Tip of the Day

I love being able to reuse items around the house. Not only is it good for the environment it's also good for the pocketbook. I recently came across some great green tips that I wanted to share.

1. Plastic baby bottles make great bath toys for kids.When you need to clean them just place them in the dishwasher. You can also make rattles out of them by placing beads or beans inside of them. Just make sure you use nontoxic glue to glue the cap in place to prevent a choking hazard.
2. Clean laundry measuring cups and scoops make fun beach and sandbox toys.
3. Worn out pre folds and old mismatched socks make great dust cloths.
4. Use shoe boxes for storing photos, recipes, bills, small toys and art supplies.  Cover with wrapping paper to make them more attractive and add a label that describes the contents.
5. Greeting cards can be cut up and used as post cards and gift tags.
6. Envelopes from junk mail can be used for to-do lists and shopping lists.
7. Spray bottles from household cleaners can be washed thoroughly and then used for household cleaners and water spritzer bottles for house plants.
8. Save orange and lemon peels and put them in a fireplace.  They will add fragrance to the room when you have a fire.

Tip of the Day

Do you love Robeez's shoes? I love them and so does my daughter. It's the only shoes that she doesn't try to take off and they have such cute designs. For a limited time you can get 20% off any purchase of $50 or more. Use coupon code MOTHERS20 at checkout. Offer expires May 12, 2010.

Sew Mama Sew is turning 5 this month and they are offering 15% off your entire order. As always, shipping in the US is only $5 no matter how large your order. Enter the code 15SMSISFIVE when you checkout. Offer good through Monday, May 17, 2010.

Tip of the Day

Do you have a picky eater? Does your child like all of his food seperated? If you're anything like me then you like to pack each food item in it's own container. Eventually you run out of space in your lunchbox or you barely get it to close. I came across Laptop Lunches on Facebook.

Laptop Lunches are American-style bento boxes designed to help families pack nutritious, eco-friendly lunches for school, work, and travel. The lunchboxes are reusable, recyclable, and dishwasher safe and they contain NO phthalates, bisphenol A (BPA), or lead. A complete system is $40 but it comes with the lunchbox, all the containers, carrying case, silverware, and water bottle. For a limited time get 10% off your entire order by using coupon code: weelicious.

Tip of the Day

Do you have a lemon tree? Does your tree produce more lemons than you know what to do with? If you juice all of the lemons you can save the lemon juice for later use. After you have juiced the lemons place the juice in an ice cube tray and place them in the freezer. When the cubes are frozen place them in a freezer ziploc bag and back into the freezer. Each cube is about a fluid ounce and depending on your freezer should last a year. On hot summer days I use the cubes to make lemonade. I place 2 to 3 cubes in a tall glass of water with some sugar and viola instant lemonade. Since the cube doesn't contain much liquid it only takes a short time for it to become liquid. You can use the cubes in cooking, home remedies, and so on. You can use this trick for all citrus juice.

Tip of the Day

I recently came across a great article on raspberry leaves from Mothering Magazine. Below is a synopsis of what the article said along with a great recipe for Raspberry tea.

Raspberry leaves have been used throughout history to encourage safe, easy childbirth, to speed recovery from birth and to stimulate milk production afterwards. The astringent and stimulating properties strengthen and tone the uterine and pelvic muscles, while the soothing properties relax the uterus. In birth, the tonic and relaxing action of the leaves reduces the pain of uterine contractions and makes them more effective and productive, thereby easing and shortening the duration of childbirth. Raspberry leaf tea also has many uses well beyond the pregnancy and breastfeeding months—as it soothes the kidneys, allays diarrhea, stops hemorrhage, quells nausea, sedates, and relaxes. Raspberry leaf tea is the most popular herb used during pregnancy, and is particularly useful during the third trimester. Its astringent and stimulating properties strengthen and tone the uterine and pelvic muscles, while its soothing properties relax the uterus. Raspberry leaf tea also tones the mucous membranes, soothes the kidneys, allays diarrhea, stops hemorrhage, quells nausea, sedates, and relaxes. Raspberry leaves have been used throughout history to encourage safe, easy childbirth, to speed recovery from birth and to stimulate milk production afterwards. The tonic and relaxing action of the leaves reduces the pain of uterine contractions and makes them more effective and productive, thereby easing and shortening the duration of childbirth.
 
To make the tea
1. Fill a teapot with cold water and bring to a boil.
2. Meanwhile, fill a clean teapot with hot water from the tap. Let it sit until the water boils, then empty the teapot.
3. Place 2 tablespoons dried raspberry leaves or 4 tablespoons fresh raspberry leaves into the teapot.
4. Add 1 pint of boiling water to teapot.
5. Steep for 10 minutes.
6. Strain, pour into a cup and sip slowly.
To make a cup of tea, use half the amount of leaves and water. Drink 1 cup a day during your second trimester, and three cups a day during your third trimester.

Tip of the Day

If you use Dr. Browns bottles like I do you have the Bottle Cleaning Brushes that come with them. These little brushes are great for cleaning your bottles and lots of other handy uses. I use my brush to clean the small parts inside of the connector of my Medela Breastpump Shield. It also comes in handy when you need to clean those hard to reach spots in your child's sippy cup, straw cups, or accordion straws. The cleaning brush for the 8 oz bottles also works well when cleaning out medicine droppers. If you don't have a Dr. Browns bottle brush then you can either buy one or you can purchase a Sippy Straw Cleaner, which is the same exact thing but with a handle on one. The Sippy Straw Cleaner is actually more expensive so I would recommend just buying the Dr. Browns cleaning brush.

Tip of the Day

If you have been following my blog then you know I am always looking for easy & wholesome recipes to make for my family. I don't have very much time, as I know most mothers don't, to cook in the evenings and I don't want to have to buy 30 ingredients to make just one meal. I came across Weelicious.com on a friend's recommendation and I love this site. They have lots of great recipes for the whole family, even for my infant daughter, and best of all this site really strives to make wholesome food. My husband and I use to eat out a lot since neither of us had time to cook but all that changed when my daughter was born. I want her eating healthy foods made at home, just like I use to have. Weelicious is just another great resource I can use to help me feed my family.

Tip of the Day

I am always trying to find great products that help busy mom's out. I came across Mom 4 Life on facebook. Mom 4 Life only carrys products 100% invented by mom's. They offer free shipping on all orders and they have some great products on their website. I purchased the Cover Me Strap and the Mini Moby Wrap from this site.

 

Mini Moby Wrap

  

Cover Me Strap

I absolutely LOVE my Cover Me strap. It has so many uses besides a nursing cover. I often attach it to my daughter's toy so she won't lose it. She thinks it's fun now to throw her toys and to pick them back up using the strap. I have also used this strap to cover my daughter when I am out and trying to put her to sleep. The mini Moby Wrap is so adorable I couldn't resist. I thought my daughter would really enjoy it when she got a little older. Their are a TON of other great products not just for mom and baby but also for dads. 

Tip of the Day

I am always looking for new recipes to cook for my family and when I subscribed to Mothering I found a good recipe resource. You can sign up to receive Peggy's Kitchen Newsletter, it's free you don't have to subscribe to the magazine to receive it. The newsletter comes every two weeks or so with six to seven recipes. A menu suggestion list is provided for each of the recipes. They also provide a grocery list so you can purchase everything you need for the meals. Another great feature is the green kitchen tip and a video demonstration from Cookus Interruptus. The Mothering website is also another great resource. They have a recipes tab with lots of great information. Vegetarians can easily find recipes using the Recipe Index on the Recipes tab.

Tip of the Day

My daughter gets tired of playing with the same toys over and over again but she has so many toys I don't want to purchase any new ones. I have gotten into the habit of setting aside some of her toys at the bottom of her toy bin, out of sight for her. When she loses interest in the toys she has I just take out the toys at the bottom of the toy bin. Since she hasn't played with them in a while she treats them as if they were new. I keep this rotation going to keep her interested in her toys. Another great thing you can do is hold a toy exchange party. You can exchange your child's toys with neighbors, friends, or family. That way your child can get new toys and you don't have to spend any additional money or collect more clutter in your house!

Car Seat Safety

I recently bought a new car and I wasn't sure how to properly install the car seat. I had always thought it had been installed improperly in my previous car but I wasn't sure. I decided to make an appointment at my local fire station to have it checked out. I learned some great things that I wanted to share. First you should always read your car's instruction manual and see if there is a section on car seat installation. If you don't have your car manual I am sure you can google it. It was so easy to install the car seat after we read the manual. Second if your car has leather seats and you don't want to damage the leather you shouldn't use a towel. I found out that it actually affects how much the car seat will slide and is a hazard. Instead use the shelf liner sheet that has the grips on it. You can purcahse a roll at any 99 cent store.

 

Non Slip Shelf Liner

Thirdly the plastic harness that is suppose to go across the baby's body should be at arm pit level. I always put this part of the car seat across the top of her abdomen which is wrong. It can hurt her in case of an accident. Lastly is the car seat mirror. I bought one of these mirrors so I can see my daughter when I am driving. I never knew what a hazard they were. These mirrors are not tested for safety in car accidents. Most of the mirrors have hard backs and can fly off in an accident. Worst of all you usually point the mirror at your child's head, can you imagine that mirror flying towards your child's face at 60 mph? So you must never use a car seat mirror and if you know someone who has a mirror please let them know what a safety hazard it is!

Tip of The Day

My husband bought the Playskool Lullaby Gloworm for our daughter when she was first born.

She absolutely has loved this toy since the first day we brought it home and she is now 6 months old. She loves the music, it helps soother her when she is cranky and puts her to sleep. She loves watching the glow worm's face light up. It has three settings: demo, light only, and music/light mode. I only wish their was a fourth setting that kept the music/lights playing for at least 10 minutes. You can take the control out and wash the toy in your washing machine. It's very durable, I have dropped it many times and my daughter is constantly eating it, and it still looks brand new. It's very reasonably priced $9.99 - $12.99 and it comes in both pink and blue. Some of my friends have the same toy and they all have had the same positive response from their children. The suggested age is birth to18 months but my friend's 2 year old still plays with this toy! It's a must have toy!

Tip of the Day

If you can sew and would like to make your own cloth diapers some good patterns are available. Little Comet Tails has patterns for fitted diapers, diaper covers, all-in-one diapers, and training pants. Kayla's Cloth Kits has patterns for one size pocket diapers and sized pocket diapers, fitted diapers, and all-in-one diapers. Both of these sites have videos demonstrating how to use the diapers and how to sew them. They are very eager to help and you can always contact them with questions you might have.

Tip of the Day

I have been taking my daughter out with me since she was 2 months old. I waited a long time to take her out because I was very afraid of germs. She was a preemie and weighed only 4 lbs and I was afraid she would get sick. She was born right before flu season started and I didn't want her catching anything. All newborns are very vulnerable to germs and can't take any medication until 6 months. I was afraid if she caught anything she would have to be hospitalized so I was very cautious. They told us at the hospital to make sure everyone washed their hands before touching her. I am sure that anyone who has had a baby has been told this by the hospital staff. When I started taking her out I was amazed at how many people would touch her without asking my permission. They would do it so fast that I didn't even have time to tell them to stop. I found out about these car seat signs from my support group.

My Tiny Hands Signs

My Tiny Hands has very bright plastic signs that tell people to please wash their hands before touching your child's hands. I only wish the sign said please wash your hands before touching me period but they are still good signs. If you're looking for a please don't touch sign you can find them at Healthy Little Ones. These signs are much longer and not as bright so I am not sure how effective they will be.

 

My Hands Are Clean, Are Yours?

I recently came across some signs that are non-toxic and eco-friendly at My Hands Are Clean, Are Yours?. They come in a variety of cool designs and shipping is free! They are around 5 inches so they are very hard to miss and a portion of all sales is donated to a local charity.

Tip of the Day

I am always looking for ways to save money and I came across Baby Half Off. This website offers baby related items at 50% - 80% off. A new deal is listed each day at 8am. Some of the past deals listed where for pocket diapers, baby shoes, baby blankets, baby toys, cloth diaper wet bags, and much more. They have very reasonable pricing for shipping and they ship to Canada as well. They also have free local pickup if you live by Gilbert, AZ. If you join their Facebook page they occasionally give hints about upcoming deals.

Tip of the Day

I am always looking for ways to save money and in this economy every little bit saved helps. I have been eating healthier the last couple of years but it seems that the price of fresh fruit and vegetables seems to be going up every year. I would love to buy organic produce but sometimes it is just to expensive. I have been participating in Bountiful Baskets, a food c-op, for the past month and it has helped me cut my grocery bill in half. This co-op is available in Arizona, Idaho, Utah, and Washington. I pay $15 a week, or $25 for organic, and I get a basket of vegetables and a basket of fruits. I only had to pay a $3 start up fee and I only participate the weeks I want to. There are lots of pick up locations by my house so it's very convenient. You don't get to pick the types of fruits and veggies you get but their is a great assortment and it changes every week. The amount of produce you get is wonderful. Some weeks I have so much that I give some to my parents and in-laws. If you don't live in these states you can go to Local Harvest and try to locate a co-op in your area.

Tip of the Day

Are you tired of buying unhealthy products at the grocery store? Since my daughter was born I have been noticing how unhealthy the products my local grocery store carries. I would never want to feed my daughter this food. So I decided to make her baby food from scratch. While I was looking for good recipes I came across this site Cookus Interruptus.  They have tons of recipes and video demonstrations. Their videos are very entertaining and they really focus on making eating  local organic wholesome foods easy for a busy family.

How to make Poached Pears in Pomegranate Sauce with Mascarpone

Tip of the Day

I work full time so when I get home I don't have much time for dinner. I was trying to find quick and easy dinner recipes online and I came across Betty Crocker.com. This website has tons of recipes and is a huge time saver. You can search recipes by meal types, cuisine, main ingredients, and they even have a quick and healthy section. You can sign up for an account and store the recipes you like under your account. These recipes usually don't have very many ingredients, are easy to follow, and taste great. They list nutritional values and most recipes come with useful tips. You can also review each recipe or read other peoples reviews. They are constantly updating the site based on the season. Of course Betty Crocker promotes their own products in the recipes but I usually just buy the generic version of the product to save money. For Thanksgiving I made the classic cranberry sauce and the impossibly easy pumpkin cheesecake and they were a huge hit. Best of all it only took me 1 hour to make both! Enjoy.

Tip of the day

Instead of using disposable nursing pads try switching to reusable nursing pads. I use the Gerber reusable nursing pads and I love them. They are made out of cotton and have a textured back to prevent slippage. They work much better than the disposable pads I tried which always slipped. I bought them at Target and they were $3 for 6 pads. I bought 3 packs so I would have enough for the entire week. I just wash them with my regular laundry at the end of the week. It's a good way to save money and to produce less waste for the environment.