Mom's Tuesday Tips

What are your mommy tips? 

tip: (noun) a useful hint or idea; a basic, practical fact

money saving, time saving, family bonding... whatever you have found to be a blessing as a mom & want to pass along to others. I invite you to share...

Here is my tip for the week.... 

• My evenings have gotten pretty crazy lately now that I'm not getting off of work til 6p. Bed time has been pushed back a little. Olivia's new bed time is 8:30 & Maddy's is 9. There's just no way to get everything done that needs to get done before then. Therefore bath time during the week needs to be a fairly quick process. Bubble baths are lots of fun, but who has time to scrub bubbles out of hair when there are snuggles to be had & books to be read? To make bath time quick, but still fun I use Sesame Street Fizzy Tub Colors. Olivia thinks they are the best thing since sliced bread... seriously. Picking out which color is always such a fun time. The container comes with red, yellow & blue tablets. But colors can be mixed to make new ones... R&Y= Orange, Y&B= Green and B&R= Purple. The combos are a good way to teach her about colors too. I've tried other bath tablets, but these are the most vibrant (you can't tell that in the pic below... I think the flash dulled the color a bit). Wal-mart has them cheaper than Amazon, but they are not available online through Wal-mart. 

I hear there is a fancy little widget called Mr. Linky that makes these blog carnivals a lot easier to share links. Unfortunately, I do not have access to Mr. Linky (yet). SO, if you decide to share a tip please either leave your tip in the comments or if you decide to host a Mom's Tuesday Tips on your blog please leave your post link in the comments so everyone can benefit from your tips as well. Thanks! 

Mom's Tuesday Tips

What are your mommy tips? 

tip: (noun) a useful hint or idea; a basic, practical fact

money saving, time saving, family bonding... whatever you have found to be a blessing as a mom & want to pass along to others. I invite you to share...

Here is my tip for the week.... 

• Have a favorite clothing store? Be sure to sign up for their emails & mailing list! Most stores will keep you updated on sales & send coupons often. Also, if you know which store you are headed to on your next shopping trip be sure to Google search coupons before you head out... chances are you'll find something you could use. One of my favorite stores to get my work clothes at is New York & Company. This weekend I got a $35 dress shirt, two $18 basic 1/4 length sleeve V-necks, & a pair of $17 dressy flip flops for $50 dollars! I knew they were having a President's Day sale on the basic shirts (buy one get one 1/2 off). I Googled coupons before I left & found a "spend $75, get $30 off coupon". I saved $39 dollars. Not too bad! I also received a coupon when I checked out to spend $30 & get $15 off on my next visit. I'll be heading back for accessories soon :) 

I hear there is a fancy little widget called Mr. Linky that makes these blog carnivals a lot easier to share links. Unfortunately, I do not have access to Mr. Linky (yet). SO, if you decide to share a tip please either leave your tip in the comments or if you decide to host a Mom's Tuesday Tips on your blog please leave your post link in the comments so everyone can benefit from your tips as well. Thanks! 

PS- hi ho, hi ho... it's off to work I go :)

Mom's Tuesday Tips

What are your mommy tips? 

tip: (noun) a useful hint or idea; a basic, practical fact

money saving, time saving, family bonding... whatever you have found to be a blessing as a mom & want to pass along to others. I invite you to share...

Here are my tips for the week.... 

• I talked to my Kroger meat man the other day while I was grocery shopping & asked him when they put their meats on sale. I don't know about you but I LOVE seeing that yellow & orange "Manager's Special" sticker! He said they mark their meats down EVERY morning b/c the "Manager Specials" have to be sold that day or tossed. They mark down as early as possible so they have all day to sell. So for the best meat prices & selection @ Kroger go early. That's for Kroger... I'm sure whatever store you shop at has some sort of system in place... becoming familiar with it may save you $$. 
• Indoor fun for the kiddos... Mckmama posted a great blog about indoor fun. Check it out here. In addition to what she posted some of the other good suggestions in the comments I read were fort making, play-dough, color pictures to send to grandma, baking, read books, puzzles, body tracing on large sheets of butcher paper & then decorating, indoor skating on paper plates, put on skits, make roads out of masking tape all over the house & play w/ hot-wheels, make collages out of magazine pictures & playing games together on the computer. My ideas were: watching movies together, boards games, Hide & Seek and blasting the music while dancing around the house together. 
• Valentines Day is Saturday. I love Valentines Day... especially helping the kids make their valentines for their classmates (this weeks indoor fun :)...) I will also make it a point to remind the kids what love really is. That is my final tip for you this week. Share with your kids what real love is... 

Love endures long and is patient and kind; love never is envious nor boils over with jealousy, is not boastful or vainglorious, does not display itself haughtily. 

It is not conceited (arrogant and inflated w/ pride); it is not rude (unmannerly) and does not act unbecomingly. Love (God's love in us) does not insist on its on rights or its own way, for it is not self-seeking; it is not touchy or fretful or resentful; it takes no account of the evil done to it (it pays no attention to suffered wrong). 

It does not rejoice at injustice and unrighteousness, but rejoices when right and truth prevail. 

Love bears up under anything and everything that comes, is ever ready to believe the best of every person, its hopes are fadeless under all circumstances, and it endures everything (without weakening). 

Love never fails! (never fades out or becomes obsolete or comes to an end) 

(1 Corinthians 13:4-8 Amplified Version ) 

We can teach our kids to walk in love, reminding them that we all make mistakes... but helping them realize that the world would be such a better place if we all strived for this love walk? We can only do our part... our love walk is important, but the awesome thing for our kids to realize is that God is Love (1 John 4:8) I'm going to make sure my kids are reminded this Valentines Day that as much as I love them there is a Daddy in Heaven who absolutely adores them & loves them like no one else ever could!

PS- I've had a few dad's visit my blog lately. I hope you can forgive me for not including you in the title of this blog carnival. I must admit "Mom & Dad's Tuesday Tips" just doesn't sound as catchy :) However, I welcome you to join in if you'd wish! 

Mom's Tuesday Tips

This is my 50th blog... can somebody say YAY! My original intent was to have a nice place to come & keep track of memories for the kids as well as keep the grandparents & long distance family & friends in the loop. That is still the goal. However, in the process I have learned that this blogging thing is like therapy for me. It's my new hobby :) OK, maybe more that a mere hobby. Stephen's new nickname for me is "blogaholic". Sure the kids will have a place to come when they get older & reminisce (I seriously need to figure out how to back this thing up on my hard-drive) BUT I've also traveled through blog world & realized that there are so many other opportunities that come along with this blogging thing. So w/o further ado...

In honor of my decision to go back to work full time AND go back to school I introduce...

I need your help people. Seriously! My life is about to get pretty darn CrAzY. I know I have family & friends that read this & I have my faithful followers (all 6 of you ;)...) in blog world. But this non-domesticated "but trying really hard to become domesticated" mom needs your help. 

ANY mom , whether she is a working mom or a stay at home mom (which by the way, as far as I'm concerned is still considered a "working" mom), has her hands full & can use as much help as she can get. I know this blog carnival won't be as flashy & fun as most... I just hope that it will not only be helpful to me, but to you as well.

So what are your mommy tips? 

tip: (noun) a useful hint or idea; a basic, practical fact

money saving, time saving, family bonding... whatever you have found to be a blessing as a mom & want to pass along to others. I invite you to share...

Here goes... my 1st 

• We have instituted family date night. On Friday night SOMEONE goes out on a date. We take turns taking the older girls out (me & Maddy/ Stephen & Liv  & visa versa) It's nice to spend individual time with the girls... BUT we will also have mommy/daddy date nights so the girls can see that we love to spend time together as a couple as well. When you have a busy house full it can be easy not give as much individual time as you want... so having the schedule guarantees it. Its also a nice way to celebrate our family. The dates don't have to be expensive either. Here are some free date night ideas: Mickey Ds playland, reading books at Barnes & Noble, game night, take a walk & talk, bike riding, go to the mall & window shop,  crafts... what I've found is that it really doesn't matter what we do they just LOVE the alone time w/ us! 

• To save $ I make a WEEKLY menu before I go grocery shopping. The weekly menu helps b/c I can check the grocery sales & make my menu around the sales. I can also look at the weeks activities & plan around them.

• Here's a good "2 day dinner" idea:

Roast (a 3 pound roast works for us) 

Day 1: Roast w/ carrots & potatoes (slower cooker.. LOVE it!) 

Day 2: Roast tacos (shred the left over roast & mix w/ a little taco seasoning. Heat CORN tortilla in a little olive oil on the stovetop, eat the roast on the warm tortillas w/ fresh chopped cilantro, lime juice (roll the lime on the counter hard w/ your hand before you slice- somehow makes it juicier), salsa, shredded cheese & sour cream... YUMMY- This is a Linda specialty) 

• Subscribe to a fun online magazine... Oh, I know just the one, My friend Carmen just so happens to have one (how convenient) .... Check out Fresh Wind Here

• When things seem to get really hectic in the house & you really need a break just pull out the duct tape, tape the kids up & lock them in the closet. It works every time!... Um, OK, unfortunately that is considered child abuse... never-mind, scratch that last one 

OK, your turn! Watcha got? 

PS- despite all this blogging, Mom's Tuesday Tips logo making, lebanese food eating, clean sweep video editing & sock folding I've been doing lately ... I seriously am still looking for a job! Please say a little prayer... I know the right one is out there for me, daggonit!