Free Photos!

Did you know you can subscribe to several different companies and get an introductory offer for FREE photos? And it doesn't stop there! From time to time they will offer promo codes for even MORE free prints! Here are the deals right now..act fast!

Shutterfly: Free 101 Prints!
Promo Code: Prints101
Expires TODAY! Hurry!

Walgreens: 20 FREE prints!
Code: Prints20
Expires today!

York Photo:
4 cent prints on 100 or more prints
Code: FOURCPTS
6 cent prints on less than 100
CODEL:SIXCPTS
Expires April 19th!

Food Co-ops, Food Revolution!

Let's get healthy!

I'm finally getting to a point as a mom where I have SOME free time to devote to blogging, planning my goals, etc. I really have had a lot of GREAT deals I wish I could have posted before now, but I'm promising myself and anyone who reads this that I will do better and try to post daily deals! The deal I'd like to share with you today (which you may have already heard about or tried) is Bountiful Baskets! They are a fantastic food Co-op that operates in Arizona, Utah, Nevada, Washington, and Idaho. And I believe there are several other food co-ops in different states, so if you are in another area, look for them!

This past week I got my second basket..it cost me $16.50- $15.00 for the basket and $1.50 for handling fees.

I got:
Cantaloupe
Strawberries
Bananas
Apples
Oranges
Pineapple
Sweet potatoes
Baby cucumbers
2 heads of green leaf lettuce
Head of Cauliflower
Zucchini
2 bunches of Asparagus

ALL FOR $15!!! At the grocery store that would cost SO much more!

The goal in our home is to buy a a basket every week and make sure we eat all the food! It's a great way to make sure we're eating our fruits and veggies...and it saves us SO much money! You can also order organic baskets in some locations.


Going right along with healthy eating, have you watched Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution yet? WOW what an eye opener! It will definitely motivate you to eat healthier- and from scratch!!!

If you missed it you can catch new episodes Fridays at 9 p.m. EST.
Go HERE to sign his petition to be a healthier eater!

We all want happy healthy families and these are just two ways to start!

Best of luck in your healthy endeavors!

~Kirsten

Bed Time 101

So for this weeks question- I thought I'd ask one of my own! I have been asking for tips on Facebook about how to get my Connor to sleep on a schedule, stay asleep, etc... I have gotten some GREAT feedback! I wanted to post what my friend Brittany wrote to me in a message, so it can help any of you who are wanting to "Sleep Train" your babies, no matter what age!

Here's what she wrote:

The answer is . . . it is a lot of tiring work.

I wish I had an easy solution for you, but plain and simple they call it sleep "training" for a reason.
Just like training for a marathon or anything else it takes time and dedication.

I always makes me crazy when I have mom's come up to me and tell me how "easy I have it" or how "lucky" I am because my kids go to bed around 6pm every night and not only take great naps all day, but they go down for them SO easily.

It makes me crazy because I DO know how blessed I am to have children with good sleeping habits, but it is not "luck" or "easy", it is hard work.
BUT it is only hard work for a week or two then you have years and years of blissful sleeping!

So my suggestions to you would be:

1. Don't wait for him to get tired and fussy to lay him down.
You want to watch him very closely and when you notice that he is just a little bit more quiet, or little more still, or staring of int0 space. THAT is when you take them to bed.

2. Start a calming bedtime routine.
When they are this little you wont have much time.
According to Dr. Weissbluth you only have about a 15-20min window of the ideal time to put your baby to bed. And if you miss that window then you will be having to work a lot harder to get them to sleep and even harder to keep them asleep.

So I always liked a calming bath, just a really quick one, maybe 5 min. Then lotion them up while singing to them, put on jammies, swaddle them up REAL tight, and give them one last feeding (even if they just ate an hour ago - you always want to top them off).

3. Find what works for your baby.
Some babies (like my little Carter) have reflux and it irritates them to sleep laying flat in a crib, so he prefers to sleep in his swing. I don't turn it on, but even if that is what your little Connor needs then it will NOT be detrimental to him to sleep in a swing on or off, in a bouncy chair, in a carseat, in your bed, where ever! (as long as it's safe of course).

The key right now is to get him to recognize when he is tired and train him to sleep at the right hours of day/night.
So at first he may/WILL need extra help.
But once this is programed in his system, he won't need so much, if any, help.

4. Work to keep him asleep (The hard one)
So you did your routine, he is clean, full belly, and sleeping, and the next thing you know he is wide awake.
So what do you do?
This depends on your baby.
If he wakes up happy and just wants to lay in his crib and talk to himself, then let him, HOPEFULLY he will fall back asleep when he is done.
If he wakes up sad, or gets sad after a while, then it's time for you to go to work.
Go into his room (or where ever he is sleeping)
WITHOUT turning on any lights, and
WITHOUT talking to him, and
WITHOUT making eye contact with him.
(This was always the hardest part for me, especially when they are being cute and just want to play, but it makes a HUGE difference.)
He is awake because he wants to play with you, and you have to teach him that it is just not time for that.

Once in there, make sure he is still swaddled up good, and do what ever you have to do to get him back to sleep.
(Rocking, bouncing, nursing again, binki, but NO singing or talking).

If he is used to being up at this time of night this will be especially difficult for a few days, and my take an hour or so to get him back to sleep.
Just keep reminding yourself the whole time, that it WILL be worth it!

Then just stick to that throughout the night.
If you know he is waking up to eat - feed him,
If not - then just do whatever you have to to get him to sleep.

This is where some parents choose to let their babies "cry it out".

That is completely personal choice.
What you are basically doing is letting them cry because it tires them out faster and they will fall asleep quicker.

I would ALWAYS try to soothe them to sleep on my own first, and if after an hour or whatever your limit is, they are still asleep then leave the room and let them cry.
I choose to only let them cry for 20 min. at a time, then I would go back in and try again to soothe them to sleep on my own.
I have NEVER had to let them cry a second 20 min.

Good luck!
I know it is hard, but it is SOOO worth it.
Stick with it and in a week or two YOU will be that mom that everyone is saying "oh you have it so easy".
And you will just roll your eyes and say "yea . . . easy . . ."


I have been working at it for a few days now...and I don't feel like I'm getting ANYWHERE! So my question is, do any of you have a routine like this that works for YOU? What have you done or what are you currently doing to make your kids great sleepers? What should I change if this isn't working for me? Connor is programmed to go to sleep no earlier than 11:30 and I'm worn out! Thanks mothers!

~Kirsten

Free 8X10 with 20 Free prints at Snapfish-1 week only!

If you sign up for a new account with Snapfish you will receive a FREE 8X10 with 20 free prints! Also enter code PRESDAY for FREE shipping! They did have a free dog leash earlier in the week, but due to high demand they are sold out- but the 8X10 is still a GREAT deal!

Also, at York Photo you can get 50 prints for 50 cents! Just create an account (or with an existing account) and enter code LINCOLN after you have uploaded your pictures! This deal is good until March 2nd.

It is SUCH a good idea to get your pictures off your computer and into albums or scrapbooks before they pile up and overwhelm you! I am so excited to get my free and cheap prints this week!


Keep checking back for some GREAT photo deals!

~Kirsten

Purex Laundry Detergent- 65 cents!!!

Right now at Kroger stores- (Smith's, Fred Meyer, etc..) if you buy 2 Purex laundry detergents you get a Catalina coupon for $4 towards your next visit- or buy 3 and get a $5 coupon! So if you buy your first two they will be $2.49 a piece. There is a coupon ou for $.35 cents off one, and if you get Smith's coupons in the mail there may be one for $1.50 off $5 of laundry detergent. So I spent $2.19 a piece thanks to the Daytona promo, buy ten participating items get $3 off...or .30 off each item. So I spent $4.38-$1.50-.35= $2.53.

Then I bought two more with the $5 coupon that had printed (I bought 4 detergents my first trans.) and spent $.29! I kept rolling the coupons over until I had purchased 14 detergents, and I still have $4 to use on my next shopping trip! So total spent? $9.27! I got 14 bottles that do 32 loads each, so at my average of 4 loads per week I have a 2 year supply of detergent for less than $10!!! It's not too late for you! The Purex is on sale tomorrow and possibly next week, and I believe the coupon should print until March 1st! Happy laundry hunting! :-)

~KIRSTEN

Free 8X10 photo collage and 25 free prints!

Hey all, I know you have hundreds if not thousands of pictures on your computers that need to be printed, right? I'm very proud to say I have printed nearly every picture I've taken of Connor since he was born so far! Why? Because I get them printed when great deals come out! Shutterfly, Snapfish, etc.

This week I got all my pictures from Connor's blessing printed at Walgreens! They have buy 25 get 25 free until tomorrow! Use code: LOVE10 up to five times! Meaning you have to place 5 separate orders of at least 50 pictures each. You can only get matte finish on the shipped pictures, but when I did it there was no charge for shipping! Awesome! So it makes each print about 6 cents. GREAT deal! Yon can get 250 pictures printed for around $16.00!

Next, TODAY ONLY they have a free 8X10 photo collage. Pick it up in store or see how much shipping is! I got one made of Connor's blessing day for this as well, and it turned out so cute! Enter code: VDAY to get this for FREE!

Gotta love FREE! Good luck!

~Kirsten

Diapers.com!

Hey all, so for my first GREAT deal, I'd like to share an offer from Diapers.com!

If you are a mother with diaper age children, you know it's an inevitable cost...so why not make it fun and cheap?!

I made my first purchase there about 2 weeks ago because I got a code from Pampers for $10 0ff. It was SO funny to me that I could order diapers, and get them delivered to my door 2 days later! The great thing about Diapers.com is they have FREE shipping on orders over $49, and even if you have a coupon code that makes it $39 after, you STILL get the free shipping! They have "E-coupons" too..so you don't feel like you could get them cheaper at the store! No more searching for diaper coupons in the ads! (I still will, but this is a great addition to my savings!)

SO here's what you do. You go to Diapers.com and place an order for at least $49 (if you want free shipping). You can order anything! They don't just have diapers and wipes! But for this post I'll tell you what I did. I ordered Pampers Swaddlers size 1 for $40. Then I ordered 3 cases of Pampers sensitive wipes, 2 were $3.5o one was $3. So my total was $50! I got $10 0ff, and FREE shipping. So I got 3 cases of wipes, and 216 NICE diapers for $40! And it came right to my door! If you credit the $10 off to the diapers it makes them $.13 a diaper..which is the same price as Walmart diapers! GREAT deal! And they are awesome diapers..my favorite so far!

*Just so you know how great of a deal this is, I saw a case of 120 diapers at Target marked down to $27...I got about another 100 diapers for $3 more dollars!

So to get your first order at $10 off, enter code: KIRS7048

You will get $10 0ff, and I will recieve a $10 credit to my account! After you are a member you will get codes of your own and can pass them on to your friends and family who need diapers!

Let me know how it goes!