EATING, MOTHERING, EARNING, AND WATCHING

Tasty Food - We had Cajun Chicken Pasta for dinner last night for the first time in ages and I'd forgotten how much I love it.  Delicious!  If you're not a pasta eater, then you could serve the chicken sauce over rice or eat it on it's own. 

Bad Mom - Teebs is almost one and I'm embarrassed to admit a pattern that's developed - first birthday parties have clearly become less of a priority over time.  Silas turned one and we invited a lot of people to a big party.  Devon turned one at the same time that Silas turned three and Tim graduated with his Master's, so we had an all-encompassing party.  Naomi turned one and we served cake and creamsicles at one of the "just because" potlucks we were having that summer.  Tyler, the fourth little W, is almost one and I've made no plans.

There is a part of me that thinks we should have a party, but there's another part that realizes he won't care either way (until he looks at photo albums years from now, anyway) and one year olds don't even have friends to invite (just family members and their parents' friends).  I promise we'll do something, even if it's just the 6 Ws, but I need to hurry up and figure out when.  This non-summer birthday action is not normal for our family and December is just a wee bit crazy.  I just can't believe I've become a mom would even consider skipping a first birthday celebration of any kind.  It's not bad, it's just not me.  At least, I didn't think it was.  

Easy Money - If you haven't taken the Swagbucks plunge for your search engine of choice, then I'd encourage you to do so and to make sure you install the toolbar.  I've been using it for years and have always redeemed the bucks I earn for Amazon gift cards.  I've earned hundreds of dollars to spend at Amazon over the years and it's paid for all sorts of needs (like Graco carseats and school books), wants (like Thou Shalt Laugh movies and Cuisinart food processors), and gifts for others (Christmas, birthdays, and baby showers, both tangible items and gift card codes).  Of course, if Amazon gift cards don't appeal to you, then there are a lot of other things to spend your Swagbucks on.  

Good Movies - I've watched a handful of movies over the last couple months that I enjoyed.  Feel free to click the links in the titles to see if they interest you.  IMDb has a handy "Parents Guide" for each movie after the cast and storyline, so you can get more info on whether or not a particular movie meets your personal viewing criteria, regardless of whether or not you have kids who will be watching with you. 

Bringing up Baby, a movie from the 1930s with Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn, was recommended on a "give me some movie ideas" Facebook conversation a few months ago.  Lots of laughter from the kids!

Mirror Mirror - A spin on Snow White that Tim and I watched, starring Julia Roberts.  

October Baby - A Redbox freebie that I watched while Tim was in class one night.  It was inspired by true events and is the story of a young woman who discovers not only that she's adopted, but that she's the survivor of a failed abortion.  I thought the interview with Shari Rigby, the actress who played the woman who had the failed abortion, at the end of the movie was really neat.

Man on a Ledge - This was another Redbox freebie that I watched when Tim was gone one night.  

The Magic of Belle Isle - A sweet story starring Morgan Freeman. 

FAMILY MOVIE NIGHT ... FOR FREE!!

I don't like buying movies because we never watch them enough to justify storing them. I'd much rather check them out from the library or use a freebie Redbox code. I recently made an exception, though, and bought some movies. Now, when I say "bought" I mean that I purchased them on Amazon using gift cards I'd earned by doing all my online searches through Swag Bucks. I love Swag Bucks. A lot. So, Swag Bucks just bought some movies for us. Five, to be exact.

Tim and I got Thou Shalt Laugh from the library a few years ago and enjoyed it. We eventually saw the second movie, but our last two moves have taken us to library systems with fewer or no editions of the series. The little Ws have seen the first one and loved it, but we just can't get access to the newer editions. So, last week I cashed in some of those gift cards I earned from Swag Bucks and bought all five videos as a surprise for the fam.

Tonight I said I had a gift for everyone and that they all had to be on the couch at 6:00. They cooperated and I busted out movie numero uno. They've already seen the first one, but they love it and quote lines from it all the time. They were delighted! Needless to say, I earned major "cool mom" points tonight.

Lots of laughs. No money spent. It's a good night ... with many more good nights to come!

NAOMI'S NEW (& FREE) CARSEAT

Naomi desperately needed a new carseat. So, being the frugal person that I am, I got a free one for her. She was so excited about it!! She wanted to look at it online a gazillion times a day between the moment I ordered it and the day it arrived. She actually hugged the box when it came.
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So, how did I get a brand new Graco Nautilus for free? Swagbucks, of course! I'd been saving up the Amazon gift cards I earned for a while and used them to purchase the seat. Awesome, huh? Check out how cute she is in it!! We don't allow drinks in the car, but she had to try out the cup holder in the house. The girl loves her carseat!
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Wait! It gets better. The boys were also due for new carseats, but I had used up all my Amazon gift cards on Naomi's. So, I did the next best thing. I used the "shop & earn" option from Swagbucks to order the boys' seats online, which earned me two swagbucks for every dollar I spent.
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I love Swagbucks! I know I've mentioned that little fact a lot, but it's such a cool program! And I love cute girls in free carseats. And I love cute boys in carseats that helped me earn more bucks.

FREE ADVERTISING #8

Here are a few sites I think you should know about. Ready? Here goes.

ReBag by Sachi - I know I've mentioned Sachi a few times and have shown you the bag she made me. Well, she finally has a site for selling her bags!! It's on Facebook, so if you aren't registered there, then you'll need to open an account in order to see the bags. She primarily makes bags (small, large, backpacks, clutches, etc) out of used, plastic shopping bags. However, she also has a few made from t-shirts. Due to the fact she makes new bags out of whatever used bags are available, she can't guarantee a particular look. However, she'll do her best to accommodate custom orders, which is perfect for those who like the look of one bag, but the shape of another. I love the bag she made for me and gave one of her bags as a Christmas gift this year!

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Here are a few of the bags that are currently available. The first three are made from recycled bags. The fourth and fifth pics are the both sides of a reversible bag made from t-shirts.

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Nibord - Robin is a friend of mine who is a talented seamstress. When I was pregnant with Naomi she surprised me with a beautiful baby quilt she had made. This year I was able to give one of her handmade aprons as a Christmas gift. Shipping was super fast and the apron was perfect. Robin makes full and half aprons in different styles, fabric, and sizes, so you're bound to find one that you love! You can check out her site on etsy to see what she currently has available, both in aprons and other items. The stock is always changing, so be sure to check back often.

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Here are a few aprons that are available right now, which show the variety of styles offered. The third apron is a child's size.

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Swagbucks - Ok, this isn't a newsflash, but I love Swagbucks! One of the Christmas gifts I bought this year was purchased from Amazon using gift cards I earned from Swagbucks. Free gift giving. Cool, huh? They've set a new rule that you can't "buy" more than five of the same prize per month, which means I'm no longer racking up Amazon credit like I used to. However, I've started "buying" PayPal money, which will help me purchase handmade items from friends on etsy. I've also been able to give some Amazon gift card codes as gifts. Swagbucks is just an awesome program!!

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Cade and Anya Accessories - Mindy is one of those people who received an excessive amount of creative and artistic genes. It's people like her that compensate for people like me. She's recently been making super cute headbands for infant and toddler girls. They are the perfect accessory for little girls who were born with heads that are noticeably lacking in hair, though I'm sure they'd look cute on girls that aren't bald too. How do you all think they'd look as a base for a certain two year old's blonde fro? I may have to do some research on that. Mindy first makes her headbands available on a blog devoted to the accessories, then posts them on her etsy site.

Here are a few that haven't sold yet.
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A MISCELLANEOUS MONDAY

Swagbucks - I have $106.98 in my Amazon account, thanks to gift cards I've earned from Swagbucks. I have another $20.00 in Amazon gift cards that are waiting to be processed. I love, love, love, Swagbucks! In fact, I'm buying some Christmas gifts today with my free gift card money. If you want to earn bucks to purchase gift cards to all sorts of places simply by doing your regular online searches, then click right here. You have nothing to lose, so go check it out.


Debra - A few days ago I saw a Facebook update from Ashley that said my dad had taken her mom, Debra, to the ER for a hurt toe. Several hours later my dad blogged about it, which gave me the opportunity to teach the boys about pins in the body, local vs. general (they understand general from their own surgeries) anesthesia, dislocations, fractures, etc. It was like a little health lesson, courtesy of my dad and at the expense of Debra's toe.

Insurance - Last year I spent four months working on getting our health insurance to cover my mammogram. I'm technically too young to have them covered, but having a mom who died of breast cancer in her thirties is supposed to earn you some special insurance treatment when it comes to mammograms. They eventually paid, but it took lots of sorting out communication breakdowns between various people. This year the charges were denied again, so I immediately called the woman who helped me last year and we tackled it head-on. Just two weeks later I was told that my insurance had paid up. Woo hoo!!

The Moffit Box - We send quarterly boxes to my sister's family in the Philippines. They're filled with birthday & Christmas gifts, various holiday stuff, totally random gifts, things they've requested, hand-me-downs to distribute, things they ordered online and had shipped to us, and other miscellaneous things. It's a ton of fun for our family (including my grandma, who joined the fun a while back, and my dad ,who now has a convenient way to ship gifts) to fill the boxes and we know they look forward to receiving them. I'd encourage you to do something similar for a missionary family. I know the cost of shipping can be prohibitive, but there are a few options. One is to join with other people and split the cost. Another is to use a shipping company native to the country the missionaries are in. We use LBC to ship to the Philippines. It costs $65.00 to send a honkin' box, regardless of weight, and takes five weeks on a ship to arrive in the Philippines. It's a bargain, for sure! Anyway, just think about it. It could be a really great way for you to bless a family, teach your kids to be thoughtful and cheerful givers, and have fun in the process.

And now I'm off to finalize the list of things going out in the next box. It's stuff for Christmas, Neo's birthday, and Valentine's day ... plus all the random stuff.

I SHOULD BE SLEEPING

It's late and I should be asleep, but I took a nap this afternoon and I'm not tired. I knew that would happen, but I also knew that not taking a nap would result in a very emotional and grumpy version of me all afternoon and evening. So, what's a girl to do? I opted for the nap.

Since I'm up, I figured I may as well chat with you about some random stuff.

Camp - Signups started last Sunday at church for Kid's Camp and we found out that someone had already paid for Silas to attend. The list of people who knew that his camp money had been stolen was very short. Very, very short. Some of them had offered to pay for camp, but I'd assured them that we'd just pull the money from somewhere else and he'd be good to go. So, I'm guessing one of those people just went straight to the church because they knew we couldn't turn the offer down if it was done that way. Anyway, that short list of people all read this blog, so I just wanted to say thanks, while letting you remain anonymous.

Stupidity - That's what you call it when an adult, someone who has worked in a kitchen for decades, somehow manages to scorch their thumb on a scalding hot crockpot. That's what I did on Thursday. It hurt so bad that I was crying. Crying. Me. The one who has her babies at home without any sort of drugs. Yep, I'm the one who was standing over the sink crying because of the pain of a small burn. Lots of cold water and aspirin later I finally felt better. It blistered and popped on Saturday and now it's almost completely healed. But it really, really hurt!!



A Dressing Blessing - I've got free salad dressing coming out of my ears!! If you're local and want several bottles, then leave a comment. I'll pick a name out of a hat at 9:00 tomorrow night and that person will get a stash of free salad dressing. ETA: Rogue Valley readers who I'll be seeing later this month can enter to win the dressing blessing too!

Bargain Shopping - I was recently asked by a couple people to sit down and explain how I do my bargain shopping. That morphed into a little "class" I taught to four people on Thursday night. I had fun passing along some tips and they've already started doing some of the things I shared with them. Excellent students, wouldn't you say? I've got a list of about 7 or 8 more people who want a class too, so I'm going to try and crank another one or two out in the next few weeks. Looking forward to it!!

Swagbucks - I know some of you have already signed up for this awesome program, but here's a little incentive for those who are dragging their feet. Actually, let me explain what it is for those who have somehow missed my previous posts about it. Swagbucks is a search engine that's powered by Google and Ask. As you do your normal searches, you'll periodically be rewarded with virtual dollars. Those dollars add up and get cashed in for prizes. Plus, if your refer people and they sign up under you, then you earn a buck for every one they earn, up to 100 bucks per person. Awesome, huh? What? You're still not convinced? Well, check out what I got on Friday. A brand new Cuisinart ice cream maker!! I cashed in my bucks for Amazon gift cards, then spent them on this lovely machine, and got free shipping because I spent enough money on my purchase. Got that? I got a free ice cream maker for doing the searches I would have done anyway. Woo hoo!! Ready to sign up now? Don't forget to refer your friends!! And just for the record, I am wearing shorts in this picture.

School - We school year-round, basically following a three weeks on/one week off schedule. Plus, we take a couple extra weeks off in for Christmas in December and again from mid-June til after the 4th of July. That extra time off has come to an end, so we'll be starting school with one kindergartner and one second grader when we get up in the morning. Which means I should probably try to hit the sack, as it's midnight now.

WHICH PRIZE WOULD YOU GET?

UPDATE - I chose Amazon. I was torn between that and Starbucks. A lack of splurge money at our house made free strawberries and cream frappucinos sound really good. The deciding factor was that I remembered I still have two boxes of Samoas secretly stashed away, so those will be my splurge for now and I'll spend some money on Amazon.


I'm seriously loving Swagbucks more and more each day! I really can't find a single thing wrong with the program. No one else gave me money to do my regular internet searches. No one else gave me money when my friends did internet searches. Swagbucks rocks!!

Anyway, I want to cash some of my bucks in for gift cards, but I can't decide what to get. Want to help me decide? Here are my choices, based on the number of bucks I have.

$20 Target (online only)
$20 Starbucks
$25 Amazon
$20 Barnes & Noble (online only)
$15 i-Tunes

For those who haven't checked out the gift cards they offer, let me just give you a list of places you can get them for. These are all e-gift cards, except for the Starbucks one. Ready? Here they are, from most to least expensive.

Saks Fifth Avenue
QVC
Musician's Friend
Apple
Zappos
JC Penney
Golfsmith
Victoria's Secret
Sephora
Microsoft Xbox Live Points (twice for different amounts)
ESPN
Lowe's
REI
Petco
Ticketmaster
Bass Pro Shops
Fandango
Wii Points
Southwest Airlines
Macy's
Disney (the store, not the amusement park)
Target
iTunes
Starbucks
Barnes & Noble
Amazon.ca and Amazon.com
DiNG
Used Video Game Store
Zendoo
Spaceland Recordings

At the rate I'm going, I don't think I'll ever get to the top of the list, but time will tell! I'll either have to earn bucks faster or be willing to wait longer. Meanwhile, I'm happy with the prizes I'm getting from the bottom third of the list. A prize is a prize, after all! I just can't pick which one I want most.

LATE NIGHT RAMBLINGS

I'm sitting on my bed, showered and jammied, when I should be sleeping. Except I can't sleep. So, I'm eating leftover muffins and dried mangoes. Random combination, I know.

Swimming - I just signed the boys up for swimming lessons! They've never had them before and are pretty excited. We wanted to do it before we head to my dad's in July, so now's the time. We'd budgeted Devon's lessons out of our tax refund and Silas' lesson are being paid for out of the money we earned when he drowned. Two kids getting lessons and we're paying for less than one kid out of our own pocket. Good deal, huh?

The weekend - My dad comes up every year in May to rototill our garden. He was supposed to come tomorrow, but a staffing crunch at work meant he had to cancel. Evidently our family traditions aren't the top priority for his employer. Imagine that! Anyway, we're going to take advantage of the opportunity to have a plan-free weekend. I want to watch a movie, do yardwork and read books. I may go to a Partylite open house on Saturday, but I'm not sure yet. I'm trying to decide which I want more - free candles or a day without leaving the house. Hmmmm .... Actually, if any of you want to go, then let me know and I'll get you the info. It's in Tigard at the home of a childhood friend.

Crying - I didn't cry at all today. This is a good sign. We've still got quite a bit of work to do though.

Swagbucks - I'm loving the referral bucks! I'm tellin' ya ... you need to use Swagbucks as your search engine and you need to refer people. It took me a while to earn my first Amazon gift card, but the pace picked up tremendously when I started referring people. I'm currently trying to decide what prize I want to cash in on next - a few Amazon gift cards, maybe one from Barnes & Noble or Starbucks, or hold out a little longer for a Target one. I think I may hold out for Target. We'll see.

Apple dippers - Tonight the little Ws cashed in the last of the McDonald's coupons they got during the Sonlight Valentine swap. Apple dippers all around. Can't beat free snacks. Especially when they include caramel!

Hannah - She's the person who is living with my sister's family and teaching my nieces. She started a blog to document her time in the Philippines, but only posts sporadically. However, she regularly posts pictures on Facebook. Great pictures of the Moffits and people in the village. She's a wonderful photographer!! Unfortunately, people who aren't on Facebook are missing out on all those pictures. So, here's what I think you should do. Go visit her blog. Then leave a comment on her most recent post that says something like "Bethany says you have great pics on Facebook, so please post some of them here". If she gets twenty comments that all make the same request, then she'll clearly have no choice but to post some of those great pictures on her blog for the whole world to see. So, will you do it? Will you go leave a comment? Pretty please?

Well, now it's about 11:15. I should try going to bed.

IF YOU'RE GRUMPY AND YOU KNOW IT

ETA: I just realized I have another post with this same title. Hmmmm ...

Sit on the couch. Ignore everyone. Catch up on e-mail. Update your blogs. Check the weather forecast. That's what I'm doing right now.

Just wanted to let you know a couple things while I isolate myself from reality.

Numero uno is that Swagbucks is even cooler than I knew before. You see, I'd been using it for a while, but didn't want to pass the word until I actually cashed in on a prize. Well, what I discovered as I shared it with you a couple days ago is that each time someone signs up through my site, then I earn the same number of bucks that they do (up to 100 bucks). Woo hoo!! I could also send out e-mails through Swagbucks that would work the same way, but I don't send unsolicited e-mails to friends. Lucky for you! Anyway, if you want to register to win prizes simply for doing the online searches you normally do, then go right here or use the link in my sidebar and I'll benefit. Then pass the word to your friends and when they sign up you'll benefit!!

Numero dos is that more pics got posted from Forts & Floats, including one of Silas with Austin and JT (who, by the way, always has great hair because his mom actually has a clue about what to do with it). I'm so thankful that we go to a church that gives our kids such awesome opportunities to have fun, in addition to spending lots of time in the Word with them.

All right, I'm off to find something else to do online while I avoid the rest of my life. I'm sure I'll wake up chipper and cheerful tomorrow. Until then, I'm wallowing in my grumpy state.

LINKS I LIKE #4

Just want to share some great sites with you.

Frugal Living - My friend Sarah pointed me in the direction of this site. It's similar to Money Saving Mom and My Penny Pile (both linked in my sidebar), but it's specific to the Portland area. The way this woman shops at Safeway blows my mind. I still love WinCo, but I think I'm going to have to try and do some of the things she does at Safeway. Amazing!

Susan G. Komen For The Cure Scholarship - I don't even know if this scholarship existed when I was in college, but I sure could have used it!! It's designed to help people who struggle to pay for college because of the death of a parent from breast cancer. They give seven scholarships each year, up to $10,000 each to students up to age 25. Check out the link for more details. The deadline for applying for the 2009-2010 school year is only a few days away, so if you know someone who could use this scholarship next school year then pass this link to them. Otherwise, tuck it away for future reference. It could be a silver lining in someone's huge rain cloud.

Love Lasts A Lifetime - Remember Kelly? She's the one who made dishcloths for me and has lots of great recipes. Well, she started a marriage blog at the beginning of the year and it's great. She and Doug have been married almost twenty years and though their marriage is strong now, they've gone through some major struggles. I love getting encouraged by people who have made it through hard times themselves! She writes most of the posts, but Doug pops in occasionally too. I think all his posts are labeled "the happy husband" on her sidebar. Check out her site for book discussions (she's currently going through Sheet Music by Kevin Leman, which is an excellent book by one of my favorite authors), weekly challenges, bedroom ideas, ideas for romancing your husband and more.

Swagbucks - Do all your internet searches through this site and earn prizes. Seriously, it's that simple. I just cashed in some points for an Amazon gift card.