New Year's Resolution

Hey fans! Sorry it has been SO LONG since I have posted. I have been very busy preparing for my new baby's arrival and getting my home business set up so we have a little extra income since I had to quit my job.

I have made a New Year's Resolution that I would be more faithful about posting on this blog at least once a week if not more. I will try to post something little several times a week. I have a few giveaways to offer that have been piling up so be sure to share them with your friends and lets make this New Year great!!! I would love to get up to 200 fans by Valentine's Day. Lets see if you can help me do this!

Mission In Action

I'm sure some of you have been wondering where in the world have I been! I have been so extremely busy with several things lately. With it being summer now, my son is wanting to be outside more and more. We went on a vacation last month and another one this weekend. I have also been sewing my heart out because I desired to open an Etsy store which I just did this week. I am very excited for all the new changes going on in my life right now and am sorry that my blog has suffered a bit for it. I hope you will all understand.

Tomorrow I will be posting several awesome giveaways so definitely come back and check them out tomorrow! I hope you are all having a terrific summer. Enjoy the wonderful weather while it lasts!

Check out my Etsy store if you would like. I will be adding more things to it as I get pictures.

Welcome Friends!

I have a lot of new fans here and I wanted to say Hello & Welcome! I haven't had the time to visit all of your blogs but I will as soon as I can. Thanks so much for your support and please tell your friends and family about this blog. The more fans I have, the more FREE things I will get to give away to you! It is a win, win situation!!!

Just a little background on me. I am a mom of one (so far) and work part time, run 2 blogs here and here, am studying for a certification to teach Childbirth Classes, Doula and La Leche League Instructor. I also help the local animal shelter as a temporary foster.

As you can tell, my life is busy and crazy sometimes. If I go a couple days without posting, I'm sorry but I will get all the great stuff out as soon as I can. I had to make the decision that my family comes first. I'm sure you all understand that. If you find great deals that you would like me to know about, please leave a comment or email me! I would love to know and share it with the other readers.

Where have I been?

This past weekend, I went to a ladies retreat at the Bill Rice Ranch. It was colder than we anticipated but was a lot of fun. If you are ever looking for a great, quality, Christian camp to attend or send your kids to, I would suggest this camp to you.

If you have a special interest in sign language, they have a special week where they will train you in sign language. I plan to attend that next August. Feel free to attend with me!

If you would like to learn more, check out their website.

As for this week, I may be scarce at posting. We had a death in the family and I will be traveling out of state and may not be able to post much. I will post what and when I can. I will leave a Mr. Linky here. Please post any deals or FREEbies that you find. If all of us work together, we can find some really great deals!!!

Dear Readers

Hey all, just thought I would pop in and let you know what has been up with me. I had one crazy, busy week this week. I have been fighting a back injury and had to attend rigorous physical therapy this week which were sometimes quite painful and other times relieving. I also had sorority recruitment this week. I am advisor for Zeta Tau Alpha at UMSL and helped them with their recruitment this week. They did an awesome job and got new girls that I think will really shine! So, needless to say, I was way too busy this week to have any me time or time to blog for you all. I promise things will be back to normal by Sunday! I may take tomorrow to recouperate but watch for awesome stuff to be posted Sunday. I hope you all had a great week. Feel free to leave a comment on how you have been. I love to hear from my readers!

By the way, if you live in St. Louis, be sure to go see Disney on Ice 100 Years of Magic at the St. Charles Family Arena. I went with my family tonight and it was AWESOME! The performances were spectacular and the outfits were very cool. I will post more about it tomorrow!

Support Group Website

Do you know someone who suffers from some kind of physical ailment? Mental ailment? Psychological issue?

There is a website called MD Junction that offers support groups for just about every type of issue you could have. There may be an issue that you don't want a family member or close friend to know about. You could join this online community and get some advice without your loved ones being aware. You can sign up with your username and password as unique as needed to conceal your identity.

If you or a loved one is facing a problem, sometimes it is nice just to see that you aren't the only one out there suffering. There are others who have been or will be where you are. What a great way for you to learn from their challenges as well as share your own for others to learn from.

Here are some of the support groups that MD Junction offers:

• Addictions
• Brain & Nervous System
• Dental
• Endocrine System
• Genetic & Metabolic
• Infectious Disease
• Kids & Parenting
• Men's Health
• Muscle & Bones
• Rare Diseases
• Skin & Hair
• Traumas & Injuries
• Allergies & Immunological Disorders
• Cancer
• Ears, Eyes & Mouth
• Gastrointestinal System
• Heart, Blood & Circulation
• Kidneys & Bladder
• Lungs & Respiration
• Mental Health
• Seniors
• Teens
• Women's Health

Thanks to Beth, a volunteer for the HPV support group, for this information.

Mom on a Vacation 2009

My family and I decided to go on vacation for a week. This is why I haven't posted all of my regular posts. I have been spending the last few days recovering from a sinus infection, bulging disc in my back, a toddler and trying to get everything ready for our trip. I will try to post here and there next week but it won't be as often as usual. If I come across a really great deal, I will try to post if for you.

If you come up with a great deal that I didn't post, please leave it in the comments here and share with everyone. Thanks to all my faithful readers for all your support. Please spread the word about Mom on a Mission 2008 and let me know if there is anything I can do better! Thanks again!

Garage Sale Tracker Review!

We are now again coming into Garage Sale season.

Who doesn't like a great Garage Sale? I know I love them.

How would you like a site that helps you track great Garage Sales? There is such a site called Garage Sale Tracker. Whether you are having or looking for some to go to, be sure to visit this website for tips! The website will provide you with the location as well as a map of how to get to each of the Garage Sales that you choose to attend.

Here is how it works to find a sale:

• Visit Garage Sale Tracker.
• In the left side bar click on "Find a Sale".
• Enter in the area you would like to search.
• All the sales that fit the field you entered will pop up.
• Click the title and read the details.
• Enter your address to get exact directions from your location to the sale.
• Off you go to find great deals!

In today's economy it is very vital to attain things that we need as inexpensively as possible. They even have a link to FREEbies called Totally Free Stuff!

Remember, the more each person utilizes this site for entering sales, the more sales will show up for you to find. Be sure to tell everyone you know about this site so that it will be the best it can be! You can always find a link to it on my right sidebar!

Reader Advice

I'm sure a lot of you are feeling the affects of the changing weather with allergies or spring colds. I have been hit with one as well.

I have been suffering from severe congestion and what feels like swollen glands on both sides of my throat that feels like it is attached to my ears. This makes me think I have some sort of sinus infection. The bad part is that I am a nursing mom so most medications are off limits to me.

I wanted to solicit solutions from my readers. In honor of April being Earth month and to support my running theme of "Going Green as a Family", I wanted to see if any of my readers had any natural solutions to get rid of sinus infections or cold/flu.

If you have an all natural solution, please leave a comment below or link to a post that you may have written or find. I am trying to convert my home slowly to all natural, earth-friendly products. Some of the best working products are those that are homemade. If you have any advice or solutions, please share with everyone!

Schnucks & Dierbergs Tomorrow!

Be sure to stop back by and check out my Schnucks and Dierberg's posts tomorrow night!

I will also post my new giveaway.

Inside Look: General Mills Kitchen

Ever wondered what went on at Betty Crocker to bring about the awesome products that we see at the stores? Well now they are offering an inside look. Click here to view the video of the Betty Crocker Kitchen.

Check Out Some New Blogs!

If you are interested in learning about some new blogs, check out my new post "Spread the Blog-LOVE in Review!

Save Money on Batteries!

My hubby sent me this video that is published all over the internet.

What a cool way to save money on AA batteries.

Would you try this?

(NOTE: This isn't for real but someone was very creative and what a fun video :)

Tips For Beginners - Abbreviations

For those of you who are starting out with couponing or following couponing blogs, you may have hard times with abbreviations. One of my readers asked that I post a special post all about their meanings. Hopefully this will be helpful to a lot of you.

• WG = Walgreens
• WC = Walgreens Coupons
• ESC = Easy Saver Coupons from the savings booklets at Walgreens that you can pick up at the front door. These booklets change monthly.
• ESR = Easy Saver Rebates which are also found in the savings booklet at Walgreens.
• Catalina = seperate printer at the registers that prints coupons or register rewards.
• RR = Register Rewards that print from the catalinas at the register. They are basically in store credit.
• Tearoffs = These are coupons that you can get off tearpads in the stores. They are offered on various items from time to time. (NOTE: Whenever I see them, I grab 4 coupons even if I don't need those items. You never know when there may be a great deal that comes along!)
• Blinkies = These are the mechanical coupon machines that you see from time to time in the stores. You grab a coupon and another gets ready to come out. (NOTE: I always grab these also!)
• Coloring/Activity Booklet = Walgreens has these in their kids coloring isle. It has jungle animals on the front and 1 sheet of small coupons on the inside when you open the front cover. See example in my post here, scroll down to picture 4. These come out yearly.
• CVSC = CVS store coupons.
• ECB = Extra Care Bucks which are like register rewards that print out at the register. They are basically in store credit.
• TC = Target in store coupons.
• TGC = Target Gift Card. These get issued if you purchase a certain number of things or can be purchased in store.
• KC = Kmart in store coupons.
• IGAC = IGA in store coupons.
• MFG = Manufacturers coupons.
• TS = Trial size.
• B1G1 = Buy one get one.
• $/$ = You get so much money off if you spend so much. For instance $3/$15 means if you spend $15, you will get $3 off.
• RP = Red Plum coupon circular that comes in the Sunday paper, local journals or in your mailbox in select areas.
• SS = Smart Source circular that comes in the Sunday paper, local journals or in your mailbox in select areas.
• P&G = Proctor & Gamble coupon circular that comes out 2 times per month in the Sunday paper.
• P = Parade Magazine that comes out in the Sunday paper. This has coupons on occasion so it is always good to check it before throwing it out.
• MIR = Mail In Rebates that you purchase the item and fill out a form and mail in to the companies for reimbursement. I always try to use a coupon when purchasing these items so that I get my stamp paid for. :)
• ct = count or number of items in the package.
• Sz = Size.
• B$G$RR = This means that you spend so much and you get so much in register rewards. For instance, B$25G$10RR means that you have to spend $25 worth and you will get a $10 register reward at the register.
• Mailer = These are coupons that are sent directly from the manufacturer either in booklet or seperate form.
• OOP = Out of Pocket.
• J&J = Johnson & Johnson products.
• $/# = This is a coupon value of so much money off if you buy so many. For instance, $1/3 means you will save $1 when you purchase 3 of the product.
• Printable Coupons = coupons that you can print at home. Some have a limit of how many times you can print them (usually 2 per computer) others do not (usually PDF format which means they can be saved to your computer and printed over and over).

I think I covered them all. Check back here periodically. I will add new ones here when I think of them. I will include a link to this post on my left side bar. If there are any that I missed, please comment here and I will add them to the list.

Deal Posting

I have had one hectic weekend! I missed work Wednesday and Thursday due to illness. Work piled up and I had to go in yesterday and today. I'm stil not feeling well. I have a splitting headache. Since I am nursing, I can't take real pain meds and Tylenol just doesn't cut it.

I plan to post the store deals tomorrow along with the results of those that entered my Spread the Blog-LOVE. I will post grocery store deals on Tuesday as usual. Hopefully I will wake up feeling better.

I hope you all have a wonderful evening.

Be Sure to Get the Sunday Paper!

This week the paper has 3 inserts. There is the Redplum, Smart Source and P&G. If you like to buy multiple papers on good coupon weeks, this would be one of them!

Today's Trouble

So today was quite a fiasco. I went to my site when my son was napping and notices that most of my graphics were replaced by an ugly x in a white box. Not a good sign in my mind.

I then went to my server and got a giant error message that said I exceeded the number of hits it allows and my site was temporarily shut down. It told me it would only be an hour. I just checked, 10 hours later, it is still down.

I called my hubby and he told me to upload onto his. Well...same sad story but different reason. His server crashed with a different error message.

I resorted to purchasing a host server with PLENTY of space so "cross my fingers" this won't happen again. I will not be able to upload to that server until sometime tomorrow though so you may see some funny things between now and then.

So the good is that I have a lot more wonderful viewers of my blog that are utilizing my posts & links! VERY EXCITING! The down side is that now I have to pay monthly, though a small amount, to do what I love. I don't mind, just help me out by spreading the word about my blog and keep the clicks a comin'.

Thanks to all of you who have started following my blog. I really appreciate you!

Learn A Little, Link A Lot

I thought it would be fun to post Learn A Little, Link A Lot!

What is this, you ask?

This is a post to allow all of us bloggers to get to know each other a little better.

Here is what you do:

1. Post 10 things about yourself.

2. Post 5 blogs that you really enjoy to go to.

3. Post 1 thing that you received for FREE lately that you are really excited about!

4. Come back here and post on Mr. Linky so we can all learn a little bit about you.

If you don't have a blog, please post a comment here with your things.
I would love to know a little more about all you wonderful people!

(Please don't post things that will make you a target for spam or otherwise not nice people.)

10 Things About Myself:

1. I am married.
2. I have a son.
3. I have a BA in Biology.
4. I have 2 dogs, 3 cats, 2 fish, 4 turtles, and a tortoise.
5. I work for a local university in research.
6. I love ballet & jazz dance.
7. I love to scrapbook.
8. I was just told 2 weeks ago I need glasses, I'm far sighted.
9. I love to be outside, hiking is a favorite.
10. I love Hawaii!!!!!!!

5 Blogs I really enjoy to go to: (Just because I didn't list you doesn't mean I don't LOVE your blog! There are so many I love!)

1. Freebies4Mom
2. 5DollarDinners
3. Piece Of Me
4. A Year of Crockpotting
5. As They Grow Up

What I received for FREE lately that I am excited about:

• Hmmm......I received 10 coupons in the mail this month to get the items for FREE. They were Yo-Plus, Del Monte Dices Tomatoes, Diet Dr. Pepper x 2 (one in the mail & one from QT), Hill's Science Diet Cat Food (My kittys will love that!), Suave, Star Food Item, Cesar Canine Entree (My dogs will love that!), Kozy Shack Oatmeal & VS Panties! Very exciting. I have gotten a few of them but still have some to get!

Now its your turn, lets hear yours!

Blog Site Renovations

You may notice some tweeking to my site for the next couple of days. I am playing with the layout and trying to make things look better. As I change things, feel free to post a comment with your input on how I can improve the appearance. What my readers think means a lot to me so, please let me know!

If you are interested in advertising on my blog, now is the perfect time! I would love to ad your button. Contact me for more information.

Welcome New Readers/Couponers!

First of all I would like to say "Welcome" to any of my new readers! Several have recently started reading my blog and I appreciate each of you. If you would like to let me know that you follow my blog, please add me to your list of blogs to follow.

Here is how you do that if you are unsure:

1. Go to your Dashboard.
2. There is a tab toward the bottom of the page that says "Blogs I'm Following".
3. Click the "ADD" button.
4. Under Add from URL enter http://momonamission2008.blogspot.com/.
5. It will ask if you want to follow "anonymously" or as "yourself". You can choose but I will only know who you are if you choose "yourself".
6. If you do not have a blog, you can still follow my blog by subscribing to my blog. There is a subscribe button on the top left side panel of my blog.

If any of you checked out my blog because of the Grace Seminar this evening, please leave a comment here so I know. Thanks so much and enjoy my blog!

If you would like help on getting started in the couponing world, please read the following blogs post:

Money Saving Tips for the Beginner - Part A

Part B - Coupon Clipping

Part C - Coupon Organizing

Part D - Samples & Rebates.

Do you have questions? Please ask me, I would love to help!