happy mommy

Tip Tuesday

2008-02-26T12:51:00.000-08:00

This month has been a busy one. First I tore the ligaments of my ankle, that was over a month ago and it still hasn't healed completely. It's funny how the house gets when mommy is not 100% well. Also the boys have been a little under the weather. With that said I am joining some of you and posting a tip this Tuesday.

The best tip I can give is plan. Yup simple as that or is it. See this month I have been trying to catch up with my housework after my little accident, that I have not planned my days as well as I used to. I have noticed that I spent alot more money on groceries and I did not take advantage of sales because of my lack of planning. I also did not plan my menu for two weeks and the result was chaos. A lot of food went to waste and my kitchen was a mess adding to the chaos and my discouragement. Now as the end of the month comes near I noticed that we have no money in our account, most of which I don't know where it went.

So ladies learn from me and take time to plan. Trust me that time spent on planning menus, outings, household cleaning, etc. will be time well spent.

Mother: A Review

2008-02-05T12:30:00.000-08:00

Before I venture into writing a review on this book I would like to say that I am not a writer. I don't really like to write, especially not review. I lack a large vocabulary, I believe it's because I am surrounded by kids all day. So with that said here it goes.
Some time back I read a short bio on Jennie and in it she mentioned how the book Mother had changed her life so I got my hands on it. At the beginning this book seemed to have a slow start. Instead of making me want to stay home it showed the greatness of being an independent woman. These women had it all great homes, money, parties, beautiful clothes, excitement. But did they really have it all? The more I read I came to the realization that they didn't have it all; they were not happy, not truly anyways. Sure they seemed to be happy. But in reality they were overwhelmed with everything they "had" to do. They were mothers, wives, business women, socialites, etc. Can one be truly happy trying to do it all? That is what society would have us believe. We see all these career women on t.v or in magazines beaming, but we all know that isn't reality.
At the end of the story Mark realizes that being a mother and a wife is the most important and exciting 'career' she could ever have. Raising children for the glory of God is the most important responsibility we have. Let us (and our daughters) learn from her choices. And don't forget not everything that shines is gold(my mom always said that) :P

Yes, I am still here

2008-01-31T19:16:00.001-08:00

Just wanted to say that I am still here, just busy and recouperating(sp?). Last week I slipped and tore the ligaments of my left ankle. The first two days I took it easy putting my foot up to bring down the swelling. Now I am just playing catch up on all my household chores. I have mountains upon mountains of clothes I need to iron. I didn't get to them since the doctor wanted me to be off my feet as much as possible. She said it could be six weeks until my foot heals. Yikes! Does she not know that I am a busy woman. I don't think my ankle knew :P

On a side note I just finished reading Mother. I will have to post a short review. I will just say it was such a great book, it will go on my favorite book list.

What is their defense? A Child's Life?!

2008-01-23T10:39:00.000-08:00

As I was driving home yesterday I surfed the stations of the radio (rarely do I do this) and I came upon a talk show. They were discussing a pill that was shown to reduce the chances of breast cancer, endometriosis (sp?), and so many other womanly problems. It sounded great but this pill was an abortion pill developed in France. Many Pro Life proponents of the country got them to pull it out of the public. Pro choice people were upset (radio station personalities). Everything they were saying did not make sense but what really got me and made me turn off the radio was the following. I can't quote them but this is close. 'this pill saves the lives of many women who otherwise would die trying to get an illegal abortion and what do the pro life proponents have as a defense? An unborn child's life?! This is a child at 1o weeks, most abortions occurs at about 10-12wks.

Yes, they said that and he chuckled. He then went on to say that many of us promote adoption instead of abortion but that most children stay in orphanages and foster homes.

I know that putting up children up for adoption is not the answer. The answer lays in educating parents on how to go about sex education at home. None of the artificial contraceptives are 100% effective. The only thing that effective is abstinence. We need to teach our children to love life as a gift from God.

Maxwell Conference Weekend

2008-01-22T09:48:00.000-08:00

Like in my Purpose entry I had mentioned that I want to grow in spririt and as a wife and mother. So this weekend I was fortuante enough to attend a conference featuring the Maxwell family of Kansas. I was so blessed and encouraged beyond words by their testimonies and seminars. The seminars were divided by men, ladies, young men and young ladies. I of course attended the ladies' seminar given by Teri Maxwell. If you are not familiar with the Maxwell's I would encourage you to visit their web site at Titus2 .
On Friday night the whole family (minus married son Nathan) delighted us with music and personal testimonies. Then mom and dad spoke of the great blessing homeschooling is.

On Saturday the conference began with a "Managers of their Homes" seminar for moms. Which was great since I struggle with order in my home. The next seminar was given by both Teri and Steve, and to be honest was my favorite. The title, "Keeping our Children's Hearts". I believe that as Christians this is what we struggle with the most. It is not just about raising good kids, but about keeping their hearts turned toward us until marriage. (Malachi 4:6)

I would recommend any one who has a chance to attend this wonderful conference. I purchased many of their books (some as Christmas gifts with money hubby gave me and others at the conference). I will later post a review on the book "Keeping our Children's Hearts: Our Vital Priority", which promises to be a good one.

Purpose

2008-01-16T10:49:00.000-08:00

As I was reading other people's blogs I noticed that they all pretty much had a theme. Crystal also recommends that you keep to a theme, so I began thinking about it. I listed some of the things that I am interested in to help me narrow my blog to a theme (or themes).

This is my short list :)

Learning to share the hope that is within me (defending the faith)

My children

Cooking (baking especially)

Living a healthy lifestyle

Learning to be a good steward of the gifts the Lord has given me

Reading & Learning

After much thought and prayer I have decided that everything is kind of related into two categories Faith and Family. So that will be my focus. At this point all of my reading is geared towards how to be a better wife and mother. I want to expand that into books on Faith (since I have departed from it since I was a teen and I want to regain all the time lost). I will soon begin writing book and movie reviews pertaining to my growth as a Catholic wife and mother.

I hope you will join me on my journey.

Financial Shape in 2008

2008-01-15T20:17:00.000-08:00

Crystal at Money saving Mom, has been encouraging all of us ladies to get our financial house in order. I have decided to join her since we are trying to get out of debt and believe this program will greatly benefit our mission. Blogging about our goals and progress will keep me accountable (yes I need a lot of motivation and accountability :))Our first mission was to set a budget we could live with. Today we need to think of our short and long term goals.

So here are our short term goals.

Pay off our debt by summer
Have an emergency fund (at least 3 months worth of expenses, if not 6) by the end of summer.
Save for a down payment on a house. (we're hoping to buy a home by the end of the year)

Long term goals
Pay off the house in 15 years (sooner if possible)
Build my husband's business
Live off of my husband's salary, so that I can stay home (we're hoping to do this in 3yrs)

I would welcome any prayer so that we can meet our goals.

The Perez Family

Super Saturday Savings

2008-01-12T15:03:00.000-08:00

Well this week I did not do much shopping. We went to Costco 2 wks. ago and so we are pretty much stocked. Also, there hasn't been too many great sales around here. We did however go to Old Navy and took advantage of the sales. We got the boys 7 tops each, my hubby got 4 shirts, only 2 were on sale, and we got our new niece a cute little outfit. Why is it that there is always cute little things for girls and we have to be on the look out for cute boy clothes? Hopefully the Lord will bless us with a little girl soon :) For all that we spent about $78. Which was excellent since we had $100 in our clothing budget.

Frugal Friday

2008-01-11T07:43:00.000-08:00

I am joining Crystal at Biblical Womanhood for Frugal Friday. I am new to all this frugality, but since I really want to buy a home I need to start and like they say 'every little penny helps'. One thing we began doing at home was unplugging any appliance we would not be using. For example we unplugged the microwave and toaster oven, since we don't use them that often. We also stopped using a night light for the boys and just pulled the curtains back a bit so light from outside could come in. We did this the last three months and the savings were between $5-$10 a months, over a year it could easily be $60-$120. Not much but it is a start.

Make your Home a Haven

2008-01-07T08:55:00.000-08:00

I am joining Crytal over at Biblical Womanhood on Making your home a Haven Challenge. I am always struggling to keep a tidy home. I hope that with this I am more motivated. I work outside the home at this time and I am always so tired. I hope that by focusing on one area a day my house is more of a home. So to keep me accountable here is my to do list. It is a bit short but at times even this short list can be overwhelming.

Monday

Do 1-2 loads of laundry (depending on availability w/our apt. complex washers)
Clean 1 shelf in our hall closet (we have two large closets in the hall)
Clean out fridge (this was a Sat. job but we went w/ hubby to a job site)
Work on LAF article.

Since I'm at work I won't be able to get to my list until I get home so I will post later on my progress and hopefully completion.

Menu Monday

2008-01-06T17:10:00.000-08:00

After reading through crystals supermarket course Supermarket Savings I have stuck to making a menu. This has really helped in two ways; one is that I know what's for dinner, which is a time saver and it has helped me by keeping me on track with my budget. Sure it takes some time to plan the menu, make a shopping list, look through the stores' ads, and cut coupons but in the long run it saves you lots of money. Also once you get the hang of it, it isn't that much time.
So to keep me accountable I am posting my menu.

Breakfast is usually cereal, baked oatmeal, waffles, or pancakes w/ milk and fruit.
Lunch-leftovers, soup, sandwich, or Lean cuisine (I got them on sale this week)
Dinner
Sun. Enchiladas w/ rice
Mon.-Salmon w/ steamed rice and veggies
Tue.-Pork Chops, veggies, homemade rolls
Wed.- Spinach Quesadillas
Thurs.Lasagna (I usually put some spinach with the cheese for added veggie boost)
Fri.-Tuna sandwiches
Sat.-Soup

I usually have a simple tossed salad with our dinner.

The Union of husband and wife

2008-01-04T22:24:00.000-08:00

Five years ago today my husband and I were united in Holy Matrimony. I cannot believe how blessed we have been in these 5 years.

Trinity Household's Budget

2008-01-04T21:13:00.000-08:00

I believe we have finally worked out our budget. This will change from time to time, since my husband gets extra jobs around this time because of the rain (he's a roofer and even though he cannot work in the rain he gets lots of jobs afterwards). All his extra money will go into paying off our debt, our savings, and for unexpected emergencies (like this summer when our car was stolen, 2wks later my fil passed away, and 2wks after that our truck was stolen w/ hubby's tools, car seats, stroller, and all our bedding :( God provides and we have been able to replace almost everything (the police found the truck but everything was gone, our insurance covered all the damage, I was so happy that I had full coverage all we paid was the deductible. Now how did I get off topic? Here is a glimpse to our budget.
Tithe 10%
Rent 800
Laundry $20 (we rent so we have to use the coin machines)
Utilities (gas, electrical, residential phone) $105
Cable & DSL $105
Groceries $180
Household products $20
Car payment (I so regret this purchase) $500
Gas for car $100 (it might be higher since prices are going up)
Insurance for 2 autos $178
Car maintenance & Registration $50
Nanny(my mom watches over the boys when my husband has to work) $200
Gifts $25
Debt $500 (this includes small balances on cr. cards, which will be paid off next month, my student loans one of which will be paid in 2 months, and some dental work my husband had done that insurance didn't cover.

So there you have it our budget. If anyone has any tips or suggestions on how to cut down in some areas we would be happy to hear it.

Happy 2008

2008-01-03T17:31:00.000-08:00

well, life has been pretty busy around here and my vacation is almost over. My husband and I have been working on our goals for 2008. Here are my goals:

Build a better relationship with the Lord. Some things I will be doing is reading the bible so as to finish it by the end of the year. Begining family worship and reflecting on Sunday readings with the family.
Build a better relationship with my husband, by having daily talks, daily prayer, try and set up a monthly date, and attend an annual retreat.
Train the children in the way they should go, by finish watching "Raising Godly Children" by the Bradrick family, implement what was learned in "Raising Happy Children...Teach them Virtues, and focus one virtue a week.
Focus on health, by drinking more water, incorporating more fruits and veggies, take daily multivitamin, lose 30lbs., cook with more organic foods.
Get our financial health in order. We are working on a budget(this is the most difficult for us, I will post it later), we are trying to get out of debt.

My son just woke up so I must cut this entry short. I will try to add our budget soon. Hope everyone had a wonderful New Year's Day.

Christmas and Barbie Dolls

2007-12-29T19:40:00.000-08:00

Well Christmas has come and gone. It was a great one. On Saturday I went over my mom's to make the tamales we made close to 200 (some were for my brother, who was spending Christmas with his girlfriend's family). Being from a Mexican background our tradition is to have a Christmas Eve dinner of tamales (my brother says that we have tamales so we can open something, since we don't have many gifts)and pozole. Traditionally we stay until 12 midnight and put Baby Jesus in the manger and then open presents. This year we didn't stay that late my little one would not go down for a nap and was super grouchy. We open gifts a little early and went home.

On another note, we had gone to get my husband's niece a doll for Christmas. We usually give clothes or books, but my husband wanted to give her a doll. So we called my MIL to find out what she liked. She mentioned the Bratz doll. I must admit I had not really seen them (I have two boys, so we don't stroll down the girl aisle at stores). I was shocked to see what kind of dolls young girls have nowdays to play with. Most dolls had hardly any clothes on. My husband and I looked at each other and decided that we would not give her that doll or any Barbie for that matter. We opted for a Hannah Montana doll that was fully clothed, no stomach, boobs, or but showing. Then we wonder why young girls have low self-esteem, when they have such high standards placed on them. Other than that little eye opener we had fun shopping and celebrating Christmas with loved ones.

We hope everyone had a joyous Holiday.
Blessings,
The Perez Family

Super Saturday Savings

2007-12-22T07:47:00.000-08:00

After cleaning my kitchen cupboards, freezer, and refrigerator I realized that we have a lot of food. So I've decided to forgo shopping this week and just get fruit and veggies. This week Ralph's was having a sale on Cuties clementines and I had a couple of other coupons so this is what I got.

Sara Lee Apple Pie on sale for $1.99
Sargento cheese on sale 2/$5
Activia cheese $4.29
Frosting
Nature Sweet tomatoes B1G1 $3.99
Cuties clementines $3.97/5lb box

Before coupons $20.90
I had a coupon for the pie $1.00
Coupon for the sargento cheese $1/2 doubled, $2 so the cheese was $1.50 each
Coupon for the Activia $4.50 doubles up to $1, $5.50 so the cheese was free plus overage!
I had $1 coupon for the tomatoes, since they double I got to small boxes for $2 (I knew waiting would pay off)
I also had a $1 coupon for the cuties doubled makes $2, so I only paid $1.97 for 5lbs. of clementines!
After all the sales, Ralph's club, and coupons I only paid $8.05.
Other than maybe $10 for some meat, vegetables, and laundry softner we are set for another week :)

Desperate for Home

2007-12-20T10:53:00.000-08:00

Like mentioned previously I have been cleaning and organizing my home. I must admit I am enjoying it very much. Many find it a tiring boring task but I am actually enjoying it. One may say "is she crazy". I must explaining why I am so happy to be doing this. You see I am a work outside the home mom who desperately wants to be a stay at home mom. Since I am a school teacher I am on vacation right now. This time has made me want to stay home even more.
Many people who knew me a couple of years ago might not believe what I am saying. Not long ago I was a college graduate who wanted to be a career woman. I graduated from one of the top universities in the country and believed my education would go to waste if I didn't do something with my career. I love to learn, teach, and children so a career in education was just the thing.
The Lord began to tug at my heart 4 years after begining my career and 10 months after my marriage. What made me start doubting my choices. I will give you a couple of clues. Duggars, Vision Forum, Joseph, and most importantly The Bible. You will have to come back for the second installment, because I am off to make some lunch before the little one wakes up from his nap. For those that are home and even those that are in the same situation as me please pray with me that one day (soon) I will be able to stay home.

Weigh In Wednsday

2007-12-20T10:45:00.000-08:00

I know this is a bit late but I have been a bit busy with cleaning my home inside and out. Also with finishing my shopping and baking and cooking, oh glorious food. Could that be my problem and why I don't seem to lose any weight? Or could it be that I lack the energy to exercise, which is a catch-22 since exercise gives energy. Anyways, this week was tough since we had a Christmas party at work and the kids brought treats to share with the class. I have yet to exercise, I have not found the time to exercise, yes I know I am making excuses. But I am happy to say that I am eating more healthfully. I have lost one pound but since I gained one pound last week I am back to where I started. I shall not give up. Blessing to everyone who is struggling just like me.

Childhood Memories

2007-12-18T13:01:00.000-08:00

As a child I remember spending my Christmas break helping my mom give our home a thorough cleaning. We did this twice a year for the birth of Jesus and His resurrection. This year I decided to do the same.

On Saturday I went to a conference for Gifted and Talented Education. One of the seminars was a bit boring so I spent that hour planning my cleaning schedule. Yesterday was my kitchen day. I took everything out of the cupboards and refrigerator and wiped them down. I then organized all the shelves. So here are a few pics to show you how desperate my kitchen was.

I know it's a bit embarassing but that is how my kitchen looked. You can just imagine how the rest looked. I am having a bit of trouble with the other pictures. I can't seem to turn them and I am not computer savy, so this will do. Here is the after picture.

Not as great as I would want but it will have to do and it is better than the first. Well it is off to clean the bathroom.

Menu Monday

2007-12-18T12:33:00.000-08:00

I decided to join many of you out there and post my menu. Unfortunately, yesterday was a busy one and didn't have a chance to post it. A little late but here it is.

Breakfast
Baked oatmeal
Cereal or
pancakes/waffles

Lunch
Mon.-Rolled Hot Dog and veggies
Tues.- Leftovers
Wed. Soup w/ veggies or 1/2 sandwich
Thur.- Tuna on homemade bread
Fri.-Leftovers
Sat.-egg sandwich on homemade bread
Sun.-Out

Dinner
Mon.-Spinach stuffed chicken, mint glazed carrots, buttered egg noodles, biscuits

Tues.-Ribs w/chile, Spanish rice, beans, salad
Wed.-Quesadillas on spinach tortillas, carrots
Thurs.-3 cheese lasagna, salad
Fri.-Almond chicken over white rice
Sat.-Homemade chicken soup and veggies
Sun.-Chicken enchiladas, rice, salad

Snacks
apple slices w/PB
orange wedges
crackers with cream cheese

So there you have it, an idea of what our family will have this week.

Super Saturday Savings

2007-12-16T13:12:00.000-08:00

I didn't do much this week it has been a bit overwhelming. It was the last day of school, so with rehersals and paper work I was pretty busy. At the homefront my 1yr old is getting his molars and has been very fussy.

My best deal was at Ralphs I got 4 boxes of cereal (Cheerios and Lucky Charms),
2 jars of PB,loaf of bread, 2 toothbrushes, and Philly cream cheese. I got $33.40 worth of stuff for only $4.59 after sales and coupons. The cereal was on sale 4/$10 but if you bought all 4 they deducted $6 at the register with double coupons I got them for .50 each. PB and toothbrushes were free after coupons, the bread .99 and cream cheese was $1.

I also ran into Food 4 Less and got 2dz eggs, Jennie-O gr. turkey, flour, and spinach. All for a little over $7. (I can't seem for find my receipt)

At Vons I got 2 gallons of milk and some butter (for christmas baking) for almost $10. The milk alone was $6.30 and that is the least expensive I can find.

I did not go to walgreens or CVS, I just couldn't find any deals that would benefit my family right now. Maybe next week. If you're wondering where are my fruits and veggies, that will come a little later. I found deals at another store.

Weigh-in Wednesday

2007-12-12T10:48:00.000-08:00

Well once again I must weigh myslef *grunts*. Can you sense my excitement? Ugh, I have actually gained one pound! I can find excuses for the lack of weight loss, it's that time so I am bloated, it was parent conference week so I stayed late and didn't follow my menu plan, the list could go on and on. Or I could just accept that I am weak and I cannot do this on my own. I must confess that I am a glutton. I love food and on more than one ocassion I eat more than what i really need. Sometimes I will even get sick from all the food.

So I am calling on our Lord for contentment for what I have and strenght to refuse mor. I found a great prayer in a wonderful book called Saintly Solutions to Lives Common Problems.

Lord and Giver of every good gift,

help me truly appreciate all that You have

granted me, including the food I eat each day.

Letme not become greedy or gluttonous,

nor displease You by overindulging myself.

May the daily bread You give me be a source of energy,

health, and strength, so that I may fulfill my duties and do

my part in working for the coming of Your Kingdom.

Give me a generous spirit in responding to the needs

of the poor, and fulfill the hopes of all who trust in You.

Father, You give us the bread we need each day;

may we render unto You the glory and promise

that are Yours for all eternity. Amen.

Money Making Monday

2007-12-10T14:42:00.000-08:00

After reading Crystal's post a while back on CashCrate, I decided to give it a try. Unfortunately, I haven't had the same luck she did. I have spent a couple of minutes each day doing long surveys and only $9.95 have cleared. I have almost $16 that are pending. I only want to get .05 cents to get my $10 dollars and I will cancel my account.
But on a happier note, out of CashCrate I signed up for InboxDollars and that has been great. All I do is read their e-mails and answer short surveys and I already have a little over $8. This is alot easier for me since I have two little ones and I work outside the home(hopefully not for long, please pray with me :).

Super Saturday Savings

2007-12-08T16:49:00.000-08:00

Well this week I got a couple of deals. I went to CVS, Walgreens, Albertsons, and Ralphs.

At CVS I only got two things. My husband needed deodarant and razors. Luckily the Fusion Razor was on sale and I had a coupon. So here are the details.

CVS

Fusion Razor on sale $9.99-$4.00 coupon (+6ECB)
Blade Deodarant $3.34 ( I didn't have a coupon but hubby wanted to try it anything to please him :)

Total b/f coupons $13.33

minus $2/$10 CVS coupon

minus $4.00 razor coupon

minus 5.98ECB

OOP $1.79 (I was going to use a 2ECB, but they said that I couldn't, so I just paid)

The receipt said I saved $12.63.

Walgreens

3 cans of Mandarin Oranges $4.17

3 cans of Geisha pineapple $2.37

2 Glade candles $5.00

Total b/f coupons $11.54

minus Walgreens coupons for mandarin oranges $3

minus Walgreens coupon for pineapple $1.20

minus Glade coupons $2.00

OOP $7.38

MIR (mail in rebate) $2.00

Ralph's

2 gallons of milk $6.29

Yeast $2.79
Tyson Cornish Hens $9.61

Total b/f sales and coupons $18.69

Minus Ralph's Club $7

Minus Tyson Mfg. Coupon $2, Ralph's doubles up to $1, so I got and additonal $1 off.

Minus yeast Mfg. coupon .70 (.35 doubled)

OOP $7.99

Albertson's

Arrohead Water $2.99+CRV .10

Essencia Chocolate Chips on sale for $2

2 Albertson's Cookie Dough on sale for $4

Dried Cherries $3.50

Sunkist Pistachios $2.99 ( I had a coupon but in my rush I forgot it :(

Albertson's String Cheese $1.99

Spinach $1.69

Angus Beef Rib Eye $8.36

3 packets of French's Taco Seasoning

Tapatio Hot Sauce $2.89

2 boxes of Totinos Pizza Rolls on sale for $2.00

Foster Farms Whole Chicken on sale for .69/lb-$4.00

Total before coupons $37.51

Minus Totionos Pizza Mfg. coupons .80

Minus $6 catalina from previous purchase on the steak (that's the only reason why I got it )

OOP 30.71 (13.48 is to bake cookies that we will give as Christmas gifts to co-workers)

So my total this week was $47.87 our goal for now is $50 so we did very well.

According to my receipts I saved a total of $59.42

Weigh-in Wednesday

2007-12-05T11:14:00.000-08:00

Well it is Wednesday and I must do the inevitable-weigh myself. This week has not been one of the best. Both my boys have a terrible cough, the older one has actually vomited, he coughs so much. I have procrastinated and have not made my menus so we are just eating anything. My husband's cousin is going through some problems and so we are stressed as well. Well I digress on to the scale I go. 177lbs. well I did not lose any weight. I am not surprised since I did nothing to lose. This week I hope to begin excercise. I work outside the home (I am a elementary school teacher) so I think I will walk for 20 mins. during my 40 min. lunch time. Maybe after the boys go to bed I can do my pilates video (when single this video helped keep me toned). I hope to do better next week. Please pray for me and my weaknesses.

Frugal Breakfast

2007-11-29T18:35:00.000-08:00

Crystal at http://www.moneysavingmom.com asked for frugal breakfast ideas. So here are my ideas. In our household we have two favorites, baked oatmeal and chilaquiles(a mexican dish).

Baked Oatmeal(in slow cooker)
1/3 cup oil (I put a little less)
1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg, beaten
2 cups dry quick oats
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 cup milk
Pour the oil into the slow cooker. Combine remaining ingredients. Mix well and then pour into cooker. Bake on Low 2 1/2-3 hours.

Chilaquiles
12 corn tortillas, cut into small strips or triangles
small amount of oil (it's a family recipes so I don't know the exact measurements)
can of Las Palmas Enchilada sauce
shredded cheese (your choice)
Fry the tortillas in the oil until they are crispy. Pour the sauce over it a little at a time(as much or as little as desired) add about 1/2 cup of water. Cover and let simmer for about 10-15 minutes. Top with cheese and enjoy. Yummy!

Weigh In Wednsday

2007-11-28T19:21:00.001-08:00

Like mentioned in the previous post I want to lose weight, so I decided that I would weigh myself every Wednsday. So today was my first weigh in. The scale read 177lbs. :( So I have a lot of work to do.

Weight Battle

2007-11-27T22:41:00.000-08:00

I was looking through some old pictures of my husband and my courtship. It was really nice to see how thin and well kept I was. Don't get me wrong I am not a mess(well not most of the time), but I did take care of myself a lot more. I am especially concerned about my weight. I have gained about 50 pounds since our courtship began and 30 since we got married. After having the boys excercise was on the bottom of my to-do list.
So, I decided to begin excercising again and become the "lovely young lady" my husband fell in love with once again. I will begin logging my progress every wednsday. I think that if I log it in I will feel more accountable and hopefully anyone else who is going through the same struggles of losing weight in the midst of children, housework, and other responsibilities can offer some words of encouragement, and maybe my journey can also offer some encouragement.

Black Friday

2007-11-24T22:00:00.000-08:00

Well I experienced my first Black Friday. I had never gone shopping on that day so it was thrilling. I got up at 3:30am. and my first stop was JC Penny. I purchased some short square heeled boots, bath towels, bath rugs and undergarments. I then hit Old Navy I bought two sweaters and a shirt. Finally I went to The Children's Place (see my other post on the great savings at The Children's Place) there I bought 3 tops and a pair of pants. I spent about $160 but my sister had sent my son a $35 gift card for his birth day so I guess you can say I only spent $125.

I will add pictures later.

I then went to CVS. Here is a breakdown of my purchase (my best yet!)
1 Colgate toothpaste $2.99-$1 coupon
1 Bic razor $6.99-$2 coupon
1 Soy Joy bar(I was hungry :) $1.29
Total $11.68 minus $2/$10 CVS coupon, $3.50 MC.
Total after coupons $5.68 I used a 2ECB and a 3EC
OOP $1.68 (I could have used another ECB but I had a bad experience before, not at this CVS so I got scared. On my second transaction below, the cashier encouraged me to use them. Now I know where to go :). I used 5ECB and got 9.98ECB and a $4/$20 coupon. Not bad.

2nd transaction
2 bags of M&M's 2/$4.00-$1 coupons and $1.00 because he couldn't get a coupon to scan
2 colgate toothpaste $5.98-$1.50C-$1C
1 Johnson's & Johnson's lotion $5.69-$1C
1 Softsoap Body Wash $3.99(i had already printed the coupon for this item:(
1 pack Wrigley's gum(filler) $1.19
Total $20.85 minus coupons $4/$20 CVS coupon, $2/$10CVS coupon- $4.50 worth of MC
Total after coupons $10.35 I paid with 10ECB
OOP .35 and I got 17.66ECB

Thanksgiving and multi-generational vision

2007-11-21T19:45:00.000-08:00

This year I have many things to be thankful for. I have two wonderful boys a great husband, supportive parents, the list goes on and on. This year I've been working on accepting God's life for me. I have learned to listen to His guiding voice and be patient and wait for his blessings.

I am also thankful for all the wonderful families and ministries that have touched my life and that of my family.

This past weekend we visited my husband's uncle who had a stroke. It was a small hospital and the lobby and room was full of people who were there to see him, pray for him and his family. The nurses had never seen such a united family with so much love, devotion, and a true desire to serve. His children took turns caring for him, they stayed the night and never left his side. His wife of course never left. Their daughter's brought in food and clothes for their mother.

They were blessed with 14 children and at this trying time their love was evident. As we drove (it is about a 2hr. drive) my husband and I discussed what great vision his uncle had for his family. It was wonderful to see this great patriarch surrounded by his children and grandchild. My husband did not have a great model for a father while growing up, so having his uncle has been such a blessing not only for him but for me also.

We hope that he continues to recover as quickly as he has been.

I hope you all have a blessed Thanksgiving.

Money Making Monday-Melaleuca

2007-11-19T13:32:00.000-08:00

I don't do this so I am no expert. A couple of weeks ago my aunt's niece (she is my aunt by marriage) invited me to a "party". It was actually a demonstration of Melaleuca products. According to her the products are natural/organic and safe for use in the home. From my understanding you get a percentage of what people you referred to the company buy. It sounded good but my husband is still a little aprehensive about it. We live in a small apartment and don't have much room for presentations and we don't think our family would be interested in products. You also have to buy certain number of points each month which total to about $40 a month, which would break my budget. But it may work for some of you it never hurts to look into it.

Children's Place Savings

2007-11-18T21:47:00.000-08:00

My husband and I are trying to get out of debt so we have paid off all our credit cards and canceled them. The only two that we kept are Home Depot(my husband is a roofer and does some other construction jobs) and The Children's Place. I love this store, the quality of clothes is excellent and the prices are reasonable. I've looked at consignment stores and Goodwill but I never find anything for my boys (or myself for that matter, nothing seems modest or in my size). What I love about Childrens Place is that it has a program called Place Points, they give you 10% off every time you shop, add their coupons that they send you and Birthday club coupon and you can get a pretty good deal. On Friday I went shopping for my oldest, his birthday had just passed and he had gotten money from Aunts and Uncles and Grandpa and Grandma.

I got him 3 pairs of pants, 3 tops, 1 dressy sweater, and one jacket(thick with lining, really toasty and warm). The total would have been $147.37 but with my 10% Place points 20% birthday coupon, and a 10% coupon that they sent me and after sales I paid only $80.65. But since he had gotten $70 for his birthday I only paid$10.65! Even the sales clerk was surprised.

I "pay" the card before I go shopping online so I don't carry over balances or I just pay when I return from shopping. You must have a card to get the Place points so I think it is worth it. Also since I have two boys and they are close in age the little wears the hand me downs. The quality is so good that they don't look that used. I look at it as an investment.

Super Saturday Savings

2007-11-17T13:06:00.000-08:00

This is my first post ever. I have always enjoyed reading other people's blog so I decided to start my own. I am new to all this but I hope that others who read this will enjoy it and be encouraged.

For my first post I would like to share my savings for the week. My husband and I are trying to save as much as possible to buy our home. We could'nt believe how much we were spending each month on groceries. I found Crystal's great site, http://biblicawommanhood.com and from there I was introduced to her other site http://moneysavingmom.com/ she has great tips on how to save money on groceries, I highly recommend both sites.

My trip began with CVS on Friday. This is what I got:

2 Garnier products @ 5.99 each =11.98

1Palmolive dish liquid @1.49

1CVS cotton swabs @1.99

Total 17.81(w/tax included)

My coupons:

2/$1 for Garnier products

.40 for Palmolive

$2 off for $10 spent CVS coupon

Total after coupons: 12.33

I used a 10ECB from a previous transaction

OOP $2.33

I got 13ECB back (10ECB for the Garnier products, 2ECB CVS swabs and 1ECB for the Palmolive) and I also got $4 off purchase of $20 or more coupon.

I also got the Hershey's Kisses, they were 2/$5. I used 4ECB and only paid .99 OOP. I received 3ECB for my next trip.

Now on to my other finds. I am very fortunate to have so many grocery stores so close to home so I get to shop all the sales without going out of my way. All the stores form a U shape aroung our home so I took my coupons and my list and began early in the morning( 8am, hubby stayed with our two boys :) )

Food 4 Less(Kroger owned)

Sara Lee Pies 2 @ 1.98 (Sale price other stores had them for 7.99!) $3.96

Cool Whip .98 (sale price)

Kraft dressing $1.68

2lbs. bananas $1.16

there is something else on the receipt for .98, but I can't remember what it was and the picture and receipt aren't helping job my memory.

After sales and coupons I only paid $6.06.

Albertson's

They had Pillsbury Grands Biscuits on sale for $1 and if you bought three they gave you 1 free. I had a .30 coupon. So I got 4 for only $2.70.

Ralph's (Kroger owned, I believe)

10lb bag of potatoes .97!

canned peaches 1.19

Last but not least

Vons

2 bags of Tostitos tortilla chips reg. price 3.49 on sale for 1.66

2 boxes of Wheat Thins reg. price 3.59 on sale for 1.66

2 gallons of milk 6.33 (the leas expensive I've seen)

Total before sales & coupons 20.49

Total after 10.55

This week we've only spent $23.60
Our pantry and freezer is full from previous weeks deals so we didn't get much this week. I did manage to keep our total to less than $25 which was my goal since last week we did spend a little more than my alloted $50 a week for groceries and household items. Oh by the way the soda, Apple Jacks, cookies, and napkins were free so I didn't bother to put a price on them.