Hurricane Gustav

For all of those who have to evacuate, be safe and Godspeed!

Preschool

To help get the juices flowing and to get a good discussion going for all of us...I want to hear you opinon on preschool.

Today I heard on the radio (Dr.laura) say that preschool was a glorified daycare. (she is a strong advocate for SAHMs) I've talked to moms who say they think preschool is important for social development and another strong agruement for preschool is that here in Texas Kinder is all day. I hear a lot of parents say they want to make it an easy transition with preschool.My pediatrician told me last year that preschool is unnessecary because you can teach them all they need to learn at home. And all they'll need to know to start school. I know moms who do preschool as young as maybe two and others who do none at all.

My personal decision was to put my four year old(who starts kinder next fall) into a two day a week program that totals 8 hours a week (4 hours a day). I try to teach her at home but feel I am not consistent. At first I wanted to do more but the cost was too much for us. Now I am glad I didn't because I want her home with me for as long as possible before sending her out into the world to be influenced by others. Another personal belief of mine is that as members of a church that has a primary with classes starting at three we are blessed to have a sturcture to help prepare our little ones follow direction in a class setting by other adults besides their parents. I am in the middle here when it comes to preschool, yes not nessecary, yes good for kids(older in my opinion), yes it's used as a daycare for some, no it won't make you kid smarter than the other kids, so I guess it's a personal parent decision.

What's you take?

All quiet on the home front...

Ok, so maybe not. I guess all of you are as busy as I am! Hope all of you that are getting kids ready and off to school have had a sucessful time doing it. Maybe when things quiet down, we can start to hear from everyone again. Hope all is well!

You could be a winner!

Momville is having a giveaway to win Jack and Jill shoes. Check it out.

And...

Momdot and Simply Susann are joining up for a purse giveaway!!

Something uplifting to read

I read this today and so wanted to share it. I know it totally uplifted me and maybe it will uplift one of you too.

"Do not allow yourselves to be made to feel inadequate or frustrated because you cannot do everything others seem to be accomplishing. Only you and your Father in Heaven know your needs, strengths, and desires. Around this knowledge your personal course must be charted and your choices made."
-Marvin J. Ashton, Ensign, May 1984, 9

A little more on preparedness...

We just made it through Tropical Storm Edouard, and no major damage. On the last post I mentioned Mom and Dad's generator, and thank goodness they live next door! Our electricity was out for about 12 hours, but Mom and Dad have the generator that will power the entire house, so it felt like we had electricity...it was really nice. I think I want to move that up a little on my "wish list." We did not have to use any emergency items, but it was nice to know they were there. I think it opened my eyes a little, though, because it would be really nice to be more organized. This situation was a little different, since I could go back and forth to my house if I needed to, but if their generator had not worked for some reason, I would have probably had to pack up the kids and go somewhere else. I still had to get clothes and such together, so I think I will work on that.

Preparedness

With the tropical storm in the Gulf, and everyone in a panic, it has made me stop and think about how nice it is to be prepared for situations like this. We have been working on our food storage, and I have now added food to my 72-hour kits, which I am sorry to say are not quite all the way complete, yet. So, I want anyone who feels like they have a handle on their perparedness for emergencies, give the rest of us some good tips~

1. I bought a plastic accordion style folder thing (that is a horrible description, I know) but I have all of our important papers in there. In case of a fire, evac, or any other emergency, Michael and I know to go for the folder...after the kids, of course!
-insurance papers, social security cards, birth certificates, immunization records and many more.

2. We drink a lot of juice, so when we finish a container (clear plastic ones, I fill it with either tap water or water out of the frig filter) and label it with date and what type of water.

3. I have gallon jugs of water next to the toilets for emergency flushing!

4. My parents have a generator. While this is not something we are looking into purchasing right now, it would be really nice to have in the case that the electricity is out for a while.

5. I keep the gas tank above half...preferably full. I like to do this all the time, but especially during hurricane season. This is nice just in case we cannot get to any, we know we have at least half a tank.

6. If you need a good checklist for a 72 hour kit, I have one, feel free to email me!

Can a family of four eat off $100 a week?

I read this on a friends blog, thought I'd share since Amy just posted about saving money at the Grocery store.

Can a family eat on $100 a week?