Raising Little Chefs

These two are getting so cute playing together.  The other day after I fed them, I was burping them (a very familiar position) on my nursing pillow and Sydney snuck her arm around Ethan.  She kept it there for several minutes and Ethan seemed to love her attention.

I don't know why I want to buy toys for them--I pull out this plastic spoon and my serving paddle/spoon from my rice cooker and they fight over it and go nuts! 

Same with the wooden spoon and spatula...their favorites.

I did Ethan's hair for the first time with a bit of gel this last week.  It's starting to hang over his ears a bit and, for some reason, I am just not ready to pull out the scissors.  Somehow they just get older once you start trimming their hair.

Syd discovered Ethan's pockets on his jeans this last week.  We're pretty sure she thinks they are the best thing ever.  Doug and I just couldn't stop laughing when we saw her grabbing at his rear and he was rolling around and playing.  She couldn't keep her hands off him!

I love a good deal.  Some of you may not know that about me, but I am guessing many do.  When I was 10, I would send in the mail-in offers for free things I didn't even need just because I could.  Well, having said that, I have wanted a Cuisinart food processor for a few years now.  Every time I saw it, I just couldn't justify spending the money.  Doug and I went into Kohls a few months ago with a $10 of a $10 purchase card that we got in the mail.  We waltzed past the food processors to see that it was on sale for $99!  Yes, a 14-cup food processor regularly $230.  I decided to get a 20% off coupon I had at home for a $100 purchase and come back that night...

I went to dinner with a few of my sisters and my mom that night and begged them to join me to pick up my food processor.  I had been getting more and more excited all afternoon.  When I got to the machine, it said it was now $199.  I asked the cashier closeby and she said that it was a power-hour sale and I had missed it. I was devistated.  It sounds rediculous now, but I returned to tell my family that I had missed the sale and I felt like I could just sit down and cry. 

My sister, Sarah, urged me to go talk to the manager and ask for the price.  I got up the courage and found the manager and dropped the 'I have twins' line that I have come to use frequently.  He said, "no problem. I can give you the price."  I was so excited.  In the end, they were sold out of the model and I got a rain check--including my two coupons.  After waiting for weeks for it to come in, I realized that they were going to be getting the new model.  I told the manager and he told me he would honor the $99 rain check for the now $359 machine!  After buying it online and getting my cash back through ebates (another money saving favorite for online shopping), I got this $359 machine for about $60.  I had to go in-store to use my coupons, so they refunded my card. 

I am now a Kohl's shopper.  Just 2 weeks ago, the box arrived on my door step.  Can't wait to make my favorite chocolate pie.

Another 'good deal' that I've been working with is Bountiful Baskets.  This morning was my first pick up and I was pretty excited to see all this fresh produce for my $16.50 that I put into it.  I've known about it for a while, but pick-up time is 8:15 am Saturday morning.  If you miss the 20 minute pick-up window, your produce is donated to the local fire station.  Now that I am up that early on Saturday morning with two cute kids, I thought I'd try it out.  It is a non-profit co-op that pools money together (order on Monday) and then they order at wholesale prices for pick-up Saturday.  The fun part is you have NO IDEA what you will get.  They shop specials and food that is in-season.  Interested?  They have this available in Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.  It's pretty clever.  They ask that you volunteer when you can to sort the produce into baskets.  Highly recommend it.