Staying Frugal and Chic With Coupons!

I absolutely love coupons!  No worries, you read that correctly!

After my husband and I had our twin girl's, I knew we needed to save more money.  Honestly, if I only knew, I would have been couponing all of my life.  I enjoy helping to provide for my family with items that we will use on a daily basis for less and even free.  I am also able to get items for beauty products that I otherwise would not buy.  Hey, this frugal and chic Mom wants to look fabulous too!  At a great price, of course.  I am able to try new products which provide me with high value coupons and it makes me jump for joy.

Many folks watch the Extreme Couponing show on TLC and then tend to think that all couponers are like that and that is not the case.  I am glad that they have shown people doing it big to help others with huge donations and I have even watched an episode who showed a vegan lady couponer.  I buy healthy foods for family with so much more and with the money saved, I can buy more of what I could not get with my coupons.  Also, they do provide coupons for meat products here and there, along with produce which is awesome!

Every family who uses coupons, use them in their own way.  No matter what, it is very important to organize them in a way that fits best for you and keep track of sales, expirations dates and more.  Yes, I spend some time every week with my coupons, but I save so much that it is like a part time job, but for me better.  I know it can seem crazy or scary at first, but trust me just try it.  We do not buy a newspaper and I am able to get inserts thankfully by the kindness of others who would just throw them away or have clipped the coupons that they want and give me the rest. 

It has been a blessing. 

After all, the whole point is that I am trying my best to save money where I can.

I use the binder method, so guess what my next post will be about!  Until next time!

Username and Password? Please, Come Again...?

I know I am not the only one who has forgotten my username and password to a website or two, or even three. 

Oh, this has happened to you as well?

Glad I am not alone.

The final straw for me was when my kids wanted to visit one of their learning websites and I could not remember our login information for the life of me.  My children were actually waiting patiently, unitl twenty minutes later and I still could not seem to get it going for them.

I decided that was it. 

I was taking some action. 

It was not on my schedule for the day, but I am known to add a few things to my daily list here and there.  Right then and there, I grabbed what sheets of paper I could find that had login information written on them, grabbed a notebook and got to work.  It turned out great!

Here is how I put down the information for each website:

1.  Name of website
2.  Login information
3.  Purpose and use of the website (I use some websites for only some of its content)

Very simple, RIGHT! 


Now, if I ever forget my login inormation...

I will check my Login Notebook!

Dinner Anyone?

You know when you put a lot of thought into your family dinner and you are sure that everyone will be so pleased, but nope, it's just not the case?

Oh, yes!

I sure felt that this evening.

As a mother we can all have our emotional moments and this was one of mine.  Yes, I am sharing this with you and it is quite alright. 

You see, I enjoy being in the kitchen.  Call it my sanctuary, if you will.  But, I have been so happy with my new cookbooks and working on my meal planning.  I have it painted in colors I love and it has become my canvas of art that gets daily use out of it.  I create in this special room and then create some more.

Last night I made nachos for a Mexican inspired dinner and it was a huge hit for the whole family.  I only wanted to have another hit this evening, but with an Asian inspired dinner.  I made cream cheese wonton, beefy wonton, chow mein, veggies and beefy fried rice.  My husband Scott, daughter Caylee, as well as myself all enjoyed this feast.  My son Caleb and daughter Kylie did not.

 I immediately became sad and felt that our nice family dinner was not so nice anymore. 

But, then a thought came into my mind.  I really feel it was the Holy Spirit softly whispering to me that everything will be ok, they are kids.

Well, this was totally right and put my feelings to ease.

Kids are known to be picky eaters.  I know that my kids can be picky eaters at times, but it was just the simple fact that I was sure they would love dinner and appreciate all of my preparation for the meal.  I am truly grateful for my loving husband who enjoyed the feast and really made me feel like a queen of the kitchen.  Sometimes, I will not be able to please everyone, but it does not stop me from trying one bit.

This was just one of those dinners.

We have so many dinners that bring me joy, which is why I must keep on cooking!

A New Year With A Plan In Action

Is it a new year already? 

Where did the time go? 

That's right, where did the time not go is more like it.  Welcome to Motherhood and life in general.

New changes have just begun for our family literally today and it looks very promising.

When your husband comes home happy from his training for a new position, I would say that makes for a great outlook.  Our family has always dealt with a schedule that is not of the norm when it has come to my husbands work, which has made for a not so normal routine for the rest of us within the home.  That all is changing and I am very excited, especially since I have always liked the company that he works for. 

At the beginning of each year we always hear about New Year's Resolutions.  I think it is great to have a goal in mind, but it is even more important to have a plan and then to execute it.  For instance exercise is very important to me and I could say that I want to exercise even more this year.  But, I like to have a plan to go along with my goals.  Last year was great in the workout department and this year I do hope to stretch it even more including my kids in a lot of the fun. 

YES, I schedule out my workouts!

Another item of business on my agenda has been cutting down the GROCERY BILL.  For this, I wanted to really focus on MEAL PLANNING, GARDENING and my FOOD STORAGE.

One of my Christmas gifts was the set of cookbooks for 30 Meals in one Day.  I absolutely love them and so many of the recipes in them.  I have made a few of the freezer meals before with some friends and now I have my very own set.  I have found that creating a menu plan for one to two weeks is what is best for my family.  I am focused on only buying what is on my list and that is it.  It takes determination, but it is very doable. 

With our nice backyard, I have decided that there is no reason to not a have a nice size garden.  It will take a lot of time, but the rewards will be great and it will be a family affair during this venture.

Food storage is always a great thing to have no matter what and so we will be building that up as well in a frugal manner, along with using my coupons.

I have found a website that is pretty awesome and stumbled upon in time for the New Year!  It is www.cozi.com and is a free organizing website.  Trust me when I say you will not be disappointed.  You can save recipes, create shopping lists, organize shedules and so much more. 

Welcome to 2014!

Time For A Wonderful Season

Things always seem busy in the Sanderson house.  But, this is the season in which things seem to get even busier.  Yet, somehow we are able to enjoy the little moments even more!  Snuggles and reading stories with extra blankets on the couch or in my childrens rooms, having hot chocolate not because of the weather, but just becasue we can and with extra marshmellows.  That is the way Caleb likes to have it.  So many precious moments that I wish I could just capture in a jar and open it to relive that moment at any time.  That would be quite awesome! 

I have always been quite the planner.  Things needed to be followed accordingly, or I would just feel that things were falling apart.  Bring the twins into the picture and it was just total chaos for quite some time.  Have a schedule?  You could just throw it out the window.  What was the point?  It took me a long time to learn that it was alright to have a schedule, but to know that if things did not go accordingly to plan it would not be the end of me or the world for that matter.  Don't get me wrong, I still like to stick to somewhat of a schedule for the structure of my family, but I do not fill it in down to the mintue of every hour. 

I enjoy the month of December so much!  My heart is filled with so much joy.  The lighting of the candles, visiting with family and friends and so much more just really keep it going.  My children enjoyed helping to decorate our house and put up the Christmas tree and we have been making crafts, such as our paper roll Nativity Set.  It has been so much fun to enjoy these things with my family.  The girls are totally into it this year and really are starting to understand what the Christmas season is all about and it has been great to already see how Caleb thinks of others and has been wanting to help and adds things on his Christmas list that are not for him.  It melts my heart.

Today we enjoyed putting puzzles together, coloring, practicing our French with Pezi le chien, taking bikes and a scooter to the park to release some energy, read more about the Donner Party Expedition in our historical fiction book and so much more.  No matter how much sleep I do not get, I would not change these precious moments for anything in the world!  I am truly blessed!

  

We Are Like Plants

We are growing everyday starting in our mother's womb.  Heavenly Father has created us in his image and so we should not doubt.  We were put on this earth to be different and to grow within our environments.  Each and every one of us.  Whether we homeschool or put our children in public school, we want the best for them.  Am I right?  I know that I want the best for my own children.  I want them to grow up in a nourished environment.  Who better to decide what that is than parents themselves.  Erik Erikson, a psychologist stated that children are distinct and to effectively be able to teach them, we must understand and know their differences.  I know that this is very true.  The way I teach my son is different from the way I teach my twins, and each of them also learn differently.  This is how it was meant to be. 

We are like plants.  Even though plants may look the same, they are different.  Each one grew differently starting as a seed.  Without getting all of what it needs, then it would not make it.  The same goes for us humans.  We each have our own journey in life and it is crucial for us to go through phases and be nourished the whole way.  I like to think of the sunlight for a plant as the positive environment and reinforcement needed for us. 

My kids and I are always working on doing things together, I am doing my best to individualize my expectations for each of them and really focus on their strengths.  This is what my children need from me.  I am also working on myself and my own journey along the way.  All I can do is try my best each and everyday.  We all have our off days.  Who doesn't?  Let's not let this deter us from what our goals are for our children and ourselves. 

Being a parent is not the easiest thing and we are always learning.  But, Heavenly Father gave us this responsibility and he knows that we can do this!  I know we can too!

Organizing Our Home Both Physically And Mentally

As our purge comes to a close, I feel it has not only made our home feel good and look good, but also has helped our minds be uncluttered as well.  The way society is nowadays, we have taken the "more is better" approach to things.  I still love the saying that "less is more," at least when it comes to stuff that is.  When we fill our homes with too much of things that are not needed, or we have so much of already,  it can be hard to keep it in order. 

I have found that organizing your home and then keeping your home organized in a way that works for your family is best to also help keep our minds organized.  Sometimes I feel that stuff can take over other things of great importance.  Focusing on my personal beliefs and values are of great importance to me, along with what is important for my family's daily endeavors.  If my mind is consumed with worrying about what to do with our stuff, then by all means my family and I have a huge problem and it will be hard to stay in order. 

One thing for sure is my husband has never had an issue with stuff.  Lucky for him.  My kids and I did, in a sense of not wanting to get rid of, or throw things away.  I sure don't anymore.  If it is going to become junk, or we will not have use for it months down the road, out it goes.  My children have gotten better with toys as well.  We do not need more of the same type of stuff just to have more, because it will become clutter.  I have found that they are alright with bringing new stuff in and getting rid of something in its place with not much problem at all.  It used to be a bad battle that I was sure to lose every time.

I found what hobbies are important for me and am sticking with just those so I will only have stuff pertaining to those hobbies.  When our home feels free, our minds should fell free.  More time do other things, not worried about a bunch of stuff. 

There is nothing wrong with bringing home new things at all.  We do bring home new items here and there, but I know exactly what I will use it for and where it can be placed in our home.  Therefore, we have room for it.  The point for me is I have created and organized all of these spaces in our home, and therefore if it can be stored nicely then we can have it, if not, then something needs be taken out or reconsidered is all. 

We homeschool, enjoy to read and many other things, so we will have the need and/or want to bring more things home.  Again, this is alright!  It is just very crucial for me to know what is coming and going out of our home to keep track of our stuff and our minds.  After all, I am a gal who loves stuff.  I've just made the space to keep these things in order!

Not hard at all, once you have the mindset!