HAPPY BIRTHDAY HOLLEY!!!

Yesterday was Miss Holley's (one of my beautiful nieces) 10th birthday!! Holley, I told you I would put you on my blog little missy!! Just a little late cause, well, life gets in the way sometimes when you least expect it. BUT - it's here!!!


HAPPY 10th BIRTHDAY SWEET ONE!!!


WITH MUCH LOVE FROM
AUNT MA, JOHN, RACHEL & STEPHEN

Terrific Tuesday!!

Just a quick note as we go into Tuesday!
We survived Monday... :-)

Today's agenda includes school/work for all. Stephen has another dr's appointment with his ADHD Doc (get more meds for 10 min conversation). Luckily, his dad is getting him for this one. No update yet on the other testing.

Scouts at 7 pm for Stephen.
Soccer tonight out in Katy for Rachel with the team
Beth Moore (YIPPPPPEEEEE) Bible Study tonight for Mama
John... well, he gets to fix dinner and chaffeur duty. I love ya honey!! Thank you!!

Off to get in the traffic lanes ...

MA

Letter to my kids....

Last week when our country inaugurated our 44th President of the United States of America, there were a lot of thoughts rolling around in my head that I wanted to write about it, but couldn't get out of my head into written words. Luckily, I have a very bright and talented younger sister who did just that in a very sweet letter to her children on her blog and her words were exactly what I wanted to say to my own kids!! She has so graciously allowed me to copy her thoughts into my blog so they are captured here to be read now and provide memories for later. Thank you Stacey for letting me use your very captivating words!!

******************Letter to my precious kids ***************************

It has been my intention and hope since I started this family blog to capture moments in time for you to look back on and remember when you are older; memories of your childhood days. Today was one of those moments that will be remembered for many, many years to come. Today our county inaugurated our 44th president, Barack Obama. Not only is he our 44th president, but he is the first African-American President to EVER be elected. It no longer matters which candidate I voted for, this is my president and your president. As you grow up and learn about politics yourselves, you will find that there are few, if any, politicians that you will agree with 100% of the time. There may be one political party that is more in line with what you believe but even within that party, there are differences of opinion. My advice to you is this, pray. Pray hard. Know what you believe about the issues and then vote according to those beliefs. Seek your answers from scripture and Godly people in your lives, people who seek their guidance from Jesus.

Here is Barack Obama taking the oath of office and becoming the 44th president of the United State of America.

President Obama placed his hand on the same Bible that President Lincoln used at his inauguration. The last phrase that President Obama said was " So help me God". There are people in this country who fought to have that last phrase regarding God taken out of the oath of office. That is very scary to me.

There were record numbers of people who traveled from all over the country and the world to see Barack Obama become the president.

President Bush made this "transition of power" one of the smoothest of all times. Regardless of what some say, President Bush led this country and made decisions based on what he believed. He did not make decisions according to opinion polls. He had some tough decisions to make during his presidency too! Regardless of whether I agreed with everything, I am very grateful for the way he led and loved on the people of this country during those dark days after Sept. 11, 2001. Job well done. And kids, do you know that he loves Jesus? That is why he does not regret any of the decisions he made. He followed what he felt the Lord was leading him to do. That is all you can do.

Kids, you my wonder why I am writing all of this. I just want you to know that we have the greatest county in the world. We are able to choose our leaders and have more freedoms than you (and I) realize. Please remember to pray for the leaders of this country. Even the ones that you may not vote for. Pray that God will work miracles in their lives and hearts and that they will seek His will in leading our country. God is ALWAYS in control...he knows what decisions we are going to make before we make them. He gives us free will....choose to seek Him...life won't always be perfect...but with Jesus by your side...wow... some of my all time favorite scriptures are on the cross that sits on my nightstand. I read it everyday. Each of you have seen it. It reads like this "For I know the plans I have for you," says the Lord. "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope....when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me in earnest, you will find me when you seek me. I will be found by you," says the Lord....."I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you." Jeremiah 29:11-13 and Psalm 32:8.

So my dear ones, seek Him, let him guide you. It will be the best decision you will EVER make. I love each of you so very much! Love, Mom

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Thank you Aunt Stacey!!

MA

Fabulous Friday!!

Friday is here again! Oh how I love Fridays!! :-)

I took the day off today because our Friday is chock full of doctor's appointments. Rachel and I go back and see the neurologist for both of us and Stephen has an appointment with the pedi to talk about his growth (or lack of).

Medical Updates:

Orthopedic - Rachel had an appointment with the orthopedic yesterday and basically, he believes, having ruled out all other possibilities, that her right shoulder blade issue may just be recurring muscle strain. How? Why? who knows.... so, he gave her a lovely shot and said, hopefully, she'll feel better in that area by Monday. If not...well, we didn't ask that question. Not sure what we'd do at that point but perhaps get a second opinion. The surgery needed for her left shoulder that is way loose is set right now for May 1.

Neurologist:
Rachel - just a follow up today from the MRI's that were ordered pre Christmas. I already know the results were normal, so not sure if there will be anything interesting come from this appointment for Rachel.

MA - same doctor, different patient (ME). My stuff is a little more active. While my numbness is generally overall better, it's still there often. If I do the traction daily and exercises, it seems to generally keep it somewhat lessened, but really not gone away. In addition, the last couple of weeks I've developed some pain starting to be uncomfortable at the base of my neck so .... not sure where this will lead, but my guess may be a nuerosurgeon for further discussions. I'm putting off the surgery as long as I can but they may be able to give me some injections to lessen the pain if it gets too uncomfortable.

Pediatrician for Stephen:
Stephen's small size is becoming more and more noticeable amongst his peers. His weight sits around 75 which is where it has been within 5 lbs for nearly 3 years or more. More concerning though is his height at 4 feet 5 inches. We believe on the overall growth charts, that puts him at the 3% percentile. Rob mentioned he had some growth assistance as a child, so we are going to start down the path for evaulation for growth hormone deficiency. I imagine we'll end up with a pediatric endocrinologist for evaulation. There have been some studies recently that have shown that ADHD has little to do with growth hormone, but that lack of oxygen at birth does. Stephen did suffer a traumatic birth with an unknown time without oxygen. Some other signs are signficant delay in baby teeth replacement. He actively started losing his baby teeth just recently. Comparing him to Rachel, she had lost them all and had all her permanent teeth in by end of 5th grade and was in braces by beginning of 6th grade. So...we'll see where this leads.

Please pray for him... kids at this age are just down right mean and when you standout, for whatever reason, you are a target for mean kids to make fun of. He happens to be in this situation with his size and the kids are not treating him well at school. He's having a tough time dealing with this along with just the normal issues an ADHD kid has dealing with social skills overall. This is a tough time for him and for his Mama Bear who wants to go have a word or two with all those kids for treating her baby bear so ugly, but who knows, clearly... that won't work.

So... that's our day today!! I think after this set of visits today, we're having Los Ramirez for dinner with a Sangria Margarita for Mama Bear!!

Love to all!!

MA

Historic Moments

Today was one of those moments in our lives... A Historic Moment.... One we should stop and recognize no matter our political beliefs. Our nation has inaugurated its first African American president - President Barack Obama. Unfortunately, due to work commitments, I was unable to watch any of this event. I'm going to be reading the text from his speech to catch up!

Tonight was Night 2 of Beth Moore's spring Bible Study - The Inheritance. Boy, she is good. It just feels like the light bulb goes on every time I spend time in one of her studies!! I love it. I wish this one had a workbook to go along with it, but I am completely enjoying this study.

I think I was so thrilled about my CVS savings on Sunday, I forgot to say thank you to my friend Michelle and her husband, Tom, for inviting me over for a great dinner (yummy yummy brussel sprouts, brisket and potatoes with a fantastic pumpking soup to start and a really yummy cheesecake to finish not to mention the appetizers)and some fantastic wine on Saturday evening!! I had a great time hanging out with them while my hubby was out roughing it in the outdoors. Also enjoyed meeting their really cool friends - Anthony & Sean!! Thanks so much for the evening!! I had a really nice time!

***************Baby Harper Update***************

Keep praying!!! Baby Harper has a very serious case of pneumonia and is holding her own for now. Please pray for God to heal her and help her parents through this tough time. See her blog (big button on the right) for more information about this very sweet family.

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Later!! Bedtime now!!

MA

By Golly - I figured it out at CVS!!!

***UPDATE *** on Baby Harper

Baby Harper is stable but still in VERY critical condition. Please continue to keep her, her new mommy (Kelly) and her new daddy (Scott) in your prayers for healing.

Check out Kelly's Blog for continued updates.

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Headline should read this .....

Got $82.17 worth of goods for only $5.61 after coupons, ECB's & rebates!! TRULY!!

Yep.. I did!! It only took me about 2 hours this morning to figure out a plan for how to do this today. Hoping it'll get easier in the future. The other thing I determined is I will either have to do this on Saturday's (and try to find the info) or wait a day or so. They didn't have quite everything I wanted to get today having sold out already. But.. nevertheless.. I did extremely well for my first stab at this.

First thing you should know is you WILL have to expend some $$ on your first trip there. How many $$ is up to you, but if you plan it right, it's like an investment into a LOT of SAVINGS in the future.

Here's what I bought today:

Transaction #1

Pepsi Deal (Buy $20 of product, receive $10 ECB PLUS there is a $15 Rebate offered) ( We don't normally drink much soda and usually not Pepsi products, but we're having a party in two weeks so this works for this)
(4) Pepsi assorted 12 packs (4/$12)
(2) Pepsi assorted 2L bottles(4/$5 0r $1.25 each = $2.50)
(2) Chips (Lays/Tostitos) (2/$6)
Total: $20.50
Extra Doritos (cause I didn't realize they weren't part of this deal) - $3.99

CVS 10mg Loratadine Allergy Relief - 5 Ct Normally $4.29/Sale $3.79/Get $3.79 ECB

Neutrogena Shampoo Products (Buy $15 product/Get $5 ECB)
(2) TGel Shampoos (Normally $7.25/Sale $4.99/$2 Coupon x2)
(2) Triple Moisture Shampoos (Normally $7.25/Sale $4.99/$2 Coupon x2)
Value: (Normally $29/Sale Price$19.96 Less $Coupons $8.00 = $11.96; Get $5 ECB = $6.96 value)

Excedrin Express Gels (20-24 count) Normally $4.99/Sale $1.99/$2 Coupon = FREE
Excedrin Express Gels (20-24 count) Normaly $4.99/Sale $1.99/$2 Coupon = FREE

Cheezit Crackers Bonus Value Twin Pack - 2 10oz boxes (Normally $6.99/Sale $6.00/Get $3.00 ECB)

American Greeting Cards Buy 3 Cards/Get $3 ECB I bought 3 - $.99 cards = FREE


Transaction #2
CVS 10mg Loratadine Allergy Relief - 5 Ct Normally $4.29/Sale $3.79/Used $3.79 ECB from prior transaction/Got another $3.79 ECB = MADE $3.79 on the deal.

GRAND TOTALS:

Product Priced Normally: $82.17
Sales Price: $64.98
Less Manufacturer Coupons: $12.00
Used ECB's: $3.79
Out of Pocket (1st Trip): 49.19
Earned ECBs: $28.58
Rebates Received: $15.00

Total Cost of Trip: $5.61

I mean ... COME ON... that's amazing!!! AND... we will use everything I bought!!

Two things I couldn't get that I'm going to check back later in the week - Cottenelle TP and AXE Shampoo. In theory, if I find the coupons for the AXE deal, I could do it 5 times and have a lot of really free shampoo for Stephen for awhile.

OK - so I bet you really wanna know how to do this now don't ya???

Click on the link on the right to MoneySavingMom blog or click here. She's got a lot of great info on CVS (and lots of other things) out there about how to maximize this program for your benefit. I'm happy to answer questions, just remember, I'm just beginning.....

The other really great site to help you match up coupons with sales is The Grocery Game.com. You have to pay for this service but it is very reasonable and you can pick what stores you wish to see. This saves me time which is limited in my life. If you sign up, please put me as your referral source!!

If you need to see this in spreadsheet form, just let me know and I can send it to you. I'm an Excel person so that makes the most sense to me.

Stay tuned for next week......

MA

Random Thoughts....

**** Update*****
It appears baby Harper is doing better and may not have to go on the heart/lung bypass at all! Prayers at Work!!

****************

First - please pray for a little girl named Harper who was born yesterday but is in very critical condition shortly after birth and flown to Tulsa, OK to go through a heart/lung bypass due to a serious case of pneumonia. Found this sweet lady's blog, Kelly, through a couple of the other blogs I follow (Bring the Rain and BooMama).

Read Kelly's blog for updates on Harper. Praying for Harper!!

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It's been a busy week here at the Cox house. I just haven't had much time to blog and really, haven't had much time to look at my computer at all!! I'm not a fan of ultrabusy weeks, but I suppose they are just that way right now.

So, what have we been up to this week ??? Well, in addition to the normal - soccer practices, games, working concessions at soccer games, flute lessons, scout meetings, work ......

Beth Moore - The Inheritance Bible Study
Personally, I added an activity to our schedule for the next 9 weeks!! I have wanted for a very long time to go to one Beth Moore's real live studies just to experience it. Her studies bring me closer to Jesus in many ways. Centers my focus, wonderful praise music, incredible topics, expands my understanding. Her bible study is at Houston First Baptist and on Tuesday nights. Pre-John, there was really no way I could have attended her live studies with Stephen having Scouts on the same night and my chaffeur duties there. I was lucky if I could make the one at our church consistently! With John's wonderful assistance, I can go now!! He's agreed to ensure Stephen gets to Scouts and has what he needs. Thank you so much my love!! John knows how much I need some of this personal bible time so he's been so wonderful about ensuring I get to do it. I know God placed this man in my life for a reason... I get to experience it each and every day!

Back to Beth Moore - if you don't know her through her bible studies and you want to really dig deep in your understanding of the Bible, she's definitely a study you should try. She has many different studies out there and has an amazing ability to convey God's words in a manner in which you can grasp with a passion and humour that is extremely engaging!! She's a real, live person with such a passion for Jesus and is not perfert! Nope... she readily tells you she is not.. nor are we, yet in Christ we are forgiven and are Heiresses! If you don't know about her studies, check her out at http://www.lproof.org/ and she and her daughters maintain a great blog HERE. There is currently a scripture memory project happening for 2009 with about 3000 people taking part in memorizing two scriptures a month!


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Alone time for Mama!!

Kids are with their dad this weekend.....
John is at the ranch this weekend.....
Mama is happy at home alone this weekend... :-)

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Saving Money .....

I'm on a mission to reduce our spending around here. We spend WAY to much on stupid stuff. Frustrating!! EVERYTHING (even my scrapbooking/book expenditures) is on the review list for right now!! It's not that I'm going to cut them all, just want to control them all.

The first thing will be to reduce how much we spend on cable/internet/phone expenses. Trust me... it's way too much. Cutting that in half!!

The second thing is to find ways to not spend so many of my $$$ at the grocery store!! Does not translate into necessarily less items. Going back to my coupon tracking/using methods where I once came out of a store with $150 in items for only about $30. Yep... that's what I want. It takes time and patience, but gee... it's worth it.

The third thing relates to the first - planning our meals. We have fallen into the busy family trap - quick dinners when you're running fast and furiously after working a long day and then having a short timeframe to get a kid to an activity or game. While it's not reasonable to remove it entirely (like saying I'm going cold turkey on no coffee!!), it is reasonable to reduce the frequency! Ensuring we have items in the house easy to prepare and ready to go is an important piece to this. If you have to spend 45 minutes preparing dinner, it won't work.

The fourth thing - go back to the Dave Ramsey envelope method. If you don't know Dave Ramsey's principles - go HERE and take notes!! The most valuable time you can spend on yourself. If you're in Houston, he'll be here January 24 live. Employing the envelopes for our extraneous items (i.e. dining out, books, etc.) will help me limit them.

There's more... but I think those are the most important! We are truly blessed financially but saving money is more important now more than ever.

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Tis all for right now my friends!!! Have a great weekend!
MA