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Digi Scrapping & Savings Recap

I've been trying to get back into my Digiscrapping. I want to do a scrap of each of the kids through each season. So here are the two I did yesterday.

and

I've even started to learn to make my own templates.

Savings recap:

Some great money savings offers: HERE

Survey sites to make money: HERE

Learn about your finances: HERE

Save on shopping: HERE

Some great Freebies: HERE

Join to earn gift cards: HERE

Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Money Saving Offers

I have found some more money saving offers for y'all. I hope you find these helpful and sign up for a few.

This is a great offer. A FREE photo flip book, all you have to do is pay shipping and handling. Great deal!

If you plan to go to Chili's any time soon, this would be good as an appetizer and best of all it's free.

Enter your zip code for a FREE quote and see if they offer it in your area.



Save on dining out, family fun, salons & more! $5 off your 1st purchase! Click Here


Free orange flashlight from RadioShack
Click Here




Right@Home™-Become a member of Right@Home™ and get great offers, time-saving tips and recipes. This offer is sponsored by SC Johnson, a family company. Privacy Policy. Click Here

Mega Swag Bucks Today

Just wanted to remind everyone that today is Mega Swag Bucks Day! Actually every Friday it is. So what does this mean for you? It means better odds of winning SB's!!

Swag Bucks is completely FREE, and you trade SB's in for gift cards, or gifts.

5Q Friday

Questions for Friday, October 29th: (Special thanks to Bethany, Sandy, Pam, Jesslyn, and Jill for their question suggestions! 

1. If you could be a fly on any wall, which would you choose? Oh man this is tough, I have so many that I would love to be on. I guess I'd want to be there when someone gets the news they are fixin to get....that's a post for another day though. Soon I hope!

2. Do you budget your Christmas shopping or just get it done without budgeting? I try my very best to budget. I try to make everything as equal as possible between the kids also, though it's so hard. They are finally getting to the age that they understand that they may get more/less because the cost of the items they want. So I ask you all this...(am I allowed to ask questions) do you make it monetarily equal, or items equal, or don't worry about equal?

3. What is the craziest fad diet you have ever done? I've only ever done the Atkins diet, it worked I dropped 20 lbs...I stopped the diet and got 20 + back.

4. Is there a TV show that you have seen every episode/season of? I don't think so. I really don't follow TV much. There are some shows I like, but I have missed episodes or prior seasons.

5. What one song always pulls at your heart? Oh really....is today the day to make me cry? Ok here it is.....

 

Good Survey Sites

With Christmas time so near, and everyone crunching for money in this economy, I wanted to share with y'all some survey sites that I use and get paid. 

Here's a few to start you out. Watch out for more soon!

Things I Want to Teach People

I have so many things I want to teach people that I thought I would share them all with you. Be prepared, there is a lot I want to teach people.

• Table manners ~ so many times when we go out to eat I see people chewing with their mouth open. This drives me crazy.
• How to drive ~ did you know that when it is the slightest rain (sometimes when it's just the threat of it) you must go 25 miles below the speed limit? It never fails that I get behind that person. 
• Stop making mouth noises ~ mouth noises drive me insane. At work the other day I had a lady standing at my desk and it sounded like she was sucking on her teeth.
• When you call a company do NOT chew in their ear ~ There is a lady that calls in all the time and I swear she's sucking on an orange. There are also a lot of people who sound like they have their mouth stuffed when they talk. 
• When calling a company actually listen when they answer ~ I hate when someone says "Is this *the company I work for*" Ugh...that is why I answered the phone saying the company name. DUH!
• Being rude with me will get you nowhere fast ~ Why do they think that by yelling at me I'm gonna be able to make that person answer their phone.
• Don't touch other peoples kids ~ this one is for Michelle. But really, I don't want you spreading your germs on my kid.
• Staring at me while you are waiting for someone is not polite ~ Not only is this not polite, it's also rather uncomfortable.
• Pay attention to your kid at the store ~ I know that blouse is really nice, but your child's safety and my sanity are so much more important. I really do fear for some children so I watch to make sure they aren't snatched by someone.
• Show up to work on time ~ if you are late this doesn't only effect you. 

This is a small list...I will right them down along the way as I feel the need to teach people things. Please if you have any you'd like to add. do so! Then I can save me the headache of having to deal with it and teach them right away.

Pour Your Heart Out

Again, just a brief reminder that everyone linking is pouring their hearts out and we should all be respectful in our comments. ;)

I contemplated long and hard about what I wanted to pour out to you. It seems that there are a lot of things I would love to just get out, but I know some people have access to my blog and there are things I don't want them to know. So today I tell you....
I hold a lot in. I hide a lot of things. Why? Because they are private, and scary to share. When I was younger, I really didn't care about people or what they thought. These days though, I hate being judged. Yes, the truth really does hurt, and sometimes it hurts more than people realize. Sometimes all I want is advice, not ridicule. I don't want to hear how horrible my decision was, I don't want to be judged on that decision, because in the end I have to live with it. If my decisions make me a bad person, then fine, step out of my life. Even worse to me is when they feel the need to tell everyone what they felt was a bad decision. What may be a bad decision to you, may be the right one for me. So if I beat my kids, go ahead judge me on it, because that would be a bad decision. If I choose to let my child do something you think is wrong, it may not be, I still monitor them and their activities very closely. So here's me judging....just because I allow my children to do something, because I do monitor them, don't judge my decision because you wouldn't allow yours because you don't have "time" to monitor them. I MAKE TIME!

Learn About Your Finances!

Wanna learn more about your finances? Wanna learn how to save some more money? If so then this is for you! Sign up for their daily emails, and they will send you money tips every day. I love this, it has helped me to learn about my finances and managing them better. This is geared towards women, and empowering us!

Save On Shopping

Ebates is a great program to get coupons for shopping and the biggest bonus, you get 10% cash back. Coupons + 10% cash back makes me really happy!

Check out the site, sign up if you are interested.

Save with coupons plus 10.0% Cash Back on Gap orders. Click Here

Great Freebies!!!

Free sample of Salonpas Pain Relief Patch. Get it here.

Free sample of Vaseline Intensive Rescue. Get it here.

Free orange flashlight from RadioShack. Get it here.

  Free ice cream from Baskin Robbins. Get it here.

Free bag of chips from Food Should Taste Good. Get it here.

Get it while they last!

I'm Joining In...

This is my first time joining in on Follow Me Back Tuesdays.

F.M.B.T. is a great way to start off your week & get more BF's !! 

 How it Works

 

1. Add your blog to the list. (NOT your giveaways please!)
2. Grab our button & the link code to post on your blog
3. Follow all 4 hostesses above, as well as our special weekly co-host, then as many other blogs as you would like. 
4. After you follow a new blog make sure you leave them a comment letting them know that you are now a follower so that they can follow you back, and please follow others back if they leave you a comment that they follow you.

Great Coupons For Halloween Candy!!

I wanted to let you all know that there are some great coupons out for Halloween candy.

- $2.00 off ONE (1) Nestle Candy Variety Bag
- $1.50 off ONE (1) Wonka Mixups
- $2.00 off ONE (1) Wonka® Best on the Block
- $2.50 off TWO (2) Nestle Candy Variety Bags
- $1.50 off any THREE (3) bags Skittles, Starburst, Lifesavers 

Click here to get your coupons! Get them while they are available!

Update on Michelle's Challenge

So remember last week I mentioned that Michelle at Momma's Pixie's Dreams has challenged me to drink more water. Her rule for me was to drink 1 water for every Mt Dew. So I'm here to give you an update.

I have to be honest I'm not doing so well. I get up in the morning and the first thing I go for is Mt Dew. But I do drink it all day while I'm at work. I have my Mt Dew with me and I only drink that on my breaks when I go out to smoke, but other than that I drink my bottle of water. It's only 1 bottle though. I haven't had any at home except last night I had half a bottle. I'm going to do better though. I swear!

You know I am an animal lover and I have a favor to ask. Please help to donate to the animals. This costs you absolutely nothing. All you have to do is click a link every day. I'll post it on my blog. I want these poor animals helped and this is an easy way to help them.
Also if you register for an account, you can earn points for every click and cash those points in for rewards.

Click to help your favorite charities and earn free rewards too! Click Here

Home Improvements

Are you planning any home improvements? Do you love Home Depot like I do? Home Depot prices are some of the best around. If I find something cheaper they will match that price. I can't say anything bad about the customer service because it's always been beyond my expectations. So here's a good deal for you! Sign up for the Home Depot newsletter and get exclusive savings. I always get great coupons to use on my shopping trips. And just so you know, their flower and tree selection has always been fantastic. The associates are very knowledgeable and that helps me tremendously. 

MyPoints

Another great program I do to get gift cards for holidays/birthdays is MyPoints. With MyPoints you can get points multiple ways.

Shopping - You can earn points through shopping online. They have a ton of stores you can use. Just go to their site, find the store, and shop as usual. Points are earned per dollar spent. ie...JCPenney you can earn 2 points per dollar, Banana Republic you earn 4 points per dollar.

Search the web - You can download their tool bar and you get points monthly depending on how many searches you did for the month, or you can search using their site. 

Take surveys - take a survey and earn points for it.

Sign up for offers - Different offers reward different points.

Get emails - They send offers via email, you get 5 points for each one you click on.

I earn my points through emails and shopping. If I buy anything online I check to see if I can earn points first. I also have their tool bar installed and search through them. I keep my points until the end of the year and cash out for gift certificates. I usually get them for stores I plan to shop at. They have so many to choose from.

A Little of Everything

Guess who is the Favorite Lady this week?? Yes, it's ME! I'm Laura's favorite lady every single day this week! I'm so excited, because well you know she's my favorite lady to! I could gush all day about how great she is, but I'm going to be stingy and today is about me!

For those of you who are new to my blog I want to introduce myself and tell you a little about me.

I'm a 25 (+ a few years maybe, but I'll never tell) mom to 3 and wife to 1. I have a beautiful 15 yr old daughter, Lexi. She brings so much joy and laughter to my life. Along with a lot of attitude. I am loving these teen years. No, really I do love them. We have so much fun together. I also have a 14 yr old stepdaughter, Megan. She is one of the funniest people you will ever meet. She has a ton of personality! And my 11 yr old (12 in just a few weeks) son, Braydon. He is a very sweet child. He's full of love and is so affectionate. He is gonna be my famous child cause he's gonna go pro basketball. Just ask him!

I was full time as a receptionist. In my spare time I blog, read, play with graphics or html, scrapbook (though I haven't for a really long time, so I don't know if I can still claim that) and harass my kids. I love taking pictures though I'm not a professional, that does not stop me from believing I am or trying like I am. I also love to find ways to save money, make money, or find a good bargain. It's all like a game to me!

I enjoy sharing my opinion so often you will see a review on a product I have tried. These are not always given to me to try, actually there are very few that were given to me. I just like to let you know what I think so maybe I can help you.

I'm sure there is much more about me that I am forgetting, but guess you'll have to stick around to find out what those things are!

Recap....

Here is a recap of all the savings links and samples links I posted this week.

SwagBucks - Earn money searching the internet.

You Pet - Join this free You Pet community for savings and information.

Pinecone Research - Take surveys and earn money!

Chili's Coupon - Get free chips and queso.

Designer Clothes - Get designer clothes at a discount price. $5 when you sign up!

One Touch Meter - Get a free One Touch Meter.

FreeFly's - Get free samples!

Make sure to sign up for anything that you are interested in.

Halloween Decorations

Ever seen those homes that over decorated? I have one right down the road for me. The pic above is not it, but doesn't even come close to how bad it is. I'm telling you their yard is always so packed with decorations for each holiday. I like to decorate for the holidays, I love to show cheer at Christmas but I don't like to over do it. I like simple, and pretty. Over done makes it look trashy and confusing. I wonder if there are places that put limits on it because people like that exist. 

Do you have people like that near you? Are you an over decorator? 

On that note are you dressing up for Halloween? What are your kids dressing up as? 

I will be taking the kids to my coworkers subdivision, they turn the whole thing into a mini theme park for kids. Some people even turning part of their homes, garages or yards into haunted mazes.

I still haven't decided what the kids will be....I might dress up also. We'll have to see about that one though. 

 A great place to look for costumes is at Costume Wholesale Club.

Did you miss my other money saving sites?

Modnique

Chili's Coupon

Pinecone Research

SwagBucks

Check them out and save yourself some money!
**Image courtesy of womansday.com**

FreeFly's

Do you like getting free samples? Then FreeFly's is something you want to sign up for. I love coming home from work to find a new freebie in my mailbox waiting for me. I like trying a product before I spend money on it. Cheap is good, but FREE is better!

Free One Touch Meter

Do you or someone you know have diabetes. Are you worried about your blood sugar? Don't miss out on this chance to get a free meter. This is 100% free! That means you pay NOTHING! Get yours today!

CVS & Walgreens Deals Today

I was late again this week getting my shopping done, but I got some great deals.

 I got this Neutrogena Split-End Mender at CVS.

Neutrogena Split-End Mender: $7.49

ECB's Earned: $7.49

I used $.5.98 ECB's from last week.

OOP: $1.51 + tax

Walgreens:

Transaction 1:

 

Transaction 1:

2 boxes of Special K cereal: 2/$5 There was also a coupon on the box for $1/2. 

RR's Earned: $2

OOP: $4.00 + tax

Transaction 2:

2 botttles of Nivea for Men Cool: On sale 2/$5 Also had a coupon for $3/1 Nivea for Men.

OOP: .49 for tax!

I love good deals like these!

Designer Clothes

Are you looking for Designer clothing at a great price? I have found the place for you and you get $5 just to register!

Designer Brand Sale Events, Save up to 85% off. Register now and get a $5 credit. It's free to register! Click Here

School Bullying...

**Image courtesy of www.dspnc.net**

Can you picture these children, alone, scared, and hurt because some other children felt the need to bully, belittle, and torture them. A child who is afraid to say something in fear of more bullying. A child feeling alone, because certainly someone has seen what is being done and not said anything. A child feeling scared because they know it's coming at any minute, or the next time they see the bullies. A child feeling hurt because this isn't really their fault!

Since I was younger the thought of someone being bullied has hit me in the heart. I was the kid in school who got along w/ everyone. I certainly had my group of friends that I hung out w/ the most, but I still associated w/ everyone. I didn't let the heavier kids get picked on, or the poor kids (by the way I was one of them) get picked on. I stood up for them, and spoke out where they were too afraid to. Did I get into fights for it....well yeah. Sure I probably bullied someone...you know that girl who liked my boyfriend and I was not about to let him break up with me for her! But it wasn't an every day bully and torture.

Recently there has been so much on the news about kids committing suicide because they are bullied so badly in school. This makes me stop and ask...did nobody see this happening? I'm not saying anyone is at fault other than the bullies themselves, but didn't anyone see any signs?

I have taught my children to be the same as I was. NEVER allow someone to be picked on!

About 2 weeks ago my daughter and I were talking about the boy at her school who has down's syndrome. Now understand that she goes to a very small school, and most of the kids get along great. As with any school they have their exceptions. She has been going to school with this boy since the 6th grade and just loves him to peices. This year they both entered high school. Scary year for all the Freshman.

From my daughters recap of the story, they were sitting in the lunch room eating. Some days Alexus and her friends will sit with this boys, and other days they sit elsewhere, but he knows he's always welcome to sit with them where ever they are. On this particular day, he had chose to sit elsewhere, and some kids starting picking on him. They were calling him stupid, ugly, and retarded. So he got up and went to sit with my daughter and her friends. Well the kids came over and continued with their idiocy act, and my daughter and her friend jumped up out of their chairs and started yelling at them. I'm sure they said some things that were not nice, I'm sure they probably may have used foul language. Because of the scene a teacher came over to find out what was going on. She proceeded to yell at my daughter and her friend for being "loud and obnoxious" to which my daughter let her know that "These kids are being mean to someone who can not defend himself in the same way we can, and we are not going to stand by and let it happen." The teacher made the other kids leave, but told the girls if they made a scene again they'd be in the office.

I am so proud of my girls! Yes, I call her friends my girls as well.

Michelle @ Momma's Pixie Dreams has challenged me to drink more water. So for every soda I drink, I have to drink water. This challenge starts on Sunday and I will keep you updated on how I'm doing.

Chili's Coupon

Going out to dinner soon? How about Chili's! You can get some free Chips and Queso with this coupon. I love these and I'm sure you will to. Enjoy!

Easy Money....

Surveys are one of my favorite easy and fast ways to earn money. I've been taking them for years, and they add up quick. One of my favorite survey sites, and one of the most popular is Pinecone Research. I've been with them for years, and I can tell you I am always paid quickly for the surveys that I take. Never do I get through 10 minutes of doing the survey just to be told that I don't qualify. That is really frustrating. I love Pinecone Research, and sometimes you can even qualify to recieve the product to try out at home! Right now Pinecone is looking for women between the ages of 18-24. So if you match that, don't miss out on your chance. This isn't one you can just go to their site and sign up. Click here to sign-up for Pinecone Research Click Here

Seriously.....

Every morning on my way to work I listen to The Bert Show on the radio. Some mornings they make me cry, some they make me laugh, and some they just make me angry. Today was an angry day. They take calls from people looking for advice, and well I'm very oppinionated, so I'm always ready to give them my opinion. Not that they hear my opinion because I don't call in, but it doesn't stop me from yelling it in my car.

(The dog in this picture is not the dog I'm speaking of)

So this lady calls in and she's getting ready to move in w/ her boyfriend. Her boyfriend has "custody" of his and his ex's dog. The dogs name is Cupcake and the new girlfried doesn't like that name and wants to change the dogs name. This dog is 8 yrs old, and she doesn't like the name because the ex named it. The new guy and his ex have been split up for 3 years.

So me being the animal lover I am thinks this is insane! 1. You can't hold it against the dog, that the previous girlfriend named it. 2. I think of my dogs like my children, I'll be darned if someone decided they didn't like my dogs name because of an ex. Would she want to change a childs name? 2. Get over it lady!!! It's been 3 years since they split, jealousy is not a good thing.

Love your pet as much as I do? Why not join You Pet w/ me! It's a great community with a lot of information.

Always Looking For Money.....

Y'all know me by now, and know that I am always looking for a way to get free money. Well I found a way, and I've been doing it for about a year now. Is it a get rich, no...but do I get some extra money to spend how I see fit....ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC! Even better is, I do it by doing things I do every day anyway. I search the web. Yep, just that simple, I use their search engine to look up something that I would have looked up anyways, and I have a chance to win points. So what is this fantastic site....it's Swagbucks. 

How do I do this? Simple! I have downloaded their toolbar, and every day that I log in to that, I earn a 1 SB's. I also take their daily poll and earn 1 SB, sometimes more. The daily polls are really simple and takes about ten seconds to do. I search the web and every time I do, I have a chance to earn SB's. Every Friday they have Mega Swagbucks Day and you have even more of a chance to win SB's. Thanks to my sisters advice (you can find her at Disney Traveling Family, she has lots of great ideas) I get the $5 Amazon gift certificates, and will use them for Christmas. There are many items you can choose from in the Swag Store to redeem your Swag Bucks with.

Sign up today and start earning yourself some Swag Bucks!!

Keeping Odd Hours....

My normal working schedule is 7:30 - 4....great hours right. Yes...if you're not a night owl like me. After 13 months of working the same schedule I still have trouble falling asleep at night and getting up in the morning. I get up at 5:15ish...sometimes before, sometimes after. I head out of the house at 6:20 and get to work. Go home and make dinner, clean, or do something online (blogs, frontierville..etc) ok most of the time during the week, it's cook dinner and do something online, though I'm working on changing that habit. Trying to!

The problem is, I'm exhausted all day at work. All I can think about is getting home and going to bed. But let that sun set and something goes terribly wrong because I'm full of energy. Even after getting up at 5:15 I could still stay up until 2 or 3 am w/ no problems. I do my best to be in bed by 9:30...read a book for a while, and then try to fall asleep. I FAIL!

This past weekend I had a bit of a mix up w/ my meds and I took my day time meds that helps me to feel awake and alert, instead of my evening meds, which help calm me and relax me. So what happened...I was up until 6 a.m.!!! Which meant I slept until 10:30 and that has screwed me all up! Well I attempted to go to bed lastnight early because we were getting up early to go to the airport (I'll post about that soon). I ended up being up until 1 and having to get back up at 5:30. Then today and tomorrow I am working the evening shifts for the night time receptionist. My schedule is so screwed up. I already struggle w/ going to bed early and getting up early, but now I've really gone and screwed it up.

So what do you do? How do you relax at night to get a good nights rest? Or are you a night owl like me? I know, I know, I probably get a lot more sleep then some of you.

Even More Savings....

I took the kids outside today since it was so beautiful and did my own fall pictures with them. Are they professional, far from it, but I think they look pretty good just the same. I will have to play around with them and Photoshop them some, but here are the raw pics we took.

Lexi:

Braydon:

So what do you think? Not professional, but they aren't too bad are they?