It's been a crazy busy day of school room preparation today...I am excited to say that I got A LOT done! Yippee!!!

I did a little moving of my lower carts and shelves in the closet so I could fit in a basket for the library books and a basket for the audio books.

I absolutely adore these baskets. I got them as a baby gift when I was pregnant with Bug...they are absolutely adorable and I have used them in various places all over the house over the past 8 years...sigh...one of my favorite things! LOL

Ms. Kimberly will be proud! Bug has his chemistry supplies all ready to go! Woo-hoo!

Inside his folder I put a zip bag with pencils and eraser, pencil sharpener and a magnifying glass! Go Mom! Go Mom! Go Mom! ;)

I spent quite a bit of time working on the work box system set up for the classroom. Since I got all my laminating done and cut - it was time to put it into action! Whew! LOL Love it though - I think it's going to be awesome! I decided to use file folders and a file crate for both boys. Here you can see where I was setting up the file folders with the schedule cards.

Here is Bug's file box. It has the work for our first day of school and the cards all in place. You can see on the first one the Bible card and the Mom's Help card. That reminds him we will do that subject together.

Here I am setting up Red's first week of school. I laid out the subjects and activities for the day (Monday) and then I looked back to Bug's to make sure I spaced out the "work with Mom" subjects.

Here is Red's first day of school all set up! :)

And his file crate all set up...fitting that it's RED - right? LOL

Here's Bugs first week all laid out. It's a coop week so Friday is blank. Thursday is limited too because we deliver Meals on Wheels that day as well as run errands, go to the gym or library, park and swim team practice.

And here is Red's week all laid out.

So since I had changed up a few things on our weekly schedule (like moving MOW to Thursday) and adding swim team practice...I had to redo our lesson plans...not that I don't like this part! LOL

I also did some other stuff in the classroom that I just hadn't gotten done yet!

I hung a border around the white board. It's the fruits of the spirit...I picked it up at Mardel on Monday - yeah!

I also pulled out my old attendance pocket chart that I used when I taught outside my home. It's perfect for holding the schedule cards. I hung it on the back of the door - fits perfectly - yeah!

And here it is all filled with cards...boy that is a lot of cards! LOL

I also found hooks for the boys schedule books. I still need to pull out some ABC letters so I can put their name on them. These hang right over the file crates.

Below the pocket chart that holds out schedule cards I hung the calendar for the classroom. This poor thing has seen better days...I might need to invest in a new one for next year. LOL - but for now it will do.

For dinner I made home-made tortilla chips and chicken tortilla soup! It was a hit - poor Daddy doesn't even get any in his lunch tomorrow - sorry about that Daddy!

Here's my pile of tortilla chips! Yum!

And here is my soup! So Yummy! Bug ate four bowls and Red ate two. By the time I was washing dishes their was only a little broth left. I decided to share it with the dogs. (I was very generous tonight...lol - I usually save it for another pot of soup, but I didn't use onions in this one, so I figured they might like it.) You should have heard the slurping on the back porch. LOL - There was no table manners out there at all! LOL But every bowl was licked clean!

Well I believe that's my update for now...it was quite a day...lots done...many blessings. Oh I just thought of something - get ready to laugh. Okay if you know me at all, you know I am frugal...really frugal...I try to make things last and get the most out of it, recycle, reuse, re-purpose. You know do more with little. Well when we moved in six years ago now we bought one of those big rubbermaid rolling trashcans. Well it's been a good can let me tell ya, but over the past six years it has slowly (more rapidly lately) begun to break down...first the lid was destroyed by the trash guy and we ended up without one...oh well...then the handle got smashed (somehow) and then it got a crack on one side - at the top...not bad...at first anyway. Well about a year (or two) ago Hubby said, I think we need a new trash can. Okay I'll look into it was my reply those many months ago. Well I am sure some of you know those things are EXPENSIVE!!! Oh my goodness - you'd think they were protecting gold - not hauling trash! LOL But anyway - for whatever reason (probably just me not wanting to spend that much), we didn't get a new one back then. I have since then put off spending a small fortune on a new can. It's not easy, but I have perfected this talent over the months! LOL Today my sweet man comes in after trash collection and says to me "Honey, come here I need to tell you something". His voice is low and serious and I am thinking something is seriously wrong! LOL So I walk into the living room and he puts his hands on my shoulders and guides me to a chair - "Okay honey sit down" (at this point if he wasn't trying not to grin I would have been scared). So I sit and he says "I know you have been avoiding this with all your might for a few years now, but I think it's time". I am still in the dark at this point - looking completely confused. He says I think we are going to have to take the plunge and buy a new trash can. At this point he bursts out laughing. The he takes my hand and leads me out to the driveway where our poor pitiful dilapidated trash can sat sagging. The "small crack" that started some years ago is now a 3 foot tear down the entire side. Hubby is convinced that the trash guy wonders every week if we want to just dump the entire can! LOL My response was "I know, I know...but do you know how expensive those things are? Do you know what we could do with all that money?" LOL - his response - "I think we'll make it honey...as he laughs and laughs at me". UGH, so I am going to do my research. I wish I could get one of those really hard plastic ones like we had in garland...anyone know where I could buy one of those? Although they probably cost a house payment! LOL - but if I never had to replace it - it might be worth it. My $50 trash can lasted 6 years though, so I suppose we got our use out of it. LOL

Okay now I had better head to the shower and bed...so much for going to bed early. Darn books on tape! LOL