Christmas and Barbie Dolls

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.