All You Magazine 83¢ an issue

Check out the article here form Southern Savers.

All You Magazine is found at Walmart and has tons of coupons in it. There is some debate on if the ones at Walmart have more coupons in it than when you get a magazine subscription, but that does not really matter to me.

I got the two year subscription by:

The Deal:

1. Head over here , click “View All Selections”
2. Search for All You.
3. Order 2 years (24 issues) for $20

$20 for two years no cost on shipping or taxes and every order placed $8 goes to charity.

I also went to a coupon workshop at our church put on by Grits Couponing 101. I really got excited about Harris Teeter which we did not have in SC, and they tripling coupons this week until May 4th. Additionally, I learned that if you sign up with you rewards card online with Harris Teeter, you become e-vic member and get deals on certain products every week.

The key with Harris Teeter is they will triple any coupon .99 cents or less. So be sure not to think that a coupon that is worth $1.00 is going to be tripled.

Click here to see Harris Teeter deals this week.

What is your money saving tip this week?

April 2010 Picutres...It has been a fun month!

Cousins all together!

Abigail and her great grandmother for her 80th birthday celebration.

What do you think of "Time -Out?"

In Ginger Plowman's book, Heaven at Home she warns about the "Traps of Ineffective Discipline"

She warns that many discipline techniques can be popular but turn out to be good for only temporary obedience.

Two techniques she critiques that stand outs to me were "Time- Outs," and "Threatening"

With "Time -Outs" she states that:

• When your child lacks self control you do not put him in a time out chair, just like you do not put an alcoholic in a liquor store. She writes, "We must be careful not to lead our children into temptation. Our goal is to encourage them in righteousness for the glory of God. "
  
• "Time-outs open the door for a power struggle. God's way is much easier and much more effective. If a child disobeys, is it not easier to spank the child and be done with it than to enter the power struggle of time-out? Not only can time-out be extremely exasperating to a child, but it also gives him the upper hand in determining the effectiveness of consequence. After all, he is the one who will determine whether or not he actually sits or get up."
  
• "The rod of correction imparts wisdom, but a child left to himself disgraces his mother" Proverbs 29:15
• Time- outs can replace time in with Mom and the working of the Holy Spirit through her obedience to God's Word in discipline. When Mom leaves the child to himself in time-out rather than interacting with him, teaching him the word of God, and lovingly correcting him with the rod, she disregards God's intention for her to play an active role in the training of her child.

Time-outs have never worked with Jackson, he would always laugh and had fun so I never had really implemented them.

Recently, with Jackson when he pushes or tries to hurt his sister for no reason, I take him to his room and we talk through it. I do pull out his Bible and tell him that his Heavenly Father wants him to love his sister and we do too. Also, I tell him that Jesus died for all his sins. When he hurts someone else or is in a situation where he is not listening and can get hurt, he gets a spanking with a wooden spoon. Many times I do warn him that his action is sin and he needs to do ________ instead before he gets a spanking. I give him a chance to correct his behavior (unless he deliberately hurts Abigail). When he gets a spanking I take a good bit of time up with him and we pray that he will be sorry for what he did. Plowman also suggests using Biblical words like disobey...i.e... "Jackson, you disobeyed mommy."

Spanking should stop when children become adults (Biblically) at twelve, if not before. The frequency should also begin to dwindle with age.

I love to hear what you think about "time-outs!" She seems to have some good points. Love to hear what works with your little ones.

"On Christ

the Solid Rock I stand.

All other ground is sinking sand."

Really enjoying Shane and Shane's new version click here.

Video of Jackson's Third Tee Ball Game

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Did I mention how patient, long-suffering, and loving his coach is? Jackson has improved so much from the first game.

Thursday's Tip: Resources for Teaching 3 Year Olds

The above book is the April book they will be working on in speech back in Columbia. We got this book and it is a great one to do during "school" time. The below dvd Jackson has loved and now every word he says he wants to tell me what letter the word begins with. We watch this one in the car mainly.

The below book is another fun book they did at his speech back in Columbia last month and is a great summer book.

Additional, today in speech (we are thinking he will be in speech till around 5 years old since he was tongue tied for two years and we did not know it!) we read "The Big Hungry Bear." I always like to hear what books your babies have enjoyed! Lastly, in speech today they did a picture bingo game (that comes with a wand), and his teacher would ask him questions like, "which object do is round and you bounce it?" I always like finding new ways to challenge Jackson and of course Preschool worksheets that you find at CVS or Walmart are great challenging resource as well.

On a side note, here is an example of the conversation we have about every other day (trying to understand who exactly Jesus is...)

Jackson: Jesus go potty?
Me: Yes, Jesus went potty when he lived here on earth a long time ago.
Jackson: Jesus get a bath
Me: Yes, Jesus got baths when he lived here on earth a long time ago.
Jackson: Jesus washes his hands
Me: Yes, Jesus washed his hands when he lived here on earth a long time ago.
Jackson: Jesus cried?
Me: Yes Jesus cried when he was on earth a long time ago.
Jackson: Jesus needs a paci
Me: They did not have pacifiers a long time ago when Jesus was on earth.
Jackson: Jesus get a spanking?
Me: (trying not to laugh) NO, Jesus did not get a spanking, he was the only perfect man that every lived that is one reason we pray to Him.

It is so fun to see how his little mind is working, and he is such a funny little boy. I am so thankful for how far God has brought him. To Him be all the glory!

What about you? What are some great resources you have found in teaching 3 or 4 year olds?

Ps-Metamucil in his juice every day giving him the fiber he needs is working so well! I would highly recommend it if your little one eats terribly like my Jackson does. Abigail on the other hand has her 10 grams a fiber daily through all the food she eats daily. Her favorite food by far is grapes and I am so very thankful.

Spring Tee Ball!

Jackson loves anything that has to do with balls so we are thinking that we will do Tee-Ball in the Spring and soccer in the Fall. I was so excited to learn that the league around here you play for your church. So Jackson is playing for our new church David Baptist Church on "Team Jesus," they even learn memory verses.

He loves it and really tries to go get the ball when he is in the outfield. The below video is his first ever time up at bat, and he was really distracted by his helmet not fitting so we had get him one that fit his head. Fun times!

We are really enjoying it here (I will hopefully have more pictures of the fun times we have had recently this week), and recently joined the YMCA in Gastonia so we will be going there Tuesday and Thursdays mornings for Body Step classes and other classes, Jackson will have swim lessons there this summer. Enjoy the video!

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Pray for Some Answers

with Charlie's health.

He has gotten sick to his stomach a lot and has had some intense pain for the last six months.

This last time was on Sunday and we had no reason for it and we were pretty concerned.

He knows Dr. Bouttamy through twitter and made an appointment to see him yesterday. He is with Carley Family Care in Kings Mountain which is a great practice.

Praise:

• Dr. Bouttamy was wonderful and really thinks it is his gallbladder. He thinks it is either a diseased gallbladder or gall stones by all his symptoms and both his dad and his grandmother have had their gallbladder removed (it can be hereditary). Charlie is going to the hosiptal on Friday morning at 8:15 am (Kings Mountain Hospital) to get an ultrasound on his stomach (they will check all his other major organs through the ultrasound as well). By two weeks we should have some definite answers from the ultrasound and blood work.
  
• We are getting answers and the gallbladder is not too serious in comparison to some other things that it could be.
• God is good all the time; all the time God is good!

Overall, my prayer right now is that in Jesus name, nothing will be hidden with what is wrong with him, and that we will know exactly what it is and what we need to do. Also, that Jesus will compltely heal him.

Thank you for your prayers!

Tuesday's Tip: My CVS Purchases Yesterday

$10 ECB wyb $25 Procter & Gamble Products listed Limit 1

Charmin Big Roll 16 pk $9.99
-.25/1 off Charmin PG 3/07

Bounty Towels Extra Soft 12 pk $12.99
-.25/1 Bounty towel or napkins PG 3/07

Puffs 60-108 ct 99¢

Duracell Batteries AA/AAA-10pk, C/D 4pk or 9V 2pk $5.99

I also bought cokes and got my quarterly bucks from all the medicine we had to buy for all the ear infections...I got $12 extracare bucks! I was pumped.

Southersaver has all the great deals matched up for you here.

Don't forget that you can get a rain- check if your store does not have what you were planning on buying and you can still get your extracare bucks.

PS- Charlie has saved us money this week. Our belt on our dryer snapped and he went to you tube and saw a video on how to fix it on our exact dyer! He went to the hardware store and bought the belt and everything. He is the man.

Easter Pictures 2010

I know these pictures are late, and we could not get a good family one with my camera, but we did move in the day before Easter...craziness!

Top Ten Things We are Enjoying at our New House

1. More SPACE! It does not have that many more square feet than our last house but is just laid out better for us and has a playroom in the backyard with electricity in it.
   
2. Lots of closet space. Great built in desk / bookcase in Abigail's room.
   
3. Lots of storage space to get organized (any tips on organization I would love to hear!).
   
4. Beautiful hardwood floors in the entire house accept the babies rooms. Everything is built really well.
5. HUGE backyard (and front porch swing).
6. Beautiful trees in our yard. It is so beautiful up here...you are driving on the highway and see mountains!
   
7. Relaxing location (not next to the flea market).
8. 15-20 minutes away from a great mall, Monkey Joe, and Moes for kids night on Tuesday night in Gastonia. We are also only about 10 or 15 minutes away from Shelby.
   
9. 8 to 10 minutes away from the church.
10. GREAT neighbors who are church members and serve with the kids. They have helped us a lot get settled in.
    

We are so blessed to be renting this house...we might be in the house for a while...we are loving it!

Thursday's Tip: Kids Eat Free in Kings Mountain, NC

On Saturday's it's Asian Buffet in Kings Mountain (near Yamatos, McDonalds and Pizza Inn)

Mondays after 6pm - Ham's - in front of the Cleveland Mall on Hwy 74

Tuesdays and Saturdays 4-9pm is Denny's

Kids 3 and under eat free at Golden Corral (Shelby) everyday

Kids eat free (any age under 12) at Sagebrush in Shelby (near Walmart - beside of Fatz) between 5-7pm with one paying adult ($10)

Big thanks to Angela for the above list! I found some interesting ones on Frugal Living TV:

Applebees – At Applebees kids eat for free on Mondays. There is 1 free kids’ meal for each adult entree purchase. Additional kids are $1.00. The kids’ menu at Applebees includes chicken fingers, cheeseburger, grilled cheese sandwich and macaroni & cheese. Not all locations offer this deal so be sure to call ahead to see if your location does!

Cici’s Pizza – Kids 3 and under eat free from the Cici’s Pizza buffet everyday! Specific Cici’s Pizza locations frequently have where older kids can eat for free on certain nights – check with your nearest location!

IHOP – Everyday kids eat free at IHOP if they are 12 and under. Kids can get 1 free kids’ menu item per adult entree purchased from 4pm to 8pm. The drink is not included. The IHOP kids’ menu includes pancakes, french toast, omelettes, chicken strips, cheeseburgers, grilled cheese sandwiches, eggs, fruit and fish. This deal seems to vary widely based on location – please call your location before visiting!

Moes: Kids Eat Free on Tuesday nights in Gastonia with the purchase of an adult entree. The kids’ menu at Moe’s includes tacos, burritos and quesadillas.

O’Charley’s – Kids eat free Monday – Friday at select O’Charley’s locations.

S&S Cafeterias – Kids who join the S&S Cafeterias Kid’s Club can enjoy a kid’s meal for .99 every day of the week. This meal includes an entree, 2 vegetables, a roll, jell-o and a beverage. This is limited to kids 10 and under and an adult meal purchase of $6.75 or more is required.

Piccadilly – Kids 6 and under eat for free at Piccadilly Monday through Saturday. From 11am to 4pm on Thursdays (and Saturdays) kids’ meals at .99 and big kids’ meals are $1.99 at Piccadilly. The kid’s meals at Piccadilly includes an entree (chicken tenders, corn dogs, hot pockets, chicken or fish), two sides, jell-o or pudding or a cupcake and kid’s drinks.

I am Still Here!

Whew, moving is crazy! Friday Two Men and a Truck loaded us up and I probably would have had a breakdown if it was not for Charlie's parents coming and helping. They could not get everything into the truck, but I think we are going to work something out once our house sells and we get our playgound (keep praying it sells, we have had one person look at it two times and ask about the sewage and all).

Then, what we did not know is that Two Men and a Truck got tangled up in a pretty bad wreck leaving our house on Friday. So, they were not able to get to Kings Mountain till 2:30 pm on Saturday because they had to move everything into another truck and the guys that loaded our truck had whiplash and so we had completely different movers this time. Of course, they did not have our correct phone numbers to call and tell us all what had happened. Anyway, the movers did not leave till 8 pm Saturday night and Charlie had a sunrise service Sunday morning.

It all worked out, but we did have a hard time finding all the parts to our bed.

Stay tuned for pictures of our house this week that we are fortunate enough to rent. It has more space than our other house, and lost of closet space and a HUGE backyard (not to mention great church members next store that do so much for the children's ministry). We are all enjoying having more space.

Jackson is signed up for t-ball on the David Baptist Church team! He has only missed one practice and the first game is this Saturday morning. The age ranges in 3 and half up to 7 years old (there are three other boys his age) and his coach has been coaching this age group for a really long time. So exciting! Hopefully we will do soccer in the fall, and t-ball in the Spring (although golf is his true love, but he really enjoys anything that has to do with a ball). I grew up with a sister so all this boy stuff is new to me...especially him wanting to be superman or spider-man and save the world! Ha! I am learning as we go, that is for sure!

I will hopefully have pictures of our house up by Friday, thanks again for all your prayers!

Abigail's 15 Month Old Stats

Weight: 22lbs 8 oz (42%)

Height: 31 1/4 inches (68%)

Head Circumference: 47 1/2 cm (87%)

Jackson at his 15 months old check up was also 22 pounds but 12 ozs, he was 30 inches and 1/4 (shorter than her!) and their head circumference was almost identical at this age. Check it out at this post.

Abigail is doing great. She is saying all kind of words now (the other day she saw a painting and the girl had a hat on and she said "hat), and while the doctor was examining her, she kept on saying "all done." Baby Signing Time videos have taught her so much. She loves to sing and can almost can sing "Bringing Home a Baby Bumble Bee" completely (I will have to get that on video). Recently, so loves to say "go potty," when her brother goes. I think I will be buying her a potty seat when she turns 18 months old since she is so interested in it, but right now she is still a baby in my mind.

We went to Dr. Bouknight said she we will clip her frenulum before she turned 7 years old, but we would not want to put her down just for that right now. YAY! The two weeks when she did not talk was probably because of all the fluid in her ears with all the ear infections she had in February.

The only thing that the doctor said that I had forgotten is that she does not need to have more than 8 ozs of juice a day. She has right about that much (I do half juice, half water).

She only had to get one Hep shot and Jackson was so sweet to her when she got it. He said, "its ok baby, I am right here (that is what I always say).

She has fallen a good bit recently, and the doctor said right now is one of the hardest times to move with a baby because they all love to explore right now.

Last night Jackson got sick to his stomach twice and Charlie (my prince) came to the rescue today. We were up from 2-4 am. Pray for him (that he does not get dehydrated like last time and have to go to the hospital), and pray that we have enough time to pack everything with him being sick! The movers will be here early Friday morning. Thank you so much for praying!

What are some of your recommendations for a 15 month old?

Wednesday's Word: Being a Witness

The other day when I was at one of our many doctors appointments, they kids were being remarkably good, and so I pulled out my little Bible and started reading my daily reading.

A lady, looked at me and asked me where I got my Bible and she explained that she is praying for her fiance to get back in church.

I was so thankful to be able to talk to her and be a witness for Him! It really made my day. So many times being a stay at home mom and being at church all the time, it is hard to be a witness, but praise the Lord for the internet and little moments at the doctors office!

I hate to waste time so I always carry by little Bible in my purse with my printed out daily reading plan.

John Macarthur's One Year Bible is also excellent as well. I also keep the book that I am trying to read in the car in case I ever get stuck somewhere.

What are some ways God has allowed you to be a witness for Him recently?

Video of Eggfest 2010-Jackson Hunting Eggs

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Tuesday's Tip: A Phenomenal Blog

Check out Afraid of Failing!

Tasha went to seminary with us and I always admired her back then...her blog is amazing!

She has three babies under the age of 5 I think and this week everyday she is giving tips on creative little ways to make "Holy Week" special for your babies (she just started homeschooling this year).

What are you some of your favorite blogs that I might not know about?

Abigail has Changed a lot in a Year!

Below is the picture is from last year's Eggfest (she was almost 4 months), and the above picture is from this year's Eggfest where she was 15 months old. Wow, my baby has grown up fast!

Pictures from EggFest 2010

Have I mentioned how much I enjoy taking pictures with my professional camera!

Michelle called us Thursday and reminded us about the Easter Egg Hunt that FB was having on Saturday. We had been packing for hours on end and the kids had not been having that much fun, so we decided to go and it was so great to see everyone! As you can see Abigail had the best time, and she got more eggs than Jackson!

I could not have planned out our move any better because since we have had this month to pack, we have really gotten to spend some quality time with our friends that we love so much and are going to miss so much. Also, I have had time to clean out and throw away a lot and get organized through wonderful zip lock bags!

Praise:

My babies are well!
God has granted me a lot of time to get most everything done.

Pray:
That I have enough time to get everything packed and that we do not have to be up all night on Thursday night. Saturday night will be our first night in our house in Kings Mountain!

Additionally, I have some pictures from David Baptist Easter Egg hunt (I forgot my big camera) and a video from FB Easter Egg Hunt that will hopefully be up at the end of this week, or the beginning of next week. Stay tuned and thank you so much for praying for us during this transition time...it means so much to us!

We are so excited about what God has called us to do now, and it was so wonderful and emotional to see a woman accept Christ as her personal Lord and Savior on Sunday. God is so good!