Inspiration

I am feeling very inspired to be frugal and get back to meal planning today. Why, you ask? I just purchased the $5 Dinner Mom cookbook and she really has me excited to get back to where I was at with my budget last year at this time. My plan today is to do an inventory of what I have going on in my freezers and pantry and actually sit down and make up a dinner plan for the next week. Crazy I know! It's taken about 6 months for me to actually come to the realization that it really saves me money, time and a lot of frustration! I am also making envelopes for my cash today so I can get back to being on a tighter budget. I am excited to get back to my life as it should be...Check in with me soon to see where I am at with it all! If you are interested in the $5 Dinner Mom you can find her at her blog here

My sweet baby girl

Boy I just can't explain how much things are changing around here...it's weird for me. My baby is potty training and do VERY well! She also moved to a big girl toddler bed and went to preschool for the first time this week...I am struggling with her getting so big so fast. She turns three tomorrow and I just can't believe it.

This is my baby growing up. Making her Mommy happy and sad all at the same time. She is sensitive, loving, cuddly, funny, beautiful, and silly...all of these things rolled up into one precious and sweet little girl.

Hughes happenings....

Well we have been pretty busy around here lately. #1 and #2 are both in activities that they are having so much fun with. So we are trying to juggle activities for both of them...it's a challenge but it's also one that's going to get even more complicated as #3 gets older. Here are a few pictures of the kids.

That's our boy at his first football game. He's the one in the black shirt and really blonde hair.

Nicole was busting at the seams to get to her first gymnastics class.

Of course little sister had to get in on the action.

Her first cartwheel ever attempted. Very Exciting.

So Proud

Just thought I would do a little post about my sweet husband. The kids and I have had an awesome summer this year cheering him on at several Triathalons that he has competed in. It has been amazing for me to be there with our kids rooting for him. Don't get me wrong...It's not always easy getting there. We are talking about waking our three kids up too early (normally I would NEVER wake my kids!), feeding them on the go (because we are up so early there is just no time to eat after getting them all going), driving to some unknown location, oh did I mention standing in monsoon like weather, trying to keep them entertained in between the times my husband is transitioning from one phase of the race to the next...etc.

But, in spite of all of the hassle to get there, as soon as we see him coming across the finish line and the kids go running up to him screaming his name and hugging his VERY sweaty leg...all of the bad stuff washes away.

I am so proud of my husband and thought I would share some pictures of his final race. His persistance, courage, and athletic ability amaze me. I am so proud to be his wife!

Nature Boy

Thought I would post some pictures of my little nature boy in Washington State. My husband did a fantastic job of capturing shots of Joshua is all his boy glory. It was great for me to see these pictures and get a taste of how it was for him since I wasn't there. I received a phone call this day from Joshua who told me he was planning on bringing his garter snake home on the plane. Luckily the airlines wouldn't let that happen!

Beautiful scenery.

My little explorer

Big nature boy and little nature boy. They had a blast spending this time together. I missed them terribly but am so glad they could experience this together.

Little boy...BIG CLAM!!!

Lately?

I will admit it, I haven't done much with my coupons lately. Actually lately probably isn't a strong enough word. How about not for 6 weeks? Does that constitute lately? I don't know...I am guessing it's more than "lately." I read an awesome blog entry from Money Saving Mom that relieved a lot of the coupon guilt I have been feeling "lately." If you haven't read it yet you should read it here. I didn't think coupon burnout could be possible but now I realize it can! Thank God...now I can release the guilt of going shopping most of June with just a few coupons or (gasp) no coupons AT ALL! It's terrible...I left the store feeling ripped off every time but it still didn't help me feel motivated to come home and clip coupons. Well, I am feeling that motivation now. I have decided to take a break from my couponing style and try a new one. I found a really good binder/organizer at a garage sale about 4 weeks ago (yes...I have been contemplating this change for that long...ok maybe more) and I went out and bought the baseball card sorter things from the office store down the street. All in all I spent about $17 for it...not bad assuming it motivates me to get my money saving butt back in gear. I thought about taking a before and after picture of my coupon mess here but unfortunately my sweet hubby (who I have been referring to as Bear Bait this week...terrible I know) is on a trip out in the wilds of Washington state with my beloved son and camera. So you will just have to use your imagination and I will update with pictures later. Just trust me...it's a mess. How have you been doing "lately?"

Our little runners!

Chris took the kids to a little mini run here in Indy not too long ago. I wasn't able to go because of work so imagine my surprise when I came across these awesome pictures that my hubby took for me!!! The kids did awesome running and we are super excited that they are interested in running at all! Here is Joshua waving to his Daddy on the sidelines. Very proud of himself as you can see!

Nicole did a great job running too...even with a skirt and tights on!!!

You can see our sweet daughter holding hands with some random girl running the race with her. So cute...

I am not sure if Joshua is ahead of the pack here or running behind but he did just awesome!

The best birthday gift I ever received

June 3, 2002

What an awesome birthday that was for me. It was the best birthday gift I was ever blessed with...My precious little boy Joshua Michael Hughes. You have brought so much joy to my life. I have learned more about myself and the person I want and need to be in the seven years you have been alive than in all the years I lived before you came to be. I hope and pray I can be the mommy you need me to be. I love you.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOSHUA!

JUNE

It's June! Really? Can't believe it. June is definitely one of my favorite months...It feels like a new beginning. Summer starts, school ends, birthdays, graduations...I love June.

Haven't had much time to just take pictures for the fun of it lately. I think I will set a goal to do that. Get out with my camera (oh...and my kids) and just take some fun pictures. Here is one I took a few weeks back. I love this one...It reminds me of the fun that is yet to come in June!

Where did Spring go?

Boy does time fly!

It's hard to believe it...Is Spring almost over already? So much has been happening...Too many pictures to choose from. I like this picture...It's mother's day and each and every face expresses how we were all feeling by the end of this little photo shoot! Funny.

I haven't done much blogging lately. Too busy I guess...I have been keeping up with reading my favorite blogs though. Three and a half days of school left. I know we still have some time left but from what the calendar says, our summer will officially start next Tuesday at 1 PM! And a whole new set of adventures will begin.

Here are a few of our favorite Spring adventures:

Precious girl on Easter morning...Actually posing for mommy. With her eyes OPEN! It's an Easter miracle!

Sisters...And best of friends!

End of the year preschool party! Someone's very proud of herself!

This kid is ready for summer. I haven't been able to get him to wear pants instead of shorts since the first glimpse of sun appeared! Outside is where this little man wants to be!

I'm baaack...

I have been out of commission...to say the least. BUT, I am definitely back. As of now we have internet access again after FIVE YEARS...no it only felt like five years...I mean, 3 weeks (?) of no online access. Ugghhh...miserable three weeks. So much has happened. I went to Florida. Unfortunately I have no pictures but it was probably one of the most awesome weekends ever. Girlfriends, sleeping in, sun, beach, what more could you ask for? I had time to think and contemplate where my life is at and now I am ready to get back into it. I am ready to make some slight changes in my life and refocus my priorities on my family and my marriage. I feel good. Nevermind that it has been raining and pretty miserable here in Indy for the last two days...Nothing can dampen my optimism right now. I wish I had a pretty picture of my toes (or something) on the beach but I don't...you can go to my buddies blog HERE and look at her pretty toes and pretend they are mine though. I forgot to paint my nails so they weren't nearly as cute but you get the jist right? Thanks to my girlfriends for making this a FABULOUS weekend for me and thanks to my sweet hubby who supported me in going and spent ONLY one evening at the pediatric ER while I was gone. Hey! One trip...three kids...NOT BAD!!

Gotta love FREE stuff!

I will be honest with you, I try to stay away from Target. I don't WANT to stay away from Target...just the opposite, I LOVE Target....That's my problem. It just doesn't matter how good the deal or the coupon is...I just know if I go in there it's really hard for me to get out without shopping for more or feeling bad because I can't HAVE MORE! So the result is I just tend to stay away from Target when I hear about a good deal. If I go in for a deal and I get tempted to spend more money (on clothes for the kids for example or myself) that I really didn't need to spend...then it really defeats the purpose right? But...I just couldn't resist the great deal this week. Did you see the $1 off coupon for Vitamin water in the paper this past week? It's in the SS insert. It turns out that this vitamin water is on sale at Target this week for...ONE DOLLAR! Yep, that makes it free. So I thought these would be great to purchase (or get for FREE) for lunches for the kids right? I have never tasted them before and never even given them a single thought but for free...I'm open to it. So...I set out for Target yesterday. Determined to go in for ONLY the Vitamin water and Pledge mulit purpose cleaner....

AND I DID IT!!! I came out only with what I went in for. And the best thing...I came out feeling pretty good. Not depressed because I wanted to buy the cute sweater on sale for $12.99 and didn't have money for or the adorable little clip clop shoes for my girls. It was a successful trip. I walked out having spent only $1.86 and got all of this... Can you believe it!? I had two coupons for the plege (a Mfg Q and a Target Q) so I only paid 89 cents for it!!! I use this stuff a lot and just ran out this past week. WOO HOO! I have 11 bottles of vitamin water and all I had to pay was the tax. Not a bad day at Target!

A couple of free days

Well...my three little blessings are off to chicago for Spring break with their grandparent's. So...that leaves mommy home alone to get all sorts of cleaning, organizing, etc done right?

Well, I guess the pressure is on!

Perhaps I should at least go take a shower as it's already 10:30 right????? Hmmm...

Well, I do plan on getting the girls' clothes situation cleared up at least. You know...sorting throught the mess of old clothes that don't fit, are the wrong season, etc. Clothes that are the right size but wrong season. Clothes that are the right size and right season but are still in the box that they came in when they were donated! Ugghhh....May need a week to clear this mess up. What a mess...I wish I had this many clothes!

I can do this!

busy, busy, busy...

Well, I haven't been doing much blogging lately. I have been reading...just not much writing. It is just so busy around here. My job has gotten pretty hectic after I was told that I would have to meet a certain amount of hours to keep the job due to cutbacks. So...I am just trying to make up hours so I can keep working. Because of that it's a little crazy around here! Busy, busy, busy... I have a pretty well stocked freezer right now so I am planning on staying out of the grocery store for a while and just living on what we've got. Shouldn't be too hard...should also save me some money. Except for milk and fresh fruit we should need NOTHING around here for at least two weeks. So...that is the goal I am setting for myself...no big shopping trips for two weeks! I may have to send my husband into Kroger for Milk and veggie/fruit runs since it's so hard for me to not spend money on all of the good deals that I can usually find!! It's kind of hard for my husband too so maybe I should come up with a better plan. I am hoping that the sales papers aren't too good this week so I won't be tempted to do more stock piling!!! I know...It's become an addiction for me! I can't help it...I just love getting good deals! Anyone out there find any really good deals on Easter Candy? I will also be doing that shopping this week. My husband and I got our income tax money back and we are now officially DEBT FREE!!! Yeah!! Now we are just working on getting our Emergency Fund fully funded...hence the need to keep my part time job! It's very exciting to be on such a good financial path! It all seems to be falling into place for us...Now, if I can just stay out of Kroger for the next two weeks...Argghh...so hard!

My frugal friends

Thank you to my frugal girlfriends (you know who you are!) for making today fun! We had our first monthly meeting of the...OH SHOOT! I CAN'T remember our name! Well, it was great anyways...It was fun sharing tips about how we save money and just sharing our excitement for being frugal mommas. I had no idea a "support group" could be so much fun!

If you are out there and you haven't tried forming a little group yet...you should definitely try it! This really works for me!!

Just one of those weeks!

You know what I am talking about right? Have you ever had "just one of those weeks!" Sometimes it's just one of those days. But this week for me...it's been "just one of those weeks!" You know the week I am talking about. The one where you feel like you are chasing your tail. The one where you just can't get ahead. The one where you clean the kitchen and you have a total of TWO milk spills in one meal. You know the one right? It's been one of those weeks for me! Just a little story to summarize what I mean. I finally had the chance in between services this week to clean out my bible. Yes, I said clean out my bible! Included in it were about 3 months of weekly bulletins, notes and agenda from last month's MOPS, meeting, MOPS budget, paper hand outs from Wednesday night class...etc. Every time I open the bible they spill out and I promptly pick them up and stuff them back in. Well, this time I am going to look at the mess and throw them out. I proceed to hand my husband an arm's full of papers to throw out which he lovingly does for me! Great!! Something accomplished. The class goes well, we leave and get all kids buckled into the car and start to driving!! My sweet boy who is learning to read starts reading something for me. How intellegent I think to myself. I look in the rear view mirror and ask my boy what he's reading (it's the words of Jesus from the bible class on Wedneday nights isn't it?) SURE ENOUGH! My little garbage picker decided to take all of that previously mentioned garbage out of the can and take along with him!! I yell, "WHY?? Why did you take that garbage out of the can???" He has no idea Daddy was the one who put it there and says "I want to draw on it. Plus, did you know mom that my name is all over one of these papers?!" Yep, I know! Ugghhhhh...It's just one of those weeks in summary!

Frugal Friday Recipe Swap

I found a recipe this week that EVERYONE in my family loved...Yes, I said everyone. Even my pickiest little eater (some of you may know who I am talking about!) ate this meal. I was so excited about that. The best thing about it was that is was cheap, super easy, and the meat wasn't dry (not that I am admitting that I may have a dry meat issue with my cooking :)!) So, I had to share it! I purchased the pork loin at Kroger a couple of weeks ago that was on sale for $1.87/lb. It was the family sized one and I had them cut it into 4-3lb roasts. I have a crock pot that I love but for some reason it refuses to cook SLOW so the first time I used the pork roast (for barbecue pork sandwiches) it did come out a little dry! Bummer. So this time I wanted to try something different. I am definitely not much of a recipe follower so I decided to just try using what I had in the pantry. I wish I had a picture of the meal but it got eaten so fast there was just no time. So instead I will just give you the recipe that I used. Crock Pot Pork Roast

Ingredients

3lb pork loin roast 1lb bag of baby carrots

5 med-small potatos

1 can mushroom soup

1 can full of water

1 packet onion soup mix

pepper

garlic powder

DIRECTIONS Place carrots in bottom of crock pot. Season pork roast. We like lots of garlic around here. Place pork roast on top of carrots. Add can of cream soup and can of water. Sprinkle onion soup mix on top of all. Cook for 4 hours on low. After 4 hours add potatoes and cook for two more hours. I know this is a simple and basic recipe. But this really worked for us. I fed my family of five and my Mom and Dad who were visiting. Plus, my husband took the leftovers for lunch. My picky eater ate every last bite and even said to me, "Mom, I actually really like this!" Ahh....music to a Mama's ears! Please check out the Grocery Cart Recipe Challenge for some more awesome recipe ideas. Also check out Ann Kroeker's blog HERE for Food on Friday fun! Since this meal cost me less than $7 to make and we got 8 meals out of it that makes this a SUPER FRUGAL recipe. Go to Frugal Fridays hosted by Life as a Mom for more frugal ideas!

Kroger Deals!

I did my Kroger shopping this week and OH BOY did I score on this trip! The Mega Event this week at Kroger is absolutely amazing! I couldn't believe what I brought home! I am so excited about this shopping trip that I will be able to pretty much stay out of the grocery stores for the next two weeks (I have my meals planned till the end of March now!) except for milk and fresh veggies/fruit trips! Since you are only allowed three $5 savings per transactions the Kroger Cashier was super nice and rang up my groceries in two separate sales. Unfortunately I got a little mixed up with the coupons and what was going with which transaction and a couple of coupons got missed. But, I can use those next time. That is definitely something I am working on is trying to stay more organized at the grocery store and being able to manage all of the coupons and sale prices in my brain! I am definitely a work in progress! So with my six mega sale savings I saved $30. Can you believe that?! Awesome...You gotta love Kroger! That doesn't even include the massive coupon savings I added up. Here is a picture of my loot. I combined both transactions for the picture because there was so much stuff that it was just easier. It's just a little hard to see everything. So here is all that I got!

I saved 63% on one transaction and 65% on the other! I was especially excited about the laundrey detergent that I stocked up on for $1.80 a piece! Pluse, not sure if you can see it in the picture but I got enough toothpaste and tooth brushes to last us a year (for .25 cents each!) I saved a total of $67.75 in coupons alone. I used to spend that much in ONE shopping trip a week (and I always had to make several more after that!) You can't see it in this picture but I also stocked up on chicken breast since my hubby just bought me a brand new (well...new to ME!) FREEZER. What a sweet man! Mommy is in stockpiling, money saving heaven this week! So here is the most exciting number...drum roll please...my total dollar savings this week...$195.59!!!!! WHAT????? Woooo, hooooooo!!!

Eating out for Cheap!

Hey everybody! I thought I would pass along a great deal that I have found and been using for the last month or so. Go check out restaurant.com for awesome deals on cheap gift certificates for eating out! Chris and I have used them for our last two date nights and really saved a bundle!

There's an 80% off promo going on right now where you can get a $25 gift certificate for only $2-$3! You do have to spend up to a certain amount at the time so make sure you read all of the qualifiers before you make your purchase. The discount code for the 80% off is MENU!! You can pay with paypal so it's super easy! Check it out!

Frugal Friday! Beans and Rice

It's that time of week again...It's Frugal Friday! Check it out at Biblical Womanhood for some more Frugal Friday fun.

So I was talking with a friend this week about my bean cooking post from a couple of weeks ago. What have I done with those beans? What do you do with that many beans? I have to admit that I am not much of a recipe kind of girl! I do a lot of things by the seat of my pants in the kitchen. This can be good and this can be bad. Especially when someone asks you to pass along a recipe...not so easy! We have all heard about going on a beans and rice diet to save some money but what exactly has that looked like for us. I thought I would share something that I have made this past month with those "Oh so cheap" beans I cooked up. I will admit that I am a soup fanatic! As a matter of fact my sweet 4 year old asked me today "Mommy can we have something else besides soup for lunch today!?" I love it! I love everything about soup really. It's comfort food (not as fattening as chocolate), it's cheap, you can make pretty big batches of it AND it freezes well! Gotta love that right? I found a recipe for Chicken tortilla soup. But of course I couldn't follow the recipe because I had to make due with what I had in the house. Not to mention I like to "create" yummy soup...it's like an art really! It was delicious of course and the best part is that my husband loved it! YEAH! Can't beat that! So I am going to try to document this recipe here and hope that I get it all just right!

Spicy Chicken Tortilla Soup

2cups precooked and chopped chicken 1 can rotel (I have also used 1 can of diced tomato and a can of green chili 1 cup salsa verde (I actually have this in my fridge!) 1 cup frozen corn 3 carrots 3 celery stalks 6 corn tortillas chopped into small pieces 2 cups of water 2 chicken boullion 2 cups of frozen black beans 2 cups frozen garbanzo beans 2 Tablespoons of chili mix (If you don't have this add a T-chili powder and a T-Cumin) Mix it all together and cook for an hour... Top with cheese and sour cream

It's really that easy! And the best part about soup is that you can make due with what you have or what you prefer. I really recommend the corn tortillas...You can get them for super cheap if you have an Aldis close to you. They gave the soup a really nice flavor and thickened up the soup. They will just dissolve as they cook.

What else can you do with beans? Thankfully my husband is a big fan of Mexican. You can add them to just about any mexican recipe. I have also started a "no meat" meal once a week in our house (just to save a little more money) and beans are an excellent replacement. My next meal to cook with them will be enchiladas. The possiblities are endless on a "beans and rice" diet! I could go on forever but...I must POST!

You may also want to check out the Grocery Cart Challenge. Lots of great ideas there too.