My Coupon Deals For Week Beginning 3/27/2011

Today I got the following deals. I spent a little more OOP than usual, but I have a fair amount of RR/ECB to use next week.

CVS
Transaction 1:
2 Axe Body Wash 2/$9-used B1G1 Q
2 Dove Mens Deodorant 2/$7-used (2) $2/1 Q
1 Bandaid 30ct 4.89
1 Bandaid 10ct 4.19
1 Bandaid 40ct 3.79-used (1) $2/2 Q and (1) 0.55/1 Q
Also used $4/$20 ECB and $3 ECB from last week
Total OOP: 10.87+tax
got back $5 ECB from Axe/Dove and $5 ECB from bandaids

Transaction 2
2 Pledge $6
2 Pledge Multi-surface $6-used (2) B1 Pledge G1 multi-surface free and (2) $1 off Q’s
2 Colgate toothbrushes 2.99 ea-used (2) $1 Q’s
1 Skintimate Shave Gel 2.94 (my Q would not scan so the very nice lady adjusted the price from 3.49 to 2.94
Used the (2) $5 ECB from previous transaction.
Total OOP: 3.93+tax


Walgreens

Transaction 1
2 Edge Shave gels 2/$4-used (2) 0.55 q’s
2 Colgate Toothbrush 2.99ea-used (2) $1 q
4 Garnier Conditioner 3.50 ea-used (4) $1 q
7 Snickers Eggs 0.29 ea-used (2) $1 q’s
1 Rimmel Nail polish on sale for 1.99-used $2 q
Used (2) $5 RR from last week
Total OOP: 6.92+tax
got back $4, $4, $2 Register Rewards for next week

Transaction 2
7 Snickers eggs 0.29ea-(2) $1 q’s
2 Skintimate Shave gels 2/$4-used (2) 0.55q’s
4 Garnier Shampoos 3.50 ea-used (4) $1 q’s
2 Colgate toothbrushes 2.99ea-used (2) $1 q’s
used $5 RR from last week
Total OOP 11.93+tax
got back $4, $4, and $2 Register rewards


Kroger- I bought some staples like milk, bread etc., but, I just thought I would share a couple unexpected deals I found

Large Brown eggs marked from 2.39 to 1.19-I got 2

Shick Titanium Razors B1G1 $7.69 and used a $3 q on each.
I picked up 4 @ 0.85 each!!!


Total Retail $177.35
Total OOP $39.43 saved 77% not including RR/ECB
RR/ECB for next week: $30.50

Miniature Manipulator

Is there some secret "Rocket Science" kinda trick you need to use to get a little boy completely potty trained?  We will go along great for days and then.........well, you know.  For example, about 3 minutes ago my three year old struts through the living room NAKED!!!  "Baby, why are you naked?", I asked.  "I'm not naked", he said.  Now I have never claimed to be a genius of any kind or of any subject.  I am however fairly sure that I know naked when I see it.  The boy was naked.   My next question was if he had wet his pants.  He looked down at the floor and replied "no".  "Are your pant wet?".  To this he said yes.  I did the whole pep talk "You have to go pee pee in the potty, buddy" talk.  His reply to this was VERY intersting.  He claims that he did not wet his pants.......his Sissy did.  Really?  Hmmm.  Well, to begin with she isn't here.  Also the fact that there is no way she could wear his little Potty Scotty underwear needs to be considered.  I cannot recall the last time she wet her pants either.....I would guess it's been years.  I tried to explain to my little man that his "Sissy" could not have wet his pants.  He decided to change tactics.  His new claim?  "you did it Mommy".  WOW.  I had no Idea I had that kind of problem.  I better work on that!!!   I again tried telling him that Mommy did not wet his pants, he did.  He is still insisting that he did not wet his pants, someone else did.  I think I may be in big trouble.  He may go into politics.  My three year old has done something and is becoming a pro in misinformation and diversion.  I may need reinforcements by the time he starts Kindergarten.  Help me world!

The Swarm

Sometimes your day will be plodding along smoothly and BAM something snaps you right out of the illusion that life can ever really be easy.  I had an experience like that just a short while ago.  My husband was at his computer, I was at mine and the children were at the kitchen table having a snack.  I could hear them talking to one another and really getting along well.  I was just thinking about how nice and peaceful our evening had been when from the kitchen came blood curdling screams from my daughter.  About 2 seconds later my older son started yelling "Oh no we're gonna die!!!".  Then I hear their baby brother start yelling "Help!  Sissy's screaming".  Not surprisingly I jumped up, dumping my laptop onto the floor and ran like a crazy person to the kitchen.  I was terrified.  I just knew that I would see a bloody mess when I got there.  There was no bloody mess.  In fact, as I stood looking at my screaming daughter I thought "what the hell?"  Let's see if I can provide a better visual.  My girl is in a kitchen chair bunched up like a Roly Poly screaming at an ungodly high pitch.  Son #1 is INSIDE the pantry sreaming "They're gonna get us, they're gonna get us".  Son #2 (who is 3) is kind of just yelling because it looks like maybe that's what he should do since his role models are doing it.   My husband (who despite the screaming had yet to grace us with his presence) seemed oblivious.  I only had to yell three times "WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU?"  Finally as if they had rehearsed it there were simultaneous answers, one from the chair and one from inside the pantry.  They answered as follows.  Darling daughter screamed "They're everywhere".  The Boy In the Pantry yelled "They're going to eat us!!!!"  I looked from one end of the kitchen to the other and saw.........nothing.  "What's everywhere?" I asked.  I was ready for a flipping answer.  I thought we were about to need an exorism!  Finally my girl said "  BUGS! THEY'RE EVERYWHERE"!!!   This would be the point where my husbands absence would cease.  "Honey get in here now!  We need you!" It was time for him to make an appearance.  While I did not see any bugs hysteria is very contagious, plus I HATE BUGS!!!!  Finally my dear sweet hubby appeared.  He is so smart.  He knew just what to do.  Why didn't I think of it?.......He asked......"Where are they?"  He's brilliant, isn't he?  I must admit that although my children were under obvious duress, once the word "Bug" was uttered I had backed around a corner and was peeking out at the poor screaming little people. 
At this point I was expecting something on par with, let's say, a swarming horde of locusts.  When that child unwrapped her arm from around her legs and pointed up at the wall I saw it too!!!!  IT WAS HORRIBLE!!!!   Not really, It was one freaking mosquito!   My hero husband got what we call around here the "Fly flip" and squish, problem solved.  Right?    Wrong.  While my daughter had calmed slightly child number 2 had stuck his head out of the pantry.  He was yelling "You didn't get them all, they're all over the kithen!"  Finally he pointed to an upside down beetle of some type.  I have to say, it was very threatening lying there not moving like that.  Dad squished it anyway and finally the screams stopped.  While I really didn't want a huge swarm of something flying/crawling in my kitchen I was a little ticked off that I had gotten so worked up over 1 mosquito and 1 beetle.  I mean, it was almost a let down.  It took several minutes to get them down off the chair and out of the pantry but,  finally they seemed to chill out a little.  After everyone was quiet we did have a discussion to the effect of "If you EVER throw a crazy fit like that over something so stupid you guys are going down". 
Things have calmed down since then...sort of.  The big kids are asleep, but the screaming their baby brother did was like a shot of adrenaline.  Hopefully he'll go to sleep before dawn.
Blessings from my world,
Amanda

Don't Sweat The Smelly Stuff

Yesterday my older son had baseball practice.  My husband wasn't home from work yet so I loaded up all three kids and off to the ball field we went.  Now I have to tell you, if I am lugging all 3 munchkins to a ball practice I prefer it be one for my son.  That way I am pretty likely to know where he is the whole time.  Otherwise that boy can give a momma whiplash.  He's like some kind of lightining bolt striking one place then the next.  I don't know where all his energy comes from.  Have you ever heard the expression "expect the unexpected"?  I live it all day every day.  I think I'll give you an example of what I mean. 
Last season we were all at a ballgame for my daughter.  I swear I felt like my head was on a swivel that day.  He would dash back and forth from the sand pile to a tree that had fallen across a drainage ditch.  According to the kids playing that day I overheard things like "Hurry, we have to cross the bridge over the jungle swamp!".  Well, like I  said,the bridge was a fallen tree and the jungle swamp was a drainage ditch about 3 feet across.  About every 3-4 minutes I would yell "Son, stop playing on that tree!  If you fall in that nasty water you're walking home".  Most of the time I spent watching my son play on the tree anyway.  When my daughter would come up to bat I would turn my attention back to the game.  Midway through one of her turns at bat I hear people laughing.  Well, that in itself was nothing. People laugh about things all the time, right?.......Up walks my son COVERED in smelly, green gunk.  He said "Mom I fell in".  Believe it or not I had figured that out already.  I know I mentioned the ditch before but I didn't share that the title "drainage ditch" implied that perhaps it actually drained......it didn't.  The bottom contained about 6 inches of some of the most disgusting, stagnant water you have ever seen.  As I stared down from the bleachers at my dripping child a slight breeze started.  I was assaulted with a horrible smell.  Guess what it was.   IT WAS MY SON!!!!  He wanted to know if I brought him extra clothes.  He was 7 at the time.  At some point moms stop bringing you extra clothes.  I had already reached that point.  I said, "I told you to stay away from that water, you are just going to have to wait for your sisters game to be over" (there was only one more inning left).  That had to be the LONGEST inning of softball ever.  Bless his heart (and mine) he complained about something the whole time.  "Mom, my clothes are stuck to me", "Mom, why can't we go sit in the car?".  That last one really got me.  "There is NO WAY you are putting your Swamp Thing behind in my car,we'll get Dad to take you home."  Believe it or not he did not want to ride home with Daddy.  He was going to regret this decision.  After the game ended he and I walked to the car.  He actually started to climb in.  I said "STOP! You are NOT getting in my car with those nasty clothes on, take them off".   "WHAT???!!!!!"  He was FREAKED OUT.  "Mom, someone might see me"  I got a blanket from the back of the car and held it up for him to strip behind.  In the 10 minutes I spent trying to get him to take off his wet clothes the sun had gone down.  He began to shiver.  This more than anything got him out of those wet clothes.  I helped him wrap up in the blanket and get in the car.    We live really close to the place where the game was.  I have to tell you that it seemed like miles!  His wet clothes stunk up that car in about 2 seconds.  Plus I had turned on the heat (in the middle of summer) because he was cold.  It felt like we were in a rainforest nighmare.  Finally we arrived home.  He streaked into the house and headed straight for the shower.  I have never seen a child that anxious to bathe.  He was almost as anxious to get clean as I was for him to be clean. 
There was no punishment given for disobeying his mother by playing on that tree....I think he suffered enough.
After he had showered and dressed he came in the living room and snuggled up to his mommy.   He smelled so good now.  He looked up at me and said, "Mom. how did you know I was gonna fall in?".  "Oh honey, moms know lots of things, you should always listen to your mother".  "Okay momma, I will".  He did listen to me after that....until the next time he wanted to do something that his parents didn't want him to do.
Life would be so dull without my three greatest blessings!  I love my little rascals more than anything.

These Boots Are Made For Walkin'........or Softball.....or somethin!

Earlier this evening I took my daughter to softball practice.  About thiry minutes prior to practice time I started in on the "you need to get your shoes on so we can go" battle.  It really only took about three repitions to accomplish what I was hoping for......sort of.  Sometimes something happens and you just have to alter your expectations.  She was in her room for about 2 minutes when she strutted in ROCKIN some awesome black suede boots with silver studs all over.  In case you may have forgotten, we were going to practice softball.....outside......in the mud.  Now I decided it was best to just bite my tongue on this one.  I mean you really do have to choose your battles and I wasn't down for this one. 
Am I the only one who wonders about the thought processes (or lack thereof) of the average nine year old?  They seem incredibly intelligent most times. Even making good grades at school.  Other times it's like they're really big bobble head dolls.  I was standing in the living room just looking at her feet.  My mother in-law who was kind enough to watch my boys while we went to practice looked like she was going to pass out from laughing.  My darling daughter was completely oblivious to what was going on.  "What?  Who are ya'll laughing at?". she asked.  Seriously?  Is it really possible that she had no clue?  Just so you know report cards came home and as usual it looks like she'll get an honor roll award at the end if the year.  She definitely has the smarts to know things like....um.........dirt makes your favorite boots dirty....water is wet.....you know, that sort of stuff.  Well, I just loaded her behind in the car, tossed her cleats in the back and headed to the ball field. 
When we got there I got out and she was be-bopping around to the back of the car to get her bat bag.  This is about the time she said "MOM! My boots are gonna get dirty!".  I cannot tell you how hard it was not to say something smart like "No **** Sherlock".  I didn't do it though.  I just reached into the car, pulled out the cleats and said "Look what I found".  For one brief moment when she smiled up at me I was SuperMom!  About 10 seconds later I returned to being the same idiot grown up she usually thinks I am.  It was nice for a moment though.  The search continues!!!

Is Patience really a virtue?.......Yes?......I'm in BIG trouble!

Picture it......Wednesday, 5:50 in the morning.  I am laying in bed listening to birds sing outside.  My husband came in and asked, "Did you know that today is picture day at school?".  My reply was "uh, yeah of course I do".  What I was thinking was "OH CRAP!!!!  IT'S FREAKIN' PICTURE DAY AND I FORGOT!!!!".  All peace and serenity to the day is gone.  I jumped up from the bed, threw on a robe and made a mad dash for my daughters bedroom.   PRAISE THE LORD.......she's awake already!  If there is one thing I've learned, and there are actually many, you need to at least think "Praise the Lord" for every little thing you can.  Raising three kids and a Granny (sometimes it feels like 4 kids...that's why Granny was included as being "raised"  ;-) is a marathon from start to finish.  Okay where was I?   Oh, so Darling daughter is at least vertical when I walk into her room.  As usual there is crap scattered on her floor.  Nothing too bad, just the usual tween junk.  She is standing in front of the closet with a black dress in her hand.......for Spring pictures.   Without making a face (I think) I said, "Sweetheart, you probably should wear something with a little more color for Spring pictures......plus you wore that one for Christmas pictures".   She hangs the dress back up and I say "How about that long pink and blue one?".  She said, "It's not in here".   Okay, lets think about this for just a moment.  It is mid March.  We have been wearing drab winter crap for months.  The Spring colored dress that has not been worn for aforementioned months is missing......?  I took about three deep breaths before asking my next question because as a mother you just get a feeling, you  kinda know when your kids are going to tick you off.  "Honey, where is the dress"?  Guess what.....I was right, her answer ticked me off.  "I think it's in the dirty clothes momma".  We all do recall that this dress has not been worn for 6 months right?????  Do you know what happened next?  Nothing.  I just stared at her for about half a minute.  After recovering from my temporary stupor I said "When is the last time you wore that dress?".   She didn't know of course.  She also had no idea how it came to reside in my laundry room.  I was still feeling fairly patient when I suggested she do a couple loads of laundry when she gets home from school today.  She did say "Mom I don't know how to wash clothes by myself".  Whatcha wanna bet she learns!  I told her to put on some jeans.  Nice ones without faded knees.  She wanted to know "How do I know which ones are the nice ones?".  Sigh......"Just put on some jeans child".  I pulled a cute shirt out of her closet.  One of those that looks like two shirts.  White with lavender hearts and lavender sleeves.  She said, "I already wore that one for pictures this year".  I said, "Well, I don't have any of those pictures.  It will be okay".  Apparently it would not be okay because she said, "But Mom, that picture is the one that's going to be in the yearbook"!!!  I was thinking "Just put on the stinking shirt".  Guess what?  That isn't what I said though.  After three or four options which were shot down we setteled on a shirt.  Now, you might think that the battle was won.  You would be wrong.  I started to walk out of the room and she said "What shoes am I gonna wear".  You can insert the sound of a ticking clock here.......I stood there looking down at the foot of her bed where 5 pair of shoes were lined up.  I decided it was best not to answer this one.  I just moved my eyes...up at her, down at the shoes, up at her, back down to the shoes.   I turned around and walked out.  I still have a boy to get ready for picture day.....you know, the picture day I knew about.  
While I am thinking about it, it is perfectly reasonable fo rme to have forgotten picture day.  I mean all the school did was send me a note on Friday, an email on Monday and they sent the kids home yesterday with stickers stuck to their shirts that read "Picture day tommorrow!".    Anybody would have forgotten right?...Now you can insert crickets chirping.
Back to the morning marathon.  Time to dress child number 2.  It's time for another "Praise the Lord"!  Dad had this one in jeans already.  Not zipped etc., but it was a start.  I went to his closet and pulled out a button up shirt with happy colored vertical stripes.  He did not complain about my choice of shirt.  This in itself is nearly miraculous.  Then I went to the dresser to get an undershirt.......No undershirts.  "Son, where are your undershirts"?  "What's a undershirt, I don't know what you are talking about".  Well, I said, It's those plain white t-shirts I got you to wear under your nice shirts.  Guess what he said.....go on, guess.  "I think they're in the dirty clothes mom".  I asked him if he had worn them lately.  I bet you already know what he said.  "Uh...uh....no".   I pulled out a regular t-shirt, pulled it down over his head and told him to keep his shirt buttoned just like I had it because I did not want to get his pictures back and see that big tennis shoe on the front of what was now his undershirt staring back at me.  I handed him a pair of socks and his shoes and told him to go to living room and put them on and to get Daddy to fix his hair.  Poor thing has inherited hair from some of my family that just flies all over the place.  No 8 year old boy could tackle that mess on their own. 
I felt accomplished.  I had done it another day.  They were ready for school.........then I hear "MOM!  You didn't tell me what shoes to wear".  I had to stand there in the dark hallway for just a second.  Breathe in, breathe out, repeat.  "Girl, just put some shoes on".  I am still appearing to be moderately patient.  On the outside.  A few minutes later she appears in the living room with shoes and socks in hand.  Have you ever seen something really slow like a turtle or maybe a sloth put on socks and shoes?  No?  Well neither had I until today.  It's like the poor child was in one of those slow motion play by plays they do during a sports show.  Now my patience level was teetering somewhere between "I can remain calm" and "I am about to desolve into a crying mess".  Once the painfully slow application of socks and shoes was completed I looked up and realized in all of the mornings distraction I had not fixed her hair.  Three minutes until time for the school bus.  I made a mad dash to the bathroom, retrieved all the stuff you need to do a gals hair these days and was back in a flash.  Hair was done with about a minute to spare.  "Mom, where is my jacket"?  I informed her that it was lying there with her backpack.  Believe it or not she didn't like that jacket anymore.  The same jacket that has been the only one she was willing to wear for weeks.  She NEEDED her navy blue jacket.  The bus was coming down the street now.  I had no clue where the requested jacket was located.  But, I was in luck!  Her little brother (the one who is not supposed to go in her room on penalty of death according to his big sister) knew exactly where in her room it was located.  I think he my be psychic!!!  I handed my dear girl her jacket and opened the front door.  She started to cry.  Guess why.  Because she didn't have on her jacket and she might freeze to death....I convinced her she could put it on really fast and she was not going to freeze....at least I think I convinced her.  Out the door my babies went.  I yelled out the door "Have a wonderful day, I love you, be good, learn everything!" just like I do everyday.  I gently shut the door, leaned my head against it and said "ARRRGGHHHH"!!!   Now after my morning marathon is over I look back and think that maybe the actual act of preparing the children for their day was not the hard part.  The real test is reamining patient during the process.  "Praise the Lord"!

A New Endeavor

Well, I am officially trying to become an extreme couponer.  I have made this my first step on my quest to become a "Super MOM". 
Now, I realize that some may wonder what this has to do with being a better mother.  I believe that anything you can do to better your life, even if it is something like saving money, contributes to the overall success of the family.  I have been doing this for about 2 months.  The first month I spent $200 less than the one previous.  Last month I took off another $150.  I am hoping to reach the point where I spend no more than $80 per week on groceries, beauty supplies or anyhting else that comes from a grocery store or pharmacy (except for prescriptions of course).  Something that has been really interesting to me is that I already can tell a huge difference in our shopping habits. No more spur of the moment trips to run out for something we are out of.   I am shopping at 5 different stores.  I shop at Kroger, Publix, Walgreens, CVS and Target.  Generally I go to CVS, Walgreens and Kroger on Sunday.  Publix is usually on Thursday and Target I go to when I will be heading that direction or I will send my husband.  After all, what good would it be to save money on groceries etc. if I am just going to start using more gas?  Although I am spending quite a bit less money it seems as though I do not run out of things like I did before.  So far I have found lots of bargains so good that it was worth stocking up on months worth of items at a time.  Things like cereal, pasta and spaghetti sauce.   Also lots of free toothpaste, soap, bodywash, deodorant and razors.  I've also been able to get things that we almost never bought because they cost so much.  I usually take one of my children with me and they love to help find what's on "The List" to purchase that day.  They also love the individual attention they recieve.  I want to see just how big a difference this couponing can make. 
That's all for now.  I'll keep you updated!

Blessings,

Amanda