Potty Training

So today I decided it was time to start potty training. David is aware of what is going on now and he's a quick learner so I'm hoping we don't have too many issues. So after daycare today we went to Kmart and David picked out big boy underwear. He was so excited to have "underwear like Daddy"! Well kind of, Daddy's underwear doesn't have Thomas the Tank Engine on them (or do they lol). He's very proud of his new underwear:

 

We are officially 1 1/2 hours without an accident - I'm hoping to go the rest of the evening with such luck! We will still wear a diaper to bed and to daycare for the next few days until we can get going to the potty at home down pat. Cross your fingers for us!

Pier 1 Coupon

Score an awesome $10 off of a $10 Purchase at Pier 1 Imports (in store only). Like them on Facebook and navigate to the "Daily Dealy" tab to print your coupon!

Let me know what you find!

UPDATE: Just got back from shopping with Danny and there are some great deals. We bought $60 worth of products for $1.67 (both including tax). Head out there if you can!

CVS Trip - 7/24

So I ran out to do my CVS scenario this morning in York, PA & the shelves were already clear (8:45 am). So I waited until we got back home and went shopping with the husband. The prices were a little higher here at home but it still was a successful trip.

Transaction 1
(2) Skintimate Shave Cream @ $2.49
(2) Xtreme 3 Disposable Razors @ $8.49

(2) -$1.50/1 Skintimate Shave Cream (Printable)
(1) BOGO Schick Disposables (6/26 SS)
(1) -$1/1 Schick Disposables (7/17 SS)
Used -$3/$15
Used $4 ECB's

OOP: $2.62
ECB's: $10.00

Transaction 2
(2) Crest Pro Health Rinse @ $2.99
(1) Bengay @ $6.29
(1) Renu Sensitive @ $7.89
(1) Papermate Pens @ $1.99
(1) Ivory Soap 3-Pack @ $0.99

(2) -$1/1 Crest Rinse (6/5 PG)
(1) -$5/1 Bengay (Printable)
(1) -$2/1 Renu Solution (Printable)
Used -$3/$15
Used $10 ECB's from Transaction 1

OOP: $1.31
ECB's: $13.99

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Total Before Savings: $53.00
OOP: $3.93
Remaining ECB's: $13.99

I have $9.99 more in rewards than I started with so that puts my profit for today at $6.06.

Fun Weekend

I'm stting in the mini truck trying to avoid watching Danny drive on the beltway. I hate the beltway as it is but with someone else driving my anxiety level goes through the roof.

We were up in York, PA, about 2 hours from our home, for a car/truck show called Creatures of the Night. It was a different show than I'm used to going to. It started at 4 pm and ran until well after midnight giving out awards. There was a huge turnout. Had to be well over 300 cars and trucks there. Most of the mini's we had seen before but there were some new vehicles and we had a good time.

We are about to jump on 97 and grab David from my in-laws. I don't know what Danny and I would do without them. David loves being there and always has a great time. It is nice to have married couple time when we can and we are blessed with family that allows us that luxury.

I'm excited to be home and relax a little before Monday morning comes. Hope everyone else is having a great weekend too :)

VTech Sale Today & Tomorrow!

Hey All! Quick heads up - Toys R' Us is doing a BOGO on VTech toys today and tomorrow. There are $5 Off Coupons available making for a great deal.

Buy 2 $19.99 V-Tech Toys (BOGO)
Use 2 $5 Off Coupons found Here

= $9.99 +tax or 75% Off!

Early Christmas Shopping :)

Sunday 7/24 @ CVS

I've had a couple requests for my CVS plan this Sunday. I should turn my $4 ECB rewards into $13.99 with around $2 +tax.

Transaction 1

(2) Skintimate Shave Cream @ $2.49/each
(2) Schick Slimtwin Disposables @ $7.99/each
 ($10 ECB wyb $20 worth of Schick Products)

(2) -$1.50/1 Skintimate Cream (Printable)
(1) BOGO Schick Disposable (6/26 SS)
(1) -$1/1 Schick Disposable (7/17 SS)
Use -$3/$15
Use $4 ECB's

OOP: $1.97 +tax
EBC's: $10.00

Transaction 2

(2) Crest Rinse @ $2.99/each
 ($2 ECB wyb 1)
(1) Renu Solution @ $7.89
 ($6 ECB wyb 1)
(1) Bengay @ $5.99
 ($2 ECB wyb 1)
(1) Papermate Pens @ 1.99
 ($1.99 ECB wyb 1)
(1) Dove Soap 3-Pk @ $0.99

(2) -$1/1 Crest Rinse (6/5 PG or 7/3 PG)
(1) -$2/1 Renu Solution (Printable)
(1) -$5/1 Bengay (Printable)
Use -$3/$15
Use $10 EBC from Transaction 1


OOP: $0.34 +tax
EBC's: $13.99

That will give you a profit around $8 for these 2 transactions. Anyone have another scenario for this coming week at CVS?

Shopping - Week of 7/17

I'm pretty proud of the deals I got this week. Missed out on a few Target deals that I would have loved to grab but there is always next week since the majority were for regular priced items. And before you say it...yes I got more tape and pens. It is all being put together for Mom Vernon to use this coming school year.

Rite Aid

(4) Kotex Pantiliners
(2) Tylenol Precise Heat Pads
(1) Oral-B Cross Action

(4) -$1/1 Kotex Product (Printable)
(2) -$5/1 Tylenol Precise (Printable)
(1) -$2/1 Oral-B CrossAction (6/5 P&G)

OOP: $1.15
Up+ Rewards: $1.50

CVS

(2) Oral-B Indicator
(1) Gillette Fusion Shave Gel

(1) -$2/1 Oral-B 2 Indicator (6/5 P&G)
(1) -$1/1 Gillette Shave Gel (6/5 P&G)
Used $3 ExtraCare Bucks

OOP: $0.63
EB Rewards: $4.00

Target

(7) Scotch Tape
(6) Bic Pens
(2) Oral-B Floss
(2) Ziploc Twist n' Lock
(2) Lipton Ice Tea - 20 oz
(2) Dove Men Deodorant
(1) Natural Instinct Hair Color
(1) Zyrtec 5 Count
(1) Jif To Go 6 pk

(7) -$1/1 Scotch Tape (Printable)
(3) -$1/2 Bic Stationary Items (Printable)
(2) -$1/1 Oral-B Floss (7/3 P&G)
(1) -$1/2 Ziploc Product (Target)
(1) -$1/2 Ziploc Product (Printable)
(2) Free Lipton Ice Tea (Printable)
(1) -$2/2 Dove Men Product (Target)
(2) -$2/1 Dove Men Deodorant (6/26 RP)
(1) Free Natural Instinct (Snail Mail)
(1) -$5/1 Zyrtec 5 Count (Printable)
(1) Free Jif To Go Pack (Snail Mail)

OOP: $2.01

---

Total Before Savings: $90.54
OOP: $3.79
Rewards: $5.50

I gained $2.50 in rewards so that gives me a net of $1.29 spent for $90 worth of products this week. That is a 99% savings - ain't too shabby. And that doesn't even include the Pandora bracelet and Trash Bags that came free in the mail this week!

Is that Mrs. Jenny?

One of the hardest things I ever had to do was enroll David in daycare. He started when he was 8 weeks old and I never had any issues. My gut was telling me he was in a great place with people who cared about his well being. He was a happy baby, on a great schedule (due to his daycare provider) and my life was easier because I knew he was safe and happy.

When we had to switch daycare at 1 year I was honestly lost. I was more scared then ever because I knew how great I had it and that more than likely I would never be able to find a daycare provider that lived up to the unbelievable standard that his first provider set. But, we went ahead off a recommendation and regretted it almost immediately. He cried for almost 3 weeks every time I dropped him off. He hadn't done it before but figured it was separation anxiety. Once the crying stopped then little things would crop up, excessive days off, unknown trips in the car, closing for certain kids but not all, taking kids home after they were dropped off in bad weather. David seemed happy, it's hard when they are that young and can't express their feelings, but he was falling behind in speech and with the other indicators I knew it was time to start looking.

Here we go again - nervous as hell since obviously the second time wasn't a good experience and now I was switching this poor kid again. Routine is so important to David, it was set early in his life and he thrived off of it. He had finally gotten use to this daycare and the routine (or lack there of) that they had. No playing outside, he adjusted, running errands all day, he adjusted. He was okay with things even though I wasn't and here I was turning his little world upside down again. What if the next person we choose is horrible? How many more times are we going to have to do this? Am I going to be able to trust anyone again?

So, we switched again - it has been 5 and a half months now and David said the most glorious thing last night when I was on the phone with his daycare provider ..."Is that Mrs. Jenny?" with a huge smile on his face "I want to talk!" He was so excited that she was on the phone, he's happy and safe there. Within a month of switching he was talking, he's talking in sentences now, using large words and has caught up with kids his age. On the way to daycare he will tell me how to get there and name everyone that is going to be there. He comes home happy and telling me that they played outside all day, watered the flowers, got a "pop" (Popsicle) and he laughs. Some days he doesn't want to come home and I drag him out of there kicking and screaming. It feels good again to know that when I wake him up in the morning he isn't dreading to go to daycare, I can go to work and not have to worry, that when I get there to pick him up he's happy.

Now hopefully we won't have to worry about switching ever again and this will make for a happily ever after story!

I'm going to kill someone...

We had decided to do a flip cup championship last night and invite everyone over for a night of drinking and carrying on. We don't get to do it very often so I was pretty excited. Started at around 7:30 and quickly supplanted our team as #1 (Alan, Lisa, Nick and myself):

 I'll save you all the gory details but needless to say I'm cleaning my carpets this morning. Beige carpeting doesn't really hide stains - just saying. While I'm steam cleaning my carpet my kid is running around peeing in all the other bedrooms.  I know I can't get mad because he isn't potty trained and I don't think he knows but REALLY!!!!

So, I'm trying to get the house cleaned up again since my family is headed over in an hour to eat crabs and watch the USA win the World Cup and I could possibly kill someone if my day continues this way...

I'm done whining - Thank  you for listening :)

Shopping - Week of 7/10

I wasn't overly impressed with this weeks deals at CVS or Rite Aid so I was taking it easy and didn't hit a single store until Thursday. I hit up Target on Thursday, Rite Aid on Friday & Target again today.

Target on Thursday:

(3) Girl's Jeans
(2) Oral-B Floss
(4) Scotch Tape
(3) Sharpie Twin Packs
(3) 10-Pk of Pens
(1) Post-it Note

Used:

(3) -$2/1 Baby or Kid Jeans (Target)
(2) -$1/1 Oral-B Floss
(4) - $0.50 Scotch Tape (Target)
(4) -$1/1 Scotch Tape
(3) -$1/1 Sharpie Product (Target)
(3) -$1/1 Papermate Pens (Target)

Total Before Savings: $45.43
OOP: $0.36

Friday's Rite Aid Trip:

(1) Purex Laundry Detergant
(1) Compound W Freeze Off
(1) SoftSoap Body Wash

Used:

(1) -$2/1 Compound W Product
Used $3/$15 Survey Coupon
Used $10 Up+ Rewards

Total Before Savings: $29.22
OOP: $1.20
Up+ Rewards: $2.00
Rebate: $10.00

Today's Target Trip:

(4) Aquafresh Travel Toothpaste

(3) Scotch Tape

(4) Sharpie Twin Packs

(3) 10-Pk of Pens
(2) Sally Hansen Nail Polish
(2) Sally Hansen Hard as Nails

Used:

(4) -$1/1 Aquafresh Toothpaste

(3) - $0.50 Scotch Tape (Target)

(3) -$1/1 Scotch Tape

(4) -$1/1 Sharpie Product (Target)

(3) -$1/1 Papermate Pens (Target)

(2) -$1/1 Sally Hansen Product (Target)
(2) -$1/1 Sally Hansen Nail Color
(2) -$2/1 Sally Hansen Nail Care

Total Before Savings: $23.36

OOP: -$0.76

I had two presents for my niece and nephew included in the last trip to Target to eat up that Overage since obviously Target isn't going to pay me money!

For the week I purchased $98.01 in products (this includes tax I would have paid & before Clearance pricing) for a whopping $1.56! Rite Aid continues to treat me well - With the $10 rebate that I'm getting for this weeks transactions that puts me at $24.49 coming back in cash from Rite Aid. All of the products that I have purchased from Rite Aid have been paid for by a $25 gift card that was given to me for my birthday AND there is still $5+ left on the card. So for all the shopping that I have done in the last month and a half and brought home over $300 worth of products I have MADE $5!! That's what makes me love couponing :) Meanwhile - does anyone need any scotch tape!

Diaper Deal @ CVS

If anyone is in need of Newborn or Size 1 Diapers - head out to CVS. Right now the Huggies Pure & Natural are on clearance and the jumbo packs are marked down 50%+ (seeing reports of $3.12). Great stockup price if you have a little one in the size or are going to have any more little ones :)

Aveeno Deal on Amazon

Another quick deal and then I promise I'm done! Amazon.com is running a promotion for Aveeno products. Use the promo code AVEENOJL and get an extra 15% off. Combine that with Subscribe and Save and you save 30% and get free shipping. We use Aveeno lotion and body wash since David has eczema and during the winter months especially we get some flair ups. I just got the Aveeno Advanced Care for $5.54 shipped where I paid $8.99 at the store.

Check it Out

Life is Busy

Summer is in full swing...spending money, never home, no sleep, the house is a wreck...I'm over it! I'm ready for a weekend of relaxation and it doesn't look like there is one in my near future. Here is our upcoming tentative schedule and something always gets added at the last minute:

This Weekend Dan works and it is Alayna & Owen's birthday party at my Mom's house followed by a Flip Cup Tournament at my house. I'm sure Sunday will be spent at my Mom's cleaning up Saturday's festivities and saying goodbye to the West Coast Contingent since they will be leaving on Monday :(

The following weekend is a truck show up in York, PA. We will be staying overnight up there since it is a night show (I'm actually really excited about this - never been to a night show and think it will be pretty cool) so that will eat up all of Saturday and Sunday.

The weekend after that we are headed to Calvert County for family birthday dinners. Saturday will be free but I'm sure something will come up whether it be my Mom's, working on Dan's truck and/or cleaning and housework.

It just keeps going and going...

On other subjects:

David is growing leaps and bounds this summer. It is amazing to watch, even just little things like the way he jumps on the trampoline, to big things like counting and the alphabet. If we could just cut the tantrums out I think it would be the perfect life!

I am still couponing and my desk at home is more than enough proof that I need some sort of organization in my life (Brandy can vouch for that). I've decided that I'll only post my trips once a week since life is busy.

Dan has switched jobs and is now up in Glen Burnie working for Brown's Toyota. He is happier and it is making for a happier household too. He is still working on his truck but has decided that he is almost done. Some body work and paint and he's ready to move on to a new project.

Love Hate

I've never been blessed with great teeth. They look fine - never had to have braces or anything - but underneath they are destroyed. I think my main issue is that I hated going to the dentist, tons of damage was done and now I'm trying to clean up the mess. It has caused a few ugly years now but I really do think that today was my last major tooth issue resolved.  That was a lie - I should probably get my wisdom teeth pulled BUT that should be it. Now I just need to put a few crowns on and keep going back every 6 months to make sure I don't fall back into the same problem I just crawled out of.

I hope and pray that David gets Dan's teeth! That man has the best teeth and has gone without a cavity his entire life. There aren't many people that can brag about that! Well I'm off to make David his first dentist appointment - can't put it off or else he may end up like me :-/

Small Trip to Rite Aid - 7/3

Made a quick trip out to Rite Aid yesterday morning and grabbed a couple things for my Mom and Mom in Law and turned a profit of $2.32:

(2) Crest Pro Health
(2) Pantene Products
(2) John Frieda Products
(1) Oral B Pulsar

(1) -$1/2 Crest Toothpaste (6/5 P&G)
(1) -$3/2 Pantene Products
(2) -$2/1 John Frieda Products
(1) -$2/1 Oral B Toothbrush (6/5 P&G)
Used $5/$25 Wellness+ Coupon
Used $11.68 in Up+

Total Before Coupons: $38.25
Total OOP: $1.50
Up+ Earned: $11.00
Rebate Earned: $4.50

I think I'm going to run back today for 2 Gillette Razors. With a $3/$15 coupon I can get them for $0.07 a piece after tax.

Happy Shopping!

One More Day :(

I only have one more day left of my four day weekend. I can't believe how quickly this weekend has gone by.

Thursday evening I went and got a manicure with my sister and nieces and followed it up with a kids sleepover at my house. In the morning I dropped the girls off at my sisters house and headed to David's 2 year doctors appointment. I don't know why but I always get nervous before his appointments; maybe I'm afraid that they are going to criticize my parenting. His appointment went great. He is up to 28 lbs so right at the 50th percentile and exactly 3 feet tall which puts him somewhere between the 75th and 90th. Unfortunately there were 2 shots ar the end which David was none to happy about.

My brother made it in Friday morning so we headed over to my Mom's house to hang out. We had a good day and headed home pretty early to get ready for the fourth of July party at my Mom's.

The picnic was great. Alot of my family made it along with some close family friends. The kids played hard all day and went to bed pretty early while the adults took the oopportunity to head out to the Jetty. We didn't stay very long, a couple hours at most but did a gos bit of chit chatting and dancing.

This morning we headed over to Dan's parents to relax (well some of us) and hang out by the pool. I actually got in a couple times today. A storm was about to hit us so we all jumped in the trucks and headed back to the shore. We did get to set off some fireworks tonight and hang out for a little while before heading home for some peace and quiet.

Tomorrow is a cleaning day and maybe some fireworks depending on how we feel by the end of the day. I can't believe the weekend is just about over :(