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29 August 2013

Friday 5

I saw this on another mama blog and thought it was fun!
Sharing my favorite 5 things from Pinterest, blogs or wherever.
 
 
1.
 
This outfit!! I am SO ready for fall and I love everything about this, just the right amount of comfy and cute!
 
2.
Pinterest in General is my #2  I am just thankful for so much I have learned and been able to track down for future use. My Things I Should Know board is getting some use!
 
3.
 
 
Great read and such a good reminder. I have more on busyness coming soon!
 Her whole site is full of good reads!
 
4.
 These muffins! SO good!
 
Lastly #5 is Ruum.com
 
CUTE kids clothes, with some amazing discount codes right now, Labor40, Redbook20 and Welcome15 can all be used. Swimsuits for 3.99 before discount!
Just finished my order.. all deals for next summer besides that cute sweater!!
 
 
We will see how many Fridays I can get to this. Anyway, it was fun!
 
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27 August 2013

Bed Sharing

So these little boys, they have my heart and they also usually have 1/3-1/2 our bed!

  
They don't really wake up and make a fuss, they just climb in all stealth like and quiet, and by the time I realize I have no blanket and no room I am too tired to try and carry either one of them back to their beds. So there they stay hogging the bed, kicking, waking, snoring, teeth grinding and I toss and turn on my tiny portion of the bed.
 
That has gotta change! School starts soon, we all need sleep, good uninterrupted sleep and no one is getting that with 4-5 of us in a queen size bed.
 
Our kids like their chore packs, and I was thinking they would like a punch card that they can cash in when it's full, like a coffee punch card, for a hot cocoa, or treat at the football game.
 
Found a couple on etsy but thought I could probably DIY and save the money.

Decided to use some Rhonna Designs, and My Memories Suite.. Here is what I ended up with

Just gonna print a few of these and see how it works.
 
If you don't have MyMemoriesSuite yet, go get it! I use it all the time!
For teacher gifts, Christmas Tags, Scrap booking, Party Supplies. Totally worth it, and I have a coupon code, just enter STMMMS87586 for a discount at checkout.
 
Wish us luck on sleeping with no kidlets!


 

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24 August 2013

Back to School Fairy '13

It's almost that time! Time for the Back to School Fairy to stop by and leave a little treat and note for kids who are off to school in a week and a half!
 
I have concentrated on reminding them to be good students and good friends at school. This year will be the same but I think the fairy might need to remind them to help their mama after school one of the days!
 
As much as I really wanted to could have blown our Back to School Budget for the Back to School Fairy, I didn't!  Kept things really pretty mild but things I know they either needed or wanted.
 
Carsyn got a dress, the only dress I bought her for Back to School, a shirt for Ramsey

 
A couple little Legos I already had on hand, some hair glitter, new toothbrushes
And they each got a box of granola bars, those are a real treat for our kids, they don't get them often.
And Finnley has a Starbucks gift card for his first day of Preschool!
 Couple other little things, nothing too major but they will like them!
 
I know this tradition isn't for everyone and some people would rather just give the kids something from them and not the Back to School Fairy, but we started with the Back to School Fairy and I love that our kids remember it and ask about it throughout the year.
 
Check out past years here!

Who else is doing this, or something similar?
 
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16 August 2013

Almost 8 months over

 
I totally forgot to update our goals in the beginning of August! So now that it's over half over.. I am going to keep it short and sweet.
 
 
~Family~
~I have been HORRIBLE about eating at the table, honestly I am lucky if I eat dinner at all. We will never do 4 weeks of swimming lessons at 6 pm again, ever. Lesson learned.
 
~We have been having fun doing other stuff, golf, drive in movies, checking out old pictures and a couple parades with friends.

 
 
~Self~
~Hardly been to the gym at all this month, once or twice is it!
 
~Been doing super on my water drinking and not spending time on relationships that are 1 way. Back to reading some more too!
 
~Finances~
 
~I have a new method for my coffee, I only buy a gift card every few weeks, and not for very much. Once it's gone, it's gone. I don't really have cravings for it and the lack of sleep is not an issue as much. I could go completely without if we needed to. And I always buy the gift card at a store that offers gas rewards with 5x the points on gift cards, that way when I buy my $15 gift card for the month I get 75 points which is almost 10 cents off per gallon it only comes to about 2.50 savings but I will take it. 
 
~Step 2 of Dave Ramsey Snowball plan.. almost HALF done! I don't know how it happened, but it's working and it is SUCH a relief! Even with everything going on in our little world right now, I feel confident we will be done with step 2 sooner than I expected and much easier than I anticipated it being.

I use a little notebook like this and am keeping track of every months balances.

Some months it feels like there is hardly any change in those balances which is CRAZY because I know how much of a payment we make, and really out of that payment that is ALL it brings the balance down. Gross!
 
~I've been to Target more often than I should but when I do go, I am not spending like I was before. Our office is moving and now Target is not close so I don't think I will be there nearly as much.
 
~I haven't been vigilant about using Swagbucks, but we have been cashing them in for gift cards when we do have enough, and moving those right to savings! I know Christmas FEELS like forever away but the insane shopping season starts in 90 days. Not going overboard, just preparing as best we can. I found a couple of things we were getting anyway on clearance for less than half price, already wrapped those up! 
 
~Home~
 
~I think we have taken more out of our house in the last 6 months than we have the last 6 years! I know I am being better about not shopping because we are continually out of grocery bags, when before we had too many for the container.

I have bags all over the house and when they are full I load 'em in the car. They really are all over, it's kind of annoying but I think it's working.
 
 
~Hubby is making this great laundry basket holder, I am sure you have seen one on Pinterest. We moved the boys in together in 1 room, have plans to paint and do as much as we can to keep things around here work for us, but I am ready to sell this house! We are just waiting until the time is right and doing what we can until then to get things ready.
 
~Life~
 
~I am enjoying my job, missing my kids when I am there and know they are having fun with Daddy at home for now.
 
~Ryan has been home for a month now, not sure it is what he was expecting, but I like that we get more time together!
 
~Kids have grown SO much this summer, especially this last month. Not just height (although that happened a ton) Finally have a couple swimmers, ditched some training wheels and there is more reading going on than I can keep up with! 
 
 
Goodness, for that being "short" it sure isn't! But that's what's new with our goals since the beginning of July!

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