Plum District Deal- Discovery Toys

Here's a good deal for all you moms out there (or dads!).

If you are familiar with Groupon or Living Social, Plum District is a similar company. There is a great deal for Discovery Toys that I wanted to share. The deal is $15 for $40 worth of Discovery Toys (plus shipping charge- minimum $6)Here's how it works:

1. Click on the links in this post so I will get a referral bonus :)

2. Click on the Discovery Toys deal and "buy" it.

3. Add promo code WINWIN for $5 off or promo code FRUGALPLUMS for 20% off (if you are buying more than one deal, this would be a better code to use).

4. Your total should be either $15 or $16 depending on which code you use. You will pay for this with a credit card upfront. Then you will be able to print a voucher with a code on it good for $40 worth of Discovery Toys. You will have to call your order in using the phone number provided on the voucher. I haven't used my voucher yet, but I understand from the fine print that I will have to pay a shipping charge (12% of the purchase price, I think).

This deal is only good through today, so be sure to snag it before it is over.

Daily happenings

Komodo dragon exhibit at the Zoo

Austin has been going to VBS this week at a nearby church. Since he will be starting kindergarten in August (and since I've never left him anywhere besides with family or friends), I thought it would be a good idea to give him some practice at being in a new place without his parents. He's on his third night at VBS and seems to be enjoying it. It's been kind of nice for me, too, to have a few hours in the evenings to unwind, do the dishes and get David put to bed before picking Austin up.

I've been trying to work with Austin on his fine motor skills lately. We've been working on cutting and pasting, coloring in the lines (or at least attempting to color specific things with specific colors.... aka- not scribbling), connect the dot pictures, etc. We are still reading; I just need to make a summer reading wrap-up blog post to list the rest of our 100 books. Sometimes, during David's naptime, I will let Austin choose an activity from the closet. Yesterday, we played a few memory matching games. Joseph even joined in.

Chocolate? Nope- It's black beans. This kid loves beans!

I can't begin to describe how active our youngest son is. He is 17 months old, but he seems so much older to me, I think because Austin was still catching up developmentally at that age. David can climb on just about anything- the couch, chairs, the kitchen table, bookshelves (yikes, I know!). He can reach his foot up over the ledge of his playpen, so I know it is only a matter of time before he climbs out. I tried laying him in the toddler bed to sleep last week, but I realized very quickly that he wasn't ready for that. We'll just keep using the playpen for a bit longer.

David is pretty athletic. He's got a football player's build even though he is only 23 pounds. It's funny how chubby his little tummy is. He loves his big brother. They have a constant conversation going throughout the day. Sometimes I hear David squawking at Austin because he wants a toy. Other times I hear Austin telling David no about something. A lot of the time, they are just laughing and playing together and having a big 'ol time. David loves to play chase. He makes the cutest faces and expressions. He has a conscience and will listen to reprimands (sometimes :). One of the things that makes me the happiest is that David will hold my hand and walk with me when we are outside. He doesn't try to pull his hand free and run off. I love it! This is great because he is starting to get heavy, and now I can put him down and let him walk part of the way.

Austin has less than two months until kindergarten. After leaving him at VBS this week, I can tell that I am going to be a nervous wreck those first few weeks of school. I've always been in charge of my own kid and have been right there to correct his misbehavior or to address any needs he may have. It is a strange and sickening feeling to leave your child with strangers and have to trust someone else to discipline and care for him. Every night this week, I've had a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach when I pick him up worrying that his teacher will give a negative report or that Austin will have been sad or had some sort of issue. He's been fine, of course, but it will definitely take some getting used to on my part.

We've been trying E-Mealz for the past few weeks. Have you heard of it? Dave Ramsey talks about it on his radio show. I've got a link on the side of my blog if you are interesting in it. Basically, they give a mealplan with recipes and a shopping list for each week based upon a certain store. We are doing the Low-Carb Walmart Family Plan. Some of the recipes are weird since it is a low-carb plan, but several have been keepers. I'm so proud of Joseph- He's lost 35 pounds in the past few months by eating low-carb and switching from regular cokes to "zero" products- mostly Cherry Coke Zero and Mello Yello Zero. I figure it is a good idea for me to learn how to cook more low-carb foods because of my various health issues anyway. Since I've been a grown-up, I've mostly cooked pasta, soup, and casseroles. Since it isn't exactly soup weather, my recipe repertoire is a bit limited if I'm wanting to cook low-carb (casseroles and pasta dishes aren't exactly figure friendly, you know :) That's where E-Mealz has been helpful. I've cooked with new ingredients the past few weeks that I've never used before- red onion, curry powder, feta cheese (love it!). Basically, the mealplans revolve around fresh meats and vegetables/ fruit. I pretty much have shopped around the outer rim of the store these past two weeks and have spent very limited time in the convenience food aisles. We may switch to a different meal plan in a few weeks, but for now I'm learning some new recipes and styles of cooking.

Well, I'm off to pick Austin up from Bible School.

Strange men should not talk to little boys (Books 75-90)

We've been reading a lot lately. In fact, we spent an hour in the children's room at the library yesterday. I really hadn't planned on staying that long as I was just going to walk to the library, pick up our new books and walk back home. However, I made a quick change of plans in order to avoid the creepy man who followed us into the library and was lurking around in the lobby. I figured the safest place to be was in the children's castle with other moms and kids. I wasn't sure what I was going to do if he talked to us again. Thankfully, we did not see him when we left. I think Austin has a better understanding about strangers now and that he shouldn't talk to strange men. I haven't been that nervous since Austin was a baby and a strange woman at the video rental store asked me if she could hold him. Are you serious? No, you cannot hold my baby!

Anyways, I didn't have any paper (nor did I have the desire) to write down all the books we read at the library yesterday. They were mostly board books. David is starting to sit and listen for a minute or so at a time now. That is good.

Here are some of the newest books we have read lately.

Super-Dragon written by Steven Kroll, illustrated by Douglas Holgate (cute comic book style story about when a dragon learns to fly)

Eric Carle books:

The Greedy Python (short little board book; funny; recommended)
10 Little Rubber Ducks (board book)
The Very Busy Spider (lift the flap book)
The Tiny Seed (full sized picture book)
My Very First Book of Words (board book)

Books about animals:

A Komodo Dragon Hatchling Grows Up by Katie Marsico (non-fiction)
Komodo! by Peter Sis (a fiction book)
Rainforest Romp by Tony Mitton and Ant Parker (styled like a fiction book, but it it factual)
Sharks by Valerie Bodden (Amazing Animals series- very well done non-fiction books- vibrant pictures, short factual descriptions designed for kids)
Penguins by Valerie Bodden
Polar Bears by Valerie Bodden

Other Books:

Hide and Seek by Jez Alborough
Hug by Jez Alborough
The Magic School Bus: Inside Ralphie- A Book about Germs (Austin found this at the library and really wanted to check it out. I think I remember watching this episode on PBS as a kid :)
Friendly Tales by Margaret Wise Brown (a Little Golden Book Collection- 20 stories and poems- They have lots of different Golden Book Collections out there. They have nice, old fashioned illustrations and stories.)

Status updates I don't share on Facebook

It's interesting how we Facebook users tend only to make status updates that are witty, entertaining or that paint us in the best possible light. I thought I would share some would-be status updates. Some are funny. Some are boring. They are all real life.

- Just found David standing up on the kitchen table. Ahh!

- Austin just got "grounded" for the first time. No toys or tv until tomorrow morning. He had a meltdown at Babies R Us over some toys that we didn't buy. Needs to learn to be grateful for the toys that he does have (which are plenty!).... I can't bring myself to write about the rest of the evening. It just got worse.

- David just ate a red crayon while sitting in my lap at storytime. He was so quiet about it that I didn't know until the crayon was all ground up. What a mess!

- Austin butchered his pig puppet at storytime... I think it's time to let him use scissors. He needs some practice. I don't want him going hog wild again with scissors on his first day of kindergarten.

- David is becoming more defiant. He's still a momma's boy, though. I'll enjoy it while it lasts.

- David likes bananas, cut apples and beans. I've never seen a kid eat beans like David does. He eats them like candy.

- Austin is going through a transition. I need to read Shepherding a Child's Heart again, this time focusing on the older age group. We need to start appealing to his conscience.

- David makes the funniest faces. He can also keep the straightest faces. No free smiles for strangers.

- Austin has picked up some bad habits just being around kids that we know. What are we going to do when he goes to public school? My prayers are more fervent for him than ever before.

- Did I mention that David is a climber? He climbs on furniture and into laundry baskets, rubbermaid tubs, etc. I'm worried he will climb out of his playpen soon. He can almost reach his foot over the edge.

- I think we may have gotten rid of the ants in our apartment. We've never had a problem with ants until this year. There were some big black ones whose bodies were like an inch long. They looked like spiders with their long antennas. Ugh!

- The boys did good at the grocery store today. No cookies from the bakery were even required!

- We took Austin to see his new school. He'd never been to an elementary school before. His face lit up and he said, "Wow!" I think he liked the mural of Where the Wild Things Are that was painted on the walls of the hallway.

- David is a good little boy. He will actually hold my hand and walk through a parking lot without pulling free and running off or sitting down in protest. (most of the time, that is)

The Ohio River

We went to the Waterfront in Louisville on Saturday morning. It was fun. We didn't have anyone to take a family picture, so we just doubled up. I really like the bridges in the background.

Emily and David

Joseph and Austin

He posed himself. What a cutie!

worse than a squirrel

David got into the trash the other day. Note the remote control in the middle of the mess. He had it with him when he dumped over the trashcan. It had coffee grinds on it, so I placed it on the table to be cleaned after I rinsed David off in the tub.... Twenty minutes later, the remote turned up missing. Austin said he threw it away because it was trash. (poor judgment on his part) I had already bagged the trash up, so I had to tear a hole in the bag and dig for the remote, which had fallen to the bottom of course. Gross!

wet coffee grounds and chicken fritter crumbs= YUCKY

the little culprit after his bath

You can't fool me with that sweet and innocent face, Dave.

Reptiles (Books 65-74)

I like Jez Alborough's books. They are funny and have good pictures. Here are two that we read this week:

Watch Out! Big Bro's Coming! by Jez Alborough (Using your arms spread out to say something is "this big" is not a very scientific way to measure something. It could cause some serious misconceptions :)

Hit the Ball Duck by Jez Alborough

Non-fiction books about reptiles:

Terrible Tyrannosaurs by Kathleen Weidner Zoehfeld, illustrated by Lucia Washburn

Komodo Dragons by Marcia S. Gresko (These creatures continue to fascinate me.)

Baby Reptiles by Bobbie Kalman

Gila Monsters by Jason Glaser

Crocodiles by Valerie Bodden (very nice book in the Amazing Animals series- We are definitely going to look for the other books in this series)


Other Books:

The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything by Linda Williams, illustrated by Megan Lloyd (cute Halloween season story about how the scarecrow came to be)

Curious George and the Fire-fighters by Margret & H.A. Rey (newer version-2004- Joseph picked this one up on one of he and Austin's bookstore runs.)

Curious George At the Fire Station by Margret and H.A. Rey (illustrated in the old style-1985- My grandma sent this book in the mail this week. Thanks, Grandma!)