Croc Santa Cruz Clogs for Men--- $11.99 Shipped

Just scored Dane some sweet Santa Cruz Croc Clogs for $11.99 shipped.

Head to Crocs.com and grab the Santa Cruz Clogs for $14.99.

At checkout at code HEALTHMAG (must be in caps) to reduce the total to $12.74 OR you can sign up for the Crocs newsletter and you'll immediately receive a code for 20% off which will knock your total down to 11.99

Lastly enter code fallship to have free shipping added. Easy, peasy, sweet shoes for a sweet price!

PLUS if you sign up for Ebates you'll receive a free gift card (I snagged a $10 Home Depot one for a stocking stuffer) or $5 cash. You'll receive a 4% rebate on your purchase. Ebates is completely legit and a great way to earn money back if you do a lot of online shopping.

Rite Aid Deals 9/9/10

Woo hoo! So, I love, love, love frugal homemaking sites. I do put some practical things into play that keep me from having to buy things. In the past we've made our own laundry detergent, used cloth wipes, homemade bread, lots of from scratch cooking, cloth napkins.... just a few. BUT, face it we definitely have to spend money out for a lot of stuff. Where I live, the nearest Wal-mart is an hour away, and Target and Sam's Club are 1 hour, 35 minutes. So, my big money saving happens between buying store brands at Hannaford, monthly shopping at Sam's Club, Wal-mart, Amazon Prime, and Rite-Aid. In the past year Rite-Aid has exploded with great deals with their UP Rewards program, Video Values, and Single Check Rebate. Also, there coupon policy is "off the hook"--- sorry I got excited. So, I thought I would start sharing my weekly Rite-Aid bargains. On a side note, I absolutely love the feeling I get when I hit the savings jackpot... I feel so naughty, LOL!

   So how much did I spend on all of this today? Guess, can ya? For the rundown, there are:

• 
  3 Airwick Freshamatic Starter Sets
• 2 Finish Quantamatic Starter Sets
• Biotrue Contact Lens Cleaner
• 2 Right Guard Deodorants
• 2 boxes of Special K cereal
• Booths Ginger Body Scrub
• Orbit Gum
• Garnier Facial Cleansing Cloths
• 2 bottles of Rite Aid nail polish remover

So how much? Well, first let me tell you, it should have cost  $106.75.... my total? $13.27 and I received $5 in UP Rewards to use on my next non prescription Rite Aid purchase. Not bad, hunh?!

So here's the deal breakdown.

Transaction 1:
2 Finish sets, normally 10.99 on sale for 50% off, so $5.49 each.
3 Airwick sets, normally 12.99 each on sale 50% off, 6.49 each.
Coupons used: $5/$25 Rite Aid Coupon
$1 UP Reward from previous purchase
2 $3 off Finish Coupons
3 $4 off Airwick Coupons
$1 Airwick Video Values Coupon

Total for transaction 1: $7.00 AND received a $10 UP coupon to apply to next purchase (which is why I did two separate transactions.

Transaction 2:

Orbit Gum, normally $1.29 on sale .88
Biotrue Contact lens cleaner, $4.99
2 Special K, normally $4.79 each, BOGO
Booth Ginger Body Scrub, $6.29, on sale $4.99
2 Right Guard deodorant, normally $4.69, BOGO
Garnier face wipes, normally $6.49, on sale $4.99
2 Rite Aid Nail Polish Remover, $2.49 BOGO 

Coupons used:
$10 UP reward from transaction 1
$2.00 Garnier coupon
$5.00 in ad coupon for Booth products
2 $1.50 coupons for Right Guard
$2.00 Biotrue coupon
.50 coupon for Orbit

TOTAL for transaction 2: $6.27 AND $5 in UP rewards. Also, if I had wanted to do this transaction at a different time, I could have used another $5/$25 coupon... but I'll save that gem for later.

Confusing at first, but once you get the hang of it, it's so worthwhile. The key is being organized and focused. Last week, I was able to score Max a digital camera for $17 and Kahli and flash drive for $5 there. The best place to get a break down of deals is Hip2Save, she offers a weekly run down of Rite Aid deals.Also, Money Saving Mom and her Rite Aid page. So, I hope you're inspired.... I felt so accomplished with all my purchases, and even some stocking stuffers to boot!

Magnets 101

We've been having fun this week doing some magnet experiments in Science. Kahli even snuck into the fun yesterday and commented that "we never did fun experiments."

My Love Affair With Fall

Fall... Autumn... Whatever you call it, it is by far my favorite season. I think most people think of spring as the season of new beginnings, and while I agree, Autumn is definitely my season of beginnings and getting back in the groove. It is my nesting season. The time of year when I want to be home. I want to organize. I want my house to smell of cinnamon, and hazelnut coffee, and apples. I want to bake pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, and bread and soup. I want to make lists and prepare for winter. I want to pull out blankets and put on flannel jammies and sweaters. Yup, I pretty much love this time of year. So, why am I telling you this? I don't know... Why are you reading it? LOL. I guess as a precursor, a warning to a crazy amount of photos and recipes and "hominess" that may show up the next few months. Ok-- that being said, what is your favorite season? And just for chuckles what is your favorite thing to do this time of year?

W3: Milestones, Heatwaves, and Walking the World's Rim

Oops, we forgot candles for the Homemade Ice Cream Cake!

Sorry, I'm a little late on last weeks update. Last week was so full of milestones, Max's 11th birthday, Kahli beginning her senior year. Then came the rearranging of schedules as we fit in Kahli's schedule from the school she takes classes at and the specials Max takes at the public school. Last week was also dreadfully hot, especially for Maine...in the 90's... yuck. So thankful that we have air conditioning! This week looks to much more seasonal and I love the feeling of fall in the air and the feelings that stirs in me (more of that in a coming post).

First Day of Senior Year

I thought I'd just share a quick bit from what we're reading this week that Max and I have been discussing and that keeps rolling through my head. We are reading Walk the World's Rim right now and in one part Chakoh (an Indian) is expressing his disgust at a slave's willingness to obey and submit to his master and not run away. Esteban (an African who is a slave... although Chakoh doesn't realize it at the time). Chakoh tells Esteban that a slave has no honor. That "they would rather be slaves than die like rue warriors, and the they did not care if the world knew of their fear. Their hearts are weak. They have no sense of shame, for they surrendered rather thank fight." They continue talking for a bit, til finally Esteban says, "But perhaps a slave protects his honor by obeying his master's commands. Perhaps that takes great courage also." I don't know why but that keeps rolling around in my head. This book, while at first slow, stirs so many thoughts about slavery, and freedom and what courage and integrity truly looks like. Through the book we learn why Esteban is a slave and the honor behind that. We learn of the self control he demonstrates in remaining a slave. It a spiritual sense I think about meekness (strength under control), and I think about submission within as wives, and submission to Christ. Sure I could demand my own rights and fight and demand things my way, but I choose to obey. Thankfully my Master (and my master)are kind, and only desire the absolute best for me. God sent His Son to lay down his life for me, and I know that Dane would gladly lay his life down for me as well. I think the thing that catches me with the quote is that it does take strength to deny our will, and I think so often people just think of it as being a doormat or weak to submit to our husbands and to Christ.

Enjoying Read Alouds

Well, I'm not sure if any of that made sense, it's early and my mind is swimming. But I just thought I would share. Last week went great, lots of reading... lots of getting into the books we're reading. Looking forward to a great shortened week this week. Lots of science experiments on the docket and a fun fall field trip ----how's that for alliteration?!

Milestones: First

16 years and seven months ago she became first. My first daughter. My first true love. My first glimpse into what it was like to see a little piece of me in something so miraculous. My first true test of faith. My first. 11 years ago she became my first. My first to go off to school. My first on her first day of school. Today: Her first. Her last. Her first day of the last year of school. How quickly time has flown by.

How many accomplishments and struggles. How many books... seriously, how many? I never thought this day would come so quickly. That time would go by so fast. I am so proud of her. Proud of the advantage that she has. The advantage of having a personal relationship with Christ, and a strong one at that. I spent my senior year pregnant with her. Recovering from the consequences of rebellion , broken hearted, scared. By the grace of God (and a father who loved me...enough to encourage me to not take my child's life) I gave birth to my daughter. I remember kneeling at the altar, "telling" God that I would keep this child but He would have to take care of her.

Oh, and He has... He has been so faithful to her. His name has not only been written on her heart. It has been the song and the cry of her heart. She is wholly and completely God's. At times I think she questions her testimony, somehow feeling as thought she has less to offer, or that somehow she doesn't have an amazing show of what God has done. But rather, the decisions she has made and her commitment to Christ is the show of what God has done. Her life is a testimony to God's faithfulness. Oh how He loves her, and how she loves Him. First... there are lots of firsts in the last 16 years and seven months, but the biggest first is the relationship between Father and daughter.

How He Loves Us

He is jealous for me
Love's like a hurricane,
I am a tree
Bending beneath the weight of
His wind and mercy
When all of a sudden, I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory
and I realize just how beautiful You are and how great your affections are for me.


Oh, how He loves us so
Oh, how He loves us
How He loves us so.


Yeah, He loves us
Oh, how He loves us
Oh, how He loves us
Oh, how He loves.


We are His portion and
He is our prize,
Drawn to redemption
by the grace in His eyes
If grace is an ocean, we're all sinking
So heaven meets earth like a sloppy wet kiss and my heart turns
violently inside of my chest
I don't have time to maintain these regrets when I think about the way


He loves us,
Oh, how He loves us
Oh, how He loves us
OH, how He loves

Milestones: Eleven

Eleven years ago, I experienced for the second time the happiest moment in my life. Pure bliss. Happy Birthday Max!