Mailbox Monday--New Freebies!

Here are some freebies to start off your week!

• Get a free copy of the book "Dads and Daughters" by Dr. James Dobson. You better believe I signed up for this one! :-)
• Get a free sample of Origins Plantscription Anti-Aging Serum when you like them on Facebook.
• Get a free sample of Maybelline FitME Founation from Target.
• Get a free sample of Vaseline Intensive Rescue Lotion.
• Print two coupons for a free order of fries at Wendy's.
• Get a free sample of Bayer if you are a member of Sam's Club.
• Get a free sample of Breathe Right strips.
• Get a free Focus Factor sample from Sam's Club, no membership number required.
• Get a free potty training kit from Pampers.

Bath and Body Works Groupon

Today's Groupon deal is $10 for $20 or $15 for $30 worth of merchandise from Bath and Body Works online. It expires 4/27/11 and there is a limit of 1 per person. Since this is to be used online, it is a national deal.

1/2 off at Dairy Queen!

Celebrate Customer Appreciation Days at participating Dairy Queen locations by getting 1/2 off items on their menu! Click here to find a participating store near you and find out if your store is offering 1/2 off cakes, novelties, or everything! Some stores are participating on January 26th (today), and others are participating on January 29th (Saturday).

Pictures!

Guess who is potty-trained? F has been keeping her panties dry probably 95% of the time, including naptime and at night! Yay, F!

J is getting around quite well. She does a "toe pushup crawl", where she gets up on her hands and toes, pushes forward, then hits her belly on the floor, only to repeat the motion again and again to get wherever she wants to go! As you can see, she can also stand supported for quite a length of time by herself. It won't be long before she is running around with her sisters! Her spitting up has decreased a little, but she has added massive amounts of drool. Still only 2 teeth, though!

Huggies or Pampers Diapers for $0.10 each!

I just got a great deal on Huggies diapers delivered to my door! I got a package of 156 size 3 Huggies for only $15.96, or $0.10 per diaper. This is equivalent to getting a jumbo pack for only $3.67! This deal is available for other sizes of Huggies, and even on Pampers. Here's how to get in on this deal:

• Join Amazon Mom if you haven't already. It's free and gives you free Amazon Prime 2-day shipping with no minimums on ANY items, not just baby items!

• Look for the case of Huggies in the size you need and click on it.
  

• Look for the subscribe and save option. You will automatically save 30%, 15% for being an Amazon Mom member and 15% for subscribe and save. Select your delivery time and quantity and click "subscribe now". I chose 6 months to give me more time to cancel if I decide to later (which you can do anytime after your order ships, by clicking on "My Account" and managing your subscriptions).
  

• Now your price is $0.14 per diaper, equivalent to $5.04 per jumbo pack. But it can get better!

• If you have a coupon for 20% off diapers on Amazon from a recent Parents or BabyTalk magazine (looks like a lime green postcard), enter the promo code in the box under your total and your amount will be adjusted. Better yet, the 20% will come off the regular price, saving you even more!
  

If you prefer Pampers, you can get an awesome deal on those the same way! I found a package of size 3 for $40.88, down to $28.62, and with my code it would be $20.45, or $0.10 per diaper!

These deals beat the Walgreens register rewards deal on Huggies this week, even with a coupon, and you don't even have to leave home! :-)

**Need wipes? Take advantage of subscribe and save and get them delivered to your door! Right now you can get Huggies refills for $12.18 for a 3 pack of refills, which is equivalent to 9 of the tubs, making it $1.35 per tub. (It comes up as $17.40, but is discounted when you choose subscribe and save.)

Easy Swagbucks

Have your swag bucks been adding up? I love trading mine in for a $5 Amazon gift card. Today you can earn some easy swag bucks in about a minute. Here's how:

• Watch a commercial and earn swag bucks. On the home page, look for the box that looks like this.
• Take the Daily Poll for 1 swag buck. This takes less than 15 seconds.
  
• Click on Trusted Surveys for 1 swag buck. This takes 2 seconds.
• Click through the NOSO's for 2 swag bucks after you enter the captcha code. This takes about 30 seconds.
• Do a quick search or two to see if you get lucky and win some more! You can win more than once a day.
  

If you haven't joined Swagbucks yet, I encourage you to get started. You will get 30 free swagbucks just for signing up. It's free, and you might as well earn something for searching!

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

Roundy's stores (Copps, Pick 'n Save, and Rainbow) double 5 coupons up to $1 per $25 order every Wednesday and Saturday. There are several deals this week, so here are some printable coupon matches to help you make your list. Check your coupon stash to see if you can find more matches. For printing tips, click here. Questions? Feel free to email me.


$0.50/ea: Yoplait Original or Whips! Yogurt
$0.50/4 Yoplait Yogurt
$0.40/6 Yoplait Yogurt
==================================
$1.98/ea: Lactaid Cottage Cheese
$1.00/1 Lactaid Cottage Cheese
FREE ADC!
==================================
$3.00/ea: Lactaid Milk
$1.00/1 Lactaid Milk
$1.00 ADC
==================================
$1.33/ea: Green Giant Vegetables
$0.50/1 Green Giant Vegetables
$0.33 ADC
==================================
$3.00/ea: Blue Bunny Ice Cream
$1.00/ea: Blue Bunny
$1.00 ADC
==================================
$2.99 Kashi Cereal
$1.00/1 Kashi GoLean Crisp
$0.99 ADC
==================================
$0.50/ea: Campbell's Tomato Soup
$1.00/4 Great for Cooking Soups
4 FREE ADC!
==================================
$1.79/ea: Jolly Time Popcorn
$1.00/2 Jolly Time Popcorn
$0.79 each ADC
==================================

Mailbox Monday

A few freebies for your mailbox!

• Get a free sample of Maggi Chicken Flavored Pasta Soup.
  
• If you haven't already, you can request a free sample of PowerBar Gel Blasts.
  
• Get a free sample of CoverGirl NatureLuxe Foundation from Walmart.
• Get a free sample of Focus Factor from Sam’s Club. No membership number is required.
• Get a free Tampax Being Girl Sample Kit.

Overheard: Pioneers

M: (age 4, in the red bonnet)
"Mommy, I want to be a pioneer when I grow up!"

Build a Free Ball Toss at Lowe's

Head over to Lowe's for the free Build and Grow Clinic tomorrow! Children can make this fun ball toss game from 10-11am. RSVP online to make sure your store has enough kits for you. If it is full already, your store will not show up.

HOT DEAL! $20 Amazon Gift Card for Only $10!

Head over to Living Social to get a $20 gift card to Amazon for only $10! This deal will last until 6am CT, or until they sell out, whichever comes first. Just login to Living Social and select a city (Minneapolis, Houston, Washington DC, it doesn't matter since this is an online deal) and the Amazon deal should come up. If I am reading things right, if you sign up through my link, you will get 5 Deal Bucks when you sign up to help you buy a deal, and then I get 5 when you buy your first deal. So I think that means if this is your first deal, you will be able to get it for only $5!

This is an awesome deal, and the gift card doesn't expire. You will get your gift certificate code tomorrow via email. On Amazon you get free shipping with orders over $25 (so you;d only have to spend $5 more, or you can sign up FREE for Amazon Mom, which can get you FREE 2-day shipping on any order!). This deal is available until 6am CT on 1/20, or until they sell out, which could happen anytime since this deal is open to anyone because it is an online deal. So if you ever shop on Amazon, grab it and save 50%! Limit 1 per person.

Wordless Wednesday: New Pictures

Baby J is almost 8 months old already!
This smirk/smile just captures her personality.
We call her "Miss Grabby Hands" because she is into everything!

Here is G's 6 year old picture. She's grown up so fast!
See how much her hair grew since last year?

And a new family picture! This was the only one with baby J smiling. :-)
Really, with 5 kids, you just hope to get everyone looking in the same direction!

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

Roundy's stores (Copps, Pick 'n Save, and Rainbow) double 5 coupons up to $1 per $25 order every Wednesday and Saturday. There are several deals this week, so here are some printable coupon matches to help you make your list. Check your coupon stash to see if you can find more matches. For printing tips, click here. Questions? Feel free to email me.

---

$8.99/ea: 3 lbs Johnsonville Brats or Italian Sausage
$0.55/1 Johnsonville Sausage
$7.89 ADC

---

$2.99/ea: Johnsonville Pork Sausage Links, Patties or Rolls
$0.55/1 Johnsonville Sausage
$1.89 ADC

---

$3.50/ea: Johnsonville Smoked or Cooked Sausage Links
$0.55/1 Johnsonville Sausage
$2.40 ADC

---

General Mills Cereal Deal: Buy 6, get $10 off and free milk and eggs!
Buy 6 boxes at regular price, get $10 off instantly and catalina coupons for a free gallon of milk and a dozen eggs OYNO
Many coupons here
More coupons here
And even more here and here
*My target price is $1 or less per box, after doubled coupons and the value of the catalinas.
*Print more coupons than you think you need, in case they are out of a kind you wanted.

---

$0.75/ea: Red Gold Tomatoes
$1.00/4 Red Gold Tomatoes
$1.00/4 or $0.25 each ADC

---

$2.50/ea: Welch's Essentials Juice
$1.00/1 64 oz. Welch's Light Concord Grape Juice Beverage
$0.50 ADC

---

$1.00/ea: Pillsbury Grands! Biscuits,Mix or Match
$0.30/2 Refrigerated Pillsbury Grands! Biscuits
$0.30/2Refrigerated Pillsbury Grands! Biscuits
$0.70 each ADC

---

$1.00/ea: El Monterey Chimichangas or Burritos, 2 ct.
$1.00/1 El Monterey Mexican Snacks 24oz or less
$1.00/2 El Monterey Taquitos
Possibly 2 free ADC!

---

$2.00/ea: Betty Crocker Fruit Shapes
$0.50/2 Betty Crocker Fruit Shapes, Fruit by the Foot, Fruit Gushers OR Fruit Roll-Ups
$0.50/2 Betty Crocker Fruit Shapes, Fruit by the Foot Fruit Gushers OR Fruit Roll-Ups
$1.50 ADC

---

$1.79/ea: Reach Dental Floss
$1.00/1 Reach Floss
FREE ADC!

---

$1.00/ea: Hamburger Helper Varieties
$0.75/3 Hamburger Helper Varieties
$0.50 each ADC

---

BOGO FREE: Yoplait Fiber One Yogurt
$0.50/1 Fiber One Yogurt

---

$2.00/ea: Yoplait Go-Gurt 8 pk.
$0.75/2 Yoplait Go-GURT or Yoplait Trix Multipack Yogurt
$1.00/2 Yoplait Go-GURT or Yoplait Trix Multipack Yogurt
$1.25 each ADC

---

$2.50/ea: Pillsbury Ready to Bake Cookies
$1.00/2 Pillsbury Refrigerated Cookie Dough
$1.00/2 Pillsbury Refrigerated Holiday Cookies
$0.55/1 Pillsbury Simply Refrigerated Cookie Dough
$1.00/2 Pillsbury Refrigerated Cookie Dough
As low as $1.40 ADC

---

$2.00/ea: Pillsbury Toaster Strudel
$0.50/2 Pillsbury Toaster Strudel Pastries
$0.50/2 Pillsbury Toaster Strudel Pastries
$1.50 each ADC

---

$2.50/ea: Pillsbury Pie Crusts or Sweet Moments
$0.50/2 Pillsbury Rolled Refrigerated Pie Crusts
$1.00/1 Sweet Moments

---

Mailbox Monday

• Get a free sample of Nexxus ProMend from Walmart.
• Get a free sample of Cyndi Bands Elastic Hair Ties.
• Get a free o.b. Mighty Small sample pack.
• Get a free hand-washing timer from APHA.
• Get a free sample of GoodNites.
• Get a free sample of Nature’s Select Dog Food.
• Get a free sample of Cinnabon Cream of Wheat.
• Get a free travel sewing kit from Hallman’s.
• Get a free sample of Crest 3D Whitestrips from Walmart.

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

Roundy's stores (Copps, Pick 'n Save, and Rainbow) double 5 coupons up to $1 per $25 order every Wednesday. (Note: Rumor has it that Doubles on Saturdays are back, but it doesn't mention it in the ad, so call your store to verify.) There are several deals this week, so here are some printable coupon matches to help you make your list. Check your coupon stash to see if you can find more matches. For printing tips, click here. Questions? Feel free to email me.

Another new Rewards program is the Baby Rewards Club, where if you spend $100 on participating baby products between 1/9/11 and 7/9/11, you will get $10 off your next purchase. These purchases don't need to be made in one transaction, and will be tracked automatically on your card.

$3.00/ea: El Monterey Family Pack Burritos or Chimichangas
$1.00/2 El Monterey Taquitos
$1.50/1 El Monterey Family Meals
$1.00/1 El Monterey Mexican Snacks 24oz or less

---

$3.00/ea: Florida Crystals Sugar
$0.75/1 Florida Crystals Sugar Product
$1.50 each ADC

---

$2.20/ea: Ziploc Containers
$1.50/2 Ziploc brand containers

---

$3.00/ea: Welch's Healthy Start Juice
$1.00/1 Welch's Light Concord Grape Juice
$1.00 ADC

---

$3.99/ea: Johnsonville Brats or Italian Links
$0.55/1 Johnsonville Sausage
$2.89 ADC

---

$0.50/ea: Yoplait Original or Whips! Yogurt
$0.40/6 Yoplait Yogurt

---

$2.00/ea: Newman's Own Pasta Sauce
$0.50/1 Newman's Own
$1.00/2 Newman's Own
$1.00 ADC

---

$2.25/ea: Healthy Choice Fresh Mixers
$1.00/2 Healthy Choice Fresh Mixers
$1.25 each ADC

---

$1.98/ea: Reach Dental Floss
$1.00/1 Reach Floss
FREE ADC!

---

$1.98/ea: Reach Toothbrushes
$2.00/2 Reach Toothbrushes
$0.98 each

---

$2.50/ea: Clorox, Pine-Sol or Tilex Cleaners
Save $3/$10 with in-ad coupon
$1.00/1 Tilex Mold & Mildew Remover or Tilex Mildew Root Penetrator and Remover
$0.50 each ADC, save even more with in-ad coupon

---

UNO 40th Anniversary Edition Only $1!

Beth emailed to let me know that UNO's 40th Anniversary is on 1/11/11, and to celebrate, they are selling the Anniversary Edition for only $1.00 in many stores through this week (Target, Walmart, Walgreens, etc). Be sure to check end-caps, as these specials are often not found on the regular shelves. This is such a great game, for kids and adults alike, and you just can't beat this price!
Thanks Beth!

Mailbox Monday

Here are some more freebies for you!

• Get a free Mom Made Foods Product coupon via mail when you take the Healthy Pledge.
  
• Get a free sample of DenTek Comfort Clean Floss Picks.
• Costco members can request a free sample of Kirkland Moisture Shampoo and Conditioner.
• Get a free NasaDock from NeilMed.
• Sign up for a free Purina One sample from Walmart. I've gotten several of these already from multiple sources. Use them for dog or cat treats!
• Get a free four-day Nature Made Vitamin D chewable sample from Walmart.
• Get a free audio download of the book The Pursuit of Holiness by Jerry Bridges from Christian Audio. No coupon code needed.
• If you are hearing impaired, get a free four-pack of hearing aid batteries.
• Get a free sample of SteviaCane All Natural Sugar from Facebook. If you are not on FB, request a sample through their contact form. Leave the comments blank, and when you check the box that you want a free sample, address fields will pop up.
  
• Get a free sample of Post-It Durable Tabs.
• Get a free sample of Purina One SmartBlend Cat food from Target.
• Get a Nordic Naturals Omega-3 sample kit by emailing your name, address, and email to samples@nordicnaturals.com.
• Thinking about your garden already? Request a free Gardener’s Idea book from Proven Winners.

Build a Free Game Box at Lowe's!

You and your child can head over to Lowe's tomorrow to build this free Game Box! This Build and Grow Clinic is on Saturday from 10-11am. RSVP online to make sure your store has enough craft kits for you. (My closest store didn't show up on the list, so apparently they are already full--bummer!!)

Dress Up: Little House on the Prairie

In a house of 5 girls, playing dress up is a common pastime. Their imaginations are developed as they come up with elaborate stories and creatively turn everyday objects into items in their tales. Baby J is often involved, too, but this time I only caught pictures of H, G, M and F as they were playing "Little House on the Prairie".

H was Ma, G was Mary, M was Laura, and F was baby Carrie. Baby Carrie (F) was mostly enjoying twirling in her dress, but was also seen helping in the garden and being carried around by Ma (H). Mary (G) and Laura (M) were dutifully doing chores, like sweeping and washing laundry on a washboard.





Ma watered the garden while Mary and Carrie helped harvest the bounty of fruits and vegetables for their dinner.
Ahh, the memories of childhood!

Husky Tools Review

Husky Tools sent us a 20-piece T-Handle Driver Set to review. Finally, a review Ted can get excited about! And he was!

He and his dad tried out the tools after Christmas to put together a gift for the kids. They said that the design allowed them to grip them better and get better leverage, which was a big plus. Especially with Phillips head screws, applying enough force down on the head is important to keep from accidentally stripping the head.

The only possible tradeoff with these is possible wrist fatigue if you have a lot of turning to do. These are probably ideal to have on hand to tighten old screws cleanly or to put in the last few turns of a fresh one, but you wouldn't want to drive an entire screw with one of these. Traditional screwdrivers are easy to make small movements with your hand and keep working. This set requires a complete repositioning before your next turn (except for the ratchet of course). So, this set, together with an electric screwdriver, would probably be a great combination, especially for those with less muscle strength in their hands.

The set includes 2 slotted, 2 Phillips, 2 hex, 2 square, a "pozi" (never heard of that), and a rachet driver. Husky Tools offers a Forever Guarantee on all of their tools.

*My husband and I received this set of tools from Husky tools in exchange for my review. All opinions are our own.

Educator Discounts (Homeschoolers, too!)

There are a lot of places that offer discounts to educators, and these discounts apply to homeschoolers as well! Just bring in your proof of homeschooling (usually a state form or membership ID of some sort) and sign up. If you know of any more, please email me or leave a comment so I can add to the list!

Barnes and Noble
Apply for an educator card and get 20% off the list-price on any school-related purchases, and 25% off during Educator Appreciation Days. Not able to be used with other coupons or discounts. Can be used online or in-store.

Borders

Get a Classroom Discount Card that saves you 25% off classroom purchases of books and CDs and 10% off DVDs every day, plus use your Borders Rewards card with all your purchases and earn Borders Bucks! Discount available in-store only.

FedEx/Kinko's
Apply for an educator card to get 15% off most products and services. Apply in-store.

Half-Price Books
Apply for a yearly educator card and get 10% off any purchase year-round. Does not have to be school-related. And don't forget about their summer reading program, where kids can earn $3 per week to spend in-store!

Hancock Fabrics
Receive a 15% discount when you show proof of homeschooling.

Jo-Ann Fabrics

Get a teacher rewards card that gives you 15% off all purchases online and in the store. Several times a year they do Teacher Appreciation days that allow you to get 20% off and other deals (like this weekend, Jan 8 and 9). If the item is on sale the card also works, but if you use a coupon, the card does not give an additonal discount. Not valid on items they do not allow coupons on like the Cricut machine and cartridges.

Michaels

They do not have a discount card, but they do accept the Jo-Ann's teacher rewards card. It is like a coupon and they accept competitor coupons, so they will take this too! They also have a teacher area on their website called the Knack. If you sign up there, you get coupons sent from time to time and other craft info.

Museums
Our local children's museum offers a discount on their annual family membership to homeschoolers. Ask at your local museum to see if yours does, too!

Office Depot

Get a Star Teacher rewards card. Get 10% back in rewards on ink, toner, and paper, and 1% back reward on everything else. Also get a 15% discount on copy and print purchases.

Office Max

Get a Max perks card that is a rewards card for what you buy. Earn $10 for every $75 you buy. Usually in August they have a teacher appreciation day and you get a discount and freebies on that day.

Pizza Hut
This isn't a discount, but I wanted to include it here as a freebie that homeschoolers are eligible for. Kids in grades K-6 can participate in BOOK-IT, where they can earn a free personal pan pizza each month from October through March by meeting reading goals you set. Enroll on 5/1/2011 for the 2011-2012 school year.

Six Flags
Six Flags has a reading program where K-6th graders can earn a free ticket. One homeschooling "teacher" will earn a free ticket as well. You must be within a certain distance from a park in order to participate.

Staples

Rewards card that gives you a $10 Staples Teacher Rewards Check each time you accumulate $100 in product purchases. Rewards up to $30. They also have a Teacher appreciation day with discounts and freebies once a year, usually in August.

Walgreens
In September 2010 they had Teacher Appreciation days every Wednesday for 6 weeks. Show your proof of homeschooling form and get 15% off your purchase and 20% off Walgreens brand items.

Thanks to Karen and Kerry for their help compiling this list.

Wordless Wednesday: The Good Life

Pizza Movie Night in footie jammies.
Does life get any better?
These are the things memories are made of.