Win a toddler backpack from Carabella's!

Make sure you stop by Mommin It Up! Emily and Jenny are giving away a toddler backpack from Carabella's. These are the cutest things. They are a must have for your toddler, and this is your chance to win one.

Win a free copy of Martha's Family Cookery Book!

Brandi at Mountain Morning Home is having a giveaway. She is giving away a copy of Martha's Family Cookery Book! This book is by Martha Greene at Marmee Dear. Be sure to stop by and enter for your chance to win.

John Needs A Job!

John over at The Ultimate Job Search is in need of a job. He has set up a blog in an effort to help find a job. He is also participating in the Bloggy Carnivals Giveaway. Stop by and sign up to win, and see if you can help John in his job search!

Blogging For Blood Cancer

Goodies for Mom is sponsoring Blogging for Blood Cancer! The purpose of the event is to raise awareness for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society . Please be sure to check it out!

Sippy Cup Giveaway at The Soft Landing Blog!!

The Safe Landing Blog has recieved a new shipment of The Safe Sippy! To celebrate, they are giving away a Sippy to 5 lucky winners. You will have your choice of color if you are selected as a winner. Hurry over and get in on this great giveaway that ends on July 31!

Going Green....Our first baby step!

For some time now, I have felt the need to start changing the way we do things, and how we live. Several weeks ago, we began switching over the cleaners we use in an effort to "Go Green"! This was our first baby step. Here are several recipes for cleaners we have been using. I feel much better knowing that these cleaners are not polluting the air in my home. (I would like to give credit to Julie at Seekingtheoldpaths for these recipes! If you have not checked out her blog, please do. I know you will enjoy it.)

To replace Ajax with Bleach:
Mix equal parts baking soda and borax. Put these in a shaker container and use like you would Ajax. (Borax is a natural disinfectant.)

To replace Windex:
In a spray bottle mix 1/2 cup vinegar with 2 cups water.

To replace a Disinfectant Cleaner:
2 tsp Tea Tree Oil
2 tsp vegetable oil based soap
2 cups hot water
Mix together in a spray bottle. Add a few drops of your favorite essential oil to give this a more pleasant scent.

I look forward to making more changes in the future to help our family and our environment. It can't be done overnight. It is a process that will take time and effort. Alot of folks tell me that my small changes will not make a difference. I know that they will make a difference as long as we all begin to do our part!

Great new contest!

Melissa over at BumbleBeaGreen is hosting a wonderful contest. Please be sure to check it out. She is giving away a handmade shopping bag, and a set of produce bags to celebrate the opening of her new Etsy store.

Contest!

Mandi over at Doodles' Place is having a contest! The prize is a gift basket full of Johnson's Soothing Naturals Products. Be sure and stop by and enter to win!

Win a Dyson!!!

Kristin over at An Ordinary Life has a great contest going! She is hosting a contest where you can win a free Dyson DC25 Vacuum Cleaner. Who wouldn't love to win a Dyson! I know I would. So hop on over, check it out, and enter for your chance to win.

Super Savings Saturday!

One of our local Aldi stores had whole milk on sale for $2 a gallon. That is really cheap in our area. All we can figure is that it was getting close to its date, which is Tuesday or they were way overstocked. We will drink up what we purchased before it goes bad.

I did not have many coupons this week, but I was able to pick up 5 packs of Fast Fixins Chicken Nuggets for FREE! Kroger was running a special 10 for $10. I only had five coupons, so that was all I purchased. I may try and find more coupons for these before the sale ends.

At Walgreen's this week, I picked up 2 tubes of Colgate Max Fresh toothpaste for $.37. I know alot of folks get it for free, but this was the best deal I found. Unfortunately, there is no CVS in my area.

That is all I have for this week.

Super Savings Saturday!

I am new at all this, but I got some great deals this week. I don't have any photos, but here is what I did.

Walmart:
2 boxes Kashi Cereal @ $2 per box
3 boxes HBO Chocolate Clusters @ $1.98 per box
2 Johnson's Buddies bath bars @ $.94 each
2 Huggies Clean Team Flushable Wipes 42 count refills @ $1.64 each

I used the following coupons:
2 Kashi coupons @ $2 each
3 HBO coupons @ $2 each
2 Johnson's Buddies coupons @ $1 each
1 Huggies Clean Team coupon @ $3/2

I spent $1.35 oop

Target:
4 bags Malt O' Meal Tootie Fruities @ $1.99 per bag
2 Huggies Clean Team Flushable Wipes 42 count in plastic tubs @ 1.99 each
6 Johnson's Buddies Bath Bars @ $.94 each
2 Johnson and Johson Trial Size Baby Shampoo @ $.89

I used the following coupons:
4 Malt O' Meal coupons @ $1.50
2 Johnson and Johnson Shampoo any size @ $1.00
2 Johnson's Buddies coupons @ $1.00
2 Any Johnsons Products @ $2.00
1 Huggies Clean Team coupon at $3/2

I spent $4.03 oop

I also had a few other transactions that I had some good coupons for. I purchased other items that did not make them seem great to break down into a list, however I was able to do this:


Walmart:
5 boxes of Zantac @ 3.98, using 5 coupons @ $5.00 off (and got the overage of $1.02.)
2 boxes of Excederine Extra Strenght 24 count @ $2.79, using 2 coupons @ $2.00 off
(These two deals combined made these items basically free.)


Kroger:
1 Frenches Mustard @ $1.00, used a $.50 coupon that doubled so it was free
1 Frank's Red Hot Sauce @ $1.00, used a $.50 coupon that doubled so it was free
1 Frenches Worchestershire @ $1.49, used a $.50 coupon that doubled so it was only $.49
1 Reusable Shopping Bag free for designing a bag at Kroger.com

All in all, I think I did really well for being new at this. Thanks Crystal and everyone who posts at moneysavingmom.com for all the good examples.

I Won!

I am so excited. I received an email tonight from Megan over at Fried Okra. It seems I have won a set of books in her bloggy giveaway. They are Green This and Growing Up Green, by Deirdre Imus. I am very anxious to get my hands on these books and begin reading. Thanks Megan. Be sure and check out Megan's Blog at http://friedokra4me.blogspot.com/.

A little of this and that....

Since my last post, I have still not gotten much accomplished other than daily chores. I have purchased a couple of the books on my wish list. I was able to get a good deal on Mommy Made and Daddy Too, and The Green Kitchen Handbook. I have finished reading Mommy Made, and am anxious to begin making my own baby food for our little one. Right now she is just beginning to eat a little cereal, so I think we will have a little while before she is ready. I am in the process of reading The Green Kitchen Handbook. It is really full of interesting information. My goal is to begin incorporating more healthy foods into our diet, and I am gleaning alot of useful information from this book.

I guess that is all I really have for now. Have a wonderful day!

The Beginning

In am starting this blog in an effort to hold myself accountable. My husband and I live in Tennessee with our 3 children. My husband works full time, and currently, I am a SAHM. Our two older children are homeschooled. The oldest is 13 and she is in the 8th grade. Our middle child is 8, and he is in the 2nd grade. Our youngest is 3 months old, and she spends her days eating, sleeping, and wrapping us around her little finger. She was a welcome addition to complete our family.

Throughout my pregnancy, alot of things around our home were neglected. Closets and cabinets have become disorganized and overstuffed in most cases. Living in a small rental home does not help. There never seems to be enough space for everything we own. Considering we are planning to relocate to Florida in the next 12 months, I believe now is the time to start organizing and purging. Oh, did I mention my parents also live with us. So we are an extended family with 7 members living in a 3 bedroom 2 bathroom home. We have turned the dining room into a makeshift bedroom so that everyone has a room.

During my pregnancy, I also began feeling the need for a healthier lifestyle. I have done alot of reading about healthy eating, and healthy living. It is my goal to start putting steps into place to begin living this way. As funds allow, I will begin to implement changes in our home.

As I said, I hope to use this blog to hold myself accountable. My hope is that knowing I am posting to this blog will make me follow through, on the off chance someone stumbles upon it and actually reads it. I am not sure how often I will be posting, but I will try to post weekly. If I begin an organization project, I will post before and after pictures. As I experiment with healthier foods, I will include photos of the dishes I prepare, and the recipes.

All that being said: If you happen to be reading this, Welcome to my blog. I hope you enjoy it.