Just not feeling it right now....

Sorry for the break guys. I know it's unfair to to leave people hanging but there are a lot of things going on right now.

A lot.

Because of this, the rest of my world is rocked. My house is a disaster. My car is no different. I have barely spoke to my children this weekend. I don't even want to check my Google Reader.

And one day, I will explain it. Or maybe not. But I know you would understand.

And I am not too sure how long it will take me to get out of this 'funk' it has put me in. Please be patient with me.

And to top it off, I still don't know when Zoa's surgery will be. But I will tell you that as soon as I know.

MIA

That's me...MIA. Ummm, sorry about that.

I'll be back within a day or so. Promise.

"Their gonna fix the leak in my neck."

This has been what Zoa has been chanting the last few days. What leak, you ask?...

Hours after Zoa was born, we noticed a little spot right above her collarbone that had drainage. After we asked her doctor about it, they said that it was a bronchial cleft. The last few weeks, the drainage (Zoa's only symptom) has increased. Surgery has been discussed since birth, with our goal waiting until she was about five years old. (In November, Zoa will be four.) After talking to her regular pediatrician, she implied that surgery was the only option for a full cure. It was at this time, we asked to be referred to St. Louis Children's Hospital for the surgery.

We woke up this morning for the drive. Our appointment was at 10:30 am we were in Dr. David Molter's office about 30 minutes later. We talked about the surgery - risks, the procedure itself, etc. There are different types of bronchial clefts, and he will not know what type it is until he gets in there. (For the record, she does not have a cysts, that we know if.) We decided to proceed with the surgery. At this time, it started asking about other medical conditions and pasts issues. We told him she had an umbilical hernia. He asked if we would be interested in preforming both surgeries at the same time. We told him we were, as we had already discussed this together before we came.

The doctor then told us he would call the Dr. Patrick Dillon's ( a general Surgeon) office to see about getting in to see him today. After meeting with a partner of Dr. Dillon's (Dillon was in surgery - go figure!), he agreed that he thought the hernia would not close on it's own since it has not showed any sign of that yet. It was decided that both surgeries would be together.

The total surgery time will last anywhere from 2 1/2 - 3 hours. (Eeek!) Dr. Molter's portion of the surgery would take the majority of this time (1 1/2 - 2 hours), depending on how bad it is once he starts, and then Dr. Dillon would come in and do his part.

We should be expecting a phone call within a day or so to find out when the surgery will be done.

Now that the business part has been said, I want to tell you how freakin' great St. Louis Children's is!!! It is amazing! Everything about it is obviously kid friendly, from the parking lot to the elevators (once you reach your floor, a little girl's voice comes over the speaker telling you "You have reached the 4th floor."). The doctor's are soo all about the kids! Dr. Molter talked to Zoa for about five minutes - goofing off with her - before he even introduced himself to us. It has so many good ratings and top awards and now I know why! (Top 10 in the Country, Best Hospital's in 2008 and Best Nurses Award) We know we made the right choice. If you have any issues, I cannot recommend it enough.

That is all for tonight. We are exhausted. Last night we were in ER because Zoa cut her eye and required some Dermabond. Everything is fine now and that story will come soon, but for now, I am going to bed.

Thanks for all your prayers. I know everything will be fine but the only thing that concerns us is the anesthesia. Three hours is a long time. I will worry about that later though.

G'Night!

(Hospital photo via.)

Just what I needed...

Aren't weekends so rejuvenating? Lately, we have had something to do every weekends and this weekend our plans were bare. And it was so nice.

Friday, we laid low and stayed at home. Saturday, I did the same thing. Jeremy had a night with the guys and I got everything I needed to get done that day so the girls and I stayed up late and watched television. It was fun to have a girls' night in with my two favorite girls. Today, we were off to church and went shopping for a bit. The rest of the day, I tried to get my house in order for the week. Just lounging around...

Not an exciting weekend at all, but that was just what I needed. Except for my camera not wanting to turn on. That kinda sucks. This explains the lack of pictures.

On a side note, I am not trying to leave you all hanging about Tuesday, but I will post the information first thing Tuesday when we get back into town. I honestly don't know any details yet, and won't until then. That is why I am choosing not to post anything other than what I already have. I can promise you though it is nothing that cannot be fixed.


There have not been a lot of freebies the last few days, but I seemed to find a few:

Free sample of Kotex.

Free flash light.

Menu Plan Monday

Never made it grocery shopping last week. I'm not sure how we managed but we had supper every night. This week, there will be a few repeats.

Monday - Wraps

Tuesday - Two Bean Sloppy Joes (Vegetarian)


Wednesday - Greek Style Spagetti (How good does this look?)


Thursday - Tuna Stuffed Shells

Friday - Chicken and Rice in a Cream of Mushroom sauce.

Saturday - Leftovers

Sunday - Chicken Burritos

Head on over to Laura at Organizing Junkie for more menu ideas.

Running in slow motion...

All the work we have been doing lately is catching up to me. Painting, cleaning, organizing - it seems to never end. School started this week which means ironing is part of my nightly ritual. Have I mentioned I DO NOT IRON?

I feel like a Mack truck has ran over me and bedtime cannot come soon enough. But life goes on and lunch boxes have to be packed, papers have to be signed, homework has to be done and baths MUST be taken.

On top of that, we are headed to St. Louis Tuesday to take care of some things we have known we would need to do for a while. I don't want to post details just yet (because I hardly know any details myself), but it should all be okay in the long run. Please keep us in your prayers.

Sorry if I am MIA for a few days. I will try to have some scheduled posts over then next week or so planned out to keep you entertained busy while you are at work. If you are interested in doing a guest post, just comment or e-mail me (address in my profile) and let me know and I will contact you. That would help tremendously.

What do you do to help yourself get over the bumps in the road?

(Photo via.)

Free magazines and another $5/20...

Click here to get a free two year subscription to Shape magazine.

Get a free one year subscription to Southern Accents.

Here is another $5/20 coupon for Walgreen's. This is valid Friday and Saturday only. You must have $20 after all other coupons and discounts. If all else fails, get the free after rebate items to make $5.00.

Freebie Fun...

Here is a sample of Purex fabric softener.

Free sample of Neutrogena Pink Grapefruit Scrub. (You have to register first.)

Free office supplies for teachers.

Free subscription to Organic Connections.

Free sample of Scott Extra Soft bath tissue. (It's a full roll!)

Don't forget - free pencils and rulers at Staples this week!

Free sample from Borba Skin Care.

Free hair care sample.

As requested....

I was told to post a picture of my necklace I got from Lisa Leonard Online so here it is:


(I told you I would get one!) Please bear with me. It took me forever to figure out the best way to use my camera to get everything clear. This is the best I could do.

I highly recommend Lisa. It was quick shipping and if you sign up for her mailing list, you get 15% off your first order. There are so many things on her website I love. Hopefully, I will remember it come time for Christmas and my birthday!

Wordless Wednesday: A Day of Firsts

For more Wordless Wednesday, visit 5 Minutes for Mom.

Just waiting on one little girl...

Backpack is packed, lunch boxes are filled and clothes are laid out. We are ready for another school year...


Oh...and the shoes? Old Navy came through for me, as usual. More pictures tomorrow!

It's that time again...and shopping!

Macie officially starts kindergarten first grade tomorrow. I cannot believe how fast life is moving along. I don't think I will cry this year - unlike last year - but I know it will be just as hard. First grade sounds so much older than kindergarten.

Zoa is still plugging away at anything she can get her hands on. She has not hid anymore...hopefully, we taught her the lesson about hide and seek - make sure people know you are playing!

The last few weekends have been super busy with the open house and preparing for it. Friday night, I got a wild hair and decided we should paint the living room. My mom came up Saturday and helped Jeremy (I cannot paint!) and it looks so good. Thanks mom and dad! There are still a few spots to touch up, but that won't take any time to do. Sunday, we just finalized everything for the open house. I cleaned everything that suffered while we were busy on Saturday while Jeremy mowed the yard.

The open house went well. No offers so far, so I might as well not go into it. The realtor said the house shows great and there is really nothing more we can do. Just wait and see. So, we wait...

Tonight, I am off with the girls to hit up a few stores and then heading to the mall to find MJ some shoes. We need black, brown, navy and a pair of tennis shoes.What do you think of them?

I found these from JCPenney. I think they are all cute! I love picking out shoes for the girls. I think I'm diggin' the top and bottom ones. They look like a good mix of dressy and casual.




These are from Payless. And they have their BOGO sale right now. I thought the navy mocs would be cute with her navy skirt we got her. The argyle shoes are so preppy and fun! They would be good with khakis...oh...I love having little girls to dress up!

I try to pick out cute shoes and fun socks to spice up her school uniform a bit. Jeremy thinks she can just wear tennis shoes everyday...he is such a guy!

Have a good day!

A few rebates...

Arm and Hammer Essential Cleaners Starter Kit. All you have to do is submit this form, along with any requested information. You can also use this coupon to make it a money maker.

Swiffer Starter Kit - details can be found here. You can also use these coupons to make it more than free.

A great laugh...

Setting the scene:
Jeremy is chopping up veggies for a skewer - zucchini, onions and mushrooms. Zoa walks in...

Zoa: What are you doing?

Jeremy: Chopping up vegetables.

Zoa: Are those comcubers? (The zuchinni.)

Jeremy: You mean cucumbers? No, these are zucchini.

Zoa: Yeah, cucumbers!

Maybe you just had to be there, but it was funny!

Menu-Plan Monday

No reviews just yet. I am leaving work a little early and have some things that have to get done. I cannot post details, but say a prayer that everything is okay!

Monday - Wraps

Tuesday - Greek Style Spagetti

Wednesday - Macie's pick. She starts first grade today.

Thursday - Taco Salad

Friday - Chicken Burritos

Saturday - Leftovers

Sunday - Jeremy can pick something for here.

Head on over to Laura at Organizing Junkie for more menu ideas.

What's good this week?

Schnucks's:
Ragu Pasta Sauce is 4/$5. Use two $1/2 coupons (8/17 RP) and the total would be $4/3.
Knorr Sides are 8/$8.88. Use four $.50/2 (8/17 RP). They should double these and the total will be 8/$4.88.

Walgreen's:
Dove shampoo and conditioner is 2/$4.99. Use two $2.00/1 (8/17 RP) and the total will be $.99/2.
Degree deodorant is 1.99. Use $1.00/1 (8/17 RP) and the total will be .99.
Sunsilk products are $2.99. Use $1.50/1 (8/17 RP) and the total will be $1.49.

Weekly Deal at Walgreens...

I have not checked out the entire ad yet, but this is one that pops out at me.

Ragu Pasta/Spagetti Sauce is $3.00/5. If you buy 3, you get $1.50 in Register Rewards (RR). If you buy 6, you get $4.00 in RR. There is a coupon for $1.00/2 in today's insert.
Totals: If you buy three, the total after RR and one coupon would be $2.50. If you buy six, the total after RR and three coupons would be $3.00. Not bad at all!

I found this article about ways to save at Walgreen's that might be helpful if you are not familiar with all of their promotions.

I will post more deals as I see them...

Free Pencils and Rulers at Staples and more!

Starting Sunday, you can get a two free plastic rulers and two free eight packs of pencils from Staples. This is in their weekly ad. Hurry while they last!

And, if you are quick, they are offering two free bottles of Elmer's glue. This ends today.

If you send in your old brush along with this form, they mail you a free brush. I requested this a while back and just got my brush in and it is a good one. It is evidently around $19.00 if you purchase it.

More free stuff...

Start Sampling is offering the P&G coupons booklet. Inside is a coupons, including one free bottle of Cascade Rinse Agent for your dishwashers. You may or may not have already signed up for it, but it is worth a shot.

Get three free issues of Town and Country.

Get a free sample of Bounce Awakenings dryer sheets from P&G.

Free sample of Hand Warmers.

Now I am off to paint our living room. We live an exciting life!

Tell me what I need!

While making my blogsosphere rounds this morning, I stumble don this little game. Go to Google and type your name in with the word needs (Alaina needs). Then post the top ten things you 'need'.
Here we go:

Alaina needs special connections. (Really? I am too tired for special connections.)
Alaina needs to win American Idol. (I don't think that will happen with this voice. Just ask Jeremy.)
Alaina needs to go to sleep. (Finally! They got one right!)
Alaina needs a dress-up box. (See number 1.)
Alaina needs around-the-clock in home nursing care. (Would a wife work? I could use one of those.)
Alaina needs to come back. (Come back from where?)
Alaina needs to eat a sandwich. (Turkey, please.)
Alaina needs nurturing. (Umm, okay.)
Alaina needs to be extraordinary again. (I'm telling you. A wife would fix everything.)
Alaina needs to keep her mouth shut. (Perfect, it's my last one.)

You're tagged if you read this...let me know if you post it by leaving a comment.

What should I do with all these coupons?

Now that most of you see the advantage of clipping those coupons, you are probably wondering how you should organize them. There are a few different options:

You can do the easiest and most simple method by organizing them in an accordion folder. You would need to divide them in different sections. Some people choose stores, expiration dates, items...whatever works best for you. I find dividing them by items works best for me. This is great if you get one or two newspapers a week. Any more than that, it might start busting at the seams. I also found one on clearance at Walgreen's that was longer. This was especially helpful when it came to internet coupons. Most of those are larger than your ordinary newspaper coupon and the longer folders accommodate them better. I also think this method is great if you like to carry it with you in your purse. I like to check out clearance isles and match up any coupons. This is an easy and compact way of making it simple.

Another method of organizing them is by a baseball card binder. This is something I have personally not done but I can see how it would be helpful. You simply cut all the coupons out and store them in each little slot. You can buy a ring to connect the right corner of each sheet for easy reference. I think this would be a good idea for something you has the time to clip all of the coupons and wants to be able to see everything at a quick glance. You would still want to separate them out into categories for a quicker way of looking to see if you have a particular coupons. Depending if you like big purses or not, this might not fit in your purse. It would be very helpful if there was a smaller versions of this to make it more portable.

If you happen to get a lot of inserts a week, this next method is great for that. Purchase sheet protectors and put all of your inserts for the week into one. Then label it with which insert and the date (RedPlum 8/17) You can go to this website and see where the coupon was that you need. You can then buy a little clip to attach them all at the left corner.

I plan on doing a combination of two: the accordion file and the sheet protectors. I really like the file because it is so convenient. But I get way too many coupons and mine will not hold them all. Plus, I don't want to spend an entire Sunday afternoon clipping coupons. Seriously, I have between 5-14 inserts per week. I plan on clipping one newspaper's inserts and filing those in the accordion file and filing the extra in the sheet protectors. This way, I can have the best of both.

There are a lot of different products out there for purchase so if you feel like these would not work for you, just look around. I hope this helps a few people out there. Let me know if you have a different system that works for you!

(April mentioned something about keeping the coupons together that you plan on using on your trip. I used to keep them in the front of the accordion folder where I can see it. I then started keeping all of my coupons for free items there. That way I can always pick it up whenever I go. What I do now is make my list on an envelope and put all the coupons in that. It seems to work great. Thanks for reminding me April!)

Free Ziploc Bags...

This is something offered from Right at Home and will go to the first 10,000 that sign up. It includes:

• Free Ziploc® samples
• $3 off Glade® Scented Oil Candles
• $2 off two Glade® Jar Candles
• $1 off Pledge®
• $1 off Ziploc® Bags/Containers

I have gotten a packet before and it is really good freebies! Click here.

Free Band-Aids and Ink Pens at Walgreen's

Money Saving Mom has posted a couple of deals I forgot to mention.

She had a reader comment telling her how you can make money on Band-Aids this week. Be sure and check it out! I have not picked up the coloring book yet, but plan to tomorrow on my weekly trip there.

Also, they are offering BIC pens 2/$1. There are a few printables out there for BIC products. They can be found here, here and here. And I can't recall what insert it was in or when, (Maybe the 8/3 SmartSource?)but recently there was a coupon for $1/2 BIC products in the newspaper. (Don't forget, Wal-Mart will price match!)

Would you as readers appreciate if I post these deals more often?

Wordless Wednesday: Baby's Growing Up

In honor of Macie starting first grade next week, here is a kindergarten picture from last year.

For more Wordless Wednesday, visit 5 Minutes for Mom.

I added something...

...to my post on parenthood and changes below. Be sure to look at it.

Freebies...

Free subscription to Family Fun.

Free subscription to Pink.

Free screwdriver.

Free sippy cup, freezer bag or lunchbag.

Free 25 Points for MyPoints members.

Post-It is offering a sample of Super Sticky Recycled Notes. You will receive 10 4x6 sheets.

Take a survey about P&G products and get $74 in coupons. This may be gone by now.

Free BPA-Free breatsmilk bottle offered from Medela.

Free sample of Olay body wash plus a $1.00 coupon.

Roll with the Changes

I posted a blog a few days ago asking for some input on some blog topics. My sister Whitney, asked how becoming a mom has changed me. I thought this would be a good blog for future reference for my kids to read.

I think it would be easier to ask what doesn't change when you become a mom. To me everything changed. From how I felt as a person to what I wore and how I presented myself. I found out I was pregnant at a young age. I was only 18 and looking back, Jeremy and I were just a couple of kids ourselves. I always knew I wanted to be a mom but didn't expect it so soon. I was scared at first. What are we going to do? How are we going to do this. Me? A mom? Huh?

Once Macie was born, my emotions immediately changed. My mom always cried 'tears of joy'. Until December 28, 2008, I never experienced so much joy that I cried. I remember sitting in the hospital room, by myself, and just a wave of emotion went over me. Overwhelming emotions. And I cried.

Having the girls gives me a whole new outlook. I know this is so cliche, but it is true. As their parent's, Jeremy and I are responsible fo raising these two children to eventually take the world on. We must teach them vlues, respect, manners... It is overwhelming if you look at it from that perspective all the time, so we have a day-to-day attitude. Tomorrow is always a new day. A fresh start.

I often wonder how people that lose a child move on with life. After having the girls, if, God forbid, something happen to both of them, my purpose would be over. I would lay in bed the rest of my life. There are certain movies Jeremy and I cannot watch, because it is too hard. I think when you watch movies, you naturally place yourself in the role of the characters. Some of those things characters go through things with their children no parent should have to experience.

I think everyone knows the emotional changes you feel once you have a child. But then there are the changes that you don't really think about. Priorities change. Jobs change - now you have to have insurance. Finances change. Your clean house will never be the same. Even your clothes change...

I used to dress up everywhere I went. Now, I am only worried about what they are wearing and by the time I get them ready, all I want to do it throw on a t-shirt, jeans and flip flops. But you know what? I am happy with that. (Plus, it's more comfortable!)

Having children affects everything, but you just roll with it because your love for them outweighs all the difficult changes. And once you have them, you could not imagine life without them. Everything is sooo worth it.

PS: I love this commercial. I actually had it TiVo'd for w hile. It is so true!

And the winner is...

Sorry, I did not have the girls draw out of a hat. Just call me a liar. They are downstairs with Jeremy and I cannot bring myself to interrupt this wonderful silence I am experiencing right now. So, I wrote names on a piece of paper...

...tore them up and mixed them all around...

...and picked one.

(I made a video but I cannot upload it. After 20 minutes of trying...ugh.)


Congratulations to Curious Cousin! I am pretty sure you will call me after you see this so I will get your information from you then.

Off to clean my car. Have a great night!

Free Brett Favre figurine...

Toys R Us is offering a free Brett Favre collectible figurine. This was listed in their ad for this week. (Thanks Money Saving Mom!)

Menu Plan Monday

Reviews: I have quite a few reviews to write.
The Tomato and Hamburger (Turkey) was very good. It was fast and easy, which is always a hit in our house. The Grilled Taco BBQ Chicken resembled BBQ grilled chicken, but with a twist. Very yummy also. The (Turkey) Sausage Skillet Supper we decided was great 'starter' recipe, but next time, we will had some things. Maybe a green pepper, some spices, and sausage brats. Jeremy said it had a jambalaya feel to it. The Pizza Rigatoni was great and surprsingly, tasted just like pizza! . I forgot how much I like crock pot meals. It was great to have dinner ready for us on a Saturday, without me cooking. Here is this weeks menu:

Monday - Our weekly wraps...yummy. If you have not tried these, you really need to! They are perfect for summer.

Tuesday - Vegetable Manicotti


Wednesday - One dish meal - got this from my mom. I make homemade macaroni and cheese and throw in some chicken breast and broccoli. Very tasty!

Thursday - Vegetable Fried Rice

Friday - Something quick for the girls. I will find something. Jeremy and I have date night!

Saturday - Leftover Buffet

Sunday - Didn't get around to fajitas, so that is going here.

Head on over to Laura at Organizing Junkie for more menu ideas.

One minute short from a 911 call.

Here I am blogging, minding myself while Jeremy is napping and the girls are playing. Macie comes in, "I can't find Zoa". I told her just a minute. I just heard Zoa and knew she was fine.

I get up, start doing the normal mom yell...ZOOOOAAAAA.

Nothing but eery silence.

I start looking in all the rooms.

Nothing.

Start looking in closets, under beds, behind doors.

Nothing. I am starting to freak out a little.

I go outside and look in the front yard, while Macie checks out the back yard.

Nothing. No Zoa.

I wake up Jeremy and he repeats everything while I go back outside.

Nothing.

My heart is pounding. I check in with Jeremy, still no Zoa. I then make my way down the street, cell phone in hand. I just knew she went outside and somebody took her. I am thinking I need to call the 911. Seriously, people. Those minutes we are experiencing feels like forever. You have to realize this. To get some validation, I call no one other then my parents. No answer.

I make my way up back to the house to get my car. I can cover more ground quicker this way. Tears were going to start flowing in the next few minutes. Panic is starting to set it. Oh my gosh. This cannot be happening to me. To us.

Jeremy then opens the door and says he found her.

RELIEF!!!

Want to know where she was?


"I was hidin'".

After that, we had a little chat. We mentioned if you are playing hide and seek, you have to tell someone. She heard us all along, yelling for her. We were not calm about yelling. She knew. I have never wanted to kiss and hug someone as much as I wanted to sit them in time out.


I think we might go get ice cream to celebrate finding her.

Just a quick note...

If you have not gotten the August issue of All You magazine at Wal-Mart, you have to! They have some great coupons in it, including...

$1.00 off Kotex - there is a package of these for $1.00 at Wal-Mart
Free Kraft cheese when you buy 3 Kraft, Nabisco or Oscar Meyer products.
Free Oscar Meyer Hot Dogs when you buy 3 Kraft, Nabisco or Oscar Meyer products.
Free Wheat Thins when you buy 3 Kraft, Nabisco or Oscar Meyer products.
Free Crystal Lite when you buy 3 Kraft, Nabisco or Oscar Meyer products.
Free Kraft salad dressing when you buy 3 Kraft, Nabisco or Oscar Meyer products.

Just in case you don't know, Kraft makes Kool-Aid and a package of Kool-Aid is $.20 at Wal-Mart.

There are quite a few good coupons in this magazine so pick up a few. Believe me, it is worth the $1.97 cover price. You can also sign up for their newsletter here.

Not sure where this is going so hang on!

Okay, I have been drawing blanks on what to blog about. Coupons and freebies are always great and I will continue to posts these things, but they were not the first intentions of me starting a blog. I need some help.

So, ask away. Feed me some ideas. Anything you want to know? Coupons, the girls, the married life? Be nosey!

Freebies and Coupons!

Click here to get 30 free prints from Snapfish. Enter coupon code SHIPORDER.

If you buy the September issue of Seventeen magazine, there is a coupon on page free tank top at Wet Seal.

Here is a new printable: $1.50 Yoplait Kids. (Thanks Money-Saving Mom!)

I will update with more later.

$10 Gift Card---Your Choice!

That's right...I am offering another giveaway. This time, the contest will be a bit different.

Up for grabs is a $10 gift card to one of five places. The choices are: Applebee's, Panera, Target, Wal-Mart or Walgreen's. You get to pick which one you want!

To enter you need to leave me a comment telling me one thing about yourself. Be sure and tell me where you would like the gift card to if you are chosen as the winner. Make sure to leave your e-mail address if you don't have a blog, that way I can notify you.

All comments will be accepted until Monday, August 11 at 5 p.m. CST. The winner be be chosen Monday evening out of a hat, old school style, by Macie or Zoa. If you have not claimed your prize within three days, a new winner will be chosen.

If you want an additional entries, you can do two extra things.

1. Post about this giveaway on your blog . Be sure and and include a permalink linking back to this post. (To do a permalink, click on the post title. It will bring up a page that includes only this post. That is the URL you want to link to.) If you choose to do this, then put an extra comment letting me know and that will count as your additional entry.

2. Subscribe to my blog. There is a widget box in the right column. If you choose to do this, then put an extra comment letting me know and that will count as your additional entry. (I will also know from your e-mail address. No cheating...)

Questions? Just ask!

Good luck!

Freebies and a little Q & A!

Grab a free sample of Prilosec OTC, Pantene and Tide. This is offered from P&G.

Here is a free sample of Head and Shoulders.

Get a free book: Putting Down Roots in Earthquake Country. This seems to be a pretty informative book on how to prepare for an earthquake. You can order more than one, which would be good to share with any teachers or family.

Free sample of EAS (Energy-Athletic-Strength) Protein Supplement

Even though they are not close here (St. Louis is the closest one to me), I love The Picture People! They are offering a free Child ID kit, along with a 4 x 7 photo. This is a coupon you take with you to get the picture made.

Someone asked me where I get my coupons. I buy the Sunday paper with the coupons in it each week. I also get leftover inserts from my work, usually about ten papers. Any 'hot' coupons, I buy off of Ebay. See this listing? Did you know that they have some of these wipes in the body wash area at Wal-mart for $1.64 for a 42 count pack? That is .14 a pack after the coupons. I am still saving a large amount of money even though I had to buy them. These wipes are great for keeping in your purse for washing sticky hands and faces. I have also donated some of them to Zoa's preschool, as they go through wipes like crazy and the director there has twins and a 2 year old in diapers.

And this listing? These are $.60 at Wal-Mart. I cannot tell you how many Powerade I have bought over the last month or so. Macie and Jeremy love it, and I buy the Powerade Zero, which has 0 calories. This last trip to Wal-Mart, I got 15 Powerade (10 with 10 $1.00 coupon, plus I had a coupon for Buy 10, Get 5 free. A total of 15 Powerade and they paid me $4.00 to get it all. My total if I bought just that would have been -$4.00! Crazy, huh?

You are not guaranteed overage, but Wal-Mart, or any store for that matter, will get their $1.00 back from the manufacturer so it should not be a major problem. (I have found it is easier to hand her all my coupons at the very end. Hope that helps.)

One more thing I have recently learned is that if you try to print a brick coupon, (the screen will look like this) and cannot print it, there is a help button on the bottom right of the screen. Press that and you can request it to come by mail. I have had to do this several times.

If you have not figured it out, the trick is to stock up when you can get it really cheap so you never have to buy it again at full price. Right now, if you only saw all the toothbrushes, toothpaste, shampoo, conditioner, razors (shout out Curious Cous!), body wash, V8 Fusions, Powerade, Peanuts...etc. we had, you would either laugh at me and think I am a hoarder or ask how I have saved $117.00 in one trip to Walgreens for shampoo and conditioner. I really should should take pictures and show you.

Speaking of which, if you got the paper on Sunday, there should have been a P & G insert. In that insert, there is $4/1 coupon for Gillette Fusion. Target has these on sale this week for $7.92. If you buy two, you get a $5.00 gift card. Use two $4/1 coupon and walk out with a $5.00 gift card and two razors for $8.xx.

The greatest thing of it all is it is still fun for me. Thankfully, we don't need to clip coupons to survive, but I love a good deal. I love saving money and coming home to tell Jeremy before coupons our total was $117.00 and after was $78.00. It is mind boggling, really.

Okay, that's enough for now. I hope this helps someone. Let me know if you have any more questions! Should we have a question and answer session? I would love to be able to help someone!

Wordless Wednesday: Girls will be...boys?

Can you tell Jeremy wants boys?

He turned our two girly girls into Spiderman.

For more Wordless Wednesday, visit 5 Minutes for Mom.

Some decent freebies...

Request your coupon for a free bag of Iams Premium Protection cat or dog food.

Free Post It products

Free subscription to Motor Trend or Automobile magazine

Free Fim Developing at Walgreens!

If you have looked at the Walgreen's ad for this week, you may have noticed a coupon for 1 free roll of film developing on Wednesday, August 6. This is for one roll only, either an actual 35 mm roll or a disposable camera. It includes one set of 4 x 6 and the negatives.

I will be taking advantage of this deal, as will any family members that I can get to go for me. (It says one per order, but may be one per customer.) While cleaning our drawers every now and then, I have found quite a few disposable cameras. We also used a couple of these on vacations the last two years for the waterproof ability of them. It will be fun to see what is on all of the ones I have!

Click here to print your coupon and I hope you have fun looking through old photos!

What am I doing here?

It has been one of those days. You know the kind where you have so much to do and there are not enough hours to do it. This weekend will be very productive. Shoot, I would feel okay just getting done what I have tonight.

I started with my closet, tossing out old clothes and color coding the rest. I used to always have it done this way, but somehow I fell behind and there was no going back without devoting an hour to do it again. I then organized the shoes, both Jeremy's and mine.

Next was the girls' room. I tossed old clothes, packed what I wanted to keep and color coded their clothes as well. (Do I sound OCD? Seriously.)

Tomorrow brings more cleaning up and more closet OCDness. (That should soo be a word.) I have to put all the clothes away from laundry and from us moving everything out of the bedrooms for the carpet. My goal was to get a fresh closet before we cram more clothes in it.

Mission accomplished.

Here are a few freebies to perk up a Friday night.

Get 2 free issues of Family Circle. No strings attached.

Get a free CD and samples from Nivea.

Here is a coupon for a free can of Mighty Dog dog food. I think this may get mailed to you.

Get a free Featured Film for Families DVD. I filled this information out a few days ago. They called me to get some more information (my children's' ages) and they said I should be receiving two DVDs, one for each child, within 7-10 days. I am excited to see what they are.

We have a winner!

Wow! I had a lot of entries and it was fun to see what everyone would buy with my giveaway. There were a lot of diapers and school clothes/supplies. Isn't it funny how as moms, we spend it on our kids first?

And now, for the winner...

Random.org chose number 204.

Start looking for those dazzling socks, Sarah, because you are my winner of the $10 Target gift card! You should have an e-mail from me.

Congratulations and thanks for all the entries people!

Do you Twitter?

It seems Twitter is becoming more and more popular in the blogosphere. Twitter is a neat little tool that allows you to post small updates throughout your day. You only get 140 characters to tell people what you are doing, just did, or are about to be doing. You can post links to other websites you recommend, YouTube videos that you like, or just tell people why your children are driving you bonkers about your day.

Do you Twitter? If so, come find me!