Baby Goods

The site I'm going to share will mostly only apply to those with babies, but perhaps if you don't have a baby, you can pass it along to someone else. Diaper Swappers is a site where you can buy and sell baby items. The specialty is cloth diapers, but they have other items as well. Think of it as a Craigslist for diapers. I'm wanting to buy just a few cloth diapers to try out. I figured it would be fun (on second thought, I don't think fun really works when referring to diapers) to give it a go and see if I would like to use cloth diapers the next time around.

Sweet Summertime

Summer break has begun! That means for the next 2 1/2 months I get to play the role of a stay at home mom. I'm so excited I can barely stand it! Now that I have a lot more time on my hand, I must resist the urge to watch T.V. and movies all day (like that would happen anyhow with a 13 month old at my heels). Each summer I plan out a list of things I want to accomplish during my precious time off. So, here it is, My summer to do list. In addition to these things, I will be tutoring some children and going on a few vacations, so I think there will be plenty to keep me busy.

1. Organize and put together a recipe notebook
2. Have a yard sale (June 5 to be exact)
3. Houseclean each room (woodwork, blinds, etc.)
4. Sell baby items at a consignment sale
5. Scope and sequence curriculum for next year
6. Continue my running. I'm at 2 miles, but I want to build up to do a 5k.
7. Read the following books:
Kingdom Education: A required book for school

A Woman After God's Own Heart by Elizabeth George: I read this book in college but could learn so much more from it now as a wife and mom. I'm also leading a small group with it at church this summer, and I'm eager to go through it together.

Eats With Sinners by Arron Chambers

I'll also end up reading a few fiction books for leisure reading on the beach. First on my list is The Mark of the Lion series by Francine Rivers.

What's on your book list? I would love to know.

$3 off Huggies Coupon

There's a coupon for $3 off Huggies snug and dry diapers, but you may want to print it before it's gone. Look under the "household" or "personal care" category when you go here.

Super doubles

Southern Savers posted that Harris Teeter will begin super doubles 5/19-5/25. This means they will double a coupon up to $1.98. This should provide some pretty good deals. In the next couple of days, you can look for a list of coupon match-ups here.

Free e-book

I guess I have always been a bit of a worrier, but since having Nathan, I would say my worrying tendencies increased. I embarrassingly admit that I often find myself crying in my car about things that haven't even happened. I imagine my reactions to traumatic events and within a few moments the tears are streaming. Do other people do this? If not, I may have one more thing to cry about. This however makes me very good at empathizing with other people. I am routinely having to give my worries to God and trust that He always has my good in mind and will never abandon me in any situation. After knowing and hearing of several people who have lost a baby, my heart is often broken at the thought. The book below deals with this issue and the issues of trusting God through difficult circumstances.

While visiting another blog, I saw a post for a free e-book for I Will Carry You by Angie Smith. As I investigated further, I learned more of the story behind the book. I'm putting it on my reading list. Has anyone ever read it or heard of it?
If you would like to learn more about Angie's story, you can check out her blog here. By clicking on the link of the book title, you can get your free e-book. I think the deal ends today.

Formula Freedom!

Since Nathan was 4 1/2 months old, he has been drinking formula. As of a week ago, we are formula free!!!! I did some estimating and came up with a rough amount spent on formula over the last 8 months. The total was nearly $500!! We used the Target brand which was significantly cheaper than the name brands, so I know it could have been much more expensive. What would we have done if we had been blessed with twins? Just another good reason to nurse the first year if you're able. Maybe with the next one I can nurse longer and put that money saved in a college fund. For now, I'm just relieved to have one less expense to budget for each month.

Let Your Garden Grow!

Ahh! Can you smell that? The fragrance of fresh cut grass, honeysuckle nectar, and ripe strawberries can only mean that summer is right around the corner. With summer nearing its debut, we (mostly Luke)readied the garden and we got to planting. Last year was our first year having a garden, and we had great success. We're praying the same for this year. A garden is one of the greatest ways to cut some off of your grocery budget. We spent $12 on plants, but will probably save more than 5x that during the course of the summer months. In the garden this year we have squash, zucchini, 2 varieties of tomatoes, and 3 varieties of peppers. I'm also going to do a small herb garden in strawberry pots. Your food just seems to taste better when you know that you grew it! I'm licking my lips just at the thought.

If you would like to plant a garden, it's not too late. All you need is some plants, a small space or even just some pots. I know a couple of people who have had good success planting in hay bales too.

Lessons of Motherhood

Last year was my first Mother's Day being a mom and my little Nathan was only a week old. Of course it was special, but this year seems to have even more meaning to me. Maybe it's because, by the grace of God, I made it a whole year as a mom! Last year I was sore from nursing, exhausted, and experiencing a nice dose of "baby blues". This year I have a better sense of what motherhood entails, and I can appreciate the gift of being a mom much more. Thinking back over the year, here are some of the lessons being a mom has taught me.

1. When you are in a hurry, it is inevitable that your child will spit up or poop just as you are about to walk out the door.

2. Being a mom is hard on your back.

3. Nap time is God's way of helping moms stay sane.

4. Children's toys are completely overrated. A box and paper are the preferred toys of choice.

5. A new sense of joy is discovered in hearing the laughter of your child.

6. 7am is the new 10am for sleeping in

7. You will make yourself look ridiculous and crazy all for one smile or laugh from your little one.

8. Priorities drastically change.

9. Women who have 2+ children under the age of 3 have the hardest job. I look up to them.

10. The most important thing that I have come to learn is that God's love for us, his children, exceeds all measure of what I can understand. I know how much I love Nathan, but to know God loves him even more is astounding!

Happy Mother's Day!

Address Labels

Hello All! Things are busy, and I am ready for a slow down. I've got a pile of coupons scattered across the table, a stack of books, and I can barely see my kitchen table. I will say though there is a vase of beautiful tulips and gerber daisies in the middle of the table, which makes looking at the mess a little more bearable. With that said, I haven't had much time to track down any deals the past few weeks. I take that back, I did find an awesome snapfish deal on 5x7 photo books that I snagged, but I didn't have time to blog about it. I did feel a little guilty though not telling you.

Here is a great deal though: You can get 48 address labels for FREE at Pear Tree. They're not your plain Jane labels either. They have really cute designs (much better than the one's I use that St. Jude's sends me because I sent them a pitiful $5. I quickly take them out of the envelope and throw the sad story away now because I know it will only end in tears.) More information than you needed, now back to the deal.

Here's how to get your free labels:
Go to here to peartree's website.
Choose your labels. You can get 24 of the large labels or 48 of the regular size
Use the code MOMSDAY10 at checkout
Get labels for absolutely free even next day shipping is free. You don't even have to enter payment info.
*word of warning though, the site seems to be overloaded and loading very slowly at times. I had to submit the code about 3 times because it continued to say it was invalid. It eventually worked though.

$3 DEALS

I was off of work yesterday, so I went back to Harris Teeter to see if they had restocked. I walked away getting quite a few things for free and only spending $3.07.
I got 2 bags of rice, 3 bags of steamer vegetables, salad dressing, gum, hot sauce,and noodles. 9 items for only $3!