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Pimples!!!!!
I am 13 weeks pregnant with my first child and I can't seem to get rid of all these pimples. A...
February 2012
Entertainment Coupon Books: Yay or Nay for Saving a Few Dollars?
Wednesday, February 29, 2012 by Kathy Murdock
I posted last week about not perusing the daily deal sites for buying items at a cheaper rate. I haven’t bought items from these websites because I feel I’d be purchasing something, even though for less, that I probably wouldn’t buy otherwise. The other thing I haven’t invested in is a coupon book. You know the ones: they s...
Kourtney Kardashian Expecting a Girl
Wednesday, February 29, 2012 by Heather Montgomery
News broke recently that Kourtney Kardashian and Scott Disick are expecting a baby girl this spring/summer. The Kardashians aren’t the only ones making baby announcements; here is a list of the most recent baby developments. Sarah Polley and David Sandomierski are expecting their first child. Joe and Heather Nichols are expecting their firs...
Tuesday's Top 10 - Ten Foods that Please Kids
Tuesday, February 28, 2012 by Stef Daniel
I don’t know about you, but I tend to spend a lot of time brewing over what to feed the kids. It never fails - the minute I prepare a nice, gourmet-type meal that spent hours to make, the kids don’t like it and end up eating sour cream and onion potato chips 30 minutes after dinner. For this reason, I have gotten stuck in a ru...
Tips to Push Through the Boredom of Coupon Clipping
Monday, February 27, 2012 by Kathy Murdock
Sometimes I get bored with couponing. Really bored. Bored to the point that I drop the scissors and, gasp, head to the store without one little slip of savings in my hand. This doesn’t happen often, mainly because I’m such a cheapskate that I want to throw up when I have to buy something at full price. But couponing, regardless o...
Monday, February 27, 2012 by Jeannie Fleming-Gifford
I never thought I would be THAT mom. Oh, I wanted to be A mom, but never THAT mom. You know what I mean. It’s one thing to be A mom. It’s another to be THE mom. But when you are THAT mom? You know, you’re known. I work for a non-profit arts organization. I know many of THOSE moms. I can easily count them on my two ha...
Parents Angry At a Las Vegas School
Saturday, February 25, 2012 by Heather Montgomery
According to TMZ, there are several parents that are angry at a Las Vegas school after film crews showed up. The film crews were at the school to film members of TLC’s hit show Sister Wives. According to reports, the show was filming the family’s interaction with each other at a Valentines Day event. Parents were informed of the filming...
Do You Buy Extreme or Purchase Only What You’ll Use?
Friday, February 24, 2012 by Kathy Murdock
I recently wrote a book for a client about coupon clipping and extreme buying, or scooping up all great deals that come your way and storing them so you never pay full price. This is not how I shop, and while I "get" the idea, it would never work for me. I haven’t gotten into extreme couponing because: 1. &...
Thursday, February 23, 2012 by Stef Daniel
Help, I need your advice. If you were in my shoes, what would you do? I have recently received a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity from my parents in Florida. As it is on their bucket list in life to swim with the dolphins – they have made plans to visit Discovery Cove in Florida sometime in May for a scheduled swim. Swimmi...
Thursday, February 23, 2012 by Jeannie Fleming-Gifford
I admit it; the word Autism has always scared me. Why? I suppose it's the fear of the unknown. It's my inability to understand. I know I am not alone. How about you? The diagnosis of Autism, and it's significant rise in diagnosis (1 in 110 children, 1 in 70 boys), is unsettling. The fact that what causes this neurological disorder...
Jason Bateman Brings New Daughter Home to an All-White Nursery
Wednesday, February 22, 2012 by Heather Montgomery
Jason Bateman and his wife, Amanda Anka, welcomed their newest daughter on Feb 10th. According to People, the baby, named Maple, will be coming home to an all-white nursery, designed by Carousel Designs. The couple also has an older daughter, Francesca Nora, who is five. I am not sure an all-white nursery is the best idea for a baby. While th...
Starting Your Own Neighborhood Kids Clubs to Save Money
Wednesday, February 22, 2012 by Kathy Murdock
My kids love activities. So far, we’ve done soccer, basketball, gymnastics, dance, and music. I want them to explore each, and to learn to enjoy a variety of sports and activities, so they have several outlets for meeting new friends, learning new tasks, and getting out their wiggles after school. But, as they say, it ain’t cheap. Whi...
Tuesday's Top 10 - 10 Labor and Delivery Fears
Tuesday, February 21, 2012 by Stef Daniel
I was not a "good" pregnant person. At times, I would get so caught up in worry and anticipation of the delivery that I would break out in a cold sweat. (Which, admittedly, kind of felt good since I was always hot). Point is, the closer I got to delivery, the more I worried about some pretty silly things. I would say t...
Generic Versus Name Brand: When to Buy Each
Monday, February 20, 2012 by Kathy Murdock
I had a lengthy discussion with another mom yesterday during Girl Scouts. As the girls used fondant to make a variety of heart shapes, she and I discussed the pros and cons of buying generic versus name brand items. Because I’ve followed a plan for the past five or so years of stockpiling to get to the next sales cycle, using coupons and sho...
Monday, February 20, 2012 by Jeannie Fleming-Gifford
What IS so magical about a box? An ordinary, medium-sized, brown box. As I mentioned, my kiddo recently celebrated a birthday. Although I love being a thrify mom, I also try to be efficient and love the convenience of online shopping and home delivery (sometimes, there is a bargain and sometimes, there is not). This all leads to the arrival o...
Sunday, February 19, 2012 by Stef Daniel
When I was a kid, I never left the house in clothes that weren’t ironed. To this day, my mom irons everything. I think she even irons sheets. My mother-in-law finds it sort of appalling that I don’t iron my children’s clothes. For me to allow them to go to school in jeans that haven’t been ironed is me co...
Molly Sims Gushes About Her Favorite Pregnancy Accessory
Saturday, February 18, 2012 by Heather Montgomery
Molly Sims, who is 4 months pregnant, recently spilled her favorite pregnancy accessory to reporters on the red carpet. She confessed that she was wearing Spanx! She says that the spandex undergarments keep things in place on her rapidly growing body. Apparently, Spanx even makes a maternity line (who knew!). It would have never occurred to m...
Lower Prices or Using Coupons: Which Savings Method Do You Prefer When Shopping?
Friday, February 17, 2012 by Kathy Murdock
I headed to JCPenney’s this week to peruse their towel section, since ours have become as rough as sandpaper. On the way to the store, my mom explained JCPenney’s new coupon policy: no coupons, simply low prices. My first response can’t be printed here. I believe I dropped a few four-letter bombs. Then, I said, “Well, I&rs...
Friday, February 17, 2012 by Stef Daniel
I don’t know about you, but I have hit a point in my life where I truly think that my kids are crazy. Like, for real crazy! My dreams of having "normal" children are officially over. It seems that as each of them has grown up, they have individually come up with some little quirk that seems totally unreasonable to me ...
Capturing Development - Birthday Fun
Thursday, February 16, 2012 by Jeannie Fleming-Gifford
There are magical moments in parenthood. Sometimes, you create them. Sometimes, they just seem to happen. Some of my favorite memories created are those moments spent celebrating the little one's birthday. If I could, I'd take this special day of the year, and all the hoopla that comes with it, wrap it up and stuff it in a bottle, then I woul...
Madonna's Daughter Shaves Her Head
Wednesday, February 15, 2012 by Heather Montgomery
Madonna’s 15-year-old daughter Lourdes Leon was spotted recently with a drastically different hairstyle. Sporting a bun on the top of her head, the sides were shaved. And Lourdes isn’t the only celebrity offspring that has recently shaved her head. Willow Smith, the 11-year-old daughter of Will Smith and Jada Pinkett-Smith, recently sh...
Using Bargain Sites for Savings: The Good and Bad
Wednesday, February 15, 2012 by Kathy Murdock
I have to admit, I’m not a daily deal site user. I signed up to watch the deals available on Groupon quite some time ago. I saw some great ones come through my inbox; but for whatever reason, I never caught the daily deal site rage that swept through the homes of many bargain hunters, including many of my friends. Eventually I asked to be re...
OMG, I Left My Baby in the Car!?
Wednesday, February 15, 2012 by Stef Daniel
A couple weeks ago, my daughter’s school held the daddy-daughter dance. So, my husband – being the awesome Dad he is - took the day off work and got all fancied up to take his two youngest daughters on a date. The older girls couldn’t go because the dance was designed for girls 5th grade and younger. This meant th...
Tuesday's Top 10 (Or One) - What Was YOUR Favorite Valentine's Day Gift?
Tuesday, February 14, 2012 by Stef Daniel
It’s Tuesday, which means that I provide you with a top ten list of some sort. But, today is also Valentine's Day. This means that you will likely be at your child’s preschool serving cupcakes (for which only the icing will be eaten), trying to find a babysitter so you and your honey can go out for dinner ALONE, or dressing yo...
Swap It Out: Have Fun, Save Money, Get New Stuff!
Monday, February 13, 2012 by Kathy Murdock
Getting tired of the same clothes? Grown bored with the same pieces of jewelry? Baby outgrowing her outfits or his toys? If so, and you don’t want – or have the money - to go out and purchase an entirely new set of stuff, which will get used for six months and then be donated to charity or sold at a thrift store, consider Swapping It O...
Monday, February 13, 2012 by Jeannie Fleming-Gifford
Happy Valentine's Day indeed! There's nothing quite like being a parent to teach you about love, to help you understand what love truly is. What has parenthood taught YOU about love? A long time ago in a far away land (okay, it was in college), I met this guy I fell head over heels for. Luckily, he did the same for me. Fast forward: We married, ...
What do You "LIKE" on Facebook?
Sunday, February 12, 2012 by Stef Daniel
It’s hard to be a person these days without knowing about Facebook. I honestly believe that my husband is perhaps one of the only people on the earth who has no idea what Facebook is. In fact, I think he thinks it’s some mysterious dating website or something. Then again, he can hardly turn on a computer because he is a U...
No Baby Talk in Neil Patrick Harris’ House
Saturday, February 11, 2012 by Heather Montgomery
Neil Patrick Harris recently spoke to People magazine about how life is at his house with his two 15-month twins. While he admits his life is now filled with baby items and toys, there is one baby thing that he and partner, David Burtka, do not allow in their home, baby talk. Harris says that he and his partner talk to the twins in regular voices u...
Friday, February 10, 2012 by Stef Daniel
One of the downfalls of having a big family is that when one child gets sick – no amount of Lysol, or cleaning, or separating - can seem to keep them from getting the rest of the kids sick. And, sick children are worrisome enough (not to mention time consuming), but four sick kids!? By the time the last child comes down with the fe...
How Do You Carry Your Coupons into the Store?
Thursday, February 09, 2012 by Kathy Murdock
I told my girlfriend the other day that I was heading off to the grocery store to pick up multiple packs of boneless, chicken breast. It had hit its lowest price of the sales cycle - $1.99 a pound – and I mentioned this to her, urging her to go. You see, she is going to be my Coupon Makeover Star, though she doesn’t know it yet...
Thursday, February 09, 2012 by Jeannie Fleming-Gifford
This is incredible. Amazing. Inspiring. The physical development of our kiddos from inception to delivery is freaking amazing. Seriously. Stop and think about it. You start with a sperm and an egg. Months later, you get a kid with 10 fingers and 10 toes. Okay, it isn’t quite as simple as that, but I tend to get a headac...
Jamie Spears Talks About Her Parenting Fears
Wednesday, February 08, 2012 by Heather Montgomery
Jamie Spears is the younger sister to pop star Brittney Spears and mother to 3 and a half year old Maddie. When Spears announced her pregnancy 4 years ago she was 16 years old and the star of Disney show Zoey 101. She received a lot of bad media attention for her pregnancy and was looked down upon as a bad role model for the young girls who watched...
Wednesday, February 08, 2012 by Stef Daniel
How do you turn bathtime into a horrific event that is prime material for a movie on Lifetime? Take one, clean twin toddler playing on the bathroom floor while mom finishes bathing the other and add a container of Secret's orginal, signature scent deodorant. Seriously! This is how it went down for me. I took my eyes off one of ...
Tuesday, February 07, 2012 by Kathy Murdock
I was talking to a friend the other day about coffee - the kind you brew at home, not the varieties you purchase at cute and eclectic coffee cafes while out shopping. The grocery store we frequent had a particular brand on sale for several weeks running. We could purchase a bag of ground coffee for $3.84, and that price was without c...
Cheating on Your Sweetie – Financially
Monday, February 06, 2012 by Kathy Murdock
A headline sparked my interest on msnbc.com the other morning. The gist: Do you cheat on your sweetie when it comes to finances? Today.com and Self magazine are interested in learning about the lies partners tell one another when it comes to spending money. For instance, do you believe it’s acceptable to tell little white lies about ...
Monday, February 06, 2012 by Jeannie Fleming-Gifford
Do you have a back-up? I don’t, and I am wondering if I should. You see, we’re getting ready for a family adventure, a trip south for some fun in the sun for a couple of days. I’m hitting one of those big birthday numbers this year, and I am using the excuse for a multitude of meanderings. As we began to organize and sort clothes...
Shiloh Jolie Pitt Cuts Her Hair
Saturday, February 04, 2012 by Heather Montgomery
In celebrity news lately has been the fact that Shiloh Jolie-Pitt has debuted an even shorter hairstyle. For the past few years, Shiloh has been photographed almost exclusively in boy’s clothes, with boy hair styles. In the August issue of Vanity Fair, Shiloh’s mother Angelina Jolie says this about Shiloh’s personal style, “She wants to be a boy. So we had to cut her hair. She likes to wear boys’ everything. She thinks she’s one of the brothers.”
Controlling Impulse Purchases to Save
Thursday, February 02, 2012 by Kathy Murdock
I’m currently writing an ebook for a client about saving money, and during research, one budget buster continually cropped up: impulse buys. These last minute purchases bust many bank accounts, because they often consist of small items that, when bought one at a time, don’t seem to make much of a difference. We toss them into the cart o...
Montessori School - Right For Your Child?
Thursday, February 02, 2012 by Jeannie Fleming-Gifford
When I first began considering preschools for my child, I never would have thought of a Montessori school. Quite frankly, I didn't know much about Montessori schools although I had learned about Maria Montessori in college. As it goes, I was with a group of friends, sharing our adventures of parenting, when someone brought up that they were lookin...
Suri Cruise Spotted Wearing Makeup
Wednesday, February 01, 2012 by Heather Montgomery
As I was looking for a story to write this week’s blog on, I came across a picture of Suri Cruise, daughter of Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes, sporting a bright pink hat, navy dress, and bright red lipstick. So I started wondering whether or not children wearing makeup on a regular day is appropriate. Now I am not really saying that there is any...
Eating Out Can Starve Your Budget: Ways to Cut Back on Restaurant Expenses
Wednesday, February 01, 2012 by Kathy Murdock
I love a good meal out. What I don’t love is the price tag. Each time we head to a restaurant, I squeeze my eyes shut when the bill arrives; my thrifty side just can’t take the bottom line, because I constantly think of how I could have prepared that meal at home for a fraction of the cost. Fast food is no better. We recently dropped a...
