grocery whoas..

this year we are going to try weekly grocery shopping in town
instead of every 2 weeks at the base
we are starting this weekend
we didn't start on the first because we were given a 50 dollar DeCA gift check that could only be used at the commissary
i'm kinda torn on this method
the commissary is on average 30% cheaper than other grocery stores
but their prices change so sporadically, its harder to stay on a price budget
ex: hillshire farm lunch meat will be 1.99 for 3 paydays then jump to 2.35 and then to 2.65. which is still cheaper than most places
V8 splash will be 1.50 and then all of a sudden be 2.70
walmart and harris teeter's are generally consistent with the exceptions of sale prices
V8 splash is always 1.78 at our walmart
i really enjoy the savings of the commissary
but i don't enjoy the prices changes or the people that shop there
when we lived in GA we lived right across the street from the commissary
i could get jonas up at 8 30 be there by 9 30 and be leaving the parking lot before it got crazy inside
bragg is a whole lot bigger than moody and its a 3o minute drive from us
no matter what time you get there its pretty nuts, and pay day weekends (when we go) are the worst.
childless people complain (loudly) about children (even the well behaved ones!), people with kids (not all just most of them) don't pay attention to what they are doing. thus resulting in the last time we were there 4 teenage boys running around pushing each other in a cart meant to hold two, 5-8 year olds.
most of the adults are just as bad, pushing, shoving, blocking the aisles and then looking at you blankly when you or someone else would like to get through...
it take about 3 hours to get there, do our shopping, stand in line, check out, and go home
and if we want to go to the BX or the mall in town, it just take longer.
im not sure if my sanity is worth the savings.
if i keep shopping there, tom can maybe us the money left over to foot my therapy bill.
but shopping after the commissary i cringe when i go to harris teeter and see the price of somethings
3.50 for hillshire farm lunch meat and thats when it is on sale! even with double coupons, the commissary is less expensive even on their high price days.
i don't know,
i just got back from walmart where i did a little price scouting
i use a lot of coupons when i shop
i mean a lot, like at least 20 dollars worth
the prices at walmart aren't bad, and you can catch really good deals at harris teeter with double and sometimes triple coupons.
i spent 3 bucks on 20 dollars worth of groceries the other day and a few times i've spent under a dollar on 20 dollars worth of groceries.
anyway
tom will be home tomorrow!
so that will be nice to get things back to normal
kinda..friday he as off, monday is a day off
maybe next week we can get back on a normal schedule haha
tom hasn't been to actual work (he is at work now just TDY) in 4 weeks now
its been nice having him home for awhile
and now a short rant
jonas' preschool has pretty simple rules for dropping off and picking up the kids
simple
now things can hinder the process. its is also technically a 2 way alley, and the church has people that come and go. people try and do their best not to block and cause 'trouble' but it does happen
now what is not understandable is idiot parents
or one idiot father
by now the teachers of learned the cars of that belong to the parents of each kid and when you turn the first corner when the teachers see your car they call you child over and get their stuff. when you get the gate, your kid is ready to get in the car! everything moves quickly
but this guy, parks in the church parking lot, walks over the gate, in front of the cars to get his kids.
he's done it 3 times that i've seen
to get him out of the way of the cars, the teachers have to now get his kids ready to go out the gate. this makes all the other kids who are were already to go wait longer in line and the parents waiting in the car line wait longer.
he looks incredible arrogant.
it is always dressed in a suit and long coat, carrying a venti starbucks drink, wearing dark sunglasses ,and always has a smirk on his face.
i don't know why he doesn't just follow the rules like the rest of the parents, maybe he is afraid of his car getting hurt. i know that the teachers have said something to him too.
this is getting pretty long
i make a lot of stuff we use around the house (besides meals)
i make the kids halloween costumes
cleaning products
diaper wipes and diaper wipe solution
i just recently made my own olive oil sugar scrub
my only complaint... maybe next time ill just used refined white sugar
raw sugar works but it is a bit rougher
i used raw because that's what he had in the house
other than than it works really great
and it only cost like a dollar to make!

ohio was great
but it is nice to be home
new years was the quietest i think it has even been with my family
it was just us, the kids, my parents and my mamaw
usually we have at least 7 more people (though it used to be a lot more than that)
this year tom and jonas ran the beavercreek high school resolution run
tom did very well
we looked at the times from last year and knew there was no way he was going to place
tom is fast, but back to back to back 5 minute miles are not in him, not yet at least
but he was 4th in his age group and 32nd over all
the guys (and girls) that finished in the top 24 all had under 6 minute pace times
the guy that won, had a 4:55 pace
tom's was 6:25 and he was the only barefoot runner, as he usually is.
jonas ran the 6 and under 250 meter run
a lot shorter than his last half mile!
after all the festivities we came home, after a quick happy meal run for jonas, and we watched the big bang theory till about 11:45. then we watch dick clark's rockin new years eve.
wow, it kinda made me sad watching him, i had forgotten he had a stroke a few year back.

it is down right freezing here
literally it is 28 degrees outside, brr
jonas and i made these tonight critters that keep out the cold
only we made ours kitties and not snakes or puppies
they cost about 5 bucks to make, we made 4 and in the kitchen i can really tell a difference when i walk past the windows.

the kids had a follow up appointment today
about 3 and a half weeks ago they both and colds
hayley also had an ear infection and had to do a breathing treatment
hayley's biggest problem is they don't make cold medication or decongestants for babies anymore. shoot, they don't make anything over the counter for kids under 6 anymore (though jonas still takes the same dimeatapp and triaminic he did when has since he was 2 even though the box says he "can't" no worries, his doc says its cool)
she wrote us a prescription for some new stuff that hayley (and jonas) can take, just to keep around the house
her colds get horrible, simply because there no way to dry up all the mucus in her sinuses and chest. and if you can't dry it up, that's what can turn a cold into pneumonia.
jonas' old doc put it like this 'its like a puddle or bucket of stagnant water, if you don't drain it, then all the mosquitoes come to lay eggs, and when the eggs hatch you have problems.'
hopefully we won't ever have to use the new stuff, but it is good to know that if she does get a cold, it doesn't have to drag out to, 2 weeks and we won't have to do another breathing treatment.

i bought us a new printer and external hard drive tonight
thank you sear heroes at home program!
now i can print my coupons at home again!
our new printer is wireless which will be nice since all we have are laptops
sears says it will be here by the 19th but i'm hoping sooner