A Day of Savings

I was able to eat all 3 meals out for about $6!!! Here is a picture journal of our busy and cheap day!We ate at Ihop which had free pancakes for breakfast! It cost us $6 for drinks and tip.We then went to the ZOO since it was 70 degrees and it was a FREE DAY!!! (still havent gotten new contacts yet!!!)

For lunch I got a FREE Quiznos sub!!! YUM...
For dinner, we got FREE tacos at Jack in the Box- I forgot to get a picture, but thought this picture was so funny of Ella enjoying some ice cream after dinner! She is such a messy eater!

Like mother like daughter?

Sometimes I get very frustrated being a mom with 4 kiddos in a small apartment- it seems like toys are EVERYWHERE and all I do is pick up. I find toys in the oddest places, but when I see them on the bookshelf and watch the girls pretend that the shelf is a princess palace, I smile as I remember when I was a little girl and I would set up my Barbie "house" all the way up the steps, with each step being a different room in the "house". My mom would tiptoe through the maze of barbie paraphernalia to put the laundry away upstairs, and I never heard her complain about the mess. She would let me play all day and sometimes even let me leave it set up overnight- what a good mom I had- I hope to be remembered the same way by my girls. And I know the day will come when I will wish they were little once more and wish I could listen to them pretend the day away with their dolls. Its going fast and I want to cherish all the little moments before they are gone.

Will the fun never end?!

I am glad that my fingers work because right now, my throat does not. I am SO sick- I have the worst sore throat I've ever had in a long while and it has hindered my speaking. My voice is now a whisper. How do you take care of 4 naughty little kids when you cant talk!!!! Ella gave me the most problems today because she has not sopped whining since she turned 2 and today was no exception. Most of my day was spent lying on the couch watching reruns of The Office, repeatedly telling Ella to go play in her room. (I feel bad typing that) Elijah did good today because he can sit up now and entertains himself better this way. Everyone took good naps so that was more quiet time for me. We picked Mark up from soccer practice after stopping at the store to get cough drops and toilet paper. Mark said we were going out for dinner (YEAH!) so after a McDonalds chicken sandwich and water, we returned home. Mark cleaned up since I did nothing all day. He has made me coffee, brought me my nailpolish supplies so I could paint my nails, got me cottage cheese and grapes, and has taken care of all the kids- I have a GREAT husband! Oh, and I forgot, I have PINK EYE and ripped my last pair of contacts this morning so I am stuck in glasses till I get more... Will the fun never end?

Explosion

While reheating my coffee this morning (for the 3rd time) it exploded. Weird.

Update

Well, I took Elijah to the ER again today because he woke up with his left eye swollen shut and his face swollen even more. This time I felt a little more informed and at ease. They said he has a VERY bad case of pink eye, so I got drops for that. Then they said he has a viral infection called Parotitis, which is the swelling of the lymph nodes. This is causing the rash and swelling. It is viral and should go away in 3-5 days- tomorrow will be day 4, so we'll see what happens. Tonight his rash actually looked a little lighter. So, thats the update!

Speckled

Elijah is covered over every inch of his body with red bumps. (these pictures really dont show the extend of the speckles- I couldnt get a good one) Poor little guy. I actually took him to the ER last night around midnight because his face is swollen, especially around his ears and throat and this rash is just multiplying. They said it was just a virus and his ears look okay although his throat is red and they sent me home an hour later. He really is doing okay just wants to be held all the time and wants to sleep with me in MY bed and nurse and cuddle all night long (yeah, not getting much sleep) So, please pray that this yucky rash disappears soon...

Look at his swollen little cheeks and neck

Everyone is giving him lots of attention:)

Happy Heart Day

7:30 am- Putting the finishing touches on the chocolates I made for the twins Valentine Party at school, Getting together everyone's Valentines and teacher gifts, Consoling Ella because she does not have Valentines to take to school (she took hers to nursery the Wed before) Rushing out the door with 2 VERY excited little girls and one in tears:)

Noon- Delivering Daddy his Valentine gift- lunch from Quiznos, balloons and chocolate, Picking up the twins, Watching the girls open their Valentine Gifts

Funny Story- Arianna has been into nightgowns lately! I found a Christmas one for $2 and she fell in love with it. She would try to wear it every night. I came home from work one night and checked in on the girls and there lay Arianna with her nightgown on (after I had made sure that it was buried at the bottom of the laundry basket!) Mark said that she must have dug it out to put it on before bed! So, we were having a great sale on jammies at Gymboree, so I got them all their own nightgown since Ariannas excitement was contagious!

4pm- Picking Mark up from school where he had a dozen beautiful roses waiting for me:) dropping the kiddos (yes all of them) off at Grandma and Grandpas to spend the night-
THANK YOU!!!!!,
Going out to eat with the man of my dreams to Olive Garden and going to a movie till 11:30 night! (What a FUN evening with my hubby ALONE) Sleeping the whole night thru with no babies crying or climbing in our bed- AAAAHHHHHH! Bliss.My Four Little Valentines- they mean the world to me and life wouldn't be the same without them.

To Church We Will GO....

I just love to dress up my little man for church. I myself choose to go casual and wear pants almost all the time but there is something about dressed up kids that I just LOVE- I dress all the girls in their pretty dresses and Elijah just looks so darn cute in his little tie and old man hat! I LOVE it!! As you can see, Mark NEVER wears a tie:) and dresses down too but I will continue to dress my kids up:)

Has this ever happened to your kid?

So, on this particular morning, my dear Ella had climbed up on the desk and spilled my chocolate milk all over the floor on my most favorite pair of shoes. I was so upset- and made her sit in time out on the floor (we dont really use time out, but I was too angry to do anything else:) So, I walked away from the situation and when I came back, she was passed out on the floor- poor thing was SO tired! She always needs to be in bed to go to sleep and has never fallen asleep like that- it made me smile

A VIDEO FOR YOU

So, here is a video of Sophia and Arianna at Red Rocks- see post below- there was a workout group there blasting their workout music- listen to Sophia's response on what she likes best about Red Rocks- too funny!

Red Rocks Adventures

Last week, the weather was SO nice that I packed a picnic lunch and we picked Mark up from school and headed to Red Rocks Park to enjoy some Family Time!

Elijah loved being outdoors

So did the girls- I think we wore them out

Red Rocks has a HUGE concert section on the side of a mountains overlooking the city- its breathtaking. My goal is to come to a concert here while we live in Colorado- maybe this summer! Well, the twins had SO much fun jumping down all the "steps" and then climbing up again and doing it all over! until Arianna got hurt.

Lazy Tuesday and 2 FREE deals

I have a feeling that today is going to be a lazy day:)

I stayed in bed till almost 8, cuddling my little man. What a great start to my Tuesday. Mark took the van to school, so I am carless which is fine with me! Its a bit chilly out and I prefer staying warm and snug in our little apartment. We're supposed to get some flurries tonight.
As I am typing, Elijah is cooing happily as he watches the girls play "school". Arianna and Sophia have been on a pretending craze lately- its nice seeing them use their imaginations instead of waching movies. They play with their dollhouse constantly, making up little scenerios with their dolls and pets. Too cute.

My house needs help so its a good thing I am stuck here today. I will do laundry, clean the bathrooms, vacuum and dust, oh, and change all the sheets on all 5 beds! Its sorta exciting to see things get accomplished and know my house in order even if it only lasts for a few hours:)

Tonight, we are doing FREE fast food:)

Good Times is offering a FREE Mighty Deluxe Burger at savetheburger.org and Jack in the Box is offering a FREE curly frie -AWESOME!

We will drink water or my iced tea at home and the girls can eat dinner at home, usually cereal when we get fast food:) They dont seem to mind! I know its not healthy but its FREE and this week that is needed:) Tax refund comes on Thursday!!!

So, hope you all have a GREAT Tuesday and get much accomplished!
I am off to get everyone out of jammies and a shower for me!

"The joy of the Lord is our Strength!"

More Good Deals

This weekend I got more good deals:)
Thought I'd share them with you in case you want to run out and snag them!

All of this (23 items) was $20

4 boxes of Poptarts (at Safeway for $1 a piece and I had a $1 off coupon for 2)
3 boxes of Yogos (at Safeway for $1 and I had a $1 off coupon for 2)
2 Cottonelle Toilet Paper Packs (Kings Sooper for $1 a pack and I had a coupon)
2 Herbel Essence Shampoos ( King Soopers markdown and $3 off coupon)
2 Sauve shampoo/conditioner (Safeway- $1 a peice and coupon for $1 off 2)
2 Kellogs Fruit Snacks (Safeway $1 each)
2 TLC cereal bars (King Soopers 2/$6.00 and I had 2 $2 off coupons)
5 Pizza Rolls (on sale for 4/$5 at king Soopers and I had a BUNCH of coupons)
1 Colgate Total (Safeway marked down to $1.49 and I had $1 off coupon)

So, all in all, less than a dollar per item and my pantry is growing! Thats when the real savings come in! Obviously, I still needed more food items for my menu for the week but it will be nice to go to the pantry and grab needed items in the future. Happy Shopping everyone!

Play Dates are FUN!

I so enjoy having friends over for play dates, especially my dear friend Erika!
It definitely makes the week go faster and its always nice to catch up,
even though it is a bit crazy with 6 kids to watch..

Good friends- Ella was sleeping because she was sick- poor thing

Clara and Elijah are only 3 weeks apart although they were supposed to be 2 days apart!
Elijah came early and Clara came late!

Wouldn't it be so cute if they grew up together as good friends- Erika and I always are thinking about playing matchmakers when they are older:)

The first major sickness this winter

Poor Elijah has been sick with a bad cold going on 2 weeks.
The past 2 nights he has woken up with a fever of over 103- scary!
I got him in to the doctors tomorrow- I'm wondering if he might have an ear infection.
Ella also went to the docs last week and had a double ear infection- she is slowly getting better.
This was her first ear infection ever.
The twins just had colds for about a week but no fever!
Mark got a cold. I didn't get sick-yet.

This is Elijahs new bed- AAHHHH!!!
I am not happy about it but he has been sick the past 2 weeks and constantly wakes up because he can't breathe. This means Mark gets up with him and then brings him in to me-
Elijah loves to nurses all night long because its comforting to him.
I need to stop this soon beacuse it is only going to get worse.
Part of me does think that this is my last baby so enjoy how he loves to snuggle up to me in bed and the other more sensible part says-
I NEED SLEEP!!!
So, soon, I will be going thru the tramatic expereince of getting him back to his own bed.