What a weekend it's been! We have had such a great time together as a family. Saturday we packed a picnic and headed to the park to enjoy an evening together. I think it's fair to say Donald and I had as much fun as Jackson did just being a kid. Here's a few pictures of our family night together. I wasn't able to capture pictures on the carousel or the train ride that we took around the park. Jackson was a little afraid of the carousel for some reason; however, he absolutely loved the carousel in April at the zoo, so maybe he wasn't able to warm-up to the carousel long enough before it started spinning. We will definitely be doing this again soon. Jackson has mentioned several times today that he wanted to go to the park, and he told us his favorite things were the big slide and the train.
I love shopping, but even more, I love scoring a great deal on the things that we need. There's so many ways to do that, but one way I've learned to do that is through Upromise. I've been using Upromise for the past few years, and as of today, I've earned $164.08, which isn't a lot for a few years, but it's free money. I started out using this for my college expenses, but now I use it to save for Jackson's college expenses. Hopefully by the time he goes to college, I'll have enough saved for 1 semester of books or something =) It adds up slowly, but it's free!
Right now, if you join and make an online purchase by 6/30/08, you'll earn an extra $10 in your account. They will even let you start an account if you're expecting, think you'll have children in the future, want to help save for a family member or friend, etc.
The way Upromise works, if you haven't heard of it, participating companies offer a percentage of your purchases back in the form of savings for college expenses. They offer you the opportunity to put this savings into a 529 college savings plan or you can ask to withdraw your money as needed if you fill out the withdrawal form and mail it in. I choose to withdraw my funds and put them in a college savings account. You register your store cards and they automatically keep track of your purchases. Many stores offer the option of registering your card such as CVS, Harris Teeter, and Lowe's Foods. If you choose to also register your credit cards, you can save at places such as Bed, Bath & Beyond, and you can also save extra through shopping online through their website. I order many Christmas gifts online and save quite a bit of money through walmart.com, bestbuy.com, target.com and many others. If you haven't checked it out before, check it out, and I'll answer any questions I can. I'm an affiliate for this program, so if you sign up through my link I get $4. So I encourage you to use my link, but if you choose not to, check it out and earn yourself some free cash!
Those that know me best know that for the past 10 months since I quit work, I have been on a quest to save our hard-earned money by working hard at making the money we have stretch that much further. One way I have been able to do that is through the use of coupons. We save hundreds each month through coupons. I have added a coupon toolbar on the side of my blog that will allow you to print coupons. If you see any you like, be sure to click them to print. They change often, and coupons.com is a site I have used for many months. I receive a small amount of money for any coupons printed through my website, so I encourage you to check it out if you haven't before and save yourself a little bit of money.
**We love the Muir Glen Organic tomatoes. They are our brand of choice now. There is a $1.00 off coupon which makes them only pennies at most places such as Wal-Mart, but they have a much better flavor than other canned tomatoes, so we use those in our spaghetti and other dishes and LOVE it!
Thank you to everyone who sent birthday wishes on Thursday. My life is as sweet and enjoyable as it is because of God, and the friends and family I surround myself with! I love y'all! I had an enjoyable 26th birthday, and it was so special because of the time I was able to spend with my family. God has truly blessed me with a special family that I wouldn't trade for the world! They were sweet to travel to Raleigh to enjoy dinner with us, and it was a nice time of fellowship.
Jackson knows a thing or 2 about birthdays, and while we were eating dinner last night at our favorite restaurant, which has candles on the table, Jackson said, "Birthday mommy. I blow out." He thought it was a birthday candle for him to blow out. He has sang me "Happy Birthday" more times than I can count the past few days, and I have just enjoyed hearing his sweet voice singing.
The phrase of the day has been "not bad." Anytime you ask Jackson if he likes what he's eating today he'll say "Not bad mommy." Not sure where he picked it up but it's so cute. When he says it, you just get the feeling he's such a big boy and knows exactly what he's talking about. I love it =) He says the cutest things somedays!
Happy Father's Day tomorrow! Father's day is always such a hard day for me as I miss Papa so much! During days like this, I remind myself all day how thankful I am that I had such a good dad, and I had him for the 24 years that I did. I'm constantly reminded of what a positive influence Papa had on my life, and how many people never have that influence from their dad in their lifetime! What a privelege to have him as my dad, and to have all of the cherished memories I have of him. I love you Papa!
