Dinner for the week of Jan 2nd

I try to plan my whole week of meals so that I don't have to think every night or run out to the store last minute because I forgot something. Saves time, money, and brain power :) All of these but the homemade pizza are new recipes from my favorite cookbook Our Best Bites (you need).

Monday: philly cheesesteak sandwich
Tuesday: Teriyaki chicken kabobs and rice
Wednesday: sweet and sour meatballs, rice, and asian stir-fry (kinda nervous for this one, we shall see)
Thursday: Spicy Honey Chicken Salad
Friday: Homemade Pizza
Saturday: Leftovers, borrring
Sunday: Chicken Cacciatore - beeeyyond easy :). frozen or thawed chicken, jar of spaghetti sauce, some chopped peppers and onion if you want, crock pot it up until chicken shreds easily. serve over noodles.

Frugality at its Best

This post should prove to you how poor and frugal we are. My 2 yr old wanted this pink microphone SOO bad from the store. She even cried when we left and continued to ask for it for 3 days. That has never happened EVER. So I had the genius idea to make her one. A toliet paper roll, tissue paper, some buttons and gems, and good ole modge podge and voila!! A microphone! She totally loves it and makes me and her dad sing into it all the time. She even slept with the the first night I made it. I'm so talented :D

Then I have really been wanting some dress ups for her and once again too cheap to buy them sooo... I had some clothes that had been ruined from this that and the other and made decided to combine them and patch over stains. It was a fun little afternoon project and I didn't spend 1 cent which I always feel good about!

Amy

Netbook

So I am going to attempt to regularly blog because I got a new netbook! Yahoo!! My old computer is soo slow and old and getting on the internet is so frustrating so the hubs surprised me and brought home a netbook. I sent him to Toys R Us to get diapers (they're on sale) and he came with a netbook, awesome! Haha silly boys, they love their electronics. They were on a great sale as well. I don't have the exact number on the diaper deal because I threw away the receipts but right now Toys R Us has an additional 25% off there clearance and tubs of 140 diapers, 32 wipes, $20 worth of Toys R Us coupons, and a sturdy plastic tub are on clearance for around $38.00. I had a $2.00 off huggies coupon so we got a tub for about $24.00. We then got the coupon booklet out of the tub and there was a $7.00 off box of huggies diapers coupon so we bought another tub using that coupon. It's a pretty good deal in my opinion. Also netbooks were on clearance with the additional 25% off so my husband figured it was too good to pass up. We got it for $130 less than Walmart is selling it for :D. I consider that another good deal. The Toys R Us additional clearance goes til sometime in July so check out your local store and get some good dealios!!

Amy

Kitchen Tip

 So a while back my friend taught me about a genius kitchen tip that I love and now use. It is easy and saves time and money, now that is what I'm talking about! I know, I am killing you with anticipation so... here we go. We all hate chopping onions, at least I do and so this is a great trick. Buy your onion, chop up the whole dang thing, and freeze it. Yup, that's it. You now have chopped onion at all times and you don't have to cry every time you only need 1 Tbls per recipe. You also don't let a single piece of onion go to waste, which it's all about frugality in my book. So go buy yourself an onion, chop the entire thing up, shed a tear or two, freeze it in a ziplock, and have chopped onion whenever you need. Hope it works for you because I know it is a kitchen tip that I totally love!

 Amy

Don't worry my kids survived the day.. and so did I

Today was a pretty adventurous day, as most days are in my household. My 2 yr old walks into my bedroom super excited and exclaims "Go to the waterslide now!" (I told her yesterday that it would finally be warm enough, 70's if we were lucky, to go to the waterslide which she has been begging to go to for weeks.) I tried to explain that it was 8 in the morning and we had to wait until after naps when it was warmer to go. She was sad but agreed. Don't worry, she continued to ask frequently throughout our day when we would be going. She also told me that she was wet. I went in to her room and her sheets were soaking wet. Nothing like the 1st load of laundry at 8am. Then I was feeding my baby rice cereal when my 2 yr old summoned me to the bathroom to help her. (she is kinda potty trained but wears diapers, I know complicated. For another post later.) I left the baby for only a moment and upon my return found the oatmeal EVERYWHERE. "Ugh," I thought, "Another mess." It's only 8:20 by now, I know absurd! Don't you worry though I did take a picture before cleaning it up, in fact it still isn't totally cleaned up. Ya, it's 10:30 pm and I haven't cleaned up morning breakfast messes, some days are like that don'tcha know? So anyways I strip her down and get her cleaned up and proceed with my day. For some reason my 2 yr old is soo whiney lately. I know, can you imagine a 2 yr old whining? Crazy! Anyways she was driving me nuts all day but we eventually made it to the waterpark We get there and they search our stuff better than the freakin airport searches. They seriously chucked the water out of my babies bottle and made me refill it inside. They also made me shake out every towel to see if I was hiding an extra granola bar. Wow, really? Anyways, I stayed with the baby and my husband took the other one around to play. He comes back about 20 minutes later and tells me, "So I looked down, and there she was just floating face down in the water." Uhh, what? "Ya, she was standing and all of the sudden she was floating." Not good people, NOT GOOD! So don't worry she is totally fine and we learned a very important lesson. Watch your kids at all times. She had been standing and my husband looked away for 2 seconds and she feel over. Scary to say the least and we are most certainly getting a lifejacket! Oh and then this evening we were throwing away some branches from a crazy tree in our backyard and apparently my baby ate one because about 10 minutes later she starts gagging and throws up a leaf. It was scary because she struggled for just a minute and I had no idea she had eaten anything weird, let alone a leaf. So don't worry my kids are healthy and safely tucked into bed. This post definitely makes me look like a retarded and unaware mom but hey some days are crazier than others. Hopefully this post will remind you that you are not the only crazy one out there. I am definitely at the top of the list. Lessons we learned today: 1. don't give your child lots of liquids before bed 2. don't leave your baby within reach of ANY edible substance (cereal or leaves) 3. use a lifejacket 4. know that parents make mistakes and all we can do is learn from them!
- Sorry I can't post the picture of the mess, use your imagination, I'm sure you have seen a similar mess in your days.

Amy

 

Freebies without the Sunday Paper

No Sunday paper required for these deals, yahoooo!!

Walmart

Ronzoni Garden Delight Pasta $1.08

$1.00/1 PRINTABLE for Ronzoni Garden Delight Pasta
Final cost $0.08 (use your overage from other items to get this FREE)

Nexcare Comfort Bandages $1.00

$1.00/1 PRINTABLE for Nexcare Bandages
FREE!

Wilkinson Twin or Triple Blade Razors $0.97

$1.00/1 PRINTABLE for Wilkinson Twin or Triple Blade Razors (zip 90201 pg. 2)
FREE + $0.03 Money Maker!

Aquafresh Extreme Clean Toothpaste, $0.97
$1.00/1 PRINTABLE for Aquafresh
FREE!


Target

Kashi Cereal cups $1.00
$1.00/1 PRINTABLE for Kashi
$FREE!

Carefree Liners $0.99
$1.00/1 PRINTABLE for Carefree
$FREE!

Photo Prints 4X6 $0.10 each
$2.00/20 PRINTABLE for 4X6 Prints TARGET Coupon
$FREE (for 20 prints)

Zantac 150 24ct $7.26
$5.00/1 PRINTABLE for Zantac
$2.00/1 PRINTABLE for Zantac TARGET Coupon
Final cost $0.26 (not FREE, but Super Close)


Thanks www.supercouponlady.com for these great deals!


Amy

My friends Giveaway!

Check out this cute blog and the fun giveaway she has going right now! These are cute and I want them for summer. My toes but mostly my girls toes would be ADORABLE! I need! Check it out

Amy