“Let’s walk in the garden for a while …..”  When the bugs hear me say those words,  a dinner bell starts ringing in the nearest mosquito’s kitchen.  They think of me as a big bug buffet.  Well, I have news for them.  This garden is officially a Nature-Cide zone!   When Nature-Cide offered to send me some products to try, I immediately wanted to know about the potential chemical effects from the formulas.  I was thrilled to find out that, exactly as the name implies, these are natural solutions to common pest problems.

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When my kids were babies we always stocked up on freeze dried fruits to take along in the diaper bag.  Freeze-dried fruit is great for snacking because its easy to store, soft enough for the kids to eat, and a healthy alternative for junk food.  After the kids grew up a little though, they weren’t happy about eating snacks from the “baby” food bag.    We are an on-the-go family so we depend on taking our own snacks along to help us stick to our budget.  Freeze dried fruit can be hard to find and, if you do find it, sometimes it’s very expensive. Taking fresh fruit is a great choice but for storing a snack in the car for emergencies, it’s not always the best choice.  When Funky Monkey sent us some snacks to sample, I was delighted to find the next generation of freeze dried goodness.   [Read more…]

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This week I got an interesting fundraiser request from our local high school band.  They are putting flags in the yard to celebrate participation in the fundraiser.  I think they must have put fliers in everyone’s mailboxes.  The specific student who was requesting the donation was a former student of mine, so I was willing to make a donation.  Here’s the thing, though.  I am lazy.  To participate in the fundraiser,  I had to:

1.  Find the checkbook.  That took several minutes.

2.  Fill out a check.  I messed one up in the process and had to start over. Again, more minutes.  Try to remember to add that to the checkbook ledger.

3.  Find an envelope.  Fill it out said envelope.  Spend several minutes looking for the return address labels that I bought so that I wouldn’t spend several seconds writing out my address.

4.  Find a stamp.  Try to remember how much postage costs now and wonder if my stamps are still valid.

5.  Remember to put the envelope in the mailbox.  Also remember to raise the flag so the mailperson will collect it.

Whew!  I’m tired just thinking about the process here!  [Read more…]

Summer is HERE and to celebrate I’m partnering with the Blogging Mamas Network on their latest Event to help you Keep Cool in the Sun!    The giveaway event takes place from June 11-25.  We’ve come together with a great group of bloggers to give you the chance to win lots of fun prizes that are perfect for beating the summer heat!   Savings in Seconds is Keeping Cool In The Sun with Solartex and we’re thrilled to feature Solartex as our sponsor for this giveaway.  They offer swimwear options for the whole family as well as lots of products for the busy outdoor family.  From sunglasses to swim diapers, this is your place to shop this summer!  They are sending us a rashguard and trunks set for my son to try.  Personally, I love getting the sun protective clothing for my kids to wear in the summer.  We are in the pool several times a day, every day, so we go through a lot of sunscreen.  Sun protective clothing gives my little ones an added layer of protection without slathering more lotions all over them.  And let’s be honest with ourselves, it’s just easier and faster, too! [Read more…]

In Prayer Warrior Mom by Marla Alupoaicei, moms can learn how to devote time to praying for their children.  I received this book to review.   It doesn’t matter if you’re already a praying person or if you’re just learning the ropes.  Alupoaicei gives each reader something to take away from the book.  This would be such a wonderful devotional to use in small groups, a new mom’s Sunday School class, or any setting where a mom needs support and help from other moms.  I plan to give this as a baby shower gift to the new moms who are starting to sprout up in my life.

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My daughter slept in her own bed from the first night she came home.  Now, she’s been in our bed a few times, but usually she sleeps by herself.  Then my son came along.  He is the stealth bomber of sleeping in someone else’s bed.  He’s so good at sneaking in that I don’t usually even know he’s there until I wake up in the morning.  We received this book to review and it’s become a regular in our bedtime story rotation.  Even though it doesn’t stop the kiddos from crawling into our bed, it does help to make the nighttime routine a bit easier.  [Read more…]

My son is four years old and into everything.   He feels the need to spread his artistic ability all over the world.  In fact, we need to paint our whole house because of his skills. Yes, we’ve told him to only color on paper. He nods, smiles, and secretly inventories how much blank wall space is left. So when Wow Wee sent me the ArtSee Studio for iPad my son couldn’t contain his excitement and frankly neither could we!

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I haven’t done a “real” grocery trip in weeks. I don’t have an official stockpile, either. It all kind of happened out of laziness mixed with not wanting to spend money (remember that tight budget we are trying to stick to?) At first, I just didn’t have time to go to the store so I scrounged around to make meals from things that we had in the freezer. When school let out for the summer, I kind of took a break and decided not to leave the house. That meant another few days of pantry raiding. [Read more…]

This post is brought to you by CampusBookRentals.  The opinions shared here are 100% mine.

Back in my college days when students needed to earn some extra cash, it wasn’t uncommon for them to hit the plasma donation center. It required being hooked up to a few IV tubes and sitting for two hours or so. This was before the days of Wi-Fi or even cell phones so most kids took a book to read. I was too chicken to do it myself, but many of my friends were willing to brave the IV for that money.  More than one friend came back with a nasty bruise on  her arm.  The plasma center was in a seedy part of town.  Still, the laundry needed to be done so the college kids did what they had to do.

Thankfully these days college students have a less invasive opportunity to pad the monthly budget. CampusBookRentals.com launched RentBack.com so that college students can benefit from renting their textbooks to fellow students.  Whether you’re still in school or you’re in those haggard months of job-searching after graduation, perk up your eyes and ears.  I’m about to help you make some cash-ola.

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