Happy New Year!

2008 is over! I can't say that I am sad to see it go. I am hoping and praying 2009 brings a better economy, end to war, and better health to all of us.
Not that this year has been all bad. I am sooo blessed! I have and incredible husband, three adorable healthy little boys, a semi-crazy and insanely generous sister, a great relationship with my mom and dad (wasnt always so), a healthy brother (also wasnt always so), 3 more awesome sisters, and by the grace of God we have managed to pay all of our bills!

I usually don't make resolutions, afraid I will just set myself up for failure, but this year I have a few.

#1 Be a better wife, mother, and friend

#2 Have a healthy baby!
in order to to this I have to commit to a few more:
A. Lose 10% of my weight
I need to lose much more, but this is a start
B. Take vitamins and eat well balanced meals

#3 Save even more money with coupons

#4 Continue to get A's in college

#5 Blog at least 4 days a week

Not so bad right? I think I can handle this.
What are your resolutions?

My Oven Exploded!

Two days before Christmas with a big ol turkey half done inside of it, my kids ran outside and said, "the oven went BOOM and now there is fire." By the time we ran in the "fire" was just smoke. But the heating element in the oven was TOAST. Stinking thing was in lots of pieces. I instantly burst into tears over my turkey! Our neighbor was kind enough to stick it in his oven. Initially we were told it wouldn't be fixed until mid January, but found out today it will be repaired next Tuesday. My dad was nice enough to get me a counter top roaster for Christmas so I was able to bake my ham on Christmas Day.

Merry Christmas!

I hope you and yours had a wonderful Christmas! We had an awesome and eventful one.
Watch for my next post on how our oven EXPLODED!

I really LOVE CVS

A year ago, heck 6 months ago I'd never shopped at CVS. Really, never! I thought it was too expensive, roflol. Now its my favorite place to shop. If you hadn't noticed I love shopping, and CVS lets me do that for FREE! This week is chuck full of freebies! Due to the holidays and the fact that I have to sit on my freezing playroom floor to use my laptop (long story, I did not get to plan things out as well as usual. But did score:

Transaction 1:
1 Complete Multi Purpose Solution sale $8.99
used $1/1
earned $8.99 in ECBS
Paid with $7.99 in ECBS

Transaction 2:
2 Sally Hansen Nail Polish sale $5.99 ea
used $3/2 CVS q from Inventing Beauty Mag
Earned ECBs 5.99 for each
1 Excedrin express sale $3.99
earned 3.99 ECBs
1 Loreal Eye Shadow sale $6.99
used $1/1 q
earned 6.99 ECBs
Also used $4/20 CVS q
and 10.99 in ECBS
$2.48 on Gift Card (I won)

Transaction 3:
1 Sleepinal sale $8.49
Earned 8.49
1 Loreal Eye Shadow sale $6.99
(same as above)
1 trial size First Aid kit .99
used $1/1q
Listerine sale $2.99
used $1/1 CVSq from Diabetes book instore
earned 2.99ECBs
cashews .99
Paid with ECBs from last trans.
.48 on gift card.

Transaction 4,5,6
Sleepinal sale $8.49
Earn 8.49
pay with 8.49 in ECBs
I did this 3 times.
whoo hooo I have lots of sleep aid! Which I actually need!

Simple Holidays

HA! Right?
I am going my darnest to create a stress free peaceful Christmas for our family. Not such an easy feat when your budget is so tight its screaming for air and your family is a little crazy.
I try to be thrifty in every situation I can manage, but I have never been one to bake. That is until recently. If you had told me last Christmas I would be making candy and baking goodies for everyone; I would have check for fever. But alas in my hunt for frugality and better overall living, I have quickly learned the ropes. I make a mean banana muffin and yummy bread.
For my sons' teachers I made candy! Between the three boys there are 6 teachers (Noah has 4). I saved a ton of money, and devouring some of the Buckeyes was mighty relaxing. I also made peppermint bark. I cheated on the both, making them even easier by microwaving the chocolate!
We have been uber crafty around these parts too!
Making dough ornaments, picture cards (which I hand delivered), and homemade cookies.
I shopped on Black Friday and was DONE.
Now less than a week before the big day, I am in relax mode!
The gifts are wrapped, the food is done, the house is festive and I am CALM.
After all nothing is more peaceful, calming or relaxing to me than not breaking the bank to have a wonderful holiday!

How about you? What are you doing to relax and enjoy the holidays? Parent Blogger Network and Families for Depression Awareness want to know.

Christmas Plays Aplenty

This week I was blessed to attend 2 of my boys' first Christmas plays! First was Noah's, he was an elf and had a few short lines. But to me (and his teachers)this was a miracle! They attempted to include him last year, but he could not handle it. This year he has come leaps and bounds especially socially. He was the most adorable elf of the bunch. Not that I am partial, lol.
Later, the same day I went to Isaiah's performance. Can I just tell you 15 three year olds singing Christmas Carols, is cuteness overload!?

Overwhelmed and Under Couponed

Those who read me regularly may have noticed my grocery/CVS deals have need seriously lacking lately. I have been very busy with first finals at school and now holiday prep and gift wrapping. Also the sales at Publix are not for anything I needed and didn't have many coupons to match.
I have been shopping at Albertsons more, this weeks deals are a bakers dream!
5lb Flour $1.69
5lb Sugar $1.69
condensed milk 10/$10
spices 50% off
Another notable deal
boneless skinless chicken breasts buy one get 2 free!
CVS has some great deals for freebies coming this weekend go to Hot Coupon World to check out the preview!

Freebie 8x10 photo

If you go to Walgreens and order an 8x10 photo and enter the code FREEGIFT, it will will be free! No purchase needed and you can have it shipped to your closest location.

Winner!

And the winner of my December giveaway is BEEB(supercoupongirl)! Thank you too all that entered and for all the wonderful ideas for acts of kindness.

MMOOOMMMM!

Hearing your child scream this at the top of their lungs in the middle of the night is enough to make any mom's blood run cold. The other night I woke up to Jordan SCREAMING "MMMOOOOMMM" like there was an ax murderer in our house.
My dh and I flew out of bed and raced down the hall and this is the conversation that followed (after we flipped on the lights and look around frantically).
Dh: What's wrong??
Jordan: Noah is making pig noises and I can't sleep.
Me: PIG NOISES??? (thinking WTF??)
Jordan: Yes pig noises and I cant sleep.
DH: uh ok??
Noah: (popping his head from under blanket)The pig noises are LOUD mommy.
I hear a weird noise and it gets louder (almost pig sounding).
And then our cat runs out from under the boys bunk bed after hoarking up a huge hair ball.
After to explaining to both boys that there was NOT a pig in their room, DH and I crawled back to bed. Only in our house!

Walgreens Deals

I was excited to use some of the .39 coupons from this weeks ad to stock up on gift wrapping supplies. I also used the $4/1 Mayb. Lipsticks from this weeks paper with the bogo sale this week. I was able to get 2 $8 lipsticks for FREE!

CvS Battery Deal

Still reeling from my last few weeks of major deals at CVS I took it easy this week.
I picked up:
Transaction#1:
Complete eye solution sale $8.99
get $8.99 in ECBs
paid with $8.99 in Ecbs from last week.
freeeeee!!

Transaction#2
4 8 packs of Energizer Batteries $5.99ea
used 4 $1/1 peelies
earned $10 ECBs
paid with 20 ecbs
only OOP was tax!

Grocery Shopping without Coupons

GASP!!! Well it wasn't totally coupon free I had 7 coupons. I didnt see anything on Publix bogo sale that we needed and the coupon matchps were not great. Albertsons sale on the other hand was great despite the lack of coupon matchups. This week's flyer had a $5/50q in it too.
I have noticed in the time since I have been at this "frugal" thing, my cooking and shopping habits have changed! Having a pretty good stock pile of cereal, pasta, and side dishes allows me to buy more fresh fruits and veggies and ingredients to bake from scratch more often and still stay within a reasonable budget.
This weeks highlights at Albertsons were:
Whole chickens $1 lb
Chicken Breasts $1 lb
Red Globe grapes $1 lb
ripe bananas .39 lb (used these to make muffins)
food coloring sale $1.49 used $1/1 q
Birdseye frozen veggies $1ea used .35/1 qs
Sara lee bread $1
2 lb bags of powdered sugar $1.09
These were the best deals I picked up all together I spent $49. Over my normal budget, but not near the $80 I used to spend on a tight week.
I also got my brother groceries for the week in this trip.
I am really hoping to get back to the huge deals at Publix soon!

Freebies!!

MoneySavingMom has links to 3 different freebies at Bath & Body Works! Great for Christmas gifts and stockstuffers!

Kmart Super Doubles

Are going on right now! Kmart will double any coupon (no internet printables) up to $2! I will post my trip tommorow.

Lights!

Noah LOVES Christmas lights! I mean really, really loves them. Our house is drowning in lights as well speak and I couldn't be happier. We went to the Disney/Osborne Spectacle of Lights at Hollywood Studios on Saturday night. How awesome is my dh to drag out there after working all day? All three boys(mommy and daddy too) were in thrilled. Words can't even describe how pretty they were. Noah looked like his face might crack from smiling so much!

Making Ornaments

I had a slightly freezer burned bag of flour, I just couldn't bring myself to throw out and I figured making dough ornaments would be a messy but fun way to use the flour! And it was...both lol.
Recipe is easy.
2 cups flour
1 cup salt
little oil (i would guess 2 tsp not needed though I saw plenty recipes w/o it)
1 cup water
I had to add a dash of vanilla to mine because it smelled freezer burned

Slowly add water to other ingredients until you have a nice dough.
Not sticky and doesnt crumble.
I sprinkled a little flour on the table and gave each boy a ball of dough and a bunch of cookie cutters. We didnt have rolling pins so we improvised a bit and used cans (paging Martha Stewart). They boys had sooo much fun punching out the shapes.
I lined the pan with wax paper and placed them in a 250 degree oven for 1 hour.
After they cooled we painted them. I used kids paint because Noah tends to get things in his mouth but it made them a little wet. So I put them back in the oven for about 20 mins. Tonight I get to paint some glaze on them and VIOLA homemade ornaments!
All in all this took a while. But I was so surprised how much fun my tough guys had making them!
(please ignore the dates on the last 2 pics I need new batteries and didnt reset date.)

Tis the Season

Its no secret that money is tight in our house, but I know we are so blessed! I was able score some major deals to make my boys Christmas wonderful, but more importantly we have a closet full of food, a roof over our heads, and a way to get around. What more could I ask for?

I love the spirit of giving that this time of year brings and normally like to donate to several places to help others celebrate the holidays. Thanks to couponingI will be able to donate food and household items easily, even with very little money.
But, I want to show my boys more than dropping off a bag at food drive, giving should be more than once and a while a should be part of everything you do!

I was so excited to get a great deal on Glade candles this am at Publix (will post it next)and on the way out gave one to the sweet lady ringing the bell, while the boys dumped their change in the bucket. She was so surprised and happy and the kids were excited! Charged with happiness we went to a craft supply store to get supplies to paint our dough ornaments, as we cashed out I gave the person behind me my extra 50% of coupon and she was thrilled. When I got home I was so happy to see a freecycler had given me 2 $10/50 grocery store coupons!! I realized today giving doesn't have to be BIG in order to make a difference. And as I raise my little boys/monkeys I want them to have that philosophy be part of who they are. So please give me some good ideas.. What little things do you do to make the world around you a better place?
Leave me a post with an idea or good deed and enter to win a $5 GC to a store of your choice. Winner will be chosen Saterday December 13th at 6pm! Please leave an email address.

Black Friday Madness

After slaving away in the kitchen, making a very yummy Thanksgiving dinner (BTW the left overs are GONE!), I actually manage to hit the hay early at 9:45. But, it seemed like only minutes later my sister was calling my phone telling me to get my big ol' bootie out of bed. So into the night we scurried off to meet my friend at Kohls for the 4 am opening. WHY oh why do these sales have to starts sooo early?? Kohls was pretty calm, but the sale was not that great. Off to Walmart we went.. I had the begins of a panic attack before we even parked. Last year my sister and I were nearly trampled in a mob infront of a department store, I had crowd anxiety for months afterwards! Walmart was AWFUL, though not as awful as in some places as I later heard. I was going back and forth between getting the boys Leapsters or Vtech handhelds, I quickly chose the Vtechs because the crowd pushed me into the palet. I grabbed three of them and 3 Hotwheel 10 packs and then freaked when I could not find my sister anywhere. There was pushing and shoving and screaming and I heard there was a fist fight in electronics, but I got the most important things I wanted for the kiddos.
Next stop was the mall, which was amazingly peaceful! I was able to
score tons of awesome deals in the Disney Store and finished shopping for the boys. My bags were so big I had to DRAG them to the car! I went home and took a quick 1 hour nap and ventured back out with the family. We hit a few more stores and picked up a few more gifts and then went and picked up our TREE!
My favorite part of Black Friday is getting the Christmas tree!
I am just a tiny bit picky about picking a tree and it may have taken an hour.lol Its so big and pretty too!
I loved the wreaths from the Disney Store, but had already splurged on a Mickey Mouse star for our tree! So I fashioned my own Mickey wreath, not exact, but hey, it works!
Did anyone one else brave the crowds??

I WON!!

I won an $10 CVS Gift Card from this awesome blog!! Go check it out!!!

Happy Happy Joy Joy... Fun at CVS

Anyone who knows me knows I have been so excited about this CVS sale. I got there early, around 11 pm thinking I would have to race to get all the good deals! To my suprise I was alone until 1130 ish when the other frugals started coming in. My store had tons of stock and I had no problem getting everything I wanted. I had all my qs and ecbs sorted and ready to go, I even had a list (I am a nerd what can I say?) but I did even better than I planned!!

Transaction #1
2 Hersheys Bars sale $1
used 1 bogo q
earned 1 ECB
1 Aussie Mousse sale $2.99
used $1/1q
earned 2.99 ECBS
1 Bic Soleil Razor sale $5.99
used $3/1q
earned 5.99 ECBs
1 J&J Soft lotion sale $5.69
used $1/1q
earned 5.69 ECBs
1 Loreal Lip Juice sale $6.99
used $1/1q
earned 6.99 ECBs
1 Ear phones sale $6.99
earned 6.99 in ECBs
1 Garnier Face cloths sale $5.99
used $1/1q
earned 5.99 ECBs
1 Maybelline Mineral Base sale $8.99
used $3/1q
earned 8.99 ECBs
1 G2 sale $1.49
earned 1.49 ECBs
1 Cover Girl foundation sale $7.99
used $1/1
earned 7.99 ECBs
1 Cover Girl powder sale $5.99
used $1/1 q
earned 5.99 ECBs
1 Always Infinity
used get free q
Also used $10/50 CVS q
used $39 ECBs
Paid $1.33 oop!!!
WOW
Transaction #2
1 Crock Pot sale $19.99
earned 10 ECBs
1 Playtex sale $3.99
used $1/1q
earned 3 ECBs
1 Schick Razor sale $7.99
used $4/1q
earned 6 ECBs
1 Norelco Shaver sale $28.99
1 G2 sale $1.49
earned 1.49 ECBs
2 toys sale on bogo $9.99
2 toys sale on bogo $9.99
used $10/50 CVSq
use all but 8.99 of ECBs from 1st transaction
Total OOP $3.19
Total saved all together $210!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! OMGoodness so worth the weeks of planning! I left with 29.50 in ECBs too!

Whooo Hooooo Wal-Mart

For weeks I have been stalking the web for Black Friday ads, I scored the CVS ad almost 2 weeks ago and I am biting at the bit to get there. I was really bummed that many stores were focusing on electronics sales and very little in the toy department.
Target was a huge let down, as was Toys R Us. BUUUTTT the Walmart ad finally made its way to the web and it ROCKS!!! Great prices on electronics, household items, and best of all TOYSSSS! Check out the sneak peak at TheBlackFriday.com
As many that know me in real life know I am no fan of Walmart, but for these deals I will be there!

Super Safari

It was a chilly day (well for Florida it was chilly)a brisk 63 degrees, we active were excited to go to Animal Kingdom and ride the Safari. For some reason the animals are usually very active when its cool outside. Today was no exception, we also had a wonderful driver/guide, it was a blast!

CVS Deals starting Nov. 16

This is a great week to build some ECBs for Black Friday (which is actually Thanksgiving Day). I got up early (no easy thing while sick) and ran over to CVS to be sure I was able to get the deals I wanted.
Got:
*4 packs Duracell digital PIX AA on sale $5.99 ea
used 4 $1/1 peelies and $5/2 CVS Duracell hang tag q
Buy $20 in Duracell get 15 ECBs
*4 Glade Glass Scents on sale 2/$5
used 2 Glade bogo qs
Buy $10 in Glade select items get 5 ECBs
*1 Loreal Pro Calcium moisturizer sale $15.99
Used loreal $1/1q and $3/15 CVS skin care (printed in store)
Buy item get 15.99 in ECBs
*1 Mens Right Guard sale $2.99
buy item get 2 ECBs
1 gallon Milk
paper
used $10/50 CVS q
used $29 ECBs
Total oop $2.40
total saved $65.04
ECBs made $37.99!!! I actually MADE money this week.
I will probably go back and do the battery and glade deals again.
Best of all, I got another $10/50 for Thanksgiving!

New to CVS??

Are you new to CVS (or just low on ECBs)and don't want to miss out on the awesome black Friday sale? Go to Hot Coupon World here and read post #147 by DEEAN7. She has broken it down to spend as little out of pocket as possible! And if you have a few ECBs to start even better. Dont be embarrased about doing multiple transactions, CVS workers are used to it.
Just a few tips: go ahead and shop for everything at once, just keep them organized in your cart with coupons.
If there is no line go ahead and do them back to back but if there is go to the back of the line each time. (:

Shopping with a Cold

Since I a feeling a bit better today, I am assuming I dont actually have the plague (or the flu) its just a really wicked cold. I needed to get milk, and hate wasting gas to get one thing, so I decided to shop.
deals:
4 Kellogs Frosted Flakes sale $1.99
used 4 $1/1qs
10 Martha Muffin Mixes sale 5/$4
used 4 .55/2 qs and a Publix $5/10 of Smuckers (muffins incl)
2 Promise Active $3.49 ea
used $2/2q and 2 $1/1 Publix qs
4 Progresso Soup sale 4/$6
used 2 $1.10/1 ip
8 McCormick Grinders on sale $1.99 and BOGO!
Picked up 4 pepper grinders ans 4 assorted
used 4 $2/1 qs (on the pepper)
2 Juicy Juice on sale bogo $3.49
used 2 $1/1 ip
Bakers Cups .85
used .25/1 q
Non q items
1 pineapple $4.99 (isaiahs preschool)
rice
Lenders bagels on bogo
butter
salt
was able to use $10/50 CVS q!!!! this is up to each store
total oop $15.18
saved $64.98
not as good as usual but pretty good!

Also went to Albertsons
I was hoping to grab the buy a ham get a free turkey deal, but could not bring myself to spend $40 on a ham!
I did get my turkey though!
20 lb turkey $16.04
Chicken breast sale $1.69 a lb
2 cans cranberry sauce
spent $25
I am pretty much on budget for the week even though I cant really put two thoughts together and beginning to be ready for Thanksgiving!
But I FORGOT THE DARN MILK!!!!

S.O.S

I am alone with the kiddos and have no voice! I have the flu (either that or the plague). Even drugged up with dayquil, I really cant move, speak or breathe without a great deal of discomfort. I am feeling pretty pathetic.

Early Preview... CVS

Once again the awesome people at Hot Coupon World have provided a great preview! This time for the Thanksgiving/Black Friday sale!!! There are over $65 in FREE items (after ECB) and a bunch of other great goodies! This coming week is a great chance to build up some ECB's and get great deals on batteries. Happy shopping!

Where Did he Time Go?

It seems like only yesterday, I three kids in diapers. Now I have three big boys. ::sob:: Its a silly little milestone, but today Isaiah figured out how to swing all by himself! It kinda struck me, they are needing me less and less. Noah will more than likely always need me, but holy cow is he big, adorable, and making strides all the time. Jordan is 5 going 25 he is so smart and independant. And my "baby" Isaiah is also smart, pretty much advanced at everything he does, and super funny. The upside is I don't have to push anyone on the swing anymore...until the next baby comes along!

Be on the look-out!

Thanks to the awesome folks at Hot Coupon World on the CVS forum. I know next week Duracell Batteries will be a super deal! When you spend $20 on batteries (they will be $5.99 a pack) you will get 15 ECB!!! There are coupons out ranging from $1.50/1 to .75/1 AND there are $5/2 CVS coupons for Duracell batteries that can be combined to make a great deal! Be on the look-out the $5/2 qs are in CVS stores hanging on the battery display!

CVS ECB Building

I was so excited that there were so many ECB deals this week! I am trying to build up for the Black Friday sale.
My deals included:
1 Contor Meter $30
used $30/1q (I know I am not making ECBs on these but they are great filler to get to $50 to use my $10 off q!)
5 Palmolive Dish soaps sale $1.49
used 5 .25/1q & received 5ECB (1 ea)
1 Garnier conditioner sale $2.99
used $1/1q & received 2 ECB
1 Smart Water sale $1.59
received 1.59 ECB (kicked myself found a bogo q later)
1 Loreal Revitalist sale $11.99
used $1/1q & received 11.99 ECB
3 St. Ives Body Wash $3.99
received 9 ECB (3 ea)
paper
used CVS $10/50q
$21.98 in ECB
total oop $2.54!! ::happy dance::
savings $121.82
Received a total of $29.58 in ECBs!!

Home-made Bread and a Super Soft Slide

exploding dough

finished


I have been in major nesting mode lately (no, not pregnant) and have had the urge to make home-made bread. Never having been the baking type I was leery, but I decided what the heck, give it a try. It helped helped that Albertsons had flour on sale for $1.38 a 5lb bag.
I was all excited to go home and make it, when I got home I realized I didn't have loaf pans!! What kind of mom doesn't even have loaf pans? I was really bummed...until I came across a bread machine at a yard sale for $2 this am SCORE!
After hunting around the web for a bit I discovered Hilly billy Housewife had a great generic bread machine manual. The recipe I use was super easy, basically dump the ingredients in and turn it on.
Two hours into the rising I was a little worried, it was pressing on the glass! Visions of bread making ala I Love Lucy popped into my head, but thank goodness it stayed contained.
It was stuck to the lid a bit and looked a little like a mushroom, but yummy just the same. The entire loaf was devoured in under 10 minutes, a huge hit with the kids!
So I bet you are wondering where the super soft slide comes into this, huh??
Well while I was cleaning the egg bombs of the porch (another story all together), my dear sweet (cough) Noah got the almost empty (thank God) bottle of fabric softener from the garage and gleefully poured it down the slide. Being pooped from scraping raw eggs off the porch I was in no mood to clean the slide... So I let them slide down it in their jeans and put then the jeans in the washer. Hey, I killed 2 birds with one stone; slide clean and clothes smell good. Kids also needed a bath but that's kinda a daily thing.

ETA:Second loaf turned our much better looking!

Sage Thanksgiving Advice

Thanksgiving is almost here! We are in 3 weeks away from one of my favorite holidays. There is nothing better than spending time with family and friends, sharing a meal, with no commercial expectations of gifts. I am thankful everyday for the wonderful life and family I am blessed with, but having a day set aside to just be thankful (and pig out) is wonderful.
In 1999 I was a new bride, and scared to death to death as I prepared my first Thanksgiving dinner. We ended up inviting a few of my hubby's friends over,luckily it turned out perfect! Now ten years and ten turkeys later, I am still excited to cook Thanksgiving dinner! We take the traditional route with turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, green beans, home-made gravy, cranberry sauce (the jellied kind from a can lol)and tons of pie of course! A few things have changed over the years; as our family has grown the turkey had to get bigger along with us! Feeding at least 7 this year means at least an 18 pounder. Have I mentioned my family can eat ALOT? I am also making home-made rolls for the first time this year.
One thing that never changes is the seasoning that I use; its a northern seasoning that I have to hunt to get down here but its soo worth it. Just the smell of sage makes me giddy! Bells seasoning has meant the holiday season to me since I was a little girl. Its blend of herbs and spices but mostly sage and oh so yummy on turkey!


“This post was written for Parent Bloggers Network as part of a sweepstakes sponsored by Butterball."

Making it on a MUCH Lower Budget and Publix Deals

This week has been a rough one on the finacial home front, well actually it started 2 weeks ago. Dh lost his second job due to downsizing. Then on Wednesday of this week his full time job cut hours from 54 to 43. All together we have lost more than a $1000 a month! This is a scary thing to face. Being the OCD budgeter (is that a word?) that I am, I have the budget done til early January and we will be ok.. by the skin of our teeth. Dh is a working machine and is looking for another part-time job. I have faith he will find one.
I am so thankful to have my newfound frugal skills! Before this we would have been in trouble!
I went to Publix this week and was able to get alot for a good price!
6 32oz College Inn broths sale bogo $2.79
used 6 $1/1 Publix qs from winter booklet
10 Pillsbury Savorings sale bogo $3.99
used 3 $1/1qs and 7 .75/1 qs
2 Mrs. T Perogies sale bogo $2.59
used 2 $1/1qs
4 Cans Hunts tomatoes sale bogo $1.39
used 2 .40/1qs and 1 Publix .55/1
2 Kraft Olive Oil salad dressings sale bogo $2.93
used 2 $1/1qs
4 bags Tollhouse Choc. Chips sale bogo $2.50
used 4 .50/1qs
2 Captain Chrunch on bogo $4.49
used 2 .50/1qs
4 cans Cambells Select soups on bogo $2.39
used 2 .50/2 qs
2 Land o Lakes on bogo 2.09
2 fresh grape tomatoes sale bogo $2.99
McCormick Black Pepper grinder sale $1.99
used $2/1q
1 beechnut baby cereal (for friend) sale $1.40
used $1/1q
2 Nestle Cookie Dough sale 3/$6
used 1 $1.50/2 q
also not on sale
2 packs of chicken quarters
lettuce
rice
brown sugar
Also used $5/50 Albertsons q
Total oop $39.85!
saved $95.44!!!
I am looking for ideas on how to stretch our dollar further outside of the grocery store! Any suggestions?

Free Ziploc Gift Pack

Go here
to sign up for a free gift pack of ziploc products for the holidays! I also includes coupons, but be quick its only the first 20,000.

Tales from a Frugal Test Kitchen

I have only been at this stockpiling-coupon-hoarding thing for a few months and have a pretty good stockpile going. We use to run out of food 2-3 days before I was due to shop again and this was while I was spending $80-$100 a week! We never run out of food now. Its amazing how much you can get for free with a little effort!
That's not to say everything you get is worth it; even if its free.
I will start off with the bad.
How could I not know Hamburger Helper is NASTY??!! I mean really gross! I have 20 boxes of it, right now... That's after giving away 20!
I will be donating most of it to food drives, but hey I actually made money buying them so no loss there!
Voila frozen dinners were another bomb in my house, with the exception of the Alfredo which was pretty yummy, they went over like a ton of bricks. They should have been tasty; lots of frozen but fresh ingredients and pretty tasty sauces, but something was missing. However, they did work out great for my single brother!
There are some things that are surprisingly yummy!
I was very hesitant to try the Steam and Mash Potatoes; had they not been nearly free, I would not have purchased them. But they were super cheap so I HAD to buy them lol. I popped my first bag in the microwave last night. WOW are they good! They tastes just like fresh, homemade ones! The only issue is since they are not water logged from boiling it takes more milk to smooth them out. They don't even need salt.
One bag fed my family of 5 easily and I am feeding 3 boys!
We also discovered that Strawberry Mini Wheat are super tasty.
This week we will be trying the Pillsbery Savorings for the first time, I will let you know how they come out!
Have you had and great successes or huge flops trying new things with coupons??

Walgreens Deals

I am still new to Walgreens couponing. I dont do as well as I do at CVS, but I am learning. I love Glade Candles and since they seem to be the only ones I am not allerigic to I just had to get them!
I picked up 4 Glade Scent Oil Candles on sale for $5.99ea
I used 2 bogo ip ( http://www.glade.com/offers.aspx?offerId=102 ) and 2 $2/1blinkie qs
I also was able to buy 2 packs of Quatro Razors and make $2 overage!
using 1 bogo q & 1 $2/1q PLUS 2 $3/1 Walgreens qs from the Easysaver book.
My total OOP was under $4 and that was mostly tax!!
Please let me know what other deals Wags has this week!

CVS deals

This was a great shopping week at CVS! I think I have become addicted to getting things for free!
I bought:
2 Easy-ups sale 2/$20 get 5 ECBs
used 2 $1.50/1qs
2 Crest Pro-Health sale $3.49 get 3.49 ECBs
used 1 .75/1q and 1 $1/1q
10 Ice Breakers Gum sale $1ea get 5ecb WYB $10
used 5 $1/2qs
2 Gold Emb. candies .99ea
used $1/2 CVSq
1 Dawn Dish Soap .99
used .25/1q
1 Breeze Meter sale $30
used $30/1q
also used CVS $10/50 q
and 18 ECBs
total OOP $2.47
Saved $110!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Visit Disney for FREE!!!!!

Two of my favorite words! It no secret around here we LOVE Disney! And starting in January Disney is offering free admission on your birthday. Go to www.disneyworld.com or (land if you live on the west coast) and register your entire family! We are passholders, so we dont need the free day, but passholders get a special gift on their birthdays worth as much as admission! So everyone sign up even if you are a passholder!

Mashed Potato, Mashed Potato

If you are a couponer, you already know Publix had Steam and Mash on bogo this week. I was literally kicking myself for trashing my Toss for Cash books last week, I thought I wouldnt need any of the coupons...::sniff sniff:: Pulling myself together again. I ventured out last night after the kiddos were in bed at home with daddy.
deals:
8 bags Steam and Mash Potato on sale bogo $3.99
used 6 $1/1qs and 1 buy 2 get one free and 1 buy 3 get 1 free
4 bags Green Giant veggies on sale 50% off
used 4 $1/1qs
2 Totinos Pizza rolls bogo $4.19
used 2 .35/1qs
8 Uncles Bens Rice bogo $1.59
used 4 $1/1 ip
2 Good Bites dog treats
used 2 free product qs I dont have dogs but these were a free filler to get to $50
2 Nestle Cocoa mixes bogo $1.99
2 Publix Chocolate milk bogo $2.69 (the low fat one and soo yummy)
1 Nabisco Snacks Multipack $5.99
used a Albertsons q to reduce price to $2.69
Used a $5/50 Albertson q
Total OOP $12.21 Saved more than $70!!! (i cant find the reciept for exact amount)

I also went to Albertsons for a few items
the best deals:
whole chickens .79lb
Country style ribs $1.29lb
buy a Sara Lee bread for $1.99 get a 1/2 gal milk for .39!
I also got a bunch a fresh veggies and fruit
total OOP $25.99
saved only $24
But I was under my $40 goal for the week!
Let me know how you did!

Just call me Mrs. Fix-it

I have always been pretty handy. My dad is a carpenter extraordinaire; he can fix, build, or design anything! And growing up he wasnt one to just fix things for us, we had to learn how to do it too. Can I tell you how fun it is to spackle at 13? Or my absolute favorite :shuddering: popcorn-ing ceilings (if you dont know this involves shooting gooey paint with "popcorn" in it at the ceiling, while you are under it).

While those lessons were not exactly fun, I always loved time with my dad.
Flash forward 15+ years... I have three little boys who like to put things in our toilet. I have kept us from eviction or bankruptcy from plumming bills, by mastering toilet removal/installation! I can take it out of the ground, remove the wax seal, unclog, replace wax seal, and stick it back in the ground in a matter of minutes.

Well that leds me today. After the whole hot water explosion last week, I really didnt want to bug our landlord with a leaking tub faucet. Today it went from leaking to POURING out! I google leaking tub faucet, called daddy for the needed tools and some tips and I FIXED it!!!!

Oooey Gooey Fun

Caramel Apple

(please ignore the date on the pic I changed my batteries and didnt reset the date)

Those who know me, know I am not the best at the Martha Stewart type stuff. When I found out you can make caramel apples in the microwave, I was excited! I love caramel, I mean really, really, really love it.
I THOUGHT this would be a great after school activity to do with the boys, and they have a blast! But we made one HUGE sticky, gooey mess!
The boys unwrapped two bags worth of caramel cubes (Kraft and dumped them into a microwavable bowl w/ 2tbs or water. I zapped them for a minute at a time and stirred until it turned into a melted mess. While I was stirring the boys stabbed popcicle sticks into the apples. And now for the fun/disasterous part... get the caramel on the apples. We tried dipping them, couldnt get an even coat. So we used spoons to pour it over them, holy cow were we all sticky! Lastly place the apples/gooballs on a buttered wax paper lined cookie sheet and cool in fridge for at least an hour.
You made need a pressure washer to get the caramel of you, the kids, and whatever surface you did this on!
The results? OH goodness were these YUMMY!
They were quickly devoured by all of us!
I am looking for other fun fall crafts to do with a boys, any suggestions?

Cough Drop Anyone?? (CVS deals)

Today was awesome at CVS! There was something I really needed on ECB which is always a bonus. My digital camera literally eats batteries, like a pair a week (I may take a few too many pictures)and they were on sale $3 off any pack of Durecell batteries and get 5 ECB when you buy $15 of them. I had two .75 qs and thought I would do pretty good to get a couple bulk packs with the deal. I was soooo excited to find $1/1 peelies on all the 4 pack Digital camera batteries that were on sale for $2.99!!! :::happydance:::
Deals:
*6 Durecell Digital 4 packs $2.99ea
used 6 $1/1 peelies & earned 5ECB
*14 bags of Halls cough drops $1.50ea (this is a lot of cough drops!!)
used 7 bogo qs (found on tearpad in Kmart) earned 10 ECBS
*2 Four packs BIC Comfort 3 razors sale $4.99ea
used two $2/1q earned 8ECBS
2 bags of M&M funpacks sale 2/$3
used $1/2q
Also had a $10/50 CVS q (from the printer in store)
I used 15.96 & 1.98 in ECBs
Total OOP was $2.63!!!!
And I EARNED 23 ECBS, how awesome is that??
So, how did you all do this week?

Hair-cut Carnage

the carnage


Before (in their costumes this am)
I had a surge of bravery today and ran with it, time to tackle the massive mop-fros on the younger boys heads.I didnt have to do Noah's after the whole autistic-boy-gets-ahold-of-scissors incident last month, which led to me having to cut off almost all his hair to even up the BALD spots ::sigh::
I have always cut all their hair because it is free and I am cheap, I also like doing hair.
The first victim... I mean first one up was Isaiah; he was pretty good until the end when he got very wiggly. He looks sooo cute with it short.
Then Jordan, you would think a 5 yo could sit still better than the 3yo, but NOPE I had to remind him every 30 seconds. The poor boy has been sweating like a piggy because he has SO much hair. Not only is his the longest of the trio but it is by far the thickest! I literally have to DIG to find his scalp (how did that stick get there?). I dang near bawled when I was done, he looks 12! Whaaa.

My So-So Shopping Week

I was more than a little bummed that the Publix sale was a flat-line this week, but hey everyone has an off week.
So off to Albertson I went. I was extremely upset with their coupon policy and general lack of customer service on my last visit and was hoping for better luck this week.
The sale wasn't too coupon friendly but the prices were pretty good.
The best buys were:
Chicken Breasts .88lb ** I stocked up with about 12lbs
Campbells Ckn Noodle or tomato soup 2 for .88 **got 12 cans and used 3 .40/4qs
Progresso Soup .88** 8 cans used 4 .50/2qs
The rest of my groceries were mostly fruit and veggies
I was trying not to freak out that I spent soo much on food
my total opp was $45.02!!! Yikes but I bought a lot of need fresh items!

Attention Kmart Shoppers

Heck even if you are not normally a Kmart shopper, you might want to be now! Kmart is holding another double coupon event 10/25-11/1!! Last time they double coupons up to $2 making them worth $4! I did really well getting tons of stuff for almost freee! For those who dont live in Florida, double coupons are a normal thing, but here in FLA they are as rare as snow! To my local buddies both the Winter Springs and Lake Mary stores are taking part in it. For those who arent local go to www.Kmart.com and send them an email (its under contact us) telling them your closest stores and ask if they are participating, they are super fast abour getting back to you with the information! Good luck and happy doubling!

Hot Water Explosion!

So I walked out in my garage to do some laundry and stepped into ankle deep warm water! Not good esp. since there are clothes all over the floor by the washer (you tell boys to put clothes in the washer this is were they end up!)
So I open the door (light bulb is blown in the garage ugh) and see that my hot water heater is leaking form several places! I pull my washer out and find a really nasty mess of wet dryer lint and MOLD! I am guess the damn thing has had a slow leak for a while. The base board or the wall is moldy as heck. I cleaned up the mess, pulled off the base board and made the call to get it repaired. DH came home and helped me bleach the concrete walls that were already a little spotty from the summer floods. Here is the kicker we had to turn the water off to the house so it would stop pouring out. Today between 2-3 the plumber will be out here to give us a new water heater! I am so happy since we lived here the thing hardly worked.

New to Walgreens

I have only done Wags deals a few times! I have actually only been shopping very frugally for a few months and wanted to get the hang of CVS and Publix first.
Note worthy deals this week are:
Fusion Razors sale $8.99 get $4 RR use $4/1q making them .99!
(do not buy more than one at once or you will only get 1 rr!)
Pert Plus ($1 MM) sale $3.49 used $2q from paper and $2.50q from easy saver book.
Lysol Freshmatic sale $5.99 use $5/1q.
Thats all I really found, please help me out if you found other great deals!

I went a little nuts in CVS

I had a $10/50 coupon from CVS burning a hole in my pocket and it expired this week so I just HAD to use it, lol.
my haul included:
2 Pumpkin buckets .99 get .99ECB (limit 2)
2 Funlights .99 get .99 ECB (limit 2)
6 various Johnsons Products $2.99ec AND
1 Huggies pull up $9.99 get 10ECB WYB $25 of these products
3 bottles Excerdrin sale $1.99 used 3 $2/1 qs (made .03)
2 Childrens Motrin sale $6 get 5ECB WYB 2 used $2/2q
1 Power Ade $1.69 get 1.69 ECB
1 sunday paper.
Total OOP $18.64 Saved $75!
Recieved $21 ECBs (rounded up)

Transaction #2
Rolled those ECBs
Got 5 2 packs of Butler childrens tooth brushes (i know there are qs but I dont have them!!!) $3.99 get $3.99ECBs (LIMIT 5)
used 19 ECBs and paid .90 tax (not sure how that amount though)
Got Almost 20 ECBs whooo hoooo freeeeeee

Transaction #3
on a second card (DH)
2 pumpkin pails
2 funlights
1 butler toothbrush
3 pack CVS paper towels used $1/1 CVS q (these are $1.99)
used 9 ECBs paid a few cents tax and made almost 8Ecbs!!

$44 at Publix

I really splurged this week and still only spent $44. Its crazy to think that a splurge week a few months ago would have meant spending well over $100! You may have noticed I dont buy a lot of meat, I tend to buy alot at a time and fill the deep freezer when I get a great deal. I still have a pretty full freezer, so I have only been adding a little at a time.
My extras this week included the stuff I needed to make Jambalaya and caramel apples!
I picked up:
2 packs of Smithsfield Smoked sausage sale 2/$5 used 2 $.75/1q
.5lb ham chunks
1 green pepper
1 bag Mac. Apple sale $3.99 (yikes!)
2 bags Kraft Caramels on bogo $2.39
also
4 Quaker Oatmeal to Go on bogo $3.19 used 4 .55/1 qs
4 Shreaded wheat on bogo $3.99 used 4 $1/1 ip(found on HCW) I am bummed I forgot to bring the FLIPs for $1 for these too! would have made them free/
8 Better Crocker Fruit snacks on bogo $2.73 used 2 $1/3q, 1 $.75/2q, and 8 Target ip $.50/1
6 Cambells Select soups on bogo $2.39 used 1 $.72/2, 1 $1/1 peelie,1 $.50/2,and 3 FLIPs for $1/2
2 Celestial Seasonings Tea on bogo $3.49 used 2 $1/1qs
2 McCormick Chili Mix on bogo $1.39 used 1 $1/1q
2 Lenders bagels on bogo $2.09
Grapes used $1/1lb Target ip
My not so great deals:
Smuckers Uncrustables used $.55/1
doritos
juice boxes
bananas
Used a $5/50 too
Total oop $44.06 Saved $75.04
****cheat sheet****
HCW www.hotcouponworld.com
ip internet printable
q coupon
FLIP Foof Lion internet printable
Happy Shopping! Let me know how you did!
I cant wait to clean up at CVS tommorow!

Cheap dinner out!!!!!

With money tight everywhere finding a way to save and still get to splurge a little is awesome! Thanks to www.mybarginbuddy.com for this tip; if you go to www.restaurant.com and enter the code EIGHTY at checkout you can get 80% off of their already low prices! That makes $25 gift certificates $2 and $10 ones $.60!!
I will warn you to read the fine print; most places ask that you only use them on weekdays, spend at least double the amount of the certificate, and the tip is pre discount. But it still makes your meal way cheaper!

Our..uh Masterpiece

I am a bit of a perfectionist and usually create a pretty cute pumpkin, but this year I let go of the reins (I am doing this alot these days) and let the boys help with the carving. And no I have not totally lost my mind and let my boys touch knives.
I cut the top off and let the boys scoop out the seeds. Lets jusy say they did not dig the goo factor at all! Isaiah cried like I was making him commit murder, but eventually saw that it wasnt kill the rest of us so he attempted it.
Then the boys took turns drawing parts of the face and I cut them out.
While we were carving, the seeds were toasting in the oven.
I lightly coated them in oil and let the boys sprinkle salt on top. Baked them on 350 for about 15 mins and yummmy!
And our pumpkin is finshed! Although I just realized its on the 15th (lol) this thing will be a mess by the 31st! Oh well we get to carve another one!!

ahhhh Fall

I know that some people get depressed from the changing seasons, I am the total opposite! I LOVE fall. Not sure how much I would love it if it was freezing here. However I live in Central Florida and fall means that its almost cool enough to breathe outside and brings days when you can go for walks and spend time in parks. But mostly I love the holidays that are coming.
Not too big on Halloween, but we do love fall festivals and carving pumpkins to make pumpkin seeds (will be doing that today so watch for the pics and posts to come).
And of course Thanksgiving is only a month away!
I love Thanksgiving, the entire family togther in a yummy smelling warm house and stuffing their faces with awesome food. I love cooking and Thanksgiving food is my favorite to cook. I hope your familys have a wonderful fall season.

CVS...slow week

I was going to skip CVS this week since nothing jumped out at me, and frankly I am running out of places to put the stuff! But dh loves Sobe Life water so I went to pick some up with the $.50/1 peelies I found.
I scanned my card and got a huge stream of qs!!! One was a $10/50 I will use next week with the chilrens Motrin deal.. and I got a $1 off Colgate toothpaste lol like I need more toothpaste! I have so much I might hand it out to trick or treaters!
So I got:
4 Almay facial soap on bogo for .99 used four $1/1qs this was a $2 Money Maker!
2 Bags of Fun pack M&Ms sale 2/$3 used $1/1 q
1 Colgate Advanced toothpaste used $.75/1 and a $1/1 CVS made 2 ECBs
2 Revlon Polishes on bogo $4.39 used 2 $1/1q
2 Revlon nail file packs on Bogo $2.59 used 2 $1/1 qs
Used 5 expiring ECBs
total oop was $.37 made 2 Ecbs
and now I have treats to send to the kids classes! Not to bad!
**NOtice there is no SOBE??? They were sold out!!! Bummer

Publix and Albertsons Shopping

This was a slow sale week all around. I guess grocery stores dont see Columbus Day as a big sale day? lol
My first stop was Publix.
6 Barber Stuffed Chicken Breast bogo $4.99 used 6 $1/1qs
2 New England Coffee bogo $5.99 used 2 $1.5/1 qs
2 Clasico Sauces bogo $2.59 (i think I cant remember!?)bogo used a Publix $1/2q
2 Old El Paso salsa bogo $2.39 used 1 $2/1q
4 General Mills cereal: on sale $3/5
3 Coco Puffs Combos used 3 $1/1 from a GM book in Publix weeks ago
1 Fruity Cherrios used $1/1 peelie
also used 2 $1/2 Target ip for general mills cereal (found @ Www.hotcouponworld.com )
I also picked up a few things w/o coupons (which dang near killed me)
my total oop was $20.xx and saved was $64.xx
not too shabby!
Then I dragged my little guy to Albertsons, I should have picked hamburger up at Publix as its .02 cheaper a lb. but I forgot!
Picked up
5 lbs hamburger
3 packs (about 5.5 lbs) Pet.Sirloin Steaks~~ these are buy one get two free!!
Fresh Mushrooms
2lbs Black Grapes .99 lb and sooo yummy!
2 more packs of scott t.p. sale $1 used 2 .55/1 qs
total oop $24 saved $28
I went over my $40 goal for the week but I have enough red meat for a month!
So how did you all do? Any great deals I missed??

Can I just say Publix is the best??

At this point I have a pretty good stock pile of food going! We didnt need too much but I cant resist free stuff, like the potatoes!
6 Old El Paso taco kits on bogo: used 3 $1/2 qs
18 boxes of Betty Crocker potatoes on bogo: used 18 $1/1 green peelies
2 Uncle Bens rice on bogo: used 1 $1/1q
8 Knorrs pasta sides on bogo: used 4 $.75/1 qs
2 Lg boxes Cherrios on bogo: used 2 $1/1 peelies
2 Scrubbing Bubbles toilet gels on bogo used 2 $1/1qs
2 Scrubbing Bubbles shower cleaner on bogo used 2 $1/1qs
5 lbs of red potatoes
head of lettuce
3 tomatoes (used a $2/$5 food lion ip)
And 1 frosted doughnut (little guy with me wanted one)
total spent $20.30
total saved $79.46!!!!!!
I am a little peeved at myself I went first thing Thursday morning and that afternoon I got a $5/50 Albertsons q I could have used here and only spent $15!!
Please leave me a comment and let me know how you did this week.

OBAMA!!

This may come as a shock to some, esp. my fellow christian friends, but I feel I must shout this from the roof tops....I am voting for Obama/Biden. I understand that voting for a democrat creates some moral dilemmas such as abortion and gay marriage. Though I would love to sit on my moral high horse(I am short and the climb is pretty far) and say those issues are all that matter, however our country is in need of a HUGE change. At this moment in time; the ever failing economy, the endless war, and lack of healthcare can no longer be ignored. Might I also add we have had a "moral" republican as president for 8 years who brought nothing but FAILURE to our country. He did nothing to "fix" these moral issues that concern so many, PLEASE dont fool yourself into believing McCain and the moron Palin will do any better.

Yipeeeeeeee

We have double coupons at Kmart! I dang near tinkled myself with glee when I opened my mailbox to see the flyer!
I went this am even though I had not organized my coupons, I just couldnt wait to check it out! My total before coupons was $92.xx total oop was $8.16!!
I will post details after I go again tommorow~ lol
**********also Albertsons has Scotts toilet paper 10/$10 and there are $1/1, $.50/1 and $.55/1 qs out there!***************

CVS shopping

This was a pretty slow week and I was in a hurry so I didnt do that great.
I did pick up:

Cover Girl foundation $5.49 get $5.49 ECBs (it actually printed $5.79 ECBs)
used the cover girl bogo q from this weeks P&G insert
got free powder.

2 Dawn Hand Renewal Dish Soap sale $.99
used 2 $1/1q = free!!!!

1 fusion razor sale $9.99 get $5 ECBs
used $4/1 q from this weeks P&G insert.

after qs and last weeks ECBS spent nothing oop!
Earned $10.79 ECBs (I did this twice once with my card and the other with dh card)

Big family fun at Epcot

Half of our extended family went to Epcot together today! We had so much fun. My dad (pop pop to the boys), my brother C.J, sisters (Mandy and Alex), and of course our crew. The boys loved showing everyone around Epcot!

Publix Steals

This was by far my most successful Publix trip to date! I am really beginning to run out of room for all this food. I cant believe a few months ago I could not make $80 of groceries last a whole week! This week I spent a whopping $32oop, before sales and coupons my total was $199.xx. Just flipping amazing!
I was very stoked about this sale, I wasnt feeling well and looked forward to all the cheap or free frozen food.
Some of the highlights:

8 bags of Viola frozen skillet dinners bogo $4.99 used 8 $1.25/1 blinkie qs (right on the door of the freezer)

8 boxes Pillsbury toaster str. bogo $2.29 used 4 $1/2 (from a booklet that was in Publix a few weeks ago)

10 boxes of Hamburger Helper bogo $1.99 used 10 $1/1 peelies making them FREE

6 boxes of High fiber Quaker Oatmeal Bogo $3.79 used 6 $1/1 qs

6 boxes of instant Quaker Instant grits bogo $2.49 used 3 $1/2 qs

4 bags of Goodlife catfood bogo $4.49 used 4 $2/1 qs only $1 for 4 bags!!!

4 pack Dole fruit cups on bogo $2.39 (i think) used 2 $.75/2 qs

4 Green Giant frozen veggies on bogo used Target ip $1/1
(there were more qs avail for this but I couldnt find them)

I got some of the bogo Soup and a few other things but these were the best deals!
Have I mentioned I LOVE COUPONS???

Moving on...again

I was feeling really down and bitter yesterday and then I read a blog about someone who lost her 4.5yo son. My heart just shattered. The pain in her words was gut-wrenching. And I realized I need to buck up!
I am sooo sad about losing these babies but I am blessed beyond my wildest dreams with three adorable not-so-little-anymore boys. I am holding on to those blessings extra tight today.
To break me out of my funk even further, I took all three boys to Chucke Cheese and let them have the works Pizza, Soda (very rare treat) and TONS of tokens. It was flipping packed to the gills in there but everyone had a blast!
As I type this Jordan is chasing Isaiah with a toy bat and Isaiah is countering with Pokemon/kungfu panda attacks, it will be only matter of time before I have to rescue someone.
I am still sad I can't seem to stay pregnant but my arms are FAR from empty.

Not this time...

NO baby in May for us. After discovering that my levels were falling yesterday, I am losing the baby this morning. This is my 4th loss in under 2 years. I am finding it very hard to keep the faith today and could use some prayer.I am just so sad. Thank you to all those who celebrated with me.

Noahs Birthday Party!

It was a super busy weekend around here! We celebrated Noah's Birthday a week early, having a party at Birthday World with the family of his best buddy. Birthday World is kinda a mix between Chucke Cheese and the Fair all indoors. You would think an autistic child wouldnt like it there, but Noah LOVES it! We let Noah pick all his own decorations (a big deal for a control freak mommy lol) So it was quite the combo! We were there for more than 3 hours! An awesome time was had by all!
*Note the totally awesome tye dye shirts I made!

Mud FUN

We went to my sisters soccer game on Saterday in the POURING rain! After the rain stopped the boys had the time of their lives playing on the dirt path behind the fields!