Nanny to Mommy

Hubby and I did go to Kroger earlier this week (Sunday) but I didn't record that trip and have since lost the receipt. It was uneventful although I did get free Crest toothpaste. By the way, NEVER pay for toothpaste. I don't care if it is $0.10. Why pay for something that you can get for FREE? :)

This trip my friend took me and we took the girl's to the Fall Festival at Hubby's store and got FREE candy and had a LOT of fun. :)

I did the Huggies and Green Mountain catalina deals that I have been talking about all week over on my Facebook page. So here's how the deal went down:

Huggies/Pull-Ups/Goodnights catalina - Buy $20 in products get $5 off your next shopping order catalina
Bought:
Huggies size 4 BOX on sale $18.99
- $1.50/1 direct email from Huggies coupon
Huggies wipes $1.99
- $1/1 Huggies wipes from Oct All You Magazine
Total before coupons: $20.98
After coupons and catalina: $13.48
Other coupons you can use to make your own catalina scenario (let me know how they turn out! :]):
$2/1 package of GoodNites Underware
$2/1 Huggies Little Movers Slip-On Diapers
$1/1 Pull-Ups Flushable Wipes$2/1 Pull-Ups Training Pants Jumbo size or larger $1/1 Pull-Ups Night time Training Pants or Share on social networks and get $2/1
PLUS this deal is even sweeter because I bought a box with $5 in coupons inside! :D

****UPDATE 10/31: This deal is STILL AVAILABLE and just got EVEN SWEETER with the NEW Coupons.com Coupons $3/1 Huggies Snug & Dry Jumbo Pack or Larger!!!! (if you don't see it try zip code 30303. Print NOW this coupon will NOT last long!

Green Mountain Fair Trade Coffee Catalina -
Buy 2 12 ct K-cups get $2 off next shopping order catalina PLUS free gift code
Bought:
2 Green Mountain 12ct K-Cups Breakfast Blend @ $7.79 (Not what they were priced on Sunday so this deal was a BUST but I still thought it was good because it was cheaper than the others and we needed coffee)
- 2 $1/1 from sample packs from bzz campaign (HERE's a $1/1 Facebook IP or HERE's one for the Natural) Total after coupons and catalina: $11.58 or $5.79 or $0.48 per k-cup
(BTW my FREE gift was a $0.50/1 coupon.... :/.... I can get a $1/1 right on their Facebook page!)

Total Spent: $32.06
Total Percentage Saved after catalinas: 58% so NOT BAD! :D

So how did you do? At the bottom of this post is a place for you to show your own brag worthy purchases! If you don’t have a blog or vlog, feel free to leave a comment on this post letting me know how you did shopping this week!

As most of you know I am a proud member of Bzz Agent and recently I was fortunate enough to be invited to review Green Mountain Fair Trade coffee.



First of all the coffee is a little strong but a GREAT pick-me-up. And I am excited that right now you can score an awesome deal at Kroger on Green Mountain Fair Trade coffee 12 ct K-cups!
Here's the deal:
Green Mountain Coffee 12 ct K-cups $6.49
Catalina Deal: Buy 2, Get a $2 off your next shopping order catalina
Buy 2 and Use 2 $1/1 IP Facebook coupons found HERE or $1/1 for Natural found HERE
Total after coupon & catalina: $8.98 or $4.49 each OR $0.37 PER K-CUP!


PLUS Score a FREE gift! Just enter the code you get at checkout HERE. Some people have reported getting a $10 Kroger gift card!

The reason why Green Mountain has changed to Green Mountain Fair Trading, is because they are simply that. Fair Traders. Now let's take a moment to think about what that means:

Definition of Fair Trading according to First Fair Trade Town, USA:

"Fair Trade is a tool for reducing poverty in developing nations. It's a form of trade that builds equitable and long-term partnerships between producers in developing regions of the world and consumers in the north. Fair Trade guarantees many things including the following.

Producers receive a minimum set price for their goods, financial and technical support, healthy and safe working conditions, economic development of their communities, and educational opportunities for their children.

Consumers receive excellent products plus the peace of mind that comes with knowing they are actively addressing poverty, preserving the environment, and promoting an end to child labor.

The planet receives a chance at health and healing since Fair Trade actively promotes sustainable farming techniques, biodiversity, and bird and animal habitat preservation."

Grace Potter and Michael Franti are helping spread the word about how important Fair Trade is through source trips and right now if you visit Green Mountain's Facebook Page, you can get an idea of what they are doing by watching LIVE-STREAMING of their concerts.

Now that you know a little more about Fair Trading, what are your thoughts? Are you going to make an effort to buy products that are produced through Fair Trading? Do you want companies to have to prove their Fair Trading status on their labels? Please share you thoughts on the topic.

Yes, apparently it has been 10 weeks since I started to share my commitment to lose weight publicly. Of course you know, I was into it at first but I have only been really dedicated for the past month and a half. But in that time I have now lost a total of 15.7 pounds! That means since last week I have lost 4.7 pounds.



And you might be thinking to yourself, "She has to be lying, that is too much in a week". But see it's not. And the reason is, I was that much overweight before. I am around 10 pounds away from my pre-baby weight and I was over-weight before. So I still have a LONG way to go.

It's crazy how different your body is after having a baby I was thinking it was all fat and maybe the reason my body is different is also because of the weight change but I think it's a mixture of both.

I was hoping to have a picture of me wearing my wedding bands or something cute to show you. But, alas, I still can't fit into them. Hopefully soon. Thank you for following me on journey thus far, however inconsistent I have been telling you. :)

I know a few people who are pregnant with their first little ones and I know I wish someone told me what to really expect. The books give you an guidelines that seem like rules and can make you feel inadequate. And people tend to give you unwarranted advice at the worst possible moment (like when your baby is screaming their adorable little head off). So take this as you will. Read and ignore it, or love it and share it. Your choice. This is meant to be a little informative, a little funny, but mostly just make you smile.

- 1 -
Labor and Delivery
You will forget the pain. DO YOUR KEGELS. Pushing is NOT like taking a poop. If you do poop while delivery, it is no big deal. You are so into the moment you won't even notice. TAKE A SHOWER as soon as you can afterwards. You won't feel like moving but it will feel amazing. And whether you have a c-section or vaginal or natural birth you are in no way more or less of a mom. You brought a HUMAN into this world. And THAT is amazing anyway it happened.

- 2 -
COFFEE!
Do you drink coffee? You better get a taste for it NOW. And stock up while your at it. You have to be able to function all day at work after a baby screams you awake every two hours the night before. I suggest Donut House coffee and International Delight French Vanilla Creamer.

- 3 -
Read and inform yourself.
Don't Google anything. And remember books and parenting websites are great resource references but they are just guidelines, not rules. With feeding/sleeping schedules, milestones, etc. Every child is different and something that works for one family, won't necessarily work for another.



- 4 -
Sleep when the baby sleeps.
No seriously... if the baby is napping right now, GO TAKE A NAP. And sometimes sleeping in the carseat/swing/bouncy chair isn't a bad option; it's the ONLY option.

- 5 -
Let people do things for you.
You don't have to be super mom starting off. Take care of yourself before you take care of the house. Someone may offer to help out with the housework but no one will offer to come over and brush your teeth.

- 6 -
Breastfeeding.
Watch the baby and not the clock. The clock will drive you insane. Pee before you sit down to nurse. Even if you don't think you need to. Because you will once you can't get up. It will hurt like *heck* the first two weeks...at least. That's okay. Power through because you can do this.

- 7 -
You cannot spoil a baby
with too much holding, nursing, cuddling, kissing, carrying, soothing, etc.
It's impossible.

- 8 -
Go with your gut.
Your critics may seem to be disguised as your best friend (or mother or in-law or...) but really they are your worst enemy. You are the mom. You know what is best. PERIOD.


- 9 -
Involve your Hubby as much as possible.
And trust him to know what's good for the baby too. You are a TEAM in this! And if you seem too overbearing when he is helping out, not only will it make it where he doesn't want to help out but it will hurt his pride too. Don't say a WORD about how he does stuff. Just encourage him and thank him!

- 10 -
Be open to feedback from well intentioned people.
And I'm not talking about Grandma saying to put cereal in a bottle. I mean like if someone tells you your chest clip is too low or not to put the car seat on a carriage, don't get so defensive that you might have screwed up that you refuse to hear the logic.

- 11 -
Go with the flow.
And try not to plan ahead too much. If you have an outing and plan for your baby to sleep on the way because it's a long drive, they will be wide eyed and bushy tailed the entire ride and then throw a fit as soon as you get there. And that's okay if they sleep through an event. Everyone loves a sleeping baby. Schedules suck but routines are your friend.


- 12 -
Learn to laugh.
When its four am and your child projectile poops onto the wall, laugh. Laugh because it's funny. Laugh because you're tired. Laugh because it feels so much better than crying, and remember that this stage will be over before you know it, and you'll miss it.

- 13 -
Take tons of pictures
and back them up in MULTIPLE locations. Always have an extra charger/extra batteries for your phone/camera. Something awesome will happen and your battery will be dead. Record that newborn cry, you may think I'm crazy now, but I promise - you will miss it. Make time write things down (even 5 minutes will do) because in your lack-of-sleep induced stupor by the time you feel like you have the time to write things down you will forget the details of things that mattered most.

- 14 -
You are going to make mistakes.
Fortunately that little baby isn't going to know unless you repeatedly tell them and they will still think you're the best mom ever.




- 15 -
Last but certainly not least,
When your baby grows up, they won't remember how many toys you bought for them, or whether your house was always tidy - they WILL remember whether you played with them or not. Time. Kids just want your time. So let the housework slide and have a tickle fight.

Remember first time mommies, these aren't rules, each baby is different and each parent raises them differently, as long as you love them and try your best, you are doing great.

And for you experienced mommies, what is some advice you would give to a first time mom?

Seriously how strange is this weeks haul? It's such a random mixture. A few things you must know:

1. We had plans to go out to eat with my in-laws so my husband took me to Publix.
2. It wasn't our normal Publix and they don't take Target as a competitor.
3. I had a $5/$40 Publix coupon that expired TODAY and I couldn't let it go to waste.
4. I thought we would be going before we ate, so I didn't bring any coupons for refrigerated items.

With all that said, I am planning to go again before this sale ends.

So here is what I got:
1 Mott's for Tots 64 oz Apple Juice @ BOGO $3.15
- $1/1 coupon found in box of Pampers
= $0.58

3 Peter Pan Peanut Butter @ BOGO $3.29
= $4.94 or $1.65 each


4 Advil Pain Relievers 50 ct. $4.99
- 2 $5/2 Publix Green Advantage Flyer
- 4 $2/1 peelie coupons on box (this store is NOT very couponed :])
= $1.96 or $0.49 each (I really needed these regardless if the peelie was on them)

8 Campbell's Great for cooking soups @ 10/$10
- 2 $2/4 Best Meals Happen at Home Publix email
- 2 $1/4 IP from Spaghetti-Os Facebook page (Here's a $0.40/3 Campbell's Condensed "Great for Cooking" soups)
= $2 or $0.25 each

4 Ragu sauces (these things are HUGE) @ BOGO $3.39
- 2 $1.50/2 Best Meals Happen at Home Publix email
= $3.78 or $0.95 each!

2 Beechnut stage 4 Fruities $0.99
- 2 $1/1 ANY Beechnut Stage 4 product IPs (reset)
= FREE

Subtotal: $43.24
- $5/$40 Publix coupon (mailed)

Order Total before taxes: $8.24

With Taxes: $10.19

Total Percentage Saved: 88%!!! :D

So how did you do? At the bottom of this post is a place for you to show your own brag worthy purchases! If you don’t have a blog or vlog, feel free to leave a comment on this post letting me know how you did shopping this week!