Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Want to see the craftiness that has been bestowed in my house lately?

Felt Volcano for MacKenzie to use while playing with her  miniature toy animals and dinosaurs.


All you need is a birthday cone hat, Gray Felt, Red Felt, Scissors, & Tacky Glue

Picture of a raccoon I made for MacKenzie, I seen this online this was my attempt to  draw it and Kenzie colored it. I think his face was quite a bit thinner in the original ha ha

Birthday Hats for MacKenzie's Party Guest at her Mickey/Minnie Mouse Party!

This project is very cheap just purchase some cheap birthday hats and use them as  a pattern and use the elastic from them, then purchase some card stock paper in black for the ears and assorted colors for cone part. I think this ran me around $3 for hats, $5 pack o paper so maybe $13 for all of it but have tons of left over paper and you can always reuse your pattern later! If you already have a birthday hat to us as a pattern from a previous party but not enough to use the elastic you may use matching ribbon but this would be more expensive.

Elmo Camera Lenses Bling - The most expensive part of this project minus camera pictured ha ha was the hair band that was premade (this cost alot because you can only get packages of 6-8) if you plan on making more than one then you will come out well if not plan on purchasing some elastic and some red fabric scraps to make the hair band first then purchase the eyes and felt to add to it. The eyes also come in large packets but I choose to get them anyways to because I can use with them my daughters art later on. Total cost of project ran up to $8 for this one but I have extra supplies to make more. I think next I will make a owl since Kenzie loves owls! This little invention will help get kids to look at your camera and smile but be warned it also makes them want to come up and grab the camera too! ha ha!

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Halloween/Fall Crafts

The holidays are coming and the first one to come is Halloween! I can't wait for it! It's so much fun with a kiddo in the house! I just made my daughter a felt pumpkin and she loves it! I also made her a costume (Mermaid). I just finished a fall wreath and that is just the beginning of the fun fall crafts I got up my sleeve! I also have a owl bandanna dress I am making her which I thought would be a great fall dress..

Thursday, August 25, 2011

Thrifty Thursdays

Thrifty Thursday is here! Got a few tips to share!

1.) When cleaning stainless steal sinks and other stainless items you can use a used dryer sheet that is dampened with a little water and rub out the water spots! It's easy! Try it!
2.)  Re-Use grocery bags for multiple uses! One I like to use them for as a mom is to bag up those dirty diapers and throw them in the trash so they don't spread odor in the trash can before it's taken outside for the evening.
3.)  Instead of going to buy new books for your children host a book trade with your friends who have children in similar age groups or similar interest and the books will be new to you and your child all over again!


Tuesday, June 21, 2011

How to make the classic grilled cheese just a little better!

Tips:
Cover your skillet while cooking the first side, so maximum melting of cheese can take place.
Use cheddar cheese not american cheese 
Use good quality white bread, I find Sara Lee Brand to be wonderful
Use plenty of butter on both sides of the bread before throwing in the skillet
Use a cast iron skillet or non-stick skillet




Grilled cheese + Tomato soup...need I say more! YUMMY!

 

The Little Things that make Life a Little Cuter...

I do alot of little cute things for my one year, MacKenzie like make laminate pictures of her friends so she can thumb thru them at any time and see her little friends and yes even some of her wonderful family too! Also, I put pictures in magnetic frames on the fridge down low on the fridge for her to move around and look at too.  I'm about to make her a little photo box to hold her photos so she can place them in there when she's done looking at them and she knows just where to find them when she wants to see a friend. 


Another "cute" project I've been working on for her is making miniature boxes and bottles etc. into toys for her kitchen center or for her shopping activities. Basically I just recycle boxes like the miniature cereal boxes and mini soda bottles but I also went out of my way to ask for a small pizza box at the local Papa Johns Pizza and to my surprise they gladly handed it over free of charge! (Now I just got to make a felt pizza to put in that box!)



The can of green beans is just so you can see the size, the can of green beans is a regular size so you can see how tiny the other items are.

MacKenzie now has a well stocked pantry!

Thursday, June 2, 2011

Rudeness

I recently had a conversation with a friend about how rude people were to me all in one day while my baby was sick. I know I was going thru alot with her being sick with a virus and I may had been more sensitive than usual but these people were really rude. I have experienced alot of rudeness lately, whether it be because an adult didn't get their way (childish) or maybe the rude person themselves was having a bad day it just isn't proper to be rude to people for no "good" reason! I have had people even being passive aggressive lately (which in my book, that is the worst kind of rudeness!). I'm a pretty tolerant person and I like it when people just say what they mean and mean what they say.  People who say things in a passive aggressive way want to hurt another person but don't want to take the responsibility for it, now that is just plain rude!  I feel like I give alot to other people and I try to please every person that comes along so when people act this way toward me I guess I just am utterly confused. I have to consider these people that act this way may be selfish and think everything is just about them. 



A book I've been thinking about reading since I happened to randomly see it online a while back actually is on the subject of rudeness, want to check it out go to this website for a review: click here
Now for a lighter subject:

Photography

I've not been taking many portraits of my daughter like I was when she was an infant but I'm trying to get back into it...I miss seeing new portraits of her around the house. I kinda gave up when she got to be a toddler because it is so much harder. I think I will just have to challenge myself. I also have a friend that is into photography and I think I will have to enlist her help and hopefully I can be of help to her taking pictures of her daughter (also a toddler) as well.

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

To all of you moms out there...

Dear Fellow Moms,
If you haven't heard it lately then I will tell you, thank you and good job! You are the one who holds your child late at night when they are sick, you are the one who does laundry until 2 am because if it gets any more behind you won't be able to see your laundry room, you are the one who does the chores no one else wants to do, you are the one who researches whats best for your child whether it be what they eat or what medications to take, you are the one that must suffer thru awkward moments at playgroups where your ideas of parenting well just isn't the same as another moms ideas, you are the one that carried your child for those long 9 months or in my case 9.5 months, you are the one who gave birth and in my case was in active labor for 36 hours, you are the one who stays with your child day in and day out and whethers toddlers tantrums on maybe just 4-5 hours sleep...well and there is alot more I could list because mothers are the jack of all trades...they do everything no one else wants to do...whether it be cleaning up a messy spill from dinner or administering medicine to a toddler who lets just say doesn't exactly react well to icky medicines...

Why this letter? Well I guess I realized that myself and many other mothers can just be tired, very tired and very overwhelmed at times and maybe even feel unappreciated.  Well look at it this way when your tired, run down, and feel like you can't possibly fold another piece of laundry,...just don't, take a break! Who cares if everything is not done right away...it can wait, get your rest and do it when you get time...if someone doesn't understand then let them be in your shoes for awhile then they may just very well get it...until I was a mother I would had never understood just how much work it can really be. Although I really LOVE it, I also am the most exhausted I have ever been and that is saying alot because I worked 3 jobs at once before and kept a perfectly clean home as well...now my home isn't perfect but it's tidy enough and clean...and well I have no job that brings in a paycheck but I have a job that gives me a smile most every day!

Friday, April 29, 2011

Being a stay at home mom...

Being a stay at home mom makes some people think you have EXTRA time on your hands when in fact it's the exact opposite. I get comments like I know you have time to call me and talk on the phone because your home all day. Well lets see...even if I was infact home all day this is how my day goes:
7:45am -MacKenzie wakes up...(sometimes screaming because shes hungry)
7:45-8am - MacKenzie eats (guess who makes her breakfast? yes that is right this stay at home mom who has so much time to make phone calls all day long)

8:30- We clean up from breakfast (do dishes, clean MacKenzie's face & hands, clean high chair and floor- this takes maybe 30 minutes sometimes) - during those 30 minutes MacKenzie does free play but mostly lately she's clingy and pulls on my leg while I clean...(do I want to talk on the phone during all of this "NO!"
9:00-Circle Time - Do we have to do this? No but sometime of the day we need to have quality time together and circle time is one way we do that (I focus on MacKenzie and we talk about things and explore activities from her lesson plans) - Would I talk on the phone during this time -OBVIOUSLY NOT!
9:20 - Outside Play - Well now I could talk on the phone during this time but I don't want to be one of those moms who talks on the phone the entire time their kids play outside, yes that's right I actually enjoy watching her play and playing with her and I don't want her to get hurt because I'm not paying attention either.
10:00am - This is snack time - I prepare MacKenzie a snack now if we are home I normally cut her up a fresh piece of fruit and then she takes about 15-20 minutes to eat it then we do the clean up process.
10:30am- During this time we do Table Activities or Art (I have to guide her during these activities so not a great time for a phone convo.)
11:30- Stories and songs with MacKenzie
11:45am-Time to make MacKenzie's lunch and mine too...
12:00-12:15 - Time for Lunch
12:15-12:30- Clean up from Lunch, then after she goes down for nap the rest of clean up takes place...
12:30- Nap time for MacKenzie (if she goes down on time, and then I clean up a little and if I have time left I may actually get some rest for myself or time to work on a project I need to work on- Could I make a phone call during this time? Yes, of course! Do I always want to? NO! I have less than 2 hours a day to myself whether it be to rest, watch tv, read a book, do laundry it's MY TIME! I'm lucky to even get it some days!
2:30 - Snack Time
3:00 - Outside Play
4:00- Music & Movement Time for MacKenzie

Okay now when it's 4pm here it's already 10pm on the East Coast so I do not need to explain the rest of my day...once it comes to a close there isn't time to make phone calls to family and friends since their days are over.
This post isn't about me not wanting to talk to family or friends but it's about the comments I've received from people. I will call when I have time I WANT TO SPARE but often I don't. I enjoy getting phone calls periodically from friends and family to catch up and shoot the breeze but I don't enjoy getting tons of RUDE messages about me not answering the phone again... I wonder how many stay at home moms experience stuff like this.

 So from all that I posted here Do you think I have time to talk for over an hour every other day to anyone? Nope, sure don't...now skype is a different story, that is much easier to use with a toddler running around...I can actually have her involved in the conversation and she loves it too! She gets to talk to her grandparents that way all the time and we love it!
Briefly this is the rest of Kenzie's day:
4:30 Storytime/floor activities/table toys-art

5:30 Free Play

6:00 Dinner
6:30 Bath
6:45 Free Play
7:30 Story Time/ Cuddle time with Mommy and Daddy
8:00 Bedtime
 From 8pm-10pm I catch up on chores, relax if I can, and I blog sometimes...oh and I go to bed early if MacKenzie has been sick and may be waking up during the night etc. (this isn't a rare thing...)

I know for some of you reading this you must be thinking wow she's upset at someone but after months and months of staying home with your child and hearing stuff like this it just starts to make you a little more than irritated! 

Thursday, April 28, 2011

Strange Invitations...

So I thought today this would be a great facebook status for me:
(Name Here)...thinks it's weird to have a party for your birthday and have someone selling stuff at the party where your guest feel like they have to buy something in order to attend your birthday party...strange...either it's a birthday party (where you already get gifts) or your trying to make money which is it????

Why would this be my status you ask?
Well because in the last month I've been invited to an acquaintances birthday party (where she was using someones home business to make money during her party) then not more than a month later she invited me to her husbands party that was the same theme (another person would be there selling stuff)!
Why am I so put off by this?

#1 - Don't invite everyone on your facebook to your birthday party (that is strange to begin with)

Isn't your birthday party just for close friends and family? I wouldn't want all my acquaintances to feel pressured into coming to my birthday party especially if I met them under business pretenses (which was me in this case)

#2 - Having more than one of the same type of home party to make money for yourself it tacky! I've heard of people having like 5-10 different parties a month and paying their mortgage by just selling so much product to their friends and family members who just wanted to support them or felt pressured to buy.

#3 - If your having a birthday party graciously except gifts your friends and family give you and let that be enough, I mean really do you need to hit their wallet for even more than they already paid for your gift you know they will be bringing since it's a "Birthday Party".

Okay, so normally my blog is about crafting/homemaking and not my opinion like this blog but I needed a place to vent and I wanted to see if anyone else felt this way about this? Isn't this what a blogs for anyways?

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

New Crafty Projects for MacKenzie II -first project

Felt Food First Attempts:
Overall, I think these pieces of felt food were pretty easy and a great way to start this craft. I just need to make the bread and I'll have a whole felt sandwich for my daughter to play with!

Friday, April 15, 2011

Childrens Museums

We've always loved going to museums and now that we have our daughter we love to go even more! Not only do we go to our regular places like science museums but now we go to children's museums too! I can't wait to go to some in North Carolina, they have a ton of them! When I was a child I went to some of them too!
 
Hawaii:
 Hawaii Children's Discovery Center (Honolulu)
Teddy Bear World

North Carolina:
Children @ Play (Kitty Hawk)

The Children's Museum of Wilmington

Children's Museum of Winston-Salem
Children's Museum of Winston-Salem will not grant Reciprocal benefits to greater Triad residents with Reciprocal memberships to museums outside greater Triad area.

The Children's Playhouse (Boone)

Discovery Place KIDS! (Huntersville)

Exploration Station, Hands-On Learning Center (Lumberton)

Fascinate-U Children's Museum (Fayetteville)

Greensboro Children's Museum

Hands On! A Child's Gallery (Hendersonville)

ImaginOn: The Joe and Joan Martin Center (Charlotte)

Iredell Museums - Children's Museum (Statesville)

Kidzu Children's Museum (Chapel Hill)

Marbles Kids Museum (Raleigh)

Museum of Life and Science (Durham)

Rocky Mount Children's Museum & Science Center

Where to find the information for your state: click here

Monday, March 28, 2011

Hawaii Five-O

I've started watching Hawaii Five-O (the new one) I was never into the old one, I think it was before my time. It is really neat to watch it and scenes are from places where I live and places we've been to on a regular basis. It's also just a really good show. The last episode I watched Larisa Oleynik guest starred as Jenna Kaye. Does Larisa Oleynik not sound familier? What about Alex Mack? as in Secret World of Alex Mack? Well if it's still not ringing any bells...Alex Mack was a character from Secret World of Alex Mack. My husband and I watched this tv show when we were children and really enjoyed it. It was really weird to see her all grown up in this show!

This is her as Alex Mack back then...


This is her now...




She has also played in many other tv shows like Without a Trace, Psych, Mad Men, Boy Meets World, and 3rd Rock from the Sun.

Friday, March 25, 2011

Project Get Organized, Project #2

Project Get Organized
Problem: Chaos in Craft Area (this happens very easily when you have many different types of crafts you are interested in and you have multiple ongoing projects.
The peg board before I re-organized it...

I am obsessed with scrabble can you tell?

Great way to store all of my craft paints...I can see each color with ease...


Ribbon, Craft Punches & Buttons...


I somehow lost my cutting board so got this board at a thrift shop for $1 with of course scrabble games pieces that I love...and I use it for a cutting mat and it has lines on it which are great!






My favorite item on my desk, my daily planner with my daughters photo in it...love this daily planner it keeps me so organized!



Paper, stamps, ink pads, finished scrapbook pages before they go in albums etc...

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Interesting Organization Tips

As I've been doing Project Get Organized I've been reading some articles on the matter and I found this one to be a great help for me to know what is OK to get rid of: Click Here for Article or look below for some tips I found helpful from the article.

Here is a list of seven things that generally cost more to keep then the value they give you in return.
1. Things that you have printed off the internet that you've been meaning to read. They take up physical space and often weigh heavily on your mind because you haven't read them. The really good news is that should you need any of this information in the future you can reprint it.
2. Old, travel size, half used bottles of shampoos, lotions, soaps, cosmetics, etc., that you simply don't use. These items take up valuable cabinet and counter space. It is true that some of the products may still be good and someone else could use them but unless you are using the products you are not getting any value from them and neither is anyone else. Give them away or throw them away and benefit from all of the found space.
3. Clothing that you will wear again when you lose 10 pounds or are stained, don't like or don't wear. These clothes are preventing you from finding the things that fit you and look good on you. Another benefit of getting rid of these clothes is that when you lose 10 pounds you'll get to buy something that you will really enjoy.
4. A gift you received that you don't like or will never use. Even if the person who gave it to you is special or the gift was expensive. What value is that gift giving you? Do you think that the person who gave it to you would want you to feel burdened by it?
5. Something that you bought for yourself, even if it was expensive, that you simply no longer like, never use or won't use again. What benefit are you getting from keeping it? How much space does it take up? How do you feel when you look at it?
6. Tools or gadgets that work great for someone else but don't work for you even if others swear by it. Just because it works for someone else does not mean it's right for you.
7. Knick knacks, souvenirs and other little things that you've collected over the years that remind you of a trip or experience. Do you smile when you look at it or does it get lost in a collection of stuff? Just because you don't have the souvenir doesn't mean you don't have the memory.
As you go through your things use these questions as a guide: • What value or benefit does this give me?
  • Is it costing me more then I am getting from it?
  • Does someone else what me to have or use it?
  • Is it something I keep meaning to use but never seem to? 
  • Is it costing me more then it is worth to me? 

Far as Number 1 goes, I have something to add to that: Any old magazines you've been meaning to read (THROW THEM OUT AND KEEP THAT 1 ARTICLE YOU WANT TO READ) I have a box I keep that is small but large enough for magazine pages to fit and I rip out interesting articles, recipes, tips etc. and keep them for a rainy day!

Project Get Organized, Project #1

Project Get Organized
Problem: Toys EVERYWHERE!
Plan: Limit the amount of toys out at once and have a good place to store the ones out of rotation. 
I turned our linen closet into a toy closet! It worked great! Here are a couple pictures of the start of it all but I will soon post a picture of all the toys in their containers and it will be even more organized!

I also placed all the art/craft items in the closet, it works great to keep it all together and it's easy to see what we are out of!

Before this we had a bunch of our toddlers toys in our office and it was just taking over our office, we couldn't see the floor! I've had alot of her small toys in containers already to rotate out and even a few large containers for large toys but many of the toys were getting moved all over the play and not truly out of rotation because she still had access to them all with exception to art/craft stuff and a few other small boxed items I had put up for directed play.

Project Get Organized...

Project Get Organized
Since my daughter came along in November 2009 I have felt I've not been my usual totally organized self.  My challenge to myself was to get organized no matter how long it takes...if I only get one little drawer done in a week it's okay as long as I am trying to get everything back in order it will eventually happen. Well we are almost there! These post will be in a series starting with my first project until I do my last! Pictures and helpful solutions soon to come!

Saturday, March 12, 2011

Trying new recipes....

We were in a food rut for a while so we've been trying some new things, this is what we tried tonight:

 RITZ Parmesan Chicken


 

Prep Time: 10 min
Total Time: 30 min
1/4 cup KRAFT Real Mayo Mayonnaise
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
25 RITZ Crackers, finely crushed (about 1 cup)
1/4 cup KRAFT Grated Parmesan Cheese
4 small boneless skinless chicken breast halves (1 lb.)

MIX mayo and lemon juice in bowl; set aside. Combine cracker crumbs and cheese in separate bowl.

DIP chicken in mayo mixture, then roll in cracker crumb mixture until evenly coated on all sides. Place on baking sheet.

BAKE 20 min. or until chicken is done (165°F).

Kraft Kitchens Tips

Serving Suggestion 
Serve with a hot steamed vegetable and mixed green salad tossed with your favorite KRAFT Dressing.

Substitute 
Substitute 1/4 cup KRAFT Classic Caesar Dressing or KRAFT Ranch Dressing for the mayo and lemon juice. 

Nutrition Information

Calories
360
Total fat
20g
Saturated fat
5g
Cholesterol
80mg
Sodium
440mg
Carbohydrate
13g
Dietary fiber
0g
Sugars
2g
Protein
29g
Vitamin A
0%DV
Vitamin C
0%DV
Calcium
15%DV
Iron
8%DV













It was pretty good although we are thinking of adding some cheese next time also this time we used Ritz Veggie Crackers instead of the original ones.

Uplifting Song

Here's a uplifting song I thought I would share...Every time I listen to this song it brings up lots of joy and emotion. I've listened to this since I was a child.

Here's one more from Dolly that is great but more recent:

Friday, March 11, 2011

Craigslist Deals, Bust & Funnies...

These post will be about bad deals on Craigslist and funny ads I find...I often check Craigslist for items for my daughter (outdoor toys, strollers, etc.).

Bad Deals...
As a rule of thumb, you should never pay more than a third of the full price for used items that aren't of collectible value such as baby gear.
Bad Deal #1-

Little Tikes Slide - Has some sun fading but is in excellent condition.  $10 (You can find this same slide for $20 new with No Sun Fading)

Bad Deal #2-
I am selling a Bright stars bouncy chair, vibrating, babies loves it, neutral colors, good condition, from clean and smoke free home. email if interested, thank you for looking$15
(You can buy this new for $29)

GOOD DEALS (Assuming the ads aren't misleading and items are in good shape)
Good Deal #1-
Baby Einstein baby gym in good condition, $10, cash and pick up only. thank you!
(You can buy this new for $54)
http://honolulu.craigslist.org/oah/bab/2235013472.html

Good Deal #2-

Fisher Price papasan bouncer in great condition. $15, cash and pick up only. Thank you.
http://honolulu.craigslist.org/oah/bab/2235017550.html

You can buy these new for $60-$70 online.

Friday, March 4, 2011

Spring Cleaning

You ever get attached to things and can't let go even though you know you don't need it? I do. I use to not have this problem at all, I cleaned out stuff and threw it out with no problem but since I had my baby I can't seem to let go of some of her things. She is 15 Months old and I still have most of her baby cloths and shoes...even some baby toys she doesn't enjoy anymore, but getting rid of them is like admitting there is no baby here anymore...it's a little sad but I know it's time to let go of some things and keep only what I really want for keep sakes or in case we have another girl soon.  It's just not feasible to keep everything in case another one though because I know I'll want new things and it's crowding up our  home.  So today I walked around with a bag to donate some stuff out and I filled it up! Now I just got to go threw our storage containers and see what else I can let go of. The house feels neater already! I have donated plenty of her stuff since she's been born but there is still plenty more than can go. I am making separate bags for how I want to get rid of things...some for friends who have little babies, some for donation, some to sale on e-bay and of course some to keep!

I like how this mom did her childs closet but MacKenzie has so many outfits in her closet this would never work...but I have bought little containers like in this picture to organize little toys that I want to rotate out or things that aren't to be played with during free play but in parent guided play (playdough for example)...I just don't know where I want to put them maybe in our linen closet...I just got to clean it out too! One project leads into another one! This picture is from: click here. 

Thursday, March 3, 2011

Ronnie Dunn

(A song about forgiveness)
This song is so sweet. I've always been a overly forgiving person but really it's a good thing, it's what I was brought up to do. My mom forgives and taught me to forgive, we had a conversation about this recently about how we should forgive others who have wronged us. One thing I've learned is that forgiving someone doesn't mean you have to give them a chance to do you wrong again it's more about letting your heart forgive and forget not always giving the person another chance to hurt you...I'm not one to blog much about emotions but this song I wanted to share and I figured it needed a little explanation. Hope you all like it!

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Safety Saturdays...

Starting this week I'm doing a new blog called "Safety Saturdays". The point of this blog would be to raise awareness of all things dangerous to you and your family (mostly children). There are many things that are unsafe in our homes that we are unaware of such as a toy ridden with lead paint. My hopes are that starting this blog will help others to make their homes safer for their families.  I've been called the "Safety Queen" before and I guess maybe that is a appropriate name but jokes aside it is important to keep our families safe especially if doing so is as easy as keeping tabs on the website for Consumer Product Safety and checking your home regularly for items that become unsafe over time.
Fellow bloggers are welcome to join in on this blog by doing a "Safety Saturday" blog each week and linking your blog to this one in each "Safety Saturday" blog.


I'll start the first Safety Saturday today, so here it is....
Lead Paint - One of the scariest dangers in the home...especially for our children...
Facts:
Any home built before 1980 may have lead-based paint on the walls....

Lead can filter into your water through pipes
 
Dirt and soil clings to fingers and hands, on toys, and in things that children put in their mouths. Over time, soil absorbed in this manner can cause poisoning if it holds a high amount of lead. Soil in urban areas usually contains about 200 to 500 parts per million, while country soil contains significantly less. Soil with over 1000 parts per million is considered hazardous. You can test the soil around your home by calling your local health inspector or by using home soil-testing kits such as Lead Check. If you are concerned about high amounts of lead in your soil, you can counter it by planting grass, by paving over the soil or by laying down several inches of pebbles or wood chips.

Doctors can perform a simple blood test to determine the amount of lead in a child's system. You can do this when the child is between six months and one year old and then again when the child is two years old.
 
A Couple Toy Recalls for 2011 (there are MANY MORE, these are just a couple...)
Type = Rattle
Brand = Sassy 
Read more: http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml11/11114.html

Type = Play phone
Brand = Discovery Toys
http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml11/11094.html





Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Thrifty Thursdays

A few thrifty things to do if you have children:

Collect those mini bottles you get for Johnson's Shampoo and soap and rinse them out when you are done and glue the tops back on so they cannot be removed (of course, check them every so often to make sure they are still tight) then they can be used for your children to pretend to give baby dolls baths, much more realistic looking and cheaper than going out and buying those from the store that are totally cheap quality anyways.
Another good tip for saving money on toys:


Buy some Preemie and Newborn size clothing from resale shops or garage sales for your childs baby dolls or use their own baby clothes if they any small enough to fit their baby dolls. I find that most of my daughters dolls only fit Preemie clothing. We had maybe two things that were that size so I ventured out and looked for outfits that were exactly like hers she wears now and found some! So she can match her dolls! She loves it and so do I, makes for cute pics!

Saturday, February 5, 2011

Unlikely Angel

I finished reading the book Unlikely Angel By: Ashley Smith and I gotta say, I loved this book! I would totally recommend it to anyone!

To visit Ashley's Website: Click Here
Picture above is from Ashley Smith's Website.

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Thrifty Thursdays

Instead of sharing what I've done to be thrifty this week I'm going to share some ways that you can be thrifty instead:
1) Be aware of discounts you can get because of you or your spouses job (military families get many discounts when they show Military ID places such as Sprint, Sea World, Burger King/Arby's {not all locations})
2) Be a card carrier....yes those grocery store cards and drug store cards are REALLY WORTH IT! Even book stores now offer club cards.  Sears has a card now and even a club for people who buy items in the baby section only (you get money back to spend in the store!)
3) Say NO to the credit cards stores offer, signing up for too many of these can effect your credit scores and it's not worth the discounts if you don't shop there religiously, stick with a credit card from your bank that offers great rates and No annual fees if possible.
4) Never pay more than a 3rd of the value of something new when your buying used unless it holds value such as collectibles...another wards if you are at a garage sale and looking at a shirt that is $15 new don't pay more than $5 for it used. As a rule of thumb with clothing though I tend to NEVER spend more than $1 on a item of clothing. People will make comments like, I paid $45 for it new....well guess what it's not new now and I'm using it to make a patch work quilt....so I don't want to pay $10 for a piece of fabric I'm cutting up....Often if you make a offer and it's the end of the day people with take it.
5) Know when to call something JUNK. I've seen things sold at garage sales and thrift stores that just drives me crazy, not sure why these items are not just thrown away. Items that I consider JUNK and should be trashed but often are attempted to be resold:
1) Potty Seats for toddlers
2) Litter Boxes for kitties
3) Used sponges, brooms, mops (lets just say if it were used to clean up someone else's germs why spread their germs into your own home?)
4) Pots and Pans (okay you got to know what you are looking for here, NEVER buy used Teflon pans because normally they are already scratched and no good)
5) Painted bowls, painted pottery pieces (Be careful here, if things were made in the early 70's or before they likely contain lead paint)
6) Puzzles in boxes with more than 30 pieces (Unless you plan on counting all the pieces I wouldn't bother if the box isn't sealed your likely missing a pieces, don't want to get home and put it together to find you can't put the last piece of the puzzle together)
7) Used pacifers, bottles, sippy cups (this is just plain gross to me and if you read the labels on most of these products it says to replace often so they don't wear out and pose choking risk, if you buy it used who knows how many days are left in them- these things are cheap anyways buy them NEW)
8) Bathroom Rugs- (Do I need to say why?)
9) Car Seats - Car seats are not meant to be re-used because the safety standards change quickly and if the car seat were to of been in a wreak with the previous owner the frame can be bent and unsafe without you knowing it.
10) Mattresses - These aren't even aloud by law to be re-sold. Crib Mattresses are especially NOT SAFE to re-use this can raise your child's risk for SIDS! A crib Mattress can cost $60 or more but really if you can't afford a $60 mattress what are you going to do when the baby gets here? You have more than that per month to spend on that child. A NEW CRIB Mattress is a MUST HAVE! Target has great firm mattresses for around $80 on the mainland and $100 here in Hawaii. The mattress needs to be firm and fit the crib properly to be safe.


Good things to buy gently used:
1) Clothing (whether it be for babies, children or adults this saves alot of money) - Always inspect clothing well for holes, stains, and too much wear
2) Toys (Always be sure you can clean if before use and check for recalls before giving to your child)
3) Books (Always skim thru the inside of the book to make sure all the pages are there and no markings will keep you from reading it)
4) Baby Gear Items (high chairs, strollers, and play pens) Make sure to look for recalls before using these items used, smell the play pen if you can since you can't wash it make sure it's doesn't smell of smoke since this could put your child at risk for SIDS and ALWAYS put a fitted sheet in the playpen when buying one used.

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

My Love for Reading...

I have loved reading for as long as I can remember. I think my mom inspired me by buying me a new book every week, the bookshelf I had was floor to ceiling full of books! Of course I am doing the same thing for my daughter and she loves reading as well! 

My current reading list:
Unlikely Angel
By Ashley Smith
- I am almost done with this book and so far I am loving it! It's a true story about a mom from the South who was held hostage and she herself wasn't exactly an angel but she was trying to better herself, as you read you feel connected with her and even more if you are a mom.  This book has led me to want to read another book that I've been looking at reading for sometime (The Purpose Driven Life)
The Purpose Driven Life
By Rick Warren
-Just went out and got myself and mother a copy and can't wait to start reading it! You are suppose to read this book with a partner and my mom is choice for a partner for this, it's a great way to connect far away and a great way for us to keep each other reading our devotions each day.
A Child Called It
-I read this book before and I have all the books in the series and I didn't have my copy for a couple years because I loaned it out and didn't get it returned. (this is why I don't loan out books anymore) I went and got another copy and I will read it as soon as I get done with the other too...I need to remind myself of what happened in this first book before reading the others after this. This book is great for people going into social services careers where you may be working with child abuse cases. This child in this story has one of the worse abuse cases ever reported in the state of California. From what I remember in this book it completely disgusted me but it opened my eyes to what some go thru or what some have went thru in their lives and it gave me much empathy for others.*

*You never know what someones situation is and why they may act like they do. I feel it is good to always try to understand others and their ways and not judge them, we are all here on this same earth with something in common we are all humans and we all have our own differences but those differences shouldn't make us hate one another but to add interest to each other lives...I often don't get mad at people when they do things I dislike, I just start to wonder why? why? why? this takes me from the awful place of hating someone and to the place of just figuring them out (likely why I choose my field of study -psychology) some people say they would be scared to work with people who are so called "crazy" well guess what we run into these so called "crazy" people in our everyday life and well they are able to reek much more havoc on our lives than a patient in a mental facility. 

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Thrifty Thursdays

My thrifty find for the week was this Laugh and Learn Smart Bounce and Spin, I got it second hand for $3!
Image is from: Click Here



This toy is awesome! MacKenzie loves it! She plays with it off and on all day long! I don't use the video mode with it yet really but she loves just being able to bounce and spin on it!  I think she's more active on it when the video is not on for now, she gets pre-occupied with the video since she doesn't watch television very often. There are two versions of this as far as I know, the other one is a zebra.
The price for one of these new is around $70 and on the island it would cost maybe 20% more. At the very least I got a savings of $67! It was well worth those $3 I spent, it looks brand new too!

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

BEE MINE

Image from: Click here
I LOVE Valentines Day so much and I love to go all out to make it very special for my family. I have went and got MacKenzie a lovely little dress to wear for the BIG day...and I got her a cute little Valentines Doll. I even got her a little Bumble Bee Car (going with the Bee Mine theme, lol) and of course I've gotten Casey some things but those cannot be blogged about seeing as how he may find out...I'm also hosting a Valentines Day Party for MacKenzie and her friends and a craft event too! I am very excited for this years Valentines Day, I'm so very lucky to be able to spend it with my husband and daughter. I wish my mother could be here too though, this year will be a hard one in one way since my father has passed away. My father made Valentines a big thing too, each year he got me and my mom matching gifts and we went out to eat together...I miss all those special things he did for us.

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Other Options for Valentines Mail

Since Pottery Barn isn't selling the chair backer I would like and the only place I can find one is on Ebay for $50 when they were only about $12 last year I set out to find another option, here are the options I've been looking at:

Handmade Chair Backers from Etsy or Ebay for around $12-$20
OR
A mini mailbox decorated for Valentines Day... (this is my favorite solution as of now, just got to decide if I want to order one online or venture out to the craft stores and see if they are selling them)

A Few Reasons Why I love Pottery Barn...

I don't have these yet but I have been looking at them, they are super cute! I love stuff like this with birds on it!
I have this bag but the last style they made before this one it's the same material and color and I love it! I use it to take along all the little stuff I need to have on the playground with my little one...(sunscreen, wipes, sunglasses, and a hat) Everything fits perfectly in this bag! 
These are just so adorable and I would love to find one for MacKenzie but they aren't making them this year sadly! This image came from: click here