Home Made Detergent, Ya'll!

I'm always looking for ways to save money on essentials, as I love to buy non-essentials.  Laundry detergent can be super expensive, so why not try making your own to save some major cash.  I literally do loads of laundry every day, so when I heard about this recipe that can be found here, I decided to make some and enlist the help of my daughters.

OH GIRLSSSSSS!!!!! Get to grinding that soap!  "With a smile, mom!"

I spent around $14 to make my own detergent that should last me a year at 1-2 tablespoons per load.  I mixed all ingredients together in a 5 gallon bucket and then measured out 100 loads into my glass canister and put the rest up on the back porch closet. 

100 loads of laundry detergent right here.  I use an overflowing tablespoon per load.   I'm going to keep track of how long this lasts in my household of 5. 

That's where it goes and that is all you use.  Here's to hoping my clothes get clean.

I opened the door during the wash to see what was going on and if their were any suds.  Here is what I saw.

NO suds.  Just some dingy water. 

Later on, after pulling them out of the washer and dryer, I inspected them for cleanliness and color.  I must say I was impressed.  This homemade betty detergent does a better job than my current detergents which float between All Clear and Purex All Natural.  The clothes were indeed brighter and cleaner than normal.  I put on my favorite green tank (which was greener than normal) and I had no allergic reaction. Yay! I'm just waiting to see how this detergent fairs with my husband as he is allergic to several detergents on the market. If he finds himself itching and carrying on, I will just purchase him a separate detergent.  Cause that's how I roll. 

So, I'm telling you to give this a try.  Save some money.  Spend some somewhere else.  Or not.  But you should.  It's good stuff. 



Merry Christmas!

Curl Junkie Smoothing Lotion Review Follow Up

Oooooohh La La
I must say I kinda love it!
This is day 3 hair.  Day 3 means I haven't put anything on her hair but the lotion as needed. 
I think she likes it too!

Her hair is so bouncy and soft and the curls are nicely defined and separated.  I must say this is a really good moisturizer and we will be using it for as long as it works.  It's definitely worth the $20.  Did I mention its a nice smell for a tween girl.  For day 3 hair I cannot believe how gorgeous and bouncy her curls are. 

And these curls are not tangled.  I can run my fingers through her hair.  Their is no matted up hair.  Thats pretty awesome, especially because we love to wear the hair down.  It just fits her personality, yo!

And a view of the back.  I've given up on completely getting rid of frizz.  I mean, sometimes you just gotta embrace it. I might just need a little bit more lotion on those hard to tame frizz areas. 

For hair like this, consider the Kinky-Curly Knot Today leave in $12,(I order mine from Curl Mart online with a $60 order you get free shipping), and the Curl Junkie Smoothing Lotion $20 from Curl Mart.  I wish you could see in live person, this hair.  It has its own personality.  I'm just really impressed with the product.  I'm a die hard Kinky-Curly Knot today fan and now I'm a Curl Junkie Smoothing lotion fan.  Couple these two products together to achieve these results.

Happy Holidays,

 The Ellis Family

An afternoon at the brick wall

I love that my kids will hop out of the car on a whim to take some pictures. These pictures were taken after school.  The girls were walking to the car and I was like, "I have to take some pictures today!"  So, off we zoomed to the brick wall downtown in hopes of snagging some decent shots.  They did pretty well.

Two months after school started back, the weather is finally starting to get cool.  Bring out the cute jackets! 

Reese is wearing a shirt and scarf from Justice along with Maria's sweater from last year, also from Justice. 

Maria is wearing a button up shir from Justice that is totally classic with an animal print jacket from Old Navy.  I paid $14 for that jacket.  She is also rocking a braided headband because she is prone to frizz at her forehead.  This helps a lot!  Real easy to do as well.  Hair on top of hair.  I love it!  

Back to School 2011

Ok, so I'm a little behind.  I like to say, better late than never, right.  I just wanted to chronicle some back to school pics of the girls.  Reese graduated Kindergarten and is now in the first grade.  We started off wearing some Gymboree but quickly decided that was not acceptable as Justice was the place to go for any fashion diva.   Maria is a fourth grader this year and it couldn't show more.  Here she is rocking a Murray State Vintage shirt from Target along with my Yac Pac I carried a few times at school before I decided it killed my back. 

Obviously, Reese hasn't mastered the art of keeping her eyes open for pictures upon entering the first grade. 

Did I mention I CANNOT decide Maria's ensembles.  Well, I can't.  She is a fourth grader after all.  They have their own idea of what they like and what looks good.  Today she decided a scarf wrapped around one wrist and Zumba bracelets on the other finished her look.  I especially loved the sequin headwrap. 

And while Reese is missing an assortment of teeth, I can still pick out her outfits pending her approval. 

Second day back to school with the girls I keep in the morning and after school.  GO GIRLS!
I'm gonna blog some pictures of 4 months later to see how much they have grown!

Curl Junkie Smoothing Lotion Review

While ordering my 6 month supply of Kinky-Curly Knot Today, I decided to give the Curl Junkie line a shot. I needed a really good moisturizing lotion to freshen up Maria's curls as needed, so I ordered the Curl Junkie Smoothing Lotion.  I also ordered a light styler for Reese's hair called Curls in a Bottle.  This styler is much to light for Maria's thick, tight curls but perfect for Reese's fine curls.  I used these on top of the Kinky-Curly Knot Today Leave-In conditioner.  I've been braiding Maria's hair lately because its been wanting to break off and frizz like crazy.  You can see that these braids have been up for a minute.  It's much better on her hair to keep it in braids right now. We are just trying to get it growing and keep it from breaking.  Here she is tonight after I took all the braids out and massaged more lotion into her hair.

 I've used Miss Jessie's Baby Buttercreme in the past and it works great with a braid out on Maria's 3C curls.  No frizz, lots of shine, and lots of defined waves and it will stay like that for several days.  I just don't like the build-up.  So, I got my Curl Junkie Smoothing Lotion in the other day and washed Maria's hair with Kinky-Curly Knot Today, rinsed, and then re-applied the Knot Today.  I layered Curls in a Bottle over that and then the Smoothing Lotion on top of that.  I diffused and it looked good initially.  After school, it had shrunk to her ears and didn't feel good at all.  It's fairly simple to assume I will not be using that combo again.  I got a spray bottle out and started sectioning for her braids.  I do medium sized ones.  About 7.  I would get the hair wet, comb it out, and then apply the smoothing lotion.  I applied about a dime size amount to each section.  Those braids have been in her head for 4 days.  I just took them out and I have a few pics of the result.  It looks nice.  I applied more smoothing lotion throughout the hair for more moisture and suspect I will have to do so tomorrow.  This product claims to be a moisturizing leave in conditioner and I would agree.  Her hair has been in those braids and it was still nicely moisturized.  3C hair is extremely dry and needs lots of moisture.  LOTS!  It's real hard to achieve, I tell ya. 

I've decided its not a bad product so far.  I haven't used it long enough to notice if their is a build-up or not.  The smell is nice for a young girl.  It smells just like Pink Sugar perfume.  Some say it smells like cotton candy and I would agree.  Its a very Tween smell.  I'll continue to use it when I braid her hair up as long as I dont get a build-up.  We will keep the braid out for as long as the hair will allow.  If it starts frizzing and tangling, I'm done. 

This hair down here is Kinky-Curly Knot today layered with the Kinky-Curly Curling Custard.  This looks like it might be day 2 hair.  I can't remember.  I love this look but it's still really dry.  I'm hoping I can add in the Curl Junkie Smoothing Lotion to this hair for moisture. 

And one last picture for the night.  This is after one hour of Wii Fit play. The hair has lots of bounce and movement.  It's just not laying on her head like a limp noodle. It's looking a little frizzy on camera but it looks great in person.  I'll apply some more product to it tomorrow.   It feels really soft.  She loves the feel of it.  Now if I could just keep the girls from fighting and the blankets off their heads...............

I lost my birthday present. Humbug!

So after spotting on and off for a week with very little pregnant feeling, I started to bleed yesterday upon waking up. It stayed pretty much the same until 8 pm when I started cramping so bad I could barely take the pain. I got real nauseous and had to use the bathroom. My mom told me to go to emergency room, so I did. They got my blood and gave me an ultrasound. I did have a pregnant uterus and thickened endometrium but no sac was visible anywhere. I must have passed it at home before I left to hospital. So, continues the sequence of events that I'm so familiar with. I don't know why I thought this time would be any different. It's a pattern. I miscarry and then I get pregnant again pretty quickly and its all roses and sunshine. I don't know that we will try to get pregnant again though. I really just need to get my ass back in school and stay there until I graduate.

Not giving up the sippy cup.

Reese asked her daddy for hot cocoa in her sippy cup. She's 6 by the way. Alex said, " I think your mom threw them away."
She looked at him with almond eyes of chocolate and said,"no daddy, Jackson's cup."

#4 is on the way!

Waking up on your 33rd birthday to a spinning room is not the best way to wake up but that is exactly how it played out for me.  I had to lay my head back down on the pillow for fear of passing out.  What was wrong with me?

 The day was December 9th and after that strange episode of dizziness, I decided a pregnancy test might just be a good idea.  By my estimations I should have had a period about two weeks ago.  Ooops. I really should set a reminder on my phone for such things. 

 I quick got the kids off to school and raced to Save-a-Lot for my $1 test and then raced back home to drop those quick drops of urine on the test.  It didn't take a minute to show up that I was indeed pregnant.  I'm kind of giddy at this point.  Pregnant.  Again.  So soon.  That's not normal for me at all.  Maria is 10.  Reese is 6 and Jackson is a month over 1.  I take forever to get pregnant.  Forever.  Nevertheless, I'm excited and quickly call my mom who is thrilled...I think.  I mean, she did pay for her food at McDonalds Drive Thru and then just drive on through without getting her food.  Yeah, I would say she was a little excited.  Alex, my husband, couldn't believe it when I told him.  Like,  he didn't have a part in getting me pregnant.   Darling.  I just don't know what to say about him.  He is a man.  That's about all I can say. 

Anyway, we are all thrilled over here and I look forward to sharing my experiences with all of you.  This could get hairy.  I'm not very organized.  Having a few more than a few children requires organization.  I probably should go google that now. 

Sunday dinner

Don't go out to eat after church.  Instead, go home and cook up this family friendly dinner that will have your husband and kids begging for seconds. 

Pork Chop and Potato Skillet recipe

6 pork loin chops about 1/2 inch thick
1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1- 4 oz can of mushroom stems and pieces, undrained
1/4 cup chicken stock
2-3 tbsp of white wine...just eyeball it
1/4 tsp dried thyme...eyeball it
1/2 tsp garlic powder...eyeball it....add a little more depending on taste
1/2 tsp worcestershire sauce..eyeball it
11/2 pounds of small red or new potatoes cut into fourths
1 tbsp chopped pimiento
1 package 10 oz frozen green peas

Use a little olive oil in a large skillet to brown your chops on both sides.  I season mine with salt and pepper.  You are free to use whatever seasoning you like.  Medium high heat is what I use.  Depending on size of your skillet you might need to cook in small batches until chops are done.  While those are browning I get out a 4 cup pyrex wet measure and add my can of mushroom soup, chicken stock, wine, thyme, garlic powder and worcestershire sauce.  Stir together and then pour over all of your chops in large skillet.  Heat to boiling while stirring on occasion.  Then add your potatoes, cover and simmer until taters are getting tender.  Oh, dont forget to season your potatoes.  I use seasoned salt.  Don't overdo it though.  After your taters are tender add your peas and pimento.  Cover and simmer about ten minutes until tender.  You might need to add a little more chicken stock. 

Its delicious.  Trust me.  You will so thank me.

Thanks to January 1994 Betty Crocker Hearty Casseroles and Skillet Dinners recipe book.  I modified the original recipe

June 5th coupons from St. Louis Post Dispatch

JUNE 5, 2011 Coupons from St. Louis Post Dispatch

Red Plum 6/5

Millstone Coffee/$1.50 exp 8/31
Save $1/3 Kellogs Cereals exp 7/17
Save .55/1 Ball Park Buns exp 7/2
Save .75/1 Ball Park Deli Style Beef Franks exp 7/1
Save .75/2 Any Ball Park products
Save .75/1 Snuggle Fabric Softener exp 7/17
Save $1/1 All Laundry Detergent exp 7/17
Save $1/1 Box of Mrs. T's Pierogies exp 8/31
BYGO on any Met-Rx Big 100 Bar exp 7/31
BYGO on any Met-Rx Protein Plus bar exp 7/31
Save $2 on any shade Preference exp 7/31
Save $1 on any disney or marvel vitamin products exp 7/15
Save $1 on any Loreal Paris skincare exp 7/31
Save $2 on any one Sarna Anti-itch product exp 8/31
Save $1 on any Garnier Fructis Shampoo, conditioner or tx exp 9/5
Save $1 on any Garner Fructis Style Product exp 9/5
Save .75/1 Rhodes Warm n serve rolls  exp 9/30
Save $1/1 Bottle of C&H Light or amber organic agave nectar exp 8/31
Save $2 Nivea body wash for men exp 7/30
Save $2 Nivea Face Care product for men exp 7/30
BYGO on any pure protein Bar exp 7/31
$2/1 Pure Protein 4 pack of RTD's/Protein Powder exp 7/31
Save .50/1 Johnsons Baby or Natural product exp 8/15
Save .75/1 Newmans own salad dressing exp 7/30
Save .50/1 Newsmans own pasta sauce, salsa, lemonade, marinade, popcorn exp 7/30
Save $1/1 Nature's Bounty Vitamin or Supplement exp 7/19
Save $3 on any Flexamin supplement exp 7/19
Save $2 on any your life multi supplement exp 7/19

Smart Source 6/5

Save $1/1 UP2U pack exp 7/20
Save $1/1 50 piece or larger mentos gum
Save $1/3 bottles 15 piece or larger Mentos gum

Save .50/2 Betty Crocker Suddenly Salad exp 7/30
Save $1/1 Old El Paso Tortilla stuffers Microwave meal exp 7/30
Save .75/1 Yoplait Frozen Smoothie exp 7/30
Save $1 A.1. steak sauce or marinade exp 7/30

Save $3!!! on Bic Flex4 Razor 3 pack, 4 pack, Bic comfort 3 advance 4 pack, or Bic Hybrid Advance exp 7/31

Save $1 on one  Philadelphia Cooking Creme exp 7/16
Save $2/2 Efferdent products exp 7/31
Save .75/1 Ban solid exp 7/31
Save .40/1 any Ban product exp 7/31
Save $1/2 46 oz or larger V8 splash exp 7/31
Save .50/1 V8 juice 46 oz or larger exp 7/31
Save $2/2 v8 juice 46 oz or larger exp 7/31

Save $3 on any 10 oz or lrger RevitaLens OcuTec Multi-Purpose solution exp 7/17

Save $1/1 Dan o nino 6/12 packs exp 7/31
Save $1/1 Danimals pack
Naturmade Vitamins 7 different coupons all expiring on 7/5
Save $1/2 packs of RayoVac batteries exp 7/31

Save .75 any colgate toothpaste exp 6/25
Save .75 any colgate adult or kids manual toothbrush excluding colgate plus or extra clean exp 6/25

Save $1 on any brut product exp 7/31

Save .75/2 Scotch brite scrub sponges, scour pads, dishwands, refills exp 7/15
Save .55/1 Nexcare product

Save .75/1 French's Dijon Mustard exp 9/30

GYF Duncan Hines Premium cake or brownie mix WYB 2 Duncan Hines Products exp 9/5

SAve .35/1 box welch's fruit snacks or fruit n yogurt snacks exp 7/17

Save .55 Nature Sweet Cherry Tomatoes exp 7/31

Save .75/1 excederin 20 ct. or larger exp 7/16
Save $1.50/1 excedrin 80 ct. or larger exp 7/16

Save $1/1 Hot Shot product exp 7/31

Save .75/1 Red Baron Singles Product exp 8/7
Save $2/1 Chicago Cutlery single knife 8/31
Save $1 on any 4 pack or larger better than ears, bones, minis  exp 9/5

P&G Brand Saver will be the same no matter the paper

Giveaway!

Who doesn't love free products and I have just the ones for you! Whether you are new to couponing or a seasoned veteran, I want the Metro Coupon Mom page to be a place to come and share deals and methods we use to get the best deals.  Participation in the page is needed to benefit everyone.  To get a community of coupon moms started, I want to do a giveaway.  This is how it will work.

I am going to post a status on Metro Coupon Mom and I need yall to comment on the status with the link to your facebook page that shows you shared my page link with your friends.  To do this you can just copy my page link when on my page and then under your status select link and paste and then post.  Easy

I am going to use a randomizer to pick a number and that person that has the post number that is selected will receive the giveaway.  I will ship them to you free of charge or if you live near I can drop them off at your house. 

Here is a list of items included in the giveaway
1.  1 pack of Noxzema razors
2.  2 packs of Ivory soap

3.  1 goody headbands
4.  2 packs of Carefree pantyliners
5.  1 box of U by Kotex tampons.  (love the colors)
6.  1 box of Crest toothpaste
7.  1 Reach floss
8.  1 Nivea body wash
9.  1 Airwick Freshmatic Ultra starter kit
10.  1 Stayfree Overnight thin pads
11.  1 Cottonelle wipes container

One lucky person will win all of these items!  Good Luck!  Giveaway starts now and ends at 11:59 Friday night, May 6th.  Winner will be announced Saturday morning and package will be delivered right after that.


   

Shopping has never felt so rewarding

Here is my meek little pile of goodies that I swooped up at our neighborhood Walgreens and the Walmart across the flooding Ohio river. I might not be able to leave Metropolis again for a while with all of this rain and flooding. Leaving town today, I could see the water was making its way onto Highway 145 if the rain persists.

In my short time of couponing I haven't got to get the really good sale on toilet paper but I guess it hits a rock bottom price sooner or later with coupons and when it does, I'm stocking up! This deal wasn't bad though by any means. I'm a Charmin girl or let me say I used to be a Charmin girl but we are having to buckle down so I'm now a whatever is the best price kind of girl and I'm proud of it because we will now have more money for other things..like saving?? The Cottonelle was on sale for $5. They do not advertise the RR's near this toilet paper or the coupon savings in the May coupon book but you will get this deal. Print off your Cottonelle coupons for $.50 off each roll. You can print off two per computer. ( Present your manufacturer coupons first, then present the coupon for $1.00 off in the May booklet found when you walk into the store. Your total will be $7.00 OOP but you will get a $3 RR you can use towards your next transaction. That makes your final cost on these two packs of toilet paper $4.00!!!! I'm thinking that's pretty darn good.
 
I got the two Right Guard deoderants for FREE!
The Noxzema razors were $1.99 OOP with a $2.00 coupon, plus I got a  $3.00 RR so they were free plus I made a dollar.  Note: Do not use the Noxzema RR towards another Noxzema purchase.  If you do, you will not get another RR. Also, my Noxzema razors contained another $2.00 off coupon so look for that. 
The Comet cleaner was on sale with ad coupon 2 for $1.00 and I had 2- $.25 coupons that made them a quarter a piece when stacked with the ad coupon.  Yes, you can do that.
The Cottonelle wipes were $1.50 after a coupon.  Probably not the best deal but better than $2.00 I would pay at Walmart.  I bought 4 filler items (Glee stickers and Glee stationary on clearance) at a quarter a piece for the girls so I could use all my coupons.   I had 12 coupons to use with my 3-$3.00 RR from previous week so that took $9.00 off my total.  My final total was $6.67 and I earned $6.00 in RR's so $.67 isn't bad at all.  Keep in mind this is the total with  $9.00 in RR's I earned last week. If your just starting out you may have to pay a little more out of pocket or just do separate transactions so you can use a RR on next purchase. 

Next up was Walmart.  I found 4 more Airwick Ultra coupons for $4.00 off and they are on sale for $4.98 at Walmart so I got them for $.98 a piece.  I also have 7 coupons for any Ivory soap $1.00 off, so I scooped up 7- 3 packs at $.97 a piece.  That means I made $.21 on those. Didn't pay a dime.  Man I wish I knew about couponing when we were young and forever soaping.  Jeesh!

Again, this shopping trip cost me under $10.  After deducting $6 in RR it was a $4 shopping trip and look at all the things I got!  Yall can do this too!!!  It really does satisfy you and its easy on the pocketbook.  Shopping has never felt so rewarding.  LOVE IT!

I was excited to shop this morning!  I got 8 Crest toothpastes at Kroger for free.  Yes.  All of them were absolutely free with my $1 off Crest coupons.  I do know that at one time you could load a $1 off Crest coupon onto your card because it gave me that discount today on one of my toothpastes.  I actually got a coupon back because of it so I will have to go back and get another tube for free.  I gave 2 to my neighbor so they are not in the photo.  I also picked up some Kellogs cereal because one can never have to many boxes of cereal with kids galore!  They are on sale at Kroger for $1.98 and I had coupons for $1.50 off of 3 boxes so that made them $1.48 a box.  I bought 6 boxes.  See photo below.  I got fruit loops, rice crispies, and cocoa crispies.  Also at Kroger they had Purex Laundry detergent 2/$5 and I had two coupons for a $1 off each one so that made them 2 for $3!  Last on my list at Kroger was a free 3 bar pack of Ivory soap.  I don't use Ivory but it was free so we will use it!

Next was my trip to Walgreens where I picked up another pack of Stayfree for $2.00 and earned a $3 RR. 
I later went to my Walgreens in Metropolis and did this deal again.  I now have 3 catalinas for $3 off. 

Last stop was Walmart.  I was searching for the $3 Nivea Body wash and the shelves were clear.  I was not taking my big gas guzzling vehichle to the south side so we will never know if they have them at that location.  I will just wait and hope they get them back in stock before the coupons expire on the 14th of May. The coupons are for $3 off so that will make them free.  I printed off my $1 off coupon for any reach floss and the floss is priced at $.88 so i made .$12 to take it out of the store.  While in the store I noticed they had Airwick Freshmatic Ultras on special for $4.98 and I was pretty sure I had coupons for $4.00 off and I did.  I had 4 of those coupons so I bought 4 of the kits for under $4.00! Only 3 are pictured because I cracked one open as soon as I got home to put in bathroom.  I also found 2 coupons that someone just laid down by the trial size Cascade completes which are $.98 and the coupons were for .$50 off so I scooped up two of the trial packs for under a dollar.  I always find coupons at Walmart on the shelves so be on the lookout for these as well.   I made a stop at the magazine rack and picked up the latest edition of All You magazine which has tons of coupons in it and I was done for the day! 

This shopping trip cost me $ 20 OOP.  $14 when you take into consideration my $6 in RR's for Walgreens.   If you have any questions, please leave me a comment and I will answer as soon as possible.  Have a beautiful day!

Fabric Softener and maxi pads, OH MY!

Im not in love with the deals this week but I did manage to score some essentials for a very good price, saving this family of five a good amount of money.

My favorite deal of the week was the Stayfree maxi pads at Walgreens on sale for $2.99 with a $2.99 register reward to use on next purchase.

Making this deal even better was visiting  stayfree for a $1 off coupon making your out of pocket only $1.99. Yes, you made a dollar to take these babies out of the store. You can do this twice if you print off two coupons (simply hit back button twice while first coupon is printing)just don't do it in same shopping trip and don't use your previous RR to buy the next Stayfree purchase.

Ok, so far I have only spent $2.11 and I have a $2.99 RR that I am now ready to use on this next deal:

Clorox toilet bowl cleaner was on sale at Walgreens 2 for $3 after in store coupon. I also printed off a Clorox toilet bowl cleaner coupon a week or so ago that is no longer available, to make this deal even better. I got 2 for $2.25. Walgreens also has a hot buy in the boxed Popsicles. We love the Authentic Italian Ices that are made in Chicago and for $.60, you can give them a try. I added these to my order and didn't pay anything out of pocket.

To recap, I have a pack of stayfree maxi pads, a box of popsicles, and 2 clorox toilet bowl cleaners and I have only paid $2.11.

The next day I used my second Stayfree coupon and rang the pads up first as my first transaction. I paid $2.11 and got my $2.99 RR. I then applied that to my second transaction which was the Purex Crystals softener. I had two coupons for these I found in sunday paper making these $1.99 a piece. That my friends, is a deal. I've since tried the softener crystals and I love them. Im hoping to find some more coupons by a miracle to buy a few more at this great price. In order to use the 2 manufacturer coupons and the $2.99 RR, I need 3 items so I always look at clearance bin. In metropolis, we have $.24 KY wildcats silly bands or. $25 Glee items. Snag one of those items for a door prize or as a9 gift for a child. So, I have $4.25 in items and $2.99 RR.

My OOP on this transaction is under a $1.40. This combined with the $2.11 from the day before comes to $3.51.  I got 7 items.  That is $.50 per item.  I'm LOVIN it!!






Tip: Always print off a coupon for an item like this because you never know when it will go on sale and you want to get the best deal. Also, check out foods, toiletries, and household goods out on facebook. They often have coupons you can print for liking their page.

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Let's Coupon Ladies!

Ok, so I first started my coupon journey about a week ago. I never took the time to coupon before, but after seeing the show Extreme Couponing, I thought I could do that too.  It could be my part time job!  I love shopping and I love hunting for things (in the words of my nosy daughter, "I love going to the dumpster!") so this gig was gonna be a lot of fun and perfect for me.  Going back to the dumpster thing.  It's really not a dumpster.  It's a recycling bin that resembles a dumpster.




 Groceries are expensive!
 Gas is expensive!
 Everything is expensive!  Ok. I started this draft a week ago. Im just now getting back to it. I have a busy life and adding couponing to it just made it a little more than busy. I made a terrible mistake a walgreens yesterday. Im going to tell y'all about it so maybe I wont beat myself up over it anymore. I mean, I could seriously bite myself. I thought I was doing so good. I had my $3 off of Nivea body wash coupons coupled with the sale they were already having on the body wash, making them .79 a piece. SCORE! LOVE BODY WASH! I usually stick to the baby kind with cocoa butter but when you are on a budget its best the find the deals and grab them when you can to save money. I bought 10 bottles because I had 10 coupons. I found a new coupon or two everyday I visited the recycling. So lets break it down. I spent about 9.00 for 10 great body washes that normally retail for $5 a piece. I didn't even leave my husband out of the deal either. I found about 4 Coupons for Nivea for men bodywash so I scooped him some up too. Ok, so back to the biting. REGISTER REWARDS want to be the death of me or maybe its shopping with three kids. I haven't figured it out. I started off with my coupon for Colgate toothbrush. They are on sale 2 for $6 with a $4 register reward so with coupon it was 2 toothbrushes for a buck or it would've been had I not been shopping with 3 kids. I also had a coupon for the toothpaste and it was the same deal so it would've been 2 for $1 had I not used my previous register reward toward its purchase. The poor young guy checking me out didn't look like he wanted to deal with it so I just sucked it up and vowed to bite myself later. It was a novice mistake. It wont happen again. I was rushing trying to get the kids to put the back scratchers down while the manager gave me a fuddled look. Listen man, im just trying to get some deals, I told him with my dirty look. Lesson learned. Pay attention to register rewards and product you will be buying with that register reward. I just screwed it all up. I lost $4 on the deal and once you start couponing, $4 becomes $100. No lie. You will see. One more tip for walgreens shoppers with coupons. U must have an item for every coupon. So say you have 3 items and 3 coupons. You also want to use a RW. You now need a 4th item. It doesn't matter what that item is so find the cheapest item. Ask the manager. He will know what it is. Stay tuned for deals to be had starting Sunday at Walgreens and perhaps CVS. We don't have a CVS in Metropolis but I do occasionally zip down to Paducah for a really great bargain. Ill keep you posted. Ill start writing the draft today!

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Week 11 PP

Another week has passed with swiftness. I mean, where does the time go? No blogging yesterday because I was busy entertaining my husband and in and out of naps. Also, I was reading. I'm mostly always reading. I love having the time to read. I love reading to my children as well and now that all electronics for the children are cut off we spend more time reading aloud. I have Maria read to her sister and brother. I want them to love reading more than watching tv or a movie. The more wrinkles in the brain, the better I say.

Anyway, on to the postpartum talk. I feel great. Im slinking back into the Victorias Secret panties. I'm feeling a little more sexy. I paraded around my house in my panties yesterday and played sexy housewife for my husband where I picked stuff up off of the floor so he could get his eyes full. He told me I was "so wrong". I even handed him my ass on a silver platter at 1 am after feeding baby before he left for work. A going away present, if you will.

I'm still working out and I'm still loving Zumba. I can't wait for tomorrow and the rest of this week. My body still looks the same to me. Slow changes are cool with me though. I'll take it!

I took new pics but like I said, they look the same.
This week:



Last week:




This week:




Last week:





I'll see yall next week with week 12 progress.
Oh! Here is a pic of my little 11 week old baby boy with his big sisters. What a lucky boy!



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What is a 10 week old doing?

My baby was 10 weeks old yesterday. He is giving up the grins and even a giggle sound when smiling. He loves to smile when he's on his belly and he rolls from his stomach to his side. Now is not the time to leave your baby on the couch unattended. Baby will roll right off.



He was trying to roll over while I was snapping the pic so I had to catch him.






He's such a happy baby! He is up a lot more during the day. In fact, I can only get him to sleep if we are really loud, at Zumba, or in the car. He's up for a few hours at a time. During his awake hours, we do tummy time, we dance, and we talk. The girls also cart him around and talk to him. He is still waking up one to two times during the night. It's usually go to bed by 9:30 and up at midnight. Back to sleep at 12:30 and up at 3:30-5:30. His schedule varies. It's not a set one. I guess in the next few weeks or so he might develop a schedule. Here's to hoping!




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Week 9 PP

Seriously! Where does the time go? I didn't even post yesterday. Week 9 has came and almost gone as of tomorrow. Im taking a pic in my new $15 jeans I snagged from the Limited clearance rack in a size 8. Hooody hooooo!
Looking at them, I was convinced I wouldn't be able to button them, but I did!
Zumba! It works! Its been a month since I started Zumba and I can totally see the changes in my body.















The bottom 3 pics I just took. Pardon the hair. I just blow dried.
This is a nursing tank I have on as well. It's convertible and I love it. It has built in support and pads for a nice look

Jackson is sleeping a little more at night and up a lot more during the day. He is smiling and cooing and holding his head up with ease. I can't wait for the day he sleeps through the night on a nightly basis. I need sleep!

See yall next Friday for week 10 PP.
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Week 8 postpartum

Week 8 has come and almost gone.
At week 8 postpartum, you are nowhere near out of the woods. You are still up all night and all day. You are running on "god only knows what." In fact, you should only be running on "god only knows what" while at home. It's not safe to be out in public. I assure you.
I almost ran a red light today. My husband was telling me "red light, red light" in his calm manner. It took me a minute to catch on to what he was saying and I slammed on the breaks. I can only conclude that because I am severely sleep deprived, my synapses aren't firing correctly. I could kill somebody. Maybe I shouldn't be operating heavy equipment. This also includes the stove. I left it on the other day after cooking. I left to go do Zumba down the road and came back to a nice smelly house. Luckily I only had the burner on low. It burned my wooden spoon I left in the pan. Also, my Rachael Ray skillet is pretty much ruined. Nobody likes scrambled eggs that stick to the bottom of a non stick pan! This is the second time in a week that I have left a burner on. All the Seattles Best in the world isn't helping me right now. The only thing that can help me at this point is a nice 10 hours of sleep. (says the woman nursing a very hungry baby)

Even though I'm sleep deprived, don't get it twisted. This woman is all about getting back into shape. I'm not about to keep this flabby figure much longer. I would like to thank Zumba and Cybex for helping me get back into shape. I'm nowhere near where I want to be but I'm nearer than I was last week. Im super dedicated to working out. Also, I can sometimes be patient. Weight loss is one of those things where you have to be patient. I've lost the weight before and I will do it again. I just stick to the routine and take it one day at a time.

Picture time. I'm so sleepy I don't think I can write anymore.







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Happy New Day

I'm not one to get excited by the new year like some. I get excited by a new day. A new day is a fresh start. It's a day to do the things you didn't do yesterday. It's a day to sneak in a few more kisses to your husband and kids. A day to workout harder than you did the day before. A day to start with a positive attitude.

We all should look at a new day as exactly that. It's a new day. A NEW day folks! That's amazing! Think about it. We don't just get a new year, we get a new day! What better way to do what we have resolved to do. One day at a time, not one year at a time.

Please take heed. Listen to your heart. Make time for yourself. All things can be accomplished if we take it one day at a time.

I'm starting my day off every morning with thanks and love and a promise to do whatever it is I decide to do that day. Simple. Just the way I like it.

You decide the day you want to have.


I will see yall Friday for week 8's postpartum blog. Woohoo!



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Location:Paducah,United States