ~ but I feel that I haven't been very successful... Anyways, here are a couple of my feeble attempts to make a smile and a memory... (I got both ideas from Pinterest, not sure where because I just saw the photos and went with it)

Roger also made the biscuits in the shape of a tree as well.

Oh, and we make Toad In A Hole all the time, and we have been using our Christmas cookie cutters for that- I think we will be using all of our cookie cutters more ~ amazing how something so small and plastic can make you smile!

Destination Disney ~ the letter *Z*

Besides the zebra in the Harambe Reserve, I had NOTHING else for Z, so I decided to go this route... it seems appropriate, right?

Stay tuned to see what Heidi comes up with next!!

Christmas at the Capitol

Monday night, we I had a ladies outing with the ladies from church. We went to a place called Loca Luna.  I met my best-friend-co-leader and we rode together.  Dinner was nice, and as we were wrapping up, it was suggested we go to the State Capitol to the manger scene and do our closing prayer and gift exchange.  Driving up on the Capitol grounds Mel (best-friend-co-leader) mentioned this was as close to the Capitol she had ever been.  My suggestion was next time she was off work with the kiddos that we all take off over there and do a self-guided tour.  We got back up to the front of the Capitol just as they were locking the doors and she commented on the pretty tree in the rotunda... We decided we would leave straight after church Wednesday night and head over and see things all decorated...

Outside when we pulled up

All of the kiddos that we took to see Christmas at the Capitol

Samantha and one of her very dear sweetest best friends...

Me and my best-friend-co-leader

Sam and I, as seen through the eyes of a large red ornament

Riley and I

Chunky being an Oompa Loompa?

pretty tree...

JOY to the World..

All the kiddos on the third floor - I'm still on the second 

All the kiddos on the 4th floor - taken from the second 

Close up of 4th floor

A pretty I found waiting on them to come back down

From the lobby looking up

PEACE from the front steps

Ice skating

A friend took the kiddos ice skating this morning ~  Samantha's second time, Riley's first...

Next step ~ Second Class

Riley has been working hard towards his next scout ranking.  He has progressed to Second Class Scout (and only like 2 requirements for First Class).

Going to spend some time over the break working to be ready for the next Board of Reviews! 

Christmas Piano Recital

Samantha had her Christmas Piano Recital this afternoon. She played Silent Night.

I wasn't able to get a good photo... I should have moved. Roger videoed it, but this was the same view he got.

She has told me that she wants to learn to play *fur elise* next...

Destination Disney ~ the letter *Y*

Ok, this is a stretch, but here goes...

Yes, we have no bananas...

 Yikes! A monster!

 And finally, You've Got A Friend In Me...

Class Day Christmas Program

We have participated in a Co-op all semester with our homeschool group.  The kiddos have been in Geography, Art and Music.  Tonight was their Christmas Open House program and they had their art hanging on the wall in the halls *bad momma moment- I didn't take any pictures of their art* and they put on a small concert for us all.

I make up for the lack of art photos with the video of their song, right?

Samantha is part of the 6th grade girls group that are singing the beginning part... (Well, it should be here, I don't know where it is... I will upload it to my FB page ~ Fairfield Corner Academy)

Stacking bread

How does that sound for a day full of fun?

A mom in our Homeschool Group arranged for us to do a service project at The Rice Depot. Turns out they get their bread donations on Friday mornings, so we were assigned to boxing bread to be delivered to food banks around the state.

If it makes you feel any better, the group boxed enough bread to make roughly 60,000 sandwiches!  Plus, we went out for lunch and then skating for the afternoon!