I love getting some deals

I love getting deals, the excitement of making a great deal come together is so much fun for me.  So last night I did some shopping for groceries at various stores on my own to get in on some of the great holiday weekend sales on meats and other stuff.  I had stopped at Kmart and worked a deal but now they only double 5 coupons up to $1 a day for each $25 purchase so when I got up this morning I told the boys we would need to make a quick trip to the store.  Hannah is at her grandparents for the week and I will tell you my boys do NOT like to shop they generally fight over the cart and get loud so trips need to be quick and generally end up with me dripping in sweat from rushing but sometimes its worth it.

Today I worked a great deal at Kmart.  I used to never shop at Kmart but if you have time and can figure out some of the $ back deals along with using coupons well its a great place to shop. 

Today I spent $15.47 total and look at the stash I got!!!

So this took 2 transactions, here is what I did - YOU have to spend $25 in food and beauty to get 5 coupons to double up to $1 and be a REWARDS MEMBER, this is sometimes hard to work! I am very careful about working to have as much stuff that we will use for the value in my cart.

1st Transaction
 - NOTE the 1st 5 coupons of $1 will double, all the others were just used regular

(2) Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cereals on sale 4/10 so $2.50 each and used a $1 coupon on 2 (coupon doubled)
(1) Brawny Double Roll Paper Towels .. yep these are those big big rolls on sale $3.99 used a $1 coupon (coupon doubled)
(1) Diet Pepsi $1 used a 55 cents coupon
(2) Kraft Salad Dressings $1 each used a $1 on 2 coupon (coupon doubled)
(1) Sunny D - no coupon but Mr C wanted some OJ
(4) M&M Snack Packs on sale for 2/$5 used $1 coupons on each pack (2 of these remaining $1 coupons would of doubled)
(1) Ground Chuck $2.99 If you purchased the ground chuck you got a thing of hamburger buns and cheese for free I was glad I went early my Kmart rarely has these items for the delas

So all these items came to $15.02 after I ran through all the coupons BUT then the M&Ms snacks have a $5 gift card deal if you buy 4 .. so I rcvd a Kmart Gift Card for $5 on top of this. 

So then I just turned around went back and ....

2nd Transaction

(1) 9 Packs of Angel Soft Toilet Paper its the ones that are like a double roll they were on sale for $4.99 I normally have a coupon but I had used mine last night so no coupon.

Total came to $5.42 with tax, I used my $5 gift card and I did try and pay for the .42 cents with the money on my Rewards Card (dont forget to cash in your $ earned on your reward card every once in a while) .. but because it was only tax the register wouldnt let me so I did have to scramble to the bottom of my purse in the midst of cars and crumbs from the boys stuff and find 42 cents.

Total cost to me $15.47!!!  Not bad if you ask me.. And all this done with 2 boys and before 9 am today.


So when I stock up on food and stuff I like to go thru and reorganize my pantry, my pantry is my favorite room in my house I had it designed to be large and to fit our freezer chest in it - so I am working on a few more organizing ideas in there, I just purchased 3 clip boards I plan to modge podge or do something too (1) will have a notepad on for writing items we need because I find that piece of paper on the counter always disappears (1) will have a menu list on it I find menu planning really helps us to use whats in the freezer and cupboard and save more since I know what I am making.  (1) will have a running sheet of my freezer inventory, my freezer is a chest freezer really not my fav type I find things get lost in there so I plan to make a sheet that will keep inventory of chicken, meats etc in there that way I always know what we have and what we may need if I see a sale coming on.  So the boards arent up yet but in the works.  However, Ill post a few pics of my pantry set up below.

This is the area behind my freezer chest and I hated having all those odd things all over my shelves so a while back here I purchased 2 over the door shoe holders they were under $10 at Walmart I trimmed them to length I needed and then hooked the top hooks over my wire shelving.  I use these for odd baking things and sprinkles, some spice packets, my crystal light packets and various odd things its nice because I can see everything and its kept organized which is the way I like things!

This is part of some of our shelves, everything has its area based on 1.  what Andrew can reach so some things are strategically placed in certain areas of my pantry. 

My boys love cereal can you tell?

Well I better get onto cleaning and playing with the boys!!

Busy Times continue...

I feel as though I never sit down these days.  Summer school started for my incoming Kindergartener Monday, we still have soccer going on and I am trying to finish up our new sunday school room and get things finished for VBS. 

I thought I would post a few pictures of the work I have done so far in our Sunday School classroom.  We will teach Kindergarten kids and I really wanted to have a fun looking classroom I will tie in a safari type theme in to the weekly lesson plans so they can explore the Bible with us ..

The room is not finished and I have to say I am creative but my favorite site http://www.pinterest.com/ definetly gave me alot of inspiration.

This first board I love I saw a similar board on pinterest and recreated the look some I added dimension to the water by crinkling some layers under the safari barge and the leaves under the toucan I folded and crumpled and undid for some dimension.  The rainbow back behind was alreadyon the classroom wall and will have to stay there until the room is repainted.

One of the corners, the tree was super easy using a pool noodle $1 from the dollar store and $1 pack of brown paper bags just tied around, Hannah and I made some tree frogs on 1/2 green paper plates to sit on the tree too.

The brown zebra curtains I made do match the theme for the room there are monkeys on the vines the vines are actually some foam stuff from home depot its 97 cents then I twisted brown kraft paper around and tied in some areas with hemp I did try and just do twisted paper on its own but I didnt like the look as much the foam stuff just made it look better.  I need to finish some more leaves but I strang leaves on ribbon and twisted around the vines ..and those cute monkeys I love I twisted hands or legs to have them hang from the vines their bellies have various Bible verses on them.

I need to make a title for this board .. but I got these well done sheets at the dollar store$1 they have a grid on the lower part where you can add stickers or punch out and I will have some type of incentive for getting punches or stickers after so many the kids can choose from my treasure box.  The safari like envelopes I got at a school supply store for a few dollars and the tropical flowers are tissue paper and I love making those so easy.  The envelopes will have each childs name in our class on.

Just a view from our door, the other side of the classroom needs work and I need to do my birthday board and my ranger area.

This is our front door in the works.. I am thinking of a good slogan maybe Come Explore Gods word with us .. I need to add rangers into the jee and the top portion of the door I need to figure something out for.

So thats it so far hopefully I will show some more pictures in a few days of the finished classroom plus I plan to show our VBS in a few weeks I am so excited this year we have tried a few new things for VBS Ill share those when I post all the decorations.

Have a fun holiday weekend.. I know we are busy busy as usual, soccer games and practice, church picnic, and lots of things to be done around the house.

Lisa

Teacher Appreciation Week

Saying Thank You to those special teachers....

This week is teacher appreciation week and I LOVE to be able to show how much we appreciate the teachers that work with our kids day in and day out.   I absolutely adore my daughters teacher she is young, fun, and super creative the kids love her and she does so many fun things with them. 

Tonight, myself and another parent went up to the school to place some fun surprises around for the teachers.  We decorated the teachers classroom door .. its prob not my most creative work and I did find this particular door idea on pinterest but I have been so busy lately I just didnt have time to come up with something original or spend more time creating this. 

Then when she opens the door we have gifts inside, I love to try and do group gifts and try to make gifts personalized to someone and what they may like.  We decided that Mrs. Blackmon buys so many things for her classroom asnd kids that we wanted to stock up her supplies! That being said I had seen several supply cakes on pinterest, so we thought lets have parents donate a supply or two.. we ended up with 60 + glue sticks, about 10 bottles of glue, 12 boxes of crayons, 2 packages of markers, index cards, foam paper, glitter, glitter glues, pencils, sharpies, dry erase markers and much much more .. this tower is HEAVY!! On top we have a few gift cards for her too I hope she loves it - its so great to have other parents that want to spoil our teacher and helped to donate towards this great gift.  (Excuse the very messy play area in the background we have been running non stop for the past week or two so my kids have gotten away with the play area staying messy which if you know me I hate mess)

So if you notice there is more out than just that supply tower - cake, there is a book next to it.  A few weeks back the teacher was out and so I secretly arranged to work with the kids at the time they were working on adjectives so I felt I should use that in our project.  Each child was giving some petals and wrote an adjective about the teacher on each petal I took those petals and made a flower.  Each page of the book was created by one of the kids I cant wait to see what she thinks.

Then I had this idea a while back (thanks to pinterest) to make her a decorated stool, well she had a stool already in her room its nbot new and so Friday I borrowed this stool she thinks its being borrowed for an event at the middle school but I had the stool and painted some fun designs on each area.  I hope she likes the new fun look we gave the stool!!

Tomorrow I will post pictures of some of the other teacher and administrator thank you gifts we put together.  But for now I better get to bed I am helping with field day tomorrow!!

But be sure to thank your childs teacher this week, you dont have to go all out with a gift a simple thank you note or even a homemade gift to show you appreciate the teacher will be enough to brighten their day!

Last day of Preschool brings...

Excitement for me!! I know many of the other moms are a little sad for the preschool days to end and maybe thats because this is their first child to finish this chapter and move up to regular school BUT I have to say it doesnt make me teary eyed.  Caleb the second and middle child tends to be my more difficult child I do like to tease and say his K teacher may need a pay raise after next year.  Now dont get me wrong love him he just has his own ways but he is a super smart kid.

Friday we have preschool graduation and it just so happens its Hannahs field trip day too so I will be running to one then another then back to the field trip you have to love the calendar conflicts that come with having many kids.

Below is the gifts I helped to put together from Calebs class for their teachers, there was two of these, most of these kids have had the preschool teachers for two years now and the class was great about doing something as a group to thank them.  We were able to put in the basket a gift certificate to get a pedicure, a gift card to get lunch at bread co after their toes are done, some snazzy flip flops are at the back.  Then some of those extra things that every women likes, new bath scrunchies, nail polish, remover, lotion and files and some other little tid bits.  We took in donuts and many of the parents stayed while we gave the teachers the gift.  Its so great when you can thank a teacher for their hard work with your kid and I have found over the past few years its nice to have several parents or a class go in together and do something.