Saturday, September 25

How far can I stretch $5

When I first started my blog I made a post about spending $5.  My goal was to see how far I could actually stretch a 5 dollar bill by using coupons and shopping sales (not including any tax).  People say you can't get anything for $5 anymore.  Well I have to say that I have proved those people wrong.  My list grew and grew and now I think it's time to show my success.

To be honest, I have some change left over.  I spent a total of 4.85 

5 AirWick Freshmatic I motion Starter Kits
3 Glade Sense/Spray Starter Kits
8 AirWick Aqua Essence
3 Gain Dish soap
2 Dawn Dish soap
2 Gillette Fusion Power Razors
Schick Hydro 5 Razor
2 Schick Hydro Shaving Cream
4 Skintimate Shave Gel
13 Right Guard Total Defense 5 Deodorant
Nivea Men 3 in 1 body wash
Tylenol Precise Heat Patches
2 Bottles Listerine Zero
2 Crest ProHealth Toothpaste
2 Reach Floss
3 Reach Toothbrushes
Box of Tissues
Kandoo Toddler Wipes
3 Tubs Huggies Wipes
Blink tears
16 SOBE lifewater
Arizona Tea
4 Redbox Movies (1 night rental)
Snickers 10pk fun size
Men's C9 muscle shirt
7 pairs of Women's C9 socks
Women's C9 Shorts
2 Build a bear shirts
5 pks of Ball Park Franks
3 Tubs Best Life Butter
2 Bags Ceser Dog Treats
3 Chef Michael 3 oz moist dog food
11 pks of Post it super sticky notes
Pilot G2 Pens 2pk
Pilot Easy Touch Pens 2pk
Eraser
2 Travel Shampoo
4 Travel Tide
4 Travel Shout wipes
Travel Right Guard Deodorant

Total spent (not including tax)  4.85

Caleb's 2nd Birthday

My tiny little baby is finally two.  **Insert crying mommy HERE**  I can't believe my little baby boy is this big already.  Where did the time go?


We spent the evening before decorating the house and baking Caleb's cake.  His theme was construction trucks.  We blew up orange and yellow balloons and covered the house in streamers.  It looked really cute and festive.  His cake was a simple boxed cake (chocolate fudge with milk chocolate icing)  I put it in a glass baking bowl instead of a pan to get a nice round shape.  Then I covered the edges with green coconut for grass and crumbled up cookies for dirt.  Here's the end result.



Here's the crushed cookies.  We sprinkled some on the top and around the base of the cake.  It was Steve's idea to actually put some inside the truck scoop.









The coconut was colored with food coloring and water.  We put 5 drops of coloring and a few splashes of water into a ziplock bag, added a handful of coconut, and shook the bag until everything looked like grass.  We let it dry for about an hour before we used it on the cake.








Caleb was THRILLED when we pulled it out of the fridge!  He had a little bit of help blowing out the candles from daddy.  Hopefully next year he will be able to do it on his own.



We bought Caleb an easel and a tool bench this year.  We set those up the night before so Caleb could start playing with them right away.  We put all his gifts in the living room with balloons scattered around them.  He didn't know what to do with the wrapped gifts when he first saw them.  But once we showed him that there were presents inside, he caught on quite quickly.


I wrote "Happy 2nd Birthday Caleb" on his easel and drew his favorite construction truck...an 'Up and Down'!!

By the way...Kaysen LOVES this easel.  I think he used it more than Caleb did yesterday.  He still tries to chew on the crayons, but he is so happy to draw that I just keep a close eye on him.

Caleb likes the fact that I let him take the marker caps on and off.  He's doing a really good job with putting them back in the pockets after he is finished drawing.








In addition to the easel and tool bench, we got him a few trucks.  Here he is peeking into one of the packages that was making noises as he was opening it.

It was a really nice day for all of us.  Where did my little babies go?



Monday, September 20

Another very BUSY day

My phone died today.  No warning, nothing.  Just up and died.  Which means that I was out phone shopping at 8pm tonight while the boys were tired and cranky.  I ended up finding a good, practically free phone ($1).  Now I'm afraid to touch the thing because I have no idea how it works and I'm afraid of getting charged some weird fee for going on the internet or something.

My boys had a good day, besides Caleb having a melt down in Best Buy. (he was running away from me and got in trouble)  This morning they spent a few minutes coloring in their coloring books.


Kaysen has found a real love of coloring.  He has also taken real well to books over the past few weeks.  It was always so hard for us to bring out things like this for just Caleb because Kaysen would chew on the books and markers.  But now he will sit there and color for a few minutes without me having to step in and help.

Caleb has not grasped the concept of a coloring book.  He loves to color, however he doesn't like coloring on the pictures in a coloring book.  Instead, he wants me to draw him Choo Choos, 'Up & Downs' (construction trucks), 'Big' (dump trucks), and semi trucks.  Which is fine, the first hundred times.  I'd like to get through a coloring session without him asking for me to make him some sort of truck, especially when the coloring books also have pictures of trucks.

I set up a beach blanket and the boys' patio chairs in the living room today.  Added some blocks and a few books and puzzles, and the boys were entertained while I made out my grocery list!


This is Caleb's 'BIG' 
'Big' is used every day, almost all day long.  He will scoop things up with 'Up and Down' (his other construction truck) and drive it over to dump things out into 'Big'.  Then 'Big' will drive around and dump out the toys into a pile.  He will sit and do this forever!!  At least while Kaysen is asleep and he doesn't have his partner in crime to play with.
Oh, he stacked the blocks by himself too!

Saturday, September 18

Road Trip!

Thursday we packed up the family and headed out for a mini road trip.   We went to a small little state park in Illinois.  It was only about an hour away and the traffic wasn't too bad.  Especially since we had to travel the express way that winds around Chicago.
I packed a lunch to take with us and brought the wagon for the boys.  The weather was really chilly, but the sun occasionally peeked through to warm us up.  It was a nice relaxing morning.  Total price of this mini vacation:  Nothing but Gas! 




Birthdays!!

My birthday was a few days ago (the 14th) but it's been rather hectic around here and I'm just now getting a chance to post.
We didn't do much, although it was nice to just sit around and do nothing.  Steve had to work and I was with the kiddos.  I did get some cute pictures of the boys.



Speaking of birthdays, Caleb's is coming up in less than a week.  My little boy will be 2!!!  I have been scrambling around trying to get everything together for him (and Kaysen too).  It's all the little extra that take so much time!  Streamers, balloons, wrapping paper, decorations.  For both boys:  their birthdays are only 17 days apart.  We are on a tight budget I can not just go out and buy everything all at once and spend whatever price the store decides to charge me.  So it takes a lot of strategic planning.  It takes me 5 trips compared to what it may take 1 average family.  But it is worth it in the long run.  All that saved money can go towards other things.

We are going with a Construction Truck theme for Caleb.  Yellows, Oranges, and Reds.  I am making him a rounded cake and putting a few construction vehicles on top.  His gifts are wrapped in red with yellow and orange bows.  The house is going to be decorated in lots of streamers and balloons to celebrate his special day.



Monday, September 13

My Journey Towards HEALTH

I was originally going to title this post "My weight loss journey".  But I don't think that title is that appropriate.  My main goal is to be healthy and fit, to be active, and to enjoy life.  Weight loss is just an added bonus.

Motherhood has really changed the way I view my health.  Before I got pregnant I lived for myself.  That was OK.  But now I have a whole new set of standards for myself and my family.  Not only am I providing for me, but also my two boys.  My health reflects onto them.  So in order for them to grow up healthy and strong, I needed to make some major adjustments.

My first big step was to cut out *most* processed food and fast food.  I'll admit I still have a hot dog from time to time, and I love McDonald's.  But now it is only on occasions instead of my lifestyle.  Then, I cut out the pop.  Again, I drink it only in moderation.  Last, I tackled the carbs and my milk choice.  I buy everything 100% whole wheat, and actually prefer the taste over white breads.  Milk is now skim.  Every day, all the time.  Trust me, I can drink a lot of milk.

But I think the biggest change was when I started exercising on a regular basis.  The pounds started shedding off as easy as I had put them on during my pregnancies.  I now look forward to exercising.  My body starts to feel off if I don't do some sort of physical activity during the day.  Even a 10 minute brisk walk makes a world of difference.

My body went through a heck of a lot in the past 3 yrs and 2 back to back pregnancies.  So here is the journey I traveled:
Early 2008:  1st trimester with Caleb:  164 lbs
Sept. 2008:  9 months pregnant:  187 lbs    weight gain: 23 lbs
Oct. 2008:  After giving birth:  172 lbs  weight loss:  15 lbs
January 2009:  1st trimester with Kaysen:  172 lbs
Oct. 2009:  9 months pregnant:  185 lbs  weight gain:  13lbs
::::And one year later::::
I'm now sitting very comfortably at 138 lbs, somewhere around 5'7" and 5'8".  I have a BMI of 21.0.  I feel amazing!  I have energy and I can multi-task so much easier now.  Sometimes my mind has a hard time keeping up with my body.   Total weight loss since my heaviest:  49 lbs 

I know that deep down I would never feel comfortable going back to where I was.  Not that there was anything wrong with my weight, but I did not feel healthy.  Now I do, and that is the important part.  No matter how much weight I have lost.  What matters is how I feel mentally.  And I feel good.

Saturday, September 11

Staying Organized

I am not the most organized person in the world.  Although I try to be.  I've been busy putting everything together for the boys' birthdays that are coming up.  Which makes me think about all the new toys they will be receiving for both birthdays and Christmas.  I need a place to put it all. 

I feel settled with my organization.  I have a pretty good system that works for us and I guess that's all that matters.  There are two big things that take up so much storage space in our home.  Toys and my stockpile.  I hate getting rid of toys but a month or so ago I finally packed up the 'baby' toys and stuck them in the attic.  I can't believe both my boys have outgrown rattles and shakers, colorful noise makers and little soft singing toys that hang from the car seat handle.  Now they are into books and reading, cars and trucks, balls and banging on things.  They are true boys.
I have all our smaller toys organized and labeled by type.  I bought a whole bunch of plastic shoe boxes and they seem to do the trick.  The bigger toys are in bigger plastic bins.  The boys are allowed to have 2-3 bins out at a time and that's it.  When they want something new, they have to clean up.  Caleb knows this routine really well and Kaysen is starting to get the hang of it too.  It keeps my house somewhat sane during the day.




My pantry stockpile was getting out of control!  So much that now I limit myself on the amount of things I buy.  For most products, if I'm not getting it for free or less than .25 then I have to pass up the deal.  I chose the same system for my stockpile as the toys.  They are in large bins on our metal shelves out in the garage.  I stockpile everything from diapers/wipes and paper towels, to shampoo and deodorant, to printer paper and post it notes.  I feel very lucky to be able to provide for my family by getting our household and beauty products for free.



And remember those pine cones that Caleb and I found?  I decided to put some in the bathroom and they look pretty good.  Everything has a purpose around this frugal household.




Friday, September 10

A busy couple of days

It has been CRAZY around here.  It is always crazy when Steve has to work a bunch of closing shifts.  He leaves shortly after noon, and the rest of the day is just me and the boys.  Wait...the rest of the day is me chasing after the boys and trying to keep my house under control.

So this morning Steve made homemade cinnamon muffins.  They were really good.  I don't even know if he followed a recipe or just put them together really quickly.  But the boys loved them!


We had a couple "firsts" with Kaysen today.  He has been practicing with a spoon and yogurt for about 2 months now.  Today I thought he was ready for the next step, so I introduced a fork!  He did pretty well.  I was showing him how to stab, scoop, and eat.  He kept getting frustrated with me because he wanted to do the whole thing all by himself.  So I finally gave in and just let him do it.  He made it through the whole meal with the fork in his hand, but I'm not sure how much food he actually ate with it compared to his fingers.

He also had another tooth break through today.  This time a top one.  The other one on the top right is still bothering him.  Poor baby has a runny nose and he woke up from nap all hot with a fever.  I really hope this teething thing gets over quickly.


Caleb and I had a pretty good afternoon while his brother was napping.  We decided to go on a nature hunt.  We walked around the yard finding things that were unique and putting them in our learning basket.  Then he brought everything inside to play.  He had a really good time hunting for things. 

 

And here's what our finished basket looked like.  We really found a lot of things (the pine cones we found earlier this morning while we were at the bank)


While we were outside we also saw 2 school buses, the mail man, a few delivery trucks, and a few pick up trucks.  As you can imagine, Caleb was thrilled!!

Tuesday, September 7

Night time Potty Training

Caleb has made up his mind to be night time potty trained.  He has been out of diapers since December (15 months old), but has always wore one for sleeping.  Over the past month he has gradually trained himself during naps.  He would take off his own diaper when we left the room and then would stay dry until he woke up.  Well now he has decided that he wants nothing more to do with diapers!!  He has been fussing when we put them on before bed, taking them off, throwing dry ones in the trash, and refusing to sleep in them.  So I went with it.  We are now on day 3 of night time potty training and I'm happy to say that Caleb made it through the WHOLE NIGHT without one accident!!  He woke up twice to go potty on his own, and once again when he got up this morning.  I am so proud of my little guy.  The first night we had one accident, and the second night we had 2.  But I still think that's wonderful for someone who is not even 2 yrs old yet!

Speaking of potties, guess who I caught splashing in the toilet yesterday?!?  Little Kaysen thought the potty was a swimming pool.  YUCK!

Monday, September 6

Learning Baskets


I am in need of a challenge, and so are the boys.  This morning I put together some learning baskets (although Kaysen's is more of a box).  I picked a theme for the week and went through the boys' toys looking for things that matched up to our theme.  Then I put everything into a basket, added a book, art, and we are set!  I plan on switching out the items throughout the week but staying with the current theme.  Then each Monday I will change themes. 


This week I chose JUNGLE ANIMALS because it is something simple that both boys are interested in.  Caleb's basket includes an animal puzzle, 2 books about elephants, some clip art that I found on the Internet, crayons, and some toy animals.





I chose brown, dark orange, light orange, and black for the crayon colors to match the lion and elephant.  Caleb gets free art every day, so he will be able to use the rest of the colors then.


Kaysen's box is simpler.  He has a few balls, some animal blocks, 2 books about tigers, and a toy tiger and zebra.  I chose the colors of the balls/blocks to match the animals.

Later on in the week I plan on putting some stick puppets in the baskets, and a few different toys.  I will probably also put some more art into Caleb's because I'm sure the pictures will be colored on by then.  I think this will be a good goal for us to keep during the winter.  And it will keep us busy talking and learning about all the different themes.

Saturday, September 4

Happy Saturday

Little Kaysen Matthew got his hair trimmed today.  I took off about 1/2 an inch around the back of his neck.  I almost cried, but it was getting really long.  He also had a tooth break through today.  His 9th one.  He has 2 more that are bugging him on the top.  I just wish they would come through already so I can have my happy baby back instead of this cranky one.


 We took the boys out for a walk in the wagon this morning.  The weather is crisp and cool so they had to get bundled up in long sleeves and jeans.  A reminder that fall is not too far away.






Here's daddy pulling the wagon.  I'm glad he decided to do it today because my arms still hurt from working out.













Grammie brought the boys ice cream Popsicles when she came to visit.  We sat outside after dinner (homemade pizza...YUM) and had a nice treat. 


 All in all it was a pretty good day. 

Thursday, September 2

A day as a Stay at Home Mom

6:30am  I wake up.  Coffee is the first thing on my mind.  I watch the news, go online, get dressed, start a load of laundry or put laundry in the dryer.  Curtains and doors get opened and I eat some toast.  The dog gets fed and let outside.  The bed gets made and a few random things get put away in the kitchen.  The rest of the house is usually pretty clean from the night before.

7:15am  One of the boys wake up (usually Caleb)  He gets a coffee cup of milk to drink as he sits on the couch and watches a few minutes of TV.  (usually Micky Mouse Club House)  Sometimes he asks for a "nanna"  (banana)

7:30am  Play time for whoever is awake.  Usually, Caleb has been getting art out at this time.  If not, he will ask for cars and blocks most of the time.

7:45am  The other one wakes up.  Art is put away and they sit and play in the living room while we get breakfast ready.  (Daddy usually makes breakfast if he is home)

8am  Breakfast!  Heart shaped raisin bread, half a banana, mozzarella cheese slices and milk.


8:15am  Kitchen clean up time for me.  I start a load of dishes (bottles) and the boys go into the living room to play.  I sweep under the highchairs, wash the trays, scrub the counter tops, and pick up whatever was left from last night.  I have another cup of coffee.

8:30am  Play time!  We usually go outside on the porch to play.  We are really going to miss this when winter gets here.  Blocks, trucks, and balls are our favorites.  I go back and forth between playing with the boys and finishing dishes.

9:30am  Kaysen starts getting cranky around this time.  He only stays up about 2-3hrs in the morning before it's time for his nap.  So I have been getting him his first bottle of the day around now and cuddling with him and a blanket.

10am Kaysen's first nap of the day!  I get special one on one time with Caleb.  Usually we will bring out something messy if the weather is bad.  Noodles and scoops, play dough, beans w/cups and bowls, etc.  Sometimes we play with his smaller cars and make little garages and tracks.  If the weather is nice we will go outside for a few minutes.  I don't like to stay out for long because I know that Kaysen could wake up any time.


11am  This nap time varies for Caleb.  He has been going to bed recently around this time, but will sometimes fight it.  Once Caleb goes to bed I get "Me time" until Kaysen wakes up.  I'll eat a snack, go online, coupon, pick up the house, do my daily wiping/dusting.  I set the slow cooker sometimes for dinner.

11:30-12ish  Kaysen wakes up somewhere around here.  Then I get special one on one time with him.  He gets a small snack (usually a graham cracker or something)  He likes to read books and we have been doing a lot of that lately.


1pm  Lunch!  Caleb wakes up and is instantly hungry so I scramble to fix something for the boys.  Usually it is leftovers from the night before:  Alfredo Pasta w/ chicken and mixed veggies, apple, milk.

1:30pm  Clean up time for me!  I do lunch dishes, sweep under highchairs, spot mop, wash trays, scrub the stove.  The boys watch a bit of TV (usually prerecorded Yo Gabba Gabba)

1:45pm  Outside time!  Swing and push toys usually.  I do chores around the yard like picking weeds or mowing the back yard.  If I have the car, we go out somewhere.  Sometimes for a walk around the lake.  Sometimes to the store.  If it is cooler we go for a walk around the neighborhood.  If the weather is bad we will find a large motor activity to do inside. 


2:30pm  Kaysen starts getting cranky again.  If we are home he gets a bottle and cuddles for bed.  If we are still out at the store he waits for his nap until closer to 4pm.

3pm  Snack time!  Usually a piece of fruit and a cracker/bread of some sort:  Pretzels/peanut butter and grapes!  Kaysen gets settled down for his second nap.  Caleb gets alone play during this time.  He is quite content to sit there and play/read by himself while his brother sleeps.

4pm  Kaysen wakes up.  The boys usually go outside to play on the porch while I prepare dinner.  Caleb usually asks for markers and his coloring pages.  Kaysen has taken an interest in art too, so I will color with him while Caleb does his own thing.

5pm  Dinner!  Chili w/ noodles and crackers, milk.  YUM!

5:30pm  I clean up the kitchen AGAIN!  Sweep, mop, wash trays, dishes, scrub stove and counter tops.  The boys run around like crazy people getting out their energy.  They chase each other behind the couches.


6pm  If Daddy is home, this is wrestle time.  He chases them around the house and wrestles with them.  I go online and check for deals.  I've started going back to the gym now that the weather is getting toward fall.  If daddy is at work then I let the boys run around and I give them something noisy like pots and pans. 

7pm  I'm home from the gym.  Daddy gets the bath ready if he is home and I do my "daily things" on the computer (check email, print coupons, make some money by completing surveys) and then clean the bathroom while daddy gets them dressed in their PJ's.  If I'm by myself I get the bath ready and clean the bathroom while the boys are taking their 'splishy splash'.

7:30pm  Brush teeth, PJ's, books, bed!  Kaysen gets his last bottle of the day (until 5am in the morning) and Caleb gets a cup of water.  The boys will play around usually for 1/2hr or so.  Kaysen will fall asleep around 8pm and Caleb reads books by himself until he gets tired about 8:30.  He usually falls asleep on the floor and we have to move him to his bed.

Bedtime for me is about 11pm. 





 

Wednesday, September 1

Some Progress

We made some progress over the past few days with our kitchen.  Painting **Check**!!  And well, that's about it.  We need to paint the baseboards and finish the lower cabinets still.  We chose a bright sunny yellow for the walls, and it dramatically changed the whole look of the room.  We went from cozy and warm to bright and vibrant.

BEFORE: 

AFTER: 



We had two little helpers that wanted to give our kitchen a nice deep clean.  Yes, this is our freezer with the tub taken out.  They were a big help.

Time to do my daily chores.  Caleb just woke up and he's eating breakfast.  He has his own coffee cup for his morning milk.  So cute!  I should probably start cleaning up the house before Kaysen gets up and destroys it all again.