Have you heard of Ebates?  It is a great program that you can join for free, to earn rebates on your online purchases.  Their are quite a few stores included that I use to shop online.  (target is on the list~woohoo!!!)

Anyway, there is a great deal today; if you sign up they automatically give you a $5 sign on bonus.   They pay out quarterly, once your account reaches a balance of $5.01 or more, so basically, if you register, and make 1 purchase, you’ll get either a rebate check, or a paypal deposit~your choice.  This is a GREAT way to make money back when doing Christmas shopping online.  I’m already waiting for my first rebate check.

There is a code right now for $10 off ANY $10 JcPenny purchase; so here’s an example of what you can do:

-Join Ebates

-Search for JcPenny on the ebates sight, and click through to open the Jcpenny browser

-Look around (HINT:check out the outlet), add something to your shopping bag for more than $10 (your total has to be $10.01 or more), check out, and enter promotional code SWEETS4U

-pay shipping and tax, which will be roughly $5-$7

-receive a deposit in your ebates account of 3%

By the time you receive your ebates deposit, you’ll be getting $10 worth of stuff for almost free!  ROCK ON!  I LOVE finding good deals. 

Well in honor of Halloween (not really but since it goes), I’m shaking the cobwebs off the ole’ Eichler blog, and getting this bad boy up and running again.  We have so much going on; and I always have something to say!

Here are just a few of the highlights:

-we are back from a 6 day trip to Michigan, which included a detour for Jason and I to Greenbay, WI for the Packers/Detroit game at Lambeau Field.  I just LOVE time with my mom, and quality-FREE-babysitting!

-Kelsea is a reader!  I mean, she reads everything.  She is working on the 3rd grade Dolch sight word list this week, and then she’ll be able to participate in the A.R. program at her school.  She can’t get enough, I just LOVE it!

-Brady is considering ‘regressing’ in the whole potty training venture.  I mean, I wouldn’t have thought you could regress after 6 or so months of being in undies, but my son flies by his own set of rules.  We are working to think of creative ways to encourage hime.

-my sister is pregnant, with her first baby!  HORRAY!  I get to be an aunt again; can’t wait to love on a precious new little niece or nephew

-we’ve spent some more time than normal with my brother Charlie lately.  It’s so good to have him close by!

-I’ve been actively ‘researching’ ways to better spend our income.  This has included couponing,  living more closely on a budget (thank you Dave Ramsey), being intentional about what we spend, and trying to look for ways to bring in additional income.  *I feel very blessed, by the life we get to live -particularly these days!* However, I know as a stay at home mom I can use  my time to help us become better stewards, and perhaps not only be a blessing to my own family, but also turn what God has blessed us with into ways to help others!   Thankfully there are multiple blogs/websites devoted to ways to achieve this.   I’ll put more details about these ventures later, as I see what becomes of them.

-For now-heres some pumpkin patch pictures; there’s nothing quite like looking for a pumpkin in 90 degree heat.  Although I will say, it helped speed-up the process.

 We have a ‘carving date’ with our pumpkins reserved for after dinner…

So this has been the most repeated phrase out of Bradys mouth for the last couple of weeks.  ‘My a Big Boy Now’, it kind of reminds me of that song, ‘I’m a big kid now’…on the pull-ups commercials!  Anyway…he usually utters it after, I say something along the lines of; ‘Come on little guy’, or ‘come here little man’, or ‘you are my sweet baby boy!’  It’s like he new I was going to need some preparation for tomorrow. 

September 17th.

Bradys 3rd birthday.

Where in the world has the time gone?  I mean, I was pregnant with him, like yesterday, right?  I swear it still feels sometimes like I’m carrying around that extra 50 pounds, even though, PRAISE GOD, I am not! 

Jason and I were watching some videos, with my brother 2 nights ago, and it is amazing to me, how much Brady has changed in the last year.  The difference in his speech is just incredible.  The things we love most though, the special ‘gifts’ he adds to our family are still there, just even better than they were before.  His big, juicy kisses, his great laugh, the precious way he squeezes my neck, and the way he just adores his sister!  How is it that our kids fail to understand that they will always be ‘our babies’ ???

We love you so much Brady~happy birthday Boo!

SO-since my last post was about leaving preschool, how fitting that my first post after a long hiatus is about kindergarten!  We DID do stuff this summer, it was just so chaotic, that there wasn’t time to fit blogging into the agenda.  I’m realizing as the moments keep slipping by so quickly, that there are things I will regret not ‘writing’ down, and thus I have a new found motivation to start blogging again.

Kindergarten got off to a little bit of a rough start for Kelsea.  We managed to catch the stomach flu, the weekend before school started, so she missed her first day!   THEN, the second day (Kelseas first), her teacher had to literally pry Kelseas arms off my arm so I could ‘get away.’  I walked away to her violently screaming, “NO mom-don’t go!” While her sweet teacher, held onto her to keep her from chasing after me.  I actually began contiplating the benefits of homeschooling!

Now after 5 fulls days at school, we have conquered:

-lunch in the cafeteria, including 1 day of ‘buying’ lunch-PIZZA (Kelsea says she wants to buy pizza everyday now-I had to explain to her that’s not exactly how it works!)

-4 day of being on Green (excellant behavior on their behavior chart), and one day of PURPLE STARS!  This is for doing something above and beyond, and moving up a notch past excellant!

-Walking to class all alone, while Brady and I watch from the end of the hall.

-Car line at pickup.  Well, we’ve almost mastered this.  The kids should ideally see their car, and head towards it; however Kelsea has managed to need a ‘helping hand’ each day.  She’s so cute, its not like anyone minds holding her sweet hand!

-Her first ‘job’ as a kindergartener.  Line Leader!  She is very excited to hold this position all week.

Not only the things mentioned above, but today she came home and told me that she prayed at lunch.  When I questioned further, she said, ‘Mom, I always pray before lunch; just by myself.  Today I prayed for Peanut though, cause she’s sick.’  Oh my-I just couldn’t be more proud.  This is going to be a great year!  Well see how preschool goes for Brady…more to come on that after Friday!

It’s crazy how many emotions I am feeling today; the day Kelsea graduates from preschool.  I’m proud of her for doing so well, I’m happy that she feels so excited to be a kindergartener, I’m thankful for the wonderful teachers, and school she got to be a part of, I’m sad, cause it has just gone by in the blink of an eye, and I’m scared of all the things that are out there-in elementary school that I want to protect her from.

Her teacher was crying and emotional this morning.  She talked about the bond that she has formed with her class this year.  I realize as I’m talking with her, that 2 boys have ran over to Kelsea, and are planting a huge hug on her from both sides.  The girls come over and hug her next.  What special relationships she has formed with these friends.  (her teacher did mention she was holding hands on the playground with a certain little ‘preston’ yesterday~hmmm-I’ll have to break the news to Jason easily!) 

Man-if this is how preschool graduation is; I’m going to be a wreck at her highschool graduation!  I guess maybe its good I get to practice up a few times before we have to cross that bridge!  I’ll post pictures, and maybe a video later!

Just found this great freebie…and thought maybe some of you would want to get in on the action…who can’t use a free chocolate bar?  You have to register, and its limited to a certain number, so you have to register fast.  They’ll send you a coupon for a free MARS chocolate bar if you register in time.

MARS Chocoloate Giveaway

Kelseas recital was awesome.  We were so proud of her!  There was 9 of us there to watch her, and she was very proud.  We took about 50 pictures, and she has already inquired as to whether or not she’ll get a new costume next year for a new recital!

We’ve had a very low key week around here.  It rained just about non-stop for 3 entire days, and then on and off the 4th day.  We’re about to head out with the double jogging stroller now, to see if we can get an outdoor run in before the showers start today. 

Brady is just about completely potty trained.  He told Ms Jacklynn yesterday 2 times, while he was at her house, that he needed to go pee-pee.  He pretty much tells us all the time while we’re at home, but when we’re not at home, there are just too many distractions.  I am so proud of him-he definately gave us a run for our money, but I’m so glad we stuck with it; not changing 2 year old diapers, and not having to BUY diapers, are definately worth the effort!  (His preschool teachers next year will thank me!)

Kelsea was feeling a little left out, since Brady was earning stickers for being successful, and working up to a prize.  SO-she now has sticker chart too.  She gets a sticker everyday that she makes her bed.  As of yesterday she decided that one sticker a day was getting to the ‘prize’ quickly enough for her, so she now makes Bradys bed too, and earns 2 stickers.  She mentioned something this morning, about making my bed, but I told her we would just stick to the 2 she can reach easily!  

I wonder if a sticker chart would motivate my kids to want to put away laundry??? 

Better head out to run before the rain starts coming…here’s a picture from the recital.

Kelsea has decided that she will measure how old a person by comparing them to her Nana.  That is MY-Nana; Kelseas GREAT Nana-who happens to have turned 75 last month.  When asked how old she thought I was, she said, ‘well are you older than Nana now?’ 

Anyway-

I had an awesome birthday!  I know its a little more difficult on Jason, with Mothers Day and my birthday always falling so close together.  He actually pulled off dinner both nights.  He cooked on Sunday for Mothers Day, and then we went out as a family on Monday for my birthday.  It was probably the first time I’ve walked away from dinner at a restuarant and actually considered the possibility of going back.  Minus taking Brady to the bathroom 3 times in 1 hour, everything was very nice.  (he has a new found love for public restrooms (he did NOT get that from his momma), he went once at Publix today, and tried to get me to take him a 2nd time!)

I ended up hitting the gym, and did a short run, and then a spin class.  Got lunch from a yummy salad/panini place (thanks Jacklynn and Amanda), and then spent the rest of the afternoon with the kids, until J got home and we went out.  It was so nice to have an excuse just to take it easy-I LOVE laid back -relaxing days. 

We are in countdown mode to Kelseas dance recital.  I told her she could put her tap dance shoes on and practice in the house this afternoon.  T-2 days!!! 

Here’s a quick pic, just to make you smile!  And YES-this is how he wants to brush his teeth from now on…

As each year goes by, and I get to be more ’seasoned’ in my mothering, I feel like I need to have some more profound way to thank my mom for everything she has done.  The more I experience being someones mom, the more I realize the job that she had in front of her, with my brother, sister, and myself; and the more I realize how good she did and continues to do at being a mom.

I don’t have profound words.  There just aren’t any that could do the job.  She so sincerely tells me she’s proud of the job I do mothering her grandchildren, but yet I think she fails to realize that the job I do, is a direct reflection of the impact that she had on my life.  I think that speaks volumes-more than words alone. 

The job we do as mothers will not only impact our children, but it WILL be reflected in how they mother their children, and so on…WHOA-this raising kids is serious business!

MOM-thank you!  I love you!

One of the highlights of my week so far was going to the Mothers Day Tea that Kelseas class hosted this past Thursday.  The kids met us individually at the door, and escorted over to a wall of portraits they had each made of their mom, and then escorted us to our seat.  We were served cake and punch from the kids, and they did a wonderful performance of 5 different songs for us.  (I am KICKING myself for not bringing the video camera…)  It was priceless!  I must have had a permanent smile on my face the whole hour I was there.  What a special time to share with my firstborn child.  Jason was home with Brady-long story short, he has walking pneumonia, and asthma problems.  He’s now on antibiotics, and has to use an inhaler, but he’s on the up-swing!  Poor little guy!  He was THRILLED to be home with daddy though-such a treat!

Here’s some pictures from the Mothers Day Tea (lets see if I remember how to upload them, its been awhile!):