DALLAS (July 9, 2009) – If it’s July 11 or 7/11, then Slurpee® drinks must be on the house at 7-Eleven® stores. That’s because this Saturday is 7-Eleven Day, and the day the world’s first convenience retailer celebrates its birthday. This year promises to be the biggest ever, with 7-Eleven planning to give away close to 5 million free 7.11-ounce Slurpee drinks to celebrate its 82nd birthday at more than 6,000 stores in the U.S. and Canada.

You can read all the details here. As with any promotion, check your local store to see if they are participating before you go.

Here are few tips for navigating the online coupon sites.

• Create a “coupon” email address. Some of the sites require you to register before printing coupons. I don’t think this is a big deal, but I have created a secondary email address for these types of websites. It allows me to track the junk mail a bit easier and it doesn’t clog up my inbox with coupons and offers, causing me to miss an important email from family. There are many sites that allow you to set up a free email account, but gmail is my personal favorite.
• Use scratch paper to print your coupons. I use old school papers and junk mail to print my internet coupons.
• If you find a coupon for something you might use in the future, print it now. Many of the online coupons only stay online for a few weeks. The coupons usually don’t expire for a month or two so print the good high value ones in case you find a good deal later on!
• Decide how much time you are willing to spend looking for online coupons. Personally I don’t like to spend hours filling out surveys or clicking through 800 links in order to save a few dollars. I don’t mind registering with my email, but that is about it.

When I link to an online coupon, almost always I will have printed it out myself, so I know exactly what is required to print the coupon. I will not link to an internet coupon that involves a maze of web pages and sign ups, unless it is something I really, really think is worthwhile.

Online coupon resources.

• Manufacturers websites: You can find some high dollar value coupons on manufacturers websites. If I know something is going on sale at the Commissary I will search for the product’s website in hopes there is an online coupon available.
• Coupons.com: This is probably my favorite online coupon source. You can print from the widget in my sidebar that rotates with the most current coupons. Signing up is simple and I don’t get a ton of junk email from them. The coupons are pretty good and it is easy to print only the ones you want. The coupons change every month.
• Cool Savings: I like Cool Savings but I like Coupons.com better. Sometimes I think I have to wade through too much junk to get to what I want. But sometimes it is worth it for some great coupons.
• Afullcup.com: Marcy at Stretching a Buck turned me on to this site. I use this site to search for specific coupons. Every once in a while the coupon I find is a dud, but the majority of the time I am able to find and print out what I am looking for.
• About once a month there are also coupon offers that come out from Better Crocker, General Mills, and Kraft. You can sign up for the newsletter and receive a coupon book. There is a little more junk mail involved with these offers, but if you have a separate email address it helps. Also the coupons are usually high value so it might be worth it.

So I am curious, do you use online coupon sites? Do you feel they are more trouble than they are worth. What are some of your favorite ways to get online coupons?

This morning I saw on Twitter that 5 Minutes for Mom is looking for people who are looking for a sponsor. I decided that it wouldn’t hurt to throw my hat into the ring and see what happens. I realized that I don’t have to accept a sponsorship from a company that does not embrace the values on this site. Plus, it would be nice to have a few of the expenses covered!

For those of you who read this site and do not have a blog, feel free to skip over this post! For those of you who are new to blogging it might help you to read this post to learn more about blogging relationships with corporate sponsors.

So here is why I think I would be an excellent blogger to sponsor for Blogher 09.

• Solid blog readership base. I have about 3000 readers a day through visits and subscriptions. My readers are active and vocal and help make this blog better through their participation in the comments and forum.
• I love Twitter! I know how to use Twitter to effectively market products and posts. I have over 3,400 followers on Twitter and interact with my followers daily.
• I know how to optimize posts for search engines.
• I use a variety of social media to reach out to people. My blog reach is not limited to the actual site and Twitter. I use Digg, Stumble, Facebook, and other forms of social media to market this site.
• Other companies I have worked with in the past have been very satisfied with our partnership. My partnering with UVSkinz, BornFree, and Kids Love Travel were all very successful campaigns. When I work with a company I view it as a relationship. I have become friends with many of the people whose products I have promoted on this site.
• I am authentic. If I am going to talk about your product, I am not doing it for the perks. When you see me at the pool, all my kids are wearing UVSkinz, because I bought them and I love them. Cora uses (and prefers) her BornFree bottles, when you see her eating, it will be from one of them. I plan my daycations around tips I have found in the Kids Love Maryland book. Most of the items I recommend on this site are because I love them, not because I have been given something to try for free. I won’t promote your product one day and your competitors product the next.

If you are interested in sponsoring all or part of my BlogHer 09 trip here are some things I can do for your company.

• Place your button on the sidebar of my blog.
• Blog about my sponsorship by your company on this site.
• Add your company’s sponsorship to my business cards that will be handed out at BlogHer 09.
• Promote your company by wearing your products. (as long as they are approved by me prior to BlogHer)
• Hand out approved promotional swag for your company.
• Live blogging and tweeting from the conference, that will include information about your company.
• Network and promote your company during the conference with other bloggers.
• Promote your company through giveaways.

I am always willing to discuss other ideas regarding a partnership. Feel free to email me and we can discuss any ideas you might have regarding a partnership with The Happy Housewife. I can be reached at thehappyhousewife@gmail.com.

If you are attending BlogHer 09 please leave a comment. I would love to meet you in Chicago!

Happy let me know that we’d been living separate lives, more than the miles required. I hadn’t been writing her and although I was able to call pretty regularly we rarely discussed anything important. She lived her life in Florida with our daughter and I lived mine in Panama with work and whatever diversion I could muster. We had no basis to remain married and Happy made it clear that she wanted out.

I didn’t know then why I fought the divorce but there was no way I was going to let this marriage end. I  didn’t know Happy or my daughter but I was determined to give the marriage my all and fight for it until I knew I’d spent everything I had to save it. Looking back, it seems so illogical and without any hope. (Aside – Writing this part of our story is even now convicting me that my passion and dedication has waned over the years. What I felt then was extreme sadness and loss but that motivated me to action. I need to regain some of that drive and serve my wife and family with the same zeal I had when I thought all could be lost)

I got leave from my command and flew home the next day. I don’t remember the ride home with Happy but I’m sure it was either frosty or hot but surely not cordial. We continued to fight for the next several days about whether we would divorce, how we would go forward and whether there was a future at all for us.

Happy told you I was an atheist. After the constant fighting and occasional cursing session from me, Happy’s parents suggested we meet with a Christian counselor. I was at my wit’s end and agreed to give it a try. The concepts he suggested to me seemed a little odd but I accepted the books he gave me and read them. Two of the books I remember are: Larry Crabb’s Inside Out and Gary Smalley’s If Only He Knew: What No Woman Can Resist.

Both books had a profound effect on me. Smalley’s book outlines how a Christian is to live for his wife. He covered servant leadership and referred me to scripture to support his claims. I recall reading Ephesians and  thinking how backwards the ideas seemed to me. I threw up my hands and decided to try some of the ideas out in our marriage – I mean nothing else seemed to be working.

Later I read Crabb’s book and leaned about the need for internal change rather than external coverings over the same  selfish heart. I knew I couldn’t be selfless on my own power so I realized I needed something, someone, greater than me to lead me to serve my nascent family. I discovered that I wasn’t the end all be all of an evolutionary process but a child of God who hadn’t been serving Him and couldn’t serve my wife and daughter without Him. I’d been nearly broken by my failed marriage but He gave me the lifeline I needed to be redeemed from within and then he showed me what I needed to to do to redeem my marriage. I became a Christian because those ideas that seemed so foreign to me worked. I tried to serve my wife in the ways the Bible teaches and began to see a change in my heart and hers. It was counter-intuitive, I worked to deny my selfish desires and to serve her and my daughter as much as I could. Something strange began to happen in me. The more I served them, the more I wanted to serve and the happier I became. I felt the flickerings of true love start in me. I have to be honest, I wanted to love Happy and be loved by her but until I met Jesus I didn’t know how. Don’t get me wrong, God showers His blessings on believers and non-believers as He sees fit. I’m not saying that non-Christians can’t love, I’m just saying that its a lot easier to love when you’ve met the source of all love.

Let me be clear, I’m not perfect and I’m not even close to be best husband and father in the world. I get angry and say stupid things all the time. I fall back into selfishness and don’t do near enough for my wife and kids. What Happy saw in me was and is not from me. It is only God’s work in me that she saw then and that I need to let shine forth for now and forever.

Thanks for letting me share a part of my side of our story.

Writer’s note: This is the story of how I became The Happy Housewife. I am writing as I have time and try to publish a new chapter every few weeks. This page will be updated when I write the next chapter. If you don’t want to miss the next installment you can subscribe to my blog.

If you don’t have many plastic cups, check Target and Walmart for end of the season clearance. I have been able to purchase plastic cups for under $0.25 a piece and they last for years. I never thought about using them for a large party until we were eating with friends last night. She just got out a stack of her plastic cups and labeled them with a dry erase. It works as well as the plastic cups and a sharpie, but it saves money over time since you aren’t replacing cups. Even those nice Solo cups crack after repeated use, plastic last forever.

I meant to take a picture, but in my vacation laziness I totally forgot.

But, he had a trick up his sleeve that I didn’t know about. It is called Get Human, and it is a website that has information for over a thousand businesses. Information on how to beat the annoying circle of elevator music and automated voices. Just go to their site and type in the business you are trying to contact. It will give you the information that allows you to get a human quicker than going through the normal channels.

For example, trying to get a hold of AT&T call 800-288-2747 then press 0 at each prompt, ignoring messages. How about Amazon.com? Dial 800-201-7575 then don’t press or say anything.

My husband used this today and saved a good amount of time, bypassing much of the hold system. Next time you need to call customer service give Get Human a try.

I have been changing diapers for fifteen years! I have tried every brand of disposables, including brands they don’t make anymore. I remember Pampers before they had swaddlers and Huggies before they were supreme. And yet, after six babies I felt it was time to make the switch to cloth. Actually I started with cloth 15 years ago, but that was back when your options were rubber pants or rubber pants.

When I was pregnant with Cora I volunteered in the church nursery. I noticed during the service that there were several babies wearing cloth diapers. Being the inquiring person that I am, I asked a million questions and watched a few diaper changes. It didn’t take long before I was sold on the idea of cloth for Cora.

After spending way too much time online researching different types of cloth diapers I decided to go with Fuzzi Bunz and Bum Genius. I honestly couldn’t decide between the two. Fuzzi Bunz received a huge recommendation from Amy over at Mom Advice, and Bum Genius were the ones my friends were using.

The type I bought were pocket diapers, which basically means you slide an insert into a pocket inside the diaper. When the baby dirties the diaper you pull (or shake) out the liner and put both diaper and liner into the pail.

Here a few features I like about the two different brands I purchased.

Fuzzi Bunz

• Softer on the inside. (The part that touches the hiney)
• Multiple snaps make for a better fit around the leg. (A benefit for skinnier babies)

Bum Genius

• Velcro closure makes diaper changing very easy. For the first few weeks, my dh and daughter would only use the BumG’s because they couldn’t quite figure out the snaps on the Fuzzi Bunz.

I purchased a few extra inserts, a wet bag for traveling, pail liner, and a kitchen trash can with a flip up lid. I purchased my diapers and accessories from Nurtured Family. I recommend them because they have competitive prices and fast shipping.

My neighbor gave me some cloth wipes she made from old blankets and her husband’s t-shirts. I just wet them and use like a regular wipe.

I purchased 18 diapers, which last about 48 hours. To wash them I dump everything, including the pail liner into the washer. I put them through one cold rinse cycle and then run a hot wash cycle/ cool rinse, with an extra rinse. I dry the inserts in the dryer and hang the diapers on a drying rack. The diapers are dry by morning in a few hours.

It takes an extra 30 seconds to change a diaper using cloth, if they are poopy. If they are just wet there is no time difference between changing a cloth and a disposable. It takes me about 5 minutes to start the laundry load and then hang the diapers on the rack once they are washed.

They work very well and Cora has only leaked through a few times and that was more due user error than diaper error. The only problem I had with the diapers is that they were too big for Cora until she was about 7 weeks old. It wasn’t until she weighed about 9 pounds that the diapers fit well around her skinny legs.

If you are hesitant about making the jump to cloth, take it from someone who switched after 6 babies in disposables. It is easy, better for the environment and will save you money long term. Diapers that are well taken care of can be resold on sites like ebay or diaperswappers, or used for your next baby. I even considered using cloth on our vacation, but didn’t want to use someone else’s washing machine while traveling. I do use them when we are gone for the day and she wears them at night too.

There are many choices for cloth diapers, so check out which brand will work best for you.

I know cloth diapers are a great discussion topic so I started a new thread in my forum. Feel free to ask questions, share your favorite cloth diapers, or share why you would never use them!

Also if you are interested I can post a video of an actual cloth diaper change. I didn’t want to video it, unless there was some interest. I know for some people seeing is believing!

This post is linking to Works for Me Wednesday.

I recommend enlisting the help of a friend to help you pitch your closet. Friends tend to bring with them an unbiased perspective of your clothing, and a good friend will tell you to pitch the striped polo… or to take up a job as a referee.

Here is my advice when it comes to pitching your closet.

• Get rid of clothes that don’t fit. If they are too big or too small pitch them. You can always get clothes at a yard sale or thrift store if you change sizes.
• Get rid of clothes that are stained, ripped, or have issues with the elastic. I have 2 or 3 pieces that are my “painting” clothes, but everything else I pitched. I had to painfully pitch a cashmere sweater last week because of a hole in the arm. But, I was only holding on to it because it was cashmere, I didn’t wear it anymore because of the hole.
• The same goes for shoes, if they are holey, have worn soles, stained or scuffed either repair them or pitch them. Don’t hold on to them for years because you really liked them 5 years ago.
• Ask a friend for help. I mentioned this above, but seriously have someone help you get rid of those high school relics.
• Get rid of dated clothes. Having a friend there (or your teenage daughter) can help determine what is still stylish and what needs to go.
• Remember clothes are cheap, so pitch the stuff you don’t wear. If you aren’t reading Jen’s Frugal Fashionista series, you need to subscribe to her blog today! Each week she shares her latest yard sale and thrift store finds and they are awesome! Her series is proof positive you don’t need to spend a lot of money on great looking clothes. I have met her at Blissdom and let’s just say she was one of the best dressed bloggers at the conference.

I didn’t take a before picture of my closet because the light was burned out, then in my pitching frenzy I packed up all my winter clothes before I took the after picture. So here are my pictures from last week.

My closet now (minus winter clothes). Notice all the empty hangers!

The clothes that are leaving my house on the next thrift store trip.

A few more notes. I haven’t picked a winner from last week’s post yet since I was out of town. I also don’t have a giveaway for this week since I will be out of town and moving over the next few weeks, but I do have a few more goodies in store.

Time to link up your posts. I am really sorry I didn’t get to visit everyone last week. I will try to get to everyone this week while on vacation.

Remember link to your Itch to Pitch post and not your blog’s homepage. Also please link back to The Happy Housewife, so others who read your blog will be able to participate, the more the merrier, right? Finally, please visit the other Clutter Queens who link up and give them some encouragement. We all love comments!

On Friday, July 10, 2009 you can receive a free combo meal at Chick-fil-A  just for dressing like a cow. If you don’t have a cow costume Chick-fil-A will help you out with a downloadable costume kit. If you aren’t up to dressing in full cow attire you can receive a free entree’ for showing up with a cow accessory such as the cow headband, a cow-printed hat, vest or purse.

This could be a fun summer craft that ends in a free meal for everyone in the family!