“It’s A Good Thing”… March Article

I have used this website called www.download .com. It has everything for your every need technology-wise. It has free trial downloads for digital photography, palm pilots, virus scans, animation tools, pretty much everything. It’s not only trials though but most of it is free for you to try before you buy it so it a really good choice. The trials usually are for a month or two, and can be uninstalled at anytime. I first heard of it when I got my digital camera and wanted to edit my pictures and my sister told me about www.download.com and how it had many things to choose from and well the rest is history. I go to it for everything I haven’t actually bought anything from the trials, but I love to edit pictures and make slideshows. Well that’s why www.download.com is a good thing!

“It’s A Good Thing”… February Article

As a working or a stay-at-home mom, daily organization is a necessity to maintain order. And sanity. So I was more than thrilled when my sister-in-law called me from Florida one day, about 3 years ago, and told me about Flylady.org. This website literally saved my home from mayhem by teaching me a few basic strategies about organizing my life, balancing work and home, and feeding my family!!
Flylady, known worldwide, addresses many different aspects of your life: the upkeep of your home, your finances, your holiday routines, your dinner menu…and the list goes on. You can download a journal to help you break your housecleaning down into daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly routines. This was my favorite part, because I need to have a “To Do” list at all times, and the journal (you can use her template or create your own) makes it very simple to tackle household tasks. There are a number of other journals or lists that you can download, as well.
You can also plan your meals each week with the Menu Mailer, which is roughly $9.95 a month for approximately 24 meals (6 each week), and includes all recipes and shopping lists. The recipes are fantastic…my husband was even impressed!! You can also just find recipes on the website without having to spend the money.
Finally, I found this site helpful simply because a lot of other women (and men, surprisingly!) share their tips and success stories. You can even purchase products online to help with organization, and you can sign up for daily-reminder emails. I highly recommend this website to anyone, not just moms, who need a little bit of restructuring and “decluttering” in their lives! Enjoy!

“It’s A Good Thing”… January Article

Frugal Baby Tips found at www.borntolove.com
-Safe Door Knob Covers: Cover your door knobs with a sock, wrapping an elastic around the base of the handle to hold it in place. You can squeeze, and get a grip enough to turn the handle, but your child’s hands are too small.
-Keep Cabinets Locked: When we didn’t have any door latches on our lower kitchen cabinets, I just hooked a “bungee cord” from the door at one end, across the front of all the cabinet doors, to the door at the other end. Josh couldn’t get in!
-Save That Toilet Paper: To prevent your toddler from unrolling the entire roll of toilet paper, and stuffing it into the toilet, make your own toilet roll protector by recycling a plastic 2 liter pop bottle. Cut the bottle top and bottom off to form a toilet roll cover about 4.75″ wide. Cut a slot in this cover, to pull the toilet paper through, about 1/2″ high and 3″ across. Remove your toilet roll and spindle from the wall mount, slide both inside your new toilet roll protector, and reattach to the wall mount. This should at least slow your toddler down!
-Tumbling Bookcases: Bolt your dressers, bookshelves, or any other tip-able furniture. Secure to the floor with L-braces , or to the wall with hook and eye – available at any hardware store.

“It’s A Good Thing”… December Article

INTERESTING HOUSEHOLD TIPS
-Bed Sheets
After drying your sheets, put both sheets and one pillowcase in the other pillow case. Fold neatly in a square. Next time you change sheets, you just take the one pillow case filled with sheets. No need to look for matches.
-Reheating refrigerated bread
To warm biscuits, pancakes, or muffins that were refrigerated,  place them in a microwave with a cup of water. The increased moisture will keep the food moist and help it reheat faster.
-Newspaper Weeds-Away
Start putting in your plants, work the nutrients in your soil. Wet newspapers, put layers around the plants overlapping as you go, cover with mulch and forget about weeds. Weeds will get through some  gardening plastic, they will not get through wet newspapers.
-Easier Thank You’s
When you throw a bridal/baby shower, buy a pack of thank you cards for the guest of honor. During the party, pass out the envelopes and  have everyone put their address on one. When the bride/new mother sends the thank you notes, they’re all addressed!
-Reducing Static Cling
Pin a small safety pin to the seam of your slip and you will not  have a clingy skirt or dress. Same thing works with slacks that cling  when wearing panty hose. Place pin in seam of slacks and — voila –  static is gone.
-Measuring Cups
Before you pour sticky substances into a measuring cup, fill it  with hot water. Dump out the hot water, but don’t dry the cup. Next, add your ingredient, such as peanut butter, and watch how easily it comes right out.
-Reopening envelope
If you seal an envelope and then realize you forgot to include  something inside, just place your sealed envelope in the freezer for  an hour or two. Voila! It unseals easily. 
-Take baby powder to the beach
Keep a small bottle of baby powder in your beach bag. When you’re  ready to leave the beach sprinkle yourself and kids with the powder and the sand will slide right off.

“It’s a Good Thing”… November Article

Earth Mama Angel Baby’s Bottom Balm and Diaper Rash Soap
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So, my husband likes to diaper the kids sitting in the floor rather than on the changing table, which is all well and good, and Kudos to him for volunteering. However, our jar of bottom balm was last in his possession and I spent a week searching for it, before finally resigning myself to buying a new one. In the meantime I remembered why I buy this stuff.
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It’s totally toxin and chemical free and 100% organic. Which means it’s safe for my kids who have a tendency to put their hands into everything and then put their hands in each other’s mouths or all over the house.
It doesn’t “stick” to cloth diapers and cause a funky odor.
It knocks out diaper rash faster than Butt Paste or anything else I’ve tried.
The company also makes a diaper rash soap for really tough cases. I soaped their little bottoms up put some bottom balm on and at the next diaper change the rash was gone.
Available at www.eathmamaangelbaby.com They’re a small business and their customer service is impeccable.