We went away for the weekend to Asheville, NC which is so beautiful and attended the Becoming Conference. "What kind of conference are you going to?" is what I kept hearing and I wasn't really sure how to explain it. My neice kept calling it the couponing conference.
But couponing was such a small piece of the puzzle - it was all about Becoming Creative. Purposeful. Frugal. And it was UNBELIEVABLE! I was definitely a little star struck by the bloggers who spoke and wanted to share the recap.
The first session I went to was with Jenny from Southern Savers. If you don't know about her site, you are completely missing out (especially if you are in the South). She is not a crazy extreme couponer and will tell you that if coupons are too hard, then don't use them! But she does give you the best prices each week for whichever grocery store you shop at and if you only participate in buying just those items, you will cut your grocery bill by 50%. She is a wife, mom and such an inspiration to me. Today, she posted some freebies on CVS....I went and got a full size body wash for me (such a fun treat!), 30 bandaids (we always need those) and a hershey's caramel bar (yes, another treat for mommy) for $.06. Yes, you read that right - six CENTS! Just had to pay the tax. So definitely check her site out - she's always putting great deals up.
The next person I saw was Rachel Van Eerden and sadly, she is the only one that doesn't have a blog. I could have sat for HOURS with her...she was so amazing. She is a mother of 11 children and she knows what it means to be intentional about living life to its fullest. She spoke about Casting a Long Term Vision for Mothering which I so needed . I couldn't take notes fast enough!
Then I got to see The Nester! I first saw her walking through the cafeteria Friday night and was like "oh my gosh" and my sister said "Do you know her?" Are you kidding me? "YES! That's THE NESTER!" I had to stop and say hello...what a star struck nerd I am. So I was thrilled to sit on the front row and hear her talk about real women decorating with real budgets. If you have never checked out her blog - go right now! You won't regret it!
The last person I heard speak was Jen Schmidt whose blog is Balancing Beauty and Bedlam. She is a mother of five kids and is so cute and hilarious! Her practical, yet tangible frugal lifestyle ideas encourage others to save money where they can, so they can spend, share and give, on what's important.
Last but definitely not least was Angela Statzer who runs the blog Button Bird Designs. Her passion is finding the thrift store cast off, adding some paint, and making it into something beautiful and useable. I love all of this stuff and just wish I had more time to redo these fun finds! She is super precious and so is her blog!
So I came back completely renewed and refreshed. I learned I don't have to strive for perfection, just faithfulness. I need to be intentional in my mothering, intentional about blessing my children and make sure they know they are my earthly treasures - a true blessing to me!
I started my morning today by putting this precious thing on the bus. I told him last night that I wanted him to be comfortable on his first day and feel good about himself so he could pick out whatever he wanted to wear. I didn't think he'd pick out the Batman shirt but we went with it!
He also wanted a messenger bag this year instead of a backpack....how cute is that when they get their own personal style?
