MomEzine

Want to win an iPad or a Kindle Fire??

2012-01-09T06:31:00.000-06:00

RaffleCopter is giving away an iPad and a Kindle Fire just fill out the form below to enter!

Don't Forget to Put Jamie Mason Wagers with Momezine referred you in the first box!!! If you win I win a Kindle Fire too!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Cyber monday Events

2011-11-28T08:37:00.001-06:00

Be sure to like Melissa and Doug on Facebook this Cyber Monday http://www.facebook.com/#!/MelissaAndDoug

and follow Lands End of Twitter http://www.twitter.com/landsendpr

for your chance at cool goodies!

Work from Home With a Real Job!

2011-10-21T23:45:00.000-05:00

   Let me start off by saying that I am not promising to make you rich or that you will make thousands by sending a few emails or placing some links. No those are scams. Anything that seems to good to be true likely is. Think about it if they were real wouldn't everyone be doing it?

   No, this is not a get rich quick scheme and it's probably not what you would expect from a work from home experience. But it is a real honest work that you can do from your own home.   I have been working from home   for over a year now and I love it! As a home based customer service rep I was able to cut my communte down from an hour to the time it takes me to walk downstairs and turn on my computer.

Yes I get to work in my jammies and slippers but no unfortunatly not something you can do with a baby in your lap or a toddler who needs constant supervision. It does require a non ancient computer, a land line with unlimited long distance, and either cable or dsl internet .   You also will need two headsets one for your phone and a usb headset for you computer. You have to be somewhat comfortable with the internet and beable to manipulate multiple windows at one time. If you have a customer service background this is perfect for you!

is partnered with many large corporations in the US and now in canada too. As a customer care professional you serve one of their clients taking inbound calls. You are typically on the phone taking calls your entire shift. You are paid per hour not per call and you typically have a set schedule every week.

While you are working from home you are not on your own you are provided with access to a support team that can help you. The company encourages open communication and beleives that if you come to work you should be free to have fun doing it. From virtual social gatherings, to friendly competitions, to nightly countdowns to end of shift we are encouraged to get to know our team mates and our support staff.

provides a top of the line training program that teaches you not only the clients policies and systems but best practices and helps you utilize all of your resources.

If you would like more information check out

and feel free to email me

I am an employee of Alpine Access these are my personal views from my experience and do not represent the company.

Leag Frog LeapPad Explorer Review

2011-09-28T15:43:00.007-05:00

   (Let me preface that this review is my own personal opinion. I did not recieve any product or reimbursement from the companies listed in exchage for my review.)

I am excited at anything that I think will make my gadgets look less exciting to my five year old.   The Leap Pad Explorer caught my eye with the downloadable apps and the more sophisticated look than the Leapster toys.

   The LeapPad Explorer is available at most stores for $99.00 new. This is a lot of money for me to spend on a toy, and not something that I would spend without being able to try it out and see if it would hold my son's interest for more than a day.    Luckily I discovered ToyConomy , a toy rental company, through my fave shopping deal site Jasmere.   I was able to try a new service and a new product for a very discounted price. Through Jasmere I purchased 2 $50 Toyconomy vouchers for $20 each.  So With a total of $100 credit to try our Toyconomy I signed up for their membership program which gets me
half off all rental fees, free shipping both ways, and a free Scout tote to use as long as I am a member.
With the membership I only pay $17.50 a month to rent the LeapPad Explorer. I also rented a Leapster 2 so that I can compare the two and see if there is a huge advandtage for the price of the LeapPad Explorer.

   Toyconomy ships fast, and as soon as I got the toys I hooked them up to my computer and I was able to download the free games that come just like purchasing the LeapPad Explorer new.   For the price of the toy new it is disappointing the limit of the free apps it comes with, you get Pet Pad (a virtual pet for your child. The child earns rewards through games and can purchases treats and supplies for their pet), Art Studio, Story Studio, and one app out of a very small selection of your choice. You do not get to choose from all of the available apps. Additional apps range from $7.50 for a story or video , $10 for games , $20.00 for character ultra ebooks.

     The Leapster 2 came with one free game to download and I also rented an additional game from Toyconomy.   Leapster 2 works with the orginal leapster games which you can usually find for under $20 at most stores.

       Once my son got ahold of the Leapster Explorer he wouldn't put it down, he liked the games but quickly became bored with the limited games available and I was not yet convinced enough to invest more money into downloading additional games if I was not going to purchase a unit.   However he loves the camera and the video camera feature and that enough kept him busy for several hours in the car.
     However I do not see him getting as much use out of the more educational features which I can keep track of though the LeapFrog Connect portal

Leap Frog Connect Learning Path

I like that I can see how much time he is spending on each game and how much educational value he is getting out of the toy.
As I said I tried the Leap Pad Explorer out for my 5 year old, however my other children 7-11 also enjoyed playing with it. I love the feature that you can connect the toy to the computer and directly share pictures to Facebook as well as easily save the photos and videos to the computer.

(my son's self pic from the LeapPad Explorer, excuse messy face we were on car ride)

For the price I would like to see it have wireless hotspot capability so we can download apps or share pics on the go. I would also like to see a lower price point on popular character games, and see more games available through the app center.

For the rental price I paid it is a great value to try it out for a month. However I think we will be returning it and giving some other toys a try. Other than the camera and video camera feature I did not see a huge advanatage for the Leap Pad Explorer to justify spending $100 on it, however for a family vacation or an extended car trip it is definetly worth the rental price from Toyconomy!

For more information on the Leap Pad Explorer check out Leap Frog's Website http://www.leapfrog.com/leappad/index.html#&s=true

Learn more about ToyConomy and their toy rental program at
http://www.toyconomy.com/

and save money and try new web retailers at Jasmere
http://shopjasmere.com/jamiewagers

$10 Amazon giveaway!!!

2011-09-15T08:34:00.002-05:00

Simply like Momezine Daily Deals on Amazon and post on our wall your favorite Amazon deal (can be a current, or a previous deal you took advantage of) and then come back and comment here that you did and be entered to win a $10 electronic amazon gift code! Hurry this giveaway will end at 8:!5 am Central Friday Sept 16th!

1 winner will be randomy selected using http://andrew.hedges.name/experiments/random/

Share with your friends and watch Momezine Daily Deals for the hottest Amazon deals available!

Congrats to Divya your gc is on it's way!

Update to Customer service post

2011-09-12T19:59:00.000-05:00

Earlier this week I highlighted the reasoning why we want to stop and think before responding to a customer, or really anyone in our life who has a negative comment towards us:

I want to thank this buisness owner for her insight and her candidness in response to the situation we previously discussed.

http://lepapierstudio.com/blog/2011/09/online-negativity-and-ways-to-overcome-it.html

How much is Good Customer service worth?

2011-09-09T07:49:00.003-05:00

   I have been in customer service for over a decade (wow now I feeel old). I will stay with a company solely because of great customer service, even if their prices are higher, and I am more likely to make an impulse purchase for a company with great customer service.
   Some of my customer service favorites are... Sears..Best policies ever! One pet peeve is items scanning at the wrong price, catch it at Sears you get the item for free or $5 off which ever it less. Plus their Kidvantage club, kids wear out clothes just exchange them. I have boys who go through jeans like mad, so of course this was a great deal..one problem, they never seem to wear through Sears jeans, I guess that's why they can stand by their claim!
   Another is Verizon my wireless carrier, they have helped me lower my plan to something that works for me, not just their advertised plans.
But poor customer service is just plain wrong, and an email that I saw posted on Facebook this week really shocked me. Before we get into the email let me show you some stats on the effects of poor customer service:
CRM Daily posted an example and I really can't explain it better:
http://www.crm-daily.com/story.xhtml?story_id=021000E9CMW9

Now here is some importat information, sometimes buisnesses feel it is not worth their time in working with a difficult customer, so they would rather sever their ties. Okay they think one less customer complaining is a good thing.
   But do companies take into affect that that one customer will tell on average 10 people about their bad experience, those 10 people will share with 10 more..and so on. Now we live in an age of social media to that 10 could easily be 100, and the numbers continue to grow.

I really want this owner to think of that as I read her twitter posts I was shocked at a complete lack of control on the owner's part:

First the twitter comments

Um yes, talking negativly about a customer in a public forum is not good business practice. And while not honoring the voucher is something within your practices let's look at your response to the customer:

" just noticed that all your past purchases with us were at deep discounts, which makes me think that is only why you were shopping with us.

Unfortunately, we are no longer offering those deep discounts so you are right, there is no reason for you to come back.
Thanks for making that clear for us to understand!
Le Papier Studio" This was an actual email sent by the owner of thie website.

Even if the orginal email to the company was rude and demanding, which I haven't seen the email, but from the discussion I have seen I don't think it was, this is simply a poor response.

Here is a suggestion for a better response. "Hi, I am sorry that you are disappointed that we are unable to honor the voucher. Per the terms of the policy the voucher was to have been redeemed before the expiration date or the value is surrendered. I see that you have been a valued customer and I am sorry for any inconvience this may cause."

I don't think the latter response took anymore time to craft then the original response, and while the customer may not have been fully satisfied, adding insult to an already disgruntled customer can lead to losing other loyal customer as well as potential new customers.

Now let's look at some additional twitter comments from the owner, that are again in a public forum:
http://twitter.com/#!/lepapierstudio

Tell me what is the best and worst customer service you have recieved??

An update, the owner did send an apology to the customer, unfortunatly the damage had already been done. Hopefully it will be a learning lesson. And here is a quote to end on that sums it all up!

MomEzine: Back to school, how do you help your kids with their "Style?"

2011-07-27T22:31:00.000-05:00

MomEzine: Back to school, how do you help your kids with their "Style?"

Back to school, how do you help your kids with their "Style?"

2011-07-27T21:57:00.000-05:00

     I love my daughter's creativity. Megan is 9 and full of spirit, and sometimes attitude, she can make just about anything out of nothing. Give her the smallest piece of cloth and she has a dress for her puppy, her room is full of her “art”. When it comes to her wardrobe I try to just accept her creativity and let her go with it.... However when does it get to the point where you should intervene. Now obviously even at age seven sometimes she picks out some outfits that are inappropriate and I have to put my foot down, but sometimes it is just a matter of what she picks out just looks strange and doesn't match. A neighbor we don't really talk to gave us a ton of clothes for her (unfortunately just a week after I spent a fortune on her new summer wardrobe), I wonder sometimes if she gave us the clothes because she thinks that what Megan chooses to wear is all we have for her. When in fact I have a full closet of clothes with the tags on that will be donated because she refuses to wear them.

      We go to a great school where a large portion of the families are on the mid-upper middle class side and I don't want Megan shunned because she dresses different. At the same time I do not want to suppress her creativity.

     When kids are in preschool we embrace their creative outfits, we find it cute and adorable, but once they start school, you want them to form a style within the “norms”. I never thought I would come to the point where I would embrace school uniforms! I envy the parents who no longer have to have the battle over what their children will wear. Let the schools be the bad guys! Now I am not saying that kids need to be dressed like robots all the time, but I have to agree that uniforms gives kids one less distraction while they are in school.

     Unfortunately uniforms are not predicted in the foreseeable future so as we get ready to start the school year I find myself secretly weeding my daughters closet whenever she isn’t home. = She still happens to find the most ill fitting, non matching, and just jumbled outfits she can put together. She is the only girl in our family and has 5 brothers and a tomboy for a mom, so I understand she has no role model, but how can I help her style while encouraging her creativity? Do you have a child whose sense of style is in their own little world???

“I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and jcpenney blogging program, for a gift card worth $50. For more information on how you can participate, click here.”

Momezine Daily Deal Roundup 02/01

2011-02-01T14:13:00.002-06:00

Note: Most items run from noon-noon eastern time but always a great idea to check each site for expiration times!

Jasmere: I have seen Jasmere fan's begging to bring back Mouth Party Carmels These tasty treats would make a great Valentine's gift. Choose a one-pound box of delicious Original or dive in to their new hand-dipped, chocolate-and-sea-salt-covered O.M.G caramels (note the O.M.G. are only available online through Jasmere, otherwise you have to go to Mouth Party's Baltimore store) for only $12 or less. The more people who buy the more you save, don't worry everyone pays the lowest price!

Groupon: Online Nationwide: $15 for $50 Worth of Photo Books, Cards, and More from Mixbook

South Bend, IN: $4 for $8 Worth of Home-Style Cooking or $25 for $50 Worth of Catering from The State Café & Catering Restaurant

Chicago: $50 for $100 Worth of Haircutting and Color Services at Maxine Salon

Plum District: $25 for $50 Worth of Beauty Products from Beauty.com SOLD OUT But check your area for a local deal!

Living Social: $35!!! Gymboree Play & Music Four-Week Membership Plus $25 to Spend at Gymboree Retail. Get a four-week membership at in Orland Hills, Illinois, and Dyer, Indiana (up to a $129 value).

South Bend, IN: $25 Inspire Me $50 to Spend on Merchandise

Woot: 29-Piece Road Side Emergency Tool Kit with 10 Gauge Booster Cables - 2 Pack $14.99+ $5 shipping

Save Energy and Money

2011-01-06T14:03:00.001-06:00

Sorry the Jasmere offer has expired but you can still save thanks to the comment below! NEW COUPON! Use code JLJ20 and get 20% off 100's of Green home, office and business products from www.LetsGoGreen.biz plus FREE SHIPPING on orders over $49!

Looking for ways to cut expenses and be more environmentally friendly. Start at home! Check out this Water saving kit from LetsGoGreen.biz

Eco-friendly Home Water Sampler Kit

This kit has everything you need to make one bathroom more water efficient, including a Shower Coach, Toilet Tank Bank, Earth Massage showerhead, and water-saving faucet aerator.

Regular Price is $26.98 want to get it for less????

First visit Jasmere to learn more about their social shopping experience and you can pick up a voucher for this water sampler kit for only $12 or less... OR to save even more money after you look around the site go to http://www.jasmere.com/freemoney fill out a super quick survey and get $5 jasmere dollars (you can use on today's feature or any other) And you can get the Water sampler kit for only $7 plus shipping!

Jasmere - Social Shopping Deals- Win $10 in Jasmere Dollars!

2010-11-16T16:22:00.007-06:00

Are you looking for something more unique this holiday season? Tired of the same old things? I recommend you check out Jasmere.com. Jasmere has brought us the newest trend in social shopping. Everyday they have a one day special on a unique product or brand, the more people that buy it the more you save! And with thousands of people buying daily you are going to save a ton.

What I like most about Jasmere is that it is not your typical daily deal website featuring bix box stores and big names. These are smaller boutique type companies giving you the opportunity to try out something new at a great price.

Jasmere features high-end merchandise from the nation's top web merchants.

Sales begin and end at noon each weekday. Some items have limited supply, and once it's gone, it's gone.

Prices always start at 50% off or better.

As more people buy, the price gets lower. They won't charge your credit card until the sale ends, and everyone pays the day's lowest price.

Refer your friends, and earn $10 jasmere credit for each one that becomes a customer.

Spread the word, and we'll all save more!

Right now every reader can save $5 on their next purchase at Jasmere.com by using this code: SF652B2232 This code is good once per customer exp 12/1 and is only good through this link http://www.jasmere.com/r/777794fe?l

Post a comment below with a suggestion for a site you would like to see featured on Jasmere.com and be entered to win a $10 code for Jasmere. 1 winner will be selected on 11/22 and code will be good until 12/1

Eating Healthy in a flash and on a budget

2010-07-26T11:18:00.000-05:00

   As a work at home mom to three I fall all too quickly into the trap of eating out. It's easy, it's not cheap and even with some healthy choices availaible it's still many times full of fat and calories and lacking vegetables.

   School starts for us in just a few weeks, along with football, cheerleading, and swimming. I work evenings so have to rely on my husband to make dinner. That usually means that they are eating out or pulling something containing processed meat out of the freezer. And for me spending 8-10 hours a day sitting in front of a computer working hasn't helped my weight any. I have looked at the convient yet expensive weight loss food options for myself from nurtisystem and jenny craig, and typically have a freezer stocked with Weight Watchers and Lean Cuisine frozen meals. They are all low in fat and calories as well as just about every nutrient you need. They are big in cardboardand price though!

    So I was looking for an alternative, something to give my family the convience and nutrients that they need and me the natural weight loss that I want.   What better way to control what your family eats then by controlling how it's made?

I can spend 2 1/2 hours every saturday evening or sunday afternoon making healthy and convient family dinners that will last the entire week, stock up and have extras for the month. I pre-potion everything into either family sized dinners or individuals meals for lunchs and i know exactly whats going in them.

Look at some comparisons: between the Easy Does-It meals and those store bought frozen diet entrees

Healthy Choice® Sweet and Sour Chicken..........$2.99

Easy-Does-It Sweet and Sour Chicken.................$1.21

Healthy Choice® Country Herb Chicken.............$2.99

Easy-Does-It Country Herb Chicken...................$1.11

Stouffer’s Lean Cuisine® Chicken & Vegetables $3.49

Easy-Does-It Chicken & Vegetables.....................$1.02

Stouffer’s Lean Cuisine® Honey Roasted Pork $3.49

Easy-Does-It Honey Roasted Pork...................$1.02

Tthe easy Does-It cookbook's creator stands by the cookbook

Learn more about the Easy -Does-It Diet cookbook here

Saving Money with Back to School!

2010-07-09T09:59:00.000-05:00

     It's that time already!   While many of us still have a month or more before our children go back to school it's time to start watching sale ads for some truly money saving discounts!   Here are some upcoming deals:
Staples 7/11-7/17
2 pocket folder with fasteners 1 CENT (with additional $5 purchase) (7/11-7/14 ONLY)
Pencils- 8 pack yellow #2 1 CENT (with additional $5 purchase)(7/11-7/14 ONLY)
Quartet 8 1/2 by 11 dry erase board with marker/eraser $1
(there are other items in the sale ad that you can view here buy I believe they will be on sale cheaper)

     Walmart has started putting their school supplies on sale as well, prices will vary by store. But don't be afraid to look elsewhere! If you have a Meijer near you, last year crayons, glue, markers, pencil boxes, and more were all 10-19 cents a piece! I haven't been able to see if it's started yet, but keep your eye out when you are shopping as the deals are starting!

     With the many discounts available on supplies, Clothes are obviously the largest expense.   The good news is that NOW you can stock up on clothes to finish out the warmer weather as stores are making room for their fall merchandise.   If you have outlet stores nearby this is the perfect time. OshKosh currently has graphic tees buy 1 get 2 free.   Watch Justice for girls for their 40% off sales, and keep an eye on the clearance racks where ever you go.

    Another way to save on clothes is Ebay or craigslist where you can get a good deal, but a new site I have discovered is http://www.thredup.com Clothes are sent in amounts to fill a medium priority mail box.   The items are described thoroughly on the website and users have ratings so you can get feedback on the quality of clothes they send. Unlike Ebay there are no pictures of the item so it adds a little excitement to it. There is a flat fee of $13 per box that you pic that goes to ThredUp to cover shipping and website costs.   There is no cost to list or ship a box! And you can earn free money in your ThredUp account by listing boxes of clothes that the website has a low supply on. Keep an eye on the low supply list it changes often! Please join me on ThredUp and help this new site grow!
   It's also a great time to be watching yard sales for wonderful deals on kids clothing and books to add to your home library as well!
   I will try to keep up with the newest deals as they come out, but being a busy mom it doesn't always happen as fast as I would like so please help other moms by posting your tips and deals below!

Even More Samples and Freebies!

2010-05-16T16:51:00.003-05:00

How about some freebies to start your week?

Click the links for all the details!

Please remember offers are limited, please leave a comment if a deal is expired!

FREE

New** Free Personalized Hardcover photo book from Ritz Camera (just pay $1.99 for shipping or 1 hour pickup) 5/18 only

Click the link above and log in or create a new account

■Right of the orange tab at the top, click on “Free PocketPix Photo Book – Click Here”

■Upload your photos, then create your Free 20-page, 4×4, Black Linen Hardcover Book!

Complimentary Sensory Ritual at Aveda Salons
Complimentary Stimulus Package at Aveda Salons, (free massage, hand treatment, tea, makeup and more!)
KIDS EAT FREE AT QUIZNOS
First Hugs Baby Blanket For Expecting Parents (or to save for baby shower gifts)
Signature Colelction BodyCare from Bath and Body Works
Kotex Sample Pack, 4 to choose from
Playtex Gentle Glide
*hot* Free Compact Florescent LightBulb
Lane Bryant Cacique Panty through 5/19
Nivea Happy Sensations Bodywash Sample
Grandma Bowser's Dog Biscuits (scroll to bottom)
Nikwax Footwear Cleaning Gel

Nature's Bounty Pedometer
EB5 Face Cream Sample
Eucerin Lotion and Playtex Sample
Homemade Simple (P&G) coupon book
Bagel (No Schmear) Every Friday from Einstein Bagels FACEBOOK
Free mini Dessert from Carrabbas FACEBOOK

So Much more to come Freebies and Deals
Watch out, later this week I will show you how to score ubnelievable deals and Freebies from your favorite drugstores! I highly recommend subscribing to this blog or "Like" us on Facebook

Remembering who you are beyond being a mom

2010-05-12T13:59:00.000-05:00

    For the past 8+ years my role has easily been defined for me as, "Mom." That's it there is no identity crisis when you have such a defined label. What does this label mean? It means putting your family first being sure they are provided for, cared for, loved, and raised to do the same for others.
  It has been a role that I have been so blessed to embrace. I am fortunate to be able to be the person that my children run to when they are happy, sad, scared, or unsure.    I have been blessed to have been trusted with their innocence and to mold them into good people. Thats all I ask if nothing else I want them to just be good caring people when they grow up.
   It has also been a role that I have gladly hid behind. There is no need for me to know who I am, to have any other passions, or goals. No need for me to work towards anything but providing the best life for my children that I possibly can.
    Now as my children are getting older and little by little becoming more independent from me, I have to start thinking about who I am and who do I want to be.   That is truly a scary thought.   When you graduate high school, most of us are just expected to go to college, it wasn't so much a choice as it was just following the next logical step.   You think you have your whole life planned out, but rarely does it happen that way.  College is a whole new world suddenly you realize that your goals may not be the best fit for you.    Instead of finishing college I got married became an instant step-mom and dropped out of school to be the primary caregiver to my step-sons.   It was an easy choice for me because boom, I had an identity, no more struggling with wether or not I was studying the right major or what career I wanted, I was a mom simple. Identity crisis solved.
   For the past ten years that has suited me fine, I wouldn't change this past decade for anything. But now as I am returning to work and spending more and more time apart from my children it is becoming necessary to seperate my mom identity from who I really am.    Yes I am the mom who can go on and on for hours about my kids and their newest "accomplishment" or "crisis" (anyone who is friends with me on Facebook is probably groaning in agreement).    Beyond that I have nothing to say. I have returned to school, but truly have no idea of what I want to do with it. I have no idea of where my passions lie. How do you find your calling. How do we become more than just a mom?   I have so many mom friends who are true professionals, living their personal dreams, doing what they love, while still being amazing moms.   I want to do that, I want to have dreams, and goals, and truly find something for myself that I can focus on. But how do you find it?

Surving being the "Mean Mom"

2010-04-27T13:27:00.001-05:00

     My daughter is 8 going on 16.   She is full of rebellion, attitude, crazy emotions, and everything else that makes up a teenager...but she is 8!   I have gotten used to the "I hate you!" that seems to come out of her mouth at least once a week. I know she is upset and venting and she will soon get over it.   But I wasn't prepared for what she said today. "You hate us!" Maybe she realized she wasn't getting the response she wanted before so she thought she would try someting different.   Aftr an insane morning trying to get everyone ready and out the door and running late. I told the children to watch for the bus as I finished writing their school notes. When I noticed they were playing instead of watching, I told them if they miss the bus and I have to take them to school I am not picking them up. As I go to hand them their notes my daughter is playing with her newest art creation, and my son turned around....and there goes the bus who doesn't even stop and give us a chance to make it to the door.
   Typically we are not so bad in the morning, I have the routine down and the kids are outside plenty of time before the bus comes. I told the children to give me their pickup notes, they will be riding the bus home. Then starts the fit throwing and the blame game. The whole way to school they are crying and asking to be pick-ups. That's when she says it, "You hate us!" How heart-breaking is it to hear that your child thinks you hate them? Of course the easy thing to do would be to give in and say I will pick them up from school.   But no they have to learn this lesson.   I told her I do not hate them, they were given the warning to watch for the bus and chose to ignore it so this was the result of their choice.
    This isn't the first time and it won't be the last where I have to be the unpopular one, be the bad guy. In fact when they get home and have to do their homework before playing outside we will have the same argument all over again. I keep saying to myself you will thank me later, though I doubt that will ever happen.

Making Work at Home Work

2010-04-23T10:02:00.001-05:00

     I have worked from home numerous times over the past 9 years as a stay at home mom. But everytime it failed, it is hard to focus with kids screaming, baby crying, or just the constand demand for attention. Thats not counting the laundry and dishes that always seem to be calling my name. I would fall behind in my deadlines, be on a conference call when a kid would wake up from his nap, or just in general feel guilty that I am neglecting my family.

     So I went back to work outside the home, with only one child not in school full-time I thought it was doable. Then kids get sick, activities come up, childcare falls through, and a million things happen and then you look and Summer Vacation is almost here, now what? When childcare is going to be more than you income it doesn't work.

     As much as I wish we could live on a single income, cutting back and saving money can only go so far. Living paycheck to paycheck isn't enough when an emergency comes up. Now I have to look at working from home again. But this time it's different. Here are what I learned I need to do to make it work:

Work as an employee for a Company. There really are legit companies that are hiring work from home employees. Always check a company out with the Better Business Bureau and never pay an upfront fee for "placement services". Some Companies may require and equipment fee or require you to pay for a background check, always check a company out before paying any money. Working as an employee gives you a set schedule you have to commit to follow, it makes it easier to stick to.
Set up an office. No a computer in the bedroom or dining room is not a home office. Your office should be seperate from the main living area or the childrens play area. Background noise must be the same as in a traditional office, road noise, children, and dogs barking are not acceptable when you are on call with a client or customer.
This has to be a family decision, your spouse must be 100% on board with this and be willing to pick up extra duties.
Work opposite schedule of your spouse or hire a baby sitter. Yes hiring a baby sitter does seem to defeat the purpose of working from home. But there must be someone to supervise the kids (and keep them away from your office while working). Hiring a part-time babysitter to watch multiple kids is usually cheaper than paying for daycare and you have the peace of mind knowing you are right there if there is an emergency.
Have set working hours and stick to them! Don't allow yourself an extra hour working when you should be spending time with your family, and don't decide that you would rather go to the park then work in your office. You have to be disciplined and stick to the schedule.
Dress for work, don't enter your office in your pajamas, be dressed to the shoes. Looking professional will help you be professional. It also helps you and our family understand that you are working, just as if you were going ot an office outside the home.
Most of all remember why you are doing it!

If you think that you can follow all of these guidelines then check out some of the work from home companies I recommend below:
http://www.alpineaccess.com/
Home based telephone agents. Requires updated computer, headset, and other client based requests. May requore a fee for background check.

http://www.liveops.com/
Similar to Alpine Access

Yea it's a plug :-)

2010-04-21T12:49:00.001-05:00

Want something to really get your kids interested in Music? A DCI show is thrilling, exciting, and really gives a new dimension to "Marching Bands". Check it out at your local theatre!

Free Photo Book with any purchase from Mixbook

2010-04-18T08:05:00.001-05:00

Create your own Free Photo Book in Minutes!

Perfect for Mothers Day and teacher's gift! Get a free photo book with any purchase (prices start as low as $6.99). Take those precious photos and make them last forever. Just upload your photos and start creating! You can choose from beautiful pre-made templates or personalize your photo book by making your own template

The books are fully customizable. Just upload your photos and start creating! You can choose from beautiful pre-made templates or personalize your photo book by making your own template. Click the linkbelow and put in code BK4Free at checkout!

Recession Family Vacations

2010-04-06T16:29:00.000-05:00

     Like most everyone we are cutting back on everything, eating out, entertainmnet, luxeries and even what we considered necessities.   I feel fortunate and hopeful that things are improving, financially our family actually seems to better than ever before, but that's not saying too much.  We still know not to take anything for granted, we try to put a little in savings whenever we can and pray for nothing devestating to happen to put us back at square one.
    But that doesn't mean we can't splurge a little, the trick is making a little treat go a long way.  Over spring break we are taking a mini vacation. Spending two days in Indianapolis.    Our budget is approximatly $100, including hotel, food, and attractions for family of 5.
   First off let's get the $100 to spend. Cut out the pizza place that we went to once a week and opt for making your own at home savings $20 and add in quality family time. Savings over 5 week is $100.   .
      Next the hotel, my husband travels for work so he racks up reward points, but we have also asked family to let us use their points if we know that won't be using them and I also have used Mystery Shopping with companies (such as http://www.freemangroupsolutions.com/) to get reimbursed Hotel Nights as well. Just carefully read the insturctions to see if you are allowed to bring other people and how many, also note that you should allow up to 8 weeks to be reimbursed.  Because we are using reward points, our hotel this trip is no cost.
      Our next largest expense is typically food. Breakfast is easy, free at the hotel. I have Entertainment book buy one get one free coupons that cut the host in half if we stop within it's area on the way down or back. Right now save 80% on http://www.restaurant.com/ with the code "Chow" (minus quotes). I have purchased $85 worth of Indy restauraunt certificates for $7.20. The total required minimum purchase is $140- $85 in certificates equals $55 for two dinners and 2 lunches. Total cost is $62.20
    Finally attractions, we are going to the Indianapolis Childrens Museum and the Conner Prairie outdoor pioneer village. Each of these have a community outreach program, because the children qualify for Hoosier Healthwise each memeber of the family gets in to each park for $1 a person, total cost for two days of activites.. $10!   When it comes to extra goodies, souviners ect... the kids have had ample time to earn some spending money of their own by doing extra chores around the house.
   So right now our budget is at $72.20, adding the gas will put us right at $100.

Teach your kids to make good choices

2010-04-05T10:45:00.000-05:00

I was recently looking through a blog post entitled, "Should Toys be banned from Happy Meals?" I wonder if the writer of this post is related to the person who tried to sue McDonalds for making them overweight. Seriously? I applaud McDonalds for encouraging children to make good choices by showing more commercials showing milk and apples with their happy meals. I am a busy mom, (show me a mom who is not busy). I fall to the rut of just running through a drive through to pick up lunch or dinner all to often. Okay I admit, I am a horrible cook and we probably eat out more than we eat in. Does that mean that my children are inactive and overweight?
No, I am conscious as to what we get when we eat out. Typically the children get some kinds of kids meal and I give them the option of what they get. We talk about healthy choices constantly. And sometimes the kids choose fruit and milk, sometimes fries and milk,and occasionally fries and a Sprite, and even sometimes a salad with no dressing. They know what the best choice is but they also know that sometimes it's okay to choose something less healthy once in awhile. They do not have to be afraid of calories, or fat, or even have to understand what they are. They are in control of what they eat just by education at home.
At home we try to always have more healthy options available and limited junk food, this way they have more opportunity to eat right but have the option to have a special treat when they feel they need it. I keep the junk food higher up out of their direct eyesight, so if they go digging in the fridge or cupboards just because they are bored and hungry they will see the healthy options first. The junk food is not locked away or really hidden, but just out of sight out of mind. By making the junk food less accessible but not forbidden you are taking away the temptation of them wanting something they are not supposed to have.
What happens if you completely shelter your kids from junk food and treat it like something that is not allowed, when the child gets older and more independent and they discover this world of convienience and sugar and empty calories that was kept from them. Instead by teaching the children it is okay in moderation, they learn to make a responsible choice because they want to not because they were forced to.

Active or Pushy????

2010-03-15T19:36:00.000-05:00

Am I the only parent whose kids refuse to leave the house? Now I am not talking about when they are 40 an still living at home, but at the preschool and early grade school level. They reluctantly leave for school in the morning, dragging their book bags as if I am sending them off to prison on a life sentence. Yes I know that is normal. When my daughter was in first grade I literally had to crawl under her bed and drag her out get her dressed and ready and got her to school a half hour late but I got her there!

What I am talking about is after school. I don't dare suggest going out for dinner or need to do an errand in the evening. They absolutely refuse to leave the house! I get it they have been in school all day and want to come home and just relax. Who of us does not want to just curl up in our comfy clothes and a blanket with a good book...well okay a laptop?

However I want my children to be active. Last year I signed my daughter up for the community swim team. She is a natural born swimmer and loves it. However getting her to go to practice was a battle every single evening. She'd cry and say she hates it and wants to quit, but once I got her there she would be fine, unless the pool was too cold. My younger son tried football this past fall with about the same reaction.

It's not just after school weekend are not much better. I would like my children to be involved in church. We started attending the church where my youngest goes to preschool. The kids seem to have a fun time when they are there but now they fight to not go and many times it's just not worth the battle for me.

I want my children to be active, not over scheduled but active. They don't want to come home and just veg out in front of the TV and video games they play outside with their friends and are always running around the house. But I want them to be involved in something structured, that they will have to work at. Something they can find their talents with. Maybe it is because I did not have the opportunity when I was a young child to do these things. Once I was old enough I was involved in every activity and sport that I could do after school.

I find it hard to find that middle ground to be encouraging but not pushy, to let them have their relaxation time but to not be lazy. I want to get them out and involved in something, but I don't want them to resent it because I made them do it.

How do you encourage your children to be active without being too pushy?

HomeSchooling Is it Right For Your Family?

2009-08-06T09:42:00.000-05:00

Homeschooling is a subject that is filled with myths. When I was in school we felt sorry for kids who were homeschooled, stuck at home all day with no interaction from other kids. What about extra-curricular activities? Who wants to be stuck at home with their parents all day?

But the truth is that homeschooling has really come a long way. There are many organizations that allow homeschool children to gather together, interact, and be social. Community HomeSchool groups often meet weekly or more and might offer specialized classes, such as gym, music, art, or special subjects. Many school systems allow homeschool children to partciapte in extra-curricular actvities.

However homeschooling is serious work, parents need to be well organized, and throughly educated in the type of curriculum that will work best with their child. Curriculum and materials for homeschooling can be very expensive, unlike schools homeschool families are typically not buying hundreds of copies in order to recieve a large discount. However there are ways a homeschool family can save money,

The Homeschool Buyer Co-op is a free homeschooling organization for both new and veteran homeschoolers. Co-op membership is free and confidential, and entitles homeschooling families to discounts from over a hundred educational suppliers. They also sponsor "Group Buys" for curriculum packages that save homerschooling families lots of money. On the site you'll find lots of free information, such as databases of free curriculum, field trips, and educational contests and scholarships. Highly recommended. Click here for more information.

http://www.homeschoolbuyersco-op.org/ offers homeschool families the opportunity to buy special purchases of curriculm, using the power of the internet to connect larger numbers of buyers, individual families can take advantage of group discounts. The website also lists how home school families can qualify for educational discounts and find local fieldtrips.

It is very important to research the pros and cons of homeschooling and to completly research the requirements for home schools in your state.

Homeschooling's
#1 Way to Save

Teaching our Children to Give

2009-07-15T08:09:00.000-05:00

One of the most important things I want my children to know is that no matter how much or how little we have, there is always something we can give or do to help others. We never know what tomorrow may bring so for today we must share what we have, our talents and gifts.

There is always the option of donating money but to me I think a lot more can be done by donating time. I want my children to be hands on in their charity work. But with my children still being young that is often a challenge.

I recently came across Family-to-Family a website that has many ideas for families to help each other. One of my favorite ideas was Birthday Boxes. Birthday Boxes allow a child to have a birthday party that otherwise might not have one. Here are the details from the Family-To-Family website:

To start, decide where you want to send your box (to kids living in one of the needy communities where Family-to-Family sends food, or to kids in a homeless shelter or to kids in a battered women’s shelter), and contact us at Famtofamily@aol.com. We’ll put you in touch with a shelter or F-to-F community and give you the name and address of the person who will hand out the boxes you send.

Pick an age, and choose either boy or girl to send your box to. (For example, you might choose a 9-year-old girl, or a 4-year-old boy.)
Find a large sneaker-sized shoe box in your house, and buy the things needed for a party.

Include:
a box of cake mix
a can of frosting
birthday candles
a wall decoration (like streamers, or a happy birthday banner)
a gently used book from your house that the child you are sending to would probably like
a small $5-$10 dollar gift for that child.
If you like, you can also include a goody bag filled with small surprises.

(http://www.family-to-family.org/birthday_buddies.htm)

This is a simple, inexpensive way for your child to participate by picking out and helping fill the box.

For an even bigger effect make the birthday box a part of your child's birthday party. Have each of the guests bring the items for a box and decorate cards and assemble them as part of the birthday party.

BOOK DRIVE

Another way children can help is to set-up a book drive either in their neighborhood, school, or church. Your child can make up cards asking people to bring a gently used or new children's book and hand them out around the neighborhood or at their activities.

You can contact local organizations to see if any can use some more books or email famtofamily@aol.com and they can give you an address to send books to.

Here are some more volunteer opportunities from Compassionate Kids:

Check with Keep America Beautiful or other local organizations for community clean-up days.
Consider raising vegetables or starting a canned food drive for your local food pantry.
Check with local nursing homes for "toddler days."
Take on home baking projects for fundraising bake sales or meal delivery services.
Ask your local Chamber of Commerce for information about local organizations that may have volunteer opportunities.
Call non-profit organizations you like and ask what you can do. They may have needs/volunteer opportunities that you haven't even thought of.
Check for opportunities listed in national volunteer website databases such as VolunteerMatch.org (has a designation for kid-friendly opportunities) or Idealist.org (has designations for teen opportunities and under-age-12 opportunities).

http://www.compassionatekids.com/volunteering.shtml

Being a StepMom

2009-06-07T15:37:00.000-05:00

I hate being a stepmom, I really do. I love my two stepsons, but I am sick of being the "Stepmom". Who raised the boys until they were old enough to be in school full-time? Their step-mom. Who makes sure they know when their games and practices are no matter whose house the boys are at... Their stepmom. Am I perfect? Far from in, but I do my best for them, and do my best to put their needs first.
We do our best, we pay child support, we buy them clothes for school, and if they seem to need a haircut or new shoes or anything when we have them we usually take care of it, and don't complain. But their mom is remarried and they both work full-time she receives child support from us and from another child's father. She has four kids altogether. We have five and survive on a single income. She is always asking for more money for things that are covered under child support. When she was single and on her own, and we didn't have three other kids of our own to support we did pay half of any expense on top of child support, and give her extra money when she needed it. But now, she really should be able to support them on her own, and our child support should be helping her.
In our state, the custodial parent is to supply clean, clothes in good condition for their stays at our house. We keep a few sets of clothes here for them, so we don't ask for clothes for short weekend stays. However when they come over in 30 degree weather with no coats, jeans with half the legs missing, and their shoes falling apart, that is an issue. We send them home in new jeans, coats, and shoes. The next week they come back in the same condition, wearing the old shoes instead of their new ones, or sometimes no shoes at all. The mom insists that's all she has and she doesn't have the money to buy them new clothes all the time. Okay, what happened to the new stuff we just sent home the weekend before?? Who knows.
Now she does do things for them, she signs them up for a ton of sports that we have to drive hours each way to their games on the weekends, she always has the money for the best looking cleats or some fancy jersey replica. So she looks good, and makes them happy buying them what they want while we supply everything they need.
Case in point today was my oldest stepsons soccer game, they were supposed to come home with us after the game for the week. We have asked numerous times for her to please send some shorts and stuff for the summer, since we have them all summer. We show up to the game, the oldest only has his soccer uniform. The younger has stained clothes and shorts that are so big they go down to his ankles. She sent no clothes for them, and the younger didn't even have shoes. He's 9! I had sent home brand new shoes with him the day before. I was furious, because that meant we would have to go buy new shoes again! The game was an hour away from either of our houses in opposite directions so going to her house to get them was not an option. She also said she was not buying summer clothes for them and had nothing to send to our house. I had already bought several outfits, but I don't think they want to wear the same 3 outfits over and over. I was furious I admit I lost my cool and went off on her.. Here is the argument that transpired:
Me: "That's what child support is for. You are still getting it while we have the boys all summer. You have no idea how hard it is to raise these kids on one income with no outside support."

Her: "Get a Job"

Me: "I would love to but I have your kids, so you can work, so you can go to school, so you can do whatever you want. I raised them for the first 6 years of their lives until they were old enough to be in school."

Her: "I raised my kids." I don't have the money to buy them clothes.

Me: "We give you the money, Child Support!"

I was out of line, yes. But I am sick of my children suffering too. I can't get my child a haircut this week because I have to buy yet another pair of shoes. I buy my kids clothes from Walmart, Goodwill and the Clearance rack and they are happy with that. My step-sons clothes have to be brand name or they won't wear them. I tried buying them some nice shirts, jeans, and shoes from Sears because they have the Kidvantage program, if they wear out we can exchange them no receipt required. My step-sons picked out their clothes and were very happy with them, and were excited to show their mom, their mom said they look dorky and we never saw the clothes again.
I would never want my step-sons to go without, but we are sick of being the money tree, yet when we want the boys for something it's a hassle, we never see their report cards because she always forgets them, luckily now their school has online grades. My husband emailed the teacher about one son's reading grade that was failng, the teacher stated that the son's work was not being checked, and the son was not doing the assigned reading. My husband asked the boys' mom about it who got all defensive and then told the teacher that he was not allowed to talk to us, it all needed to go through her. We never said anything about her to the teacher, and the teacher still keeps us posted and answers any questions we have. He even tells the son when his dad emails him, and it makes the son very happy when he knows we are checking on him.

I am so frustrated I did not mean for this to turn into a basking post. She tries to be a good mom, but to her that means being popular, and making sure she looks good, and the boys can do whatever they want and she will spoil them, but she won't do anything they NEED. Because she knows if she doesn't we will. How can we break this cycle without making the boys suffer. If we had the money I wouldn't care, but it is hard enough without all these extra expenses that we should not be fully expected to pay for.

Summertime!

2009-05-29T22:41:00.000-05:00

Okay not quite, but it was feeling that way.. until yesterday. Of course our first baseball game and it drops from 80 to 50 degrees overnight, not fair! We are only on week 2 of summer vacation and I am running out of inexpensive (aka free) things to keep my children occupied. Once the pool opens up, that will be a huge help. But until then, what do we do???
Went to walmart today, spent $9 on a new Whamo Slip N Slide with an inflatable board to slide on, no more worries of scratched bellies on a missed rock under the slide. Made the kids a deal, we would get it out after lunch if they did not argue with eachother one time until then. Otherwise they would have to wait for their dad to get home. It worked! For the first time in two week sI had two hours of blissful non screaming! The kids had fun slipping and sliding, though they had trouble making it all the way down with the board.
We are excited for the Library summer reading program, that always gets the kids excited for reading. And our library has free movie video game rentals for the times when they can't be outside! yay! During the summer the library is our best friend, though we tend to forget about it during the school year.
We are on the hunt to visit every park that is within an hour drive this summer, the kids love to explore the paths. I love that I am actually getting some exercise
We are also looking for somewhere to go this summer for an extended weekend trip. Something that would be enjoyable for kids ages 3-11 and not be horribly expensive (aka no big amusement parks please) Any ideas?

A day at the beach, sound like fun?

2009-05-20T21:16:00.000-05:00

What was I thinking?!!!! It was a nice 80 degree day and actually felt warm without the wind blowing.. FINALLY!!!! I have been promising the kids a beach day when it was warm, and man did they hold me to it.

We took off after school today, shovels and pails in hand. I reminded them that the lake is not going to be warm enough yet. I reminded my 3, 5, and 7 year old that they could only go wading. Sorry my legs aren't quite ready for the summer, so no way was I getting in too. They go out further then i was comfortable, I tell them they need to come back in, if their shorts are getting wet they are out to far. "But mom those kids are swimming!" Those kids are slightly older with no parents in sight riding their bikes on the road in flipflops and with no shirts. You know what mommy phrase has to follow, "I am not their mom, I am your mom." I try reasoning with the older two they have their little brother who is going to follow him. He's not really swimming yet, so I don't want him further then where I can jump in and grab him if he falls down. It lasts for about 3 minutes, then they are back out there.
"But it's no fun if we can't go swimming!" They were told before we left there would be no swimming, they can walk and get their feet wet in the water but that is it. I was relieved when another family showed up, and the mom was literally repeating everything I had just said. Then at the same time we told our kids that's it they are not listening we are done with the water!

So we go to the playground at the beach, kids climbing up the slides, I call them all over tell them if they do it again we are all leaving., Not five minutes later, one is climbing up the slide. But I'm the one being mean and unfair!

Whatever, I'm the mean mom get used to it.

Bloggers Helping Others

2009-05-20T08:13:00.000-05:00

Isn't it wonderful when big bloggers use their mass connections to do something good for people? Isn't it just as wonderful when small bloggers do the same?

We all have our own circle of connections some may be bigger than others but still we all have people who know people who know people... That is what HelpersMarket is all about. HelpersMarket embraces the power that social networks have and uses it to help people find what they need.

Bloggers can activate their social network to help others and collect a helper's fee to do so.

For example if you activate your social network to help Fred form HelpersMarket sell his house you could recieve $10,000!

http://helpersmarket.com/contest

Time for a Confession...

2009-05-19T21:47:00.000-05:00

I have been mainly a stay at home mom for the past nine years. People may say I knew what I was getting myself into, but honestly I didn't have the slightest clue. When I married my husband, the fact that he had two sons that he adored and was such a good dad to was a major attraction for me. His oldest was adorable and we got along well. Besides they are only here on the weekends. Little did I know that by marrying my husband I became the free babysitter. Over the next few years my school, my dreams of become a band director were put on hold as I tried to the best for these boys, while their mom finished school. At the time it was no big deal, I was already struggling, I will just go back and finish my degree. Ha Ha Ha!

Two years into our marriage, we had a baby girl together. It was the most amazing thing in the world. After being the primary caregiver to my stepsons with no credit, no authority, nothing. I now had my own child, and while I love my stepsons, it just can't compare.
Fast forward seven years and two more kids (and a tubal ligatio)later. I have finally gone back to school... online. It is fine I guess, I need to have a degree so when my youngest starts Kindergarten in two years I can actually get a job. I can forget about my music, I have touched a drumset in 8 years, and my piano skilsl are sorely lacking. So instead I opted for Psychology, to work with troubled youth and social services. I am glad that I have finally returned to school even if it is not the way I had pictured but it's something, it helps me feel like I am doing something.

But to be perfectly honest. I was defintely not cut out to be a housewife. The mom part I can handle most of the time, but the doting housewife is so not my thing. I admit the dishes don't get done until we are out of all the clean ones. Laundry is the same way, and it will sit in baskets, then the baskets get dumped mix with the dirty clothes on the floor and then they all have to be washed again. I have tried the organizing thing. I love to organize, it gives me great joy to sort and stack and find all kinds of creative ways to try to not have to clean as much. However it's the upkeep that fails me. Cooking?!!! Ha! I try I really do, but usually making dinner means planning ahead so there is meat thawed out, and there are some sort of ingredients on hand. Again not my strong suit. I love to try new dishes and experiment, though my family does not appreciate it.

My husband would be an amazing stay at home dad, he is a great cook, he can clean the entire house in an hour and I have no idea how he does it. On the weekends when we clean I will start on one room and he will have the rest of the house done before I finish that one room. If he didn't work so much he would be in charge of it all.

But he does work sometimes two jobs and now he is traveling often gone for a week or more at a time. Leaving me with all of this. I did try to mow the lawn for him last week, ended up putting a two foot hole in the middle of the front yard. I give up.

All in all I have a good life, but then why am I so miserable. All of these years of my life revolving around "Hey Mom," "Mommy can you," and "Mom!" has taken it's toll. I love my children more than anything. But I just need to get out of this house, I peruse the job boards every day looking for the miracle job that will take someone with no real work experience and pay enough to cover childcare for five children through the summer. Now I have worked off and on throughout the years in preschools and daycare, and doing some field marketing jobs. Preschool and childcare do not pay anything, I was looking in the ads and while I made $7.50 an hour as a lead toddler teacher in a very expensive childcare center, Aldi's pays their cashiers $11.30 an hour! How fair is that?!! Well that could be a whole nother blog post for another day. I have had job interviews but in this economy my chances are slim to none,there are plenty of experienced work available and I have no real work history, landing a job that pays more than $10 an hour is more of a dream than reality.

My point is I know I will get persecuted for not being grateful that I get to be a stay at home mom to my children. You just do not realize how isolated you become. I can't even volunteer to help at the school or with the PTA, and I even had to resign as Girl Scout leader because younger siblings are not welcome. I am grateful for my son's preschool who let my 3 year old and I hang out and help as often as we want and i try not to take advantage of it , but it is nice to be around adults too!

I am just not the mom who is comfortable with a babysitter so I can enjoy time to myself, and in the end my kids suffer as much as I do. I admit that I can be a pretty crappy mom when I am stressed and snap at the kids, yelling at them to go clean their rooms or just to leave me alone for a bit. But at the same time, I do try and spend as much time as possible with them, reading stories playing games, and trying to find free fun things to do.

When you dream of being a mom you picture the diapers, and the throw up, and the scraped knees, and you know the work that will be expected of you. What they don't tell you is the level of isoation that is included. I see moms at all these play groups, and moms nights out and such. I did join a play group with my youngest, but then moms' lunch out was always a moderatly expensive restraunt that was way beyond our budget. And even now more and more have returned to work and then they resent you for being a stay at home mom. It's a never ending cycle the working mothers are jealous of the at home moms, the at home moms are envious of the working moms.
That's it, I just needed to rant... Feel free to chastise as you wish.

Should I get my child a cell phone?

2009-05-13T12:15:00.000-05:00

I cannot believe the constant reminders in my child's ELEMENTARY school newsletter for parents to make sure their children are not using their cell phones during school hours. Now I do not consider myself old, but I graduated high school only 10 years ago and very few if any kids had cell phones. Now they are all over the elementary school. I am wondering how many will show up in preschool next year.

Now I seriously don't think that parents are getting their young children cell phones for social reasons. It is a safety line for both the child and parent, being able to talk to them whenever you need to. For the children though getting a cell phone is exciting, a sense of freedom, and it is new toy. It is easy for children to go overboard, going over minutes, testing the limits with texting and this presents and even more dangerous issue, "sexting".

We have all become aware of the dangers to our children online and the need to monitor what they are doing on the computer. But monitoring cell phone texts and pictures sent is a little more challenging.

One cell phone company has taken parents concerns to heart. Kajeet offers no contract phone service that puts parents in control. Check out some of these awesome parental control features:

Time Manage- Block your child from using the phone during school hours, study time, or set a phone curfew! (but you can setup for calls to and from parents can always get through)

Contact Mager- Allow only certain callers and texts to get through, block those you don't want.

WalletManager- You control how much is spent not the phone company. Set up seperate wallets, you can pay for calls to parents and family, your child pays for calls to friends! Teach your child to budget and be responsible with their phone!

My Fave Feature! ONLINE GPS PHONE LOCATER!!!!
Child loses their phone, or your not sure your child is where they say they are, look it up online. You can even setup automatic phone locaters and Kajeet will email you where your child's phone is at, great for afterschool check-ins!

Phones start at $19.99 and check out this special promotion for my Readers right now sign up and activate a phone with a $19.99 plan (remember no contracts!) and get unlimited texting and 150 minutes of talktime! Also get 15% off a phone! BTW, NO Activation fees! To learn more and take advantage of this offer you must use the links provided!

http://www.kajeet.com/wager

Learn to Talk to your 2-6 year old

2009-05-09T08:07:00.000-05:00

Now I am not usually one to promote products in my blog but when I see something that will truly be useful to my readers i want to share it.

After your kids get to about the age of 2, they learn how to talk. Then comes the resistance. They start fighting with you over simple things, and this can be very tough on you. Do your kids completely take over control of your house, leaving you to feel helpless, guilty, and very stressed out? Yeah, we love our kids, but nobody ever said that loving your kids makes parenting easy!

Do you deal with these kinds of problems?

Your child won’t come to the table at dinner time, or screams for dessert without having eaten dinner?
Your little one doesn’t want to take a bath?
Your little toddler won’t stay in bed?
It’s a big ordeal getting your child dressed in the morning?
Your toddler fights with siblings?
Or how about specific situations like this: While driving with your toddler in the car seat, he drops a favorite toy and whines for you to pick it up for him, but you can’t reach it and find this impossible to explain to a 2-year old?

Here is the worst part … If you are stressed because of your kids, then your relationship with your partner is suffering! Until you get control of this, your relationship will be under massive pressure! Money is the number one source of fights in most relationships. Fighting about the kids is a close second!

Here’s the good news … You can learn to use language in a way that you’ve never done before … and you can get your kids to stop fighting and start behaving. This means you can go back to feeling the joy that you deserve as a parent. As you start to notice how much lower your stress level is from being a parent, your relationship will naturally get better.

There is an amazing program available that works wonders. It teaches you how to talk to your toddler and be able to work with them instead of against them. Click Here to learn more about Talking to Toddlers!

Perfect for ages 2-6!

Find the Best Deal for Mother's Day Weekend! Win an Amazon Gift Cert.!!!

2009-05-08T06:53:00.000-05:00

Calling all Bargain Hunter mom's! Find me the top deal for Mother's Day weekend and I will send you a $5 Amazon Gift Certificate! Make Sure you take shipping into consideration! I will be looking at usefulness, total price (with shipping), and amount saved! Don't just look at deal boards because I can do that, I want you to hunt for the diamond in the rough! One person will be chosen today, but I reserve the right to choose more than 1! Here's how to enter!

Follow Me On twitter and Post your comment @JamieWagers with the tag #amazonMom

Also post your Mother's Day freebies here, know a restaurant that let's mom eat free on mother's Day? Post it as a comment here, please include all details such as city, address, and times, with website if available. Thank you!

2009-05-04T08:27:00.000-05:00

http://www.5minutesformom.com/6032/mothers-day-giveaway-2009/
Enter for your Chance to win awesome prizes and while you are there check out the wonderful community at 5minuteforoms.com

Mother's Day is almost here. What are you looking forward to most? This year I do not get to look forward to being pampered and having hubby take charge of the kids since my husband will be working out of town. Instead I am looking at some special activities to do with the kids.

1. Make a book: Reading is a favorite activity in our house so making a book about our family is something the kids will really get into and they can all help. You can buy a book making kit at a store, but why not make the whole thing yourself? Cut out a cereal box to use for a cover. Grab some paper, pictures, crayons, and pencils scissors and glue. All ages can help. For the older kids have them think of a favorite day you spent together as a family, or a favorite activity you all do together. They can write it out, while younger children draw the pictures to go with it or help glue on photos. Mom can also add a favorite thing about each child. Add as many stories as you like. You can take the book to a local office supply store and have it bound for you.

2. Cook together: Make a favorite family dish or teach the children how to make your favorite dessert. For children too young to help, give them a pan with a little bit of cereal in it so they can feel like they are helping. Help older children measure while younger children pour and mix. Make sure everyone has a job when cooking and teach them to clean as they go!

3. Watch a movie together: Everyone cuddle together on the couch for a classic family movie. Even better, move the TV outside and set up blankets in the backyard.

4. Exercise together: Children love to be active and move and moms love to exercise. For toddlers grab a silly song cd and just dance around, not being afraid to be silly. Take a hike through a new park with your older kids or go on a family bike ride.

There are so many fun activities you can do with your kids isn't that what Mother's Day is all about anyways?

Don't forget to enter to win these fabulous prizes!

Kodak Digital Picture Frame
HP Mini 1000

Lets Start Again- Saving Money at the Grocery Store

2009-05-01T10:05:00.001-05:00

As a stay at home mom to five, I know it's not easy to live of a single income. But it is not impossible! I will be continually updating the blog with my tips to save money and make money while being a stay at home parent!

First the Grocery store, besides shopping alone here are five tips you can use to save money.

1. Find out what day the truck comes to your favorite store. If you go late the night before or early the morning of you can get some great deals on manager markdowns. Especially on fresh items. By shopping at my Krogers on Wed Night I get milk for 50 cents a gallon. It only has a few days left, but we go through a gallon a day so I can still stock up on a few! Similar deals can be found on bread and bakery items and meat as well.

2. Make a list and stick to it! You've heard it before but by shopping with a list in a store you know well you can be in and out in no time and not waste money on the impulse items placed around the store. Why do you think Milk is always in the back of the store? An excellent method to beating the store at it's own game is Power Shopping You can visit this site to learn more about power shopping.

3. Check out Angel Food Ministries this is not a charity but program to help cut grocery costs. You can purchase a weeks worth of food for a family of 4 for $30!

4. Don't be afraid of store brands, but don't ignore name brands either! Yes typically store brand items are cheaper, but always remember to check the prices. Often when a name brand is on sale or closeout it is actually cheaper than the store brand. But make sure you check the size as well as the price. The name brand might be a few cents cheaper, but the store brand could be 20% bigger.

5. PLAN PLAN PLAN! Sit down when you get the weekly store ads, plan your menu for the next week based off what is on sale, make your list, gather coupons only for what is on your list. Don't buy something just because you have a coupon. Check out ShortCuts.com where you can have coupons loaded directly to your frequent shopper card. Also check out MyPoints.com coupons, not only can you print out free coupons but you earn points when you use them.

For more tips check out 50 ways to cut your grocery bill with More Than 100 Tips On How To Save Money, By Making, Substituting, Or Growing Everyday, Ordinary Grocery Items. Also Includes Energy Saving Tips, Cleaning Tips And The Hidden Truth Behind Age Old Skin Moisturizers.Click Here to save on your grocery bill!

Surviving Summer Vacation

2008-06-25T08:26:00.000-05:00

I want to see a new Survivor called Survivor "Summer Break". I would love to see all those models, and athletes, and acting wannabes handle three months with five children (plus all the neighbor kids who seem to have moved in). To make it even more of a challenge we have decided to cut back on expenses and have only one vehicle which my husband uses to go to work (no I am not going to wake the natives up at 5am every morning to take him).
We are currently on week 3 I believe, it's getting harder and harder to keep track of the days. I have trained the natives that the television is not a magical device that has to be on 24 hours a day or it will turn them into flying pigs. I have also debunked their belief that video games and computers are a holy grail that must be worshipped at all times. Their diet has also shown some improvement, now consisting of at least on item at each meal that is grown out of the ground and not in some machine.
There have been a lot of customary dialect that I have come to fear, such as, "I'm Bored", "There's Nothing to Do." and "Mom, He (or She)....." I have learned to come back with the equally terrifying replies of "I can find something for you to do", "If you are bored go grab a book", and "If I have to come in there....". Their English is improving so it is beginning to sound like actual words and not just crazed screams. Their vocabulary has had new words added to it such as, "Please, Thank you, Excuse Me, and I'm Sorry."
However there are a few activities I have found useful in trying to relate to these natives. In attempting to get them used to the Outdoors, I have found these colored sticks called chalk. Together we draw pictures of each other on the cement, and experiment with different clothing designs. This is an activity that the natives especially enjoy doing together. Setting up an obstacle course with balls, bikes, ropes, and anything I can locate on their territory allows me to test their physical abilities.
During the three months I spend full time with the natives it is important that I ensure they continue to grow and expand on their education. Trying to get the natives to explore the printed material I have obtained has proven difficult. I have developed some techniques that ensure they will learn and be entertained. During the warmer days I have started a method that allows them to use their natural instincts and their own weapons of water balloons. Each native chooses their own shelter and stands behind it with a bowl of water balloons. I have my own shelter and take turns asking each native a question that falls within their age range and knowledge level. If they get it right they get to throw a water balloon at my shelter, and if they get it wrong I get to throw a balloon at their shelter. This is not a game about winning or losing just about having fun.
The game seems to keep the natives pleased for now, but the next challenge comes from trying to keep their hunger in check.