Second Extreme Couponing Trip...Still Getting The Hang Of It

I'm still trying to pick out the best sales, pick and choose my coupons wisely.  I have gotten a bigger notebook and am searching for more baseball card sleeves for keeping my coupons neat & organized.  This morning, i did search for a few items i needed coupons for and signed up for email coupon lists. 

I had a few odds & ends to get today and a gift for a baby shower, not much of a list.  I made a trip to Bi-Lo, since their sales seemed to cover the majority of our needs.  

My purchases include::
3 boxes of Hamburger Helper (Sale $1 a box; coupon for $0.75 off purchase of 3)
12 Hershey Almond Bars (BOGO- $5.88 for all, covers hubby's lunch & snacking for the week)
2 Packs of Reese Cups (BOGO- $0.98 for both)
Lysol Wipes (2/$5; coupon for $0.50 off purchase of 2)
Whiskas Wet Pouches for our furbaby (Regular Price)
2 Clear Value Paper Towel Double Rolls ($1.35 per roll; had 2 coupons for $1.00 off each roll)
Pampers Swaddlers (Sale $9.99; Coupon for $1.50 off the pack)
Scott Naturals 12 Pack Toilet Paper (Sale $7.49; Store Catalina for $1.50 & $0.75 MFR Coupon)
3 Pack Brita Filter Refills (Sale $17.99; Coupon from Coupons.com for $3 off the pack)
Spinach (Regular Price)
Bananas (Regular Price)

*I also had a coupon for $10 off a $50 purchase that my aunt received in the mail as well.

Before my savings from my Bonuscard my total was a whopping $100.42.  My Savings between coupons & Bonuscard brought my savings total to $57.54.  I got $100 of groceries for $45.68.  I also earned $0.25 in Fuelperks today between their bonus items and my total.  I'm hoping to start planning all of our food & snacks around sales and cut my grocery bill in half ASAP! Just wanted to share my second awesome trip! 

Extreme Couponing : Day One

So over the course of the past week I've made the decision to attempt to extreme coupon. I've read a few ladies' blogs/posts/sites to do research & until I came across one in particular, NONE of it made sense. So many of them only show you the coupons and not how to organize the chaos that is coupon mountain.

I used to put my coupons in a little folding organizer with 6/7 tabs. I'd forget to look at them and usually let them expire before I ever had the chance to use them. This weekend I got a 1" 3-ring binder with about 30 baseball card sleeves. I clipped all of my coupons before I sorted them into departments. Then I stuffed them into Their individual pockets. If I had multiples of one item, I put them in together. I did all of my clipping, sorting and stuffing this morning in about 35-45 minutes while my daughter napped. I haven't read up on any store policies for couponing YET! I just decided that with us building within the next year or so I couldn't afford to pay full price for groceries anymore. I PLAN to tighten our grocery budget even more over the next few months.

Anyhow, today I made 2 grocery trips. I went to food lion first, used very few coupons due to sibling rivalry in the cop car buggy. However my second trip, to Bi-Lo, was much more productive. I was able to turn a $106 grocery trip into a $48 grocery bill. I had a $10 off $50 purchase coupon, along with several catalina coupons (store print outs), and a few manufacturer coupons. Saving $58 at the end.

Also to any mommies who are okay with freebies & getting email coupons:

*Visit the websites of any companies you use (ex: Kraft, P & G, Gerber) and sign up for coupons.
*Get any rewards cards at any stores you frequent
*My personal favorite savers are Disney Movie Club & Disney Movie Rewards.  I have absolute no issues with deep discounts & freebies from the Rewards club.  We've gotten our 15th free DVD this past month and have gotten 2 free DVDs from referring a friend to the Movie Club.
*Publix Paws & Publix Baby Club also send great coupon for all babies (furry or not) and send birthday cards and simple gifts to your children.
*I'll update anymore i become aware of, those are just off the top of my head.

I just wanted to share this amazing new hobby with my friends & loved ones and outline just a few starter tips since I've had a few ask how I have done it =)

AMAZING Bible Storybook for Children

A few weeks back, i finally found a Bible storybook that met my standards.  "Jesus Calling Bible Storybook" by Sarah Young covers the entire bible.  Many i have looked at have had poorly drawn illustrations, lacked vibrant colors, and didn't include scripture.  I got every single expectation met with this one.  Reading from The Last Supper to Easter Sunday had my three year old very interested, as he illustrated everything he saw and understood.  If any of you moms were looking for a good Bible storybook to help teach your children about Jesus, this is definitely it.  I got our copy from Walmart for $15 on sale, and it may be available for less on sites like Amazon & eBay.  I've attached a picture of the cover, illustrations & the scripture.  Enjoy!

Easter 2013

We had lots of big plans for Easter, some which didn't go as planned.  We made it to our Easter Journey at church Saturday morning.  The kids had LOTS of fun, played with their cousins & friends & made some pretty cool crafts.  After a while of playing on the playground & tantrums in refusal to go home, we finally dropped papa off and made our way back home.  And that's when it happened.  I got Kyleigh out of the car, blazing hot with a fever.  After coming inside she got weaker by the minute.  We dosed her with Motrin, threw her in the tub & she got some rest.  While sissy got some rest, i ran to the store & got some McCormick Neon Food Coloring, Vinegar, Paas Color Cups & Eggs.  I usually use Paas Dye kits with the tablets, but i wanted more vibrant eggs this year as opposed to more dull colors.  Also this year, we got a chance to dye eggs without a horrible mess & everybody else got a nap.  To avoid Kade spending the whole weekend inside, we let him spend the night with Mimi & Papa.  He had a blast, got new toys & candy & got to goof off all night.  We spent the remainder of our Saturday with a weak, feverish baby.  She woke up sick in the middle of the night & that's when i noticed she had blisters on her feet.  It appears Kyleigh picked up Hand, Foot & Mouth from nursery.  Not quite the Easter weekend i had planned when i laid their clothes & shoes out and had gotten so excited about our sermon at church (which we all missed).  Luckily, our church's website has the sermons available for listening.  

Later Sunday afternoon, Ky was back up and being her silly, sassy self.  We decided to load up & go to Mimi's house for Easter dinner and to get their baskets.  The kids played in their inflatable, played in the woods with the goats & loved on their grandparents.  Not a bad weekend by the end of it.  And of course, I read to Kade & explained to him the real reason behind celebrating Easter isn't about a big, goofy looking bunny rabbit and candy and toys.  He understands that Jesus died and suffered for our sins on the cross and was risen three days later.  I love my children and want them to never to forget what real love is.  

Hopefully, next Easter my kids can dodge sickness & we can make it to church as planned. 
Below are some of the highlights of our weekend.  Enjoy!

Catch-Up

Soooo, it's been a while since i've had the chance (or the amount of sleep to stay awake) to blog.  Chasing around my one & three year old are quite time-consuming but more rewarding than anything in this world.  I'm still at home full-time, with intentions of homeschooling.  I re-dedicated my life to God last June and SO much has fallen into place for my family.  We are absolutely blessed to be part of such an amazing & supportive church.  My babies have made so many friends & I have been able to reconnect with my church family.  I spend my Sunday mornings in worship & my Wednesday nights helping with the preteens in Awanas.  Kade has earned so many badges in Cubbies it's insane.  Kyleigh has made a few friends and learned that mommy isn't abandoning her.  

My parents built a barn & fenced in their woods to start a little farm.  Keeping woods cut down so they won't become a forest was too much work.  Plus we've all learned that goats are pretty awesome creatures.  Most of our time spent at the grandparents on the weekend is spent chasing goats, doodling with sidewalk chalk on their horns & "fishing" for crawfish.  More critters to come soon!

Kade continued to have speech trouble due to his frequent ear infections.  He could show how smart he was from his sight word, number, letter, color & shape DVDs.  He just lacked the ability to form good sentences & communicate like some children his age.  We got a speech referral last June & by October he had his first appointment for therapy.  Within the first month he was communicating his wants/needs and carrying on normal conversation.  He is still working on making choices & asking and answering complex questions.  The first time he told me he loved me was July 30th 2012.  Never forget that day.  He now says his prayers alone at bedtime.  He has made so many friends at church.  His progress has been a true blessing. 

Also, Kade continued to have ear infections after the first set of tubes.  The first one was within a month of the surgery.  Then they continued over the summer.  By September, his ENT had come to the decision that his tonsils were obstructive.  He snored in his sleep, continued to have ear infections (which may lead to chronic ear infections, sleep apnea & speech troubles), and had frequent night wakings.  In October, we scheduled a second set of tubes along with a tonsillectomy.  This required an overnight stay due to his age & weight.  Everytime somebody entered our room after his surgery he screamed.  He was absolutely terrified.  We were visited by Mimi & Papa, Sissy & our friends from church.  We had many prayers over him.  He wouldn't eat in the hospital until his IV "cast" was removed and were warned he would be prone to bleeding from the lack of fluids.  NOT ONE BIT.  The only complication we ran into was the fever a week later from the scabs falling off his throat.  And I've become quite the fan of the surgery.  No more night wakings unless he's throwing up, no snoring & only one ear infection since the surgery.  

Next month we will be listing our house and hopefully selling ASAP.  We hope to be building our new home on our land by the end of the year.  Many more things to come in 2013, just playing catch-up!!

Motherhood

Yesterday I saw an image on Facebook that made me feel a lot better about myself. It read "being a beautiful mother isn't about how you look, but how you live." The image showed a mother reading to her two young children in a robe, with her wet head wrapped up in a towel & glasses on.

I immediately sent this to my best friend Brittany. We always talk about how we have to strategize to take baths somedays, how we only care for makeup on special occasions, and our children are our #1 priority.

I am not the perfect mother by any means. I get easily overwhelmed, frustrated, and sometimes feel like I'm running an insane asylum. My house is never perfectly cleaned. I never wear makeup at home because my husband is amazing and actually prefers when I don't wear it! My hubby also works two jobs to support me being a SAHM, while saving for our future home to be built on our land. I watch Yo Gabba Gabba with my son on a daily basis while dancing & singing along (even in the car sometimes). I talk to my cat like she is my child (I love my cat more than some people love their children, and yes, she is my furbaby!). That is my life in a nutshell.

I haven't placed anything else before my children. Too often I've seen kids shuffled around because their parents don't have time for them because they won't MAKE time for them. I'm not knocking people with jobs because I know you have to support your family. However going out to bars EVERY weekend and getting plastered to the walls isn't a valid excuse for ditching your children in my book. My weekends mainly consist of spending time with my husband and children at my parents to cookout and swim. Every other Saturday I do my grocery shopping and occasionally me and my husband go out to eat and to a movie.

Another pet peeve of mine is that I hear too many people say they need "me time". My husband about has to break my arm for me to even go pick up food from a drive-thru without one or both of the kids. My purse is always packed with a diaper, a pull-up, big boy undies & a bag of Cheerios or Goldfish depending on my son's current favorite snack food. My husband and I are even seriously thinking of homeschooling our son & daughter. I consider myself lucky to not have this so-called "me time" be a part of my routine.

So for anyone who has seen me at home or out in public without makeup and rocking some pajamas I apologize for my appearance. However, I won't apologize for making sure that my children look good, are clean & happy. My kids won't care when they look back at all of the pictures that mommy wasn't wearing makeup. They will care that they had a mommy who raised them herself and had fun with them!

One Month of Cloth Diapering

About a month ago I went ahead and switched Kyleigh to her Charlie Banana diapers and cloth wipes for both kids. I have been anxious for a long time to dwindle down our disposable stash to get started. Also I'd been nervous about not having a fancy sprayer to connect to my toilet like many other CD mommies I'd seen. So I figured out a way that works out for me, saving me oodles of money as well. I bought a cheap spray bottle from Walmart, filled it with water & a little bit of Dreft.

I started about a month ago while I still had a decent supply of disposables as a backup just incase I didn't like the whole concept of cleaning the poo off of the inserts or incase she didn't like them for whatever reason.

Now that I'm typing this post up, I can tell you I put entirely too much thought into what my experience would be and nearly talked myself out of something I truly LOVE now. I won't lie, my first few days I went through the shuffling of the baby & the covers and inserts to avoid a completely stinky mess. By day 3 I'd gotten my routine down pat! And now it's like clockwork. We use 2 inserts at a time. Since Ky is rolling but isn't such a squirmed that she knocks inserts out, I lay them on top to avoid going through a cover for each diaper change. I wash diapers every night when the kids are asleep and I've never run out of diapers or inserts between washes =)

I wish I'd known about all of the options cloth diapering has now when my son was born! I assumed I'd be stuck with flat diapers that require safety pins and leak pee and poo everywhere!! Despite the fact that I won a free year of diapers with Huggies when he was 6 months old we still spent SO much money on disposables. Our house fund would be much more hefty if I'd known then what I know now!! However, you live and you learn. And cloth has definitely made life a little less rashy and more comfy in this house!!