My CVS Trip

I walk in armed with coupons ~ finding deals & I come out feeling like its Christmas... I love it!

I was a bit dissapointed because I didn't pick up a Sunday paper last week & so I missed out on some pretty good deals ~ yet I still bought all this for just $2 (after Extra CareBucks)!





Well, my sweet husband came home from work early ~ so fun! So, I am going to hang out with him!

~ Coupon World ~

Well, coupon world ~ here I come. I am home ~ I am free ~ and I am GOING TO save money! I've been doing alot of research on how to coupon here in Tulsa, OK ~ and how to save money on groceries, shopping and baby things for when little Joshie comes. I'm learning how to be a frugal momma!

I have just recently discovered ALDI ~ which I think is my new favorite store. It has the cheapest version of everything ~ which means I no longer stand in the aisles trying to do math quickly in my head to find out which is the best buy. I literally used to sweat while standing in the store staring hopelessly at numbers and boxes when we were first married ~ while everyone else ~ either didn't care how much things cost or had super quick brain power & decision making skills and blew right past me in the aisles. At ALDI you can not use coupons...just have to get what they have ~ if you like the price/selection.

I have combined ALDI with E Mealz ~ a service that plans your grocery list for you & plans 5 meals a week for you ~ telling you how much each item you need is. This has cut our grocery bill in HALF. I am super excited about this :)

I've decided to do that & shop at CVS and others for all our extras or freebies ~ which is where the coupons come in. I'm headed to CVS tomorrow with a coupon for a free item (up to $3), and $10 off a $20 purchase, plus $4.99 in Extra Care Bucks....I can't wait to see the goodies I come out with :) I never knew how CVS worked until my friend, Jennifer, explained to me the amazing deals you can come out with ~ last time I went I didn't spend anything & we got men's & women's body wash & shampoo & conditioner ~ for FREE!

More to come ~ maybe tomorrow I'll tell you what I bought from CVS :)

A refreshing reminder of when circumstances may not be what you want or even expect ~ put very succinctly by Matt Chandler:

"There is nothing ~ NOTHING ~ that is currently in your life that God has not in His infinite, all-knowing wisdom decided not to stop ~ and SO THEREFORE it is a part of the purposes of God for His glory and your eventual joy"

Swagbucks :)

For those of you that have never heard of Swagbucks...listen in :) Might I say free money ~ easy money? Thanks to Money Saving Mom ~ Here's some info with my extra notes too!

If you’re new to Swagbucks, it’s an online search engine that rewards you for searching online. It’s very simple to sign up for. In fact, it takes all of about one minute. There are no fees, no credit card required and no phone number or address requested.

If you are going to try it out before reading the rest :) ~ click here: http://www.swagbucks.com/refer/mwcouponmom


Swagbucks is hosting a big Summer Swag event today and they are releasing five different free codes. Plus, every 7th winning search on Swagbucks will be awarded 25 points!

To get these free codes, make sure you are signed up with Swagbucks and then read the post here on how to follow along and snag the codes they are releasing. As I discover new codes, I’ll also be posting hints on where to find them on the Money Saving Mom Facebook Page.

After that, you are credited 30 points to your account. After that, you’ll be rewarded randomly 5-20 points for searches you do online. You can also earn points by downloading the toolbar. Plus, Swagbucks routinely gives away free points on their blog, Facebook and Twitter accounts.

With just a tiny bit of effort, you can pretty easily earn enough to get a $5 Amazon gift card (or a number of other prizes worth around $5) every 4-6 weeks.

Now, you might be thinking, “What’s the big deal if I only earn a $5 gift card every month?” Well, you’re right, $5 isn’t that exciting. It’s something, but that’s only the beginning. You see, your earnings will exponentially multiply when you refer others.

Do you know anyone else who searches online? I thought so. Well, tell them about Swagbucks, send them your referral link, and you’ll not only instantly earn more points when they sign up, you’ll also earn points for the searching they do online.

Tell lots of folks and you’re well on your way to funding your entire Christmas budget with free gift cards from Swagbucks. I’m not kidding you, that’s exactly what myself and many others I know have done. It really works!

For those of you who have blogs, you’ll especially want to jump on board with this. It’s free, it won’t take much of your time to do, and it could generate a nice stream of gift cards in your mailbox.

(And yes, if you click through the links in this post and sign up, I get a referral credit. If you don’t feel comfortable with that, you can sign up directly on Swagbucks.com.)

Here is my referral link: http://www.swagbucks.com/refer/mwcouponmom

Hope you try it out :)

A Name For Our Little Man :)

We have decided to name our little blessing! His name will be Joshua Reuben. We are going to call him Josh. We can't wait for him to come ~ We were blessed with two sweet showers this weekend & received many new things for our sweet Joshie. He is going to be one baseball and aviation outfitted boy! We check in on him on Thursday with our last Texas doctor's appointment..and will update you after that...or maybe after we move this weekend...

Week 20: Baby Reveal ~ It's a BOY!!

It's official ~ at 20 weeks ~ by the Lord's grace ~ We are halfway done with the pregnancy!

We are overwhelmed by the grace & mercy of the Lord to be forming and developing our little man & what a blessing it was to see him for a bit earlier this week. It was amazing to see his little heart with its little cross section dividing his heart into four tiny chambers, his tiny little brain, ribs, feet and fingers. We are amazed and reminded of just how great God is ~ as we saw his beautiful and intricate handiwork in our son. Jon is thrilled we are having a little boy that he can share his love of flying, baseball and all things boy with! I am excited for our family to start out with a boy ~ as I was raised by two older brother & that definitely shaped who I am today.

As we reflect back over the past year ~ it has been a whirlwind of God's sovereign purposes in our life & we are grateful for the time to learn and grow in Him. We know he sovereignly chose for us to be parents at this stage in our lives for His purposes, His glory and our joy. We are overwhelmed and excited to be deemed with the responsibility and task of parenting a little one in the ways of our sweet Lord ~ and know he will prepare and guide us all the way as we raise this little man he has so graciously given to us.

Newest News: Jon felt the baby kick! His mom, Grammie, sister, Jen, and my mom, Granna, were also able to feel him move!

How Big Am I?: About as big as a cantaloupe...although I weigh a whopping 13 oz!



My First Photo Shoot:





How I'm Growing This Week:
From Baby Center: He's swallowing more these days, which is good practice for his digestive system. He's also producing meconium, a black, sticky by-product of digestion. This gooey substance will accumulate in his bowels, and you'll see it in his first soiled diaper (some babies pass meconium in the womb or during delivery).

What Mommy's looking forward to this week: The first of our showers ~ this Saturday & Sunday!

How Mommy's feeling: Pretty good ~ feeling lots of little kicks and jabs :) Catching a cold & trying to ward it off with all that is coming for us ~ showers & moving!

Week 18:

18 weeks and growing ~

Itty Bitty is the size of: a sweet potato



How Bitty's Growing: He's busy flexing his arms and legs — movements that you'll start noticing more and more in the weeks ahead. His blood vessels are visible through his thin skin, and his ears are now in their final position, although they're still standing out from his head a bit. A protective covering of myelin is beginning to form around his nerves, a process that will continue for a year after he's born. If you're having a girl, her uterus and fallopian tubes are formed and in place. If you're having a boy, his genitals are noticeable now, but he may hide them from you during an ultrasound.

Mommy's newest cravings: apples, olives, roasted veggies and chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream

Sleep: I'm not constantly tired anymore, for which I am very grateful...but by the end of the day ~ end of my day ~ about 8pm...I'm ready to crawl in bed.

What the kiddos at school are saying: "Ms. Swarreen ~ can I touch your belly?"; "I felt it kick ~ I did!"

What I am looking forward to:

- Itty Bitty's gender reveal in just a week and a half! :) :)

- The last day of school ~ May 19th/June 4th

Bitty's movements: I am starting to feel more movement ~ but having trouble telling if its me stretching/growing or baby moving.