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!!