The Molder Family Blog

Fall Homecoming

2010-09-10T11:06:00.001-07:00

Gymboree Part 3

2010-09-09T11:24:00.000-07:00

Unicorn Shirt Size 3T
$7.00
Butterfly Onsie Size 12-18 months
$7.00

Rainbow Shirt Size: 3T
$5.00

Onsie with Flower on Colar Sizes: 3-6 months and 6-12 months (2 onsies)
$7.00

Daisy Capri Size 3T

$7.00

Goldfish Capris Size: 18-24 Months
$7.00

Rainbow Skirt Size:3-6 months
$7.00

Lady Bug Shorts Size 12-18 Months

$7.00

Pink Swingtop Size 6-12 Months
$5.00

Pink Flower Pants Size: 6-12 Months
$7.00

Flower Girl Shirt Size 3T (2 shirts)
$7.00

Flower Swing Top Size 3-6 Month
$7.00

Snail Shirt Sizes3-6 Months and 3T
$7.00

Cherry Sweet Swing Top Size 6-12 months
$7.00

Cherry Sweet Swim Suit Size 3-6Months
$11.00

Gymboree Part 2

2010-09-09T10:28:00.001-07:00

Flower Dress with Matching Shoes Size 6-12 Months Shoes Size 4
$15.00
Watermelon Shorts Outfit (these are the ones with the watermelon pockets on back) Size: 3T
$11.00

Watermelon Shorts Sizes: 3T and 12-18 mo(3 Pair)

$7.00

Flower Pants Sizes 2T (2 Pair) and 3T
$7.00

Green Stripe Dress with Bloomers Sizes : 3-6 and 18-24
$11.00

Paisley Shorts Size 12-18 mo (2 Pair)
$7.00

Monkey Flower Shorts Size 2T (2 Pair)
$7.00

Monkey Bermuda Shorts Sizes 2T and 3T
$7.00

Goldfish SwingTop Size 12-18 months
$7.00

Lime Romper Size 3-6 Months
$9.00

Flowery shorts Size 3-6 months
$7.00

Flowery Bermuda Shorts Size:3T
$7.00

Plaid Capri Butterfly Pants Sizes 6-12 Months, 18-24 months and 3-6 months
$7.00

Blue Jean Shorts Size 2T (2 Pair)
$7.00

For Patricia

2010-09-09T09:42:00.001-07:00

Garden Friends Onsie and Short Outfit Size 12-18 Months
$11.00
Purple Cupcake Onsie Size: 2T
$7.00

Maroon Flower Shorts Sizes: 2T ( I have 5 pair in this size) and 18-24 Months
$7.oo

Maroon Flower Bermuda Shorts Size 3T (I have 2 Pair)
$7.00

White Flower Shorts Sizes: 12-18 Months (6 Pair)
$7.00

Garden Friends Capri Pants Size:18-24months
$7.00

Daisy Capri Pants

Sizes: 18-24 Mo, 2T and 3T
$7.00

Butterfly Swing Top Size:18-24 months
$7.00

Butterfly Striped Shirt Size 3T
$5.00

Turtle Tulip Dress Size 2T
$11

Pretty Shirt Size 3T
$7.00

Flower Halter Top Swimsuit
Sizes:18-24 Mo and

3-6 Mon

Malibu Cowgirl Dress Size 2T
$11

Little Goldfish Dress Size: 3-6 Mo
$11

Fairy Fashionable Swingtop Size:12-18 Mo
$7.00

Cherry Dress Size: 12-18 Mo
$11.00

EBay Pics

2010-08-26T11:42:00.000-07:00

IGNORE

Ebay Again

2010-05-24T14:10:00.000-07:00

Velour Pants 6-12 Months $4.50
Seasonal Shirts 6-12 Months $3.50 Each

Onsies (not sure on the line) 12-18 Months $4.50 Each

Baby Cakes Onesie 6-12 Months $4.50

Winter Ballerina Hoodie6-12 Months $6.00

Winter Ballerina Shirt 6-12 Months $3.50

Baby Cakes Hoodie and Pants (fleece)18-24 Months $10.00

Little Goldfish Shirt 12-18 Months $9.50

Puppy Princess Onesie 6-12 Months $4.50

Private Ebay

2010-05-22T18:02:00.001-07:00

Pricing:

Tiny Dancer Shirt $3.50

Tutu Cute Shirt $4.50
Jeans with Cuff $6.50
Kitty Valour Pants $3.50
Kitty Shirt $3.50
Dress $6.50

Vaccine Facts

2009-10-25T19:31:00.001-07:00

Resources and facts about vaccines and the diseases they prevent

Diptheria-

There are fewer than 5 cases per year.

The diphtheria vaccine does not protect people against diphtheria for the rest of their lives. Protection against diphtheria fades over time. That's why it's important to receive booster doses of the diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis vaccines every 10 years, starting at age 11 or 12

http://www.chop.edu/service/vaccine-education-center/a-look-at-each-vaccine/dtap-diphtheria-tetanus-and-pertussis-vaccine.html

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/001608.htm

Pertussis-

The overall infant mortality rate is 2.4 per 1 million live births. The CDC reported 39 deaths from pertussis in 2005

Three injections of the cellular or acellular vaccine provide up to 12 years of protection. These vaccinations help account for the more than 10-fold increase reported in those older than 18 years.

http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/803186-overview

Tetanus-

Of the 130 cases of tetanus reported in the United States from 1998-2000, California and Texas had the highest reported number of cases. All 50 states require that children be vaccinated prior to admission to public schools. More than 96% of children have received 3 or more diphtheria and tetanus toxoids plus pertussis (DTP) vaccinations by the time they begin school. The annual incidence of tetanus has dropped to fewer than 50 cases per year in the United States.

Ingredients and risks of the combined DTaP injection-

There is a potential link to SIDS
http://www.thinktwice.com/sids.htm

The DTaP vaccine ingredients include, (but not limited to):Chemicals - formaldehyde, aluminum hydroxide, aluminum phosphate, thimerosal, and polysorbate 80 (Tween-80), and the animal byproduct Gelatin. (not to mention the viral and toxoid ingredients, my focus is on the Toxic waste)Formaldehyde, AKA embalming fluid, is a toxic poison to the human body and is not safe for injection at any level, (maybe it will save money when you die, you've already been embalmed). Formaldehyde is more dangerous to children than
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adults as their immune systems are not yet developed. It weakens the immune system, causes neurological system damage, genetic damage, metabolic acidosis, circulatory shock, respiratory insufficiency and acute renal failure, as well as being a sensitizer, it is corrosive if ingested, and it is a suspected carcinogen.For a more indepth look at Formaldehyde click hereAluminum Hydroxide is an aluminum salt. Aluminum is a very powerful Neurotoxin and has been associated with Alzheimers and other Neurological disorders like dementia, Psychosis, Encephalitis and more. As vaccine numbers increase, so does the use of aluminum. Aluminum can build up in the body, primarily in the brain, liver, thyroid, and lung tissues.For a more indepth look at Aluminum Hydroxide, click here.Aluminum phosphate: Another powerful Neurotoxin, very similar to Aluminum Hydroxide, it is another aluminum salt and has been associated with many of the same ailments and Neurological conditions due to the aluminum content. The U.S. has 25% of the worlds Alzheimers cases, very likely because we can afford more vaccines. Perhaps the vaccine manufacturers will like you, but your brain might not.More details about aluminum phosphate click here

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/924355/dtap_vaccine_ingredients.html?cat=71

Splitting the DTaP-

This site lists all the different manufacturers and configurations for the various vaccines. Some of these are very hard to get so be sure to talk to your doctor about these before you go into your apt

http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/downloads/pdf/cir/vaccode105.pdf

I will personally be asking my doctor about getting the tetanus vaccine alone.

Hep B

This vaccine is given to your newborn before you leave the hospital (if you allow it)

Hepatitis B is spread by blood-to-blood contact or by having sex with an infected person. Oral sex may transmit hepatitis B, especially swallowing semen from an infected man.
A high risk for blood contact is the sharing of needles or equipment with injecting drug users, who may not know they are infectious.
Sharing razors or toothbrushes with an infectious person may spread the disease.
Health workers may be at risk by accidental needlestick injuries.
Women who are hepatitis B carriers may infect their babies around the time of birth. Since 2000, all babies are vaccinated soon after birth, reducing the risk of becoming carriers or contracting the infection later in life.

Except for the last none of these apply to a newborn.

Hep B Ingredients-

Recombivax is the Trade Name for Merck & Co's Hepatitis B vaccine. The Recombivax Hepatitis B Vaccine Ingredients include genetic sequence of the hepatitis B virus that codes for the surface antigen (HbSAg), cloned into GMO yeast, and the chemicals aluminum hydroxide and thimerosal.Injection of any foreign antibodies or proteins is not something I consider a wise thing to do. Unknown foreign substances could potentially be injected along with it. There are some that claim the outbreak of HIV/AIDS was injected along with the
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Hepatitis B vaccine that was given to gays free of charge in New York, Los Angeles, and San francisco, and while we may never know if this is the case or not, the spontaneous outbreak of Aids in those 3 cities following the free Hep B vaccine should leave some question even in the most prudent of minds.Aluminum Hydroxide is a powerful Neurotoxin that is an ingredient in several vaccines.While used orally for heartburn and related problems, injection by passes the kidneys and other toxin filters of the body and gives immediate access to numerous organs. It has also been used in Kidney dialysis and has been linked to dementia in dialysis patients. Aluminum has also been linked to Alzheimer's disease and other neurological disorders. Aluminum builds up in the brain, liver, thyroid, and lung tissues. Side effects of aluminum include impairment of the kidney functions, softening of the bones and ricketts, osteomalacia, decreased liver function, loss of appetite, esophagitis, forgetfulness, memory loss, dementia, psychosis, encephalitis and more. Another name for Aluminum hydroxide is hydrated alumina.

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1000662/recombivax_hepatitis_b_vaccine_ingredients.html?cat=70

Risks of Hep B to infants and other helpful info

http://www.naturodoc.com/library/bio-war/HepB.htm

HIB-I am still gathering information.

And its getting late so part two will come soon!

Pumpkin Patch and All American Expo

2009-10-24T18:27:00.000-07:00

Today our church held an event called the All American Outdoor Expo. This is the first time we have attended but were very suprised to see so much to do! The church had bounce houses, a petting zoo, ponies to ride, and little carnival type games. It even had a mechanical bull and a pool set up with fish to catch and release! We met Brandie, Jason and their 3 munchkins up there. After we left the expo and ate lunch at Chick-fil-a with the Gautreaux's (spelled that without looking so if I get it right I should get major props!), we headed out to the Flower Mound Pumpkin Patch. It was crazy! The traffic was horendous and it was crazy crowded, but we had fun anyways! Here are a few pictures of what we did!

My pumpkins! They had so much fun and even Lukey was all smiles getting to sit up on the hay.
My little cowgirl! She held on for quite a while!

My other little cowgirl! It scared her abit more but she did good!

Little Lukey lost in the pumpkin patch. They were just his size!

This is the best photo ever. These sisters are best friends!

Can't leave out Brandie throwing the cow patties to try to win some candy.

Three of the prettiest girls I know!

My beautiful Bri!

Hmm momma can I take them all home?

Ok, what about this one?

I picked mine momma!

Swine Flu

2009-09-30T13:28:00.001-07:00

Just a few facts about why we will not vaccinate against the swine flu.

The number of regular seasonal flu deaths out numbers swine flu deaths to the EXTREME. The media has severely over done this threat and has caused panic as a response. Even the CDC backed down.

there have been less than 500 confirmed
H1N1 deaths worldwide compared with between 500,000 to 1,000,000 deaths each
year which human influenza is credited with causing(1)

The vaccine may be more dangerous than the swine flu itself. It is being rushed into production with very limited testing. This is a list of side effects listed on the informational sheet of the vaccine. Here is the link to the entire insert

This is a list of some of the side effects that the insert is admitting to:
*Local injection site reactions (including pain, pain limiting limb movement, redness, swelling, warmth, ecchymosis, induration)*Hot flashes/flushes*Chills*Fever*Malaise*Shivering*Fatigue*Asthenia*Facial edema.*Immune system disorders*Hypersensitivity reactions (including throat and/or mouth edema)*In rare cases, hypersensitivity reactions have lead to anaphylactic shock and death*Cardiovascular disorders*Vasculitis (in rare cases with transient renal involvement)*Syncope shortly after vaccination*Digestive disorders*Diarrhea*Nausea*Vomiting*Abdominal pain.*Blood and lymphatic disorders*Local lymphadenopathy*Transient thrombocytopenia.*Metabolic and nutritional disorders*Loss of appetite.*Arthralgia*Myalgia*Myasthenia*Nervous system disorders*Headache*Dizziness*Neuralgia*Paraesthesia*Febrile convulsions*Guillain-Barré Syndrome*Myelitis (including encephalomyelitis and transverse myelitis)*Neuropathy (including neuritis)*Paralysis (including Bell’s Palsy)*Respiratory disorders*Dyspnea*Chest pain*Cough*Pharyngitis*Rhinitis*Stevens-Johnson syndrome*Pruritus*Urticaria*Rash (including non-specific, maculopapular, and vesiculobulbous)

Doctors and other health care workers who are telling you to get the shot often aren't getting them themselves. Why do you think that is? I am trying to find a more reliable source but that same article says that voluntary vaccination led to only a 30%-50% vaccination rate of health care workers. Not even the doctors believe enough in the shot to go get it!

Nurses and other health-care workers said they shouldn't be forced to get a vaccine that they don't believe has been tested appropriately as a condition of keeping their jobs.
"There's no proof this vaccine will protect us from swine flu or protect us from spreading it to others," said Sue Field of Poughkeepsie, a registered nurse who works in a hospital maternity ward and a primary organizer of the rally. (2)

At the end of the day I am not against vaccines. However I do think we all need to be researching what we are shooting into our children's and our own bodies and weigh the risks and rewards carefully! Knowledge is power. Be sure to look at sites not sponsored by the vaccine manufacturers as well!

Whether you chose to get the vaccine or not just some common sense will help cut down the likely hood of illness. Wash hands regularly, keep sick children home, eat healthy and consider probiotics and a vitamin supplement if you aren't eating properly.

(1)http://www.pandemicfluonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/SwineFlu_FactSheet_AVN.pdf
(2)http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2009-09-29-swine-flu-mandatory_N.htm

Christmas Traditions

2009-09-28T18:31:00.000-07:00

We have decided to start a new tradition that will cut down the rediculous amount of presents my kids get at Christmas, at least from us. We are doing something you want, something you need, something to wear, and something to read as our shopping theme this year. We are splashing out a bit cost wise this year because we are getting the girls American Dolls, but this will also double as part of their Birthday gift. I wanted the dolls before Brianna's birthday since she has asked to go to American Doll with a friend this year for her "party". So I am still filling the blanks but here is my list so far:

Brianna

Want-American Doll
Need- Probably a school related item
Wear- Probably Pajamas
Read- Subscription to Zoobooks

Keira
Want-American Doll
Need-school related
Wear-Pajamas
Read-Still deciding but maybe highlights for kids or a new TAG book

Luke

Want-He wont care so I will get him some sort of small toy
Need-still deciding
Wear-Striderites
Read-a board book of some sort

Momma has left the building

2009-09-23T14:44:00.000-07:00

I need a break and I am feeling guilty for it. I need an extended period of not having to be mommy. Just a few hours. Why am I feeling bad about that? Aren't I supposed to be that super homeschooling mom who loves spending time with her kids so much she just can't bare the thought of being apart? I am not that quasi-attatchment parent who thrives on having a kid on her back and two under foot 24 hours a day? Why am I so burnt out right now?! This has nothing to do with wanting to send my kids to public school BTW :) It has to do with working the equivilent of a 92 hour work week + a part time job and NEVER getting a break. I am always on duty. Even when hubby is home. Not that he doesn't want to take some of the load because he does, but the kids naturally call my name when they need or want something so I spend just as much time saying "go ask your daddy" as I do if I just get up and take care of it. I spend every moment, even those asleep, being mom and I am just tired! /vent

Shopping Smart: SwagBucks

2009-09-17T16:52:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine recently introduced me to a search engine called swagbucks. Basically you use it to do your searches and you randomly earn between 1-5 swagbucks. Swagbucks can be traded in for a number of prizes including gift cards for places such as amazon.com! Swagbucks now offers a toolbar that gives you easy access to the search engine and has a mail feature that delivers swagcodes good for extra swagbucks. I have been signed up for 4 days and have already collected 16 swagbucks. I plan on trading in at 45 to get my $5 amazon gift card!

Shopping Smart:Gymboree

2009-09-15T08:57:00.000-07:00

I have been saying I was going to write this for ages and finally after enough people asking me here it is, a how to on how to shop at Gymboree for Walmart, or even cheaper than Walmart prices.

So who doesn't LOVE the clothes at Gymboree? They are fashonable, hold up well, resell better, and lets not forget super expensive. I have never and will never pay $40 for a pair of pajamas my 4 year old will out grow within the month. However, all of my children have Gymboree clothing and my son wore nothing but Gymboree for the first year of his life. How you ask? Well here are my tips:

1. Don't shop "in season". Gymboree lines go in and out of style quickly. Once the new line for that season comes in, the old lines are marked down and sent to the sale racks. The older the line, the better deal you will get on it. I promise your toddler does not care if the tag on his shirt says spring '09 during the spring '10 season.

2. Look ahead. Shop in bigger sizes when you find a bargain. Who cares if they can't wear it for another 2 years if you only paid $.79 for that pair of pants (yes, this has actually happened for me)! I have a general rule that I stay within 2 years unless it's just a fantastic deal. That way I dont forget what I have because its been sitting in a box for a decade waiting for my child to grow into it.

3. Shop during Gymbucks. Pretty regularly Gymboree has periods of time that you can aquire Gymbucks by spending more than $50. The key with these is to shop the clearance racks and try to hit the $50 mark as close as possible. When you spend $50 you will get a $25 Gymbuck good on a $50 purchase made in the future. If you spend $100 my suggestion is to do it in 2 transactions so that your Gymbucks are in the smallest increments possible. Check the dates carefully on your Gymbucks and be sure not to forget to spend them! Yes this does take an initial investment but, shopping the sales racks during this time can average out the clothing to less than $3 per item easily. Redeem your Gymbucks on sale items.

4. Hit several stores. Now this wont work for the Gymbucks. You have to spend the entire $50 in one store to get those, but if you are out and about and can hit more than one store it can be worth the effort. No two stores are going to have the same selection. I will list my favorites at the end of the blog.

5. Set a limit on what you are willing to spend and stick to it. I personally don't spend over $3.99 on shirts, $5.99 on pants, or $8.99 on sweaters and overalls. Setting a price limit allows me to rationally put a cute item back on the shelf, knowing that I can get a better deal on an equally cute item later. Yes, on the rare occassion I do grab something that is special and I pay a bit more (for instance I found a monkey shirt that my son wore during his monkey 1st birthday party), but for the most part I stick to it.

6. Gymboree has just issued a new loyalty card. For every $1 you spend you get a point and the points can then be traded in for a gift card. I will update this after I have had a chance to look at it a bit more.

Ok so here are just a few quick tid-bits. Feel free to post questions and I will answer them if I miss it here.

*Girls clothes are harder to find cheap. They tend to leave the racks quickly and are not marked down as much or as often as the boys clothes. You may have to increase your price limit if you dont have a boy to shop for. I just mix it in with what I purchase for my son. My girls dont have quite as much Gymboree but then again they really dont care.

*If you return an item that you used or got Gymbucks on, the store will deduct the Gymbucks from the purchase. Be sure that if you return something you replace it so that you can still use your Gymbucks.

Target

2009-09-15T08:51:00.000-07:00

The deals that I got at Target:

So you will see my lists get shorter since we are cutting out the processed food, or at least trying to minimize it, but here is what I got at Target yesterday:

5 Kashi products (4 cereal and 1 granola bar) x $2.88=$14.40-$7 in coupons-$5 gift card for purchasing 5=$.48 each.

coupons for this deal can be found at : http://www.couponing101.com/2009/06/kashi-printable-coupons-new-1-50-coupon.html

My name is Anna...

2009-09-14T19:41:00.000-07:00

and I have been canned veggies free for 7 days. Yep thats right! I have not only been steering clear of the canned veggies, our first step into eliminating the processed food, but I have also cooked dinner 5 out of those 7 nights. I am very pleased to also announce that only once has my daughter gone to bed with no dinner because she refused to eat what I cooked.

What I am finding out is that shopping for unprocessed or even limtedly processed food at Walmart is practically impossible. There are maybe 5 healthy food choices in the whole store. Its rediculous. I am also finding that its practically impossible to use coupons for much of what I get. I did manage some egg, almond milk and Kashi coupons but that seems to be about it.

I dehydrated bananas and am going to do grapes soon. Brianna loved the bananas so I am excited to see if she likes the grapes.

Anyways, we will keep at it!

Swearing off birthday parties

2009-09-08T13:03:00.000-07:00

That's right. We are not longer hosting huge birthday parties, and will from now on only be attending parties of those we are truly close to. Sorry if that offends, but after the hassle and heartache that went into my son's party I have come to realize just how over the top these things are.

From now on we will have small celebrations with only family (and by family I mean those actually involved in my children's life regularly) and close friends(again those actually involved in my kids lives regularly).

I was reading yesterday and read some things that really hit home. When we get invited to a party do you know what my 5 year old asks? What's going to be in the goody bags? Yep. Not what can we get or do to make the day special for the birthday child, but what am I going to get out of this. Who can blame her though? Isnt that part of what these parties have become? Who can have the most guests, who can spend the most on party supplies, who gives the best goody bags, look how many presents my child got? When did it become ok to spend $200+ on a birthday party for a child who wont remember it the next day? Then family that is there splits into groups and no one is actually in the same room for the majority of the party. Oh and the presents, and this isnt just a birthday thing, I remember Brianna's first Christmas. She had so many presents she fell asleep before even half of them were opened. Out of all the toys she got that year, there were maybe one or two that she actually played with regularly.

The same presure exists when attending the party. Who can get the best gift, and who spent the most money. I admit this probably happens more among family members than friends but seriously anything over $15-$20 (with the exception of maybe shoes?) is rediculous.

I have thrown quite a few parties by now, between all of my children. Do you know which my children talk about most? The $300 ASI party? Nope. The $250 Build-a-Bear? Well that came in second but nope. They talk about the $75 party I threw for Keira's 3rd birthday. We had a total of maybe 10 guests including family, I made the saddest looking castle cake I had ever seen, and I ordered crafts off of Oriental Trading as our activity. They took the crafts home in place of goody bags. My daughter to this day asks me when I am going to make her another castle cake, and pretty regularly tells me a story about her "best birthday ever".

So from now on my family will be taking that $200 and celebrating in style with just our closest friends and family. I am not particularly bothered about who gets offended for not getting an invite, you probably weren't going to come anyways.

For Christmas this year, something you want, something you need, something to wear, something to read.

A song by Brianna Molder

2009-07-29T18:26:00.000-07:00

You love me, you love me, you love me. This is a great family. Today we sing a happy beautiful song, so we have a nice time with my family. Sing with me, hush now baby, you are my really favorite mommy. You just love me, my mommy and daddy. Oh you love me. I have a nice happy song with my mommy, and you play with me. A happy song is pretty. We have alot of dreams. You are my only favorite mommy. Play with me. Play with me. Have a nice pretty day. We have a nice good family good bye.

Of course its much better when she sings it.

Packing

2009-07-09T07:35:00.000-07:00

Well we are moving closer to move out. So packing has become a priority. Packing and purging. What I dont understand though, is how I have 40 boxes packed and yet my house remains a disaster area? So unfair.

Bible Study

2009-07-08T09:44:00.000-07:00

While I am sitting in my unusually quiet house with my sick daughter laying in bed, I decided I should revive my blog. I know I keep saying this. Things are just incredibly busy and well, life gets in the way. You will find out that when I do something I do it 110% and then suddenly I crash from burn out. But I usually come back to it with a little less fervor and it helps me maintain a steady pace rather than going at everything full force and getting bored with it. Anyways onto my blog.

For several months I have been flip flopping back and forth between reading the Bible, doing various group and private Bible studies, and embarrasingly not reading the Bible at all. Not that I dont get constant guilt from it, but I was just feeling like I was reading the same thing over and over and not gleening anything new from it. Uh oh, is that not the first sign something isnt right? It probably doesnt help that we have constantly had to miss church for one reason or another. I would say at the moment if we are going ever other week we are lucky. For the most part it isnt that we dont feel like going its just one kid being sick, or Karl has to work, or this or that. Excusses. At any rate, I have been trying to remind myself that I really need to figure out something that will help me study, no dig, really dig into the Word. I think for the first time it has really started to bother me that I can tell you all the stuff on the surface: Thou shalt not kill, love your neighbor, and so on, but I dont know that I could get into many really deep conversations and be able to hold on to myself. And not knowing brings doubt, and the ability for Satan to sneak in and use that doubt. Of course I dont want that. So yesterday, with all three kids in tow, I made my way to Mardel (this was before my DD started puking) and we made our way to the study section. Now seriously I have a stack of books a mile high that are studies on this and that, but the questions in them always left me dreading going back because they required more insight than I thought I had! So I would toss them aside and just give up. I didnt go into the store really thinking about what I was getting. Just knowing that I needed something that would teach me how to really think and dig into God's word. I hadn't even really prayed about what the Lord would have me get, but as I walk to the study section, there on the bench is a book. "How to study the Bible" By Kay Author (who I love by the way). Ok so I dont know if it was placed there by God, but there has to be something to it. I never found the place that the book came from so I never would have found it on my own, and having only had it one day I dont know how the study is going to go but after finding it, I just have this "knowing" that something great is going to come out of it. And most of all I just love that He put it right there in front of my face when I really needed it. Awesome.

Anxiety and Stress

2009-05-29T13:21:00.000-07:00

Everything exploded for me today. Well really last night. Sometime during the night I started having an anxiety attack. It wasnt about anything in particular. I dont know what triggered it. My best guess is stress. Selling the house, work, various extra curricular activities, being a wife, a mom, a teacher to my own kids. I have no down time except for the once a month meetings with my book club and let me tell you 2 hours a month is just not cutting it. I also think I might still be having a bit of PTS from my cousins death. I dont feel emotional over it but I have been having alot and I mean ALOT of dreams about her. They range from seeing her portrayed as a baby who cant breathe to a living version of her after death. I know weird but I can only assume its my mind still trying to comprehend and cope with it all. Today though I am seriously considering seeing a doctor. I didnt used to get them that often but they seem to be getting more frequent and more intense. My friend thinks I am doing too much. Maybe I am. At this point I am almost willing to consider dropping something. I dont feel like I have that much going on until I sit down and think about it. I like to be busy but I dont know how much longer this is going to last.

Good thing is that my DH has started offering to take Brianna to gymnastics and Julie is talking about renting a place here in Forney for dance so I wont have to drive far. I still have time to back out of Girl Scouts since I havent officially started anything. And we are taking the next few weeks off of school to give me some time to recover.

I looked up the symptoms to anxiety attacks and I could have written word for word how it says you feel. I never think people understand when I tell them I feel like I am walking around in a dream but that was on the symptoms list! As school was letting out today I was standing there and everything was so weird. All I could hear was this crowd of voices but I couldnt focus on any of them. I know I sound crazy. There was only one symptom on the list that I didnt feel-trouble breathing, but I replace it with uncontrollable crying.

Surge of overwhelming panic
Feeling of losing control or going crazy
Heart palpitations or chest pain
Feeling like you’re going to pass out
Hot flashes or chills
Trembling or shaking
Nausea or stomach cramps
Feeling detached or unreal

Well there you go I have poured out my emotions for the day LOL

Ballet Recital

2009-05-26T06:23:00.000-07:00

My two beautiful little girls had their first ballet recital the other night. It was too dang cute! It almost bothers me how grown up they are looking. Especially my Brianna. She has just changed so much over the last few months and has become quite a little personality! I am blessed beyond words.

Ok my blog wont upload pictures so will do that when DH gets home!

Worst Blogger Ever?

2009-05-18T05:23:00.001-07:00

Am I like the worst blogger or what? Things have just been so busy here that I haven't had the energy to write it all down.

We are currently at the end of negotiations with a buyer for our house. We have gone back and forth so many times on if we were just fed up or if we really wanted the new house enough to bother with all the legalities, but we seem to have settled on an offer that is acceptable. Just waiting for the buyers to sign the papers and be done with it! We are looking at a closing date of Aug 28th on the new house so we are renting back this house from the buyers. It will keep us from having to move twice. Cant tell how ready I am just to get on with it, no matter what the answer is.

I will update again after I know what they say.

Why Lie?

2009-05-03T17:25:00.001-07:00

This is driving me nuts. Why do people tell lies like this?

Facebook has put me in touch with several old friends from school. Some are even just around the corner from me! Others have family here in Forney. Some of these were girls that I hung out with on a daily basis. So, you contact me and tell me how great it would be to get together and talk again, and then when I get back to you about it saying yes how great that would be, I never hear from you again. If it was just once or twice that this had happened I would say, sure life gets in the way, but hey, I have 3 kids, a house, a job, I homeschool. We have gymnastics, girl scouts and many other activities. I know what a busy life looks like and if I didn't want to make the time to meet you I would have said so. Can't you afford the same courtesy? Instead of making that offer hoping I will say that I can't, just dont bring it up! I have lived 10+ years without seeing you I think I will make it if we can't meet up now.

My Second Addiction

2009-04-20T15:42:00.001-07:00

Cloth diapers. Yes, I know. You think I am nuts. I mean they are just diapers right? But have you seen the number of super cute diapers you can buy?! Everything from plain colors to my newest with dinosaurs. I even, as you know if you follow my blog, can custom order a diaper. How can I resist all the cute things to put my babies bum in?

Fans of Jesus

2009-04-15T18:59:00.000-07:00

Ok I hope some of you don't get mad at me for saying this LOL...

On facebook you can be a "fan" of just about anything. I am not really sure what being a fan does for you. Maybe you get special page bling or something? Anyways, when I say anything I mean anything. I just noticed tonight that I can be a fan of Jesus as well as the Bible. Can I say this is really strange to me? I mean am I a "fan" of Jesus? I dont know. I am a follower of Jesus for sure. I love Jesus, reverence Him, and can't wait to meet him one day, but does saying I am a fan sort of belittle that reverence somehow? Like those t-shirts you can find with sayings like "Jesus Rocks" and "I am down with the J-man". It just doesnt seem right to make a Jesus fan club. Like we are Jesus groupies. Oh yes, I know that no one really means it that way and I suppose that respect and reverence all come in different packages from each individual, but being a "fan" of Jesus on facebook, well it's not for me.

Confession

2009-04-07T19:44:00.000-07:00

Ok so its time I confessed. I am a treky.Not a dress up and go to conventions treky but I love watching star trek on tv and I am currently netflicking all of DS9. Now you know. I am shameless I know.

Painting with our friend Lily

2009-04-07T08:41:00.000-07:00

Cassey and I have been attempting to alternate a day each week where one of us watches the kids so the other can clean, run errands or just rest. This week Lily and Thomas came to our house so I thought it would be fun to try out something I saw on John and Kate. They went to an art studio and did this layered painting on canvas. So mind didnt turn out anything like the ones they did but I was still quite pleased! In the interest of letting Cassey blog about this too I will only post pictures of my kids art work :)

Getting ready to paint!

So much talent in such small packages
Brianna is on the left and Keira on the right

I blog in my head

2009-04-06T06:44:00.001-07:00

Am I crazy LOL? Almost every daily activity I do a "rough draft" blog inside my head. Mostly to see if it is blog worthy and sometimes just to memorize what I would like to write. Even in the middle of the night I do this. I blog way more in my head than I actually do on here. I think in blog...

My cousin appears to be in labor with her baby boy. It's such a bitter sweet thing, but I think God has turned this into a healing moment for her family. You see this is Rachell's sister. Now, obviously the baby was welcomed and will be loved beyond measure before the tradgedy, but this has given them something to celebrate in the midst of some great sorrow.

Menu Plan Monday

2009-04-05T19:15:00.000-07:00

Ok so I sent karl with my list of meat without actually knowing what I am going to do with it this week. So as soon as I feel better (strep) I will post this weeks menu:)

I am still struggling

2009-04-05T17:55:00.001-07:00

It's amazing how so often at just the right time the Lord reminds you of His presence. I have had Rachell constantly on my mind over the last two weeks. I wake up thinking about her, I go to sleep thinking about her, and I dream about her, when I get up to feed the babe I think about her. About how one day she was here and then the next she was gone. I am not visibly upset anymore, but I am struggling internally. Tonight, I was online and listening to my i-tunes. I have a play list that I play off of and a song that I listen to quite often hit quite close to my heart tonight. Enough so that I want to post the lyrics:

Praise You in This Stormwords by Mark Hall/music by Mark Hall and Bernie HermsI was sure by now,God, that You would have reached down and wiped our tears away, stepped in and saved the day. But once again, I say amen and it's still raining as the thunder rolls I barely hear You whisper through the rain, "I'm with you"and as Your mercy falls I raise my hands and praise the God who gives and takes away. Chorus: And I'll praise you in this storm and I will lift my hands for You are who You are no matter where I am and every tear I've cried You hold in your hand You never left my side and though my heart is torn I will praise You in this storm I remember when I stumbled in the wind You heard my cry to Youand raised me up again my strength is almost gone how can I carry on if I can't find You and as the thunder rolls I barely hear You whisper through the rain "I'm with you"and as Your mercy falls I raise my hands and praise the God who gives and takes away Chorus I lift my eyes onto the hills where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth I lift my eyes onto the hills where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth Chorus

Sorry they are so jumbled. Its how the coppied :S

Luke, Scoot n Boogie

2009-04-02T15:57:00.000-07:00

Ok just a bit of a scoot and it's more of a slow and steady than a boogie, but I am proud momma none the less! Now, to get the girls to keep the legos off the floor :S Of course I had to entice him with something he wasn't actually allowed to play wit, the vacuum cleaner cord. LOL

Dallas Children's Museum

2009-04-01T13:56:00.000-07:00

Since we have season passes we have been trying to get to the museum as often as possible. So yesterday we went with Colton, Lily, and Thomas. It was a good thing we went too because I passes expired today. It is so much fun though that I am thinking of renewing them!

Keira, Colton, Brianna and Lily. What a cute bunch of kids!

My little Lukey Poo!

Brianna and Keira and Colton in the background being silly

The girls

Menu Plan Monday

2009-03-29T16:27:00.000-07:00

Monday:

Hamburgers on the grill

Chips

Tuesday:
BBQ Chicken Bake
Brown Sugar Carrots
Mashed Potatoes

Wed:
Spaghetti
Garlic Bread
Salad

Thurs:
Honey Glazed Chicken Stir-fry
Rice

Friday:
Steaks on the grill
Baked Potatoes
Corn on the Cob

My Martha Stewart Moment

2009-03-28T20:34:00.000-07:00

Ok so you all know me. I struggle with cleaning, cooking, and well, just about everything and anything domestic. Today I found this cute idea about turning old jeans into skirts so I thought I would give it a try. I know it's not perfect but not a bad first try! The bottoms are hemmed off so that they can fray. Same with the patches. Oh and I will be cutting it a little straighter.

In a moment

2009-03-24T13:15:00.000-07:00

Why is it that we tend to only focus on how good we have it and how each and every moment is a gift from God when we lose someone or hear of a tragic death? Yesterday evening my cousin and her 3 year old daughter were on their way to get food with a friend and were killed in a car accident when a car struck the rear and then another struck the passenger side. It was over in an instant. As these things tend to do it has made me think of whether I am living each moment in the complete and utter joy that it should be. Not that every moment will be a happy moment but each moment should definitely be a joyful one, right? Yet I fail so often. I take my kids, my husband, my friends, everything down to my house for granted so often. As if I know they will always be here. I have to admit that I am having a hard time processing all of this. I have been fortunate enough to have not experienced any other close family members deaths, other than my very old and ailing great-grandmother whose death was a relief to her. But, this, this is different. My cousin was 10 days older than me. I am 26. Her daughter was 3. This wasn't an old woman suffering from Altzheimers. This was a young mom of 4 and her baby girl. Now, I find peace in knowing they are in the Father's arms, and I know that He uses everything for His good, but I can not help but wonder how any good is going to come of this. Maybe that isn't for me to question, but at the moment I feel the need to try to rationalize, something that I just can't rationalize. I know it's completly rediculous. I know what I should be feeling, thinking and saying, but I am not sure I really feel those things yet.

Anyways I am not een sure this post makes sense.

My First Menu Planning Monday

2009-03-21T15:06:00.001-07:00

Ok so I am starting to feel really guilty that we don't usually sit down for meals together so I am giving this a shot. I have to do my lists on Saturday though since shopping usually happens Saturday night or Sunday right after church. Also, because my husband is partial to fresh meat I can't freeze any for later so I have to buy the meat each week(ugh I can feel all you fellow couponers cringing LOL). We also don't do left overs. So here is my first menu with inspiration from I'm an Organizing Junkie!

Mon- Chicken Kiev with salad

Tues- Coconut Shrimp with rice and mixed veggies

Wed- Oven Fried Pork Chops with roasted potatoes and fried greenbeans(yummy)

Thurs-Fajitas

Friday- Shredded Chicken Soft Tacos

I am getting old

2009-03-19T17:52:00.000-07:00

Besides the fact that I know I can see the beginnings of laugh lines I found out today that I am really not as young as I used to be. We took the girls to the park today and already having a backache from who knows what, I decided it was a good idea to join the girls in rolling down a hill. Fun right? Not at all. Its been about an hour and I still have a headache and that backache, well its more like back agony now. Other things that have clued me into my age, I have stopped caring for fast motions like those of a roller coaster and I seem to get dizzy really easily if we are doing anything that revolves. Even as I type I am still feeling like I had one too many drinks. I am glad I had my kids young.

It's Clean Quick Take a Picture

2009-03-11T19:27:00.000-07:00

My house is the cleanest its been since we moved here. I mean you could eat off the floor! Now that we have officially listed it, and the agent is coming to snap pictures I figured I better get with it. Mom came over tonight and no kidding, from about 4:30-8:30 minus a 30 min dinner break we busted it! I will have to post the link once the pictures are up to prove to you just how immaculate it is right now. Lets hope I can keep it this way while its being shown :S

Brandie has talked me into moving Luke out of my room. Actually she just kind of gave me the push to do what I knew I needed to. He is 7 months old and its time. So last night Karl moved the crib into his room and he began his new sleep routine there. The other thing you should know is that he isnt sleeping through the night yet. In fact he normally wakes up between 3-5 times a night still. Yikes, I know. I just am a pushover and cant help but cuddle my baby when he cries. I mean this is my last time to do this. Ever. But, alas, the lack of sleep is starting to get to me and I know he needs to establish good sleep habits so we have started sleep training. Last night actually went really well. He at at 10 then woke at 2 and I fed him at 2:30, the second time was not so great. He woke at 4 and cried off and on until I got up and fed him at 5:30 (dont worry I did go check on him several times). Once I fed him the last time he slept until 7:30 and woke up happy as can be. Considering we dropped from 3-5 times to just 2 last night I am pretty happy with how well he did. I wish he had not have cried quite so long the second time but seriously, the child does not need to eat every 2 hours anymore.

So we shall see what day 2 brings!

Lack of blogging motivation

2009-03-09T17:36:00.000-07:00

I am sorry I have had such a lack of inspiration recently. It's not that things haven't happened, in fact every time I talk to Brandie she replies with "You need to blog that!". I just have been feeling lazy, tired, overwhelmed, something. So lets see if I can get going again.

Karl and I are considering putting our house on the market. In fact, I invited Cassey over today so she could watch the kids while I cleaned! LOL of course she ended up dusting and helping me fold laundry, but it was such a help not to have to run to the kids every 5 min, and we have now decided that every other Monday we are going to swap babysitting for a few hours so that we can get some stuff done. Anyways, after all that hard work the realtor didnt even look at the house! She sat in the living room, made a comment about the open floorplan and that was about it! We arent going to make anything off the house, but we are hoping to get a good deal on a foreclosure and make up for the low selling price that way. We will see how it goes. No big hurry so we at least have time to look and find what we really want. I so want my next house to be my "forever" house, though I am not sure if that will actually happen.

Free Dr Pepper

2009-03-07T18:09:00.001-08:00

For a free 20oz or 2 liter click here!

So behind

2009-03-06T17:57:00.001-08:00

I am a bad blogger :( I am so behind! I just had a bit of a blog drought!

So what happened this week?

Occassionally I will run the water while Luke falls asleep, bad habit I know. Anyways, apparently sometime during the course of me putting him down and then going to check on him the plug to the bathtub closed. Nice huh? Well, let me tell you that I now know where the low spots are in my master bath. There was 4" of water gathered around my toilet, and the rest of the floor had a good 2". Luckily, I came in right as it was about to reach the carpet in the bedroom. So of course Brandie got to hear an earful as I took out my frustrations over the phone.

On a good note we had our first book club meeting. So fun! I think the more we get together the more open we are going to be able to be with each other and I am really looking forward to having friends that will be straight with me! We all need that. Especially me. I am hard headed LOL.

We are reading two new books for book club, The Shack and Sheet Music. Let me tell you that the second one (for married couples only!) is such a great book if you dont mind bluntness. It has convicted me in more ways than one. Email me if you want more details on the book. I haven't started the shack, but I am looking forward to it!

I am continuing the Love Dare with Karl. We are on Day 6. I think we are doing well, but it takes work let me tell you! Even not being on the verge of divorce we have realized that we have let each other down by lowering our standards of how we treat each other.

Diaper Cake

2009-02-19T13:37:00.000-08:00

Pictures of the cake I am making for my cousins baby shower. Its not finished as I left a bag of stuff for it in my Aunts car but Its just about there! I am very proud since this is my first time doing this sort of thing.

For Stephanie

2009-02-15T17:58:00.001-08:00

Chicken Noodle Soup

2009-02-10T15:57:00.001-08:00

I know this sounds strange but my kids had never tried chicken noodle soup before tonight. Alright, so if you know my husband that maybe it really isnt so strange after all. So how did the taste test go? Well, they seem to like it although I think it still intimidates them as they are asking to be able to be done after only 5 or 6 bites, but we are going to trudge through and my kids are going to learn to like different foods! Our new rule is that you eat what I make. PERIOD. I am tired of making 2 different meals for everyone. I don't think its fair and I dont think its neccessary.

On a side note I am really seriously almost caught up with my coupons. I suspect next week I will be back on track and ready to start kicking some butt!

Living Like the Amish

2009-01-27T20:10:00.000-08:00

I have been reading these great books by Beverly Lewis. Lewis writes about life within Amish communities, with which she had close contact with having lived in Pensylvania. Anyways, while Brandie and I were enjoying a few minutes of childlessness(while they played on the indoor playground at chick-a-lay) we were chatting about how freeing it would be to be Amish. I mean imagine no pressures of fitting in, or keeping up with the Jones'. No big screen TVs taking up family time or filling my kids heads with violence, no chemical laden food, no washing machine, diswasher, indoor plumbing...

Ok, so maybe I would pick and choose which aspects I would live, but I think that something about it would be so free.

First Giggles

2009-01-15T19:49:00.000-08:00

Luke's New Diaper!!

2009-01-15T19:44:00.000-08:00

Isn't it cute!

Daniel the Fly

2009-01-11T07:41:00.000-08:00

My Brianna came running to me announcing that her sister had caught a fly. She was so proud that I couldn't tell her that we had to take it outside. Keira informed me that they named the fly Daniel, so I went and looked at Daniel. Of course he was already on the way out, so I figured they would look at him under the jar that they had set over him, get bored and I would pick him up when they were done. I had no idea that they would actually play with it! Not just play with it though, they gave it a bath! I heard the water running so, asked Keira what was going on and she tells me "We are giving Daniel a bath". Well, if Daniel wasn't dead before he was now! Luckily after Daniel had his bath they decided he needed to go potty...

Strange Package

2009-01-08T14:43:00.000-08:00

This afternoon fedex visited my house. Not really that unusual considering that my hubby has packages arrive almost daily. This one however, was addressed to me. Well, it was actually addressed to Bits and Pieces Scrapbooking (my company in case you didn't know). I open the package assuming that with CHA around the corner, I was getting a box of samples; not so unusual. That was not what was in the package. Inside the package there is a mix of items which include: Christmas wrapping paper, a collection of nutcracker pins, 2 pen lights, a zen garden, a Lucky Frog (?), a 50 piece mini-puzzle, 3 themed soaps, various book marks, a magic ink sports book, a pair of leather gloves, a 53 piece silverware set, and finally a Tommy Hilfigure watch with the price tag of $135 still attached. On the box there is no return address, and in fact a not was on the box saying it was being returned to me. I tried the tracking number, but it only led back to me and was only available from Hutchins. I know that at some point it was in Denver because of the label. I can not return the package as it will only come back to me, so I am going to try giving Fed-ex a call and seeing if there is anything to be done. I do feel bad as I know that there were gifts for kids in it. I found three mini-snowglobes labeled Emily, Noah and Hannah.

As for how it got to me, here is my best theory. I no longer sell items, but I used to sell on Ebay. I at one point shipped out this box to a buyer and the buyer re-used the box. Her label fell off so they used the little piece of mine to look up the sender, assuming it was the current label. Of course this is only a guess.

I don't expect that there will be much I can do in terms of returning it to the sender. I will probably toss most of it if this is the case, but here are some pictures for your amusement!

Christmas and Other Stuff

2008-12-29T19:03:00.000-08:00

Hope you all had a great one. Ours was hectic, as usual, but great. My brothers were all here and that hasnt happened in a while with everyone doing their own thing these days. Lonnie got to meet his nephew for the first time and Chris had only seen him in the NICU. My girls miss them. They dont have a concept of time yet and so everything feels so long to them. Karl is over it all. He ripped down the tree this evening LOL.

Now that Christmas is over I will be sitting down and getting the spring semester planned for work. I dont want to lose steam so its important to me to have a plan. We will be visiting the Mary Kay factory on Jan 9th. That ought to be fun.

My MIL comes on Jan 17th. She is staying for 2 weeks this time. We see her about once a year so its not so bad. It is hard having to play host for so long but at least it forces me to keep the house decent LOL.

Karl finally got his new contract signed. He now gets paid holidays and benifits. In fact he gets New Years off paid! I still havent decided what we will do as far as medical insurance goes but it is nice to at least have that option now.

I am working on it

2008-12-26T17:53:00.000-08:00

separating my two blogs that is. I thought it would show different names on the different blogs but apparently not :)

Moving our homeschool stuff

2008-12-24T11:20:00.000-08:00

over to this blog:

http://moldingmindshomeschool.blogspot.com/

Finally Over It!!

2008-12-24T08:58:00.000-08:00

Well they are finally past this tummy bug. So glad since tomorrow is Christmas! They must have been a bit tramatized because I over heard them playing doctor and their poor little dolls were throwing up. I heard Keira yell "Quick get a bucket!!!". Well, at least she kept it off the floor I suppose!

On the homeschool front, Keira asked for a math book so I got her the same one Bri is using. I did a little test with Bri and she actually tested on a 1st grade level for math, but we are going to finish out the K one just to reinforce. Bri does 3 pages a day out of that book! Keira did two but I think it will get more challenging in the next few days.

We still need to get our Bb book done but the holidays are taking precidence at the moment!

Stomach Bugs

2008-12-21T13:23:00.000-08:00

So it looks like Brianna's fever was a prelude to a stomach flu that is now making the rounds in my house. Last night Keira, Brianna, and Karl were all throwing up. This lasted until about 3 am and even though today they aren't puking any more they are pretty tired and are in bed asleep. I also havent been able to get them to eat and barely getting fluids in them :S

My poor baby

2008-12-18T16:26:00.000-08:00

My Bri is running a fever of 102...the day before her Christmas program. She fell asleep on the couch at 6pm so I have given her some Tylanol (not something I do very often) and she is cuddled up on my bed. I am just hoping that we can at least get through that program tomorrow. She is so looking forward to it...

2008-12-15T20:38:00.000-08:00

This is our very first lapbook! I am so pleased with how they turned out and you should have seen them glow when they showed their daddy. This is just Brianna's since they were both pretty similar. Just different locations for the projects. In these we have:

Fish Maze
Foam Letter Ff
Fish Dot to Dot
Ff Word Search
Ff Mini Book
Fruit of the Spirit
Painted Ff
This was so much fun!! Tomorrow we will start our "Bb" book and our 5 Senses Science Book.

OK so hubby must be using band with so I will upload the rest tomorrow

The great thing about being well stocked

2008-12-15T06:15:00.000-08:00

is that I dont have to shop every week. I am taking this week off to get settled into our official homeschooling routine!

Target 12-07 thru 12-13

2008-12-09T14:11:00.000-08:00

Crest Premium White Strip-$27.99

Buy 1 Get $10 GC
Use $5 OFF HERE
Final Price $12.99

Campbells Select Harves or Chunky Microwave bowls-$1.44 BUY 2
Use $.50/2 MFQ and 2 $.50/1
Final Price:$1.38 or $.69 each

Keebler Cookies: $2.50
Buy 5 get $5 GC
Use $1.00/1 found HERE
Final Price:$2.50 for 5 or $.50 each

CVS 12-07 My Actual Trip

2008-12-07T10:02:00.000-08:00

So of course CVS was already out of the contact solution, which btw we really could have used, so I had to rework my deal.

6 Hershey Bliss
1 Hershey Kiss
1 Powerade
2 Pedialyte
4 Maybelline Lip Gloss
1 Oral B Stages

Total Before Q's and Sales:$73.15

Coupons used:
$2.50/2 Hershey Bliss
$1.00 Hershey Kiss
$5/2 Pedialyte
$4.00 Maybelline Lip Color
$10/$50 CVS
$14.48 ECBs from Previous Shops

Total OOP:$.76

ECBs Earned: $14.59
$10 Hershey
$2 Pedialyte
$1.59 Powerade
$1 Oral B

Walgreens 12-07

2008-12-06T18:06:00.001-08:00

Deals for this week:

Reynolds Foil $.99 with Walgreens Q-$1.00 MFQ=FREE

Scotch Tape 2/$2-$2 MIR=FREE

Schick Quatro $3.99-ES Coupon-$4 All You MFQ=FREE

Sudafed PE and/or Thermaflu Buy at 3 get $5 RR
(3)$3.99-$1.50MFQ=$2.47/3

Maybelline Lip Color($7.99 there may be some cheaper actually in the store) B1G1 use 2 $4 off any Lip Color=FREE

Kelloggs Cereal $1.99-$1.00 MFQ=$.99

CVS 12-07

2008-12-05T16:47:00.000-08:00

I have some $10 off $50 that I need to use so here is how I am working up next weeks deals:

1 Powerade
2 Complete Contact Solution
6 Hershey Bliss
1 Hershey Mini
2 Pedialyte

Total Before Coupons: $51.15

Coupons:
$2.50/2 Hershey Bliss
$1.00 Hershey Mini
$5/2 Pedialyte
$10 off of $5o purchase

Total OOP:$27.65

ECBs Earned:
$1.59 Powerade
$17.98 Contact Solution
$10 Hershey
$2 Pedialyte

Total:$31.57

$3.92 PROFIT

Target 12-01

2008-12-02T06:38:00.000-08:00

Goody Ouchless Products $1.99 at register use$2 Coupon (thanks Stephanie at surviving the stores)

Pepsi 12 Packs 5/$15 get $5 gift card with purchase of 5
Final Price $10 for 5

Fusion Manual Razor $7.94 minus $4.00 MFQ (p&g 11-30)
Buy 2 get $5 gift card
Final Price $2.88 for 2

Airwick Ultra FreshMatic $5.99 minus $5.00 MFQ=$.99 each

Walgreens 11-30

2008-12-02T06:16:00.000-08:00

My last trip of this month was as follows:

4 Sure Deodorant-Used Rain Check
4 Hunts Tomato Sauce-Rain Check
1 Glade Flameless Wisp
4 Scotch Tape
2 Oral B Electric Kids Toothbrushes
1 Colgate Toothpaste

Total Before Coupons: $50.21

Coupons Used:
WG $1.50 off Sure (Althought it only took off the $.49 each that I paid)
$1 off Sure
$.40/2 Hunts
$1 Colgate
BOGO Oral B Toothbrush
WG 2/$1 Scotch Tape
$3 Glade

Total OOP:$12.24 Used GC
$3 MIR for Toothbrush
$2 RR for Colgate

I also did the colgate thing one more time to get the RR.

Walgreens 11-25

2008-11-25T17:10:00.000-08:00

I needed to drop off a Rx so did a bit of shopping. I missed some of the deals since its already mid-week but got rainchecks :)

1 32oz ready to use Similac AR
4 Cases Dr Pepper
1 Sure Deodorant
2 Colgate Toothpaste

Used:

$3 off $10
$1.00 off Similac WG
$5.00 Similac Check
$1.50 off Sure WG
$1.00 Off Sure MGQ
$3/2 Colgate WG
$1.50 off Colgate
$3 RR from Previous Trip

Paid:$4.xx OOP and got some more formula Q's to stack with checks!

A bunch of random things

2008-11-25T12:59:00.000-08:00

Ok so most of you know that I had problems with my Pediatrician and am now searching out a new one. Well on a whim today I went to the Care United here and Forney and found a family physician and guess what?! I think I am going to LOVE her! She gave me the Rx I needed for Luke's PT and we are trying Zantac for the reflux. She was also very understanding of my thoughts on the delayed vaccines. The best thing is she is less than 5 minutes from my house! I am so relieved to have this taken care of so I can start Luke's home program.

Second, I was thinking I might start an injury of the day log. My poor baby Keira did it again. Yesterday she busted her nose on the floor and today she fell backwards off the doctor's rolling stool and busted her tail bone. I feel so bad for her sometimes but she is so clutsy!

Third, I finally got a mailer from Walgreens and guess what?! A $3 off of $10 coupon, 20 free digital prints, and $2.99 One hour proccessing. I wont use the last but the first two are great! Plus it had a $25 transfer Rx that doesnt expire until Feb so I can change the Zantac back and forth between CVS and Walgreens!

On a bit of a downer my DH did not get the job with Dell. I can only hold on to the thought that it was not what the Lord had planned and that something better will be coming along in time. He is pretty gutted about it though.

I am so excited!!! Walgreens 11-21

2008-11-21T17:22:00.001-08:00

So I had bought these coupons off of ebay for the Bic Soleil Razors that had a ES coupon to match. I went in thinking I was going to be getting them free since they had been on sale for $5.99 for a while. However, they were BOGO! Now this wasnt marked on the shelf at the first two stores I went to(still worked), but at the third store they had them marked 2/6.99. Anyways, so total at three different Walgreens (BTW this was the last day of the ES coupons so I waited until the last minute to empty the shelves):

48 Bic Soleil Razors/Refils
2 Chapstics
1 Hershey candy bar
4 Hersheys Miniatures
1 Pooh Bath Toy
1 Fingernail polish
2 Johnsons First Aid Kits with bonus mini kit
2 Post it notes
1 25.7oz Can Enfamil Formula
6 Lipsmackers

TOTAL:$15.37
MIR:$5 for Hershey Candy
MIR: Buy 2 Post it get $5 in McDonalds Vouchers
Used Gift Card from last month so paid nothing OOP

Coupons used:
$3 off Bic Razor
$3 off Bic Refill
$2 off Enfamil
$3 WG off Enfamil
$3 Enfamil Check
$1/2 Lipsmackers (these were on clearance)
$4 off $9.99 Toy WG
$3 off 2 Travel First Aid Kits
$3 WG off 2 Travel First Aid Kits
$1/3 Hersheys Candy

SAVINGS:$388.26!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Had I not been surprised by the unmarked BOGO's I would have done even better because I would have used my overages a little more wisely. At the register I just threw up some candy and chapstic to get as close to $0 as I could.

Things about me

2008-11-16T17:49:00.000-08:00

I was tagged so here it is!

4 jobs I have had:
Burger King
Walgreens
Accounts Payable at flooring company
Academy Kids

4 movies I have seen more than once:
Legally Blonde
Blast From the Past
Sweet Home Alabama
Austin Powers

4 places I have lived:
Dallas
North Dakota
Kaufman
Forney

4 TV shows I watch:
Holly Oaks
Kitchen Nightmares
Super Nanny
You are what you eat

4 places I have been:
Paris, France
Australia
England
Mexico

4 favorite foods:
Sandwiches
Pasta of any sort
Pizza
Tacos

4 places I would like to visit:
Ireland
Australia(other parts)
Italy
Spain

4 things I look forward to in the next year:
My Kids Birthdays
8 years with my Honey
Decorating my house more
Getting a bigger car

4 friends I am tagging:
Julie
Stephanie

:( I dont have any more blogger friends that I know havent been tagged.

My new hair and a video of Luke

2008-11-16T17:10:00.000-08:00

I got my hair highlighted and cut a bit shorter this time. What do you think? Please forgive my pjs. I also caught a cute video of Luke playing! He was watching the Very Hungry Caterpillar on TV and was totally digging it.

CVS 11-16

2008-11-16T16:39:00.000-08:00

I skipped last week so I didnt have as many ECBs to roll but here it is:

1 Transaction

Loreal Face Stuff $15.99

-$1.00 Loreal Face Product
-$11.00 ECBs

$4.32 OOP

ECB Printed: $15.99

$1.00 PROFIT

2nd Transaction

4 Duracell 8 Packs (the 4 packs are $5.29, but the way we run through batteries I thought is was worth the extra to get 4 more)-$5.99 per pack
4 Arm and Hammer Toothpaste (my brother only uses this brand)
1 Colgate with toothbrush

Shelf:$60.xx

Coupons:
$.75 off A&H Toothpaste (there are $1 printables out there but I couldnt get my printer working)
$.75 off Duracell
$2 off any Oral Purchase CVS Q
$1 off Colgate total
$1 off Colgate total CVS Q
$15.99 ECB

OOP:$10.32
ECB:$15.00 Duracell
ECB:$1.00 Colgate

I didnt get the energy drink because this stuff about killed my husband last time it was free.

Walgreens 11-16

2008-11-16T16:33:00.000-08:00

4 Suave Shampoos
1 Glade Wisp Flameless Candle
1 7-up

Before coupons: $12.77
OOP:$2.97

Coupons:
$1 off Suave
$1 off 7-up (catalina)
$3 off Glade (I had a rain check that made it $3.99)

$3 off next purchase printed for Suave
$2 MIR from ES on Glade

PROFIT OF $2.03

Free Samples 11-12-08

2008-11-12T17:34:00.000-08:00

Organic Valley Starter Kit

Playtex

Glad Bags

Dove Body Lotion

Walgreens 11-09

2008-11-10T14:58:00.000-08:00

It's always fun when someone notices your deals. Yesterday morning I was checking out (all I got was razors) and my total was right around $100. After coupons it was $19.xx (and they owe me $4 for missed coupons), and the lady behind me says "I dont know what you just did but what ever it was, it was pretty amazing!". You bet I walked out with a big ol grin LOL!

Kroger 11-09

2008-11-09T07:51:00.001-08:00

I could have done about $3 better because I made a mistake but it wasnt worth my time to go back and have to redo the entire transaction so here it is:

PICTURE COMING SOON

Shelf: $211.30
OOP:$77.51
Savings:$133.79 or 63%

What is not shown in the picture is ground beef and a slab of ribs. The potatoes also take away from my percentage but it wasnt worth going to Walmart for just those.

One of those days

2008-11-07T19:56:00.001-08:00

Today I had one. One that culminated in the complete loss of control of my emotions. You know the saying "when it rains it pours" well that was a true statement for us this week. All in one week all 3 of Karl's remaining grandparents have taken a turn for the worse. This is even worse than it sounds when he only has 6 remaining family members total and his Uncle has terminal cancer to top it. We have had 2 nights this week where Luke simply did not sleep at all. Then today, well lets just say it was a rough one. At the end of it I uncontrollably burst into tears on a friend who probably had enough going on without having to deal with my unstable emotions. I cry easily anyways and once I start, well it will last all day. So needless to say I still feel weepy hours later. I have drown my cares in drink. It's amazing what a Dr Pepper can do :P

On a good note my husband is awaiting an offer from Dell for a job! And I am looking forward to a Saturday at the museum with my family.

You Data

2008-11-07T14:49:00.000-08:00

So I am always skeptical of these ad click sites. I dont like putting in any more information that I have to so usually I dont even bother to look at them. But, I did this one and it is legit! Basically you sign up and they give you a list of ads based on several mini-surveys that you take then every Friday they deposit the money into your paypal account! Each ad ranges from $.05-$.20 which is some of the highest paid ad clicks I have ever seen. You dont have to sign up for anything, just let it load! I would suggest clearing cookies, cashe and doing a run once a week or so for ad ware and so on but so far I havent had a problem.

youdata.com

For those curious I made $5.14. I will use it for any online deals I get!

Target

2008-11-06T12:43:00.001-08:00

I went to Target again to get Keira something to wear at gymnastics and the Mesquite one has Halloween marked down to 75%

I got:

4-12 packs of tea light candes(I liked the colors)- $.98
3 Pez with 6 candy refils-$.48
6 40count Dixie paper plates-$.74(I bought these out)

At some point there was a Dixie coupon. I used it at Walgreens a while back but if you find the plates check for a coupon! They did still have a bit of decor and novelty candies but nothing that suited me since we arent big on decorating.

At least a little accomplished

2008-11-06T12:37:00.000-08:00

I finally feel like I at least got a bit done today. We went to ASI this morning to do a trial and re-enroll. The girls were so glad to be back and I am really excited about the deal we got! Because Thanksgiving is on a class day and they are obviously closed they prorated the month and they also had a no enrollment fee special and I had a $10 coupon so our total was $35 after that, well Julie decided to enroll ethan so that got both of us $30 off of our bills since she was my referal. That means our first month is only $5 and she got hers free!

Anyways at home this is what I have done:

Washed diapers
Cleaned out the fridge
Bleached down the kitchen(I mean a really good solid cleaning)
Vacuumed in the girls play room

What I am hoping to get done if Luke will let me up:

3 Loads of laundry
The Bar cleaned off
sheets washed
Living room dusted
Bathrooms cleaned

Right now my son is asleep on my so I dont know how much I will actually get done but we will see!

Chaos

2008-11-04T14:13:00.000-08:00

Ok as many of you know chaos is all part and partial to having multiple children in the house. Especially when they are all under the age of 5. Today was no exception. Luke had a rather bumpy night due to being over fed the day before (grrrr not by me but we wont go into that) and did not sleep very well. He was in my arms most of the night. I am already very tired from regular night wakings that come with a babe, and truly I dont mind. I knew what was coming when we decided to get pregnant again, but it does wear on you a bit. Anyways, today Keira has been particularly whiney and I just dont do whiney very well. Its one thing when there is really something wrong but this was just "I am not getting my way so I am giong to make mom misserable" whiney. To top that Luke still is not napping very well today and I am having to chance poopy diapers pretty often while his system clears out being bombarded with 12oz of milk in 3 hours. So during quiet time I actually fell into a deep sleep and woke up to my 4 year old screaming my name. I dont ever do that. I am a pretty light sleeper and especially so when my kids are around. It actually scared me how asleep I was. When I got up my daughter went right back to whining and Luke is again in my arms so that he will sleep. To top it off Brianna just tripped and bit her tongue good enough to slice it open and my husband decides to mail me and ask if he can play x-box instead of taking his turn with the baby tonight. Lets just say that did not go over well...

Nice Deal at Victoria Secrets

2008-11-02T14:45:00.000-08:00

Borrowed from www.couponing101.com

HOT Victoria's Secret Deal!
With this deal you can get 2 Bras & 1 Panty for $16 + tax!

First, sign up for Ebates to get 4% cash back on your purchase. Then click on their Victoria's Secret link to begin shopping.

Add 2 bras from their 2/$40 styles to your shopping cart

Add 1 solid color cotton panty at $7.50 to your shopping cart

Go to check out - be sure to check the box that says you have an offer code.

Once it gets to the offer code page, enter these codes:

FA813789 - for $10 off any bra
25PTY - for $25 off any two full priced bras and free cotton panty
FA813549 - for $10 off a future purchase

Shipping is $5.99 so altogether your total should be $15.99 + tax for 2 bras and 1 panty. Plus you'll get 4% cash back from Ebates!

Thanks to Thrifty Mama for the heads up!

ETA - the free messenger bag code is no longer working, so use the $10 off future purchase instead.

I just did this and it worked. I found one bra that was $17 so I got a slightly better deal too :)

CVS 01-02

2008-11-02T12:46:00.000-08:00

I rocked CVS today!! I two of the kids with me or I would have done a bit more but I am pretty happy with this trip.

So here is the break down:

2 Crest Pro Whitening
2 Pampers Cruisers
6 Halloween Fruit By the Foot
3 Halloween 40 Count Goodie Bags
2 Halloween Poprocks
1 Halloween Foam Letters
3 Oral B Flossers
1 Dawn Dish Soap
1 Nestle Good Start 12oz Formula

Shelf:$58.xx
OOP-$11.25

ECBs Back:$18!!

Coupons:
$.75/1 Crest
$1.50/1 Pampers
$.50/2 BC Fruit Snacks
$1.00/1 Oral B Flossers
$.50/1 Dawn
$11.00 Nestle Check
$10 off $50 Purchase
$16 ECB from last week.

I also just noticed that they ran my Good Start Check at $10 instead of $11 so I will be going back to get that $1 when I make my Walgreens run.

First Smiles Caught on Camera!!!

2008-10-30T13:24:00.000-07:00

I got some smiles!!!

Our Alternative to Pumpkin Carving

2008-10-30T12:40:00.000-07:00

So usually I am the one who ends up doing all the work since my kids are still a bit young so this year we did something new. This year I pulled out the Mr. Potato Head (or hot potato as my kids call it) and we used those to decorate our pumpkins. We had so much fun and I think they turned out so cute!!!

Brianna did take a pen to hers but they still look really great.

RAK

2008-10-25T15:02:00.000-07:00

RAK, Random Act of Kindness. A totally unsolicited, unexpected act of kindness usually involving gifting an item to someone. I first heard the term on my crafting forums while participating in swaps, however I saw one today in real life that I thought was worth noting.

I was in CVS doing my deals before the sales changed, there were three young girls, cheerleaders from what I could tell, who were getting feathered boas. Anyways, they start checking out and then ask for a gift card. I think the cashier must have been new because he called the manager up for help. While the manager helps them the other cashier opens a second line and begins checking me out (haha you know what I mean!). When the three girls leave the manager comes over to our register to help with one of those Similac checks and she is in tears. The cashier asks her what is wrong. Turns out that the girls bought a $20 gc and gave it to the manager. Totally random strangers just doing something nice for another totally random stranger. It was really refreshing, especially coming from teenagers.

Target Deals for October 21st

2008-10-21T12:38:00.000-07:00

Fusion Power Razors $7.94-$4mfq=$3.94
Airwick Minis-$4.95-$4.00=$.95
Airwick Large-$5.95-$4.00=$1.95
Curel Double Pack-$4.88-$1mfq=$3.88
Various Camp Rock 75%
Tissue Paper-$.38 for 20 sheets
Various Party Supplies 75% I picked up some plates and cups for $.38 per pack
Party Favor Kits marked down from $19.99 to $4.98
Dora Side Walk Chalk thing $3.74
Foam Craft Stickers $1.24
Raovac Batteries are in the $1 spot.
Elmers Glue-$.22
Rose Art Colored Pencils-$.62
Rose Art Markers-$.72

And I FINALLY found the Candy Land Castle for $4.97!!! This game is $22 at Walmart!

Pumpkin Patch

2008-10-19T21:28:00.001-07:00

My homeschool class was supposed to meet to go to a pumpkin patch in Grapevine. Well no one showed but that did not keep us from having a good time! We invited my parents and went anyways. The girls had a blast going through the maze and looking at all the pumpkins!

On a side note I have started playing around with making corker hair bows. Here are a few of my attempts

Calling it a wrap!

2008-10-15T16:08:00.000-07:00

I didn't want to call it quitting because after thinking about it I feel like I have done pretty darn good. However, I have come to the end of my desire to have my life dictated by my pump. I haven't actually made the final decision on if I will quit or just try to maintain a supply pumping every 6 hours. I think that if I can still do it 4 times a day and maintain then most likely I will continue for a while longer. We made it two months and when you consider I was pumping 8 times a day plus I had to actually feed him, my days and my nights pretty much were filled with this single activity. I really feel like Luke got the best of what I could give him during the critical period and I have a bit of BM frozen so we will have some for about a month after I actually completely stop.

Do I sound like I am trying to justify myself?

My night last night

2008-10-13T08:31:00.001-07:00

I had an interesting and scary night last night. I will start with my funny story first.

When I go to CVS and Walgreens I usually take one of the girls to lighten the load on Karl. Last night I took Brianna. Prior to us leaving she had been playing on her scooter in the kitchen and taken a tumble and hurt her tushy. She was still crying about it when we left but by the time we got to Walgreens had all but forgotten. As we were browsing the cleaning aisle she began to complain again so I told her that when we got back home I would look and see if she bruised it. Well apparently she missed the "when we get back home" part because my 4 year old then proceeded to pull down the back of her pants and expose her backside so that I could check for a bruise right there in the store! As cute as her little tush is I decided it best to ask her to quickly pull her pants back up. She had no idea why I was bothered by it and just continued to ask if I had found a bruise.

Now on to the scary. When I was checking out at CVS the lady behind the counter asked if Bri could have a candy. I said yes and she handed her a hard candy. Brianna has had hard candies on several occassions, and since she had been so good in the stores I didnt really think twice about it. Until she started choking on it. I mean really choking. I gave her a second to see if she was going to disloge it on her own but ended up grabbing her and doing the heimlich maneuver on her. Luckily two good pumps did the job and out the candy came, and I am chalking up my EMT training to remaining calm during the whole thing but after it was over I just dropped to my knees and hugged my baby girl. She of course was frightened and was crying. I grew at least 50 grey hairs from that incident.

Woohoo

2008-10-07T13:05:00.001-07:00

I figured out how to decorate my blog!

Walgreens 10-4

2008-10-06T18:35:00.000-07:00

Went last night after having a bit more time to sort out the deals and get my stuff together. I did make one mistake last week in that I bought the Auto Shower Cleaner and of course it was $4 cheaper this week. Thats what I get for being impatient. So here we go(PS I am not going to tell you how I rolled it since that would take forever to sort out on my reciepts. Just know I did alot of seperate transactions to be able to use the RR on other transactions):

4 Listerine for Kids @ $4.29ea-$.50MFQ-$4.50/2RR=$6.16/4
8 Herseys Special Dark Bars @$.70clearanced-4 BOGO=$2.80/8
2 Glade Flameless @$5.99-$5.00MFQ-$3.00RR=-$2.01 MONEY MAKER
*4 4.0oz Glade Candles @$1.99-$1.50/2=$4.96/4-$4MIR=$.96/4
1 Loreal Facial Cleanser @$6.99-$1mfq-$6.99MIR MONEY MAKER
4 Oral B Indicator Toothbrushes @$1.99-$1.00IVC-$.75mfq=$.96/4
2 Gillette Shampoo/Bodywash @$5.00-$2.00mfq-$5/2MIR=-$2.00 MONEY MAKER
4 Bags Halloween Candy(MARS) $2.50-$1.00/2mfq-$4MIR=$4/4
3 Visine Drops @$3.99-$2.00IVC-$2.00mfq=-$.04 MONEY MAKER
4 Glade Scented Oil Candles @$3.99-$2.00mfq-$4.00MIR=$3.96/4

There apparently is a $1/1 mfq but I didn't have it. This is a MONEY MAKER if you do have the $1.

Hope this helps!

Was this wrong?

2008-10-06T15:52:00.000-07:00

I need some insight.

Recently my sweet Brianna has been anything but. She has been defiant, rude, and just flat out mean. She gets in trouble almost daily for hitting, pinching or otherwise hurting her sister, and although she has never hit Luke she has swung very near him with the intentions of getting a rise out of me. She demands things and throws her body around when she doesnt get it. Now I know you are all thinking "not sweet Brianna" but this is how she is at home right now and I am so confused. I believe we are balancing the change in dynamics quite well so my only guesses are 1. she is picking it up at school or 2. Its an age/phase thing. So here is where I need thoughts: Saturday we had a birthday party for a little girl that Brianna refers to as her "best friend". These two really get along and so the party was very important to Brianna however, while we were running some errands that day she once again went into her mood. Now maybe the fact that we were in public magnified my response but if you had seen her you would understand my frustration. After making several threats, giving her a spanking and "grounding" her from the TV I decided to tell her she could not go to the party. I almost regretted it the moment I said it, but I had to follow through. How else was I going to get through to her that the attitude had to stop?! So she missed the party. She was very upset at me and I feel like it did get through, but now I feel incredibly guilty.

I called her mom and let her know why we wouldnt be there, but when I spoke to her on the phone today she sounded kind of sad that we didnt make it and as I told her what was going on she really didnt seem to sound like she agreed with my choice. I know that she may not have wanted to input since it was my child but it did make me feel so guilty about having had to make that choice. Did I do the right thing? What other option did I have?

My money savers

2008-10-05T12:27:00.000-07:00

These are some odd ball things I do to save money:

Use reusable bags at Kroger and you will get a $.05 credit for each one. You have to be sure to point it out as most of the checkers dont think about it.

For Christmas this year I am going to purchase the reusable bags and pack them full of goodies for my grandparents and aunts and uncles. Most of the items they get will be free or almost free!

We have a disney rewards card by Chase. Each month Karl pays our Mortgage payment with it and then immediately pays it off. We get $1 for every $100 put on the card. Not much but when we head back to Disney World in 2010 it will go a long way, and why not since we have to pay the mortgage anyways? The only thing is that you MUST be diligent in paying off the card right away so as not to accrue any interest. Chase has several other rewards programs if Disney is not what you are looking for.

Walgreens Trip

2008-10-03T13:19:00.000-07:00

I didnt have alot of energy to really search as I seem to be coming down with something but here is what I found:

Scrubbing Bubbles Automatic Shower Cleaner-$23-$5mfc-$10es= $8

Scrubbibg Bubbles scrubber Free with MIR from paper

Rimmel Foundation Free with ES

I used last months rebate to pay for these so with a few other things I picked up I spent $3.67 oop and will be getting $24 back. The loss is accounted for in the $8 I had to pay for the shower cleaner(the other $3 is my 10% bonus for reloading a gc) but I had been wanting to try that for a while so went for it. I will make it up before the month is out I am sure :) There are a few other good deals and even some freebies that I didnt get I am waiting for my train to come around so I can snag some q's for them.

Bum Genius 3.0 Review

2008-10-02T12:10:00.001-07:00

I am a month and a half into cloth diapering (we didnt use them while he was in the NICU) so I thought I would do a review now and then again later.

We have been using the newest version of AIO's by Bum Genius. This particular diaper incorporates everything I was looking for in a cloth diaper. It has a built on cover, is a pocket diaper, and the neatest feature of all, it has these handy dandy snaps in the front that make the diaper resizable for babies 8-35lbs. An apparent dream come true for the cloth diapering momma.

Pros- Besides the above it carries the typical pros for a CD. It reduces cost, diaper rash and is darn cute on babies booty. They are easy to wash, and come with the pocket liner as well as one to lay across the top of the inside of the diaper adding double protection for the big wetter or nightime use. They have a great resale value if they are in decent condition.

Cons- 8lbs is the bare minimum these diapers can handle and you would even do better to wait a little longer if your baby has skinny legs. As with all diapers any and I mean any peaking out of the liner will cause leakage. The color selection is limited to blue, green, white, yellow, and pink. No cute patterns and the colors are all pastel.

Cost wise they are on the $$ end with the diapers costing about $18 a piece. However, when I factored in the cost of having to buy a seperate cover I thought the price was quite comparable to other diapering systems. Add that to the fact that ideally they will last me until baby is potty ready and it is a really great deal. The initial investment for 24 diapers is $432. The cost of disposables greatly exceeds this over time.

Over all at the moment I am enjoying this diaper. I will be suplimenting my stash with some cute patterend diapers for holidays and just for fun but as for now the Bum Genius 3.0 are a staple in my diaper stash.

My Resolve is Waning

2008-09-30T14:44:00.000-07:00

Ok so I am having some trouble convincing myself how wonderful it is that I pump every 3 hours. I feel like I am perminently attached to my pump and quite frankly I am sick of it. My goal was 6 months with 6 months frozen, but to be honest if I make it until tomorrow I feel like I will have accomplished something. Maybe its because my nipples feel like someone has carved craters into them, maybe its because I got a whopping 3 hours of sleep (and no it wasnt consecutive), maybe its because I am a quitter, but if it wasnt for the fact that formula is $20 a can for a 5 day supply...

My Addiction

2008-09-29T12:28:00.000-07:00

Hello, my name is Anna and I am completely, utterly, and shamelessly addicted to Dr. Pepper. There I have said it. I can not go a day with out at least one and more than likely it will be closer to 3. I drank one for breakfast this morning. Hey, I dont drink coffee so I need something to kick me. Of course though what goes up must come down and let me tell you I have been crashing from these things. What do I do though?! I have tried replacing it with juice(all natural of course) and it is not the same. The whole thing is more than just caffine to me. It is a complete sensory experience. From the slight sting of the carbonation to cold wetness of it running down my throat. There is just nothing like it.

Wow it is scary that I can talk about a soft drink with such emotion...

Target Deals

2008-09-29T12:23:00.000-07:00

Well here is one Kroger one too: Huggies wipes $2.50-$1.00q=$1.50

Target:

8oz Horizon Organic Milk-FREE with Target $1.00 Q
Airwick Mini-$.99 with $4MFQ $.99/2 if your store lets you stack with BOGO MFQ
Johnsons Buddies- FREE with MFQ $3/3
Ziplock 25 Counts (at the registers)-$.50 with $1/2 MFQ
Colgate-BTFREE with Target $1.00 Q stacked with $1.50 MFQ
Pampers Jumbo Pack Diapers and 232 Count Wipes- $10 with $3 Target Q and $1.50 Diaper and $.50 wipes coupons

School

2008-09-26T14:14:00.000-07:00

So we are a few weeks into school and I am happy to report that I am really loving it. I have to be honest, when I was asked to do homeschool I was a bit nervous. I have never taught such a broad age range and with only seeing the kids two times a week I was really unsure of how things would go. Seriously though these kids are really great. Even after a day like today, which let me tell you was a bit of a rough one, I sit down at the end of the day and feel really good about what we have done. One thing I really love is that, while the parents send work for the kids to do during study hall, I get to do all the fun stuff with them: cooking, art, science projects and reading. We have our first field trip tomorrow to the 6th floor museum. It will be interesting to see how many I have show up.

We also have a very busy month so far. We have a birthday party every weekend for the next 3 weeks, then mom and I are considering doing a garage sale, which I so need to do. I am really ready to get my garage cleaned out, get my new deep freeze and get Luke's room finished. He wont be in it for a while yet but who doesnt like to see the rooms looking put together?

Ok I think I am done rambling for a bit.

OMG

2008-09-23T15:33:00.000-07:00

That is all I can say to this. I cant imagine it would make their customers very happy. I know I wouldnt be eating it. Would they employ people to pump for their icecream?

VERMONT -- People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals sent a letter to Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, cofounders of Ben & Jerry's Homemade Inc., urging them to replace cow's milk they use in their ice cream products with human breast milk, according to a statement recently released by a PETA spokeswoman.

"PETA's request comes in the wake of news reports that a Swiss restaurant owner will begin purchasing breast milk from nursing mothers and substituting breast milk for 75 percent of the cow's milk in the food he serves," the statement says.

PETA officials say a move to human breast milk would lessen the suffering of dairy cows and their babies on factory farms and benefit human health.

"The fact that human adults consume huge quantities of dairy products made from milk that was meant for a baby cow just doesn't make sense," says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. "Everyone knows that 'the breast is best,' so Ben & Jerry's could do consumers and cows a big favor by making the switch to breast milk."

Ben and Jerry's released a statement, "We applaud PETA's novel approach to bringing attention to an issue, but we believe a mother's milk is best used for her child."

This is the whole article : http://www.nbc5i.com/foodnews/17539627/detail.html

Magic Time Machine

2008-09-21T19:46:00.000-07:00

We took the girls to the Magic Time Machine last night. It was crowded as all get out and we actually got a pretty dull waitress but the girls knew no difference and had a blast! They have asked me several times today when we are going back. We totally splashed out and let them buy the smoking drinks and even got them their own meal. Something we rarely do. Lucky I had a $25gc to help with the cost.

Keira with here drink "green".

Daddy and Keira

Mommy and Bri

Pocahontas

Dont Worry its just Chocolate

Drinking the Icecream

After Drinking the Icecream