Tripod, anyone?

***UPDATE*** This deal is no longer available. I hope you were able to get one if you wanted it. =)

This morning, while I was searching through all the "money-saving blogs" that I like to frequent, I came across an awesome deal. "Buy.com" has a KraftTech 60" Adjustable Camera Tripod with Nylon Carry Bag for $10 and FREE shipping! If you've never used Google Checkout, you will instantly receive $10 towards your order, which will make your total cost $0!! I emailed Jason with the info and asked him to check it out. He wrote back later to say that he had ordered it. Just make sure that you choose the Google Checkout and that the shipping is set to the "7-9 days" delivery time (that's the FREE option). Jason said he had to put in a credit card number, but at the end of checkout he was informed that his credit card was charged $0. Yeah!! Now I just have to find the FREE digital camcorder to sit on top of it. =) For now, I'll just enjoy taking pictures of all five us by using the timer on my digital camera.

Homeschooling Aids

Here are some free homeschooling aids I came across today.

1. This is for pre-school and kindergarten-aged kids. It's Firefighter ABC Match-Up Cards.

2. This one could be for any age child. It's for Learning the Books of the Bible. This breaks down the Bible into categories (i.e. The Law, Historical Books, Poetry...etc) and gives a brief description of each book.

3. The next three are for older children. This one will teach your child How to Write a Check. It includes blank checks for them to practice.

4. If you are learning about Shakespeare, these notebook pages with pictures will be a great way to make a miniature book report.

5. These work pages are a great way to incorporate several subjects into one project. It is entitled "Headline of the Day" and asks the student specific questions about the article being read. The student is also asked to identify "new words" (for which they will have to provide a definition from the dictionary) and to list common and proper nouns.

Praise God for Dr. "C"!!!

Okay, I promise, I'm not going to keep boring you with my health updates, but I am just so excited, I'm about to jump out of my skin! With my diagnosis, the specialist gave me a look into what my future holds. All she has to offer me is a steady dose of "drugs"...."drugs" with some very bad side effects. I much prefer a more natural way to deal with health problems, and I truly believe that God created our bodies to be able to heal themselves with the proper nutrition. (I'll try to stay off of my "soapbox.") =)

A couple of weeks ago, we contacted our favorite doctor...Dr. "C". He has a really long last name, so he is affectionately called this by most of his patients. He was able to see me last Tuesday. When I explained to him what had been going on and what my diagnosis was, he looked at me and with a slight grin said, "That's all? That's an easy fix!" He proceeded to tell me about many, many patients he had seen over the last 30 years who have the same or similar diagnoses. One lady had it for 27 years and had been taking the same "drugs" that were offered to me with no relief. Since she has been following his advice, she has not had any trouble. In fact, he said that this is the only condition that he will say without a doubt can be healed! He said he does not use the word "heal" flippantly or even very often, but in this case, he pretty much guarantees it!

Praise the Lord! I am so thrilled that God has provided another route for my treatment and a renewed hope that I will not have to live with this the rest of my life. He has never forsaken me and has lovingly and miraculously guided every step in this process. I love looking back and seeing His fingerprints on so many areas of my life, and I look forward to seeing how He will work through Dr. "C" to help me. He loves us so much and is so concerned about every detail. What an awesome God we serve!

I'm addicted...

...To coupons, that is! I try to buy "organic" as much as possible, and that can get pretty expensive but is well worth it, in my opinion. Recently, I've been able to find some coupons (for organic products) that are saving us quite a bit of money. Yeah!!

We use a lot of Muir Glen fire-roasted tomatoes, and I found a coupon for $1.00 off any of their products! There are other great coupons on that same page, like $1.00 off any Cascadian Farm product.

Here's a picture of the girls clipping some coupons for me. They love cutting, and I figure it's never too early to teach them money management. =)

Here are some blogs that I visit to get more coupons:

http://www.mambosprouts.com/blog/category/printable-grocery-food-coupons/

http://www.afullcup.com/upload/cmps_index.php

http://freebies4mom.com/

http://www.moneysavingmom.com/

http://thriftysoaper.blogspot.com/

http://multitaskingmama.wordpress.com/

http://becentsable.blogspot.com/

Here are some coupon sites. I use these mainly for non-grocery items, but if you're not concerned about purchasing only organics, you can find some other really good grocery coupons.

http://www.organicvalley.coop/coupons/ This one is organic, obviously. =)

http://print.coupons.com/couponweb/Offers.aspx?pid=13306&zid=iq37&nid=10

http://www.redplum.com

http://coupons.smartsource.com

Like to grill? We do! If you register with this site, you can get a coupon for $2.00 off Kingsford Charcoal. (I was able to print that one twice.)

You know all the "What To Expect" books? Well they have one entitled, "What To Expect Guide To a Healthy Home," and they are offering a free copy of it here.

Barnes and Noble is having a summer reading program for kids. If they fulfill the following requirements, they will receive a coupon for a free book.

1. Kids read any 8 books.

2. Kids use the Summer Reading Journal to tell their favorite part of each book. A parent/guardian signs it when it's complete.

3. Students bring their completed journal to a Barnes & Noble store between May 29th & September 2nd, 2008.

4. They will get a coupon for a FREE book! They choose from a list of exceptional paperback titles.

Visit the blogs I mentioned above to find even more coupons and free stuff. We can all be addicted together. =)

The Simple Things in Life

Did you play with paper dolls when you were little? My sister and I did. My mom greatly influenced that choice in toys for us, because she used to love playing with them as well when she was a little girl. I am a big fan of raising kids without the use of constant "media" entertainment. My girls have the biggest imaginations, and I just love hearing them make up all kinds of pretend stories with their toys.

For the last few months, the girls have been begging me to print out coloring pages of Beautiful Girls, so that they can color and cut them out to play with them. I haven't had any luck in finding a suitable "Handsome Man" picture for them to color and cut out, so if you know of a site that I can get that from, let me know. =) These "Beautiful Girl" cut-outs have provided them with hours and hours of fun, but they haven't held up too well being printed on regular paper. Last night, I decided to check the internet for printable paper dolls to print on card stock. Wow, there's a lot to choose from! I found 2 dolls for each girl, and each doll came with several outfits. Alyx and Larissa can cut them out pretty well, but I figured I would have to help Sydney with hers. After cutting one of her dolls out with a pair of scissors, I quickly figured out that it would be much faster and easier to use my X-acto knife (with swiveling head).

For the last 2 hours, the girls have been cutting and playing with their new dolls. You would have thought it was Christmas morning when I pulled it all out for them. They were "ooohing" and "aaahing" over all the outfits and accessories, and they could not stop thanking me. Aren't they sweet?! I love my girls! They are learning to appreciate the simple things in life, and they are building their imaginations and strengthening their friendship with each other as they play.

Here are a few shots of them working on their dolls.

Free Samples

Okay, I just went crazy, requesting a bunch of free samples. My mailbox will be overflowing in approximately 8-10 weeks. =) If you like free samples, visit frugalhacks.com for a list of companies/products currently offering samples. Also, check out freebies4mom.com for more free stuff.

Results: Good News, Bad News

Which do you want first? I always choose the bad news, so that I'll be left with something to look forward to. Since this is my blog, that's what I'm going to do. =)

Bad News: My diagnosis is one of the chronic conditions. If I had to chose one of the two chronic possibilities that the doctor gave me last week, this is the one I would have chosen.

Good News: My doctor has given me hope that since we are catching it early and since I'm still young, I have a good shot at clearing it up, and this may be the only time I have a problem with it.

I'm not going to lie...I was very disappointed when I got the diagnosis last night, but after I had time to compose myself and let the shock wear off a little, I realized that God is still in control. He was not surprised by the news. He still loves and cares for me, and just like He's been taking care of me these last couple of months, He's going to continue giving me the strength and grace that I need for each and every day. God is good ALL the time, and He has a purpose in every thing He allows into our lives. I look forward to seeing how He will use this in my life. Please continue to pray for me, as I'm sure there are still rough days ahead.