So a while back I posted about saving money. This time it will be about making some money.
Stay-at-Home-Mommy here and I like trying to contribute to our monthly income in any way that I can. Either through budgeting as low as I can with our groceries while using coupons, or through sites that pay me to take surveys and shop online. I also downloaded an awesome app for my phone that gives me points with every receipt that I submit. Get enough points and you can cash in for real money.
First up, Ebates. I know you have all heard of it and are probably wondering if it's a scam. I can tell you it is not a scam, but they don't always give cash back, it all depends on if your purchases qualify for the program. I shop Amazon a lot and not everything I buy gives me cash back, but every little bit helps and I haven't made a ton with this program yet, but that's ok. Here is my referral link to sign up, we both get a little bonus I believe, it's free and easy:
http://www.ebates.com/rf.do?referrerid=p%2FjhTYBwSY9siiSf3IJ3qQ%3D%3D&eeid=28187
I also make a little money taking surveys online. There are only 2 sites that I do this through and I would only recommend them, and not signing up with any other company. I haven't researched any others enough to recommend them. The first site that I use is Vindale. It is a great survey site and there are a lot of opportunities to make a little money. You can cash out with them once you have earned $30. I've been with them for almost 2 months and have earned a little over $20. The more surveys you take that you are qualified for, the faster you make money. I'm sure if you worked at it and tried to take a couple surveys per day you could earn $30 in no time. If you would like to sign up, I get a little bonus from this, the link is here:
http://tryvindale.com/VigiZUX1
The other survey site that I trust is Inboxdollars. They have lots of opportunites to earn money along with some games you could play, videos you can watch, or emails to click. You don't have to sign up for any of the email offers, just click on the link and you earn some money. Pretty easy stuff. Also, for every survey you are not qualified for you get a "spin" which can be used to earn money or "sweeps" which can be used for entries into their drawings they hold monthly, weekly and daily. My referral link to sign up with them is:
http://www.inboxdollars.com/?r=ref25844091&s=7
I think I get a small bonus for every person that signs up as well.
There are other survey sites you can go to through Inboxdollars and Vindale, but once again, I have not checked them out enough to know if they aren't scams. These 2 sites are legitimate and safe.
The final thing I have been using to help make a little money is an app on my phone called Receipt Hog. It's free to download and pretty easy to use. Just take pictures of your receipts, doesn't have to be from the grocery store, and submit and earn coins that can be used towards Paypal or Amazon rewards. I haven't been using it for very long, but the more receipts you submit, the faster you gain coins.
That's is what I use to make a little extra money. I usually try to qualify for one survey per site per day, but it doesn't always happen and it's not a big deal if I don't take a survey that day. I just go at my own pace and watch my payout grow. Hopefully these can help you and your family make a little extra money that can go towards Christmas or paying off debt.
Tuesday, November 1, 2016
Monday, September 12, 2016
Remodeling Saga Part 3
Well we finally got some flooring down. Thank goodness, because I was getting really sick of walking on the nasty concrete. It was quite the adventure putting the flooring down, and we might have even had time to purchase molding/trim if we hadn't FUBAR'ed it all up to begin with.
To start, T took a long weekend from work so that we could try to get our bedroom finished. We had purchased all of the flooring materials a couple of weeks prior so we could be ready to do everything without having to run into town for forgotten material. Unfortunately we had also been talked into buying some stuff that the guy at Home Depot swore we would need for the best possible outcome on our floor. Being new to this whole flooring thing we went along with it and bought what we needed for the room.
The day came to put this liquid underlayment down (it was like quick set concrete). T started pouring out buckets of this stuff and trying to smooth it out before it set and hardened...ha! It became this massive uneven blob on our floor that no amount of smoothing and troweling could level out. Our floor looked and felt worse now than it did before. We both made the decision to say "Screw this" and started chipping it up off the floor. Sadly it came up off the floor faster and easier than it was to put it down. We had wasted an entire day with this stuff and we were no further on our floor. In fact, we were farther behind than when we started because now we had to make sure we got it all up, vacuum again, and scrub again. By the end of that day we were both sore and tired and grumpy and blaming ourselves for having poured that stuff out. Oh well, lesson learned on that part.
The next day, neither one of us was moving very fast. I felt like my legs were ripping to shreds every time I moved. I really understand what people talk about when they mention they had "leg day" now. T finally drank enough coffee to get him going and he began the slow task of putting down the flooring.
In total it took 2 days to put all of the flooring down, but it looks and feels nice and I can't wait to get the carpet ripped up in the hallway and living room and to put this same type of flooring in there. By the end of the weekend we were both more exhausted than when we started and it took the last bit of energy to put our bed back together that night. I sincerely hope that when we go to do the molding and trim, it won't be such a big ordeal as the flooring was and we won't mess it up. I told T that we always have at least one big oops per project and we will hope this was it.
To start, T took a long weekend from work so that we could try to get our bedroom finished. We had purchased all of the flooring materials a couple of weeks prior so we could be ready to do everything without having to run into town for forgotten material. Unfortunately we had also been talked into buying some stuff that the guy at Home Depot swore we would need for the best possible outcome on our floor. Being new to this whole flooring thing we went along with it and bought what we needed for the room.
The day came to put this liquid underlayment down (it was like quick set concrete). T started pouring out buckets of this stuff and trying to smooth it out before it set and hardened...ha! It became this massive uneven blob on our floor that no amount of smoothing and troweling could level out. Our floor looked and felt worse now than it did before. We both made the decision to say "Screw this" and started chipping it up off the floor. Sadly it came up off the floor faster and easier than it was to put it down. We had wasted an entire day with this stuff and we were no further on our floor. In fact, we were farther behind than when we started because now we had to make sure we got it all up, vacuum again, and scrub again. By the end of that day we were both sore and tired and grumpy and blaming ourselves for having poured that stuff out. Oh well, lesson learned on that part.
The next day, neither one of us was moving very fast. I felt like my legs were ripping to shreds every time I moved. I really understand what people talk about when they mention they had "leg day" now. T finally drank enough coffee to get him going and he began the slow task of putting down the flooring.
T putting in the last piece!
In total it took 2 days to put all of the flooring down, but it looks and feels nice and I can't wait to get the carpet ripped up in the hallway and living room and to put this same type of flooring in there. By the end of the weekend we were both more exhausted than when we started and it took the last bit of energy to put our bed back together that night. I sincerely hope that when we go to do the molding and trim, it won't be such a big ordeal as the flooring was and we won't mess it up. I told T that we always have at least one big oops per project and we will hope this was it.
It's so pretty!
Until next time in the Remodeling Saga!
Saturday, August 13, 2016
Yard Sale Finale
So I had my yard sale last weekend. It went really well in fact. And I learned a couple of things from putting one on by myself.
1. Make sure you know some basic Spanish:
Down here a lot of the people are straight out of Mexico and don't speak a lick of English, so I was silently thanking my high school Spanish teachers while I wheeled and dealed prices with all of the people. There were also a lot of people mingling around that were bi-lingual and helped me out with translations when I became really stuck.
2. Have everything set up AT LEAST 30 minutes before your sale:
My mistake was I was almost done, literally unpacking the last box, 10 minutes prior to my sale officially starting and I got hammered with about 30 people all at once. Now I know for next time, to wake up even earlier and set a slightly later start time. This yard sale I woke up at 5 am and my yard sale started at 7:30 am.
3. Have enough tables:
I needed at least one more good sized table in order to not have so much stuff spilling over onto the ground and I was having to use the big huge blue totes flipped over as make shift tables. Surprisingly though, once the first couple of rushes went through I was able to get most everything up onto the tables that I had, so that was a bonus of being super busy all of a sudden.
4. Haggle, haggle, haggle:
I am so glad that my family is really into yard sales and that they would make me haggle for what I wanted to buy, because it came in handy. I also just wanted to make sure I could get rid of as much stuff as possible, that's the whole point of a yard sale!
5. Have some help:
Unfortunately I didn't have a ton of help. My husband helped set up and would come take over when I needed a bathroom break or to feed the baby. It would have been really nice to have had at least one extra person to help set up and man the tables, but we managed just fine with the small yard sale we had.
I had put a goal for myself to make at least $200 from this sale. When all was said and done at the end of the day I had made $215.50! A little over my goal and I was very happy (and tired) to have reached it. The most surprising thing about my sale is that the baby clothes I had for sale hardly sold at all. Yard sales and thrift stores are some of the best places to find baby clothes and items because they aren't in bad shape and some are even brand new. I'm taking the remainder of what didn't sell to the thrift store so it is out of my house for good and it will be nice to have a little extra space in our shed and house, at least for a minute! I would have taken a pretty picture of my yard sale all set up and ready to go, but as I said earlier, that didn't happen and after the first initial rush, I gave up trying to attempt a picture.
1. Make sure you know some basic Spanish:
Down here a lot of the people are straight out of Mexico and don't speak a lick of English, so I was silently thanking my high school Spanish teachers while I wheeled and dealed prices with all of the people. There were also a lot of people mingling around that were bi-lingual and helped me out with translations when I became really stuck.
2. Have everything set up AT LEAST 30 minutes before your sale:
My mistake was I was almost done, literally unpacking the last box, 10 minutes prior to my sale officially starting and I got hammered with about 30 people all at once. Now I know for next time, to wake up even earlier and set a slightly later start time. This yard sale I woke up at 5 am and my yard sale started at 7:30 am.
3. Have enough tables:
I needed at least one more good sized table in order to not have so much stuff spilling over onto the ground and I was having to use the big huge blue totes flipped over as make shift tables. Surprisingly though, once the first couple of rushes went through I was able to get most everything up onto the tables that I had, so that was a bonus of being super busy all of a sudden.
4. Haggle, haggle, haggle:
I am so glad that my family is really into yard sales and that they would make me haggle for what I wanted to buy, because it came in handy. I also just wanted to make sure I could get rid of as much stuff as possible, that's the whole point of a yard sale!
5. Have some help:
Unfortunately I didn't have a ton of help. My husband helped set up and would come take over when I needed a bathroom break or to feed the baby. It would have been really nice to have had at least one extra person to help set up and man the tables, but we managed just fine with the small yard sale we had.
I had put a goal for myself to make at least $200 from this sale. When all was said and done at the end of the day I had made $215.50! A little over my goal and I was very happy (and tired) to have reached it. The most surprising thing about my sale is that the baby clothes I had for sale hardly sold at all. Yard sales and thrift stores are some of the best places to find baby clothes and items because they aren't in bad shape and some are even brand new. I'm taking the remainder of what didn't sell to the thrift store so it is out of my house for good and it will be nice to have a little extra space in our shed and house, at least for a minute! I would have taken a pretty picture of my yard sale all set up and ready to go, but as I said earlier, that didn't happen and after the first initial rush, I gave up trying to attempt a picture.
Saturday, July 30, 2016
Yard Sale Part 1
I decided to hold a yard sale this year. All I can think is what was I thinking?! Also, where did all of this crap come from?
Having moved multiple times in the past several years, 4 times in 4 years, we have accrued a lot of "stuff". With each move, I have tried to weed out by either throwing stuff out or donating, but for some reason it is like a pair of rabbits, and multiplies way faster than I can deal with. The sad thing is that half of our "stuff" is still in Oregon. If we ever get moved back up there I can tell you I will probably be holding another huge yard sale for clearing out all of junk up there.
With having 3 kids now, I am amazed at how much "stuff" they have. I know that my husband and I don't buy many toys for them, and if we do its little hot wheel cars. Small being key. And NOT noisy! The kids have so many toys that they don't even know what to do with all of it. I try to go through some of them when the kids go to bed, but its hard because by that time I'm usually ready for bed also! I have made a small pile of toys. My thinking is that I take out a couple of toys every few days, they won't notice anything missing at all. If you don't have kids, than you won't understand, but those little buggers KNOW what toys they have and will sometimes ask for a toy that broke or got thrown out over a year ago because they want to play with it RIGHT NOW! I play stupid. Seems to be working so far.
One thing I have found helpful with getting ready for this yard sale is that I have started early getting stuff cleaned out and organized and priced, like over a month ago started. That's half the battle right? The only crummy part is that I don't really have many friends and family around that could help me set up, but I'll just force my husband into slave labor...hehe! We have already gone through everything in the house that needed to be re-organized and cleaned out. Still amazed at the amount of stuff that I found we don't need or use anymore. This weekend we will try to tackle the shed and get it cleaned, because it needs it done and try to get rid of the stuff that we don't need or want anymore out of there. Not to mention evicting all of the spiders, scorpions, and cockroaches out of the shed. I just hope that I make enough money to make this endeavor worth my time and energy.
The ultimate goal of this whole yard sale thing is to make enough money to help pay off some debt. Mostly hospital bills from when L was born. Did you know they charge over $20 per pill of ibuprofen?! If I had known that I would have snuck in my own pills. Crazy stuff. I'm just glad I didn't actually have her at the hospital, otherwise the bills probably would have been 3x as high as they are now, even with insurance. The one bill I still haven't gotten is the ambulance ride. Hoping that I met our deductible with everything else that I won't have to pay. Wishful thinking right?!
Anyways, back to the yard sale. I will post updates after I have the darn thing. Wish me luck!
Having moved multiple times in the past several years, 4 times in 4 years, we have accrued a lot of "stuff". With each move, I have tried to weed out by either throwing stuff out or donating, but for some reason it is like a pair of rabbits, and multiplies way faster than I can deal with. The sad thing is that half of our "stuff" is still in Oregon. If we ever get moved back up there I can tell you I will probably be holding another huge yard sale for clearing out all of junk up there.
With having 3 kids now, I am amazed at how much "stuff" they have. I know that my husband and I don't buy many toys for them, and if we do its little hot wheel cars. Small being key. And NOT noisy! The kids have so many toys that they don't even know what to do with all of it. I try to go through some of them when the kids go to bed, but its hard because by that time I'm usually ready for bed also! I have made a small pile of toys. My thinking is that I take out a couple of toys every few days, they won't notice anything missing at all. If you don't have kids, than you won't understand, but those little buggers KNOW what toys they have and will sometimes ask for a toy that broke or got thrown out over a year ago because they want to play with it RIGHT NOW! I play stupid. Seems to be working so far.
One thing I have found helpful with getting ready for this yard sale is that I have started early getting stuff cleaned out and organized and priced, like over a month ago started. That's half the battle right? The only crummy part is that I don't really have many friends and family around that could help me set up, but I'll just force my husband into slave labor...hehe! We have already gone through everything in the house that needed to be re-organized and cleaned out. Still amazed at the amount of stuff that I found we don't need or use anymore. This weekend we will try to tackle the shed and get it cleaned, because it needs it done and try to get rid of the stuff that we don't need or want anymore out of there. Not to mention evicting all of the spiders, scorpions, and cockroaches out of the shed. I just hope that I make enough money to make this endeavor worth my time and energy.
The ultimate goal of this whole yard sale thing is to make enough money to help pay off some debt. Mostly hospital bills from when L was born. Did you know they charge over $20 per pill of ibuprofen?! If I had known that I would have snuck in my own pills. Crazy stuff. I'm just glad I didn't actually have her at the hospital, otherwise the bills probably would have been 3x as high as they are now, even with insurance. The one bill I still haven't gotten is the ambulance ride. Hoping that I met our deductible with everything else that I won't have to pay. Wishful thinking right?!
Anyways, back to the yard sale. I will post updates after I have the darn thing. Wish me luck!
Tuesday, July 26, 2016
Homemade Banana Bagels
Everyone in the house had been craving bagels, but with us trying to cut back on our budget by only buying the basics, store bought bagels are on the "no-no" list. So I went on my hunt over the internet and Pinterest to try and find a decent bagel recipe that I could throw everything into my bread machine and let it do all of the hard work of mixing and rising. The recipes that I found made the bagels super hard, chewy, and HEAVY. They still tasted good, but with the threat of breaking all of our teeth I decided to do an experiment with a couple of recipes mashed together to form my own version.
I'm really bad about temperature of the water, I just judge it by feel and as long as it is warmer than my hand/wrist I call it good and use that. In practice, I believe that the water is supposed to be around 105 degrees to 110 degrees, whatever the standard is for making bread. For this recipe you will need a fairly large bread machine, or at least one with a 2 lb loaf capacity because this dough rises a lot.
So you basically just add the ingredients listed in order to the machine:
1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cups warm water
2 T Honey
1 T Avocado Oil (you can probably use any oil, but I prefer avocado)
2 tsp salt
4 tsp sugar
4 to 5 cups of Bread Flour (depending on how wet the dough looks after its started mixing in the bread machine, I always start with 4 and add more as needed)
1 to 2 tsp Cinnamon (I like cinnamon, so I did 2 and it tastes great!)
1 to 2 bananas (I sliced lengthwise and than cut it up into chunks from there)
2 1/4 tsp yeast
I place the bananas around the edges of the pan. It worked well for me. Also, I always make a little well in the flour for the yeast to sit, not sure if it matters, but it makes me feel better. After you have added the ingredients, turn your machine on to the dough setting and let it go!
Once done, the dough should be fluffy and very sticky, which I would recommend turning the dough out onto a lightly floured surface so you can make your dough rings easier. Pull and roll the dough into 12-13 balls or if you like bigger bagels, 7-8 balls. Roll like you used to with play-doh to make a snake as a child. Try to get your "snake" about 8-9 inches long. Wrap around one hand making sure to have a good 1 inch plus overlap and seal the bagel up into the bagel ring shape.
Let the dough rest, covered with a towel to help prevent drying out for 10 minutes. About this time you can start preheating the oven to 425 degrees and getting a pot of water set to boil. Also, highly recommend using parchment paper on the cookie sheets with a thin spray of oil to help the bagels not stick to them. Boil the bagels on each side for 15-30 seconds and than take them out to dry before placing on the cookie sheet. Make sure there is enough room in your pot of water for them to float free, like the picture below.
I'm really bad about temperature of the water, I just judge it by feel and as long as it is warmer than my hand/wrist I call it good and use that. In practice, I believe that the water is supposed to be around 105 degrees to 110 degrees, whatever the standard is for making bread. For this recipe you will need a fairly large bread machine, or at least one with a 2 lb loaf capacity because this dough rises a lot.
So you basically just add the ingredients listed in order to the machine:
1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cups warm water
2 T Honey
1 T Avocado Oil (you can probably use any oil, but I prefer avocado)
2 tsp salt
4 tsp sugar
4 to 5 cups of Bread Flour (depending on how wet the dough looks after its started mixing in the bread machine, I always start with 4 and add more as needed)
1 to 2 tsp Cinnamon (I like cinnamon, so I did 2 and it tastes great!)
1 to 2 bananas (I sliced lengthwise and than cut it up into chunks from there)
2 1/4 tsp yeast
I place the bananas around the edges of the pan. It worked well for me. Also, I always make a little well in the flour for the yeast to sit, not sure if it matters, but it makes me feel better. After you have added the ingredients, turn your machine on to the dough setting and let it go!
Ready to go in the bread machine! Looks yummy already!
Once done, the dough should be fluffy and very sticky, which I would recommend turning the dough out onto a lightly floured surface so you can make your dough rings easier. Pull and roll the dough into 12-13 balls or if you like bigger bagels, 7-8 balls. Roll like you used to with play-doh to make a snake as a child. Try to get your "snake" about 8-9 inches long. Wrap around one hand making sure to have a good 1 inch plus overlap and seal the bagel up into the bagel ring shape.
It's so FLUFFY!
Let the dough rest, covered with a towel to help prevent drying out for 10 minutes. About this time you can start preheating the oven to 425 degrees and getting a pot of water set to boil. Also, highly recommend using parchment paper on the cookie sheets with a thin spray of oil to help the bagels not stick to them. Boil the bagels on each side for 15-30 seconds and than take them out to dry before placing on the cookie sheet. Make sure there is enough room in your pot of water for them to float free, like the picture below.
Boiling away!
Bake them 10 mins, than rotate the sheet around and bake another 5-10 minutes, or until golden brown on top. This amount of dough should make anywhere from 8 big bagels to 12 or 13 small to medium bagels. It's up to you how large you want them.
This batch had 13 bagels, but the kids love them fresh out of the oven after they have cooled off a bit and gobbled them up!
You could also make this same recipe with blueberries. They are so yummy and I reduced the cinnamon for the blueberry recipe to 1 tsp, but you can keep it at 2 tsp if you like the cinnamon stronger.
And that is about it! Enjoy!
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Wednesday, July 20, 2016
5 Tips for First-Time Moms
Just had my third baby in May. (You can read about that adventure here.) Needless to say, I have had, I think, a wide variety of different birthing experiences. From being induced early because of high blood pressure with my first, "Sunny-Side-Up" with my second, to not even making it out of the house with my third. The one major kind of birth I did not experience, thankfully because I've had enough surgeries, was a c-section.
I know this doesn't make me an expert on the subject, but I feel like I have some advice for new moms pregnant with their first child.
1. Sleep now, while you can!
I know this piece of advice is practically shoved down first-time moms throats, but it is a good one. With three kids now, I don't get more than 5 hours of sleep at night, and that is only if I'm lucky. One or more is usually up and not wanting to sleep. I also understand that once your pregnancy gets down to the end it is almost impossible to sleep because of being so big and uncomfortable. Insomnia seems to be the boss with a lot of pregnant women, I know I was no exception. If you can, try to catch a catnap or two during the day or week. The more sleep and rest you get the better for when you are in labor and can't sleep or rest! Don't worry about the dishes or laundry getting done, have the hubby or your significant other do them for a change. Let go of the control so you can get some rest.
2. Drink plenty of fluids
Another piece of advice that I hated because you already have to pee every 5 seconds, this will only make it worse! But trust me on this, you do not want to be dehydrated while pregnant. All kinds of bad things happen. And don't drink a lot of soda or caffeine (it only makes dehydration worse). They are tasty at the time, but your body may not like you later for it. Water is good for you and baby, just have to keep reminding yourself that you are water boarding yourself for the baby.
3. Don't over do it!
As a new mom, the excitement of setting up the nursery, washing all of the baby laundry, and sometimes even painting and remodeling the nursery can all be attributed to "nesting". This is all good for you as long as you don't try to do everything in one weekend. If you do it could come back to bite you in the ass later in the form of pre-term labor or just really bad Braxton Hicks contractions. Let other people help you! And don't do what I did with my second pregnancy and move twice! Although we didn't have a choice at the time, I sure wish I had asked for more help at the time. I hurt so bad for a week after each move. Don't be like me! If you have family or friends that have offered to help clean or set-up the nursery with you, don't hesitate to cash in on it!
4. Freezer meals=Life savers!
Who really wants to cook right after they have had a baby? Not me! I tried to prepare ahead of time, things that I could throw into the crock pot or oven really easily and that would still be really healthy and tasty for the whole family. I was lucky with my last two pregnancies that I had my mom and grandmother down from Oregon to help out so I didn't have to do too much cooking or cleaning while they were here. It helped a lot and they made sure the fridge and freezer were stocked with foods we could just throw in the microwave or oven and reheat for a quick meal. When you are in the trenches with a newborn, cooking and eating take a back seat and it's hard to get up the energy to even take a shower, let alone cook a meal for your family. So do yourself a favor and prepare some food now so you won't be starving later on.
5. Relax
The last piece of advice is to just relax. Your body knows what it's doing most of the time when it comes to pregnancy and labor so don't stress too much. Sometimes nature takes over and you don't have to worry about anything except trying to get to the hospital on time. When the contractions do start, don't fight them. The pain sucks, but try to keep in mind why you are in pain, and the prize that will await you when you are done pushing. So when you are having a contraction try to breathe deeply and slowly and relax, don't tense up. This advice really helped me with my last birth, maybe a little too well, but everything worked out for the best so no big deal.
That's it. That's my advice. It's not much, but as a new pregnant mommies are bombarded by advice all day long, so I figured I would keep my list short and to the point. Hopefully it helped, or at least gave you some ideas on how to deal with first time pregnancy, or even your second or third! I know I constantly read articles throughout all of my pregnancies and it is fun to see the different ideas other people have. Just remember, that every person is different and so is every pregnancy. What works for one may not work for another, but having extra ideas is a great start.
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I know this doesn't make me an expert on the subject, but I feel like I have some advice for new moms pregnant with their first child.
1. Sleep now, while you can!
I know this piece of advice is practically shoved down first-time moms throats, but it is a good one. With three kids now, I don't get more than 5 hours of sleep at night, and that is only if I'm lucky. One or more is usually up and not wanting to sleep. I also understand that once your pregnancy gets down to the end it is almost impossible to sleep because of being so big and uncomfortable. Insomnia seems to be the boss with a lot of pregnant women, I know I was no exception. If you can, try to catch a catnap or two during the day or week. The more sleep and rest you get the better for when you are in labor and can't sleep or rest! Don't worry about the dishes or laundry getting done, have the hubby or your significant other do them for a change. Let go of the control so you can get some rest.
2. Drink plenty of fluids
Another piece of advice that I hated because you already have to pee every 5 seconds, this will only make it worse! But trust me on this, you do not want to be dehydrated while pregnant. All kinds of bad things happen. And don't drink a lot of soda or caffeine (it only makes dehydration worse). They are tasty at the time, but your body may not like you later for it. Water is good for you and baby, just have to keep reminding yourself that you are water boarding yourself for the baby.
3. Don't over do it!
As a new mom, the excitement of setting up the nursery, washing all of the baby laundry, and sometimes even painting and remodeling the nursery can all be attributed to "nesting". This is all good for you as long as you don't try to do everything in one weekend. If you do it could come back to bite you in the ass later in the form of pre-term labor or just really bad Braxton Hicks contractions. Let other people help you! And don't do what I did with my second pregnancy and move twice! Although we didn't have a choice at the time, I sure wish I had asked for more help at the time. I hurt so bad for a week after each move. Don't be like me! If you have family or friends that have offered to help clean or set-up the nursery with you, don't hesitate to cash in on it!
4. Freezer meals=Life savers!
Who really wants to cook right after they have had a baby? Not me! I tried to prepare ahead of time, things that I could throw into the crock pot or oven really easily and that would still be really healthy and tasty for the whole family. I was lucky with my last two pregnancies that I had my mom and grandmother down from Oregon to help out so I didn't have to do too much cooking or cleaning while they were here. It helped a lot and they made sure the fridge and freezer were stocked with foods we could just throw in the microwave or oven and reheat for a quick meal. When you are in the trenches with a newborn, cooking and eating take a back seat and it's hard to get up the energy to even take a shower, let alone cook a meal for your family. So do yourself a favor and prepare some food now so you won't be starving later on.
5. Relax
The last piece of advice is to just relax. Your body knows what it's doing most of the time when it comes to pregnancy and labor so don't stress too much. Sometimes nature takes over and you don't have to worry about anything except trying to get to the hospital on time. When the contractions do start, don't fight them. The pain sucks, but try to keep in mind why you are in pain, and the prize that will await you when you are done pushing. So when you are having a contraction try to breathe deeply and slowly and relax, don't tense up. This advice really helped me with my last birth, maybe a little too well, but everything worked out for the best so no big deal.
That's it. That's my advice. It's not much, but as a new pregnant mommies are bombarded by advice all day long, so I figured I would keep my list short and to the point. Hopefully it helped, or at least gave you some ideas on how to deal with first time pregnancy, or even your second or third! I know I constantly read articles throughout all of my pregnancies and it is fun to see the different ideas other people have. Just remember, that every person is different and so is every pregnancy. What works for one may not work for another, but having extra ideas is a great start.
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Thursday, July 14, 2016
The End of an Era
Now that I am going into the second month with my third baby, L, I am beginning to have a lot of mixed emotions. On one hand I am very happy to be done with being pregnant and going through labor and all of the mess and pain that comes with it. But on the other hand, I am sad because I know I won't have anymore squishy newborns to cuddle and rock to sleep and nurse.
I will be turning 30 years old this year and it is really hard to believe that I am completely done with having kids. My mind is continually battling my heart for my emotions and thoughts on this subject and it is really hard to tell who is winning some days. I love being a mom to my three babies, but it is very hard watching them grow up and become more and more independent. A part of me would love to have more babies, but a stronger part of me says "Hell no!" Thankfully, the sane part of my brain wins the argument, but the heartache of being done is still there and probably will be for awhile.
The more independent my kids become, the less they need their mommy. It is one of those horrible catch-22's where you want your child to grow up and be successful and not need you, but you also don't want them to grow up and still need you for everything. Knowing that they are able to conquer more tasks each day means that you are doing your job as a parent right, but breaks your heart in the process.
My oldest son just turned 4 years old and is finally potty training (I know he's older than normal, but what is "normal" anyway?!). Watching him grow into this little person who can do these simple tasks already is so awesome for a parent to see! I am so proud of him for the person he is becoming and yet sad that he is growing up so fast. It feels like he was L's size just yesterday, and I was a brand new mommy with no freaking clue as to what I was doing. Now I'm handling 3 kids on my own when Daddy is at work with hardly any problem and drinking lots of coffee to keep up at times!
Parents grow right along with their children and don't even know it is happening. I think we only realize how much we change after our kids hit certain milestones in their lives. It is at those times that we look around and go, "Holy crap, I taught them that! Guess I haven't screwed them up as bad as I thought!" Because, let's face it, that is one of the biggest fears a parent has with their kids. I know that it is one of mine.
The end of this era means that I, and my husband, are now moving into a new and exciting time when soon we won't have to worry about diapers, but instead sports practice or music lessons along with school and hopefully 4-H. It is exciting for us to think about, but scary at the same time. Once again, it is a an era that we are not familiar with and are just so positive that we are going to ruin something with our kids that I think we will have to remind ourselves to stop and enjoy the moment before it is lost to the next era.
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I will be turning 30 years old this year and it is really hard to believe that I am completely done with having kids. My mind is continually battling my heart for my emotions and thoughts on this subject and it is really hard to tell who is winning some days. I love being a mom to my three babies, but it is very hard watching them grow up and become more and more independent. A part of me would love to have more babies, but a stronger part of me says "Hell no!" Thankfully, the sane part of my brain wins the argument, but the heartache of being done is still there and probably will be for awhile.
The more independent my kids become, the less they need their mommy. It is one of those horrible catch-22's where you want your child to grow up and be successful and not need you, but you also don't want them to grow up and still need you for everything. Knowing that they are able to conquer more tasks each day means that you are doing your job as a parent right, but breaks your heart in the process.
My oldest son just turned 4 years old and is finally potty training (I know he's older than normal, but what is "normal" anyway?!). Watching him grow into this little person who can do these simple tasks already is so awesome for a parent to see! I am so proud of him for the person he is becoming and yet sad that he is growing up so fast. It feels like he was L's size just yesterday, and I was a brand new mommy with no freaking clue as to what I was doing. Now I'm handling 3 kids on my own when Daddy is at work with hardly any problem and drinking lots of coffee to keep up at times!
Parents grow right along with their children and don't even know it is happening. I think we only realize how much we change after our kids hit certain milestones in their lives. It is at those times that we look around and go, "Holy crap, I taught them that! Guess I haven't screwed them up as bad as I thought!" Because, let's face it, that is one of the biggest fears a parent has with their kids. I know that it is one of mine.
The end of this era means that I, and my husband, are now moving into a new and exciting time when soon we won't have to worry about diapers, but instead sports practice or music lessons along with school and hopefully 4-H. It is exciting for us to think about, but scary at the same time. Once again, it is a an era that we are not familiar with and are just so positive that we are going to ruin something with our kids that I think we will have to remind ourselves to stop and enjoy the moment before it is lost to the next era.
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Saturday, July 9, 2016
I Hate that Bird
"The early bird catches the worm"....That bird can suck it.
It is just my luck that I have 2 children with polar opposite schedules when it comes to sleep. TT goes to bed relatively early, anytime between 7 and 8 at night. Our newest addition, L, doesn't go to "bed" until about 11 or 12 at night. Which wouldn't be that bad except for the fact that TT wakes up anytime between 4 and 6 in the morning! So I get anywhere from 4 to 6 hours of sleep, usually less because of feedings during the night for L.
I stumble around the house for about an hour before I'm awake enough after getting up to do anything even remotely productive. Even than, I don't get much done until about noon. With 3 kids, cat naps are hard to get because I close my eyes for a second and one of them is into something they aren't supposed to be touching or playing with. TT can be super quiet when he is being naughty and I won't find the aftermath until I step in it. Literally. Found a tore up green chili pepper the other day. No clue where he got it. He's just that good.
Love my babies, but I swear they love being mean to their mommy for fun. Coffee has always been my best friend, but I'm beginning to think it's turning into an unhealthy relationship! I admit it, I stalk my coffee pot. And I think it likes it!
Not only does TT wake up early and L goes to bed so late, but add R with his bad 4 year old (can't believe he just turned 4!) attitude into the mix and it makes for some very interesting days. If R wakes up before 7 am, I know that my day is shot and to prepare myself for the fact that I will be fighting him on EVERYTHING for the rest of the day. His attitude sucks and he turns into me when I was that age. Thanks mom and dad for wishing a child like me, on me when I grew up...really freaking appreciate it! NOT!
However, even when they all wake me up earlier than I would like in the mornings it is nice to see their happy faces and how much they love spending time with their momma. Even if she is barely human before her first cup of coffee.
I love them all so much and wouldn't trade the early mornings for anything....well maybe a little more sleep, but that will come later.
That worm can live another day, this momma is too tired to try and catch it.
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It is just my luck that I have 2 children with polar opposite schedules when it comes to sleep. TT goes to bed relatively early, anytime between 7 and 8 at night. Our newest addition, L, doesn't go to "bed" until about 11 or 12 at night. Which wouldn't be that bad except for the fact that TT wakes up anytime between 4 and 6 in the morning! So I get anywhere from 4 to 6 hours of sleep, usually less because of feedings during the night for L.
I stumble around the house for about an hour before I'm awake enough after getting up to do anything even remotely productive. Even than, I don't get much done until about noon. With 3 kids, cat naps are hard to get because I close my eyes for a second and one of them is into something they aren't supposed to be touching or playing with. TT can be super quiet when he is being naughty and I won't find the aftermath until I step in it. Literally. Found a tore up green chili pepper the other day. No clue where he got it. He's just that good.
Love my babies, but I swear they love being mean to their mommy for fun. Coffee has always been my best friend, but I'm beginning to think it's turning into an unhealthy relationship! I admit it, I stalk my coffee pot. And I think it likes it!
Not only does TT wake up early and L goes to bed so late, but add R with his bad 4 year old (can't believe he just turned 4!) attitude into the mix and it makes for some very interesting days. If R wakes up before 7 am, I know that my day is shot and to prepare myself for the fact that I will be fighting him on EVERYTHING for the rest of the day. His attitude sucks and he turns into me when I was that age. Thanks mom and dad for wishing a child like me, on me when I grew up...really freaking appreciate it! NOT!
However, even when they all wake me up earlier than I would like in the mornings it is nice to see their happy faces and how much they love spending time with their momma. Even if she is barely human before her first cup of coffee.
I love them all so much and wouldn't trade the early mornings for anything....well maybe a little more sleep, but that will come later.
That worm can live another day, this momma is too tired to try and catch it.
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Monday, July 4, 2016
One crazy night in May
I will put a warning up at the very beginning of this post because the birth of my third child was a bit...messy. For anyone that has never seen an animal or a person giving birth or had children yourself, I would recommend skipping this post.
The anticipated arrival of our baby girl was fast approaching. I drove by myself to pick up my mom and grandmother from the airport 2 days before my due date and didn't have any problems other than the massive rain storm I had to battle to get there. The days leading up to my due date, I felt nothing other than super pregnant and uncomfortable, but no contractions or any signs that I could see of baby coming sooner.
The day before my due date, I took myself, my mom, grandmother, and both of my sons to town to do a little last minute shopping and, as my grandmother said, "to walk that baby out". We did a ton of walking at the store and at home. Still nothing. No contractions, nothing.
We all ate dinner, took showers, and went to bed finally about 10 pm that night. I woke up an hour and a half later with severe stomach pains. My mind thought that it was maybe something I ate earlier so I got up and started walking around. As my sleep fog started to clear and I noticed that the pain had a very distinct pattern, I started to time them. The pain lasted about 30 seconds to a minute and was a minute apart! Oh crap!
All of a sudden the house became very busy. I woke my husband and told him it was time to go. So he instantly jumps out of bed to get dressed. In the time it took me to walk from his side of the bed to mine to throw a few last minute things in the suitcase, my water broke all over the floor. In my previous two pregnancies that usually meant that baby was very close to being born. I screamed for hubby to grab me a towel and managed to waddle to the bathroom to strip my soaked clothes off.
I sat down on the toilet while I took a breather in between contractions and at this time I could hear my mom and grandmother moving around outside the bathroom door asking if I needed anything before we left for the hospital. I asked if they could grab me some new shorts and undies since I forgot to grab some before I waddled into the bathroom. My mom appeared in the bathroom a minute later and said to let her know when I was ready to go to the pickup and she would help me.
Keep in mind this is all happening in the 5-10 minutes since I woke my hubby at about 12:15 am. About this time hubby and my mom were outside finishing loading the stuff up for the trip to the hospital, when all of a sudden I started to scream and felt the most intense pain of my life. Up until that point I had been focusing on my breathing and trying to stay calm and relaxed. I knew the minute that the intense pain started I was going to be having the baby right there in the bathroom! Ironically, I had just read a story about a woman who had given birth in her bathroom unexpectedly. The whole time I was reading I kept thinking that that was not going to happen to me...Karma bit me in the ass on that one!
Blood and fluids went everywhere as my body pushed my baby girl out. I stood up and pulled her out the rest of the way and noticed that her cord was wrapped around her neck. As I started hollering for my mom and grandmother to come help I unwrapped the cord and made sure she had started breathing.
Mom and grandma came rushing into the bathroom when they heard me yelling and were both shocked at what they saw. Me, legs and arms covered in blood holding a crying baby. Grandma instantly leaped into action and grabbed several towels to wrap the baby in while yelling at my mom to help me sit down and scream for my husband. At this point I finally sat down, my mom is helping to hold me up because I am exhausted, and my grandma is sitting on the floor holding the new baby.
Hubby comes in when he hears all of the commotion and turns white as a sheet. We all start telling him to dial 911. He does, but forgets our address and is looking at me to tell him. Me. The one that just had a baby in our bathroom...you gotta be kidding?! He eventually remembers our address and the ambulance is dispatched to our house. Two ambulances showed up and my house became filled with EMT's and a stretcher. Amazingly, our two boys stayed asleep throughout the entire event. Our dog stayed quiet as well, but I think he sensed that we were ok and the men in the house were there to help, not hurt us. Even with all of the screaming and commotion from the EMT's in the hall.
At this point, I have calmed down, but I'm shaking like a leaf from hormones and shock. I was able to walk to the stretcher and lay down without help and hold my baby without feeling like I was going to drop her.
The EMT's were all super nice and were surprised that I was so calm and wasn't an hysterical mess about having just had a baby in the bathroom. I told them that I didn't see any reason to get upset as long as the baby was healthy and I was in good shape, might as well enjoy the experience! The main EMT told me they would probably use my story in training to tell other EMT's that they will probably never get a calm new mother like me. That just made me giggle. They gave the baby her first stuffed toy. A little beanie baby raccoon. And entertained me during the trip by telling me about some of the more wild birth calls they had been on. Saying mine ranked in the top 5 for most unusual..haha, thanks guys.
It was my first time riding in an ambulance, and I hope the last, but it wasn't a horrible experience for me. The EMT's treated me well and we were all making jokes and laughing by the time we made it to the hospital 20 minutes later. The hospital staff was all out of sorts when we arrived because I had already had the baby and so it had messed up their routine with labor and delivery that they are normally used to.
The nursing staff got both me and the baby checked in and made sure we were healthy and finally got all of the baby's measurements and stats while I had to tell the story of her birth to every single nurse that came in asking about the unusual patient. When the on-call doctor arrived, she was impressed with how well both myself and the baby were doing considering all that had happened. The doctor pretty much said that if it wasn't for the rule about keeping the baby 24 hour minimum, she wouldn't have any problems releasing us both later that day, but unfortunately we had to stay an extra day.
Once I was checked by the doctor and things settled down in the room, I was finally able to take a shower. When I stepped into the shower and turned on the spray, it looked like a scene from Psycho. So. Much. Blood! I had not realized how blood covered I was until I went to wash it off. No wonder my mom and grandma looked at me like I was dying for a second when they came in the bathroom.
Although how she was born was not what I had planned AT ALL, I am glad it wasn't a horrible experience and that everyone was healthy. My mom and grandma were minor celebrities when they went home back to Oregon, they both thought it was funny and exciting. Even now, when I talk to them on the phone they both have a hard time believing that the baby was born in the bathroom.
All I know, is this kid will never live down her wild birth! Anytime she gets out of hand as a teenager, I'm going to use this story on her...I hope it works anyways! I'm glad we are done having kids, although I will miss the newborn babies in the house I will not miss being pregnant or labor. I can only imagine how fast a fourth labor would be, especially if this one only lasted about an hour! I would have to camp outside of the hospital!
If you made it this far, I hope you enjoyed the story and weren't too grossed out.
The anticipated arrival of our baby girl was fast approaching. I drove by myself to pick up my mom and grandmother from the airport 2 days before my due date and didn't have any problems other than the massive rain storm I had to battle to get there. The days leading up to my due date, I felt nothing other than super pregnant and uncomfortable, but no contractions or any signs that I could see of baby coming sooner.
The day before my due date, I took myself, my mom, grandmother, and both of my sons to town to do a little last minute shopping and, as my grandmother said, "to walk that baby out". We did a ton of walking at the store and at home. Still nothing. No contractions, nothing.
We all ate dinner, took showers, and went to bed finally about 10 pm that night. I woke up an hour and a half later with severe stomach pains. My mind thought that it was maybe something I ate earlier so I got up and started walking around. As my sleep fog started to clear and I noticed that the pain had a very distinct pattern, I started to time them. The pain lasted about 30 seconds to a minute and was a minute apart! Oh crap!
All of a sudden the house became very busy. I woke my husband and told him it was time to go. So he instantly jumps out of bed to get dressed. In the time it took me to walk from his side of the bed to mine to throw a few last minute things in the suitcase, my water broke all over the floor. In my previous two pregnancies that usually meant that baby was very close to being born. I screamed for hubby to grab me a towel and managed to waddle to the bathroom to strip my soaked clothes off.
I sat down on the toilet while I took a breather in between contractions and at this time I could hear my mom and grandmother moving around outside the bathroom door asking if I needed anything before we left for the hospital. I asked if they could grab me some new shorts and undies since I forgot to grab some before I waddled into the bathroom. My mom appeared in the bathroom a minute later and said to let her know when I was ready to go to the pickup and she would help me.
Keep in mind this is all happening in the 5-10 minutes since I woke my hubby at about 12:15 am. About this time hubby and my mom were outside finishing loading the stuff up for the trip to the hospital, when all of a sudden I started to scream and felt the most intense pain of my life. Up until that point I had been focusing on my breathing and trying to stay calm and relaxed. I knew the minute that the intense pain started I was going to be having the baby right there in the bathroom! Ironically, I had just read a story about a woman who had given birth in her bathroom unexpectedly. The whole time I was reading I kept thinking that that was not going to happen to me...Karma bit me in the ass on that one!
Blood and fluids went everywhere as my body pushed my baby girl out. I stood up and pulled her out the rest of the way and noticed that her cord was wrapped around her neck. As I started hollering for my mom and grandmother to come help I unwrapped the cord and made sure she had started breathing.
Mom and grandma came rushing into the bathroom when they heard me yelling and were both shocked at what they saw. Me, legs and arms covered in blood holding a crying baby. Grandma instantly leaped into action and grabbed several towels to wrap the baby in while yelling at my mom to help me sit down and scream for my husband. At this point I finally sat down, my mom is helping to hold me up because I am exhausted, and my grandma is sitting on the floor holding the new baby.
Hubby comes in when he hears all of the commotion and turns white as a sheet. We all start telling him to dial 911. He does, but forgets our address and is looking at me to tell him. Me. The one that just had a baby in our bathroom...you gotta be kidding?! He eventually remembers our address and the ambulance is dispatched to our house. Two ambulances showed up and my house became filled with EMT's and a stretcher. Amazingly, our two boys stayed asleep throughout the entire event. Our dog stayed quiet as well, but I think he sensed that we were ok and the men in the house were there to help, not hurt us. Even with all of the screaming and commotion from the EMT's in the hall.
At this point, I have calmed down, but I'm shaking like a leaf from hormones and shock. I was able to walk to the stretcher and lay down without help and hold my baby without feeling like I was going to drop her.
The EMT's were all super nice and were surprised that I was so calm and wasn't an hysterical mess about having just had a baby in the bathroom. I told them that I didn't see any reason to get upset as long as the baby was healthy and I was in good shape, might as well enjoy the experience! The main EMT told me they would probably use my story in training to tell other EMT's that they will probably never get a calm new mother like me. That just made me giggle. They gave the baby her first stuffed toy. A little beanie baby raccoon. And entertained me during the trip by telling me about some of the more wild birth calls they had been on. Saying mine ranked in the top 5 for most unusual..haha, thanks guys.
It was my first time riding in an ambulance, and I hope the last, but it wasn't a horrible experience for me. The EMT's treated me well and we were all making jokes and laughing by the time we made it to the hospital 20 minutes later. The hospital staff was all out of sorts when we arrived because I had already had the baby and so it had messed up their routine with labor and delivery that they are normally used to.
The nursing staff got both me and the baby checked in and made sure we were healthy and finally got all of the baby's measurements and stats while I had to tell the story of her birth to every single nurse that came in asking about the unusual patient. When the on-call doctor arrived, she was impressed with how well both myself and the baby were doing considering all that had happened. The doctor pretty much said that if it wasn't for the rule about keeping the baby 24 hour minimum, she wouldn't have any problems releasing us both later that day, but unfortunately we had to stay an extra day.
Once I was checked by the doctor and things settled down in the room, I was finally able to take a shower. When I stepped into the shower and turned on the spray, it looked like a scene from Psycho. So. Much. Blood! I had not realized how blood covered I was until I went to wash it off. No wonder my mom and grandma looked at me like I was dying for a second when they came in the bathroom.
Although how she was born was not what I had planned AT ALL, I am glad it wasn't a horrible experience and that everyone was healthy. My mom and grandma were minor celebrities when they went home back to Oregon, they both thought it was funny and exciting. Even now, when I talk to them on the phone they both have a hard time believing that the baby was born in the bathroom.
All I know, is this kid will never live down her wild birth! Anytime she gets out of hand as a teenager, I'm going to use this story on her...I hope it works anyways! I'm glad we are done having kids, although I will miss the newborn babies in the house I will not miss being pregnant or labor. I can only imagine how fast a fourth labor would be, especially if this one only lasted about an hour! I would have to camp outside of the hospital!
If you made it this far, I hope you enjoyed the story and weren't too grossed out.
Friday, June 24, 2016
Remodeling Saga Part 2
It has been a VERY long time since my last post. I think I jinxed myself when I said that it wasn't super busy around here. How stupid could I be?!
This post will be about the bedroom remodel and how far I had gotten before I waved the white flag until further notice. I at least was able to finish the painting, and it is amazing how a new coat of paint can completely transform a room. Even without the flooring in yet, the room feels and looks so much nicer. The temperature does not have nearly as bad drafts now that we finally got some insulation in the outside wall. Still amazes me that it didn't have ANY insulation. Once again: What were the people thinking that did that?!?
The painting took me a lot longer than I thought it would and I blame being pregnant and having 2 toddlers to try and keep out of the room and paint supplies. Thank goodness to whoever invented baby gates, they are a life and sanity saver.
Also finally got some rock in the front yard where all of the irises and dead roses were at. It looks SOOO much nicer.
This post will be about the bedroom remodel and how far I had gotten before I waved the white flag until further notice. I at least was able to finish the painting, and it is amazing how a new coat of paint can completely transform a room. Even without the flooring in yet, the room feels and looks so much nicer. The temperature does not have nearly as bad drafts now that we finally got some insulation in the outside wall. Still amazes me that it didn't have ANY insulation. Once again: What were the people thinking that did that?!?
Daddy's little helper picking up nails and screws with the magnet.
The ugly yellow and black insulation was the only stuff that was in the wall. The pink is the new that was just added.
Drywall is up and almost finished being taped and mudded.
Painting is almost done!
Done with the painting! It's hard to tell that the walls are a soft grey and the ceiling a bright white, but it looks super nice in person.
The painting took me a lot longer than I thought it would and I blame being pregnant and having 2 toddlers to try and keep out of the room and paint supplies. Thank goodness to whoever invented baby gates, they are a life and sanity saver.
Also finally got some rock in the front yard where all of the irises and dead roses were at. It looks SOOO much nicer.
So much better than the mud and dirt that we had to deal with when it rains!
Well that is is for this post. Hopefully you enjoyed reading it and don't forget to click on an ad or two for me if you feel like it, it would help me out. :)
Wednesday, March 16, 2016
Baby #3
Life around here has been steady. I wouldn't call it busy, but we haven't been bored that's for sure. It does seem as though some weeks are busier than others, but it's all good. The pace has been nice.
For those that don't know, I am currently pregnant with baby #3 and it has been torture not knowing the gender yet. The last ultrasound I had was back in December and the baby decided it would hide "the goods". Very frustrating. I am a planner, and not knowing what we were having has been killing me. My last OB appointment, the doctor looked over my chart and told me he was going to order another ultrasound. He said out of curiosity himself as to the gender, but he said that he would use the excuse of checking the growth and development as the main reason. The doctor I go to is fabulous with a great sense of humor and I always feel like a friend, not just a patient or a number. Makes this stressful time of my life a lot easier to deal with.
I was nervous for my ultrasound, mainly because I was afraid I wouldn't know the gender, but I was happy that I would at least find out if baby was healthy, if nothing else. Baby was trying to play hard to see again, but it's a lot harder to hide the goods when there isn't much room in there to wiggle around. The ultrasound tech could only see glimpses, but the baby is developed enough (30 weeks at the time) that there was no mistaking it this time....GIRL! So excited to not be the only female in the house anymore.
Now it is just the long wait until May for the birth. Not looking forward to labor, but I at least know it will be worth it in the end. R is super excited to have a baby sister, even though he still doesn't quite understand that the baby has to stay in mommy's tummy a little longer. He keeps asking when the baby will come out so he can play with her. It's kind of cute. TT has no clue as to what is going on, but I do know he is going to be super pissed when he isn't the baby and center of attention anymore. I'll have to work really hard to make the time to spend one-on-one time with each of the boys after the baby is born.
For those still curious, my diet is still going well and I am adapting well...The rest of the family: not so much haha! They don't mind it too much, but it doesn't taste the same as what they are used to and hopefully they will eventually get used to it as time goes on. I have also been working on making more of their snacks at home instead of buying them. For one, it saves money; and two, it tastes better. I made homemade pop-tarts the other day and they are way better than store bought, but with anything, the kids looked at me like i was crazy when I handed them each one to try. I think they will eventually get used to them. I am refusing to spend almost $3-4 dollars for a box (yikes!) when I can make about 7-8 pop tarts for waaaaaaay less. They can just suck it up :)
The bedroom remodel should be moving along soon. We took a little break from it this past week because of illness and recovery. Should hopefully be back at it this week and weekend.
For those that don't know, I am currently pregnant with baby #3 and it has been torture not knowing the gender yet. The last ultrasound I had was back in December and the baby decided it would hide "the goods". Very frustrating. I am a planner, and not knowing what we were having has been killing me. My last OB appointment, the doctor looked over my chart and told me he was going to order another ultrasound. He said out of curiosity himself as to the gender, but he said that he would use the excuse of checking the growth and development as the main reason. The doctor I go to is fabulous with a great sense of humor and I always feel like a friend, not just a patient or a number. Makes this stressful time of my life a lot easier to deal with.
I was nervous for my ultrasound, mainly because I was afraid I wouldn't know the gender, but I was happy that I would at least find out if baby was healthy, if nothing else. Baby was trying to play hard to see again, but it's a lot harder to hide the goods when there isn't much room in there to wiggle around. The ultrasound tech could only see glimpses, but the baby is developed enough (30 weeks at the time) that there was no mistaking it this time....GIRL! So excited to not be the only female in the house anymore.
Now it is just the long wait until May for the birth. Not looking forward to labor, but I at least know it will be worth it in the end. R is super excited to have a baby sister, even though he still doesn't quite understand that the baby has to stay in mommy's tummy a little longer. He keeps asking when the baby will come out so he can play with her. It's kind of cute. TT has no clue as to what is going on, but I do know he is going to be super pissed when he isn't the baby and center of attention anymore. I'll have to work really hard to make the time to spend one-on-one time with each of the boys after the baby is born.
For those still curious, my diet is still going well and I am adapting well...The rest of the family: not so much haha! They don't mind it too much, but it doesn't taste the same as what they are used to and hopefully they will eventually get used to it as time goes on. I have also been working on making more of their snacks at home instead of buying them. For one, it saves money; and two, it tastes better. I made homemade pop-tarts the other day and they are way better than store bought, but with anything, the kids looked at me like i was crazy when I handed them each one to try. I think they will eventually get used to them. I am refusing to spend almost $3-4 dollars for a box (yikes!) when I can make about 7-8 pop tarts for waaaaaaay less. They can just suck it up :)
The bedroom remodel should be moving along soon. We took a little break from it this past week because of illness and recovery. Should hopefully be back at it this week and weekend.
Monday, February 29, 2016
Lil' Update
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It has been pretty quiet around here the last couple of weeks. Mostly just trying to get the bedroom project up and finished before the baby is here.
We were finally able to go and get the materials last week and Hubby was able to get the insulation in the walls. It needed it for sure! No wonder the dang room never seemed to be a decent temperature. Still need to seal the windows a little when we are done. This weekend he started putting up the sheetrock! It's getting closer to completion with each step, sooooo excited!
Since I am getting bigger it is getting harder for me to help out, but I try and we also were able to get some rock for the front of the house and hopefully I can start working on that this week...slowly. Slow is about the only speed I go lately. Ha!
My diet is going well and I feel much better than I did. I've been learning more and more how to cook and eat "differently" than what I am used to and it is helping. No pain is a good thing and I feel like I have a little more energy. The downside to this new diet is that it can be kind of expensive. I've been looking at alternative ways to save a little money on some of the ingredients that I need for cooking. Bountiful Basket is still a great way to save money on the produce I need. And I have found that Amazon.com carries a wide variety at decent prices on some of the grains and specialty items that I have been using.
Cooking from scratch takes a lot of time, especially with a lot of these new recipes that I am not used to, but the end result is a lot more flavorful and healthy. Recently I made pita bread and hummus. The hummus turned out well and I have really been enjoying it a lot more than I thought I would. My pita bread did not work out as well. It still is "eatable", but it didn't puff up like I thought it would. The directions that I found off of Pinterest didn't explain very well certain steps and so I figured out what I did/was doing wrong about halfway through. Oh well, live and learn. Next time hopefully it will turn out better so I can use it for sandwiches for myself.
I also attempted to try a recipe for sandwich bread (as another way of cutting cost in my grocery budget) and the first try it was a brick. The dog wouldn't even eat it, so I'm not sure what exactly I did wrong, but tried it again the following day and it worked perfectly. The boys really enjoyed the PBJ sandwich I made them, so it must be good! My least favorite part about slicing the bread is that I can never get even slices. Please tell me I'm not the only one that can't slice straight! I'll have to look into a bread slicer helper or something...haha!
Along with eating better, I have started weeding out things in the house that are really not that great for us, like dryer sheets. Made my own dryer sheets that work just as well and I don't have to worry about the nasty chemicals that are in the store bought ones. Not only are they healthier for us and the environment, but cheaper too! If you know me, you know that I like saving money! When I run out of laundry detergent I plan on trying to make my own. I have done this in the past, but with everything that has been going on since we bought the house, just haven't had the time or energy to try and mix up another batch. Found a different recipe on Pinterest that I plan on trying. The last one did work, and our clothes looked and smelled clean, so I will assume this one with as well.
Other than that, our days have been filled with Hubby going to work and coming home and playing with the boys and working on the bedroom and mine have been filled with baking, playing with the boys and cleaning. We live an extra exciting life around here. When we get the sheetrock done I will post more pictures and another update to the bedroom remodel.
It has been pretty quiet around here the last couple of weeks. Mostly just trying to get the bedroom project up and finished before the baby is here.
We were finally able to go and get the materials last week and Hubby was able to get the insulation in the walls. It needed it for sure! No wonder the dang room never seemed to be a decent temperature. Still need to seal the windows a little when we are done. This weekend he started putting up the sheetrock! It's getting closer to completion with each step, sooooo excited!
Since I am getting bigger it is getting harder for me to help out, but I try and we also were able to get some rock for the front of the house and hopefully I can start working on that this week...slowly. Slow is about the only speed I go lately. Ha!
My diet is going well and I feel much better than I did. I've been learning more and more how to cook and eat "differently" than what I am used to and it is helping. No pain is a good thing and I feel like I have a little more energy. The downside to this new diet is that it can be kind of expensive. I've been looking at alternative ways to save a little money on some of the ingredients that I need for cooking. Bountiful Basket is still a great way to save money on the produce I need. And I have found that Amazon.com carries a wide variety at decent prices on some of the grains and specialty items that I have been using.
Cooking from scratch takes a lot of time, especially with a lot of these new recipes that I am not used to, but the end result is a lot more flavorful and healthy. Recently I made pita bread and hummus. The hummus turned out well and I have really been enjoying it a lot more than I thought I would. My pita bread did not work out as well. It still is "eatable", but it didn't puff up like I thought it would. The directions that I found off of Pinterest didn't explain very well certain steps and so I figured out what I did/was doing wrong about halfway through. Oh well, live and learn. Next time hopefully it will turn out better so I can use it for sandwiches for myself.
I also attempted to try a recipe for sandwich bread (as another way of cutting cost in my grocery budget) and the first try it was a brick. The dog wouldn't even eat it, so I'm not sure what exactly I did wrong, but tried it again the following day and it worked perfectly. The boys really enjoyed the PBJ sandwich I made them, so it must be good! My least favorite part about slicing the bread is that I can never get even slices. Please tell me I'm not the only one that can't slice straight! I'll have to look into a bread slicer helper or something...haha!
Along with eating better, I have started weeding out things in the house that are really not that great for us, like dryer sheets. Made my own dryer sheets that work just as well and I don't have to worry about the nasty chemicals that are in the store bought ones. Not only are they healthier for us and the environment, but cheaper too! If you know me, you know that I like saving money! When I run out of laundry detergent I plan on trying to make my own. I have done this in the past, but with everything that has been going on since we bought the house, just haven't had the time or energy to try and mix up another batch. Found a different recipe on Pinterest that I plan on trying. The last one did work, and our clothes looked and smelled clean, so I will assume this one with as well.
Other than that, our days have been filled with Hubby going to work and coming home and playing with the boys and working on the bedroom and mine have been filled with baking, playing with the boys and cleaning. We live an extra exciting life around here. When we get the sheetrock done I will post more pictures and another update to the bedroom remodel.
Monday, February 15, 2016
What the...?!?
Its been one of those weekends where nothing has been going as planned (not usually a bad thing) and I have turned into a semi-crazy person!
Friday evening I found those nasty little black sugar ants in one of my cupboards. Anyone that knows me, would understand the chaos that ensued. Everything, and I mean EVERYTHING, came out of the cupboards. I had stuff piled up on my kitchen island and table along with the floor. Dragged my vacuum over and started sucking those nasty things up, all while growling and grumbling at the annoyance of it all.
After taking the vacuum to them, I started to wipe down any and all cracks and crevices I could find with a vinegar/water solution. Let that dry a little and than wiped everything down again with undiluted peppermint essential oil! I use doTERRA (just ask me how to purchase some of these awesome oils if you are interested, link at the bottom of post) peppermint oil and that stuff is STRONG! But, it worked! The nasty little buggers are no longer in that cupboard. I also ended up tearing up some of the warped plywood that had gotten damaged when we first moved in from a broken garbage disposal...can you say yuck?!
However, the ant invasion was not over with that one cupboard. I should have known better, but being pregnant and blonde, I forget things. Went to pull one of my pots out of a different cupboard this morning to make everyone oatmeal for breakfast and they were EVERYWHERE inside. Major freak-out ensued once again. Hubby started laughing until I glared at him and was almost in tears (hormones!). So he stopped chuckling and started helping. Smart man my husband :)
Again, everything came out of any remaining cupboards that "they" might be in and I wiped everything down with the same process as before. The peppermint will clear your sinuses just from smelling that stuff and it's not as stinky as the chemical sprays you can buy at the store. I think I have won in the kitchen, but I know that I will need to do some serious defense on the outside of my house this coming week. Guess I'll be buying some spray to use on the outside of the house along the foundation.
I hate bugs...But my kitchen smells lovely ;)
Here is the link to my doTERRA website: http://mydoterra.com/kathleenparker1
Friday evening I found those nasty little black sugar ants in one of my cupboards. Anyone that knows me, would understand the chaos that ensued. Everything, and I mean EVERYTHING, came out of the cupboards. I had stuff piled up on my kitchen island and table along with the floor. Dragged my vacuum over and started sucking those nasty things up, all while growling and grumbling at the annoyance of it all.
After taking the vacuum to them, I started to wipe down any and all cracks and crevices I could find with a vinegar/water solution. Let that dry a little and than wiped everything down again with undiluted peppermint essential oil! I use doTERRA (just ask me how to purchase some of these awesome oils if you are interested, link at the bottom of post) peppermint oil and that stuff is STRONG! But, it worked! The nasty little buggers are no longer in that cupboard. I also ended up tearing up some of the warped plywood that had gotten damaged when we first moved in from a broken garbage disposal...can you say yuck?!
However, the ant invasion was not over with that one cupboard. I should have known better, but being pregnant and blonde, I forget things. Went to pull one of my pots out of a different cupboard this morning to make everyone oatmeal for breakfast and they were EVERYWHERE inside. Major freak-out ensued once again. Hubby started laughing until I glared at him and was almost in tears (hormones!). So he stopped chuckling and started helping. Smart man my husband :)
Again, everything came out of any remaining cupboards that "they" might be in and I wiped everything down with the same process as before. The peppermint will clear your sinuses just from smelling that stuff and it's not as stinky as the chemical sprays you can buy at the store. I think I have won in the kitchen, but I know that I will need to do some serious defense on the outside of my house this coming week. Guess I'll be buying some spray to use on the outside of the house along the foundation.
I hate bugs...But my kitchen smells lovely ;)
Here is the link to my doTERRA website: http://mydoterra.com/kathleenparker1
Sunday, February 14, 2016
Remodeling Saga Part 1
Ever since we moved into this house, there have been a couple of things that have been the "WTF?" of the house. One of which is in our bedroom. I'm not sure if the original builders decided to put in the crazy bench/window seat/storage, but whoever did needs slapped.
I have HATED this part of our bedroom from the beginning. Finally decided that it needed to go with baby #3 on the way, we knew that the baby would be spending the majority of the time in our room to start and with the way our room was situated now, there just isn't enough space. Even though we have both been sick, we decided to start the demo of the weird bench thing anyways to at least see what we are dealing with and if we needed to prepare for any major "disasters".
Not only did this bench need torn out, but we needed to insulate and drywall BAD! You could feel the cold air in the winter coming through the walls, which made for some rather unpleasant nights. As we started to strip everything off the walls we finally discovered what was behind the strange "columns" that are on either side of the bench. This little 3 foot section may have been an after-thought or an addition because the columns actually turned out to look like they may be cornerstones on that end of the house.
Can't take those out! But that's ok, at least the bench is gone and the horrible paneling is off the walls and we can finally see what we are dealing with better. The next plan of action is to remove the bed frame from the bedroom and to store it temporarily in another part of the house and to than tear out all of the carpet from the room.
Eventually would like to put down laminate flooring, but lots of rugs to shield us from the cold concrete until then.
I'm sure a good weekend worth of work, once we have all of the supplies and materials, should have the walls back up (insulated and sealed this time). And then I can go around and fill in holes with the drywall putty before I sand and paint. It will be nice to have our room looking like how we want with the way that we would like it arranged. Both of our hopes is that this well give us extra space in the bedroom so we won't feel quite so cramped. I also hope to upgrade our 2 dressers into one larger one eventually and hopefully that will help it to not feel so crammed full of stuff as well.
Owning a home is no easy task that's for sure! Along with remodeling the bedroom, we have been working on the yard. I'm not a fan of bushes...at all. And these bushes were never well cared for before we bought the house so they have just been wild and out of control. Not too mention, they harbor bugs, like scorpions, wasps, and spiders. I plan on ripping them all out! Once they are all gone, I will put down weed tarp, sand, and white rock. Hopefully that makes it nicer to walk by and won't harbor the nasty things. Our poor yard has for sure needed some serious TLC and hopefully we can do more this year with it. I'm excited to see the final project.
The front of our house has need of an overhaul as well. I dug up, thinned, and replanted some of the wild bunch of irises that were growing in front of our house.
I plan on doing the same thing with the front where the irises were with the weed tarp, sand, and white rock. Hopefully it will help widen the path in front of our house when people come by for a visit. And less mud during the monsoon season :)
I have HATED this part of our bedroom from the beginning. Finally decided that it needed to go with baby #3 on the way, we knew that the baby would be spending the majority of the time in our room to start and with the way our room was situated now, there just isn't enough space. Even though we have both been sick, we decided to start the demo of the weird bench thing anyways to at least see what we are dealing with and if we needed to prepare for any major "disasters".
Trying to figure out what is behind the sheet rock that we discovered behind the paneling
Not only did this bench need torn out, but we needed to insulate and drywall BAD! You could feel the cold air in the winter coming through the walls, which made for some rather unpleasant nights. As we started to strip everything off the walls we finally discovered what was behind the strange "columns" that are on either side of the bench. This little 3 foot section may have been an after-thought or an addition because the columns actually turned out to look like they may be cornerstones on that end of the house.
About halfway through the demolition!
Can't take those out! But that's ok, at least the bench is gone and the horrible paneling is off the walls and we can finally see what we are dealing with better. The next plan of action is to remove the bed frame from the bedroom and to store it temporarily in another part of the house and to than tear out all of the carpet from the room.
Oh look what was under the carpet...crappy 1960's glue down tile! At least it came up easy!
Eventually would like to put down laminate flooring, but lots of rugs to shield us from the cold concrete until then.
I'm sure a good weekend worth of work, once we have all of the supplies and materials, should have the walls back up (insulated and sealed this time). And then I can go around and fill in holes with the drywall putty before I sand and paint. It will be nice to have our room looking like how we want with the way that we would like it arranged. Both of our hopes is that this well give us extra space in the bedroom so we won't feel quite so cramped. I also hope to upgrade our 2 dressers into one larger one eventually and hopefully that will help it to not feel so crammed full of stuff as well.
Owning a home is no easy task that's for sure! Along with remodeling the bedroom, we have been working on the yard. I'm not a fan of bushes...at all. And these bushes were never well cared for before we bought the house so they have just been wild and out of control. Not too mention, they harbor bugs, like scorpions, wasps, and spiders. I plan on ripping them all out! Once they are all gone, I will put down weed tarp, sand, and white rock. Hopefully that makes it nicer to walk by and won't harbor the nasty things. Our poor yard has for sure needed some serious TLC and hopefully we can do more this year with it. I'm excited to see the final project.
The front of our house has need of an overhaul as well. I dug up, thinned, and replanted some of the wild bunch of irises that were growing in front of our house.
The attached flower bed that the irises will be going into soon.
Starting the digging process!
This area is where all of the mud and water collects during the rainy season and makes it hard to walk to our front door without getting soaked.
I plan on doing the same thing with the front where the irises were with the weed tarp, sand, and white rock. Hopefully it will help widen the path in front of our house when people come by for a visit. And less mud during the monsoon season :)
Saturday, February 6, 2016
Saving some Moola!
Who doesn't like saving money? Only crazy people that's who!
Being a stay-at-home mommy I do my best to keep our biggest expense down as much as possible: groceries! For a family of 4, soon to be 5, we all tend to eat a lot. My youngest eats more than I do most days! I try to make healthy meals that everyone will eat, but now that I am on a restricted diet, it makes it a little more challenging.
However, I have some apps on my phone that I use along with coupons that do help keep the cost down. Usually our household grocery bill for the month ranges from $300 to $400 per month. It's a challenge because we do live in an oilfield area so the prices on everything are marked up and my options for shopping are limited because there are literally 3 grocery stores in a 45 minute drive from us.
I use couponmom.com for my coupons. It's a really great site and it's FREE! Free is always a good thing. I try to check it at least once a week because some coupons are only on the site for a week before they are taken off. Granted they don't have coupons for fresh veggies or fruit, but I can get coupons for other staples like almond milk, coffee creamer for the hubby, or graham crackers for the kids. I've been trying REALLY hard to make their snacks, when they get them, as healthy as possible. Or just make homemade snacks like muffins. With my new diet, we always have fresh fruit and veggies around that they are all starting to eat more of, so that's one plus!
For my fresh fruit and veggies, and even our whole grain bread if I'm not making it myself, I use Bountiful Baskets. If you haven't looked into this program yet, do it NOW! I order ours on either Monday or Tuesday of whatever week they run to Hobbs and will pick it up on that Saturday. I know that I will be getting a ton of food that is really good quality for waaaaaaay less than what you could buy at the grocery store. Just the plain conventional basket is only $15 and it comes with a ton of food. All total this week my total basket contribution was about $55, I also bought 5 loaves of bread that are not pictured. Because of this program, I rarely buy any produce at the grocery store, except bananas, I think my youngest is part monkey.
The apps on my phone that I use are the Wal-Mart Savings Catcher. It does help, even with the limited competition in the area I still end up with money back of some items. My goal with this one is to gain enough money back to have Christmas paid for this year. I'm getting there and should have no problems by November/December :)
Ibotta is a pretty cool rebate app that has everything from alcohol to fresh fruit and veggies. You can look through it either before you go shopping and select the rebates that you know you will use or after and snag the ones that you did. I sometimes only have 1 or 2 rebates, but they do add up. Ibotta is store specific, so you would need to make sure you are in the correct store section before checking off rebates. Also with Ibotta, the more people you have on your "team" the more money you make faster. If you want to sign-up with my referral code it is iphfxoy. Hopefully it works. Ibotta pays out through paypal once you reach the minimum amount of money.
Checkout 51 is another rebate app I use, but it is NOT store specific so you can use it with anyplace that sells what is on the app. As long as it lists the name of the item and the price on the receipt, you'll be golden. The rebates renew every Thursday. I haven't made as much money with this one, but I'm still up to almost $7 for only using it a couple of months. Unlike Ibotta, they do not have a "team" feature.
I recently downloaded Shopkick which gives you "kicks" for just walking into certain stores and scanning (don't even have to buy anything) certain items on their list. If you link your cards to it you can also get points for every dollar. Being that there isn't much competition in my area, I have only used it in Wal-Mart, but it's not too hard. I even get "kicks" for opening the app everyday. Sometimes it's only 1 kick, other times its 4 kicks! The more kicks, the more money towards a gift card of your choice on their list. I'm working towards a Wal-Mart card for Christmas. With Shopkick you can add friends and earn kicks. My link is http://getshopkick.com/cone71089 to be a friend with me on Shopkick.
The last app that I recently downloaded is BerryCart. It is for organic/Non-GMO kind of foods. I figured it would be a good one to try out with my new diet. I haven't had to use it yet, but it sounds like you can earn money with a "team" like Ibotta. My referral link is https;//www.berrycart.com/rf/nQCmRBpmzq. For every friend that signs up with my link we each get a $2 bonus. Don't know if it works, but never hurts to try :) BerryCart pays out through either gift cards or PayPal. Hopefully I can use it more this year.
The other thing that does save a lot of money, but I haven't done it since this summer, is a meal plan for either the week or month. It's amazing what happens when you go through your cupboards and freezer and find food you can use for recipes without having to buy any extra at the store. Hopefully my butt will get in gear and I can start meal planning again, because it really does help, just takes time.
Being a stay-at-home mommy I do my best to keep our biggest expense down as much as possible: groceries! For a family of 4, soon to be 5, we all tend to eat a lot. My youngest eats more than I do most days! I try to make healthy meals that everyone will eat, but now that I am on a restricted diet, it makes it a little more challenging.
However, I have some apps on my phone that I use along with coupons that do help keep the cost down. Usually our household grocery bill for the month ranges from $300 to $400 per month. It's a challenge because we do live in an oilfield area so the prices on everything are marked up and my options for shopping are limited because there are literally 3 grocery stores in a 45 minute drive from us.
I use couponmom.com for my coupons. It's a really great site and it's FREE! Free is always a good thing. I try to check it at least once a week because some coupons are only on the site for a week before they are taken off. Granted they don't have coupons for fresh veggies or fruit, but I can get coupons for other staples like almond milk, coffee creamer for the hubby, or graham crackers for the kids. I've been trying REALLY hard to make their snacks, when they get them, as healthy as possible. Or just make homemade snacks like muffins. With my new diet, we always have fresh fruit and veggies around that they are all starting to eat more of, so that's one plus!
For my fresh fruit and veggies, and even our whole grain bread if I'm not making it myself, I use Bountiful Baskets. If you haven't looked into this program yet, do it NOW! I order ours on either Monday or Tuesday of whatever week they run to Hobbs and will pick it up on that Saturday. I know that I will be getting a ton of food that is really good quality for waaaaaaay less than what you could buy at the grocery store. Just the plain conventional basket is only $15 and it comes with a ton of food. All total this week my total basket contribution was about $55, I also bought 5 loaves of bread that are not pictured. Because of this program, I rarely buy any produce at the grocery store, except bananas, I think my youngest is part monkey.
This is just the straight conventional basket ($15). It is different every time.
This is with all of the "add-ons" that I purchased. Lots of yummy-ness to eat for the family!
The apps on my phone that I use are the Wal-Mart Savings Catcher. It does help, even with the limited competition in the area I still end up with money back of some items. My goal with this one is to gain enough money back to have Christmas paid for this year. I'm getting there and should have no problems by November/December :)
Ibotta is a pretty cool rebate app that has everything from alcohol to fresh fruit and veggies. You can look through it either before you go shopping and select the rebates that you know you will use or after and snag the ones that you did. I sometimes only have 1 or 2 rebates, but they do add up. Ibotta is store specific, so you would need to make sure you are in the correct store section before checking off rebates. Also with Ibotta, the more people you have on your "team" the more money you make faster. If you want to sign-up with my referral code it is iphfxoy. Hopefully it works. Ibotta pays out through paypal once you reach the minimum amount of money.
Checkout 51 is another rebate app I use, but it is NOT store specific so you can use it with anyplace that sells what is on the app. As long as it lists the name of the item and the price on the receipt, you'll be golden. The rebates renew every Thursday. I haven't made as much money with this one, but I'm still up to almost $7 for only using it a couple of months. Unlike Ibotta, they do not have a "team" feature.
I recently downloaded Shopkick which gives you "kicks" for just walking into certain stores and scanning (don't even have to buy anything) certain items on their list. If you link your cards to it you can also get points for every dollar. Being that there isn't much competition in my area, I have only used it in Wal-Mart, but it's not too hard. I even get "kicks" for opening the app everyday. Sometimes it's only 1 kick, other times its 4 kicks! The more kicks, the more money towards a gift card of your choice on their list. I'm working towards a Wal-Mart card for Christmas. With Shopkick you can add friends and earn kicks. My link is http://getshopkick.com/cone71089 to be a friend with me on Shopkick.
The last app that I recently downloaded is BerryCart. It is for organic/Non-GMO kind of foods. I figured it would be a good one to try out with my new diet. I haven't had to use it yet, but it sounds like you can earn money with a "team" like Ibotta. My referral link is https;//www.berrycart.com/rf/nQCmRBpmzq. For every friend that signs up with my link we each get a $2 bonus. Don't know if it works, but never hurts to try :) BerryCart pays out through either gift cards or PayPal. Hopefully I can use it more this year.
The other thing that does save a lot of money, but I haven't done it since this summer, is a meal plan for either the week or month. It's amazing what happens when you go through your cupboards and freezer and find food you can use for recipes without having to buy any extra at the store. Hopefully my butt will get in gear and I can start meal planning again, because it really does help, just takes time.
Friday, January 29, 2016
Yogurt Time!
First off, let me jut say that the weather down here is soooo crazy! In the past month alone we were hit with the blizzard of the century, Super Storm Goliath, wildfires in certain parts of the state, along with wind storms with 60-70 mph gusts. Last week we had temperatures in the 50's and 60's with sun. This week it has been below freezing, spitting snow and rain and today it is sunny and warm at 75 degrees. I even went out and did some yard work in shorts while the boys played in the yard in short-sleeved shirts. My poor body doesn't know what to do: hibernate or welcome spring.
In the meantime, I have continued on my lovely diet and am continuing to feel better, just miss my milk and full fat foods :(
So yogurt making in the slow cooker! Super easy and delicious. I will say ahead of time that this yogurt does not have the same consistency as store bought, but I believe that it tastes much better. More yummy good for you stuff, less of the nasty stuff :) This is a recipe for vanilla yogurt. I am not a fan of plain yogurt, although now I am learning to use it to cook with, for eating I prefer the vanilla.
To start you need 8 cups (half a gallon) of, preferably, whole milk. Make sure to check that it isn't ultra-pasteurized because it will not work properly if that is the case. Pasteurized is fine if that is all you can get and a lot of people have access to raw milk; I do not and have to buy it from the store. Also, it would be good to start this about 2 or 3 pm in the afternoon because there are a couple of steps before you let it sit overnight that happen in 3 hour increments.
I use a small 4 qt. crock pot for this recipe. Poor the milk in and turn to low for 2 hours 45 mins up to 3 hours. After the time turn it off and unplug it.
Whisk in 1/2 cup of sugar and 1 Tbsp of vanilla extract (the more pure the better) and let it sit for 3 hours.
After 3 hours add in 1/2 cup of your yogurt (this can be either prior stuff you made or store bought as long as it has active live cultures in it!) whisk it in really well.
Wrap the entire crockpot in 1 to 2 beach towels and let it sit overnight, 8-12 hours.
In the morning, spoon the yogurt into a flour sack or cheese cloth lined colander that is sitting on top of a bowl. This will help drain the whey off of the yogurt and help to thicken it. If using a flour sack cloth, dampen it prior to using. I let my yogurt drain 4-6 hours in the fridge, but it is up to you how long you let it sit in the fridge draining.
Once it is drained off enough to your liking, scoop it out and put into a sealable tub and it's good to eat! Just remember to save 1/2 cup for the next batch of yogurt and you will end up with roughly half of what your started with at the beginning, about 4-5 cups.
Also, the whey can be used in different recipes, just have to google uses for it :)
Hopefully you have no issues with this recipe, if you do, let me know and I will try to help work out what went wrong.
*Don't forget to click on an ad or two to help me out :)
In the meantime, I have continued on my lovely diet and am continuing to feel better, just miss my milk and full fat foods :(
So yogurt making in the slow cooker! Super easy and delicious. I will say ahead of time that this yogurt does not have the same consistency as store bought, but I believe that it tastes much better. More yummy good for you stuff, less of the nasty stuff :) This is a recipe for vanilla yogurt. I am not a fan of plain yogurt, although now I am learning to use it to cook with, for eating I prefer the vanilla.
To start you need 8 cups (half a gallon) of, preferably, whole milk. Make sure to check that it isn't ultra-pasteurized because it will not work properly if that is the case. Pasteurized is fine if that is all you can get and a lot of people have access to raw milk; I do not and have to buy it from the store. Also, it would be good to start this about 2 or 3 pm in the afternoon because there are a couple of steps before you let it sit overnight that happen in 3 hour increments.
Milk ready to go!
I use a small 4 qt. crock pot for this recipe. Poor the milk in and turn to low for 2 hours 45 mins up to 3 hours. After the time turn it off and unplug it.
Yes that says Vodka. I make my own vanilla extract with bottom-shelf liquor and vanilla beans.
Whisk in 1/2 cup of sugar and 1 Tbsp of vanilla extract (the more pure the better) and let it sit for 3 hours.
After 3 hours add in 1/2 cup of your yogurt (this can be either prior stuff you made or store bought as long as it has active live cultures in it!) whisk it in really well.
Wrap the entire crockpot in 1 to 2 beach towels and let it sit overnight, 8-12 hours.
In the morning, spoon the yogurt into a flour sack or cheese cloth lined colander that is sitting on top of a bowl. This will help drain the whey off of the yogurt and help to thicken it. If using a flour sack cloth, dampen it prior to using. I let my yogurt drain 4-6 hours in the fridge, but it is up to you how long you let it sit in the fridge draining.
Finished product! Yum!
Once it is drained off enough to your liking, scoop it out and put into a sealable tub and it's good to eat! Just remember to save 1/2 cup for the next batch of yogurt and you will end up with roughly half of what your started with at the beginning, about 4-5 cups.
This is what the whey looks like.
Also, the whey can be used in different recipes, just have to google uses for it :)
Hopefully you have no issues with this recipe, if you do, let me know and I will try to help work out what went wrong.
*Don't forget to click on an ad or two to help me out :)
Tuesday, January 26, 2016
New Diet...Yippee
So I know last time I promised to post my yogurt recipe, and I will, but there have been some seriously crazy happenings around here the past week. Last Thursday I woke up with such intense pain that I was hardly able to breath and felt like passing out several times because of it. Hubby rushed me to the ER where they proceeded to run tests and blood work to try and determine what was the matter.
After a couple of hours I was informed by the doctor that there was something wrong with my gall bladder. Instantly I thought surgery, but thankfully that was not the case. He said that I had "sludge" in my gall bladder that would settle and block the ducts once in awhile which is where the pain comes from. If you have ever had anything like gall or kidney stones than you probably know what my pain was like: not fun! Since I am also pregnant, the ER doctor wanted to check in with my OB to get a game plan on helping me feel better. They decided that surgery wasn't necessary (thankfully!) and all I would need to do was change my diet.
I had already changed my diet quite a bit since this pregnancy because certain foods didn't settle well or weren't good for a preggo chick. This new diet pretty much eliminates all of the yummy foods/snacks I would treat myself to once in awhile; like chocolate or ice cream or cream cheese! Basically I have had to eliminate anything that is not low or non-fat, use whole grain breads and pastas, and super lean meats with as little oil to cook with as possible. My fruit and veggie intake has increased, along with my water (which I was already drinking tons with being preggo). I have cut myself back to 1/2 cup of coffee a day! Which has been soooo hard to not have my 2 cups a day with creamer. Drinking it black with no milk or sugar :(
With this diet I have basically had to re-learn how to cook certain foods and sub in different oils and milks. Label reading on foods is something that I did a lot before now I'm obsessed with it because I cannot have anything with vegetable oil or shortening, or anything with trans fat. The nurses in the ER joked that I would basically be eating cardboard and air (ha!).
I'm learning to adapt and am not totally hating the new diet, just get tired of having to constantly check ingredients for certain things. Also, I've had to make some things because it's pretty close to impossible to find muffins for breakfast/snack or ranch dressing in the store that isn't loaded with tons of crap I can't have.
Just made Banana Applesauce Muffins http://www.fromaway.com/cooking/banana-applesauce-muffins from this site I found on Pinterest. They turned out super yummy (even being whole wheat) and were really easy to make. I even subbed in honey for the sugar in the recipe and it worked just as well.
Yesterday, because I've been wanting a salad but can't use the dressing and I'm not a vinaigrette person, I found a recipe online (with the help of a friend that came over the next day after my ER visit to hang out and help me find new recipes I could eat) for Avocado Greek Yogurt Ranch Dressing http://www.cookingclassy.com/2015/06/avocado-greek-yogurt-ranch-dressing/ from this site that I also got off of Pinterest. Tried it out today on a salad and it was not too bad. Granted, it isn't like normal ranch dressing from the store, but it tasted good and worked well for my salad. Even subbed in Almond milk (can't have whole moo juice) and it tastes great. My oldest said it was too stinky though! Ha!
The oil I use, sparingly, to cook with now is avocado. It is supposed to be much better for you and doesn't have a lot of the after taste or smell that comes with olive oil. My hubby hasn't complained so that's good! I've been on this new "diet" now for almost a week and I haven't starved, just learning to adapt to the different changes that are now in my future until the doctor gives me the thumbs up on the gall bladder. Who knows, maybe this diet will stick with me, probably not the coffee part, but I am feeling better and that is what matters the most!
Next time I hope to have the yogurt recipe with pictures!
*Don't forget to click on an ad or two for me :)
After a couple of hours I was informed by the doctor that there was something wrong with my gall bladder. Instantly I thought surgery, but thankfully that was not the case. He said that I had "sludge" in my gall bladder that would settle and block the ducts once in awhile which is where the pain comes from. If you have ever had anything like gall or kidney stones than you probably know what my pain was like: not fun! Since I am also pregnant, the ER doctor wanted to check in with my OB to get a game plan on helping me feel better. They decided that surgery wasn't necessary (thankfully!) and all I would need to do was change my diet.
I had already changed my diet quite a bit since this pregnancy because certain foods didn't settle well or weren't good for a preggo chick. This new diet pretty much eliminates all of the yummy foods/snacks I would treat myself to once in awhile; like chocolate or ice cream or cream cheese! Basically I have had to eliminate anything that is not low or non-fat, use whole grain breads and pastas, and super lean meats with as little oil to cook with as possible. My fruit and veggie intake has increased, along with my water (which I was already drinking tons with being preggo). I have cut myself back to 1/2 cup of coffee a day! Which has been soooo hard to not have my 2 cups a day with creamer. Drinking it black with no milk or sugar :(
With this diet I have basically had to re-learn how to cook certain foods and sub in different oils and milks. Label reading on foods is something that I did a lot before now I'm obsessed with it because I cannot have anything with vegetable oil or shortening, or anything with trans fat. The nurses in the ER joked that I would basically be eating cardboard and air (ha!).
I'm learning to adapt and am not totally hating the new diet, just get tired of having to constantly check ingredients for certain things. Also, I've had to make some things because it's pretty close to impossible to find muffins for breakfast/snack or ranch dressing in the store that isn't loaded with tons of crap I can't have.
Just made Banana Applesauce Muffins http://www.fromaway.com/cooking/banana-applesauce-muffins from this site I found on Pinterest. They turned out super yummy (even being whole wheat) and were really easy to make. I even subbed in honey for the sugar in the recipe and it worked just as well.
Yesterday, because I've been wanting a salad but can't use the dressing and I'm not a vinaigrette person, I found a recipe online (with the help of a friend that came over the next day after my ER visit to hang out and help me find new recipes I could eat) for Avocado Greek Yogurt Ranch Dressing http://www.cookingclassy.com/2015/06/avocado-greek-yogurt-ranch-dressing/ from this site that I also got off of Pinterest. Tried it out today on a salad and it was not too bad. Granted, it isn't like normal ranch dressing from the store, but it tasted good and worked well for my salad. Even subbed in Almond milk (can't have whole moo juice) and it tastes great. My oldest said it was too stinky though! Ha!
The oil I use, sparingly, to cook with now is avocado. It is supposed to be much better for you and doesn't have a lot of the after taste or smell that comes with olive oil. My hubby hasn't complained so that's good! I've been on this new "diet" now for almost a week and I haven't starved, just learning to adapt to the different changes that are now in my future until the doctor gives me the thumbs up on the gall bladder. Who knows, maybe this diet will stick with me, probably not the coffee part, but I am feeling better and that is what matters the most!
Next time I hope to have the yogurt recipe with pictures!
*Don't forget to click on an ad or two for me :)
Tuesday, January 19, 2016
Rambling away
The hardest thing about being a stay-at-home mom in a state with no family close by? Being lonely and feeling isolated. And the flat, barren landscape does nothing to improve this feeling. It's not horrible, but there are times I really wish my family was closer, if for nothing else, than to go over and have coffee or lunch with them so the boys can play and get to know their family better. I do pretty good with occupying myself, especially with two crazy little boys that are bundles of energy the minute they get up to the minute they go to bed. That definitely helps a lot. The few friends that we do have down here are in a neighboring town about 90 miles away, so that makes it hard to just go over for a quick visit; it becomes a day trip which wears everyone out. Not that that is a bad thing!
However, the upside to living so far from everyone familiar is that we have learned to be more self-sufficient. Due to this, I have gotten pretty good at making things from scratch and grocery shopping for our family has become a goal to keep the total as close to $300 as possible, which I do most months. What has helped me in this regard is making bread at home with my bread machine, crockpot vanilla yogurt (the boys LOVE that stuff), and contributing to bountiful basket at least once a month for our fresh fruit and veggies at a fraction of the cost! I also use several different rebate/shopping apps that help along with coupons.
All of this helps so much in keeping our budget (and my sanity) low and manageable. I am no Betty Crocker or Dave Ramsey by any means, but I try very hard to keep this family going budget and food-wise and I learn more everyday on how to accomplish my goals reasonably. Making items from scratch and bountiful basket have probably been the best investments I have made so far, and not just for the health benefits, but money-wise as well.
Doing all of this has helped to keep me occupied when I do start to get lonely. Not only that, but most of my family is just a phone call or text message away when I need them. Expecting our third child has also given me more to look forward to with doctors visits and all of the tests that come with it. (Still don't know what the gender is by the way if you were wondering.) Writing this little blog has also helped me to not feel as lonely and I appreciate everyone that reads it, I'm sure I'm not the most interesting person to read about, but I feel more connected to those I miss through it.
I will post how I make my yogurt next time. Trust me, it's worth doing and SOOOO easy! That's what I love the most about my crockpots: just toss it in and wait for the most part!
Until next time....
*Click on an ad or 2 please, it helps with my blog revenue a bit*
However, the upside to living so far from everyone familiar is that we have learned to be more self-sufficient. Due to this, I have gotten pretty good at making things from scratch and grocery shopping for our family has become a goal to keep the total as close to $300 as possible, which I do most months. What has helped me in this regard is making bread at home with my bread machine, crockpot vanilla yogurt (the boys LOVE that stuff), and contributing to bountiful basket at least once a month for our fresh fruit and veggies at a fraction of the cost! I also use several different rebate/shopping apps that help along with coupons.
All of this helps so much in keeping our budget (and my sanity) low and manageable. I am no Betty Crocker or Dave Ramsey by any means, but I try very hard to keep this family going budget and food-wise and I learn more everyday on how to accomplish my goals reasonably. Making items from scratch and bountiful basket have probably been the best investments I have made so far, and not just for the health benefits, but money-wise as well.
Doing all of this has helped to keep me occupied when I do start to get lonely. Not only that, but most of my family is just a phone call or text message away when I need them. Expecting our third child has also given me more to look forward to with doctors visits and all of the tests that come with it. (Still don't know what the gender is by the way if you were wondering.) Writing this little blog has also helped me to not feel as lonely and I appreciate everyone that reads it, I'm sure I'm not the most interesting person to read about, but I feel more connected to those I miss through it.
I will post how I make my yogurt next time. Trust me, it's worth doing and SOOOO easy! That's what I love the most about my crockpots: just toss it in and wait for the most part!
Until next time....
*Click on an ad or 2 please, it helps with my blog revenue a bit*
Wednesday, January 13, 2016
2015...See Ya!
So I'm actually very happy to see the year 2015 go bye-bye. It wasn't a horrible year, but it certainly was not one of my favorites. A lot happened during the year; some good, some bad.
I had my 10 year high school reunion in July and it was so nice getting to go home for a couple of weeks and to catch up with everyone. Our family also acquired a Vizsla puppy this summer as well and he is now a member of our family and can be just as obnoxious and stubborn as my two sons! We love him very much though, and are happy we have him in out lives.
In August, my father's cancer took an aggressive turn for the worst and finally over powered him. He passed away after fighting hard for a year. It was a rough month for everyone and at times it is still hard to believe that he gone. Thankfully, my husband has been my rock during this most difficult time and I appreciate him so much for just letting me cry all over him when I needed to release.
With September came one of our busiest months so far this year. It seemed as though we were constantly going somewhere and doing something every weekend. Not only was my dad's memorial service in September, but so was my youngest sons 1st birthday along with my 29th birthday. Traveling on a plane with children by yourself is no picnic, so I was extremely grateful that my husband was able to go with me to the memorial and to help with the kids. At the memorial, I was shocked by the turn-out. The church was standing-room only. Lots of tears and laughter and stories about my dad. It was bittersweet to say goodbye to dad and to see friends and relatives I hadn't seen in years.
After our return from the memorial and our lives slowing down a little, we found out that we are expecting our 3rd, and final, child this coming spring. The entire family is rooting for a girl except my poor husband haha! He's terrified of a little girl because he knows he would spoil her worse than our boys. As of right now, the baby plays shy with the ultrasound, so we might not find out until delivery day the gender. That's ok, as long as he or she is healthy and the pregnancy has no complications.
In December, my Nevada family surprised me with them coming down for the holidays! It was nice to be together for Christmas and also an unplanned New Year's after a freak blizzard shut down everything. The holidays would have been much harder had they not been here with us. The company was nice to have while hubby was out making sure the electricity stayed on for people during the storm. Made worrying a little easier with others chewing their nails right along with me.
Like I said, the year wasn't the best, but it certainly wasn't the worst. I am just glad that the New Year is here and can't wait to see what happens this year.
(Also, please click on an ad or two if you feel like it :) )
I had my 10 year high school reunion in July and it was so nice getting to go home for a couple of weeks and to catch up with everyone. Our family also acquired a Vizsla puppy this summer as well and he is now a member of our family and can be just as obnoxious and stubborn as my two sons! We love him very much though, and are happy we have him in out lives.
In August, my father's cancer took an aggressive turn for the worst and finally over powered him. He passed away after fighting hard for a year. It was a rough month for everyone and at times it is still hard to believe that he gone. Thankfully, my husband has been my rock during this most difficult time and I appreciate him so much for just letting me cry all over him when I needed to release.
With September came one of our busiest months so far this year. It seemed as though we were constantly going somewhere and doing something every weekend. Not only was my dad's memorial service in September, but so was my youngest sons 1st birthday along with my 29th birthday. Traveling on a plane with children by yourself is no picnic, so I was extremely grateful that my husband was able to go with me to the memorial and to help with the kids. At the memorial, I was shocked by the turn-out. The church was standing-room only. Lots of tears and laughter and stories about my dad. It was bittersweet to say goodbye to dad and to see friends and relatives I hadn't seen in years.
After our return from the memorial and our lives slowing down a little, we found out that we are expecting our 3rd, and final, child this coming spring. The entire family is rooting for a girl except my poor husband haha! He's terrified of a little girl because he knows he would spoil her worse than our boys. As of right now, the baby plays shy with the ultrasound, so we might not find out until delivery day the gender. That's ok, as long as he or she is healthy and the pregnancy has no complications.
In December, my Nevada family surprised me with them coming down for the holidays! It was nice to be together for Christmas and also an unplanned New Year's after a freak blizzard shut down everything. The holidays would have been much harder had they not been here with us. The company was nice to have while hubby was out making sure the electricity stayed on for people during the storm. Made worrying a little easier with others chewing their nails right along with me.
Like I said, the year wasn't the best, but it certainly wasn't the worst. I am just glad that the New Year is here and can't wait to see what happens this year.
(Also, please click on an ad or two if you feel like it :) )
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