MMM….peaches.

by nicholmom3 on August 28, 2010

Today we took the two youngest to a not nearby farm to go peach picking. Tougas Farm is about 40 minutes from our house, but we love it so much that it is worth the ride. Besides picking delicious plump peaches, we also caved and bought a bag for apple picking as well.

As anyone who has gone to a “pick your own” orchard, it isn’t even close to beig cost effective. As I told my husband today, you are paying for more than just simple fruit. You are paying to keep a small business alive, paying for the “adventure” of picking your own fruit, paying for the choice of “safe to eat off the tree” fruit. Also, there is the tractor ride to the orchard, the petting area, and the wonderful playground. All at a price.

If you think that we paid $25 for the 1/2 bushel of peaches, and $15 for the bag of apples (peck? half peck? I’ll have to check which), $5 for a bag of sugared apple cider donuts, and $3 for 2 iced coffees. That is a total of $48. We were at the farm for about 2.5 hours, so it breaks down (very) roughly to $5 per person per hour of FUN! Not to mention all the yummy fruit we get to enjoy for months to come, as I’ll be prolonging the yum by canning a whole mess of peaches this week.

We only go once a year, as the 40 minute drive is a touch far for multiple trips, especially when there are other equally nice farms around, though few pick you own. It is definitely a family tradition now to go at the end of summer. Well worth the time, gas, and money.

Share and Enjoy:
  • Digg
  • StumbleUpon
  • Technorati

{ 0 comments }

by nicholmom3 on August 24, 2010

For all you folks doing back to school shopping, you know how tough it can be to keep track of which kid needs which folder, color pens, highlighters ect. I used to separate everything in to bags, but then you have to pull everything out to make sure you didn’t forget something important.

I have a few little tricks to keep everything organized. First, I scrounge one box for each kid. It has to be wide enough to fit notebooks and folders, and I add a shoebox in each one. I use personalized labels to put their names on EVERYTHING, (except the teen, he’d kill me) All loose pens, pencils, and markers go in the shoebox, the notebooks and folders stand up, and I can take a quick look to see what is still needed. I also tape a copy of the school list to the outside and cross items off as I place them in the box.

I keep these boxes throughout the year. As the kids need supplies, they go to THEIR box. There is no tapping into someone else’s supplies. I refill the boxes from time to time from my main stash, mostly the pens and pencils. I try to way over buy when I hit a sale, because I know come January the notebooks need replacing and the folders can’t be taped anymore.

The labels are key though. I got them with my company order of business printing services so they were short money. I try to bulk order whenever possible, to reduce my out of pocket expenses, but also to reduce my time involved.

If anyone has any special tricks about organizing school supplies for the year, please post!

Share and Enjoy:
  • Digg
  • StumbleUpon
  • Technorati

{ 0 comments }

Small Blender Recipes

August 23, 2010

I have two blenders in my kitchen, one a full size and the other a Rocket from Bella Kitchen. The small personal blender stays out on the counter top, while we bring out the full size occasionally. My favorite use for the personal blender is making smoothies, but I also enjoy using it while cooking. [...]

Share and Enjoy:
  • Digg
  • StumbleUpon
  • Technorati
Read the full article →

Ooooh Mama’s MAD at Disney!

August 19, 2010

Yes, I know the show aired in 2008. Yes I realize that there is probably a positive message at the end of the show. I’m talking about a certain Hannah Montana episode. This particular episode is all about how Miley sticks a FORK in her MOUTH and breaks a filling. Then her and her daddy [...]

Share and Enjoy:
  • Digg
  • StumbleUpon
  • Technorati
Read the full article →

Mommy’s Lunch Box

August 16, 2010

Since I work full time, I’ve had to pack 4 lunches. I’ve tried the route of making the hubs and the teenboy make their own lunches, but that ended up with a slice of cheese between two slices of bread, or tuna out of the can. Not the most well rounded meal for either of [...]

Share and Enjoy:
  • Digg
  • StumbleUpon
  • Technorati
Read the full article →

It’s crunch time

August 11, 2010

I just can’t believe how fast this year is flying by. The kids are nearly back in school…heck.. I’M nearly back in school! It’s been an awfully long time for me, but the leap has been made, and I’m a-going back. Here’s the plan. I’m going to start my B.S degree using Online Schools. There [...]

Share and Enjoy:
  • Digg
  • StumbleUpon
  • Technorati
Read the full article →

I can hear the school bell already…

July 25, 2010

I just bought my very first back-to-school supplies of the summer! I’m really shocked I held out this long to be honest with you. Since the oldest boy is heading to highschool this year I really had to be careful what I bought. I made sure there weren’t any funky colors, stuck with plain notebooks [...]

Share and Enjoy:
  • Digg
  • StumbleUpon
  • Technorati
Read the full article →

So sad

July 20, 2010

I hate to bring everyone else down with me, but I just saw the saddest thing! Misery loves company and all that… The last female white rhino was killed last week in a south african reserve by poachers. These sick sick people cut off her horn and left her to bleed to death. It makes [...]

Share and Enjoy:
  • Digg
  • StumbleUpon
  • Technorati
Read the full article →

mmmm….protein!

July 11, 2010

My husband and I are very active people, and are both trying to get leaner bodies. As such, we have taken to drinking protein shakes before our workouts, and sometimes I use them as meal replacements. It has taken a lot of trial and error to find our favorite blend, but I think the Access [...]

Share and Enjoy:
  • Digg
  • StumbleUpon
  • Technorati
Read the full article →

uh…babe?want some gum?

July 9, 2010

If you have ever known anyone with diabetes, you have probably encountered some pretty funky breath issues. It sucks because they really truly can’t help it! My poor husband brushes and flosses and rinses like a champ, and still has the worst breath. I can actually tell if he has a high blood sugar just [...]

Share and Enjoy:
  • Digg
  • StumbleUpon
  • Technorati
Read the full article →