White Noise....

You may have noticed the lack of activity here for the past few days. A series of nasty viruses infected my computer. It has been stripped and re-installed back to the original factory specifications on December 17, 2005. As you can imagine this process has taken hours and new posts will continue, but not tonight...

Peace out!

ABC Poster designed by Ramon Tejada and Written by yours truly is printed!

Yippee!!!

This whimsical ABC poster was the brain child of my friend Ramon, NY graphic designer extraordinaire. We have been working on this project since he proposed the idea on a snowy visit last year and it is finally, finally printed!

It is now in a new format (for those who saw the other one) and for sale! :)

Want more info? Send an email to me at: sanderdrei@gmail.com

Happy New Year!

Happy 2010! As the new year is dawning, I hope that you are enjoying the first days of the new year and the new decade.

It seems like yesterday the Y2K hysteria was going on and naysayers were sure that the Apocalypse was immanent. Thankfully, they were wrong.

The 2000's started out as a decade of over indulgence and bigger is better. Coasting through the decade, everyone was trying to outdo the Joneses, and many were caught up in economically overstretching and using credit for everything from a gallon of milk, to 100% financing on housing. Hey, this was the American dream.

That bubble burst, and burst loudly in the mid-decade. Gone was the wanton spending, replaced by a panic for the future and millions of dollars lost in the now defunct real estate market. Times were bleak, so many were without jobs, and yet there was the hope that things would rebound.

By the end of 2009, frugality and stretching dollars was in vogue and people were starting to find jobs, and finally feel a little more secure. Gone was the frivolous spending that started the decade, replaced by a Depression Era sensibility of recycling, reusing, rethinking.

Hopefully, this new mindset will buoy us all through whatever plan is in store for us all. In the meantime, why don't we all sit down and make some financial resolutions for this new year along with the usual yearly goals?

Happy New Year!

Happy Holidays...

Perhaps you are wondering where the deals are? The freebies? The too hot to believe deals?

Christmas and a lingering throat issue have taken up all of my free time since 7 am on Tuesday, December 22 until today. Relatives and friends visiting from afar, children to take to see movies (The Frog Princess is really cute), and just trying to find the floor after Santa visited.

The web has started to show deals again and this blog will be back in action as soon as possible. In the meantime, if you find a great deal, why not email the information to me and I will post it? sanderdrei@gmail.com

May your days continue to be merry and bright and may all your wishes for 2009 come true!

Peace, Love and Happiness from our blog to your home!

Economizing, is it really worth it?

Over the past month, I have tried coupons, keeping my eye out for deals, and just trying to be a bit more economical than my usual dash in and dash out to any store and just grab what I find.

The interesting thing is that it really is worth it! My three goals this month were:

1. Save some money.
2. Stretch my grocery budget so that some of it can eat the rising gas costs.
3. See if you can really score free stuff with coupons.

This is what I've found:

1. We have saved hundreds of dollars on shopping alone and with all the rebates that I have sent in for, I have $298 coming back to my savings account. One of the best things I have discovered on this journey is the Single Check Rebate from RiteAid and Register Rewards from Walgreens. Free stuff and money in my pocket!

2. The hunt is just part of the fun. The find is so sweet!

3. I can't believe that I ever thought that couponing was not for me. It is a pain to have a million coupons in my binder, but when I find a sweet deal for free or near free, my budget swells and leaves more room for fun stuff.

As a side benefit: With tons of research, I have 65% of my Christmas gifts done for free (or just for shipping). Thus, all the money I usually spend on some gifts is freed up for other things, like life.

I say, happy couponing and bring it on!

3 small kids+tons of sweat= Half Marathon Bling Bling

This past year my blog has been sporadically updated. The reason is that I was training for the Walt Disney World Half Marathon which took place on the 10th of January. Though the half marathon is not the longest of races, please keep in mind that when I initially signed hubby and myself up for this task I had never run a mile in my life, never mind 13.1. With determination and trepidation, a trainer was found, a gym was revisited and a new hobby was to become part of me.

Running is not for the faint of heart I have learned. It is a life commitment. A new drug. A fun way to bond with others. A community unto itself. It is an escape from the hectic life of two pre-schoolers and one toddler.

In preparation for the big event, several smaller races were run. Completed. Finished. Who cares about timing at this point? Because let's be honest. A 36 year old completely out of shape woman was happy to just be able to run without collapsing.

Today, my second year as a runner starts. It is an anniversary of sorts. And one that was completely my doing. Other than my husband and three kids, there was a lot of emotional support, but not a whole lot of outside help that was not paid for. The fall was full of runny noses and a treadmill was purchased that is now used for training for our next races and hopefully the VT covered bridges half marathon in 2010. And who know? Perhaps we will actually finish the marathon before we hit 40.

"Oh, Thursday doesn't even start"

Today is the first day of the rest of my life and the Cure is stuck in eternal repeat in my head today. For the first time in over a year - Wait! In over four years- I woke up feeling like, well, myself. Does that even make any sense? Today, for the first day, I felt like Erika, not the twins mom, or that little boy's mommy...just plain old, run of the mill, Erika. And know what? It felt great.

These past two weeks have brought more than just rain. With them, a sense of relief at no longer being part of a draining venture. So, like or hate it, here I am. Standing here on the abyss of cyber-space, writing to please me. Not anyone else's sensibilities or fickle tastes.

The school situation is all sorted out, two of the three have been potty trained for a few months, and I feel a general peace right now. What more could I want? Three children in bed not trying to eck out a few more minutes of play time. A vacation. Perhaps a latte with non-fat milk and a giant cupcake? But, really, other than that, I am happy as a clam-ah-toe.