I like Walgreens

 

1-year-old and I walked to Walgreens today (it’s about a mile from our house) and got home just before it started raining. Here are my deals for the week so far. I hope to go back to my Walgreens later in the week or maybe to a different Walgreens to see if I can find the Keri Renewal Milk Body Lotion that I like (and will be free after $5 manufacturer's coupon and $10 Easysaver rebate).

Venus Breeze razor and two blades (not pictured)--$9.99, FREE after rebate (this deal was good on Black Friday only)

1 12 oz. Dove Pro-Age shampoo and 1 12 oz. Dove Pro-Age conditioner, $5.99 each (Walgreens BOGO, used 1 BOGO manufacturer’s coupon worth $4.50 and one $1.50 manufacturer’s coupon)—both FREE

13.5 oz. Pert Plus, $3.49 (used $1 manufacturer’s coupon, will do rebate for $2.50)—FREE after rebate

Loreal Feria haircolor, $8.99 (used $2 Easysaver coupon and $2 manufacturer’s coupon)--$4.99

2 9.2 oz. packages Hershey’s Special Dark kisses, $2 each (used Easysaver coupon for $2 off 2, manufacturer’s coupon for $1 off 2)--$.50 each package

2 8-pack 5-stick packages Wrigley’s Extra gum, $1.99 each ($.99 each with 7-day coupon)

Walgreens 8-pack batteries, on sale for $2.99

To see other's Super Savings Saturday deals for the week, go here.

Should I enter him in a toddler spelling contest? :-)

This evening, as we were getting 1-year-old ready for bed, Hubby and I were discussing whether or not it would be worth it for one of us to make a run to the grocery store. I said, "Well, we're all out of m-i-l-k" (spelling it so 1-year-old wouldn't get unnecessarily excited). 1-year-old's eyes lit up, he said, "yeah! yeah!" and began rapidly making the sign for milk. Can someone tell me how my kid learned to spell milk? Maybe Hubby and I will have to come up with a code word for it, just like we have to refer to bananas as "monkey fruit" or "the long yellow things."

Our Thanksgiving

 

Wow, we've done a lot of traveling in the past few days. It was wonderful to visit with family, but I am glad to be home! My parents recently sold their home and moved in with my grandma to help take care of her and her large house, so it was interesting to see how they are unpacking and getting their things settled in to a house that was already full!

We met with a group of midwives last week that does homebirths and is, surprisingly, 80% covered by our insurance. They seem experienced and kind, so we will most likely go with them. Now I just have to fill out all the forms! I am 18 weeks along now; I feel Baby kick and squirm once in a while, but not much yet. We did not have an ultrasound with 1-year-old, but we are considering it with this baby and doing some research. The group of midwives we met with recommend one diagnostic ultrasound to check for birth defects. If we were to find out that anything was wrong with this baby, of course we would keep and love him or her anyway, but it would be good to know if there are any potential problems that would be better handled in a hospital.

When I was pregnant with 1-year-old, I did a lot of research about the safety of ultrasounds, and there was so much conflicting information that we decided to just play it safe and not get one (also, I was determined to not find out the gender ahead of time). But when I voiced my concerns about ultrasounds to the midwives we met with last week, they said that the level of sound waves a baby hears/feels with an ultrasound is much lower than when a Doppler is used to hear the heartbeat (which we did at every appointment with 1-year-old), and that a lot of the "scare" information out there about ultraounds is written by lay people who misinterpret and misapply studies. SO, all that to say, we need to do some more research, and then if we decide to get an ultrasound for diagnostic purposes, we will probably find out the gender while we're at it.

My Walgreens Deals This Week

No picture this week, as I've already demolished the boxes of a couple items I bought in order to cut off their UPCs for rebates, but here's what I bought at Walgreens this week:

12 oz. Clear Care contact solution ($8.99; used $2 EZ Saver coupon, will send in rebate for total purchase price)--FREE, made $2

.05 oz. Orajel Medicated Cold Sore Brush ($8.49; used $1 manufacturer's coupon and $3 EZ Saver coupon, will send in rebate for $7)--FREE, made $2.50

12.5 yard 1/2 in. Scotch tape (I despise off-brand tapes, so this is worth it to me) --$.50 with 7-day coupon

4-pack AA Walgreens batteries --$.99 with 7-day coupon

6 30 oz. Hellman's (a.k.a. Best Foods) Real Mayonnaise (the only kind of mayo I really like; on sale for $2.50 each, used 1 $.50 coupon)--$14.50, got $5 Register Rewards from Unilever promotion

3 100-count One-A-Day Men's Health Vitamins (3/$20, used 3 printable $1 coupons and $5 Register Rewards)--$12, will do EZ Saver rebate for $10 Walgreens gift card and calendar with $50 of coupons

2 8x10 photos (used code for free 8x10; Hubby submitted one and I submitted one)--FREE

Be sure to visit Money Saving Mom to read about others' great deals this week!

I Love My Little Guy

1-year-old, who is now 14 months, loves to "help" around the house. Any time he does something he regards as helpful, he will get a big smile on his face and clap his hands. I think it's sweet that he wants to please his parents, so I usually encourage his efforts by clapping along, telling him thank you, or saying, "What a good helper you are!" Yesterday, Hubby was putting away some dishes and had left the silverware drawer open. 1-year-old noticed it was open, crawled over, pushed it closed, and then said what we think was "helper." Isn't that sweet?

Also, today I was positively smothering his cute cheeks with kisses, as I am known to do. He had a stuffed toy in his hand, and he literally shoved it into my mouth to stop the kisses! Hey!

Menu Planning

Nisha asked, "I am a newlywed and I've notice that you always have great recipes especially desserts. How do you organize your meals and desserts? I would love to make desserts, I just need to know how to organize myself in making new meals and desserts without getting discouraged."

Hi Nisha, I do love to cook and bake and try new recipes, but I have to admit that I am not the most organized person in the world when it comes to menu planning. I like having a little flexibility when it comes to deciding what to make for dinner. What this looks like for me is, when I notice that our food supply is getting low, I make a menu with around six to eight dinner ideas. Then I just look at the recipe for each dish (or just rack my brain for the recipes I’ve made up and/or know by heart) and write down the ingredients I will need to make it. I also make sure to check my calendar to see if I’m scheduled to make anything for church or a special event, or if we are having anyone over for dinner that week. If that is the case, then I add what I will need to my grocery list.

I tend to be a “what shall I make for dinner tonight?” person. Most of the everyday meals I make don’t take that much preparation, and my husband usually gets home from work early enough to entertain our 1-year-old for the twenty minutes or so it takes me to make dinner. I think when we have more children, I will probably try to do most or all of the necessary dinner preparations in the morning, so that I will just be able to pull the completed meal out of the fridge, pop it in the oven to heat, and serve, but I haven’t really found that necessary yet.

As far as desserts go, my husband can’t eat more than one tiny bite of sugar, or he will feel sluggish and awful, and we don’t give 1-year-old sugar except on a very special occasion (like his birthday), so basically, I’m the only one in my house who can eat desserts--and I certainly don’t need a whole pie or batch of cookies to myself! So I really only make desserts when I take them OUT of the house and serve them to a group of people (we attend a small house church and eat dinner together every Sunday, so I often take desserts to church).

I recommend building up a base of four or five dinners that are pretty easy to make and always come out right. Then, once you get those down, you can flip through your recipe books (I love getting new recipe books from the library!) and try some new recipes. If one of your new recipes comes out right and is a hit, you can add it to your “frequently prepared dinners” list. You can do the same thing with desserts. Maybe start with cookies, then try cakes, then move on to pies, cheesecakes, and other more challenging desserts.

Here are a few of my “frequently prepared dinners”:

Spaghetti or Lasagne
Tacos or Nachos
Chicken Casserole
Chicken or Beef Stir-fry
Fried Rice
Omelettes (it’s fun and easy to make breakfast for dinner!)
Tuna Melts
Linguine with Clam Sauce
Asian Chicken Salad
Fried Chicken
Tuna Casserole
Twice-Baked Potatoes
Hamburgers

A couple of easy-to-follow recipe books that I use are Betty Crocker’s New Cookbook and Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook. I also use Allrecipes quite a bit. I like reading through the reviews and tips of other people who have tried the dish I am considering making.

Hope this helps, Nisha. May God bless your marriage and your homemaking efforts.

FREE Stuff from Walgreens

 

These are the items I got absolutely FREE from Walgreens this week. I don't even have to send in a rebate for any of them; I just used lots of coupons to get the price down to zero.

Motrin, 24+6 bonus count, $4.29, used $5 printable coupon
Sudafed, 18 count, $4.99, used $5 printable coupon
4 Wrigley's 17-stick gums, $1.09 each, used Walgreens BOGO plus 2 manufacturer's BOGOs
Aquafresh Advanced, $1.99, used $2 printable coupon
2 Purell Gentle Foam hand sanitizers, $3.49 each, used $2.50 EZSaver coupon plus 2 $1.50 manufacturer's coupons

Total before coupons: $22.61. Total after coupons: FREE, plus I got back over $1.50 in overage.

To see others' Super Savings Saturday deals, go here.

Quick Update

Tomorrow I will be 15 weeks pregnant. Supposedly, Baby is about the size of a softball! I am gaining weight more slowly than I did with 1-year-old. I don’t think someone who didn’t know me would be able to tell I’m pregnant, but I’m sure that will change in the next couple of weeks!

I tried to crochet a wool diaper soaker for Baby, but the pattern was from the 40’s or 50’s, so the specified yarn isn’t available any more. I used a different yarn, and though I thought my tension was right on, the soaker ended up way too big, even after I tried shrink it in the washer and dryer. Besides, all the cutest soaker patterns are knitted. My favorite are the ones by Little Turtle Knits. So I really need to learn how to knit.

1-year-old likes to put things on his own, or other people’s heads, and say his current favorite word, which is “hat.” He also likes to pretend-feed milk in a sippy cup to his stuffed animals and say “yum yum!”

I am glad today is Saturday. Hubby has had to work extra, as well as run errands and attend meetings, so 1-year-old and I have not seen as much of him lately as we would like. He is finishing up making wedding invitations for some of our friends this morning (he is so good at that kind of thing!), but then he will be home.

I made this Asian Chicken Salad for dinner last night. It turned out great. Another current hit is Linguine with Clam Sauce, which I made following Pioneer Woman’s instructions in her story about the first time she cooked for her husband.

$250 Vision Forum Drawing

Kim at Life in a Shoe is sponsoring another Vision Forum giveaway. Three winners will receive up to $250 each in Vision Forum products. Head on over and post a link to your own wishlist on your blog to be entered in the drawing. Here’s my wishlist:

Passionate Housewives: Desperate for God $16.00 p. 6
Thoughts for Young Men $8.00 p. 21
Home-Making $20.00 p. 24
The Wise Woman’s Guide to Blessing Her Husband’s Vision $16.00 p. 25
Raising Maidens of Virtue $20.00 p. 25
Why Satan Wants Your Firstborn and What to Do About It $10.00 p. 27
The Influence of Older Children on Younger Children $10.00 p. 27
Be Fruitful and Multiply $15.00 p. 31
The Liberty Doll $89.00 p. 64
Medieval Princess Doll Dress $19.00 p. 70
Teach Them to Your Children $17.00 p. 80
Rebuilding a Culture of Virtuous Boyhood $10.00 p. 90

Total: $250

Boom Boom

One of the songs I sing to 1-year-old before every nap and bedtime is “Edelweiss” from The Sound of Music. In the past week or so, when I get to the part that goes, “Blossom of snow, may you bloom and grow, bloom and grow forever,” 1-year-old smiles at me with a twinkle in his eye and says, “boom” or sometimes “boom boom.” I don’t know why, out of the whole song, “bloom” has become his favorite word, but it surely is cute that he repeats it every time we get to that part!

A Question About Going to the Dentist

I have had a toothache for almost a week. I’m sure it has nothing to do with sucking on all those Jolly Ranchers that were left over from the baby shower I planned for my friend a few weeks ago. Anyhow, my tooth hurts to the point where I can’t even chew on that side of my mouth, so I’m thinking I need to get to a dentist. I want to get a regular cleaning and have the dentist look at the tooth that is bothering me.

The last time I went to a dentist was before I got married, I was still on my parents’ dental plan, and I was going to same office I’d gone to my whole life. So I don’t know anything about finding or paying a dentist. Do I just look up a dentist in the phone book, say, “Hi, I need to get my teeth cleaned,” and make an appointment? I do not have dental insurance and thus will be paying out-of-pocket. Anyone know approximately how much a cleaning costs? Thanks for any input.

Staying Home Today

Oh my! I just looked at the calendar this morning and realized that there are only two months left until Christmas! I would love to have all gifts made/purchased by the beginning of September, so I need to get started on that. Also, I have decided to make an ornament for each of my children every year of their lives until they are eighteen (to give to them when they leave home/get married), so I need to plan what I'm going to make for 1-year-old's this year.

I have been walking a lot lately, and I think I've overdone it. I am having muscle pain in my belly and legs whenever I walk (even around the house) or pick up 1-year-old. So I am planning to stay home today and take it easy. I hope I will find enough things for 1-year-old to do to keep him occupied. I usually take him on one or two outings a day, mainly for diversion's sake. He is more content and seems to sleep better when he gets some out-of-the-house stimulation--different things to see and do and think about.

1-year-old's digestive system doesn't seem to handle wheat well, so I've been trying to figure out some things to bake for him that don't need wheat. Yesterday I made him some cookies with 2 cups of oats, a jar of sweet potato baby food (sometimes I use applesauce, but we were out, and I had to use up this jar sometime anyway), an egg, some cinnamon, cloves, and ginger, a pinch each of salt, baking powder, and baking soda, a splash of milk, a bit of stevia, and raisins. I baked them at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes. They came out kind of rubbery (because of the lack of wheat), but 1-year-old loves them, so I guess that's what counts.

I have also been trying to branch out in the things I make for dinner for Hubby and myself. Pioneer Woman has a cooking blog with step-by-step directions and lots of photos for every recipe she posts, so I've been trying out some of her recipes (please note that I don't endorse all the content on her blogs).

I enjoyed Candy's tour of her home, especially since our home is also around 900 square feet, and I am considering doing a tour myself, once we get our camera fixed (for some reason, it won't accept any memory cards, so I can only take three or four pictures at a time on the internal memory, transfer them to my computer, delete them off the camera, take more pictures, transfer them, etc., which gets tedious).

UPDATED: Walgreens Deals

 

It is 72 degrees with not a cloud in the sky. I decided to take advantage of the nice weather and walk to Walgreens with 1-year-old. I had hoped to do this Band-Aid deal, but they were all out of the right kind of Band-Aids, so I will have to go back later this week (which won't be so bad after all if this kind of weather sticks around). They did, however, have all the other things I intended to buy.

2 8.5 oz. Keri Milk Body Lotions. These are on sale for $10 each. I had 2 $3 off coupons, plus when you buy 2, you get $12 in Register Rewards.

6.4 oz. Crest toothpaste. On sale for $1.99. I had a $1 off Walgreens coupon and a $1 off manufacturer's coupon, making this toothpaste free.

Gilette Venus Divine razor. On sale for $7.99. I had a $2 off manufacturer's coupon, and this purchase generated $4 in Register Rewards.

Final cost: $19.98, but I got back $16 in Register Rewards.

By the way, I tried the lotion and really like it. It is unscented and absorbs quickly. Worth every penny of $1. :-)

UPDATED 10/24: I went back to Walgreens this morning and got Band-Aids. They are normally $3.29 a box, but with the Walgreens coupon, they were $.99 each. I bought eight, thus qualifying me for the Johnson and Johnson $10 Register Reward. I also had one $.50 coupon, so my total for eight boxes was $7.42. I paid with a $6 Register Reward I already had, so my out-of-pocket cost was only $1.42. Plus, I got $10 in Register Rewards!

Pregnancy Update--13 Weeks

Now that my figure is starting to change, I'm starting to really believe that I am pregnant (as if three positive pregnancy tests and morning sickness weren't enough...). I am wearing some maternity clothes now, more because they're the only clothes I own that are appropriate for fall than because I really need them too badly yet. I recently bought three nice pairs of maternity pants in black, brown, and khaki, so those have become a wardrobe staple. (I like wearing dresses and skirts in spring and summer, but I prefer pants for fall and winter because I'm rather cold-blooded, and it can get pretty cold where I live).

I'm almost to the point where I can't (or at least won't bother) sucking in my stomach anymore. My belly is getting firmer. I have felt a few flutters that may or may not have been kicks, but I couldn't tell for sure. I felt movement with my first pregnancy at fourteen weeks.

We are still looking into birth options. I would love to have a homebirth, but I really can't in the apartment we're in now, because we're too close to our neighbors, and these apartments are not soundproof by any means. And I may have made a teensy-tiny bit of noise last time I was in labor.... Our lease is up in December, so there's a slight possibility we might move then (ay yay yay, I don't even want to think about moving at this point!) if we could find a house with affordable rent, but it's more likely that we will use a freestanding birth center like we did for 1-year-old's birth. I had a pretty good experience, and the tub with jets was very helpful during labor, but I would settle for one of these if I could have a homebirth.

I'm trying not to obsess about how much I gain this pregnancy. I certainly gained more than I wanted to with the last one, so I want to be extra careful to eat right and get at least a little exercise every day, but mostly, I want to keep the perspective that something wonderful and miraculous is happening inside my womb, and there is no way my body is ever going to be exactly the way it was before I started having babies (and I hope to have many more). I know there are a few women who, three days after giving birth, are back to their pre-pregnancy shape, but that's not most women, and that's not me. I want to eat healthfully and be a good steward of the body God has given me, but I don't want to get over-focused on myself and the way I look. Having babies is a sacrifice in many ways, including physically, but there are so many rewards.

For instance, today I had the joy of watching 1-year-old take hold of the handle of his walker wagon and push it all the way across the room! His clumsy, fast little steps were so cute, and he had the biggest smile on his face. I also love crawling down the hall after him on my hands and knees, or letting him chase me. He always laughs uproariously! I could go on and on...there are so many things I love about my precious baby. Thank You, Lord, for Your good gifts.

Vision Forum Drawing--My Wishlist

Kim at Life in a Shoe is hosting a drawing in which five lucky entrants will receive products of their choice, up to $150 each, from Vision Forum. You can find more information about the drawing here, but hurry, you only have until October 26 to post your wishlist on your blog.

Here's mine:

Passionate Housewives: Desperate for God $16.00 p. 6
Passionate Housewives: Desperate for God $16.00 p. 6
Home-Making $20.00 p. 24
The Wise Woman’s Guide to Blessing Her Husband’s Vision $16.00 p. 25
Raising Maidens of Virtue $20.00 p. 25
Why Satan Wants Your Firstborn and What to Do About It $10.00 p. 27
The Influence of Older Children on Younger Children $10.00 p. 27
Be Fruitful and Multiply $15.00 p. 31
Teach Them to Your Children $17.00 p. 80
Rebuilding a Culture of Virtuous Boyhood $10.00 p. 90

Successful Walgreens Trip

 

$57.89 worth of products for $4.91

3 Herbal Essence shampoos, 23.7 oz.--$1.11 each (B2G1 free coupon, plus this purchase generated $10 in Register Rewards. I did this transaction first, then went and got the rest of my items and used the $10 RR to purchase them. As a side note, I don’t really like Herbal Essence shampoo for my hair, but it makes a good body wash.)

Garnier Fructis shampoo, 25.4 oz.—free after rebate

Tropicana Fruit Squeeze—free (manufacturer’s coupon)

Dove Beauty Bar—free (manufacturer’s coupon plus Walgreens coupon)

Colgate Advanced toothpaste, 4.2 oz.—free after rebate

Colgate Total toothpaste, 4.2 oz.—free (on sale for $1.50, plus $1.50 printable internet coupon)

Aquafresh toothpaste, 6.4 oz.--$.24 (on sale for $.99, plus $.75 manufacturer’s coupon)

Dial Yogurt Vanilla Honey handsoap, 9.38 oz.—$.70 (on sale for $1, plus $.30 manufacturer’s coupon)

4 Robitussin cough syrups, 4 oz.--$.99 each (on sale for $3.99, plus $3.00 printable internet coupon for each one)

Pert Plus shampoo plus conditioner—free after rebate (plus $1 manufacturer’s coupon)

I had $3.30 on a gift card, so I used that and only had to pay $17.39 out-of-pocket for all of this. But I will get back $12.48 in rebates, plus $100 to use at a spa. So I got all this stuff for $4.91 (or $8.21, if you count what was on the gift card), and I will get $100 to use at a spa. I have never been to a spa in my life, but I am looking forward to it! I’m thinking a late-pregnancy massage would be delightful.

Make sure to visit Money Saving Mom to see others' Super Savings Saturday deals!

Recipes, As Requested

A reader asked for the recipes for the Raspberry Cheesecake Bars and Triple-Chocolate Brownies I will be serving at the baby shower tomorrow. Here they are:

Raspberry Cheesecake Bars

2 cups all-purpose flour
¼ cup granulated sugar
½ teaspoon salt
¾ cup stick margarine or butter, softened
1/3 cup light corn syrup
2 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened
3 large eggs
1 cup light corn syrup
2 teaspoons vanilla
¾ cup raspberry or strawberry jam
Powdered sugar, if desired

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease bottom and sides of 13x9x2” pan. Beat flour, granulated sugar, salt, margarine, and 1/3 cup corn syrup with mixer until soft dough forms. Press evenly into pan. Beat cream cheese in separate bowl until smooth. Beat in eggs until well blended, then add 1 cup corn syrup and vanilla and beat until smooth. Pour cheese mixture over dough. Bake 35-40 minutes or until edges are light golden brown. Stir jam and spread over hot bars. Refrigerate until chilled. Cut into bars. Sprinkle with powdered sugar just before serving, if desired. Refrigerate any leftover bars.

Triple-Chocolate Brownies

1 cup butter, softened or melted
2 cups granulated sugar
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup unsweetened baking cocoa
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease bottom and sides of 13x9x2” pan. Mix butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla until well blended. In separate bowl, combine flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt. Mix dry ingredients into wet ingredients. Stir in chocolate chips. Spread in pan. Bake about 30 minutes. Cool completely before frosting with Cocoa Frosting.

Cocoa Frosting

3 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup stick margarine or butter, softened
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/3 cup unsweetened baking cocoa
2-3 tablespoons milk

Mix all ingredients except milk in medium bowl. Stir in milk until frosting is spreadable.

Tomorrow's Baby Shower Menu

-Raspberry Cheesecake Bars

-Triple-Chocolate Brownies

-Pepperidge Farm Milano cookies

-Hollowed-out bread bowl filled with Spinach Dip

-Hummus

-Carrot and celery sticks

-Crackers

-Mixed nuts

-Grapes

-Strawberries

-Strawberry Wedding Punch with a lemon-and-orange-slice ice ring

-Coffee

-Tea

Hubby did all the grocery shopping for me. Wasn't that sweet of him? Plus, he brought home takeout from our favorite Thai restaurant. I have the best husband! Thanks, Sweetie!

Organizing

I am busy organizing a baby shower for a friend. It is this Saturday. I need to finalize the menu, make a list, and go grocery shopping, and then I get to bake various kinds of fancy little goodies. I love having a good reason to bake!

Other than that, I need to get my coupons organized. I save everything, but I've pretty much been chucking everything in a closet to await further tending. I really appreciated this post today from Crystal on Money Saving Mom. I think I might try using a similar system.

Giveaway: Passionate Housewives: Desperate for God

Crystal at Biblical Womanhood is giving away ten copies of a new book by Jennie Chancey and Stacy McDonald called Passionate Housewives: Desperate for God. Go here to enter!

I have been wanting to read this book since I first heard it was in the works! And now ten lucky ladies will get it free!