RN Traveling Family (now looking at settling down!)

So, now where to start on settling down!

2011-12-26T16:01:00.000-07:00

So, now where to start on settling down! That's the first question, followed by how to do it all! I have to find housing, but it's not needed until the end of March so, can I find something that fits our family needs but is the landlord willing to hold it for us?
After that, furniture.... most everything we gave away, the rest might not be in very good shape! The storage we had for the first 2 years wasn't very good, lots of things got wet and damp at the floor level. We did relocate the storage to a better place and semi-climate controlled, but by then I noticed a few things had been ruined.
Also in storage is toys for the kids that they have now outgrown. Lots of toddler toys and such, so I need to go through everything. Luckily, Marty has a cousin in WI that owns a children's re-sale shop. So I am hoping to get him to buy most of it before packing it all into a U-Haul.
But that all brings up another issue, what to do with the kids when we go for the storage stuff? And when do we go get it all?

It will be a bit of work, but it might be easier than another 15 moves in 5 years! So.... here comes address # 16 in under 5 years, but one that will last for at-least 1 full year. (Not only 3-6 months)

New news!!!

2011-12-25T17:59:00.000-07:00

We have now decided to settle down, for at least a little while! We are now on our 15th address in under 5 years! We will be finding a new address and moving at the end of March 2012.
We will be in Glendale, AZ, or at least near there. So much has changed in the last 2 years since I started this blog. I haven't kept up on it very well. I hope to get back to working on it some.

Things kids come up with!

2010-02-05T14:58:00.000-07:00

Well, yesterday the boys and I were planning dinner when they decided we had to come up with other words to describe what we were having. So dinner became; Eyeballs with veins in blood sauce and fried fingers on the side. Sounds good right? What we really had was spaghetti and meatballs with sweet potato french fries! Today they were eating cheese puffs and decided they were puffed fingers. They think it is so much fun to have other names for foods and I really don't mind as long as they are eating. They even asked for seconds while calling everything by it's new name.
I'm sorry I haven't been posting much lately. I am still trying to get my time organized with the new job I took on. It's not hard and doesn't even take up that much time. But when I end up starting almost every day early anymore, I just am too tired to do much of anything when I do have the time. I am trying to plan better and give myself some small goals to get things done.
I had a House Party with House Party. com last month. It was a lot of fun even though not many folks could make it. I have another one planned for the 20th. This one might be even more fun since I am doing better with letting everyone know about it farther in advance and I am reminding folks. I just signed up for 2 new ones today, but will not know if I am one of the chosen ones for another couple of weeks. All of these give me a great excuse to host a party and save on some of the expenses.
I am planning on posting at least once a week. I also am going to try to post more on Spina Bifida. There was a hopeful on American Idol this year that completely miss-informed everyone as to what it really is. I hope to post more and help those of you who don't know about it what it really is and what it means to have it.
Well, that's about all for now. I hope everyone is having a great winter and staying warm and safe.

Where to find the deals for eating out with kids!

2010-01-20T13:23:00.000-07:00

Here is a link that allows you to search for the kids meal deals in your area!
http://www.kidseatfor.com
This site offers a list, but remember to call ahead to double check.

Help Haiti without giving a penny!

2010-01-20T12:43:00.001-07:00

New Coupons Added Daily
Help Haiti at no cost with our coupons this week

According to Unicef, 46% of Haitians do not have access to safe drinking water. However, Unicef can purify water at a cost of 1 cent per liter.
It only costs 50 cents to provide clean drinking water to a family of four for a full month. Therefore, CouponMom.com is going to donate 5 cents per every printable coupon redeemed in the next week, beginning today.
When you use 10 coupons printed through our links, you will provide clean water to a family for a month at no cost to you. You do not have to use the coupon within the next week, but you do need to print it by the end of the day Tuesday, January 26th to be counted. Please forward this email to friends and family to encourage them to help in our Haiti fundraising drive, at no cost to shoppers. In fact, you'll save more! Print your coupons from the links below to be counted in the drive.

Print $100 of coupons from Coupons.com: General Mills,
Kelloggs! Keebler, Betty Crocker, Pillsbury, Progresso,
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Load free electronic coupons right on your store
discount card for major brands like General Mills,
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Print $80 of coupons from SmartSource.com: Chex,
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Get electronic coupons from Upromise from Huggies, Bic razors, Charmin, Bounty and more. No clipping required!

Coffee for Less special coupon code!!

2010-01-20T12:23:00.001-07:00

10% Off Entire Site
Coupon Code: THANKYOU2010 expires 1/23/10
*excluding machines & gift certificates

Why do we travel?

2010-01-19T19:26:00.000-07:00

I got an email from an old friend that I recently reconnected with on FaceBook. He asked, "Do you really like all the traveling?" This is how I answered him and I wanted to share with all of you. So, do I like all the traveling? Why?
Actually, it's a blast! The company rents the apartment and the furniture, all I have to worry about is clothing and cookware. They used to rent all the kitchen wares and linens but we started collecting enough of our own, you know Scooby Doo for the kids, that we now carry it with us. All of our "stuff" fits into a 5 X 8 U-haul trailer between cities. We sold our house in 2006 to hit the road. We still have lots more "stuff" it's all in a storage place in Wisconsin near my in-laws. So the traveling part isn't too bad when you don't have too much "stuff" to move. We have gotten to see so many cities and we get to spend some real time there, you can see more and really explore alot in 3 months. We have made friends and new family members, adopted a few sets of Grandparents and I picked up a sister that I never had. It sounds crazy to most people, but it is alot of fun. We have talked about when we would want to "settle down" again, no one in the family wants to stop. Of course the grand parents all think we should, and put the boys in "regular" school so they can learn better! I home school them and they learn just fine, they are really smart boys! So, we will just continue to go where God leads us, new cities or old ones, new friends and old ones, new experiences and the same old ones. It's been fun and it promises to be a good journey filled with bumps and pot holes, but in the end, life is not about the destination, it's about the journey along the way. Our journey is different than most, but it's still a journey.

Sorry for the few days off!

2010-01-02T17:36:00.000-07:00

Ok, I know I haven't posted much the last few days but I hope you will understand. Symptoms; headache, throat swollen and hurting, ears popping, and nose running... yea got me a cold going on! What does that mean, my house is a mess, no one has done the dishes in a few days, no dinner being cooked and the budget for the month is blown on the 2nd of the month! I am feeling slightly better, with a good dose of decongestant and ibuprofen in my system every 6 hours! The amazing thing is, I am hungry all the time with this cold. Andy seems to have it a little but Ryan only has had a few sniffles here and there. Marty has been at work for the last 2 days, and is off today so he's working on laundry. He is back to work for the next 2 days tomorrow then on call 1 day.
In other news, I have been thinking of getting some kind of small part-time job. So I've been looking on craig's list and the sort for someone needing just a little help a few days a week to a few days a month. I have responded to 2 posting and heard back from 1. I have to go interview tomorrow afternoon, no problem bringing the kids, so be thinking of me.
Now you ask, why the part time job? Well, we could use a few extra dollars a month to help pay off the car faster and add more money to the savings account. In general, while Marty can sign up for extra shifts, we can't depend on him actually getting called in to work those days. He does get a small amount for being "on-call" though, a whole $2 per hour! That really doesn't mean much but it does help slightly. This job might allow me to bring the kids with and Marty can still sign up for those extra days.
The boys and I spent the afternoon yesterday watching some shows I had recorded, mostly food network! We have alot of fun learning something new and it inspires me to cook. Only that didn't work yesterday since my cold pills were running down. But we did end up deciding to order Chinese food since we watched some being made, unfortunately it wasn't as good as what I really wanted. I wanted the Honey Glazed Walnut Prawns we used to get in Phoenix. This place had Honey Prawns w/ Walnuts, not that great. We also got some Teriyaki Chicken that was good.
Ok, I'm starting to just ramble on and make myself hungry again, just so hungry with this cold, I had better wrap this up and go confer with Marty on how dinner is going to work tonight! Hope everyone had a great New Years Eve and Day.

Other blog's to get stuff!

2009-12-31T12:07:00.000-07:00

Here is a few sites that I have come across lately that you can find some deals, steals, and freebies from.

The Freebie Blogger

Hey it's free!

My Savings .com

New site to share opinions and get freebies.

2009-12-31T11:39:00.000-07:00

Smile. ly

Ok, so I found this site today. It is kind of a new one that is about sharing your likes and dislike about any kind of product. I have seen cars, movies, T.V. shows, as well as local stores and chain restaurants listed. It does take a few minutes to set up your account, but go ahead and visit and just bookmark it for another day if you don't have the time right now. It is a neat little site with lots of potential to be great fun. Tell me what you think of it too.

Freebie Sugar substitute sample

2009-12-30T13:17:00.001-07:00

https://www.suncrystals.com/shop/free-sun-crystals/

Freebie Calendar with coupons!

2009-12-30T13:14:00.000-07:00

http://www.startsampling.com/sm/100918/captureAddress.iphtml?item=100918&source=

Freebie Granola. Boxed cereal

2009-12-30T13:03:00.001-07:00

http://www.galaxygranola.com/try_it.html

Freebie Granola bar.

2009-12-30T13:01:00.000-07:00

http://ad.doubleclick.net/adi/N763.aol.com/B4010085.3;sz=728x90;click=http://servedby.advertising.com/click/site=0000758962/mnum=0000782543/cstr=3178390=_4ae1a701,4251038475,757547%5E736415%5E1%5E0!757550%5E622479%5E1%5E0!758962%5E782543%5E1183%5E0,1_/xsxdata=$xsxdata/bnum=3178390/optn=64?trg=;ord=4251038475?

Feebie Alert!!

2009-12-30T12:55:00.001-07:00

http://read-it-forward.crownpublishing.com/
Free books!! 3 of them at that!

Menu for a month!

2009-12-29T11:42:00.000-07:00

I promised last week that I was going to put together a menu and post it for you all. Well, I finally finished it so now I am going to post it. I have only listed the day's main meal, we will find whatever for the rest of the day and fill in the sides as needed.
Today; Mac-n-cheese with sliced hot dogs.
Wednesday; Stir fry w/ pork chop meat, broccoli, carrots, onions and ramen noodle instead of rice.
Thursday; Pancake puffs & smokies
Friday; Cheeseburger Pie, recipe from cookbook
Saturday; Chicken casserole
Sunday; Chili
Monday; Italian Sausage sliced with spaghetti
Tuesday; Turkey sliced lunch-meat in gravy w/ stuffing
Wednesday; Meatloaf
Thursday; Salmon Patties
Friday; Mom & Dad- Filet Mignon, kids- Corn Dogs, everyone- Stuffed Potatoes (Christmas gift of steak and potatoes)
Saturday; Stuffed shells in the slow cooker
Sunday; Pork ribs
Monday; Stroganoff in slow cooker
Tuesday; Breakfast pie
Wednesday; shredded potatoes casserole
Thursday; sliced Ham
Friday; Deep Dish Taco's, casserole recipe from cookbook
Saturday; Bomber's
Sunday; Chili
Monday; Chicken soft taco's
Tuesday; Spaghetti made with leftover Bombers
Wednesday; Tater-tot casserole
Thursday; Breakfast with link sausage
Friday; Meatloaf
Saturday; Ham
This list is a total of 4 weeks with only Sunday and Monday of this week not included. I did make Ham with pineapple in Teriyaki sauce on Sunday. Monday we had soft taco's.
You'll notice alot of Ground Beef meals as I got so much on sale recently. I will be trying to get more chicken in the next few weeks and may rearrange the menu to accommodate but for now the list is based on foods currently in the house. At this time the only items I will need to purchase this whole month is buns for the Bombers, bread, milk, and eggs. I will probably get a few more things for lunches but right now we maybe eating sandwiches for every lunch since I have plenty of lunch meat and peanut butter. I am going to make some egg salad for sandwiches sometime this month as well. I am going to try to only spend $100.00 on food stuff this month and save the rest for a food processor. Of course I am also trying to find one through Freecycle as well. I hope this list gives you some new idea's and ask if you need a recipe.

Over 500 words on bread!

2009-12-29T11:11:00.000-07:00

I want to talk about breads! Yes, I have a few thoughts about bread and buns. I have been trying to find breads that my family will eat and enjoy without spending too much for them. I have found that some stores have ok buns but their breads are either dry or have a yeast flavor. Albertson’s bread and buns are good but Safeway, (Randall’s, Tom Thumb) buns are slightly dry and their bread is awful. Kroger (King Soopers) has very good buns but you have to get the home-style bread since the sandwich slices can be either coarse or yeast flavored. I really like buying the Sara Lee Soft and Smooth white wheat but it can be very costly at $2.00 a loaf. I find it at Costco for around $3.50 for 2 loaves and that helps. I do try to go to the bread outlet stores. I can save the most money there. While a loaf might cost $1.70, you can get a stamp card and earn free breads. Also, when you take in your own bag, you get a free loaf, as well as most have a free loaf with a certain $ amount purchased. I check out the “free” rack as I enter the store and plan my purchased items accordingly. Hostess has some outlet stores but they are few and far between, so you have to search them out. Here is the link for their stores with a search option; http://www.bakeryoutlets.com/
I like Mrs. Baird’s stores the best. I have the Sara Lee bread in their stores a lot. Here is that link; http://www.mrsbairds.com/company/outlet_stores.php
In some states Mrs. Baird’s has bought out Bimbo breads but you still have to search through the Bimbo site to find the outlet stores. http://www.bimbobakeriesusa.com/our_brands/outlet_stores.html

While I don’t know them all, you can do a Google search and find one in almost any place in the US. Go in and check them out, you might be surprised at what you find. Also ask the folks working if you can’t find something. I asked once about the Bimbo pie’s that we used to get at another location and was told that this particular location they didn’t sell well but I could get them at another location and where that was. I also have found Southeastern Mills gravy mixes in most bread stores. I love buying these as they make 2-3 cups of gravy per packet and only cost $1-1.50 a packet. Also I buy their Cheddar Cheese sauce mix for casseroles and veggies. Be careful in buying the non-bakery items in these stores though. They can be more costly than you can find in the regular grocery store.
Now that I have told you how to save money on breads I am going to tell you that I will buy the really expensive bread 2-4 times a year at Great Harvest. http://greatharvest.findlocation.com/search.aspx
I love some of their fruit breads and the kids enjoy them as well. I don’t go in often since they are not very cost effective, but sometimes you just need a treat. Also the kids love going in and getting a free sample!
There you go, over 500 words about my take on breads!

What a week of Emergency Expenses!!

2009-12-29T10:18:00.000-07:00

I don't know what has happened lately, but my week, well week and a half, has been plagued with unexpected expenses. First it was me hubby's phone, still haven't replaced that! Then came my crown, $214.00 there, then came my computer monitor, $107.00 there, and yesterday the car battery, $75.00 there! If I get hubby a new phone they first want $150.00 then mail in rebate for the $100.00, but it will take 10-14 weeks to get the rebate back! On top of that, we would have to change our plan from the $95 we pay now to the $130 plan. Yes we would get more minutes but right now if we are careful and don't go over our minutes, we don't need those extra minutes and the extra $35 expense.
The problem with all these "extra expense's" is not the fact that I had to spend the money, or that they were not items that would need replacing soon anyways. It's the time line, coming so close together right after some really great days of saving. So I went form a personal "High" from saving to a personal "low" of having to spend that money I just saved! It's enough to make a person feel defeated! I am going to change that feeling into a positive though. I am going to take it all as a challenge to build our savings account up higher! I am going to save, scrap, and pinch those penny's and listen to them scream!!!!
Today I am going to be filling this blog with all the things I can think of regarding pinching those penny's. I hope you all find some great idea's that can be helpful to you!

Coffee

2009-12-22T14:48:00.000-07:00

So I got a delivery this morning, coffee! You have to understand here, 1 year ago I started to drink coffee. We bought a Keurig machine, I thought at the time that I would only use it for hot chocolate and such, and would not be left with a 1/2 pot of coffee from Marty making a pot but not drinking it all. That's where it started. I now love my coffee. So I buy my K-cups for awhile at Bed, Bath & Beyond, then find one kind at Costco, and a few kinds at Target. We also order some from Keurig and Green Mountain and taste some different kinds. Then I decide to really look for a better price on these little K-cups. I found it at Coffee for less, and placed an order. Nothing different at first, ordered it, it shipped, I received it and nothing special but saving a few dollars. Then I found out they had a Face Book page, so I became a fan. Then the fun started, every Friday they do questions and pick winners to get some goodies. They also tell us about sales, flavors and give us coupon codes! You can ask questions and get the answers. I have been having a lot of fun on Friday's! Well, so I have won 2 out of 3 Friday's so I didn't play last Friday but stopped in to say hi and let them know that I had not received any "gifts" for winning yet but I knew the holidays had been making them busy. Well, I get a message back to call and am told between my order and the "gifts", the gifts never got sent. Now instead of a little gift, I get 3 boxes of K-cups free! Woo Hoo, more coffee!! I just have to tell them what flavor!
Now, I know this sounds like a HUGE plug for them, and it is. But, it is an UNPAID plug! I really love this company and they are good to their customers. I did add a link button at the top of my blog, because I like them that much!
Now time for you to join in, do you like coffee? What is your favorite flavor or way to make it? I make mine with extra bold roast and add Nesquick chocolate milk mix, creamer and sugar/ sweetener to mine.

Why do I do that?

2009-12-22T14:31:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I'm eating lunch with the kids and it pops into my head, "Why do I limit some foods but not others?" You see, we were eating Mac-n-cheese, I make 2 boxes for the boys and me. But just yesterday we had sandwiches on mini pita bread and I limited them to only 1 pita each. Why? The only thing I can say is that I know 1 box is not enough, and as for the pita's, well, it was a package of 6 and by only letting them have 1, I had 2 and then we would have another meal worth. Still, that was so wrong of me, the kids should have been able to have a 2nd one if they wanted. I also have found that lately I plan meals around limiting some foods so we can have another meal. Is that wrong? Am I being too frugal??? I hadn't stopped to think about it before but now I think I am being down right stingy! I hope my family will forgive me, yea they will. What about you folks? Do you find yourself doing that? Do you think someone in your family or friends do that? Let me know, I really wonder if I am being too cheap!

Quick Freebie!!!!

2009-12-22T08:49:00.001-07:00

Here is another Freebie!
http://email.globalrmg.com/Einstein/4413_EBB_12_16/

Quick Freebie!!!!

2009-12-22T08:47:00.000-07:00

Here is a quick freebie!
http://www.avedabday.com/printable_coupon.php?mag_campaign=marieclaire

What happened with my day???

2009-12-21T21:39:00.000-07:00

Well, got to the dentist office, had to take the kids with, they behaved, then I got the bill; Did not want to spend $214.00 for a "fix" but gotta do what I gotta do. The good thing is that the insurance had to pick up the rest of the total, $705.00!!! We then went and visited with friends. Had to stop and get gas on the way home after picking up Marty from work. Then made Quesadilla 's for dinner with left over roasted chicken with little salsa added and cheese. Sour cream for dipping and everyone enjoyed it. Now, gonna just sit down and watch some TV before heading to bed. Hopefully I'll get more done tomorrow.

Not what I planned to do today!!

2009-12-21T10:50:00.000-07:00

Well, today is Monday and I now have to go to the dentist. I have a crown, well had a crown, for one of the my front, top teeth. It broke yesterday, so now I have a hole. This of course was not in my plans or budget for the week. I have called a few friends about watching the boys since Marty is at work, but no one is available. I also had to find a dentist, that's done and appointment set for 2:45 today. At least I am not in pain, yet! I have no idea what they are going to have to do to fix it. Until I have to leave for this appointment I have a few things to take care of. First I need to make a menu plan for all the food I bought. I read a tip on another blog that said she was more likely to remember to take foods out of the freezer ahead of time if she had a menu posted on the fridge to see all day. Sounds like good advice to me, now I have to sit down and do it! I need to call the insurance folks to straighten up why I don't have a local Drivers License. I can't see switching my DL every 3-6 months when we move!! Need to return some library books, work on the written budget, break down boxes for the recycle pile, go through the paper and clip coupons, and of course feed the boys and myself while keeping the kitchen clean. A few things, most are never ending or a "rinse and repeat" type item. If I get some time this week, I will make a post on how and why I changed my insurance. Also, if I ever get one done, I'll share my menu plan. Warning, we don't do fancy, not gonna be anything but the basics but I will add any recipes or tricks I do. Well, I think I had better get to work on things and stop blogging, for now!

What we did Saturday.

2009-12-20T18:51:00.000-07:00

OK, we picked up food ordered through SHARE, and free building class at Lowes. We watched an ice skate show, free and the skate for free for 1 hour!!! Then lunch at Qdoba, free kids meals, home and watched 2 movies while cuddling together on the couch. During the 2nd movie, we made frozen Lasagna (from the SHARE food). Total cost for the day together; 2 adult meals at Qdoba.

SHARE food savings

2009-12-20T18:44:00.000-07:00

The total cost was $34.50 and I got; 2- 4serv. Lasagna, 2- sm steaks, 3- 2serv ham lunch-meat, 1- 1lb turkey lunch-meat, 1- 4-5serv. Pork Boneless ribs w/ BBQ, 1 pkg Breakfast links, 1lb gr. Beef, 1pkg hot dogs, 1 pkg potato sticks, 1lb cooked chicken fajita meat strips.

You can get these through Share http://www.sharewi.org/SHAREAffiliates.html

or similar foods through Angel foods. http://www.angelfoodministries.com/

Great deals

2009-12-20T18:42:00.000-07:00

I went to a local grocery store, purchased 20lbs of potatoes, 2.39lbs onions, 1.52lbs of apples, and 2 12ct pkgs of tortillas. Total spent... $4.82 just some great deals!

Dollar Tree: Hair Dye, Shampoo, Salt, Mustard, Storage containers= $5.82

Kroger: 48 brats, 10lbs Gr. Beef, 4lbs boneless Ham, 1 Bread, 1 mini pita, 12 hamburger buns= $44.29

Safeway: 6 12pks soda= $12.96

Albertsons: 2 whole pineapples, 3.17lbs Broccoli, 2 cupcake paper..., 1 chili powder= $7.34

Today's total= $76.23

Number of meals= 21 worth of meat alone!!

FREE finds

2009-12-20T18:39:00.000-07:00

I got some coupons together, $1 off batteries and $5 off Kodak camera, went to Target and bought; 4pkgs of AA batteries in 4ct each, 1 Kodak Fun-saver disposable camera. Used 3 battery coupons and the $5 off one. Total paid for all...... $0.23 just had to pay the tax.

Free Hair cuts

2009-12-20T18:38:00.001-07:00

Got back from getting FREE haircuts for the boys and me! Found out that all Super Cuts have a training facility in almost every city. All you have to do is call the nearest store and ask for the number or location of the training facility. Then call them and ask when their free days are. The hours can be limiting, but heck, FREE Haircuts for the whole family!

Welcome

2009-12-20T17:19:00.000-07:00

All my friends and everyone seems to have a blog these days. I thought about our lives and how everyone says we must have such fascinating lives, that I finally decided to go ahead and start a blog. We'll see how well I do with it.
I am Beth. I am a mom to Andy (7) and Ryan (6), as well as a wife to Marty (44). I am 36, and we travel around the country moving every 3-6 months. Marty is a Registered Nurse and takes contracts at hospitals for 13 weeks at a time. He does work for one company, they pay for the apartments and utilities as well as renting us furniture. We bring our clothing, toys, bedding, towels, and kitchen wares with us. We have been able to do this by renting a small U-haul trailer when we are moving to a new city. So far our travels have taken us to 3 cities in Texas, Phoenix, Denver, and to the D.C. area. During our travels we have made friends, sisters and brothers, and a new set of grandparents. We visit as many tourist sites as we can, visit all the zoo's we are close to, and take advantage of free or low cost adventures. I home school the boys, have library cards from every city, and have store shopper cards from just about every store there is. One last thing you might like to know, Andy is considered a "special needs" child, he has Spina Bifida. He has surpassed most expectations and has almost no limitations.
I plan on trying to cover different subjects from Spina Bifida, steals and deals, sites to see, things to do, and what it's like to travel so much. If there is something more you want to know, ask and I'll try to answer. For now, Welcome to my blog. I hope you enjoy it and feel free to ask questions.
Beth