April Clean House Challenge

Even though I am working crazy hours still for the first part of the month, I've decided I am going to try this anyway. It can't hurt right?

I started yesterday and I can honestly say I really didn't notice how dirty my mirrors were! Today's is a little time consuming but I'm going to try, even if I have to do it tomorrow! Speaking of tomorrow, I have never and I mean never cleaned an oven. . . should be interesting.

 

My third job :)

Every time someone asks me how I do so well with coupons, my answer is the same, don't buy what you need when you need it, buy what is a good price before you need it. Case in point my trip to Wal-mart yesterday

Buying more saved me money on what I originally was going to buy, I got 20 items for $.66 compared to 1 item for $1.98. You do the math.

Also I want to point out that it was a really really good week for free samples for me! Take a look at this weeks mail haul! 3 coupon books, 3 free item coupons and lots of others! Now to find a good way to organize them all!

This is just an introduction to what I refer to as my third and may I add favorite job, there will be more to come!

Momma Bear

Trying something new March edition

I can hardly believe it myself but we are only 5 days in to March and I have already tried 2 new things!

First thing I tried was making my own meatloaf. I used this one, http://www.twirlandtaste.com/2012/11/miranda-lamberts-favorite-her-moms.html I'm not going to lie the main reason is because I love Miranda. It was my very first time making meatloaf, as this isn't something my family does. It wasn't as hard as I thought it would be and Abigail loved helping with it. Plus it was one of those throw in the oven and work on other things meals. I will definitely be making more meatloaves in the future! Next time I'm going to try wrapping it in bacon, yum.

The next thing I tried was making my own Easter candy, again yum! I made a small batch of peanut butter balls to make sure I would like them and now I wanna not only make more but I want to find other recipes as well!

I can't see these being the only 2 new things I do this month since the husband fixed up the sewing machine the neighbor gave us! Bring on the sewing ;)

Amanda

Nexxus Hydra-light

So I got a great opportunity to try a new product from Nexxus, it's called Hydra-light and it's claims refreshing hydration and natural fullness for your hair. Well I got the shampoo, conditioner, leave in conditioner and a root lift mist.

So right off the bat I am sceptical because I am very low maintenance when it comes to my hair, I hate all the muss and fuss and putting all these products in my hair. So I started gradually the first day just using the shampoo and conditioner, let me say that my hair felt super clean. It was bouncy and I felt fuller, I just couldn't keep my hands out of it all day! So the next day I decide to jump in with both feet and use all 4 products the way the bottles direct you to. Now I am even more sceptical because I always thought you didn't have to use both conditioner and leave in conditioner. . . wrong. Apparently conditioner releases current tangles and the leave in conditioner tames "future" tangles. I have a huge problem that half way through the day I end up with a huge rats nest at the back of my neck from my hair rubbing on my shirt, since I have started using both conditioners, I haven't had that knotting!

All in all the products leave my hair feeling a little more full of life then before, the scent is light but great, and my hair feels very clean. The leave in conditioner keeps the tangles at bay while leaving my hair shiny and slick. I could do with out the root lift mist I didn't feel it did very much other then leave my hair stuck together and gave it a straw like appearance if I didn't break it up. The problems that I did have with this product were the price (ranging from $9.99-$14.99 per bottle) and the fact that it's definitely a daily use item. My hair was left looking greasier then normal on the second day.

Bottom Line: If I were going to splurge it would just be for the leave in conditioner.

Trying something new. . . every month

Okay so my "thing" for this year is going to be trying something new or learning something new every month. I am not talking about the whole, "You learn something new everyday." I am talking actually going out of my way to learn or do something. Since I got a late start with this I didn't really get to anything in February so I am going to use making my own stromboli. I have assisted in the process before but I've never actually taken it on my own to make one, so I just did it. Granted I did not make my own dough, but it's still a stromboli. I also did not get to take pictures, which is probably good since it did not look as good as it tasted. I have some minor things that I want to tweak but all in all it was one of our favorite dinners.

Also I threw together some "leftover" items I had after making broccoli, chicken and cheese bites in to the mixer and made a pretty delicious dip! I threw in some thawed frozen broccoli, some pre cooked chicken, a bar of cream cheese and some shredded mexican cheese. Mixed it all up in my beautiful kitchen aid, spread it in a square glass pan, threw it in the oven for a couple minutes and voila! It was great, next I am going to try using it to make little appetizer bites, I will let you know how that turns out.

As for March I have many things that I would like to try/learn but I don't want to get your hopes up or jinx myself so I will leave you in suspense ;)

Amanda

Quick Lunch

Today we were doing a lot of work around the house and completely forgot about the whole eating thing so I raided the freezer for something quick and yummy. A few weeks ago I got the Kirkwood Parmesan Garlic Chicken chunks at Aldi, I picked them up thinking they might be like the ones at Wing Street which are extremely yummy. So I cooked them up with some tater tots, and wow. They were just like the ones at Wing Street but much cheaper considering the tub if I remember correctly was only $4.99! The chicken cooked up crispy and wasn't fatty, there was plenty of flavorful sauce. I was worried because it didn't look like very many in the package but we both ended up full and there was some leftover! Now to see if Aldi still has them when I make my next trip!

Rating: Worth it

Cupcakes and Sippy Cups!

Since I am constantly trying new things I am going to try and keep you updated on what I try and what I think. So a little while ago, okay back when they first came out! I couldn't resist, broke down and paid FULL PRICE for a box of these babies. Boy did I regret that! I think they were very dry, the could have used some cream filling in these. And basically they tasted exactly like a chocolate cupcake. I ended up throwing almost the entire box away. When I went to tell Tastykake what I thought of their product it wouldn't let me submit an email!

Rating: Save your $

The other new thing that we have tried and I say we because this was more Abigail trying then me. But I have had the worst luck with sippy cups. It seems that every brand I get leaks one way or another. Well recently I discovered what they call the truly spill proof sippy cup. Seems too good to be true right? Well it's not. The Tommee Tippee or Explora Truly Spill proof sippy cup is exactly that. It doesn't spill. We got the kind with the straw (for 12 months). They come in bright colors, they are decently priced ($8.99 at Target and I got a 2 pack on sale at Babies R Us for like $6!) and Abigail gives them a big thumbs up! Not only that but they aren't any harder to clean then the other sippy cups, actually they come apart into more pieces so they may just be easier!

Rating: Worth the splurge!