Happy Halloween

Have a Happy Halloween!

Be Safe!

Organizing + Savings

Sorry posts have been slow. I've been working on organizing the house, no small feat around here, especially with a toddler "helping."

I did want to mention a sale I found as I was trying to get me linen closet in shape. Container Store is having 20% off everything. Use code SAVENOW when ordering online or print a coupon to take to the store from here. I found a few bins for less than what I would have paid even at Wal-Mart, so I was trilled. Also I love Container Store's Click and Pick-up service, you order and pay online then go straight to the check out in the store sign for your items and leave, such a great service for moms!

I am organizing the house by starting with my storage spaces, once they are in better shape I will have "a place for everything" so that I may have "everything in it's place." I am choosing this project now as I am putting away summer's clothing and getting out winter's. Wish me luck.

Have any great organization tips? storage solutions? We'd love to hear about them, just leave a comment.

Now back to work for me.

Diapers.com Sale

Diapers.com is having a sale through Nov12. Here are some codes you might be intereted in.

1.50 off a case of Seventh Generation diapers: SBSEVGEN
15% off 2 or more skin care items: SBSKIN
10% off all Method products: SBMETHOD
$5 off 3 little g pants: SBGPANTS
$5 off $30 purchase of Earth's Best food or snacks: SBFOOD
Buy 1, Get 1 50% off Babyganics: SBCLEAN1

Don't forget to go through ebates for 1% cash back, plus signing bonus if you're new to ebates

What's for Lunch?

One of our favorite lunches:

Avocado Sandwiches
lightly toast a multi-grain thinwich (this makes it easier for my son to handle) or sandwich bread
mashed avocado on one side, cream cheese on the other

Today I served with pineapple, peas, and milk

yummy!

Gratutities

Today I am thankful for
--fresh produce
--great weather
--my family all feeling well again

Event: Natural Flu Prevention and Care at Cheryl's Herbs

Just found another event on this topic. This one at Cheryl's Herbs.

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2009
3:00 - 4:30 pm
NATURAL FLU PREVENTION & CARE

Antiviral herbs are abundant and easily available. Learn the best ways to use them and how to easily incorporate their use into an already busy lifestyle. One example of this is taking extracts when tea is not convenient. Essential oils are also simple to use by rubbing on the feet, placing in the bath or inhaled from car or house diffusers. Knowing what to do at the first symptoms can make the greatest difference in the length and severity of the flu. Taught by Cheryl Hoard, owner of Cheryl's Herbs. Please contact us for a reservation.
Cost: $10

Again, I know nothing more about this, am not endorsing it, am getting the flu vaccine for my family, but just want readers to know of this event for their own interest.

Event: Fighting the Flu at Kangaroo Kids

Upcoming event at Kangaroo Kids....

Fighting the Flu: Flu Shot vs. Natural Immunity
The first of our new monthly speaker series focusing on natural family health, this month's topic is "Fighting the Flu: Flu Shot vs. Natural Immunity." Children are welcome, and there will be coffee. It's totally free and casual.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009 6:30p to 7:30p

Personally, my family is getting the flu vaccine. But this may be an interesting conversation. Thought I'd go ahead and post it for any of you interested. Sorry I don't know more about the speaker than what is posted above.

Freebie: Parenting Magazine

Go here to get a free 11 month subscription to Parenting Early Years. This magazine is focused on children aged 0-5. You enter only shipping information, no credit card numbers, no strings attached.

(thanks hip2save)

Whole Foods Coupon Match up for Oct 21-27

The online add this week looks identical to the instore add I picked up last week, I assume all the deals posted last week are still good this week. Check them out here.

Here are some additional match ups for this week

California Pizza Kitchen

Sale price 2 for $12

Whole Deals Coupon $1.00 off

(plus you can use a manf coupon if you have one)

Final price $5

Annie's Homegrown Bunny Cereal

Sale price 2 for $6

use coupon clipped from box from previous Annie's purchase

What's for Lunch?

the other day I made chef salad and soup for dinner. when I did so I boiled a couple extra eggs. that was the inspiration for today's lunch. Also the fact that my son has a cold, so I was trying to pack in the vitamin C.

Toddler's lunch
--sliced hard boiled eggs, sprinkled with a little dried kelp (rich in iodine)
--kiwi (loaded with vitamin C)
--cheese
--clementines (so much easier for a tot than oranges)
--milk

My lunch
--I used the remaining egg to make egg salad and had egg salad on toast with cheese
--clementines
--water

What's for Lunch?

I was talking to another toddler mom who mentioned how hard it is to come up with lunch ideas, and I completely agree, so easy to get into a routine that uses the same foods over and over. I gave some suggestions and then thought I'd start posting some of our lunches here. It may help keep me out of a rut too, if I know other people are reading what I am cooking. So here we go....

Today my son and I had fried rice. I had some left over brown rice from dinner and wanted to use it. I totaly meant to take a photo to post, but we ate it all before I remembered to do that.

Here's what I did:

I made some of Trader Joes Organic Foursome (frozen carrots, peas, green beans, and corn)
I melted butter in a skillet
Fried 2 eggs in the butter
added the cooked veggies to the skillet
added a little olive oil
added some frozen spinach
and of course the rice
mixed and cooked until hot
yummy
(I left soy sauce off the dish, but added a little to my own serving)

My son also had a side serving of bananas (for a fruit and to give one thing I'd know he'd eat) and milk to drink.

Whole Foods Coupon Match up for Oct 14-20

Whole Deals—Booklet available at Whole Foods by registers. Contains $37+ in coupons, good only at Whole Foods. Since these are store coupons they can be matched with Manufactor’s coupons for even greater savings. All coupons mentioned below are from the Oct/Nov Edition available now.

Mambo Sprouts—coupon booklet available at many health foods stores. Get your free subscription here. Coupons below are from the Back to School Edition.

Deals Available:

Lundberg Organic Long Grain Brown Rice
Sale 2 for $6 (10/14-10/20)
Whole Deals coupons $1.00 off (use 2)
Total: $2/each

Cascadian Farm
$1.00 off Whole Deals coupon Granola Bars or Cereal
$1.00 off Mnf. Coupon available here, here, or here

Earthbound Organics
$1.00 off Whole Deals coupon
.55 off Mnf. Coupon here

Van’s Cinnamon French Toast Sticks
Sale 2 for $5 (10/14-10/20)
Whole Deals coupon $1.00 off 2
Total: $2 each

Organic Valley
$1 off butter—Whole Deals
$1 off butter—Mambo Sprouts

Organic Valley
.75 off whipping cream or half and half—Whole deals
1.00 off and 2 half and half—Mambo Sprouts

Health Valley Organics
$1.50 off bars, soups, cereals, chili, crackers—Whole Deals
.75 off—Mnf coupon Mambo Sprouts (exp. 11/30)
Use both for a total of $2.25 in savings

California pizza kitchen
$1.00 off Whoel Deals coupon
these mnf coupons are often in the papers, keep your eyes peeled

Good Earth Tea
$1.oo off any one Good Earth Tea—Whole Deals
$1.00 off any one Good Earth Tea—mnf coupon from Mambo Sprouts (exp. 11/30)
Use both for a total of $2 off

Green and Black’s Chocolate
$1.00 off —Whole Deals
$1.00 off—mnf coupons Mambo Sprouts (exp 11/30)
.75 off 2 here

Imagine soup, stock, broth, canned soup, or gravy
.75 off 1—Whole Deals
.75 off 2—mnf coupon in Mambo Sprouts booklet
Use together for $1.50 off 2

Lifeway Organics Kefir
$1.00 off any 2—Whole Deals
$1.00 off any 1—Mambo Sprouts (exp 11/30)
Use together for $2.00 off 2

Winter's coming

Just sent these product picks to a friend of mine and thought I might as well post them here also.

Nature's Baby Organics
Organic Soothing Stick
great for chapped lips and cheeks, dry skin, minor skin irritations, etc. A diaper bag (or even purse) must. available here

Alba
Multi-Purpose Un-Petroleum Jelly
great for snotty noses and red cheeks
available here

This friend was also looking for mittens for her 4-month-old. Hannah Anderson sells mittens as small as XXS, they can be a little pricey but for mamas of very young ones the price may be worth it to avoid driving all over to find them in stores.

October: National Cookie Month

As if there wasn't enough going on this month I just read that it is also national cookie month. I have to say cookies are my total weekness. Warm, soft, fresh cookies.....yum! So if you need a reason to give in to your inner cookie monster what better one than this. (and you thought October was all about the Halloween candy)

Free Sample: Baby Snacks

A new product this fall, Little Duck Organics, baby/toddler snacks. Offering a free sample here. You even get to choose your flavor.
(thanks hip2save)

Fire Safety Month

boy is October a busy one! It's fire safety month too. So check those smoke alarms. Practice your plan. Do all those things you know you should. (more info can be found here and fire safety activities for kids here). And, save all month on fire safety supplies and equipement on Amazon.

Also I heard a great fire safety tip at a talk I went to about a year ago. The firefighter said to keep your child's bedroom door closed at night. The simple act of closing the door could save your child's life in case of a fire. What an easy thing to do!

(Now that it is time or close to time to use heaters check your carbon monoxide detectors while you're at it)

October: Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Hopefully you've seen this already, but I thought it also deserves repeating.

Susan G. Komen for the Cure recommends the following screening guidelines:
--Mammograms every year starting at age 40.
--Women under 40 with a family history of breast cancer or other concerns should talk with a health care provider. Screening tests may be needed more often and/or started earlier.
--Clinical breast exams by a health care provider at least every 3 years starting at age 20, and every year after 40.
--Breast self-exams every month starting by age 20.

Photo Coupon Codes and Deals

Snapfish
50 free 4x6 prints with new account at snapfish.com/newfall
20% off all cards, books, and calendars for everyone with code NEWFALL
Good through Nov. 2

Walgreens
10 cent prints on orders of 50 or more with code EVERLAST
20% off photo gifts with code AUTUMN
$3 off photo cards with code CARDS
Good through Oct. 17

Also still available. . .

Picture People
Buy 1 portrait, get 2 free click here or use code HGCEB
Good through Oct 31

Organic Food Coupons--UPDATE

Here are new coupons I've found. Don't forget to see previous posts for coupons that are still good. I hope to add to this list soon.

UPDATE:
Go here for Pacific foods coupons.
1.00 off any 2 products
1.00 off any creamy or canned soup
1.00 off any beverage
(thanks organicdeals)

for the following click here, coupons expire 11/4/09
$1.00 off any Muir Glen product
$1.00 off any Cascadian Farm product

also find the same, but a second copy of the coupons here, coupons expire 11/4/09
(thanks hip2save)

another cascadian farms coupon is here but I couldn't print this one after printing the two above.

available from coupons.com
$1.00 off 2 boxes of Ronzoni Healthy Harvest

and click here for
$1.00 of method cleaning product
.55 off Earthbound Farm packaged salad
$1.00 of 2 DeLallo Whole Wheat Organic pasta
2.00 off Bear Naked Products
.75 off 2 Imagine products

New Coupon Codes

Children's Place
20% off entire purchase (including sales and clearence), good now through Nov. 1 here
(thanks hip2save)

Picture People
Buy 1 portrait, get 2 free
click here or use code HGCEB
Good through 10/31

Sutterfly
FREE 20 page 8x8 hard cover photo book with code DI01-C451-W80J-6XC0RJ
Good through Nov 15

Walgreens Photo
50 prints for $5 with code FallFest
33% off calendars with code Bird33
Only good through Oct 10

Toy Coupons

coupons.com has a ton of playskool toy coupons available. my plan is to print these and keep them on hand for any sales or clearance I find. Hope to get some cheap toys this way to stock up for gifts or donations. The best part is the coupons don't expire until Jan 15 2010, which means we could catch a great holiday sale to use them at.

Here is the list of coupons available:
3.00 off Lullaby Glowarm
5.00 off tumble 'n twirl top
10.00 off musical sit and spin
2.00 off Mr. Potato Head
5.00 off Mr. Potato Head silly suitcase
5.00 off Mr. Potato Head Spud Buds
5.00 off Step Start Walk'Ride
10.00 off DinoRoars Stompers
5.00 off DinoRoars Hatchings
5.00 of My Little Pony purchase of $20 or more
5.00 off Busy Ball Popper
5.00 off Activity Ball
10.00 off Dance Can
5.00 off Swing 'n Score Baseball toy

October: Dinosaur Month

October is Dinosaur month....who knew!

Ideas to celebrate Dinosaur Month:

Dinosaur coloring pages here and here

Visit the Saint Louis Science Center and see a life-sized animated Tyrannosaurus rex and Triceratops in the Ecology and Environment Galleries

Go to your local libary and check out books about dinosaurs. My favorite: Danny and the Dinosaur.

http://www.kidsdinos.com/

http://www.kidsites.com/sites-edu/dinosaurs.htm

I'd love to hear any other ideas you have, post them under the comments section.

toddler art project

We were lucky enough to have a large piece of corrugated cardboard in a box we have. it is maybe 1 yard square. well it it the perfect surface for coloring. I just lay it on the floor and give my son some crayons. he sits on it or lays and colors. The crayons make a cool sound running over the ridges in the cardboard and it seems to hold his attention a little more the regular coloring does. It's so large that he's been able to color on it several times and we're not done yet. This has definitely been the most coloring I've been able to get out of my kid. Maybe yours would think this is fun too.