Toddler Conversations

While I was at Target looking for summer clothing for my son I overheard a funny conversation between a grandma and her grand daughter who looked about the same age as my son, a toddler.

Grandma: " Does your ear hurt or does your ear itch?"
Toddler: "No"
Grandma: "What do you mean No?

Grandma: " Does your ear hurt or does your ear itch?"
Toddler: "No"
Grandma: "I dont understand you"

After this goes back and forth for a few minutes.

Then Grandma sighs and says: "Oh Ok!" "Does your ear hurt?"
Toddler: "No"
Grandma: "Does your ear itch?"
Toddler claps and squeals: "YES!"

Then the Grandma itched her ear for her. This made me laugh!! When talking with my son I go through the same thing. I have to remember he is just a little guy and I need to ask him one question at a time. He understands when I ask him one or the other just does not yet have the way to tell me which question of the two is his answer for. Asking him one thing at a time makes it easier on the both of us. Oddly this also works for my husband too. So many times I say this or that and I get "Yes". Then I say yes to which one. This annoys me to no end! lol So now I keep it simple for everyone and keep it to a toddler level conversation.

Celebrating the London Summer Games: Red, White & Blue Party

We are huge fans of all sorts of sports. We love to watch events on tv and cheer on America from our living room. We are super excited for the Opening Events of the Summer World Games in London. England is an awesome place for the World Games to take place.

When special events like the Summer Games happen we like to have family and friends over to have a party. I could not think of a better reason to have a red, white and blue party than the London Games!!

I went shopping at Cost Plus World Market for party supplies. I like to shop there for parties because they have unique items. Its one of those stores you can spend hours browsing at everything. I love the art and unique foods. Even my husband wanted to come with me when I said I was going to World Market.

We get many Christmas stocking stuffers and gift here and the summer is a great time to shop here too. I was delighted with the selection of Americana Red, White and Blue items. They have more than the average Flag style stuff. (although I do love that style of classic American decor) I found red, white and blue used in fun designs. The store displays make you want to grab your food and have a party right there in the store!

I LOVE this sign!! My bday is coming up and I so want this.

For our Americana party I decided to have fresh fruits, snacks, tea and popsicles for dessert.  At Cost Plus World Market I found lots of great buys on dishes, cups, serving pieces, paper lanterns, tea-lights and snacks. They even have the small touches that pull together a party theme for a good price. I found some great napkins, decorative tooth picks and ribbon. 

It has been near 100 degrees here in Nor CA so we decided to have family over and stay inside. We plan to have many fun Americana Parties as it gets closer to the World Games. To celebrate the upcoming Summer Games where America will compete against the world in London Cost Plus World Market is hosting a Red, White & Blue London Sweepstakes that runs till Saturday, June 16th. You can enter to win a trip to London and World Market Gift Cards.

We had a fun time shopping at World Market and hosting a Red, White and Blue Party. I will be back to the store soon for the cool sign I saw and looking forward to the London Games.

Don't forget to enter the Red, White and Blue Sweepstakes to win a trip to London to see America compete against the world.

**This shop has been compensated by Cost Plus World Market, but all my opinions are my own and your experience may vary. #WorldMarketSweeps

Mommy Break Time with International Delight Iced Coffee

All jobs let you have at least a 15 minute break right? Well when your a Mom its a full time job that also requires a little break time during the daily routine. I take my Mommy Break Time while my son takes his afternoon nap. When he was an infant I would use that time to frantically get done anything I could think of. Only to find myself even more frazzled than before he took his nap. Now that he is a toddler I have realized its ok to take a bit of time for myself when he is napping. Its great to relax for a bit. Sitting down to read a magazine, to listen to music or sit outside to enjoy nature (only when someone else is home inside of course!) 


One of my favorite ways to relax for Me time is too have some caffeine. As a mom and a blogger I need a pick me up in the afternoon to keep my brain going thinking up ideas and fun stuff to entertain my son. A simple cup of coffee will do, but to enjoy myself effortlessly I have been buying International Delight Iced Coffee. Its affordable at Walmart and so simple. It comes cold and ready to pour. I have tried other brands but it is never ready made and cold. I only have so much time to myself and taking the time I want to be relaxing to make coffee is using up my time. I am a mom who likes to make the most of each minute in the day. Plus enjoy something tasty!

I went to Walmart to get some Mocha International Delight Iced Coffee and a special treat. Sam's Club has the Mocha Iced Coffee variety in a 2 pack for even more savings. Being a budget savvy mom I plan to get it at Sam's when mine runs out. A 2 pack is perfect so I dont have to go to the store as often and also have it handy when I need more.


At Walmart I purchased the Mocha International Delight Iced Coffee and some Pepperidge Farm Cookies. My mom would get Pepperidge Farm cookies for herself as a treat and shared them with us. It felt so special to get one of the cookies she enjoy so much. 

Sitting outside with my garden is the perfect place to spend some ME time.

When my son took his afternoon nap I poured myself a glass of Mocha Iced Coffee, grabbed a few cookies, my umbrella and sunglasses to keep the sun off me, told my husband to listen for our son and I went out back to the garden. The flavor of the Mocha is my favorite. Its the perfect balance of chocolate and creaminess. Its not rich but still sweet.  I find it refreshing to just sit by the garden hearing the birds chirping, unplugged from technology and just be in the moment of my Mommy Break Time. I hang out for about 15-20 minutes like any job break time and go back to the job I love feeling more energized to take on the rest of the day.

Its sunny out so I grabbed my sunglasses and umbrella. Along with the flower lei my son gave to me that day to wear.

You can read my Google+ Story about my shopping trip to Walmart to save money on my Mommy Break Time treats of International Delight Mocha Iced Coffee and cookies.

*This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias.
All opinions expressed in this shop are my own and your experience may vary. #Cbias #SocialFabric #IcedCoffee

New June Coupons for Coupons.com

Food Coupons

• $0.70 off one Kellogg's Raisin Bran Cereal
• $0.50 off ONE BOX Trix cereal
• $0.75 off ONE BOX Kix cereal
• $1.00 off 2 General Mills adult cereals
• $1.00 off TWO BOXES Cheerios cereals
• $1.00 off 3 General Mills divisional cereals
• $0.60 off any (1) Silk Half Gallon or Larger
• $0.75 off Yoplait Light granola yogurt
• $0.75 off 2 Yoplait kid yogurts
• $0.50 off any flavor 32 OZ. Yoplait Yogurt
• $0.50 off 8 CUPS any variety Yoplait Yogurt
• $0.75 off Old El Paso Enchilada Sauce
• $0.75 off 3 any variety LÄRABAR bars
• $1.50 off any flavor Wanchai Ferry Frozen Entrée
• $0.50 off Fiber One Chewy Bars
• $0.75 off 2 Betty Crocker Supreme Brownie
• $0.50 off 2 Betty Crocker fruit Snacks
• $0.50 off TWO Betty Crocker Suddenly Salad Mixes
• $0.50 off TWO Nature Valley Chewy Trail Mix Bars
• $0.75 off on any Glad Food Storage container
• $1.50 off When you buy Hidden Valley and Glad

 

Personal Care Coupons

• $5.00 off Centrum ProNutrients Supplement
• $1.25 off ONE package of POISE Liners
• $1.25 off ONE package of POISE Pads
• $2.00 off 2 package of U by KOTEX
• $2.00 off 2 packages of KOTEX Natural Balance

 

 

Household Coupons

• $1.00 off Comet stainless steel cleaning item
• $4.00 off Scrubbing Bubbles Toilet Cleaner
• $2.00 off 2 Scrubbing Bubbles Toilet gel
• $1.00 off 2 Windex, Scrubbing Bubbles or fantastik
• $0.75 off 1 Comet Bathroom Spray

$100 Amazon Gift Card Twitter Blast Giveaway

You can win a $100 Amazon code from a ton of great blogs! In order to make this as easy as possible for you all the Twitter accounts are on http://makobiscribe.com one page so you can just click them easily then enter once on the form. If you like all of the Twitter accounts, you will get 100 points; however, if you just want to do simple entry - you can just click the enter button and you will have 1 point into the giveaway. You can tweet about the giveaway up to 3 times a day at least one hour apart. This giveaway is open to US & Canada and will be paid via email. The giveaway ends June 7 at 11:59 EST. Please enter on the Giveaway Tools form below & Good Luck!

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My Secret Love...Donuts

Do you have a food that you love so much that you tend to ignore it's bad qualities?
Like a bad habit or a bad boyfriend, you know you shouldn't go there, but you just can't help yourself! Well, I do, and it's donuts. When I lived in California there seemed to be a donut shop on every corner. But up here in Seattle the humble donut is a little hard to find. It's been replaced by biscotti and croissants, and I like those too. But nothing beats a fresh from the donut shop, soft and yummy donut.
Thank goodness for Top Pot. They have several locations and have the best donuts in the city. (And yes, they spell it doughnut.) Having lost some weight, I really don't want to go back to having a big muffin-top, or donut-top, in my case. So it's a struggle.
My fridge is filled with just bought veggies and healthy salad fixings which I will eat and enjoy. I just have to have my goals in mind, and that is to eat healthy to be healthy. And ignore all those thoughts about my love... donuts.

My Mom is Special by JJ

Questions JJ was asked by his preschool teacher for our Mother's Day Tea

There are several things about JJ's answers that make me laugh. First off it is all about food for this kid, did you notice that? And " What do I do for fun?" Make dinner!?! Hmmmm who told him that?

I was a little nervous what it was going to say, after all 5 year olds have no filter what-so-ever. 

JJ and I at the Tea Parry enjoying our cupcakes, YUM!

I guess it could be worse. Another Mom's kid said that she liked to eat brownies for fun :)

And for the record he is wrong- I DO NOT consider making dinner fun. I wish I did...

Vacation Planning is in Full Swing

Now that our road trip is in full on "planning mode" it has sparked my interest to start traveling more and getting out in the world. When you travel there are different ways to get to your destination, I tend to travel by plane or automobile. Now a road trip in your car and an airplane ride are two different things, each has it's perks.

I love the idea of jetting off to a destination and soaking up all that it has to offer. An airplane ride is so quick and exact, you know when you are going, what flight, what time you will be there (pending no delays) and when you will be heading back. The time saved when you fly lets you enjoy your vacation spot longer, I love that idea!

With a road trip you may or may not leave on time, you never know how many times you will have to stop for a potty break, their is always traffic, car troubles, oh the possibilities are endless of what can slow you down. But the "together time" and the memories of your road trip are priceless.

Either way my vacation planning is in full swing, I am checking out Mega UK Promo Codes to see even more possibilities! I look forward to the road ahead whether it is from an airplane window or the passenger side of our minivan.


*This is a commercial post. All opinions are my own and may vary from your experience. 

Frugal Finds and Great Stuff At The Goodwill

This weekend I went to the Goodwill Memorial Day sale. I got there early and the store was already packed with shoppers.

If you are familiar with the Goodwill's ticket pricing, then you know that price tags are marked with a color. On Monday all pink ticket items were on sale for 99 cents. All blue and red tickets were on sale for 40% off. With prices already low, no wonder everyone's cart was piled high.

I bought all the items in the picture above for less than $25, and saved $40! I also had a great time looking at everything, and spent the afternoon there.

These jeans were in great condition and originally $8 each. But they were pink ticket items, so they were just  99 cents! One pair was Eddie Bauer, a favorite up here in the Northwest.

I'm a label shopper and I love J. Crew, but they are an expensive brand. I got these great J. Crew capri's for only $2. I love them and I'll get a lot of wear out of them this summer.

This is a cute Ralph Lauren summer top that was originally $4.99, but it was a pink ticket item and so it was only 99 cents. I love Ralph Lauren, and it's always a favorite brand to look for while shopping at thrift stores. Some of my other purchases were from Anthropologie and The Gap.

These sandals are almost new, and at $3, I couldn't pass them up. I don't usually buy shoes here, but these were in such great shape that I did.

Love these 99 cent pink tickets! I even got some pajamas for that price that were almost like new. I love having lots of cozy jammies, so at this price I can buy quite a few.

I even picked up this pretty white flower vase. It was 40% off, so it only cost $1.80. I now love shopping in thrift stores, and it's fun to make it a challenge to find things I really like.
 
My daughters love thrift store shopping too, so it's a great weekend activity for us. And with garage sale season just around the corner, I can see I'm going to be busy.

Happy Hunting!

Gardens, Kids and Dogs

Over Memorial Day weekend we decide we would build a raised garden bed and plant lots of fruits and veggies. We had a blast doing it (I will be sharing my plan later this week) but I did not realize the complications of dogs and kids lol. My son wanted to use every tool he saw, I was hit in the head with the rake, he wanted to throw dirt at everyone and wanted to pick the leaves off of everything. He had fun hes just a wild boy when it comes to new things. He called everything apples that were plants. The dog is something I had not considered being a issue. She has never been a digger, well until this weekend. The first day we put down the first level of wood and dirt and planted a few things. The next morning we woke up to holes in the garden, plants eaten and the garden soil we purchased all over the lawn! Oh my was it nuts. Plus she even decide to go on a doggy adventure when she spotted the garage door open. We got her back since she stopped on the next street over to sniff a pile of trash. Its been crazy trying to keep track of my son, the dog and plant the garden. But we had so much fun and made lots of great memories. I look forward to sharing our frugal garden plans with everyone.