Chase and I are so spoiled! Now that I am a stay at home mom and Chase works with MPS we have summer off to do whatever we please! And whatever we please seems to be nothing, it is nice!
We have recently made some family and personal goals. It was a lot of fun and it is still fun to see our lists hung up around the house. Ryder even has a list of goals and they are where he can see them almost every time he gets his diaper changed. (yes, we are changing table people!)
A lot of our goals are the traditional ones, get in shape, get straight As, do better at reading scriptures & prayer, FHE, etc. But they are always ones that need improved. So far we are doing pretty good, but we can't start slacking!
Ryder will be 6 months old next Monday can you believe it?!?! Time really does fly. Sometimes I forget how big he's getting, I still think of him as being my little baby. He is sitting! I can't believe how fast he picked up on it. It seemed like over night he went from being wobbley to being a sitting pro! I tried doing a post of a video with him sitting but it would take forever to load and so I gave up. I'll try facebook...
He is enjoying solids and can't get enough. We've only done veggies (carrot, avacado, green beans, and potato) so far but are going to try a fruit tonight (peach).
I am giving up on potatoes for awhile though. I think he had trouble digesting them. In the middle of the night after he had them he was crying and looking as if he was having trouble pooping. (Sorry if this is TMI).
Ryder loves making noise! It is so much fun to hear all the sounds he comes up with. He's teething and as you all know, it is not fun. He has 3 that I can see coming in on the bottom and 1 on top.
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Friday, July 22, 2011
Sitting tall!
Ryder is getting so big and sitting really well. So we decided to get him a new toy that encourages sitting. I wanted to get something that could also be adjusted so it helps when he gets to standing too. However, that one was like $50 and with it being summer and no income we decided no. We found this little steering wheel toy that is perfect for sitting age. I had fun with it in the store so we thought what the heck why not? So here it is, Ryder's sitting debut with his new toy! Enjoy:)
And don't forget to work on your 72 hour kits!
*** This post was originally for July 22 2012. It was a video of Ryder sitting and plying with his new toy. The video never loaded so I guess it didn't post...
And don't forget to work on your 72 hour kits!
*** This post was originally for July 22 2012. It was a video of Ryder sitting and plying with his new toy. The video never loaded so I guess it didn't post...
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Emergency Preparedness
Ok so we have had our kits done for a long time now, I just have taken forever to get this posted to give some or none of you some ideas. I spent many hours preparing to prepare our kits looking at websites and blogs. I just did what I thought was best for our family. So keep your family in mind when creating yours.
Non food things:
FOOD:
Here is what Chase and I will have to eat for 3 days. Suggested calorie intake is 2000 per day so I tried to get as close to that as possible. Some things are big packages that we will be sharing and over the 3 days. I put lables on each item and put the designated meal on it so when we use our kits we'll know when it's suppose to be eaten. We put the food in a No. 10 can and sealed it so it will last awhile. Some said around 10 years, my goal is to check in 5 years and update it. Obviously Ryder will need updated before then. A lot of people rotate theirs around General Conference time so it's easy to remember. And then they snack on it during the sessions. Sounds like a great idea and a fun tradition.
We chose to have foods that didn't need cooked. So if you plan on having cooked food you need a heat source.
(ramen & Oatmeal are normally cooked, they can still be softened it just takes longer)
We also figured if we were able to have a fire we could use our No. 10 can and heat water if needed as a back up.
each day we each get a koolaid serving and 6 lifesavers.
Total Cost for all 3 days:
$13.62
For Ryder I put in a can of those puff cereal things and then a few tubs of baby food. I am nursing so that will help, but I did put in formula and some bottled water just in case.
In Chase and mine backpacks they each have around 10 bottles of water. We also try to keep a case of water so if we are driving we can throw that in the car. We have a 3 gallon jug that we have full of tap water just in case.
Below are some items that are not food in each of our packs.
-Wash cloth
- Shampoo and Conditioner (samples or hotel size)
- toothbrush & toothpaste
- Poncho
-Hot hands
- Flashlight and batteries
- Fire Starters
- Soap
- Matches
- Tealights
- Playdough (for fun)
In each pack (including Ryder's there is a thing of Tissue and some wet wipes. I found these at the Dollar Tree
I also got some glow sticks for each pack. Not sure what purpose they would really have (I think I was thinking wilderness when I got these). I bought at Michaels in the $1 bin and used a 40% off coupon. So it was $.60 for 15 of them.
Also, if you are doing the No. 10 can method or have any canned food make sure you have a can opener. Chase & I both have can openers in our packs.
Also a Dollar Tree find are instant ice packs. I'm not sure how well they work though. I should open it up and see. Next time one of us needs one I'll open it to see how it does and buy more if it's ok or get a new one if not so good.
There are some things that we didn't think that both packs needed to include so below are items that are in just my pack or just Chase's.
In m
y pack
- Pads (you never know) These are from the Dollar Tree also. I
didn't want to spend a ton of money on something that will most likely never get used. I have used them before and they work pretty good. These would also be good in first aid kit to absorb blood. (Thank you Evelyn Salt)
- Hair ties
- Nursing Pads (sample from hospital) Not sure how good they work though.
- Wipes ( sample from hospital)
In Chase's Pack
- The Book of Mormon
- Water filtration tablets
- Coffee filters (can be used to get dirt out of water)
I have also made a list of items that I would like to add to our packs and have assigned one a month. I need to redo this though because I haven't been keeping up with this. I feel like I have a good start though and something is better than nothing.
things to add:
First Aid Kit
Tarp
Rope
trash bags
Extra cothes
Copies of important papers
I would love to hear any input or ideas that you have. Also, if you have any questions feel free to ask.
And if you don't mind sharing, if you have ever needed to use your 72 hour kit I would love to hear your story.
So our old 72 hour kits were about to expire, and Ryder joined our family so I felt it was time to update. It was fun to have the food from our past kit to snack on.
For those who don't know, a 72 hour kits is food and emergency items the would help you survive on your own for 3 days. The reason 3 days is because that is how long it takes government to get set up to help in the event of an emergency. These are good to have be portable in case you need to evacuate your home. The tough thing is you never know what circumstance you'll be in when you need to use it. I always picture being stranded in the wilderness or something, but chances are probably just being evacuated to a high school or something. You never know.
Ok so I made kits for Chase, Ryder and myself. It was kind of a little sad doing Ryder's because you never want your child to be in a bad situation. However I have to admit I love putting together these kits. It is actually kind of fun.
Below is everything (food wise I used). I think I did pretty good spending wise.
So I'll start with Ryder because his is somewhat basic. I will need to update his somewhat soon though.
Ryder's was a little hard because he was only like 4 months at the time and I didn't want to have to update his every couple of months so I tried to think what he will need.
Non food things:Diapers I put in a size up of what he wore at the time. He is now in that size so next time his diaper basket in his room runs out I'll use these and put a size bigger in his kit.
Wipes
"Binky"
Bottle
Teether
Diaper Rash cream (hospital Sample)
Shampoo (hospital sample)
Wash cloth
Formula (free sample in mail)
Hot hands
FOOD:
Here is what Chase and I will have to eat for 3 days. Suggested calorie intake is 2000 per day so I tried to get as close to that as possible. Some things are big packages that we will be sharing and over the 3 days. I put lables on each item and put the designated meal on it so when we use our kits we'll know when it's suppose to be eaten. We put the food in a No. 10 can and sealed it so it will last awhile. Some said around 10 years, my goal is to check in 5 years and update it. Obviously Ryder will need updated before then. A lot of people rotate theirs around General Conference time so it's easy to remember. And then they snack on it during the sessions. Sounds like a great idea and a fun tradition.
We chose to have foods that didn't need cooked. So if you plan on having cooked food you need a heat source.
(ramen & Oatmeal are normally cooked, they can still be softened it just takes longer)
We also figured if we were able to have a fire we could use our No. 10 can and heat water if needed as a back up.
each day we each get a koolaid serving and 6 lifesavers.
Day 1
Bfast
Frosted flakes
Apple Juice
Snack
Starburst
Lunch
Salmon Pack
Beef Jerky
Crackers
Snack
Fruit snack
Almonds
Dinner
Ramen
Dessert
Apple Sauce
Total Calories: 2,015
Total Cost: $4.44
Day 2
Bfast
Fruit Loops
Oatmeal
Apple Juice
Snack
Fruit Snack
Crackers
Lunch
Ramen
Granola Bar
Snack
Banana Chips
Jerky
Dinner
Tuna Salad
Almonds
Dessert
Apple Sauce
Total Calories: 2055
Total Cost: $4.45
Day 3
Bfast
Pops
Banana Chips
Fruit snack
Snack
Almonds
Jerky
Lunch
Tuna Salad
Skittles
Granola
Snack
Crackers
Dinner
Oatmeal
Jerky
Crackers
Dessert
Applesauce
Total calories: 2060
Total cost: $4.73
Bfast
Frosted flakes
Apple Juice
Snack
Starburst
Lunch
Salmon Pack
Beef Jerky
Crackers
Snack
Fruit snack
Almonds
Dinner
Ramen
Dessert
Apple Sauce
Total Calories: 2,015
Total Cost: $4.44
Day 2
Bfast
Fruit Loops
Oatmeal
Apple Juice
Snack
Fruit Snack
Crackers
Lunch
Ramen
Granola Bar
Snack
Banana Chips
Jerky
Dinner
Tuna Salad
Almonds
Dessert
Apple Sauce
Total Calories: 2055
Total Cost: $4.45
Day 3
Bfast
Pops
Banana Chips
Fruit snack
Snack
Almonds
Jerky
Lunch
Tuna Salad
Skittles
Granola
Snack
Crackers
Dinner
Oatmeal
Jerky
Crackers
Dessert
Applesauce
Total calories: 2060
Total cost: $4.73
Total Cost for all 3 days:
$13.62
For Ryder I put in a can of those puff cereal things and then a few tubs of baby food. I am nursing so that will help, but I did put in formula and some bottled water just in case.
In Chase and mine backpacks they each have around 10 bottles of water. We also try to keep a case of water so if we are driving we can throw that in the car. We have a 3 gallon jug that we have full of tap water just in case.
Below are some items that are not food in each of our packs.
-Wash cloth- Shampoo and Conditioner (samples or hotel size)
- toothbrush & toothpaste
- Poncho
-Hot hands
- Flashlight and batteries
- Fire Starters
- Soap
- Matches
- Tealights
- Playdough (for fun)
In each pack (including Ryder's there is a thing of Tissue and some wet wipes. I found these at the Dollar Tree
I also got some glow sticks for each pack. Not sure what purpose they would really have (I think I was thinking wilderness when I got these). I bought at Michaels in the $1 bin and used a 40% off coupon. So it was $.60 for 15 of them.
Also, if you are doing the No. 10 can method or have any canned food make sure you have a can opener. Chase & I both have can openers in our packs.
Also a Dollar Tree find are instant ice packs. I'm not sure how well they work though. I should open it up and see. Next time one of us needs one I'll open it to see how it does and buy more if it's ok or get a new one if not so good.
There are some things that we didn't think that both packs needed to include so below are items that are in just my pack or just Chase's.
In m
y pack- Pads (you never know) These are from the Dollar Tree also. I
didn't want to spend a ton of money on something that will most likely never get used. I have used them before and they work pretty good. These would also be good in first aid kit to absorb blood. (Thank you Evelyn Salt)- Hair ties
- Nursing Pads (sample from hospital) Not sure how good they work though.
- Wipes ( sample from hospital)
In Chase's Pack
- The Book of Mormon
- Water filtration tablets
- Coffee filters (can be used to get dirt out of water)
I have also made a list of items that I would like to add to our packs and have assigned one a month. I need to redo this though because I haven't been keeping up with this. I feel like I have a good start though and something is better than nothing.
things to add:
First Aid Kit
Tarp
Rope
trash bags
Extra cothes
Copies of important papers
I would love to hear any input or ideas that you have. Also, if you have any questions feel free to ask.
And if you don't mind sharing, if you have ever needed to use your 72 hour kit I would love to hear your story.
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Yee-Haw a barnyard baby shower
So since the baby is already like 3 weeks old I figure it is past time for me to post this. Hahahaha I received a lot of ideas from looking at other people's blogs so I hope someone gets an idea from me.
So this shower was for my sister Tiffany. She was pregnant with her 3rd boy. However, it has been around 10 years since she last had a baby shower and she has done so much for me, I felt like it would be nice to treat her to one even though she didn't want it.
We decided on doing a barnyard theme. I thought it would be so much fun and Tiff chose either barnyard or frog. The shower was at my house and since it was beginning of June in AZ it was indoors. Here are pics and I'll explain each thing a little bit.
Here is the out side of the invite. I bought the paper from michaels when it was a 5 for $1. I made around 12 invites so it wasn't so bad. The white I originally was going to cut out stripes for the lines and glue but one was a lot of work so I bought a white marker. I made templates out of cereal boxes for the boxes so I just had to trace. It went really fast once I knew what I was doing.
The barn doors opened up to the party info.
Here is the info on the inside. The bling cow was from Michael's for $1 but I always used a 40%-50% off coupon. I got all different animals cow, chicken, sheep, horse and pig. Unfortunately this was a seasonal item and they no longer have them.
(For invites with the chicken bling I changed wording to Oink, Cluck, Neigh, Moo)
The napkins we got the horse ones from michaels in the $1 bin, but used a coupon. The brown ones were leftover from My brother & sister-in-laws wedding. We used the zoo pal plates that are barn animal shapes. They were so cute and fit the theme. My sister-in-law purchase these so I don't know what the cost was. Around $5 maybe? They have different animals not just duck. The cup for the silverware was michaels $1 bin also. The checker cloth was just a piece of fabric from Joannes cost me around a buck.
FOOD!!! Always the funnest part:) I decided to give each item a name and it turned out so cute! Everyone loved it!
Deviled eggs
BBQ Beef sadwhiches
How I made these was I made a dough and rolled in a ball. I placed them in a mini cupcake pan and pushed a Mini tart shaper (pampered chef item) and it made them hallowed out. I filled with pudding and put a squirt of whipped cream. They kinda melted a little and were runny. It was pretty tasty still.
We did a punch bowl for water and I bought rubber duckys that were barn themed. I got these from hobby lobby It was 6 for $3.99 I think. It was short notice so I didn't have a coupon. But I gave them to Tiff after so it doubled as a gift:)
These are a fav in my family! It is just the little smokies wrapped in bacon and then sprinkle in brown sugar and bake! So good!!!
Typical veggie tray. We arranged in rows to look more like a garden. We also had a bowl of watermelon. (One of her cravings at the time and Dr.'s orders to eat watermelon)
We did a diaper raffle which in my opinion is one of the greatest ideas ever! She got a ton of diapers. We gave away 2 prizes and $15 walmart gift card and a $5 gift card to Bahama Bucks.
The shower turned out wonderful, everyone was generous and she received a lot of fun stuff to welcome her new baby boy!
So this shower was for my sister Tiffany. She was pregnant with her 3rd boy. However, it has been around 10 years since she last had a baby shower and she has done so much for me, I felt like it would be nice to treat her to one even though she didn't want it.
We decided on doing a barnyard theme. I thought it would be so much fun and Tiff chose either barnyard or frog. The shower was at my house and since it was beginning of June in AZ it was indoors. Here are pics and I'll explain each thing a little bit.
Here is the out side of the invite. I bought the paper from michaels when it was a 5 for $1. I made around 12 invites so it wasn't so bad. The white I originally was going to cut out stripes for the lines and glue but one was a lot of work so I bought a white marker. I made templates out of cereal boxes for the boxes so I just had to trace. It went really fast once I knew what I was doing.
The barn doors opened up to the party info.
Here is the info on the inside. The bling cow was from Michael's for $1 but I always used a 40%-50% off coupon. I got all different animals cow, chicken, sheep, horse and pig. Unfortunately this was a seasonal item and they no longer have them.(For invites with the chicken bling I changed wording to Oink, Cluck, Neigh, Moo)
The napkins we got the horse ones from michaels in the $1 bin, but used a coupon. The brown ones were leftover from My brother & sister-in-laws wedding. We used the zoo pal plates that are barn animal shapes. They were so cute and fit the theme. My sister-in-law purchase these so I don't know what the cost was. Around $5 maybe? They have different animals not just duck. The cup for the silverware was michaels $1 bin also. The checker cloth was just a piece of fabric from Joannes cost me around a buck.
FOOD!!! Always the funnest part:) I decided to give each item a name and it turned out so cute! Everyone loved it!
Deviled eggs
BBQ Beef sadwhiches
How I made these was I made a dough and rolled in a ball. I placed them in a mini cupcake pan and pushed a Mini tart shaper (pampered chef item) and it made them hallowed out. I filled with pudding and put a squirt of whipped cream. They kinda melted a little and were runny. It was pretty tasty still.
We did a punch bowl for water and I bought rubber duckys that were barn themed. I got these from hobby lobby It was 6 for $3.99 I think. It was short notice so I didn't have a coupon. But I gave them to Tiff after so it doubled as a gift:)
These are a fav in my family! It is just the little smokies wrapped in bacon and then sprinkle in brown sugar and bake! So good!!!
Typical veggie tray. We arranged in rows to look more like a garden. We also had a bowl of watermelon. (One of her cravings at the time and Dr.'s orders to eat watermelon)
We did a diaper raffle which in my opinion is one of the greatest ideas ever! She got a ton of diapers. We gave away 2 prizes and $15 walmart gift card and a $5 gift card to Bahama Bucks.
The shower turned out wonderful, everyone was generous and she received a lot of fun stuff to welcome her new baby boy!
Coupon trip at Frys
This is one of my best couponing trips. Here is the picture and below is what went down. Everything is pre tax FYI.
Toilet paper: 4.99 (We were desperate for TP down to 1/2 a roll. I've never bought this kind before and never will again. It is cheap for a reason)
*This was not a deal!
Minute Maid frozen lemonade: FREE
On sale 10/10 I had 2 $.50 off 1 coupons, but at the lovely Fry's all coupons are a buck!
Colgate toothpaste: FREE
This was a clearance Item for $.89, I had a coupon for $.75 off but like above it equals a buck off. I had 2 coupons but only bought 1 in case I don't like that kind. Kind of wish I would have just done the 2 because coupon expires monday I think.
3 Muskateers: FREE
Cost 2/1.00 I had a coupon get $1 off 2 3 muskateer candy bars.
Huggies wipes: Around $.60
This was amazing! I really lucked out. Ok so they had a sign up that was buy 5 get $5 off. That makes them $.99 each. I had a coupon $.75 off but equaled $1 at Fry's. I checked out and realized the price seemed high. Realized I was charged full price ($1.99) for the wipes. I went to customer service and they fixed it because they left the sign up but the have to honor it. Side note: I had a raincheck for this same deal so if they weren't going to do it I was going to use a rain check anyways. Ontop of this deal and my coupon Fry's apparently has a policy that if they ring something up wrong you get some kind of discount so I got an additional $1 off. So I paid $3 for the 5 packs of wipes! This is a great deal AND I love these wipes so much more than the Parent's choice.
So I spent around $9 total for the stuff pictured above!
It is hard for me to calculate savings because I had to do a return and stuff.
Toilet paper: 4.99 (We were desperate for TP down to 1/2 a roll. I've never bought this kind before and never will again. It is cheap for a reason)
*This was not a deal!
Minute Maid frozen lemonade: FREE
On sale 10/10 I had 2 $.50 off 1 coupons, but at the lovely Fry's all coupons are a buck!
Colgate toothpaste: FREE
This was a clearance Item for $.89, I had a coupon for $.75 off but like above it equals a buck off. I had 2 coupons but only bought 1 in case I don't like that kind. Kind of wish I would have just done the 2 because coupon expires monday I think.
3 Muskateers: FREE
Cost 2/1.00 I had a coupon get $1 off 2 3 muskateer candy bars.
Huggies wipes: Around $.60
This was amazing! I really lucked out. Ok so they had a sign up that was buy 5 get $5 off. That makes them $.99 each. I had a coupon $.75 off but equaled $1 at Fry's. I checked out and realized the price seemed high. Realized I was charged full price ($1.99) for the wipes. I went to customer service and they fixed it because they left the sign up but the have to honor it. Side note: I had a raincheck for this same deal so if they weren't going to do it I was going to use a rain check anyways. Ontop of this deal and my coupon Fry's apparently has a policy that if they ring something up wrong you get some kind of discount so I got an additional $1 off. So I paid $3 for the 5 packs of wipes! This is a great deal AND I love these wipes so much more than the Parent's choice.
So I spent around $9 total for the stuff pictured above!
It is hard for me to calculate savings because I had to do a return and stuff.
Saturday, July 2, 2011
Bestdollartree deals in town...
Ok so I have tried to get my family to understand this amazing deal I have discovered, but not one will take heed of my advice so I will share with anyone who so desires to read the blog...
Dollartree sells Sara Lee bread for guess how much???
Yep, that's right $1.00!
And its' not the cheapy white bread, they have all kinds. 100% whole wheat, Multi grain, honey wheat, bagels, buns, english muffins. The only downside you can't always count on it. There were a few times I went and they didn't have any.
And to answer the question I'm sure you are thinking, "Is it expired bread?"
NOPE:)
It does expire soon though. I purchased bread on Thursday the 30th and it had a sale by date on the 5th so that is around 6 days you have and bread will last longer than the sale by date.
Feel free to use this knowledge to your benefit and hopefully it doesn't backfire on me and now I'll never be able to get it because too many people know my secret...
Sometimes you can get some pretty good deals at the dollartree.
My other favorite find there is disposable diaper bags. These have come in handy with poopies and leaks on cloths when out and about. And they are fairly cheap when it comes to disposable bags so you don't hear a cha-ching everytime you use one.
Do you have a dollarstore find? Please share so we can all reap the benefits:)
Dollartree sells Sara Lee bread for guess how much???
Yep, that's right $1.00!
And its' not the cheapy white bread, they have all kinds. 100% whole wheat, Multi grain, honey wheat, bagels, buns, english muffins. The only downside you can't always count on it. There were a few times I went and they didn't have any.
And to answer the question I'm sure you are thinking, "Is it expired bread?"
NOPE:)
It does expire soon though. I purchased bread on Thursday the 30th and it had a sale by date on the 5th so that is around 6 days you have and bread will last longer than the sale by date.
Feel free to use this knowledge to your benefit and hopefully it doesn't backfire on me and now I'll never be able to get it because too many people know my secret...
Sometimes you can get some pretty good deals at the dollartree.
My other favorite find there is disposable diaper bags. These have come in handy with poopies and leaks on cloths when out and about. And they are fairly cheap when it comes to disposable bags so you don't hear a cha-ching everytime you use one.
Do you have a dollarstore find? Please share so we can all reap the benefits:)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
