Eat!

I have empty space between my cabinets in the kitchen. It's right above the sink and this space is very annoying. I've never been sure what to put there. Over at Craftomaniac she created a burlap EAT sign. I loved it so I made my own recently.

I don't have the fancy Silhouette vinyl machine so I had to do it the ghetto way! I bought three 4 x 6 frames from the Dollar Tree and spray painted them flat black. At Hobby Lobby I found burlap scrapbook paper and cut it to fit the frame. In Microsoft Word I found the font I liked and printed out the letters. Very carefully I cut each letter out and glued them on the paper. Easy! Then, I was finally able to find the right color of burlap at Hobby Lobby after Christmas and cut out the straps to hang the frames with. I looked for a fancy rod like in the original picture but I couldn't find one so I had to settle for a small $5 curtain rod from Target. It works I guess. So there it is!

Let's eat!

A Valentine's quickie

I don't decorate for Valentine's Day. I've just never really been into it. Maybe as our kids get older I will do a little more here and there. But I decided I would copy Melissa and make this cute little diddy. It took about 10 minutes and cost me $1. My kind of price.

Making money

I have been a stay at home mom for 2 1/2 years now. I have loved every minute of it. I've said it a million times and will probably say it 1 million more. Oh well! Before I left my job I was the bread winner for the family while putting Matt through school. I have tried to look for things that I can do at home to make extra money and there are just so many scams out there. It is so difficult to know which one is legit and which one is going to rob you blind. And then a friend told us about product studies. The light bulb went off!

We have found so many different research companies to sign up with. We have used our product study money to make updates to our house, to go on vacation, buy presents for the kids and us too and so much more! Plus, you get to learn about and try new products before they hit the market. We put crown moulding in our bedroom and it was free from product study money. All last year every product study I did I used that money to pay our insurance deductible from having Jaxon. Wow! If you live in a big city or around a big city more than likely there is a research company near you. Do a Google search for "market research companies in ___"(insert your city) and see what pops up. Here is a list and links to the companies that we are currently signed up for.

Bryles Research
Murray Hill Center-I don't see the link to sign up with them but you can probably call the office in your area and ask how to sign up
Plaza Research
Schlesinger Associates
Fieldwork Dallas-click on "join our database" on the left hand side of screen
Savitz
Delve-click on "consumer sign up" in the middle of the page
Market Research Dallas
Opinions-Unlimited
Focus Pointe Global

Have fun!

The results

I received a call yesterday from the elementary school where Levi had his speech evaluation. When the lady said who she was on the phone my heart instantly started pounding and my hands started sweating.

Rewind...The evaluation went horribly wrong. Looking back on the evaluation and the timing of it I should have rescheduled it. Levi got 2 shots just 3 days prior to this evaluation and had been running a fever since. Then he started getting sick and sneezing. So on Friday there was snot everywhere. I had to keep wiping his nose and he seriously could not stop sneezing. He would sneeze about every 5-10 minutes. They wanted to check his eye sight and hearing but he wanted nothing to do with that. They tried to get him to count and he wouldn't even though he can count to 15. They tried to get him to name the characters of his favorite movie Cars but he wouldn't. It's like he just froze up. He suddenly forgot how to speak. The words he did say were not clear b/c he was coughing and congested. Jax was with us so I had to deal with him getting upset on top of Levi not focusing on what they needed him to do. I finally just broke down in tears. I told you I would. I walked out of the school so mad, frustrated, and feeling even more like a failure as a mom to Levi. I cried all day! I was expecting the worst report ever and they would tell me that Levi was so far behind. I didn't want to reschedule due to the fact that who knows when they would be able to get him in again. They told me initially that it could be a month for them to see him. So I left the school just broken.

Fast forward to yesterday and the call. I'm not sure if they are supposed to give the results over the phone. The lady didn't really sound like she wanted to tell me the results. They told me when I left last Friday they would just mail me a report. So the call surprised me but I guess it is law that they have to offer you a meeting with the Speech Therapist to discuss the findings. I can't remember how it came out but she told me that Levi didn't qualify for therapy. That's right!! My child's speech is NORMAL!! I just about jumped out of my skin! That made me so happy. I'm not one of those parents that wants something to be wrong with my child or wants him to get therapy just to get it. If any of our kids have issues we will get them fixed as best we can. She told us that the sounds/words that Levi currently says are normal for his age and the sounds/words that Levi doesn't say are normal for his age. We are still going in to the therapist to discuss the report though. Just to get ideas and tips on how to improve his speaking. I personally do feel like Levi is a little behind with his speech but it is our fault. We've let him get away with saying words like "bippy" instead of sippy or "ya ya" instead of yogurt. Things like that we are correcting now but we just never noticed them before. But I don't think that he is far enough behind to need intensive speech therapy for it.

I can't tell you how powerful prayer is. This is an answer to our prayers for sure. I am going to continue to work with Levi each day and get his sounds better. We've been doing our "school" for 3 weeks now and I can see a little improvement. But we have nothing but time on our side. He will be ok!

Yesterday was a great day!

And the truth shall set me free....

Let me start off by saying I'm sorry to my mother for what she is about to see. She taught me better and she knows it and so do I. I have failed but I do the best I can. I'm sorry mom! I will try harder I promise.

The other day a friend said to me that my house was clean. I do try to keep it as clean as possible but the fact of the matter is....I HAVE BOYS!! 3 boys! You clean up after 3 boys and see how well you do on a daily basis. It's tough to keep this house clean or even have the energy to keep the house clean. I show you this not to make you think I am a slob b/c I'm really not. But it's just life. My life! Normal everyday living at our house. So here it is folks. The truth!

The laundry I did yesterday. This is what I like to call Mt. Clothes. I hate this horrible mountain. Laundry and dishes are the 2 things I hate most. But they have to be done. As of now this mountain has been conquered. So my love seat is clean. But at any given point you can usually find an article of clothing on there.

Proof that I cleaned up Mt. Clothes. Those are Matt's clothes in his laundry basket and the kids clothes on top. They are napping so I can't put those away yet.

This is my kitchen at the end of the day. Stuff just everywhere. Baby food jars on the counter and the pumpkin with crayons in it. Dirty dishes in the sink. Clean dishes in the dishwasher. If I would just learn to put the dishes away that are clean then I could put the dirty ones in the dishwasher. But I would rather watch Parenthood instead. Don't hate...I love Parenthood!

Ahhh....my beautiful dining room. How I love thee with all thine toys! This is actually pretty clean. By the end of the day this room is more than likely a mess. Again...the boys! Lord help me if I have any more boys!

So you see...my house is messy. Nothing will make you clean your house faster than when someone is coming over in 10 minutes or my husband is coming home and he needs to think I have done something today. So this is my confession. My everyday life.

As frustrating as Mt. Clothes, the laundry, and the dishes are I wouldn't trade it. I'm grateful for it and the kids that keep me busy.

What does your house look like??

Sorry Mom!

Orange Chicken

Credit: Full Bellies, Happy Kids

Printable Version

3 lbs. Chicken, cut into bite size pieces
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1/2 cup of flour
1/2 cup of cornstarch
4 beaten eggs with a little milk
oil

Sauce:
1 1/4 cups of sugar
1/2 cup of ketchup
1/2 cup of water
2 tablespoons of soy sauce

Beat 4 eggs together and add a little milk. Mix cornstarch, flour and garlic powder together. Dip chicken pieces in the flour then egg. Fry in hot oil until golden brown.

Place chicken in casserole dish.

Sauce:
Combine all ingredients and bring to a boil over medium-low heat. Stir until sugar is dissolved and ingredients are blended.

Pour sauce over chicken

Bake at 350 F, for 45 minutes or until chicken is cooked thoroughly.

Cheesy Beef & Bacon Meatloaf

Credit: Gooseberry Patch Cookbook

Printable Version

1 lb. bacon, crisply cooked, crumbled and divided
1 1/2 lbs. ground beef sirloin
1 1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
2 eggs, beaten
1/3 cup dry bread crumbs
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1 Tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 cup catsup
1/4 tsp hot pepper sauce
3 Tsp Dijon mustard

Set aside 1/2 cup bacon for topping. In a large bowl, combine remaining bacon and other ingredients except catsup, hot sauce and mustard; mix well and set aside. Mix together catsup, hot sauce and mustard; set aside 3 tablespoons of mixture. Add remaining catsup mixture to beef mixture; blend well. Press into an ungreased 9"x5" loaf pan; spread reserved catsup mixture over top and sprinkle with reserved bacon. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees or 50 to 60 minutes. Remove from oven; let stand 5 to 6 minutes before slicing. Serves 6 to 8

Couponing Tips

I wanted to share some helpful tips for successful couponing. Let me just say....I LOVE COUPONS!!! They are the best thing ever! I have been couponing for about 2 years now. It has been worth every minute of it. There are so many "secrets" to getting free groceries or other items from the stores free. Recently, I have been able to stock up Special K cereal for so about $.50 a box. That's awesome!! I was happy about that. I can offer some tips though that might help others looking to save money. I will try to make as much sense as possible.

1) Shop at more than one store if you are able to. I used to limit myself to just Walmart b/c I always thought Walmart had the best deals. Not true. I shop at Walmart, Super Target, Kroger, Brookshires, Walgreens, and CVS. It may seem like a lot of stores but it's not like I go to all of these every week. Broaden your horizons if you have a favorite store.

2) Become familiar with the stores coupon policy. Every store's coupon policy is different. Contact the stores customer service and they will usually email you back a copy of the policy. Keep a copy of that policy with you when you are at that store. You never know when you will get an unfriendly cashier or someone that doesn't know the policies.

Walmart
Target and Target's Price Matching Policy
Walgreens
CVS does not have a coupon policy available but these are some tips to understanding their store.
Brookshires

3)There are several websites to get coupons from. Examples:

www.coupons.com
www.bettycrocker.com
www.eatbetteramerica.com
www.redplum.com
These are just a few examples. Also, you can go directly to the manufacturer websites and get on email lists. I receive offers and specials that way too.

4) Give yourself a budget and stick to it. There will be times when you will splurge and I tell myself that's ok...every once in a while. Not all the time!!

5) Stay organized with coupons. It may seem overwhelming at first but if you stick with it, you can walk out of a store and saved so much money. Get a binder, baseball card inserts and dividers and organize your coupons by sections. If you would like to know how I have my tabs on my dividers just ask. I just smile b/c I see other people checking out spending so much money and I don't. There is a lot to learn but don't give up.

6) Plan your meals around what is on sale at the stores. Those weekly ads that are in the newspaper are there for a reason. Read them and plan your dinners around that. I plan my meals 1 week at a time since the sales change weekly. If chicken is on sale this week then I get it while I can. Today I got chicken breasts at Target and I had a Target coupon for free frozen veggies when you bought a bag of frozen chicken. There's dinner one night this week! Easy!

7) There are websites/blogs that can guide you through the process of coupons. My favorite site is www.hip2save.com. I am so glad I came across this site. She puts together deals for you so you just have to look up the coupons and go shopping. Love it!! There are so many other blogs along the same line.

8) If you want to save money then you will find the time to coupon. People have said to me...Oh you have 2 young kids wait until they get older. You won't have as much time. My response is this is not an option. I am not super rich and I do this not only to save money but it is also fun too. This will be something that I will be doing as long as I have fingers to cut out coupons. Even if you only save $5 on a shopping trip that is $5 in your pocket.

9) Do not pay any website to do couponing for you. There are websites that will charge you for shopping lists or the coupons themselves. There are way too many other blogs you can look at for FREE! I will say that if there is an amazing deal that I would like to stock up on, I have in the past, bought coupons off of ebay. But it is a rare thing for me to do that. This is all about saving money right!!

10) Stores usually get reimbursed for the coupons you use. In the small print on the coupon it says something like the store will get back $.08 handling fee for each coupon used. So the store gets reimbursed for the amount of the coupon plus the $.08. So they are still making money even though you may have gotten the item for free or really really cheap. So I don't feel bad at all when I score a great deal.

11) DO NOT FEEL LIKE YOU HAVE TO USE EVERY COUPON BEFORE IT EXPIRES!!! In my opinion, there is no need for an expiration date. This is a ploy by the manufacturer to get you to spend money. It makes you feel like you have to use the coupon or you will miss out. If you use every coupon you will not save money. You will more than likely end up spending more out of pocket. There is always going to be a sale on something. There will always be another coupon that will come around for you to use. After doing couponing for a while you will catch on to what coupons are most frequent.

I know this may seem like a lot of information but it is very helpful. I'm sure I have forgotten something but these are the main points. Please know these are just my opinions and tips. What may work for me might not work for you. Good luck and happy couponing.

$3/1 Glad ForceFlex Trash Bags *Print Now*

This is a hot coupon you need to print now. Go over here to print a $3/1 coupon for Glad ForceFlex Trash Bags-any count. These kinds of coupons do not come along very often so print while you can.

Stack this with the $1/1 Glad Target coupon and you can get an even sweeter deal.

A mother's love

A mother loves their child/children like no other. The relationship that a mother has with her kids is different from any other as well. We will go to the ends of the earth to make sure they are ok and have the best of every.single.thing. I am blessed to have 2 beautiful boys that love each other and depend on each other so much. And Jax is only 11 months. I now know why Jax was sent to me b/c I think if I would have had a girl second it just would not have worked for Levi.

I realized recently that maybe there might be something wrong with Levi's speech. It has been a tough thing for me to swallow and accept. In all other aspects of his development he is perfectly fine. I am truly grateful for that. It wasn't until I was in his Sunbeam class at church that I realized he wasn't talking like the other kids. But at the same time, he just turned 3 in December. He is by far the youngest in his class.

I cried...and still cry...I cry as I write this post. I felt a sense of failure for Levi. I felt a sense of responsibility for they way he talks. I felt that if I had only read more books or tried a little bit harder he would be perfect in all aspects. I am at home with him and I am with him 24/7. I failed him. But then I knew it could be fixed and he can get help. I got some helpful advice from my sister who just happens to be a Speech Pathologist. And our new journey has begun to help Levi communicate better.

Matt and I decided that I should do my own mini pre school with Levi. Everyday we work on something with his speech. We do it while Jax is asleep so he can focus and learn. I teach him 2 letters a week and we work on the sounds the letters make. We do shapes and colors and numbers. He already knows how to count to 15 and on the first try he got all the shapes correct. This time alone with mommy is our special time. It's just me and Levi. No interruptions! He loves it! This is our second week doing the mini pre school and it really works. He looks forward to what I have in store for him that day.

Levi's biggest struggle is putting the sentences and words together. He talks so fast that his words get jumbled. He has a big vocabulary but he needs to think about what he wants to say. I think that is why he gets so frustrated b/c we can't understand him. Tomorrow morning we are going to have him officially tested to see if there is a speech delay. I will probably cry...again...but I know it will be ok. Levi is a bright and smart kid. Tissue please...I need a tissue dang it.

We love Levi and whatever struggles he has we will do any and every thing to fix them. I know it isn't my fault and that I didn't fail him. I know he will get better and that he will be ok. We want him to know that mommy and daddy will always be there to help him and he can depend on us for anything. So we will see what tomorrow brings.

To be continued....

$1 Laundry Detergent

If you have a CVS or Rite Aid close by you may want to snatch up this deal. I haven't tried this brand of detergent before but it is a great deal. You can print 2 coupons per computer.


Rite Aid Deal
Xtra Detergent $1.88
Use the $1/1 printable coupon available here
Final cost ONLY $0.88!

CVS Deal
Xtra Detergent $1.99
Use $1/1 printable coupon available here
Final cost only $0.99!


Thanks Hip2Save!

Ideas from the fridge

When was the last time that you went shopping for decorating ideas in your refrigerator? Probably never, right? I can say I have done it and will probably do it again. Have you ever noticed the jars that food comes in? Some of them are really pretty and we just throw them out with the garbage. So the other day I purchased jute from Hobby Lobby and I had an idea. I wasn't sure how it would turn out but I love it!! So I took my applesauce jar that started out like this:

And after about 10 minutes of twisting I made this:

Then I took this pretty jar and did the same thing.

I'm not sure if I like them up there or not. Maybe I'll put some sort of flowers/greeny stuff in the pitcher. What do you think? Be honest...it won't hurt my feelings. The more I look at it the more it does seem blank up there or that something is missing. I would love ideas! Either way, I love how they turned out and these cute jars will find a home somewhere.

Drab to Fab!!

I turned this:

Into this:

Those are supposed to be flowers in the corner. It was my first attempt at making them. I think I did ok. I made the black and white flowers out of my husband's old socks. The frame was free so all I bought was the chalkboard spray paint at Walmart.

Then I turned these:

Can you guess where I am going with this?

Into this:

Apothecary jars!! I love them and I have wanted them for so long. I used my $25 gift card that I won to Hobby Lobby to get these. My total was only $17!!! That's less than what 1 apothecary jar costs. Score for me!! And the best part is my wonderful parents gave me another $25 gift card to Hobby Lobby for Christmas! I'm so excited I can't stand it! Happy New Year!