Yearly Check-up

One year ago, June 26th, I signed up for my 4 week trial on the Grocery Game. The first three weeks passed by with a lot of confusion, frustration, and just enough curiosity to keep me going. Honestly, probably the only reason that I pushed through is my competitive nature! I had a friend, a sister-in-law, and a few others who were telling me about how great the GG is and how much they were loving it and saving, etc. I almost gave up a couple of times but stuck with it because I thought, "Hey, if they can do it - I can too." By the end of my trial period, I was starting to see the light and signed up for my first 8 weeks without hesitation. I wrote this post My New Hobby - Saving Money last August, and you can clearly see how quickly I became addicted!

I learned that in order to take the most advantage of the deals, you have to stockpile when things are at their rock bottom prices. The problem with this was that I quickly ran out of space! I had to get creative and a little more organized (who? me, organized!?) :) I cleared out everything I could and now use, in addition to our pantry, two shelves in my hall closet, the cabinet above my stove, the cabinet under the girl's bathroom sink, and whatever other little spaces I can find to store all my bargain purchases. I keep from running out of space by periodically filling "donate bags" and sending them off with Andy to give away.

*Note - these pictures do not reflect a "just been to the store and stocked up trip" it is actually an end of a pay period but still have these left" picture!



The hardest part for me was finding a coupon cutting/filing system that works for me. The story of how I came to use my system could really be its own post, so to save space and your time, I'll just say that I use a zipper binder with 4x6 photos album refill pages (3 slots per page) and file my coupons according to categories and arranged (somewhat) in the order they are found in the store. When I cut out my coupons I lay out each page from the circular, I stack my multiple ones on top (I usually have 3-4 Sunday papers each week), and cut out all the identical coupons at the same time (this is where using photo pages is much better than the baseball card pages b/c you don't have to sorry about them fitting in the slots!). I then group them in piles that match the categories in my binder and file them away after I've finished cutting everything. It is quick and simple and best of all keeps me happy and organized! :)

While, I still love using the GG site, I've found a few others that I also check out every week. My favorite is southernsavers.com.

I really wish that I would have kept a record of my saving all year long, but maybe that's a project for another year! :) Just so I can give you an example, here's my purchases from today (note, this was an extra big sale at Harris Teeter and is more typical of a savings that happens about once a month instead of every week).
I bought the following items:
1 24oz bottle of Dawn Pure Essentials
1 10.1 oz Dawn Direct Foam
2 boxes Strawberry Frosted Mini Wheats
10 Mars candy bars
5 bottles of Kraft salad dressing
4 boxes Jose Ole Quesadillas
2 block Kraft cheese
2 bags shredded Kraft cheese
2 4 ct Activia yogurts
1 4 ct DanActive yogurt drinks
2 64 oz Juicy Juice
1 Pert Plus for Men
3 Suave shampoos
3 Suave conditioners

Total spent: (drumroll please!) $16.45
Total saved: $93.01
*includes store sales - total saved from coupons ALONE is $60.93!!

THE PROGNOSIS:
I'd say it's been a pretty good year! :) I'm expecting an even better year with my intentions of planning a meal menu for every week to cut out last minute shopping trips to grab extra items.

VBS

Vacation Bible School has got to be any kid's favorite week at church. I know as a kid it was always a time we looked forward to and loved every year - late nights, music, games, crafts, fun, sugary snacks, - what's not to love? Our church, Grey Stone, really goes all the way to make sure that it is an awesome week! The decorations are incredible and every room is transformed to match the theme - this year's is Son Rock Kid's Camp. To give you an idea, our sanctuary is full of boulders, a waterfall, and a zipline! Also, I love the fact that we have dinner at church every night before VBS starts. Although, I'm pretty sure that my girls have not had any vegetables this week (unless you count ketchup!), it is definitely a big help to mommy - and hey - it's only 1 week! :)






The girls are having a blast and my mornings and afternoons are bombarded by questions stemming from their full nights.




Is it time to go to VBS? (or VVS, depending on who's asking!)
-No, it's tonight.

Oh, is it tonight yet?
:)

How many more days of VBS?
(they are so worried it's going to be over)

What's that girl's name with the hair braids?
-Zipline Zoe

Yeah, can I have hair braids like her?

Who's that walking on the water? Who's that walking on the sea?
(one of their songs, normally sung at the top of their lungs)

What message is the eagle going to bring down tonight?

What's going to happen to the kids in the movie?

What's that girl's name with the hair braids again?

These questions are repeated and repeated and repeated and - you get the idea :)

I did get one question today that I was really happy to answer -

Is God really our Father?

Well, there you go, they actually learn important stuff this week too!! :)

Second Childhood

Well, I originally sat down to do this post, but somehow I went off on a little tangent with the previous post. :) Not only is having kids great for the previously mentioned reasons, but another thing I love is the fact that I get to be a kid again! You know what? I think that I have even more fun playing with the toys I loved as a kid with my girls now than I actually had playing with them when I was a kid! Two of my favorites that the girls and I have enjoyed are the Lite Brites (I admits - with this I'm usually trying to get the girls to stay and work on theirs so mommy can finish hers!) and Barbies (yes, yes, I know-but I loved them and they love them!).

BUT my all time favorite thing as a kid was the EASY BAKE OVEN! I don't know how many years I spent baking and creating tea party's or just making a Sunday afternoon snack with my easy bake oven! Well, the girls just received one (thanks, Casey!!!), and we decided to try it out! Trust me! I tried REALLY hard and let the girls do it pretty much on their own - no taking over from mommy! :) The great thing is that now, instead of buying the $5 mixes, the internet is FULL of recipes you can use in your easy bake oven with ingredients from your own kitchen. Which, is even better, b/c it is more like "real" cooking (and I'll be much more inclined to pull it out if I'm not spending an arm and a leg for mixes!). So, I gave the girls their choice of anything they wanted to make, and we got busy! Kerri chose chocolate chip cookies (which turned out really, really yummy!), and Emma Lee made a pink cake with purple icing (which turned out not so yummy but looked cute!) Here are the pics! (I know! I went a little overboard, but I had to do something so I wouldn't take over in the cooking department!)

Through Their Eyes

I love being a mommy! My girls give me a new appreciation for the small things like taking time to stop and smell the flowers (literally!) or chasing butterflies around the yard or admiring the little dots on a ladybug. Kerri can't even leave our front door and go straight to the car without kneeling down and examining any ants that happen to be on our driveway (true - sometimes this is a little frustrating, but she is genuinely that fascinated!).

Their sensitive little hearts make me pause and evaluate my own heart at times. For example, the girls know the story of Jesus dying on the cross for our sins, but around Easter, Emma Lee began to grasp a little more about what that means. Her children's Bible that we read every night has a small picture of Jesus on the cross, but it just shows his face that is sad and not much more (which I get, little kids don't need graphic images). I hadn't thought about or realized this until we were waiting in Andy's office one day and she started playing with an Evangacube. She saw a full body picture of Jesus on the cross with nails in his hands and feet, a gash in his side, and blood. While we were talking about it she started crying that Jesus had to get hurt. That really struck me - When's the last time I cried over Jesus taking my punishment?

Thank you, Lord, for these two precious girls who you use to help me stop and remember how great you are!

A Recipe for the Perfect Family Night

Every so often we deem it "family date night." Although, we have some variation, the usual includes pizza, a movie, and a special treat (most often some form of chocolate, of course!). On this particular date night, we decided to make our own pizza.
Here's how . . .

(1) Gather your toppings. Be sure to sample them to ensure that they are of the best quality - don't be afraid to taste more if you are not absolutely sure!


(2) Prepare your pans. Generously coat them to ensure not one little scrap is lost to the pan. (Yes! That is a huge puddle of Pam!) Spread your dough in the pans, or cut out circles or other shapes for small individual pizzas.

(3) Proceed to spread pizza sauce on the dough, perfectly place each topping, and finalize the masterpiece with some cheese.

(4) Repeat the process until you have enough pizzas to feed an entire army, I mean, family.
(5) Bake until all patience has completely run out. Remove from oven and enjoy!

Don't forget! This wonderful culinary experience is best enjoyed when followed by cuddling on the couch in pj's, with blankies, pillows, and a good movie!

Andy's Web Site

Andy has set up a web site blogging about free stuff (especially for children's ministry). It is www.freecmstuff.com - Go check it out!

For Mommies

I recently read the book The Mommy Manual by Barbara Curtis. The mommy manual. Wow! Doesn’t that sound like a dream come true!? One of the greatest things about this book is that it is written by a mom who, as a parent, has truly experienced almost everything. She has twelve children (some biological and some adopted), four of her children have Down’s Syndrome, she began her life as a mom as a non-Christian but now loves the Lord, she has home schooled, public schooled, and private schooled, she has been a single parent but now has a loving husband, and the list goes on! If anyone is qualified to write a manual for moms, it must be Barbara Curtis. Her goal for this book is to give moms the following four things:

· The keys to unlock your child’s potential
· Ways to tune in to your child’s unique gifts
· Secrets of joyful parenting
· Encouragement for your journey

Trained as a Montessori teacher, Barbara draws heavily on her learning and experiences with the Montessori way of thought. As a result, this book is full of very practical ways that you, as a mom, can help your child succeed. The book is divided into three sections. The first gives 10 keys to “understanding your kids and releasing their joy––and yours,” and predominately focuses on babies to preschool age children. Barbara does a great job helping you to see the world from your child’s perspective and then gives excellent ways to put your understanding into practice.

The second section of this book focuses on “building a good work ethic and gracious character in your kids.” What?! No more “Do I have to?” “Oh, I forgot.” or “No, that’s MINE!”––sign me up! We all know how vital these attributes are to our children succeeding in their adult life. Barbara explains how moms can begin to cultivate them at a very early age.

The final section of the book gives insight on “passing on our cultural heritage and creating a rich family life.” In today’s culture, where it is so easy to “veg” out in front of the TV, this section includes ways to explore entertainment, the arts, and create family memories outside the realm of your living room (although she does give a rather large list of great family movies––divided into age appropriate categories). Two great resources in this section are an excellent “must read” book list for your kids and great ideas to create new traditions for different holidays.

As with any manual, this book is great to read cover to cover in order to have a greater understanding of our most precious possessions. However, it also serves as an excellent resource to pull out from time to time––whether it’s when you’re at your wits end (let’s face it––we’ve all been there a time or two!) or whether you are just looking for a new idea to liven things up. However you want to use it, this is definitely a “gotta have it” for every mommy! It definitely challenged me and caused me to reevaluate how I go about this whole “mommy business.”

(Disclaimer: This review isn't too specific for two reasons - (1) so you'll actually have to read it for yourself and (2) so you don't have to read 10 more pages by me!)