A while ago I was given the Basic Cake Decorating Video by Teaching Good Things. I love this video. One thing that I have found over the past few years is that it is usually cheaper to teach yourself a skill than to pay someone to do it for you.

For many years I ordered all my children’s cakes at the grocery store. I didn’t think I had the skills to make a good enough cake on my own. Over time, and after watching a few good friends decorate birthday cakes I realized this was something I could do with a little practice. This year I got serious about my cake decorating and attempted  castle, Barbie, and Star Wars cakes. I thought about taking a class, but I didn’t have the time.

This Cake Decorating DVD is a decorating class in your own home. Kathy takes you through every step of the cake decorating process and includes many helpful tips along the way. One thing I really loved about the video is that she explains the numerous frosting tips, what designs they make, and how to use one tip to make a variety of designs. She makes it look so easy!

After watching the video I was ready to bake a cake and start practicing. Although Kathy recommends practicing using tips on parchment paper, which is probably a better idea.

The Teaching Good Things website sells several “how to” videos and books, including crochet, bread baking and more. I encourage you to visit the site and see what they have to offer.

Kathy was kind enough to offer a Cake Decorating Video for one of my readers. You definitely want to enter this contest as the savings potential is incredible. I know that I can bake and frost a cake for about five dollars, the cheapest cakes at Costco are around $16. So I am saving $10 each birthday! I am not even going to try and figure out what that would be for nine people and all our birthdays over the years, but I am sure it is a lot of money! Plus cake decorating is a fun activity to do with your kids. My nine year old helped with his Star Wars cake a few months ago and he is still telling me how much he liked it!

To enter the contest leave me a comment. For additional entries tweet, post to Facebook or blog about the contest. Please leave additional comments for each entry. Contest ends Monday October 12.

This post was originally published in March of this year. Since Kristen asked for our favorite cleaning tip I thought I would republish! I love Oxi Clean and keep a bucket in my house at all times!

This weekend was a baby reality check. I decided I needed to find all our bins of baby clothes, bedding, towels and bibs and start washing and getting them organized. I was sad to find many of my favorite outfits had nasty stains and spots on them. I almost got rid of them and then I decided to try soaking them in OxiClean for a few days. I was shocked when I pulled all these cute outfits out of the bucket and they were all stain free! OxiClean got every stain out the adorable outfits.

I wish I could tell you that OxiClean gave me some of their cleaner to try and promote on this site, but they didn’t. I have used Oxy Clean for a few years and have been impressed with its stain removal. The one key to getting out the stains is to let the clothes soak for a few days. I have tried soaking for a few hours and that didn’t work. I just follow the directions on the container and come back a few days later.

To be honest I have no idea what is in OxiClean or why it works so well, but I know that it works. The only other method that has worked this well on baby stains is adding lemon juice to the stain and hanging them on the line in the hot sun. This worked great when we lived in Cuba (the hottest and sunniest place on earth), but I am unable to do that here, without a clothesline.

If you have a great tip to get baby yuck out of clothes, leave a comment. I love finding ways to make clothes last, with six kids we have a lot of hand-me-downs around here and I try to keep clothes looking nice.

Cora meets her Grandpa

I am extremely excited to announce that I am partnering with BornFree, makers of BPA free bottles, at BlogHer this week. As you know, I was given some BornFree bottles last month for Cora to try and I loved them. I was using Dr. Brown’s, but after a few weeks of using BornFree I decided that I prefered the BornFree bottles for several reasons.

My plan was to phase out the Dr. Brown’s and increase my supply of BornFree bottles. Cora had other plans! One day, while we were on vacation, Cora decided she didn’t like the Dr. Brown’s anymore, so she just stopped taking them. It took a few hours for my husband and I to realize that she really was hungry, she just didn’t want that bottle. We poured her formula in the BornFree bottle and she drank it up in a few minutes. Since that day she refuses any bottle other than her BornFree bottles.

Cora hanging with her Aunt.

This recent development made the fact that I am partnering with BornFree at BlogHer 09 even more exciting. I can’t wait to introduce other blogging moms to this great company and hand out some cool BornFree products.

If you are not familiar with BornFree bottles here is an excerpt from their website:

BornFree™ has developed a range of products baby bottles, cups and accessories that is totally free of the potentially dangerous chemicals Bisphenol-A (BPA), Phthalates and PVC.

BPA is a known estrogen mimicker that is used in the production of polycarbonate plastic.
According to researchers, BPA may cause developmental and neurological problems if it leaches from plastic. Reports suggest that small amounts of BPA may leach into food or beverages stored in polycarbonate containers, especially when the contents are heated.

In addition, BornFree™’s cups and bottles feature the unique BornFree™ venting system, designed to reduce colic and ear infections.

Since Cora has switched to BornFree exclusively, she seems to be more content and her tummy bubbles have decreased too. I love that BornFree is concerned about harmful chemicals in baby and toddler products.  BornFree even has a line of glass bottles, which if there weren’t 3 boys living in my home, I would get some for Cora.

For those of you who are attending the BlogHer 09 conference this week in Chicago, I would love to give you some BornFree swag for your little one. If you would like to check out BornFree’s line of BPA free bottles, sippys, teethers, and other accessories follow me on Twitter. Throughout the conference I will send out a tweet when I am available to meet, talk BPA free baby, and pass out the swag. Feel free to leave a comment with your Twitter name so I can follow you back.

I can’t wait to meet everyone at BlogHer. And for those of you who have asked, Cora will not be attending BlogHer this year. Her dad, big sisters and brothers would miss her terribly if I took her away for that long. Plus after traveling for ten days and then moving Cora needs to get back on a routine. Wait, she never had a routine…. that is why she gets to stay home with Daddy and her BornFree bottles while I go to Chicago.

Seriously though, I will miss my family terribly, if you are like me, your time away from the kids usually involves birthing another one.  I am looking forward to learning more about blogging and how to make this blog better.

See you in Chicago!

A few weeks ago I was asked if I wanted to try some BornFree bottles for Cora. I was using Dr. Brown’s bottles because I liked the vacuum tube, which reduces fussiness. When I found out BornFree had a similar system, I decided to take them up on their offer.

BornFree bottles are BPA free, which is very important to me as a mom. If you are not familiar with the issues surrounding BPA in plastics here is an excerpt from a Scientific American podcast.

Why should you care? Well, BPA is a component of the polycarbonate plastic in eyeglass lenses and DVDs among other things.  And high levels of it have been linked to heart disease, diabetes and liver failure in humans, according to the Journal of the American Medical Association.

In fact, the National Toxicology Program warns that BPA may cause babies to develop abnormally. The Canadian government went so far as to ban it in baby bottles as well as listing it as a toxic substance. But the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency maintain that BPA is perfectly safe.

Congress, for its part, is considering banning the substance in some products. In the meantime, note that items made from BPA are typically marked with a number seven. These plastics should never be microwaved or exposed to hot liquids—heat can dissolve BPA into what you’re drinking.   Better safe than sorry.

I fall into the better safe than sorry group and am trying to eliminate BPA plastics in our home. Especially ones that touch our food.

Personally I liked the shape of the BornFree bottles as they are short and fat. This means they are less likely to tip in the fridge and with 16 hands reaching in there on a regular basis, bottles tend to get knocked around. They also fit nicely in my cooler bag, which was a problem with the taller Dr. Brown’s bottles.

The BornFree bottles also have one of those, who knows how it works but it does, valve and vent system to reduce vacuum build up and help reduce fussiness. The nipple on the bottles is more natural (sorry, couldn’t think of any other way to describe it), and seems like it would work well for breastfed babies who take an occasional bottle.

Over all, I really like the BornFree bottles. They are easier to take care of and clean compared to the Dr. Brown’s bottles and are dishwasher safe. Cora seemed to like them too. I wanted to get a picture of her using the new bottles, but then I realized I am the main photographer and feeder, hmmmm.

I realize that BornFree bottles are not the cheapest choice, but it is important for me to buy a bottle that reduces fussiness and is BPA free. Everything BornFree makes is BPA free and this weekend all the products on the website ship for free in celebration of Father’s Day. They sell everything from sippy cups to teethers and even glass bottles!

The generous folks at BornFree have gone a step further and are offering two of my readers BornFree gift packs. Included in this gift pack are four bottles and a sippy cup. Even if you don’t have a baby, this would make an awesome baby shower gift! To enter the giveaway leave a comment. For a second entry tweet about this contest and leave a comment. This contest ends Tuesday June 23rd Cora time.

The mommy blog world is abuzz regarding a recent article published by the Wall Street Journal. The  article addresses bloggers, product reviews, and paid posts and essentially asks if bloggers are selling out.  Since everyone seems to be talking about this article I decided it would be a good time to let you (my readers) know where I stand on the whole product review/ advertising/ paid post issue.

1. I am never compensated with money for any post I write. Everything I write about on this blog are my opinions, unless I am quoting someone else, and then it should be obvious.

2. I do accept products for review. My review policy is simple, if you want me to review your product you need to give me a sample. And, as a courtesy to my readers I also ask for another item to giveaway.

3. I do not accept products for review that do not embrace the themes of this blog. I receive emails every day from companies wanting me to review their products. I say no to almost all of them because they are not things I could support. You will never see me reviewing Happy Meals or mini blinds because those items are not relevant to my site.

4. Because of #3, my reviews are usually positive. If there is a negative, I will not hesitate to address it.

5. There are times when I love something so much that I will write about it and promote it without being asked by the company. Over the past year I have written about my love of OxiClean, Dave Ramsey, the Vita-Mix, Motivated Moms and other products. These companies have no idea I am writing about their product, I don’t need free stuff to write about things I like.

6. Sometimes I write about products and then the company contacts me regarding a giveaway or review. If I have already endorsed a product I am happy to give one away to a reader and share the fun!

7. The main goal of my blog has been and will always be to help my readers live a happier, simpler, healthier, greener, and thriftier lives. My readers always come first.

When I am interested in a product I research the product online. Many times my research leads me to blogs. When I am reading a review of a product, I am interested to know if the person was compensated for the review. I don’t mind paid posts, as long as I know that is what I am reading. When I watch a television commercial I know I am viewing a paid advertisement. When I am reading a blog the line is easily blurred. Rest assured the lines here will always be clear.

What do you all think? Is there a right or a wrong way to handle product reviews/ promotions? Can a blogger write too many reviews? Do you trust and/or use blogs when trying to find information about a certain product? If your favorite blogger recommends something are you more likely to try it? Share your thoughts below.

Coming next week: A guide to writing product reviews.

Many of you have asked about my new camera.

It is a Canon Digital Rebel XSi 12.2 MP Digital SLR Camera with EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Lens (Black). I bought it from Amazon. I paid $699 for the camera and $19 for an 8 gig memory card. Amazon was not the cheapest, but I felt they were the most reputable online dealer and the price difference was about $20 between them and the cheapest store.

I have been looking at digital SLR camera’s for months. Over the past month I had narrowed it down to 4 cameras, the Nikon D60, D90 and the Canon XSi and 40D. I was actually leaning towards the Nikon until I went to the store and held the Canons and the Nikons. The Canon just felt “right” in my hands. I really don’t know how else to explain it. The Canon also had a few features that the Nikon didn’t have, but the decision was made after I held the cameras. Once I decided on a Canon I looked at the XSi and the 40D and decided that the 40D was really more camera than I needed. It is an awesome camera, but I wouldn’t get my money’s worth because although I am not a beginning photographer, I am no MckMama.

It is too early for me to write any sort of meaningful review about the camera, but I will say that I was taking the pictures you see below less than 15 minutes after I opened the box. It is set up so that if you just want to point and shoot, you can do that and get great pictures. It also has a fat manual and lots of options that I have yet to explore.

Now, the big question… how does The Happy Housewife get away with spending over $700 on a camera? I saved my money. Every month my husband and I each get “blow” money. That money is ours to spend however we would like. Dave Ramsey recommends budgeting blow money and I completely agree. It gives each person freedom to have a little (or a lot depending on your budget) of spending money that is not controlled by the other person.

In our budget we each get $50 a month to spend. I have been saving my money since last August. All you math majors will quickly see that $50 a month x 10 months does not equal $700. The other $200 came from Swagbuck’s gift cards and blog money.

As I am sure you have noticed, many blogs run ads on their sidebars. I decided to run ads to help pay for the site, since before December any costs related to the site were paid for out of the family budget and I didn’t think that was fair to my family. Since ads are paid based on traffic and my blog has grown over the past several month the ads on the sidebar have paid for all site costs and brought in a little extra.

I decided (and my husband was in agreement) that the extra money would go towards the camera since I take a lot of pictures for the blog. I also take a lot of pictures for my family. In fact I would guess that less than 5% of the photos I take end up on the site. I love taking photographs and most of the pictures on the walls of our house are pictures I have taken of my family. It is what I love!

So, there you have it. I plan to write an in depth review of the camera later this summer once I have a chance to explore more of its features, but I hope that answers your questions for now.

Oh, one final point. You don’t need a $700 camera to take great pictures. There are many great photo blogs that share all sorts of tricks and techniques to help you create beautiful photos. Some of my favorite pictures were taken with my $150 digital Fuji camera. Also, photo editing software can turn so-so photos in beautiful photos. Picnik is a great program and it is free!

A few pics from my new camera.

What are your favorite photo sites? Share them in the comments below.

A note to Katie: No, I have not figured out Adobe Photoshop Elements 6 yet. I have only owned it for 24 hours though. I plan on checking Photoshop Elements 6: The Missing Manual out from my library and trying to figure it out.

This giveaway is now closed. The winner is

Here are your random numbers:

51

Timestamp: 2009-05-18 01:09:59 UTC

Elizabeth!

She said…

“i’d love the georgia book…we’ve moved 12 times in 10 years and we are NOT military ”

Congrats Elizabeth, look for an email coming soon!

One of the great things about being a military family is that you move, a lot. One of the bad things about being a military family is that you move, a lot. Actually, I like moving because it gives me a chance to clean out and de-clutter my house every two or three years. It has also allowed my family to live in a variety of places and visit many parks, museums, and attractions.

The hard thing about moving all the time is that you are always new to the area. We try to ask around for the best places to eat, shop, visit, and take a field trip or a day trip. Sometimes we stumble upon really great places and other times we wish we would have known more about the place before we arrived. We just never know. I also have a habit of spending hours (literally) on the internet researching places I have heard about to make sure it is something our family would enjoy.

Last week I got my hands on the book Kids Love Maryland. As I read through the book I kept thinking to myself, I wish these travel guides existed when I started my journey as a Navy wife 16 years ago. This book is a complete travel guide for the state of Maryland. The state is divided into geographical sections, and activities, as well as dining and lodging are highlighted for each area.

For each attraction, museum, or park there is a review given (with kids in mind) as well as information regarding hours, location, admission, phone number and web address. Many of the places listed have free admission which is great when families are trying to save money this summer. What I like best about this book (other than the web addresses) is that the authors George & Michele Zavatsky, have actually visited these places with their children. These are first hand reviews by parents!

My plan is to mark the pages of places I want to visit with post-it notes. Then I am going to hand the book over to my children and have them find some places they would like to visit. This book is going to become my handbook for the rest of the time I live in Maryland. I am already amazed at how many wonderful, educational, and free places there are to visit in this state. If my husband would let me I would have every weekend booked until the end of the year!

Not only have George and Michele traveled extensively throughout Maryland, they have visited many other states as well and have written twelve other travel guides. They have offered to giveaway one Kids Love Travel book (of your choice) to one of my readers! I was so excited when Michele offered to give one of her books away because I know you will absolutely love it!

Even if you are not a military family these books are great for anyone wanting to explore their state or planning a summer vacation. You will save time by using the Kids Love Travel book as your guide. I know many families cannot afford a summer vacation this year, but you can take fun day trips to places that are free and these books can help you locate the best places to visit for your family! These books are also excellent resources for home schooling families looking for fun, educational field trips to incorporate into their school year.

Here is how you can enter. Head on over to the Kids Love Travel website and check out all their travel books. They also have activity books for kids to work on while traveling and other fun stuff on their site. Leave a comment and let me know which Kids Love Travel book you would like to win. For a second entry twitter about this contest. You can also follow Michele on twitter @familytravelmom. Each of those things earns you another entry, but you must leave a separate comment letting me know you did them. The contest will end on Sunday, Cora time.

This post is linking to Talk about Tuesday and Things I Love Thursday.

Weight loss seems to be a typical New Year’s Goal. I think this goal tends to get pushed out the window beginning on February 14th. As a walked through the grocery store tonight I didn’t pass an aisle without some sort of Valentine’s Day treat.

Last week I was given a sample of Weight Watcher’s Peanut Butter Cups to try. I was a bit apprehensive as I am a huge peanut butter cup fan. In fact, I don’t have a sweet tooth, but I love peanut butter cups and peanut M&M’s. I guess I have a peanut thing or something. Anyway, after sampling several (had to make sure I really formed an opinion) I must admit these are pretty darn yummy! The best thing about them is that they are only 2 points each on the Weight Watcher’s plan. This means you can eat the entire bag and still have a few points leftover for dinner… (kidding, really I am kidding).

I would not torture you by talking about chocolate without giving you some chocolate, so I am giving away a bag of Weight Watcher’s Double Chocolate Mousse candies to one lucky reader. To enter leave a comment telling me your favorite candy. You can enter a second time by tweeting about this giveaway, just leave a second comment telling me you tweeted.

I’ll chose a random winner on Monday February 16th.

It’s confession time! I love paper towels, love them! I realize they are not that frugal or green, but I can’t help but love them. When I was asked to do a product review of Bounty paper towels I jumped at the chance.

Now, since I am going against all that I normally talk about on this blog, let me give you my reasons for loving this little white roll.

First, I have children, and they are wonderful mess makers. If I cleaned up all their messes with rags I would be doing laundry non-stop. I do have a basket full of rags that I go through almost every day, but sometimes paper towels are a better solution. I keep a roll in my bathroom so the kids can wipe their hands on them after they wash them. I realize that for most people wiping their clean hands on a paper towel as opposed to a cloth does not minimize germs, but in my house it does. I have watched my children wash their hands, and if I am not standing over them, many of them don’t do a great job. Paper towels keep the germs from being passed from one child to another. This works especially well in winter when someone always seems to have a runny nose.

I use paper towels to wipe my kitchen counters. Usually at the end of the day I use a rag or sponge (that is thrown in the dishwasher) to give my counters a final scrub down, but during the day I use paper towels. This helps keep cross contamination at a minimum.

When we travel I keep a roll of paper towels in the car. My kids have this amazing ability to spill any liquid they are giving while inside the vehicle. We just throw back the roll and the kids start mopping it up. The next time we stop we toss the wet paper towels.

My older kids clean the bathrooms with paper towels. This keeps them from throwing a rag full of cleaner onto something either clean or dirty laying in the laundry room.

We take paper towels camping. Once reason I liked the Bounty select-a-size towels was that while we were camping I could use the smaller size for napkins and face wiping, while saving the larger sheets for bigger clean-ups. The Bounty were also very durable and I was able to use them to dry dishes.

So there is my confession, I am a paper towel fan. I have tried to use more rags, and I do, but I will always love my paper towels!

For more Things I Love Thursday visit the Diaper Diaries.

Editors note: I was not compensated for this review of Bounty Paper Towels.

I thought it would be fun throughout the month of December to share some of my favorite Christmas “must-haves” with you all.
My first Christmas pick is a CD. My family loves music and I am always trying to find kid appropriate music that isn’t annoying to adults. A few years ago my sister-in-law sent us this CD and it has been a favorite ever since.

Go Fish Snow is a catchy upbeat Christmas album, that doesn’t dilute the true meaning of Christmas. I think the cd is about $10 and would be a great gift for your family.

Here is one of the songs off their Christmas album, enjoy!

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jiH2sdH_S3I]

note: I have not been compensated in any way for this post.