Chronicles: Working That Grocery Budget

So, in my last post I explained how our family budgets its expenses. I also went into detail about how I budget the grocery budget. In this post I'll show you how I obligate myself to stick to the budget regardless of how hungry I might be at the store (never go grocery shopping hungry or sad...it could explode your budget) At any rate, I use reusable bags. Not only is it better for the environment, but it's a great way to ensure your budget stays in tact. Do the upfront work at home by planning your meals using the sales paper and any coupons you may have. Take your list with you and then once you get to the grocery store, follow these steps:

The first step is to set up 3 -4 large reusable bags in the cart. See the picture below:

 You will notice that I set them up and keep them open so that I can fill them as I walk through the store. As I find the items I need I put them in the bag that corresponds to the meal I'm buying it for. For instance, I get two loaves of bread. This is because we usually eat it at several different meals, but I log it onto lunch and breakfast. Each time I add an item, I add it up on a post-it note on the side of the bag.

Yes, I stop right there in the store and add it up as I go. I don't think anyone really notices and if they did, I'd just give them the technique, maybe it would be helpful to them too.

Check Out Time

Once I've filled each bag and added everything, I make sure I have the essentials. Milk, eggs, bread, and cheese are a must have. I can whip anything up if I have at least that much so they must be in the bag. If I get to the end of my budget and haven't added them yet, I put some things back until I have enough room in the budget to add them. Otherwise, I just ensure there's a well-rounded selection of meats, diary, vegetables, and fruit to keep everyone full and happy for the week. One successful week when I had a good combination of sales and coupons I ended up going well under budget but still getting a good haul. I always do self-checkout because I like to spend time making sure each item rings up correctly and also that the coupons I use bring the total down to where it's supposed to be. Cashiers go too fast for me to do this with them.

I don't actually put the bread or meat in the reusable bags while shopping. The bread could get crushed and the meat could contaminate the other food. I keep them separate. At checkout I put the bread and eggs in their own bag. I use the store's plastic bag for the meat. I try to stuff all of it in one bag so I don't have to take too many.

Ways To Save More

If you have time to save and get more on your budget, try visiting more than one store. Get the sales circular from all the stores and find who has the biggest sales on the items you really need. Every penny counts. A super sale matched up with a great coupon equals more savings and more food for your family. Also, don't forget to stock up on things your family eats a lot while it's on sale. For instance, when things like sugar and flour are on sale I use some of the budget to get extra of that. This is because sugar and flour can make many meals on their own with a little butter and milk. Just be cognizant of what your family always eats and try to stock up on it when it's on sale, especially if you have coupons for it. Be careful of limits though.

I hope this series helps you save tons on your grocery bill and gives you a chance to do other stuff with your money too!

Chronicles: The Budget

Since our family moved from two of us bringing in an income to one, we have had to be more conscientious of our spending habits. Of course, one aspect of this is our grocery budget. With two growing boys and a husband with a robust and healthy appetite, I have had no choice but to shore up my budget skills and work to ensure there's always enough to eat and that we stay within certain parameters for meals.

One way to do this is to come up with a number. First, I take the amount of bills we have on an average month and calculate that total. Second, I calculate all repeated income. I don't include any extras or non-recurring income that we may not be able to count on. Next, I take the extra money after bills and divide it by four. That's the amount over bills that we have to spend each week. I then separate that into categories by importance. Groceries, gas, donations to ministries, savings, and entertainment last. Since there are many ways to entertain ourselves with no money at all, this is the best way to set up the priorities. Of course, gas is one of those things that's set in stone, as we really can't decide how much we'll pay for gas. We may be able to save a few cents per gallon, but the price is the price for the most part. 

That being said, I get an approximation for each of these categories. So, with the grocery budget I begin to work specifically. It's really not that difficult to stay within budget if you use the sales papers and coupons each week. *I don't watch "Extreme Couponing", it gives me a headache to think about it that way. I just want to make sure we stay in budget and have what we need and some of what we want.  

So, I take the total...let's say it's $80. Then I divide it by 7. This is because I generally go to the grocery store every 6 - 7 days. I don't go in between because I have a tendency to overspend that way. Once I get that number: $11.43, it would seem that's the amount of money we need to use for our daily meals for each day of the week. But, we eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner. We typically eat at home, or make something from home to take with us where we go. This means I have more work to do. So, I divide the $11.43 number by three, representing B, L, & D. That gives me about $3.81 per meal each day. Can four (5) of us get a meal for that cost? Is that possible? Yes! Because my next step is to multiply that number by 7. Why am I doing that? Because if we eat B, L, & D every day...then $3.81 needs to be multiplied by 7 for each day of the week. That brings me to about $26.67. That means that when I go to the store I am on a mission to buy up to that specific amount, or less, of food for each of those meals.

It really works! I either am right on budget, or under it every time. In my next post I'll show you how I stay within the budget at the grocery store.

Chronicles: Calling All Hair Moms...Bumbo Chair Miracle

It is proven the best inventions are mistakes, or even preposterous ideas turned useful. My 4 month old was so fussy when I tried to comb her curly hair in the tub. She would squirm and wiggle and grunt. But, the child has a head full of hair. And, it's difficult to do. One day while she sat unsuspectingly in her Bumbo chair I had a thought...what if I tried combing her hair while she's sitting upright in the Bumbo chair? As moms we know in the baby gear world the Bumbo's right up there with bouncers and rattles. The Bumbo helps babies sit upright and stay fairly still for a few seconds. It's also entertaining to them even if only for a short while. It was a funny thought. But, she's such a little one. Should so much formality be necessary for her yet? Well, it was no more than a notion until I realized that her curly hair was getting tangled and knotted because of my lack of finesse while it's wet.

Of course, being a "child of the chair" myself I had to wonder if it was some type of abuse first. I know it's tough on a curly girl to sit there and have your twists and coils combed and brushed. After mulling over it and deliberating for days, I decided to go for it. I got her bathed and dressed for the day, making sure to wash and soak her hair in water. Then, I grabbed a towel, a comb and brush, a spray bottle of water, and some shea moisturizer. I put her in the Bumbo and wrapped the towel around her shoulders. The scene was out of my childhood as I flashed back to sitting in my stylist's chair waiting for the perfect hairstyle to make me feel beautiful again. When I could stop laughing, I quickly sprayed her hair with water, applied the moisturizer, and gently combed and brushed it out. She began to fuss only after she realized she was tired of sitting. Until then I managed to get her locks into a nice style. I think I've found a new use for the Bumbo chair, while she can still fit in it!

                      

It happened so fast she was dazed, but ready for a day out!

Chronicles: My Father's World Perfect Biomes Field Trip

We're at the point in the Exploring Countries and Cultures curriculum from My Father's World where we are studying ecosystems and biomes. We're still exploring North America. These are somewhat abstract ideas for kids to grasp so I've read books, gotten books from the library, shown pictures, given examples and had them give examples according to their understanding, but it still wasn't sinking in. As an educator at heart I know this means a field trip is in order. Of course, the obvious place to go seems like the zoo, but in 100 degree temps and strict budgets that wasn't an option. So, where can a family go for a minimal price and get an up close look at ecosystems, their plants and animals and even possibly, climates without sweltering in the unbearable sun? Cabela's, of course!

No, not of course. Schools aren't hankering for a chance to show their students taxidermal animals frozen in a replica of their habitat surrounded by the gear that got them in the predicament to begin with. Still, for a small homeschool group it makes so much sense. We've been there before to check out the wonderfully delicious fudge and fantasize about the off-road vehicles and inventive camping equipment, but we'd never seen it through the eyes of a scientist studying animals' system of survival.

We set off on our fifteen minute journey down the road. I had the boys take their clipboard, a sheet of drawing paper, and a pencil. It's kind of awkward, but on a weekday afternoon it's not too crowded so it's pretty inconspicuous. We headed inside and our first stop was the giant aquarium. This is an underwater biome in which kids can see the systems up close. To be honest, I was surprised that they were seeing it all with new eyes. I made them responsible for creating a space on their paper for this system and had them list the types of fish that were able to live together in the aquarium without competing for food or life. They listed the fish and saw them again for the first time because for the first time I had given the task a tangible purpose. They examined whether or not this had to be a fresh or saltwater aquarium based on the fish and turtles that were there. They also tried to understand the role the different fish play. It was off to a great start.

Next we went to the mountains. No, not really. We went up the escalator to the animals that were situated atop a replica of a mountain. Here they were able to see the many animals that live in mountainous areas. They quartered off a section of their paper and began to write about the animals in this area. They discussed the survival skills of the animals here and the jobs they must have in the environment. Again, to see it this way was pretty exciting for them.

They were all pomp and circumstance as we made our way back down the escalator to check out the canyon animals. The discovery of how they were very similar to the mountain animals brought about the discussion of what is a canyon and why the mountains and canyons would share so many of the same animals. As they observed and talked they were coming to some profound conclusions. I could have told them these things, but for them to see it in front of them and make discoveries was more science based and it was a different kind of learning that proved more effective.

Our family always enjoys seeing the arctic area. The polar bear is always the star, but this time they were made to wonder how the arctic fox and polar bear cohabit the same ecosystem. This caused them to think of how each of these animals can live in this climate and not be able to thrive in others. Thoughts and ideas were coming non-stop on this journey and I felt it was one of the best science lessons of the year.

We rounded out the trip in the African savanna, which happens to be a family favorite. There's a humongous African elephant that astonishes us every time we're there. Not only that, but the animals of the savanna are actually in life form, very close. Of course, the animals are closer than we could get to them in any regular zoo so they can see adaptations, defense mechanisms, and interaction in the circle of life. Once they've gathered information on the most exciting animals, some plants, and the proposed climate of the ecosystems we're ready to get some tasty fudge and go. 

We've actually never been camping or hunting or fishing. I suppose we're not really an outdoors family in that sense, but Cabela's has proven to be an excellent place to go for family fun on days when the goal is not primarily learning, as well as when it is. I would recommend it to any homeschool family who wants to teach this subject to young children. It beats the heat and allows ample opportunity to discuss and discover. Just don't leave without some fudge!

Chronicles: Sock It To Me!

It may sound super strange, but we recently adopted house socks vs. outside socks. The origin of this now infamous family tradition is quite simple, actually. How peculiar that after living in my mother's house for almost 20 years and living in four different apartments all covered in the typical beige carpet, I had never once heard that house shoes, or socks, as it is in our home, could be the difference between replacing the carpet in 5 years or 15! When I read the manual to our first home I was astonished that it was written and visible in plain sight. I saw that preserving the carpet for years and years was not an impossible feat. It had all the typical, common sense stuff we mostly know about carpet. It said that you have to vacuum every day and keep high traction areas covered, all normal stuff. But, what I read next would be the holy grail of home management, at least in this home, for years to come. It read, the natural, or otherwise, oils in your feet adhere to the fibers of the carpet, which causes the dirt to attach and become a part of the carpet and it cannot be vacuumed! That changes everything. This is why dirty carpet is really dirty and no amount of cleaning makes it any better.

So, I've always made everyone cover their feet. But, it turns out that boys are really hard on socks when they wear them all the time. This means that when I take my boys anywhere their socks are in pretty bad shape. So, we instituted the rule of house socks and outside socks. We also host guests by putting a sock basket at the foyer for guests wearing sandals. We wear socks or house-shoes at ALL times, unless walking on non-carpeted surfaces, and actually have a separate set of socks for walking around the house and for going out. I make the boys wear the clean, fresh socks when we go out and the beat up play socks inside. This makes mommy happy everywhere!!!

Chronicles: How To Teach Them To Read

The obvious benefit of teaching your children at home is the ability to tailor your methods to their needs. In a classroom where there are 20 - 30 other children in a room, teachers don't have the opportunity to fit instruction to each child's specific instructional needs. That said, we also have to keep in mind that there are components to children learning to read and that it is a hierarchical skill, meaning we learn to read in levels of mastery.

The Elements of Solid Reading Instruction

Print Awareness

In our daily reading block it's important to include several elements of literacy development. For younger children print awareness is huge. This means they need to know what letters are, what words are, how to find a sentence, count the words of a sentence, recognize titles, author and illustrator names, and know how to hold / handle books. Whether you teach this directly or not depends on the child's ability to pick it up. Usually, explicit instruction is necessary, however some children watch you read aloud and somehow understand, although that is very rare.

Phonological Awareness

Next children need to have phonological awareness. This refers to the preparing reader concentrating on the distribution of sounds in our language. They should be able to hear the phonemes (individual sounds) and morphemes (smallest parts of sounds that have meaning, like the ing in walking, or for that matter, the walk). This is why read-alouds can be very powerful. Also, using nursery rhymes, songs, and poems at this level can be very instrumental in helping children develop phonological skills to build on in successive levels. Try Elkonin boxes to really emphasize the sounds in words. The example below shows a can and three boxes for the sounds
 /c/ - /a/ - /n/. You don't use letters, but small squares for the child to push into each box as they say the sounds. Your focus is not the letters, or symbol of the sounds, but the sounds themselves. Repeating this activity is not only fun for your child, but really good practice. I like to use actual objects, like their toys or items around the house to increase interest.

Alongside phonological awareness, phonemic awareness is the building block that a beginning reader must rest on. This is when the reader begins to attach sound to letters, or symbols. There are many different curricula that address phonics instruction, but in our family we use Spalding. The truth is, my oldest son who is now 8 and working on mostly 3rd grade material had to be retaught using Spalding since when he was in public school they did not use this program and he was really confused by the one they did. On the other hand, my other son had always been taught at home with Spalding and we've seen a tremendous amount of success. It's a very strong program that teaches the sounds and spellings of our language in logical sequence with great drill and explanation and it helps the preparing reader to take their attainment of the language into their own hands. It has been great for us to remediate our oldest and to teach our younger school-age child.

Fluency

As your child becomes a good decoder of the words and gets familar with syntax (sentence arrangement) it is important to begin focusing on building fluency. This can be done a number of ways. Believe it or not, having them read that favorite book over and over again is not a bad idea. In fact, it's golden. This is the best way for them to learn to let their reading flow. You can use magazine articles that they like, inserts from new toys that have lots of words, or passages from fluency products. Your local teaching supply store will probably have sets of passages in workbooks. Be careful of content. Since teaching supply stores can carry secular content there may be some passages that are not appropriate for your child, such as passages about Halloween if your family doesn't participate, or about going to school. This can be awkward. So, just use your wisdom and judgement in what you allow. Songs, poems, recitations of familiar book passages are all ways to develop fluency.

Comprehension

Once these components are solidifying you want to add some deeper level comprehension. The whole time that you are integrating the above mentioned skills, you should be asking questions about what you read aloud, as well as what your children are beginning to read. Even if they are reading simple pre-primers with two or three sentences, you still want to ask questions like who are the characters, what did they do, was there a problem, how did they solve it. Once they take off and begin growing in their skill level, you'll want to include higher level questioning that requires them to make inferences or draw conclusions from the text. You'll also want to have them analyze and evaluate what the author is trying to convey by writing what they wrote.

Vocabulary

Last, but certainly not least, vocabulary instruction is huge. In fact, this may be such an overwhelmingly important component that it should also be included all along. Vocabulary instruction is essential to readers taking off and becoming independent learners. Now, you may be thinking of lists of big words that they look up definitions to and write sentences about. This could be a way to pursue this component of instruction, but it can also be somewhat artificial. I would say knowing how to use a dictionary properly is an important skill. But, consider using words that are embedded in the stories you read aloud or the ones they read and teaching them strategies in the usage of context to understand the word. Increase their understanding of those words by giving them activities that heighten their sensitivity to them. For example, they can draw a picture that represents the meaning of the word, act the word out, give examples of times when the word is being played out in real life, create hand or body gestures to connect the meaning to their long term memory, or use the word in sentences showing meaning. These are all authentic ways to ensure that your child is really grasping the meaning of the vocabulary, but also that they know how to get the meaning if they don't know a word. When they start using the word themselves you know they've really got it.

Learning to read is no piece of cake. With 44 phonemes and 71 different ways to write them, it's no wonder literacy gets difficult. Still, it's easier to remember that than the 300,000 words in our language...and we keep adding them. It's tantamount for kids to use phonics to at least get a firm foundation in the skill of reading. Having said that, it's not easy to learn those phonemes either. But, with a little faith and great determination it will come. The beauty of it is it can come on your child's own time, at their own pace.

Chronicles: Homeschool Scheduling

When I first started homeschooling my biggest worry was fitting the subjects in, if I was doing each subject justice, and was I pushing too hard or not hard enough with the work we had to do. This year, after hearing from MamaJenn and friends who also homeschool we decided to use My Father's World curriculum.

Here's our typical day in the life of our homeschooling family:

6:00 am - Nurse the baby, give some swing time, shower, pray & read (quickly)

7:00 am - Get boys up, if not already up, and make breakfast (boys groom themselves and tidy up room before coming to breakfast)

7:30 am - Breakfast together, put baby down for sleep time

8:15 am - School begins with devotion (the boys have devotion books and consider this time for them to develop their relationship with the Creator alone)

8:25 am - Bible lesson

8:45 am - Calendar time (we cover today, tomorrow, and yesterday, flat and solid shapes, counting to 100 by 1's, 5's, 3's, 10's, and 2's, adding and subtracting, telling time, and counting money - this week I add measurement practice)

9:00 am - time to nurse again

9:15 am - Journaling (the boys each write to a prompt from The Mailbox 730 Journal Prompts book. I adjust the suggested prompts to match their grade level.)

9:25 am - Handwriting, baby wake time is tummy time, singing songs, activity mat)

9:35 am - Spelling / Reading Block (Here we alternate activities, as they are each at different levels and have different activities to complete. I switch between the two until we do listening comprehension, which is the last activity of the reading block)

10:30 am - Put baby down for sleep time

10:40 am - Language, break for water / snack

11:00 am - Math (We use Singapore Math, it's fun. One of them does book basket {My Father's World} while I work one on one with the other then they switch places.)

12:00 pm - Nurse baby

12:15 pm - Lunch / free playtime, baby wake time

1:00 pm - Social Studies

2:00 pm - Science

2:30 pm - Put baby down for sleep time

*Science and social studies are not necessarily completed every day. Also, some days we add in PE with dad, music or art with mom, and field trips. On field trip days we do everything up to the reading block before we leave.

The rest of the day is full of all sorts of stuff, like cleaning, reading, watching documentaries, making paper soldiers, robots, cars, and playing with Lego's (most popular). The boys have chores and they work on completing them as needed. I use a three hour schedule to keep the baby content, but sometimes it's a little off. This is a basic sketch of our day, but any number of things could happen differently. It takes a long time to get a good, solid schedule in tact so if you're just beginning the road to homeschooling or if you're a pro who just wants a change, this is an outline that works for us.