These AREN'T just some of my favorite things...

When my mother called me up a few weeks ago and told me she was on a cleaning frenzy and going through all their stuff in the house and attic I thought, "Good for her". I'm all about getting rid of things that just aren't usable anymore. When she told me, "I'm going to send you some of your things we found" I thought, "Hey, that might be fun to go through some of my old childhood things" (before I hurl them into the trash or sell them on ebay).

However...

When she sent me three boxes of - well - let me just show you. Apparently my recollection of "my" items and her recollection of "my" items are VERY different!

Ah, yes - I have fond memories of playing with this lovely outlet cover. Obviously the sharp edges and pointy wings were no much for my toddler safety skills. Seriously? I'm pretty sure this isn't mine.


Hmmm...is it a cutting board (often used by children, of course)? Is it an unfinished wall plaque? Is it - hey, wait - is that my uncle's name written in pencil on it? Pretty sure it isn't mine.

I'm not saying I was never a victim of a fashion taboo, but I assure you this purse was never a part of my wardrobe. My style was more Madonna meets Molly Ringwald.

Is it just me, or does this plaque say, "Mr. Cook"? And does the bottom part say "Seniors '74"? Yeah, I'm pretty sure I was 2 years old then - not much into plaques - especially ones that were for my Dad. Nice try sneakin' that one into the box Dad.

I'm seeing a trend here. That would be "Coach Cook" at the top of that. In 1987 I was 15 and a high school cheerleader - NOT a "Coach".

This is probably one of my favorites. It is homemade bookends. I know this won't come as a shock, but those are not my initials. Hmmm...mom? Aren't those your initials before you were married? Yeah, I wasn't around before you were married...unless there's something you need to tell me...so this isn't mine.

The above are all items out of the first box I went through. I haven't even touched the other two and - frankly - I'm a bit scared about it.

And for you Mom? Just wait...I'll sneak some of these things back into your house somehow. You won't know when...and you won't know how....but.....bwah, ha, ha, ha, ha...

They get lippy with me all the time

A good friend of ours took this wonderful pic of the girls at Travis & Yayoi's wedding reception. Thanks for the pics Mike! And thanks for the Mick Jagger lips Papaw!

New Flickr Pics!

I just added some new Flickr pics to my right side bar. Just click on any of the pictures and it will take you to the main page for this set of pictures.

The girls and I met our wonderful friends at a new movie theater/shopping area where there were fountains outside. They had a blast!!!!

And - just as a teaser - I'm working on a post outlining the girls' trip to their grandparents last week. They were able to go visit Mom-Mom (Chris' grandmother) and Tantie (Chris' Aunt) while they were up there. This is a picture from their lunch with them.

Shhh...don't tell anyone

Our Homeowners' Association is a little persnickety (apparently I'm talking like my great aunt today - who the heck says "persnickety"?). They don't want any of us having gardens in our back yard. I understand that they don't want big bush-hogs coming in and tearing all the ground up, but I crack up every year watching my neighbors "sneak" a tomato plant or two into their back yard flowerbeds because of these rules. I mean, what the heck is the HOA really going to do? Throw those tomatoes at our houses? Make us write "I will not plant produce" a hundred times?

Anyway, we have never been drawn to grow anything really. Seriously - we have a rose plant that keeps coming back every year without any tender care from us. We do like to keep nice flower beds, but they are full of plants that don't need much maintenance. Let's just say Martha Stewart ain't knockin' down our door to do a show on our beautiful landscaping.

This year however, the produce growing fairies decided to bless our back flower bed with the most interesting choice of gourd - pumpkins. Actually, my dear hubby decided he might as well throw those unused pumpkin seeds from our carving experience last fall into the back corner flower bed. He never even considered that one of those little seeds might decide to take root. Well, our pumpkin seeds showed him!

Want to see what happens when you say, "hey, let's see what happens to this little pumpkin plant seedling"?

Yep - that is what is growing out of our flower bed, and it grows about a foot every day - no kidding. The HOA is NOT going to be happy with us, but we are now dead-set on having our own pumpkin farm and charging admission. Shoot - we may even offer hay rides (given by the girls pulling a wagon behind their bicycles) for another nominal fee (hey - someone has to pay for their college!).

So we are now plotting to keep the HOA from finding out we have this sucker. I mean - really - they could care less, but it is more exciting for us if we act like we're growing something illegal and are on the verge of getting "narced" on. DUDE!

And what will our family do with these truckloads of money we'll make from our pumpkin farm? Why we'll buy some pimp coats to go with our pimp hats and attitudes. Suh-weet!

Well, I'm "Do"ing it!

I know you are all on the edge of your seats waiting to hear the exciting list of things I've done each day since arriving back at home without the critters. So without further ado, here is a list from Tuesday (I didn't get back to my house til about 1:30pm) and Wednesday.

Tuesday...

1. Dropped off an item to be worked on as a gift. (I can't give details on this as the person the gift is for will read this.) There were decisions to be made and thus I made them with great authority - ta da!

2. Drop off two big bags of clothes at Goodwill. And what would a trip to Goodwill be without me perusing the aisles for items of interest. Hey - don't knock the Goodwill! I bought a Tommy Hillfiger shirt and a J. Crew sundress - both brand new - for less than $10. I sho' do love myself some good deals!

3. Fix the legs of our kitchen chairs. I bought these freakin' chairs on sale (of course - have I not mentioned how cheap I am?) several months ago and we can't keep the little things at the bottom of the legs on to save our lives. You know...those fuzzy things that keep your chairs from scratching up your floor. So I bought the industrial, restaurant-grade leg cover thingies and nailed (yes, a hammer was involved and I still have all of my fingers) those suckers on the chair legs. They work like a charm. Bob Villa ain't got nothin' on me!

4. Fix the blinds in the kitchen. Not sure why, but the previous owners ordered EXTRA LONG custom made blinds for our big kitchen window. I understand the custom order for the width of the window, but do we really need 6 additional feet of length at the bottom of those blinds. So I used my astute blind adjustment skills (mmm, hmmm) and shortened those boogers by about 15 blinds. Now it doesn't take three bar bouncers to pull those blinds up.

5. Wash the curtains in the girls' room and the kitchen. LONG overdue. Let's just say neither set had been washed since they were put up. Oh the dust bunnies were hoppin' all over the place and multiplying like crazy!!!

6. Order some things for POTATO. We have our Officer Transition dinner in about a week and I'm trying to get things in order. Yes - I'm President for one more year, unless they impeach me. But - barring any controversial intern affair scandal - I should be good to go til the next term.

7. General putting crap away. We have lots of STUFF. I swear I throw stuff out all the time, but it just keeps multiplying. hmmmm...maybe our stuff is in cahoots with the dust bunnies.

Chris and I spent the evening crashed out in front of the television. We live such exciting lives.

Wednesday

1. Clean the fridge. ohhh...this was a bit scary, but I put on a brave face (and a face mask and gloves) and dove right in. Actually, it wasn't too bad, but there was something that had apparently spilled down the back of the fridge that was very dark. I'm pretty sure it was some sort of Mexican squirting soy sauce, but it did have a scary resemblance to the dried blood I've seen on any of the bazillion CSI shows on TV. Honey, do you have something you want to tell me? Are you hiding body parts in our fridge somewhere?

2. Wash the girls comforters and mattress pads. Really meant to do that in the Spring, but never got around to it. Their beds are all nicely made and fresh. All ready for their return.

3. Clean the shower in the master bedroom. Normally, this is not a hard task, but - and not to be too gross - our shower was starting to look like a shower in a guy's fraternity house. ICK!!!! I was high on cleaning fumes the rest of the day, but by golly that shower practically glows!

4. Did two additional loads of laundry (mostly towels). There is just NOTHING I can write that would make this task seem even the slightest bit interesting.

5. Cleaned out the linen closet. Holy cow - this was quite a task, but it looks SO much better. I'm getting rid of a LARGE yard bag full of items that were taking up space in there. We had a couples sets of flannel sheets (yep - so frequently used in the south) from when we were in college, mismatched sheets, fitted sheets and pillow cases from who knows how many sets, and a few sets of VERY faded towels that have just worn out their welcome. It is amazing how much space it freed up. I can't wait to see what I find to shove in there now.

6. Went to the pool. Yep - I told myself I'm not going to work the whole time the girls are gone. It is a rarity that I am ever just by myself, so I'm going to enjoy it. It was nice being able to lay out in the sun with a book. That is a luxury that most mothers never get unless they are by themselves.

I made a nice dinner for Chris and I when he came home and then we went for a bike ride (ahhhh...we're so sweet). Then we came home and threw a football around. No, really...that isn't a double entendra for getting "frisky" (my mother reads this blog, so I have to be dainty with my words like "frisky"), we really tossed a football around. It was nice.

I'll have more updates on today's activities later - aren't you excited!?!

"Do"

Ali Edwards (my "life artist" guru - no, I haven't turned into a hippy) did a project a while back where she chose one word as her motto for the year. She did scrapbook pages to explain why she chose that word and then truly used that word as her inspiration for all she did that year. I believe her first year's word was "Accomplish". I'm doing baby-steps here and using the word "Do" as my inspiration this week.

You see - the girls are at their grandparents' house in Kentucky this week. The girls and I drove the 5 1/2 hours to get there on Sunday wherein Ash asked after about 20 minutes, "How much longer Mommy?" mm-hmm... It wasn't too bad of a trip though.

I used to go to each set of my grandparents' houses in the summer around the time I was 5 too. I thought it was SO much fun and such a treat for my parents to let me go.

Yeah, right!

Now I know that my parents were totally thrilled about me spending those two weeks away as well. Just imagine all they were able to get done around the house without having to entertain or discipline me. Well, let's be honest, how hard could it have been to have me as a daughter? I mean, I'm perfect. Right Mom? Mom? Dad? Hellooooooo....anybody there?

We made it Chez' Grandma & Grandpa's without killing each other and I left Tuesday morning to head back home. I'll admit I was a bit sad leaving them behind, but I knew we would all be able to "Do" some things that really needed to be done: I would be able to "Do" stuff around the house that is a bit hard to accomplish with two 5-year-old girlies around and they would be able to spend some wonderful quality time with their grandparents. The girls will be back in one week and I have a two page list of "Do" items! I'll be updating this blog with my "Do" item checklist each day, so be sure to check back as that will be exciting reading material, let me tell ya!

Now - two funny things that I just have to comment on regarding my trip to Maysberry (my affectionate name for my hometown).

First - there is this house in my parents' subdivision with owners that have a strong affection for yawn ornaments. I'm talking to the extent that I would not at all be surprised to see their yard covered in pink plastic flamingos one day. Anyway, I have always wanted to steal - ok, not really steal - but at least hide one of the MANY yawn critters just to see if they would even notice. It has really become a pet-peeve of mine to pull into the subdivision and see the things in that yard. I swear those little gnomes keep calling me, "Save me Shelley! Take me to greener pastures or just get me a job with Travelocity!"

As I drove into the subdivision this time (and I haven't been home for over a year as my parents have been traveling) I noticed a new yard critter. hmmm....hadn't a tree been there last time I was home. Yep - I confirmed it with my parents and that tree had been struck by lightening (I'm sure it was God trying to put one of the other gnomes out of its misery) and the owners had cut it down. And what goes better on a tree stump than this...

I truly have no words, but I am willing to pay whatever is in my change section of my wallet (3 quarters, a nickle, 25 pennies and some Chuck E. Cheese tokens) to anyone willing to snatch this demented bear from it's perch and bring it to me! Bwah, ha, ha, ha......

The other "funny" event that happened was as I was stopped at one of the local gas stations on the way out of town. I walked in to see three (of the maybe 5 total) policemen in my hometown drinking coffee and eating doughnuts (I swear I'm not making this up) debating over what road each of them would be monitoring that morning. It was all I could do to make it out of there with my beloved Diet Coke without laughing my head off. It was truly like watching an episode of Andy Griffith and listening to a conversation between Andy and Barney. Crack me up!

Wordless Wednesday

Is it just me or does Ash look like she's flashing the "finger"?

And do these girls have some fashion sense or what?!?

To find out more about Wordless Wednesday, just click here.

It's beginning to look at lot like Christmas?

Holy cow! I had better get started!!!!

Click here to see what I mean!

In a Galaxy Far, Far Away...

Ok honey. I didn't fight you when you let our 5 year old girls watch The Return of the Jedi last night. I was also a big fan of the original movies and even had a few of the action figures when I was younger. But when our daughters start chanting "Jaba, Jaba, Jaba, Jaba" at breakfast, there may be a problem.

Ashlyn: "Mommy, put it (the tv) on Jaba. We like him."

I guess it doesn't harm them to have an interest in Star Wars. Shoot, if I had my way I would have the type of body that would get me into THIS outfit and I would be attending Star Wars conventions showing off that hot bod. Darn you Princess Leia!!!!

4th Fireworks Recap

We had a great time last night and I just have a few things to share with along with some commentary on a few of the night's events. I'll be kind - yeah, right - no I won't.

We like to go to a neighboring city's fireworks instead of the big Nashville fireworks. They are closer to us and there seem to be less drunkards roaming around. Now the freak level? Well, that's still pretty high no matter what fireworks you attend. I'm no fashionist, but what the heck are people thinking when they walk out the door in what they have on? Craziness.

Of course, there were lots of activities for the kiddies as we had to entertain them somehow for the the three hours prior to the fireworks starting - trying to find four-leaf clovers in the 3x3 parking lot median only cuts it for about 5 minutes.

We did a picnic in the back of my newly inside-washed, carpets-all-clean van (am I braggin? Heck yeah! I felt like Cinderella scrubbing those stupid floorboards). Then we headed toward the freak show, I mean the fun activities.

Step 1: Bouncy thingy. Always a staple at any outdoor event involving children. Would love to install one of these things in the house!

Step 2: More bouncy thingies. Some idiot decided having water activities might be fun - a dunking booth, a misting tent, a few other moronic choices. These water activities wouldn't have been so bad, but when you let soaking wet kiddies then get on dry bouncy thingies then it makes a HUGE mess. Luckily, a local church kept the wet kiddies off their bouncy thingies (they literally had a "bouncer" - ironic, huh? - keep those we critters away).

Step 3: Carnie food. We only enjoyed the popcorn, snocones and popsicles, but those ears of corn drenched in - what I'm sure was fat-free - butter, looked YUMMY!!!!!

Step 4: Listen to the bands. Apparently it was American Idol reject night at our fireworks. I kept hearing, "(Insert random name here) was the 18th finalist in American Idol this year!" or "Billy Jo Bob made it all the way to the LA tryouts! Let's give him a big round of applause!" or "Paula Lee watched all 23 episodes of this season's American Idol - she says she can sing - let's give her a shot!" Actually, several of the singers we heard were quite good.

Step 4: Find our car and get ready for the fireworks. The girls and I made brownies yesterday morning, so this was the treat for making it back to the van. Uncle Travis & Aunt Yayoi had parked beside us and we were glad they made it back too, so we rewarded them with brownies as well. They are such cute little newlyweds!

Step 5: Sit back and enjoy!

We had a really good time and will definitely do it again. We've been the last 3 years with the girls and they love it.

Happy 4th!

God bless America! We did the annual parade in our subdivision - always a big hit! Here are a few pics and we're now off to enjoy a great family day and some fireworks tonight! You can click on each picture to see them bigger. Hope you all have a wonderful 4th as well!

(almost) Wordless Wednesday

These will make great blackmail pictures when they are all teenagers. We've made some great new friends this summer - Rachel (my fellow pool mommy and the mother of the 3 kids in the top pic that aren't ours), Avery (the oldest hugging Anna in both pics), Camden (middle child - middle in the top pic), & Landry (the 3-year-old scene stealer in the top pic). I'm pretty sure we'll be showing the second one at Anna's & Avery's wedding in 20 years.

Going to the chapel...

Ahhh...nothing like attending a wedding to reignite the love you have with your spouse. And nothing like having your twin daughters in a wedding to make a nervous wreck.

Travis (Chris' brother) and Yayoi were married yesterday and our girls were the flower girls. The wedding was wonderful and Yayoi looked amazing (Travis, you looked good too, but this day is all about the bride so you're just going to have to deal with it). Travis was grinning from ear to ear. Ashlyn was thrilled to be a flower girl and prissed her way down the aisle like Heidi Klum down a runway. Anna scowled most of the time and was counting down the seconds til she could take that dress off. Luckily, a friend (thank you Randy) gave us the suggestion to let Anna wear shorts under her dress which made the situation a little more appealing for her. She still wasn't too happy about it. And she also wasn't thrilled with my attempts at getting her picture. This is a short video of me trying to film them during the ceremony. I know, I know - it is sideways, but I forgot I can't take video with my camera that way. Just turn your head and suck it up! You will have no trouble figuring out which one is Anna.



We had a great time at the wedding. The food at the reception was amazing and catered by a local Japanese restaurant owner. LOVED the sushi!

Here's a slide show of the pics I took at the rehearsal, ceremony and reception. There will probably be more added to the slide show once I pry them from the other family (Papaw, that means you) and friends (Mike, that means you).

We wish Travis and Yayoi all the best. You two make a wonderful pair and we can't wait to see what the future has in store for you.

Simply. The. Best. Movie. EVER!

Popcorn Extortionists!

Some of you may think I'm going overboard. Some may say I have reached the peak of cheapness (if you think this, then you may not realize how cheap I really am). Some may actually agree with me and stand with me against the mighty tyrant that is T*ARGET.

Now let me say - I love T*arget. It is always one of fave places to go with the girls. Love the $1 aisles at the front. Love that the employees don't judge me (at least to my face) when they see my girls playing with all the Schleich animal toys (lining them up in rows as if to march them onto some sort of imaginary ark and taking up the entire aisle to have their version of a circus). USED TO LOVE their $1 popcorn and drink combo in the food area.

Now they've raised the price to $1.50!!!

What the heck T*arget!!!???!!!

The $1 popcorn/drink combo at T*arget is a mother's staple to get the kids to shut up and sit still long enough to get some serious shopping done. And by "serious" I mean allowing me to try on the clearance shoes and thumb through the 75% off clothing racks.

Now I have to pay a whole extra dollar (remember - I have twins) to enjoy this same luxury.

EXTORTION, I say! Now let us all rise up against this tyrant and tell them what they can do with their extra 50 cents!

Well, actually, let's just grumble about it under our breaths and reach into our cluttered purses and spring for the extra 50 cents. Dang it!

Proud as a Peacock

I'm so proud of my Daddy right now.
(I'm Southern, that's what we call our Fathers - now shut it!)

He rocks!

One funny note though...

My dad has been mentioned in my hometown paper for years. He's not famous really, but he's been fairly well known for as long as my family has lived there because he was the high school football coach there and football is a BIG sport in Maysberry (my pet name for my hometown).

Anyway, even though his name has been mentioned in the paper MULTIPLE times throughout the years and he literally can't walk down the street without someone yelling "Coach", the paper still can't spell his name right (His name is Lew not Lou). They will occasionally get it right, but not often. I just think that's funny.

I'm late, I'm late, for a very important...post?

Ha! That title cracks me up as that is part of one of the songs I had to sing as the rabbit in the Alice in Wonderland play/musical we were supposed to do in middle school. I can't remember why, but we never made it to the stage. hmmm....now that's going to drive me crazy trying to remember why we didn't get to do it in front of everyone. Maybe because we were just bad and our choir instructor didn't want to embarrass himself or maybe because I was so good as the rabbit that he didn't want the other kids to feel too bad when I received a standing ovation for my amazing performance. Yep, that last reason must be the one.

Anyway...

I have LOTS to post about, but I just keep waiting til I have the perfect amount of time. That just ain't gonna happin' folks, so you are going to get bits and pieces of what has been going on the last two weeks in various posts over the next couple days. Yes - I'm sure you will be glued to your computer to find out what happens next.

Let's get this started then...
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Vacation Bible School was great. I was absolutely exhausted by the end of it, but it was well worth it.

You won't hear me get on a soapbox about religion much as I feel that is a very personal decision. I am always more than happy to talk to someone about my faith if the topic comes up in conversation, but I just can't bring myself to strike up a conversation about religion just out of the blue. I will say that it was great seeing so many kids there (over 1,000) and knowing that many of them never would have known about God - or even seen the inside of a church - if they hadn't come to VBS.

My room decorations were great (if I do say so myself)! I know I've already posted pics of my door, but the rest of the room looked good too. Here are a few pics:

Those trees? I made them out of empty carpet rolls and lots of construction paper. I LOVED those trees! Shoot - if you would have given me an empty gum wrapper, some Elmer's glue and a socket wrench I could have MacGyver'ed myself a huge beach scene complete with surfers and body-builders.

And the kids in my class were hysterical. I had younger "5's". I didn't have my girls as they do much better when they aren't in a classroom with me. Not to mention that I would probably run from the room screaming daily. There were a couple kids in my class I could have taken home with me. It was quite a challenge as I DO NOT consider myself a good teacher, but I made sure we all learned about God & Jesus while also having a good time.

Will I do it again? Absolutely, but I may take on a different role as I really do feel there are others in our church that would probably be better teachers.
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And since I brought up "body-builders", I just have to tell you about this guy at our YMCA. He absolutely cracks me up. When not in his TIGHT black swimming shorts (I'm talking had-to-jump-off-the-top-of-the-building-to-get-into-the-suckers TIGHT), he is dressed in full body-builder garb (stretchy "Hammer" pants, weight-lifting belt, black wife-beater tank) with his hair styled just like Elvis. Got that image in your head yet? Good.

Well "Pelvis" (my pet name for him) likes to come to the Y's outdoor pool and show off this body of his, but in a very interesting way. Our Y has two misters located at two corners of the pool's deck area. They spray cool mist on Y guests and it is a nice thing to walk through if you want to cool off, but don't want to take the plunge into the pool just yet.

Pelvis chooses this area to flex his muscles. I'm talking full bodybuilder contest poses which probably go with the music that is floating along in Pelvis' head (along with those voices that tell Pelvis that it is a good idea for him to be doing this at 10:30am on a Tuesday in front of all kinds of kids and their mothers). One pose literally made me laugh out loud at him one day. He stood facing the corner of the brick walls with his butt stuck out toward the crowd. Obviously, we all should have just started clapping and maybe he would have stopped.

I have heard that there have been MANY complaints about Pelvis from those that are uncomfortable with his "performances". While it is a bit odd for him to be doing these things, I have never felt threatened by him or felt that he is truly doing any offensive. I've also not ever seen him approach any children, but I can see where he might make others a bit leery. I'm just hoping he will start singing "hunka, hunka burnin' love" while doing those poses one day.
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My parents came to town last week for a few days and we had a great time. We went to the Farmer's Market and Centennial Park to feed the ducks (Flickr pics on the right side of the blog). The girls also helped Grandma make cupcakes for Grandpa's birthday. Here are a few pics from then:













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My cousin-in-law (is that right? She's my husband's first cousin), Julie, has trekked off to Vietnam again. This girl is CRAZY smart - at least we think she is as she has been in school for almost 20 years straight now and we think she has a doctorate in foreign languages, education and possibly podiatry. I'm pretty sure she hasn't had an official "job" yet. (She's a great sport to all our teasing and I'm hoping she won't hurt me the next time we see her - shoot - she's in Vietnam - I ain't scared!)

I liked Julie the minute I met her and - even though we aren't in the same city much - when we do get together she and I seem to be the only ones that get certain jokes. One time, the whole family (Chris' Dad's side) was together along with some family friends for a dinner provided by the church (this was after a funeral of a dear family member). There were a few of us standing around oohing and aahing over a new baby boy. Someone asked the baby's name and the mother said, "Xander". Almost on cue, both Julie and I made a comment that it was "Xander? Like the Xander in Buffy the Vampire Slayer?" Of course, everyone threw us a look like we were apparently the devil-worshiping members of the family, but we shared a giggle and that was enough entertainment for us.

So, feel free to pay her blog a visit as she is off to Vietnam and FAR from home.
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I have MANY more things to post about - including our Father's Day Deliverance Excursion and my Veg-Out 24-hour vacation coming up next week. Stay tuned. I just know you'll be glued to your seats!

(Not so) Wordless Wednesday

I'm new to this blogging "game", so I'll blame my newness for me not being able to remain totally wordless. You can find out more on Wordless Wednesday HERE.

So - can you guess the owners of the feet in this picture?

And I'm working on a MEGA-post that will catch you all up on our antics over the past couple weeks. I hope to have it posted by tomorrow morning.

Up for saving money?????

Ok - most people I know are aware that I'm a tight-wad (stop laughing Becca & Courtney). It isn't really a secret and is actually a quality of which I am quite proud. I swear the main reason my husband and I have such a strong marriage is because we have the same attitude about money - SAVE, SAVE, SAVE!!!! Well, that and the fact that I love sports! It's a toss-up.

As I've been talking to a lot of people about The Grocery Game lately (my latest & greatest find for helping me save money on my shopping), I thought I would post my experience with the program here and refer people to it when they ask me about it. Who knows...maybe another one of my tens of readers will be interested in it.

Basically, The Grocery Game is a shopping system a fellow Mom (Teri) created to help herself and others save money on their regular shopping bills (groceries, toiletries, paper products, high-end jewelry - ok, maybe not that last one) through the use of coupons and monitored store sales. You can get a complete description here.

Teri's system is amazing!!!! Now - let me say that I do not get any sort of kick-back from Terri for telling anyone about The Grocery Game. If you are interested in the program and put my name/email address in as a "referral" I do get extra weeks added to my membership, but I'm not posting this to convince you to do anything. However, if Teri does choose to read this post then I am totally up for selling out and accepting money for pimping out her services!

The best way for me to explain how The Grocery Game system works for me is by describing my regular week in relation to the program. Here goes...

Throughout the week I have a running list of items I need. I use my Kroger's spreadsheet list (listed by items in rows as Kroger is laid out). For example; if I notice we are running a little low on butter, I'll add this to the list; if I just start a new thing of jelly, I'll add jelly to the list. I always want to make sure I don't run out of any particular item so I don't have to make "emergency"/one-item only trips to the store. That is a waste of time and it drives me nuts.

On Sunday, I clip coupons and put them in my organizer. I clip almost every coupon as you just never know what item might show up as a "freebie" item on one of the Grocery Game lists. The only items I don't clip are for pet food or diapers/baby food (I give those to friends) as I have no need to buy them.

Tuesday is when the "list" becomes available for Kroger & Publix (I only use Kroger right now and I actually think Publix may have changed their date to each Sunday). I try to shop on Wednesday or Thursday so I can take full advantage of the special prices before they run out of items, but it also gives me time to plan my menus.

On Tuesday or Wednesday I will do a tentative menu loosely based on what might be on sale at Kroger during that week. All that means is that I'll put down a few meals that I want to make sure I have the ingredients for during that week. Some nights are fully planned regarding meals and others aren't. As the girls get older, our schedules are not as structured as they used to be so we have to be able to go with the flow sometimes (i.e. have a quickie dinner one night when I was planning on making something that may take an hour to prepare). I'm VERY flexible with this part of my process. I don't base the whole week's menu ONLY on what is on sale as I have some staples frozen or already in the pantry, but I will throw in a roast recipe of that cut of beef is deeply discounted on the list.

As far as spending amounts - I used to spend anywhere from $150-$200 each week on groceries and now it is rare if I ever go over $125. I typically save no less than $25 in manufacturer coupons alone (this does NOT include Kroger Plus Card savings). The biggest "shocker" for me regarding the Grocery Game is that I now get name brand items for MUCH less than the generic in many cases. I still buy several generic items (Kroger bread, peanut butter and frozen veggies), but my brand name purchases have definitely increased. I saved over $60 last week on my big weekly shopping visit to Kroger - insane!

One big reason I save so much at my Kroger is that my store will accept expired coupons, multiple coupons for one item and will also let me use coupons stating "buy 3 and get $1 off" when I'm only buying one of those particular items (typically cereal). Not all stores do this, so be sure to check with your store to see their policies on this. My Kroger is well aware of the fact that I'm using five 50 cent coupons to pay for one carton of ice cream. I'm not sneaking anything by them. Ironically, I find that even though my Kroger (I use "my" like I own the place) tends to have slightly higher prices on items, I still get a much better deal there because of their loose coupon policies where other stores (Wal-Mart, Publix & Target specifically) will hold me to the rules of the coupons (I MUST buy three General Mills cereals to get the $1 off).

Walgreen's is the other store on my list and I save an INSANE amount of money there. The first time I used the "list" at Walgreens I bought $75 worth of stuff, spent $47 on it using in-store and manufacturer coupons and then received a check for $25 by using their Easy Saver program (you purchase certain items and get rebates back from them - all on one check - and now this can be done online - VERY easy). I hear CVS is similar and that their program may actually be a bit better than Walgreens.

Now - I will say that the items I buy at Walgreen's tend to be staple household items (i.e. shampoo, razors, lotion, etc.), but they are things we use on a regular basis and I don't mind stock-piling some things. I don't load my house up with too many items, but I try to take full advantage of the savings.

The Grocery Game is not free, but the savings FAR outweigh what you spend on the membership ($10 for the first store and $5 for each additional store every 8 weeks). Stores available depend on your location (you have to enter your zip code for specific listings), but I know the following are in my area: Kroger, Publix, Rite Aid, Walgreens, CVS & Harris Teeter. They are looking to add Wal-Mart and Target, but haven't yet.

The best idea is to do the $1 month-long trial, but I would encourage you to collect four Sundays' worth of coupons before starting your trial period to take full advantage of the free trial period. And select ALL the stores available in your area for the trial period so you can see what each one has to offer. Just be sure to cancel the trial period before the month ends so you can avoid any charges if you aren't interested in participating.

I hope this helps any of you that are interested in The Grocery Game better understand the program. I find with gas prices the way they are now, it is imperative that I do all I can to help our family save money. Also, it has been a fantastic blessing that I've been able to stay home for most of the girls' lives so far and I want to be sure to find savings wherever possible to help me stay here.

I am happy to answer any questions you might have regarding the program, so don't hesitate to contact me.

911

Ashlyn: (From our upstairs balcony) "Mom, call the police!"

Me: "Why?"

Ashlyn: "Anna broke my golf club!"

Me: "I have the police on speed dial honey. They'll be right over."