Have you noticed the posts have been a bit sparse lately? Have you wondered what was going on? I wish I could give you a responsible answer like that I have been doing lots of great charity work in a third world country, or that I have been working on a big project that will blow you all away...but the truth is that a giant mouse has taken over my life, or more accurately, my brain!
My husband and I use pretty much all his vacation time to go see our families in Utah because we love them and miss them and want to see them. Also, when we visit them, it is not too expensive because they feed and shelter us while we are there. What this means though is that we have not taken a real family vacation really ever. You know the kind of vaca I mean-the kind where we pick a destination and I act like a grown up and start finding the best deals to make it happen. The kind where we plan and pick out a perfect place and make it a dream vacation that all 7 of our family members will enjoy, and were we do not rely on the kindness of our families to support us while there...

Can I back up a bit and tell you something about me...I am a Disney FREAK! We went to Disneyland often when I was growing up and I loved it. I had never been to Disney World though. When my husband chose a destination to take me for our honeymoon, I was delighted to hear we were going to Orlando, assuming it meant we were going to DW. He had no intentions of going there, but when he realized my excitement over Disney, he arranged to have one of the days at DW. I chose the park (Magic Kingdom as it was most like Disneyland). We went for a day and I loved it.

That was my only time at DW.

In April of 2008 I wrote a bucket list of what I want to do before I die. Number 25 was travel a lot, and number 42 was Go to Disney World with my whole family. This is a two part goal-I want to take my family I live with (me, Wes, the kids), and I would also like to have my whole family (mom, dad, sibs, their spouses and kids...) go someday.

This May was my 10th anniversary. Wes was working so we had a small celebration at home watching a movie while the kids slept. Wes wanted to do something big. So he is doing it, a few months later...

My birthday is coming up, and for my birthday, Wes took the week off and we are taking our 5 kids to DISNEY WORLD!! Since I found out and the planning commenced, I have thought of nothing but Disney...somehow we managed to get the kids started in school and in fall sports, but all I want to do is read about the WORLD and plan out the events of the trip...I may be obsessed, or addicted to Disney...I am not sure, but I am for sure excited and wanted to share with all of you my excitement!

Have you been to Disney World? Tell me something about it-your best tips or maybe your favorite ride? What are the MUST SEE shows and the MUST RIDE rides for a family there for the first time? Share your Disney fun with me and help my excitement build!! I promise I will blog still and eventually I will fold all that laundry over there...

I LOVE when Walgreens does this!! Now through this Saturday, August 20th, you can get a FREE 8x10 Photo Collage. Just enter coupon code PRINTONE at checkout and select to pick it up in the store and it should be totally free! I have not done this one yet, but I have done A LOT of these photo deals in the past and I LOVE it! Thank you Walgreens for helping me get some great FREE photos/collages over the years!
Click here to get started on your collage.

One of the games my kids LOVE on our Wii is Disney Epic Mickey and right now it is a crazy good price on Amazon $17.99!! If you are looking for a fun game for kids on the Wii I recommend this!

Here are my favorite deals in Omaha grocery this week:

Hyvee

• Hy Vee Frozen Vegetables 12 oz Steam quick or 16 oz $.69
• Prego Pasta Sauce 23.5-24 oz $1.18
• HyVee Value Pack 100% Natural Fresh Split Chicken Breast $.88/lb
• Dole All Natural Premium Classic Salads 2/$3
• Monterey Sliced white or Baby Bella Mushrooms 10 oz pkg $1.99
• Red Ripe Roma Tomatoes $.88/lb
• California Black Diamond Plums $.99 

In addition to their regular week long special, HyVee also has a 4 Days of Savings Sale Wednesday 8/17-Saturday 8/20 that includes the following:

• 7Up, Dr Pepper, A&W, Sunkist, Squirt or Diet Rite 2 L $.77 (limit 4)
• "Our Own Recipe" Bratwurst or Italian Sausage 3.75 each $.77 (Limit 20)

In addition to their regular week long special, HyVee also has a 2 Day Sensational Savings Sale Thursday 8/18-Friday 8/19 that includes the following:

• Bananas $.39/lb
• Hy Vee Cereal (Raisin Bran 20 oz, Crispy Rice 12 oz, Honey Nut Tasteeos 12.25 oz Tasteeos 14 oz, or Apple Cinnamon Tasteeos 12.9 oz) $.99
• Hy Vee Cottage Cheese 1%, 4% small curd or 4% large curd, 24 oz $.99 (limit 2)
• Pillsbury Cake Mixes 18.25-18.9 oz $.69 (limit 6)
• Kleenex Facial Tissue 100 ct regular or 70 ct lotion $.99
• 10% off all the frozen items you can fit in their brown bag!

No Frills Fresh

• Gatorade 32 oz $.63 (limit 8-additional $.89)
• 12 oz Our Family Cheese Singles $1.25
• Our Family Cheese 8 oz chunk or shredded 3/$5
• Our Family 16 oz Hot Dogs $.99
• Buy 6 participating General Mills Cereals and you will get them for $1.50 each (they are 11.25 oz Cookie Crisp, 12 oz Golden Grahams or Fruity Cheerios, 12.25 oz Honey Nut Cheerios or 12.8 oz Cinnamon Toast Crunch). You will also get a Cataline (a coupon to use on your next purchase). With the purchase of 2 of the cereals you get a catalina for FREE Eggs on your next trip, or with the purchase of 3 you get a coupon for a FREE gallon of Milk on your next trip.
• ONLY at the BAKER SQUARE location (120th and Center) you can also get 7-Up or Dr Pepper 6 pack .5 liter bottles for $1.88 (limit 4-additional are 4/$10 which is $2.50 each)

In addition to their regular week long special, No Frills also has a 3 Day Price Buster Sale Friday 8/19-Sunday 8/21 that includes the following:

• Kraft Handi Snacks Pudding Cups 4 packs $.68 (we will be stocking up for after school snacks!!)
• No Frills White Bread 1 lb $.68
• Armour Lunch Makers $.88 (while supplies last)

Bag N Save
***Can I note first here that Bag N Save has these sweet weekly coupons they send out in the mail every so often that last for 8 weeks. This is the second week of the newest ones cycle. These coupons are sent out in the mail so make sure you keep an eye out int he mail and don't toss those coupons when they come!!***

• Our Family Bacon 16 oz 2/$5 (I love that the ad says "Name Brand Quality!" LOL)
• Kids Choice Bread 24 oz loaf whole grain white or white $.99 (savings of $2.20!!)
• Cucumbers 2/$1
• Fresh Mozzarella Balls 2/$7

In addition to their regular week long special, Bag N Save also has a 3 Days Sale Friday 8/19-Sunday 8/21 that includes the following:

• Rice A Roni $.69
• Banquet value meals $.69

Baker's (Remember their sales are almost always WITH card)

• Spaghettios $.49 (with qualifying purchase of 10)
• Pure Life Water 24 pk 16.9 oz bottles $3.49 (with qualifying purchase)
• Baker's Milk $2.99

Aldi

• Red or Green Grapes $.79/lb

Super Saver

• Fresh on the Vine Tomatos $.98/lb
• Kraft Macaroni and Cheese $.58
• Armold Dutch Country Bread (potato, 100% Whole Wheat or Italian 20-24 oz) $1.66

In addition to their regular week long special, Super Saver also has a 3 Days Sale Friday 8/19-Sunday 8/21 that includes the following:

• Fritos. Cheetos or Canned Dips 8.5-10.5 oz $1.98
• Best Choice Red Potatoes 5 lb bag $1.88

Fareway

• Dole Lettuce $.77/head
• Dell's Frozen Hashbrowns 24-32 oz bag 2/$5
• Welch's Jam or Jelly 22 oz $.99 (with in ad coupon, limit 1)
• Capri Suns or Kool Aid Jammers $1.88
• Rotella Sandwich bread $.99

***Remember that I generally just price match at Walmart as much as I can rather than go to all the stores separately! I LOVE being able to do that. You can also pricematch at Target, but I find it easier to pricematch at Walmart.

Do you all remember this post where I told you about how I got to sample Old Navy Jeans for FREE through Crowdtap? Well, not long ago I got this in the mail:
Then the other day I dragged my sister in law over to Old Navy and we tried on probably just about every pair of jeans in the joint. Check us out:

Here I am in the Dreamer bootcut jean:

The Sweetheart Skinny (skinny's are not for me obviously):

The Sweetheart bootcut:

The Flirt bootcut:

The Diva Bootcut:

And I also tried on the Flirt Trouser:

Here are a few my sister in law tried on:



And my husband took a picture of us happily departing the store with our FREE jeans.

In the end we both ended up getting the same style. It was a style I have never bought or worn before, but my husband and I BOTH liked it. So, we ended up with the Flirt Trouser. Here I am in my new, FREE jeans (The Flirt Trouser):

I had a super blast doing this! If you want the chance to apply for sweet opportunities like this, sign up for Crowdtap now!!



Thanks CrowdTap and Old Navy for this fun experience and these FREE jeans!!

I love to save a buck. But I also love to have high quality items. In my many years on earth, and my few years as a mommy, I have realized that there are some brands and items that I am quite picky about. Though I have tried many kinds of diapers, there is one brand I am particularly fond of. Other diapers are good, but these ones are, in my opinion GREAT! And I only want to use "GREAT" on my baby.

One of the brands I have always loved and come back to again and again when I have strayed in the past, is NUK! NUK binkies and bottles have long since been a favorite in our home. The NUK binkies were the ONLY binky 3 of my 5 kids would even take. So, I am so happy to be able to tell you about the new NUK collection. It is called the Trendline Collection and has fresh, new pacifier designs that, as they say "merge reliable NUK function with style. The designs extend to bottles and Learner Cups, offering parents an expansion of oral care and feeding products that can coordinate, mix and match with interchangeable parts. Designs include Dots and Whimsy."

The collection includes the following items: the NUK Ultimate Cup Line (Now the Learning System Cup Line) available in new designs like Fireworks or Frogs, the NUK Easy Flow Single Electric Breast Pump, the Easy Go Folding Bowl, and the NUK Orthodontic Gift Set (which has all the essentials, including 3 of the brand’s signature NUK Orthodontic wide neck nipples, 3 bottles, 2 pacifiers and a pacifier retainer clip, all set in a gift-able box). Here are some pics of some of these great items:



What is it?

I had the opportunity to review the wonderful NUK Easy Flow Single Electric Breast Pump. Let me tell you some things about this pump. From them:

This compact hand-held design offers a rhythm that mimics baby’s sucking, suction strength control, a sensor that turns off the device when the tilt angle is over 65 degrees and a flexible ergonomic Optiform breast shield for optimal comfort.

Here are a few pictures of the pump I got:



What did I think?

Well, the title of this post says it all: LOVE it! I am a stay at home mom and I RARELY leave the kids with babysitters, especially the babies. However, there are some things I need to attend where a baby is not ok to bring along. Recently one of those events came up. I had never left my baby Everest (or as the kids want to call him, E pup). He solely breastfed and would get hungry while I was away. I could not leave my poor sister-in-law and brother-in-law empty handed. So, I whipped out the pump to give it a try. I was dreading this as other pumps I have had over the years have made me quite sore or have been hard for me to suction on. I had never tried an electric pump and most of my friends had told me the electric pumps hurt. I was nervous to try it, but I did.

First thing I want to point out is that the shape of the breast shield is such that is does not gouge into me and was easy to suction on. I plugged in the pump (though I could also have used batteries). It was funny because it was suctioned on and I could feel a suction, but it did not hurt or feel like it was doing anything really. So I complained to my husband that I didn't think it was working. This was about a minute into starting the pump, and he said "Um...I am looking at it from a different angle obviously because I can actually see the milk flowing out, and there is already quite a bit in the bottle." So, I pulled it off to look and sure enough there was already a lot of milk pumped. I was able to fill the bottle really rapidly and without pain. It was quick and easy-what I would have given for this thing back when I was a working mom trying to pump!

All the new NUK stuff is super cute and I LOVED the breast pump. Next time you are looking for baby stuff, keep your eyes out for this new line-I think you will really like it!

***Disclaimer: This review was made possible by NUK and by Coyne PR. I was given a free Breast pump for me to try for the purpose of this review. No other compensation was given, and as always all opinions expressed are my own!

FYI Locals, La Mesa just posted this status update on FB:

"Kids eat free on Thursday, one per adult entree have a good day"

I love when kids eat free! :)

Here are my favorite deals in Omaha grocery this week:

Hyvee

• Belly Flops (irregular Jelly Bellys-YUMMO) $3.88
• Bulk Taffy $1.99/lb
• Chocolate Dips from Jelly Belly $1.88
• Peaches $.97/lb
• HyVee Yogurt 10/$3
• Michelina's Zap'Em's Gourmet Entrees $.69
• HyVee canned fruit 15-15.6 oz $.77
• HyVee 2 L bottles $.49
• Red Bell Peppers $.77
• Baby Red Potatoes $.77/lb
• Bar S Meat Franks $.88
• HyVee Eggs Large dozen $1.18
• HyVee Sour Cream 16 oz $1.28

In addition to their regular week long special, HyVee also has a 2 Day Sale Thursday 8/11-Friday 8/12 that includes the following:

• Columbine Green Seedless Grapes $.88/lb
• Banquet Meals $.69 (limit 10)
• Pepsi Product 6 Pack Bottles 24 oz 6 packs 4/$11

No Frills Fresh

• 80% Lean Ground Beef $1.99 lb (sold in 10 lb tube for $19.90)
• Xtra Laundry $1.88
• 64 oz Old Orchard Apple Cocktails $.98
• Van Camp's Pork and Beans $.18
• Snack Pack (Hunt's 4 pack) $.68
• The following deal is available ONLY at the Baker Square location at 132nd and Center): No Frills Milk gallon $2.48 (limit 3)
• 10 oz Land O Frost Lunchmeats $2.49
• Bar S Corn Dogs $4.99
• Red or Black Plums $.99/lb
• Broccoli Crowns $1.28/lb

In addition to their regular week long special, No Frills also has a 3 Day Price Buster Sale Friday 8/12-Sunday 8/14 that includes the following:

• Sun Drop, Diet Rite, Welch's RC, Big Red 4/$10

Bag N Save

• Totino's Party Pizza $.59
• General Mills Cereal 10-14 oz Cherios, Lucky Charms, Reese's Peanut Butter Puffs, Trix, Cocoa Puffs, or Apple Cinnamom Cheerios $1.47
• Bag N Save Specialty Breads 14-18 oz Cracked wheat, rye or Sourdough 2/$3
• Navel Oranges $1.47/lb
• Betty Crocker Fruit Snacks 4-9 oz $1.89
• Food Should Taste Good Tortilla Chips 2/$5
• Maruchan Ramen Noodles 6/$1
• Armour Lunchmakers $.89
• El Monterey Taquitos or Tamales 21-24 oz $4.99

In addition to their regular week long special, Bag N Save also has a 3 Day Sale Friday 8/12-Sunday 8/14 that includes the following:

• All Meats (Kretschmar) from the deli $4.99
• Starkist Chunk Light Tuna $.59

Baker's (Remember their sales are almost always WITH card)

• Baker's Milk $2.99
• DIllons Large 18 ct eggs 2/$3
• Pepsi Soft Drink 2 L 10/$10
• Peaches $.98/lb
• Crayols Crayons $.25 (limit 12)
• Doritos $2.28
• Silk Pure Almond or Pure Coconut (Pure Almond Dark Chocolate is THE BEST) $2.79
• Huggies Wipes 184-216 ct $5.99

Aldi

• Breakfast Best Homestyle Waffles $1.29
• Red Grapes $.79/lb
• Pudding Cups 4 pack $.89
• Lunch Buddies (generic Lunchables) $1.89
• Applesauce cups original or cinnamon 6 pack $1.29
• Fruit Bowls 16 oz $1.59
• Tropical Flavor Fruit Rolls 8 rolls$1.89
• Fruit Flavored Snacks 32 packs $3.49

Super Saver

• Pork Spare Ribs $1.75/lb
• Red Grapes $.98/lb
• Best Choice Peanut Butter (18 oz) or Jelly (32 oz) $.95
• Sara Lee Iron Kids Bread 20 oz $1.38
• Bartlett Pear $.87/lb
• Best Choice Ice Cream 1.75 qt $1.33
• Tostitos Tortilla Chips (traditional, bite size, Restaurant style 13 oz) $1.88
• Kraft Pasta Salad $.87 (Ceasar, Ranch, Italian 6.4-7.3 oz)  
• Duracell Batteries AA or AAA 4 ct, C or D 2 ct 9V 1 Ct $2.26

In addition to their regular week long special, Super Saver also has a 3 Day Sale Friday 8/12-Sunday 8/14 that includes the following:

• Barq's, Fanta, Mello Yello, Nestea, or Minute Maid 2 L $.98
• Nestle Drumsticks 8 ct assorted variety $3.98 (This is a dangerous sale for me-I love the cookie dipped ones!!! LOVE)
• El Monterey Quesedillas, Taquitos, Tamales, or Mini Chimis 21-24 oz $4.88
• Carrots 2 lb $.76

Fareway

• Frito Lays Sun Chips 10.5 oz $1.99
• Fresh Green Beans $.99/lb
• Celery $.99 Stalk
• Fuji Apples $.99/lb
• Delightful Farms Boneless Chicken Breast 3 lb bag $4.99
• All Natural Fresh Chicken Hind Quarters $.39/lb (sold in 10 lb bag for $3.90, limit 2 bags)

***Remember that I generally just price match at Walmart as much as I can rather than go to all the stores separately! I LOVE being able to do that. You can also pricematch at Target, but I find it easier to pricematch at Walmart.

Speaking of IHOP, I feel I have been ignoring a portion of my readers now that I have realized how many deals there are out there for Seniors (or as Fazoli's says, Mature Audiences). Here is a current sign/deal at IHOP:

In case you could not read that sign with my reflection glaring in it, it said that Monday and Wednesday from 4-9 pm Seniors (age 55+) can get an Entree free (with the purchase of another entree and 2 beverages).

AND Fazoli's also has a deal for Mature Audiences. See:

That one says that you can get an Early Bird Dinner Sunday-Thursday 4-6 pm with special prices!

Did you know that IHOP currently has a promotion going on )for a limited time) where kids eat free EVERYDAY from 4-10PM? It's true-look:
I took that picture at my local IHOP personally...Oh and I hear this promo should last through August so you will want to take advantage of that one this month!! Happy end of summer from IHOP I guess!!