Ok...so I know everyone is in a similar boat as Derek and I in this economy, as students, young families...etc. So I finally have decided to get off my bum and help out our financial situation instead of just complain about it! We both have listened to Dave Ramsey...he is a guru on getting out of debt....sometimes it seems unreachable on our income, so I have decided to start small. My sister-in-law is a professional coupon, bargain shopper. One month she bought groceries for her family of 5 for $58.00!!! Amazing...I spent nearly $300.00 last month on our family of three, well 2 1/2 since Linnea eats like a bird. hmmmm there's something wrong with that. So she's begining to help me with her techniques. There are so many great coupon sites out there from other people who are masters at saving. Some are pinchingyourpennies.com, coupns.com, moneysavingmom.com and others. Pinching your pennies tracks deals for you at different stores and teaches you how to use your coupons and buy great food for nothing basically. Now I love my produce and as everyone knows there isn't that many coupons on produce, well I found this program that began in Arizona but has now moved to UT, ID, and Washington State (sorry katie it's not back east yet). It's called Bountiful Baskets. They are a non-profit organization that compiles about $50 worth of fresh produce in a basket for you for about $15 every other saturday! Amazing, I've heard some great reviews on this program, the only problem is you have to purchase your basket the tuesday or wednesday before pick-up and you have to go to the pick-up site pretty early on a saturday to collect your basket, but it's only every other saturday and its produce for a great price. The website for them is bountifulbaskets.org!!!! Anyways I know it'll take a few weeks or months to develop habits, but I really am motivated to get going. Any other money saving ideas anyone has please let me know!!!!!
Friday, February 5, 2010
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Splish Splash...I was takin' a bath
Well I guess I like the water?
Getting ready to get in!!!!
Hmmm...I don't know about that water?
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
My number one stress...at the moment.
Ok...I need to vent out something...Linnea doesn't eat. It hasn't bothered me so much until the last couple of days...she won't eat anyting. She throws the food no matter what I seem to do. She used to eat bananas and peanut butter sandwhiches...now just like everything else they are on the floor too. Mandarin organges seemed to be a hit, but today she didn't want them. I'm trying to find a pattern, I have obviously found that fruit is her favorite, but today it seemed like she just had no interest in eating. She drinks whole milk just fine, but talk about not getting a variety of nutrients. I ignore her when she eats and pretend like I'm doing something else. At times she will throw her food then get bored with that then start eating again, but tonight was the worst she would throw it then bang her hands on her tray and just not have any interest in eating at all. So we took a break I put her in the tub we had fun then we went out and tried again, but I ended up putting her broccoli and rice on a cheese tortilla to see if she would be more interested and she was...for about 3 bites then it was just sitting with a bored look on her face wondering why she had to sit in her little seat. I have tried feeding her myself, she lets me sometimes, but then other times she locks her jaw and tries to move away. She also, to make matters even better, learned how to spit out her food, so when I actually get a piece in her mouth she sticks out her tongue and lets it fall. At her last doctors appointment she had gone down in weight a little bit, this is when this all happened, so they told me to add fat to her diet, butter and ice cream...what all the things i never want to get my kids hooked on. but I listened to the doctor and tried and it just has gone down hill. I've decided even if she is small I don't want to sacrifice her health by feeding her processed junk food, so I decided to be happy that she wanted fruit and yogurt more than anything else, but now that that is ending up on the floor I'm lost. I called the nurse today and told them she acts healthy, happy, and just fine and I told them she drinks milk and water just fine, just doesn't seem interested in food. They told me by the time she's 14 months old and if she's still doing it they need to see her, then she said that at least the whole milk will give her fat...I'm sorry but 14 months old is a month away I know that having Linnea on a whole milk diet for a month is totally lacking in nutrients she needs. I've been told that this is a stage, but it doesn't make it better. How do you sit and watch your child eat maybe 50 calories in 14 hours make you feel good, cause it's a "Stage". I've been debating on pureeing food and having her drink it I read that sometimes people do that. Sorry to go on, but it's frustrating and scary. She has a stuffy nose and cold right now, I don't know if maybe she has a sore throat or just doesn't feel like eating today if that is why today has been the worst eating day or what. I'm just praying it gets better, she's already a skinny girl, thats just fine, but I don't want her to lose the nutrients she needs. Stress stress...
Monday, January 4, 2010
2009!
Well it is now 2010 in case you all didn't know...We had a fantastic year in 2009. So much happened and changed...here are some things that happened for our family
School...fun fun
First Birthday
Cute Gemma...wish we still had her, but wish we had a yard along with her
Loving being a new mom...0k so technically I was a mom in 2008, but just for a sec....
We hope everyone had a great new year and has an even better 2010...great things will happen this year....they always do.
Thursday, December 31, 2009
2nd Christmas!
I am soooo done with presents!!!!
Christmas was great for us this year...it was Linnea's second Christmas and mine and Derek's second Christmas together...kind of crazy. We had a great time
at my parent's house. We went up on Christmas Eve and had Enchiladas? What? Ok so since it's Dane's last Christmas before his mission he got to choose dinner on Christmas eve and he picked to have a south of the border Christmas...ok whatever works. Anyways we had fun we played games then Katie and Eric arrived and we watched A Christmas Story... Linnea took her first steps on her own, well like she took her own steps without me having to urge her she just got up and started walking...she still for some reason prefers to walk on her knees, but we're working on it. On Christmas morning I was awakened by my over excited sister who was wandering around at 6 in the morning asking if she could wake up Linnea...I told her it is never a good idea to wake up a sleeping baby :) anyways I got up and talked with katie until like 7 then we decided it was time for everyone else to get up...I'm pretty sure my parents were hoping their kids had grown up and wanted to sleep in, but I'm afraid we've all gotten worse as we got older. Anyways we had fun and opened presents.. Linnea was
Auntie Katie!
Playing with her new barn, it has shapes animals and letters
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Black eye anyone?....
Ok another advice post. So my adorable, sweet Linnea enjoys...well hitting, scratching, and pinching...it's not cause she doesn't know what she's doing, I ruled that out real quick. She does do it out of frustration or she thinks it's a game. So anytime I don't give her what she wants she'll go straight for the face or now the neck ( who knows why she likes to pinch my neck) I'm a little torn on how to handle the situation...how do you disipline a 1 year old without doing the "NO, NO, NO," all the time ( I've just been told being negative is not always the best way to go), but obviously that is my first reaction everytime. I have tried to show her the correct way to touch, by slowly moving her hands on my face, or I've held her hands and said " no" of course. I've tried to set her on the ground and ignore her for a few seconds, but it doesn't really seem to be doing anything...I know kids do this, I know she is little, but I also want her to know that it is not ok to hit others, animals, but especially mom and dad! I don't know I'm pretty big on not letting your kids hit you. Any good tips would be great, she's little, but she does hurt. She likes to honk our noses, I don't know if maybe that is where the pinching came from because we made it seem like that was ok, so anywhere else must be ok, I don't know. Anyways we'll see how it goes.
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Bye for now Louie Louie!
Sad day...My family's puppy of 9 years had to be put to sleep...he had kidney failure. Louie was a unique dog, but so loyal and part of the family. It always seems like our dogs like to leave the world around Christmas, our last dog, Abner, died on Christmas eve...it may seem silly to some people that I post about a dog, but I loved that puppy and it's not ever going to be the same when I knock on my parents door and don't have him rushing to see me!!! I'll miss my lucy-goo!!!
