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Thursday, December 31, 2009

Thank Goodness for DVR...

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I hope everyone has a wonderful New Year. My husband and I had plans for people to come over, but unfortunately AZ has a slight fever and one of their kids has a rash. My how kids are so unpredictable. I doubt I make it to see the ball drop this year since AZ was up most of the night last night. We may just watch a movie and record the New Year's Eve shows. Maybe we'll watch those shows Friday or Saturday night and celebrate the New Year with friends then. Thank goodness for DVR.

Have a safe, happy new year. Good-bye 2009. Hello 2010!

My Very 1st BLOG AWARD!!!


Oh my gosh, I'm as giddy as a school kid when summer break begins! I got a BLOG AWARD! Yay! Thank you so much, Once Upon A Mommy!

I guess there are rules when you get an award. A little like Pay It Forward I guess. So here are the rules:

~Put the Lemonade logo on your blog or within your post.
~Nominate at least 10 blogs with great attitude or gratitude.
~Link the nominees within your post.
~Let the nominees know they have received this award by commenting on their blog.
~Share the love and link to the person from whom you received this award.

Now, drum roll please, here are my winners -
Goodness And Mercy Mom at Goodness And Mercy Shall Follow
Amanda at Imperfectly Beautiful
Samantha at Mama Notes
Heather at Freebies4Mom
A Thrifty Mom at A Thrifty Mom
Christie O. at Baby Tea Leaves
Ruby at Growing up BLACKXICAN
Tammi at My Organized Chaos
Shannon at The Mommy Files
Melinda at The Hippie Mommy with Kaleidoscope Eyes

Thanks again! And congrats to MY winners. Have a great New Year.

Thrifty Thursday #6

She Saved had a post on how to get a FREE Talla Sales Tiger Plush Toy, so I signed up for that. My kids will love that, as will I. We'll add that to our WHO DEY collection. Yay!

I won that FREE pair of LEE jeans by becoming their fan on facebook. I originally heard of this contest from Freebies4Mom. Thanks, Freebies4Mom!

Striving to be my Best

I absolutely LOVE Christmas and all that magic and excitement, but I do NOT like the mess that comes with it. The post-holiday-clean-up seems to last as long as the pre-holiday-rush for me. I took all the decorations down yesterday, and stripped the tree of the memorable ornaments that made it so special and beautiful. I've found places for new toys, though I feel I'll need to start putting some away for donation piles. That part gets tricky because of my daycare and the age range, though. I'm feeling the need to regroup, which for me equals dusting, vacuuming, laundry, etc. I feel the need for getting completely back into routine. My routine will be new, though, because I've started watching a 3 month old baby. Yes, I am a little nutty. So, now I have my 3 & 1/2 year old and almost 2 year old, two other almost 2 year olds, and a baby in my care full time. New routines are a must with the new baby here now.

Along with regrouping and regaining a routine, I'd like to start on my goals, and OK I'll say it, resolutions for this upcoming year. I'm going to be brave by putting it all out there, and I'm hoping some of you are as equally brave and help hold me accountable.

Goal/Resolution #1: Lose this baby weight. Do I really have the right to call it baby weight anymore? My youngest baby is almost 2 years old for crying out loud. I'll call it my, I'm-too-lazy-to-work-out-and-lose-the-weight-I-gained-while-I-was-pregnant weight. Now, I gained over 50 pounds with both AZ and WC. I lost everything after AZ was born and before getting pregnant with WC, but it hasn't been as easy losing the last 20 or so pounds after WC. I guess it's true that "your metabolism will slow down when you turn 30." BOO! Therefore, I am on the hunt for a fun way to shed some pounds. I have the treadmill in the playroom now, so hopefully that's at least a starting place. I'm also looking into some fun weight loss challenges that I've come across on some of the blogs I follow. I haven't decided which I like best, but here they are. The first one is The Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans, and you can learn more about that one HERE. The other one I'm considering is called Body After Baby. I found out about that one HERE. I've also considered doing the tapes, yes that's VHS tapes, or DVD work outs I have. I highly doubt I'll try the P90X again, as that is at LEAST an hour everyday. Who has that kind of time?

Goal/Resolution #2: Continue to save money using coupons and sales, and get even better at it. One thing I LOVE about the blogosphere is that soooo many women out there are extremely generous in sharing when they find a deal. Some blogs will actually match up stores sales with coupons, making it extremely easy to find great deals. Thank you to all of those wonderful blogs. The Kroger I shop at actually shows me on the receipt the percentage of my savings. I'm hoping to save above 30% on EVERY shopping trip.

Goal/Resolution #3: Become better acquainted with our finances. So, I'm saving money shopping and finding deals, but where is that money going and what is it doing? I'm going to take over the bills and finances for a while to figure all of this out. Yes, I'm adding another thing to my plate.

Goal/Resolution #4: Send out greeting cards for birthdays and anniversaries to friends and family. What is better than getting a card from a friend or family member on your birthday or anniversary. It's always nice to know that someone out there has remembered a special occasion for you. I used to be pretty good at sending out cards. I made this resolution a couple of years ago, and was pretty good until about April/May. The next year I was even better, getting cards out until around Septemberish. This year I am determined to get cards out from January-December. Wish me luck.

Goal/Resolution #5: Spend more time doing FUN things with the kids. My husband and I were just discussing last night how we'd like to each have one-on-one time with each kid, as well as go out and do fun things as a family. This is going to be a fun goal for us, and I certainly hope we are successful with this one. I hope I'm successful with them all, but this one is really high on the priority list for us.

Goal/Resolution #6: Find some quality "me" time. Seriously, this will be way too much information, but I was just in the bathroom doing my business with both of my children in there. AZ was sitting across from the toilet while WC was on my lap. Yes, my lap! Come on. I need a few minutes to myself, kiddos. The mom's group I am in will definitely continue helping me on this journey.

Goal/Resolution #7: Decide if I want to become a member of our church. I feel that it's such a commitment to the church, and I just want to make sure that I am prepared to contribute and become a member of that community. I REALLY want to get the kids baptized. AZ is 3 & 1/2 and WC is almost 2, and I know that their faith will be in their hands when they get older, but I'd like to do this for me I guess, to participate in the ceremony of dedicating my children to God. I already know they are His, and they're on loan to me, but it's in my heart to do this.

Goal/Resolution #8: Stop sweating the small stuff. Start looking at the BIG picture. So what that WC has pulled out all the VHS tapes from the cabinet and is making a mess right now. So what if my dear husband leaves his dishes on the counter. Is it really that important? My OCD personality says, YES. CLEAN IT UP!! I need to relax.

The perfectionist in me could continue to make goals/resolutions until my fingers cramped up from all the typing, but I am going to stop here. Although I find faults in myself so easily, I know no one is perfect. It doesn't matter that I know this, I will continue to strive for perfection. I want to be my best, and how will I know what my best is unless I continue to push myself.

What are your goals/resolutions for 2010? I wish you, and myself, luck in accomplishing and achieving all our hearts desires for this upcoming year. Good luck!

Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Free sample of Enfamil Formula


This is for readers who happen to have new babies who may or may not want formula(it always has a far off expiration date) or readings who are currently expecting. So, JK and KK. Or maybe for readers who would like to get this for donations. That could be any of you.

I read at A Thrifty Mom that you can sign up by midnight on Dec. 31st to get a free sample of Enfamil Baby Formula. Go HERE to print your certificate.

I figure I will put some of my blogging to good use and tell you about some of the awesome giveaways I find. I'll always link you back to the original blog I've found the deal on, and you should check them out.

Wednesday's Weekly Wishes #5

Over at Coupon Clippin' Mommy, I've entered a giveaway for 100 Postcards from Uprinting. I wish to win these, but they wouldn't be for me. I'd use them as invitations to something special, like JK's baby shower. ;)

Another wish this week is for me to win another giveaway. This one is at Frugal Mom Knows Best. We all know how much WC LOVES him some Thomas the Train. Well this give away is for Thomas and Friends Splish Splash Splosh DVD! How perfect is that?

As always, I wish for more sleep. AZ was up a few times last night. And of course WC was up and ready to go at 6:30 this morning.

Sunday, December 27, 2009

The Calm Before the Storm

Calm...that's what I think our Christmases are right now. Christmas 2008 wasn't a flurry of excitement for AZ or WC because she was just 2 & 1/2 and he was only 10 months old. I was certainly hoping for more excitement for Christmas 2009. Here's what we got:

Christmas morning AZ wakes up and comes into our room. There's definitely nothing unusual there. After she's done going potty, I say to her, "Who came to our house last night?" Her response was, "Uma and Papa." Me: "Who else came to our house?" Her: "Uncle C, Aunt K, DG, and AL." I'm guessing we need to talk Santa up a little bit more next year.

After WC woke up, we all headed downstairs. There were no squeals of excitement from the kids. I think I was more excited for them to see Santa's gifts than they were. And of course, after they saw the awesome tool bench and tools, they didn't want to open anything else. I felt like it was a chore to get them to open presents this year. Of course they LOVE everything they got, and they are so darn cute playing with one another, but the magical excitement and happy squeals didn't happen this year.

And if the last couple of Christmases are the calm, bring on the storm. I'm ready!

Friday, December 25, 2009

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!




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Friday's Funny Phrases #3

While at a holiday gathering, AZ ran into an early twenties guy who was wearing VERY ripped up jeans with long johns underneath, which is obviously a fashion statement that shows just how old I am because I don't get it. Anyway, she looks up at him and says, "Your pants are broken. You need to fix them."

On the drive home from said holiday gathering, AZ gets the sniffles. Snif. "Boogers, leave me alone." Snif, Snif. "Boogers, leave me alone." Snif, Snif. "Boogers, LEAVE ME ALONE." Snif. "Mommy, my boogers won't leave me alone."

At dinner, I was desperately trying to get AZ to actually eat something other than macaroni and cheese. She had mashed potatoes, that I know she likes, along with mashed potatoes, lima beans (yeah right), 1/8 of a cereal bar, and a slice of cheese. Begging her to try a bite of mashed potatoes because I KNOW SHE LIKES THEM, she looks at me and says, "Mommy there's a baby coming out of my belly. Look. The feet are touching." What? "I'm going to touch it in my belly button." Hee, hee, hee, hee. My silly girl.

Alright, so it's not a saying, but I thought it was funny - I heard WC rummaging in a kitchen drawer. The next thing I know, he's run out into the family room yielding a chop stick like he's Harry Potter. He must be my little wizard!
MERRY CHRISTMAS, everyone!

Thursday, December 24, 2009

Thrifty Thursday #5

I LOVE guacamole! I could seriously put it on anything. So, I was thrilled when Frugal Racing Fan Mommy posted about a BOGO Wholly Guacamole. Yay! Combine that coupon, found HERE with the $1.00 off coupons from Sunday inserts, and I'm set! They're normally 2/$5 at my Kroger without coupons or sales, so at the very most, I'll pay $1.50 for two on my next trip. LOVE it! Thank you Frugal Racing Fan Mommy! Edit - They're on sale at Kroger for $1! I'm getting 4 for FREE!!

CVS has a great deal for me this week. I can score some Nivea Body wash for free, or make money on it! They will cost $5.99, but I'll get $5 cash back with register rewards, AND I have a $2.00 off coupon found HERE. I found this deal through Couponing For 4.

We all know how much I LOVE my coffee, and of course I need coffee creamer to go with it. I've heard from multiple bloggers, and signed up to get another FREE pint of International Delight Coffee creamer by registering on their facebook page. Thanks to Coupon Clippin' Mommy, Couponing for 4, Frugal Racing Fan Mommy, Freebies4Mom, A Thrifty Mom and MomsbyHeart.