This is from Paul on his site, we are planning a HUGE effort to help! Stay tuned for more info!

If you live in or around Joplin I would like to hear from you. Please let me know what kinds of things are needed most in your community. I would like to do something to help in even the smallest way, but I am from Texas and we like to do it big down here. Answers in the post are fine or if you would like  to email me you can do that also. I heartthemarters be on standby, I have received a lot of emails asking how to help and I am working on it.

** If you are in the Houston area, and would like to donate items, they are in need of EVERYTHING (read the comments on Paul’s blog HERE) you can drive up items to The Woodlands Christian Church. 1202 North Millbend Dr. We are personally driving out to help and will load it all in a trailer.

From Rhema – I live 40 minutes from Joplin. Many people lost all of their possessions. They are currently asking for donations of bottled water, individually wrapped snacks (preferrably diabetic friendly), clothes and undergarments, diapers, wipes, OTC medicines. Our small coupon group took up a donation last night. I think I speak for SW Missouri when I say any and all help is greatly appreciated!

Ahh yes, as parents you try and do the right thing and expose your children to all kinds of adventures. You drag them to a 3 hour coupon class and then at 10:30pm think it will be a fun idea to go to watch the ironman finishers come in and cheer them on!

This weekend our hometown was host to an Ironman triathlon. I think it is amazing what those athletes do and the time they take to train for it is crazy. In the past few years I have done 7 sprint triathlons, which is a short distance tri, 750 meter swim, 15 mile bike and a 5k. These guys that do the Ironman do a 2.4 mile swim, a 112 mile bike and a 26.2 mile run. ALL IN ONE DAY! They have to finish at midnight!

Back to torturing my kids…. so we went over to catch the last finishers coming in and cheer them on. We were at the FINISH line of an Ironman, the music was LOUD, the fans were pumped, and the adults were having a blast!

The children however:

Fell asleep sitting OR LAYING on the sidewalk! It was a sad, pathetic site.

So much for exposing your children to “different experiences” I think next time we will try for middle of the day!

I just wanted to take a second to tell you all Happy Mother’s Day!

Something happens to you when you have kids, everything changes. I had kids pretty young, but I could still recognize it. It has been fun to watch my sister, who recently had a baby not even a month ago, experience all the amazing things that come with being a Mom. At one point she expressed that she was worried that would not love her baby when he was born. I sooo remember feeling the same way, but the instant that baby was born there was such love and such an instinct I completely forgot my worries.

What an amazing gift I have ben given to be able to be a Mother. What a blessing. What a blessing each of our children have been to our family and to each other. I love so much each of their unique personalities and all their weird little quirks! I love watching them get older and develop their talents. I even like the fact that I can’t help a few of them with match homework anymore 🙂

Some of the most heartwarming moments I have ever had are watching my children with each other. They are good friends, and watch out for each other. They support each other and care about what the other’s are doing. I have big kids who watch closely over little ones without ever being asked. These are the most rewarding moments for me. Sure my kids can get into arguments and disagreements, someone is bound to eat someone else’s candy, or look at them wrong in the car. But they get over it quickly and go back to being friends.

Motherhood can be hard and confusing. It took me a few kids to realize that I struggle with postpartum depression for a while after they are born. That was a scary and frustrating time not knowing  what was wrong with me and feeling like I was all alone and that no one understood. My children in the middle it was the worst with, but I knew what it was and to expect it, and although I cried all the time, I knew that it would go away and that I would eventually feel better. Wait, I still cry for no reason… dang hormones!

Anyway, I didn’t mean to write a book, I just wanted to say how much I love all you Mother’s out there, and all you who are not Mom’s but still “mother”. You work so hard and rarely get thanked, one day a year just isn’t enough. Have a wonderful day and thank you so much for being a MOM!

When you plan on being in the car for a 19 hour trip one way you must do the following…

Oh my goodness, I have so much to say about this topic! I am going to spend a little time tonight writing up a post for later this week!

Last night at dinner, I heard my voice on my sons ipod…he was watching an interview I did for TV Guide that I had never seen!

There are some really good topics to cover that I talked about in this interview and I am glad that Tucker found it!

One that I also want to write about for next week is how coupons are changing, you hear me talk about how couponing has changed more in the past 2 years than in the last 40.

Stay tuned!

I have wanted to type this up for a while but never got around to doing it! Paul and I each made a transaction, these are the items that I purchased.

Our Kroger was having a mega event, that means that for every 10 items I purchased that were included in the event I got an automatic $5 off my total.

8 Kettle Chips
10 Glacier Water
1 Lettuce
10 Planters Peanut
10 Fruit Leather
10 Kraft Easy Mac
10 Sobe Juice
10 Nesquick Chocolate Milk
10 Bar S Franks
4 Kelloggs Cereal
1 Sea Pak Shrimp
10 Chex Mix
8 Balance Bars
4 Butterfingers
6 Hunts Tomato’s
6 Rotel Tomato’s
1 Zone Bar
1 Ntro Bread
1 Ltr. Sierra Mist
1 Yoplait Yogurt
1 Kroger Sourcream
1 Kroger milk
1/2 Gallon Milk
.49 lb. Bananas
10 New York Garlic Toast
1 Cantaloupe
1 Kelloggs Corn Pops
1 Kelloggs Fruit Loops
10 Krustez Cookie Mix
3 Dixie Plates
3 Dixie Napkins
10 Kens Salad Dressing
3 French’s Mustard (because that is all we needed :))
2 Pace Salsa
2 Ziploc Bags
3 Kleenex
2 Ovaltine
9 Colgate Toothpaste
1 Franks Wing Sauce
6 Wiskas Cat Treats
5 Campbells Soup
1 Hidden Valley Salad Dressing Kit
5 Reach Toothbrushes
2 Dove Deodorant
1 Blisteex
1 Breath Right Strip
1 Gillette Deodorant
1 Maalox
1 Oxi Clean Stain Remover
10 Philly Cream Cheese
10 Kraft Cheese

Total: $5.97
Tax: $4.43
I had $75 that came right off the top from the Mega Event.
MFG Coupon Savings $273.79
Bonus Coupon Savings ( double and triple coupons) $5.15
Kroger Plus Savings $251.25
Total Savings: 98%

A few fun facts:

• I only knew 4 days over a weekend what store I was shopping at before we filmed.
• We didn’t pre-order anything.
• We shopped at our normal store.
• All the kids came but the baby.
• I got lost in the parking lot walking out to the car… I was tired!
• I forgot my wallet in the car, I actually had no money on me! If you watch me in the show, I am looking around for Paul and I tell him “I hope you have some money!” I wasn’t joking!

When I was going to New York a few weeks ago, I went shopping for a few days and tried on and bought so much clothing that I could not remember what I had liked and where it was. My sister Anna was with me most of the time and MADE me take pictures of outfits so we could remember. I hate pictures of myself.

Anyway, I LOVED this jacket and the cute shirt you can’t see under it. I got it at the LOFT and the jacket was $69 and the shirt was $29. I bought them both and took them with me. I never had a chance to wear them. It is already so hot here in Houston and I had bought so much clothing anything that I didn’t wear I took back and although I wanted this jacket BAD I took it back also because it is already 90 degrees here. That was 2 weeks ago.

I ran into the LOFT today because they were having a 40% off everything in the store sale. My jacket was on clearance and on sale!! I got the same exact one for $19 today!! Plus, the shirt, same one, I got for $7.99!

Score!

Guess where this child’s bed is?

Not where I found him this morning!! Have you ever walked into your child’s room fully expecting to see them asleep in their bed, only they are not there? I HATE that feeling! It makes me sick to my stomach.

I put this little guy in bed and tucked him in last night. Then like every night I checked on him and his siblings a few times before I went to sleep. I also checked the windows and doors a few times as well, and then asked my husband as he was getting in bed if he checked the doors also.

I am weird that way, I think because of hormones 🙂

When I went to get him he was not in bed, so I went looking around the house. I found him curled up in a ball in one of the cubbies in his sisters room! Who knows what time he ended up in there? He hates sleeping alone so he often climbs in bed with one of his sisters and they let him.

Poor guy though, I think he missed the bed!