Question of the Day

Who's your favorite celebrity mom?  Who seems to do it all effortlessly?

Angelina Jolie, Tori Spelling, Reese Witherspoon, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jessica Alba, Sarah Jessica Parker, Halle Berry, Kelly Ripa, Nicole Kidman, Gwen Stefani, Jenny McCarthy or someone else?

I think the most down to earth mom seems to be Tori Spelling and the moms who seem to do it all at least for others Angelina Jolie & Jenny McCarthy (for Autism).

Success At Last

Okay I just have to tell all of you how excited I was when I found out that I was going to be a contributing writer to greendivamom.com.  The website owner called my house and spoke to me about it.  She started the website Greendivamom.com because her son was diagnosed with Autism and she ended up curing him naturally. 

I have been working on sending submissions and query letters out for awhile now and trying to get a real freelance writing career going.  I was wondering if anything was ever going to happen when she called, yeah!  So here is my shameless self promotion.  Check my articles out at:

http://www.greendivamom.com/2009/04/14/natural-solutions-for-diaper-rash-eczema/

http://www.greendivamom.com/2009/04/13/buying-healthy-organic-food-in-a-tough-economy/

Other articles coming soon….

Here’s another article:

"Paradise in Amalfi," on lovetripper.com at http://www.lovetripper.com/issues/issue-34/amalfi-coast.html

Question of the Day?

What's your imagined dream amount of kids in your mind?

Mine, is four.  I see these mom's occasionally with their four (mind you they are always well-behaved) kids looking cute and being good and I just think ahhh, I want four kids.  Don't get me wrong if I only ever have my two beautiful, healthy girls I feel blessed and like I have had the opportunity to experience an unbelievable amount of love…  Just hearing my two year old start explaining things to me, or seeing the huge heart that my 6-year-old has in action makes me thankful for eternity.

Question of the day

What's your favorite inexpensive beauty product?

Question of the day

What's your quick go to mom meal?

Morning Drinks for Tired Mom

Making the perfect cup of English Tea

Want to make the perfect cup of tea?  You only need a few things: a good tea cup, a kettle that plugs into the wall or goes on the stove top for boiling the water, a tea pot that holds several cups, tea (Tetley’s British Blend, or Red Rose is good), sugar, milk, and a spoon to stir.

For a great cup simply boil water in your tea kettle and when it’s done put about three tea bags (for a decent size tea pot) and fill with boiling water. Then let it brew or sit for about five minutes with a tea cozy or if you don’t have one, use a small towel to keep it warm while it brews.  After about five minutes you can add the amount of milk if you like it (usually a small splash and some sugar and stir).  And you have your perfect cup a tea.  Enjoy!!

Question of the day

What discipline works best for your family: Time out, Naughty chair, sending them to their room, taking something away, spanking or something else? 

For our family it’s time out which doesn’t always work or taking something away for awhile. 

It's not the Place It's the People...

I was in the park yesterday with my kids on a gorgeous sunny day when my 6-year-old started playing hide and seek with a little girl and her two older sisters.  I noticed the t-shirts that said, “Australia,” and started to talk to the dad.  He had an Australian accent and I wanted to find out more.

“Where are you from?” I said.  And he gave me a suburb name near the park. 

“Nice area.  Where are you from originally,” I clarified. 

He finally gave it up and said the obvious, “Australia.”

“Do you miss it?” I wondered aloud.

He told me he didn’t and he got back to Australia pretty often to visit so it was okay.  Then he said something that was an ahhh moment.

“I’ve found it’s not where you live but the great people you meet that really matters.”

It was an ahhh moment and I thought the whole world is just one community really you do just have to meet the people with the great hearts and life is so fabulous.  I left the park feeling pretty good.

Question of the Day

What's the one thing your mother said to you that you swore you'd never say to your kids but now you do?

Me, "What's the magic word?" of course either please or thank you. 

Mommy Drug

I still have a high.  It happens to me only one time and that’s when I find a great deal.  I’m not a shopaholic don’t get me wrong.  I trail around the house in at least ten-year-old t-shirts and just a couple pair of jeans that I own. 

When I buy clothes for my kids I don’t shop at the mall because I want a great deal for our money.  I shop at the second hand store for designer clothes lightly worn, or even Goodwill for a better deal (recently, I got two pairs of beautiful dress shoes, brand new for my 2-year-old for $3.19 with tax).  Another day I got makeup at the store on sale 80% off all for under $2.00. 

Today was another high.  I read about it being a much better deal to buy bread in a bread outlet instead of at the grocery store where I pay $4.00 for my all natural wheat bread!  Usually, when it’s on sale for $2.99 I buy four loaves and shove them in the freezer for later.  But I headed to the Pepperidge Farm Bread Outlet near me and was in heaven when I stepped through the door. 

Nice wheat bread was $1.99 for three loaves and the fourth was free, so each loaf was about $1.25.  That’s fantastic when I usually spend about $4.00 a loaf.  So, I walked out of their with several loaves of bread, cookies (of course who can resist and light ones for me), gold fish and buy one get one free mini bagels which I ended up paying 1 each for.  What a great deal.  I love it.

 I learned a lot of saving ideas from a fantastic book written by a family who has raised 6 kids on at the most 45,000.00 per year.    

I was thinking too.  The best gift you can give your kids is not money to pay for college or a car but the knowledge to live life with in your means.  To be comfortable and not in debt.  That seems to be the truest gift of all…