M decided this weekend that she wanted to ride a two-wheeler. She was determined, and she took to it faster than we expected! Ted ran after her several times this weekend, Monday night she almost had it, and by Tuesday night she totally took off! Way to go M! 
Today there will be a swag code extravaganza on Swagbucks! That means there will be different swag codes available throughout the day. Here are some places to look, from Swagbucks:
Get a free sample of SoyJoy Bars from Walmart.
If you haven't started using Swagbucks yet, now is a great time to sign up! New users can get 50 bonus swagbucks with the code JuneBoom, for a total of 80 swagbucks to get you started! This is a great bonus!
Get a free sample of disposable Tidy Tots Potty Chair Liners.
If you are a Vocalpoint member, login to get your free sample of Mott's for Tots! If you aren't a Vocalpoint member yet, sign up for a free account and start filling your mailbox with freebies and coupons. Hurry, a limited amount of samples are available.
Lest you think I got over my fear of sewing machines, I'll be upfront and tell you I did not make these dresses. With 5 girls who love to wear things that match, sewing clothes would be a great skill to have. Maybe someday, but in the meantime, Great Aunt Nancy to the rescue!
In May she sent a package with some blue purses and some goodies, with a promise of more dresses to come.
J doesn't like posing for pictures, can you tell? But the other girls do, and I got several more good ones! 
Meanwhile, while we were still on vacation, we called from my parents' house to ask if we could drive up to visit them on our long drive home, and she told us there was a package waiting for us at home with some dresses, but not to worry, because she had just finished another set of dresses and we could get them when we came! She also made some little book bags for the girls and let them each pick a book from her "library" to take home. Here is a picture of the dresses we picked up at Aunt Nancy's house. They are sundresses with little watermelons on them. Very cute! 
Thanks so much Aunt Nancy! The girls love their matching dresses! :-)
The girls and I worked hard to finish school before Memorial Day, even doubling up on lessons most days toward the end. To celebrate our last day, I gave the girls mini mani-pedis! It was a fun way to mark the end of the year and prepare for our vacation, where we'd be wearing a lot of sandals! (More on our vacation in another post. . .)
We also marked the end of our school year with a Mother-Daughter Tea hosted by our homeschool group. H, G, M, Grandma, and I went and enjoyed picking out our own teacup sets (to keep!), making a sewing craft (thankful for Grandma's help!), and enjoying tea, lemonade, and desserts. It was fun for us to dress up and be pampered. :-)
J turned 1! She didn't like the cake, frosting, or ice cream that we offered her on her birthday, so we didn't get any good "digging into it" pictures like we did with the other kids. She just kept scrunching up her nose and shaking her head no! She is walking all over the place and seems to have no fear, which makes me fearful sometimes! She loves to play with her sisters and can be quite a ham when they dress her up. She definitely has an opinion and will tell you what she does or doesn't want. She is going to be another strong-willed one, I can tell!
F turned 3 and is officially starting preschool. She considers herself one of the big girls and loves to do whatever they are doing, which includes school, so we actually started doing some school with her earlier this year. She feels so grown-up and is very serious about her homework. :-) She has a wonderful imagination and can make up a story about almost anything. She loves to pretend and play with her sisters.
M turned 5 and finished preschool. She is learning to read and can read some easy readers by herself. She has graduated from speech and can be easily understood by all, which is such an improvement over 2 years ago! She is a sweetheart, very loving and tender. She loves to play with her sisters and ride her bike outside. She is a big helper as well as a peacemaker.
G is 6 and has finished Kindergarten. She is reading very well, and has almost finished "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" by C.S. Lewis. She has been seizure-free since the end of September and we were able to wean her off one of her medications, which has helped with her energy level. She loves to help with baby J and play with her sisters. She has started writing in a journal, and she loves to write poems and songs. Her dream is to be a singer and songwriter someday, and would love to publish a CD with her own songs. One of her new favorite pastimes is answering the telephone, which she does very politely. :-)
H is almost 8 and has finished 2nd grade. She is a voracious reader and can read a whole chapter book in about an hour. She finished the entire Boxcar Children book series this year, about 150 books! She has also enjoyed reading the American Adventure Series books, which are historical fiction from a Christian perspective. She is a big help with her sisters, and is so sweet about including others in her play. She loves art and writing, and hopes to publish a book someday. I can't believe how fast she is growing up!
I'm really excited about this freebie! Get free Adventures in the Holy Bible lessons and CDs from Your Story Hour. Simply read the lessons and complete and return the quizzes and they will send you the next set of lessons and quizzes, along with a dramatized CD on the life of Jesus. Keep returning quizzes and they will send you another CD. By the time you finish the Adventures in the Holy Bible series you will have all 13 CDs in the Life of Jesus set, as well as a nice storage album to keep them in. One set of CDs per family.
Roundy's stores (Pick 'n Save, Copps, and Rainbow) double 5 coupons up to $1 per $25 order every Wednesday and Saturday. Print off some coupons for your stash here and here. Questions? Feel free to email me.
New freebies to start your week!
Read any 8 books, earn a free book from Barnes & Noble! Record your 8 books on this reading journal and take it to your Barnes & Noble store anytime before September 6th to pick out a free book (titles are listed in the journal). This program is for kids in grades 1-6. Find a store near you.
Kids age 12 and under can read any 10 books to earn a free book from Borders! Fill out this form with the titles of your 10 books and take it into any Borders, Borders Express, or Waldenbooks by September 5th and pick out a free book! Find a Borders store near you.
Swagbuckin'= A word I made up that means "Searchin' with Swagbucks"! :-) Today is Mega Swagbucks Day. Hope on and do a few searches, and get your free bucks for checking the trusted surveys and the daily poll. See your Swagbucks add up fast and redeem for cash (Paypal), gift cards (like Amazon, Target, Starbucks, and more!), or prizes! What do you like to redeem your Swagbucks for?
Half Price Books is offering a different reading program this summer. Things kick off with a special storytime at your local Half Price Books on Sunday, June 5th at 2pm. Through the months of June and July, if you read a total of 600 minutes or more, you can turn in your calendar for a $5 gift card. This program is for kids 14 and under. Parents can read to non-readers. More details here. Find a store near you.