Weaning: What if Mom Isn't Ready?

The Guppy is showing signs of weaning.

She is ready, but I am not. This is harder for me than I thought.

Or is it?

Today I am over at Attachment Parenting International Speaks, talking about my feelings about the Guppy weaning and why it is so hard. Please join me over there and feel free to comment; I would love to hear about your weaning stories!

Weaning: What if Mom Isn't Ready?

Loaded Up With Curriculum

On Saturday, a local homeschooling co-op held their annual used curriculum sale. Those who volunteered for at least three hours to help set up were allowed to shop an hour earlier than everyone else. Since I heard how long the lines get at the sale and how fast the good curriculum goes, I eagerly volunteered on Thursday in order to get in early.

The reason why I wanted to hit this sale was because I had heard that they devote an entire room to free curriculum, which sounds perfect for us and our tight budget! And let me tell you, "room" was an understatement; it was more like an entire floor of free things that you could just take! I ended up having to make five trips just to get all the books into the van, and then I let the girls come in to pick out some books that they wanted to read.

We were exhausted when we finally got home, so the Knight unloaded the van into the living room, where the books sat for a few hours until I labeled and sorted and boxed them up to be used later.

To get an idea of how much free curriculum we got, here are some pics of some of the books (there were more on the floor under the window):

I will definitely volunteer again next year, it was so worth it!

What tips do you have for homeschooling on a tight budget?

Loaded Up With Curriculum

Homeschool Update

Homeschooling in our house has been a little wayward.

I've been overwhelmed lately and the girls have had a lot of stuff to do as well. We had that period of beautiful weather where the girls spent all day outside, so we didn't do much schooling then. Then that beautiful weather went away and was replaced by rain, rain and more rain so we got more schooling done but then came a couple of weeks where we had activities planned out of the home every day, so it fell to the back burner again.


I keep reminding myself that the girls are only 2 and 4, they don't need any official schooling yet...and that going outside to play, and participating in activities with friends is part of what homeschooling is all about. But I feel bad because the Mermaid is really into having "learning time" and so, at the end of the day when we've been running around like crazy and I'm exhausted because I'm still in the adjustment period for my paper route, she asks for learning time and I just don't have the energy.

My goal for the next month is to have more down time. Going out for playdates and activities is a blast and is important, but doing it every day for seven days straight is a little exhausting. The Guppy got sick yesterday and I wonder if that was her trying to slow us down a little, to just take at least one day a week and stay home and just chill.

I'm not sure why I feel pressured to get out of the house all the time, whether it's because I am doubting myself or I am trying to show the sceptics in our family how much socialization you can do while homeschooling, I don't know. I just know that it's been overwhelming and now the Mermaid is acting up and I am starting to yell again.

I hate it when I yell.

So, next week I plan to spend at least 3 days just staying home and having some down time. I'd like to flip through How To Talk So Kids Will Listen and Listen So Kids Will Talk again, as that book has definitely been a life saver in this house and I really need a refresher. I'm looking forward to it for my own reasons as well; studying for my CBE certification has really fallen to the back burner this month and I am ready to open up those books again.

To other homeschoolers out there, please give me some tips and advice on how to balance out of the home activities and down time while homeschooling. I would love to hear what works for your family!

And, if you are a family who lives in MA, I'm over at MassMoms today with a list of homeschooling resources.

Homeschool Update

Because I Can't Be More Than Two Place At Once...

Yesterday, our computer crashed. Yikes.

And while we do have another computer, it is an old and very slow desktop that is in the finished basement. Since the girls generally play upstairs, and I can't be in two places at once, that doesn't leave me much time to blog, read other people's blogs, etc. So, if I happen to disappear for a bit, you know why.

In the meantime, here are some updates:

~ I lost one pound this week, yay! Probably from all the running I do on my paper route.

~ I bought a bread maker and a smoothie maker off of Craigslist. I am so excited to make healthy bread, bagels, and smoothies for my family!

~ Yesterday the girls and I met up with friends and went to see a free movie at a local Regal Entertainment theatre. The girls were soo cute, bubbling with excitement over going to the movies! Afterwards we went to my friends house where they played the day away.

~ I signed the girls up for dance class. They are both in the same class, a 6 week series that runs one hour a week and teaches both ballet and tap. I picked up their ballet slippers yesterday and I'm picking up their leotards and tights this week. I am so excited to see them dance around, but a little wary about how the Guppy will do. She says she wants to take the class, but she is so much more shy and timid than the Mermaid, although I'm sure having the Mermaid in the class will help.

~ The Guppy has slowly started to use the potty. She asks at least twice a day and uses it successfully once a day. I'm completely letting her take the lead, only offering occasional encouragement and of course, praise when she does use it.

That's basically it for updates. Hopefully I will still be posting on a regular basis. :o)

Because I Can't Be More Than Two Place At Once...

Weekly Deals

I did okay this week, both in CVS'ing and in grocery deals.

First, my trip to CVS:

The deals I focused on were: buy 4 Soy Joy bars at $1 each, get $4 in ECBs; buy Crest twin pack at $5.99, get $3 in ECBs; buy Tylenol at $4.99, get $2 in ECBs. I also wanted to buy a ThermaCare arm wrap for $2.49, get $2.49 in ECBs but had to settle for a rain check. We also needed some garbage bags, at $7.50 each.

Transaction:
Bought 20 Soy Joy bars
Bought 2 boxes of Tylenol (1 PM, 1 extra strength)
Bought 1 Crest twin pack
Bought 2 bags of garbage bags.

Used $10 off coupon that printed out for me at the machine
Used 2 $2 off 10 Soy Joy Bars coupon from newspaper insert
Used 5 BOGOF Soy Joy Bars coupon from newspaper insert
Used 2 $1 off Tylenol coupon
Used $13 in ECB's from last week

Total before discounts and coupons: $57.70
Total OOP: $17.97 (basically just paid for the garbage bags)
Total ECBs received: $27 to use next week!

Now, onto grocery deals. This picture shows just what I got at Price Chopper; Big Y had some great deals, too.

Price Chopper:

Transaction:
Strawberries, on sale for $1 each!! Bought 2.
Gillette Shave Foam, $2.29 on sale BOGO
Price Chopper Cheese Singles, on sale, $1, bought 5
Price Chopper Hydogen Peroxide, $0.99, bought 1 (needed for science experiment)
Bocca meatless chicken patties, on sale for $2.99, bought 4.

Used 2 $1 off 2 Bocca meatless products
Used 2 Dollar Doubler coupons from the Big Y flier

Total before discounts and coupons: $50.86
Total OOP: $23.24, plus I saved $0.30 per gallon on gas.

Big Y:

Big Y Shredded Cheese, $3.39 on sale B2G2Free! Bought 4.
Streamfresh veggies, on sale $1 each, bought 2
Total before discounts: $18.14
Total OOP: $8.78

What deals did you come across this week?

Weekly Deals

I Feel Much Older Than I Am..

Sunday was Father's Day (Happy Father's Day to my shining knight!). It was also my birthday.

On Saturday we had a cookout and invited family and friends to celebrate. Thank goodness we picked the one day in the past TWO WEEKS that it hasn't rained. Because really? Two weeks straight of rain? But that's a whole 'nother post...

Anyways, we had lots of fun visiting with each other and that mystical ball of light called the Sun. It was the first cookout we've held at our house and I must say, it was a success. I got some great presents, too:

New sneakers for running and exercising; a teapot for brewing my lovely tea; the book Spiritual Midwifery; the movie The Business of Being Born; and incense stick thingies. And, my mom got me my absolute favorite flowers, sunflowers!I love it when my family takes the time to get things off my wish list. A guaranteed hit for me. Plus, I also got lots of cash. I love cash for presents....so many possibilities.

I didn't know how nice the sneakers were until I wore them while doing my paper route this morning instead of my cheap payless sneakers. OMGoodness, what a difference; it was the first time ever that my legs were not screaming at me by the time I finished the route.

Which was a really, really good thing, because my jeep broke down on me. In the middle of my route. I know I like to strive for balance in my life, but having a crappy day after a wonderful day is not the type of balance I had in mind. But, my wonderful mother has AAA, so we got it towed and the Knight took the day off, which is always fabulous.

Plus, my feet look really cool in my new shoes.

I Feel Much Older Than I Am..

Cloth Diapering...Is It Right For You?

Photo by spiral owl creations

Desiree over at So Fawned is doing a great series on cloth diapers; why use them, how to use them, etc.

Anyone who is a regular reader knows that I've been using cloth since the Mermaid was 8 months old. I started out using them to save money, and will continue to use them because I love how environmental friendly they are and I can't stand the chemicals that they put in disposables.

Today I am over at So Fawned as a guest blogger as part of her cloth diapering series. If you are interested in trying cloth diapers but are overwhelmed by all the choices out there, then head on over....I've written a post specifically for you!

Cloth Diapering...Is It Right For You?

Twirling and Tumbling!

This past Wednesday, the Mermaid had her first ever gymnastics show. The whole family showed up, including my mother and IL's, and the Knight, who took the day off to come see her in action.

I was so proud of how well she did, I couldn't help but tear up. She was so cute as she concentrated on the different moves, and she was so proud of her accomplishments!

Here are a couple of my favorite pictures, and a slideshow of the others:









Now that her gymnastics is done for the summer, I was thinking of enrolling both the Mermaid and the Guppy into dance class. I can't wait to take pictures of them dancing away in cute little tu-tus!

Twirling and Tumbling!

Wholesome Foods For Fur Babies, Too

Lately I've been talking about eating wholesome foods as a family. It got me thinking about what we feed our fur babies, too. I grew up with all sorts of animals: cats, birds, horses, guinea pigs, and of course, dogs.

I was always closest with our dogs growing up. I remember that the dogs would drive my mother crazy though, with all their shedding and scratching. We would have to sweep the floor multiple times a day just to keep up with all that hair!!

I didn't realize that shedding hair and having itchy skin was so related to a dog's nutrition, even though it makes sense. That's why Dinovite is sponsoring this post; because they want to get the information out and let people know that your dog doesn't have to shed everywhere and be uncomfortable with itchy skin.

According to Dinovite:

Did you know that healthy dogs, no matter their breed, DON'T SHED year 'round? Did you know that dogs should not stink, itch and scratch all day and all night? So why do so many dogs shed, stink and itch? Commercial dog food is
cooked at extremely high temperatures and this destroys many of the delicate
nutrients your dog needs to be healthy. Basically, our pets walk around in a
slight state of malnourishment, missing things like delicate vitamins, minerals,
digestive enzymes, beneficial bacteria, essential fatty acids. Excessive
shedding, itchy skin and stink are usually signs of a nutritional deficiency.

I highly encourage you to check out Dinovite. They have a great solutions center that includes a customized solutions guide that helps you choose which products would work best for your dog. I like how their products are all natural, and that they also provide natural shampoos made of essential oils.

After all, if you think about it, if you are taking steps to ensure your family gets proper nutrition, it makes sense to include the family fur babies, no?

Wholesome Foods For Fur Babies, Too

You Capture: Emotion

I really loved this week's You Capture challenge. I even had a little time to actually try out Picnik, my first attempt to edit my photos.

Here are my captures:

My lovely sister was really annoyed that I was taking her picture. I couldn't help it, she is so photogenic! This is one of the ones I attempted to edit through picnik.

These two pictures of the Guppy not only show the joy that she has inside her, but also the joy that she brings to our lives. Both were edited in picnik.

The Mermaid had her first ever gymnastics show this week and she did fabulous. You can see in these pictures how proud we are of her, and how proud of herself and happy she is. These pictures were not edited.

Those are my captured emotions of the week. To see more You Capture, visit I should Be Folding Laundry.

You Capture: Emotion

Wordless Wednesday: She'll ALways Be My Little Girl

For more Wordless Wednesday, visit 5 Minutes For Mom.

Wordless Wednesday: She'll ALways Be My Little Girl

Fashionable and Functional: My Babywearing Stash

Anyone who is a fan of babywearing can tell you that buying different baby carriers is addictive. Really. I know that if I didn't have a monthly budget and some will power, I would be spending all of our money on baby carriers alone.


As it is, my stash is more than enough for my own personal use, but since I am a doula and like to lend my stash out to clients, I am looking forward to expanding it soon. In the meantime, here is my stash:

1 Ellaroo wrap, 2 pouches, 2 ring slings, and 1 Mai Tei (or Asian Baby Carrier)

The Ellaroo wrap was the first carrier I bought, when the Mermaid was around 8 months old. I bought it at Peppermint.com and absolutely loved (and still love) it's versatility and comfort. I wore the Mermaid on my back for long periods of time without one complaint. Even though wrap carriers do have a learning curve, because of their comfort and versatility I highly recommend them for all carries and all ages.

The white pouch with blue flowers is from Blue Berriest, and the black adjustable pouch is from Kangaroo Korner. Pouches are great for the newborn stage, because they are easy-in, easy-out, which is essential when you are caring for a newborn baby who constantly needs to be taken out of the carrier to be fed or diapered, etc. Here you can see me wearing The Guppy when she was just four weeks old on Halloween night:

The purple ring sling I bought at last year's La Leche League conference from Sleeping Baby Productions. The Tye Dye ring sling is one that I made with the help from a friend. Like pouches, ring slings are great for newborns because of the easy-in, easy-out factor. I like them better than pouches because they are adjustable, and are oh-so-comfy for front and side carries.

Finally, the Mai Tei is one that I made with the help of a friend. This is by far my most-used and favorite carrier. While I tend to use the ring slings and pouches more when my babies are newborns, as soon as they can sit on up their own I always end up reaching for the MT. The Mai Tei is sooo easy to use, and while it isn't as versatile because you can only do front and back carries, it is so comfy!! When I babywear the Guppy, I do mostly back carriers, and the MT makes my life so much easier! I wear the Guppy in the MT a lot, especially during day trips, like when we visit Old Sturbridge Village.

So that's my babywearing stash. You can read more about why I love babywearing so much here. In the meantime, I'd love to hear what your favorite carrier is, and what your stash looks like!!

To see more babywearing stash, visit Adventures in Babywearing.

Fashionable and Functional: My Babywearing Stash

Taking Care of Mom: The Postpartum Period

As a doulas, one of the topics that I discuss prenatally with my clients is setting up postpartum support.

If you are pregnant, I cannot stress how important it is to set up reliable and caring support for after the baby comes. Even though, when a woman is pregnant, it can feel like the baby is never going to come and you have all the time in the world, the baby is going to come whether you are ready or not; so set up your support system during your pregnancy.

This includes both support from family and friends and from professionals. Set up a schedule and ask people to volunteer to drop off food on certain days, and leave. Ask if anyone can take any older siblings for an afternoon, or help with laundry, etc. For professionals, visit a La Leche League meeting before the baby comes and tape the leader's phone numbers to your fridge; this way, when you are holding a screaming baby and you are upset and flustered, not only will the numbers be right at your fingertips, but you will already have a connection with the woman on the other end of the phone.

There are two articles that I found recently surrounding this topic. First, Gloria Lemay has a great article on what to ask for when family and friends volunteer to help. Her list includes everything from cleaning help to food and essentials. Second, Healthy Women has a great article out on how to take care of yourself during your postpartum period. After all, a healthy and happy mommy is important for a happy and healthy baby!

I'd love to hear other women's thoughts on this; links, experiences, stories, and advice. What was the best gift you ever got for postpartum? What advice would you offer new moms?

Taking Care of Mom: The Postpartum Period

Gazelle Intense

During our journey to become debt free, the Knight and I committed to being "gazelle intense" in reaching our goal. This basically means that we always keep this goal in sight, and make the sacrifices necessary to pay off our debt, even if other people think we are crazy.

This is why we drive around in junk cars, why we shop at thrift stores, and don't go out to eat.

It's also why I am now getting up at 3:30 AM every day.

For the past 7 months, the Knight has held two jobs; from 4-6:30 AM he delivered newspapers, then came home to shower and eat before heading out to his normal full-time job. His normal job pays the bills but the newspaper job has really been the key to getting our debt snowball going, as we have already trimmed the budget as much as we could.

However, after 7 months of little sleep, the Knight has been falling asleep at his desk during the day. While his company is so far stable, they have stopped annual bonuses and froze everyone's salaries, so there are signs that they are tightening up in this economy. And in the event that they do decide to lay people off, being known as the guy who sleeps at his desk wouldn't help the Knight's chances.

So, I've taken over his route for the summer. The Knight trained me for a week and this morning was the first morning I went out and did it by myself. At first it was hard adjusting to the new schedule, but as long as I go to bed by 8:30 PM I am not too tired.

It's actually kind of nice, doing the route. I watch the sun come up while I'm driving and I'm getting a lot of exercise. The only sound is the thunk of the papers when I throw them and the birds chirping their morning songs. I actually get to think about things without having to interrupt my thoughts to tend to a child. And I've already gotten a tip, which made my day.

Best of all, each month we are sending in big bucks to our credit card. We just have the credit card and two student loans left, so we are almost done. I can't wait for the day I can yell "WE'RE DEBT FREE!"

For those out there who are also on Dave Ramsey's Total Money Makeover, or just paying off debt in general: I'm interested in hearing your stories, what you've done and the sacrafices you've made to get your debt paid off. Let's share our ideas on making extra money or saving money in general.

Gazelle Intense

Weekly Deals

I didn't find too many good deals at CVS but I made up for it at the grocery store. Here are my CVS deals:


The deals I focused on were: buy $20 in Aveeno products, get $10 in ECB's; buy 2 Kotex at $7, get $2 in ECB's; and Kellogg's cereal at $1.88. I had $13 in ECB's from last week.

Transaction 1:
1 Aveeno radiance exfoliater, on sale for $7
1 Aveeno shampoo, on sale for $6.50
1 Aveeno conditioner, on sale for $6.50

Used $5 off of $15 coupon that printed out for me at the machine
Used 2 $2 off any Aveeno product printable coupon
Used $11 in ECB's from last week.
Total OOP: $0.00 and got $10 ECB's in return.

Transaction 2:
2 Kotex light days on sale 2/$7
1 box of Kellogg's Raisin Bran (for DH)

Used 1 $1 off Kellogg's Raisin Bran printable coupon
Used 1 $1.50 off 2 Kotex printable coupon
Used $2 in ECB's from last week.
Total OOP: $4.38 and got $2 ECB's in return

Total value for all products: $35.35
Total OOP: $4.38, saved 88%!
Total ECB's for next week: $12!

Now for grocery deals:
First stop, Stop and Shop:

Deals I focused on were Chicken of the Sea Solid White Tuna, 10/$10; Wish Bone dressing, 10/$10; and Francesco Rinauldi's pasta sauce, 10/$10.

Transaction:
6 Chicken of the Sea cans
2 Wish Bone dressings
7 Franceso Rinauldi sauce

Used 2 $0.75 off Wish Bone dressing coupons (making them $0.25 each!)
Used 2 double coupons, $0.50 money maker!

Total value of products: $25.67
Total OOP: $12.00, saved 47%!!

Big Y:

Deals I focused on were: Big Y oats, 10/$10; General Mills Cereal, 3/$6; Scotties facial tissues, 10/$10; Adironack Seltzer water, 10/$10; and International Delight Creamer, 10/$10.

Transaction:
8 International Delight creamers
2 Big Y oats
3 boxes of Honey Nut Cheerios
6 bottles of Adironack seltzer water

Used 1 $1 off 3 boxes of GM cereal
Used 2 $1 off 5 boxes of scotties tissues coupon
Used 2 $1 off 1 International Delight printable coupon
Used 5 Big Y double dollar coupons

Total value of products: $52.13
Total OOP: $22.30, saved 43%!!

Budget: $20 under budget this week, $224 left for June.

What good deals did you get this week?

Weekly Deals

You Capture: Nature

I am running a little behind in this week's You Capture: Nature challenge because it was been raining all week long. But, I finally braved the raindrops this morning to run out and snap some pictures.

Before I show you the pictures I took, I have to say that you should really run over to I Should Be Folding Laundry and check out the pictures the other participants took. Some of these women have amazing talent and their pictures take your breath away.

As for me, with no working knowledge of how my camera really works, never mind Photoshop, here is what I took:

The previous owners of this house had planted a garden in the back of the yard...it reminds me of a secret hideaway, and the girls just love taking books back there and reading under the trees.

One of the many flowers the previous owners planted. I have no idea what it is, I just know it's pretty and I'm hoping I won't kill it.More lovely, lovely flowers.I just liked the look of that raindrop. I must have stood there for 15 minutes trying to figure out the settings on my camera (how do you get the front to be in focused and the back to be completely unfocused? Am I even using the right terminology?) and the whole time it just sat there, patient and waiting, content where it was but just on the verge of beginning a new journey.I accidentally took this picture when I was trying to figure out the settings for the above one. When I went to go delete it, I found I actually liked the randomness it shows...all the leaves and branches jumbled together in a mess that actually looks cool. Which is just like nature, isn't it? Beauty and purpose, even in chaos.

Next week's challenge is emotion, and I can't wait.

You Capture: Nature

More on Eating Wholesome Foods

I recently came across a couple more links with great information about the dangers of additives that are in our food.

First, Simple Mom has a great post up written by a health columnist about the three top additives to eliminate from your diet. According to the author, by eliminating High Fructose Corn Syrup, trans fats, and dyes with numbers after them, we will eliminate 90% of the junk food that we eat. It's great article that is very helpful for when you are checking out the nutrition labels, so head on over and check it out.

Also, if you want more specific information on what exactly the dangers are with High Fructose Corn Syrup, then you must read Change Your World. Evelyn not only outlines the dangers of HFCS, but also gives a list of the most popular products that contain HFCS and a link to where you can find out which products do not contain HFCS. From her post:

Excess fructose intake has been associated with adverse health effects such as:metabolic syndrome, elevated triglyceride levels, hypertension, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, excess uric acid levels (associated with gout), and elevated levels of advanced glycation end products (linked with aging and complications of diabetes).Excess fructose intake may contribute to hypertension. High blood pressure is a well-known comorbidity associated with obesity, hyperinsulinemia, and hyperlipidemia.

I know that we have been trying to eat less products that contain HFCS, but now we are going to eliminate it as much as possible.

What are your favorite links that guide you in eating wholesome foods?

More on Eating Wholesome Foods

Obama: The Historic Journey

I was really excited when MotherTalk recently sent me a copy of Obama: The Historic Journey the young reader's edition. Besides being a fan of Obama, his election was a historical one and I thought it was great way to teach children about the election.

The book contains over 200 color photos depicting Obama's life, family, and political career. The book is easy and enjoyable to read, and covers everything from Obama's childhood to his family to his journey to become the President of the United States.

What I really like about this book is that the authors take the time to compare each candidate's stance on issues and other logistics about the election. There's also a lot of neat trivia facts, like what Obama's favorite books, movies, and music are.

All in all, love the book and highly recommend it to all young readers (and parents of young readers).

Obama: The Historic Journey

Wordless Wednesday: In This House, Only She Wakes Up This Happy and Sunny

She is my morning sunshine.

For more Wordless Wednesday, click here.

Wordless Wednesday: In This House, Only She Wakes Up This Happy and Sunny

My New Best Friend

Meet my new best friend:
Do you like it?

Once I became official addicted to couponing, I ran into a small problem. While I get a lot of my coupons from the weekly paper inserts, the majority of my coupons are printed offline.

That's a lot of paper, and a lot of ink. I think we all know how much ink costs.

I solved the problem temporarily when my lovely mother offered to let me use her laser printer. Really fast and much less inexpensive when it comes to ink, but I still had to drive to her house every time I wanted to print out coupons or stuff for the girls school. The Knight and I looked into buying our own laser printer but they were around $200, reasonable enough but still a little out of our budget.

Then Rachel over at Surviving the Stores gave her readers a heads up on a great deal on a laser print over at amazon.com: just $59 and free shipping. I had a $20 amazon gift card so it came to $39 with free shipping.

My new best friend was less inexpensive the ink cartridge alone on my regular printer (I just found a receipt which shows I paid $50 a few months ago for color/b&w combo cartridge!). This thing is sooo fast, and my dream come true!

If you are getting started in couponing I would highly recommend investing in a laser printer...the best coupons I use I always find online.

Other deals I scored this week:

~restaurants.com, enter the code DINING at checkout you get 60% off your order (I got $50 in gift certificates to a local seafood restaurant for $8).
~grill for FREE (our IL's bought a new grill and gave us their old one, woot-woot!)

Every time I save money and put it towards the debt snowball I can't help but smile. This month we will be sending in another big fat check to our credit card, yay!

My New Best Friend

Weekly Deals

This week they didn't have too many ECB deals at CVS, but I still got some great deals. The sales I focused on were: Kellogg's Special K Cereal, BIGIF; Always pads, 2/$6 get $2 ECB's back; Gillette Fusion Razor on sale $7.99 get $4 in ECB's back; and purchase two Banana Boat products get $7 in ECB's.

Transaction:
Bought 4 boxes of Special K
Bought 2 Always pads
Bought 1 Gillette Fusion razor
Bought 2 Banana Boat sunscreen products
Bought 1 bag of cotton balls.

Used $5 off of $25 coupon that printed out for me at the machine
Used $1 off 2 Always Pads from this weekend's coupon insert
Used 3 $1 off 1 box of Kellogg's Special K cereal (would have used four if I had four inserts)
Used 1 $4 off 1 Gillette Fusion razor from this weekend's coupon insert
Used 2 $2 off 1 Banana Boat product
Used $23 in ECB's from two weeks ago.

Total value before discounts and coupons: $60.70
Total paid OOP: $4.97
Total Saved: $55.73 with $13 in ECB's to use next week!

Now on to this week's grocery deals:

This week I hit up Price Chopper and Big Y.
Price Chopper:
Bumblbee tuna, 10/$10 (bought 6)
Nutri Grain Granola Bars, 2/$6
Near East Couscous, 10/$10 (bought 3)
Price Chopper Sour Cream, $0.99 (bought 2)
Price Chopper Cheese Ravioli, 10/$10 (bought 2)

Used $1 off 2 Nutri Grain Granola Bars coupon and a Big Y double coupon (PC takes competitor's coupons).

Total value of products before coupons and discounts: $33.55
Total OOP: $16.98
Total saved: $16.57 plus I saved $0.70 per gallon the next time I hit the gas station.

Big Y:
Big Y had a lot of BIGIF and BIG2F deals this week, which I am usually wary about. I bring a calculator with me to figure out the price per unit and see if it's really a deal. Like I suspected, some were still more expensive, but a couple items did work out to be great deals.

Big Y brown eggs, B1G2F (making them $0.73 each! bought three)
Country Time Pink Lemonade, on sale 2/$6 (bought 2)
Freihofer's wheat bread, B1G2F (making them $1.13 each! bought 3)
Harvest Pride Bagels B1G2F (making them $1.26 each! bought 6, 3 plain and 3 wheat)
Grapes, on sale $1.98/lb

Used 1 $1.50 off 2 Country Time Lemonade coupon

Total before discounts and coupons: $53.82
Total Paid OOP: $21.56
Total Saved: $32.26

I was able to stay $6 under budget this week, yay!

What good deals did you find?

Weekly Deals

So Many Ramblings..

I'm having an "off" day today....tried to do something different with our schedule and it didn't work out, so now I feel like my whole day is thrown off.

I have all these thoughts tumbling around in my head. Sometimes they tumble too fast and I can't organize them enough to get them down on paper (or should that be keyboard?)

I've been in a funk lately but it's been a lovely funk....spending all my days outside on the deck while the girls run around. They love being outside so much, and they always have that healthy glow that children get when they are full of sunshine and fresh air.

Six months ago I would have called these type of days "boring." But now, as slow and uneventful as they are, I am so relaxed and calm and I actually wake up looking forward to the day ahead.

I absolutely cannot believe how big the girls are getting. The Mermaid is so independent and smart and says things that make me do a double-take; things that I didn't know she was even aware of. The Guppy is getting big but she is still my baby, so when she asks to nurse I have no problem sitting down to do it.

I was thinking the other day that I am supposed to be around 37 weeks pregnant right now, with a big round moving belly and swollen ankles. I don't have Kalei with me anymore, but I do have my two girls and they fill up my heart with joy every day.

They are so precious to me.

Life is so precious to me.

So Many Ramblings..

Be Still

This morning was not a good morning for me.

I woke up late with a sore throat. Went to go check on the Mermaid to find that she had completely destroyed her room. I stumbled downstairs, carrying the Guppy because for some reason the thought of walking was too overwhelming to her, and started to make her breakfast. In the process, I stubbed my toe, hit my head on a cabinet door, and spilled two quarts of lemonade all over the kitchen floor.

As I stood standing in a lemonade puddle and rubbing my head, I could sense the tension in the girls. They were holding hands, quietly watching me and ready to bolt. I know it's because when situations like this normally come up, I don't deal with it very well. I yell and curse and become a mean grumpy mama bear.

This time, something in their expression stopped me. Maybe it was the slight glitter of anxiety in their eyes, or the way the Mermaid stood in front of the Guppy, as if to protect her from the outburst she knew would come. Whatever it was, it stopped me dead cold and put a lump in my throat. In the silence, I heard that voice again, and remembered my promise to listen.

I honestly believe that we are our children's best teachers. What have I been teaching them about dealing with stressful situations? That's it's best to yell and curse and make everyone else miserable? That wouldn't do.

I suddenly saw the humour in the situation I was in. I laughed and said to the girls, "Mommy made a big mess, didn't she?" and they laughed and nodded in agreement, looking a little relieved. Then the Mermaid ran to get me towels and they both helped me clean up the mess and finish making breakfast.

The girls have finished their breakfast and we're all sitting at the table coloring and deciding what we are going to do today. I came so close to missing out on this moment, on their smiles and sweet laughter. But thanks to that little voice in the stillness, I didn't let my entire day be set and decided over some spilled lemonade.

Be Still

You Capture: Feel

This week's You Capture challenge was to capture Feel.

Earlier this week I was making home made pizza for dinner and the Guppy asked to help. She loved kneading and rolling the dough, feeling it's squishiness under her fingers.

Later that same day I asked her to do something and she lay down on the floor and refused. When I looked at her expression, the first thing I thought was "My, she is feeling awfully smug right now!!"

And finally, cuddling on the couch with the Guppy, smelling her head that smells like sunshine, feeling her warmth against me...she's my baby and there is no love like the one I feel for her.

For more You Capture, visit I Should Be Folding Laundry.

You Capture: Feel

Wordless Wednesday: Playing With "Grandpa" Robert

For more Wordless Wednesday, click here.

Wordless Wednesday: Playing With "Grandpa" Robert

The Post In Which I Talk About Nothing And Everything

I'm running a little short on inspiration here right now.

Since the week of never-ending rain finally did end, the sun has been shining and the girls and I have been spending every minute outside. My days are so slow and relaxing; sitting on the deck with my laptop and reading blog posts while drinking herbal tea and watching the girls run around in the yard.

We've been in this house for six months and I fall in love with it more everyday. I love that it's clean and small (I can clean it in 15 minutes) and comfy and lit by the sun, that we are surrounded by amazing neighbors, and that we have such a wonderful backyard and garden.

My deck is large and we've got comfy patio furniture and a patio set on it, as well as a canopy to protect us from the sun. There's something about this deck that draws people; at first I thought it was just me but yesterday a friend came over and she requested that we go outside and sit on the deck while the kids play.

My friend recently had suffered a loss much like we had with Kalei and had come over visit and talk. We live in the city but our street is extremely quiet and secluded and we have a wonderful yet private view from our deck. I made us some herbal tea and we sat at the patio table and talked and talked in a way that only two people who had suffered the same loss could.

At one point we lapsed into silence, both of us pondering our own private thoughts about our experiences. I looked over at my friend and immediately wished I had a camera to capture her in that moment; she was gazing thoughtfully and a little sadly across our yard towards the city, a breeze gently blowing wisps of her hair across her face, and she looked so beautiful, serene and strong.

I hope she realizes how beautiful and strong she really is. I hope she knows that although you never really get over a loss like she had, it gets a little easier as time goes by. And I hope that I was able to offer some form of comfort or peace to her during her visit yesterday.

The Post In Which I Talk About Nothing And Everything

Feeding My Children Wholesome Goodness

My birthday is coming up and I want a bread maker.

I'm sick of reading labels on food and seeing things I can pronounce, things that can be potentially harmful to my children.

Today I am over at API Speaks, the official blog for Attachment Parenting.org giving tips on feeding your children wholesome foods. Click here to read my post.

Feeding My Children Wholesome Goodness