A great weekend.....

I just got back from spending a great weekend with my husband in Philadelphia and New Jersey. When he started attending these schools, I basically told him that if he was going to be gone for more than four weeks, I was coming to spend a weekend with him. Our last weekend away was in November, 2007 a week before he left for Kuwait. This weekend was actually not anticipated as I had planned on going to New York at the end of the month. However, War Hero had a three day weekend this weekend. We had talked about meeting halfway, however we couldn't find a place in Ohio that was exciting to meet - not in the middle of January anyway. I went to last minute fares on United and found a great fare from Peoria to Allentown, PA - who knew? So, to make a long story short I flew out on Saturday morning and came home Monday night. Here's my short review on the cities we went to..
Philadelphia - I enjoyed this city but feel no need to go back as I saw everything we wanted to see. The history was fascinating and the architecture was amazing, especially in the old churches and City Hall. We used the subway with no problems. My favorite thing was Reading Terminal Market. It was a giant indoor market with many food vendors. We went on Sunday so we missed the huge Amish section as it was closed. We stayed at the Loew's Philadelphia which had top notch service. The beds were comfy and the amenities were great.
Atlantic City - Atlantic City is JUST like Vegas...with the exception it's a little smaller. The casino's knew that it was a three day weekend and their rates were adjusted so that the cheapest room was $250 a night - YIKES. Instead we stayed at the Chelsea Hotel, which was a boutique hotel, a $10 cab ride to the casino area. If possible, I would stay in the Trump/Bally's/Caesar's area. There are three other casinos but that are 10 miles away. The main ones are on the boardwalk. The night we were there it was snowing. It was pretty neat to hear the waves crashing on the beach while snow was coming down! I'm the gambler of the family, while War Hero sat and made friends at the various bars. Here's my tip: When you are up a good amount of money, don't hand it to your husband and tell him to NOT let you have it...especially if your husband is the kind of man that can never tell you NO. I would definately go back to Atlantic City again.

Now that I'm home again, I'm hoping for a quick 30 days!

Another Bargain Week!

I have been so busy stockpiling this last week. I found a great CVS coupon which allows me to buy CVS products for just pennies. When you have four kids, it doesn't matter what brand it is as long it can be used effectively! I make sure to hit the Pekin one at least once a day, and can usually find one or two more to run into on my way home. The offer expires on 1/17. I have also convinced my friend that I carpool with to bargain shop. After work on Friday, we went to seven CVS's. I spent $8 and received $20 in extra bucks to spend the next time I go!

A New Year..Back To Reality...

War Hero has left for an eight week course in the rolling mountains of Pennsylvania. As an Army wife, I expect and am used to the times when his mistress (as my Army wife friend, Lindsey refers to the Army) takes him away. However, this week has been really rough! His last deployment lasted ten months then he came home in July. He hasn't been gone since then and I think the kids and I have totally forgotten how to adjust to having him gone. He spoiled us by being home for five months. I am only sleeping five hours a night, the kids are heathens, and I'm already wore out and it's only been a week. It doesn't help that Football boy and Princess girl were gone for 24 days in California with their Dad so now that they are all back together, they are making up for lost time by fighting, name-calling, and testing the rules. I expect by next week things will settle down as we get into our routine.

Princess girl and War Hero have a great relationship. When we all first moved in together, she was three, and would avoid him because she didn't want to clean her room. Now, she can't get enough of him! Since she's the baby of the family, she's the only one gullible enough to believe his stories. She hasn't seen him since December 18th. Last night, she asked if she could write him a letter and if I would mail it today? I said yes, even though he has no mail service I figured I would email it. Here is what she wrote - I would have wrote the same thing!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

Two of the kids were in the Las Vegas with their Dad and the other two went with their mom so War Hero and I had a great dinner at home and went over to the neighbors for drinks and merriment.

I had a great day yesterday. I'm going to out my secret and admit that I'm a huge bargain hunter. It is my hobby and something I really enjoy. I work very hard at it and I do it many times with my Dad. We scour ads and websites and use our coupons to purchase things many times 75% up to FREE!!! This means that we stockpile alot of stuff at our house and the kids can go to the pantry and always find toothpaste, shampoo, school supplies, etc. I have an endless supply of medicine, razors, soaps, etc in my stash. Busybody girl enjoys bargain shopping with me and yesterday even hunting boy wanted to go. It took us a couple of hours and I had to buy them lunch at Bar Louie but look at what we got!



I purchased all of this at 5 different Walgreens and Target for $25 total!!!!
I also received coupons from Walgreens for $33 off my next purchase.
I was very pleased with yesterday's bargain day!