Guess who's back

(Cue Adele's "Hello")

"Hello, it's me. I was wondering if after all these years you'd like to meet to go over everything.."

I guess you could say that I took a little sabbatical from my "blogging" to focus on my "mom-ing." Good news is that I have a lot to update, because around here, it's never quiet or calm. 

We celebrated Thanksgiving in style. We started our morning with Macy's Day Thanksgiving Parade and ended it at a dining room table full of family and food. We had a lot to be thankful for this year. Especially since it was my tiniest nugget's first Thanksgiving. 

...And then of course, left overs the next day is always the best part of every holiday.

We had the best Christmas we've ever had as a family. I don't know if it's because the babies are getting older and are now aware of who Santa Claus really is, or because there was an extra person to wake up Christmas morning. But whatever it was, it was heavenly. The only downside of it all was the fact that the husband had to work. 

But can all the mommas out there give me an amen when I say "Christmas was exhasuting!" It was a blast, the smiles were well worth it, but I'm so glad it's over. 

However, I wouldn't mind leaving my tree up. Thats my favorite part. 

We also received news from The Genetic Testing Center. Remember when I requested prayer for my babies? If not, you can find the link in the archives. The results were NEGATIVE for the Long QT gene.  Hallelujah and amen. That alone made my Christmas a very special one. A medical mystery to most, but for me, it was a miracle performed by the very One who created my tiny humans. I kind of chuckle whenever I think about how much I "worried." Why would I ever have any doubt? God is always so faithful. 

Aside from Christmas being Jesus' birthday, we also are teaching our children about a man in a bright red suit named Santa Claus. No matter how much I talk about how wonderful he is, he is automatically the scariest man on the planet. This was the best picture we could get this year. My oldest was shy, my middle was infatuated with him, and my tiniest thought he was the ax murderer. Maybe next year will be better?

Their favorite part of the holiday season is all the cooking that goes on in my kitchen. They aren't the best helpers, but they sure make it fun. And I sure do love the smell of a ham roasting, apple cider on the stove, and sugary treats in the cookie jar. 

It really is the most wonderful time of the year. 

I made a New Year's Resolution of, don't laugh, starting over on Weight Watchers. It was going great the first two weeks. I lost three whole pounds. Then I got cookie-happy and lost my mojo. I'm planning on starting over in February, but I'm not making any promises. 

January is also the BEST month for diaper deals. Or at least at my good and trusty grocery store, Kroger. This picture above was my recent "diaper" run. The deal has since retired, but I will give details of how I got my price at an all time low. 

I made three transactions in two different days. On this particular week I went, Kroger was having a "catalina" on Huggies diapers. If you spent $30 or more on any Huggies item, you receive $10 off of your next purchase. But the deal gets sweeter. They were running another catalina at the same time in the "Baby Aisle." If you spent $40 or more on any item in the baby aisle, you recieve $10 off of your purchase. HELLO!! That's $20 of free cash just for spending $40 on diapers.

My first transaction went as followed: 

2 box of Huggies - $17.99 each

1 large wipes refill - $5.99

Total: $41.97

I used my $10 of of $40 coupon (I received from a mailer from Kroger)

$2 off of huggies diapers

$2 off of Huggies diapers

$1 off of Huggies wipes

Making my grand total: $26.97

But here's where it gets good.....I got TWO $10 off coupons for my next visit!

So the second transaction I bought the exact same thing as the first, used the same exact coupons, but I added the $20, which made my total $6.97 

But wait! I got ANOTHER two $10 off coupons for my next visit. 

WHAT!?!?!

The third transaction:

1 box Kroger brand diaper (my favorite) - $13.99

1 package Kroger brand diapers - $5.99

Total: 19.98

I used a digital coupon of $2 off for Kroger brand diapers

$20 off coupon

Making my grand total $-2.02

Because the store wont give you cash back, I bought a thing of trash bags for $1 and Herbal essence Shampoo for $1. It balanced out my balance.

So for a total of $33.97 I got 4 boxes of Huggies diapers, 1 box Kroger brand diapers, 1 package kroger brand diapers, 2 large wipe refills, 2 Herbal Essence shampoo, and a box of trash bags. I don't know about you, but that makes me want to do cartwheels across the room.

Like I said, this particular deal is expired now, but i just wanted to show you what I do so you'll be prepared for the next diaper catalina at Kroger!

Shew, now I'm all caught up on my "blogging." Tune in for the next one!

The End.