Digging Out

Princess Brenna before her party.

Lots of things going on here in Ruddville. Brenna turned 3 and has started potty training boot camp. (So far, so good...), Grace turned 10 months today, and Riley is preparing for kindergarten.

I'm just trying to keep up with everything! We had a family birthday party for Brenna Saturday and I'm still digging our house out from the shindig. I have lots of things to share - coupon tips, lots of pictures, a super update on Grace...but first I need to make sure we have clean towels. Hopefully I will be able to write it all soon! 

Mommy's Sanity Savers (No, it's not booze.)

One of the things I love about being a mom is that my kids love to be around me. One of the things that drives me batty about being a mom is that my kids love to be around me - meaning I cannot get anything else done. I've found some awesome *FREE!* resources to help entertain my kids when I need a mommy minute (and they are educational! win/win!) Here is what you need to check out:

1. Our absolute favorite resource is Zoodles. It's an "educational online experience" that allows kids to watch videos and play games at their favorite websites. It combines websites like Nick Jr., American Girl, PBS Kids, and more so your child doesn't have to skip around from website to website to find what they want. Your child is blocked from going to any other website by their crazy clicking and there is even an option that allows you to block ads (there is a small fee for the upgrade). Each week I get an email telling me which games my child played and how long they spent. The kids are always asking to play Zoodles and the big blue "Z" icon on my desktop makes it easy for them to find. LOVE IT!
2. Starfall is pretty new to us, but it's great so far. It's described on the site as a "free public service to teach children to read with phonics". They have options that are basic preschool lessons (learning letter recognition) and go all the way up to stories your child can read on their own. They also have tons of free printable worksheets in case you don't want your child hogging the computer.
3. I stumbled on 1+1+1=1 when I was searching for decoration ideas for a Toy Story party. After seeing all of the super-cute options and realizing that they are FREE, my mind was sufficiently blown. I can't wait until the ballerina and dog packs are available. You know...for the kids. *Ahem*
4. I have picked up copies of The Mailbox magazine from the library and thought they were so neat. They definitely appeal to the teacher inside me. So when I checked out their website I was thrilled to find a section called My Mailbox where you can register (for free!) and find loads and loads of printable resources. I found cartoon suns that were meant for bulletin board decorations, typed my kids names on them and had them color them. They thought it was awesome and the suns are now taped to their bedroom doors. I'm sure we'll do a different one for the fall!

I'll be sure to share more that I come across. Do you have any kid-friendly distractions you go to when needed?

Mighty B's Couponing 101

I love the TLC show Extreme Couponing. It's completely unrealistic (even the supermarkets are coming out and saying they bend their coupon policies for the sake of the show) but the idea of going to the store and getting carts full of products for free is intoxicating to a cheap frugal mom like me. So at the beginning of May I started clipping and in just a short period of time I've managed to get us a nice stockpile of toiletries and cleaners. Hopefully soon I'll be able to start the food stockpile.


So how do I do it? The hardwork is already done for me by several couponing websites. My favorites are The Krazy Coupon Lady and Faithful Provisions,  but there are tons more. Each week they matchup the coupons to the sale ads and tell me exactly what to do. But there is some leg work on my part. We subscribe to two newspapers (Sunday only!) and I clip every single coupon in the inserts. They go into my couponing binder, I make my shopping lists, pull out the coupons I need, sort them into envelopes by store and shop away! It's a lot of work. And while it certainly isn't hard, it does take a lot of time. But as a stay-at-home mom, I consider saving on our grocery budget part of my 'job'.

Interested in hearing more? I hope so! Cause I'm excited to share with you. I am in no way a couponing expert. I'm learning as I go. But I'm finding that so many people aren't taking advantage of coupons each week! Hopefully, I'll help some of you realize that a little work and planning can save you quite a bit! You'll get to learn from my mistakes and hear what works for me and what doesn't. And learn that saving can be easy-peasy lemon squeezy.

So Big

When did she get this big? And how do I make it stop?

Enchanted Gardens

One of our favorite (and free!) things to do is visit the petting zoo at Linton's Enchanted Gardens.

 It's just minutes from our house and the kids love it.

We stopped by today for a few minutes to say "Hi" to the animals.

Brenna and Riley going to see Chocolate the Goat.

Riley with his miniature pony and donkey friends.

Riley feeding the donkey and pony.

Tom Turkey

One of the cute houses at Linton's.

Another cute building.

Feeding the goats.

Grace was not amused and found closely examining her fingers to be more entertaining.

Grace, Not Karma Part 2

Last night after Grace was in bed, I snuck out to do a little "couponing". It's my new obsession hobby and maybe I'll go into more detail in another post. At the store,  I found my items and headed to the check out. My dear, sweet friend (SARCASM!) Elizabeth was waiting for me. My first thought was, "Great. I just wanted a little "me" time and now I get to deal with Mrs. Grumpfish." But then I remembered Grace, Not Karma and repeated it to myself several times. And then I called her by name and asked how she was.

I found out a lot about Elizabeth last night - more than I would probably tell a stranger,  but she felt comfortable enough to share.  She was getting flack from a co-worker for taking the day off to attend her daughter's wedding last weekend. She gets paid on Wednesday, but is a month and a half behind on her rent. She told me that the body wash I wanted was out of stock, but will be on the truck on Thursday and she just happens to work that night. I told her I would try to make it in that night and would be sure to buy a candy bar from her. (They have a candy contest everyday to see who sells the most. I don't know what they win, but it seems important to her.)

I think she just wants someone to acknowledge that she is a person. She wanted to be seen.

Jon Acuff wrote a post about a similar situation he was in - I strongly encourage you to click over! (And while you are there, check out the rest of his posts. He's funny and poignant and I love his blog!)

My new mantra: Grace, Not Karma. Grace, Not Karma. Grace, Not Karma.

Knowing Me, Knowing You June 2011

knowing me, knowing you - june 2011


1. What's you're favourite kind of chips?

You really can't eat just one!

I'm not a big chip person. I prefer my empty calories to be sweet and covered in chocolate. But I suppose my favorite would be good old fashion Lay's.

2. Have you read Gone With the Wind?

UGH. I've tried. I just couldn't force myself to do it. Most of the time, books are way better than the movie version. I've found the opposite is true with this book and anything by Jane Austen.

Well, hello Mr. Darcy!

3. Do you sleep on your front, back or side?

Always on my left side.

4. Do you own a pair of white pants, shorts or capris?

I own a pair of white capris that I like, but don't think anything looks right with them.
*True story! I once dumped a bottle of chocolate milk on said white capris. After soaking them in hot water and OxyClean - they were white again! Yay OxyClean!*

5. On any given day would you rather wear heels or flipflops?

FLIP FLOPS. Heels are the devil's footwear.

Linking this to Fairy Blogmother's KMKY!