Early... who needs sleep when it is Hockey Season???

Its hockey tournament weekend! 
Saturday's games were all in the afternoon!  Blessed timing. 
Sunday's games are at 6:00 AM and 7:45 AM.
Translation:  Must be at the rink between 5:20 and 5:30.  Must leave by 5 AM.  Must be up with Hockey Player at 4 AM.  He needs breakfast and to get the blood moving.  He might need to shower again to clear his chest, throat and sinuses.  He has been fever free for 7 days.  BUT the previous 8 days to those seven were filled with fevers and crud.

But we will not have to juggle hockey with church.  We will be done with plenty of time to get to Sunday School and church.  Woo Hoo. 

But first we must get all the children to bed.
"Flutter Nutter if you want to go to the hockey games, you need to get to bed." 
FN:  I want to go!  I love hockey games ! 
Mom: They are really early.  REALLY EARLY.  You won't be able to get up if you don't get to bed. 
FN:  I love EARLY.  Sometimes I get up when it is still dark early.  Like Midnight early.  I LOOOVVVVEEE  Early ! !
Mom:  Then off to bed.

Honestly he does love early.  We have two that are up before the rest of us more often than not.  Little Princess and Flutter Nutter.  It can be a toss up between which will be up first.  Sometimes, though, we think it is Little Princess, but Flutter Nutter has curled up in a corner with a blanket and his DS.  He knows he isn't to play his DS in the morning till he has his stuff done.  But I guess when you get up and it is like Midnight dark outside Early, you know you can get some play time in. 

The 'F' word and conversations Mom overhears after church

Coming home from church!  Yep, from church.  I hear the following conversation in my back seat.
Unfortunately, I can't distinguish which child said what, so I will just abbreviate AC for another child to introduce the next speaker.
"You said the F word!"
AC:  "You shouldn't say the F word"
My eyebrows are raised and my curiousity is peaked, still listening.
AC (I think Futter Nutter):  "I know what the F word is, it is FAT !! "
AC: But your not suppose to say it.
AC: I know what the S word is!
more eyebrows
AC: Don't say it!
The conversation changes and I am curious.
MOM: What is the S word?
Daddy's Buddy: Loud and Proud :  STUPID!
MOM:  Yep, that is a bad word.  We shouldn't say that one.
Daddy's Buddy:  BUT YOU asked me. 
MOM:  Yes, I did.  That was okay.  But no more.
Daddy's Buddy:  What is cussing?
Mom: Anytime we use mean words to try and hurt someone.  Ugly, mean words.
Children:  ohhh, okay

On the way home from church ! ? !
What were they discussing in their Awana Groups????

Woohoo! ~ Christmas Came Early!

On our way out of town Thanksgiving weekend, we had to call the doctor for Flutter Nutter.  He had a super bad head cold and we knew the Colorado altitude could complicate things.  So our super wonderful pediatrician found a Walgreens along the way and ordered some scripts for Flutter Nutter.  Good thing, cause Flutter Nutter needed them, and then Daddy's Buddy and Hockey Player needed them.  All approved by the doctor, just in case you thought we were doing a big no-no of sharing prescriptions. 
After we picked up the medicine, I got to looking at the receipt.  I thought we just got an amazing deal...$10 for 3 prescriptions.  However, we were only charged for one of the three medications.  What ?????  Focused on having fun, I decided to put it aside and think on later when we got home.  Arrived home and decided not to worry about it, afterall, I made it all weekend without thinking twice about it. 
Today I had to refill a couple of prescriptions.  I signed the slips and sent my card in through the drive thru tube.  I even put in my member number for Dillons so I could get my fuel points.  The clerk informed me there was no charge!  What? ?  I looked at her and told her, "I always have to pay for my prescriptions.  What is going on?  This is the second time this has happened."  Poor girl, she didn't know what to do.  Here she had told me, "No charge" and I was insisting on paying.  How crazy is that ! ? ! ?
She quickly went and found reinforcements.  Receipts and paperwork looked over.  I was told that everything had been processed and was correct.  Balance due:  $0
She did suggest we might have met our deductible for the year.
We DON"T have a deductible.  Just co-pays.
I call the insurance company.
Our insurance has a catastrophic medical clause.  Once you reach the designated amount out of pocket in a year then all medical expenses are covered at 100% for the remainder of the enrollment period!

Co-pays, prescriptions, eye doctors, dentists, counseling and therapy all apply.  But NOT orthodontics. Bummer, cause Hockey Player is suppose to start that process next year and we would just have to start him this next month if they were only covered. 
The year, I try to NOT go to the doctor.  The year I am constantly reassuring hubby all will be fine, they don't need to go to the doctor.  This year we meet our maximum out of pocket and qualify for the catastrophic clause.  We have a month left + a day.  Do I give the kids permission to go crazy? 
Guess this means I can quit playing the do we or do we not get the flu shot.  I hate paying for the flu shot and then we are all sick 3 months later with it. 
So now, when I can't figure out what to buy for Christmas for the kids or my husband, I get to try and figure out if there are any medical things we should get taken care of while we can.  Maybe the 2 topics can overlap and I will have both taken care of.... allergy medicine for the stockings!   Dental xrays all wrapped up in pretty gold filling paper.  Hee hee!
I don't know if I should be some what mortified about our medical expenses this past year or ecstatic that there are no more expenses the remainder of this year.  For now, I will just celebrate in having no more payments for a month! !  WOohoO

SunButter ! ! ! YUMMY!!

On our drive home from Colorado Springs we stopped in Colby at the Kansas Country Store. 
Everyone was in need of some time to stretch their legs and take advantage of the facilities.
The folks there were wonderful and hospitable.  They overheard me tell Flutter Nutter to not go touching all the food stuff since they had nuts and such and offered us samples of SunButter.  Oh my goodness!!  It was so yummy.  It made my mouth do the happy dance it only gets to do when Flutter Nutter is not around and I have a chance to eat a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup.  Sooo happy !!
The other children were overjoyed at the possibility of cookies and sandwiches. 
No nuts,  no cross contamination! 
Yummy !!!
Happy Mouths and Happy Tummies !!! 
Now I am doubly excited, cause the first thing I had to do was check Amazon and see if they offered it online. 
They do!! 
Our lives are forever changed for the better!

KitchenAid on Cyber Monday and those pesky little words...ON SALE and Rebate too!

oooh my goodness! !! Isn't this pretty! ! !!  !!
I just put it in my store.
It is on sale.
ON SALE!!!
oh how my hubbby hates those 4 little words.  "It is on saaaaaale!!!!"
He has been making fun today.
Pretty cinnamon color.
I have always talked myself out of a KitchenAid, but I am caving.  If only he could find the value in my having one. 
He told me I already got my Christmas when I bought a Vitamix last month.  It cleans itself!  How cool is that.  The KitchenAid doesn't do that, but it is pretty and would make cookies, frosting, cakes, bread, and so much more....
I am in love or is it in envy???  Ahhhh, **big sigh**
Did I mention there is a 50 dollar rebate? 
And if you don't want the magazine subscription you can request the 24 dollars to be refunded to you.  All in the print.  Sooo pretty!
So, so pretty.
Oh, by the way it is on Amazon.  hee hee, should have told you that. 

State Quarter Collection

So Little Princess developed an interest in the state quarters earlier this summer. We suprised her with a State Quarter Collection Book for her birthday!

She has taken her collection very seriously and has almost completed the series. On one of our recent hockey tournament weekends, she mistakenly put a five dollar bill in the quarter machine. It proved to be worthwhile, because she was able to add a lot of quarters to her collection!

You can find this book at Amazon. We actually discovered it at a Borders store that was closing.  Saw it and knew immediately it would be a great gift for Little Princess. 
Now we have a younger brother who would like to start his own collection.  Hint, hint Grandmas and Grandpas!  He put his allowance in the quarter machine at the ice rink this week to help start his collection. 

I also wanted to let all of you dear friends, family and readers out there know, I am creating a tab/page specifically on behalf of Little Princess.  This page will list the remaining quarters she is need of to complete her collection.  If you happen to come across one and choose to share it with her, she would be thrilled!

New Perspective on Bedtime!

Flutter Nutter just rushed downstairs with sooo much excitement and announced, "I get to go to bed! I am soooo happy! Daddy says I can go to bed. Now I don't have to be tired. I love him soo much, infinity beyond zero and all around the earth millions of times!"

Now I know, instead of saying "Go to bed." I need to say, "You can go to bed now, so you won't be tired."

Mystery solved.