Cora and Kit ~ 13 Weeks

July 3, 2009 > 8 Comments

Today you are 3 months old. Chubby and smiley, it is hard to believe your first day on this earth looked like this…

When we brought you home, we introduced you to Kit.

April 11, 2009 ~ 9 Days Old

At one month, we dressed you in longer clothes so you would look bigger.

May 2, 2009

At two months

June 2, 2009

Three months old today.

July 2, 2009

I’m Outta Here!

July 2, 2009 > 20 Comments

I’m leaving for vacation so if things are quiet around here, just think of how much fun I am having with my family!

Feel free to check out my new forum (and win a $25 gift card to Target) while I am gone. The Itch to Pitch will post on Monday, and I have some guest posts as well as a few in drafts so you’ll still be hearing from me, I just might not be able to respond. Now that I think about it, I am not so great about responding anyway…

Have a great 4th of July!

$5 Paypal Cash Option from Swagbucks

July 1, 2009 > 6 Comments

A quick FYI to let you all know that Swagbucks has now added $5 paypal cash to the Swag Store. The $5 paypal cash can be purchased with 80 Swagbucks.

If you are not familiar with Swagbucks, you can read my Swagbucks post from a few weeks ago. If you want to sign up the newest code is CASHISKING. Use that when you sign up for 5 extra bucks.

I love Swagbucks as it has helped stretch our gift budget significantly this year. Now with the cash option the possibilities are endless!

Kids Bowl for Free this Summer

July 1, 2009 > 15 Comments

Looking for a way to beat the heat this summer? How about taking a trip to the bowling alley. This summer if you register for the Kid Bowl Free program, your kids will be able to bowl two free games every day! You can read more about the program on the website as well as view a list of participating bowling alleys.

FYI: Shoes are not included.

I have not personally signed up for this program, but it looks like a good opportunity to have some fun this summer.

30 Days of Disney ~ Have Fun!

June 30, 2009 > 2 Comments

My 30 Days of Disney are up! I had a great time sharing my Disney tips with readers and loved reading about all your favorite Disney restaurants, attractions, and memories.

My final Disney tip is simple ~ Have Fun! Going to Disney can be a magical experience for the whole family, but it can also be a stressful one. Many times I have seen parents yelling at their exhausted children to hurry up, quit crying, or be happier. I understand their frustration, Disney vacations cost a good chunk of change and they want to get their money’s worth.

Relax, enjoy yourself, and don’t stress about riding every ride, meeting every character, and watching every show. If your kids are tired go back to the room and take a break. Most Florida hotels have nice pools, use them to cool off and break up your day. Add an extra day on to your vacation to give you a day of down time, where you don’t have to visit a park. It is okay to show up late and leave early, you will have great memories whether you spend five hours or 5 days at the parks.

So repeat after me:

I am going to Disney to have fun.

Have a great time at Disney and tell Mickey I said hello!

The magic doesn’t end today. I have started a Disney thread in my forum so stop by and share your knowledge with other Disney fans. Plus if you join in the discussion this week, or any other discussion in the forum you are entered to win a $25 Target gift card from The Blog Frog.

The Happy Housewife Community

June 30, 2009 > No Comments

I am so excited about some recent changes to the site. You might have noticed that I installed The Blog Frog widget to my side bar. The really fun thing about this widget is that it has created a forum for the site. This is a great way for readers to chat with each other, and it might help me better answer reader questions. I know many readers do not have blogs of their own, so this is a great way for them to voice their opinion on various topics.

I started the first thread with an easy question, Where is your favorite Thrift Store? All you need to do is click on the bottom of the widget and leave your answer in the thread.

You are welcome to start your own thread too.

And as an extra special bonus, for the next week anyone who starts a discussion (or replies to one) is automatically entered to win a $25 Target Gift Card. All you have to do is start your own discussion or reply to one, and The Blog Frog will take care of the rest. A great place to start is by introducing yourself. I introduced myself already, although you already know a lot about me, I couldn’t help but join in the discussion.

If you visit my community page you can read my twitter updates, visit my readers’ blogs, and participate in forum discussions.

30 Days of Disney ~ Questions Answered

June 29, 2009 > 2 Comments

Time to answer some of the questions I have received during this series.

From Mary Beth: I’d love to go and take our girls in the fall, but don’t know if they are really old enough… the oldest will be 4 in March and the three little ones won’t be 3 until August. Any thoughts or suggestions?

I think they are definitely old enough to enjoy Disney this fall. You can also take advantage of the Armed Forces Salute and save yourself a ton of money. If I were going with 4 children under 5, I might consider asking another adult to join you. That way you have another adult to ride with a child on many of the rides.

From Lori- Question…do you have a suggestion for sunscreen? I KNOW we’ll need it!

I would chose a high spf sunscreen that is waterproof. There are a few rides that you will get wet on in the park, plus if you go in the summer you will probably end up pretty sweaty by the end of the day. You could also consider putting your kids in swim shirts, since those keep their protection even if they get wet. My kids often wear their Skinz to Sea World so they can play in the water without worrying about a sunburn.

From Liz and Kellie- how do you nap at Disney?? Do you go back to your hotel or just pick a quiet spot in the grass???

If you have little ones and the park is open late (until 10 or 11pm) I would recommend going back to the room, or perhaps sending one parent back with the nappers and the other parent staying with the bigger kids. You can catch a quick nap on a bench, or (and I know I will get an email about this) take a nap while watching a show in an air-conditioned auditorium. I use to nap in the Hall of Presidents…

From Annette- Just curious if the active/retired service member has to be “present” to use the tickets at Disney?

No, they do have to purchase the tickets, but you do not need to be with them to actually get into the park. You must be with the service member during the ticket purchase.

From Tammy- Do you know if the Armed Forces salute tickets have to be used in consecutive days?

No, they just have to be used before December 23rd for the Orlando parks. I believe the deadline for California was extended until September.

Readers’ favorite Disney websites: Allears.net, Mousesavers.com and Tourguidemike.com

Scrumptious Summertime Treat

June 29, 2009 > 27 Comments

In my last post I wrote about having food on hand for those unexpected guests. A trifle is a delicious and beautiful dessert that is sure to make an impression. The ingredients for trifle are ones you can keep on hand in your pantry and freezer.

Ingredients

Angel Food Cake Mix
Vanilla Pudding Mix
Cool Whip
2 different kinds of frozen or fresh fruit that taste good together.

Bake the angel food cake according to the directions and cool. While the cake is baking make your pudding.

Once the cake is cool, tear off pieces to line the bottom of your bowl or pan. (A glass bowl is best because you can see the layers)

Then spread a layer of pudding over the cake.

Then add a layer of fruit. If you are using frozen fruit, thaw your fruit first. For this trifle I chose strawberries.

Then add your second fruit layer.

Repeat until you reach the top of your bowl. Top with a layer of whipped cream.

This post is linking to Tempt My Tummy Tuesday, Tasty Tuesday and Works for Me Wednesday.

The Itch to Pitch ~ Week 3

June 29, 2009 > 14 Comments

And the winner of last week’s prize, two Digiorno pizza’s is:
Here are your random numbers:

Timestamp: 2009-06-29 00:31:57 UTC

Raquel!

The prize this week is the book Clutter’s Last Stand: It’s Time To De-junk Your Life! by Don Aslett. I love his books, they will really motivate you to clean up and clear out! In order to enter the giveaway either link up with your Itch to Pitch post or leave a comment and let us know what you pitched last week.

Well, this week was very eventful. We signed the lease on Thursday so the packing began in full force on Friday, with the help of my friend who of course doesn’t have a blog because she is busy sewing things like Cora’s quilt. Anyway, it is my goal to throw out as I pack so that when I move into the new house I am not opening boxes full of junk.

I did find some interesting things this week as I packed and organized. Probably the most interesting item I found was a ziploc bag full of photos and magnets that I had on my fridge… 6 years ago! It was fun looking at the ultrasound pictures of my five year old, but good grief, I have moved this ziploc bag full of photos 5 times! Well, now it will be six, since I couldn’t bear to throw any pictures away.

I don’t have after photos, since everything went into boxes!

Areas I organized and packed this week:

Linen closet - I managed to get rid of a few sheets and blankets that were in really bad shape.

Bookshelves - Almost all our books are packed. We have tons of books, so it took most of the week. I decided to get rid of a few books. I have a really hard time pitching books, but if they are missing half their pages, or they are books no one likes I have decided I need to get rid of them to make room for the new ones!

Tupperware - I had the kids pull everything out and match up bottoms with lids. I ended up with about 15 pieces that didn’t have matches, and they are now out of my house! I also pitched (recycled) all the old yogurt containers I save and usually use for storage. Since we still buy yogurt all the time, there was no need to save (and pack) the old ones.

To the thrift store - This week we took 4 large trash bags, 3 boxes, and a few odds and ends to the thrift store. I was really happy to see the items outta here! Tomorrow a huge box full of toys leaves the house!

Just a few of the items that went to the thrift store this week.

I decided that just because we are moving to a bigger house, it doesn’t mean we need to fill it up! I love open spaces and dislike clutter, so the less I have the happier I am.

I have to say a big thanks to my mother-in-law and my friend for helping me accomplish so much this week. I hope next week is even more productive!

Jolyn asked the following question last week: Do you buy your older kids new shoes or find them in thrift shops, etc? What do you find you pay for tennis shoes in general?

I do by shoes from the thrift store. But, all of my kids needed to wear Stride Rite shoes their first several years of life because they have extremely wide feet. As they get older and their feet narrow it is easier for me to find shoes for them at yard sales and thrift stores. My kids each get one pair of new good quality tennis shoes. They are all very active and I want them to have shoes that fit correctly when they are running, jumping, climbing, etc. These can run anywhere from $20 (outlet sale prices) to $40. When they out grow them they get a new pair. I tend to use thrift stores and yard sales to supplement their wardrobe with sandals or dress shoes. Since they don’t wear them as much I am not concerned with the quality of the shoes.

Time to link up. Remember link to your Itch to Pitch post and not your blog’s homepage. Also please link back to The Happy Housewife, so others who read your blog will be able to participate, the more the merrier, right? Finally, please visit the other Clutter Queens who link up and give them some encouragement. We all love comments!

I’ve Been Betrayed…

June 29, 2009 > 17 Comments

My children are aware of this blog. Some of them love of the blog and you will see them in many of the pictures. My other kids aren’t as appreciative of my work here. They don’t seem to like photographing every moment of our life, trying new recipes, and often say things like, “Is this going to be on the blog???”

My older two children have blogs of their own. My daughter writes about her life without popcorn, and my son started his blog to write about falconry, but now uses it to show off his home movies.

And even though I try to write about and encourage my readers to eat healthier foods, my children aren’t always fond of our newer way of eating. This became clear to me when I was catching up on my son’s blog last night and came across this video. It seems that over the past few years he has photographed every piece of junk food that has come into our home, and has now made a movie about it!

Ahh, I can only hope that one day he will make movies about kefir smoothies and whole grain bread, but for now I am just happy he is learning some computer skills!

How about you? Have made changes in your lifestyle over the past few years? Are your kids willing participants or do they long for the ways of old? I think my kids are much happier with the frugal changes we have made, but are less than thrilled with the banning of Little Debbies in our home.