Trusting Our Modern Medicine--updated.

Update: Sorry, the pictures were only loading for those using Firefox. Odd, I know, since usually the problem is the other way around. I've loaded them as jpgs now, which should work for all formats.

So, how much credence do you give your doctor's opinion? I've been wondering about that lately--how much of medicine is just an opinion, backed by a "study"? Especially since part of my husband's job is debunking studies (which makes us a lot of enemies in the medical world. It's hard to make friends with someone you corrected publicly--ask us about the infant hearing study sometime, crazy stuff.). Also, I get a kick out of reading old magazines--we're talking the 1930's-1960's. Good Housekeeping had a great one about Oscar Meyer hotdogs, I believe from '45. It said that hotdogs were economical because they had your child's entire caloric need in one weiner. Yeah, so that way, you could make sure they had the energy they needed for school. I realize times were tough, but I think those who filled their tummies with cheap beans fared a little better healthwise.

Anyhow, my friend sent me these, which were a great combination of two of my thought processes lately. Read all the fine print on the Lysol ad--you'll cringe.

Maybe she looks like...

So, I was walking through the house, putting away laundry (as usual) and saw this picture of me on the wall. My first thought was--"Oh my, Payge looks like my DOLL." So, yeah, I think I've come full circle...I was almost three, got a cute doll--now I'm almost thirty and have a baby that seems to be a clone of my doll. It's more obvious when the picture is clearer, but I had to zoom in on this tiny one to get it to work on the blog.

Ode to Cuteness

Look at those little toes!! How can you not love those toes? Little corn nibblet toes, on tiny little feet. A very welcome each day, and oh so fun to give mommy kisses to.

This is the cute face that is attached to those baby toes. I think it's time for an age comparison again, to see if she's starting to look like anyone. I can't get over that grin though, and she laughs whenever I do, whether she gets the joke or not. For example, I was reading a VERY funny comment in the Reader's Digest this morning, and broke out into laughter. All three of the kids started laughing with me--but the baby to the point of snorting. Finally, Chayce asked, "What are we laughing about?" Payge didn't care, she just kept laughing. I read the quote to them, and they laughed hysterically--then looked at me with an "I don't get it." face. ha ha
(here's the quote: "When my daughter was born, we videotaped the birth. Now when she makes me angry, I just hit rewind and put her back in."--Grace White. She's a comedian, but I usually don't find her that funny.)

The smiling faces. I love these two, really. Lots. I'm a little surprised by the rate at which they are growing up. I asked Zac to get little again for the day yesterday, but he wouldn't do it. Fine. Be that way, I say. Since they will anyway. In three more months, little miss will be four, then a month later Zac will turn six (did I read that right? six?).

The Faerie House Has a Home

We planted 20 more bulbs today, mostly green plants, to compliment the wide array of flowers we have planted in the past two years. I'm getting excited as the flowers begin to bloom. I have a few daffodils that have bloomed already, but I'm really anxiously awaiting the tulips. Also, I planted peonies last fall, and I cannot wait to see those big blooms outside my home!!!

We decided that the flower box by the sandbox was the ideal place for our Faerie house, which we built when there was still snow on the ground. The flower box has hostalike this planted around it. I'm sure it'll be fun when it's buried in the plants to go out and imagine what might be going on inside the house.

Here's the Faerie house, in the dirt, with the stones around it that I purchased at the dollar store. Aren't they pretty?

The children, putting the stones around the house--well, Payge was stealing them, and the other two were chasing them down and putting them back.

CiCi's Pizza--For FREE!

Yeah, so if you live by a Cici's Pizza (we do, there are two of them equi-distance from our house) start staring at the ground. Employees are going around dropping pennies with a "Free Buffet" sticker on the back. If you find it, it's free lunch/dinner! There will be over a million pennies dropped nationwide! The last to find a penny was a kid in Niles, MI. Right by us. Rock on.
Here are the details: http://www.cicispizza.com/_template.php

I HAD to repost this.

http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/2009/04/06/finding-balance-between-time-and-money/

It made me think twice. I tend not to take food prep or cleaning short cuts, feeling the "old way" is better. But, if I were to take those short cuts, and spend the extra time with my family, would I ever regret it? Probably not. Just a thought.

Math + Homemaking DO mix.

I suppose it is time. I didn't want to post about this until I had it figured out, and actually showed some sort of "reward". I'd been hearing that if you work the system right, you can get things for practically free at CVS. I thought I'd give it a try. I'd also heard it takes a few trips before it shows, and now that I've been 6 times, I can definitely see that the first few purchases are worth it, and if you're careful can really pay off in the long run.

Here's the premise: You buy things at CVS that are FREE after ECB (Extra Care Bucks), and then turn around and use the ECBs to buy other things that also return ECBs. Basically, rolling your first purchase to pay for subsequent purchases.

Here's my findings:

Trip#	Item	Coupon used?	Amount Spent	Retail Value of items	ECBs Back
1	Candy	.88-.5coupon	$0.38	$0.99
1	Candy	.88-.5coupon	$0.38	$0.99
1	Deoderant	2.99-2 coupon	$0.99	$4.49	$2.00
1	Tissue		$0.89	$1.29
1	Purex		$2.99	$6.99
1	Purex		$2.99	$6.99
1	Toothbrush		$2.99	$2.99	$2.99
1	Maxi pad		$5.99	$5.99	$2.00
1	Easy Grip soap	1.19-$1 coupon	$0.19	$1.19
1	Easy Grip soap	1.19-$1coupon	$0.19	$1.19
1	Total		$17.98	$33.10	$6.99
		Tax (7%) $1.54
2	Deoderant (professional)	7.99-2 coupon	$5.99	$9.99	$5.00
2	16 bars soap	15.91-3coupon	$12.91	$19.91	$5.00
2	toothpaste	3.49	$3.49	$3.49	$3.49
2	2 cans cream soup	B1G1 & $1off coupon	$0.70	$3.38
2	cereal	B1G1 & $2off coupon	$2.79	$9.58
2	Kotex		$3.99	$3.99	$2.00
2	Total		$29.87	$50.34	$15.49
		minus ECBs	$22.88
3	nail polish (		$2.79	$2.79
3	nail polish (	free B1G1	$-	$2.79
3	Egg dye		$1.99	$1.99	$1.99
3	Egg dye		$1.99	$1.99	$1.99
		Total	$6.77	$9.56	$3.98
		Minus ECBs	$1.77
4	Mouth wash	6.99-2coupon	$4.99	$9.99	$4
		minus ECB	$-	$9.99
		plus tax	$0.14
5	Diapers for gift	$1off coup(on sale)	$4.49	$10.49
5	Easter basket		$1.99	$1.99	$1.99
5	Easter basket		$1.99	$1.99	$1.99
	Totals		$8.47	$14.47	$3.98
	tax.31	Minus ECBs	$4.49
6	3 Packs of diapers (206)	$3off coupon)	$27.00	$38.47	$10.00
		Minus ECBs	13.53

So, to summarize, I've got $155.93 worth of toiletries, diapers, and a few gifts (candies, newborn size diapers for showers, etc) for $60.79, with $10 in store credit left to use. That's $95.14($105 if you count the $10 in store credit) not out of my pocket. I know it doesn't look like much of a discount yet, but I can see how as I continue this, and work on getting many more items for the price of the tax (things that are shelf stable, that we will use over time) the difference in value vs. what is spent will increase. Yes, it seems to be working. My excel spreadsheet is getting happier, and so is my budget.

I'm most proud of the Easter items coming out to be free, as I used ECBs to buy them, then got that same amount of ECBs back to use on another item. That was the ideal rollover. Although, the diapers (2/3 of them Huggies, the other package a cheap pack to make it up to the amount needed for ECBs) makes me smile as well.