Dealing with First Day of School Jitters

Now is the time of year for schools across the country to start up for the fall. My kids started back to school this week.

Like many kids, my oldest always gets a bit nervous with new situations. The first day of school, field trips, and family vacations, are really stressful for her.

This year she started ninth grade. Her freshman year of high school. 

It's her 3rd day and she still had a bad case of nerves.  Here are a few things I've tried so far. 

Tour of the School

The Friday before school started we got her class schedule and took a self guided  tour of the school. We found each classroom and met a couple teachers.

Friends on Bus and In Class

Turns out she does have friends in a few classes, at lunch and on the bus. Great for Moral support.

Limited Upperclassmen in Classes

Not that this is controllable, but she doesn't have many upperclassmen in her classes despite being advanced classes.  That is at least a little less intimidating.

Foods/Drinks

We've tried saltine crackers, ginger ale and peppermint hard candy. She really doesn't want to eat for fear of being sick.

She's been this way her whole like and I have to admit she gets it honest. Both myself and her father were the same way.

What are some ways you've help settle your nerves or the nerves of your children?

Walmart Savings Catcher

I want to share my latest obsession. The Walmart Savings Catcher.

You may have seen the commercials on TV.  That's how I found out about the app.

It's super simple. You download the app. I used the app store on my iPhone. It's fr^ee to purchase. Once it's installed you simply scan your Walmart receipt. That's it. You wait for the app to check the current prices of your items at a bunch of different stores. Once the scan is done, you receive a message saying how much money you are getting back. Done.

I really like this app, my only issue with the app is that it takes soooooo long for it to scan. I mean 3-4 days! It's constantly running in the background on your phone - could potentially drain your battery.

But hey they are giving you money back, so who cares that it takes a couple days.

I've only entered 5 receipts and already have a balance of $3.37. It may not seem like a lot, but I don't purchase a lot of stuff each week from there. Plus it only took me about 5 minutes of my time.

I plan to save all the money up and cash it in around Christmas time. The app lets you get your savings money whenever you wish in the form of an electronic gift card which you can take to your local store. It will let you accumulate your savings up to $599.99 a calendar year.

This is ideally for a person/family who purchases food items because they don't include many household, sporting and general merchandise. It does include name brand foods, paper towels, toilet paper, make-up, shampoo and such. It only works with in-store purchases. Not online purchases which suits me just fine.

Try it out and see how much you will save.

Happy shopping!

* This is not a paid advertisement. I haven't been compensated in any way for sharing this. It is solely my opinion. *

How Will You Be Remembered?

 

How will you be remembered when you pass away?

Who will attend your funeral? Lots of friends and family? A few close friends?

Last month, I had an uncle pass from cancer and I noticed all the people who attending his viewing and funeral. It really got me thinking.

He was an amazing man that I hardly knew. I knew he was very hard working, smart, family man. But I had no idea he was also was very generous and a lover of cats. I started to wonder. What will people think of me when I pass?

I used to dream of being the next big blogger, like Ree Drummond (The Pioneer Woman) or Heather Armstrong (Dooce.com).  I wanted to have lots of followers. Lots of sponsors paying me to write reviews of their products.

I know it is fine to have goals or dreams, but that wasn't the plan God had for my life.

God taught me not to worry what millions, thousands or even a few hundred people think of me. He wants me to focus on the people in my immediate family and those I come in contact with on a regular basis. 

“Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.”
― Mother Teresa

Don't try to be important to everyone. Be the world to my family.

I don't want a bunch of strangers attending my funeral (many years from now). I want a bunch of people full of fun stories about our adventures together. Laughing and joking around. Celebrating my life and missing me, of course. 

I haven't been posting for a while because I was trying to find my purpose. My reason for living. Trying to find my calling.

The main purpose of my life is to care for, teach and most of all love my family. Help them feel wanted, needed and special. Encourage them. Make our home a safe haven. A welcoming place for family and anyone else who visits.

My hope is that someone out there can learn from my journey, share a few laughs or just brighten your day. 

Till next time.