Happy Thanksgiving!

I just wanted to take a minute to wish all of you a very Happy Thanksgiving! I am very thankful for each and every one of you that stops by to visit.

Enjoy your day with your families and get ready for all the hot deals that are going to be popping up here over the next few weeks. Hopefully I'll be able to keep up! :)

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Halloween!

Captions: Some pictures of us picking our pumpkins for this year.

I just wanted to take a minute to wish you all a very Happy Halloween! I am looking forward to taking my son and daughter out trick-o'-treating tonight. It's her very first Halloween!

Since I have family in from out-of-town, I am going to do something I almost never do and take the day off! I'll be back tomorrow with deals and link-ups and possibly some pics of the kids in their costumes.

Hope you all have a great day!

It's All About Family

The temperatures started dropping in the last few weeks here in Chicagoland and it occurred to me that winter's almost here. And for us, that not only means cold, cold weather but snow! While I love taking my toddler out in it, it does tend to keep me a little more homebound when I have to drive in it. :)

So over the last few weeks, I've been focusing even more on my family. I'm trying to sneak in as many outside outings as I can. Lately, we went apple picking and on a full moon walk and are planning a trip to the pumpkin patch hopefully this weekend. I am getting so excited about my daughter's first Halloween and that my parents will be able to share that with us this year.

(Pics of our Full Moon Walk)






But as I've taken more time for my family, I've fallen a little behind on the things that I need to do daily to keep up on blogging. So I just wanted to say Thank You for your patience as I s-l-o-w-l-y do my best to catch up on emails, deals sent and even some blog awards I've been awarded. (Thank you for that honor and I'll post about those real soon!) I'm doing my best not to stress over catching up, as I hate to not get back to my readers quickly, but I know you all understand.

I'm hoping that while deal-finding, saving money and even blogging can be fun that you always keep your focus on what's most important -- family. Deals will come and go but you can never get back those precious moments with your little ones. My littlest is turning one next month and I keep asking myself--where did the time go?

Make sure to plan some time for some fun fall outings and make those memories that you will long remember over any great deal you might find.

Happy Anniversary, Coupon Geek & Future Plans

I cannot believe that today is the 1 year anniversary of Coupon Geek Blog! When I started this blog, it was just a place to share deals with my friends so I could quit filling up their email inboxes. I also started sharing stories of my activities with the kids and as a family and about our journey down the Total Money Makeover path, as they all enjoyed reading about our lives and finding ideas to do with their kids and ways to help their debt, as well. Little did I know just how fast Coupon Geek would grow. I was happy with my 10 readers and visits. :) And now, there are soo many of you that bless me with your friendship daily. And I am so truly honored by that.

I have always done my very best to be 100% honest with my reader friends. And maybe that's why you keep coming back, I don't know. But I must share another bit of honesty with you today. For the last few months, I have been struggling to keep up. To find balance with blogging and family time. My kids are growing up and needing more time for aiding in their development. For Nathan, we have to start potty training and learning his basics for pre-school. And Kaydi, my dear little baby, is now a master speedy crawler and needs more time to ensure her safety and to help her explore and learn more about life, in general.

So at this time, I am unsure of the future of the Coupon Geek Blog. I have been trying to make cut-backs but find myself only feeling a sense of guilt or like I am letting down my readers by not having constant deals. I even considered "rebranding" as they call it and having a non-deal blog with just money-saving advice and kid's stuff. But I'm not sure it wouldn't turn back into the same type of blog. :)

So I am going to spend the next month, until September 3rd, making some changes and seeing if I can finally find a way to find that balance. I may just set a blogging time limit and leave it at that and ask that you understand that the blog won't be the same or chalk full of as many postings. I may discontinue some "dedicated" postings or making them "at random series," if I find you still like them. I'm really not sure. I've even considered *gasp* taking a mid-week day off. :) What I do know is...I'll be here. I'll be blogging. And I'll have my heart into it for at least another month. And especially in this 30 Day Get Fit Challenge, as it is something truly important to me.

But, thank you for an absolutely amazing year!! And thank you for your patience and understanding while I figure out the direction of the next stage of Coupon Geek.

Our Blueberry Picking Pics and Tips

Sorry for the slower postings today. It was a last minute decision to go blueberry picking. We were going to go last Wednesday but they had to close for a week to let more ripen. (I respect that they do this so you don't spend hours picking and getting hardly any!) Anyway, Rich had a root canal today and called on the way home to say he felt OK and that he'd watch Kaydi so Tater and I could do our 2nd Annual Blueberry picking together. (Isn't he sweet?) I wasted no time getting us ready and off we went! Cool thing is, Kaydi slept almost the whole time we were gone--so Rich got to relax most of it. Here's some pics of our day: (You can see last year's pic of him HERE. WOW has he grown up!)


Here's Tater reaching way back to grab a big bunch of blueberries. I was glad there were so many at his height level.


He absolutely refused to smile today. This is him just being the goof that he is! :)


My "expert" attempt at getting our picture together.


We picked almost 11 pounds--which is 5 cookie sheets full!

TIPS IN CASE YOU GO BLUEBERRY PICKING

1) First, you can check PICK YOUR OWN to see if there's a location by you.
2) It's better to go early before the sun gets super hot. We didn't make it until the afternoon this time. It was 82 degrees out and felt at least 100 in the bushes! We only stayed about an hour.
3) Always call your location before you go! Sometimes they do have to close during their picking season.
4) Don't forget to bring the sunblock!
5) Definitely bring a water bottle. You'll need it!
6) Make a day of it and bring a cooler with your lunches. Some have a kids/picnic area at them. Ours had a sandbox and swings.
7) Bring a little container, such as a sour cream or cottage cheese container. Ours gave us a big metal bucket to fill. It gets heavy quick! I brought a cottage cheese container and put it right under the bunches and slid them off into it. It goes sooo much faster and it helps prevent a lot of waste from them falling.

TIPS FOR FREEZING

I went twice last year. The first time, I washed them and froze them. On my second trip, two "veteran pickers" told me to not wash them, as they clump when they freeze. That you should "flash freeze" them on cookie sheets, just long enough to get solid. THEN put them in Ziploc bags. (I make a note on the bag that I need to wash them, so I don't forget!) The ones I did the first time were clumped and soggy when they thawed...and the second...perfect! :) I'm not saying this is the only or right way. It's just what worked for us.

I really hope you find a place to go blueberry picking! It might be a fun outing for you. Ours were $1.85lb, to give you an idea on pricing. So we spent $20.07 on a fun outing and enough blueberries to last for quite awhile for our waffles, pancakes, smoothies, cereal, snacking, etc.

BlogHer: Pics and Tidbits

So the first thing you must know is that I am so incredibly shy. When I first got to BlogHer, I was kind of keeping to myself but after a bit, I just threw all fears aside and starting to strike up conversations with people. The more I talked, the easier it was. So much so that I was this incredible chatterbox with the most amazing family of 5 on my train ride home! :)

The things to know about BlogHer is---everyone is a little lost of who's who and what's what, people know bloggers but most don't know what they look like, :) there is free swag everywhere and it is just the most amazing time! I just signed up for Friday, as I didn't want to be away from the kids longer than that. It was so much in one day that I'm not sure I could have handled much more!!

Aside from learning more about blogging and wanting to meet new people, I had a few goals set--hang with my fellow Chicagolander Blogger, Clair (whom I was lucky enough to meet prior), find Mercedes to meet her and have a chat with and to finally meet the Wii Mommies in person and spend some quality time with them, as Jenn and I have been blog buds for a long time now! I'm happy I was able to do all of these! But I am sad that I didn't think to take a pic with Clair and the Wii Mommies. But here are the pics I was able to remember to get:

At registration, I met Resourceful Mommy for the first time.


After a FREE make-up touch-up at the Microsoft Spa and a few learning sessions, I chilled with the Wii Mommies and watched them do their radio talk show:



After lunch, I found Mercedes in the Wal-Mart booth and was lucky enough to have my camera with me then. She is just as lovely in person as she is on her blog. I had a nice chat with her!



Jenn, Sarah and I went to talk to their Hanes sponsor and Sarah took advantage of the free foot massage, while Jenn and I chatted. This is where we met a crafter,Christy Nelson, who is simply an angel! Loved her!




I had to take a picture of the All Fairies who were giving out chocolate stars, samples and coupons!



A few more sessions and some great speakers later, it was party time! Off to the House of Blues for the "EA Sports Party in the City" party thrown by the Wii Mommies! Check out the complimentary shuttle they had for us to get from the Sheraton to their location. Can you tell we were having fun?



Sadly, I had to say farewell to everyone and head home. I was going to grab a cab but the weather was beautiful, the people were a-buzzing and I had plenty of time to catch the train. So I hauled all of my swag and my original bag the 10 minute walk to the train. Talk about exercise--but it was so refreshing and the city was beautiful! Check out all the bags I had to carry home:



Check out the insane amount of Swag I got! Can you imagine getting all this free stuff in one day! And I didn't even hit all the places to get them! Some of what I got: A Leap Frog Tag Reader Book, Mr. Potato Head, Strawberry Shortcake doll and figurines, lots of kids cds/dvds, Eastland Backpack, loads of reusable bags, free samples, 3 t-shirts, slippers, Build-a-Bear, coupons, discount cards and one super cool EA Sports Active Bag that is going to be perfect for workout stuff!



My favorite freebie? Honestly...it was this friendship bracelet given to me by Christy Nelson. Afterall, that's what blogging is all about for me--making great friendships and giving freely and helping others. When I look at it, I remember my fun day! Thanks again, Christy!



The next BlogHer is in New York. While the thought of traveling so far away alone terrifies me, I am actually considering going. I just need to start working on sponsors! :) I hope you all consider going next year and that I see you there!

Thanks to BlogHer and all their great sponsors for a fabulous day full of new friendships and fun!

I have some great websites to share with you all but I want to compile them into one posting later.

I'm Back - BlogHer Rocked & Thank You!

Wow, so I was up from 4AM-1AM yesterday getting ready for, traveling to, attending and coming home from BlogHer yesterday in my very own Chicago! It was definitely a loooonnnngg day, but a great one! I met so many new wonderful people. I attended some great learning sessions and I was finally able to meet some of the bloggers that I've been chatting with for awhile now. I do have some great pics, stories, websites, etc. to share but you have all been soooo patient with me and been without a deal posting for a bit now so I want to catch up on those first. Thank you for understanding about my "day off" and thank you to so many of you that still came to visit me yesterday! :) And...off to find some great deals for ya!

Growing Older & Growing Up

Well, it's almost 11:31PM Chicagoland time, which means, I'll officially be 33 years old. You know, the climbing number doesn't bother me one bit. Because honestly, life just seems to get better the older I get.

It used to be about the cake & presents, right? But now, I use my birthday to reflect on my year. Did I do anything worthwhile? Did I help those in need? Did I make sure to hug & kiss my kids enough so they never forget how much Mommy loves them. And reflecting back, this is probably one of my best years. This blog has helped me, beyond words, to fulfill that inner need to help. One of my friends emailed me and said, "Jaycie, why are you blogging on your birthday?!" See...I really do blog for fun! :)

When my hubby asked what I wanted to do today, I said...Nothing! I want to watch mindless TV. I don't want to change one poopy diaper (big smile) and I want to just blog whenever I feel like it. He had taken the day off just for me! And he pampered me all day! Wouldn't even let me fix supper, despite how I said my blogpost needed me to. HAHA. He's so wonderful!

And every year, I look forward to my Dad telling me I ruined his perfect tennis game, my Mom calling for a longer chat, and my sisters calling to tease me about getting old. And my older brother...he'll tell me how when I get older, he feels really old!! (To which I always say, how do you think Mom feels?)

So I love that now that I am older, it's never about the presents. It's about traditions. And just enjoying life. And analyzing what you've done in life--learning from mistakes and moving forward to create new memories.

Thank you to my hubby for making this such a perfectly relaxing day for me. To my family for making me feel loved from afar! And especially to my Mom for going through the pain to give me life! (I can appreciate that all the more now!) :)

Time Out For A Laugh

So we've been having problems ever since we upgraded to IE 8.0. (We've finally downgraded to 7.0 again.) So I'm just used to any computer issues being related to this.

I was typing up postings today and I told the hubby that I think we had a virus on the PC. The keystrokes now weren't typing and then it would type like crazy. It was a little bizarre. We looked at the processes and such and then he says...

Maybe the batteries are going on the keyboard! Oh for real! I completely forgot we have a wireless keyboard now. The guys back at my old I.T. department that I worked with would just be roaring with laughter over this story. There's a little code we'd use when troubleshooting issues called PICNIC. Know what it means? Person In Chair Not In Computer. Yup, that was me today. Total Duh Moment.

Anyway, I just thought there was a chance that you might get a laugh out of it, too!

Welcome, New Couponers!

So some of you might have noticed that I was a little bit more "quiet" on the postings front today. It was, in part, because my son decided not to take a nap (ugh) but mostly because I was preparing for my first-ever couponing class!

I had gotten wind that a nearby library was looking for a couponing class but funds weren't overflowing. So I contacted them and told them I'd do one for free. It's all about giving back, my friends. My library has given so much to my family with their free programs and of course, book selection!

It was VERY hot and humid here in Chicagoland so it scared a few people off from the class. (I didn't want to leave my home either!) But we had six sweet people come out to learn all about couponing ---and I had a blast! Yeah, I was super nervous (I'm actually very shy) but they were soo comforting that I almost forgot I was standing in front of people! :) We were able to snag a photo, but one had already left. (Sorry, Marilyn!) Yup, that's me in there, too!

The most thrilling thing as a couponer is when you can teach someone what you know to save them $$, too. And I loved giving them their freebies at the end. You can see their big bags full of stuff I collected for them through CVS/Wags/Target deals.

Funny thing was--Bob told me about a recycle bin at the post office that had just thrown out grocery ads for a place we knew had a manufacturer's coupon for a free pack of Coke wyb 4! Hello, Jewel, here I come for 5 packs of Coke and 2 Hillshire Farms Sausages for $6.50! :) (Thanks, Bob!) My first ever recycle bin digging!

Anyway, I just wanted to welcome my new couponing friends to the blog and give a big Thank You to Noreen for setting everything up!

Wordless Wednesdays: The Coupon Pony Express

Caption: "Hurry up, Homer! Mama needs her Kraft coupon!" (And this is why I LOVE goldens--gentle giants and great with kids!)

Click HERE and HERE to see more Wordless Wednesday participants.

Coupon Geek Meets Mummy Deals

Last Wednesday, I was able to finally meet my bloggy friend Clair, of Mummy Deals. We were able to find a park that was centrally located. The boys had a fun time swinging and sliding. And we were able to chat about this and that. And Kaydi? Well, she camped out in the stroller and just soaked it all in. Here are a few pics from our fun day:


Here are the boys enjoying some time on the swings.


This is Clair being a good Mummy and taking Isaac down the slide.


Nathan, a man of sheer independence, is showing his "big boy" status and going down the slide alone. We were lucky that this playarea was at the perfect height for toddlers!


A group shot taken by some poor bystander. :) I am looking less than flattering as I'm talking to Kaydi when he snapped it. But, hey, it's real life and I like it. :)

Thanks to Clair for the fun-filled day out of the house and for taking the time to drive over to meet us! We'll have to plan another outing soon!

Wordless Wednesdays: The Next Coupon Geek?

Caption: Kaydi "helping" Mama find coupons in magazines.

Click HERE to see more Wordless Wednesdays participants.

$2 Tater Thursdays: The I-Spy-Walk Edition

I meant to get this one up yesterday but Nathan, Kaydi and I were having so much fun that the time seemed to fly by.

This week, we took an "I-Spy Walk" and had some fun with the things we found along the way. You can read all about our day HERE.

Remember, having fun with your kids doesn't have to cost a lot...or anything at all!

I'm hoping you had fun with your kids yesterday, and all week, too!

Day Off From Blogging BUT...

Every once in awhile, a blogger needs a day off. And today is that day for me. :) I spent long hours in the kitchen yesterday making some "freezer cooking" meals plus some things for my Conveniently At Home Series that starts this next week.

So, I'm going to spend the day with my family but I'm hoping you will help me pass on some great stuff for my readers.

I'm attaching a Mr. Linky for you to leave, well, anything you want to share with my readers. Deals, Shopping Trips, Giveaways, Great Articles, Recipes...Just please, keep it family friendly and positive.

Thanks for the help! I'll be back tomorrow with LOTS of great stuff for you. And, possibly a new 9AM Tip Series! :)

Blessings To You All!

Pics: My Brother, My Hero

My brother just sent over some pics of Iraq via Facebook. I am so thankful for our technology so that we can stay in touch. Some pics were beautiful and of the scenery--loons, flowering bushes, fish caught by them. And others, were of a sadder nature--destroyed palaces, rubble, and tight quarters where they live. When I get time, I'll see if I can upload some for you to see. But for now, I just wanted you to be able to see one of the soldiers you have all been helping, my brother, Garrett!

Thank you again to all of you that are helping to get the troops the Starbucks coffee! They were excited to hear some was on the way soon! I told them that they had to take a picture for me to post! :)

Thank You, Thank You, Thank You!

For anyone who thinks there are not people with warm hearts full of kindness, I will gladly debate with them that there truly are! I have been overwhelmed this week by the generosity and warmest comments from my readers and fellow bloggers.

I want to thank everyone for helping me with getting Starbucks coffee for my brother's Army Unit. I cannot wait to send him his next care package with a big note saying, "Love from Coupon Geek and Friends!" :) Also, thank you to those who sent him birthday wishes and thank yous for his service. My entire family was deeply touched!

Another thank you to my fellow bloggers for the awards I received this week. I hope to squeeze in time this weekend to pay those forward! I have slowly been making my way through comments and emails. I try to answer everything but it's been a slow process this week -- actually, this whole month!! Eventually, I hope to be able to visit everyone's site and give out a quick, "Hello" to you all! I have to get my blogroll updated and I want to share some great sites I've found lately!

And lastly, thank you to all of you whom have sent me endearing comments, helpful tips and amazing deals this week. I assure you, my blog would be nothing without you all. You keep my spirit alive and my postings full of great things.

I am hoping you all have a great holiday weekend full of family time and warm weather.

To My Mother - With Love

Dear Mom,

They say you never realize how much your Mother really did for you and truly appreciate her until you become one yourself. Well, whoever made that statement was indeed a person of wisdom.

They also say that you should show a person you love them by your actions. And I know the best way to show you how much I love you is by taking all those important lessons that you've taught me and to share them with my own children--teaching them about Faith, Love and Kindness.

I thank you for every sacrifice you've ever made for me. And for your ever infinite love.

I miss you and wish you were sharing in my first Mother's Day with my own daughter but what's important is all those days in between. And how thankful I am that you were there the second she was born--the most important "Mother's Day" of all! I'll see you in a few weeks! "5"

Coupon Geek Site In Transition

As you can tell, the Coupon Geek site has switched over to the new design that I had given you a heads up was coming. I'm going to be in "transition mode" for most of the day getting everything in the right place, as far as my sidebars. So my sincerest apologies if you have trouble finding things this morning.

My new design is courtesy of Lindsey Joy Design. She's not only a fabulous designer, but the most wonderful person to work with! I highly recommend her if you are in need of a blog facelist or for any other design needs.

Blogging is a hobby for me. I never started off doing it for extra income but it's always been an outlet for me to help and connect with others while continuing to be a SAHM. If I make a few extra pennies here and there, it's just a bonus. But my biggest payout and reward is just helping people save money or to find inspiration for something in their life that they've been wanting or needing to do.

So I wanted a more contemporary and fun design to the blog. Lindsey was so great in coming up with that look for me. I hope you enjoy it!

Like most new designs, this is built to work with the newest versions of IE and Firefox. If you are having issues seeing things after it loads, more than likely you are running a more outdated version and may want to consider finding one of their free downloadable upgrades. (We actually just switched ours to IE 8.0 recently)

Thank you for being patient with me during this transition and I apologize if it results in more limited postings today. The goal of the new design was to help you more easily find the deals and resources I've listed. So in the end, a missed day of postings should bring you more deals. :)

Thank you to Lindsey of Lindsey Joy Design for all of your hard work and amazing creativity! It was absolutely wonderful working with you!

Where Was I Today?

Over the past 9 years, (dating/married) my husband and I have always gone to at least one Cubs game each year. Some people may choose expensive dinners out, vacations or fancy things, but this is our one "splurge" that we always allow ourselves. I always have such a great time at the game and on the ride there and home with him.

We've bought tickets in about every section possible - upper/lower deck, dugout, bullpen, bleachers, bleacher box...but we've never bought Rooftop tickets and always wanted to. But they are so expensive and are usually sold in groups. Well, thanks to a site called Groupon, Rich was able to get a crazy deal on two Rooftop tickets that included all-you-can eat and drink! For those of you that aren't from Chicago or Cubs fans, here's a picture of some Rooftop seats, way up there on top! :



Basically, you get all the treatment and perks of a Skybox ticket at an event but you get to be outside, too! And the view was amazing...


And the food....dynamite! Since we were so wrapped up in getting the kids ready to go to Nana and Papa's, neither of us had breakfast so we were starving. I started off with half a gourmet wrap with grilled veggies and some chicken wings for the appetizer. (They had sooo many wraps to choose from!) And then, on to "lunch"....



A chicken sandwich grilled on this incredible outdoor grill. They had a condiment bar that was the size of most places salad bar. So I also had some watermelon, potato salad and pickles! We were there for four hours--so I also had part of a hotdog and more watermelon later. (I could have eaten everything! They had choices of Italian Beef/Sausage, Hamburgers, BBQ Pork & Chicken Sandwiches and Hot Dogs) Just when I thought I couldn't eat another bite, Rich surprised me by bringing back this plate of yummies...


Oreo pie, caramel apple pie bars and brownies. (Did I die and go to dessert heaven?) We ate so much and since Nana fed Nathan, I didn't even have to cook supper! BONUS!

We had the best time. It was the PERFECT Mother's Day gift and a date all in one. And let me tell you, it was so refreshing to get some sun, enjoy a baseball game and let myself enjoy some great food. (Yes, I will be working out like crazy to ward off any extra pounds but for tonight...I'm just relaxing!)

The kids had a great day at N&Ps. And Nathan got to help Papa garden. I'm hoping since Papa has TWO green thumbs, that Nathan picked up some good tips for Mommy!

The only bad part of the day? The Cubs lost, breaking a 5-day winning streak they had going. BUT to their defense, they did not have most of their usual players in. (They, too, were getting a much needed day of rest/relaxation!) It was great to see a new player, who had been in the minors for 11 years, play for the first time in the Majors today. And when he got to score a run, the crowd stood on their feet and cheered him on!

So, that's where I was today. Enjoying a great gift and a perfect day with my hubby. Isn't he sweet? :)

So while they definitely made money on my drinks (I only had two Sprites), overall we got plenty money's worth! We ordered the tickets awhile back so our out-of-pocket cost for the day was $29.60...the price of two tickets on Metra and the L to get to the game, but we saved on gas $$ that way! "A day out with the hubby and memories for a lifetime...PRICELESS!"

But what will we do on Mother's Day? Rich has agreed to get our garden area ready for Nathan and I to put in our plants. A little family fun!

Thank you to my sweet hubby for a great date and Mother's day gift! XOXO