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NEW BLOG

I have moved to a new blog. You can follow me here.

Update

So the last couple of weeks have been insane....I mean CRAZY.

First I ended up the ER getting anti nausea and fluids and then the next day where they discovered a Sub Choronic Bleed. So I am officially on Modified Bed Rest. I have been sat there clipping coupons and creating lists for Hubby to go shopping.

The huge blessing of this is that we get to see our Gummie Bear bi-weekly.

I Finished My Binders

So after eight months of filing my coupons by insert, I have changed my system. I was inspired by two things; First on Extreme Coupons, Joanie had a system in her binder that I really liked and second I found that I had broke the cardinal rule of coupons when I went through to purge the 12/31 expiration's. I had missed valuable deals and to be honest it made me feel sick to my stomach in a way I never expected. These were things that I had been shopping and getting for free; butter, toilet paper, batteries, pasta, noodles...my list went on.

So that was it, it took me 3 days to organize and purge my coupons and I have already seen the bonus.

First I chose to have 2 zippered binders, one for food and one for non food products. Then I have 5 smaller wallets for separating store trips so that I am only using my binders in store for extra special deals. My food binder is separated in to 32 sections and my non food into 16. My wallets are labeled for ease in the store such as freezer, fridge, cans, meat, household etc. in each section I am using baseball card holders and have separated each section. Ie Dental, has a sleeve for toothbrushes, toothpaste, mouthwash, floss. Each folder has ended up being more than 4 inches thick and have already had success in Walgreens where I got over $200 for about $26 (plus came away with $6 in rewards). I love my new system as when I see a deal in the store I can easily see if I have a coupon to make it a better deal.

New Freebies I got over Christmas In the Mail!

Just the things I got free in the mail over Christmas thanks to the sites I belong too

2010 Grocery Savings!

So I finally finished going through all my receipts and here are my totals that I spent and should have spent in groceries last year.


Shelf Price $17923.72
Out of Pocket Expense $2308.89
Saved $15614.83 85%

...Should have cost each week $344.68
Actually cost $44.40

Now I do factor in the cost of papers and the cost of my grocery game as well. So if you take off $8 a week on average for papers and the $2.50 a week for the Grocery Game its not looking too bad at all.

I am experimenting with a new site thanks to TLC's Extreme Couponers..

weusecoupons.com

This site is free and I am still getting used to it, a lot of friendly people and advice but I am not ready to give up my lists yet through Grocery Game as it does the work for you. I currently use it for Albertsons, Frys and Safeway but will use WUC for Target, CVS, Walgreens, Walmart etc.

This year I want to expand my stockpile and save even more money. I am currently working on getting paid to buy diapers from Target and I think I will pull it off.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

Happy new year everyone!!! I hope this year brings much joy and happiness to everyone!

TLC's Extreme Couponing

So TLC made a documentary called Extreme Couponing, focusing on four shoppers who used coupons to save money. Now I cant help but feel from the previews that they were looking to spin this into a negative; after all using coupons I have seen the issues where cashiers treat you like dirt because you pass them a stack of coupons, I have been accused of stealing from the store because I saved too much money.

So I Dvr'd the show and sat down to watch it expecting to finish the show with the realization that I need to slow down that this may be a problem/addiction. That within days support groups would be popping up where you meet in darkened hallways introducing yourself with:

"My name is Karen and I am a coupon addict!"

Where would the 12 step program begin? How many would admit to this shameful behavior?

So cautiously I pressed play and took an intake of breath, after all my friends and family think that I do go overboard.

As I watched, a smile crept across my face, the light bulb bouncing around with new and creative ideas. Now I have no intention of jumping into dumpsters to get coupons (although my mind entertained the thought for about 35 seconds) but I need to get back to using the clipping services and get my printer up and running again. I already buy 10 papers a week for the coupons and use my Grocery Game to save tonnes, can I do more? Can I save more? Can I be more frugal? Yes, Yes I can!!!

I saved the show with the intention of watching with pen and paper in hand...

My name is Karen and I am proud to be a Coupon Addict!!!!

New Year, New Challenges, New Focus!!!!

So goodbye to 2010 it has been an eventful year. Our gorgeous son Xavier was born Feb 11 this year, hubby went through 4 jobs but somehow we kept our head above water and didn't drown. We moved into a cute house: In September we bought it, we had a crazy hail storm, found out we were expecting again and had all my family fly in from England. Could the year have been better? Well of course it could have been! Would I change anything? No!

So this year I promise to be better with my blog, after all I started it to show the challenge of being a Stay at Home Mom, you know what, I knew it was hard work and a challenge and it still didn't prepare me for how much work. I even attempted to watch another little baby to help with the money situation but with the new pregnancy it was too much. (Due 8/24)

I was focused on saving money to the point I couldn't keep up, I was trying to do everything perfectly. Was trying to be a perfect Momma, perfect wife, perfect person. This year I promise to let go of perfection and just do my best.

So Here are my resolutions and my chaos all thrown in to one.

1. Update my blog more frequently with money saving tips, offers and real life honesty about being a stay at home mom.
2. Let go of perfection
3. Get my home in order
4. Finish the repairs from the hail damage and finish one home improvement
5. Honestly review our debt and create a plan to get rid of it.
6. Actually start date nights.
7. Enjoy time with my little family.
8. Normally this is where I would say lose some weight but being pregnant I cant go on a 'diet' so this year I am going to focus on being healthy and feeling better about myself.

Samples

So these are all my freebies I have received in the last 2 weeks. Currently I am using 5 different sites plus using sites such as Swagbucks, freegifts4kids and inbox dollar (use links on page) to earn money and get samples. I have earnt $30 this month for reading emails on inbox dollars and it probably takes me 2 mins a day, plus they give you 10c for every coupon you print from them and redeem. So far in 2 weeks I have earnt $10 in amazon gift cards through Swagbucks!!!

The question is would it be useful for my readers for me to post all the freebies here in one place?

Life has the ups and downs

Today has been a challenging day. Early this morning I found out my hubby was let go from his work, we are filing a grievance and working on getting a new job.

However I had a great evening with the Trunk or Treat and won some goodies.

Fly Lady -Day 1 and Day 2

Well me being a little over eager decided to combine two days into one.

Day 1 - Your very first BabyStep is to go shine your sink. Dont listen to those voices that tell you that it not going to help your messy house. This is exactly where I started and this little habit has changed my life! Take this BabyStep in faith and go do it. Here are the directions for shining your kitchen sink. ~ Taken directly from the Fly Lady website. Well this took me 2 days to get done because with how I am I re caulked the counter around the sink as well. It does feel good though to have a clean sink.

Day 2 - Today I want you get up and get dressed to lace up shoes when you first get up in the morning. This means fix your hair and face too. ~ This one was hard, yet I am actually wearing lace up shoes.

Day 3 was to do the same again, I think these baby steps may help

Super - Mom

So here is where the craziness begins, after putting forth my application for the messiest house award I started to do one of the things I do the best - beat myself up. No not literally, but thinking things like; well my Mum did it all, plus she worked!

So first as a note to all the Mommas out there, you are Super Moms. We just show it in different ways.

So my house isnt the cleanest, and I may spend a lot of time online, however my son is happy and my Husband is too.

So in order to get things done, I need to take off the cape and decide what I want.

My priorities will always be my son, and I love looking after his newest little friend. It helps her Momma and it helps my son with his social skills. So now that that is established i have decided that I will limit myself to one game on Facebook, keep up with my freebies as it really doesnt take that much time. My Inbox Dollars and Swag Bucks take very little time and make the family money and I just love posting on my blog.

I am also going to try and stick to the FlyLady system, even though I already failed as I changed day one into day one, two, and other things as well. May have caused an overwhelming effect.

I just pray each day for the strength to provide the love, care and nourishment for my family, the dedication to give them strength and the spirit to show my love of Christ, my Heavenly Father. I think that the Duggars said it well on the episode of 19 kids and counting I watched. "First love God, Second love your family" This is a powerful statement as I sincerely believe in;

"I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandment unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them. (1 Nephi 3:7). As the Family Proclamation states "Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children. In these sacred responsibilities, fathers and mothers are obligated to help one another as equal partners."

I know that these statements are true, and that by loving my Heavenly Father, I am loving my family. We truly are SuperMoms as that is what we are pre-destined to become.

You know I didnt expect this to become a testimony but you know what after reading those two pieces my strength is renewed and I am feeling great about myself. SO I am super happy to share it :)

Application for messiest house award!

So if you know me you would know that I can be obsessive with cleaning however after Xavier was born I have to say I have become very lax. I joke that I need me time when he is sleeping and that face book is my outlet. Then I start on Neo and before I realize it I have spent an hour on the computer and Xavier is waking up. Then I look around my home and shudder with the state of it. I am ashamed of my home and that is the truth! So I have decided to start afresh and get the place cleaned. Now lets be totally honest if I was to tackle it all in one day I would probably have a nervous breakdown, after all it has taken longer than a day to get this way.

So heres my challenge, to get my home clean, decorated, and then keep it clean somehow with a toddler(well he might as well be), babysitting a little 7month old princess, doggies and a wonderful husband that works hard and tries hard at home to help. Well other than socks everywhere he goes!

I started by looking on line and I found a site called Fly Lady;

http://www.flylady.com/pages/begin_babysteps.asp

Now she is talking about getting things clean to a point and that is great for a start but I need cleaner. I am going to give myself 30 days to get the house in the condition I want, without decorating (I will finish the master bath/bedroom though) and then keep it there.

So I have hung my head in shame and taken some pictures of my home, that ladder has been in the bathroom for about 2 weeks, ok its laundry day and I havent put it away yet and I just made Xavier Eggy Bread, the front room is ok but still not clean enough for me. I also have to get over the freak storm and fix my back yard.







Wish me luck and I will try and stick to this, plus I only have about 40 boxes to go through from the move still.

I have been told that my application isnt severe enough for 15 minutes of tv fame but it is severe enough to make my skin crawl

Free pet food

https://www.naturaadvantage.com/

Once you have filled out the form and selected a store this is what you get!

Thank you for your coupon request.

Your coupon for a free bag (good on any 5lb–6.6lb bag of Natura dry pet food) will be mailed within 10 working days.

We hope you and your pet continue to enjoy the natural benefits of Natura pet foods. If you have any questions about Natura Pet Products, please call us at 1-800-532-7261.

Please visit naturapet.com to learn more about the advantages of feeding your pet any of the Natura brands.

6 Free Books

https://www.pacificlearning.com/signin.aspx?

Head over and register for the books. It asks for a school as I plan to home school that is what I put and it seems to be happy with that. Although you can just put in the details of your childs school and have them receive some free books.

There are multiple grade levels to pick from, just wait for the email once you have signed up.

More Diaper Codes

Pampers

50 points ~ 2BEGINEARNING50
50 points ~ GIFTSTOGROW4MOM
10 points ~ 10ptsfreecode4u

This weeks freebies by mail

So in the mail this week we got 2 samples of Wisk, 2 months of Shape magazine, 1 sample of Eucerin, 3 pampers, $27 coupons from Safeway, $30 coupons from Frys, American Baby, Family Circle, Bazaar, Womans Day, Post stick samples, Oxy samples, Free energizer batteries by coupon, free trix race car from Fisher Price, Ever pure sample, Root awakenings and a quaker banana nut bar!

I will try and start posting all these freebies up as they come. Its just been a hectic week with the storm.

Hail as big as Golf Balls.

So on Tuesday this week, it seemed like a nice enough day, my Mother in Law graciously came over to help me sort the chest freezer as I was starting to have problems closing it.(Love coupon shopping)and we heard a clap of thunder, thinking nothing of it and expecting it to be just another Monsoon we carried on until we looked out of the window and saw the torrential rain and hail. The hail was hitting our pool making it look like it was bubbling as well as our sliding glass doors which is under a covered patio. Within a couple of minutes the power was out and we had no power for 6 hours. Our kitchen was flooded and water was coming in on the bedroom and office. The blessing in this is that now we have a claim for a new roof and AC unit that was mangled by the golf ball size hail.

The next day we lost power for 12 hours when a transformer blew and it was one of the scariest moments I could mention. Now onto mission clean up. My hubbys car had one of the grill pieces by the windscreen smashed, my car completely survived!

The house wasnt so lucky so now to get through the claim process. Luckily we have a roof guy that will work directly with the adjuster to help us out and is willing to eat some of our deductible to help with the job!

Grocery Shopping

So last night we did our grocery shop and in total spent about $125. For this we got 30lbs chicken, 10lbs sirloin, a pot roast, 10 packs of Hillshire sausage, baby food, water, candy, bread, tortillas, peppers, onions, egg plant, apples, mushrooms, salmon, cheese, soda, pasta and so much more. The first picture is everything we got free!


These coupons give you $1 off meat and produce at Frys. It is how I got the peppers free.
http://www.frysfoodtatumshea.com/coupons10110/

The Cheerios were free thanks to a Safeway coupon they mailed to me, the 2ltr was a free coupon again from Safeway!

Arrowhead Aquapod Water was from Albertsons on sale for $1 and the red plum from 8/29 had a 75c coupon, which they doubled to a dollar.

Hershey's Bliss Chocolate Candy was on sale for 50c at Albertsons and there was a 55c coupon in the 9/26 Smart Source.

Mentos Sugarfree Gum was on sale 10/$10 at Albertsons and there was 2 $1 coupons in the 10/3 Smart Source.

The slices of cake were a surprise as they were offered free when we got to the counter at Albertsons!

Bestlife Buttery Spread was free at Frys, on sale 10/$10 there was a $1. in Red Plum 8/29

Tic Tac Candy was free from Safeway using a coupon from the 10/3 red plum.

I also have rain checks for free tuna and $2 packages of Jenni-o Ground Turkey!
I get all this info from the grocery game. I love the website. Its free for four weeks and I pay$20 every 8 weeks for detailed lists for 3 stores. In the last year I have got approx $10k of groceries for $1500. My husband was out of work for 3 months and thanks to the game we had food storage that meant we ate like he was working and within 2 months of him back to work we have 6months of storage in place.

If you join the grocery game please use me as a referral shygirl12009@live.com. I would like the free weeks :)

More Diaper Codes

Pampers

10 points~10PTSFREECODE4U

Huggies

5 pts~BJQTWZMFQJWFPGB

Lets Talk About Diapers!

So as a new Mom, the most expensive thing I have found is the diaper expense.

So what choices are there? My first choice is to cloth diaper, the expense is far more upfront, my favorites were kisaluvs which were $100 for the starter kit. The problem I found is my little guy grew so quickly that he was out of them too soon. I intend to get more and integrate them more into my usage. I just wish I had bought more upfront. The terry ones were not the easiest to use and luckily I found a decent sewing pattern to make some of my own;

http://www.ottobredesign.com/en/print/pdf/vaippa_en.pdf

This is a free pattern and was easy to complete. I have even considered making them to sell to design, so if you ever wanted 'Twilight' diapers for you little one, maybe as an ode to Jacob or Edward or because of what a child does in a diaper for Jacob or Edward. Hey I don't judge!

The advice I would give to Moms cloth diapering is to be quick with changes and what I did to prevent staining is to throw the poopy diapers into warm water with dish detergent as soon as they came off and then washed as normal. Also wash cloth diapers before you use them as it helps with absorbency.

So now let’s talk about disposables!

There are many brands out there, Huggies, Pampers, Luvs, Parents Choice and many store brands. Each one is different and each work differently for each child. So your little one may have been perfect in Pampers and now a second child breaks out in rashes. I would suggest signing up for as many samples as you can for diapers. Even if you cloth diaper, I found having a couple of disposables in the diaper bag was such as blessing for that just in case moment.

Every Time I find samples for Diapers I will post here! Also coupons for Diapers are a huge plus because a lot of the time they are for dollars off the price and not cents.

Personally I got one package of Luvs at my baby shower and I will never use them again as they leaked all the time, they may be perfect for you and your family.

So here is my biggest piece of advice, no matter what kind of diapers you use. Sign up for the free rewards programs for Huggies and Pampers. Even if you don't use them, the free codes that circulate can get you free toys, shutterfly items, sweeps entries and lots more!

Huggies
https://enjoytheriderewards.com

Pampers
Click on the link to the side :)

Here is a list of current codes for them as well to get you started! Plus if you want me to email you an invite to give me a couple of extra points, well I won't say no :P
Huggies Codes

Plus click on the earn points tab and watch all videos and take all the polls available. As new ones come available I will post them.
1 point ~BGSHBQLWTGRKPGB
5 points ~BJQRFNCNMCNPPGB
1 point ~ BGQGLPKMCPXPPGB
5 points BJLTSTSFXCQMPGB
5 points ~BJKFTDXKFHCDPGB
5 points ~BJKNGQJRMBQRPGB
1 point ~ BGNDNHQCDQBMPGB
5 points ~BJNZKHMLTMXDPGB
5 points ~BJNDJSLLMDXJPGB
1 point ~BGQGJPQZFGDXPGB
1 point ~ BGNDJBBNXFKTPGB
5 points ~BJLKLQJQFKQBPGB
5 points ~BHSGSWKLGQRQPGB
5 points ~ BHJXFWSCMRQSPGB
5 points ~ BHSQJQKKMLFTPGB
5 points ~BFZJXQLFCXQLPGB
1 point ~ BGJRJLNWQBHNPGB
5 points ~ BFXRHQZZHCNLPGB
5 points ~ SLHPGDSPRWCDPGB
5 points ~ BFSFFMHFHCWCPGB
1 point ~ BHQWTLDZFKJTPGB
1 point ~ BHQXZMKTGBZRPGB
1 point ~ BHPCDRBCKXWNPGB
1 point ~ BHNXGRWNDTQKPGB
89217100 (bonus code)
96739416 (bonus code)

Pampers Codes

50 points ~JOINNOW4REWARDS
10 points ~facebookoct2010 (Expires 10/31/10)
10 points ~PUNTOSPARAMI123 (Expires 6/30/11)
20 points ~GIFTS2GROWBONUS
10 points ~ CAREFORNEWBORNS
10 points ~GTGCOUPONPOINTS (Expires 12/31/11)
50 points ~WELCOME2PAMPERS
10 points ~ GTGTENMONTHCODE (Expires 10/31/10)
10 points~ GTGFIVEMONTHS10
10 points~ GTGGETREADYSOON
15 points ~15GTGSUMMERFUN
10 points~GTGLEARNMORE089
10 points~getstartednow10 (Expires December 31, 2010)
30 points~GTGPLAY3USA2010
10 points ~Welcome2GTG2010
10 points ~Welcome2Village
10 points ~GROWWITHVILLAGE

Please let me know if any codes are expired so I can take them off. I am looking forward to giving you more codes and remember even if you don't use Huggies or Pampers, 5 minutes of time can equal lots of freebies.

So many updates!!!

Wow I have been away forever - Just look at how much he has grown!

When I started this blog it was basically to understand how me, a career driven woman could become a stay at home mom to alleviate child care costs. Well the first part didn't seem so hard, after all its kinda the dream world of its not really hard work and the most stressful thing of the day is what to have for dinner. Can we say rude awakening? Well not really as I was never expecting that, not really anyway.

Well now I want to cover more than that, life is an amazing challenge and not only am I blessed with a loving husband, I am blessed with a adorable child and we have decided that we want more. In fact we want to look at having eight beautiful children, yet we will entrust the Lord as I know that nothing is without him.

I actually joke and say that we are going to give the Duggars' a run for their money, even though there are individuals that criticize what they do, I respect them as they have well mannered children that have provided contributions to the world and are decent citizens.


We want to home-school as we have very little belief in the Arizona School System. I have already began teaching Xavier to read as well as his home curriculum began at three months old. My goal is to have him graduate his Associates Degree by eighteen before he goes on a mission. The same will be the goal for all our children.

I love to save money, I do this with freebies, coupons, discounts and samples. I am even attempting a little garden. Consignment stores are amazing for babies, just please spend the extra money on things like car seats, a new mattress and personal items. I am just tired of using several sites to get these things for the price I get them at.

I am making a little money on the side by reading emails and I have the link in my side banner, I am also playing with eBay. All while trying to be a Stepford Wife. (j/k)

So this is going to be about love, family, faith, home, cooking, freebies, saving money, teaching and hope. Hope to not only raise my family but to raise them with the courage, desire and love to achieve their dreams.

Milestones!

So on Thursday the 20th we had a huge milestone, he said 'Umma'. Now I know that doesn't sound great but he only says it when I am not in room and will only stop when i pick him up. At first we thought it was co-incidence but it has happened so many times now it has to be his first word!

Also on Tuesday the 18th he started holding himself sat up rather than needing the support!

Yes its gross!

So who would think that this sweet and innocent little thing could do anything gross? Now don't get me wrong I was prepared for the whole little boys tinkle when you try and change their diaper. I was a little too grossed out to write about it when it happened but now Daddy dearest has a taste of it and I couldn't stop laughing I felt maybe its time to share.

So a few weeks ago when the little man had filled his diaper I was in the middle of changing him and there was a lot of poop, I mean a lot. I couldn't imagine a baby being able to produce more at that particular time. Boy was I wrong!

So all the Moms and Dad's know that when you change a diaper you cross the babies ankles and gently lift. I lifted, pulled the diaper away and a huge explosion happened. Not just on the table but projectile. Yep, I was covered in poop, of course Xavier thought it was the funniest thing he had ever seen and Daddy came to my rescue with a wet wipe, holding back his giggles as he wiped my face. I am so glad I am not one of those people who stick their tongue out when they do something. So Daddy finished the diaper change and I ran to the shower. I thought I would never live it down!

So fast forward to today and Xavier is watching Las Vegas with his Dad and the conversation goes something like this.

"Are you farting?" (Yes I was in the other room and Daddy was talking to Xavier)
"Ugh Ugh" Said Xavier
"You're doing more than farting, aren't you?"
"Honey, can you bring me a diaper?"
"Honey, can you bring him a shirt?"
"Honey, I need a shirt!"


I come into the room with clothes and diaper and ask what happened, Daddy says you can see what happened. Our little man is sat on Daddy's Stomach still in his onsie, snapped shut and his diaper. Daddy is covered with poop all over his shirt that came up out of the back of Xaviers diaper, through his onsie and decided that grey shirts needed a little mustard yellow to help brighten them up.

So we changed Xavier semi mid air to get rid of the poop that was covering his back and legs. Now he is sitting in his diaper waiting for Daddy to be done in the shower so he can have a bath. I had to let Daddy shower he was covered!

The joys of nursing!

So I am proud to say I have made it to 3 months, with a bit of formula thrown in. The reason I am sharing this video is that Xavier has now decided to be picky about what he eats and yes he prefers to nurse than to have formula. Its just the biting now he is teething that is getting a little much. So Daddy decided to pick him up and try and comfort him and even with a shirt, someones little mouth attempted to attach to Daddy. The surprise on Jamies face was hilarious and Xavier was just overjoyed when I took him for him to eat. And they say Daddies can't help nursed babies.

3 Month Check Up!

So we were supposed to go to the Docs tomorrow but Hubby has an interview (fingers crossed) so we called and they fit us in today.

So his head is now 17inches and the PA had such a hard time getting the measurement as he was way too curious about the tape. 26 inches long and weighed 16lbs 2.5oz. All in all he is doing well.

But I have to be honest I am a little freaked about the visit as she was asking development questions and we were saying yes and then she asked me if he was pulling himself to sitting. He's 3 months old and now I am worried that maybe I am not doing something right and when we told DH's Mom she reminded us that we hold Xavier a lot, I just hate for him to be upset.

Yes he has already worked that one out and does a fake cry, then holds his arms out with ok I fussed look on his face. So here goes tummy time overload. I will help him so next visit I can say yes :)

Other than that we talked about sunscreen being in AZ and have been given the go ahead to use a little as it is better than him burning as well as prescription for a small heat rash so it doesnt get any worse. I think this summer will be just his diaper at home and a t-shirt and maybe shorts outside.

My other realization has been that now I know where guys get that a big goofy grin and incoherent rambling equals a pick up line - when they are babies it works every time.

3 Months Old

So Xavier is now 3 months old and believe it or not this outfit is for age 6-9months old. We are settled in our new home and Ayumi, the pretty princess as she likes to be called has decided that she is Xavier's new babysitter.

We went to Cici's as we felt like pizza but didn't want to spend a lot and LO stared my hubby down until he relented and gave him a slice. I think he enjoyed it.
After all that day he finally crashed out sat on hubby, this wasn't a prop him up and take a pic this is how he fell asleep, finally after refusing to nap for 3 days. You see there is a secret to parenthood, nap time isn't for the kids its so the parents can regain their sanity.

This was a quick post to share some cute pics.

Don't Hate Me!

There is a lot in the news right now about the new law in AZ that 'allows' racial profiling. I need to say my piece as immigration is close to my heart.

I was born in England and came here with a visa which while I worked on becoming a permanent resident I had a work visa. I paid taxes, jumped through each hoop and yes I had a lawyer help as some of the requirements do not seem straight forward at first. The point I am making is that when I choose to make this Country my home, I followed the rules and did each part as I was supposed to.

Illegal immigrants are an issue in AZ, I have worked many years at retail where I felt pressured to cater to people who did not want to follow the law. My point being if you want to be here, there are channels to do it properly and it may not be the easiest thing in the world but its better to have the law on your side than against it.

Now for my vent, at no point in the writings of this law does it say 'latino' or 'hispanic' need to be singled out and that is what individuals are saying this law says. An illegal immigrant could be white, (French, Italian, Russian, Canadian) so how is it racial profiling. It also now says that you have to be doing something wrong to be asked to provide documentation. If you are walking down the street, minding your own business then no problem. If you are drink driving, causing vandalism, not following the law to embrace that a police officer needs to speak to you then it is more than fair that you are asked for identification. If you are here illegally then you are breaking another law.

The truth of the matter is that you could be Hispanic, Russian, French, Canadian or any other origin and still be requested to show correct documents. The bigger issue is that the reason the law came into place is that there is a problem in AZ, we have illegal immigrants in car accidents without insurance, hospitals are seeing an influx of individuals without insurance, jobs are scarce as some immigrants will work for less than minimum wage meaning that those who are allowed to work can't get it. We even have illegal immigrants getting Tax ID's instead of Socials so they can work. I have lived in neighborhoods where I was scared to come out of the house after dark, even one with a rumored Coyote house on the corner. I have also had to deal with areas where individuals have REFUSED to learn the language. I have traveled to many countries and have at least attempted the language (even though I may have butchered it)

AZ is in the top 10 states for crime rate and that is not a good place to be according to the national crime index and at the same time AZ is in the top 5 states for illegal immigration according to the new Hispanic Center. So something needed to be done to help bring these statistics in line with national average.

I am not saying it was right, I'm saying that if you follow the law and as a business you do not cater to illegal immigrants then why is there such a big hoopla. Those making the most noise probably have the most to lose and maybe should look to the facts and not the drama of the issue.

Happy Mothers Day!

So this is my first year as a Mother and I've been lucky as this is the second Mothers Day I have celebrated. I am originally from England so my hubby decided that I deserved 2 days to celebrate and the English Mother's Day is in March!

Today Xavier decided to let me sleep until 7am and then Hubby took over, I was given breakfast in front of the computer as I got my Face book time in, Pop tarts are a breakfast no-one can mess up.

I then got the sweetest card that Xavier 'signed' as well as a cute one from Daddy.

It is one thing to celebrate the mothers out there, but I want to also recognise the other women who havent physically had children yet. Also all the mothers who have lost their little Angels. Being a mother is a hard and challenging job, it makes you the cook, chauffeur, nurse, cleaner, repair woman, moving target, coordinator, motivational speaker and a whole bunch more, but it is also the most rewarding position that I could have ever wished for. For the women who do this through choice to children they have not given birth to, I admire you. For the women who have lost Angels I hold you in my heart, knowing that the day will come that you can hold your precious child. For the women who can't have children that choose to love unconditionally I respect you. Motherhood is a noble calling, some are given children we birth, some are chosen to give angels wings, some are chosen to love others children, and some are given so much love to share they mother all around them.

Also I can't forget to mention those Dads that take the role of Mother and Father, you guys get kudos too!

Crashing Down

So on my last post I was excited about the new job, however they backed out due to this new AZ law and how it is affecting business. Back to the hunt.

As a fun thing my MIL took me to a Mary Kay party as my niece is starting that and it was for a free facial. It was a lot of fun other than being overly sensitive and breaking out half way through the facial.

Back to the Grind

New House - New job - New Life

So I have to admit this last month has been crazy. In fact this last 2 weeks have been insane.

House -

2 weeks ago my Landlord turned up at the house to tell me that with some money issues he was putting the house for sale. The impression I got was he was being foreclosed - so I started looking for a house - within 2 days he was texting, calling and emailing to when I would have the house ready to be shown. Wednesday at midnight he emailed to tell me the Realtor was coming on Tuesday. Heck I just had a baby, the house was the last thing on my mind, I had told him I needed at least a week to get things together not 5 days. His calls then became abusive, if I didn't answer he would call repetitively till I did, started calling at 11.30pm. The reasons behind not answering were things like - I was driving, feeding the baby etc. During our lease he was decent to us and being the people we are we fixed problems without bothering him and added to the value of his house. Luckily we found a cute house with pool and pool service that's closer to the family and to DH's work


New Job -

So DH has been miserable at work for a while, let me fill you in on some of the things.

At 39 weeks the Xavier wasn't moving so we went to the hospital. DH arranged coverage at work. An hour after he was due to be at work he gets abuse about not having his priorities straight and he should be at the store not at the hospital. After that's what Drs. are for so you dont have to be there right.

The day Xavier was born by emergency C-section his DM wanted to know about what was happening at the store and could he swing by - he said he was with his wife and then was a work at 8am the next morning. He stayed at the hospital, went home to shower and then went to work. This is the guy who doesn't like people wanting to be at hospital when he can take time off to pick up a bike.

DH emailed a little message to admins and management with an update, we got some nice responses except the DM - Congrats on the child after a list of what went wrong when he wasn't there.

They admitted they had not trained him fully so gave a clean slate after he caught a thief and dealt with a lazy manager. Next day he gets an email starting with I know you get a clean slate but.

DH was supposed to get medical in Jan, lots of calls and emails he finally gets the application in March with no coverage details and no rates. He emails to ask and gets no response. Now my DH is a very big guy and we think they thought it would raise their premiums so were avoiding adding him.

New DM comes to visit and tells associates not to listen to him as the DM will be the new manager. When DH confronts on this he denies.

Also they do an inventory and they are off 20 phones up and 20 down by the wrong color. DH checks, an associate had rang up 20 grey instead of 20 red an hour before. DH gets written up for poor inventory even though it had just happened and was not his fault.

DM overhears an upset associate speaking with DH as his GF had been for her annual check and they had found uterine growths. Associate was worried could it be cancer etc. DM butts his head in and what does he say, not I'm sorry or I hope things turn out, He says 'Yep it was messed up last time I was down there". Result involve HR and DM apologizes to associate and DH overhears him telling corporate that he has swept it under the rug.

Dm then tells another associate that he is worthless and will amount to nothing in front of customers and that his life is not worth living. Associate rips DM a new one, associate gets fired.

DM then leaves DH with no keyholder saying sacrifices need to be made, we knew the writing was on the wall but DH had to be there open to close every day. Sure enough DM comes back and fires DH for the inventory issue the associate had caused 3 weeks earlier. That associate then became a keyholder even though they are clearly not capable as 90% of mistakes DH had to fix on a daily basis were caused by him. Not by abilities did he get this but of how far can he stick his nose.

After this we are hearing stories of how the DM is bad mouthing DH and has one associate agreeing, the worst part is we knew this guy was a snake 2 months back as the DM has refused to let him be written up for costing the company lots of money.

2 days later a dealer who bought from the company has asked DH to manage their stores as they liked what he did and they have decided to revoke their account as the DM was rude to them. Its one of the stores biggest accounts. On top of that the store has been instructed that if a customer wants more than 5 minutes they have to charge them $10 or tell them they are wasting their time. We are so happy to be out of that and with a company that is polite and respectful plus a little extra cash never hurt.

SO new baby, new house, new job all equals new life hopefully with less stress

2 Month check up

Well today Xavier had a two month check up plus his first 2 shots. The majority of the appointment went well. His head is 16 1/2 inches around, 23 and 3/4inches long which in my head translates to 2 foot tall. He also weighs in at 14lbs 6.5oz and is at 95 percentile. He is a big boy. Now the shots caused screaming and tears and my heart broke for my little boy. In other news we are in a frantic rush to get packed and out of the house. The landlord of this house called last night and was very rude saying that by us not paying for everything he wants done to the house and showing the house to people wanting to buy it we are disrespecting him. Now him calling 5 times in as many minutes, thats not disrespectful at all.

Drama about a home!

So I have been living in this house for 2 years and my Landlord shows up and tells me that he is putting the house on the market and can I get it ready for sale. At this point I'm like Ok, I'll clean up my new momma messes ie bottles lined up, baby clothes on the table being sorted etc.

2 days later I get an email demanding it be ready to be shown, now this email comes at midnight and at 8 am he calls my cell and house phone wanting updates. He is calling every day and being a general pain. What gets me is he texts and then calls anyway.

Well my DH answered and the landlord was pretty rude to him, apparently we are to pay him rent each month even though we may not be here the whole month plus he wont pay our deposit back as when he sells it will probably break our lease. So guess what...enough is enough. We went looking and found the cutest house a block away from the MIL. Its a little more each month however it comes with a washer and dryer (we are currently renting them) and is closer to DH's work so between gas and rental we save $150 per month. The extra pluses is that it has a swamp cooler, a huge plus in AZ for saving on summer electric costs, the water is heated with gas, again saving. The big luxury plus is that the rent includes the pool and service. So we get someone coming and cleaning the pool for us. Perfect for the 100 degree weather that is around the corner. Now to tell the landlord!

Busy weekend

This weekend Xavier got to see his grandpa at 7 weeks old, not because Grandpa came and saw him but because I conveniently stopped at his work. PS this is the first time I met DH's Dad as well, he missed the wedding, baby shower, birth and blessing because of a multitude of excuses.

I just told him I wanted his Grandson to meet him before Xavier could run away.

Just sharing some pics

Just a couple of cute pics of my baby boy

Busy Bee!

So enough is enough, personally I think I may have had a bit of the baby blues and now my head is switching on, plus the fine from the HOA for weeds in the front yard because it just stormed and yes they jump up with a teaspoon of rain in AZ I decided to get off my backside and start cleaning and no the MIL volunteering to help clean out the garage so I can put my car back in had nothing to do with it. Hmmm I dont think I believe that so maybe you shouldnt either.

Well it gave me a couple of things, one help with the baby because Grandma loves to cuddle him, 2 got rid of 2 truckloads to Goodwill so I feel very charitable and good natured, lets forget it will help come tax season next year. Talking of taxes we still need to finish ours.

We also put away everything pregnancy as I don't need my maternity clothes anymore as well as all his under 3 month sized clothing, such as big beautiful boy!

We filled both the recycle and the regular trash can and I feel great about it, even to the point the dishes are now caught up to as well as I'm back to my blog.

The baby blues have been tough, I think as the birth was so far away from the plan I felt as if it was my fault and so when ever he has slept TV and the computer have been my friend. Plus with the stress of DH's job its been so easy for me to be lazy and not want to do anything. But now I have lost all 7lbs of baby weight plus an additional 30lbs, the goal is to get down another 20lbs and start doing the things I need to do around the house. I would love it if I could just be a stepford wife, but thats so not practical, the perfect house, fully dressed spotless baby and enough time to have full hair and makeup done. Yeah Right! lol

Xavier Birth pt2 - the milestones of 6 weeks

I promise that this is not going to be so long, but after reading the last post I realized I hadn't put down his stats.

At birth

9lb 11.5oz 19 3/4inches long

Discharge

9lb 2oz

Plus his lungs were all clear with zero infection

6 day appointment with his pediatrician

9lb 8oz 20 3/4inches long

1 month with Pediatrician

10lb 9oz and 21 1/2inches long

6 week with midwife

13lbs and 3oz

So as far as milestones:

He held his held up on day 1.

He rolled over at 5days old and even though that's young I have to keep telling myself that physically he is 2 weeks older as he was born at 42weeks.
At this point he started to refuse to sleep on his back and the pediatrician said if he does it himself he's ready just keep an eye on him. Luckily my Mum bought one of the nanny monitors. Its a monitor that goes under the sheet and if the baby doesn't move or breath in a 30 second time frame it sets off an alarm.

1 week 5days rolled himself 4 feet along the couch and off while we were sleeping, we put a bean bag there just in case.

2 weeks was pushing his shoulders off the floor

3 weeks old he commando crawled for an inch. Yes an inch is very important to me and this is one time I will measure inches :)

3weeks 2days - he will have a full conversation with you, no not words but squeaks, grunts and coos, he will say what he wants and wait for your response in return with respond back.

3 weeks 5 days - he's controlling his head to look around, his Daddy came home from work and he started looking for where the voice was coming from.

3 weeks 6days - he's eying our food and we were eating McDonald's so I thought what harm would it be to let him hold a french fry. Straight in the mouth and trying to suck on it/ chomp, he didn't really like the taste though.

4 weeks the smiles stopped being the thank goodness I farted/burped to look its Mom or look its Daddy. Only problem is every time I try and take a picture he looks at the camera and wonders what it is and smile goes bye bye

4 weeks 2 days - loves to push up on his legs, plus kick momma when he's feeding, have to put a stop to that.

4weeks 3 days - he started giving kisses, rather he opens his mouth and lands it on you with a squeak. Very cute

4weeks 4 days - I have been measuring the breast milk and formula he is up to 32oz a day so Mum suggested rice cereal, he loves it, sucks it straight off the spoon

4weeks 5days - he's copying the dogs, they come up to him and he sticks his tongue out, we don't let them lick his face but I don't agree with not letting them touch/kiss him under control. I was brought up with a doggie body guard called Sheba and it hasn't hurt me any. Only thing it did was upset my parents as my first word was 'Beba', my brother was worse he was calling for me first!

5 Weeks 1 day - This might be a problem, I think he thinks his Grandma Lesley is a phone as he kissed the phone complete with smacking noises talking to her. Shes in England and will be coming over for 3 weeks at Christmas if everything goes to plan.

5 weeks 3 days - Three inches, yet he commando crawled that long.

5 weeks 4 days - he rocks when his knees are under his tummy, today he pushed himself up into crawling position, it lasted less than a couple of seconds but soooo cute.

5 Weeks 6days - Its just Grandma he thinks is a phone, he spoke with his Daddy on the phone and started looking around the room for him.

6weeks 1 day - Daddy asked where Momma was and he looked at me, maybe co-incidence but I don't want to believe that.

6 Weeks 2 days - He opens his mouth when he sees the cereal. He loves it!

6 Weeks 4 days - I was waiting for him to open his mouth for the cereal when he leaned towards the spoon, he really likes this plus the milk/formula consumption is down to 24oz a day.

6 Weeks 5 days - he has started to yell for me instead of crying, if he wakes up and doesnt see me straight away he yells and then waits. He also yells at you if you are holding him wrong ie against your shoulder when he wants to sit. He is very opinionated.

7 weeks 1 day - his hair is turning red like Mommas and his eyes are sapphire blue like Daddies. This is going to be one cute little boy, even if I do say so myself.