Extreme Couponing? No thanks.

As I sit here planning our weekly menu and grocery list, I'm reminded of the new show on TLC: Extreme Couponing.  Good in theory, but we do not have the space for all of those groceries.  Not to mention it's a lot of junk type food.  We don't eat like that.  And I'm not going to encourage my children to eat that way just to save some money.  I prefer to menu plan and stick within my means and within the parameters of the menu plan. 

That being said, I do like to save money on our groceries.  We live in a high cost area.  Extremely high cost.  And with the gas prices going up, I'm sure the cost of shipping will go up.  This affects the cost of goods.  It's a vicious cycle.  It's not possible for us to shop on the economy, so, we choose to support the commissary.  Despite the surchage, it saves us more than if we were to go to the local Safeway or Foodland, even with the rewards cards.

I miss fresh produce.  The produce that we have available here is not as fresh as I would like.  We do get yummy fresh pineapple though.  I'm going to miss that when we leave.  Everything else is sub-par.  Such is life.

We save on the cost of diapers though. I like that.  I'm loving cloth diapering.  Such cute fluff, good for the environment and wonderful on the pocketbook!

Yes, I live in paradise.  Living in paradise has a high cost, not just monetarily.  I love having the opportunity to experience life here and I'm enjoying it while I can.

A hui hou!

Gas and glass, Mama Makeover and Ice Cream Date! Oh my!

Just as quickly as the weekend hit, it was over.  Funny how time works like that.  Friday evening we attempted to chillax because we knew that the weekend would be crazy busy.  And crazy busy it was.

On Saturday morning, we woke up early.  Travis had a fundraising event at the NEX shopette.  They are raising money for the unit Holiday party, which will be held at the Hale Koa this year.  Hopefully this means that more of the members of the unit will be able to attend this year.  The event was pumping gas and cleaning the gas.  We had breakfast together before he went and the girls and I went home and watched Lemonade Mouth on the Disney Channel.  And snuggled.  It was nice. 

That afternoon we had lunch at the NEX complex before running some errands at the NEX.  Time got away from us and before we knew it, it was almost bedtime.  Crazy...

Sunday morning was chill.  We got out of bed late and decided to hit the mall.  We went to Book Off! and bought more books.  (as if I need anymore, right?)  I am a firm believer in "you can never have too many books."  It's true.  I scored Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Fantastic Mr. Fox and Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry for $3 total.  AWESOME!  I've got quite a nice collection of books for the kiddos.  I hope that they love reading them as much as I did! 

After eating lunch, we hit the other part of the mall.  It was there that I decided it was time for a Mama Makeover.  So, I scheduled a cut, color and style.  I went in with tri-colored hair and came out with chestnut.  I love the color and cut.  It's so manageable!

We finished the day with ice cream at Coldstone Creamery.  I had my usual of course.  As did Travis.  But, Annika always changes her flavor up a bit.  Her choice this week was Cake Batter Ice Cream with Chocolate Chips.  She is so zany!  I love that she always tries something different!  We went home with full bellies.  Upon arriving home, we were set to watch the show that we watch every Sunday it's on:  Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.  But, it was not on this week because of the breaking news.  Good breaking news.  And I'm going to leave it at that.

All in all, it was a terrific and crazy busy weekend.  I'm thankful to be able to spend time with my lovebugs!

A hui hou!