welcome to spiceland.

I have recently started using uPromise to save money. uPromise is a company that collaborates with retail and online stores in order to help consumers save money for college. For every dollar we spend at a participating uPromise store with the credit card we have linked to our uPromise account, we receive some percentage back into Tru’s uPromise savings account. We can invest that money and then use it to pay for Tru’s college. For instance, she receives 1% cash back on all purchases made at Walmart.com. Newegg.com, from whom we’ve been buying our electronics for years, also provides 1% cash back. Target.com provides 2%. Some stores provide up to 30% cash back, and some contribute a dollar amount when you sign up for an account there.

uPromise also has a way for friends and family to contribute to our account. You just sign up, link your credit cards to your uPromise account, and any uPromise earnings you receive will automatically be allocated toward Tru’s college fund. You would not be revealing your credit card information to anyone except uPromise, and you would never have anything charged to your credit card from uPromise. All they do is deposit money into Tru’s account based on where you shop. You can also shop online as our guest without linking your credit card to uPromise. This only works for online purchases, though.

We would really appreciate it if all our friends and family would sign up and help us save money for Tru’s college. In the least, you could keep shopping like normal and earn money on whatever you already happen to buy that qualifies.

Create a uPromise account. If you would like to create a uPromise account, let me know. I will send you an invitation from uPromise that will allow our accounts to be linked. Then, just keep shopping like normal.

Shop online as our guest. Use this link to shop online through uPromise. Cash back from purchases made through this part of the uPromise website will automatically be deposited in Tru’s college fund. Please bookmark this link so that you can use it anytime you purchase anything through one of these stores!

Here is a complete list of retailers who participate in uPromise. Here are some common examples:

1-800-FLOWERS.COM® 12%
Ace Hardware 3%
Aeropostale.com 2%
American Eagle Outfitters 2%
Ann Taylor 5% $
Ann Taylor LOFT 5%
audible.com $12 per registration
Avon.com 6%
Banana Republic 2%
Barnes & Noble.com 7%
Bass Pro Shops 4%
bedbathandbeyond.com 2%
BestBuy.com 3%
Blockbuster $12 per subscription
Borders.com 6%
Bose 4%
Brookstone 5%
Buy.com 1%
CB2 2% (this is a Crate and Barrel store)
ChampionUSA.com 4%
Charlotte Russe 4%
Chico’s 4%
Circuit City 3%
Clinique 5%
Comp USA 3%
Cooking.com 6%
CVS.com 5%
Danskin 3%
Dell Home Systems 4%
Dick’s Sporting Goods 6%
Dillard’s 2%
DSW 3%
eBay.com 2%
Expedia.com 1%
Fashion Bug 3%
Florist.com 10%
FlowerStore.com 15%
Foot Locker 4%
Fossil 10%
gap.com 5%
Ghirardelli Chocolate 4%
GiftCertificates.com 3%
GNC.com 9%
Hancock Fabrics 6%
homedepot.com 3%
Hotwire 1%
iRobot.com 6%
iTunes.com 2%
J.Crew 1%
JCPenney.com 3%
Justice 3%
Kmart.com 4%
Kohl’s 3%
L.L.Bean 2%
Lane Bryant 3%
Limited Too 3%
Macys.com 5%
Marriott 2%
McDonald’s 5%
Musician’s Friend 6%
National Geographic 6%
Netflix $12 per membership
New Balance 5%
New York and Company 4%
newegg.com 1%
OfficeDepot.com 2%
OfficeMax.com 2%
oldnavy.com 5%
Omaha Steaks 10%
Oriental Trading Company 5%
Overstock.com 3%
PETCO 7%
PetSmart.com 5%
Pottery Barn Teen 4%
PotteryBarn.com 4%
potterybarnkids.com 4%
Proactiv Solution 13%
RadioShack 2%
RalphLauren.com 5%
Sam’s Club 1%
Sears.com 4%
Shutterfly.com 8%
Simply Audiobooks 34%
SIRIUS Satellite Radio 6%
SKECHERS 3%
Sports Authority 4%
Staples.com 1%
StarbucksStore.com 7%
Target.com 2%
The Body Shop 6%
The Children’s Place 4%
The Limited 2%
The North Face 5%
TiVo $15 per subscription
Travelocity.com 1%
TurboTax 6%
VictoriasSecret.com 2%
Walgreens 4%
Walmart.com 1%
wet seal 4%
Williams-Sonoma 4%
Zales 4%

Order form for Tru’s fundraiser has to be in by Friday! If anybody wants anything, let me know by emailing me at erin@thespicelands.com or order online at Charleston Wraps. Remember to enter student code 456372 after you place the order, or neither Tru nor Tru’s school will get credit for your purchase. Thanks!

I left the house yesterday to take the kids to school. When I arrived back home 45 minutes later, our Robomow was gone from the spot in the front yard in which it had previously been! I looked everywhere for it, including down the street, in the gutter, and in the drainage ditch that it gets stuck in occasionally. It was nowhere. It had obviously been stolen. I called the police and filled out a police report. I couldn’t find the serial number, but I printed off the Amazon.com page on the Robomow RM400 which showed the model number, price, and a picture of the mower. He told me it had probably been kids pulling a prank, and I was inclined to agree. Some kids who used to live in the neighborhood stole our DVD player a couple of years ago and stole $80 worth of diapers out of our neighbor’s trunk. We assumed they returned them to Walmart for cash.

Last night, Tru, Heidi, and I went for a walk and noticed our neighbor and his two sons outside in their yard. I asked them if they’d seen anything and told them what had happened. Tony hadn’t seen anything, but his son had. Apparently, as he was leaving yesterday morning for school, he’d seen the yard trash truck come by and pick up our lawnmower with its big claw! I called the City of Madison Public Works this morning and spoke with two different people. One lady talked to the driver that worked our neighborhood and confirmed that he did pick up the mower. She insisted that the driver was supposed to pick up anything that is near the curb. However, their Trash Collection Guidelines and Information pamphlet that they distribute says, “WE ARE NOT ALLOWED to pick up PAINT, OIL, BATTERIES, GAS AND GAS TANKS (or anything considered to be hazardous materials) TELEVISIONS, COMPUTERS, MICROWAVES…” Our Robomow contained a battery and a computer, and that list sounds an awful lot like they will not pick up most large electronics. She said the driver said that he thought it was a broken regular lawnmower, since it had no handle. This confuses me, too, because that list above also contains oil, gas, and gas tanks, and a regular lawnmower contains all three. She also said at one point in the conversation, “We wouldn’t have picked it up unless it was by the curb by the trash.” It may have been near the edge of our yard, but it was far around on our side yard and not anywhere near our trash.

I got a bit snippy with the rude lady, because she kept trying to justify the driver’s actions and wouldn’t even attempt to help me. She transferred me to a man. He told me that they would look for the lawnmower. I can’t imagine that it has not already been destroyed with the rest of yesterday’s trash, though. I hope that it hasn’t been for their sake, because they will be replacing it if it is gone. Grrr.

Update #1 (9/23): I got a call from them at about 10:45. I called them back at 12:30 and a new lady told me that the Robomow has already been destroyed. She recommended that we file a claim against the city’s insurance policy to be reimbursed. Hopefully that will work and we will be able to get another one.

Poor, sweet Rob. We hardly knew ye. :’(

Update #2 (9/24): I filed a claim for reimbursement. Now the fun part begins–fighting with the insurance company!

Update #3 (10/05): Well, that was easy! The city’s claims adjuster just called and agreed with me that the city was liable. She is going to mail me a release and a check!

Update #4 (10/28): Got the check today. Yay! We will invest it until springtime and get a new Robomow then.

Tru has really taken to school. She’s been absent a few times for doctor appointments, illness, and vacation, and every time she does, the teacher sends her work for the day home as homework. Tru loves it! She finishes it all in one sitting and then asks for more homework. She has learned lots of new songs, including “My Country ‘Tis of Thee”, “The B-I-B-L-E”, “Noah Built a Great Big Ark”, “Father Abraham”, and others; learned the Pledge of Allegiance; and learned various behavior related rhymes and methods. She now raises her hand even at home to get our attention. She is a Five Star Listener: “Eyes are watching, ears are listening, lips are closed, hands are still, and feet are quiet.”

At her school, parents drive up under a covered drive, and teachers put the kids in the car. Today, when I drove up to pick up Tru, Tru’s teacher, Mrs. Faulkner, practically ran up to my car, Tru in tow, beaming. She said, “Did you know that Tru can read already!?” Of course, I did know that, but I’m glad the teacher noticed, too! The rest of the class is still learning letters. They’ve done A, E, I, O, U, S, and T so far. They’ve also learned numbers 1-10. Tru knows how to read and write small words, and she can add and subtract numbers under 10. Mrs. Faulkner was very surprised and proud to learn that.

Here is the most recent example of her writing. Here, she’s written Tru, Zoe (a classmate), Mama, Daddy, Heidi all by herself with no help from me, even on spelling. Click on the image to view it full size. She’s such a smart little girl!

These cute music note paper clips are perfect for keeping a music lover’s papers together.

Make perfectly sized and shaped burgers every single time with this neat hamburger patty-forming tool. Also works on hashbrowns!

Adorable monogrammed lunch bag! Enter Student Code 456372 to help Tru’s school and to help her win a limo ride to lunch!

Tru’s school, Faith Christian Academy is having a fundraiser through Charleston Wraps. One of the prizes is being driven to lunch away from the school in a limo. She wants to do this very badly and must sell 35 items to be able to go. Please look through the list of items below and purchase something so that she will be able to go! If you purchase from the website, enter Student Code 456372 or Tru will not get credit for it. Free shipping on orders over $75! Alternatively, you can email me at erin@thespicelands.com or comment here with the three digit item number and quantity, and I will handle your order and deliver it to you.

Christmas Gifts
Candles
Collegiate Gifts
Flowers and Gardening
Gadgets
Gifts for Her
Gift Giving and Home Decor
Gift Wrapping Paper, including Christmas, birthday, and all-purpose paper
Gift Wrapping Accessories, including bags, ribbon, tools, and tags
Gourmet Chocolates
Jewelry
Kitchen Collection
Magazines
Personalized Gifts, including bags, mugs,
Religious Gifts
Stuff for Kids
Stationery and Calendars
Unique Edible Goodies and Gifts

We had lots of fun last weekend in Hot Springs, AR with Papa and Nana! It was Heidi’s first time on the lake and Tru’s second. Tru caught three fish with Papa and went tubing with Nana. Mike and I water skiied for the first time ever. Mike was much better at it than me. He stood up 2 out of 3 times. I tried 10+ times and only got up 3 or 4 times. Nana was a pro. Heidi was thrilled with the ducks and still keeps asking to feed them. She says, “Dut? Dut?” Mike has video that may go up here later, but for now, you will have to make do with the pictures.