Counting Change

Tip: Find a cute container, place all loose change in it for a year (or two or three), and then roll it up and use it for something fun!  

While we use cards for 95% of our purchases, there are always times we use cash and somehow, we end up with TONS of change around.  A few years ago, I purchased an old glass container to put change in.

This last week, my husband and I finally rolled all the coins, and were shocked with the total, nearly $100!  We are going to use the money to celebrate our anniversary later this week.

This is a quick and easy way to keep loose change in one place AND get some extra money for something fun.

Cheers!

Ashley

Big Boy Bed

On Sunday, we build my son's big boy bed.  We are moving him strait from his crib to a twin bed, and got him some really awesome 'Toystory' set.  However, with my son being sick, he was less receptive to it that I would have liked.  Here is what it looks like.

Wednesday night, (the one night I work and don't put my son to bed) he decided that he wanted to sleep in his big boy bed.  I snuck in and took a quick picture, because this kid NEVER stays still when he sleeps.  Apologies for the blurriness, I was trying to take it, without him waking up.  I also put tons of pillows on the floor just incase he should wiggle out of bed in the middle of the night.

I was most apprehensive about the next morning.  Would he get up and play? Call for us like normal?  If he woke up early would he not go back to sleep?  Well he woke up at 5am, I'm not sure if he fell out of bed, or got out himself, but he started crying and when I got into his room, he was standing next to his big boy bed.  When I picked him up he wanted back in his crib, and I obliged.  Just in case he did fall out, this fancy bed rail went up the next day.

If he did fall, this will prevent it from happening again (though I really think he got out of bed and freaked out because he wasn't used to the new bed).  I should have put it up 1st, but I wanted to see if he really needed it.  I am so excited about this transition, mostly because we need the crib for our sweet baby girl who will soon be moving into her big brother's room, but also because he is totally ready for a big boy bed.

Cheers!

Ashley


PS For the month of September I will be doing a Tip's for Toddler's Tuesday series, and I'm super excited about it!

Menu Monday

I have decided that our lives are too hectic to try and plan meals to the day.  It never fails that SOMETHING happens and our plans go out the window and have to change.  So instead I have decided to meal plan in a different way.  I am going to plan to make 5 meals each week, but not determine what day we are going to have them.  This way I am still planing but have more flexibility with in my plan.  I can still grocery shop according to my meal plan, but I don't HAVE to make it on any particular day.  So here is what I am planing on making/eating this week:

Chicken Tortilla Bake (leftovers, I made it this weekend for lunch with a friend)
Cranberry chicken
Make Your Own Taco's (so I can use the leftover tortillas from the chicken bake)
Pasta w/ Alfredo
Pizza night


I'm thinking taco's sound good tonight, but then again, it's Monday and I may be exhausted by tonight and just go with the leftover option,  then again, my hubby may get home from work early and make the cranberry chicken for me.  It is so nice to have a plan with freedom.