Holiday Showcase Party

Earlier in the month our family hosted a dinner with some of our friends.  It's one of our favorite things to do, and we're so blessed to have friends that have children that our children truly enjoy playing with! In addition to enjoying a delicious meal, we were given the opportunity to have our children test and see some great gift-giving options from companies through Mom Select.  The products the children had the opportunity to play with were

• NEW Small Frys from Build-a-Bear Workshop
• Sneaky 3D Puzzles from Patch Products
• Play-Doh Mega Fun Factory
• Play-Doh Shape and Spin Elmo
• Playmobil Child's First Day of School kit
• Smart Mom Solutions

With the addition of our friends, the children's ages spanned from 9 years of age to 3 months old.  The toys the children played with were a hit.

Littlest N loved her Small Fry from Build-a-Bear workshop.  She carried her Small Fry,  Sassy Kitty, around the house all evening and slept with it that night.  She loved it.  Middle N.  received the Peace Bear and was excited to take it home with her.  The Small Fry collection is Limited Edition, and like the other Build-a-Bear collection, these too have customizable options for clothing and accessories.

Right after dinner, the "big" kids worked together to put together the Sneaky 3D Puzzles from Patch Products.  It was a lot of fun and they were anxious to put it together and took turns using the 3D glasses to see the finished product.  The bright colors and sea scape was a blast for the kids to put together.  They were able to put it together quickly and easily and were so proud to show it off when they completed it!





The biggest hit of the evening came not only from the delicious Christmas Cakes from Little Debbie, but from playing with the Play-Doh Mega Fun Factory and the Play-Doh Shape and Spin Elmo.  The children were so enthralled by the way the Mega Fun Factory is battery operated and has an assembly line that moves the playdoh through the "factory".  Elmo taught the preschoolers about shapes and colors.  This was a hit and I put this on my list to purchase for other little ones in our lives. Here is a video of the kids playing with the Play-Doh items, making some interesting creations (video wouldn't load...will try later)

Eldest N.  loved the Playmobil Child's First Day of School kit.  He's an avid Playmobil kid and was really excited to see this kit, one he hasn't seen before, and one he definitely wanted to add to his collection!  I was so taken with the Playmobil, that my boys will be receiving some from Santa this year!

The evening was a lot of fun and a great way to kick off the holiday excitement.  Thanks to MomSelect and all the participating companies for such a cool way to turn a family night into so much more!


This review was provided from Build-A-Bear, Little Debbie, Patch Products, Play-Doh, and Playmobil as a part of the MomSelect program. I was given the opportunity to review the product for my personal opinion and share with my readers. I was not compensated for my time or written review.  

~Amber

More Thankful

It seems each year as the holidays surround us, I'm always more thankful.  More thankful for the obvious things and more thankful for the intricacies of life in general.

This year I feel more thankful than ever.  I feel this is the first time in my life that I gave everything I had over to Him and away he went with my life.  So many doors opened, so many new friends, new opportunities, and new ways of living.  Amazing.  That's the only word to describe what has been done in my life this year.

The things I am most thankful for are too many, but our little guy is the biggest blessing in our life this year.  Almost exactly a year ago, I became pregnant with him and twenty weeks into our pregnancy we didn't know what God's plan was to be for him or for us.  The ultrasound was missing some vital parts and the prognosis of our Little One wasn't one that we or any other expectant family wished for.  We wept, we were scared, and we prayed.  We summoned the prayers and hope of others that the follow-up testing would show that the first sonogram was wrong and our baby would be just fine.  We prayed, begged, and pleaded.  A week later with butterflies in my stomach, I laid on that bed in the ultrasound room and the second ( I'm not exaggerating) that the technician peeked in on our little guy, the vital parts that were once missing were right there.  We were elated, excited, but most importantly thanking God for this blessing.  Some of the people we shared our worries with said the technician probably just missed it, and maybe they did. I, however, believe it was His handiwork.

My top ten things I am most thankful for this year are (in no particular order):

• My baby Lachlan
• My busy boys
• Another fabulous year with my husband
• My family
• My friends, old and new
• A job that has brought me closer to the Lord 
• Dave Ramsey! :)
• A piece of my personal life puzzle that was once missing
• Health
• 13 wonderful weeks with my boys and just being "Mommy"

Happy Thanksgiving to Everyone!  Remember your blessings and count them every day! God Bless!

Coupon Savvy

Tis the season to spend money...fa-la-la-la-la -la-la-la-laaaaaa!  I love to buy gifts for other people and I've been known to go overboard, to spend too much, thus taking away from the real, true meaning of Christmas. 

Since becoming more frugal and taking charge of our spending, see here, I take advantage of any and all opportunities to SAVE MONEY.  I'm not cheap, I just look for good deals on quality items. I am not ashamed to say that with some things I am a name brand junkie.  I do prefer to buy my kids nice things that last. 

I am one of those people who sign up for every "club" at the stores that I frequently purchase from.  No, I don't get their credit cards, I only get the "perk" cards.  I receive coupons frequently and I only use them when I need something...and Christmas is the perfect time!

Today I shopped for my nieces and nephews since we were iced in at home.  I got something for each of them and I saved a bundle!  I used both online and paper coupons.  One of my favorite sites for online coupons is RetailMeNot.com .  It's a great site to find super coupons for virtually every place online.  It's free, you don't have to be a member, and you, too, can submit your coupon codes. 

If you're looking for an item that is not coupon related, you can look at a bunch of different sites at once by using BeatMyPrice.com where you can enter the name of the product, the price you've seen, and where, and they'll comparison shop for you, listing out the places online that have the same item.  It's fabulous!  And a penny saved is a penny earned!

Another way to save is to use FREE SHIPPING!  So many companies are offering it this season, and if you can shop from home, find a great deal, and have it shipped to you for free...why wouldn't you!?

Enjoy the holidays and be a good consumer! Save yourself money and have fun buying for those you love.  I enjoy the "game" of finding good deals, just ask my little Santa's helper!

Food for Thought...Gossip Girl

No, not the show, but reality.  Where does the line of caring for another person end and the line of gossip begin?

There are so many situations one wants to discuss with another close person, not openly with the world.  And it's all about caring for another, but where does that care end and the gossip begin?

Let me know your thoughts....

I just really don't want to be one of THOSE people that talk about others with false information, share intimate details, or ruin trust that I've earned.  I care.

I care about trust, relationships, and my faith.  I want to be known as someone of good character that another can turn to in need of a hug, an ear, or a shoulder.  And sometimes those conversations need to be shared with a third party, and maybe even a fourth, because I feel the need to help, to pray, and to lead.

It's gets sticky...and the line that separates is very fine.  But I love and I care. 

Gossip is vindictive. 
Love is kind.

Consistency.

Ever since my beautiful new spice joined us in September, I've been a stay-at-home mom of 3 boys.  It's been pretty fabulous, very busy, and a tad crazy.  Along with all of the fun field trips to the zoo, the Mall of America, daddy's work and all the delicious treats we seem to whip up almost daily, comes the tantrums, the talking back, and thus, the discipline.  I loathe discipline.  It was my downfall as an educator, and is my downfall as a parent.  Certainly I do discipline, and I always look for new ways to be effective in it, but those ways wear off.

My older boys have taken their turns (thank goodness) in going through their behavioral transitions in adding a new member to our family.  The oldest, was and has been the most difficult.  I felt and continue to feel that I am always "on" him about one thing or another.   It's probably been the most difficult with him because he's always been so easy, never one to tantrum, never a negative word.  It hurt to raise my voice at him or to discipline him with anything more than redirection.  So, I devised a plan that utilized my learning.

I bought a 24 piece puzzle of one of his favorite characters from the movie Cars.  With each GOOD choice he made, he earned a piece of the puzzle. The number of pieces he could earn in a day were endless and it reinforced the POSITIVE behaviors rather than taking away due to the NEGATIVE.  He could never lose a piece of the puzzle, as we were focusing on the positive.  In the end when he earned all the pieces HE chose the reward, which the first time was a trip with Grandpa to Cabela's.  He was thrilled to choose his reward and proudly proclaimed, "I chose it".  It was great to see such a triumphant smile on his face!

It was a great choice!  It worked! And it worked WELL!  He was so driven to earn the puzzle pieces and the negative behaviors quickly dwindled to few or none in a day.  Which in turn made my consistency dwindle as well.  As soon as the behaviors were gone, I forgot to keep going, keep reinforcing the great behavior I was seeing.  And although the old behaviors are quickly making a reappearance, I have realized he needs that positive reinforcement and I need to continue working on being CONSISTENT.  Following the plan for a length of time longer than only 2 puzzles. 

So, I'm back at it!  Giving away puzzle pieces, rewarding the positive behaviors I see. 
And of course, working on my consistency.

Baby's First Snow...

Welcome to God's Family

Yesterday we welcomed our littlest (BIG) blessing into God's family and promised to raise him 

in The Word.

Revealed.

This past week I attended the celebration of a life of a woman I had come to know within my church family.  I was at the celebration to support the family, and little did I know how much my life would be touched.  I haven't shared much about the amazing blessings God has placed in my life this year, one certain situation in particular, but this celebration touched me in a way that set my heart on fire and made me take a leap of faith.  As I pray through this fire, I hope to come to a place where I can reveal my blessings to those who don't know me as closely, but may in turn set their heart's on fire like mine. 

A Heart.

It doesn't take long for someone who crosses paths with me to observe and learn that I love children.  Adore them.  Cherish them.  And the thing is, I don't just love the perfect children, the "normal" children.  I love all of them.  Especially those who need more. Need more love, need more education, need more direction, assistance, support. 

In my first year of teaching, 10 years ago, I crossed paths with several children who needed more than they were receiving.  They had families who loved them, provided for them, and they were in a great school, yet something was missing for each of them. I was a first year teacher in a highly demanding school, way out of the realm of my existence.  The aloofness of this school and some of the parental make-up made my learning curve drastic that year.  I learned, and I learned quickly.  I had administrative "support" or more like a "frequent flyer pass" to the principal's office for some stern conversations and untrue accusations.  But the best part of that year was the children.  They pushed me, encouraged me, and trusted me.  I became a better teacher and person because of them.  I learned to provide for them educationally so that they were able to attain a level of success they previously hadn't felt. 

I went back to school. I was determined to learn more to help each of them learn more.  I went back for a Master's degree in the area of Special Education. I became more equipped with tools that helped me help each of them and accommodate their needs.

I'm not a saint, nor a savior.  I just love kids.  All of them.  With all needs, all behaviors, all with desires to succeed, to be accepted, to be taught and loved.


And now, my first class that stirred my "pot" and got me learning and yearning for more...they're in college.  Succeeding. 

I love it.

And.

I love each of them for teaching me more.

M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E

Whether you remember Mickey Mouse Club from our childhood or have become a fan of Mickey and friends through being a by-stander watching your kids watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Mickey Mouse is an icon. My children are not privy to oodles and oodles of Disney movies and toys, but they know the basic characters. When I told them that we won tickets to see Mickey's Magic Show, they were thrilled! Thanks to my friend, Sarah, our family night out was FREE! (That goes right along with our plan with Dave.)

Here are some pictures of the beautiful costumes and sets we saw to make Disney come to life in front of my children's eyes.

Our boys (in the Vikings apparel) with cousins Sami and Cullen

It was a blast!  The music filled our ears and my kids' eyes were loaded to the brim with wonder. The program kept the children and adults intrigued with the funny antics,jokes, and audience participation.  Prince Charming, Cinderella, the Fairy Godmother, Snow White and the witch, made an appearance as well as Alice, The Mad Hatter, the Queen of Hearts.

Here's a little video to show you the fantastic show we were treated to.

Thanks to Sarah at Sassyfrazz and her sponsor Feld Entertainment for this fabulous opportunity and a fun family night out!

A Halloween Treat

Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!

Pumpkins Galore

Today I took the boys on an adventure

Introduced the babe to the fall elements--can you say WINDY!?

All by myself...just me and MY three little pumpkins...

It was an adventure...but a fun one at that!

Bless them.

This month, like every month has many meanings.  The most popular being Halloween, but this month is also SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) Awareness Month.  I wasn't real aware of SIDS until my first son was born in 2006.

The week after Liam was born, my husband's cousin lost her first son to SIDS on his first day of daycare.  As a new mother, this event in our family left a mark on my mothering.  I became fearful of this happening to my child and followed the Safe Sleep Checklist and read the statistics on SIDS.  I gave him a pacifier, he slept in a separate bed, but close for me to monitor him, always slept on his back, and I removed toys, blankets, and the bumper from his crib and cradle.  I was just as precautious  then as I am now with Landon and now Lachlan.

When Lachlan was born, the hospital he was born at issued Halo sleepsack to the newborns to wear in the hospital.  Halo currently works with over 400 hospitals as part of their Safer Way to Sleep Initiative.  They were a beautiful white with the hospital's signature on the front and the words, "Back to Sleep" which is Halo's campaign to place babies on their back to sleep which has proven to cut the risk of SIDS substantially. It's a wearable blanket that you never have to worry about riding up over the baby's face.  When we left the hospital, the hospital gifted us with a baby  blue version of this fleece sleepsacks which we added to our collection of cotton sleepsacks which are perfect for warm weather.

Halo SleepSacks can be found at Target and other retailers.  I highly recommend them.  Lachlan is quickly outgrowing his sleepsack (he's already a whopping 23 inches long!)  and thus, we will be making a future purchase of a larger sleepsack. 

I feel better placing our littlest love down to rest in his Halo SleepSack.  Bless this company for educating others on the safest way for babies to sleep and to reduce the risk of SIDS.

  (Cousin Starlyn holding Lachlan in his Halo SleepSack)
Follow HALO on Twitter and Facebook!

Wordless Wednesday: Whatcha Lookin' At?

Dave.

Last winter my husband and I met this man named Dave. Dave was eccentric, a little arrogant, but lived for the Lord. He was vivacious, humorous, and sometimes, a little rude.  But rude, in a good way.

You see, Dave has changed our life.  He's given us some tools to live the way we ought to live and since we've met him, WE are better. What has he urged us to do?  Well, we've set goals, made changes, and we're working as a team to eradicate some evil in our life.  Evil we call debt.  We're working to better our lives, the lives of our children, and eventually give more to those in need.  I can't wait!  I can't wait to give "away" what has been given to us, to better the lives of others.  It's fabulous.  Yes, we tithe, yes, we sponsor, and yes, we help.  But this new sense of GIVING is even beyond that.

I can't wait.  Dave has taught us to go beyond ourselves.  We are living like no one else so later, we can live like no one else.  In a DEBT FREE way!

Do you do Dave?  You can meet him here!

Fresh.

One of the best things in life are friends.  Old friends. New friends.  In-between friends (kidding).  I have always enjoyed making new friends, watching my kids make friends, and having friends make friends.  One of the most frustrating point in life as an adult, and as a kid, is the obvious "already determined" circles of friends of which you or someone else may never become a part of.  It's defeating.  I strive to be open to friendships, old and new.  I certainly have been the "victim" of the predetermined circles of friendship, especially the circle of couples.

A few years back I attended a MOPS meeting (Mothers of Preschoolers) where the speaker centered her discussion on quality friendships that help you be who you want to be.  There is the inner core friendships and relationships that are important to who you are as a person like Jesus, your family, your husband, your best friend.  Then the outer cores circles are those who support you and progressively become more less involved in who you are, but nonetheless help you form your being.  Get it?

I've had friendships and relationships that I've decidedly let dwindle to a further out circle from the core.  I could see that I was not becoming a better person with them in my life.  They are still important to me, I still care about them, but I needed to distance myself.  I want to fill my core and the circle supporting it with those that make their faith and family most important.  In addition to that, honor, morale, humility, honesty and a host of other values are of increasing importance to who I am, and who I want to share my life with.  This doesn't make me better than others, above them, but wanting the support for myself to continue to better who I am.

I'm making a fresh start in who I am.  Evolving who I was into who I want to be, and choosing to encircle myself with those with the characteristics and values that are center with the way I want to live my life and how I want to raise my family.
 

Forever Fall.

68 degrees.  Vibrant colors.  A sweet smell to the air.  Fall. We love it here!

 

A Cough in the Night

In being a parent, we have those moments where we fear for our children.  The other morning, I had one of those moments with our littlest spice

Since birth, Lachlan has been a sweet, rarely fussy baby.  Just recently he's been cooing and smiling filling my heart of the joys of motherhood.  My cup is teeming with love for these boys, I don't think I have ever loved or could love anyone or thing more than these boys. 

Lachlan has these precious squeaks, grunts, and snorts that he shares during the day and night.  When I heard more of them the other night/ early morning, I didn't think much of them.  He seemed more restless, but it'd been a day or two since his last BM, so I chalked it up to bodily functions and relaxed.  At his 5 am feeding, the snorts were joined with a loud, obnoxious barking cough.  Croup.  How could a 4 week old have croup?  We'd experienced it with our oldest, numerous times.  I knew to steam him or take him outside in the cold air, but I also knew that this babe shouldn't have croup just yet.  I went into "mom" mode, woke up my husband and started the steam in the bathroom.

He held the baby while I called the doc.  The triage nurse listened to the little guy breathe through the phone, and told me to promptly call 911. He was struggling to breathe.  The paramedics arrived and tested his blood oxygen levels, which were low.  He was transported via ambulance on his 1 month birthday.

Upon arrival at a great hospital in the area, Lachlan was x-rayed and given an oral steroid to open his airways, which were restricted.  We stayed over night for observation and were given clearance to leave the next morning since his blood oxygen levels were great! Hooray!

Of course no life event is complete without pictures, so I had camera in tow.

Praise God for medicine, great care, and a healthy babe!

Our Freshest Spice

Welcome to the the Land of 10,000 Lakes, Lachlan Stephen!
10.1 lbs 22 inches of pure blessing
 We Love You!

A Year.

Nearly a year ago my husband and I decided it was time for me to find a job opportunity to better supplement our income, give our children some opportunities to play with others and learn, and to give me an out.  I
loved being home with our children, caring for others' children, and reaping the benefits of being a stay-at-home mom.  Somehow, I felt like I wasn't being "fed".  My spirits were low, my mind was stagnant, and my heart thirsted for more.  The problem was, I didn't know what that "more" would be. 

I looked at jobs within schools, looked at jobs from home as to combine my love of being home with the benefits of what we were looking for.  I couldn't find that perfect niche.  But, as we neared the start of preschool for our oldest, I "found" more than a perfect opportunity.  God led me to a place where opportunities abound.  Our church has a preschool and daycare that would allow me to fill-in or sub for the teachers who were away AND my kids could come there with me.  Could it get any better than this?  Now the pay wasn't excellent, and it certainly didn't fill the professional void I was needing to fill, but it filled my cup overflowing with the possibilities I didn't know existed. 

Shortly after starting to sub there, I was offered a position in the toddler room with my then 15 month old.  It was hard for them and for me.  It wasn't an easy transition, it tested me in so many ways each and every day.  However, I learned innumerable things about myself, my faith, and how much I shorted myself from learning new things.  I learned to be patient with children of very different temperaments, tools for being a more successful mom, and most importantly how blessed I was to be given this opportunity.  God is so good and HE knows what plans are needed, HE knows what benefits are to come from each experience.  I had to open my heart and mind to all of these experiences HE brought forth. 

I didn't have support that I needed to be successful there or keep my thinking positive. It's hard when others have their plan set before them and can make things "work".  But I have to say, being steadfast and believing in HIS plan was what got me through.  The greatest people that I work with made me believe in the plan, not quit and supported me so that OUR plan, that of God, my husband, and I could be successful.  I am more than thankful for those people.  They are what makes me know that I am a better person today than the person who walked into that setting a year ago.  

It's Shrektacular!

If you haven't heard the news... Shrek the Final Chapter is out in full force in a theatre near you!   General Mills is celebrating the release of this one 'Shrek' of a finale by offering you some fantastic ogre-sized savings on the foods you love!

Our family received a Shrek-tacular prize pack  made up of a re-useable Shrek grocery bag, fabulous Big G cereals, Fruit Roll-Ups Minis snacks and Betty Crocker Blueberry Muffin Mix. The prize pack also included a $10 Shrek-tacular Savings coupon book with fun Shrek trivia, a Shrek water squirter, a Shrek highlighter and a $25 gift card that you can use to purchase tickets to see the new Shrek Forever After film!  It was awesome the our boys LOVED it!  This was all compliments of General Mills through MyBlogSpark.

CONTEST AND GIVEAWAY!
The best part of this is the awesome savings AND one of you can win one of these great prize packs for yourself!  Just become a follower of Mamathyme and leave a comment about how your family saves 'green'.  One additional entry if you post this giveaway on your blog (with a link) OR post on your Facebook page with a link to this giveaway. One winner will be chosen on Monday, June 13, 2010.  Be sure that your email address is included so I can contact you if you are the winner!  

Until then, To save even more green, visit www.everydaysaver.com/shrek to download coupons today. While you’re there you and your little prince or princess can get in the mood to see Shrek Forever After by taking a peek at the movie trailer. 

I look forward to hearing about your Shrek-tacular savings and how your family saves 'green'! 

~Amber

What I'm Reading

Amazingly informative book and I highly recommend it.  Lots of great discussion questions for you to ponder, discuss, dissect.  Here's a link to Amazon for more information.

Cheesy Chicken--Quickie Recipe

Here is a quick recipe I'll share!  We bought the fixings for it today, so I thought I'd post it quick.

4-6 frozen chicken breasts
1 can Cream of Chicken Soup (I buy the low fat/ low sodium version)
1 can Nacho Cheese Soup

Salt and Pepper each chicken breasts.  Place soup into Slow Cooker with Chicken breasts (I cover the breasts with the soup) and let cook on low all day.  **I do this in the morning and it is PERFECT by dinner time!   Cut up chicken (it virtually falls apart) and serve over noodles or rice (we use brown rice).  You could make this on the stove as well with thawed chicken, but the slow cooker is great!

Enjoy!

What A Momma Wants... Part I.

Well, we're 24 weeks this week and only 16 more to go! :) Hooray!  As we get closer, I'm thinking of things that would be nice to have for this babe.  With our second little spice, we didn't buy much.  We utilized what we had and bought few if any new frocks for the little guy.  This third little spice has some really "well worn" britches, blankets, and goods to use.  Hubby and I are big into sharing and taking the burden from others when we can.  We have shared all of our baby items with anyone who asked and offered to many.  Thus, this little spice will have frocks that were worn by 7 babies total.  As you can imagine, the clothes are well broken in as well are the jumperoo, the carseat, the swing, and lots of other items. We wouldn't have it any other way!  It's fun to share!

So, I've been looking at steals and deals at The Gap, Gymboree, and The Children's Place for clothes for our newest little guy.  I've scored a great start to a newer wardrobe for him, never spending over $5.99 an item! It's been fun and I LOVE getting a good deal...I did mention that...didn't I?!

So, I have a few things that I would love to have for this little man., and err...for me? Is that selfish?  Well here are a few things I would love to have, but may never purchase or receive.  As my mom says, "Needs versus Wants".  I probably don't need any of these things.

The Peanut Shell

I am the happy owner of a Classic Baby Bjorn carrier.  We carried our oldest spice around Europe in it and it served us well with him and our second spice as well.   Here's a picture of hubby and our oldest in the Baby Bjorn in Italy for a summer holiday.

 

The only thing I wish I could do is carry the baby on my hip when the baby is old enough to be sitting up and is getting a little heavy for the front carrier.  The Peanut Shell does so many things! And it isn't bulky like some of the wrap carriers that offer the same versatility.  At the price of $55.00, I'm sold.  You can also find other versions on Etsy.

Outdoor Blanket

I'm totally looking forward to my 12 weeks at home with my 3 little spices.   I have many fun places in mind for us to escape to, as Minnesota autumns are beautiful and mild.  I can't get enough of it!  I've always brought one of our old blankets, you know the ones, those purchased in Mexico on the beach or a baby blanket. When you lay out your blanket it's perfectly clean, but when you leave, it is filled with dry leaves, dirt, sand, and other debris that is hard to clean.  These blankets can be wiped clean! Fabulous, especially with 3 little ones in tow!  JJ Cole has a great one that is carried at Babies R Us for $29.99.  What a great price for something so practical and a great gift (I'm thinking how perfect this would be for all of our friends that expecting in the month of October! There are like 6 of you!).  Anyway, I'm sold!

Well, I think that's all that I've found that I'd like for the moment...I'll be on the lookout for new products and items that would make life easier with this new babe, his spicy siblings, and me! :)  

~Amber

WORMS!

Our big boy sporting his Fireman rain gear from Kidorable.. on the hunt for worms, worms, and more worms!

A Penny Saved...is a Penny Saved!

Hubby and I just finished Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University (learn more here) and we have been really proactive previously in the last two years in saving every nickel and dime that we are able to.   When I was a SAHM with the boys before I got started in teaching at our church daycare and preschool, I LOVED looking for the best deals on everything and anything.  I loved doubling coupons, finding great prices on the things we NEEDED, and learning how to get more for less.  I felt like I had conquered the retail monster and learned how to shop with out dropping!

Here are my favorite places to find deals, steals, and the greatest prices around!

Groupon.com
AFullCup.com
RetailMeNot.com
MommySavers.com
BeatMyPrice.com

I'm always on the couponing bandwagon, but since I went back to work full time, I haven't been as gung-ho as I was earlier.  I'm back at it and hoping to score some fabulous finds and of course, I'm always willing to share them with you!

~Amber

Oooo-- my friend Aimee has a great site to share... dealsonradio.com  Check it out, I'm on my way!

The Flowers are Blooming...

Tulips. Daffodils. Hyacinths. Baby Number 3.

It's hard to believe it, but our Baby Number 3 will be arriving in just 4 months.  He sure is blooming, kicking, and dancing in my belly all day long.  :)  I'm loving the movement and this is definitely my most favorite part of being pregnant.

I'm not a big fan of being pregnant in the summer.  I'm a very active person.  I enjoy exercise, rollerblading,biking, hiking, and other fun family activities that prove difficult when growing and carrying a bundle of joy.  I am in love with this babe and I absolutely am relishing in his growing spirit and learning more about him as we move into the middle weeks of this pregnancy.  Pregnancy is definitely a gift. 

Blooming is a way to think of this journey.  What a gift it is to bloom with such a miracle and such a gift in the end. 

Mid Winter Hiatus is off...it's SPRING!

Alright so I took a few...alright, many months off from blogging.  I'll try to be better about it and get to posting some fun things.  The GREAT news is that shortly after my Christmas post we're having another baby!  Most of you know this...but some of you don't.   Different than the other two pregnancies, I was really sick with this little one, which led to the demise of my newest attempt at a less stressful, less time consuming blog than the one in the past.  :) 
So away we go with some new posts and new crafts...and everything else bloggy.