Why do I coupon?

I read (and regularly rely on) a coupon blog called This Beautiful Frugal Life. Recently she wrote a post about why she coupons. She told a cute story about how much her son loves Johnson Bubble Bath and she coupons and gets it for cheap because sometimes he pours it all over their carpet. You can read it here.

My reason for couponing is a little different. I enjoy couponing because it allows a little wiggle room in our budget for things I don't expect to buy. Yes, I love being able to score diapers and wipes for cheap (we use a lot around here) and all kinds of cereal (the less sugar kind) and Albertson's doubler deals. But for me recently this un-planned-for item was pregnancy tests. I needed to buy some because I couldn't figure out my cycle. Usually I hate doing this, because they're so freakin' expensive. BUT I had some +UP rewards at Rite Aid that were burning a hole in my pocket so I loaded up three kids to Rite Aid on my non-grocery day (shocking, I know) and bought two boxes, because they were BOGO 50% off AND I scored the boxes with an extra test in each. Six tests and out-of-pocket I paid about $6.
The lady at the cash register asked me how old my kids were. My face turned red. "Um, they're 6, 3.5, 13 months and yes I just bought two boxes of pregnancy tests thank you very much."

So that's why I coupon, because sometimes things just come up.

Oh and the tests were positive. Surprise!

Microwave-free Living

About two weeks ago our microwave finally died, and it died tragically. I was warming up something for dinner when suddenly the bottom of the microwave (it is attached to the overhead cabinets) start smoking! It was a horrible smell that set off the smoke alarm and the smoke hung in the air even though we opened all the windows and doors. After determining that it was un-fixable, we tried to take it off the wall but discovered the genius who built this house had attached the cabinets around the microwave, making it unmovable. So now it's a place to put a picture Caley drew, not a usable microwave.
Honestly, I'm kind of glad it finally died. For the last several months I'd been feeling like a microwave wasn't the best thing to cook my family's food in, but since it still worked I would always go back to using it. But for the last few weeks we've been forced to re-heat foods in other ways and it's actually really easy and tastes much better!
This might not be big news for you, maybe you have lived without a microwave for a while, but for me it is mind-blowing. I did a little research and found a few helpful articles about microwave-free living such as this one.
Here are a few things I've discovered that work for me in warming things without the microwave.

• Adding a little bit of water to the pan while warming things like casseroles and pasta helps immensely.
• Warming soup and other liquid-y foods works best in small batches.
• Warming breads and pancakes works best in the toaster oven.
• Defrosting frozen meats works well in a plastic bag in a sink of lukewarm water. I've been surprised at how well this works, for all kinds of meats, including deli meat. 
• I usually keep a tea kettle on the stove full of water to heat as needed and use for warming Wesley's food.

Probably the biggest difference since not using a microwave is the way reheated coffee tastes. It's so much better! Microwaved coffee use to make me sick to my stomach (whereas fresh never did), but stove-heated is nearly as good as fresh. 

I'm convinced that not using a microwave is better for my family and I hope it can stay that way!

Some Things I Wouldn't Buy, Even with a Coupon

Since beginning to coupon, I've been convicted especially about what I'm feeding my family, not just how much we are spending on groceries. At first I would get pretty much anything if it were way cheap, but there are a few things that didn't sit right with my soul while I watched my kids eat their meals. I'm not trying to pass judgement on these products or people who buy them, but as long as our budget allows, I will buy things that are a little more expensive because they are higher quality.

• Yoplait yogurt- At least for the regular and light varieties, I do not buy these. The regular variety is just way too sweet to call yogurt. And the light variety is sweet in a fake-tasting way. Besides, it's cheaper to get milk on a good sale and use it to make yogurt. 
• Anything but Adams peanut butter- Similar to the yogurt reason, I've found that the other peanut butters (Jif, Skippy, store brands) contain unnecessary sugar or oil. Adams peanut butter is wonderfully natural tasting! The only downside is there are rarely coupons or store deals. :( 
• Lunchmeats- We are blessed to have an amazing butcher/deli close-by, DD Meats, which sells very high quality lunchmeat at less than $4/lb. I have recently seen some awesome deals on store lunchmeat in the deli case that match nicely with manufacturer coupons. I even bring them to the store with me, intending buy it, but when I get there I can't bring myself to buy it! 
• Various canned goods, like Spaghetti-o's- I bought these one time on a great store matchup, but again couldn't bring myself to feed them to my kids. I remember hating Spaghetti-o's when I was a kid, the noodles were just nastified. I ended up donating them to the food bank, which I kind of felt bad about because it's probably not the most nutritional food.
• Microwave meals (a la Weight Watchers meals)- In high school I lived on these WW meals and they were okay. But now, even with a coupon, I can't bring myself to buy them and frequently do the same thing as with the lunchmeats, bringing coupons to the store and then chickening out. The idea of eating something that was frozen 2 minutes ago and was cooked in a plastic dish doesn't sit well with my conscience. 

A clip that made me laugh, especially while I was thinking about what I buy for my family, is a recent sermon about the parable of the Great Banquet. Fast forward to about 44 minutes and Driscoll will show what won't be at the big party with Jesus.

 

Wesley's Birthday Cake Adventure!

Happy *Belated* Birthday Wesley and Caley!

I feel like such a bad blogging mama. It's been almost a month and I've barely mentioned Caley and Wesley's birthdays. I plead being too busy! We had a busy few weekends of birthday parties, family parties, Coffee-Mate and Superbowl parties, on top of our regular schedule. Make no mistake, even though I was silent on this blog about their birthdays, they were very much celebrated here in "real life."
I'm pleasantly surprised at how well Wesley and Caley play together, despite being 5 years apart. They love to crawl around and play peek-a-boo and Caley picks Wesley up and he doesn't seem to mind. At first I didn't like when she picked him up, but it's proven quite useful like when we're in a stinky public restroom and Mommy needs to use the potty!
For Wesley's birthday party we had a joint party with his birthday buddy Magnus. Ande posted some pictures from the party here. We decided to do a Potato Head theme because Max always calls Wesley "Weseley Oval Head" and Magnus "Magnus Meatball Head." We served baked potatoes and toppings, meatballs, potato chips and tater tots. Healthy, I know. I made a cake and Ande made potato ice creams, which is ice cream rolled in cocoa powder and topped with whipped cream. It was a crazy fun morning with lots of friends, presents, and games.

Ande made Wesley a potato shirt!

Magnus is the Potato Head with teeth because he has like 20!

It's funny how when Caley turned 1 I was worried about making a healthy cake with carrot bits and very little sugar. With Wesley he got a box cake, which I accidentally added twice as much oil to.

Magnus really enjoyed the cake and ice cream!

Wesley wasn't too sure about it.

The day after Wesley's birthday we celebrated Caley's birthday at Red Robin. My parents, David, Bill's parents, Erin and family, and Rachel and family. The only ones who couldn't make it were Matt and family and Adam. Considering how big Bill's family is, I was impressed how many people came! What a blessing to have so many people who love us! Caley got an ice cream sundae and the people sang to her. She was a little blindsided by the whole thing!

Wesley eating some of Caley's ice cream from a corndog stick.

For Caley's birthday she asked for an Ariel theme. I made an Ariel cake and we played fishing. She also asked for pizza for dinner. So she invited 10 little girls over and it was a Friday evening party (no I cannot handle a 10-little-girl-sleepover). They played dress up and danced to Disney tunes. It was another crazy fun party!

I felt kind of weird putting a bra on Ariel, realizing she's really not wearing much! What's up with the role modeling Disney?!

Just keep feeding them candy and it'll all be okay!

I cannot believe she is 6! What happened to my little baby girl?

We are so blessed to have friends and family who love us and love our kids! I will post something to each Caley and Wesley too.

I want to write a few posts about my babies' birthdays recently, but I feel like something needs to be said beforehand.

These children aren't mine. I have been reminded of this recently with a few acquaintances/friends losing their precious bundles before they would expect. It's reminded me of how much I don't deserve this life that I have. Three healthy children whom I carried to term and have lived to be 6 years old without any major issues is simply miraculous. And I didn't even do everything right. I probably drank too much coffee during my pregnancies and gained too much weight. I probably let my babies cry too much and didn't feed them the right foods at the right time. I know I haven't watched them every second to make sure they don't swallow something dangerous (googly eye incident).

It is purely God's grace that we have these three children, these three blessings. God may take them from me at any time, no matter what I do or how I try to protect them. This, of course, doesn't mean I take any chances, but my faith is not in what I do to protect them from harm, but it is in Jesus.

I write this partly to remind myself. It's hard not to put faith in my own efforts.

Day 23: A Youtube Video

Some girls from church made this rap for a baby shower and it's too hilarious not to share!

Pregnancy Rap

Today I am thankful for...

washing machines! And dishwashers! And heaters! And crockpots!

These things make my life so much easier. I love hearing the hum humming of things working around my home that I don't have to stand over and make sure it gets done. The freedom that comes with having a dishwasher and clothes washers and dryers allows me to do what I really would rather, like play with my kids or read a book during their quiet time.

Children are a blessing! The washing machine is way more valuable to me than the Pill, another modern "convenience."

Besides, if you have enough kids they can do all the work! Think of all the money we'd save on electricity that way! (I kid, I kid!)

Re-posting an interesting article about washing machines vs. The Pill. Just for kicks. :)

Day 22: A website

I regularly visit several blogs, and one of my favorites is Mommy Life. The author, Barbara Curtis, covers many topics from Jesus and faith, mothering and homeschooling, to politics and issues. I don't always agree with everything she has to say, but generally I trust her for a solid view. She is somewhat of a hero to me as she has 12 children, four of whom have Down syndrome and three of those whom are adopted.

Day 21: A recipe

I recently made this for dinner, and Bill loved it: Fisherman's Quick Fish. I picked this recipe because potato chips were on sale at Cost Cutter (where else?) and if I didn't make something with them, I knew I'd eat the whole bag myself. Not cool. As a side dish I made quinoa, which is a new discovery for me, and so delicious!

Bon Appetit!

Butts

I went to a family reunion a few years ago and my cousin (actually 2nd cousin, and Facebook friend) Ray was telling me how their family had been on vacation for several weeks and just returned. Upon returning, their family was in dire need of a Costco run. He turned to me and said, "Addie, I spent more money than you can imagine on our butts. Toilet paper, wipes, diapers, etc." It was so hilarious, especially if you can imagine Ray saying it (if you know him). It's made me think how my job as a wife and mother is closely tied to butts.

I spend all day wiping butts, washing butts, feeding mouths which in turn work the butts, washing and folding clothing for the butts, not to mention preparing to find the best deals on what covers and cleans the butts, then in turn procuring said deals. This doesn't even touch on cleaning up the bathroom. It doesn't stop when all my kids are done with diapers. We're in for the long haul.

And while yes it's nasty with the butt chooses to touch me whilst being covered in poo, or when one of the girls (or Bill) toots in my face, it's also hilarious and makes my job so much more interesting and joyful. I'm thankful that God has given me these butts. If these butts didn't work, we'd have a lot of worries. God has given me three healthy butts and it's my service to God and them in caring for them and keeping them healthy.

So maybe it's a pain (in the butt) to continually buy diapers and wipes, toilet paper and new underwear, but I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world.

Day 20: A Hobby of Yours

I like a lot of things, but my favorite (guilty) hobby is watching FRIENDS and folding laundry or working in the kitchen. I don't know if that would count as a hobby for real, but it does for me. I used to spend an insane amount of time doing this, but the demands of three kids, homeschooling, and a house to run, combined with less naptime means it hasn't been happening as much. This is probably a good thing, something God has used to teach me to manage my time better. It's convenient we have kids because otherwise I think my old habits would have gotten pretty bad by now.

Day 19: A Talent of Yours

Obviously I've fallen off the "30 days" wagon but that's not going to stop me from deliberating on another random topic.

Can one be talented at committing to something but not following through or getting overwhelmed? I do that very well. How about checking Facebook? That would be something I'm really good at too. Compulsively checking my email? Making crafts a 4-year-old could do? Or forgetting to take Amelia to the bathroom? Dang, these aren't very good talents. Rather they are areas I wish weren't talents but weaknesses.

Merry New Year!

Hello 2011!!

Right now Bill is making a "to-do" list for this coming year titled "2011 Let's get this shit done already!!!"

I love the fresh feeling of a new year (and no it's not just because of my awesome-smelling new deodorant). It's just a new day, a new year, with some much potential. I am looking forward to the new season of homeschooling, finishing this school year well, Wesley's mobility and chasing after a toddler, a new season of outdoor projects, long runs, seeing how much I can save using coupons, a new season of women's group and the replication and sending off of Lauren's group, Caley turning 6 (!), Wesley turning 1, Amelia turning 4.

What else will this year bring? I can't wait to find out!

Crazy Community

Another post in the "we have a crazy community group" file, Ugly Christmas Sweater and White Elephant Party!

My good friend Ande posted some awesome pictures and you can find them here.

 We love these crazy people!

Months 9 & 10

October and November slipped by so quickly I forgot to post about Wesley's last few months! Please forgive me little baby. I've been to busy running interference since Wesley's moving all over the place. In the last month he's figured out how to crawl (not just creep/army crawl, and he's fast!), pull to standing, cruise along furniture, and climb stairs. Yes, my baby is now a stair-climber. This means our house is again in the putting-gates-up-and-closing-doors-behind-you stage. It's so crazy to think that soon Wesley will be walking. Bill thinks it'll be before Christmas. I'm holding out until Wes is closer to his birthday. We'll see. I'm sure the next month will keep me on my toes with having a mobile baby and a Christmas tree with gifts underneath. Wesley loves to grab things and especially loves to rip and eat paper. So that should be fun. He also puts anything and everything in his mouth. A few weeks ago I found a googly-eye in his poopy diaper. Thankfully there was only one and it was a small one that passed through easily.
Also this kid loves to eat, eat, eat, and he's getting more picky about wanting to feed himself. He likes to feed himself Cheerios, raisins, crackers, beans, and other little things he can pick up. He also will eat whatever we put in front of him. Last week he had some chili, including some meat! He is also a fan of mama's homemade turkey soup. Yummy!

Wesley loves his big sisters and loves watching them jump around, dance, and be silly. He grooves to music (lately we've been listening to Veggie Tales Boyz in the Sink and "Pirate's Music" Emphatical Piratical), claps his hands and bobs his head to the beat. He's also quite a chatterbox and says, "mamama," "dadada," and other various noises. He seems to understand "no" but doesn't always mind mother's direction. When I say "no" (usually responding to his diving for plastic, knives in the dishwasher, or the stairs) he looks at me and shakes his head. And oh, the dishwasher. What is with my kids and the dishwasher?! At least it teaches me to work quickly and not dawdle whilst emptying or filling the dishwasher.

Wesley is sleeping a bit better. About a month ago I stopped swaddling him, which I was really worried would make his sleep suffer. For the first few days he did take a while to fall asleep, but he then figured out how to soothe himself better and do it on his own. I started putting a lovey in his crib, his special monkey, and that seemed to help. He still wakes up to nurse once or twice, but it's manageable. This morning I was feeding him and could feel his little heart beating. It occurred to me (and it may seem silly to you but I hadn't considered it), that this little heart is the same one I saw on ultrasound when I was 10 weeks into my pregnancy with Wesley. He was just a tiny little bean, and now he's this huge kid laying in my arms. I feel so blessed to have these children in my life and I'm grateful to be their mother. (Of course God is continually working with me on that and sometimes in my selfishness I don't feel grateful, but then the crazy fog lifts and I can actually see my little blessings, instead of my selfish ambition.)

Soon we will be celebrating Wesley's birthday! Seriously where does the time go?

The Hotyssey

After nearly a year of searching, two failed attempts at buying a Toyota Sienna (that is another blog post in itself), we are the proud owners of a 2004 Honda Odyssey, affectionately named "The Hotyssey." This beauty is  silver on the outside, grey on the inside, seats seven, and has a DVD player! I feel like a queen driving this thing. The sliding doors open automatically with the push of a button, it honks when it locks so I know all is clear. Loading groceries into the back is divine.
The best part is, we are safer and this car will serve us for a long time.

Update: LOST tooth!

Caley lost her tooth several weeks ago! (I am very behind on the blog schedule.) It happened on Tuesday afternoon after women's group. Caley was eating bread and it just popped out! She was surprised and didn't even fuss. She put it in a baggie in a white and pink tote bag and then under her pillow. Magically it was replaced with $2 in dimes and quarters and four pieces of candy! The permanent tooth is come in fast and now the one next to it is getting very loose. I can't believe my little girl is growing up so quickly!

Loose Tooth!

A few weeks ago I asked my dad (and dentist) to look at Caley's bottom front teeth because I was concerned they were crowding. He said they weren't crowding but looked so because they are loose! I nearly started crying! I can't believe my little girl is old enough to start losing her teeth.

10 years ago this month I met Bill at swing dancing class. I'm so thankful he said "yes" when I asked him to dance. We "celebrated" by putting the kids to bed early last night, having a yummy dinner, and watching The Karate Kid. 

Wesley crashed movie night but seemed pretty entertained by rolling around on the floor. Somehow Kermit got on his back! Not sure how that happened!

I love you Billy!