Cheese and Whine

Workout Jams of 2012

2012-01-25T22:04:00.000-05:00

So, I have been getting back into working out on a consistent basis. Well, when I say consistent I mean "more than I have in the past 4 years." And that's not really hard to do. Trust me. There hasn't been much consistency in work outs since circa 2006. Geesh.

Anyways, my iPhone has just about kept me going on those workout days getting me through some runs on the treadmill and torturous workouts on the elliptical. Thank goodness for iTunes. So here's a glimpse of what's playing these days.

Boom Boom Pow-Black Eyed Peas
I Gotta Feeling-Black Eyed Peas
Till the World Ends-Brittney Spears
Just the Way You Are-Bruno Mars
On the Floor-J Lo
Jenny from the Block-J Lo
Dynamite-Taio Cruz
Yeah!-Usher
OMG-Usher
Somebody to Love-Justin Beiber
Baby-Justin Beiber
Born this way-Gaga
You and I-Gaga
The Edge of Glory-Gaga
Paparazzi-Gaga
Telephone-Gaga
Bad Romance-Gaga
Home-Daughtry
Gangsta's Paradise-Coolio
Harder to Breathe-Maroon 5
Independence Day-Martina McBride
Party in the USA-Miley Cyrus
Whataya Want from Me-Adam Lambert
Crazy in Love-Beyonce

Happy running!

The Day I Was Born

2012-01-10T09:00:00.001-05:00

My kids LOVE to hear the story of the day they were born. Hubs tells them their stories often and since hubs was just recently here, they have been repeating it to anyone that will listen. Madelyn sometimes tells her story a couple times a day. Just out of the blue. It's adorable and lucky for us I caught it on film.

She was a little "camera shy" which prompted me to have to give her a little help with her story. Normally she can tell the whole story without any help.

Here's Kaiden's version of his story:

Gosh those kids know how to melt my heart <3

A Better Egg McMuffin

2012-01-06T09:04:00.002-05:00

In the past few years I have become ~~obsessed~~ passionate about healthy eating. Cutting out processed foods, limiting our meat intake and eating mostly organic, whole grain foods. Well this year I plan to keep it up only I have been turning it up a notch. I have been making practically everything from scratch and been eating/making things with only whole grain and whole wheats and cutting out practically all the sugar by only sweetening things naturally. I'll be honest, it has been hard and time consuming, but if you do as much research as I do about food, where it comes from, what is actually in it and how little our government is doing to protect us, you would be outraged! I'm fuming as we speak...

I have been really enjoying this new blog that I found recently. The family went 100 days with NO processed food. Once the 100 days were completed they adopted this completely healthy lifestyle with no regrets! She has some really great recipes (which my kids gobble up!) and information. It's worth poking around a bit.

So I was out searching ways to make eating "real food" quicker and easier. I found this recipe and decided to try it. It turned out really good and super easy!

Did you know that an Egg McMuffin has over 50 ingredients? That's right! Sound like it's healthy? Not in my house! So start by gathering all your whole grain, organic ingredients: English muffins, cheddar cheese, butter and eggs.

Crack your eggs into a muffin tin and bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes

At the same time you can toast your muffins in the oven for about 10 minutes or so.

When the eggs and muffins are done, spread some butter on the muffins, top with shredded cheddar cheese and place an egg on top. You will now want to "flash freeze" these puppies for about an hour. If you don't, when you try and heat them up it makes the bread a little mushy from the moisture.

After an hour, pull them out of the freezer and then place the muffin top on and wrap in tinfoil and freeze in a ziplock bag.

The directions on the original recipe say that they can go freezer to plate in 25 minutes in a 350 degree oven. I beg to differ. Mine took more like 45-60 minutes. So, my suggestion is to grab one out of the freezer the night before you plan to eat them and put it in the refrigerator to thaw. Then bump up the temp to 375 and they will be ready in 25-30 min.

I just made another batch today but added some Canadian bacon to each one and only cooked the egg whites. I can't wait to try these ones on a busy school morning as I am trying so patiently to leave the house on time. Breakfast for mommy will be done by the time I am running out!

Healthy eating!

Welcome 2012

2012-01-05T14:57:00.000-05:00

In an effort to not sound to cliche: I still can't believe it's already 2012.
Sorry. That totally sounded cliche.

2011 was a time of many changes in our family. In a period of two weeks we made a decision to sell our house in AZ and move across the country back to my old stomping grounds of PA. My husband stayed back in AZ while renting an apartment and devoting himself to his business while we moved in with my parents in the house that I grew up in and started our lives without hubs.

The kids started preschool, I joined a new gym and we stuck all of our life's possessions in a storage unit a few miles from my parents home. We've had three visits from hubs that will never replace the feeling of having him home with us 100% of the time. We've begun to make new friends, find a new church (still unsuccessfully) and acclimate to the cold weather (also unsuccessfully!). 2011 wasa quite a year.

2012 came in uneventfully as I no longer can seem to make it to see the ball drop anymore.  Hubs came for the holidays and had to leave to go back to AZ just yesterday. We miss him terribly. It doesn't seem to get any easier and the kids can feel it too. But in 2012 we look forward to reuniting (sooner than later) and moving into our own space to start our lives together here in PA.

I don't really like making resolutions since I never seem to continue them throughout the year, but this year I need to make some changes.  So, I've narrowed down to two things that are high on my priority list.

(1) Read through the Bible. I have attempted 3 times to read the Bible in a year on a reading plan through our church in AZ. I have come to the conclusion that I am not really liking their plan how it jumps all over the place and typically involves lots of chapters in each book.  On the advice of a friend of mine I am starting a new reading plan starting at Matthew. I'll be reading through the New Testament then starting back at Genesis to read through the Old Testament. I am just going to read and mark off where I left off and then pick it back up from there each day. Even if I only read one verse a day or one chapter a day I will be satisfied that I am making the attempt to stay in the Word daily. It'll take me well more than a year, I'm thinking, but at least I am starting somewhere.

2. Work out. I really need to take my health seriously.  I used to be so good at working out and eating right. Before kids. And, well, we all know how that goes once those little rug rats take over. I am going to get back on a early morning work out routine and make whole foods a part of our diet daily.  I do pretty well with eating as it is, but this year I am going to take it up just another notch. And cutting out my coffee caffeine. (I'm almost there with that since I just drink coffee about 1x/week and it's only 1/4 caffeinated). Who knows, maybe I'll even start running a few races again.

So I have hopes that 2012 will bring us continued health and happiness. I pray that we get our family back together and that we find a new church, new home and watch our kids grow into respectful, loving, healthy children.

Many blessings to you and yours!

25 Days of Christmas-2011 Edition

2011-12-05T14:37:00.000-05:00

Last year I started to do the 25 Days of Christmas with my kids. Basically it consists of doing one Christmas related activity per day with the kids. It made leading up to Christmas so much more fun as each day we were excited to see what was planned. I got the idea from Katie, who is always full of great ideas! Thanks Katie!

I am a little behind the 8 ball this year getting it all together and typed up. I have all the ideas all in my head, but am finally sorting them out on to actual days. My hubby just got into town. What's your excuse?!?!? :))

Day 1-Got all the decorations out and put up tree (check!)
Day 2-Christmas Parade in Phoenixville (check!)
Day 3-Make Christmas countdown chain (check!)
Day 4-Train display (oopps...totally forgot about this, but hubs and I went Christmas shopping!)
Day 5-Decorate Christmas tree (check!)
Day 6-Read Christmas books by the Christmas tree
Day 7-Christmas carols/tree lighting and visit with Santa @ YMCA
Day 8-Make teacher gifts and let kids color Christmas cards
Day 9-Brandywine River Museum Christmas train display
Day 10-Make a Christmas ornament craft
Day 11-Drive around and look at Christmas lights
Day 12-Take the train into Philadelphia for the Macy's Holiday light show & Dickens Village
Day 13-Go sit on Santa's lap
Day 14-Go to the mall and buy gifts for needy children
Day 15-Hubby and I in NYC for Christmas get-away
Day 16-In NYC
Day 17-(Still in NYC for Christmas get-away) Kids can watch a Christmas movie
Day 18-Live Nativity @ Reeves Park
Day 19-Make Christmas cookies & craft @ a friend's house
Day 20-Make reindeer food
Day 21-Drive around and look at Christmas lights
Day 22-Kids Christmas show at school
Day 23-Make birthday cake for Jesus
Day 24-Read the Nativity story from the bible

Oh, I LOVE Christmas time, don't you?!?!?!

No Guilt Chocolate Pudding

2011-11-30T13:55:00.000-05:00

I have been a baking/cooking fool lately. I am LOVING this new blog that I found where I have gathered a bunch of new recipes. More on that later. Today I wanted to post a recipe for chocolate pudding made with avocados. I know, right?!?!?!?

Did I post this recipe yet? One might ask why I don't just go back into my listing of posts and find out? In which I would answer: Cause my head is spinning from all the craziness going on that I don't feel like taking not one extra step to actually find out the answer to my own question.

So there.

At any rate, this pudding recipe is pretty much spot on to the real thing. Well, minus all the crap that the instant mixes have in them. And if your not gonna care about what's in your food, then I will just have to do that for you.

Ingredients:

1 ripe avocado. Yes, avocado. Trust me here. Cut in half, scoop out the goods, get rid of the pit and cut into chunks
1 ripe banana, cut into chunks
1 cup milk. Any milk will work: 1%, 2%, soy, almond, etc.
1/4 cup raw cocoa powder. Find this at Whole Foods or online (I like Vitacost for all my natural food, vitamin and health care needs). Or I just used Hershey's unsweetened cocoa powder since I had that on hand.
2T agave nectar
1tsp lemon juice
1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut (optional). I put this in the first batch I made and my kids didn't like the pieces of coconut in their pudding. So, it's up to you if you want to add it.

Put all ingredients in a blender, Vitamix or food processor and blend until smooth. Put in refrigerator and chill for a couple of hours before serving.

I just made two batches and am anxiously awaiting it to get chilled before I guiltlessly (totally a word) dive in!

Enjoy!!!

Funny Things My Kids Say: Part 2

2011-11-04T11:39:00.000-04:00

More kid funnies! Love them!

Kaiden: "Mommy! Look what I brought for you!" (running in the house with flowers picked from the yard)
Me: "Wow! I love them. I really like when you think of me like that and bring me flowers."
Kaiden: "Cause you like that?"
Me: "Yep. Girls like that kind of stuff."
Kaiden: "Yeah. Girls like pretty flowers cause they are princesses."

"Me and Maddey have boogies in our ears. I just put my finger in my ear and felt it."

"Maddey, can I please use that phone? I have a cousin that I need to say hi to."

"Close your eyes. And when I count to, ummmm, one then open your eyes. One, two, three, four, ONE! Open your eyes!"

"That was a big poop. It kind of hurt. I thought it was going to split my butt."

Me: "What do you want for lunch?"
Kaiden: "Ummm...how about strawberries and crawfish."
Me: "Huh?'

Maddey: "Mommy! My belly ache is full. My legs hurt."
Me: Why?
Maddey: "Cause my belly ache is full."

Me: "How'd you get so big?!"
Maddey: "Daddy made me big."

Orange Infused Water

2011-10-14T09:01:00.000-04:00

A few weeks ago I was looking for a way to spice up my regular water. It's ever so boring drinking plain water day in and day out, but all other drinks fill your body with nasty sugar that reeks havoc on your body. Yuck. I found this simple recipe and thought it was ever so genius and whipped it up in about 5 minutes flat.

Take 2 or more oranges and slice them up. Grab some fresh mint leaves and pull them apart.

Drop the oranges and mint into a pitcher. Pour water over top and store in the refrigerator. Let steep at least 2 hours before drinking.
Go ahead and experiment with other fruits/veggies such as lemons, raspberries, cucumbers, strawberries or a mix of a few!
Enjoy a cool, refreshing drink!

Kaiden's 4th Birthday

2011-10-12T14:50:00.005-04:00

My baby is 4. Just yesterday he was nestled all snuggly in his hospital incubator and then I blinked and we were celebrating his 4th birthday. Ho hum. Ho hum.

Hubby was in town for the celebration in which we had a few family members to join in the festivities. He wanted a "batman" theme this year. Which was really no surprise since about a month ago he told me he wanted to be "Batman" for Halloween this year. A fun time was had by all. No tears were shed by mom (miraculously!) and he got everything that he had on his "wish list."

I made a Batman cake using Katie's Slow Cook Chocolate Cake. I made it last year for Madelyn's birthday, and people, it's good. I used a vanilla frosting recipe from Melissa that she gave me about a year ago. I colored the icing yellow and used black sugar sheets to cut out a batman symbol. I definitely won't be on Cake Boss anytime soon, but it was a fun cake to make.

Here's the "Bat Family"

We sang "Happy Birthday" to Kaiden who looks none-to-thrilled to have all the attention on him!
On Sunday, Kaiden's actual birthday, we took a family trip to Linvilla. LOVE this place!

We fed the sheep...

And the goats...

...And took a hayride through all the orchards.

Then we came home and opened some presents. A Lightening McQueen car was a big hit from Grandma Mary

A spiderman umbrella from Mommy and Daddy

A road rug for all his cars. Also from Mommy and Daddy.

And a Teddy Bear from Mee-ma and P-pa.

And his favorite of all is the bell for his bike he has been asking for!

It was a great birthday. So you can stop growing now Kaiden! Love you oogles.

Roasted Sweet Potato Spinach Salad

2011-09-23T09:00:00.000-04:00

Mmmmm....Now doesn't that look good? As a result of some recent "emotional eating" since arriving here in PA in June I am starting to find my energy levels have plummeted, I feel a lot more bloated and my pants are fitting ever so more snugly than before. I have clearly fallen off my healthy eating train. But, I recently ignited my passion for eating whole, organic foods by watching "Forks Over Knives." It's a great flick with a "Food, Inc." kind of feel to it. Definitely worth watching.

So, I had remembered this salad that a friend of mine had made while I was at her house. It's so easy, yet so good. I made it the other night for dinner and I will definitely be adding this back into my food rotation! Next time I might add some roasted asparagus to it as well. Yummy!

Directions:
Peel one sweet potato (or yam) and slice into 1-inch pieces. Mix with a little olive oil, salt and pepper. Spread on a cookie sheet and roast in at 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes. Turn after 15 minutes. Place on top of spinach lettuce and add pine nuts, feta cheese & tomatoes. Season with Balsamic Vinaigrette dressing and viola! Gobble up and feel good that you've just nourished your body with organic, whole foods!

Drawing with Purpose

2011-09-19T09:00:00.001-04:00

All of a sudden my little boy seems to be all grown up. He talks more grown up, he looks more grown up and recently he has even been coloring and drawing like a grown up. The other day he drew a picture of himself on our magnetic drawing thing. This was a total first of an actual attempt at a face and body. He drew the large circle for the face. Two dots with circles for the eyes, a LARGE smile, hair and two straight lines for legs. I must say, I am pretty impressed with my almost 4 year old's interpretation of himself!!
Great job Kaiden!

Peach Picking & A Pretty Darn Good Crisp Recipe

2011-09-16T09:05:00.000-04:00

Back in August we were looking for something to do on a gorgeous Friday morning so I googled "pick your own" produce farms in the area and found Linvilla Orchards not too far away. What a cool place! With many different picking options to choose from, we decided we wanted to pick peaches since it was peach season and all. So, we got our box, found a spot on the tractor bed and off to the peach orchard we went.

The kids loved placing their picked peaches into our box.

P-pa accompanied us on our little adventure. See how many peaches we picked! One or two of them may or may not have made it home because they were so delicious!
With so many peaches I wanted to make a peach crisp. I boiled the peaches for 20 minutes. Did you know that it is easier to get the skin off if you do that first? I just saved you about 15 minute of peeling. You're welcome.
Here is the finished product! It was sooooo good! I may or may not have had a second helping! See recipe below

I used this recipe, but after reading a bunch of reviews I made some substitutions.

Ingredients:

Peeled and sliced peaches. Enough to fill a pie dish.

Handful of blueberries thrown in

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup rolled oats

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup butter

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350. Put peaches in pie pan and sprinkle with vanilla extract. Combine flour, oats, sugars, cinnamon and salt in a bowl and cut in butter. Sprinkle mixture over peaches and bake in the oven for 45 minutes until bubbly browned. Eat plain or with vanilla ice cream!

Note: This would be good with any other kind of fruit as well. Apple season is almost upon us!

Funny Things My Kids Say

2011-09-14T10:33:00.002-04:00

Kaiden says the funniest things. And since he talks all. the. time I can usually count on him saying something quite amusing on a daily basis. Madelyn, well, she is just a parrot and repeats everything that Kaiden says and pretends it's her own. That's quite funny in and of itself.

Here are some recent funnies out of the mouth's of my babes:

"I have an itch. Today is itchy day and pool day." (We were heading to the Y to take swim lessons)

"Look! My pee is yellow. If I drink grape juice then my pee would be grape coming out."

"Don't eat our lollipops when we are taking naps. If you eat it then you will stink for today."

"Mommy can I bring my phone with me? Just in case I need to call someone to say hi."

"Okay. You can count and I'll be the wood pressure. Then you come and find me." (playing hide and seek)

Kaiden counting: "1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 16, 11-teen, 14, 19. Ready or not! Here I come!"

"If you went on a walk all by yourself and didn't know how to get home then I will grow up and be a police man. Then I would bring you home."

Listening to Lady Gaga in the car: "Is this Lady Gaga? She sure is silly. Isn't she mom?"

"You're putting that flower in water cause it needs to have breakfast too?"

Kaiden: "Can I marry you when I grow up?"
Me: "Well, I am already married to Daddy."
Kaiden: "Then I need to find a different girl to marry that doesn't have a Daddy already?"

First Day of Preschool 2011

2011-09-13T09:38:00.004-04:00

Welp. We made it to the first day of preschool 2011. And I am sad. BOTH my kiddos are at school. *sniff*

The first "official" day of school was actually last Thursday. But the day before my kids decided to come down with colds. And since their little noses were running like faucets, I didn't want to be that mom that sent her kids to school sick to infect everyone else. So, we took the weekend to recover and today they are good as new!

I scoped out many preschools here upon arriving in PA in June. But, this one came highly recommended by many and after meeting with the director, I knew this was our new preschool home. Maddey started this year in the 2's class and Kaiden moved up to the 3's class. Both have been over the moon excited about it. I knew Kaiden would be just fine with me leaving him there. Maddey was another story. She isn't one to be away from me (and from her brother to protect her) so I was just waiting for an all out melt down while trying to walk out of the room. To my surprise, she didn't shed one tear!!! Is my baby growing up?!?!?

Here they are out in front of mee-ma and p-pa's house getting ready to leave. Kaiden wanted to wear his Batman shirt so he could "hotel" ("show and tell" in our language!) his classmates.

Wanting to show off their "cack-cacks." Princesses (of couse) for Maddey and Lightening McQueen for Kaiden.

Did mommy finally get in a picture with her children?!?
Out in front of school waiting for the doors to open. Notice they were more concerned with the other people that were looking at them than looking at the camera!

Dropped Kaiden off at his classroom first and he sat right down to start coloring. So big!

Then off to Madelyn's classroom. We put away her "cack-cack" and found some toys to play with. Hugs and kisses and mommy was off. Not even a single tear (well, that I could see!) So proud of her!

So, now I find myself with 2.5 hours all. to. myself. What ever will I do?!?!?

10 Things I Miss the Most About Arizona

2011-08-17T15:21:00.001-04:00

*My husband.
*When you go to the library to check out a movie it's FREE.
*Couponing at Fry's grocery stores.
*Organic selection of food at Costco.
*My friends.
*The updated, beautiful road system.
*My mom's group.
*Anthem's master planned community where I only had to drive a couple miles to reach anything.
*Pappaduex's restaurant and their famous "Swamp Thing" drink.
*Did I mention my husband?

Welp, some of you may already know that I no longer live in AZ. I am a Philly girl through and through, I guess, and after spending 8 years in Phoenix, the east coast has called me home. It was a decision in the making for a few years now actually. Once we started to have children we fast realized that living for "us" is no longer an option. All of our decisions have to be made with our children's best interest in mind instead. And for us, living closer to family makes the most sense.

Although there were many, many great things about Arizona that I will continue to miss, I am glad to be back in Philly. There seem to be endless activities for us and people here actually cheer on the home town sports teams. Go figure. We are living with my parents for now who have been a HUGE help with the kids. We are still in the adjustment period having only been back since early June, but the kids soon will start preschool here and seem to be settling in just fine. We are anxiously awaiting hubs to join us next June when he will move here from AZ instead of just visiting us for a week here and there. It's hard to be without him, but we know this decision for him to stay behind and grow his business was the right one.

Look for more posts showing our many east coast adventures! We have been busy!

Deep Conversations with a 3 Year Old

2011-07-29T12:45:00.001-04:00

Yes. It have been sweet forever since I have written last. In fact it's been over two months since I did an acceptable post. Whew. And I still have written about all the changes going on in our family. And, well, I'm not going to do that today either. So you'll just have to wait.

But, what I will enlighten you with is a precious conversation that I had with Kaiden yesterday on our drive to Trader Joe's. See they have a story hour every Thursday morning where the lady reads two books (always with a relation to food in them) and provides a snack. Which, of course, always correlates to the story and food reference. It's brilliant. The kids love it. And I do too, cause they hold the story time right in the area where they do the demos of food, drinks and coffee. So, while they are sitting quietly listening to their story I am stuffing my face with the deliciousness that TJ's has to offer and getting my caffeine fix on a cup of morning joe. All for FREE! Have you ever tried Trader Joe's coffee? It's brilliant. Simply brilliant.

Anyway, on the way to story time we wind through a section of Valley Forge Park that runs along a river. Well, stream, but details. It's pretty heavily wooded in this particular area and there are a number of trees and branches along the road that have fallen down. Kaiden always asks me why they have fallen. Every. single. time. But yesterdays conversation took a turn into the deep areas that I didn't think I would have to venture to for quite some time.

Kaiden: "Why are the trees on the ground mommy?"
Me: "Because sometimes they die and fall over."
Kaiden: "Why do they die?"
Me: "Everything dies eventually, buddy."
Kaiden: "But, I don't want to die."
Me: "Well, you won't die for a LONG time. But we all die. The best part is that when we die, we get to go to heaven. Do you remember who lives in heaven?"
Kaiden: "God."
Me: "God. That's right. So, it won't be bad to die since we will be in heaven with God."
Kaiden: "But, I don't really want to die. Maybe you should tell God that I don't want to die. Mommy, maybe you should just call God on the phone."
Me: "I can't call God, buddy. But you can always talk to God when you pray."
Kaiden: "Why do we pray?"
Me: "Well, if you want to tell God something you pray."
Kaiden: "Or when we want Him to protect us?"
Me: "Yes. That's right. Oh look, here we are! Let's go!" (Phew!)

Be still my heart. That kid cracks me up!

Meal Plan-6/22/11

2011-06-22T15:37:00.004-04:00

I have GOT to get back to meal planning. Now that we are at my parents house it seems extra chaotic around dinner time. There have been numerous 4:00 "oh shoot, what are we having for dinner" converstations. It just doesn't work with my mom getting home from work at 5:20ish, trying to get the kids fed, bathed, and ready for bed. Especially the nights that we Skype with hubs before 7:00pm. Crazy.

So, here's to meal planning and getting back on track with eating better. I realize that it is mid-week, but heck, a half of a meal plan is better than no meal plan at all, eh? I just got to the grocery store and Costco today so it's a good day to start with a somewhat full fridge. What day is today anyways?

Wednesday-Chili
Thursday-Eggplant Parm
Friday-Order a pizza
Saturday-1st birthday party for a friend's daughter. Eating there.

Catch a full week of meal plan on Sunday. Have a great hump day.

Yes, I am Still Alive

2011-06-16T13:10:00.005-04:00

Ummmm, yeah. I am still here. Hanging on by a thread (so it feels) most of these days. And if you remember from my last post that there have been some, umm, changes going on around here that isn't even the half of it. I can't even begin to get into it all right now because I don't have the time. Or energy. And, honestly, I can't find my camera cord right now to upload all the photos I want to use to do a proper post. So, I will just leave you with a little Kaiden-ism for the day.

Kaiden: "Mommy. When can I be a Daddy?"
Me: "Ummmm. When you are MUCH, MUCH older."
Kaiden: "I want to take you to a wedding." (I went to a wedding last weekend and when he asked if he could go with me I told him it was only for mommies and daddies to go to)
Me: "Awwww, buddy. I would love for you to take me to a wedding when you get older."
Kaiden. "I want to be a daddy just like my daddy."

Love.

A list

2011-05-24T16:56:00.004-04:00

Let me free my mind of some thoughts that are swirling around my busy little head.

I have recently gotten in the habit of watching Maury during the kids nap time. "You ARE the father!" It's like a complete train wreck of a show. It's so awful but you can't help but watch.

I am convinced, once again, that I am totally uneasy with change. Big change, little change...doesn't matter. I am comfy in my own little world going along as it did the day before, and the day before that, and the day before that.

We are going through some change in my house.

I really need a vacation.

I am going to PA in approximately two weeks and will be attending a wedding. Remember when I spring cleaned my closet? Remember that I only had dresses from 15 years ago? What am I going to do about a dress?!?!?!

I wish I had a stylist that would do my clothing shopping for me. I hate shopping.

Going to PA doesn't count as a "vacation."

The past few days I am convinced my kids are trying to kill me. When does the whining end? I think it's a great day for a reality check.

Last night I went to see a child psychologist speak to my mom's group. She is amazing. I could have listened to her for hours. Check out her website here. She wrote a book that I am reading here. Good, good stuff.

I had an "aha" moment the other day. I am an emotional eater. Anytime I feel overwhelmed, I eat. Anytime I feel angry, I eat. Anytime I feel depressed, I eat.

I really want some ice cream.

I am going to start to track my eating using the weight watchers point system. Not cause I need to lose weight, but because I need to have structure.

I can't believe Oprah is going off the air. I've been watching her forever! *tear*

Okey dokie. I feel better...I just need to convince myself not to eat that ice cream bar in the freezer.
Y'all have a good day.

77% Savings!

2011-05-16T11:39:00.004-04:00

It's been awhile since I have found some really killer deals at the grocery store. I basically have been living on a stockpile and haven't had to do a big shop in awhile. But I was itching for some deals so went shopping last night at Fry's. By myself. It's like a vacation every single time.

Anywho, I was pretty stoked after my trip last night since I got $102.05 worth of groceries (41 items) for $22.83. A 77% savings! SCORE! I still get that "couponers high" and walked out of there feeling like a champ!

Here's a breakdown of the items I got at Fry's. Keep in mind that my Fry's takes competitor's coupons and doubles all MFR coupons to $1.00. They were also doing a MEGA event which you get a lower sale price on items when you buy the participating items in groups of 10:

5 boxes of Cascadian Farms Organic cereal $2.95
used (5) $1/1 Cascadian Farms MFR coupon (got a bunch at a coupon swap I went to)
Stacked with:
(5) $1/1 Cascadian Farms Whole Foods Coupon
=$.95/box

Mom's Best Cereal $.99 wyb 10
$1/1 Mom's Best Cereal
=FREE

Cheerios $3.79
used FREE Cheerios coupon that Fry's mailed me
=FREE

6 bags of Boulder Chips $.99 wyb 10
(2) $1/1 Boulder chips
(2) $1/2 Boulder chips (nay no longer be available)
= 2 FREE, 4 for $.50 each

Magnum Premium Ice Cream bars $4.49
ecoupon for FREE box (up to $4.50 value)
=FREE

Nivea Body Lotion $2.95 wyb 10
$2/1 Nivea Lotion RP 5/15
stacked with:
$1/1 Nivea Lotion Target coupon
=FREE

Johnson's Body & Hair wash $2.50 wyb 10
$.50/1 Johnson's baby product (from the paper-not sure when)
=$1.50

Uncle Ben's Rice $1.29 wyb 10
$.30/1 Uncle Ben's whole grain rice
=$.29

Fry's unsalted butter quarters $3.49
used FREE MFR coupon that Fry's mailed me
=FREE

2 bags Haribo Gummy Bears $1.00 each
(2) $.30/1 Haribo products
=FREE

Stoneyfield 32oz Organic Yogurt $3.50
$.50/1 Stoneyfield 32oz yogurt
stacked with
$.75/1 Stoneyfield yogurt Whole Foods coupon
=$1.75

Aquafresh Extreme Clean toothpaste $3.14
used FREE Aquafresh toothpaste coupon that Fry's mailed me
=FREE

8 Larabars $1.00 each
(2) $1/4 Larabars (I don't think it's available anymore)
stacked with
(4) $1/2 Larabars Whole Foods coupons
=$.25 each

2 Nestles candy bars $.50 each
$.50/2 Nestles single candy bars
=FREE

Produce-Used a Safeway coupon for $1 off produce wyb $5 or more:
Corn on the cob (I got a craving for corn!) $3.49
Organic avacado $1.89
Organic onion $.60
Organic bananas $1.40
2 Organic red bell peppers $4.58
Pineapple $.99
5 Roma tomatos $.62

1/2 lb American cheese $3.75

Total: $102.05
Coupons/VIP sale & $6 off $30 Fresh & Easy coupon: $79.22
Grand Total: $22.83

Tub Time Tunes

2011-04-25T18:00:00.001-04:00

Geesh. I just realized how long it has been since I have posted. Shame on me. The end of March totally got away from me and I never finished the last two weeks of the spring cleaning challenge. But, don't fret. It's still on my "to do" list and I intend to get it done one of these days.

For now, you'll have to settle for this little video that I shot a few months ago of the kids singing in the tub. Madelyn is amazing with what she knows. I'm not one to brag, but I remember Kaiden saying only a few words at 22 month. Madelyn knows her ABC's, can count on her own to 10, count from 11-20 with a little help, sing a bunch of songs and can put about a 5+ word sentence together. And she was doing this at about 19/20 months! Proud mama!

Here is a glimpse of what bath time looks like at our house.

Happy Monday!

Spring Cleaning: The Fridge/Freezer

2011-03-22T17:26:00.004-04:00

Back to the spring cleaning challenge....today's assignment: Refrigerator/Freezer. Not too hard of a job. I pulled everything off the shelves, out of the drawers and off the door and scrubbed that whole thing down. I got rid of some left overs that were way left over and also tossed some umm, condiments that haven't been good for oh, a better part of 3 or (maybe) 4 years. I guess we don't eat cocktail sauce quite as often as I must have thought. Yikes.

It was a relatively easy project today that only took me about 30 minutes. Which was exactly the type of project that I needed to get me back on track. Here's my fridge: BEFORE
And all scrubbed down and organized: AFTER
Here's my freezer: BEFORE
Not too much a difference, but I assure you it's much cleaner and much more organized! My freezer: AFTER
Now go snuggle with your kiddos and read them a book! Happy spring cleaning!

Visit Katie to jump on the spring cleaning challenge!

Spring Cleaning: The Office

2011-03-18T11:45:00.005-04:00

Y'all, it's been an awful week. Madelyn has croup and had a horrible time sleeping on Wednesday night. She was coughing all. night. long. Kaiden caught her fever and a bit of a cough. Although not croup, still a nasty little bug that has him out of sorts as well. So, naps have been infrequent and somewhat non existent leaving me to get not so much done. That's the bad news. The good news is that everyone seemed to sleep a little better last night and it can only go up from here. Right?

So, in my last post I said I was dreading doing the kiddos closets and at this point, I decided to just leave all the baby stuff right where it was. I pretty much have their closets organized and whenever they outgrow something I throw it into a plastic storage bin. Those are now all in Madelyn's closet along with a changing table cushion, play mat and pack 'n play. It's all staying. Until I am more sure that we aren't having another. Although after this week of sickness that decision might have been made for us!

Yesterday I was able to start on the office slightly before Madelyn woke up. The office is primarily hub's area. I keep one file drawer of stuff and come in to use the computer only when I am printing coupons. So, for the most part I kept everything "as is" since it will be hub's job to go through all of his items. And, hubs is an organizational freak, so for the most part he keeps it pretty tidy.

Here is the book case/file cabinet. I have a few books in there that need to be donated. I am not the type to buy books. I much rather get them from the library then give them back. I hate having a bunch of books around. Mostly because once I read it I usually don't read it again and I don't have the space to hoard books. So this is the bookcase: BEFORE
Here is my one file drawer that I use in the desk. I pulled all the paperwork out that no longer belonged. Credit card statements from 2006 people! For real. You'll see some of Kaiden's school projects in this drawer. I have maxed out a few hanging folders of stuff and now am at a loss of where to put them. I have thrown out a lot of his projects, but there are quite a few that I like to keep and can't figure out a good place to put them. If you have any suggestions, let me know!
Here is the file drawer: BEFORE
After I took these pictures, I retrieved my little sick girl from her crib. I don't think she took a nap at all with all the coughing going on. Surprisingly, she was in good spirits so I just kept on going. Cheese!
I made three piles. The large stack in back on are papers to be recycled. The one on the right is stuff that needed to be shredded. The small one in front is stuff I need to keep. And the pile of old credit cards.....well, they are all canceled and need to be cut up and thrown away.
Recycle bin full to the max!
And here are the books that I pulled that I am going to donate.
Today's project is to clear out a craft room/hobby area if you have one. I don't so I am going to do a small project of cleaning out the trash cans. They disgust me and have probably never been scrubbed down. That's probably all I can handle today since I still have some miserable kiddos that are keeping me occupied. Not so sure naps will happen today or not.

Have a great, healthy, weekend. Visit Katie to join in on the last few weeks of the challenge!

Spring Cleaning: The Kids Rooms

2011-03-15T12:18:00.008-04:00

Hi all! I'm back. I didn't do the assignment yesterday to spring clean the kids playroom. Madelyn woke up with a 101.8 fever which spiked to 102.5 right around nap time. Soooo, a fussy baby kept me from being spring cleaning productive. But, the fever broke the rest of the day and still is down today, but not gone totally, so we are left housebound again today. I am not so sure why I just used the word "day/today" three times in one sentance. Yes, I am going stir crazy, thanks for asking. None the less it was a perfect day to get into the kids room to organize! Here we go.

It's not often that I can find the time to get in the kids rooms to organize. The only times that I have to do anything are usually nap time and, well, they are napping. Duh. But, I was able to occupy them this morning with the electronic babysitter, Telly Vision, for about an hour and get both kiddos rooms cleaned up!

Let's start in Kaiden's room shall we? During "nap time" he sometimes sleeps but more often has been getting away from napping and spends most of his "quiet time" either pulling books out and reading them, pulling clothes out of his drawers/closet or throwing his stuffed animals all over the floor. Here is Kaiden's floor: BEFORE

AFTER
While I was cleaning I got a visit from little sicky peanut pie. Oh, she is so miserable. It'll be over soon baby girl and you'll be back to your old self again. Look at that face :(
Let's just focus on one part of Kaiden's room for a second. We have mirrored sliding doors on the closets and one day I came in to find this smudge on his mirror. When I asked him what it was he answered, "Oh, dat's boogies." Yes, my son smeared his boogies on the mirror. Uh...can you say gross? I am not even sure why I am not totally embarrassed in showing you this. Needless to say, that got scrubbed. And scrubbed again. I guess it's better than sticking boogies on the wall. Isn't it?
This dresser holds all of Kaiden's books in the top compartment. They never seem to find themselves back into the cabinet after reading at nap time or nighttime so the top of the dresser gets overloaded with stuff. And notice the hangers that were placed there by Kaiden. Random. I gave everything a major dusting as well. Kaiden's dresser: BEFORE

Kaiden's dresser: AFTER
Kaiden's bed: BEFORE
I changed the sheets and put all the stuffed animals back on the bed. I got a visit from a little friend who wanted to pose in the picture with his Thomas pj's to match his Thomas sheets. Kaiden's bed: AFTER
On to Madelyn's room. Here is her dresser. Again a catch all for books that have not been put on the shelves properly. Her dresser: BEFORE
I dusted the whole thing down, pulled some "baby" frames, stuffed animals and books out and will put them in the "sell" area that I am creating for a garage sale in the future. I also pulled the clock that was on the wall next to the dresser off. That thing has been hanging there for at least a year in non-working condition. Her dresser: AFTER
Here is her crib/reading area: BEFORE
Books seem to find a way of migrating to the table and floor next to the chair and never find their way home. Then they get carried to mulitple areas of the house causeing chaos everywhere!
I changed the sheet, dusted the furniture, pulled it all out and vacuumed the carpets and put all the books back where they belong. Madelyn's crib/reading area: AFTER
AHHHHHhhhhhh! Feels so much better. Tomorrow we are going to attempt to organize the kids closets (and I am adding the drawers too). I have a feeling it will make me address the whole "we probably aren't having another baby issue" and make me finally put all the baby clothes and items in our "sell" pile to get rid of and stop hoarding them "just in case." It may be an emotional day for me. I'm bracing for it.

Visit Katie to jump on board to the spring cleaning challenge. It's never too late. You won't regret it!

Homemade Dishwashing Detergent

2011-03-13T15:21:00.002-04:00

About three or four months ago a group of ladies from my mom's group got together to make some homemade cleaners. I already use a homemade glass cleaner and all-purpose cleaner so I focused on making a homemade dishwasher detergent. I also recently saw this recipe on Money Saving Mom's site so it must be a pretty common one. I have been using it for about two months now and it seems to work pretty well. The one drawback I have found is that your dishes really need to be almost cleaned of all residue before you put them in the dishwasher. But, knowing that I am using greener ingredients and saving a bunch of money since the ingredients will last me forever I don't mind doing a little leg work before putting them in the dishwasher. Give it a try!
Ingredients:
1/2 cup Borax
1/2 c Washing Soda
1/4 cup Citric Acid (found on Amazon or at a local beer brewing supply store) OR 10-15 packets of unsweetened lemon kool-aid
1/4 cup Kosher Salt
Mix all together and store in a container. I use an old 32 oz yogurt container. *Note* the ingredients will clump together (even getting extremely hard). The next day after you make it you will need to take a butter knife and chop into it to break it up. It clumps together because of the citric acid.
I write the ingredients on the container to make it easier to make the next batch. It beats looking through papers and trying to find it next time you need it.
This is what it looks like after you chop it up. Use 1T in your cycle and put vinegar in the rinse compartment.

Spring Cleaning: The Dining Room

2011-03-11T14:18:00.001-05:00

My dining room was, so far, the easiest room for me to clean and get back into shape. Unfortunately, ever since we sold our pool table (that doubled as my laundry folding table) I have been at a loss of a place to fold laundry. I can't fold laundry on the couch since little hands that try to "help" only "hinder" my efforts to keep my laundry in some semblance of order. So, I have turned to using the dining room table. It usually lingers on here for a day or two to when I get around to putting it away. I usually fold it during nap time but can't get into the kids rooms to finish the project. So, it sits. And it waits. And waits. Ho hum.

Here is the dining room table: BEFORE
I put all the laundry away, dusted the table and console table as well as emptied out all the dishes/wine glasses and dusted inside as well. I don't think that has been done ever! My dining room: AFTER
Hope this stays clean for awhile, but in all reality it will be covered with laundry in about 5 minutes as soon as I take the clothes out of the dryer. Yay for laundry. The never ending task.

Visit Katie's blog to jump on her spring cleaning challenge!

Spring Cleaning: Front Entry & Laundry Room

2011-03-10T11:29:00.010-05:00

Welcome back! I took the day off of spring cleaning my house yesterday to spring clean our budget. We haven't been living on a budget in oh, I'd say never, so it's time we get something concrete in place. I recently have been using the "envelope method" for my grocery money and I am amazed at how easy it is and how much more I look at the cash I have and make better decisions at the grocery store. It also is like a challenge to me each month to stay on budget, or even under budget, since all the left over $$ will go into our "travel fund" for a fun trip as soon as we save enough money! Go me!

Okay, so that has nothing to do with today's spring cleaning project but I felt the need to let you know why I was absent yesterday. So, onto my cleaning. My front entry is nothing exciting. Basically you walk in my front door and directly to the right is the playroom and to the left is the dining area. So, there is not much to clean up other than the coat tree and my shoe pile. So here is my front entry: BEFORE
I put away the kid's fleece coats since we are now getting into the 80's every day. Everything else on the coat tree needs to stay so I can grab my grocery bags for trips to the store, diaper bag for daily use and a sweatshirt for early morning runs to the gym. I put my shoes back on the shoe holder and vacuumed the area free of the few little leaves that have blown in. My front entry: AFTER
Now the real challenge of today...the laundry room. I really didn't think it would be that bad, but oh my goodness was I wrong. Who knew what nonsense we were keeping in there?!?!? Kaiden had preschool this morning so it was the perfect opportunity to clear out that area and get it back under control. Here is the cabinet over my dryer: BEFORE
I am amazed that one family can house so many types of tape. Duck tape, packing tape, plumbers tape, painting tape. Crazy. I pulled out a bunch of random tool pieces that hubs will need to relocate to the garage to be put with tools. Now that's a novel idea. Here's the cabinet over the dryer: AFTER
Here is my cabinet over the washer: BEFORE
Let me focus on one area for just a second. Do you see the abundance of Sham Wow's here? You will see my original post about them here. But, yes, they were returned only to be repurchased a few weeks later. Now here are 11 of them that are still in our cabinet that have NEVER. BEEN. USED! I believe the other 5 are scattered around the house and one in each of our cars. But, I only remember us having used only one. Out of 16. Don't be surprised if you receive one of these from us as a Christmas gift this year. I'm not really one to say "I told ya so." But, "I told ya so." I digress.
I pulled a huge pile of rags out. Got rid of some, refolded others. Got rid of a can of stain spray that hubs had before we even met...at least 8 years ago, threw out some air freshers, and other crap that had no business taking up valuable cabinet space. My cabinet above my washer: AFTER
Here is my shelving area that houses all my laundry products and a few other random cleaning stuff: BEFORE
AFTER
Here is the laundry room: BEFORE

I'd like to tell you that I put all that laundry away, but I'd be lying. I did, however, relocate it to my laundry folding table (i.e. my dining room table) to be folded and put away at nap time. I put that box for my new Eureka steam mop (LOVE that thing, by the way) that I got for Christmas in the garage to either recycle or find a new home for it. I also vacuumed the whole space. Even behind the washer/dryer and mopped the floor. The laundry room: AFTER

So there you have it! One step closer to a spring cleaned home!

Visit Katie to join the spring cleaning challenge!

Spring Cleaning: Living Room/TV room

2011-03-08T15:15:00.006-05:00

I am starting to realize how embarrassing this whole spring cleaning is becoming. Sharing these pictures of my chaos with the rest of cyberspace to mock me. Boy, oh boy. And as much as I have been told that most people's houses get this way when having kids, I always come down hard on myself for not being able to keep up with it. Someone once told me, "Trying to clean up when you have kids is like trying to shovel your driveway in the middle of snowstorm." Oh, so true. So true.

My living room/TV room really has nothing in it. Since having kids and realizing that everything in arms way would or could get destroyed we have gone with the minimalist approach to our decorating. We have no end tables anymore, no coffee table, even some of the pictures have come off the walls and I have absolutely no place to display knick knacks and pictures. Why? Cause I can't keep little hands off of them!!!! That being said, today's task was a walk in the park since there wasn't too much to do.

Although, most days you would never know that we have a playroom just around the corner from the living room because all the toys seem to make their way into this space. And the sheet that I have attempted to use to cover our couch cushions gets all discombobulated from our nightly ritual of running from the TV straight into the couch after hubs and I shout, "Ready, Set, GO!" a hundred times. And, by the way, whoever said microfiber is "forgivable" was totally off their rocker cause our couch has stains from drool, spit up, and water spillage. Hence my attempt to cover it with an old bed sheet. Clothes, socks, shoes and toys always seem to be out of order. Oh the socks! I can't keep them on my kids feet and it seems like I am always picking up socks!

Notice the pillows all over the place from the kids. My Snuggie on the floor. From the kids. The books that were brought into this room from Madelyn's room. By the kids. The blue stool from the bathroom. Brought in by Kaiden cause he wanted to give a concert and stand on that stool. Madelyn's pajamas on the floor since I changed her on that blanket this morning and left in a rush to get Kaiden to preschool. Which, by the way, we were late once again. Anyways, here is my living room: BEFORE

I pulled all the cushions off the couch and chair and vacuumed the couch and cushions. I also vacuumed the window sill and wiped down the TV stand. I have yet to vacuum the floor, but will do so once the kids get up from their naps. My living room: AFTER

In all reality this may stay free of clutter for all of 5 minutes as the kids slowly rise from their naps and toys and books begin to find their way into the space again. But in the meantime I am going to put my feet up and relax in hopes of regaining my sanity. Happy cleaning!

Visit Katie's blog to jump on board!

Spring Cleaning: All Other Bathrooms

2011-03-07T16:17:00.005-05:00

Today was a surprisingly easy spring cleaning day. Thank goodness for that because I was not motivated at all to do any spring cleaning. Mondays are hard for me. Usually my house is in such chaos from the weekend and not really having time to pick up things that I spend most Monday's playing catch up.

Thankfully the other bathrooms in my house are not areas that I "hoard" stuff. We have the powder room that just needed a good cleaning. Check! Then there's the guest bath that just needed a good cleaning as well. Check! I don't keep anything in there except some spare rolls of toilet paper for when we have visitors. We also have the kids jack and Jill bathroom that we usually only use for baths. We don't ever use the sinks to brush teeth or wash hands as we do that all in the kitchen sink or powder room so I don't keep hardly anything in there at all. So, I finished my spring cleaning today in record time and was able to focus on the rest of the mess (i.e. my kitchen) and get that tidied up.

Here is under the sink in the kids bathroom: BEFORE
Mostly we have tub toys down there that need to stay so I just rearranged them to one bin and put our training toilet (that I recently pulled out of my master bathroom) in the empty side of the other cabinet. All ready to go for child #2's potty training. The cabinets: AFTER
As I said before, we don't ever use the sinks in this bathroom. Recently the kids were sick so I was using the humidifier in Madelyn's room. I ended up dumping the water out of it on Friday and left it in the sink to drain. So I took that out to clean which left the rest of the counter clutter free. The counter: BEFORE

The counter: AFTER
I went through the medicine cabinet where I keep all the kids lotions and extra toothpaste and also the linen closet which I keep only a few kiddie towels and sheets not that long ago so it made for a very easy cleaning day! Now I will be able to catch up on a few taped episodes of Oprah and gear up for round #2 of kiddie chaos!

Visit Katie's blog to jump in on spring cleaning!

Crockpot Applesauce

2011-03-06T18:26:00.000-05:00

I have been making crock pot applesauce lately like it's goin' out of style. Since organic apples are easy to find right now, especially a dozen of them at Costco, I have been buying them up and making a few batches here and there. Mmmmm....I may be so inclined to say that I may never buy store bought applesauce again! It's super easy, smells super delish while crocking and tastes even better. Even my kiddos gobble it up!

First, grab yourself a beverage of choice. Today mine was a Stella since it was a Sunday and all.

Next, peel and dice up all your apples. I use a combo of whatever I have on hand...Gala, Pink Lady, Braeburn, etc. Mix and match, too, if you like. I just keep on peeling and cutting until my crock pot is full.

Somethin' like this...
Add about 1 teaspoon of cinnamon and 1/2-3/4 cup of brown sugar for a sweeter sauce.
Mix it all up.
Add a little water. I only add about 1/4 cup.
Crock on High for 6ish hours. I sometimes crock overnight and wake up to the smell of sweet cinnamon and sugar throughout my house.
I then drain the water and put in my Vitamix for a quick mash to get it more saucey. Eat plain or even over oatmeal.
DELISH!

Spring Cleaning: My Master Bathroom

2011-03-04T17:41:00.004-05:00

I knew this was going to be a big task today to get my master bathroom in tip top shape. Honestly, I haven't done a "spring cleaning" since we moved into this house back in 2005 so there were quite a few things to, ahem, go through. Since starting this challenge I promised myself that if I was really going to commit to getting each area cleared out and cleaned down 100%. Nothing half assed.

I started with the linen closet and took out all the towels and sheets. I wiped down all the shelves, swept the floor, refolded everything, removed towels that belonged in the kids bathroom, and re-situated items on different shelves. I would LOVE to get rid of all my towels and get new, fresh ones, but that probably isn't in the budget right now. I have a ton of old dilapidated towels that, honestly, could probably go right to the trash. But, I know that they still come in handy when washing the dog or for those times that the kids kick over the dog's water bowl or when I accidentally drop a glass of water on the floor (who me?). So, for now, I will keep them around even though I really, really want to just toss them.

My linen closet: BEFORE

AFTER
I then moved to under my sink which wasn't too bad. Here it is: BEFORE
I pulled everything out, swept out the cabinet, even pulled all the hair out of my brushes, went through my medicine box and pulled out all the expired creams, and refilled my Q-tips and cotton squares container and threw away a bunch of old make up. Ahhhh.... AFTER
I then started to scrub down the whole bathroom which was way overdue for a good cleaning. I cleaned the sinks, mirrors, toilet and tub. I even scrubbed out my two trashcans which I have been wanting to do forever. I still need to clean my shower (which is best done while I am in it) and mop the floors. Which this all totally reminds me, I need to call my landscaper to make sure my money tree in the backyard will start blooming again so I can call my cleaning lady next time to come in and disinfect, PRONTO! My counter top: BEFORE
AFTER
My sink: BEFORE
AFTER
My tub area: BEFORE
Not too much of a change. Just needed to scrub the tub and the toddler toilet seat ring that has been sitting there for "when I get a chance." My tub: AFTER
So, after 3 hours of organizing and cleaning I feel soooooo much better about my whole master bedroom/bath/closet area. The rest of my house has been completely neglected and looks like train wreck since I have been focusing on my spring cleaning, but I'll get to it and hopefully I will never let it get back to the way it has been! UGH!

If you still want to start your spring cleaning head over to Katie's blog for her schedule. Just start somewhere! You won't regret it! Have a great weekend!

Spring Cleaning: The Master Closet

2011-03-03T16:49:00.005-05:00

Oh. my. word. people. I knew this was going to be a "fun" day whilst cleaning out my bedroom closet, but I had no idea the things that I would find in there. It's so funny to think that I am in there every morning and every night picking out clothes to wear yet there were things that in there that I just completely forgot about and/or have just been ignoring all these years. Yes, I said years.

So I started by going through my hanging dress bags. People. I had formal dresses in there from when I was a junior and senior in HIGH SCHOOL. I graduated in 1996! For real. I also had a few formal dresses in there that I wore in college. And one dress, embarrassingly enough, from when I was probably a freshman in HIGH SCHOOL. WHAT WAS I THINKING?!?!?! I guess I have kept them around "just in case" I needed to get really dressed up. But, honestly, who am I trying to kid? First, if I did really need to get that dressed up would I really pick a dress from, oh, 17 years ago? And second, obviously I don't get dressed up that often or I would have worn them again a heck of long time before now! Sweet mercy!

So, those quickly went into the "donate" bag along with some pants and tops that haven't been worn in quite some time. I had big bin with some maternity clothes still left in it that I am going to wash and give to one of my many preggo friends. I re-purposed that to now house some toys and presents that I had picked up on sale to give to the kids or use for birthday parties at a later time. I went through and re-hung & re-folded some other items that were shoved in my drawer or on top of it for "when I get around to it." I took the crate with ski/winter attire and will relocate it to my coat closet and threw out a bunch of old wire hangers and dry cleaning bags.

Here's my area of the closet (since I didn't even attempt to tackle hub's area. Which, by the way, he has more closet space than me thankyouverymuch!): BEFORE

My closet during the renovation
My closet: AFTER
Not too much of a difference that you can see from the pictures, but I did get rid of a lot of stuff. There are still some old work/dress pants & jackets that I just couldn't bring myself to purge even though I haven't worn them since my working days back in 2005ish. But they are classic styles that really, are still in style so, for now, they stay. But, yay to having a cleaner, more organized closet!

There is still time to start the spring cleaning challenge going on at Katie's blog! Get going!

Spring Cleaning: My Master Bedroom

2011-03-02T13:15:00.000-05:00

Day 2 of Katie's "31 days to Clean Challenge." Today was surprisingly very simple for me. It only took me about 30 minutes to clean up and organize my master bedroom. Mainly because I don't have really all that much in there. It has gone undecorated so we only have necessities. I really only needed to dust down the furniture and organize my drawers. I purged some old undies, socks, some knee highs that have been in my drawer for ages (not even sure why I had them to begin with!), some old magazines that I kept thinking I would read later and put two PJ's in the "to donate" bag. Fairly easy, yet extremely freeing!

Here is my "unmentionable" drawer: BEFORE
AFTER. Hey stop looking at my bras ;P
My sock drawer: BEFORE
AFTER
My t-shirt/some PJ drawer: BEFORE
AFTER
My bedside table drawer: BEFORE
AFTER
My bedside table: BEFORE
AFTER
My bed: BEFORE
...and AFTER

I am truly dreading the next two days with the master closet and master bathroom. Wish me luck. And if you don't hear from me by the end of the week, call in the search party. Happy organizing!

Spring Cleaning: My Kitchen Desk

2011-03-01T10:15:00.000-05:00

This may surprise some of you, but I am not the most organized person out there. Despite my husband's best efforts, I feel completely overwhelmed taking care of two kids and keeping up with the daily maintenance required on my home. So, to take time to get to the nitty gritty and actually organize spaces in my home. For. get. it.

Buuuuuutttt, about a week ago Katie, a blog I follow regularly, posted her "31 Days to Clean Challenge." And, well, since I have felt ever-so-inspired by this seemingly simple approach to organizing I thought I would give it a go.

I may not follow her schedule fully and may throw in some different areas or tasks that have been hovering on my "to do" list FOREVER, but I like that I now have a guideline to follow and a goal each day to stepping into a more clutter free home. So, here it goes!

I actually started last Friday while I was sitting at my kitchen computer desk. This is solely my work area and the drawers house all of my junk rather than cluttering up all of hub's office area. I wasn't planning on starting here, but I got an inspiration as I tried to work there early that morning so I went with it. I'm not going to lie, this desk took me all. day. long. to organize. We were all home sick that day and between breaking up fights, supervising crafts, wiping boogery noses, making lunches, sending kids back to naps and trying to field a few phone calls I finally finished around dinner time. But, it was soooo freeing to purge a whole slew of papers and nonsense items that I found!

First I emptied the contents of my desk drawers onto my kitchen table. From there I recycled papers that needed to go, threw out old pens that no longer worked and rubber bands that snapped in half and filed coupons waiting to go in my binder. I found appropriate homes for the craft supplies that belonged in crafting bins and sorted "like stuff" to be put back in drawers together.
Here is one of my drawers: BEFORE
I put all of my pads of paper and sticky notes and address labels all together. The drawer: AFTER
Here is another drawer which holds batteries and tape: BEFORE
...and AFTER
This is my "card" drawer that holds all my thank you cards, little note cards and desk supplies such as staplers, tape, etc: BEFORE
AFTER
My center drawer: BEFORE
AFTER
Then the top of my desk space which is a "catch all" for things and "to be filed later" stuff: BEFORE
AFTER!
So, tomorrow I will stay on her schedule and tackle my master bedroom. I don't have a ton to organize in there except my nightstand and refolding all my socks and "unmentionables" to place neatly back in my drawers. There may be a bit of, ehem, dusting that can be done while I am in there too.

Wanna join us? It's not too late to get started!

Superhero

2011-02-28T15:03:00.000-05:00

Lately getting Kaiden dressed has been darn near impossible. Getting out the door without a meltdown was nearly never happening all because his Mee-ma and P-pa bought him a Superman shirt for Christmas. All of a sudden that is ALL he wants to wear every morning when getting dressed.

In an effort to prevent the meltdowns I would prep him each day by telling him, "your Spiderman shirt is dirty right now, so we need to pick a different shirt to wear today." Most of the time he was in agreement and seemed like we would be successful in picking a different shirt. But, when it came down to actually dressing him...all. out. war.

So, my mom was in town last week visiting for a few days. Since she is the one that put us in this predicament in the first place :), she volunteered to help out our cause a bit by purchasing a week's worth of superhero t-shirts. We headed to Target to see what we could find. Two Targets and a Walmart later we had our stash in place.
So far it seems to be working. He wears one of these every. single. day. Except this past Saturday when I actually got him to wear a plain white long sleeve shirt for his T-ball game. Don't ask. I have no clue how I pulled that off.

He is still a little unsure of the red Spiderman shirt and Batman T. So while it took a little convincing for him to wear the red Spider man t-shirt over the blue one (that was in the wash) he did cooperate and got through the day without mishaps. He has yet to wear the Batman t-shirt.

But the Superman t-shirt is, by far, his fav....good thing we bought two.

Hopefully this will end the dressing war!

Blog to Print

2011-02-25T13:35:00.004-05:00

My SIL gave me a magazine page of a cool idea for all you bloggers out there that are interested in saving your blog in print. This allows you to take all your favorite posts and turn it into a book for you to visit your most treasured memories for years to come. I, for one, may look at this in the future to give the kids a collection of my most favorite posts of them. Check it out here!

Meal Plan-2/22/11

2011-02-22T18:37:00.003-05:00

I am a little late to the menu planning party for this week. But, you know what they say, better late then never.

My mom was here for a better part of last week and into the weekend and just left today. The kids are sick and I am back to being crazy lady running around like a chicken with my head cut off. All in a day. All in a day.

So, I planned a few meals for this week but will find myself hitting up a few grocery stores tonight to make sure I have everything I need on hand to finish off the meals this week. Hubs' birthday is this Saturday, so I still need to go to the store and pick up my FREE brownie mixes so I can whip up a yummy brownie bottom sundae.

Which reminds me, if I may brag for a second, this was the first month that I gave myself a grocery budget of $20/person/week and looks like I may just be able to stick to it and didn't find it very hard at all! The first two weeks I only spend about $50/week on groceries. I do have to make a run to Costco which will bring me right up to hitting the total I set aside for the month. YAY ME!

Tuesday-Corn chowder with salad and bread (kids are sick and aren't eating much at all so they will most likely eat crackers if I can even get them to eat that)
Wednesday-Pazole Casserole
Thursday-Quiche
Friday-White Chicken Chili
Saturday-Out to dinner. Compliments of my mommy!

Happy planning!

Melt My Heart

2011-02-15T11:00:00.001-05:00

Saturday I ran to a meeting and came home just in time to get changed and back in the car to get off to church. I put on a different shirt, touched up my make-up slightly and put on a necklace while hubs buckled the kids in the car. When I got in the car I was greeted by little man when he said this:

Kaiden: "Mommy, you look pretty!"
Me: "Oh, thank you buddy."
Kaiden: "Is that your new necklace?"
Me: "It's not new, but I just put it on while I was inside. Do you like it?"
Kaiden: "Yes! Did you put on your pretty dress? Mommy, can I dance with you? Can I dance with you on the sidewalk when we get to church?"
Me: "Kaiden, you are such a sweet boy. Of course I will dance with you."
Kaiden: "Mommy, you look pretty"

Then, of course, my heart melted into a pool of mush on the car floor. My sweet boy.

Happy 4th Anniversary!

2011-02-14T15:08:00.004-05:00

Happy Anniversary to my loving husband! It has been an amazing 4 years filled with ups, downs and a whole lot of chaos. But I wouldn't change one second of it and truly love the little life that we have built for ourselves.

Thank you for loving me even in the times when I can be unlovable. Thank you for being my rock in times when the weight of the world seems to crash down on me. Thank you for making me laugh. Thank you for making me feel like the most beautiful woman in the world. Thank you for your devotion to your family. Thank you for always being by my side.

I love you today more than I did yesterday and look forward to a lifetime full of adventures!

Here's to the best 4 years of my life! Love you!

3-4 Year Old T-ball

2011-02-10T15:58:00.005-05:00

My little boy is growing up. I getting a little emotional. I am feeling a little verklempt. Talk amongst yourselves for minute. Topic: Where do flies go in the winter? Do they die, fly to warmer climates, or hibernate?

Okay. I think I am better now. So anyways, Kaiden started playing T-ball and last week was his first game. Let me just back up and say that Kaiden LOVES baseball. He and hubs play all. the. time with his T-ball stand in the house. So when we had a chance to play 3-4 year old T-ball, sign us up!

Kaiden is sooo intense when he plays, but has a blast! Here are some moments captured by a friend of mine who has a son on Kaiden's team. Love it!

Here's Mommy cheering him on!

Notice the gloves that he wanted to wear because, "the football players and baseball players on TV wear them."

Such intensity!

Here starts our running to weekly practices and/or games! So fun!

Tutu Cute

2011-02-09T14:37:00.000-05:00

A gal from my mom's group, who is a photographer, was hired by a local woman to photograph tutu's for her Etsy shop. I had wanted to get some "tutu" pictures done when Madelyn turned one and just never got around to it. So this opportunity came along and I jumped on it. Miss Maddey is always eager to get her photo taken! They came out great despite her being a little shy in the beginning.

This is my favorite. Do you think I have to start worrying about those teenage years?!?!

You can check out the Etsy shop here. And Bre's photography page here.

Couponing 101 Final Lesson: Examples of Deals

2011-02-08T10:15:00.001-05:00

Are you totally confused yet?!?!? Well, lemme give it to you straight. I am 3-4 months in and I still get confused. A LOT! Just start small. A coupon here and there at your local grocery store. Try going to CVS and buy one item that will earn you some ECB's. Before you know it you will be feeling more confident. Just the other day I was telling the cashier how to ring in my coupons!

If you are just visiting and want to see my series on coupons read post one, two & three.

Let me give you some examples of some items that I recently bought and how I used the sales and coupons to snag pretty amazing deals. Hopefully it will make it a little easier to figure out.

CVS was running a sale on Tom's of Maine products about a month ago. All the toothpaste, deodorant and mouthwash was on sale and then you could earn ECB's on top of it. So, here is what my purchase looked like:
Tom's of Maine $3.99 w/$3 ECB (limit 2)
$2/1 Tom's of Maine (coupons found on a tear page at Albertson's)
=$1.99 out of pocket/Receive $3 ECB (I had $6 in ECB's from a previous purchase so I didn't have to pay anything out of pocket except tax. I also had to do two separate transactions so I could earn all my ECB)
Final cost? $1.01 MM after coupons and ECB! Can you believe they actually "paid" me to buy Tom's products!?!?!?

I have been wanting to start making my own rolls and pizza dough for awhile now. What kind of threw me into it a little earlier than expected was some FREE yeast that I scored at Fry's a couple months ago!
Fleischmann's active or pizza crust yeast on sale for $1
$.50/1 Fleischmann's yeast product (I printed off their website)
Final cost? FREE since my store doubles coupons to $1.00!

We were all out of sour cream last week and I was making Sweet Potato Enchiladas so I needed to get some. And quick! Thank goodness Fry's had their Shamrock Farms Organic Sour cream on sale!
Shamrock Organic Sour cream $2.49
$.50/1 Shamrock Farms
=$1.49 (since my store doubles coupons up to $1.00)

I showed this in my previous post, but here it is again. I had a MaraNatha coupon that I had printed a couple months ago that was burning a hole in my coupon binder. Luckily I found a great use for it last week at Fry's!
MaraNatha Almond Butter sale $4.89
$2/1 MaraNatha product (online coupon)
stacked with $1/1 MaraNatha Whole Foods coupon
=$1.89! (My store is now taking competitors coupons so I can stack a manufacturer's coupon with a competitor store coupon)

I also LOVE to check out the little shelves for those little "manager special" stickers. Here I scored one on Santa Cruz Organic Lemonade. Again at Fry's.
Santa Cruz Organic Lemonade $1.49 (on manager's special)
$1/1 Santa Cruz (found in SS or RP 1/30-I can't remember which one)
=$.50

Just last week I made a trip to Fry's for their MEGA sale. A MEGA sale is when they have a list of "participating items" that are on sale. When you buy 10 of those participating items (you can mix and match) you get $5.00 off your order. Essentially $.50 off each participating items. They often have organic items in the sale so I scored pretty big with the sale and coupons!
Garden of Eden chips $1.79 wyb 10 (these will go great with the FREE Wholly Guacamole that I just scored!)
$1/1 Whole Foods printable coupon
=$.79/bag

We LOVE Barbara's cereal. A box doesn't last long in this house so when it's on sale I try and STOCK UP! Luckily for us it was part of the MEGA and Barbara's must have reset their website coupons.
Barbara's cereal $1.99 wyb 10
$1/1 Barbara's cereal printable on their website
=$.99 each!

If it's one thing that I definitely know about couponing, it's NEVER pay for a toothbrush! There are always deals for free toothbrushes and now that you know how to stockpile you will never run out of them again!
Reach Toothbrush $1.00 wyb 10
$2/2 Reach printable
=FREE!

Hopefully this makes it easier to put the deals together. I tried to show you some items that I stacked coupons on and some that I used competitors coupons with and also a CVS deal where I used ECB's. Here is another post that shows some more deals from a couple months ago that I scored.

There are also some really great websites out there that have some great deals. Some also allow you to earn points. Those points can be used towards products, coupons, or gift cards, etc. Check them out when at your leisure:

Pampers Points-earn points towards gifts when you buy Pampers
Swagbucks-This site is best described as a search engine site. You search the internet like you would at google, but sometimes when you search you earn points. Those point can be redeemed in the "swag store" for a bunch of different things like Amazon.com gift cards, Starbucks cards, etc. I use it every every now and again to search even for things like "hotmail.com" or "google.com." I already have 500 points and have only been using it since December.
Groupon-You can sign up for deals going on in your city. They have deals for everything from restuarants to spas to book stores to hotels, etc.
Mamapedia-I haven't signed up for this yet, but I think it's like Groupon.
Vitacost-I LOVE this site for all my organic/natural needs. Essential oils, honey, vitamins, make-up, even food items like organic popcorn, crackers, protein powder, protein bars, etc. This site has a HUGE selection. And, find a friend to split the shipping (which is $4.99 on all orders) like I just did last week!
Recyclebank-I just started using this site so don't know a whole lot about it. From what I can gather so far, there are certain areas that allow you to earn points when you recycle at your home. My area of Phoenix doesn't allow me to do this. Yet. But, I can earn points by playing "games" or completing surveys on the site and also by entering codes from brands I buy like Kashi. Then you can redeem those points for things like coupons for Naked juice or Kashi. I already earned 2/$2 coupons for Naked products in which I "bought" coconut water for hubs. I actually scored 2 of them for FREE!
Starbucks-get a Starbucks gift card and register it on their site. Just for registering your card on there you get a free coffee on your birthday. When you buy coffee with your card (just load a little on there at a time if you want) you will earn one star each time you pay with your card. With each star earned you will receive different perks such as free add on syrup flavors, free soy milk add on, etc.
Coldstone Creamery-Register you and your family's birthdays on here and receive a free ice cream on your birthday.

The last bit of advice that I can give you is to take reusable bags with you to the store. You will actually make money before you even walk in! Most stores are now paying you $.05/bag! Not much, but every cent counts. Not to mention you will be helping Mother Earth!

So, there you have it! All the in's and out's of saving a penny that I have learned over the past few months. Remember, start slow. It just takes a lot of practice and eventually you will be so excited to go grocery shopping that nothing will stop you!

Happy Saving!

*This concludes my class on couponing. I will accept cash or a check in the amount of $100.00 for my services. Please mail this to me at your earliest convenience. Or, if you prefer, email me a picture and breakdown of your biggest deal that you score on your next shopping trip and I will waive your class fee! :)*

Couponing 101 Part 3: Putting it All Together

2011-02-07T10:00:00.003-05:00

Okay now we are getting to the fun stuff. Let's finally talk about using those coupons and watching the price on the register go down, down, down! It's the best part of grocery shopping and I always feel my palms getting a little sweaty watching all my items getting rung up. But as they start by first swiping that club card and then swiping your coupons you get this rush of excitement inside! Oh, so fun!

If you are just tuning in now and want to read the first two introduction posts to couponing, read post one and post two. Again, I am going to reiterate that I am NOT a couponing expert. But I have recently gotten so many questions about it that I thought I would, at least, give you an introduction. Some of my facts may be off a little here and there, but we are all learning so let's navigate this new world of coupons together!

What should my goal be when using coupons?
Your goal to getting the best deal on your groceries is to never buy things at full price. Patience is golden when trying to maximize your dollar. Then when you see something go on sale for a great price that's when it is time to buy it, using a coupon getting it for free or extremely cheap. When that happens you want to STOCK UP. The key to saving big is buying cheap, buying a lot at one time and creating a stockpile. That way you will never find yourself having to run out and buy something at full price since you always have your staples on hand. And you got them for virtually nothing!

Remember when I told you that there are people that subscribe to more than one Sunday paper? Or people that actually "buy" coupons? Well, this is exactly why. When you see something at rock bottom prices you want to buy as much of that item as you can to add to your stockpile. Most things have a pretty decent shelf life like cereal, pasta, pasta sauce, juices, not to mention toothbrushes, pads, soap, diapers, etc. You can freeze practically everything as well. Buy as much as you can when it's super cheap and you'll never have to pay full price ever again!

From what I understand, things go on sale cycles. One week it may be cereals, the next it's pasta ingredients, the next it's beauty stuff, etc. These cycles, from what I have read, go in 4-6 week spaces. When you see cereal on sale, stock up on enough to last you 4-6 weeks before it goes on sale again.

One thing I have learned is that you NEVER have to pay for toothbrushes, toothpaste, deodorant, mouthwash, floss & body wash. It is sooo easy to get those items for FREE, it's ridiculous. I already have a stockpile of probably 10 toothbrushes.

What are the rules when using coupons?
Okay, coupon rules will vary from store to store. You just need to check their coupon policy. This can usually be found on their website or calling their corporate office. Sometimes even the, so called, managers in the actual store seem to get it wrong. So, for the "official" policy check one of the places I mentioned.

Generally, the rule is that you can use ONE MFR coupon per item. That being said, there are ways to use two coupons on one single item. This is called "stacking" a coupon. You may use one manufacturer's coupon + one store coupon to maximize your savings! Here is an example below of how I did this on some Almond Butter that I recently purchased.

MaraNatha Almond Butter on sale for $4.89 (originally $6.29)
$2/1 MaraNatha product (MFR printable) +
$1/1 Whole Foods printable
Final cost? $1.89!

Now the only way you can't use one coupon per item would be if the coupon specifically says something like this: $1/2 Philadelphia Cream Cheese. That means you get $1.00 off wyb 2 of them. So you can only use one coupon for the two packages that you will be buying. UNLESS you have a store coupon to stack with it! Lucky for you I recently bought some Philadelphia Cream Cheese and can give you and example. *Note* My store was doing a MEGA sale which means that you got an extra $5.00 (essentially $.50/item) off your transaction wyb 10 "participating" items included in the sale. So I will include that in my breakdown below.
Philadelphia Cream Cheese $.99 wyb 10 (originally $2.29)
used a $.50/2 Philadelphia Cream Cheese printable (which doubled to $1.00 since my store's policy right now is that they are doubling all manufacturer coupons up to $1.00) +
$.50/2 Target printable (since my store is accepting competitor coupons which are only worth face value)
Final price? $.25 for each wyb 2!

You will also come across some buy one, get one (BOGO) coupons out there that can be a lot of fun to use as well. I can't explain it any better than this post, so happy reading!

What about those organic coupons you keep talking about?
Believe it or not, I still buy a bunch of organic items at Costco. They have organic bread, organic blocks of cheese for like $7 (which I shred in my food processor and freeze in ziploc bags), organic apples, organic ground meat and chicken for like $4.00/lb, organic olive oil, etc. On those items I haven't been able to beat some of their prices even with coupons at the regular grocery stores. But, guess what? Organic coupons are out there. More than you would think. I was originally so hesitant to even try coupons because I buy a lot of organic items, but I soon found out that they are everywhere!

Muir Glen has coupons out there all the time on coupons.com which will get you pasta sauce, tomato paste, diced tomatoes for really cheap. Especially if you can stack those with a store coupon like Whole Foods. I stocked up a few months back.

I scored a couple Applegate Farms coupons (a very rare find) a month or two ago and I am just waiting for their organic sausage (my kids love their sausage for pancake breakfasts!), chicken nuggets, lunchmeat or hot dogs to go on sale.

Horizondairy.com always has coupons on their site. They don't reset their coupons very often, but it's worth the print. I just scored a 3-pack of organic milk singles at the store last week for .$99!

Alexia products had a Facebook offer not that long ago where you could print a few coupons for "liking" them. We stacked those with Whole Foods coupons at Fry's when they had a sale on their french fries and scored about 5 bags for FREE!

Target, in the past, has had some coupons for "$1.00 off produce" which we then printed and took to Fry's (since they accepted competitor coupons at the time) and bought some organic produce.

Keep in mind, too, that many brands make an organic version of their product. Most coupons will work on these even if the coupon doesn't show that organic version in the picture unless the small print says otherwise. Just last week I had a coupon for $.50/1 Shamrock Farm. Knowing that they make an organic sour cream I used that coupon for that variety because the coupons stated "off ANY Shamrock Farms 16 oz or larger...". Keep your eyes peeled!

Do the coupon policies change?
YES. They are different from store to store and change frequently. When I first started, my main grocer (Fry's) was doubling or tripling all manufacturer coupons up to $1.00 and accepting competitor coupons as well (at face value). That went away right after the holidays for about a month but then it just came back a couple weeks ago. Some stores may only take coupons at face value (like Walmart which is why I hardly ever step foot in there anymore for groceries) or only double them (making a .$25 coupon worth $.50). So you need to read their policies...usually stated on the front of their weekly ads.

What about CVS and those ECB's?
Ahhh, yes, CVS. I was sooo intimidated by CVS when I first started out that I never went in there. I just couldn't figure it out to save my life! But, I pulled myself together one day, put on my big girl panties, gathered up my coupons and made a fantastic purchase on diapers, pads and toilet paper earning me $9.00 in ECB (which are essentially free cash to use at CVS)! I then went back about a month ago and got some Tom's of Maine products (I'll show you that break down in another post) using my ECB (and earned more ECB!) and didn't have to pay anything OOP (out of pocket) except for tax! In fact, they actually "paid me" to buy it! That place is my new best friend.

Read about CVS's game here.

Now what?
Okay, now's the time to get out there and start using your coupons! Don't feel like you have to know everything all at once. I made the big mistake of thinking that I had to buy everything that I saw when it was on sale. And, in turn, I spent WAAAAY too much time focused on couponing. I can't stress this enough-start out slow. Buy a thing or two here and there for really cheap (or even better, FREE!) and before you know it you will be creating your stockpile. I am already at the point where I can pretty much live on what I have for the next month or so without going to the grocery store for things other than milk, bread, fruits/veggies (unless I see a super fantastic deal that I can't pass up). It doesn't take long so don't overwhelm yourself early on.

If you want a deal that is super easy to practice with try this (for those of you with a Fry's nearby). Fry's has Wholly Guacamole on sale until Tuesday 2/8 for $1.00! Print two of these coupons (for more print from another computer in your home as well) and get them for FREE! *Because the coupon is more than the price of the item they will (more than likely) adjust the coupon down to $1.00. But that's okay! You'll still get it for free and you can freeze these babies!

I will post one more post with a few examples of things that I recently bought using coupons. Hopefully this will help you see how to use the sale price and coupons, including stacking them, to get some killer deals. I will also include a CVS purchase that I made to give you an idea of those ECB's at work. I'll post some other websites that are great for deals and earning "points" towards coupons and free stuff as well as some tips that I have learned along the way.

Good luck, have fun and save big!

Meal Plan-2/6/11

2011-02-06T16:17:00.005-05:00

Happy Superbowl Sunday! Although, this year I really have no interest in watching a game between my beloved Eagle's rivals, the Steelers, and a bunch of clowns that wear cheese on their heads. I don't know. Call me crazy. Really, I used to love football. When I actually had an opportunity to sit down and watch a full game. UNINTERRUPTED! Those days are LONG over. So, moving on.

Last week I substituted a few meals out for different ones so I will probably repeat a couple this week. Although I did make my sweet potato enchiladas and oh. my. They really are a sweet slice of heaven on your plate. Mmmm....so good. We have another extremely busy week this week so, again, I am going for simplicity here.

Monday-Burgers on the grill (veggie burger for me) with homemade sweet potato fries.
Tuesday-Crockpot Refried Beans on tostadas.
Wednesday-Falafel pitas
Thursday-Quinoa Waldorf Salad
Friday-Lasagna roll-ups
Saturday-Probably crockpot Mac 'n cheese with Brats for a quick meal after church.

Interview With a 3 Year Old

2011-02-04T17:29:00.000-05:00

Last night hubs took Kaiden to "Dad's Night" at his preschool. It was a camping theme so sounded pretty fun when they told me that they made smores, read books inside tents, went "fishing" and caught a craft fishy that Kaiden had made and went on a canoe ride.

This morning I found a sheet of paper with some questions that Kaiden had answered entitled "All About Kaiden's Dad." Here's what he filled into the blanks when questioned:

My Daddy is 3 years old.
He weighs 5 lbs. and is 2 ft. tall.
His hair is is brown and his eyes are brown.
My dad likes to relax by reading books.
He likes to wear shirts and his favorite thing to cook is chicken nuggets.
His favorite household chore is vacuum.
He loves to watch movies on tv.
My Daddy's favorite song is ABC's.
Daddy always tells me Kaiden I love you.
When my Dad shops he likes to buy chicken nuggets.
If he could go on a trip, he would go to the airport, and he would take bananas.
I really love it when my Dad goes to the park with me.

I love my Daddy!

Some observations:
-Apparently he thinks hubs is the size of my Chihuahua at only 2ft tall and 5lbs.
-My son must think that all we feed him is chicken nuggets.
-I am glad my son thinks his daddy likes to vacuum. I would like to someday see that happen.
-My hubby loves his son and am so glad that Kaiden knows it!

Couponing 101 Part 2: Where to Find Coupons

2011-02-02T21:17:00.010-05:00

Congratulations! You've made it to the next step to couponing! If you are just tuning in today and want to read the first steps to saving a buck with your coupons then read here.

Now that you have your coupon binder with category dividers and baseball card holders all ready to store your coupons in and you have successfully subscribed to the Sunday paper let's learn about the different types of coupons out there and exactly where to get them.

What are the different types of coupons?
Manufacturer's coupon-This is probably the most commonly found coupon. It is put out by the manufacturer and can be used at all stores that accept manufacturer's coupons. Most commonly these are the one's found in your Sunday paper.

Store coupon-This is a coupon that is put out by the store but can only be used at that particular store. (Exceptions will apply-such as when a store's policy says "accepts competitor's coupons").

eCoupons-In my previous post I talked about registering your grocery cards on cellfire.com, shortcuts.com and your local grocer's site. Ecoupons are the coupons that you electronically load to this card. They are automatically taken off at the register. *Note: they are sometimes unreliable. There are often times when the grocery store's register doesn't take it off for whatever reason. They will tell you that they can't control it and they are not responsible for the eCoupons. So, if it is taken off, then BONUS, but don't count on it 100%.

Catalinas-Often referred to as a "CAT" in the couponing world, these little gems are printed after you check out. They are often triggered by something you purchased and will produce a "like" catalina (or a CAT) for the same item that you bought. Other times they seem to have no relevance to anything you buy. And even sometimes it will produce a CAT that says, "$1.00 off OYNO (on your next order). I even got a CAT the other day for a free Redbox rental! Often times you don't know when they will print, BUT, if you follow the couponing world then you can get the inside scoop of what, and how many, products will produce a particular catalina. These are usable at the store in which they are printed at. Unless a store advertises that they take competitors coupons you may be able to use them elsewhere. And even can sometimes get a manufacturer's CAT that can be used anywhere!

Peelies-These coupons are found directly on the product that you are buying. They are meant to be peeled off and used at that visit. These fall under the category of a manufacturer coupon. I don't know the exact etiquette, but I believe it very much frowned upon to peel peelies off of other packages that you don't intend to buy to use at a later time. So, just peel off the coupon of the item that you are buying that day.

Blinkies-These are manufacturer's coupons that are located right near the particular item that the coupon is for. It is usually in a small machine looking deal that has a blinking light (sometimes). You can pull out a coupon for the item and use it at that time. I believe, and don't quote me on this cause, like I said, I am new to all this, you can take a few extra for later use on the product.

Tear pads-These are the same idea as a blinkie, but it's just a pad of coupons for a particular item that you can tear off a coupon (or two or three or, well, you get the point) to use.

Where else can I find coupons?
Stores take coupons from all the different places that I listed above but you can also get and print coupons on the internet. There are MANY sites to find internet coupons:
Some places to start are:
-Smartsource.com
-Redplum.com
-coupons.com

In addition you can visit your favorite stores and brands websites to obtain coupons. These would include:
-Target
-Wholefoods
-Fresh & Easy
-Fry's
-Horizon
-Stoneyfield
-Aquafresh
-Barbara's
etc, etc., etc. You get the point. Just get out there on the Internet and search the brands websites that you buy the most. Most of them will have coupons. Keep in mind though, when printing coupons, each computer is allowed to print 2 of the same coupon and that's it. So if you go to Horizon.com and print a coupon for $.50 off milk you will only be able to print that coupon twice from each computer in your home until the site "resets" the coupons. Once they reset the coupons (which can happen often on some sites and not-so-often on other sites) then you can print 2 again. Exception to the "2 print rule" is a store coupon. Ex: Whole foods. All the coupons on their site can be printed as many times as you want because it is not a manufacturer's coupon. Note: YOU MAY NOT MAKE PHOTOCOPIES OF COUPONS! This is fraudulent and could possibly make stores change their coupon policies because they will not get reimbursed for these coupons. DO NOT MAKE COPIES!

I would also advise you not to print all the coupons that you *think* you might use right away. Coupons have expiration dates. Some expire within 30 days and some expire a few months out. So, because you only have a 2 print maximum, only print them around the time you will be using them to ensure that they will still be usable. *Exception* Sometimes there are coupons that are rare and the manufacturer only puts out a certain amount of and once that number is reached then they are no longer available. These you need to print right away. You will get to know the ones that you don't see very often and which ones come around all the time. Most of the couponing sites will tell you this upfront. A good example is that yesterday I saw a coupon for $1/1 Mission brand tortilla package. I wasn't at a printer at the time of seeing it on the site I follow so I just went to print it now and it is no longer available. Booo Hoooo!!!!

Also, hook up with some couponing friends and trade coupons. If a friend of yours is loyal to, let's say, Crest toothpaste and you won't touch that stuff see if you can trade him/her for his/her Colgate toothpaste coupons instead.

Look at the store! May stores offer coupon booklets full of excellent coupons. Some are store specific but many have manufacturer coupons that you can use at numerous stores. Check displays near the entrance or ask at the customer service desk.

There are also people out there that "sell" coupons for a small fee. That's probably the wrong way for me to say it because they aren't allowed to "sell" coupons per se. You will see it worded that they are giving you coupons for, let's say, $.05/coupon and selling their time of gathering, clipping and sending you the coupons. I haven't tried this, but have only heard about it through the couponing grapevine. Why would you buy a coupon if you are trying to save money you ask? Well, if you pay only $.05 for a coupon on a product that you can then turn around and get for FREE with that coupon it is a very nominal fee to get something for nothing.

The last way (that I can think of) to get coupons is to email, call or write letters to your favorite brands. If you never see a coupon for a particular items or brand, email them. Most companies are more than happy to send you some in the mail so that you keep buying their products. I never hurts to try! They may even send you some free samples along with those coupons!

Are there coupon blogging websites I should be following?
There are an enormous amount of couponing blog sites that help you navigate your way through the weekly deals at different stores. These are imperative for any good couponer to follow unless you make it your full time job to do it on your own. There are just sooo many coupons out there, so many sales and so many deals that you just can't keep up with them all on your own. I follow 3 pretty religiously.

I would also suggest finding a coupon blogging site that is in your area. Many sales are different from region to region and this will help you stay on top of the sales/coupons available in your town. There are even different sales within the same affiliate (i.e Kroger) within the same city. There have been times when I go to Fry's here in Phoenix thinking that something will be on sale (like the website said) only to find out it isn't going on at my store. Most of these sites also include organic deals going on too!

The Cents'able Shoppin'-Sheryl is here in Mesa, AZ so most (if not all) of her coupons/sales match up with the stores that I shop at. She is soooo on top of it all and a wealth of couponing knowledge. I visit her site daily just to see if there is anything that is of interest to me.

Money Saving Mom-Crystal (and her team) are like the coupon queens! She has excellent coupon information as well as many other posts on frugal living. I check in on her site maybe twice a week just to see what good info she has.

Organic Deals-I LOVE this for all my organic needs. I think this is based in CA, so sometimes the deals don't match my stores (like Whole Foods) but there are still links to some great organic coupons!

Other sites that I visit occasionally:
Saving Naturally
The Krazy Coupon Lady (she was featured on TLC's Extreme Couponing)

What is all those crazy couponing terms that I see on those sites?
SS=Smart Source. This is a couponing book that comes in your Sunday paper. On your favorite couponing sites you will see coupons referred to like this: $2/1 Colgate toothpaste (SS 1/30) That means that there is a $2.00 off one Colgate toothpaste coupon in the Smart Source that came in your 1/30/11 Sunday paper insert. If you didn't cut that coupon but want to use it now you know exactly where to go in your file cabinet since you filed them like I showed you in my previous post.
RP=Red Plum. This is also a couponing booklet that comes in your Sunday paper.
PG=Proctor & Gamble. These usually come in you Sunday paper and are filled with coupons of Proctor & Gamble products.
ECB=Extra Care Bucks. These are the coupon type things that you can earn at CVS. (See their game here)
RR=Register Rewards @ Walgreens (see their game here)
OYNO=On your next offer (ex: $1 off oyno)
WYB=when you buy (ex: $1 off wyb 2)
BOGO/B1G1=Buy one, get one
MFG/MFR=Manufacturer
OOP=Out of pocket
MM-Money Maker. This is when the item priced low enough for you to use a coupon and actually make money on it. Can you imagine?!?! The store "paying" you to shop there! It happens and when it does it's so exciting!

Great job on step #2. You're homework is to poke around the internet a little and see the different sites that I listed. Get familiar with some of the terms and maybe even sign up for a few websites so that you can print their coupons. Next I will help you put all those coupons to good use. We will learn about when you can (and can't) use a coupon, stacking, competitor's coupons, etc in lesson #3. Stay tuned!

Couponing 101: Getting Started

2011-02-02T15:04:00.012-05:00

Last night after I came home from a grocery shopping trip I posted on my facebook page, "I am totally on a couponing high. I paid $50.83 for $135.00 worth of groceries. Saving me $84.17 all thanks to shopping the sale and using coupons! Score!" From that I got many questions of "how did you do that?" "Where do you get your coupons at?" "Maybe I should give this a try, where do I start?" I had no idea that such a innocent status update would create such a buzz. Because of all your questions I've decided that I would do a series of posts to answer some of your questions and hopefully make the couponing world a little less intimidating.

Let me first start off by saying that I am NOT a couponing expert. Back in October or so a group of ladies from my mom's group got together to learn more about couponing. There were some extreamly seasoned couponers there, some beginner couponers there and even some that had never clipped a coupon in their life. From that meeting we all entered into the couponing world with high hopes in reducing our grocery budgets and saving our family a few bucks along the way. Over the past few months we have helped and guided each other, shared some tips and strategies in hopes of maximizing our mighty dollar. Through those people I have begun to develop a bit of knowledge of the couponing world. But, I assure you that I am no where near the expertise of some couponers out there. So, I am going to just use these posts as a starting off point to get you going in the right direction. There is a lot to learn (and I will join you on the ride), but the good thing is that with a little time, effort, research and practice you, too, can become a couponing extraodinaire!

So, like I said, I have been couponing since about October. Since we buy many things that are organic I thought that couponing would never be for me. After all, coupons are just for junk foods like chips, dip, and a whole bunch of over processed foods, right? WRONG! After doing some research I have found that even someone who wants to eat organically can use coupons too! There are MANY to be had if you just know where to look and how to shop the sales. I can't tell you the amount of things that I have gotten for FREE or next to nothing...even on ORGANIC and GREEN items! So sit back, grab a pen and a (free) organic Honest Tea (that you recently got at your Fry's MEGA sale) and lets begin, shall we?

Where do I start?

First you will want to start by subscribing to the Sunday paper. It is filled with weekly coupon books and ads for stores that are advertising their sale items. But isn't spending money on a weekly paper counter-productive you ask? The answer is "No." Here in Arizona I get my paper for $1.00/week. This gets me the Sunday paper and the Wednesday paper (for free). The Wednesday paper is important because in that comes the ads for most grocery stores since their new sales usually start on Wednesday. I save well over a $1.00/week with coupons so in my opinion it is well worth the investment. The coupons in the paper are mostly for mainstream items, but with organics becoming more of a demand there are more often then not at least a few in there from time to time. Plus, you get coupons for toothbrushes, toothpaste, pads, tampons, razors, toilet paper, etc. We all need those right?! If you can, a lot of "expert" couponers get more than one Sunday paper. If they don't allow more than one (or two-sign up in your hubby's name as well) then have your family sign up and give you theirs. You'll see why later.

I have my paper so what next?

Now that you have your paper don't sit down and clip every single coupon in there. It's not necessary. Look through and clip the ones that you pretty much think you will use right away or in the very near future. The rest of the coupon book should be filed. DO NOT THROW THEM AWAY! You may find yourself going back to them and clipping something that you didn't think to clip before (or you can trade them). I stick a sticky on the front with the Sunday date that I got it and paperclip all my coupon books that I got that particular week together. I then file them in my drawer for later use.

You will want to go and buy (or if you have some laying around, even better!) a 3 ring binder. This is the best way to keep coupons (in my non-expert opinion!). I like the ones that have a flap in the front so that you can slide envelopes in there, but it's up to you. Here you can see that I have a cover sheet with all the coupon categories. I printed them here. I didn't orginally have the dividers for the categories but just recently started using them. They are a life saver and make my binder so much more organized. I say, IT'S A MUST!

Here you can see one of the category dividers up close. I bought the clear page protectors to insert them into for easy turning. Cause your pages will do a lot of turning!

Next, you will want to buy some baseball card holders for your binder. This allows you to put one coupon in each slot for easy veiwing. I got mine at Walmart, but I am sure many stores sell them. Start off with at least 50. I already need to go buy another pack since all of mine are used up.

I also keep envelopes in the front of my binder with each store's name written on it. When I am planning a trip to that particular store, I pull my coupons that I need and keep them in the envelope for easy access. I also store catalinas (we will get to those later), rain checks, Extra Care Bucks (which I will now refer to as ECB's) in there so I don't lose them.

Wait, is there still more prep work?
Yes, there is! I promise we will get to the fun part of saving a dollar, but there is still more work that needs to be done before we get there.

I set up some accounts that were just devoted to my couponing. A couponing email account and a couponing facebook account where I don't have "friends" on it (yes there are coupons on FB!). I would advise doing this cause as you get going you will be signing up for a lot of websites that send you stuff through email. Don't bog down your main email with all this junk. You will also need this for logging in to many websites to get coupons.

Next you will want to get grocery store club cards. You know those credit card looking things that they ask you for every time you check out? Not only do those little cards allow you to get the "sale" price on items, but you can also electronically load coupons to those cards! So, when you check out, if you have an ecoupon (as they are called) for that item it will automatically be deducted at the register! How easy is that?!?!? I would also advise you to get a CVS card as well to earn your Extra Care Bucks (ECB). CVS and Walgreens (which you don't need a card for) are the two biggest pharmacy's here in AZ that I shop, so I can only offer information about those in particular.

Now that you have your grocery cards you will need to register them on the websites. Go to cellfire.com, shortcuts.com & PGesaver.com. Also the grocery store website, like Fry's here in AZ or CVS.

Phew! That's a lot of information! Now that you have some homework to do get that all completed and check back with me tomorrow for lesson #2!

Meal Plan-1/30/11

2011-01-30T15:32:00.003-05:00

Wow. I was instantly reminded last week why I need to keep up with my meal plans. I didn't meal plan in the beginning of last week and we suffered terribly as a result of it. I managed to scrounge up a couple decent meals, but majority of the time I was flying by the seat of my pants. In other words, we ate like crap.

So, now that the kids are taking a nap, my main priority is to get a plan together. Well first, my priority is to grab a cocktail then get a meal plan together. Yes, I am going to drink at 1:45 on a Sunday. Leave me alone.

We have a super busy week this week, so most of my dinners are going to be things that I can throw together relatively easily.

Sunday-Sweet Potato Enchiladas. If you haven't tried this recipe yet, shame. on. you. It's a little slice of heaven wrapped in a tortilla.
Monday-Butternut Squash Ravioli
Tuesday-Falafel Pita Sandwiches.
Wednesday-Salad of some sort
Thursday-BBQ chicken
Friday-Homemade calzones. A couple weeks ago I made my own pizza crust. From scratch. With yeast and everything. It was a mess of flour all over the place, but I really liked it! This time I am going to try with some whole wheat flour instead. Yummy.
Saturday-Take out. I am babysitting this night so need something quick.

Happy meal planning!

Links: I Got Some to Share

2011-01-28T16:29:00.002-05:00

My crafty mind is about to explode with all the cutesy Valentine's ideas out there. As if I have all the time in the world to be making crafts, right?

Anyways, over the past week of visiting my favorite blogs, I have picked up a few ideas along the way (both crafty ideas and more) and wanted to share with y'all.

-Children's juice alternative (caffeine-free of course!)
-Free Blog Header (do I dare try?!?!)
-Valentine card idea (I am soooo doing this for the kiddos Valentine's Day parties!)
-PB & Raspberry pops
-Creative (easy) cards for the love of your life
-Maybe my kids will eat this butternut squash recipe? One can dream, right?

Have a great weekend!

Kaiden-ese

2011-01-27T14:56:00.000-05:00

Kaiden talks all. the. time. Most of the day it's things like "What is this? What is that? Mommy watch me do this. Mommy I want this, Mommy I want that." I have really contemplated making is a hard fast rule in our house that you are allowed to say something ONE TIME. After I acknowledge your request if you say it again (or ask for it again) then you will not get it. Harsh? Maybe. But, it just may save my sanity.

Actually, some of the things that come out of his mouth are pretty funny. Most of the time I think I will remember them and intend to write them down, but I should know by now that it's a miracle if I remember what I ate for breakfast in the morning so how I think I am going to remember all of his Kaiden-ese each and every day is beyond me.

Here are some of the things that I do remember that makes me laugh:

"A little minute." Things to him are a little minute. "Mommy come watch me do dis for a little minute." "I just want to watch TV for a little minute."

"Mommy, look at me. I am a man with a mouth." (He had something on his lip and he was saying that he had a moustache)

When he wants you to repeat what you said: "Mommy, what are you saying with your mouth?"

"Mommy, what is that man doing with his mouth?" Sometimes in books or looking at people on the street if they are making a funny expression this is how he asks what they are doing.

"Mommy say 'Yay' to me." When he does something that he thinks is good he wants me to say "YAY!"

Leaving for soccer practice with Daddy, "Bye-bye Mommy! See you soon! Be a good girl!"

"Mommy, are you listening to me?" If I don't answer him right away after he asks a question. Wonder where he got that from?

"I am a little bit older than you, Mom. I'm a little bit older."

"Paco, you are the BEST doggie ever."

"Mommy, you look so pretty!"

Pointing to my boobs, "Mommy, what is dat in dare? What is dat?"

We were reading a Sesame Street book in which they were decorating a snowman. I asked him, "What would you decorate your snowman with?" In which he replied, "Ummm, a hat. And also I would decorate it with snow."

Kaiden's version of "Ring around the Rosey:" "Ring round da rosey, paca-do-a dosey, pashes, pashes, we all fall down!"

Meal Plan-1/16/11

2011-01-16T14:22:00.000-05:00

My crock pot meals last week were WONDERFUL! I "made" everything in the morning, let it crock all day and viola! all we did was dish it out and serve right at meal time. I will definitely be using my crock pot more often. It left me feeling so free and actually took a few afternoons to walk the dog and get outside with the kiddos instead of spending so much time prepping that nights dinner. Score!

Sunday-Chicken salad sandwiches (veggie sandwich for me)
Monday-Lentils over rice. I buy these at Costco (a pack of 4 for like $6.00) and they are SOOO good. No wacky ingredients, just heat (I heat on the stove top because I rarely use the microwave) and serve over rice or in a tortilla. MMMmmm....
Tuesday-Quinoa and Black Beans in tortillas with avocado and sour cream
Wednesday-Baked spinach and ricotta stuffed pasta shells
Thursday-Salad with sliced pears, candies walnuts, cranberries & feta cheese
Friday-Personal pizzas (or calzones) with homemade pizza crusts
Saturday-Out to dinner after church

Forgiveness

2011-01-13T16:39:00.001-05:00

The church that we attend offers an opportunity to attend a group called "Life Training" that meets outside of regular service times. It is a 12 week course that takes you through different areas of real-life experiences, struggles and issues that we all may face including rejection, judging others, loving others & forgiveness. Some people use this course to grow spiritually while others use this as a starting off point to learn biblically based ways to overcome addiction, trauma, anger, divorce, etc.

We had heard on many occasions about how wonderful the course was so hubs and I agreed to start as soon as the New Year hit. Because they don't provide child care we will need to go on a rotating schedule, him one week me the next, but the class just keeps rotating through the 12 classes so it is easy to start and finish at your own pace.

Monday night was my turn to go to the first class which was on forgiveness. Now, fortunately for me (and I realized this during the class) I don't really have anything in my life that I can think of that I have felt I have been done wrong by. No one has hurt me to the point that I feel bitterness, resentment, anger or just plain can't let go of like some of the people there that are facing abuse, adultery, addictions, divorce and such. Despite this, I was able to use this class as a way to grow in my faith and can honestly say that I learned a lot.

Reasons why we don't forgive:
-We have intense anger
-We don't think it's fair
-We think we are letting someone "off the hook" by forgiving
-We feel like the other person hasn't suffered enough. We want payback.

People that are hurt want:
-Affirmation/recognition from their betrayer that they are hurting
-Payback

Forgiveness is:
-For your benefit. To free yourself from the prison of bitterness, resentment and anger
-A CHOICE that you make. It's not about feelings.

Steps to Forgiveness:
-Write down what act needs to be forgiven, how it made you feel and what it would feel like to forgive that act.
-Confess to God that you have been holing that person guilty for the act, and hurt, and the ramifications.
-Put the offender in God's hands, entrusting the offender to Him and let go of the debt you feel they owe.
-In humility, tell God you are willing to be reconciled to the offender and allow Him to love the offender through you.
-Drop the charges and dismiss the case. Don't revisit it again.

Forgiving someone doesn't mean you are saying that what they did to you is okay. Forgiving someone is to put yourself at peace with what has happened and freeing yourself from the prison of bitterness. Besides this, forgiveness is commanded of us. So, set yourself free. Forgive.

If you forgive others for the wrongs they do to you, your Father in heaven will forgive you. But if you don't forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins. Matthew 6:14-15

Meal Plan-1/9/11

2011-01-09T14:04:00.000-05:00

I am going to try a whole week of new recipes (except for the tortellini soup-that's a favorite of mine). All crock pot recipes. I am hoping this will make my meal time routine a little easier. If they are good recipes I will throw them in regularly to make dealing with two kids at dinner prep time a "breeze." One can hope, right?

Sunday-Crock pot tortellini soup
Monday-Crock pot chili (with my own twist on the recipe)
Tuesday-Left overs.
Wednesday-Breakfast for dinner Crock pot breakfast casserole (sausage on the side) with Crock pot apple sauce (made overnight the night before so to free up my crock for the casserole)
Thursday-Crock pot meatless enchiladas
Friday-Crock pot mac 'n cheese and hot dogs
Saturday-out to dinner after church.

Savings!

2011-01-06T11:22:00.004-05:00

So a few months ago I briefly talked about my venture into the world of couponing. Since then I have been trying to learn all the in's and out's of how to maximize our dollar at the grocery store and drug stores. It's not an easy task, let me tell you, as you can easily find yourself spending WAY too much time searching for the best deals and driving all over to different stores just to match up your coupons with the sales. But, while I am still a newbie to all of this, I have been extremely proud of myself and the money I have saved by taking a little time and doing my homework.

All this time I never thought coupons would be worth my while since most of my purchases are on organic and "green" products. But, low and behold all this time I WAS WRONG! Now that organics are becoming more mainstream there seems like there are many coupons to be had! And most of the blog sites that I follow are geared exactly for this purpose. It's actually becoming pretty addicting to see that number on the register go down as we ring up my purchases!

Here is a look at just some items that I have recently purchased with coupons:

7th Generation dish soap-$.69 each! (this sells for sometimes up to $3-4.00)
Muir Glen pasta sauce jars-$3.79 (normally $4.30+)
Muir Glen tomato sauce cans-$1.39 (originally $2.38)
Barbara's cereal (we LOVE this stuff)-$.70 each!
Naturals cereal-$.50 each
Almond Breeze milk-$.50 each (I got 2 of these last week for FREE!)
Tom's of Maine mouthwash-$1.00 each (normally priced at $5.00 each)
Pantyliner (up & up brand)-$.12 each
Carefree pantyliner-FREE!
Santa Cruz Organic juice-$2.59 each (normally $3.89)
Annie Man 'n Cheese (I always have some on hand for "emergency" lunches)-$.75 each (they are now on sale for $1.00/box)
Naked coconut water-(hubby loves these)-FREE!
International Delight coffee creamer-FREE!
Kettle chips-$1.00/bag

I also recently got some sausage links (my kids love their sausage occasionally for breakfast) for FREE and have also gotten a ton of FREE toothbrushes, floss, toothpaste. As well as Always pads for a DOLLA! HOLLA!

Like I said, it takes some time and some planning, but I have been able to really save some money....not as much as the people out that there that don't buy mostly organic like I do, but I do save a good amount to make it totally worth it!

Some of the sites that I regularly follow:
Cents'able Shoppin-Sheryl is a local here in the Phoenix area so most of her prices match up to the sales that are at my stores. And, oh my goodness, she does her homework!
Saving Naturally
Organic Deals-I recently found this one and I LOVE it for all my organic needs
Money Saving Mom-Duh. Any seasoned couponer follows her.

Happy Saving!

Meal Plan-1/3/11

2011-01-03T15:48:00.004-05:00

Ewww. That was the first time I wrote "11" for the year. It always takes me a few months....if not close to the full year to get the hang of it.

Anyways. I am so sick of food from the holidays that meal planning is the last thing that I want to do right now. I have had more than my fair share of junk and I. MUST. STOP. EATING. ALL. OF. IT. NOW! I feel like a blimp. Back to eating healthy. Today.

Monday-Eggplant Parm with homemade pasta sauce (with a little califlower puree mixed in! Hee hee)
Tuesday-Chicken Brats w/ rice and veggies
Wednesday-Roasted sweet potatos and cherry tomato salad
Thursday-Veggie meatball sandwiches
Friday-Appetizers delight....Bruscetta, cheese & crackers, hummus and chips/celery/carrots
Saturday-out to dinner after church

I Got Links to Share

2010-12-29T15:33:00.000-05:00

I found some really great posts I wanted to share about re-purposing some old things or making things on the cheap. And a great way to save our environment!

I follow these blogs regularly for coupons and tips. Thanks Sheryl and Stephanie!

Pancake batter dispenser
Soft Scrub for less (and safe for the environment if use an biodegradable liquid soap)
Apple Cider Vinegar
Sugar Hand Scrub

Don't Forget the Reindeer

2010-12-21T15:17:00.003-05:00

Today we went to a play date to make food for the reindeer on Christmas Eve. It was a really cute idea and the kids really enjoyed it. In fact, Kaiden keeps asking me if he can eat the reindeer food now!

The Legend of Magical Reindeer Dust
It has once been said,
That right before you go to bed.
You should sprinkle magic reindeer food,
To quickly bring Santa and his brood.
For many years the legend has been told,
To boys and girls, both young and old,
Sprinkle the food throughout your yard,
Then finding your house won’t be so hard!
The reindeer can smell the food for 100 miles,
Just do not leave it in big piles!
After you do this you must go to sleep very fast,
So Santa and his reindeer will not pass!

Ingredients:
1 cup dry oats
1 cup sugar
glitter (or cake sprinkles so as not to harm the animals who may eat it)

Mix it all together and scatter around the outside of your home.

Use this poem to go with it:
Sprinkle on the lawn at night
The moon will make it sparkle bright
As Santa's reindeer fly and roam
This will guide them to your home.

Here's Kaiden gluing the instructions on the paper

Miss Maddey posing with her reindeer food

Kaiden displaying his hard work!

Now on to making cookies on Thursday for Santa!

Useless Christmas Facts

2010-12-20T12:44:00.005-05:00

Did you know?

Hallmark introduced its first Christmas cards in 1915, five years after the founding of the company.
The poinsettia, traditionally an American Christmas flower, originally grew in Mexico; where it was known as the "Flower of the Holy Night". It was first brought to America by Joel Poinsett in 1829.
If you received all of the gifts in the song "The Twelve Days of Christmas", you would receive 364 presents. That's a LOT of crappy presents!
On average, an American family sends and receives 28 Christmas cards each year.
Christmas trees are edible. Many parts of pines, spruces, and firs can be eaten. The needles are a good source of vitamin C. Pine nuts, or pine cones, are also a good source of nutrition. I'll pass thankyouverymuch.
One in three American men say they wait until Christmas Eve to finish their holiday shopping. Are we suprised?
There are towns named Santa Claus in Arizona and Indiana, one named Noel in Missouri, and towns named Christmas in Arizona and Florida. Who knew?!?!
About 31% of all diamond purchases are made during the Christmas season. Hint, Hint.
Due to the way time zones work, Santa actually has 31 hours to deliver his gifts.

I bet you will all sleep a bit better tonight. You're welcome.

Meal Plan-12/19/10

2010-12-19T22:22:00.004-05:00

Last week's meal plan ended up getting moved around quite a bit. But that's the beauty of a good meal plan...technically having all the ingredients already in your home for each meal will allow for easy movage (totally a word) to suit you as the week progresses.

I ended up moving Wednesday's meal to Saturday, moving Saturday's meal to Sunday, deleting Thursday's meal altogether so to eat up some left overs from Tuesday's meal. But, it all worked in the end. So I have some meals left over from last week that I will try and re-work into this week.....and Christmas dinner....I am still deciding what to do for that one. It's just us this year so do I want to make a big meal or do I want to keep it crazy simple? I am thinking crazy simple but, hmmm.....

Sunday-Quinoa Waldorf Salad. Madelyn gobbled this one up again. Kaiden still, notsomuch. But it's yummy!
Monday-Tostadas using my favorite refried bean recipe. Oh, it's heaven. You MUST try!
Tuesday-Eggplant Parm
Wednesday-Crockpot Vegetarian Chili
Thursday-Lettuce Wraps. I have some tofu sitting in my fridge that I might try and make this with for me. Chicken for the hubs and kiddos.
Friday-Homemade pizza. I got some pizza yeast packets the other day (for FREE thanks to my coupons!) so I want to try to make my own pizza dough. Hmmmm....let's see how this goes.
Saturday-Christmas. Still deciding.

Christmas Festivities Galore

2010-12-17T15:43:00.006-05:00

The past few weeks have been crazy with Christmas festivities. Throw in the fact that I still have gifts to buy for the kids, presents to wrap, stocking stuffers to pick up, birthday parties to attend, meals to plan and shop for and the normal chaos to deal with we are a very busy family these days. But who's stressed? Not me.

Anywho, on Wednesday we went to a mom's group friend's house for a gingerbread house building play date. But, no kits here. We did the old fashioned graham crackers and icing and candy decorating houses. The kids had a blast! And there may or may not have been a slew of candy that didn't make it on any houses at all. But I'm not one to snitch.

Here are my goobers decorating their house working so nicely together.

Here are all the houses that were decorated that day. As you can see, quite the variety. Only one house collapsed due to the fact that most of us used a GLUE GUN! Holla!

This is our house looking all nice and yummy.

Then on Thursday Kaiden had his last day of school before Christmas/New Year's break. So, the last hour they invited the parents to join the class for a Birthday celebration for Jesus! Kaiden attends a Christian school so I LOVE the fact that they can reinforce the true meaning of Christmas with what we are teaching him at home and what he learns at church.

Here are the kids singing Happy Birthday to Jesus. Then they follow that with their daily prayer that they sing before their snack everyday. We have adopted this prayer and use it most nights at our dinner table before eating.

Here is Kaiden decorating his sugar cookies with icing and sprinkles

Then the kiddos decorated a gingerbread man with anything and everything they wanted to stick on it.

That evening the school put on a Christmas show with all of the preschool and pre-K classes. Kaiden's 2's class started off the show with the ringing of the bells. It was adorable and sooo typical of a young toddler-esque show with all the kids waving to parents in the audience! (Sorry for the quality of this video...I was using my camera since I don't know how to upload our videos from our actual video camera. Oye! )

Here is Kaiden and Madelyn after the show in his classroom. The teachers handed out a gift to the students for a job well done!

Kaiden poses with his teacher (left) and the classroom aide (right). See you all next year!

We still have a few fun play dates planned next week in which we are going to make food for the reindeer to sprinkle in the yard on Christmas Eve and also to make cookies to leave for Santa. We will also most likely attend a live nativity show that is at a church about a mile from out home tonight, go out and look at Christmas lights in our neighborhood (for the third time!), visit a massive gingerbread house village and watch copious amounts of Christmas movies! The craziness continues but I LOVE the Christmas season!

Homemade Christmas Gifts

2010-12-13T16:45:00.006-05:00

So you remember this post when I talked about my mason jars and how excited I was to make them into Christmas gifts this year? Well, I'm finally finished the task, mailed them off today and I am so excited with how they turned out.

You have probably seen homemade bread or muffin mixes, soup, coffee or bath recipes that you can make and put in a jar for someone. Well, I made a hot chocolate mix recipe that I found here and filled each jar with the mix. But first, I made the tags to attach to the jars using some scrapbooking paper and scrapbooking rub-ons. I punched a hole in the end and secured an eyelet to reinforce the hole (not shown in this picture).
Then I selected a fabric (I got a big sheet of it at Walmart for $1.00! HOLLA!) and cut it into an appropriate size square for each jar and spray glued it to each lid like so...

After I filled the jars with the mix, I made labels on my computer using Avery name badge printable labels and printed the directions of how to make the hot chocolate and the ingredients in the mix (we don't have a color printer here so that was a bit disappointing, but they turned out alright despite them only being black and white). I then stuck them to the jar, threaded the tag through the ribbon and tied it around the top of the jar. They looked so pretty!

We also made picture ornaments for the grandparents using felt and sequin-like crafty things.
And to top off the gifts, I made homemade, non-toxic hand sanitizer as well. It smells sooo good! I printed up labels on my computer using the same name badge size labels which I had to cut down slightly so they fit on the bottles better. All the ingredients are proven to kill germs, including virus, but are all safe for the environment and completely safe for you!

I sent each gift to the grandparents, my brother and SIL, hubs SIL and even made one for Kaiden's teacher and the aide in his classroom. I think the shipping alone cost me more than that actual gifts themselves, but I am willing to bet that most everyone will appreciate a homemade gift rather than something I bought in the store that they may never use!

Merry Christmas!

It's Beginning to Look A LOT Like Christmas

2010-12-13T16:11:00.003-05:00

We haven't gotten family pictures done since Kaiden was about 7 months old. I wanted to get some taken this year so I would have something nice to send out for our Christmas cards. We went yesterday to a local portrait place and not expecting much, I was pleasantly surprised how well our photos turned out.

Here is Miss DIVA looking so cute and innocent

Handsome boy looking so grown up!

My two cuties cooperating so well for the camera

My beautiful family whom I am so blessed to have!

Merry Christmas and Happy New year!

Meal Plan-12/12/10

2010-12-12T14:40:00.002-05:00

Meal Planning worked like a charm last week. I had all my ingredients on hand, knew exactly what I was making that night and (amen!) had our dinner out on the table with no stress. Well, minus the crying, fighting children swarming around my feet during preparations. Besides that it was low stress.

I think it will work out for us that each week I will try to incorporate one night of a salad meal, one night of a mexican meal, one night of a meat dish, one pasta meal and the next two nights are open. We usually go to Saturday night church service so will probably just do dinner out when we go since coming home at 6:00 and starting to cook something isn't very appealing to me. This new schedule will seem to give the meals variety and balance throughout the week.

Sunday-Birthday party for our friend's son. Salad and pizza.
Monday-Lasagna Rolls
Tuesday-Chicken fajitas
Wednesday-Veggie Pot Pies
Thursday-Crockpot vegetarian chili
Friday-Veggie burgers with sweet potato fries
Saturday-Quinoa Waldorf Salad. I recently bought Quinoa from Costco and have been wanting to try it. I came across this recipe that was linked from Katie's blog a few weeks ago and had to try it. It didn't disappoint and Madelyn gobbled it up! Kaiden....well, not so much. He didn't hate it, but only took a few bites because he "had" to.

Jumping Rope

2010-12-09T14:39:00.000-05:00

A few notes about this video:

He states that he is "using the jump rope from Halloween." For the record, I have no idea what jump rope and Halloween are doing in the same sentence and why he thinks he got this "jump rope" when he was trick or treating. In fact, he is using Paco's leash instead.
Just 5 minutes before shooting this video he told me he learned how to jump rope at school from his teacher. Because I sure as heck didn't teach him how to jump rope. But then in this video he states he "learned how to jump rope from trick or treating." Honestly, I am at a loss as to where to go with that statement.
Notice that my children do not like to wear clothing. When we were potty training he ran around naked so that he would tell us when he needed to go potty and not pee in his pants. Since he is now fully potty trained we try to at least keep underwear on the kid, but it's a daily mystery whether he wants just undies on, his pants on or nothing at all. I choose to pick my battles most days.
I had to stop this video short when Madelyn decided to kidnap Ernie our "elf on a shelf." Apparently Ernie's perching spot was not out of the reach of curious toddler hands like he thought.

Top 10 Reasons Why I Love Being a Mom

2010-12-08T13:18:00.003-05:00

Being a mom is by far the hardest thing I have ever done in my life. I know it's so cliche, but it's so true. Most days I feel like a failure and wonder if I have done anything right. Often my patience runs thin, my house is a mess and I look like I have been hit by a truck from lack of sleep. I repeat myself a million times, kiss countless "owies," and break-up multiple battles between toddlers.

Just a couple days ago my children were OUT. OF. CONTROL. The day seemed to drag on as I dealt with numerous melt downs, time outs, uncontrolled emotions, fighting and clinginess that all made me want to crawl in a hole and hibernate 'til next winter. It was by far the worst day that I had faced being a mommy to two kiddos. I was emotionally and physically exhausted even before nap time hit and wondered if I would make it through the rest of the day. It's days like that which I find myself needing a reminder that I love being a mom. I really do love it.

I have a folder on my computer which I titled "reality check." I often go to the folder and look at the posts that I have stashed away in there (this post and this post are my favorites). Just for for days like I had this week. It's a reminder that one day I will miss it. All of it. My kids will be grown, they won't want to snuggle with me, they won't want to sit in my lap and read stories, they won't want to hold my hand while walking across the street. I'll miss it. Both the good days and the bad days. I try and savor it all.

As another reminder to myself, here's my top 10 reason's why I love being a mom:

No matter how ugly you feel, they will always tell you you're pretty.
Little snuggles and kisses.
They bring simple innocence to a world full of craziness.
They keep me laughing.
Acting silly is okay. In fact, it's part of the job description.
Unexpected flowers, gifts and hugs.
Seeing all our hard work pay off when they love each other, give a helping hand to each other, share toys with their sibling, say "please" & "thank you" to total strangers, or tell the other "it's okay" when they fall down.
Being able to watch my husband be an amazing father.
My life suddenly has purpose.
They make me want to be a better person.

I love being a mom.

Meal Plan-12/5/10

2010-12-05T14:28:00.005-05:00

I have GOT to get back to meal planning. Looking back at some old posts, the last time I meal planned was a year ago! No wonder most nights I am racking my brain (and shuffling through my cabinets) to figure out what to throw together in time for 5:00 dinner. I hate feeling that pressure at the end of the day not knowing exactly what we are having. Even if you vary from the plan at last minute and make something else or decide to go out to dinner, or even flip the dinner you had planned for Monday with the dinner that was planned for Thursday meal planning is a huge help. It's a huge time saver, gas saver (so you are not at the grocery store EVERY. SINGLE. DAY!) and stress reliever.

So here's to putting meal planning back into my life again! *Clink, clink!*

Sunday-Broccoli Slaw Salad
Monday-Pasta e Fagioli
Tuesday-Enchiladas (chicken for the kids and hubs, beans & cheese for me)
Wednesday-Corn Chowder
Thursday-Applesauce pancakes with fruit salad (who doesn't love breakfast for dinner?!?!)
Friday-Homemade veggie pizza
Saturday-Out to dinner after church

Kids Christmas Craft Day

2010-12-01T15:07:00.009-05:00

Did you know that today is December 1st?!?!? I know! Hard to believe. So I thought it would be fun to kick off our 25 days until Christmas with a kids craft day in which I hosted at my house with a few mamas from my mom's group.

The kids had a blast! We made a Christmas Advent Chain, a clothespin Reindeer and a little foam ornament. Even if most of the crafts were eventually completed by the mamas, I think they will all have something to add to their Christmas tree and look back on it for years to come.

Miss Maddey very intently checking out her craft bag

Kaiden gluing his Christmas Advent chain together

Look Mommy at my advent chain!

Each kid got a different foam ornament to glue together and hang on their tree. (a Dollar Store find!)

My favorite: Reindeer Clothespin craft
(see below for a "how to")

Materials for the clothespin reindeer craft:
-3 Flat, old-fashioned clothespins (I found these at Michaels, but I believe you can find them at Wal-mart and such stores like that)
-Ribbon. One color used to make a loop so it will hang on your tree and one color for the neck (the one at the neck needs to be very thin so you can thread the bell through it).
-Googly eyes
-Small bell for around neck (found at Michael's)
-Red pom-pom for nose (found at Michael's)
-White pom-pom for tail (found at Michael's)

-Brown felt.
-Glue (Elmer's school glue works okay but it takes awhile to dry. A hot glue gun works best-especially for the pom-poms which will only stay on with hot glue).

Directions:
-Loop one color ribbon in a loop and glue between two clothespins to form the body.
-Glue one clothespin upside down onto the body to form the head and antlers.
-Glue on googly eyes, and red pom nose.

-Cut out tear drop shaped ears from the felt and glue on.
-Glue white pom on the bum of the reindeer.
-Tie ribbon around neck with bell (I hot glued it to the neck for added reinforcement).

The Christmas countdown has begun! It'll be here before we know it!

Discipline Techniques

2010-11-18T16:16:00.001-05:00

Last Thursday I went to a session with a local Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist that was set up through my mom's group. We had her come to talk with a small group of us regarding discipline techniques. Although she works with married couples as well, her specialty seems to be working with children ages 0-5. She teaches her discipline strategies from the "attachment parenting" theory.

While I didn't agree with all that she had to offer, I will say that I came out of there with a better understanding of the toddler mind and different strategies that I can throw into my "bag of tricks" to pull from when I need to.

I wrote down a whole slew of notes from what she said. And since there were 8 of us there, there were some questions that pertained to what each of us may be dealing with a this time. So, even though I did get some specific questions of mine answered, I think I would still love to do a one-on-one session with someone like her to evaluate our specific family/children and offer advice.

Here are some notes that I took from the session:

The stronger the attachment is with your child the more kids will be open to listening.
Throwing food on the floor (at 12-15 months-ish) is a normal part of development.
Always say what you want your child to do. Example: "You may walk," "You may touch nicely," "You may eat a treat after you finish all of your dinner." Instead of, "Don't run." "Don't hit" or "No snack/treats right now."
Don't use contractions: Don't, Won't, Can't, etc. Children only hear "hit," "run," etc.
Through preschool/early kindergarten age kids hit and push as part of their development. It's totally normal.
Young children (through early kinder) don't have impulse control. Time outs probably won't work because of this, instead re-direct or separate them. (Notice how you give time outs for the same thing over and over and over again?!?!)
Verbalize emotions for children. "I can see that you are mad/sad/bored, etc."
Saying, "I know you are mad but we don't hit. You may hit this pillow instead."
Toddlers may only get every 3rd or 4th word you say. Keep it brief...1-2 sentences.
5 yo+ can start to "manipulate" since they have more brain development at this age. Before this they can't.
As soon as our tone starts to elevate children hear nothing of what you are saying. They just focus on your body language and face and see you getting angry.
It is scary for a child to see their "go to person" (this is what she kept calling parents) mad.
Teach repairative acts. Example: If they push someone down take them over to the person they hurt and give them an ice pack.
Reward after 2 or 3 times. (this was in response to my question on reward charts) But don't use reward charts for everything cause then they will think that they are going to "get something" for everything they do. Try to use a lot of praise!
Toddlers have no concept of time. We can't expect them to wait for long periods.
Be available. It's hard for kids to tolerate time alone if they are put in their rooms as discipline.
Young ones really do need CONSTANT attention.
Be empathetic.
Help them calm down when throwing a temper tantrum. It is scary for them to be out of control like that and they don't have the know how to always calm themselves down. When there is distress we look to someone to help us. She gave an example of adults even. When we are upset we call a friend or spouse to talk it out and help us feel better. Same (or even more so) with kids.
You will have to repeat yourself 1000x's for kids to do something. "Go get your shoes, etc."
Children want to feel in control somewhere so let them have lots of choices when you can. "What color plate do you want to eat off of?" "Would you like to wear the blue shirt or the green shirt." "Would you like to put your shoes on or do you want me to help you put your shoes on?"
Future relationships, learning, etc. all depend on the attachment they have with their "go to person."

Like I said, I didn't agree with everything that she talked about mainly the part when she discussed giving time outs as I do believe there needs to be some form of discipline even if you have to do it over and over and over again. (*Side note: She didn't say don't discipline, but she did say that it doesn't usually work. So, if you need to do a quick time out then do so as to calm yourself down or the child down then follow up with a "time in" in which you explain what went wrong and offer an alternative to the punishable behavior*) I did agree with her on the level of expectations. I fully believe that I often expect too much from Kaiden and Madelyn. I often think that they should "get it" by now but after speaking with her and realizing what goes on in the toddler mind, I can see that mentally they just aren't capable of some things. After all, they are only (just turned) 3 and 17 months old! So, this has helped me to lower my expectations slightly (I am a work in progress!) and realize that I will need to repeat myself (a million times), stay calm and help them through different situations better.

It's all a learning game. No one has the "correct answer" to parenting. But maybe somewhere along the way if we have enough tools to pull from we will one day get it right! Happy parenting!

Veggie Pot Pies

2010-11-16T15:36:00.004-05:00

We struggle to get our kids to eat their vegetables. Shocking. I know. So I have aspired to find better ways to "encourage" healthy eating. Last week I was searching out some recipes online and came across a pot pie recipe. I have never actually made a pot pie (but always wanted to) and remembered seeing an episode of "Take Home Chef" many moons ago where he made individual pot pies for a group of kids and moms. I have a few Ramekins stowed away in the back of my cabinets so thought I give it a go.

I used this recipe as my guide since I didn't want to spend all day in my kitchen but made some adjustments.

Can of condensed Cream of Potato soup (or Cream of Mushroom would work too)
1/2 cup milk
1/2 tsp dried oregano
pinches of dried parsley and basil
1/2 tsp ground pepper (this was actually too much pepper...I would probably cut it down to 1/4 tsp next time)
prepared pie crusts (I only used one and divided it into quarters for the pie topping
Veggies. I sauteed a bunch of what I had on hand and threw in some frozen veggies as well.
Chicken *optional* I kept mine just veggies but threw in some cooked organic chicken cubes in the kids and hubs' pies.

Mix it all together and fill the pies. Top with the pie crusts and bake @ 350 degrees for 30ish minutes or until crusts are slightly browned. Enjoy!

Rock-A-Bye Baby: Kaiden Style

2010-11-11T15:39:00.003-05:00

Just when I feel like I wanna give up, they go and do something completely cute! Love you bunches you two goober-pies.

Flashbacks to Some of My Favorite Posts

2010-11-08T14:55:00.000-05:00

Every once in awhile I will go back and re-read some of my posts. Today I went WAY back to the very beginning of my blogging days. Can you believe it's been 2 years already?!?!? My goodness. Anyways, thought I would share some of my favs:

-This post makes me laugh every time I see it. And since lately I have been feeling like I need a major Mommy attitude adjustment this makes me feel a tad bit better.
-How about the 101 most random things about me.
-Re-living the 80's.
-My first bloggy award.
-Kaiden's first birthday.
-The crazy Googlers out there.
-51 things I have learned along the way.
-Finding out a little GIRL was on the way. Then her finally arriving!
-Why I love my mother.
-Two years of marital bliss.
-Can I tell you that these made it back to the store and then were mysteriously re-purchased. We have currently used ONE. Out of 16. So glad we made this purchase.
-My baby turns a year old.
-My sweet babies.
-I still catch myself saying the most outlandish things.

After reading these old posts, I am SO GLAD that I have a blog. I don't keep up with it nearly as often as I would like to and have missed a few milestones along the way, but it makes me so happy to re-read fun things that have happened over the past 2 years.

Thanks for coming along with me on my journey!

Where I Have Been

2010-11-03T23:47:00.002-04:00

Oh. My. Goodness.

The past few weeks have been INSANE around here. I don't know what happened. October was going all smooth and non-eventful like and all of a sudden WHAM! it turned into YOUHAVEGOTTOBEKIDDINGME mode in no time flat. Whew. I'm exhausted just thinking about it.

But seriously. I have taken on some other hobbies that have caused every second of my "free time" to get eaten up. Couponing. It may just be thing that kills me.

It all started about a month ago when a gal from my mom's group wrote on our message boards that she is interested in starting to use coupons. From there we had newbie couponers, expert couponers and coupon flirters all respond that they were also interested in getting together to share tips, learn from the pros or get some motivation to get back in the couponing scene. Who isn't up for saving a buck or two here and there? So, I decided to go to the "class" that we set up to learn a thing or two about it.

Since I buy 80-90% organic products (or make most of my stuff from scratch) I never thought that I would ever benefit from using coupons. Until now. I quickly learned that I too, can save a pretty penny by just taking the time to clip some coupons, check out the sale ads and meander through some couponing websites. Now, I won't ever save as much as the people out there that are buying conventional products per se, but now that I am aware of what is out there, I too have found that I can save with just a little planning and researching.

I am still learning. And while it is taking me what seems like FOREVER to figure it all out, I know that as I get more comfortable with this whole new endeavor (and stockpile!) that I will become more comfortable and it will seem like second nature. But in the meantime, I am finding it fun to go to the store and seek out the sales, stack my coupons, bust out competitor coupons and double my coupons to walk away with killer deals!

For instance, on Sunday, I went to Fry's and bought $54.00 worth of groceries and after sales and coupons I only paid $13.00! And most of it was organic! It's a start!

Wordless Wednesday

2010-10-20T09:00:00.001-04:00

We received this dress from friends of ours when Madelyn was born. Since it is a 2T size I put it in her closet for when she was big enough to wear it. Last week I was in her bedroom putting some items away and she opened her closet and pointed to this dress saying, "Pretty." Why yes, my princess, it is pretty. So we tried it on and, Oh. My. Frilly. She is so adorable, is she not?!?!?!

Random Tuesday Thoughts: Apples, Garage Sales & Oh, My Spinning Head

2010-10-19T17:43:00.004-04:00

We went apple picking and I now have 10lbs of apples in my refrigerator. Ten pounds of apples may not look like a lot in a dilapidated old wheelbarrow, but in my tiny refrigerator it looks like I brought home the whole orchard.

In the past three days we have eaten apples baked, cobblered, with the skin, without the skin, with peanut butter and topped with ice cream. Next I am making apple strudel muffins. By the time I am done with 10 lbs of apples I may not even want to see another apple again in my life. Although I must admit those baked apples with ice cream where de-lish.

I am doing a community garage sale on Saturday and hoping to clear out a ton of junk from our house. It has my head spinning and I almost feel like my time is worth more than the $.50 that I may get for the clock that I saw at Walmart for $5.00 new. Although I am sure the buyer will try and bargain me down to $.25. And if that's the case and $.25 is going to break your budget, then just take the dang thing.

October has been a super busy month for me leaving me with little spare time (so notice I am using that precious time to blog). It got me thinking of all the working mothers out there. How do you do it? All that I have to do in a day which inevitably spills over to the weekends I could NEVER get done in non-business hours.

My 30-day Love Challenge is going okay. It's hard, let me tell you. I have missed a few days here and there just cause life has gotten in the way. But, for the most part I have stuck to my schedule and I am more than half-way through. Yay me!

Kaiden had his first soccer game last Saturday. Oh. My. Goodness. It was as hilarious as I expected. But he LOVED it. And even though he played most of the game, which meant he stood on the field and had to be reminded that you actually have to run after the ball instead of just stand there, he made sure to declare to his daddy that, "I'm a really good soccer player, Daddy." Modesty has never been his strong suit.

I have been getting to the gym pretty regularly these days. And using my new iPod that I got last year for Christmas. How did I ever work out without it? I am still not sure why hubs thought I was joking when I asked him to load Backstreet Boys, N Sync & Pearl Jam on there, though.

While leggings are a very comfortable option, I am still not so sure about the trend coming back in style. Admittedly I bought a pair a week or so ago at Target with a really cute 3/4 sleeve cow neck sweater. I tried it on the other day in hopes of convincing myself that it's okay to "go there" again. I'm not quite convinced yet. Thankfully the temps are still in the 80's/90's here so I have a few weeks until it become appropriate apparel.

Until next time...

"Green" Skin Care

2010-10-14T16:44:00.001-04:00

If you read my post about "green" cleaning recipes then you know that I am on a quest to get toxic chemicals out of my home. And if you read this post, you know that includes skin care. So I have also been doing a TON of research on beauty products and how I can change from the ones that are swimming with crap to more natural ones. Think that our government is regulating these "mainstream" products and the ingredients that go in them? Think again. Most of the ingredients in your skin care products (1) have NOT been regulated or tested by any government agency and (2) are banned from most European countries and Canada. So why are they still being used here? Well, that's the million dollar question.

But instead of getting up on my soapbox and exposing you to my rants, I'll let you surf around the Internet or poke your nose into some books on the subject and come to your own conclusions. Don't let me be the one that spoils your beauty party.

Now for skin care tips for the "green" gals out there.

From the time I moved here to Arizona in 2003 I have had issues with my skin. It's like I rode into town and my face errupted. I almost never have a clear face and always seem to have a blemish popping up here and there at all times. What's even more frustrating with this is that a lot of the time when they do actually go away they leave scars that take FOREVER to fade. It's like I am a 13-year-old teenager again. I have tried everything. Ev-er-y-thing. And while some products have helped a bit here and there, I still have never had a clear complexion. I believe a lot of this has to do with what you eat. And, miraculously, since I have done my 30-day no meat challenge I have noticed a significant improvement in my skin. But I haven't been totally satisfied with just that.

After a ton of research on beauty secrets I found that a lot of people, especially with problem skin, have been washing their face with honey. I know, right!?!??! Honey?!?!? So, I decided to give it a try. And after two weeks of washing my face morning and night with just honey, I am amazed! My skin is softer and smoother and I haven't had a single blemish. One night I felt a pimple coming on so I did a honey mask and let it sit on my face for about 15-20 minutes before rinsing it off and the next day, I'm serious as a heart attack, no pimple! It dried it right up.

Now if you are going to try washing your face with honey here are a few tips:
-Use raw, organic honey. None of this processed honey that comes in the little bear squeezy-do.
-Remove any make-up first (read on for clearing your skin of make-up)
-Add a drop or two of tea tree oil for some blemish protection as tea tree oil will help with acne.
-Add some brown sugar or baking soda to the honey (mix in your hand) for a scrub. (*note* I have read that sugar will tend to invite bacteria so if you have problem skin I would steer clear of the sugar and just use the baking soda)
-Use as a mask at night. Just slather on your face and let sit for 15-20 minutes. Rinse off.
-Make sure you use a headband to pull back stray hair. While the honey is sticky going on, it really gets nice and smooth once on your face....but if it gets in your hair....stick-o-rama.

Coconut oil
Up until about a week ago I was taking my eye make-up off with commercial brands of eye make-up remover. And even though I used 3 different kinds at the same time (yes, three!) to try and get my make-up off, I still would wake up in the morning with raccoon eyes. So, while reading and reading and reading about all natural products I saw that a lot of people were using Coconut oil for make-up removing. I bought a jar and gave it a try. I kid you not, it took all my make-up off immediately with hardly any scrubbing and wiping like I was doing with my store bought stuff. And it conditions your skin like nobodies business.

So, what I do is massage the coconut oil (a small dab will do you just fine) into my face, including eyes. Wipe off with a piece of toilet paper. Rinse with water. Wash with honey! That's it!

I also used coconut oil as a shaving cream. Just slathered it all over my legs and shaved. My skin felt soft and moisturized as well as smelled oh so yummy. You can also use it as a hair conditioning pre-shampoo treatment or use as a moisturizer. Try it as a foot cream and slather on dry feet and cover with socks before you go to bed. A lot of people use it as a eye cream as well. I, personally, think that it is a little oily and find it doesn't penetrate my skin quick enough to use as a daily moisturizer. I have also read conflicting information where some people said it helped wonderfully with their acne while others say that it made it worse. So, for that reason, I have been a little afraid to keep it on my face for an extended period of time. But, I will continue to use it for make-up removal and shaving cream.

If you are going to use coconut oil, again, make sure it is unrefined, extra virgin, raw (if you can find it), organic coconut oil.

Olive Oil
Believe it or not I have been using olive oil as a facial moisturizer. Most mornings I feel like a turkey on Thanksgiving morning getting basted and ready for the oven, but it is a wonderful moisturizer. I hesitated at first putting an oil on my skin, especially my face, but it has so far been really wonderful. It penetrates my skin and doesn't feel oily at all. You can also use it as a make-up remover and takes off eye make-up in a few quick swipes.

I know I am a broken record, but buy Extra Virgin, organic Olive Oil.

Egyptian Magic
I read about this balm in a book and saw some reviews on the Internet and figured it was worth a try. It's a little expensive for the 4oz tub, but a little dab will go a long way. I have been mostly using it as an eye cream at night and, I know that I making everything out to be miracle cures, but really the fine lines under my eyes have significantly gone away. I have also used it as a hand cream and seems to work pretty well. Further reading suggests that people put it on everything...bee stings, rashes, cuts, pimples, etc. and it heals them all really quickly.

Give all my home treatments a try. I am confident that you will find them all really fantastic, really cheap (compared to most "mainstream" varieties) and will be much healthier & toxic-free!

"Green" Cleaning Recipes

2010-10-12T15:35:00.002-04:00

I have totally submerged myself in this whole non-toxic, clean living path that I am on. When I tell you that I have been doing a TON of research, I'm not kidding. Reading books and countless sites on the Internet have given me endless amounts of information about beauty and cleaning products. And can I just start off my saying, "Yuck." It's insane what's in them. But if you want to do some research for yourself here's a few of my favorite places to start.

Gorgeously Green book and website. She also has a book covering beauty products in which I am currently on the wait list at the library to get.

Another great website is No More Dirty Looks. They also have a book that I am currently reading.

I must admit I have been having fun toying around with a few recipes that I have discovered on the web. And much to my dismay, they actually work as good, if not better, then their chemically laden counterparts that cost $$ more at the store. While you may have to invest in a few key ingredients up front, using the non-toxic products will save your wallet in the long run. Here are some recipes that I have currently been using for cleaning around my home.

Glass cleaner
2 c water
1/4 c white vinegar
1/2 tsp. dish soap

Keep in squirt bottle and shake up before using. I use an old wash cloth to wipe glass down with and it doesn't streak at all. If you don't like the vinegar smell (which goes away pretty quickly so I don't mind it) you can add some essential oils of your choice.

All-purpose cleaner
2 c water
1/2 c white vinegar
1 tsp castile soap (I use peppermint)
3/4 c hydrogen peroxide
20 drops tea tree oil
20 drops lavender (optional)

Mix all together and store in an opaque spray bottle because the light will diffuse the essential oils and hydrogen peroxide. Use on all surfaces including granite. It smells soooo good. It kind of makes me want to lick my counter tops!

Mouthwash
I haven't tried this yet, but I have all the ingredients to make this once my store bought crap is gone.
1/2 c distilled water
1 c aloe vera juice
1 T witch hazel
2 T baking soda
20 drops peppermint oil
Keep it in the fridge for a refreshing blast of mint!

*Update (11/1) I did make this and it tastes OK. Something that we will have to get used to. But it is FAR LESS toxic then the store bought variety!

Room Freshener
Essential oil of your choice (I am in love with lavender right now)
Water

Fill an old spray bottle with water and add some essential oil to desired aroma). Spray around your room and it will feel like you are laying in a field of lavender. (This was also recommended to me to use as a "monster spray" in case your little ones are afraid of monsters in their rooms! How cleaver!)

Baking Soda
I have also been using some baking soda to scrub my kitchen sink. Which is working really well. Once I use up all my store bought bathroom cleaners I will also be using it elsewhere. Also, about a week ago my bathroom sink became clogged up from all my hair falling out when I brush it or blow it dry. So I made a homemade drain cleaner and it worked like a charm.

Pour baking soda down in the drain. About a 1/2 cup or so. Then pour about equal amount of white vinegar down the drain. Watch it fizz up. Let sit for about an hour or more. Boil a kettle full of water and slowly pour the HOT water down the drain. Repeat process if necessary. I had to do this twice, but after the second time the clog was completely gone!

How's that for $1.00 a box?!?! (or if your a Costco member you can get a HUGE bag for like $5.00! or possibly FREE if you are into couponing....which I will report on my new adventures in coupons later as I figure it all out.)

See how easy it can be? Now go ahead and give it a try!

Come back later for my "green" skin care routine!

Kaiden's 3rd Birthday

2010-10-06T17:18:00.008-04:00

Kaiden's 3rd birthday seemed to be a success. He has been wanting a bike (which he now calls his "Good Boy Bike") for some time now. We figured it was time to upgrade from the little tricycle and pass that on to Madelyn and get Kaiden a new bike.

Here he is the morning of his birthday riding his new bike at the park.

Kaiden has also been so into guitars and musical instruments that we told Grandma Mary to get him one for his birthday. It was a hit as well...

and also with Madelyn.

Because we were going out to dinner I didn't want to have to rush cake when we returned home and were trying to get the kids to bed. So, we did cake for lunch. I used this recipe and made my own vanilla icing and oh my....it was good! Blowing out the candles!

We went to Maggiano's for dinner. We usually are loyal to Olive Garden since it is kid friendly, consistently good, well priced, and the kids will eat well there. I decided to get a little fancier and, honestly, it was a mistake. I guess I had these fantasies of all sitting around the table reminiscing about Kaiden's day and the past 3 years, blah, blah, blah. I was more like an octopus trying to grab things out of the way, feed the kids, shovel food in my mouth when possible, keep the kids from getting down from the table....Next time we will stick to what we know best. But the food was GOOD none-the-less.

Cheese! (and pasta!)

Mommy makes a rare appearance in a picture with the birthday boy
Driving home to go to bed!

Happy Birthday buddy! Here's to a great year!

A Love Letter

2010-10-05T12:28:00.001-04:00

Dear honey,

I love you when you snuggle with me at night.
I love you when you tell me I am beautiful even on the days that I feel not even remotely pretty.
I love you when you play with the kids.
I love you when you read the kids stories and put them to bed.
I love you when you clean up the kitchen after dinner.
I love you when you fill up my gas tank.
I love you when you hug me.
I love you when you tell me "it'll be okay" when I am feeling the weight of the world on my shoulders.
I love you when you give me advice.
I love you when we think the same thought or say the same thing at the same time.
I love you when you ask me where the cream cheese is even though it is right in front of you in the refrigerator.
I love you when you accept me despite my imperfections.
I love you when you take the kids out so I can have some time to myself to get things done.
I love you when you work hard all day but still come home with excitement to see your family.
I love you when you send me text messages to let me know you are thinking of me.
I love you when you thank me for everything I do for the family.
I love you when we have time to go on a date night.
I love you when you hold my hand.
I love you when you look out for my health and safety.
I love you when you make me laugh.

I love you today, I'll love you tomorrow and I'll love you forever.
I am the luckiest woman in the world to be married to such a wonderful man.

Lovingly yours,
Me

30-Day Love Challenge

2010-10-01T19:12:00.000-04:00

A couple years ago we watched the movie Fireproof that is based on the book the Love Dare. After watching the movie I bought the book in hopes of one day going through the 40-day challenge. After attempting it many, many times, and never getting further than day 3, I recently thought that I would try a different approach.

Since doing my 30-day No Meat & No TV challenge in the month of September I felt motivated to try another 30-day challenge and thought of the idea of doing a 30-day Love Challenge. Sort of based on the Love Dare, sort of not. My pastor often talks about how we need to determine and stick to a family flow chart. This means we should always be putting God first, our spouse second and our children third. Admittedly, I am often guilty of skewing this flow chart and putting my kids above all else. I seem to focus all my attention on my kids craziness and seem to forget that not only should I be devoting myself daily to God first, but my husband needs (and deserves) more attention that I am giving to the kids.

We've all been there. You married ladies all know what I am talking about. The day is non-stop with going, going, going, doing, doing, doing that by the end of the day your best energy is spent on the house and the kids and nothing is left for your husband. And I am not just talking about sex. I am talking about attention. One-on-one attention. Hugs, kisses, making him feel special, telling him that he is appreciated, building him up, letting him know that you have thought about him. So, I thought this challenge might be a good way for me to focus on my husband each and every day. And the best part is, I am not going to tell him (unless, of course, he reads this post and my cover is blown)! So, shhhhhhhh, it's a secret.

So, I have jotted down a schedule of things that I am going to do for him each day in the month of October. As you will see, a lot of these things take little or no effort at all. But I know it will make him feel so special just to have been thought of each and every day.

So here's to us and hoping to put a little *spark* back in our relationship!

Oct 1-Send him an E-card.
Oct 2-Give him a big hug and tell him what an amazing husband, father and provider he is for our family. (Also is Kaiden's 3rd birthday)
Oct 3-Give a back rub before bed.
Oct 4-Bake cookies and deliver them to his office with the kids.
Oct 5-Write a love letter.
Oct 6-Buy some new pj's and wear them to bed rather than my ratty t-shirt and shorts better know as "ole faithful."
Oct 7-Draw a bubble bath for him to soak in while I put both kids to bed.
Oct 8-Make Heart Hands craft of mine and kids hands and write loving note on them.
Oct 9-Make him breakfast in bed.
Oct 10-Give a back rub.
Oct 11-Put a card on his dashboard.
Oct 12-Send plant/flowers to his office.
Oct 13-Put towel in the dryer so it is warm for him when he gets done showering.
Oct 14-Send him a pix message of myself with a loving message.
Oct 15-Movie night. Watch Clash of the Titans (or another "man" movie) in bed together.
Oct 16-Arrange a golf outing with friends.
Oct 17-Give a back rub before bed.
Oct 18-Put a post-it note saying "I Love You" on his medicine cabinet door so he sees it when he is getting ready for work.
Oct 19-Put a Hershey's kiss and hug in his lunch.
Oct 20-Give him a framed pic of his family.
Oct 21-Make a puzzle with a love note.
Oct 22-Write a note on his Facebook wall telling him what a great husband and father he is.
Oct 23-Date night at the first place we had dinner together.
Oct 24-Give him a massage.
Oct 25-Watch Monday Night Football with him.
Oct 26-TBD
Oct 27-Make a gift box with a handmade book in it of "Top 10 reasons why I love you." Wrap it and put it where he can discover it at work.
Oct 28-Do a "Thankful Thursday" post devoted to him.
Oct 29-Make a picnic dinner in the living room for after the kids are in bed.
Oct 30-TBD

There are a few days that I have left without a planned activity. Mostly because I think I may need a few days to rearrange some things depending on how the month goes with our schedules. But I will fill them in later as I see how the month is going.

Now remember, I am not telling him that I am doing this. So, if you know my husband, DO NOT SPILL THE BEANS. Even though some of these are things that I already do on a here and there basis, I am sure he will thing that something is up when it is happening daily.

Kaiden's Preschool Birthday Celebration

2010-09-30T16:54:00.008-04:00

Today was Kaiden's last day of school this week before his birthday this Saturday. I wanted to do something special and bring in a little snack for the kids to help celebrate his big day. So the teacher said I could come in the last 15 minutes of class. Kaiden's school is considered "nut-free." Well, at least as it pertains to food. I can't attest to all the staff there but so far they all seem pretty "nut-free" as well. Ba dum dum.

Why yes. I was voted "least likely to make it as a stand-up comic" in high school. Why do you ask?

Moving on. There are very specific limitations that must be followed when bringing any food into the school. His teacher suggested Rice Krispie Treats since they are the easiest, non-crumbiest (totally a word) treat for that age range. So, it was decided. Rice Krispie Treats it was. And, honestly, I can't remember making them in the past decade so I was actually a wee bit excited to mix up a batch.

Now I know you all know how to make Rice Krispie Treats, but for those of you who are wondering....this is how it went down in my kitchen.

First we melt 3T butter.

Then we melt a 10oz bag of marshmallows. Minus two (or three) that mysteriously didn't make it into the pot.

Then we remove it from the heat and stir in 6 cups of Rice Krispies. Or if they are all out of the brand name variety, you buy the cheap Walmart version and wonder why you were going to spend $2.00 more on the same exact cereal just because it came in the original Kellogg's box.

Stir it all together. And try not to break a nail.

And press it into a 13x9 pan with some wax paper.

Drive to your son's preschool and let twelve 2&3 year olds devour your scrumptious treat.

Take a picture of the birthday boy.

Then go home and cry cause in two days he will be 3.
The end.

Mason Jars

2010-09-27T22:21:00.002-04:00

Confession: I have an addiction to glass mason jars.

It all started about a year ago when I got this ridiculously awesome idea for homemade Christmas gifts. So I started saving glass jars after I used them. Jars from spaghetti sauce, jars from salsa, almond butter, jelly jars, etc. etc. etc. Well, at the time, I had a 6 month old around the time of Christmas I barely had the time to scrounge up some gift cards for my family much less spend time being crafty with their gifts. So I stuck those jars away in my cabinets in hopes of my idea to come to fruition this year.

Fast forward to about a month ago when I was out in the blogosphere bouncing from blog to blog. I found this post about mason jars. I suddenly remembered that I had started to collect glass jars about a year ago. I rummaged in my cabinets and pulled them out and started filling them with nuts and seeds and dried beans.

Now I can't stop.

I am obsessed with how wonderful they look in my pantry. All neat and organized and fun. Oh so fun! Big jars, little jars, round jars, square-ish jars, big at the top/small at the bottom jars...such a montage of glass wonder. It makes me so happy to see my jars in my pantry. Sometimes I just open up the doors to marvel at their beauty. I have even been known to open a jar of spaghetti sauce and, even before it is done, transfer it to a different container in the fridge just so I can clean out that jar and use it in my pantry.

It's an illness. I think I need a 12-step program.

BUT, just you wait till I reveal my homemade Christmas gift idea this year. It's a gem.

Night all. I'm off to rearrange my jars.

Fire Station Tour

2010-09-24T15:49:00.006-04:00

Last Friday my mom's group visited the local fire station for a tour. The tour was wonderful and the kids couldn't have been happier to be able to meet the firemen, see the trucks, get a glimpse of the living quarters and even spray water from the fire hose! Then they invited us in their "home" for a pot luck lunch complete with grilled hot dogs for everyone. I felt compelled to call a cleaning lady to come clean up after about 40 kids played on their recliners. Those guys will be finding crumbs there for weeks. It was a fun day had by all. Although I don't know who had more fun. The kids or the, ahem, moms. Just sayin.

Here are the kids listening to the firemen talk about fire safety. One of the firemen even dressed up in his gear complete with helmet, jacket, pants and oxygen mask. It gave the kids a chance to see that even with all that gear on, he still is the same guy and not to be afraid of them in an emergency situation. They all got to give the guy a "high five" once he was all suited up.

Here's Kaiden taking his turn using the water hose.

Here we are getting on the firetruck
And learning about all their equipment on the truck

And sitting in the shade looking pretty

And standing by the fire truck not cooperating for a picture

They even let the kids try on their fire helmets

We never did fully cooperate with mom who was desperately trying to get a decent picture in front of the truck.

But we had a blast none-the-less. Thanks station 142! You guys (and gal) were great. I'm sure your station will never be the same!

10 Things I Never Thought Would Come Out of my Mouth

2010-09-22T15:00:00.002-04:00

Please don't lick the floor.
Don't drink the bath water.
Don't put ham on your sister's back.
Come here and let me pick your nose. You've got boogies.
If you push out your poo-poo then I'll give you a cupcake.
We don't feed the dog brocolli.
No baby, please don't touch your brother's pee pee.
Girls don't have a penis, they have a vagina.
Those are called boobies.
You only color on paper. Don't color on the floor, your sister, the chairs, the table, the walls or yourself.

and because I couldn't leave this one out....

11. No. You don't wipe your butt with your covers.

Oh, the life of a mom.

Going Vegetarian: What I Eat

2010-09-21T15:00:00.002-04:00

I am sorry to keep beating a dead horse by all this talk about vegetarianism, but lately I have gotten a few inquiries about what I have been eating since I haven't been eating meat. I am not going to lie...it's hard coming up with new and interesting things that don't have meat in them. Especially things that my kids will eat. But, then again, I used to say that when trying to come up with dinners that had meat in them as well. You just can't win, I guess.

Some nights I cook dinners that I can leave the meat out of my portion but serve the meat to the rest of my family. I don't intend to drag them along on my journey quite yet. But other times I make something completely veggie friendly for us all and sometimes I will be surprised that my kids will actually eat it.

Here are some examples of things I have been making:

Breakfast
Cereal
Bagels with vegan cream cheese
Waffles
Yogurt parfait (with coconut yogurt from Whole Foods and loaded with fruit and my homemade granola)
Smoothies
Veggie omelets
Scrambled egg and veggie wrap

Lunch
Veggie wraps (loaded with any veggie I can find and drizzled with Balsamic Vinaigrette)
Homemade Hummus (minus the jalapenos and a few other tweaks to the recipe) and pita chips
Almond butter and jelly sandwich
Hummus sandwich with cucumbers, tomatoes, avocado and sprouts
Bagel with cream cheese, sliced tomatoes, avocado, cucumber, lettuce and sprouts

Dinner
Baked ziti
Lasagna roll-ups
Sweet potato enchiladas
Eggplant Parm
Roasted veggie sandwich
Toastadas (using Crockpot Refried Bean recipe and load with lettuce, tomatoes, avocado, salsa, vegan sour cream, etc.
"Chipotle like" burritos bowls (again using either the refried bean recipe or black beans, corn, lime/cilantro rice, lettuce, sour cream, salsa, etc.
Crockpot Tortellini Soup
Quiche-although I haven't made this in awhile it's a good way to get rid of veggies that are starting to go bad.
Roasted tomatoes and fennel-I just made this last week. I put it over polenta (which I had never tried and was surprisingly impressed). It was good. I will definitely make it again.
Quesadillas-I make cheese and chicken for the kids and make mine with a bunch of veggies inside.
Avocado egg rolls
Pasta e Fazole
Veggie Burgers
Cabbage rolls-I made these for the first time over the weekend. They were pretty good and I used the soy meat crumbles. It actually tasted like taco beef.
Stuffed peppers
Tapas-bruschetta and such. I LOVE bruschetta and have used this recipe. With a few tweaks.
Spaghetti with loads of sauteed veggies.
Pancakes-my kids could eat these breakfast, lunch and dinner. And I love me some "breakfast for dinner."
Salads. My favorite is a spinach salad with roasted yams, corn, grape tomatoes, sesame seeds and feta cheese on top with balsamic vinaigrette. Oh yum.

That's all I can think of now. I am still on a daily hunt for great veggie recipes. So if you have some, please share!

Bon appetite!

Produce Delivery

2010-09-20T12:45:00.005-04:00

I had heard WONDERFUL things about the produce co-op called Bountiful Baskets. Having found out that they offered organic produce baskets every other week I decided to give them a try back in June. For $25.00 I was thrilled to think that I was going to get a huge basket of yummy organic goodness. So I put in my order early that week, woke up that Saturday morning bright and early and went to pick up my basket. I was like a kid in a candy store so excited to see what I would come home with. Much to my severe disappointment I came home with lettuce that was wilted and inedible, plums that were like mush as soon as you bit into them, grapes that were already turning moldy and many other bad fruits and veggies that were almost too terrible to eat.

Thinking that I had just got them on an "off week" I decided to try it again. I mentioned this to some ladies in my mom's group and one of them wanted to go in on a basket with me. So, we met up at the site to arrange our split. Again, the produce was awful. The celery, which should stand at attention, sadfully drooped to one side when held up, the lettuce, was again, wilted and had to be thrown away immediately, etc, etc, etc.

I emailed the girl that I split the basket with later that afternoon and told her that I wouldn't be continuing with Bountiful Baskets. She wholeheartedly agreed then told me about a company called Nature's Garden Delivered which she used for organic produce. She told me that she has never had any problems with the produce as it always is in wonderful condition. And, if you aren't happy at any time with something that comes in your basket they will refund you money for that item...no questions asked. You can sign up for whatever size basket you need, whether you want it weekly or bi-weekly, all fruit, all vegetable or combination (which can be changed every time you order if you want). You can put your membership on "hold" if you are out of town or don't need it any particular week. Not to mention that you can "exchange" up to three items in your basket for that week. So they email you the week before to tell you what will be in your basket and if there is, let's say, carrots and that week you don't want carrots you just exchange it for something else that is on the list of available produce. And the best part....they deliver it right to your door. So, you wake up Friday morning, open your front door and there is your basket!!! Yay for convenience!

Here is a picture of my first basket. Oh, look at all the yumminess just oozing from this basket!!!!

Here is most recent basket...more yummy organic goodness.

Now, granted, I am paying a bit more for a bit less than what I got in my Bountiful Basket. But, like I said, I would venture that I am actually saving money by being able to use all the produce vs. having to throw some away plus saving on gas by not having to drive all the way to Whole Foods or Trader Joe's since my local grocery stores selection of organic is less than perfect.

If your interested in signing up, you can get 20% off your first basket with a coupon code (email me for that code). Tell them I sent you and I will get a free basket after two people join. The more people you tell the more baskets you get for free too!

Now excuse me, all this talk about organic produce is making me want an orange. Mmmmm.....

*Disclaimer* I know that people who have gotten the "conventional" basket from Bountiful Baskets have been extremely happy. But, something about their organic baskets are just not right. I have even talked with about 3 other people that got the organic that we just as disappointed. So, if you are going to get the "conventional" basket....go for it...I am sure you will be satisfied with that.

Eggplant Parmagiana

2010-09-17T12:41:00.005-04:00

So I don't know if I have mentioned it once or 100 times before, but I am not eating meat the whole month of September. And if all goes according to plan, I probably won't be eating much of it beyond that point as well. In my never ending quest to find tasty veggie dishes I came across this recipe in my recipe box last week. It has been ages since I have made this eggplant parm dish and after I made it I thought, "Wow....why haven't I been making this more often?"

Yes, I talk to myself. Call me crazy. Just not to my face.

Anyhoots, I thought I'd share it for anyone that is interested. I made this the old fashioned way and had it with a side of pasta and a salad. But then we had some left overs and I had it the next day on a hoagie roll with sauteed portabella mushrooms and bell peppers (and onions for hubs). Oh, yum. I even froze some after I made up the whole eggplant for a future quick dinner. I think I will not add this to one of my staples that I always have frozen for a quick pull.

Ingredients:

1 large eggplant
salt and pepper
dry bread crumbs (I make my own in my Vita mix using the heels from my loaves of bread and then I sprinkle a little Italian seasoning in with it but you can certainly use the store bought kind)
2 eggs, slightly beaten
olive oil
tomato sauce
mozzarella cheese
Parmesan cheese

Directions: Cut eggplant crosswise into round 1/4 inch thick slices. Season with salt and pepper. Dip into breadcrumbs, dip into egg and then dip into breadcrumbs again. Place on a plate and refrigerate for about 30 minutes. Heat about 1/8" of oil in a skillet. Fry eggplant slices until tender and golden brown on both sides. Add more oil when necessary. Drain on paper towels.

Line a shallow baking dish with some sauce. Cover with a layer of eggplant. Cover with a layer of mozzarella cheese, more sauce and sprinkle basil and Parmesan cheese on top. Repeat in layers if desired. Bake @ 350 for 25-30 minutes.

Enjoy!

Halfway There

2010-09-16T17:57:00.006-04:00

I am at the halfway point in my 30-Day no TV/no meat challenge. All is going well, thank you for asking. I am finding it all a surprisingly simple challenge to follow. Well, despite the few times at lunch when I was craving a turkey sandwich on a bagel from the bagel shop near my house. But, I didn't give in and had all the fixins on my wrap minus the turkey.

I knew this going into the challenge from eating mostly vegetarian before that I always have an exceptional amount of energy during the day while not eating meat. I can totally feel a difference that way as well as feeling less bloated. And although I would love to say that this has contributed to my face being extremely clear since I stopped eating meat, I am not 100% going to testify to this fact until I see prolonged evidence. Having read/heard that this could be the answer to bad skin problems, the verdict is still out on that one.

The TV thing I don't miss at all. I have read 2 books in the short time that I have turned off the TV and just started two more. I can honestly say that I much prefer a good read to watching the crap that television has to offer.

I already have enjoyed doing this challenge enough to brainstorm about possible other 30-Day Challenges in the months ahead. In fact, I have already planned another one for October. Don't worry, I will disclose the particulars of this challenge soon enough. More on that to come.

15 days to go...Yay me!

Reward Charts

2010-09-14T15:28:00.000-04:00

Recently we have been having a lot of difficulties with getting Kaiden to follow one of our family rules that says "listen and obey Mommy/Daddy and do what they say the first time." After doing multiple time outs over and over and over again I decided that didn't seem to be working effectively so I wanted to try a reward chart. I did some googling and found some really great ones on supernanny.com and printed them out.

Kaiden LOVES his pirate reward chart which is specifically dedicated for "listening and obeying." Every time he listens and obeys to what I need him to do, we move his pirate one space. If he isn't listening then I tell him that he can choose to listen and obey by the time I count to 3 and move his pirate one space or if he doesn't obey then we will move it back a space. Most of the time I just have to start counting and he is up and ready to go do as he is told! It's a wonderful turn around!

I also have a chart going for potty training. Kaiden colored a bear picture awhile ago that I hung on the bulletin board next to his pirate chart. Although he has been peeing on the potty for some time now, we were having such a hard time getting Kaiden to poop on the potty. So, I decided to implement this reward chart as well. Every time he poops on the potty he gets to put a smiley face sticker on his bear. Once he reaches 10 smiley faces he gets to go to the $1 store and pick out a prize. I am happy to report that yesterday he earned his final 10th sickers and got a prize! I can honestly say that he is fully potty trained (despite him still wearing a night diaper for sleeping but most of the time will wake up dry. I am not ready to tackle that quite yet!). Yay Kaiden!

20 Small Steps to Living Green

2010-09-09T16:00:00.011-04:00

Lately I have been looking into different ways that we can "live greener" in our home. Some of these ideas I have been doing for years, others I just started to implement within the recent months. Although at times it doesn't seem like much, I know that just small changes can make a huge impact. So here are some ways that I have implemented a greener lifestyle in our home.

Unplugging my cell phone charger when not in use. I try to unplug most things that aren't being used on going.
Recycle everything! When we first moved into our house 5 years ago we only were able to recycle plastics with a 1 or 2 on it in addition to all the other obvious items (paper, cartons, cardboard, glass, cans, etc). I just recently received a guide to recycling in our area that stated we can recycle everything from 1-7! This is huge! I am wondering if this just went into effect or if I have been missing out on this for awhile now. Check with your local recycling program to see if it has changed in your area.
Recycle at hubs office. Hubby doesn't have recycling services in his office building. So, he bought a bin especially to house recycling items (paper mostly) and is bringing it home once the bin gets full so that we can put it in our recycling bins.
Reuse as much as we can. Plastic shopping bags, gift bags, wrapping paper/ribbons, write on the back of used paper, wash out old containers, etc, etc, etc. The possibilities are endless.
Shave my legs in the bathtub rather than the shower. I don't always do this for lack of time, but when I can I just fill the bath with a tiny bit of water and use that to shave my legs rather than standing the the shower letting the water run and run and run and run.
Turn off the water when brushing my teeth, washing hands and doing dishes. Water in my community is EXPENSIVE, so whenever we can save on water we are helping our world and our bank account!
Stopped buying bottled water. For the past 6 months or so we have been using a refillable water jug each day. I just fill mine up each evening and put it in the refrigerator to grab and go for the following day. Not only has this saved us from throwing away plastic bottles but it has saved us $$ from buying them!
Forgo plastic shopping bags. When I am out shopping and pick up only a thing or two that is easily carried ask them not to give me a shopping bag. Many times when I shop for clothes and hit a bunch of stores at once I throw everything I purchase into one bag. No need to get a bag at each store that I go to for just one or two items! What a waste! I have even carried things out in my hands when I can.
Eat organic.
Make my own beauty products and cleaning products. I am still in process of making these changes. I still have some store bought "ungreen" products to use up before I make the switch, but I have been researching recipes and have even bought a few things that I need to get started once I get to that point.
Hang laundry. I have been hanging my laundry for YEARS. I have a laundry rack in my laundry room and would say I hang 80-90% of my items. Most of hubs items and the kids stuff I do dry, but I prefer to hang most of my clothing.
Don't flush the toilet after every use. I know, I know. Alert! Alert! TMI! A lot of the time, when at home, I don't flush the toilet after every single time we go. We have done this for awhile now (especially in the middle of the night as to not wake the other person from flushing the toilet) but I recently read a "green" blog that put it ever-so-cleverly. "If it's yellow, let it mellow. When it's brown, flush it down!"
Using canvas bags when I do my grocery shopping.
Use old rags/wash cloths for cleaning, wiping noses/dirty faces, and washing dishes rather than paper towels. This way I can throw them in a load of full laundry whenever I need.
Pay our bills online or with "auto pay."
Opted out of magazines. I called all the stores that send me magazines (i.e. Crate and Barrel, Pottery Barn, etc.) and cancelled them. If I want to look at what they have, I'll look online.
Called credit bureau's automated system the to hopefully stop getting "junk mail." Call 1-888-567-8688 to get your name taken off the list to receive pre-approved credit card offers for 5 years. There are many other sites that can help get you off lists for junk mail that I plan on looking into.
Washing out old glass bottles and using them for storage in my pantry. I also have an idea for using them for Christmas gifts this year. More on that to come!
Washing my fruits and veggies in a bowl with a small amount of water instead of running the water at the sink for a long amount of time.
Stopped (or significantly reduced) using plastic utensils and paper plates. I make hubs lunch most days. At one time I was using plastic spoons or forks to put in his (reusable, of course) lunch bag when I packed things like yogurt or salads, etc. Lately I have just been putting a regular utensil in his bag for him to bring home at the end of the day. I even have been using regualr utensils, plates and cups when we have guests over.

A few more things I would like to start implementing:

Change all lights to fluorescent bulbs. We seriously have only changed a handful of bulbs since we moved into our house 5 years ago. I don't know if we have some sort of mutant light bulbs in our home, but they seem to never burn out. Once they do, though, I will switch them over.
Have hubs take his shirts to a "green" dry cleaner. This might take a little more convincing since it is a bit more expensive, but, oh my goodness, the chemicals in dry cleaning! Ahhhh!
Carry old rags/washcloths in my diaper bag for cleaning faces and hands, etc. when we are out and about instead of paper towels.

See all simple ways that you can start living greener that don't take much effort? Do what you can! It does make a difference!

Wordless Wednesday: Shoes

2010-09-08T16:32:00.003-04:00

Here's to hoping that he never learns to put his shoes on the right feet. Cause, oh, how cute.

Out of the Mouths of Babes

2010-09-07T15:15:00.001-04:00

Madelyn turned 15 months old on the 5th of September. She is growing up so fast and talking up a storm. I can't remember Kaiden talking so much until closer to 20 months. Mostly because he was experiencing reoccurring ear infections that caused his hearing to be compromised. But Madelyn is a quick study and seems to want to repeat everything! It's so fun to see her becoming her own person and putting forth her feisty personality.

Her most common words include (that I can think of off the top of my head):
Da-Da, Ma-Ma, water, banana, all done, doggie, again, love you, uh-oh, up (also says "up" to get down), out, Paco (pronounces it "Caco"), baby, juice, bear, shoe, ball, hello, bye-bye, diaper, balloon, book, toes, eye, foot, bottle, bed, more, cashew, thank you, hot

Madelyn also signs a few words:
eat, more, all done

And make the sounds:
train-choo-choo, sheep-baaaa, Elephant, owl-whoooo, whoooo, doggie-ruff, ruff, frog-ribbit, monkey-Oooo, Oooo, Ahhh, Ahhh, lion-roaaaar, horse-neigh, cow-mooo, duck-quack, quack, chicken-cluck, cluck

Body parts she can identify:
eyes, ears, nose, head, hair, belly, toes, foot, fingers, knee
Slow down, Pretty! You're growing up too fast!

Singing

2010-09-02T09:02:00.001-04:00

The other day I took the kids to the library and along with books and some movies I checked out two Christian kids CD's. Today we were meeting some ladies with their kiddos from my mom's group at a play date which was about a 20-25 minute drive so I put in one of the CD's to listen to.

Right after I put it in, this was the conversation:

Kaiden: "Mommy, I want to sing wit Jesus."
Me: "Okay, buddy, I just put the CD in. I'll turn it up a bit."
Madelyn: "MaMaMaMaMaMaMa."
Kaiden: "Quiet baby. I trying sing wit Jesus!"
Madelyn: "LaLaLaLaLaLaLa..."
Kaiden: "Baaaaby. I singing wit Jesus!"

Oh, bless his little heart.

30-Day No TV & No Meat Challenge

2010-09-01T10:00:00.005-04:00

About 3 weeks ago I got a new book from the library that I need to read for a book club that I am going to attend. It ended up sitting on my night stand for about a week before I even picked it up. Mostly because after the kids are in bed I find myself plopping down in bed and turning the TV on. I do this not because there is all that much on TV that is worth watching, mind you, but more for the mind-numbingness (totally not a word) that it brings along with it. One night after watching "Khloe and Kourtney Take Miami" for the hundredth time I got so frustrated that I turned the TV off. I haven't turned it on (for myself to watch) since. That was two weeks ago.

About the same time I realized that I have been starting to feel sluggish and out of shape. I attribute it mostly to the fact that this summer I have been struggling with this not eating meat thing. Mostly because of poor planning and complete laziness. In doing so, I have noticed a big difference in my energy levels and how my body feels when I don't stick to a mostly vegetarian diet.

I got to thinking...I need something to get me back on track. So, I am going to do a 30-day challenge in the month of September. No TV (except for movies with hubs once a week), No eating meat and I have to get to the gym (at least) 3 times a week.

And trust me I realize that September is the month when all the new seasons of shows start. I have a knack for planning.

Here's to day one.

The Garbage Bowl

2010-08-30T10:52:00.000-04:00

When I cook I make a mess. I am not the "clean up as you go" sort of gal. Wishful thinking. Making dinner should be an Olympic sport. Between preparing the meal, breaking up fights, calming crying children at my feet, hunting down wandering children that get into everything cleaning up as I go just. ain't. happening. Period.

But, because I cook from scratch most (if not close to all) of our dinners I found that I was making a huge mess of peels, vegetable guts/seeds, corn husks, packaging wrappers, paper towels, etc. all over my counter leaving me with little work room. Since my trashcans are not easily accessible right at my counter that I prepare food at I found myself making several trips back and forth to the trash. It gets to be quite inefficient with the rest of the chaos going on.

One night I had a mixing bowl on my counter that I hadn't put away from earlier in the day. As I was chopping up some items to throw in dinner that evening I started to throw the left over unusables into the bowl. Suddenly it dawned on me....Why didn't I think of this earlier?!?!? A garbage bowl! At last my counter was free of peels and garbage and all my trash was disposed of in one trip to the garbage can! I now use it pretty much every meal and, even though it's just a simple thing, it makes preparing meals that much easier!

There's Officially Nothing Left to Fight About

2010-08-25T15:51:00.000-04:00

I knew the day would come where I would constantly be breaking up fights, hear the words, "she's touching me," or "she's staring at me" over and over again. But really, no one prepared me for this:

Kaiden: (singing in the backseat of the car) "LaLaLaLaLaLaLaLa."
Madelyn: (Quickly joining in. Bless her little almost-15-month-old heart) "LaLaLaLaLaLa."
Kaiden: (promptly glancing at Madelyn) "No baby. Dat's my La La."
Madelyn: "LaLaLaLaLaLaLa."
Kaiden: "Nooooo....that's MY La La, baby.

5 minutes later...

Kaiden: "MeMeMeMeMe"
Madelyn: "MeMeMeMeMe."
Kaiden: "Nooooo, dat's my MeMeMeMeMe."

There may not be enough patience in the universe to help me survive each day.

Tackle It Tuesday

2010-08-24T13:06:00.003-04:00

One of the good things about Kaiden being in preschool is the extra time that I now have in the morning to get things done! Hallelujah! The other good thing is that I have extra quality time to spend with Madelyn without her having to compete with her older brother. Oh how special it has been. Since Madelyn still takes a pretty significant morning nap I am able to tackle some projects and/or daily chores in a timely manner along with giving her some Mommy and me time. Today I have felt oh so productive!

To Do List:

Clean master bathroom (check!)
Dust all furniture
Dust and reorganize china cabinet (check!)
Laundry. Wash, fold and put away (2 loads down, 2 to go!)
Put away and organize Madelyn's baby burp cloths, bottles and bibs.
Make Eggplant Parmesan for dinner.
Take pictures and post pool table on Craig's List.

I actually was able to do a few things yesterday like strip all the beds and put clean sheets on them and clean the kitchen. So far this week is getting off to a productive start!

What are you tackling?

Reminiscing

2010-08-23T16:29:00.007-04:00

When I recently uploaded all of my pictures onto hubs computer, I found some old video that I had forgotten that I had. I remember trying to post it here awhile ago with no success. It must be something with my laptop, cause turning it on and off a million times still hasn't fixed it. I can't imagine that it is user error. No. Never. Anyways, here are some videos of my babies from a bit ago. I can't believe how much they have changed!

Kaiden teaching his sister about the "butterflies" on her playmat. I believe Madelyn was about 3 or 4 months old in this video making Kaiden just about to reach his 2nd birthday.

Here's a video of one of Madelyn's first rice cereal eating experiences. She was about 5 1/2 months in this video.

Kaiden at Christmas 2009 discussing Santa's cookies and the reindeer's treats that we left for them.