Mukilteo Beach

Fall in Washington is one of the things that makes me love it here. Its not to rainy "yet" but its cool and crisp with a sunny sky. Today was one of those days. I just cant get enough and wish fall could go on forever. But winter will be here before we know it so I just make sure to relish in what we have today.

Today we stopped of at Starbucks to get a pumpkin spice latte (HEAVEN) and then I took the boys to Mukilteo Beach. Its so gorgeous there. The ferry boats, train tracks and a beach that goes on forever at low tide keep the boys and mommy happy.



Ahhhh, the good stuff!

Menu plan and weekly shopping trip roundup

Okay so I feel like I have a free pass this week. I don't have to plan! Brian needs his nights to study so the kids are packing up and going to grandma and grandpa's every night this week. That means mommy is off the hook. We have plenty of breakfast and lunch stuff already in the house and I also have leftovers in the freezer so that Brian can thaw, heat and eat. I as usual will take my yummy salad with me for dinners at work.

I thought all this would also mean spending way less this week but alas I used up my money stocking up and getting a treat for myself.

Costco

2 gallons milk - 3.96
3 chai tea mixes - 7.65
salad - 3.99
juice boxes - 8.99
grilled chicken strips - 14.45
24 eggs - 2.99
grape tomato - 6.49
14 dove soap - 12.99 tax

total = 62.63

Fred Meyer

8 pk bounty - 6.99 tax
half gallon nonfat milk - 1.25
3 pk tillamook shredded cheese - 3.00
3 pound apples - 2.30

total = 14.14

Grand Total = 76.77

I somehow feel like I failed, I didn't get a table full of food, nor did I need one. But I did get stuff we will eventually use. I know that I could have done better on the soap but didn't have any coupons anywhere nor did I want to run to another store today. I guess I can chalk today up to a learning experience that no matter how thrifty we get we all can get lazy, and in the end that costs us!



Next week will be better, I promise!

GOOOOOAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLL

Jayda's team got their very first goal EVER today! It was awesome. the girls and their parents have waited a long time (4 games) for this moment. The winning goal was shot by Taylor (number 7) and I hope her parents took her out for a big celebration tonight. I know her lucky number 7 made the team moral grow by 10 feet today. Even if the girls didn't win the game, that goal sure made it feel like they did!

WAY TO GO FIRE DRAGONS!





Going in for the scoring shot!


Of course it wouldn't be a My Two Sons blog post without pictures of well....

zoological expedition

Today after a few weeks of Eli asking to see elephants, we decided to go see some elephants! So with coupons (of course!) in hand we headed south to the Woodland Park Zoo. The boys had a great time and ran all over pointing out animals and discovering the hidden trails and pathways. We must have walked for miles but neither boy showed any signs of slowing down. It was a great day of discovery!

Thirfty Thursday

So a while back I found a recipe for making your own babywipes. We go through these thigs so fast. What with one butt to still wipe and quick cleanups of faces, hands and anything and everything else you can think of. I thought to myself "I can definatly make these things for cheap" so I did. I dont have a exact breakdown of cost but a good estimate is a weeks worth of wipes = about $.55

So how do you make them?

1 roll paper towel (Bounty works best)
2 cups boiled water
2 tbls baby wash
2 tbls baby oil ( I like the kind with aloe)

First you are going to need to cut your paper towel roll in half. Just use a sharp knife and its actually pretty simple. Try to avoid a serated knife as it will leave fluffy stuff all over!


Stuff one half of each into a tupperwware container.


boil the water. once boiled add 2 tbls baby wash and lightly mix in. you dont want to create a bunch of bubbles, just blend it. Then mix in the 2 tbls baby oil.


Pour mixture over papertowels and let cool. Once cool pull out the paper tube. It should come really easy, but if it rips just dig a fork in there to greab it!



Then start the center pull. and replace the lid. It really is that easy!


Since these wipes contain no alchohal they dont have a perservitive in them and will mold if they keep to long. I only make about a weeks worth at a time so that I dont have waste from molding. You can also make your own clorox wipes and antibacterial wipes usingthe same method.

Clorox Wipes
1.5 cups water
1/3 cup bleach

Antibacterial Wipes
1 cup rubbing alcohal
1 cup baby lotion (the pink stuff)
mix well and pour over towels. This makes for a great on the go clean up since it kills germs too!

Menu plan and weekly shopping trip

So first off let me say that last week went not according to plan and even though we didnt get to eat what I had planned for Thursday or Friday we did still manage to not eat out. We pawned the kids on Grandma and Grandpa one day and the other we ate leftovers. So this week will have those two meals on the plan, we are not just eating the same stuck in a rut food.

Breakfast this week will be mostly quick on the go (cereal, fruit, muffins) withthe exception of Saturday which I intend to make my favorite Big Apple French Toast Casserole YUM!

Lunch will be the usual, withthe exception of I am packing lunches for Brian again! YAY for jobs!

Dinner
M - Tuna Noodle Casserole
T - Scalloped Potatoes & Ham
W - Crock Pot Taco Soup with Chips and sour cream
TH - Creamy Garlic Chicken Pasta and Broccoli
F - Left Over buffet!
S - Roast Chicken and Veggies
S - Chicken Potpie (using left over roast chicken)

The Shoppng Trip Roundup!

Winco

3LB ground turkey - 6.78 (2.26 a pound!)
2 5LB Whole fryer chickens - 9.74
2 pie crusts - 5.28 (1.00 coupon)
5 cream cheese - 7.40 (5.00 coupon = .48 each!)
silk soy milk - 3.00 (.75 coupon)
creamer - 2.50
2% milk gallon - 1.98
half gallon nonfat milk - 1.51
buttermilk - .38
10LB potatoes - 1.98
cantalope - 1.05
2.4LB apples - 2.35
1.44LB broccoli - 1.41
4LB oranges - 2.98
1LB pasta - .74
fabric softner - 1.95
2 canned veggies - 1.72
Parmesan - 1.98
Goldfish - 6.48

Coupons minus 6.75

Total = 55.89

Costco

Black forest ham - 7.26
eggs - 2.99
bananas - 1.32
salad - 3.99

Total = 15.56

Grand Total = 71.45





Okay so really I could have done with out the big box of goldfish but hey the kids need a treat now and then and whats better with PB&J than fish crackers! I also stocked up on ground turkey and fryer chickens since it was a good buy. I strive to be under $60 per week but somethings just cant be helped.

Check out how others did this week. Grocery Cart Challenge

Five

Five years since we said I do. So much has changed since then. We have two wonderful little boys who bring us such joy. We have experienced struggles and made it through. With you I can do and be anything. Together we are stronger than we are apart. Thank you for making each day as special as our wedding day.