California Clippin'

Happy Homemaker Monday (late, obviously)

2012-02-07T18:56:00.000-08:00

I had planned to post yesterday but got sidetracked...it was our first day of homeschool! We had a great day but I know that I need to get more organized (in my home & school work) if I am going to survive!

homeschoolers work rrrreally hard! lol

I have started a homeschool blog, to help me keep track of what we have been doing, and so if you would like to check it out, you can find it here

Ok, lets get going...

The weather today: it was grey, rainy and cool all day! The perfect weather to curl up with a quilt & a good book.

On my reading pile: The women's group at my church are starting a book club. So I am reading the first book, which is The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom.

On my tv: freeing up some space on my dvr, by watching Castle

On the menu this week: I really haven't planned anything. Just flying by the seat of my pants...not my favorite way to do things!

On my to do list: Seriously, what isn't?! My to do list is taller than I am!

What I am creating: nothing :( I hope once we are settled into a routine that I can do a bit more scrapbooking. It has been a loooong time!

In homeschooling: We are only on our 2nd day! But we started a unit study on Flight. We are also learning about famous black Americans for history. My daughter is reading about Harriet Tubman, and my son is learning about the Tuskegee Airmen, this also helps with the flight unit!

Looking around the house: books are everywhere! I love that homeschooling involves so much reading! I see a Capital Mystery book, dictionary, Benjamin Franklin A-Z, my daughter's favorite series of books, pencils, scissors...

From my camera: saying goodbye to my hubby :(

Something fun to share: While helping my 7 yr old with his homework, he said to me, "Mom, did you know that the 50's were in all black and white?" I laughed so hard I cried!

On my prayer list: friends & family, my husband & other military serving overseas and for their families at home

Devotional or scripture: With starting homeschool, my children are on my mind more than ever. So right now, "Children are an heritage of the Lord" Psalm 127:3

Ralphs love

2012-02-04T09:05:00.000-08:00

I am not the *biggest* Ralphs fan. It has a lot of great deals to be had, but on the whole....not so much.

The one thing that has me showin' them some love is the fact that, they don't limit the amount of like coupons that can be doubled. For example, if I have two coupons for fruit snacks, that are good for .50/2. If I buy 4 boxes and use 2 coupons, they only take $1.50 off, not the whole 2 dollars.

However, Ralphs doesn't place limits (unless the coupon states it).

Thanks to some high value coupons, I got these cakes for .99 each and the appetizers free!

They have a promotion (which is actually still going on) where if you buy 10 of a huge list of items, you get an automatic $5 off your order. This also isn't limited, as long as you have the first 10, you can get as many as you want.

So, before coupons my total was $127.xx and afterwards? $37! Not too shabby!

I finally feel like a real couponer, with a nice stockpile of mustard!

Not everything fit in the picture. But I got:

2 pineapple upside down cakes .99 each

1 chicken tornado appetizers = free

2 Digiorno pizzas = .99each after coupons

6 regular French's mustards = .40 each

6 French's honey mustards = .50 each

2 Spicy French's mustards = .50 each

2 Dijion mustards = .50 each

4 Skintimate shave gels = ?? I can't remember but they were between .50-$1

4 Edge shave gels = same deal as the Skintimate

4 bags of Goldfish = .50 each (had a coupon from a cereal box! (:

a clearanced 6 pack of applesauce = .75

a pkg of clearanced kettle corn= $1 ( I was so happy to find this because I love kettle corn and my husband & kids love butter. So I normally buy butter.

Did you get any great deals this week? I would love to see/hear about them!

Happy Homemaker Monday

2012-01-30T16:11:00.000-08:00

I have been such a slacker blogger lately. So I decided to jump right back in (:

Weather: Southern CA has had some crazy weather lately! Santa Ana winds, rain, 80* + temps...and now it is grey and chilly. I love the cooler weather (:

Reading list: I am currently reading the biography of Abraham Lincoln. I started it at my daughters orthodontist appt. and it is a very interesting read!

On my tv: the first season of Haven

On my menu for this week: I am not sure! This is going to be a long & hard week for me...so we will see.

On my to do list: spend as much time with my hubby as possible...he deploys on Friday for 6 months :(...oh and get my son some glasses!

What I am creating: Nothing...wow I am lame!

In Homeschooling: Ok this is a new one since the last time I participated! However...it now applies to me. This week I am planning and preparing for homeschool that is starting next week!

Looking around the house: Kids are running in and out of the house, afterschool snacks, organized coupon binders...

From the camera:

a beautiful sunrise over Camarillo

Something fun to share: Hmmm, uhm I am not sure. This is another new one since the last time I participated. I guess it would be my son teaching my other son to ride his bike (:

On my prayer list: friends and family, our military

Scriptures/Devotionals:
Uhm...

Oops

2012-01-26T11:54:00.000-08:00

It's been a long time since I blogged! I hadn't realized because life has been a touch crazy around here.

There is a LOT going on. Big changes. Big, HUGE changes.

My husband is leaving for deployment next week. 6 months on my own. So.not.ready!! You would think I would get used to this but I haven't. Since he joined 10 years ago, he has been gone quite a bit. From being gone for a month all the way up to 8.5 months. And what is sad, is that a lot of people have it worse off than me!

Because one big change isn't enough, we decided to throw in another! (:

I am nervous & excited. So here it is, the big news... As of next week, I will be HOMESCHOOLING two of my children!! What the heck! Me a homeschooler? I know, I know. I have always said I couldn't handle it and now I find myself being pulled in this direction.

I have actually been thinking/talking/praying about homeschooling for around 2 years now. I have talked myself in and out of it a lot! But there are a lot of reasons, why I have been feeling now is the right time.

The two kids who are starting this year are Harmony & Connor. We have found a charter school, Bridges, that offers a home school/independent study program. We are given a teacher who helps me set up a curriculum, helps me with lesson plans and basically is just there to help me. Two days a week, they will attend "enrichment classes". They are problem solving, music, language arts, pe, yoga & Connor's favorite: LEGO'S!! Yes there is a Lego class! They are also allowed to go on all field trips, participate in science fairs and anything else that they have going on at the school.

Ethan "hero worships" his current teacher. It is also his last year at the school. Because of that, we have decided to leave him where he is. Ivan was another concern because of his therapies & IEP through his current school. But they can give him the exact same services there. However, changing his routine & schedule is not easy on him. So we have also decided to leave him where he is. Next year, Ethan & Ivan will join us at home.

Am I crazy? Probably. But you know what? I know it is right for our family right now. Maybe it won't always be. Or maybe it will. Only time will tell. We meet with the teacher tomorrow to figure out our curriculum!

Super Mom/Super Hero

2012-01-19T10:55:00.000-08:00

Are Mom's super hero's? I think so. While we may not be able to leap tall buildings in a single bound, we are capable of a lot. We bake, cook, clean, chauffer, shop, budet,plan, feed...Yeah the list goes on for miles. When I found this on Pintrest, I printed off two!

When my Mom was pregnant with me, she looked to my older siblings for name ideas. At the time, their two favorite tv shows were Donny & Marie and Wonder Woman.

So the two options were Marie...or Wonder Woman. No Lynda (as in Lynda Carter) or Diana Prince (WW's alter ego), just Wonder Woman.

While my mom ultimatley decided to go with Marie, she has been known to call me Wonder Woman.

I found this cup at Ross and knew I had to grab it (: I keep it on the counter right under this...

I am not sure who put the label on there, but I love it!

A New Year re-do

2012-01-08T20:50:00.000-08:00

I spent a lot of time over my vacation writing lists and goals, plans and schedules. I had so many good intentions when it came to my resolutions.

view near my parents house the day that we left

I was happy and was excited for the new year and some changes/goals I really wanted to achieve.

So here it is, starting the 2nd week of January, and what happened? Why should I get a re-do? Here are my reasons...

view from the Hood River bridge

1.) We were on vacation for over a week. The drive is 16 hours...each way. So we spent a lot of time in the car. A lot.

2)We arrived home on Sunday the 1st and not only did we have to unpack all the luggage,do all the laundry, find a home for all the new gifts but we had to take all of the Christmas decorations down!

3.) My kids went back to school that Tuesday and I was still not caught up.

4.) One of my resolutions was being more organized with my coupons. I decided I would not set foot in the store until everything was organized. It took forever but it is done. I will not be getting that behind again.

5.) My husband had M-W off from work. He totally throws my schedule off! I love having him around (and going on lunch dates) but...

We also had appointments, church, Cub Scouts, and all those other things that make up our life.

So if I don't deserve a re-do then I don't know who does! I am "pretending" that tomorrow is the first of the month and I will start implementing all those plans and ideas that I spent so much time working on (: Here is too a Happy New Year!

organization love

2011-12-26T17:00:00.000-08:00

You know those jobs that you KNOW you need to do, but the idea of actually doing it makes you tired?

My refrigerator has been a mess. I have needed to clean it out for...months. Literally. I kept putting it off and putting it off. But knowing we were going out of town, I knew I had to do something.

There was no way I was going to show you the before!!

After seeing a post on Pintrest about how to organize your fridge...I went and did it. I can't even begin to tell you how happy I am. I may be biased but I think that is one good looking fridge! I keep opening the door just to see how purty it looks (:

Mason was about as helpful as a 2 yr old could be (:

My label is a little crooked. But similar items are grouped together in these bins.

I think my favorite part are the labels. My kids know what goes in each bin and for the most part, put things back where it goes!

That blue container holds yogurt tubes but they were all eaten!

How about you? How do you like to organize your fridge? Or do you?

Merry Christmas

2011-12-25T13:42:00.000-08:00

The kids are busy playing with toys and awaiting a yummy Christmas dinner. So I just wanted to take a moment to wish all of my readers a very Merry Christmas. I have enjoyed getting to know more of you and look forward to meeting new friends over this next year. I have so many plans and goals for this blog and I hope you will stick with me!

traveling

2011-12-24T07:06:00.000-08:00

"There are only two types of travel: first class and with kids."

I don't remember where I first read that quote but it still makes me laugh...and cringe. Because we all know it is true!

I am no stranger traveling with children. I have been from CA to VA, VA to OR, OR back to VA, VA to WA, WA to AZ, AZ to CA, CA to GUAM, GUAM to OR...I could go on and on but I will spare you! Suffice it to say, military families do a lot of traveling.

Our kids range in ages and personalities. Some get car sick, some don't. Some have teeny tiny bladders and some seem to be able to hold it forever.

We have under packed and over packed. Forgotten very important things, and remembered everything.

I have learned a lot every single time. So by the time my kids are teenagers, I should have this down. Right?!

The only way I can remember everything is to write it ALL DOWN. Even those things that you feel are no brainers. Go through every single day, and what you could possibly need for that day.

Here are a few things that I always make sure I have with me:

total score!! These are so insanely expensive! Worth it but expensive.

*dramamine
* plastic bags for throw up (I use the diaper sacks that come in a little roll)
*baby wipes, toddler wipes (flushable)
*an extra roll of tp (some rest areas are scary, others are 5 star, you just never know!)
*more diapers than I could possibly need
*extra clothes for all children in an easy to locate bag
*tylenol (children & adult) kleenex,
* paper towels
*towels ( I usually try to bring 2. They are good to have for cleaning up, getting caught in the rain...)
*first aid kit (with extra bandaids)
*medicines &vitamins
* I pack all of my items in zip top bags. Everything. Clothes, socks, toiletries etc. It saves space, prevents spills, and keeps like items with like items. The bags come in handy later as we get ready to go also!

* laundry soap and dryer sheets (this is where all of those free samples come in handy)

Being prepared doesn't necessarily equal a smoothe trip, but it will be smoothER. We made it through a 16 hour drive and are still alive to tell the story!

What do you think, what makes your life easier while traveling? If you are like me, and you like to have a checklist, here are 2 sites that I found with printable lists.

Flylady has a travel control journal that is a free printable and you can find it here.
http://www.flylady.net/

You can also go to We Just Got Back for kid oriented printable checklists...those can be found here

It's coming...

2011-12-15T14:59:00.000-08:00

The time is rapidly approaching. It comes so fast and yet I never feel quite ready.

Nope, it's not Christmas. That is what you were thinking wasn't it?

Well I am actually talking about something else.

New Years Resolutions. Yep, they sneak up on me every year. I do make them (whether or not I keep them or not is a completely different story!) as a way to make goals and better myself.

One goal that is on there every year, like many, many, many others is to lose weight. The other of course is to save money.

Saving money is easy...well not easy but easier for me than the whole losing weight one!

I have done a variety of different weight loss programs, Slim Fast, Weight Watchers, my own programs...But one of the things I find myself doing is spending way.to.much.money. Now I am sharing this as my own personal experience, not as a reflection of the program. Here are a few examples of what I would do...

I would wake up in the morning and would be in a rush. I didn't have time to make a low fat meal OR I wouldn't have anything to eat that was "healthy". So I would either a.) not eat and then be starving so I would eat whatever I could find or B) go to the grocery store and stock up on healthy items. Again.

Or, I would be trying to make dinner for the family and realize that it had too many calories/fat/points to fit into my program. So I wouldn't eat it. I would go buy something for me.

I would stock up on pre-packaged items so that I could follow my program completely.Not being willing to branch out, but just stick with items that " I know I can eat."

That doesn't even include the actual cost of a program. Know what I mean?

Well, that is why starting on January 1st I will be starting a coupon diet. No I will not be eating coupons (I'm so funny I know!). Every January you see a huge rush of coupons for frozen healthy dinners, protein bars/shakes, all sorts of "diet foods". Coupons are seasonal and manufacturers know that everyone is making the resolution to lose weight and eat healthier, right?

Programs like Jenny Craig, NutriSystem etc. work because everything is pre-portioned. You know exactly what is in it. The trouble is when you go off those programs. So I will be making my own.

For example:

B-fast: whatever yogurt is on sale for the week, a bowl of healthier cereal or protein bar & fruit.
Snack: whatever pre-portioned snack is on sale...100 cal packs, light popcorn etc.
L-maybe a Smart Ones, or Lean Cuisine, Healthy Choice etc
Snack: same as above
Dinner: a meal that is healthy as I can make it (making small switches like using leaner cuts of meat, portion control etc.

Over the next couple of weeks I will share more of my plan, and how I plan to implement it. I will also doing more product reviews (whether sponsored or not) on "diet foods/drinks". What were hits and what were misses.

If you have made a resolution to get healthier, I would love for you to join me. You can follow whatever program you want. I look forward to saving money and getting healthier. I hope you will join me, but in the mean time, enjoy those yummy holiday goodies! I know I will!

the busiest time of the year...

2011-12-13T14:40:00.000-08:00

All of this holiday rushing around is making me tired!!

What a crazy time of year. I have been to concerts, parties, field trips, assembalies, presentations...I could go on and on.

Oh and lets not forget the "great lice invasion" which got every single one of us! Yuck. You never realize how many items your head could possibly touch until you have to wash them all! Pillows, blankets, stuffed animals, couches, chairs, your car, hair brushes, hats. Ugh soooo GROSS.

So all this just to tell you that I am alive and well...just crazy tired and busy!

How about you? Have you had a chance to stop and smell the roses at all this holiday season?

Thomas Mega Bloks & Mommy Parties

2011-12-07T22:37:00.000-08:00

**I recieved a box of Thomas Mega Blocks toys through Mommy Parties to test & give away to friends. I was not paid for this review and all opinions are 100% my own.**

The perfect shirt!!

When I recieved the email from Mommy Parties that I had been selected for the Thomas party I was ThRiLlEd beyond belief! Mason, my 2 year old is a Thomas fanatic. Besides the actual trains, we have movies, blankets, pillow case, dishes, clothes, Pez dispensers...I could go on and on. The kid loves trains and he loves Thomas.

So I waited for my party box to come. One morning, I walked downstairs to find a huge box in the living room! I was so excited to open it and find a huge assortment of Thomas toys & a dvd.

Trying to break in on his own!

I hid the box from Mason, until the party because I didn't want him to "steal" from his friends!

I invited friends over to play trains and to watch the Thomas dvd. Well, no one was interested in watching the movie!! With everyone having their own toy, there was hardly any fighting over the fun toys. Building tracks, and playing choo-choos was all the boys were interested in! The boys ranged in ages from 2-3 and they easily put them together. Older brothers helped a little but not much.

It was a fun time for us Moms to get together and chit chat while the kids played. What a fun day!

Some of the things I heard after everyone took the trains home...

" Brian played with his for like 12 hours straight! He loves it!"

"McClain loved his train and insisted on taking it with him on a car trip."

"Asher hasn't put it down."

I loved getting this box and appreicate the generosity of the people at Mega Bloks. If you have a little boy, or know a little boy, or maybe a kid at heart...put this toy on your must have list! They are durable, reasonably priced toys. Choo Choo!!

What's for Lunch?

2011-12-07T06:20:00.000-08:00

Oh how I wish I were more creative. I love looking at Bento's but then get a little down on myself about what I have done. But what are you gonna do, right?

grapes, Christmas shaped pretzels, a Babybel, fruit snack, and a chocolate muffin

I try never to use baggies, but I didn't want to just put them in.

How I fit everything in (:

For more fun & fabulous lunch ideas, head on over to What's for Lunch?

31 days of organizing

2011-12-07T06:07:00.000-08:00

So I have this teeny tiny addiction to Pintrest. Seriously that site is like a vacum. It just sucks you in!

While I was on there, I found this great idea for doing one organizing task everyday. Unfortunately, the whole link up thing is over, but I am going to do it anyway! Because I totally need it. So today was day #1. Technically #2 because #1 was a welcome letter. So anyway day 1 is the coat closet.

Mine was a huge mess so here we go with the before pictures...

opening the door (is it just me or does my hand look weird?!)

OK so at the top we have a remote control car, a bin of cords, yoga mat, file folders...

The containers are for all my Christmas decorations

The door. My husband had a uniform on the door also

some weight stuff of my hubbys, shoes, and some Tupperware catalogs & work

Now for the fun part! The after pictures. I was seriously sooo giddy by the time I was done (:

very top R-L: exercise equipment,video camera, hubby's uniform "stuff"

my boys scripture cases, white bin for Scout stuff, blue bin for hats

a hook on the side holds scout uniforms & the black bag holds their scout books

a nice LABELED bin for church shoes

labeled bins for other types of shoes

my husbands shoes on the bottom, a basket for Mason's shoes (his or so small they get lost!)

the other bin has hats & gloves

Yay! I love my nice organized closet!

Happy Homemaker Monday (...or Tuesday...)

2011-12-06T11:00:00.000-08:00

After a very looong weekend, I am a day late for Happy Homemaker MONDAY, so it will just have to be Tuesday instead (:

Weather in my neck of the woods: It is chilly in So. California lately! The Santa Ana winds are making it even more so!

Things that make me happy: snuggling up with my family watching Christmas movies.

Books I am reading: Mistletoe and Mayhem (I can't remember the author and am too lazy to go upstairs and check lol)

What's on my tv today: catching up on my DVR: Castle, Hawaii Five-O

On the Menu for dinner tonight: honey ham, rolls & mashed potatoes (comfort food!)

On my to do list:
laundry
dishes
organizing coupons

New recipe I tried or want to try soon:

In the craft basket: I am excited because I have been reorganizin and have a scrapbook area again. Hoping to get some major layouts done!

Looking forward to this week: annual breakfast with Santa and seeing my daughter march in a Christmas parade

Tips and tricks:

My favorite blog post for this week: I found this great blog, Organic Family, thanks to Pintrest. I love the idea of the Ransom box and have put it into action at our house!

Blog Hopping: I have this teensy tiny little addiction to Pintrest. Because of that I have found soooo many awesome blogs. It is so fun to be able to peruse and I have added so many new ones to my favorites.

No words needed (favorite picture yours or someone else's):

me with my son when he got "leopard of the month" at school (:

Lesson learned the past few days: Head lice suck. Head lice times 6 sucks even more. Yuck.

On my mind: Christmas, my hubby who is out on a field exercise, family

Devotionals, scriptures & key verses: A part of a talk that was given by a member of the First Presidency of the LDS church :

President Uchtdorf said that we, “like the Wise Men of old, should seek the Christ and lay before Him the most precious of gifts: a broken heart and a contrite spirit. We should offer Him our love. We should give Him our willingness to take upon ourselves His name and walk in the path of discipleship. We should promise to remember Him always, to emulate His example, and to go about doing good.”

While you are here, please come and enter my giveaway. You can find it here

Menu Plan Monday

2011-12-06T10:12:00.000-08:00

I know it is late but...I still wanted to add my menu for this week. We are having a crazy busy week and so I will be using my crockpot a lot...and trying really hard to avoid the drive thru!

Monday:
pizza

Tuesday:
B-fast: triple chocolate chunk muffins & bananas
D: honey ham, potatoes, rolls

Wednesday:
B: scrambeled eggs w/ chopped ham
D: ham sandwiches & homemade chicken noodle soup

Thursday:
B: waffles & fruit
D: teriyaki chicken, brown rice & brocoli

Friday:
B: smoothies
D:leftovers

Saturday:
B: Breakfast with Santa at church
D: spaghetti with meatballs, garlic bread, salad

Sunday:
B: kids choice
D: chili mac, corn bread, green beans

For hundreds of dinner ideas from, low cost, low cal, gluten free...you can find them all at Org Junkie!

***While you are here, please enter my giveaway! Currently only one person is entered! ): You can find it here

Feminine Friday

2011-12-02T21:35:00.000-08:00

Once again, I am joining The American Homemaker in Feminine Friday. It is a fun chance for me to think about the things that make me feel feminine. With so many boys in the house, it can sometimes be hard to remember!

This week on facebook, I was lamenting the fact that I feel like I am NEVER at home, and spend the majority of my day in the car. A friend actually told me about a bumper sticker, that says, "If a woman's place is in the home, then why am I always in the car?" I laughed at that because it is so true!!

So, basically my car is my 2nd home. I don't think there is anything feminine about a big ol' SUV. However, I am constantly thinking about what would happen if I had all my kids in the car and something were to happen. It is my job to protect my children and THAT makes me feel feminine.

Every Friday, I have designated as car day. No matter how much (or how little) gas I have in my car, I fill up. While I am filling it up, I throw my trash bag away and collect any other trash throughout the car.

Keep track of your oil changes. The easiest way is that little sticker they put in your car. I go to a drive thru so I don't even have to get my 2 yr old out! When they ask me about the millions of different options, I just say, "sorry I need to talk to my husband about that" and they don't really ask me anything else.

I carry a variety of items in my trunk for those "just in cases"...however I am going to save that for another post. (:

**While you are here, I have a giveaway going on that you are welcome to enter! I am giving away a copy of the new Phineas & Ferb movie, the 2nd Dimension and the Phineas & Ferb soundtrack. Go here to sign up!

another one?

2011-12-01T16:50:00.000-08:00

image taken from Wikipedia.com

Yep, it is time for yet ANOTHER giveaway here on California Clippin'! See I told you to stay tuned!

Awhile back, Coupons.com had a $5/1 of the new Phineas & Ferb movie the 2nd Dimension.

At the time, this movie stayed on our dvr for weeks! My kids laughed hysterically at it almost every single day. I have to admit, that I really like Phineas & Ferb. It is so fun (:

So because I was able to print off two of the coupons, I have an extra to giveaway! I am also including our favorite Phineas & Ferb soundtrack! We listen to these in the car all the time.

If you have someone on your Christmas list that is a Phineas & Ferb fan (maybe you?!) now is your chance to see if you can grab it. What do you have to do?

*In order to participate, you have to be a follower on my blog AND on my facebook page!!
**Leave a comment telling me what your favorite cartoon is. Come on, you know you have one (:
*** Because I use Random.org to pick winners, you have to leave a seperate entry for each thing that you do. That way all of yours count.

1. Facebook it (if you have a personal page and a "business" page these both count)
2. Blog it
3. Anyone that you refer to my blog and page will earn you another entry. They will also be entered and every person they refer will get an entry and so on and so forth.

Giveaway ends next Friday (Dec. 9th) at 9:00pm pst.

On your mark, get set...go!

The icing

2011-12-01T16:30:00.000-08:00

My favorite part of any cake? The frosting of course. No light whipped cream icing for me! Buttercream all the way!

Confession: While preggo with one of my children, I used to get frosting when it was cheap and eat it by the spoonful. I wouldn't even bother with the cake!!

When it comes to couponing, we all know that in order to get the best deals, you need to combine a sale with your coupon. If your store doubles, that is even better right?

Well as you are getting your items, make sure to pay attention to the packaging. I always see if I can get that extra little somethin' somethin'. Extra boxtops? Refund form? Coupons inside? I will always get those ones instead. It is that little icing on the cake.

A couple of the benefits of getting coupons off of packaging is this....

1. They tend to have a higher value than ones in the paper.
2. They tend to have a lot longer expiration date.
3. You have a bigger variety of coupons for your binder.

Also, as you look through the magazines that come through the mail, pay close attention. Especially this time of year as many of them have coupons in them!

The coupon on the Musselmans was .50/1. At my commissary these are only .79 bringing my total cost down to .29.

Besides, being called the "icing" these are also known as "smp's" or specially marked products. Have you found anything fun lately?

$$ store bEnTo finds

2011-11-30T10:53:00.000-08:00

ham sandwiches, carrots w/ ranch (in the yellow container) grapes cut in half

This year I have not been doing as well when it comes to creating fun lunches. ): I don't know why. Just lame I guess. lol Or maybe it is that my mornings are so crazy rushed? Yeah lets go with that one!!

My attempts have been kind of sad but I have tried to do something fun when a holiday comes up. Basically when an idea works itself out and I don't have to think about it.

One of my favorite parts of bento is all the cute little extras that go in. Picks, condiment containers etc.

not sure why this photo wouldn't turn

Since I am cheap, I like to look for fun things in the dollar section, or at the dollar store. While I was perusing the .99 store for Thanksgiving items, I was excited to find some fun little things for Christmas.

I grabbed 4 of these little containers. Because their sandwiches were on rolls, they fit in really well.

In the toy section, of The Dollar Tree, they had a little tic tac toe type of game, which had gingerbread and Santa (looking) picks to use. So instead of using them for the game...they were used as picks.

I also found a star sandwich cutter at the Dollar Tree. My kiddos love these (:

So have you found any fun bento items lately? Or things that can be used in lunches? I would love to know (:

Winner Winner

2011-11-30T05:33:00.000-08:00

So we have a winner...thanks to Random.org the winner of the Carmex gift package is....

Jessica Manning (:

I recieve almost daily, items to review and giveaway. So even if you didn't win this time...you never know when it will be you!

PB Banana Bread

2011-11-26T09:42:00.000-08:00

Why is it that some times when I buy bananas, they are gone 30 seconds after they hit the fruit bowl? Then others, they sit on the counter and go brown?

Well, like most women, I refuse to throw them away and either put them into the freezer or turn them into banana bread or smoothies.

Everyone in my home loves plain, ol' banana bread, but I am always trying to find ways to change it up. My children do not like nuts :( and so I usually have to make it without my beloved walnuts.

I found this recipe and we all rrrreally enjoyed it!

**Peanut Butter Banana Bread **

Preheat oven to 325*

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup peanut butter
2 bananas, mashed ( I actually used 3 because that is what I had)
2 cups flour
1 tsp soda (which I totally forgot about, oops!)

In a large bowl, cream together butter & sugar. Add eggs, beat well. Stir in peanut butter, mashed bananas until well blended. Add flour and soda. Blend until combined. Grease loaf pan and bake for 70 minutes.
* My daughter really wanted chocolate chips thrown in so we added those as well*
**My oven usually tends to be slow, but 70 minutes was just a little too long for mine. So I would recommend you check for doneness after an hour**

This is my first time linking up to Make a Home over at Linda's Lunacy. If you are interested in joining in on the fun, head on over!

Feelin' Feminine Friday

2011-11-25T14:16:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I sure did and I am enjoying all my leftovers (:

Feelin' Feminie Friday has been on hold for the past few weeks but is back up again today. So I am taking the chance to join in again. If you are interested in participating, head on over to The American Homemaker.

Over Thanksgiving, I sat down with my husband and watched Captain America. The movie takes place during WW2. I have always loved this era. Something about the Greatest Generation, just gets me everytime. I love to read books, watch movies or hear about that time period.

I think what I love the most is how everyone supported the troops, in any way that they could.

I can not even tell you how many times I have tripped over these!

You might be thinking what on earth does a Super hero movie and war have to do with feeling feminine, right? Well I will tell you why...

Tomorrow my sweetheart leaves for a military field exercise. I don't know how long he will be gone, or when I will hear from him.

While he is gone, not only will I be Mom and Dad, I have that added job of keeping his morale up. While I can't send any pkgs, I have spent the past few days getting him magazines, snacks and movies to take with him. Taking care of my soldier, makes me verrry feminine (:

While you are here, please sign up for my giveaway. Currently there are only 6 entries so your chances are very good! You can find the link here

HaPpY ThAnKsGiViNG

2011-11-24T10:16:00.000-08:00

Taking a break from the kitchen, to wish all my readers a very Happy Thanksgiving!

I am so grateful that my husband is home with us this year.

I am so grateful for my children and the laughter and joy they bring into our home.

I am so grateful for this season and the chance to think of all the many blessings I have.

Hope you all enjoy your day!

Truly Awesome?

2011-11-23T12:46:00.000-08:00

My kids have really gotten used to me getting fun packages in the mail.

While I am always thrilled to recieve items to review, they haven't always been impressed. Laundry detergent, air freshners, cleaning products...

But when you get a box of chocolate chip cookies, they are all over it!!

I recieved a box of Kroger's "The Truly Awesome Chocolate Chip cookies" to try. While Kroger has a variety of private label items, they have recently launched their "Truly Awesome" line. There are a few other "Truly Awesome" products with more on the way!

The claim on these cookies is, "tastes as if your Mom made them".

Now in my very humble opinion, there is nothing than a homemade ooey-gooey cookie fresh out of the oven with a huge glass of milk.

So how did these cookies stack up? I will let my boys tell you...

"We love cookies!!"

"I would eat them again"

"Yours taste a lot better"

"What am I supposed to say?"

In the end, 2 of the cookies were left on the counter, unfinished. While they love cookies, and enjoyed sampling, mine still got the best vote. However, when asked if they would suffer through eating them again, they said, "I guess so."

Out of the mouth of babes...

**I recieved these samples from Kroger (and their family of stores) to try out. I was not financially compensated for my review. All opinions are 100% mine (or my family).**

10 shop local ideas

2011-11-23T08:11:00.000-08:00

You may have read my last post and felt like you want to shop local, but just aren't sure of what you can do.

Now I want to go on record as saying, I am not AGAINST mass merchandisers. I am a frequent shopper in many of them. However, I also know how much those little purchases, at your local stores help. So here are just a few ideas to help keep some of your Christmas budget local...

1. Going out shopping? Hire a babysitter! There are many looking to make a little extra money, and they are not all teenagers. Do you know a mother with older children? Or a friend from church, school, work?

2. Hire a housekeeper. This time of the year is so crazy busy, think of hiring someone to come in and help you out a bit. Maybe for a special night (party?) or to help you get some of those big jobs done.

3. Hit up a bakery, instead of the grocery store. Need pies? Cookies? Or other sweet treats for your holiday table? Go to a local bakery instead of grabbing one out of your grocery store!

4. Tired after a whole bunch of shopping? Head to a local restaurant for that lunch/dinner.

5. While I don't drink coffee myself, many people rely on it to keep their energy up while shopping. Once again, go to a local place instead of a big name brand company that rhymes with shmarbucks.

6. Hire a local friend or photographer to take your family picture for a Christmas card, instead of heading into a studio.

7. Many places, while have a "name brand" company are individually owned and operated. For example, our local Hallmark is owned by a local family. I can still use my Hallmark coupons, but am helping to support a local store.

8. Attend a craft fair. People are selling things they have made and they are neat, one of a kind items! I love attending craft fairs.

9. Buy gift certificates to your local stores. Who wouldn't love to recieve a gift card for a local bakery or coffee shop? Think teacher or neighbor gifts, people who live local and would really enjoy it.

10. Host a party for your favorite direct sales company. Earn some fun rewards and help out a friend.

Any other ideas? I would love to hear them!

Shop Local

2011-11-21T09:15:00.000-08:00

My inbox has been flooded with emails containing Black Friday ads.

I know many people who have their lists planned out and are going to be hanging out in the cold in the middle of the night.

I have stayed home on Black Friday. I have gone in my pj's to do Black Friday. I have shopped on Cyber Monday. Whatever works to get the good deals right?

Right now, the economy is in bad shape. People are struggling to feed their families, pay their bills and stay in their homes. It is a scary time for many.

So is there anything you can do? Oh yeah. There totally is.

While big stores want to make sales, they aren't personal. You are just another person. But to people with local Mom & Pop stores, it is verrry personal.

I love our area. It is fabulous. Very close to my home, is a strip mall. There are a variety of local shops but also some bigger ones. Every Halloween, the local vendors put on a trick or treat for the kids. My kids enjoy getting candy, popcorn, balloons, coupons for me, face painting...They are so generous and we have fun every year!

Over Halloween, I was able to go with my son on his field trip to the pumpkin patch. While walking through the entrance I noticed their fees. During the week, the admission was $3. Over the weekend? $12. Holy cow! That was just to get into the place. As I walked around I started adding up the costs of the actual pumpkins, the cost of food at the "snack shack". Ugh it made my stomach churn. As a family we went to a small patch run by a family who had been doing it for years. No charge to get in, they took pictures for you, they didn't even weigh your pumpkins just "guesstimated". They were so great and we had a great time.

I grew up in the Northwest and there was a take & bake pizza place that we loved. Easy, inexpensive and yummy. Well down here, I haven't been able to find a take & bake place. Then one opened up (in that same strip mall). It is a small local company that donates pizza to my kids school, has nightly specials and a frequent shopper program.

The music store, which is family run, goes out of their way to get you anything you need. Even if it means driving to one of their other stores to pick it up. They have helped me out in a pinch soooo many times. They also support my daughters music program at school.

Jason, a man who washes & details cars, comes to us. All we do is park the car outside and he comes and takes care of it all. His price is more than reasonable and I feel like he actually loses money on my nasty-mobile.

These are just a few examples of local companies. I am sure if you look around your community, you can come up with your own examples.

Shopping local is good for the economy. You spend your money at a local store, they invest that money back into their store, and are more able to support local programs. The money they make is spent at your local grocery stores or other Mom & Pop stores. All this money stays in your community.

So I like many others, are encouraging others to support Shop Local on Nov. 26th.

I know budgets are tight, but if you have the opportunity & means, consider shopping local.

**I would also like to mention those who are consultants for direct buy companies. Like Tupperware, Scentsy, Tupperware, Mary Kay, Tupperware, Pampered Chef, Tupperware. Oh did I mention Tupperware? Maybe that is because I sell it (: Support these women (and men) as they try to stay home with their families.

How about it? Are you going to take the challenge to shop local?

Carmex Love

2011-11-16T07:37:00.000-08:00

****DISCLOSURE**** I recieved these items from Carmex in exchange for this review. I am not being compensated for this review and all opinions are 100% mine.

I have said it before, and I will say it again, being a blogger definatley has some perks (:

One of them is getting items in the mail to try and review.

So when this box from Carmex appeared on my door step I did a little happy dance.

Inside were 2 full sized bottles of their new body lotion and 2 trial size.

One of the lotions is for daily use and one is an extra strength formula for some of your rougher spots (knees, elbows, feet...)

Now we all know that you put lotion on right after a shower right? I slathered some on one Saturday morning and went about my business. Then as I was sitting down to do some work on my lap top, I kept smelling something really good. I looked at my air freshners, that wasn't it. I looked at my candles, Scentsy's...and couldn't figure it out. I finally realized it was my lotion!! It smelled so good and the scent really lasted! It is a very light vanilla-y smell which I enjoyed. Who doesn't like vanilla right?!

I loved that the lotion was not greasy at all. It was nice and smooth. My arms and legs were very soft.

I have really dry feet (courtesy of wearing flip flops almost every day for the last 4 years) and the Carmex extra healing lotion really helped keep them soft and moisturized.

I have loved Carmex chapstick products for a long time, but I am adding a new product to my list of favorites! Do you get dry & itchy skin during the winter months?Want to add some moisturizing lotion to your routine?

Well the wonderful people at Carmex, have generously offered to send you, one of my readers, a pkg just like the one I recieved! So what do you have to do to enter? It's easy-schmeezy (:

1. First leave a comment, saying I want in!
2. Post about it on your blog (if you have one) this will get you 2 entries
3. Post about it on your FB page/wall

**You must be a follower on my blog & on Facebook to be entered**

** Giveaway ends 1 week from today on Nov. 23rd**

MoNsTeR CoOkIeS

2011-11-14T14:31:00.000-08:00

This picture makes him look all sweet & innocent. Trust me, looks can be deceiving!

Thursday afternoon, I was waiting in the car rider line for my boys, when here they come...the youngest in tears.

The tears it turns out were for a very good reason...he got in big trouble at school and was scared to tell me about it. So...after a long chat with his teacher, he was not the only one in tears. Mine were of course, in frustration!!

My son, Ivan, is on the Autism spectrum. We have some verrry good days, and we have some verrry bad days. We never know what to expect from day to day. Sounds like all kids huh? lol

we had lots of colorful m&m's

Well after dealing with all of this, I decided that the only way to make ourselves feel better, was to bake. (:

Ivan's favorite treat are M&M's. I knew we had plenty of them, so that is what we decided on.

However, I decided to take it one step further and make some monster cookies for my little monster!

Of all the recipes I looked at, the Pioneer Woman's recipe was the winner. (No surprise there huh?) So this recipe is the one I found on her site.

Preatheat oven to 375*

2 sticks of butter (I was going to double this recipe but just couldn't handle the idea of 4 sticks of butter!)
1/2 cup white sugar
1.5 cups brown sugar
2 eggs
1 TBSP vanilla
Combine the first 3 ingredients into a mixing bowl. Cream together. Add one egg, and then incorporate completely before adding the next. Do the same with the next egg and add the vanilla.

In a seperate bowl combine
1.5 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp salt
1.5 cups of oats.

Combine wet & dry ingredients.

Then add...whatever you want (:

m&m's
choc. chips
pb chips
toffee bits
butterscotch chips
nuts (my kids don't like nuts in anything! boo!)

Once you have put your additions in, andd 2 1/4 cup of rice krispies. Don't mix too much at this point because you still want your rice krispies to be somewhat crunchy!

Bake until golden brown. In my oven (which I feel is a little on the cooler side) it was about 13 minutes.

I hope you make them & enjoy them with your little monster(s)!

111111

2011-11-11T18:45:00.000-08:00

My boys getting ready to put flags on the graves of veterans.

Happy Veterans Day to All! Take time today (even though it is almost over) to think about the freedoms we enjoy, and those who made the ultimate sacrifice to protect them.

Why can't boys ever just take a nice picture?

Very fuzzy but they were looking for the marked graves to place the flags

What's for lunch?

2011-11-09T06:10:00.000-08:00

My 9 year old is a sweet, quiet boy. He doesn't cause problems at school. And yet, he seems to be the one that always gets picked on!! Why is that?!

He came home from school one day and said, "Mom, people keep stealing things out of my lunch!" Apparently every time he looks away, he finds things missing.

But the final straw came the other day when he came home and told me, "Mom, someone took my lunch container, and kept shak ing it and putting it upside down!" I was so upset. Imagine if I was actually good at making Bento lunches. I would be pretty ticked off that all my hard work had been ruined by some little juvenile deliquent...I mean some young child at school who doesn't know better. He then added, "You know what else? They were GIRLS!" So I imagine that it was more to get his attention then anything. My husband's response to all this? "Quit making him such cool lunches."

My lunches are nowhere near as cool as the ones you can see over at What's For Lunch and I could only find one current picture...and it is from Halloween! Oh well, I will have to better this week (:

Even though Halloween is over, this is the lunch I made for them

Winner Winner

2011-11-08T19:59:00.000-08:00

We have a winner (: I had planned to pick the winner at 6:00 but thanks to grumpy, stinky little boys, I had to wait until now. So without further ado...the winner of the free item coupons is

Anna Lory

Congratulations Anna. I am 99% sure I have your address but just in case will you send it to me?! Thanks dear.

For those who didn't win, don't worry. I have 3-4 giveaways coming up soon. So stay tuned and keep coming back for more!

garlic chicken puffs

2011-11-08T12:22:00.000-08:00

Saturdays around our house are known as "Appetizer night".

This is also the day that I use up any leftovers.

The kids love being able to have a variety of items to choose from... mozzarella sticks, chicken nuggets, pigs in a blanket...

My husbands game also fell on Saturday night so I decided to make something yummy for him, while he watched.

I saw a post on Pintrest for these Garlic chicken puffs, and realized that I had written the recipe down before (:

Unfortunatley, they were gone before I even got a chance to snap a picture! So here is the direct link from Tidy Mom!

menu planning

2011-11-02T09:30:00.000-07:00

I was in Wal Mart the other day, when I found this magnetic dry erase board.

I had an idea for it, and so far, it has been working pretty well.

It is now my menu planning calender.

5:00 is the bewitching hour at our house. My husband isn't home from work yet, kids are getting hungry, we are doing homework, and getting ready for any activities...it is just crazy.

So now when I meal plan, I do it by my calender. For example:

Mon & Tues are pretty quiet days around our house. We do have family night on Mondays but unless we are going somewhere, it is not a rush. So I will plan something more "time consuming" for dinner.

Wed & Thurs are very busy. We have evening activities and run around like crazy. My boys also get out of school early on Thursdays. They are just busy days and leave me tired. So on those days I use my crockpot, a freezer meal, or something rrrreally easy like soup & sandwiches, hot dogs...

Fridays are a total relax day. We are all kind of doing our own thing and so it is usually a pizza night, leftovers or kids pick their own.

Saturdays are...well whatever works.

Sundays we don't get home from church until 4:30 so I try to do a crock pot meal or a freezer meal. We are all starving by the time we get home & no one wants to wait very long!

So I have started using this board to plan my menu's. Ben & the kids check it every day to find out what we are having. Even though I don't follow it perfectly, it is nice to have it down. I can also use my previous ideas if I am having a hard time figuring out what to serve.

I told the kids (and my hubby, of course) that if they have any requests to write them down. Well one day as I was walking by, I found a lot of the things I had written down, replaced (in my kids handwriting) with McDonalds or Panda Express.

Everybody is a comedian (;

Review & giveaway

2011-11-01T17:39:00.000-07:00

Aren't those cute? I love the snowflakes!

Ahhh the holidays. They are rapidly approaching.

I grew up in the Pacific Northwest. A beautiful place to live. With views of mountains, a river, tall pine trees and beautiful colors. Every season is represented in it's finest. Summers were spent in the warm sun. Fall was met with many colored leaves to be raked. Winter was cold with snow and chilly temperatures. Spring brought rain and later warm weather.

The perfect place to grow up. Sniff, sniff! I miss it!

Being military we have spent the holidays in Virginia, Guam and now California.

Doesn't Guam just scream winter/ Christmas?

We lived on Guam for 3 years and not one of those Christmas's rrrrreally felt like Christmas. We wore t-shirts & shorts, spent afternoons on the beach...I would start cranking up the A/C so that we would have to bundle up!

Whether you are in a tropical climate, or in an area with snow up to your roof tops, there are just certain things that remind me of the holidays. Baking, snow, Christmas trees...and yummy smells.

I am a big candle girl but they are not always safe to leave around with children. That is where Renuzit Air Fresheners come in!

I was given two of their new holiday scents to try out. They are very easy to use, just simply peel the back off the gel disk, and slide it into the holiday holder.

I have been using the winter berry!

Every time I walk into the living room I get a whiff of the yummy smells (:

The generous people at Henkel have provided me with 3 free item coupons to share with my readers. So you can try it for yourself! So... how do you enter?

1. Leave a comment on this blog sharing what your favorite scent is (whether an air freshner, Scentsy, candle...whatever)

2. If you are not already a follower on Facebook, do it now and that includes an extra entry.

3. If you are not a follower of my blog, follow now for an extra entry.

****While I recieved the Renuzit air freshners to try out, all opinions are my own and I was not compensated for this review.****

girl in a whirl

2011-10-27T21:57:00.000-07:00

The child who gets dragged EVERYWHERE!

Yep that is me. The girl in a whirl. Half the time I feel like my life is on fast forward. Things are crazy & busy and I just can't keep up.

While I love every single one of my children, and wouldn't give them away for anything, the down side to having so many kids is keeping on top of all of their schedules, activities...

For example, activities that have requirements are killing me! 2 of my boys are in Cub Scouts and I am constantly trying to figure out (last minute of course) what can count for what." Hmmm, we went to the zoo one day, maybe that can work under such and such patch". Yeah. Let's not even mention the fact that half of their badges are in a ziploc bag just waiting to make it on to their shirts.

School work is another one. Making sure every day that all of the homework is done, reading logs filled out, all announcements have been looked at... I know that I am letting things fall through the cracks.

It is a good thing I love my car, because we are always in it!

So here is the thing, I know the answer to my problem. I need to get organized. I need to have a routine. The kids need to have a routine. It is putting it into practice every day. When I am tired. When I am grumpy. When I would rather be reading my book.

image taken from http://www.pintrest.com/

I totally need some help. Please all you organizing guru's, HELP ME!!

Couponing to Spain...

2011-10-24T16:02:00.000-07:00

In late January, or early Febuary, my sweet husband will be deploying...again.

While I look forward to this deployment like I would a root canal, at least this time he will not be heading back to Afghanistan. This next deployment will have him headed to Rota, Spain.

Doesn't that sound nice? Well while I am looking forward to him being in a much safer location, it is a place that I would love to go and visit him. And because it is not a war zone, I can.

Since he will be gone over the summer, we figured that it would be much easier to find babysitters, if the kids weren't in school or on a structured schedule.

I really, really, REALLY want to go. My hubby said it is fine...as long as the cost does not go on the credit card. So what does that mean?

image taken from http://www.usmilitary.about.com/

That means I am couponing my way to Spain! Drawing inspiration from the site Couponing to Disney, I have a savings account that will have all of my refund & rebate checks, money gifts, and all my coupon savings.

Because I will not be taking my children with me, I only have to save enough for myself. I checked on flights and with all the tickets, tax and fees it will be around $1300. Plus food, a hotel, taxi, souveniers...well it starts to add up. So I am thinking right now my goal is to have $3000 in savings.

image taken from idbg.com

Of course that has to be saved by June. Yikes. It is about 8 months to save that money or $375 a month.

I have to get busy. What about you, are you using your coupon savings (or other kinds of savings) for anything fun?

FHE** Family Home Evening

2011-10-24T14:21:00.000-07:00

Sometimes, I have a family night planned every week.

Everyone has an assignment and we have a lesson, activity, treat...
.
And other weeks, we don't do anything.

I need to be better about this. One of my problems is ideas. I have a hard time thinking of ideas that are kid friendly but that share a spiritual message. I don't want to just preach to them.

So starting next Monday, I would like to share what our family has been doing for family night. I would love to have others leave a comment, or post on their blog and leave a link. I need as much help as I can get and I am sure others do also!

spooky reads

2011-10-22T11:39:00.000-07:00

At 7:30 every night, my two youngest boys get in my bed, with a stack of bedtime stories. We snuggle up and read & laugh.

While there are many stories that I can recite by heart, they still love story time. And as long as I can get those snuggles, I am all for it.

Over holidays, or special times of the year, I like to have special stories set aside. These actually get put away with the decorations so that they are like new every year. I also do that with movies.

So while some are favorites are MIA (missing in action) I am sure a search of my kids rooms would help me find them!

However here are some of our favorites...

** Of cours at the top of the list... It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown
** 10 Timid Ghosts
** I'm not scared
** although not necessarily a Halloween book, any Scooby Doo book can work
** I Spy Halloween images
** for older kids, "gross" books also work (:

Chapter books that are spooky for older kids...
1. Harry Potter & the Sorcers Stone (witches, wizards, trolls on Halloween...)
2. R. L. Stine books
3. Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde
4. Dracula
5. Frankenstein
I am sure there are plenty more I just can't think of them right now!

So what about you? Are you reading any spooky books to your kids?

A spooky treat

2011-10-20T06:00:00.000-07:00

a spooky layered treat

A skull and cross bones on top of a "graveyard"

Why do all projects have to include a messy kitchen?

My 2 year old is sooo not sure about Halloween.

He gets freaked out by the displays in stores, or the people who live down the street with "blood" all over their window. For the most part, he walks around saying, "onaween scahhy" with his little hands clasped together in front of him.

a very happy boy

However, my older kids are much more "brave" and are getting ready for ghosts, goblins and of course...candy.

I saw this idea in a magazine and decided to make them for the kids. Next time, I will not put them in as big of cups (: It was kind of a lot!

So this was simple & easy. The layers start with crushed oreos. Top that with vanilla pudding colored orange. Next you can add more oreos or just do a layer of cocolate pudding.

Now from here, there are a couple of options...

1.Top with a layer of crushed oreos and bones, for a graveyard look.

2.Top with crushed oreos and add gummy worms to make the look of that dirt & worms treat that we all love!

3.Top with cool whip colored orange. Add sprinkles.

4. Top with cool whip "piped on" to make a ghost shape. Add 2 mini choc. chips for eyes.

5. Top with crushed oreos, take a tall ghost shaped peep and poke a toothpick in it. Then put it into the dirt.

The ideas could go on and on... Any other ideas out there?!

Hump day

2011-10-19T08:57:00.000-07:00

How I look way too many mornings!!

For some reason, our week looks like this...

Monday & Tuesday my kids are pretty on top of things (tired but still doing what they are supposed too!)

Wednesday & Thursday are a nightmare of fighting, whining, crying, complaining kids.

Friday: everyone is in a great mood and ready to just finish the week.

Today was a typical Wednesday in my house. I wanted to murder every single one of them!! Ugh.

Maybe it was because I was up late last night, and therefor slept in. Maybe it was because it was just one of those days.

But today is busy. So crazy busy. So I am sharing with everyone, my favorite song about being busy!

"Uhm, exuse me?"

2011-10-17T17:02:00.000-07:00

"Oh honey, I am just going to make a "quick little trip to Vons" and I will be home."

I said this to my husband on Saturday evening after my littlest guy was in bed, and my hubby was all engrossed rooting for his team. The older kids were all entertained and so I knew this was my chance.

My date ( my big pink coupon binder) and I were going up and down the aisles, when a woman stopped me and said...

"Wow that is a really great system you have. But do you honestly feel that coupons are worth your time? Isn't it easier to just throw things in your cart and be done with it?"

Well honestly my answer to both questions is...yes. Yes I feel they are worth my time and yes it is easier to just throw things in your cart.

Then she said, " I am a busy Mom. I have 4 kids and just went back to work. I just don't have time."

Now, while I am at the store I am on a mission. So I don't tend to give long answers. But I will say this, I am a busy Mom. I have 5 kids. I have a husband who is gone for months at a time. I have my kids in a variety of activities, and not to mention all those mundane tasks like laundry, dishes...and what it takes to run a home.

However, I still find the time. I make time. I may not be the most organized. I may not be a coupon queen. I may not have a blog with a million readers following me. But I still make time.

It boils down to..."if it is important to you, you will make time." The end.

There are more than one ways to skin a cat, and there are more than one ways to save money.

image taken from starwars.wikia.com

So as Yoda says, "Do or do not, there is no try."

Q& A

2011-10-05T11:14:00.000-07:00

This kid is known as a "MEATatrian" at our house!

I have been getting so many emails, calls, texts or conversations about saving money...beyond couponing. While I feel that couponing is a great way to get free items, I also know that it is not the ONLY way to save money. So I am going to answer a question from my friend Tiffany about meat.

Her question, "How doI know if I am getting a good price on meat? How can I save money on meat?'

Having 5 kids who have huge appetites, not to mention my husband who is a steak & potato kind of a guy, I have dealt with this issue! This is a big question that a lot of people have. So here are a few things that might help...

1.) The front of your store ads, have what are called "loss leaders". This means that they mark these way down, to get you in the store. They are willing to take a hit on certain items to get you in, knowing that while you are there, you will probably buy a lot of other things to make up the difference. Don't do it. Just get what you came for.

2) Buy a cheaper cut of meat. I know, I know. Boneless, skinless chicken breasts are healthiest for you. But 1)they tend to be a bit drier than other cuts. Our family uses boneless, skinless chicken thighs. These ar much cheaper and the meat always turns out well. Tougher cuts of meat (roasts, steaks etc) can become tender and juicy when cooked low and slow in a crock pot!

3.) I know for a fact that Tiffany's husband is a big meat eater, and so he might not like this idea but...institute a couple of nights a week that are meat free. You could have pancakes (or other breakfast foods), you could make an omelet full of vegi's and have hashbrowns on the side, bean burritos, salads...there are tons of options. Soup and roll night. Pasta w/sauce...

last years very inexpensive Easter ham

Love me some 50% off stickers! Because that is a "store price" you can still use coupns on them!

4) Plan, plan, plan your menu. Lets say you do all of your food shopping on Monday. Plan your meals accordingly. Then only buy what you will need for those meals. Don't buy 4 pkgs of chicken every week becaus that is what you always do. Maybe you only have 2 chicken meals planned for the week. Can you get by with only 2 pkgs?

5) Check the meat dept. for items that are discounted. I buy a lot of our meat when it is 50% off. Take it home and cook it immediatley, or freeze. Your freezer can be your best friend...trust me I have 2 of them!

6) Remember to serve meals that can be stretched by cutting the meat up! Slice beef and/or chicken to use in fajitas, cut up pieces of chicken into stir fry, or on top of a salad.

7)During the holidays, hams & turkeys are on huge discounts. Buy as much as your freezer can hold. Cook it right away or freeze right away.

8) Can you get away with using a canned product? Tuna noodle casserole is cheap. So are tuna melts. Or you could use cans of chicken in casseroles.

9) Eggs. My husband loves eggs. You can add bits of meat to them if you want (ham, sausage, bacon etc) but the meat doesn't have to go as far. We make frittatas, omelets, scrambled eggs...

10) Coupons on fresh meat aren't always plentiful but they are there. Just keep your eye out. And if you are consistently saving money at the store...than splurge every once in a while!! Get that nice juicy steak or prime rib!

My rule of thumb when I buy meat
*buy loss leaders
*include cheaper meats in my menu for the week (sandwiches, or hot dogs..)
* only buy what you need for the week unless you find a killer sale
*In case of a killer sale, buy as much as your freezer and grocery budget will allow!
*I try never to pay more than $2 a lb for meat.
*If all else fails, buy just what you need at a warehouse club and divide as necessary.

What about you? How do you save money on meat?
Do you have any questions about how to save money at the grocery store? I would love to hear it and see how I can help! You can leave me a comment or email me at marthawannabe31@gmail.com

WFMWtips

2011-09-28T09:53:00.000-07:00

Don't you love getting tips? Those little ideas that are so simple and yet, they make a huge difference?

I do not have an organized bone in my body. I have alot of lazy ones though lol!

Our calender for Sept!! And that is just the stuff I remembered to put on!!

We are a busy family and so I need all the organizing help I can get!

So while we lived on Guam, I had a friend who lived a couple of doors down.

She is married with 3 boys. At the time (and these are the only ones I know of personally) she was involved in the PTA, she was my sons Cub scout leader, sold Longbarger baskets, all 3 of her boys played a sport each season...I can't even think of everything. Her husband was gone a lot. BUT her house was immaculate. She planned her scout activities for the WHOLE year all at once. I was lucky if I had anything planned the hour before. She had calenders of every activity and followed everything to the T. To say that I was impressed is putting it mildly.

I asked her, how do you stay organized? She gave me 3 tips and I want to share them with you.

1. Don't just sit and watch tv. If you want to watch tv that is fine, but don't JUST sit! Send an email, update your calender, write out a menu plan, fold laundry, match socks, clip coupons....whatever. Just use that time to your advantage!

2. Never leave a room empty handed. If you are going from the living room to the kitchen, grab that cup you just used and go put it away. While in the kitchen, grab your dirty dish towels and put them in the laundry etc. Always put something away!

3. The last one is to have everyone in your house learn this motto and practice it! Ready? "Don't pass it up, pick it up". Have you or your kids ever walked past a pair of shoes? A couch pillow on the floor? A toy? Don't walk past it, pick it up and put it away.

So...what about you? Do you have any tips that you use to keep your house picked up, or your life more organized? I would love to hear them, trust me, I need all the help I can get!!

For more great ideas, head on over to We Are That Family!

What's for lunch?

2011-09-28T09:38:00.000-07:00

image from http://www.bentolunch.com/

strawberries, cookies, ham sandwich on a bagel thin, applesauce, fruit snacks

strawberries, cookies, cheese and leftover chicken & fried rice

ham sandwich on bagel w/cream cheese, cheese cubes, crackers, strawberries and cookies

With the end of September coming up fast...I have realized something.

My kids lunches have been less than stellar. Seriously! I mean I still describe my lunches as "bento-ish" because I lack any skill but, I have at least been doing better.

Not this month though!

Hopefully October will help inspire me a bit...pumpkins, leaves, Halloween...

Here is a look at some of the lunches I have made this past month.

For some AmAzInG ideas, go to What's for Lunch! Her site is seriously amazing. She is talented and so are her readers!

changes

2011-09-27T14:53:00.000-07:00

I have been couponing for awhile now.

Since my daughter was born, to be exact.

She turned 12 last summer.

I love coupons. I love having a grocery store in my garage. I love having lots of options for meals & snacks. I love being able to give away when someone is in need.

I would encourage everyone to coupon on at least some level. Since I have been in CA ( a little over a year now) I have been blessed with awesome stores that double coupons. I have been able to get many free and inexpensive items. So I started sharing them on Facebook.

Then I started having requests for teaching & sharing how to coupon. Thus I changed the name of this blog (from MarthaWannabe to California Clippin') and created a facebook page, to go along with it.

I have had fun sharing good deals, coupons and my trips. However...there are TONS of coupon blogs. TONS. And I feel it is kind of a waste of my time to repeat info that can be found in a ton of other places.

So while I am in no way saying that I will never post another coupon trip or good deal etc, I am saying that you won't see as many.

I want to go back to sharing recipes, planning menu's, freezer cooking, sharing crafts or decorations, money saving tips, family friendly ideas, kids ideas, trying to get organized and basically homemaker-y stuff. (:

Daily Do's

2011-09-26T09:12:00.000-07:00

To do lists. I make them. I ignore them. I use them...sometimes.

In my attempt to get more organized, I am going to start small. Small steps right? So my first thing is to create a list of 3 things that I want to do every day.

3 in the morning, 3 in the afternoon and 3 in the evening. This will be the beginning of my routine and hope to add more to it as I go along.

I will also be adding 1 goal a day to increase my healthy habits!

Ready?
Morning:
*make my bed-I make my bed about 95% of the time. But I want to increase to a 100% bed maker (:
*straighten my bathroom (sometimes that curling iron stays on the counter all week...or longer!)
*unload the dishwasher (and reload if necessary)

After lunch (during Mason's nap time)
* 2 loads of laundry 100% complete. (Sort, wash, dry, fold and put away. It is the putting away that gets me everytime!!)
*dishes (load & reload as necessary)
*know what I am making for dinner (if I need to get meat out, or if there is something I can do ahead of time..)

Evening:
*clean kitchen (with help from my children)
*straighten living room (with help from my 6 yr old, older children will have their own jobs)
* plan lunches for the next day (Do I need to get bread out of the freezer? Refill water bottles? Etc)

Healthy Habit:
And my healthy habit I will be working on...uping my water intake!! I am so bad about drinking diet soda, and so I know I need to be drinking more water!! So for now, my goal is 64 oz of water daily (:

Feelin' Feminine Friday

2011-09-23T12:58:00.000-07:00

It is that time again! I am participating in The American Homemakers Feelin' Feminine Fridays! This is a great chance to share what makes you feel feminine! I have a house full of boys and so I know that I love to just think about being *girly* (:

In the LDS church we have a General Conference on the first weekend in October and the first weekend in April. This is a chance for members of the church (and non members!!) to listen to our church leaders & prophet and get messages for our day.

However, tomorrow, we have what is called the General Relief Society meeting. The Relief Society is the woman's organization in our church. This is a time when all messages are devoted to WOMEN!

What could be more feminine than that? I always make sure I have a journal, a pen, and lots of tissues!

Sorry, I couldn't get the picture to rotate! My journal that my friend Julie made me!

So while I really don't have pictures of this event, I wanted to share a quote. This is from the talk given in October 2007 by Julie B Beck... I keep this taped on my kitchen cabinet as a reminder to me of who I am and what I am here to do...

"Mothers who know are nurturers. This is their special assignment and role under the plan of happiness.⁵To nurture means to cultivate, care for, and make grow. Therefore, mothers who know create a climate for spiritual and temporal growth in their homes. Another word for nurturing is homemaking. Homemaking includes cooking, washing clothes and dishes, and keeping an orderly home. Home is where women have the most power and influence; therefore, Latter-day Saint women should be the best homemakers in the world. Working beside children in homemaking tasks creates opportunities to teach and model qualities children should emulate. Nurturing mothers are knowledgeable, but all the education women attain will avail them nothing if they do not have the skill to make a home that creates a climate for spiritual growth. Growth happens best in a “house of order,” and women should pattern their homes after the Lord’s house (see D&C 109). Nurturing requires organization, patience, love, and work. Helping growth occur through nurturing is truly a powerful and influential role bestowed on women."

Friday Rules!!

2011-09-23T10:46:00.000-07:00

Literally!! My kids love Fridays! We have a lot of rules/schedules during the school week but Fridays...well things change!

regular school mornings are not very fun!

During the week in the Turner home, there is:

*no video games (they are also not allowed to play on Sundays) at all

*no tv in the mornings

This is how Ivan feels about Fridays!

*M-Th my kids only have water at school.

*Bedtimes are very strict during the week.

*no soda is allowed

On Friday's...

**As long as your chores have been done during the week and bedroom, playroom and bathrooms are clean...you can play video games or get on facebook (for those old enough)

**If you are "head to toe, ready to go" you can watch cartoons in the mornings on Fridays

**On Fridays the kids get to have either a juice box or chocolate milk (Yoohoo) in their lunch!

** Dinner on Friday evenings is verrrry relaxed! Usually something very kid friendly (pizza, hot dogs etc) and the kids get to have a soda!

A typical scene on a Friday!

Now that school is in, we have moved our family movie night to Saturdays. Once video games go off on Saturdays, they don't go back on! So we have a movie night and an appetizer dinner.

What about you? Do you do anything different to make the weekends special?

brain dump

2011-09-21T16:10:00.000-07:00

AAAAGH! I am going nuts. I really am. I have been considering something.

I.JUST.CAN'T.DECIDE!! It is a big decision. And so I go back and forth and back and forth.

My husband is for it. Totally supportive. It's just that...

I'm scared. Change is hard. And if I do it, it means my whole life & lifestyle will change.

**Big old sigh**

So what is this decision? Do you really want to know? Well it is...

whether or not to get...

lapband surgery.

All these pictures make me want to cry, cry and cry some more!

Can't read that? It says...

lapband surgery

Yep. It makes me sick that I even qualify. However, it is covered by my insurance. I qualify. I have been doing research for months. I am going to a seminar on Monday, but...boy howdy, huge decision.

Lap band is different than gastric bypass. You are only in the hospital for a couple of hours. A couple of hours to change your life?

Seriously, I am going nuts, trying to decide if this is for me or not.

Feelin' Feminine Friday

2011-09-16T20:44:00.000-07:00

This week, I am participating in the American Homemakers blog carnival Feelin' Feminine Friday! If you are interested in participating, do it!

When my husband and I were dating, he came to visit me. As he held me for a hug, he said, "mmmm you smell good."

Knowing I wasn't wearing anything special, (perfume, body mist etc) I asked, "what do I smell like?"

He shrugged saying, "like GIRL". Too cute.

So here is a run down of my fun favorites that make me feel feminine and make me smell like a girl (:

1. Scented lotions. My current favorite (and one I wear everyday) is Bath & Body Works Japanese Cherry Blossom. I have the lotion, body wash, hand sanitizer and body spray! I love it and sometimes even spray it on my pillow case!

2. Chapstick. Seriously I have 100's of sticks of chapstick. I want my lips to be kissable at all times!!

3. While I am not big on painting my fingernails, I always, always, always have my toes painted! It is an absolute must!

4. After I wash my face at night, my husband says, ' ugh you used that smelly stuff". I am not the best about washing my face...but I know it is important! Nothing says girl like soft, clean skin!

So how about you? What products do you like to use to make you feel feminine? I am always looking for new finds!

***All pictures taken from product sites or a google image search***

MPM *9/12

2011-09-12T09:47:00.000-07:00

After a busy weekend, I am starting a very busy week. Why does school have to equal busy?! So I have to plan ahead if I am not going to go crazy...or as crazy (:

So here is what our family is going to be eating this week...

Monday:
B:cereal
L: Kids had lunchables (got them for .50 each over the weekend!) with a milk, granola bar and some crackers to go along with it. Hubby is going out to lunch.
D: roast (crockpot), mashed potatoes and vegi's

Tuesday:
B: leftover waffles for the weekend
D: breaded chicken sandwiches, french fries, jello salad

Wednesday (busiest night of my week!!)
B: kids choice
D: baked potatoes (cooked in the crockpot) with all the yummy toppings (ham, cheese, sour cream, green onions...) jello salad, rolls

Thursday (2nd busiest night!)
B:leftovers/kids choice
D: homemade beefaroni, corn, biscuits

Friday:
B: pancakes
D: boys have a pizza party at church, hubby & daughter are going on a date (:

Saturday:
spending the day at Six Flags with the family (: So b-fast will probably be granola bars or cereal bars, dry cereal etc.
lunch is in the park
dinner out on the way home

Sunday:
B-doughnuts
L: kids choice
D: chili pie casserole

For more great menus & meal plans & recipes, head on over to Org Junkie

Feelin' Feminine Friday

2011-09-09T20:32:00.000-07:00

One of the first homemaking blogs I ever came across was The American Homemaker. While I have never met Angie, we seem to have a lot in common (: One of them being our love for military guys!!!

But seriously, she posts easy recipes that even I can follow, cute and inexpensive decorating ideas...and more. Seriously go and check out her blog when you have a chance!

She recently started a weekly blog carnival, called Feeling Feminine Friday. At our house it is 2 girls against 5 boys, so we are totally outnumbered. It can be hard to feel feminine & girly when we are surrounded by Legos, Star Wars, boxers, burps, wrestling...you get the picture. So I love this idea of sharing what makes me feel feminine!

The first item, is my birthday gift from my hubby. My old ihome has been on the fritz lately and likes to short out on me. So I fell in love with this PINK ihome that was of course on clearance (:

The 2nd is, this past week I started taking a cake decorating class through Michaels. This was the first class and we practiced making stars. We then decorated cookies to practice. So these are some that I made. Obviously I have a lot of work to do (lol) but wearing an apron, baking cookies and then decorating them definatley makes me feel feminine!

If you would like to participate also, you can go to Angie's website The American Homemaker!

**Sorry about the funky picture layout**

lunch bag tips pt.1

2011-09-09T09:38:00.000-07:00

(crackers, cheese cubes, strawberries, cookies, bagel sandwich w/ ham& cream cheese)

(wipe & a napkin on top, plus an extra snack!)

(All our lunch bags lay flat instead of stand tall)

If I have said it once, I have said it a thousand times...

I make a LOT of packed lunches.

I am not going to sugar coat and say that I just love making lunches. But I do have a few ideas that will make it a bit easier.

First things first...the bag.

**I use containers instead of plastic bags. (Good for the environment & good for the budget.) I prefer to use the divided Ziploc brand containers. So I need to have a bag that lays down. This way items fit in so much better!

** I swear that every parent at my boys school shops at Target. Why? Because most kids have the exact same lunch bag. So label, label, label! I label the inside of the bag, and containers. In a later post, I will show you my kids bag tags that go on the OUTSIDE of the bag.

**Juice boxes are convenient but the cost can add up. Most have 10 juices in a box. So that means 1 box would last 2 days..if nobody sneaks one. So I only buy them on sale and with coupon. But I also... only give them water M-Thursday. Water is healthier, keeps them hydrated better than juice and it's free! This also goes in a reusable bottle!

**One of the reasons that I like bags that lay down, is so that I can put things on top. Not everything fits into the container.

**A few years ago, I attatched a bottle of hand sanitizer to my kiddo's lunch bags. 2 days later, they were empty. Because of course they shared it with their friends. And of course they (my kids & their friends) didn't use one squirt but 10 or so! Instead I give them a wipe! Hands still get clean and I don't have to replace the bottle every other day!

Uhm...

2011-09-07T13:22:00.000-07:00

Why no, no I haven't fallen off the face of the earth!!

I have been just a teeny bit busy!

Here's the thing...

I had found this great way of organizing coupons. I was so excited about it. After a few weeks of using this system (and of course those were the weeks with tons of inserts) I realized it just wasn't working for me. ):

The biggest key to saving money is to be organized. And being organized means doing things in a way that works for you, right?

So I have spent the past weekend organizing, filing, clipping...and I am not done. Getting there but not done yet.

I feel like I haven't been on the "coupon ball" for awhile now and my budget is starting to show it. Time to tighten the purse strings!

expect the unexpected

2011-08-31T10:00:00.000-07:00

When you are out shopping, you never know what you will come across!

Here are 2 of my awesome scores from Vons the other night.

This Pillsbury frosting was on sale 2/$4. The normal retail price was ridiculous at $3.99 a pop! Ugh. So $2 would be half off. But then there was a blinkie machine with coupons good for .40/1. My store doubles so here is the math...

Reg. price $3.99
sale price $2.00 each
coupon .80
= $1.20

Not bad huh? However there were plenty more of the coupons so I keep getting more every time I go. These are fun too. I do worry about the kids treating it like a can of whipped cream though!

The 2nd good deal was for these boxes of Delimex Chicken taquitos. My hubby loves these and they are perfect for our appetizer night! Well these were another product that the regular retail price is just absurd. Are you ready for this? $7.99!! These better have a $5 bill inside for them to cost that much.

OK anyway, these were marked on sale for $4.49. Still not great but better. Well guess what...on the box was a coupon for $2 off!

Regular price= $7.99
Sale price= 4.49
coupon = 2.00
Total price $2.49! Nice right?

So I get home, and am putting them in the freezer when I notice...there was still a coupon on the box! Talk about freak out. I thought I had forgotten to use them. Nope, they had just placed one on each side!! Woo hoo! I was able to use my 2nd coupons to get a discount on more boxes that came with the coupons.

That is what we call rolling the deals (: Sweet

Behind

2011-08-30T21:00:00.000-07:00

Oh my holy cow. This summer has been INSANE!

We...

**welcomed home my husband from an 8 month deployment
**sent my boys off to Cub Scout day camp, and babysat my friends son half the time
** went on a huge family vacation (San Fransisco, visiting my brother & his family, camping)
**were home for one week and spent the time getting ready for...
** a family reunion that was at our house
**my sister had emergency surgery and I ended up taking care of her son for a week
**my daughter was gone for a week at a church camp
**my husband left for a week

Oh and in that time, I have also done the normal Mommy/wife stuff.

I can't believe how behind I am!! My coffee table is piled with inserts and ads, my calender is filled with post it notes that need to be entered into my actual calender...phew.

However, my kiddos are off to school tomorrow and I am really, really, rrrreally hoping I can make some headway on a few things!

Why couldn't I be one of those born organized people?!!

MPM

2011-08-30T10:04:00.000-07:00

A very late menu plan for you! At least I did it though (:

Monday (what we ate YESTERDAY)
Mini meatloaves
mashed potatoes
applesauce
rolls

Tuesday:
bbq ham sandwiches (crock pot)
french fries (baked sweet potatoe)
salad
peaches

Wednesday:
B: pancake muffins & yogurt
L: first day of school for my kiddos so it is an "ABC" lunch. A: apples B: bagel sandwich C: cheese D: drink E: boiled egg F: fruit snack
Dinner: cheesy hashbrown casserole
green beans
rolls

Thursday:
B-fast- leftover muffins or cereal
Lunch - G: goldfish H: ham sandwich...that is all I have so far!!
D-hot dogs or leftovers (busy night and we will be gone)

Friday:
B-fast-eggs & biscuits
L:leftovers
D: it's my birthday so we are eating out

Saturday:
B-kids choice
L-leftovers or kids choice
D-appetizer/leftover night
(We take it easy on Saturdays lol)

For more great menu ideas, head on over to Org Junkie!

Winner!!

2011-08-28T18:14:00.000-07:00

WiNnEr WiNnEr, ChIcKeN DiNnEr!!

A winner has been drawn, courtesy of Random.org in the Carmex giveaway! So without further ado...

Congrats to KILEY!!!

So please email me your mailing info and I will pass it along to the Carmex company, as it will be coming from them!

Stay tuned because I love having giveaways (:

ABC's of lunch bags!

2011-08-26T15:00:00.000-07:00

(St. Patty's day lunch from last year)

(lunch box from last year)

***I originally posted this almost a YEAR ago. But I know that right now, if your kids aren't back to school yet, they soon will be. So enjoy this list of ideas for your kiddo's lunch bags!***
In a week, my kids head off to school! I couldn't be more excited. Don't worry, they are as excited as I am!

But this does also mark the daily occurence of packing lunch bags. This year, I get to do it times 4. But I thought I would share my Lunchbag ABC's and hopefully it will inspire & help you. If you think of anything good that I don't have listed, please leave a comment and let us all know what it is!

A: apples/ applesauce, apricots (dried or fresh), avacados, animal cookies, apple crisp, ants on a log

B: bananas, breads (all different kinds), hamBurgers, biscuits, bagels w/cream cheese & lunch meat, bagel pizzas, brownies, blueberries, burrito

C: crackers & cheese, crackers, cookies, candy, corn, corn dogs, chicken nuggets, cherry tomatoes, chex mix, celery sticks w/ pb, cream cheese, cherries, chips, chocolate milk

D: deviled eggs, devils food cake, dried fruit, dips- caramel for apples, ranch for vegi's...

E: eggs (hard boiled), egg rolls, enchiladas, edamame

F: fig newtons, fruit snacks, fried rice, french bread, fettuchini alfredo, fruit,fruit salad

G: grapes, granola & yogurt, granola bars, graham crackers, Goldfish, gum-if your school allows kids to chew it, suprise them every once in a while!

H: hamburgers, hot dogs, hot pockets (cook in the morning, wrap in tin foil and it will stay warm until lunch), ham & cheese on crackers, hoagies,

I: ice packs. You can get these for pretty cheap. Helps keep things cool. Also, freezing water bottles or juice boxes can also help keep things cool.

J:jerky, jam, juice, juice boxes, jokes-my kids love getting a quick little note that has a joke on it. If there is a holiday, look out for holiday related jokes.

K: kabobs (make sure your kids are allowed to have kabob skewers. These might be considered a weapon.) kisses -since we can't go to school to give them a kiss, let 'em know you are thinking about them with a Hershey's one!

L: lemon bars, lettuce wraps, lasagna, lunchables (homemade or bought with sale and coupon!), leftovers from dinner, Love notes from Mom

M: mac & cheese, muffins, milk, mango's (fresh or dried),

N: Nutter butters, napkins with their favorite character-grab a pkg from the birthday section at the store, nacho's, nilla wafers, nuts

O: oranges (cut up for them or you are guaranteed to get it back!)orange juice, oreo's

P: pizza, pepperoni's (my son Connor loves having mini pepporoni's to munch on)pb on crackers,pasta, pasta salads, pudding, pears, peaches, potato salad and of course...pb &j!

Q: quesadillas

R: rice, mini rice cakes, ravioli, ramen, raisins (yogurt covered or regular)

S: strawberries, soup, salad, spaghetti, smores goldfish, string cheese, snap peas, sandwiches, salsa & chips, stickers (fav. characters or holiday themed!) sweets to share ( I like to put 2 treats in with a note that says one for you, one for your best friend), shapes- turn fruit, sandwiches etc into different shapes using cookie cutters or a knife for fun! Silverware:make sure to send some in every day! Maybe have a set that is for lunch bags only. Or stock up on plastic ones.

T: tacos, tuna fish, tomatoes, trail mix, themes-try making a lunch using foods with your child's initial ( all L foods for example) or holidays, numbers, colors etc., thermos, for keeping hot foods hot and cold foods cold!

U: uncrustables. Do not buy them!! They are so expensive for what you get! Using coupons and sales, get pb & jam (or make your own jam!). Head to the day old bread store and get 2 or 3 loaves of bread. Spend a few minutes turning them all into sandwiches. Place them bag in the bread bag and label. I use a cutter from Pampered Chef, to take the crusts off!

V: vanilla flavored...well anything! (:

W: water bottles, watermelon-cut up into pieces, wraps

X: uhm...

Y: yogurt

Z: zuccini bread, zoo animal crackers,

breakFAST smoothie

2011-08-26T12:16:00.000-07:00

Breakfast, the most important meal of the day. Then why is it so hard to fit it in? I am always looking for things that are quick. Or breakFAST. Get it? Ha ha!

Some of my kids are not breakfast eaters, saying, "I'm just not hungry" while other of my kids eat breakfast as soon as their head is off the pillow.

We came up with this quick smoothie and it is now Ivan's favorite. He can even drink it on his way to school if necessary. It provides fruit, dairy and protein (from the Ovaltine).

We have also used Carnation Instant Breakfast in place of the Ovaltine!

Do you have any favorite recipes that are fast and get you out of the door?

Friendly Wednesday

2011-08-24T10:59:00.000-07:00

While I am printing and clipping my coupons, I thought I wold stop and participate in Feeding Four's Friendly Wednesday blog hop!

If this is your first visit to California Clippin', welcome! Please let me know if you are a new follower and I would love to follow you back!

I also have a giveaway going on (which has a seriously low number of entries :( so please come and enter to win some great products from Carmex. You can enter this giveaway here!!

Once again thanks for stopping by and come back soon!

If I knew you were coming...

2011-08-23T08:48:00.000-07:00

image borrowed from Internet Movie Database

I'd have baked a cake. Baked a cake...OK I don't know any more of that song!

I love the movie Father of the Bride. Who doesn't right? But I love the part when they are discussing the costs of the daughters wedding cake. Steve Martin's eyes pop and jaw drops, and he says " a cake is made out of flour and eggs. My first car didn't cost that much!"

When I look at my stockpile, one thing that isn't lacking is cake mixes and frosting. I have a lot. Which cost me mere pennies. And yet, my need for my kids to have "perfect" cakes on their birthdays kept me going back to a variety of bakeries.

So while I am not even close to being a cake decorator, I have tried my hand at making a few different cakes & cupcakes.

Whenever I am upset with how it turns out, my husband likes to remind me that, "all they are going to do is eat it".

Cakes can be a big budget buster when it comes to birthdays, so I recommend you trying out your hand at making your own!

Menu plan Monday & a Giveaway

2011-08-22T06:00:00.000-07:00

Only 1.5 weeks left until school starts.

Back to school means back to schedules.

Schedules are GOOD.

I am rrrreally bad about staying on schedule during the summer. So this Mom is sooo ready to get back in gear. This also includes planning dinners. I have been so bad over the summer. :(

So this week we are having:

Monday:
B: cereal, toast
L: hotdogs, fruit, chips
D: pizza, salad, fruit

Tuesday:
B: scrambeled eggs & muffins
L: leftovers from Monday or mac & cheese
D: taco's, corn, rice

Wednesday:
B: cereal
L: leftovers from Tuesday or ham & cheese sandwiches
D: My husband and boys are gone so something really easy (:

Thursday:
B: french toast
L: leftovers
D: blt's, fruit salad, baked beans

Friday:
B: cereal
L: leftovers or pb & j's
D: tater tot casserole, vegi's and rolls

Saturday:
B: cinnamon rolls
L: leftovers or kids choice
D: "appetizer night" (ie mozzarella sticks, egg rolls, pigs in a blanket...)

Sunday:
B: leftovers
L: leftovers
D: roast & baked potatoes

Thanks for checking out my menu for the week. While you are here, please feel free to come and enter my giveaway. You can find it here.

For hundreds of other menu plans, go and visit Org Junkie

bed times & nap times

2011-08-20T11:38:00.000-07:00

(unfortunatley, Mason takes a lot of naps right here)

As Moms we all know that bed times & nap times are the best part of the day. Admit it! We all love our kids but when the house is quiet... I breathe a huge sigh of relief. Like I am off the clock, know what I mean? Don't tell me I am the only one because I know I am not.

Last year was a little rough for nap time. 4 kids in school, 2 different schools, 4 different release times. Yeah, the afternoons were a crazy running around time. My 2 year old was able to go down for a nap and stayed with his big brother (while he was sleeping) for 20-30 minutes while I picked up my daughter. It wasn't the best situation but certainly not the worse either.

This year, I have 4 kids in school during the day, 2 different schools and 3 different release times. Which is good and bad.

1st grader: out at 2:00
4&5th grader: out at 3:00
7th grader: out at 3:10

My question? When do I let Mason( my 2 yr old) take a nap?! Seriously. I can either try to get him to go down from 11-2. Put him down at 1:00 and leave him while I pick up the first grader (our school is just a couple of blocks away), wait until like 2:30, wait until my older boys get home and then pick my daughter up a little later OR no more naps and put him down way early at night.

I am torn. I love nap time but having him in bed early is also nice because I have time to help my older kids with homework, chores, and their evening activities.

So opinions please. What would you do if it was you?

Review & a GiVeAwAy!!

2011-08-18T09:18:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite parts of being a couponer/blogger is getting the mail.

Serioiusly I love seeing what is in there.

One day, I was ~~sitting around~~ working really hard when there was a thud and my doorbell rang.

I wasn't expecting anything so I wasn't sure what it would be.

I was so EXCITED when I opened the box.

How cute is that pkg?!

New products to try and review. Companies want you to give an *unbiased* review on their products. I wasn't sure I could be unbiased because I LOVE Carmex! I have for a looong time. I have a rather serious addiction to chapstick and well, Carmex is right at the top of my list.

So when I was able to try their new flavors, I was all for it!

The Carmex lime twist, still gives you that "tingle" which lets you know it is working BUT it has a great lime flavor that I love! The Carmex Vanilla flavor is more subtle than the lime, but still provides you with that sweet hint of vanilla. I honestly loved them both. The lime is a much stronger flavor, so if you don't like that, I would recommend the vanilla. They both have an SPF of 15 which I also love! Oh Carmex, how I love thee!

My hubby holding the blanket up so you can see the size

I was given this great package (as seen in above pictures) and you have the chance to win one too!

We love the picnic blanket. Soft on one side but the other is a waterproof mat that keeps you dry. My kids have used it quite a bit in the backyard. However, I have started keeping it in the car so that I can use it when the need arises.

So would you like to win one? Of course you do! The first thing to do is leave a comment letting me know that you want to be entered.

For a 2nd entry you need to "like" my page on Facebook. It is California Clippin'.

For a 3rd entry, blog about this giveaway on your own blog!

my cute little pirate who decided he wanted to try the vanilla flavor

Make sure to have your friends say who sent them, so that you get credit for them also!

Now for the important stuff:

This giveaway is only open to residents of the U.S. (sorry Guam friends!) because it is being shipped by the company and not me.

I will be drawing a winner on Sat Aug. 27th so make sure you have lots of entries! Oh and I know it is annoying, but leave a seperate comment for each time you have entered!

**Carmex sent me products to review and try, but I was not compensated for my review. All opinions are MINE*

the blanket has a large pocket and folds into itself!! Love it!

money well spent

2011-08-16T20:17:00.000-07:00

Even Dad got in on the action

My kids have been begging for a trampoline for....I don't even know how long. Years.

My 10 year old begged for one for his last birthday. There were just a couple of problems with that...

1. the cost went beyond his birthday budget
2. his Dad was deployed and so there was no one to put it together
3. I really couldn't find a good deal on one
4. I looked on Craigs List but my husband said no to a used one for safety reasons
...and on and on!

Then the planets aligned!

*somebody rrrreally didn't want to get off*

* we found a good deal
*my husband came home
* it came with the safety enclosure

Was this a cheap toy? Nope but it has been so worth it! The kids are spending more time outside, getting lots of exercise, using their imaginations by coming up with new and different games to play...

Sometimes, you have to look beyond the price to really find the worth in something!

Whew!!

2011-08-12T19:33:00.000-07:00

This was supposed to be a nice relaxing week for me.

My daughter is gone at an overnight church camp. My boys were looking forward to logging lots of time in front of the Wii.

So I thought I would get sooo much done. Uhm, yeah. Not exactly.

Tuesday morning I woke up to a phone call from my Mom. Then I had a voicemail from her. An email. A facebook message...

My sister had to go in for an emergency surgery and so I needed to go pick up her son, and then see what I could do to help her.

(an image of LA's freeways which I found at this site

She only lives about an hour away BUT between my house and hers is this little city you might have heard of...Los Angeles. Or what I like to call the"pain in my rear end". Simple, "quick" trips turn into hours (literally) of sitting in traffic. Doesn't that above picture just make you want to cry?! It does to me!

We left at 9:30ish and didn't return home until 4:00 or so. Looong day, and the majority was spent in the car.

my cute nephew hanging out

That night my 2 year old decided to get up every 4 hours. Ugh. Then later in the morning my daughter called from camp...not feeling well and needing some medicine.

This is the short version of my week.

I am feeling tired, unorganized and waaaaay behind in every area of my life. This whole summer has just been so busy!!

Anyway, I just wanted to check in and let y'all know I am alive and well. Tired but well!

I have so much planned and going on...including a fabulously fun giveaway!! So stay tuned!!

Happy Homemaker Monday

2011-08-08T10:42:00.000-07:00

Good morning! Yep, it's Monday again! While my sweet hubby has a verrrry hard time getting up and out to work on Monday, I really don't mind!

I love starting a new week and getting my house back in order after a weekend (: I am strange I know!

Yesterday, while shaving my legs in the shower, I wrenched my back. It is sore today but not as bad as it was yesterday. It is amazing how messy the house can get when you can't bend over though!

The WEATHER in my neck of the woods: a little overcast at the moment but will be burning off soon
Things that make me HAPPPY: spending time with my family

Book(s) I am READING: I love the show Haven on Syfy which is based on Stephen King's The Colorado Kid. So that is what I am reading (:

What is on my TV today: Eureka and Warehouse 13
On the MENU for dinner tonight: something with chicken (lol)
On my TO DO LIST: plan my menu (:, organize my coupons, get my daughter packed for camp, make cupcakes
NEW RECIPE I want to try/have tried: For the first time ever, we grilled corn on the cob. Sooo yummy!
In the CRAFT BASKET: I am so lame, nothing
LOOKING FORWARD to this week: my daughter's birthday
TIPS and TRICKS: schedules & routines. Kids thrive on them and so do I!
My favorite BLOG POST of the week: I didn't do much blog hopping this week
BLOG HOPPING: see above
NO WORDS NEEDED: my husband in his whites during Seabee Days (*swoon*)
Lessons LEARNED in the past few days: just trying to keep my priorities straight
On my MIND: my daughter. She is headed to an over night church camp for the week. I have never been away from her for that long!!
Devotionals, thoughts or scriptures: Show your gratitude.

clearance finds

2011-08-07T22:00:00.000-07:00

Most of us are used to finding clearance items at stores like Target, Wal Mart, clothing stores...

But did you know that, your grocery stores also have a clearance section?

Well they do and they can be a great source of deals!

I was at Ralphs picking up some produce one day, and stopped by the clearance rack. It was a gold mine!! Granola bars, garbage bags, cans of fruit, sanitizing wipes...

2 bags of veggi's in the produce section.

1 bunch of reduced bananas.

hamburger on sale.

Lunchmakers on sale (hello easy snack for the kids!)

6 pks of jello...

Even my cashier was impressed with what I found!

Here is a rule of thumb, if the item is refridgerated or frozen, you will find it in their own section, and you will find them marked with a sticker.

But anything else will be found on shelves. Most of my stores have shelves near the back of the store, near the restrooms etc.

Clearance items can be matched with coupons so make sure you have 'em with you!

What about you, do you look in the clearance section? What is the best deal you have scored in the clearance bin?

Back to School?

2011-08-06T14:03:00.000-07:00

If you have watched tv, looked at a store ad, or browsed the aisles of your local stores, you know that back to school time is here. Or is it?

My kids don't start until the 31st of August, which to me is a long time!!

So while I am tired of being a referee, putting the milk away 50x's a day, and hearing "I'm bored", I am using the next few weeks to my advantage...

**Buying school supplies for the whole year, while they are on sale and cheap. By January or so, my kids school supplies are looking well...less than stellar. So I like to have lots of back ups. Not to mention, when they sneak into the schoo supply bucket and just steal things!

** Getting all back packs and lunch bags washed and ready to go.

** Getting kids on a better sleep schedule. We are very relaxed in the summer. Sometimes, the kids are in bed by 8:30 other nights not until 10! Yeah that won't cut it when school is back in! Now is the time to get ready and not 2 days before school starts!

** Going through closets and dressers. I think that my kids have grown a foot over the summer. So now it is time to go through every thing. I don't want to go buy my son new t-shirts when he only has one pair of shorts. Know what I mean?

**Freezer cooking. With school comes a much more strict schedule. One of my goals for this school year is more homemade breakfasts. Not just a bowl of cereal. So I plan to get some pancakes, waffes, french toast, breakfast sandwiches and muffins in the freezer.

**Stocking up on lunch items. 5 lunches(my 4 school age kids and my hubby) x5 days a week = a lot of lunches! So I am stocking up now. Granola bars, fruit snacks, crackers, lunch meat, bread...

Do you have any goals for this school year? I would love to hear them!!

Family Movie Night

2011-08-05T11:35:00.000-07:00

We love family movie night around here!!

Snacks, cuddles, blankets and pillows, snacks and enjoying time together.

Having 1 girl and 4 boys, sometimes it is hard to find something that everyone likes. My boys would choose Indiana Jones or Star Wars every single time. While my daughter is always interested in other movies!

So I love it when the Family Movie Night (sponsored by Wal Mart and P&G) comes along. Here is a quick look at the new one, Who is Simon Miller?, which is airing tomorrow night!

Brief synopsis from Vocal Point...

The Millers were an ordinary family living an ordinary life. That is, until the day Simon Miller went missing. Now wife Meredith, daughter Sarah and son Kevin must embark on a perilous mission to find him. But what they soon discover creates more questions than answers. This heart-pounding thriller takes you on a family's journey and tests the limits to which the Millers will fight for each other—putting their trust, loyalty and forgiveness to the test.

Be sure to tune in! I will be making a special snack that I will share tomorrow (:

"I am not a crook!"

2011-08-05T08:00:00.000-07:00

OK my daughter snuck off with one of my lip gloss tins (:

Not once, in my whole couponing life, have I ever had someone accuse me of stealing from their store, by using coupons and getting items for free. Ever. I know it happens but I have not experienced it. Until...

I was really excited to get the "magic" coupon from Pier 1 Imports. It was a coupon for $10 off a $10 (or more) purchase. Which means, inexpensive or free items, right?

The coupon stated one coupon per person, per store. Meaning you could use the coupon again, just at a different store. I have a Pier 1 down the street from my house, and my sister does also.

So while I was visiting with her one day, we went to Pier 1. She used a coupon and I used one.

As I was putting my items up, I announced to the cashier, that I would be using a coupon. This is when she interrupted me and said, " you must mean the magic coupon". I laughed and said yes. Well then, she started in on me how people were coming in and getting things for free. Accusing them of stealing from the store.

I tried to explain to her how coupons work, and I could see her soften a bit, but I could tell that she still wasn't happy with what she heard.

Using coupons does not make me a criminal, it makes me a smart shopper!

In the end I paid $6.43 for 2 large serving trays, 2 tins of lip gloss and 1 rocket pop mold. Not bad huh?

still here...

2011-08-04T13:46:00.000-07:00

Nope, I didn't fall off the face of the earth (:

After our family vacation, I had a little over a week to get ready for a family reunion...at my house.

Then I spent a wonderful weekend with family...

...and I am still sleeping it off!! Seriously I have been taking a nap almost every day or going to bed rrrrreally early.

This summer has been so full & busy that I practically have to schedule in time to breathe!

I am starting to feel rested up and am getting back in to the swing of things!

Vons trip

2011-07-24T07:20:00.000-07:00

While my husband was gone, I spent a lot of time going to various stores. Now that he is home, and the kids are home...well they are totally cramping my style!

The other day, I was able to sneak out for a bit and get some deals. I had my two oldest boys with me and so it took me a lot longer than I had planned.

This wasn't the most planned trip but I was still really happy with all that I got!

Total before coupons was $255.39 and after $135.xx

My boys put together a castle of my groceries although it does make it a little harder to see what I got!

So here are just a few things...
10 boxes of mac & cheese
10 cans of tuna ( I normally buy packages but...)
4 boxes of Brownie crunch cereal
4 Safeway brand pizzas
4 Nancy's quiches that were 50% off
4 boxes of popsicles
4 boxes of Foster Farms great bites
2 Ben and Jerry's
10 Powerades
4 Suddenly Salads
2 boxes of Ritz
5 wrap kits
2 pints of strawberries
5 lbs of cuties
4 Hersheys candy bars (chocolate is a necessity after shopping with boys!!)

How did you do on your weekly trip?

stockpiles

2011-07-19T15:59:00.000-07:00

My little stockpiling cutie!!

I am always telling my husband that our kids are just like him. They do things all the time that remind me of him or something that he would do.

After listening to my son yesterday, my husband said, "yeah, right they aren't like you at all!!" lol

My 10 yr old has been at Cub Scout Day camp for the past 2 days. I put a few pieces of candy in his lunch as a treat. He also had a dollar to spend at the Trading Post at camp. Basically a place for them to buy little treats and such.

I went to pick them up and found out that he had 1) kept all the candy that I put in his lunch and 2) used his money to buy more candy.

When I asked him why he didn't eat it, he told me..." I am building up my candy stockpile!"

I guess now is a good time to talk to him about stockpiling NEEDS. (:

Ok, ok...I admit it. Yep I have candy in my stockpile also!

So who knows, maybe he is a little like me!!

Happy Homemaker Monday

2011-07-18T10:24:00.000-07:00

Guess who hasn't participated in a Happy Homemaker Monday for a loooong time? Yes that would be me! So let me get back in the game!!

Weather in my neck of the woods: sunny and warm! I live in So. Cal so the weather doesn't change much (:

Things that make me Happy: celebrating my anniversary with my sweetheart

Books I am reading: Oh gosh, nothing really! Isn't that awful?!

What is on my tv today: catching up on DVR and a funny episode of Psych

On the menu for dinner tonight: marinaded chicken, potato salad, rolls

On my to do list: organizing my coupon binder, planning out shopping lists

New recipe I have tried or want to try soon: tonight I am making Nutella cresants with heath bits. I don't know what the recipe is called but I will share when I make it.

In the craft basket: a new chore chart for my son (using my cricut and velcro)

What I am looking forward to this week: my boys being at Cub Scout day camp (:

Tips & tricks: We just got back from a camping trip. When packing for 6 people, there is a high probability of forgetting things. So I pack full complete outfits and put them in a gallon size bag. From socks and underwear to hair things for my daughter. Also, if there will be an activity that they need "special" clothes for (like swimming) I put those in a seperate spot. Besides making sure that they have everything they need, it is easier to unpack without dumping a whole bag out for what you need. I don't throw the bags away, I use them for dirty clothes or wet clothes on the way home. Or...well for anything.

My favorite blog post this week: see below

Blog Hopping: I found this blog a bit ago and love all the advice and inspiration!! Check out Organizing Made Fun

No Words Needed: favorite photo from this week >>>>>>>>>

Lesson learned the past few days: patience is a virtue!!

On my Mind: my family reunion next week

Devotionals, Scriptures or spiritual thoughts: Something that I have been trying to keep in mind is that " no outside success can compensate for failure in the home"

Lucky 13

2011-07-18T07:30:00.000-07:00

Today is my 13th anniversary!!

I was only 14 when I met my sweetheart. We were at a church dance. The moment I laid my eyes on him...well being that I was only 14 I would have to say it was lust at first sight.

After being friends through out high school, we finally started dating during my freshman year of college.

I got married when I was 19. My husband was 20. I had my first child when I was 20.

I was young, immature and totally in love.

And I still am. OK well in love. Hopefully I am not still immature! lol

So while some people get jewelry or flowers for their anniversary, I got something a little different.

A shelf in his garage for my stockpiles. (:

Now if that isn't true love, then I don't know what is!!

Media Mondays

2011-07-18T06:51:00.000-07:00

The house is quiet. My husband is back to work. The kids are going to be awoken soon because this week is Cub Scout day camp.

While I was doing my morning "computer errands" (checking email, facebook, checking bank balances, and reading favorite blogs) I came across this post. It really spoke to me, because it sounds just like my husband and I.

Now I realize that my blog is supposed to be on couponing or saving money, but there is always so much going on inside my head that I want to share. (: So you will just have to deal or stop reading! lol But I hope you will stay!

It is a really good reminder to me, to make sure that my priorities are in line. But I would like to share something when it comes to media and my marriage.

My husband is a prankster. He is constantly teasing, laughing and playing jokes at work. Remind me sometime to share the story of the boiled eggs!

Anyway, while we were living on Guam, some of the younger guys he was working with, were looking for some "dirt" on him so that they could tease him back.

So they found out that I have a blog. I have been keeping a blog for almost 7 years now. They decided that this would be the perfect time and place to dig some stuff up.

After hours and days of reading my blog...they found nothing. Nothing that they could use "against" him.

That made me so happy. That no matter what had happened in the 7 years of blogging, I had never once betrayed my husband on my blog. I try to be really careful aboutwhat I share and I encourage you to do so also. Don't be the one who provides "dirt" on your husband.

I'm baaaaack

2011-07-16T08:36:00.000-07:00

After a vacation with the fam...I am home.

Our house smells like campfire, Mt. Washmore (aka laundry) is piled up everywhere, there are brown rings around the tub after my kids took baths...

I have lots to do but I am hoping to be back soon. Spending the day cleaning, organizing...and airing out my house!!

Oh yeah...

2011-07-10T10:53:00.000-07:00

Oh yeah, I have had a GIVEAWAY going on. Please forgive my delay. My husband came home from his deployment and life has been...CHAOTIC. So, because of my total lameness, I decided to draw 2 winners instead of one.

And they are...

Mama of 3*Apryl

and Beth F.

Please email me via facebook or my email hecimommy at gmail dot com with your addresses. I think I have your new one Beth (: A new post it note anyway!

I am going out of town tomorrow and so am going to try to convince my husband to stop at the P.O on our way out. But I will get it out to you as soon as I can!!

"uhm Mom..."

2011-07-07T06:00:00.000-07:00

You just know he was pretending it was a gun!

Pop quiz: how many of you can tell what this is?!

helping me clean it up (:

the cute lil' culprit

Please tell me that I am not the only one who cringes when they hear that phrase?

One day I was ~~ignoring~~ working hard, when I heard a noise I didn't like.

I shout to my 6 year old, "hey kiddo, what was that?"

"uhm Mom, you do not want to know!"

Then from my husband I hear, " ugh that is why I hate those things!"

Immediatley I knew what it was. My Scentsy. Ivan had knocked it and wax was all over my table runner, wall, floor and even on my husband's ipod arm band.

I was getting ready to get an upper arm work out scraping it all off when I decided to see if I could "google" an easier way. I heart google.

I found a video on You Tube video where it showed an easy way to clean it up. I know that mmost people already know, but if you are like me, and not up on everything...it really was way easy!

Get your hair dryer. I used it on the high setting and placed it really close to the various spots. It melted a bit and then I simply wiped it off with a paper towel. Easy shmeezy!

Then I got a cute little helper to finish the rest (:

Not really a money saving idea but totally a TIME saving idea. And who doesn't want to save time?!

Ahhh

2011-07-06T07:58:00.000-07:00

My house is quiet. My husband is back to work. My kiddos are all still asleep. Ahhh a rare moment of quiet in this house.

When I was at college, I knew a guy who was trying out for the wrestling team. Every day he would work out, he would watch the movie Rudy (you know the one with Sean Astin?) to get himself pumped.

Well that is what I do with all my dvr'ed episodes of Extreme Couponing. While I have mixed emotions about the show, I do love seeing people get good deals. It gets my blood pumping (:

So I put together a great trip. Before coupons my total was $295.26 and after...$126.xx

Here were a couple of my favorite deals:

Odwalla products were on sale. The drinks were 2/$4 and bars were 10/$10. My hubby loves these and usually the drinks are around $3.99. I had 2 coupons good for .55/1 drink and 8 coupons for .35/1 any Odwalla product. Now normally I would have used all 8 for the bars as they were cheaper. However, I decided to spoil my husband just a bit.

So 5 Odwalla drinks and 5 bars. The two .55/1 coupons were doubled to $1 making them a $1 each. The other 3 were $1.30 each. The bars were .30 each. Then I got a catalina back good for $4 off my next order. Subtracting the $4 catalina all 10 cost less than one drink at regular price

Next up was Nilla Wafers. There was an in ad coupon bringing the price down to 1.99 each. Well a few weeks ago I had found a coupon good for $1 off a box of Nilla Wafers when you bought 4 boxes (any size) pudding or gelatin. 4 boxes of Nilla Wafers at $1.99 each. Plus 4 boxes of pudding at $1 each. Here is the math:
4 boxes of wafers @ 1.99 each
4 boxes of pudding @ $1 each = 11.96 total

$11.96 -$4.00 in coupons = $7.96

But there was a coupon on the boxes of nilla wafers good for free bananas when you bought 2 boxes of Nilla wafers. So I paid $7.96 for 4 boxes of cookies, 4 boxes of pudding and 2 bunches of bananas!!

Last was Kelloggs cereals. For every 4 boxes purchased you got $4 off. So $1.99 each x 6 boxes.
6 boxes of cereal @1.99 each = 11.94
Minus $2 off in coupons makes = $9.94
I also had coupons good for $1 off fresh fruit when you buy 2 boxes of Kelloggs cereals.

So for $9.94 I got 6 boxes of cereal, a 3lb bag of apples annnd each box had a code good for the Cars 2 Promotion. For every 4 codes you can earn either $5 concession cash or a $5 gas card.

Whew! What a fun trip. Gets my blood pumping for getting more deals! How about you, did you score any good deals this week?

yum!!

2011-07-03T21:44:00.000-07:00

While couponers normally have a big stockpile of cake, cookie and brownie mixes...I wanted to do something a little different!

I saw these somewhere, however I have NO IDEA where it was. If you do know, let me know and I will update this post with that info and give credit where credit is due (:

This was a fairly cheap treat!

Strawberries were on sale for .99 a container so I got 2 of those.

I used a 40% off coupon at Michaels for the white chocolate (they were 2.99 a bag before coupon) and sprinkles (they were 3.29) My daughter was at Michaels with me, so she did a seperate transaction and used one more coupon (:

These were really easy and if I can do it well...
*melt chocolate, stir until smooth
*dip strawberries into chocolate
*while still wet, dip into blue sprinkles
*lay on wax paper to set

The end. Cute, fun and oh so patriotic! Did you make any fun treats to celebrate the 4th?

right and wrong

2011-07-02T19:05:00.000-07:00

You know there is a right way and a wrong way to use coupons right? Right?! Well there is.

When people talk to me about couponing, I usually hear something like, "well I use coupons all the time but I never save very much. What am I doing wrong?"

After ~~interrogating~~ asking nicely, I usually find out that the problem is that they bought something because they HAD a coupon. For example, I had a coupon for X brand of cereal so I got it. Not I waited until the cereal was on sale and THEN used my coupon.

Yeah, no. The ~~only~~ best time to use a coupon is when the item is on SALE. We don't just buy something because we have a coupon right? We

wait until it is a good deal. By waiting until it is on sale, and then pairing with a coupon, we are getting double the discount. Make sense?

Today my soon to be 12 yr old learned this the hard way. While at Target, she was flipping through my file and noticed that I had coupons good off of Lego sets and a Paper Jamz. She asked if she could go look in the toy section while I finished what I was doing. I said sure and off she went...

When I went and found her, she had a stack of Lego's and a Paper Jamz. Our conversation went something like this...

" uhm what you got there little lady?"

"These are the toys that go with the coupons."-Harmony

" Wait, how much are these?"
"I don't know. But you have a coupon for all of them."
"OK Harmony that Lego set is almost $50. Taking $3 off a $50 set is not what I consider a good deal."

"But you have a coupon and it expires on Monday. You wouldn't want to waste the printer ink that you used to print off the coupon would you?"

"Put those toys back right now. I will deal with the .01 waste of printer ink."

Eye roll, sigh, and stomping off to put things away..."well can I at least get a pack of gum?"

"Sure, the one that is on clearance."

"Mom, you are so UNFAIR!!"

Life lessons. Ugh. Do you ever deal with these kinds of issues? Do your spouse/kids/friends ever try to get you to buy something just because you have a coupon?

clothing budget pt 1

2011-06-25T18:58:00.000-07:00

Not only do I have to FEED my kids, I have to CLOTHE them too? Oiy!

We have an awesome playground in front of house, where an awesome group of ladies meet every afternoon. While the kids run around like wild, we talk. And talk. And talk. Sometimes we are out there so long chatting that our kids have gone inside! But the other day one of the other Moms asked me...

OK so from L-R Connor, Ivan, Harmony, Mason and Ethan

"Your clothing budget must be huge for all those kids. How do you save money on clothes?"

So, let's talk about it shall we?

First things first...let's meet the cast:

My daughter Harmony is the only girl in the house. She is as tall as her Mom, but unlike her Mom, she is skinny with no bum. It is hard to find pants that really fit her well. Tiny in the waist but long enough... She is not the biggest fashonista in the world but definatley has her favorites! She is big on comfort though (:

Ethan is the oldest of my boys. He is a "bigger" kid. He wants nothing to do with buttons or zippers. So he is happy with warm up pants or basketball shorts. The end. You hardly ever see him in anything else. He prefers t-shirts but will wear a long sleeve t-shirt if he feels that it is too cold.

Guess what? Out of all the things boys are wearing, I only bought their shirts! Everything else was handed down!!

Connor the next oldest is...skin and bones. Seriously, the kid has hardly anything to him. He is more into clothes than his older brother but still is mostly happy to wear a t-shirt and jeans. He doesn't wear shorts. He thinks his legs are too skinny and so he doesn't want to show them to people.

Ivan my next boy is on the thicker side. He is the same weight as Connor but their bodies are built so differently. He could care less what he wears everyday. So once again...t-shirts and shorts/jeans.

Mason the last boy/child (whew!) is almost 2. He hangs out with Mom all day. He learned how to take his diaper and shorts off and so...yeah he doesn't care what he wears!

(Mason's favorite outfit!!)

Since my husband joined the military we have lived in Virginia, Guam and now So. Cal.
Virginia was the only place that it got rrreally cold and required coats, hats etc. We were there for 4 years. Guam was hot and humid every.single.day. The "coldest" it ever got was 80* but the humidity was still at 90* or some crazy number like that. We were there for 3 years. So not a lot of climate changes for this family.

Here is another little tidbit...of all the schools my kids have been too, this is the first year with no uniforms!! They were delighted to be able to wear whatever they wanted!

OK so back to the topic at hand....

(I bought this shirt for $2 after Christmas in the seasonal section!!)

1. I buy on clearance. No brainer but some people don't do it. In fact, my oldest sister totally made fun of me, because while out shopping, I headed straight to the clearance racks. Her : 1 child me: 5 I love to buy "holiday" items. I will go in after a holiday and buy 4th of July t-shirts for $1-$2. They can wear them year round. Same for Valentines, Christmas etc

2. Hand me downs. Whenever a friend, family member or whomever, asks if I want hand me downs I always say yes. Always. After going through them, if there are things I don't like/don't fit...I donate them to a thrift store. But by always accepting, I have a lot of people who keep me in mind. For example just this year, a friend dropped a bag of 5 or 6 pairs of basketball shorts. Another friend just brought over like 10 pairs of pants. Yay!

(This name brand shirt was a whopping $1 at my local thrift store!)

3. Thrift stores: My kids and I have NO problems buying at thrift stores. My hubby won't but...he wears a uniform all week so... he is easy. I stock up on whatever I see that I like. If something doesn't fit like I had hoped...then I only paid a couple bucks for it. My local thrift store won't give $$ back but they will give you a store discount. Works for me.

So in an effort to not make this post any longer, I am going to go through other helps in another post!!

still here...kind of

2011-06-22T10:35:00.000-07:00

I know it has been awhile since you heard from me. The fact is, I am busy!!

Summer is here and I am :

*trying to keep my kids entertained enough that I am not pulling my hair out

*trying to keep my kids from pulling each others hair out

*trying to get my house ready for my hubby's return from his deployment (:

*trying to keep my sanity until my hubby's return

the moon looked so big from our front porch the other day!!

So that my friends is what I am doing. Oh and...some of my neighborhood girls, have me exercising with them. Heaven knows I need it but...how do you spell sore? M-a-r-i-e!! When it hurts to carry your squirming 2 year old up the stairs for his nap...then you know you worked parts of your body that haven't been worked in a long time!!

Happy Fathers Day!!

2011-06-19T11:44:00.000-07:00

I don't think I have any male readers but, I still want to wish all of those fathers out there a very happy Day!

I am so blessed to have an amazing father who has taught me so much. I admire him so much!

My husband is not here today, otherwise he would be smothered in hugs & kisses, hand made cards and the chance to sleep in. I am so grateful for a hard working husband who loves & supports me. He may not agree with all my crazy ideas, but he will still support me. He is the love of my life and I am so happy to be a part of his!

I heart Vons

2011-06-19T08:07:00.000-07:00

Seriously, I am a total Vons girl.

Yesterday while at Wal Mart, I had to ~~fight~~ convince my cashier to let me use all my coupons. I "won" in the end and went on my merry way.

Today, I went into Vons to get some extra papers. While I was there, I decided to go get some lunchmeat. Vons has a section of discounted lunch meat & lunchables. I grabbed some that were 50% off and some that were 25% off.

So I get up to check out and the discount stickers weren't scanning. The cashier was annoyed and said " ugh why do they use these stickers if they don't even work?" She was annoyed at the situation not at me.

After a few attempts and getting them to scan she said, " forget this. I am not doing math this early in the morning...and she put them all in my bag for FREE. I was stunned. Anything that didn't scan, she gave me for free. I think I stood there with my mouth open!!

Never one to look a gift horse in the mouth, I grabbed my bags and left! Woo hoo for free meat! Woo Hoo for cashiers who are AmAzInG!!

juice!!

2011-06-17T09:12:00.000-07:00

With my kiddos home all day, drinks just seem to disappear! And can I tell you something? They have only been out for a WEEK!

If you would like to get some coupons (and possibly samples) from Vocal Point & Motts for Tots, you can follow this link!

Product Review~ Velveeta Skillets

2011-06-16T19:34:00.000-07:00

Being a blogger has it's benefits!! I recieved a box from House Party (you can read all about House Party in my previous post) which included boxes of the new Velveeta Skillets to try out.

Basically these are the same as Hamburger/Chicken/Tuna Helpers. Where you ae provided with everything but the meat.

Looking for a quickie dinner for my kids tonight, I decided to make the Nacho beef kind. It came together really fast. After browning the hamburger, adding the seasoning and noodles...you added in a nice yummy packet of Velveeta cheese (: oh and salsa. I make a beef a roni casserole that is very similar.

The kids really enjoyed it and ate it up! It made for a quick & yummy dinner.

Now...if I was making this just for me, I would add more tomatoes and top with sour cream and maybe some green onions. The kids were having nothing to do with that!! You can also put it on top of tortilla chips. I served it with corn, applesauce and a biscuit.

How would you like to try it out for yourself? I have a few items left over from my House party so would love for you to have some!!

I have a goody box for you to win! This is what we are going to do:

1st entry: post a comment (make sure to leave your name!!)
2nd entry: follow this blog (if you already do, leave a SEPERATE comment letting me know you do)
3rd entry: follow my page on Facebook (California Clippin') Leave a comment when you do, or if you already do...leave another comment leeting me know.

Got all that?

Ready, set...let the giveaway begin!!

House Party

2011-06-14T09:37:00.000-07:00

(image taken from House Party site)

For those of you who are interested....

House Party is a really fun opportunity to try out new products.

You go to their site and sign up. You fill out a LONG survey. It really is long but they are trying to get info so just grin and bear it (:

After that, you will get notifications about parties that you can apply too. For example, I applied and was accepted as a host for the Velveeta Cheesy Skillets house party. However, I have applied for other ones, and wasn't accepted. There is a lot of talk, but no one really knows how they choose who gets what.

If you are chosen, you get a box of supplies to host your party. You invite friends and family to come over and talk/use the product. They get freebies as well. Then you fill out a post survey. It really is fun and easy.

If you are interested in applying, I would love it if you use me as a referral. My problem is that I have most people's email on facebook, but not their actual account. So email me your main email and I will send you an invite. You can email me at hecimommy at g mail dot com

California Clippin'

Happy Homemaker Monday (late, obviously)

Ralphs love

Happy Homemaker Monday

Oops

Super Mom/Super Hero

A New Year re-do

organization love

Merry Christmas

traveling

It's coming...

the busiest time of the year...

Thomas Mega Bloks & Mommy Parties

What's for Lunch?

31 days of organizing

Happy Homemaker Monday (...or Tuesday...)

Menu Plan Monday

Feminine Friday

another one?

The icing

$$ store bEnTo finds

Winner Winner

PB Banana Bread

Feelin' Feminine Friday

HaPpY ThAnKsGiViNG

Truly Awesome?

10 shop local ideas

Shop Local

Carmex Love

MoNsTeR CoOkIeS

11*11*11

What's for lunch?

Winner Winner

garlic chicken puffs

menu planning

Review & giveaway

girl in a whirl

Couponing to Spain...

FHE** Family Home Evening

spooky reads

A spooky treat

Hump day

"Uhm, exuse me?"

Q& A

**WFMW**tips

What's for lunch?

changes

Daily Do's

Feelin' Feminine Friday

Friday Rules!!

brain dump

Feelin' Feminine Friday

MPM *9/12

Feelin' Feminine Friday

lunch bag tips pt.1

Uhm...

expect the unexpected

Behind

**MPM**

Winner!!

ABC's of lunch bags!

breakFAST smoothie

Friendly Wednesday

If I knew you were coming...

Menu plan Monday & a Giveaway

bed times & nap times

Review & a GiVeAwAy!!

money well spent

Whew!!

Happy Homemaker Monday

clearance finds

Back to School?

Family Movie Night

"I am not a crook!"

still here...

Vons trip

stockpiles

Happy Homemaker Monday

Lucky 13

Media Mondays

111111

WFMWtips

MPM