What's in a name?

I was playing around with swagbucks searching today trying to earn more points (btw - you can join me and earn points to redeem for gift cards too - just look on the right side bar).

Anyway, I decided to google the meaning of the kid's names and see what came up. I already knew what they were, but again, trying to just do searches to earn points. But something struck me as I read over the results.

Through doing bible studies this past year I've learned a lot about how people were named that are in the bible. A great amount of effort and detail was put forth in giving a name. Names had meanings and were specifically chosen for an individual. Today we don't really name our children in that manner, rather we prefer picking names that sound pleasing to us.

So Viggo's name means "war", "warrior" or "war-like". It's Scandinavian even though it sounds Italian. I think back to how it took a while for us to get pregnant with him and it did seem like a war of sorts. Months and tests that we went through waiting for him. And while Viggo is the sweetest, caring and loving child.....sometimes Damian and I feel like we are at war with him. :)

Nadia's name means "hope", "hopeful" or as one website says "one who received the call of God". I like the latter. Mostly because after all the "war" to have our son, our daughter was a bit of a surprise to come so soon. I think she was heeding the call of God to come to our family. Just something nice to think about.

I'd post a couple pictures of them but it seems I haven't been taking many lately. Of course, Viggo knows that we are having his three year photos done next weekend and is daily bumping up his face with bruises and scrapes. Every year that child has a bruise in his photos! My children have this sixth sense about professional photos being taken - they just know it's coming and start banging their faces up.

Here's a little break from the usual posts

I was just sitting here watching my daughter pull every toy out of the toy box and realized she's 20 months old, just week away from being 21 months old.

Then I start to think about how my first two children are only 14 1/2 months apart and it BLOWS MY MIND people. I mean, it would be like having a 5 month old right now. I can't even imagine that even though I've lived it! There must be some serious blockage going on because I can't fathom having another baby right this very minute - much less a 5 month old.

I know God gave me some serious grace to go through having two so close together. He continues to as well but I have to say it is much easier now than it was then. By no means am I claiming to have it down and it's easy - no way! Anyone that has me as a facebook friend could see from yesterday that I have some trying days. Probably more then I often talk about but I guess I think the good always outweighs the bad.

I don't know why He choose to create my family the way He did but I'm ever grateful for my beautiful babies. Even when they shred a box of q-tips, pour baby powder all over their room and scream like a rabid banshee. They make me smile and life is much more interesting, that's for sure!

Walgreens for 5/4

Transaction 1

• Colgate Sensitive toothpaste 6 oz, $4.49 (used $0.75/1 man coupon, received a $4.50 RR making this a profit of $0.76!)
• Right Guard Xtreme deodorant 2.6 oz, on sale for $2.99 (used $1/1 man coupon, received a $2 RR making this free!)

Total before coupons and RR's: $7.97
Total after coupons and RR's: -$0.28
Total saved: I made $0.28!

Transaction 2

• Colgate Sensitive toothpaste 6 oz, $4.49 (used $0.75/1 man coupon, received a $4.50 RR making this a profit of $0.76!)
• Right Guard Xtreme deodorant 2.6 oz, on sale for $2.99 (used $1/1 man coupon, received a $2 RR making this free!)
• Listerine Total Care 500 ml, on sale 2/$9 x 2 (used $2/1 x 2 man coupons, received a $4.50 RR)
• V8 Fusion Juice, on sale 2/$6 (used $2/1 x 2 man coupons)
• 12 pack soda, 3/$11 (used $1/1 x 2 man coupons, received a $5 RR)
• Pert Plus for men 3-in-1, on sale 2/$5 (used $1.50/1 x 2 man coupons, received a $2 RR making these both free!)
• Aveeno Active Naturals Daily Moisture lotion 2.5 oz, on sale for $2.63 x 3 (used $2/1 man coupons x 2, used $1/1 man coupon, supposed to receive a Free Travel Kit with purchase of 3 Aveeno items but I didn't so I'll have to take my receipt back and check on that)
• Pencil, on clearance for $0.03 each x 3
• Hershey Kit Kat, $0.69 x 2
• Twix bars, 2/$1.59

Total before coupons and RR's: $52.06
Total after coupons and RR's: $14.31
Total saved: $37.75 or 73%

Total for entire trip before coupons and RR's: $60.03
Total for entire trip after coupons and RR's: $14.03
Total saved: $46 or 77%!

I bought the candy and pencils as filler items because I used RR's to pay for my 2nd transaction (didn't count those in the total though since I have already counted them). Because of the "one coupon per item - including Register Rewards" rule, I had to add a few things in so I could use $16 in RR's (it ate up $3.06 of that $16 - I could have just got the pencils but a little bit of chocolate is nice too).

Walgreens for 5/1

Transaction 1

• Nivea body wash 16.9 oz, on sale for $4.99 (received a $5 RR making this free!)
• Rembrandt toothpaste 2.6 oz, on sale for $5.99 (used $1/1 man coupon, received a $6 RR making this purchase a profit of $1!)

Total before coupons and RR's: $11.69
Total after coupons and RR's: -$3.31 (I also used a $3 RR from a previous visit and am counting it since I didn't write a post about it)
Total saved: made $3.31!!

Transaction 2

• Got2B styling mousse 8 oz, on sale for 2/$10 (used $2/1 x 2 man coupon, received a $5 RR)
• Huggies Natural Fit diapers 34 ct, on sale for 2/$20 (used $3/2 man coupon, received a $2 RR, will also send receipt in to Caregivers Marketplace and receive back $0.75 for each pack)
• Zyrtec 24hour 30 ct, on sale for $18.99 (used $4/1 man coupon)

Total before coupons and RR's: $49.38
Total after coupons and RR's: $4.86 (I also used $25 in RR's from previous visits and am counting them since I didn't write a post about them)
Total saved: $44.52 or 90%!

Total before coupons and RR's for entire trip: $61.07
Total after coupons and RR's for entire trip: $1.55
Total saved: $59.52 or 97%!!

You may have heard that Walgreens is no longer doing the Easy Saver Rebate Program and there is no longer the IVC (instant value coupons) that were in the book. Boo! Hiss! Maybe they will come out with a new program or maybe, like I'm seeing lately, is that they are beefing up their Register Rewards offerings. There are also always store coupons in their weekly flyer. The only thing I don't like about RR's are that they expire and most of the time, they expire within a week or two. So you have to really be on top of the dates.

One note of caution: they are being pretty strict with redeeming the RR's. The manager tonight told me that you have to at least as many items in your transaction as you have coupons - including the RR's. So, you can't buy 12 items, use a manufacturer coupon for each of those 12 items and use RR's. The register will beep. My suggestion is to add cheap "filler" items (a pack of gum, candy or pencil) that will fill that "needing enough items" quota. I'm not sure yet if that also includes the Walgreen flyer coupons since they are a store coupon and not a manufacturer coupon. I will have to either do a trial and error or ask.