Free Pancakes at IHOP today

Head on over to your local IHOP and get a 3 stack of pancakes for free. All they ask you to do is donate to the local children's hospital. This deal is going on today, Tuesday, from 7am-10pm. For more details, click on this link.

Our NEW Goodwill Store!

Our new Goodwill store opened yesterday and I was so excited to join the crowds!

My sister was going to join me, but was running last, so I asked my husband if he wanted to fight the crowds with me. And he did! (we had his brother watch the kids, thanks Bubba!)

We were very impressed with the store to say the least. It's just nice to have a new Goodwill overall, so there were no complaints here (except for some impatient people).

I took some photos of the merchandise, because I thought it'd be fun to show you all. They had some (expensive for Goodwill) leather couches and chairs that looked brand spankin' new.

They had some nice dining room and bedroom furniture:

There were also alot of new items ranging from hair accessories to sunglasses:

And don't forget the shoes (lots and lots of them!):

So you're probably wondering what I came home with? Well, not too much, because it wasn't easy getting around in the store with so many people there. But we did find some things:

(I found some dump trucks for the boys)

(Game and books for hubbie)

(found some shower hooks for our new bathrooms)

(a wall hanging for the new bathrooms as well)

Total spent $11.52.

Thanks for exploring our new Goodwill store with us! Hope you liked it!

Baby Showers and Diaper Cakes

Yesterday I had the pleasure to driving 2 1/2 hours to enjoy my cousins 1st baby shower. She is due in April and we are so excited for her little girl to arrive. We had such a good time, and I wanted to share with you a fun idea that my aunt has made for the past couple of baby showers that I've been to. She makes this very cute and creative diaper cake!

Isn't that the most creative thing you've ever seen at a baby shower? I thought it was amazing! I found a couple of websites that would help you make one if you're interested, here and here. I'm pretty sure all that you need is:

• a box of diapers
• blankets (receiving and fleece)
• toys for decorations
• baby soap bottle to hold the cake up (for inside)
• bottle of goodies (for inside)
• spoons (for inside)
• ribbon

Free Glade Pack

Right at Home is offering a free Glade pack of Hawaiian or Vanilla Breeze Plugin scented oil warmer and refill pack. The first 10,000* eligible registrants only will receive one Glade® PlugIns® Scented Oil Gift Pack! Gift packs will be mailed by May 15, 2010. Click on this link to fill out your information. Thanks, Common Sense With Money!

Big Lots Coupon

Big Lots is accepting their 20% off coupon this Sunday, 2/21 from 5-9pm. So get a list together and head on over there. We usually stock up on snacky-type foods whenever their coupon comes out.

Redbox Free Code

For today only (2/18) you can get a free Redbox rental code. Just use the promo code SMRTRY3 at the checkout and you get it free!

Goodwill Findings

If you live in Champaign, IL or nearby, head on over to Goodwill TODAY because everything in their store is 50% off!! Today is their last day open at their old store, and this Saturday they will reopen at their new store just off the interstate!

I had no idea this was their last day open, so we were really in luck when we walked in the doors and someone over the microphone said that everything was 50% off. I couldn't believe it! We found some very cute sweaters and a pair of dress pants for my husband.

(Cute white sweater $1.50)

(cute blue-green sweater from Old Navy $1.50)

(dress pants from GAP for husband $1.50)

(This cup is for Pudge $0.25)

(Craft and Barrow sweater $1.50)

So some great deals for less than $8 altogether! If you're interested the new Goodwill will be located at 912 W. Anthony, just off Interstate 74. They will have a grand opening on Saturday at 9am with the first 100 people getting a scratch off card for prizes! I will definitely be there! So exciting!

Dollar General

Sometimes I forget how awesome Dollar General is. When I walked in their doors today they had their own in-store coupons ad, so combine those with some manufacturer coupons, and you could save alot!

Pudge and I were really only looking for paintbrushes when we walked in. And I usually get my free Kotex pads there, so here's what we walked out with.

There are always coupons in the Sunday paper for $1 off any package of Kotex pads, and I usually save those for the dollar store, because these packages are $1 there, so basically they're free!

The cake mixes were $1.15, and I had two $0.75 coupons, making each package $0.40!!

Walgreens Run

I love to go to Walgreens when I can get those Starbucks Frappuccinos for real cheap! This week get 2 (13.7 oz.) for $4 with the in-ad coupon, and then combine the in-store coupon with 2 manufacturer coupons, and you've got two bottle for $2!

The Turtle Chex Mix is on sale for 2/$3. Use this $0.50 off coupon and get them for $1 a bag.

The Goldfish are also on sale for 2/$3, use this $0.75 off coupon to get them for $0.75 a bag.

Total spent for the above was $6.

Burt's Bees Toothpaste Sample

I had no idea that Burt's Bees even made toothpaste! Maybe that's why there's a sample out there for you to try it. Click on this link to have a sample sent straight to you. (The link is located at the bottom right side of their website.)

Thanks, The Frugal Girls.

Ash Wednesday for kids

Today I'm trying to find way to teach my kids about Ash Wednesday and the meaning to the Lenten season. I also need to remind myself that our kids are 3 and 2, and it might be a little difficult to teach them how to fast and what it means to give up food.

Here's my family before we had our second child:

And a year later:

So maybe we'll start small and say that we'll give up candy or something along that lines. I know for a fact that both my kids love fruit snacks, so maybe we'll go that route.

I also was to take on something new with both my kids, and I think that I've decided to make chore charts for both of them. It would be a good habit to start, and I need to remember that there are other bodies in the house that can help clean. I like the idea that Sutton Grace has on her blog about chores.

As I was researching how to teach your kids about Ash Wednesday, I stumbled upon this link where there are coloring pages that you can print out for your kids. Check that out here.

Do you have any ideas on how to teach your kids the meaning of Lent?

Free Lemonhead sample

For those of you who have a sweet tooth, Lemonheads is offering a free sample! Click on this link and fill out your info. Thanks, Money Saving Mom.

Grocery shopping this week

After Pudge and I dropped off Zman at school, we headed to IGA to grab some groceries for the week. It's nothing impressive, just a little bit of stocking up to do in our pantry and freezer.

I love to buy bananas that are turning brown, just to use them to bake with and to freeze for smoothies.

I love Lentil soup, and that was on sale for $1 a can. And I threw the pork roast in the crock pot to make shredded pork for dinner. Hope it turns out okay!

Total spent = $39.49.

My New Curtains

I've noticed that I haven't posted any projects that I've been working on in our home lately. So I've decided to share these photos of my winter project: 4 sets of curtains. I ordered the fabric a long time ago with the intention to redo the curtains in our family room, and slowly but surely they are coming together. I have one set left to do and then I'm all finished.

Here is a look at the old curtains:

Sorry there's so much of a glare, with all the snow outside my camera wasn't taking a clear photo:

And here are the new ones that I made:

And here is a side view, with my handy dandy sewing machine in the photo. The machine was given to me by a friend in Rockford, and it's been going strong ever since. Good ol' Singer!

Free Bottle of Excedrin

I thought this freebie was also worth mentioning. If you fill out this survey for Excedrin, you could qualify for a free bottle of Excedrin. (Hint: You might want to click on Advil to get your free coupon in the mail).

Thanks, Money Saving Mom.

Happy Birthday Silas!

We celebrated my Pudge's 2nd birthday here on Valentines day! And I just wanted to brag about him to you all and post some fun pictures and videos we had on his special day.

(Great Grandma Jo, Pudge, Mommy)

(Z-man, Pudge, cousin Makena)

(This is the awesome art table that my husband and I got at a Goodwill in Ohio for $10!!)

(Great Grandma Jo and Pudge)

Happy Birthday little man! We love you!

Free Admission to the Shedd Aquarium

Now this is something worth sharing about! The Shedd Aquarium in Chicago is having their community discount week - this week! The dates are for February 15th-19th. What does this mean to you? This means FREE admission to the Shedd! How awesome is that? If you don't have plans this week, you might want to check this out. For more information, click here.

Thanks to Cyndie from Mothers and More for the heads up on this one.

Dockers: Free Kakhi Pants

Tomorrow's the Super Bowl! If you're not really into watching the game, then commercials are the way to go! And an even better deal is finding a specific commercial to get yourself a free pair of Docker's pants! When the commercial for Dockers airs tomorrow during the Super Bowl, head over to this link and be one of the first 2010 people to register for a FREE pair of Dockers pants!

Free Pretzel Day

Mark your calendars!! Auntie Anne's is having a free pretzel day on Saturday, February 20th from 10am-3pm! You can only choose between an original or cinnamon sugar pretzel, and one per person.

Goodwill Findings total $17.70

I'm always a sucker for pants at Goodwill, especially when they're name brand. I got these 3 pairs, one is GAP, the other two are Merona (from Target), where I love their pants!

Z-man is outgrowing alot of his dress clothes, so I'm trying to buy some in advance. Here is a nice vest I found there.

I always keep an eye out for sweaters for my boys. This one is from Children's Place and it's 18 months. I got it for Pudge. (even though he's turning 2 next week, this sweater fits him just fine).

Another sweatshirt for Pudge. This one is 2T.

And these are some travel containers for the kids, so cute!! Only $1.25.

Grocery Shopping

Pictured below is our shopping trip from Schnucks, total spent was $10.96. I had a free coupon for that DiGiorno pizza. Yummy, can't wait to try it. And I picked up the chips because my husband LOVES them!

Picture below is our trip to County Market. They had a bunch of in-store coupons, so I tried to match up manufacturer coupons to get the best deal. Total spent was $37.68.

Pictured below is from Walgreens. I actually thought I was getting some boxes of cereal for free, so I might return them later this week. Total spent was $5.08.

Overall spent: $53.64.

Valentines Day Ideas

As many of you know, Valentines day is coming up quick! Are you in need of some cute and crafty ideas for this holiday? I love the thought of handing out treats to little kids in my son's class! And they're making their own Valentines Boxes out of shoe boxes. It's going to be so much fun!

Here are some Valentine ideas from Martha Stewart that I thought were all adorable! Check them out here. Also there is a blog that is through Martha's website that I follow, and that's The Crafts Dept. They have some fun ideas on their blog as well.

Also, I highly recommend checking out Family Fun's Magazine at your library. They have some awesome ideas in there as well. Or you can check them out online here.