Birthday Extravaganza Pts. 2, 3 & 4

So the boys ended their birthday week celebrations with a visit to Grandma & Grandpa VanDerMolen's, celebrations with Grandpa Dick and Grandma Joan, Medieval Times with Aunt T, Aunt Bobbi, Uncle Aaron, Brooke, Grandma, and Poppa and a final stop at Jump Zone....plus a plethora of presents.  I am EXHAUSTED...and thankful that the boys' birthdays are over with. I need a whole other year to rest up for the next ones.  I am so thankful for all of the people in our lives who love and care for us like family.  We really are blessed to have such wonderful neighbors, friends and family.

Here is a recap of the past week...you may need a nap after reading this...LOL.

On Wednesday we headed over to Grandma and Grandpa VanDerMolen's for a yummy dinner and, of course, lots of presents.  Grandpa is notorious for buying the gifts that you would never, ever buy for your own kids because you would never, ever want them in your house....and this year was no different.  Grandpa got Jax a remote control dog...he loves it.  The rest of us, including the dog and two cats, not so much....

Jax was really having a good time...he just wanted to get to opening the presents.  Not even the lure of cupcakes could distract from the want of diving into the presents.  We had a great night.

We did get a break from the birthday celebrations on Thursday and Friday...only to be sucked into the revamping of the master bath.  It all culminated with the purchase of a new, dual-flush toilet at 10 on friday night...Gary was rocking the Jetta home with two car seats, talk radio and a giant toilet hanging out of the trunk...we are the definition of "hip to be square"....LOL

On Saturday, it was off to Medieval Times (after the installation of the new toilet that is...)...don't worry, I used B1G1 coupons for all of our admissions, the place is a fortune!  The boys also got a joint gift in the morning.  Jax had been wanting the Imaginext Toy Story 3 Garbage Dump forever!!  He even threw a coin in the fountain at the mall on Thursday and wished for it...he was stoked!

After lunch, we headed off to Medieval Times.  I wanted to be early so we could get good seats...and it paid off.  We got to sit in the first row.  But our early arrival left us with plenty of time to wait in the lobby of the castle...where, of course, there were a ton of souvenir stands that Aunt T just couldn't pass up.  She bought the boys light-up swords...that were both broken before we went got into the arena, and had to exchange them both....it was pretty funny:)

Here are some snapshots of the night....

This is my neice, Brooklyn.  Isn't she a doll??  She is also a pro at dealing with these rambunctious boys...she can hold her ground and keep them in line too:)

Uncle Aaron was more excited to be there than the boys...LOL

We ended the night with opening some presents on lawn outside.  We had opened a few during the show, but there were just too many to get through and not enough room to open them all.

As usual...Logan was off on his own adventure and Jax was deep in conversation with Aunt T.

Sunday was Logan's actual birthday.  We got up and I made a pancake breakfast...complete with numeral pancakes.  What can I say??  I get geeked about stuff like this.

We had planned to head out to the park and playground...but it rained all day.  So we went with our alternate plan and headed over to Jump Zone for some indoor fun.  I also had a B1G1 coupon for admission:)  They were on the move so much, I barely got any pics of them.  Here are a few:)

Logan was digging the air hockey game

We stopped for hot dogs for dinner, and then came home for some more cupcakes and presents from the neighbors.  Grandpa Dick and Grandma Joan came over to hang out for a little while and check out all the little goodies.

It took forever for the little stinker to look at the camera for this pic...he was mesmerized by all the presents

So...there it is...a week of constant celebration, toys and utter exhaustion.  I am off to bed.  Nighty-night kiddos...keep an eye out for more blogs in the next few days.

Come On Down....

Clearance season is upon us...and it is a perfect appetizer leading up to Black Friday.  I LOVE Black Friday...if you look to the right of your screen, you will see my countdown clock...just a few over 60 days at this point.  The BFF and I train for Black Friday like its an Olympic event...a marathon if you will.  I am already getting stoked just thinking about it.  Here is a pic of us freezing our butts off last year outside of Kohl's:)

I will usually pick up odds and ends here and there before Black Friday, but will hold out for the big day to pick up most of my goodies...but this year I just cannot wait.  There are freebies and clearance upon clearance galore and they are pairing up nicely with some coupons...WOOHOO!  

Wal-Mart has had a ton of cheap board games over the last week...guess what everyone is getting for Christmas?!?!?  LOL, I feel like Bob Barker...I have board games coming out of my ears!  I love to pick up toys like this because they also make for perfect Toys for Tots gifts.  Here are some of my goodies that I picked up over two trips to Wal-Mart last week.

Stop #1:

• 4 Monopoly games $20.00.  Used 4 printables $4/1 = $4.00
• 1 Colgate toothpaste $0.97.  Used $1/1 = $0.03 MONEYMAKER

With tax, I paid $5.51.  A few days later, I stopped at a different Wal-Mart and found these little gems:

• 3 Toy Story 3 Connect 4 $12.00.  Used 3 printables $4/1 = FREE

Just had to pay the tax on these little goodies...I couldn't have been happier....and you know that I bought all they had...sorry if you were hoping for a few freebies of your own...lol.

Meijer is also rockin' their own toy clearance...more to come on that in a future post.

Target Recap

The last couple weeks are starting to take their toll on me and I am just exhausted.  I always seem to be a day late and a dollar short...I don't know why I just can't seem to catch up, so I will just keep treading water and clipping q's:)

Here is a quick catch up on some of my Target finds.  Here is what I picked up on September 8th:

Transaction #1:

• 4-50 count Huggies Slip-On Diapers $79.16.  Used 4 Target printables $2/1 and 4 manufacturer q's $3/1 = $59.16.

Paid a total of $63.00 (stinking tax) OOP and got back $20.00 in Target gift cards for an end cost of only $0.20/diaper...not bad since they do double duty as pull-ups and we are potty training right now.

Transaction #2:

• 1 box Huggies Overnight diapers $19.79.  Used Target q $1.50/1 and manufacturer q $1.50/1 = $16.79
• 4 Febreze Noticeables Warmers $11.96.  Used 4 $3/1 q's = $0.04 MONEYMAKER
• Drano Pipe Foamer $3.39.  Used Target printable $0.50/1 = $2.89
• 4-4 count Cascade Dishwasher Tabs $3.88.  Used 4 $1/1 = $0.12 MONEYMAKER
• 6 packs Trident gum $7.74.  Used 3 Target printables B1G1 and 2 manufacturer q's $2/3 = $0.13 MONEYMAKER
• 1 bonus pack Colgate toothpaste w/ toothbrush $1.48.  Used $1/1 = $0.48
• 4 Purina Whisker Lickins' Cat Treats $3.96.  Used 4 Target printables $1/1 = FREE
• 2 Bounce Dryer Bars $11.98.  Used 2 Vocalpoint q's $2.50/1 and $1.50/1 = $7.98.  Got back a $5 gift card = an end cost of $2.98

My total after q's and $20 in gift cards was $11.94 and I walked away with the $5 gift card for an end cost of $6.94...not too shabby:)  I saved a total of $76.27 in q's and gift cards and saved my $5 gift card for another trip. 

I made another run on the 14th (I think there was a trip in between for a few randoms...but I have no idea what I got...that is how it's going around here lately...lol).  Here is what I picked up...all in one transaction:)

• 1 Pampers Kandoo Wipes $1.49.   Used $1/1 = $0.49
• 3 Febreze Noticeables Warmers $8.97.  Used 3 $3/1 q's = $0.03 MONEYMAKER
• 1 dual pack Febreze Noticeables refills $8.89.  Used Target q $0.75 and manufacturer q $1/1 = $7.14
• 2 Boys' Mossimo t-shirts $11.16.  Used 2 Target printables $5/1 = $1.16
• 1 Pantene Shampoo $3.60.  Used q for free item from mailing = FREE
• 1 Pantene Conditioner $3.60.  Used q for free item from mailing = FREE
• 1 Tidy Cats Scoopable litter $6.99.  Used Target printable $2/1 and manufacturer q $1/1 = $3.99
• 2 Purina Party Mix cat treats $2.84.  Used peelie on cat litter for free bag w/ litter purchase and Target printable for B1G1 Free = FREE
• 4 Purina Whisker Lickins' Cat Treats $1.98.  Used 2 Target printables $1/1 = FREE
• 1 can Friskie's canned cat food $0.45.  Used q for free can from previous cat litter purchase = FREE
• 1 package Always Pantyliner's $5.54.  Used q .50/1 = $5.04
• 2 boxes Tampax Pearl Tampons $7.98.  Used Target q $1/2 and 2 $1/1 = 4.98

My total OOP was $27.59.  I saved a total of $38.84...the cats will have plenty of free goodies for a long time...think I will take some to the animal shelter too.

Birthday Extravaganza On a Coupon Budget: Part.1

Today my little man turned 5!  I cannot believe how quickly five years has gone by...and in just a few more short days my other little man will turn 3...time moves too quick.  Here are my little guys at the start of Preschool just two weeks ago...can you believe?!?!?!  Sometimes I wish I could just stop time...when the going gets rough I just remember to take it all in and enjoy the ride because it is over before you know it.

I love to make a huge deal of my boys' birthdays.  They are the biggest and best things in my life and I want them to look back with fond memories of their birthdays and to always know and feel how special they are.  Every year I have to reel myself in from going crazy with goodies...this year, I have made some improvements.  I have been doing a lot of baking lately and experimenting with some yummy cupcake recipes.  Instead of ordering a cake, I made the boys S'Mores cupcakes.  Jax was intent on having a Cars 2 cake...so we compromised with Cars 2 cupcake cups and decor picks....he took it pretty well:)

I am also going to have my first go at making cake pops.  I am pretty stoked about it, we will see how it goes. 

The hubs and I planned a fun filled day today on a tight budget.  In the end, we only spent $40 for a huge day of fun and made some unforgettable memories.  Logan had school this morning, but after we picked him up around lunch time the festivities began.  Our first stop was Brookfield Zoo.  It was a gorgeous day and with most of the kiddos back in school the zoo was nice and quiet and we could get up close to check out all of the animals.  I packed a nice picnic lunch to save money at the zoo...the place can be a fortune if you don't plan ahead.  We also had our free passes from my Meijer Coke deals at the beginning of summer still hanging around, so we only had to pay $9.00 to enjoy a day at the zoo...stinking parking fee:(  

Here are a couple of snapshots of the boys enjoying the day.

The highlight of the zoo had to be the bear habitat and the the polar bear named "Hobson".  He was so cool and loved to swim for all of the kiddos.  He got up close to the glass and side-stroked by for all of the little ones to see...the hubs and I were just as excited as the little ones.  We stood and watched this awesome bear for a good 15-20 minutes.

After the zoo, we made our way to Giordano's for some yummy pizza.  The hubs had done a survey and scored a $25 gift certificate to Restaurant.com, so we used it to purchase a $25 gift certificate to Giordano's. We were able to get an awesome meal complete with a pizza just for the boys, our own deep dish, drinks and an app for $24 with tip.  Jax was super excited he got to pick his own toppings and didn't have to settle for our choices.

After stuffing ourselves with pizza, it was onto the next fun-filled adventure...the place all parents loathe and all kids adore...Toys R' Us.  I dislike Toys R' Us for a multitude of reasons, but I signed my kiddos up for their birthday club so every year they each get a coupon for $3/$3 purchase and they get to go and pick out a small toy for themselves.  We also chip in a buck or two to help them out.  Jax knows the power of a coupon in this house and was super excited to have and use his very own.  We gave the boys a spending limit of $5 each.  Logan had no trouble picking out a pack of Matchbox cars...but the decision was a little harder for Jax.  he finally settled on a pack of Matchbox cars as well.  Our total OOP was $4.96.  The boys also each got a birthday crown and balloon too.  I think they thought they had hit the jackpot.

Could he be any cuter??

I love the expression on Logan's face

We finally made it home at around 8 and still had a little more celebrating to do.  We got out the cupcakes, the big "5" candle and sang and off-key version of Happy Birthday.  Good times:)

Our neighbors, Grandpa Dick and Grandma Joan and Lauren, came over to enjoy some cupcakes with us and bring the kids some goodies for their birthdays.  The boys had a blast and capped of the night with their newly acquired cars.

It was such an awesome day.  In the end, we spent a total of about only $40 for a fun filled day packed with all sorts of goodies.  Our q's saved us over $65....we cut the cost of our day by over half!  The boys had so much fun, I swear they probably thought we spent a million bucks...lol.

I will leave you all with this...the perfect sentiment for today.  It really is a Good Life.  Stay tuned as our birthday extravaganza continues...

Meijer Madness

Meijer is still throwing out some good deals, so I have been hitting them consistently each week for the past couple of months.  Since I am so far behind on my blogging, I am gonna combine all of my Meijer deals together in one long-winded post.  So here you go...

August 29th's pit stop was still part of the buy 10, get the 11th item free sale.  I, of course, had to do two transactions at the Meijer...shocker.  I saved a total of $7.35 in q's and spent an OOP of 12.29.

Transaction #1:

• 2.5 lbs black grapes = $2.35
• 4 Krusteaz baking mixes $4.00.  Used 2 printables $1/2 = $2.00
• 2 boxes Pizza Rolls $2.00.  Used manufacturer q .40/2 and mPerks q .40/2 = $1.20
• 4 Old Orchard Juice $4.00.  Used printable $1/4 and mPerks $1/4 = $2.00
• 1 Bad Meijer Pretzel Braids $1.00.  Rang up as my 11th item = FREE

Transaction #2:

•  2 boxes Pizza Rolls $2.00.  Used manufacturer q .40/2 and mPerks q .40/2 = $1.20
• 4 Old Orchard Juice $4.00.  Used printable $1/4 = $3.00

Next trip to the Meijer was on Spetember 4th.  I actually only did one transaction...a rarity.  I spent a total of $5.82 OOP and saved $13.17 in q's.  Here is what I brought home:

• 4 Simply Orange Juice $3.96.  Used 4 printables $1/1 = FREE
• 4 Simply Raspberry Lemonade $3.96.  Used 4 printables $1/1 = FREE
• 7 Land O' Lakes Spreadable Cinnamon & Sugar Butter $10.50.  Used 7 .75/1 q's = $5.25

My most recent Meijer stop was a major stock-up of items that cost me a total of $68.27 OOP with a savings of $42.05 in q's and mPerks.  Of course there was two transactions...people just hate being behind me in the self-checkout.  Here are my latest Meijer acquisitions:

Transaction #1:

• 10 boxes Kellogg's Fruit Snacks $19.90.  Saved $5.00 instantly with the purchase of 10 and used 5 $1/2 = $9.90.  Also had an mPerks q for $2/$2 purchase for an end total of $8.93 with tax.

Transaction #2:

• 1-625 ct. box Q-Tips $3.47.  No q for these:(  But I CANNOT live without Q-Tips and this is another one of my brand loyalties
• 1 bunch Cilantro $0.50
• 1 bunch bananas $1.45
• 2 Twix Bars $ 1.58.  Used 2 q's I got in the mail for free Twix bars = FREE
• Roma tomatoes $1.23
• 1 Plochman's Mustard $1.07.  Used mPerks q .50/1 = $0.57
• 1 Meijer Sour Cream $1.69
• 3 Avocados $2.00
• 3 Dannon Light N'Fit 4-packs $ 5.97.  Used 3 printables $1/1 = $2.97
• 18 ct. Large Eggs $2.59
• 2 Coffee-Mate Natural Bliss Creamer $5.98.  Used 2 $1/1 printables = $3.98 (this was by no means a good price...bit I have finally exhausted my major stock pile of International Delight Creamers we had and have not come upon a good sale for a restock...can't win 'em all...)
• 2.25 lbs Black Grapes $2.23
• 2 bags Meijer Pretzel Braids $3.18
• 1 bag Meijer Cheese Balls $1.59
• 10 packages Keebler Chips Deluxe Chocolate Chip Cookies $19.90.  Saved $5.00 instantly with the purchase of 10 and used 5 $1/2 = $9.90.  
• 4 packages Johnsonville Italian Sausage $11.16.  Used 4 printables $1/1 -= $7.16
• 2 Loaves Meijer Whole Wheat Bread $3.00
• 2 packages Earthbound Organics Romaine Lettuce Hearts $4.00.  Used 2 printables $1/1 = $2.00
• 1 package Meijer Cream Cheese $1.34
• 2 boxes Clorox 2 Color Safe Beach = $9.58.  Used 2 printables $1.50/1 = $6.58
• 2 packages Oscar Mayer Selects Hot Dogs $3.34.  USed 2 printables $1/1 = $1.34 

I also had another mPerks q for $2/$2 purchase...

***On a side note, I have finished clipping through the 55 inserts from the weekend.  George is about to burst and must be handled with care...I really need some uber-awesome sales right now to relieve some of the pressure.  Here is what George is looking like this morning....I REALLY, REALLY hope that button holds, fingers crossed:)

 

Never Forget

Never forget what happened on this day 10 years ago.  

Never forget those that lost their lives that day and those whose lives were forever changed by those losses.  

Never forget those that ran into the World Trade Center buildings and the Pentagon as thousands ran out and never returned home so that others could.  

Never forget the brave souls of Flight 93 who fought terrorist first hand and paid the ultimate price to save other Americans.

Never forget those that have fought and and lost their lives for the freedoms we enjoy everyday.

And never forget those who continue to fight for you and I right now.

Drowning In Deals and Inserts

Life has been crazy busy around here lately....the boys both started school, and the deals have been PHENOMENAL.  I have been getting a lot of little mail goodies too!

I have a ton of stuff I want to blog about, so hang in there.  I am still here just dying to brag about all of my little finds.  I am hoping to spit out a few in the next couple days...and hopefully I will have the time because the hubs is on vacay:)

Here are the inserts from today's papers that I have to get to clippin'..there's only 55 to go through...so that should take me no time at all...lol, yeah...right.  Let's just hope they all fit in George's Wallet...we may be reaching explosion capacity before the night draws to an end.