Sunday, May 27, 2012

Week 6 (special note for military families too!)

Okay, so we are at week 6 and I had my doctors appointment on Friday to get checked out and released to go back to work and everything looks great.  I do have a few pounds to loose to get back to my pre-pregnancy weight, but I will do it.  Jaydyn is doing great.  She is learning that her lungs will get her what she wants or at least get my attention for me to figure it out.  She is not too fond of her swing any more, but is loving laying in her BOPPY pillow.  I can put her on the Boppy, on the couch with a blanket (next to me) and she is content as long as she has her WubbaNub (Monkey). She has been sleeping at night for 5-6 hrs which is a nice relief for me.  I am just hoping over the next few months that she will start sleeping longer and longer so I can possibly get a 8 hr stretch of sleep (at some point).

It is Sunday morning as I finish up the blog and I have been looking at the weather forecast for the tropical storm that is supposed to be hitting Jacksonville, Florida sometime tonight and tomorrow morning.  The weather will mainly consist of lots of rain and about 40mph winds.  I guess we will stick it out, since it doesn’t appear to be too bad.
Later today I am going to head to the grocery and pick up some items to make sure that we have everything we need.  Being that we live on the outskirts of the city, we generally are the first to lose power and the last to get it back. I also have to make sure that the rug-rat has enough supplies (i.e. newborn diapers).  I have had to experiment with diapers since Jaydyns legs are so chunky the newborn Pampers wont fit around the leg (without cutting off the circulation) but the Level 1 diapers are too big no matter how tight you make it around her belly.   So… I found that the Walgreens brand of newborn diapers fit her the best.  Nothing like a special trip for a generic diaper.   At the bottom of the post I am also posting a few pictures from this past week.  I hope you enjoy them as much as we do.  Until next week….. stay safe!!!

Military Families:

Just wanted to bring some information to your attention.  There is a military service member act that is in place as an incentive for individuals to join the military.  The act is known as the Servicemember Credit Relief Act (SCRA) and states that any debit accrued prior to service entry must be refinanced by the bank at the current rate, but no higher than 6%.  This was created as an incentive for individuals to join the military.  All you need to do is contact the financial institution to refinance the debt. 

According to www.Military.com

One of the most significant provisions under the Servicemember's Civil Relief Act (SCRA) limits the amount of interest that may be collected on debts of persons in military service to 6 percent per year during the period of military service.

The expanded SCRA further states that no interest above 6 percent can accrue for credit obligations while on active duty, nor can that excess interest become due once the servicemember leaves active duty A? instead that portion above 6 percent is permanently forgiven. Furthermore, the monthly payment must be reduced by the amount of interest saved during the covered period.

Additional Reading at:  Breakdown of the Act

Coupons:

Enfamil: If you register at Enfamil.com you will received coupons monthly in the mail for $4.00 off of any formula products.  Since Jaydyn is being nursed, I have been told that it is okay to use soy as an addatitive or a supplement.  Since this is a lactose free product it will not mess with her digestive system in mixing digestive products.  This helps reduce the colic.

At Babies-R-Us you can use the coupon for the pre-mixed individual formula containers.  You get 8/8oz bottles.  I use this when we travel or when we are away from the house.  This is much easier to transport and you do not have to worry about keeping breastmilk cold/or nursing in public.  I keep an empty bottle and a bottle of formula in the diaper bag.   The cost of the standard Emfamil product is $8.99 (plus $.62 tax) = $9.61 for the pre-mixed formula.  You can then use the $4.00 coupon on the product costing you a total of $5.61 for 6 bottles of 8oz formula.  This is definitely worth the extra money because of the ease of transport. Since Jaydyn is drinking around 4-5 oz per feeding, I can get two bottles out of one container, resulting in 12 bottles total. 

The only problem with Babies-R-Us is that you can only use two of the coupons a day, per transaction.  I tried separating it into two different transactions, but the store would not let me. Maybe each store has their own policy, but the Babies-R-Us on Argyle Forrest Blvd will not let you use more than two.

COUPON WEBSITES:

http://www.coupons.com/  (you can select and print coupons here)

http://www.enfamil.com/  (register with Enfamil and receive coupons in the mail monthly)

 Week 6 Photos:














Saturday, May 19, 2012

Week 5

This past week has been a good week and a bad week.   Fortunately and unfortunately my little baby Jaydyn is getting big and I am now having to create a box in her room for donations.  Don’t get me wrong… I am happy that she is healthy and growing, but does she have to grow that quick?
Another one of my money saving missions was in full force this week.
My mission was to put my JoAnn’s craft store 60% off coupon to good use.  After 5 years of being in this house and using an old end table to hold up the cable box in the guest bedroom/now Jaydyns bedroom.  So… I found a 3 section high wooden cube shelf for $79.99.  The 60% coupon was definitely put to good use.  I also used a 50% off coupon for a can of purple paint to paint the shelves.  I figured that once she was old enough to put her toys away herself, we can buy the baskets that go into the cubbies.  I went home and rummaged up another 50% coupon and went back the next day for a second cube.  At this point I have still not paid a combined full price for one and have two!! That is my buy of the week.  When I get the cubes painted I will post a picture of them for everyone to see.   The best thing you can do (if you have a smartphone) is to download the JoAnns App to electronically clip coupons.  The coupons can be used as many times as you want and you can use multiple coupons in one transaction.  I ABSOLUTELY refuse to pay full price for ANY item at JoAnns.

As far as the little one.  She is doing wonderful and is my sidekick when we go out in public.  She loves cuddling with her dad and giving him big smiles.  This week is going to be a tough week for the family, but we will make it through (somehow). We stayed busy this past week and went to lunch with my father and stepmom.  Jaydyn failed to wake up the whole time we were out, so the grandparents had to admire her from afar in public.  Not only are her smiles getting more frequent she is also developing her "attitude."  I do have to say that the attitude resembles her father, but her cuddles are from her mother. :)  (Yes I am a biased party)!!!

Here are a few pictures from this past week:









Thursday, May 10, 2012

4 Weeks Old + Craft Sling

ONE MONTH OLD (tomorrow) & Sling Instructions


Well my last post was about me being cheap and trying to create a few things that is not worth the money being spent on it.  So I went in search of an alternative to purchasing a Moby Wrap for $53.49 (including tax).   I was able to do some research and came up with this…


It ended up costing me $9.42 (with tax).  That is a remarkable $44.07 savings.  I was actually able to get two slings out of the $9.42.


So this is how I did it.  I went to WalMart and looked at their clearance rack and found a jersey knit that would go with many outfits.  Luckily it was $1.50/yd.  I purchased 6yds= $9.00, which is a bit more that I really needed, but I figured that I was better safe than sorry.  Folded the fabric in a hotdog length and cut the fabric in half.  This leaves you with two strips 18ft long.  Take one of the strips and then fold it again in the hotdog shape.  Once you have the fabric folded you can then tie the fabric around yourself.  I ended up cutting a yard of fabric off the end, because it was too long, but it is going to depend on your waist size and the size of the baby.


Here is a YouTube link to show you how to wrap the fabric:
 http://youtu.be/DTsVqghgFvA


As I type this post, Jaydyn is sleeping close to my chest as has not moved in about 1 hour.  I think that she loves it. 

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

Week 3 (a little late in week 3, but it is still week 3)

Week 3 (a little late in week 3, but it is still week 3)

HAPPY CINCO DE MAYO everyone!!!

As I sit here in my glider in Jaydyns room I am amazed to see how much she has grown in just a short 25 days. She has been increasingly eating more and more and sleeping for longer stints, but man it is still exhausting. She is drinking 3.5oz every 3-4 hours. My husband and I jokingly call her Miss Piggy because she can suck down a bottle like it is going out of style and still wants more. She can be peacefully sleeping one second and then the next she is crying like the world is going to end. When this happens you better jump up and warm up a bottle, because the 90 seconds it takes in the warmer seems like and eternity when she is screaming like all-get-out.

Here is a video of the child eating and sounding like a little squeaker:

As we prepare for the upcoming mothers day, I am putting together some picture frames of for our mothers and grandmothers. I have to have this done by Monday to get the packages in the mail.
This past week I did a bit of sewing for the first time since little J was born. It is truly amazing as to how many blankets and burp cloths you can go through within a day. I emptied out my scrap fabric boxes and made 20 new burp cloths. 16 days before Jaydyn was born, her cousin James was also born in the U.K. In waiting anxiously for both of the children to be born, I put together a few things for James. Some of my left over fabric was boys fabric, so I also sewed a few extra burp cloths to mail to James. I am happily and quickly depleting the scrap box. On top of making burp cloths, I decided to be even CHEAPER (if that is possible). I also created a sheet for the pack-n-play and a mattress cover for the bassinet. It seemed like I was constantly washing the sheets in both on a daily basis, because of either spit up or a blow out.

On top of completing those sewing projects, I am now looking at creating a sling for the little one. I just posted a “status update” on facebook requesting suggestions on slings. The research that I have completed appears that the average ring sling is about $50. Yep!!! I didn’t do a typo, $50. I mean seriously there are two metal rings and about 3 yards of fabric. Based on my assumptions and research you can purchase a set of rings for $3.70 ($6.24 with shipping and tax http://www.slingrings.com/index.php) and with a 40% off Jo-Anns Fabric coupon you can buy an average quality fabric for $15. So… that is $21.24 for a sling. Appears to me that the sling companies have extremely high mark-up. I am no genius, but that is pretty darn profitable. My next project is… well you guessed it. I will post a picture of it as soon as I complete it.

Well I am off to feed Miss Piggy again. I hope everyone is having a safe CINCO DE MAYO and a good week. Thanks for reading my blog.

-Ames and Miss J