80% Savings at Publix

I spent $7.03 at Publix this morning and saved $57.46. Here's what my little helper and I got today -

6 boxes Aunt Jemima frozen pancakes - $.15 overage each
1 4 pack Publix toilet paper - $.01
3 packs Chinet beverage napkins - $.19 each
4 cartons 4C bread crumbs - $.29 each
1 cucumber - $.50
1 head Green leaf lettuce - $1.69
1.12 lb bananas - $.27
3 boxes Barilla pasta - $.21 overage each
1 Revlon nail clippers - $.51 overage
1 Revlon tweezers - $.41 overage
3 Maruchan Yakisoba noodles - $.11 overage each
1 bag Publix powdered sugar - $.85
1 box Del Monte fruit freezers - $.38
2 packages Oscar Mayer hotdogs - $1.50 each
1 can Princess Spaghetti O's - $1.00
4 cans Dole pineapple juice - $.10 overage each

Rearranging

So, yesterday on our pajama day I got the trim in Caleb's room painted. Then I e-mailed Dave to see if we could play rearrange the furniture today. He said, "Yes," but I'm not sure he knew what he was in for. Anyway, here is what we did today. I should have taken "before" pictures, but I was in too much of a hurry to get started.

Caleb's big boy room - he still needs curtains and some stuff on his walls

Alexa and Jordanna's room - I'm a bit tired of the Winnie the Pooh decor, but keeping it seemed to be the best choice for decorating frugally (otherwise known as "I am cheap").

And the best part - my desk! The TV will be moving into the living room as soon as Comcast puts a new cable outlet in there. The playroom still has some toys in it, but it will also now be the school room. I'm so excited to have a desk for working on home school stuff, my teaching stuff, and my coupons.

Pajama Day

It was a rainy, dreary day today, so I declared it "Pajama Day." In other words, we stayed home all day and wore our pajamas as long as possible. Alexa is still wearing hers as I type. So, what did we do with our pajama day today?

Played some board games and computer games

Clomped around in Mommy's high heels
Colored
Put on a show and watched the show from the fire place
Made Rice Krispie treats and baked a cake
Sampled the cake

Did some laundry and took bad pictures of Mommy while she was doing laundry
Painted the trim in Caleb's new room

Projects, Projects, Projects

So, as if the first week of school wasn't enough for me along with homeschooling Caleb, being sick, and being pregnant, I have several projects going as well.

First, Molly and I are planning to have a yard sale the 3rd Saturday in September. I already have quite a pile of clothes, stuff, and even furniture to sell.

Which leads to number two, cleaning out and organizing closets. I have gone through my closet and the linen closet already, but I still need to go through the kids' closets.

The main reason for numbers 1 and 2 is number three, moving Caleb into the guest room. Alexa and Jordanna will share what is currently the kids' room. Caleb's room is already painted blue. I plan to paint the trim white (I got everything taped today) and do a bit of touch up to the blue. We already have a comforter that is blue, navy, and white striped. So, I am getting my mom to make some curtains and Aunt Andrea to paint a wall hanging. Caleb wants monkeys in his room, and this is the best fabric I have found so far.

Busy, busy!

Through the Eyes of Caleb

Caleb has been wanting to take pictures with the camera lately. Here are a few views of life through his eyes. Scary, huh?

A is for Apple

Today was my first day of teaching for this school year. I am teaching 7th-12th grade English this year; I finally got promoted from 5th grade!

This is Caleb's 3rd week of preschool. I had planned to do school during Alexa's naps, but she enjoys participating too much. So we all have school together. Yesterday we made these apples to go with our theme for the week.

79% Savings at Publix

The deals were so good this week that I decided to make a trip to Publix again this week. I spent $17.61, but I'm pretty sure it should have been $15.61 because the cashier missed two coupons. I saved $65.09.

Here's what I got -
6 2L Minute Maid lemonade - $.44 each
3 boxes Barilla whole grain pasta - $.21 overage each
3 boxes Barilla piccolini pasta - $.21 overage each
3 packages yakisoba noodles - $.11 overage each
1 box Coles cheesesticks - $.40
2 boxes Mrs. Paul's frozen fish - FREE
1 container Publix parmesan romano cheese - $2.50
1 container Beech Nut rice cereal - FREE
1 onion - $.77
1.1 lbs bananas - $.26
Asparagus - $2.29
Apples - $1.36
1 package Dove chocolates - $.15
1 bag Back to Nature granola - $.80
3 packages Back to Nature cookies - $.44 each
1 Bounce dryer bar - $.59
1 6-pack Mott's applesauce - $.67
1 roll Publix paper towels - $.01
4 packages Yoplait Fiber One yogurt - $.10 overage each
1 gallon Publix milk - $2.25

Menu Plan Monday

Tonight - Pretzel crusted chicken fingers, mac and cheese, rolls, salad

Tuesday - Voila meal, garlic bread, applesauce (easy meal for my first day back to school)

Wednesday - Pork roast, rice, carrots

Thursday - Chicken tacos, salad

Friday - Homemade pizza

Saturday - Nasi Goreng, green beans (bumped from last week)

Weekend Happenings and Dinner Mishap

It's been a pretty boring day around here. Dave took a load to the dump this morning and then returned my parents' truck. My mom then brought him home, so we did get to see Grammy for a bit. Both kids have caught the cold that I had earlier in the week. They didn't seem to be bothered by it too much and managed to play outside twice today since the weather was beautiful. I enjoyed a nice long nap this afternoon and even managed to roll over and go back to sleep after a cute little girl opened my door and said, "Hi, Mommy."

Tonight I was grilling steaks for dinner when it became apparent that the propane tank on the grill needs replacing. I have another tank, but it is empty, too. Oops! So I took the steaks off the grill and put them on the broiler pan to finish inside. I then reached around to turn the propane tank off. On the way back up, my tummy hit the pan and knocked the steaks onto the porch, which is in desperate need of sweeping and is also quite covered with ants. Double oops! So, Dave cleaned up the steaks and then took us to IHOP for dinner since kids eat free there right now.

After dinner we went to pick up my check and stuff from the consignment sale I participated in this week. I made $150 dollars, but I still had LOTS of items that did not sell. Good thing Molly and I are planning a yard sale at her house next month. And I will probably register to sell at one more consignment sale as well.

74% Savings at Publix

I'm not sure anyone noticed or cared, but I skipped the deals at Publix last week. There weren't any great deals on things that I needed or will use, so I decided to sit the week out. There aresome good deals this week, though. The new ad started yesterday, so the kids and I went this morning to do out shopping. And they were already completely out of one thing! Anyway, I spent $31.87 and saved $91.53.

Here's what I got (along with my cute, little helper) -
6 bottles Juicy Juice - $1.33 each
1 2L Coke - FREE
2 2L Sprite - $.79 each
1 package Yoplait YoPlus yogurt - $.25
1 package Coles garlic toast - $.40
2 bath sponges - $.25 each
1 box Cookie Crisp cereal - $.50
1 bag Snyders pretzels - $1.50
2 boxes Cheez-Its - $.90 each
4 boxes Back to Nature cookies - $.43 each
2 packages Kotex pads - $.40 overage
1 bag Sun Chips - $2.00
2 boxes Uncle Ben's rice - $.25 each
1.47 lb grapes - $1.90
1.25 lb apples - $.86
1 bag Dove chocolate peanut butter minis - $.15
1 package Mott's applesauce cups - $.67
1 package Luzianne tea bags - $.55
1 package Smithfield bacon - $.99
4 boxes Edwards singles - $.30 each
4 boxes various Morningstar Farm products - $.89 each
1 box Mrs. Paul's fish sticks - FREE
1 gallon Publix milk - $2.25

Living Room Addition

Dave has mentioned before that he would like a piano so that the kids could take lessons. I figured this would happen at some vague, unspecified time in the future. But, when his school had an extra piano sitting in the hallway last week, he jumped on the chance to get it. It took a bit of rearranging in the living room, but I think it fits fine. And I like rearranging rooms anyway, so now I have the itch to rearrange several other rooms in the house, so stay tuned.

For Your Viewing Pleasure

Caleb's new glasses. Aren't they a lovely addition to the green hat. And yes I took him out in public like this this morning.

Grumpy, bed-head Alexa wearing her Grammy-made nightgown. Every time she puts it on, she says, "Grammy got it."

Menu Plan Monday

Tonight - Lemon garlic chicken, rice, carrots, rolls

Tuesday - Spaghetti, green peas, garlic bread

Wednesday - Eggs, bacon, hashbrowns, fruit

Thursday - Steaks, roasted potatoes, green beans

Friday - Hamburgers, hotdogs, mac and cheese, corn

Saturday - Nasi goreng, broccoli

Sunday - Lunch at church

Grammy Sews

My mom has made 2 nightgowns for Alexa recently and asked if I would get a picture of her wearing one of them. Unfortunately, I haven't managed to do so because when Alexa is wearing her nightgown she is either grumpy because she needs to go to bed or grumpy because she just got up. I did get a picture of Caleb in his new Tigger shorts that Grammy made, though. He LOVES having his picture made lately. He has an orange shirt that would match these shorts pretty well, but it was in the wash.

23 weeks, Only 17 More To Go

I'm wearing my new glasses in this picture because I've pretty much given up on my contacts until after this baby is born.

Week 23

How Big is the Baby at 23 Weeks Pregnant?
Your baby is positively HUGE during pregnancy at 23 weeks, a whopping 1.1 pound (or almost at least!). That is quite an accomplishment for someone that used to weigh less than one ounce. Your baby at 23 weeks is now the size of a small baby doll you might purchase for a little girl. That's pretty impressive considering your baby could fit in the palm of your hand just a few short weeks ago. Your newborn baby is also about 11 inches long by pregnancy week 23!

Your Baby's Growth and Development
Your baby is still making remarkable changes at pregnancy 23 weeks. Her skin is still quite red and heavily wrinkled by the end of pregnancy week 23. Your baby can often hear loud noises in the womb from now and as you continue your pregnancy week by week, so don't be surprised if your baby seems to move around a bit when you are vacuuming or in an environment where loud noises are quite common.

The bones located in your baby's middle ear are starting to form by pregnancy week 23 and your baby is continuing to fill out and look more and more proportional.

If your baby were born this week there is a small chance your baby would survive, however it is best that your baby stay put for a number of weeks! Many women start to wonder what might happen if their baby is born prematurely. A baby born between 23 and 24 weeks would have a 10 to 70 percent chance of survival. It truly depends on a number of factors that have to be taken into consideration.

There are babies that are born at one pound that beat the odds and go on to live a fairly normal life, while others unfortunately die due to unexpected complications. The smallest babies may survive but grow up with some mental or motor disabilities as a result of their extreme prematurity.

Every day your baby stays in the womb increases their survival rate approximately 3 percent during weeks 23 and 26.

Generally after 26 weeks the survival rate jumps to 80-90%.

Many things can affect your baby's chances of survival if she is born prematurely. If your membranes rupture prior to 24 weeks your baby has less of a chance than if they stay intact. Male infants are considered more at risk because they are less mature than female babies when born prematurely. Other factors such as diabetes or high blood pressure can place added stress on the baby during delivery, increasing the chances of complication.

Your Growth and Development
Your uterus is continuing to grow and expand at 23 weeks pregnant, and by now is about 1.5 inches above your bellybutton. You are probably feeling less and less graceful 23 weeks pregnant as your belly continues to expand.

Your baby has lots of room to move in your uterus now, so her movements are probably quite strong at this point. You probably feel lots of flipping and flopping, and may even notice your stomach moving about!

In Caleb News

I'm not sure I dare say it, but I think he is finally potty trained. He still has a few accidents here and there, but he is wearing underwear full time even to bed and is finally pooping in the potty. Now it's time to train Alexa!

This morning, while going potty, he told me, "You don't pee with your belly button."

We started year 2 of preschool last week. The first two weeks, we are working on pre-writing skills, like writing lines and circles. Next week starts working on letter sounds and writing letters. We've also been working on the calendar and the weather. So far, so good.

84% Savings at Publix

The kids and I made our Monday Publix run this morning (along with 5 other errands). I spent $10.02 and saved $53.67!

Here's what I got -
2 packages Kraft cheddar cheese - $1.17 each
3 packages Chinet lunch plates - $.50 each
1 Cover Girl makeup sponges and 1 eye shadow - $1.02 overage
1 loaf Publix honey wheat bread - $.21 overage
1 Publix pepperoni pizza - $.01
3 boxes Fiber One pastries - $.15 each
1 bottle Crisco olive oil - $2.25
1.02 lb peaches - $.90
2 packages Chinet napkins - FREE
2 packages Kelloggs fruit snacks - $.98 each
3 Glade candles - FREE

Menu Plan Monday

Tonight - Chicken Caesar pizza, fruit salad

Tuesday - BBQ ribs, macaroni and cheese, green beans

Wednesday - Monterey Jack chicken, rice, corn

Thursday - Bacon cheeseburger roll up, oven fries, fruit

Friday - Out to eat with a gift card

Saturday - Sub sandwiches, chips, fruit

Sunday - Hamburgers, hotdogs, macaroni and cheese, fruit, brownies

All You Grocery Challenge: Week 4

This is the last week of the All You grocery challenge. I did not post my totals last week, as we were in Canada most of the week. I did do a quick grocery run last Saturday when we got home and spent about $65.

Here are my totals for week 4 -

Total spent - $83.87
Publix - $29.38 (2 trips)
Aldi - $18.28
Kroger - $31.21
Dave out to lunch - $5.00

And here are some of the great deals that I got at Kroger today -
2.46 lbs of grapes, 1.59 lbs of apples and 1.36 lb of bananas - $.51 (used 2 coupons for $2 off of fruit WYB Eggos waffles)
4 boxes Eggos waffles - $1.00 each (used 2 coupons for $1.00/2 Eggos)
4 packages Chiquita apples and 2 packages pineapple - FREE (used 4 $1.00/1 printables and 2 free pineapples WYB one Chiquita bites peelies)
1 Hormel pork roast - $1.99 (used $3.00/1 Hormel product coupon found at Publix)
1 Hormel pork tenderloin - $1.49 (used $3.00/1 Hormel product coupon found at Publix)
2 packages Tyson split chicken breasts (on sale for $.99/lb, used $1/1 coupons on each)
2 packages Cover Girl makeup sponges and 2 Cover Girl individual eye shadows - $.48 overage (got $4 off my order for buying 4, used 2 $2.50/2 Cover Girl coupons)
2 12 oz packages Kroger bacon - $.88 each
1 package Fiber One yogurt - $.49

Congratulations, Molly!

My best friend Molly graduates today from the University of Alabama with a Masters degree in Library Science (not sure if that is the official term, but close enough). Congratulations!

Projects, Projects, Projects

Sorry that I have been so scarce around here this week, but it has been with good reason. I have had and still have A LOT to do. This was the first week that Dave was back at school (although he was home yesterday), so I've also had to adjust to not having him home to help as much.

My first project of the week was rearranging and reorganizing the pantry after our ant invasion while we were gone this week. The entire contents of my pantry were in a jumbled mess on the dining room table while we got all the ants cleaned up.

I've also been working on preschool for Caleb (I'm writing a curriculum myself this year), and we started back to school on Thursday. We had to stop at School Box earlier in the week and get a few more things before we could start. I was planning to do school during Alexa's nap, but she seems quite content to color and watch us, so I might do it while she is awake. We shall see.


I'm also working on prepping kids' clothes to sell at a consignment sale next week. The limit per seller is 175 items, and I plan to sell the full 175, mostly boys clothes and baby girl clothes that will be the wrong season for the new baby. The entire guest room is covered in clothes at the moment.

I also had 2 weeks of coupons to cut, sort, and file this week since we were gone last week. I hope to finish that up this afternoon before I get even more coupons in the paper tomorrow.

Midweek, I found out that there will be no 5th and 6th graders for me to teach this year (I teach home schooled students one day a week). So instead I will be teaching 7th-12th grade English. I attended 2 days of teacher meetings last month, so I was ready to teach the 5th/6th curriculum this year. So, I had to send out some e-mails to get the 7th-12th grade information. Hopefully I will even get some textbooks sometime next week so I can start planning. Fortunately, Molly teaches 7th and 8th grades at another campus of the same school, so I can rely on her expertise to help me out (otherwise known as copying her lesson plans).

Yesterday, since it was Dave's last Friday home for awhile, we took the kids to the park to play and then came home and let them swim in the backyard.


All in all, it's been a good but BUSY week.

Outdoor Fun

Caleb making "pine cone pie with chocolate and sprinkles"


Alexa swinging her baby

Savings Galore

Since we were gone last week, I had lots to get accomplished this morning. Dave is back at school for pre-planning today, so I took the kids along with me on my errands. They were pretty well-behaved, which was nice. In addition to all the bargain hunting below, we also went to the post office and the library. Here are the best deals that I got -

CVS
2 packs Stayfree pads - $5 each, used a B1G1 coupon, got back $5 in ECB, FREE
2 packs gluesticks - FREE after ECBs
2 notebooks - FREE after ECBs
1 Blink eye drops - FREE after ECBs, used a $3.00 coupon, $3.00 money maker!

Aldi
3 packages of strawberries and 2 packs of blueberries - $.99 each (on sale for $2.50 each at Publix this week)
1 package hot dog buns - $.79
1 chunk cheddar cheese - $1.29
1 package multigrain English muffins - $.99 (on sale at Publix this week for $1.50)

Publix
I used a $5/$30 coupon that I received in the mail. I spent $17.26 and saved $65.73 or 79%.

1.08 lb asparagus - $2.69
1 roll paper towels $.99
3 packages Yoplait kids yogurt - 2 were $.60 and 1 was $.70 (I used different coupons)
2 packages Oscar Mayer beef franks - $1.50 each
2 boxes Trail mix cereal - FREE
2 packages Dole pineapple fruit cups - $.68 each
3 boxes Mueller's pasta -$.32 each
8 boxes Velveeta and Kraft macaroni and cheese - $.25 each
1 box Honey Nut Cheerios - $1.00
4 bottles Kraft BBQ sauce - FREE
2 bottles Hunts ketchup - $.48 each
6 slices Boars Head chicken deli sliced breast - $1.98
6 pack Publix bottled water - $.01
1 package Pork spareribs - $5.70