On a side note, if you live in Fayetteville and you're thinking about having your daughter join the team for the 2010-2011 season, the tryout meeting is on May 1. Contact me or call the gym at the phone number listed in the ad for more details!
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Autumn is Famous.
...Well, kind of! She is featured in the April issue of the NWA Kids Directory in the Power Cheer Athletics full-page ad anyway! She is doing her scorpion in the photo, second from the left at the bottom, and I think she looks awesome!
On a side note, if you live in Fayetteville and you're thinking about having your daughter join the team for the 2010-2011 season, the tryout meeting is on May 1. Contact me or call the gym at the phone number listed in the ad for more details!
On a side note, if you live in Fayetteville and you're thinking about having your daughter join the team for the 2010-2011 season, the tryout meeting is on May 1. Contact me or call the gym at the phone number listed in the ad for more details!
Happy Birthday, Dad!
Well, the Esteemed El Guapo is turning 49... Hard to believe that next year he will be a half a century old! He's come a long way from his baby-faced Marine Corps photo, hasn't he! ; )
But for now, at least, he can still claim to be in his 40's. I hope you have a great birthday, Dad! I wish we were all somewhere fishing! Hope you get to do some of that today. We love you!
My Latest Money-Saver: A Weekly Menu!
In order to keep finding ways to come up with extra money to sock away towards debt and our house savings fund, we are trying to brainstorm every way possible to "trim the fat" in our budget! One place we decided would be ideal to do this is our meal planning. In our old life, we spent WAY more money eating out than we needed to, and meat frequently went to waste in the fridge due to poor planning. Well, to help combat this, we cut the amount of money we spend eating out each month by 88%, and I cut my grocery budget by about a third.
Amazingly, with a little planning ahead, it's been really easy to cut back on what I spend at Wal-Mart. So much of what I bought before were impulse buys that I didn't really need, so now I make sure to go in with a list. This last trip to the store, I was able to spend almost a hundred dollars less than what I'd budgeted, and I think the only place we'll really notice the difference is in how much clutter we have around the house and in how much less spoiled food we're throwing out!
One other thing I've started doing that I think will help a lot is to not just make a mental menu for the week, but to actually print out a physical menu and hang it on the fridge. This way, when I got back from the store, I was able to immediately freeze any meat that wasn't going to be used by its expiration date so that none of it goes to waste. It's also nice to see the menu printed out and feel like I have a plan for the week. It makes me feel more organized, which means that it puts a little smile on my face every time I see it! Here is our menu for this coming week:
I put the chicken in the crock pot this morning, and let me tell you, it smells delicious! Now off to wrap up some coffee table books to ship out. Today is a great, productive day!
Amazingly, with a little planning ahead, it's been really easy to cut back on what I spend at Wal-Mart. So much of what I bought before were impulse buys that I didn't really need, so now I make sure to go in with a list. This last trip to the store, I was able to spend almost a hundred dollars less than what I'd budgeted, and I think the only place we'll really notice the difference is in how much clutter we have around the house and in how much less spoiled food we're throwing out!
One other thing I've started doing that I think will help a lot is to not just make a mental menu for the week, but to actually print out a physical menu and hang it on the fridge. This way, when I got back from the store, I was able to immediately freeze any meat that wasn't going to be used by its expiration date so that none of it goes to waste. It's also nice to see the menu printed out and feel like I have a plan for the week. It makes me feel more organized, which means that it puts a little smile on my face every time I see it! Here is our menu for this coming week:
I put the chicken in the crock pot this morning, and let me tell you, it smells delicious! Now off to wrap up some coffee table books to ship out. Today is a great, productive day!
Monday, April 12, 2010
Big Shopping - This Weekend!
In keeping with our new, "Let's save money so that we can be financially secure" theme, I thought I would post the info about a great upcoming consignment sale that we went to last year. My sister-in-law April is a member of the Northwest Arkansas Mothers of Multiples Club, and every year they get together and have a big sale of their gently worn items, and last year it was awesome! I got great deals on several cute dresses and sweaters for Norah, and on a pair of cute little white Keds that she wears all the time that looked like they had never even been worn!
Here are the details!
Last year I went by on Saturday... I think it was a little more picked over than it would have otherwise been, but most of the items were an extra 50% off, so I was able to get some exceptionally good deals. Check it out!
On a slightly less frugal note, I also got an e mail about a sale that we went to last year called the NWA Boutique Show.
Last time it had tons of booths featuring hand-made and custom items from crafty girls in the area... Tons and tons of bows and little pillowcase dresses, signs to hang up in rooms, one-of-a-kind jewelry, unique picture frames, etc., etc. The items were so much fun to look through, and they had so many cute things for little girls that I thought I would never manage to drag myself out of there, but I think I will stay away this year since I do recall that most of the items (even the several things I broke down and bought while I was there!) were a little over-priced.
In any case, here is the info from the e mail:
Here are the passes they sent... I figured I would share with you all!
Don't go in there unless you have some cash to blow or some willpower of steel... They have such amazingly cute stuff it will kill you! You have been warned! : )
Here are the details!
NWA Mothers of Multiples Spring Consignment Sale!
Join us for our 11th annual Spring consignment sale at Trinity Fellowship Church Gymnasium, 1100 East Rolling Hills Dr., Fayetteville, AR (Turn on Rolling Hills from College Ave., the church is 1.5 blocks on the left. Gym is behind the church. Watch for signs. )
The sale is Friday, April 16th from 7 am to 2 pm and Saturday, April 17th from 7 am to 12 pm. Many items are half price on Saturday!
Items for sale include gently worn baby/children/teen clothing and shoes, baby equipment & furniture, maternity clothing, movies, books, games, toys, furniture and housewares....Something for everyone!
This sale is CASH ONLY! No checks or credit cards accepted.
The NWA Mothers of Multiples Club is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing support for moms of twins, triplets and higher order multiples. We are the ONLY non-profit organization holding a consignment sale in the NWA area and we value your support!
See you at the sale!
Last year I went by on Saturday... I think it was a little more picked over than it would have otherwise been, but most of the items were an extra 50% off, so I was able to get some exceptionally good deals. Check it out!
On a slightly less frugal note, I also got an e mail about a sale that we went to last year called the NWA Boutique Show.
Last time it had tons of booths featuring hand-made and custom items from crafty girls in the area... Tons and tons of bows and little pillowcase dresses, signs to hang up in rooms, one-of-a-kind jewelry, unique picture frames, etc., etc. The items were so much fun to look through, and they had so many cute things for little girls that I thought I would never manage to drag myself out of there, but I think I will stay away this year since I do recall that most of the items (even the several things I broke down and bought while I was there!) were a little over-priced.
In any case, here is the info from the e mail:
The Northwest Arkansas Boutique Show thanks you for attending one of our bi-annual shopping events. As a reward for your patronage, please accept our exclusive
Preferred Shopper Pass for the next show, to be held on Saturday, April 17th,
from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., at the NWA Convention Center in Springdale.
Look for our special Preferred Shopper Entrance to bypass the busy sign-in tables.
Drop your pass in the basket for immediate entrance and automatic sign-in for our
door prizes. Save precious shopping time... simply print out the Preferred Shopper Pass
below and bring it with you to the show.
NWA Boutique Show Preferred Shopper Privileges Include:
Fast pass entrance at the door
Automatic entry for door prizes
Advance notification of future shows
Special offers from NWA Boutique Show merchants throughout year
Invitations to private "Girls Night Out" shopping events throughout year
Below, you will find two Preferred Shopper Passes... one for you and one for a friend.
Looking forward to seeing you on April 17th!
Sincerely, - The Northwest Arkansas Boutique Show
P.S. We've more than doubled our boutiques to include something for everyone!
For a sneak peak at some of this spring's 75+ merchants or for directions,
click on www.nwaboutiqueshow.com and visit us on Facebook!
Here are the passes they sent... I figured I would share with you all!
Don't go in there unless you have some cash to blow or some willpower of steel... They have such amazingly cute stuff it will kill you! You have been warned! : )
Friday, April 9, 2010
18 Weeks! (And also my thoughts on Stretch Marks!)
Baby Shiloh is now 18 weeks along, or 45.7% cooked, according to my lovely iPregnancy app! Nothing much is new from last week, except that I did have a checkup at the doc. Everything is looking fabulous! I gained 2 pounds over the last 3 weeks, and I'm measuring 20 weeks. I think Shiloh had a little New Orleans-style growth spurt! : )
I also had the pleasure of receiving my first weekly progesterone shot. The nurse gave me this one, and showed Jason how to find the right spot by making a little "L" on my hipbone, then jabbing the giant needle down into the middle of the L! It actually didn't hurt at all when she did it, but I have my doubts about Dr. Jason administering the shot next Thursday. We shall see.
Anyway, here is the latest installment in our every-four-week maternity series! My belly is definitely growing!
On a side note, I have somehow been very blessed to avoid getting any stretch marks on my belly over the course of the last 3 pregnancies... I have a few faded, silvery ones on my hips leftover from the lovely land of puberty, but my belly has miraculously remained unharmed! Now, I know that everything you read says this boils down mostly to genetics, and it probably does. If your mom got stretch marks, odds are good you will too, and if she didn't, then you might be spared.
However, as previously noted, I am obsessed with anything that holds the promise of increased beauty, so the odds of me leaving my stretch mark fate in the hands of heredity were pretty much "ZERO." Ever since I found out I was pregnant with Autumn, I have faithfully slathered my belly in Palmer's cocoa butter stretch mark cream in hopes of keeping the pesky little lines at bay throughout each pregnancy.
Now, I have no idea if this has had any effect, or if it really is just the luck of the draw, but I figure you might as well file it under "can't hurt, might help," and give it a try! It isn't too expensive (about $5.00 for a 4.4 oz. tube at Wal-Mart), and it feels nice when you rub it on, so I think it's worth a shot! I usually go through about 2-3 tubes of it per pregnancy, so I think that $10-15 to feel like I am doing something about the whole stretch mark thing (even if it is only a placebo effect!) is a small price to pay!
I have 2 weeks left until I'm "grounded," so I plan to be as active as possible in this beautiful spring weather until then! I wish I was outside now instead of working on pictures, in fact. I will have to try to escape later this afternoon. Have a great day everybody!
I also had the pleasure of receiving my first weekly progesterone shot. The nurse gave me this one, and showed Jason how to find the right spot by making a little "L" on my hipbone, then jabbing the giant needle down into the middle of the L! It actually didn't hurt at all when she did it, but I have my doubts about Dr. Jason administering the shot next Thursday. We shall see.
Anyway, here is the latest installment in our every-four-week maternity series! My belly is definitely growing!
On a side note, I have somehow been very blessed to avoid getting any stretch marks on my belly over the course of the last 3 pregnancies... I have a few faded, silvery ones on my hips leftover from the lovely land of puberty, but my belly has miraculously remained unharmed! Now, I know that everything you read says this boils down mostly to genetics, and it probably does. If your mom got stretch marks, odds are good you will too, and if she didn't, then you might be spared.
However, as previously noted, I am obsessed with anything that holds the promise of increased beauty, so the odds of me leaving my stretch mark fate in the hands of heredity were pretty much "ZERO." Ever since I found out I was pregnant with Autumn, I have faithfully slathered my belly in Palmer's cocoa butter stretch mark cream in hopes of keeping the pesky little lines at bay throughout each pregnancy.
Now, I have no idea if this has had any effect, or if it really is just the luck of the draw, but I figure you might as well file it under "can't hurt, might help," and give it a try! It isn't too expensive (about $5.00 for a 4.4 oz. tube at Wal-Mart), and it feels nice when you rub it on, so I think it's worth a shot! I usually go through about 2-3 tubes of it per pregnancy, so I think that $10-15 to feel like I am doing something about the whole stretch mark thing (even if it is only a placebo effect!) is a small price to pay!
I have 2 weeks left until I'm "grounded," so I plan to be as active as possible in this beautiful spring weather until then! I wish I was outside now instead of working on pictures, in fact. I will have to try to escape later this afternoon. Have a great day everybody!
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Dave Ramsey is a Genius.
Jason's Dad recently gifted us with a copy of "The Total Money Makeover" by Dave Ramsey. I used to listen to his radio show years ago on 1030AM, but I hadn't heard it lately and had kind of forgotten about him. He is so refreshing to read! We are very excited about re-vamping our budget to reach our goals. Within 5 years, using his "Debt Snowball" plan, we will be able to be 100% debt-free (including having our car paid off!) and have $75,000 in cash to put towards a home.
We can't wait! If you are ready to take a serious look at how your current financial situation compares to your ideal financial situation, check him out!
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