Cupcakes By Coley Event!

Upcoming Event:

Come over to Hilo August 31st from 3pm-5pm and stop by the grand opening of KPC Grooming Salon! Bring your friends, and your dogs as there will be cupcakes to snack on! Cupcakes by Coley will be supplying mini cupcakes that are dog friendly as well as ones their owners can enjoy as well! See you there!

www.CupcakesbyColey.com

"Like" them on Facebook!

PREP Fair

Check out this free event to the public on Saturday, August 31st:

Cupcakes by Coley

Lets help out Cupcakes by Coley by "liking" their page on Facebook!

Mahalo everybody!

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Cupcakes-by-Coley/143205672827

This weeks Target Cartwheels

Is everybody remembering to use their Cartwheel app while checking out of Target? You can EASILY save $5-$10 extra just for loading a few coupons on to your phone and having the clerk scan your smart phone.

Here are just a couple of the savings this week:


25% off GE light bulbs
25% off Circo brand Infant boy/girl appareal items
20% off all Playtex Pacifiers
20% off Threshold Bar Stools
5% off Up & Up Formula
5% off Up & Up Diapers
5% off Coleman Instant Tents

Go to Cartwheel.Target.com to sign up today!

Upcoming Events

August 17, 2013 is a busy day for the Big Island, take a look!

.August 17, 2013

Family Fun Day; Hilo

Admission is free but donations are accepted. Face painting, music, jumping castles, food, and train rides!

(Information below are complements of http://www.konaweb.com/calendar/)

August 17, 2013

DON THE BEACHCOMBER MAI TAI FESTIVAL - KAILUA-KONA
A full day of fun at Royal Kona Resort, including a Farmer's & Crafter's Market and Battle of the BBQ from 11am-2pm, a Pool Party with live music from award-winning, Grammy-nominated Hawaiian artist Henry Kapono from 2:30pm-4pm, and The Mai Tai Mix-off from 4:30-7:30pm, where bartenders will compete for the title of Best Mai Tai and a $10,000 cash prize.. Call 808/329-3111 or visit donsmaitaifest.com/ for more info.

August 17, 2013
FEAST ON THE BEACH BENEFIT - SOUTH KOHALA
Four island non-profits will receive 50% the ticket sales of Feast on the Beach, sponsored by Lava Lava Beach Club at Anaeho`omalu Bay to celebrate their first anniversary in business. The non-profits are Hawai`i Island Humane Society, Rotary Club of North Hawai`i, Waikoloa Canoe Club, and North Hawai`i Hospice. Guests will enjoy food stations provided by Paradise Gourmet Catering, beer, wine, and "toes in the sand ambiance" from 6-9pm. Live music will be provided by LT Smooth. Each guest will receive a special fortune cookie that may contain a "fortune" for a prize - a t-shirt, a free dinner, a stay in the cottages. Advance purchase tickets are required for attendance. To purchase a ticket, contact representatives from any of the non-profits, stop by Lava Lava Beach Club or visitlavalavabeachclub.com.

August 17, 2013
VOLCANO RAIN FOREST RUNS
4th Annual Volcano Rain Forest Runs. This family event presents a half marathon, 10K run and 5k walk in Volcano Village at 4,000 feet elevation near Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park. Open to runners and walkers of all ages and abilities, this event promotes fitness and the natural environment. It is co-sponsored by Volcano Art Center, Cooper Center, and the Kona Marathon. Race day begins and ends at Cooper Center, 19-4030 Wright Road, Volcano Village. $35-75 registration fees. Time: 6:30AM. Registration fees $35-75. For more information, call 808-967-8240 or email www.rainforestruns.com or visitwww.rainforestruns.com

August 17, 2013
VOLCANO RAIN FOREST RUNS - KEIKI RUNS
This FREE youth running event is sponsored by Kilauea Lodge. Kids under age seven race to cross the finish line, and everyone's a winner. Time: Approximately 10 AM at Cooper Center, 19-4030 Wright Road, Volcano Village. For more information, call 808-967-8240 or email www.rainforestruns.com or visit www.rainforestruns.com

August 17-18, 2013
ESTABLISHMENT DAY HAWAIIAN FESTIVAL - KAWAIHAE
The public is invited to join the to participate in the cultural demonstrations and workshop activities at Pelekane (royal courtyard) located near the beach below Pu'ukohola Heiau with only one stipulation: that each visitor learns at least one craft before leaving the area to help preserve a part of the Hawaiian culture. Parking will be on the coral flats south of Kawaihae Harbor. On Saturday only there will be a special sunrise cultural event at the heiau itself at 6:30am followed by a reinactment of a battle with warriors and spears below the heiau. Arts and craft workshops and demonstrations will take place from 10am-3pm both days. There will be Hawaiian double hulled canoe rides and much more. Local musicians will play songs of Hawaii. Bring water and lunch if planning to stay the entire day. It is recommended that comfortable clothing be worn and the use some type of sunscreen. PNHP is located about a mile south of Kawaihae on the Kohala Coast. Call (808) 882-7218, Ext. 1011 for more info.

Mary's Mayzee Road Market

Move over Maku'u Farmer's Market! There's a new darling side of the road kind of farmers market that just hit East Hawaii.

Mary's Mayzee Road Market, is located on, you guessed it Mayzee road in Nanawale. Every Sunday from 9am-12pm you can find fresh farm eggs for sale, along with banana bread (starting at $4 a loaf), and fresh veggies and herbs grown locally. 

Come talk story with Vicki & Judy. If not for the veggies, do it for the laughs. Great food starts with great people!

Cafe Concerto Review

My husband and I recently had the pleasure of eating at Cafe Concerto, located in Hilo, Hawaii on the Big Island. We were accompanied by good friends who recommended the restaurant to begin with.

We were greeted with a very friendly waitress who sat us immediately. Reservations are recommended. It's a small place, with about ten tables. You have a choice to sit inside or outside. I would recommend sitting outside. Inside is very cute, however it heats up very quickly with the kitchen close by. 

Side salads were a great size and delicious! Fresh Hamakua tomatoes are used, along with fresh greens.

The four cheese ravioli seems to be a crowd favorite. Homemade noodles were the perfect touch!

The restaurant is a BYOB type of place, but the best part is they don't charge a corkage fee. Bring all the wine you want! They provide bottle openers, and will even pour it for you.

The owner/cook came out and asked how everything was going. I always love that; it's such a nice touch.

At the end of your meal the staff offers a free digestive.

Entrees run about $10 and up. For the two of us we purchased two side salads and two entrees, and spent about $40. 

We will be back for sure, it was a pleasure trying something new.

I've posted their business card, for those who want to give it a try!

Restaurant review coming up!

Stay tuned for a review of "Cafe Concerto" located in Hilo; Hawaii.

Can't wait to try something new, and spend it with good friends and my hubby. 

Wine review

Purchased a new wine over the weekend! 

Hubby and I love trying new wines. We like to stick under $10, incase we don't like it. That way we won't feel like complete boobs about wasting the money.

This week, for $9.49, at Target, we bought a merlot from Blackstone Winery. 

It has hints of blackberry, raspberry, plum, vanilla, and even little hints of toasted French bread.

We paired it with pizza, and surprisingly it went very well with it!

Here's to trying new things!

Cheers!

GM diet review day 4

Day four was pretty boring. Bananas and milk only, and since I'm not a big milk fan, I wasn't thrilled.

Your allowed up to eight bananas and three glasses of milk.

Did I ever mention, just before starting this detox we went to Costco and bought a huge bag of candy?!?

 Needless to say we made it to day four and stopped at dinner time. That Mr. Goodbar was calling my name, I swear!

Final weight loss: 4.4lbs.

1.8 more pounds of baby weight left; so I'm still pretty happy with the results.

Today I'll go back to what has worked the best for me in the past, and that's my livestrong app. Calorie counting. It's a lot of work, yes, but it allows me to eat what I want. The last time I was strict about it, I lost 15lbs.

Here's to eating candy!

GM detox review day 3

Day three was still very hard, but slightly easier than the first two days only because we were allowed more variety. It was fruits AND veggies yesterday! 

We made it work. Had all our fruits for breakfast and lunch, and saved the veggies for dinner.

Dinner we had a salad topped with tomatoes and balsamic vinegar. With a side of broccoli, and celery sautéed. 

Does my system feel better? I guess so. You have to drink so much liquids that I can't really tell. 

Today is bananas and milk only. Your allowed 8 bananas, but all the resources say you'll probably won't eat all 8, we'll see about that!

Hubby's weight loss: 8lbs so far!

Mine: 4 :/

I know I know men lose weight faster. On the bright side, only two more pounds of baby weight left!

GM detox review day 2

Well I think day two was much harder than day one.

Day two was veggies only. Raw, or steamed.

We chose to BBQ and sauté them instead. I don't think the way you prepare them is that big of a deal.

I felt like I wasn't focusing all day, and it took will power not to give up. But with the support of my hubby we got through it.

We ate carrots, celery, corn, onions, through in some garlic and pepper. Dinner was the best meal only because veggies for breakfast isn't all that exciting.

For breakfast you get a large baked potato with a pat of butter. 

I hate plain baked potatoes so that was a hard one for me.

Total weight loss: 3.2lbs

On to day three: FRUITS AND VEGGIES

GM Detox review Day 1

Hubby and I decided to try the GM diet.

I originally found it through Pinterest, then after that I did more research to find out it was created by General Motors to encourage their employees to get healthy, lose weight, and gain more energy.

Sounds good to me!

Yesterday was Day 1: Eat all fruits, except bananas, and drink ten glasses of water.

Yesterday was pretty tough as we kept snacking on grapes and oranges through out the day to keep from getting a headache.

I did feel good about myself towards the end of the night, and my husband is four pounds lighter, while I'm down two pounds. Water weight, I'm sure. Although it still feels good to see lower numbers on the scale regardless! 

Today is day two: All veggies! (Gulp!)

Upcoming Events

4th of July is right around the corner so I thought I'd post some events that are happening all around the island this week. 

From Konaweb.com:

July 4, 2013
HILO BAY BLAST
Family activities around the Hilo Bayfront, including games, cook-offs, music and more. Hawai`i County Band concert at Mo`oheau Bandstand at 7pm, followed by fireworks at 8pm over Hilo Bay. Parking shuttles will be available from the County Aupuni Center and Afook-Chinen Auditorium to downtown.

July 4, 2013
FOURTH OF JULY PARADE & CELEBRATION - VOLCANO VILLAGE
The parade will begin at 9 a.m. at the Volcano Post Office and proceed for one half mile along Old Volcano Road to Cooper Community Center, featuring the Hawaii County Band, floats, antique cars, fire engines, bicycles, horses, and animals in costumes! Music, games, food booths, dunking pond, craft fair and prizes to follow. Call Betsy Mitchell for more info at(808) 967-7209.

July 4, 2013
4th of JULY SILENT AUCTION BENEFIT - VOLCANO VILLAGE
This annual fundraiser is a much anticipated part of Volcano's popular 4th of July parade and festival, which attracts hundreds of residents and visitors each year. The auction is held at the Cooper Center on Wright Road in Volcano Village, from 9 to 11:30am. Auction items for 2010 include air, sea, and land adventures; overnight stays; massage, reiki, and acupuncture sessions; admissions to area attractions; and restaurant and retail gift certificates. There is something for everyone at this fun and popular silent auction! Jewelry, fine arts, gift baskets, crafts, clothing, books, DVDs, computer software, printer ink, and more make up the diverse array of goods and services up for bid. Proceeds benefit Friends of Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization (tax deductible donations welcome through July 3). For more info, callÊ985-7373, email admin@fhvnp.org, or visit www.fhvnp.org

July 4, 2013
KAILUA-KONA INDEPENDENCE DAY PARADE & FIREWORKS
A wonderful community event. KonaÕs Kekuaokalani Gym (Ka`iwi Street and Kuakini Highway) south on Kuakini, down Palani, and along AliÔi Drive to Coconut Grove Marketplace. Time: 5:30 p.m. start, over by 7 p.m. Sign up or volunteer online atwww.paradesinkona.com. There will be fireworks over Kailua Bay at approximately 8pm. For more information, visit paradesinkona.com

July 4, 2013
GREAT WAIKOLOA RUBBER DUCKIE RACE
Held at the Kings' Shops at Waikoloa Beach Resort, this is a benefit for United Cerebral Palsy Assn. of Hawai`i. Free entertainment, fun games and exciting contests, from duck waddling to eating. The fun begins at 10 am with live entertainment, food booths and games. Adopt a duckie for a chance to win one of the many fantastic prizes. Duckie Race starts at 3 pm.

July 4, 2013
FAMILY FOURTH & FIREWORKS EXTRAVAGANZA - WAIKOLOA BEACH RESORT
Enjoy great entertainment, balloon sculpting, popcorn, cotton candy, the Zoo Choo, and lots of great family fun at Queens' Marketplace. The event begins at 12:30 pm, and continues throughout the day until the Fireworks Extravaganza over Waikoloa Bowl at 8pm (Doors open for fireworks show at Queens' Gardens at 5pm; show starts at 5:15pm with an evening of free music.) Wind down after the fireworks with relaxing music from Full Circle until 9:30 pm. This is an Alcohol and Drug Free Event. For more information, call 886-8822, emailspelfrey@waikoloaland.com or visit waikoloabeachresort.com

July 4, 2013
TURTLE INDEPENDENCE DAY - KOHALA COAST
Three and four year old turtles are released in the ocean after growing up in the Honu Ponds at the Mauna Lani Bay Hotel & Bungalows, Kohala Coast. Details TBA. For more information, call 808-885-6622, email sbredo@maunalani,.com or visit www.maunalani.com

July 4, 2013
PARKER RANCH ANNUAL JULY 4th HORSERACES & RODEO
Big Island Ranchers participate in fast-paced horseraces and rodeo events with Parker Ranch cowboys. Ribbon mugging, ranch mugging, dally team roping, Po'o Wai U and more. Keiki activities including roping practice and pony rides. Lots of food and mementos for sale at the Parker Ranch Store booth. Time: 9 am to 12 noon at Parker Ranch Rodeo Arena, Waimea. Pre-sale tickets available at the Parker Ranch Store in Waimea (at Parker Ranch Square). Tickets: Pre-sale $5 Adults; Adults $6 at the gate. For more information, call 885-2323, email nguilloz@parkerranch.com or visit www.parkerranch.com

July 6, 2013
ANNUAL HAWAI`I ISLAND PRIDE FESTIVAL - KAILUA-KONA
Celebrating Hawai`i island's LGBT population, the parade will begin at 11am, from Kamehameha Ave. to Ponahawai St. to Keawe St. to Waianuenue Ave., back down to Kamehameha Ave., ending at Mo`oheau Bandstand. Following the parade, there will be live music and entertainment in the park, with food and vendor booths; games and bouncy rides for the keiki. For more information, call 808-217-1288 or emailhawaiiislandpride@gmail.com.

Homemade Windex recipe

I must admit I was pretty skeptical about this one. 

My family and I use Windex, for just about everything, so when I saw a recipe for a homemade, chemical free version I was intrigued. The less chemicals around my house, the better, with my two little ones.

The recipe is:

-half water

-half vinegar

-tablespoon of dish soap

That's it!

I've already tested it on some of our normal uses, and I must say it does a great job. It does smell up the area with vinegar, but that's not so bad.

Now I've got to see if it's financially better for our family. Since its half vinegar, is vinegar cheaper per unit than Windex? I'll check on my next shopping trip. If it is: I'm sold :)

Next experiment:

Does hydrogen peroxide and baking soda really clean dirty, baked on cookie sheets?!? 

Homemade baby wipes

I've been on the hunt for a decent homemade baby wipe recipe for several weeks now. 

Through trial and error and several different recipes, I've come up with this recipe: 

-half a roll of paper towel. (I use Target's Up&Up brand and have no issues)

- 1 1/2 cups of boiling water

- 1 Tablespoon baby wash

- 1 Tablespoon of baby lotion

Whisk together the boiling water, baby wash, and lotion.

Pour over the half paper towel roll in a deep container. 

Once it's cooled down you can transfer the roll into a desired container and remove cardboard tubing.

Pull the wipes out from the center like you would with Clorox cleaning wipes. 

It'll feel good not spending money on wipes every week or so! Enjoy!

Product Review

For those of you with children still in diapers, this one is for you!

Target recently came out with their Up&Up brand for Diaper Genie Refills.

My family and I decided to give it a try since it was $1.35 CHEAPER than the Playtex brand for ONE refill. 

I see no difference. It holds the diapers and smell in, so that's all we care about plus it claims to hold two extra diapers compared to Diaper Genie. It's a win win situation people.

How to clean a microwave

Well if the title of the post didn't have you at the edge of you seat, this post probably won't either, unless you hate cleaning the microwave as much as I do. It's probably one of my most hated chores. You practically have to crawl into the darn thing just to clean all the odd angles and surfaces.

I turned to Pinterest, again, for a solution. The good old mix 1 cup of vinegar + 1 cup of hot water trick. I was expecting a miracle. Steam clean a microwave? Genius!  I set the timer for ten minutes and went to the living room to sing and dance with my two year old daughter. 

Meanwhile the house has a faint smell of vinegar.

The timer went off, and I immediately inhaled a big ol' whiff of hot vinegar. Eeesh. Be careful if you try this experiment. Open the door and stand back while the steam lets out.

It didn't clean the microwave, obviously. All it did was loosen the crusted on mess so I wouldn't have to scrub AS hard. It did an okay job. I'm not sure it's worth using a cup of vinegar for it though. 

B+ Pinterest, B+.....

Until next time.

Couponer Tip

Check out the new way to save with Targets new "Cartwheel" download what YOU want to save on. Pick ten items at a time. I picked diapers, diaper wipes, and formula amongst others. Each coupon is an additional 5%. Every dollar counts. 

Have a great weekend!

Pinterest Experiment

Well we all have them at some point in our lives. Fruit flies. We all hate them, we are all annoyed by them, so how do we get rid of them?

My family and I have a compost bucket that we take out daily, in addition to a diaper genie, that for whatever gross reason they are also attracted too. We already take both out on a daily basis, so we needed something more. 

I then turned to good old Pinterest for some solutions. I needed something kid/indoor friendly. I don't want to spend money on poison, because we have two young children in the house, and our problem isn't that bad. We just needed a little "oomph" to help us out. This is what I found:

Put 1/2 cup of apple cider, mixed with a couple drops of dish soap in a bowl. Mix well, sit back, and watch the flies drown.

I guess our fly issue wasn't as bad as this bloggers, because although it DID work, it took almost 48 hours to catch ten! So they aren't immediately attracted to the scent, but like I said, it does work. Plus ten dead flies are better than ten flies flying around our kitchen! 

Ick! 

Here's the link to the blog I researched: 

http://www.thecommonsensemama.com/2011/10/yo

u-can-call-me-fruit-fly-killer.html?m=1

Recipe worth sharing

http://realmomkitchen.com/489/mini-german-pancakes/

Tried these over the weekend, they were very good! But be sure to follow the directions. When it says to ONLY fill half way, really do only fill half way. They rise up quite a bit.

Here's my picture of the finished product;
We used syrup for a topping with macadamia nuts, the second topping is powdered sugar, and for a third filling we used raspberry jam.

I would definitely make these again! Two thumbs up!

Deals at Target this week!

Hi parents!
Just wanted to share some good deals happening this week at Target;

1.) Huggies Pull-Ups or Goodnights or Pampers Easy Ups or Underjams are $19.79 for the BIG pack. Plus get a $5 Target gift card when you buy two.

2.) 10% off select Plums, Ella's Kitchen, Happy Baby, and other organic baby food.

3.) 32oz Gatorade = $0.96 EACH

4.) Select Oroweat bread = $4.69 EACH

5.) Room Essentials 8 inch plastic tabletop planter = $3 EACH

Upcoming Events

I thought I'd put together a calendar of events of different things going on around the Big Island in the next few days. I'm always on the look out for things to take my family too, the weather has been especially sunny, so go out and have some fun with the fam!

May 5-11, 2013:

What: Puna Music Festival;
Workshops, music intensives, concerts.
Where: throughout Puna. To be held at Kalani Oceanside Retreat.
For more info, visit www.punamusicfestival.com

May 8, 2013:

What: Lei Making
Where: Kilauea Visitor Center
When: 10am- noon.


May 8, 2013:

What: Breastfeeding Awareness Photo & Art Exhibit.
Where: Prince Kuhio Mall
When: 5pm-7pm
Cost: FREE

May 12, 2013:

What: Charity Walk Fun Run
Where: Mauna Lani Resort
When: 6:45am
A 3 mile Run/Walk
Minimum Pledge Entry of $35
All Proceeds go to Hawaii Island Charities.
Run includes full food festivities at Shops at Mauna Lani.

Coupon Deal at Target

Just wanted to share! Good time to use these three coupons together.
Digiorno cheese pizza is also on sale for $5.49!
For two pizzas and three juices, it'll cost $15.95


Don't forget your reusable bag, to save an additional $0.10.

Handy Tip

Ok so does everyone know about this? Or was I last to know?

We drop our foil container almost on a weekly basis. To the point the whole roll comes undone, leaving behind an unruley mess.

This is just pure genius! Locks on the side to prevent this from happening to people like me.

Cleaning Tip

Time to put another pin to the test.

This one, everyone will appreciate if you have a child in your life who loves to draw.

The experiment: Does WD-40 remove crayon stains from painted walls?

Recently my two year old daughter was roaming around our house with a purple crayon. She went knocking on our office door for Daddy to come out and play. While knocking she still had that purple crayon in her possession, leaving random purple streaks on our door.

I found this, and just shook my head, figuring my husband will just have to paint over it. After combing the internet for cleaning solutions, I came across this one via Pinterest...

http://www.stain-removal-101.com/crayon-removal-stain-tip-use-wd40-to-remove-crayon-stains.html

...and decided to give it a whirl.

I sprayed WD-40 across the door and immediately wiped it off. (Supposedly it'll take the paint off if you leave it on too long.) The crayon came right off! The paint stayed in tact, and I had a much cleaner door. One streak, didn't come completely off, I'd say 98% gone, leaving a faint mark. I've posted before and after pictures for you to see for yourselves.

Now I have to agree with my husband, I needed a control experiment. Would hot soapy water, a sponge, and elbow grease have done the same thing without the stinky smell of chemicals? Time will tell as I'll try it the next time I see crayon on the wall. (Crossing my fingers that won't happen, but lets be realistic!)

The grade: A-

Pinterest Fail

Well another day, another Pinterest experiment.

The project: DIY mosquito repellent.

Living in Hawaii, I'm willing to try just about anything to get rid of those pesky little suckers. Ha! See what I did there? ;)

The source: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf22399231.tip.html

My husband and I bought a soda liter bottle and followed the directions. We put it on our lanai, hoping for a miracle. Even if we had caught ONE I'd be happy. That just means one less to go around. So after an hour, we moved it. Thinking maybe our carport has more Mosquitos than our lanai does. One week later.....

Nothin'. Just a couple random flies and a really gross bottle that we have to throw away now rather than recycling. Boo.

The grade: F

Don't try this one folks, you'll be disappointed.

Resturant Review

Last night the hubby and I had a fantastic date night. The first one in over eight months, might I add. After some good ol' fashioned skee ball and a movie, we headed to a new restaurant that opened in downtown Hilo, Hawaii.

Pineapples, is a cute, hip little joint with aloha spirit and a friendly staff. Although we didn't have the kids with us, we noticed its very kid friendly, ready with highchairs and booster seats.

We started off the evening will olive tapenade. This really hit home for us, as we used to have it all the time living in California. It was very tasty; we just wish it came with more bread! Yum yum!

We each ordered drinks to go along with our delicious dinner. My husband had the shrimp scampi. The shrimp was cooked perfectly, and the wine sauce was creamy and to die for. I had the coconut crusted fresh fish served over jasmine rice. That meal was perfection; I really enjoyed every aspect of it.

Not having the kids with us meant not having to scarf down our dinner and instead take our time and enjoy the live music. Darryl Castillo, a local police man from Hilo, plays acoustic guitar every Friday night. He takes requests and played everyone from Frank Sinatra to Bruno Mars. I just wished my husband and I had cash to give him a tip. Who carries cash anymore anyway?

You may not care or even think to ask how their restrooms are, but I do. Their restrooms were beautiful. Nicely decorated, clean, and big!

Overall we were very impressed and will be dining with them again. You can expect to pay, on average, $25 per person. Well worth it.

Reservations are recommended, although we got there at 6pm and had no problem.

Thank you Pineapples, we had a great time!

http://pineappleshilo.com/

Product Review

Product:

Pepsi Next

My family and I, in general, are not Pepsi drinkers. We prefer Coca-Cola products overall. However, during a recent shopping trip at Safeway, we picked up "Pepsi Next" only because we had a FREE offer.It offers 60% less sugar, and 60 calories for every 12 fl oz. So why not try it?

Well, we shouldn't have tried it. I'm not a fan of diet soda to begin with, but I thought it may taste better having SOME calories, right? This was not the case.

You have been warned. Don't buy it. It's too sweet and leaves a chemical taste in your mouth.

No thanks.

Fitness

Well it just so happens that I have time to do a second post this afternoon.

I'd like to do it on fitness, since I recently had a baby and I am eager to lose the last ten pounds of baby weight.

I said in my very first entry that I'd be putting some "Pinterest" pins to the test. This one is the oh-so-popular "Couch to 5k" pin. Which can be found here:

http://pinterest.com/pin/148900331402260413/

I was very excited to try it out, it's a ten week program that that gets you 5K ready. The first day instructed me to walk 5 minutes, jog for 2, and then walk again for 5. I found this annoying. I had to keep looking at my phone to see when the time was up to move onto the next segment. I would much rather just run a mile every day, or run a certain distance and keep improving on it on a daily basis. I get a thrill knowing I ran a 9 minute mile, for example, and the next day I would try beating that time by a few seconds. That's what gets me goin'.

So overall, I'm not impressed with the pin. I think its a great way to get someone motivated, but at the end of the day, do what works for you and what your comfortable doing.

Spend Your Money Wisely, Part II

Well the second half of this blog had been delayed, and I apologize for that. I'm down to just one kid this afternoon, as my parents took our daughter for a couple hours so I can get a few things done around the house. So lets jump right in, shall we?

I left off at looking through the store ads, and once I was done with that I would be ready to make my meal plan and shopping list.

My meal plan is made with Microsoft Publisher, just a blank calendar that I adjust monthly with the new days. I would attach it on this blog, but for whatever reason it isn't working. You can use whatever is easiest for you; a wall calendar, a piece of paper, you name it. I find that using the computer saves more time and I am able to erase things much easier.

Once I have my calendar created, I go through the coupons I've clipped and the sales I have written down and begin making meals out of them. So if I have a coupon for a frozen CPK pizza, that would be one meal, and I would put it on the calendar. Each day has:

B:
L:
D:

on it. (B) Breakfast, (L) Lunch, (D) Dinner. So the CPK meal would look like this:


B:
L:
D: CPK Pizza


now I know dinner has been planned for that day. I keep doing this until as many meals are done with the coupons and sales that I already have. I also try to make the items last as long as possible, If I buy bacon, I'll not only use it for breakfast, but I'll use it in a BLT sandwich one day as well.

Once my calendar is as full as I can get it, I start to make my grocery list. All the sale items and coupon items  go on this list. I try not to buy anything else, I try to only buy things I have a coupon for or that is on sale. Occasionally I'll need to add a few items. For example, that BLT sandwich, I still need the L & T, so I add lettuce and tomatoes to my list. Then, I go through each day on the calendar, writing down any additional ingredients I'd need to make actual meals out of the coupons and sales list.

One document that has really come in handy is my "price comparison sheet" I made using Microsoft Word. I have been to many stores, writing down the price of frequently bought items. This way I know the price of an item BEFORE I go shopping, and I can get an idea of what I'll be spending at checkout. I write down the item, where it can be found and the price. With that done, I add the price onto my grocery list and get a running total for the day. If I'm over budget I should know before leaving the house, and I can adjust accordingly.

It sounds like a lot of work, but it isn't so bad. Once you get into a rhythm it really does work. I saved over $80 at Safeway the other day. I was pretty proud about that. It may not be "extreme" couponing like you see on tv, but like I said earlier, this is Hawaii. We don't double coupons and food is already slightly higher than what you'd pay on the mainland.

Quick Tip

I'd like to add a quick tip to yesterday's post to save money while shopping. A good family friend, more like family, kindly reminded me that Target also offers a great debit or credit (your choice) card. My husband and I signed up for the debit card, which is linked to your checking account. It's completely free, no hidden fees, and just for using it you automatically save 5% at check out. Plus one of the perks of having the card is that you get FREE shipping from www.Target.com. For us folks on the islands, that's a HUGE perk. Shipping anything out to the mainland for our friends and family is a big expense, so we buy it through Target and have it shipped directly to the recipient. This worked great for a couple baby showers that we couldn't make it to on the mainland last year. We've urged almost everyone we know to get one, in the case they want to send us something. Why not do it for free?

In addition, don't forget to bring your reusable bags. Target will give you $0.05 cents off your bill for EVERY bag you bring in. It's not a lot, but like I said before, its the little bits that add up and save you money. (It'll be hard NOT to forget soon, Hawaii recently passed the plastic bag law and will charge you $0.10 if you forget yours.)......This includes Panda Express, FYI. We got an order to go, and we were charged for the bag.

I like to pass along this kind of information; if you do your homework there's no reason to lose that silly ten cents for a bag.

http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/05/16/11720480-hawaii-first-state-to-ban-plastic-bags-at-checkout?lite

Spend Your Money Wisely

So many of my friends and family have asked me to share my coupon/meal plan that I have created for my family. Over the past year, my husband and I have learned to really stretch our dollar, and make every meal count. This blog will be a two parter, because lets face it, there just aren't enough hours in the day to get anything done with a two year old running around the house, and a two month old who needs to eat every two hours.

I first got inspired by watching "Extreme Couponing". How did these families make it out of the store with hundreds and hundreds of dollars worth of merchandise and wind up having the store owe THEM money? It just didn't seem fair to me that I, a stay at home mom, should have to pay full price for anything at that point. Why pay top dollar, when I can, at the very least, get $0.50 off an item. Every little bit counts, and it's the "little bits" that add up to some pretty serious savings.

Of course, living in Hawaii, extreme couponing just doesn't exist. Retailers don't accept double coupons, because we have everything shipped in from the mainland  There isn't a whole lot of wiggle room when it comes to negotiating the price of an item. It is what it is here. However retailers do except manufacturers coupons, as well as their own. That's what counts.

So where do I start? I start by hitting the world wide web for coupons. We shop every two weeks, because the stores are just to far away for us to drive into town every week. Gas is too expensive, so we save where we can and stretch our meals to last at least two weeks. I start by visiting www.Coupons.com I look for items that I need, as well as things I may be interested in trying or eating for the next two weeks. For example, I've been seeing manufacturers coupons for frozen CPK pizza. Normally we stay away from frozen prepackaged foods because, lets face it, most of them taste terrible. But we're from California, where CPK was one of our favorite places to eat. CPK doesn't exist out here, so I was willing to try one of their frozen items. Turns out, it was a pretty good substitute for the real deal. So I clip that coupon and put it aside. I keep doing this until I've seen on the coupons that site has to offer that week. Next, I move on to www.Target.com. Target is one of our major stores on the East side of the Island, so we like to take advantage of their low prices. A good tip for you to remember, Target allows you to "stack" coupons. Meaning, you can use a Target coupon AND a manufacturers coupon for the same item, allowing you to save even MORE money. Very few retailers allow this. Target.com has a great coupon selection and they also put out a weekly ad that I like to scope out. When the stars align just right, I'll find something on sale in the ad that I also have a coupon for. That's when you save the big bucks, so to speak. Once I'm done with Target, I move on to my third and final website. www.Safeway.com also offers great coupons and deals. They have a "Just for you" section that everyone who shops at Safeway really needs to check out. They have a coupons page, a personalized deals page, and their weekly store specials section. I check out all three, starting with the coupons page, and doing my usual routine. Then on to the personalized deals page, which is basically coupons, but more specific to the things you buy or may be interested in buying based on your previous purchases. Not everyone gets these deals, so its important to watch the register carefully to make sure you're getting "your" deal. After all that is done and I've finished browsing Safeway's ad, I'm ready to make my meal plan for the coming weeks.

Well as I said at the beginning of this blog, which I started hours ago, this is a two parter. Stay with me and I'll post how I prepare my meal plan and tips on how to save more money later in the week.

Have a great day!

The Kick Off

Mommy in Paradise, isn't a blog just for Mommy's. It wont be your typical blog about my kids, and how I think fellow parents should raise their's. Its a blog for anyone and everyone out there looking for new ideas, recipes, and ways to save money. I will even be putting those oh so popular pins on Pinterest to the test.

I am a wife, living on the Big Island of Hawaii looking to save money for my husband and two kids, ages two and almost two months. So please stay tuned as I express my ideas, and theories on you lovely folks.