5 Things I'm Loving This Week (Doughnuts, a read-aloud we're loving, + healthy Chocolate Chip Cookies!) and more...



Here's what's new: 5 Things I’m Loving This Week (Doughnuts, a read-aloud we’re loving, + healthy Chocolate Chip Cookies!) Unleavened Bread, Coloring Posters, & Some Thoughts on Celebrating Easter Weekend 5 Things I’m Loving This Week (Doughnuts, a read-aloud we’re loving, + healthy Chocolate Chip Cookies!) 1. My New Mug At dinner one night this week, my husband handed me something all wrapped up in tissue paper. It was this mug he had painted for me at a local ceramics shop while I was in Israel. It’s my favorite style of mug, painted in my favorite color, painted with my favorite flowers (tulips), made by my favorite person in the world. Talk about a perfect combination to put a smile on my face and make me happy… And probably one of the most thoughtful gifts he’s ever given me because I know how much love went into it. 2. Flourless Chocolate Chip Cookies I made these week and was really happy with how they turned out, how easy they were to make, and how they tasted. They had a lot more texture than a typical chocolate chip, but for how healthful the ingredients were, I was really impressed with them! (They are from the Chocolate-Covered Katie cookbook — one of my favorite cookbooks for healthful and yummy desserts!)  3. Amazon Music Do you have an Amazon Prime account? If so, you must check out Prime Music!! It’s free — and I absolutely love it! You can choose radio stations, find new recommendations based on what you listen to, create playlists, and much more. (And if you use Amazon Music, I’d love to hear what your favorite stations are!) 4. Carry On, Mr. Bowditch If you’ve not read this book to your kids, I’d definitely recommend it. All three of the kids are really engaged and attentively listening when I read it and always beg me to read more when I’m done. I’ve had this book on our shelf for a long time, but honestly, the cover just looked boring so I didn’t pick it up to start reading to the kids. I’m glad it was assigned reading in Sonlight, or we would have missed out on this gem of a book. Yet another great example of why you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover! (Are you enjoying any read alouds as a family right now? I’d love to know!) 5. Freshly-Baked Doughnuts After Silas’ baseball practice this morning, we went to Five Daughters Bakery to get doughnuts. They might be some of the most expensive doughnuts you’ll ever eat, but they are so, so yummy and worth splurging on occasionally! I got a Chocolate Sea Salt doughnut… I wish I could show you a picture of it, but um, that baby is long gone. And I savored every bite! What are YOU loving this week? Tell us in the comments.        Unleavened Bread, Coloring Posters, & Some Thoughts on Celebrating Easter Weekend Inspired by the recipe in my She Reads Truth study book this week, we made Unleavened Bread today. Well, I say “we”, but it was actually mostly just Kaitlynn. I mentioned wanting to make it and she asked if she could see the recipe. Once she saw how easy it was, she jumped right into making it — and she did an amazing job and needed very little help from me. It’s pretty incredible to have kids who are old enough to read recipes and who love to cook… Because then my great intentions of doing fun projects with them in the kitchen actually happen most of the time — without a whole lot of effort on my part!! We also had so much fun working on these huge coloring posters from Illustrated Children’s Ministry! My kids thought they were SO cool and we smiled and laughed together while listening to music, coloring, and talking. Multiple times, my kids exclaimed, “I just LOVE these posters and it’s so fun to be lying on the floor coloring together!” And it made me so happy. Even though Good Friday is traditionally thought of as a dark day, I’ve been thinking about how it is actually one of the most glorious days… Because it is through Christ’s death and resurrection that we have LIFE. Abundant LIFE! I want my kids to grasp a little taste of that. Speaking of Easter, to me, these words above are the most powerful three words in the Bible, the most life-changing words for each of us who are followers of Christ. He paid it all so that we don’t have to spend our lives carrying around the weight of our sins, striving for perfection, trying to be a better person, chasing after doing what is right. Instead, we can rest in His finished work on the Cross. He didn’t come to give us rules and regulations to follow; He gave Himself… so that we might be free. Free to live in the fullness of joy that only He can give. Let’s live our lives in gratitude and joy today because “it is finished!”        RARE! American Girl Magazine for $15.95 This is such a rare deal and might be a GREAT gift idea for Easter! Right now, at DiscountMags you can get a one year subscription to American Girl Magazine for $15.95 when you use coupon code MONEYSAVING at checkout. This offer is good through Sunday night at midnight (03/27) so hurry! (Note: The links in this post are affiliate links. Read our disclosure policy here.)        Gretchen’s $53 Grocery Shopping Trip and Weekly Menu Plan Homeland 2 Nabisco Ritz Crackers – $2 each, used $0.75/2 coupon from the 3/20 SmartSource insert (doubled) – $1.25 each after coupon 2 Mrs Butterworth’s Syrup – $2.50 each, used $1/2 printable (doubled) AND $0.50/1 store coupon – $1.25 each after coupons 1 Vlasic Pickles – $2, used $1/1 printable (doubled) – Free after coupon 1 Haribo Gold Bear – $1, used $0.30/1 printable (doubled) – $0.40 after coupon 1 GoGo Squeeze Applesauce – $2.69, used $1/1 coupon from the 3/6 SmartSource insert (doubled) – $0.69 after coupon 1 Pillsbury Muffins – $2, used Free text coupon – Free after coupon Total after coupons: $6.09 Dillons 1 Kroger Frozen Hashbrowns – $1.99 1 Kroger Shredded Cheese – $1.77 1 Moms Best Cereal – $1.67, used $0.75/1 printable – $0.92 after coupon 1 Kroger Pecans – $2.57 1 Campbells Soup – $1 2 Pineapples – $0.99 each, used $0.25 Checkout 51 rebate – $0.86 each after rebate 2 Nabisco Wheat Thins – $1.77, used $1 Checkout 51 rebate – $1.27 each after rebate (I also had a $1/2 e-coupon that was supposed to come off but it didn’t.) 1 Green Pepper – $0.99 1 Ham Steak – $2.99 1 Kroger Sour Cream – $1 1 Romaine Lettuce – $0.99 2 Annie’s Mac & Cheese – $1 each Total after coupons and rebate: $20.49 Aldi 1 bag Apples – $2.99 2 dozen Eggs – $0.79 each 1 loaf Bread – $1.39 1 gallon Milk – $1.79 1 pkg Rice Cakes – $1.29 1 bag Spinach – $1.79 1 Cucumbers – $0.49 1 pkg Frozen Tilapia Fillets – $2.99 2 pkg Butter – $1.99 each 1 Frozen Orange Juice – $1.19 1 pkg Flour Tortillas – $1.19 2 pkg Strawberries – $1.49 each 1 lb Grass Fed Ground Beef – $3.49 Total: $27.14 Total for all groceries: $53.72 Menu Plan for This Week Breakfasts Cereal Easter Brunch with family (I’m bringing Hashbrown Casserole.) Eggs & Spinach x 3 Toast & Fruit x 2 Lunches Macaroni and Cheese, Fruit Tossed Salad Bar, Crackers x 2 Cheese/Crackers/Fruit/Veggies Peanut Butter & Jelly on Ricecakes, Carrot Sticks Lunch with family Leftovers Dinners Grilled Chicken on Tossed Salad Chicken & Rice, Steamed Broccoli (leftover from last week) Chicken Burritos, Fruit Salad Herb Roasted Chicken & Sides, Rolls Cheesy Enchilada Casserole, Tossed Salad Lemon Garlic Tilapia, Baked Potatoes, Steamed Peas Leftovers        Amazon.com: LEGO Friends Heartlake Hair Salon for just $18.59! Amazon has the popular LEGO Friends Heartlake Hair Salon on sale for just $18.59 right now! This is the #1 best seller in toy building sets on Amazon. Sign up for a free trial of Amazon Prime to get free 2-day shipping. Thanks, For The Mommas! (Note: The links in this post are affiliate links. Read our disclosure policy here.)        Kids Bowl Free Program: Two free games each day all summer long! Register your kids for the Kids Bowl Free Program, and they will receive two free games of bowling every day all summer long! Valid at select bowling centers. Age requirements and time restrictions vary by location. Shoe rental price not included. Thanks, Freebies For A Cause!        Free Printable Healthy Food Group Worksheets Download free printable healthy food group worksheets.        Free Printable Minecraft Math Pack Download a free printable Minecraft math pack.        Free Butterfly Life Cycle Printable Pack Download a free butterfly life cycle printable pack.        CVS: Deals for the week of March 27-April 2, 2016 Here are the best deals at CVS this week, with a big thanks to Passionate Penny Pincher for her help in compiling them: Buy 2 Garnier Fructis Hair Products at $3, Get $4 ECBs (Limit 1) Use $2/1 coupon from the 3/6 RedPlum insert Free plus $2 moneymaker after coupon and ECBs Buy 3 L'Oreal Advanced Hair Products at $4, Get $5 ECBs (Limit 1) Use $3/1 printable Free plus $1 moneymaker after coupons and ECBs Buy 1 Colgate Toothpaste at $3.19, Get $2.50 ECBs (Limit 2) Use $0.75/1 printable  Free plus $0.06 moneymaker after coupon and ECBs Buy 2 CVS Pain Relief at $2.99, Get $5 ECBs (Limit 1) $0.49 after ECBs Buy 2 Soft Soap Body Washes at $3.50, at $4 ECBs (Limit 1) Use $1/1 coupon from the 3/20 SmartSource insert $0.50 each after coupons and ECBs Spend $30, Get $10 ECBs (Limit 1) *Deal Idea* Buy 3 Schick Disposable Razors – $10.49 Use $4/1 coupon from the 3/13 SmartSource insert Pay $19.47 out of pocket, Get $10 ECBs $3.16 each after coupons and ECBs Spend $30, Get $10 ECBS (Limit 1) *Deal Idea* Buy 3 Huggies Diapers – $9.99 Use $4/2 printable Pay $23.97 out of pocket, Get $10 ECBs $4.66 per pack after coupons and ECBs Spend $30, Get $10 ECBs (Limit 1) *Deal Idea* Buy 3 Charmin Toilet Paper (16 pk) or Bounty Paper Towels (8 pk) – $9.99 Use $1/1 printable (the $1/1 will be available on Sunday) Pay $26.97 out of pocket, Get $10 ECBs $5.66 each after coupons and ECBs Other Deals In Ad Kit Kat or Snickers – $0.88 Use $1/2 printable Use $.38/1 App download $0.13 each after coupons  Brawny Paper Towels (6 pk) – $4.99 Use $1/1 printable  Use $1/1 App download $2.99 after coupons New to shopping at CVS? Be sure to check out my CVS 101 post that gives you the full scoop on how to get the best bargains at CVS. See the full list of deals at CVS this week here. Do you have your shopping trip planned or did you come up with a great deal scenario/idea? Just post about it on your blog and leave your link below. To make it easy for everyone to navigate quickly through the links, your link must link directly to your CVS deals post. Links going to the homepage of your blog or any other part of your blog besides the direct link to your CVS deals post will be deleted.        Walgreens: Deals for the week of March 27-April 2, 2016 Here are the best deals at Walgreens this week, with thanks to Passionate Penny Pincher for her help with compiling these: Balance Reward Points Buy 1 Clear Care Cleaning Solution, 12 oz at $9.99, Get 2000 Balance Points Rewards Use $5/1 printable  $2.99 after coupon and Balance Reward Points Register Rewards Buy 2 Colgate Mouthwash at $3, Get $4 Register Rewards Use $1/1 coupon from the 3/6 SmartSource insert Free after coupons and Register Rewards Other Deals In Ad Canada Dry (2 L) – $1 Use $1/1 printable $0.50 after coupon Palmolive Dish Liquid (10 oz) – $0.99 Use $0.25/1 printable $0.74 after coupon New to shopping at Walgreens? Be sure to head over and check out Walgreens 101 where I explain in detail how to maximize the mileage of your money at Walgreens. See the full list of deals at Walgreens this week over at Passionate Penny Pincher. Do you have your shopping trip planned or did you come up with a great deal scenario/idea? Just post about it on your blog and leave your link below. To make it easy for everyone to navigate quickly through the links, your link must link directly to your Walgreens deals post. Links going to the homepage of your blog or any other part of your blog besides the direct link to your Walgreens deals post will be deleted.        Free Biotrue Contact Lens Solution Sample Sign up for a free sample of Biotrue Contact Lens Solution. You must currently be using a different brand of contact lens solution to qualify. Thanks, Freebie Radar!        Latest finds on Pinterest There are days when I wake up feeling overwhelmed. When I feel tired and behind before my feet even hit the floor. When I just want to roll over and go back to sleep because my to-do list is too long and the night was too short. When I wake up feeling discouraged and tired or when I start feeling down or want to wallow in frustration, I’ve found a number of solutions to help me get back on track and have more of a cheerful, upbeat attitude. Click through for my list of 33 ideas... Kelly from New Leaf Wellness shows us how to make five vegetarian freezer crockpot meals in 50 minutes. EASY WHOLE WHEAT BREAD! There’s nothing like homemade bread fresh from the oven! Latest finds on Pinterest There are days when I wake up feeling overwhelmed. When I feel tired and behind before my feet even hit the floor. When I just want to roll over and go back to sleep because my to-do list is too long and the night was too short. When I wake up feeling discouraged and tired or when I start feeling down or want to wallow in frustration, I’ve found a number of solutions to help me get back on track and have more of a cheerful, upbeat attitude. Click through for my list of 33 ideas... Kelly from New Leaf Wellness shows us how to make five vegetarian freezer crockpot meals in 50 minutes. EASY WHOLE WHEAT BREAD! There’s nothing like homemade bread fresh from the oven!     Click here to safely unsubscribe from "LITE Feed, Money Saving Mom®." Click here to view mailing archives, here to change your preferences, or here to subscribe • Privacy Email subscriptions powered by FeedBlitz, LLC, 365 Boston Post Rd, Suite 123, Sudbury, MA 01776, USA.