It’s easy to forget what a beautiful city we live in and the history around us. This spring break, while trying to find something interesting and a little educational to do with the kids, Stone Mountain Park has lots to offer to make your day.
If you’re lucky enough to live near an Aldi grocery store, I highly recommend you take advantage of this great, simple grocery store! Here are a few simple tips to get you started so you can make the most while shopping at Aldi: [Read more…]
I created this post over a year and a half ago, when my son was turning two. Little did I know his love of all things Thomas would only grow!
Check out some of our favorite Thomas accessories, and make sure to sign up for the Thomas & Friends Wooden Railway email updates, to be among the first to know about special promotions, events, premium content, and exclusive new products.
My son will be two next month, and is quite the Thomas & Friends fan. He -um- even introduces himself as Thomas. (Nope, that’s not even close to his name!) And he loves singing the Thomas song (“They’re two, they’re four, they’re six, they’re eight….”) With a birthday three days before Christmas, I struggle to give his birthday the focus he deserves, while not detracting from either his day or the beauty of Christmas. (And did I mention, he now has a cousin whose birthday is five days before his??) Since my home has more toys than Toys R Us, we have the added challenge of not gifting too many toys this year, so we are really trying to think outside the (toy) box.
I digress.
If you have a Thomas fan in your life, here are a few gift ideas for the Thomas fan who has everything:
* Thomas the Tank Engine 5-pc dinner ware set
* Thomas Pillow Pet
* Percy Pillow Pet (slightly cheaper?)
* Thomas Underwear
* Thomas “Track Star” Fleece Throw
* Thomas Footed 1-piece PJs
* Thomas the Train: Bath Buddies Fun Pack — We have these, and my son LOVES them. So does my four-year-old daughter, truth be told. 😉
And for a good giggle, check out the price range for these Thomas-themed pillow pets. Careful which department you order yours from! 😉
Bacon…
Because I know y’all are crazy about bacon, I’ve found some deliciously hilarious bacon-based/scented/flavored products you just might enjoy! Oh, and best of all, they’re all under ten bucks – so you can get your crispety on without breaking the -ahem!- piggy bank! Which bacon-inspired products would YOU enjoy most? 🙂
– So you shower with this, and your dog will love you even more after you shower with this meaty liquid soap.
– For the bacon offiaciando who has everything. Except a bacon bowl.
– Keep your lips soft and smooth, and smelling like bacon all day long!
– We all know duck tape can fix everything; but now it can fix everything AND look tasty.
– Well, what else would you gift all these amazing items in?!?
– ….for when you feel like wrapping…
Or, if you’d prefer to just bundle it all together:
It’s summer time. We all want to be outdoors, enjoying our great outdoor toys, but -let’s face it- we don’t wish to be attacked by various bugs while we’re out there, especially mosquitoes! So take cover with these great backyard bug repellents.
To enjoy your backyard this summer, create a bite-free zone with Cutter brand Bug Control Spray. Kills mosquitoes and many other annoying insects and controls for up to 8 weeks.The 32 fl. oz concentrate treats up to 5,000 square feet. Easy to use, just connect to your hose and spray.
Off! Clip-On Starter repellent provides personal protection from mosquitoes. If you move, allow a few minutes for the unit to rebuild its protection. Protects against mosquitoes that may carry West Nile Virus. Unlike ordinary personal repellents, OFF! Clip-On repellent provides mosquito protection without putting anything on your skin.
If you’ve been dragging your heels on trying money-making smartphone apps while shopping, now is the time to give it Ibotta a whirl. Remember, it is absolutely FREE to join Ibotta, and you are not obligated to offer ANY private information in order to start earning! [Read more…]
You may be familiar already with all the super-awesomeness that is Amazon, but with the holiday rush *just* around the corner, now is a great time to get a head start on all you holiday shopping, AND take advantage of a FREE 30-day trial of Amazon Prime.
Why join? The “official” benefits:
Try Amazon Prime for free for 30 days. Cancel at any time, or sign up for just $79/year if you decide to keep your membership. Seriously, you can’t lose with this great FREE trial!
membership with either your Amazon Mom
or Amazon Student membership, and reap even more benefits!
I recently hinted on Facebook that I participated in a Locks of Love haircut. Hair donation is an easy way to give back big time. Your hair can go to someone in much greater need, while also “lifting” you of the extra weight — figuratively and literally.
For the last two or three years, I’ve really slacked on getting my hair cut. So I decided to just grow it out long enough to donate when I *do* get it cut. I did so last year (on Super Bowl Sunday 2012), about six weeks after my son was born, so I had a rich, long head of hair to donate. This year -after growing it out for 14 months- it wasn’t as long (or lush), but it was a good 10 inches that I don’t miss, but will make a world of difference for someone else.
There are other organizations that accept hair donations, including Pantene Beautiful Lengths and Wigs for Kids.
If you’re looking to donate and live in the Atlanta area, I suggest waiting for May 20, when there will be a hair donation event in Alpharetta. You can learn more here. Thanks, Alpharetta Macaroni Kid for letting me know about this one!
With the skyrocketing cost of child care, school safety concerns and mommy guilt there are an array of reasons why moms are exploring working from home.
Maybe it’s one of your New Years Resolutions to leave your full-time job. Maybe you’re home on maternity leave and dread the idea of putting your child in daycare. Maybe you’re like me with no family close by to help care for your kids.
I hope you find this list helpful to jump start your work at home mom business in the New Year. The list includes a number of things I failed at in my first year as a business mom and I wish I could have done differently. Share it with your friends, family or your mommy group if you find it helpful.
1. Do research on your ideal client. Find out how much they’d like to spend on your product or service. Host a focus group or survey your friends.
2. Get help with child care so you can focus on your business. This could be as simple as asking your husband or partner to wake up earlier to help with the kids, hiring a part-time babysitter or a mother’s helper.
3. Start small. Instead of going after everyone, find one to three clients or customer and do your best work. This will keep you from getting overwhelmed.
4. Find a support network of work at home moms or start your own. I’m a member of a few networking groups including Ladies Who Launch in Atlanta. I’ve found a few mommy groups on Meetup that have also been ways to meet clients and customers.Online forums are another great source.
5. Keep start up costs low. Don’t go out and invest in new equipment or technology. Resist the urge to get a business loan. Use your home computer and office supplies until you generate enough revenue to justify the expense.
Author: Joyce Brewer is the creator/host of MommyTalkShow.com, an online parenting talk show. Joyce became a work at home mom after she got engaged, married, moved to Atlanta and had a baby in one year’s time. The former TV news anchor creates videos reviews of products/services moms will love to TALK about. She also interviewed successful Atlanta mompreneurs for her e-book, Use What You Know: A Business Idea Guide for Moms. It features more than 40 business ideas moms can start using their skills and expertise.
Keep on saving! :o)
My daughter is fond of waving her finger like a magic wand, and exclaiming “bippity-boppity-boo” to make the bad guys go away, to heal a hurt, to rid her room of monsters, or, essentially, to right any wrongs she perceives in her life.
I wish today I had a magic wand to wave over the nation.
To erase the senseless tragedy that took away so many innocent loved ones, that took away the everyday moments in these families’ lives, that took away the fleeting sense of security we collectively felt in dropping our kids off at school. Alas, that is mere fantasy. What happened today was very real. All too real for parents around the nation, as we are lucky enough to administer extra doses of hugs and kisses to our precious children, while dozens of parents tonight simply grieve.
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| This image is circulating on Facebook. I don’t know who to credit, as I don’t know where/from whom they originated. |
I wish I could wave a magic wand and make a clear, simple solution appear, to prevent this from ever happening again.
However, the solution(s) involved are much more complex, and none of them perfect, nor without sacrifice. Do we spend billions of dollars to retrofit our schools to take much more drastic security measures? Do we delve further in to the debate of gun control, in the slim hopes that these deadly devices won’t find their way in to the wrong hands again? Do we invest serious thought, money, resources, and exploration in to providing better mental health services to all in need?
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This image is circulating on Facebook. I don’t know who to credit, as I don’t know where/from whom they originated. |
I don’t have the answers. Lord, I wish I did, and I wish they could be as simple as “bippity-boppity-boo”, but the sad reality is, there are no real answers here. Not now at least. Perhaps tomorrow, or a week, or even a month from now, when time slowly starts to heal and the grief is just a wee bit less, we can begin to explore the answers, the solutions.
For now, for tonight, I continue to lift up in prayer the victims in Connecticut, the friends and family, the community, the nation as we continue to watch this mess unfold.
Go hug your kids a few more times today. And, as I learned very early on, always say “I love you” to your loved ones. You never know when it may be the last time.
Good night, and God bless.
Keep on saving! :o)
