A Day in the Park

 Madi and I were bored. We spent some time in the park. The swings were too hot. Shade was a must. Good thing this little girl is so darling in photos.

Enjoy!

Mommy and Madi selfi

Don't mind the grass that she is apparently trying to eat

As beautiful as her eyes are.... I LOVE these sunglasses

This baby loves the outdoors and extremely dislikes coming back home...

Her freckly, ginger momma can only take the heat for so long.

I Bought A . . .

Food seems to be a huge expense, and if not planned carefully, is an expense that one can spend to much money on. (me included!)  Now that I do the majority of the meal planning, cooking, and grocery shopping, I am always looking for ways to save money.Of course I have seen that TLC show 'Extreme Couponing' and wish that I could become that organized, know where to get coupons, and be familiar with the stores that actually allow one to save that much money. However, I wouldn't know where to start, and momentarily am to lazy to research it. Plus, I don't have that much room in my house to 'stockpile' as the extremists on the show do. Madison already shares half her room with our minor food storage. It seems that you have to be willing to 'stockpile' to save that much money anyways.

However, my sister introduced me to an app called ibotta . (Yes, the post title is a tad misleading)  Ibotta doesn't give you coupons, but actually rebates you cash. You can download ibotta as an app as I have for a smartphone, or it can easily be accessed as a computer program.

The ibotta app icon

 Oh... did I mention the app is Free!!

 From what I have earned so far, it is easy and even saved me some money. All you need are the redeemable items that you have bought as well as the receipt. This is how it works.

When you first go into the app, it gives you a list of topics/categories. I have only used groceries so far, it seems to have the best selection of everyday items that I purchase.

Once you have clicked on a category, it takes you to a list of stores. As you can see, it is only the major chain stores. So far, I have only used Walmart, but my family uses Winco, and I am thinking of switching my weekly grocery story to Smiths. There are more stores then shown here such as: Sam's Club, Sprouts, Kmart, Ridley's, Costco, and even more.

When I click on Walmart, I get a list of redeemable items for purchase and then below them the amount that they are redeemable for. All I have to do is click on the item and watch a short advertisement to unlock it. Below I have shown some of the items that are up for rebates. Of course there are a few others, and some are name brand and specific. These are just a few of the everyday items that I can redeem almost weekly. Every few days new rebates are put up and I just try to stay up on them to check if any items that I am going to buy will be on there. 

'Any brand' food and items that are available, even including the generic brand.

More.. Milk is also just one row beneath.

Once I have unlocked the rebate, all I need is the items I purchased and the receipt. Here is an example of one that I just did today.

Before I ran a quick errand to Walmart, I looked over the rebates and saw that Beech-Nut little squeezable snack things had a rebate for $1.00 if I bought three. I saw that on my list I put that I needed to buy a few of these squeezable fruits for Madison, (and yes, I was going to buy at least 3). In the past I have bought the generic brand because they were 4 cents cheaper. However, after a little bit of math, I found that with the rebate I actually saved 88 cents on buying the name brand baby food using the ibotta rebate.

Go ahead and check my Math!

All you need to earn the rebate is the items bought and the receipt.

If you bought multiple items on the same receipt, it is easiest to redeem all the items and then just scan the one receipt for the whole purchase instead of multiple times. The app comes with a scanner for the receipt and also a scanner for the item purchased.


This seems like such a little thing, and I won't be rich or save millions of bucks using it in the minimal fashion that do. However, my sister, who still lives at home, just saves my parents receipts from Winco, and actually makes a little bit of money. If only we could all be so lucky.

Camping With a Baby - Goblin Valley State Park-

Before I went camping with my little 6 month old Madison, I did some research. I was terrified to take my baby camping for fear it would ruin a sleep schedule, she would be cold and miserable all night, thus making her parents miserable, and honestly just ruin my good memories and memories to come that I have with camping. I searched Pinterest thoroughly for blog posts and lists that could be helpful in making a camping trip successful with a baby. Although most of these articles and ideas were very helpful, I decided to add my own wisdom to the list. My wisdom is down to earth and for the average/poor family. A lot of the posts made it seem that you need to bring every single little toy, have the coolest bed for them, and bring every imaginable baby product to make the trip a success! I am a witness (from my one time :) ) that this isn't necessarily true. Madi is the happiest of campers and her Dad and I brought the bare minimum.

Location

This past weekend, we decided to travel with some friends to Goblin Valley State Park in Utah. We were going to camp overnight and then do some hiking and site seeing the next morning. Our destination is about 3 hours from Provo. I am lucky that traveling with my baby is fairly easy. We made one little pit stop at a gas station where the building was inside a rock! Madi got the chance to get out of the car for a few minutes while we bought firewood and ice. Jordan hates to buy firewood, he would rather just chop his own, but when you live/camp in a vast desert, lumber is hard to come by!

My little happy traveler!

Hanksville, Utah

We found the coolest of campsites on BLM land so we didn't even have to pay a fee. Madi was so happy to sit on a blanket in the warm night air and watch us set up camp, cook dinner, and play frisbee. For the camp trip we decided to invest in a tarp. Not only to put our tent on, but for Madison to have somewhere to lay her blanket and play. This tarp wasn't necessarily an essential item, but if you have blankets you would like to keep as clean as possible it definitely helps.Plus I feel it keeps cool air from coming in the tent through the ground.

Madi enjoying the view

My happy little camper

Our cool little campsite

For a first camping trip, it was a must that we needed to go somewhere we wouldn't freeze at night. (Although it was somewhat chilly) I would prefer somewhere closer to home, but Provo is still a bit cold at this time of year.

Sleeping

Sleeping! This was definitely my largest fear going into the trip. A lot of my research pointed toward little compact camping beds for children that can fit into a backpack. These seemed ideal, but they were so expensive! I thought a pack n' play would be the best bet, however, we ran into a few problems with this for this particular trip. Our tent is a little small for that, we don't have one yet, and there was a lack of room in the car for such a bulky object. Although a play pen is a must for Madi as she gets older, this trip we decided to camp with a plastic tub. My mother came up with this great idea and it worked fantastically. Because Madison isn't quite mobile yet, it provided a great sleeping space for her and for me to pack her stuff in and save room in the car. I put her to bed just like I do at home. She laid awake for a few moments staring at the tent and listening to the crickets, and then fell asleep. She didn't wake up at all that night, even when Jordan and I came into the tent later that night. She had a blanket underneath her acting like a pad and a blanket on top for covering. She wore fleece pajamas, and then wore one of those fleece wearable blankets. She stayed warm enough to sleep soundly and woke up very happy the next morning.

Hiking

A baby hiking carrier is a must and probably where Jordan and I spent the most money for a specific object. We tried a cheaper one for a few days, but opted out when we found a deal for a much better one for just 15 extra dollars. In all we spent $115 on this hiking carrier. My only wish is that it had a canopy on top.

This carrier was awesome. It has some space for storage for her diapers and baby supplies, and even places for grown-up snacks and a camel back. I LOVE this carrier. I not only use it for hiking, but also around the house. Madison seems to want to be packed around at the times of day when I need to cook dinner or do chores. She is on my back daily as I vacuum, cook dinner, or even dig in my garden. This carrier is not only for babies, but can be worn until the child is over 40 pounds. Amazing investment! Because of the lack of a canopy, she had to have her hat on at all times, and I made sure she had a fresh coat of sunscreen every hour or so. One little trinket I think I want to add next time is a little spray bottle to spray her face to keep her cool. She loves when we flick her with water. (Except when my fingers accidentally flicked her in the nose)

My poor baby can't see

We hiked through Little Wild Horse and Bell Canyon. The hike we went on was through a slot canyon. We were so excited to do one of these hikes before we left Utah. We had the option to do one of the canyons then turn around. But by the time we realized we could turn around we had already gone about halfway. We ended up doing two canyons (one of which had knee deep water) and hiking about 8 miles. I took a break about halfway and nursed Madison.This hike was a little to long for a 6 month old. She slept in her carrier, but started to get tired and ornery around mile 7. I would probably recommend a 5 mile hike as a 'challenging' but 'doable' hike for a baby. However, we were so thankful for our nice carrier and loved this hike.

Fast asleep on Dad's back

At the start of the slot canyon

After a little picnic lunch we entered the park to see the hoodoos. We walked around for about an hour exploring the strange towering rocks and took some pictures. The park is extremely small, and although the rock formations were pretty cool, once you've seen one, you've seen them all. Plus after our 8 mile hike, we were pretty tired.

Looking out over Goblin Valley

Pesto Pizza

So I never thought Jordan and I would be 'those' people. The kind of people that grow, make, and eat pesto regularly. However, with my basil plant that is about all you can do. The first time I made basil, I followed THIS recipe. We simply put it on pasta and paired it with some bread sticks. Jordan was worried that two cups of basil wasn't going to make a lot of pesto, it made about 3/4 cup, but.... a little bit of pesto goes a long ways. We had leftovers for a couple of days. It was the perfect amount.

For my second harvest of basil I decided to make pesto pizza. It was AMAZING. I followed THIS recipe, but added my own variations to go with what I had available. The pesto sauce on this pizza was a little bit different. There was added broccoli and it didn't have any nuts. Nuts are expensive, so that was a plus.The changes I made to the recipe were that I added some cooked chopped chicken and I made my own pizza crust. I didn't end up pre-baking my crust, but that is what Jordan complimented the most.

The only changes I will make to this pizza for next time is to add a little more tomato to the top. For my size of pizza one tomato wasn't quite enough. 

OH.... feta cheese is so so fantastic. I already knew this, but I thought it was way to expensive. While it is moderately expensive, after buying it after this time I don't think I will have issues purchasing it again.

My Gardening Obsession

I am admitting that I have a slight gardening obsession. Jordan and I have had a garden every year since we have been engaged. The first 2 years it was in a little community plot a few miles away from us. Jordan and I really love to work hard together. If I have an idea of something I want done, but either don't have the know how or strength to carry it through, I am lucky enough to have a 'handyman' as a husband that always finds a way! Although I enjoyed that garden and the tomatoes that it gave us, I am so happy that I now have a garden in my own yard.
We moved into an apartment complex where the landlord gave the tenants permission to tear up the side yards and each have our own plot. Last year, we got an overload of tomatoes and a few HUGE summer squashes. It was fun, but a lot of tomatoes went to waste. This year, I have a plan to plant less and to can the extras! (another 'fun' little skill that I think will be an advantage to me now and in the future)
After tilling the dirt and picking up rocks and weeds, I planted some early spring crops that I am already starting to harvest. I have lettuce, broccoli, spinach, onions, kale, peas, and I just put in a few carrots.

My lettuce and onions!

Broccoli, you can see my baby spinach in the left top corner too

Kale and Peas

 My latest invention is the pea trellis. As my peas grew taller they started to fall over and even vine around my other plants. I knew I needed a trellis, but I didn't want to spend to much money. After a little bit of Pinterest researching I put together a make-shift trellis with scrap wood and twine. In the end, everything cost less then $4 and I have over half of the twine left. I tested this contraption against the rain and wind and it stood! Hopefully it will help my peas to have a good harvest.
As soon as this rain lets up we are going to start our tomatoes! We are ready for a summer of salsa!

Finger Puppets

I have grown up talking to babies. They say that talking to babies, using normal vocabulary in a slightly higher pitched voice is vital to an interactive baby and improves language development. None of that 'fake' baby talk for me. Babies are going to give you imitations of words and sounds: gaga, dada, cooo, etc. so why would we talk in their language. They are trying to mimic us, why do some have the desire to mimic them! I love chatting with Madison, I tell her things that she might like to do when she grows up,I tell her that she is beautiful with crazy hair and a cheesy smile, and I even sign to her when she wants milk, takes a bath, or we go to church or the park. However, I try my very hardest to use real words and correct sounds when I tell her stories.

However, sometimes talking to a baby gets boring and old. They don't really have meaningful contributions to the conversation and therefore it can get exhausting to be the only one talking. When I am bored, or even Madison is getting restless or ornery I have found that props work! I made finger puppets! They always catch her attention and give me something new to talk about or prompt me in my creative story telling skills.

 These finger puppets are made out of  felt, puffy paint, googly eyes, and a fabric glue. ( and of course you can see the random pipe cleaner tail on the cat) I love projects that use felt because it is so cheap, easy to use, and comes in a variety of colors.

I used the same back pattern for all the puppets so that they would be the same size. I then just drew out or free handed a front if I needed ears or paws, cut out different colors, for noses, horns, or manes. Then did some gluing. The last step is using the puffy paint for the finer details. Then all you have to do is let it dry.

A little hint of how the back of the puppets look

Super easy! Super fun! The only hazard are the googly eyes. Toddlers love to chew on them and could possibly choke.

I love these little puppets. I try not to over use them so I don't get bored or tired of the. It also gives me practice using different voices for different characters. Definitely not my forte, but I am getting better.

Happy Spring

Spring is here! Honestly, winter wasn't all that bad, but it is so nice to see blossoms on the trees and have it hit into the 60s and sometimes the 70s pretty consistently. Having the option to go outside when you are a stay at home mother is priceless. The warm weather, street noises, and little animal sounds can almost always distract and cheer a fussy baby. Madison loves to be outside! I push her in the stroller, carry her in her Boba Wrap, or....... our newest toy: The Baby Hiking Carrier! We are so excited to go on little hikes this summer and even try camping! (cross your fingers for that one!) However, I am lucky, and have a fairly easy and fun loving baby. She is opinionated, but as long as she is entertained with something new every once in a while she is content.

Not only does warm weather come with spring, but also fun crafts that spice up the sunshine that comes into the home. During the winter, I got sick of crocheting and cleaning my house. As soon as it became "warm" enough for Winter or early Spring crops I got right to work on the garden. I planted lettuce, onions, spinach, peas, kale, and broccoli. I even have a little basil plant that I have made pesto from once before.

My little garden (the sun made the lighting terrible)

Waiting for another harvest of basil!

I even made a cute little spring wreath! It is simpler then most things I make, but I really like it and the flower colors.

My Spring wreath

 I made this wreath with a foam base. EVERYTHING on this wreath is removable and super easy to take off, meaning I can use it for multiple holidays, wrapping it with different ribbon or adding different flowers. The flowers are glued to a piece of felt and then the felt is simply pinned on with sewing pins.

The hidden pins

Just today I finished some throw pillows for the couch. They are just simple 'envelope' pillows that I can switch out for different seasons and holidays. Jordan still can't believe he isn't allowed to lay and cuddle with them. He is still learning that some things in the home are for decorative measures only. He has the hardest time with the decorative towels!

My spring throw pillow

We also celebrated my graduation just last weekend. My parents came down to celebrate and I officially walked. I expected to have my last name read wrong even though they called for a correct pronunciation. However, I was surprised when they read my last name correct, but pronounced "Anne" as Anna for my middle name.

April 2015

I also made a cute little onesie dress for Madison to wear on Easter Sunday. I just gathered fabric and sewed it around the onesie and then even added a little pearl necklace to the collar of her top. I finished it off with a flower headband!

                                                   

  HAPPY SPRING!