HUGE SAVINGS!!

So I found out at Christmas that I am part Dutch - I guess the Dutch in me has really been coming out lately. I went to Macy's and got my free product yesterday. Today I visited Jewel where I got an $11 bottle of Dreft for $2! I had a $2 manufacture coupon, a $2 store coupon for Dreft and a $5 baby product coupon. Then I was off to K Mart where they were offering double coupons this week (offer still good through Saturday so go if you haven't!) and I got ALL of the stuff you see in the pic below for $34.62 - I saved $24.21 with in-store sales and $20 in coupons! My bill would have been almost $80!!

The best deals after KMart sale combined with coupons were Bounty paper towel roll for $0.49, Special K for $0.50, Froot Loops Straws for $0.25, AND they paid me $0.49 to take a Swiffer Dust starter kit off of their hands - I never buy these things, but I figured if they were going to pay me then I might as well take it!

Before I left I also signed up at KMart and received a $5 off $50 coupon and I had the cashier scan it before my other coupons so I saved $5 without really spending the $50!!!

It's great being Dutch!

FREEEEEEEEE!

Many of you will be waking up this morning (inauguration day) reading my blog and thinking that I am posting something about Freedom - "A Birth of Freedom" (2009 Inaugural theme)....while I love a theme! - this post has nothing to do with Freedom, Obama, yo momma, or inauguration day at all! It really has to do with F-R-E-E, free!!!
I know, your mom always said, "nothing is Free" Well, this my friend is free! And you don't have to search any online ads, find a manufacture coupon for a certain dollar amount and pair it with a store coupon for a certain amount, send in a rebate form.....All you have to do is walk your butt into Bergdorf Goodman, Bergner’s, Bloomingdale’s, Boston Store, Carson Pirie Scott, Dillard’s, Gottschalks, Herberger’s, Macy’s, Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom, Parisian, Saks Fifth Avenue or Younkers starting on Tuesday, January 20th through Monday, January 26th (or while supplies last), sign a form stating that you are a US Resident and state that you purchased one of the products listed here (Department store products like cosmetics and fragrance)between May 29, 1994 through July 16, 2003. You will receive one free product - products depend on Department store and availability, but you can see a list of possibilities listed here. And you can also read the story at www.cosmeticssettlement.com or if you prefer, you can check it out on snopes. It's the settlement of a class-action lawsuit that accused cosmetic manufactures and retailers of price fixing.
There is supposed to be a table/booth set up that you can go to specifically for this - not sure where it will be in your store, but I'm sure someone there will lead you in the right direction.
Enjoy your free product and be sure to tell your mom that you can indeed get something for FREE! I LOVE FREE!

Mother bear's claws came out this morning

Olivia had her first accident at school yesterday. It was W week and they got out the water table to play with water. The teacher said that as soon as she stuck her hands in the water she peed herself. Luckily they had us bring in extra clothes at the beginning of the year so the teacher changed her and she was back at the table playing.
When I picked her up from school the teacher brought out her ziploc bag with her wet clothes in it and told me what happened. Olivia was standing there and looked like she was going to cry. I told her it was just an accident and asked if she got embarrassed, but she said no. Once we got to the car I asked he what was wrong and she told me that a boy named "M" made fun of her. I asked what he said and she told me he kept saying, "Olivia peed her pants!" over and over again.
me: What did you do?
Olivia: Just stood there
me: Did you cry?
Olivia: No, but I wanted to.
me: You need to stick up for yourself when someone is being a bully. Don't just stand there and let someone make fun of you - you tell them how you feel! You should have told him that it was just an accident and everyone has accidents and that you don't like it when he says things that are hurtful.
Later that night Brian was talking to her about it and he said, "Olivia, do you think you could take him?" (in a joking manner)
Olivia: what does that mean?
Brian: Could you beat him up or is he bigger? (again in a joking manner - we do not encourage bullying!)
Olivia: No, he's bigger, but he's really funny! He always hits himself and we all laugh!

Well, this morning I am pulling into school and Olivia says, "hey mom, that's "M"." That's when the mother bear in me wanted to get out of my car and just start throwing snowballs at this kid, or better yet, the icicles hanging off the building (okay, I'm getting carried away).
My mom has always told me about those mother bear instincts, this is the first time that I really felt like I could hurt someone who hurt my little baby! I mean, I wouldn't really hurt a 4 year old, but it just broke my heart listening to her tell me the story yesterday.
I know this is the first of many - boy does it hurt!

4 wheeler sledding

Thanks to all the snow we have gotten in the past week we were able to go sledding with the 4-wheelers Sunday after church.

Jack's all snuggled....and asleep!

Here's a pic of Jack enjoying his first 4-wheeler ride! (I hope my mother doesn't see these pics!!)

Here I am getting ready for my first ride on the sled - Brian's the driver

Once out in the field we traded - I became the driver and Brian went sledding. Here's a pic of him warming up by the fire after I dumped him off the sled while doing doughnuts on the 4-wheeler. Notice the dark blue coat that is now white!

Here I am going out again on the sled - this time Dan was the driver and this picture is taken right before the tailbone injury! My butt hurts so bad!!

Here's Olivia all ready to go!

Daddy getting Olivia ready on the sled

playing catch-up

We enjoyed a candle light service at our Church on Christmas Eve

From church we went to our NW Indiana "family" Christmas Eve celebration at Ree-Ree's

Here is Olivia with her BFF Abbey

Here's Olivia when she wouldn't share with her BFF

Jack was satisfied with his pacifier and his ability to put it in his mouth all by himself....sometimes!

Making Candy Cane cookies for Santa

We enjoyed our very first Christmas morning at HOME - we usually wake up at my parents house on Christmas, but this year we stayed at our house and traveled to Indianapolis on Christmas Day after we enjoyed our morning together. It was nice to be home!

Once in Indy we first went to Brian's parents house - here's Olivia there with her Rescue Pets Swim puppy - she has wanted this thing since the summer and it's the only thing she requested from Santa - she didn't let it out of her sight! I wish the toy performed like it's supposed to, but thankfully, Olivia just loves it the way it is! (Don't waste your money!! Santa needs to work out some of the flaws!!)

We celebrated Christmas with my family on Saturday at my parent's house

The kids built a gingerbread house...

and destroyed a gingerbread house!

...and got VERY messy

of course me and my sister-in-law Lauren had to join in!

Then there was clean-up! Someone thought it would be a good idea to jump in the bathtub to clean up....all 5 of the girls AT THE SAME TIME!!!

You can imagine the mess when 5 girls, ages 13 to 1, take a bath together! It was hilarious! The girls were sporting Olivia's swim puppy goggles and there was water and bubbles going everywhere. I took several pics, but I don't think pics of little girls in a bathtub is appropriate for the Internet.....we'll leave that for KFC - hahaha!

Here's Olivia with a couple of her cousins - Penny Lane and Lucy Sky

Memaw, Olivia and I taught Penny and Lucy all about hair bows and how every little girl needs to wear bows in their hair ;-) The girls love the bows....can't say the same for mommy and daddy! hehehehahaha Next time, we'll teach them all about chocolate being a food group and how to incorporate it into every dish! And then we'll teach them about lip gloss!!

Here's my new favorite pic of Jack taken while in Indy

Olivia had her BFF Abbey over on New Year's Day to play "Megzy and Amber" AKA hair salon!

Olivia got this from my parents for Christmas - it's a salon station equipped with a bowl for washing hair, mirror, drawers for accessories and a chair with a built in dryer. Megzy and Amber are the two girls who cut Olivia's hair.

To round out Christmas break we met several friends at one of the local Jumpy places. We had so much fun - even the adults get to join in!! Here's some pics of Brian with the kids.

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Yesterday I took Olivia sledding.....with Jack! Let me tell you, I got my workout for the day!

It's not easy climbing a hill while pulling a 4 year-old on a sled with a 4 month on in a sling!

Here's Olivia as I pulled her up the hill.

Here's Jack all bundled up - I put him in the sling and Yes, I went sledding with him in the sling - not sure if he liked it or not - he went to sleep after taking this pic!

Here's Olivia sledding by herself after I let go of the ropes near the top of the hill.

Then Jack woke up for the last hill of the day - we all went together on one sled! You can kind of see his little head peaking out!

Olivia wanted to climb the hill one last time before we left - I made her do it by herself - I was too exhausted!! She didn't want the sled either - she just wanted to climb it and scoot down on her butt!

It was hard work with both kids by myself, but it was worth it, we had lots of fun and I got a good work-out!

Happy New Year

Wishing you a blessed 2009!

I'm making the same New Year's Resolution this year that I have made for the last 10+ years - surprise - surprise!!!! I'm going to lose weight and get healthy - this probably comes as a huge shocker, right? This is the first year that I will be doing this with the help of a personal trainer who kicks my butt twice a week along with a few of my closest girlfriends. I am hoping that these additions will help me stick with it this year!
If you recall, I did a biggest loser challenge with my family this holiday season. My parents and one of my brothers were the only ones brave enough to tackle this during the holidays. We weighed in on Thanksgiving and then again on Christmas Eve. I worked my butt off - literately!! I lost 8 pounds between Thanksgiving and Christmas and won the challenge walking away with $140!!! I happened to gain back 4 pounds between Christmas and New Years, but it's a new year and I'm back on track now! I've never come out of the holiday season weighing less than I did before Thanksgiving so I still pat myself on the back even though I gained half of it back.

I have also made a resolution to read my bible more, bite my tongue more, be a little more patient with my children, be more open with my husband and show him often that I love him and appreciate him and all that he does.

What are some of the resolutions that you made this year?