Parenting Children

Money can be tight when you have kids especially when you go from a two income household to one income, like my family. Things that are not necessary are cut out of the budget and every penny counts.
That is why when I saw this deal at Bankaholic.com, I knew I had to pass it on.
Going on right now is a great offer from American Express Business Gold Rewards card.

Apply for this American Express credit card, make a purchase, and they will credit your account with 25,000 points! You can redeem that for a round trip plane ticket anywhere in the United States. If you don’t have time to fly (C’mon, who can’t use a vacation?) you could also cash in the 25,000 points for a cool $250 rewards gift certificate. Free money!
Of course having an American Express card requires you to pay a fee, but with this offer, the $125 annual fee is waived. You can get the card, make a purchase, get your reward points and cancel the card before your year is up, so you will never have to pay the fee.

Of course this is a business card, but you can still get this offer even if you do not have a business, just put your name as the business name and leave the “Federal Tax ID�? form blank, and they’ll assume that you are a sole proprietorship.

This offer is for U.S. citizens only. I am not sure when this offer will expire, so don’t delay!

American Express, moms, parents, cool deals, deals, saving money, SAHM

Is it September yet? I know my children are only four but I understand this phrase more then ever now. Especially on days like today where it is going to be 99 degrees with heavy humidity. Yippee!

I am always looking for something cool to do in the air conditioning and I don’t like spending $100 a week for entertaining my children. So I come up with new things to do inside.
Here are some ideas:

1) Shells. Do you have some shells from the beach you don’t know what to do with? Drill a small hole in the top of each and let your child pick out a ribbon and make the shell into a necklace. Or buy an inexpensive shadow box and have your child place shells, starfish and sand in it. Hang it in their bedrooms. Need some shells? Try www.seashellcity.com they have shells from $.30!

2) Money. teach your children he value of money. Let them help you sort and count coins as you place them in coin holders. Let them wash coins with a small bucket of soap and water and an old toothbrush.

3) Shirts. Buy some plain white shirts (even a pack of men’s undershirts) and let your children put their hand prints and/or footprints on them, then print the date on the backs. Keep the shirt as a smock when they paint. Or keep the shirt as a keepsake.

4) Dough. Make playdough. Or bake with your kids.

5) Cut. My kids love to pretend they are cutting our coupons in the paper. I let them do this outside because there is a mess involved. Let them make a collage from old papers or magazines. All you need is construction paper, glue and crayons or markers.

6) Read. Go to the library. Ours has story times for children of all ages, crafts and visitors to talk about safety, strangers etc. They also have cool computer games that we do not have at home.

7) Movies. If you don’t have the free movies in your area, let your kids watch their home movies one day. Make some popcorn and close the shades, kids love watching themselves!

summer fun, kids, children, moms, SAHM, parenting, bored kids, fun at home, craft ideas, mom tips

Being pregnant with twins I have had my share of stupid questions asked of me. I have even written about it before.
Are they natural, do twins run in your family, is it hard, and my absolute favorite, are they identical?
Some of you may be new readers so I will tell you, I have boy/girl twins.
They cannot be identical.

This is not so obvious to many people out there because I have been asked that question no less then 100 times. Is everyone flunking biology in high school or have they just forgotten anything they once knew about the human anatomy?
I would love to point this out to said stupid person but instead I just say “no”. I wish I could be more snarky.

Everyone gets asked stupid or rude questions when they were pregnant, what are your favorites? Don’t you wish you could have just handed them this?
Even if it was just to beat people who asked dumb questions about the head with it!

pregnancy, pregnant, stupid pregnant questions, twins, kids, parenting, parents, moms

If you have any parenting, wife, mom, or children questions send them to me for our feature “Ask a Mom”.
Also if you have a subject you would like to hear my opinion on, or would like to have your product featured on this site use the contact me link on the right side of this page.

Looking for something to put all of those markers or crayons in? Sometimes those cardboard boxes they come in just do not cut it. We take our old wipes container (we still keep them in the house for quick clean up of the hands and dirty feet) and put them in there! We even rip out the plastic tear through for the wipes and the hole is perfect size for little hands to reach in, but opening the top works well too.
I also have used the plastic take out containers from Chinese food for markers or crayons! You can even write on the outside what it contains for easy access when put away.

I bought plastic containers with colored lids on sale at Pottery Barn Kids last year. The lids match the color of my kids rooms and they are perfect for barrettes and pony tail holders. I can see what is inside of the container without opening it and fishing through.
You can also hang a ribbon however fancy or not, on the inside of your daughter’s closet, then clip barrettes there. Easy access and you can see what matches with what in her closet!

girls, boys, mom tips, mom ideas, crayons, craft items, parenting, organizing kid’s rooms

I am not a camper. I have never been, nor do I have a desire to go camping. My kids on the other hand, take after their father and cannot wait to go.
We compromise and we go hiking a lot. The kids love to learn about the mountains, animals and trees and we love to teach them. It is a fun family activity that everyone enjoys.
To make it more fun and educational we added some things to the mix.
For Easter the kids got some outdoor toys that they love and are perfect for catching lightening bugs under the stars or hiking through the woods.

Here is a adorable kid size camping chair that comes in 4 different animals including a cat and a panda.
For the bug lovers, here is a bug house for all the creatures you find for observation. This bug vacuum is a huge hit in my house where my son is interested in bugs, but has no desire to touch one, yuk!

How about this animal scat guide for camping or hiking? Cute and small enough for little hands. They also have animal track, insects and fish guides.

Make sure your little one has a cute backpack for the guides, insect paraphernalia and maybe even a water and snack. Finally even I would camp ( in my backyard) in this cute tent. Surely it would scare all the bears away!

camping, hiking, kids, children, camping with kids, hiking with kids, kid’s camping gear, camping gear for kids, tents

Pottery Barn is recalling 31,000 Matelassé crib bumpers because thedecorative edge can come loose and pose a choking hazard.
The bumber was sold online and at Pottery Barn Kids stores nationwide from February 2003 through June 2007 for about $90.

If you think you have this bumper discontinue use and call Pottery Barn at 877-800-9720.

recalls, crib bedding, baby bumpers, Pottery Barn Kids bedding, cribs, babies, infants, toddlers, parenting