Going back to Work

Ok, so we all know that being a mom is the hardest "job" on the planet. I am trying to decide if I want to add to that stress, and balance career outside the home. Or, looking at it from the perspective that I would rather look at it, give myself a "break" from the stresses at home. I have done both. I had a full-time retail job until my son was 14 months old, and I was also 6 months pregnant with my daughter. I had the luxury of being able to take my son to his grandma's daycare, which made it just a little easier. Every day I wanted to quit and spend more time with him. But, now that I have been home for 2 years, I have come to the realization that staying home is really difficult on me and my emotional/ mental health. On the other hand, I keep thinking that trying to balance the 2 would just be that much harder. So, how many of you work outside the home, also, and think it makes you a better mom? How many of you work outside the home and hate it? How many wish they could work outside the home?

I know this blog has a lot of readers...so I would like to hear from everyone!! Please!! I need help!

How to Make Lemonade out of Lemons

Ever have one of those day, or weeks, or years even that are just "lemons?" As moms, we have so many responsibilities. We are supposed to be strong women that are able to play the role of wife, mother, sister, daughter and friend. With these roles, come all sorts of responsibilities. Sometimes they can be overwhelming, and sometimes we feel like we can never measure up. The problem is that we always try to measure up to the "mom at church that walks in 10 min early, 6 kids dressed to the 'T,' they all stay quiet with no bribery snacks or toys, they are the first one to show up with a casserole when needed, the first one to volunteer for the community bake sale..." I could go on and on. What we don't see are behind the scenes. We do not know what her weaknesses are. We just see all of her strengths. This same woman that we envy may just be looking at us the same way. We may have a strength or a talent that she wishes she could have. We are comparing our weaknesses to someone else's strengths, and that is not fair to our self-esteem.

So, I want to know how you all make lemonade out of the lemons you are dealt in life.

How do you keep your sanity?

How do you relax?

How do you convince yourself you are a beautiful daughter of God with the most divine role in this life?

What do you do for fun when you have time alone?

Coupon Blog

If you are trying to get into couponing, or already a veteran at it, don't forget to check out my coupon blog, Cedar Park Coupon Divas.

Helpful Hubby...

Preface: This was sent in an email, and I have to say that this time, because Michael is a big help (usually) around the house.

How do you get your husband to help out around the house? Sometimes, backgrounds, cultures, upbringing, and so-forth cause men to think that it is a woman's "job" to do all the housework and child-rearing. When a man is brought up like this, it is very hard to change his mind. So, have any of you dealt with something like this, and if so, how have you dealt with it??

**I used to keep a daily chore chart. I would have daily duties that I would cross off as I did them during the day. When Michael got home, he just had to look at the chart and see what else had to be done. It always annoys me when I have to tell him the trash is full, or dishes need to be done, but this way, no words have to be exchanged, but he still knows what has to be done. I have not done this in months, but I may go back to it. It really did work when we stuck to it.

**I also think sitting down and having a serious talk about it helps. Let him know how you feel. Being a wife and mother is a very difficult "job" and men do not see it that way unless they are told. I think leaving them alone with the kids for a day or two usually opens their eyes, too!

Why and HOW do kids get into EVERYTHING??

It seems like my kids find every bottle of lotion, tube of toothpaste, bottle of shampoo, hair detangler, hand soap and candy...no matter where it is. We are in a rent house, and at this point, we are done thinking we are getting our deposit back ($1350). That is depressing. There are sharpie and crayon marks on the walls and floors, stains on the carpet, and holes in Tye's room from throwing stuff during his tantrums. The really frustrating thing, is after I clean up after them all day long, Michael gets frustrated because he is convinced I leave the stuff lying around. I can assure I don't. Yes, there are times that has happened, but most of the time, I am completely baffled when they come up with some of this stuff. When we are looking at houses, the main thing I am looking for are cabinets and closets! It really makes me upset. I just went in and Kenadie had red toothpaste all in her room, and when I tried to scold her, she looked at me and laughed. What do I do????

sleeping position for newborns

My son, Landon, is 8 weeks old. He used to only take naps if I was holding him. Then when I started giving him tummy time I noticed that he falls asleep within minutes and will stay asleep for a few hours. I keep him in the living room so I am able to keep a close watch on him. If I turn him over to his back he will not fall asleep. I put him on his back this morning and he cried for an hour and a half. I decided to turn him over to his stomach and he fell asleep after a minute. I know babies are never supposed to sleep on their stomachs, but what if that is the only way I can get him to sleep by himself.

Happy
Mother's
Day!!!

Hope you are all able to sit back, relax and enjoy the day!

Sorry for no posts...

It has been close to a month since my last post! I have been pretty busy. I will try to be better, but do any of you have anything going on you wanna share? It seems like this happened last year, though. The end of school is here and with summer around the corner, everyone is super busy. Posts seemed to pick up again in the fall. So, I hope we all keep each other posted on fun things we are doing in the coming months, and also give words of encouragement to those who may be having a tough time. I switched my medication...again...but I think we found a winner this time. I may need to up the dose a bit, but I will know in a week or two. So, if any of you have questions concerning that subject, I am more than willing to share my experiences. You can email me if you want it to be more private.

Hope are are all doing well!

Walgreens Deal

Ok, this was a little more oop (out of pocket), but the Burt's Bee's items were almost $15 themselves...but I get a tote bag when I send in my receipt information. (I was in need of some face cleaner and that was $7.99, not too bad). I also did not get one of the Lysol items for free, apparently they have to be EXACTLY the same price for that to work (they were .29 different). I will take these back and exchange for 2 that are alike to get one for free. The Degree deoderant is a situation that just shows exactly what we try to do with couponing. We combine sales with coupons. These deoderants were reg over $4, and they were on clearance for $1.09. I had coupons for $1/2 ($1 off 2) which made them .69 each!! I also picked up the 2 small shaving gels because they were on clearance for .42 ea, a great travel item.

In the end, my total was $44.93, but I saved $55.62!

Pre-School Freebies

Click on this link http://www.preschoolprojects.net/sample.php to receive a sample packet of their preschool curriculum. I thought it looked pretty cool!

CVS and Walgreens Deals

Here are the CVS and Walgreens deals I snagged today. I will do a breakdown, so that you will see what I did.

CVS

Pantene was on sale for 2/$7 and you got $2 ECB if you bought 2

I had a coupon for $3 off 2

So, I paid $4 out of pocket (oop) for them, but got $2 in ECB!

I also had a coupon for a FREE Pantene styling product when you buy (wyb) 2

When I walked into store, I scanned my card in the machine, and it spit out a $5 coupon for any Lumene item. I found a $10.99 toner that I had been wanting...so it was $5.99

I had $5 in ECB, so my total ended up $5.40 oop, and a savings of $20.97!!

Wags

Hefty Zipper bags were on sale for B1G1 Free (1@ $3.29)

I had .55 coupons, so I got 2 for $2.19...$1.10 ea!

Herbal Essence was on sale for 3/$10

I bought 4 (4th still rang up discounted price)

I had 4 coupons for $1 off

So, I got them for around $2 ea

Lysol products on sale for B1G1 Free

Many products were out of stock, but the wipes were $3.49 ea

I had coupons for $1 off 2, so I paid $2.49 for 2, or $1.25 ea!!

I spent $20.57

I saved $25.68

Let us know if any of you are able to snag some of these deals. We are willing to answer questions, too, if you have any!!

Little Swimmers Deal @ Babies R Us.

Alisa and I went today and got this great deal on Huggies Little Swimmers at Babies R Us. And it's just in time for summer! They are regularly priced at $8.49 a package. (price may vary in different locations) I purchased three packages and two small packages of wipes for $10.25!! It just can't get any better than that! You'll need these coupon for this deal:

Three $3/1 Huggies swimmers coupon (there is a limit of two coupon prints per computer)
One Babies R Us $5 off $25 purchase coupon
Two $1/1 Seventh Generation Coupons

On this deal you can omit Seventh Generation wipes if you don't want them. The checkers had a problem scanning the Babies R Us coupon but they just manually did it for us. And don't let them tell you diapers are not eligible!! Coupon does not specify.

Free DVD!!

https://store.mattel.com/transition.aspx?TransitionID=153

Click on link and get a FREE dvd!! Free shipping and all! While supplies last, 12-14 weeks for delivery.

Family Fun: April 4-5th

Here some stuff going on this weekend if u want to get the kids out and have some family fun. Some are in the Austin area while others are national, just have to find a store or participating location near you.

Saturday:
Kid's Workshop @ Home Depot : make a window bird house!
Great Easter Adventure @ Toys r us : Free Gift for kids!
Free Museum Admittance for BoA members
TEXPploration Bob Bullock Story time: Austin, TX
Wildfire Awareness Day @ Austin Nature & Science Center: Austin, Tx

Sunday:
Cedar Park Egg-Stravaganza @ Milburn Park  : Cedar Park, TX

Have a wonderful weekend!!

Myth

I just saw on the Doctors, that food does NOT have to cool down before you put it in frig or freezer. Apparently, it is a myth. They said that the sooner you put it in the frig or freezer, the less time it has to start growing stuff. Just thought I would share.

New and reset coupons!! HERE Time to snag all those great coupons for the month.

Cooking

Those of you who know me, know that I do not cook. If we have a nice meal, it was probably cooked by Michael. I try (sometimes) but I usually end up messing up, then getting discouraged. Or, if I actuallly do cook something nice, Michael either comes home late, had a big lunch and is not hungry, or has basketball that night, so can't eat. So, then I just get aggravated and don't cook again for weeks. Seriously, my kids live on whatever I can get them to eat, and I live off cereal and junk food, and I am not sure what Michael eats. (We do occasionally have tacos or spaghetti or something easy like that).

I have decided that my diet is out of control. I have no energy, and it is probably because of my lack of nurishment. I hardly eat, and when I do, it is not healthy. My kids deserve better. Michael deserves better. I deserve better.

With all of that said, I am looking for some great tips for evening meals. I am going to try to make meal plans, then shop accordingly. That way, I will have all the ingredients I need, and I do not have to think of what I want to cook everyday...it is already planned for me.

If any of you have ideas (besides the normal spaghetti, tacos, roast...) or a spin on those items, I would LOVE to hear them! I want to be better at this, but I don't want to get so stressed out about it.

Target Trip

I made 4 trips to 3 Targets today and 1 to Walgreens. Although I did save some money during the other trips, this was, by far the best! My total was $21.91...and YES, that is a Blu Ray copy of Bolt! So, I was pretty proud of this trip!!!

Check out sites on sidebar!!

Need tips on couponing?? Click on any of the buttons in the sidebar. They are FULL of tips, coupons and much more to make couponing just a little bit easier! They do all the work for you!

Looking for an adorable summer wardrobe for your little princess?

Check out this site

http://littlepeoplecouture.squarespace.com/

If you email her, let her know you heard about it from Happy Mommy!

Terrible Tantrums

What are some of your successes with tantrums? I have a pretty good handle on Tye's, but sometimes they are completely out of control. I try to put him in his room if he gets too loud and obnoxious, but then he throws toys at the door and wall (and we are in a rent house).

I have had small tantrums out in public, but nothing too over-the-top. So, I can be pro-active, what are some of your successes that you have had with extinguishing tantrums??

Freebies from Wags

Skintimate Shave Gel $2.99=$2.99RR
Final cost FREE!

Edge Infused/Energy Shaving Gel $3.59=$3.59RR
Final cost FREE!

If you are unfamiliar with RR (register rewards), they are like cash to be used towards your next purchase. So, you could purchase some of these items (sometimes there is a limit), then use the RR you get at the end of the trans to pay for any other items you may have...or save them for another day!

Couponing

Hi everyone!!

So, I have had some people ask me the "tricks" to this whole coupon thing. I love sharing all the things I have learned, but, frankly, I am bad at calling people. So, I have sent some emails, but I will start posting deals on here, also. If you have any questions, please email me and I can give you my phone number to call me. It is a lot of fun once you figure out what to do!

Natalie and Mary...feel free to make posts about your trips, also.

Anyone else that finds great deals, please share them!

Check out
http://www.frugalcouponliving.com/
http://hip2save.blogspot.com/
http://www.dealseekingmom.com/


These blogs have taught me everything I know. They post several times a day great deals in stores and on the internet. They have posts that you can go back and read if you are new to couponing, and you can email, or ask questions on the blogs, and they answer you back...it's great!

Happy couponing!

**and a plug for my sidebar ads...if you don't mind, take a second and click on them! Thank you!

Coupons

Mary, Natalie and I have been doing this coupon thing for a month or so, now, and I have to say it is really paying off...literally! How many times have you gone into Target and saved more than you spent...with a basketful?? Well, that happened to Mary the other day, and I have come really close! Our totals are cut just about in half. I have a stock pile of Huggies baby wipes (we know how expensive those are) and toothpaste and other toiletries. It is definitely worth the time and effort, which has gotten so much better a month into it. I just browse the computer in my downtime, and score lots of great deals and coupons! Feel free to email me (email on sidebar) if you want websites and pointers.

Baby Bjorn Potty Seat give-away

I don't enter many contests, but this one is for a really neat Baby Bjorn potty seat. Check out this blog (I also have it on the sidebar...Mommies With Cents) and see what she has to say about this potty seat!