Bacon

I went to looke up a recipe and this was on the front page of allrecipes.com

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Bacon-for-the-Family-or-a-Crowd/Detail.aspx

I haven't tried it yet, but it has good reviews and sounds like an excellent idea. Cause we certainly all can use a little more bacon....right?

Airplane Tickets

It's a good time to be looking for flights with gas prices going down. On Tuesday I bought 2 round trip tickets NONSTOP from Orlando to Salt Lake for $99 each!!!!! I'm not kidding. I've never seen them that low in my entire flying career. They were up to $198 the next day, which is still a great deal but $99 is unbelievable. It was only certain dates through March, and Christmas was blacked out, but be watching for summertime low fares soon.

choco chips

Heyser, at Winn-Dixie, Nestle chocolate chips are b1g1 and they have a cute little dispenser that shoots out a $1.25 off coupon. I'm not sure what that comes up to but seemed like a good deal.

Black Friday

slickdeals.net started their Black Friday forum a little while ago.
Here is a link to check out the deals.

E.L.F. Make-up

A friend of mine e-mailed me about this deal. E.l.f. is changing all of their packaging for their makeup. So, they are selling all of their makeup packaged with the old logo for $1.00!
But as it turns out, they always sell their make-up for a dollar. So, I searched online trying to find out more about this product line and I found this article on e.l.f.

I was also given a COUPON CODE that if you enter it at checkout, you can save an additional $7.50 if you spend at least $15.00!!!! (Enter CAROLINA when you check out!) Go check it out! The website is http://www.eyeslipsface.com/shop.asp

I got 21 items for $23.95!!! All brand new makeup! I am super excited! I just wanted to pass this along in case any of you would like some NICE, NEW makeup for CHEAP!!!

Hope you can use this opportunity!! I even got stuff to give to my sisters for Christmas! Teenagers LOVE lipgloss! Plus, they even sell those pads of rice paper that you can blot away your oily skin with.

Discounted Newspapers...Mimi's E club... FiberOne

So I loved the last post, thank you! However the comment about spending too much on the Sunday paper needs addressing :) I used to be in the same boat until I found this site. It is fabulous. I get the LA times now with all the great coupons and it was super cheap. 50 cents a week for the entire year! Check it out!


My next exciting find this week was Mimi's Eclub. If you have a Mimi's Cafe in your area, join their eclub and they will send you a coupon (in your email account) for a free Breakfast! ($10 value!) Yummmmm.....


Next, I found that if you sign up with Fiberone they send you some free product and coupons... The granola bars are sooooo good.

Coupon Doubling at K-Mart This Week!

K-Mart is doubling all Manufacturer Coupons this week!

This means you can get some really good deals. One I took advantage of was for Pantene ProV Expressions. K-Mart already has it on sale for '2 for $10.' I would never buy this stuff normally because it is waaaay too expensive! But, I had 2 '$2 off one Pantene ProV Expressions' coupons from this month's Proctor & Gamble newspaper insert from 9/1/08. Plus, I had a coupon for a free Pantene styling product with the purchase of a shampoo and conditioner. So, I paid $2.15 for what normally would have been over $17 in hair care products.

I balk at paying $1.50 every Sunday for the paper (well, $3.00 because I get 2; double the coupons). But when deals like this come along, as they always do, I'm glad I paid the $3. Not to mention, there are always coupons you can use on the B1G1 at Publix that make the sales even sweeter. Clipping coupons might be time consuming and tedious, but it's definitely worth it in the long run if you're low on cash.

Old Navy weekend discount

20% off and free shipping...
www.oldnavy.com

happy shopping :).

20% OFF @ Aveda Today!

FYI

Today, from 5-8pm at the Aveda Institute on the corner
of Ocala and Pensacola they're having a semi-annual "sale."
They'll be selling their hair products, as well as their services,
for 20% off.

Now, it has been my experience that they have pretty good services if you get your hair cut by a "Master." (A "Master" is a student who is just about to complete the program and graduate. You can specify an appoint with a Master.) Also, they have the cheapest color prices in town and I have ALWAYS been COMPLETELY satisfied with the results of my color applications. Keep in mind, no matter what the students status in the program, they always have a supervisor looking over their shoulder, checking their work, and consulting with them at every step of the process.

Just know that they won't actually be cutting hair or giving manicures tonight, they just set the appointments and sell products tonight. They give you a special card to bring to your appointment to signify the discount.

Snack Trap Cups

Check out these cups. They are made for your toddler to hold the cup and feed himself small snacks without making a huge mess. They're not totally foolproof but the idea is that they can reach in to get the snack without pulling out an entire handful and dropping them everywhere. A few get away now and then if your child likes to shake things. I found they work best with small cookies like Teddy Grahams and cereal about the size of Apple Jacks. My 14-month-old was able to figure it out at his age. It comes in really handy in the car because I don't have to pass snacks to him while I drive, he can hold it himself. The lid looks like it would be sharp but it's not at all. I got mine at Toys R Us.

Hilarious!

http://kristyglass.blogspot.com/2008/07/video-friday-glass-girls-gone-wild.html

watch this video, much better than my nap requests!

It totally worked!

On Friday I was at Mary Ann's house for Cole's piano lesson and there was a Parent's magazine there and on the cover was..."The best discipline trick ever" (or something like that). I immediately turn to that article and there's a picture of a child with post it notes all over them with different praising phrases on them. After a quick glance it's basically saying to give praise to a child, give HUGE kudos for doing the good and not so much for the bad. I was like I've heard this before. I read on a little bit then I needed to lend my attention to my kids destroying Mary Ann's house :). So I thought about it as we drove around that morning and knew that I do say more often, "Laura, stop that" "Cole, don't do that", "Hannah, no!". So I decided to give put a whole hearted effort into this. After I put Hannah down for her nap the kids had started watching a movie and they had left their shoes out. I twice asked Laura to put her shoes in the cubby and got nothing. Typically I would repeat myself say pause the movie or some other negative reinforcement. Instead I saw that Cole got his shoes, cause he knew the movie would be paused otherwise and I said "Cole, thank you so much for putting away your shoes, give me five". He was so proud of himself and then....I waited, biting my tongue and within two minutes Laura averted her attention from the movie and said, "mom, was their something you wanted me to do? What was it?" She got her shoes and came to get her high fives.

I used this extra cheesy (to me) praise (I believe in saying thank you or good job, but not so laviciously as this article suggested or that I was doing) and it worked up until bedtime then they were just giddy and tired and not much would've worked. I wasn't with them yesterday and there didn't seem to be as much of an opportunity today for some reason, so we'll start again tomorrow and see what happens. I could tell that variety will be key, too many high fives and they'll be done with that, but the shoes are up.

If you have lifelong experiences with this I'd love to hear about them...or one week experiences :)

Cheap Movies

We are probably the last to get these in our area but I'm lovin' the Red Box movies at Walmart. They started out in McDonald's but they're in Walmart now too. It's a machine (red box) in their store entry full of new releases that are only a buck to rent. You have to return them by 9pm the next night or you get charged another $1. Even if you keep it for 3 nights, it still beats Blockbuster or On Demand prices. I just found out you can go online and reserve your movie at whatever location you'll be picking it up so you can be sure they have it. Cool!
And since we're talking about movies. I'm sure you all are taking advantage of the free summer kids movies offered at your local theaters. One of our theaters even has a coupon on their website for free popcorn!

Helloooooo Summer Sales!

I have stumbled across some good sales the past few days:

Last week Jake and I got a date night (due to my mom being in town) and we stopped by Belk. They were having a huge sale! 50% off most Clearance items! We spent $60 on over $300 worth of clothes.

Then tonight, I went to pick up some pictures at JCPennys, and meandered through the baby section.... holy jeez! They had over half a dozen racks/tables, that hadn't been picked through, dedicated to just the 12-24mo clothes that were all $1.97!

I got Kaitlyn the cutest pair of pink sparkly mary janes! Not to mention 2 sweaters, 2 dresses, 2 casual outfits, a onesie and another pair of shoes for $21! I didn't move around to the other departments in fear of completely destroying our budget but gracious! What great deals!
(JCPenny also had a tag at the end of their receipt saying I had saved over $132 in merchandise. I don't think they realize you don't really save money if you weren't intending to buy the items in the first place..... but it's a nice thought.)

Cnn article on part-time work

http://www.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/worklife/07/17/skilled.temp.work/index.html

Beauty and the Beast in Tally

http://www.chswolfpac.org/events.htm

I sent an email and this is what I got back...

Thank you for your interest in attending the Leon High School Choral Department's 2008 Summer Musical, "Beauty and the Beast." Pre-register if the group you are bringing is 10 or more people. 9 or fewer people - just come to the show without pre-registering. Call 590-6163 to pre-register. We welcome ALL persons to THIS show, however the cost is $5.00 per person. The show begins at 2:00, and ends at 4:30. There is a 15 minute intermission between acts. If you wish to bring a small snack and drink for your kids to help them make it through the afternoon, that is great, you can serve them outside under one of the covered areas. No food or drink can be brought into the Chiles Auditorium! We accept cash, and checks made out to Leon Friends of Music, INC. No credit cards for the Children's Matinees. Welcome - and enjoy the show! Pat Pattison Leon Choral Parent For information about our other shows, please go to our website: www.leonperformingarts.org

A Great Tip Site

I don't think I've seen you guys mention this one before. It's got a little of everything... free patterns, how-to's, money savers, and video demos. Have you ever seen how to fold a t-shirt in 2 seconds? I love that one... scroll down and watch.

http://tipnut.com/

Make a Little $ at Publix

The next time you go to Publix,
pick-up their July Savings Flyer from the front kiosk.
Inside you will find this coupon:

There are a few different Revlon products that are priced under $2. This means that when you go to check out, you basically get the item free PLUS the left over change OFF your total!

The offer is good until July 25th.
So far, I've picked up a couple pairs of nail clippers and emery boards.

Disney Sale

40% already discounted summer stuff
beach towels for under $4
swim suits $6
tshirts $3
pj pals under $5

then $5 shipping if you order over $50
double check all of this but I think I'm right
http://disneyshopping.go.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CategoryDisplay?catalogId=10002&storeId=10051&categoryId=13593&langId=-1

Found this idea on Tip Junkie and thought it would be a lot of fun.

(Plus, paper is on sale this week at JoAnn's 6 for 96 cents!)

Super easy and super cheap?!?! Now that's my kinda craft project!

My new addiction.... COUPONS.

So, I stumbled upon these CRAZY couponing websites last week. I have been completely baffled and mystified as to HOW they can buy a cart load of groceries for chunk change they scrounged out of the bottom of their couch. (Personally, I am a moron who has previously ignored the benefit of coupons. However, I have been rehabilitated and now realize that THEY ARE MONEY! Companies are printing up money and giving it away in the Sunday newspaper each week! I can buy multiple newspapers, get multiple sets of coupons and save much, much more than the cost of the multiple newspapers combined! What have I been doing the past 25 years?!)

Anyways, my new past time is scavenging coupon websites looking for coupons and deals that suit my needs, clipping those coupons, organizing them and creating my plan of attack for my upcoming shopping trips to make sure I am getting the best deal possible. As I have previously stated... I am completely addicted and consumed. (I cancelled a trip to KMART the other night after church because I left my $1 coupon at home.)

I have discovered this website titled, iheartcvs.com . I love getting tips on how to work the Extra Care Bucks and coupons for CVS from this site. Here is one that I picked up for this week. (When I went in to do this my adrenaline was running as if I was doing something illegal when I approached the register to do this):


First of all, I have 2 CVS cards; one in my name, and one in Jake's name. For this deal the maximum purchase of CVS Cleansing and Make-Up Removal Towelettes was 5 per card.

First Transaction, First Card
Purchased:
(2) CVS 15Ct. Towelettes - $2.99 each
Payment:
(2) $2.00 off CVS Skincare Coupon (from iheartcvs.com)
Cash - $2.13
Earned:
$5.98 Extra Care Bucks

Second Transaction, First Card
Purchased:
(3) CVS 15Ct. Towelettes - $2.99 each
Payment:
(3) $2.00 off CVS Skincare Coupon (from iheartcvs.com)
$2.00 Extra Care Bucks
Cash- $1.05
Earned:
$8.97 Extra Care Bucks

First Transaction, Second Card
Purchased:
(2) CVS 15Ct. Towelettes - $2.99 each
Payment:
(2) $2.00 off CVS Skincare Coupon (from iheartcvs.com)
Cash - $2.13
Earned:
$5.98 Extra Care Bucks

Second Transaction, Second Card
Purchased:
(1) CVS 15Ct. Towelettes - $2.99
(2) CVS 15Ct. Towelettes (exfoliating) - $3.49
(1) Viva Paper Towels - $1.89
(1) Orbit Gum - $1.19
Payment:
(3) $2.00 off CVS Skincare Coupon (from iheartcvs.com)
$5.98 Extra Care Bucks
Cash - $1.16
Earned:
$8.97 Extra Care Bucks

All in all:
I spent $6.47 out of pocket.
I Saved $27.98 using coupons and Extra Care Bucks.
I Earned $23.92 in Extra Care Bucks (I had $2 in Extra Care Bucks to start with.)

P.S. If you try to do this at the CVS on the corner of Fred George and Monroe, hopefully, they will have restocked. I cleaned them out.

Happy Shopping!

Just a sampling of some of the good deals from this week:

CVS-
If you have a family member or friend on a mission that uses phone cards for calls home, CVS is selling B1G1 Sprint Phone Cards.

Walgreens-
24 pk. of bottled Walgreens Brand Spring Water $2.99, good for food storage.
Scotch Tape (Tagged as $1.39, but rings up $1.29) B2G2
Milk, $3.29 a gallon.

Wal Mart-
Sargento Cheese Advertised as $2 a package.
Fresh ears of corn 4/$1.

K Mart- Has 2 REALLY good deals this week!
General Mills Cereals 4/$1.50 (Not to mention all of their coupons in the newspaper recently).
Pepsi Products, 12 can pk. 4/$11 G1Free!

Target-
Dorritios $1.88 a bag (Cheaper than all of the B1G1 deals this week.)

Toys'R'Us-
E-mailed Coupons (If you'd like 'em, let me know and I'll e-mail them to ya!)

sales

Toys r us has 70% off
http://www.toysrus.com/family/index.jsp?categoryId=2276203&f=PAD%2FOutlet%2FYes

and Disney has and extra 25% off summer stuff
http://disneyshopping.go.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CategoryDisplay?catalogId=10002&storeId=10051&categoryId=13593&langId=-1&N=0&Ntk=p_categoryID&Ntt=13593&Nu=p_productID&CMP=EMC-eml&att=20080630DSIH

the toys r us I found about from an email newsletter
http://archives.zinester.com/27072/161905.html

A trick for getting well

If you or your children get sick with colds, strep, etc., you can soak the toothbrushes in a little diluted bleach in a glass for a few minutes and then toss them in the dishwasher. It saves replacing the toothbrushes so often. As your family grows you will understand that this little thing can get very expensive! Cleaning them this way may also be a good preventative anyway... maybe once a week or so?

Publix/Home Depot rebate update

FYI the rebate offered at Publix for a $25 Home Depot gift card is still good for a few more days. For any of you in Tally Town the Park Avenue location has rebate forms upon entering the store in the turnstile that holds the advertisements. They are small and green.

Since you have to buy $20 worth of Conagra foods to receive the gift card I used this as an opportunity to load up on food storage. We now have chocolate pudding cups coming out of our ears.

Have fun shopping!

Losing Weight

I heard this idea tonight from a friend. She and her husband decided to have a contest on a weekly basis to see who can lose the most weight. (They measure it by percentage, like on the show, "Biggest Loser") The person who doesn't win has to complete a task for the other in the following week. She said she wants to win this week because she really wants her hubby to do a project of putting up some shelves in the playroom. Just think of all honey-do's you could have done! Great motivater!

Mom songs

So I added music. I heard the song today...You're gonna miss this and I was like ooo that's good perspective. So I remembered some other good "mommy" songs. Enjoy!

Shower Songs

Our kids were taking waaaaaaaaaaay too long in the shower so after all the nagging and idle threats didn't work we implemented a fun new rule. We play a song on a CD and they have to be completely done and ready to turn the water off by the end of the song. Sadie just rocked out in the shower to a Miley Cyrus tune. :)
This rule actually started at the perfect time--when the kids were learning about conserving water and energy at school.

Recipe Blog

Alright. So Jennifer and I were so on the same page about wanting to have some sort of recipe blog. I went out (as in...out on the Internet) to look for a cute layout, and I found the perfect one! So, in the next couple of days, be watching for the launch of our very own recipe blog!

I'm so excited, and I'm going to see if we can't get featured on Tip Junkie. Who knows though, since it will be such a new blog. But hopefully, if we can, it would generate some traffic and help make for a really successful recipe swapping forum!

I'm trying to think of the perfect name. If anyone has any brilliant name suggestions, please e-mail me (as to retain anonymity) {lindseymiller.mail@gmail.com} and then in a couple of days I'll have Jennifer set up a poll and we can all vote for our favorite!

Money Savers ~ great rebates!

If you shop Walgreens or CVS then you know they have ongoing rebate programs. Sometimes they send you giftcards and sometimes you receive a check in the mail. I will be getting almost $45 back from Walgreens soon!

Right now Publix has a rebate agreement with Home Depot. Can't find a link with the form you need to mail in, but I bet you can find it in the stores or in their mailer or newspaper insert. Details include: buy $20 worth of participating Conagra foods and get a $25 gift card from Home Depot. You can also buy $10 worth of Conagra foods and get a $10 gift card from Home Depot. I bought ketchup, mustard and peanut butter for food storage. I will continue to try to find a link and will post it if I find one. The deal is over on June 28. I think these must be postmarked by July 2. Mine will be in the mail tomorrow!

And hurry on this one! Sears will give you $75 in Shell gasoline if you buy $100 worth of Dockers clothing or accessories (except shoes). You can submit one per person, TWO per household with separate receipts and forms. This deal expires June 15. Must be postmarked by the 28th. Try this link for info: http://www.sears.com/shc/s/v_10153_12605_Clothing?sbf=Brand&sbv=Dockers&adCell=A1

If you know of any other good deals, please share!!

A Hola for the DHs!

I'm not sure what DH stands for but I see if everywhere representing your spouse. So I wanted to give a shout out for mine. I have a great husband! Mechelle Stone once told me to say something positive about your spouse, too your spouse everyday....I don't think I've hung onto everyday, but when she first mentioned it I realized I probably wasn't doing that once a week. So I think it does good things not just for him but for me. It works even better if I'm saying something nice about him to the kids with him present. Also, in general this week I wrote on my fridge "BE GRATEFUL". Life is not perfect but it's amazing how many comforts we enjoy and worries we don't have to worry about. I'm trying to keep that outlook!

homemade diaper cream

My mom gave me this recipe from an old army pediatrician. You mix equal parts hydrocortisone cream, anti-fungal cream and milk of magnesium. (You can adjust the amount to desired thickness) It works great and it soothed my kids skin better than some of the creams on the market.

Once again...

...not my own idea, but I saw this and thought it was a super-cute idea that might help out in the kid-motivation department this summer.

P.S. - Check out the rest of her blog...she's got some really fun-looking ideas for crafts for the kiddos.

What are your favorite books on parenting?

I have 2 favorites:

1. Scriptures

2. "The Power of Positive Parenting" by Glenn Latham

Too many towels in the bathroom floor?

Once you young moms have more puppies (or babies or whatever) the towel mountains in the bathroom floor or the towel collections in the bedrooms will grow! Some years ago when all 7 of mine were home the towel moutains got totally out of hand. (Five of them are still here and we are still battling this problem!) It occurred to me one day that if we just put an extra shower curtain rod up in front of the one that holds the shower curtain, we could keep more towels UP and kids wouldn't be pulling down everyone's towel from the single rod when they pulled the shower curtain back and forth. It worked really well! We also had my mom put her computerized mammoth sewing machine to use to embroider first names on towel sets for everyone in our family. That way, there was no fighting over which towel belonged to someone. Our towels are very worn now... I think it's time for replacements! Hmmm.. good Christmas present!

Buy this

I really should be a spokesman for this company because I love this product to pieces. This is actually meant for pets, which I don't ever plan on having, (hahahahaha, too bad kiddos!) but seriously I am constantly cleaning up pee, poop, breast milk, spit-up, vomit, etc, and this stuff works wonders.

For all you green gals out there admittedly this is probably toxic-er than toxic, but so is my kid's poop so I'm sticking with it for now.

Later!

Scripture Study

Decide on a time for your daily family scripture study. We chose 6:30 a.m. Someone reliable is in charge of getting up before everyone else and going to the computer and turning on a hymn or primary song (Turn it up loud!). It's on the church music website, under Interactive music player. It will play any hymn or primary song, with or without parts, with or without singing.
http://www.lds.org/cm/display/0,17631,4996-1,00.html#
Then all the children come running happily to sing a song and gather for scriptures. LOL... OK, that's the idea, but ours do actually come out, maybe half awake, but they come. I think the music is a nice way to wake up in the morning and it sets the mood. Sometimes we sing along, sometimes we just listen. Then we read for about 20 minutes and it really sets the mood for the rest of the day. (plus, zero mommy guilt, because the scripture reading for the day is accomplished!)

Tip for the tips page :)

When you post please put labels seen below in the bottom left. That way when we have a 1000 posts :) and we're needing help with something specific like organing our linen closet or summer ideas we can find it more easily. THANKS for the posts I'm excited. I was talking to Mary Ann about starting a recipe blog but don't want to overkill my welcome here. If anyone else thinks that's a good idea let me know or just go ahead and start it!

Didn't come up with these on my own...

...but I'll take the credit anyway! Check out this great post. It has LOTS of great little ideas. I'm on my way to the dryer right now...

Dusting

After folding laundry. . . while on your way to the trash can to throw away the used fabric softener sheet, dust something. It's called recycling. The used fabric softener sheet picks up dust well. Use it to dust a couple of rows on your blinds, some picture frames, a few shelves or your TV. Then throw it away.

Storing linens

Somebody taught me this in a homemaking meeting (yes, before the days of Enrichment Meeting). Fold your sets of sheets together and place the sheets and second pillow case altogether inside the first pillow case. They will lay flat in your linen closet and fold nicely to the shape of half a pillow case. When you need a set, they are all right there together! Saves time and makes for faster bed changes in the middle of the night when little ones get sick or wet the bed.

Tickets

Okay, now that summer is here the ticket system is back. I think I got this idea from Family Fun but we've been doing it for about 3 years. The kids earn tickets for doing chores, practicing piano, reading, good behavior, etc. (You can buy a huge roll of raffle type tickets at Walmart for cheap or make your own.) Each ticket is worth 10 minutes of TV, computer or X-box time OR they can save their tickets and every Friday they can "buy" stuff from my "store" which is stocked with candy, toys, play-doh, art stuff, whatever. I've found they'll skip their favorite TV show for a Laffy Taffy at the end of the week.
Tickets can also be taken away for complaining, bad behavior, whatever and we don't make them use tickets for family movie nights. I think that's about the gist of it but you can customize the idea for your own kids.

Tantrums!

When it comes to tantrums.... just leave them alone. Let your child cry or pout it out alone. They seem to get over it more quickly.... at least this works with Riley and of course I'm still learning :)

Starting us off

So I have this crazy idea of mom tips, this can include anything mom related, sky's the limit.

#1 To start us off I learned something today that most of you probably know already is that you can buy any cake decoration toppings from Publix, that they put on their super expensive (yet delicious) caks, like Dora or whoever and then get a reasonably priced (and still delicious) cake from Sam's and put the decorations on it. For those times when you're not making the three tier princess cake yourself :).

#2 If the kids are arguing in the van I can sometimes put on classical music and it will temper the mood. It works better if I catch it before any huge blowups, but it's saved me a few times.

Okay, unleash your wisdom to us!