$3 Diapers at Babies R' Us Next Week

There's an awesome deal on diapers at Babies R Us next week.

January 1-3, 2010, Babies R' Us and Toys R' Us will have packages of Earth's Best diapers priced at $5 per package. Use the $1.50/1 coupon here to get them for $3.50 each after the coupon.

The ad says there is a limit of three per customer and you can only print one coupon per computer, so ask your friends and relatives to print extra coupons for you. Bring a friend or child with you so you can buy more than three packages!

$2/1 Theraflu Printable Coupon

We've had the sniffles and runny noses around our house for the past several days. Thankfully I have a fully stocked medicine cabinet from stockpiling and I'm glad we did! We've been using Theraflu and it really seems to make a difference.

Print this $2/1 coupon and hold onto it until the next Walgreens sale to get it for free or even a profit!

Leapfrog Coupons

Kylie received a Leapfrog Tag Reader for Christmas from my awesome Target score a few months back. Now I'll be able to get more books for less using this coupon from Leapfrog:

• $4/1 LeapFrog Tag Book

• $2/1 LeapFrog Tag Junior Book

• $5/1 Leapster Learning Games

I also heard that Leapfrog games are BOGO at Toys r Us this week!

Free Taco at Taco Bell

Print this coupon for a free Fresco Taco at Taco Bell. This is the only kind I order because they taste a lot fresher and you get a decent amount of tomatoes on it! Your coupon is valid within 7 days of printing (or until 1 million coupons are redeemed), and only one coupon can be printed per person.

FYI, this is a SmartSource coupon so it takes a little longer to print than other coupons (don't hit your back button).

Adoption Meetings, Bouncing & Parties

On Tuesday, we had a meeting with our birth-parents to outline what our future relationship would look like so we all have clear expectations. It was an emotional time and we continue to pray for the birth-parents (and their families) as they make the tough choice of doing the absolute best for their unborn child. We're grateful to be involved in their lives and we rely on the Lord during this uncertain time for us.

On Wednesday, Rachael, aka The Good Deal Gal, took us to Pump it Up to celebrate her little peanut's birthday! What a great idea for kids to be inside in the warm to get lots of energy out. Happy Birthday E and thanks for being such a great friend to Kylie!



On Friday, I took our birth-mom to her doctor appt for her check up. We only dreamed of this opportunity as we began the adoption process and I'm so grateful to birth-mom for allowing me to participate in this way. I know it can't be easy but she is really working hard to develop a relationship with us and we are forever grateful! The dr even got us in for a quick ultrasound so I got to see our little boy!!! It was a bit surreal to watch but I loved every second of it. Birth-mom even gave me the ultrasound pictures for the nursery - it's definitely a BOY!

I rushed home afterward so we could host a party for our closest friends and their families. I can't tell you how lucky we are to be surrounded by the most wonderful people. Life certainly wouldn't be as full without each of you in our lives and we pray the parties and memories continue :) Unfortunately I didn't remember to pull out the camera but I have great memories in my mind!

Saturday afternoon, my cousin was in town from Seattle so we had a family gathering. It was a beautiful day and we enjoyed running around with the kiddos outside. We miss Robby now that he's in Seattle, but it's obvious that he's doing really well and we look forward to seeing him again in a few months.

Later that evening, we went to a friend's house for their annual Gingerbread House making party. The Sholdelmyer's are brave souls with 60+ friends invading their bedrooms, kitchen, carport, dining room, and more to create messy gingerbread houses. Not to mention they have a 16 month old AND she's 7.5 months pregnant- no big deal!!! We've attended for several years and have always had a great time. We typically just have fun with our houses, but this year we won Honorable Mention! Thanks for a great party Chris & Kelly!

Our beautiful little Holt House :)

Grandma & Grandpa's house

The winning house - shouldn't it be on the cover of Martha Stewart?!? (And don't miss the blue gingerbread car in the background!)

Finally, Sunday night, we drove to the McCormick Stillman Railroad Park to ride their holiday train. It has been a fun tradition for our family to ride the carousel, meet the characters, and take the train around the park to see all the light displays. It was a long wait in the 70 minute line but it wasn't too cold and Kylie ran around looking at stuff while one of us stayed in line. I love being able to do these things as a family and I hope that next year we get to do it as a family of four!

Hurry - Free International Delight Creamer to first 100,000

Become a Facebook Fan of International Delight!

Click on the "Holiday Giveaway" tab and enter your information.

A coupon for a free pint of International Delight Coffee Creamer will be sent by mail.

This started at 11am Monday morning and I'm sure it will be busy but perfect for Christmas breakfast!

Great Book about Santa plus a Free Video with Santa

We've worked hard to stress to my daughter that Christmas isn't about Santa Clause, but it can be hard especially with young children. My mother-in-law gave us a great book just for kids that talks about the real St. Nick and puts the focus back on giving rather than asking Santa for anything you want. You can get your own copy of "Santa, Are You for Real" here for just $5.50. I don't get anything for telling you this but I think it's great so I want to share it with you!

And, last week, my daughter received a special video from her Aunt & Uncle in Virginia. It was the cutest video from Santa but the best part is that it was personalized just for her! It was perfect timing as we had just returned from our visit to the Polar Express and Kylie couldn't believe Santa remembered her and even had a picture of her! (Thanks, Ryan & Natalie!)

Click here to get details and to make your own video for a special child!

Old Navy Coupon & Gift Cards 20% Off

Here's how to get a coupon to use this week at Old Navy!

1. Visit Old Navy Weekly and click on the present for today's date.
2. Next, in the new window, click on the ribbon wrapped around the sides of the box of sweaters.
3. Click on any of the ribbons and another pop-up will produce a coupon for $5 off your purchase of $25 or more!

Plus, until Dec 24, get 20% Off Gift Cards in-stores at Old Navy. Remember these gift cards can also be used at Gap & Banana Republic.

Thanks, Rachael!

$10 Target Gift Card with AAA Insurance Quote

Visit the AAA website and click on the Insurance tab to receive a free quote and a free $10 Target gift card. It looks like there's about a two week turn-around time to receive your gift card, but what better way to start off the new year! We've been members of AAA for years and I love the security of knowing if I'm ever stuck, someone will come help!

Plus, did you know there are all kinds of awesome savings available to AAA members? Check some of them out here!

Thanks for the great tip, Andrea!

***Canceled*** Nikon D3000 Camera Raffle

**Canceled**
Yikes, apparently we have unknowingly violated a paypal policy for accepting donations for a raffle! We had no idea that a fundraiser like this would be considered a form of gambling and therefore be considered illegal. I saw the raffle idea on another adoptive family's blog and thought it was wonderful, but I guess it's not so wonderful in Arizona! We apologize for not researching this before starting it and we're so embarrassed.

Therefore, it is with sadness that we are forced to cancel this raffle as we definitely do not want to do anything illegal. If you would still like to contribute to our adoption fund, please contact us directly at theholthouseraffle (at) gmail (dot) com. If you already made a donation and would like a refund, please contact us and we would be happy to refund your donation. Thank you again for all your support and please forgive our ignorance. (Apparently ignorance is NOT bliss this time :) We remain confident that when the Lord closes one door He opens another, so now we wait for a different door!

On Tuesday night, we received a phone call from our adoption agency letting us know that the birth-mom we met with the week before Thanksgiving wants to place her child with us! We can hardly believe it and we're still in shock but words cannot express our excitement! We're going to be parents once again and this time it will be a BOY! It seems unreal and I just sit while my daughter is playing trying to imagine what life will be like with a newborn in our home... amazing!

The birth-mom is due on January 17th but because of her young age will likely deliver early. That leaves us less than 6 weeks to get ready for another baby! (Now I understand why the Lord created pregnancy to last 9 months to give us enough time to prepare!)

This happened much faster than we anticipated and therefore we are trying to raise the necessary funds very quickly. I saw this adoption fundraiser idea on another blog and loved it, so now it's my turn to offer you a chance to win a brand new Nikon D3000 DSLR camera or a Kroger $50 gift card!!!


What can I win?
*First Prize:
a brand new Nikon D3000 10.2MP Digital SLR Camera with 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G AF-S DX VR Nikkor Zoom Lens camera that retails on Amazon for $549.95! (This is the newest entry level DSLR camera from Nikon that is user friendly and still has all the bells and whistles. I have a Nikon D70 that my hubby found on Craigslist for my birthday and I am in love with it! I'm dreaming of this lense someday!)

*Second Prize:
$50 Fry's gift card good at any of the Kroger chain stores (including Kroger, Dillon's, Food 4 Less, Fry's, King Soopers, Tom Thumb, Ralph's, etc.)


How do I win?
1. Purchase your raffle tickets for $5 each.

2. The raffle will close on December 31, 2009 at 11:59 PM and the winner will be announced on the blog on January 1, 2010. What a wonderful way to start out New Year's!

Questions or Direct Donations?

Please contact us at theholthouseraffle (at) gmail (dot) com with any questions or donations.

Want to win additional entries???
*Purchase 5 tickets and you will be given one additional ticket for free.
*Buzz about this raffle on your blog or Tweet about it and send me a link for 2 additional tickets. Please send the link(s) to theholthouseraffle (at) gmail (dot) com.
*If you don't have a blog, send an email to at least 5 other people and cc: theholthouseraffle (at) gmail (dot) com for 1 additional ticket.

Thank you so much for partnering with us during this time in our life. We feel so supported and loved and could not imagine doing this without so much support and encouragement!

Safeway: 12 days of FREE food coupons

Starting Sunday, Safeway is offering a great way to count down to Christmas! Can you belive it's only 12 days away...! Every day, you can print a new coupon good for a free particular item on that day only. You must have a minimum purchase of $20 so don't make a special trip each day or your free item will cost a lot!

You will get things like a dozen eggs, a bag of potatoes, chocolate chips, cake mix, and more! Check out all the details and print your coupons here!

Thanks, Lauren!

$10 off $30 at Party City

For those of you with a holiday party or birthday party coming up, use this coupon to save $10 off your next purcase of $30 or more in stores or on-line. How cute are those holiday plates?!

Thanks, Pam!

Helpful "Everything Food Related" WebSites

I'm not one for much cooking but I intend to change that as my new year's resolution. Thankfully I have my mom to help. She's a registered dietitian and is constantly giving me great ideas about all things cooking. She passed along this website to help my readers find anything they need to do with cooking like preparing foods, menu planning tips, food safety, and so much more. There's even suggestions for sending food to loved ones in the military!

Check out the helpful hints here!

Thanks, Mom!

BOGO Photo Calendar & Free Photo Flip Book from Snapfish

Are you still in need of some Christmas gifts? Take advantage of this great deal from Snapfish:

Get a free photo calendar when you buy one from Snapfish - then get a free 4X6 photo flip book using the code RACHAELRAY

Shipping costs $7.98 for the calendar and $1.99 for the Flipbook.

Receive the Flipbook credit once you have placed your calendar order (expires 12/16.)

You must order 2 of the same calendar for the BOGO deal.

Also get 20% off all photo books at Snapfish with the coupon code RRBOOKS20 (expires Dec. 24).

Thanks, Mamma Cheaps!

Safeway: "Just for U" Free Product Coupons

Sign up for Safeway's Just for U program here for some great freebies.

You'll be emailed a coupon for Free dozen eggs, Free package of pasta, free pasta sauce, and $3 off meat. Sounds like Italian dinner night! You need to club card to register and it takes less than a minute to register!

Thanks, Free Stuff for Free!

VistaPrint Address Labels for just $3

Were you able to get the last round of address labels for just $3 from VistaPrint? Ours arrived along with our free photo cards from See Here and are addressing our Christmas cards tonight to send out tomorrow!

In case you missed it, VistaPrint is once again offering 140 custom address labels for $3.

Go here and click on holiday return address labels

Customize your label with your family and add to your cart

The total should be around $3 to cover shipping costs.

That's it!

$5 Haircuts at Kohler Academy

I'm not sure about you but it seems like my husband gets haircuts so often that his hair costs more than mine!! Good thing there are great deals & coupons around to save some money. (By the way, I love my hubby's hair and he can keep cutting it to stay so cute!)

For the month of December, the Kohler Academy is offering $5 men's hair cuts after 5PM. The salon is open Tues-Sat. And even better they don't accept tips so you save another few bucks that way!

Check out more details here.

Thanks, Erin!

$5 off printable Hallmark coupon

Print this coupon to get $5 off your next purchase of $5 or more. These coupons were also found in many magazines in seen below, but you can also print one here if you missed those.

Woman's Day (Dec. 1 issue) look near pg. 32
O The Oprah Magazine (Dec. issue) look near pg. 118
Martha Stewart Living (Dec. issue) look near pg. 74
Real Simple (Dec. issue) look near pg. 124
Southern Living (Dec. issue) look near pg. 62
Taste of Home (Dec/Jan issue) look near pg. 42
Country Living (Dec/Jan issue) look near pg. 96

I'm planning to get ornaments with my coupons!

50 Free Photo Cards from SeeHere Available Again!

Did you receive your FREE photo cards from SeeHere yet? Mine arrived a few days ago and they turned out great! I'm set for Christmas cards & thank you notes!

Here is some great news if you have been procrastinating on your Christmas cards. The code for the 50 free cards has now been confirmed to be valid through December 31st! So you can still order yours, and pay just $3.19 for shipping.

Log into SeeHere and create an account

Use the code freebies4mom-1109 to get 50 free 4X8 photo cards & envelopes. Pay just around $3 for shipping.

Then place a second order using the code newbaby for another 50 free 4X8 photo cards & envelopes. Pay another $3 for shipping.

You can get 100 photo cards for around $6 total! Think thank you notes, birth announcements, Christmas cards, Birthday invitations, etc. And there is still time to order to get your cards by Christmas. Offer good thru December 31, 2009!

Free International Delight Creamer when you becoma a FB Fan

Go here to become a facebook fan of International Delight Creamer and the first 25,000 will get a free pint of International Delight Coffee Creamer. Print 2 coupons by clicking on that link again after printing the first coupon.

The first 25,000 will have access to print a SmartSource coupon after becoming a Fan.

Be patient, that SmartSource coupon takes a long time to print but you have until January 15 to use your coupon for a free pint!

Macy's Friends & Family Extra 25% off and Free Shipping

Print this coupon for Macy's F&F sale to get an additional 25% off your online and in-store order (including free shipping.) We are in the market for a new twin bed set for my daughter so this could come in handy!

Polar Express Gift Set $9.99

I am so excited because today we're going on the Polar Express. This is part of our Christmas Gift and we are so looking forward to riding the train, seeing Santa, eating cookies & hot cocoa and everything else about this time of the year with kids! We're leaving in less than an hour and we're spending the night so I won't be posting for a few days but I'll be sure to post pictures when we get back!

Now, you can get your own Polar Express Gift set including the book, CD, and special bell for just $9.99. Go here for details and to place your order. This will be the perfect gift from Santa for my daughter on Christmas morning.