So, um, this was one of those weeks when life just flew by and every day was full of hiccups and interruptions (many of them wonderful, but unexpected nonetheless). And also, truth be told, I just fell off the organization and discipline “bandwagon” this week. For no good reason at all.
I bought eggs from my brother, went to Walgreens, Dillon’s and Aldi one evening and Jesse bought milk today. But, I only managed to snap a picture of my Walgreens trip. With all that took place this week and the disorganization which ensued, I was doing good to make it to the store and get the groceries put away. Taking pictures of the groceries completely slipped my mind until much of them were already eaten.
At any rate, you’ll just have to picture the pineapple, strawberries and other things I bought at Aldi, as well as the cereal and other deals I snagged at Dillon’s. And I promise I’ll try to be more organized (and not running around like a chicken with my head cut off!) next week and actually take pictures of my groceries.
Oh and in the spirit of being completely honest here, I have to tell you that we didn’t do a good job of following our menu plan and Jesse brought home dinner two nights this week, instead of the usual one night that we go out. And remember how I said I was training for a 5K and how I usually get up between 5-6 a.m. or earlier? Well, I didn’t exercise one single time this past week and I got up after 7:30 a.m. almost every single day.
Yes, it was just “one of those weeks”. I stayed up too late, didn’t follow the schedule and just generally seemed to have zero “groove” and discipline.
But now that I’ve confessed all that to you all, I am determined (by the grace of God), to get back on the bandwagon this week. So if any of you see me posting or replying to comments after 9:30 p.m. at night or you stop by my house and I’m in pajamas and it’s noon, you have my full permission to thoroughly reprimand me. Because I need to get out of this funk I got myself into this past week!
And now, I’m off to tackle my laundry pile and messy bedroom because I’ve promised myself I can’t go to bed tonight until the laundry’s done and my bedroom’s clean. 🙂
Did you snag any great deals or bargains this week or save money in other ways? If so, be sure to post about them on your blog and leave your link below. Please remember that this weekly round-up is to share deals you personally got and/or money you were able to save this week. In order to keep this weekly round-up focused on helping and inspiring others in their efforts to save money, links which have little-to-no content other than promoting affiliate links, etc. will be deleted. Also, to make it easy for everyone to navigate quickly through the links, your link must link directly to your Super Savings Saturday post.
Put vicks vaporub on your son’s feet at night with socks over them (of course since it’s greasy) and he’ll stop coughing. Don’t know why it works – no one seems to – but it usually does, and if it doesn’t, it won’t hurt him! Good luck
Crystal, everyone has an off-week, I did too, …but you pulled it off so well 🙂 With regards to the weekly deals, I think my best deal this week was getting Walmart sleepers for $1.75, as well as the marked down boxed PJs. (finally!), but mine were $3 in my local Walmart, but still a decent price. Hope we all have a better week..
Oh good, you ARE human. Phew. For a while now I’ve been suspecting you were of a superior, super-human kind, probably not of this ignorant planet. Now there is hope for the rest of us! 😉 🙂
P.S. I adore pajamas. I love them. I luuurf them. I think pajamas should be the new sophisticated.
It seems that this week was a wasteful week for everyone at some point. I can say that I did the same, forgetting food out, still on pajamas almost for the whole day. Since this last week was Mardi Gras vacation for the kids here in Louisiana. I just relax a little bit more, because having my kids at home and their friends is just way too stressful. We all need to take sometime off once in while.
I know what you mean…it’s so easy to fall off the fitness, organizational band wagon…and so darn hard to climb back on it!! I completed my first 5K last September…I need to get back to training so I can run it again this year!!
Thanks for keeping it real this week! 😉 I think it’s “spring fever” – seems everyone had a bit of an “off” week this week! I didn’t even make it to the store until late in the day on Saturday, and completely forgot to photograph my loot! 😉
I have those weeks too. 🙂 I need someone to come kick me in to gear too! Thanks for letting us share our links!
Thanks for being honest and human! We all have been there. 🙂
Just a quick tip on the sleeping – my DD started sleeping through the night at 2.5 yo when I took her off of gluten, soy, and dairy. That was the answer for us, so I hope it helps someone else. Life w/o sleep is uphill all day! LOL!
Thanks for being honest and human! We are have been there. 🙂
Just a quick tip on the sleeping – my DD started sleeping through the night at 2.5 yo when I took her off of gluten, soy, and dairy. That was the answer for us, so I hope it helps someone else. Life w/o sleep is uphill all day! LOL!
BTW, I had one of the same weeks, and I did not manage any pictures! Every day was full and as soon as we brought the groceries home, we had just enough time to put them away until we were out the door again! It does get crazy sometimes. So glad to know I am not the only one with those experiences!
Got LOTS of great deals on Organics this week! Thank the Lord for Manager’s Specials and other mark downs! 🙂 Thanks for letting me link!
You are awesome and I love your site. I just started my own blog and having a crazy time trying to balance it with my two kids. I really admire your ability to get anything accomplished. I’m having a laundry catch up day myself.
It’s nice to know that we all have weeks like that! My week was just crazy, too. The good news is that there is always next week!
I really appreciate your honesty here. I’ve been slacking for several weeks, and even though God’s been convicting me about it, I hadn’t listened or changed. Then our youngest daughter (12mths) starting getting sick on Tuesday, which eventually led to her being hospitalized on Thursday morning. She had developed a uti and double kidney infection. We were released yesterday, thank God! But, in coming home to a messy, disorganized house and all the chaos we had to go through just those two days in the hospital with my mom taking care of our other two small children, I’ve had a major wake-up call. I’ve got to be obedient to what God asks of me, and for our household that includes structured schedules and the such. I was feeling so discouraged this morning though, as I look at the huge task in front of me to be tackled. And then I read your post. Thank you for being so honest Crystal. It’s truly helped me again.
We all have those weeks! So glad you posted this so we know that everyone does have those tough weeks. I hope next week is better for you.
We went to Aldi’s the other day and bought 8 packages of strawberries and 5 pineapples all for $13.00! I love it when they have those great produce deals.
Crystal, I accidentally added the wrong link on #110 and then put the correct one on #111. Could you erase link number #110 for me? Thanks!
Ugh. I have been in such a funk the last month. I half packed our house when DH’s transfer was canceled. I haven’t been able to get back in the groove. The only plus is that I am procrastinating on housework through running.
I hope you have a better week, and send of that my way.
I think that it is wonderful that you are real and honest with us. I do look up to you and admire your positive attitude and hard work. It is good for me to know that you, too, have “off” weeks and piles of laundry.
Be blessed!!
I love your honesty! I’ve had 3 sick kiddos (8, 2 1/2 & 6 months old) and a sick hubby for the past week and a half. I’ve been so frustrated I told myself today that I should stop reading other mom’s blogs because they were just so “perfect”. Thank you for sharing with us what is truly happening in your life. I love your site! May God bless you and your family and may next week be better in the organization & discipline department!
I’ve felt off my game for a couple of weeks now just found out that I am pregnant (I already have an almost four year old and a 20 month old)! Now I don’t feel so bad for taking it a little easy and will just have to try and tone down my routine for the next eight months!
I’ve been out of my groove for months. My house is usually a wreck, we eat out WAY too much, and I haven’t been doing much by way of couponing.
I was excited that my impromptu trip to CVS for new mascara (Running late to work and having dropped my mascara wand in the toilet) that I got a magic coupon machine coupon for $5 some new Revlon mascara. It was $8.99 so $3.99 after coupon. Then I got $2 ECB to make it pretty much $1.99. Super cheap mascara and it’s waterproof to boot. YAY ME! I just wish I had found it earlier in the week so I could go back and try for more. LOL
I take that back, my mascara ended up being free. The ECB was for $4. So that was a super great deal. I REALLY wish that I’d found it earlier in the week. LOL
This sounds like my week. I was not getting up as early as I was every day – letting the kids get me up, and I was in a funk too. I need to go and put the rest of my groceries away now and clean up my room and go to bed too! Here’s to praying for a better week for both of us next week!
Oh, Crystal, I love when you remind us that you too are human! It gives me hope!
Nice to hear that you are “human”. LOL! Seriously, I love how REAL you are and that’s the reason I have followed your blog/site for the past 3 years now!! Give yourself a break, the past is in the past. Sometimes its all about survival….at least that’s how it is for me, and I only have 2 kids! You are a TRUE inspiration and please keep on “keeping it real”. Thanks and God Bless.
I am the same way sometimes. This week I have been doing well with keeping things cleaned and shopping trips done, but I am staying up late and getting up early. =[ Last night I didn’t get to bed until 2:30 am because I finally got all of my things for my coupon binder! =] I got to use to today and OH MY GOSH was it easier than having them all paper clipped together. =] I am hoping to get back on track next week.
Umm…pregnant?? 😉
Nope. Though I wish I had an “excuse” like that for being so undisciplined!
I have that excuse! 8 months pregnant with two toddlers running around. The excuse doesn’t really make me feel any better when I am overwhelmed with a messy house, though! 😉 The key is to enjoy the down time, no matter how messy your house may get, but to also jump back on the bandwagon soon after. 😉 Praying for motivation to move your way!
I was wondering why you were replying to my comments so late. I thought “wow she gets up so early and stays up this late?” lol now I know why. We all have our days/weeks/months … I mean days/weeks :/ 😛 I’m sure you’ll be back on track and feeling like yourself next week 🙂
we are going on vacation on Thursday (Disneyland here we come) so this week we will be eating from the pantry, freezer and fruit bowl all week. I was so excited last week when I finally stopped by a little store that I drive by all the time in Portland and they had some amazing deals. Mangos were 3 for $2, pears $.33/lb, and apples $.68/lb…I got a huge bag of produce for under $7.
The kids don’t know about our trip yet..we are so excited for the looks on their faces 🙂
I, too, have had many weeks like yours. I wonder if yours was triggered by your recent vacation and then weekend trip to see Dave Ramsey. Lots of fun…but the extra busy-ness could throw anyone off kilter for a bit, I’d think. I’m sure you’ll be right back on track before you know it, though! Now, for me, I’m not so certain ;-).
We had a week like that due to a broken arm! Thank goodness for buying ahead.
I have a hard time shopping @ Walgreens, but this week was easy. 🙂 I didn’t have any big problems, and I can’t wait to try next weeks Walgreens deals!
Just wanted to say thanks for being real! 🙂 We all have weeks like that!
😉 By the way, I was just on your blog the other night (when I should have been sleeping, ahem! but…) and your kiddos are so adorable! I want to scoop them up and squeeze them!
Aw, thanks so much!! 🙂
A good reminder well all have our bad weeks. So, I have a scheduling question for you (and other Moms). I’ve read Amy Lynn Andrews’ book and your Time Management 101. Love the concept. What strikes me is how you guys (as well as other Mommy Blogs I’ve read) seem to have children who follow a somewhat predictable sleep schedule. I can’t be the only one with offspring who simply do not cooperate this way. My kids wake up anywhere between 4:00 and 6:30 although they seem to have trends that last a few weeks. Unfortunately, those trends are closer to the 4:00 a.m. side of things. My youngest, at 21 months, is a terribly unpredictable napper so I simply cannot count on him sleeping a certain amount during the day and build that into the schedule. It can also take anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour to get him down at nap or bedtime which kills the evening as well. We have general routines but if I try to make a more detailed plan or schedule for the day most of the time I end up frustrated an angry. So, how does one plan for this? I mean that as an honest question for other Moms in the same boat? Surely there are some?
In general I don’t have a hard time Getting Things Done. My problem is unintentionally wasting time online. I’m working on it. 🙂 Even with that under control my challenge is finding chunks of time where I can do things like read or work. Not to mention quiet spiritual time for myself which I simply do not have. I feel like I could be so much more productive and fulfilled if I could figure out how to carve out time in such an unpredictable schedule. I surely can’t be the only one who feels this way?
What has helped me is to have a plan in place for the unpredictable (which I totally didn’t do this past week! argh!).
If my 22-month-old or 3-year-old wakes up at 5:30 a.m. (which they sometimes do), I have a plan for how I handle that. For instance, Kaitlynn (3 years old) can either snuggle up next to me while I work on the computer on the couch (she almost always falls back to sleep until 7:30 a.m. on the couch) or she can go sleep in our bed (and yes, I know some people might freak out about us letting our children sleep in our bed, but we’ve decided that, so long as they sleep in their beds most of the night, a few hours a week in our bed is not going to hurt anything!)
If Silas (22-months) wakes up early, I wait to make sure he’s really and truly awake (sometimes he’s just fussing for a little while and then he goes back to sleep). If he’s really awake, then I offer him a drink and a snack, let him snuggle with me for a bit and then put him back to bed. So far, that almost always seems to do the trick for him.
I know this might not work for you, but if you could come up with some ideas to implement when Plan B or Plan D happens, it can make things a lot easier and less frustrating for you.
Have you read the No-Cry Sleep Solution? That book was really helpful to me with Silas who has been my most difficult/inconsistent sleeper yet. When I implemented the principles in the book, he was on a pretty consistent schedule within two weeks. It’s not perfect, but I can almost always count on him sleeping for at least 8-10 hours at night and 1.5 hours in the afternoon.
And remember, what I have written on paper is never carried out perfectly in our home. Life happens and I try to just roll with the punches and be okay with that — even if it means I get little else done other than cleaning up messes and teaching and loving the children.
I’m guessing some other moms will have some great ideas for you, too!
You know, I really need to get better about having Plan B! Often I can come up with something on the fly but it Bothers Me to deviate so much from my written plan. Which I know is missing the point, ha ha.
This kid’s sleep is really something. We’ve tried a lot of things with varying success. I feel guilty being dissatisfied now because a year ago we were sleeping in shifts. He woke 4-10 times a night for months even after craniosacrial therapy, chiropractory, me cutting out caffeine, etc. And he would only nap in the car or on me so I spent hours driving around or trapped on the couch. He may wake up a 4:00 a.m. now but he sleeps through the night! Guess I should count my blessings.
So seriously, no judgment for having your kids in your bed! For awhile I was putting on Elmo and sleeping next to him on the couch but we had to stop that when the 4y/o started waking at 4:00 wanting to watch TV! Ah well. This too shall pass. I only have another year at home with him before K3.
He sounds a lot like my Silas. He woke up 4-10 times per night for the first 14 months of his life. When he actually started sleep for 6 hours straight at night, I wasn’t sure what to do with myself!
Crystal,
Thank you for being so real…sometimes our daughter (8mo.) wakes during the night (she sleeps well during the day) and I feel like we are doing something wrong… thank you too for being so honest about your week. I sometimes feel overwhelmed and wonder why somedays I just can’t do it all or do it all well… thank you for reminding me that no one can and that I need to live for an audience of One.
Blessings to you and your beautiful family!
My trick for getting the spiritual time I need is to do that first, before I turn on any electronics. Even though I LOVE spending time with the Lord, this is a struggle every day! (Yes, I must be that stubborn!) The pull of the computer with a cup of coffee is strong! But I know that if I am going to be effective that day that I need some time with my Lord, and it never seems to happen later. I never regret it once I’m into it. I’m curious to know if this works for you too.
Each trip I made this week to Walgreens(4 total) those $1.50 Pedicare Catalina’s came out of the register and twice the cashier grabbed it and scanned it along with my $2/1 or $3/2 coupons. The register did not beep. So I got the cold & allergy medicines completely free. I also received a $1/1 Children ‘s or Infant’s Advil Catalina from the register. In the Walgreens Infant Care coupon booklet, there is a $2/1 Children’s or Infant’s Advil Wag coupon to stack it with.
Do I need to leave a separate comment for having posted my free chocolates at Rite Aid? Because if I do… here it is.
Wow. I’m number 35… clearly I did something wrong. Very new to this blogging thing!
This is my favorite post on here EVER. 🙂
It’s nice to know even my heroes have off weeks. Even if my “off week” is more like every week lol.
You are cracking me up. And me? A hero? You need to get out more, I think. 😉
I’m about as far from that as one can get. Seriously!
I had a week like that last week too, but I had family visiting so we just didnt really get much done around the house. But then when they left yesterday my baby for some reason took 2 naps and I cleaned like crazy and boy am I glad i did because my husband sprained his ankle at work yesterday.
I’m so sorry about your husband! I hope his ankle heals quickly.
Me too! It’s supposed to be his spring break. I had lots of things I wanted to get done around here 😉
We all need a break once in a while, and being a Mom blogger certainly isn’t all that easy. Working from home can be overwhelming at times, but we sure are lucky to be able to do so. When I have weeks like this, I often have to stop myself and realize just how lucky I am to be able to do it all…and still be home with the kids, it usually puts things in perspective. When you need a break – take it!
We are a one-car family, and our car broke down this week…not fun. It has now been at the mechanic for 4 days, which meant that I literally had to run to the grocery store to get free Gorton’s seafood, while the sale was still on. My boys loved running to the store though, and I am sure the exercise did me good (a total of 4 miles pushing a heavy stroller).
BTW thank you for reminding me that I need to go finish the laundry:)
Crystal, I am so with you! I’ve one one crazy week, I’ve been up until 1 am or later every single night this past week. On the plus side, I’ve saved a lot of money because I didn’t get a change to even go grocery shopping :0) That’s basically what my finance update was this week on my site :0) Thank you for sharing about your crazy week, and your laundry! I have to go get caught up on putting laundry away, and figure out a meal plan this next week, because another week like I just had, and, well, it just would not be a good thing!
Not going to the store is a sure way to save money… unless it means that you go to the drive-thru instead. 🙂
No drive-thru at all, we did an impromptu eat from the pantry challenge. Even got my son to eat homemade garbanzo beans and snowpeas!
Good for you! I wish I could say the same about us, but I caved this week. 🙁
Crystal, we all completely understand as everyone falls of the ‘groove’ wagon once in a while. Take your own advice and don’t be too harsh on yourself. 🙂
My husband and I are training for our third 5k run right now, and it really makes it easier when we are doing it together so that when one of us has a down day, the other is usually able to motivate (or guilt the other one into training, ha!). Is Jesse doing it with you?
Yes, he’s doing it with me! Though he’s now ahead of me in his training since I didn’t work out this week. Gulp! 🙂
Whew!! You have no idea how much of a relief it is to know that I’m not the only one to have a week like that. I think there was only one night this week that I managed to clean up the kitchen before going to bed. I love you for your bandwagon accidents. 😛
I had one night last week, where I was in the middle of cleaning the kitchen and putting things away, when one of the kids woke up. I went in there, fell asleep in his bed, and the next morning I woke up with the food still left out. What a waste it was, but I sure needed the sleep.
Glad to know I’m not the only one who went to bed with food out accidentally this past week. Ugh!
I also managed to leave food out this week. My husband out of town on business + my 14 month old sleeping terribly = worn out momma!
I comped the Aldi’s ad at Walmart and got 6 avacados and 3 pineapples for under 7.00 🙂
Just out of curiosity, are you still doing p90X? If so, how did it work for you? I did it for six weeks before deciding it wasn’t the way to go for me. I wasn’t seeing great results, though I stuck to the workout schedule and maintained a healthy diet.
Oh, btw….you talking about training for the 5K is what made me think about p90X if you’re wondering why such a random comment on your shopping trip post 🙂
I did the whole P90X circuit (90 days) and really enjoyed it and feel like it helped me to build up a lot more endurance than I had before. I’m now just focusing on running, though I’m considering possibly changing things up to add in some more strength-training exercises.
Sounds like my week. I started swaybucks but can’t get the tv ones to give me points. Any ideas?
Is the percentage bar showing up at the top? You have to watch 10 different videos and it should give you 10% each time. If it’s not showing up, I’d contact Swagbucks about it.
Sometimes, I think we need a mini break from accomplishing so much. If your husband is unhappy then do something about it;) Otherwise, thank the Lord for a little break and then get back to your routine 😉
Or, sometimes, it’s good to be undisciplined in order to remind you just how much of a difference it makes when you are more disciplined. At least that’s what I told myself near the end of this week! 🙂