Whats it been?

2 months since I posted here! Gotta be the longest I've gone with out blogging anything right? And it's not like I haven't had something to blog about. There have been lots of changes in our little world. Some good....well all good really. Lets see.....

Mr. X and I survived our first deployment. He left mid Sept and got back the day before Thanksgiving. it wasn't a full 6 month deployment but the longest by far that we had been apart since the day we met. It was wierd not having him around and having to do everything myself but we survived and the day he came home was bittersweet. He looked pretty good in that uniform too...LOL

At the end of October we moved into a new house. The day before closing I also managed to fall at work and injure my tailbone. Needless to say it made packing/moving interesting but I have an amazing set of friends who helped the whole way. We would have never made it with out them! We love the new house too and the amount of space we now have. This is by far the biggest house I've ever lived in so it's taken some adjustment but not one I'll complain about.

In November, jsut before Mr. X returned home I quit my job. The job I've had for the last 7 1/2 years i walked out on. Not exactly in the most professional way but I did what I had to. Things were already stressful before the tailbone injury. After the fall it got 10x's worse. Between that, the kids, the house, and an impending homecoming I was stressed beyond my max and something had to go. While I'm sure several people would love my kids or house I don't think Mr. X would have appreciated me letting them go. It's been an adjustment not working anymore but honestly, the BEST decision I have ever made.

At the beginning of December, the 1st actually, we had our big ultrasound for baby bean. Hard to believe we're 24 weeks as of today!! Anyways, we found out that our little tie breaker is a GIRL! Yes we have a name for her but we are keeping it to ourselves for now. No worries, only a few more weeks till everyone will know. LOL

The big knews though is that just a few days later Mr. X and I tied the knot. Yes, we got married! I'll do a seperate post with all the details fo that since this one is rather long as it is but it is definitely a story all our own. I always told everyone that it would be a "Guess what we did today" moment and it was exactly that.

Life as a married woman has been interesting and it's only been just over a week. I love my rings and try not to stare at them TOO often. Mr. X likes to spoil me though so they are beautiful. Anyways, more on that later.

Guess thats it for now.

Rules of Marriage from a kids point of view

Rules of Marriage, as described by kids....

1. HOW DO YOU DECIDE WHO TO MARRY?
-You got to find somebody who likes the same stuff. Like, if you like sports, she should like it that you like sports, and she should keep the chips and dip coming.. - - Alan, age 10
-No person really decides before they grow up who they're going to marry. God decides it all way before, and you get to find out later who you're stuck with. -- Kristen, age 10

2. WHAT IS THE RIGHT AGE TO GET MARRIED?
Twenty-three is the best age because you know the person FOREVER by then. -- Camille, age 10

3. HOW CAN A STRANGER TELL IF 2 PEOPLE ARE MARRIED?
You might have to guess, based on whether they seem to be yelling at the same kids. -- Derrick, age 8

4. WHAT DO YOU THINK YOUR MOM AND DAD HAVE IN COMMON?
Both don't want any more kids. -- Lori, age 8

5. WHAT DO MOST PEOPLE DO ON A DATE?
-Dates are for having fun, and people should use them to get to know each other. Even boys have something to say if you listen long enough. -- Lynnette, age 8 (isn't she a treasure)
-On the first date, they just tell each other lies and that usually gets them interested enough to go for a second date. -- Martin, age 10

6. WHEN IS IT OKAY TO KISS SOMEONE?
-When they're rich. -- Pam, age 7
-The law says you have to be eighteen, so I wouldn't want to mess with that. - - Curt, age 7
-The rule goes like this: If you kiss someone, then you should marry them and have kids with them. It's the right thing to do.. - - Howard, age 8

7.. IS IT BETTER TO BE SINGLE OR MARRIED?
It's better for girls to be single but not for boys. Boys need someone to clean up after them. -- Anita, age 9 (bless you child )

8. HOW WOULD THE WORLD BE DIFFERENT IF PEOPLE DIDN'T GET MARRIED?
There sure would be a lot of kids to explain, wouldn't there? -- Kelvin, age 8

And the #1 Favorite is .......

9. HOW WOULD YOU MAKE A MARRIAGE WORK?
Tell your wife that she looks pretty, even if she looks like a dump truck . -- Ricky , age 10

Getting back on the wagon

The blogging wagon that is. I took my R&R time and now it's time to get back to it. Things have been pretty hectic the last few weeks but have finally started settling in a bit for us. Mr. X has officially left for deployment. While it's not a full 6 months it's still just long enough for us to REALLY miss him. I've been getting a lot of people askign for specifics on where he is or when he'll be home. Please don't take offence if I say I can't tell you. It's for the guys safety and there are rules about what information we give out and stuff. I'm not going to be one to break those rules! Just know that when he is finally home EVERYONE will know cause I'll be shouting it from teh rooftop.

We are starting to get into a routine though. The kids are adjusting and Toots doesn't fight me so much on the things Mr. X used to always do. I swear those first couple days he fought me on everything. Wanted nothing to do with me when it came to the bedtime routine which was his daddy time. There was one night we were all so pathetic, Toots was crying which made me cry. then Monkey started crying because I was crying. It was a river of tears in our house. Thankfully there have been no more nights like that!

Yesterday i finally got my motivation back a bit and cleaned up the house. My room is still suffering cause there are clothes everywhere. Seriously, it looks like a department store threw up in there, just minus the crappy hangers. To solve that I've decided tonight I will start packing. All of Mr. X's clothes will go in boxes and then any of my non-maternity stuff. Things we obviously will not need anytime before the move. I figure once i get that done my room will be decent again, I'll have accomplished soem packing, and we'll have tons of room in the closet and dresser again!! Ahhh...it's the little things.

So we have about a month before we move. So so so so so so excited to have all that space and get settled in. i'll be busting my bottom to get things unpacked once we move. I'm hosting Novembers bookclub so I'll have like 2 weeks to get done what I can. Honestly, we don't have THAT much stuff and if I get my way we'll have less when we move cause I fully intend to get rid of things we aren't using. Seriously, I have boxes and bins in the shed that have been packed up since April of 2008. Stuff needs to go. We are so thankful that we were able to rent the house out quickly and the people who are getting it I know will take good care of the house so we won't have to worry. It's bittersweet leaving our current house. As Mr. X said as he kissed me for the last time out front before he left, it's our first house together. The house we brought our son home too. It will always be special for us and the memories we have there.

Everythign else is going ok. Baby bean is growing well and has an official due date of April 5, 2010. I have the big ultrasound scheduled for October 24th and if he/she cooperates we'll know what our tie breaker is going to be. It's sad that Mr. X won't be here for it but I have lots of friends offering to join us for the big event. Good thing the lady who does them doesn't limit the number of people who can come!!

Well I guess thats it for now. I"ll be around for more later as things progress with the bean, the house, and everythign else we have going on!!

To Be Continued:

So for those that follow my blog I apologize for the lack of writing lately. Most of you know we jsut have a lot going on lately and honestly, by the end of the evening the last thing on my mind is blogging. So Needless to say I'm going to take a breather and say........To Be Continued.

I promise it won't be that long though. Mr. X leaves for deployment very soon and then I'm sure I'll have lots to write about as I go through with buying the new hous eand renting this one. Yes, we're crazy but we LOVE the new house!! What can I say...it's 3x's the size of what we have now. I can't wait for all that space!!

Anyways, I'll save that for another time. Until then......

Already?

I can't believe little man turns 1 today! It seems like the last year has just flown by. He's such a fire cracker too. The boy has NO FEAR. Especially in water. He'll flop down face first and come up laughing. I guess thats what happens when you spend nearly every day in the pool for the last 6 months or so.

He's still such a tiny thing though. Monkey was a total ham at this age but Toots, he's my shrimp. The other day he weighed in at 18lbs and 29". The ladies response was "well he's light but he's tall for his weight". I could have told you that with out putting him on a scale. The boy is STILL wearing 6-9 month clothes. 12 month stuff just swims on him. The positive side of that is we get lots of use out of his clothes.

Don't let his size fool you though when it comes to food. The boy can eat! He loves hot dogs, mac n cheese, chicken nuggets, yogurt, broccoli, carrots, and teddy grahams. He would probably be happy if that was all we ever gave him. When he does eat he really puts it away too. I don't know where it's going but he packs it in.

Toots over all is just a happy go lucky kid. He fusses when he's really tired or hungry but thats it. He loves being in the middle of what ever we're doing. Just like his sissy he's a nosey boy. He's also got an opinion on a lot of stuff and likes to yell it at us. I blame that on Mr. X. It's always the man's fault!

Thats it I guess. I'm sure i could think of plenty more but you get the basics.

A Hero's Homecoming

**This was posted on a message board I'm on and I wanted to share it with everyone else I know. Just be sure to have tissues handy!!

This was filmed just outside of Atlanta, GA almost a month ago. It is interesting to see that little has changed in rural America, especially the respect that the people have for the loss of one of their own.

Killed in action the week before, the body of Sergeant First Class John C. Beale was returned to Falcon Field in Peachtree City, Georgia, just south of Atlanta, on June 11, 2009. The Henry County Police Department escorted the procession to the funeral home in McDonough, Georgia. A simple notice in local papers indicated the road route to be taken and the approximate time. Nowadays one can be led to believe that America no longer respects honor and no longer honors sacrifice outside the military. Be it known that there are many places in this land where people still recognize the courage and impact of total self-sacrifice. Georgia remains one of those graceful places. The link below is a short travelogue of that day's remarkable and painful journey. But only watch this if you wish to have some of your faith in people restored. Please share widely. Well worth watching.

Click on the link below and hit play.

A Hero's Homecoming

Yes & No

Yes: We're pregnant again

No: We're not crazy

Changes and a few steps!

Looks like there will be some changes in our house! This past Tuesday I realized it had been awhile since the auntie had shown up. So on lunch I ran up to walmart and bought the EPT. Needless to say i was still completely shocked when I saw that I I come up on the thing. I showed my coworker and my hands were shaking so bad I thought I might pass out!

So now our family of 4 is becoming a family of 5. Unless there is more than 1 which I'm not sure how I feel about that. I think it freaks me out just a tad to think that it might be. I'm really trying not to think about it until we can go to the doctor.

My first appointment is the 27th. Perfect timing cause Mr. X will still be here and will get to go. Yay!! I'm hoping that they will do the ultrasound just to date it as well as a visual heart beat and to confirm how many I'm acting as host for.

We have a lot of things we need to figure out. If we will get a bigger house, do we just have someone share a room here, what kind of van to get (cause 3 carseats are not going to fit in my car) and also how to handle my job. I'm not so sure that after daycare costs it will be worth it for me to be working. I may jsut be getting a paycheck only to pay it all into daycare expenses. To me, that means finding a way to stay home and keeping tha tmoney in our pocket. We'll see though. I've still got 8 months to go!

Course this is going to be another LONG pregnancy I'm sure. I always say I want to know early but then by half way through I'm kicking myself and wishing it was over with already.

Oh and in other big news today Toots is seriously trying to walk. He's been standing himself then taking 1 or 2 steps with out holding on before falling over. At this rate he's going to figure it out soon. Oh let the fun begin!

Time Out

I haven't been doing much lately with the blog, sales, goofing off, etc. I just needed to take a time out of sorts and just let it go. I've had so much going on lately that it's just been overwhelming. I was beginning ot feel like my days consisted of work and then running around non-stop doing everything for other people.

The couponing/sales especially wore me out. Since we didn't need anything new I just sat back and only took advantage of the really awesome deals. Like scoring oscar meyer hotdogs for $1 a pack. I've got 2 kids....we go through a lot of hotdogs during the summer. And when they are normally $3+....well it was a great deal for me.

My sewing got put on the back burner too. I'll be bringing it out again soon cause I have some ideas brewing in my head. I'd love to make the outfits for the kiddo's birthday party but we'll see.

We've been having lots of fun though. The last few weekends we've done BBQ's at our house. Since Mr. X finally got the pool in working condition we've been taking advantage of that. LOVE IT! The kids love it too. Monkey can't touch the bottom with out going under but she has learned how to swim pretty well. The pool is 15ft by 30ft and 4.5ft deep. This past sunday she learned how to swim, mostly underwater, and can make it across the 15ft part all by herself. No floaties required. Of course we're right there close by just in case but still....it's a proud moment! Toots loves the water too. He's figured out how to lean over his floatie so he can splash and he loves when Mr. X makes him bounce around. I've gotten some cute video of that laugh of his.

We're getting down into the last month soon before Mr. X leaves and i'm trying hard not to dwell on it too much. I can only hope that 3 months passes as quickly as this time before it has been passing. I'm grateful though, he won't be missing any major holidays with the kids. Even though he's leaving before Toots actual birthday we're planning a big birthdya party ahead of time so that he can be here for that at least.

Thats it for now I guess. HOpefully I'll be back in the swing of things again soon.

Holy Crap

About now is the time when I start to totally freak out. I mean we have less than 2 months before he leaves. And I ask myself.....WHAT THE HELL WAS I THINKING?? Ok ok...yes this is what was best for our family financially but it doesn't mean it makes it any easier knowing that he'll be leaving us for months at a time. Knowing all the things he will miss. The fact he'll be down under the water for who knows how long.........ugh. I just wanna cry THINKING about it!

Under it all though I know we'll survive. I know we'll endure through it and come out stronger in the end. And I'm proud of his job and what he does. In the mean time I'm banning myself from YouTube. There are way to many videos on there. Dedication videos to sailors and soldiers on deployment. Video's of their kids saying how much they miss their mothers and fathers. Ok, I'll stop now.

I'm not promising there wont' be more sad blogs though. Hmmm...you may just be lucky to really feel those heart felt feelings!!!

The Great Debate

First off....this has to do with breastfeeding so some of my family members who read my blog.....if you don't want to hear some little details about my tata's...well you might want to skip over this one. Just a forwarning

Anyways, I'm part of a few groups that have support forums for breastfeeding moms. I even have one on facebook which I think I may end up dropping off because quite honestly...it's starting to irk me. Why you ask?? Because even though it's supposed to be to support women who decide to breastfeed...it turns into a bashing session again those to decide to formula feed. Not to mention the information that gets thrown around....well I just don't agree with it 100%.

My background: Monkey was formula fed from day one due to a medical issue. Toots has been exclusively breastfed (with the exception of solid foods since 8 months) since day one.

First everyone says that breastfeeding is so much healthier for the baby and in turn they will be healthier. Fewer colds, allergies, etc. Ummm....Ya right. In almost 6 years I can still count on one hand how many times Monkey has been to the doctor not counting her regular well checkups. In 10 months I'm moving to the second hand for counting purposes with Toots. That boy has had more issues than she ever had from a staph infection to strep throat to just having a nasty cold. Even now he's got a hefty cough we can't quite get rid of. On top of that I have a good friend (and I hope she doesn't mind me using the example!) whose son has had all kinds of allergies. He was breastfed I think till after he was a year old. Thankfully he has grown out of a lot of them but breastfeeding DOES NOT gurantee fewer doctor visits or allergy issues. To say so I think is very misleading.

Second...they say breastfed kids are smarter than formula fed kids. I have to wonder who in the world comes up with that information. Do they really poll people 20 years later to see whose smarter? Do they take into account social environments, education levels, experiences?? How can you really say that breastfeeding makes you smarter? Oh ya....my formula fed baby....she finished kindergarten reading on a 2nd grade level. She can do the math of a 1st grader. I wouldn't say she's exactly dumb would you?? My goodness if this concept were true I'd have a genius on my hands!!!

Third..they say you can't bond with your baby if they are on a bottle. While yes, I will conceed that breastfeeding is a experience unlike any other I would never say you can't bond with a bottle fed baby. You can still hold them, look into their eyes, stroke their face, etc. My bottle fed baby is just as much up my hiney as my boob baby is, if not more some times so I'd say we are definitely bonded.

Now to clarify...I support breastfeeding whole heartedly. As I said it is an experience like no other and I think all mothers should at least attempt it. Not to mention the cost of formula! However I don't think you are a failure nor do I think your child will be any worse off if you choose to use formula.

In addition it doesn't matter if you breastfeed for 1 day, 1 week, or 1 year +. As long as you are happy with your decision and your experience then what does it matter? I fully intend to wean my boy closer to his 1st birthday which I'm happy to report is like 6 weeks away! I'm not an extended breastfeeding momma and I've got a love/hate relationship with my pump. That doesn't mean my child will suffer because I didn't breastfeed him till he was 2 or 3 or what ever.

So for those of you who are expecting and thinking about what you may do(or my more experienced moms who know what I'm talking about)...don't worry about what all these people say and the harsh words they use. Just do what you are comfortable with and know....your child will love you whether you give him/her your boob or a bottle. Ultimately all that matters is that you both are happy, healthy, and well fed.

Free Listerine

Mouthwash was on my grocery list this week as we're down to the last bottle and even that is only about half full. Thankfully Walgreens has a great deal on them! It's a monthly megasaver deal and honestly I need to double check the end date on it. I'll try to edit later with a date if anyone else is interested in trying it.

Right now the mega saver is the 500mL bottles of the cool rinse Listerine. It's the blue bottle and it's 3 for $9. Coupons.com has coupons that are $2 off 1 bottle and are good for this particular one. You can print up to 2 per computer so use more than one computer to get multiple sets! Using 3 $2 coupons will bring the balance down to $3.

Now if you have any prior register rewards, I had $3 ones from the aquafresh deal last week, you can use those to pay. You'll just need to use a small filler like the ramen noodle for $.29, so that you have 1 coupone per item. Then you only pay for the ramen noodles. I even check out the clearance rack for cheapo items. Last time I scored a bunch of pony tail holders for Monkey for $.20 each!

Even if you don't have a prior register rewards you can still get them technically for free. With this deal it spits out a $3 register reward good on your next purchase, not including another listerine deal. Meaning you can't roll that reward into another 3/$9 and get a 2nd $3 reward. Either way it's a good deal cause you'll either just roll the $3 reward into a new one or break even.

Rollin' On

Most of my very close friends know that for the last few months I've been really stressing over Mr. X and him wanting to get out of the military. He was dead set on getting out. Ever since Toots came along he's wanted to be able to stay home and see hime and all his milestones. Thats a good thing, yes I know. However his paycheck is what pays the mortgage, his carpayment, cell, and insurance. We could not even come close to surviving off my salary alone.

I had thought his re-enlistment date was next month if he decided to stay in however it turns out it was today!! Two weeks ago he tells me that he's getting out and that the command is doing an awards ceremony for him. His honorable discharge/tour of duty and all that. He asks me to take the time off and join him.

I immediately start freaking out try to think of what we can do to save up to try and last as long as we can until he can find a civilian job. THEN.....I started asking questions and thinking. Yes...thinking.

Do they really give ceremony's to guys getting out??? He mentioned once needing new dog tags. Hmmm...why would he need those getting out. Oh and the braces. (yes he has them, we deal with it). I asked him about when they would come off and he said in the next month or two. They had to be off before he went on the boat. Wait....what boat?? So I talked to some other military wives and they all said it didn't sound like he was getting out. So I started to hope.

Today comes and I was seriously a basket of nerves. Before they started I thought I might throw up. The guy...can't remember if it was his chief or someone else....starts reading off about an award he got. Then I hear the word "re-enlist". I swear I thought my heart was going ot beat out of my chest and I might hyperventilate.

So the guy looks at me and says that he's under the impression that Mr. X told me I was there to watch him just get an award. And that they were going to just do this discharge. However he didn't want me to fall over with a heart attack so he would just skip that and swear him in. So I got to stand up and hold the bible while he was sworn in. I had to bite my cheek from crying.

He got his certificates for re-enlisting, his coin, his pin, etc. Then they gave ME a certificate. For my support and faith in his decision to re-enlist...yada yada yada. Sweet though you know?? After that we just had a BBQ, everyone ate, joked around and had a good time.

Some of you might wonder why in the world would I WANT him to re-enlist. If you haven't noticed our economy SUCKS. Like horribly. Our house was just purchased last year and we have 2 kids in the house. Yes, it's going to be crappy dealing with deployements. Yes he will miss things with the kids. But in the long run, in the big picture I see it as the lesser of 2 evils.

I'm not worried about being on my own for months at a time. It will stink not having him to turn to at night or even just to annoy me for crazy reasons. But I know I can survive. If nothing else, taking care of Monkey by myself for almost 4 years has taught me that. I can get through anything. So we will have lots of emails and care packages. I'll take lots of photo's and video's for him to watch when he gets home if he wants. We'll find a way to fill that void while he's gone.

It won't be long before we deal with it too. The boat he's going too he'll be deployed on almost immediately when he reports at the end of August. He should only be gone about 3 months that time. Given there are no extensions he'll be home for the holidays which is a positive. We may just have to have the kids birthay party in late August instead of the middle of September so that he can be here. See....there's always a way to make it work.

I gotta say there is something to be said about a man who will sacrafice his wants over his families needs. If only more men would do that. Maybe there wouldn't be so many broken families.

So...for now I will breath easier. ****Sight****

Starting at Walgreens

I've been wanting to take advantage of deals at walgreens for awhile now but have been really kinda afraid too because of all the horror stories I hear. Walgrees does whats called Register rewards where you will get a money off your next transaction when certain items are purchased. This week there were some good ones on toothpaste and deoderant so I decided to jump on the wagon.

First is the Aquafresh Advance toothpaste. There is a $1 off printable coupon. The toothpaste is on sale for $3 and you get a $3 register reward.

Second is Speedstick Deoderant. On sale for $2.99 and you get a $2 register reward.

You can roll these rewards into another transaction. So I started out with the speedstick. Since I had no rewards to begin with I paid the $2.99 out of pocket. I then did another transaction for the tooth paste. Now with walgreens a register reward is considered a coupon and you can only use 1 coupon per item. So for the toothpaste I had to use a filler which I got one of those individual packs of ramen noodles for $.29. After the $1 off coupon and the $2 RR my out of pocket expense was $.45 and I got the $3 rewards back.

I just rolled that into another deoderant. Another thing is if your item is less than the reward you have to use a filler. Even by a penny. So I just grabbed another ramen, the cheapest thing I could find. So my out of pocket was $.44 and got $2 back.

Went back to the tooth paste and just kept going.

Now since you have to do each of these transactions seperately (ex: you cant use a toothpaste reward to buy new toothpaste)I only did 4 transactions at 2 stores. There are tons of walgreens just with in a few blocks of me so going to several really isn't that big of a deal. I'll just carry some change so I'm not charging less than a dollar to my card over and over.

I sitll have a $3 RR I need to use by july 5th. Not sure if I"ll continue the deoderant/toothpaste roll or not. I may use it to get Lysol stuff.

Right now Lysol spray is on sale 2/$7 and giving back a $2RR. There are $1 off 1 coupons out there. So if I use the $2 in coupons, the $3 register reward and get back $2 I would essentially get them for free. On top of that the stores here have the cans packages with the free 35ct wipes. Can't beat that!

Deals by Accident

Not all the grocery deals I get are planned for. When I go to the store I try to keep my eye out on somethign that is a great value and we'll really use. The big one is meat. We are some what picky about certain things like chicken. No dark meat for us. It's always the boneless skinless chicken breast. Are we spoiled?? Probably. But at the average $4.99lb regular retail it can be pretty expensive. So I only buy it when I get an awesome deal and then I stock up. Like the time I bought 20lbs of it for $20. All I can say is thank goodness for my deep freezer.

This morning was another accidental deal. I stopped by Food Lion on my way to work to pick up something for lunch so I wouldn't be tempted to swing by the drive thru. As I was passing by the meat department I noticed they had tons of it marked down! Now the meat is perfectly fine. It's just that they have to be used or frozen by the sell by date so when that date arrives or is very close the item gets marked out. I guess the stores figure it's better to get something for it than nothing at all when they throw it out. So here is what I picked up:

Boneless Ribeye Steak Reg $5.99 Paid $1.57
Sirloin Tip Reg $8.93 Paid $1.56
Chuck Steak Reg $7.21 Paid $1.63
Roast Reg $7.78 Paid $1.36
Roast Reg $6.89 Paid $1.54
Ground Chuck Reg $2.57 Paid 1.76
Ground Turkey Reg $4.99 Paid $.75 (got 4 of them)

Original total before tax would be $44.36. Total after mark downs $12.42. Thats a 73% savings!! On top of that I also had a $3.50 off your next order that I needed to use. So I really only spent $8.92. That means I paid for the sirloin and get the rest for FREE!

Target Deal

Went over to Target cause I heard they had some gift card deals and I had a few coupons to use up. Picked up the following:

4 cans Glad spray-had 2 B1G1 coupons
1 bottle Renuzit- $1 off
2 Jumbo packs Huggies- 2/$3 off coupons
1 32count Scott toilet paper -$1off

Total before coupons $32.09
Coupons $10 total off
Had $10 giftcard I got from Visa rewards

Total out of pocket $12.09 + tax
Also received $5 gift card from huggies/scott tissue deal (buy 3 get $5) so really my expense was $7.09. Not bad don't ya think!!

Another Shirt

Following the idea of the bandana shirt I did yesterday I did this one today. It's not made of bandana material. I never made it out to get more of that. So I just used a square piece of fabric I already had on hand. Mr. X even contributed to the design of it. Honestly, I think it turned out adorable and while he's not a fan of the print I think it's perfect for a little girl in the summer. Again, Monkey was more than happy to model for you!

Front

Back

I did a double stitching around the edges just to give it something extra. The ribbon across the middle is sewn on to make sure it stays in place. The one around the neck is not to allow for adjustment and tightening the neck part if needed. so what do you think??

Bandana Shirt / Dress

I had seen this online weeks ago and then when I was at Wally world saw this red/white/blue theme bandana and thought....hmmm perfect for July 4th!! And since we're going camping that weekend I want to have something cute but something I didn't pay a small fortune for either. So I did this. Now, I have another idea which I'll probably post in the next few days but for now....the bandana shirt.

It's made from 2 bandanda's and 2 strips of ribbon. It took me maybe 10 minutes to put together and I think turned out really cute. On my almost 6 year old it fits like a shirt. I can see where it would work as a dress though for younger girls maybe with some cute bloomers under it.

Monkey was happy to model it for you too!

Front

Rear

You can find specific directions for making this HERE. Total cost to make it about $1.50 as I got the bandana's 2/$1 and only used a small portion of the ribbon. Not bad! I'm gonna pick up more bandana's today. I have an idea for a halter style shirt and then I want to figure out something for Toots as well in the holiday theme. So stay tuned!

On the down slope to 12

9 months! The 3rd marked the day and yes I'm running late on posting this. Things have been a little hectic lately. But we are on the downhill slope to his 1st birthday. The next times he goes to the doc (barring any major sickness) for a well check will be after his 1st birthday. ***Sigh***

Toots had a couple new experiences in the last month. First was mothers day weekend, we went to the beach for a photo op with Robyn. His first trip and man was he facinated with the sand. We could hardly get him to look at the camera because he was so focused on the stuff. It didn't matter either how many times he got the stuff to his mouth and realized it wasn't all that tasty. He just kept on doing it. Since he's mobile too putting down a blanket didn't help. He just crawled off and kept going.

Memorial day weekend we went camping so Toots got his first sleeping outdoors experience as well. It was tricky. The first night was rough. He didn't really want to sleep. New place, lots of noice, and just unfamiliar to him. For my baby who actually prefers to sleep in his crib it was a rough night. The 2nd night though it got better. Course we wore him out at the water park, yet another new experience, which helped a bit too. He loved it though. All the attention and being out doors. Not to mention all the food that came his way.

His well check on Friday went well. He's up to a whopping 16.1lbs. Definetely the lighter of my two kiddo's at this age but considering how mobile he is it doesn't surprise me. Even at the office he was cruising along the wall behind the table they lay him on to check him. The doc said he seems to be developing just fine. He even uttered those words I dreaded ot hear. That toots would probably be starting to walk with in the month! Geesh. Can a mom get a break here? We are so not ready for that!

He's just such a happy go lucky kid and is finally starting to sleep through the night. Even Mr. X hadn't realized it till the other day he asked me if Toots had been waking up at night. Nope. Blissful sleep! So for now he's going down about 6:30-7pm and sleeping till about 6am. Most times he'll eat then go right back to sleep for a couple hours. Ahhhh....it was a long time coming thats for sure.

Thats it for now though.

Cereal Anyone??

Nabbed an awesome deal at Farm Fresh today. $1 coupons doubled!!! I had a ton of the $1 off 1 Kellogs cereals from a few weeks back that were printables. Kellogs is on sale this week for $2.50 a box. In addition buy 8 boxes and get an additional $5 off your total order. Mine is a little off because 2 of my coupons apparently didn't double but in the over all scheme of things I won't complain.

Thats 22 boxes of cereal!!! My total out of pocket today was $7.85. Thats for all the cereal plus I had to get a roll of Jimmy Dean Sausage and I got 2 boxes of those Kraft Bagel-fuls. Thats an average of $.31 per item. And to give you a real idea of savings the cereal on average is $3.99. Add in the bagelfuls and sausage and my original total at full price would be $97.25. I paid $7.85!!!! Thats a total savings of 92%!!

Organizing Coupons

Well it's was about time for me to get all my coupons organized. I mean I have so many that just keeping them in an envelope or stacks wasn't working. Plus trying to go through each one was a pain too. So I got a binder with inserts for cards and organized into that. Already going through it this morning for todays deals was so much easier!
It will be easier to take them with me as well when I need to make my trips for all this free stuff!

Harris Teeter Triple Coupons 05/27-06/02

Gonna be a good week with triples!

Eggo Waffles – $1.67 .75 off 1 coupon = free
12 ct Rhodes Dinner Rolls = $2.19 .75 off 1 Rhodes Traditional Rolls free
8 oz French's Classic Yellow Mustard - $1.50 .50 off 1 = free
Caprisun Drinks 10pk 1.99 .75 off 1 = FREE
All Mitchum Deodorant BOGO 1.5-3.4 oz (1.84-1.99 for one) .75 off 1 = FREE
New York Texas Toast - Cheese $2.89-$3.19 0.75 off 1 = $.64-.94
McCormick grill mates packet seasoning -bottle $1.09 $.50 off w = FREE
Marcuhan Yakisoba - $.64 .35 off 1 = free
Daisy Sour Cream, 8 oz - $1.45 .50 off 1 = free
Lipton Tea Bags – 16 ct - $1.19 .50 off 1 = free
Gatorade G2 or Tiger, 32 oz - .97 .50 off 1 = free
Edge Advanced shave gel price: $2 75 off 1 = free
Kikkoman Soy Sauce 2/$3 or $1.50 each .55/1 = FREE
Tabasco Sauce 24oz 1.00 .75 off 1 or .50 off 1 = FREE
Lawry's 30 Minute Marinade $1.59 BOGO $0.50 off 1=$.09
French’s Spicy Brown Mustard 12oz $1.89 0.75/1=FREE
McCormick Spices: $1.69 -$2.19 .75 off 1 = Free
Hefty Easy Grip Party Cups 20ct $1.99 0.75 off 1 Final Price Free
Wacky Mac reg. price $.74 BOGO .50 off 1 = Free
French's Original French Fried Onions (2.80oz) $2.49 75 off 1 =.24
Lipton Tea Bags price: 1.19 each 75 off 2 = .13 for both
Clabber Girl Baking Powder $1.99 0.60 off 1 =$0.19 12oz
Keebler Fudge Shoppe Cookies BOGO (1.84 for one) .55 off 1 = .19
Mt Olive - 1.89 - 2.50 .55 off 1 = .24 to .85
Renuzit Super Odor Neutralizer Fine Mist Spray $2.99 0.75 off 1 Final Price $0.74
McCormick Salad Supreme and Lemon Pepper Seasoning - $2.50 .75 off 1= .25
Nabisco Classic Cookies $2.99 0.75 off 1 Final Price $0.74
Degree antiperspirant $2.50 .75 off 1 Final Price $0.25
Lysol Cling 2-in-1 Clip-On $2.50 0.75 off 1 Final Price $0.25
Dial Liquid Foaming Pumps - $2.50 .55 off 1 = .85
Betty Crocker Frosting - 1.99 .55 off 1 = $0.34
Promised Land Milk - 1 qt - $2.19 .75 off 1 = Free
Jack Daniel's Barbecue Sauce $2.00 0.55 off 1 Final Price $0.35
French's Worcestershire Sauce (15oz) price: 1.89 50 off 1 =39¢
French's Honey Mustard - $2.69 .75 off 1 = .44
Chips Ahoy! Cookies - Snak-Saks Mini Chocolate Chip $2.39 0.55 off 1 Final Price $0.74
Flipz Chocolate Covered Pretzels $2.09 0.50 off 1 =$0.59 each
Kraft Bagel-fuls $2.99 .75 off 1 = .74
Hormel Compleats microwavable meal reg. price $2.40 .75 off 1 =0.34
New York Pizzeria Dip N Sticks Original $2.89 0.75 off 1 Final Price $0.64
KC Masterpiece 18 oz BBQ sauce reg price $2.29 .55 off =0.64
64 ct Huggies Wipes - $2.89 .75 off 1 = .74
Ziploc Steam Cooking Bags - Medium 3.39 0.75 off 1 Final Price $1.14
Renuzit Pearl Scents or Odor Neutralizer price: Pearl-3.19 Neutrilzer-2.99 75 off 1 =.74-.94
I Can't Believe It's Not Butter! Margarine Sticks - $2.99 $0.75 off 1 = $0.74 per box
Kernel Season's Butter Popcorn Seasoning $2.79 - $0.75 off 1= $0.74
Deli Creations Sandwiches or Flatbreads $2.99 0.75 off 1= $0.74
Blue Bunny Ice Cream Cones $2.99 0.75 off 1 Final Price $0.74
Snyder's Multigrain 11.5 oz bag - $2.50 .75 off 1 = .25
Yo Crunch 100 calorie Yogurt Multi Pak $3.00 0.75 off 1 Final Price: $0.75
Edwards frozen pie singles reg. price $3.19 .75 off 1 =.94
Band-Aids - 2/$5 (includes kids) .50 off 1 = $1
Heluva Good Cheese - $2.50 .50 off 1 = $1
Nature's Pride - $2.19 & $2.69 – .55 off 1 = $1.04 to $1.54
Texas Pete Chili Sauce $.67 50 off 1 = Free
Mrs. Dash 2.59 .50 off 1 = $1.09
Chi-Chi Salsa Snackers 2.79 .55 off 1 = 1.14
Splenda No Calorie Sweetener - Cafe Sticks 40ct $2.79 0.75 off 1 Final Price $.24
Ball Plastic Freezer Jar 5ct $3.49 0.75 off 1 Final Price $1.24 32 oz
Kraft Mayo or Miracle Whip 2/$7 .75 off 1 = $1.25
Oscar Mayer Deli Fresh Meats $3.50 0.75 off 1 Final Price $1.25
Sargento Sliced cheese - $2.59 .50 off 1 = $1.09
Egglands Eggs - $2.49 .35 off 1 = $1.44
PUREX OR Wisk Detergent BOGO 2.74-3.79 .50 1 =1.24-2.29
Ziploc bags - $2.69 .40 off 1 =$1.49
Johnsonville Breakfast Sausage - $3 $0.55 off 1 = $1.50
Crisco Puritan Oil $3.79 75off 1 = $1.54
White House applesauce 6ct. 4oz. cups -$1.77 each $.60 off 2 = 2 for $1.72, ($.87 each)
Purevia Natural Sweetner 40 count - $3.99 .75 off 1 =$1.74
Red Baron French Bread Pizzas reg. price $4.19 .75 off 1 =1.94
Blue Diamond Almonds - 2/$6 .50 off 2 = $4.50 or $2.25 a can
Yoplait Yogurt-Twix cups $2.80 $.75 off 2. = 1.67 each
Hot Pockets Ultimate Ham & Cheese $1.50 .50 off 1 = free
Digiorno Flatbread Melts 3.59 .75 off 1 = 1.34
Mccain Froze Fries-Any Variety 3.49 .75 off 1 = 1.24
Pepperidge Farm Buns $2.79 .55 off 1 = 1.14
Fleischmanns Yeast Strip 1.99 .40 off 1 = .79
Bertolli Pasta Sauce - 2.89 .60 off 1 = 1.09
Ragu Select Varieties - 2.15 .60 off 1 = .35
Knorr Pasta Sides Select Varieties 1.14 each .60 off 2 = .48 for 2 .75 off 2 = .03 for 2
Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce 2.99 .55 off 1 = 1.34
Hellmans Real Mayonnaise 2.99 .60 off 1 = 1.19
Minute Rice Ready to Serve 2.19 .50 off 1 = .69
Kix Cereal 2.99 .75 off 1 = .74
Betty crocker Warm Delights 1.85 .55 off 1 = .20

Earning a few $$$

In addition ot savings as much sa I can on our grocery bills I'm always keeping an ear out for ways to earn a few bucks. There are 2 I've come across that I'm quite pleased with so far.

The first is You Data. You know those pesky ads that you see already? Well this site you get paid to look at ads!! Week one and there is just over $10 in my account. and they deposit directly to paypal. No I can't live off it and quit my regular job but sometimes all you need is just the couple extra $$$ to get by. Go HERE to check it out!

The second is Swagbucks. This one doesn't pay cash but rewards you in points for using their search engine. In 3 weeks time I'm up to 101 swagbucks and almost near getting a $25 Applebees gift card. I do a lot of searching through the day at work so I just set my homepage to the swagbucks page. It uses google and ask.com so they are reliable searches but give me the bucks at the same time. Go HERE to check it out!

My Stock Piles

Ok...no where near some of the stock piles I've seen but this should give you an idea of where we are so far. I haven't pictured frozen stuff only cause you can't really see it since it's a 5cuft chest freezer but trust me...it's packed full. Our regular freezer is packed full. So here is the main pantry in the kitchen. What you can't see is the 13 boxes of cereal on the top shelf.


Ok and these are overflow into the laundryroom.

Everything I got was probably a $1 or less each, most times free. like all that BBQ sauce, dressing, mustard, ketchup, the kraft dinners and kraft cups. Didn't pay a penn for them. There are 7 bottles of the Wisk HE detergent at $2 a bottle which is more than 50% savings on just that alone. I'm on a roll and loving it!! I'm just running out of room to store!

Farm Fresh Deals-$1 Doubles

Today is double up to and including $1 at Farm Fresh. Going through my coupons these are deals I've found:

Kraft BBQ Sauce-Sale $.78. Use either $.35 coupon to get for $.08 each
Kraft Dinners $2.00 Use $1.00 off to get for free
Kraft Cups $1 Use $1/2 to get 2 for free
Wisk Detergent $4.99. use $1 off to get for $2.99
Kraft Mayonnaise $2.50 use $1 off to get for $.50
Cool Whip $1 use $1/2 to get 2 for free
A1 sauce $2.99 use either $1 or $2 off to get for free
Jello Boxes $2.67/3 use $1/3 to get 3 for $.67
Crystal Light $2.50 use $1 off to get for $.50 Also coupon out for free skin essencials with purchase of crystal light drink mix
Wheat Thins $3 use $1 off to get for $1
Triscuit $3 use $1 off to get for $1
Honeymaid $3 use $1 off to get for $1
Miracle Whip $2.50 use $1 off to get for $.50
Philadelphia cream cheese spread $3.98/2 use $1/2 get 2 for $1.98
Philadelphia cream cheese block $3.98/2 use $1/2 get 2 for $1.98
Kraft cheese block or shredded $3.33/2 use $1/2 get 2 for $1.33
Parkerhouse frozen rolls $2.99 use $1 off get for $.99
Hunts Ketchup $1 use $.20 off get for $.60
Activia 4 pack $2 use $1 off get for free
Danactive 4 pack $2 use $1 off get for free
Oscar Mayer hot dogs $5/2 use $1 off get 2 for $3
Solo plates/cups $3 use $1 off get for $1
Kraft dressing $2 use $1 of get for free

Check the following sites for printable coupons:
www.kraftfoods.com
www.coupons.com
www.smartsource.com
www.redplum.com
www.coolsavings.com

Some great deals

Harris Teeter has some great buy 2 get 3 free deals this week. Well it ends tomorrow so if you want to get them yourself check it out. Here's what I got:



1st Transaction
Kraft BBQ Sauce: Buy 2/Get 3. Reg $1.79 so $8.95-$5.37 = $3.61. Used 3 $1/1 coupons bringing total for all 5 to $0.61. Also received $2.50 off next order coupon

Kraft Shredded Cheese: Buy 2/Get 3. Reg $3.39 so $16.45-$9.87 = $6.58. Used 2 $1/1 and 1 $1/2 bringing total for all 5 to $3.58

Kraft Easy Mac Cups $1 each. Bought 4 and used 2 $1/2 coupons bringing total to $2 for all 4.

Kraft Velveeta Shells $1.79 each. Bought 2 and used 2 $1 /1 coupons bringing total to $1.58 for both.

Total before sales/coupons: $32.98. Total after:$9.18 Saved: $23.80

2nd Transaction
Pepsi 12 pack cans: Buy 2/Get3 Reg $5.99 so $29.95-$17.97 = $11.98. Used $2.50 coupon from prior order. and paid $9.78 after taxes. Total saved $20.17

All together in both transactions got $62.93 for $18.96 for a grand savings of $43.97

I think I have now been officially banned from buying BBQ sauce. Last count there were 12 bottles on my shelf. Although I think since we're going into summer with lots of grilling in our future it will certainly get used.

I should do photo's of the shelving in my laundry room which has turned into food storage b/c our pantry can't hold anymore. I've threatened to kick one of the kids out of their bedroom!! LOL

Happy Mothers Day

To all my fellow sweethearts, Peninsula Mommies, and long time friends.....

Continuing On...

I know I slacked off but the saga still continues.

Thursday night Mr. X made homemade mac n cheese with sausage and asparagus.

Friday he shows up at my work with lunch and a huge bouquet of flowers.

Seriously I am NOT complaining but after so long of it just being here and there spotty type thing to suddenly every day this week.....ya you would be wondering too.

This morning he tells me we need to have a vacation, just the 2 of us, and go on a cruise for like 2 weeks. Now wouldn't THAT be nice!

And it continues

Dinner tonight: Homemade french bread pizza with a salad on the side. For dessert: 100 calorie ice cream bar. See, he was keeping my diet in mind.

In the mean time I'm still wondering whats going on!

It's Aliens I Tell Ya!

So the last few days there have been strange happenings going on in our house. Now I realize some of you lucky lucky woman might view this as completely normal but not for me. Normal for me is I do EVERYTHING. Cleaning, cooking, kids....yup it's me. Do I complain?? Sometimes. Does it suck...sorta. Especially after some hard days at work and then coming home to sewing projects or something extra.

So whats been going on? Mr. X was abducted by aliens who brought back a new and improved model. One that cooks me breakfast in bed not 1 but 2 mornings in a row. He then proceeds to do laundry and pick up the living room. He even asks is there anything I would like him to do while I'm gone for my monthly bookclub meeting. THEN he proceeds to make dinner not 1 but 2 nights in a row. And don't be fooled, I'm not talking ordering Chinese or making Mac n Cheese. Last night was meatloaf, rice, and broccoli. Tonight was chicken parmesan, noodles, and asparagus. Oh and did I mention the fresh flowers bought for the dining room table?

I'm kinda wondering though how long the new model will function before something short circuits. In the mean time....I'm quite enjoying it!!

Before I forget...

Day late and a dollar short

So Toots turned 8 months old yesterday. Wow is time flying! And now more than ever he is simply amazing me with what he can do, especially compared to Monkey. I'm beginning to think that either she was just too big to do much or she was just lazy. Hmmmm??

Eating issues? Don't exist! The boy will eat anything, nearly anything, that you give him. He's partial to sweet potatos, carrots, and any type of fruit. We've actually started giving some noodles, crackers, french fries, etc. Oh and he LOVES pickles. He got one the other night when we went out to dinner and he destroyed it. I think you could hear the slurping sounds the restaraunt. People had to stop just to say how cute he was as he devoured the thing.

Size wise he is still a little guy. I weighed him on the Wii fit not long ago and he was 14lbs 5oz. He can wear some 6-9 months clothes but onsies and shorts are still 3-6 months. I'm scrambling to find some summer type clothes for him as most of what I have is 9-12 months and way to big still. I had no idea he would be such a shrimp!

As for physically he is completely mobile now. Apparently being light has it's advantages. In the last few weeks he has not only figured out how to crawl, he can sit himself up from a laying down position, pull himself up to a standing position, and has now started cruising on the furniture. That last one happened tonight. Mr. X and I were sitting on the couch when we see his head pop up on the other side of the table as the then makes his way down trying to grab for anything in his reach. NOTHING is safe in our house anymore. I guess it's time to bust out the babygates and put away the knick knacks. Oh the joys!

Talking? Hmmm...he says mama still, mostly when he's upset and wants something. Mr. X is trying to convince him he should say dada instead. He loves to babble in the car though or blow rasberry's.

I honestly wouldn't be suprised if Toots starts trying to walk between 9-10 months if he keeps up at the rate he is now. I'm just not ready for it! I already can't believe we're only a few months out from his 1st birthday. I swear it took a lot longer to get to this point with Monkey. Or maybe it just seemed like it.

On the Move

Think the video says it all!

Yet more savings!!

Ok, had another great trip to Harris Teeter yesterday. Crazy enough I didn't even get everything!! I still have a few items I'd like to score the deals on but since I could only use up to 20 coupons for triples I had to pick and choose. So here's what I did get. Any coupons under $.99 were tripled!

Original Total $99.46, Total Spent $25.50, Savings $73.96

Reynolds Recycled Aluminum Foil-Have a rebate making this free!
Regular $3.29, Sale $2.99, $.55 coupon Cost=$1.34

Multi-Grain Cheerios
Regular $3.79, Sale $2.50, $.75 coupon Cost=$.25

Palmolive Dish Soap
Regular $3.79, Sale $1.89, $.25 coupon Cost=$1.14

Ortega Taco Shell & Taco Seasoning (price is for both combined)
Regular $3.45, Sale $2.30, $.75 coupon Cost=$.05

Wishbone Ranch Dressing
Regular $2.99, Sale $0, $.75 coupon Cost=$.74

Pillsbury Brownie Mix (bought 2, price based on 1)
Regular $1.89, Sale $0, $.35 Coupon Cost =$.84 each

Grill Mates Marinade Rub
Regular $1.19, Sale $1.00, Coupon $.50 Cost=$0.00

Electrasol Finish Tabs
Regular $5.99, Sale $3.50, Coupon $2.50 Cost =$1

Electrasol Finish tabs
Regular $5.99, Sale $3.50, Coupon $1.00 Cost =$2.50

Wacky Mac Veggie Noodles (bought 2, price based on 1)
Regular $1.49, Sale $1.29, Coupon $.50, Cost=$0.00

No Yolks Noodles (bought 2, price based on 1)
Regular $1.99, Sale $0, Coupon $.75, Cost= $0.00

Grande Tortilla Chips
Regular $3.49, Sale $2.00, Coupon $.75, Cost =$0.00

Colgate Regular Toothpaste
Regular 3.39, Sale $1.50, Coupon $.75, Cost =$0.00

Bagel-Fuls Original
Regular $2.99, Sale $0, Coupon $.75, Cost =$.49

Hot Pocket Panini
Regular $3.00, Sale $0, Coupon $.75, Cost =$.75

Land O lakes Margerine (bought 2, price based on 1)
Regular $2.39, Sale $0, Coupon $.55, Cost = $.75

Sargento Pepper Jack Cheese Slices
Regular $3.69, Sale $2.59, Coupon $.50, Cost $1.09

Hillshire Farm Beef Links (Bought 2, price based on 2)
Regular $6.98, Sale $5.98, Coupon $.65 + $2 off purchase, Cost=$2.03

Hillshire Farm Sausage
Regular $2.99, Sale $2.79, Coupon $.55, Cost=$1.34

Deli Creations Sandwich (bought 2, price based on 1)
Regular $2.99, Sale $0, Coupon $.75, Cost=$.44

Thats it! Now my total won't add up exactly as I had stated because I didn't bother listing things like my bread or drink that I paid full price for.

Handmade Shorts!

So toots needs some shorts and since we're trying to save money it's not really condusive to go out and buy brand new clothes. Especially since I got my spiffy sewing machine and can just make them for $1! How you ask?? Using a dishtowel and some scraps of fabric. The ones pictured below took me about 45minutes to make this morning before work.

I'd say there was an extra 15 in there from stopping and doing photo's so maybe 30mins on average. Not bad really if you think about it. I picked up the dishtowel at the dollar store where there are actually lots of cute ones. I'd say try to stay away from those thin bubbly looking ones. You want something that will hold up as well as look good.

Here's the directions so you can make some too!

Start of with just a standard dishtowel Fold the dishtowel in half and then cut so you have 2 equal pieces.

Place both sides on top of each other and then fold in half again. With the finished edge towards you cut as shown below.

Seperate the pieces and lay one flat as shown. Finished edging should be closest to you

Here you will attach pockets if you want them. I used scrap fabric and cut in squares. to create finished edge fold over edges and sew around fabric before attaching to towel

Pin pocket to towel making sure to center. Put it closer to the bottom of the towel to create a cargo type pocket.

Repeat for other side for pockets on both.

Lay both pieces of towel together, lining up edges and so that it appears to be inside out. Pin cut out edges together and then sew making sure NOT to go down straight part. Just around curve part that was cut. Repeat for other side as well

Pin and sew the inside seam

Keeping shorts inside out fold over top to create waiste band. Allow enough room for width of elastic. Also be sure to leave an opening to feed the elastic through. Sew ends of elastic together and then turn shorts right side out.

This is the finished short before the elastic was put in.

And thats it!! I've got several more things I'm going to add up later. A girls skirt made from a dishtowel and then a kids apron made from a placemat. All for $1 or less!

Oh and as for sizing these would typically fit 6-12 months depending on the size of your kiddo. My 14lb shrimp requires me to hemp up the leg parts a bit or they hang down to his ankles.

Changing Careers

Yup it's official. I am back in school as of this fall...2009. And I'm not going for the Business management that I was in before. Way back in the day before I had Monkey I was pre-med but backed out because it was too time consuming as a single parent. I've been doing insurance for going on 10 years now and although I'm good at my job and for the most part enjoy it, I don't LOVE it. So I've decided to go back towards the medical field but of course being a doctor is out. Just not feasible. So I'm going to work towards getting into the nursing program. And I'm closer than I thought! I have 5 classes to finish before I can apply. Needless to say it should be interesting to see how things go!

Did you see this???

Check out the newest phenomenon!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lp0IWv8QZY

A lesson to all.....NEVER judge a book by it's cover!

Whut YOU doin'

I've been slacking on updating about us here lately and have just been posting about my awesome deals. I have more to score today so I'll post again later about that.

As for us we're hanging in there. I've come back to work full time which stinks really. I miss having more time with the kids, more time to take care of the house, more time to cook. Just having more time in general really! It's how it has to be though so I'll survive. It's wierd though cause when Monkey was a baby I would never have thought twice about working. I did it and I WANTED to do it. Now, I wish I could just stay with them all day. **Sigh** Oh well.

Mr. X is doing good too. Struggling with some big decisions lately. He's up for re-enlistment this year and is tottering on the fence on what to do. I actually want him to stay in. With the economy the way it is and the job market pretty much sucky I just don't think it would be a good idea. There is no telling how hard it will be for him to find a job not to mention the benefits we get. He doesn't want to stay in though. He works on a sub and staying in means being deployed again. That also means months at a time of no contact and all the things he will miss with the kids. Yes, I hate that he woudl miss that too but I'll take the lesser of two evils in this case. He's gotta decide pretty soon though so we'll see what happens.

Monkey is her normal self. Constantly gabbing about something or crying at the drop of a hat. She has turned into quite the little drama queen and is ultra sensitive. I'm so proud of her though. She can pretty much read anything and has a phenomenal memory. She got picked to do morning announcements next week so she's super excited about that but admitted she's nervous too. The poor kid is in kindergarten and going to read announcements out to everyone. I'd be nervous too! Her dad is still around although contact has tapered off a bit. She got an email on Friday from him that had pic's of him with her sisters. The youngest girl must definitely resemble her mom but the other one is similar to monkey. You could tell they are related at least.

Toots is growing like a week. Just last week he started army crawling and then on Monday pushed up on all 4's. Won't be long before i'm chasing him around the house too. He's finally started eating like crazy. The boy can put away some food! And he will try anything you give him. He must get that from Mr. X. He's pretty much figured out how to hold his sippy cup on his own now too. He's still not sleepign through the night though which is a battle we're working on. We're not doign the full cry it out method but we're not running in there at the first peep either. It's gotten down to just once at nice and thats getting later and later. Last night he slept from 6pm to 4am before wakign to eat than goign back to sleep till 6:30. I can't believe he's 7 months old now though...time is flying!

Guess thats it for now.

Yet more savings.....

Yes I know I've really only been posting about the things I save on but I jsut got so gosh darn it excited!!! I just can't help myself. I gotta say, I'm falling in love with Harris Teeter. Seriously, I get my best deals by far there. The store is always clean and the staff is awesome. Liek tonight I went and part of my order was huggies wipes. I had 2 coupons and seriously thought i grabbed 2 boxes. When one coupon wouldn't ring the cashier questioned it. I insisted that it was ok cause I had got both tubs of wipes. He called a manager who came over, didn't even ask what it was. Just swiped her card and accepted teh coupon. I got home and realized that I only got ONE BOX! Major oops there on my part but goodness...that was an extra $1 off my order. So yes, I heart them!

On to the good part. Here's what I got today and the breakdown.

Crest Prohealth mouthwash. Reg $6.29, Sale $3.99, Coupon $.75x2. Paid $2.49
Crest Toothpaste Reg $4.29, Sale $2.50, Coupon $.75x2, paid $1.00
Softsoap handsoap Reg $1.49, Coupon $.35x2, Paid $.79
Softsoap handsoap Reg $3.19 Sale $2.00, Coupon $.50x2, Paid $1.00
Franks Red Hot sauce Reg $1.29, Sale $.50, Coupon $.50x2 Paid $.00 ($.50 overage)
Huggies Wipes Reg $3.29, Sale $2.50, Coupon $.50x2, Paid $1.50
Soleil Razer Reg $7.39, Sale $2.94, Coupon $2.00, Paid $.94
Country Crock Reg $2.49, Sale $1.24, Coupon $.45x2, Paid $.34
Knorr Sauce(2) Reg $1.79, Sale $1.25, Coupon $.50x2, Paid $.75 each(2)
Breyers Icecream Reg $5.39, Sale $2.69, Coupon $.75x2, Paid $1.19
Uncle Bens Rice(2) Reg $2.29, Sale $1.67, Coupon $.75x2, Paid $.92 each(2)
Virginia Deli Ham Reg $6.49lb, Sale Buy 1 get 2 free, Paid $2.10lb (3lbs)

Original Total was $65.92, Paid $19.95, Total Savings $45.97

My Bag

Krogers is doing a design a bag contest. I created one so go HERE to check it out and vote!

Marley and Me

Anyone else seen the movie yet? Ugh! I got it from Walmart yesterday and Mr. X and I decided to do a movie last night after the kids were in bed. It was a great movie, don't get me wrong. I actually really liked it. But man I haven't cried like that over a movie in a LONG time. Even Mr. X boohooed. Seriously. We were cuddling up and I could hear and feel the shudders going through him quickly followed by that tell tale sniffle. Ya we both just lost it at the end.

Over all a great movie though. Just a strong suggestion to have some tissues near by if you haven't seen it yet.

Another Deal: Harris Teeter

This week, well till the 31st, Harris Teeter is tripling coupons up to and including $.99. There is a limit of 20 coupons per household per day but if the deals are good enough making more than one trip isn't that big of a deal. I went today and actually didn't get 3 of the things I really wanted which would be basically free. So tomorrow or Tuesday I'll run by again just to see if I can snag them. Hey, free is free right??

So here is the low down on what I got today.


1 can scrubbing bubbles bathroom cleaner1 box 75ft Reynolds foil2 boxes Electrosol Finish dishwasher tabs1 box Duncan hines cake mix1 bag 22 count chips1 bag Nestle mini chocolate chips1 bag steamfresh mixed veggies1 bottle french's mustard1 bottle french's honey mustard2 tubes colgate toothpaste1 colgate kids toothbrush1 bottle barilla pasta sauce1 box strawberry frosted miniwheats5 boxes jolly time microwave popcorn1 can french's french fried onions1 package jello pudding, 6ct1 package applesauce, 6ct1 bag mahatma rice Original order total $88.86Total after savings $30.50Total savings $58.36!!!

The ones I missed are:

softsoap handsoap. $1.14 bottle, $.35 coupon x 3 final cost $.09

honecomb cereal 2/$4 2 coupons $.55 x 3 final cost $.35 per box

So for $1 I'll get soap and 2 boxes of cereal. Gotta love the deals!

More Savings

Yet again I was on the hunt for great deals and found some awesome ones at our Super Kmart. This week they are doubling coupons up to and including $2. Most of mine in tha tvalue are for shampoo, bodywash, razors, etc. All things that are non-parishable and I love to stock up on. So I headed over and walked out with all this.


3 Suave body washes 3 Suave kids shampoo/conditioner 2 Dove body washes 1 contact solution 1 lysol disinfectent spray 1 venus refillable razor 1 daisy 4 pack razors 1 twin pack glade warmer 1 glade twin pack warmer refill 2 packs glade scented oil refills 4 greeting cards Total spent. $27.14.

J

ust one of those dove body washes is regular 8.99!!! At regular price that would be more than half of what I actually spent after discounts. Can't beat those savings! I've got another big one I'm going to try and score on this week. Harris Teeter is tripling coupons up to and including $.99. I've been scouting the forums and looks like I could score a decent number of things for free. I'll post after that to let ya know how it goes!

I love getting things for cheap or free but we definitely need to reevaluate our storage system. I have shelves in our laundry room packed full of stuff. Our deep freezer and regular freezer are packed to the max and our pantry is a tight fit too. Even Toots closet is packed after our major deal on diapers! I think before long we'll just have stuff spilling out of every corner. I so wish we had a room like my friend Heidi does with those awesome shelf units for canned goods. Maybe I could convince Mr. X to give up his game room??? LOL

Diaper Deals!

Scored a major diaper deal that will keep us in stock for hopefully awhile. I'm going to guess about 3 months but we'll see. Just depends on how quickly Toots decides to pee or poop out of them. I've still never figured out how he has manipulate gravity and cause his poo to go up his back to his shoulders when he is a sitting position. I can see laying down but sitting??? Just another mystery I guess. Anyways here's my deal today....

Count that....18 packages of diapers. My total expense..........$47.43. Yes you read that right. Walgreens has a sale on diapers right now...2 for $9. On top of that they have a coupone for $2 a package. When you scan the coupon it automatically takes the $2 off every package in the order. I went to 3 stores buying 6 packages at each one and at each one the coupon took off $12. Woohoo! These packages normally run $8.99 each so the sale itself was a good deal. Originally these would be $161.2 before taxes. So my savings is $114.39. Can you believe that??

By the way the sale is through March 21st. The $2 coupon can be found at the pharmacy. You just ask them for their information on the prescription savings card. In the information there are various coupons and the $2 coupon is in that.

Happy Half Birthday!

Well we're finally there....Toots is 6 months old. Can you believe it?? And he's so much more mobile that Monkey ever was so he's already keeping me on my toes. The boy likes to roll and move around. I'm going to have my hands full when he finally learns how to crawl and/or walk. All I can say is thank goodness for baby gates. At least I can keep him somewhat contained. Well, until he learns how to climb OVER them. LOL

As for stats I don't have the official ones as he doesn't go for his well baby check up until Monday but according to the scale this morning he is 14.8lbs. Tiny little bugger but so long. The height is definitely coming from my side of the family. He's creeping into 6-9 month clothes but still has a few 3-6 month that he can wear. Size 2 diapers still since 3's start at 18lbs I think. Guess it's a good thing I stocked up on them!

He loves to laugh and giggle and is thrilled when his daddy tosses him around. He loves to blow bubbles and stick his tongue out and blow. He sits up pretty well although he'll topple over when he gets really excited. He's trying so hard to crawl and gets so mad when he can't get what he wants right that that minute.

He wants nothing to do with regular food and acts like we're giving him lemons when we try. Anything but milk comes right back up as he'll try to gag himself on it in his efforts to get it out of his mouth. He still doesn't sleep through the night but we finally got it down to only getting up once at night. Thank goodness because I was starting to walk like a zombie!

He loves his sissy and his daddy and smiles as soon as they come in the room. He's super ticklish especially on his back. He's teething and tries to chew on everything...our house is a giant chew toy to him. He has to be up and see whats going on at every minute, I call him my nosey boy.



The last 6 months have gone by so fast and before we know it we'll be actually encouraging him to eat cake and allow us to sing the birthday song to him. ***Sigh*** My baby boy!!

The Year I Was Born

1. What was the population of the world?
4.378 Billion

2. Who were the President and Vice President?
James Earl Carter & Walter F. Mondale

3. What was the US Population? (Different from the world population)
225,055,487

4. Name one US Event that showed up in the "U.S. Events" section.
Ohio agrees to pay $675,000 to families of dead and injured in Kent State University shootings (Jan. 4).

5. Median Household Income?
$16,461

6. Unemployment Rate?
5.8%

7. Cost of a US Postal Stamp.
$0.15

8. Who Played in the Superbowl? Who won?
Pittsburgh d. Dallas (35-31)

9. NCAA Football Champs?
Alabama (12-0-0)

10. One Entertainment Event you found interesting.
The Sugar Hill Gang releases the first commercial rap hit, "Rapper's Delight," bringing rap off the New York streets and into the popular music scene.

11. Name a famous person who died.
Nelson Rockefeller

12. I was born in the year
1979

Proving I'm Right?

I can totally understand having to back up your thoughts or opinions in some situations. Like if you were a scientist or an inventor or something. But when it comes to regular day to day stuff which is mostly based on experiences and preferences.....why would you have to prove yourself??

Mr. X and I had a "discussion" this evening over his requirement for me to prove I'm right when ever I tell him something. It could be something so basic like Toots should start off with things like sweet potato's first instead of fruits so that he will eat the veggies and not be stuck only on fruits. Yes, I realize that it's not the end of the world if he likes his fruits but I want to get him liking the veggies first. Anyways, why should I have to go online and pull up research proving that this can happen?? Thats just one example too.

So tonight, I don't even remember how we got started on the subject actually, but we were talking about it. And I told him how it makes me feel like he doesn't trust my knowledge or that maybe he thinks I'm not as smart as he is. That sometimes you just have to trust experience and day to day trial and error. Course he tells me it's the Navy training in him...he needs to be proven wrong to accept what someone else says.

Seriously? Is anyone else like this? I have never in my life had to defend every single statement that I make. Do you have any idea how irritating and frustrating it is to have someone tell you your wrong on everything or to prove that what you say is right? It SUCKS.

And get this...we couldn't even make it away from the table before he did it again. I had made a comment about I was going to start unplugging things to test out a theory I have. See up till December our electric bill has been about $50-$60 a month. Just a tad more when the A/C was on but not much. When January's bill came it was $120. February's was $160. The sad part is our heat runs off gas so I can't even blame it on that.

The only thing that changed was we got the new HDTV, Wii, and Xbox 360 in December. Of course then there are the battery charges that go with them. All things that are constantly sucking up electricity even when they are off. Maybe not much but enough. So I wanted to test a theory and see if by unplugging them it would make a difference in our usage. A theory and a test is what I'm thinking.

And he tells me that I need to prove I'm right that it will work because it can be detrimental to electronics to unplug them all the time. Ya, maybe if you were doing it 50 times a day and creating constant power surges to the unit. Not to mention we have all our electronics plugged into a surge protector and so even if it did a small surge chances are it wouldn't even hit the electronics themselves.

For us though we're only talking maybe twice a day. Once in the morning when I leave for work and then again at night before we go to bed. Right now it's been unplugged since like 9am! Men...the thing is I could have done this and he probably would have never known. I should have just kept my mouth shut.

Well That Was Fast

So I'm still trying to catch up from all the things that have happened the last few weeks. I seriously have so many blogs started that I haven't finished yet. This one though I wanted to get out.

most of you know that a few weeks ago Monkey's dad called me out of the blue talking about how he wanted to get to know her and be involved and all that. Apparently his grandfather passed away and it made him think about life and the choices he made as well as the mistakes.

I've always said that I would never prevent him from knowing her so we put things in motion for it all to begin. A few days after that call she got her 1st card. And the child was head over heals. We had to immediately go to Wally-world and get a card to send back to him. And since Valentines was just around the corner she insisted on one of those heart filled ones. She also drew a picture that was the two of them with big hearts floating above their heads and wrote him a letter.

It seemed at first that he really was serious about all this. He called the Tuesday after he sent his 1st card to make sure she had gotten it. It had jsut come the day before. I let him know Valentines day that she got his 2nd one and then Sunday night he called and they talked for the first time ever.

I couldn't listen to the conversation...it was just too rough for me hearing her talking to her "daddy". I realize she's only 5 so for her the fact that he hasnt' been around before this was completely washed away. For me though it just kidna irked me to be honest.

Before we hung up that night he told me that he would be calling again Friday night (tonight) to talk to her. Well he never did. I realize that it's only 1 time and maybe something really did happen and he just couldn't get the call in. Maybe I'll never know.

I can't help but worry that he's going to disappear. Even just this slight contact is going to make it hurt horribly for her if he doesn't follow through. She's always had so many questions and has cried several times b/c he had never called or seen her. Now that she's had some contact it will most likely be 100x's worse.

So I can't believe I'm saying this but keep your fingers crossed that it was just a fluke. I may not like him at all but i don't want my baby girl getting hurt!