Confessions of a Working Momma

 Okay so I am a working momma, and I get asked ALL the time if I think Cloth Diapers are worth it as a working momma. Well, honestly, I first thought is does my working really matter regarding if it is "worth" it or not? Well here's a piece that I had written but never got posted.... I switched to cloth diapers when Miss Sassy was about 18 months old (she is now 5) . I was not one of those moms who had it all together right before she was born. I did not get our life under control till about the time she turned one. Thus, is when I started looking into cloth diapering. Daddy was not sold on the original idea. So the first purchase I made was for 6 one size Bum Genesis diapers and 1 diaper cover and 6 prefolds. This was the trial run for us. I loved them, Daddy not so much. However, he humored me so we went ahead and purchased more one size Bum Genesis diapers and more covers and prefolds. We now have a large collection. So people ask me why I did the extra expensive ...

So about a year ago, I claimed I was back and I was going to pick up where I left off with this blog.... Well then life happened, Miss Sassy began acting out and our world went into a downward spiral. Now a year later, I feel like I have finally come out of the darkness. It was a rough year, she has been diagnosised with ADHD, anxitey and has some autisitic tendencencies. We had to quickly pull her from her daycare or she would have been kicked out, she placed in her a daycare that she had been a couple of year prior temporallity and then she started kindergarten and went to yet another new "daycare" that is just for school age kids. Well since September, we have started to come out of the darkness the start of school and her new "daycare" we have seen great strides and she is becoming the little girl that we love and brings us so much joy. We definately have our "flare ups" but I feel like we are getting better everyday. With that all being said, I am goi...

For some moms the end of August means that you need to get back into the school routine, getting the kids up early and feeding them breakfast at an early hour so they are not starving in the middle of the day. This is where I think most working moms have this down and almost never get out of habit (with the exception of vacation). For us (atleast me, anyway) it's a school morning every morning. The girls are in daycare which is what we call school here in this house. So we try to make breakfast fun. One of my favorite things is homemade pancakes. I make 4x batch and then freeze them, for quick easy breakfasts. Recipe coming soon.   I whipped up a batch of pancakes and decided to add alittle bit of purple food coloring (the girls favorite color). They loved it.   Oh in case you are wondering, yes they are chocolate chip purple pancakes! 

Well, you know how they say when it rains it pours.... Well it's been pouring for my family since the end of March. Hence, my absense after my big announcement. Both DD have been diagnosised with chronic medical illnesses, one is medical, the other is a mental health issue. Well needless to say its been a whirlwind of doctors, discussions, decisions, and more disscussions, and then even more decisions. There have been many nights that have been spent crying but I keep trusting in the Lord my God. I recent song has really hit home for me in the last couple of months has been Blessing by Laura Story. "'Cause what if your blessings come through raindrops What if your healing comes through tears? What if a thousand sleepless nights Are what it take to know You're near? What if the trails in this life Are Your mercies in disguise?" I promise you that I will be back it may take me a couple more weeks to get everything together to be able to pick ...

Well after a LONG LONG vacation, and a new outlook on life and blogging, I'm back. I'm back with a renewed spirit and dedicaton to showing you me and my families lifestyle. We will be talking about working outside the home, the kids, the hubby, crafts, saving money and whatever else should spark my interest. I will have lots of things coming up over the next couple of weeks.

As some of you have been reading, I was in charge of purchasing all of the food to feed 11 people 5 meals and snacks over the course of 3 days. Here is how I did. Also head over to the Grocery Cart Challenge and see how Gayle and the others did this week. Pathmark 2 Utz Pretzels 6.00 (sale -$1.00) 5.00 2 Hunts Ketchup 3.38 (sale -$1.84) 1.54 2 Mustards 3.00 (sale -$1.46) 1.54 Lays Chips 3.99 (sale -$1.49) 2.50 2 Large Lipton Ice Tea Mix 16.00 (-$6.04 sale -$1.00 MFR coupon) 8.96 2 Country Time Lemonade Mix 6.00 (-$2.00 sale) 4.00 8pk Bounty Basic Paper Towels 7.50 (-$1.62 sale -$1.00 MFR coupon) 4.88 Aluminum Foil 1.39 (-$0.62 sale) 0.77 2 Trash Bags 2.00 (-$0.46 sale) 1.54 3 Softsoap 8.40 (-$6.09 sale -$1.00 MFR coupon) 1.31 3 Strip Steaks 38.66 (-$19.68 sale) 18.98 Total before Savings 96.32 Total OOP 51.02 Target 2 Jet Puffed Marshmallows 2.04 ( 2 -$1 Target coupon 1/1) 0.04 2 Graham Crackers 6.58 (-$1.58 sale) 5.00 Total before Savings 8.62 Employee Discount -10% = 0.50 Total OOP 4...

So we are back from our fabulous family vacation. Have you ever come home from vacation and needed one to rest from it. That's how I feel. I did some shopping before we left and then picked up some other things when I got back. Also check out HERE to see how I did buying all the food for 11 people. Then head over to the Grocery Cart Challenge and see how Gayle and the others did this week. Giant 9 Box of Jello 6.75 -0.36 sale -(3) $1 MFR -(3) $1 doubler = 0.39 6 Pk of ready Jello 16.14 - 1.14 -(3) $1MFR -(1) $1 doubler = 11.00 10 Powerade 10.90 - 0.90 sale = 10.00 Organic Hummus 3.59 - 1.00 MFR =2.59 - should have rang up 2.50 to start So refunded my total cost (So FREE!! plus $1) Hummus 2.99- 0.49 sale - 1.00 MFR= 1.50 2 Breyers Ice Cream 8.98 - 3.80 sale -$1 MFR = 4.18 -5/50 coupon (bought stuff in this trip for vacation) TOTAL OOP 21.07 Target 22 pk Frito Lay Snack Packs 6.99 3 Quaker Granola Bars 6.00 15 pk Gatorade 8.99 Jif PB 4.54 Gallon Whole Milk 3.34 Gallon 1% Milk 3.09 Cr...

I didn't do to bad this week. Really didn't need a whole lot since we are leaving for vacation on Friday. I am in charge of gathering all of the food this week to feed 11 people (2 teen boys and 3 grown men that eat like teenagers!) So check back next week and see how I do. Target 2 Flat Earth Chips 5.38 -$1 MFR 1/1 -$1 MFR 1/1 = 3.38 Smartfood Popcorn 3.33 -$1MFR -$1 Target = 1.33 Smartfood Popcorn 3.33 -$1 Target = 2.33 5 Quaker Rice Cakes 8.35 -(5) $1 Target 1/1 = 3.35 100 Calorie Snacks 2.04 -$1 MRF -$1 Target = 0.04 100 Calorie Snacks 2.04 -$1MFR -$1 Target = 0.04 3 Crystal Light 11.97 -$1 MFR -$2 MFR 1/2 -(3)$1 Target = 2.97 Whole Grain Goldfish 6.49 4 Lean Cuisines 10.66 -$2.66 sale = 8.00 (not pictured) 4 Kraft Natural Cheese 7.96 -(2) $1 MFR 1/2 -(2) $1 Target 1/2 = 3.96 (not pictured) Triscuits 2.04 -$1 MFR -$1 Target 1/2 = 0.04 Wheat Thins 2.04 -$1 MFR = 1.04 2 Kraft Dressings 3.98 -(2)$1 MFR 1/1 -$1 Target 1/2 = 0.98 Total before coupons 69.61 Employee Discount -10...

This is our meal plan for our family vacation. We are going with a total of 11 people. Thank god there is not anymore, because I am not sure I could handle it. I have agreed to do all the planning and all of the shopping for the major food. With everyone else pitching in and bringing personal food and snacks to share. To check out what other ladies are making for the holiday weekend, head over the Organizing Junkie . Check back next week, to see how the weekend went and how much I spent to feed all of these people. Friday - Dinner is on your own. (We and my parents will be eating steaks on the grill, potatoes & Salad.) Saturday Breakfast – Fruit cup, muffins, OJ, coffee, milk Lunch – Sandwiches, chips, pretzels, snacks & drinks Dinner – Hamburgers, Hot Dogs, Rolls, Fruit, Snack and S’mores Sunday Breakfast - Eggs, Bacon, Toast, OJ, Coffee, milk Lunch – on your own Dinner – In Town Monday Breakfast – Cinnamon Buns, Cereal, OJ, Coffee, milk My Shopping List for the weekend: Fruit...

So this week is the week before vacation, so you know what this means... it's crazy here. My to do list is longer than there are hours in the day. Daddy and I both have meeting on different nights this week plus, I have taken off a couple of extra days to pack, cook and get it all together. Here is the plan up until we leave for vacation. Check out HERE to see what we will be eating and feeding 11 people on vacation. To check out what other ladies are making for the holiday weekend, head over the Organizing Junkie . Monday: Soft Tacos with Beef, Black Beans, Tomatoes, Cheese, Sour Cream Tuesday: Eggplant Parm & Salad Wednesday: Super nachos made with refried beans, black beans, lettuce, tomato & sour cream Thursday: Steaks on the Grill, Sweet Potatoes & Salad Friday: Vacation Saturday: Vacation Sunday: Vacation

So on Sunday Daddy surprised me by telling me that he didn't have to work all day and he was going to spend it with Sassy and I. I was very excited and then I realized he wanted to go grocery shopping with me and he wanted to change the menu for that night. Let me just say, I have a plan for a reason, I like, NO I love it! I need a plan to help me keep my sanity, but sometimes that is thrown out the window. Let me also say everytime Daddy comes with me to the store we ALWAYS end up over budget! No matter how hard I try. Also no pictures this week since Daddy helped unpack and put most of it away for I could stop him. So needless to say this week was no different. We did hit some really good deals at both Target and Pathmark, but I am still $37 over budget and I was just informed that we are almost out of soda, so I guess I am heading back to the store for more of at too. I do not plan to shop next week except for neccessities and the rest of the menu for the huge family vacation, s...

How was your Mother's Day? Mine was wonderful, Sassy and I went to Church in the morning and then we went grocery shopping and loaded up on items, tell you about that later. My gift this year was a Wii , Wii fit and a great cardio game to go with it. I am loving it right now. I had to rip myself away from it to type this up. No this was not in the budget until July, but Daddy wanted to surprise me and that he did. He wants this to be my Mother's Day and his Father's Day gift, I am sure I will do something else for him, but I married the best guy ever!! So the prep has begun for the family vacation to the mountains. This year we have included my entire family for a total of 12 people. We set the menu this weekend and now I am in charge of buying all of the food and bringing it up with us. What was I thinking when I said I would do this!! I am purchasing 6 meals for 12 people plus snacks for my family to bring to share with everyone. So we are going to be eating out of the...

So this week, I actually went to 3 different stores. This is out of my norm but all were having really good sales and I was going to be in the area of all three in the course of one day, so I hit them all. I actually stayed within my budget. I was only over by $7, not to bad. I probably will go over later in the week, since I am having an EcoMom's meeting here and I need snacks for the ladies and I. Anyone have any good, cheap and healthy snack ideas for adults? Please share. See how Gayle and everyone else did this week over at the Grocery Cart Challenge . Here's how I did.... Wegmans 4 Blocks of Cheese 7.96 Cream Cheese 1.29 4 Yogurts 1.60 Gallon Organic Milk 5.79 Tater Tots 1.99 4 Smart One Meals 9.96 (-2.00) (-0.50 coupon doubled) 6.96 Frozen Lite Whipped Topping 0.89 Hershey's Chocolate Syrup 1.99 2 Baked Beans 2.58 (-0.60) 1.98 2 Black Beans 1.38 Mild Salsa 1.59 Total Savings 3.60 Total OOP 33.42 Giant 2 Quaker Rice Cakes 4.30 12 Powerade 13.08 (-1.08) (-4.08 for buyi...

So we have started Elle back on milk this weekend, so we will see how that goes. I am really hoping that she will do okay and we can start to incorporate some fun things back into our menu, like lasagnas and cream of chicken and rice casseroles, etc. I am having my mom's group over on Friday night, Bill is working and a babysitter is watching Elle, so who knows what dinner will end up being. Check back tomorrow to see how my grocery shopping went for this week and check out everyone else's meal plans this week over at Org Junkie . Monday: London Broil on the Grill, Baked Potatoes & Salad Tuesday: Eggs & Toast Wednesday: Crockpot Chicken with Black Beans and Cream Cheese over Whole Wheat Egg Noodles Thursday: Eggplant Parm & Salad Friday: To Be Determined Saturday: Blackberry Pancakes Sunday: Homemade Pizza’s Crust , Sauce, Cheese, Pepperoni

Well, this week has been a roller coaster for us, and Sassy's milk allergy. We had a food challenge and you can read the details HERE . They opened up a Pathmark in our area. I have checked them out. They claim they are cheaper than Giant and Wegman's however, they are not on all products. So I ran in and got a couple of items that were on sale and then headed to Giant for the rest. Check out my totals and total saved. I really did well this week. Pathmark 2 - 1# Strawberries 3.00 22 pk single Potato Chips sacks - 6.49 (-0.55 coupon doubled) 5.39 4 - 12pk Coke 9.98 Pack of Wrigley's Gum 1.19 (Free after coupon) Total OOP 18.87 With coupons and sales I saved a total of 19.15!! Giant Reynolds foil 2.49 (-$1 coupon) 1.49 Whole grain Goldfish carton 8.49 Multi grain Cheerios 3.19 (-$1 coupon) 2.19 2 Ziploc Small Containers 5.58 (-$1.50 coupon) 4.08 Quaker Rice Cakes 2.15 3 pk Sparkle Paper Towels 2.99 (-$1.00 coupon) 1.99 2 Frosted Flakes 4.98 (-$1.00 coupon) 3.98 Bertolli Oliv...

This past week has been a real roller coaster. We had Sassy's food challenge on Monday. She did not show and immediate signs of a returning milk allergy. So they sent us home and told us to start increasing her milk intake daily and see how she does. Well Tuesday, Wednesday were great. Thursday she had a "hive" on her face for about 30 min then it disappeared. Friday was fine. Saturday, we went down to my mom's to work on our garden (pictures coming soon) and she developed 3 "hives" not sure if they were hives or bug bites and had a rash over her neck and back, could have been heat rash it was like 89 degrees here, the heat rash eventually diminished. Then Sunday we toured a local farm and had a great time. After Sassy got up from her nap she had a "heat rash" again and had several hives that kept appearing and disappearing all over her arms, face and legs. They would be here and gone with in 30 min. WERID!! So at this point I have NO CLUE what is ...

Last week was our local semi-annual kids consignment sale. This year was a little different since the limited all the consignors to only 25 items per size. This really limited the amount of clothing to pick from. However, I was still able to walk away with a lot of great stuff. Sassy's stockpile for the spring and summer is awesome and we will not need to be buying anymore clothing till fall. She has a total of 21 outfits, 2 pairs of sneakers and 2 sandals. (I did not buy all of this at the consignment sale. My wonderful sister is a world class bargain shopper , so when ever she sees something that will eventually fit Sassy at a great price, she picks it up.) Aren't Aunts who spoil great sometimes! This is linked to What Works for Me Wednesday

So this week I was finally under budget!!! YEAH!!! Maybe I should take Sassy to the store with me more often, that way I have no time to browse the aisles, I just get in and out. This week is kind of up in the air as we had Sassy's milk food challenge. As of right now she has had NO adverse reactions to milk. We are going increase her milk intake over the next few days and see how she does. We are praying hard that she is no longer allergic. So here is how my grocery run went this week. Also check out the Gayle over at Grocery Cart Challenge to see how everyone else did. Giant Tostitos 3.50 Cottonel Flushable Wipes 2.26 Cottonel Refill Wipes 3.52 Stroehmann Bread 3.59 Organic Celery 2.99 3 # Organic Apples 3.99 Drumsticks 3.49 Kraft Cheese Sticks 4.04 2 Yogurts 1.00 1% Gallon Milk 3.00 2 quarts Whole Milk 1.76 Total OOP 33.14

So I normally don't reach out and ask for prayers for me personally, however, I am going to go against the "norm" today. I need everyone's prayers for tomorrow morning, Sassy has a food challenge at 8am EST. For those who are new to my blog, my wonderful daughter Sassy is allergic to milk (which is different from being lactose intolerent), she has been allergic to milk since birth and this is the first time we are "testing" her. We are going to the doctor's office, so they can watch her in case of an adverse reaction. We will start giving her dairy and see if she is still allergic. We are hoping that she will not be, but you never know. So pray for her and me as I am in the office for ATLEAST 2 hours with a 2 year old. Here is our meal plan for the week to check other plan go to the Organized Junkie Monday : To Die for Crock Pot Roast with Potatoes, Onions, Carrots, and Celery Tuesday : Pasta, Sauce, Bread & Salad Wednesday :Eggs & Toast Thur...

So Sassy's crib was recalled. She hasn't been in it in over 6 months and it was packed away in my mom's attic, so off I went to drag it out and send all of the appropriate pieces back to the manufactor in order to get my refund. Well my refund was a vocher to Babies R Us for $241.99 towards a purchase for a new crib. The first one is Sassy's old crib it was just a simple nothing fancy crib. We have an extra queen bedroom set that was Daddy and I's so we have planned for Sassy to get that when she our grows her toddler bed. The second one is the new crib, for the future baby. It is one of those convertable cribs, it goes from a crib to a daybed to a head board and foot board for a double bed. Which is perfect considering we also have an extra double bed that it stored in my mom's attic. (I love the fact that my parents have a full size attic, when I say full size think - 80 feet long x 10 feet high x 20 feet wide) Now as long as we don't have any more than 2...