5 Favorite Things of the Week - 4/12/13

This week has flown by and I haven't gotten nearly as much done as I should have by now. I guess that's just part of being a mom, right? Well, here are my favorite things from this week.

1. Book Bomb success. This week an author I know, Dave Wolverton (who writes under the pseudonym David Farland), had a tragedy in his family. His son was in an accident that caused severe brain trauma. There are sites set up to raise money to pay for medical bills which could easily reach in the millions. On Wednesday, a book bomb was held for Dave's books to help raise money. Another benefit of a book bomb is it raises the book's status so it's more visible on sites like Amazon and Barnes and Noble. By the end, the book, Nightingale, reached #1 in contemporary fantasy for both books and ebooks, #2 for paranormal fantasy books and #84 overall for paid ebooks on Amazon. It's pretty amazing. If you are planning on buying things from Amazon, consider going to the book bomb link and then clicking on the link there for the book. After doing so, anything you buy on Amazon after will also pay back a little money to the Wolvertons. I'm so glad it was a success!
2. School's back in session! This week Alex headed back to preschool after a week off for spring break. He was excited to go back and I was excited to spend some one-on-one time with Micah in the morning and get some stuff done.

3. Fresh fruits and veggies. I've been trying to avoid going to the groceries the last couple weeks because we've been going over our monthly budget for food, but yesterday I headed to the store and got lots of fresh produce, like apples, bananas, strawberries, oranges, onions, sweet peppers, broccoli and spinach. I love having these fresh fruits and veggies around to make smoothies with (and more!). Despite having a completely loaded shopping cart, I also only spent $130 on food. Woohoo! 
4. New smoothie. This week I discovered a killer smoothie combination: peanut butter, bananas and spinach. I'll be telling you all about it next week. Let's just say it's delicious and I think with the protein from the peanut butter, it works as a meal (I know it kept me full from lunch all the way till dinner, no cravings).
5. Easter with family. Yes, this is a little late, but I missed my weekly post after Easter. We had a great time visiting with my hubby's parents over Easter. They also brought treats for us and the boys. I love getting to spend time with family :D.

Have a happy weekend!

5 Favorite Things of the Week - 3/22/13

I know you're all dying in anticipation of what my favorite things are this week, right? ... *crickets chirping* ... *crickets chirping* ... Well, settle down because I will now reveal to you what made me happy this week. :D 

Scramble with Friends

1. Amazon Kindle. I mentioned on Monday that I've been sick. I thought I was almost over it on Sunday, but apparently it's decided to linger. So all last weekend I spent reading books on my Kindle and it's made me very happy. No need to drive to the bookstore or library (especially awesome when you're feeling sick). What's my favorite genre? I admit that it's YA fantasy. Can't get enough of it.
2. Scramble with Friends. Another fun thing that I've been doing with my downtime is playing Scramble with Friends. It's a variation of the game Boggle where the tiles have point values like in Scrabble. There are three rounds of play and in the second round, there are double word and double letter values for some letters and in the third round there are triple word and triple letter values. You can play with friend or random players through Smart Match (so hopefully you don't play people who are amazing. If you want to know what amazing is, search on YouTube. It's crazy).
3. Tax Returns. This week our tax return was deposited into our bank account. I turned it in two weeks ago. How cool is it that we can do our taxes online and then have it deposited directly into our accounts two weeks later. Plus it's nice to have that cushion so I can pay bills without worrying about whether there's enough in there. Yay for tax returns :D.
4. Nasal strips. Since I've been sick, and stuffed up, it's harder to breathe at night (which makes it harder to sleep. To help with that, I've been using these Nasal Strips by Clear Passage. I think that they do a good job and help open your nose so you can breathe easier. Plus these are cheaper than a lot of ones I've seen. I don't use them all the time; just when I'm sick (or if my husband complains that I'm snoring).
   


5. My Wedding Anniversary. Today I've been married 11 years! It's crazy how fast time goes by and how things have changed in 11 years. When we got married, we got a digital camera as a gift and it was the hot new thing. Everyone who took pictures at the wedding used film. Also, I don't even think that phones had cameras back then (or at least not that common) let alone anything like the smartphones we use today. If things can change that much in 11 years, it makes me wonder what will happen in the next 11.

So that's my list of favorite things this week. What did you like about this week? I'd love to hear about it!

5 Favorite Things of the Week - 3/15/13

Ugh. I woke up sick today. It's not all that bad, but I worry about how bad it will get before I get better. Plus, you know how it is when you're a mom: you don't get a day off. It doesn't matter that I'm sick. I still have to feed the boys, make sure they're not destroying the house, etc. I don't get a "day off" (unless maybe I'm lucky enough to have the grandparents take the boys for a day, which is wonderful when that happens).

So anyway, here are my favorite things of the week:

1. Papa Murphy's Pizza. So I think in the past I was not all that interested in Papa Murphy's Pizza, but lately, because of circumstances, we've been having it more often. Since we've been going more, I've noticed some advantages:
• You can pick up hours before you plan on eating (assuming you can stick it in the fridge in the meantime). This is great if I'm out and about in the afternoon and I don't want to run out right before dinner. And we're just too cheap to have pizza delivered because we don't want to pay the tip :P.
• You don't have to worry about the pizza getting cold before you eat it.
• Every time you order (at least for our local Papa Murphy's), the instructions sheet comes with a coupon to upgrade a medium to a family size free (which is like $3 off). 
• They have dessert pizzas (so good!) that are only $3 (at least here locally).
• Since they aren't cooking the pizza, it doesn't take more than 5 minutes for them to make the pizza, assuming it's not overly busy when I go.
2. My new HP laptop. This year we got a decent tax return and I decided to replace my laptop. The monitor had gone out on it and it was really huge and bulky. I wanted a smaller one that was more portable, so I got an HP laptop from Best Buy. It's been a great investment and it's so light, I can take it with me anywhere (right now I'm typing from the living room arm chair instead of my desk). Oh, and did I mention the battery lasts about 4 hours? My last laptop only lasted 1.5 hours or thereabouts.
   
3. Having two awesome sisters. I was lucky enough to grow up having two sisters 6 and 8 years older. They've always watched out for me and are there for me. When I was younger, they would often take me out to lunch or buy me candy. Despite the difference in age, we're close and even now, they call and see how I'm doing and help whenever they can.
4. Warm weather. Today it's supposed to get up to 70 and even when I've had to slip out at night to slip something into the garbage can, it's been so warm. I haven't needed to rush back in because of the cold air. The boys have been playing outside a lot and we've all enjoyed going places without having to bundle up. It's supposed to cool down this next week (highs in the 50s), but it's been so nice enjoying the warmer, sunnier weather.
5. White noise machines. Earlier in the week I wrote an article all about white noise machines. These really are awesome, whether for you so you're not woken up by other members of your household or whether for your kids so they can sleep undisturbed (especially for naps). We use ours every day!

What were your favorite things about this week?

5 Favorite Things of the Week - 3/8/13

Wow, is it just me or did this week go by fast. I feel like I've barely had any time to think or breathe. So now that it's Friday once again, here are my favorite things of the week:

Via MarieClaire.com

1. Warmer, sunny weather: Woohoo! Who's with me? It feels like spring is just around the corner and I'm ready for it. I wouldn't say that this winter was especially cold, but it's been so cloudy and going outside today and finding the bright sun was so rejuvenating. Where have you been all winter, my friend Sun?
2. As mentioned earlier in the week, I love Pandora. It's an awesome way to get your jam on, have a dance party with your kids, or provide soft music while relaxing. 
3. Karrie, from HappyMoneySaver.com. She's a great friend of mine and came over this week to help me learn more about this blogging thing. Maybe one of these days, I'll get the hang of it. If you haven't checked out her blog, head on over there and see how she can help save you money.
4. 
   Cuddling with my 22-month-old. I think that me and MW have a lot of things in common, and wanting to cuddle is definitely one of them. He's such a sweetie and will often ask me to pick him up and hold him. Gotta take the time to cuddle now before he finds out it's not "cool." :P
5. Friends who are in your heart no matter the distance. There's something special about a friend who continues to think about you and wants to know how you're doing even when it's been months since you've seen each other. I have a few friends like that right now, including one who is halfway around the world and one who I left behind last year when I moved. I'm so glad that with the way technology is, we can keep in touch.

What were your favorite things about this week? Did it go as fast for you as it did for me? All I can say is TGIF! Thank goodness it's finished. LOL!

5 Favorite Things of the Week - 3/1/13

So what are my favorite things for this week? Well, here you go:

1. Scout app for my iPhone. So I moved to Eastern Washington about 7 months ago from out of state and I'm still getting to know the area. The Scout app is free and gives voice turn-by-turn directions to wherever you need to go. This has been great, especially when my husband has a job at a new school and doesn't know how to get there. I've used it to get all over, and it's especially helpful when I need to go from point B to point C and I'm used to getting to point C from point A (i.e. my house) so I don't know how to get there from somewhere else. Other GPS apps often cost money for voice turn-by-turn directions, as well, which means you're constantly checking the screen to see where to turn. Voice directions help reduce distractions while driving. And no one will disagree with free. Definitely awesome.
   
   
2. Having two monitors on my computer. Last July/August, the monitor on my laptop went out and the easiest fix was to get an external monitor. Luckily my step-dad had an extra one lying around that he didn't need. This was great and essential so I could keep working. Then recently I decided to use my tax refund to upgrade my laptop to a new one. Well, guess what? Now I have two working monitors, and having two monitors is AWESOME! I'm often switching between different windows in order to research and write articles, so having the info on one screen and where I'm writing on another is really great.
   
   
3. Ghirardelli Triple Chocolate Brownie mix. If you are looking for the best brownie mix, it's this one right here. We get this at Costco (it has like 6 bags of mix in it. LOL), and it's just the best brownie mix I've ever had -- even better than my homemade brownies. It's so moist and fluffy and it has chocolate chips in there, which means melted pieces of chocolate within the brownie goodness. Yep, I'm pretty much addicted.
   
   
4. 
   Online Netflix. When you live on a tight budget, you look for anything you can cut to save money. One way we save is through not having cable TV. Instead we have the online service from Netflix. For only $8 a month, we have TV shows for the kids and entertainment for us. Sure, it'd be fun to have regular TV too, but for now it works for us and saves us money.
   
   
5. My son, Alex, turning 5! Here's Alex with a bouquet of balloons from his awesome grandma :D. Look at that goofy grin. Who couldn't love that boy! I can't believe I've been a mom for a whole half of a decade now. This will be a year of firsts, including his first day of kindergarten. 

What things did you like from this week? Please share in the comments!

5 Favorite Things of the Week - 2/22/13

This week I was thinking about the things that I love, and I thought about writing an individual post about them, but I figured why not put them together in one post. This will be a fun weekly post every Friday of my favorite things from that week:

Via JunkFoodGuy.com

1. Zachary Chocolate-Covered Marshmallow Eggs. Have you guys had these? They are seriously addictive and so delicious. The chocolate melts in your mouth and is definitely the real stuff. I've always loved chocolate and marshmallows, so of course I love these. Plus they're only $1 for a dozen at Walmart. They come in foam egg crates too. So cute! They're only around for Easter so try them while you have the chance.



Via IowaGirlEats.com

2. H&R Block online tax program. TurboTax and H&R Block online each have their own advantages and disadvantages, but the last two years I've gone with H&R because they're less expensive and it works! I so love doing my taxes online. What would we do without the Internet?
3. Hebrew National Hot Dogs. These hot dogs are the best. If you haven't tried them (and you do eat hot dogs) I highly recommend them. They are more expensive than other brands for the most part, but their taste is just amazing. They are not only kosher (not that that matters to me), but they also don't have any fillers, by-products or artificial anything. I find myself more full than with other hot dogs, and did I mention the flavor? Seriously, delicious.
4. Pineapple, Banana, Coconut Smoothies. Yeah, they're that good. Mmmmm ...
5. Minecraft. It's a game with simple graphics but lots of fun possibilities and takes a lot of creativity. It's a fun activity to do after the boys are in bed. I admit, I'm a geek girl at heart :P.
   

What were your favorite things from this week? Please share in the comments!