Wow, these last few weeks have been so draining I have not been able to update.

I got super sick on Thursday, had the flu and could not hold anything down most of the weekend. With Bobby’s schedule I took advantage of Bobby not working on President’s Day and went and got my 1hr fasting glucose done, and wouldn’t you know it, with not eating for almost a week I failed it. Crap. So now I have been fighting with myself and my midwife about the 3 hour test which I do not want to take because I DO NOT have Gestational Diabetes. I have been testing my glucose #s at home, and they have always been good. However my midwife will not accept those numbers because it is not from a lab… but would *you* want to take an unreliable test that makes you deathly ill while trying to keep a bored 2 yr old still in a busy lab for 4 hours??? Yeah, sign me up for THAT!

On top of all this is the financial stuff we have been dealing with, like taxes, taxes and more taxes, plus trying to refinance our house before our rates adjust and now me desiring a midwife for a home birth, but not having the funds to even play the fantasy out in my mind because my insurance will not cover it. I babysit full time to bring in some income, but that lately has been leaving me physically and emotionally exhausted, just because of the dynamics of my children plus their friends and the chaos of 5 kids under 11.

On top of this I am trying to sort out my emotions on a personal family issue that did not go as expected, but I am sure went as well as planned by the universe so I am just trying to accept things how they have turned out and let go of any issues I had surrounding it.

Bobby is still not over the flu, the rest of us have had it to varied degrees, but now round two is hitting as now colds are being passed back around (they went around before the flu episode too). I am just thinking of how nice it would be for ONE day this month for everyone to all be healthy for once.

The pregnancy is going well though, no leg or back pains. I had some arm issues from a pinched nerve in my neck that the chiropractor I saw fixed right up, but I still have not regained an appetite or had morning sickness relief. I am under 100 days for my guess date, will be starting HypnoBabies lesson 3 tomorrow, as well as entering the last week of my second trimester, 26 weeks. I am finding myself a lot more emotionally fragile with this pregnancy, and life issues and books and television often sends me into uncontrollable crying fits. I am so looking forward to my birthing time, I just can’t wait to meet this little princess and introduce her to all the princes, they will adore their new little sibling!

Bobby has always wanted to take a cruise, I just want a vacation at a decent price. I have heard from many people that cruises are a lot of fun, so I am sure someday I will give in and take a cruise. In order to save money, I have found this nifty little website that offers discount to many different cruise lines such as Celebrity Cruises, Norwegian Cruises, and Royal Caribbean Cruises. Not only can you get discounts, but Direct Line Cruises also offers perks like free travel insurance. The website was extremely user friendly, responded very fast with my search parameters and showed multiple dates, rooms, ships, cruise lines, destination ports, as well as a page listing a ton of promotions.

They also have free brochures, a large section of resources and information, and a 1-800 number. I also like that they offer cancellation protection at no extra cost, because you never know when something will come up. Make sure you read the policy because canceling because you changed your mind is not a covered expense.

So, Saturday I was complaining about how my favorite shoes are wearing out and probably died about 2 years ago. I remembered how my friend Tracy just got some darling Birkenstock’s on eBay and decided to test my own luck. I found the most darling slip on tennis shoes, much like my beloved, but dead shoes. The price was right, so I bid and waited. This morning I got the dreaded email from eBay, I was outbid on my auction ending in 3 hours… Wahhh!! So I bid again, and again, and again! When the price of the shoes, plus shipping and handling was within $5 of the retail price, I gave up and went to the manufacturer itself.

This is where it gets fun. When I got there, I saw SO MANY SHOES that I loved!! My one pair of shoes turned into two, then three, then four, and FIVE! Soon my total was almost $250!! I did remove one pair of shoes that were cute, but I could not see myself wearing often. Then I did something I should have done in the first place. I googled “skechers.com coupons” and found an amazing 25% off coupon plus free shipping on dealnews.com. Check out my screen shot below!!

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I am so stoked! In about 10 days I will have my brand new shoes without the hassle of eBay if the shoes do not fit right. However I have loved all my Skechers and have always been impressed with the consistent fit, so I am sure I will love them!

Finding the best credit cards can be a daunting task, especially when you have bad credit, or no credit. It is also easy to abuse credit cards by maxing them out, owning too many, or carrying high interest rates. It can be tempting to accept offers for 0% balance transfers, however, unless you can pay off the balance in the allotted amount of time, you may be stuck with a higher interest rate than you started out with.

If you do decide to take the plunge and apply for credit, it is important to compare credit cards; this way you ensure you are getting the very best deal. For instance, it may be tempting to apply for cash back credit cards, but a few dollars back in cash each month is not worth hundreds of dollars more each year in interest charges.

*This is a sponsored post.

I love using coupon codes for snagging great deals at places I normally shop, or even using it to find new places to shop. When I first ordered from Buy.com it was because of an amazing deal I got on speakers for Bobby’s MP3 player. Same with Amazon.com; I found a great deal on nearly free sheets and I was addicted… in fact, most of my online shopping is at Amazon.com. Bobby just ordered a new Nintendo DS Lite from them after Matthew tossed his last new one on the sink and broke the on switch.

I recognize some of these stores from shopping online, or even spotting them locally in town, like Kohl’s, where I found these online Kohl’s coupon codes. Saving money always makes me happy, but only if it is on something I already need.
Happy shopping!

*This is a sponsored post.

With Valentines day in 2 weeks, it is time to start shopping for your loved one, especially if you will be shopping online and need to wait for shipping. Before you shop, don’t forget to check out online coupons first.

I found a great 25% off coupon for Weight Watchers to help if you made a resolution to lose weight for the new year.

Valentines Day Ideas:

For her, check out Diamond.com coupons, most women love jewelry, and don’t forget the chocolate.

For him, electronics and gadgets at Circuit City are always a good gift, and since a way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, check out Hickory Farms coupons.

*This is a sponsored post.

I finished and e-filed my taxes last night, the refund was not what I was hoping (but it WAS what were were expecting) and when it gets here it will be used to pay down some Credit Card Debt, not exciting, but necessary.

It is estimated that the average US household carries $15,000 in credit card debt, and that 40% of Americans spend more than they make in a given year. I can totally see us being one of those 40% at times, and in my eyes that is unacceptable. This year we have really tried to make it our mission to pay down our debts, lower our bills, and eventually pay off our credit cards.

So what can you do?

It’s pretty simple… Pay more, and Spend less.

Call the credit card companies at least once a year and ask for a lower rate. They will often lower it to keep your business. If they don’t, call back and speak to someone else.

Transfer balances to a lower fixed rate. Introductory rates are a gamble, if you are good about making a budget and sticking to it, you can save a lot.

Be careful of “90 days same as cash”, if you pay it off after the 90 days you may be compounded with the interest incurred during those 90 days that was deferred. Anytime you have a specific interest free period, plan on paying it off one month early just to be safe.

Anyways, there is countless other ideas out there for reducing credit card debt.

*This is a sponsored post.

…went back to the shop on Friday morning, I was certain they would tell me they could not find the leak again. So the dealer called this afternoon when I was laying in bed catching up on my shows that record upstairs and Bobby comes up to tell me they found the leak; they are replacing the seal, and the warranty DOES cover it… thank goodness!! I just need this car to last two more years until it is paid off, possibly less if I triple the payment next year when the car is paid off.

I love eBay, because I love getting great deals. However sometimes it is hard to catch a great auction. I do not believe in using “snatching” software to get the best deals, but I did run across a neat website that can almost guarantee a great deal called Lastminute Auction. Basically it is a listing web page that shows auctions under $1 with less than an hour left, so you can snag some unloved merchandise before it drops off of eBay, unsold. This is a dream come true for me, and it totally saves me time. So if you are looking for some great deals for Toys, Video Games, Art, or anything else, don’t forget to stop by Lastminute Auction!

*This is a sponsored post.

I love being able to work at home, not because I expect to get rich quick, or be able to make as much in the home as I would outside the home; but when I figure in what I am saving in child care, gas, clothes, and convenience meals I am sure I am making more with my super part time home job. I work less than an hour a day and make between $300-600 a month. I love that my income is extra income, and not a necessity, so I am able to use it for extra expenses, like overpaying on bills, or putting it in savings; in time it will make a big difference. I also plan on working a second job next month when I start watching a little girl part time in the afternoons.