Coupon Confession: I Got Lazy

Now, you guys know I love me some coupons! There is no doubt about that but I must admit that I've gotten a little lazy with my couponing lately. GASP! Say it isn't so?

Over the summer, I was Couponing all over the place a couple days a week, but now that I am back to work my motivation is out the window. When I get tired, rest wins out. This is a life motto I've adopted since becoming a mom.

I am not going to stay up late and clip coupons. The hubs and I have our Saturday morning routine where we finalize the shopping list and then I get my couponing stuff together. It might not be the most ideal and organized method, but it generally gets the job done.

I live too far from Publix to take advantage of short sale deals so I've got to consolidate my trips. I am still using whatever Qs and matchups I can each week but my overall savings has gone down a bit. I can't remember the last time I did a good deal at CVS with ECBs through multiple transactions. (Sad face)

I did manage to snag a good deal on some Pampers wipes today at Publix. These 72 count wipes were priced $3.29. I used a .50/1 mfr Q and a $2/1 any Pampers item Publix Q. My OOP was .79!! I love baby item cheapies.

Anywho, I am hoping to get my coupon mojo back. I plan on reading the blogs, discussion boards, and Facebook pages for my favorite coupon groups more frequently! Starting.....tomorrow. Procrastinators and busy moms of the world unite TOMORROW!

Weekly Wonderings and Musings

When this momma gets some time to herself to unwind sometime between 8:00 pm to 8:30 pm, I like  to read the latest blog posts from the bloggers I follow, waste time on Pinterest, read a little news or a book, and La-dee-da on Facebook.

I thought it would be fun to share with you some of stuff I thought was interesting, neat, funny or weird!

I read this article about an 8 month pregnant woman who does crossfit weightlifting! OMG! That is totally scary and "Bad-A" at the same time!

A Utah football coach suspends the entire football team because of cyberbullying, skipping classes, and failing classes. I say well done! Kudos! Bravo! In order to be reinstated on the football team students need to attend study hall, no failing grades and complete a service project. He is also requiring students memorize the following quote, "Good character is more to be praised than outstanding talent. Most talents are, to some extent, a gift. Good character, by contrast is not given to us. We have to build it, piece by piece — by thought, by choice, courage, and determination."

If you haven't taken the time to watch Jimmy Fallon and Justing Timberlake make flu of the #hashtag you totally should! It was hilarious #LOL #giggles #silly

I thought this picture was also ROFL worthy. I came across it on Pinterest. It makes me think of Penny from Big Bag Theory explaining this theory!!

History Nerd Alert....I watched the movie, "Iron Jawed Angels" for the first time this week in my US Government class. This was a great movie! HBO actually did a good job on this one. After completing the movie about women's suffrage with my student, I went on the Internet and wanted to read more about Alice Paul. She was an amazing woman. She and the suffragists who stood along side her made a definitive mark in our history. They endured being ignored, spit at, hit, arrested, mistreated by people in power and they even did  hunger strike!

Lastly, a friend on Facebook alerted me to a recent change in thrilled of psychology--extending adolescence to the age of 25! Holy cow. Why the change? So, now I'm only a couple years out of adolescence? No way. So with my curiosity peaked a searching the Internet new feed I did go. Come to find out, this is a change being made in Great Britian. Rick Moran, author of the article states, "The ostensible justification for this is cognitive studies showing that the brain is still developing past age 18 and into the 20's. There is also a question of hormonal development continuing as well." He goes on to say that "this could create a population of infantile young people." That statement seems a little like faulty thinking (slippery slope) to me.

Well dear reader, that about does it for this week's glance into my simple and sometimes significant wonderings and musings! Until next time.....

Simply Annoying

I don't know if this post idea will become a regular thing, but it might! I wanted to share with you one or two things that I find annoying in a non rant and slightly humorous kind of way.

Simply annoying #1: Hanging up clothes

In my house, I am the main laundry doer. This in itself is not a big deal. I don't mind it. Personally, I like to do my own laundry because I will sort it or hang dry items to ensure good care. I find that my "good clothes" or "go to favorites" last longer as a result of this effort. I've already admitted that while I am good at washing the laundry, I am not the best at making sure it gets put away.

What I do find annoying is when I layout laundry to be hung up, sometimes my hubby will go through the pile and only hang up his stuff! Seriously?! Really?!

This is true people. I am not making this up! It has happened more than once at my house. I think to myself in my snarky and vindictive inner voice, "I did all the work of folding and putting away YOUR CLOTHES and you couldn't be bothered to hang up my stuff?!" It's clothes hanging not rocket science or heavy lifting.

I've asked the Hubs about it before and he said, "I wasn't sure where to hang them." While this isn't a great excuse, I can give him some credit because I do have my side of the closet organized into sections. Don't judge my slight OCD!

The Hubs and I have a great relationship, don't get me wrong, but like any relationship there are quirks and hangups. This is just one of ours. I am sure if I asked him to, he could write about something he finds annoying about me. (Hey, that might be an idea for a later guest post.....)

Hanging up my clothes is not something that I am willing to "go to war over." It's a pick your battles kind of thing. I know he appreciates what I do in regards to keeping up with laundry. I appreciate all he does, but only hanging up his stuff and not mine is one of my simple annoyances. Ya feel me?

What do you find annoying? I'd love to know. Please post some of your annoyances or pet peeves in the comments section!

Life Snap Shot

Inspired by a post from Pip. Here is a little life snap shot of yours truly. Play along. Answer a few in the comments or leave a link if you post.

Making : I am thinking about making gingerbread cookies soon. Thinking about it counts, right?
Cooking : Turkey bacon for breakfast
Drinking : Coffee with French vanilla creamer and one Splenda.
Reading: reached by Ally Condie (book 3 in the Matched Series)
Wanting: to decorate more for fall and pumpkin spiced lattes.
Looking: At pictures I took on my camera for my blog post
Playing: Letting Little Miss Play (more like pull) with my hair
Wasting: Time on Pinterest. Obviously.
Wishing: I could sleep in more on the weekends rather than get up before Little Miss.
Enjoying: A slow morning before a busy afternoon at a birthday party for my niece.
Waiting: for my hubby to get home from helping his parents with some manual labor stuff.
Liking: Sweets! Looking forward to some birthday cake today @ my niece's party.
Wondering: When my hubby is going to get up?
Loving: Morning cuddle time on the couch with Little Miss watching cartoons.
Hoping: The Love Bugs go away soon.
Marveling: At the fact my neighbors aren't more annoyed at their incessantly barking dog. I know I am.
Needing: A date night. Followed by a girls night.
Smelling: My Ashland Spice Market Candle I bought last weekend at Michaels.
Wearing: My Jammies--T-shirt and sweat pants.
Following: Dave Ramsey's daughter, Rachel Cruze on Facebook.
Noticing: A touch of Fall in the air? Maybe just a little because it's Florida and perpetually hot.
Thinking: The Grocery List that needs to be put together and eventually purchased at the stores.
Knowing: I've got new shows to watch on Netflix like Season 2 of New Girl and Revenge.
Focusing: on relaxing while I can and not stressing about "all the things that need to be done."
Bookmarking: Some books on Amazon that I would like to eventually download on my Kindle.
Opening: Some yogurt for my breakfast--Dannon Light and Fit.
Giggling: I love making my daughter laugh. Her giggles are contagious!
Feeling: Tired. I want a nap, but that isn't going to happen today.

Attack of the Annoying Love Bugs

Oh my goodness! It's love bug season here in Florida and these annoying creatures are swarming my house! My house is light colored (yellow & white) so the bugs naturally gravitate towards it. SMH.

The worst part of it all is that they are getting inside the house! ICK! They are crawling into the cracks and crevices and Worming their way in; on top of that, every time we have to open the door for ourselves or the dog more nasty buys get inside! The hubs has even gone as far as changing the thresh hold lining on the door and the little buggers are still worming through.

I am so glad my daughter isn't so fascinated with them or trying to pick them up and eat 'em! Gross. The hubs and I are sweeping and vacuuming the doorways and the entryway daily in an effort to maintain cleanliness in our home. Just what you want to do when you get home is clean up dead bugs, right? I wonder if we could train the dog to do it while we are at work? I wish.

In case you are interested in learning more about this pesky insects, Snopes.com says, "Love bugs are not the result of a genetic cloning experiment gone wrong, nor were they unwittingly loosed from a research facility charged with studying exotic insects. They also weren't bio-engineered as a natural solution to the mosquito problem. (Love bugs do not eat mosquitos: the adults do not eat at all, and larvae feed on decaying plant material.) These overly amorous critters are native to Central America; the best guess as to how they came to these United States places them as undiscovered stowaways who arrived by ship in Galveston or New Orleans around 1920. They migrated into Florida in 1947 from Louisiana, looked around, liked what they saw, and decided to stay. Their natural capacity for reproduction took care of the rest."

I can live with smudged windshields and mass grave yards on the front end of my car, but I draw the line at creepy crawly fornicating bugs in the house!! I have standards you know?! Ugh. Thanks for joing me on this rant. Just another simple and significant day in our lives!

Lessons of a Sinus Infection

I have been fighting, dealing with, recovering from a sinus infection since Labor Day. It was a creepy crawly bug that has rocked my world (if you'll excuse the dramatic reference). It's so true that you never really appreciate good health until you don't have it. Plus, I have not been the only one sick. My daughter also had a sinus flair up too with the coughing and runny nose. It's likely she got the "icky" from me.

Here are a couple of "little lessons and factoids" I learned while I was sick.

1. Congestion can cause someone to loose his or her voice. My poor students had to endure "smoker voice" teacher for 3-4 days and I had to take vows of silence when I got home. I never really considered my hubby to much of a talker, but I see thought he talks a lot when I couldn't!
2. You can loose a little weight while you are sick. Yea, I became a littl fixated on my weight when I was sick. I was worried that I lost weight for no reason (cue my hypochondrian LOL).
3. Prescription Mucinex is quite expensive. I opted for the OTC brand, but it didn't seem to help any.
4. Saltine crackers are helpful for that  upset stomach. I kept som in a ziplock Baggie by my side of the bed. It was a bit of a flashback to my morning sickness days when I was preggers.
5. Amoxicillin is antibiotic with side effects. I get an upset stomach to say the least. Do I really need to feel worse, before I feel better? I was feeling better before the doctor put me on the antibiotics.
6. A white film on your tongue is a sign of dehydration. So I have been drinking water like a mad woman.
7. It's okay to take off work and rest in bed all day. I love my job, but I need my health. Plus, I got to watch one of my shows all day on Netflix.
8. There are good tissues and cheap tissues.
9. I could care less "what's for dinner?" When I am under the weather as long as it's quick and easy and I don't have to do much if anything.
10. I have a great hubby who worries about me. He was such a trooper taking care of me and our Little Miss. I am truly thankful for him.

I am so glad I am feeling better! We should never take health for granted EVER because it's really a simple but significant part of our lives.

Say Cheese It's Picture Time!

The time has finally arrived (bom, bom, bom). I finally have my latest "want" a new DSLR camera! If you have been following my blog you know I have been pining and saving for a new camera for over a month now.

It's been very satisfying to see my savings board go up each week with my tutoring sessions and the hubby's computer repair job money that he kicked in for my "gift." (This camera counts as my birthday gift this year!)

After we saved almost all the money, the time came to decide what brand and model to buy. Now, I am not educated enough in the ways of photography to debate the pros and cons of Nikon vs Canon. All I have to go on is facts about what I read, customer/consumer reviews, and opinions of friends who have DSLRs.

We decided to go with the Canon T3i Rebel. According to the Canon website, "Photographers looking for an easy-to-use camera that will help them create their next masterpiece need look no further than the Canon EOS Rebel T3i. The next in a long line of phenomenal compact DSLRs, the EOS Rebel T3i continues the Rebel tradition of easy operation, compact design and no-compromise performance. Featuring Canon's newest DIGIC 4 Image Processor and an 18.0 Megapixel CMOS Image Sensor - plus cutting-edge technologies like Full HD video recording, Live View shooting, Wireless flash photography and even a Vari-angle 3.0-inch LCD monitor - the EOS Rebel T3i offers the best of EOS photography in a compact package."

Now a lot from that direct manufacturer quote I don't understand, but maybe one day I will; however, let's focus on the bigger picture I got my camera!! Woohoo.

Now I have to figure out how to use it properly. I want to take this mom-a-razzi class offered by Amanda Star Photography. She's a local photographer who caters to moms who want to "stalk their kids in style" by learning how to use camera to capture awesome memories.


In the meantime, I will have to do some learning on my own and just have fun taking pictures with my new "toy." Here is the first picture I took of my Little Miss. How about that crazy wild woman hair? Come on how cute is she? Plus, I think that the picture came out pretty well. I can't wait use it more.

Here is another picture I took of the hubs holding Little Miss' hand. They way she is pointing her fingering makes me think she giving him a talking to!

Well, I think that's all for now dear reader.  Until next time, keep it simple, but significant.

Lunch Date with My Love

How sad is it that I don't remember the last time my hubby and I went out without Little Miss? When was the last time we went out without other people and it was just us? Now hear me out--it's not that we haven't had the opportunities here and there but when given the choice of going out or staying home I have chosen to be a homebody couch potato. There's no shame. I've been tired. My hubby has been tired so home is the best option for two working parents.

This past Sunday we decided to take an outing for lunch since Little Miss was spending the day with my mother in law. So the sweat pants came off in exchange for a pair of jeans and neat top. I fixed my hair and put on some make up for this long over due date. Now if you recall, I've written about the importance of date night before and my opinion has not changed.

I got to pick where we were going for lunch so I chose Chili's. I haven't eaten here since July and it's a place that I know the hubby can eat at with all his pickiness. I ordered our meal because I speak "waitress" from my years of waiting table during high school and college. I ordered because I was trying to avoid the prep cooks messing up the hubs ordered due to his "special instructions."

Our meal arrived after we gorged ourselves on bottomless chips and salsa. I had big mouth sliders and he had chicken fajitas buried under jalapenos.

It was a delicious meal and a lovely start to our afternoon. Of course, I didn't finish my portion of the meal so I got to bring home a doggy bag! I am glad that we splurged on ourselves and reconnected a little with some laughs and lunch. It's just another simple, but significant day in the life of our marriage.

Weekend Rituals

Who doesn't like relaxing weekends and lazy days? I know I do....A LOT especially after a long school week, driving, tutoring, and being a mommy. It's the life I live day in and day out and I love it! Here's a little glimpse at my weekends.

I usually like to lounge in my PJs for a good chunk of the morning and enjoy my breakfast and morning staple of coffee.

I absolutely adore my weekends with Little Miss! We usually chillax on the couch together watching cartoons. She drinks her milk and eats breakfast while mommy helps, watches or does the same.



Of course, there I do chores over the weekend too. My biggest task is to wash, fold and put away laundry. I'll admit that I usually get the washing and folding done, but sometimes I'm not quite successful and getting all of it put away. More often than not, the clothes that need to be hung up in the closet get laid in a pile on the dresser and don't make it to the closet. It's a perpetual "cycle" of (haha laundry humor) clean, but not put away clothes.

When I have some time to myself, I enjoy the occasional cup of tea and a lounge on the couch and read my latest book.

When Sunday's roll around, the hubby picks up my papers and I sort through inserts and clip coupons for my coupon binder.

Not all weekends are full of rest and relaxation, sometimes we have to "go-go-go" because there are places to go, people to see, and obligations to fulfill. I truly believe that it is important to stop and take time for yourself and have a little fun. It's all about simple, but significant choices for yourself and family.