Serious Mall Sales!

I usually don't hit the mall for clothing. Target is my good friend. Yesterday we ventured to the mall for Christmas attire for the kids.

I was SHOCKED to see cute children's dresses at Nordstrom for $15. Real designer stuff normally priced at $50. They had great deals in all areas. Lelli Kelli shoes for $39 normally $70 (although they were out of Madeline's size).

Then we headed to Gymboree, another big sale. Almost everything was 40% plus they take an additional 20% off. I had another 15% coupon. That made the stuff the same price as Target, bonus it's higher quality and holds up better over time.

Another stop Macy's. I got Will a nice heavy Nike jacket for $15 originally priced $85. (it snowed here today) WOW! Then we found a great shirt for Kate for $4 then we used the extra 25% off coupon.

Head out to the mall.... tomorrow! Check out the incredible deals. I plan to go back without the kids for some Christmas gifts.

The Best Kids Gift!

I can honestly say " I love Build-A-Bear Workshop".

Know why?

My kids absolutely go crazy to go. They even put on their best manners while I shop at the mall just to get a visit to the store.

Will made "puppy"when he was 1 and at the age of 6 still sleeps with him every night. When "puppy's" bark stops we simply go to Build-A-Bear and they replace his bark for free.

Not your typical stuffed animal. It's the special one your kid keeps over the years then fondly pulls out when they are grown up.

Knowing now how I feel about Build-A-Bear you can imagine my kids excitement when a special shipment arrived from mom select yesterday for me to review on my blog.

Christmas came early at my house!

Look at Will's new moose. Can't you see the excitement in his little eyes? The ears even light up.

We also got a girl. So the girls are "sharing". Kate is 12 and still sleeps with her Build-A-Bear Bunny she made when she was about 4. Shush... don't tell her I told you.

Here is the happy couple. Will put them out on the dining room chair before my cookie exchange party last night.
"Mr Moose" is already sharing clothes with "puppy". That's another great benefit of the store. You can take your special animal shopping and the outfits are affordable.



So this Christmas if you have a child to shop for, get a gift card to Build-A-Bear or build one online for a wonderful gift. Smiles and excitement are a guarantee!

Menu Monday

I think I might stop eating for a week or so.... I am still full from Thanksgiving, the leftovers and our annual day after Thanksgiving cookie bake.

Speaking of being full .... I was watching a show on Discovery that momma whales don't eat for something like 9 months after they have a baby whale. Ummm yeah.

Someone might call CPS so I think I'll feed my family this week.

Monday: 5:45 pm Hit the gym (my favorite class) + dance for Kate = meal on the go, Grilled Cheese Sandwich and Tator Tots. Slim Fast bar for me.

Tuesday: I am hosting a neighborhood women's Cookie Swap. Lots of cookies and appetizers.

Wednesday: Whole Wheat Spaghetti and Meatballs (I use Prego Marinara sauce and I do meatballs separate because I don't eat them)

Thursday: Grilled Burgers and Chips ( I don't eat very much red meat so I usually do a grilled cheese and pepper quesadilla)

Friday: I think I am going to do a Make your Own Stir-Fry with chicken, meat and veggies.

Happy Thank You

Happy Thanksgiving was translated into Little Miss language as "Happy Thank You".

She sang it like Happy Birthday all day long. My big and little girl.

Madeline taking Will down while watching the Texas game.
Me and the girls braved the shopping crowd on Friday.

We hit Kohl's and found some great deals. The line was wrapped around the store.



Then went to Wally World for my weekly grocery trip. We did venture over to the electronics. I couldn't believe at 10 am they still had great deals on flat screens.
Nope I didn't get one.... not on the list this year.

Clutter Crazy

I had to break away from Thanksgiving cooking to de-clutter a bit.

This is my desk area. It's been driving me crazy. It's in the kitchen and it just looks like a mess. A little rearranging and viola it feels better. I am thinking about putting black bead board on the back of the cabinets to make them pop.

What do you think?
On to the laundry room. Still loving the black cabinets but when you open them... what a mess!
Much better. I have my candle stash and I just can't seem to part with the nice glass containers once their all gone. Thinking up some fun projects for that.
The best part all of the cleaning and organizing it was FREE!

Menu Monday- It's Thanksgiving Time!

Who else can't wait for all the food on Thanksgiving Day? What is your favorite food item? Mine is my mom's broccoli cheese rice casserole. A great southern dish.

I am so excited!!! We have both sides of the family here in town so we have a big day of family, food and fun. Oh yeah.... and stuffed bellies. Should I pull out my old maternity pants? I will need them after this week. I don't know what I was thinking when I meal planned I have big meals this week.

Here is my menu:

Monday: Grilled Chicken, corn and mashed potato's. This is a big meal for a Monday night. Last night we had BBQ for our family night so our big meal was pushed forward. Plus it's a nice warm day to grill. Gotta love Texas weather.

Tuesday: Make your own Nachos. I put out all the fixings and each person makes their own. We have these toppings: leftover grilled chicken, ground beef with taco seasoning, lettuce, cheese, guacamole, jalapenos, diced peppers, black beans and sour cream.

Wednesday: Leftover nacho stuff. I will probably throw the ground beef, peppers and black beans in some mac and cheese and call it Tex-Mex Mac. The kids love this.

Thursday: Thanksgiving! I make Great Aunt Mary Ann's Pumpkin Pie/ Cheesecake recipe. This is my 2nd year making it. She passed away and before she was sick shared her secret recipe. We sure miss her smiling face. Sorry this is one recipe I keep in the family. She protected it for years.

Friday: Leftovers, the best part! We put up the Christmas tree, eat leftovers and bake sugar cookies. An annual family tradition.

100 FREE Christmas Photo Cards

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This offer ends November 30th so don't miss out!

Thank you Kingdom First Mom for the heads up!

I went to Goodwill...

Some of my home decor bloggy friends frequent Goodwill. Not me, in the past. I don't mind dropping things off to donate but I just haven't been in the store. Honestly, I thought it would be dirty and junky.

Well it was neither. I was SHOCKED to find tons of movies, books, baskets, home decor items. They weren't nasty they were in good condition.

We picked up an unused yoga mat still in the orignial wrapper for $1.25 compared to the $20 average going rate at Target. The little kids each bought a book for 75 cents.

I decided to browse down the kids clothing isle. I saw row after row of designer clothes in great shape. Really I did!

If you have one and haven't been check it out you never know what treasure you will find.

Coming soon.... after Christmas I hope to do a Goodwill furniture transformation.

Mommy Love

Sorry today isn't a frugal post. It's a little about me. I know I have a family blog but I felt like most of you bloggers out there could relate.

My friend Aimee tagged me to answer 5 experiences that helped shape me into the mom I am today. So here I go..

1. I got pregnant when I was 19 and a freshman in college. Faced with my options I choose life for my daughter and gave birth to my oldest daughter Katelyn. My parents were very supportive and I lived with them and finished college where I met my now husband Josh. Who later adopted Katelyn.

2. My mother is an incredible women. She is very giving, loving and kind. I learned from the best! Although she has more patience than I do. Still working on that.

3. After having my 2nd child Will. I decided to leave the rat race and become a stay at home mother. I've never looked back! However I do miss the extra pay check and not so frugal lifestyle.

4. Trying for baby #3 we had a miscarriage. A whole new world of loss and heartbreak opened up to me. I never considered that a pregnancy could end in loss for me. There are so many women who have lost babies. Wonderful women I know have opened up their hearts to me and have become close friends because of this bond we have.

5. I found by trial and error no mom is perfect. No matter how hard I try to be super mom you can't do everything. I've learned to say "no" to take on more responsibility when I am already overwhelmed. This has empowered me to be a better mother.

All you moms out there give yourself a big pat on your back!

Sorry I am not going to tag 5 more moms because I know so many more I would like hear about. So I am asking you to do a post on your blog... if you feel like it. Leave a comment and tell me you did it. I want to read about all you moms out there.

Wasteless Wednesday - It's Potty Time!

** Photo by apmDesign Photography**

***Skirt by Miss Sugar Pops


***

Thought wasteless Wednesday was a good time to announce......

My little miss is officially in potty training mode.

She actually decided this all on her own.

Let me share.....

The other day I put her down for a nap like usual.

Quiet than I hear some noise and her talking to herself.

Then I hear "poopy".

When I go upstairs I see she has tried to change her own diaper. She's even got the dirty wipes to show. Too bad she put them in the clothes hamper.

I've officially potty trained 2 other children so I hope to this goes well. I was putting it off until after Christmas and closer to her 3rd birthday.

After learning with my first daughter, little girls have to explore every bathroom when out and about. Then they really have to go at the dirty one's.

So potty training it is!

My plan:

• I'm not taking it too seriously at first. We will try to "go" a couple times a day and she will start with pull ups.
• We will purchase a pee-pee doll to have her potty train.
• I plan to wait until after Christmas to have potty bootcamp at home for a few days. We will only do big girl panties and lots of sippy cups of water. Fingers crossed she can wait.
• After that I will officially save $50 a month on diapers!!!
  

Do you have any potty training secrets? Please share!