Awesomeness is Alice

(Make sure you look below for two posts about Adventures of Kyperman.)

Okay, I need to tell you about this awesome website I found. Alice.com.

Alice is a website that you can do some household goods shopping on. I was watching Rachael Ray the other morning and she had a clip about coupons. I do try to find the best deal and if using coupons is a way to do that I do that. (I guess you can call me a good Dutch girl or someone who likes to save money.)

Okay, so Alice.com does the coupon clipping for you. You can go shopping for various household goods on it. For the most part it is toiletries and cleaning products, but they also have some dry goods and snack food. You log into your account and shop for products that you use. For instance, Joel uses one brand of shaving cream. I found it on the site and put it in my "cupboard". I can then select how often I need to replace it. So, say he goes through a can of shaving cream every month. I can be reminded in a month to get more. Now, the nice thing with Alice.com is that if there are coupons out there, they will find them and use them towards the products you are buying. Therefore, you don't have to do the tedious job of coupon clipping. The other nice thing is that they offer free shipping!!! So, not only are you saving money by using the coupons they find, you don't have to go to the store and use gas to go shopping for some of those household items we all need. It doesn't cost you anything to have the items shipped to you. (Now, I do think you need to have a minimum number of items.) The other way you save a little money, is that you are not buying the products from a store, but basically directly from the manufacturer, so the prices on the products are a little lower than they would be in the store.

When I heard about this site I decided to check it out. It was awesome. I had toilet paper, shower cleaner, Kleenex, and Joel's shaving cream on my grocery list anyway. I found all the products and the best deals and decided to order them through Alice.com. I did this on Thursday and they came today to my door. This will save me some money and time in the store--I don't have to scout the shelves to find these items. Another bonus, is that I will get boxes. Why is that important to me? Well, I know we will be moving in two years. We have an attic to store boxes, so now I will be able to get some good moving boxes for the next time I move. :)

I really thought there would be a catch, but you even get a free account on Alice.com. So, you don't have to pay a monthly fee or anything. :)

I put their banner on my sidebar. Check it out!

One more Adventure

I forgot to tell you about one other adventure that Kyperman went on in September. Kyperman and his faithful sidekick, mom, went to mom's cousin's wedding. Great fun was had by all (for the most part), but I don't have pictures to prove it. You will just have to take my written word for it. :)

On, Thursday Sept. 17 Kyperman and Julie headed out of Detroit metro after Kyperman's two month appointment. He weighed in over 11 lbs and the doctor stated he was in excellent health. Also, at this appointment he some shots. :( That wasn't very fun. The nurse knew we were going on a 3 hour trip (I just sang the Gilligan Island Theme song in my head). So, she made sure he had some Tylenol right before we left. Kyperman is an amazing rider. He slept all the way from Detroit to Zeeland. There were minimal tears once we turned on the road to get to my parents. :) We arrived in Zeeland around 4 and Kyperman ate. My mom got home at 5 and that is when the worst part of the weekend occurred. Kyperman was not happy! He started bawling and I couldn't calm or comfort him. I went to check if he had a dirty diaper. He was wearing long pants and lo and behold when I took them off I find that his little leg was very red and inflamed. Grandma took a look and we agreed that this was the reason for the hard crying. Hard crying is just not that typical of Kyperman. He had a local reaction to one of the shots. So, fortunately, I remembered to take some children's Tylenol along. I gave him some of that and then put a little ice on his leg. He fell asleep in my arms soon after and that was the end of the bad part of the weekend. :) That night, we got to see Aunt Susan, Nate, Nick and Elizabeth. It was fun, although Kyperman was cuddling with mommy for the most of the evening.

On Friday, Kyperman and mom got to see a really good friend Renee and her little baby girl Abby. Maybe she will post pictures on her blog of Kyper and Abby together, because she was the only one with a camera that morning. Abby is a beautiful baby and it was fun to catch up with Renee in person rather than just through facebook or our blogs. After Renee left, we had lunch with Grandpa and then headed to Aunt Joy and Uncle David's house. We just relaxed there for a few hours. We got to see Syd, Peyton and Mariah that afternoon. Kyperman and mom left David and Joy's and headed back to Grandpa and Grandma Koning's for the next leg of the journey. We rode up with my parents and grandparents to Glen Arbor, MI. (That is a small city in the beautiful north.) We made it to our hotel and slept for the night.

On Saturday, Kyperman got to meet some pretty cool people. Before exploring Glen Arbor, we got to go to the condo where another Koning family was getting ready for the big wedding. We got to see my aunt and uncle and cousins. It was so cool to introduce my cousin's to Kyper especially Kevin and Travis. Kevin, Travis and I were all born within months of each other, so we were known as the three musketeers of our family. I was really glad that Kyper and I got to go to his wedding (we went to Travis's in August.) It meant a lot to us and I think it meant a lot to the bride and groom. The only sad part was that Kyperman's other faithful sidekick, dad, couldn't come along. Joel was busy working on medical school stuff that weekend. (Don't worry he made time for some fun by going to Port Huron and watching the freighters. Actually, he spared me from an afternoon of boredom. I just don't get too excited spending an entire afternoon and evening watching freighters. No offense to anyone.) Okay, back to Glen Arbor. Kyper, mom, grandma and grandpa had a little time before the wedding so they all explored the town of Glen Arbor. It was a beautiful day. They hit up some of the stores including the Cherry Republic. The theme of the store is Life, Liberty, Beaches and Pie. My dad stated that they had the best cherry pie ever--he has high expectations, so that is saying something! I made sure to get some sour cherry gummies from the original store....oh so good. After strolling downtown, we headed back to the condo and got ready for the wedding. We got VIP passes to the wedding, since we were taking my grandparents. It was nice. Kevin and Mara had a beautiful wedding. I wish I had pictures to show you. They got married on a bluff that overlooked Lake Michigan. It was a perfect day and a beautiful ceremony. We also had a lot of fun at the reception. However, we had to leave before the dance really got under way because we were headed back to Zeeland that same night. (It was a good 3 hour drive). Oh, I forgot to tell you that Mara got some wooden shoes from Kevin's family. Mara is Irish and we are Dutch. So, at the reception Mara got some wooden shoes and had to dance in them. How fun. I guess at the rehearsal they gave her a top ten list of what makes a good dutch wife. (Finding all the bargains, buying things on sale even if you don't need them, using lots of brown sugar when baking, eating windmill cookies, king peppermints, knowing how to play Rook, etc.).

On Sunday, Kyperman and I slept in a little bit. I know Grandma and Grandpa Phillips dropped by and peaked in but we were still sleeping. We got home at midnight and then didn't get to bed until after 1. After Kyperman had breakfast he and I hit the road again to head back to Detroit. We had missed Joel and wanted to get back to him. :) Again, Kyperman did amazing in the car and we enjoyed a Sunday afternoon with Joel once we got back home.

That was longer than I intended it to be. I guess pictures say a thousand words, so I didn't type as much in my last post. Make sure you look at those adventures as well. :)

September Adventures of Kyperman and his Faithful Sidekicks

These adventures of Kyperman are in reverse chronological order--due to how the pictures uploaded.

Adventure 4
Here are some pictures of the fun he had at the cottage with his two sidekicks--mom and dad. :) We made apple pie while there. Kyperman cruised on the paddle boat--rest assured we stayed close to shore. We took several walks in the woods and on the beach. Kyperman had a photo shoot in his pack-n-play. Dad went swimming. Needless to say a fun and relaxing weekend was had by all.Here are some more artistic pictures taken by Joel. We saw three to four deer each morning in the front (lakeside). Those are cobwebs on the grass in the top middle picture. The top right corner is the reflection of the cottage.
Adventure 3: Uncle JP and Aunt Katie's visit
Uncle JP and Aunt Katie came to visit. Although what brought them to the area was sad-Katie's grandfather passed away (please pray for peace and comfort for her family), we had a good time seeing them and hanging out. Here they are hanging out with Kyperman.
Kyperman had to model this onesie--it was a gift from the mellons. He looked great!
Adventure 2: Apple picking.
Kyperman and his faithful sidekicks went apple picking one Wednesday afternoon. Joel had Wednesdays off on his last rotation. I have coffee break that morning. Kyper got to hang out in the nursery with some pretty fun! So, after coffee break we headed to a local orchard and picked a big bag of apples. We got macintosh, golden delicious, red delicious, and royal galas.
Adventure 1: Tim's wedding weekend.
Sorry I don't have any pictures from the wedding. We headed to the west side of Michigan on Friday night. On Saturday, Kyperman got to hang out with Grandpa and Grandma Koning while his sidekicks were at Tim and Melanie's wedding. Joel stood up for Tim. We got to hang out with friends at the reception. After the wedding we headed to Grandpa and Grandma Phillips house. We decided to enjoy the sunset on the beach. Here is a family photo from the adventure. :) Kpyerman also got to see Great Grandma Phillips. Overall, a fun adventure.

Labor Day Weekend

I thought I should recap our Labor Day weekend.

Friday night Joel got done with work early, so that is when we headed down to Wyandotte. See pictures in the post below.

Saturday, we had a relaxing morning at home. That afternoon we drove a little east of Ann Arbor to Waterloo State Park. A bunch of families from our church were there camping all weekend, so we decided to go and spend some time with friends. We were able to enjoy the potluck and hot dog roast as well as a nice walk by Portage lake. We were sad that we weren't able to enjoy the beach too much, so we decided then what our activity for Sunday would be--beach.

Sunday, Joel packed the car with beach attire and a packed lunch. We went to church in Dearborn and afterward headed to the state park again. We enjoyed an afternoon of friends and sunshine. (Well, not Kyper--we had him covered all day--the picture below shows him in his stroller taking a nap.) We left late in the afternoon and came home to relax, bake cookies, and give Kyper a bath from the beach day he "experienced". They turned out good.




Monday, Joel had the day off. Most of the day was spent relaxing a home. I was able to get laundry done and the three of us did a Meijer run. We found some cheap steaks at Meijer and decided to grill for dinner. We enjoyed some time out in our backyard as a family. :) (Not the best picture of me.) We must have worn Kyper out because once he did fall asleep last night (11pM) he slept until 5 am! This is progress my friends. We'll have to see if it is a fluke or the beginning of us getting a little more sleep. (I know it will change once he begins teething and what not, but here's hoping for more nights like that.)



Now we are back to the routine of September. Joel is at the clinic and I am home with Kyper. Joel will be off tomorrow, which is fun since Katie (his sister-in-law) is in MI. We are going to meet her in Lansing for lunch.

Have I told you that I fall more in love with Kyper whenever I see his smile. :) It is the best. We have another picture of him with my teddy bear. He (Kyper that is) has grown so much in the last few weeks. He will be two months on the 14th!


Okay I am going to end this post with a random thought I had the other day. Joel emailed his uncle a picture of Kyper with the freighter (you have to understand--the Rosema side of the family loves everything freighters--Joel often visits a website: www.boatnerd.com). So, I was thinking that Joel's uncle is Kyper's great uncle. However, this doesn't really make sense. See, here is what I figured out. Our parents are Kyper's grandparents and their parents are his great grandparents, but our parents' siblings are great aunts and uncles already. Shouldn't our parents' siblings be Grand-aunts and grand-uncles, so that the same term is used for the same generation? Do you follow my logic? Now, that is what I call a Phillips' Pondering. :)

Kyper's Recent Adventures

Yes, two updates in one day.

On Thursday Kyper and I went to the zoo. Kyper really enjoyed his ride in the stroller and looking at the rings on the handle of his car seat. :) Yes, Kyper did not really see or enjoy the animals. I did though. It was an impromptu visit. A friend from church, Elise, called that morning and told me that she and some other moms were going to the zoo. She remembered that I lived really close. So, I went. It was fun to spend some time with other adults. :) Sorry, no pictures of this adventure.

Last night, Joel wanted to go see some water. We proceeded to drive to Wyandotte and walk on their broadwalk along the river. It was fun. Here's some pictures:

Kyper's First Frieghtor

Status, Story, and Stoked.

A Status Report on my Job Search
Being a new mom, I have found that I am doing a full time job just taking care of Kyper. But, due to Joel still being a student ad not making any income, I am looking for work outside of the home. I feel a little guilty, because I don't feel like I am very dedicated to the job search or motivated. The last two times I was looking for a job that is all my life consisted of--the job hunt. Now, I have a beautiful distraction to take care of, so I don't feel like I have put my all into hunting for a job. I feel like I just want God to drop a amazing opportunity in my lap and for me not to do any work to actually get a job. Well, during one of Kyper's naps I found what to me sounds like an amazing opportunity--a part time Executive Director for Rebuilding Together. (Rebuilding Together is a national organization. It does a lot with low income home repair.) They stated that it would be about 20 hours/week with it getting busier in the winter, because their main work day is the last Saturday in April (their old name was Christmas in April). Then it would probably be less hours during the summer. There are a number of reasons why this is a job that excites me. First, I would be an Executive Director--that is a great position to put on a resume and one where I would tremendously grow in my profession. I would be able to do some of the things I eventually want to do as a consultant--grants, long term planning, etc. Second, the time--at this point part time sounds good. Do I really want to be away from Kyper 40 hours a week? Plus it sounds like the hours are pretty flexible and could be some nights and weekends. Depending on Joel's rotation this would be nice, because if Joel is home, Kyper won't need to be in daycare or a babysitter all the time. I am not sure if they even have an office, so I may be able to do some work from home. (Here's hoping that is the case.) Also, with it being part time I would have time to work on starting my own consultant business while at the same time have some income coming in. One of my dreams is to be a consultant for nonprofits. I want to work with nonprofits on finding, writing and reporting on grants. I also like to plan and organize so I want to help them facilitate long term planning and program development. Perhaps, I would even help them in evaluating programs. If I am only working part-time I would have time to really research what this takes and possible start some. (With consulting I will be able to make my own hours, do a lot of work from home, and stay in the field while at the same time being a mom to Kyper and any future children we have. I have told Joel that once something like this happens, I will be able to say yes and no to what work I have so I can work less once he starts working or work more if we need a little extra income.) So, I am excited about this job and my future dream. My reason for writing about it so early on in the process (I only sent my resume yesterday) is to ask for your prayers.
So, maybe God did drop this into my lap. There is something else that I feel like God dropped into my lap this week, which brings me to my next point of this blog.

Let me Share a Story
Anawim Housing has a fund developer that works as a consultant for them. (She is who I really got the idea about consulting from.) I was fortunate to be able to work with her and build a relationship with her. So, not only was she a co-worker, she is a friend of mine. I feel like we share many values--especially when it comes to being a mom. The other day I was chatting with her online and I asked her how work was going. Let's just say she is getting very busy with her work for Anawim, because 9 Homes in 9 Days is starting on Sept. 9! (Kind of like Extreme Home Makeover, but for a nonprofit and for 9 families who will rent the homes and actually be able to stay in them. Soapbox: I like seeing the results and homes that they build on that show, but what families are actually ever able to stay in them long term. Imagine the amount those families need to pay to stay on top of utilities, property taxes, mortgages, etc...okay I will return to the original point of this story.) She told me that she actually had hired someone to help her with some of the extra items for the project. I then proceeded to tell her that if she needs anything I would be willing to help (of course it has to be things that I can do in MI and on the computer, because this is all happening in Iowa). She then asked if I would ever be willing to edit her grants and maybe if her business picks up if I would ever want to write any of the grants. I told her yes. (I initially just asked to be a good friend and not really thinking about any financial gain, but she told me that she would incorporate my services into her proposals so I may get a little income here and there for that. :)) Well, this past week she emailed me about another idea she had and wondered if I wanted to help. She wants to start her own nonprofit that would advocate for better services for new moms and dads--advocate for better family leave practices, educate about postpartum depression and things like that. She wondered if I would want to help. So, I am doing some research on the topics as well as looking into potential funders for her. She said that when she gets 501(C)3 status that I would be able to be the grant writer. I am so excited about this opportunity! So, you can all pray for this as well. :)

Something I'm Stoked about:
I am stoked about Joel's rotation this month. Joel is in a Family Practice Clinic. (He was first scheduled for peds, but that got switched last minute.) Although the days are longer, he again has quite a nice schedule. The doctor he is following works Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and every other Saturday. Therefore, Joel has Wednesdays off. It is nice having him home in the middle of the week. Pus this weekend he gets Saturday and Monday off, because it isn't the Saturday that the doctor works and Monday is Labor Day. :) Joel actually won't end up working any Saturday though. The first Saturday that the clinic is open is September 12 and Joel is standing up in a wedding that day. (The doctor told him that Saturdays were optional anyway, so Joel doesn't feel too bad. But, he would work if he was in town.) The next Saturday that the clinic is open--Joel will be done with the rotation and gearing up to start his next one (GI). (Over that weekend, Joel, Kyper and I are going to the cottage for a weekend getaway. :))