WE NEED QUARTERS

So... in the four + years that I have been a mommy I have managed to avoid those mechanical rides in malls or outside of the grocery store.  My kids just think they are for climbing on -- that is what we do at the mall.  Well, this morning has changed all of that... they now know the truth:  THOSE WERE MADE TO MOVE!!!!  Now we are in big trouble... we are going to need quarters and LOTS OF THEM!!

We went to Chuck E. Cheese this morning with my MOPS group.  We didn't have many of us there (or any one else for that matter), but that was fine because we could go on everything and didn't have to worry about losing the kids!  We got some tokens and let the girls decide what to ride and play.  They had a blast... they LOVED the rides -- like the monster truck that nearly flipped Hannah off of it.  :)  They went through the tunnels and slides, played Ski Ball, ate pizza, got tickets, and had a great time!

They even got to meet Chuck E. Cheese!   Neither one was scared of him... I was surprised! Hannah loved hugging him and Grace even went with him to dance..

Here are a few pictures that my friend Rachelle took with her phone:

Grace and Chloe dancing

Grace and Chuck E. Cheese

(Hannah didn't want her picture taken!)

PS  If you look closely you will notice that Grace picked out her clothes today... she wanted to look like Mommy by wearing two shirts. How cute!  The other day she wanted to wear two pairs of pants (which mommy DOESN'T do) but she thought it would be ok since we like to wear two shirts some times. 

Too cute!!!!

Fun Times after Nap

The kids woke up from their naps yesterday in pretty good moods.... this is usually due to the fact that no one was awakened earlier than they desired.  Grace and Hannah slept well because Josiah slept well and didn't wake them up by crying and Grace and Hannah slept well and didn't wake each other up with talking, singing, jumping on the beds or getting out of bed. 

So what does a mom do when they have three happy kids all at the same time?  TAKE PICTURES, of course!  It was great to get them all looking at the camera at the same time... they weren't all smiling, but that was ok... We certainly have three little treasures!

 

Crazy weather

We have had a crazy weather week… this time last week it was bright and sunny with temperatures in the 60-70s so Danny put together the kids’ small playground!  It was beautiful!  BUT SINCE THEN… we have had colder weather (30-40s), hail, rain, tornado warnings and now snow!  I just wish the weather would make up its mind and change to summer!  We are ALL itching to get outside and enjoy the warmer weather everyday!

186 cupcakes

Yup... just yesterday I baked 186 cupcakes -- rainbow, yellow and, of course, CHOCOLATE!  Why?  Not because my husband requested them or because I was bored!  It was because I needed them for MOPS today.  We had a rep from Wilton at MOPS to teach us how to decorate cakes.  It was a lot of fun!

YUMMY!

Fun in the Sun

We have really been enjoying the warmer weather this week....It was in the sixties on most days!  I loved feeling the warm sun beating down on me... It is really going to feel nice when we get to Florida!!  YAHOO!  ... FUN IN THE SUN! 

Peek A Boo... through the white birch tree in our front yard...

 Hopscotch with Sister Bear

Playing with the Bubble Bug that she got for her birthday... 

Josiah was amazed at the bubbles... he really didn't know what to do with them...

Sisters are FOREVER...

On Thursday evening we went to the playground at one of the Elementary schools... it was full of other families playing with us!

Little monkey Grace

Danny put together our little playground this chilly morning and the girls are already trying it out.... they were watching him from inside where it was warm!

For Example...

I am sure that there are thousands of people anxiously waiting for my next blog post -- ha! ha! -- but I am just going to give you an example of the kind of saving money deals that bring me great happiness instead!

Just this morning I went to Walgreen's to get the BOGO deal on Danny's deodorant.  It was on sale for BOGO and I had 2 BOGO coupons as well.   A very nice cashier in the cosmetics department helped me get the most out of the deal and the coupons... it came to 5.26 for 4 deodorants and 2 body washes!  YAHOO!  That was the price of 1 body wash plus tax!! 

Then I went to the frozen food section because I had read online that there have been some great deals on food items... Yup, there are some great deals!  Here is the breakdown of what I got:

6 Mr. P's Cheese Pizzas for 25 cents each
2 Mr. P's Pepperoni Pizzas for 25 cents each
2 boxes of Popsicles for 90 cents each
1 Lean Cuisine meal for 1.09 and 1 for 90 cents
2 half gallons of strawberry ice cream for 82 cents each

Aren't those CRAZY prices!  I spent a total of 7.43 for all of those things. 

All together today I saved $42.12.  Not bad... just an example of the kind of deals that I LOVE!

Saving money

I LOVE saving money… can I say that again… I LOVE saving money!  I guess it is now more than a hobby…it has become a way of life!  I love getting to the cash register and seeing the total and thinking, “Boy, that is really going to go down after I give her these!”   Here is why I like it so much:

1.       I feel like I am doing my part to provide for this family.  I don’t have a job outside of our home, so I make couponing a job.  I have already saved over $165 THIS YEAR – yes, I keep track of all of the coupons that I use.  That is quite a lot when you consider that is just the value of the coupons – that doesn’t include the sales that I shop.   That is over $50 per month!  Yippee!  I am contributing! 

2.       I love getting something for nothing or very little. I love looking for the deals and then going to the store knowing that I will get something for little or for nothing at all. I have my list in hand and I hurry right to the spot in the store that I know has the great deal, and I get totally bummed if the deal isn't what I had hoped or I get totally excited that it is great!   This week there is a B1G1 sale on Danny’s deodorant.  I can hardly wait to go to the store because I have 2 coupons to go with that sale which are also B1G1… so after giving them the coupons I will get a lot of deodorant for little!  Today when I was at Fareway, I knew that I had to get cake mixes for the 15 dozen cupcakes that I have to make.  I didn’t have any coupons for them, but I found coupons at the store!  YEAH!  It was a coupon for “Buy 8 Betty Crocker items get $4 off”.  It sounded good to me… 50 cents off… I will take it!  That meant that each box was about 70 cents each… good deal!

3.       I feel like a Proverbs 31 woman.  I love the picture that you get when you read Proverbs 31 – a woman who is well-prepared, hard working, strong, family-oriented, a planner, etc.  I feel like I am a real woman when I coupon because I know that I am working hard for our family and planning ahead.  We are stretching our money and still living well.

4.       I love teaching the girls about money in the process.  I am teaching them that we buy things with money (and not a plastic card) and coupons help us save some money.   Grace got money from Nanna for her birthday -- $4!  She was THRILLED!  She looked at me and said, “Now, mommy, all I need is some coupons!”   :)  She also loves to play store and tells me what things cost.  “Mommy, that was $5 and 12 coupons!”  That’s my girl! 


Over all, I love to save money... it has been a great hobby that has helped our family reach some financial goals and stay out of debt.  Later in the week I will share some of my favorite tips on saving money.... I bet you are on the edge of your seat!  HA!