I've been featured by Pinkapotamus!

I added my Rainbow Layer Cake Tutorial to the "Pink Hippo" linky party last week at Pinkapotamus and am honored that Amie chose my cake to be featured on this week's party - there were so many great things linked up!  Thanks Amie!

Officially a Gleek! My First Blogging Conference - Gleek Retreat 2011!

"Mind bottling".....that's how I'd describe this past weekend.  Just a few days before it started, I found out about "Gleek Retreat", a blogging conference that was only 45 minutes away.  I thought it would be a great thing to get some advice from "real" bloggers - since I've been self-taught so far and making it up as I go along. 

I mentioned recently that I have been trying to figure out how to balance the blog with the rest of my life.  I was conflicted about whether it was a good thing to spend the time and money to go when some days it seems like I already take too much time away from the "rest of my life" as a wife, mom, friend...etc.  I discussed it with the hubzy for awhile and he ended up asking me if I'm still enjoying it, and I said absolutely yes, I love writing and sharing with all of you lovelies.  He encouraged me to go, and I agreed, hoping that I would learn ways to more efficiently and effectively run the blog, in writing, social media, design...and perhaps most importantly, time management.

So, he held down the fort while I took the weekend to meet up with a roomful of fantastic bloggers, learn lots of great information, and make some new friends.  I loved seeing the diversity in everyone's topics and styles of their blogs.....I'm looking forward to a little "free time" to be able to check them all out!  I want to share a little recap with you all......because it was a great weekend, partly to help myself remember, and also to spread the word on these awesome bloggers!

It was a little intimidating to feel like the "new kid at school" (....aaand I think the only one to not have a laptop with me, lol) but everyone was so friendly and welcoming!  It was great to put a face with some of the names I've known for so long and the speakers were all a wealth of information!
(*I'm going to apologize now for the pictures - between the lighting, my poopsie camera and my 'mad skills', they're not too hot.  I kind of gave up after awhile, so I don't have pictures of all the speakers or all the other ladies - no one was left out on purpose!)

Ohh, as we checked in we were given "swag bags" with funzies from the sponsors of the conference - thanks all, it was awesome!  {Through tomorrow (5/27) you can enter here to win a swag bag yourself!}

• Therapon - Christina (so sweet!) was there to offer us mini facials during the conference - my skin felt amazing afterward and I can't wait to try the samples!  {found out she was from Elm Springs, AR - teensy tiny city where my husband and I met 12 years ago..... ♫ it's a small world after all, it's a small world after all....♪}
• Bissell - gave us a free rental of a Big Green machine and a couple bottles of cleaner.  The reps were really fun and took the group out Sat. evening - thanks guys! {with 5 kids, I'm really excited to try this out!}
• Mabel's Labels - provided a nice big sturdy bag to tote our stuff in and personalized bag tags I think (which I didn't get yet because I registered so late).  I've seen their stuff online before and I especially love the shoe labels!
• Island Girl Bags - had a cute little bag that holds tissues that will be perfect for my diaper bag! Their other bags are great also!
• Good Life Granola - I can't even tell you how delicious this granola is!  It's my favorite I've ever had, by far!  If you have a chance, get some!
• Rudy Kazoody's - is a mother and daughter owned candy shop from downtown Rockford, MI, and they gave us all a treat bag - I adore the mini gummi bears!
• Roger's Jewelers - gave us a jewelry polishing cloth.  I was hoping for a sweet rock, but the cloth will do.  ;)

First, we first heard from Lisa Lehmann (@thebeadgirl) at Studio Jewelry who spoke on Social Media - great info!  She makes the most beautiful jewelry AND offered a code to share with you (GleekAwesome20) for 20% off your entire purchase until 5/28/11!  Go check her out!

Sylvia Hubbard, discussed how to engage your readers. She packed her time full of practical tips!

Then Brittany Gibbons and Heather Spohr shared with us about running a group blog, which didn't apply to me at this point, but they had some great stuff in general that I was able to take away!

Katie Kimball gave a presentation on writing an e-book and I took lots of notes....who knows, maybe I'll be a published author some day.  ;)

After the last speaker we were free to just chillax until dinner that night.  There was an option though to take a little tour of Hope College's beautiful campus with Julie (who organized the conference).  It was raining lightly, but we were undeterred. Along the walk I spotted this little guy - a black squirrel with a brown tail. Thought it was so cute.  We'll call him Merle ('cause "Merle the squirrel" makes me smile).  Maybe two-tone Merle.

Later we had the chance to enjoy a dinner cruise which was not exactly what I had anticipated, but we had a good time.  Dinner, drinks and karaoke was a great time to just relax and hang out, getting to know each other better. I got to sit next to Andrea from Simple Organized Living, and she cracked me up.  She reminds me of an old friend of mine who just tells it like it is - love it!

{Jodi and Elena singing 'Ice Ice Baby' - awesome!  Sitting is Emily}

{Heather and Meredith - funniest version of 'Total Eclipse of the Heart' I've ever seen!}

I drove home, excitedly filled the hubzy in on the days festivities, then crashed hard for about 5 hours.....not nearly long enough.  0_o   Sunday morning we resumed and milled around trying to wake up.....that may have just been me though.

{clockwise l-r: Julie, Elizabeth, totally unsuspecting random woman eating her breakfast, Deb, and myself}

{l-r: Melissa, Sarah, Melissa, Maureen, Jen, and Katie}

Our presenters began with Cynthia from NapWarden sharing tips on the importance of blog design - loved it!!  She was very funny and had great practical advice (which I clearly need to apply!)

Kris Kain gave us lots of advice on using photos the right way in our blogging, which I also will make great use of!

To wrap it up, Sandy Jenney and Andrea Dekker spoke on organizing and time management - my favorite I think!  I've already been tweaking my email account to make it work for me, thinking about what my priorities are, and making better use of my time......though I still have a looong way to go.  Being frugal comes naturally to me, but being organized and efficient.....not so much.

After the conference wrapped up, we said our goodbyes and got a few more pictures.......then said adieu.

{me and Terri - such a fun new friend!}

{me and Andrea}

{Julie, me, and Jolon (beautiful and so sweet!)}

As I left town, I stopped at a nearby park and enjoyed the gorgeous weather and silence before heading home to the zoo.  Tulip Time in Holland, MI was just a few weeks ago, so I missed the tulips in their prime, but it was still beautiful........

I'm really glad I had this opportunity, loved meeting these women, and am excited about putting these things into practice - though some will take some time implementing since we're up against a deadline to get the house sided before refinancing.  (It's taking quite an investment of time, but it's going to look awesome!)

I'm also thinking about changing the focus of the blog a little to make it work better for me and my family. Stay with me though, it will still be very much about being frugal - just perhaps with a more personal touch in my writing and less of trying to keep up with every sale or freebie that comes along.  I'm still thinking about how that will look and will write more about it later.  So far though I have made a few changes and have joined Twitter (@SuperSavingss)!  Join me as I take baby steps towards a better blog!  =)

*If I didn't mention them above, here are some more of the wonderful women I met at the conference.....stop by their lovely blogs and check them out! (Again, if I've missed anyone it's only because I didn't get your business card, please let me know!)

Courtney at Detroit Mommies
Dawn Gentz at Perspective Eye Care
Heather at Bigger Brighter Days
Holly at Artist Mother Teacher
Jackie at With Just a Bit of Magic
Kate at Experience GR
Katie at ABC and 123 and A List Maker's Life
Katie at Sluiter Nation
Michelle at Domestic Executive Online
Michelle at Open Eye Health
Stacy at My Life of What Ifs
Stacy at Stacey Says
Valerie at Seasonally Affected Mom
Wendy at The Local Cook

Friday Feature - IHeart Organizing!

*I'm excited to be starting a regular post here on the blog called "Friday Feature" where I feature something awesome.  It may be a fellow blogger I admire, like today, or a stand out craft or idea that I come across.  Maybe a recipe or a great tutorial.  Let me know if you have anything specific you'd like to see as a feature!


If you already follow and love IHeart Organizing, you know how fantastic Jen's blog is!  And if you are not aware of IHeart Organizing - you need to be!  It's one of my favorite blogs and I really do heart it!  You can (and I sometimes do) get lost for hours there! 

She has the most beautiful and frugal ideas for organizing and decorating your home - some of my favorites are her awesome playroom, making the most out of a tiny office space, her gorgeous master bedroom, this sweet tray makeover, monthly organizing challenges......and maybe my favorite - this beautiful jewelry organizer (I found a wonderful deal on a frame at JoAnn's and can't wait to make my own! I'll post it when I do).......oh I could go on and on! She also offers beautiful printables to help you get organized - some for free!  Her home is so beautiful and organized and inspires me to use some of her tips and tricks to whip my house into shape!

Jen recently featured a readers recipe binder that I love!  I had dreamed up almost the exact same thing and then came across this post that is encouraging me to actually do it!  I think it will help me in the kitchen so tremendously when I'm trying to plan meals for the fam.  The menu board we made is already helping saving time and money in our meal planning, but having my recipes organized will be so great - saving my sanity as well!  ;)

When you check Jen's fantastic site out, notice that she's currently offering a Silhouette giveaway (until May 23rd, 9pm CT)!  Hop over to her site and enter for a chance to win!

Baby's on the way........soon!

After 9 long (and yet somehow also short!) months, our baby boy's now due in 7 days, but it looks like things will be happening sooner than that.  So, I can't be sure what blogging will look like in the near future.  In the meantime, please refer to some of my favorite blogs for lots of great deals, freebies, and fun posts.

I've got some great things I'm hoping to get up this evening, but I won't be doing weekly deals this week so I can be sure to get some final things ready for the baby's arrival..........like packing a hospital bag, getting his clothes in the dresser.....silly little things really.  ;)

A Changing of Seasons.....

Along with summer changing into fall, our life has changed from being fairly predictable, into chaos!  Good things are happening, but it's still a little koo-koo-kachoo.  The kids have of course gone back to school, so we're back to the after school routine of snack, homework, play, dinner, baths, bedtime....all in about half an hour it seems!  Randy's work situation has been changing week to week, we recently found out we're expecting baby #5, and the most recent and very exciting thing to happen is that we closed on our first house this week! We were in the process for months, but it was very well worth it and we now have a large task ahead of us to get it cleaned, painted, sided, floors refinished, etc. in about a month to be able to move out of our townhouse on time.

Because of all that, I'm going to be taking a break from real serious bargain shopping and blogging for the time being.  I'm already feeling stretched in 1000 directions and am not giving anything 100%.  I thought I could make it happen, but from the lack of posts recently it's obvious that the blog isn't making the cut, lol.  If I try to keep it up right now I end up not being completely "here" to take care of my family and home - and new house!  And while I love saving money and sharing it with all of you, my first priority is my family.

While I won't have the time to search for and post all the deals, I will be checking my email daily.  If you have any questions, please feel free to email me at supersavingsblog@gmail.com. I will try to post when I come across something too good to keep to myself or when I have "extra time", but in the meantime, there's lots of good stuff on here that's still current even if the weekly deals aren't up, so look around and check it out.
Hopefully we'll breeze through all the work at the house and I'll be back soon!  I can't believe the Christmas shopping season is right around the corner and I can't wait to see all the Black Friday deals!


Please check out these awesome blogs while I'm away.......
Balancing Beauty & Bedlam (love it! I love her list of "things I'm passionately pursuing" on her side bar - she inspires me!)
Coupon Saving Game
Farm Home Life
Frugal Coupon Living
Frugal Girls
Frugal Living NW
Grand Rapids Tightwad (great "local" happenings - for me anyways!)
It's Hip to Save (great blog for all kinds of things! freebies, samples, weekly lists, etc - one of my faves!)
Money Saving Madness
Money Saving Methods
Money Saving Mom
Mummy Deals
Nicole's Nickels
Spending Less & Living More
Tip Junkie (I blogged about this site just before Mother's Day, and I love all the creative inspiring ideas!)
V & Co. (I love her craftiness! And I'm so jealous of her darling skirts, lol)

300 posts?? Where did the time go?

After putting up my last post about how delinquent I've been lately, I realized that it was my 300th post!!  I had no idea, lol.  As I saw it approaching in the past few weeks I had intended to try to do something special with it, but it came and went with no pizzazz.  At least my babies were in it - that's always special!  =)

As an update, we made it through the weekend and had a successful yard sale!  It was just a one day sale we threw together in three days, but we made about $300 and I'm really thrilled with that!  I'm especially happy that we have a lot less to move!  As people walked away with bags and armfuls of things I was just picturing how many less boxes and trips that would be into the new house.  =)

So a little pressure is off for now and I'm going to try to be better about getting some info up to share with all my fun and frugal friends.  ;)
So, celebrate this "milestone" with me, and I look forward to the next 300!

Busy, Busy, Busy!

Sorry I've done a little disappearing act lately.  It's been a whirlwind with school starting, double checking that we have all the supplies and clothes the kiddles need, trying to squeeze in some "last-minute" family time, and taking advantage of the last bit of time the kids were home to clean their rooms and play area.  Uhh, I'm exhausted.

(Elijah, Grace and Jacob on the 1st day of school - surprisingly chipper for 7am)

And now that my 4th grader, 3rd grader and Kindergartner are in school (all full-day), I took a day to enjoy the silence, but now.....we're getting ready for a yard sale this weekend (totally last minute!), and are still getting ready to move, and now my 2 year old (who's potty-training) doesn't leave my side because all her buddies are gone, lol.  She wanders around the house and says "Daydob (Jacob) ride bike?  Daydob outside?"   I tell her "No, Jacob's at school Emmy".  She looks sadly out the window and says "Oh".  Such disappointment on her sweet tiny face.

So.....all that to say, I know the blog has been lacking, and I'm sorry, lol.  =)   Hopefully that's just a little explanation though.   I will try to get back to them, but the family and moving and all that will have to come first for now.  So please understand if I'm not exactly on the cutting edge with my posts.  =)

Computer problems - sorry!

For anyone who's following or looking for the deals this week, I'm so sorry I haven't gotten them up, but I'm having more problems than usual with my "wonderful" computer. It's been freezing up at the most inconvenient times - like everytime I have tried to post the weekly Walgreens and Rite-Aid deals! I'm actually very surprised I'm able to write this right now. I'm trying to hurry so I can at least get this posted before the computer decides to go to sleep for the night. =)
I'll try to get this figured out quickly and get back to sharing deals with you soon!

If you have any great finds, deals, tips, ideas, giveaways you'd like to share - please comment about it with a link and let us know! I have no idea how to do a "Mr. Linky", so that will have to do. =) Please refer to the post about my blog award (type "blog award" into the search box at the top) for links to some great blogs!!

Thanks for your patience! (especially because I'm about out! I think if we didn't have our computer in the basement it would've been out a window a long time ago! lol)

I'm leaving on a jet plane, don't know when I'll be back again!!

Ok, so technically neither of those are true - we're driving, not flying....and we'll be gone for a week.
But the point is, that we're taking a vacation!! The first kid-free vacation in 9 years!! Wahoo!!
I try not to do my "Snoopy dance" of joy in front of the kids, so I don't hurt their feelings, but it's time for a break!

Randy was asked to be in a friends wedding in Alabama, so we're leaving Tuesday for a 16-ish hour drive - sans kiddos.......ahhh. He was able to get enough time off work to be able to take our time driving down, enjoy the 3 day affair (bachelor party, rehearsal, then wedding), and enjoy our time coming back.
We've actually talked about being able to stop and eat at "real" restaurants instead of the usual McDonalds/potty break combo that we do when traveling with the kids to visit family. "Real" restaurants?! Did I mention that I'm excited?? =)

<--- Here's me waiting for Tuesday =)

So.....we'll be gone for a week, and I have one day left to pack everything for the hubby, the four wee ones (that I'm leaving with "great" difficulty) ;), and myself.......and of course I haven't really started. I've begun packing "in my head" and done a couple things like getting emergency info, food, diapers...etc. ready for my sister and brother-in-law (who are blessing us tremendously by keeping the kiddles!)......but the major packing is looming like an ominous cloud over tomorrow. Really it's not the packing itself that's such a big deal, as much as getting all the laundry clean and ready to pack, the thinking involved to make sure every day is planned for, shoes for each outfit....did we get deodorant?! It's stressful. I'm not a fan. Anywho, all that to say - I won't be around for a few days. So, if I don't reply to any questions or comments, rest assured I'm not ignoring you - I'm simply basking in freedom for a couple more days. For a brief moment I considered attempting Super Hero status and trying to get the Walgreens, Rite-Aid, Menards, and Meijer sales all up before leaving. I realized though, in the interest of my sanity, sleep, and peace in our home, that would not be the wisest choice. So, I recommend you check the blogs I've just "awarded" in my last post, and see what treasures they have posted. I have a few things scheduled to go up while I'm gone, so please keep checking in, and I'll be back soon!



Ok, I feel a Snoopy dance coming on, gotta go!

P.S. Just so you don't think I'm a terrible mother, I really will miss the kids and I'll call to check on them.......at least once. ;)

I've been given a blog award!!

Wow! I feel so special to have my very own blog award! I got it from Suz at Family "Cents" - thanks Suz!!
The Rules:
1) Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award, and his or her blog link.

2) Pass the award to 15 other blogs that you’ve newly discovered. Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.

So, here are some great savings and "crafty" blogs I regularly read - enjoy! Congratulations ladies! =)
(The ones I don't have a description next to aren't any less loved - they're blogs similar to mine - deals, sales, freebies, giveaways, frugal living...etc.) =)

Balancing Beauty & Bedlam (love it! I love her list of "things I'm passionately pursuing" on her side bar - she inspires me!)
Coupon Saving Game
Farm Home Life (can't wait to try her recent "Qdoba" recipe!)
Frugal Coupon Living
Frugal Girls
Frugal Living NW
Grand Rapids Tightwad (great "local" happenings - for me anyways!)
It's Hip to Save
Money Saving Madness
Money Saving Methods
Money Saving Mom
Nicole's Nickels
Spending Less & Living More
Tip Junkie (I blogged about this site just before Mother's Day, and I love all the creative inspiring ideas!)
V & Co. (I love her craftiness! And I'm so jealous of her darling skirts, lol)

Wow, exactly 15, I almost didn't make it Suz. =)

Homemade Mother's Day Gift Ideas

I thought I was done with Mother's Day posts for today, but not quite. I just came across TipJunkie's latest blog and she has some really darling ideas and pictures of some handmade Mother's Day craft ideas.
It's a great blog to "find and share tips and creative ideas." I love it!
There are always great posts full of inspirations for the craftiness that bubbles inside me, but unfortuately rarely makes it to the surface. When it does (and I have the time to do something with it) - TipJunkie is where I'll be! =)
Check it out, there are lots of great tips and ideas!

Walgreens Weekly Deals - Apr. 12-18

Until I get my act together (hopefully tomorrow!) check these great blogs for this weeks deals at Walgreens.
Hip2Save
Spending Less & Living More

It''s a great week, but sorry, I've just had too crazy of a week to get my list together and post yet!

Fun Giveaway of Name Bubbles Labels

lol, the logo is missing an "N"....it's supposed to say Name Bubbles"

I was just browsing around "blogland" today and came across a blog written by a mom of 6 little ones - so of course I was immediately drawn in. I think four's plenty for my sanity level.....I'm not sure what would happen with 6!
Anywho, she's having a giveaway of these really cool Name Bubbles Labels to keep track of your kids clothes, backpacks, sippy cups, shoes, tupperware, books.....you know, all those things you used to have but don't anymore because the kids lost them. I think they're pretty reasonably priced especially if they help keep track of those things you won't have rebuy! And they're cute too!!

So, go to her blog HERE and leave a comment and you'll be entered to win a free pack of labels!

The winner will be chosen on Monday (4/13), so don't wait.

Great post about saving time & money - and your sanity!

I just read a really great guest post at Hip2Save's blog (which is one of my favorite's!) titled "Ways to Save Time and Money" by Angela Russell from her blog "The Coupon Project".

She mentions some really good ways to not feel like your running around with your head cut off trying to save money. Your time and sanity have value too, and you need to balance it with being frugal. She seems to have a really nice perspective on it.

I also was checking out her blog after I read the article, and I came across "Coupon Myths and Misconceptions: 'Everyone will hate me'!" Another one I really enjoyed! It's about couponing in a way that you can "win people over at the stores" you visit and you and they will have good experiences. It's full of good tips for anyone - especially those who may be afraid to use coupons because of what people may think of them.