Phil and Ted's Sale

I just found out about this great deal at http://www.slickdeals.net/!



The phil&teds Graffiti Sport with Doubles and Lazy Ted is on sale @ Costco for $300! This is an amazing buy, and I'm in the market for a double stroller.

The used phil&teds in my area on Craigslist cost this much, so I'm seriously considering this deal.



http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11478218&whse=BC&topnav=&browse=&lang=en-US



I'm still debating between phil&teds and the Baby Jogger City Mini Double...any opinions out there?









Unfortunately, both are likely to be budget busters for this thifty mommy--even when found on sale!

Blog Award, 15 Blogs to Check Out

I was so honored to receive this blog award from Cascia @ Healthy Moms!

http://www.thehealthymoms.net/

If you have not done so, hop on over and check out Healthy Moms for some great articles and ideas!

Here are the rules:

1) Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award, and his or her blog link.

2) Pass the award to 15 other blogs that you’ve newly discovered. Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.

I've run across many wonderful blogs lately--here are 15 for you to check out:

1) Balancing Beauty and Bedlam
http://inpassionatepursuit.blogspot.com/

2) No Time for Flash Cards
http://www.notimeforflashcards.com/

3) Cents to Get Debt Free
http://gettingfreedom.blogspot.com/

4) Saving and Giving
http://savingandgiving.blogspot.com/

5) Gather Little by Little
http://www.gatherlittlebylittle.com/

6) Joyful Abode
http://www.joyfulabode.com/blog

7) Stroller Patroller
http://strollerpatroller.blogspot.com/

8) Hip 2 Save
http://hip2save.blogspot.com/

9) Song Bird Tiff
http://songbirdtiff.blogspot.com/

10) Cooking During Stolen Moments
http://stolenmomentscooking.com/

11) Steady Mom
http://www.steadymom.com/

12) Do They Have Salsa in China?
http://www.salsainchina.blogspot.com/

13) The Creative Mama
http://thecreativemama.com/

14) Wild Olive
http://wildoliveliveit.blogspot.com/

15) The LPM Blog--especially this post!

http://livingproofministries.blogspot.com/2009/04/how-do-you-like-my-house.html

Have you stumbled across any great new blogs lately?

Frugal Friday, Poop Eraser

First of all--let me say, I never in a million years would have dreamed that I would have a blog--and that on that blog, I'd write about poop.

*Sigh* Motherhood really does change everything doesn't it?

A couple of nights ago I was resting (recovering from a stomach bug), when I heard my husband say "Can you please come help me?"

I ran into my son's room to find him covered in poop, Daddy Koala with poop on his shirt, and was informed there was a huge pile of poop on the carpet in our living room.

We decided Daddy Koala would clean up baby Koala, and that I'd tackle the pile of poop.

I soon discovered I did not have any carpet cleaner....and looked through my cleaners to try to find a solution.

Shout works well for the stains on my clothes, so I thought I'd try to Shout the poop out of my carpet.

You know what? It worked beautifully.

My frugal tip? Make what you already have work --you don't need a cleaner for everything--if it works for clothing stains, it might just work for pile of poop on the carpet stains too.

Shouting it Out worked for me!

What do you use to clean up those "blow outs?"

Minon Apps, Reading Tool for iPhone

Do you have an iPhone?

If so, check out www.minionapps.com!

My husband and his coworkers have been working hard to develop this tool--to help reading documents on the iPhone easier....

Check out more information here: http://www.teleread.org/2009/04/22/reid-minion-new-reading-app-for-iphone/

They also have a couple of fun games--check out Pat, it can be addicting!

Works for Me Wednesday, PUPPPs Relief

Have you heard of PUPPPS? Sounds cute and fuzzy, right? Very ironic, because PUPPPs, also known as Pruritic urticarial papules and plaques of pregnancy, is very uncute and miserable.

It all started when I was pregnant with my son--my 30 week visit. I mentioned some bumps on my hands that had recently appeared. The doctor took a look, and said it was nothing to worry about. He did mention that if it started to spread and itch, I needed to let him know.

Two hours later? You guessed it...spreading and itching.

I went back for another visit, and was told the practice usually sees one case a year of PUPPPs--and this is a huge OBGYN practice. I was the (un)lucky one.

The good news? Not harmful to me or to baby.

The bad news? No cure, no real effective treatment--research dollars are not put into it to find cures, because it goes away once the baby is born. That meant I had at least 10 weeks to deal with itching that was similar to chicken pox--and that there was nothing I could do about it.

I survived it with my sanity intact (barely)--I would wake up bleeding from all the scratching in my sleep.

After doing some online research, I found a couple of products that did ease the itching for a short amount of time:

This is Grandpa's Pine Tar Soap--I bathed with it everyday.

This is Witch Hazel--I used cotton balls to apply it to itching areas to provide some relief.
You can find both at drugstore.com.

I hope no one you know has to deal with PUPPPs, but if you do--know it will come to an end, and try these products to provide some relief in the interim.

Pine Tar Soap, Witch Hazel, and itching for 10 weeks? Works for Me...he was worth every scratch!

Check out http://www.wearethatfamily.com/ for more WFMW!

Wordless Wednesday, Footsteps

Lord, Help me guide these footsteps.

Check out www.5minutesformom.com and www.accidentalmommies.com for more Wordless Wednesday!

Red Box Code, May 11

Today's free movie code is: 6A43JK

Thanks to Shynea at Penny Pinching Diva!

Check out her site here: http://www.pennypinchingdiva.com/

Menu Plan Monday, Chicken

Lunches are simple around here, and this week will include:

Egg Sandwiches

Sardines (found for 30 cents a package at Walgreens!) and Crackers

Soup

Noodles

Rice and Veggies

We have chicken in the freezer, so that's what we will have for Dinner this week:

• 
  
  Chicken Ritz Casserole, Peas, Garlic Bread

http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1939,150170-243207,00.html

• 
  
  Curry Chicken and Potatoes


• 
  
  Chicken Nuggets and Baked Fries


• 
  
  Morrocan Chicken and Lentils

http://stolenmomentscooking.com/moroccan-chicken-lentils/

• 
  
  Leftovers


• 
  
  Dinner out

I'm also going to try to make these again Dreamy Jam Bars--made them for Mother's Day, and wow--yum! This time I might try Raspberry Jam and White Chocolate Chips:

http://stolenmomentscooking.com/dreamy-jam-bars/

What's on your menu?

Check out http://www.orgjunkie.com/ for great ideas!

My Walgreens List

I had a few items on my Walgreens list, and managed to get them all today.

• Blue Diamond Almonds are on sale for 1.79 a can--a great price!

I like to mix the raw almonds with dried cranberries and cheerios for a "trail mix" kind of snack.

• Colgate Max Fresh Toothpaste and Colgate Max Fresh Toothbrushes are 2.99, earn 2 Register Rewards back--use the recent 1.00 off coupons to earn these for free.

Remember--you'll need to do 2 transactions, as the RR will only print once for the same type of deal.

• Reach Toothbrushes are on sale for .99. Use the recent Buy One Get One coupon to get 2 for 99 cents!

If you think this sounds like too many toothbrushes, remember toothbrushes don't expire:-) Also, toothbrushes are great items to donate to charity!

What's on your list?

For complete lists and tips on Walgreens check out these sites:

http://fromwagstoriches.entempore.com/ From Wags to Riches

http://www.frugalrimama.com/2009/05/walgreens-week-of-510.html Frugal Rhode Island Mama

http://www.commonsensewithmoney.com/2009/05/the-best-of-walgreens-deals-510-516/

Common Sense with Money

Stroller Contest

On my quest for the perfect double stroller, I ran across a very cool blog--Stroller Patroller!

Check it out here:

http://strollerpatroller.blogspot.com/

Right now, there is a contest to win a snazzy Toro stroller!

Enter here for a chance to win:

http://strollerpatroller.blogspot.com/2009/05/heres-how-you-can-win-toro-stroller.html

Good luck!

Frugal Friday, Free Music

We are a music loving family--from Baby Koala (who is quite the dancer these days) to Daddy Koala, we have a wide variety of tastes.

One frugal, actually free, resource for music is www.garageband.com. You can find everything from country to hip hop, and listen to it all for free.

Check it out, and while you are there, check out my hubby's music (or share with your music loving hubbys or friends)--
http://www.garageband.com/genre/ex_electronica
he was selected as Track of the Week this week; Band Name: Eugenic, Song: Otherworld


If you are reading this post after May 9th, here is another link:
http://www.garageband.com/artist/Eugenic

Check out more frugal ideas at http://www.lifeasmom.com/!