james and i joined the citi thank you points network when we got our credit cards in september of last year. we received a bunch of bonus points for opening our accounts and were going to use them to redeem for flights for our family vacation next year.

guess what? thank you points no longer have their fix flight option (for 20,000 in us or 50,000 to hawaii). what a big bummer!!! and i wasn’t keeping tabs on the whole thing so i missed redeeming our points for fix flight options at the end of february. sucks huh? yea, tell me about it. should have checked flyertalk more frequently. the thing is i missed it by a week!! Urgh!

we have been using our cards to pay for almost everything (since we get 3 points per dollar on the amex for the first year) and paid all our balances off each month to accumulate more points.

so now, the points are only worth 1 penny each. really sucks. if we can’t spend it on flights, we are going to buy something we need – here are what we’re planning to buy:

- new platform bed for us

- memory foam mattress instead of coil

- new beddings – it is going to be spring

- new twin bed and beddings for faith

we have traded our points for $400 to JCPenney, $400 to Overstock, and $200 to West Elm (their stuff looks so cool!).

we can probably get another $100 or so in the next month but i can’t wait to start buying.

i got a new layout!! lovely huh?? i’m trying to blog more and figure a new layout would do me in for a few weeks or so. isn’t it chick? btw, i upgraded to the newest wordpress version and ohmygosh! i love it!! that flash uploader and media is just awesome!

now only if i could just find a nice flickr random image plugin. the one i have doesn’t show random images. in fact, the images don’t change at all – even when i upload new ones. never mind, it looks like it did display the new images. yah!!!

i’ve already started to stock up for when the baby’s here. so far, i’d bought a few outfits and:

graco luvin hug swing in safari fun

a few weeks ago, i read on slickdeals that target was putting their 2008 baby things on clearance. i headed over to see what i can find and because i just happen to love target! i can spend a lot of money there – especially money i don’t have.

i picked up the above, it’s a graco luvin hug swing in safari fun for $24.98! we had an old one when i first had faith but we threw it out after jaelynn.

simplicity kingston 4-in-1 crib

yep, i picked up a crib too! it was the last one on clearance. we bought one for jaelynn and we could just reuse but for $50, how can i resist??? and i simply love the 2 tone color – more masculine for the little bean than jaelynn’s jenny crib. plus i’m looking forward to having an underneath storage…

kolcraft cuddle n care rocking bassinet

another find that we will need. we have one that we used for both faith and jaelynn for the first 3 months or so but we’d thrown it out too. i saw this one for only $24.98 so it’s now in my garage. i’m thinking if i could find a nice playard with a bassinet somewhere i wouldn’t use this. only because a playard has more uses. really, after the first 3 months, a bassinet’s just in storage.

the super adorable cuttlebug!!

in the last few days, i’ve been in and out of arts and crafts stores more than all the other times combined! i got myself a super cute cuttlebug from joann’s along with some emboss folders that are so cute! i then waste no time in getting more things for my bug. i bought 4 sets of fonts from ebay for way less than retail so i can justify the spending. ^^ this little machine is so easy to use and the details are just lovely! plus, i’m partial to green and this “bug” comes in a very cute pastel green. i need some dies too…

i spent a small fortune at joann’s (obviously) because most of their scrapbook supplies are 40% off! i’m ready to get creative…lol

thanks vera for the link. i found two autograph book designs that i’m going to scraplift. in fact, i’m almost done with one. i do need to stop at joann’s (again!) to get a crap-a-dile because my poor hole puncher cannot punch holes in the chipboard pages. you should see the palms of my hands, they are red and sore after trying to punch holes in three of the pages. i give up.

on a random thought, i feel like i need a new layout.

my ulta retractable kabuki brush is wearing out after lotsa abuse. so i’m looking to get a few new brushes and didn’t want to repurchase the sameone because…well it’s $30! i got it on sale way back but i just can’t justify spending that much on a brush…yea.

eco tools 5pc brush set – $10.99

eco tools powder brush – $7.99

i’m not sure what i was doing but i suddenly remember reading in one of my many magazines about these new eco tools make up brushes. so i googled it and voila! these look awesome and just about all reviews are good. plus the fact that it’s more environmental friendly and uses recycled material sold me. of course, the price is super attractive too! i’m making a special stop at walgreens tomorrow to pick these baby up.

ah…prestige cosmetics. 3 days ago, i’ve always passed the prestige cosmetics aisle without really looking at any of their products. probably because i’m not a big make up person. then the ulta ads came in and of course they have all prestige cosmetics at buy one get one free. since i obviously had alot of free time, i checked the prestige reviews on MUA. there were glowing reviews of their waterproof lipliner and wonder-full lipgloss. so i head to ulta and picked up the nude lipliner and the gloss in lavish – a peachy sparkling color that i really like (definitely HG status). i also picked up a couple of single eyeshadows – gold, green, black and pink. all very pretty even though i’ve only tested the gold.

st ives elements olive scrub – $6.99

st ives elements warming scrub – $6.99

and of course, on another of my magazine, there was a small sampe of st ives’ new elements olive scrub. after trying this i really like it. it hasn’t dried my skin out yet so i’ll keep using it until it does. coincidentally, the ulta ads had a coupons for 50% off all st ives skincare. okay, that was a sign. LOL i bought their elements olive scrub, and warming scrub for about $1.75 and $3 each respectively. this is the first time i’m trying out st ives skincare and very impressed so far. their elements line are “natural” and without parabens – a plus to me.

i guess i need to stop looking through magazines. *sigh*

radius intelligent toothbrushes – $7.95

radius kidz toothbrushes – $3.69

oh i got to join another frontier coop and i got these new toothbrushes called radius. looks interesting so i gave it a try – one for me and 2 for the girls. i don’t know why, but i prefer toothbrushes like these to the electric ones. oh well…

sign up at artscow and receive 400 free prints credits & 1 free 8×8 custom cover photo books. i just signed up and am not sure how reliable their services are but definitely a go for free photo prints! and if you sign up through my referral link, i get some credits.

i’m falling in love with taebo!! for a week now, i’ve pushed aside all my other work out dvds and just use the various taebo dvds that i bought. i think the music is very upbeat and everyone are so encouraging that the work outs go by fast. and you really really sweat! this thing just rocks my socks. hahahaha

amped it up! 

i just added taebo amped to my other dvds and love it. i still haven’t work out to every dvd that i own but that’s okay. the workouts are about 45 minutes to 1 hour and 20 minutes. you will really really feel this by the next day.

a week ago i bought one dvd from borders for 40% off for a discounted price of $11.89. everywhere was about $14.99 so i feel like i got a good price for it. when i decide i want to add a few more workouts to my taebo collection, i stopped by a ross store and guess what? they have a bunch of taebo dvds for $4.99!! naturally i picked up another 3! >:< selections may varied by stores but i saw some shape dvds too.

now, i believe out of all the workouts i’ve tried, taebo will probably give you the fastest result however it is much easier to hurt yourself doing taebo. i know i know, because i’ve hurt myself before and it wasn’t fun. i realized i was doing too much too fast instead of going at my own pace. i learn to listen to my body more and if i can’t punch or kick or move as fast as they do, i don’t push myself. since i work out at home, i have a tendency to not wear shoes and one of the tips i read was to WEAR shoe so you don’t hurt your self since there’s quite a bit of arching.

so if you want to try taebo, start off slowly (as always) and don’t push yourself more than it can take.

now, let’s go and kick some butt!

spicy kimchi flavored noodles!

okay, saw this on slickdeals. if you love these noodles (we do!!!), amazon is having a special this whole month, buy $29 worth of nongshim products and get $10 off plus they always have free super saver shipping over $25! my total was $27.92, which comes out to about $6.98 each box. this is a great deal considering you’ll be paying more buying it from the local asian supermarket.

i got us 2 boxes of kimchi flavored and 2 of the hot and spicy. i love these and they have just enough spicy flavored to it that faith can also enjoy. i only use half of the seasoning packet. really that’s all you need cause using the whole packet makes it too salty.

you know how i always go on and off with my work out routine?? i started working out a month ago and while my weight hasn’t really went down, my clothes fit so much better now, if that makes sense. plus my tummy is not hanging over my pants as much anymore!

here are what’s in my routine at the minute:

1) Prevention Belly Butt and Thigh – i ordered this through gaiam as part of a 5 item package for $5 and it’s ab-solutely one of the best purchases i’ve made in a long time. it’s fun, works and the quickest 10 minute routine of your day. trust me. it’s got 3 ten minute works, 1 each for belly, butt, and thighs.

2) Shape Bikini Body Camp – 3 30 minute workouts that include cardio, strength training and skills and drills. the cardio is just awesome! it’s not easy so i ease into it when i’ve been working out for 2 weeks. the last 30 minute session is a a bit of everything and my favorite.

i don’t even drink coffee much, just the occasional cup when i need a wake up call and i stopped that. now it’s only water and tea. i’m eating more vegetables and feel so much better. it’s times like this that i feel so very good about myself. i only wish for the motivation to continue on. hey, even james noticed and is motivating me on. maybe that’s all i need.

i placed an order at victoria secret a few weeks ago and think i may become an addict. i just place another order a few days ago and i can’t wait to receive those. it’s mostly shirts but i really like them. i almost place another order yesterday for a summer dress but stopped myself. items are still in my cart…i need to stop visiting that site.