Terrific Tuesday

On the Go snacks

Our summers life's are always packed full of something, like most people.  My family loves to camp in the summers and we are always on the go doing something all year long.  I have really been trying to watch what I am eating and lose some weight.  So I am always looking for some ideas and new things to keep if fresh for me.  I not only want to have healthy things for me but for Noah as well.  He is already wanting what Joe and I are eating and it is only going to get worse when he can ask for the stuff himself.  So I want to be setting a good example for him as well.  I a few years these will be great to take for after school activities for Noah.  Evenings at the ball field, football field or where ever he chooses to have us drag him!
Joe and I have different approaches to how we feel Noah should eat.  Yes we agree it needs to be healthy and we don't give him alot of junk.  But Joe feels he needs to eat everything on his plate and I feel as long as he eats all his protein and some veggies that is ok.  My parents never made us sit until our plates were clean,. Yes we did need to eat onur dinners but were not made to clean our plates.  Where as Joe came from a generation where you do that, in fact most of the time he will eat what is left over just because.  I don't think that is a healthy way of doing things.  I will say he has gotten much better about that sort of stuff.
I have heard all the rage about Pinterest, my cousins, my friends, people on facebook, everyone.  I set up an account months ago but never really bothered with it.  In having a conservation with my friend Meg she was telling me about all the things she cooks from there and other ideas she has gotten.  So one night she sat and texted me thorough a Pinterest crash course.  So thanks Meg for the lesson and the new addiction.
Here are a few snack ideas I saw and modified to help me stay healthy and not grab that candy bar and sugar.

For all of these snacks you will need two containers, a smaller one and a larger one.  The small one needs to fit inside the larger one with room left. So you can put your snacks in around them.

You use the smaller bowl for your dip and have your snack around it in the bigger bowl, so you have it all in one.  The nice thing is you can but a lid on both of them and take them pretty much anywhere.  You can pretty much use this for any type of snack you can imagine.

I like Ranch dressing with my veggies, but dressing can be pretty unhealthy, so I have started to make my own.  I get the Hidden Valley Ranch Packs.

I use the fat free mayo and 1% milk.  I haven't tried the skim milk  yet because I don't know if taking that much fat out of it would leave it with any flavor.  I like it for two reasons this way, first is it alot lower calorie and second it is alot thinner so you don't need as much, especially on a salad.   So I put the serving size I want in the smaller bowl and put the veggies around it.  You can use carrots, green peppers, celery or even broccoli.  Now that it is summer and we have a few cherry tomato plants in our yard I can't wait until those are ripe and ready to eat.

Another thing I have fallen in love with recently is the whipped Jif peanut butter.

I have to be honest I am not a big peanut butter eater, but I really love this stuff.  It is nice and fluffy.  As you can see on the picture you can use apples or even celery with it.  The top has a recipe to add honey and cinnamon to make a flavored type dip.

I am not a big mustard fan but you could do mustard and pretzels, chips and dip.  I could go on and on.  Not only can these ideas save you in calories but it will also save you in money, especially on a road trip or from vending machines.

I would love to hear what types of on the go snacks everyone else makes and would love to share.

Happy snacking.
Melinda

Saving Money

Who doesn't love the idea of saving money!  Everyone always likes to have extra money in their pockets no matter what they choose to use it for.  For us it has become almost a necessity.  About 9 months before Noah was born Joe lost his job due to down sizing at the company he worked at.  A lot of people ask why we continued with the adoption because of it, but we were so far into the process and already had the finances in place and paying the loans from it why wouldn't we.  So for many months he was out of work and once he did find a job it was part-time making very minimal pay.  Having a baby is expensive no matter how you look at it, but we have the added expense of the adoption on top of it, our choice in a way I know.  So I have tried to become crafty with saving money.  I am no where close to being one of those extreme coupon people, and to be honest I don’t really know if I want to be.  They border being hoarders if you ask me buying stuff they will never even use and so much of it they could never use it all.  I am happy to just save a few bucks on the stuff I do buy and will use.  And then spend it on things for Noah!  I haven’t gotten the save part down pat yet, but I guess it equals out. 

So I thought I would share a few of the things I use to help save a little bit of money in our house.  I do the normal Sunday coupons, sometimes.  I have to say I do need to be better about those, but we don’t get the paper at home and I never think to stop and get one while I am out and about on Sundays.

Coupons.com

I use the coupons.com on my computer to print the coupons for items we use.  They have a great selection of items and you can really get some good coupons on there.  The program will let you print 2 sets from each computer you have.  So say you have a laptop you can print 2 sets and if your spouse has one you can print 2 sets from that one too.  I try to spread them out and not print all at one time because it moves the dates they expire out.  So maybe print 1 set each week.  

About 2 weeks ago I downloaded the app to my iphone.  When it asked if it could use my location I said no and the amount of coupons that it listed was crazy!  You can look at them, highlight the ones you want, if you have a wireless connection to your printer hooked up you can print right then.  But if you don’t you can email them to yourself and you get them in a link on your email and can print them from there.  So it was an easy way to get another set of coupons, but a better selection of them.  You can also do a coupon exchange with a friend.  My mom will print the coupons for wipes and diapers and give her set to me.  

Ibotta

 This is another app you can download to your phone.  It has dollar amounts set for certain items they have listed, and you get cash back on it.  For example they have CLEAR Scalp & Hair Therapy hair oil.  You get $1.25 cash back on the item.  And if you have a paper coupon you can use that as well and it won’t affect the cash back amount.  So if you have a $1.00 coupon you save a $1.00 right away and then get the $1.25 cash back for a savings of $2.25.  You have to take a picture of your receipt and then scan the items and submit it via your phone.  It will tell you when you scan the item if it isn't a match to their item, so you have to be very careful you get the exact item they have listed or you won’t get the cash back.  The only thing I don’t really like about the site is there isn’t a large selection of items at a time maybe like 16 to 20, but it is still cash back on what you use.  Usually within a few minutes you get a message the money has been added to your account.  You can leave it in the “bank” until you want to transfer it and then you send it to your PayPal account and use it how you want from there.  Here is an easy link to if you would like to sign up www.ibotta.com/r/NmG8Q

EBATES

This is an online shopping site that also offers cash back.  To use the Ebates you need to sign up using the email that you use on the sites you order from, that is how they tie back to your Ebates account.  Each store has a cash back amount tied to it, so say you shop at Old Navy you get 2% back of what you spent.  They have Feature stores where the percent back is increased.  When you want to shop you log on to your Ebates account, then type the store name in the search box and shop from there, you HAVE to do it this way for them to track it.  It usually takes a few days for your money to be added into your account and they are very good about it if you email when it hasn’t been.  So keep your emails from the stores until it is added because you need to copy the body and send it to them.  You only get your money I think on a quarterly basis but you can get a nice chunk of money in there if you shop on line a lot.  You can either have them send it in a paper check or add it to your PayPal account.  Here is a link to their site as well

http://www.ebates.com/rf.do?referrerid=0bgaSJ2GkO7ZmPoCgs7Q9A%3D%3D

Shopular & GeoQpons

These two are app I have on my iphone that have promo codes and coupons on it.  I used the GeoQpons several times this past weekend while out shopping.  You can search for the store and see if they have any codes for discounts or even coupons.  I just pulled the coupon up on my phone and the cashier just scanned it right from there and no paper coupon needed.  It is more for retail stores and is great for those eye catching purchases you weren't planning on and may not have a coupon for. 

Those are the coupon money saving sites I use and love.  One other way I have been earning some extra money is using the local yard sale site on facebook for our area to sale some of Noah’s things he has out grown.  We also have a great consignment shop in the area for kid’s items and I have gotten a lot of great items for him there, especially clothes for play and daycare.  I have even taken the things I couldn't sale online there and made some money off of them.  They go over all the items and make sure the toys and things are in safe working order and have all the parts and the clothing is gone over to make sure it is in good shape before it is sold.  You get half of what they sold it for and the other half goes to after school programs so it is a win win for everyone.

I would love to hear of any ways you all save money or help cut costs in your household. If you would like to email them to me or even post them in the comments I can write another post of them all in the future.

Happy Saving
Melinda

Terrific Tuesday

Time

Time is the ever elusive thing for almost everyone I know.  There is never enough hours in the day, weeks in the year, time with friends and loved ones.  I am like every other person and working mother.  My days start early and end late and I often go to bed thinking, God the house is a mess, I need to do laundry, go grocery shopping and didn't get to spend enough time doing nothing with my son. 
After a busy weekend, but one of taking time to just spend time with Noah and friends, I was rocking him to sleep in his room.  He was very snuggle and nestled right down into my shoulder and had his arms tucked under his body holding on to his stuffed puppy.  I couldn't help but sit there and rock him much longer than I needed to knowing these days would be long gone soon.  It is funny how his little body and head are a perfect fit for my shoulder and arms, it is like God measured him to make sure we fit like pieces of a puzzle.  I have thought that so many times over the past 17 months, what a perfect fit he is.  Not only just for my arms but into our family all together.  It is hard to imagine what it was like before him; it is like he has always been with us. 
I saw a friend write about where she saw her life in five years and it got me to thinking.  I think about the past 17 months and where they have gone I can't imagine where life will be in 5 years.  I look back and never in a million years would have guessed 5 years ago this is where my life would be.  So to guess what 5 years from now would be is hard to think about.  I think it is so hard to think about where things will be 5 years from now is because I NEVER imagined this is where I would be in my life 5 years ago.  Joe and I had just gotten married and were enjoying the honeymoon phase of our lives.  We were enjoying our summer and family and our niece.  We had no thoughts of having a family.  Maybe because it was something we talked about and it was like well I can't have children so that is the way it is going to be.  Then the blow came right before our 1st anniversary.  My brother and his wife were pregnant with their second child.  Time stood still for me and in that moment I knew I needed to be a mother, I had to be a mother. 
As everyone knows I have become a mother to the most amazing little boy in the entire world, or my world anyway.  Though it came with tears and struggles it was well worth it and every bit amazing if not more amazing that I ever imagined it to be.
Time is one of those funny things I guess, it keeps moving even when you want it to stand still.  In a second your life can change for good or bad.  I do know life will be crazy and busy with a 6 year old then.  I hope my house if full of laugher and chatter of all things boy!  And most of all I am sure I will be wishing then time will stand still like I did the other night and all the nights before that!

Love
Melinda

Sorry

I want to apologize for all the changes going on with the blog right now.  I am working on trying to make it better and a little more organize and seem to be have problems with that. 

Please stick around and I promise I will get it worked out.

Thanks

Melinda

Terrific Tuesday