Archives for 2011

Be Fabulous and Frugal as you Ring in the New Year

December 29, 2011 | Leave a Comment

Do you want to throw a rockin’ New Years Eve Party but don’t have a lot to spend? No worries! You don’t have to sit on the couch in your PJs and fuzzy slippers and count down to New Year with Ryan Seacrest — unless of course you want to! If you want to have people over are ready to celebrate, then I have some good news for you. I have searched the web to find some fabulous and frugal ideas that can help you throw a memorable New Years Eve Party!

Frugal Invitations

You can get much more frugal than free, am I right? I have found a few free invitation options that you can use to let your guests know that they are invited to the party of the year — or at least in for a fun night with friends.

(photo via Evite)

One of my favorite invitation websites in Evite. There several attractive choices for New Years Eve invitations and the best part is they are free! No need to buy invitations, pay postage or hunt down your guests for RSVPs. It can all be done on the Evite website. Easy peasy!!!

I also found several free printable cards at the Holiday Crafts and Creations website. These can be printed on fancy or festive paper for a fraction of the price it might cost to buy invites.

But here is my FAVORITE…

I wasn’t able to put the photo up – probably because of copyright restrictions – but you simply MUST trust me when I say these invitations are fabulous!!! Head on over to the Perpetual Party Planner Blog and check out the post on DIY New Year’s Eve Invites.

DIY New Year’s Eve Favors

You can put those empty wrapping paper tubes from Christmas to good use with this craft I found on Holiday Crafts and Creations.

Just click on the photo above to visit their site and see the simple step-by-step instructions. Use your imagination and creativity to really have fun with these poppers.

Need Confetti? Have left over wrapping paper from Christmas? PERFECT! Just stick the paper into your shredder for instant streamers or confetti (depending on the type of shredder you have). Or, if you want to keep the kids busy during their Christmas break, have them cut it all by hand. It up to you 🙂

Frugal Food

You can always ask guest to bring their favorite finger food, dessert and/or their own drinks. If you have been couponing then you have probably built up quite a stockpile of goodies. If so, now is the time to tap into that treasure and put on a grand spread for your guests — all for a fraction of the price. Even if you don’t have a well stocked pantry you can still find a lot of great deals and use coupons to save money. Frugal and fabulous!!!

(via Allrecipes.com)

One of my very favorite recipe websites is Allrecipes.com. You are sure to find a lot of delicious recipes. They have all kinds of recipes for appetizers, dinners, desserts, and even drinks. Check it out and get creative!!!

Whatever you decide to do, be sure to have fun, be fabulous, stay safe and please do NOT drink and drive!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!!

Do you have any frugal tips for celebrating New Year’s Eve?

5 Holiday Tummy Resolutions

December 22, 2011 | Leave a Comment

If you are anything like me then you would be something like a Schizophrenic when Christmas time comes around. What do I mean? Well, I love Christmas. I love the lights, décor, smells, songs, weather, fashion, everything. But I despise the weight gain that seems to be automatically attached to the season. So I spend quite a bit of time enjoying myself immensely and then bemoaning my waistline soon after. What makes it worse is that there are also tummy issues to deal with after!

Well, I want to get out of this rut. I want to enjoy everything I love about the season and not have to suffer during the first few weeks of the New Year. So here are some things I have started to do this month.

Drink More Water

I’ve gotten into the habit of drinking more water than I usually do. Since I am not a soda fan at all and I don’t really drink alcohol that much, my beverages are limited to water and juices already. I only drink freshly squeezed or made juices (no powder or concentrates) and lots of water. Water helps naturally flush out toxins, it helps with constipation, it keeps the skin young as well, and it helps you eat less.

Eat Less

On the note of eating less, well, just eat less. Period. So I have started training to cut my portions in half. For example, if I see these special Christmas cookies that I love, instead of having four like I usually do, I take 2. I know, it’s still some calories and sugar but I said that I wanted to lessen the terrible after effects and still enjoy the season. Now is not the time to start a brand new diet. It just will not work given all the parties and the celebrations and, as mentioned before, all the seasonal dishes. But you can enjoy and do this in moderation as well.

Moderation

How do you do this? Moderation and Christmas are not words often seen in the same sentence. Well, it helps if you track your food. Not the overly detailed tracking with corresponding grams and calorie count that a lot of diet plans require. That would honestly be just too much work for me for the season. But taking down just what you ate for your basic meals so you can look back and see if you are eating too much already is good enough. I have started to do this and I must say it is working.

Be Mindful of What You Eat

And then there is the food you choose to eat. I gravitate towards more fibrous dishes for many reasons. One, these really help my digestion. Two, I love crunch and color and texture. Three, I am not a sweets fan at all so the occasional cookie doesn’t send me into depression. Choosing more fiber-rich food will help anyone in the long run. And there are a lot of delicious Christmas dishes that are high in fiber so thinking that you will have nothing to eat or serve is a myth. Just do the research.

Relax

Stress is major party pooper. I can recall so many parties I hosted, not only Christmas parties, where I ended with a headache and not really remembering enjoying myself much. In fact, I stopped hosting parties for a couple of years because of this. I am not hosting anything this year and I am not saying become a hermit or stop party planning. Just organize, do manageable meals, do things ahead of time, and remember that it is a party so smile, laugh, and have fun.

How do you plan to manage your festivities this year?

Christmas Bliss – Eliminate Stress and Experience Great Joy

December 21, 2011 | Leave a Comment

I titled my post Christmas bliss because one of the definitions of bliss is — great joy! That is what we all should feel on Christmas. For those of us who honor the true meaning of Christmas, we are celebrating God’s greatest gift to us — the birth of his son, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Because of this, there is so much to celebrate and be thankful for on Christmas Day.

Unfortunately, for many people it can also be a really stressful time and why wouldn’t it be? We are bombarded with commercials of people giving cars with big red bows on them, a zillion different toy commercials that have our children repeating over and over, I want I want I want and if he didn’t go to Jared well, then maybe he’s just not that into you. Others of us measure our Christmas success by how many different kinds of Christmas cookies, candies or other goodies we can mass produce in a month. What it boils down to, is many of us simply try to do too much and want everything to be as perfect as possible. Then, when we fall short — well, we feel like we have failed.

Please believe me when I say that there have been many Christmases where I mailed presents late, got caught up in the stress or wished I had just done more — but you know what? Christmas still came and I still felt great joy when the day finally arrived.

My Favorite Christmas Story

One of my favorite Christmas stories – How the Grinch Stole Christmas – illustrates this point beautifully. It has such a great message and one of my very favorite parts of the story is when the Grinch is listening for the Who’s to be sobbing and sad because all of their Chirstmas decorations and presents have been stolen by him but when they wake up they aren’t sad. They feel great joy and instead of crying, the Grinch hears singing and you know what…

“Christmas came just the same…It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags.” Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before! “Maybe Christmas he thought doesn’t come from a store. Maybe Christmas …perhaps…means a little bit more.” ~ How the Grinch Stole Christmas • by Dr. Seuss

Making It So Everyone Can Enjoy

So how can we enjoy all that this blessed season has to offer and still keep things in perspective. I touched on this a bit in the post I wrote last year The Magic and Meaning of Christmas and I’ll provide a few simple tips on how you can feel the true joy of Christmas through and through.

Scale it Down a Bit

Don’t overdue by trying to be perfect. Don’t overspend, don’t over plan just don’t over extend yourself to the point where you and your family are stressed and miserable. See those gingerbread cookies pictured above. I made them. They aren’t perfect (gingerbread heads were rolling) and even though I had wanted to make about 3 different kinds of cookies, I got so stressed out making those that I decided not too. This year St. Nick is going to have to be happy with the cut and bake cookies from the store. Whew! What a weight off my shoulders.

Give Generously

This can be of your time, talent, heart and/or your treasure. Whenever you give, give with love and not out of a sense of obligation. I just read a wonderful story about an anonymous person who paid off a bunch of layaways for some people at Kmart. It honestly brought a tear to my eye. While the season can sometimes bring out the worst in people, it also certainly brings out the BEST in people too. You don’t have to spend money to be generous, you can volunteer to help with a toy drive, ring the bell for the Salvation Army, work in a soup kitchen or winter shelter, there are so many things you can do and it will really help you to feel the true spirit of the season.

Simplify Gift Giving

If you have a big family you can draw names or choose just to buy for kids. There are lots of fantastic DIY Christmas present ideas and photo gifts are fun, special and usually economical.

Stay Home

Traveling to see family is something that many people do but sometimes it just can’t happen. Traveling (especially with children) is stressful on a normal day but during the holidays you multiply that by about a thousand! I’m not just talking about traveling out of state either. I know many families have several places they need to be. Consider hosting your own celebration, trading off every other year or visiting one family on Christmas Eve and one Christmas Day. If you have a lot of invites it is a huge blessing to know so many people love you and want to spend the holidays with you, but it can be tough too.

Celebrate the True Meaning of Christmas

If you are feeling stressed or getting caught up in the holiday craziness instead of appreciating all the beauty, wonder and magic think back to that first Christmas. When a young mother gave birth to her sweet baby boy in a barn. She and her husband didn’t have much but they wrapped him in some blankets and laid him on soft clean hay in a manger. Simple yet miraculous.

John 1:14 — The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

I wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas!!!

What are you doing this year to eliminate holiday stress?

Santa Claus and Children

December 19, 2011 | Leave a Comment

What is it about Christmas that just brings out such glee in kids? Is it the wonderful, beautiful lights that festoon every lamppost or anything upright for that matter? Is it the entry of seasonal, very delicious meals? For kids, Christmas time is Santa time! The moment my tree comes out of hiding at home, my kids automatically do their own short versions of Balki Bartokomous’s ‘Dance of Joy’ (age hint here). It is such a funny thing to see and truly the excitement from them is fantastic. Then the pressure sets in and I start to feel all the responsibility attached with Santa Claus and making sure they have a memorable Christmas.

Where Did Santa Claus Come From?

This year, I started to think about this tradition. What is it really? Where did it come from? And how do I divert the seemingly mindless consumerism of the idea of Santa Claus to what Christmas should truly mean? I did some research first (naturally) and this is what I found.

Santa Claus, also known as Saint Nicholas, Father Christmas, Kris Kringle, and simply “Santa”, is a figure with legendary, historical and folkloric aspects who, in many western cultures, is said to bring gifts to the homes of the good children during the late evening and overnight hours of Christmas Eve, December 24.^[1] The modern figure was derived from the Dutch figure of Sinterklaas, which, in turn, may have part of its basis in hagiographical tales concerning the historical figure of gift giver Saint Nicholas…Santa Claus is generally depicted as a plump, jolly, white-bearded man wearing a red coat with white collar and cuffs, white-cuffed red trousers, and black leather belt and boots (images of him rarely have a beard with no mustache)… According to a tradition which can be traced to the 1820s, Santa Claus lives at the North Pole, with a large number of magical elves, and nine (originally eight) flying reindeer. Since the 20th century, in an idea popularized by the 1934 song “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town”, Santa Claus has been believed to make a list of children throughout the world, categorizing them according to their behavior (“naughty” or “nice”) and to deliver presents, including toys, and candy to all of the good boys and girls in the world, and sometimes coal to the naughty children, on the single night of Christmas Eve. He accomplishes this feat with the aid of the elves who make the toys in the workshop and the reindeer who pull his sleigh. (Wikipedia)

Basically, it appears that the current tradition of Santa Claus and gift-giving is in fact a mix of ancient Greek folklore, Germanic Paganism, and Dutch folklore. The figure of Santa Claus can be derived from a combination of the Greek Saint Nicholas of Myra, a Christian saint known for giving generously to the poor, who is also the basis of the Dutch Sinterklaas, and the Germanic god Odin who was known to ride his eight-legged horse Sleipnir over great distances and giving gifts to children who would leave carrots and treats for his horse to nibble on as he passed their chimneys. Sinterklass is a stately old man who gives gifts to well-behaved children, and Odin is known as an old man with a long white beard. Over the centuries, all these figures appear to have merged together to become the Santa Claus of today. Of course, thanks to Coca Cola, we have the ubiquitous jolly, round, old man with a long white beard, in a bright red suit.

Where To Focus This Year

All in all, the main theme of what are the supposed origins of the current tradition is giving and this is what I want to focus on this year. I am trying to teach my kids that this is the season for giving- giving to the people you love as an expression of love, to your friends as an expression of friendship, and not so much in expectation of something in return. I have started asking them what they want to give their friends and cousins and aunts and have tried to tell them that it does not matter what they get if they get gifts and that the important thing is that they are able to show friends and family their love and friendship. Now, I don’t want them to be too materialistic so I tell them that they don’t need to buy anything expensive to show how they feel and that they can make their gifts too. Of course, I don’t want to be a complete Scrooge and take away the joy of wishing for favorite toys so I have also asked them to make their list to Santa but I have told them that he won’t be able to give everything on the list because he has to give other children gifts too and that it is still great if he gives them one or two from their list, to which they expressed satisfaction.

What do you guys think? Too Scrooge-y or over-thought? What are some of your thoughts about the meaning of Christmas, beyond the lights and the commercialism of it all?

Christmas Crafts for Kids

December 7, 2011 | Leave a Comment

Children love to create gifts that they can give to loved ones. This is their heartfelt way of showing those who love them most that they love them back. We must keep in mind that not all crafts our kids create will look perfect but that is what makes them so beautiful!

Here are some fun and creative crafts that will be simple to make and your friends and family will be delighted to receive. I also believe that these crafts are so simple that even an uncrafty mom such as myself, can happily join in the fun.

Handprint Wreath

This is a craft that each of the boys made as at preschool last year and I absolutely cherish it! It can be a little messy but if you are organized about it this (like their fabulous teachers are) it shouldn’t be too difficult to do with preschool age children or older. Of course, you can do this with toddlers if they will cooperate but my experience in getting the boys to make hand prints when they were that age was not great.

What you need:

Fabric — A light colored one like the one pictured above will work best.
Thin dowel
Green and red paint
Sponge paint brush and disposable container
Large bow Stamp
Ribbon

You can make these as small or as large as you would like. It’s totally up to you. So cut the fabric if you need to then either sew – or my favorite is to use fabric tape – to make an opening that the small dowel can slide through.
Put some green paint into a container then take the sponge brush and paint your child’s hand with it.
Instruct your child to spread out their fingers then push their hand gently onto the cloth. Have them lift their hand straight up. You may have to help them with one hand while holding the cloth with the other.
Paint their cute little hand again and repeat Step #3 several times. You’ll want to turn the cloth so you can make a circle of green hand prints. You can overlap a little and remember — it doesn’t have to be perfect!
Let that dry. Then either you or your child can dip your finger in red paint and make round red berries.
Take the bow stamp and dip it into the paint and stamp the top of the wreath with the bow.
After it dries slide the cloth onto the dowel.
Cut a long piece of ribbon and tie it to each end ot the dowel, so this beautiful piece of art can be display each year!

Painted Ornaments

This is a SUPER simple craft. The only thing you’ll have to do it clean up a little. The kiddos do all the hard work and they love every minute of it!

What you’ll need:

Paintable ornaments that can be found at any craft store. (They are very reasonably priced especially if you catch them on sale and don’t forget to check your Sunday paper for good coupons!)
Paint and paint brush– watercolors wouldn’t be great to use but the thicker paints work.
Newspaper

Spread out newspaper all over your child’s work space.
Open the paints, get a small cup of water, a paper towel and let the kids have at it. You may of offer instruction if you wish or you can have a sample painted so they have an idea of that colors they can use.
Not crazy about letting your kids have paint? Markers will work really well too and are less messy. I chose paints though because my boys just get so excited when they can use them.

Bead Wreath

Do you remember making these as a kid? You might even have some of your old ones on your tree or at your parent’s house. This is very simple and not messy at all — unless of course someone spills beads all over the floor 🙂

What you’ll need:

Beads (or buttons if you prefer)– any color you like will work just fine.
floral wire 16-20mm
Ribbon
Wire cutters

Bend the end of the wire.
String the beads onto the floral wire.
After the wreath is the desired size bend the end of the wire into the other end — cut if needed.
Tie a bow on top of wreath to cover wire and attach string or yarn to the top so it can hang on a tree.

The boys and I also shaped these to look like candy canes and hung them on the tree. So cute!!!

For more Christmas crafts check out my post from last year Super Simple Christmas Crafts for Kids.

Do you make holiday crafts with your kids? Any other craft ideas to share?

The Importance of Sleep and Structure

December 5, 2011 | 1 Comment

In the beginning, I thought people who placed a whole lot of emphasis on sleep were a tad bit lazy. Today, it appears that sleep is very important and that those folks were on the right track after all. And sleep is important from the moment your child is born until he or she grows to adulthood. The growth hormone is naturally secreted when you sleep. For kids, this is important for the right development.

So it is recommended that they get the prescribed number of hours a day. For children less than a year it is about 14 hours, for kids ages 1-3 about 12-14, for those aged 3-6 about 10-12, those 7-12 years, 10-11 hours, and those 12-18 years, 8-9 hours a day.

My Worries on Sleep

I used to fret that my kids would not take afternoon naps. My son especially was immune to the thought. He has always been the kind of kid that is brimming with energy. He loves play and socializing and really squeezing every moment out of every day. My daughter is a little less energetic. She used to take naps on a regular basis but she has since discovered the joys of packing it in throughout the day. So, gone are her naps. It is a good thing that my doctor reassured me that as long as they get at least 10 hours of uninterrupted sleep at night, they are fine, they will develop well and healthily, and the growth hormone and all the rejuvenation that happens when you sleep will happen in the right amounts for them. Whew!

How To Help Kids Get To Sleep

I do have some friends though who are currently having problems calming their kids or getting their kids to sleep enough. These friends have kids that differ in age. Some have kids that have just turned one, others in their toddler years, and one who has a preschooler. I have often gotten complements on how disciplined my kids are about how much and when they sleep and I have been told that their growth and general sunny disposition can be attributed to this. So I am often asked how I do/did it. And I am always surprised because I didn’t really do anything extraordinarily different. I do always stress though that structure and routine were key components in forming my kids into the way they are today. So, here is what I did for both kids consistently.

Stress on Consistency: I did the same thing every day. I had bath time at a certain time (for example, after 9 am feeding). I had a specific routine for the day bath, I used different soaps and materials, and a specific routine for the night bath. I didn’t force any schedule on my kids. They told me when they were hungry or needed changing. But a routine does come out and I followed that and adjusted when I needed to.
Use Cues: Like I said earlier, I had specific routines and materials for specific activities. These are known as cues. So when my kids would smell the lavender soap I used for night time, they knew that sleepy time was coming. When I would play the classical music, they knew it was afternoon nap time. When the lights went out and curtains were drawn, they usually fell asleep fairly quickly. And as they grew and required less waking moments to drink milk, they slept longer and longer intervals until they slept right through the night. Today, they sleep from 7-8 on weekdays, 9-10 on Fridays and Saturdays, and wake up 10-11 hours later.
Follow Through: I kept both things- consistent routines and cues- going. I use them today. They know that when they get up, after maybe half an hour, they should be getting breakfast. They know that after school, they have lunch and then their bath, and then their homework and then they play. They know that they can play and play to their hearts content but when the sky goes dark and the clock strikes 6, they need to calm down and have dinner. And they know that after resting, they have to take their bath, and then go to sleep. Usually, they like a good bed time story or telling me something especially interesting about their day. But when the lights go out, they know it is sleep time and they consistently fall asleep a maximum of 30 minutes after this.

I am no expert and I didn’t know what the effect of what I was doing would be until after the fact. My main concern there was getting them used to a schedule so that they would be disciplined and independent at the right time. I guess it worked for the sleep as well.

I hope this was helpful.

What are some things you guys did when your kids were young to get them to sleep well and enough?

Breastfeeding Information At a Glance

December 2, 2011 | Leave a Comment

My kids are much too old for breastfeeding but I thought that this is a perfect topic to push because it is both healthy for the kids and the mother and free. Where else will you get that good a deal? Now, I know that there is some controversy surrounding breastfeeding. Some women do not believe in it, some do not think it is important or different, etc. This is not a venue to hold matches between those two points and to judge which one is better. This is simply an informative post as to the positives and negatives of breastfeeding, keeping in mind that breastfeeding is the most natural way to feed an infant and that it cots nothing monetarily.

The Pros of Breastfeeding

For Mom:

A reason to eat and not to gain. In fact, you lose weight! A breastfeeding mom needs more that 500 extra calories a day because the body just burns more while breastfeeding.
It is easy and requires no expense or fuss. You so not need much more than a comfortable place to prop yourself and your child.
For those who are comfortable and used to the routines, it is possible to sleep during feedings, especially those night time ones.
They say that it is a way to foster a bond between mother and child.
There’s less spitting up, no stains and the poop doesn’t smell!
There are anti cancer benefits. Research shows that the longer you breastfeed, the lower your risk for breast and ovarian cancer.
May give you a longer break from getting your period again but ovulation may still occur so this is NOT a birth control method.
A lot of breastfeeding moms say it feels awesome and is a real confidence booster!

For Baby:

Breast milk provides natural antibodies. This is usually found in the colostrum or the opaque part of the breast milk. Breastfed babies get more protection against ear infections, colds, and viruses: If the child does have any of the above, the severity will most likely be lessened.
Breast milk is said to help the brain grow and develop
They say as well that there is less learning and behavior difficulties
Less diaper rash and other skin problems due to the natural milk. When rashes occur it is usually a reaction to what the mom is eating and then transmitting through the milk than a reaction to the milk itself.
It is proven that there is less colic and less crying because of the natural suction from breastfeeding
Breast milk is easy to digest.
Research has shown that breast milk protects against Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, leukemia, some childhood cancers, and juvenile-onset diabetes
And breastfeeding moms swear that their babies LOVE the taste!

The Cons of Breastfeeding

Breastfeeding takes time. Newborns feed every 2 to three hours and so breastfeeding moms follow this schedule even at night.
If the dad or the grandparents want a turn at feeding the baby, mom still has to pump the breast milk out which may not be as comforting as having the baby feed directly off the breast.
Breastfeeding is tiring! It takes a lot of energy for your body to make milk, so the mother can often feel quite fatigued.
Contrary to popular belief, this is not second nature. Almost all moms have at least a moment where they learn how to properly feed their babies. This may cause some anxiety and frustration.
There may be other problems as well that make breastfeeding difficult. Some common problems are mastitis, inverted nipples, babies not being able to latch properly, plugged milk ducts and engorgement if the baby is not feeding frequently or properly.
Finally, for the career woman, breastfeeding can be a real challenge. The schedule alone is something that requires a lot of management and support from the workplace.

So, is breastfeeding for you? It is an entirely personal choice. I do not believe there is a right or wrong answer as every loving mother has their stand on why she chooses what she chooses in the care and development of her child. Certainly, these are points for anyone to mull over before making that decision.

Did you breastfeed your child?

Joking is an Inexpensive Teaching Tool

November 30, 2011 | Leave a Comment

I am not known to be a big joker. In fact, it is a big joke to a lot of very close friends how serious a person I am. So imagine my apprehension when I discovered that joking around and pretending with your kids is supposedly a good thing for their development. So, before I started to panic in a major way and blame myself for the millions of moments I missed out adding to their better development by not being a joker, I decided to look into this and see what I missed out on doing, if I missed anything at all even.

The importance of joking and pretending

Turns out child development experts have been doing research into the effect of joking and pretending done by parents with their toddler children. These researchers found

…that joking and pretending by parents with their toddlers were important in building children’s social skills, learning and creativity.

Wow! I was beginning to feel really inadequate. Apparently, I missed out on doing something completely free that was supposed to give them this kick start in life skills! The target age was 15-24 months and my kids have long passed that mark so did that mean it was too late to start this method of development?

Luckily, upon deeper reflection, it turns out that I am not the humorless rock I have always believed myself to be after all. Research says that making jokes and pretending when doing things helps kids recognize these concepts, the difference between the concepts, and helps them become more creative, have more humor, promotes sociability, and thinking out of the box.

How to joke with young children

And it isn’t really too hard. I remember there were so many instances where I was cleaning out a closet or a bag or a box of toys with my two kids and then I would ask them where things would go and they would tell me one place and I would “mistakenly” put it elsewhere. They would laugh and call me out, and I would gasp with appropriate surprise, and this would send them into fits of giggles over how silly mommy was being. Other things I would do would be to sing their favorite songs and change up the lyrics, all the time innocently looking at them as if I was singing the correct thing. This again would send them into gales of laughter. These are just a few of the things I recall doing, so I am not too panicked that I have deprived them of jokes and pretend play since birth and at present.

Have I noticed anything extraordinarily different in the development of my kids? Well, honestly, the non-biased answer is not really. They seem to me the way normal, adjusted, developing, intelligent, happy kids should be. I will say that my son loves to make stories up in drawing and sings while explaining his drawings, and my daughter really loves mixing things up as a joke. Is that normal? I am guessing so. Is it great to see them love to laugh and to know that they get some of that from their staid and serious mom? It sure is.

What do you think about humor as a teaching tool?

Is Black Friday Worth the Hype?

November 12, 2011 | Leave a Comment

(via Falling Fifth)

I have ventured out on Black Friday a time or two. The first time I ever did this was during the Furby craze! These annoying little robotic toys were all the rage during Christmas season 1998 or 1999. I didn’t have children at the time but one of my BFFs did. These chatty creatures were in such high demand that each customer was only allowed to purchase one at a time — and my friend had two kids. I thought it would be fun adventure to get out there with all the other bargain hunters — plus, I wanted to help my friend. So we met at a department store at 3:30am the day after Thanksgiving.

For those of you who are avid Black Friday shoppers you are probably thinking, “What? 3:30am? You must have been at the back of the line!” The rest of you are probably wondering, “What the heck were you thinking?”

Well, we got our Furbies but it was pretty wild out there. My friend and I made our Black Friday outing an annual tradition for about 4 years. I think the only other super great deal we got was a Barbie Dream House for her daughter, which was normally $100 and I think it was on sale for $40. Even though we were far from the front of the line we got it and it was worth it — her daughter was thrilled on Christmas morning.

Is Black Friday really worth the hype?

For many people the answer is yes. For me? The answer is yes and no. Sure there are great deals to be had but you have to to get up ridiculously early to even have a chance at some of the hottest items. I’m not saying you won’t save money because you will, as long as the items you go out for are still in stock by the time you get there. Retailers leure you into their stores with promises of crazy low prices on specific items but they usually only have a few of these items in stock. So let’s say that you see a 32″ HD TV advertised for only $99. If you are one of the very first people at the front of the line you have a good chance at getting this item. The bad news is, you may have to skip the pumpkin pie to start standing in line before the sun even sets on your Thanksgiving Day.

Online retailers take notice of Black Friday sales and the folks at Amazon.com are constantly dropping their prices to one up other retailers. So if you don’t want to wait out in the freezing cold or throw elbows with the big boys and girls, you might just want to start shopping early and do some research so you can find the best deals on and offline. Another great thing is that a lot of stores today will price match competitors if you have the ad with you. This can help save you time and money.

Now for the record I’m not saying shopping on Black Friday is a bust. I do like to hit the stores after I have slept off the tryptophan from the day before and had a few cups of coffee. I usually get out around 10-11am. By this time the crazy has settled and there are still a few Early Bird Specials to be had.

If you do want to venture out:

Have a plan

Look at the ads and decide which stores and what deals you want to take advantage of. Write it down!

Got coupons?

Bring those too. There are often retail coupons, which you can find online that can be used in addition to sale prices but read the fine print just to be sure.

Don’t take it too seriously

Have fun! Make a plan to shop till you drop, then meet friends for breakfast or lunch. This can help you de-stress. Plus, it’s fun to compare deals.

What do you think about Black Friday? Are you a die hard shopper or do you stay away from the stores as much as possible on that day?

4 Solutions to Help You Save on Heating Costs this Winter

November 8, 2011 | Leave a Comment

Use a programmable thermostat to lower heating costs

(via capl@washjeff.edu)

I don’t want to brag or anything but I’ve got to tell you that our electric bill has been very low for the past four months or so. It had nothing to do with me though. Here in the Pacific NW we had a fairly cool summer, which for some people was a huge bummer — but not for me. I don’t like being too warm anyway and even if I did, I sure couldn’t balk at the fact that we only had to use our air conditioning for one or two weeks total!

We have also had a nice fall. Not too cool and not too terribly rainy, so I actually didn’t even turn our heater on for the first time until a few weeks ago! Again, our electric bills have been outstanding and instead of dreading the bill, I’m actually excited to see how low it is (I know that sounds a little weird but it’s true).

Ah, but those glorious days are quickly coming to an end as we enter the colder months. I am so sad to say goodbye to low electricity bills but do I really have to? Maybe not. I have been thinking about ways to cut our heating costs so if nothing else, they don’t get as high as they did last year!

I don’t know about you but on our bill, the power company provides a side by side comparison of the current month and how much energy we used in the same month the year before. My goal this year is to try to improve on last year’s electrical costs. It always seems like we do worse and worse each winter but no more! Having a goal (and making a game out of it) is very motivating for me. So yes — once again, I accept my own challenge!

4 Solutions to Help You Save on Heating Costs

Now – in no particular order – here are some simple ideas to cut your heating costs:

1. Set your thermostat to a reasonable temperature

Listen, I am pretty much always cold but we keep our thermostat at a cool 68 degrees. If I’m too chilly I put on a sweater or something. It’s amazing just how much money you can save by knocking the temp down a few notches.

2. Have a thermostat with a timer

Before we had the boys we programmed our thermostat to drop the temp while we were sleeping. I’ve always been worried about the boys kicking off their blankets and being too cold so we just keep our thermostat the same temp all the time. Now there are two schools of thought on this issue: 1.) If you constantly have your temperature drop and go back up, your heater is working harder to and using more energy to get the temperature up to what it is during “normal” times. So keeping the temp the same at all times is best. 2.) Reducing the temp during times when you are sleeping or away from home saves a good amount of money because there is no reason for the house to be a perfect temperature when you aren’t awake or even at home. I don’t know which is right and if you do please offer your opinions or information in the comment box below 🙂

3. Make sure you have enough insulation

This can be in your attic, crawl spaces, walls and around hot water heater and pipes. If your hot water heater is inside your house it isn’t an issue but if your water heater is in the garage it is. Wrap insulation around your water heater and around the pipes so the water heater doesn’t have to work harder to keep the hot water hot. Another thing we learned when we had to replace our water heater is that you can get a foam disk that sits between the cold cement garage floor and your water heater which helps quite a bit as well.

4. Windows & Doors

For many people windows and doors are the main culprits of energy wasters. If you don’t have the money to replace windows and doors with energy efficient ones don’t worry, there are still some things you can to to help keep your heat in. Using thermal insulated curtains or liners on your windows can help cut heating costs. I also found a helpful how-to video from Home Depot about how to seal your windows and doors to prevent the cold air from leaking in. Purchasing a door and window draft blocker can be helpful in keeping your home warm and your heating costs low.

What are some ways you winterize your home to keep heating costs down?