Sales and Coupons

On the Today Show earlier this week there was a lady discussing coupons and how you can really save money by using coupons. Her example was that she had a whole table of food that she bought for only $.25 (yes, that is cents people)!!! This caught my attention and from there I was sold. Her plan is to watch the local sales at grocery stores and then use manufacture coupons that come out usually on Sunday's paper... so only buy sales items and hopefully with an extra discount from a coupon. Sounds easy enough right!?!

I have been struggling with our grocery bill for about 2 months now. With the raise in prices and the need to buy more for Ryland, our budget in the grocery store is totally off whack. I also feel like because I don't work that it is my job to help our family save as much money as possible. So, I have become the coupon clipping and sales watching woman that I swore I never would be (yikes, am I really saying that out loud?)!

I am proud to say that after only about an hour of clipping and sales watching I prepared my menu for the week based on local sales items and coupons that I found (I am so cheep, I actually got our elderly neighbors to 'donate' their unused Sunday coupons to me so I don't have to buy a paper... they LOVE it). Over all I ended up getting food for almost two weeks worth of groceries (dog food and diapers included) and I only spent $115.37.... get this, I saved $76.23!!! Now, I know its not $.25, but maybe the better I get at watching sales and collecting coupons the more the price will go down! On top of all of that I was able to get 'extras' from the store that I would not normally buy because of the GREAT deals I found. For example, I got 3 boxes of good cereal (you know, the really sugary kind like coco puffs) for $2.00.... that is right, 3 boxes for just $2.00!!!

Its kind of silly, but I found a since of accomplishment in this little adventure today and really felt like I was physically doing something to help out our family's needs! The fun part about it too, is that it is my new Sunday morning routine. Kyle and Ryland can have a lazy morning sitting around in PJ's and I am home before lunch... much better then fighting with Ryland to stay sitting in the cart for an hour while I hurriedly shop and leave the store way over budget and have forgotten half my list! :)

So, get clipping... you can save too!

Weekends and Winners

OK, so since only 3 of you named that photo and all 3 of you made me giggle, it was a 3 way tie! :) Thanks for playing!

So, this weekend I gained a little bit of inspiration! Kyle and I have a little extra money coming in right now so we are really trying to think of what the best way to spend it is. Of course our first thoughts are buying new clothes and going out to eat, but really... that is how we would spend our money? A side from some jeans that Kyle needs, we don't need clothes. What we really need to do is spend some money on our house. Since we have decided to stay here, I want to do a few things to make it better for us.

So, we spent a good part of yesterday afternoon walking around Home Depot looking for ideas. It was really good for us to just go down every isle and talk about our options and goals we would like to achieve in this house. I think since we have been on such a TIGHT budget for the past year and a half, we never really talked about things we could do to the house... we just prayed that nothing would HAVE to be done. We made it through without having to spend any big money on the house thus far, so I am thankful! It was fun to dream yesterday. We talking about how we would fix the planter in the front of the house, what we would like to do to the kitchen someday, how to improve on our limited closet space, putting in a new front door, new garage door, and so much more.

In a couple of weeks, Ryland and I are going on vacation to Albuquerque. We will be there for two weeks and Kyle will be joining us for a few days at the end of our trip. But, while we are gone, Kyle's dad offered to come down for a few days and help Kyle with some projects around the house!!! This is so exciting for me.... you see Kyle has a slight motivation issue. I mean, he does fine when he is in a time crunch or when something must be done, but as far as gaining motivation to spend his day off doing 'projects' around the house he does not find appealing and lacks the motivation to do them. Sometimes I feel like a nag, when I constantly ask "what his plans are for the day" or "would he mind doing _____" so, the idea of his dad coming down is a great way to motivate him! It's a time crunch to get as much done while he is here and before we come home as he can! So, thanks Dwain, I'm excited!

One thing we did do while we were there was purchase quite a few large plastic bins. I feel like our house is just full of STUFF and I am really tired of it. So, I am spring cleaning! I have taken over the garage (basically, given up hope that we will ever park in there) and claimed it as my storage unit. I am moving furniture, clothes, books, anything that is not being used, into the garage into clear plastic bins. There is will stay until we need it again. I just need space in our house, and this was the only way I could achieve that!

So wish me luck and motivation as I begin this spring cleaning project! Kyle also, hung a large shelf in the laundry room (dryer room, really), and that has already made a huge difference for me! Maybe you will be getting some pictures along the way of the organization process.

Name that photo "contest"

OK, here we go! Our first "Name that photo contest!" Now I know you are all SO excited you can hardly wait to play! Here are the rules.... leave a comment on this post and title this photo something clever and comical. I will pick the winner and you will win..... well, nothing, just the honor in knowing that your comment made me laugh! :)

Have fun!

Photos

Pretty in Pink

Zach's new ball pit

Zach and Ryland in the balls

Mommy, you actually got a bow in my hair!

Diapers

The thought of two babies in diapers scares me a little. Ryland will be just over 19 months when her brother or sister is born and in all my experiences I never thought that she might be potty trained or have begun potty training yet. The thought of changing two sets of diapers is one thing, the cost of buying two different sizes in diapers is another! All the way around, the idea of potty training early sounds more and more inviting! :)

This morning I gained some inspiration from MckMamma here and think I will begin the process of early potty training in a few months! Just thought I would share. :)

To Move or Not to Move....

About two months ago when we found out we were pregnant one of our first thoughts was... we should move! Let me start by giving you a little history... we moved to Dallas in May 2006. We had every intention to buy a house as soon as we could. We knew (or thought we knew) that Kyle would be in seminary for at least 4 years, so that would be a good amount of time to invest in a property and not waste our money renting. So, we bought this house in Oct 2006 and thought we were in love... key word... thought.

We wanted to be close to Kyle's school (thinking he would be there for longer) and we wanted a house that would fit in our budget if we ever had children. We were not planning on have kids until after Kyle got his masters degree, but we knew that we didn't want to tie ourselves to a large mortgage payment just in case. We made a vow several years ago, that I would stay at home with our children no matter what it took (that is a long story, for another blog). So, after looking for homes for several months, this seemed like a very nice, reasonably priced (for Dallas), well maintained, home for us. But, lets just say that our idea of home repair or remodeling has been slightly skewed from watching way too many home improvement shows that make you think anyone can do these projects, you can do them for under $1000, and that you can get them done in a weekend! Haa haa.... my Dad tried to warn us... but we had lofty ideals. :)

So, over the past year, we have grown progressively frustrated with this house. The kitchen is not large enough, there is only one bathroom, the washer is in the kitchen and the dryer is located on the opposite side of the house, the carpet is old, the cabinets are old and gross.... and the list goes on, oh I forgot to mention our front planter is falling down. So, when we found out baby #2 was on its way, there was no doubt in our minds that we need a larger house. Not much larger, just at least two bathrooms and an actual laundry room.

And we wanted an excuse to move into a newer home that is closer to Kyle work... since now he drives about 45 mins one way and he is no longer in school. So we began praying about it and looking into new mortgage guidelines and such. We got excited about possibly moving, we found several homes in North Dallas that were in our price range and newer (hopefully less up-keep). And, to be really honest right here, everyone we know lives in better, larger, nicer homes then we do. Every time I go to their homes, I covet. I know, not a reason to buy a new home, but I'm not going to lie, it was one of my thoughts.

So, after two months of talking about it, praying about it, seeking advice about it, we have actually decided not to move. And, honestly, I am happy with that decision. Of course there are things in this house that I would change, I am sure in my next house there will be things to change there too. Of course there will are things to fix and yes there will be things to fix in the next house as well. Of course all of our friends have larger homes then we do... they are living on two incomes, that will most likely always be the case. But, in the end, I am happy here. I have great neighbors. I know that it is because of this house that I am able to stay at home with Ryland and baby #2. It is a comfortable house for us at this stage in our life. And, I know this is where God wants us. So, we are staying.

Cravings

FINALLY!!!!

Bummed

So, I have tried to upload the most adorable video of Ryland for the past four days without success. Sorry! This really has put me in a mood about my blog. But I will try and reconcile. For now, here is the update on your sweet thing:

• Ryland is officially walking! Not all the time, but when she wants to she can, very slowly. :)
• She says lots of words: Hi, Bye-bye, No-no, Dada, Mama, Gucky (yucky), Yes, Dank-ooo (thank you).
• Animal noises: Cow, Dog, Cat, Sheep, Duck, Chicken, Horse (sometimes)
• She LOVES to eat! And she eats almost anything these days. She is totally into feeding herself, which means, I can't help and meal time takes about an hour! :)
• She loves to say "Hi" to everyone that walks by us in the store or in the Dr office. It is the cutest thing ever. She will actually say hi and progressively get louder until that person looks at her and smiles.
• She really is just easy going! Our days consist of playtime, bath time, nap time, going outside and meals and she is perfectly happy to do any of those things.

Here is the update on the baby front, I am 11 weeks this week and I am feeling great! Last week go got to hear the wonderfully beautiful heartbeat and see the tiny little one wiggling around in my womb. It was so cool! I am showing a little even now, and this is a lot sooner then I showed with Ryland... but they say that is normal. I feel like I have gained 20 lbs, but it was only 2. We are starting to talk about our options for everything right now, should we get a bigger house? what room will the baby have? will Ryland still be in her crib? and a million more... but its so much fun!

Bugged by blogger!

Trying to get better at blogging. :) Trying to post a stinkin cute video of Ryland and it has taken me ALL day!!!! getting very frustrated and about to give up! I will try again tomorrow! Sorry!

Sherah: The lost Files!!!

This is for all of you who don't get to see my wife's sense of humor all of the time. This is how she makes me smile, and just a few of the crazy things that she does from time to time. She has also taught our daughter some funny tricks!

Night #4 of Sleep Training

Ryland slept through the night!!!! YEA!!!! I hope that this continues! She is still needing us to go in there in order for her to fall asleep, but we don't pick her up or pat her a lot, we just stand by her crib and say "shhhhhh" and in a few minutes she is completely out! So, our goal of sleeping though the night has been met and now we will work on teaching her to fall asleep without us in the room.

Yea for sleep!!!!

Sick, Sleep, Cleaning, and Relaxing

Sorry it has been awhile since posting, but this whole pregnancy thing with a one year old seems to be kicking my butt.... too say the least. And, I think for every one's sake that it is better that I give up posting so at least something around the house can get done or food can be made or something a little more productive can happen.

I have been sick with this one. I was not sick at all with Ryland. I remember feeling qweezy a few times, but not sick. I have not actually thrown up, but I feel like I am right on the verge ALL day. I even carry the trash can with me everywhere, just in case. This would not be so bad IF I didn't have to entertain, feed, change and nurture my sweet baby all day long. I think the main issue that I am having is keeping my blood sugar where it should be. Before this week I was nursing Ryland 3-4 times a day which I don't think my body was handling very well on top of being pregnant. After talking with both my doctor and Ryland's doctor I have decided to ween her. I didn't think that it would be hard for me, but it kind of has been more emotional then I expected. (Sorry if this is TMI for some of you). I know that I gave Ryland the best start at life that I could. I was able to nurse her for a whole year and during that year she has never been sick! But I don't know if I am just hormonal or sad that this chapter in our life is over and those thousands of quite, sweet moments Ryland and I won't happen the same way they have over this year. Probably a combination of both, but I am comforted by the fact that I know I am giving my body to this next baby and giving this next baby the best start to life that I possibly can.

The other hard part about our life right now is Ryland is NOT a good sleeper! Before this week I was nursing her for every nap and bed time and every time she woke up at night (between 2 and 6 times a night!!!!). OK, so maybe its not Ryland, its that her parents were not good "Sleep Trainers" and really it worked for us until she got older and fought us more.

Well, this week has been pretty major in our lives. She is now only nursing once a day, right before bed time, and we have begun sleep training! Last night was the first night and it went better then I expected, tonight has gone even better thus far. So we will see! Our goal is for by the end of this week that she will know how to put herself to sleep!

So, for the past three days I have actually been feeling a little better and not so completely drained. One of the sweet girls from my small group said to me last Wednesday, "OK, I'm coming over tomorrow, what time do you wake up? I'll be there at 8:45am!" At first I was like, NO WAY, you are NOT coming over to my house to see it and its state!!!! I got the "cool-I'm-under-control-face" on and said thanks but no thanks and she said, "nope, I'm coming, put me to work, give me Ryland, or whatever, but I'm coming." So, she came. She saw my house in the horrible state that is was and didn't judge me. She just smiled and asked me what she could do. So, she played with Ryland while I cleaned like a mad-woman! It was SO fabulous! I was feeling great and getting SO much accomplished while I listened to the sweet laughter's of my baby in the other room! Thanks Katie, you rock!

Today Kyle and I just relaxed in the house and I enjoyed having him home to myself (and Ryland). It was refreshing. She even took a 3 hour nap this afternoon!!!! We strolled around the mall, had some amazing ice cream and just enjoyed each other. I felt so good because my house was clean, I didn't have to feel guilty doing something so fun! :)

One Year Old!!!

Time has flown by! I just heard a quote from a friend the other day that said, "The days are really long, but the months and years fly by" and that is SO true! I can not believe that its been a year since I was pregnant with Ryland, a year since being in the hospital, a year since having a newborn, wow, this year has flown by!

Alright.... #9 down...

Looks like I won't be fighting those 15 lbs..... Baby Witt #2 is on the way coming September 4th!!!!