Shrek Birthday Party

So as promised, I am posting my nephews adorable Shrek Birthday Party.  He turned two years old last week and his parents threw him an amazing party.  His mom did not miss a single detail.  I took hundreds of pictures, but I am going to post the ones that show all of the creativity that went into this party... Enjoy!

Sick Baby

I have had one sick baby!  Conner ran a fever of 103 all last week and was just plain pitiful.  He has finally overcome it, but is still having trouble sleeping.  So needless to say, I have been way to busy and way too sleepy to blog.

I am planning on posting pictures of my nephews amazing Shrek birthday party.  It was absolutely adorable, my sister-in-law did not miss a detail.  I can't wait to share it with everyone.

Hope all is well with everyone.  Until next time...

Coupon Break

As you may have noticed, I have put a break on couponing... GASP!  There are many factors that have gone into this, but the main being that Matt and I have to start leading a healthier lifestyle.  We both have decided that us saving $40 a week is not enough of a "deal" to continue to eat processed foods.

Another reason being that Conner is really eating our table food now and I want him to eat healthy.  I don't want to prepare a healthy dinner for Conner and then fix us a not so healthy meal just because it was on sale that week.   That is just ridiculous to me. You can tell by my previous posts that I did buy healthy items like fresh produce, dairy and meats... but the majority of it was boxed, processed crap. 

I am reverting back to my Whole Foods and Trader Joes shopping (mostly Trader Joes).  Before we started couponing, I was driving  to GreenHills on the weekend and doing my weekly shopping... so I know that it can be done and it is not that big of a deal.  Also, I thought that it would be fun to make a morning of it with Conner.  We could go to the Farmers Market and then to GreenHills.  It is a great way to expose Conner to an abundance of fresh foods and produce.

If you are not familiar with Trader Joes, you need to check it out.  I LOVE this store!!!!!!  They have gourmet, natural and organic foods for a very reasonable price.  I think that the produce, dairy, and grocery items are comparable to Kroger, but the meats are a bit more expensive.  They offer organinc products, but everything is not organic.  If it is not organic, it will usually note that it is free from additives and/or hormones.  Which are the two main things for me anyways.  You definitely need to check it out, I wish there was one closer!

So to sum up what the price difference is going to be... This past weekend I spent $90 at Trader Joes and got Bfast, Lunch and Dinner for 7 days, but it did not include formula.  Two weeks ago, I spent $80 at Publix and Aldis forBfast, Lunch, Dinner for 5 days and Formula (the other two nights were for dining out... again, we are changing our ways!).  So we really are going to save money and be healthier in the process.

Great Baby Deal This Week

For all of you mommas out there that use formula, here is a deal for you... $12.50 for a can of Gerber Good Start Formula.  That is right, $10 off!  This sale is at Publix and is running through next Tuesday.

Here is how to get this amazing deal:

1. Go to All You and find the Gerber Good Start Coupon for $5. 
2. Print the coupon.
3.  If you wish to buy more than one container, hit the back button and it will print another one.  The limit is 2 prints from one computer.  So if you would really like to stock up, find another computer.
4. Go to Publix and get a flyer at the front of the store with the Sales Ads.  Flip to the back of the ad and you should see an instore coupon for $5.  You can get as many of these as you want.
5. Pick up the large can of Gerber Good Start.
6.  When you check out, give them the Publix coupon and the Manufacturer's Coupon (printed from All You).  At Publix, you can stack a Manufacturer Coupon and a Store Coupon.
7. Then jump for joy that you saved so much money! 

Conner's Birth Story

I have been inspired to post Conner's Birth Story.  It was a very traumatic experience for me and I hope that it may help a mom be empowered to take control over their birth and go with their maternal instinct.  It is kinda long, but here it is:

Conner came into this world with a rough go of it.  Let me preface this story by saying that I was seeing an OB at the time, which was great at the beginning but then turned into a bad decision.

 About a week after finding out I was pregnant, I started to have some spotting and all of my symptoms disappeared (breast tenderness was the biggie).  I just knew something was wrong.  I called and talked to the nurse and she said that it was just implantation bleeding, but I insisted that I be seen.  After about 15 minutes of trying to convince them to see me, she finally agreed for me to come in.  I went in and had some blood work done. The next day I get a call to come into the office immediately.  Apparently, my progesterone levels were that of a non-pregnant woman and they wanted to do an ultrasound to see if the baby was even alive.

This was one of the worst days ever.  But sure enough there was a very faint heartbeat.  The heartbeat was very slow and by the estimated DD and his size, it was slower than they would have liked.  So she sent me home with a prescription for some oral progesterone supplements and wanted me to come back in one week to make sure the baby was still alive.  So I stressed out all week thinking I had a dead baby inside of me.  I went through this two more times, all to see that I had a very hard headed baby that wanted to survive.  Once I hit the twelve week mark, my placenta took over producing the progesterone and all was well.  I had a wonderful pregnancy, gained too much weight, but I learned and will make smarter decisions for baby number 2 ;)

During the entire pregnancy, Conner kept measuring large.  My original due date was July 13 and by the end of the pregnancy it was officially moved to June 20.  I continually tried talking to my OB about the measurements, and tried to inform her that my family and Matt’s family all had very large babies.  I am 5’10 and Matt is 6’0, we were both over 9 pounds when we were born.  But she insisted that I had my period date wrong and he was further along than we expected.

At about 8 months, I started to have high blood pressure.  I work at a hospital and work long 12 hour shifts and they had started to take a toll on my overweight self.  My blood pressure was getting too high, so she put me on bed rest for the duration of the pregnancy.  This was miserable.  I hated just laying around all day and this is when I really started to pack away the pounds.  ;)

This is the point where I have my heart broken.  During the entire pregnancy, I was convinced that I was going to have a natural birth.  I took a birthing class, studied endlessly on how to be successful with a natural delivery, and even had Matt talk to me and encourage me that I could do it.  But the last two visits we had with the OB, were not in favor of that.  I had an ultrasound three times within that last month and Conner’s measurements were right on track for June 20.  He was measuring in at over 8 pounds at 38 weeks and at 20 inches.  The doctor convinced me that he was too large, he was ballotable (when she checked me, his head would bounce back up), and he had passed the point of descent.  She said that the chance of me having a vaginal delivery was only 10% and that I should have a C-section. 

I was truly devastated!  I tried asking her what the harm would be in waiting another week and she said that he was too large and that it could cause undue stress on him.  I should have went with my instinct, but to a point you trust someone who has delivered hundred and hundreds of babies.  So when she said that it would harm Conner, I agreed.  This was a very BIG mistake.

We went to the hospital; we had our entire family in the waiting room and were so excited.  I let go of the vaginal birth, I made peace with the fact that it didn’t matter how Conner came into the world as long as he was healthy… He was born and he was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen.  Matt and I started crying and we instantly fell in love.  All was great… until he wouldn’t stop gasping for air.  They told us that it was normal, that sometimes after a C-section the baby didn’t have their lungs squeezed out.  So they took him to the transitional NICU/NN for some monitoring of his oxygen level. 

I was an absolute wreck.  I was back in the recovery room with my mom, listening to the lady next to me breastfeed her baby.  I wanted that so bad and I just cried and cried and cried… which really hurts after a fresh C-section.  Matt stayed with Conner and would come back every 30 minutes and give me updates.  Nothing was changing, Conner wasn’t getting enough oxygen and they decided that he needed to be admitted to the NICU.  It was awful.  I went into the OR with the hopes of holding my sweet baby within 20 minutes and now I couldn’t hold him at all, I had barely gotten to see him.

They wheeled me back to a holding room while they tried to get a postpartum room available.  Again, I was a wreck!  We had our entire family at the hospital and I requested to see no one, except Matt and my mom.  Finally, after 2 hours of waiting and my legs moving again I got a room.  When I arrived to the room I requested to see my baby.  They told me that I needed to wait and get some rest, that they do not normally get patients up and walking until they are 6-12 hours out.  I stood up and said that you either help me get there or I will do it myself.  Sure enough, she helped me.  (I had a ton of issues with the nurses and doctors during my stay.  That is another story in itself!)

My husband was amazing.  I could have never imagined how he would have reacted to the situation, but he was beyond belief.  He was so supportive, understanding of my emotions, and so loving towards me and Conner.  My love for him grew exponentially!  We were also flooded with family members and friends.  We could not have survived without our families love and support for us.

Conner was in the NICU for 5 days.  The doctors said that based on the measurements of his breastbone and feet, he was only 37 weeks when I delivered and his lungs weren’t quite ready.  I was heartbroken that I was the reason that he had to struggle. 

When I talk about Conner’s Birth Day, I say that it was the best and worst day in my life.  I was so excited about my new baby, but scared that I had lost him.  He is great now.  Conner is in the top 90^th percentile for his height and weight and is developing wonderfully! 

After that experience, I have gained a better sense of empowerment and know that a mother’s instinct is always best, even while you are pregnant.  I should have stood my ground with my doctor.  I have finally worked through it and realized that I thought I was doing what was best for him at the time.  I have now switched to a Mid-Wife and will never look back.  I plan to have a VBAC for my future children and am hoping for the best!

Envelope System

Anyone who has read the Dave Ramsey books, has heard of the envelope system.  Matt and I have recently decided to give this a try... and let me tell you, it is so much harder than I imagined it would be.

Now Dave probably would not approve our system, but so far it is working for us and that is all that matters.  He says live on beans and rice and rice and beans... well easier said than done.  We have set a certain lifestyle that we feel comfortable living with, so we have tried to work around that. 

For example, Matt works overtime almost every week. He enjoys eating out for lunch on those days.  Dave would not approve of that, but I feel like if he is going to make a sacrifice like that for our family, he can go out and treat himself to something as small as lunch away from the office.

HOW TO GET STARTED

To start, Matt and I sat down and looked at our checking account to see where all our money was going.  Then we looked at our Budget spreadsheet (yes, I have a spreadsheet with our bills and savings information... I am a nerd!) to decide how much we can afford to live on to save the maximum amount each month.

I took how much we could afford to live on and broke it down to decide how much to put into each envelope.  Our envelopes are: Groceries, Matt Gas, My Gas, Dining Out, Matt Spending, My Spending, Conner Spending, and Miscellaneous. 

The reasoning behind the individual spending envelopes for Matt, Me and Conner was to allow room for us to buy the things that we needed and/or wanted.  If I need make-up or wine (I do need wine) it would come out of my spending money.  I gave Conner an envelope so if I was out shopping and spotted a good sale on clothes, I could buy them without cutting in to our groceries or such.

I gave ourselves a Misc envelope for several reasons.  One, we have big family that has a lot of Birthdays and social gatherings.  So I wanted some wiggle room for presents,  money to buy a bottle of wine to take to dinner, etc... Also, I wanted to have money in our account for things that you can't pay with cash.  Matt rides the train to work, but occasionally he has to drive in and pay for parking.  So instead of him using his money, I have the Misc fund in the checking account so he can just use his debit card and not worry.

WHAT WE DO

Every Friday I go to the bank and withdrawl cash for our weekly expenses.  I then divide the money up into the envelopes.  We have tweaked this a bit, our Gas money stays in our checking account.  I leave it in our account, because that is the one thing that we really don't overspend and it really sucks to pay cash at the pump with a young child.  I have to get him out of the car seat, walk inside to pay, walk out, put him back in the car and pump while he is yelling at me... NOT FUN!!! 

The hardest part of this system for us has been eating out.  I never realized how much money we actually spent on this.  We really enjoy going out after church or eating Mexican with the family, so we allotted ourselves a small portion each week to eat out at a restaurant.  

SUMMARY

Overall this system works!!!  It has made us very accountable for what we spend and how we spend it.  I also feel like it has brought Matt and I closer.  We have to communicate about what is going on with our finances, instead of getting to the end of the week and trying to figure out what happened to our money. 

I would love to answer any questions you have about doing this!

Wonderful Weekend Wishes

So I have been a terrible blogger recently.  No excuses, but... I have been extremely busy!  I painted my stairs and den this past weekend and have started redecorating my house.  My husband is going to kill me during this process, but hopefully he will learn that is natural for a woman to change her mind! ;)  When I finish the redecorating, I will post some pictures for you to see.

My other project has been trying to narrow down a theme for Conner's First Birthday!  I know, it is only 3.5 months away.  But I am an OCD planner and I have to get started.  There are so many adorable ideas to choose from, it is hard to decide on one. 

Anyways, here are my Wonderful Weekend Wishes...

To take a nap here...

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To convince my husband to make me a table like this...

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To one day truly believe this...

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To have these magically appear in my house...

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I hope you all have a Wonderful Weekend!

Finding High Value Coupons

If you are new to Couponing, or maybe just New to the world of Online Coupons then it can be tough to figure out where to find the best coupons. Some people are hard core Newspaper Insert people while others tend to skip insert coupons and stick with Printable Coupons. In reality there is probably a fine balance somewhere between the two extremes so I wanted to give you a crash course in where to find the best High Value Coupons. I’m going to start with Newspaper Inserts today and I’ll cover Online Coupons and Additional Resources in future posts.

NEWSPAPER INSERTS

Within your local Sunday Newspaper you will find several different inserts containing coupons. There are 3 main types of Coupon Inserts that I wanted to cover since these are the ones I reference the most in my store matchups.

The SmartSource Insert is abbreviated SS and is typically a weekly insert. In a Matchup you will see the abbreviation (SS 10/17/10) This means that the coupon was located in the SmartSource Insert from the October 17th, 2010 Newspaper. I always save my inserts by the date they were in the newspaper to make it easier to go back and find the ones I need.

The RedPlum Insert is abbreviated RP and may also be referred to as the Valassis insert depending on what part of the Nation you live in. This is the other main company that does Newspaper inserts and typically you can find some of the same coupons available on RedPlum.com – This newspaper insert is not available in all areas to find out which Newspaper carries the Red Plum Insert in your area you can Check out this Locator Tool at RedPlum.com.

The Proctor & Gamble Insert is abbreviated PG and typically is included in the newspaper around the first of each month. This insert offers high value coupons for products such as Tide, Pampers, Gillette, Charmin, Herbal Essence, Swiffer, Febreze and More.

Typically when it comes to Newspaper Inserts the First Sunday of the Month or the First Sunday of the Quarter tend to be the best days for coupons. I always purchase additional papers on those days.  I go between Krogers and Walgreens, one of the two will usually run a sale on the Sunday paper for $.99.  If you want to Subscribe to the Local Newspaper in your area then check out Discounted Newspapers.com or Call your local Newspaper and see if they offer a Quantity Discount or have any Special Promotions Going On Right Now.

FINDING COUPONS IN YOUR INSERTS

One of the most common questions I get is in regards to the abbreviations used in weekly store matchups on Southern Savers and occasionally here. I will try to cover this in depth in the near future but here’s a crash course in understanding Matchups.

Here is what my typical Matchup looks like:

Lipton Soup Secrets, $1.18$0.75/2 Lipton Soup Secrets, exp. 2-27 (RP 01/30/11) <— NEWSPAPER COUPON
$0.80 ea. wyb 2 after coupon!

The Coupon listed is from the newspaper and the most important part is listed at the end. This is what tells you how to quickly find the coupon.
The First 2 letters of the section in parenthesis tells you which insert the coupon was located in.

SS = SmartSource Insert
RP = RedPlum Insert
PG = Proctor & Gamble Insert
GM = General Mills Insert

Following the Abbreviation for the Insert is the Date the coupon was in the newspaper. So if the date is 01/30/11 that means that this specific coupon for Lipton Soup was in the newspaper on January 30, 2011.

ORGANIZING YOUR NEWSPAPER COUPONS:

I always store my insert coupons in a folder with the date they were in the newspaper written on the front. That way when I see a matchup for an item I want to purchase.  I can go directly to the folder from that Date, choose the SmartSource or RedPlum Insert I am looking for and quickly flip through to find my coupon. It saves me a lot of time because I don’t have to clip every coupon each week and I can easily find coupons that I want or need.
That’s the basics on how to find and organize Newspaper Insert Coupons.

Another tip for organizing multiple inserts is to staple them.  I normally buy 2 newspapers.  So, if I have to Procter and Gamble Inserts I will staple the pages together to make one insert...