A Carnival Themed 5th Birthay Party!!!.... On a budget!!

I am FINALLY getting around to doing the post on my son's 5th birthday party!! I love doing these posts but they do take a while and of course when my computer broke down that caused problems too.. So lets get to it.. First things first (I'm the realest <just kidding> but every time I hear someone say that, my mind goes there) my sons party theme was a carnival/circus theme because he LOVES carnival games and things like that.. I have been wanting to do this theme for a few years but never had the courage to take on the challenge, I think it turned out pretty good especially since we are on a budget!! Guess I will begin with the decorations..

 These two pics are of one of the guest tables, the center pieces are different size/shape glass jars with vintage candies in them you might have found at circus's or carnivals (got the jars at goodwill for .55-.95 the candies came from dollar tree).. There are also happy birthday mints and tickets (also purchased at dollar tree) spread around the jars and a picture of my son that was on the birthday invites (these were purchased off of walmarts online photo center) with a balloon tied to it..

These next two pics are of his cake table.. I just did red and white plastic table clothes (purchased at dollar tree and dollar general).. The animal masks were part of the favors (purchased at walmart after easter clearance).. On each side of the cake (which I will get into more detail on that below) are bowls with cotton candy in bags with a personalized pic of my son on the labels (purchased from this seller on ebay)  and popcorn on the other side with the same bags (purchased from dollar general) and labels (the popcorn box was purchased from a yard sale and the red bowl was purchased from dollar tree).. I got the cotton candy from dollar tree and the popcorn from walmart and bagged them myself it was cheaper to do it that way.. Also on the table are the happy birthday mints and tickets scattered (purchased from dollar tree)..

Now for the best part of any party and this was a chunk of the decor as well was the cake!! I have a very talented lady that does my cakes for me, she is amazing as you can see, she has made every cake featured on my blog (chicka boom coconut tree and angry birds-when you look at this one it isnt the one she made but it look just like it ).. The top pic shows the inside of the cake my son loves colors and rainbows so I knew he would love this and so did all the party guests!! The bottom pic are his cupcakes, she made them look like cups of popcorn, how stinking cute are these!! She even had them in little red cups (which you can see in the pics above along with the outside of the cake).. This was by far my favorite parts of his decor!!

I used this plastic bunting (purchased at this store on ebay) all around our backyard and party area it really brought a circus/carnival feel to the party decor.. I also used all different size/shape of balloons all around as well (these were purchased at dollar tree, walmart and dollar general) they gave a very fun feel too!! I also had a banner made that said "welcome to -name here- birthday carnival" it was super cute you can see one of the tents she used on the end in the above pic (purchased from this shop on ebay) she custom made it for me and we loved it!! As for the plates, napkins, cups, etc. I did plain red and white for everything (purchased all at dollar tree).. Now we are going to move on to the games and prizes we had!!

We had 4 different games at the party the water balloon basketball, ping pong toss, tic tac toss and dino search.. After each child played their game they got a ticket, they could play as much as they wanted until the tickets (purchased at dollar tree) ran out or they used all the water balloons which of course took all of 5 min. cause they started throwing them at each other instead of the hoop (should have seen that coming lol).. After they played their games they counted their tickets and could pick their prizes (all the little prizes in the baskets came from dollar tree or after easter clearance at walmart).. All the other games are pretty self explanatory but the dino search game basically it is were you take an egg put a small dino in it and some candy and they dig to find the egg, I used it a little differnt though.. I got a few larger prizes (after easter clearace at walmart) so to be far to all the kids I put a slip of paper with a number on it in the eggs with a piece of candy and which ever number they got was matched up with the number on the bigger prize they received, I think it worked out really well that way.. If you are looking for game ideas I found the best place to look was pinterest.. I made the signs for the games myself (you could probably tell) with poster board, letters and stickers (purchased from the dollar tree).. Think I covered everything you may need to know, I really love planning birthday parties it is so fun for me and my son always has a great time!!

Think I Need Thrifters Anonymous....

      As previously posted I wrote the wrong day down for lunch day with our son so the husband and I got to eat lunch yesterday, it was an experience.. It was crazy to me to see these little kids getting their own trays of food they seem so little, but we all have to learn sometime right? My son seemed to enjoy us being there, so much that he wants us to come everyday... Other than that yesterday was pretty boring, grocery shopping, housework, you know the usual..

     Now on today it started out like any other day but today I had to pick my son up from school, this is usually done by my husband, I take him in the mornings and my husband picks him up everyday but friday.. It really isn't that bad but for some reason today it just seemed to take forever and there was this one girl and for some odd reason I kept looking at her, you know how that goes, you want to look anywhere else but her face but for some reason you just keep going there.. After that we went home for dinner then met my mom at walmart, of course it was like we stepped into a time warp we came out 2 hours later, what? How does that happen every time I go in there? Also I went to goodwill, kmart and my local craft shop after dropping my son off for school, really think I need thrifters anonymous.. Before I book my stay here are the items I picked up today!!

First off the items from goodwill.. New in package leapfrog books and cartridges 2.95 a piece, carters monster sleeper 1.00, bunny hat 1.00 ad new with tag dog slippers 2.00.. 

Next are the craft shop and kmart items.. Halloween candles 1.00, new in package santa ornament .50, bag of foam pieces .25, candle ring .50, merry christmas ornament .25, 2 pack scissors .99 (kmart), candle ornament .25, reusable stickers 1.59 (kmart), 2 pack gold package ornaments .25 and a holly berry christmas bow .50.. 

Do You Really Have A Potato In Your Car?.....

  I have come to the realization that these are probably going to be every other day rather than everyday.. Because if you have read any of my other posts you can see my life is not that interesting, there are moments but not everyday.. So yesterday was my first parent teacher conference ever and it went pretty well, thought it was going to be worse but I am sure everyone thinks that.. I did learn that my son is well above average on his reading (already knew that) he almost had a 100 on that part and his math (that was a surprise) is well above average as well.. As you can imagine I am one proud momma!!! Other than that I cleaned my oldest son's room and did some clothes (do I really need to keep putting this stuff?) not unusual, that was the extent of our day..
     Today I dropped my son off at school, not sure if this has been mentioned but I meet my friend and her boys so we can all walk in together.. After the boys go down the hall we go outside and usually talk for a few min. about our days, she was telling me about how she needed a potato for something around the house and I remembered that I just happen to have a bag of potatoes in my car (my mom had given them to me the night before but I had forgotten to get them out).. So of course I offered her one and of course she was amazed I had one in my car, funny how things work out sometimes, but having a bag of potaotoes in your car is a bit random.. After that I ran a few errands then went home to feed the baby lunch, did my normal routine and my son came home..
      When he got home he informed me that I had over slept and was late for lunch.. I asked him what he was talking about he precedes to tell me that I was supposed to go eat lunch with him, I say "no buddy that is supposed to be tomorrow", he said "no momma it was today but my teacher said you could come tomorrow" so of course I called the school to make sure I was right.. Of course I was WRONG it had been today that made me feel like poo because he was really looking forward to it.. The secretary told me we could come tomorrow so we are, but I still feel like I let my son down.. I even wrote it down on my calendar on the 15th, we all make mistakes from time to time and at least we can still go eat with him.. He got over it quick within an hour he was telling me knock knock jokes he had learned at school, kids are so resilient that way.. While I was out running my errands today I picked up a few things, you know I am going to share!!

Top pic came from the salvation army thrift store (I love going here because you can not beat the prices but since it is local it doesn't have a lot of selection like goodwills do) I cant give you exact prices but everything in the pic but the tank top on the end was 4.69!!! I love going here for books they are only about .20 a piece it is awesome I usually find them in really good condition!! The tank top on the end is from kmart clearance for 2.20.. The bottom pic has stickers from walmart clearance that were 2.75 for all and had to share my baby's 1st Christmas outfit it is a zu by petit ami it came from ebay for 9.00 with shipping after my $10 coupon code!! He is going to look so cute and his older brother has a button up shirt to match!!

This Is Why I Love Shopping At Peebles....

   Peebles is a dept. store like jcpenny, belk or sears I usually don't like shopping at those stores but peebles has changed my mind about that.. It is probably because we don't really have those kind of stores around us, the nearest jcpenny, belk or sears in over an hour away.. About this time last year is when I found out about the thrifty factor of my peebles store, they have great clearance sales and if you get on their mailing list they will send you great coupons to stack on top of that!! If you have a peebles card you get even better deals (I don't have one but my mom does and she gets the boys a lot of stuff too).. Let's get started on finding out why I love shopping at peebles.. 

In this pic we have clearance items that were an additional 40% off plus I had a 25% off of my purchase coupon.. John deer shirt was 7.99 with 40% off which made it 4.49 then I got another 25% off of that which made it 3.24, these shirts are normally 12.00-14.00.. The carters shorts came to 2.48 a pair, osh kosh polo shirt came to 4.79, carters romper came to 3.74, carters shorts 2.48 and the mustache onesie was 2.09.. 

  

In this pic these items were on clearance with an additional 40% off and I had a coupon for $10 off of a $25 purchase.. The osh kosh overalls were 6.40 a piece, osh kosh plaid onesie was 4.59, two carters outfits were 5.99 a piece these are the prices after both discounts *fun fact the osh kosh overalls alone are usually 34.00 a pair* I got all of this for just under $30..

Last but not least the best peebles trip I have made to date.. All items were on clearance and I had a coupon for $10 off a $10 purchase (you cant get any better than that).. Mr. potato head .99, dream lites mini pet 1.49, melissa and doug chalk .49, osh kosh diver shirt 1.99, nautica polo shirt (this is the one I thought was pinkish) 1.28, carters swim trunks .64 and us polo shorts .20!!! I broke these items down into 4 separate transactions to get the best deal possible (I do want to let you know that they only let me do that because I had a savings pass, some stores might not be like mine) I got all of these items for 7.45 after tax considering the polo shorts were regularly priced at 34.00 I think  I did pretty good, this is why I feel my husband doesn't appreciate how thrifty I am!! Think you can see why I love shopping at peebles now..

Sorry You Can't Be A Dino....

      First off the reason there was no post yesterday is because we did absolutely NOTHING all day but play and eat so as you can see it took me one sentence to explain our day.. Today on the other hand had a little more action.. We did I did some cleaning and washed some clothes which is an everyday occurrence at our house.. After lunch we went to my mom's house so my son could try on his halloween costume, which did not fit even though the size said 6-9 years (my son is 5) it was about 5 in. too short and in the words of my son "it hurts my wink" so back to kmart we went to exchange it.. Of course we couldn't find anything else for him cause all they had in his size was super hero costumes and while he loves a couple super heroes the love is not enough for him to be them for halloween.. Now I have to get online to find him one which gives me a little anxiety because if it doesn't fit we are in some trouble.. Something else I wasn't too happy about is the fact the boys wont match for halloween now cause little bro is going to be a dino but big bro can't be a dino now, ebay does have dino costumes but I put budget of $15 on each halloween costume and none of the dino ones on ebay are under $20, boo hoo.. 

     After the costume catastrophe we decided to hit the goodwill cause that always puts me in good spirits.. It did not disappoint this time either I found some good stuff as always.. Here is what I got on our trip today!! First is a leap pad (this is from early 2000s but fun fact time *my son has had 4 of these since the beginning of yard sale season all but this one well so far he just got it today has had problems and not worked right* but another fun fact all together I have spent $11 on all 4 systems a carrying case and about 20 books with cartridges*) 3.95 came with a book and cartridge too, never opened angry bird game .95, loafer shoes are from kmart for 4.99, sandals 2.00, britney spears radiance perfume .95, books .50 a piece and a book for baby .95!!

    I was really excited to find that leap pad because the last one gave up yesterday and he was really bummed about that, I told him maybe we could find another one before yard sale season ended and what do you know we found it the next day!! After our retail therapy we came home did the normal night routine and the babies went to bed, momma isn't too far behind but wanted to share their outfits they wore today!! Big bro wore a hanna anderson dog shirt (2.00 goodwill), navy blue 365 sweat pants (1.00 walmart) and his new balance tennis shoes (13.00 show shoe) baby bro wore a john deere shirt (2.80 once upon a child) camo garanimals pants (2.00 walmart) and some john deere socks I could not find (came with a onesie).. The total for both outfits was 20.80!! 

A Lunch Date With A Side Of Baby Puke.....

      As you can see I already missed one day... Let's get right in to it then.. Just once I would like to get everything on the grocery list without forgetting something but of course I can't so after our usual morning routine (didn't forget lunch today or yesterday) the baby and I went to walmart.. It was very uneventful but I do believe we got everything we forgot on grocery day.. Then of course I did some cleaning and laundry.. Oh I forgot to mention today was pink day at my sons school  I never found a shirt but was lucky enough to have a friend that let me borrow one he was pretty excited about that, and yesterday was purple day so he got to wear his two dollar shirt, something else he was excited about..  
       I did get to go to lunch with a couple of friends today which is a rare occurrence, it was going pretty good until my baby boy decided to throw up everything he had just eaten (to let you know it was banana baby food and gerber puffs good combo).. My one friend is used to this stuff but the other doesn't have kids so she looked a little mortified, poor thing I felt really bad, but we continued our meal and had great conversation..  It always makes me feel 10 years younger to be out with friends, wish I could do it more but with kids it is hard, just something else you have to prioritize..
    Once we got home my baby took an almost 2 hour nap, the puking must have done him some good, his longest nap is no more than an hour and that is if I am lucky..  During this time I did NOTHING as you know that is not a smart thing because you cant get hardly anything done when they are awake but it felt so good not having to do anything for that 2 hours.. Take that back I did do something I got the babies first Christmas outfit ordered,  I know it is too early for Christmas talk but since I get their pics taken in early Nov. to make sure the cards go out on time it is actually cutting it kind of close.. Then I had to wake the baby up to pick brother up from school, we came home had dinner played a little then it was our normal routine at night, I don't like to get away from it so my son stays in sync for school..
    It ended up being another good day got a little cleaning done, lunch with friends, possibly making my friend not want to have kids, spent quality time with my boys and got a Christmas outfit ordered.. Now I am just waiting on my youngest to fall asleep since the oldest in already there I would like to get some rest cause you know the oldest will be up at 7:00 even though its the weekend..

Last Thrifty Thursday?.....

Alright here is the deal these items are actually from a few weeks ago but I did want to share them.. I am trying something different with the blog so thrifty thursdays are going on hold for now.. I am still going to share my thrifty finds but they are going to be in my daily blogs, so if you love thrifty finds check out my daily blog posts!! Here is the "last" thrifty thursday as of now..

Yard sale/goodwill finds.. Onesies .50 a piece, gymboree overalls 1.50, children's place camo shirt 1.00, camo shirt 1.00, carters pumpkin shirt .50, carters rock shirt .50, carters wild child shirt .50, jumping beans owl shirt .50, angry birds shirt 2.00, ralph lauren shirt 2.00 and osh kosh thermal shirt 2.00..

All of these clothes were bought at a yard sale and were .50 a piece, you cant get much better prices than that!!

All items bought at yard sales.. Cupcake stand new in package 1.00, new balance tennis shoes 1.00, duck head boots 3.00, real tree camo hat 2.00 and boppy cart/high chair cover 3.00 this was new without packaging..

I Don't Think You Fully Appreciate How Thrifty I Am...

       Ok so think I am going to start something new not sure how it is going to go but I am going to try and write a blog of my day everyday.... If you have been with me for any amount of time you will probably think this is bull to which you maybe right.. I am a mom of 2 boys one in school one a baby so some nights I may not feel like writing anything, some nights it might be a novel we shall see.. 

     Today started out like any other day got up, woke my son up did our normal morning routine.. Which includes giving him time to wake up, eating breakfast, while breakfast is happening I make his lunch, a little play time, brushing of the teeth, putting on our clothes, then rushing out the door like mad to make it on time.. This particular morning I forgot to pack his lunch until right as we needed to walk out the door, so he ended up with some crackers, a cheese stick, some mini vanilla wafers and some chocolate milk which actually isn't any different than any other day except he usually has a sandwich, which he doesn't eat.. Drop him off at school then go on the search for a purple and pink shirt (sorry to any moms that put their boys in purple or pink I just don't) cause he has color days at school and he loves to dress up for them so had to find him something under $3..

    Tried walmart where I was successful in finding a purple shirt for $2 but no pink so I preceded to go to kmart where I did get the last present for our baby from Santa for $19 regularly $40 (go me) but no pink shirt.. Then it was off to the goodwill got a few things there but no pink shirt (I never realized how hard it is to find a pink shirt for a boy) so then it was off to peebles (I had a $10 off of $10 coupon for them) thought I had success there but got home to find out from my husband that the shirt was orange not pink, bummer I could have sworn it had a pink tone in the store.. Since I used my coupon the shirt only cost me about 1.50 (I will have more about that in another post) so no real lost there, but as I was thinking about my purchases I realized my husband doesn't appreciate how thrifty I am.. Most women don't care how much they spend, not this lady here I don't want it unless it is a bargain.. I am like this with everything in my life birthday gifts, birthday parties, Christmas gifts, clothing, cleaning supplies even food when I can..

   After that not much else went on cleaned my house some then my son came home from school I made dinner and our usual night time routine took place, baths at 7:00, teeth brushed after, reading a book at 7:50 then bed at 8:00 where he watches tv until 9:00 then it goes off and he falls asleep.. I usually do some cleaning while they are laying down for bed and as I was finishing it up I opened the fridge to find a box from thred up (another thrifty habit) which had our bag of grapes in it and on the side was written "graps", he is always leaving my little gifts like this, it is something I have come to look forward to.. Almost for got  the baby found the dogs tail today which is very cute except for when he gets a hold of it of course he gets a mouth full of hair because that is where everything goes, not to mention the dog gets a little annoyed.. All in all a pretty decent day unless you are the dog walking around with a soggy tail.. 

Here are some of my finds from today.. Countdown to Santa (.95 goodwill), john deere tractor (2.00 goodwill), jelly bracelets (2.00 walmart *Christmas present*), spongebob shirt (4.00 walmart), purple shirt (2.00 walmart), angry birds shirt (4.00 walmart) and keens sandals (1.00 goodwill)..

Cute and Thrifty!!.. 06/01/14-?...

Ok I just found this for some reason I had no idea it was on my blog so I am posting it now because these are some of the cutest outfits they wore this summer and it would be a shame to not share them :) This is going to be a few weeks of cute and thrifty we haven't been going a lot of places because of birthday craziness and graduation events.. 

Oldest son's actual birthday outfits!! Top pic carters button up shirt (ross 10.00), levis jean shorts (3.50 consignment sale) and faded glory sandals (walmart 5.00).. Bottom pic carters turtle one piece (ross 5.00).. Total for both "birthday" outfits 23.50!! So cute and they matched each other!! 

Matching outfits for the going to the doctor!! Top pic gymboree dog shirt (once upon a child 3.50), faded glory shorts (walmart 5.00) and route66 sandals (kmart 5.00).. Bottom pic gymboree dog shirt (consignment sale 3.00), carters shorts (goodwill 1.00) and route 66 sandals (kmart 1.50).. Total for their matching outfits 19.00!!! 

Shopping day.. Top pic micky mouse shirt (consignment 2.50), garanimals shorts (walmart 2.00) and his sketcher tennis shoes (gift).. Bottom pic monster short set (kmart 4.00).. Total for both outfits was 6.50!!