Amazing New Survey Site

I must say, I haven't found one survey site quite like this... until now! Paid Viewpoint is an awesome new survey site I found that absolutely, positively only sends you invitations to surveys that you are already qualified for. Meaning, you receive an email to participate in a survey, you click the link, complete the survey, and you get your money. They have NEVER sent me a survey that I wasn't qualified for and ultimately paid for! This is awesome! I have used them for over a week now, and they are great. They pride themselves in not wasting peoples time by sending them a survey they don't qualify for. You can even earn up to $1.21 just by signing up and filling out your profile to customize the surveys sent your way. I literally earned my first $2.41 in less than 10 minutes from this survey site! I had a feeling this survey site was going to be a good one, so I took a screenshot of my earnings, just minutes after registering with them. Here it is: 

You can cash out once you have $15 in your account. You have to check them out! I normally get between 1-2 surveys a day. Each survey takes about 1-2 minutes to take. Honestly, 1-2 minutes. This is not a get rich quick deal, by any means, but it's an easy way to make a few dollars each month. The surveys are actually fun to. Each question is multiple choice, and all of the questions pertain to you! If you are interested in this great survey site, you can sign up here.

Read more »

Back from the Beach

Gran-Mommy helping Luke walk across the lily pads.

Sorry I haven't been around much lately. We actually just got back from a 10 day vacation in Kure Beach, NC. It was SO relaxing and much needed. My mom and sister live in that area, so it was a lot of fun to see them. Anyway, I didn't have Internet access as anticipated, so that's why I haven't posted in a while. We visited the aquarium, Luke got to ride the carousal for the very first time, we saw the fireworks on the boardwalk, watched Gnomeo & Juliet on the big screen by the lake, and of course we went to the beach! Here are a few pictures of the boys having fun at the playground. I have a bunch of other pictures from the beach and aquarium, but they're still on my camera and I haven't uploaded them yet. So here are the best of the few that I have access to. So, the boys had a great time and Delvin and I are well rested. Thank goodness, since school is right around the corner. But, back to work and back to blogging. I'll be posting much more often in the next few weeks. I've been busy unpacking, cleaning, doing laundry and unwinding since I came home yesterday, so I'll get back to blogging in the next few days. I hope every one's summer is going good and hopefully enjoying the sun!

Jake smiling for a picture while Gran-Mommy swings him.

Read more »

"A Day in the Life" Sign-Ups Still Open

We are still searching for great women all around the world to star in our (coming soon) "A Day in the Life" feature of the week! If you don't know what it is, you can read all about it here. We've gotten a good amount of readers that have already signed up, but we're looking for more.

If you're interested or you know someone that may be, you can email us or send us a message through our Facebook Page.

We can't wait to post our first ever A Day in the Life feature!

Read more »

"A Day in the Life" Sign-Ups

Every woman has a story. We want to hear yours!

We are going to be featuring a new weekly post soon. It’s going to be called A Day in the Life, and it’s going to be featured once a week. We haven’t decided on a day yet. The purpose is for other moms to see what it’s like to live a day in your shoes. Whether you’re a stay at home mom, a teacher, a grandparent, or you don’t even have children yet, we want to hear from you. The idea is for us to feature a new woman each week. We'd like to feature women from all over the world as well. If you’re interested, we’ll give you all of the details from there.

A Day in the Life post will look similar to this:

“A Day in the Life – Life After College

Heather Loth, 23, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida

She landed her first real job at a homeless shelter, as a volunteer coordinator and fund-raising assistant. Her degree is in anthropology, “but if I could have majored in everything, I would have. I wish I could have every job for one day.” Her future is hardly settled…

7:32 am- Alarm clock time. (Real clock time is 7:15 am.) Two text messages. Why do my friends only send me messages when they’re drunk?
          Coordinate movements around tiny bathroom- the kind where the door hits the toilet and you have to move just right to make sure your belly doesn’t get squished between the door and the one shelf that holds all your bathroom things, and inevitably there will be a hair-dryer cord, and you’ll either trip on it or it’ll get stuck in the door. The challenge is to avoid getting frustrated EVERY morning.
          I must say, my roommate and I are quite good at this. Amanda leaves the bathroom upon my arrival at the door. I pee, she gets dressed, I hop in the shower, and she applies makeup. By the time I’m out of the shower, her hair is fixed and I can start on mine. It helps that she has to get to work a half hour earlier than me.

8:02 am- Last minute dance around the house. Cell phone, keys, water bottle, Nutri-Grain bar half in mouth. Say goodbye to my cat, Angie, remind her that she’ll get fed after I get home. I feel guilty because I know I can’t predict when I’ll be home. Today it is hot, so I am worried that I should have turned on the air, but I should have been on the road two minutes ago. She’ll be fine.

8:17 am- Traffic. What is this? I drive out of the city into the suburbs, so in theory I shouldn’t sit in a mess of cars. What kills me is I know that if I would have left literally two minutes earlier, I wouldn’t be stuck in traffic. So now I have to decide if I have time to get a chai. Do I even have $4? No...”

If you’re interested, or you know someone who may be interested, you can either comment here, message us on Facebook, or email us at naturallythriftymoms@gmail.com.

We are very excited about this new Feature of the Week, and hope you are too!

Read more »

Clean House Challenge

I'll admit it, I've never been a great housekeeper. Okay, I've never even been a good housekeeper. I envy my mother-in-law whose house is always spotless. We could show up at her house at 11:00 at night and her house is clean as can be. Luke will drop some crumbs and she'll come running out with a broom and dust pan. She's 71 years old by the way! I even went as far as Googling "how to become an obsessive compulsive cleaner". Can you believe there's no information on that topic on the Internet?!? I thought you could find anything online? Apparently not! I wish I was the kind of person that is bothered by clutter and no organization. Unfortunately, it doesn't affect me, but it does affect those around me. So, I'm going to do something about it!

I always seem to find myself rushing to 'clean' the house right before we're planning to have company over. Every single time I wear myself out and feel like crap the day of the get together. I keep telling myself that I'm going to deep clean and organize the house once and for all, yet it never happens! Well, Luke's 3rd birthday party is in 18 days, and I'm determined to get my house in tip-top shape for the party, and for good!

I used to make excuses like; I work all the time, I have two kids (how can I keep up with them?), I don't have enough space, I'm always so tired, etc. But it just dawned on me that... "Hello, your not the only mom that works, has kids, doesn't have their dream home, or is always tired!" Suck it up and deal with it woman! So, I'm dealing with it.

Luke and Jake's Bedroom

Now, in the last week I've made huge progress for myself.

1) I cleaned Luke and Jake's room the other day which probably hasn't gotten any attention from me since February. I know, that's terrible, but every morning when he leaves for school now, I go in there and straighten up and it's stayed spotless for 5 whole days, which is progress in my opinion.

Still clean...

2) My first day back as a stay at home mom, I washed every dirty dish in my house. Probably even some clean ones that had been sitting out so long, I couldn't remember if they were clean or dirty. Now I do the breakfast and lunch dishes when Luke is napping, and I do the rest of the dishes right before I go to bed. I've kept up with this routine for 13 days now!

3) The first day Luke went to school, I didn't know what to do with myself. Jake immediately fell asleep when we got back from the bus stop, and I was so emotional that day. So, I decided to do laundry. I did at least 6 loads just that day. Every day for the passed 11 days I've done at least one load of laundry (normally 2-3 including diapers and baby clothes), and my laundry room almost has a floor again!

Anyway, I only have 18 more days to get my house in order and I'm challenging anyone out there who needs the motivation to clean their house, to join me. I'll be posting before and after pictures with my progress, tips to get motivated, tips to keep things clean and organized, and tricks to declutter.

I have four rooms in my house and 1.5 bathrooms. Master bedroom, Luke and Jake's bedroom, living room, kitchen, master bathroom, half bath, and laundry room (though it's more like a closet).

And here is my time line:

6/1-6/4:
Kitchen

6/5-6/8: 
Living Room

6/9-6/12: 
Master Bedroom

6/13-6/15: 
Luke and Jake's Bedroom

6/16-6/17:
Bathrooms 

I may jump around a bit if I finish a room before my deadline, but this is my goal. I better go get started.

Read more »

Happy 3rd Birthday Kainan!

This day 3 years ago, Amy gave birth to her first born, Kainan Alexander! Today, they are taking the time to celebrate his birthday with family and friends. I wish we could be there to celebrate with them but since we can't, I wanted to wish Kainan a very happy birthday!

Kainan,

I hope you have an awesome day full of fun and excitement! I hope you get everything you wished for and you have a ton of fun! I wish we could be there to celebrate with you, but since we can't, we'll be thinking about you all day today! Have a blast little man! Or should I say big boy! You've turned into such a wonderful big brother and you deserve today to be spoiled!


X ♥ X ♥,
Meagan, Delvin, Luke, and Jake




We can't wait to see pictures of your awesome day! :-)

Read more »

Just a quick update...

I totally agree with Amy. I've also been horrible with posting in the last week. So, here's what I've been up to...

Last Thursday (May 19th) was my last day working outside of the home. Friday I took the boys to a play at Toby's Dinner Theatre. It was Winnie the Pooh, and they loved it! Monday was Luke's first day of preschool and the first day I officially started working from home. Needless to say, it has been a busy week around here! Luke is loving preschool and I'm finally getting into the groove with working from home again.

As for Amy's ideas... I am all for them!

Meal Plans:
I love the idea! I'm pretty good about this one as it is, but I'd love to inspire some others to start doing this.

Getting in shape:
This is something I've never really had to work at, but I'd love to tighten things up a bit now that I have two little ones. I'm definitely not as toned as I was pre-babies! I was actually just talking to Amy earlier today about how I'd love to start running in the morning. This is a good one!

Make it Monday:
I'm working on a few ideas right now for great DIY projects.

I will definitely be posting sometime tomorrow. I'm thinking of posting some meal planning tips, to inspire some moms out there. It really is much easier to have a plan when it comes to dinner every night, and it's a great time saver!

Read more »

Working from Home

Isn't it every mother's dream to be able to work from home and still be able to spend time with her children? Ahh... That would be the life!

Well, that dream could be a reality. I'm not going to lie. It takes hard work and dedication to find a work at home (WAH) job that works around your families schedule. But, it can be done. Whether your just looking for something to make some extra spending cash, or your looking for a full time 9-5 position, legitimate WAH jobs are out there. I have been working from home off and on for over 3 years. I know a lot of scams and I know a lot of true, genuine jobs. I know where to look, and how to go about the search for the perfect WAH job.

The first place I discovered in my quest for a good, quality WAH job, was the WAH forums. These forums have a multitude of information and great job leads posted every single day. Some of these, you may have to register for, but it is more than worth it!

Forums
WAHM - This is a great forum to connect with other moms that work from home. They post new job leads everyday in the Telecommuting Moms thread. They also have many different folders for independent companies like Avon, Scentsy, Tastefully Simple, etc.
Work Place Like Home - This forum is great to connect with other moms that work for specific companies. They have plenty of folders designated for a wide range of companies that offer work from home.

Trusted Sites
Rat Race Rebellion - Everyday this site posts new job leads. They always do their best to screen the jobs, before they post the job leads. They also have a breakdown on the left hand side of the page to links for different kinds of WAH jobs.
Work Home Career Kit - As of 2011, Tina (the founder of this site) decided to discontinue the up-keep of the site itself. None the less, there are a TON of helpful links to WAH jobs by category still up on her site. You can click on the links at the top of the page to see all of the lists of WAH jobs she has compiled over the years.
Work At Home Mafia - This is a great resource for new job postings and their huge WAH Directory. There is an abundance of information on this site about working from home.


To someone that is interested in learning more about working from home, I would say to browse the forums and work from home websites. See what there is out there. Just take a look, you never know what you'll find. To those that are determined to work from home, it can be done. You need to start somewhere.

Good luck! :-)

Read more »

Summer 2011 Double Dog Dare Challenge

The best part of my day is reading to my boys every night. They both look forward to it every night, and I think it has definitely brought my kids closer to each other. Everyone knows that reading to your children from a young age is a great thing, and definitely helps impact their future. Do you read to your child everyday? I could easily read 5-6 books a day to my boys, since they love story time so much. But, no matter how many books we read during the day, I always read them a bedtime story. I normally let Luke choose the book he wants me to read, and that helps him to feel more engaged in it. If your child is at the age where they are starting to read by themselves, then just sit and listen to the story.

Who doesn't love a good book? No matter what age you are, reading is a great thing. Well, this summer all you have to do is read 10 books to/with your child, and they can receive a free book, courtesy of Borders and Waldenbooks. That's it! As long as your child is 12 years or younger, and they read 10 books between June 1, 2011 and September 5, 2011, they qualify for a free book of their choice.

According to the Double Dog Dare Challenge, all you have to do is print this form, fill out the list of 10 books that your child has read, sign it, and take the entry into a Borders, Borders Express, or Waldenbooks store to select your free book. To find a location near you, you can visit the Borders website.

Now, go enjoy some good books!

Read more »

Kids are expensive - Tips for Saving

Everyone knows that babies and kids are expensive. The statistics telling you how much it costs to raise a baby are shocking, as well as somewhat misleading. You can do a search for how much it costs to raise a baby and the results vary quite a bit. It's important to realize just what these statistics take into consideration and what you can do to save. There are many ways to save money while raising a healthy and happy child.

Cost of living is not always taken into consideration with these studies. If you live in a lower COL area (as I do) it won't cost that much more to buy or rent a larger house. Multiple children also do not need their own rooms either, although it may save you some sanity.

Breastfeeding is one of the biggest ways to save money with a new baby.Breastfeeding is free and it is the healthiest food that your baby can eat. A breast pump and a couple of good nursing bras are very helpful although not absolute necessities. You can buy an inexpensive manual pump for less than the cost of 3 cans of formula. If you can't or choose not to breastfeed, there are programs like WIC for lower income households that will help with formula. Even if you don't qualify for WIC (and their income restrictions are reasonable) you can save money on formula with coupons. Some WIC programs also give away breast pumps, breast pads and other supplies to help with breastfeeding.

Once your baby is old enough to eat regular food, making your own baby food is a money saver. You can even make organic food for cheaper than regular baby food in jars. This is also better for the baby because the food is fresher. You can use a hand blender or food processor which you may already have.

We are obviously all about cloth diapering and with good reason! Environmental and better-for-baby reasons aside, cloth diapering can save a lot of money! Some parents find themselves buying more cloth diapers than necessary because they are cute but it really wouldn't be that hard to cloth diaper from birth to potty training for just a couple hundred dollars! It's always good to remember that cloth diapers have a re-sale value, sometimes they can be sold for nearly as much as you paid! Check out our cloth diapering section for more saving tips.

Buying less for the baby is a great way to save. The baby registries may say that you NEED a swing, jumper, walker, bassinet, bouncer, travel swing, etc. but honestly all that babies needs are love, food, and diapers. That isn't to say that you shouldn't buy any of these things for your baby, because you should, but you don't necessarily need all of it.

When buying baby gear, buying used is another great way to save. For example, I got this swing for $10 and it is in perfect shape. I also got a cute travel system (infant carseat/stroller) for about 1/3 of retail, a bouncer for $20, a bassinet for free, a walker for $3 and a jumperoo for $20. Most of the time you can get baby items in like-new condition because they just aren't used that much. There are so many of these floating around out there that prices (check Craigslist) are really cheap. For certain items (like cribs and carseats) it's important to check recalls and/or make sure they aren't expired.

Baby clothes are expensive and sometimes don't even get worn once! Garage sales and consignment stores can be great places to buy clothes for babies and older kids. Hand-me-downs from friends can be very helpful, and eBay or Craigslist have tons of listings for kids clothes.

Many of these baby-cost calculators also assume that you will be paying for 100% of your child's college expenses. This is way some of the calculators have shockingly high estimates. It's always good to keep in mind that many scholarships are available and easy to get, most families also qualify for some kind of financial aid.

Most restaurants and other family places (like zoos and movie theaters) have special occasions when children can get in for free with a paying adult. Taking advantage of these specials can save quite a bit. Also most amusement parks, zoos and other places offer free admission to children 3 and under.

Raising kids is expensive, but there are definitely ways to save. What is your number one money saving tip for your family?

Read more »

What are your plans for Mother's Day?

As we all know, Mother's Day is right around the corner... this Sunday to be exact! Who are you planning on spending the day with? Your children? Your mom? Both? If I had it my way (which I don't), I would love to spend the day with my children, my mom, and my grandma. That would be a wonderful day for me. Unfortunately, my mom lives states away and I'm not going to see her on Sunday, so I'll spend the day with my two wonderful little boys. Hopefully Daddy has something nice planned to make the day perfect.

So, what are your plans this Mother's Day?

Read more »

Congratulations Amy!

As you probably already know by the title of this post, Amy and Josh welcomed little Mikaela Danae into the world at 8:35 pm this evening. She was 7 lbs 8 oz and 20 inches long. Mikaela is also welcomed into the family by big brother Kainan Alexander!

I just wanted to take this time to congratulate Amy and Josh! Your great parents! You've experienced the joys of having a little boy for the last 3 years, and now you get to experience the best of both worlds. Enjoy the time you spend with your brand new baby girl! We're all proud of you, and wish you nothing but the best! Congratulations Mom and Dad!

Read more »

Just Waiting on a Baby...

For the last 40 weeks, Amy, Josh and big brother-to-be Kainan have been waiting on a little baby girl to join the family. Things have been rough for Amy the last few weeks, and her doctor finally decided to induce her labor. She has a few pressing issues that have ruled it medically necessary at this point, so there is no need to assume Amy or Josh wanted this for their plan of natural labor. Unfortunately, things don't always work out as planned, and they have to do whats best for the mom and baby. So, this morning at 6:00 am, Amy and Josh made their way over to the hospital for her scheduled induction. She was waiting for about 2 hours, until her doctor finally arrived. They have given her medicine to get things moving, and now it is just a waiting game.

For those of you that follow our blog, please keep Amy, the baby, and her family in your thoughts and prayers. I just want to wish her a smooth delivery! And here's to a happy, healthy baby girl in the very near future! Love you girl! :-)

Read more »

Cloth Diapering Lingo

Cloth diapering can get very confusing, especially when your just starting out. There are many different kinds to choose from. The most important thing to remember is; every parent is different, and every child is different. Something that works great for my son, may not work at all for your daughter. Something that I think is a piece of cake to use, maybe too much work for you. Try not to get too overwhelmed by all of the information out there. Just take it one day at a time. For those of you that have heard about different kinds of cloth diapers but aren't sure what is what, here is a simple breakdown.

A stack of flats.

Flats

Flats are your basic one layer diapers. They are normally made out of 100% cotton gauze. They are great in the sense that they dry extremely fast, and fit a large range of sizes. Unfortunately, these diapers are considered old fashioned due to the fact that you have to fold and pin them.

Prefolds

Prefolds are becoming more and more popular these days. They are very similar to flats, but have multiple layers with even more layers in the middle section. Prefolds are sized by infant, newborn, regular, and premium with coordinating numbers (2x6x2, 4x6x4, 4x8x4, etc.). The numbers refer to how many layers are in each section. So, if you have a 2x6x2, it means you have 2 layers on the left side, 6 layers in the middle, and 2 layers on the right side. Prefolds were the most common cloth diaper that was used around the time I was born (1980's), and they are slowly becoming more and more popular again. You can purchase Gerber prefolds at stores like Walmart of Target, but they are nowhere near as absorbent as Chinese or Indian prefolds. People (including me) normally use the Gerber prefolds as burp cloths, since they are inexpensive and more absorbent than real burp cloths.

Prefolds in various sizes.

Prefolds can be folded and pinned or snappied and used underneath a cover, or they can be tri-folded and used inside a cover for heavier wetters (I know Amy uses them this way on Kainan). They come in bleached or unbleached and you can even get them in a more absorbent hemp material. Everyone has their different views on how or when to use prefolds, but the general consensus is that sooner or later they'll come in handy, even if they're just used as burp cloths. ;-)

A Kissaluvs fitted diaper.

Fitteds

Fitteds are a very popular choice in cloth diapering. They have elastic around the legs and back and pretty much look like a disposable diaper. Of course, they come in a variety of colors and prints, so they're much cuter. They often have aplix (Velcro) or snap closers and can be made out of various fabrics. They come in a huge selection of sizes depending on where you purchase them from, and can even be found in a one size diaper. They normally range from sizes Newborn to Large. A lot of WAHM's even make these based on the measurements you give them, so they'll fit your little one perfectly.

Pockets

The majority of pockets are made with a layer of fleece or flannel (inside) sewn onto a layer of fleece or PUL (outside), with an opening in either the front or back to stuff an insert into. You can stuff pockets with prefolds, hemp prefolds, terry cloth, or even old towels. I love my pocket diapers! I know Amy has, and will use a few pockets as well. My favorite brand of pocket diaper is FuzziBunz. These work wonderfully for me and my boys. I've even made quite a few pocket diapers from a pattern I found online that work pretty good as well.

AIO's

Also known as all-in-one's. A lot of people like AIO's because you don't need to use a diaper cover with them. They have the most absorbent part of the diaper and the cover combined into one. Similar to fitteds, most all-in-one diapers have snap closures, but I have seen a few WAHM made AIO's with aplix (Velcro) closure. These are a great choice for parents who are scared to venture into cloth diapering. This is probably the closest thing you will find to a disposable diaper. The down side to AIO's are that they are normally a more bulky diaper, since everything is wrapped into one. They also don't perform as well for heavy wetters. I've also heard a lot of moms complain about the drying time. Since everything is sewn into one, there are many inner layers that take a considerable amount of time to dry. If you dry the majority of your diapers on the line or outside, you probably will want to stay away from AIO's.

Covers

If you are planning on using cloth diapers, 9 times out of 10, you'll need to use a cover. The good thing about diaper covers is that, you don't have to wash them after each use. Unless they get visible poo or pee on them, or they start to smell, you can get through the whole day using only 1 or 2 covers. Now, don't think every cover is created equal, because they just aren't. There are a few different types of covers as well. I can go over them now.

Wrap Style Cover

1) Wrap - These are covers that are either snap or aplix (Velcro) closing. They fasten in the front just like a disposable diaper. This type of cover can be used wither prefolds (pinned or unpinned), fitteds, or pockets.

Side Closing Cover

2) Side Closing - prefolds, fitteds, or pockets.

Pull On Cover

3) Pull On - Pull on style covers are great for toddlers that can't sit still and enjoys helping dress him/her self. These can only be used with pinned prefolds, fitteds, and pockets. Also, if you do by chance get a poo blowout, this will be a big mess trying to take off the pull on cover.

There are a lot of different fabrics that can be used for covers. A few of the most popular fabrics are; PUL, fleece, waterproof nylon, and wool.

Doublers

Doublers are great for adding extra absorbency to a diaper. These are especially great for heavy wetters and they are also a good option for overnight or nap time.

Liners

Liners are pretty similar to inserts in the sense that they can be a various materials; a trifolded prefold, microfiber liner, or even suede cloth or terry cloth. The only difference between inserts and liners is that liners go directly against baby's skin instead of inside a pocket. That is the number one reason why parents choose to use liners. It helps protect baby's skin from irritating fabrics. Also, if your child poos on the liner, and nothing gets on the diaper itself, you can just swap out the liner. Liners also come in disposables. I know Amy tried these at one time and although she did like the ease of disposable liners, she didn't like the whole system. 

I am going to create a post for each different kind of diaper separately, and go into more detail about each one. I will also recommend some of the different ones Amy and I have used. But, for now this should help you understand the different terminology used when referring to cloth diapering.

Read more »

Reusables - Save money while living naturally

I just read this article on the cost of various disposable paper product prices. It isn't really a surprise since the cost of everything (gas, food) is on the rise as well. However it's not that big of a deal to those who primarily have reusable products in their homes. There is a reusable alternative to just about any disposable product out there, even toilet paper! Stay with me though, I don't even go that far. Reusable alternatives only cost a little more initially and will save you hundreds of dollars over time. It's also nice to know that you aren't adding unnecessary waste to landfills. Many reusable alternatives are not only affordable but cute and fun as well. Another bonus in buying reusables is that you are often supporting moms who work from home or other smaller made-in-the-US companies.

Diapers: Babies go through tons of diapers and if you don't like throwing away a bunch of diapers (and your money!) cloth is definitely the answer. See our cloth diapering section for some helpful posts about getting started.

Wipes: Cloth wipes are great and really easy to make. I am not a great seamstress and I made my own very easily. If you aren't the DIY type, many WAHM (work-at-home-moms) make them and they are sold on websites like Amazon. These flannel wipes by Osocozy or these fleece wipes by Thirsties are examples.

Dishes: This is pretty easy, use regular dishes instead of paper/plastic cups/plates. :)

One of Meagan's many
reusable snack bags.

Ziploc bags: Meagan makes reusable snack bags and will be selling them at some point. You can also use plastic containers that can be washed. These are incredibly handy. I don't recommend using plastic with hot foods, but that's another issue entirely.

Dryer sheets: I'm sure I've mentioned dryer balls enough now, so I won't go into further detail. :)

Cleaning products: Swiffer products (and similar brands) are really handy but it seems wasteful to throw away so much extra garbage. I switched to a reusable alternative and they actually work much better, I bought mine on Etsy a couple of years ago but I have bought other things from this WAHM and her products are awesome!

My unpaper towels from Virginia.

Paper towels/napkins: It's very easy to substitute paper towels or napkins with some cheap washcloths or older clothes that you have cut up into rags. If you want a nicer option there are plenty of places where you can buy cloth napkins (what do you think people used before disposables?) You can also make your own with very basic sewing skills, it's not a big deal to make a mistake if you are only using it as a cleaning rag! A friend of mine made some snapping cloth towels (sometimes called unpaper towels) for me and several other WAHMs make them also. If you make the switch and your paper towel holder is looking lonely, get some of these. :) However, it can be helpful to keep a few paper towels handy in case of a grease spill or similar situation.

Toilet Paper: Some families use the option of cloth products instead of toilet paper. This is sometimes called "family cloth." These are essentially cloth wipes, but are used instead of toilet paper and usually kept in a wet bag in the bathroom. I am not to this point yet, but I did want to mention it. If you want to go green but not *that* green, there are eco-friendly TP options out there. I've seen a lot of coupons for eco-friendly TP lately too, so it can be affordable.

Feminine products: It might seem weird at first but cloth feminine products are getting fairly popular, at least among those who use other reusable products. The Silver Liner and GEM Cloth but have excellent products.

If you like the idea of being a little friendlier to the earth but aren't quite sure about reusable products there are a lot of "greener" paper options out there. 7th Generation makes diapers, wipes, tampons & pads, and many other reusables in addition to their cleaning products. I have never had any complaints with anything that I have bought from this company. There are also recycled paper towels (I can't remember the brand) which I have bought at Big Lots really cheap. I am starting to see coupons for eco-friendly products pop up more often, which is great for those of us who want to save money. Reusables don't have to be an all or nothing thing, maybe just try one reusable product that you usually buy in a disposable. You may be surprised that it actually works better!

Read more »

Munchkin Easy Squeezy Spoon Review

We went to Walmart yesterday to finish off the boys' Easter baskets. While we were there, Delvin saw this thing called the Easy Squeezy Spoon in the baby department. At first, I looked at him like he was crazy. This thing looks like a spoon hooked to a big silicone container. How could this possibly make feeding easier? Well, I figured I'd get it and try it out. If I didn't like it, I could always return. After all, Walmart takes back anything! So, I opened it this morning when I was getting ready to feed Jake some pears, and followed the directions to put the baby food inside the silicone piece. It was really strange to get used to, but SO much easier. Especially when I'm feeding Jake in front of Luke. Luke always tries to grab the bowl from me. Every time I squeezed it to make the baby food come down onto the spoon, it made a little noise (like air coming out), and Jake and Luke were both cracking up laughing over the noise. So, every five seconds I would squeeze it, and the boys would start laughing. It was too cute! Anyway, I think this is something I'll definitely keep in the diaper bag. It would be so handy when we're out to eat or at the grandparents house. For some reason, no matter how many baby spoons I "keep" in the diaper bag, I can never find one when I actually need it. So, this will definitely come in handy for situations like that. The only downside that I would foresee with this product is cleaning. If you did use this while out and about and didn't get to rinse/wash it for a few hours, I could see the baby food getting into the grooves and a little difficult to get out. Nothing a good soak in hot water couldn't loosen though.

Overall, I would probably give this product an 8/10. This product would be great for anyone that travels with their baby a lot, or just needs an easier way to feed their little one during the busy days. Great product! Thanks Munchkin!  :-)

**Note: I have not been compensated by Munchkin in any way for the review of this product. This is just my personal experience with this product.**

Read more »

Easter "Eve" at Our House

Luke going through his Easter basket.

We decided to celebrate Easter today since Delvin has to work tomorrow. Luke loved the goodies in his basket. Especially his cookies 'n' cream Easter bunny! :-) We also got him a Magna Doodle. I remember my Magna Doodle from when I was a kid. I loved that thing! Obviously Luke takes after me, because he loves his too! He wants to draw on it, just so he can slide the bar at the bottom to erase it. He's so funny! We also got him a Bernstein Bears book since he loves it when we read together, and he loves that show.

Jake playing with his First Book of ABC's.

It was Jake's very first Easter! He had a ball going through his basket. He loved his first book of ABC's that we got him. He is playing with it in the picture to the left. :-) He also got a new teether since he's been going through so many with his first teeth coming in.

Overall, I'm very happy with how excited my boys were today when they saw their Easter baskets! It was a very nice day with my family! :-)

Read more »

Easter eggs, wool & castor oil

Interesting title, isn't it? I had every intention today of doing a detailed post about the cleaners that I use and recipes to make your own. I think I am going to do that tomorrow. :) I didn't have a particular exciting day but it was fairly busy. Kainan got his Easter basket this morning and we also went on an Easter egg hunt. He really seemed to enjoy it. He is getting old enough to enjoy holidays and it's so much fun. When we got home I saw that my dryer ball supplies had arrived, so I spent a good amount of time working on dryer balls today. I am hoping to finish my first "batch" and get some pictures up soon. I decided to do a giveaway once I have 200 fans on my facebook page so if you are not a fan please "like" this page for a chance to win some free wool dryer balls! On a different note, I also decided to attempt Castor oil for a natural labor induction. I'm very aware that it doesn't always work and can have some nasty side effects, but my OB did say it was okay to try and I happened to have some (for making bath and body products) so I tried it. I was pleasantly surprised that it wasn't as gross to drink as everyone makes it out to be. It's been 5 hours and nothing.. I mean nothing. No baby, no negative "side effects." If I am lucky my next post will be announcing the arrival of this baby, if not, I'll do a nice post about making your own cleaning products. :)

Read more »

Who we are and what this blog is about (by Meagan)

Thanks for the great intro Amy!

She is spot on with our view for this blog. We are just two mamas trying to keep life balanced while raising our "babies". As Amy said, we met almost 4 years ago when we were each expecting our first baby. We immediately made a connection, in the sense that we both try to do the best for our children and the best for our families. Both Amy and I are married to two wonderful men. Like Amy said, we aren't making this blog to sugar coat things and act like we have perfect lives, because honestly... no one does. When Amy and I first met, I was a SAHM and Amy was working outside of the home. Now, three years later Amy is a SAHM and I am a full time working mama. Trying to find the right work-life balance is hard. Both Amy and I know what it's like to be home full time with the kids and keeping up with the house. We also know what it's like to juggle a 40 hour work week, childcare, keeping the house clean, and putting dinner on the table. The one thing that Amy and I have found since being new moms-to-be almost 4 years ago, is that being able to talk to other moms and relate to the same experiences, is priceless.

So, we hope that you enjoy our blog! Our intention is that you learn a few things, maybe pick up a new hobby, get some great advice from other moms like you, and make some new friends.

Read more »

Who we are and what this blog is about (by Amy)

We (Amy & Meagan) are two moms who met while we were pregnant with out first babies, Luke and Kainan. Those "babies" are now almost 3 years old. Meagan now has another 7.5 month old boy (Jake) and I will have a baby girl (Mikaela) very, very soon. We are starting this blog with the intention of sharing some of our "wisdom" about parenting, being thrifty, crafting, trying to live "greener" and just balancing our busy lives. We will have tips, recipes, reviews, and who knows what else. This blog will have something for all moms and we will talk about anything from cloth diapering to couponing to scraping toddler poo off of a race car bed (I actually did this yesterday!) We aren't perfect and we don't pretend to be which is why we think lots of moms can relate to us. We will also do a lot of product reviews on natural/green products and also things made by WAHM's (work at home moms.) We will be opening an Etsy shop or Hyena Cart store in the near future because we both craft things in our spare time. Currently I have a facebook page for my Wool Dryer Balls so check it out!

That's it from me, Meagan should be posting soon about herself and her vision for this blog as well as what else we intend to do. Keep checking back for more!

Read more »