Money Saving Tips

Because who doesn't like to save money.

I've just added a new gadget to my side bar called "Sites to Save Money" where I have 3 sites (and hopefully will soon add more) that help me save money. Most of them are dedicated to couponing and shopping deals but I hope to add other things soon. "Pinching your Pennies" is my new find that has an Idaho forum that lists deals for Albertsons, Walmart, Kmart, and Broulims. Soooo great because I want to know about the sales here in little ole Idaho. FYI - Albertsons has a great deal on Progresso soups and Betty Crocker products through Wednesday where if you buy 10 items you get $10 toward your next purchase. Divide up your finds and roll over the $10 to get nearly free products. "Being Frugal is Fabulous" has lists of deals for stores like Walgreen's and Rite Aid as well as links for freebies and the Monday Redbox Free Rental Code. "The Coupon Mom" has a great coupon data base and system for organizing and finding coupons. However it is a little frustrating because the inserts in our paper don't have all of the coupons other larger papers do. If you have a favorite site you like to visit please send me a comment with the URL and I will add it to my sidebar. Happy Shopping!!!

Talmage turns Six !!!

It is so hard to believe that my "Little Handsome" turned six. Tonight for FHE we watched the home video of clips from his 1st year of life. He was sooo busy. He loved to splash all of the water out of the tub, he growled and babbled at us, he crawled all over and got into everything and was so much fun.

This year he asked for a "Lego Star Wars" cake. Tal is totally into Lego Star Wars for the Wii and plays it every day after school. He has earned enough coins to buy almost all of the characters. He tells me all about his battles and which guys he thinks are the coolest. A BIG thanks to Q.N. for lending me the Lego figurines to decorate the cake. Tal absolutely loved it.

We had a little party with our extended family: grandparents, aunts and uncles and cousins. A Meek birthday always has a pinata; Tal loved picking out this puppy (for the 3rd year in a row)and stuffing it full of candy. All of the cousins took turns whacking it until the head finally came off and Kris dumped out the treats.

Tal was super excited to get this big boy bike. It is an 18" Mongoose Wild Card. It has pegs and everything ( Kris told Tal how cool you are if you have pegs on the back of your bike.) He took it outside today and was riding up and down the short strip of clear sidewalk between our house and the neighbors. He could really race along and I'm sure that many hours and miles will be put on this bike come springtime.

Leah at 8 months

Our little Lulu is growing up so big and so fast. She is such a delight in our family. She has been standing with help for months now but she is getting steady enough to stand by herself holding onto furniture. She has NO interest in crawling or on being on her tummy. I make her tough it out though by having tummy time every day where we try to play for a few minutes hoping that she will be encouraged. But so far she is content to sit and play with her toys and "Uh, Uh "at me when they get out of reach so that I can bring them back for her.

Leah did master picking up bites of food and bringing them to her mouth this month. It is absolutely adorable to watch her feed herself banana puffs, crackers, or bits of bread or pancakes. She is so dainty using just her thumb and forefinger. But then she smears is all over her face. She also tried nibbles of ice cream and cookies and thought they were wonderful. She would open her mouth like a little baby bird and go "Uh, Uh" until I gave her another taste. We have been trying baby sign with her for a few words. Last night Kris and I both swore she was signing "cookie" at dinner. (Cookies are arrowroot biscuits, above.)

Leah is such a good baby. She can be content for 20 minutes playing with her toys or watching a Baby Einstein movie. She likes to play in this little saucer by me in the kitchen while I make dinner. Like I said, I only have about 20 minutes but I can get a lot done in 20 minutes. She has been pretty stingy with hugs and kisses in the past but she is getting more cuddly again. When Kris comes home at night she is absolutely ecstatic. She will wave her arms around excitedly and grin at him until her picks her up and loves her. She loves to play games with us like Peek a Boo and this falling backwards game she plays with her dad. Leah takes 2 regular naps now, a morning one for about 1 to 1-1/2 hours, and then again an afternoon nap for about the same time. (That's when I try to exercise, shower, and get all of my stuff done.) I wish I could say we are sleeping through the night but we have good nights and not so good nights. One night she slept clear through until 6 AM to nurse and then back to sleep until 8 AM. She goes to bed about 8:30 PM just after Abi and Tal but then will wake up 2-3 times during the night just because. I try to just pop her binky in and wrap her back up until about 4 or later when I will nurse her. We may have to have another "Cry it out" weekend this weekend to work on the sleeping.

Things I've Been Wanting to Blog About

Several things have been on my mind but sadly I never seem to find the time to blog/journal as much as I would like. So here goes: briefly and in no particular order.

What a momentous day. Regardless of how you voted or what your particular feelings are regarding his policies, what a remarkable moment in history. I watched it on TV and felt such a weight and presence in the moment that he took the oath of office. Abi watched it at school, Kris watched at work, and I DVR'd it and we watched with Talmage that night. I want my kids to understand the significance of the moment, to honor the office of the president and we pray for him to lead us in this uncertain time.



My handsome and awesome husband bought me a Wii Fit for Christmas. This really was a thoughtful gift because he knows I enjoy working out but can't get to a gym right now in my life. It's really fun to get on and see my Mii as well as track my weight and BMI. The yoga is fair, good for beginners, but I do like how it helps you focus on your balance. The strength training is remarkably good. I'm terrible at the balance games but they are entertaining and my kids like them as well. In aerobics you have to work up your time, so 3 minutes of step or running is not really a challenge for me but I do enjoy a good Hula Hoop.

Fife Girl's Day Out. This is a tradition that sadly we have not done often enough. Here are all the Fife Girls - my mom and 2 sisters, nieces and my girls. We enjoyed lunch at the Snakebite, a little window shopping at Lemon Meringue and Pandora's Baubles and Beads, and then went bowling at Bowlero.


Tal and Leah are so fun together. She loves to play with toys now and Tal is really good at helping her. He pops up the popper and she puts the lids down and then we all clap for her.

My winter therapy. I dream and plan and make wish lists. And then I have to pare them down to what I can really afford and accomplish in a year. This year I want to finish my garden around our fountain in front and make a perennial border to go along the front of the house. It's on the north side so my options are limited but I'm dreaming of bleeding hearts, Solomon's seal, hostas, lilies ( I hope), lenten rose and cranesbill. If you have any other shade loving favorites, let me know.

Leah is just so darn cute in the tub. She loves her bath toys that Abi and Tal bought her for Christmas. She is such a wonderful baby. She has such a sweet tempermant, sometimes I wonder if she is really my child. I just love her to bits.

Tal started Tae Kwon Do this January as a Christmas present. I am really impressed with the focus and respect he is learning. He is picking it up quickly and already has 2 stripes on his white belt. He loves doing power punches and front kicks, but is very good about NOT practicing on people.

"There is no charge for awesomeness." Not only is he handsome, smart and funny. He is a great husband and father. He took Human Rights Day off from work to stay home with the kids and I. He is very helpful around the house, doing dishes, folding laundry and picking up. Abi, Tal and Leah adore him and squeal "Daddy" when he walks in the door. (I don't get that :) He loves to play Wii with them and is getting really good at Guitar Hero. He works really hard at his job and is a great provider. He honors his priesthood and is the leader in our home. He fulfills his calling as EQP and is really concerned with the people in our ward. And our alone time: M-m-m.

I love you babe.

High School Memories Tag

If I can get my scanner hooked up I'll try and post a pic later.

1. What year did you graduate? 1995
2. Did you date someone from high school? Yes, married him as well. :)
3. What kind of car did you drive? Car #1-Blue Buick Sommerset #2 Black Honda Accord my dad fixed up my senior year - sunroof and everything.
4. What was the most embarrassing moment of high school? My bra strap broke in the middle of a Humerous Interp Speech. (Arms came down and no more movement after that.)
5. Were you a party animal? No.
6. Were you considered a flirt? Hardly, my mom always told me I scared the boys away. Kris was one of the few brave enough to ask me out.
7. Were you in band, orchestra, or choir? I tried out for Troyalairs but was not good enough. I sang in Girl's Choir as a Sophmore but discovered Debate instead.
8.Were you a nerd? Yip. Debate, NHS, and AP classes.
9. Where you on any varsity teams? Cross Country Sr. Year - but then everyone who ran was. l10.Did you get suspended/expelled? Nope - I did skip school 1 time though ( wild side.)
11. Can you still sing the fight song? I can do the actions.
12. Who were your favorite teachers? Mrs. Kissinger - Debate - My true love in HS. Mrs Brown- AP English. Mr Clark - Anat and Phys.
13. What classes do you wish you would have taken? Spanish - German is a bit useless.
14.What was your school's full name? Rigby High School
15. School mascot? Trojan (read "The Illiad" -Thanks Mrs Brown.)
16. Did you go to Homecoming and who with? Jr Year - Jaron Ball
17.Where did you go on "Senior Skip Day"? Lagoon.
18. Were you in any clubs? Debate, NHS, and Jr Miss
19.Who was your prom date? Kristopher Meek. Go figure.
20.What do you remember most about graduation? I was excited to move on but nostalgic that everything would change.
21. What advice would you give yourself? Don't worry so much about what other people think!22. Are you planning on going to your reunions? I got roped into planning the 10 and I'll probably go to 20 if I'm free.
23. If you could go back and do it again would you? Hahahahahaha... No.

I tag anyone who wants to do this.

BYU Jerusalem Center 10 year Anniversary

It almost seems like a dream that 10 years ago I was in Jerusalem Isreal living at the BYU Jerusalem Center for Near Eastern Studies. It is such a beautiful building in a beautiful city that I have such a love for.

Can you believe that this was the view from my balcony? Gorgeous!!! Somedays I just long to walk down the hill into the old city again, to cut over to the Garden Tomb and read or ponder for a while, to buy falafel or macaroons from the little stands in the city, to awaken to the call to prayer, to smell the bogenvia blooming near the Sea of Galilee. Oh, how I wish I could go back and drink more deeply of that experience. Sadly it seems that when thrust in the midst of the experience we don't have the wisdom or the view to enjoy it most fully. So many people express that precise sentiment to me about the days of young motherhood. I guess that each time in our lives brings particular blessings, the point is to enjoy and be grateful for them in that moment. Thankfully I asked my mom to save my e-mails so that I have a journal of sorts. Reading in it the other day helped awaken those wonderful memories. Shalom.

Super Couponer

Like so many of you I have fairly recently become a couponer. Oh I started small about a year ago clipping the coupons of products we used and I'd take them with me on my usual trips to Walmart or Winco. I felt proud of myself saving $5 or so, enough to pay for our subscription to the paper I would tell myself. There are spots on TV about families who "grocery bill in half'" using coupons or "all of this" for some insane amount like $1.00. I was skeptical but interested. One friend introduced me to the Coupon Mom http://www.couponmom.com/ and another to a blog titled " Being Frugal is Fabulous" http://frugalisfab.blogspot.com/. I was introduced to Walgreen's and the great deals you can get there however I didn't use most of those products but I did save a ton on the few I did buy there. I believe in couponing but only to buy things I want to try or already use. I'm not going to buy X air fresheners just because I can get them for 9 cents. Also, if I have a coupon for 40 cents off brand X but the generic is still less expensive, I'm buying the generic. It all comes down to the bottom line.

My grocery budget is $350 month for 4 + Leah (who doesn't eat much yet but cereal, baby food I make myself, a little formula in the cereal, and those banana puffs). That's $11.30 per day for all of us or $2.82 per person per day. Most of the things I buy there are no coupons for (apples, lettuce, meat, flour, sugar etc.) or are less expensive to buy the store brand vs coupons + brands.

But today I had a coupon epiphany (Aaaaaaaaaaaaa). The Albertson's sale: Buy 30 dollars worth of listed products, earn $15 dollars toward your next purchase. ( Now I don't normally shop at Albertson's but sometimes they have great sales.) Plus I had manufacture coupons. Double plus, Albertson's had double coupons for 6 coupons up to $1.00 each.

8 boxes of Cereal 2 for $4 plus coupons plus double coupons.
6 boxes of Hamburger Helper ( sorry Kris, it's for those crazy nights and food storage) 3 for $5 plus coupons plus double coupons.
3 Minute Maid Juice boxes 3 for $10.
3 Cake Mixes 3 for $5.
Grand Total 33.99 for savings of 42.20.
But then I also earned $15 dollars off which I promptly used on the rest of my sale purchases of chicken breasts, cheese, eggs, spices (50% off by the way), oranges and pork chops. So if you subtract the $15 from the cereal etc., my cereal purchase was $18.99. Yipee.

I realize that won't happen often, but it sure was fun!!!!