Soldier's Wife, Crazy Life

Military Children

Shopping For Toys With Groupon Coupons

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*This is a sponsored post. I wanted to promote this topic with my readers. All opinions are my own. 

Shopping For Toys With Groupon Coupons

Shopping For Toys With Groupon Coupons

The holidays are coming, Christmas and Hanukkah will be here before we know it. I am already trying to figure out our budget and what we will be getting the boys. My three are pretty into Legos and Minecraft these days. My 5-year-old is also a huge Power Rangers fan. I have been asking my three boys for their Christmas lists so I have an idea of what they are most interested in.

I like to find deals on the toys we get our boys whether it is for their birthday or Christmas. I never want to pay full price unless I can’t find a deal. We also like to buy toys from Toys R Us. I find that they do have a lot of the toys we are looking for. I have recently found out about Groupon Coupons. You can use them to get special deals from places like Toys R Us. How great is that?

Right now you can get a $10 gift card to Toys R Us when you spend $75 or more between 12/1/15-12/24/15 by going through Groupon Coupons. That extra $10 can make a difference in your holiday budget.

You can also head on over and check out some of the deals of the week. Some are online and others are in-store only.

For example:
Lego Dimensions“Free $10 gift card when you buy any regular-priced LEGO Dimensions Starter Pack and any LEGO Dimensions Team, Level or Fun pack“

 

Lego Dimensions

“2 for $24 ALL LEGO Dimensions Fun Packs reg $16.99 ea.“

Discount toys for Christmas

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“20% off ALL Star Wars 3.75″ figures & vehicles“

You can check out the rest of the deals on the Groupon Coupons Toys R Us page or take a look around at other Groupon Coupon pages if you are looking for other types of gifts. They can change often so make sure to check back throughout the next few weeks to find the deals that can help you save some money this holiday season.

I plan to keep checking to see what deals they have and if I can save money on toys I was planning on getting my boys anyway.

Have you started your holiday shopping yet???

 

 

 

 

To My Oldest Son On His 11th Birthday

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To My Oldest Son On His 11th Birthday

My oldest son will be turning 11 next week. I know it is a little cliché to say but how did we get here? Where did my little baby go? 11? For reals???

The truth is, as fast as time has gone, as quickly as it has seemed that the years have passed, I have really embraced every stage of his life. From when he was a baby, to a toddler, to that stage that had me loosing my mind between 3-5, though his younger elementary school years and now as an official pre-teen heading closer and closer to those teenage years.

As I think about the 11 years we have had together, I feel so emotional. I have so many things to say. So here is my letter to my son, my oldest boy, who came into this world on that September day in 2004 and changed me forever by making me a mom.

To my son…

I can still remember the day you were born. You were early. Earlier then I thought possible because they always told me that first pregnancies are usually later. But you wanted to be born and join the world. On September 29th, at about 7:30 in the morning, you were born and made us parents. I remember holding you as you sucked your little finger. You were my son and I was now a mom. Everything changed in that moment. I remember taking you home and getting used to having a child. That was a very special time for me. It was a time I never experienced again. Being a new mom is something you can only experience once. 

For two years and two months it was just you and me. I didn’t always know what I was doing but I did the best I could with you. We bonded a lot during those two years and two months and I was so glad we had that time together. Then your brother came along and I was so happy to give you something so special. A little brother to play with, to fight with and to grow up with. I didn’t know at the time how much you guys would need each other. 

We had some struggles, a lot of them. Between the troubles you had with talking and being a bit behind to the deployments your Dad had to go on. It was hard for me. I am sure I didn’t always do the right thing. But you still kept smiling. Even on the hardest days you would smile and remind me that everything was going to be okay. 

We gave you another little brother to love when you were six and I love your relationship. You don’t fight too much and you are always there to help him out. 

And now I look at you and see the teenager and the man you will become. I swear that everyday you grow a little bit taller and I think I might have even heard the first signs of your voice changing the other day. My baby boy who is no longer a baby, I love you so very much. You are such a loving person and you have such a big heart. I adore the fact that you can not go to sleep without hugging and kissing me goodnight. That you help with the dog and your brothers when I need you to. That when I am sad you go out of your way to cheer me up. That I see you have gotten a little bit of your Dad’s humor which I love and I smile when you use it to make me laugh.

The next few years might be more difficult than we think they will be. I really don’t know. They tell me we are in a sweet spot right now and that is the truth. I hope and pray that you know you will always be able to talk with me about anything. About growing up, about girls, about your friends and your hopes and dreams. I want the best for you and that is why sometimes I tell you “no” when you want me to say “yes.” 

There are so many things I want to teach you before you leave our home and head out into the world as an adult. I am thankful I have a little more time before that happens. 

So my sweet son, I hope you have a wonderful birthday. You have filled my life with joy and I am so proud to be your Mom.

To My Oldest Son On His 11th Birthday

How old are your children? Do their birthdays make you emotional too???

Find You Savings At Publix With The Publix Snack, Share, Save Event And Giveaway

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Do you love savings at Publix too???

We love snacks in this house! The older my boys get, the more of them they want to eat. They will be teenagers before I know it. I always try to have quite a few snacks in the house for them to have after school or right before bed. I love having that variety so we have something to grab depending on what we feel like eating at the moment.

Savings at Publix

One of the places I love to buy snacks at is Publix, especially when I can find Savings at Publix.  They put one in close to our home a couple of years ago. I had never been before but quickly fell in love. It really is a pleasure to shop there. I love how clean and organized it is there and everyone who works at Publix is very nice and helpful. They will also help you take your groceries out to your car which is nice when I have all the boys with me.

 

Savings At Publix

Some of our favorite snacks are Quaker Chewy Granola Bars, Chex Snack Mix, Fiber One Cookies and I am a big fan of the Yoplait Greek 100 Whips. I discovered them not too long ago and enjoy them for breakfast or a quick snack. My 4 year old would eat a whole box of the Granola bars if I didn’t watch them. I love those too and remember eating them myself as a child.

Savings At Publix

I love to find savings at Publix by using coupons and shopping their sales. They have some amazing Buy One, Get One free deals. Another way you can find savings at Publix right now is to head on over to their Snack, Share and Save Event they have going on right now.

Save $5 on your $20 purchase of participating snacking items when you share the Publix Snack, Share, Save event with friends!

Savings At Publix

Steps to receive the coupon:

1. Go To SnackShareSave.com and Choose a Design to share on your social media account
2. Log In to your Publix Skip The Clip Account
3. Share the social media design via Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest
4. Check your Skip the Clip Account for your $5 Coupon.

If you don’t already have this, you can register for an account. It only takes about a minute. you don’t want to miss out on these Savings at Publix!

You will also be able to save $5.00 instantly when you buy $20 worth of participating items from PepsiCo, General Mills, & Unilever between 9/24 and 9/30.

How you would like to win $15 Paypal Cash to go buy your own snacks?

Enter the giveaway below by answering the question that is asked! Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  • “Disclosure: The information, products and Publix gift cards were provided by General Mills through Linqia.”

Enjoying Summer with Your Kids When You Start to Burn Out with Hello Mamas

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Enjoying Summer with Your Kids When You Start to Burn Out

Enjoying Summer with Your Kids When You Start to Burn Out

We are a month into summer vacation, things are getting a little slow and I am starting to feel a little burned out. The newness of sleeping in has worn off and it is getting hot. We still love the pool but it isn’t as new as it used to be. We have almost two more months to go and I have been thinking about how to best make it through these weeks. We have a few activities planned such as day camp and swim lessons but we also have many weeks where we will have to come up with something else fun to do.

Summer can get to a point where you just get over it and long for fall days filled with school, sweaters and Pumpkin lattes. I get to this point every year but right now I still want to enjoy summer. I want to make use of this time with my kids that I normally don’t have. I want to make memories and have a good time. Basically, I don’t want to dread the next 1.5 months because my kids are out of school. That is no way to live.

As I have been thinking about how to handle the rest of summer, these thoughts came to mind…

1) Planning the right amount of activities. I want to be busy and do a lot but at the same time, doing too much is just not going to work for our family. We need some downtime. With it being as hot as it is, sometimes it is nice just to spend some time in an air-conditioned house relaxing. It can be a hard balance because too much time at home isn’t good either.

2) Trying new things. My 4-year-old is playing a sport this summer. It’s been a lot of fun for him and he is learning new skills. My oldest also went to summer camp which he has never done before. It is great to see my kids learning about something they didn’t already know about. Even if they are a little nervous about it at first, they usually enjoy it and have found something new to love about the summer.

3) Sometimes simple is good. It would be nice to be able to have fun-filled days each and every day, take a few fun vacations and get out and see the world. But it is also nice and perfectly okay to have a simple summer. Activities such as going to the pool and the splash park might be all you need to do with the kids to have a good time. Don’t ever feel like your kids are missing out just because they aren’t doing a lot of complex activities. Simple can be just as fun and can keep them just as busy, you just have to find the right activity that they enjoy.

If summer is starting to get to you, go back to the drawing board and make some new plans. Remember that it doesn’t last forever and before you know it you will be shopping for school supplies and picking out what they will wear for the first day. Until then, enjoy your time together, make some memories and have a great rest of your summer.

How is summer going for you?

 

hello mamas

I am excited to announce that I am now a Hello Mamas Blogging Influencer. If you haven’t heard of Hello Mamas, you should head on over and check it out. It is a great site to connect with other moms that you have something in common with. It’s a great too when looking for new friends or someone to connect with.

5 Reasons Why Summer Gets Difficult When You Are Solo Parenting

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5 Reasons Why Summer Gets Difficult When You Are Solo Parenting
I have spent many summers without my husband. I was thinking this morning of the different ways not having your husband home during the summer can make life more difficult than it normally would be. Since my husband is going to be home for a few days during the summer, I am reminded of what I am able to do just because here is here and what I have to do when he isn’t. I am reminded of deployment years and those summers and how difficult they became because I was solo parenting. I have learned to make the summer work as best I can but it still can get pretty hard when you are the only parent in the home during the months your children are out of school.

1) Grocery shopping. Normally I go grocery shopping when at least two of my kids if not all three are in school. No one is asking for extra foods. No one thinks we need to buy every little item of food that they like, no one is freaking out because they don’t want to be there. I can just go in with my list and be done with it. During the summer, I have to take at least two kids with me, if not all three. We always end up with extra stuff, it is always a little chaotic and I always miss those child-free shopping trips.

2) Appointments. Dentist appointments, doctor appointments, etc. I try not to schedule any during the summer but sometimes you have to go. So I have to either find a babysitter or take all the kids with me. This gets a little crazy sometimes. Doctors appointments mean waiting and even if you come prepared, if you have to wait a long time the kids just hit a point and it is pretty frustrating.

3) No time Off. During the school year I have a lot of time to myself. I can get work done, clean in peace or even go to lunch with my friends. During the summer I always have at least one kid with me. My alone time has to just get pushed aside which can get to you sometimes. Luckily, a lot of Military locations do have some sort of childcare for deployments. Here they have Super Saturdays where you can leave your kids with childcare workers from 9-5 on certain Saturdays. I tried to take advantage of this during our last deployment.

4) Later hours. My kids stay up later during the summer. It gets darker later, no need for them to get up as early. It just happens that way. I could stay up later too, after they go to bed. I could give myself more alone time but I get tired too. I usually go to sleep just an hour after they do. During the school year I have a little more time to myself after the boys’ bedtime.

5) No family trips. This is the hardest thing for me sometimes. When your husband is gone all summer long, you won’t be going on any family vacations together. You can take the kids and go on your own vacations but that isn’t always an option for everyone. You just have to wait the summer out and plan to take a vacation once your spouse gets home or has time off. If you are lucky, you might be able to plan R&R during the summer and get away somewhere nice.

What about you? Are you going through a deployment this summer? Does your husband work so much during the summer you never see him? What is the hardest thing about it for you?

My Daddy is a Soldier Book Review

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books for military kids

I love it when Military spouses write books. They can bring reality to the subject they are writing about and have a good point of view on the subject.

I was given the chance to review the book, My Daddy is a Soldier. Written and Illustrated by Brittany Mayfield.

The book is written from the point of view of a child talking about their father who is a soldier. It talks about what he can do because he is one. The illustrations show a multicultural mix of soldiers which is nice to see.

books for military kids

This book is perfect for the Military child. Either those first learning to read or to be read to by a parent or older sibling.

The book is available in paperback on Amazon 🙂

 

 

* I was provided a free copy of the book for review! 

How You Know You Are In An All Boy Family

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How You Know You Are In An All Boy FamilyMy house is an all boy house.  We have no little girls here.  Mommy is the only one sporting the pink.  My 10 year old loves green, my 8 and 4 year old love blue. Walk into our house and you will probably be able to tell pretty quickly that we are an all boy home.

This is why…

1. Legos Legos everywhere.  Lego Star Wars, Lego Avengers, Lego Harry Potter…I think we have a little bit of everything. Girls love Legos too, I played with them as a child but they are all over the place here. Sets and figures and video games.

2. We won’t be selling any Girl Scout cookies.  My oldest was in Cub scouts and I learned pretty quickly that it is different from my experience with Girl Scouts.  Either that or things have changed a lot since I was a kid. The Boy scouts sell popcorn. While the popcorn is good, it isn’t like Girl Scout cookies. No one is waiting for them to come out. You can pretty much buy the same thing at a grocery store. I always buy from two or three little girls because I was a Girl Scout for 12 years and the cookies are just that good!

3. No shopping in the pink aisle.  I love Barbie and girly toys but that isn’t what my boys want.  I go over to the pink aisle to shop for friends and family but not my own kids.  It is like going to a foreign land.  An area I am not a part of anymore. I have always been open to having dolls and girl stuff around but my boys? They don’t want it.

4. Everything is a gun.  I am not too big on toy guns but we have a few.  Mostly Nerf guns.  But what I have learned is that little boys turn almost anything into a gun.  And if they have nothing else, a finger also works. Everytime friends come over they want to grab the Nerf guns and head outside where they pretend to be Star Wars guys or whatever else their minds come up with.

5. Potty training is difficult.  Yes, I know there are boys out there that train early and there are girls out there that take their time, but taking an informal poll of friends with both sexes, boys are usually harder to potty train than girls.

6. The Boys bathroom. Any mom with a boy knows how messy their bathroom can get. Whenever I look at houses and think about searching for one with just 1.5 baths, I just remind myself about having boys. I need my own bathroom. Boys are messy.

I have heard that boys are harder as young kids and then as they get older they are a little bit easier. I have also heard that it is the opposite for girls. I am not sure if that is true but it kind of seems to lean that way. Either way, kids are hard and I love being a mom of all boys.

Are you a mom of all boys?  How many do you have?

 

* This post contains affiliate links.

Summer 2015 Plans

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Summer 2015 Plans

Summer? Already? We have just 45 days left until summer vacation begins. Every year I think about my kid’s ages and I am VERY excited about this summer of 10, 8 and 4. Very. For one thing, NO ONE IS IN DIAPERS!!! Which means, NO ONE IS IN SWIM DIAPERS. I can’t tell you how excited this makes me!

I am looking forward to bbqing, plants growing, wearing shorts, long nights, sleeping in, fun memories and time with the boys.

It is also possible that this will be my last summer home with the boys. Next summer I could be working and they could be in daycare or with their Dad instead. So THIS summer is going to be awesome, I am going to make sure of it.

This is what is on our list so far:

  • Time at the pool. I think for the first time ever I can handle taking all three boys by myself, as long as the pool is set up the right way and I think I know of one that will work.
  • Splash Park. The easiest way to get wet in the summer and hang out with friends.
  • Water Park. We have a tiny one here that will be fun for the boys.
  • Camping. Yes, we want to attempt it again.
  • Park Time. This gets harder to do once we hit July since it is SO hot and the bugs so we will go more in May and June and in the evenings.
  • Day Camps. I already have them signed up for one each so I am excited about that.
  • Overnight Camp. This will be for my oldest.
  • VBS. Hoping to volunteer this year since all three will be able to go.
  • Swim Lessons. All three will do it this year, hoping they can all go at the same time.
  • Walks. I love walking or a mix of walking, bike riding, scooter riding depending on the kid. Either around the neighborhood or somewhere with more to look at then just houses and lawns.
  • Adventure Science Center. We have a pass now.
  • The Movies. I can now take all three to the movies so plan to do that. We really want to see Inside Out and Minions. My oldest wants to see Jurassic World.
  • Movies at the Park. Hoping we can take in a few of these too.

What about you? Are you ready for summer yet? Planning any trips? Any camps?