For all you Food Lion shoppers, here’s a coupon you don’t see too often! Just go here to print a Food Lion coupon valid for $3 off an $8 purchase in the meat department. I am definitely putting this coupon to use!
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Not nearly as good as the sale they ran on meat back in October, but here's the link for a coupon!
For all you Food Lion shoppers, here’s a coupon you don’t see too often! Just go here to print a Food Lion coupon valid for $3 off an $8 purchase in the meat department. I am definitely putting this coupon to use!
For all you Food Lion shoppers, here’s a coupon you don’t see too often! Just go here to print a Food Lion coupon valid for $3 off an $8 purchase in the meat department. I am definitely putting this coupon to use!
Monday, March 28, 2011
Spring and Couponing
It doesn't feel like it today, but Spring is here in North Carolina. It actually felt almost like summer last week with highs near 80 and wonderfully warm sunshine! But it was just a tease, now we are have rainy, cold days. Later in the week when it finally stops raining, all the trees should be green! yay!! I always remember going into the hospital when Levi was born, and coming out and everything was green and fully bloomed!
One of the really wonderful things about our new house is all the time the previous ownerns put into landscaping and gardening. Below is a picture of the beginning flowers in our strawberry patch! yahoo! This is the 3rd season for them and they are in a raised bed w/ a closed, hinged cover to keep the birds away, so the strawberries should do well from all that I have googled :-) Hopefully we'll have our first fruits in another month or so. The previous owners also planted 2 blueberry bushes, but last year was the first year, so they are looking a little small right now. We'll see.
And if we weren't going to PA for the whole summer, I would have planted a vegetable garden in the compost rich soil that the previous owners have been turning over for the past few years! We are blessed.
I have been going back and forth as to whether or not couponing is "worth it" for our family. I don't deny that some people save lots of money by couponing, but it does take alot of time. Not just time to cut out the coupons, but the extra trips you have to make to specific stores to get certain sale + coupon match ups. But anytime I think about "quitting" couponing, I end up getting some awesome deals like the one pictured below.
got all of this for $2 b/c of Harris Teeter's sale + super doubles (when they double coupons over $1). I have never done this well b4, so I had to post the pic! :-)
The cereal was FREE (on sale for $2, and had 4- $1 off coupons which HT doubled), the laundry detergent was $1 (on sale for $3, and had a $1 off coupon which HT doubled), the salad kit was on sale + coupon too.
One of the really wonderful things about our new house is all the time the previous ownerns put into landscaping and gardening. Below is a picture of the beginning flowers in our strawberry patch! yahoo! This is the 3rd season for them and they are in a raised bed w/ a closed, hinged cover to keep the birds away, so the strawberries should do well from all that I have googled :-) Hopefully we'll have our first fruits in another month or so. The previous owners also planted 2 blueberry bushes, but last year was the first year, so they are looking a little small right now. We'll see.
And if we weren't going to PA for the whole summer, I would have planted a vegetable garden in the compost rich soil that the previous owners have been turning over for the past few years! We are blessed.
I have been going back and forth as to whether or not couponing is "worth it" for our family. I don't deny that some people save lots of money by couponing, but it does take alot of time. Not just time to cut out the coupons, but the extra trips you have to make to specific stores to get certain sale + coupon match ups. But anytime I think about "quitting" couponing, I end up getting some awesome deals like the one pictured below.
got all of this for $2 b/c of Harris Teeter's sale + super doubles (when they double coupons over $1). I have never done this well b4, so I had to post the pic! :-)
The cereal was FREE (on sale for $2, and had 4- $1 off coupons which HT doubled), the laundry detergent was $1 (on sale for $3, and had a $1 off coupon which HT doubled), the salad kit was on sale + coupon too.
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Schedules and Routines
When we moved into this house, I was overwhelmed with the add’l time that is needed to keep it clean. (found another thing that I was thankful for…the many different housing situations we have been over the past 3 ½ yrs…smaller means less area to clean! :-)
The nice thing about this schedule is that I have given myself a small task each day that shouldn't take more than 30-45 minutes. And if for some reason something comes up and I can't complete the task that day, I know I'll get to it the next week.
On the days that I have stuck to it, it has been revolutionary! I actually have an allotted time to empty the dishwasher each day. Hooray! I'm sure it will need to be tweaked as we go along, but for now this new routine has been very helpful.
I'm sharing this with you not so much for your benefit as to keep me accountable! If I tell you I'm doing this, well by all means, I better keep it up!
Daily Routine
Before Breakfast:
-Check e-mail—which includes the daily Back to the Bible emails that I subscribe to
-Read the Scripture Passages from Back to the Bible emails
-Drink coffee and watch a few min. of news
(the boys are watching a 30 min show in our bed while I go downstairs to do the things listed above)
While Boys Eat Breakfast:
-Empty the dishwasher/Do any dishes left in the sink from the night before (yes, it’s not beyond me to go to bed w/ dirty dishes in the sink :-)
-Start prep work for dinner (thawing meat or starting crock pot)
After Breakfast:
-Get Dressed
-Make beds
-Daily Cleaning
-“School” (I aim for M, W, F for this )
-Outing/Errands (some days)
Before Lunch:
-Pick up toys
After Lunch:
-Put boys down for naps
-Work for PT job
-Finish Bible Study
Before Dinner:
-Finish dinner prep
After Dinner:
-Run dishwasher (whether it is full or not)*
-Wipe down countertops
-Pick up toys
-Put boys down for bed
-Work for PT job
-Shower
*You might think it is wasteful to run the dishwasher even when it's not empty. It is. However, unloading the dishwasher used to be one of my most loathed tasks. If I have an allotted time to empty it (during the boys' breakfast), this makes it much less of hassle than trying to unload it in the middle of something else.
And if I start the day w/ an empty dishwasher, I don’t end up w/ a “backup”…
I used to always have a sink full of dirty dishes that needed to be loaded into the dishwasher, but the dishwasher had clean dishes in it that needed to be unloaded…an bad habit/cycle to get into.
This has been the single greatest implementation so far! And it is almost ALWAYS full by the end of the evening.
Daily Cleaning
Monday:
Vacuum downstairs
Clean downstairs bathroom
Wash all laundry
Tuesday:
Fold all laundry
Sweep Kitchen
Wednesday:
Vacuum upstairs
Clean the 2 upstairs bathrooms
Thursday:
Dust
Sweep Kitchen
Friday:
Vacuum downstairs
Catch up from any daily cleaning that was skipped
Or Monthly/Semi-annual Cleaning Task (see link below)
Saturday:
Catch up from any daily cleaning that was skipped
Or Monthly/Semi-annual Cleaning Task (see link below
Menu plan and grocery shop
Sunday:
Clip coupons
I then use the cleaning list here (see page 2) for the cleaning items that should be done once a month or a few times a year (washing windows, vacuuming under beds, etc).
The nice thing about this schedule is that I have given myself a small task each day that shouldn't take more than 30-45 minutes. And if for some reason something comes up and I can't complete the task that day, I know I'll get to it the next week.
On the days that I have stuck to it, it has been revolutionary! I actually have an allotted time to empty the dishwasher each day. Hooray! I'm sure it will need to be tweaked as we go along, but for now this new routine has been very helpful.
I'm sharing this with you not so much for your benefit as to keep me accountable! If I tell you I'm doing this, well by all means, I better keep it up!
Daily Routine
Before Breakfast:
-Check e-mail—which includes the daily Back to the Bible emails that I subscribe to
-Read the Scripture Passages from Back to the Bible emails
-Drink coffee and watch a few min. of news
(the boys are watching a 30 min show in our bed while I go downstairs to do the things listed above)
While Boys Eat Breakfast:
-Empty the dishwasher/Do any dishes left in the sink from the night before (yes, it’s not beyond me to go to bed w/ dirty dishes in the sink :-)
-Start prep work for dinner (thawing meat or starting crock pot)
After Breakfast:
-Get Dressed
-Make beds
-Daily Cleaning
-“School” (I aim for M, W, F for this )
-Outing/Errands (some days)
Before Lunch:
-Pick up toys
After Lunch:
-Put boys down for naps
-Work for PT job
-Finish Bible Study
Before Dinner:
-Finish dinner prep
After Dinner:
-Run dishwasher (whether it is full or not)*
-Wipe down countertops
-Pick up toys
-Put boys down for bed
-Work for PT job
-Shower
*You might think it is wasteful to run the dishwasher even when it's not empty. It is. However, unloading the dishwasher used to be one of my most loathed tasks. If I have an allotted time to empty it (during the boys' breakfast), this makes it much less of hassle than trying to unload it in the middle of something else.
And if I start the day w/ an empty dishwasher, I don’t end up w/ a “backup”…
I used to always have a sink full of dirty dishes that needed to be loaded into the dishwasher, but the dishwasher had clean dishes in it that needed to be unloaded…an bad habit/cycle to get into.
This has been the single greatest implementation so far! And it is almost ALWAYS full by the end of the evening.
Daily Cleaning
Monday:
Vacuum downstairs
Clean downstairs bathroom
Wash all laundry
Tuesday:
Fold all laundry
Sweep Kitchen
Wednesday:
Vacuum upstairs
Clean the 2 upstairs bathrooms
Thursday:
Dust
Sweep Kitchen
Friday:
Vacuum downstairs
Catch up from any daily cleaning that was skipped
Or Monthly/Semi-annual Cleaning Task (see link below)
Saturday:
Catch up from any daily cleaning that was skipped
Or Monthly/Semi-annual Cleaning Task (see link below
Menu plan and grocery shop
Sunday:
Clip coupons
I then use the cleaning list here (see page 2) for the cleaning items that should be done once a month or a few times a year (washing windows, vacuuming under beds, etc).
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Birthdays and Pets
Wyatt turned 4 just 2 days after we moved into our new house last month, so we held off his bday party for a few weeks until we were more settled in and ready to entertain guests for his party. I told him he was able to invite 4 friends, but one of those friends had to be his brother :-) My mom was also able to come since she was in SC helping my sister w/ her newborn baby. This was the first birthday party for Wyatt that she has been able to come too, so it was really special! She has taught 4 yr old Sunday School for years and was a great help w/ the party games that we were trying to get 4 yr olds to play :-) My cousin Andrew was also able to come and spend the weekend away from Bob Jones University.
This year was the first year that Wyatt was really excited and "all about" his birthday party. He has since asked me if he can start inviting people to his 5th Birthday Party, and tells me that he is going to be 5 soon! ha!
Lightening McQueen from Disney's movie, "Cars" was the theme, and we had tons of fun w/ different racing-type games! One very creative guest even gave him a Lightening McQueen slip and slide (which I get asked every day now if it's hot enough outside to use his new present!)
My sister wasn't able to come w/ her 2 little boys b/c we had just gotten over the flu a few days earlier and she did not want to risk her newborn catching anything right before they went on the road with their Sports Evangelism ministry (National Goals) We missed them, but I was able to go stay w/ her a few weekends later.
Here is my handsome 4 year old!! Where has the time gone?? (sniff, sniff)
Here is my handsome ALMOST 3 year old and Wyatt and Levi's friend, Judah.
The pictures below were taken at the house we just moved out of. The boys did not know this, but we were planning on leaving Dixie with our neighbor when we moved. It's a "love/hate" relationship with Dixie...first off, let me say that I never had a dog growing up, so I am not a true dog-lover. Seriously, I doubt I would own a dog other than the Cockapoo breed. I mean what other type of dog does not shed and is hypo-allergenic?? I do NOT do dog hair on my floors and furniture! So, I love Dixie b/c she is sweet and loving, does not shed, doesn't make me sneeze, and rarely smells. Plus we've had her for 6 years, so I love the memories of her before we had kids and how she was our "baby" and my friend for all the late nights during bball season in FL. But I hate that I get stressed out by the extra responsibility that she is now that I have kids. I hate that I have to juggle taking her out to do her business while my young kids are left unattended and often get into trouble. Nothing like coming in from taking Dixie out to find my (then) toddler eating dog food, or unrolling the toilet paper into the toilet. Or on the flip-side of that scenario...not paying attention to the dog b/c I am taking care of my children and keeping them from making messes, or changing a diaper, or feeding them, or just something semi-important for totally dependent children under school-age...then finding that the dog has had an accident b/c I did not take her out. Now to clean up the dog's accident...then while cleaning up the dog's accident, finding my recently potty-trained child has also had an accident...you get the idea...etc, etc. I am not a naturally laid back person, so all of these situations really get me stressed out and I was finding myself loosing my cool w/ my kids due to the extra responsibility of the dog. (I'm sure there are times that are not dog-related that I lose it too, but you get the idea)...all that to say that we were going give Dixie to our dog-loving neighbors when we moved. We did not think it would be an issue of sadness w/ our kids b/c they have never paid Dixie a ton of attention and were too little to help w/ the different dog responsibilities in the past. But of course just days b4 we are set to move (and simultaneously leave Dixie w/ the neighbors and pass it off as "Dixie couldn't come to the new house")...just then, both boys start being really loving toward Dixie. Wyatt asked me to take his picture w/ his "friend" when Dixie was sitting him one day. Then the next day, Levi did the same (prob. just b/c Wyatt had done it, but still none-the-less makes you feel guilty that you are about to give your household pet away). I knew that I could not handle going thru house training another dog at this time in our lives, so I figured we might as well keep the house-trained, 6 yr old dog we already had (and had spent a good deal of money on as well). Alot of the things that annoy me about her probably could really be changed w/ some good training...I need The Dog Whisperer...
This year was the first year that Wyatt was really excited and "all about" his birthday party. He has since asked me if he can start inviting people to his 5th Birthday Party, and tells me that he is going to be 5 soon! ha!
Lightening McQueen from Disney's movie, "Cars" was the theme, and we had tons of fun w/ different racing-type games! One very creative guest even gave him a Lightening McQueen slip and slide (which I get asked every day now if it's hot enough outside to use his new present!)
My sister wasn't able to come w/ her 2 little boys b/c we had just gotten over the flu a few days earlier and she did not want to risk her newborn catching anything right before they went on the road with their Sports Evangelism ministry (National Goals) We missed them, but I was able to go stay w/ her a few weekends later.
Here is my handsome 4 year old!! Where has the time gone?? (sniff, sniff)
Here is my handsome ALMOST 3 year old and Wyatt and Levi's friend, Judah.
The pictures below were taken at the house we just moved out of. The boys did not know this, but we were planning on leaving Dixie with our neighbor when we moved. It's a "love/hate" relationship with Dixie...first off, let me say that I never had a dog growing up, so I am not a true dog-lover. Seriously, I doubt I would own a dog other than the Cockapoo breed. I mean what other type of dog does not shed and is hypo-allergenic?? I do NOT do dog hair on my floors and furniture! So, I love Dixie b/c she is sweet and loving, does not shed, doesn't make me sneeze, and rarely smells. Plus we've had her for 6 years, so I love the memories of her before we had kids and how she was our "baby" and my friend for all the late nights during bball season in FL. But I hate that I get stressed out by the extra responsibility that she is now that I have kids. I hate that I have to juggle taking her out to do her business while my young kids are left unattended and often get into trouble. Nothing like coming in from taking Dixie out to find my (then) toddler eating dog food, or unrolling the toilet paper into the toilet. Or on the flip-side of that scenario...not paying attention to the dog b/c I am taking care of my children and keeping them from making messes, or changing a diaper, or feeding them, or just something semi-important for totally dependent children under school-age...then finding that the dog has had an accident b/c I did not take her out. Now to clean up the dog's accident...then while cleaning up the dog's accident, finding my recently potty-trained child has also had an accident...you get the idea...etc, etc. I am not a naturally laid back person, so all of these situations really get me stressed out and I was finding myself loosing my cool w/ my kids due to the extra responsibility of the dog. (I'm sure there are times that are not dog-related that I lose it too, but you get the idea)...all that to say that we were going give Dixie to our dog-loving neighbors when we moved. We did not think it would be an issue of sadness w/ our kids b/c they have never paid Dixie a ton of attention and were too little to help w/ the different dog responsibilities in the past. But of course just days b4 we are set to move (and simultaneously leave Dixie w/ the neighbors and pass it off as "Dixie couldn't come to the new house")...just then, both boys start being really loving toward Dixie. Wyatt asked me to take his picture w/ his "friend" when Dixie was sitting him one day. Then the next day, Levi did the same (prob. just b/c Wyatt had done it, but still none-the-less makes you feel guilty that you are about to give your household pet away). I knew that I could not handle going thru house training another dog at this time in our lives, so I figured we might as well keep the house-trained, 6 yr old dog we already had (and had spent a good deal of money on as well). Alot of the things that annoy me about her probably could really be changed w/ some good training...I need The Dog Whisperer...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)