$AVE with coupons!

If you haven't already, this is a GREAT week to start clipping, organizing and using coupons!!  Most of us could afford to save a few dollars, especially with the escalating gas prices.  By no means am I an expert but I strive to become more coupon savvy with every grocery trip.  Since our family of four lives on one full income I am able to do my part to stretch every dollar by finding ways to save on the things we buy most. 

This handy dandy organizer goes everywhere with me.  I have my coupons in order by expiration date and divided into the following categories:

• food groceries
•  household staples
•  toiletries
•  diapers/wipes
•  restaurants
•  specific store deals

Although I am still learning, couponing has become very addicting!  I hate to pay full price now.  Here is what I got at CVS this morning.  Bounty, (3) Charmin, (2) Tide, (2) Crest, (3) Dawn, contact solution and an Oral B toothbrush.  I used a coupon for each item, got a couple things completely free and earned $20 in extra care bucks for my next visit.  It's defnitely worth signing up for a (free) membership card to whichever store is closest to you! 

Maybe I've gone a little overboard, but the Smiths will have clean dishes for a verrrrry long time.....

And we will have sparkly fresh teeth for months......

Wonder what I can stock up on next???

Owen's eye

Just the other day I was thinking how fortunate we have all been to stay so healthy during the Winter season(since O's pneumonia spell  at Tgiving).  Wouldn't ya know....

Owen got a fever late afternoon on Wednesday.  Bless his little heart.  We were all sad to cancel playdates both Thursday and Friday but hated the possibility of sharing germs with our friends :(  By Friday the fever was still lingering and his left eye was swollen.  I knew it wasn't pink eye since it wasn't very pink/red and it didn't see to bother him at all.  It would be completely shut immediately upon waking up from sleep but within a couple of miunutes it would open about half way.  It was rather puffy on the upper and lower lids. 

My instinct told me that it was either allergies or an infection.  Over the weekend I chatted with two nurses who suggested I treat the eye with cool compresses and to watch it.  Of course the eye is a hard thing to diagnose/treat over the phone.  There is no way to quite describe the helpless feeling a parent gets when they don't know how to help their baby :(

Here is what it looked like:

He hasn't slept well at all during the past few days, which is totally understandable.  He sleeps best in our bed.  His concerned big sister even fell asleep with him one night.  You can also see his eye here:

Luckily the Scott & White pedi clinic is open on weekends. We were able to secure an appointment this morning. The doctor examined his ears, throat and nose and quickly diagnosed him with cellulitis, an infection in the surrounding tissues.  Evidently it can be a lot worse, but he prescribed ten days worth of an extra strong dosage of antibiotics. Fortunately this is not contagious, but we did receive lots of funny looks from people at HEB today! The dr seemed to think that it would clear up in just a couple of days. We pray that he is fever free and that his handsome blue eyes get healthy quickly!

Sixteen months

Owen is sixteen months old!  He is 22.5 lbs and is actually starting to wear a few size 18 month outfits!  He is in size 4 diapers and size 5 shoes are getting very snug.  Although his hair is very light he is finally getting more of it!  Emma and I put it in teeny tiny pig tails this weekend which means that it may be time for his first semi trim (just in the back).  He still just has six total teeth but it is very evident that all four incisors are well on their way. 

Owen loves dancing, brushing his teeth, bath time (as long as Emma shares toys), using a fork, the pacifier, coloring, playing ball, being outside, climbing, trying on football helmets before bedtime each night (I kid you not!) and waking Emma up each morning and playing with the fridge magnets! 

Owen strongly dislikes car rides, taking medicine, the nasal aspirator, the vacuum cleaner, being told "no", shopping, sitting still for any extended period of time, nap/bedtime and when his daddy leaves for work. 

Although he is a little man of few words, he communicates fairly well with grunts and points.  He does cute truck sounds while at play and imitates any clicking or humming sound we make.  He has really started understanding all sorts of simple commands (i.e. "Shut the door", "Hug Roxie" "Sit down", "Let's put your shoes on", "Put the Cheerio in your mouth", etc.).  He is also able to locate his head, eyes, nose, teeth, mouth, hands and toes.  He still doesn't sleep through the night.  He usually still takes two brief naps during the day.  At a recent dr visit we discovered that he has a touch of eczema which can be treated with special lotions. 

He doesn't eat a whole lot and take Polyvisol vitamin drops once a day.  His favorite foods right now include yogurt of any fruit flavor, apple sauce, hot dog weenies, man n cheese, goldfish, pancakes, biscuits, tortillas, refried beans and anything sweet!  He loves whole milk, half and half apple juice & water and the occasional Caprisun.  He always demands to taste test anything that has a straw.  (Don't worry, that's just root beer!!)

God created boys, full of spirit and fun to explore and conquer, to romp and run.

-- Author Unknown

TAG

My friend Marie tagged all of her blog friends in this quiz, so here it goes.....

1. If you have pets, do you see them as merely animals or are they members of your family?  Roxie is definitely part of the family!  I'm not even sure she knows that she is a dog :)


2. If you could have a dream come true, what would it be?  That my kids will live long Christian lives and that they are always healthy, happy and safe.


3. What would you do with a billion dollars?  I woud put some in college funds, share with family, travel to Jamaica with Jarrod at least once a year, build our dream house, get a new car and put the rest in savings.


4. What helps to pull you out of a bad mood?  Jarrod.  Always.

5. What is your best trait?  not sure


6. If you are currently in a relationship, how did you meet your significant other?  During high school in Aug 1997 we met at the local bowling alley.  The rest is history :)


7. What kind of books do you read?  Just bedtime stories to the kiddos. 

8. How do you see yourself in 10 years? Well let's see, I'll be 39.....and I will not be happy about turning 40.   Emma will be 14 and Owen will be 11.  I will pobably be teaching elementary school by then.

9. What’s your all time favorite movie and quote a line from it:  Jerry Maguire "You had me at hello."


10. Would you give up all junk food for the rest of your life for the opportunity to see outer space?  nope!


11. What’s the first thing you do when you wake up?  Get Owen out of his crib

12. If you could change one thing about your significant other, what would it be?  not a thing ;)


13. If you could pick a new name for yourself, what would it be?  Something that is more obvious to spell.  It annoys me when people spell my name K-a-t-i-e.


14. If you had to choose between six months of sun or six months of rain, what would you choose?  Sun (but not Summer, just Spring!)

15. If you could only eat one thing for the next 6 months, what would it be?  grilled lobster (w/butter sauce of course!)

16. What is the thing you enjoy about blogging the most? It's a great way to keep family & friends informed.  It's also a nice way of keeping a record of things.


17. Do you prefer salty or sweet foods?  Mostly sweet!

18. What items are in your purse right now?  What purse?!  I haven't carried one regularly in 4.5 yrs!!  In the diaper bag there are diapers, wipes, sippy cups, toys, snacks, my wallet and coupon organizer.  I look forward to carrying a cute purse again one day, but for now I will enjoy the kids being little :)


19. If you had to choose between vacationing at the beach or in the mountains where would you go? Beach!

20. What do you watch on television that you know you shouldn’t?  Desperate Housewives

TAG, you're it.....

Love Greetings

Roses are red, violets are blue;

Happy Valentines from the Smiths to you!

XOXO

Kids clothes on a budget

What does this basket look like to you?

A load of clean clothes?  Think again.  It is full of new stylish clothes for Owen! 

Am I the only mother of young children who gets more excited about shopping for new clothes/shoes for the kids than for myself?  Over the last couple of weeks I have found GREAT deals at stores such as Dillards, Target and the outlet mall.  Who can resist 80%+ off??  I found Owen a cute goldfish swimsuit for just $1.75 and the kids already have their matching Halloween and Christmas pajamas that were purchased for just a couple of dollars each! 

Recently I was invited by a local news station to share some money savings ideas in a daily segment called MomsEveryday.  To view scroll to the very bottom and sift through the video clips until you see "budgeting on one income".  I wanted to share more money saving tips with you all.  I usually shop off season and buy a year in advance.  My advice is never ever to pay full price for kids' clothes.  They outgrow and/or ruin them way too quickly and easily!  It's super easy to predict sizes for little ones.  Owen's 18 month and 2T wardrobe is shaping up nicely, piece by piece!  Another tip is to look for coupons.  Here is one of my favorite coupon resources.  Often you can even combine coupons with clearance items. 

Fellow mamas, what are your tricks and tips?  Please share :)

"The sun will come out...tomorrow!!"

Emma loves the story of Annie and can even sing along with each song.  Since she was itty bitty she has watched the movie at my parents' house.  She has been to several plays and musicals and enjoyed it live with Big Daddy and Lita today.  The Temple Civic Theater always does a great job! 

Emma loved "Sandy"!!

Father/Daughter dance

On Saturday Jarrod and Emma attended the annual Father/Daughter Dance sponsored by the City of Temple and Lisa's Dance Connection.  This was their first time and they both seemed to enjoy it! 

They met some friends at Applebees for dinner and then went to the Mayborn Center to dance the night away :)  Don't worry friends, Emma had a fancy shawl for when the sun went down!

My dreamy husband :)

My beautiful daughter :)

She sure loves her daddy!

Thanks to the wonderful talents of the Cameron ISD floral club, they exchanged a corsage and boutonniere. 

Of course I snuck into the place and tried to snap a few action shots.  The lighting was tricky and I had to hurry so here's all I got:



They ended their night with a horse and carriage ride.  It sounds like that may have been Emma's favorite part.  That and having her daddy all to herself for one special night :)

"The first man a little girl falls in love with is her dad."  ~Unknown

Snow Day 2011

This morning we woke up to a phone call letting us know that Cameron ISD was closed!!  We looked out the window to discover a Winter wonderland!!  Everything is simply more beautiful covered with a layer of sparkly snow :)  Immediately after breakfast we bundled up and went out to play!

Playdough

February is my month to take playdough to preschool!  I decided to make it myself and thought I would share the recipe.  It is easy, cheap and is even safe in case the little ones decide to taste it!  All kids love playdough and this is a fun activity, especially when stuck inside on a cold Winter day.

Ingredients:

2 cups flour

2 cups water

1 cup salt

3 T coking oil

2 pkgs kool aid

4 T Cream of tarter

12 drops food coloring

Directions:

Mix all dry ingredients in pan.  Next, add al liquid ingredients.  Mix with wooden spoon over medium heat until it pulls away from the sides and starts to form a ball.  Removed from heat and knead until cool.  Enjoy!