Mosaic Meme's

I was kind of bored this evening, even though there is plenty to do around here. I decided to go ahead and make my own little flickr mosaic meme....instead of chores. Bad Melissa. It was fun though...

The last picture isn't really my flickr name. Nothing came up when I entered it in so I just typed in "your name" I like what I found though! :)

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Here are the instructions:

• Type your answers to each of the questions below into Flickr Search .
• Using only the first page, pick an image.
• Copy and paste each of the URLs into the mosaic maker.

Questions:

1. What is your first name?
2. What is your favorite food?
3. What high school did you go to?
4. What is your favorite color?
5. Who is your celebrity crush?
6. Favorite drink?
7. Dream vacation?
8. Favorite dessert?
9. What do you want to be when you grow up?
10. What do you love most in life?
11. One word to describe you.
12. Your Flickr name.

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I had so much fun doing mine I thought, well shoot lets do one for the hubbs.

...Here is Malachi's:

For the last picture I didn't use our Flickr name because nothing comes up for it. So for Mal's I used "my name." I laughed at what I found because Mal loves 'The Princess Bride'.

Why stop at Malachi? Here is baby D's:

I am not sure why the picture for his favorite color didn't show up. I guess white will do since we really don't know what his favorite color is. ;) For his flickr name I just used his initials, for the high school I just did his favorite cartoon. I couldn't think of anything for a 'celebrity crush' what do you do for an almost 14 month old? I just typed in 'the goodnight show' - that lady seems sweet, hehe.

Win a Vintage Apron!

I just love all of the cute vintage aprons at Rick Rack Attack.

Visit Confessions of an Apron Queen & enter to win one of these super cute aprons!

Sweet Amazon Deal! - Free $10! TODAY ONLY!

Thanks to Crystal at Money Saving Mom for posting about this great deal!

Sign up here for a free one-month trial of Amazon Prime and you will get a $10 Credit towards your next order! Amazon Prime is a new service that gives you free 2-day shipping on all orders from Amazon.com.

You can use your $10 credit to purchase anything through Amazon.com. So if you find something for $10 or less you will receive it FREE with FREE 2-Day Shipping! The credit shows up when you check out!

I just used my credit to pre-order Breaking Dawn, by Stephenie Meyer. I was debating whether or not I wanted to purchase this book since I borrowed the other books in the series from my lil sis. I figured I would go ahead and get it since I only had to pay $2 something bucks out of pocket with this deal! Yay!

***After you sign up just log into your account and I believe you click a link that says something about managing your Amazon Prime account. Then there is a little button that you can click that I believe says "Do not Upgrade" - click that and then you will not be charged the $79 annual Amazon Prime fee after your 1 month free trial is over! (and you will not have to remember to cancel your membership in a month!)***

Menu Plan Monday - July 28th

Once again this past week didn't go as planned so some of the previous weeks meals will be for this week. I can't really complain, it just means less planning and shopping for me!

Here is what is on our menu this week:

Breakfasts:

• Muesli *w/some added spices and coconut & Toast

• Millet Muffins & Smoothies
  *substituting at least 1/2 the oil w/applesauce

• Nourishing Traditions Waffles

• Yogurt & Granola w/ Fresh Fruit

• Eggs & Toast

• Cold Cereal

Lunches:

• Egg Salad Wraps

• Peanut Butter and Jelly w/fresh fruit or veggies

• Grilled Cheese & Tomato Soup

• Tuscan Penne Pasta Salad
  

• *leftovers*
  

Dinners:

• Buffalo Turkey Burgers w/ steamed red potatoes and celery sticks. (Rachael Ray's 365: No Repeats cookbook)

• Sloppy Lentils w/steamed veggies on the side
  

• Shepherds Pie & Fresh Fruit
  

• Crock Pot Indian Curry & brown rice
  

• Spicy & Tender Crock Pot Pork Chops w/ brown rice

** Thank you to Laura at Organizing Junkie for hosting Menu Plan Monday! **

CVS week of 7/20

Well it was nice to be back this week. I had some ECB's that were expiring on the 20th so I had to use those up. Malachi came with me so he threw something in that he had been needing. I didn't have my best trip, but it was good to use up some ECB's to get some stuff we needed for free, or almost free!

Here is what I scored this week!

*2 CVS Diapers (jumbo pack)
*2 CVS Baby Wipes
*6 Bottles of L'Oreal Vive Shampoo/Condtioner
*4 Trident Gum
*3 Pack of CVS Replacement Toothbrush Heads

-$2/10 CVS CRT coupon
-$4.99 (Buy one get one free Vive) x's 3
-$1.69 Trident Buy one get one free (x's 2) *Should have been $1.49 I guess the cashier made a mistake.
-$2/$10 CVS Purchase (from tear pad) coupon


Total after manf. & store coupons: $27.59
ECB's Used: $21.99
OOP: $5.60 + tax **On a gift card**
ECB's Earned: $7.00

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So altogether I got $72.88 worth of merchandise for really nothing out of pocket besides losing some ECB's and gift card money. If I would have walked into CVS with only my Extra Care card and not a single coupon I would have paid $49.94!

I needed to bring my ECB's 'on hand' amount down anyway because it was getting kind of hard for me to keep up with! I don't know how people do it when they have more than one Extra Care card.

I always love to get in on a diaper deal! It is nice to get them for close to free, and I definitely have enough shampoo and conditioner to last us through the year, hehe. I think I am going to add some of it to my donation pile.

Want to see more CVS savings? Visit The Centsible Sawyer & Money Saving Mom!

A couple of posts I enjoyed today.

...just thought I would share! :)

>

• Alyssa at Keeping the Kingdom First lists '10 Ways To Be The Worst CVS Shopper Ever.'

**This post had me rollin' because everything she lists is SO TRUE! Please read if you are a CVS shopper! It is people like this that will end up ruining the CVS deals for everyone!

She mentions her post was inspired by 'How to be a Social Downer' over at Mrs. Fussypants Guide to Life. So I had to go check it out. It's funny because we all know 'that person.' I also really enjoyed her blog as well!

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The Apronista is hosting a giveaway for an awesome vintage apron of your choice from Rick Rack Attack! These vintage aprons are SO stinking adorable! It would be so fun to win one! I think this one is super cute:

Go check it out!

Menu Plan Monday - July 21st

This week I am going to try a couple of new recipes just like last week! I am excited to try some more new recipes. Last week we enjoyed everything we tried, so we have some new 'keepers' :) I would definitely recommend the Whole Wheat Blueberry Muffins (yum yum!), 5 Minute Southwest Salad (thanks to orgjunkie, this salad rocked and was SO fast and easy!) and the Citrus Fish w/ Couscous! The Chicken and Black Bean Quesadillas were great too, even without the chicken.

I made a mistake this past week that cost us. I had everything out and I was all ready to start dinner when Malachi called me and said we were invited to his parents house for dinner. So I put everything away (or so I thought.) On the way home from his parents house I had a vision of the chicken still in the sink. I was certain that I had put it away along with everything else. When we got home I found the chicken in the sink. :( I was SO mad at myself because the chicken was for 2 meals! I don't know where my mind was!

Anyway, here is our meal plan for this week!

Breakfast:

• Oatmeal w/ Fresh Fruit
• Cold Cereal
• Yogurt, Granola & Fresh Fruit
  
• Whole-Wheat Pancakes w/ Nutty Topping
  
• Smoothies & Whole Wheat Blueberry Muffin's from last week.

Lunch:

***Lunch is usually leftovers around here. If there aren't any leftovers we usually just have sandwiches, burritos, quesadillas, soups or salads...

Dinner:

• Pecan Crusted Chicken w/ Spinach Salad

• Very Veggie Slow Cooked Red Beans & Rice
  

• Sloppy Lentils w/ Steamed Veggies on the side
  

• Shepherd's Pie w/ Fresh Fruit on the side

• Pioneer Woman's Pasta Primavera w/ Whole Wheat Bread

**We didn't get to the Buffalo Turkey Burgers or the Honey Mustard Pasta last week so those will probably make there way into the menu this week as well.

For more menu ideas head on over to orgjunkie's Menu Plan Monday!

My Saturday Morning Cartoons.

Ok, so they aren't really cartoons but every Saturday morning at 8 am I turn my tv to BBC America so that I can watch 'How Clean Is Your House' and 'You Are What You Eat'. I just love both of these shows.

I can't believe the houses Kim & Aggie visit on 'How Clean Is Your House'. I get so grossed out by the houses that they clean but I can't help it, I have to watch. I learn some great tips from them and I am also encouraged because 1. My house, at its dirtiest is NEVER anything like the houses they visit, 2. I am inspired to get up and clean because I do not EVER want my house to end up like the ones they visit. I bought their 'How Clean Is Your House' book a couple of years ago and I really enjoy it. It is full of great tips! I just love Kim & Aggie. They are such funny ladies.

'You Are What You Eat' is my weekly reminder to try my best to eat healthy and to try and do at least some type of exercise. I am always surprised at the food that the people on the show consume in a week. It is do disgusting. Gillian McKeith always has me laughing. She can be pretty mean but she always manages to get her point across and she has changed a lot of people lives by getting them on the right path when it comes to their food choices. I know I have been encouraged by her and each time I eat candy I have the vision of her in an apron with a glass of sugar in one hand and the candy in the other to show me exactly what it is that I am putting into my body. Hehe. A lot of the recipes on the show actually look pretty good to me so I would like to check out her 'You are What You Eat Cookbook' sometime.

So, if you are looking for some entertainment on a Saturday morning while you drink your coffee or morning tea watch these shows on BBC America with me! ;)

No CVS for me...

I decided to take a break from 'deal shopping' this week. The week kind of got away from me and to be honest I just wasn't feelin' it. I didn't even do the CVS free photobook deal. I just couldn't get prepared and get myself to make a CVS run. This is the first week I haven't scored some deals in awhile, and I was thinking "what is wrong with me?" I guess I was just feeling a little burnt out with trying to come up with a deal that included something we needed. Then I read this post over at Biblical Womanhood and I realized that it's not just me that was feeling like that so I felt better. I have gotten a little behind on my coupons with the cutting and organizing, but I hope to have it all figured out tomorrow and I am hoping to score some sweet deals this coming week.

::If you are interested in checking out what kind of deals other people were able to hook themselves up with this week visit The Centsible Sawyer and Money Saving Mom!

Magicloths

Today I went to Mervyns to get baby D some new kicks. While I was there I heard an announcement, "head on over to the counter next to the jewelry for some limited time freebies!!" Of course since I love freebies I was right there, hehe. (What a nerd.) So the lady gets started and has all of us there (about 20 or so...I was right in the front, hahaha) gather around her demo table and informs us that we will get these little items for free and anyone who gets one can use it at the end to get more freebies...blah blah blah. So lucky for me I answered some random question correctly so I got two of the freebies:

I was thinking "sweet maybe I will get two of the 'other' freebies at the end" - hehe.

So she went through her whole demo telling us that the samples we received can be used for so many things...I think she mentioned cleaning sunglasses, wiping down your car interior and stuff like that. Then she whips out the normal size of the cloth and goes to town demo-ing. (Is that a word?)

I have to admit that I was pretty impressed with what she did. You can dry cars, clean spills in the carpet, dry your hair/body, clean...etc with it. She did the carpet demo and I was like "WHOA!" She took a piece of carpet and spilled diet coke all over it til it was drenched. Then all she did was lay the cloth over the top of it for a minute or so and then rung it out in a pie dish and almost all of the coke rung out of it! Then she layed the cloth back on the carpet and applied pressure and was able to get the rest of the coke out of the carpet! I even felt it after and it was pretty much dry, like it never happened....The thing is so absorbant that you can put it in a pie dish of water and it will just soak it all up. Then you can lift it up and no water drips from it. Niiiicccee.. I really wanted to take it from her and use it to dry my truck off, if I ever washed it...I should go do that.

So after a few other demos and talking (a lot) she gets to the end about the freebies. At this point I had heard Deacon crying (good thing my mama and sister were with me, hehe) and I was getting a bit anxious. Turns out the whole deal was that if you bought a 2 pack of the cloths that sell for $21.99 she was going to throw in another pack for free, AND a mop. So those were the freebies I waited for, I actually had to buy something to get my
'other' freebies... psh! I do remember seeing the mops on tv before and I always thought they looked pretty cool, (again, what a nerd.)

So I waited all of that time (5+ minutes, hehe) for that? It was a good deal and if I had the extra $22 bucks I may have just went ahead and got it. I was amazed that almost everyone in the little group I was in purchased it!? I was suprised, I thought everyone would just walk away like me. I guess the girl was good at her job. I peaced out and went to tend to my baby and told my mom about it as we watched everyone walk away with there magic towels and mops.

I have to admit that I kind of want one now.

Click here if you are bored and want to see pretty much the same demo that I saw today.

**I am not trying to sell this product or anything, i'm not working for the magicloth maker people. I just wanted to share my little experience of the day! - Has anyone tried these?**

I guess I will go use my mini magicloths to go dry something now....

Menu Plan Monday - July 14th

Ever since Malachi and I were married I have been doing menu planning....well I guess I actually started my own personal menu plan back when I was living alone as well. Menu planning is such a great way to keep yourself organized and less stressed out during the week. It is nice to have a variety of different meals to choose from and not have to make so many trips to the store. It also helps to keep your meals within a budget and we all know that is important!

I try to base my menu off of what is on sale and what I already have on hand. I usually open up my cookbooks, or browse around online on Sunday or Monday with the grocery ads for the week in hand. First I try to find meals with ingredients that I already have. Then I see which meats/produce are on sale and build the rest of the menu from that. I also like to try and get a variety of different meats and produce for throughout the week with at least one meatless meal. (Usually not Malachi's favorite, hehe.) When I have decided on the meals for the week I bookmark any recipes I find online and organize them into a folder. For recipes I find in a cookbook/magazine I just bookmark the page and also write the page number down on my list of meals for the week.

I make my grocery list and break it down into categories that follow the layout of the store I am going to like dairy, meat, bread, produce, canned/bulk..etc. That way my list is organized and easy to follow when I am in the store. I also go through my coupon binder and pull any coupons that I have for items on my list and put them in the front of my binder for easy access.

Shopping off of a list helps me a lot. I really try to focus on what I already have on the list so that I do not buy things that I do not need, that is unless I find some sweet sale that I can't pass up and have coupons to go along with it. Of course I always make sure not to go over budget, hehe. *wink* Seriously though...I set an amount and try my hardest not to go over that amount. I feel really happy with myself when I get everything I need for less then my set amount. I usually skip out of the store with a big ol' grin when that happens, j/k.

Some weeks I seriously have know idea what I want to make. I don't like those weeks. A couple of months back I found orgjunkie. I wasn't even looking for menu planning ideas, I think I had googled something about organizing closests or something, but I was happy with what I found. Every Monday she hosts 'Menu Plan Monday'. I have been able to find some great menu ideas from everyone who posts there weekly menu plans there. It is very helpful, especially when you have the 'I don't know what to make this week' problem.

I decided that it was kind of rude of me to find such great ideas from other people and not post anything myself. So I am going to start sharing our weekly menu's here and participate in Menu Plan Monday. Share your menu too, maybe we can get some ideas from each other!



Here is what we will be feasting on this week:
*I don't assign meals to certain days. I like to keep it flexible. You just never know what mood your are gonna be in from day to day. ;)

Breakfast:

• Whole Wheat Blueberry Muffins
• Oatmeal and Whole Wheat Toast
• Yogurt and Granola w/ Blueberries
  
• Cereal
• Eggs and Toast
• Smoothies
  

Lunch:
***Lunch is usually leftovers around here. If there aren't any leftovers we usually just have sandwiches, burritos, quesadillas, soups or salads...

Dinner:

• Citrus Fish with Bell Pepper Couscous with steamed zucchini and squash.

• Grilled Chicken & Black Bean Quesadillas w/fresh pineapple on the side.

• BBQ Beef Sandwiches and Pasta salad. (Fix it & Forget It cookbook)
  

• 5 Minute Southwest Salad w/whole wheat bread on the side.

• Ravioli Pasta Bake w/ tossed salad and whole wheat bread.

• Buffalo Turkey Burgers w/ steamed red potatoes and celery sticks. (Rachael Ray's 365: No Repeats cookbook)
  

• Honey Mustard Pasta w/fresh fruit and a tossed salad.

I had a few ideas but thanks to orgjunkie I was able to quickly find some other recipes to help me fill in the rest of the week. I thought the Honey Mustard Pasta, and the 5 Minute Southwest Salad sounded good and I got the recipe links from her!

For more menu ideas head on over to orgjunkie's Menu Plan Monday!

CVS week of 7/6

This week I really wanted to get in on the Olay deal. I have been wanting to get some of their products for awhile but of course didn't want to have to pay much for them! - te he he. The last time I scored a deal on facial products was with Garnier prodcuts quite awhile back. I'm not a fan of their stuff. It works nice, but I guess its mainly the smell that gets to me...

Anyway, I went in with a different plan in mind, but I still walked out happy.

*Olay facial cleanser
*Olay detoxifying pore scrub
*Olay micro derm cleansing cloths
*(2) Pert Plus (hey they were only $.50 ea. after coupon)

-$3 Olay coupon (x's 3/from 6/22 SS)
-$2 Pert Plus (x's 2)
-$3 CRT for face product

Total after coupons: $10.97
ECB's used: $10.00
OOP: $.97 + tax (on a gift card)
Earned: $10.00 ECB's



Want to see more CVS savings? Visit the "Cents"ible Sawyer's CVS Superstars! And Money Saving Mom's Super Savings!

Need a photo book?

Head on down to CVS starting next week *7/13 - 7/19* when they are FREE After ECB's!

• 4 X 6 10 Page hardcover photo books ($3.99), Free after extra bucks, LIMIT 1

• 6 x 8 10 Page hardcover photo books ($7.99), Free after extra bucks, LIMIT 2

::The 6x8 books will be better than free if you have the kodak coupon for $3 off an instant photobook. These are what I plan to get. **(The Kodak Photo Book coupons were found in the 5/04 and 6/08 SS Insert)**

::Also make sure to check the photo center for any other coupons they may have. I know there are some '$3 off 6x8 photo book CVS store coupons' out there so I will be looking for those as well.

Just bring in your pics on any media CD-R, USB Stick, SD Card or any other memory card with the pictures you want and insert it into the Kodak picture machine in the photo center. Then select the background you want for the pages, select your pictures, and then it auto arranges them on the pages for you. You can then go back and make pictures bigger or smaller, or rearrange them if you want. From what I have read it is pretty easy to do and only takes a few minutes to complete.

It will be nice to get some pictures printed out. I have SO MANY and they are all on the computer or on CD's! I am due for some photo books!

Teething Cookies for Baby

Deacon has been chewing on everything he can get his hands on right now. Poor little guy, his molars are on their way in. I happened to find a recipe at keeperofthehome.org for a healthy teething cookie so I just had to try it! Turns out baby D loves them!

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Teething Cookies for Baby

2 Tbsp honey (not suitable for babies under one year of age)
1 Tbsp molasses
2 Tbsp oil (Coconut oil or butter is recommended)
1 egg yolk, beaten
1/2 cup rice or millet flour
3/4 cup flour of your choice (spelt, wheat, kamut, barley)

Stir together the honey, molasses, oil and egg yolk. Mix the flours, and add to make a stiff dough. Since flours differ, if it is too thick, add a Tbsp of milk. If too soft, add a bit more rice or millet flour.

Roll dough to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut into rectangles 1 x 1 1/2 inches. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 F until golden brown, about 15-20 minutes.

Makes 4 dozen cookies.

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I used a combination of brown rice flour and whole wheat flour along with coconut oil. I actually had to add about 4-5 tbsp's of milk to my mixture because the mixture was pretty crumbly and not forming into anything so you may have to do that. I rolled the dough out a little bit thicker than 1/4" so I baked them for about 25 minutes. I also didn't get 4 dozen cookies out of it since I rolled it thicker and I cut them a bit larger than 1 x 1 1/2".

I tried one myself and they are pretty hard but they mush/gum up nice. I thought maybe my little guy wouldn't like them. They are not very sweet at all, I would maybe even add 1 more tbsp of honey next time. That didn't seem to bother Deacon, he had 3 yesterday! He really liked them! I have to admit that made me feel kinda good, hehe.

In'N Out Secrets

I am really trying to eat healthy, but I have to admit I am a sucker for In'N Out Burger. After months of waiting we finally got one down the street from our house! Danger...danger. Hehe.

Well, I knew about a few of the 'secret menu items' - but I had not heard about them all, til today. Malachi found them, and I thought I would share.

**In-N-Out Burger has a secret unpublished menu for insiders who are In-The-Know. Next time you're there (tomorrow . . . or maybe tonight), order a bag of these off-the-menu specials:

"3-by-3" = three meat patties and three slices of cheese.***ooohh a triple decker!***

"4-by-4" = four meat patties and four slices of cheese. *Malachi loves this one!*

"2-by-4" = two meat patties and four slices of cheese.****got cheese?***

*Note: You can get a burger with as many meat patties or cheese slices as you want. Just tell the In-N-Out Burger cashier how many meat patties and how much cheese you want and that is what you'll get! For instance, if you want 6 pieces of meat and 10 pieces of cheese tell them you want a "6-by-10." ****Wow who has a mouth that can fit around a stack like that?****

"Double Meat" = like a Double Double without cheese.***No cheese, eh?****

"3 by Meat" = three meat patties and no cheese.***That's a lot of meat!****

"Animal Style" = the meat is cooked and fried with mustard and then pickles are added, extra spread and grilled onions are added. ****This one is MY FAVORITE! I get it almost every time I go, hehe*****

"Animal Style Fries" = fries with cheese, spread, grilled onions and pickles (if you ask for them). ***Yum, yum I always forget about this one.***

"Protein Style" = for all you low-carbohydrate dieters, this is a burger with no bun (wrapped in lettuce). ***This is what I should get ;)***

"Flying Dutchman" = two meat patties, two slices of melted cheese and nothing else - not even a bun! ***How do you eat this one? With a knife and fork? I don't want melted cheese all over my hands!***

Fries "Well-Done" = extra crispy fries . . . even better than the regular! ***That's what I'm talkin' about!****

Fries "Light" = opposite of fries well-done, more raw than most people like 'em ***No thanks!***

"Grilled Cheese" = no meat, just melted cheese, tomato, lettuce and spread on a bun. ***What?! No meat?***

"Veggie Burger" = burger without the patty or cheese. Sometimes we call this the "Wish Burger." ****Boring.****

"Neapolitan" Shake = strawberry, vanilla and chocolate blended together.***I think I will stick to a one flavor shake.***

The friendly employees of In-N-Out Burger will take your special order without question, if you use the right terminology. The printed receipt will have your special request typed on it just as we said it.

Try it!

Penny items at Staples!

If you can make it to Staples between today and Wednesday the 9th you can get some items for just a penny! Today I made the trip up the street and was able to get all of the above for $1.14 +tax.

*(2) Purell hand sanitizers = $.01 each (limit 2)
*(2) 8 packs of pencils = $.01 each (limit 2)
*(10) Folders = $.01 each (limit 10)
*(4) 1" Poly Binders = $.25 each (limit 4)

**The limits are per customer so I could have scored some more stuff if Malachi would have been with me. I think what I got will do though! :) I read somewhere that people are bringing their whole family in with them and using each person (even a 3 year old, hehe) to get their 'customer limit' - so if you really need to stock up then bring the whole fam down, hehe.

It was nice to get in on a deal like this because it seems like I am always searching for a folder/binder for random things and now we will have some on hand. You can always use pencils, and at a penny each I couldn't pass up the hand sanitizer!**

CVS week of 6/29

Oops, I forgot to post this last week, sorry. I did two transactions (2 different stores) and here is what I got:

Transaction #1:

*2 CVS brand liners
*2 CVS brand tampons
*2 Coppertone sticks

-$1.00 CVS feminine product coupon
-$1.50 CVS feminine product coupon

Total after coupons: $12.44
ECB's used: $11.99
OOP: $.45 + tax (on a gift card)
Earned: $13.98 ECB's

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Transaction #2: **I really wanted to get the mascara and my store didn't have any left :(

*2 Sure deodorants
*Physicians Formula mineral mascara

-$1.00 Phys. Form coupon
-$2.89 (BOGO free Sure coupon)

Total after coupons: $9.88
ECB's used: $9.49
OOP: $.39 + tax (on a gift card)
Earned: $10.99 ECB's

**I was pretty happy with the week. I was able to get a few of the July freebies and I was happy to get in on the free sunblock deal! I hope that helped someone else! I always love free makeup and it has been fun lately because I have been able to try a few different brands that I usually would have never even thought to try. I think I am going to start a bag of stuff to donate!**

I ♥ Breastfeeding...

Before I ever even found out I was pregnant I was sure of one thing, I wanted to breastfeed! Once I found out I was pregnant I researched it even more and was totally confident that was the way I wanted to go! I didn't know how long I wanted to do it, but I knew I wanted to. When I had Deacon and we began our 'nursing relationship' I have to admit that it was very hard and there were times that I wanted to give up...(oohh the pain). The pain went away and when it was gone I had the joy of knowing that every bit of nourishment my child was receiving was coming straight from me, his mommy. How amazing is that? How awesome that God designed us to be able to provide nourishment for our babies! I love nursing, I love the bond it has created with Deacon and I. I love that nobody in the world will ever have that with him. Its a special time for us to relax and enjoy each other. My world can be totally chaotic, and sometimes all I need to do is take a breather and sit down and nurse my baby. Now I am feeling that it all has to end and I am so full of emotion I feel like I can't breathe.

I have loved the convenience of nursing. If Deacon was hungry I could offer him something to fill him up. Now that he is older and is eating big boy food, he doesn't just rely on me anymore and it's nice sometimes, but still hard. Every day I have to figure out what I am going to feed my baby and how much, and is this healthy, etc. I am really going to miss the days of just sitting down and knowing that everything my baby needed he was getting from me.

A few weeks ago I started to give Deacon some whole milk. He had a tough time figuring out the sippy cups, but I finally found a cup he is able to drink from. Once he really got the chance to taste cows milk he seemed to like it. I was happy and sad at the same time. I don't want to be replaced...sniff sniff.

Weaning... wow I never thought this time would come so fast, and I have no idea how I am going to stop. I have read through my nursing books and when I read them I just shake and am so full of emotion that I can't even cry. I don't know what my problem is besides that I am just scared to stop. Then I think, why do I have to? Who is telling me that I have to? Nobody really, I guess I had decided myself that I would stop nursing when Deacon was a year old. I just never knew how hard it would be.

When I took him to his 1 year well baby check I asked the Dr. about stopping and he told me to just stop one feeding every three days and within a week I should be able to completely stop, ha - yeah right, easy for him to say. I have done this every single day since Deacon was born. This is what we know. How do you just stop? I sit and nurse my baby and I can look down at his sweet face looking up at me and I know I am the only one that can provide him with this satisfaction, how do you stop something so special?

Nursing my baby has been one of the greatest things I have ever done, and with every day that passes I am one day closer to stopping :( I am so thankful to God that I have been able to to do this, and for so long, but when it comes to stopping...I need help, I don't know if I can do it. I kind of wish that it would be his choice and not mine. I read about babies just losing interest in nursing. Although that would probably make me sad, I think it would be easier. The pain of stopping scares me too.

Any advice will be greatly appreciated.

Sharing the love from my inbox...

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Sweet CVS deal:

Buy (2) Coppertone Suncare Products and receive a $10 ECB - limit 1. I had read that the Coppertone face sticks and chapsticks were working towards this deal, so yesterday I had to try it out! I got 2 of the Coppertone Water Babies UVA/UVB Protection Sunblock Sticks, 30 SPF for $4.99 each and I received $10 ECB's back! Pretty sweet deal!

CVS week of 6/22

*9 Soy Joy bars
*Huggies baby wash
*CVS cotton swabs
*CVS pocket tissues

-$Buy 2 get 1 Free Soy Joy (x3)
-$1.00 Huggies
-$2.00 CVS skincare coupon

Total after coupons: $9.98
ECB's used: $10.00 (adjusted to $9.98)
OOP: $0.00
Earned: $12.00 ECB's

This was a fun one! The cashier was like "wow, you just got all of this stuff for free....wait a second here are some more extra bucks for you....wow!" I didn't pay ANYTHING, not even tax. She had to adjust my $10 ECB to $9.98. So I basically got paid $12 for all of this stuff! I ♥ CVS!


**I now have $43.47 ECB's!!**

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Earthbound Farms Coupons!

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Thank you to Kristin at BeCentsAble!

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