Treading Water

Posted on July 13, 2011 by kristy

That’s a pretty apt description for how I’ve been feeling the last several days. One minute I’m fine, the next minute I’m barely keeping my head above water (or I’m not keeping it above water at all)

I’m trying to keep busy, keep myself distracted, but it doesn’t always work. (I don’t know if you knew this, but cleaning toilets & changing diapers doesn’t exactly keep your mind busy for long) And it doesn’t help that half the time (or more than half) I can’t focus or feel incredibly scatterbrained. I’m sure more than one person has thought that I wasn’t “with it” in the past couple of weeks – and they wouldn’t be wrong.

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Share the Love: Coupons!

Posted on July 12, 2011 by kristy

I’m processing through a lot of things right now – but saving some of that to share with you all tomorrow, so I thought today I’d take some time to “share the love” with my mommy friends…

Today, I’m going to share some of my favorite places to find good coupons. (and if you’ve already heard of all of these – just don’t tell me, k? ;P) If you know me very well, you know I love food and clothes… so it’s no surprise my favorite places for coupons are for those very things.

First up, grocery coupons! Lord knows us mammas need those – although, I admit to not being very good at clipping them lately. It can take some time, but it often pays off in a big way.

My favorite site for grocery coupons is SmartSource.com. It has coupons from many different companies, and usually for products I buy on a regular basis (granola bars, yogurt, cleaning supplies, etc.) To use the site, you have to install their “coupon printer,” but it’s very simple to do (and doesn’t cost a thing). Then, you just pick the coupons you want and print! (you don’t have to print off ones you don’t want – so nice!) You can also sign up to get emails when they post new coupons (which is quite handy).

For clothing, my friends know I love a good deal and there are a few stores that have great ones.

When it comes to coupons, Kohl’s hits it out of the park. If you sign up to get emails for them, you will regularly (and I mean REGULARLY!) get coupons for 15% off everything in the store (including clearance items). I can’t even tell you how much I’ve saved using these! When you buy a clearance item that’s already 60-70% off (or more) and then add on another 15% off, you end up with a crazy good deal. (case in point: My Vera Wang dress I bought for $7 or the $68 purse I got for 6 bucks – no joke!)

The other great thing about Kohl’s is “Kohl’s Cash.” During certain time periods (which, again, happen fairly often) you will get $10 in “Kohl’s Cash” for every $50 you spend. Then, during a specific time period (usually about a week or so later) you can spend that “Kohl’s Cash” – essentially ‘free money.’ Once again, I can’t tell you how much I’ve saved doing that.

When my husband finally relents and lets me replace some of his worn out items, or when the boys have outgrown everything in sight, I will wait for a coupon from Kohls, and/or a time to earn “Kohls Cash” and save a truckload. (I love hearing from the cashier “You saved $98 today”… or some other crazy amount). And then I often get to spend the Kohl’s Cash to add a new item or two to my own wardrobe (bonus!).

Some other great places to keep tabs on for deals are Old Navy, Gap and Children’s Place.

They frequently have percentage off sales (sometimes exclusively online, but not always). Also, I’ve loved finding out when Gap has their “35% off everything in the store” sales or when Old Navy has specific items deeply discounted. And Children’s place sends out good coupons via email fairly regularly, as well.

Also, don’t forget to “like” your favorite stores on Facebook! Many stores are using Facebook to get the word out about deals or sales – and many offer coupons only to Facebook fans.

Well, that’s ‘Share the Love’ for today… though I know there are many more great coupons out there! Where do you get YOUR favorite deals? Come on, share the love!

New Favorites: Maxi Dress

Posted on July 7, 2011 by kristy

While we were in Oklahoma, my mom and I went on a little shopping trip. So fun! She’s always willing to go to the stores my hubby dreads (and the ones it just isn’t a good idea to take small children into) And we always have a good time together.

One of the things I picked up on this trip was this strapless maxi dress (bringing the maxi dress count to 2 for my closet) and I’m in love with it. It’s a light, airy material and so comfy – and I absolutely adore the pattern.

I also picked up these fab earrings (and for a steal of a price)

I added a few new things to my summer wardrobe, so hopefully I’ll be able to get outfit pics a little more regularly – that way I can share them all with you!

The details:
Maxi dress – Forever21, $24.90
Earrings – Forver21, $3.80
Sandals – Forever21, $7.50

The Long Drive Home

Posted on July 5, 2011 by kristy

We’re on the road again (anyone else hear Willie Nelson?) on our way back to Iowa. The boys have already watched movies, read books and colored…and Zack’s been telling us how boring driving to Iowa is (poor guys…we’ve still got another 4 hours or so to go)

My hubby has taken on driving duties for the first half of the trip and I’ll be taking over shortly. Driving home is always harder (and seems to take longer). Have I mentioned he loves having his picture taken?

We had a great visit with my parents in the sweltering Oklahoma heat. The boys spent a lot of their time here…

…they absolutely loved this little pool Grandpa amd Mimi got for them. (along with the squirt guns…) They kept saying they were having a “cool pool party” (thanks, Yo Gabba Gabba)

These gals didn’t seem too bothered by the heat. (they were much more concerned with getting treats)

Yesterday, my parents spent some quality “cool pool party” time with the boys while the hubs and I went out to lunch and to a movie (Xmen: First Class FINALLY!)

We had a great time together (See? He loves having his picture taken!) and the boys had lots of fun with Grandpa & Mimi.

Now, to survive the next few hours of driving. Luckily, we just picked up some food at “Backyard Burgers” for lunch – Yum – that should help

Holiday Road Trip

Posted on July 2, 2011 by kristy

As of 5am we were on the road to Oklahoma. No, I’m not a fan of early mornings, but I am a fan of arriving at my parents house in the early afternoon instead of the late evening.

So far, the boys are doing well – although Zack started asking a couple hours ago if “we’re there yet.” (when we still had about 6 hours to go) But we’re using it as a learning opportunity and showing him a map on the iPad of where we started, where we’re going and where we are now (I love technology) We’ve had some good discussions about the different states and cities!

Oh and another great thing about this trip – my husband now loves Starbucks as much as I do and specifically looked for one in Missouri so we could get coffee. (I love this guy…even if he doesn’t like his picture taken)

I’m trying to focus on just the positives about this trip and not on how I thought it was going to be when we planned it a few weeks ago. I know the timing of this trip is no mistake – God’s timing and plans are perfect.

And I am so very thankful for that.