Tomorrow

I will update you on the Secret Santa Mission tomorrow. I had a rough day today. Got in the van to pick my little man up from school; I was running five minutes late and the darn thing wouldn't start!!!! Yep, dead battery. So had to think in a panic of someone to go get him. Thankfully my in-laws were home and went and picked him up, and so therefore I was unable to get my Zumba on (I don't usually like missing my Zumba, but actually it didn't bother me today. I was happy not going. I'm sure it does not help that I am feeling a bit under the weather.) Sooooo....I stayed home and made cookies with my Blakey. So...... $100 later I have a van that will start now and hopefully will be on the road to take the kiddos to school and whatever else the day brings me.

Nighty night all! Sleep well......

Cheryl

Stay tuned......

I have to go get myself ready for the day. Gotta go pick up my little man from school, get ready to go shake it at ZUMBA, but then watch out 'cause I have a giveway that I'm ready to post AND details on my 2nd Annual Secret Santa Mission! Yes, we are going it again friends!!! This time we have two families were are seeking items for.

I can't wait to share all this news with you. So, I will be back in a bit and share!

Thanks!

Cheryl

P.S. Any of you locals coming to FREE Zumba this afternoon? You should come! It is soooooo much fun! Nothing but ladies! It is in the valley, off of Broadway and McDonald, from 1:30 to 2:30. They EVEN have FREE childcare!!! The childcare girls are AWESOME!!! Seriously, they volunteer their time JUST to come and watch the kiddos so the mommas can get a little time to have fun and workout at the same time!

Morning......

Hey all! I am so sorry that I have been MIA more and more lately. I am having a really hard time getting set in a new schedule with school starting and whatnot. Please be patient with me while I try to figure this all out. It really is super tough. Every minute of my day seems to be accounted for. I am even having to schedule work in too! :O It has been super tough. Anyway, I do want to let you all know that I do have another giveway coming up. I'm hoping that I can post it later today. It's a good one too!

I really do have a couple of kiddo stories I want to share with you. :)

Have a GREAT morning!

Cheryl

Taking another day off.....

Yep, I'm taking another day off today. Today is my birthday and what better day to celebrate than just hang with my kiddos, go see some friends, and just take it easy today. What a great day it has turned out to be so far. I GOT TO SLEEP IN!!! Hooray, I slept in until 7:45 and took my sweet ol' time getting out of bed. Niice. Then, Trent made breakfast and I got to sit down and have breakfast with my kiddos.

I do have to share that Blakey did get upset with me because he couldn't have a Fruit Roll-Up and for a while there was NOT in love with me. How do I know this, you may ask? Well, he sat down on the couch next to Sadie (our pooch) and stated......"I'm gonna sit next to the one that I love most in this house right now." Really, am I supposed to keep a straight face here? Well, I was strong and kept a straight face all the while laughing inside. It was just too darn funny. I cannot say it enough, I just love kids and their little ways, especially mine! :)

I hope you all have a GREAT weekend and make lots of memories with those kiddos of yours and your families!

Oh, don't forget to enter my giveaway over here. It is going to be ending pretty soon.

Cheryl

Quick Breakfast Ideas for The Kids

Well, for us, school has not started yet, but will in less than a week. I don't know about you, but I AM ALWAYS pressed for time in the mornings AND I don't even work outside of the home. I actually work from home and I'M STILL pressed for time getting the kiddos out the door in time for school. The make matters EVEN more difficult this year, Blakey will now be in school too. Whoa!!! Seriously, I live about 2 minutes away from the school and I barely make it to drop my kids off at school. We are soooooo pressed for time that I don't even have the little ones take the bus in the morning, 'cause we are not ready by the time the bus comes. I can't even say "well....get up earlier." I already get up at 3 o'clock in the morning to work, so that's out the window. So, now, I just accept the fact that it is just crazy around here in the mornings, but from looking around and doing some reading, I am coming to the conclusion that we are not the only ones who are pressed for time in the morning.

So, my oldest usually gets breakfast for all three of my kiddos, but I like to try to have easy, "healthy" options available as he is doing me a favor. I don't know about you, but there are times I just get stuck in a rut or just plain run out of ideas. Well........I was doing a little blog hopping this morning and went over to see what Money Saving Mom was up to and I found this GREAT post. She asked her readers what they prepare for "quick and easy" recipes and they have many ideas and most of them are "healthified" too! Go check it out when you get a moment. I think you may come across an idea or two.

Thanks Money Saving Mom!

Cheryl

Hey guys......



This is one of those memories I was talking about making. This picture here is one of my kiddos with my grandfather (age 93/94) and his pup, Muchacha, taken when we went on vacation. ☺

I just wanted to pass along that I apologize for the lack of posts these days. There have not been too many good deals to post about. :( I'm sure that will change once fall sets in. I sure do hope so. Anyway, so I have taken this "extra" time, and I have spending some quality time with my kiddos. Summer break is just about over and I have worked a lot this summer, so I sure do need this time with my kiddos. I just think about all those memories that we need to create together, you know? They are only young for such a short amount of time. I can't believe how "old" my oldest is. Well, he is only 12, but he is growing up too fast. He just doesn't need me as much now as he did when he was younger.  In spite of all the time that I have spent working, we have had such a GREAT summer. Probably one of our best summers EVER!

Don't get me wrong, I am still dealing with a lot of work too. So, between lots of work and wanting to spend time with my kiddos. It has been hard getting in here on the computer.

Thanks so much guys! I hope you all are having just as much fun as I am, if not more.... ☺

Cheryl

Your Phone Number on Facebook

Hey, I just got this post on my personal Facebook page.....

WARNING!!! PHONE NUMBERS OF ALL YOUR FRIENDS are now on Facebook! No joke - go to the top right of the screen, click on Account, then click on Edit Friends, go left on the screen and click on Contacts. All phone numbers are published. Please repost this on your status, so your friends can remove their numbers and thus prevent abuse. --Repost

It REALLY is true. I went to my Facebook page and sure 'nuff the phone numbers were all posted. Just a little FYI so you can protect yourself a little, if you want.......

Thanks!

Cheryl

Update-Walmart Movie Tickets for Cars 2

Remember the promo for the free Cars 2 movie tickets through Walmart that I told you about a few weeks back? Did you get in on the action? Did you happen to use more than one Facebook account to score more than two? I did, as I have more than two kiddos. This was going to be a GREAT way to take my family to the movies for a "frugal" price. I think it was going to cost us $0.50 each, which I think is a GREAT deal to go have a good time and be with our family. There was a limit of two tickets per Facebook account. Remember? Anyway, well I got the most embarrassing/irritating e-mail the other day. Wonderin' if you got it too? Here's what it says.....

Our fraud department has red-flagged your activity in the Wal-Mart/Facebook Cars 2 promotion due to the unusually high number of codes that you have acquired and activated. When suspicious activity is detected, we are required by our clients and by our bank to seek further review to check for potential fraud.
According to the rules and restrictions of this promotion, the offer was limited to only two rewards per Facebook account. Our records indicate that you have registered more than two rewards codes and have acquired multiple movie certificates. Your actions are against the restrictions of this promotional offer. Please note, all of the rewards you have activated have been blocked and those movie certificates are no longer valid.
Hollywood Movie Money Customer Service

So, after being accused of fraud which was, like I said, both VERY embarrassing/irritating as I try very hard to play by the rules and not do anything wrong on purpose. Seriously, I have to set a good example for my children and it just plain is not right not to follow rules (this is my opinion). Yes, I am a rule follower and I am VERY literal when it comes to rules. So, this really really irked me. Anyway, here's my response......

This is totally untrue. I am quite appalled by this email and quite offended to be accused of such action! We have three facebook accounts in our house and we were able to get six tickets. As per your e-mail and rules of the promo, two per Facebook account was offered and two per Facebook account was accepted. I don't understand where "fraud" comes into play here. We did no such thing.
Maybe look into things a little more before sending (computer generated or not) such an e-mail out. Wasn't even going to use them anyway!

Yes, I know it sounds like I was throwing a fit. I WAS!!! ☺ Usually when it comes to stuff like this I try to take a minute/day and calm down before sending a response. Well, as you can tell.......I didn't. Yeah, I know I said that I "wasn't going to use them anyway," but I have a reason for that. It's not showing at my theater anymore. So, really, that was easy. ☺ Anyway, I was super duper ticked and really offended. As I'm sure some of you would be. So, here's the response I got in my e-mail this morning....

We apologize for the inconvenience and thank you for explaining the situation further. The Disney/Pixar’s Cars 2 movie certificates you activated will be reinstated and ready to use within 24 hours at a participating theater again.
Please note your certificates expire August 31, 2011, no refunds or reimbursements will be made and the certificates are void if resold. Your certificates are ONLY valid to see Disney/Pixar’s Cars 2 and ID will be required at the box office for use. These certificates are not valid for online purchase and will be deemed invalid by the sponsor if used for anything other than an admission to Disney/Pixar’s Cars 2 at participating theater box offices.
If you have any further questions, please let us know.
Hollywood Movie Money Customer Service.

Okay, so I'm feeling a little bit better now. Things are okay. I'm not being accused of fraud anymore, which is always nice. ☺ Still not going to use the tickets, but I feel a little better. Not sure that I would use the tickets, given the opportunity to? I know people/companies have to be on the watch for dishonesty, but really do they need to be so nasty? I'm really not sure how they are supposed to put a positive spin on the word fraud, but sometimes I wish we didn't have to be nasty when trying to look into things, if that's what they were trying to do.

Anyway, my whole point of sharing this with you, as I didn't really want to share it with anyone (IT'S EMBARRASSING), is to not be surprised if you get/got such an e-mail (if you got tickets from more than one Facebook account). Just reply back to them with your response and hopefully things will be better.

Thank you and good luck! ☺

Cheryl

Good morning!

As you can tell, I was still very much so in the vacation mentality last week.I had the hardest time working and blogging. I also came back to a boat load of work and had a hard time keeping up. Well, I'm back today and hopefully will be able to juggle things a little better this week.

Anyway, Faith is officially now 7 years old. Wow! I can't believe how time flies. She had her 7th birthday this weekend and got to celebrate with all of her friends and family. So fun!

Anyway, happy Tuesday!

Cheryl

Good morning!

Hey there!

What an AWESOME vacation! It was sooooo nice to be able to spend a week with my family. Sooooooo many stories to tell. I have been checking my e-mail for the past hour and a half. Lots of e-mails. I already have a TON of work to do! Ugh. I am thankful I have it, but REALLY? It is soooo hard to get back to work after a nice vacation. My fingers won't move, I am a bit tired (I couldn't sleep last night), and I'm a bit sluggish to wake-up this morning. ☺It looks like I took OVER 300 pictures! WOW!!!

Did I miss any good deals? I feel like I'm a bit out of the loop. ☺ Okay, so where I went is a very small place in Wyoming. The town has 5,000 or so people in it. So, it's pretty small. They have two "grocery" stores. No big chain stores. These grocery stores are local and man do they know they have no competition! I was a bit floored when I picked up a box of cereal (JUST to see the price) and saw that it cost $5.14!!! What?! Are you kidding me?! $5.14??!!! A box of 2-Go Crystal Light.....$4.49!!!! Luckily, we had brought most of our groceries with us. I had taken a couple boxes of dry cereal....so no cereal needed by us, but WOW!!! I couldn't believe it. They did, however, have a Family Dollar. So, I went in an checked it out. I was really excited because we don't have one here. Well, I quickly learned that I wasn't missing too much, but let me tell you.....if I lived there nowadays, I sure would be a Family Dollar shopper. Seriously, most of the people drive to a little bigger town about 20 miles or so away to buy their groceries at Walmart. I don't blame them one bit!

Anyway, we were very happy to get some spend time with my grandpa and two of my uncles. It was very fun, but sad too. My grandpa has always been a very strong, hard-working, and independent man and now to see him where he has to depend on others to help him get around and get his meals fixed and whatnot, was a shocker to me. I know he is older now and this comes with his age and whatnot, it was just a shocker to actually see. Many many kudos to my uncles for taking care of him though!!!!

You know, it has been YEARRRS since I have seen a mosquito or have been blood-sucked by one. Well, I found out that I am "sweet" by going back to my birth place. I came home with 11 miserable, red, itchy mosquito bites. I felt like a dog. You know, when they just can't quite get that itch. Oh, that was me. I was just scratchin' and a scratchin' away. I had totally forgot about this, but back in the day, when I was a kid, "they" used to come through town in a truck with a sprayer on the back and spray for mosquitoes. Well, they still do that there. Those little pesky buggers are awful there. You don't dare sit outside and talk or you run the risk of smacking yourself all over. I learned that very quick. It's kinda funny, but irritating at the same time. ☺ Oooooh,they are awful. Now, the kiddos didn't get bit, but us "adults" sure did.

Anyway, we had a nice road trip. It seriously was a GREAT bonding time with my husband, my kiddos, and my parents. It really was so nice to get away and be with my family. It was so nice to have all that way JUST to talk with my husband in the car. It was fun with the kiddos too, but they were busy watching DVDs, listening to music, singing, or whatever fancied their little hearts, while my husband and I sat in the front seat JUST talking. What a GREAT time! We seriously enjoyed listening to the two little ones in the backseat have conversation. At one point, I think it was going through Yellowstone, we hear from the backseat (from Faith)......."Daddy....Blakey just made me drink water he spit in." Okay, I'm sorry, but that was REALLY funny.☺ We could hear him say....."you wanna drink of my water?" She drinks.....he says...."I just spit in it." "TJ you wanna drink of my water? Daddy you want a drink of my water?" She's in the backseat telling everyone not to take a drink 'cause he just spit in it. Oh, those two. I tell ya' they just crack me up.☺ No, he didn't really spit in the water, he was just "tricking" us.

Okay, well I best get to work.........

I will chat with you a little later and share some pictures too. ☺

Cheryl

Hey all.....

Hey everyone. So, I have been dropping little hints here and there this past month that I have been working super duper extra hard so my family and I can go on vacation. Well, the time is here. I am sooo excited, although I am SUPER tired. I have been getting up at 2 (if I sleep in then 3) in the morning to work and I have not had a day off in 21 days! Yah, I'm a bit pooped. I'm thinking I REALLY earned this vacation! ☺ Anyway, when I finish up this post I am finally going to jump in the shower today and get myself cleaned up to to the store and spend some Up Rewards that are going to be expiring tomorrow on a few things for the road. We have a long ride ahead of us as we are going to my home state of Wyoming. Anyway, then I'm off for the week. I'm am fully taking this week off. I really need this time with my family as they have been so neglected by me this past month, as I have been working so much. Thank goodness for my husband, my older son, and my in-laws (and my two littlest people). They have all been a GREAT help. We knew that this was going to happen so we were prepared, but I'm not sure my body was.

Anyway, I am soooo stoked about this trip as we are taking it with my momma, my dad, and my husband and kids. It's gonna be a caravan-type thing. We've got walkie talkies and all kinds of fun stuff. Anyway, we are headed out to go see my grandpa. He is getting up there in age and I want my kids to spend some good quality time with him. You  know? Make some memories? My grandpa is 94 and a BIG BIG love of my life! Anyway, we are going to see him for a few days and then we will come back home through Yellowstone! It's going to be so fun, hot (90º), and stinky (sulfur smell in Yellowstone).

Anyway I hope you all have a great week and I can't wait to come back and share some AWESOME stories with you all!

Cheryl

Lots of work

Ugh, I still have a TON of work to do. I am trying to get caught up as I am a bit behind and trying to make my monthly budget by the end of this week. Ugh..........is all I have to say. I have worked 14 days straight with no day off. It's crazy. I put in full days this past weekend. I have been up since 2:30 this morning (yah, I have had to little cat naps so far). I am a bit tired, but I keep thinking about being able to go on vacation starting this weekend. It will be soooooo nice and we are very much looking forward to it! ☺This week is going to be a LONNNNNNG week for me. I need to get out and do some doubler shopping this evening (can't have those go to waste), I have got to try to get up to Greenbluff and get some Cherries (FYI...they are $1.50 a pound this week at Fred Meyer, which is an AWESOME price), get packed, and then buy little things that we may need for the road. I am going into this with the right mind that I am going to eat "right." I have to remember that when I don't well then I'm a bit tired and uh, depending on what I eat, well.......need to be next to a toilet (can't have that when you're on the road). I bought some stuff yesterday at WW for the road "just in case," but plan on taking plenty of fruits and raw veggies. On top of all of that, I have to finish up my work.☺ Needless to say, I will be getting up at 2:30 tomorrow morning too, if not 2:00.

Anyway, I am having a hard getting on here and finding some good deals.

I just wanted to give you a heads up.

Have a GREAT day!

Enjoy that sunshine wherever you may be.

Cheryl

I love lots of work again guys....

Seriously, I worked seven days last week and see myself working seven days AGAIN this week. I have soooooooo much work!!! Just wanted to give you a heads up JUST in case I am not able to post today.

I hope you all have a GREAT day and get some GREAT shopping on!!!

Oh, I heard WE are getting doublers this weekend, BUT remember that the only way you can get them now is through the newspaper. :(

Thanks!

Cheryl

FYI....

Today, is one of those days where I have  TON of work (yay), so I need to put my focus on my work. I have not shared with you that I am taking a vacation at the end of the month and since I don't get vacation pay (as I work for myself), I have to make up that income that I will be losing at the end of the month. 

Anyway, I apologize, but I need to do this. I will try to get here just as soon as I can.

I hope you all had a GREAT weekend and have a GREAT Monday. Don't forget to get your FREE slurpie today! ☺

Thanks!

Cheryl

Well.....

we have the dreaded checkups at the dentist this morning for the kiddos. :( Yes, I'm the one complaining. If there was EVER one responsibility of being a parent that I NEVER had to do, well.....it would be taking the kids to the dentist. I dislike it with every bone in my body! It's really not my cup of tea. :( Now, the kids, they seem to do okay, but not me. It seems that it never fails that we always get some type of bad news. Then, I feel like it is all my fault that these things happened to their poor little chompers. I feel like the worst mother in the world. I'm tellin' you EVERY time I go in I am on the verge of crying a river. Now, I try not to show my kids my fear and I think I'm pretty good at it as they fear their family physician more than the dentist. Now, I think that is backwards. ☺ They would rather go to the dentist than the doctor, huh?

Anyway, I will be out most of the morning with my kiddos at their appointment. Pray for us that we make it back with GOOD news this time. ☺

Okay, I'll talk to you later....

Cheryl

Mornin'......

I hope you all had a wonder 4th of July! My family and I sure did. We got a lot of stuff done around the house that needed done. Kind of a low-key weekend, but VERY nice.

I did feel sorry for our poor little doggie though. This is the first year we have had her for the 4th of July. Although fireworks are illegal in our city, there happen to be a few people that still light up the sky with them. Well, she was so super scared. I felt so sorry for her. She would hear them out side and run and hide behind my husband. Poor thing. We would try to comfort her and try to make her more comfortable, but she was just not having any of that. So, needless to say she didn't have a very good 4th.

Now, it's back to work for the rest of us.......

Talk to you later....

Cheryl

I have been a little MIA today.....

Oh my goodness!!! I don't know what happened, but I had a super duper allergy attack that lasted for the longest time. It started yesterday with constant sneezing which then led to runny nose. From there I developed a sore throat, plugged nose, sinus pressure, headache, more sneezing, and then did not sleep well. I was up most of the night in pain. My sinuses hurt sooooooo bad. I had a really hard time working this morning, 'cause I was soooo tired. I have been very very emotional today. My asthma feels like it is starting to flare, FINALLY got my prescription filled for Singulair. So, I took that and hopefully will be on the road to recovery soon. I don't know about you, but allergies are sooooooo bad this year in my family. Usually it is just Blakey and I who suffer. Faith usually suffers a little bit, but not too bad. Well, so far this year it has been my husband, Faith, Blake, Trent, AND myself. I know they said it was going to be bad this year, but really? I was so excited when I got my "allergy" shot a few weeks ago, but man right now I'm feeling like I didn't get a shot. :(

So, needless today has been a very emotional day for me. For example, I cried becuase my husband took the last piece of chicken to work. Really?!! Crying over chicken?! Well, I guess that shows you/me that no one, not even my husband really should come between this girl and her food. LOL! There's a little story behind it, but still really?! Chicken?! I just feel really down and out today. :( It doesn't help that I read two of the saddest blog posts this morning either. I think that helped to set me in a mood. I dunno. Anyway, that is my excuse.

I hope you all are feeling okay and not having to deal with this kind of icky stuff.

Cheryl

Today....

has been crazy over here. It was the last day of school for my big guy. Friday was supposed to be the last day, but his teacher was gone all week and said that she would be back today with goodies. Well, they say that "a way to a man's heart is through his stomach." I think that my son already has that one down. So, he took his happy butt to school today. Then, I had to go pick him up. In the meantime, I had a STAT to get done for work and it was a LOOOONG one, so I had to work on that that this morning. AND then, the weather was FINALLY cooperating that I could finally get out there and do some planting!!! YAY!!! I take to take mother nature up on her offer, while she was happy. So, the kids and I spent all afternoon out there planting most of the garden. I have one row left, so now I need to go find some zucchini, onions, jalapenos, and something else, I can't remember.

I'll have the kids take a picture later and show you what it looks like. This year, we have decided to let the kiddos share a row so they are REALLY happy about that.

Anyway, let's see what I missed today.....

Thanks!

Cheryl

I am out again most of the day

I messed up my work this morning and did not prioritize right, so now I am playing catch-up, and I have two Zumba classes today. It looks like I am going to be out, again, most of the day.

I have been eating soooooooo bad this week!!! :( It is so weird, because it is only in the evenings. I have had the BIGGEST sweet tooth EVER!!! So, I'm trying really hard to stay on track ALL DAY!!! This stress REALLY doesn't help too much. :( So, I have to work EXTRA hard today at both Zumbas, we'll see. My knee has been bothering me these past couple of days and I think I strained my muscles up the backs of my legs the other day. :(

Anyway, hopefully you will join me today at afternoon Zumba?

Have a GREAT day and I'll talk to you later, k?

Cheryl

I have to be out for a little while today.....

I'm not sure when I'll be back, but I have end-of-the-year stuff to do with kiddos and school, coupon classes to teach, etc. Lots of stuff....

I hope you all have a GREAT day and hopefully I will see you later.....

Thanks!

Cheryl