I Lost My Coupon Organizer! :(

I feel like such a dope!

I usually have my son in the front of the cart, but I had a rare opportunity to go to the store last night without him. I was crunched for time and had to get back so I was rushing. I usually stick my coupon binder (looks like a cancelled check organizer) in a bag, but I must have left it sitting in the front of the cart when I left in a hurry.

I am sick as I had all my Bigg's triple coupon matchups in it. I could cry.

My dear husband called to see if someone turned it in, but no. I laughed and said either one or two things happened - a couponer thought she hit the jackpot or a store employee who hates coupons threw it away instantly.

I'm usually more careful than that. Guess that's what happens when you are overtired and in a rush.

If you coupon like I do then you know how much “money” was lost. I had coupons in there that would have allowed me to get many name brand items at Biggs today for free or just pennies! Click on More Couponing Tricks if you want to learn how.

****UPDATE!!!****

My dear, dear husband just scored some extra brownie points! He went to the store and asked the manager. They opened a locked drawer, and there with a beam of light from heaven shining on it was my coupon organizer! I can't believe it! He says that prayer to St. Anthony whenever he loses something and he always finds the item. Good old St. Anthony came through again!

Biggs To Triple Coupons This Wekend 10/2 - 10/5/09

That's Right! Biggs will be offering triple coupons starting at 10:00 AM this Friday.

Be sure to check out Little Miss Know It All's site for her coupon matchups to maximize your savings! She has done a ton of work matching up the coupons and doing price checks.


Also, be sure to check out my side bar >>>> for printable coupons to add to your sunday paper stash of coupons. There are some real good ones that will match the store sales.

Save money on your favorite brands at Coupons.com. Click for many grocery coupons for free.

Krogers is also having another 10 for $10 sale this week. Sounds like this week is a good week for stocking up. Remember, stocking up by using your coupons only when the item is on sale and buying as many as you have coupons for is how you can save on your grocery bill!

Be sure to visit the Grocery Game and see what you can get for FREE or on the cheap! They do all the work for you – tell you when the item is at its cheapest and when the coupon you need came out. They are cheap to use and the cost of membership is saved with one trip to the store! Some of the stores they list are Kroger, Meier, Walgreens, CVS, WalMart and more! Just use me, imnotasupermom@yahoo.com as your referral and receive a 4 week trial for FREE!

Check out my previous post on how to save the most money while you shop.

More Couponing Tricks

Latest Recalls

Here are a few of the latest recalls for children’s items.To view the complete list visit
CPSC (Consumer Product Safety Commission).

• Big Lots Stores, Inc. Recalls to Repair Bunk Beds Due to Collapse and Fall Hazards
• Clarks® Children’s Shoes Recalled by C & J Clark America Due to Choking Hazard
  

Save Money By Making Your Own Baby Wipes

Diapers and wipes can be so expensive, can’t they? Ideally the most economical and ecological thing to do would be to use cloth diapers and wash cloths.

Sometimes though, due to circumstances such as time constraints, daycare or sitter preferences or even your own preferences, cloth isn’t always the first choice.

Though at times I do use cloth and wash cloths, I also use disposable diapers and wipes. Commercial wipes however, have some major drawbacks, one of them being cost. The other drawback is they really can irritate sensitive bottoms. My little one developed a rash and he would cry when wipes were used because they sting so badly. The poor little guy would cry and run away at the mere mention of a diaper change. Even the wipes without alcohol sting. The next time you get a cut, try one and you’ll see what I mean.
That’s when I decided to make my own.

I take soft paper towels and 2 cups of water with ½ teaspoon of my favorite baby wash mixed in. I tear the paper towels off of the roll, fold each one into thirds and layer them one by one in a re-used wipe tub.

After the tub is half full of towels, I pour in ½ or 1 cup of my baby wash and water mixture. Then I continue to folding and layering the towels. When the tub is full, I add the remaining baby wash and water mixture.

I can get approximately ½ roll of paper towels into a tub. If you need to later on, you can always add more plain water if you want wetter towels. You can use whatever brand of paper towels you like. I recommend the softest ones you can find. I like Viva towels and I like that they are scored in ½ sheets. Other brands are too. You can use ones with whole sheets and just tear them in half yourself, but if time is an issue for you, then get the ones that are all ready to be torn in half sheet sizes.

Make sure you watch out for sales on the brand you like and collect your coupons. Use your coupons then when the brand is on sale and stock up. This will maximize your savings.

I recommend this baby wash because it is very concentrated and lasts a long time. Also, check out these other benefits:
99% natural
76% certified organic ingredients
Pediatrician tested
Organic aloe base with oat extract and olive oil for mild lather
Organic lavender to soothe
Organic chamomile to calm and relax
pH balanced
Sensitivity tested
Hypoallergenic
No parabens or SLS
No artificial colors or fragrance
No 1,4-dioxane or formaldehyde

This combination allows me to make my own wipes at a fraction of the cost of commercial wipes. It also helps prevent diaper rash and doesn’t irritate sensitive bottoms. It doesn’t take that much time either. Make a couple tubs up at once so you won’t run out. Try it, I think you will like it and your little one will too.


I hope you enjoyed this article and found it helpful. Please let me know how you liked it.

Friday Freebies

• FREE Samples
• FREE Eye Exam for infants See my story on this program here: Infant See article
• FREE Museum Admission Saturday 9/26/09 – Since it will be raining here this Saturday, looking for something to do. Over 1000 museums in the U.S. will be offering free admission tomorrow - Saturday, September 26th. To find a list of participating museums near you, and to print your free admission passes, visit the Smithsonian's website here.
• FREE Goodnites Underpants
• FREE 2 year Lego Club, Jr subscription
• FREE Kotex Sample from AllYou Magazine
• FREE Pumpkin Carving Stencils
• FREE Kitchen Crafts Ebook
• FREE Children’s Song’s Downloads
• FREE music downloads

Thanks to Freebieblooger

Latest Recalls

Here are a few of the latest recalls for children’s items.

To view the complete list vistit CPSC (Consumer Product Safety Commission).

• Baby Jogger Recalls Strollers Due to Fall Hazard
• Liquidation Outlet, Inc. Recalls Action Figure Toys Due to Violation of Lead Paint Standard; Sold Exclusively at Dollar Stores
• Burley Design Recalls Child Trailers Due to Risk of Injury
• Cloth Books Recalled by Sterling Publishing Co. Inc. Due to Strangulation Hazard
  

Hospital Waiting Rooms

Yesterday, my husband had to have a medical procedure done to help relieve some bad inflammation he had in his back. (Hence, no story yesterday) This was an outpatient procedure done in the hospital. I wanted to go back to the operating room where he was to be there for him and to comfort him, but due the sterile environment, I wasn’t allowed. I would have washed my hands, still they wouldn't let me. I wanted to be there for him of course, but I wanted to watch, too! I would have kept my mouth shut….maybe. Though I probably would have ended up asking too many questions like, “What’s that?” or “Eww, that’s gross!” or “Can I try it?” On second thought, I probably wouldn’t have been much of a comfort to my husband, especially if they had let me try it. He knows how steady of a hand I have.

Most everyone at some point in time has been sitting in a hospital waiting room. Boring, isn’t it? The one I was in had only AARP and other retirement type of magazines. I’m sure they are good magazines if that content is relative to your life. To top it off, the only TV in the room was loudly playing some horrible soap opera that had the worst acting I have seen since, well, since the last time I was stuck in a waiting room that was playing a soap opera. I really hate that, too. I can’t stand soap operas. I know many people like them and that’s fine. I just don’t think the rest of us should be force to listen to them when we are prisoners of doctors and hospitals. I found myself desperately looking for a channel button and volume control on the TV, but there wasn’t any I could reach. Being that it’s mounted 8 feet off of the ground with no accessible buttons was an indication that this was our penance for having a loved one who needed medical attention. I could also feel the old women behind me getting ready to pull out their knitting needles to stab me if I changed the channel anyway. Interrupting their “stories” I’m sure would have ended up with me needing the medical attention.

I managed to find an old beat up magazine from 1992 that was designed for someone under 80, but I couldn’t find a complete article. It seems that on one side you have an article, but on the other side of the page is a recipe. Well, apparently they were good recipes because they had been ripped out of the magazine taking the story on the other side with it! Now I’ll never know what to do with all those leftovers in the refrigerator!

Ever notice, too that most of the other waiting prisoners are never very friendly? Do you think that they really aren’t friendly or are they just kicking themselves for not bringing their own reading material like I was? No one ever talks to anyone either. We just stare at the busy wallpaper designed by one of the mental health patients from the hospital or wonder why the painting on the wall looks just like the one you saw in the other hospital’s waiting room from last year. I wonder if they hire a certain type of artist to do specific type of paintings for waiting rooms? They do look rather similar, don’t you think?

The other thing I’ve noticed that’s the same no matter what hospital you go to is the restrooms. They are always clean, which is nice, but there is a certain smell to them that screams, “This is a medical establishment that has lots of germs!” It must be the hand soap, because every time you use it, it always smells like embalming fluid. Actually it smells like embalming fluid that has had some other weird chemical added to try and cover up the embalming fluid smell. This ends up creating a unique smell all its own that is reserved for only hospital restrooms. The bad part is no matter how many times you wash your hands later with your own soap at home, it seems like that smell stays with you for the whole day. It makes you wonder where they get that soap from. If it is some type of embalming fluid, then wouldn’t my hands look younger?

Of course, it seems that most all, but the most major of surgeries are done on an outpatient basis. I like to think of it as a kind of drive-through window or maybe more of a curbside pickup type of procedures. I used to think that the insurance companies that dictate this were wrong for doing so, but now that so many people are getting infections in the hospital, I agree that recuperating at home with clear directions for care is best. Who wants to stay in a boring hospital environment with a stranger in the next bed that snores, hacks up a lung every five minutes or gets obnoxious visitors everyday when you can stay in the comfort and privacy of your own home? Watching for signs of infection is the biggest drawback. That and a nagging wife that asks you constantly if there is anything you need. Add to it a toddler who constantly climbs up in the bed and jumps on you then maybe staying in a hospital room isn’t so bad after all.

It was nice to read this article below about how volunteering in a lunchroom can really change the life of a nine year old.
It's sad to think that nine year old girls are suffering from low self esteem. Luckily this woman overheard them and decided to do something about it. Her encouraging words could make all the difference in whether a child grows up to be a confident teen or one with a low self esteem and all the problems that come with it.

Copyright Hearts at Home 2008, used with permission.

From My Heart to Yours

Everything I ever needed to know, I learned volunteering in our elementary school lunchroom. Well, maybe I didn't learn everything, but I certainly learned more than I ever expected when I signed up.

There were the easy lessons--not one kid eats cooked carrots served in the hot lunch. However, if you don't watch them close enough, they do use the carrots and their straws to make some pretty big messes.

There were the fun lessons--kids love ketchup smiley faces made on their burgers. And, once you make one smiley face, you will make 300 more. And, a few kids will not be satisfied with smiley faces, but will expect the ketchup equivalent of the Sistine Chapel on their plate.

But, then there were the hard lessons. Who knew that low self-esteem started so early? Early in the year, I was shocked when I heard a group of fourth grade girls discussing what they didn't like about themselves. They were all beautiful nine year olds, who thought they were ugly, overweight, and stupid. I remembered feeling like that as a teenager, but not at nine!

Instead of worrying about the decibel level in the cafeteria, I decided my time was better spent talking to that particular group of girls about what it really means to be beautiful. The rest of the year, I tried to spend time with those girls and others like them while they ate (except when I had to get up to open milk cartons--a skill I sadly never perfected). Maybe it was because they had spent the whole morning quietly learning, but they seemed very willing to chat about things at lunch. I talked to the kids about many topics, and I encouraged them to try new things, to see what they enjoyed and might be good at.

I decided to carry those conversations over at home, too. At home, I had been too focused on regulating the decibel level at the dinner table. When I realized my kids were getting older and weren't immune to those negative feelings, I realized it was important to let them talk. From that group of fourth grade girls, I learned the most valuable lesson about mealtime, whether at home or at school. More important than what kids eat or how much, is the things they talk about while they are eating.

Keeping Hearts at Home,
Patti Welander
Wife to Jim and Mom to James, Sam, Sarah, and Sarina

Golfer Makes A Million Dollar Shot

Wow! Imagine you had a sore wrist, had to borrow your brother's clubs to take a longshot at making a million dollars if you hit a 150 yarder and got a hole in one?
Now imagine you did it! Think you were dreaming? That's probably what Jason Hargett thought when he did it!
Watch this amazing video and his reaction:

Back To School and How Do I Keep My Kids Healthy?

Most students have started back to school and college students will soon be as well. How are we going to keep them healthy this year? Especially with the latest flu scare? The answers most health professionals will give you is prevention and healthy immune systems.

Let’s talk about prevention first.

We all know now the washing your hands often is one of the best ways to prevent getting sick. It’s impossible not to touch contaminated surfaces especially in areas where large people congregate, like schools. So washing your hands with soap and water along with using an alcohol based hand sanitizer when soap and water isn’t available is your first line of defense. Washing before and after using the restroom, before eating and after times of sharing items is key.
Do not use antibacterial soaps. Overuse of these types of soaps along with the overuse and misuse of antibiotics are part of the reason we have some of these superbugs today. Plain old soap and water, washed well enough and long enough is plenty good enough.

Next, we have the responsibility to stay home and keep our children home and away from others when sick. I cannot stress this enough. It used to really irritate me when I would go to work and would have to share a workspace with someone who is sick. They would be feverish, sneeze and cough all over. Having to share papers and air space with them just wanted to make you hurt them. I’m sure you wouldn’t want your healthy children to have to be exposed to a child who is sick, right? Then we need to extend that same courtesy to others and keep our children and ourselves home when sick. Doing so will considerably slow the spread of illnesses.

Now, let’s talk about healthy immune systems.

Unless you and your children live in a bubble till flu season is over, your next line of defense is to make sure you have a healthy immune system. We know eating right and drinking lots of fluids is key. Healthy bodies come from eating healthy food and drinking healthy beverages. But that may not be enough. Food is so over processed and fruits and vegetables are picked before ripening, which does not provide enough of the nutrients we need. This is where supplementing your diet comes in.

Almost everyone has now recognized the importance of adding natural vitamins and minerals to their diet, but there are so many, which ones should you take? Since money is tighter even more nowadays, it’s important that you get the most for you money. Spending wisely and still getting the best is so important. Now more than ever.
Remember, cheap vitamins are cheaply made, do not have hardly any research behind them, do not have any quality control and often do not work. That’s money wasted. Good, quality, natural vitamins cost more, but provide your body what it needs thereby giving you the best value for your money – a healthy body with a healthy immune system that is a barrier between you and illness. Believe me, staying healthy is a lot cheaper than being sick! More fun, too!

Here is what is recommended to stay healthy:

Start with your foundation – the Multi-Vitamin and Multi-Mineral
Age, gender, children and infants all have different needs, make sure you pick the right one for you. You need “Muti’s” to fill in the gaps, basically your foundation for health - then you build from there.
Vita-Lea with Iron – for women of child bearing years and teens
Vita-Lea without Iron – for men and post menopausal women
Vita-Lea Gold with Vitamin K & Vita-Lea Gold without Vitamin K - for men and women over age 50
Shaklee Baby Multivitamin & Multimineral Powder – for infants and toddlers - Shakleebaby Multivitamin & Multimineral Powder delivers 23 essential nutrients that your baby may not be getting from foods.
Incredivites - Shakleekids Incredivites is the first children's chewable multivitamin in the U.S. with lactoferrin, which helps kids' immune systems stay supercharged.*

Antioxidants – having these nutrients in your system before you are exposed to illness is key. Your defense mechanism – your immune system - needs these nutrients in enough quantity to fuel it’s defensive line. They also help your immune system recover faster if an illness got by the first line of defense and you did become ill.

NutriFeron - A Shaklee exclusive, NutriFeron is a patented, clinically proven blend of immune-strengthening plant extracts. When used daily, it increases the production of your body’s natural interferon, a critical activator of the immune system. NutriFeron works at the cellular level, by rapidly activating your immune system’s defenses*

Need extra immune support or are you already sick? Then try these other immune building products:

Defend & Resist Complex - Help your body respond to seasonal challenges by giving your immune system what it needs to stay strong. To supercharge the immune system when you feel that first tickle, take six tablets a day for seven days.*
Immunity Formula I - To keep your immune system strong and in good working order, Immunity Formula I provides the essential nutrients for healthy immune function. Full nutrition potency is guaranteed with ShakleeGuard®, a patented blend of antioxidants and rosemary extract.

So remember, this year is already shaping up to be a rough one when it comes to illness. Protect you and the ones you love with a healthy immune system.

Remember, Shaklee makes a great gift, too! Give the gift of good health this year.




* These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.