10% off A Touch of Whimsy

I have teamed up with A Touch of Whimsy to offer my amazing followers (and your family & friends)

a discount on their adorable products.

I have ordered several things from A Touch of Whimsy and have been pleased with every

single order. They truly care about every single order they send out and always add a little extra something to your package. Also, Gina, the owner is the sweetest! She is amazing about answering any questions you have and gets back to you in a very timely fashion.

Go check out their great products at A Touch of Whimsy

A Touch of Whimsy is offering Nap Time is the New Happy Hour's readers a discount of 10% off their order. To get the 10% off you must enter cheryl10 at the checkout and hit apply. This offer will be available until May 9th so hurry and get your order in.

All the products would make great presents. And remember Mother's Day is right around the corner. I know I would love some more of those mugs (hint hint husband:) )

Please feel free to ask me any questions you have about there products.

Baby To Do List

As I have talked about this before, I work full time and when I get home I keep going and going. Most nights I don't just sit down, turn on the TV and relax.

Why you ask?

Because I'm neurotic and I always feel like there is stuff that must/has/needs to get done.

There are household chores and there are baby chores that need to get done....

I have a continuous to do list that I keep checking stuff off and keep adding on to.

First up on my baby to do list is his

Baby Book.

I got this as a gift from my mom before he was even born.

I was originally going to get started on it then and it just never happened.

This thing haunts me in my dreams.

I know I need to start on it so I don't forget his milestones and important pictures and information I want to include.

But I can never seem to get around to tackling this big project.

To select the cutest and most appropriate picture is overwhelming on top of having to remember all of his stats and when he did things. The baby book is going to take a lot of brain power and time.

I wish they had a digital version. Since all of his pictures are digital it would make it so much easier to just upload his pictures and type in his stats and then print it. GENIUS OR WHAT?!

Can someone please create this!

I need to organize our pantry.

C's baby food and paraphernalia have taken over our pantry.

He just has so much stuff!

I found this organizer and thought it was the coolest thing!

Maybe because I have a slight obsession with containers and organization??

But I could keep it on the counter (not like there is any room on the counter either with all of his bottles and such) fully stocked  so that way the pantry would have less in it and would stay more organized.

His toys are everywhere.

I need to find some way to organize all of his toys.

Do you guys have any suggestions?

My thing is I want it to kinda match our furniture and not look too kiddy (we have dark wood).

I am not finding a whole lot.

But this might just have to work.

And yes, my ultimate organization project.

I have been packing up all of C's clothes, toys, blankets, bottles, binkies, diapers, etc that he has outgrown and put them in these Rubbermaid containers and labeling them with whats in it.

This is a very sad project :(  

The thing that got to me most was packing up his swing. He loved his swing but can't fit in it anymore nor is he even interested in it. I can't believe how big C is getting and how quickly.

I have 6 containers full of stuff already and he is only 9 months old.

Good thing we have a family storage that we can put all of this stuff in for free.

If we do decide to have another baby I secretly hope we have another boy so that we can use this stuff again, I think it would be a big waste if we couldn't.

What are some baby projects on your to do list?

Maybe you guys can give me some more good ideas so I can add some to my to do list.

Mother's Day Ideas

Mother's Day!

Louis Vuitton-Damier Neverfull

A message-JCon or Massage Envy

Kate Spade-Metropolitan Dome Pearl Earrings

Blackberry Bold in Flast White

A pedicure-JCon

Personalized Cell Phone Case from A Touch of Whimsy

A Dell Laptop

Kendra Scott Earrings in Navy Iolite

Just in case my husband is reading my blog and wants to get me something special for Mother's Day, here is my want list. Feel free to get the best mommy in the world a great little present from my list here :) I have even included links to make it easier for C and daddy.   

My Money Saving Tips

I am a full time working mama but still love and need a good deal.

(Gotta save for fun purchases like my LV bag I have been wanting forever)

I get so pumped when I get a good deal on something.

It's like I won something!

I cut and print coupons and I love it.

I am not obsessed like these Extreme Couponers on TLC but I do love getting BOGO's or a good sale.

Here are my top 4 go to coupon sites I frequent.

 Deal Seeking Mom

Here is a brief description of who is behind DSM and these amazing deals...

Tara Kuczykowski is a married mom of three boys and two girls, ages 2 to 8 years, living in Columbus, OH.

As a former career-oriented professional turned stay-at-home mom, reconciling champagne tastes with a tap-water budget was a challenge, especially with a large family. By learning how to cut costs on her family's basic needs, she has found the key to having more disposable income for the things in life that make it worth living.

She posts about different coupons that are out there, free products, free birthday treats, and even giveaways.

Her site is very easy to use and maneuver around in which is a big plus.

I can always count on DSM for great free Pampers points!
I love me some free points!!

She even has a coupon database that you can "clip" your coupons and organize them and keeps track of the expiration dates. I personally have not tried this yet but its on my to do list. It sounds like it would make my couponing life so much easier.

I have been just introduced to Southern Savers by my best friend and quickly became hooked.

Here is a description of the author of Southern Savers...

I am a stay at home mom of 3 little girls that are 5 and under. I didn't grow up in a frugal house or even cut a coupon until my twins were almost a year old. I started couponing when we moved into a new house and with in one week of being homeowners the roof started leaking! I thought it would be temporary only until the roof loan was paid off. It only took one trip to CVS to become hooked, leaving with over $100 in merchandise that I paid a quarter for. Now I can never go back. The idea of paying the prices we used to pay is impossible once you realize how low prices can be when you shop effectively. We now have more food in the pantry than ever before and we reduced our grocery budget by over $400a month! That's our money we get to keep for other things.What would you do with an extra $400 a month?

What I love about Southern Savers is that you can go directly to the top of the site and click where you will be shopping to get the stores coupons. So easy!

She even has a place to learn more about couponing and how to become better at it.

Plus she has a link directly to the amazing Coupons.com where you can get great savings via printable coupons.

Baby Goodbuys rocks!
Obviously it is geared more towards baby gear.
Which is obviously perfect for my life.

Here is a description about Baby Goodbuys author...
I’m Marybeth Hamilton and I created Baby Goodbuys to help parents save money on baby, kid and maternity stuff!
I had my first baby in July 2008 and found out very quickly that, despite nearly everything I had heard and read, having a baby just wasn’t that expensive. When I shared my realization with other moms, friends and relatives, almost everyone said, “How can you say that?” and, “I don’t see how that’s possible!” After finding that most people just didn’t believe me, I decided to share my knowledge and shopping expertise here!
Before becoming a mom to “two under two” (now two under three!), I earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree with a major in Finance and a minor in Communication. After 8 years of enthusiastically climbing the corporate ladder at both General Mills and Target Corporation, I finally quit working in the corporate world and became a stay-at-home-mom to my two children! Now I’m proud to say that my “second job” is being a Minnesota mom blogger! My husband and I live near Minneapolis with our two little ones, plus one amazing shelter dog and two rescued cats.
After family time, homemaking, and this website, I don’t have much spare time! When I do have a few hours to spare, I always try to spend quality time with our extended family and my close friends. I love reading, big Broadway musicals, Diet Coke, shopping and Starbucks lattes, and I’ll take any of those in any order!
Thanks for visiting Baby Goodbuys, and thanks for learning more about me! Want to introduce yourself or contact me for any other reason? I can be emailed at babygoodbuys (at) gmail (dot) com.

She posts about mainly baby products at discounted rates such as car seats, clothes, wipes, diapers, snapfish and shutterfly discounts. She also has some great advice about baby showers, stocking up on diapers, and DIY.

Money Saving Madness

Here is a bit about Michelle...

I am the frugal minded mom to three fun loving children and wife to one hard working man! They are my first priority in life!

I spent seven years of my life teaching elementary school and learning how to live on very little. My first teaching position at a private school paid $10,800 for the full year. I learned very quickly how to budget my money to pay for rent, utilities and groceries and even saved money.

When my daughter was born, I decided to give up my teaching career and focus on being a mom -and that I did. I had three children in three years and my life has been a whirlwind ever since! I truly enjoy being at home with my children!
I have always been frugal and conscious of saving money. The coupon journey began for me when a friend introduced me to a mega sale at Kmart three years ago. I never looked back.

I am a deal addict and love the feeling I get when I have scored a really great deal! Most of all I love sharing my deals with friends--all of you!

Thanks for reading and happy saving!

Michelle
Contact Me @ moneysavingmadness@yahoo.com

What I like about MSM is that they have a Restaurant section. Our family loves to eat and this helps save money on which restaurant is running a promotion. She also has a freebie section which is fun to hit up.

Her site is very nice on the eyes too.

What I also love about all 4 of these sites are that they are on Twitter.

Since I am a new found Twitter obsesser I am loving this feature.

I love that I can get these great deals sent right to my phone from Twitter!

And it makes it seems more personal for some reason?

Maybe its just me??

I have something very similar to this to organize all of the coupons with.

I have 3 actually.

1. Grocery Store

2. Baby Stuff

3. Mall etc coupons

I can not imagine if I was not organized with my coupons. I would not save because I would simply forget about them. If know I am going to Target ill throw my grocery and baby coupon folios in my purse and then just whip them out while I am there. I have them labeled very well so it only takes me a second to browse through them.

If I know I am going to Target or Publix I will compare my list and  pull out my coupons before I go and put them in the front pocket so it takes less time to go through them all once I am at the grocery store.

My favorite coupons are the grocery coupons.

For example Winn Dixie and SweetBay have $5.00 off a $30.00 purchase all the time.

And I always spend more then $30.00 so I totally take advantage.

Now, I do not shop at either one of these places but Publix will take competitors coupons. WOOHOO.

So look out for these coupons, I have even stacked them before and saved a bunch of money.

I love Publix!

 

Last but certainly not least is my Swagbucks.

I admit, I do have an obsession with Swagbucks.

I use it at home, at work and I would even use it on my cell phone if it had that feature.

Swagbucks is awesome!

It is simply a search engine.

Like Google.

You go to Swagbucks and download the toolbar (you don't have to but it makes it much easier to do searches).

And then begin searching like you would on Google.

You get "Swagbucks" for certain searches.

After you earn enough Swagbucks you can purchase things.

For example, a $5.00 Amazon Gift Card is 450 Swagbucks.

You will earn that in no time and get free money!

How awesome is that.

And you are getting free things for simply doing what you do everyday.

I love it!

I have been doing Swagbucks for a short time and have already earned 8 $5.00 Amazon Gift Cards that I have used towards diapers of course (you can buy other items not just Amazon GC)

Well, I hope these sites and my coupon organizing tips save y'all some money.

Happy Money Saving!!

Just Because

Just a little fun on this Tuesday.

My favorite is this little Justin Bieber look a like. How cute is he?!

I am working on a few things so sorry about the short posts lately.

Trying to get some things in order.

Don't forget, if you would like to get 10% off of A Touch of Whimsy's products enter cheryl10 at checkout.

Let's Do Lunch

I got this Vera Bradley "Let's Do Lunch" bag for Christmas from one of my best friends.

I thought it was very cute and have been using it as my lunch bag until recently.

This little bag is my go to bag when we go anywhere with Little C.

I can put several bottles in it, spoons, bibs, an ice pack, snacks, etc.

Now that C is eating more food, an ice pack is much needed for things like his yogurt, cottage cheese, etc.

I no longer have to scrounge around the huge diaper bag looking for his spoon or bib.

Its all in one place! GENIUS! Why didn't I do this sooner?

Plus the inside lining can be whipped down, so it doesn't matter if it gets sticky and yucky.

I think a nice monogram would be the perfect touch.

I still might get it done.

And isn't the pattern perfect for boys.

LOVE IT!

This would make a great shower gift too.

You can even score one off ebay for cheaper then the VB website.

9 Months

Happy 9 Months and Easter C!

Party, Party, Party

Little C will be 9 months tomorrow and I can not stop thinking about his first birthday party!

First of all I love to put together parties and all the little details, and secondly a party for my little man! Yay this is going to be so fun!

I am thinking I want a circus themed party.

I love all the fun boy colors and I think he will like it too.

I am starting to gather some ideas together and find things on sale (my husband thinks im nuts since the party would be 3 months away). And here are some invitations I have come across that I love.

From Etsy, BeeandDaisy

From Etsy, BGDesignStuido

From Etsy, DimplePrints

These are probably my top 3 as far as invitations go.

Now, his party must have some paper pom poms!

These are from Etsy seller: pomtastic

In the coordinating party colors obviously

But you can also get the Martha Stewart ones at Michael's and use there coupon which would make them pretty cheap.

And he must have a happy birthday banner.

I am loving this one.

From Etsy, GwynnWassonDesigns

From Etsy, Ellebelleonetsy

These would be cute as cupcake toppers too. Just a little whimsy to the party.

And with sweet face's face on it of course :)

Now I still need to find, a coordinating one year birthday shirt, a party hat, a sign for his high chair, fun table clothes (preferably big polka dotted or stripped ones) and some other fun goodies.

I obviously have an obession with etsy and was wondering if you guys have any other blogs or sites that I should check out to get some inspiration?

I still can not believe he is going to be 1 in July! That is just too crazy. This year has already gone by way to fast and im not ready for him to be 1 yet :(

Help Around the House

My last two posts I have talked about needing balance in my life.

I am still trying to figure out this whole motherhood thing as well as still doing everything that I used to do.

Well, one thing that has helped ease my mind is this little "girl"...

Bed Bath and Beyond description

The Mint® Automatic Floor Cleaner uses the NorthStar® Navigation System to determine its location then builds a map of the area as it cleans, including walls, obstacles and drop offs. Mint® starts by cleaning open areas, then follows with a perimeter sweep along the edges of furniture and walls for a complete clean. When Mint® is finished cleaning, it returns to where it started and parks itself so you know right where to find it. Smart sensors help Mint® slow down before bumping walls and furniture, detect areas that are too low to enter, avoid area rugs and avoid falling down stairs. The special mopping motion gets deeper dirt and grime off your floor and PerfectEdge™ technology cleans along edges and walls. Mint® delivers whisper quiet operation and cleans up to three hours on a single charge. Includes charger, two dry microfiber cleaning cloths, one wet cleaning cloth, NorthStar® Navigation Cube, and two C batteries. UL listed.

This is Minty ...

(that's what we call her in our house and yes its a her because she (meaning me) normally vacuums in our house so I thought it was appropriate it be a girl)

Minty has helped ease my mind (a bit). Minty comes with 2 microfiber clothes and 1 for mopping.

You just wrap the clothes around the base and push start and she cleans the floors. She works off of a GPS.

How amazing is that right?!

I have not tried the mopping function but I think I'm going to. The only bad thing about the mopping function is that you just wet the cloth and that's it. There is no actual cleaning solution so the floors aren't really getting that clean. But heck ill take it!

She gets stuck sometimes but she will definitely let you know about it. She will beep constantly until you get her unstuck. She goes a great job but a good vacuum job is still needed every now and then.

You too can have a Minty in your house. We got her at Bed Bath and Beyond for $199.00 but I used my 20% off to get an even better deal.

I totally recommend Minty, she has helped get a lot of the leg work done around the house.

Feel free to ask me any questions about my girl. :)

Balance

 As I talked about in my 7 things yesterday, I am having a very hard time finding balance in my life right now.

I have always been the person who has to have a spotless house, have all the dishes done and nothing left in the sink, all the laundry washed, folder and put away, complete things that are on my never ending to do list, etc.

I can never just sit down to watch TV or relax without either cleaning, organizing or doing something.

There is always something to be done in our house or on my to do list.

I think this is my big downfall.

I need to let something go and relax.

But what on earth is it?

Yes, I am a very neurotic and controlling person and if everything is not just so it drives me crazy!

This all is putting a strain on me and I feel like I'm going to bust soon.

I hate the way I have been feeling lately but I just don't know what to do about it.

What do I need to give up?

I have not felt 100% healthy in months (probably because I eat crap) and I am sick of feeling stressed out.

What do you all do to keep your balance in your daily lives?

I need some help ladies!!

Blogging Award

I received this blog award from the workaholic momma.

First of all she and her baby girl are gorgeous!

She is new to the blogging world but she is already one of my favorite reads.

She has great advice, keeps it real, is an amazing mama, has some very delicious recipies, and always cute photos of her sweet Addie.

So, the rules of the award are to share 7 things about yourself and then hand out the award to 15 more people. I am just going to chose my top 3 blogs though since 15 seems like it would take me a very long time to do (and I dont have that much time since im blogging at work...shhh dont tell :) )

1. I am a full time working mom- I work full time, from 8:00 am to 4:45 pm. I am a paralegal at a criminal and family law firm. It's just me and my boss, just the two of us. I see him more then I see my husband sometimes, which is annoying to be honest. I feel like I live at work. I like my job but I would like more time with my little sweet face.

2. My husband-travels for his job. Monday-Thursday he is gone. I am pretty much a single mom.

3. Balance-I am having a very hard time finding my balance as a new mom. I feel like everything has to be perfect and just so and if its not. It drives me nuts. I need to let some things go that aren't or shouldn't be that important but I just dont know what those things are yet.

4. Obsessed-I am obsessed with staying connected. I love my blackberry and love having Facebook and Twitter at my fingertips. Find me on Twitter CAE1982.

5. Blogging- I could blog and browse for hours. I used to spend hours on the weekends B.C. (before C was born) just clicking away through blogs. I love to do this to unwind (with a glass of wine of course).

6. Favorite Beauty Tool-I am loving my curling wand right now. I have received so many compliments on my hair once I started using it. Its so easy and doesn't take as much time as one would think. They create soft bouncy waves/curls.

7. Living- I am a FLORIDA girl at heart. I love living in Florida, the weather is so amazing, yes its hot but I love it!  I love to wear tank tops and flips...thats the Florida life! I lived in Kansas City for exactly one year. I moved there for my husband (boyfriend at the time) and I hated it. I don't see how ya'all snow birds live there. The only thing KC has going for them istheir great shopping. I love to go back and visit but you won't catch me living in that weather ever again.

I would like to give this award to:

Beach Bum and Baby-

Love her and her blog. She is so sweet and her little Trey is just too adorable! Trey and C are the same age and she has some great advice and ideas.

Shasta Anne-

I just love this girl's fashion! She is very creative, has the cutest pug child LTB, and has the cutest and funniest blog post (love her language-jankie, TDF, Fug, and my fav is her weave)

Loves of Life-

This girl is very creative, is such a sweet mommy to her cute pootootie E, has amazing reads, and takes great photos.

Hope you enjoyed reading a little more about me :)

Mama's Suit

I got a new bathing suit!

(BTW I think it looks better on me then the model..haha...yeah I just said that)

I ran into TJ Maxx the other day and decided to browse through their bathing suits. I could not believe that I was in the one piece bathing suit section and actually looking at one pieces...I mean I have not worn a one piece since probably 5th grade. But, this mama's body is not like it used to be. Hello weird belly button, from the C-Section. So, I came across this suit and made myself try it on. I was pleasantly surprised, it was not hideous like all the others, it was by Juicy Couture and only $50.00 (original price was $173.00)! It is actually very cute and my boobs look amazing in it! I decided to buy it but told myself I wouldn't take the tags off until I gave the hubs a little fashion show in it, and to get his reaction. He actually liked it, which was very shocking! He hates one pieces (which is very understandable) He thought it was lingerie at first (maybe because my boobs looked so good in it?) ?? He was also very confused by the skirt/dress look and didn't get that it was a bathing suit. Guys are so clueless when it comes to this stuff, its kinda funny.

So, its a keeper. Now I need to find a cute cover up and a fun floppy straw hat.

Any suggestions?

Yes, I am neurotic...

So, this is a picture of Little C's shelf in the pantry .

I think I have an obsession with stocking up on baby food.

I always feel like I don't have enough.

I have no idea why I feel like this because this is what my pantry looks like all the time.

Mind you, daycare feeds him and I don't provide the food.

So, I only technically feed him on the weekends or the days he doesn't have day care.

 I know mentally that I don't need to buy him anymore but then I think... well what if there is a hurricane or tornado or some natural disaster and all the Targets, Walmarts and Publix are no longer around then how am I going to get baby food to feed him?! Sounds totally crazy I know!

I always have 2 big cans of formula on hand too. You know just in case??

Am I crazy?!

Does anyone else do this?

I do only stock up when I have coupons or they are on sale, if this makes this craziness any better?

I do this with diapers and wipes too and don't even mention every day household products like toothpaste, face wash, cleaning products, shampoo....yeah, I do the same with these things too.

It's a crazy neurotic obsession I have and I cant control it!

Au Naturel?

I love the idea of feeding Little C organic baby food. But, in all reality I don't do it 90% of the time. I normally feed him Gerber or Beech Nut. I secretly feel like a bad mother for choosing the lesser expensive brands, so I try to stock up like crazy on Earth's Best when they are BOGO at Publix.

I do enjoy making him baby food but he only likes mama's fruits. No homemade veggies please. I don't know what it is about my veggies but he does not like them...maybe the texture??

How much of a difference do you think it really makes that I don't feed my child organic products? I know I was not fed organic anything when I was a baby. Do I have allergies now? Yes, absolutely, I actually have a ton of allergies. I am allergic to milk, rice, corn, beef, tomatoes, etc. It sounds like I am almost allergic to life because anything you eat really has these products in it. I have slightly grown out of my allergies but they still linger.

So I wonder if I feed my child organic/gluten free products when he is a baby will this prevent him from having allergies when he is older???

Twitter

I am slightly obsessed with Twitter. I joined back in January but it intimated me and I didn't really do much with it. I don't know why I was so intimidated, I just was. What were all these @ and # signs??? Didn't makes sense to me. Now I can't get enough!!

So please follow me :)

CAE1982

Here Comes Peter Cotton Tail

Easter

I first started off looking for an outfit for Little C. I knew exactly what I wanted in my head. I wanted a seersucker blue and white 4 piece suit. Adorable!! I looked and looked and looked and could not find what I wanted anywhere! So then I got to thinking that I was just going to have to find another alternative to this adorable little suit. Well I started searching the Internet and of course found myself looking at girls Easter dresses. Why does this always happen to me?! I have a boy, not a girl but yet I'm looking at the these adorable pink and purple girls clothes?! Ugh, they are just too cute not to oogle over :)

I love the sight of little girls (and little boys too) running around at an Easter egg hunt in there big poofy Easter dresses carrying there Easter baskets filled with eggs. They look so happy and precious.

Here are some of my favorites picks...

Layla & Grace

www.nordstroms.com

Nordstroms

Shrimp & Grits Kids

My ultimate favorite are girls smocked dresses. They are so classic and gorgeous. Sometimes I secretly wish I had a girl. Is that bad??

Now here are some things I found for boys. So not as cute as the girls stuff but still cute.

Shrimp & Grits Kids

Old Navy

Old Navy