Tot School: Dd is For Dinosaur, Doggie, Duck, and Dolphin

Our princess is currently 26 months old.

Wow...I took a lot of pictures this week.  This could be a very long post.  Here goes!

We worked on the letter D this week.  I was really excited about the new alphabet printables at 1+1+1=1, and I used a few of her ideas this week.  I also used some from COAH and DLTK. 

The following three activities are from COAH's D is for Dinosaur printables. We tried clipping clothespins to dinosaur cutouts. This did not go over very well. Her fingers just aren't strong enough for this yet. She did enjoy pulling off the clothespins I put on though.

The Dinosaur matching game was a little better.  She did well putting capital D on one side lowercase d on the other.

 

The bottlecaps were not such a big hit this week.  We only did this activity once, and she didn't even complete it that time.

She was more interested in playing with the bottlecaps and dumping them out of the jar.  She also enjoyed seeing how many clothespins she could fit into the jar.

We had an impromptu diaper-sorting by color.  That of course turned into a game of pile-everything-on-the-princess-in-the-basket...a favorite at our house.  :)

 

She really enjoyed this Doggie craft from DLTK.  I was just encouraged that she got the ears, eyes, nose, and mouth all in the correct order.  :)

 

We tried these pre-writing sheets from 1+1+1=1, and she did a pretty good job of tracing left-to-right.  She needed a lot of verbal instruction though.

Our coloring sheet this week was from DLTK's Dd is for dolphin. 

We are a week behind on our alphabet sheets, but we did the letter C this week.  My idea to paint with a carrot actually turned out pretty well!  The princess' little Buddy was here that morning, so she joined us.  Neither of the girls ate any of the paint, so I was very encouraged.  :)  I do love to watch as the girls' little personalities come forward.  Princess is a cautious, watch-and-see little girl and prefered the dip-and-swirl method of painting.  Buddy is a jump-right-in, fun-loving girl and went for the dip-and-dot method.  So cute.  :)

And finally, our "Dd" page this week featured a dolphin, dinosaur, dog, duck, Daddy, her "D" uncle, and her 5 "D" cousins. 

 This week is the letter Ee.  I just printed off some projects, and I am excited about this week!  I just love doing Tot School with my girl.  It's so much fun.

31 Weeks and Nesting

I am nearing the end of my 31st week of pregnancy, and I am nesting like crazy.  My husband can verify.  I have about 5 sewing projects I am currently "in the middle of", I'm on the princess' 7th month of life in her scrapbook and hoping to catch up to her current 26th month before Baby arrives, I have a page-long list on the fridge of projects to complete in the kitchen alone (which I planned to do in one day...last Monday...), and for whatever reason, I decided to renew my dormant love of crocheting!  Whaaa?!  Please note:  Until about 2 weeks ago, I had never actually completed a crochet project.  I am happy to announce that I have now done 2 hats and 3 headbands...and counting.  *One hat picture included in this post*

I am really enjoying this pregnancy right now.  Baby is crazy-active, and she likes to move her hands around a lot.  She doesn't do a lot of huge movements, but there are little tickles oh so often that remind me she's having a good old time in there.  :)  She especially likes to wait until I've been laying in bed for about 30 minutes and then get really active.  Typical baby.  She seems to have become good friends with my bladder and likes to hang out on top of it a lot.  That part's not so fun, but I am learning to deal with it.

So for the hat I made...  I'm pretty proud of this.  There is supposed to be a flower attached to it, but I haven't completed that yet.  I will soon!  The princess looks so cute in these pictures too...

 

The princess' new obsession is trains.  I'm not quite sure why.  It seems she watched the Disney show Chuggington on the computer one time this week and has been crazy about choo-choos ever since.  My husband pulled out his old toy train for her a few times, and it is a major hit.  I love how she sits in the middle of the track and they put different object on the car to watch them go around and around.  :)

She had gotten a tricycle for her birthday in January, and she rides it around in the house.  Everytime she gets on, she points to her head and says "uh-oh".  She knows Elmo wears a helmet, so she knew she should have one too.  Daddy's snow cap sufficed for awhile, but today we invested in a helmet of her very own.  She was very excited.

2011 Walgreens 100 Dollar Challenge: Week 12

It looks like there are some good deals at Walgreens again this week!  For those of you who may be new to Walgreens, check out Wild for Wags for some coupon match-ups and deal ideas.   A new site I like to visit is I Heart Wags.  This site gives previews of deals that are coming up in the next few weeks!  What a great resource, especially for those who like to order coupons online in advance.

After being inspired by my sister-in-law's new couponing blog, especially the  Couponing 101 post that touched on where to find coupons, I placed my first-ever online coupon order!  When that arrives, I will attempt a second trip to Walgreens for their great Trident, Reach toothbrush, Almay makeup, and Suave lotion deals.  I am excited.

Here is what I got today:

Tena ultra thins

Price: $9.99

MFG Coupon: $2.50

Store Coupon: None

Final Price: $7.49

RR Earned: $10.00

Plackers flossers

Price: $2.00

MFG Coupon: None

Store Coupon: None

Final Price: $2.00

RR Earned: $2.00

2 candies (filler items)

Price: $.49 each

MFG Coupon: None

Store Coupon: None

Final Price: $.98

RR Earned: None

RR Used: $4.00 Irish Spring, $2.00 Clearasil, $4.00 Reach

Subtotal Before Coupons: $12.97

Subtotal After Coupons: $.47

Sales Tax: $.72

Savings Percentage: 96%

(Note: Since I have no control over sales tax in my area, savings percentages are calculated prior to tax.)

RR in hand: $2.00 Clearasil, $10.00 Tena, $2.00 Plackers

*******

Yearly Totals

Amount Spent (Including Tax): $42.89

Amount Remaining: $57.11

(Awaiting $14.99 rebate from AccuCheck. This will be added into my amount remaining once I receive it.)

Amount Saved: $185.44

Tot School: C is for Caterpillar

Our princess is currently 26 months old.

For the past two weeks, we have been working on the letter C.  Here is what we have done:

I printed off a "What Begins With Cc" book for her to color from DLTK's letter C page.  I also decided to foster my princess' love of cars by doing one of the activities on the DLTK letter C page.  She was a bit creative in how she assembled her car, but she enjoyed it.

 

I also used a few of COAH's Cc is for Caterpillar ideas.  The princess LOVED this bottlecap matching game.  This is something I never would have thought of  - glue the letter to the caps of old pop bottles, and have her match them to the letters on the paper.  She loved the novelty of the bottle caps. She also loved playing with the lid on the old peanut butter jar we're using to store the bottle caps.  Anything can be a learning tool.  :)

We have not done much with numbers, and she does not count yet.  But she is getting the hang of assembling this caterpillar from COAH.  Number 1-20 are available, but we are sticking to 1-5 for the time being.  Oh...and Bluebeary joined us for Tot School a little bit this week.

 

This is another activity from COAH:

She used her glue stick to assemble her "Cc" alphabet page. This week's page featured Carrot, Cowboy, Cow, Caterpillar, Car, Crayon, and her two "C" cousins.

Next week I plan to move on to the letter D!

2011 Walgreens 100 Dollar Challenge - Week 11, Trip 2

I just have to say...if you have never experienced a trip to Walgreens with Register Rewards, you are really missing out.  There are some great deals out there!  That is one purpose of this whole challenge: To help others see that you do not have to pay much for essentials...or even some "wants"!  It just takes some time and energy.  :)

My second trip to Walgreens was more successful, and I was able to purchase everything that had been out of stock on my first trip.  Of course, in making two trips, my Register Rewards didn't line up as perfectly as I had planned.  But I am still pleased with how the week turned out!

4 Reach Toothbrushes

Price: $1.79 each

MFG Coupon: (2) $2.00

Store Coupon: None

Final Price: $3.16 total

RR Earned: $4.00

Clearasil Face Wash

Price: $3.49

MFG Coupon: $2.00

Store Coupon: None

Final Price: $1.49

RR Earned: $2.00

Dial Lotion

Price:  $4.99

MFG Coupon: $1.00

Store Coupon:  None

Final Price: $3.99

RR Earned: $3.00

RR Used: $3.00 Colgate, $4.00 Aquaphor

Subtotal Before Coupons: $15.64

Subtotal After Coupons: $1.64

Sales Tax: $.94

Savings Percentage: 89%

(Note: Since I have no control over sales tax in my area, savings percentages are calculated prior to tax.)

RR in hand: $4.00 Irish Spring, $3.00 Dial, $2.00 Clearasil, $4.00 Reach

*******

Yearly Totals

Amount Spent (Including Tax): $41.70

Amount Remaining: $58.30

(Awaiting $14.99 rebate from AccuCheck. This will be added into my amount remaining once I receive it.)
Amount Saved: $168.15

2011 Walgreens 100 Dollar Challenge: Week 11

I skipped a week of the Walgreens Challenge.  I just didn't have time last week.  This week is looking pretty good, and  I plan a second trip tomorrow, due to expiring RRs and some items being out of stock. I was able to build up my husband's deodorant stash though! :)

2 Irish Spring Deodorants

Price: $3.00 each

MFG Coupon: (2) $1.00

Store Coupon: None

Final Price: $4.00 total

RR Earned: $4.00

2 Right Guard Deodorants

Price: $3.99

MFG Coupon: Buy 1 Get 1 Free

Store Coupon: Buy 1 Get 1 Free deal
Final Price: $0

RR Earned: None

RR Used: $3.00 Colgate

Subtotal Before Coupons: $13.98

Subtotal After Coupons: $1.00

Sales Tax: $.60

Savings Percentage: 93%

(Note: Since I have no control over sales tax in my area, savings percentages are calculated prior to tax.)

RR in hand: $3.00 Colgate, $4.00 Aquaphor, $4.00 Irish Spring

*******

Yearly Totals

Amount Spent (Including Tax): $39.12

Amount Remaining: $60.88

(Awaiting $14.99 rebate from AccuCheck. This will be added into my amount remaining once I receive it.)

Amount Saved: $150.15

And The Winner Is...

I used Random.org to determine the winner of the Baby Bond Nursing Sash. We had 18 comments, 1 of which was from the owner of the company and therefore ignored for purpose of the giveaway. So in actuality, the number of entries was 17.

RANDOM.ORG - Integer Widget: "Random Number Generator

Min: 1
Max: 17
Result:
12
Powered by RANDOM.ORG"

Congratulations to commenter number 12 (actually number 13 before eliminating the comment from the company owner), Julie! I will be contacting you for shipping details. Thank you to all who entered. I hope to be able to host more giveaways on this site in the future!

Baby Bond Nursing Sash Review and Giveaway - Take 2!

I received a comment on my previous Belly Band product review from Missy, the owner of the company that makes these nursing sashes. She pointed out that my sister-in-law was using her sash improperly and provided links to some YouTube videos that would be of assistance. The first demonstrated how to put on the product on as a sash. The second demonstrates how to put it on as a belly band.


After viewing these videos, my sister-in-law realized she had been nursing from the right side when wearing the product on her right shoulder. To use the sash properly, she should have been nursing from the left side when wearing the product on her right shoulder. Take a look at these photos, demonstrating how to use the product properly.

She commented to me that she actually felt quite a bit more modest when using the product properly. In fact, her intention now is to use it more often - especially on hot days this summer! She also pointed out that holding her baby in a cradle-hold felt more modest than the "football hold" she usually does

Just look at the confidence in this proud momma! :)

Are you interested in winning a free Baby Bond Nursing Sash?  View my original product review, and scroll to the bottom for instructions on how to enter!  You do not need a blog to participate!  This giveaway ends Saturday, 3/12/11!

2011 Walgreens 100 Dollar Challenge: Week 9 (part 2)

This is actually part 2 of last week's Walgreens Challenge.  I made another stop on Saturday, and here is the run-down:

Colgate Toothpaste

Price:  $2.99

MFG Coupon:  None

Store Coupon:  None

Final Price:  $2.99

RR Earned:  $3.00

Aquaphor Lip Repair

Price:  $4.99

MFG Coupon:  $1.00

Store Coupon:  None

Final Price:  $3.99

RR Earned:  $4.00

Purex Complete 3-in-1 Sheets

Price:  $.49

MFG Coupon:  None

Store Coupon:  None

Final Price:  $.49

RR Earned:  None

RR Used:  $3.00 Baby Magic, $2.00 Goody

Subtotal Before Coupons:  $8.47

Subtotal After Coupons:  $2.47

Sales Tax:  $.51

Savings Percentage:  71%

(Note:  Since I have no control over sales tax in my area, savings percentages are calculated prior to tax.)

RR in hand:  (2) $3.00 Colgate, $4.00 Aquaphor

*******

Yearly Totals

Amount Spent (Including Tax):  $37.52

Amount Remaining:  $62.48

(Awaiting $14.99 rebate from AccuCheck.  This will be added into my amount remaining once I receive it.)

Amount Saved:  $135.19

Tot School: Unstructured!

Our princess is currently 25 months old.

I had every intention of skipping Tot School last week, out of pure laziness.  Then the princess woke up Thursday morning at 5:15 with a cough and runny nose.  Nothing but Tot School would console her.  So we did 2 days of it - totally unstructured.  It was great! 

We have a drawer in our living room where I keep all her Tot School activities.  I opened the drawer for her, and she selected the things she wanted to do this week.  The puzzles on the left are from COAH, and she has always loved thm but still gets upset when they don't line up properly.  The one on the right is from Home Grown Hearts.  This was a challenge for her, because the umbrellas and rain drops are not color coded.  She got confused over whether she was supposed to match colors or letters and needed a lot of guidance.

Left:  I have always loved this paintbrush matching, but she has never been a fan until Thursday!  Right:  I let her attempt to use scissors for the first time.  I don't have any safety scissors yet though, so she tried out my scrapbooking scissors.  Ha!  Way too big for a 2 year-old's hands.  :)

Left:  I finally made some pom poms into magnets and let her play with this page from COAH.  Big hit!  Right:  She always loves playing with pom poms, and she was naming colors as she shoved them into the box.

Left:  We finished up her "B" page that flopped the first time around when we tried to glue on bubble wrap.  This time we went for simple butterfly stickers.  Much easier.  Right:  The princess is getting independent.  She has to do this herself nearly everytime we eat. 

She's going to be a good big sister.  :)  We have been talking about babies a lot lately, and she had me wrap up her dollbaby, then she gave her a bear and carried her around the house.  What a sweet little momma.  :)

This week we are learning the letter C!