Mommas Piece

Ever seen the movie "O Brother Where Art Thou?"? Sometimes, when I am frustrated with Zach or Savannah, I feel like George Clooneys wife (in the movie), Penny. I want to turn to them and say "I have spoken my piece and counted to three". Done. End of conversation. Say no more.

Daddies play the major role in family life, whether they see this or not. In traditional marriages (what used to be tradition), the man was the primary bread winner. The man is called to be the spiritual leader. Little eyes watch daddy, because he is daddy. What role does momma play?

In our house, on any given day, I wear a thousand hats. That's my role. To be whatever I am needed to be. Because of that, I get overwhelmed easily (it truly is my biggest downfall: my patience and perseverance). Sometimes, by the time Zach arrives home, I am a mess. A literal mess in that I haven't made time to shower, because during nap time, eating was more important. I am an emotional mess because Savannah as plucked every heart string (both positive and negative) that I have had that day. And, I am a mental mess. Tired.

A good portion of the time, I feel like I am not living up to my role. I feel like I stink at patience. I have asked the same thing of Zach 44949494 times, and he has forgotten two more times than that. I have told Savannah to stop climbing on the table more times than I care to count, and I find her on there more than she is anywhere else.

Today, however, an odd thing occurred. I woke up not feeling well and added to the already stressful month with my knee, I decided today, I would not wear a thousand hats. I would wear one, and that would be a plain old girl. I would care for myself, so that I could feel refreshed enough to tackle a week. So, I said to Zach how I was feeling and what I needed. He turns to me and says "Why don't you go and nap? I will take charge."

Now, let me say, I have an amazing man. I do. But, he is a man. He sometimes needs things plainly stated in black and white and for me to clearly say things for him to truly get it. Today, I did not need to say that. I simply said I was wearing out. I told Savannah to have a good lunch with daddy and be obedient, and I went to sleep.

Momma had spoken her piece and counted to three.

And guess what? I woke up and cleaned for 2 hours. JUST what the doctor ordered.

Being momma to a "spirited" girl.

It has been far too long since I made the time to sit down and write. I enjoy doing it because having this place where I can look back on the previous year is pretty cool. I don't know about other parents, but I tend to get too caught up in the "now" I forget the awesome things God has brought us through.

Life with Savannah as always been amazing. Nothing short of that. There are times, however, I am SO exasperated with her that I just want to hide in the closet with my hot coffee (keyword being hot, because that is RARE). Like the time she brought me a dead snake and hissed at me with it. Or the time she found foot powder and ran down our main hall throwing it everywhere. And, how about the time she felt like my iPhone would feel better after a dip in the toilet. Also, lets not forget all the "I tol you no"s I hear daily, and the threats she gives to bite her friends, or telling me something is "uggy" and taking it off because she doesn't to wear it.

In those panicked moments, God has this amazing way of helping me remember something downright cute she has done recently to help make me smile. All the "wuv you momma"s make up for the "I tol you no"s. All the awesome dance moves make up for her rowdy running and jumping. All the times she looks to me for guidance and encouragement makes up for all the times she disobeys that guidance.

I am constantly feeling as if I am being judged by others because my girl isn't easy going. Almost as if it is a direct reflection my parenting. I have been asked "Where were you when she was unlocking the door and walking out it?" Well, I was in the laundry room, 10 foot from her "Where were you when she found the snake?" I was right there pulling weeds. I have learned she cannot be let out of my sight for long because she has this awesome brain and imagination driving her. She isn't "bad", she isn't "out of control", and she isn't a "handful", She is made in the Lords image, and He designed her just the way she is. He knows the plans He has for her, plans to prosper. I am her momma, and I am not slack in disciplining and guiding her. I am teaching her there is a time and place for running and jumping, and there is a time to listen and obey.

Mommas Day!

Check out the beautiful cards we bought for Mothers Day!

Mothers Day Card!

Catching up

I went couponing yesterday, and did an okay trip. A lot of what I got was for the holiday, my daddy will be here and he likes certain things (UNHEALTHY things, daddy). A small portion will be donated along with a couple of things I picked up today. If you have any extra, I strongly urge you to donate to a local shelter or church. There are so many people out there who are doing without as I type this, and while I am not naive enough to think my coupons can save the world, I do think a small bit goes a long way to someone who has nothing. I will step off my soapbox and get to the goodies! 

2 Gerber Puffs on sale for $1.75 each. $3.50 total

1 Gerber Veggie Crunches on sale for $1.75. 

2 boxes of Quaker granola bars. BOGO for $3.09

2 Luigis Italian Ice BOGO for $3.39. I had a $1 off two, from the Redplum from $6.24. So, $2.39 for both. 

2 cans of Rotel BOGO for $1.49. 

6 jars of Beechnut baby food. This is a GREAT deal. Go print this coupon two times, get 6 jars of food. They are .55 each, BOGO. So, you pay for 3, which is $1.65. The coupon is for $1 off 3. So you use two of those, making it $2 off, when you were only paying for $1.65 anyway because of the sale. Publix is PAYING YOU .35 to it! (I hope that makes sense!)

2 Kraft dressings BOGO for $3.31. There is $1 off 2 Target coupon (my Publix considers Target a competitor so this coupon can be used as a store coupon and can be combined with manufacturer coupons), and $1 off on that is printable from the Kraft dressing Facebook page. Use $1/2 and 2 of the $1, and you pay .31 for TWO. 

1 container of grape tomatoes $2.50

2 green peppers at $2.11

1 Cucumber .65

3 Martha White muffin mixes at .99 each. Publix had a buy 2, get one free coupon, so I paid $2 for 3. 

2 Dole fruit smoothie shakers $1.99 each. I had a Publix coupon for $1.99 off 2 (BOGO basically), and I had a manufacturer from the SmartSource from last week for $1 off 2. So, $1.99x2= $4.00-$3.00 in coupons= $1.00 for TWO. 

2 Starburst at $2.99 each. I had $1.00 off 2 Publix and $1.oo off 2 manufacturer. So, I paid $4.00 for both. 

2 Lays chips BOGO for $4.29. 

Motts apple juice $4.49. 

2 Ballpark hotdogs BOGO for $4.99. I had a .75 off 2. So, $4.25 for both. Not bad for Ballpark. 

2 Muller pastas BOGO for $1.59. 

2 Cheezits BOGO for $4.19

2 Deans Dip for $2.09 each. So, $4.18 for both. I had $1.00 off 2 Publix coupon, and 2 $1.00 off 1 manufacturers. So, $1.18 for two. 

1 Oscar Meyer bologna $1. Printed a Target coupon for $1, got it completely FREE. Went back today and bought 2 more packs to donate. (We don't really eat much bologna.)

1 Kraft single pack of cheese for $2. Printed a $1.00 off from the Kraft Facebook page. 

2 64 oz. Gatorades BOGO for $2.79. 

Spent $51.03 and saved $51 even. Not bad! 

I went back today just for some meats for the week, and grabbed a couple more deals to donate. I will be donating this week a Dial hand soap, an 8 pack of Nestle Drumstick ice cream, a package of Starbursts, 1 muffin pack, 2 bolognas, and two things of dressing. 

I know this is kind of hard to follow, and it seems so time consuming. It really is not. It is an amazing hobby of mine now, and we are saving so much and beginning to donate more and more. Please please please! If you have questions or want help laying out a grocery trip, I would love to help. Saving money is a wonderful thing. I love being able to show Zach what I saved us at the grocery, because it is essentially revenue coming into our home. I love being able to give back a TINY bit, because I know if we were struggling terribly, I would be SO grateful for any help we could receive. Also, it is what we are called to do. :)

It takes a village to raise a child

I have heard that saying my entire life, and it has never hit home until I had a child myself. Savannah is more than blessed by people who love her. Before she was even born, people would talk to her in my belly and tell how excited they were to meet her. She had a closet fit for a princess MONTHS before she was due. At Christmas time, we wound up leaving things in Georgia that we could do without so that we could bring home all of her things. People Zach and I have never met personally, but know people in our family has sent gifts for her. We are truly blessed.
She got a new big girl car seat (thank you Noni and Grandaddy), a new big girl high chair and big girl shoes (Thank you Poppy and GG), new clothes in the mail (Thank you Gammy), and formula to last a couple weeks (Thank you Poppa). We never had to ask anyone for any of this, we had budgeted it into our budget this week, and when our families heard we would be doing it, they made sure she had it. We are truly blessed.
Not only do both of our families support us as a family with materialistic things, but also in encouragement and guidance. Zacharys grandparents, who are mine as well :), came down this weekend, and we had a blast. They stayed at our house until late in the evenings talking with us. They joined us for church this morning, and Mema was so thrilled to hear our pastors message.  They are really an amazing example of how we want our marriage to function and how we want to raise our children. We are truly blessed.

It has been awhile since I have made time to sit down and chat. I am still couponing like crazy. I saved us over $900 in the month of May. My momma asked, "What on EARTH are you going to do with all that stuff?!" Well, i donated a good portion. A smaller protion is stored here at the house for us to use. And we will use it. I do not buy things that will go to waste or things that won't be used.
Hope everyone has a good week! Here is a little taste of our weekend. :)

Friday check-in!

It has been awhile since I posted, things have been crazy busy this week with VBS, Savannah and just every day life. We really enjoyed serving this week at church, but Savannah is TIRED. Okay, so is momma. We normally aren't up moving until around 8 everyday, and VBS required us to be at the church by 8:15. So, that's me getting up, showering, getting ready, packing snacks for both of us, her diaper bag, changing,dressing, and feeding her, and leaving by 8:00. We did it, though! I was shocked we both did so well. Savannah had so much fun with the boys, she was te only girl amongst 6 boys. It was heaven for her, because they all loved wrestling her and were so sweet. She ate like a big girl all week, whatever they had, she had. I am a proud momma (yet again). Today is couponing day, and I decided to not make a trip to Publix this week. They didn't have much we needed, and Aldi had what we needed for much cheaper. I only spent $49 on a full weeks worth of breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I decided that my big trip of couponing this week would be to CVS, and I am so excited about all I was able to get for so very little! I'm on my phone, so I can't upload the picture of products directly to the blog, but visit my Facebook page to view each product. I am going to do a product/coupon/price breakdown. There is a sale at CVS until Sunday: Spend $30 in participating products and get Charmin toilet paper for FREE ($7.29 value!) Charmin Promo: 2 Pantene products $3.45 each. I had a coupon for $3 off 2 from the Smart Source on 5/20 PLUS a CVS coupon that printed for $1.50 ANY shampoo/conditioner. Cost $6.90-$4.50=$2.40 for both! 1 Bounty Basic 8pk for $5.99. I used $1 off from a Smart Source (can't remember exactly which one!) 2 Pampers Cruisers $19 for 2. I used $1.00 from the P&G insert from last week. I also had a $10 off ANY from Pampers they sent me for an issue we had, you won't have this, it is still an incredibly good promotion! This ends the Charmin promo. 2 Skinny Waters $1.67 each. CVS printed coupon of BOGO. 2 Covergirl Lash Blast Mascaras $8.49 each. BOGO 50% off until Sunday. I then used a $1.00 off from P&G last week, then a BOGO, also from P&G and lastly, a $4 off $12 printed from CVS SO, $17.00 in product ($8.49 each)- $4.75 (BOGO 50% off)- $1.00 off- $4.75 off (BOGO from P&G)- $4.00 off= $2.48 for TWO! The CVS coupon printer is printing a coupon TODAY ONLY $1.99 for a 12 pk of Coke product, when you buy $10.00 in any purchase in store. So, a 12 pk for $1.99, this is an INSANELY good price! 1 Cascade Complete 16pk $4.99 this week. I had $1.00 off from P&G. Then, I had $4.00 in extra care rewards from CVS! All in all, we got stocked back up on toile paper and paper towels, I got makeup, plus everyday things we use. :) Our family is going through a TON of changes, and we could use some positive thoughts and prayers. Everything is wonderful, so no need to worry. Positive changes and happy events!

Weekly update

Today is Friday, which means grocery shopping day. We needed some basic things this week and some extras for new recipes, and I knew they would add up. I decided to go to Winn- Dixie, I know I know... I JUST complained about their prices last week. They had some good deals this week, but I still spent more than I saved. That is a first in a while for me. I won't complain though, because I did buy a ton of meat, and there are no coupons for that! I also got things for a nice breakfast this weekend.

My haul:
2 boxes of Tostinoes.
A total of 4 pounds of ground beef.
3 pounds of chicken.
Winn-Dixie parmesan cheese.
2 pkgs of Sargento shredded cheese.
Winn-Dixie hot sauce
2 packets of Hidden Valley Ranch mix ( one is for this Pinterest recipe for a Buffalo Dip Ring)
1 Pillsbury Crescent roll.
1 Martha White cornmeal mix
1 Bal Park Beef Franks
1 Ballpark hotdog buns
1 Sunbeam bread
2 bottles of Kens salad dressing
1 Country Crock butter
1 Winn-Dixie eggs
1 gallon of Sunny-D
1 pkg of Tennessee Pride link sausage
1 can of tomato soup
1 can of enchilada sauce

  I spent $51, and saved $22. Not my best, BUT, I got a lot of essentials. Meat is always a big cost for us. 

Tonight is couples bible study, and I am excited! I am making that buffalo ring as our dish to carry. It is kind of cool because, the bible study is hosted by a pastor from a different church than ours, but this week, our church pastor preached the same book of the bible as what the bible study was on. Kind of cool to watch it all tie together. 

I didn't have to work at all this week, but next week is vacation bible school everyday and I work Wednesday and Friday night AFTER I work those mornings. This will be interesting with Savannah. Haha! This is our last full weekend together before Zachary starts working every other Saturday again. I am thankful for over time, but we both miss him SO much when he only has one day off. 

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!