OCtober 30x30

In continuing efforts to get my budget under control, and still stay as super fly as possible, I'm imposing upon myself the 30x30 fashion challenge!!!! (I imagine it said with like a cool echo for effect and em-PHA-sis.)

I've seen a ton of this floating around on the Pinterest and thought, hey...what a better way to get over my Philip Lim for Target losses then to embrace what I already have. For those who don't know, you take 30 items from your closet and make 30 different outfits for 30 days. I'm kinda really excited about this challenge, and hopefully it will get me to appreciate my closet, save me some loot, and look at my war

robe in a whole new way. 

SO to start...I cruised a couple of other ladies sites because I had no idea where to begin. How many pants do I need? Should I do sweaters or jackets? Does jewelry count as one of the 30 items? I took some of this and some of that and came up with my basic formula: 4 Sweaters (because it's getting cool out) 3 Jackets (or blazers...not coats...not that cold out) 2 Cardigans, 2 Dresses, 8 Tops, 3 Skirts, 3 Pants, and 5 Shoes. I'm saying that accessories such as hats, belts, scarves, tights and jewelry are freebies...but I'm still not allowed to purchase anything. So without further ado...This is what I chose:

Let me just note a few things:

-I totally took these all at night and in a rush so I apologize for the sloppy pics

-My comforter is SUPPOSED to be wrinkly.  It’s the style

-Some of the clothes you can’t even see the pattern, which is why I numbered them so when I actually wear them you can see what each is from

 

Ok so I’m totally excited about this!!  I even have day one all set!  WOOT!  On top of things!!  The only sad part about this picture…cuz I think the outfit is really cute….is how absurdly white my legs are.  Oh-to-the-well….next time I’ll wear tights then!

 

{items 1,19,24}

College Bound

I’m sure by now, you catch Lani and I’s budget-friendly drift. Throw in something that makes our lives a little easier, cleaner, less cluttered, and we’re sold. And if it makes someone else’s life better, boom!, cherry on top of the money-saving sundae!

My sister is transferring from community college to a university this fall, and as a 3rd year college student, she’s all about budget friendly options. Working part time, while going to school full time, and trying to have a social life will have that effect on a girl. I heard about Campus Book Rentals and couldn’t wait to tell her. This is a great site! Here’s a quick run down of the perks:

-Save 40-90% off of bookstore prices
-FREE shipping both ways
-You can highlight in the textbooks
-They offer flexible renting periods
-They donate to Operation Smile with each textbook rented

If you’re like Hubby and I, you still have textbooks laying around your house that you won’t get rid of because they were so expensive. Really? It’s cluttering up my house and we’re holding on to them because they cost us an arm and a leg?! I wish I would’ve known about this site back in my day because my bookcase and storage bins would be 100+ lbs. lighter, and my pockets a little heavier!

Maybe you’re thinking of going back to school because the job market is so tough right now, or maybe you want to take a fun class this summer – Photoshop 101 anyone? Campus Book Rentals makes that decision that much easier. I wonder if Will would enjoy learning Photoshop with me… I kid… I kid…

They even have a cute little commercial that explains the whole process:

Maybe you don’t have time to take a class, and you just want to learn at home, on your own time… rent the book! For $18 I can rent Photoshop Classroom in a Book for the summer and learn the program on my own time in my pajamas. That’s cheaper than taking the class and I don’t have to find a babysitter! I know what’s on my summer to-do list!

Moms who do More...

Hey everyone!! How's your Thursdays going?  All good over here!  So...I just wanted to talk to you guys about a little thing Heather and I are doing.  Not really "together," but the same to each bring in a little extra money for the house.  Alright...let me just be honest...we are shamelessly plugging our Etsy shops today.

That's right, people.  We have each opened Etsy shops! (yay! Banners, confetti, horns!! Wahoo!)  Heather has actually been doing it for awhile and is getting more and more successful. BEHOLD!  PAPER MONKEY!

Heather specializes in handmade invites, announcements, decor, and pretty much anything else that has to do with paper goods.  She is absolutely amazing at what she does, you will not be disappointed in whatever product you receive. Here are a few samples of her work:

Paper roses

Amazing invites

Party favors and decor

Amazing right??  

So because I love to also craft things with my hands, Heather suggested that I put some of my stuff up on Etsy.  I was way nervous to do it, but why not?  I love to make things for myself and others, and one of my new years resolutions was to try and make some extra money for the house, so between kids and carpooling and playdates and laundry and and and and.....why not craft and make some money?  Welcome to L.A Crafty Happenings....where crafts are always happening!

I do not yet have a cool header like Heather does yet...she said she's going to help me with that (add that to her shop!)...so this is just one thing I'm selling.  My super cute personalized photo coasters!  I've also got a knack for making bowties...

...and crocheted hats for babies and kids!

{toddler hat for girls...or boys who like pink flowers.  Ain't no shame...}

{newborn hat}

I'm slowly adding stuff to the shop as I make things...and upcoming are some great scarves for adults, fingerless gloves, and of course...more adorable bowties!

So there's our plug for our new endeavors.  We both love being SAHM on a daily basis and love doing this blog.  Our shops are just another outlet for us to show the world what else we can do...which is pretty much ANYTHING!  :)  Power to us...and hope you stop by our shops for a look! 

Blind Love

I took the plunge and got DirecTV. I cannot tell you how excited I am to have a ridiculous amount of channels, better service, more hard drive space on my DVR, all while saving oodles of money. Our cable bill alone was $90 a month. Our rationale is that we don't go out like we used to. We don't go see movies and go spend money on a whim, so having a nice cable package makes sense since most of our nights are spend in. Well, why am I going to spend $90-100 a month when I can spend less than half that for WAY more stuff! Booya! My only teeny tiny stupid complaint is that our new receiver doesn't have a digital clock on it.
So...I might get one of these to put on the wall before I lose my mind:

Clockwork by diapersanddivas on Polyvore.com

Next up is our new kitchen blinds. I got these heavy wood roman shades almost 2 years ago. They helped block out the heat, which is a huge deal in our kitchen because we get direct sunlight for a while and it just makes our kitchen and living room into a sauna. Torture. Well, they were so heavy that they caused the cords to break. And then our kitchen looked like this:

The ghetto-fab shade on left is sitting on the window sill and the right one fell down completely...complete with the white spot on the wall where I didn't paint. It's just peachy.

Well, JCPenney was having a sale! I got a lovely Levolor shade that was originally $700+ for just under $200! Thank you JCPenney sale and a RetailMeNot printable coupon for an additional 15% off. And! I got a single continuous shade for my giant 96" wide window.

I am in love with how clean this looks.

I told Hubby that it feels so grown up now. He said "I know. I feel like I need to go do my taxes now". Ha!

It wouldn't be a home improvement without a missing screw or two and some colorful language during the install. I'm thinking about adding a faux roman shade valance to the top. I'll have to wait until I find a fabric that tickles my fancy, but I like the idea of softening it up a little bit.

And yes, those are Girl Scout cookies on the table. mmmm Samoas.

Recipe: Pizza & it's Dough

It's freaky how Lani and I are on the same wavelength without talking about it, when we're a million miles apart...Ok. Maybe we're only 2,738 miles away... I know because I Googled it.

Anyways!

As usual, we're on a budget, trying to make delicious & nutritious meals for our families, but trying to use what we have on hand. The less trips we make to the grocery store, the less money we'll spend, and the less tempted we'll be to shop without coupons because we're in a hurry! Lani has made her own pizza dough for a while now, so I thought I'd give it a whirl. Yet another thing I wish I did a long time ago because it's so quick, easy, and cheap!

Let me break it down for you:
Homemade dough: 5 lb bag of flour ($2.29) + jar of dry yeast ($4.14 for 13 uses) = $0.80.
Or you can buy a premade dough for about $3.50.
Even if you have a coupon (which is usually $0.40 off of two), you're still talking around $3 each. I know it's a small savings of about $2.30, but saving that each week for a month, that's two desperately needed Starbucks Mochas... Priorities people!

I got my recipe from (where else?!) Rachael Ray, but most of the ones I've seen elsewhere are very similar. I like the picture instructions they have at the bottom of the recipe.

Pizza Dough
Prep Time: 20 minutes

        Ingredients:

• One ¼-ounce packet active dry yeast (2¼ teaspoons)
• 1½ teaspoons sugar
• 4-1/4 cups flour
• 1½ teaspoons salt
  
  
  Directions:

1. Place 1½ cups warm water in a medium bowl. Stir in the yeast and sugar and let stand until foamy, about 10 minutes.
2. In a large bowl, combine 3 cups flour and the salt. Make a well in the center, pour in the yeast mixture and stir with a wooden spoon; the dough will feel sticky and elastic. Transfer to a floured work surface and dust with some of the remaining flour. Knead for 7 to 8 minutes, adding flour a little at a time as necessary until the dough is smooth and springy. Wash and dry the bowl, then lightly grease with oil. Return the dough to the bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled, 1 to 1½ hours.
3. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and cut into thirds; wrap each piece tightly in plastic wrap.

The magic of yeast...Here's the beginning ball...

Rise ... Rise... Rise! It's almost there! This was after about 45 minutes of letting it sit.

And it's puff-tastic!

Lani lent me this little trick for making the yeast activate faster (or if you have old yeast, it helps perk it up quicker): Drizzle some honey in with the water, yeast, and sugar mixture. It gives it a little flavor and helps it get foamy a little faster. You can get crazy and add a dash of Italian seasoning or Herbs de Provence to the liquid portion of your dough, to give it a little extra flavor. Refrigerate the thirds for 3-5 days, or freeze it for a week or two.


Since you cut this dough into thirds, I used 1 ball of dough for some
Sauceless Sausage, Pepper, and Onion Pizza

Ingredients:
1 lb Italian sausage, casings removed
1 onion, sliced
2 red bell peppers, sliced
3/4 cup ricotta cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
3/4 cup grated mozzarella cheese
Extra Virgin Olive Oil for drizzling

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Once the oven is heated, pre-bake just your stretched out dough for 10 minutes or until its very lightly golden brown. This will help prevent a doughy middle.
2. Add 1 Tbsp of olive oil to a skillet. Add the sausage and cook for about 5 minutes, breaking it up, season with salt and pepper. You want to the cook the sausage until its no longer pink, but not much more than that, since it will cook more in the oven.
3. Scatter the onions, peppers, and sausage on the pizza, leaving about a 1/2" border on the crust. Add a few dollops of ricotta cheese on top. The sprinkle with mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. Drizzle a tablespoon of olive oil on top.
4. Bake the pizza in the oven for another 15-20 minutes, or until the crust is nice and golden brown on the edges. Yum!

Pizza is such an easy go-to meal when you're short on time. You can throw anything on a pizza - spinach, any kind of veggies, meat from ground beef to lunch meat, even fruit is good. Hawaiian pizza is yummy with some pineapple, ham, and onions. Pizza is a once a week meal in our house, and one I look forward to because it makes my life E-Z!

Oh How I Love Costco

If you can't tell, I just got back from a Costco run with Will. Despite him dropping an entire berry smoothie on my foot and making my legs & feet a thoroughly sticky mess, I walked out a happy camper with my household purchases on a budget. Here are some of my favorite things:

I know that you have a plethora of juice in your house. To refrain from going broke from buying juice every other day, I do two things:
Tip #1: Buy giant bottles of apple juice at Costco for $6.59, and make them last as long as humanly possible. Once in a while they have coupons in their mailers for either Treetop or Mott’s. I stock up when these dance their way into my mailbox. If a Costco run isn’t on the agenda in the near future and we are bone dry, then I hit either Target or the grocery store. Thankfully it’s usually an item that is on sale fairly often. I stock up when it’s 3 for $3 or whatever at the grocery store or Target.
Tip #2: Dilute Dilute Dilute! I think it drives Hubby crazy that I don’t give Will full power apple juice, but it means that the juice lasts a lot longer in our house… which means I am buying less… which means that’s one less thing to have to keep adding to my grocery lists every day. Which means Momma is HAPPY! I usually do ¼ juice with ¾ water. If I’m trying to get Will to drink more water, I add a splash of apple juice to a cup of water.

Dried Blueberries - $7.99
Next time you’re at the grocery store or Target, take a look at the cost of dried fruit, especially blueberries. Expensive! Hubby pointed this pack of dried blueberries last time we were at Costco and I was floored by the amount for the price. Utterly amazing! I throw these in some oatmeal for Will, or just give them to him as a snack, or even sprinkle on a waffle. He loves them. If I leave the pantry open, he’ll go and get the bag himself and snack on them…the little thief! Ha Ha!

Pillsbury Grands - $6.79
This is my most recent discovery! I like to make these for breakfast once a week or so. It’s a nice Sunday morning treat for us. I keep a close watch on these at the grocery store and haven’t bought them in a while because they haven’t been on sale. $4.99 for 1 can is pretty expensive… I usually have a coupon for them, but it’s at most $0.75 off TWO cans. Again, a tad expensive. This box has 3 cans of the cinnamon rolls in it! And it costs less than what I would’ve paid for two of the cans at the grocery store with a coupon! Hallelujah!

Split Top Wheat Bread – 2 loaves for $3.99
It’s tasty. It’s cheap. And the loaves are huge! I throw 1 in the freezer and we have 1 out ready to go. I can usually get a loaf of bread on sale at the grocery store for $1, but it’s less than ¾ the size of this one and isn't as tasty.

Easy to wander the aisles and aisles of bargains at Costco. I know my cart can get quickly overrun with non-necessities that put me over my budget. Here's what I do:
- Walk in with a list, and STICK to your list. That's all you need, so that's all you need to get.
- Before you walk in, set a budget. Be realistic using your list as a guideline, and give yourself some wiggle room. I spend less than $100 most of the time. If you need to, go get cash for the amount you want to spend and leave your cards at home.
- Keep a running tally. This is my newest trick and it works like a charm. Thanks to cell phones, everyone has a calculator on hand. With every item that goes in your cart, add it to your total on your calculator so you know where you're at. You'll be amazed at how quickly the non-necessities are weeded out of your basket.
- Pull over before entering the check out line and take once last look at your cart's contents. Make sure little hands didn't throw something extra in you don't know about, and that you didn't do the same...

Here are some great tips that were on The Nate Berkus show not too long ago.

Here are some other tips from that show on shopping at warehouses. My favorite was about the codes on the price tags. If it ends in $0.97, it's been marked down. If the tag as a * in the corner, means it won't be restocked, so if you want it, you better get it now!

On a somewhat related note, The Nate Berkus Show is Lani & I's latest obsession. He's a little goofy with his Nate-isms (I love it! Don't you love it?! I love it!), but it's everything we love all rolled into one show! Fabulous home design tips and tricks, organizing how to's, shopping on a budget, clothing tips and trends, and tons more!

Anyways...

Will loves Costco too because of the samples! Today, I think we "walked by" the pizza lady 3 times because he kept asking "mmmmmmmooore? Mama, mmmmooore?". He even tried the orange chicken and teriyaki chicken samples "mmmmmmm"-ing at every bite. I can't dilly dally by any means, but I do get a little more time to cruise and look around because he's entertained by all of the things and people to look at, and has a mouth full of food.

Formula for Success!

We all know that "Breast is best" when it comes to feeding the newbs.  But, there came a time for me, with both boys, that enough was enough.  Trust me...I had milk to spare.  But there was just a time when it was more of a pain than pleasure.  With Hunter, he wanted to do everything BUT feed....there was just to much to look at.  Even in a quiet room with nothing around.  The only time he really concentrated was those 3 am feedings when the room was almost pitch black.  For Jagger, everything was going fine, but with 2 under 2, I couldn't run after Hunter with Jagger latched on, and I felt much more confined to the house.  Not because I have a fear of nursing in public, it was just a little more difficult.  I tried to pump...but just couldn't find the time to do it.  Yeah, yeah....excuses excuses.  Trust me...I feel guilt about stopping.  Which I shouldn't.  I'm still giving my wees love and attention and food.....just not from the boob.  Plus, on a selfish note, I never felt like myself when I would breastfeed.  I would have anxiety, feel shaky and nervous, and get light headed.  It was weird.

So with choosing a formula...I really just went with Similac since that's what was provided at the hospital and at my doctor's office.  But one night, when I had to make a late night run to Target because we were low on formula, and it was the end of the month so we were low on funds.....I perused the back of the Up and Up brand.  Generic....formula?  Could I?  I mean...I felt like I was depriving my little son of natures milk...should I really deprive him of a name brand too?  I looked at the ingredients, the amounts of vitamins and minerals, and the price.  Wow....$18 for 292 oz.  Um...that's unbelievable.  And the formulas are practically identical.  What the heck....I tried it. 

I came home looking completely guilt ridden.  Sonny raised a brow asking what was up and I showed him the Up and Up.  He didn't even blink and eye.  "You buy store brand everything else?  Why not formula?  We eat store brand stuff, and I'm sure it has to be approved by the FDA....and if he takes it well and likes it....it save us a ton of money every month!"  How come husbands act like we are the expert with kids and they can't even find a diaper....yet they make a statement like this that makes you feel like you were such an incompetent.  Well....Jaggs took it great!  He's growing, thriving, and it's actually made his poopies more regular and consistent.  You guys know how newbs are....pooping all the time and blowouts here and there, sometimes runny, sometimes solid...what...tmi?  But after we did the switch, Jaggs is pretty much the same time, same consistency, same color every day.  Amazing!

So...you know that Heather and I totally promote all things Target, and I'm just adding one more to the list.  And just to give you guys an idea...a reg 27.5 oz can of Similac costs about $24 and can make 187 fluid oz (or 31 6oz bottles).  The value size can of Up and Up brand formula can make 297 fluid oz of formula (or 50 6oz bottles) and only costs $18!  Being that I don't have to buy it as frequently and it makes almost twice as many bottles....it's a huge savings!! When you add it all up...it's really a savings of about $60 a month...or $720 a year!  And Up and Up has all the sensitive, soy, and other such formulas for the babies.

All babies are different and all mommies are different.  I'm not saying that I don't wish I could have done BF for longer...but it's hard with 2 kids as it is...and it's harder (for me) when I was BF.  I also no longer feel guilty about not giving Jagger a "name brand" vs. saving a little money.  In fact...the money we are saving is going into his college fund, so it actually kinda all works out.  I guess my moral of this story is don't feel guilty about trying new things out for your kids in order to make life in general easier on yourself.  You never know...you're kiddies may like it better. Mine did!  :)

Budget Crisis

So we all know that in these tough economic times it's great to budget and be frugal.  Well our household is no different....but is it just me or is it EXTREMELY hard for anyone else?  I mean, we are not extravagant people, we have put house projects on hold, we rarely go out to eat anymore, and we use coupons extensively at the grocery store?  What more can we do?  I don't really know, but since our account seems to keep depleting...we'd better do something!!!

 

So, this past weekend, along with hosting a bday party for a 2 year old, we (meaning ME) have tweaked some things in hopes to start building back up our bank account.  I'm hoping to save around $500 a month...it's a lofty goal...but I figure that if I aim for high...I'll wind up in a pretty good spot.  Here's some of my money saving ideas!!  I hope they work....

 

1) Food - Like I said, I'm already a coupon diva, so I don't have to worry about learning how to do that.  I also have taken to making my own pizza dough, so I save about $100 a month just by making my own pizza instead of ordering.  We do it pizza once a week, cuz it's easy, and I can pack tons of veggies into one for Hunter.  But I also love love love to change up my meals.  Like all the time.  I'm always trying new recipes, I only have about 3 meals that I repeat (like turkey meatloaf, chicken tortilla soup, and of course pizza).  So, my new money saving strategy is to plan my meals for the month, but repeating them week to week.  Like Monday is chicken, Tuesday is meatloaf...blah blah blah.  This seems incredibly boring to me, but I can see the benefits.  One is I can buy in bulk and I'll be sure to have all the ingredients on hand.  No last minute runs to the grocery store and then impulse buying.  Also, I won't buy things I won't need.  I can also change it a little...like sloppy joes instead of meatloaf, or chicken tenders instead of a baked chicken.  So it still gives me flexibility, but with keeping the bones the same.  They used to do this in the 50's and our country was booming!  It's pork chop night everyone!

 

2) Become a DIY-er - Ok...I'm all about DIY. But with Sonny working 6 days a week and me with the 2 chitlins...it's not easy.  Sometimes it just seems worth the money to have someone else do the work for you.  But no more my friends!  Sonny and I have gotten the bug to start making this home our own and making it really personal.  So instead of buying new furniture, we are going to thrift, to restore, and re-do.  We plan to try and re-tile our bathroom ourselves (Merry Christmas dear....here's a wet saw) and thought that we may just paint our kitchen cabinets instead of replacing.  Although we'd like more storage...what we have is adequate and prevents us from accumulating more junk.  We're realistic people, and know that painting the cabs and getting organized will save us a ton.

 

3) Entertainment - We already don't really go out to eat....but we have to limit that even more!  We'll allow ourselves one going out a month, be it breakfast or dinner, cuz we all really like that...even Hunter.  We're also going to do Saturday night movie nights with our netflix.  I've also spent $100 for a yearly membership for the gym that Hunter goes to.  It's a family membership which means that Jagger can go too, and it's good for the whole year.  This means super hot days and snow days they will have a place to keep them active and entertained. Also...I saved us alot of money on Hunter's b-day party (post to come later) by making his invites, much of his decor, his cake, and all the food.  Sonny says no....but I really plan on doing the same for Jagger's christening.

 

4) Gifts - There is never a month where somebody doesn't have a birthday, or a christening, or SOMETHING.  I'm tired of saying "well, we wouldn't have spent that much if it wasn't for my dad's b-day/ Suzy's daughter's baptism/ Burt and Sherry's anniversary/ father's day mother's day kids day everyday."  So we've thought to be a little bit more frugal with gifts and TRY to hand make them.  There are many advantages I can see to this.  One is....well....we save money.  Number 2 is that since many homemade gifts are edible....others won't have junk that piles up in their house.  Number 3.....I'm not a cheap person...so I'm never going to make something silly and non-personal...it will still be from the heart. 

 

5) Utilities - oh utilities.  How I despise thee.  I don't know why...but it bugs me to pay for things like electricity and water.  I feel like I have to sweat my cohones off to save a few extra buck on my electric bill.  But...small changes.  I shall use my programmable thermostat to it's full advantage, be diligent about turning off lights and such, and invest in curtains to keep the house insulated (spend money to save money...blah).  I don't have to worry about shortening my shower time, as I have already mastered the 4 minute shower (Heather and I timed it...serio....4 minutes).

 

This is my starting point, and I'm hoping it produces the results that I'm looking for.  I'm all about instant gratification, so it's hard for my to do these and not see immediate results...but I'll try!  Any other money saving tips out there?  Oh...but I'm not about to make my own soap ala the Duggers...there are just some things I'll pay the money for....

Friday Fave: Self Tanning & Sunscreen & Henry's

I am clear. Not white. CLEAR. It's a joke with my friends and family how clear I am. Once upon a time when I was a kid and outside everyday, I was maybe Crayola Crayon Desert Sand. And that was because I was out in the sun every single day, for several hours a day...

Once I started life in the real world with a full time job, I was back to clear. If I'm out in the sun without sunscreen for more than 15-20 minutes, I turn a nice shade of lobster red. When it peels and goes away, I'm back to clear. There's no real tan period I go through after a burn.

For my wedding, I got a glorious full body airbrush tan. I did that for my bachelorette party, Lani's bachelorette party, and even her wedding too! It's so handy and makes me look a color other than pasty. However, it's an expensive habit and doesn't last that long... Plus, who has time for that?!

I've tried self tanning stuff before, but I always end up orange and streaky, so I had kind of come to terms with my clear-ness. Then, on a whim, and thanks to a Target endcap, I saw Jergens Natural Glow lotion. I had also clipped a coupon for it and it was on sale. Double bonus! I picked it up and started using it. It's also a firming lotion. Super genius!

Someone said to me the other day "You look like you got some sun". Usually, when someone says that, it's either sarcastic or it's because I'm suffering from a 3rd degree sunburn. This was neither! I actually had a nice calm, even skin tone of light brown. Because I'm clear, I opted for the Light to Medium shade, but you can definitely go darker. It's awesome, easy, and I haven't seen a streak yet! WOOT!

Also on the skin color note... SUNSCREEN! Summer is here - thanks to my birthday which is the first day of summer! - and it's time to protect you and your little bambinos. During the rest of the year, I usually use the lotion sunscreen on Will because he's usually fairly covered up so it's not too much of a hassle. These days, we are in swim class 2-3 times a week, outside 90% of the time, and running through any water we can find, so clothing is minimal and sometimes optional for him. He's not the type of kid to sit still...EVER...so thank God for spray on sunscreen. It takes 2 seconds and only requires minor irritation from Will to stand still for 2 seconds. I don't bother with sunscreen that's less than 45 SPF, so thank you Up & Up at Target for Kid's Sunscreen Continuous Spray SPF 50. At $5.59 a pop, you can't beat it and we go through quite a few of these during the summer days. So be sure to lather (or spray) up this weekend, since most of us will be enjoying the summer sun for the 4th of July!

My last favorite is an oldie but a goodie. Henry's Farmers Market is a fab grocery store. They just opened one up over at the Tustin Marketplace (for those of you in the SoCal area), and I have been meaning to check it out. Usually, when I get my grocery store ads, Henry's has the cheapest and freshest produce out of everyone. I'm always up for a good bargain! Yesterday, we hit up the new store after swim class. It's very pretty! I guess I get that from my dad, because I could spend hours at a grocery store going up and down every aisle checking out their goods. That of course doesn't happen these days since I have Will with me and he isn't a doddler... I bought food for 5 or 6 dinners, including halibut, chicken boobs & tenders, beef tip, tilapia, and shrimp, plus lots of fruits & veggies all for [drum roll, please] $65. When I was comparing the ads from Ralphs, Vons, Stater Bros, with Henry's, Henry's would beat the other stores' prices by $0.50 to $1 sometimes! How crazy is that?! Oh, and my $65 shopping spree was done with NO coupons. Sweeeeeeeeet!

Back on Track - Doing the Smarter Thing

It's been a CrAzY couple of weeks. Hubby interviewed for a job that could've moved us to Carlsbad. After that didn't pan out, it got us thinking about moving in general as our place seems to be shrinking and doesn't have air conditioning. Summer could be a challenge with me and Will home most of the time in the sweltering house... So we thought maybe we'd rent our house out and go rent something bigger for us with more storage and a/c.

After several weeks of looking, nothing seemed to be quite right. We would leave a potential new place and shake our heads that it just wasn't us. We couldn't see ourselves living there, and what were we really gaining? A/C - maybe? A garage? An extra bedroom? Is it really worth messing with our budget for an extra 100 sq ft?

I made us hit the pavement hard Sunday and we looked at 7+ houses that afternoon. Will was such a trooper! Hubby and I, on the other hand, were none too pleased....especially with a realtor that was 15 minutes late to our appointment, leaving us chasing Will around outside for that time to keep him entertained, only to feel like there was something shady going on and the faint smell of an extinguished reefer upstairs. At the end of the day, we came home to our little condo and were filled with apprehension, frustration, and worry. Were we making the right choice? Was this really going to help us get where we want to go?

Monday was a new day. We looked at one place that was a disaster. The inside was nice, once you looked passed the current tenant's Hustlers, Penthouses, and general disarray of living, but the outside was awful. So we went for a walk at the Spectrum. After much deliberation, we're going to continue on our current path. Batten down the hatches and continue our debt diet so we can start our savings diet in 2011. We will spend a smidge of money to make sure that we are at least comfortable this summer and get an additional a/c unit or two. There might be a few afternoons we camp out at my parents' house to beat the heat, but that's not too bad.

Now we're back on track with our home projects. Accessories for the kitchen to come, we put up a cool pic from Auntie Cyd that Will got for his birthday, touch up paint, shelves for the office area, shelves for the laundry area, and reorganization galore! I will be cleaning out closets and rearranging LOTS of stuff to just make our current place more functional. Our condo is our home. It might be a little tight at times, but it's ours and it is us. Sometimes it pays to take a step back and look at the big picture and plan for it.

Car Seat Debate

Will has gotten every ounce of use out of his infant carrier/car seat. When Lani was pregnant with Hunter, we helped put together her Chicco Cortina Travel System after her baby shower. I was really impressed with it. It looked good, was easy to assemble, and light. After doing research while I was pregnant, we bought the same system and have not been sorry. We even have the matching Chicco Polly High Chair to match. I only have a few gripes about that, but that's a topic for a different day. The weight limit for the Chicco Cortina Infant Carseat is 22 lbs and 1 year old. Will is dancing right along this weight limit. Chicco also has the same Cortina Travel System with a 30 lb limit, just FYI. I don't the infant carrier would work for Will much longer because he's long. His legs are already scrunched up against the back seat. If we had gotten the KeyFit 30 instead, I would probably be in the same position, just with a smidge more time, but not much.

So the big question is what to get next? As much as I would love to stay in the Chicco family just because I've been impressed with all of their products we've purchased so far, they do not offer a convertible car seat. They just came out with a booster car seat, but Will is a couple years away from that. I was sold on the Graco Nautilus 3-in-1 car seat because it's in my budget, has great reviews, and is basically the last car seat contraption we'll have to buy for Will. It has:

•  5 point harness for your 20-65 lbs kid
• converts to a seat belt positioning booster seat for 30-100 lbs
• converts to a high back or backless booster seat up to 100 lbs. 
• comes in lots of colors (I'm a designer at heart...colors & looks are a little important, too!)

And it's $144! What a steal! However, in the back of my mind, I'm worried about it not being rear-facing. "They" (American Academy of Pediatrics, studies, doctors, etc...) say that you're supposed to keep your child rear-facing in a car seat as long as possible (car seat weight limit requirements and all...), and this contraption does not rear-face. This is my baby, safety is my #1 priority.

So after further research, I think I'm opting to keep my little Will rear facing as long as possible. I think we will go with the Graco My Ride 65. It can:

• Keep your kid rear-facing up to 40 lbs
• Keep your kid forward-facing up to 65 lbs
• Removable infant insert and toddler headrest help keep baby comfy
• 5-point, front-adjust harness helps you get baby in and out
• And also comes in lots of colors!

And hello! It's on sale at Walmart for $129!

So please give me your input!
What did you purchase for your little one?
How long did they sit in the rear-facing car seat?
Any tips and advice would be extremely helpful!

Happy St. Patty's Day!

Time for some green beer and green mashed potatoes! What are your dinner plans? I'm making a simple meat and green potatoes dinner for us along with some Smithwick's. YUM! YUM! I'll have one for me and one for Lani since she can't partake in the beer...preggo belly and all...

Word to the wise: Go get your taxes done! We went and saw our awesome tax guy on Monday and the drive there made me sick to my stomach. Hubby and I are scarred for life when it comes to tax time because when we first bought our condo almost three years ago, our loan dude didn't impound our property taxes like we asked. We didn't realize until we got our first bill for property taxes 6 months or so after signing all of our docs. Thank God Wells Fargo footed the bill and we impounded our taxes from that year and the next. Yes, we paid a little extra each month, but that was much more doable than several thousand bucks when we weren't planning for it. Little did we know that come income tax time that would affect us heavily. We owed a lot. Neither one of us had ever owed, let alone such a significant amount! Ouch.

So now everytime we get our taxes done, we're on pins and needles. I start to get a stomachache on the drive over, the car is super quiet other than voicing our concerns of what the final number will be. What a relief when we found out that we're super fine this year, with an extra bump from Will. Woohoo! So The 2010 Debt Diet in our household is going to get paid off that much quicker. This refund will wipe out about half of our debt. Hallelujah! Our resolution of getting everything paid off by Will's 2nd birthday looks pretty real. YAY!

I suggest if you haven't done it, do it! It's such a relief to get that checked off your list, and money back in your pocket! As soon as tax dude gave us our bottom line, a huge weight was lifted off both our shoulders. Talk about hitting the jackpot at the end of the rainbow!