Family Chirstmas Pictures 2011

Last Saturday we met with our photographer to get our annual Christmas pictures. We got them done around this same time last year, but this time it was about 20 degrees warmer and A LOT less windy!! Here are a few of my favs:

Photos by Ashley Bruner

kabphotographyforyou@gmail.com

Weighing it all out: way overdue update

A little over a year ago I started blogging about my journey to loose my very unwanted baby weight. I did really well in the beginning and was very motivated. At the time, I was running with a friend of mine to try and jump start my weight loss. I stayed with it for about three months or so until my friend started having foot problems and couldn't run and I just quit. I stayed about the same weight for the next three or four months. By the time this spring rolled around, I was tired of making excuses and  started really watching what I was eating. Funny thing was, as soon as I started my new diet plan, I got sick and lost about six pounds in two weeks. Some from the diet and some from being sick. Even though I was very conscious about what I ate, and I still am for the most part, I became stagnant again. The last time I updated was back in March and I weighed 153lbs at the time. I have pretty much stayed the same since then. I started walking again over the summer and had kept it up until we moved. Moving just throws everything off. Especially when it is an unexpected move like ours was. By the time fall got here, I decided I was going to do the Couch 2 5K running plan. I have several friends who have done it and loved it and I really wanted to be able to run. I knew if I could just do it and get myself running I could loose the rest of my baby weight plus some. For various reasons I kept putting it off and telling myself, "I'll start next week."  Finally, after we came back from our anniversary weekend trip in October, I started the following Tuesday.I am now on week four and I have run every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday since then, with the exception of this past Thursday and Saturday. I was able to complete week four, day one on Tuesday, not knowing yet that I was sick, so I will do week four over again this week. When I started C25K four weeks ago, I was 152lbs. So far I have lost two pounds, but I know that once I start running longer and walking less, I will loose more. I have also been reading a series "21 Days to a More Disciplined Life" on a blog called Moneysavingmom. Yesterday's post was about persevering when you want to give up. Since I was sick this week and not able to complete week four, this post came at the perfect time. I did not really want to quit running, I was more discouraged from being sick. I am really proud of myself for sticking to this plan for four weeks now and was really disappointed when I could not run on Thursday and Saturday.
At this point, I am very motivated to keep going and finish C25K and continue running after I've completed it. Hopefully my next update will not be six months from now.

Toy Chest

Every year our church does this ministry called Toy Chest. Members from the church donate gifts and/or money and they use the money to go out and buy all kinds of gifts. Bikes, computers, game systems, dolls, etc. This ministry is only for seminary families and it is such a wonderful way for the church to reach out to seminary students and their families. Each family is allowed to buy three gifts or spend $7, per child I think, which ever comes first. You can also get one bike and enter for raffle items. The best part is that the gifts are only a few dollars, depending on what you get. If you win a raffle prize you only pay $10, regardless of what the gift is. They do put the gifts into age categories to make sure that families get gifts that are age appropriate for their kids. Cary and I did this for Connor last year and we only got one big gift for $7. It was a really nice toy kitchen and he LOVED it and still does! This year, Cary had to go by himself. I have had a really nasty cold this week and was not able to go. :(  However, my husband is a hero. He got the best gifts for our boy for this age. He is going to be so excited!!

Connor loves things with buttons! Cary saw this Leap Frog Text and Learn that is going be so perfect for Connor. He only paid $2 for it!!

 The second gift we got was this wagon. We have been wanting to get him one for a while now and we knew Toy Chest would be the perfect opportunity. Cary paid $5 for this.

I saved the best part for last. I couldn't believe it when Cary told me, but we won a raffle prize this year!!! It will take a little practice for Connor to be able to use it, but I know he will love it once he figures it out!! It is a Dodge Charger police car!!

Part of me still can't believe it, but I am so excited for my little boy this year!! Especially now that he is old enough to have some idea about what Christmas is and what it means. What a huge blessing Toy Chest is and I am so thankful to be part of church family that is so generous.

Connor-2 years (three months late)

Is it really true? Is my little baby now a big two year old?? YES! He is an amazing, adventurous, loving-every-minute two year old! As you saw in my previous post, our summer was crazy. I had originally planned on having a party for him the weekend before we left for vacation, but that fell through. Our spring was just about as busy as our summer. Cary was duel-managing two stores, while trying to finish up the spring semester, we went to NY on spring break to see my brother and his new baby girl, and my mom and step-dad came over in May for Mother's Day weekend. After all of that we just wanted a break, which we haven't really gotten.....yet!! More to come on that later!

A two year old Connor:
-He is talking up a storm! He is repeating everything he hears. It is great for accountability though. He heard me say "Oh crap!" one day and of course he said it too. It's not the worst word he could say, but that doesn't mean he should say it.
-I must brag on my boy for a minute and give reason #682 of why we love Dr. Dirk Hamp at Growing Child. We had a really good two year old appointment. He was 28lbs. and 34in. tall. As always, Dr. Dirk said he was growing and doing just fine. Right before we left he said, "Some names you see on your schedule and you just know it's going to be a good visit."
-Connor is eating pretty well these days. Most of the time he will eat what we eat, but sometimes, his picky side comes out and he refuses. His faves are almost all fruits, cucumbers, tomatoes, cheese (any kind, even goat), pasta, yogurt, salad, salsa, and much more.
-He LOVES bath time!! My son actually requests to take baths! For his birthday, my sisters got him those bathtub colors and he loves them.
-His favorite toys are his two soccer balls, his toy laptop we got his for his birthday, his Cars chair, another birthday present.
-He still loves to watch Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune. He also loves The Weather Channel, History Channel, and TLC. I watch TWC every morning while I drink my coffee and now Connor requests it. So funny how they love the things we love.
-He is still testing his boundaries every day, but we hardly ever have to put him in time out anymore.

 He has tons of energy and we have so much fun with him!
















Pictures taken by Ashley Bruner  kabphotographyforyou@gmail.com

Finally.....

Wow! It has been three months, almost to the day, since the last time I blogged. We had an INSANE summer! Let me sum up a bit.
June 16- Leave for vacation and find out we have to out of our house by Aug.1
June 27- Return from vacay and IMMEDIATELY begin looking for a new place.
July 6- After almost two weeks of searching, and driving around (every day), we found a new home!
July 21-Spent the previous two weeks packing, packing, and packing some more and moved in on one of the hottest days of the summer!!
July 28- My mom came for a four day visit. We spent the whole week before this just trying to get unpacked and get our guest room ready for her.
Aug 2-6 -Cary and I both got sick this week. Thankfully, Connor did not get it.
Aug. 8- I was still sick and we spent all morning going around to different medical offices for me to get blood work, CT scan, chest x-ray. Not a fun day and I spent the rest of that week trying to recover.

So needless to say, we had a pretty jam packed summer! Once I was finally feeling better, I spent the rest of August trying to finish getting my house in order. We had put some things in temporary spots just so we could have the guest room clean and ready for my mom, so I had some arranging and rearranging to do.
So herein lies my first update in over three months. More to follow!!!

Weekly Shopping Trip-CVS and Walmart

I made a quick trip to CVS and Walmart last night to get a few good deals.

CVS

Total before savings: $40.42
Total spent: $15.31
Total saved: $25.11

Here's what I got:
-2 pks. Huggies diapers
-1 tub Huggies wipes
-1 Pantene shampoo
-1 Pantene conditioner
-1 tube Colgate toothpaste


Walmart

Total before savings: $16.42
Total spent: $2.71
Total saved: $13.71

Here's what I got:
-14 (20ct.) pks. Carefree liners
-1 box Nexcare band aids

Thankful Thursdays

About two months ago I posted a blog about being thankful for all the things that Cary does for us. I wanted it to be a once a month post, but I just didn't get to it.

-I'm thankful for Cary's leadership in our household.
-I'm thankful for Cary's encouragement during my weight loss journey
-I'm thankful for Cary's willingness to serve others.
-I'm thankful for the way he loves us so deeply.

Meal Plan May 30-June 5

Monday- Leftovers
Tuesday- Zucchini Spaghetti
Wednesday- Kielbasa and Onion Pizza
Thursday- Leftovers
Friday- Steak, sweet potatoes, corn on the cob, and grilled squash
Saturday-Salmon cakes with rice pilaf and veggies
Sunday- Lasagna and salad

I've been so off lately with traveling, Cary finishing school and managing two stores that I let a few go for bit. Namely, my blog, meal planning, and even couponing! Back in the saddle now and ready for a few changes!

Weekly Shopping Trip

Harris Teeter Triples

Harris Teeter has not done triple coupons in over a year, so you can imagine how excited I was when I saw this was coming up!! This is similar to Super Doubles, but they will only triple coupons up to $0.99 face value, so if you have a $0.75 coupon, they will triple it to $2.25! This makes for some very nice deals and lots of freebies! I made three different trips this week and got some really good deals.

Total before savings $172.36
Total spent $32.31
Total saved $140.32

Here's what I got:
-5 bags Kruncher's chips
-3 (37.5yd) Reynold's foil
-2 boxes Uncle Ben's rice
-1 pouch Uncle Ben's rice (free)
-4 bottles Kikkoman soy sauce
-3 dozen Eggland's best eggs
-1 box Smart Balance popcorn (free)
-1 bottle French's dijon mustard
-2 Yoplait greek yogurts
-2 Dannon greek yogurts
-1 tub Philly cooking cream (free)
-3 boxes Eggo waffles (free)
-1 box Puffs tissues
-2 boxes Kleenex tissues
-2 (4 pk.) Gerber yogurt blends
-3 bottles Smart Balance oil
-2 jars Dole fruit
-2 bottles International delight breve cream
-1 bag Kraft homestyle mac and cheese
-1 tube Crest 3D white toothpaste
-2 bags Wacky Mac pasta
-1 box Mr. Clean magic erasers
-6 boxes Lipton family size tea bags ($0.09ea.)
-4 (32oz.) bottles Heinz ketchup
-4 jars Smucker's Simply fruit
-4 Zone Perfect nutrition bars (free)

So much to tell....

I have not blogged for almost two months now! Part of it has just been laziness, but mostly, we have just been extremely busy!! Since April, I have been out of town twice and have only had two weekends that we have not had something planned! I am planning on being much better about it, although, we still have a lot going on until the end of June. Since I have so much to tell, I'm just going to do a quick sum up!

-April 9-10, Bachelorette party for my friend Kari, and Cary turned 30!! We went out to eat and spent the day together.
 -April 16, two of my good friends, Tyler and Kari, got married!! I had the wonderful privilege of being a bridesmaid in their wedding! It was a crazy, yet amazing day and we had such a blast!

-April 17-23, we went to Rochester, NY to see my brother and sister-in-law and their new baby girl.
-May 7-8, my mom and step-dad came in for Mother's Day. I have not spent Mother's day with my mom since college, so this was an extra special weekend. Cary and Connor got me diamond earrings as well!
-May 12-16, I went to Jackson for a wedding shower for Kurt (Cary's younger brother) and Amanda. Because of papers and exams, Cary did not get to go with me.  I was able to leave Connor with my mom in Gatlinburg on my way, so I got a couple of days all to myself! It was hard, but much needed for Cary and myself.

I am still losing weight, although, not as quickly as I was, mostly because I have not been walking. I want to do the C25K plan, but I need to get a jogging stroller first. Meal planning has suffered slightly, but I am still doing it and couponing.

I think I am finally caught up for now.

Weekly Shopping Trip-two weeks worth

Last weekend I either ate something that was not good or caught a stomach bug, but I spent almost all of last week not feeling well. I was tired and nauseas (I'm not preggo) and could not eat much. Needless to say, I didn't get much done, including my shopping trip from the week before. So this post is for two weeks ago and last week's shopping trips.


Kroger did one of their Mega Events two weeks ago and one of the best things was pasta. We were finally getting low so I restocked for us and also got some for my mom.

Total before savings $107.90
Total spent $25.54
Total saved $82.38

Here's what I got:
-18 boxes Ronzoni pasta (free)
-6 boxes Annie's mac and cheese
-7 boxes Melita brown coffee filters
-2 cans Del Monte tomatoes
-1 jar Classico pasta sauce
-1 (2pk.) Dole fruit crisp
-2 pouches Bumble Bee tuna
-3 bags Steamfresh veggies (not pictured)
-2 pkgs. Huggies Pure and Natural diapers

 The diapers are for a friend of mine who is pregnant. I got them to make her a diaper cake for her shower.

Harris Teeter
This past week was Super Doubles again at Harris Teeter. I spent a little more than I normally would, but we needed cheese and I was able to get Cary's orange juice for a really good price. I also spent $10 on contact solution for my step-dad, but I will get reimbursed for that.

Total before savings $186.22
Total spent $37.52
Total saved $148.70

Here's what I got: (not everything is pictured)
-10 (1/2 gal) cartons Smart Balance Milk (free)
-5 bags New York bagel chips
-2 (44oz.) jars Classico pasta sauce
-2 cartons Quaker oatmeal
-2 boxes Kashi TLC granola bars
-2 boxes Aquify contact solution
-1 box Playtex sport tampons
-1 jar 4C Parmesan cheese
-2 tubs Philly cooking cream (free)
-9 pouches Uncle Ben's ready rice
-8 bottles Mentos gum (free)
-2 cartons Tropicana OJ (not pictured)
-4 bags Kraft shredded cheese (not pictured)
-2 bottles Bailey's coffee creamer (not pictured)

Connor- 21 months

I'm so behind on posting this!
I have seen a few of my other mom friends use a profile type set up when posting about their kids and I like it much better. I think I will borrow it.

New words and phrases: oatmeal, chips, car, amen, zero, two, eight, alright, 'hi daddy', "I poop"(this does not always mean that he did. When I smell it, I will ask him if he did and most of the time he will say "I poop" or he will just grin at me. Sometimes he just says it to be funny I guess) "our house", "turn off" He also has a toy that sings the alphabet and he will repeat some of the letters when he hears them.
Favorite Foods: berries, apples, bananas, peanuts, chips, corn, oatmeal, grapefruit, tuna salad, cucumbers, nuggets, yogurt (he especially loves it if I'm eating it) Thankfully, he is a very healthy eater.
Foods he dislikes: green beans, peas, mushrooms. He is not a very picky eater and he will try anything once.
Favorite toys: leapfrog table, leapfrog Scout pal, blocks, kitchen
Favorite things to do: go outside, throw balls, bang on things, play peek-a-boo, try to get our phones (if he can reach it, it's in his hands), turn things on and off, especially the lights. Anytime we are holding him and we walk past a light switch he'll say "turn off" and he will watch the lights to make sure they go off when he flips the switch.
Favorite shows: Jeopardy, Price Is Right, Wheel of Fortune
Dislikes: time-out, being picked up when he wants to walk,  being told he can't have something.
Things he is good at: helping pick up his toys, helping me put clothes in the washer, listening (most of the time), eating with a spoon/fork, drinking out of straw, brushing his teeth, brushing his hair

He is still sleeping really well, with one 2-3 hour nap in the afternoon. He can say all of the words that he can sign, but he still does the signs when he says them. He has now learned how to climb onto the couch all by himself. He will wait until we walk out of the living room to do it so that he can try and get the remotes off of the end table. We have now had to teach that if we are not sitting on the couch, then he is not allowed to be on it either. He still likes to test us when we tell him no. His personality is really starting to come out more and more!

Thankful Thursdays

I am borrowing this idea from a friend of mine. She posted a blog about the things her husband does for her during the week that she is thankful for. I feel like Cary does not get a lot of praise from me sometimes, so what better way than to brag about him in his very own blog post!

 -Cary works 40+ hours every week to provide for us. He really cares about his job and his store and sometimes that requires some extra time.
-Cary takes out Connor's diapers twice a week, as well as our trash.
-Every night before Connor goes to bed, except for Monday (work) and Thursday (class), Cary reads to Connor, brushes his teeth, changes his diaper and puts on his pj's for night night.
-Since it is now Spring, this one is retroactive. About once a week during the winter, Cary would build us a fire to enjoy!
-Cary always gases up the cars
-Ever since I got serious about losing weight, working out, and eating healthier, Cary has been such an encouragement and helps hold me accountable. Whenever I get discouraged about it or struggle to continue, he reminds me how far I have come. He will also go to the park with me on his days off and run while I walk.
-On Sunday nights our small group meets at our house. Cary always helps me do any last minute cleaning/picking up and cooking that needs to be done before everyone comes over.

Weekly Shopping Trip

This week was crazy!! I wanted to post this over the weekend, but it just did not happen. Anyway, here is last week's trip

Total before savings $78.15
Total spent $27.50
Total saved $50.65

Here's what I got:
-2 (12pks.) Minute Maid Lite Lemonade
-5 jars Planters peanuts
-4 bags Krunchers chips
-1 bag Food Should Taste Good chips (free)
-2 tubs Philly cooking cream (1 was free)
-2 blocks Kraft cheese
-2 bottles Trop50 OJ (not pictured)
-2 cartons Tropicana OJ (not pictured)

This was not a big week for sales. I really just got what I needed and a few others. HT was having a special on peanuts and we eat a lot of them. My boys alone, could finish off a jar in about a week or less! I had to buy five to get the deal but it made them  $1.60 each! That is cheaper than Target or Walmart and I did not use any coupons, although if I had, it would have been an even sweeter deal!

Eat From Your Pantry Challenge

I just realized a few days ago that I never blogged about how this turned out.

It was a huge success! I have not done the totals, but if I had to guess, I would say I shaved about $100 from our total monthly grocery budget last month doing this challenge. It was a lot of fun for me and I really enjoyed having a meal plan for the entire month. I decided to go ahead and do it again for this month as well! So far, my stockpile has started to dwindle, but I still have plenty. I will have to find a good pasta deal soon, but otherwise, we will be able to make it through this month without any extra couponing. I will be participating in Super Doubles, just like last month, but again, it will be on a much smaller scale and only for things that we have used up, and/or use everyday. I am excited to see how much I save this month!!

Weighing it all out-update #2

I just read my last update about this and realized that it was over two months ago when I wrote it. I have made significant progress since then. At that point I was down to 159lbs. I pretty much held steady until about two weeks ago, when I made a few more changes to my diet and was able to start walking again! I am now down to 153lbs. and still losing!! I lost six pounds in two weeks! I know this sounds like a lot and maybe almost impossible but I weighed myself every morning as soon as I got up and went to the bathroom. I just watched the scale continue to drop almost every day. Not only was I able to start walking again, but I decided to give up bread and sweets for Lent. I think this is usually a Catholic practice, but I know the point of it is to make sacrifices. I really don't eat a ton of bread anyway, so this one was not going to be a problem. The sweets are my guilty pleasure! So far, I have done really well with it and after a two week jump start, since Lent doesn't even start until tomorrow, I don't really have cravings anymore.
Now let me be clear, I have not completely given up these two wonderful foods. I guess, cutting back on them would be a more appropriate admission. The only bread I am allowing myself, is our homemade pizza. We have a pizza night every week and we really look forward to it. The best part is that, I make the dough at home, so I know what is going in it and I also make it whole wheat, so I know it's still good for me. I am only allowing myself to have two pieces, instead of the usual three. As for sweets, I don't crave them all the time like I used to. As I have slowly cut back on sugary snacks over the last year and half, my mindset has changed and I would rather have fruit or some plain yogurt with honey and cinnamon, instead of cookies or ice cream. I just quit buying them so that they are not even in my house to crave! However, I do have some Thin Mints in my freezer and I have two maybe twice a week. I have also cut back on the amount of caffeine I have. I never have been, nor will I ever be addicted to it. I have not gone through any withdrawals or headaches, etc. I was drinking one cup of coffee every morning and most days, I would have a glass of tea at some point, with either lunch or dinner. I was also drinking only one soda a week, usually on pizza night. There is just something about pizza and Coke. They just go together! Now, I am only drinking two to three cups of coffee a week, one or two glasses of tea a week, and for now, no sodas. I only drink water and Minute Maid Lite Lemonade. My sister-in-law told me about it and I love it!! It only has five, yes five calories PER CAN!! No sugar and very little sodium. It has been a life saver! I don't drink one everyday, but it really helps when I do want something sweet.
These few little changes is how I was able to loose six pounds in two weeks. I know the walking played a part as well, but I am convinced now more than ever that what you eat really can help or hinder your weight loss. I think I mentioned this in my last update, but I was on a workout plan on my Biggest Loser game on the Kinect. I was working out four days a week for at least 30 minutes and it did not seem to be making any difference. I'm sure it was helping, but I was still eating some things that were not good for me and cheating my diet, thinking, "I'll burn this off in my workout." While that may have been true to some degree, I was cheating to much.
I am still a size 12 for now, but I have also been able to buy a new pair of jeans that are a size 12, in addition to my dress pants and skirt that I mentioned in my last update. That was a huge milestone for me as well! Buying the skirt and pants was one thing, but being able to fit into a size 12 jeans was HUGE! As we all know, denim just fits differently and is usually a little tighter than other materials, so that was just my real proof that I have made a ton of progress.
I am now only one size away from my jeans that I wore before I got pregnant and I am only four pounds from my pre-pregnancy weight! I feel great and I can't wait to blog about my next update. Hopefully by then I will have surpassed my pre-pregnancy weight and maybe (fingers crossed) be able to wear my size 10 jeans!!

Weekly Shopping Trip

This week was Super Doubles week at Harris Teeter. This is week three of our challenge. I have still used coupons, but on a much smaller scale and I only allow myself a certain amount of time during the week to look for deals. I knew SD's would come up again when I took on this challenge and I decided it would be the only coupon "splurge" I would be able to do.  This all from this past weekend.

Total before savings $206.57
Total spent $36.51
Total saved $170.06

Here's what I got:
-1 bottle Simply raspberry lemonade
-2 bottles V8 Fusion+tea juice
-8 boxes Green Giant veggies
-9 boxes Smart Balance popcorn
-8 boxes V8 soup
-6 tubs Philly cooking cream
-2 boxes Krusteaz muffin mix
-4 bags Mariani dried fruit
-6 bags Kraft shrd. cheese
-4 pkgs. Al Fresco chicken sausage
-1 pk. Hebrew National hot dogs
-6 (1/2 gallon) cartons Smart Balance milk
-2 bottles Bailey's coffee creamer
-1 pkg. Perdue chicken nuggets

Connor-20 months

This month flew by!! I'm not sure where it went! Connor's personality has really come out this month! He is starting to show his independence more and more and his defiance just the same! We are really having to be much more patient these days, knowing that as he continues to learn, he will keep pushing the limits more and more. I love that he is still curious and wants to help so much. He is also a motor-mouth!! Some days I think he talks more than I do!!  Here are a few new words

today

now

house

mouse

peanuts

nuggets

berries
comb
thirsty
juice

We tried some more new foods this month. Some of them, like blueberries and dried cranberries, we have tried before and he didn't want them, but now he loves them. He also likes, blackberries, grapefruit, orange juice, yogurt covered raisins, and cheese dip. He still eats really well and is less picky these days. He went through a picky phase a while back.

Weekly Shopping Trip

We are now in week two of our Eat from your pantry challenge and it is going so so well!!! I have already found more time to do other things that I want to do. As for saving money, the first week I only shaved about $10 off of our grocery budget, only because I stocked up on a couple more things to make it through this month and next doing this challenge and there were some staple items we needed. This week however, I only spent $16.12!!! I had a little help though. I'm sure some of you are familiar with Kroger and their reward program. Basically, it's a point system. You get one point for every dollar your spend, before coupons and discounts, you get points for buying certain items, and for using reusable grocery bags. After each quarter, which is three months long, you get a certificate for the points you have accumulated. You get $5 for the first 500 points and $1 for every one hundred after that. During the last quarter, I racked up 1500 points and received a certificate for $15 off my next grocery trip to Kroger! I took full advantage of this today! I was able to get some great fruit for really cheap! I also went to Walmart, which is where I spent most of my total, for some other ingredients and such that I knew would be cheaper there, although, if you need milk, Kroger has their half gallons on sale for $1.67 thru tomorrow and the same is $2.13 at Walmart. I only took a picture of what I got at Kroger since that is where I was using coupons and my certificate.
 
Total before savings $38.68
Total spent $0.84 including taxes
Total saved $37.84

 Here's what I got:
-1 (10lb) bag grapefruits
-2 half gallons milk
-4 bags Kroger frozen veggies
-3 Dove deoderants
-3 tubes Colgate toothpaste
-1 pint bluberries
-1 pint blackberries

Weekly Shopping Trip

Along with the pantry challenge I am doing, I have also decided to cut back on my couponing. I will still do it, just on a much smaller scale and it will only be for the items that we need. Basically, I'm taking a break from stockpiling, but will still use coupons to get the best deals on the items we need each week. I am also going to compile all of my shopping trips into one post to save time.
This is all from this past weekend.
Here's what I got:
-10 cans Hunt's tomato sauce
-5 cans Hunt's diced tomatoes
-4 cans Rotel (1 was free)
-4 boxes Kellogg's Crunchy Nut cereal (2 free)
-4 (12pks.) Mountain Dew Throwback (3 free)
-1 (12pk.) Sierra Mist with Cranberry
-1 (64ct.) box Huggies overnight diapers
-1 (70ct.) box Huggies Snug and Dry diapers
-1 Kraft Homestyle mac and cheese
-1 box Uncle Ben's rice (free)
-2 (20ct.) boxes Finish dishwasher gel pacs
-2 (59 oz.) bottles Trop50 orange juice
-1 (12oz.) bottle Frank's Red hot sauce (free)
-1 (12oz.) bottle Minute Maid juice (free)
-3 bottles Clean and Clear face wash
-1 (90ct.) bottle Fiber Choice chewables
-1 bottle Bailey's coffee creamer
-1 (15oz.) cont. Breakstone's sour cream
-1 (1lb.) block Velveeta cheese
-3 (4pk.) snack size Breakstone's cottage cheese
-1 (40ct.) pk. Garnier facial cleansing cloths
-2 (8oz.) pkgs. Philly cream cheese
-4 pkgs. Martha White muffin mix
-2 (8oz.) bags Kraft shrd. cheese

Kroger
-total before savings $70.53
-total spent $19.29
-total saved $51.24

 Harris Teeter
-total before savings $53.41
-total spent $16.06
-total saved $37.35

Target
-total before savings $74.42
-total spent $43.41 (over half of this was on diapers, which are not included in our weekly grocery budget)
-total saved $31.01

CVS
-total before savings $18.47
-total spent $2.67
-total saved $15.80

All together
-total before savings $216.83
-total spent $81.43 (technically only $52.85 since the cost of diapers is in a separate budget)
-total saved $135.40

Eat From Your Pantry Challenge

One of the blogs I check almost everyday is called ACouponChick. She posts deals, coupons, freebies, her shopping trips, etc.  Since I did not start couponing until this past summer, I was not aware of her site. Every January she does an "Eat From Your Pantry Challenge" for her family. She also challenges her readers to join her and it lasts for one month. Since we went home for a week in January, I did not see her post about it until we got back and I decided to give it a try.
The goal is to use through some of the stockpile in your pantry that you have accumulated through couponing. It is also a good way to save money and challenge yourself as a cook. Basically, you pick recipes, either old favs or new ones you have been wanting to try, based on what you already have in your pantry and/or freezer. Your goal is to only have to pick up one or two items for each recipe when you do your weekly shopping. I decided to go ahead and make our menu plan for the entire month of February. This may sound like a lot of work, but since I know most of what we have on hand, it was pretty easy to do. We have a dry erase monthly calendar that we put our work schedules on, so we just moved it into the kitchen and I wrote out our month's worth of meals on it as well. Every Friday I will check the next week's menu, check the recipes, and make my list of the few ingredients I need for each meal. I have cut our grocery bill down to $20 a week or less for the next month. This is including our weekly purchases of milk, OJ, eggs, etc. Here is an example of how this will work. For next week, I will go to the store this Friday.
Here is my list for four dinners and weekly uses:
-1 mango
-1 bunch of cilantro
-1 avocado
-1 cont. greek yogurt (which is free this week at Wal-mart)
-1 can black beans
-1 cont. ricotta cheese
-1 gal. whole milk
-1 gal. 1% milk
-1 gal OJ
-5lb. bag of flour

Every thing else I need we already have. For one of my meals this week I didn't have to buy anything.

Here is our menu for this week:
Monday-leftovers from wepod on Sunday night
Tuesday-Bacon, linguine, and tomato toss
Wednesday-homemade pizza
Thursday-Cheesy, chicken, and broccoli bake
Friday-leftovers
Saturday-Stir fry (this is the meal I didn't have to buy for)
Sunday-Superbowl party with our wepod and snack food to go with it!!

I'm really excited about taking on this challenge and I'm thinking about doing it again in March.

Connor-19 months

 Not a whole lot has changed between 18 and 19 months. He is only taking one nap in the afternoons from 1pm-3pm. Here are a few new things.

-first haircut

-first time to have nuts

-first time eating sushi (california roll)

A few new words and phrases:

touchdown

I touch
yes sir
cheek
chip
Starbucks (of course!!)
Jeopardy! (he still loves to watch it)
Price is Right (he can kind of say it)

outside

Pepaw (Cary's dad)

Gran gran (Cary's dad's fiance')

Grammie (my mom)

Buppy (Cary's brother's MIL to be)

-working on Gramps ( my step-dad)

He is testing his limits a lot more these days. He has started hitting when we tell him no or he doesn't get his way. Discipline has definitely been a challenge. It doesn't seem right to spank my boy when I tell him not to hit me! So finding the right balance and effective method to get him not to hit us has and is still being worked on. Any suggestions moms?? Is this just a boy thing?

Some favs are being outside, helping with everything, opening and closing doors, playing with his CD player, and his kitchen.
I didn't mean to wait so long to post this, but I was waiting on some pictures.