Our Family Fun Adventure

We have been so busy, we almost forgot we hadn't seen Santa.  Time was running out but we needed to coordinate with Christopher's work schedule.  Finally a Sunday off :)

We decided to pack a lunch, go to church, head to Bass Pro Shops right after church and see Santa.  We get to Bass Pro Shops at 1pm and the nice Santa Helpers were handing out tickets to see Santa at 5pm.  How was I going to occupy the kids for 4 hours at Bass Pro Shops, there is only so much to do and see.

We went out to the van and had our picnic lunch:)  Then we wandered around the store until the boys got bored.  We decided to wonder outside and see what other stores this outside mall had.  We discovered a pirate ship play land- Jackpot!!  They had fun playing with the other kids.  The time seemed to fly by.  4:30 came and the boys had to say bye to the kids they were playing with.

Off to see Santa.  We stand in the long line.  I was so proud of Nathan and Michael, they were very nice and patient waiting to see Santa.  They were showing us how they were going to smile.  We finally get to see Santa and this happens:

At least Michael is smiling, somewhat.  Poor Nathan looks like he is not too sure of this Santa guy :)  I think he was exhausting with waiting and playing :)

I know it could have been worse.  At least this year, no one was crying.  I am pretty sure on the hour drive home that they both fell asleep.  I know I was exhausted and would have loved to nap but someone had to drive :)

I know where our next Family Fun Adventure will take us.  I can't wait to share it with you next week :)

Our Shopping Day~ 12/27/2014

Another fun filled Saturday shopping adventure for us :)  Since Chris had to work on Sunday and the younger boys had Christmas money and gift cards that just had to be spent, we decided that we would make a toy/grocery run on Saturday.

We started out at the Farmer's Market and then headed over to Toys R Us that conveniently is located across from Sam's Club.  I will be so happy when the new Sam's is finally ready- that one is going to be so much closer.

I was so happy that the boys were on their best behavior in the stores :)

Here are the details of our shopping trip (the grocery part):

CVS
$5.99- Sensodyne toothpaste
$5.99- Sensodyne toothpaste
$11.98
-1.00 Sensodyne printable cpn
-1.00 Sensodyne printable cpn
-2.00 ECB
-2.00 ECB
$4.70- Total with tax and got $8 ECB :)

Save A Lot
$3.12- Apples
$4.00- (4) Loaves of bread
$7.12- Total

BJ's
$9.68- Chicken Legs

Sam's Club
$9.57- (3) Gallons skim milk
$1.36- Bananas
$2.38- Lettuce
$13.31
-1.00 Instant Banana cpn- unexpected awesome surprise
$12.31- Total

Walmart
$2.98- Olive Oil Mayo
$2.48- Creamer
$1.98- Grape Jam
$2.94- Stir Fry veggies
$1.00- Cornstarch
$1.00- Worcester sauce
$1.98- Sausage
$0.72- Italian tomatoes
$15.08- Total

Farmer Market
$1.00- Cucumbers
$1.00- Green Peppers
$2.00- Cherry Tomatoes
$1.00- Oranges
$5.00- Total

This shopping trip has been added to our December Monthly Spending post, where I keep track of what we spend for the month of December.  How did we do on our last shopping trip of December.  Hop on over and find out :)

Menu Plan for the week of 12/29/2014

I cannot get over how this is the last week of December and the last few days of 2014.

Hopefully 2015 will not fly by as fast as 2014 did.  I hope to slow things down and spend more time with my family.

We hope everyone had a wonderful and blessed Christmas.  We had a very nice Christmas even though the chaos started at 6:30 am.  But hey, how quiet and calm can 4 boys really be on Christmas morning :)

Here are our menu plans for this week:

Breakfast
Granola and fruit
Dark Chocolate Granola
Pancakes X2
Oatmeal with nuts and raisins X2
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins 

Lunch
Salad with homemade ranch dressing and a banana for hubby and myself
Sandwich with carrots and peanuts for everyone else or leftovers

Dinner
Baked Chicken Legs, brown rice and green beans
Turkey Gumbo
Chicken Stir Fry 
Chicken Noodle Soup
Spaghetti Squash with garlic bread and zuchinni
Beef & Broccoli with rice and green beans
Ravioli with peas and garlic bread

Snacks and desserts
Popcorn
Christmas cookies from my brother and his awesome girlfriend
Carrots
Apples
Celery with peanut butter and raisins
Oranges

Walgreens deals for the week of 12/28/2014

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.

Puffs or Nice tissues- $0.99
$0.25/3 Puffs cpn- 12/28 P&G

Milk gallon- $3.49- Limit 2

Campbell Chunky soup, Chili or Prego sauce- $3/2 and get 1000 points
$0.40/2 Prego sauce cpn- 10/05 SS

Hershey chocolate- $7/2 and get 1000 points
$1/2 Hershey kisses cpn- 11/16 SS

Wheat Thins, Triscuit or Ritz- $4/2 and get 1000 points
$0.75/2 Nabisco crackers or cookies cpn- 12/14 SS
$0.75/2 Nabisco crackers or cookies cpn- 11/09 SS

Quaker Cap'n Crunch, Life or Oatmeal Squares- $1.99

Butterball chicken broth or Armour Vienna sausages- $1/2 with in ad cpn- Limit 4

Spend $10 on Resolve, Lysol cleaners, wipes or Neutra Air- $5/2 and get 2000 points

Purex- Buy 1 Get 1 FREE

Nice bags- $0.99

Walgreens AA or AAA batteries- Buy 1 Get 1 FREE

Dimetapp, Robitussin or Advil Allergy & Congestion- $8.99 and get 1000 points
$1 Dimetapp cpn- 12/07 RP
$1 Robitussin cpn- 12/07 RP
$1 Advil Congestion, Allergy & Congestion, Allergy Sinus or Cold & Sinus cpn- 12/07 RP

Walgreens cough drops or Chap Aid- $1/2 with in ad cpn- Limit 4

Pampers Jumbo- $8.99 and get 2000 points
$1.50/2 Pampers cpn- 12/28 P&G

Tampax Pearl, Radiant, Always Radiant or Infinity- $12/3 and get 2000 points
$0.50 Tampax cpn- 12/28 P&G
$1 Tampax Pearl or Radiant cpn- 12/28 P&G
$1 Tampax Pearl or Radiant cpn- 11/30 P&G 
$1 Always Radiant or Infinity cpn- 12/28 P&G
$0.50 Always pads or wipes cpn- 12/28 P&G
$1 Always Radiant or Infinity cpn- 11/30 P&G

Colgate 360 toothbrush, Enamel Health, Total Advanced, Total Whitening toothpaste, Total Lasting or Advanced mouthwash- $9/3 and get $3 RR

Colgate Wisps, Extra Clean toothbrush or Cavity Protection toothpaste- $0.99

Dove hair care- $7/2 and get 1000 points

Speed Stick- $2 and get 1000 points

Dawn- $0.99
$0.25 Dawn cpn- 12/28 P&G

Oral B Advantage floss picks, toothbrush, Crest Glide floss, ProHealth toothpaste or mouthwash- $9/3 and get $3.75 RR
$0.75 Oral B Pulsar, 3D White, Pro Health, Complete, Sensi Soft or 2 Indicator or Cavity Defense toothbrush cpn- 12/28 P&G
$1.50/2 Oral B Glide floss cpn- 12/28 P&G
$0.75 Glide floss cpn- 12/28 P&G
$2.25/3 Oral B Glide floss cpn- 12/28 P&G 
$0.50 Oral B Glide floss or picks cpn- 11/30 P&G
$0.50 Oral B Pulsar, 3D White, Pro Health, Complete, Sensi Soft or 2 Indicator or Cavity Defense toothbrush cpn- 11/30 P&G
$0.75 Crest toothpaste cpn- 12/28 P&G
$1.50/2 Crest toothpaste cpn- 12/28 P&G
$2.25/3 Crest toothpaste cpn- 12/28 P&G
$0.50 Crest toothpaste cpn- 11/30 P&G
$1 Crest rinse cpn- 11/30 P&G
$0.50 Crest toothpaste cpn- 11/23 RP

Hershey candy- $0.59 with in ad cpn- Limit 4

CVS deals for the week of 12/28/2014

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- $5.94
$2 Tide, Boost, Downy or Bounce Bursts cpn- 12/28 P&G
$5/3 Tide, Boost, Downy or Bounce Bursts cpn- 12/28 P&G
$2 Tide cpn- 11/30 P&G
$5/3 Tide cpn- 11/30 P&G

Dawn- $0.98
$0.25 Dawn cpn- 12/28 P&G

Pantene- $10/3
$2/2 Pantene cpn- 12/28 P&G
$5/3 Pantene cpn- 12/28 P&G
$2/2 Pantene cpn- 11/30 P&G
$5/3 Pantene cpn- 11/30 P&G 

Always Discreet- $4.99
$2 Always Discreet cpn- 12/28 P&G

Tampax Radiant, Pearl, Always Infinity or Radiant- $3.99
$0.50 Tampax cpn- 12/28 P&G
$1 Tampax Pearl or Radiant cpn- 12/28 P&G
$1 Tampax Pearl or Radiant cpn- 11/30 P&G 
$1 Always Radiant or Infinity cpn- 12/28 P&G
$0.50 Always pads or wipes cpn- 12/28 P&G
$1 Always Radiant or Infinity cpn- 11/30 P&G

Pedia Care fever/pain, cough or cold- $5.99 and get $5 ECB

Spend $15 on CVS brand, Gold Emblem, Total Home and Pet Control items and get $5 ECB

Planters Peanuts- $6/2 and get $1 ECB
$1/2 Planters nuts or peanut butter cpn- 11/16 SS

Maxwell House- $6.99 and get $1 ECB

Kellogg cereal- $7/3 and get $2 ECB
$1/2 Kellogg cereal cpn- 12/07 RP
$1/2 Kellogg Rice Krispy cereal cpn- 11/23 RP 

Dentyne, Trident or Stride single- $2/2 and get $1 ECB

M&M's- $6/2 and get $1 ECB

Spend $20 on Nexxus and get $10 ECB

Spend $8 on Conair or Scunci hair and get $3 ECB

Spend $10 on Colgate Total, Total rinse, ProRelief, floss tip toothbrush or Optic White and get $5 ECB- Limit 2

Buy Colgate multipack toothpaste or toothbrush and get $3 ECB

Spend $10 on Listerine, Reach or Rembrandt and get $5 ECB
$0.50 Reach toothbrush cpn- 08/17 SS

Buy Crest Sensitive toothpaste, brush, rinse, Glide sensitive floss or Sensi Stop 6ct and get $4 ECB- Limit 2
$0.75 Crest toothpaste cpn- 12/28 P&G
$1.50/2 Crest toothpaste cpn- 12/28 P&G
$2.25/3 Crest toothpaste cpn- 12/28 P&G
$3 Crest Sensi Stop cpn- 12/28 P&G
$0.50 Crest toothpaste cpn- 11/30 P&G
$1 Crest rinse cpn- 11/30 P&G
$0.50 Crest toothpaste cpn- 11/23 RP
$0.75 Glide floss cpn- 12/28 P&G 
$1.50/2 Glide floss cpn- 12/28 P&G 
$2.25/3 Glide floss cpn- 12/28 P&G 
$0.50 Glide floss cpn- 11/30 P&G

Buy 2 Nivea bodywash, lotion or creme and get $5 ECB
$5/2 Nivea body lotion cpn- 12/14 SS

Clairol Nice & Easy, Root Touch Up or Natural Instincts- $12/2
$2 Clairol hair color cpn- 12/28 P&G
$5/2 Clairol hair color cpn- 12/28 P&G
$2 Clairol hair color cpn- 11/30 P&G
$2 Clairol hair color cpn- 11/09 SS 

Arm & Hammer laundry- Buy 1 Get 1 FREE

Spend $12 on Ziploc and get $3 ECB
$1/2 Ziploc containers cpn- 12/07 SS
$1/2 Ziploc bags cpn- 12/07 SS 

Progresso- $3/2 and get $1 ECB
$0.50/2 Progresso cpn- 12/07 SS

Our Shopping Day~ 12/20/2014

Oh my~ Chris had Saturday and Sunday off.  WOOHOO!!  We were so excited.  We wanted to go on a field trip but didn't know which day to go.  We could go on Saturday and then go shopping after church or we could go on Sunday right after church and have a picnic at our field trip location.  I couldn't decide, so I left it up to the boys.  They picked Sunday.  Another fun filled Saturday Shopping Adventure for Kevin and I :)

Here are our shopping trip details:

Publix
$2.50- Matzo Ball mix

Walmart
$2.96- White Whole Wheat flour
$2.96- White Whole Wheat flour
$1.68- Walnuts
$2.24- Canola Oil
$1.24- Tomato Sauce
$0.70- Onion
$0.94- Sweet Potatoes
$12.72- Total

Sam's Club
$9.57- (3) gallons skim milk
$2.28- Eggs
$2.28- Eggs
$1.38- Bananas
$15.51- Total

Farmer Market
$3- Mushrooms
$1- Cucumbers
$2- Cherry Tomatoes
$1- Green Peppers
$2- Zuchinni
$9.00- Total

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

Menu Plan for the week of 12/22/2014

How was your weekend?  Are you ready for Christmas?

Our weekend was great, we had a great time.  Will fill everyone in later this week :)  As far as Christmas goes, we are almost done.  I have all the gifts but still need to get stocking stuffers- so almost done :)

Here is our menu plan for this week:

Breakfast
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins and fruit X2
Oatmeal with honey, raisins and nuts X2
Pancakes X2
Egg sandwich with fruit

Lunch
Salad with homemade ranch dressing and a banana for hubby and myself
Sandwich with carrots and peanuts for everyone else or leftovers

Dinner
Spaghetti with garlic bread and green beans
Healthy Mama BBQ Chicken with brown rice and peas
Matzo Ball Soup
Turkey Fajitas with green beans
Lentil burgers with Mac & Cheese and zuchinni
Cheeseburger Macaroni with peas
Chicken & Broccoli Penne

Snacks and desserts
Sugar Cookies
Fudge
Popcorn
Apples
Oranges
Carrots
Celery with PB & raisins

Walgreens deals for the week of 12/21/2014

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.

Ziploc- $5.50/2 and get $1.50 RR
$1/2 Ziploc containers cpn- 12/07 SS
$1/2 Ziploc bags cpn- 12/07 SS 

Doritos, Tostidos or Lays- $6/2 and get 1000 points

Nabisco cookies or crackers- $6/2 and get 1000 points
$0.75/2 Nabisco crackers or cookies cpn- 12/14 SS
$0.75/2 Nabisco crackers or cookies cpn- 11/09 SS

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

Xtra laundry detergent- $1.49

Hershey candy- $0.59 with in ad cpn- Limit 4

Duracell- $6.99 and get 1000 points
$3/2 Duracell cpn- 11/23 RP

Glade Plug In refill 2pk, Automatic spray refill or Alternating starter kit- $4.99 and get $1 RR
$2/3 Glade cpn- 12/07 SS
$1 Glade cpn- 12/07 SS
$1.25 Glade Plug In twin refill or 2 single refill cpn- 12/07 SS 

Wexford bubble mailer or Sharpie- $1/2 with in ad cpn- Limit 4

Mini Stocking- $1/2 with in ad cpn- Limit 4

Colgate Total Advanced, Lasting White mouthwash, Battery toothbrush, Optic White or Total Whitening toothpaste- $4.99 and get 1000 points

Goody hair accessories pr combs- $2.99 and get $2 RR

Gillette Fusion ProGlide manual or Venus- $9.99 and get $1 RR
$3 Gillette men or Venus razor cpn- 12/14 RP
$3 Gillette Venus cpn- 11/23 RP
$3 Gillette Male razor cpn- 11/23 RP
$3 Gillette Male razor cpn- 11/09 RP 

Delsym- $9.99
$9.99 Mail in rebate at delsym.com

Vicks DayQuil or Nyquil 2 pack or Clearquil- $13.99 and get 1000 points
$1 Vicks Dayquil Severe or Nyquil Severe cpn- 11/30 P&G

Dimetapp, Robitussin or Advil Allergy & Congestion- $8.99 and get 1000 points
$1 Dimetapp cpn- 12/07 RP
$3/2 Dimetapp kids cpn- 11/16 RP
$1 Dimetapp kids cpn- 11/16 RP
$1 Robitussin cpn- 12/07 Rp
$3/2 Robitussin kids cpn- 11/16 RP
$1 Robitussin kids cpn- 11/16 RP
$1 Advil Congestion, Allergy & Congestion, Allergy Sinus or Cold & Sinus cpn- 12/07 RP 

Tampax Radiant or Pearl or Always- $14/2 and get 2000 points
$1 Tampax Pearl or Radiant cpn- 11/30 P&G
$1 Always Radiant or Infinity cpn- 11/30 P&G 

Opti Free, Systane or Clear Care- $14.99 and get 2000 points
$5 Opti Free twin pack cpn- 12/07 SS
$3 Opti Free single pack cpn- 12/07 SS
$5 Opti Free twin pack cpn- 11/09 SS
$3 Opti Free single cpn- 11/09 SS
$4 Systane cpn- 12/14 RP
$3 Systane cpn- 11/02 SS
$5 Clear Care twin pack cpn- 12/07 SS
$3 Clear Care single cpn- 12/07 SS
$5 Clear Care twin pack cpn- 11/09 SS
$3 Clear Care single cpn- 11/09 SS 

Diabetic crew socks- $5.99 and get 1000 points

Kellogg cereal or Poptarts- $1.99
$1/2 Kellogg cereal cpn- 12/07 RP

Hershey or Cadbury Christmas candy- $5/2 and get 1000 points
$1/2 Hershey nuggets, minis, Reese's, York, Kit Kat or Rolo cpn- 12/07 SS
$1/2 Hershey kisses cpn- 11/16 SS

CVS deals for the week of 12/21/2014

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:) 

Hershey kisses or minis- $5/2 and get $2 ECB
$1/2 Hershey nuggets, minis, Reese's, York, Kit Kat or Rolo cpn- 12/07 SS
$1/2 Hershey kisses cpn- 11/16 SS 

Buy 2 Revlon face, eye or lip and get $5 ECB

Tide Simply Clean & Fresh- Buy 1 Get 1 FREE

Folgers Country Roast coffee- $6.99 and get $1 ECB

Spend $15 on Duracell and get $5 ECB
$3/2 Duracell cpn- 11/23 RP

Purse size designer fragrance- $12.99 and get $3 ECB

Sally Hansen Miracle Gel- $19.98/2
Use $5 CVS Coupon Center cpn

Spend $12 on Almay cosmetics and get $4 ECB

Spend $10 on Essence of Beauty cosmetics or Beauty 360 brushes and get $4 ECB

Spend $14 on Physicians Formula cosmetics and get $10 ECB

Spend $15 on Maybelline lip or eye and get $5 ECB
$1 Maybelline lip cpn- 12/07 RP

Softsoap or Select moisturizing bodywash- $1.88
Use $1 CVS Coupon Center cpn

Buy 2 Neutrogena cleansing and get $5 ECB
$1 Neutrogena men cpn- 12/07 SS
$3/2 Neutrogena body or hair cpn- 12/07 SS
$1 Neutrogena Naturals cpn- 09/28 SS 

Spend $10 on Nuance Salma Hayek face, personal cleansing, hair or cosmetics and get $3 ECB

Spend $10 on CVS lotion or personal cleansing and get $4 ECB

Colgate Optic White Enamel health toothpaste or 360 toothbrush- $6/2 and get $3 ECB

Axe gift set- $9.99 and get $2 ECB

Sensodyne or ProNamel toothpaste- $5.99 and get $4 ECB- Limit 2

Listerine Original, Fresh Burst, Cool Mint, Pocketpaks or floss- $2.99 and get $2 ECB- Limit 2

Kleenex- $0.99
$0.50/3 Kleenex cpn- 12/07 SS

Band Aid decorative- $3.49 and get $2.50 ECB

Always Discreet- $4.99
Use $2 cvs.com/always cpn

Our Saturday Family Adventure

With Christopher's work schedule all over the place, it is hard to plan Family Fun Days and field trips.

One of his longer work days, we made a quick trip to Manatee Park.  The last time we visited Manatee Park, we were too late.  The manatees had already headed north.  We were told that they come back in November and December.  So, we headed back over to see if we could catch a glimpse.

While at Manatee Park, we did get a great educational lesson on the creation of the park.  The power plant is across the street and needed a run off for their super hot water.  During the summer months, they have to  cool down their hot water so that it will not hurt the animals in the water.  But during the winter months, no cooling is needed and the manatees love the water temperature.  She told us to keep an eye on the temperature in the Gulf of Mexico.  When the Gulf temp is below 68 degrees, come back and the manatees should be there.  A trip back to Manatee Park is in our future :)

Thanks to our crazy ever changing weather, the manatees had come but had left when it got cold.  The wonderful volunteer told us to come back in January.  So we shall see.  We made the best of it and explored Manatee Park before heading to pick Chris up from work.

I did get some pictures of our field trip:

Beautiful view of the waterway

Looking for manatees

Reading the Do Not Feed the Alligators sign :)

Looking out on this beautiful waterway

Love it and you can kayak or canoe here.  Hubby and I want to come back and rent a kayak.

Loving the peaceful walkway

No trip is complete without a trip to the playground :)

Nathan just hanging around :)

Even though we didn't get to see the manatees, we still had a wonderful time.  And the boys got to burn off some of their never ending energy:)  I can't wait to see where our next Family Fun day/field trip takes us.

Kevin's Really Cool Birthday Cake

Last week was crazy busy.  I find out that my hubby's out of state conference was going to be during Kevin's birthday.  We didn't want him to miss out on celebrating so we moved up Kevin's birthday celebration.  Which also meant making his cake.  Thanks to the short notice, I did cheat and bought cake mix and frosting.

Kevin thought long and hard and decided he wanted a basketball cake.  Not a cake with a basketball theme on top, oh no.  A cake in the shape of a basketball.  This is going to require some thought and creativity.

First thing we had to do was locate a pan that was the shape of a half basketball.  I searched high and low and could not find a sphere cake pan.  Luckily someone had a bright idea.  An oven proof mixing bowl would work :)  I scoured my cabinets and found a set of Pyrex mixing bowls.  On  the bottom it said oven proof- BINGO :)  I was so excited~ I dreaded having to go out and buy a cake pan that likely would never get used again.  I almost turned the cake project over to a baking friend- almost.

Next, what do you fill in the basketball cake with.  Kevin thought M&M's.  He got super excited and very willing to sift though all the M&M's to pick out just the right colors for his cake.  How many packages of M&M's would I have to buy??  Just the thought of eating the leftover colors made him very happy.  And then Kevin had a bright idea~ what circular candy has a majority of orange and brown?  Reese's Pieces- yay :)  

We decided to turn his cake project into an art project~ I love homeschooling :)

I cooked the cake, let it cool and then turned the art/cooking project over to Kevin and little Michael.  Here is how it went:

The cooled cake

Frosting the cake

Adding the lines of Reese's Pieces to the cake/ sneaking candy.  Just look at the face of innocence :)

Michael & Kevin adding the inside of the basketball.  Add 1 eat 1 :)

Finished Project

I think they did a great job on decorating the basketball cake.  Kevin was so excited to have his basketball cake :)  All the boys are now thinking about what kind of cake they want for their birthdays :)  I hope they give me plenty of notice :)

Our Shopping Day~ 12/13/2014

I had it all planned out.  Kevin and I would get up super early, take a trip down to the farmer's market, walk over to Winn Dixie, head over the bridge to Sam's Club, come back over the bridge, head to Dollar Tree and our finally stop at Walmart.  Then we get to head home, eat lunch and take Chris to work.

Then I looked at the calendar~ Lowe's Build & Grow Clinic at 10 am.  I had forgotten about the Lowe's event.  Change of plans :)

Take the little ones over to Lowes, take them home, revamp my shopping list to include essentials only and Kevin & I headed out for our super speedy got to get home to take Chris to work shopping trip :)  You should have seen us going through the stores like it was a marathon event.  We were trucking :)

We got to go to 4 stores.  Here are our shopping details for this Saturday shopping adventure:

Dollar Tree
$1.00- Pinto beans
$1.00- Kidney beans
$2.00- Total

BJ's
$10.77- (3) gallons skim milk
$2.78- Lettuce
$13.55- Total

Save A Lot
$1.56- Apples
$2.00- (2) loaves of bread
$3.99- Halos oranges
$0.99- Saltine Crackers
$0.99- Unsalted crackers
$5.38- Butter
$2.38- Sausage
$17.29- Total

Walmart
$2.18- Coffee Mate Bliss creamer
$3.98- Ground Beef
$1.98- Celery
$2.38- Onions
$1.24- Diced tomatoes
$1.24- Tomato Sauce
$5.52- Tortillas
$1.84- Lentils
$3.28- Oatmeal
$5.98- Cat Litter
$2.97- Potatoes
$1.29- Bananas
$34.24- Total

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

Our Menu Plan for the week of 12/15/2014

We hope everyone had a nice weekend.  We had a wonderful weekend :)

Here is our menu plan for this week:

Breakfast
Applesauce muffins and fruit X2
Pancakes X2
Baked Oatmeal with apples X2
Eggs, toast and fruit

Lunch
Salad with homemade ranch dressing and a banana for hubby and myself
Sandwich with carrots and peanuts for everyone else or leftovers

Dinner
Turkey Pot Pie over biscuits
Lentil & Sausage Soup
Mini Chicken Pizzas
Swedish Meatballs with rice and green beans
Bean Soup with bread
Turkey Enchiladas with green beans
Turkey, mashed potatoes and peas

Snacks
Apple slices
Carrots
Popcorn
Chocolate Chip cookie bars
Oranges

Walgreens deals for the week of 12/14/2014

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.

Duracell 6pk- $8.99 and get 1000 points

Post or Quaker cereal- $1.88

Milk gallon- $3.49- Limit 2

Windex Touch Up, Scrubbing Bubbles foamer or bathroom, toilet gels or Fresh Brush refill- $7/2 and get 1000 points
Buy Scrubbing Bubbles toilet cleaning gel and get Scrubbing Bubbles bathroom cleaner FREE cpn- 12/07 SS

Nice Gelatin- $0.29 with in ad cpn- Limit 3

Chicken of the Sea sardines or chunk light tuna- $0.69 with in ad cpn- Limit 4

Swanson chicken broth or Campbell gravy- $0.59 with in ad cpn- Limit 3
$0.40/5 Swanson broth cans cpn- 11/09 SS

Nice Olives- $0.89 with in ad cpn- Limit 3

Campbell cream of chicken or mushroom soup- $0.75 with in ad cpn- Limit 3
$0.40/4 Campbell Chicken Noodle, Tomato or Cream of Mushroom soup cpn- 10/12 SS

Sunny Smile paper plates- $0.99 with in ad cpn- Limit 4

Dawn- $0.99 with in ad cpn- Limit 4

Nestle or Airheads- $0.59 with in ad cpn- Limit 3

Wheat Thins or Triscuit- $5/2 and get 1000 points

Orbit, Extra, Wrigley or Eclipse singles- $2/3 and get 1000 points

Uniball or Inkjoy- $2.49 and get $1.50 RR

Single Sharpie- $0.39 with in ad cpn- Limit 4

Holiday gift sacks- $1/6 with in ad cpn- Limit 6

Hot Wheels- $0.69 with in ad cpn- Limit 4

Glade spray, candle, Sense & Spray refill or melts- $6/2 and get $1 RR
$1.25/2 Glade wax melts cpn- 12/07 SS
$1 Glade cpn- 12/07 SS
$3/2 Glade cpn- 12/07 SS
$1.25/2 Glade candle cpn- 12/07 SS
$1.50 Glade Automatic spray or 2 Sense & Spray refill cpn- 12/07 SS 

Herbal Essence- $6/2
$2/2 Herbal Essence cpn- 12/14 SS
$1.50/2 Herbal Essence cpn- 11/16 SS
$3/3 Herbal Essence cpn- 11/16 SS 

Micro Touch Max Personal Trimmer or Finishing Touch hair remover- $9.99 and get 1000 points
$1 Micro Touch Max Precision hair remover cpn- 11/23 RP
$1 Finishing Touch Elite personal hair remover cpn- 11/23 RP 

Gillette Fusion ProGlide manual or Venus- $9.99 and get $1 RR
$3 Gillette men razor or Venus cpn- 12/14 RP
$3 Gillette Venus cpn- 11/23 RP
$3 Gillette male razor cpn- 11/23 RP
$3 Gillette male razor cpn- 11/09 RP 

Gillette Fusion ProGlide power- $11.99 and get $2 RR
$3 Gillette men razor or Venus cpn- 12/14 RP
$3 Gillette male razor cpn- 11/23 RP
$3 Gillette male razor cpn- 11/09 RP

Secret, Old Spice or Gillette deodorant or body spray- $3.99 and get $1 RR
$2 Old Spice body spray cpn- 1/30 P&G

Pampers Jumbo- $20/2 and get 2000 points

Secret, Old Spice or Gillette deodorant 2pack or Clinical- $7.99 and get 1000 points

Colgate Slim Soft, Max Fresh or White toothbrush, Total Advanced or 2in1 toothpaste- $3.49 and get $2.50 RR
$0.50 Colgate toothbrush cpn- 12/07 SS

Dulcolax or Dulcoease- $7
$7 Mail in Rebate at dulcolaxoffers.com
$1 Dulcolax or Dulcoease cpn- 11/02 SS

Russell Stover chocolate- $0.29- Limit 6

Hershey holiday candy- $5/2 and get 1000 points
$1/2 Hershey nuggets, minis, Reese's, York, Kit Kat or Rolo cpn- 12/07 SS
$1/2 Hershey kisses cpn- 11/16 SS

CVS deals for the week of 12/14/2014

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- $5.94
Use $1 Tide cpn from cvs.com/Tide
$2 Tide cpn- 11/30 P&G
$3/2 Tide, Boost or Tide to go cpn- 11/30 P&G 

Dawn- $0.99- Limit 10

CVS batteries- Buy 1 Get 1 FREE- Limit 6

Lays Chips or Doritos- $6/2 and get $1 ECB

Spend $10 on Conair or Scunci hair accessories or brushes and get $5 ECB

Spend $12 on Loreal lip or nail and get $4 ECB

Spend $10 on Sally Hansen cosmetics and get $3 ECB
$5 Sally Hansen Salon Gel  Polish kit cpn- 12/07 RP

Buy Milani cosmetics and get $2 ECB

Nivea bodywash or scrub- $10/2 and get $3 ECB
Use $2 CVS Coupon Center cpn

Spend $20 on Aquaphor or Eucerin and get $10 ECB
$1.50 Eucerin hand, face or body lotion cpn- 12/14 RP
$2 Eucerin creme, lotion or gentle wash cpn- 12/14 RP 
$1.50 Eucerin hand or body lotion cpn- 11/23 RP
$2 Eucerin creme, lotion or gentle wash cpn- 11/23 RP 

Herbal Essence or Aussie- $6/2
$2/2 Herbal Essence cpn- 12/14 SS
$1.50/2 Herbal Essence cpn- 11/16 SS
$3/3 Herbal Essence cpn- 11/16 SS
$1.50/2 Aussie cpn- 11/16 SS
$3/3 Aussie cpn- 11/16 SS 

Spend $10 on CVS lotion, bodywash, liquid hand wash or bar and get $3 ECB

Bic disposable razors- $6.99 and get $2 ECB
$2 Bic disposable razor cpn- 12/14 SS

Buy Skintimate or Edge shave gel and get $2 ECB
$1/2 Skintimate shave gel cpn- 12/07 SS
$1/2 Edge shave gel cpn- 12/07 SS 

Spend $10 on CVS shaving, Oral care or deodorant and get $6 ECB

Speed Stick Gear deodorant- $8/2 and get $2 ECB

Spend $10 on Colgate Optic White and get $5 ECB- Limit 2
$0.50 Colgate toothbrush cpn- 12/07 SS
$1 Colgate mouthwash or rinse cpn- 11/23 SS 

Buy Colgate multipack toothpaste or toothbrush and get $4 ECB- Limit 2
$0.50 Colgate toothbrush cpn- 12/07 SS

Colgate Max or 2in1 toothpaste- $2.99 and get $2 ECB- Limit 2

Excedrin migrane or extra strength- $4.99 and get $2.50 ECB

CVS Probiotic- $9.99 and get $9.99 ECB

Dulcolax- $6.99
$6.99 rebate at cvs.com/rebate
$1 Dulcolax or Dulcoease cpn- 11/02 SS

Always- $5.49 and get $1 ECB

Spend $10 on CVS tampons and get $2 ECB

Spend $10 on Bengay, Band Aid or Neosporin and get $3 ECB

Puffs- $0.99

Reynolds Wrap or Hefty zip bags- Buy 1 Get 1 FREE
$0.55 Reynold Wrap cpn- 12/07 SS
$0.55 Reynold Wrap cpn- 11/16 SS 

Spend $12 on Revlon and get $4 ECB

Xtra laundry detergent- $1.99
Use $1 CVS Coupon Center cpn

Lowe's Build & Grow Clinic~ 12/13/2014

Lowe's will be hosting a Build & Grow Clinic on December 13, 2014 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 Lowe's 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 Lowe's 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 Lowe's Build & Grow apron. If this is your first clinic, your child(ren) will receive a free Lowe's 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 Shopping Day~ 12/12/06/2014

Yup~ Another Saturday Shopping Adventure :)  Since Chris had to work Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning, Kevin and I got up early Saturday and went shopping before taking Chris into work.

Here are our shopping details:

Walgreens
$2.00- (3) packs Trident gum
$1.99- Firefly 3 pack toothbrushes
$3.99
-1.00 RR
$3.23- Total with tax and got 1000 points and $1 RR

Save A Lot
$3.00- (3) loaves bread

Publix
$1.85- Hunts Ketchup
$0.00- Hunts Ketchup
$1.85- Hunts Ketchup
$0.00- Hunts Ketchup
$1.29- Green Beans
$2.08- Zuchinni
$7.07- Total

Dollar Tree
$4.00- (4) bottles hand soap
$1.00- Parchment Paper
$1.00- Zip sandwich bags
$1.00- non zip sandwich bags
$7.42- Total with tax

BJ's
$1.39- Lettuce
$10.77- (3) gallons skim milk
$7.89- Honey
$20.05- Total

Walmart
$6.46- Stew Meat
$4.41- Brocolli
$4.90- Frozen veggies
$2.18- Cottage Cheese
$1.18- Half & Half
$1.64- Vanilla Frosting
$0.50- Salt
$2.98- Parm Cheese
$1.28- Cake Mix
$6.86- (7) boxes of Reese's Pieces for a project
$1.00- WW Spaghetti
$2.40- Ham
$2.28- Pecans
$1.38- Brown Rice
$1.66- Bananas
$40.77- Total

Farmer Market
$1.00- Green Peppers
$3.00- Mushrooms
$2.00- Cherry Tomatoes
$6.00- Total

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

Menu Plan for the week of 12/08/2014

Hope your weekend was good.  Our weekend was good and busy.  Yesterday, topped the busy charts :)  I was busier yesterday than I was all weekend.  Which is why this post, which should have been written and posted yesterday did not get written or posted :(

Here is our menu plan for this week:

Breakfast
Pumpkin chocolate chip muffins and fruit X2
Pancakes X2
Baked Oatmeal with apples X2
Eggs, toast and fruit

Lunch
Salad with homemade ranch dressing and a banana for hubby and myself
Sandwich with carrots and peanuts for everyone else

Dinner
Cheesy Chicken Broccoli over pasta with green beans
Turkey Soup
Leftover Turkey Soup
Baked Spaghetti with peas and garlic bread for Kevin's Bday
Veggie Ziti
Bratwurst on bun, Mac & Cheese with green beans
Beef & Broccoli with rice

Snacks and desserts
Birthday Cake
Grapes
Apples
Carrots
Christmas Spice Cookies
Popcorn

Walgreens deals for the week of 12/07/2014

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.

Purex- $4/2

M&M's- $5/2
Use $1 Walgreens in store cpn
$1/2 Holiday M&M cpn- 12/07 RP
$1/2 Holiday M&M cpn- 11/23 RP 

Kraft dinner- $4/2 and get 1000 points

Mushrooms or can oranges- $0.69 with in ad cpn- Limit 3

Bumble Bee Chunk Light tuna or Snow's clams- $0.99 with in ad cpn- Limit 3

Nice seasonings- $0.79 with in ad cpn- Limit 3

Hunt's tomato sauce- $1/4 with in ad cpn- Limit 4

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

Swiss Miss hot cocoa mix or Nice marshmallows- $0.99 with in ad cpn- Limit 3
$1/3 Swiss Miss hot cocoa cpn- 11/09 SS

Armour Vienna sausages or McCormicks gravy or taco mix- $0.49 with in ad cpn- Limit 3

Van Camp pork & beans or Butterball chicken broth- $1/2 with in ad cpn- Limit 4

Campbells chicken noodle or tomato soup- $0.75 with in ad cpn- Limit 3
$0.40/4 Campbells condensed soups cpn- 11/09 SS
$0.40/4 Campbells Chicken Noodle, Tomato or Cream of Mushroom cpn- 10/12 SS 

Glad trashbags- $7.99 and get 1000 points

Ziploc- $5.50/2 and get 500 points

Glade Plug In refill 2pk, Automatic spray refill or Alternating starter kit- $4.99 and get $1 RR

Glade candle, wax melts, spray or oil refill- $6/2 and get 1000 points

Sparkle- $5/2 and get 1000 points

Palmolive- $0.99

Stride, Trident or Dentyne singles- $2/3 and get 1000 points

Duracell- $6.99 and get 1000 points

Qtips- $5/2 and get 1000 points

Gillette Fusion ProGlide manual or Venus razor- $9.99 and get $1 RR
$3 Gillette Venus cpn- 11/23 RP
$3 Gillette male razpr cpn- 11/23 RP
$3 Gillette male razor cpn- 11/09 RP 

Gillette Fusion ProGlide power- $11.99 and get $2 RR
$3 Gillette male razpr cpn- 11/23 RP
$3 Gillette male razor cpn- 11/09 RP

Clear shampoo or conditioner- $4.99 and get 1000 points

Colgate toothbrush, toothpaste or mouthwash- $8/2 and get $4 RR
$0.50 Colgate toothbrush cpn- 12/07 SS
$0.50 Colgate toothbrush cpn- 11/23 SS 
$1 Colgate mouthwash or rinse cpn- 11/23 SS

Firefly kid toothbrush- $1.99 and get $1 RR

Always- $11/2 and get 1000 points
$1 Always Radiant or Infinity cpn- 11/30 P&G

Walgreens pain relief- $13/2 and get 3000 points

Hershey candy- $0.59- Limit 6

CVS deals for the week of 12/07/2014

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:) 

Hershey Holiday kisses or minis- $6/2 and get $2 ECB
$1/2 Hershey kisses cpn- 11/16 SS

Whitmans or Russell Stover- $4.99 and get $1 ECB

Palmolive- $0.99- Limit 10

CVS batteries- Buy 1 Get 1 FREE- Limit 6

Tide Simply Clean & Fresh- Buy 1 Get 1 FREE- Limit +

Mars Chocolate Christmas minis or Dove Christmas Promises- $6/2 and get $1 ECB
$1/2 Mars Holiday cpn- 12/07 RP
$1/2 Mars mini mix, Snickers, Twix, Milky Way or 3 Musketeers Holiday mini cpn- 11/23 RP 

Chex Mix or Gardettos- $4/2 and get $1 ECB
$0.50/2 Chex Mix cpn- 11/16 SS
$0.50/2 Chex Mix, Gardettos, Bugles or Green Giant veggie snacks cpn- 10/26 SS 

Kellogg Special K cereal, bars or Frosted mini wheats- $5/2 and get $1 ECB
$1/2 Kellogg cereal cpn- 12/07 RP
$1/2 Kellogg cereal cpn- 11/02 RP 

Dunkin Donuts or Folgers gourmet K-Cups- $5.99 and get $1 ECB

General Mills cereal- $9/3 and get $3 ECB
$1/3 General Mills Big G cereal cpn- 11/16 SS

Spend $15 on Loreal cosmetics and get $5 ECB
$1 Loreal eye shadow or liner cpn- 12/07 RP
$1 Loreal eye cpn- 12/07 RP 

Spend $10 on Maybelline eye or nail and get $3 ECB

Buy 2 Sally Hansen Miracle Gel and get $5 ECB

Buy 2 Physicians Formula cosmetics and get $10 ECB

Spend $10 on Naunce Salma Hayek face care, personal cleansing and cosmetics and get $3 ECB

Buy 2 Neutrogena cosmetics and get $6 ECB
$1 Neutrogena Naturals cpn- 09/28 SS

Right Guard or Dry Ideal- $6/2 and get $2 ECB

Spend $10 on Naunce Salma Hayek hair care and get $3 ECB

Dial bar, bodywash, hand wash or Right Guard bodywash- Buy 1 Get 1 FREE

Crest Sensitive toothpaste, brush, rinse or Glide Sensitive floss- $4.79 and get $3 ECB- Limit 2
$0.50 Crest toothpaste cpn- 11/30 P&G
$1 Crest rinse cpn- 11/30 P&G
$0.50 Crest toothpaste cpn- 11/23 RP
$0.50 Oral B Glide floss or picks cpn- 11/30 P&G 

Colgate Total toothpaste or Total rinse- $7/2 and get $2 ECB-  Limit 2
$1 Colgate mouthwash or rinse cpn- 11/23 SS

Biotene- $5.99 and get $1 ECB- Limit 2

Colgate 360 toothbrush- $7/2 and get $2 ECB- Limit 2
$0.50 Colgate toothbrush cpn- 12/07 SS
$0.50 Colgate toothbrush cpn- 11/23 SS 

Colgate Sensitive toothpaste- $3.99 and get $1 ECB- Limit 2

Coricidin HBP or Afrin- $5.99
$2 Coricidin HBP cpn- 12/07 SS
$2 Afrin cpn- 12/07 SS 

Robitussin liquid, Advil congestion or Dimetapp liquid- $4.99- limit 4
$1 Robitussin cpn- 12/07 RP
$1 Robitussin kids cpn- 11/16 RP
$3/2 Robitussin kids cpn- 11/16 RP
$1 Advil Congestion, Allergy, Cold & Sinus cpn- 12/07 RP
$1 Dimetapp cpn- 12/07 RP
$1 Dimetapp kids cpn- 11/16 RP
$3/2 Dimetapp kids cpn- 11/16 RP
$1 Dimetapp cpn- 11/02 RP 

CVS Advanced glucose meter test strips- $9.99 and get $9.99 ECB

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

Buy 2 Cover Girl eye, lip or nail and get $5 ECB
$1.50 Cover Girl cpn- 11/30 P&G
$2.00 Cover Girl + Olay cpn- 11/30 P&G 

Speed Stick- $1.99 and get $1 ECB

Holiday M&M's- $6/2 and get $1 ECB
$1/2 Holiday M&M cpn- 12/07 RP
$1/2 Holiday M&M cpn- 11/23 RP 

Total Home tissues- $0.99- Limit 4

Our newest addition :)

Let me introduce to you, our newest furry addition to the Borys household~ Little miss Nittany :)

This little furry kitty refused to go away.  No matter how much we shooed her away and sprayed her with the hose she kept coming back.  Our other kitties were not too happy about another kitty in their yard.

Since we have a canal across the street, we were concerned about gators and other larger creatures we seem to have out here.  I took her to the vet to see if she was a stray or if her owner had micro chipped her like we are supposed to do.  No micro chip.  We chatted with the vet about what how long we needed to house her before we could claim her.  My biggest fear was getting attached and then a teary child coming to my door asking if we had seem his or her kitty.  The vet was not sure and told us that as long as we can prove that we are providing for her that in this county, she was our kitty.

We took care of her for about a month and no one had shown up to claim her so we took her to the vet, had her fixed, micro chipped and filled out the paperwork.  She is now our cute little kitten.

We have always adopted cats from the shelter as adults.  The vet is estimating that she is approximately 16 weeks old.  She has so much energy and is constantly keeping us on our toes.  A sweet cute kitten is so much different than a sweet cute adult cat.

Our other cats have accepted the fact that she is not going anywhere.  Our boys are head over heels in love with her.

Her brother showed up shortly after we let her in the house:

He is just as cute and sweet as she was.  The boys tried really hard to convince daddy to let little miss's brother in but he said no.  We are very thankful that our nice next door neighbors have claimed him.

Here are some cute pics of our newest addition:

Too sweet

This is the first day we let her in the house and she snuggled with little Michael.  She was so tiny.

Dump towels on the bed and she will burrow in them

She is very adventurous

We love having her and look forward to being able to watch her grow :)

November 2014 Goal Update

Let's see how we did with our November 2014 goals:

 1) To not eat out or at least to not pay out of pocket, with the exception of tips. If we want to treat the family to a meal out, we will make sure we have a gift card to cover all of us.
Doing fabulous with this.

2) Pay off 2 credit cards
Getting close to paying off another credit card :)

3) Not to use any of our credit cards for 2014. To pay cash for everything.
We did fantastic with this goal and paid cash.

4) To maintain our grocery budget. Our current grocery budget is $400 month for our family of 6. Our goal is to use up to that amount to feed our family healthy nourishing meals.  If we are lucky enough to come under our monthly budget, we will save that amount.
We kind of went over but not really :)  I used my Swagbucks to pay for a Sam's Club membership and got a $20 gift card that helped to pay for all the turkeys I "had" to have :)

5) To create a monthly meal plan for our family, to use leftovers more efficiently and to make use of everything in our pantry and freezer.  Try our hand at freezer cooking.
Doing great with meal planning.

6) Lose weight- I need to get motivated to lose this baby weight- my goal is to lose 10 lbs this year.
Hubby and I have been speed walking every evening after dinner.  I have not lost any weight but have not gained any either :)

7) Morning devotions, prayer time and more bible reading
Following a bible reading on my church's website:)

8) Monthly date night with hubby- whether we go out or stay at home, pop popcorn and rent a movie
We didn't do a date night.  We really need to start this back up again.


9) To spend quality family time together. With everyones schedule and us running all over creation, I would love to spend more quality time together- no tv- us playing games, talking, enjoying each others company.  I think we are going to claim Saturday's as family fun day:)
In November we went to an Aviation Day and had a blast.  Thankfully, Chris got a job but his work schedule is all over the place which makes it hard for us to schedule field trips.

10) Not to use our dryer to save on electricity and lower our electricity bill
Doing great with this and haven't not used the dryer.  I am loving this weather.  I hang the clothes up on clothes racks and next day they are dry:)

11) To do 1 project a month and blog about it
With everything going on, we didn't get a chance to do our monthly projects for a couple of months now :(

How did you do on your November goals?

December 2014 Monthly Spending

Here is where I keep a list of our spending for the month of December.  We have a $400 grocery budget for this month.  We did ok last month and came out even by the skin of our teeth and a gift card. This is for everything for our family of 6 and 2 cats.  I am excited to see how we do this month. So, lets see how we do this month:

11/30/2014
$0.24- CVS and got $2 ECB
$3.60- Walgreens and got $1 rr and 3000 points
$9.68- Save A Lot
$14.54- Publix
$46.68- Walmart
$49.92- BJ's
$27.00- Farmer Market

12/06/2014
$3.23- Walgreens and got $1 RR and 1000 points
$3.00- Save A Lot
$7.07- Publix
$7.42- Dollar Tree
$20.05- BJ's
$40.77- Walmart
$6.00- Farmer Market

12/13/2014
$2.00- Dollar Tree
$13.55- BJ's
$17.29- Save A Lot
$34.24- Walmart

12/20/2014
$2.50- Publix
$15.51- Sam's Club
$12.72- Walmart
$9.00- Farmer Market

12/27/2014
$4.70- CVS and got $8 ECB
$7.12- Save A Lot
$9.68- BJ's
$12.31- Sam's Club
$15.08- Walmart
$5.00- Farmer Market

$399.10- Running Total

$0.10- Left to Spend for the rest of the month 

WOOHOO!!  I cannot believe it.  We stayed with in our grocery budget for a 5 week month.  I am so excited :)

Our Shopping Day~ 11/30/2014

I am very thankful that Chris didn't have to work on Thanksgiving.  Unfortunately his schedule is all over the place.  Some days he is working during day light hours and some days he is working at night.  And since Chris doesn't have a license or a car, the "mom taxi" gets to shuttle him to and from work. 

While I am very thankful that Chris found a job, I find it quite interesting trying to plan our grocery shopping around his crazy work schedule.  But we do what we can, when we can :)

This week for instance, this is how our grocery shopping went:

Kevin and I work woke up early Saturday morning and headed down to the Farmer's Market.  Get home and take Chris to work.  Do half of my grocery shopping before having to pick him up from work.  Sunday, he had to go in in the morning.  I took him to work, came home and then we left for church.  After church, we came home, ate lunch, reorganized my grocery list and off to pick Chris up from work.  Then off to do the rest of our grocery shopping.  Fun, fun, fun :)

Here is our shopping trip details:

CVS
$3.99- Speed Stick Gear deodorant
-2.00 Speed Stick Gear printable cpn
-1.99 ECB
$0.24- Total and got $2 ECB

Walgreens
$4.99- Vitamelts
$1.99- Oral B stages toothpaste
$6.98
-0.50 Oral B stages toothpaste printable cpn
-3.00 Vitamelts printable cpn
$3.60- Total after tax and got $1 RR and 3000 points

Save A Lot
$4.30- Grapes
$5.68- Butter
$9.68- Total

Publix
$1.29- Green Beans
$2.00- Spinach
$1.29- Brown Sugar
$4.00- (4) Larabars
$1.41- Zuchinni
$1.57- Zuchinni
$2.00- Clorox toilet cleaner
$2.00- Clorox toilet cleaner
$2.79- Franks Sweet Chili sauce
$0.00- Franks Sweet Chili sauce
$18.35
-0.40 Franks Sweet Chili sauce printable cpn
-0.40 Franks Sweet Chili sauce printable cpn
-1/2 Larabar printable cpn
-1/2 Larabar printable cpn
-1.25/2 Clorox cpn loaded to Publix account
$14.54- Total after tax

Walmart
$1.98- Applesauce
$0.98- Vanilla
$2.54- Ketchup
$5.28- Pecans
$2.96- Whole White Wheat Flour
$2.96- Whole White Wheat flour
$1.58- Bananas
$4.90- Frozen veggies
$6.68- Chicken Thighs
$3.98- Greek yogurt
$3.48- Sliced cheese
$2.00- Low Sodium chicken bouillon
$1.42- Croutons
$2.96- Diced tomatoes
$46.68- Total

BJ's
$11.67- (3) gallons milk
$1.99- Hot dog buns
$8.49- Italian Dressing mix
$2.98- Lettuce
$16.90- Harvestland Chicken twin pack
$10.99-Skippy PB twin pack
$53.02
-1.00 Harvestland Chicken printable cpn
-1.00 Harvestland Chicken printable cpn
-0.55 Skippy printable cpn
-0.55 Skippy printable cpn
$49.92- Total

Farmer Market
$2.00- Cucumbers
$3.00- Potatoes
$3.00- Mushrooms
$2.00- Cherry tomatoes
$17.00-Sheboygan Bratwurst
$27.00- Total

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

Our Menu Plan for the week of 12/01/2014

December already??  The boys are in Christmas countdown mode :) 

We hope everyone had a wonderful and safe Thanksgiving and weekend.  We had a nice Thanksgiving.  We stayed at home and had a nice dinner and just enjoyed our time together.

Here is our menu plan for this week:

Breakfast
Granola X2
Banana Pancakes X2
Oatmeal X2
Pecan Maple Breakfast Cookies with fruit

Lunch
Salad with homemade ranch dressing and a banana for hubby and myself
Sandwich with carrots and peanuts for everyone else

Dinner
Baked Flounder, brown rice and peas
Chicken Florentine over pasta with green beans
Farmer Market Sausage on bun with Mac & Cheese and zuchinni
Turkey Pot Pie over biscuits
Baked Chicken with mashed potatoes and green beans
Spaghetti squash with garlic bread and zuchinni
Teriyaki Chicken Thighs, brown rice and green beans

Snacks
Grapes
Cheese and crackers
Popcorn
Cherry Tomatoes
Apples
Carrots
Bananas