18 months old

Can you believe it? My baby is 18 months old today! Tanner reminded me that he is not officially 18 months old until 11:32 pm tonight-LOL!

Here are some of his stats/milestones @ 18 months:

- he weighs about 30 lbs..
- he doesn't walk anymore...he runs
- can mimic almost every word you say to him!
- he calls his favorite blankie his "BABY", so sweet!
- he still LOVES bananas & that is one of the cutest sounding words he says.
- still has 8 teeth, we are wondering when the others will appear
- he will fold his arms & bow his head when we say prayers.
- he can say AMEN!
- doesn't nap much...he has learned how to crawl out of his crib this week.
- When he gives you a hug, it is a cute little bear hug with arms totally wrapped around your neck.
- still screaming-uuugghhhhhh!
- he officially gets to attend nursery this Sunday-YEAH!!!!
- loves Go-Gurts, pasta, sandwiches, scrambled eggs, & fruit
- he loves to steal his brothers spots on the couch if they get up to get something. it is pretty funny. He darts for the spot as soon as they move.

We love this little boy so much! Grateful for his place in our family!

Q and A

I have had some emails and blog posts regarding my coupon shopping. I am in no way, shape, or form a professional. In fact, I am still a beginner. I thought I would post a few tips that were/are helpful to ensure that you are saving the max amount possible.

1. Where are you finding your coupons?
Cut out every single coupon out of your local Sunday paper. You may not think it is something you will ever buy. It is usually those very same items that will save you the most or you may even get them for free.

EXAMPLE: I had 4 coupons for $3.OO OFF a Solei BIC razor & 4 coupons for $3.00 off the refills for this same razor. Longs has this razor on sale this week for $3.99 & you even get a rebate on one razor/refill for. I was able to purchase something that regularly costs $4.00 for .99 cents with my $3.00 off coupons. I go through razors like crazy & they will be perfect stocking stuffers for my Mom...ssshhhhh don't tell her!

I am also finding a ton of coupons on items we already purchase on the Internet. If you have more than one computer in you home...the more coupons you can print...the more money you will save.

2. What if i don't get the Sunday paper?
if you have friends & family who receive the paper, ask for their coupons. I have a few friends who save them for me every week. In turn,
I will drop of items that I scored a good deal on or received for free. Just a little thank you for saving their coupons for me.

3. Where do you shop?
Right now i am shopping mostly Wal*Mart Target & Walgreens. I have never been a Walgreen's shopper. Before coupons, I went to Walgreen's for prescriptions & 99% of the time, I was going thru their drive thru. Since moving here 5 years ago, we have always shopped @ Wal*Mart. I did a big shopping trip last night & saved an extra $20.00 on top of their already low prices.

4. Scour the Walgreen's weekly ad. You can combine their in store coupons with your coupons from your Sunday paper or the Internet...thus allowing you to save a ton of money.

5. Check Laina's site daily. She posts almost daily. She posts deals of the week, money makers, freebies & other wonderful tips/tricks. If something is a store special, she usually will find an Internet coupon to use & will link you right to it. Print them as soon as you see she has posted something new. They sometimes disappear. The manufactures will pull after so many have been printed. I can't say it enough...she is amazing. Spend some time on her site going thru past scenarios. It will give you a feel for how things can be purchased for very little.

6. How do you organize your coupons after cutting them out of the paper?
ORGANIZE-ORGANIZE-ORGANIZE!!! Your coupons can quickly take over your counter tops-just ask my hubby! I encourage you to find a system that works for you & keep on top of it. I currently have 4 coupon organizers. They are on the smaller side. I have them labeled on the outside: FOOD, HOUSEHOLD, CAN FOOD, TOILETRIES. I purchased my coupon organizers @ the Dollar Tree. For you local girls, they are on an end cap by registers. They were on the very bottom shelf. i had to dig behind product to find them. Inside each organizer, i made little labels that are very general but specific enough for me to feel organized.

Example: In my household organizer, my tabs read: Dish soap,laundry products,paper products(TP, tissue, paper towels), cleaning products, medicine, batteries, etc...

7. I have found that since i am still a newbie at this, i can NOT coupon shop with my children in tow. Bless my little Garrett's heart. He is constantly rearranging my piles that i have so neatly organized in my cart. I try to organize as I go so I can move through the check out @ a speedy pace.

I love the idea of stocking my pantry, saving money & getting items for free. With four growing boys... I have to! Some of you have asked me where I am storing everything. I don't have a ton of extra cupboard space. It all goes in our cupboards or the pantry. When I score a super deal on items and we have way more than we need, i will then share it with friends or it goes in the stock pile for the food drive at the boys school. The school is donating it to one of our local food banks. Local food banks will welcome your donations any time.
I hope this was helpful! please let know if you have any other questions.

Tag of Two's

My fabulous friend, Steph, tagged me with this quick list of questions.

So, here goes:

Two names you go by:
Besides Raimi
1. M-O-M
2. Raim's

Two things you are wearing right now:
1. Jeans
2. black long sleeved t-shirt

Two things you want right now:
1. new computer
2. a NAP would be fabulous!

Two things you did last night:
1. attended Carter's soccer party-FUN!
2. a large shopping trip @ Wal*Mart w/out kids-need I say more-LOL!

Two things you ate today:
1. Yoplait yogurt
2. crackers

Two favorite drinks:
As of today:
1. Starbucks Carmel Apple Spice Drink-YUMMY!
2. Water

I am tagging Brandi, Katie, Barb, Patti, & Camie

lunch with grandma & grandpa

The boys school held an eat lunch with your grandparents day today! I am very grateful & thankful to my parents who drove some 130 miles each way to eat lunch with my boys! They were able to take grandma & grandpa into the Library to check out the Scholastic book fair where they each scored a new book!

Then they headed to the cafeteria where they enjoyed sandwiches from Togo's & Subway. My boys could not have been more excited to have grandma & grandpa there. They each enjoyed lunch with grandma & grandpa, one on one.




My parents were able to meet Tanner & Carter's teachers too. Tanner's teacher announced to my parents that Tanner had made the honor roll(results had just been released that morning @ school) with straight A's. They found out before I even did. That was exciting for them. Feeling grateful today that my parents could/were willing to drive 2.5 hours for a 30 minute lunch with their grand boys. Thanks for making my boys day! We love you!

latest haul

I came down with what i think was the 24 hour flu bug yesterday. I tried to go to work but ended up leaving early! A HUGE shout out to Kinsey & her willingness to jump in & take over my Monday Night Make & Take. I went home & jumped into to bed. It is a rare day when I am in bed before midnight. I did not get up till 8:30 am this morning & it is now 1 in the morning & I can't sleep...hence the blog post. I will tell you that the only positive thing about being sick is that i have lost another 3 lbs.. No desire to eat = 28 lbs. lost!

I have been having fun with Laina's shopping tips & super deals.

This is what I scored this weekend.


With the combination of Safeway's 48 hour sale & some coupons, i purchased 8 boxes of Quaker oatmeal for $5.36. I saved $33.76. That is 86%...woot woot! The regular price for one box is $4.89. Now, you are probably wondering who in the world is going to eat so much oatmeal. The answer is ME! Just kidding, we are keeping four boxes & the other four are going to school for the food drive that will benefit a local food bank. SCORE!

This was my haul tonight.


Here is what i got:
2 bottles of laundry soap
2 pkgs. of TP
2 bottles of Clorox wipes
2 bags of Nestle Choc. chips
2 cans of Glade air freshener
1 can of baking powder
1 can of corn starch
4 cans of Progresso soup
2 jars of Jiffy PB
3 cans of Betty Crocker frosting
2 boxes of hot chocolate

I stopped @ Walgreen's on my way home from work. My total, before coupons was $87.00. After my coupons were scanned in, I owed the cashier a total of...drum roll please...$18.97. I was stoked. A few of my freebies tonight were the Clorox wipes & the baking powder & corn starch. I purchased those two bottles of laundry soap for a whopping $2.99. Laina really does make it simple to save money! I am sure my hubby & family think i am a nerd. They get the phone calls as i am walking out of stores with my latest haul. I think it may be my new hobby!

random tidbits

We enjoyed a busy, crazy week. i thought i would highlight our experiences/happenings random style.

first & for most, i am very happy that Prop 8 passed. On the other hand, I am very sad & disappointed with those who think it is okay to vandalize our church buildings. Somebody thought it was okay to spray paint no on prop 8 with red paint on our building & the sidewalks. Enough is enough, this is so not acceptable & it makes me so sad. Again, tolerance is a two way street.

I was so excited when my total gas bill(filling up a Chevy Tahoe)was $59.53 on Friday. WOOT-WOOT! Need i say more?

I was able to attend Carter's harvest party. They had a Thanksgiving feast. I will have to post photos later. The room mom even made them cute pilgrim & indian hats to wear. So cute & festive. they enjoyed a full turkey meal and arts & crafts...my kind of party.

As of last Friday, my 12 week Race to a Waist challenge ended. While i was not the 1st place loser, i did manage to lose 25 lbs. i am extremely happy about that. i came in 6th place out of the 25 women who registered...not bad. We are going to start up another challenge in jan.. I will keep you posted just in case any of you want to join in on the fun!

One of my favorite friends in the whole wide world came to visit me on friday night. Michelle came up & we attended Scrappy Hour @ Green Tangerines. it was so much fun to have her here. i sure do miss her & wish we lived closer. I am trying to convince her that they need to buy the house that is for sale next door. That would be awesome.




We had our family photos taken on saturday. i am praying that there is one decent shot of everyone. i need a Christmas card photo. Brody did not want to hold still & Garrett was flashing one CHEESE-EY SMILE the entire time. Fingers are crossed. We finished our shoot just in time...It started to pour rain.

Soccer Saturday was fabulous. Tanner's team won 6 to 0. Tanner scored two of those goals & I even caught one of them on film. I love this shot. That is Tanner, #14. I love how he is off the ground celebrating & that you can see the ball in the goal. So exciting.


Carter's team won 2 to 0. Carter scored a goal. john was so impressed with his team. He said they played awesome & were playing their positions & passing the ball. Carter is in the white jersey in the photo below! Thanks to Regine for the awesome photos.




I have been busy making little scrapbooks for Carter's soccer team. 8 down, 5 to go. John will hand them out along with the boys trophies @ the team party on the 12th. I will post pictures once they are complete.

I had a very productive planning meeting for our church Christmas party tonight. we are buckling down & planning the festivities for our Nativity pageant and dessert bar. it should be a fun evening. I have a great committee & I am thankful for their help!

I am off to work on Soccer albums. Stayed tuned for my coupon post tomorrow. i scored a major deal this weekend. Don't forget to check out Laina's site. She is posting deals everyday...perfect for all of the upcoming holidays & baking.

Have a happy Monday!

2008 Election

The day is finally here! Have you been glued to your TV today? I haven't been able to watch much but it is on in the background now! This is always the exciting, nerve wracking part. I remember staying up till 4 in the morning waiting for the results when George Bush & Al Gore ran against each other. Little did I know I would have had to stay up for weeks to get those results :). I was able to head out & vote this morning. As I was driving over to my polling place, I become very emotional. As I drove, I passed MANY signs asking for our votes on certain measures, presidents, mayors, council people etc... I can't say it enough...I feel very lucky & blessed to live in a nation that lets me vote...a nation that lets my voice be heard. After leaving the polls, I ran errands. I became very emotional all over again as I saw a stretch of road, here in town that was covered with political signs. They were all YES on 8 signs.


There have been people on street corners waving their signs. People who are very dedicated to their causes. Two members of my church were injured last night in a car accident while waving signs on a street corner here in town. It was pouring rain. One of them is okay(hi Melinda-sending good thoughts your way)but very sore today. The other is in the hospital undergoing major surgery! My thoughts are with them & their families today. Maybe that is why I am so emotional...people standing strong for the things they truly believe in.

If you haven't had the chance to VOTE today, I encourage you to do it! It is a right that we are lucky to have & exercise. In all honesty, with all of the emotions I have experienced today & the activities of the last month, I can't wait for this historic election to be over. I just hope I don't have to wait for months to know the results.

In other happy news today, my friend Lisa H. surprised me with a Happy Tuesday present. She purchased the Twilight CD for me today! Do you like my self portrait in the car?I was/am so stinking excited. I have been listening to it as I run around & check errands off my list. Thanks Lisa!You are a wonderful friend. I appreciate you & our friendship! You made my day!


Have a wonderful election day/night! Don't forget to VOTE!