BzzAgent coupon roundup 3/10/13

Updated 3/13/13!!


I love being an agent for BzzAgent. I love using coupons, I love blogging.  This post combines all three so it must be particularly fantastic!!! If you are unfamiliar with BzzAgent read my recent post, Let's tak Bzz,to read about it. Some of the following campaigns have recently ended but discounts are still available for the products.

Children’s Claritin – Chewables and Syrup
$2.00 off Children's Claritin – Coupons.com via Claritin.com
$2.00 off Children’s Claritin  - Target.com for use only at Target
*Both coupons can be combined for a total of $4.00 savings at Target only

Nescafe Momento
$1.50 off two Nescafe Momento products – CouponNetwork.com
Hurry!! Print by 03/24/13!!

Goya
Goya.com has coupons for several different products available.

 

Schick Hydro Silk
$3.00 off Schick Hydro Silk – Target.com for use at Target only

 

Garnier Olia
$3.00 off Garnier Olia – RedPlum.com
$1.00 off Garniet Olia - Target.com For Use At Target Only
*Both coupons can be combined at Target only for a total savings of $4.00!!

Garnier Fructis Triple Nutrition
$1.00 off Garnier Fructis Shampoo, Conditioner or Trearment – Coupons.com

 

Garnier Fructis Hydra Recharge
$1.00 off Garnier Fructis Shampoo, Conditioner or Treatment – Coupons.com
$1.00 off Garnier Hydra Recharge Shampoo or Conditioner – Target.com For Use at Target Only
**Both coupons can be used together at Target Only for a total of $2.00 off.which will leaves the price at only 99 cents at my Target!!!!

Quaker Up
$1.00 off Two Quaker Products – Quaker.com plus three entries into instant win game
$0.50 off Perfect Portions – Coupons.com

Clear Scalp and Hair Therapy
$1.00 off women's Clear Scalp and Hair Therapy Item – Target.com For use at Target Only
*Hurry print this coupon by 3/16/13

Tresemme Platinum Strength Renewing Deep Conditioning Treatment
$1.00 off Tresemme Hair Care Item – Target.com For Use at Target Only
*Hurry print by 3/16/13




Post Sesame Street Cereal
$1;00 off Sesame Street Cereal – Coupons.com




Glade Expressions
$4.00 off Oil Difusser Starter Kit– Coupons.com
$1.00 off Oil Difusser Starter Kit – Target.com for use at Target only
*Hurry print the Target.com coupon by 3/15/13
*Both coupons can be used together at Target only for a total of $5.00 off!!!
My Target has the oil difusser priced at $5.99 so with the two coupons it was only $0.99!
Great Bargain!

$2.00 off Fragrance Mist Starter Kit – RightatHome.com

Kindly let me know if you find this helpful by leaving a comment below. If so I will continue to post these on a weekly basis.

We’re talking about: The fantastic series on The Bible on the History Channel
We’re praying about: Our ability to stay focused during our wait for Boyet’s green card.
We’re laughing about: Horny Toads (Horned Frogs). Yes, they’re real and they exist in Oklahoma.

Perspective, Finding Blessings in the Pain

I woke this morning nauseous and before long I was dealing with a pressure headache that ran down the length of my spine.  Let me take a second to define what I mean by ‘pressure’ headache. It feels like there is too much pressure in my head, like someone is blowing up a balloon inside my head. The pain from this extends down my back throughout all of my spine. I will admit this caused me to have a meltdown.  I found myself being tired of being sick, tired of dealing with pain, tired of not being ‘normal’ whatever that is.  Honestly, I was in tears over the difficult symptoms of my chronic neurological condition, Arnold Chiari Malformation.

Luckily, I have the greatest husband in the history of husbands. He was very calm and encouraging.  He offered to give me a massage on my head and back to help alleviate the pain which helped.  Now, I am quite familiar with pain and am know that my reaction to the pain can cause more of a problem than the pain itself.  So I allowed myself to relax and rely completely on my husband. I knew I had to focus on the caring healing power of his touch.  He started some music by our favorite cover band, Boyce Avenue and his fingers began working their magic on my pain.  After 45 minutes or so I began feeling less pain and more strength to deal with the day ahead.  Now, while I won’t be setting any records today I won’t spend the rest of my day in a puddle of tears.

We decided to spend the day relaxing and not doing anything too stressful.  After a short while, I found myself chatting to a young lady I know via Facebook chat.  She’s recently had an experience that has caused her to lose confidence.  I found myself reminding her what an amazing and strong young lady she is.  The more I encouraged her the more I wondered why I wasn’t encouraging myself today. How could she find encouragement in my words when just an hour prior I had been in tears over the difficulties of dealing with a chronic illness.  She was so gracious and accepting of my words that it brought me to tears again.  Here, I was reminding her to celebrate life and to live it to the fullest while I had just allowed pain to change my perspective of how beautiful and miraculous life is.  At one point, she called me an angel for having such kind words to say to her.  My response, “I am not an angel, I am just a realist who knows true beauty when I see it.”  But today I had managed to let that beauty slip away from me.  The conversation with this darling young woman brought me to my knees in gratitude for all that I have.  My life is so rich and so beautiful.  I should never measure the quality of my life by the pain in my body but by the strength in my love for others. 

Shortly after our conversation my work posted this picture on their Facebook page.  I quite easily saw how my words had an impact on her.  I really enjoy being able to brighten someone else’s day.  I am always careful with my words because words are powerful.  But did she understand how her words had such a powerful effect on me?  Her struggles reminded me of all the wonders that life has to offer. All of us will have difficulties.  Nobody gets through life unscathed.  The distinction between a strong person and a weak person is not how hurt they are by the struggle but by what they choose to do with that pain.  A strong person feels that pain, they let it burn inside; but, only for a short while. Then they turn that pain into encouragement for themselves and for others.  Never let that pain alter your amazement of all life can offer. Never let the struggle take away the fairytales of books, music of laughter, the poetry of love, and warmth of the sun.  Life is worth every ounce of struggle. Love is worth every ounce of pain.
I am blessed by all of the people I have and know.  I may not say it often enough to you but thank you .  Each of you have touched my heart in some way and I will always carry your story with me.

We’re talking about: Pain and the healing power of touch
We’re praying about: Those we love. That they never forget the beauty life brings.
We’re laughing about: How God gives us what we need when we need it, the beauty of grace.

Sharing the BzzLove with Coupons

I love being an agent for BzzAgent. What’s not to love. Trying new products for FREE, sharing my honest opinions (um, I have plenty of those), and doing all the things I already enjoy doing by engaging others on social media.  And did I mention, it’s FREE!  I am selected to participate in certain campaigns based on my own personal preferences. Therefore, I am not the right agent for every campaign. But sometimes, a campaign comes along that I think I might like to try even though I wasn’t selected to participate in the campaign.  Now, I’m not too keen on paying top dollar for products I might and/or might now enjoy. So I thought I would see explore the available coupons available for some of the exciting campaigns available at BzzAgent. 

 

Garnier Olia (Love, Love, Love this!!)
$3.00 off Garnier Olia - 3/3/13  Sunday Paper insert
$3.00 off Garnier Olia – Redplum printable! No longer available
$1.00 off Garniet Olia -  Target.com For Use At Target Only
*These two coupons can be used together at Target only for a total of $4.00 off

Garnier Fructis Triple Nutrition
$1.00 off Garnier Fructis Shampoo, Conditioner or Trearment – Coupons.com
*You may need to page down once or twice to find the the Garnier Coupon

Garnier Fructis Hydra Recharge
$1.00 off Garnier Fructis Shampoo, Conditioner or Treatment  – Coupons.com
$1.00 off Garnier Hydra Recharge Shampoo or Conditioner – Target.com For Use at Target Only
*You may need to page down once or twice on Coupons.com
**Both coupons can be used together at Target Only for a total of $2.00 off.which will  leaves the price at only 99 cents at my Target!!!!

Quaker Up
$1.00 off Two Quaker Products – Quaker.com plus three entries into instant win game
$1.00 off Two Quaker Products – Target.com For Use at Target Only
*Both Coupons can be used together at Target Only for a total of $2.00 off of 2 products.

$.50 off Quaker Perfect Portions – Coupons.com 
Strangely, I cannot this link to work in Chrome. So if you are using Chrome and this link doesn’t work try Internet Explorer or Firefox. Sorry for the inconvenience.

 

Clear Scalp and Hair Therapy
$1.00 off women's Clear Scalp and Hair Therapy Item – Target.com  For use at Target Only

Tresemme Platinum Strength Renewing Deep Conditioning Treatment
$1.00 off Tresemme Hair Care Item – Target.com For Use at Target Only




Post Sesame Street Cereal
$1;00 off Sesame Street Cereal – Coupons.com


 

Glade Expressions
$4.00 off Oil Difusser Starter Kit– Coupons.com
$1.00 off Oil Difusser Starter Kit – Target.com for use at Target only
*Both coupons can be used together at Target only for a total of $5.00 off!!!

$2.00 off Fragrance Mist Starter Kit – RightatHome.com
$2.00 off Fragrance Mist Starter Kit – Target.com for use at Target only
*Both coupons can be used together at Target only for a total of $4.00 off!!!

Kindly let me know if you find this helpful by leaving a comment below.  If so I will continue to post these on a weekly basis.

We’re talking about:  Our 2013 Entertainment.com coupon book. Haven’t had one in years, I forget how cool they are.
We’re praying about: My niece who is at a cheer competition in Dallas this week.
We’re laughing about: After doing me a favor, with puckered up lips Boyet said, “You’re going to have to pay for me.” instead of “You’re going to have to pay for it.”

Coconut Oil Experiment #1

I began my coconut oil challenge tonight with a simple recipe for body wash. I had to wake at four this morning; therefore, something that required effort and forethought was just not possible this evening.  However, the thought of having a drink and taking a long, hot bath seemed to be a perfect ending to a very long day.  This three ingredient recipe required almost no effort and was super quick!

1 Cup Castile Soap
2-3 Tablespoons Coconut Oil, melted
5-10 Drops of Essential Oil
Mix well.

I used Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soap in Hemp and Tea Tree, along with Sweet Almond essential oil.  Yes, that’s a coffee creamer container. Hey, the price was right and it has an awesome non-drip spout!   I measured out the ingredients. Then popped the coconut oil into the microwave for about 30 seconds.  I poured everything into the clean creamer jar and gave everything a really good shake.  Without further hesitation and with drink in hand, I made my way to the bath!

First thing I noticed very quickly about this new body wash was the smell. There is something about castile soap that reminds me a oil. Now, true castile soap is made from olive oil; so this shouldn’t come as a surprise.  However, I am not referring to that kind of oil. This is stronger, more pungent than olive oil. Oh yeah, petroleum.  I’m not referring the stuff in the square jars you find at the drug store. I’m talking black gold, Texas Tea.   There is just something about castile soap that reminds me of my Papaw after a long day of oil field work for Phillips 66.  I have smelled several varieties and they all have that same familiar smell.  No fresh coconut or almond scent here, sadly.  I should have seen, er, smelled, this one coming.  Oh well, pumping on.

I was hoping for a luxurious, rich rather that swathed my skin as I bathed.  No such luck. I felt it lathered well enough to get me clean but it will never star in a commercial for an at home spa quality product. 

Now, onto the good stuff. This was moisturizing. I mean truly hydrating; like I had just come from the spa.  I was able to shave with this body wash and my legs felt so silky afterwards. Sometimes my legs tend to be a bit sensitive when it comes to shaving. I can’t use shaving cream or soap that is heavily perfumed.  My legs were thanking me for using such a creamy, hydrating product while shaving. Typically, after a shower I slather myself in lotion.  I did put on lotion after my bath; mostly, out of habit.  I did find that I used much less lotion than I normally would.  Now, more than an hour later my skin feels nourished and so soft.  I attribute this more to the coconut oil than anything else. After all, I had tried the castile soap when I first got it a few months ago and I don’t remember it being fantastically moisturizing. 

Final verdict: C.  Does this replace my usual body wash? No. I can’t get past the smell. Do I regret trying this recipe? No. Other than the smell I truly enjoyed the experience. I will finish what I have made because I enjoy everything except the smell but I won’t be making more. However, I can see myself ‘spiking’ my normal store bough body wash with coconut oil.  I would be quite curious to see how that would turn out. Hmmmmmm, wheels are turning in my head. Can’t you hear them? They need to be oiled but I can figure out how to put the coconut oil in there.

 

Postscrip:
We’re talking about: Gold Rush Alaska, a reality tv show about gold mining.
We’re praying about: Boyet’s immigration paperwork, it could be a couple more months :/
We’re laughing about: Boyet’s addiction to Words with Friends. He just started a game with my boss. Uh oh. This isn’t going to end well.

Challenge Accepted! Coconut Oil Edition

Since Boyet is Filipino; he is quite accustomed to coconut oil. Coconut in all its forms has been used in the Philippines for thousands of years and has so many uses that I couldn’t possibly even begin to create a list.  The Philippines is the world’s largest producer of coconut crops in all their varieties. So it’s easy to see why it’s woven into the fabric of their lives.  I, frankly, am a little jealous because I am just discovering all the magnificence of the coconut.

I grew up thinking that coconut existed only in those packages of dehydrated flakes.  I was so terribly, terribly wrong.  Buko (fresh young coconut) is quite possibly the most glorious thing my taste buds have ever had the pleasure of experiencing. Sadly, buko does not exist in the middle of Oklahoma. So, currently I have decided to challenge myself to learn more about the most readily available form we have here. Coconut oil! 

I have a Pinterest board dedicated to this challenge. I decided to start with a collection of 10 ‘recipes’ for a variety of different uses for coconut oil.  The goal is to have tried all 10 recipes within one month.  My qualifications for selecting recipes for this challenge were that the recipe needed to be easy to find (thank you Pinterest), easy to make (only 3-5 ingredients) and easy to follow. In other words, if it’s too complicated I won’t do it. It’s that simple. So without further ado, here are the recipes I have chosen to include in my coconut oil challenge.

 

Body Wash

 

Shampoo

Hair Conditioner

 

Body Butter

 

Toothpaste
Not gonna lie, kinda worried about this one.

 

Face Mask

 

Face Cleanser

 

Face Cream

 

Body Scrub

Sticky Residue Remover

Finally! Some yummy stuff.
Kettle Corn

 

Magic Shell Ice Cream Topping

 

Smoothie

 

Of course, I will be blogging about each of these experiences so you will be able to follow my journey with coconut oil right here! Please follow our Shalunya & Boyet Facebook page to stay informed this challenge. I gladly welcome your suggestions, comments, and thoughts about my coconut oil challenge. Feel free to join me in this challenge to become better acquainted with coconut oil.

NEW FEATURE here at Shalunya & Boyet. We have decided to add a postscript to every post to keep us focused on our motto, “Talk about Anything, Pray about Everything, Laugh about Nothing.”

We’re talking about: The awards our girls are receiving for the end of their school year.
We’re praying about: Mama’s Cancer Treatments and her health
We’re laughing about: Boyet does a great imitation of me when I get frustrated. It’s spot on!