I Wanna Be Just Like You!

...and only you!  I remember that feeling well.  That little tag along of a pesky little brother.  Ok, mine was pretty darn cute, just like the fussbucket is, but sometimes it's hard to see the cuteness through the annoyance.  The joys of being a big sibling!

Playing guns with brother!

Yes, we did have to buy L a gun to match his big brothers after he spent half of our trip in Williamsburg trying to steal his.  And now, a month later, they run around the house chasing each other with these guns.  Most days C is great at playing with his brother, but others, he gets annoyed and frustrated.

Aiming like brother!

I hope he looks at these pictures though and remembers how fun it was to play with his little brother.  I hope they continue to grow an amazing bond despite their age difference.  I hope L grows up to be as smart, creative and kind as his big brother.  Most of all I hope that C will continue to love his brother, spend time with him and be a great example to him.

Watching our two boys grow up and change is one of the greatest joys I could ever have imagined.  Seeing the sibling relationship from a whole different perspective makes me appreciate my own little brother so much more!   I hope they realize how lucky they are so much earlier than I might have!  Having a sibling is a great blessing!  I'm so glad I have one and that my boys have each other!

P.S.  Totally unrelated, but Liam now says "cheese" and smiles for pictures...sometimes!

The Simple Joys

Life holds many simple joys for us all. One of mine is watching my kids interact with their grandparents. Maybe because they don't get to do it everyday. Or maybe because it brings back memories of my childhood. Either way, I love it!

Liam had a hard time remembering my dad on his latest trip. I know it's part of the age, but it still made me sad since they were best buds at thanksgiving! And of course as soon as my dad had to leave to go back home the fussbucket was less fussy with grandpa and starting to bond again!

They did have some sweet moments. Quick hugs I didn't catch on camera and lots of laughing! But my favorite was probably the little man sitting on Grampys shoulders on our way back to the car after a long day at the air show. What could be better than this?

Disney Fund Is Underway!

That's right!  You heard it here first!  I made my first deposits into our Disney fund!  Keep in mind, every little bit adds up!  Don't be surprised with the little baby steps!  This deposit was pretty decent actually:

• $92.30 earned at a consignment sale selling clothes & other kids items that we no longer use
• $29.30 refund from On-Star

Total Deposit: $121.60
Total Saved: $131.24

Obviously we have a ways to go, but we will be making regular monthly deposits as well to be sure we meet our goal.   I'm optimistic that we'll be able to make it!  Watch out Mickey, 'cause here we come!

Ready for Rebates!

In the past I've only submitted a rebate for my phone.  But recently I read a blog post on Couponing to Disney about using rebates to grow your Disney fund.  Since we have limited time I decided this was something I need to take advantage of.  Today I am prepping my rebates to mail off.  They're rather easy to put together and mail off.  The price of a stamp is well worth the return!  Here are some of the rebates I'm working on today:

1)  Lysol Dual Action Wipes.  You can download the form here, but the purchase must be made by April 30th.  Since this date is fast approaching get on it!  They will refund the purchase price of one canister of Lysol wipes.  These are something we use regularly, although I haven't tried the dual action ones yet so getting some was a no brainer!  Plus, I had a coupon for $1 off of two so it saved me even more money!

Everything I need to mail in for the Lysol rebate.

2)  Science Diet Ideal Balance.  Also, a try it free promotion.  I regularly use Science Diet food, but getting to try a new type for free is great!  This was also a great deal as it was $1 off at Pet Smart.  Then I had a $5 off coupon I used cutting the price in half.  To top it off I had a coupon for a free can of wet food with purchase of dry food so I really made out.  You can download the rebate here!

3)  Miller 64 $5 Rebate for meat purchase.  This is a no beer purchase necessary (NBPN) rebate I got off ebay.  They reinburse you for the cost of your meat.

4)  Landshark $6 Rebate.  Another NBPN rebate.  I bought chicken and they will refund me $6.

5)  Corona $10 Rebate.  Yet another NBPN rebate for meat purchases.

Here's the deal.  I obviously purchase meat on a regular basis so the NBPN rebates are great!  I am refunded for the items I need to feed my family or clean our home.  Then I take the rebate and put it into our Disney savings fund.  Basically, thanks to rebates I should have about $33 in rebates coming in 6-8 weeks for our Disney fund.  While I spend the money on stamps and I purchased the NBPN rebates on eBay so I spent a little over $4 on sending them all in, but the profit will go straight into the account and the rest comes out of our normal budget.  Small price to pay for big rewards.

Not too shabby for "found" money in return for what I normally would buy anyways, eh?

Super Doubles Haul

I promised to share some of my couponing adventures on the road to Disney so here is an example for all the inquiring minds of a super doubles trip at Harris Teeter.  This was my trip last Wednesday.  The only thing missing from the picture is two packets of taco seasoning that I forgot to include in the photo. I've been been meaning to make a second trip back to HT for some more steals and deals, but so far our schedule this past week hasn't allowed for it.  Either way, the savings were a plenty!

Retail Price: $77.32

I Paid: $20 and some change

Saved: $57

If you're not couponing, don't you think it might be time to start?

Score!

I love a good bargain and follow a lot of the bargain sites such as zulily.com, totsy.com, mambargains.com and the like.  Often times I can find great Disney items on these sites.  I missed out on Mickey t-shirts today, but I did score a great burger press and cookie cutter combo for $10 on zulily.  This will be perfect for our surprise moment for the kids come trip time!  Our plan is to have them open a card on their advent calendar and find out they'll be leaving for Disney the next day!  Originally I was planning on getting a Mickey cookie cutter and making rice krispy Mickeys like I'd seen on Pinterest, however now I think I will make a whole meal of it!  Burgers and dessert all shaped like Mickey!

If you're in the market for some Disney at a discount they have a few other items that are fun for those of us who love the mouse!  Mickey, Toy Story and Cars t-shirts for only $8!  (Sadly they seemed to run out of Liam's size in all the Mickey ones before I could check out.  Next time!)  There are also ADORABLE dresses in the Disney spirit.  I so wish I had a little girl to get these for!  They are to die for!  And there is even numerous versions of the slinky dog from Toy Story!  (I so debated getting one of these because they are adorable!)  There are even tons of Disney books!

And I even spied, with my mesmerized eyes, a Mickey bag slatted for tomorrow's sale!  So, if you're not a member of zulily, hop on over and join!  Score some great deals to get you ready for Disney or whatever life throws at you!  You won't regret it!

*Please note: I'm in no way affiliated with or compensated by zulily for giving them a shout out today.  They just have cool stuff!

Couponing To Disney?

Being a military family we are pros at flexibility.  For once, this seems to have worked in our favor.  (Knock on wood.)  Needless to say, when one of my closest friends booked a pre-deployment trip to Disney I was insanely jealous.  I have been wanting to go back since our last visit and couldn't handle waiting any longer.  I called Disney and booked our own magical pre-deployment vacation.  It's going to cost a pretty penny as usual, but I know it will be worth it. 

Disney 2009

Recently I stumbled across a great blog called Couponing to Disney.  (Thank you Pinterest and my fabulous friend Jennie!)  I am infatuated with the idea that by couponing, something I already do, I could save for Disney.  My goal is always to pay cash for everything, so I'm really enjoying her take on saving for Disney, even if I am doing things a little ass backwards.  (Pardon my "French"!)  While we've already booked our vacation we only put down a deposit and are growing our own Disney trip fund each month to pay off the balance.


Sadly, the military discount Disney offers expires in September.  Of course, we have planned our trip for after it expires.  Go figure.  We are praying it is extended.  We took advantage of Disney's generous military offers three years ago and they paid off!  Of course, when it is extended the good people at Disney will magically adjust our balance "just like that".    Fingers crossed our fairy godmother is looking out for us!

But I digress...because all of the balance won't magically disappear I will be working to increase our Disney fund by scrimping, saving and couponing!  Kristin at Couponing to Disney has some great ideas and tips.  There are things I haven't tried and I plan to explore some of these options in the coming months.  I'm going to do my best to keep up with the blog and my savings exploits.  I'm a crazy planner when it comes to a Disney trip.   Being goal-oriented I'm hoping this motivates me to stay on top of my couponing and be more responsible with our budget.  (I feel like I've been slacking lately.) 

To start off I'm focusing on really staying on top of my coupons.  I had two weeks worth of inserts to cut and file this week before super doubles at Harris Teeter.  Organizing and planning are key to successful super doubles trips for me so I am well on my way to getting that done.  I spent the past 24 hours clipping and filing and will spend tomorrow putting together my shopping list.  Hoping to stock my fridge, freezer and pantry with lots of staples for my family of four.

So, join me as I embark on prepping for a memorable, magical family vacation.  I plan to blog my journey as I prep, scrimp, save, craft and coupon my way to Disney!  A dream is a wish your heart makes and my dream will be reality soon enough!