Archive | August, 2011

Happy Monday

29 Aug


Today was my 4th Monday of not having my daycare kids here…oddly enough though, it was the FIRST one that I have not had somewhere to go since I closed. I did get up this morning and head out for my walk and then spent some time enjoying coffee with the King outside at the picnic table before getting social media posts scheduled for my clients and some things done around the house. It was nice to be able to stay home all day long. My kids liked it too.  You see, for the past 3 weeks, they have had to eat sandwiches for lunch everyday…not that there is anything wrong with that but my kids are used to a nice home cooked meal at lunch time. Today I made them chicken alfredo and they were happy.

We will have this whole week to get everything ready for when we start our full school schedule next week.  I plan on sharing our school activities right here so be sure to check them out.

Now, I am working on my grocery list by checking My Memphis Mommy to see where I can get my best deals this week. Happy savings!!

Freebie Friday 8-26

26 Aug

In case you missed some, here are the FREEBIES that posted on my Facebook page today.

My all time favorite freebie is Swagbucks. Use the swagbar to search the web and earn swagbucks. There are also other ways to earn swagbucks by doing surveys and searching for codes but if you don’t want to do those, just make sure use swagbucks as your search engine. I have been using it for awhile and have been redeeming mine for Amazon gift cards…which paid for most of the books I needed in our homeschool this year. When you sign up and use my link, I get referral points and I really appreciate you for doing that 🙂  Then, you share YOUR link with your friends and get points too!

I came across this site this week while searching for free stuff and just had to share it!  My kids love to draw and frequently get “how to draw” books from the library.  This site posts freebie drawing lessons each Friday!  Check it out:Free WannaBe 10 pack Unit Studies set for kids about careers from The Old Schoolhouse Magazine till August 27th.  Use code FBWANNABE when checking out.

Free fun for the kids at Pottery Barn Kids. I found this one on the Free Stuff this Weekend list at Free Stuff Times…go check out the other amazing free events you can do this weekend!

Enter to win samples of FINISH® JET-DRY®

My friend, Kingdom First Mom, makes a list every Friday also and she has some things listed here that I didn’t know about so be sure to check out her list and get more freebies!

Free Appetizer from Ruby Tuesday (Thanks My Memphis Mommy!)

Even though…

23 Aug

I have felt God’s call on my life for years so I have served in a variety of ways…as a children’s Sunday school teacher, nursery director, choir,  VBS director, etc. In the past few years, I have really felt like I am supposed to step up and really mentor ladies but something, or should I say someone, has kept me from doing what I know I am called to do…yep, Satan.  That old liar, had me convinced that no one would listen to me…He put things in my head like “look at you, you can’t even get your weight off, who wants to hear what YOU have to say” or  “you can’t mentor teen girls…look at the mistakes YOU made as a teenager” and “why would these women want to hear anything you have to say, you haven’t done anything big to prove your worth”.

Well, I keep pushing those thoughts out of my mind because I know they are just lies and that the hurtful words he was spewing was to keep me from doing what God has assigned me to do. I thought about Paul…he didn’t exactly have the past that a great person of ministry would have did he?  I mean seriously…he tortured and killed Christians before he became one!  But in 1 Corinthians 15:9-10 he says that even though he wasn’t even fit to be called an apostle, by the grace of God, he was and by that same grace, he served harder than the others since God gave him the work to do and the ability to do it.

Wow…so EVEN THOUGH Paul (as Saul) persecuted Christians, he ended up reaching many people FOR Christ and being remembered as a great follower and leader.  What does that show me?  That EVEN THOUGH I made mistakes in the past and did some things that I regret, I, by the grace of God, am a new person and can do mighty things for Him and through Him!

I am doing what I feel God has called me to do and each day, he is showing me how what I am doing IS changing lives of women around me.  It touches my heart to see how my obedience to Him is helping women grow closer to God.

What about you?  Has God called you to ministry and you keep thinking that there is no way you can serve him with what you have done in your past? Don’t believe the lies…do what God has called you to do even though

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Disclaimer: Yes, this post may contain affiliate links. I love connecting you to the great deals and information that I find but I still have to make sure my bills get paid so I sometimes use links that I make a little money off of.  Thanks for supporting me so I can keep connecting you to these great things!

Freebie Friday 8-19

19 Aug

In case you missed some, here are the FREEBIES that posted on my Facebook page today.  There were some that I just shared from other FB pages so you still might want to check out my FB page to see if you missed any.

Earn LOTS of Freebies just for using Swagbucks to search the web! I have been using it for awhile and have been redeeming mine for Amazon gift cards…which paid for most of the books I needed in our homeschool this year. When you sign up and use my link, I get referral points and I really appreciate you for doing that 🙂  Then, you share YOUR link with your friends and get points too!

Free Gooseberry Patch Fall Favorites Cookbook

Free Redbox Movie rental on August 25th.  Head on over to their Facebook page, like it and click on the America’s Movie Night Link

Free movie from Redbox on August 25th.  Go to their Facebook page, like it and click on the America’s Movie Night link on the left.

Free printable coupons…yes, when you print from my link, I make a little money off of it and it helps to keep my site active so I can keep posting stuff for you.  Thank you!

Earn a Free Colgate Kid’s Toothbrush by tracking your kids healthy bedtime habits.

Free coupon workshop by My Memphis Mommy in Olive Branch, MS.

Free breakfast at Chick-fil-A September 6-10 when you register but you can’t do that till August 29th so set a reminder on this one… (Thanks Penny Pinchin’ Mom)

Free Smoothie from Smoothie King.  Sign up for their emails and you will receive a coupon for a free smoothie when you purchase  another one.

Free 8 X 10 Photo collage from Walgreens

Free “Be Tobacco Free” Kit

Free PDF Children’s Picture Books

Free gift for your pet on it’s birthday from Petmart (must live in NC, OH, KY or WY and be within reasonable driving distance from one of their locations)

Free Event at Bass Pro Shops this weekend: Fall Hunting Classic

Caring with Coupons

17 Aug

I frequently give away things that I have gotten for free or very cheap to charitable organizations but this week I had the honor of blessing an individual personally by sharing my abundance.

I was talking to a friend one day and she mentioned that she couldn’t get groceries until payday and that there was nothing at their house to eat.  It bothered me that I had extra and someone I knew would be going to bed hungry.  The next morning, God spoke to me as I was reading my Bible.  One of the verses I read that day was Proverbs 21:13 which says “He who shuts his ear to the cry of the poor will also cry himself and not be answered.” (NASB) When I read that, I knew that I HAD to do something.  I grabbed a bag and just started putting stuff from my pantry in it.  It wasn’t very much but I knew that it would be helpful to them.  I dropped the bag off on their porch and drove off feeling good about what I had done.  I was trying to do it anonymously and wouldn’t have even posted about it if she hadn’t called me later that night to thank me…she figured out it was me. It was a joy to take some of my things to a family in need.

I want to help others learn how to use coupons so that they can bless people also.  There are numerous sites out there that offer lists for you to use when shopping.  The very first site I ever used for this was CouponMom.com.  I always sort my list by most savings and she shows you which items you can get for free.  Even if I won’t use them, I will get them so I can give them away.  I also check out what my friend Shana posts on MyMemphisMommy to see if there are any local deals that she has found.

Another way I use coupons to care for others is by sending my expired coupons to our troops stationed overseas.  They can use them up to 6 months after they expire.  I include my children in this special project and have been collecting more from friends in my area.

Start to make a difference today.  Use coupons and pick up a few extra things to put away for someone that may need it.  Share the savings! You don’t have to do a lot…every little bit helps.

Week in Review

12 Aug

My last day of being a childcare provider was last Friday and you would think that would mean my days would be more relaxed but this has been the absolute busiest past 7 days that I have ever had in my life! I really had planned on posting about each day individually but the truth is, when I actually was able to sit down and use my computer each day, I was working on stuff for my clients and when I finished, I just wanted to turn it off and relax. So…here is my week in review!

Let’s start with Saturday.  A friend of mine and I took our boys & her nephew to the Fox 13 Weather Camp at the Agricenter in Memphis. The boys had a great time learning about how the weather people do the report using a green screen. They were able to meet some of the meteorologists from Fox 13, learn about air quality, make tornadoes in plastic bottles and launch weather balloons with their information tied on them so people who find them can report in and they can find out where their balloon went. It was really a fun, educational day and I look forward to seeing what they do next year.

Sunday we went to church and then I met with the Junior Auxiliary of Tipton County Fall Frenzy committee to work on the plans for this year’s event. After that, my family headed up to Covington to enjoy a luau with Genesis Church.


I debated on whether or not to tell you about my Monday but decided that yes, it is important information that someone might need to know.  I had a mammogram…yes, I actually am sharing this with the world.  Why?  Because even though I am “young” at 36, I did find a lump in my right breast in November and have been getting seen since to make sure everything is okay.  So far, so good. I go back next week to get the report from the Dr.  My point in telling you all of this is to remind you to check yourself and if you notice anything that doesn’t seem right, get it checked out by a Dr.

Monday evening was my Junior Auxiliary board meeting and it was hot in the JA room because the air unit has a hard time keeping the room cool so I was anxious to get home. On my way home, I stopped to visit K & D to see how their first day of school was. They excitedly told me about everything!  I came home and noticed my house didn’t feel cool inside…guess what??!  The main AC unit’s capacitor was bad so we had no air…great! Thankfully I AM married to an AC repairman so I knew it wouldn’t be long before he would fix it.

Since I am normally home during the day, I am listed as the “emergency” back up for some of my family members and friends kids and Tuesday, on the 2nd full day of school, I got a call to go pick up one of the kids.  It was my 15 yr old niece. Since our house was so hot, I didn’t think she would be comfortable so I took her home and left her there…her mom (my sister) got home soon afterwards to take care of her.  My husband got home around 2:30 to fix our air but even after he got it fixed, it took a little while for the unit to cool the house down.

Tuesday evening I went to the NACE Memphis monthly meeting which was held at the Racquet Club.  I really enjoy going to these because I get to network with the people who are at the top in the event planning business and by getting to know them better am able to learn how I can help promote NACE and their members.  When I got home, the house was nice and cool.

I had to leave my house at 7 am Wednesday morning to get to the UT College of Dentistry for new patient orientation to see if it is something that can help my 16 year old daughter’s TMD. After talking to the lady about it, I don’t think they will be able to help her so I am looking at other options. I felt like I pretty much wasted a few hours, money to park and the gas to get there but hey, at least now I know how the UT Dental program works in case I do ever need it.

On Thursday I had to take my middle child back to the pediatrician to have his blood pressure checked. They were on their second week of using a new digital charting system (I don’t know what it is called) so it took them a bit longer than normal.  The Dr is really sweet and apologized.  I am sure they are all just as frustrated as the parents are with the back log but once they get used to everything, it is going to be great!  I am sure when we have to go back in 6 weeks for his recheck, things will be much smoother.

That afternoon, I met with some of the ladies who are helping lead Tipton County Home Educators to make some plans for the new year. We are so excited about some of the things that we have planned!  I am sure my kids are going to enjoy them as much as I will.

Today my boys entered their art projects in the Memphis-Area Home Education Association‘s Art Contest.  On the way there, we dropped off some homemade pimento cheese to my dad because he has been wanting some and I made some for our lunch so I decided to share.  After we dropped off the art, we had a couple of hours to kill so we headed over to Bartlett Lanes and used our Kids Bowl Free coupons to play two games. Then we went back to the art contest to see the entries and pick up their artwork. There were a lot of amazing pieces of art there. Both of my boys received participant ribbons and they both said that now that they have seen some of the other entries, they will know more on what to do for next year…and amazingly, my daughter said she wanted to enter next year too!

Well, I hope you enjoyed reading about my week.  Be sure to go read my guest post over at Hip Homeschool Moms and share with your friends. It is all about how you have to find out what works for you and your family.

Next week, I plan on working on getting everything ready for our new school year. We are using Illuminations this year and I am very excited about it.  I will be blogging about the projects we get to do throughout the year.  If you are doing ILM 3, I would love to see how your family uses the program as well.  Be sure you join the Illuminations Year 3 Yahoo list and share with the members there too.

That is all for now.  Have a blessed weekend!


Freebie Friday 8/12

12 Aug

free by sisterlisa, on Pix-O-Sphere

In case you missed some, here are the FREEBIES that posted on my Facebook page today.

Earn LOTS of Freebies just for using Swagbucks to search the web! I have been using it for awhile and use my Swagbucks to get Amazon gift cards which I can use to buy anything on Amazon! Save them for Christmas and birthday gifts or use them to get the books you want when they come out.

Free Sample of Splenda Essentials when you LIKE their Facebook page

300 Free Instant Labels from Staples

Free month of desserts at Captain D’s (with meal purchase)

Make this School House Photo Holder this Saturday at the Lowe’s Build and Grow Clinic.  

Free sample of Glue Dots (must send a SASE)

Free sample of John Frieda Root Awakening

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Dollar General Essay Contest

3 Aug