Here's another site that I found where they have online coupons and savings. Here's what you do. You search through their site, Ebates.com, find your favorite stores, click their links and coupons and start shopping! In return, Ebates gives you up to 25% back on your purchases. They do have over 800 stores to choose from - from Circuit City to Barnes and Noble. A lot of the stores now on their site are offering free shipping in addition to the cash back so take advantage of it now and get it delivered by Christmas. One of the best things about Ebates is the fact that you can even designate your cash back that you have accrued to the charity of your choice. Now that's the Christmas spirit!!
Thursday, November 30, 2006
Here are some pictures of the kids with Isabella. Brandon and Madelyn were definitely anxious to hold her but Kaitlyn was a little bit hesitant. She was afraid to, so after the urging of her Uncle Carl, she finally relented and held her. She does look a little bit awkward holding her, but then again she's never played with dolls so that's probably why!!
Brandon with Isabella
Kaitlyn with Isabella
Madelyn with Isabella
You all know how much I love online shopping. I peruse the web frequently for online coupons and codes so that I can save even more. Some of my favorite stores to shop online are Staples, Best Buy, and Target to name a few. Couponchief.com offers several different coupon codes to these merchants as well as a variety of other stores too. It makes your online shopping even better when you know you're getting a deal at the same time. This way you don't have to deal with the crowds and shop in the comfort of your own home. I've already purchased some items online and used these codes to save even more!!
My sister in law did end up having the baby yesterday morning at 6:29 AM. Isabella Michelle weighed in at 7 pounds, 14 ounces and 19 inches long. She is so beautiful. I went to meet my new niece yesterday. I took the kids too. I'll post pictures in a little bit after I download them. She is the 4th grandchild on my side that was born in November!! Congratulations Carl and Alanna!!
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
Well, looks like no baby tonight. My brother and his wife were sent home since her contractions ceased. She is still at 3 cm dilated but walking around the hospital for about an hour didn't do much. Hopefully tomorrow...maybe...that little girl will come when she wants I suppose :)
Hey, I just happened upon a site where you can purchase items and earn free frequent flyer miles at the same time!! They have all kinds of stuff on there, computers, clothes, jewelry, movies, and video games just to name a few. Here's another great way to do some Christmas shopping online and get something in return. For instance, if Bryan decided to buy me a three stone diamond ring for Christmas on their site (shop4miles.com) worth $16,500, then that's 16,500 miles that goes into my account. Participating airlines include Delta and US Air. I'll have to make sure Bryan reads my blog so he gets the hint.
I'm sitting here waiting for a phone call from my brother. He told me about an hour ago that he and his wife are on their way to the hospital - her contracitons are about 5 minutes apart. Her water didn't break yet so I'm hoping that they won't be sent home....I hope he calls soon with an update!!
Well, it's up to me again to come up with some Christmas ideas for Bryan. He can never think of anything to get the people who work for him so he leaves it all up to me. I am thinking of maybe gourmet gift baskets or those tins filled with cookies. Dot Flowers has flower delivery but they can also deliver the gift baskets and everything else on their site as well. I'd rather just do everything online - for me it's all about convenience. I hate having to deal with the hustle and bustle of the crowds and the rude employees at the stores. I've already ordered a lot of presents online anyways. Anything to make it easier for me!!
Bryan's doing pretty good this year in his Fantasy Football League. In years past he has always had a pretty bad losing season. So far he is 7-5. I don't really like the league that he's in right now, and have seen a really cool one I'd like him to get into. It's called the American Fantasy Football League (AFFL). They have some huge payouts and I was really impressed with their site. Right now the entry fee for Bryan in his league is about $100. If he won the whole thing he'd win probably $150. Now if he entered the AFFL at $100, he has a chance of winning $25,000!! Obviously he would be competing with several different teams but 25 grand sounds a lot better than $150!!
Sunday, November 26, 2006
It has been a crazy couple weeks, with getting ready for Thanksgiving and having my sister and her family in town. We also had a baby shower for my brother and sister in law. I can't believe that she is due any day now. We're looking forward to meeting the newest addition to our big family!!
Kaitlyn's birthday is tomorrow...can't believe that she will already be 9 years old. We celebrated Brandon's 12th birthday last week as well. Where has this time gone? It seems like just yesterday I was on the way to the hospital when I was pregnant with Brandon.
I took a week off from my work so tomorrow it starts all over again - it was nice to take a break from the computer and dealing with all the phone calls. Some people can be so rude on the phone and lately I just don't want to deal with them and end up snapping back at them. LOL.
The weather is finally cooling off...we've actually had to wear some jackets. I love being able to wear sweaters and all the winter clothes. :) Hey, anything under 70 degrees is winter weather to me. LOL
Kaitlyn's birthday is tomorrow...can't believe that she will already be 9 years old. We celebrated Brandon's 12th birthday last week as well. Where has this time gone? It seems like just yesterday I was on the way to the hospital when I was pregnant with Brandon.
I took a week off from my work so tomorrow it starts all over again - it was nice to take a break from the computer and dealing with all the phone calls. Some people can be so rude on the phone and lately I just don't want to deal with them and end up snapping back at them. LOL.
The weather is finally cooling off...we've actually had to wear some jackets. I love being able to wear sweaters and all the winter clothes. :) Hey, anything under 70 degrees is winter weather to me. LOL
Monday, November 13, 2006
I was looking over Brandon’s Birthday/Christmas list and I was amazed (well not really) at how everything on his list is some kind of technological electronic device. I guess it’s true, the older they get the more expensive their list becomes. He always wants the latest thing that comes out, almost like it’s a race to see who gets it first between all of his friends. He’s always had that “gotta have it now” attitude. Now there’s a gadget store that caters to people like Brandon. ZTMax was created in 2005 to fulfill the needs of “gotta have it now” gurus. They pride themselves with having the latest and greatest electronic gadget before anyone else in the market does. For instance, right now they are selling a Multifunctional Digital Mini Speaker and the first Driverless Webcam. They only have two items for sale at any given time with limited quantities so you need to check their site often at ztmax.com. Once they’re sold out of those items, they move on to the next latest and greatest electronic gadget and put them up for sale. I’m going to check their site on a regular basis so that I can see what’s out there!! IV>
I think this should be my weekly headline on Mondays. Ha ha. Byan went to the game yesterday and had a great time. His seats were about 5 rows in front of the suite that Emitt Smith was in. I knew he should've brought the camera but he refused. He commented on how the food at the Cardinals Stadium (I mean University of Phoenix Stadium) is much better than the food at the Phoenix Coyotes Stadium (we were there the night before). One thing for sure though, it is quite expensive. There'd be no way that we could afford taking all of our kids to a professional sporting event and feeding them there at the same time. We'd go broke. Unfortunately, no matter what price they put on the food, people are going to buy it. They really don't have a choice (unless you eat before you go but what fun is that?).
This morning it was about 55 degrees outside. I'm finally beginning to believe that our 90+ degree weather is over. The kids complain about having to wear jackets in the morning because by the afternoon it is in the high 80's and by the time they get home from walking from school they are a tad bit flushed when they walk in the door. I suppose I shouldn't complain too much. It could be snowing outside.
Saturday, November 11, 2006
I am really surprised at how many distance learning schools there are out there. It makes you wonder how many of them are actually legitimate or even accredited. For example, Capella University (headquartered in Minneapolis), is an online university who currently has 16,000 students from all 50 states and 63 countries. I think that’s incredible. I do believe that online universities will become even more popular. Even my sister is taking online classes to get her Master’s. She works full time, has two young kids, and likes the flexibility that this offers her. Capella University was founded in 1993 and they are accredited by The Higher Learning Commission and a member of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. They offer everything from Accounting and Finance to Psychology.
Holy cow, can you believe it? One of the local hospitals here had a drive thru where they were giving flu shots. There were 276 doses available and they were all given out free. They instructed everyone to drive to the parking lot located behind the hospital and flu shots would be given to the driver and the passenger of the car - any adults ages 19 and up. They said the average wait time was only five to 10 minutes, far less than if you would wait in front of a Costco or a Walgreen's. I wish I had known they were offering that, I would gladly sit in that line!! I hope they're not thinking of drive thru enemas any time soon. LOL.
Friday, November 10, 2006
Kaitlyn was so disappointed to learn that her basketball game was cancelled for tomorrow. She was really looking forward to utilizing the new play they learned in practice. Evidently they're doing something to the floors in the gym where the games are held. It's a nice break though, as next week they're pulling a double header. They're gonna need the rest!!
I think one of the best ways to increase link popularity is through blogs. There are so many varieties of blogs out there that are filled with information that do also link to other websites when they’re talked about in blogs. Of course, receiving one link from one blog isn’t going to dramatically increase your Google rank, you would need to have thousands of blogs with the same concept where you will see any kind of improvement in your rank. This is where Blogitive comes into play. They have more than 2000 blogs within their network and is growing by leaps and bounds everyday. You can submit a web release to these bloggers and they will write about your release and link your site in any way that you want. You can even choose the URL and keyword phrase. Visit Blogitive today to see how this service will definitely benefit you!!
I ended up getting a suit and new shoes for Brandon as well. I did buy him a sports coat the other day but Dad said that it looked a little bit long on him so he went with me today as well. I have no idea what to really look for when shopping for a suit so it was nice to have him along. We got a nice navy blue suit, white dress shirt, tie, and dress shoes. Best of all, Dad ended up paying for it. :)
I was able to find a beautiful dress for Kaitlyn today at the mall. Just as I was running out of hope, I walked into Burlington Coat Factory and of all places found one there. It's not white, it's ivory, and I think it looks gorgeous on her. Of course, she's not too thrilled to be wearing it but she was glad that shopping for this dress is over. Um, Kait, we still have to get shoes! She is not going to be happy about that.
I was volunteering in Brandon’s class the other day and one of his classmates told the class that his father had recently taken some things down from the attic and found a bag of old coins. He wasn’t sure exactly where his father had gotten it from, but it was in a burlap bag and there were probably about 200 coins in there. It reminded me that as a child I was always looking at a silver coin or any coin for that matter, and wondering what year it was produced and if it was worth anything. It’s interesting to note that many analysts feel that silver, and specifically silver coins, are an outstanding investment opportunity. The demand for silver is better than ever and it now exceeds annual production, actually every year since 1990. The Monex Deposit Company offers competitive prices for silver and silver coins. Take the opportunity to purchase some today to invest in your future.
Last weekend I had to get some new shoes for the kids and Maddie found a pair of boots that she begged me to buy. I told her that I wasn't going to get them (at this point I had no idea how much they were) but she went ahead and put them on anyway (stubborn little girl) to see what they looked like. She was walking around the shoe department and I have to admit, they were so cute on her. I asked her where she got them and I followed her back to that area. Well heck they were 50% off so of course I had to get them. I'm not one to miss out on a good deal. She told me the other day, "Now that I have a pair of brown boots I'm gonna need a pair of black ones too." Hmmmm, I can't imagine where she gets that from? LOL.
I really could have slept in this morning since the kids don't have school but I went ahead and got up to have my cup of joe and have some peace and quiet around here. It's to not hear the fighting this morning, it's always Brandon yelling at Kaitlyn to get out of his room and then Kait yells at Maddie because Maddie follows her around. I know it's only going to get worse. I can remember those days fighting with my sibs too and when you're the oldest of 8 kids, well, sometimes those fights can be brutal. We can look back at them now and laugh. I hope my kids will realize when they're older as well how much family means to you as an adult. I certainly have.
Does anyone else hate shopping around for car insurance? Usually I just stay with the same insurance that we have and just let it renew every year. I hate having to call different car insurance companies and go through the whole ordeal of giving them all of our information regarding our cars, etcetera, but I think if I was told I could save a considerable amount of money, then yeah, I’d probably switch. I found carinsurance.com. I can shop for insurance online and not have to go through the phone and the whole hassle of that. You supply your zip code and you’ll receive quotes from several different insurance companies and depending on where you live you can even purchase your policy online instantly. Now that’s what I call convenient!!
Thursday, November 09, 2006
I had called a gal the other day who had applied to be a transcriptionist with our company. I called her and told her who I was, told her that she had responded to our ad regarding the transcription position and she went on to tell me that she had no idea what I was talking about. I said, "Didn't you answer an ad about transcribing from home? You called our Work At Home Line and left all of your information. That is why I am calling." Sheesh this lady sure didn't make a very good impression to me. Finally after I was about to hang up with her, the light bulb went on and she said that she did remember. Whatever. She wasn't a good fit for us anyways. ;)
The kids were sad this morning. Grandma and Grandpa left for their month long vacation to see family and friends. Marsha already called and left a message that they miss everyone already. I don't know...I don't think I could last in a car with Bryan for almost a month. I’d probably end up pushing him out the car. Ha ha.
I am. I have been so busy this last week with all of my work that I wish I could just go and take a vacation. By myself. LOL. Just kidding. I just want to go away somewhere and forget about the computer and the phone ringing. fairfield resorts has a wide variety of condos and vacation packages to choose from. There are over half a million families who vacation every year through fairfield resorts at over 70 world class resorts in 21 different states and U.S. territories. You can basically just pick your poison, from skiing in Colorado to walking the sandy beaches. The choice is yours. Me? I would love to just walk on a beach in Cancun. Doesn't that sound heavenly right about now?
I have been looking for over a month for a dress for Kaitlyn to wear at her Confirmation. It has to be all white or a light color, but I do prefer that it be white. The problem is, there are no white dresses around here anywhere!! They've pretty much put all their "summer" stuff away and all the dresses I have seen are Christmassy, with the red or black. It was easy for Brandon, dress pants, dress shirt, tie - they have that all the time and I'm not limited as far as color for him. I got a great deal on a sports coat for him too. So, tomorrow I'm headed off to another mall to find this white dress. I've looked at bridal stores but I don't want to spend $100 for a dress that we all know Kait is only going to wear once. Wish me luck!!
Wednesday, November 01, 2006
Well, with Halloween now over, it's now all about Christmas. I went to Target this morning to check out the Halloween 75% off sale and quite frankly I wasn't willing to deal with these women who were all over the Halloween decorations, costumes, and storage boxes.
I was a little giddy with excitement over seeing all of the Christmas decorations that they were putting up. This is my FAVORITE holiday and love decorating my home for it as well. I know it seems like we get inundated with Christmas way too early but I love to be able to enjoy it a little bit more. I almost bought a Christmas wreath that was on sale but had to stop myself. I think Bryan would've thought I was nuts!!
I was a little giddy with excitement over seeing all of the Christmas decorations that they were putting up. This is my FAVORITE holiday and love decorating my home for it as well. I know it seems like we get inundated with Christmas way too early but I love to be able to enjoy it a little bit more. I almost bought a Christmas wreath that was on sale but had to stop myself. I think Bryan would've thought I was nuts!!
