I will be MIA until Saturday afternoon

I just wanted to give all my readers a heads up that I will be gone from now until Saturday afternoon. I am going on a Mommy and Me overnight camping trip with Fiona. Wish me luck! Tonight I am sure I will be inundated with tons of high pitched squealing and giggles. The only thing I am really hoping NOT to happen: getting my shoes wet. Like soaking wet. I cannot stand squishy shoes or wet socks. Yeah, that is probably the least of my worries but I am hoping it doesn't happen. I am hoping that Fiona has a great time and enjoys her first camping experience. Granted we are going to be in platform tents with little cots but the little girls are going to be doing the cooking and they will get to see what it is like to spend the night with nature. I am sure I will have tons of pictures to post when we get back so look forward to seeing them!!!!

Until tomorrow!

I have won!

For those that are a little apprehensive about entering contests and giveaways, check out my "Things I Have Won" page here on the blog. I just started it on May 9th, and already I have won 3 giveaways! It is great!!!!!! Of course I will post pictures of the items when I receive them as well. Just remember, you can't win if you don't enter!!! You can enter more than 30 times with my current giveaway! Just wanted to let you all know that "real" people DO win these giveaways! :)

Good Morning online deals!

First, I have reached 15 Google Friend Connect followers!!!!!!!!!!!!!! HUGE step in the right direction!!! Look for my first giveaway later today, I still have to take pictures of it. To tide you over, here are a couple online deals.

Linens-N-Things has .99 cent shipping until May 18. Use code MAYSHIP99 at checkout to get the discount.

Snapfish has 120 prints for $10. Just use code MOM2010 at checkout. This is a great way to print all your Mother's Day pictures and kid's school field trip pictures!

That's it for this morning, I have a hungry little girl demanding her oatmeal! Look for the giveaway later on today!!!!!

WIN this very cute Zebra tutu!!!

Win this awesomely adorable Zebra Tutu from Posh Trendy Blog. Click HERE to enter!!!

Who would be interested....

In weight loss tips, tricks, motivation, groups, etc? I am thinking of adding a "Weight Loss Wednesday" special blog post each week. I am thinking we could use it to hold ourselves accountable to someone, as motivation, and to share exercise and recipe tips. What do you think? Would you participate?

I will personally use the entries to blog about my current weight, how much I lost/gained in the past week, what my meal plans are, what I am planning on doing for exercise the following week, etc.

What do you all think about this? I am somewhat apprehensive, because I am embarrassed about my weight. Knowing that potentially hundreds of people will see the number, my actual weight, but then again, that number and knowing that all those people might see it, makes me all the more motivated to see that number DROP!

FREE kids admission to the Zoo May 15!!!!

Tomorrow, May 12 is Zoo day at Kroger and Scott's. 3% of all sales will be donated to the Fort Wayne Children's Zoo. Also, if you bring your Kroger or Scott's receipt dated May 12 to the zoo on May 15, you will get FREE child's admission!!! This is a great way to "try" the zoo! Adult admission is just $13.00 and parking is FREE! Kroger has some awesome sales in store for this special event. Go here to see the ad!

Comfort cookbook giveaway

Win a signed copy of the new cookbook, Comfort here. Remember, you can't win if you don't enter. Ends May 14.

A personal friend

Helping out a friend with her blog :)

An AWESOME toddler bundle giveaway!

Win a bundle of toddler goodies from Knitting and Sundries! Go here to enter. Included in the giveaway is TWO Cranium preschool games, Polar Bear ABC and Puppy Pals Bingo. Also Guess How Much I Love you by Sam McBratney and The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein. These are great books to read to your kids! And the games look like they would be super fun for pre school children! The only way to win is to enter! Head on over, the giveaway ends May 20.

WIN a flat iron!!!

Win a Hana Professional 1" Flat Iron Pink Edition from misikko. Enter for your chance to win! You can't win if you don't enter! Ends 5/21/2010.

Pamper youself with a FREE sample from Spa Naturals

Click here to get a free sample from Spa Naturals. The kit includes a 1.25 oz. Orange Ginger Facial Cleanser Bar, .25 oz. Citrus Mint Facial Scrub and .25. oz Cucumber Aloe Facial Moisturizer -- all in a reusable organza bag with a coupon for yet another great South of France Spa Naturals offer. Perfect for a mini spa night to relax after a hard day.

FREE Feminine Products

I don't know about you all but I hate paying for feminine products. Toilet paper too. They are expensive!!! This week there are LOTS of FREE or very very cheap liners, tampons, and pads. Here are the deals:

CVS
U Kotex $4.99
Get $4.99 Extra Care Bucks
FREE!!! If you use a coupon, they are actually PAYING you to take the product from the store!!! There is a limit of 1 offer per CVS card.

Carefree liners
$1.00
There are coupons for $1.00 off any Carefree making these FREE!!!

Stayfree liners
$1.00
There are coupons for $1.00 off any Stayfree making these also FREE!!!

Kotex liners
$1.00
There are coupons for $1.50 off any 2 Kotex making these just $.25 a pack!


If you don't use these products, consider getting them anyway and donating them to a women's shelter. They are always in need of these items!

Win a Starbucks gift card!

Starbucks Contest Give Away

Win a gorgeous homemade tote bag

I love the look of this homemade tote. How could I NOT? It has the bird from my blog on it. Jenna at I Got the Notion handmade this cute bag for her first blog giveaway. The tote has plenty of pockets and is fully lined. Perfect for an everyday bag, diaper bag, or even a chic book bag. Win it here!

Birthday Parties on the Cheap

Who doesn't like throwing a great party for their child's birthday? Everyone wants their kids to have great, memorable birthdays but they don't have to be expensive! Here are some tips on having a fun AND affordable party.

-Get goody bag items on clearance after holidays.
This year after Easter I got cute little flip flops filled with jellybeans for Fiona's party for $.25 each!
-Make your own cake.
A cake mix and tub of icing costs around $3.00, they can be free or close to it with coupons. Kids don't really care what the cake looks like, as long as they get to eat some!
-Print your own or make your own invitations and decor
You can find TONS of FREE printable birthday invitations and decor online. Also, before hand delivering your invites, make sure that the gas spent is cheaper than the stamp it would cost to mail the invite.
-Create your own photo books for your child to show off the past year
Many photo printing sites offer free prints when you sign up and they frequently have promotional codes out for free prints. Get an inexpensive photo book and WA-LA! A cheap photo flip book.
-Play silly games
Save money and some house damage, don't buy a pinata. Play simple games that don't require materials or ones that use materials you already have. Duck duck goose, tag, three legged races, etc.
-Shop the Dollar Tree!
The Dollar Tree has AWESOME party supplies for a buck each. Plates, napkins, cutlery, all a dollar. They even have helium balloons.
-Shop clearance sales all year long for gifts
Everytime you go to the store, quickly browse the clearance section. New items are added all the time and sometimes deeper discounts are taken since your previous trip. Shop all year long and stash items in a "gift closet" or tote. When a birthday comes along, shop the gift closet!

I hope these tips help you when planning your next birthday party! Do you have any tips for saving money on birthday parties? Please share!!!

Where to be a Cheap Peep in the Fort

Couponing is a popular subject on the web these days. You can find tons of blogs and websites dedicated to finding the best weekly deals at CVS, Walgreens, and many other stores. What there aren't many of are websites that showcase the local bargain shops. I wrote this article on the best thrift/resale shops in Fort Wayne. Read it here. Where do you find your best bargains at? I would love to hear your feedback, even if you don't live in Fort Wayne.

Don't forget that it is garage sale season! Here is a calendar that has many association sales for Fort Wayne. If you have any to add, please let me know the name of the association, a major intersection, and the date/time of the sale. Here is the calendar.

Easy Peasy contest!

Want to win a $50 Chili's gift card just like I did? It's simple! Upload a short video here telling Chili's why you don't want to cook tonight! I uploaded my video last night and won this morning. Not very many entrants so your chances of winning are HIGH!

My new Blog Button!

What do you think?

Welcome!

So I decided to try my hand at this blogging thing. We shall see how it turns out.