I thought it would be fun to do a little monthly chat on My Frugal Adventures. I have been blogging for over 5 years now and sometimes I find things I really love but they might not be a super great deal so I never get around to posting them. See that little tiny person above getting squished by her big sister? Hard to believe MFA was born before she was! And that other gorgeous little one in the blue? That is the reason I started couponing- to save money so I could stay at home with her and not go back to work ;).
I know some of you visit this site regularly (and THANK YOU for that!!) and I thought it might be nice to take a break from the deals and just have a little chat with some things I have found, loved and just the things going on behind the screen here at My Frugal Adventures. Remember Coffee Talk from Saturday Night Live? Let’s channel our inner Mike Meyers and all talk amongst ourselves.
We limped to the finish line for school and we are finally done as of this week. The last week of school I still put little notes or stickers or whatever in lunchboxes for my girls every day- usually I write a little something “So proud of you! Let’s go swimming after school” or whatever. The last week of school I found a note tucked in the fridge from my preschooler that read “I No Carrot!” which still cracks me up- she meant she doesn’t like carrots and stop putting them in lunch- but just represents the ongoing battle to be sure my little darlings eat real food and not just junk day after day. Anyone else fighting the good battle there? That is a big focus for summer- a sugar detox for our entire family.
This week we are actually on a little vacation to Southern California- we drove down to Palm Springs to visit Grandpa Joe and then we leave for San Diego for a whopping 7 days. I can’t wait since the heat this summer in Sacramento has been awful! So I am actually going to a conference in San Diego but catching a day at the ball park with the family (our beloved Mariners are in town!), a day at Legoland and I am hoping to catch some time at the beach too.
Any San Diego folks have restaurant recommendations while we are in town?
Here I am with my girls at the Children’s Museum- they LOVED it and we had a terrible time pulling them away after spending about 4 hours playing games, doing crafts, painting a car….
One of the highlights was in the dress up area where they had typewriters and sewing machines and other props and my 5 year old sat down at the typewriter and said “Mommy what is this?”…. cut to my flashbacks of having typing classes in high school and I suddenly realize I am ooolllldddd.
I just heard about this nail polish that is supposed to last an entire week. I have a love- hate relationship with nail polish because it literally lasts a day for me. So I just got this polish and it has been amazing! Mine lasted 5 days and on the 6th day I just had some small chips on the nail tip- easy touch up time. You are supposed to use the top coat with this polish and I did not so I can’t wait for that to come and then I bet this lasts the full week for me. I got it in Lobster Roll which is a pretty happy redish orange color and best of all it is really affordable- about $5.
I just finished The One and Only from Emily Giffin and loved it. I finished this book in like 3 days. If you aren’t familiar with Emily Giffin she does lovely stories that are compelling and easy to read. Her book Something Blue was a movie starring Cameron Diaz years ago.
My hair has been so sad and dry lately from spending time in the sun and the pool and not taking good care of it in general. So I discovered this amazing leave in product called Its a 10. I ordered it off Amazon and I have been LOVING this stuff. I just picked up the conditioner at Target because I love the leave in so much.
I am loving these little weekend bags from Target for $34.99. I keep trying to justify buying a new summer travel bag when I already have a few… Sigh- we’ll see if the temptation is to much to resist. There are so many cute ones– a blue pineapple bag, a striped one, a light floral pattern and this orange one looks eh in the photo but in store it is really pretty. And my favorite color is orange! Meant to be right?
And as for behind the scenes- I have been working on photographing some of the fun stuff I have been making and doing with the kids. We always have a long Funner Summer list and this year is no different!
I think I am also gonna start a redesign of the blog. Nothing fancy but maybe a change to the graphics and then hopefully I can find the time to update some of the older articles on the site. Those have been woefully neglected.
Another project in the works is putting all the recipes on one page for quick reference, kid’s activities on one page etc… Hopefully it will be a super easy reference place for those of you that like those posts. (And PS- did I say thank you yet? Thank you! It is so fun for me to venture off the beaten path and do something a little different once in awhile. I really appreciate the support on those posts because it is nerve-wracking to put yourself out there.)
And that is about it for my first ever Behind the Screens of My Frugal Adventures. Does anyone have cool stuff they are up to this summer? I’d love to follow you on Instagram and see what you are up to! Just hashtag #funnersummer14 and I will see what fun things you are doing and creating!
And now back to regularly scheduled programming…
I live in NJ but stumbled upon your blog about 2 yrs ago and visit at least 3-4 times a day. Although we are far & some of the store match up’s don’t apply to me, I love your mix of savings, sales, tips & recipes. Thank you! You are a bright spot in my day!
LOVE THIS recap. I too just got my first introduction into oils and my favorite is peppermint, followed by Theives. I still don’t know quite what I’m doing, but I’m learning a bit at a time. Haven’t tried the CND Vinylux yet, but it has been on my radar for awhile. I have a UV light and love how long the polish color stays on….just wish it wasn’t so hard on my nails, ya know. 🙂
I love Behind the Screens! Please keep it up.
Thank you, Charlene! It’s fun to get a glimpse inside your world. I live in the Sacramento area, too. I laughed last week when you said it had been 250 degrees here because it sure felt like it, huh?! Enjoy your time in San Diego. It will be hot as heck in Palm Springs, but your trip to the coast will be a relief.
My family uses several of the YL oils. Peppermint has been a huge hit in our house for upset stomachs and headaches. One family member cannot take most conventional medications due to allergies to fillers in the medication, the oils have been a really good alternative!
I loved this chat! It makes you ‘real’ hearing about your actual life goings-on and not just the fabulous deals you post. 🙂 Thank you for all you do and I LOVE It’s a 10, too! That stuff makes my hair feel wonderful.
Oh thank you Elvia! The conditioner smells yummy. I have never had a conditioner with fragrance that lasted and this one sure does.
Mrs. Spartan- I just used it yesterday for the Palm Springs tram– it takes you way up into the mountains in this big tram. I am scared of heights and the last time I did it I was so sick. I swore I’d never go again. This time I dotted the peppermint on my neck and temples and I felt fine! I was a little dizzy from the altitude change but I really think that oil helped a lot.
Oh Kelly you must try it. At Blogher in Chicago they had manicure stations with these polishes and now that I have had them I remember they used these on us. We were all so excited because they lasted so long but back then it was just a soft release to nail salons. I remember being thrilled with that manicure.
Love this post. Very neat! Good read. Love your blog!
oh Charlene! I’ve been avid blog reader of yours for many of years! Thank you for this little snapshot into behind the scenes! I can’t believe its been over 5 years! When others bloggers that started during that time have fallen away, I love to see that you are doing so well and the kiddos are so darn cute! Keep up the great work! and a Big THANK YOU for all that you do for us!
Ha ha! “Doing so well” is subjective :D. But thanks Lily– time really flies!
I have been a long time reader and really enjoy your blog! Love all the recipes and look forward to seeing all the recipes on one page.
Love your blog! It’s the first place I go to when I’m looking for a deal. I’ve been a reader almost since the beginning and have done our own Summer of Fun list for the last three years. Thanks for all of your hard work!
so cute so whats going on, its nice to see life behind the screen. btw the emily giffn movie that came out was something borrowed : http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0491152/ they are, however working on something blue for the near future. 😉 its one of my favorite novels. I can pick any spot and just read and find little nuances I didn’t see before.
I, too, check on your blog at least once a day. Thank you for all you do! and all those tips, coupons, sharing your life with all of us out in the internet world! God bless you.
I enjoyed this post, and hope you’ll do it monthly! I’m a long time
reader, and probably check in twice a day. Thanks for all your
hard work, and enjoy your well-deserved vacation!
Thank you! Adding the books to my ‘to read’ list!
Loved this post! I am a San Francisco reader. I started reading your blog when it was new, in 2009 when I was pregnant with my youngest and got into couponing. I’m less into couponing these days, but love the deals you post, and also like posts like this one.
I’m lucky enough to know you in person, and I gotta say, you’re just as cool in person as you are in your blog. Keep it going Charlene! You are such an amazing mom and I appreciate you finding the time to enrich my life with your frugal findings. Big hugs!! Love ya’ friend!
I love your blog! I have been reading it for a couple years and have introduced it to many people. I just started trying out essential oils myself. I use DoTerra because that is what my friend introduced me to. We do our best to eat natural and use only natural products, so the oils just seemed like the next step. I just ordered their family physician kit and can’t wait to try it.
I am very excited for your quick reference pages. I often go back to look for something you’ve posted in the past and having it in one place will be great.
If you’re ever in western WA send me an email. I’ll show you around or give you a place to stay. 🙂
Love your blog been a reader for over 3 yrs. love ur lifestyle stuff more than deals 😉
Why…because there are so many coupon blogs out there..yours stands out . I love your articles a LOT !!
Hi Charlene,
I have been reading your blog for a few years now. I catch up on your posts via facebook and bloglovin. I do appreciate all the deals as well as your tips. Once my daughter goes back to school this year, I plan on re-reading your posts on back-to school organization because this year all the papers and homework got the best of me on a few occasions:)
Thanks and keep up the great work!!
I loved this post. Keep posts like this coming. How do you record the deals while you are shopping and keep the kids from not attacking each other? I just came from going to the movies and my kids bugged each other in the car both ways.
Ha! Cathy I got nothing for you there! My children get bribed into quiet with snacks :). I’d get a High powered Nerf squirt gun if I were you and draw it on them and squirt their heads off when they misbehave 😀
Yeah Annie the deals aren’t as exciting after a few years are they? I still like the online shopping stuff but I am completely guilty of falling behind with coupons :).
I am a stay at home mom of 5 and I babysit a baby! I love your site and truly appreciate all the time you put into your site! I use a lot of the deals you post!! Target is my favorite!!
I too live in Sacramento and not all the deal match up for me, but most do! Been following for a little over a year. So glad I found your site, I’ve found some amazing deals because of it.
I love my nail polish but hate chipping. Despise chipping. Makes me crazy I hate it so much. I just started selling jamberry (for my personal discount) so I wouldn’t have chipped nails anymore. I love all the designs but I might try out that vinylux stuff for other days.
Ha ha Gracie there isn’t much there for those topics because I find it hard to keep up with all that stuff too! I will definitely have a big back to school series though- I have already started working on some articles.
You are sweet Janelle! I lived in Mukilteo, Kirkland, Queen Anne — about 8 years in Seattle. We don’t visit that often but when we do it is s food fest for me! Cafe Ladro followed by Top Pot followed by Beecher’s followed by the Pink Door…. 😀
Charlene,
I visit your site daily and did so even BEFORE I had twins. Thank you so much for your hard work and dedication. Love the insight via Behind the Screen. I am a professional stylist and refuse to let my clients pay retail for clothing and accessories. You support me in extending that ethos to almost every other part of my life, THANK YOU!!!
Best,
Leah Sakamoto
Oh fancy Leah! Will you style me 😛 I am a mess most days.
Big fan- You dork! Thanks girl :). Hope you are feeling better!
Karen thanks for that correction! I read both books and got them mixed up :p
Go Padres! We love eating at Filippi’s in Little Italy (India St.) and Hodad’s in OB for burgers and onion rings (Guy Fierri &Food Network visited so expect waiting in line to get in). The new library is pretty awesome and not far from the children’s museum downtown, maybe a block from Petco Park. Have fun!
Thank you Martha!
I have been following your blog for a looooonnnng time, I am pretty sure since the beginning. I won an early days of MFA prize, a giftcard from sav-a-lot. I enjoy your blog from Ohio
Ha! That was a long time ago! Thanks for commenting Dawn 🙂