Busy busy! Zoo, Work, Fall Break....

Well I didn't make my normal posts Sunday on FB for 'A Budget You Can Live With' (I really should have came up with a shorter name I'll call it ABYCLW... anyone else get Abby Claw out of that? Okay okay I'll call it 'FB Budget page' more natural to type). I was going to take the kids to the Great Pumpkin Festival but when we added it all up it would have cost us about $60 to go to the farm with the kids and with us having the Louisville Zoo planned for Monday it just didn't seem like the best idea. Instead of pouring through ads all day Sunday I made my best guess meal plan and grocery list up at about 1 AM Sunday before going to bed, just long enough to look through the grocery ad. So Sunday I had to do my running, which is a bad idea since the places I shop stock on Mondays so the stores were cleared out of nearly everything I wanted which I guess is good because they had the items I absolutely needed so brought down the cost of my trip some.
This week Peter took off for vacation so he could be home with the kids during Fall Break, that and he really needed some time away from work.
Monday we went as a family to the Louisville Zoo because we had 2 tickets we had purchased at a benefit the prior year but buying 2 more tickets was outrageously priced. We got to the zoo about an hour after opening and had to rush through a good part of it because the zoo closes so early there thank goodness we didn't pay the extra for the 4D movie or carousel. The Outback area was closed that day as were the Lorries and when we went to go feed the Giraffe it just happened the girls got their containers of food and the giraffe was no longer hungry and walked away. We got our money back of course but it was a disappointment, but the girls were good and we all understood and we continued on our way. During the middle of the day we stopped for some food and something to drink because we didn't know we could have brought our own in there and that was a mistake. Peter and I have never in our lives seen such horrible prices for not so good food and not enough seating. We wanted to have a good time so we paid it and tried not to say a thing about it. The other mistake we made was going to the gift shop because you know you're going to walk out with about $30 or more of junk but I got my traditional coffee cup, Brielle got a shirt and Katherine got a stuffed baby tiger toy; Peter was the only restrained one in there and decided not to pick anything up. The girls fell asleep on the car ride home and they had a good trip and I guess that's all that matters because Peter and I are trying to make their childhood really something to look back on and smile about.

As I said above Peter's been home with the kids all week so they've been doing a bit of the cleaning up I've requested and he's been letting them color and go outside and actually play. He's also been doing the dishes for me and trying to help by cooking dinner though I know it still irritates him my ass still keeps being found in the kitchen. I'm not used to someone doing for me or helping me though I'm starting to get used to it right at the end when this little faerie tale is about done and now I'll have to program myself back into super mom.

I've been beating my head over work this past week too so been coming home extremely tired. Some nights I can't even find the will to work on my crocheting. I can't wait for a vacation myself but it'll be December before I have any real time off because the time off in November I'm cooking like a mad woman for Thanksgiving.

I hope next week is a little easier on me at work.

Product Review Overview

So I've gotten a lot of trials lately and a few good deals on products so I thought I'd give my own opinion on them.

Swiffer 360 Duster
The Swiffer duster is made from soft fabric so it does collect the dust and I did not see a lot of dust going back into the air. It has it's main frame as a thin design so the entire duster is good for dusting around TVs and getting under and around other electronics. One of the down sides is if you have a lot of nick-knacks like I do that you may find the soft fabric to get caught (especially since I have quite a few dragons and their scales are detailed) and if the item is light it may cause the duster to come back towards you or it may catch the fabric and take the duster straight off the wand. I have not looked in this area but prices are being reported as $8 per box of 6 refills. Personally I find the price steep. I may pick up a box of refills to make dusting door frames easier but for any heavy dust items like ceiling fans it will still be the old rag method for me.

Breathe Right 'Advanced'
The new Breathe Right strips are split down by the nasal passage which made them very awkward for him to put on and sadly our experience so far is that they do not help any at all. Personally I will go for the original design when getting his nasal strips.

Suave Dry Shampoo
Now we take regular showers in this house hold but Brielle has very oily hair so by the morning her hair looks greasy and shiny again. I use this dry shampoo and while it doesn't really help remove any of the grease it does take down the shine and give her hair a more dry look to it. I could definitely live without this product but if I find it at a good price I would still purchase it for her. Kind of a mix review but I guess I'm not sure what I was suppose to experience with this product.

Oregon Chai
I got this with a coupon and so far have loved the Original liquid concentrate. You mix half that with half milk and warm or cold I cannot say enough about this product. Every one's tastes are different though but for me I found my new favorite thing.