Baby Deal~ Miracle Blanket

WOW!!! I'm so excited as we have several new little babies among my family and friends right now. Miracle Blankets are BOGO 50% at Toys R Us right now. Head here to check them out. These are available for Shoprunner or in store pick up to save on shipping.


These blankets are truly AMAZING!!! My first daughter was a great sleeper, but when my second was born we had trouble getting her to sleep even up to 2 hours at a time. Mommy was exhausted and a friend lent hers to me. She immediately started sleeping closer to 4 hours at a time. I would highly recommend these to any and all mommies with a little baby.


Don't forget shop through Ebates for additional cashback savings.

Hot Deal Alert-Dog Food Freebie

PetSmart is holding a President's Day Sale that includes  Science Diet Dog Food. Now through Monday 2/20 the 4-5 lb bags are $6. Use this $8/1 coupon to snag FREE dog food. This deal does require that you are PetPerks member, but it is free to sign up in store.

Remember if you don't have a dog you can always donate this to your local animal shelter!


(Thanks Collin!)

Hot Deal Alert- Disney Apparel $3.75!



Orig 12.50 now 3.75



Hurry over to the Disney Store for some great deals. Right now you can use the code HAPPY25 for an additional 25% your total purchase. You can find some hot deals like those posted below. Orders over $75 recieve free shipping and others start at $4.50. Remember to shop through Ebates for additional cashback savings. This code applies to the entire site so come back and share what other dals you find:)











Orig. 16.50 now 4.50!



Tide Freebie

Hurry over here and "like" tide. Then click  the Tide Pods tab and fill out the information needed. Today they are giving away 500,000 free Tide Pod Samples. You may need to refresh a few times as the site gets busy with all the entries.

CVS- $3 off $15

For those of you who shop at CVS(one of my favorite stores:) they are offering a $3 off $15 coupon. Head over here and share your CVS pharamcist story and they will email you a coupon within 24 hours. This is a terrific offer so be sure to "like" them now.

Daily Challenge

Let me start by saying I LOVE MY GIRLS, but being a parent is hard somedays. My oldest has had a fever and terrible cough for the past 2 days and last night just could not sleep. I was up until 430 this morning holding her so she would be comfortable, but of course that meant no sleep for mama. Then an early start to my day as I had an appt today that I had to be at. Again I love my girls and would do anything for them, but nights like this are exhausting. So today when I left my appointment I stopped at McDonalds for my guilty pleasure, a Mocha Frappe, yum! Today's challenge is to do something for yourself. So many times we are trying to do what is best for our families and tend to neglect ourselves. Do something special grab your favorite coffee, take a bubble bath, order in instead of cooking, whatever will help give you that little extra motivation to keep on keeping on:)

Mommy Alert- Tylenol Recall

Well many of you may remember about1 1/2-2 yrs ago Tylenol recalled a large portion of their infant/children's products. Well they are at it again. McNeil Consumer Healthcare has issued a recall for Infant Tylenol in Grape flavor. For more details and lot numbers please head here to check it out. 

Hot Deal Alert-$.01 Photo Prints Are Back

We recently had my daughters' birthday party which means pictures!!! Unfortunetly picture printing can get expensive. Right now Snapfish is offering penny prints! Use the code PRINTSFEB to print up to 500 4x6 photos at $.01 each. If you have  not printed with Snapfish before sign up now there quality is wonderful and shipping is fast. Hurry this offer expires Feb. 20th.

Daily Challenge

So last night my husband was watching the news before bed and he told me of a story of a little girl who choked during her lunch. The story gave me chills and saddened me as the little girl had passed away. I know the scariness of a situation like this as I have had to use the Heimlich maneuver more than once. It is scary, but knowing how to handle the situation will help. The first time I went to use it on our daughter my husband froze. It was just his automatic response. I then asked him to take a class with me on how to administer the Heimlich and other first aid skills because the truth is I am not always present with him. He agreed and learned much from it. However, our certifications are almost expired and it is time to renew soon. So today's challenge is to learn or schedule to learn some life saving skills. Check here or here for locations of local class, turn on youtube and get an idea I'm sure someones posted the ABC's of CPR and First Aid, ask a friend or family member to show you. Whatever it is learn a skill that could save a life.

Kid's Clothes- How To Get Them At A Fraction Of The Cost

Are your kids growing like weeds? Do you feel like you constantly have to buy them new clothes because what you just got them no longer fits?  We are blessed in the technological era to have many outlets for purchasing and selling clothing. We have the very obvious opportunity to purchase at retailers, but this can often break a budget so how do you find clothes cheap enough to keep up with your child's growth spurts?You can try to coupon or hit the clearance racks, but then you are at the mercy of the retailer. Here are some alternatives to finding a great deal.

*Garage Sales~ The tried and true driving from house to house on Saturdays to dig through one man's trash, hoping to find your own treasure. Search your local paper listings for areas that are having community sales. These usually lead to a wealth of children's clothing at cheap prices. Also, check out http://www.yardsaletreasuremap.com/ for more listings in your area and coordinate  your route.

*Ebay~ Here you have the opportunity to purchase gently used clothes at a fraction of the cost and shipped right to your door. People are typically selling clothing in lots so you can pick up a few outfits for the price of one and never have to leave your house.

*ThredUP~ This is a great program where you can swap clothes with other moms online. You can choose boxes based on your child's size, age, gender and then create boxes your children have grown out of. Check here for more details.

*Craigslist~ This site is growing rapidly, it gives you the chance to resale and buy clothing to those in your local area. This makes it nice to make a meeting place at a local store or gas station.  Tons of people are looking to make a little quick and easy cash so they are putting things out there that they want sold NOW.

*Facebook~ This may be the hottest growing trend of late. There are small groups being created and popping all over the facebook world. Here you can list classified ads for items you are wanting to purchase or sell. This is another easy way to find local people selling clothing there children's clothing.

Consignment Sales~ For me these have been a goldmine! You go to 1 building and they have loads of gently used children's items. It is like one large yardsale, but the items have come from 100's of families so the options are endless. You can often find items that are still brand new and a small fraction of the price.  Check here for some listings in your area.

Resale Shops~ Locally we have one called Once Upon A Child. These are stores where you can take and sell your used clothing for pennies on the dollar and then they resale them for a small profit. These like consignment sales are usually very picky so you will find newer trends and alot of clothing in good-excellent condition.

Freecycle~Most areas have a freecycle forum where you can post wants/ iso(in search of). If you are local to me our group is a part of yahoo. As spring cleaning comes up many will be purging there home of unwanted/unneeded items and listing them free to whomever would pick up first. You can find some great finds for FREE here.

 

If you are meeting and individual person please always use discretion. I love to meet in a public place if it is not someone I know. Also, if you are from a smoke free and/or pet free home and are concerned about allergies with your children be sure to communicate that to the buyer before making arrangements. Pin It

Xbox 360-Your Shape Fitness Evolved 2012

Amazon has Your Shape Fitness Evolved 2012 right now marked down to $29.99+Free Shipping.  This game typically retails for  $49.99+. Head over and check it out before it returns to regular price!

Donate a Freebie to our Troops

I love getting freebies, but this is even better! Donating a freebie to our military that work so hard to protect us.  Head here to the Febreeze Facebook page and click the tab "Treat our Troops" You will be able to donate a free Set and Refresh product to our troops via carepackage.



(Thanks Collin)

Eversave- $30 Pet RX voucher for $15

Do you have a furry family member that you love? Do you have to purchase routine medicine such as heartguard or frontline for them. Right now Eversave  is offering up a $30 voucher for PetRx for only $15!!!

Hot Deal Alert- Cute Crib Sets, Save over $80!!!

Right now you can head over to Kohls  and find these hot 10 piece Sumersault Crib Sets. These sets originally retail for $125 and now are marked down to $40.49!!! Also, use the code SMS4742  for an additional 20% making them  $32.39. Shipping is free on orders over $50. Don't forget to go through Ebates for additional cashback savings!

Giant Eagle Freebie

I received this email several days ago and thought it was personalized, however  I am realizing that it is open to others as well. Head over here to receive one FREE John Frieda Precision Foam Colour. You will need to have your advantage card number to receive this offer.


*Note this does  load straight to your card.

Rare Gluten Free Coupon

Does your family regularly purchase gluten free products? If so, you probably know that coupons for them are rare in comparison to others. Right now you can go here for a $1/1 coupon. Late last year Udi's offered up some free products and I had the opportunity to try several of their products and they are delicious.

Pampers Gifts To Grow

For those of you who particpate in the Pampers Gifts To Grow Program there is a new universal code out.  Enter FBVAL9BD99DAY12  on your account today and recieve a bonus 10 points.

Daily Challenge

Happy Valentine's Day! I have a love hate relationship with this holiday. I love taking the time to do something a little extra special for those I love like a favorite meal or a night of no errands just fun family time, but so often the commercialism of this holiday drives me nuts. We should show those we love that we love them EVERYDAY!!! I'm chosing to focus on the good of this holiday so today I am going to help my little one make a homemade Valentine for her daddy:) So today do something special for the one you love.

Wirt's Sweet Treats- Extra 15% off

 Wirt's Sweet Treats is offering a special discount for orders tonight only.



Order for your Valentine between 7pm-11pm tonight, and receive 15% off! Orders will be ready for pick up tomorrow..or delivery

This may be the perfect way gentleman to get a treat to your lady even though you forgot and ladies what a better way to a man's heart that through their tummy:)

Also, check them out here on facebook.  This month's special is Birthday Cakes so if you have a little one that is celebrating a special day call them today for an amazing treat. We had their wonderful cupcakes this weekend for our daughter's birthday party and they were delicious!

This retailer is local to the Apollo area and does deliver, message them for details on how far.

Hot Deal Alert-VTech Tote & Go Laptop only $12

Currently Walmart.com is offering the VTech Tote & Go Laptop Plus  for only $11.96. This toy typically retails for $20.  This is a hot deal that does not require a coupon so go get it!!! Remember to shop through Ebates for extra cashback savings. Also, chose ship to store for FREE shipping!


*On a side note, my kids LOVE this. My oldest got it for her second Easter, when she was about 14 months old. She loved it then and still loves it now at the age of 3. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a nice durable toy.

Disney Movie Rewards

Right now Disney Movie Rewards is offering a universal code to all memebers. Simply log into your account and enter 328WEDKFAHF for a bonus 5 points!

Not familiar with DMR, head here to see how it works and here to view the awesome  rewards you can cash in for. Start your account today with a free 5 points!

Giant Eagle Cheapies

Here are a few deals you may want to check out this week at  Giant Eagle (2/9-2/15)

Duncan Hines Cake Mix 4/$5.00-$0.35/1 DH Cake Mix SS 2/5
Final Price $0.55 Each

Pepperidge Farms layer cakes 5/10 wyb 5
- (5) 50/1 in 2/5SS
=5 for $5.00 or $1 each!

Daily Challenge

This weekend we had celebrated my daughters birthday's and thanks to the wonderful blessings of our family and friends my girls were blessed to receive several new outfits.  Which means today I have an abundance of laundry to do, so today's challenge is to catch up on laundry!!!

Princess Cake

All my life I wanted to be a mom and now that I am I LOVE IT!!! I love being the mom that stays at home can make crafts, homemade meals, and someday be involved in things like PTA. So, I set out last week on an adventure to create a Princess Aroura (Sleeping Beauty) cake as we were celebrating both girls  birthday this past weekend. I wanted to share the process and some tips we learned along the way. As I read somewhere last week a princess cake is truly a labor of love from a mom(and in this case and mom and and an aunt thanks to my wonderful sister Erika).

For those of you considering doing this for the first time I will try to lay it all out for you. We did use boxed cake mix. So you begin by baking  2 round cakes (8 or 9 inch) for her platform.(according to box instructions.) We found this gave the extra height necessary for the doll to stand.  Then you  level and layer them. These cakes need to cooled and then may be iced(instructions below for icing).

To make the skirt portion I used Pampered Chef's Classic Batter Bowl. Bake 1 box of cake mix in the baker on 350 for approximately 1 hr and 10 mins. (Remember to test cake to make sure it has cooked through). This portion of the cake needs about 3 hours to cool before being frosted so you may want to cook first and allow to cool while preparing platform. Once you have cooled the skirt bottom and the bottom cakes are iced carefully place skirt on top of platform cakes.

Once on top cut a small hole or X in the top of the cake where you place the doll. Doing this will prevent the cake from splitting when you insert the doll. We chose to next decorate the skirt and add accents to the platform. If you are unfamiliar with cake decorating(as I am ,I am a beginner!) check out Wilton Cake decorating. This is where my lovely sister really came in to teach me:)

If you are transporting the cake I would recommend transporting on this step and finishing upon location as we did. Once you are where you plan to serve the cake place the doll in the center and simply pipe extra frosting around any remaining portion of the doll's legs/hips that are showing.

Helpful Tips:

*Do not try 2 boxes of mix for skirt use 1 box and a platform

*Give yourself a trial day

*Transport without the doll

*Cut a hole or X for the doll to be inserted

*When inserting doll wrap her legs in plastic wrap. This will keep her clean and able to be played with immediately.

*We left milk out of the following recipe to thicken it a little  in order to decorate skirt.

*Make sure you use BUTTER not margarine it makes a huge difference in the icing

Frosting Recipe:

Original Recipe Yield2 -1/2 cups

Ingredients
1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 cups confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons milk

Directions
1. In a large bowl, cream together the butter, shortening, and vanilla. Blend in the sugar, one cup at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the milk, and continue mixing until light and fluffy. Keep icing covered until ready to decorate.



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Smash Cake for my 1 yr old

Bath & Body Works Freebie

 Do you love Bath & Body Works, well February 14- 20th  they are offering a free travel size item from their Signature Collection FREE(no purchase necessary!). This $5 value is  limited to one per person and is for in store use only! Head here to print the coupon.  

Redbox Freebie

Head over to Redbox Facebook page and "like" them today. Send a Valentine to your friends and Redbox will send you a free code valid until 2/14.

Monroeville Home Show Deal

Are you planning to attend the Monroeville Home Show this year. Why not get a deal? Right now you can purchase 2 tickets for the show on Groupon for just $8!!! This is a $16 value so head on over to check out further details here.

Best Buy-Hot Deals

My husband and I recently bought a BluRay Player  over the holidays and have been on the search for good  deals on BluRay movies. Head over to  Best Buy  you can get some great deals.Good Will Hunting , Gamer, Gangs Of New York, and others. These movies are currently marked down from $19.98 to $5.99+Free Shipping! As always shop through Ebates for more cashback savings.

Daily Challenge

I have aot of appointments this week.(see I did make them:). It will be a busy week so I need to plan. Start your week off right, sit down with your calender and set up your week. Know what is going on, which days your husband needs to pick the kids up, what is for dinner, and when your dentist appointment is. Being organized will help give you a fresh set of eyes for the week and help it run smoother.