FREE Early Childhood resource

I was on the Kelloggs website getting some coupons and found these Cool Coloring pages - just print and you have some fun educational activities with your little ones!

Today is a great printable coupon day. Couponing 101 has all the links .

My favorite ways to save money

Since I have been doing this Work at Home Mommy thing for about a year now, I figured it was time I share some of my favorite tips on how to save money. Here you go -

1. Never pay for handsoap.
Right now Kroger has softsoap handsoap on sale for $.88 each. Go Here and print out the coupon for $.35 cents off (It's on the bottom right, and mistakenly says .40 off, but it prints out as .35).
Kroger will triple your 35 cent coupon (making it $1.05 off) even though the soap costs $.88. Thanks to Printable Coupons and Deals for supplying this link.

2. Always get a $25 giftcard when filling prescriptions
Click Here for the Rite Aid Transfer Coupon website. Keep 1 or 2 of these in your purse or wallet for the next time you have to pick up a prescription.

I almost always go to CVS to get my prescriptions filled because they ALWAYS honor competitors coupons in the pharmacy. CVS considers Rite Aid a competitor (even though there are none in TX). Each month, RiteAid.com has a new $25 giftcard coupon online for each transfered prescription. CVS has ALWAYS honored this coupon for new prescriptions from me. I have even pointed the fine print out to the CVS Pharmacy Manager, and he has graciously approved this coupon as one they honor with new prescriptions. The coupon usually expires at the end of the month, which causes me to have to search for it whenever I have a prescription that needs to be filled.

3. Buy a Double Pack of Sunday Papers whenever they are available.
Then I take out the coupons (Red Plum, Smartsource, General Mills, Proctor & Gamble) and put them all together in a file folder labeled with that Sunday's date on it. I learned this method from ChaChing on a Shoestring. She organizes hers by type (Smartsource vs. RedPlum), whereas, I organize mine by week. That website has done a lot in the way of helping me learn to save $ since I became a surprise SAHM in 2009. Click Here for her filing method.

Blessings,
Marie A

Helping Haiti

I've been blessed by all of the bloggers sharing how they are going to help the Haitian people. There are so many ministries and non-profit organizations trying to help that little country. I prayed over the past couple of days since I normally run to aid anyone in need.

I encourage anyone who reads this to please pray for those people in Haiti - and for the aid that is going there to get to the people that need it.

If you are looking for an organization to give to - that is responsible and led by the Holy Spirit - I can't recommend CrossWorld missions enough.

Personally, my family and I have been strong supporters of Crossworld Missions for years. The organization is amazing, spirit-led, country empowering. That's one of the attributes I love about this organization. They have missionaries, a seminary, and a school in Haiti and are keeping their website updated on how to pray or give.

Please join me in praying for the missionaries of CrossWorld specifically. If you are led to give monetarily, there is an opportunity to do so on their website.

Bonus Fundraiser:

I will donate 25% of all my Arbonne sales to CrossWorld missions for Haiti. Please purchase items on http://www.dfw.myarbonne.com/ or by contacting me via email Marie (at) myarbonne.com

I will be finishing up an MBA program in the next 17 weeks. I will be raising money for Haiti until I graduate at the end of May. I'll keep info on how the Haiti fundraiser is going in the sidebar (I have to figure out how to do that). I'll also keep you posted on how I'm striving to save money and keep managing our home.

January Goals

Last year, I started posting my quarterly goals, and only did so for the second quarter. I worked all year on number #1. The goal of getting Chad to take more vitamins/eat more veggies. I think a lot can be said for buy-in on that one. Just like the corporate world, you cannot make anyone do anything you want just so you can reach your own goals. They need to see the WIIFM (What's in it for me). And they have to "buy-in" to the idea.

Ultimately, I was able to get chad to reduce his coffee consumption by adding FRS to his diet, and he is drinking a small V8 juice at work everyday. He takes the Hybrid Vitamins, but not regularly.

The other 2 goals were reached and exceeded for us. I've reduced our weekly budget to under $80/week including disposable diapers. AND the kids ate almost all home-made babyfood for their first year.

Now we get into the first year of toddlerhood. What are my goals?
*** To enjoy this year. ***

I've heard people and seen people and been the person who has not been nice to toddlers. I want my kids to see how much I love them, how proud I am of them, and let them be babies for this last bit of their infancy.

I know that isn't a SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Timely) goal, but it is still a goal for me. :-)

so here are my goals (in no particular order)
1. Prioritize my marriage (plan date nights, keep a list of sitters)
2. Enjoy my kiddos (let them be kids, laugh with them, cuddle and play with them)
3. Finish my MBA by May 23, 2010
4. Successfully kickoff my at home business June 2010

Produce Price matches - 11/4 - 11/10

Apples 88 cents/lb WA extra fancy,
Red Delicious,
Golden Delicious
Braeburn
Corn 3 for $1 Ears of Corn
Navel Oranges 98 cents/lb
Avocados 2 for $1 Hass Avocado
Russet Potatoes $2.98 3lb bag
Asparagus $2.75 lb
Cranberries 12 oz. bag
Cilantro 2 for 88 cents


Russet Potatoes 99 cents/ 5lb bag
Navel Oranges 69 cents/lb
Grapefruit 69 cents/lb Texas Rio Star
Pears 99 cents/lb D’Anjou
Red Bartlett
Green Bartlett
Golden Bosc
Tomatoes (OTV) 1.99/lb Tomatoes on the vine
Red Globe Grapes 1.79/lb With seeds
Black Seedless grapes $1.99/lb seedless
Sweet Yellow Onions 99 cents/lb
Hass Avocado 4 for $5
Tangerines 1.99/lb California Fairchild
Lettuce 4 for $5 Garden Fresh Lettuce

Potatoes 1.99/lb 3lb bag Yukon Gold
Apples 2.99/lb 5lb bag Red,
Granny,
Gala
Tomatoes (OTV) 2.99/lb On the vine
Baby carrots 2 for $5 2lb bag
Oranges 2.99/ea 4lb bag
Pineapple 2.99/ea
Mushrooms 1.99/ea 8oz pkg Sliced white
Sliced brown
Bell Peppers 2 for $3 Red Peppers
Yellow Peppers
Seedless black grapes 2.99/lb
Pears 1.69/lb Red Bartlett
Bosc
Walnut Halves 2.99/ea 9oz pkg
Whole natural almonds 2.99/ea 8.5 oz
Navel Oranges 79 cents/lb From California

Apples 87 cents/lb Lg. Red Delicious
Bartlett Pears
Tangerines 3.77/ea 3lb bag Seedless
Bell Peppers $1/ea Red Bell
Sweet yellow
Orange
Grapefruit 4 for $1 Small size, Texas
Blueberries 2 for $5 4.4oz pkg
Shelled nuts 3.77/ea 12-16oz Pecans
Walnuts
Almonds
HH tomatoes 1.99/lb Lg. Beefsteak Hot House tomatoes
Mushrooms 2 for $4 10oz pkg Jumbo Texan Stuffer
Broccoli 1.29/lb Crowns
Pomegranates 2 for $4 POM Wonderful
Mustard Greens 2 for $1 Collard
Turnip

Apples 88 cents/lb Gala
Pomegranates 2 for 2.99 Jumbo
Apples 1.99/lb Honeycrisp
Grapefruit 99 cents/ea Jumbo Texas Grapefruit
Watermelon 3.99/ea Dulcinea Purehart seedless
Avocados 2 for $3 Large Hass
Tomatoes (OTV) 1.99/lb On the vine
Blueberries 2 for $6 6oz pkg