Extremely Great Natural Food Couponing

So, I've started couponing & loving it!

I had been under the impression that natural & organic coupons were few and far between, but Earth Day is coming up, and you can find plenty of natural food coupons this time of year.

Some green coupon deals for 4/10 - 419:

Shop Rite
Green & Black Organic Chocolate Bar
Use https://www.facebook.com/messages/conversation-id.477324075674079#!/GreenandBlacks.US
Click on Facebook Coupon link& enter email address for two coupons - no need to like the company's page
Final Price: $1.49

Reynold’s Recycled Aluminum Foil $1.99 (50 yards!)
Use $0.75/1 – Reynolds Wrap Foil, 35 sq ft+, Excludes Wrappers Foil Sheets, and Heavy Duty Non-Stick Foil, limit 4 like coupons in same shopping trip – (reynoldskitchens.com)
Final Price: $1.24, or $0.49 with double - save some money & the earth!

 

Blue Diamond Nut Thin Crackers $1.99
Use $0.75/1 – Blue Diamond Nut Thins or Nut Chips – (mambosprouts.com)
Final Price: $1.24, or $0.49 with double

(gluten free - not too many ingredients/chemicals if you just get sea salt variety)

Kashi Cereals $2.99
Buy 3, Save $3.00 On Milk on your next shopping trip
Final Price: $1.99 each, when you buy 3 plus cost of milk

 

Yo Toddler Yogurt - $2.69
Use -$0.75/1 Stonyfield YoBaby or YoToddler Organic Yogurt printable coupon (preclipped)
Final Price: $1.94, or $1.19 with double

 

Stop & Shop

American Flatbread Frozen Pizza $4.99, sale price through 5/16Use $4.00/1 – American Flatbread All Natural Frozen Pizza – (afbcoupons.com)
Or $2.00/1 – American Flatbread All Natural Frozen Pizza – (bricks.coupons.com)
Or $3.00/2 – American Flatbread Products – (americanflatbreadproducts.com)
Final Price: $0.99
Wowsa - a 90% savings!

Hannafords

Woodstock Mangoes $3.49
Use $1.00/1 package of Woodstock frozen fruit and vegetables Expires 6/30/13
 Final Price: $2.49

Foodtown Red Hook
Woodstock Mangoes $2.99
Final Price: $1.99
Print out these $1.00 off coupons at www.commonkindness.com 1x day for as long as it lasts. This is great for stocking up on whole food that is rarely discounted. My family loves these mangoes!

Find coupons for Woodstock Nut Butter as well at www.commonkindness.com

$1 off $1 off any jar

As healthy as these foods are, maybe this new habit of mine is a little unhealthy. I'm obsessively  clipping coupons late into the night, walking around the next day bleary eyed while clutching FREE yogurts & 99 cent organic pizza. But, excessive couponing beats excessive drinking, smoking, & pottery throwing, right? Like pot & pottery throwing, couponing can give you a glazed look in your eyes, but who cares?!! I want the rush you can only get from extreme natural food couponing.

Also, please check out The Krazy Coupon Lady blog with great deals on all kinds of products. I found many of the above deals from her site. My list of deals appeals to me - but her compilation is much larger!

Anyone else know about some other great natural food deal & also have a glazed look in your eyes?

Good night "M" & "R." I love you. Big kiss.

My Little Monster by Lady Mama

So 'M' had Preschool Orientation today, and he woke up saying, "I don't want to learn my letters."

Hmmm. His words did not bode well for the day.

Then, he turned into a monster.

When we arrived to the noon orientation w/ my 1year-old girl in tow, 'M' began growling and saying "I'm a monster!"

Way to make friends, 'M!'

Ok, it was a little cute but also a little scary. I could tell some of the other moms were like what's up with that kid.

Well, I don't really know, he's just into this monster thing lately.

It all started with Cookie Monster.

Then, he became the Pretzel Monster.

And a HotDog Monster.

We sing the Cookie Monster song in the car, but we switch it up with different foods to teach him letters.

I ask him what kind of monster he is, and he says, cookie, pretzel, soda, strawberry etc.


C is for Cookie
It's good enough for me.

Becomes
P is for Pretzel
It's good enough for me

& at the end I ask him
Are you a Cookie Monster?
Are you a Pretzel Monster?
Are you a Strawberry Monster?

& He Says

"ARRGGHHH I'm a PREETTTZZZEL MONSTER! ARGGHHH!"

But now he has pronounced himself King of All Wild Things, and I'm ready to send him on a one-man trip on a boat around the world till he calms down a bit. PHEW!

Some of the other precious things said at orientation today.

His teacher said to him, "We have tomatoes at my house. What do you have at your house?"

"We have flies. My dad Kills them. Wham. Wham . Wham." & 'M' Slams his hand down in the air a multiple number of times.

I'm not making this up.

When an Aide asked him how he was today...

"Crashing Cars on TV! ARRGGHHH" 

I said we don't really have TV at my house but didn't sound too convincing.

& Later.

"I like Scary Bears! They go Boom. Boom. Boom." Again, w/ the mock hand hitting something or someone in the air.

Every other child, except for the one crying child, seems to be playing calmly.

WTF?

Here, I brushed his hair and made sure there was no ketchup on his shirt, and my son is coming across as someone with a severe emotional disorder. Could he have one? Who knows! He does like to act like a monster, but he does swing back to kissing everyone with a booboo & offering them bandaids, so there's hope, right?


Afterwards, we had a disastrous time in the office when he ran away down a hall & then pulled papers out of my hand as I was handing them a secretary. I have been able to trust him to behave fairly well lately, but today he roared out of control.

When we drove away, he fell asleep in 30 seconds.

That made me less angry.

The orientation was smack in the middle of the day when he starts to rub his eyes for a nap...but that does seem like a lame excuse, doesn't it?

He told me afterwards that he wanted to scare people away.

I'm getting my husband, the psychologist, to counsel him more about this. Hubby says he had a reaction to going to school again and probably didn't want to be there.

Hubby says it's just an experiment. A Scary Experiment!

Well, I feel good knowing that at least there is some support for little monsters w/ Lady Gaga & her friends out there.

Goodnight. I love you 'M' & 'R.' Big Kiss.

- Lady Mama

'R' Turns One

'R' turned one today.

I can't believe a year has gone by.

She spent most of the day with her dad and brother while I frantically cleaned the house, but at the end of the day we all went for a swim, and she ate a good amount of sand with a garlic knot on the beach. She aso ate some happy birthday black and white cookie after our swim back at the house. I asked my hubby to buy a cake or a cupcake, but he went for the 1.69 deli cookie, what can i say? It was so crumbly I left it in the wrapper and stuck the candle in it. Nobody seemed to mind, in fact, it was sort of cute.

Back to 'R'. 'R' continues to have a good disposition although she is starting to poke her brother in the eye whenever possible. He doesn't like this. She also likes to bite me everyonce in  while. She laughs gleefully as everyone says no no. I'll update you more on this later.

Anyway I don't know if I have any real insight after this year except that I'm sad.

My baby is no longer a baby. She is a toddler.

I spent part of my day taking her infant clothing out of her dresser and replacing it with year two garments. They grow so fast the first year, you are always reorganizing their clothing, but now the growing rate is going to slow down. I don't have to do this for another 6 months - Waaahh!

Seriously, I set aside some tiny feet booties, caps, burp rags as mementos. We are not planning on having any other children, and I can't believe I won't ever need these for anyone any more again.

Well, that's what grandbabies are for   - I guess!

'M' & 'R' the pressure's on!

'M' actually was pretty sweet to his baby sister today. He wanted to giver her a doll & even handed it to her without saying "it's my present, it's mine, mine!"

He & I spent some extra time together talking before he went to sleep. He said, "I like spending time with you." I must have said that to him at some point, but it was sweet. 

R & M are fast asleep - sorting out their subconscious w/ their ID w/ their kid right now.

I'm going to bed too.

Good night. I love you 'M' & 'R'. Big Kiss.

Happy Birthday 'R'. You are the best girl in my life. Thanks for a wonderful year.

Spits & Giggles - Mad at Me & Me at You - Talking Feelings w/ Young Childen

We have been talking about feelings a lot in our household.

My 3-year-old son M says, "Sometimes I get mad. Then, you get mad. You put me in timeout"

Yes, It's a mad, mad world around here, but we've been letting out steam through talking about our feelings.

"'M' are you mad?"

"I'm MAD!"

Great.

"That's ok. We all get mad sometimes, but we still love each other."

It's a little weird feeling like we are in a therapy session these days - SO in touch with our feelings, but I get a little too yelly sometimes & 'M' gets too upset too, so in the interest of calm, we are talking more. What does make me feel a little better is that I have pinpointed my yelling usually, though not always, tends to happen in the bathroom. Poop and pee simply put me in freakout mode.

For example, yesterday. I made a mistake while my son was on the potty. I decided to change my 1-year-old girl's diaper as he was finishing up. Never do this!

"R" always pulls this way and that way it's pretty impossible to diaper her in less than 10 minutes. My son likes to be on the potty for about 2 seconds, so midchange of "R" he chimes out, "I'm done." and climbs down from the potty.

Let's set the scene, naked boy with poop between butt cheeks wants to wipe w/tp. If he does, he will get poop on his fingers.

Naked girl who could fall on hard tile and hurt herself.

I try to get the diaper on her but she wrenches away as unclean boy climbs on stepstool to wash hands then dumps potty training reward stickers on the floor and turns on the faucet full force. Water splashes everywhere--stickers all over the floor. As I stand up to shut off the faucet, my daughter crawls to foam letter stickers on the floor, picks them up, tries to eat them, and pees on them.  As always, her moving around on the hard surfaces of the bathroom raises my blood pressure, but the poop & the pee! We are talking slippery pee problems & doo doo on you yuck!

"M!" Would you stop w/ the faucet. This is serious. Don't move! You have poop on you."

M turns on faucet w/  a smile on face.

"Stop w/ the faucet or timeout! I'm not kidding! Don't move! I have to get a towel. This is serious. You have poop on you & there's pee!"


"You're hurting my ears, mommy."

Sometimes you get mad at me. Then I get mad at you, but we still love each other.

That's it for today folks.

Lots more stories like this one - not always about pee and poop. He also told me I wasn't being nice to him when I yelled at him after he spit water on his shirt in the car. Spits & Giggles makes mommy mad! On that same car ride, he kept saying,"I'm too hot. I'm too hot." Then he proceeded to put a towel over his head for the next 20 minutes.

What a freakin' character!

Goodnight. I love you 'M' & 'R.' Big Kiss.

Other news -  'R' nods her head no now & likes to feed us food. She walks well and today raced 'M' & his friend "S' on a scooter w/some assistance w/mommy. She is an eating machine although strangely is rejecting some of the foods she used to love (avocado and potato) as she approaches 1 year. Still loves her eggs & yogurt though. Still a tough sleeper - up A LOT w/ ME!

Kudos for Couscous

I have newfound love for couscous. It is the easiest grain to make. Just zap one cup of couscous with 1 & 1/2 cups water in the microwave for two minutes covered & let sit 5 minutes.You can add olive oil, so the couscous doesn’t stick together, but I sort of like it stuck together & oil free.

Why do I love couscous?

It’s inexpensive organic food 

-$2.79 for 16oz of org whole wheat couscous in bulk at market

or

-$2.79 for 12oz package when you subscribe for shipments of
Fantastic World Foods Organic Whole Wheat Couscous, 12-Ounce Boxes (Pack of 12)

on Amazon.

High Fiber

-7 g of dietary fiber a serving
 (although this varies depending on the brand you buy)

Kids love Couscous & even babies can eat it!

'M' likes macoucousaroni & cheese or couscous w/butter and parmesan cheese.

Couscous Tastes Really Good & Satisfies Exotic Food Cravings.
It’s not quail eggs but it’s also not starchy, sticky macaroni.

Couscous is Light & Fluffy & Delicious.

And again, it’s super & I mean Extra Super EASY to Cook!

Now, the drawback, couscous is messy! You will have to vacuum the floor afterwards if you have kids eating it. I don’t know how to get around this, but I would rather cook an easy meal & vacuum later than spend an hour making rice.

So feel good about feeding couscous to your kids & relax a bit more before dinner!

That's it Folks!

Goodnight. I love you 'M' & 'R.' Big Kiss!

I'm a Snot Sucker! NoseFrida Review

The story of my month: My home is a petri dish.

Two 103 Fevers, two Stomach Bugs, four or six Ear Infections (who can keep count?)...


'M" began camp/preschool, and he now brings home a bug a week. WHAM comes the weekend and volcanic nostrils erupting with yellow mucous.

Gross visualization? For me too, so I've been using the NoseFrida Snot Sucker to relieve my kids' congestion and my genuine disgust at seeing runny noses 24/7. For those of you unfamiliar with  Nosefrida, you literally suck the snot out of their nose via a tube. Sounds even grosser? Well, it is gross, but strangely, sort of fun as well. For younger kids who have not mastered nose blowing, this snot sucker can help. It's a relief to get even a 10-minute break from a runny nose sometimes.

I bought one at New Baby New Paltz or you can buy a NoseFrida   at Amazon as well.

Anyone else out there a SnotSucker?

Goodnight. I love you 'M' & R." Big Kiss. You will get better soon!

Some pics for grandparents.

Ulster County Fair & Bruynswick Farm Stand Fermentation Talk 4pm Sun

Visit the Ulster County Fair until August 5th on Libertyville Road in New Paltz!

We had a great time at the Fair on Wednesday.

Ferris Wheels, Circus Artists, tons of 4-H Fun! Cows, Pigs, Goats, Dog Shows, Wool Spinning, Art Shows, Blue Ribbons...Games Galore...You name it: They have it!

We mostly stuck to the Agricultural, Livestock & 4H Part of the Fair.

We had fun playing at the Kid's Tent w/Gina who helped out in the Corn & Dig a Potato Boxes. They have a ton of fun activities for young children and I had to bribe my child away with a promise for a treat.

One of my biggest recommendations is that treat. Make sure you stop by the 4-H building for an Ulster county-renowned milkshake. We downed our chocolate milkshake in about 4 seconds. It's worth $3 for sure, and you can also buy some corn and hotdogs inside for affordable prices. Corn on the cob is $1 & hot dogs are $2. You can spend A LOT at this fair, so make a beeline for these cheaper prices - plus at least you can eat some healthy, sweet corn along with fair's requisite processed meats & icy treats. Yum!

Important info - the web site says that kids under 4 are free. Not so! Kids under 36 inches are free. If they are over 36 inches, you have to pay $15 a head. Admission can be pricey, so make sure you know this before you head on over. This way you don't have to pay high ATM fees at the fair We were lucky enough to only have to pay for me. My kids are shorties!


Lastly, we loved playing and winning the "I Got It!" Game. My three-year-old played on his own and won a toy of his choice. We only spent about $3.50 and the toy was probably was worth about $2 - so $1.50 for some entertainment was worth it! Kids throw balls into a box. It's easy enough for my 3-year-old to win! Enough said. 

 I just got it &  this!

 When you go to the Ulster County Fair, make sure to also stop by The Bruynswick Farmstand -- a hidden Gem with gorgeous and affordable produce (not certified organic but not sprayed).

Joe & Basil

The owners Joe & Pattie are gracious legendary locals who serve up homemade breads and jams. Also, the stand showcases Pattie's beautiful art. This weekend, their son, a world-renowned expert on fermentation, is doing a booktalk at 4pm at the farmstand. Stop by. You won't be sorry.

Three squash for $1. Peach Tomatoes! Lemon Cucumbers! It's a great farmstand -- maybe my favorite. They are open Wed - Sunday. Happy Weekend!

To Bruynwick Farmstand from the fair - about a 7 minute drive.

Take a right out of the Fairground' parking lot and head South (away from NP) towards Gardiner on Libertyville  Road. LibertyVille will turn into Bruynswick Road. The farmstand is located about half a mile past Lombardi's on the right.