Happy Anniversary Honey!

Three years ago, I was getting my hair done and eating a asiago cheese bagel.

Three years ago, you were waking up at Brad's apartment and running to Alterra for coffee.

I could not wait to walk down the aisle and see you standing there, waiting for me.

I could not wait to say and hear the vows we wrote to each other.

Three years ago, I married my best friend. To have and to hold. Through good times and bad.

We have had our share of both.

I truly believe us fighting through the muck together and coming out on top, is a true testament of us living up to those vows.  It is a true testament of our love for each other, and to our family.

Patrick, I love you more and more after every passing day.

Al's Run 2013

Well, Fall is definitely here in Wisconsin. Time to pack up the shorts and unpack the sweaters. Time to turn on the furnace and pay expensive heating bills.


But what if you also have medical bills for your sick baby or child? What if you can't afford both??


Help us raise money for Children's hospital to help those families. Help us give back to the hospital and programs at CHW that were there for us when we needed them.


Visit our page here to donate: http://events.chw.org/goto/devotedtomcgraws

Another shopping tip

I personally enjoy shopping from the comfort of my own home over trying to find parking at a crowded mall.  By the time I find my spot, walk passed the food court where the teenagers are trying to do their courting, I don't feel like shopping...I feel like leaving!

Feel the same? Or do a mix of both?

If you DO shop online, I've got another tip for you.

I earn cash back when I buy from certain retailers (this is not a short list at all! SO many stores are on here! Gap, Maidenform, Melissa and Doug (for you parents) and MUCH more.

So far I've earned back $127! So I can tell you it adds up fast! My deal today only earned me $1.20, but that's a $1.20 I didn't have yesterday!

So on to the how. I use shop at home click here -this will take you to the page AND you'll get a bonus $5 for signing up today! (This is my referral link, but if you get "referred" YOU get an extra $5! But you have to go through this link) It's 100% free and there is nothing left to do! You shop, you get a check in the mail!

You just need to remember to pull up the store through shop at home when you order so they have a log of your transaction :)

I really like helping other people save money! I probably drive my coworkers crazy, but I know they appreciated the help with some very cheap diapers recently! ;)

Feel free to leave any questions here to if you have any! I'll try and help as best I can!

Happy shopping (AND earning!) !

Happy shopping!

Well, the submission is in...They will let the people who were selected know Oct 15th.

School started and well, I've got one nervous breakdown done.

So the other things I like doing...you know couponing/saving money etc.

Well here's an easy AWESOME deal that I came up with.  (The deal was because of Colin at Hip2Save - I love her and her site! My deal is different than Collin's but it's because of her that I knew about it!

First, if you haven't heard of ibotta YOU NEED TO DO IT! You need a smart phone though!

then you sign up : here

Ok got that done! ....easy, right?

Ok so you have to go through the app and "select" the deals you want to earn money for.
Example:

so look at the simply orange pic on the left.  You watch a video/take a poll etc to rank up what you will earn back. Once that is done, you go shopping at select retailers. There are a TON of retailers, scroll through to make sure you are shopping at these stores to use this app. This is simple on it's own. The deal below is more complex, but it's because of the added bonuses and it's SO worth it! If you are scared, maybe don't try the deal below. I don't want you to feel overwhelmed and give up! I want you to save money!

On to the crazy-I-can't-believe-this-is-all-FREE deal

Select the:

Scott toilet paper, scott paper towel/palmolive, cottenelle, Kleenex, Kleenex towel/soft soap, Huggies diapers, huggies wipes, scott naturals, poise and u by Kotex deals.

Next go shopping!

I went to Walmart.  And I took KMART's ad with me for some price matching.

I bought:

- Huggies Diapers jumbo packs $8.97
- Huggies Wipes $1.97
- Softsoap hand soap 8.5 oz $2.27
- Kleenex Hand Towels $2.67
- Scott Paper Towels 6pk $5 *PRICE MATCH
- Palmolive 25 oz dish soap $2.47
- Scott bath tissue EXTRA SOFT 12-pack $5 *PRICE MATCH
- Scott Natural Cleansing Wipes $1.96
- Kleenex facial tissue 4pk $5 *PRICE MATCH

- Cottenelle toilet paper 12pk $5 *PRICE MATCH

-Cottenelle Flushable wipes 42ct $1.96

(the items that we can't use, I donate or give as a gift-like the diapers and wipes went to a gift for my co-worker :) )

Total = $42.27

I used the $3/1 Huggies Diapers coupon found in the 8/18 SS (SMART SOURCE)
 the $0.50 Huggies wipes coupon found in the 8/18 SS
 the $1/1 Kleenex hand towels coupon found here
 the $0.75 Scott paper towels coupon found in the 8/11 SS
 the $1/1 Kleenex facial tissue coupon found here 

I paid = $35.39 OOP (Out of pocket) incl tax

Then I submitted my receipt to ibotta (it takes a picture of your receipt and you have to scan the UPC from each item)

The NEXT day (this is important for one of the those bonuses! they need to be submitted on TWO DIFFERENT days!)

I bought:

Buy U by Kotex tampons 18-ct $3.97
Buy Poise pantiliners, 36-ct $2.72

Total = $6.69 
I used  the $1.50/1 U by Kotex coupon found here
and the $2/1 Poise Product coupon found here

I paid = $3.56 OOP

and then submitted my receipt and scanned the two barcodes. 

And I earned my money back:

Earn $1.50 back via Ibotta for buying Huggies diapers (any variety – any size)
Earn $0.75 back via Ibotta for buying Huggies wipes (40 ct or larger)
Earn $1.50 back via Ibotta for buying Kleenex hand towels and Softsoap Brand
Earn $1.00 back via Ibotta  for buying Cottonelle toilet paper and flushable wipe
Earn $0.75 back via Ibotta  for buying Scott paper towels and Palmolive dish soap
Earn $0.75 back via Ibotta  for buying Scott bathroom tissue (8-pack or larger)
Earn $1 back via Ibotta  for buying Scott cleansing wipes tub or refill (51 pk or larger)
Earn $1 back via Ibotta  for buying Scott facial tissue (3-pack or larger)
Earn $2 via Ibotta  for buying the items included in the Hug Your Baby Bonus (click on “Bonuses”)
Earn $3 via Ibotta  for buying the items included in the Freshen Up Bonus (click on “Bonuses”)
Earn $3 via Ibotta  for buying the items included in the Kitchen & Bath Bonus (click on “Bonuses”)
Earn $1.25 back via Ibotta  for buying Poise pads and liners (excludes 10-16 pk)
Earn $0.75 back via Ibotta  for buying U by Kotex tampons or pads (any size – any variety)
Earn $5 back via Ibotta  for buying items included in the Autumn Stock Up Bonus (click on “Bonuses”)
Earn $20 back via Ibotta  for buying 10 participating items in the Offers Bonus (click on “Bonuses”)
Total earned with Ibotta offers = $44

So. let's recap.

$35.39 OOP (day 1) +$3.56 OOP (day 2) -$44 (money earned from ibotta) = 

-$5.05! 

I MADE $5! :)

All this and I made $5!

Please keep in mind that ibotta offers change and are only available in limited numbers.

Helpful hints:

You can check to make sure the item in your cart will work for the deal. If you have the app open and are looking at the product (look at the picture above with the simply orange) you will see a green barcode button on the right. Click on that and it will have you scan the UPC. It will tell you if it's a match or not!

Return to Zero Submission

I talked about the film Return to Zero here

They are asking for families to write the stories of their children, and will actually select 80 to publish in their book.  You can learn more here

This is my submission:

Dylan, and Noah's Stories

My husband and I were married in September 2010 and knew that we wanted to start a family right away.  In December, we found out our family would be growing that following September. The pregnancy was completely normal.  I had morning sickness, with the full strength cravings. I avoided the things I should have and did everything I was suppose to do. We were SO excited to learn if we were having a little boy or girl as we walked into our 20-week ultrasound. Little did we know, it would be the worst day of our lives. We learned that our son, Dylan, would be facing many obstacles.  They noticed an issue with Dylan’s eyes and intestines, along with a cleft lip and palette.  Each defect on their own would be manageable, some even repairable. The issue was why all of them all at once.  The doctors knew there would be surgeries, but we wouldn’t know the extent of Dylan’s challenges until he arrived. The doctors tried to prepare us as best they could, and even offered aborting my pregnancy. I told those doctors, that even if I only had minutes or days, I would be carrying my baby as long as he’d let me. He deserved that much. And in all honesty, I was in love when I first got my positive pregnancy test. Dylan was born on August 14, 2011 via an emergency C-section. He let out two cries so that we knew he was there, and then the NICU team rushed him away to work on him. I was able to see a picture. I was unable to see my sweet boy until about 36 hours or so, because I couldn’t walk after surgery. Knowing my baby was sick and that I couldn’t go to him was gut-wrenching. Dylan couldn’t breathe on his own and needed to be intubated and hooked up to a ventilator.  His chest formed poorly that would not allow his little lungs to work properly. The moment I was able to see him, I fell head over heels in love. 

Throughout countless blood draws, assessments, diagnoses, and eight surgical procedures, his little body and enormous spirit forgave, and loved unconditionally. If he was startled or scared he'd begin to cry for a moment just to let you know, and an instant later, would stop and forgive. Dylan showed us life and love in the absolute purest form. He knew no race, religion or of any matters/beliefs the rest of us allow to get in the way. He is the definition of forgiving and patient. Dylan is the strongest person I know, he fought and fought, but in the end, his little body just couldn’t.  With the help of palliative care at our wonderful Children’s hospital, we brought Dylan home on October 17^th.  We were able to take him outside where he was able to feel the sun on his face and feel his little hand wave through blades of grass. He was able to met his cat and dog and be held by all his grandparents, some great grandmothers, and his aunt and uncle.  Dylan passed away later that evening in my arms after my husband was telling the doctors how we wouldn’t have changed a thing, that Dylan was perfect just the way he was.

The doctors were not able to give us a definite reason why Dylan had the genetic disorders he did.  We did all the routine tests and everything came back normal. We are dealing with an unknown genetic disorder. The best way to describe it is to think of a huge downtown library with tall rows of books. Each row of books represents a chromosome.  Know go find the missing word.  Without me telling you which row, which shelf, which book and which page.  This isn’t a “can’t you test for it” kind of thing. The genetics team we are working with are trying VERY hard to locate the issue and gave us a 25% chance of reoccurrence. (25% meaning it would be a recessive genetic disorder meaning that both my husband and I would have the same genetic defective-which by itself is 1 in a million).  It could also be a fluke, a one time DNA mess up. The genetics team didn’t think that this was what we were dealing with, but again, they couldn’t tell us much so we were not going to give up hope that it was a fluke.

What did we want more than anything? A biological baby between the two of us.  So try again we did, and in September 2012 we found we were expecting.  We were excited and were terrified.  We knew right away that regardless if we were having a boy or a girl, that Dylan would be their middle name. We later found out, at our 12-week ultrasound the doctors thought that our baby might have the same intestinal disorder, but we needed to wait until he/she was bigger.  We were worried half to death, but wanted to continue on enjoying the pregnancy by giving into the chicken finger cravings and by taking the weekly bump pictures.  We went back in a few short weeks later; only to find out we would be re-living the same nightmare. Noah was found to have the same birth defects and genetic anomalies as his big brother, Dylan.  We knew that we didn’t want to put Noah through everything that Dylan did.  All those surgeries and procedures… We were told that we had a 50% chance of Noah surviving the delivery and prayed constantly for the opportunity to meet our son. Those prayers were answered on January 30 when Noah was brought into the world. We were blessed to have just under 2 hours with Noah.  Long enough to tell him over and over that we love him.  Long enough to kiss him all over.  Long enough to hold him. 

My husband and I try every day to keep going, to be strong.  We want to be better people and to honor our children the best way we can.  We tell their stories to anyone that will listen.  They inspire us daily. We have raised money for the March of Dimes and Children's Hospital of WI.  We have donated food and care packs to our local Ronald McDonald House and the NICU. We do good things in their names to make them proud and will continue to do so until we meet them again. They live on in our hearts and we feel their presence everyday.

GAH!

School starts tomorrow!

Things I *need* to work on:

-Finishing up my Return to Zero submission
-Finishing up my poppy painting (ALMOST there D!!)
-Finishing my thank you's (yes...I am a horrible person...I get side-tracked)

 Finding another 3-4 hours a day would be pretty awesome...
But a girl needs to sleep

Help Us Support Children's Hospital!

Just like last year, Patrick and I have formed an Al's run team to help raise money for Children's Hospital of Wisconsin.

The run is an 8K, or 5miles and the walk is 3 or 5 miles it's up to you to choose :)

If you want to join our team to walk or run with us, please go to our team page here: http://events.chw.org/goto/devotedtomcgraw

Then you scroll down to the team list (which right now, only has Patrick and myself!) and click on JOIN TEAM.

The LAST day to join our team is August 28th!!
SO YOU'VE GOT TO JOIN SOON!!

If you can't be here to run or walk with us, but want to support our team and CHW please visit our team page.

Our page can be found here: http://events.chw.org/goto/devotedtomcgraws

You can then click on support Jen and it will redirect you to the donation page.  You can even pick where the money you donate goes! Like the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit ;)


Here are some of the pictures from last year :)

I'm pulling on my Dylan button for the camera :)
So everyone could see WHO I was running for

We were able to get a design on the backs of
our shirts since we had at least 10 people on our team.

So please don't hesitate to come run/walk with us!! We'd love to have you!