Viva Las Vegas: Day 1

On July 6th (my 28th birthday) Carl and I along with our friends Ryan, Kelly, Britney, Cullen and Sarah headed to VEGAS! We have all been friends for almost a decade but we had not been on a trip all together during that time. Ryan, Britney and myself had been to Vegas within the last 10 years. Sarah went with her family when she was a child and didn't really remember much. For Carl, Cullen and Kelly this was the first time! So what did we do?

Tuesday, July 6th:

Carl, Kalena, Ryan

Sarah

Cullen, Britney, Kelly

Flew from Houston International to Las Vegas! We arrived in Vegas around 10AM. We checked into the MGM and went over to New York, New York.

Kelly wanted to have a real New York Slice! (We all had our priorities on this trip! Most of us had food requirements! This is why I hang out with this group!) Carl and I got a hamburger around the corner (OK I got a veggie burger). I think Kelly was pleased with her choice!

We then went walking. and walking. and walking. We walked up and down the strip marveling at the greatness of it all. We headed back to the hotel and some dipped into the pool (me) and some napped (Carl) and then we decided to walk the strip at night to see all the "shows". We stopped to eat at The Lux Cafe in the Venetian.

It was wonderful! The Lux Cafe is owned by The Cheesecake Factory. The menu at The Lux was just as big as the one you get at The Cheesecake Factory and there were similar menu items but The Lux was a step up and had a international feel. This is what we ate:

The Grand Appetizer Platter

Serves four or more! A Grand Assortment of Our Most Popular Appetizers Including Spinach Artichoke Dip, Crispy Thai Shrimp & Chicken Spring Rolls, Duck Potstickers, Buffalo Chicken Rolls, Cheese Steak Spring Rolls and Vietnamese Chicken Summer Rolls. Add: Seared Ahi, Crispy Ahi Sushi Roll and Edamame

I loved the spring rolls, duck potstickers and ahi sushi roll.

 

If I remember correctly here is what everyone ordered for dinner:

Kelly: Wiener Schnitzel: Austrian Style Thin Crispy Coated Veal Medallions. Served with Mashed Potatoes and Braised Red Cabbage

Sarah and Britney: Crispy Caramel Chicken: Crispy Battered Pieces of Chicken Breast in a Spicy Thai Caramel Sauce with Mushrooms, Onions, Red Chile Peppers, Garlic and Ginger. Served with Rice

Tried this! IT WAS SO GOOD!

Kalena: Indochine Shrimp and Chicken: A Fusion Dish of Chinese and Indian Flavors. Jumbo Shrimp, Chicken, Onions and Sweet Ginger all Sauteed in a Delicious Spicy Sauce of Curry, Plum Wine and a Little Cream Topped with Sun-Dried Cherries and Apricots. Served with White Rice

It was yummy but more like something you would find at Cheesecake Factory.

Carl: Fettuccini Alfredo: Wide Pasta Ribbons Tossed in a Rich Parmesan Cream Sauce. Can Also be Ordered with Chicken.

Ryan: Grilled Fish of the Day

Cullen: Chicken Royale: Lightly Breaded Sauteed Chicken Breasts Served Over a White Wine Butter Sauce with Mashed Potatoes, Green Beans and Herbed Carrots

We didn't finish dinner until well past 10 PM so we started on our journey to see all of the night shows and miserably failed.  We only saw the Bellagio water show and it always lives up to it's hype!  Before the show we did see a street fight between this small white guy and two large black men.  It literally happened right next to us.  I was pretty nervous but Sarah remained calm cool and collected!  We did manage to take a little time for a photo op.  Carl was less than thrilled :)

And that capped off day 1!  Stay tuned for the rest of the story!

a pictorial walk down memory lane

Don't have much to write about so I went through my old pictures! 

 I forgot about some of these!

Tilly in her hoodie.

One of my favorite pictures of us.

I miss this girl...She is all the way in West stinky Texas!

My cousin Rachel.  She's trouble.

Carl's BFFs.  Reagan and Steven.  Yes.  That is my bra.  Yes.  We are in a parkinglot.  No.  I don't remember why.

Coupon Clipping

It's my new hobby.  Scratch that.  It's my new habit!

If you really want to get me all riled up just ask me how to save money at the grocery store.  (oh my, when did I get old?!?!?!)  No, really.  I love it.  I call my mom every time I leave the store and tell her how much I have saved.  Right now, she is the only one who gets my joy!  Let me share with you what I have been doing the last 3 months or so.

Before I take you step by step I have a few tid bits to share.

1.  It takes a little time.  Not only the actual retrieving of the coupons but also the accumulation of coupons.  When I started I was saving about $5 a shopping trip.  I went to the store today and saved $38.  (both times I spent about $50)

2.  You will need to "invest" in a few items.  I have a coupon holder that I keep in my purse so that I have the coupons on me at ALL times.  I also buy about 2 Sunday papers a month.  My total investment a month is $3 but I save (a modest estimation) $150 a month.  We spend $200 a month on groceries.  (that is for about 25 dinners, snacks, 20 lunches, most cleaning and personal hygiene products)

Now are you ready?  Here is what I do:

Step 1:  Clip the coupons.

There are 4 major coupon inserts in your newspaper.  Red Plum (RP), Smart Source (SS), General Mills (GM) Proctor and Gamble (P&G).  They don't come every weekend so I sometimes buy the paper when there are only 2 inserts and ALWAYS buy the paper when there are at least 3.  How do you know when that is?  Here is a handy link for the 2010 Insert Schedule.  I have also signed up on some coupon websites.  They are free of charge and have pretty darn decent coupons.  Not to mention that P&G mails samples!  God love samples!  I use Coupon.com, pgeverydaysolutions.com, and sometimes couponbug.com.  Out of pure laziness, I only clip coupons online about 2X a month.  I don't clip coupons for products I DON'T BUY!

I almost exclusively shop at Kroger.  The reason for this is because of the Kroger Plus Card.  I know what you are thinking!  "That just gives them the excuse to hike up the price and I can get it cheaper at Walmart."  Well you are right!  You are right that is, if you are the average shopper.  If you use the program to it's full extent than the savings easily beat Walmart's prices (not to mention that Walmart gets a ton of your money because it is a Super Store).  I have logged my Plus card in at Kroger.com.  This allows me to "electronically"  put coupons on my Plus Card.  That's right.  All I do is buy the product and the coupon is used when I swipe my card.  Handy.  This is a fairly new concept so there aren't a ton of coupons on there but more are added every week.  There are also coupons that you are able to print off from the site.

Step 2:  Look at the AD

Every Wednesday the grocery stores come out with their weekly sales ads.  This is where Kroger.com once again comes in very handy.  I electronically look at the ad.  It allows me to "circle" the items I want and puts them on a list for me.  I know it sounds like I've spent a ton of time on grocery shopping already but it only takes me about 15 minutes to shop once I am in the store.  Here is the BIGGEST TRICK TO SAVING MONEY!  I make my weekly menu off of the weekly ad.  This ensures I get the most savings.  I then match up my coupons with the items in the ad.  This is where you need patience.  It will take you a few weeks or a couple of months to collect enough coupons to completely make your list with items already reduced AND use the coupons.  Patience, please!  It's worth it.  Here is how it works.

I buy the perishable necessities like normal.  (Milk, plain bread, eggs)
I ONLY buy "fun stuff" if it is drastically reduced and then I stock up!  Anything that I don't NEED right away I stock up when it is greatly reduced AND I have a coupon!  (I only buy Dr. Pepper if it is 4 for $12)
I try and buy our meals for the week if they are in the ad AND I have a coupon.  (Bertolli's sauce was on sale and I had a coupon for $1.00 off)

Step 3:  At the Store

Be on the look out!  The store likes to throw in a few little "extras"!  For example:  I NEEDED bathroom cleaner.  I took out the three coupons I had for different cleaners.  I checked out each one to see which was cheaper to begin with AND which one had the MOST coupon savings.  I had a $1.00 off Scrubbing Bubbles "All Natural" cleaner.  Lo and behold the bottle ALSO had a $1.00 off coupon.  I got a better look at the price tag and it said that if I buy 2 or more of the "All Natural" cleaner line then I will get a coupon for $2.00 my next grocery purchase at Kroger!  BONUS!  I bought the Scrubbing Bubbles and Windex for $5 after using both $1.00 off coupons.  (AND THIS IS WHERE MY ORIGINAL POST WAS DELETED SO I SHALL TRY AND START OVER)  Secret savings like that are all over the store!  Remember though that it doesn't mean you need the item!

The best part of the trip is checking out!  I hand over my Kroger Plus card and ALL of my coupons.  Once you start using coupons the more coupons come out of the machine at the cash register.  On average I get a $3 off of my next grocery purchase (that's just off the top!  It's not with any purchase of a certain product).  Even more exciting,  I get my own personal coupon book from Kroger a little more than once a quarter.  The coupons are for items that I buy often and it is usually for more savings than I can get out of normal coupon clipping.  Off of the top of my head the most exciting coupons have been ( remember I have only been doing this for 5 months) $2 off $10 or more meat purchase, Free Ranch dressing, Free Ben and Jerry's, Free Jello Pudding, $5 off $20 or more meat purchase, 2.50 off Bertolli's Frozen Entree, $3 off next grocery purchase and so on and so forth.

That's IT!  Really, It's not hard.  This was my grocery receipt from today.  Remember I have done this for 5 months.

Garlic Bread-half for dinner tonight and half for a later meal in the week#*
Bertolli Frozen Entree-dinner later#*
Tyson Chicken Fries-Carl's Lunch#*
Mozzarella Bites-Snacks*#
Morningstar Crumbles-my ground "meat" for tacos #*
2 Turkey Sausages-for dinner AND for Covered Dish on Sunday#
Cherry Turnovers-2 for dessert tonight, 2 for another night #*
Dole Salad-something green #
6 Yoplait yogurts-snacks for me*#
3 Artichokes-dinner for me #
2 Hass Avocados- for tacos (TRICKY, TRICKY Kroger had an advertised special for other avocados 10 for $10, these were .69 a piece...watch out for that stuff!)
Milk-for Carl
Scrubbing Bubbles stamps-NEED*
Windex-Need soon. #*
Scrubbing Bubbles-NEED #*
2 Black Eyed Peas-for Covered Dish recipe#
Bertolli's Sauce-dinner for tonight*#
Vinegar-Covered Dish#
Oil of Olay Body Wash-Need#*
Venus Razors-Need*#
Pasta-Dinner and in pantry #

As you can see I only bought one item that didn't have ANY savings.

TOTAL:54.69
COUPON SAVINGS:19.90
BONUS: .40
KROGER PLUS SAVINGS: 16.40
TOTAL SAVINGS: 36.70

PS  Be on the look out for savings at the ends of all your receipts.  I try and enter in most "enter and wins" and I have had 10 free Route 44 drinks thanks to my sonic receipts.  I just call and answer a few questions and they give me a code for a free drink!

Once you have the habit down you won't believe how much money you have been throwing away!

Potty Training Tips From the Woman with NO Children.

I've recently become an expert in potty training. Although I do not have even one child of my own. Five days a week I am responsible for the health and well being of fifteen 2 and 2.5 year olds. Potty training is a big topic in my line of work and I LOVE IT!

I know what you are thinking.

Isn't a nightmare?

All the bodily fluids and solids. All the flushing and washing. All the various states of nudity.

I gotta tell you, it's not a nightmare at all. It's AMAZING!

You have to realize that to date this is your child's biggest accomplishment. This is your toddler's graduation day and it is truly amazing to see them filled with utter elation and pride.

In the last month my class has 4 full blown potty trained kiddos. We are currently working on 4 more. Think about it. Unless you are in the same line of work I am in or your last name is Duggar you probably won't be potty training this many kids in your lifetime. So yeah. I am kinda becoming an expert. So here are a few or maybe a ton of helpful hints.

Is your child ready?

Physically-Your child can physically get himself to the bathroom, take on and off his clothes, has regular and solidish bowel movements and stays dry for an hour to hours at a time.

Behavioral-He hates being wet or dirty, you can tell when he is "going" because he pauses or hides in the action, he digs watching or "helping" you go to the bathroom and he doesn't resist when the subject of going on the potty comes up.

Cognitive-He's got the vocabulary to go along with the various actions, He can tell you before it's too late, Your child is able to follow simple directions.

What, your kid can't do all that? Some of the stuff just has to come with maturity but there are some things you can do to speed up the progress.

Pre-Potty Training

Let your child dress themselves. I am not talking about letting them decide that they want to wear their favorite Christmas sweater with their swim trunks. (Although it is good to let them do that every once in a while) I am talking about letting them physically dress themselves. Start off small. Put their pants on just below their bottom and let them pull them the rest of the way or put their shirt on but let them pull it down over their belly. Gradually let them do more and more. Soon enough your child will be dressing themselves from head to toe.

Let them see your bathroom habits and talk it out while your doing it. Remember, what is second nature to you is all new and exciting to your toddler. Be prepared to talk about "private" subjects. While your are urinating tell your child. "This is how mommy urinates in the potty. After I am done I take the toilet paper and wipe my vagina." Oops. I just ooged you out didn't I? Call it what it is. I prefer the words penis and vagina. Here's why. With so much "potty" vernacular out there some kids call a penis "pee pee" and some kids call urine "pee pee". As you can imagine it can be very confusing to a young child. And let me tell you THEY talk. Potty talk is a good portion of my day! Think about it. They are learning everything! A penis however is a penis and urine is always urine and so on and so forth. Now, that being said if a parent wants me to call it something else I will as long as it doesn't make the child think their body part is dirty. NEVER LET A CHILD THINK THAT ANY PART OF THEIR BODY IS DIRTY OR BAD!!! I can do a whole post on what I have seen in my line of work about adults embarrassing a child without even knowing it! It is a VERY touchy subject for me. Moving on.

At about 18 months you can start getting your child ready to wear underwear! Just add "undie" time right before bath. Don't even mention the potty. Just tell your child that you are going to let them try out underwear. Start out in 10 min increments. Keep adding 10 minutes as you see fit until there is an accident or they ask to use the potty. When that happens have the child help you or watch you clean up their urine and explain to them that "This is urine. You've been putting this in your diaper. Mommy and Daddy put it in the toilet. If you would like you can put it in the toilet too!" There are a ton of reasons for this. First, diapers are too good. They keep your child too dry. Your kid is never uncomfortable. When they urinate in their underwear they can FEEL it. Getting used to that is a challenge in it's self. Secondly, You are bringing up the potty in a non hostile way. This is a no pressure situation. Finally, You can gauge how long your child is able to stay dry which can help you when you are able to aggressively potty train.

OK, so NOW your kid can do all the things on the checklist, so now what?!?!?!

POTTY TRAINING

NO PULL UPS! They are just expensive diapers. Those 4 kids I mentioned that are potty trained in my class, yup, it was all done in regular old underwear. Oh and did I mention that they all did it in less than two weeks. Makes you wanna listen up huh?

Most kids don't like to feel dirty. About eighty six forty times a day a kid wants me to rub the sand off of his hands (RIGHT NOW) because he hates the way it feels but funnily enough he is ok walking around with a hot, stinky load in his diaper. It's because diapers these days are TOO GOOD! They do the job and do it well. Kids need a reason to use the potty. If they feel awesome in a diaper they aren't going to try out your new fangled contraption called the toilet. Out of 4 potty trained kids I had to clean up 6 accidents. They learned pretty quickly that the potty was pretty cool and it was defiantly better than that soggy feeling.

I am anti kid potties too! PEOPLE! Let me make a confession right now. If I baby sat your kid, and they were using a little potty, you better believe that when they were in my caring hands their tushies were on the big toilet. GROSS! I am not cleaning out a little pot! Really think about it. Do you know how much stink is absorbed by the toilet water? Seriously. And what are you going to do when you are out and about far away from the tiny toilet and your kid has got to go, oh, AND they REFUSE to get on the scary huge thing with a hole in it? Now that we have that out of the way....

Take your child to the bathroom every 45 minutes. (Remember if your kid is having accident after accident and you are making a real effort to put them on the toilet every 45 minutes, it's because they aren't physically ready) Instruct and help in the beginning but as minimally as possible. As in "First pull down your pants, now your underwear, sit on the potty...." VERY STEP BY STEP. They are learning. Don't assume they know how it's done. Don't forget the wiping, flushing and washing! The less you do for your kid the better. It is the ultimate reason your kid wants to be potty trained. Independence. It's simple. The more they are able to do on their own, the prouder they will be about completing the task at hand. "All by myself" is a very popular phrase with the toddlers. By the way, no hard to take off clothing for a couple of weeks please. Once your kid gets the hang of it you can start to increase the time between potty breaks.

Know your kid's B.M. (Bowel Movement) schedule and beat them to it with a book! Say your kid has a B.M everyday at 3:30. Well at 3:15 put them on the potty with a good book. Like War and Peace or something. Tell them that you will give them a treat if they sit there and B.M. in the toilet. (If you have to give them a treat to get them JUST to sit on the potty then they aren't ready to potty train yet!) Don't be afraid to give them private time. Even toddlers need some peace to do their business. Oh and when I say "treat" I don't mean Chuck E. Cheese. I mean like 1 M&M or a sticker or raisin. The real "treat" for your kid is the excitement you portray. Act like you just won a million bucks (you will be saving about 40 bucks a months without diapers!), offer to take their picture. No really. Kids think they are really something when they have a picture of themselves beaming at the camera right next to the massive B.M. faithfully laying in the toilet. It also helps you remember how you NEVER want to clean something like that out of a diaper again! For some reason it's like their B. M. grows 10 fold when it's in the toilet verses a diaper. One of those phenomenon's. (Save that picture for their Senior Yearbook Ad, ensure your child will love you forever and ONLY you)

Underwear at times of sleep too! Those accidents I mentioned before included sleeping times too! Ultimately, you know your kid better than anyone. You will need to gauge if they need waking up in the night for a quick pit stop or not. Buy a plastic liner for the bed, or the kid, or both! Again, putting your kid in a pull-up during this time is only going to prolong the whole potty training process (this is of course excluding children with physical problems). Make potty training easy on you. Do it all or nothing! If you were never good at night time feedings and the idea of you dealing with having to change a bed in the middle of the night makes you want to cringe, then make a pallet next to your child's bed the night before. Then all you have to do is change the child in the night. As long as there is a plastic liner then it can wait until morning.

Don't give your child a drink ALL of the time. If your kid is in a child care facility I can pretty much guarantee they aren't hanging out with their sippy cup all day. (Nor would you want them too! Think about how many kids would get ahold of your kids cup and pass them germs!) At home really try and limit the drinking to times of eating or after a hard playtime. This will help you get a hold on your kids urine production.

Finally, just remember, if potty training is killing you then it's not the right time. That being said. If it's just inconvenient and your child is totally into it. Don't give up. You will have a pottier in NO time. Accidents happen. Don't make the kid feel bad but also let them help you clean up the mess. As long as you aren't doing it as a punishment it can be a great learning experience. Please don't hesitate to ask questions or vent. I love potty stories! I hope this helps and I hope I remember all this when I finally DO become a parent!

I feel like this is getting WAY TOO LONG! If I leave something out I will update it later.

Counting on Spring to Come Again

My friends Bevin and Dan got married in December and when the reception was over her mom told us to PLEASE take any of the arrangements. The wedding was beautifully decorated in what I would call a rustic Christmas wedding. Burlap squares covered the tables and I gathered them up not wanting them to go to waste. I didn't know what I was going to do with them until I stumbled upon this blog.

I thought..."Hey, I can do that." So I did. Just in my style. I bought a straw wreath to cover (3.99) and I used fabric I already had. This wreath cost me 4 dollars! I love it and can't wait until spring to put on my front door!

The Kitchen: A Story of Before and After

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Sorry, I cut out the window but you are basically looking at the same thing. The counter tops will be replaced with something in the black scheme. The flooring will be replaced with a faux wood linoleum. I know what you are thinking but you are staring at faux stone linoleum so I consider it a step up! Just as a side note, the stuff on the laundry room door is actully a over the door hanger that holds anything from recipes to pictures (or in this pic Christmas cards) and I LOVE IT! It is from Southern Living.

BEFORE

AFTER:

We have changed the light fixtures. The rest is just paint.

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Ahh, A better picture of the over the door thingy! Notice my Christmas present from Mom and Dad? A NEW STOVE! Good bye Golden Drop In and HELLO Mr. Ceramic Slide IN! Oh by the way, THANKS LISA! Notice the hardware that you gave me almost 3 years ago! They are up!

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Now I am just waiting for the funds for a counter top and flooring. I am so thankful for my parents help! It was actually fun!

P.S. There are more pictures on my facebook.

Year in Review

January

• My best friend left State Farm Insurance for a job at SFASU. It was the first time in nearly 5 years that we didn't see each other every day.

February

• Made an effort to be more GREEN!

March

• For the first time since working at State Farm I was finally doing what I wanted to do!

April

• Celebrated Easter and Andrew's First Birthday!

May

• CARL GRADUATED and I took him to the Dr. Pepper Mecca!
  
  

June

• I lost my job. It was the biggest blessing in my life so far!

July

• I enjoyed not having a job for the first time since I was 15.

August

• I had my first day at First United Methodist Preschool and I reconnected with my true calling...teaching.

September

• Adjusted to this new, wonderful, semi-grown up life.

October

• Fell in love with 16 toddlers and realized I really want one of my own! (Still discussing the next steps to fulfill that little dream with Carl!)

November

• Went with my brother and husband to get my tattoo for Nini.

December

• Redecorated my kitchen. Thanks to my awesome Christmas present from my parents, a stove.