It's amazing that we actually got this picture taken. It was like pulling teeth trying to get everyone to sit down long enough to pose for this moment! At least 99% of us were ready for the shot. LOL.

What a great family reunion! I just love seeing so many happy faces in one sitting. :)

Merry Christmas!

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My Deal of the Day: Walgreens

$1.00 Money-Maker on Hallmark Cards at Walgreens!

There is a great deal at Walgreens this week when you combine an in-ad coupon, with a Register Reward promo:

Hallmark Register Reward Deal
Buy 2, Receive a $2.00 Register Reward
Buy 6, Receive a $5.00 Register Reward

Here is a scenario you can follow to maximize your savings:
Buy 6 Hallmark Money Holders (reg $0.99)
Use 3/$2.00 in-ad coupon (pictured above), limit 6
Pay $4.00, Receive $5 Register Reward
Final Price: $1.00 Money-Maker!

Thanks Wild for Wags!

 

I don't think Connor knows what to think of basketball yet. I have heard a lot of "high-spirited" kids like playing basketball because it's very fast-paced. He's tried T-ball and soccer now, both of which he did fairly well in towards the end of the season, considering he was the kid that was making grass angels the first few practices. Once he puts his mind into something, we know he can do really well at it. But it takes a lot for him to get interested in sports (or anything that requires moving really, LOL), so we'll see where this leads!

My Deals of the Day: Target

I have been contemplating whether or not I should open a Target credit card. Now with 5% back every single time you shop, it's very tempting. In the past month, I have spent well over $400 and that would have been $20 back already. But is it worth it??! With a high interest rate of 21%, I would have to say a big fat no. I'm not one of those responsible ones that pay off my credit card debt at the end of each month. I wish I was though!

Anyway, I went to Target today and found some great deals that I'd like to share!

(3) Starbucks fusion 11.oz ground coffee - $6.89 each
Buy 3, get a $5 Target gift card
Used (3) $1.50 off manufacturer coupons and $1.00 off Target coupon for buying 3
$15.17 OOP (out of pocket) minus $5 Target gift card
TOTAL $10.17 for three (which makes it $3.39 each!)

Stouffer's chicken stuffing - 79 cents each
Used (1) 50 cents Target coupon
TOTAL $0.29

(2) Quaker oats instant oatmeal boxes - $2.66 each
Used (2) $2.00 off manufacturer coupons
Total $1.32 for two @ 66 cents each

(3) Quaker

Norah Jones - "...Featuring" - Available Now

Norah Jones - "...Featuring" - Available Now

I really liked the new Norah Jones compilation CD, some very interesting duets (especially the one with her and Willie Nelson). I have always loved that "Baby, it's cold outside" song, perfect for Christmas! I do love that she mixed it up with some of the coolest hip hop artists out there. Though I don't think that it's Norah Jones' best, I liked the idea of her singing with some of the greatest artists. My favorite songs are #2 "Turn Them", #11 "Little Lou, Prophet Jack, and Ugly John, and #17 "More than This".

*I am a member of One2OneNetwork and I received this CD free as part of the Norah Jones review project.

2010 Christmas Card

 

This is the picture I used for this year's annual Christmas card. Surprisingly, I didn't have a lot of great family photos to choose from! But considering I'm the token Asian photographer at every event, that's pretty much a shocker huh? So thankfully we were able to take some pics on Thanksgiving at my sister-in-law's house. I don't normally make such a big deal of it (OK, OK, for those who know me well knows that's a lie) but I wanted all of us to color-coordinate and everything...except for the fact that it was too late to realize that my dear son doesn't own anything black in his wardrobe collection. Oh well, burgundish red works right?

Anyway, this is what the Christmas card looked like after I was finished being "creative":
Luckily, Vistaprint.com had a lot of awesome selections to choose from. For $12.99, I ordered 50 photo cards + envelopes with free shipping. Can't beat that!

EDIT: Should have waited, I found a better deal a week later at SeeHere.com. 50 cards for $4.99 w/ free shipping. Should have just gone ahead and ordered some anyway.

EDIT #2: I went ahead and ordered them! I'm a sucker for deals. Lol.

This is what that one looks like:

Humble Beginnings of SLOCM

I posted this on SLOCM's blog when I had access to it. Strangely enough, my access was removed right after I posted it. Hmmmm...

On November 9th will be officially 6 years since this moms' group has been together. When we first started on Meetup.com, it was so much easier to get to know everyone. It was so nice to be able to make friends from all over the county and hold each other accountable by calling one another to attend events and join activities. Now with over 600 members (there were over 1,000 members at one point!), it's so hard to try to get to know everyone. It makes me miss the smaller tight-knit family that was once called the Momma Bears.

After switching from Meetup.com to Yahoo Groups, the group started becoming more known so the group was growing bigger and bigger each week but it was still manageable. People from all over would still meet up and gather amongst friends. There wasn't a separation between areas or a battle among boundaries, it was just one cohesive unit of friends that seemed to genuinely like each other.

But as SLOCountyMommies became more of an online entity rather than a face-to-face encounter, a lot of that closeness dwindled and the anonymity behind the screen became prevalent as hateful posts and disrespect became a norm. It is a sad thing really, knowing so many original members have left and gone on with their lives, some filled with hatred for the group because of a minority.

I look back at the past 6 years and think how grateful I am for having met soooooo many wonderful women and families through this group. As I sit here reminiscing over some old photos, I can't help but wonder if things would have gone differently if I never joined the Mommies Network and just kept things the way they were? Would that have made a difference?

Regardless of some of the negative things I've heard about SLOCM in the past and present, I think there has been definitely been more good that has come out of it than bad. Now that the group is essentially separated by areas, it has made it easier and more convenient for all to make friends with those who live closer to them. I mean, we still have friendships in other areas, but it has definitely made it much easier to develop a friendship with those who are nearby. It's so nice to see how many friendships have formed from SLOCountyMommies and how many women's lives have changed because of it. Still to this day, people will come up to me and thank me for what I've done and it means sooooooo much to me to know that all those days filled with sweat and tears were all worth it.

As I sit here and ponder over these photos, it makes me realize how much I miss feeling like a part of something larger. My kids are too big now to attend playgroups and other events. We now have school activities, gymnastics, soccer, t-ball, cub scouts, and so many other things to keep us busy. I realize that life goes on but I sure do miss the days when Momma Bears was once a family. It wasn't just a support group, it truly was a group of wonderful women from all walks of life that came together that just truly enjoyed each other's company. Gas mileage wasn't an issue back then, it didn't matter where we had to drive, we just drove to be with our friends.

I'm no longer an active member of SLOCountyMommies but it will always have a special place in my heart. I have met some lifelong friends and have the best group of girlfriends because of it. I don't regret any thing other than the fact that I wish I had more time and energy to develop/continue some of the friendships I have made through the group. I see so many of you out there and I just kick myself for not doing MORE. I just hope to meet new friends and rekindle some old friendships along the way. I'm just glad to see that so many are happy with their families and friends. Because in the end, that's all that really matters!

Black Friday Tips & Tricks

Here are some tips on how to make Black Friday a sucess!

- Research the weekly ads on GottaDeal.com or BFads.net and start looking for the things you want to buy and make a list of brand names, model names, prices and stores they are being offered at (including opening times and when doorbusters end).

- When the ads come out in the paper (usually the day before Thanksgiving), go through each ad and circle the items you would like to buy with a bold marker. Make your shopping list!

- If the store has a price adjustment policy, it would be smart to buy the items on the day before Thanksgiving and just get the price adjustments done on Black Friday or just make sure to get the price adjustments on the days the prices are good for. I shopped at Target from 8 pm until 11 pm on Wednesday and purchased all the items that were listed in the Black Friday ad. As long as the items are not doorbusters, you can get the prices adjusted. I went up to the Customer Service desk on Black Friday morning and received $60 back just in price adjustments!!!

- If the store has a price match policy, then you can do one-stop shopping at that particular store. All you need is to have the original ad from the competitive stores with you and point out each item to the cashier as you check out. They will match the price right then and there! Some stores require you to go to the Customer Service desk, Target does not. I also shop from other stores' ads while shopping at Target and hope that they have the same exact item! As long as it's not a limited time sale (ex: early bird specials, doorbusters, available between 4 am and noon, etc) then you can price-match other stores! It's an awesome way to get the deals other stores are offering without having to drive all over the place.

- Don't forget to use coupons if you have any!!! I go into each store (that takes coupons) armed with my coupon binder, tote bags and all the weekly ads from all the stores. Search for coupons online prior to shopping and print them all out then take that along with your shopping list!

- Make sure you go shopping with people that have the same agenda as you. There's nothing worse than shopping with someone on Black Friday that is ready to move on to the next store when you're not. Make sure to work out a map of all the stores you would like to go to days before just to make sure you're on the same page.

- Use a credit card that is a rewards card. Christmas shopping is a great way to accumulate points to exchange for rewards! It's even better if it has a great interest rate. I use my Citi Mastercard that has a 0% interest rate until April 2011 and I also rack up points each time I use it.

- Make sure to browse for sales online as soon as Black Friday ads get leaked. If you find a better price than what's available on the ads, buy them right away! It's a lot better to shop from home than having to stand in line at the store. Always look for free shipping, promotional offers, coupon codes, etc. There are plenty of sites you can use to find these. I just google what I want (actually I use swagbucks.com) and I usually find what I'm looking for.

- If you are going to purchase items online, make sure to use cash back sites like Ebates.com, Fatwallet.com or Shopathome.com! Cash back sites usually offer double cash back or better on Black Friday!

- Be sure to get plenty of sleep, bring snacks and water for your shopping trip and get everything packed in the car the night before so you can make sure not to forget something in the wee hours of the morning. Drink coffee!

- HAVE FUN!!!

Black Friday 2010

Has it really been exactly a year since I last wrote in here? What a coincidence that I would post about Black Friday again. Actually, I have been thinking of posting in here for quite some time now. Originally, I started my blog to be able to just keep in touch with friends and family. Then I realized what a great concept it really is, a diary online, to keep track of all the wonderful (and not so wonderful) memories. It has been too long since I've updated this thing. So much for keeping friends/family up to date huh? Thank goodness for Facebook! Lol.

So here we are again, exactly one year later, talking about Black Friday. You know, when I started shopping on Black Friday a few years ago, I considered it a "special" shopping event. Now with stores opening on Thanksgiving Day, most having opening times of 3 or 4 or 5 am, and with deals being offered online basically all week long leading up to Black Friday...what's the point of going out on Black Friday anymore? I found that some of the best deals were offered days prior to Black Friday and I was sure glad that I took advantage of those deals while they were available. I just couldn't imagine camping on Thanksgiving night to fall in line for something that the store only has a limited quantity of (like 6 total!).

This year, I went out with Corinne again and her sister Tiff. We didn't even head out until 8 am and luckily, the stores weren't jam-packed crazy like we were expecting. The employees said that most of the craziness happened right when the stores opened so I guess that's one good thing about them opening so damn early. We ended up going to Target first and I was really surprised to see so many of the doorbusters still available. I don't know if it's due to economic hardships or what, but there simply weren't as many shoppers as prior years. Let's put it this way, we were able to park right in front of the store! We usually have to park way back in BFE at Target. Thank the Lord for 4 am opening time, I guess.

We only went to a few stores and I would have loved to keep shopping but there was just no way I could keep going. I was just too tired...and well I didn't really want to spend any more money. The best part about Black Friday honestly is just Corinne and I continuing our tradition. :)

Thankfully, my shopping list is always cut short due to Black Friday. I am able to find some awesome deals and leave the rest to shopping online. I only have 2 more people to shop for and I am done! Woo hoo! I even wrapped 90% of the gifts already. Yeah I know, I rock. Hopefully Cyber Monday will offer some great deals and the websites all don't crash like they usually do. As much as I love to shop, I just hate it when you fill your shopping cart online with all of what I think are super steals, only to have the website crash at the end and lose some of the items in the cart! Crossing my fingers!!