Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Family Rules and Mod Podge....

ok so while surfing one day, I stumbled upon The Pleated Poppy and her family rules... I had to have make for our family. So with some scrapbook paper I had on hand( the colors weren't really the colors I love, but didn't want to go buy more)a piece of foam board from Dollar Tree & Mod Podge (which I think I am really going to love playing with), I created Gerst Family Rules...





and because I really lack originality, I used most of her family's rules.. hey they are great rules!! Here they are since they are hard to read in the picture...

- Forgiveness is mandatory
-Always tell the truth
-Have fun, be kind, ask first, no fussing, no whining
-Be creative at all times
-Encourage your siblings..share in their joy
-Husband hug your wife daily & wife always be on his side
-Obey your parents
-Never leave angry
-Sing silly, dance crazy, hug often, say I love you
-Bless your food, eat together
-Keep your promises
-Say your prayers and thank God for this family

She had others on her list, but I was limited on space...



Tuesday, January 26, 2010

The WII, Biggest Loser, The Ring and Me Update 01/26/10

I so was hoping not to have to post a post such as this till further in my weight loss journey, but here goes...................

I


LOST


NOTHING!!!

I kind of knew that I would have that result this week.

Here are my excuses...LOL

-My daughter's birthday was this week and we let them pick out what to have for their birthday dinner. She chose grilled pork steaks (yes, her dad was outside in the cold grilling for her), mashed potatoes (the kind with cheese, bacon, etc.) mac and cheese ('nuff said), corn and for good measure I made a salad... are you feeling all the carbs yet? My body felt them.

-Then as if that one meal wasn't enough, over the weekend she had her actual party which included at her request, pizza, chicken wings, cheese sticks and oreos + her birthday cake...need I say more.


Top the above two excuses with little to no exercise and water intake being less than steller, you get no weight loss and a prayer of thanks that you didn't gain five pounds!

Moving forward this week, hopefully with a lot more self control!!


Monday, January 25, 2010

Free Cereal @ KMart...

Register to receive Post Cereal's newsletter and you will be able to print out a $2/1coupon for Raisin Bran, Shredded Wheat or Grape Nuts..KMart has Post cereal on sale for $2 this week.

Thanks to Money Saving Mom for a heads up on this one.

Is it bad that I have two posts back to back about cereal by two diffrent companies!! I hope not!!

Happy Monday!

Friday, January 22, 2010

Can We Talk Breakfast...



While I enjoy cooking my kids breakfasts, sometimes they like, as I do too, to have a good old bowl of cereal for breakfast.. and on occasion they like to have it for a snack. Thanks to MyBlogSpark I was given the oppotunity to try out some of General Mills cereals for free.

While poking around on General Mills website I found a few facts about Big G cereals and breakfast in general that intrigued me...

General Mills announced a commitment to further reduce sugar in cereals advertised to kids under 12 to single digit grams of sugar per serving. The company has already been reducing sugar in cereals while increasing key nutrients, such as calcium and vitamin D, and providing whole grain.

The complex combination of vitamins, minerals, fiber and other substances found naturally in whole grains work together to help reduce the risk of heart disease and some cancers.

People who eat breakfast tend to consume less fat, less cholesterol & more fiber over the course of their day.

On average breakfast contributes less than 20% of daily calories while delivering 30%of needed calcium, iron and B vitamins.

Kids who eat breakfast tend to perform better in school & have fewer disciplinary problems. Breakfast also tends to help kids stay alert.


Oh and I did try the new Chocolate Cheerios...can I just say YUM!!!

Now go on and have yourself a bowl of cereal, will ya! You can print out a $1 off coupon here to help out!

Disclosure: I was provided coupons and the link to coupon from General Mills throughMyBlogSpark

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

The WII, Biggest Loser, The Ring and Me..01/19/10 Update

Not a bad week again at all... I lost another 4lbs, bringing my total to 9lbs. I am excited for sure!

I do want to share with you a little something I discovered. If you are like me at all, there are times when you just need a little chocolate to get you through the day.. add a little caramel and my day is perfect.



Well..... I found Twixels.. they are mini (real mini) Twix bars and only 35 calories each! As if that wasn't enough, my Target had some on clearance, coupon attached, plus I had a Target coupon for $1 off.

So let me straighten this out for you... chocolate + caramel + only 35 calories + clearance + coupon = very happy me!!! Hmmm.. I should have saved this for Finer Things Friday!!

Thursday, January 14, 2010

Because..

she is an adorable diva..





A Little Bit of a Makeover...

for my microwave hutch/stand.

My husband and I prior to Christmas had started looking around for a new microwave stand. It had to be budget friendly, couldn't be huge, etc. Never found one that really got our attention.

So I took our current microwave hutch, that was once my parents, then my sister and now ours and gave it a bit of a makeover...


Before....




and for a whopping .50 can of mistinted paint at Lowes, I now have this...





In case you are wondering about the color scheme I have going on, I am going to repaint our kitchen to the shade of green (sage) that I used on the hutch, so it will be all matchy matchy soon!


For more DIY projects check out A Soft Place to Land.




Tuesday, January 12, 2010

The WII, Biggest Loser, The Ring and Me Update 01/12/10

Well, I didn't die doing the exercises like I was confident I would!

From the beginning I told myself I would only weigh myself every Tuesday. I often set myself up for discouragement by weighing myself everyday when trying to diet because obviously there are days where you will not see the scale move down.

So for my first weigh in I lost......................


5 lbs.!!!

You can read the beginning post of this journey here


Monday, January 11, 2010

Just Being a Little Creative...

Inspired after reading on Money Saving Mom's website about "prettified" envelope system, I had to try.. here it is...not quite as pretty as the one she posted, but better than plain ole white ones!!





After reading success story after story, we decided to try this way of paying for things. If you are unfamiliar with the method, you can read about it here and here.




Saturday, January 9, 2010

Starting Again...

The new year, that is. The first full week of 2010 my whole family gets the stomach flu..oh well, I guess we got it out of the way early!

So this week will be the start of my resolutions... is that alright? I did manage to keep one and that is my diet and exercise, that is until the day I was the one sick!!Which by the way, I know it was by the grace of God, I was the last one to get it - no way could I have taken care of myself and my family if we were all sick at the same time!

So here we go again.......

Friday, January 8, 2010

And These Are A Few of My Favorite Things....

ok actually I am sharing only two.. but whose counting anyways...

It looks like a cute fashionable purse, doesn't it?






Nope...it's my new coupon organizer my mom got me for me Christmas!!!
Yea me!! No more carrying a binder or index card holder, in fact no one will even know the coupon lady is coming!


and for a more organized year, I made a home management binder using my Cricut that was a gift from my wonderful husband...check it out...

Here is the front..

A pencil holder that I found on clearance for .90! Seriously, I had to add that because I have four "not me's" who are always taking my pens and pencils!!


These are the sections I have so far, I have at least one or two others to add..


The first one is emegency information & Daily Plan (aka our "to do" list) Second is meal planning and recipes.


The first one here are our addresses for our family and friends, the second our budget & finances.

I also added a ledger & a few clear pencil holders to hold receipts, tax info, etc.




So I may going out on a limb, but I am going to say that having my coupons fashionably organized and all I need to know regarding my family at my fingertips..are finer things!!!

Check out some more Finer Things at Amy's Finer Things!


Have a great weekend!










Thursday, January 7, 2010

IT IS A......



No laughing at my lack of artistic skills!!!

Have fun playing in the snow!



Monday, January 4, 2010

Another Great Deal @ Target...




Since I am starting my own Biggest Loser diet tomorrow, I needed to stock up on healthy, low cal food.

Target has Wight Watchers Smart Ones meal and desserts on sale this week for $1.89. Purchase 10 and you get a $5 gift card. However, I noticed on some of the frozen meals there was a $4 off when you buy 10 peelie... so after the $5 gift card and the $4 coupon they cost .99 each!!

Saturday, January 2, 2010

Our New Years Resolution...

I wasn't really sure if I wanted to post about my/our resolutions or not. For awhile, I was thinking, no...because what if I fail? Then I thought, really, at least I can say I tried, right? So here goes.. below are our / my resolutions for 2010....

- First and foremost... having/making time each day to have real time with the Lord and being consistant with that.

- Second, bringing that to our children. We have a family devotions book by Josh McDowell. There is a devotion for everyday and they are targeted for children.

- Third, we will be watching every penny, building up our emergency fund and working towards getting out of debt. Dave Ramsey will be our friend this year!!!

-Fourth - Lose weight..... 'Nuff said..

There you have it! Any resolutions for you?


Hidden Target Deal....

I found at the two Target stores I went to adorable pajama sets in the toddler section that were ringing up 75% off. The brands are Just One Year - Carters and Nick and Nora. Below are pics of the patterns I purchased for our two year old for next year. They are Christmas themed which I am sure is why they are on sale, however, in the older kids and adults, Christmas themed pajamas were clearly marked clearance, but not at such a reduced price. The infants and toddler are marked full price at $14.99, but scanning for $3.74. Take a look below....
This one is really a deal, you get two sets of pjs for $3.74..

My two year old loves cats or meow meows as she calls them, hopefully she still will next year!

The bottoms on these are a very soft flannel... so adorable!

The original price for this one was $8.99, so I scored this one for $2.24!!


So if you have an infant or toddler in your life that you buy for, check it out and get a jump start for next year!!!






Friday, January 1, 2010

The Wii, Biggest Loser, The Ring and Me....



When it comes to dieting the motivation behind it varies. Some people diet strictly for health reasons, some diet because of an upcoming event where they may run into people they haven't seen for awhile,(ie family reunion, high school reunion - yikes!)
For some, usually those who have just a little to lose, have a dress or outfit that they would love to be able to wear again.. that is sort of where I am at.

Sure the healthy thing to do for me would be dieting...not motivation enough.

Family reunions, well..they have seen me this way for awhile, so there would be no big surprise! As far as high school reunion..not too worried, I only graduated with two other people ( I will explain another time).

I don't have an outfit that I need / want to squeeze into, but I do have something that I would love to wear again....on the correct finger again...you probably have guessed it, my wedding ring.

About 2 pregnancies ago, I outgrew it. I could have and probably should have had it resized... but then where would I ever find motivation to lose weight, right?
Anyway, with the help of the Wii and the Biggest Loser Wii game, I am going to fit into my wedding ring once again. And since I do better when I am held accountable, I am going to blog about this weight loss journey.
The plan is to start January 5th, that is when the next season of Biggest Loser begins.

By the way, because I want you to come back to my blog, I won't be posting any pics of me on the scale in the usual Biggest Loser attire!! Oh and I will let you know how much I want to lose, but I am thinking I will go ahead and keep my starting weight quiet for now...