MelissaStuff

$5 for $40 in tickets from ScoreBig One of my favorite deals EVER . . . snagged another one. My boys will be thrilled when we're hitting one baseball game after another this summer!

Don't forget you can use the code DALLAS25 to purchase any deal in Denton, Collin or Dallas County for 25% off the listed price . . . it expires today, so hop over and use it before it's gone. If you aren't in the DFW area, there are codes in multiple places around the country. Check the Facebook page for your local Plum District or google to see if you can find one. (The pictures above are just a sampling of what you can purchase.) Returning Plum District customers can use this link .

I'm going to let you in on a little secret . . . when I'm frustrated, when I'm mad, when my insides are going all over the place and I can't seem to get them to stop . . . when I'm hurt, when I'm sad - I blog. This has led to some misunderstandings, and it seems some people assume everything is about them. No, for real. But in general it's an outlet. I feel better. I process my feelings. I get great feedback from ya'll. Umm, this will be one of those posts. (Feel free to bail right here if you're not up for that.) Have you ever just had a point in life where you thought, "Am I crazy?" Like, seriously, not in touch with reality . . . . living in a dream world . . . not functioning the same way most people do, crazy? Well, I have. I grew up with two grandmothers who were both diagnosed paranoid schizophrenics. In hindsight their diagnoses were made in the 40's and it is likely they might be treated for something completely differe

$11.25 for $30 at Bonnie Ruth's Bistro If you haven't used the discount code DALLAS25 - you can get this wonderful deal for just $11.25! New customers should also get a $5 credit when they sign up through this link as well. Returning Plum District customers can use this link to make a purchase and help support this blog.

I was offered the opportunity to review a new book - Stop Calling Him Honey and Start Having Sex . Intriguing title and I'm married and have a license to do just that so I thought it would be an interesting read. And so it was . . . Now let me start by saying this is NOT a Christian book. It is NOT written from a Christian perspective. And if you are easily offended by crass language or specific sexual commentary then this is not a book for you to read. But, my husband and I have really enjoyed it. It makes some great points, and has a refreshing view of long term relationships. Basically, the two ladies that wrote this book are offering up the idea that by using the rationalization that we are "one" as a couple we have allowed mediocrity, over-familarity, rudeness and crassness to reduce the sexual attraction between men and women who have been together more than a couple of years. I didn't ask my husband to read this book, but since it was laying

We love Netflix at our house. We've had it since my baby was born two years ago and stream it through our Wii. We watch everything and it's one of the best $9 a month we spend. Right now when you try it out for FREE, you'll also get $15 in Plum District dollars to spend on any deal you like. Seriously, you can make $15 which will bring you at least $30 in value when you use it to purchase a deal for FREE! Fine Print: With more than 23 million streaming members globally, Netflix, Inc. is the world's leading Internet subscription service for enjoying movies and TV shows. For about $7.99 a month, Netflix members in the Americas, United Kingdom, and Ireland can instantly watch unlimited movies and TV episodes streamed over the Internet to PCs, Macs, and TVs. Among the large and expanding base of devices streaming from Netflix are: Microsoft's Xbox 360, Nintendo's Wii and Sony's PS3 consoles; an array of Blu-ray disc players, Internet-connected TVs, h

Grabbing fun stuff...check it out!

There are Plum District codes for 25% off in the following locations that I know about - Connecticut, Raleigh, Chicago, Baltimore, Orlando, Minnesota, Salt Lake City, Las Vegas, Denver and Indianapolis. Check your email, their Facebook page and local deal blogs to find these promo codes. In Dallas we still have the DALLAS25 code available - but you should hurry if you haven't used it yet, it is set to expire sometime this weekend! Dallas - DALLAS25 Let me know what you find!

And look at what it brought - my boys beautiful minky nap mats ! They are going to LOVE them. $27.75 for a Beautiful Minky Nap Mat (with Attached Bag) I'm telling you. They're going to want to carry these everywhere until their feet hang out the bottom and even then they may use them as a throw to cover up on the couch or on their bed. The only problem I had is that in my haste to get them ordered and delivered I accidentally bought the same one twice! Ugh, so I guess I need to get them embroidered so we can tell them apart. Bet it would have been cheaper to have them do it before they shipped them. The best news is that they're still available around the country on various Plum District sites and some of them may even have 25% codes available. Right now, if you use this link you can enter the code CONN25 at checkout and get 25% off! If you're a new Plum District customer and sign up with this link , you'll automatically get $5 FREE. You can also u

Groupon: $15 for a Dozen Gourmet Cupcakes from Haute Mama If you are going to need cupcakes any time before next August, this is a deal you should grab. Haute Mama Bakery is conveniently located on McDermott in Allen. You will likely pay more for a dozen birthday cupcakes at the grocery store than this, so you can't beat it. We have two birthdays this weekend so I grabbed one for us. Too bad I couldn't have purchased more because I would have.

I seem to be a big fan of exclamation points lately - some aren't so much a fan of it, but I think it is simply a display of how excited I am about a variety of different blessings in my life right now. And one of the most monumental of those during this past week was purchasing the tickets for our family mission trip to Zambia . . . here's a video of some of the kids where we are going. Warning: You may fall in love with these kids and this place. If you want to know more about this location and these children, you can read all about them at the blog Beautiful Things .

(If you're a guy and you don't want to hear anything personal about me . . . or if you're a girl who still doesn't want to hear personal information then you might want to skip this post.) I was a bit nervous. Didn't know what to expect. But I walked in to European Wax Center of Plano (the one at Park and Preston) on Thursday at 10 a.m. determined to do something new. I hope some of you were also able to take advantage of their premiere week of FREE services. It was unlimited, but they had to reschedule my appointment and as a result weren't able to do my legs - but they did do chin, underarms and Brazilian. They start at the top and work down. The chin was was easy - and I actually have done that once before in a salon. I think part of the reason it's a breeze is because there isn't a whole lot to be done there so it goes quickly and smoothly. Then my underarms were a bit of a challenge. I was eager to try this because shaving seems to be onl

Hurry! Right now Plum District is offering 25% off discount codes in many of its cities. Here are some of the deals you can get with them:   $9 for $25 in Boy's Boutique Clothing from The Boy's Store - with code DALLAS25 Voucher good on any items except those 75% off or more.   $11.25 for the BEST Nursing/Layering Tank from Undercover Mama - with code INDYLOVE Dallas: $11.25 for 30 lbs. of clothes washed, dried and folded - with code DALLAS25 If you're a new customer and you sign up for a Plum District account through this post, I will send you a $5 promo code to use on your next purchase. If you forward me your purchase confirmation from any purchase ( Email to MelissaStuffBlog@gmail.com ) - I'll send you two additional $5 off codes. If you're a returning Plum District customer , please use this link to make your purchase and support the MelissaStuff blog in the process.  

For Valentine's Day at our house, life is pretty low key. We say Happy Valentine's. We have parties at school. And if Momma remembers to grab something small for everyone then they might get a "Valentine" from me. But this year, I actually had planned ahead a bit and purchased two things for each boy.  The first was not the success I had hoped. Each boy got a Wii game specifically purchased to give them alternatives to the shoot 'em up (LEGO style) games they prefer.  Riley got a circus theme - out of everything on it, they found the cannon and shot it over and over. Colt got a Broadway dance game (I thought Broadway would be safe not masculine maybe, but safe!) - and the first song they chose said: Look at my a$$, Look at my thighs I'm catnip to the guys They chase my tail They drool and pant They wanna touch this but they can't. Seriously??? Broadway Wii game, people. What happened to Lion King, Mary Poppins, Wicked? So that one is a no-

**Warning: This is a video of how to wear this shirt, so the model is not full clothed throughout.** Yeah!! This Undercover Mama deal ran for just a couple days last week and everyone loved it. I'm so glad that Plum District brought it back so more people could take advantage. I can't say enough good things about these tank tops. They're extra long, super soft, make great layering tanks even if you're not nursing and with this deal SUPER affordable. For $15 you get one tank top and have $5 left over towards a second . . . and if you sign up for a new account through Plum Distric t right now, I'll send you a $5 off code to use on that purchase. And if you send me your purchase confirmation email , I'll send you $10 more!

Today Plum District is offering $25 at The Kitchen at Preston Trail for just $12 . . . with the $5 FREE credit I am offering for anyone who follows this link and signs up for an account, that's just $7 for $25 worth of food ! And once you make that purchase and forward me a copy of the confirmation, I'll send you another $10 in credit (2 - $5 vouchers) to use on future Plum District purchases.

$12 for $25 at The Kitchen at Preston Trail I've been waiting for some food deals in the area - here's a new place to try. Get incredible food and a wonderfully intimate atmosphere at The Kitchen at Preston Trail. Open for lunch and carry out, it would be a great place to go with your mom friends while the kids are in school!

Fun stuff . . . Right now, if you follow this link and open a NEW Plum District account - I will send you a $5 code to spend on ANY order! (You don't need to tell me that you did this. It will automatically let me know.) Plum District does reject multiple accounts by the same household at times, so be forewarned. If you make a purchase, forward the purchase confirmation email to me and I'll send you another $10 to use toward your next purchase. You will have to use the $5 vouchers on two separate transactions. So by signing up for an account and making your first purchase - you will be able to earn $15 to spend at Plum District. Here are some of the great deals you can purchase with those dollars: One Year of Natural Laundry Detergent - $20 $37 for a Minky Nap Mat - Add Customization for $8-10 $150 for Kid's Acting Classes and a Role in a  Public Performance

So many of you have responded to my {Sigh} post from last week. I know my blog is a bit unique in that I post deals, reviews, worthy causes and personal stuff all in the same space - hence, the MelissaStuff title. However, since I dragged you all into my emotional firestorm last week, I wanted to make sure I followed that up with the rest of the story. Without taking three years to explain the entire back story, the bottom line is that the person I was referring, whom I love dearly, passed away on Thursday morning. How grateful I was that God provided me with the opportunity to spend those last minutes with him. The funeral was Saturday morning, and I was pretty petrified. All of the stuff I listed that makes me angry was a part of the dynamics going into that - I hadn't been in that building in a very long time. I hadn't seen many of those people for years. And I didn't know what to expect. I'm not easily intimidated or overwhelmed, but this situation definite

One Year of Natural Laundry Detergent - $20 If you haven't been introduced to The Peaceful Housewife . . . please let me do that now. She creates a host of eco-friendly, natural products and you can choose the scent you want! At Plum District today you can get a $40 voucher for $20 . You can buy anything in the store with it, including an entire year's worth of laundry detergent. The Custom Minky Nap Mats for $37 are still available as well. If you are a returning Plum District customer please use this link which helps support the MelissaStuff blog.

Today was a crappy day. In fact I would love to use other words to describe it . . . I can't tell you the last time I had a day this bad. I sat next to someone I love in the hospital for two hours, knowing that every breath they took could be their last. In the next few days, one of those breaths will be the last. Maybe I should have known it was coming, but I didn't. Crazy the emotions it brought up - hurt, sadness but LOTS of anger. Anger at injustice and pain. Anger that people hurt other people and that bitterness tears apart families. Anger that there's nothing I can do to change it or make it better for the people I love. No matter how much I love them. I hate feeling helpless and yet that is all I have felt today. Death sucks! I know that we know in the end the victory over death has been won . . . but in the meantime, the process of death is crappy. Not speaking to people you love for long periods of time is crappy. Leaving things unsaid is crappy.

If you are a Papa Johns Rewards member you should have received an email today telling you how to redeem your FREE pizza and 2 Liter . Mine went to my spam folder, but thank goodness I found it and rescued it.  It's likely some of you didn't catch it, but you can still get your code by going to  http://www.freepapajohns.com/ .

$37 for a Minky Nap Mat - Add Customization for $8-10 So, I'm a cheapo, right? I normally use hand me downs or shop clearance. We still have nice things, I just don't tend to pay much for them. Well, every once in a while I make an exception and today is one of those days. My two youngest boys are IN LOVE with their minky blankets . (Think Linus kind of love.) So when I saw these nap mats I knew I had to have one. The problem was that they were $75 and I knew I couldn't spend that. So I worked a deal and now we can get these for $37 and you can have your child's name - or the family last name if you want to pass it down - added for just $8-$10. If you're ever tempted to splurge this is a great one to do it on! The nursing shirts/layering tanks are available for $15 just until midnight tonight, too. If you are wanting to make a  Plum District  purchase, please consider using this link for  returning plum district customers  which helps support the 

$15 for an Undercover Mama tank top In August of 2010 when I was still in the throws of nursing, I reviewed these tank tops . . . and can I tell you I still wear it?! I'm NOT nursing anymore, but it's the perfect tank top to wear underneath that shirt that's just a little lower than you want or the wrap around dress that won't stay closed.  The unique way the shirt is made means there are no extra straps to contend with. And the shirt has withstood over a year of repeatedly being worn and washed.

I'm going to try something new. (My mother would be appalled if she knew I was going to talk about this topic with the entire Internet, but just promise not to tell her.) I'm going to try waxing.  I have had one waxing session before in my life. It was not in a very tender place. It was a very spur of the moment decision and everything went fine. Of course, I really have nothing to compare it too, but I think the end result was what it was supposed to be and I was not in pain, although my skin was a bit red. Now, I'm going all in. There is a new place opening in Plano called the European Wax Center. All they do is waxing. And they use a different technique than most places. Here are the big differences: Their wax contains no alcohol. It's made of 100% natural beeswax. The wax is applied at warm bath water temperature. No stinging temperatures.  No Double Dipping - some places use the same wax on multiple clients. Ick!! One of the other things I lov

If you pay attention to diet fads at all, you've heard of the HCG diet (and it's homeopathic counterparts). If you read MelissaStuff regularly, you'll remember I tried a similar diet through the Bouari Health Clinics here in the area. The biggest challenge of the entire diet is that you are supposed to eat around 500 calories a day . . . the rest of the nutrients your body needs are coming from the fat stores you are burning. At least, that's my understanding. But eating 500 calories a day is crazy ridiculous. Just try it. Everything you put in your mouth seems to count towards the limit and then you're not full and that makes most of us grumpy. It's just not a fun experience. However, I have the solution for anyone facing this dilemma - HCGourmetDallas.com . I was surprised to find out an old friend from high school was not only an accomplished chef but had started his own company catering to those attempting to stick to a 500 calorie diet. When he o

I am planning to make one of these custom, photo fleece blankets for my mom for Mother's Day. She's always hard to buy for, but she is generally cold-natured no matter the season and adores her grandchildren. I think this should be a natural fit. Use the code HEARTYORK  and you can g et your own customized fleece blanket with up to 30 different images at  York Photo  for just $27.49.

Ruelala  is a great sight and a lot of fun to check out from time to time. They post discounted items and even have an additionally discounted Sunday night sale. Right now, you can sign up now and  get a $10 credit FREE . I love these credits because they let you get CRAZY good deals for FREE. So  grab your credit now  and I’ll let you know as good deals pop up. Woo-hoo!!