More Free Calendars

Betty Crocker is offering their calendar again for free this year. I got one last year and loved it. Sign up for their newsletter and get a free calendar here.

Another calendar you can get for free is the Eat Better America calendar. If you are a new member, you can get a free calendar here.

Hand made Eye Patch

At only 18 months, R. was diagnosed with strabismus (also known as lazy eye). This is a condition where the eyes are not properly aligned with each other. To strengthen his eye, his doctor suggested patching his stronger eye so that the lazy eye could grow in strength. I searched high and low and found no eye patches at the store. The only ones that I came across involved tape which is what I didn't want.

Then, I noticed one day a kid with a patch on his eye glasses which would give the same effect as patching his eye. I researched online and found my solution. After looking at some pictures, I decided to make it personalized for R. so that he would want to have his eye patched. I thought, how hard could it be to actually sew one?

R. finally decided on a Mario themed patch. I had one left over circle from a goof up on their Power Mario cap I made for E.'s birthday last year. With some left over felt, I cut out two semi-circles and two squares with a semi-circle cut out. I also layered another piece of felt behind the circle M so that you couldn't see any light through it.

I took the semi-circles and placed them on top of one another to form a complete circle. This will be the opening of where the glasses will be placed.

Next, I took the rectangular piece.

I placed the semi-circles on top of the rectangular piece and sewed them together.

Just guide your needle around the circle. My sewing machine is still broken so I had to hand stitch everything.

I took the other rectangular piece and sewed it to the circle M.

Place the two pieces on top of each other (right sides together) and sew all around the edge.

You will need to leave a little opening on the straight end to be able to slide the glasses through it.

Flip the patch inside out.

Slide the eye glass through the opening and out the other end.

Adjust to center it properly.

Voila! A hand made eye patch

I tried on R.'s glasses to make sure that there was no light coming into his left eye (hence the necessary side rectangular panel).

I am elated that he absolutely loves his patch and is willing to wear it anytime.

Dinner is no exception.

Neither is playing on his DS. He has requested a Thomas the train one so I am sure that will be happening sometime soon. Hopefully the patch will fix his eye and he won't need surgery in the coming future. Total project time was 20 minutes. For my 20 minutes, I got to hear, "You're the best, Mom." Now, you definitely can't beat that.

Free 2011 Unity Calendar

Unity has created a beautiful and inspiring 2011 calendar to help you focus your creative power on living a healthy, prosperous and meaningful life. To get a free calendar, go here.

50% Outerwear at Old Navy

I'm excited that winter is near. It's almost time to put on those winter coats. Old Navy is thanking their customers for reaching the one million mark on their facebook page with a 50% coupon for a single outerwear purchase. For online purchases, use code OUTER50. For in store coupon, print this. This offer is valid only until October 28th.

I definitely do not need another trench, but am loving this one.


For a pop of color, I find this one to be adorable. Happy Shopping!

3 days and counting

I have three days left before the big exam day! I certainly do not look forward to spending my entire Saturday taking this exam, but I will be elated that it will be finally over and I will finally get my weekends back. I am praying so hard that I pass it because restudying for this exam again would be horrible.

I can't wait to start some new projects as well as finish some ones that I left pending. Right after the test, I plan on diving right back into the wedding planning mode (no, I'm not getting married again...it's my sister's wedding) and share some cost-saving strategies for that big day. On top of that, it is my goal to redo all the kids bedrooms again. I simply can't wait.

Because every post is better with a picture. Here is what I will be feeling Saturday at 3PM (after 6 long hours) when the test is over.

Wish me luck! I certainly need it.

Looks or comfort?

What do you do after saving a bunch of money on diapers and doing nothing but studying hour after hour? You take a break and go Shoe shopping! I needed to replace some booties (short boots?). Last week, the heel of my boots came off. I've had those shoes since my freshman year in college so they have definitely lasted quite awhile. I tried to super glue the heel on, but alas we ran out. It must be fate telling me to replace them. I figured it was time for a new pair anyway. After 15 years, I was long over due.

I did buy another pair of boots, nearly identical to the one I have. I know, not venturing too far, right? I can't help it if I know what I like. I settled on the nine west half pint bootie. I got one in black and one in brown.

I know, nothing special. It's simple, looks good with jeans and slacks and is comfortable. Practical and functional is what I tend to lean towards.

Before I rushed out of the store, I noticed these beauties. Adrienne Vittadini Marcel Pumps.

I absolutely fell in love. The heel of my feet is so flat that I can never wear any pumps without straps. My feet will just fall out so to my astonishment, these shoes actually stayed on my feet as I walked around the store, making me love them even more. The one issue I have is that they so hurt my feet. Do you buy shoes that hurt your feet simply because they look fabulous or do you stick with shoes that are more comfortable?

I love them so much I decided to get them. They will be for my sister's wedding. That's my excuse and I am sticking to it. Gotta look fabulous that day. Shh...don't tell, but I plan on packing some flats in my bag just in case.

Great Diaper Deals from Amazon

My littlest one is still in diapers. I am so hoping that it won't be for long, but until then I just discovered this great diaper deal from Amazon. Here is what to do to optimize your savings.

Head over to amazon.com and join the amazon moms club (basically its a club for anyone that takes care of a little ones, i.e. moms, dads, babysitters). By doing this, you will save an additional 15% on Subscribe and Save for a total of a 30% discount.

Then go shopping for your brand of diapers. You need to purchase your diapers from amazon.com and not a third party seller in order to get the extra 30% discount. I chose Huggies Snug and Dry since that is what we use which so happens to be 30% off right now ($41.69 marked down to only 30.21)

Choose the “Subscribe and Save” option on the top right hand side of the page – by doing this, you will save an additional 30% off your diaper order and receive FREE shipping! This drops the price to around $21. You can cancel at any time after your item has been shipped.

PLUS, if you have the November 2010 issue of Parenting magazine, you will find a pullout of an Amazon coupon code discount for 20% off a diaper purchase at amazon valid until 12/31/10! You can combine this coupon with the 30% subscribe and save discount. I didn't know my free subscription to Parenting magazine would come in so handy. You can sign up for a free 6 month subscription to Parents magazine here. I hear they have the same amazon coupons.

So my total purchase price for the box of diapers that retails for over $40 is only $15.11. That's over half off! Apparently, this deal has been happening for a while now. Looking at my account, diapers for the following month will be around $21 which is still nearly half off. I wish I had known about this a long time ago.

Piano again

E. started taking piano lessons when he turned 5 and gave it up last May when his teacher moved to China. He hadn't touch the piano since then until last night.

While I was studying, he decided he would play for A. and after a few moments of practice to refresh his mind on the keys, he was ready to play away.

It's so great that he completely remembered everything and it was as if he hadn't stopped playing at all. I am keeping my fingers crossed that he will play Christmas songs this year. Last year, he was too shy to play in front of anyone, but me.

Toys R Us Sale

Toys R Us is having a wonderful sale on Video Games and Accessories. Buy 2 and get 1 FREE on ALL Video Games, Video Game Accessory, Guides, and T-shirts. Use code 939831 and get an additional $10 off a $50 purchase. If you use different emails and can split your purchases, you can reuse the coupon code, saving you even more!

I have 4 boys that love video games so this is an awesome savings. They have been wanting additional wii controllers so they can all play at the same time so this is a great opportunity to get some Christmas gifts early at a discount.

I bought 3 wii controllers for the price of two, the additional $20 coupon code ended up saving me a whopping $90! I'll probably sell one of the controllers since we don't need it and will end up saving even more. The greatest thing about this is that selling my used items on craigslist paid for all for this. Total price out of pocket for this purchase is $0! Can't beat that can you?

Inspirational Board and Battan

I was reading on Imperfect, how Emily decorated her son's room with board and batten.

I saw this picture and was so inspired. As soon as I am done with studying for my test, this is going to the top of my to-do list for R.'s room.



Another inspiration room with board and batten.

Love.

Lego Mini Builds

Tomorrow's Lego Mini Build is Frankenstein.

My kiddos love going to the Lego store for their Mini Builds each month.

They love it so much that when they announced a contest to design next year's Mini Build for the month of September, J. and I were quick to come up with this box of Crayons as one of our entries.

I can't think of anything more fitting for September than some school supplies.

We hope we win so that we can build this creation next year! We are definitely keeping our fingers crossed on this one.

Halloween Decor

Here's my mantel for the summer. I'm not in love with the mirror, but I love the flowers and the colors.

To me, it's simple, bright and cheery.

I love Halloween, but I don't usually decorate too much for this holiday. However, I needed a break from all my studying so I decided to redecorate my mantel for the month of October. I shopped around and couldn't find anything that I was too excited about so after walking home with a single bag of candy corn, I decided to shop around my house instead.

I took some frames that were literally just laying around.

Next, I took some handmade scrapbook paper that I had on hand.

I needed some Halloween images, but my husband overtook my craft room which housed my laptop and printer so I found this pumpkin carving booklet and decided to use the images in the book.

The simpler the image, the better. I cut out the paper image and used it to cut out the image onto fabric.

I chose a cat and a haunted house (nothing too scary for my kiddos).

I placed the fabric image onto my scrapbook paper and framed it.

Since the frame is 11 x 14 and my paper is 12 x 12, I cut a piece of black fabric to fill in the empty space on the bottom. I used a green ribbon as a divider. I love the way it turned out.

And now for my mantel reveal.



From bright and cheery to....

a more goolish feel.

The total price tag for the change was $2.49, the price of a bag of candy corn. I want to also make a Halloween wreath, but I will need to muster up some more time to make another field trip to the craft store for that one. Until then, I am pretty happy with the way my mantel turned out.