Pictures, Pictures and More Pictures :)

Elliana loves it when we read books to her.

She also loves to go outside and play. She puts on her shoes all by herself (notice her shoes...)

Asher being silly, love that smile :)

Elliana is afraid of the automatic car wash. Joshua gets up and holds her and tells her she will be OK over and over (she is buckled into her car seat). They stay like this throughout the entire car wash.

Oh Yeah!! Yet another awesome deal :)

It has been a great week for deals :) I just purchased five bottles of barbecue sauce for a grand total of five cents! And you can do it too :)

Walmart:

Kraft Barbecue Sauce - $0.98

5 Coupons for $1 off of 1 bottle from Coupons, Smartsource or Kraft foods (you an print up two from each of these sites.

Final Price- $0.05 (you have to pay tax)

Another GREAT Meijer Deal!!!!!!

You can get a package of hot dogs for twenty five cents!!!

Oscar Mayer hot dogs- on sale 4/$5
- $1/2 from the Coupon.com
- $1/2 Meijer Mealbox coupon
- Final price - $0.25 each

I believe you can print as money coupons as you would like from Meijer Mealbox. There are two other sources for the hot dog coupons-Smartsource, Kraft Website, Coupon Bug.
So you could get a ton of hot dogs for practically nothing :) Enjoy !!

Deals!!!

I was able to get some great deals today :)

Meijer:
Nestle refrigerated cookie dough - 2/$4
- $1/1 printable coupon here
- $1.10/2 Meijer Mealbox coupon
- Final price - $0.45 each

Target:
Nabisco 100 Calorie Snacks (pkg of 6)
Price:2.04
Target coupon- $1.00 off of 1 item
Manufacture coupon- $1.00 off of 1 item
Final price-$0 .04 each

Target Brand Baby Soap
Price: $1.19
Target coupon- .75 off of 1 item
Final Price- $0.44 each

I Now Have a 3rd Grader :)

Yesterday we officially finished school for the year. Joshua finished reading his last chapter, in his last school book, while he was swinging in the back yard (I LOVE homeschooling!).

He informed me that he likes his school better than "going to" school. I enquired as to why he felt this way and he had a several reasons-

1. Kids that go to school do not get to sit on their bed and read. They have to read in a class full of noisy kids.
2. Kids that go to school do not get to ride their bikes during the day.
3. Kids that go to school have to read school books and he gets to read fun books (all of his books are actual books, not textbooks).

Joshua and Asher are very excited to start summer :) It has been a wonderful year! Starting next year I will have three students (Joshua-3rd grade, Asher-kindergarten, Elliana-2 year curriculum).

How Could I Ask For More

A beautiful song! :)



There's nothing like the warmth of a summer afternoon
Waking to the sunlight, and being cradled by the moon
Catching fireflies at night
Building castles in the sand
Kissing Mama's face goodnight
Holding Daddy's hand
Thank you Lord, how could I ask for more

Running barefoot through the grass
A little hide and go seek
Being so in love, that you can hardly eat
Dancing in the dark, when there's no one else around
Being bundled 'neath the covers, watching snow
Fall to the ground
Thank you Lord, how could I ask for more

So many things I thought would bring me happiness
Some dreams that are realities today
Such an irony the things that mean the most to me
Are the memories that I've made along the way

So if there's anything I've learned
From this journey I am on
Simple truths will keep you going
Simple love will keep you strong
Cause there are questions without answers
Flames that never die
Heartaches we go through are often blessings in disguise
So thank you Lord, oh thank you Lord
How could I ask for more

What I know about coupons and lowering our grocery bill..

The title of this post is pretty comical because I know very little. But I wanted to share what I have learned about coupons and saving money on our grocery bill. I especially wanted to pass along websites that list great deals.

Basically what I attempt to do is match of coupons with store sales. If sausage is on sale at Meijer I will buy it with a coupon. That way I am not only getting it on sale but I am also reducing the price further with a coupon. There are three sites that list manufactures coupons-

Coupons
Smart Source
Red Plum

You need to check these sites daily as the coupons change often. You can print two of each coupon. If you know a store is having a sale on something that you want and you do not have a coupon for this item, there is still hope :) For example, sticking to the sausage on sale idea, I would go to that companies web site and see if they have any coupons available (go to www.jimmydean.com, for example).

There are also several great sites that list deals that are currently available. Here are my favorites-

Coupon Cravings
Money Saving Madness
Money Saving Mom
V-8 Fusion

I have also heard that you can use the CVS rewards program to get items for free. I am still working on this program so I don't have much insight. Many of the sites listed above describe how you can use Walgreens and CVS to get your non-grocery items for free.
That is about it :) Hope this helps someone who is looking for a deal!

Coupon for FREE KFC meal :)

Want some FREE KFC?? Go to Oprah's website and print the KFC coupon :) You can print 4 per computer.

Each coupon will get you 2 pieces of grilled chicken, one biscuit and two sides. It is good from now until the 19th (excluding Mother's Day).

Go and print yours now! They must be printed today (the coupon will be taken down after today).

That's Right!!!

I found an awesome deal at Target today :) I bought 16 boxes of Fiber One cereal, 32 boxes of Fiber One pop tarts, and I received a $5 gift card for a grand total of $40.88. At Wal-Mart I would have paid $109. We use both of these items all the time. So it was a great deal :) WOOHOO!!

Here is how I did it:

The pop tarts were - $1.79 each. Buy 4 boxes and Target will give you a $5 gift card. On the next batch of four pop tarts use the $5 gift card you received from transaction #1. Your out of pocket expense for the second batch will be $2.18. Plus you will get another $5 gift card. Just keep rolling the deal on as many boxes of pop tarts that you want.

The cereal was on sale for $2.39 (one dollar cheaper than Wal-Mart). Buy 4 boxes and Target will give you a $5 gift card. On the next batch of four boxes of cereal use the $5 gift card you received from transaction #1. Your out of pocket expense for the second batch will be $4.61. Plus you will get another $5 gift card. Just keep rolling the deal on as many boxes of cereal that you want.

Homeschooling Goes Mainstream

Aaron discovered a great radio program about homeschooling :) Enjoy!

Albert Mohler