Tuesday, June 28, 2011

free full size bottle of pantene!!!

"like" pantene north america, on facebook, and they will ask for your mailing info, and you will receive a coupon in the mail in 4-6 weeks!!


hurry up before they run out!!

my breakdown friday

we recently had to replace a dryer, due to a lightning storm, and i should have figured then, that when it starts, it never sems to go away.
our life has always been this way, "bad luck", and it usually seems to happen in "threes".
if it isnt my husbands tractor (i normally refer to this as "the big truck", lol. since we also have a Ford F150, which i have to say, has treated us very well!), it is a roof, a household appliance, higher taxes, some sort of breakdown or anything that will almost completely drain us. i'm quite certain everybody has the same kind of luck;p
like i mentioned earlier, we recently had to replace a dryer, well and an air conditioner, and now a fridge. not to mention the rather large amount of deli meat and cheese and various fruits and vegetables i just, 2 days earlier, had stocked up on!
what a mess!
luckily, i was able to find a decent deal on a used whirlpool. same thing with the dryer, thank goodness!
i can deal with small dilemmas like this, especially when i think about how there is always somebody worse off. we should be grateful for our things, no matter how samll, or if they are pre owned. it definately could have been much worse.
actually, the enormous amount of work that i was not planning on, was worse then the actual breakdown. i had a pretty long to do list, and a baseball game to get to that night with my 7 year old.
but looking at the bright side of it all, lol, i did have a nice clean, replacement fridge, and had a reason to try and take down a ton pf drawings and coloring pages and clean all of the magnets! so, it was kind of a blessing.
it is running quite well, it came with a warranty, and it is stainless steel. my last one was just a regular old white one, and i believe i like this stainless steel;p

Thursday, June 23, 2011

trying to figure this out

i am still trying to learn how to do he designing and hyperlinks, and anchors, both here and on the website i have been working on. i believe i will be taking a break from that for a day or two;p
it seems that you can actually turn a blog into some sort of a site, and now i wonder if i need the website at all?
between setting up facebook pages and blogs and trying to figure out the email newsletters, which are crucial to what i'm trying to do here, my eyes feel like they are burning right out of my head! lol
plus, me and the kids have to finish our gardening and try to get our yard sale together. (even though it is going to rain for the next few days ugh!!)
which brings me to gardening, does anybody have any suggestions, as to how to keep families of bunnies away from strawberries, well, and everything else? please leave me some advice and tips on this topic, we have several bunnies living in our yard, and they have been destroying everything we planted!

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Velveeta Cheesy Skillets House Party

one of my favorite websites is; www.houseparty.com
i have been a member for a few years now, and i am quite pleased with how they do their business. we have been picked quite a few times for different types of products, and the party packs are wonderful!
i would recommend this website to anybody who likes to have parties, try new things, talk to others about new products, and offer their reviews after the party.
this past weekend, we were chosen for a Velveeta Cheesy Skillet House Party.
i absolutely love Kraft products, and we do use Velveeta Cheese fairly often.
we received our party pack and the box was packed full with goodies! they packed, tote bags, memo pad magnets, dry erase markers, coupons, a $5 Wal Mart gift card, and 4 boxes, 1 of each flavor of these new Velveeta Cheesey Skillet dinners.
the kids were excited about trying something new, and i was anxious myself. (even if it did remind me of Hamburger Helper that i had already eaten in the past, and was not particularly fond of.
there are 2 flavors for chicken; cheese chicken and broccoli and bbq chicken. there are 2 flavors for ground beef; nacho supreme, and cheeseburger macaroni.
they are all very simple to prepare, very easy to make, and don;t seem to cost much at all, so they are particularly great if you are on a budget;p ( i guess we all are;p)
all in all, it is just an OK product. it tastes just like Hamburger and Chicken Helpers, and i am not much of a boxed, prepared meal fan. i must admit, the cheese flavor was far superior over other prepackaged boxed dinners i have tried. but there didnt seem to be anything different, tantalizing, scrumptious, amazing, or even real great, about this product.
besides, is it really any cheaper for anybody to buy prepackaged dinners? they all seem to be smaller nowadays, and cost a bit more. of course i would never buy them without a coupon, but am i going to ever buy them at all?
probably not. the taste was just, again, mediocre, if i were to make this for a dinner for my family, i would feel as though i must force feed mounds of fruit afterward, and pump out arteries.
maybe i am just to picky, or maybe i just like to cook my own meals from scratch, and mostly from scratch;p
i would only recommend this product if there are 2 people, maybe 3, and of course, the single person.
it is super easy and quick to make, which would usually help out when out when you are in a hurry. although i can't say i would feed them to my kids before a baseball game or a soccer game.
i will always continue to use Kraft and Velveeta Cheese, i have been using their products for several years. they are both life savers in many many ways;p

funny things our kids say and do

my children are my life, and they make me laugh till i cry sometimes. even when they're misbehaving.
from time to time, i plan on sharing some of what my children say and do that makes me laugh so bad it actually starts to hurt, and i would love to hear your stories as well!
genevive, and aaron, (4 and 7), like to tattle on each other, argue, make messes, just like other kids, i think?
they were playing in one evening, and normally everything is very loud,and of course you hear the bickering and the ear piercing, "MOM!!!!"
i was making dinner, and trying to get a few other things done, when all of a sudden, everything was eerily quiet. for about one second, i thought, what a relief! immediately, i started to wonder, "what is going on over there?" so, went over to where the 3 little ones were, and asked what was happening?
they were kind of shocked and just stood there with their little mouths hanging open, not saying a word. i went on to inspect the room, and i could not find anything wrong. aaron said, "what seems to be the problem? we were quiet?"
i tried to explain that mommys know when something isnt right, because of the eyes on the backs of our heads , and that when it gets real quiet, we know something is going on.
so they just kind of stared at me in amazement, and i walked away.
not even a minute later, i hear a bunch of, "woo hoos!" and "yippees" and "yays".
i thought to myself, thats a little strange, they dont often yell those types of things.
well, this went on for a few minutes more, and i decided that it was once again, time to check to see what really was happening over there.
when i got to the doorway, there was a mess of course, but i could not keep from laughing, they were standing there, facing the doorway, swinging their arms in the air, yelling, "woohoo!", "yay!"lol.
i asked them why in the world they were standing there like this, and they told me they were going to probably be in trouble for the mess, and they figured that i would not come back for a little while since they were making so much noise. lol

today is almost over

ok, i fell asleep for about an hour, but i am awake again, and anxious to get a few things finished up online.
but my 7 yr old, aaron, decided that he is wide awake and says, "i am not even close to being asleep!"
so, i will have him standing here next to me, reading every word of everything i do. hmmm. plus, he does not stop talking, not for a minute. there are times i just want some time alone, without any children around. as much as i love being able to watch them grow up and find their little ways around, i would love for just 30 minutes a day, without kids talking my ears off!
that is exactly what this whole day was like. this started at 6am with my youngest daughter. she is normally an early riser. then the baby is soon after, and then the day officially starts!
today i was waiting for the directv serviceman to show up with a Fathers day gift for my husband. they were running a real cool deal on hdtv programming and installation, and a free hdtv dvr, so i ordered one. i have been waiting on a deal on these for about 6 months. ( i refuse to pay full price for anything;p, and after the Fathers Day promotion, this ends up being completely free!)
of course i had my to do list finished for the day, and the "waiting on directv service" was first, and everything else was going to have to wait until he was here and gone.
when i made this appointment, i kept the rest of my schedule in mind. so i opted for the "somewhere between 8am and 12pm" ( but we all know this means, 11:59 am, lol)
i started cutting out my coupons, started a shopping list. yes, just 1 store today with the little ones! this was all stopped abruptly with mr climber. the only way to outlast him, is to strap him in high chair or walker, lol. we started breakfast and aaron woke up around that time. "aaron is making faces at me!", "MOM aaron has his tongue out", "mom! genevive is staring at me", had already started. this is unbelievably annoying, and why does this have to be a several time a minute, especially in the morning? when does this even end? then we start with the cereal boxes. if one wants Rice Krispies, the other says, "I want Rice Krispies! he/she is copying me!", " i said it first" , " I want the box in front of me, not her/him". AAAAAAHHHHH!!
please tell me this also happens at your house, so i don't feel so wierd lol.
so, finally they are all eating breakfast, deegan, (the baby), is throwing half of his on the floor, the other 2 are fighting, i'm trying to get my lists, and coupons done. i also want to get the days housework done, pay some bills, and most importantly, i have to get online!!
i have so much going on online, it's sometimes so overwhelming. but i really enjoy it, plus it is a decent supplement to my income. (which is needed very much). there are quite a few of the "earn gift cards with points" websites, that i am very active with, and i must say, i am impressed, and very thankful for these sites.
that is another thing i will be mentioning from time to time. i have been using these sites for a few years, and believe i have found the best ones. i earn enough gift cards to take care of school clothes, gifts, holidays, help with groceries, the once in a while need for pots and pans, coffeemakers, sheets, towels, candles, etc etc. so, it is an important part of my day, to get the online "work" done.
back to my morning;p
after breakfast, and some spills, messes, a very quick needed diaper change, and a dog eating crumbs from the floor, (thank God!), i realize the time, and that the serviceman still hasnt arrived.
i plan on charging my cell phone, and calling directv, but there are to many battles and messes, and of course, mr. climber. then the "MOM, genevive smacked me" and "mom, aaron is looking at me", starts again, well, with this day and age and the terribly annoying voice activated customer service calls, they usually end up disconnecting me. i have to literally go into the bathroom, lock the door, and call them again. well, this time, there was something wrong with their phone lines. lol, just my luck. so, i figure i will get the laundry done, the housework, and everything else, and just wait for him to show up.
now its after 12, we are starting lunch, he has yet to contact me, and i am getting pretty aggravated. i finally get a hold of somebody at directv, and they say, "oh well, he has been there several times, and has called you over and over agin" um, ok, well, i know that isnt true. at least he wasnt calling my number or knocking on my door. i dont have the time to argue, so i'm happy with the answer, "i'm very sorry. mrs.oliver. we will have him call you within the half hour". well, i thought, ok, even though i needed to get to the grocery store up the road, among other things. i figured i could still have a chance when he was done with the job.
by this time, our oldest gets home from work. she is a huge help with her brothers and sister. even though, she also likes to argue with them, and shes pretty messy herself! usually with leaving things lay around the house, and the bathroom is the worst! but all in all, she's trustworthy and a very good sitter.
i have a weekly schedule. we are very busy with errands, dr appts`, (the baby and i have some usually every week)and i also try to get at least 2 days a week, where bethany can keep the kids out of my hair for a few hours, (no, it doesnt always work out as well as i'd like it too;p), so that i can get online work done, and run a few errands by myself.
in turn, she gets to choose, (unless there are special dr appt days), which days she would like to have her free time.
alright, i get a decent amount of online work done. my goal was to answer several emails, play a few of the free card games on worldwinner.com, (another fun site, as long as you are very careful!), write a few blogs, work on my website, work on my facebook pages, order from www.oldnavy.com (they had an awesome promotion with 24% off everything and free shipping on orders of $50 or more), check out the sales on kmart, and i am in need of a few more gardening supplies. oh and check on my upromise account, online banking, and pay a few bills.
i did get a decent amount done, even with the constant little kids running in and out of the room, tattling on each other.
i am very content when i finsh an actual project, or a pretty big daily goal. so, i was pleased with the small amount of time i had, and what i had accomplished.
well, now it's 4pm, and still no knock, and no phone calls. i grabbed my cell and called them for the 4th time since noon. again, "i'm very sorry, mrs.oliver. we seem to keep missing you. he is calling you and you are not answering." well, no, i'm sorry, but he is not calling me, and he has yet to arrive.
bethany did mention at one point during the day that a blue truck was outside of the house, but it ended up, not being our directv guy.
well, he never called, and never knocked, and it is 3am;p
i'm pretty aggitated, as i really needed to get to the grocery store. not to mention, get to the market to pick up a few things for our garden that we have to finish. especially a fence! since we have families of bunnies, living throughout the yard!
i have a problem with feeling as though a day was wasted, when i can't get my "to do list" finished. it drives me crazy, and i have long lists for every single day, and i hate to have to add to it.
tommorrow especially will be crazy, because, i most definately must get the little ones to the grocery store, and we have to finish the garden. i'm certain that directv will call me in the morning to tell me to stay home between the hours of 8am and 3am, again, lol. i doubt it. i'm probably going to play phone tag with them again.......
oh, that's right, i didnt finish the whole day yet;p
well, after some arguing, corner sitting, and finally cleaning up their toys, i begged bethany to run up the road to Subway, for dinner. (thank God for Subway!!) however, our Subway is closing down. which is absolutely terrible to my family, and im sure, our whole community. the kids love their food, and i love them, because they are making my day a lot easier, by making my family their dinner lol. ( i often turn in points for Subway cards too! Subway also offers a points program, where you can earn free subs, chips, sodas, etc).
after dinner was the ever dreaded bathtime, and finally i had 2 out and 1 to go.
ps; aaron fell asleep very shortly after the 1st paragraph;p

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

my intro

i believe i should introduce my family. since that is mainly what my blog is about.
i am trying to figure out the best way to write about my daily events and who it involves. i think if i write it as a play, it would be easier to follow.
first, there is me. i am a 37 year old, partially disabled, coffee drinking, sort of obnoxious, told i'm eccentric, passionate, super proud mommy of 4 real awesome children.
i consider myself a SAHM, however, on my days off, i do work part time as a bartender.
i enjoy my job very much. i have always been a workaholic, working 2 or more jobs at a time. until we were blessed with our 3rd child, and i had finally given in to get long needed, reconstructive foot and ankle surgery.
of course, with my goofy luck, the surgery was a complete failure. so now, i have been diagnosed with RSD, (or CRPS), among other things. which by the way, i hope to also include in my blogs.
i was going to get my other foot and ankle done, after i healed from the first surgery, but of course that may never happen. neither will i ever find a surgeon who can fix some of what went wring with the first surgery. maybe through my hopeful new network, i will find some contacts, who knows. but so far, i have yet to find a confident surgeon who even wants to attempt this.
i also seem to have a hard time finding real information on the internet, about these diseases. so, i hope to meet some other RSD patients, and their families, loved ones as well.
pain is a constant battle with me, and there are several times throughout the day, that i have a hard time dealing with the pain.i usually only sleep for a couple hours a night, however, here are some nights that it is easier to sleep. i am usually up and about, pacing, drinking my trusty maxwell house with coffeemate powdered creamer. yum!, or eating ice.
it isnt as bad as it sounds, as on a normal night, the kids would be asleep and i do use that time to figure out bills, cut coupons, work on the computer, paperwork, and finish my to do lists.
i will stop with the chronic pain issue for a bit, as that will be another focus of my blog.
back to my introductions;p
my husband is also 37, and we have been together since we were 16. he is my very best friend and i can not imagine life without him.
of course we have arguments, and bad days. we have always gotten through them, fairly well. of course this will be another part of my blog and website that i am working on. i plan on having a section where we can all share tips and advice on "date nights", how we get through crazy days with kids, and i hope to help people with some, as well as learn from others too!
my husband is an owner operator (truck driver), for almost 14 years now. before this, he was a photographer. unfortunately, we dont live in the type of area where his talents can flourish;p which is terribly infortunate, cause he has a lot of exceptional talent!
he also absolutely loves vw's. he is very talented with those as well. he is in the process of building, yet another show car, and i'm secretlu hoping this one stays longer then the last;p
so, if anybody has any questions, or needs some help with vw's. feel free to ask! because he does real well working on them too.
on top of that, he is a real awesome dad! he is a very hard worker and he will actually change diapers, get up with a baby on the weekends, and help out every ow and then with housework. we are all very lucky to have him.
although, i do believe he has been going through midlife crisis since we met. i realize this is a common issue with males. he is always torn between, jet skis, dirt bikes, vw's, motorcycles, 4 wheelers, and these are just recent. lol.i usually don't know what to expect each day! another big player in my sanity levels!
he has always had a bad back, (ruptured disc) and was recently diagnosed with celiac disease.
we are in the process of learning about this disease as well, so, i would be grateful for any input!
from time to time, i will definately have much to say about in laws! i am sure we all do.
my father in law is a very grumpy, mean little man, who is always complaining, and angry about something, and everything.
my mother in law, she is sort of a hypochondriac. well, not sort of, lol, she is a major one. she has a very strange way of having teeny little issues, turn into gigantic, enormous, life threatning catastrophes!
i have 2 sisters, and 2 brothers, and my mom. we are a very closeknit family, for the most part. we talk on a regular, and sometimes daily basis, and spend a lot of time together. plus, there are several small children between all of us. which leads to a lot of birthday parties, and picnics;p
now to my children;p
bethany is 18, she is a very smart, funny, sweet, messy, loud, and smart alecky young lady. she graduated with honors, and plans to be a chef. she loves music, playing guitar, and coloring her hair.
aaron is 7, and has a huge imagination. he loves legos, the xmen, spiderman, all the normal boy stuff. he also loves to play baseball, and ride his 4 wheeler. he is a very talkative, sweet little boy, who follows his mommy all day, and goes crazy when i leave the room and he can't find me. he is going into 2nd grade, and has accomplished getting straight a's so far through his school career. he also gets his feelings hurt, really really easy.
genevive, is 4. she is an adorable, sweet, little angel, who is very loving and loves to be held, hugged, and is a big daddy's girl. she is also very smart, and very loud, loves to get into trouble, and hide from us, and fight with her brothers and sister, and she would like to be a zombie or a vampire when she grows up.
deegan is our 1 year old. he is a nutty little man, with no fear. he loves to giggle, is afraid of baths, loves cars and trucks and blocks, and he loves to climb, everything he can get his little arms and legs on!
he was born with cleft lip and club foot, and that is a whole other blog post series as well. but he has had a couple surgeries, and in time, will have a complete and full recovery;p
so, i believe i should write my blogs as a play. at least when i am writing about my family, or my day, and all of the exciting adventures we go through;p
i can't wait to meet your families as well!

my blog

i have always wanted to be a writer. i especially always wanted to write a book;p
i never knew what i would write about, but what seems to make people laugh, is when i talk about my normal everyday daily routine, my kids, our constant string of bad, but funny, bad luck, my in laws, and the people and situations i run into on a daily basis.
i do have a lot to say, and i have a lot of opinions. i am rather stubborn, and yet very open minded. i tend to find humor in almost everything. i believe its the only thing that keeps me sane.
i also like to try and learn something new each day, it does'nt have to be anything in particular, i just google the first thing that comes to mind.
i know you're probably sitting there, thinking, "i wish she would learn writing skills";p i do write on paper with a pen, quite well. i am a 1 finger typist and i do think i will someday learn typing, keyboarding, whatever. i also might have the time to learn all the punctuation keys, and have the time to do this. but for now, you'll hopefully be able to deal with this.
i was thinking of hiring a proofreader;p
i will always be keeping my opinions away from my blogs. (politics, things of that nature). the only opinions i plan to share, will be product reviews, kid stuff, retailers, food, and people in general.
i believe what i have to offer, will hopefully help people who different or similar views.
i will say that i do love my Country, and support our troops! i also firmly believe, that we need to figure something out soon and learn how to stick together, no matter how hard it gets.
i do want people to get along better, help each other in time of need, and i think we need to reach out in our communities to grow as a country.
that being said, i know there are those that know me, and if you'd like to discuss or argue politics, you know where to find me;p
back to my original point. yes, i am the queen of run on sentences, and thinking faster then i can type. welcome to my crazy, but ecstatically happy and content mind. i apologize since i do tend to drift off....
i also enjoy having such a hectic and busy schedule, and doing a million things at once.
i have always said that my life, family, daily events, would make a great sitcom. so, i believe that is what most of my blog will be about.

Friday, June 17, 2011

vocalpoint is offering a free motts sampling!

www.vocalpoint.com/mottsfortots

sign up here, and receive samples, and coupons.
if you're not a member, its easy and super quick to sign up.
i have been a member of vocalpoint for a few years now, and i love the samples, and coupons they mail!
as with all sampling sites, the more active and involved you are, the more offers come your way!

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

oh no! i have a climber help..............

as some of you may already know, i am the proud mother of 4;p
bethany is 18, aaron is 7, genevive is 4, and our tiniest guy, deegan, is a new 1 yr old.
they each have their own little personalities, fears, imaginations, and goofy quirks.
deegan turned 1 on may 8th. he was born with club foot and a cleft lip, both rather mild, and almost completely repaired with a few surgeries.
the doctors said he may be a little later then normal with crawling, and walking, all due to his club foot. (he still wears his little boots and ponsetti bar at nighttime, but it would be hard to really notice he was born with club foot, unless you have already met him;p
so, we thought, oh that will be ok, we are blessed to have him, and enjoy his big smiles filled with dimples and sharp teeth! lol. he is a very sweet little man, but he is a huge handful!
he did start crawling a little later then "normal", but i still have not figured out what normal is. even though, his doctors were quite impressed with how fast he was getting around. i explained that he does have a few bigger siblings that he sees everyday, walking, jumping, running, and helping to teach him crawl. so, they still insisted that he will be maybe 6 months or more later then "normal" with his walking skills. he has not started walking yet, other then the walking alongside sofas and beds and cabinets.
what he has been wowing us with, are his spiderman skills! not to mention the falls, the constant panic attacks, and the every 30 seconds, running back and forth to get him down from the kitchen table and counters!
he will not stop climbing, and he will not give up! my mother always told me, " you have to outlast them, then they'll stop", um, it's getting very hard to outlast this tiny guy!
last night it took me about 30 minutes to fold a load of laundry. luckily my laundry room is the next room over from the kitchen. every piece i folded, i had to set down, hobble to the kitchen, lift deegan off the table or the chair, and carry him back to the laundry room. i set him on the floor, as he usually likes to help with the laundry, and that quick he was crawling right back over to the kitchen, to start climbing again!
this is really starting to do a number on my already bad ankles and feet, lol, however, i am pretty sure i walked off all of the calories from the new hersheys aerated chocolate bars i happen to come across yesterday! wow! those are amazing!
anyway, deegan takes kitchen chairs, walks behind them, and pushes them over to the kitchen counters, climbs onto the chair, and from there, the counters!
when he plays outside, he climbs on everything! plus, he is super fast! i am starting to wonder how long until he climbs the trees? or the side of the house? i have never had to go through this before, so i am hoping for any suggestions from any experienced moms or dads out there! please! it is so cute, but truly, the feeling of being on the verge of a heart attack all day, (with the exception of the possible nap, lol), is not a fun thing to go through.
last week for instance, he was outside with his dad and brothers and sisters. he was climbing up and down the porch, making me a nervous wreck everytime i looked out the window. everybody seemed to be having a good time and keeping close watches on deegan, so i took advantage of the free time and started some housework. (time without any kids, is extremely rare!!)
about 15 minutes later, i walked in the kitchen and noticed a tube of neosporin on the counter and some paper towels. i thought one of the kids must have scraped a knee, but i wanted to check to see who was injured.
well, of course it was spidey! he was climbing up and down the steps and fell and hit his little forehead on the sidewalk! i immediately started to cry when i saw his bump and scrape with the little dots of blood. i guess i overreact when it comes to my kids;p i seem to only realize that, after i startle or scare the kid involved.
right away i was trying to decide if he should take a trip to the er, or what i should do. it was a head injury so, i worried about all kinds of ridiculous things. i called my mom, and she just said to keep an eye on him for the next 24 hours, see if he starts to get sick, looks like he has a concussion, etc etc. so, thats what i did, and of course he is fine. he has a few little scabs on his head now, and  it doesn't seem to bother him at all.
i hope this is a normal thing, (moms overreacting over what later ends up being, tiny accidents) so, some input here would be appreciated as well!
i'm also guessing that, this nervousness isn't going anywhere anytime soon;p

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

coupon deals for today's shopping trip

i love coupons, and i am proud of how many awesome deals and freebies i manage to find on a weekly basis.
today will prove to be a super deal day, with so many free items and many items that will cost a quarter!
i do tend to grab as many coupons as i can, but only the ones for products that my family will use.
i normally buy 1 or 2 Sunday papers, and i am fortunate to know a few people who don't use their coupons, and a friend who has a nice connection at a local gas station for any extras;p (after a few of the local ladies nicely steal whatever they can get their hands on)
i will also purchase, for a very small price, lots of coupons, from certain sellers on ebay. i do not mind paying a few bucks for 60 $3 off any 2 arm and hammer dryer sheet coupons, when i will end up getting cash back for 120 boxes. $60 as a matter of fact! of course i must deduct the $3 i paid for these coupons, and yes, i will keep several boxes. but about half, maybe more, will be given away, and donated.
arm and hammer has the best dryer sheets and laundry detergent, in my book. i use the detergent everyday, and am a long time fan. yes, i have tried lots of others, but not 1 has come close to the scent, the power, or the price, of arm and hammer!
the dryer sheets are also used for dusting in my house, and they leave a very appealing scent throughout the house. i also really love their bathroom cleaners, but that's a whole other blog;p
i have not used these coupons all at once, but i have acquired quite a few more, (the seller sent her leftovers!), plus i had already had some from my own stash. i will not ever take the entire supply off the shelf, but i will ask an associate if there are any more in the stockroom, and i will earn this $60+ , in a few trips. (i'm already going there for groceries over the few weeks, so there isn't a need for extra trips.
that's just an example of what i will be "getting paid to buy" today. i have around 20 of these left, and they will be used up during my trip today.
there is also a good deal on ronzoni garden delight pasta, (also another family favorite), they are $1 a box, and i still have leftover coupons for $1 off a box, so i will be getting these for free.
then the nestle quik chocolate shakes are 4/$5, and i have a bunch of the 50  cent off coupons from last weeks newspaper, so after those are all doubled, i'll pay a quarter each;p
there are a decent amount of matchups this week, and i have some cvs extra bucks from last week, so that should be an all free shopping trip today!
i'll post any other exciting deals i may be forgetting, and any i may have missed, later today!

it started at 5am already...........

i have a very sweet and dear, elderly neighbor, who i am very good friends with.
she has been having a horribly sad time with her husbands downhill battle with alzheimers. we do our best to help them out, in any way we can, (even if it is 5am;p).
i wasn't asleep for very long, until i heard helga, screaming my name from outside. i got up as quickly as i could, went to the back door, and found her standing there in the street. "helga! what happened? are you ok?", i said. "oh my! i have to talk to you! i cannot get you on your cell phone, and i think you're blocking my number or something?" she yelled.
we have this issue on an almost daily basis. she gets confused with the area code, (we live in a 2 area code area). so, we go through the same routine, checking the number, explaining to her i am not blocking her, and on and on.
so,  luckily nothing went wrong, just the same old morning with her husbands appointments, her being upset and sad, 3 of my 4 children are by now, wide awake amd running out the door to see what is wrong with helga.
our day has been quite uneventful so far, with the occasional fights amongst the 4 yr old and 7 yr old, the baby has had a small nap, thank goodness! but my plans of getting everybody ready for a frightening trip to the grocery store, isn't happening.
i have read through numerous blogs, countless emails, did some laundry, made a few important phone calls, paid a few bills, cut out a ton of coupons, and picked up a lot of toys and books.
i will be trying to get my errand list and my coupons all done in just a bit. i already have my lists for the stores i have to get to today, and when my oldest daughter comes home from work, i will be excitedly running out the door to start my coupon adventures;p
i was looking forward to taking the 3 little ones with me this morning, but as any other day, plans around here change within seconds, unfortunately. however, the time by myself will be much appreciated, and i certainly will not take as long as i would have with the kids.
so, when i get home, after making dinner, getting some housework done, and then the ever so anticipated, bathtime, lol, we can enjoy some time together to either make some ice cream, or a craft. as long as everything goes as planned....

ready to start?

ok;p  i believe i can figure this out!
a little about what i plan to do with my blogs, communities, websites, and facebook.
i am on a mission to help as many people as i can, learn how to save money with the use of coupons, mail in rebates, cash back, deals and freebies, using the internet as a tool for a fair income, including gift cards and cash, and helping other busy moms, and dads, have a much less stressful day;p
so, with that being said, i will soon be posting all of my links to my sites, blogs, facebook pages, and so on.
i hpe to be able to help you find recipes, plan menus, help you find the best sales of the week at your local drugstores, grocery stores, and online.
i also would love to help you find some cheap and fun ways to spend quality time with your children, whether it be staying at home, doing crafts, cooking, baking, or going to the park, shopping, the movies, wherever!
i am also going to rely on a lot of people to join  and contribute in any way you can! as i would like for this to be a community of families who will help each other out, network, help with advice on a variety of topics, post your best deals of the day or week, at your local stores, share recipes, funny family stories, and so on.
i also will be using this blog, as a way to get what really happens to me and my family on a daily basis, out there. mainly because i find my life, rather odd at times, strange, hilarious, sad at times, nornmally awkward, fun, and very off the wall;p
between my husband, my 4 kids, and myself, we have quite the crazy, nutty days! i often, throughout my life, thought that if a director were to see some of what goes on, he would beg to take our goofy mishaps, family dilemmas, strange in laws (hehe), and put it in a sitcom;p
im quite certain there are a lot of our type of family out there, so i would appreciate any funny, moving sweet, kind hearted, humorous stories you have to share!
we do have a seemingly long, long, long string of "bad" luck in our house, however, i enjoy the constant learning experiences, and the never dull lifestyle. i would never trade a part of my life with anybody, and im pretty sure my husband and children feel the same way.
we live by the saying, "there is always somebody worse off then you"
at times, it may not seem that is possible, but it always ends up being the truth.
we also live by the saying' " everything happens for a reason" i have an endless supply of examples for that quote as well.
oh, one more thing. i type with one finger, im a bit busy, and maybe at some point in the near future, i will decide learn how to type. but for now, you will have to let the punctuation slide with me, as i tend to not use much other then the occasional comma. (sometimes i think to many commas;p). i will try and make my posts as presentable for you as i can, but it takes me long enough to type the words with one finger. you cant really expect me to learn where all the punctuation keys are, can you?

new to this..........

i am hoping im doing this properly;p
i have been blogging on other blog sites for a while, but have been attempting to find my own blog.
i signed up with godaddy.com, and have yet to figure that out, (or find the time too!)
so, this will be my first post here, and i will see what happens when i hit publish, then i guess i will find out what is going on, and if i need to continue the godaddy accout.................................