Make Your Blog into a Book.

Blurp.com is a website where you can make your blog into a book. Since I record more stories and post more pictures on my blog than I actually do in my children’s baby books, my plan is to make my blog into a book at the end of every year. This way I will have a book for each year. I think the boys will enjoy having these one day.

If you are interested in doing this with your own blog, I recieved an e-mail from Blurp for 20% off and free shipping. The promo code is BLURBTREAT. This offer is good through November 24, 2009.

Let me warn you, this does take time. However, for what it is, I think it is worth every minute.

Think Smart, Save Half

Jackson's dresser was scheduled to be delivered today between 1:00-3:00. I still had not picked up his curtains, so knowing that I would want to go to bed tonight with his room 100% complete (which it isn't...) I decided to run to PBK this morning.

I found the curtains I wanted, but they only had one panel in the size I needed. I decided to go ahead and buy the one panel and I would order the other panel online. In the meantime this drove me nuts thinking about the fact that his dresser was finally being delivered, but now I would have to look at ONE curtain panel until the other one came in.

I get home and hang up the curtain (Curtain...as in singular). As I was hanging it up, I was telling Aaron that I think it's dumb that curtains come with just one panel. For Jackson's curtains, I want them to hang straight down on each side of the window....no tie back things. However, this darn curtain wouldn't stay where I wanted it. It was to wide and wouldn't stay gathered together like I wanted it to. At that point I told Aaron maybe we would have to use tie backs.....

But then, I got one of my bright ideas! You know....my bright ideas that Aaron tells me "no" which only motivates me to do it more?! (It always reminds me of when I was trying to teach my 13 year old dog Barney how to shake and he told me "Kelli, you can't teach an old dog new tricks." That was all I needed and Barney was shaking the next day! One day he will learn to use reverse psychologically on me to his benefit.) I decided I would cut the curtain in half length wise and hem the edges. Look at all the benefits - TWO panels, not as wide, and save $49, (or if you're pessimistic, risk throwing $49 down the drain), and no waiting for the 2nd panel to arrive.

I got to work -

Aaron joked, laughed, and went on and on when I was having issues with the bobbin. He loved it.

Jackson now has TWO curtain panels for the price of one! (Ignore the rod, I'm getting another one)

Jackson now has a new dresser....

Jackson is now a happy boy....

a happy boy that doesn't like the flash on his Mommy's camera....

Starbucks and My New Plan.

I enjoy Starbucks. We actually started saving money once I became a stay at home mom and started cooking more at home. I am sure we could save even more if I ALWAYS drank coffee out of our coffee maker, which I normally do. However, a few days a week - I want Starbucks and I don't care that my drink cost $3.41 (Can you tell I always get the same drink?)

There are two food places that Jackson could recognize anywhere. Starbucks and Chick-Fil-A. Why Starbucks? Because I let him get this.....

....which caused my $3.41 to go up. This was fine, until Garrett noticed what Jackson was getting. I now have to get my drink, plus 2 organic chocolate milks. Yes, I could say no, but then I would have two screaming children on our drive home and what's enjoyable about having Starbucks if you're going to have 2 screaming children? This is a battle I let them win without a fight.

Friday night we went to Costco and I got an idea!

Costco sells these by the case at a "non-Starbucks jacked up price!" I tried my best to hide them in the cart and I hid them when we got home.

Here's my plan - when I decide to make a Starbucks run, I am going to secretly put 2 of these in my purse. Then when I get my drink, I will give them theirs. We go through the drive thru, so they will never know! Aaron told me to just buy the boys their darn chocolate milk, but I like my plan better! I like to be the tricky mom that saves! Those 2 chocolate milks at Starbucks price adds up over time!

Free 8x10.

Wow, second freebie of the day from me!

Wednesday, May 6th only....At Walgreens, enter coupon code MOTHER at online check out for a free 8x10.
Orders must include 8x10 print at time of check out to qualify.

Free KFC Coupon!!

Gotta love Oprah! Go to http://www.unthinkkfc.com/ to get a coupon for a FREE KFC meal. Offer good for two pieces grilled chicken, two individual sides, and a biscuit. You are allowed to download the coupon 4 times!

It may not be Chick-Fil-A, but it is FREE!!!!

Happy Earth Day!

Honestly, I never cared much about Earth Day, the whole "Going Green" issue, eating organic food, or saving energy and water when possible. However, since becoming a mother, I do think of it more and try my best to do better.

If the cleaning products I use in our bathrooms are so strong I will only use them while Jackson and Garrett are in bed, then clearly they are too strong...for any human. (This was GREAT when I was pregnant! Aaron was in charge of the bathrooms for nine months!!!)

Jackson's whole asthma issue (which hopefully isn't an issue at all) got me interested and more aware of products we use and options available since some products can trigger asthma.

Seeing Garrett's face after eating a can of ravioli the other day, made me realize that I want to start cutting back (avoiding wouldn't be possible) on things with preservatives. Although Garrett enjoyed his lunch, his face just wasn't normal....
Wouldn't you agree?

In honor of Earth Day, here are some helpful tips from various sources to Go Green!
Eco-Friendly Cleaning Supplies
Consider replacing toxic cleaning solutions with an all-natural, homemade alternative. Using inexpensive items like lemons, vinegar, vegetable soap, water and baking soda, you can create an effective cleaner.

Green Window Cleaner Recipe

Ingredients
3 Tbsp. vinegar
1/3 tsp. pure liquid vegetable soap (like castile soap)
2 cups water

Pour each ingredient into a recycled spray bottle, and you'll be cleaning green in no time!
Reusable Cloth Dishtowels
If you're constantly reaching for a paper towel, it's time to replace those rolls with cloth or microfiber towels.

At-Home Water Filtration
By investing $30 in a water-filtering, reusable pitcher or faucet attachment, you'll save about $300 a year on bottled water

Smart Power Strip
Many models even come with remote controls that let you turn your appliances and lamps on and off—without moving a muscle

LED Light Bulbs
Lighting accounts for 11 percent of your energy bill, and there are now more money-saving bulbs on the market than ever. They will save you $740 over the life of the bulb

Programmable Thermostat
A new programmable thermostat may run you $40 to $70, but you'll start seeing lower energy bills immediately.

More Ways to Save -

Leave it there! Instead of bagging your lawn clippings leave them on the lawn. The clippings will naturally fertilize your yard.

Go Native Texan! Use native plants for landscaping. They require less water and are more tolerant to our climate.

Water sparingly! Only water your lawn when it needs it, on average 1 inch every 7 to 10 days. Watch for signs of stress. Bermuda will turn a bluish color or leave imprints when you step on it. St. Augustine blades will begin to roll.
Install timers on sprinklers to prevent excessive water usage. It’s even better to schedule the sessions for the early morning or the evening when the sunlight is less intense and water won’t evaporate as quickly.
Call 214-718-1784 to get a sprinkler system inspection! :)

Tune-ups and tires. Keep your vehicle in tune, get it inspected, and check the air pressure in your tires. An under inflated tire will cause your vehicle to get poor gas mileage.

Install a low flow shower head, one that puts out less than 3 gallons per minute. They still have great pressure but conserve gallons of water from each shower.

Unplug it!! Appliances and equipment that are plugged in are still sucking power even though they’re off (think cell phone chargers, toasters, lamps).

Replace your air filter at least every 3 months. A blocked filter can cause higher energy costs and system damage.

Seal it up to avoid intruding air. Replace weather stripping. Seal windows seams. Add
extra insulation in attics and in walls.

Turn your hot water heater down to 120 degrees. The water will still be hot but your energy bill will be much lower.

*Federal Tax Credits up to $1,500 for Energy Efficiency Home Improvements
Click here to learn more

Here's a good excuse for a yummy treat...
Sprinkles Cupcakes: Eat a cupcake and help plant a tree!
From April 20-24

Whole Foods
Get a lunch tote—for free! Click here for a coupon to redeem in a store near you.

Get a deep clean. Save green. Tide Coldwater provides a deep clean in cold water, so you can cut down on energy costs and save money .

I have been using the Green Works All Purpose Cleaner, but after reading Marla's Blog the other day, I was encouraged to buy 3 more Green Works products today at the store being that it is Earth Day.

I feel better after using these! I used to find myself washing out the bathtub really well before putting Jackson and Garrett into a freshly cleaned bathtub due to the chemicals. (Cleaning out a cleaned bathtub....hmmmm....something is wrong with that!) Now, I feel like it truly is naturally clean and safe for them. If only I could make it magically cleaned. :) Click here for a coupon for Green Works products.

Happy Earth Day!

Stress and A Staple Gun, Perfect Combo!

Since the passing of Melvin, I put my emotions to the side and focused on Aaron. He needed me and I wanted to be his light. There were/are lots of things that needed to be taken care of on the paperwork side of things that I have just been doing so that Aaron doesn’t have to and he can focus on other things. However, this week as I am doing things I am finding myself filled with guilt and anger.
Why didn’t we see Melvin more? Why didn’t we invite him over more often? Why do I not have a picture of him holding Garrett? I hate the fact that Aaron has lost a parent. Chances are, we will probably all lose our parents, but Aaron wasn’t ready to lose him yet. I am mad at myself. I know Melvin had his “wild side,” but he had a big heart and why didn’t I…..I don’t know how to end that sentence…I shouldn’t have done something, but I did nothing. Why didn’t I suggest to Aaron that we all take a drive to go visit him? I am sure Aaron suggested this to me and I am sure I said no because we had too much going on. As weird as it sounds, at times I get mad at Melvin for dying at the age of 56. Jackson, Garrett, and Mady will not remember him. He still had a daughter to walk down the aisle one day. Aaron is too young to lose his Dad, and Michael and Heather are younger than Aaron. They shouldn't have to do this!
My list goes on and on….but it is mainly regret.
I think this is probably normal. I hope it is. Wednesday will be 2 weeks. We literally have been going non-stop for 2 weeks and things are still not done. I wish I could just put Aaron in a little bubble to protect him from anything else going wrong. (oh yeah...Aaron got a flat tire coming home this weekend from packing up his dad's house...LOVELY) However, we still have 2 sweet little boys to take care of….one that is turning 1 next week! As of tonight, I made a commitment to myself to just stop. It can all wait a day or two. After dinner tonight, we went out for ice cream and then I ran into the fabric store. I have been wanting to recover our kitchen chairs for awhile now and I figured now is a GREAT time to use a staple gun! Such a stress reliever! I covered 3 chairs tonight and will finish the other 3 in the morning. I need to re stain the chairs, but that will have to wait for now. (Oh, and notice the new tile. Yeah, remember that was being installed the week Melvin passed away. Not fun.) Then I am playing with the boys all day and during their nap I am going to bust out my sewing machine and get a little crafty for Garrett’s birthday party! I am predicting by tomorrow night I will be good as new! However, by looking at the clock right now I think I am going to have to start my day off with a strong cup of coffee.

Free Desk!

If you are in need of a free "new to you" desk, let me know. We got a new desk for our office and I hate to just throw our old one away. If you are interested, send me an e-mail. If you don't know what it looks like, I can send you a picture. Aaron would be happy to deliver it to you since it is currently taking up space (space we don't have) in our garage. :)

Savings! (and my Husband)

Whoa! We just saved $44.23 at the store!

However, Aaron went to the store for us tonight after the boys went to bed. I have not been feeling so great. I had our grocery list nicely typed out, color coded, and easy for him to follow. As I am sitting here going over the receipt, I am noticing that he didn't get some of the items that were on sale. I guess Brookshire's had some kind of shortage tonight, because he is saying they were "OUT" of a lot of stuff. For the record....Aaron isn't a very good liar. So....we could have even saved more (if I had gone), but I can't complain. He got out in the cold and I rested on the couch.

I also need to have a little lesson with him on how to save. He doesn't understand that when things are on sale that you KNOW you will be using in the near future, go ahead a buy them. (examples: Dishwasher soap and "female" products) It will all get used! When he got home, he said "Kelli, you had this on the list, but we have dishwasher soap left and you don't need "those" for a few more weeks...I figured you just made a mistake." Really? My list was typed and color coded, do you really think I made a mistake? haha....Men! He makes me laugh. He thought by him not getting those things that he was saving. He tried and you gotta love him for that!...and he got out in the cold. :)

OMG! I have a new hero...

Best website EVER...I must share!
http://www.yourcouponbuddy.com/

One day, I will be like her....

Just a little update about my savings -
I have been saving the most by looking at what is on sale that week and sort of planning our meals around that. They are not abnormal meals; they are just things our family normally eats. If there is a big sale on something, I will stock up. On average, I am saving around $38 a week. Plus, I normally leave the store with $3 to $5 off of gas.

The way I see it....if I were still teaching (you know teachers get paid the big bucks...), paying childcare for a two year old and an infant, spending more money on fuel to get to work everyday - what I would actually profit from working (which wouldn't be much after childcare), may one day be what I can SAVE at the store. I will do it......one day, because I have a new hero! :)

AND...the lady who cuts my hair is having a baby. It is her 2nd baby, but 1st boy. I am giving her some baby things that we no longer need and in exchange I am getting SIX free haircuts (about $215 value!). However, being the good, kind hearted sister that I am, I am using 4 of the haircuts in exchange for her to do all of our hair for my sister's wedding. I am a sweet sister aren't I?

Oprah's Free Gift!!

Today on the Oprah show, she gave EVERYONE a free gift........EVERYONE, meaning US TOO!!!

Go to this link -
http://www.oprah.com/slideshow/oprahshow/20081029_tows_messyhouse/7

Click on "Get your free book."

The offer is for one FREE standard 20 page 8x11 custom cover photo book from Snapfish.com. The offer is only good until Friday, November 14th at 11:59PM. The books normally cost $29.99, so it is a great free gift!!

Kelli the Coupon Mom!

I have to do some bragging on my new coupon skills!!!!!!

Yesterday at the store I saved $32.28! How did I do this one might ask....(haha) I used coupons that I printed from online sites and checked the weekly ad for items on sale. I tried to plan some of our meals around that.

Last week I was pretty proud of myself as well. I had a prescription (you know, the prescription that keeps little creatures from growing in my uterus) at Walgreens. I found a coupon in the CVS ad that was for transferring prescriptions. If you transfer a prescription to CVS, you get a $30 gift card (with the coupon). So I transferred and got my $30 gift card!
The other day, I found a Walgreens coupon. If you transfer a prescription there (and the coupon doesn't say that the prescription couldn't have been there previously...I have seen some that say that...so be careful if you use my trick) you get a $25 gift card. So, next month I will be transferring my prescription back to Walgreens. Yes, some may call this cheating....but I call it saving!! :)

Aaron is completely annoyed with me. Last night we were laying in bed and I wouldn't shut up. I was telling him all about my savings. We normally have a disagreement about having the TV on (I can't fall asleep with it on, but he likes having it on) but I think he fell asleep listening to my coupon stories. It makes me very excited!!

Coupons

I have never been a coupon type of girl. Who has time for that?! Well....a few weeks ago I saw a lady on Oprah that uses coupons and it made me realize how much money you could save. Brookshires has been having this thing called "GasMoney." (I think that's what it is called) For every $10 you spend on Brookshires name brand products, you get a $1 coupon for gas or groceries. Today, Aaron and I were at the store and I made sure we bought whatever we could buy that was "Brookshires Brand." I wanted to see how much free gas/groceries we could get. It really became fun...........well, fun for me......Aaron could have cared less. We ended up getting $5 in free gas. I know that is not a whole lot, but five dollars is five dollars. Plus, I do the Pampers Points on pampers.com (for those who know what I am talking about) and I used my points for a free jumbo pack of diapers! To sum that up.....we walked away with $5 AND a jumbo pack of diapers. Impressive huh?!

So, this made me realize how fun it is to save money, yet still buy what you need. If I had so much fun with this, imagine how much fun I could have with cutting coupons. Aaron's job is to make the money and my job is to budget the money, right?! So this is part of my job description. :)

Now, I am still new to this coupon thing so I need some advice. How do I go about getting all the coupons? We only have Wal-Mart and Brookshires where we live. I went to coupons.com and found several for items we normally buy. It is fun....it is like printing off free money!!!! :)
Yeah, I know....I'm a dork!

Pampers at Babies R' Us

If you buy 2 boxes (92 ct. or higher) of Pampers today at Babies R' Us you get a $15 gift card to Babies R' Us. I don't see it mentioned on Babies R' Us website, but I got an e-mail from Pampers.....we're buddies.

Pottery Barn Kids Towel

I got an e-mail from Pottery Barn Kids today that said these towels were on sale. I wanted to forward the link on to all you other "Toddler Moms." The beach towels with the hoods are my absolute FAVORITE! I bought one for Jackson last year and LOVE IT!! Just thought I would share...
http://www.potterybarnkids.com/shop/sal/salnew/index.cfm?page=all&bnrid=3501551&cm_ven=Email&cm_cat=TowelSale&cm_pla=DTC&cm_ite=dtc_heroimage&cm_em=jordan8082@sbcglobal.net