Look Who's Cruising!

M decided this weekend that she wanted to ride a two-wheeler. She was determined, and she took to it faster than we expected! Ted ran after her several times this weekend, Monday night she almost had it, and by Tuesday night she totally took off! Way to go M!

Swagbucks Code Extravaganza!

Today there will be a swag code extravaganza on Swagbucks! That means there will be different swag codes available throughout the day. Here are some places to look, from Swagbucks:

Sometimes there could be a Swag Code in the Widget. You might find a code in a blog post, on our Facebook wall, on our Twitter page, in a product description in the Swag Store, in a sliding picture on our homepage, in the Wibiya chat bar, or in the MiniSBTV on your toolbar.

So if you aren't on Swagbucks yet, today would be a good day to join! Besides the Swag Code Extravaganza, you can also start with 80 bonus swagbucks if you join by Friday by using code JuneBoom.

They also have collector's bills up for the 4th of July. There are 5 bills and if you collect all 5 by July 4th you will earn a 13 swagbuck bonus. So far I have 3 of the 5. Here's hoping!

Do you use Swagbucks? Have you redeemed them for prizes or gift cards? I usually get at least one Amazon gift card a month because I use it every day by searching, clicking on surveys and doing the daily poll. Hey, $5 a month adds up! :-) If you aren't using it, I highly recommend you join today!

Me and My Sports Injuries

I don't play any sports, but apparently I am prone to sports injuries. Two years ago I got "turf toe" from walking on the beach on our vacation. Now I've been diagnosed with another sports injury.

The weekend after Easter I was outside planting some gorgeous tulip plants I had gotten on clearance. It was a nice day, but it was VERY windy. A large branch fell off our tree and hit me square in the elbow. Ouch! I was just glad it didn't hit one of the girls in the head, as they were all outside with me.

I figured my elbow would be sore for awhile, but after two months it still hurt so I finally went to the doctor. They x-rayed it and said it wasn't fractured. They diagnosed it as "tennis elbow", which is usually caused by repetitive movement, but can also be caused by a trauma to the outer part of the elbow.

It is my right arm, which makes healing difficult. Picking up and pouring a gallon of milk or screwing off the cap of the jelly are painful and can continue re-injuring the area and prevent healing of the tendon. I've got a brace and I'm supposed to take ibuprofen and ice the elbow, along with doing some stretching exercises.

Hopefully I'll be on the mend soon. And hopefully I won't get any more sports injuries while doing normal activities!

Mailbox Monday

• Get a free sample of SoyJoy Bars from Walmart.
• Get a free copy of the book "No Longer a Slumdog: Bringing Hope to Children in Crisis" by K.P. Yohannan from Gospel for Asia.
  
• Get a free sample of Alpo Prime Cuts Dog Food from Walmart. Click to the last slide and look for the red "Get a free sample" button.
• Members of Vocalpoint may get a Glad Forceflex Odor Shield trash bag.
  
• Get a free sample of Shout Color Catcher.
• Get a free sample of Splenda Essentials. Limit 2 per person.
• Download a free audio drama of the ESV New Testament from iTunes.
  
• Get a free sample of Playtex Sport. (I was not able to request this again.)

50 Bonus Swagbucks for New Signups

If you haven't started using Swagbucks yet, now is a great time to sign up! New users can get 50 bonus swagbucks with the code JuneBoom, for a total of 80 swagbucks to get you started! This is a great bonus!

Once you signup, see this post to give you some tips for earning some quick swagbucks.

I love using Swagbucks because I earn for searching, as well as for other activities. As long as you are consistent, you will see your swagbucks add up fast! I redeem 450 swagbucks for a $5 Amazon gift card at least once a month. Start saving up for Christmas, or for something special that you wouldn't otherwise buy. :-)

Mailbox Monday

• Get a free sample of disposable Tidy Tots Potty Chair Liners.
• Get a free sample of Avon Anew Solar Advance Suncreen Face Lotion with SPF 45. Be sure to uncheck the boxes if you don't want them to contact you.
• Get a free sample of Handi-Treads non-slip treads.
  
• Get a free sample of Arm & Hammer Brilliant Sparkle Toothpaste.
• Get a free sample of Natural Persimmon Tea.
• Get a free sample of Quest Protein Bars.
• Get a free sample of Rachael Ray dog treats or dog food.
• Like My Publisher on Facebook and get a coupon code for a free mini photo book with free shipping.
• Get a free o.b. trial pack.

Free Mott's for Tots

If you are a Vocalpoint member, login to get your free sample of Mott's for Tots! If you aren't a Vocalpoint member yet, sign up for a free account and start filling your mailbox with freebies and coupons. Hurry, a limited amount of samples are available.

Homemade Dresses

Lest you think I got over my fear of sewing machines, I'll be upfront and tell you I did not make these dresses. With 5 girls who love to wear things that match, sewing clothes would be a great skill to have. Maybe someday, but in the meantime, Great Aunt Nancy to the rescue!

She doesn't have any grandchildren, so she has taken to making dresses and purses for our girls and has been cranking out projects left and right! In April she sent a set of pink striped pillowcase dresses that the girls wore for Easter, as well as a set of little peach purses.In May she sent a package with some blue purses and some goodies, with a promise of more dresses to come.
In June she sent a package with the promised dresses, but she mailed it to our house while we were on vacation. We got the package after we got home and posed for some pictures. They are turquoise with matching bolero jackets and little modesty shorts for underneath. J doesn't like posing for pictures, can you tell? But the other girls do, and I got several more good ones! Meanwhile, while we were still on vacation, we called from my parents' house to ask if we could drive up to visit them on our long drive home, and she told us there was a package waiting for us at home with some dresses, but not to worry, because she had just finished another set of dresses and we could get them when we came! She also made some little book bags for the girls and let them each pick a book from her "library" to take home. Here is a picture of the dresses we picked up at Aunt Nancy's house. They are sundresses with little watermelons on them. Very cute! Thanks so much Aunt Nancy! The girls love their matching dresses! :-)

Family Update

It's been a long time since I've done a family update. There's a lot to tell, so here goes!

The girls and I worked hard to finish school before Memorial Day, even doubling up on lessons most days toward the end. To celebrate our last day, I gave the girls mini mani-pedis! It was a fun way to mark the end of the year and prepare for our vacation, where we'd be wearing a lot of sandals! (More on our vacation in another post. . .)

We also marked the end of our school year with a Mother-Daughter Tea hosted by our homeschool group. H, G, M, Grandma, and I went and enjoyed picking out our own teacup sets (to keep!), making a sewing craft (thankful for Grandma's help!), and enjoying tea, lemonade, and desserts. It was fun for us to dress up and be pampered. :-)

We celebrated 3 birthdays in May! M turned 5, F turned 3, and J turned 1. We celebrated their birthdays at our small group's end of the year picnic and Grandma and Grandpa were here visiting as well. There were 39 people at our house!

J turned 1! She didn't like the cake, frosting, or ice cream that we offered her on her birthday, so we didn't get any good "digging into it" pictures like we did with the other kids. She just kept scrunching up her nose and shaking her head no! She is walking all over the place and seems to have no fear, which makes me fearful sometimes! She loves to play with her sisters and can be quite a ham when they dress her up. She definitely has an opinion and will tell you what she does or doesn't want. She is going to be another strong-willed one, I can tell!

F turned 3 and is officially starting preschool. She considers herself one of the big girls and loves to do whatever they are doing, which includes school, so we actually started doing some school with her earlier this year. She feels so grown-up and is very serious about her homework. :-) She has a wonderful imagination and can make up a story about almost anything. She loves to pretend and play with her sisters.

M turned 5 and finished preschool. She is learning to read and can read some easy readers by herself. She has graduated from speech and can be easily understood by all, which is such an improvement over 2 years ago! She is a sweetheart, very loving and tender. She loves to play with her sisters and ride her bike outside. She is a big helper as well as a peacemaker.

G is 6 and has finished Kindergarten. She is reading very well, and has almost finished "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" by C.S. Lewis. She has been seizure-free since the end of September and we were able to wean her off one of her medications, which has helped with her energy level. She loves to help with baby J and play with her sisters. She has started writing in a journal, and she loves to write poems and songs. Her dream is to be a singer and songwriter someday, and would love to publish a CD with her own songs. One of her new favorite pastimes is answering the telephone, which she does very politely. :-)

H is almost 8 and has finished 2nd grade. She is a voracious reader and can read a whole chapter book in about an hour. She finished the entire Boxcar Children book series this year, about 150 books! She has also enjoyed reading the American Adventure Series books, which are historical fiction from a Christian perspective. She is a big help with her sisters, and is so sweet about including others in her play. She loves art and writing, and hopes to publish a book someday. I can't believe how fast she is growing up!

There's so much more to tell, but the ability to focus on a blog post with 5 children around is not an easy task. Hopefully I'll have time for more frequent updates through the summer.

Free CDs from Your Story Hour

I'm really excited about this freebie! Get free Adventures in the Holy Bible lessons and CDs from Your Story Hour. Simply read the lessons and complete and return the quizzes and they will send you the next set of lessons and quizzes, along with a dramatized CD on the life of Jesus. Keep returning quizzes and they will send you another CD. By the time you finish the Adventures in the Holy Bible series you will have all 13 CDs in the Life of Jesus set, as well as a nice storage album to keep them in. One set of CDs per family.

Roundy's Coupon Matchups (Copps, Pick 'n Save, Rainbow)

Roundy's stores (Pick 'n Save, Copps, and Rainbow) double 5 coupons up to $1 per $25 order every Wednesday and Saturday. Print off some coupons for your stash here and here. Questions? Feel free to email me.

I am going to take a break from providing weekly coupon matches. For various reasons it has gotten harder to do. The only thing that kept me doing this each week was knowing some of you still checked my blog solely for the coupon matches. I'm sorry to disappoint you. Instead I would like to direct you to Pocket Your Dollars. Her team does a great job with the Roundy's Coupon Matches each week.

Thanks for your loyalty, support, and understanding. I am not going to disappear altogether, so I hope you continue to subscribe to my blog for freebies, family updates (coming soon!), and other fun things. You can subscribe via email or rss reader on the sidebar of my blog.

Mailbox Monday

New freebies to start your week!

• Get a free personalized Father's Day card from Tiny Prints when you use coupon code FREEFD or FDGIFT and have it shipped to you. Or pay $0.44 to have it shipped directly to the recipient. This offer ends today at 2pm CST.
  
• Through today, get any card free with free shipping on Cardstore.com when you use code FREECARD at checkout.
  
• Print off free printable paper dolls and clothes from Patty Reed Designs.
• Get a free sample of Tub O'Towels.
• Get a free Sweet and Salty Zone Perfect Bar when you like them on Facebook.
  
• Get a free sample of Member's Mark Formula.
• Get a free sample of Trilipiderm Moisture Retention Cream.
• Get a free sample of Prilosec OTC.
  
• Get a free sample of Parent's Choice Formula.
• Print this coupon and take it to a GNC store for a free sample of Phenom Coconut Water.
• Like Winnies on Facebook and get a free Organic Horse Treats Sample.
• Get the free audiobook A Place of Healing by Joni Eareckson Tada from ChristianAudio during the month of June.
  

Barnes & Noble Reading Program

Read any 8 books, earn a free book from Barnes & Noble! Record your 8 books on this reading journal and take it to your Barnes & Noble store anytime before September 6th to pick out a free book (titles are listed in the journal). This program is for kids in grades 1-6. Find a store near you.

Borders Summer Reading Program

Kids age 12 and under can read any 10 books to earn a free book from Borders! Fill out this form with the titles of your 10 books and take it into any Borders, Borders Express, or Waldenbooks by September 5th and pick out a free book! Find a Borders store near you.

Are you Swagbuckin'?

Swagbuckin'= A word I made up that means "Searchin' with Swagbucks"! :-) Today is Mega Swagbucks Day. Hope on and do a few searches, and get your free bucks for checking the trusted surveys and the daily poll. See your Swagbucks add up fast and redeem for cash (Paypal), gift cards (like Amazon, Target, Starbucks, and more!), or prizes! What do you like to redeem your Swagbucks for?

Half Price Books Reading Program

Half Price Books is offering a different reading program this summer. Things kick off with a special storytime at your local Half Price Books on Sunday, June 5th at 2pm. Through the months of June and July, if you read a total of 600 minutes or more, you can turn in your calendar for a $5 gift card. This program is for kids 14 and under. Parents can read to non-readers. More details here. Find a store near you.