Independence

I briefly mentioned that Noah is a full time walker now. Crawling is so last month. Here is a short video of him strolling through Target yesterday. Funny enough, he reminded me that I needed to get batteries! 

He's such a love.

-Amanda

Target Trip - $1.75 for 5 Boxes of Cereal

Happy Monday! Yesterday was the first Sunday of the month, which always means new coupons - including the P&G insert in the newspaper. Of all the new coupons, my favorite is the $1/1 Market Pantry Frozen Chicken Item Target Coupon. We go through about 3 bags of the Chicken Tenderloins each month and this week they are on sale for $5.99 (regularly $7.19). With the coupon they are only $4.99 each. Once every 3 or 4 months, the chicken is marked down to only $5 and if there is a chicken coupon then, I stock up. 

Yesterday I took advantage of the cereal deal going on at Target. You can pick up a $5 gift card when you purchase 5 select Kellogg's cereal items.

I used these three coupons for the cereal
$5/5 any Kellogg's cereal 10oz or larger Manufacturer
$1/2 select Kellogg's cereal Target Coupon
$1/3 select Kellogg's cereal Target Coupon
Each box was on sale for $2.75
=$6.75 after coupons
+ the $5 gift card (used on my next transaction)
=$1.75!

I used the $1/1 Up&Up Oral Care Target Coupon to get the floss for free.

-Amanda

Making a day out of it.

We packed up the car today and headed 45 minutes up the highway to do some shopping, the first of my birthday festivities. I do most of my shopping at Target (like you didn't know that) but every now and then I crave the hassle and unpleasant experience excitement of big city shopping. Although I'm not sure many of you will consider a half million people "big" but coming from my little 20-thousand people town, to me it's big. I very much dislike driving there. My kind of traffic is following a tractor for a quarter of a mile. Three lanes of cars tailgating at 85mph is the worst. I think I said, "I hate people" 25 times today. It's not the people, it's their driving. Some how word got out that the red light still means GO for the first 3 seconds.  

We made it there safely just before noon and right away I got some shopping in at Macy's for new eye shadow. I chose "Switch" and "Naked Lunch," which was partially picked because of its name. It was between Naked Lunch and "Ricepaper" and the former just sounds so much more fun. This technique also works for paint color. If it's between two, pick the one with the better name. 

Do you ever get new makeup and feel excited about waking up and getting ready in the morning? I do. Noelle gets excited about escalators. 

I'm a frugal shopper. Paying full price is literally painful for me to do but when my husband says he wants to buy me a new pair of jeans...well...I'm not crazy. It doesn't hurt when he swipes the card. I only let him do it on special occasions, like my birthday or our anniversary (I'm talking about buying jeans) and only if they are reasonably priced. The Joe's Jeans I love are $79.99 at Nordstrom Rack, the exact same pair can be found at Macy's for $178. So although they are relatively expensive jeans, I'm really saving a hundred bucks... :) 

Mr. G is a collector of quality jeans as well. I usually find myself standing here for several minutes in anticipation of a mini fashion show. Today he emerged from the dressing room with a sexy pair of straight legged Joe's. "Those look great!" I exclaimed. 

"These are mine. The ones I tried on are too short." 

Good thing I liked them. What if he came out and I said, "Those are terrible!" 

I love shopping with my husband. It's so easy. When we double-team it I wonder how on earth I do anything without him. He manhandles the Bob. When I'm alone I dread having to enter a store that doesn't have automatic doors and getting that sucker in and out of the car just about sends me to the E.R. But Mr. G maneuvers it around with ease. 

I also love watching other people as he pushes the kids around in the stroller. I walk a few steps behind him and observe women glance at Noelle and Noah and then smile at him. I'm not sure if they are thinking, "Cute kids, hot guy" or "Did he steal those pale, blonde-haired babies?" Either way, they continue walking and see me and I watch their eyes as their mind connects the dots. They flash me a half smile as they pass and I nod as to say, "Yep, they're mine."

Noah is a walker now, sealing his new title as a toddler. As a mom of two, I have some useful advice for eating out. 

First, table liners are essential. Stick that bad boy to the table and you have a sanitary eating surface for your hungry munchkin and a super easy clean up at the end. 

Mr. G and I like to eat what we like to eat, which isn't typically what the kids like. So today I ran into Panera Bread and ordered the organic Mac & Cheese meal which comes with organic yogurt. Then we went to Chipotle, ordered what we like, and ate together. It might be a little bit of a hassle to go to two separate places sometimes, but kids do much better when they have something familiar to eat.
Also:
Ask for a side of something snackable. Like rice, olives, chips, pinto beans, bread, diced tomatoes, etc. Let the kids munch on it if you have to wait for your food.
It always helps to bring your own drinks for the kids. A full sippy cup of juice has saved my life on several occasions.
Buy a "special toy" that stays in your purse and only comes out to play during eating out.
This is also a great trick for changing a wiggly toddler. Keep the toy on the changing table and only give it to the toddler during a diaper change. Find something that plays music and has lights that will keep their attention for a couple of minutes. 
Use your phone for emergencies. Download a movie before you head out and play it if things get noisy.

After a somewhat successful trip of shopping we made it home, changed into our comfy's and got groovy playing a sweet game of Just Dance Kids. Sister has rhythm far beyond her years.

And now it's time for some basketball and popcorn. Rock Chalk Jay Hawk!
-Amanda

Leap Day

This is the first time I have been aware of Leap Day. Obviously I know about Leap Year but I have never really given the day much thought. Well, today was Noelle and Noah's very first February 29th so we made a play date with my best friend, Kim, and her little guy, Christopher.

We met at a park in Kim's town and let the kids play, eat cupcakes, and make new friends.

I love every second I get to spend with Chris. His mom and I have been best friends since the 4th grade. I always knew she would be an amazing mom but watching her now with her son is delightful. She has more patience in her pinkie than I do even on my best days. 

I remember when Kim and I spent recess playing tether ball and 4-square on the blacktop at our middle school. Now we get together and watch our kids swing, kick balls, and run around the playground. She is due with her second in 5 short weeks. I can't wait to meet him or her! 

We laughed at this sign on the park. Why can Canadian kids play younger? Are they smarter? lol.

After about an hour of fun, we were chased back to our cars when rain clouds rolled in. The sprinkles soon turned into a full on downpour and later cleared to reveal some pretty sweet rainbows.

Unfortunately the busy afternoon and the sound of the rain put Noelle and Noah to sleep in the car almost instantly so they missed the colorful arches in the sky.
Noah is no longer watching the world fly by while sitting backward in the car. He loves his new car seat. Loved it from the minute he sat down and was able to keep his eyes on me. He talks and talks and laughs with his sister when she makes funny faces at him. Exactly how I imagined they would do when he was flipping around in my belly. I feel immensely blessed when I glance in the rear view mirror and see those sweet faces.

It was a good day. "A very busy day" as Noelle and I say every night after reading The Very Busy Spider. The spider works hard all day spinning a web and finally finishes at the end of the day and catches a fly. The book concludes with the spider sleeping because it had a very busy day. Noelle always says, "Goodnight, mom. It was a very busy day." 

A fun, memorable, and very busy day.

Happy Leap Day,
Amanda

Target Trip - Dr. Seuss and Free Makeup

Today was the annual Dr. Seuss Read Across America event at Target. We went last year when Noah was a couple weeks old - 

and here they are just one year later (sorry for the blurry picture).

Once again we had a great time listening to some classic Seuss books and eating popcorn. The treat bags were awesome this year. There were toys (bouncy ball and squishy lizard), candy, a granola bar, juice, pencils and even a coupon for $2 off a $10 book purchase! The best part was the Starbucks lady handing out hot chocolate with whipped cream to the parents. Superb job, Target!

After getting all sugared up at 9:30 in the morning, I cruised around and picked up a few goodies with coupons. All of the makeup on clearance went 70% off this morning so I rummaged through my coupon booklet and pulled out all of the makeup coupons and looked around for a good deal. And deals I found.

Aveeno Sunscreen $9.94 clearance price $2.98

Used $2.00/1 Aveeno body or face product MQ

=.98 

Sunscreen never goes to waste at our house. Mr. G is in the sun all day, every day.

Rimmel Liquid Foundation $4.99 clearance price $1.48

Used $1/1 Rimmel Cosmetic Item MQ

=.48

L'Oreal Liquid Foundation (for my mom) $7.99 clearance price $2.38

Used $3/1 L'Oreal Face Makeup MQ

There's also a $1/1 L'Oreal Cosmetic Item coupon on the Target site here.

= Free + overage

Neutrogena Lip Gloss $7.99 clearance price $2.38

Used $1/1 Neutrogena Lip or Face Makeup MQ

=$1.38 and I LOVE this color!!!

(3) Up & Up 2-pack sponges .99 each

Used (3) $1/1 Up & Up Cleaning Item TQ

=Free

Up & Up All Purpose Cleaner $1.89

Used $1/1 Up & Up Cleaning Item TQ

=.89

Welch's Natural Jelly $1.67

Used $1/1 Welch's Natural Jelly TQ (no longer available)

=.67

Total = $3.78 (before tax)

MQ - Manufacturer Coupon

TQ - Target Coupon

How I spend Mommy Time.

Mommy time happens a couple of times a week and is usually sometime between the hours of 9pm and 12am when everyone is sound asleep and my mind is just not ready to settle down. My body, however, will tell you a different story. But if I attempt to go to bed before midnight, I'll just lay there for hours so why not be productive instead? And by "productive" I mean "do things I enjoy without anyone around to interrupt me."

So how do I spend those precious quiet hours to myself?

These are my favorite ways:

Blog. Write a post or two - or jot things down for future posts, like Noah's monthly updates or Gardner Grub recipes.

Craft. You probably could have guessed that one. If two weeks pass by without any crafting going on I start to get anxious. Right now I'm working on some new wall art for the dining room.

Plan Parties. Noah's Red Wagon Party kept me busy the past couple of months and now I'm on to the next parties on my list. I'm throwing a baby shower for my best friend in April, a "Honeymoon Shower" for my other best friend in May and Noelle's 4th Birthday party in June. Party planning usually requires browsing on Pinterest and Google images. I haven't gotten to the DIY stages for these parties yet but I've started lists and Pin Boards!

Read. My favorite author is Max Lucado and I'm currently reading his book God's Story, Your Story. I'm also reading Andy Stanley's The Grace of God with my small group and I recently starting reading Have a New Husband by Friday by Kevin Leman.

I get lost in this blog. I've been reading Kelle's blog for about 2 years now and enjoy every post that she perfectly composes. Kelle has a beautiful soul, two fabulous girls, and incredible photog skills. Read it and you too will be instantly hooked. If you've never visited Enjoying the Small Things - Start here. I'm actually a very picky blog reader. There are only a few other ones that I read regularly. I stay away from anything negative, whiny or controversial. I like Mommy Time to be positive so I only fill it with things that make my heart happy.

I organize my coupons - usually every other week - and look around for new coupons on coupons.com and target.com. 

Now that Picnik is closing (soooooo sad), I try to edit a few pictures a week that are going into Noah's 1st year album and Noelle's 3rd year album. I'm going to try to get as much done before the last day of Picnik in April. 

While I'm pinning, blogging or crafting, I like to watch TV. My favorite shows are Castle and Modern Family. I never watch "regular TV." Only what's recorded.

And speaking of pinning - I like to peek at this page every once and a while. It's everything that has been pinned from Growing Up Gardner. I found it when I came across a picture from my blog on the Everything page. I clicked through and was amazed. I had a great time reading all of the nice descriptions.

I'm also very lucky to get quiet time during the kids' afternoon nap but that hour is almost always spent cleaning and cooking. I really enjoy the "me time" that I get and am so thankful that I get to spend a couple hours to myself - like this very moment.

-Amanda

Red Wagon 1st Birthday Party

My little man turned one! For his very first birthday Mr. G and I threw him a Radio Flyer wagon party! It was an absolute blast to create and it turned out classic and fun, just like Noah. I started several of the projects for the party back in January, DIYing almost everything. In this post I'll share the details of the party as well as how I used coupons and thrifty shopping to pull it together for less than $150. 

The first thing I did was order the Little Red Wagon Party Package by Dimpleprints. The $30 package included the invitation and 167 pages of everything you can think of for throwing a party. 

I'm excited to share the pictures from his big day with you...so here we go!

"Sweet Treats!" I made the cupcakes myself the morning of the party. Here's my secret to fantastic cupcakes - only use the butter cupcakes, in my opinion cupcakes made with oil don't turn out as moist. For fluffy frosting I get whipped vanilla frosting, put it in a bowl with a couple drops of vanilla extract, whip it for a minute and then pipe it generously onto the cooled cupcakes. Total for dessert - $5.

I received a coupon code from My Publisher for a free photo book and decided to write a children's book for Noah. I was a huge hit at the party. I read it to Noah every night before bed. He loves looking at the pictures of himself.

Mr. G's co-worker made these adorable red wagon cake pops. The wheels are M&M's and the wagon handle is black licorice. They were delicious! 

The week before the party, Michael's released a 50% off coupon so Mr. G and I purchased most of the little filer items using that coupon. The brown paper crinkle was $2 - one bag goes a long way! 

{Favors}

Get your own Official Radio Flyer License to Fly here!

A few weeks ago, Michael's also had a coupon for $5 off any purchase of $5 or more. I used it twice to purchase two packs of bubbles and 4 pinwheels for free!

The favors had bubbles, red licorice and a sucker. I bought the candy for half off the day after Valentine's Day. Total for all of the favors - 4 bucks!

"Thanks for Rolling By" tags from Dimpleprints. I also used the 2-inch wagon tags for the center of the pinwheels. And if you noticed the cute little pennant banner on the picture frame - I printed out a banner from the Dimpleprint package at 25%.

One picture from each month of his first year. 

{Mantel}

The tiny pompom strings were the easiest things to make. I got out my sewing kit and thread the pompoms through the middle with a needle.

The pennant banner is another printable from Dimpleprints. I printed them out at 60% and put 2 on each page to save on ink and paper.

{Let's head outside}

The morning of the party I woke up and saw a dark sky and trees whipping back and forth. It was crazy windy and so, so cold. I prayed all morning for it to turn into a nice day and the good Lord answered my prayers. The wind calmed and it was a beautiful, sunny afternoon.

The set of 3 teal lantern balls were on clearance at Party Works for $4 and I ordered the mini Radio Flyer Wagon on Amazon for about 18 dollars - totally worth it!

We borrowed tables and chairs from my best friend's parents. 

{Centerpieces}

These babies gave me a little headache. I knew exactly how I wanted the centerpieces to look but finding a teal tin bucket and red gerber daisies wasn't as easy as I thought it would be. I finally found the buckets at Michael's a couple of towns away for 30% off - $3 each and the daisies at JoAnn's for half off - total of $9. I wrapped the pinwheels with polkadot ribbon to compliment the scrapbook paper (4 for $1 at Michael's).

My sister throws incredible parties and has gathered many supplies from the shindigs she has hosted. This is great for me because I can call her up and say "Hey, sis, do you have ------?" The answer is usually yes. For Noah's party I borrowed her burlap table runners, teal and red platters and bowls, and cupcake stand.

A fun craft table for the kiddies - coloring pages, stickers, crayons, foam shapes and bubbles.

{Food}

Burlap is a very cheap and useful fabric. The food table backdrop was one of the first things I planned. I wanted to hide the unattractive side yard and shield the food from the sun in a pretty way. My hot glue gun came to the rescue for this one. I glued twine to the top of the burlap and folded it over to create a "seam." The "Happy 1st Noah" banner is also from the Dimpleprints package.

I mentioned that it was windy in the morning - so windy that it was impossible to keep the table cloths (97 cents from Walmart) on the tables. My mom came up with the genius idea of tying the corners of the table cloths to keep them on.

I kept the menu simple for the party - hot dogs, fruit kabobs, "wagon wheels" (vegetarian), potato salad, and BBQ chips. 

Can you spy the invitation on the table? I had them printed at Costco for $7. 

I found the little white buckets at the dollar store. They come in a set of 3 and are labeled as favor containers. I stuffed them with paper crinkle and taped the food labels to cake pop sticks.

Wagon Wheel RECIPE

Silverware - folded napkin and a fork tied with twine.

{Drinks}

Lemonade, Strawberry Lemonade, Soda & Water

I wrapped almost everything I could with burlap and ribbon! It's all in the details :)

I love this little wagon! I had big plans for it to hold the hot dogs but somehow it ended up on this table and I didn't bother moving it. 

A few of the gifts for the birthday boy!

Opening presents

{Happy Birthday, Noah}

{Cousins}

Ages 1, 2, 3 & 4!

{Family}

Noelle doing some coloring. She was such a big helper for mommy during the party.

Me and my sweet boy.

{Welcome}

The party was a few days after Valentine's Day and as I was removing the heart wreath from the door I got an idea. I wrapped leftover burlap around the wreath and tied the printable welcome sign from Dimpleprints around it. I can't believe it actually turned out cute! 

And that's the party! I hope you enjoyed the pictures as much as I enjoyed putting it all together. I know Noah won't remember it, but I will. It's his first one - the first time since his birth family and friends gather together to celebrate his life. And I can't wait to celebrate many, many more.

-Amanda

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