Check out this article on inexpensive ideas for organization from my friend Heather's blog. I especially like the "Transient" Storage Shelves. I cannot for the life of me figure out why I can't get my library books/movies back in time these days when the library is less than a mile away. This might help...
http://dollarstorecrafts.com/2010/03/roundup-organization/
Posted in: organization on Saturday, March 20, 2010 at at 10:17 AM 2 comments
Lately, my house has been full of strife, as in two little girls fighting over toys, objects, movies, laps, you name it. If one girl eyes it, the other girl claims it before the first just to cause more strife. My attempts at training, mostly by taking the item away, are obviously not working because the behavior is not changing. Any advice would be appreciated.
Note:
I am dealing with a 3-year-old in this mix. My mother-in-law, who has raised seven of her own plus foster children, says that the most difficult age is 3. I concur (so far).
Posted in: advice, discipline, sharing on Thursday, March 18, 2010 at at 10:20 AM 5 comments
Posted in: beverages, recipes on Monday, March 15, 2010 at at 9:44 AM 1 comments
A few people have asked me what websites I go on for inspiration when it comes to doing crafts with my boys (I attribute my LOVE of kid's crafts and art projects to my mom who has always been super creative). I have a lot of sites that I love looking at and searching for ideas on, and so wanted to share them on here too. Hope you find them as enjoyable AND doable also! Do you have any favorites that you could share as well?
http://www.kaboose.com/
http://familyfun.go.com/
http://www.first-school.ws/INDEX.HTM
http://www.dltk-kids.com/
http://dollarstorecrafts.com/ (thanks to you, Karie! am doing the Senegal butterflies for an Easter Party Craft)
Posted in: activities, crafts on Thursday, March 11, 2010 at at 1:00 PM 3 comments
I'm starting to dream about having all three kids out of diapers, but my youngest is only 18 months old and the other two weren't potty trained until closer to 2 1/2. I have heard of kids, especially girls, learning early though, so maybe I'll try this summer. In the mean time, here's a good resource from Erin's blog, including the comments from others (below her post). Please add your tips to this page, if you'd like.
The Adams' Home: Sure Fire Potty Training Tips
Posted in: potty training on at at 11:03 AM 2 comments
http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_14641130?source=most_viewed
Posted in: baby gear, slings on Wednesday, March 10, 2010 at at 8:31 AM 0 comments
Hi! I'm Betsy (Karie's sister-in-law). Let me give you some background before I ask... BEG... for suggestions and ideas...
My husband and I dated 12 times before we got married. Yep, 12 times. Dates consisted of going out to eat and talking in the booth for hours and then maybe a movie, IF he didn't have to drive the 3 1/2 hours back home to go work on his farm. Then when we married, we waited 5 months before getting pregnant (I got pregnant... I hate when "we" is used. shame on me). During that 1st year without baby, we remodeled our home. Dates consisted of wandering the aisles of Lowe's, Home Depot, and Bargain Outlet for much needed supplies. Then baby #1 arrived 2 months after our first anniversary... with special needs. Then dates consisted of trips to and from our two children's hospitals. ARE YOU NOTICING A THEME OF NOT VERY RELAXING AND FUN DATES YET??? SO baby #2 arrived 14 months later and dates... what are dates??? Whenever we do get a chance to escape, they consist of going out to eat and wandering the aisles of Sam's Club. Now baby #3 will be here in two short months and I'm TERRIFIED of how low our new dating activity ideas will sink!!!!!
HELP!!!!
I would love to know your ideas and suggestions for dating activities. AND your ideas for stay-at-home (after kids go to sleep) dates with your spouse. Keep in mind, we don't live remotely near the ocean or mountains! What do you and your spouse do on dates (that doesn't involve making baby #4)?
Any suggestions are helpful and, as you can read, are most likely better than ours! Thanks!
Posted in: dates, marriage on Saturday, March 6, 2010 at at 3:59 AM 9 comments
I have a confession. I own 5 strollers, yes 5, AND I have used 4 of those in the past 3 months. Even worse, I have owned a total of 8 strollers since my youngest was born five years ago. Let me explain...
I was not at all familiar with the baby consumer world until I actually became a mother. I had no idea what I was in for! With that in mind, the first stroller I bought was at a consignment store when my baby was only a few days old. It was just your typical Graco that you could snap a car seat into or use on its own, complete with a parent and toddler tray. It was navy blue. I didn't really think anything of it being blue until people started asking what my son's name was all the time (it didn't help that my little girl didn't have hair until she was almost 3!) Anyway, that's beside the point.
After awhile I decided that I could really use a jogging stroller, which I bought from Target with gift cards from my baby showers. It was a Schwinn and looked great, but it was really heavy. After borrowing my neighbor's lighter-weight BabyTrend, I decided I wanted one of those, so I sold the Schwinn (bad move) and bought a used BabyTrend off Craig's List that ended up being a piece of crap. The story goes on and on about all of the cheap strollers I've bought over the years. The best one I've owned has been the Inglesina Twin, which I bought new from an Internet store after reading TONS of reviews (I'd finally wised up a bit by that point). The problem with it was that my kids outgrew it super fast because they are big for their ages. It is now being stored in the attic until I decide what to do with it.
A year after my first was born, my sister-in-law had a baby. Somehow, she knew about this whole other level of baby products, things that you only find in baby boutiques (which I also had not known about). I had no idea that a $400 stroller even existed until my nephew was born! So, she asked for a Bob Revolution as a group gift and got it. At first, I thought she was crazy, but now I see that that was smart move. She was able to sell her single Bob after only 3 years for more than half of its original price and use that money toward the purchase a used double Bob to accommodate her growing family. As far as I know, those are the only 2 strollers she's ever and will ever own. Hmm.
If I had to do it all over again, I'd definitely go with the Bob. Or a Peg Perego, or a Maclaren, or...
Posted in: baby gear, strollers on Tuesday, March 2, 2010 at at 10:55 PM 4 comments
Posted in: dinner, meal planning on Monday, March 1, 2010 at at 12:18 PM 1 comments
Posted in: dinner, recipes, snacks on Saturday, February 27, 2010 at at 4:40 PM 5 comments
My girls are sick...again. My youngest (16 mo.) seems to get a runny nose with a cough every 2-4 weeks, no joke. Even though I've tried numerous methods for easing her cough so she (and the rest of us) can sleep, I still forget to try some of them again the next time. I recently asked friends on a Facebook post what their methods were for easing coughs and here are some of their replies and my comments in parenthesis:
-Put Vicks (or store brand) vapor rub on their feet and put socks on (this does seem to help)
-Ibuprofen or Motrin (this is usually used for pain relief, but maybe it would help)
-Benadryl (again, I'm not sure about this, but it could reduce inflammation)
-Bring the baby into the bathroom and run a hot shower for the steam
-Elevating the head of the crib by placing a folded blanket or flat pillow under the mattress
-Saline spray in the nose (You can make your own or buy it at the drugstore. It definitely helps reduce sinus infections)
-Teaspoon of honey or honey in warm water for kids over 1 (I use a natural cough syrup that has honey in it)
-A humidifier, preferably one that has a place to put in liquid Vicks
-Over the counter cough syrup for kids (some still do it in spite of FDA warnings, which they think stem mostly from too many people overdosing their kids-scary)
Do you have any other methods that have worked for you?
Posted in: colds, cough, Illness on Tuesday, February 2, 2010 at at 2:43 PM 2 comments
So, I'm trying to get better at meal planning for several reasons including saving money, being more organized and shopping less. There are so many areas of being a homemaker that I feel like such a newbie in. This is one of them. Last month, I planned out meals for the the last 3 weeks of the month and did 4 hours of shopping for those meals in two days. For the rest of the month, I pretty much only had to pick up a couple things here and there, which kept me out of the stores for the most part. This is good for three reasons: I spend less money, it saves time and I don't have to drag my kids to the store one or more times per week.
So, now I'm taking this to a new level and trying to plan out the whole month of February. My dilemma is do I comparison shop, gather coupons, etc. and hit multiple stores or do I just stick with my main stops: Trader Joe's, Costco, Safeway and the produce stand. I tried the whole coupon bit a few months ago and felt like I was spending more time and money buying stuff I didn't really need (and being in the stores too often) than saving money. Part of the dilemma is that money is tight and comparison shopping or checking out discount grocery stores might be worth the financial savings...or it might not. Quality is also important to me and often, the better quality items are found at Costco, TJs and a local upscale market for produce. I'd appreciate any input.
Posted in: coupons, grocery shopping, meal planning on Monday, February 1, 2010 at at 11:30 AM 1 comments
