My Guest Post Debut on Money Saving Mom!

Most of you know that Crystal Paine of Money Saving Mom is my "thrifty idol", and it was her site that got me started with my couponing adventures. A few months ago I wrote a post for my blog about the delicacy and beauty of budgeting, but on a whim I decided to e-mail it to Crystal as a guest post submission for her blog. Crystal, being the sweetheart that she is, e-mailed me back promptly and agreed to post it at a future date. Well, that date has arrived! And how appropriate that it be today, my little girl's third birthday, who was the inspiration for the piece. Thanks so much for the boost, Crystal. May you and your family be blessed by God and may He smile with favor upon your beautiful thrifty life. 

Be sure to visit Crystal at Money Saving Mom to read "The Balancing Act" by yours truly. And while you're there, don't forget to check out all of her other invaluable money-saving information!

Funny Friday: Some Kid Funnies

I think this was the second try for a "nice" Easter photo last year

We celebrated my little girl's third birthday today, and in her honor I would like to share a few of my favorite "kid funnies"- those things our kids say that just crack us up, or make us go hmmm.... (my apologies to friends and relatives who have heard these stories a million times already)...

DS, age 3, walking in on me watching a television show about severe weather...

DS: "Mommy, what's that?"

Me: "It's a show about how a tornado destroyed a house and the people are sad that their house is gone."

DS: "A tomato?"

Me (trying to control my outburst of laughter): "No, honey, a tornado. A tornado destroyed their home."

DS (brow furrowed, looking increasingly confused): "A tomato??"

Me: I pretty much just gave up and fell over laughing- attack of the killer tomatoes!

In the car one day...

DS, age 4: "Boogie, tell a joke!"

DD, age 2 1/2: "JOKE!"

At the dinner table, as I notice my son (4) dipping his finger into his salad dressing and lightly spreading it across the lettuce leaves...

Me: "Sweetie, what are you doing with your dressing?"

DS: "Look, Mommy. I'm pollinating my salad. I'm just like a BEE!"

Me: "Umm, good for you sweetie. Eat your salad."

As I'm getting my son, 2 1/2 dressed, I have his arms in but his head gets stuck in the neck hole of his shirt...

DS: "Mommy, it's DARK in here!"

Me: yeah, I just cracked up laughing and didn't have the strength to pull his head the rest of the way through.

DS: well, he just started running around with his head still in his shirt, arms waving frantically about trying to get his head through. Don't worry, he wasn't seriously traumatized. ;-)

And one more from my little "princess", just a few days ago as she comes downstairs with her pom poms...

DD: "Mom, they're not WORKING!"

Me: "Well here honey, just hold the handles like this."

DD (rolls her eyes and falls onto the floor in a dramatic huff): "Noooo, Mom. They're just not WORKING."

Me: "Look, I'll show you." (I start to demonstrate) "Two, four, six, eight, who do we appreciate? Goooooo TEAM!"

DD: "Mo-OM! Stop TALKING!"

Me (handing the pom poms back and taking a breath): "Excuse me, I was just trying to help. Here, you can do it yourself." (I go back to dusting the pictures on the bookcase, which happen to include a photo of my dear little girl)

DD: "Mo-OM! Stop cleaning my FACE!"

Me: "Too bad, princess. Your face is dusty."

I hope you have all had a Funny Friday! Take time to enjoy your kids and laugh today!

Have your kids made you laugh lately? I love funny kid stories! Leave a comment and share!

A Thrifty Treat: Bedtime Beauty

image from Livingifts

Sometimes as moms we are so busy taking care of everyone else that we forget to take a few moments to take care of ourselves. I don't know about you, but for me a long luxurious bubble bath is usually out of the question. However, I have found that this 2-minute bedtime ritual helps me feel pampered and pretty, and is an inexpensive little daily treat!

Often in the winter, the cold dry air will wreak havoc on my lips and my skin, so I keep a bottle of Freesia-scented lotion from Bath & Body Works and a tube of Overnight Lip Renewal by Sally Hansen (it was free after rebate at Rite Aid one month) in my nightstand drawer. Right before I get into bed each night, I put on the lip renewal and I massage the lotion into my hands. The scent soothes me to sleep, and when I wake up in the morning, I have wonderfully soft hands and smooth supple lips. You could use any kind of lotion that you like, and even a simple tube of chapstick can help your lips stay soft. 

Take a few moments each night to pamper yourself. You're totally worth it!

Do you have any daily beauty rituals that help you feel pampered and pretty? Leave a comment and share!

Easy Deals of the Week: Stayfree, Garnier, Palmolive, and Kelloggs!

I've been on a short blogging break the last couple of days because I had family in town, but I just wanted to share some great Easy Deals of the Week with you! These are deals you can get using only coupons from last Sunday's paper or coupons you can print from your computer. Walgreens is the star for this week!

At Walgreens:

Stayfree Maxi Pads 28 ct.- On sale for $6.99

Buy 2, use Buy One, Get One Free coupon from 1/04 Sunday paper

"Stack" with $3/1 coupon from Walgreens weekly ad flyer (found in the front of the store- you can use both a manufacturers coupon and a store coupon on each item)

Final price is $1 for two!

Garnier Fructis shampoo and styling products- On sale for $2.99

Use $1/1 coupon from 1/04 Sunday paper

"Stack" with $2/1 coupon from the Walgreens January EasySaver catalog (also found in the front of the store, usually with the weekly flyers)

Final price is FREE!

Palmolive dish soap- On sale $1.79

Use $0.25/1 coupon from 1/04 Sunday paper

"Stack" with $1 "super coupon" from Walgreens weekly ad flyer (p.12 in mine)

Final price is $0.54 (not a great deal, but not bad)

Kelloggs Cereal- On sale 4 for $10

Use 4 $1/1 coupons from 1/04 Sunday paper

Get $3 in Register Rewards when you buy 4 (which you can use like cash on your next Walgreens purchase)

Final price after RRs is $0.75 per box

Have you found any great deals this week? Leave a comment and share!

Spiritual Sundays: You're Getting Warmer...

The view of a West Virginia sunset  from my parents' back deck on Thanksgiving.

"We are not human beings having a spiritual experience; we are spiritual beings having a human experience."

I was recently reading O Magazine and I came across an article by Martha Beck that I found very interesting. In the article, she discusses how oftentimes we find ourselves in a life that we don't like, and we're not quite sure how we got there or how we're supposed to change it. Many don't even know what kind of life they want- they can't even envision it- they just know that the life they have isn't working for them.

Beck then explains that each of us has our own personal GPS navigation system built in. She compares it to the game Warm/Cold, where something is hidden and in order to find it, you must respond to vocal cues of whether the direction you're going is "warmer" or "colder." If you are getting "warmer", then you should continue in the same direction. Likewise, if you are getting "colder" then you should change your course. 

We each have different aspects of our lives that make us feel warmer and colder. Some call our awareness of these feelings an "inner compass", some call it our conscience, and some just chalk it up to natural affinity. However, I believe that these feelings Martha Beck was writing about are the manifestation of the Light of Christ within each of us. In a talk entitled, "The Light of Christ", Elder Boyd K. Packer described this gift by saying, 

"The Light of Christ is defined in the scriptures as 'the Spirit [which] giveth light to every man that cometh into the world' (D&C 84:46); 'the light which is in all things, which giveth life to all things, which is the law by which all things are governed' (D&C 88:13; see also John 1:4–9; D&C 84:45–47; D&C 88:6; D&C 93:9)."

Personally, I see the Light of Christ as being kind of like a little tracking beacon that we each have that reminds us where we came from. No matter where we are, or what state we may be in spiritually or emotionally, there is still that little bit of our Heavenly home that is embedded within each of us, and it will lead us back there if we allow it to guide us.

I really love the quotation that I placed at the beginning of this post (I actually have it displayed in my home office) because it reminds me that above all things I am a spirit daughter of my Father in Heaven, and even though I may get all caught up in the human things of the world, it is those things that are not seen, those things that are only felt, that are the true purpose of my life here. This life is but a short human moment compared to the rest of my spiritual existence. It really puts things in perspective, doesn't it? I think really that the Light of Christ is simply a peaceful feeling of familiarity we get when we're engaged in activities that are true to our spiritual selves. It's kind of like when you're all grown up and out on your own and suddenly you catch the scent of your mother's perfume. There's a peace there, a sense of home and love that reminds you who you are and where you came from.

So back to the article about the warm/cold. I thought that Beck's comparison to the warm/cold game was really insightful. I may call it something different from her explanation, but the concept is the same: we are each searching for the warmth, and it is only when we pay close attention to what feels right that we can find it, and thus find the life we were meant to lead. When I say "what feels right" I'm not talking about the things that make our bodies feel good or the things that are entertaining to us. I'm talking about that spiritual homing beacon, that feeling of peaceful familiarity. That's what we should be paying attention to, and what will lead us to true joy.

I think that the most important part is to listen. We are all playing our own games of warmer/colder because in essence, we are all searching for one thing: real happiness. It would be ridiculous to play the game with earplugs in, yet that is what so many of us do- we wander around aimlessly, searching here and there, sometimes getting closer to our goal, sometimes moving farther away, never really paying attention to the clues that could lead us right to it, because we're far too busy with the business of searching. It's time to stop and listen, to look inside and hear that inner voice telling us which way is warmer and which is colder. I believe that by following the gentle guidance of the Light of Christ each of us can find the warmth of the  beautiful life that He has in store for us.

To learn more about what I believe as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, please visit www.mormon.org.

Funny Friday: The Onion

I'm sure that most of you have heard of this publication before, but just in case you haven't, I must share it with you. The benefit? If your New Years Resolutions include both keeping up with current events and laughing more, I've got you covered!

Visit The Onion to read newsworthy stories with provocative headlines like these:

Recently Unearthed E-mail Reveals What Life Was Like in 1995

Google Announces Plan To Destroy All Information It Can't Index

New Software Yellows Neglected Digital Photos Over Time

I'm heading over there now to read the most intriguing: Illegal Immigrants Returning to Mexico for American Jobs.

Enjoy! Hope your Friday is Funny!

New Years Goals

Notice that I did not title this, "New Years Resolutions". There is just something about that word that I don't like. Maybe it's just the idea that so many people are supposedly "resolute" and "resolve" to change their lives, and then they never do. But a goal- a goal is not something that you just decide to do one day and from then on you've done it. A goal is something that requires smaller steps to accomplish it; it is a desired end result of a process, rather than an instant fix. As long as you're always reaching for a goal, then you are accomplishing it, just a little bit at a time. Whereas it seems with a resolution that if you mess up once, there goes your resolve and you're screwed.

So here are a few of my GOALS for the coming year:

1. Keep up with the laundry. I will try to do at least one load a day, and get it in first thing in the morning when I go downstairs. I will fold it during the little ones' quiet time.

2. Pick up and put away. I will try to give myself at least 3 15-minute sessions of this each day (morning, afternoon, and night) so that I can keep up with it.

3. Get the dishes done every evening. I will make myself do them before I crash for the night so that I can wake up to a clean sink in the morning.

4. Vacuum every day. The dog simply requires it.

5. Swish and swipe the bathrooms weekly and dust weekly. I always seem to forget about these...

Those things are all very simple, and should take very little amounts of time. If I just try to do them a little bit each day, then I should have plenty of time to do the following:

6. Read my scriptures and have morning prayer daily.

7. Spend at least 1 hour of quality play time with the kids every day. It's sad, but I don't do this on a regular basis. 

8. Get to bed before 11pm each night.

9. Start doing some scrapbooking/paper crafting again.

10. Redecorate my little girl's room.

11. Work on making my office a comfortable, creative space.

12. Send more thank-yous and remember more birthdays.

13. Be nicer to my husband. :-)

It may seem like a long list, but I know I'm not going to do it all from Day 1. I am going to be thinking about it, and definitely making an effort, but I know that if I just "resolve" to be perfect and do all those things, I will most likely crash and burn within 2 weeks. However, if I give myself permission to take smaller baby steps and just focus on one goal at a time, then I can gradually build up good habits that will last all year. And if I do crash and burn, I give myself permission to forgive myself and just start trying with baby steps all over again. 

So, Happy New Year, everyone! 

Leave a comment and share your goals for the new year!