Menu Plan for the week of 06/30/2014

How was your weekend?  I am still recuperating from a wonderful and exhausting VBS :)  Since we are hoping to be moving in about a month, we are eating from the pantry and refrigerator :)

Here is our menu plan for this week:

Breakfast
Pancakes X2
Leftover Chocolate Chip Banana Bread muffins X2
Baked Oatmeal with apples X2
Oatmeal with raisins and honey

Lunch- Our usual
Salad with homemade ranch dressing and a banana for me and hubby
Sandwich with homemade bread, carrots and peanuts for everyone else

Dinner
Calzones with fruit
Italian Cream Cheese Chicken with green beans
Shredded BBQ on buns with corn
Turkey burgers, Mac & Cheese with green beans
Spaghetti with meatballs and peas and garlic bread
Tomato & Sausage Pasta Al Forno with peas
Cheesy bean burritos with corn

Snacks
Carrot sticks
Apple slices
Raisins
Popcorn
Smores in a cup- snack learned from VBS
Popsicles

Walgreens deals for the week of 06/29/2014

Things to keep in mind when shopping at Walgreens:
1) You must have as many items as manufacture's coupons
2) Register Rewards (RR) are considered manufacture's coupons
3) You are allowed 1 manufacture's coupon and 1 store coupon per item
4) When redeeming a Register Rewards against the same offer may not receive another RR
5) 2 coupons can be used with Buy 1 Get 1 FREE Sales :)

Check out Walgreens Coupon Policy here:)

Walgreens has rolled out a program called Balance Rewards. You earn points you can later redeem. Click here to read more about this program.

Sunny Smile paper towels or toilet paper- $1/2- Limit 4

Orbit, Extra or Eclipse 3pk- $4/2 and get 1000 points

Planters Peanuts- $6/2
Use $1 Walgreens in store cpn
$1/2 Planters nuts or Peanut Butter cpn- 06/29 SS

Kellogg cereal or PopTarts- $1.99
$1/3 Kellogg Poptarts or mini crisps cpn- 06/29 RP
$0.50 Kellogg Poptart Frosted Wild Cherry, Frosted Chocolate Vanilla Creme or Milk Chocolate Graham cpn- 06/29 RP
$1/3 Kellogg cereal cpn- 06/01 RP 

Gevalia ground or Maxwell or Gevalia single serve cups- $5.99 and get 1000 points

Nice Peanut Butter, Grape or Strawberry jelly- $4/2 and get 1000 points

Gatorade- $6/6 with in ad cpn- Limit 6 and get 1000 points

Crystal Light, Country Time or Kool Aid- $2 and get $2 RR

Biquick, Betty Crocker frosting, cake, cookies, brownie mix or Warm Delights- $3/2 and get 1000 points

Lindsay Olives- $0.99 with in ad cpn- Limit 3

Nice Wax paper or foil- $0.99 with in ad cpn- Limit 3

Sparkle paper towels- $5/2 and get 1000 points

Barilla pasta- $0.99
$0.55/2 Barilla blue box pasta cpn- 05/18 SS

Glade candle, Spray, car scents or wax melts- $5.50/2 and get $1.50 RR

Windex Touch Up, Pledge spray or wipes, Scrubbing Bubbles bath or shower or toilet gels- $7/2 and get $2 RR

Shout, Fantastik, Windex or wipes, Scrubbing Bubbles bathroom- $6/2 and get 1000 points

Puffs- $0.99

Sun 2x detergent or Snuggle- Buy 1 Get 1 FREE
$0.50 Snuggle cpn- 06/01 RP

Palmolive or Scotch Brite sponge- $0.99
$0.50/2 Scotch Brite scrub sponges, scour pads, dishwands and refills cpn- 05/18 SS- EXPIRES 06/30

Gillette Venus or Fusion ProGlide Flex Ball razor- $9.99 and get $2 RR
$3 Gillette Venus cpn- 06/01 P&G- EXPIRES 06/30

Pure Silk or Barbasol shave cream- $0.99 with in ad cpn- Limit 3
$0.50 Pure Silk cpn- 05/04 RP- EXPIRES 06/30

Colgate 360 or Slim Soft toothbrush, Total Advanced mouthwash or toothpaste- $2.99 and get $1 RR
$1 Colgate Total, Optic White, Max Fresh or Sensitive toothpaste cpn- 06/29 SS
$1 Colgate mouthwash or rinse cpn- 06/29 SS
$1 Colgate 360 or Slim Soft toothbrush cpn- 06/29 SS 

Revlon nail- $4.99 and get $3 RR
$1 Revlon nail cpn- 06/15 SS
$1 Revlon color cosmetic cpn- 06/15 SS 

Spend $10 on Loreal cosmetics and get 3000 points
$1 Loreal eye shadow or liner cpn- 06/15 RP
$1 Loreal eye cpn- 06/15 RP
$2 Loreal face cosmetic cpn- 05/18 RP 

Milk gallon- $3.49- Limit 2

Oral B toothbrush, Scope mouthwash, Crest toothpaste or ProHealth rinse- $9/3 and get $4 RR
$1 Oral B Pulsar, 3D White, ProHealth or Complete toothbrush cpn- 06/01 P&G- EXPIRES 06/30
$0.50 Oral B Pulsar, 3D White, ProHealth, Complete or 2 Indicator or Cavity Defense toothbrush cpn- 05/1 RP- EXPIRES 06/30 
$1 Scope mouthwash cpn- 05/11 P&G- EXPIRES 06/30
$1/2 Crest rinse cpn- 06/15 RP
$2/3 Oral B glide floss, Crest toothpaste or rinse cpn- 06/01 P&G- EXPIRES 06/30
$1/2 Oral B glide floss, Crest toothpasate or rinse cpn- 06/01 P&G- EXPIRES 06/30
$0.50 Oral B glide floss, Crest toothpaste or rinse cpn- 06/01 P&G- EXPIRES 06/30 
$0.50 Crest rinse or toothpaste cpn- 05/18 RP- EXPIRES 06/30

Gum toothbrush 2pk- $2.50 and get $2.50 RR

Starbucks refreshers or iced coffee- $1 and get $1 RR

Energizer Max- Buy 1 Get 1 FREE
$0.50 Energizer cpn- 06/29 SS
$0.50 Energizer cpn- 06/01 SS

CVS deals for the week of 06/29/2014

Don't forget to....
1) Go to cvs.com/email and sign up for the ExtraCare email and receive a $4/20 cpn
2) Stop by the Red ExtraCare coupon center and get CVS cpns
3) You can use a manufacturer's cpn along with a CVS cpn
4) You can use a B1G1Free cpn along with a B1G1Free sale to get both products for FREE

To view CVS Coupon Policy- click here:)

Tide or Gain- $4.99 and get $1 ECB
$3/2 Tide, Downy or Tide washer cleaner cpn- 06/01 P&G- EXPIRES 06/30
$2 Tide cpn- 06/01 P&G- EXPIRES 06/30
$1/2 Gain, Era or Cheer cpn- 06/01 P&G- EXPIRES 06/30 
$1/2 Gain, Era or Cheer cpn- 05/11 P&G- EXPIRES 06/30 

Total Home facial tissues- $0.88

Spend $10 on Revlon and get $3 ECB
$1 Revlon nail cpn- 06/15 SS
$1 Revlon color cosmetic cpn- 06/15 SS 

Buy 2 Neutrogena cosmetics and get $6 ECB

Spend $10 on Sally Hansen cosmetics and get $4 ECB

Spend $10 on Almay cosmetics and get $3 ECB

Buy Gillette Venus razor and get $4 ECB- Limit 3
$3 Gillette Venus cpn- 06/01 P&G- EXPIRES 06/30

Bic disposable razors- $6.99 and get $2 ECB
$2 Bic disposable razor cpn- 06/29 SS

Spend $10 on Crest ProHealth Clinical toothpaste, Clinical ProFlex toothbrush, ProHealth or Clinical rinse and get $5 ECB- Limit 2

$1/2 Crest rinse cpn- 06/15 RP
$2/3 Oral B glide floss, Crest toothpaste or rinse cpn- 06/01 P&G- EXPIRES 06/30
$1/2 Oral B glide floss, Crest toothpasate or rinse cpn- 06/01 P&G- EXPIRES 06/30
$0.50 Oral B glide floss, Crest toothpaste or rinse cpn- 06/01 P&G- EXPIRES 06/30 
$0.50 Crest rinse or toothpaste cpn- 05/18 RP- EXPIRES 06/30 

Oral B Stain erasing soft or medium toothbrush+ Crest 3D Whitestrips value pack- $9.99 and get $4 ECB- Limit 2

Colgate Total, Total mouthwash, Slim Soft or 360 floss tip toothbrush- $5.98/2 and get $1 ECB- Limit 2
$1 Colgate Total, Optic White, Max Fresh or Sensitive toothpaste cpn- 06/29 SS
$1 Colgate mouthwash or rinse cpn- 06/29 SS
$1 Colgate 360 or Slim Soft toothbrush cpn- 06/29 SS 

Colgate Total 1L or Optic White rinse- $5.99 and get $3 ECB- Limit 2
$1 Colgate mouthwash or rinse cpn- 06/29 SS

Colgate Optic White toothbrush + pen- $14.99 and get $5 ECB- Limit 2

CVS diapers or training pants- $6.99 and get $3 ECB- Limit 5

Spend $12 on Aveeno, Benadryl anti itch, Neosporin or Band Aid and get $5 ECB
$3/2 Benadryl cpn- 06/08 SS
$1 Benadryl cpn- 06/08 SS
$0.75/2 Band Aid cpn- 06/08 SS 

Pepsi 2L- $0.99
Use $0.24 CVS Coupon Center cpn

Just the Basics, Gain or Ajax dish liquid- $0.88- Limit 4
$0.25 Gain dish liquid cpn- 05/11 P&G- EXPIRES 06/30

CVS batteries- $5.99 and get $4 ECB

Wisk Deep Clean or Powerblasts- $4.99 and get $1 ECB
$1 Wisk cpn- 06/29 RP

Our Family Fun Saturday

Last Saturday, we took the boys to Four Freedoms Park.  I have heard so many great things about the park and the fenced in play ground overlooking Bimini Basin :)  We just had to check it out.

I was also told that we couldn't visit the park without visiting Ice Sssscreamin~ an ice cream stand.  I didn't say anything to the boys about that part, it was a nice yummy surprise.

We love the big open space to run and play.

I attempted to take a picture of all the boys by a tree.  It didn't quite turn out how I hoped it would, but I did get a nice picture of Michael and Christopher.

Trying to get Nathan to smile is sometimes a difficult job

Nice picture of Chris and Michael~ don't pay any attention to the bunny ears in the background courtesy of Nathan :)

The boys were very disapointed that they couldn't get in the water at Four Freedoms Park.  The next surprise on our Family Fun Saturday~ a church right down the street from us has a HUGE playground and Splash Pad.  We just had to go and check it out:

We all had a blast and cannot wait to see where our next Family Fun Adventure takes us :)

My Shopping Day~ 06/22/2014

Well, this feels weird, my shopping post being on Thursday instead of Tuesday.  I am still in catch up mode :)

Here is our shopping trip details:

Dollar Tree
$1.00- Wax Paper
$1.00- Gallon zip bags
$1.00- Toilet paper
$3.18- Total with tax

Walmart
$2.24- Paper Towels
$2.28- Heavy Whipping Cream
$1.97- Hairspray
$2.44- Cocoa Powder
$9.18- Total with tax

Winn Dixie
$20.60- Boneless Skinless Chicken at $1.88 lb :)

Save A Lot
$0.64- Bananas
$4.48- Grapes
$0.99- Spaghetti sauce
$1.39- Italian Bread
$2.76- Tuna
$7.38- (2) gallons skim milk
$2.99- Butter
$1.29- Pretzels
$21.92- Total

How did we do for the month of June?  Did we go over or come in just right??  Hop on over to my June Monthly Spending post post to see how we did :)

Lowes Build & Grow Clinic~ June 28, 2014

Lowes will be hosting a Build & Grow Clinic on June 28th at 10am.  My younger boys love doing them and the older ones love helping the younger ones with their project:)

If you are looking for a great free activity that you can do with your kids- you should check out the Lowes Build & Grow Clinics. Little Michael and Nathan love them. They love being able to do hands on projects with our help.

To sign up for this Build & Grow Clinic, simply go to the Lowes Build & Grow Clinic website, which they have redone to make it more user friendly. I am loving this new website. You register all your information. Then when you visit the website to sign up for an upcoming clinic, all you have to do is sign in and check which kids you are signing up. Don't forget to print and sign the waiver. And you and your child(ren) are ready for a really cool FREE hands on project.

Once you and your child(ren) complete the project they will receive a neat patch to put on their Lowes Build & Grow apron. If this is your first clinic, your child(ren) will receive a free Lowes Build & Grow apron and goggles:) The more clinics you do, the more patches you get to put on your kids apron and they can show them off with pride:)

Our Menu Plan for the week of 06/23/2014

How was your weekend and the beginning of this week?  Our weekend was great until I sat down to plan and write my blog posts out and realized our Internet was down.  No biggie~ it goes down all the time.  We are not completely satisfied with our Internet provider.  Unfortunately, living in the middle of nowhere has it down falls.  No other Internet provider comes out this far :(  So, we make due.

We reset the Internet and nothing happened.  We finally call the company and they cannot figure out what is wrong.  We were without internet until a tech could come and look at it :(  HOORAY, it is up and running now.  Unfortunately, it means I am 2 days behind on my blog.

Also, Vacation Bible School starting on Monday and I am a crew leader to 12 kids.  Thankfully, I have a happy helper, David, who is spending his summer vacation from school helping out with VBS- how awesome :)  So, I am soooooo exhausted from VBS.  I thought my 4 kids kept me going, boy was I wrong.  These kids are great, energetic and we have so much FUN :)

Here is our menu plan for this week:

Breakfast
Pancakes, Banana Muffins, Blueberry muffins and anything I can make at night and make morning easier on hubby, since I have to leave for VBS early in the morning.

Lunch- Our usual
Salad with homemade ranch dressing and a banana for me and hubby
Sandwich with homemade bread, carrots and peanuts for everyone else

Dinner
Shredded BBQ on buns, pasta salad and green beans
Fish Sticks, Mac & Cheese and green beans
Shitaki Noodles with meatballs and corn
Stuffed Shells with peas and garlic bread
Sausage Gravy over biscuits with scrambled eggs and fruit
Cheeseburger Macaroni with peas
Pancakes with sausage and fruit

Snacks
Apples
Raisins
Popcorn
Peanuts
Bananas
Carrots
Grapes

Walgreens deals for the week of 06/22/2014

Things to keep in mind when shopping at Walgreens:
1) You must have as many items as manufacture's coupons
2) Register Rewards (RR) are considered manufacture's coupons
3) You are allowed 1 manufacture's coupon and 1 store coupon per item
4) When redeeming a Register Rewards against the same offer may not receive another RR
5) 2 coupons can be used with Buy 1 Get 1 FREE Sales :)

Check out Walgreens Coupon Policy here:)

Walgreens has rolled out a program called Balance Rewards. You earn points you can later redeem. Click here to read more about this program.

Orbit, Dentyne, Trident or Eclipse- $0.69- Limit 3
$1/3 Trident, Dentyne or Stride single packs cpn- 05/18 SS

Coppertone- $19/2 and get $6 RR
$3/2 Coppertone cpn- 06/22 SS
$1 Coppertone cpn- 06/22 SS 

Hunts tomato sauce- $1/3 with in ad cpn- Limit 6

Campbells Chicken Noodle or Tomato soup- $0.79 with in ad cpn- Limit 3

Nice bakery treats- $0.89 with in ad cpn- Limit 3

Domino Sugar or Crisco oil- $1.99 with in ad cpn- Limit 3
$0.40 Domino sugar cpn- 04/06 RP

Jello pudding or gelatin- $1/2 with in ad cpn- Limit 4

Nice straws or cutlery- $0.99 with in ad cpn- Limit 3

Nice fold and close or zipper bags- $0.99

Gatorade- $6/6 with in ad cpn- Limit 6 and get 1000 points

Nice almonds or cashews- $7/2 and get 2000 points

Clorox Wipes, Tilex mold & mildew or Liquid Plumr- $4.99 and get 1000 points
$0.75 Clorox Wipes cpn- 04/27 SS

Clear shampoo or conditioner- $4.99 and get 2000 points when you buy 2
$2.50 Clear cpn- 06/22 RP

Foster Grant, Solar Shield, Studio 35 or licensed sunglasses- Buy 1 Get 1 FREE and get 1000 points

Colgate Slim Soft or select 360 toothbrush, Total Advanced toothpaste or mouthwash- $7/2 and get 2000 points
$0.75 Colgate toothpaste cpn- 06/15 SS
$1 Colgate mouthwash cpn- 06/15 SS

Speed Stick Gear or Irish Spring Gear- $8/2 and get 2000 points
$2 Speed Stick Gear deodorant cpn- 06/15 SS

Softsoap or Irish Spring bodywash- Buy 1 Get 1 FREE

Playtex- $6.99 and get 2000 points
$3 Playtex cpn- 05/18 SS
$1 Playtex cpn- 05/18 SS 

Ban- $5/2 and get 1000 points
$2 Ban cloths cpn- 06/01 SS
$0.75 Ban deodorant cpn- 06/01 SS 

Accu Check Nano- $14.99 and get 3000 points
$14.99 Mail in rebate in box

Dawn- $0.99
$0.25 Dawn cpn- 06/01 P&G

Arm & Hammer laundry- Buy 1 Get 1 FREE
$3/2 Arm & Hammer laundry cpn- 06/08 SS
$1 Arm & Hammer laundry cpn- 05/18 SS 

Arizona tea or drink- $1/2 with in ad cpn- Limit 6

CVS deals for the week of 06/22/2014

Don't forget to....
1) Go to cvs.com/email and sign up for the ExtraCare email and receive a $4/20 cpn
2) Stop by the Red ExtraCare coupon center and get CVS cpns
3) You can use a manufacturer's cpn along with a CVS cpn
4) You can use a B1G1Free cpn along with a B1G1Free sale to get both products for FREE

To view CVS Coupon Policy- click here:)

Right Guard Total Defense bodywash, Dial bar or Complete hand wash-  Buy 1 Get 1 FREE
$2/2 Right Guard Total Defense 5 or Xtreme cpn- 06/15 RP
Buy 2 Get 1 FREE Dial bodywash or bar cpn- 06/15 RP
$1/2 Dial Kids hair/bodywash, Deep Cleansing soap, foaming soap, refills or bar cpn- 06/15 RP 

Ajax dish- $0.88

Spend $10 on Maybelline foundation, powder, blush, concealer or lip and get $5 ECB

Pepperidge Farm Goldfish- $4/2 and get $1 ECB

Spend $10 on Snickers, Hershey milk chocolate or Reese's 6pk and get $3 ECB
$1/2 Hershey milk chocolate 6pk cpn- 06/22 SS

Hershey chocolate syrup- $5/2 and get $1 ECB
$1/2 Hershey syrup cpn- 06/22 SS

Smart Water, Vitamin Water, Fruit Water, Honest Tea, Gold Peak iced tea or Powerade- $5/4 and get $2 ECB

Spend $12 on CVS facial care, personal cleansing, hand/body lotion or hair care and get $4 ECB

Colgate Optic White toothpaste, rinse or toothbrush- $6/2 and get $3 ECB- Limit 2
$0.75 Colgate toothpaste cpn- 06/15 SS
$1 Colgate mouthwash cpn- 06/15 SS

Colgate Optic White toothbrush + pen- $14.99 and get $5 ECB- Limit 2

Oral B Vitality floss action, Deep Sweep recharge toothbrush or refills- $23.99 and get $10 ECB- Limit 2
$3 Oral B replacement heads cpn- 06/01 P&G

Listerine Total Care, UltraClean, Naturals, Original, Cool Mint, Fresh Burst or Zero- $5.49 and get $1 ECB- Limit 2
$1 Listerine Smart rinse cpn- 04/13 SS
$1 Listerine cpn- 04/13 SS 

Duracell- $6.99 and get $1 ECB
$0.50 Duracell cpn- 06/01 P&G

Xtra detergent- $2.49
Use $1 CVS Coupon Center cpn

Kellogg Cereal- $1.99- Limit 4
$1/3 Kellogg cereal cpn- 06/01 RP

Ban de Soleil orange gelee, Mega tan or Coppertone- $19.98/2 and get $7 ECB
$3/2 Coppertone cpn- 06/22 SS
$1 Coppertone cpn- 06/22 SS 

Spend $10 on Colgate Total toothpaste, rinse or 360 toothbrushes and get $5 ECB- Limit 2
$0.75 Colgate toothpaste cpn- 06/15 SS
$1 Colgate mouthwash cpn- 06/15 SS

Store vs Homemade Pudding Taste Test

My boys decided that they would love for me to make something and taste test it against the store made option.

Wasn't that sweet?  I got volunteered to make it while they eat it~ LOL:)  They do help me in the kitchen so it is all good :)  And since making homemade pudding was on my list of monthly projects, it was a win win :)

This week, they wanted to taste Walmart brand Instant Pudding VS Laura's Homemade Pudding recipe.  The flavor of choice~ Chocolate ~ secret yay from me.  I love all things chocolate :)

We got all the ingredients out for both recipes:

First we made the instant pudding.  Pretty simple~ pour pudding mix in bowl, pour in milk, whisk and refrigerate.

For the homemade pudding recipe, it was easy and not over complicated.  Place all ingredients except butter and vanilla in pan and heat until it thickens.  I was whisking like a mad woman :)  Following the directions were easy.

I would love to say that I made both puddings with out incident but that would be fibbing.  We had a slight mess.  For the homemade recipe, you have to use 3 egg yolks.  Does anyone know of an easy peasy way to separate yolks from eggs?  If so, I am all ears and would love to hear it.  Since I am using double yolk eggs, I only used 2 eggs.  I was so proud of myself, I had almost separated the first yolk from the egg white.  Silly me, I set the egg yolk in the shell on the table thinking it would stay and I could use it:

Boy was I wrong:)  Luckily, it just oozed out of it's shell and didn't make too much of a mess.

When all was said and done, I had 2 puddings made:

Homemade VS Instant~ Can you tell which one is which?

The 3 important taste specialists, who take their taste testing jobs very seriously, were ready for business, the 4th taste test specialist was unusually cranky this day and elected not to participate in this taste testing:

Now for the taste testing results:

2 for Walmart brand
1 for Homemade pudding

The homemade pudding was much thicker than the instant.  The homemade pudding also had a nice dark chocolate taste.  The only thing we didn't like was putting the pudding in the refrigerator to cool, it formed a skin on the top that made the pudding have sort of a chunky feeling to it.  I think that is what did it for 2 of my taste testers.  The next time I make it, I am going to place a piece of plastic wrap on the top to prevent the skin from forming and see what they think then:)

They are now requesting that I make the homemade pudding and make pudding pops out of it and see if they like that any better :)

They are coming up with what to taste test next for the next installment.  Stay tuned....

Our Family Fun Saturday

As promised, this field trip was an inside one.  Well sort of, we didn't know that they had trails- oops:)  Nathan had been waiting for this field trip.  He is so fascinated with science and astronomy, a field trip to Calusa Nature Center and Planetarium was right up his alley.

We had a Lowe's Build & Grow to attend first.  After that, we made our way to the Planetarium.  The boys were really excited.  We got there and visited the Nature Center first:

This is either Al or Ally the Alligator- not sure who is who :)

This is either Al or Ally :)

A young alligator that was annoyed by my picture taking and decided to hiss and lunge at me- thankfully he was in his tank :)

A really big Cane Toad

This is either Cal or Lucy- 1 of Al & Ally the Alligator's babies

Lunch time :)

They even had a skunk, who we got to pet.  The skunk family just had 4 babies- awwww.  After going through the neat nature center, we decided to eat lunch.  The pavilion is completely covered, which is nice plus there are animals down there, so you get to eat your lunch with the animals.  They had a opossum, a bald eagle, a huge hog and you can see out to the alligator pond:

Poor fellow was missing half his wing :(

After lunch, we decided to look around outside before going to the animal show:

Too much cuteness:)

Turtles sun bathing :)

Time for the reptile show, which was great.  The young man did a fantastic job presenting the animals, answering questions and making sure everyone got an opportunity to hold or touch some of the animals.  After the show, we went into the reptile room and got to hold some really huge snakes:

Chris with the big albino snake

Big Cane toad

The Nile Monitor was not happy- hissing and fighting to get loose

I cannot believe Nathan held the baby Ball Python :)

Chris with the baby Ball Python

After the show, the young man got the huge snakes out :)

I am so glad he had a hold of her, she was having too much fun exploring :)

After the reptile show, we went to 1 of the Planetarium shows.  They had 3 different shows that day.  The show was great and Nathan knew most of the stars:)  It was awesome for him to really see what he has been studying this year in science.

After the Planetarium show, we went on one of the trails:

Looks so peaceful

Animal track rubbings

We thought this fellow was really neat looking.  I have never seen one this color before :)

We had a blast and were wore out by late afternoon and there was still so much to do and see.  The boys decided that we definitely wanted to go back to Calusa Nature Center and Planetarium, so we upgraded our tickets for the day with a family membership.  I was so excited when the man behind the register, which they called Great Grandpa Bob, told us that the family membership price had been reduced to $50 for a whole year.  With their regular everyday prices, it would cost my family $50 just to go 1 time.  With it being Father's Day weekend, Michael got in for free, we got discounted rates for having AAA and Chris & Kevin got discounted rates for being former JROTC members.  So, we just paid the difference to upgrade to a family membership.

I can't wait to see where our next Family Fun Saturday takes us :)

Our Shopping Day~ 06/15/2014

Through all the fun and excitement with house stuff, Father's Day and our Family Fun Saturday Field Trip, we still needed to go grocery shopping.  Even though I hated to go out on Father's Day, I didn't have a choice and well, my family had to eat.  So off Kevin and I went.

Here are the details of our shopping day:

Save A Lot
$0.99- Lettuce
$2.99- Butter
$3.98- Tomatoes
$7.96- Total

Publix
$5.99- Mama Lucia Turkey meatballs
$0.00- Mama Lucia Turkey meatballs
$5.99- Mama Lucia Turkey meatballs
$0.00- Mama Lucia Turkey meatballs
$3.99- Healthy Choice Greek Frozen Yogurt
$0.00- Healthy Choice Greek Frozen Yogurt
$4.00- Blueberries
$4.84- Grapes
$24.81
-1.00 Healthy Choice Greek Frozen Yogurt printable cpn
-1.00 Healthy Choice Greek Frozen Yogurt printable cpn
$23.05- Total after tax

Walgreens- this trip was made late Saturday evening :)
$13.96- (4) gallons skim milk

Winn Dixie
$11.36- Ground Beef

BJ's
$8.99- Cat Litter
$3.18- Bananas
$12.71- Total after tax

Walmart
$11.84- (4) bags flour- 2 Wheat White and 2 regular flour
$1.96- Popsicles
$4.97- Nuggets
$3.98- Al Fresco Chicken
$3.98- Al Fresco Chicken
$3.98- Lloyd's Shred Beef
$3.98- Lloyd's Shred Beef
$2.48- Black beans
$1.98- Strawberries
$1.28- Turkey lunchmeat
$2.44- Dark Chocolate chips
$2.00- Croutons
$1.00- Hunts Ketchup
$0.00- Hunts Ketchup- ad matched to Publix
$1.00- Hunts Ketchup
$0.00- Hunts Ketchup- ad matched to Publix
$1.00- Kraft BBQ sauce
$0.00- Kraft BBQ sauce- ad matched to Publix
$1.00- Kraft BBQ sauce
$0.00- Kraft BBQ sauce- ad matched to Publix
$3.12- Mini Wheats
$0.00- Mini Wheats- ad matched to Publix
$3.12- Mini Wheats
$0.00- Mini Wheats- ad matched to Publix
$55.11
-1.00 Alfresco Chicken printable cpn
-1.00 Alfresco Chicken printable cpn
-1.00 Lloyd's BBQ printable cpn
-1.00 Lloyd's BBQ printable cpn
-1/2 Mini Wheats cereal printable cpn
-1/2 Mini Wheats cereal printable cpn
$49.23- Total after tax

This shopping trip has been added to our June Monthly Spending post, where I keep track of what we spend for the month of June.

Our Menu Plan for the week of 06/16/2014

We hope you all had a fabulous weekend :)  Our week and weekend were crazy busy.  After looking at house after house and going back to revisit a house, we finally did it.  We fell in love with a house.  At first, we didn't even give this house a fair chance due to the high price.  We knew it was a house we couldn't afford, so we didn't even bother.  That is until our realtor asked if we would be willing to go and look at it.  She knew it was outside our price range but we were striking out everywhere else.  So, we went.  As soon as we opened the front door, we were in awe.  We fell in love.  Then reality sunk in, this house was way too much.  Our realtor told us that if we loved the house as much as our faces showed, we should put in an offer.  What could it hurt?

We submitted our offer and "patiently" awaited their response.  We finally got an answer to our offer.  We held our breath with excitement and nervousness.  We learned that our offer had been turned down and countered.  We were bummed and and then looked at the countered offer, it was only a little bit more than we had originally offered.  We were so excited and accepted :)  Now, the fun begins.  The state of Florida only gives you 10 days to get all your inspections done.  So, we have been on the phone trying to line everything up.  I can't wait to get over there and take some pictures, so that I can share our dream home with all of you :)

Until then, here is our menu plan for this week:

Breakfast
Chocolate Chip Banana muffins X2
Cereal X2
Pancakes X2
Scrambled eggs and fruit

Lunch- Our usual
Salad with homemade ranch dressing and a banana for me and hubby
Sandwich with homemade bread, carrots and peanuts for everyone else

Dinner
Lasagna with corn and garlic bread
Chicken Nuggets with Mac & Cheese and green beans
Chili with cornbread
Daddy's Birthday- we are awaiting his dinner decision :)
Chili Mac with peas
Cheesy Bean Dip with tortilla chips and green beans
Baked Spaghetti with peas and garlic bread

Snacks- if you can't tell our family loves fruit :)
Carrots
Apples
Bananas
Raisins
Watermelon
Strawberries
Grapes
Breakfast cookies

Walgreens deals for the week of 06/15/2014

Things to keep in mind when shopping at Walgreens:
1) You must have as many items as manufacture's coupons
2) Register Rewards (RR) are considered manufacture's coupons
3) You are allowed 1 manufacture's coupon and 1 store coupon per item
4) When redeeming a Register Rewards against the same offer may not receive another RR
5) 2 coupons can be used with Buy 1 Get 1 FREE Sales :)

Check out Walgreens Coupon Policy here:)

Walgreens has rolled out a program called Balance Rewards. You earn points you can later redeem. Click here to read more about this program.
 
Maxwell House instant coffee- $3.99
Use $1 Walgreens in store cpn

Colgate toothpaste- $3 and get $2.50 RR
$0.75 Colgate toothpaste cpn- 06/15 SS

Purex- Buy 1 at $5.99 and get 2 FREE

Vitamin Water- $1 and get $1 RR

Finish dishwasher products- $4.99
$4.99 rebate in 06/15 SS

Kleenex or Nice tissues- $0.99 with in ad cpn- Limit 3
$0.50/3 Kleenex cpn- 05/18 SS 

Renuzit- $0.99 with in ad cpn- Limit 3

Hefty one zip- Buy 1 Get 1 FREE
$1/2 Hefty sliders cpn- 05/18 RP

Comet- $0.69

Coppertone or Bain de Soleil- $19/2 and get $5 RR
$4/2 Coppertone cpn- 05/18 SS
$1 Coppertone cpn- 05/18 SS 

Revlon nail- $4.99 and get $1 RR
$1 Revlon nail cpn- 06/15 SS

Right Guard- $6/2
Use $1 Walgreens in store cpn
$2/2 Right Guard Total Defense 5 or Xtreme cpn- 06/15 RP

Speed Stick- $5/2 and get $2 RR
$0.50 Speed Stick cpn- 06/15 SS

Bayer- $2.99
$4/2 One A Day, Bayer or Alka Seltzer cpn- 06/15 RP
$2 Bayer cpn- 106/15 RP
$1.50 Bayer cpn- 05/04 SS

Folgers Coffee- $2.99 or Decaf- $3.99

Dozen eggs or Butterball turkey bacon- $3/2
$1/2 Butterball turkey bacon cpn- 05/18 SS

Mars candy- $1/2

Sunsweet SupaFiber- $10 and get $10 RR

Florax DS Ready to Drink- $10 and get $10 RR

CVS deals for the week of 06/15/2014

Sorry this is so late, this has been a wild and crazy weekend.  Will post more about our weekend tomorrow :)
  
Don't forget to....
1) Go to cvs.com/email and sign up for the ExtraCare email and receive a $4/20 cpn
2) Stop by the Red ExtraCare coupon center and get CVS cpns
3) You can use a manufacturer's cpn along with a CVS cpn
4) You can use a B1G1Free cpn along with a B1G1Free sale to get both products for FREE

To view CVS Coupon Policy- click here:)

Eclipse or Orbit 3pk gum- $4/2 and get $1 ECB

Kingsford Match Light Charcoal- $5.99 and get $2 ECB

Lego Movie DVD- $19.99 and get $3 ECB

Duracell- $11.99 and get $2 ECB
$0.50 Duracell cpn- 06/01 P&G

Softsoap hand soap 10oz or bodywash- $8/2 and get $2 ECB
$0.50 Softsoap hand soap 8oz+ or refill cpn- 06/01 SS
$0.35 Softsoap hand soap 7.5oz+ cpn- 06/01 SS 

Dial bar or Complete hand wash- $4/2
$1/2 Dial for Kids body+hair wash, Deep cleansing hand soap, foaming hand soap, refills or 3pk bar cpn- 06/15 RP

Irish Spring bar or Softsoap 7.5 oz hand soap- $1.99 and get $1 ECB
$0.35 Softsoap hand soap 7.5oz+ cpn- 06/01 SS  

Speed Stick- $1.99
$0.50 Speed Stick cpn- 06/15 SS

Right Guard or Dry Idea- $6/2 and get $2 ECB
$2/2 Right Guard Total Defense 5 or Xtreme cpn- 06/15 RP

Colgate 360 toothbrush- $2.99 and get $2 ECB- Limit 2
$1 Colgate 360 or Slim Soft tootbrush cpn- 06/01 SS

Bausch & Lomb Peroxiclear solution- $4.99 and get $3 ECB
$1.50 Bausch & Lomb Peroxiclear cpn- 06/15 SS

Spend $10 on Aveeno, Benadryl anti itch, Neosporin or Band Aid and get $5 ECB
$3/2 Aveeno men product cpn- 06/01 SS
$1.50 Aveeno men product cpn- 06/01 SS
$3/2 Benadryl cpn- 06/08 SS
$1 Benadryl cpn- 06/08 SS

Cheerios- $2.45
Use $0.60 CVS Coupon Center cpn
$1/2 General Mills Big G cereal cpn- 06/01 SS

Purex- Buy 1 Get 2 FREE

Just the Basics or Gain dish- $0.99- Limit 4
$0.25 Gain dish cpn- 05/11 P&G

Crest ProHealth, 3D White or ProHealth toothpaste- $2.99 and get $2  ECB- Limit 2
$2/3 Oral B Glide floss, Crest toothpaste or rinse cpn- 06/01 P&G

Gatorade or AquaFina flavored splash- $0.88- Limit 6
Buy 1 Get 1 FREE Aquafina Flavor Splash cpn- 04/13 SS

Our Family Fun Saturday

With all the running around looking at houses, we all needed a break.  We gave the boys a choice between an inside field trip or an outside field trip.  They picked outside.

We decided to go to Rotary Park.  There are 2 paths to choose from each leading to a tower that you can climb up. The boys were super excited.  I found out that they had a butterfly house~ I was sold.  We packed a picnic lunch and off we went:

Picnic Lunch

Not sure what this is but it is neat looking

First trail went around this beautiful little lake

Michael exploring what is left of this lake :(

First trail tower that was closed :(

Different view of first trail lake

A little friend that tried to hitch a ride on Michael's shoe :)

Different use for a plastic pool :)

Nathan walking on trail

Second trail walk way

View from 2nd trail tower :)

2nd trail lead us to this beautiful water

Taking a break- taking it all in

Cheese :)

Trails were too much for the young adult :)

A little "monkey" hitching a ride :)

The boys at the top of the tower

 It was a hot day and even though the butterfly house was closed we all had a blast.  The next Family Fun Saturday will be an inside field trip.  Hmmm wonder where we will go??