So, did you see the spot we were in on The Morning Show live, or maybe online? I apologize if you’re already tired of hearing about this, but I just must tell you all about it… This was HUGE for Ray and me! Appearing on national television is not something average parents, like us, get to do every day. What an experience!

Besides, I just had to share with you the fantastic tips we got from Sanyika Calloway Boyce, Mike and Juliet’s financial fitness coach.

So, first to fill you in on all of the details. If you haven’t read my post on how this all came about, go do that now. We had the camera crew here on Tuesday filming our family… They got shots of the kiddos having pillow fights, wrestling with Daddy, eating lunch, and even loading up in our Yukon XL.

They also interviewed me and fed me some sound bites. Ugh, that was my least favorite part. I hope you didn’t laugh when you saw the pre-taped interview segment, and if you didn’t see it – good! It was a trip, however, to think about how much milk, eggs, and cheese we consume every month. I guess I had never really added it all up before – I just knew how much to buy whenever we went grocery shopping. But, wow!

I didn’t have much time after the crew left to get things ready for the kids night at Mimi and Poppy’s, let alone figure out what to wear, and pack myself and Noah. The car arrived much earlier than I would have hoped and we left him waiting for 20 minutes before we were ready to head to the airport. I guess that’s what happens when you give a family of 8 less than 24 hours notice.

After a grueling night of travel, with an 8 month old, we arrived at the studio bright and early yesterday morning. We had to change in the bathroom, but managed just fine. Thank God for the hair and makeup team… They made us look good, if I do say so myself. They would have changed their minds about having us on the show if we had to appear on TV looking like we did when we arrived!

Mike and Juliet, their crew, and Sanyika were all wonderful! They couldn’t have made us feel more comfortable. I truly forgot that I was being watched by thousands of people on national TV! I was watched by thousands of people!! If you haven’t already checked it out, go watch.

While I thought that I had some pretty good tips, of my own, on how to cut food costs when shopping for a large family, I was excited to hear from Sanyika.
Here is what she suggested:

Create a plan

• Draft up a menu and take it with you on your shopping trip. This is very helpful in avoiding coming home with a random assortment of items and not knowing how to make them transform in to a meal.

Stretch your food and your dollar

• Purchase whole chicken versus parts, and use every piece of it, from the skin to the gizzards, to prepare different meals.
• Make your milk stretch by adding 1/3 cup water to every 1 cup of milk. You’ll get 3 cups more milk by doing this and the kids will never know. (Unless, of course, it’s broadcasted as a suggestion to your parents on national television – My kids have not stopped asking if we water down the milk!)
• Begin the habit of portioning small quantities of snacks for the kiddos in to small ziploc baggies. Doing this will also help teach healthy eating habits.

Grow your own garden

• Now, this is something that my kids are super-excited about. They can’t wait to help till the ground, plant the seeds, and tend a garden full of tomatoes, watermelon and herbs. We’re thinking about a few fruit trees, too.

Thank you for all of the great tips, Sanyika!

You can check out Sanyika’s Smart Money Blog, where she enjoys sharing her financial expertise. She is such a beautiful person, both inside and out. Don’t you just love her name?

9:05pm Wednesday

Wow, what a day! Actually it’s been two days, but it has felt like one loooong day!

It all began on Monday afternoon when I responded to an email forwarded to me by one of my new blogging buddies. It was a request from The Morning Show with Mike and Juliet, for a mom with a large family, who needed help with her grocery budget, to appear on the show. Even though I knew I could use help in the area of better budgeting our family’s monthly grocery bill, I honestly didn’t think much would come of responding, except for a possible connection with Fox News and The Morning Show. You know, for the future.

I didn’t hear back from anyone on Monday, and really didn’t think about it again until my phone rang just a little after 6am on Tuesday morning. I knew immediately that it had to be The Morning Show… Anyone else who has my number knows not to call me that early in the morning, unless it’s an emergency. We are not a family who rises early. Yes, I’m fortunate to have my kiddos sleep until 8:30 most mornings!

Thus began a very hectic day – Days, actually.

Phone calls back and forth from me to New York, travel arrangements made, scheduling the camera crew… I’m not quite sure if I ever actually said the words, “Yes, I want to be on the show!” It all happened so fast!

I was a frazzled wreck as I began to think of all that needed to be done, and called Mindy in a panic. Of course she came to my rescue – She dropped everything to help me prepare for the arrival of the camera crew. With all that I had to do to prepare for the shots and interview they wanted of me and my family, I also had to make arrangements for my kids, and get them ready for an overnight stay with Mimi, Poppy, and Aunt Rachel. Mindy was a lifesaver. Thanks, chica!

The camera crew arrived right on schedule – Just as I was putting away the last of the clean dishes. And they set right to work filming my family. They got some great footage, most of which was shown during one of the two segments on the show.

I will tell you all about the show and share the wonderful tips we were given to cut costs in our monthly grocery budget, but for now I am going to leave you with the link to view the segments on The Morning Show with Mike and Juliet. Ray, Noah and I are still on our way home, stopping just for a quick layover in Salt Lake City, and we are all exhausted.

I will be glad to have this experience behind us, even though it was a wonderful one!

1:45am Thursday

We are home now, finally!

I still can’t believe that I was on The Morning Show with Mike and Janice. Check it out!

Make sure you come back to see pictures and hear all about what I learned!

Christine’s friend, Mindy, here…..

Christine and her family (Ray and their 6 kiddos) have been invited to appear on The Morning Show with Mike & Juliet, a national morning show, as part of a finance segment. They will be discussing managing their budget (groceries, saving $, etc.) with a family of 8. A camera crew is at their home at this very moment filming footage of their family and this afternoon Ray, Christine, and the baby will fly to New York to appear on the show tomorrow morning. (The other kiddos will remain here in California.) This was a last minute booking and things have been pretty rushed, but I’m so excited that they’ve agreed and will get to do it!

This is an awesome opportunity for their family, so be sure to support them by watching or recording The Morning Show with Mike & Juliet. Here in Sacramento it’s on at 11am on KCRA3 after the Today Show. Check your local listings and tune in, or check out their website by clicking the link above.

Christine will blog about the trip and their appearance on the show, so be sure to check that out as well!

You Go, Young Family!!!!!

Mindy