Being sick

Well for those of you who don't know, my little guy has been battling sickness since November. Sickness as in throwing up. g

So yesterday we had a gastrology appt. to try and figure out what is going on with our bubs.

And although they state he could just be prone to the stomach bug since he has a low blood count, it also could be that he has celiac disease, or improperly placed intestine, or reflux. We started him on an antiacid medicine yesterday - he has thrown up twice since. Maybe it just need to get in his system ??

Monday he has to go get a fluroscopy of his upper gi. That basically means that they will give him something that will make his intestines glow in a series of xrays. This will make sure they are where they are supposed to be.



If he continues throwing up over the next month, he will have to have a scope done to check for celiac disease.

So as much as I love a deal I'm a little busy and haven't been able to keep up the blog. I've also taken on two extra school agers for 3 weeks. Added craziness to my already craziness.

If you need me to direct you to a blog with great deals, let me know. Otherwise bare with me for the next little bit and I promise I will get back on track soon.

$25 (or lower!) for a $50 gift certificate to Beauty.com

If you are looking for a great deal on beauty products,  you may want to head over to Plum District and check out the deal they have going for Beauty.com.

They are selling $50 gift certificates for just $25.  If you are new to Plum District (or haven't previously used your sign up credit), you will get $5 for signing up making this deal even better!

Shipping is free!

So hurry over and sign up for a great deal on your beauty products!

Which to choose?

So Cman's invite features a picture on it and so for the last 3 days I've been organizing photo shoots in hopes of coming up with just the perfect picture.

And with a 10 month old....that just isn't happening.

So in lieu of the perfect picture I have to pick from the below pictures.

Which would you choose? I numbered them for easy reference and I honestly need your help. You know hubbies - they say does it really matter? And for all you camera gurus out there I have no idea how to get rid of shadows and such when forced to use the flash on these dreary winter days so I apologize. Without further delay, the photo options.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

 Which would you choose honestly? Leave a comment and let me know!

How to have a birthday on a budget

Unbelievably CMan's 1st birthday is creeping up on me. With just about 2 months left to get all the details in order, I've been really working to have an adorable birthday on a budget.

So where to start.....

First I like to come up with a theme.....CMan is having a construction themed birthday based off one of his favorite toys:



So I started with finding decorations, invitations, and such on etsy. If you haven't heard of etsy before they are a site were individuals from all over the country sell their homemade products. I am in love with the DIY printable packages that many of the Etsy stores are offering. I found this shop called Dimple Prints which offers printable themed birthday packages ranging in price from $10 - $30 depending on the level of customization you would like to do. The packages include everything from invites to party hats and there are the most adorable themes. She has this adorable construction package:

but of course being me, it didn't exactly match the colors I had in mind.....so i sent her a message and guess what she is happy to work with me!

So now I have customized decorations just for CMan for a great price.

Next on to the tableware because prices on those add up fast. Since I have such customized decorations and accents I am going to take it easy on tableware and buy them from the dollar store in the colors I would like. You can't beat a dollar for a pack of plates (and they just get thrown away so are they really worth the $4 a pack?).

I also like to have goody bags for the kids so I try to shop this well in advance. I bought the little tool belts from Lowes for around 80 cents a bag. I then went to Oriental Trading Company and bought construction hats, bath tub tool squirters, and tool shaped bubbles. Make sure when you are shopping online you do two things 1. do a search on google for any online coupons - many sites have them for free shipping or a $ off if you buy a certain amount 2. see if Ebates offers a % back with your purchase (for oriental trading company it is 4%!)

Next you need to figure out food. I say call in your back ups on this one. In our family we usually provide the big food and a few sides and then ask that the rest of the family helps out with a side. For MGirl's luau last summer I even provided recipes so people could go with the theme. Ha ha ha! But if you don't have backups to call in, just remember to not go overboard and to shop the sales for a few months. You should be able to get snacks and food at a great price if you prepare ahead of time.

Last you will need a cake. You have lots of options for a cake so shop around. We are going with a great cake lady who will design the cake in any way we choose (and for a price I just can't beat)!

Carter's smash cake will be a small version of this:

and his big cake will look like this

and for those who don't like cake we will throw in this dessert

brownies!! :)

I firmly believe you need to plan ahead to find the best savings! So get planning and you can have a fabulous party on a budget! 

Do you have any great savings tips for birthdays?? Or any great ideas for our construction themed party - please share!!

Easy Peazy Craft Project

So I was at JoAnns today looking for fabric for CMan's first birthday party.

As usual I got distracted and came across this

Princess fabric (they had lots of others like Dora, Tinkerbell, etc) that is already gathered at the top and finished at the bottom.

So I decided to go ahead a buy it to make MGirl an easy peazy dress. All I have to do is cut it to her size and sew the side seam. Seriously  could it be any easier??

I did buy this ribbon

to pair with it for shoulder straps. But that is another 5 minute job!

I am so excited for this easy adorable dress. And MGirl is so excited for a princess dress.

Do you have any easy peazy craft projects to share? I love to do them but time is always of the essence.

Amazon $5 Credit to Video on Demand

If you are a new customer to Amazon Video on Demand, you can head over here to get a Amazon $5 Video On Demand Credit.

Hubby and I used this the other night to rent a movie and it was great. A free date night at home - awesome in my eyes!

Lots of movies to pick from and easy as picking a movie and  ta da! Free date night!

Enjoy!

Bath and Body Works Groupon

Today Groupon has an awesome deal on Bath and Body Works online.

You can buy either a groupon for $10 off $20 or $15 off $30 to be used at Bath and Body Works online.

Limited to one deal per person.

They are having lots of specials online right now like buy 3 get 2 free of the signature collection or 4 for $20 of the wallflowers.

Don't forget to go through Ebates to get 3% back of your purchase!