Peace To All - UPDATE

Today I woke up in a rush to get 2 of my 3 children off to school on time. Once they were dropped off, I breathed a sigh of relief to have a short break from the crying and yelling and whining. However, throughout the morning and early afternoon, my feelings have changed. I want nothing more to go and pick both of them up and hug them tight. What caused this change you may ask? The continued coverage on the news networks on the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT.

I live on the other side of the state where this occurred. I cannot possibly imagine what would possess a person to open fire at an elementary school housing children ages 5-10. My daughter recently started Kindergarten and other than here at home, school is another supposed "safe haven" I thought my child could spend her days. I was nearly brought to tears imagining being called to my daughter's school and having to wait an hour, maybe two to find out if she is OK and to hold her again.

As is being reported, the gunman is the son of one of the teachers at the school and one can only wonder, being that he became a victim himself, what his thought processes were to do this in the environment filled with innocent children. Apparently the motive was targeted toward his parents (the 24-year-old gunman's father was also found dead in his home in Hoboken, NJ). No judgment toward the deceased parents, but one has to wonder what the shooter's background was, his childhood, etc. More importantly, this reminds us as parents to hug our children and tell them we love them every day, to teach them to respect others and to be careful of their surroundings.

(I want to note that you please excuse any scatter-brained thoughts here as I have one ear on the television keeping up with the breaking news of this event).

Some facts that the news has reported so far:
- The gunman was a 24 year old male targeting his mother, who opened fire in the front office and continued on to his mother's classroom at approximately 9:30 this morning. The gunman turned out to be a 20 year old male who did indeed kill his mother though she was not in fact linked to the school in any way. It is still unknown why the shooter went to the school.
- 18 of the 26 victims were in fact children, only 3 made it to the hospital (no word on their conditions at the moment) 2 of the 3 that ended up in the hospital did not make it. They were also young students of Sandy Hook Elementary.
- The gunman's father was also found dead in his Hoboken, NJ home. This statement is untrue. Not sure what the connection between the body found in Hoboken and the Lanza gunman.

My heart and prayers go out to the family and friends of the victims of this tragedy so close to one of the happiest times of the year. I appreciate all of the efforts the teachers made to shield as many of the students as possible. They seemed very well trained in this situation. It could have been a lot worse seeing as one person recalled that the shooter intended to kill all that was present at the school. I pray those children find peace with the loss of their friends and administrators. I pray they are held tight by their parents tonight and every night.

Love and hug your children each and every day. Cherish them always. Listen to all that they have to say, no matter how minute it is to you, as it is not minute to them.

Peace to all.

I believe myself to be sensitive to the mentally disabled, which is what Adam Lanza was said to have suffered from. In elementary school, I spent a lot of time with a mentally disabled peer who often through fits more suitable to children 2-3 or more years younger than we were and was not able to speak. I enjoyed being her "helper." However, I am also naïve to many situations and unfamiliar with the different aspects of, types of mental disorders, etc. I was pretty upset with this whole situation and have been keeping up with the news. I was also very upset with the individual who started this and in some way probably blamed his parents. However, I came across an article that a friend posted on Facebook. And I must say that my eyes have been opened and unfortunately there is not always anything that can be done and no real reason for the actions that these individuals may take. I pray that some day we find a cure or some way to better help these individuals and their families. I do believe that there ought to be strict laws on gun control, but also believe that guns are not the ones that kill people - people do. Nonetheless, full background checks, home searches, etc should be taken as a precaution to putting these types of weapons and others in people hands and homes. I grew up in a home with a gun and my parents did well to keep it hidden. I was not aware of its whereabouts for the most part. I was also educated to stay far, far, far away from it.

Anyway, I just wanted to clarify all of the "facts" that had originally come out and that I have posted. There is still a ton of unknown out there and I hope to learn more in the coming days as the investigation continues if not for my own sanity and education, but to help better prepare my own children for scary, sad, unfortunate situations.

Thanks for lending an ear.

Peace To All

Today I woke up in a rush to get 2 of my 3 children off to school on time. Once they were dropped off, I breathed a sigh of relief to have a short break from the crying and yelling and whining. However, throughout the morning and early afternoon, my feelings have changed. I want nothing more to go and pick both of them up and hug them tight. What caused this change you may ask? The continued coverage on the news networks on the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT.

I live on the other side of the state where this occurred. I cannot possibly imagine what would possess a person to open fire at an elementary school housing children ages 5-10. My daughter recently started Kindergarten and other than here at home, school is another supposed "safe haven" I thought my child could spend her days. I was nearly brought to tears imagining being called to my daughter's school and having to wait an hour, maybe two to find out if she is OK and to hold her again.

As is being reported, the gunman is the son of one of the teachers at the school and one can only wonder, being that he became a victim himself, what his thought processes were to do this in the environment filled with innocent children. Apparently the motive was targeted toward his parents (the 24-year-old gunman's father was also found dead in his home in Hoboken, NJ). No judgment toward the deceased parents, but one has to wonder what the shooter's background was, his childhood, etc. More importantly, this reminds us as parents to hug our children and tell them we love them every day, to teach them to respect others and to be careful of their surroundings.

(I want to note that you please excuse any scatter-brained thoughts here as I have one ear on the television keeping up with the breaking news of this event).

Some facts that the news has reported so far:
- The gunman was a 24 year old male targeting his mother, who opened fire in the front office and continued on to his mother's classroom at approximately 9:30 this morning.
- 18 of the 26 victims were in fact children, only 3 made it to the hospital (no word on their conditions at the moment)
- The gunman's father was also found dead in his Hoboken, NJ home.

My heart and prayers go out to the family and friends of the victims of this tragedy so close to one of the happiest times of the year. I appreciate all of the efforts the teachers made to shield as many of the students as possible. They seemed very well trained in this situation. It could have been a lot worse seeing as one person recalled that the shooter intended to kill all that was present at the school. I pray those children find peace with the loss of their friends and administrators. I pray they are held tight by their parents tonight and every night.

Love and hug your children each and every day. Cherish them always. Listen to all that they have to say, no matter how minute it is to you, as it is not minute to them.

Peace to all.

Save the Knees!!!

Man, I think it's been a while. Well, I'm here now and that's what matters, right? Hope you missed me. Lol. Anyway, tonight I'm posting about another DIY craft I did. My youngest is almost 10 months young and well, he's on the move...and fast. I don't know how this happened. One minute he was idle and cried every time he wanted to move. He didn't like being on his belly for very long...he even refused to roll over from his back onto his belly, but had no problem going the other way around. I know, I know. Every mother says that time flies and kids grow up too fast. But seriously...I don't know how this happened. And as if this wasn't bad enough, he's sprouted 4 teeth. What the what? I am not happy about this. And quite frankly, neither are his knees. They were starting to get red and full of scratches. :( Therefore, all of this recent activity has sparked a craft project!!

Sure, you can purchase knee bads online or what have you...but really, why bother when this stage is only going to last a few mere months? So, I got to thinking and researching online for DIY knee pads. I didn't care for much of what I saw online, so I decided to take a few different ideas and a couple of my own and put together my own little thing. It was rather simple. All it requires is a pair of old tube socks, reusable nursing pads (just in case you find the need to wash them you don't want to use disposable pads), fabric scraps, needle and thread. I kindly asked the hubby for a pair of old socks (he would only give a pair of plain ol' white ones...not the cute stripedy ones) and since I recently finished nursing, I collected a pair of my old reusable boobie pads. And I have some scrap fabric laying around from old projects I did. You can find some at your local fabric store or by about a pound on Etsy for about $5-$10 depending on the quality/brand of the fabric. But you really are only going to use about 2-3"x3" squares. And this is what I did.

The first step was to wrap the fabric over one side of the pads and using a simple hand stitch, secured it to the pad. This is just going to add a little bit of comfort and padding to baby's poor little knees.

Then I cut the tube off the socks and to keep it from fraying, I "hemmed" the side I cut.

The next step was to attach the fabric-covered pad to the sock. Again, all of this sewing really requires the simplest of stitches. Whatever you think works best. I also doubled up on the thread just to increase durability. Ta-Da! You've got knee pads for your little one to move about wherever he wants. If only I could create a DIY invisible baby gate to go around the Christmas tree!!!

Hope you have fun saving your baby's knees!!! Stay warm!

P.S. These photos were taken with my awesomely bad camera phone!!!

Upcycling this Season

Part of our Thanksgiving week traditions are for 1) to have a scrumptious homemade meal of the works - turkey, gravy, stuffing, rice/mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie, etc. etc. etc., 2) Black Friday shopping at midnight and 3) getting our Christmas tree and decorating the house Friday-Sunday. This year we mostly skipped tradition, but for good cause. We ended up hitting the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in NYC (though I still want to go again when the kids are a little bit older and will remember the day and actually get up on the parade route even if that means waiting around for 3+ hours). Then we did indeed go Black Friday shopping, but not at midnight seeing as the drive back home from New York took a lot out of us. But on Saturday morning I gathered the family and dragged them to a Christmas tree farm to pick out our tree and have it freshly cut even if it caused my hubby to miss almost the entire first half of a very important football game he really, really, really wanted to watch!!! Nonetheless, the tree is up and decorated.

We had to trim a few branches from the bottom of the tree in order for it to sit nicely in our stand. And since I like the smell of fresh Christmas tree, I decided to make some cute decorative branches with them. It was a great way to use up the excess and I've listed a few of the extras on Facebook for sale. :) Alright, I guess I have to admit that my husband teases me for being a "hippy" and a tree hugger because I like to recycle and reuse good stuff. Haha. Whatever...let's save the planet one branch at a time. Check them out. They are super easy and cute.



Simply bunch branches together, rubberband them, attach ornaments with wire, twist tie, ribbon, etc. and complete with pretty bow and ribbon to hang.

From a quiet home (successfully got 3 kids in bed), to yours...whatever decibal it may be at. :)

All Aboard!

As you know, I put together a train themed birthday party for my son who just turned 2. He had a great time. It was intimate in our home with few family and friends - we had originally requested the neighborhood community center and were pretty upset to find another party going on there...oh overbooking. Anyway, just about everything I put together was handmade. Take a look at the fun, however please excuse the photos themselves. I was a bit distracted by the party that the pictures are really subpar. I was a bit scatter brained and couldn't figure out the lighting for the life of me!!

I ordered the invitations off of Etsy. I also made all of the snacks that were served including Pizza Bites, Apple Chips, Candied Popcorn, and Chips and Salsa for the adults. The snacks were labeled and served aboard a train constructed by the hubby and I from cardboard boxes and wrapping paper. The drinks consisted of bottled water (labeled Steam Water) and chocolate milk (labeled Fuel) - all labels were made by myself and were super easy...just print out the words in your favorite font, cut them out and glue to layers of scrap paper.

 

The décor was really simple as well. It consisted of balloons and railroad tracks (electrical tape) leading to the front door. A "Happy Birthday" sign that we reuse every celebration and more balloons.

Since my son is only 2 (even if most of his guests were over that age), the activities were pretty limited, but still maintained a decent flow throughout the party. I passed out favors at the beginning of the party including a conductor's hat, a wooden train whistle (both ordered off of Amazon) and Chuggington coloring pages with molded crayons I made. They had a great time snacking and blowing their whistles for the first half hour-ish. Luckily we were at home and had the availability of my kids' toys. They started playing with cars, trains, dinosaurs, books and more right here in the living room where parents could keep an eye on their kids. And all of them got along great! They were playing well together and sharing and talking and laughing. It was amazing. Another simple activity I had lined up was a Silly Photo Booth. You can buy prepackaged props from Wal-Mart - the one that I got was in the party section and included a plastic background and face props (mustaches, hats, lips, glasses, etc.) And before a lull could make its way into the party, I brought out a cardboard box my husband had transformed into a train with windows (luckily we had just received our new couch in this very large box) and the kids colored away on it. :)

 

The reoccurring theme of the party is that it was simple, but fun. Nothing too extravagant and beyond my means...we saved a lot of money by making things ourselves (we probably spent on the lower end of somewhere between $100-200). This was all for 6 children and 10 adults.

For my son's 2 year portraits, check out my photography blog at Happy Child Images. :)

If I don't get a chance to post before Thursday, Happy Turkey Day to you!!!

Fabulosity On A Dime

Hope everyone is having a great morning so far. My littlest lil' man and I are hanging out with one eye on the Today Show as we do every morning. Yesterday, I caught a segment talking about a new trend in shopping for baby clothes...borrowing or renting children's clothes. They estimate that we spend $13,000 a year on kids' supplies and this is one way to save a little bit of that. Our children grow out of their clothes so quickly that it seems we are constantly having to buy them new socks or new jeans or new shoes. Well, as I saw on TV yesterday morning, there are sites online that you can rent children's clothes from.

Borrow Baby Couture offers the opportunity to rent high end brand name clothes like Dior and Versace for children 9 months to 4 years for a small weekly fee. Shop online and the kiddie couture gets sent right to your door. Once returned, the company themselves have each item professionally cleaned so you don't have to worry about small accidents. Most items are special occasion items, but can also be outfitted for slightly less fancy moments. BBC was started by a couple who realized their son would never use the suit they purchased for a wedding a second time and figured there were other parents out there who could benefit from borrowing these one-time-use outfits for a fraction of the retail prices.

The segment also mentioned an online consignment website called Moxiejean.com. Here you can buy and sell gently used clothing for minimal cost. They offer clothes for Preemies up to 8 years old. Click here to get $10 off of $20 and share the site with your friends in order to save even more.

I had heard about consignment before, though I wasn't clear on the details of how it worked until I had my 2nd child 2 years ago and came across a couple of consignment stores in my area. You can find some really cute and unique items at these types of shops, but you can also find your everyday play clothes made by Carter's and other well known child clothing companies. The closest consignment boutique to me doesn't always have the types of clothes that appeal to me so I'm pretty excited to have found an online option as well.

I am not going to sugar coat it. I am a self-proclaimed "Brand Whore," but I am also a "Discount Diva." "Full price" is almost considered a swear word while the word "Sale" is kind of a turn on. Hahaha. I would prefer an item that is brand new that no other person has ever worn, but quite frankly kids are kids. They grow out of their clothes way too fast for me to keep buying brand new...especially now that we have 3 little youngins and I'm looking to close up my Mary Kay business by the end of the year. There is a new invention out there called a washing machine and laundry detergent, so I think I can manage a few not so brand new pieces without having a cow, but I will be picky about the things that I purchase from these types of stores. And besides, you can make a little money back on those clothes your child has outgrown to purchase bigger sizes they will need.

I might also point out that you can do a search on Facebook for sites that recycle children's clothes and toys, etc in your area. I know of several groups I am a member of on FB where I've bought gently used toys and sold gently used clothes to other local moms. It's like an online yard sale.

These are all great ways to save money and help save the planet. Don't forget that you can also donate your items to places like Goodwill and the Red Cross for those who have been affected by natural disasters. Hope you'll think about it. You can still be fabulous. Items may not be brand new but you can make them brand new to you!

Have a great day!

A Deal That's Hard To Resist

Alright...this is kind of too good not to share! For all you new momma's and expecting momma's or ladies who know expecting or new momma's or those who are looking for a gift for new or expecting momma's this is just for you!!! So, my daughter's school sends home the Scholastic Parent & Child magazine regularly and I came across the page that offers great new items for kids. I've seen it in several different issues of P&C as well as Parenting magazine. There is an offer listed for a FREE car seat canopy from carseatcanopy.com with offer code PC11. It is originally $49.95 for free, but you will be charged shipping of $12.90. I think it's still a pretty good deal. Shipping is kind of pricey, but I think of it more like the canopy itself costing $12.90 in the store. They have some great prints and you have to hurry and get yours because many are backordered for a couple weeks to a month. You want to get it before it starts snowing (if you're in an area that snows). It will be great for protecting baby from the rain as well. And once you place the order, check the confirmation page for codes to use for a free nursing cover and baby sling carrier. Get going! Now!! GO!!!

Enjoy!

All I want for Christmas

Gosh, time is just flying by. Here I thought I was ahead of the game with planning my son's birthday party and somehow it is coming up a week from today! I did my best to work make a majority of my decorations, menu, and other plans DIY to save a bit of dough. I will post more on that once the event actually happens. :)

Anyway, the reason I'm here tonight is because, as I said, time is just comin' and goin' without warning. The holidays are on its way and I don't want them to sneak up on me. So, we started doing some Christmas shopping today. However, this is not about the kids. This is about...well, me. There are tons of "What's Hot" toy lists going around, but what about big girl gifts? I'm not into those perfume sets (Calgon take me away?) or fruit cake. In fact, I'm usually pretty happy with something for my kids...but I find myself putting together a little something anyway.

When I'm asked what I want for Christmas every year, I never know what to say. Truly, Christmas time means family time and tradition and thankfulness and love and charity to me. That's my politically correct version of an answer. Haha. But seriously, Christmas is about the kids. And I absolutely love the feeling of picking out a special gift that the recipient truly loves. I put so much into picking the right gift for each person that is special to me. So when I'm put on the spot, I'm never prepared. But I'm only human and there are material objects that exist that my heart desires. Here is the Christmas list I've come up with.

• A food processor These things intrigue me and I would love to try some recipes out...for example some yummy salsa!!! This one is small and reasonably priced for a newbie to the appliance with decent reviews and the best part, it's pink!!! I'll be looking for some great Black Friday deals on this one. :)

• Conair Jumbo Ion Shine Instant Heat Soft Hair Setter I've read some pretty decent reviews on various websites for this basic set for a beginner like me. Who doesn't want Victoria's Secret waves while I'm getting myself ready without standing in front of the mirror for half an hour with a curling iron. But I may need more than one set for the amount of hair I have and I may have to do it at night. I'm really not a morning person :p

• A Nikon 1 J1 Digital Camera I am a new portrait photographer trying to start a business and a self proclaimed Mommarazzi. I have one of those big DSLR cameras that I take everywhere with me! However, I would absolutely love to be able to carry a camera around that takes great quality pictures, but is not so bulky and a huge PITA! I think this one would be a great supplement for every day pictures with my family on outings and at events where the moments are important to me, but they don't have to be professional grade shots. Besides, it just looks sexy!!!

• A piece of plexiglass I would like a nice sized piece of thin plexiglass for taking studio portraits. It just gives pictures a sleek, nice touch. My hubby knows where to find this...Home Depot.
• A massage Being a mom takes a toll on your entire being. The relaxation, the pampering, the quiet time is essential to rejuvenating ones self. You must take care of yourself in order to better take care of others. It's OK to be a little selfish once in a while. So go ahead and enjoy.

Based on this list, it seems as though I'm looking to try new things. I didn't even realize it until I put things down on paper...well a virtual piece of paper I guess. Haha.

I don't expect gifts. I really don't. But if I happen to be on your list this year,  I hope you know I truly appreciate your thinking of me.  I hope, if anything, this list at least helps my husband. :) Though I love it even more when he is creative and puts thought into picking the right gift and surprising me. I love you, honey!

Hope you get all you ask for under your tree this year!

XOXO,

Tricks for Treats

Well, I hope everyone had a happy and safe Halloween. We had a nice time with our three little munchkins despite possible cancellation. Many towns and cities in our state have cancelled or postponed Halloween as a result of Hurricane Sandy, but luckily our particular neighborhood felt very little effects...however, if you drove 20 minutes in either direction, you could come about many downed trees and debris that washed ashore from the high ocean surges and some homes with damage along the shore. We lucked out, thankfully, and Halloween went on. One of my children still hasn't been back to school, but all 3 participated in events at the preschool my son attends. We also went to a trunk-or-treat at the community center and did some door-to-door trick-or-treating nearby. This year, I opted for a few DIY projects instead of spending a butt load of money on costumes and treats. And I was rather pleased with the effort and savings.

Since my son still had school (and I'm still planning on sending treats with my daughter once she goes back to school), I decided to put together little treat bags for the children and their classmates. I bought two of those large tubs of cheese balls.They are light and tasty and it's a little different from your typical candy treats. I already had little clear baggies and made my own labels on Photoshop Elements that I just printed out here at home. The end result was 40 bags of Pumpkin Poop. Total cost just over $10.

Kind of at the last minute, I also decided to search for a costume for the baby. I wasn't sure I wanted to spend too much money on it seeing as he can't even go trick-or-treating or was even really seen by anyone since he slept in his stroller as we walked around, but it is his very first Halloween and I just felt guilty about not doing a little something. I searched online for costumes on sale at the last minute and decided to search for DIY options as well. I came across the cutest thing I had ever seen - a sushi! Luckily I had a white onesie that barely even fits the poor kid anymore and an orange one that definitely doesn't fit him anymore. I found a stencil for a shrimp from Martha Stewart and instead of just doing a 1-dimensional felt shrimp, I sewed together 2 pieces of the template and stuffed it with some pillow fluff I already had making a super cute 3D version from the old orange outfit. My husband also had some black Gorilla Tape lying around so he helped me make a "belt" out of it to act as the nori. I also had some green felt from previous projects that I cut up to look like the green plastic stuff that they use to separate the sushi from the ginger and wasabi in bentos. It didn't cost me anything since I used stuff I already had around the house and this was my end result:

He looks good enough to eat!!! Finally, I came across a purple witch costume on Pinterest and it dawned on me that 1) my daughter looooves the color purple, 2) I had purchased a purple witch's broom on clearance last Halloween and 3) we already had a good amount of the attire that was pictured (black and white striped leggings, a black top, and purple tutu). All we had to buy was a hat and we found a cute purple witch's hat headband and put everything together. We added a second sheer black tutu for a little extra body and she had some purple boots (not quite the same color purple as the rest of her costume, but whatever...she didn't really care). Her costume ended up being about $10 as well. The only store bought costume we actually did buy was for my other son. We went with a monster from Old Navy, which turned out to be fitting since he was introduced to and fell in love with Monsters, Inc. the movie.

So easy and so fun...we had a great time. Just thought I'd share our little tricks for treats. I'm feeling rather Martha Stewart-esque! :) Hope everyone out there in the blog world did and were safe as well!

Happy November!!

Gnawing Away

As I was browsing Pinterest (yet again) I came across a recipe for teething biscuits. I thought, "Really? Hmm..." So I clicked on the link to check it out. Sounded like a great way to use up jarred baby food and rice cereal...since my picky little baby doesn't want either...at 8 months old, he wants the good stuff...the stuff that his brother and sister are eating. So, I thought it was a perfect fit. The very same night, I got in the kitchen and starting mixing up the ingredients. Half an hour later, it was cooling off in time to subdue the little dude once he started fussing later in the night.

The recipe was pinned from here. If you try it, I just want to note that I used apple sauce in place of the oil and sweet potatoes from a baby food jar in place of bananas. The dough is supposed to be uber sticky and hard to roll out...even with a layer of flour. Next time I might try some wax paper, but I think it might even stick to that. :p And once baked, the biscuit itself is supposed to be chewy as it is a teething biscuit. And that way it's a bit harder for a baby to bite off pieces and choke on them. They should be able to take their time with it. My little guy can handle little bits at a time. (Next time I will be making them smaller). And through reading the comments on the recipe post, I noticed that the author had introduced her child to it as early as 6 months.

You'll notice since it is almost Halloween, I decided to shape the biscuits like skull heads. But next time I'll just be making small bars. ;)

Short and Sweet. :)

Christmas Shopping Countdown!!!

Oh my goodness!!!! I am still scurrying around for costumes for the 3 kiddies and the hubby with Halloween a week away. Yet, despite the almost complete focus on my mission, I still notice that there are stinkin' Christmas trees up in the department stores already!!! Don't get me wrong, I'm no grinch!!! I absolutely LOOOOOVE Christmas! But I am so not ready for them this year. I'm usually counting down the weeks and days, but it seems that this year it just kind of snuck up on us. How in the world did that happen? Just in case it has snuck up on you, too, Christmas is exactly 9 WEEKS AWAY!!!!

Even if Christmas is not your thing, are you ready for those insane Black Friday deals?! That's part of the fun for me, going out the day after Thanksgiving to wait in line in the middle of the night for some awesome deal I've been waiting and researching for. But according to the local news, they are saying that Black Friday isn't that big of a deal anymore. Gasp! You can get just as good of deals right NOW!! From the news segment I saw, I've come to understand that certain retailers like Wal-Mart will be price matching even prices you find on the internet instead of just local competitors. So, if you find the exact same item on Amazon.com, show them the price offered online and they will give you the item for that amount. Pretty sweet, huh. But there are some pretty sweet deals to be found on deep discount sites that are becoming a huge trend these days. I'm keeping my eyes peeled for Christmas gifts now. I will list off a few of the ones that I frequent!

- 1saleaday.com - Here you will find electronics and jewelry for super cheap! Every day they have a Flash sale, as well.I have found a couple of items off of here that I've enjoyed. I haven't come across any significant issues with any of the products so far and they sometimes even offer Free Shipping which always works in my favor!!!

- nomorerack.com - This site has seriously grown since the first time I started shopping on it. They used to have such a small list of items and now they offer tons! The products range from electronics, toys, clothes, handbags, shoes, jewelry and so much more. Shipping is only $2 per product and you can receive a $10 credit for every friend you refer that purchases from the site. I have bought several items off of here and have yet to be disappointed. Most items are at least 50% off, but usually a lot more!!!

- zulily.com - This site is great for keeping up with trends for the whole family and innovative home wares that are fun and modern yet practical. The shipping is slightly delayed because they do not order the items from their retailers until they have a buyer count. And some of the items can be a bit pricey, but this is because we are talking boutique quality...not mass produced and generic...and they constantly have new items every day. They also offer a credit for referring friends so please go ahead and click the link and check out what they have to offer. :)

There are also sites out there that offer discounts in other ways! Go to Mrrebates.com for small rebates on purchases made from huge retailers. And go to retailmenot.com for discount codes that you can apply to your online purchases as well. There are so many ways to save online.

However, if these sites are not for you...you're the type that likes to touch and smell and flip an item over and over before purchasing it...there are ways to save in your local mall as well. With your smartphone, download the free "Coupons App," which locates your position by GPS if you allow it to and up will pop coupons for stores and restaurants in your area. You can also plug in your location or search a specific store. This app even allows you to locate the cheapest gas in your area. I always check this app when I'm out!!! You can also sign up for mobile deals from Target. In doing this, they will text you mobile coupons straight to your phone and you can have it scanned at the register. Worth noting: You need to have access to the internet to use the coupons, though.

Now, back to my online browsing. :) Shop your little hearts out in the mall, online or at my Etsy shop.

Have a great night!

Splitting Chores or Heading to Splitzville

Earlier in the week, or maybe it was late last week (who knows these days), there was a lot of attention in the news media surrounding a foreign study that claimed that couples who share chores more equally are more likely to divorce. The conclusion was based on the correlation between couples who share chores and having a more modernized POV on marriage. They claimed that modern couples who no longer deem household chores as women's work don't put as much emphasis on the sanctity of marriage and are more open to the idea of divorce. It is also significant to note that within those couples who share household chores, women are more financially independent as well as they are working outside the home and rely less on their husbands as breadwinners. I can see where they are coming from. There is definitely a link among these ideas.

Now, in my own personal relationship, my husband and I do share the chores. Whether or not they are equally distributed is another argument. :p However, I do rely on my husband to help more with the children and at times to make a meal for the family and even to help pick up around the house. Yes, I do have a modern idea of marriage, but we each have different standards of the way we want things done within the household. And in those situations, we take a more prominent role in fulfilling them. For example, I like a clean house, but with 3 kids I am not going to trail 2 feet behind each one of them picking up every crumb and toy. My husband on the other hand does not understand why he comes home to a house where toys are flown about and crayons on the wall and open containers of food sitting on the counters. So, he is often hollering at them to pick up after themselves or cleaning (also known as tossing) these displaced objects. And I do well to pick out the cutest outfits for the kids and myself and therefore I am in charge of laundry, otherwise we would all have pink tie dyed wardrobes. On the other hand, we typically stick to the general rule of 1 person cooks the meal while the other cleans the kitchen.

Don't get me wrong, the divide between household chores is cause for many arguments in our house. In fact, it's probably the number one fight between my husband and I. Otherwise, we don't have much to argue about. But most of it is still learning to live and accept each other's way of living and adjusting to make it work for everyone. We have been together for a nice chunk of time, but are still in the toddler stages of wedded bliss.

Despite the split in chores and the arguments that arise from it I do not see our relationship heading for Splitzville any time soon. In fact, I think we have a better relationship than many couples we know. That's not to say we are perfect, but we work together raising our family and we work together on our relationship and therefore I believe we will last. And we also have a little bit of those good ol' fashion values that put marriage on a pedestal. Fighting over chores is the least of my worries within my family. The most important factors in our lasting relationship is supporting each other and allowing each other to dream big and having the same goals for our children and being each other's best friend seeing as we are stuck together from here on out.

A correlation in studies does not result in cause and effect. It's called a coincidence.

On another note there are chores I don't mind and chores I despise. Bleh. Here's my list of Not-so-bad to Shoot-me-now.

1. Organizing
2. Washing laundry
3. Folding laundry
4. Cooking
5. Loading the dishwasher
6. Helping the kids with their homework and picking up their toys
7. Cleaning the kitchen
8. Bathing the children
9. Putting away the laundry
10. Putting away the dishes

Upcycle

Pinterest is an awesome bad habit. I haven't gotten too many good recipes off of it recently, but I have definitely been crossing off some of the projects I've been wanting to try in my "DI Why Not" board. The latest being hats made from old sweaters. In my case, I didn't use an old sweater, just one that my hubby got and decided he could do without it. So, I took it from him, made a few snips here and there and wah-la. Two hats for my kids.

It was really simple to do. You can follow the tutorial from the original pin here. Basically you're just going to cut the shape of the hat from both the front and back of the sweater at the very bottom. Then you're going to sew both pieces inside out along the edge that you cut. Turn it right side out. Done! Simple, right?! I should note that the thicker the sweater, the harder it will be to sew...I learned that the hard way, but I got it done and this is what I came up with.

Then, I added a couple of my own embellishments just to make them slightly more appealing and relative to each child.

So easy, right?! Hopefully these will help keep their heads nice and warm during the coming winter months...even though each have a head full of hair that cushions their precious little noggins from any hits. :P

Upcycle. Recycle.