Read about the daily trials and tribulations of a modern mom and housewife, including tips, and ideas on crafts, and other leisure activities with your children, saving money tips, and how to deal with daily issues and situations.
I am going to begin a week long giveaway for a Mini Lalaloopsy playset! I am looking for bloggers that want to be on the rafflecopter in exchange for promotion! Fill out the form below!
Disclaimer: I received one or more products above for review purposes only. I was not required to write a positive review. My opinions as always are my own. This post may contain affiliate links. The Mom Show's giveaways are not affiliated with Facebook or any other social media networks. The sponsoring company is responsible for all shipping unless otherwise stated. The Mom Show is not responsible for sponsors not upholding their promises and cannot reimburse you for items or the value of products. Should this occur, please contact The Mom Show and I will do my best to help you achieve promised winnings.
Do you have someone who enjoys cooking on your Christmas list? If so, and if they've been extra good, I would highly suggest an electric pepper grinder from Ozeri.
It takes regular peppercorns. It's really easy to fill and refill. It's battery operated, and the batteries are easy to replace if/when necessary also. We have been using this for a little while in my own home, and I have really fallen in love with it. I LOVE using it while I'm cooking. It lights up while you use it, so you can really see where the pepper is going, and make sure that you're using just the right amount.
The one thing that I will say is that it works best for cooking, it is taller and larger than I originally thought it would be, so for us personally, it didn't fit in on our dinner table well (though I suppose with a matching salt one it really wouldn't be too bad).
Other than that, it's black and really attractive. It's easy to use! It's not as noisy as I thought it would be either. Since my husband works overnight, I do a lot of my cooking while he's asleep, so this is definitely a great perk for us!
For only $25 at Amazon, it would make a really great gift for someone who loves cooking or just someone who loves food! Here is a link where You can buy it on Amazon! You can also check out their website, and their Facebook page!
Disclaimer: I received one or more products above for review purposes only. I was not required to write a positive review. My opinions as always are my own. This post may contain affiliate links.
About an hour ago, I posted about Chili's Daily Coupons for the holiday season. I just came across another deal for you. You can save 10% on gift card purchases! This would be a money saver as a gift,
OR,
you can go to this post, sign up for the coupons, and use them yourself as a double money saver!!
Disclaimer: My opinions as always are my own. This post may contain affiliate links.
I absolutely love Chili's. I love their family friendly, and fun atmosphere. My whole family enjoys their food. We always have a good time when we go there.
Another thing that I really like about them, is that they are always offering ways to save money on an evening dinner out with your family! We probably go once a month or so, and we always have coupons when we go!
Right now, they're offering a new coupon every day for the Christmas season! This means, on whatever day that you go Christmas shopping, you can go have lunch or dinner afterward and save money doing it! Great plan, right?
Let me start, by saying, this is my own little rant. It is not in judgement toward anyone who ventured out to find the sales (I understand that finding that perfect gift is made even more perfect when you find a great deal on it). I completely understand why people do, and I don't judge or blame anyone for deciding to do that. I, however, will never be seen in a store at 5 am (or the night before at this point) on any day, particularly Black Friday.
I worked in retail for a lot of years before stopping to become a stay at home mom. I used to have to stop my Thanksgiving celebrations early to go sleep, so that I could get up at 3 am to be at work by 4. This used to cut my holiday short, not to mention, it was exhausting the next day. Now, retail employees are having to cut their festivities short so that they can go to work that night. I am so glad that it wasn't that way when I worked there.
In my time in retail, sometimes, Black Friday was fun. It was action packed, and exciting. It was something that we had worked for, and it was fun watching the action unfold. There were times, however, that it was downright dangerous and scary. Once, we had police shut our store down, because we were filled far past capacity (hard to imagine, right?). Another time, we were shut down because the employee who opened the doors that morning was literally trampled and stepped on by hundreds of people. Luckily, she only suffered broken ribs (I say luckily like it was a good thing, right?!). It could have been SO much worse, and I'm so grateful that it wasn't.
Not only that, but I also really enjoy getting and decorating our Christmas Tree on Friday! That's kind of our family's new tradition over these past few years. We go to a Christmas Tree farm, walk around until we see one that we like, cut it down and bring it home. I just don't want to take away from that family time to go shopping.
All of that being said, if time allows, I will spend some time online at least checking out the deals on store's websites.
These are my reasons for NOT shopping in stores on Black Friday. Did you shop? Did you get any great deals?? If so, I'd love to hear about them!
I came up with an idea that I'm going to try really hard to make tradition. I am taking most of the day off today, for obvious reasons. There will be no affiliate posts, no reviews, no other posts today, just this one, and another one in about an hour or so.
Do you remember, being young and making the Christmas train with the red and green construction paper? This is a stem of that idea. Take construction paper, browns, reds and oranges. You know, fall colors. Cut them into strips, and give a few to each member of your family. Have each person (and help the younger ones, obviously) write something that they're thankful for, on each strip, than, glue them into circles, linking them together. It would be really great to keep this same train, year by year, and see how long you can make it over the years!
Keeping it will serve so many purposes, as you look at it year by year, you can see how your family grows, both physically, mentally and emotionally. You see how their writing skills improve, you can see how the they mature as what they're thankful for gets more mature.
You can even invite people that you invite to join in on your Thanksgiving dinner to participate in your new tradition. They can either keep their own train, and add to it if they wish, or you can put it with yours to remember that they joined in on this day with you!
Disclaimer: I received one or more products above for review purposes only. I was not required to write a positive review. My opinions as always are my own. This post may contain affiliate links. The Mom Show's giveaways are not affiliated with Facebook or any other social media networks. The sponsoring company is responsible for all shipping unless otherwise stated. The Mom Show is not responsible for sponsors not upholding their promises and cannot reimburse you for items or the value of products. Should this occur, please contact The Mom Show and I will do my best to help you achieve promised winnings.
I don't know about you, but I LOVE magazines. I love getting them in the mail. I love reading articles, using them for collages, and more. I LOVE when I find a free or really cheap subscription for a magazine. Even if it's something that I typically wouldn't read, I either give it as a gift, or use it for collages and other crafts (one day I will have to write about the different uses for magazines!).
Magazine subscriptions also make excellent gifts. I mean, think about it! They are the gift that keeps on giving.
This also prompted me to begin seeing what other good deals on magazines that we could get deals on. I found out that right now, you can also Enjoy a free subscription to BabyTalk Magazine.
I am going to keep looking, and edit this post as I find more for you! So, keep checking back if you love magazines as much as I do!
Disclaimer: I received one or more products above for review purposes only. I was not required to write a positive review. My opinions as always are my own. This post may contain affiliate links. The Mom Show's giveaways are not affiliated with Facebook or any other social media networks. The sponsoring company is responsible for all shipping unless otherwise stated. The Mom Show is not responsible for sponsors not upholding their promises and cannot reimburse you for items or the value of products. Should this occur, please contact The Mom Show and I will do my best to help you achieve promised winnings.
I have been asked to share with you a website that can allow you to give beautiful gifts to friends and family members.
Now, they didn't just ask me to share it with you. They are also offering my readers a DISCOUNT of 15% off your ENTIRE order! Just use the code: 15OFF when you check out, and your price will decrease by 15%!
If you look at their website here (GiftBasketsPlus.com), you will find a great selection for just about anyone on your list.
Whether you're getting a basket for someone who likes wine:
Or a chocolate lover:
or both (because, seriously.. a perfect evening for most women would involve both of course!):
GiftBasketsPlus.com is a great resource for beautiful gift baskets for family and friends! So, remember that website for all of your gift basket needs, and remember the discount code 15OFF to save some money in the process!
I was invited to join in on this opportunity about learning how to love myself more... and, obviously, blog about it! This was intriguing at first, because well, that's something I have a hard time with, and I would much rather not have this problem.
For this reason, I've decided to take their challenge personally, and try a little harder to "Love myself" I will write another post at a later date about why, but today, I'm going to write a little bit about "how". How we can all do a better job of loving ourselves.
I am going to give you a list of ways that you can love yourself more (because, don't we all deserve that?) and "be your own best friend"
Take time to yourself. Whether it's five minutes to paint your nails, read a few chapters in a book, whatever floats your boat.. and only your boat. Time to yourself should be all about YOU.
Look in the mirror, and point out the things that you like about yourself.
Every now and then, buy yourself something. Just because you love you! You deserve it!
Pray. Give Thanks. Appreciate life's blessings. Including you!
Give yourself a break. Literally and figuratively. Take time to just sit and relax once in a while, and don't beat yourself up when life isn't perfect.
Take a week, and vow (and then follow through!) to do at least one nice thing just for you, each day.
Watch a funny movie, read a funny story, do something that makes you laugh! Laughing always feels good!
Keep a journal. Write the things that you don't like about yourself in there, and leave them there. Start a new page for all of the things that you DO like about yourself.
Make something. Seriously. I always get such satisfaction from making something with my own hands.
Eat chocolate! (I doubt there is really any explanation necessary here)
Take time and do nice things for yourself. Enjoy yourself. Give yourself the pleasure of enjoying your own company doing things that you enjoy. As moms, we really don't take the chance to take proper, let alone extraordinary care of ourselves even though that is what we deserve.
Poinsettias are a flower traditionally associated with Christmas.
This is due in part to their festive red and green coloring and the fact that they flower in winter, and in part to a Mexican Christmas story. In the tale, a little girl has no money to buy Christmas gifts in the celebration of Christ’s Birthday, so she gathers some weeds from the side of the road.
In the middle of these a beautiful red flower appears and becomes the first ever poinsettia. The shape of the poinsettia leaves represents Christmas star, while the redness of the flower symbolizes the sacrifice that the Lord made when his only begotten son was crucified.
The red flowers are called bracts, and can be used to make some beautiful Christmas decorations.
• Cut free one bract with about an inch of stem still attached. Seal off the stem by
searing it over a candle flame to stop the milky sap from dripping out. Glue a red
ribbon to the flower.
• Use red glitter glue to draw designs on the flower and ribbon and then tie the
stem with green wire to make a loop. You can now hang your beautiful poinsettia
Christmas craft from your beautiful Christmas tree.
• Press a few of the bracts between the pages of a heavy book for a week or two. Get
a plain, flat picture frame and some watered down PVA glue. Paint the bracts onto
the frame with the glue and allow to dry, creating a wonderfully unique decoupage
picture frame in minutes.
A center-piece can make or break a Christmas table.
Using poinsettias will certainly guarantee an enchanting Christmas dinner table for you and your guests.
Take an odd number of stems (three or five works best) and a clear glass vase. Fill the vase
with festive greenery and other items such as cinnamon sticks, holly and pine cones. Add the
poinsettia stems at the end to add height to your arrangement for the dining table.
I know that a lot of bloggers write about coupons. Most of them cover the newspaper coupons, online coupons, saver card savings, and things like that. What I haven't seen many people write about are the coupons that you get in your mail. You know, the envelopes and papers that really look a lot like junk mail. I have been guilty of throwing them away in the past, but once I started couponing, and realized what they really were, I excitedly open those up and go through them every time I receive them!
I have saved money going out to eat with my family, things like haircuts, outings, and more. A lot of times there are coupons for home services and repairs, as well as vehicle maintenance and so much more (the things that you won't see coupons for in your newspaper!)
Another thing that is really nice about these kinds of coupons, is that a lot of times, you are able to support your local businesses and save money at the same time by utilizing these coupons. (Every time we get one, there are coupons for our favorite local delivery place. It is a small business that we like supporting, and you know I love saving money!
When we first moved in to our house, we got a few Lowes and Home Depot coupons inside of those envelopes, so we were able to do a lot of our new home shopping and save money. We also received mattress coupons, which were so helpful when we needed to replace two mattresses.
My family also goes out to eat probably once a week, and we always use coupons from these envelopes (and sometimes coupons from the newspaper too)
I guess, really, the point of this whole post is basically.. Check your mail! Coupons aren't limited to the newspaper and internet, and you can save money doing the same things that you normally do just by paying attention to what you're getting in your mail. I love saving money with coupons, and I love the limitlessness of it!
Have you prepared Holiday Cards yet? I am getting mine ready. I am planning on using this deal! 20 Holiday cards for only $1.99! I can get just about all of my family taken care of for this!
Vistaprint is usually really quick also, so I know that it won't take a really long time to get the cards and get them sent out!
We all love receiving cards and letters for Christmas. I particularly love the ones that have family photos. There are people that send us cards, and that we send cards to, that we don't see extremely often, so it's nice to see the photographs of their growing families, and I like being able to show off my own a bit! You can go to stores like Wal-Mart, CVS or Walgreens to do the same thing, but they charge you per card, and I can guarantee that it will cost you more to do it that way. Take the hassle and cost away from Holiday cards this year!
Disclaimer: My opinions as always are my own. This post may contain affiliate links.
I absolutely love decorating for the Holidays. Green, red, and gold colors, the scents of trees, foods, candles and more.
I love using candles as both decoration, and a way to get my home smelling like Christmas! I usually make a centerpiece with some gold, green or red candles, and then in addition to that, we usually get some Balsam Fir, Cinnamon, candy cane, and other scented candles. I love winter candles!
This year, I'm actually thinking about making something out of some adorable floating candles. There are some really nice ones out there, related to Christmas!
My absolute favorite use for Christmas candles, as I've said before, is using them to add those Christmas scents into my home. I love all of those scents, and I get so excited for Christmas time to roll around so I can pull out the candles and sprays!
This year, I actually have a centerpiece already designed, I just have to get the stuff to do it. I am going to take a flat platter, place either three gold colored candles or maybe some Christmas Tree Candles on it, and put some pieces from our tree around the bottom.
Not only that, but a lot of families include things like advent candles! In my opinion, I feel like candles make any decoration a little more elegant and classy!
If you are interested in shopping for candles, Crafted Candles is actually currently offering a discount for their fans on their Facebook page!
Right now, also thanks to Crafted Candles, you are able to enter to win a $100 Credit to Crafted Candles! Enter on the Rafflecopter below! Good luck!
We all watch television, so surely, you've seen at least one of those commercials where you see a family all eating dinner together. You know, they're cheesy. There's a perfectly clean kitchen and dining room, everyone in the family is there, no one is preoccupied, and the mom always looks like she prepared a perfect dinner without actually lifting a finger.
But really.. There is definitely something to them. I mean, think about it. How often is every member in your family all home, at the same place, in the same room, doing the same thing, together, all at the same time? I know that if my family didn't eat dinner together, we would go days at a time without doing things all together (my husband works a weird schedule.). I have to tell you, I truly treasure that time that I have with my family on a daily basis. It's such a foundation for my daughter that on the rare occasion(and it really is rare. It's a goal for all of us that we do our best to stick to it) that one of us isn't there for dinner time, my daughter is genuinely disappointed.
I know.. we're busy. All of us. Sometimes, it's just really hard to get everyone together at dinner time. My husband leaves the house at 3:30 pm, and doesn't get home from work until 7:00 am. Because my daughter is still at home, we eat our dinner at 2:00 pm every day. We have a late lunch, and my husband just has a filling breakfast. Next year, when she starts school, in order to make sure we're still eating together daily, we will probably have breakfast together instead. It can be done.
I know that as children get older, schedules get busier. I understand completely. If you're wanting to incorporate family dinners (or, for people like me, a generic family meal time), you can start slow. Start with, perhaps, a Sunday Dinner, then add Saturdays in there, eventually perhaps Fridays, and then any other days during the week that a schedule will allow. Perhaps you can do what we're going to do and get all together around the table for breakfast in the morning.
Some of the Benefits of Family Dinners:
Spending time together as a family, all together, in the same place, at the same time.
Perfect opportunity to talk about daily activities, and things going on in our lives. This also gives you a great opportunity to open up lines of communication. I really believe that this is important for kids as they get older. You want them to come talk to you when they need to. Listen to them now. Continuing this, is known to prevent some of the less than desirable behavior that can occur when parents aren't as involved.
Shows children that family time is important, appreciated and a real priority.
Allows you a perfect opportunity to teach your children manners surrounding dinner, eating, and being with other people.
This will also open your children's eyes to healthier foods than what they would probably choose if they were choosing a quick dinner or were out on the go.
Eating dinner together as a family can actually relieve the stresses of the day by giving you a chance to forget about them for a short time, while focusing on the most important things in your life, your family!
If there are other recipes you're looking for, or if there are any other questions you have about making this happen, use the contact tab on the bottom right hand of your screen and I'll get it done for you!
Now, your turn, how do you make time for family dinners and make sure they're a good time for the whole family?
Are you, or anyone you know planning a wedding? If so, take advantage of this FREE offer! That's right.. Free! It's been a while since I was planning a wedding, but last time I looked at any bridal magazines, they were EXPENSIVE.
That's why this particular offer is so GREAT!! You can get a FREE issue of Bridal Guide Magazine! Get it for you, or for a friend or relative. Anyone who is, or may soon be planning a wedding, because free issues don't come around really often! If you get this for someone planning a wedding, send them here and they can get one too!
And congratulate them for me, because I love weddings!
Disclaimer: My opinions as always are my own. This post may contain affiliate links.
I want to share with you, an awesome opportunity.
If you click on the picture on the left, you can sign up for the Scott Shared Value Program.
This program offers great coupons and savings to you, and, even better, when you first sign up, you get a freebie! Things like a free Blockbuster rental, eBox Tops for Education and more. Including my personal favorite, a $5 Amazon MP3 Credit!!
That's not even the best news. I am actually working with another blogger, because if 200 people sign up, she will be able to offer readers a $100 Amazon Gift Card!! Of course, this is a giveaway, that, when it occurs (and I am confident that it will!) I will definitely share with you so that you can enter! I have never met a single person that wouldn't or couldn't use FREE Amazon money!!
If you have any questions about the program, how to sign up, or anything else, as always, please feel free to contact me!
Just in time for the Holidays, Ebay wants to share their great deals with you! Find out what you can save the most money on with Ebay Deals! Sign up by clicking the picture below to get deals sent right to your inbox.
I LOVE ordering things through ebay, it's like thrift shopping without having to leave my house (and sometimes, the finds are even better! I will be signing up for this, and hope you will too. If you do, come back and let me know what great deals you find!
Disclaimer: My opinions as always are my own. This post may contain affiliate links.
My husband absolutely LOVES baseball! My daughter, of course, loves it too because he does (daddy's girl.. what can I say?). Together, her and I came up with a LOVELY Christmas gift for him (and probably my father in law also, since he also loves baseball). Something that he will love because it's handmade by her, and because it involves baseball.
First, you take a baseball:
(If you click the picture, you can get this one at Amazon for only $3.75!!)
Get some fingerpaints (or for bigger kids you can use regular paints of course. It's your project!) and let your child paint a picture for the recipient on the baseball. Really simple, right? Not to mention cheap!
To make it even more special, you can put it into a display case like this one:
which is the one that we have, (and again, by clicking the image, you can purchase it from Amazon for only $4.55!)
Or, you can take a round one for only $5.75:
This is a cheap, easy and special gift that you and your children can make for the baseball lover in your family for less than $10!
In case you haven't noticed, I am already in the Christmas Spirit! I am so excited to share gift ideas with you all. I LOVE this time of year. Between working on this Holiday Gift Guide, and working on Christmas festivities with my Church, I am already in full Christmas mode (to the point where I still don't have my turkey for Thanksgiving yet!... oops!)
BUT -- It just so happens, that this works out well for you guys as well, because I am sharing all of the fun gift ideas that I am finding with you as well. Surely, there will be things here that you can use, and you will also be ahead of the game with your Christmas shopping (since "the game" seems to happen for a lot of people during the week before Christmas!). So for that, you're welcome. :)
Right now Canvas People is offering up to 80% off the price of all of their canvas sizes in a Pre-Holiday Sale! I found this and HAD to share it with you! I fully intend on taking advantage of this for some of my holiday gifts this year, because, let's face it.. Everyone likes pictures! Taking a candid photo and turning it into a canvas can make a really great gift for anyone. Taking a wedding photo, or a baby picture, for example, can make a really sentimental gift. Funny pictures can make funny gifts. You get the picture (get it.. picture?).. Everyone loves photos, and I bet that for almost everyone on your gift list, you can find a good picture for them! So check out Canvas People using either of the pictures in this post to take advantage of the AWESOME deals that they have going on right now, and get someone a really special gift with it!
Disclaimer: My opinions as always are my own. This post may contain affiliate links.
There are so many gifts to give a new mom. Maternity clothing, pampering items, and of course, clothes and things for the new baby! This year, for Christmas, why not recognize dad a little. I mean, dads work hard as well. Once that baby comes, he goes from just being a husband and man, but a father as well. Dads are important too, and it's time that we recognize them a little! I remember when I was pregnant with my daughter, I didn't really give my husband nearly enough credit. Sure, he wasn't pregnant, but he was extremely good at catering to my cravings and mood swings. He hugged me when my clothes stopped fitting. He even slept with his knee under my belly when we were in bed, so that my enormous midsection was comfortable while I slept. Just my mood swings alone probably left him deserving of a medal. Then, of course, there was labor, and a C-Section. He had to support me, bring me ice, and was ever so calm when I threatened him to never do this to me again (perhaps this is why we only have one right now?)
I think, that in addition to all of the wonderful gifts out there for moms, that there should also be many more options for new dad gifts.
I just wish, that back then, I knew about Daddy Scrubs:
Daddy Scrubs are just that, scrubs that daddy can wear in the delivery room when it's time for his child to make their first appearance into the world! (I know of some dads who wear their scrubs to bed and at other times also!) I don't have a picture of the ones that we got for review, because, fortunately, we have a friend who is about to become a dad, so this has made a wonderful gift for him that he is really looking forward to wearing!
Here are the scrubs that we got from them (photo credit: daddyscrubs.com):
If scrubs aren't really his thing, you could always just pick him up a t-shirt:
They also sell mugs, water bottles, baseball caps and SO much more, including a whole daddy gift set.
Back to my review, though. I went with our friend, as he checked out, and tried on his set of scrubs. They are high quality material. Better and stronger than other, normal scrubs that we've seen. He appeared to be comfortable in them (when your wife is about to give birth, the last thing that should be on your mind is "man, these pants are just uncomfortable!"). I would definitely recommend them as a practical and fun gift for any expectant dad! Next time we have a child, my husband will get a set of these as a gift from me!
To find out more about Daddy Scrubs, or to get some for someone you love, you can check out their website, "Like" them on Facebook, or Follow them on Twitter and on Pinterest.
As part of my Holiday Gift Guide, I will also be holding a Giveaway in December for them so stay tuned for that!
Disclaimer: I received one or more products above for review purposes only. I was not required to write a positive review. My opinions as always are my own. This post may contain affiliate links. The Mom Show's giveaways are not affiliated with Facebook or any other social media networks. The sponsoring company is responsible for all shipping unless otherwise stated. The Mom Show is not responsible for sponsors not upholding their promises and cannot reimburse you for items or the value of products. Should this occur, please contact The Mom Show and I will do my best to help you achieve promised winnings.
The stress of the Holidays can make anyone feel like they need an extra vacation. The cooking, shopping, wrapping, hosting, cleaning, ugh.. Just writing about all of the things that need to be done to create that special perfect family holiday can really make your head spin.
Why not take a vacation too? You can still have your family holiday, and then treat yourself (and your family) to a little getaway (I know that sometimes, money, and taking time off of work can make it difficult, but if you can do it.. hey.. why not, right?)
You can take a weekend, a week, whatever, and go somewhere special with just your family. Create wonderful, lovely memories of good times that simply cannot be placed under the tree (and let's face it, if your child is like mine, some of what ends up under the tree will be broken or she will grow tired of it long before you want to buy her the next awesome toy in the commercials!).
One of the little trips that I've always wanted to take with my family involves one of these:
Of course, for my family, this particular kind of adventure would involve warmer weather, finding horses, and I'd probably need to purchase Equestrian clothing and horse gear. But this kind of trip for us, would be best planned in Spring, Summer, or Fall, BUT, I definitely want to take my family horseback riding sooner, rather than later. But, as I am writing this post, I am dreaming of a Holiday getaway with my family. I am dreaming of escaping housecleaning, and all of the things I'm going to have to do to make the day special, and just, simply, have some fun with my family. Preferably away from real life for a while. (hubby.. if you're reading this.. hint hint haha)
Pictures, videos and music can make extremely sentimental, loving gifts for the Holidays.
I remember one year, we refinished my grandmother's wedding photos, and framed them nicely. My grandmother AND my dad had tears in their eyes that Christmas morning as we listened to my grandmother remenicse about her wedding with my grandfather (he passed away about ten years prior.) My grandmother has since passed away, and my father (their son.) still treasures those pictures.
Another year we reprinted all of the wedding photos for my mother and father in law and put them in a nice album. Another really nice gift.
Now, you can do even more than that for your loved ones. You can use YesVideo to have images, videos and even music made into a video for your loved one. If you sign up for an account with them now, you can get 25% off an entire order (meaning, now is a GREAT time to stock up on some really sentimental, meaningful gifts!)
Disclaimer: My opinions as always are my own. This post may contain affiliate links.
If there are any of you who have been reading this for a while, you might notice that in the beginning, I used to post a lot about coupons.. I love saving money, I used to love using them.. I still do, really, I just don't post about them anymore.
Part of the reason for my lack in coupon posts, is because, as life gets busier, I find that I have a harder time keeping them organized. I have begun getting more inserts each week, and it takes forever to cut them all, and then categorizing and putting them in my binder take FOREVER. Not to mention, that doing it with a four year old around might as well be like doing it with the fan facing them.
I'm reaching out to you all. I'd love to see a discussion about this in the comments below. What's your organization system for your coupons, and how do you keep on top of it? This will make for a great post later also, so keep in mind, that I may anonymously quote you. If you'd rather, you can email me at April.wheelis@gmail.com.
Let's communicate with each other. Remember, no matter how big, small, or indifferent you think your idea is, it may be just what someone else needs in their couponing routine! At The Mom Show, I like to think that we can all help each other out!
Disclaimer: My opinions as always are my own. This post may contain affiliate links.
I was given the opportunity to review ReUsies Snack and Sandwich Bags. These are basically an alternative to plastic bags used for packing lunches and snacks. They are 100% cotton and lined with an easy to clean nylon. They are definitely a far more eco-friendly way to pack lunches for our kids. Think of how many bags you use in a week. You could stop this from happening by purchasing products like this.
They are easily washed, either by hand in the sink, or even in the dishwasher.
That being said, I had the opportunity to try these bags in my home for a little while now, and they are a good product, the protect your food about the same as a plastic bag would, they're not thick. But they come in two sizes. A smaller one for snack, and a larger one that's big enough for a sandwich.
They have quite a good selection of different designs. None of the pictures I've posted, were the one I received, so I know that they have more as well.
These might also be a nice way to wrap gifts for your Christmas tree! Things like CDs, video games, DVDs etc can be wrapped in this packaging and placed under your Christmas tree!
Disclaimer: I received one or more products above for review purposes only. I was not required to write a positive review. My opinions as always are my own. This post may contain affiliate links. I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.
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If your family is like mine, someone has frequent heartburn. I don't suffer from it frequently, but I know that when I do it is so uncomfortable. I can't imagine suffering from it constantly like some people that I care about.
Even if you don't know anyone who suffers frequently, this is one of those great items for donation, or be a good friend to someone who has to deal with this. This is also a sample that comes out frequently so it's great to stock up on, so even if you have taken advantage of one of these offers before, stock up again!
Disclaimer:\My opinions as always are my own. This post may contain affiliate links.
Thanksgiving is coming up. It is right around the corner (and really a LOT sooner than I even really realized that it was! I haven't even gotten a turkey yet!
Someone asked me recently whether I prefer a really large holiday or whether I like a quiet, small family event.
Truthfully, I really love both. I like getting together with large groups of people that we all care about. We laugh, eat, reminisce and just have a great time. People with children that my daughter plays with are even better, kids are playing and entertaining each other while the adults all just hang out, prepare/clean dinner etc. It's really fun and just a wonderful experience.
That being said, there is also definitely something to be said for a quiet, intimate Thanksgiving dinner with our own little family. Cooking together with hubby (We really enjoy cooking together, and it's something that we really don't have the opportunity to do often) while my daughter naps and plays, letting her help bake desserts, and then share a quiet leisurely dinner. Praying and eating together while talking about all of the blessings in our lives. We call family either before or after dinner and talk to them, sometimes we video chat (I love technology!).
Truthfully, I just really love the Holidays. I love welcoming people into my home, but I also love spending time with my family. Either way is just fine with me.
Your turn. What kind of Holiday celebration do you prefer?
Perhaps you remember, a while back, I posted this awesome deal from Gevalia where you could get 4 boxes of coffee for $9.99 and get a FREE coffee maker.
Now, they're also holding another great deal, where you can receive a FREE tea sampler, after purchasing four boxes of tea. This would make another excellent Christmas Gift for the tea lover in your family (we all know one, don't we? If you don't, or if you're the tea lover, this might just make a nice gift for you!)
Baked Potatoes make such a great, easy side dish. What an easy way to add a starch to your meal, right?
I don't know if I've shared this with you before but up until a few years ago, I could not cook. At all. My husband and I still laugh about the first time I surprised him at work with "lunch" that I "cooked". I decided to make up some rice and bring it to him, only, I didn't cook it all the way, so I ended up serving him crunchy rice.
The point is, that I actually had to look up recipes online for baked potatoes before I could ever make them. I have looked at oven recipes but they take longer than I typically want to wait for a side dish. Most of the microwave recipes I found either didn't have a long enough cook time, or they just weren't great.
I found a LOVELY recipe. Completely finished in less than 12 minutes, and they're delicious! My family even eats the skins (which my husband wouldn't even touch normally!!)!
Here it is:
Baking potatoes (I always make five or six at a time for my family)
Olive Oil
Salt
Pepper
Wash and dry your potatoes.
Rub olive oil along the outside.
Pierce your potatoes on each side with a fork.
Sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper.
Put them on a microwave safe plate,
Microwave for five minutes, then turn them over and microwave for another five minutes.
Let sit for two or three minutes, dress them how you like, and serve!
Disclaimer: I got the idea behind this recipe from this website.
As many of you may know, a few months ago, I was struggling with a computer that just would not work. It would freeze, take forever to load webpages, and need to be restarted every 10-15 minutes, and then take 30 to start back up again! Do you know how hard it is to blog with a computer that functions that way? Losing saved posts, not having certain websites (like photobucket, and even sometimes Facebook and Blogger. It was awful!) work at all, asking for guest posts because I just couldn't get the websites to work. It was difficult, and I was just about ready to give up.
We ended up replacing our computer that probably could have been (and now that I know what I'm about to share with you, still may be) fixed.
I knew there were options for possibly trying to fix it, but taking it somewhere and paying for them to tell me whether or not they might be able to fix it was just not something I was interested in doing. It's so hard, first of all, to find a place, take it, and wait when I have a four year old requiring attention and disliking boredom!
I really wish that someone had told me about companies like Computer Help Today. They are able to remotely help you by cleaning out your computer, and helping you figure out where your problems may lie. Good IT services, are really hard to find sometimes! To me, any company that can remotely fix my computer while I wash my dishes is pretty awesome. It is really nice to be able to know that whatever problems may arise with my computer can be fixed without ever having to part with my computer, or really even do much of anything. They even make payment easy. You either pay a one time fee, or you can pay once for a year pass!
Like I said before, I am now glad to know about this kind of service. I wish I had been more aware a few months ago, as it probably would have saved us quite a bit of money, and now, hopefully I'm doing that for you. Don't replace a computer you haven't tried to fix yet!
Disclaimer: I received financial compensation for this post. My opinions as always are my own..
Melissa and Doug is currently holding a really GREAT giveaway on their Facebook page right now that I just had to share with you!
Not only are they sharing with you, their top 20 gifts of the season, but they're also holding a giveaway for their fans! Now is a great time to start (if you haven't already) your holiday shopping! If you go to their list on their website (click here!), you can see the list they have compiled as their 20 best gifts this season.
I really like Melissa & Doug toys for a lot of reasons. They have a great variety, and their toys are high quality and durable without charging an arm and a leg.
If you're interested in winning with Melissa & Doug, please go to their Facebook Page, and enter! Good luck! Don't forget to share this with your family and friends! You can't win if you don't go enter!
After you enter, come back here and comment with what prize you would like to win!
You can also check out their 
, 
, 
, 
and SO many more! Check that out!
(If you click the picture, you can get this one at Amazon for only $3.75!!)
