Mish Mash

It's been a bit since I've done a random bulleted post. I know you missed them, right?

• Coop gets a daddy day today. The babysitter took off and luckily hubby was scheduled to be off. This will be the longest hubby has ever had Coop alone, but I'm sure they'll do great! Just in case, I did go over the schedule though :)
• I got two photos of my little love before 8:30 a.m.
• For the first time today, he finished off an 8 ounce bottle. Seriously? I have a feeling that once he gets solids in a few weeks, he'll begin eating us out of house & home.
• Hubby was supposed to be off work the entire week, but he's off next week instead. This was the last week of a sales contest and he only lacked $100 in new accounts (recurring business) to win us a four-day trip. We think he got it! The sales just have to track out so we aren't totally sure.
• To be honest, it works better for him to be off next week. I have an evening meeting Monday & Thursday and an 8 a.m. on Wednesday, so having him home to pick up/drop off/take care of Coop is a really great thing.
• Super Cooper had another great Parents As Teachers visit last night. By the time she comes back in September, he'll probably be ready for college :)
• He's beginning to use the jumperoo at Miss Robin's and at home and seems to really enjoy it.
• Still working on getting a tooth ... I think. He's just a bit fussier than usual, and baby Orajel seems to do the trick.
• I feel like the first half of the week crawled by, but the last couple days have flown. Me likey.
• Yesterday, I heard Rodney Atkins' song "He's Mine" for the first time. I giggled and immediately looked up the lyrics. Totally a daddy-Coopy song :)

• We're shifting gears on our savings goals. Originally, we planned to get hubby's truck and another loan paid off this year so we only owe on our house and SUV. Truck = done. And in the past month, I've decided I really want to get our basement completely finished by October. We have tile and painted walls and a tub, but need to have it sealed, hook up the water, install a toilet, sink & vanity, and do trim and doors. So that's what we're saving for now, instead of throwing all the extra money toward that loan. We'd also like to buy a new TV for our main living room and put the old one downstairs, along with some furniture {new or used} but that will depend on how much all the other repairs cost.
• I'm really loving Draw Something. You can find me at michelle1761
• I'm very excited for my first Mother's Day in just over a week. Cooper told me he's asked Daddy for a loan :)
• The weather here has been really beautiful the past week - 80s and 90s every day - and I've loved it. It does make me wish that my office had a window, however. Sometimes I break away from the computer screen, walk down the hall, and look outside.
• This weekend, we are going to a carnival/family day so I can work the booth for the United Way board, on which I serve. It should be a lot of fun and we are excited.
• Happy Weekend!

Pin It

What I'm Loving

Yay for Wednesday! I always love WILW, because it's a great time to get those little tidbits in. 


*Before I jump into this, I know last week a lot of you commented wanting more information on MyPoints, which is the program through which I earned a $50 Lowes gift card. I've been working on a post and got it up earlier this morning to explain MyPoints and Swagbucks, another program I use. Hope this answers your questions!


{1} I'm LOVING that Phil didn't see his shadow and we should be getting an early spring! I'm ready for flip flops and T-shirts!

{2} I'm LOVING that while parts of our state got hit badly by ice and snow on Tuesday (even shutting down a major interstate for the first time in history!) it just rained here. And we're getting a pretty dusting of snow today. 

{3} I'm LOVING that I finally got the last of my bank information to file my taxes and get to meet with my accountant tomorrow. We'll be paying off a big debt once we get our return, so I'm really looking forward to that.


{4} I'm LOVING that it's five days until my birthday. Yesterday, J sent me a text saying "Only six more days until Chelle Day!" Gosh I love that man. 


{5} I'm LOVING that I get Shannon (hairdresser) time tomorrow! My hair desperately needs to be thinned. 


{6} I'm LOVING that Sunday is Super Bowl. GO PACKERS!!!


{7} I'm LOVING that J and I are continuing to work out every night - I just wish we had a treadmill or it was warmer outside so we could run a few times a week! BUt I'm definitely seeing results and just feel a lot better!


{8} I'm LOVING that I've already purchased a Christmas gift for next year! One of my coworkers was selling the Thirty One gifts thermal totes as a Relay for Life fundraiser, so I purchased one as a Christmas gift and another for an upcoming shower. And, of course, one for myself. 


{9} As always, I'm loving this sweet man :)

Hope y'all have a great Wednesday!

Easy ways to earn money

Last week, I mentioned how I had redeemed a $50 gift card to Lowes via MyPoints. I got lots of emails and questions regarding this, so I figured I would do a post on this program, as well as another, that are EASY and free ways to earn some extra money on the side. 


The first is Swagbucks. I was introduced to it via Money Saving Mom, whose site I have followed religiously for almost two years. 

Click here and you can sign up. This is super easy. You search using their site, and are randomly rewarded points. I seem to average about 30 a day. Then you use the points to "buy" items in the Swag Store. To me, the best deal is a $5 Amazon gift card for 450 points. These come in SO HANDY at Christmastime! I was able to buy our Blu Ray for pretty much nothing out of pocket, thanks to these cards. It's not a lot, but if you only get two $5 cards a month, that still adds up to over $100 a year! Plus, you can shop "thru" Swagbucks at online merchants and get a certain number of Swagbucks for each dollar spent. Very easy and I highly recommend it! Right now, you get 30 Swagbucks when you sign up!

With MyPoints, there are several ways to earn. 
1 - Shopping through merchants
2 - Printing/redeeming coupons
3 - Reading emails (the easiest)
4 - Doing surveys (sent via email, and you get points even if you don't qualify)
5 - Downloading the navigation bar and doing searches (so many points for a number of searches, which is capped at 50/month I believe)


I usually just do the email, because I seem to find better cashback alternatives from sites like shopathome.com or ebates.com (message me if you want referrals to those, too!) but I managed to earn enough points for the $50 Lowes card in just under a year. I just click on the emails while I'm leaving a message or something like that - so it's NOT an inconvenience at all!


Some suggest setting up a separate email for this, but I like it in my main email, because if it bugs me enough to ensure I check and delete! There aren't referral links for this program, but I can email it to you. While you don't have to use my link for either, I can get extra points if you sign up as part of my network :)


I hope I've done an OK job of explaining these programs. If you have any follow-up questions, feel free to ask. 

Like Papa Murphy's?

Today, the plum district deal is a $10 Papa Murphy's gift card for $5.

We LOVE these pizzas. They are cheap (under 10 bucks) cheesy and fresh.

I purchased one, but wanted to pass the deal along to you all! The limit is one, or I would have gobbled these up. 

Here is the link to sign up. If you purchase one, I'd suggest doing so quickly, because I bet the cards will be sold out soon!

Be back soon with a weekend recap!