The End of Year Season has Begun! & a Bit of Bad News and Good News

Before you think my cheese has totally slipped off it's cracker, I am NOT referring to the End of the Calendar Year Season, but the End of the School Year Season.

If you have kids in school, whether Pre-School, Elementary, Jr. High, High School or College, the Month of May through June is a very busy time of year!
As various school programs and extra-curricular programs come to an end and summer plans begin, total mayhem takes over the parental life.

For example, here is what is coming up in my kids' lives in the next 8 weeks....

*High School Concert and Jazz Band Concert  Completed last night
*Senior Prom
*Final College Exams
*High School Marching Band Banquet
*High School Marching  Band Disney Trip
*Finishing Young Scholars College Classes(Dual Enrollment Seniors)
*French Honor Society Ceremony
*Graduation Practices
*Honor Society Ceremony
*Final Exams
*Senior Awards Night
*Graduation
*Senior Lock-In Party
*Packing 2 off to Summer Camp employment
*College Orientation
*Packing 1 off to Summer Camp

Add in bringing 1 kid home from college, taking him out for staff training for the summer job, having him come home for his sister's graduation, hosting a house full of relatives for said graduation, trying to clean and fix up house before said relatives descend on house for graduation, running around to get stuff kids need to go to summer camp(either to work or as a camper).
Throw in doctor appointments, dentist appointments, orthodontist appointments, eye doctor appointments and refilling medications.

I'll get time around June 20th to sit down and breath again I am figuring.....lolol

Most of this craziness stems from #2 Son being in the band and Daughter being a senior in high school.
I suspect it won't be nearly as hectic next year when I have just the lone Sophomore in high school.
One kid left at home fulltime....
Wow!
I can't wait!!!

Mostly that's due to the fact that my Daughter is alot of work.
You mom's out there with both sons and daughter....do you find that the girls are just so much more exhausting?
Or is it just me.....and my girl?
Please tell me it's NOT just me!lol

Besides the High School Concert last night, we also got 2 pieces of news from the University Daughter is going to be attending.
First the bad news.....
Due to the proposed state budget for PA, the state colleges here are having their funding slashed, BIGTIME.
Daughter got a letter with the estimated updated costs to attend(since the state budget doesn't even get voted on until June sometime, we won't know the final costs until then).  Instead of the usual 8% rise in attendance costs, it's looking more like 18%!
More than DOUBLE the usual rate.
Suddenly the one school that Daughter wouldn't have to go into debt to attend is going to leave her with a small pile of debt when she is finished there.
At least she got that small Board of Governors Merit Scholarship for all 4 years of her undergraduate schooling, so if she can save some summer job money, she might squeak out with a teeny tiny pile of debt to pay back.

Now the good news.....
Daughter heard back from that pre-med program at the school and she was granted one of the five guaranteed seats at the Medical School after she obtains her 4 year degree at the college!
This means if she keeps her grades up through college and after she gets her B.S., she is automatically accepted into the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine. 
I just think that is awesome! 8-))

So are you running the End of School Year gauntlet too?

Sluggy

Did Ya Miss Me? & My Easter Trip in Pictures...Sort of

Well I'm back....sort of.

You know what's worse than being sick?
Being sick and going on a trip.

Hubs, #2 son and I had promised to go to my brother's house in VA for 5 days at Easter.
I woke up 2 days before we were suppose to go with sinus problems.  At that point unless I was hanging over the toilet bowl or unable to stand up we had to go.  That and the fact that I had promised to bring my Sis-in-Law's Christmas present to her.....the pepper relish she dearly loves that I had canned.  I dare not mail those glass canning jars so she had been waiting patiently for it to arrive.
So I sucked it up and we went to VA.....and tried to keep my whining and moaning to a bare minimum.

We left Thursday morning and stopped in Dover Delaware so I could go to the grocery store.
Yes, we stopped at a Safeway grocery store on the way to Virginia.
Why?
Because I had a $25 Safeway gift card to spend and there was a Safeway along the route we took.
It's totally logical, right?
Since there was nothing on sale that week that I had coupons for and that I wanted/needed, I bought 4 12 packs of soda(on sale), 2 packages of Smithfield country ham(for breakfast biscuits)and some snacks for #2 son to eat/drink on the trip.
$40 worth of regular retail put on the gift card and $1.49 OOP in cash put on my food spending for April.
I'm ok with that....

Since we made such good time, we stopped at the outlets in Delaware also.  #2 son has never been with us before when we've stopped there.  This outlet has a VANS store.  #2 son "hearts" Vans.  $130 later, we also hit the Converse and Easy Spirit outlets.  Again, the Easy Spirit outlet had nothing in my size......the last 2 times I've found nothing. *sigh*

We stopped here for a late lunch......

The crab soup was good but my fish "sammich" was awful.
It had a big gift shop with many inappropriate and suggestive t-shirts.  We had to drag #2 son out of the gift shop....

The bar was called the "Bimbo lounge".
#2 son posed outside the lounge with one of the local bimbos.....

I think he coped a feel.
Oh, how fast they grow up.....

We got into Chesapeake at my brother's house around 8pm and had a late dinner and hit the bed around 10pm.

On Friday morning Hubs took #2 son to the skatepark.  This was his first time at a real live skatepark with half pipes and such.  He was thrilled yet bummed since he was clueless about how to "drop in" and ride a half pipe.  Some 30+ year old guy was there showboating and having his kids take pictures of him riding.  That made #2 son feel even more lousy in front of all the other kids there.  Eventually, the showboat guy gave #2 some pointers and helped him figure out the half pipe.

Hubs, #2 and I hit the Dollar Store for a couple of supplies then off to "Cici's" for the pizza buffet.
It was me and Hubs' first time at a "Cici's".
I was Not impressed!  Cheap is good but the place should be called "Dough".
It's not pizza, it's a big piece of dough with some sauce, cheese and toppings on the 3" diameter in the center of the pizza shell.
I think I took a 3 hour nap after leaving there.  Still not sure if that was due to the "meal" or the prescription drugs I was on.

#2 did some skating out in front of the house.

My sis-in-law's 5 yr. old grandson has some homemade ramps at the house he let #2 use.  Then he joined #2 son on his little board.

*This is about the time my camera went missing.  No one seemed able to find it for the duration of the trip, so I'll have to 'borrow' other photos to illustrate the rest of this travelogue.
Oh, the camera did turn up late Sunday....in the car right where I told Hubs it was. ;-)

On Saturday Hubs and I took a little drive alone in the morning.  It was ridiculously hot for April, even for southern VA!  All I can say is I "heart" a/c....

We had 'cue for lunch.....really good 'cue at a hole-in-the-wall little joint.

(I used this photo just for Mark.  I know he will have something to say about that.lol)

Saturday afternoon Hubs took #2 back to the skatepark and I took some more drugs and napped.

My SIL spent days cooking for Sunday.  She also cooked breakfast for us each morning and dinner.
She can't help it....that's what she does.

She can not NOT make vats of food.
Even when she is sick and exhausted....which she often is.
I helped a little when I could on Saturday but I wasn't feeling my best either.

Luckily I remembered to go to Rite-Aid to spend the last of my expiring +Ups.

Priorities people, priorities!

By the time I got out of bed on Sunday, the circus had come to town.
Or at least, that's what it felt and looked like.
Sort of like this, but without the Elvis impersonators....

A bit of this but without the mosh pit.....

But more like this.....

I slept right though the Easter Bunny's visit though and the ensuing egg hunt.  This happened way early for me!

It was full out Chocolate/Sugar induced Pandimonium by the time I got to the party.
Colorful plastic eggs and candy wrappers strewn everywhere, wet bathing suit clad kids streaking through the house on the way out back to the homemade slip-and-slide and adults with beverages in hand milling about.....

I am still trying to figure out the familial structure on this side of my family.
Neither of my brothers ever had kids.
This remaining brother remarried the year my mother died to a woman who was previously married and had two kids.  By the time my brother married this wife(a big improvement over the previous wife I'd like to mention), her kids were grown.
Sis-in-law's 30 yr old was married and divorced.  He remarried about a year ago.  His new wife just had a baby 2 months ago.  She also had 2 kids from her previous marriage.
Sis-in-law's 28 yr old is married(though her husband pops in and out of their lives)and has a 5 yr old son.  She is not "self-sufficient" and let's just leave it at that.  Currently she & her son are living with my brother and her mother(sis-in-law), though she had been staying with her husband's grandmother in a nearby town...sometimes with her son, sometimes without.
Oh, and Sis-in-law's invalid mother also lives at my brother's house with them.

So imagine the Easter Dinner roster when we eventually sat down to eat....
Me
Hubs
#2 son
My Brother
My Sis-in-law
SIL's mother
SIL's son
SIL's DIL
SIL's DIL's Oldest kid
SIL's DIL's Middle kid
SIL's son & DIL's Baby
SIL's daughter
SIL's daughter's son
My deceased brother's next door neighbor
My deceased brother's next door neighbor's SO

And a contingent of 5 cats....some inside and some feral outside one.
The only thing missing was a pack of hounds sleeping on the front porch...

We packed up and bugged out early on Monday morning in order to miss evening rush out traffic around Philly.

Even with a long lunch stop at IHOP(at #2 son's request since we don't have one here), we got home safely before dinnertime.

Why is it that it takes as many days as you've been away to get back into your routine?lol
I am finally feeling a little better.
Luckily I was able to get on my SIL's computer quickly to check comments and post 1 short thing on the blog in those 5 days.
Mission accomplished.......Pepper Relish delivered, Familial Obligation completed and Onward to the Next Adventure in what passes for my life.
So we should be back to what passes for normal around here soon.

I hope everyone of y'all had a nice holiday!

Sluggy

Some Pretty Music for Your Weekend

Maybe if I try to hit some of these high notes I'll clear out my sinus, ya think?

Enjoy this clip.
It's one of my favorite current day singers doing a number from one of my favorite musicals.....



Sluggy

Sinuses the Size of Syracuse!...and Rite-Aid of course!

Forgive my lack of posting the past 2 days.  I have become suddenly overcome with Spring sinus problems.
Ugh!!!
My head feels the size of Texas and my sinuses are filled with concrete.  This makes staying upright in a standing position difficult at best.  I now know how Rocky Dennis must have felt with a sinus infection.....

My ears are playing "Pop Goes The Weasel" and my throat is coated in burlap.
Needless to say I spend a great deal of time prone in the bed to keep from falling down and a Kleenex box has spontaneously sprouted from my left arm.

I'm going to be MIA until after Easter.  I just need some down time, ya know?

Before I go, here is my latest buys from Rite-Aid.
Yes, since my head is reeling I need to make YOUR head reel to....hehehe......

I bought the Lysol, Ziploc bags and Ajax powder as part of the "Clean Zone" Spend $30/Get $10 +Ups Deal.  Since I bought $10 in qualifying items, I could use the $2/$10 purchase Clean Zone AdPerk/VV Q.  After Qs, those items were a $1 moneymaker.
The 5 gum was $1 a pack and after 2 x $1/2 Qs cost me $2 for 4 packs.
The 2 Easter Skittles eggs were .80¢ after 20% off wellness discount and I used 1 x $1/2 Q, so the cost was .60¢.
The Physician's Formula make-up was a sweet deal.  The bronzers/powders were BOGO 50% off, so $13.95 & $6.97=$20.92 for both.  I had 2 x $5/1 IPQs and there were $4/1 peelie Qs on each item, so $20.42-$18=$2.92.  There's a Get $5 WYB $20 of Physician's Formula make-up this week, so after Qs this was a $2.08 moneymaker!
The Cella cherry was a filler so I could use an +Up Reward to pay.

Altogether the value was $50.13.
After Qs my total was $2.15.
I used $1.99 +Ups to pay and put the .16¢ on my gift card.
I received a $5 +Ups for the make-up.

Later that evening I bought another couple of Physician's Formula foundation powders(with $4 peelie Qs!) on the BIL's card and 2 cherries for filler items. The total was $1.52.  I used a $1 +Ups and put the .52 on my gift card and received another $5 +Up Reward for buying the make-up.

Then I bought everything else in the photo(except 1 can of the Ajax).
The No Nonsense socks were free.....$1.99 and on sale BOGO.  I used 2 x $1 No Nonsense AdPerk/VV Qs(one for each of 2 AdPerk accounts), which made them free(or a 1¢ moneymaker).
The Reach floss and Listerine were part of a Listerine/Reach Deal--Buy $15 and Get $5 +Ups back.
My price w/Wellness discount was $1.83 on the floss and $3.83 on the mouthwash.  I had $2/1 floss tearpad Qs and a $1/1 ManuQ and a $1/1 AdPerk/VV Listerine Q.  I spent $16.64 on these items and had Qs in the amount of $16 to apply to that amount, making my cost .64¢ for all 8 items plus I got the $5 +Ups.
The rest of the items--the cleaning supplies and the paper plates(my paper weakness)were bought to qualify for the Clean Zone Buy $30/Get $10 Deal. By breaking up my purchases on this deal into 2, I was able to use another $2/$10 Clean Zone AdPerks/VV Q from the BIL's account.
Can you believe that with the items I bought earlier in the day for this Deal and the above, I was actually ONE CENT SHORT of the $30 needed!LOLOL
It figures, right? ;-)

The value of the 1st transaction(the make-up)was $28.56 and the 2nd transaction was $59.69 for a total of $88.25.
After sales and Qs, my combined total came to $4.78.  I used 2 x $1 +Ups and 1 x $1.99 +Ups to pay and put the .52¢ and .27¢ for each transaction on my Rite-Aid gift card.
I received back $10 in +Up Rewards--2 x $5 +Ups(1 for the make-up and 1 for the Dental Care items).

On the way home from Hubs Birthday dinner, we stopped at Rite-Aid and got 1 can of Ajax to finish off the Clean Zone Spend $30/Get $10 deal and I burned $10 in +Ups and bought 3 Pepsi 12 packs for the kids.....3 for $9.99.  No photos of this transaction, sorry.

The value was $17.76.
My subtotal was $10.58 + .04¢ tax=$10.62 OOP.
I used the $10 +Ups and put the .62¢ on my gift card.
I received my $10 +Ups for the Clean Zone Deal and a $3 +Ups for doing the Pepsi deal.

Can you believe I STILL have $10 in +Ups to use by Saturday night?LOL  I'll pick up some more soda if I can find a Rite-Aid that has different varieties since this store didn't have  enough of the ones they like.
Oh goody, I get to go back to Rite-Aid again this week!!


THESE TRIPS
Number of Transactions.....4
Total Spent....$1.57 (put on free Rite-Aid gift card)
Value of Items....$156.14
SCR qualified for...$0.00
Other Rebates earned...$0.00
Gift Cards earned....$0.00
+Up Rewards earned...$28.00
+Up Rewards spent....$15.98
+Up Rewards left to spend.....$58.00
And I have $48.35 left on my gift card.

GRAND TOTALS--April Rebate Period so far

Number of Transactions......15
Total Spent....$6.14 put on free Gift Cards/Certificates so ZERO OOP
Value of Items purchased....$681.10
SCR qualified for....$58.91
Other Cash....$0.00
Additional Rebates....$0.00
Additional Non-Cash Rewards....$0.00

+UPS Totals for April SCR period
+Up Rewards carryover from 4/17.....$45.98
+Up Rewards spent....$148.96
+Up Rewards earned....$93.96
+Up Rewards left....$58.00  includes ALL +Ups not just ones from this SCR period





I'll see y'all in a few days!  I'm off to find my neti pot....

Sluggy

End of Last Week & Sunday at Rite-Aid......and a little Grocery Store Shopping Too

While I didn't have any +Ups left expiring on Saturday, I still made another stop at Rite-Aid last week.

 I used some rainchecks, which combined with Qs made the toothpaste, toothbrushes and motrin pm free, and the coffee dirt cheap. The shampoo was also free after Qs, sale price and +Ups.  The overage on the Qs for the motrin pm brought my OOP on the coffee and trash bags down to $7.89.  I used $7 in +Ups and put the .89¢ on my free gift card.  I earned $3 in +Ups back($2 for the Vive Pro 'Poo, $1 for 1 of the Glad trash bags).  Value of products purchased was $77.55.

Then on Sunday I did the Clean Home Zone Deal--Receive $10 +Ups WYB $30 of select household products.
I don't have a photo but imagine a picture of 4 12-roll packs of Scott toilet tissue.
4 x Scott TP on sale $7.99=$31.96
I used 4 x $1/1 12-roll pack IPQs and 4 x $1/1 AdPerk/VV Scott TP IPQs, for a total of $8 off my purchase.
$31.96-$8=$23.96
I also bought a Sunday paper for $1, for a total of $24.96.
I used #1 son's Gift of Savings Cert. which knocked off $20 from the total.
Then I used $3.99 in +Ups, for a grand total OOP of $.97, which I put on my gift card.
I received $10 in +Up Rewards back.

I then went to Weis markets to check on the meat markdowns and to stock up on coffee filters for Hubs that are on sale this week for $1.
I ended up spending $28.45 OOP there on 6 boxes of filters, 4 yogurts on sale for .50¢ each, a gallon of 2% milk, a half a chicken marked down to $1.54 and 9lbs. of ground beef marked down to $1.67 lb.
No coupons used and a savings of only 38%.

We are well past the halfway point for April and I am under $95 spent on food/toiletries so far this month.  I may spend another $30 or so before the week is over but we are well under our budgeted $250 amount for the month.

I have $23.98 in +Ups expiring this coming Saturday so I will be making another trip back to Rite-Aid this week.  Not sure what else I'll be getting this week.
What is everyone else getting at Rite-Aid this week?  Any other good deals I am not seeing yet?  Let me know! 8-)

THESE TRIPS
Number of Transactions.....2
Total Spent....$1.86 (put on free Rite-Aid gift card)
Value of Items....$133.56
SCR qualified for...$0.00
Other Rebates earned...$0.00
Gift Cards earned....$0.00
+Up Rewards earned...$13.00
+Up Rewards spent....$9.99
+Up Rewards left to spend.....$45.98
And I have $49.92 left on my gift card.

GRAND TOTALS--April Rebate Period so far

Number of Transactions......11
Total Spent....$4.57 put on free Gift Cards/Certificates so ZERO OOP
Value of Items purchased....$524.96
SCR qualified for....$58.91
Other Cash....$0.00
Additional Rebates....$0.00
Additional Non-Cash Rewards....$0.00

+UPS Totals for April SCR period
+Up Rewards carryover from 4/12.....$42.97
+Up Rewards spent....$132.98
+Up Rewards earned....$65.96
+Up Rewards left....$45.98  includes ALL +Ups not just ones from this SCR period

Sluggy