I have a few ideas for posts, but not enough time to flesh them out just yet. So in the meantime I thought I would share some blogs I enjoy stalking.
My favorite Mormon celebrity... CJane
http://blog.cjanerun.com/
My favorite mommy blogger... Jet Set Carina aka Azucar
http://www.jetsetcarina.com/
A few crafty blogs...
The Thrifty Chick (Stacey passed away unexpectedly last year, but the blog and all her terrific ideas are still here)
http://thethriftychick.blogspot.com/
UCreate
http://kari-youcanmakeit.blogspot.com/
I also blog stalk some friends...
Wings of Blue Photography
http://www.wingsofblue.blogspot.com/
Jarvie Digital Photography
http://jarviestudios.com/blog/
So, is there anything else I should be reading? Comment with your favorite blogs or even your own.
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
So You Think You Can Coupon- Some Tips For Shopping Prep
To have a really successful shopping trip requires a bit of pre-planning. This does not need to take a lot of time. Once you are familiar with planning trips, your weekly shopping list will only take about 15 to 20 minutes to compile. Here are a few tips I have picked up-
Be familiar with the staples you have on hand and don't buy anything you won't use. If you have 2 boxes of Hamburger Helper in the pantry and a coupon that will get you 2 more, but your family refuses to eat Hamburger Helper, ultimately you won't save anything. If you have coupons for stuff you won't use or need, you can use them to swap with other couponers, buy goods that you intend to donate to a food bank or shelter, or just pass them on to someone who might be able to use them.
Identify the stores that will double coupon and find out when they will be offering it. Any manager should be able to let you know. Be extra nice to managers and sometimes they will offer to give you a call, at the very least they will have your back when it comes to redeeming coupons or getting rain checks.
If you are not picky about generic brands versus name brands, do not get seduced by a coupon for the name brand item. For example- if Kraft Mac N' Cheese is 1.89 and you have a .50 coupon, the box is 1.39. If the generic brand box is 1.19, you really aren't saving anything. But if the store will double the coupon, giving you $1 off, bringing the name brand box down to .89, then get the name brand.
Stockpile coupons you will use. Trade for them, use coupon clipping sites, etc to build up your stash. Often a coupon will run several weeks in a row in a coupon guide, with the expiration date slightly later each time. This gives you multiple opportunities to stock pile certain items.
I hate to suggest anything that costs money when it comes to couponing, but consider getting a subscription to "All You" magazine. It is a magazine geared towards couponers. Do not buy it off the newstand. Commit to getting a subscription for savings over the year. It often has high dollar coupons that can give you big savings.
That's all for now- more later. Feel free to send comments, favorite links or questions for me to post!
Be familiar with the staples you have on hand and don't buy anything you won't use. If you have 2 boxes of Hamburger Helper in the pantry and a coupon that will get you 2 more, but your family refuses to eat Hamburger Helper, ultimately you won't save anything. If you have coupons for stuff you won't use or need, you can use them to swap with other couponers, buy goods that you intend to donate to a food bank or shelter, or just pass them on to someone who might be able to use them.
Identify the stores that will double coupon and find out when they will be offering it. Any manager should be able to let you know. Be extra nice to managers and sometimes they will offer to give you a call, at the very least they will have your back when it comes to redeeming coupons or getting rain checks.
If you are not picky about generic brands versus name brands, do not get seduced by a coupon for the name brand item. For example- if Kraft Mac N' Cheese is 1.89 and you have a .50 coupon, the box is 1.39. If the generic brand box is 1.19, you really aren't saving anything. But if the store will double the coupon, giving you $1 off, bringing the name brand box down to .89, then get the name brand.
Stockpile coupons you will use. Trade for them, use coupon clipping sites, etc to build up your stash. Often a coupon will run several weeks in a row in a coupon guide, with the expiration date slightly later each time. This gives you multiple opportunities to stock pile certain items.
I hate to suggest anything that costs money when it comes to couponing, but consider getting a subscription to "All You" magazine. It is a magazine geared towards couponers. Do not buy it off the newstand. Commit to getting a subscription for savings over the year. It often has high dollar coupons that can give you big savings.
That's all for now- more later. Feel free to send comments, favorite links or questions for me to post!
Saturday, May 8, 2010
So You Think You Can Co-Parent
Tomorrow I will celebrate my 2nd Mother's Day. It is also my second Mother's Day without the man than made me a mother. It was just before Mother's Day last year that I learned that James was deploying. We had been visiting my parents one night. As we drove home in the dark, with our still brand new baby girl tucked asleep in the backseat, James confessed what he'd known for a day. He was deploying in July, he would be gone a year. I choked back tears. In my heart I'd known this day was coming, but nothing really ever prepares you for the news. And I felt like this was a particularly bitter pill to swallow. My first year of motherhood would be as a single parent. Not exactly the picture I had in my head of how it would be. In an instant my little family was robbed of a year of firsts. The little bundle in the backseat slept on, unaware of the heartbreak that was hanging over us in the front seat.
It has been a hard year. Sometimes I look at that little face as she says "dada" over and over and I can't help but let the sadness wash over me a little. There is a perpetual mourning for all that is missing in our lives. No matter how many firsts we pass, it never gets easier. But now here we are a year later and homecoming draws near. In a few weeks I will surrender my single mother status and try to piece back together the picture that was fractured that dark night. I am looking forward to that sunny day and watching Kaydra toddle over to the man she doesn't even know she has missed and hear her say "dada." It's funny that that day will feel more like Mother's Day than any other.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
So You Think You Can Marine Wife
10/30/09: Journal entry. Well it begins at last. About half an hour ago the plane took off, as we left the ground, I looked outside and wondered if I'll ever see the US again.....L Cpl Nigel Olsen
On Oct 30, 2009, Charlie Co of the 4th LAR Battalion left for war torn Afghanistan. LCpl Olsen recorded the event in his journal and pondered what the future held. On March 4, 2010, while attempting to apprehend suspects in an IED explosion that had killed LCpl Aragon of Charlie Co just 3 days before, LCpl Olsen got his answer. He would never see the US again, but rather he would return to it in a flag-draped coffin, escorted to his final resting place.
It was a week that left me reeling. There were conflicting reports, so little information. I didn't even know what platoon these guys belonged to. I didn't know what was going on with James, where he was or if he had been at either event. I felt helpless and alone. I could do nothing but cry and try to keep it together. Deployments force one to operate on a "it can't happen to me" basis. But when it hits so close it brings you jarringly into reality. It can happen. It does happen.
It is in these moments, the ones that absolutely break me, that I wonder if I can do it. Can I be the wife of a Marine, the wife of someone who gets paid to flirt with land mines and IEDs and the occassional suicide bomber? Can I get through this, can James? In a few short weeks we will have our answers.
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
So You Think You Can Wean
My daughter off her bottle that is. Before the bout with Kaydra's last illness and the pediatrician's directive to get 24 ounces of whole milk down her by whatever means necessary, Kaydra was starting to wean. She has a doidy cup that she loves and had gotten quite adept with it. We had also (we being me and the day care) gotten her very near to the point where she no longer needed a bottle to go to sleep. But then she got sick, wouldn't really eat and in the interest of sanity saving, bottles came back full force. We are now back to round the clock bottle feeds. And so today, in my infinite mommy wisdom, I decided to have her quit the bottle cold turkey. This was a very bad idea. If you were here with me now you would know that I have been solidly punished for my foolish mistake for about 2 hours now. And on the car ride home, and every 15-20 minutes or so before, during and after dinner. Kaydra 1, Momma- 0
This weaning thing is proving a bit tricky. Pediatrician said wean at 12 months, internet says between 12-18 months, some say just do it before they can make the bottle for themselves. Kaydra is a very good solid food eater and has great interest in using rimmed cups. It does work. But at the same time it still feels like she needs the bottle. I don't want her dehydrated, I want her to stay in tune with her thirst cues as much as possible. In a lot of ways weaning has become about me. I want her more in tune with food and drink than I am. I don't want her to fall into patterns of emotional eating. But I don't want her stunted either. To wean or not to wean, that is the question.
Monday, May 3, 2010
So You Think You Can Craft- Korker Ribbon edition
I get lots of questions about making korker bows and they could not be easier to make. In the interest of time, this blog will be just on how to make the ribbon itself rather than an entire bow. Korker ribbon is used for korker bows, but also looks nice on gift wrapping or attached to tutus, pretty much anywhere bouncy ribbon looks cute.
Supplies-
Ribbon- satin or grosgrain (I advise you to begin with unprinted grosgrain- it is the easiest to learn on)
scissors
7/8" dowels (a length that will fit on a cookie sheet)
wooden clothes pins
cookie sheet
oven
fabric starch (optional)
lighter (optional)
Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Attach a length of ribbon with a clothspin to a dowel and begin to wind it. Once the dowel is completly wound with ribbon, cut the ribbon and secure with a clothspin.
Next, take the ribbon covered dowel and run it under water until the ribbon is wet, but not soaking. If you are going to use fabric starch, give the dowel a thorough spritz after wetting it. Place the dowel on a cookie sheet and bake for 20 minutes.
Cut ribbon to desired length. If you want, you can run a lighter along the cut edges of the ribbon to seal it and prevent it from fraying.
Saturday, May 1, 2010
So You Think You Can Coupon- Getting Started
I love couponing. I really, really do. I love hunting down coupons, clipping them, organizing them, poring over ads and websites and planning out shopping trips. I love sharing coupons, talking to other couponers and helping people get started. I get a rush as the register spews out a receipt a mile long detailing all my savings. It is a hobby. For me, this is the secret to getting the best results when you coupon. If you have no interest in it, if after a few minutes of coupon clipping you are over it, or you hate to shop, couponing is not going to work for you. That is the best tip I can give someone. Now the rest of this will be geared towards those who have either been bitten by the couponing bug, or hope to be.
Having a sense of organization goes a long way in mitigating the intimidation some people have with couponing. So here are the steps I use to get started.
1. Find coupons. You need coupons to coupon, right? So get hunting. There are the coupon inserts in the weekend paper, coupons online, in junk mail, in magazines, in store circulars, etc. Other places to look- on products you already buy (these are called peelies), on store shelves (often called blinkies), on store receipts and from product websites. Most products have their own websites, go to the site, drop them a line about how you like their product. Sometimes they will send coupons as a thank you. You can also purchase coupons from coupon clipping sites or off of eBay. Since access to a variety of coupons is pretty limited here in Elko, I find that buying a couple sets of coupons off of eBay (I try not to spend more than $1.50 per 100 coupons) works well. I remove the ones I can use combine the balance and resell them or use them for swapping. Some people like to do coupon trains (a group of people get together and pass coupons amongst themselves), but I haven't had much luck with doing this. Something I have not used yet is internet coupons loaded straight onto a particular grocery store's shopping card. If you are going to use this you might want to keep a notebook where you can track what has been loaded onto the card, the coupon's value and expiration date.
2. Clip and Sort. Once you have a good stash of coupons start clipping and sorting. It helps to have a coupon organizer, but you don't need one. I use a little coupon accordian folder that I found at the dollar store that fits well in my purse. Some people use binders, but I am not willing to spend the money to start one. Decide how you want your coupons organized. I use catagories (beauty and health, meat, baking, dairy, etc) but some people like to organize by their favorite store's layout. Make sure you clip carefully. For a coupon to be valid it needs to have an expiration date and barcode. If you snip them off, the coupon might not be accepted.
3. Do your homework. Most stores have coupon policies, especially when it comes to coupons printed off the internet. Wal-Mart for example, will only allow two internet produced coupons per checkout and 80 regular type coupons. Most stores have their coupon policies online. It doesn't hurt to print out your store's policy and tuck it in with your coupons. This will save you from having to argue with uninformed sales clerks.
Useful websites to get you started-
http://www.afullcup.com/
http://www.hip2save.com/
http://www.retailmenot.com/
Coupon websites
http://www.pg.com/- Proctor and Gamble
http://www.redplum.com/- Red Plum coupons
Some of my favorite stores
http://www.cvs.com/
http://www.iheartcvs.com/
http://www.smiths.com/
Coming soon- planning your shopping trip... any questions or comments are appreciated, feel free to contribute your favorite websites or company mailers
Having a sense of organization goes a long way in mitigating the intimidation some people have with couponing. So here are the steps I use to get started.
1. Find coupons. You need coupons to coupon, right? So get hunting. There are the coupon inserts in the weekend paper, coupons online, in junk mail, in magazines, in store circulars, etc. Other places to look- on products you already buy (these are called peelies), on store shelves (often called blinkies), on store receipts and from product websites. Most products have their own websites, go to the site, drop them a line about how you like their product. Sometimes they will send coupons as a thank you. You can also purchase coupons from coupon clipping sites or off of eBay. Since access to a variety of coupons is pretty limited here in Elko, I find that buying a couple sets of coupons off of eBay (I try not to spend more than $1.50 per 100 coupons) works well. I remove the ones I can use combine the balance and resell them or use them for swapping. Some people like to do coupon trains (a group of people get together and pass coupons amongst themselves), but I haven't had much luck with doing this. Something I have not used yet is internet coupons loaded straight onto a particular grocery store's shopping card. If you are going to use this you might want to keep a notebook where you can track what has been loaded onto the card, the coupon's value and expiration date.
2. Clip and Sort. Once you have a good stash of coupons start clipping and sorting. It helps to have a coupon organizer, but you don't need one. I use a little coupon accordian folder that I found at the dollar store that fits well in my purse. Some people use binders, but I am not willing to spend the money to start one. Decide how you want your coupons organized. I use catagories (beauty and health, meat, baking, dairy, etc) but some people like to organize by their favorite store's layout. Make sure you clip carefully. For a coupon to be valid it needs to have an expiration date and barcode. If you snip them off, the coupon might not be accepted.
3. Do your homework. Most stores have coupon policies, especially when it comes to coupons printed off the internet. Wal-Mart for example, will only allow two internet produced coupons per checkout and 80 regular type coupons. Most stores have their coupon policies online. It doesn't hurt to print out your store's policy and tuck it in with your coupons. This will save you from having to argue with uninformed sales clerks.
Useful websites to get you started-
http://www.afullcup.com/
http://www.hip2save.com/
http://www.retailmenot.com/
Coupon websites
http://www.pg.com/- Proctor and Gamble
http://www.redplum.com/- Red Plum coupons
Some of my favorite stores
http://www.cvs.com/
http://www.iheartcvs.com/
http://www.smiths.com/
Coming soon- planning your shopping trip... any questions or comments are appreciated, feel free to contribute your favorite websites or company mailers
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