Friday, May 29, 2009

Love the WAHMie sites

I have been a little distracted from blogging by the Great Cloth Diaper Hunt. I love a good scavenger hunt, and this one has been quite the challenge! One of my favorite things about it (aside from the thrill of the hunt and the chance to win a prize) is the opportunity to discover new websites and online stores from other moms. I love the unique offerings, handmade items, and the chance to support other moms making a grassroots effort to make a difference.



Some of my favorite things I've discovered so far:


Wool Dryer Balls from Buddha Bunz. We've all seen those plastic dryer balls that promise to give you soft laundry without using expensive and often toxic fabric softener. I've looked at them several times myself, but have always been put off by their plastic/PVC ingredients. After all, it can't be good to heat PVC over and over while rubbing it against your baby's clothes and breathing in the air, right? So I was very excited to see this all natural option available. Not only does it eliminate the need for fabric softener, but Buddha Bunz claims it can also reduce your drying time by up to 50%! Good for the environment, good for the wallet!

Creative Greeting Cards from MA! motherhood with attitude. Send a card that says how it REALLY is for moms! Not your average Hallmark variety and guaranteed to get a laugh.








All Natural Hair Detangler from Blue House Soaps. Our Munchkin has been blessed with a head full of hair. But those long curly tresses turn into a disaster after a long night in bed. I've been wary of the detanglers on the shelf at the drugstore and their long list of chemical ingredients, so I've resorted to slathering baby lotion on the back of Munchkin's head. Not the best look for her. I was so excited to discover this and can't wait to give it a try. One of the great things about Blue House Soaps is that they offer all-natural products that are fragranced only with essentional oils, as well as traditional scents like Chocolate Euphoria and Plumeria.

Friday, May 15, 2009

A giveaway from My Moms View!

One of my favorite things we've done with Munchkin is to delve into the world of babywearing. What is babywearing? Simply carrying your baby with you using a hands-free carrier. Studies have shown that babies who are worn will cry less, improve their mental and motor skills development, and increase their attachment to their caregivers. Plus it lets parents (and grandparents, babysitters, etc) soothe their babies while also getting things done, a feat that is all too valuable to parents. Many of you are probably familiar with the baby Bjorn and the other common carriers at Babies R Us, but if you're inspired to try out something new there are even more options out there. I'm just learning myself, so feel free to add to the discussion!

Since the munchkin was born, we've used a Moby wrap with her. Even Mr. T will sing its praises as a great way to keep your baby happy and get dinner made. Some of my favorite memories are watching Mr. T prepare fresh herbs for dinner, with Munchkin secure on his chest just happily watching and getting the occasional sniff of herbal goodness. Now that she is getting bigger, we've added an Ergo structured carrier to the mix after getting it for a steal from craigslist.

Interested in a chance to win a free baby carrier? My Moms View has a review and giveaway contest for a baby wrap from Sugar Sweet Baby, where you can find adorable wraps that will let you carry your beautiful baby in style.

Free Chocolate Friday!

Don't forget - Free chocolate Friday!

Go to the Mars/M&M site at 9 a.m. every Friday for a coupon for free chocolate!

You can register for a weekly coupon up to four times, so head over even if you've registered before.

Thursday, May 14, 2009

A great contest!

If I haven't said it before, I love love love etsy. Great products, great people. I may never be the crafty mama I wish I was, but I can live vicariously through everyone else's storefronts.

So of course I was excited when Dee at "Two of a Kind, Working on a Full House" posted her new giveaway for a trio of products from Farmstead Organics. I am drooling over all of the fabulous products that Farmstead Organics offers. Bath products, baby products, yum. And what better way to try them than winning a set for free?

Check out the giveaway for more details!

Those sweet, sweet moments...

Even before I (finally) became a mom, I knew that there would be moments that would take my breath away. And I have not been disappointed.

Tonight was one of those times. Mr. T was working late, Munchkin was crabby from TeethThatWillNotComeIn, the house was a mess, and I was worried about paying bills. I did not have high hopes about the evening and found myself desperately craving a glass of wine, or three.

Out of desperation, I scooped up Munchkin, pajamas and all, and took her outside to the deck. The sun was getting low in the sky, just starting to offer its final sunset glow of the evening. The birds were still chirping. And in the meadow behind our house, two deer walked slowly, grazing and quietly watching. Munchkin and I settled back into a rocking chair and rocked into a quiet rhythm, interrupted only by the occasional escape of drool. We stayed there for fifteen, twenty minutes...rocking, rocking, rocking...until the chewing of little hands was replaced by a deep yawn.

So we moved our rocking party into her room and snuggled up with her blanket and a trusty copy of Goodnight Moon. And as Munchkin looked up at me, she gave me one of her famous million-dollar smiles.

And I no longer cared about the bills. About the mess. About anything except my sweet little babe and rocking, rocking, rocking...

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Free Organic Gardening Magazine!

Gotta love the freebies! Right now, you can join the "Organic Heroes" campaign and get a free subscription to Organic Gardening when you buy one product each from Nature's Path and Organic Valley.

For example, buy a box of cereal from Nature's Path and some milk from Organic Valley, and you're set!

For an even sweeter deal, use the $2 off coupon or one of the coupons from Organic Valley's website.

Saturday, May 9, 2009

Scam in a can? How to make money from home and NOT get stuck in money transfer from Uganda.

Like so many of you, I would love more ways to earn money from home. I love being a SAHM but could use a little boost as a WAHM (that's a "Stay at home mom" and "Work at home mom" for all of you newbies out there).

So my current mission is to find legit ways to earn money from the computer. No, so far I haven't found anything to make big bucks sitting in my pj's typing on the computer. But I have found a few sites that can add up, and I hope to share them with you.

First of all - the old standy for making money on your computer is to complete surveys. How? Lots of companies pay big bucks to get into your mind, and there are plenty of survey companies that are happy to help them do it and pay you for the opportunity. Fascinating, right?

The problem is picking out the legit sites from the spam and scams and other shenanigans. The good sites are out there, and I want to help you wade through the muck to find them.

My first featured site:

Opinion Outpost - An easy interface and reliable surveys. This is one 0f my favorite go-to sites for earning money via surveys. Simply sign up and fill out your demographic info, and they will link you up with surveys to complete. Earn points with every survey, and trade them in for real cash once you've made $5 or more. Get a real, bank-worthy check mailed right to your house. One of my favorite features: if you don't qualify for a survey because, you know, you're too young, too wealthy, or just not the flavor of the minute, you get a chance to enter an instant win sweepstakes or make a small donation to a charity for your time. All in all, a good place to start if you're new to the survey world or looking for more survey opportunities.

Sunday, May 3, 2009

A toe in the water of cloth diapering


For those of you who really know me, I know you're not surprised when I say that I've been considering a switch to cloth diapers. In fact you're probably surprised that I haven't done it already. But after getting such a sweet deal on 7th generation diapers through our Amazon registry last year, we're still in the land of landfill stuffing.

I've really been looking into the CD options out there, and will probably be blogging about it a lot more in the near future. But for now, I just stumbled on this great event at Your Mama Reviews and wanted to pass it along. Not only does she have great reviews of AIO diaper options...she also has giveaways to enter!

Saturday, May 2, 2009

A bust at CVS...at least I tried!

My first adventure of CVSing has been a bust! Why didn't anyone warn me about how everything would be sold out? After spending hours researching online, printing and cutting coupons, scouring the weekly ad, and organizing my list, I headed off to our local CVS. Munchkin was peacefully asleep for the night, Mr. T was cleaning up the kitchen, and I headed off full of excitement and ready to see the amazing fruits of my deal-seaking labors.

Until I walked into the store and looked for the Natural Dentist mouthwash I so wanted to try. Not on the shelf. Nothing but a dusty, empty slot. Hmmmm... Disappointed, I moved on to the next item on my list, an Intuition razor for $.99. Walking over, I immediately spotted the gaping hole in the otherwise packed shelf of over-priced razors. No Intuitions to be found. This quickly became the theme of the night as I walked through the store, dodging the hacking customers at the pharmacy who brought on visions of swine flu and other nasty contagions.

Somewhat defeated, I picked up a few remaining necessities that I needed (like the Charmin toilet paper) and sadly went to the check-out. Total OOP - $23. Total coupon savings - $4. Total ECBs - $12. Not terrible, but not the record-setting heist of my dreams, either.

Well, there's always next week, right?
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