Kitchen Disaster Zone!

Look at this mess! Are you jealous? We had some water damage from a leaking garbage disposal. Two base cabinets had a little damage, but all three were ripped out. The old countertops will NOT be missed (faux bamboo). A new set of base cabinets, a new countertop (laminate, granite look), a new sink and faucet, and a new garbage disposal will be SO nice. I cannot wait!

Maddi Cakes

I have been watching little Maddi for over a week now. She has a sweet and friendly disposition. Yesterday she showed me her "fiesty" side for a bit, but overall she is a very good baby. Its fun to have a cute little bundle to kiss.

I have been suprised at how well Emma is taking it. She only acts jealous occasionally (like when I try to rock the baby in the rocking chair). Otherwise, she tends to mostly ignore her. Cole loves having the baby around. He seems to be the baby's favorite daytime person. Although she LOVES Aubree and Zoe. But they only see her in the mornings.

Cole and I gave Maddi the nickname "Maddi Cakes". He thinks it is SO funny! She hasn't complained about it, so I think its a keeper. We love having her here!

"CoUpOn CrAzY Woman", that's me!

Let me just start with how pumped I am. I have been taught some good techniques on saving mega bucks at grocery and drug stores. Thanks, Marby! And I have been doing some serious hunting and gathering of coupons. If you've ever heard of the "Grocery Game", this is like that, but on STEROIDS! WOOHOO! I tried the former a few years ago and did really well, but it was alot of work and I got lazy. Now it seems there are many more tools available to beef up the savings. Have you ever noticed how many online coupons there are out there. The amount is staggering. And the "loadable" coupons are so awesome. Walgreens has even stepped up and made their rebates much easier to deal with. you no longer have to mail that crap in. How cool is that?

What am I talking about?

Visit here:
www.southernsavers.com (I REALLY like this one)

Other good sites:
www.savingwithshellie.com
www.iheartcvs.com
www.couponsavingfamily.com
www.katycouponers.blogspot.com
www.couponmom.com

To find a coupon you are looking for:

www.afullcup.com/coupons
www.coupons.com
www.smartsource.com
www.redplum.com

Services that have fees (NOT cool!)
www.grocerygame.com
www.smartcoupondeals.com

Loadable coupons (a MUST! You can use these with in-store coupons AND manufacture coupons! Do I hear angels singing?)

www.cellfire.com
www.shortcuts.com

Good tips:
* Sign up for company websites (Kraft, Unilever, pampers, Huggies, Luvs, General Mills, Kellogs, etc)
* Sign up for store websites (Walmart, CVS, Krogers, etc)
* Get the "All You" Magazine (Walmart sells them at $2-2.50 a copy, Amazon at 6mos for $10 and 12 mo for $15) There are $100s in each monthly issue!
* Start with CVS and Walgreens (Wags) for FREE stuff! Eventually you will no longer pay for items like toothbrushes, toothpaste, floss, mouthwash, deoderant, bodywash, shampoo, soap, razors...
* Use Facebook for Savings! Fan the websites that let you know of deals. (Walgreens, CVS, Krogers, Southernsavers...)

I just bought a Rembrandt Teeth Whitening kit, MSRP $25.99 for $4.99 with coupons. Matching that with my Rebate Bucks from a previous purchase, it was FREE. And my Huggies diapers (normally $10.99 in the store) were $2.99 each. But, then again, I got 2 bags for FREE with Rebate Bucks. And did I mention that I have 4 boxes of Theraflu (a necessity these days) for $2 total! Basically my trips (2 in total) costed me $30, but I got $79 worth of product and $15 rebate bucks still in hand. Okay, shall I say I rock? I totally do! And that was on my first day...

Emma's "Heart Song" Dance

After watching "Happy Feet" for the thousandth time, Emma was feeling rather inspired. She got out her tutu and put on a modern/freestyle tap dance for me. She even said, "Look, Mom. My Heart Song!" . Cute girl! I thought it was hilarious, so I had her do it on video. Its shakey, but cute!

Maddi Mae

Here's a picture of the cutie bug I will be watching starting next Monday. The kids are SO excited! And so am I. I cannot wait to love on a baby and get paid to do it! She's so precious!

My kids keep asking when I will have another one. I am not so sure about that. I have to honestly admit that my current obesity is a major factor. I will end up diabetic for sure if I don't do something about my weight. So I am determined to lose 50+ lbs. Maybe once that is accomplished, I can consider whether I want another baby or not.