Changes are coming!

Look for my new blog 90 Days of Change starting September 1st!

Frugal Friday: kid's activities

Here's a few free or nearly free activities we have done so far this summer- with more on the way. (Also check out my other blog.)

1. Check out a State Park or National Park- we happen to live right next to a National Park.
2. Go berry picking- fun for the kids to see where fruit comes from beside the grocery store.
3. Find a friend with a pool- bring your own lunch and snacks.
4. Arrange for a tour of your local fire station- they are happy to oblige.
5. Visit a farm- we are going to visit a local farm next week.
6. Have a picnic lunch on the front lawn.

Check out more Frugal Friday at Life As Mom.

WFMW: Always Be Prepared

Isn't that the Boyscout motto or something? Well anyway, when you have young children- always be prepared- for messes! My Works For Me Wednesday tip is always have an extra change of clothes. Either in your bag or in the car- it will be a lifesaver! When my daughter was very young I would stash an emergency diaper in the seat storage bins in the van- for just in case! We were at the zoo this weekend and a desperate looking dad approached me and asked if I had a spare diaper- well I don't carry them any more but I bet there is still one in the van!

More WFMW at We Are THAT Family.

sad day

I am having a very sad day today.

Free Healthcare Services at Walgreens

Walgreens Take Care Clinic will offer free healthcare service to families that suffer job loss and have no health insurance. Also free laboratory services will be offered by Quest Diagnostics as part of the Take Care Recovery Plan offered by Walgreens.

How I got my early-bird daughter to stay in bed!

Works For Me Wednesday: How I got my early-bird daughter to stay in bed!

I have a 3 1/3 year old pre-schooler who likes to get up at the crack of dawn. First it was 6:30am- then 6:00am- then 5:30am- and she would get up and wander around the house. I finally had enough! Right around when the time changed I got her a small digital travel alarm clock. I covered the numbers with tape so only the first number shows. I told her she could get out of bed when the clock said "7". I also drew a number 7 on a piece of paper and put it next to the clock on her bedside table. I told her very morning she waited until the clock said "7" and she called mom or dad to come get her- she could put a marble in a jar. I got a small bag of marbles and a medium baby food jar. I put them on top of her dresser where she could see them but not reach. When the marble jar is full I told her she could shop for a small prize at Walmart or Target. For a couple weeks now I would say she has stayed in her room every morning except one or two times. She is excited to be close to getting her prize!

Check out more WFMW at We Are THAT Family.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Cute Shamrock Toastie recipe from Family Fun magazine here.

Works For Me Wednesday

I got one of these- a Pampered Chef cut-n-seal for $4 on Ebay. Just about every day for lunch my 3 1/2 year old daughter makes herself a "round" PB&J sandwich for lunch- she thinks it's fun!

More "Works For Me Wednesday" tips at We Are THAT Family.

Getting Organized

Well it's January and it's the time of year everyone either works on dieting or organizing- or both! One thing I started to struggle with last year is what to do with all the "artwork" kids make. My daughter just started preschool this year and she already brings home about 4 things a day! I started by hanging her artwork on the basement door. She likes to look at it all and the door is big- I let her help me tape things up. Next I take a digital photo of each little masterpiece. In the fall I took the best projects and used the photos to make a photo book of just her artwork plus some school photos. She loves her book! I saved my favorite items in one of those brown accordion file folders you use for filing bills and stuff. I use one slot per year. The rest I threw away (yes is was hard!)

Start the New Year with Upromise

You may have heard of Upromise. It is a free program- you sign up for an account linking your store loyalty cards like Giant Eagle and CVS- and you start accumulating earnings with qualified purchases.

From the Upromise website:
Welcome to Upromise. Where your everyday spending can pay you back with money for college. Upromise has thousands of partners nationwide, brought together under one convenient service for college. Every time you make an eligible purchase, our partners return a portion of that money back to you. Those earnings accumulate in your Upromise account until you decide to use it to invest in a 529 plan, help pay down eligible student loans or assist with college expenses—all tax-free!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Here's a link to my other blog.

Sleep Number Bed

My husband and I had the chance to stay overnight at a Radisson Hotel and they have the Select Comfort "Sleep Number" beds. I have to say I was less than impressed. First of all, the beds make a noise like a vacuum cleaner when you are inflating the bed to your preferred sleep number. And the bed is not that comfortable. I'm glad we got the chance to try one out. I mean it was OK- but even set at 40 I thought it was very hard- and I usually like a firm mattress. Let's just say at about $1500 for their "economy" line king-sized bed, you would expect a little more comfort. So if you are even considering one, check out a Radisson Hotel first. The noise it makes was the biggest draw back to me.

SAHM

The Working Mom has a confession to make- I am now a Stay At Home Mom. Not by choice but about 10 weeks ago I was laid off from my full-time job. I was given a severance package so I am still collecting a weekly paycheck. It's really strange to not go to work every day- but I am enjoying my time off with my daughter. She just started preschool this fall- so now I am looking for a new job. Being a SAHM sure does keep me busy though!

Applebees, Payless, AAA

Monday nights kids eat free at Applebee's- check your local restaurant for participation.

Get a 10% discount on purchases at Payless and more with your AAA card!

Happy Memorial Day

Hope everyone is having a relaxing weekend. We just got back from a trip to the Zoo. I did a little grocery shopping on Friday night at Giant Eagle and some how managed to get two catalina's for $3 and $5 and I'm not sure how since I did not research the deals this week! I was out of town for two days and just didn't have time. I did not do any CVS shopping this weekend either as I did not see anything I needed in the ad. I made a visit to a Super Wal-Mart for the first time yesterday. I think I might give up my Sam's club membership after seeing the store. Some of the prices are very good without having to buy in bulk. Lastly, we made a trip to the Step 2 factory store in order to get my daughter a Step 2 "playhouse" actually it is a gazebo and it was marked $100 off this weekend. So that will be her birthday present from us.

P.S. I also hit my first garage sale of the season yesterday and scored a Step 2 toy box in great shape for $8.