Couponing: Pampers Gifts to Grow & BJ's

Are you signed up for Pampers Gifts to Grow and a member of BJ's?  If so, this deal is for you.  (Or even if you are not a member of BJ's, you can always find a coupon for a free trial membership.)

BJ's and Pampers are partnering up to offer BJ's gift cards as Gifts to Grow rewards.  I have been saving my points up since Tyler was born hoping something good would come along (most of the rewards are entering to win something, or toys which don't really cost very much in the store).  To me, it was not worth it to cash in my points for those items.  Once I saw the BJ's cards I cashed in some points (1,000 points will get you a $10 gift card).  That is where I buy all of Tyler's diapers and wipes.  BJ's allows you to use one BJ's coupon and one manufactures coupon on each item and they offer great coupons on Pampers products at least once a month (we are talking about $7 off diapers coupons and $3 off wipes and they send them in the mail and have them at the front of the store so there is no hunting them down). 

Right now they are offering extra Gifts to Grow points when you purchase select items from BJ's or BJs.com:

Hope this is helpful!  Happy Couponing!!

Couponing: Target

Target:

1. $2 off 20 prints coupon is online at target.com. They are offering prints for 10 cents so the prints end up being free. Their pictures are not the greatest quality but they were totally free.

2. Also, all their Easter stuff is 50% off so egg dying kits were 50 cents to $1 and they have tons of them – I stocked up for next year. They still have lots of plastic eggs left too - $1 for a 25 pack and lots of other various things.

3. 7th generation cleaning products are still on sale for $2.49 and they are still offering $1 off through Target text coupons and the dollar off coupon on the Internet makes it $0.49 – really good deal for healthy cleaning products.

4. All of their $1 bin items are 50% off right now – not sure why? I got some post-its and a magnetic list pad for 50 cents each.

5. $3 Nivea skin care item target coupon at target.com – their body wash is $3.04 so would be $0.04 after the coupon



I also signed up for target texting coupons - the text comes on Saturday every week and you just hold your phone up to the cashier and she scans the bar code - no paper coupons needed!

Salsa Garden

I am growing cilantro basil, garlic, onions, and tomato this year  in hopes of making some home made salsa.  I've made this recipe numerous times for events and it is always a big hit.  Check it out on Pioneer Woman's web site: The Pioneer Woman Cooks. 

Image from here

Here is a few pictures of my "container garden":

Cilantro

Tomatoes in the Topsy-Turvey

Basil

Happy Anniversary!

Happy Anniversary, Jeff!  The last 3 years have flown by and it seems like yesterday that we were in paradise with 40 of our closest family and friends saying "I DO".  Here's to many more!!

A Very Healthy Easter Dinner

I hosted Easter Dinner this year and hope to turn it into a tradition.  I love cooking and having company come over.  Here is what I served:

Arugua Salad

Rotiserie Chicken

Pineapple Bake:

Asparagus

Yeast Rolls

For Desert: Key Lime Pie (I forgot to get a picture of this so here it is mostly eaten)



Happy Easter!!

Egg Dying and Other Family Fun

Today is typically Tyler's swim class day but there was no class due to the Easter holiday.  Jeff decided Tyler needed to swim so we all got in the hot tub (water was at 90 degrees, same as the pool).  He had a great time so I think we will be doing this a lot more often. 

Around the afternoon my parents came up for a visit for Easter and we dyed some Easter eggs while Tyler watched and played with plastic eggs (this is basically throwing them on the floor and having Mommy or Daddy pick them up only to do it all over again).  We had a lot of fun trying different ways to dye the eggs.  I'd forgotten how fun Easter is with kids. 

White House Easter Egg Roll: What to Wear!?!?!

We were chosen in the lottery to participate in the Easter Egg Roll at the White House.  I've been working so hard on what Tyler would wear that I completely forgot about me and my husband!  I've whipped up an outfit for each of us that I think will compliment Tyler's outfit very well:

Tyler's 9 Month Stats

My baby turned 9 months today!  Where the heck has the time gone? 

Bedtime: still 8:30pm.




Wake Up Time: 6:30/7:00am.



Naps: Three naps around 9am, 1-2pm, and 6pm. He seems to be pushing his morning naps back a bit from 9AM to 10:30/11:00AM.


Bottles: 8 ounce bottles of formula




Meals/Solids: He eats solids 3 times a day plus snacks of puffs, teething biscuits, or frozen bananas.  He also drinks water mixed with apple juice out of a sippy cup 1-2 times a day.



New Foods: broccoli (seems like it gave him gas), chicken, whole wheat teething biscuits


Developmental Milestones & "Firsts": He is climbing up on things and letting go.  He's able to balance on his feet for about 15 seconds until he falls on his tush.  He's into everything and loves to climb down the step into the sun room.  He goes straight for my plants, which are edible - cilantro, lettuce, and basil.


Favorite Toys: Play and Learn table, new laptop from Gramma and Grampa.  Still loves his zebra.

Easter Dinner

We are hosting Easter Dinner here at Casa Pena. It's just a small gathering this year (only 5 of us) but I hope to turn it into an annual event going forward (any excuse to get a new dining room table that will seat more people).  Here is what I am planning:

Decor

Center Pieces: I am going to attempt this little Easter Grass project as the centerpeice/place card holders.

Egg Chandelier:

Here's my little helper.  I was trying to make an egg garland but once Tyler got involved it was a tangled mess.  Oh well, it was fun "working together" on this little project.  Looks like he's saying, "Who, me?" LOL!

Menu
Rotisserie Chicken with Herbs
Arugula Salad
Pineapple Bake
Asparagus
Homemade Yeast Rolls

Easter Basket for Tyler
I bought this basket from Target for $12 and had his name monogrammed on the front of the liner for $10 at the mall.  I love the way it turned out so much I went back to Target and bought another basket in cordinating colors for the next little one we will have (in the distant future).  This year it will serve as Jeff's basket full of Cadbury eggs and peeps.

 

Target Visit on Earth Day

We made a visit to Target on Earth Day to pick up a few items and were pleasantly surprised to get a free reusable bag with our purchase.  The bag is really nice (made out of recycled material) and very durable with a shoulder strap and drawstring.  I could see myself using this bag for all sorts of stuff.

The main reasons we went were to use my coupons to purchase:

Nivea Body wash $3.04 - $3 coupon = $0.04 paid
Seventh Generation Cleaner on sale for $2.47 -$1 Target coupon - $1 SG Coupon = $0.47 paid
Earths Best Baby Food (5 Jars) on sale for $0.77 each - $1 coupon = $2.85  $0.57 per jar for organic baby food!!!!
I just signed up for Target Mobile Coupons to be texted to my cell phone and I have to say - so far I am impressed.  No need to clip coupons and carry them with you.  All you have to do is hold your phone up to the cashier and they scan it for the savings.  What a great idea!

I also purchased these capri pants to wear to the Easter Egg Roll at the White House.

I bought these in the shorts version last summer and wore them a lot.  They are super comfy, thin enough to be worn in 90 degree heat, but still nice looking so when I saw the capri's available I knew I had to have them.  They were not on sale but at $21.99 they are a great deal and I know I will get lots of wear out of them.

Perfect Weather for a Picnic

Yesterday was one of those rare perfect weather days in Maryland.  We don't get many - maybe 3 or 4 a year where it's not to hot, not to cold, and no pesky bugs to spoil your good time.  Tyler and I made our way to the back yard with blanket, milk, and puffs to have some fun relaxing in the sunshine.

We had a lot of fun and I was even able to plant my "salsa garden".  I went inside and was downloading the pictures when I got an error message "Format your SD Card".  WHHAATT?????  All those cute pictures from our great little picnic and the planting of my garden are gone.  Forever.  Unless my husband can somehow bring them back but I'm not holding my breath - so unbelievably sad.  So if you haven't backed up your pictures (or your hard drive for that matter) in a while - go do it right now!!!

Vinos y Tapas Party at Casa Pena

We were chosen by Tapeña Wines to host a wine and tapas party to showcase their wines and introduce them to our friends.  We are really excited for this party.  Let the planning begin!

Sneek Peek at Chicks & Bunny Photos!

Check it out 

My little man looks so big!

Tyler Helps Mommy

To say that T and I have a lot of fun together on a daily basis is an understatement.  But we do try to get some work in here and there.  Here is a video of Tyler helping me with my chores:

Wee-Sale Savings

Several weeks ago my mom came for a visit to play with Tyler and help me attend the Wee-Sale (baby strollers are not allowed on the first day and T gets heavy after a while). I had never been before so I really didn't know what to expect. Well, it turns out these women who put this event on have it down to a science - amazing! They think of every detail and even have those giant blue Ikea bags for you to shop with. All of the merchandise was very well organized and easy to find. The amount of stuff and the quality just blew my mind. Think yard sale prices for stuff that has been barely (if ever) used! We got tons of great stuff for Tman and I was so loaded down that I didn't really even look at the clothing.  I added up the retail value of everything we purchased and what we actually paid below:

   
















We had such great luck at the Annapolis sale we decided to check out the Easton sale on our way back from visiting the Eastern Shore.  Here was our savings this time:
 

 






We had a great time shopping together and got Tyler some great toys and some sun hats for the summer.

Tyler's 8 month stats

Bedtime:  still 8:30pm.



Wake Up Time: 7:00/7:30am.


Naps: Three naps around 9am, 1-2pm, and 6pm. He was napping really well until this last weekend.  I guess it's the teeth that are coming through.

Bottles: 6 ounce bottles of formula, nursing has ended.  He's on lots of solid food now - 2 to 3 times a day.


Meals/Solids: He eats solids 2-3 times a day.

New Foods: ginger carrots, apples with cinnamon, and puffs.

Developmental Milestones & "Firsts": 2 teeth!!. I caught him climbing up the stairs last week (he was onthe 5th stair).  We have since put up baby gates. He's so fast! He is still fascinated with Roomba and looks for him under the pacnplay (where Roomba's charger is).  He also likes to climb up on the TV and touch it.  He knows he's not supposed to and will get down when I scold him.

Favorite Toys: Play and Learn table, still loves his zebra.

Tyler has teeth!

Tyler went to sleep on April 2nd and woke up with a tooth!  Then the next night same thing - another tooth!  Poor little man must have been in pain (I guess that is why he's not really napping so well).  I guess he will have a big toothy grin really soon.  Man, how time flies!