But over all, he has been blessed with a healthy body, a lively mind and a great curiosity for learning, exploring and general trouble making. And I’m so thankful for that.

A Healthy Kiddo – Thankful Tuesday is a post from: Alli 'n Son

Today, I’m giving a HUGE shout out to Aldi. I love this store. Where else can you feed a family of 3 for about $40 a week? No where. At least not in this small town.

Now, I understand the doubtful and confused looks. Aldi doesn’t really seem like the type of place you would go grocery shopping on a weekly basis. Most of the time you see people coming out with carts FULL of stuff. Frozen pizzas, blocks of cheese, boxes of crackers, pasta and cereal, gallons of milk, the occasional coffee table and computer. It seems like the type of place you go to just to stock up. But, let me tell you, Aldi can be your weekly grocery store, for the most part.

Aldi does have some strange practices. You have to pay for your shopping cart. Kind of. You must remember to bring a quarter, that’s the only way to free the cart. No worries, you get the quarter back when you return it. It’s just their way to making sure that the parking lot stays free from unwanted carts. And it helps keep their costs down, which is passed onto their customers. That’s you!

You also have to bring your own shopping bags. Which, if you really think about it, makes a lot of sense. Did you know that if you bring your own grocery bags to most grocery stores, they will knock off 5¢ per bag from your bill? I bet you didn’t know that. Aldi has a similar way of doing business, only it’s the opposite. They won’t reduce your bill if you bring your own bags, but they will charge you to buy bags. If you need them. You can purchase plastic or paper bags. Or the ever popular reusable bags. So if you run out of the house and forget your bags (you are using reusable bags, right?) you can either buy new bags, or just do what so many of Aldi’s customers do. Grab an empty box from the shelves and use it store your groceries until you get home. And yes, I’ve had to do this on more than one occasion.

What about the selection, you ask? Well, it’s true that they don’t carry as much variety as a normal grocery store. And there will be occasions when you’ll have to make a second stop to pick up those few ingredients you have to have. But, in my humble opinion, that second trip is well worth it. The amount of money you save at Aldi well makes up for the hassel of the second trip.

Finally, the most important question. What about the quality of food? It’s the same, if not better, than anything you would get at the big name stores, Wal Mart included. The only thing I advise, is check the fruit closely. I once purchased some strawberries, and when I got them home realized that they were all mush. Technically, that’s my fault since I didn’t open the container before I purchased it. I just glanced at them, thought they looked OK and plopped them in my cart. But, truth be told, I’ve had the same problem at the other grocery stores in town (ahem, Wal Mart).

So what did I get for my $41 this week? I’ve listed everything below. You’ll probably agree, that’s a lot of food. You may notice that some of the items are repeated. That’s just because I happened to buy more than one this time. You may also notice that I didn’t purchase any meat this time. We have plenty in the freezer, so we didn’t need any this week. But on the weeks that we do need chicken or ground turkey, the total is around the same $40 mark. And this week I only had to make stop at Wal Mart for one extra item, Chipotle Chiles in Adobo Sauce.

Shredded Cheddar (4 cups)
Mexican Shredded Cheese (3 cups) – yes, we eat a lot of cheese, we’re in Wisconsin after all
Graham Crackers
Milk
Cooking Spray
Bananas
Granny Smith Apples
Light Sour Cream – to help balance out all of the cheese
Pretzels
Baking Powder
Eggs
Colby – yup, more cheese
Graham Cracker Pie Crust
Frozen Corn (16 oz)
String Cheese
Mandarin Oranges
Mandarin Oranges
Elbow Macaroni
Granola Bars
Chicken Broth
Diced Tomatoes with Green Chilies (14.5 oz can)
Diced Tomatoes with Green Chilies (14.5 oz can)
Turkey Lunch Meat
Whipped Topping
Reduced Fat Wheat Crackers (just like Wheat Thins)
Salsa
Fruit and Veggie Juice (just like V8 Splash)
Tomato Sauce (8 oz can)
Tomato Sauce (8 oz can)
Black Beans (15 oz can)
Black Beans (15 oz can)
Black Beans (15 oz can)
Tomato Paste

So, if you are lucky enough to have an Aldi in town, give it a try. It’s perfect for a family on a budget. Or for the family that just doesn’t want to spend all of their hard earned money on food. We started shopping at Aldi long before we were a one income family, and haven’t looked back since.

Although I must admit, you will meet all sorts of interesting, and friendly, people shopping there.

Aldi – Thankful Tuesday is a post from: Alli 'n Son

I wish I had some photos of Eli’s time at daycare to share. I do have some prints, but unfortunately at the moment, I lack a scanner. So, let me just tell you about it.

They played games and made crafts. I have the flowers, spiders, bunnies, flower pots and miscellaneous items to prove it. Sure, Eli was too young to do much, but he sure loved to get his hands in the finger paint. They played outside with the endless toys, balls, sandboxes. Pretty much every day during the summer, Eli would come home covered in sand, dirt and other grim. And I mean covered. From head to toe. Caked in his hair and toe nails. So much so that even shampoo couldn’t get everything out.

But best of all, they loved him. Nicky from day one took on a motherly roll when I had to be at work. I think that she loved him most of all. And Jo, who had Eli in the infant room and then followed him to the 1 year old room. I reminder one time when I had to pick Eli up when he was sick, and he clung to her, not wanting to let go. Miss Deb, who let Eli call her Debbie, which is a high honor, taught him song after song and loved my little man to pieces. Kate, Courtney and…shot I know I’m forgetting someone, who just adored Eli. Why wouldn’t they, he is such a little flirt and well on his way to being a ladies man.

All of these women helped shape Eli’s young life. They provided care and love when I was off at work. They helped teach him and guide him. They helped make him who he is today. My adorable, although sassy, little man. And I’m pretty sure that one or two of them would have taken him home, if they were given the opportunity.

For anyone that I forgot, I’m truly sorry. It’s not that you aren’t important, or that you didn’t touch the kiddo’s life in an important way. It’s just that I have a terrible memory, especially when it comes to names. So please, leave me a comment with the name of the person I forgot, and I’ll add them to the list right away.

A Shout Out to Daycare – Thankful Tuesday is a post from: Alli 'n Son

1. He loves me. And only me. And our son and pugs.
2. He keeps me grounded. And sane. And from spiraling out of control.
3. He supports me. Even when I make mistakes. Because everyone makes mistakes.
4. He helps out around the house. Even though he’s at work all day.
5. He puts up with the projects I give him for the house. And he does a great job at them, even when they take longer and are more involved than we originally thought.
6. He’s my friend. My best friend. We were friends long before we were anything else, and I think that it where our strength comes from.
7. He let me stay at home with our son, which is the best gift in the world. I’ll never even come close to repaying him for that.
8. Every once in a while he brings home a chocolate treat for me.

On a Side Note, here’s a quick Halloween recap.

ROAR! This year was Eli’s second Halloween, but it was the first one that he could actually participate in. Kind of. He’s still a little young to be going door to door, plus is was really freaking cold and windy on Saturday. So instead we made the rounds to the in-town grandparents homes. And came home with loads of candy, to add to our pile back at home. Doesn’t me look adorable in his lion costume?

A HUGE Thank You to Dad-oo – Thankful Tuesday is a post from: Alli 'n Son