Grocery Game Update

The little man is sound asleep and I am waiting on Marc to get home from a weekend moonlighting. So, I thought I would get a little update in on my new coupon/savings game. I told you I had gotten a lot of free things lately so I took a picture of my free items each week to show you. These are the past three weeks. With the exception of the conditioner in the second picture (I had to buy my hairspray to get it free) I did not pay a penny for any of these things! Other than the food items, I am collecting these free things in a bag to give away at some point.

It really is so easy!  You just find the coupon you need and then pick the item up with your regular groceries. Even if it isn't something we would use, I know there is probably someone else out there who has a need for it!

I really feel like we have been saving a TON in groceries and toiletries and I am even buying more things each week stocking up on sale items. Most weeks I end up getting two for the price I used to pay for one. I feel like I am using our money more wisely which makes me feel really good. This week I spent $49.46 at Dillons and saved $34.38. I think that is around 40% savings which is pretty good. Here are the things I have learned so far playing the grocery game.

1. You do not have to make many sacrifices to what you like and prefer to save money

2. Buying extras when they are on sale saves you money, but it is also nice to have a supply at home for when things run out so you don't have to run out just for toilet paper.

3. Wal-Mart and Target prices are NOT cheaper than prices with playing this game at your local grocery store. I continue to check prices because I am still a skeptic. Today, I was in Wal-Mart and looked at the Ziploc bags I had just bought at Walgreens on sale along with my coupons. Even if I had used the manufacturer coupons at Wal-Mart they would still have been $0.75 more per box.

4. Generic or store brands are NOT cheaper than name brands on sale with coupons (unless the store brand is on sale). If I don't have a coupon for something I need then I usually do buy the store brand.

What do you have to lose! Give it a try. :)

Sleep Boot Camp

So that may be a little harsh, but this week has been no cupcake! Eli has been having some separation anxiety since we returned from Jamaica and has been having some sleep issues as a result. He has been waking up 2, 3, sometimes 4 times a night and needing LOTS of soothing from us to fall back asleep. We allowed it for awhile because we felt bad for him, especially since he was teething. Last weekend we realized it had become a habit and thus a very big problem that needed some fixing.

When Eli was born we (loosely) followed Baby Wise for his sleep routine. I say loosely because I don't think there is a sleep blueprint that fits every baby's needs. But, it worked well for us and for him. He was SO scheduled by the time he was 3 months and very happy as a result. He started sleeping through the night at 10 weeks which was a big relief as I had started back to work. We are planning on trying the same schedule with Hailey and hoping for similar results!

Since Eli was probably six months old he has slept for 11 hrs. straight at night The only times he would alter his sleep habits would be when we would travel or if he was teething or sick. He was very easy to get back into a routine once those things ended. I thought this week would be just as easy, but... that was a big, fat joke!

Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday night we let him cry when he woke up until he could put himself back to sleep. The problem was that the crying would NOT stop so he would never go back to sleep. Last time we had to let him cry it out was when he was much younger but he didn't cry more than 15-20 minutes. This week he would cry for 1 1/2 to 2 hrs. after awakening and we would eventually go in and rub his back because we couldn't stand it any more. It was SO hard to listen to him cry and everyone was quickly becoming exhausted. One morning while I was getting ready I noticed Eli had gotten really quiet in our room. I found him asleep on the floor by my bed which he has never done. Poor boy!

When the third night of sleep training wasn't any better than the 1st night I decided we needed a plan B. I had read in our Baby 411 and Toddler 411 books about the Ferber method and decided we should give it a try. It certainly couldn't get any worse!

With the Ferber method you go into the room in 5 minutes increments when your child is crying. On Wednesday night Eli started crying as soon as I put him down. After 5 minutes I went in and laid him back down (he always stands at his crib railing when he is crying). I told him it was night-night time and rubbed his back for a few seconds until he calmed down. Then, I left. He immediately started crying again. You add 5 minutes to each crying spell so I next went in after 10 min.,  and then 15 min. Going in the room is to check on them and reassure them that you are still there but NOT to help them fall asleep. He was asleep after 30 min. of crying that night. When he woke up at midnight I repeated the process. Last night it only took him 15 min. to go to sleep and he slept the whole night. Yay! Hopefully, that means his sleep patterns are adjusting. We are all feeling more rested today and looking forward to a great weekend. :)

Crunchy Pecan Chicken

I LOVE my Jackson, MS Junior League "Come on In" cookbook that I bought during college. I have made many recipes from it and have never been disappointed. I pulled it out this week for one of my favorite chicken recipes. The very first time I made this chicken I made it with the skin on as the recipe suggested, but I realized I prefer my chicken without the skin so that is how I make it now. :)

Crunchy Pecan Chicken

4 boneless chicken breasts (skin on or off, your choice)

1 cup buttermilk biscuit mix (I use the Bisquick brand and like it better than the generic)

1/2 cup pecan pieces

1 tsp. paprika

1/2 tsp. Creole seasoning

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup of butter, melted

Mix all of the dry ingredients together in a bowl. In another bowl pour your buttermilk. Dip each chicken breast in the buttermilk and then in the dry mixture to coat. Place in a greased baking dish. Cover chicken with melted butter and bake at 350 degrees for an hour.

I tried out a new mashed potato recipe to go with the chicken. Well, I actually combined two recipes but they were delicious tators! The sour cream and chicken broth made these SO creamy! We loved them and I will definitely make them again.

Red Garlic Mashed Potatoes

8 medium red potatoes, quartered with skin on

4-5 cloves of garlic, whole

4 Tbs. butter

1/4 cup sour cream

1 tsp. salt

1/4 cup of grated Parmesan cheese (I grated mine fresh because I had a block in the fridge)

1/4 cup of chicken broth

In a large pot boil the potatoes and garlic for 20 min. or until tender. Drain potatoes and garlic then return to pot. Add in the butter first so it will melt and then follow with remaining ingredients. Mix everything together with an electric mixer.

I topped off the meal with some fresh steamed broccoli and dinner rolls with honey butter. Is your tummy growling yet??? Hope you enjoy. :)

Small Town Life

Happy Monday! This past weekend Eli and I accompanied Marc to Lakin, KS so he could work in their ER for the weekend. Lakin is about 3 1/2 hours west of us and not too far from the Colorado border. It is a town of about 2,000 people. There is a Subway, two or three local restaurants, an ice cream shop, a few gas stations, and a small grocery. The hospital is actually new and very nice for such a small community. This was Marc's third time working in Lakin, but the first time we were able to go with him. The hospital fortunately had some housing available this time so we decided to try it out to see how easy/difficult it would be caring for Eli out of his environment. It was a little bit hard not having access to things from home but I think Marc REALLY enjoyed the company so we will definitely try it again.

The county hospital in Lakin has a nursing home and an assisted living center attached to it so we stayed in a studio apartment in the assisted living part. There are probably ten or so residents currently living there. Eli's tantrums and night time awakenings were probably a little too much for them. :) I am sure they were ready for us to leave so they could have their peace and quiet back! However, when Eli was being sweet he brought a few smiles to their faces. I can now feel that his molars on the bottom have cut through so I hope he starts sleeping through the night again soon. I think we are going to do some sleep training this week if things aren't much better (aka lettting him cry it out!) because I think he is getting used to us coming in and soothing him back to sleep every time he cries. It will probably mean two or three very sleepless night for all of us but usually that is all it takes to get him back into his routine. We'll see how that goes!

We don't have a portable high chair so Eli ate all of his meals on the floor in the apartment (on a plate of course). I am not sure what I was thinking the afternoon I served him ravioli for lunch! His bib kept it off of him but he got it all over the floor, furniture, and me. :) Not a good idea! He did pretty well with his cheerios and milk though.

Marc had very few patients all weekend. He saw two people on Friday night when we arrived, had clinic until noon on Saturday and saw about 10, and then saw a few on Sunday afternoon. Overall, it was a really easy weekend for him. Because Marc had so much free time we took Eli to the community pool on Saturday and to a school park on Sunday. We were planning on going back to the pool on Sunday (you can't beat $1 admission!) but Marc had a few sick patients come in that required a lot of his time. Once he was free, he took Eli to swim in the indoor PT pool at the hospital where he tried out swimmies for the first time and bobbed under water with Marc. He loved going under water! Here are some pictures from the pools and park.

We left at 6:30 on Sunday evening and were home shortly after 10pm. It was a great weekend! Since I didn't get my shopping done yesterday I ran to Walgreens over lunch today and to the grocery store tonight. I am going to put an update up later this week on The Grocery Game. You won't believe all the FREE things I have gotten on my shopping trips so I will take a picture to prove it. :) I think I am officially addicted to coupons!