Weekend without Eden

I'm missing my Edenbug right now. As much as I like her visiting her dad, my weekends without her are pretty dull. I do like the fact that I can run my errands and complete my to-do list I was carrying for quite some time but when all is done, I find myself thinking about her and missing her like crazy.

Today just felt like a completely different day without her. I woke up staring at her crib with no baby in sight. I knew I had to keep myself preoccupied and what better way to do so is through chores. Feeling motivated, I did a deep cleaning of my room. I wouldn't have done it if I had Eden with me because time would not have permitted me to do such a thing so that was great! I folded laundry, made breakfast, paid bills, picked up my prescriptions at CVS, couponed, organized my stockpile, soaked all of Eden's bottles and ran it through an autoclave machine-twice. I even went to the library to do some studying. By mid-afternoon, I found myself bored out of my mind. Dying to know how my Eden was doing, I called Jonathan to ask if everything was all right and if I can rescue her now. He responded that she was doing fine and didn't need any rescuing. Darn!

I was in need of my friend, Belen to come and just be with me. We talked about life and came to the conclusion that "real" life really suck. There are too many responsibilities and we wished we were still living the college days free of worries. We had dinner at Yoshino and it was delicious! I ordered a snappy roll; one of my favorite rolls there. Belen would hate me if I didn't mention that we had the cutest happa waitor tabling us. Finally, we finished the night by getting thrifty ice cream at Rite Aid. Yum! Now I am at home in front of my computer looking at pictures of Eden and wishing she was in my arms right now.

Everything I did today reminded of her. It's so hard to let her go. I don't know how I'm going to handle letting her go off to college. Oh my! I'm not gonna go there. I'll be weeping before you know it. Can Monday come by faster so that I can see my darling baby!?!

Signed,
Sobbing Mother

Blast from the Past

Sometimes you have to be reminded to cherish the moments that you've already made. I definitely made my mark on the world and I was able to share it some of the most amazing people in my life. These are just a few of the moments I captured. May there be more great moments to come!

In all Preparation: Weekend Shortcomings

It's midnight and I can't sleep! I'm still up prepping for this long week I'm about to endure. Why? Because I was so damn lazy this weekend. I admit it, I literally left everything to the last minute. I don't like to boast but I was crowned the queen of procrastination at birth. Somewhere along my linkage, I acquired a genetic mutation that makes me put everything off last minute and I'm living proof that it's not curable. I've already ask the doc!

Where did the weekend go? I don't feel rested and needless to say, I feel more tired than I did before the weekend even started. I took a stab at one or two things on my endless list of to-do's but not quite the important stuff I wanted to complete. All I can say is, "Great, more things to pile up for this coming week!" Now that I have time to analyze my sluggish and slothful weekend, my shortcomings came from thinking I can do way too much in so little time. I was a bit ambitious and it didn't help that Eden was so much fun to play with.

So I confess to you where my weekend shortcomings took place:

1. Laundry
I've learned  that there is no way to incorporate Eden with getting laundry done. All the Supermoms out there can attest but I found that it's just not possible. Either it sits in the basket until the little rugrat falls asleep or it becomes a pile that she jumps in. I'm staring at the pile that needs to be folded as we speak. Not gonna happen tonight.

2. Facebook-Be the Death of Me
Facebook, why do you have to be so addicting? Ok, it's not Facebook to blame! It's the people on Facebook. Everyone, please stop updating your status and making it oh so addicting for me to read it. Because I do! Here's the shortcoming: Eden's napping and instead of doing the laundry, I decided to spend my valuable time on Facebook-stalking and reading though the news feed. I have to take responsibility for that one!

3. Blog Time
Nope! Not mine! Other mommy blogs! Like Facebook, I decided to catch up on what the other mommy bloggers are up to since I don't get a chance to do it during the week. Salt & Nectar, you are too addicting! I absolutely love your blog. Summer-ize, I can probably spend all my time on your site looking through your pictures. To make it even worse, I just added two new/great blogs to following that like rest, is going to suck up my time. To date, I think I follow about 25 blogs. Oh dear! Gotta figure out a way to spread them through the week and get my daily fix.

4. Sunday Football
My boyfriend, Tom Brady was playing so of course I'm going to be there to support. What kind of girlfriend would I be if I didn't tune in to watch him play? Yes, Sunday football got the best of me this weekend and though I don't really understand the name of the game, I was on my feet when they scored! They're called "touchdowns", right?

5. My darling Baby Eden
Finally, Baby Eden! She is the culprit of my weekend shortcomings. I pretty much spent the entire weekend playing with her and being a mommy! I love the time I spent playing with her. She brings me back to the old childhood days when I was so carefree. Love that about her. She's the best and I would take a bullet, and an incomplete list of chores to be able to just sit and watch her play with her toys.

This weekend taught me what's really important. I learned that laundry/a spick-and-span room can wait another day for a great day spent with my EdenBug!

IT'S PLAY TIME!

“To be in your children’s memories tomorrow, you have to be in their lives today”

-Anonymous

I stumbled upon this quote last night and it resonated with me. Whoever said this, thanks for reminding me what's really important in life. This weekend, I'm going to be kickin' it with this little munchkin!

Have a safe and happy weekend with your loved ones!

Rite Aid Haul: Week of 1/8

I had a great couponing week. There were a lot of freebies and I managed to take advantage of a few. I was mainly after the personal items. Yes, I'm talking about female products! You can never get enough pads and tampons because we gals go through these products every SINGLE month! So it's always good to stock up on these babies. In this haul, I spent a whopping $1.07 for $42 worth of products shown above. That's a 97% savings!!!!

The highlight of my week was probably teaching my sister and cousin how to coupon. With a little guidance, they clipped and they couponed and they saved a lot of money on their shopping trip! My cousin spent $28.00 for $49.00 worth of products for her first time couponing ever and my sister spent $ 8.00 for $32.00 worth of products! I am so proud! It's never too late to learn how to coupon. If you're interested in learning, hit me up and I will show you the way!

Rite Aid Week of 1/8

TRANSACTION #1:

Halls Cough Drops, 20-30 ct or Defense, 30 ct $1.50
Buy 2, Receive $1.00 +Up Reward
Use $1.00/2 – Halls Cough Drops, 20 – 30 ct -  (smartsource.com) 
Pay $2.00, Receive $1.00 +Up Reward

ThermaCare Heatwraps, 1 ct $3.00
Buy 1, Receive $3.00 +Up Reward
Total: $5.00, use $2.00 +Up Rewards from Week 1/1, pay $3.00. Receive $1.00 and $3.00 +Up Rewards

TRANSACTION #2:

Buy 2 Carefree Pantiliners, 36-60 ct or Ultra, 16 ct $2.50each
Buy 1 Visine, 0.5 mL $5.29
Buy 1 Bengay Pain Relief $5.49

Use $2.00/1 Bengay Pain Relief,in ad coupon
Use $2.00/1 – Bengay Product – (smartsource.com)
Use $1.00/2 Carefree, in ad coupon
And use 2 $0.50/1 Carefree Product excludes 18-22 ct from SS 1/8
Use 1 $2.00/1- Visine 0.5 oz+ or Soothing Wipes, any – (smartsource.com)
Use 1 $2.00/1 Visine Lubricant Eye Drops, 0.5 oz, in ad coupon

Total: $5.78, use $3.00 +Up Rewards and $1.00 +Up Rewards, pay $1.78

TRANSACTION #3:

Buy 2 o.b Tampons, 18 ct $2.50each
Buy 1 Visine, 0.5 mL $5.29

Use 1 $2.00/1- Visine 0.5 oz+ or Soothing Wipes, any – (smartsource.com)
Use 1 $2.00/1 Visine Lubricant Eye Drops, 0.5 oz, in ad coupon
Use $1.00/2 o.b. Tampons, in ad coupon X
Use 2 $1.00/1 – o.b Tampons – (o.b.com)
Total: $3.29, pay $3.29

TRANSACTION #4:

Buy  4 Stayfree Pads pay for 2 $2.50each

Use $1.00/2 Stayfree, in ad coupon
Use 2 BOGO Stayfree
Plus 2 $0.50 Peelie on package (cashier scanned it but I’m not sure if she was allowed to do that bc that would be 2 manufacture coupon used on a single product)
Total: $3.00, pay $3.00

Spend $30 worth of products Receive $10.00+Up Reward
Total: $42.07; After coupon: $11.07 Receive $10.00 +Up Reward

Grand total: $1.07

Tip of the Day: Keep Calm & Carry On

Double trouble!! I found some of my old pictures from long ago and I was so surprised how much Eden resembles me. Every time I look at Eden, I feel as if I'm looking at a mirror image of myself!

"Keep Calm & Carry On" has become my motto lately especially when my morale is low. Being a mother is extremely rewarding but with that comes a lot of criticism. People can seriously crush you with words!!! I try to block off the negative things people say but it's definitely hard when they're coming at you from every angle. It's difficult to ignore the cruel things people say even when you know it's not true. As a mother, I've been tested and challenged beyond my limitations. I've dealt with all kinds of dilemmas from being called a "bad" mother and having people think I'm selfish for wanting to work instead of staying at home. Here are my favorites:

1. "She's still sick from the last time I saw her? Maybe she should see a real doctor down here. Makes me wonder how well you are taking care of her."

aka THE BAD MOTHER! This one is my all-time fav! (Again, these are real quotes from real people and they're quite hilarious now that I read it again) If I had a nickel for every time someone reference me as the "bad" mother, I'd be quite wealthy. I always wondered how they came to this conclusion. This person hasn't seen her for over a month and thinks she's been sick for all her life. At 6 months of age, Eden's going through a transformation. She's teething which is causing her pain and hitting fevers. The season is changing therefore the baby is fighting viruses and foreign invaders. It's normal for babies to catch colds. I like how this person referenced how I should take her to see a "real" doctor. C'mon really, I'm seriously going to take my baby to a "pretend" doctor behind an alley somewhere. Trust me, her pediatrician has an MD. I tripled checked his credentials and where he graduated from med school and residency. If it makes you feel better, I "yelped" him to find his ratings and how others felt about him. Trust me NOW!?!

2. "Why are you going to work? You should stay at home and take care of your baby."

I have no problems with staying at home (I wish I could stay at home w/ Eden), but who will support my baby if I did? No one!!! If you're lucky that your husband/boyfriend is able to support the family, I'm all for it. Staying at home works best for your family and you can spend quality time with your children. If you don't, then you better find a way to support your children. It's that simply! I chose to work because I have to provide for my baby, BOTTOM LINE! I have to pay for her diapers, clothes, and everyday necessities. Babies do not suffer when mothers work. They're not going to fall over and die because you're working. I have Eden at the hospital day care which is convenient because I can swing by during my breaks and lunch to see her. I seen mothers who worked and raised some of the most amazing kids and I've also seen mothers who stayed at home whos kids turned out great and lovable. On the other hand, I've witnessed mothers who stayed at home and had some of the most rotten and shittiest kids. It all comes down to how YOU RAISE THEM!


3. "You're selfish for wanting to pursue higher education."

Really?!? Because I thought if I went back to school, I could possibly get a better paying job that would possibly provide for my baby. Maybe then, I wouldn't have to work as physically hard. I would be using my brain instead of tearing down my body. I applaud all the mothers who continue in their studies because they want a better future for their children. You are the example to your kids. They see you pursuing your goals, don't you think they would want to do the same?

As much as I want to sudo chop all the ignorant people out there, what good will it do? They'll still be the ignorant, worthless, bastards on the planet. Now that I'm done ranting (ahhh I feel so much better...writing is so therapeutic), I want to leave you with this message! To ALL the mothers and future mothers out there that had/will deal with criticisms, keep calm and carry on! Action speaks louder than words so continue on being the GREAT and STRONG MOTHERS that you are! They'll see it and you can see right through them!

CVS, Wags, Rite Aid Results: Week of 1/1

I forgot to share a haul that I did earlier this week at CVS, Walgreens, and Rite Aid. What I learned about couponing is that it is possible to get things for free even the name brand products. These company want you to try their products. There are always coupons out on the internet and newspaper for that reason. You just have to know when there's a great sale on the product and use a coupon to get the greatest savings. This week I stocked up on Pantene shampoo and conditioner as well as on the common toiletry.  

Rite-Aid

Transaction #1

Buy 1 $100.00 Vanilla Visa Card 
Pay $5.95 Visa Activation Fee
Buy 1, Receive $20.00 +Up Reward
Pay $105.95, Receive $20.00 +Up Reward
Final Price: $85.95 or $14.05 Moneymaker

Transaction #2

Bought 2 Centrum ProNutrients $11.99
Buy One Get One 50% Off, thru 1/7
Buy 2, Receive $2.00 +Up Reward
Use 2 $5.00/1 Centrum ProNutrients from RP 01/01
And use 2  $4.00/1- Centrum ProNutrients- (adperk.com)
Pay $0.00, Receive $2.00 +Up Reward, And submit for 2 $2.00 Single Check Rebate
Final Price: $6.00 Moneymaker

Bought 1 Oral-B Complete Action or 3D White Action Power Toothbrush, 1ct or 2ct refill $5.99
Use $3.00/1 Oral-B Power Toothbrush from P&G 1/1
Pay $2.99, And Submit for $2.99 Single Check Rebate
Final Price: Free
Paid: $2.99

M&M Peanuts
Paid: $0.69

My total was $3.68 and I paid with the $20.00+Up Reward from Transaction #1. I received $2.00 +Up Reward and will submit for 2 $2.00 Single Check Rebate. Grand total: $23.97 worth of products for FREE!!!

CVS

Transaction #1

2 Dawn, 9-10.3 oz $0.88
Use  2 $0.50/1 Dawn with Olay Hand Renewal, excludes trial size, Limit 4 Like Coupons in same shopping trip from PG 1/1 (exp 1/31)
Final Price: $0.38
Paid: $0.72 for 2

4 Ivory Bar Soap, 3 Pack $0.99
Use 4  $0.35/1 Ivory Bar Soap or Body Wash, Limit 4 Like Coupons in same shopping trip from PG 1/1 (exp 1/31)
Final Price: $0.64
Paid: $2.56 for 4

2 Oral B Cross Action Power Toothbrush, 1 ct. $5.99
Buy 1, Receive $2.00 Extra Bucks, Limit 2
Use 2 $3.00/1 Oral B Battery Toothbrush, Limit 4 Like Coupons in same shopping trip, from PG 1/1 (exp 1/31)
Pay $2.99, Receive $2.00 Extra Bucks
Final Price: $0.99
Paid: $1.98 for 2 Receive  2 $2.00 Extra Bucks

2 Oral B Satin Floss, 55 yds $2.99
Buy 1, Receive $1.00 Extra Bucks, Limit 2
Use 2 $1.00/1 Oral B Floss, Limit 4 Like Coupons in same shopping trip, from PG 1/1 (exp 1/31)
Final Price: $0.99
Paid: $1.98 for 2  Receive 2 $1.00 Extra Bucks

2 Tampax Pearl, 18 – 20 ct. or Always Infinity, 14 – 18 ct. $3.99
Use 2 $2.00/1 Tampax Pearl 18 ct or larger, Limit 4 Like Coupons in same shopping trip, from PG 1/1 (exp 1/31)
or $2.00/1 Always Infinity 14 ct. or larger, Limit 4 Like Coupons in same shopping trip, from PG 1/1 (exp 1/31)
Final Price: $1.99
Paid: $3.98 for 2

Charmin Basic, 12 Pack or Ultra Strong & Ultra Soft, 9 Pack $5.49
Use $0.25/1 Charmin products, Limit of 4 like coupons in same shopping trip from PG 1/1 (exp 1/31)
Final Price: $5.24

Total: $16.47; received 2 $2.00 and 2 $1.00 Extrabucks.

Transaction #2

Buy 8 Pantene Pro-V Shampoo, Conditioner, 12.6 oz or Styler, 5.7-11.5 oz $2.99
Use 4 $3.00/2 Pantene products, excludes trial size, Limit 4 like coupons in same shopping trip from PG 1/1 (exp 1/31)
Final Price: $11.92

Total: $11.92; used 2 $2.00 and 2 $1.00 Extrabucks from transaction #1. So I paid $5.92 for transaction #2. Plus, I received $10.00 Extrabucks for spending $30.00 worth of qualifying products.

Grand total: I spent $12.39 for $61.07 worth of products!

Walgreens

Bought 3 Clearasil Daily Clear Adult Cream $3.79, On Sale thru 1/7
Use $2.00/1 Clearasil Face Wash from Walgreens in-ad coupon
And use 3 $1.00/1 – Clearasil Product – (homesolution.news.us) (sign up and click on personal care)

Final Price: $0.79

Bought 1 Studio 35 Nail Polish Remover, 8 oz $1.99, Special Price
Use $1.00/1 Studio 35 Nail Polish Remover, 8 - 16 oz from Walgreens January Book (will deduct $2.00)
Final Price: $0.99

Grand total: $3.36 for $13.36 worth of products.

Among the three stores I shopped at, I spent $15.75 for $98.40 worth of brand name products!

Check out thekrazycouponlady.com. This website is amazing and this is where I find all my sales for the week Thanks KCL

Target Shopping Haul: Week of 1/1

One of my top new year's resolution is to save money and how I've been doing so is through couponing. I've been couponing for about 4 months now and definitely understanding what's a good deal. I absolutely love the rush I get from couponing and like I said earlier, it's the new generation kind of math that brings me back. Ok, I'll admit it, I'm a nerd. In this haul, I wanted to stock up on as much pasta and pasta sauce. They are my go-to food when I can't think of anything else to eat and it's super healthy. I dress up my pasta by adding mushrooms, green bell pepper, and onions. Add a quick salad and toast a couple slices of bread and I have dinner in 20 minutes!

I also found some Christmas clearance that were at amazing prices, practically free. I thought I stock up on next year's Christmas outfits for Eden by buying a bigger size for her. What's great about this year is that I have a couple babies to buy clothes for. My cousin, Jenn & Gabe Auciello will be bringing in Baby Auciello in July and one of my great favorite couple from UCLA will be bringing in theirs this year as well! I can't wait and I love shopping for them. Seeing them go through the whole pregnancy process is just incredible and they are so close to me that I feel as if I'm going through the whole process myself. Their babies will definitely be ready for the Christmas season.

Bought Market Pantry Pasta 1lb $1.34 Price Cut thru 1/21
Bought Market Pantry Pasta Sauce $1.09 Price Cut thru 1/21
Use(6) $1.00/2 – Market Pantry Dry Pasta and Pasta Sauce, Target Coupon – (target.com)
Final Price: $0.71 each when you buy 1 pasta and 1 pasta sauce

Paid: $8.58

Bought 5 Market Pantry Boxed Macaroni & Cheese, 6 oz $0.64, Regular Price
Use (5)  $1.00/1 – Market Pantry Boxed Macaroni & Cheese, Excludes Single Serve, Target Coupon – (target.com) 
Final Price: Free
Paid: $0.00

Bought 2 Dannon Activia, 4 pk $2.19, Regular Price
Use $2.00/2 – Dannon Activia, 4 pk, Target Coupon – (target.com)
And use 2 $1.00/1 - Dannon Activia, 4 pk – (coupons.allyou.com)
Final Price: $0.19 each when you buy 2
Paid: $0.38

Glade Holiday Candles, Clearance Price $1.48
Use (1) $1.00/2 Glade Holiday Candles   Final Price: $0.98 each when you buy 2
Paid: $1.96

Bought Christmas Bib-Originally $3.99, Clearance Sale
Final Price: $0.39

Bought Christmas Socks; 2 packs-Originally $3.99, Clearance Sale
Final Price: $0.39

Bought Christmas Sock-Originally $5.00, Clearance Sale
Final Price: $0.50

Bought 3 Christmas Tights-Originally $8.00, Clearance Sale
Final Price: $0.80
Paid: $2.40

Bought Christmas Tee-Originally $9.00, Clearance Sale
Final Price: $0.90

Bought Christmas Hello Kitty Tee-Originally $10.00, Clearance Sale
Final Price: $1.00

My total came out to be $16.50 however I brought in my own bags which gave me an additional $0.10 off. I also used my sister’s Target employee discount which gave me $2.54 off my total. So I paid $13.86 for $81.10 worth of products!!! That’s an 83% savings!!!

Wanna learn how to coupon? I'll teach you and send you some coupons to start off with. Just send me a message!

New Year: Bring on the New Year's Resolutions!

2012 BABY! I'm a sucker for creating new year's resolutions. Though I burn every one of my new year's resolution by the third month, I still continue to write them out at the beginning of each year. Maybe it's the fact that I like how a new year brings a new persona that I want to achieve for myself and by setting out goals, I've made some kind of promise that I have to abide to.  In the past, I've always made unrealistic goals for myself which is why I can never make it past the three month mark. This year is going to be a bit different. I'm going for realistic, measurable goals that I can physically keep track of and see progression. I'm going to try extra hard to keep at it. I promise to buckle down and reach six months before I totally kick my resolutions to the curb. Hey, I'm being realistic!

Here are my 5 New Year's Resolutions:

1. Save Money

• Open a savings account in Eden's name and put in $50 from each paycheck into account. Create Excel sheet to monitor account.
• Use coupons to save on groceries & personal items. Utilize mint.com to keep track of spending. Create Excel sheet to monitor savings.
• Continue to save for car this year and special summer trip with Eden.

2. Pay off ALL debt

• Start by paying off the smallest debt and continue to move on to the larger debt.
• Pay off medical bills by this year!
• Begin to create a money reservior to pay off UCLA loan. First payment is April and interest starts in May :(

3. Eat better and get back in shape

• Round the hospital when at work for at least  15 min.
• Do 10 min of stretching in bed when I wake up and go to sleep.
• Do ab workout when playing with Eden.Taking walks with Eden to the library.
• Run for at least 30 min. 3x during week and 45 min. during weekend
• Prepare meals and pack lunch everyday. No buying hospital lunches except for emergencies.

4. Be more organize

• Use planner and schedules.
• Use weekends to organize bills and paperwork.
• Set everything up the night before.
• Make sure Eden's clothes and belongings stay organize daily.

5. Me time!

• Staying inspired and using that to get me going when I want to give up!
• Set time to do nails, read, and relax.
• Continue to take classes and set time to sit down and study without interruptions everyday
• Hang out with friends and stay updated with what's going on!