Walmart Haul Using The Grocery App

Okay, so this was so easy to use and I will continue to buy my items from Walmart this way for as long as I can. They don’t have everything in the store available for purchase to bring out to your car, but it is close enough to wear having to actually go inside should be rare. I bought snacks, baking/cooking ingredients, and a ton of household stuff. The app was super easy to use to order, then I just let them know that I’m on my way, and pick up my order. Easy peasy. I actually had Martin pick it up for me. I 100% recommend this app if you hate going into the store to shop. I have used this app multiple times and I am still in love with it. Unless I need something that isn’t on the app (like grip socks for Dean), I don’t go in the store anymore. It is really great for budgeting and staying within how much you want to spend that week. I always have my shopping list on my phone, when I am doing my groceries on the computer. I will make a set amount that I want to spend on household things and then up to how much I want to spend on groceries.

I have been slowly stocking up our pantry with spices, baking supplies, and things you don’t use very often but is nice to have on hand. It’ll be a few months, I think before our pantry is a pretty good size with many options to make different kinds of foods. Also, Dean is going to be going to daycare and I’m on the wait list for discounted child care for 8 to 10 months. So, I am looking at $100 or less a week for 2 full days of childcare for Dean. That will also slow down our pantry shopping as well. I am also building a reserve for backup money (School loan money (extra) and my company’s reimbursement for classes), so if Dean’s daycare becomes a financial strain some weeks, there is still a reserve of money to buy groceries. Since, we are looking at a maximum of $400-500 a month on childcare.

I don’t use the app to order the groceries. I just use the app to “check in” that I am on my way to pick up the order, which Martin usually does on his way home every Sunday. I highly recommend trying this app out or even logging into the computer to make an order (like I usually do). Like I said, I stay within budget now and get everything that I want every week without breaking the bank. Do some things have to be prioritized? Yes, but this makes that way easier than getting to the checkout line and seeing how far over your budget you went… I love that I don’t do that anymore.

With Love,

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January Series Part 3

The Walking Dead Season 2

I know I have been spamming my blog with a lot of series reviews this month, but I have been doing a lot of watching and rewatching preparing for the new season that is coming up. I’ve had a lot of time on my hands since I stopped going to school and I haven’t been much in the mood for reading. I probably should try to read, but for now, I am just enjoying watching a lot of Netflix. I am also thinking about getting Hulu simply for Paw Patrol, because my son would die without it. I won’t be getting cable when I move. I will just be keeping the WIFI. Season 2 was really good, what I remember of it. Again, people die. No one that was my favorite died though, so I was fine with the major deaths in this season. I will probably be reviewing all of the seasons up until 8. Season 9 is the current season and is not on Netflix. Hopefully, it comes on during the summer, so I can watch it before 10 starts! 4 out of 5 stars for this season. Some of the elements were redundant and it wasn’t as good as the first season.

With Love,

January Series Part 2

Cloak and Dagger Season 1

This was a terrific season 1 for this show and I don’t know how it is going to get better. I enjoyed the fact that they wrapped up the whole story line at the end of the series, but also left room for another season to pick up from. I give this a strong 5 out of 5. I am very invested in this show and I am looking forward to the next season. I hope to continue to see plot line stories that end every season, because it ties everything up so nicely. I have never seen a show do this before and it is very refreshing. I don’t like to say too much about what happens in the show, because I don’t want to give the plot away. People do die and I have to say that it is one of the darker shows that I have seen from Freeform. They seem to be maturing their content a bit, which is nice.

With Love,

January Series Part 1

The Walking Dead Season 1

This is a series that I have been watching for a while now and I am just getting around to reviewing it. I got behind and haven’t watched season 8 yet (still finishing season 7), because college took a lot of my time. However, this is a fantastic series and I highly recommend it if you are into survival, zombies, post apocalyptic worlds, and a splash of grotesque horror. I personally don’t like most horror shows/movies, but this show is really different and interesting. I love the characters and I cry when my favorites or innocent ones die. I am so invested in this show and it really surprised me by how good it is. This season also gets right to the point and we don’t spend half the season wondering what has happened. I hate when shows take forever to tell you that. I give this show and specifically this season, a 5 out of 5. The commercials for this show do not do it justice.

With Love,

January Movie

Taylor Swift Reputation Stadium Tour

Throwing aside my personal distaste of Taylor Swift, I do enjoy her music and this was a good concert. And by good, I mean, I listened to it while painting my nails, swinging my son in his swing, folding laundry, exercising, etc. I didn’t really watch it. I mostly just listened to it and it was a good time waster. I give it a solid 2 stars, because I don’t find it particularly enjoyable. It’s 2 stars for good music. If you want to just listen and pass the time, this is good for that. I’m sure others who actually like Taylor Swift will want to watch it, but if you just enjoy the music, its still a good listen.

With Love,

September Movies

I don’t get to watch movies very often and when I do, it is thanks to Netflix after Dean goes to bed at night. I would love to do this series monthly, but I just don’t watch that many movies in a month. I have collected some movies that I have watched over the past several months. For the most part, I enjoyed all of them. I really do love Netflix, because even if I only watch one movie a month, it pays for itself. I also now have an Amazon Fire Stick, which is great to watch movies as a family on the 40 inch living room screen. If you have any movie recommendations, please leave them below and I will add them to my Netflix to watch list. It is HUGE like my goodreads list that I am still editing. I managed to finish two seasons of my favorite show and I am on the last episode of the last season. I don’t want to watch it, because I don’t want it to end. Does anyone get the same way?

Beautiful Creatures

This movie had so much potential after reading the book. This movie was so good for almost the whole thing. They really messed up the ending though, so I didn’t end up enjoying it as much. Also, there is no wolf dog and I would have enjoyed that part of the movie. That dog was such a presence in the book and there were other small but important details missing in the movie. It was a major let down to be honest. They butchered such a great book and I will be reading the rest of this series. I am so glad that they aren’t making anymore of these movies.

2 out of 5 stars

Lost Girl: Season Three

OMG! So much stuff happened in this series and I am totally hooked to the show. I have been watching this every night instead of reading and I just cannot get enough. My fingers are itching to watch season three, but I know that I should get some reading in while I can. I knew a few things were coming, but the show twisted just enough that the reveal was still shocking and slightly different than expected. I love all of the characters and I am invested in all of the story lines. Bo is such a cool kick ass heroine and so far, she has been on the good side or the “light”. Based on how the last episode of the season leaves off, I think her time with the “light” has past and her more evil, sinister side will take over. I think that fairy tail series took there note from this series, because both of their main leads turn “bad”.

5 out of 5 stars

Finding Dory

This was such a cute movie and I loved it so much. I watched this while Dean was napping. My dad was like “Why you watching a kid’s movie?” I told him to shut up. lol. Dean doesn’t watch movies like this yet anyways, unless it is Paw Patrol. He doesn’t understand plot and there were no songs either, unless you count “just keep swimming”. It was super cute to see baby Dory and learn that she was living at like a “zoo” the whole time…aquarium, that’s the word. I totally enjoyed this sequel and really miss this movie. It was the rare sequel that was just as good as the movie.

5 out of 5 stars

Lost Girl: Season Four

I cannot wait to start Season 5. I have never cried so much than during Season 4 of Lost Girl. Two big moments happen and it is just heart breaking. Season 5 is the last season, so I hope that everything ends neatly and all of the loose ends are tied. I have never loved a series more than this one and it was all fun and games until this season. Stuff got real and a show has to be really good to get me to cry. I am so happy that I didn’t do my makeup today. I just watched the finale episode. I don’t want to give anything away, because it is such a great series. I highly recommend it if you are not sensitive to violence or sexy scenes. Honestly, I am going to miss it when I watch season 5.

5 out of 5 stars

Christian Mingle

This was a cute if at times cringey movie about finding God through a dating website. If has the feel of a Hallmark movie, but I think this is a racier element for Hallmark. I don’t think it ever premiered on tv or else, I would have seen it by now. It has my favorite Hallmark actress, but the male lead didn’t really go with her. I just found the whole movie really awkward and a little uncomfortable to watch. It wasn’t too much of a preachy movie and I did enjoy it. It could have been put together a lot better though.

3 out of 5 stars

That is everything that I have managed to watch on Netflix since I lost wrote my movie post. I am very happy with my selection and I am glad that I watched all of them, even my low rated one this time around. I have tons of movies that I want to watch and will probably watch one tonight. I try to make time every Sunday and Monday to watch one movie, even if I watch half one day and the other half the next.

With Love,

5 IN: Dean Edition

Once again, I have enough items to post a Dean haul. He honestly doesn’t get a whole bunch of toys or anything. I buy him things when he makes great progress in therapy and some of these things are stuff that I buy to take care of him, not necessarily for fun. He has a whole room full of toys that he loves to play with, so I don’t feel that he needs a whole bunch more. Of course, with Christmas and his birthday around the corner, he will be getting more toys. After the holidays, I will probably purge out whatever toys he doesn’t play with anymore and donate them. I already did an overhaul of his clothes and toys in the beginning of the Summer. I am still picking up pieces of clothing here and there to donate. I am planning on buying him clothes in September. He really needs some new shirts. Everything shows his tummy!

Ruff’s House is an adorable tactile set to stimulate Dean’s sensory tenancies. He loves putting the rubber pieces in his mouth and feeling around in there. His favorite plush is the silky purple on and the red rubber bones are his favorite for mouthing. I bought this set with my work “reward” points. It cost me 24 points and it was worth every one. He loves putting his hand in the dog house and feeling blindly for the bones. He gets to explore them with all of his senses and it is a surprise when you pull one out.

With the fourth of July, a glow stick is a must. I thought that this would be fun to get him and it was. He didn’t have much interest in it after the first 10 minutes, but he did use it as a nightlight.

Dean loves the puzzles with the knobs and I saw this one at Walmart. They actually had six different themed ones, but this is the one Dean chose. He likes the barnyard themed ones. I think it is from watching so many Dr. Pols. I have to keep the puzzle in my room or else, he just tries to eat the pieces. When he wants to play with it, he’ll pick it out of the toy bin in my room and complete the puzzle on my floor.

I found this at Walmart on clearance for $1! I use this as bubble bath for Dean when he is taking a tub before bed. It has a nice calming scent, but is not lavender at all. I think it might be a mix of Lillys and something else. It makes a lot of bubbles and I think that it does help to relax Dean before he has to go to bed. It seems like the few times that I have used this, he doesn’t cry when he gets put down.

Serena wanted to be in the photo shoot, so here she is along with this diaper cream that was on clearance the same day for $1.50. Dean has two tubes that only have a wee bit left, so it was a great time to grab a new tube for cheap. I use diaper cream in other areas than an irritated bum and crotch area. I will put some on his chin when he gets a rash from drooling, different heat rashes on his body, and for the dry patches behind his ears. It really is a multipurpose product. I hardly use it on his actual bum anymore, but since he still wears a diaper, irritation is inevitable.

Those are the five things that I have bought him lately with one item still in the wings. I haven’t been purchasing much lately, because he has what he needs for the most part. I do intend to shop at Savers once a month between September to December for Dean’s Christmas and birthday gifts. My dad will be having his surgery in December, so for at least that month, he won’t be driving around. I am sure that I can get a ride from people that I know to shop for food near the end of December/January. I plan on buying as much food as the fridge will handle before my dad’s surgery.

With Love,

Dean’s Hauling Again

I am back again with another Dean haul. He has just gotten so much stuff from new clothes to new toys. I have been shopping and buying here and there. It has all added up to a bunch of new hauls to share with all of you. Side note, I am working from home today and I have been trying to get Dean to eat Brussels sprouts. It is a no go this week, but I am sure he will like it eventually. I steamed them in a light butter sauce. Yes, it is a freezer pouch that I nuked in the microwave. No creativity or cooking skills required. I am so happy that there are so many gadgets and food that you can buy where cooking skills are not required. I am not skilled in that department.

Crayola Color Bath Dropz

This is a repurchase, because Dean loves colorful baths and watching them fizz in the tub. If you have a child, you have to try these and if you are an adult and want a colorful bath, you have to try these. I don’t need Lush bath bombs to color my tub now that I have these. When the mood strikes, I just those these in the tub, add my Minion bubble bath, and I am good to go.

Fisher Price Star Stacker

I bought this star stacker at Savers for two dollars. It doesn’t have the last two pieces or light up or anything, but Dean still loves to use it. Jen has all the pieces with hers and Dean is happy to have one of his own. You can’t go wrong for the price that I bought it for.

I don’t know what brand this is from, but this is another toy bought from Saver’s. Dean loves the many activities on it and it keeps him occupied when he does play with it. He doesn’t really play with any of the activities on the side, but he does play with the beads on the top all of the time.

I also managed to find a couple of more books to occupy his time with. Both books are still alive with all of there pages intact. I swear Dean eats books, so I am very surprised to see how long they have lasted. Savers is a great place to buy books and I highly recommend it. I want to buy myself a few books, but stopped myself. I need to finish my whole pile at home before I buy any more to be dust collectors.

I also bought Dean the whole collection of sensory Chewy Tubes. His favorite is the yellow one. I need to buy a whole set of just the yellow to have around as extras. This is a stimulating chew toy for him to chew on instead of his toys during play or skill building. It gives his mouth something to focus on, while his mind focuses on a task. He has been teething lately and destroying his toys. The chewy tubes are not cutting it for him at this time. Hopefully, they cut through soon. He was doing so good with not putting things in his mouth that don’t belong in there.

I am hauling so much lately and they will just keep on coming. I have my birthday in May. I got a coupon from Sally’s and Victoria Secrets that I want to use. I need to get my Sephora birthday freebie and I want to go raid the beauty section at Marshalls again. It is also mother’s day on my birthday, so I get to have a nice lunch out. There will be hauls. So, all you haul lovers out there, get ready. I am not done yet.

With Love,

New In

I have collected a few new pieces over the course of January and early February, so I thought that I would share what I have picked up. I like writing these posts when I get have a pile of new things to do a haul post with. Most of the time, I pick up things spread out over a long period of time. I don’t do a lot of hauls. I think that I did more hauls in the past. I’m trying to use what I have rather than buy buy buy. I’m being more consumer conscious and I want to move towards being a minimalist. I enjoy the aesthetic and the concept of not having more than you need, use, and enjoy. Less clutter. It will be easier to do once I own my home, but this year I am focused on using up and decluttering.

Dean loves these blocks that were bought for him at Christmas time. His box was defective, so I had to return it and I rebought it at half of the price because it was clearanced. So, I used the extra money on his food for the week: Parent’s Choice fruit and veggie pouches and a couple of cans of beanies.

Simple is a cruelty free brand and I was in desperate need of micellar water, but couldn’t find any that were cruelty free. I do not like the Simple brand one. Maybe I should retry it? I think it might be different formula wise by now. These were clearanced down to $2.50 each and I had $1 off coupon, so two for $4 was not a bad deal at all for these. I use these every morning to cleanse my skin and on lazy nights.

I bought Dean a coloring page for practicing how to color with his therapists.

I needed a good cruelty free deodorant and I think D recommended this to me. I find that this dries out my underarms, so I apply lotion nightly and sometimes in the morning as well before applying. FINALLY! I have found a deodorant that truly lasts all day on me. It is even making me less wet when I stress sweat, which is AH-MAZING. I love this deodorant, but I want to try Tom’s next. I need to see if I can find something less drying.

Until I can find a better furry white or light blue seat cover, this seat throw will have to do. My dad bought me a black chair, which doesn’t go with my room. Throwing this fur (fake of course!) on the chair makes it look less harsh. If anyone knows a site or place to look for a furry white or light blue cover, leave me a comment and let me know. I want to find something so I can use this as a cute rug under my desk instead.

What have you bought lately?

With Love,

November Flicks

It has been so long, since I shared the movies and shows that I have been watching and obsessing over. The thing is, with doing a course, I don’t really have time to watch much of anything. Here are the things that I have been able to watch and I’ll try to do these every few months. I have to remember to write them down. Most of my tv watching is on Netflix, so it has been easier to track what I watch. I am usually watching series, so I only review those when I am done with a season or if the show ends.

The Curse of Sleeping Beauty

This one was really creepy, but in a good way. It wasn’t really scary, but it had it’s moments. I watched this on Netflix and I am glad that I did. All of the pieces fell into place the last 30 minutes of the movie. It is amazing how beautiful true evil can be. This is based off of a Brothers Grim story called the Brier Rose. If you love the Brothers Grim, then you have to watch this movie. I love all of these dark faerie tale movies that Hollywood has been coming out with lately. I give this movie a solid 5 stars.

The Circle

The movie had potential, but was poorly executed. It is advertised as a thriller, but it only has one intense moment in the movie. There were a lot of points were the movie could have been made into more of a thriller with almost getting caught here and someone goes missing there. It had a lot of potential to be a great blockbuster film instead it just fell flat. Also, Emma Watson’s character wasn’t very likable. She lets someone else call her guy friend delusional just because he doesn’t want to be on social media. Just a big flop all around unfortunately. The trailer was WAY better than the movie. 2 out of 5 stars.

Going In Style

A great family comedy, this movie has just the right amount of heartbreak to make this comedy a well rounded film. It had really hilarious moments, but became serious at parts to make you invested in the characters themselves. I love it when a comedy can make me actually care about the characters. The funny thing is, I can see this happening in real life. I highly recommend this film for comedic lovers. It is very family friendly and not very crude at all. It has a Disney Channel ending that I enjoyed. It kept me guessing until the very end. 5 out of 5 stars for sure!

Switched @ Birth

Season 5 was bitter sweet. Season 3 to 4 I felt like they dragged out the show. So much happened in Season 5 and things were just starting to get good again. The last season rekindled the drama on the show, but in a good way. I’m sad that it is over, but happy that I finished another series. I still have to finish quite a few shows that I started in high school. I just don’t want them to end. lol. I feel like the show ended with a lot of closure, even though you don’t know what the rest of their lives will be like, you know that they are on the right path. I hope that Lucas Grabeel works on some new projects, because I love him and I want to see more of him. I try to watch all of the films he is in. Overall, I really did enjoy this series and it ended in a nice way that leaves their lives open ended.

Paddington

This was such a cute movie that I watched on Netflix when D came over to exchange gifts. The movie held my attention and was a very good children’s movie. It did get a bit dark, but I mean, what movie doesn’t nowadays. Dean tolerated the movie very well and didn’t get frightened. He got scared during Zootopia, so for him, this movie was less scary. I need to watch these children movies more often on Netflix, because they are highly entertaining and this one had a very good message. Dean needs to be exposed to more movies his age and it’s great to have on in the background when I’m doing laundry and other things. We turn the tv off when it is “work” time or constructive play.

As you can see, I enjoy a variety of different movies depending upon what I am in the mood for, who else is watching, and whose not home. My dad hates horror, so I watch that on my kindle when he isn’t home. 🙂

With Love,