I'm Back.....And with lots to tell

I really have been slacking in my blog posts, what over a year? *lol* Its been a hard year. My son and I have relocated closer to my family after a horrid break up. It is what was best for me and him. We are happy and surrounded by amazing people! My son just recently turned 4! Oh where does the time go!? He is the most amazing little guy in the world! He is what keeps me going daily!

We have finally mastered using the big boy Potty. No More Diapers! YAHHH!! It took a while and was a lot of accidents, but we are now in big boy Sponge-bob underwear and extremely happy!!

Now, Lets talk Silly Bands! I received 2 Silly Bands for my birthday from my 8 yr old nephew. I now know why a lot of schools are banning these little suckers. If someone grabs onto one of them and pulls and lets go......OUCH......it hurts a lot! I mean they are fun, you can get a package at Walmart for $1, but why wear like 50 on each arm? Am I missing something here? These things really do come in like a million shapes. I have accumulated a number of these from my nephew, i think i have every animal possible! Parents should know its not save to wear them to bed......right?? I surely hope so.

We recently got a new kitty to add to the family, we had two, but unfortunately, our one kitty passed away today. My son doesn't yet understand the death and dying points of life. We still have our two crazy dogs and our one kitten. I think we are good with animals for a while. My son thinks that he can treat and play with ALL animals like he does his puppy, and it doesn't work like that, especially with a Cat! Choose your pets wisely when it comes to children. And always remember, adopting an animal from your local shelter is an amazing idea. Save one of those adorable critters from being put down. They are all looking for great homes. Help one of them out of the cage and into your heart and your family.

Another crazy thing thats been going on lately, my son refuses to go to bed, it is now almost 2am, and he is still up, this has been going on for weeks now. He doesn't take naps, he doesn't get sugar and soda, he is just all wound up and doesn't want to sleep. I have no clue whats going on, but its really taking a toll on me lately! We have an appointment next week, and I will be having a discussion with his Doctor about this. I know hes probably going to say, "Oh this is normal, it will go away with time" but, come on Doc, Mommy needs some sleep too! i can't depend on my coffee and Mt. Dew to keep me going all day. I love my son more than anything in the entire world, but mommy loves sleep too!

Well I hope all of you are doing well and still following me! So sorry for the lack of blogs, but i'm back, i'll make sure to put up daily posts again!

Until Next Time,
Keep Smiling and Keep the Kiddos Happy and Healthy

No Throw Strap Contest At A Blog Of Goodies

The lovely ladies over at A Blog Of Goodies is giving one lucky reader a chance to win a No Throw Strap for their kiddos cup or bottle. We have all had to stop and pick up their cup a million times at the grocery store or on a walk. I just love the different patters they have at www.nothrow.com. I must get one of these for my son becasue he never leaves his cup in the cart, he always manages to toss it out at one point or another. Hurry over and Enter. Contest closes June 15th.

And the Winner Of the Sage Creek Organic PJ's Is:

The winner of the Sage Creek Organic PJ's from www.mylittlesnugglebug.com is.......

DANA!

Dana said...

follow on twitter
zebastyandylan

tweet
http://twitter.com/zebastyandylan/statuses/1863758228

zippieee@msn.com

Congrats to Dana!  She has replied to our email and her PJ's of her choice will be shipped off to her tomorrow!  

Keep your eyes open for more giveaways and more fun from Moms Helping Moms

Untill Next Time

Keep Smiling and Keep the Kiddo's Happy And Healthy

My First Giveaway: My Little Snuggle Bug PJ Giveaway

So today I am super excited to bring to you one of my very first giveaways here at Moms Helping Moms.  Everyone knows how excited I am about Organic and Going Green.  I love it!!! www.mylittlesnugglebug.com is a great baby boutique, with sizes 0-24 months ORGANIC Clothes!  YAH!!  They have some of the cutest organic baby clothes I have ever come across.   And they are affordable too.  They have shoes, dresses, shirts, Tee's, jumpers, pants, jackets, pjs, towels, blankets, you name it, they have it and it's Organic!!!! They have items by Kate Quinn Organic, Speesees, and Jack and Lilly.  All amazing Organic Designers. I just love the Organic Terry Sunsuit!  Its just adorable!!!  I think its a must for this beautiful weather we are getting this summer.  

The amazing people over at www.mylittlesnugglebug.com have offered to give one lucky reader here at Moms Helping Moms a set of Sage Creek Organic PJ's.  ADORABLE!!!!  One Lucky Reader will get a choice of One Pair of Sage Creek Pj's in whatever style they want, Feeties or no Feeties(depending on the size).  These little suckers are made with the softest organic cotten.  My son looooves fuzzy soft cotton.  They come in Non-Footie in Blue Dancing Bears and Pink Dancing Bears, and they come with Footies in Blue Dancing Bears and Pink Dancing Bunnies.  These are super cute and will make Mommy and Baby smile.  My Little Snuggle Bug is also having a 10% off all Speesees and Sage Creek items to those who are subscribed to their mailing list, and through Memorial Day, any purchase over $40 gets FREE Shipping!  

To Enter:

Go over to www.mylittlesnugglebug.com and subscribe to their mailing list and then come back here and leave a comment telling me you subscribed and what email address you used.  This is the mandatory entry and must be done before extra entries are submitted.

Extra Entries: Leave seprate comments for each extra entry.

1. Follow Me Via Blogger or Email

2. Grab My Button and put it on your side bar

3. Follow me on Twitter(momshelpingmoms) and Tweet this Contest and leave a comment with the link

4. Blog about this Giveaway and leave a link to your blog as a comment

Contest closes at 11:00pm EST Sunday May 24th 2009.  

Thats 5 ways to enter to win these adorable Pj's for your little one.

Untill Next Time

Keep Smiling and Keep the Kidos Healthy and Happy

 

The Best Gifts are Hand Made:Fathers Day Hand Crafted Gift Ideas

I think the best gifts from kids are the ones they make themselves and with a little help from mom of dad.   I know when i was a kid, My mom use to help me make my dad his fathers day gift and he loved them.  I think he still has them. :) He says they fill a special place in his heart.  :) I love my Dad! :) 

So just since father's day is coming up soon, i thought i would share some ideas of what Mom and the kidos can work on to make dads day a special one, filled with smiles and happiness.

This idea i think is great.  It isn't for the little kids, or the kids that have a habbit of putting things in their mouths. 

Make dad an awesome pair of home made Boxers!  These will make a great gift for Dad.

All you need is:

-A pair of light colored or white boxer shorts

-Fabric Paint or Fabric Markers

For the smaller kids, you might try the markers instead of the paints.  But either will work.  

Maybe on one side you could trace the kido's hands on them, or a foot or just let them get creative with the paint and markers.  And on the other side Put Nice and Big, WORLDS BEST DADDY! 

Dad is bound to love these and the kids will have a great time making them and giving them to dad for his gift.  

This next one is going to be a great and fun idea for any child.  We all know how disorganized Dads trunk is, so this is something the kids will have fun doing.  

All You Need Is:

-Cardboard Box

-Markers

-Rope

First thing you do is turn the kids loose on the box with the markers!  Let them decorate it however they want, to make it special for Dad.  Draw pictures of the family on it, or write WORLDS GREATEST DAD on it.    Then after your all done, the next step is for Mom to do.  You have to cut a hole on each side of the box, far enough down that it dosn't break from carrying it.  Then you tie a knot in the rope on one end and put it through the hole so the knot is on the inside of the box.  Then do the same thing for the other side.  And TADA  You have a Daddy Trunk Tote.

Ever Dad has atleast one paper weight on their desk, so this next one is to replace that boring paper weight with a cute one that will make him think about his kidos every time he looks at it.

All You need is:

-A Round Rock

-Non-Toxic Paint

-Glue

-Google Eyes

-Yarn

First you have to paint the rock, maybe a pale pink or white color.  Once the paint is dry, you can get some yarn and cut it into small strands and glue it on for the hair.  Then glue on the Google Eyes and then paint on a mouth and other features you want on your little rock paper weight.  The kids can paint it to look like themselves or to look like Daddy!  It will make a perfect Fathers Day Gift!!

And another fun idea is something for Mommy and the Kidos to do together.  While daddy is getting ready for work or on his way to work, Log onto the computer and Send Dad a Fathers E-Card or write him an email that tells him how much you love him and how special he is, so he'll find it when he logs onto his email when he gets to work.  It is a sure thing to Brighten his day!  

These ideas will be fun and will have a lot of special meaning to the special Dad who recieves them.

Untill Next Time,

Keep Smiling and Keep The Kidos Happy and Healthy

One Busy Momma! A Worthy Cause and New Give Aways

Sorry to everyone thats a loyal Reader here at Moms Helping Moms!  This momma has been one busy Momma lately!  Not only has my little guy been feeling a little under the weather, the last few days I havn't been feeling all that great either.  I think there is some kind of stomach flu going around.  Its not to pleasent thats all I Know.  I have a few new things to fill yall in on.

First thing......I'm not sure if any of you have read or heard about Kayleigh Anne Freeman, The One Pound Miracle baby!  I have been following this blog for a while, and every post that the parents post about their beautiful baby girl and their family touches my heart every time. The Freeman family had to make a decision to keep their home or Keep paying for the healthcare for their daughter.  They are going through a lot of hard times, and they need everyones thoughts and prayers to ask God for another miracle for their beautiful little girl, Kayleigh.  She is 10 months old and a beautiful little girl, but she needs everyones support and so does her family to make it through these hard times.  So i ask you all, head on over to their blog, and read about this beautiful gift from god and hear their story and watch their videos and support them in their time of need.  They have a place on their Site were you can donate to help out their family.  If you are able, please help them out.  If you can't, Spread your thoughts and prayers for this family and keep them in your heart.

Next :) Giveaways!!  Woohoo Who dosn't love those!!!

Over at The Mommy-Files you can enter to win a Yogurt and Icecream Making Machine from Cuisinart.  My mom had one simaliar to this when I was little and me and my sisters LOVED it!  All you have to do is go over to .  The Mommy-Files Blog and take a peek at the Cuisinart Site and tell The Mommy-Files which product you would love to try from their collection.  There are other ways to enter, so check her site for full rules and details.  Ends May 19th 

Over at the Busy Mom Blog, They are giving away $100 worth of Tyson Products.  Yes, $100!!!!!!  I don't know about you but $100 of Tyson Products would fill my freezer and my families tummies pretty good for a while.  All you have to do is go over to Busy Mom and Tell her in a comment, what Tyson Any'tizer you would like to try, and you are entered into the contest. There are other ways to enter, so visit Busy Mom for full rules and Details.  Ends May 12th

At one of my Favorite sites, Frugal Mommy of 2 girls, she is giving away a Dress of the winners choice worth up to 35$ from Caterpiller Kid!  They have such adorable dresses at that site.  All you have to do to enter is head on over to Frugal Mommy of 2 Girls and leave a comment after you visit Caterpiller Kid's site and tell her what your favorite item is.  you can enter in other ways too, so head on over to her site for full rules and details.  Ends May 12th

Make sure you enter these awesome contests before the deadlines!!

Untill Next Time

Keep Smiling and Keep the Kidos Happy and Healthy

Turn Old Crayons into New Crayons!

I know my son is so picky when it comes to his toys.  He hates to share, but he loves to get new toys.  I'm sure you all have that box of broken crayons sitting around somewhere if not you can always go buy a box of the cheap ones for this fun project.  

My son loves to break those regular straight long crayons right in half.  So this project is perfect for him to help with.  Get all the old crayons you have laying around and take the papers off yourself, because its hard for the kidos and then let the kidos break them up into little peices and put them in a big bowl.

  

This will give you plenty of time to safely turn the oven on and preheat it without them running into the kitchen.  Preheat the oven to 275 degrees.

Once you have all the crayons broke up into peices, you put them in cupcake tins or whats even easier is Silicone trays.  That makes it easier to just pop them right out when they are cooled down and finished.   It dosn't matter what kind of trays you use, or what shape, the kids are going to love these.  If you are going to use a tin cupcake pan, i would suggest putting cupcake papers in them,  just so it is easier to take them out of the pan later.  A light spraying of PAM on the inside of the trays will make it easier to get them out as well.

You can put the same colors in each cupcake hole or you can mix them up.  Whatever you want to do, there is no wrong color mix for the kids.  Once you have them all in the trays, put them in the oven for about 8-10 minutes or untill they are completly melted.  

Take them out of the oven VERY Carefully.  They will be extreamly hot and if you spill them, it will leave a mark on your carpet/floor that will be super hard to get off.  You can leave the crayons the way they are or you can run a toothpick through them to mix the colors up a little bit.  Your NEW Crayons will need to cool for about an hour or so.  

Once they are cooled, just take them out of the containers and TADA  There you have it, New Crayons of whatever shape and sizes you and the kidos want.  Its easy to save money and Go Green these days when you use a little imaginiation. 

Untill Next Time

Keep Smiling and Keep the Kidos Happy and Healthy

Make a Home Made Piggy Bank with the Kidos

I have been looking all over for new fun activities to do with my 2 year old on these icky rainy days, and i found a few pretty amazing and pretty fun activities we are going to try this weekend.  

This one is my favorite.  Make your own piggy bank.  

This one you can let the kidos use their imagination while creating!  You can use an empty Bleach Bottle, a 2 liter soda bottle, an empty mayo jar, or a peanut butter jar.  Whatever you have thats plastic and empty, Big or small, you can turn into a great arts and craft idea for the kidos.  

1. First You will need to use a box cutter to cut a slot for the money in the top.  make sure its big enough for any coin to fit in.   Also cut a small hole in the bottom of the bottle to put the little piggies tail. 

 
2. Now this is where the fun begins.  You can use paper, cloth or Paint to make this little guy whatever color or design you want.  If you use paper or cloth, you can use a hot glue gun or even Elmers Glue to hold it on.  If your going to use paint, make sure its non-toxic and safe for the kidos. 

 

3. While the paint dries, you can let the kidos deside what kind of fabric or paper designs they want to add to their little piggy when its dry.  You can also use this time to get some extra thick poster board or some cardboard and cut out the little piggies Ears and let the kids paint them too.

4.  You can use Old spools from thread or even marshmellows as the piggies legs.  Whatever makes you and the kidos smile :)  I like the Marshmellow idea, because then you can use a marker and make little toes on them.

5.  Once everything is dry, you can now hot glue the ears on to the little piggies head.  And add some googly eyes onto your little piggy too.  And don't forget to add his little legs and two dots for his nose or maybe an old button for his nose.

6.  Once you have that all done and everything is finished, you can add the finishing touch......The piggies squiggly Tail.  take a pipe cleaner and wrap it around your finger to shape it and then stick it in the hole you cut in the bottom of the bottle.

And There you go, you have a home made piggy bank!  They don't have to look like piggies, they can be made into any animals and any colors or designs.  Let the kids imagination take hold and create something new and exciting.  

Keep your eyes open for more arts and craft ideas to come.

Untill Next Time

Keep Smiling and Keep the Kidos Happy and Healthy.

Contests and Giveaways

We all just love FREE Stuff, so i went out and found all the hottest new giveaway to share with all you momma's out there.  Enter as few or as many as you want for your chance at something nice for you or the kidos.

At Hip Mama's Place you can get into some great give aways.  One of my favorite current give aways is the Old world braclet by Twisted.  It is a beautiful braclet and would look amazing on any mommy's wrist.  Its worth $60 and Twisted is giving it away to one lucky Momma at Hip Mama's Place. You have till May 6th to get your entry in, so hurry!!  

Blissful Home is having an awesome give away that every mom is going to want in on.  They are giving away one of those super comfy Sleep Number beds valued at  $1300!!!!  This is the C3 Sleep Number Bed by Select Comfort by Sleep Number!  Ohh how i would love to win that.  You momma's out there can't tell me you wouldn't want one of these cozy comfy beds!!!  So hurry and enter, all you have to do is fill out the form HERE and you are entered.  There are other ways to earn more entries.  See site for more details.  

A Blog Of Goodies is giving away this adorable My Three Little Wishes necklace.  Its so adorable, and its sterling silver.  The Necklace is from SimaG Jewelry boutique and they handstamp all their items and they can be personalized in English or Hebrew.  All you have to do is go to the SimaG Jewelery site and find what you really love and comment about it on A Blog Of Goodies Original post for this give away and your entered.  There are other ways you can get enteries, so see her site for details.  

The awesome moms over at Cool Baby Kid are giving away a set of Flash Cards for the kidos from ETSY and they are just amazing.  They are a water proof, sturdy flash card that you can personalize for your child or you can buy pre-designed cards.  Either way its going to be a boat load of fun.  All you have to do is go to Cool Baby Kid's site and comment on what set of cards you like from ETSY's site and your entered.  there are other ways to enter too, so visit her site to find out more.  

I will be on the hunt over the weekend for some real big giveaways for all you mommy and kidos out there.  Get entering before its too late!

Untill Next Time

Keep Smiling and Keep the Kidos Happy and Healthy

Contests Contests Contests

Here is your latest update of contests for all you mommy's to enter. There are some really great ones this time around.

The Parents with Style is giving aways Kickin' Coaster From Learning Curve. This thing is pretty awesome. Not only is it adorable to put your little one in, but it actually serves as entertainment and isn't just going to have your little one sitting there looking at you. It will stimulate some play and fun times and grows with your little bundle of joy.

It lets the baby move around and glides back and forth with their kicks.  No other boucy seat does this.  I think this thing is amazing and recomend it to all new parents.  You can see a Demo of the Kickin' Coaster on the Learning Curve Website.  

Key Features of this new product are:

two seats in one: a soothing infant seat, and an active play seat

baby-activated glide helps develop core and leg muscles...while having fun!

twinkle lights for visual tracking

soothing vibrations

eight adjustable positions

two bouncy characters for visual fun

removeable infant head support included

multi-level volume control

removable teether rattle for infant play

two types of music: soothing and playful, with six songs in all

 age range: from birth, up to 25 lbs

 requires one D and three AA batteries

To Enter this contest just click over to The Parents With Style website and post a comment.  There are other ways to earn more entries.  Visit The Parents With Style Website for more details

We are all running low on money, and as a parent, we are more than likely worse off than other.  Bright Hub is hosting a contest for 10 lucky winners to win a $200 Visa Gift card.  How great would that be???  All you have to do is go to their site and fill out the little form with your info and you can enter once a day and get extra entries for referals.  They are giving 3 Lucky winners will get their gift card Early on May 15th.  So Hurry and Enter and get as many entries as you can for a chance at 200$ Visa Gift card.  

Fire & Ice is giving away $500 Gift Card to their store for the best Mommy and Baby picture.  All you have to do is send them via email, mail or at a store location, your best photo of you and your kido.  Then on May 19th they will choose one randomly as the winner.  All photos must be entered by May 11th to be part of the contest.  For more info, check out the Fire & Ice website.

Frugal Mommy of 2 Girls and Dealfriends have teamed up for an awesome contest to give one lucky person a 1000$ via paypal.  All you have to do is sign up a new account at DealFriends and then go to Frugal Mommy of 2 girls' website and comment on her post with your username at DealFriends and what you like about the site or what they could add or change and your entered.  The Deadline is June 8 2009 and is open to US Residents only.  Who couldn't use an extra 1000$ these days.  

  

There are a lot more other contests to enter, so keep checking back for the newest latest contests that can score you some sweet loot and prizes.

Untill Next Time

Keep Smiling and Keep the Kidos Happy and Healthy

12 Money Saving Tips for Moms

We all know having kido's isn't cheap. We are constantly spending money on something. Well here are a few tips to saving some money so maybe at the end of the month you'll have a few extra bucks to spend on something nice for Mommy!

1. For you working moms and the hubby, Try brown bagging it for lunch. Instead of spending $5-10 a day on lunch, pack a lunch and save that money for your Date night once a month. You will be suprised at how much money you will save with brown bagging it.

2. For you mommy's that love to read when the little ones taking his nap, Don't buy costly books that are going to just sit around when you finish them. Go to your local library and find a good book. This way you can just return it and get a new one, no need to spend 20$ on a book you are going to read once, or sometimes never finish because its not what you thought it would be.

3. Buy used when you can. Consignment shops and Thrift stores are great. They have gently used and sometimes new items, for Half or even more of what you would pay for them in the store. Clothes are a great buy from consignment shops and thrift stores. Take a peek around. Spend 20$ on clothes for the kidos instead of 120$ at the store.

4. Start a SWAP Meet. Get a group of your Mommy/Daddy Friends together and help eachother out. Weather it be babysitting, cutting the grass, fixing the car or your plumbing, you can save a lot of money by helping a friend out. You watch their 3 kidos for a night so they can have a night out and they fix your car. Even swap. Everyone has a handy friend. Talk about it with your friends. Save yourself some money and them too.

5. When buying from stores, Shop the Clearance section. Something that is orginally 20$ might be marked down to 6$. Save Save Save!!!

6. Pay for things with Cash instead of your Credit/Debit Card. I have found if i go into a store with only 50$ cash, thats what i spend and thats it. If you have your debit/credit card with you, you are more inclined to spend more, because you know you can just swipe that little card. If you only have a certin amount of money, then thats all you can spend, end of story and it Saves you big time in the end.

7. Once in a while, skip your trip to the grocery store, and use what you have. We all know we have plenty of food in the freezer and pantry, but we just don't want to take the time to make it. So skip the shopping trip every 3rd or 4th time and take the challenge to use what you have and make an awsome dinner. Money saver right there.

8. Make food and freeze it. Make your own breads, cookies, muffins, meatloafs....etc.... Make food and put them in zipper bags and store them. Its quick, easy and less of a hassel when it comes to making dinner. And if you have these things on hand, its less you will be spending each month at the grocery store.

9. Say NO to Fast food and Ordering Out. Having a pizza delivered is 15$ these days. You can make your own for about 5$ at home. And this can also be fun, by letting the kidos in on the fun. Let them help put the toppings on. Save that extra 10$ for something you will NEED Later on.

10. Kick the Gym Membership to the Curb! Exercise at home with your kidos. Not only does it save you money, it saves you gas, and keeps your kidos healthy too.

11. Make your own decorations, cakes and games for birthday parties or baby/bridal showers. You can save a load of money on that. You can make a cake for maybe 10$ at home, but you would pay 20-30$ at the store. Plus its fun to get a group of your friends and kido's together for fun baking and craft ideas.

12. Ditch Paper towles completly from your home. You will save money if you just use regular towles around the house. This way you just toss them in the wash, instead of having to add the paper towels to your trash and then having to buy more. Reduce, Reuse and Recycle! :)

Right now, we all need to save and conserve as much as possible. With the tips i have listed, you can save a good bit of money. Put that money in an envelope and save it for when you REALLY NEED It. There are millions of money saving tips out there, but these are just a few i like to use. You will be suprised how much money you can save when you Plan things out.
Untill Next Time

Keep Smiling and Keep the Kidos Healthy and Happy!

Raising A Baby On A Budget...Tips and Trics

Raising a baby isn't cheap! So i'm going to share some tricks, tips and ideas on how to raise your kido on a budge.

1. Buying in bulk never hurts. Sam's Club Memberships are like $40 for a year. And that $40 can save you hundreds of Dollars on Groceries. You can buy all your canned goods and non-parishables and stock up and save up.

2. When shopping, always take a list, and stick to the list. Search the stores website or flyer for sales and savings. Coupons are a great way to save some money.

3. Buying Generic never hurts. Its the same thing, just with a different name!

4. Diapers......Boy are they expensive. Buying them in bulk can save you a load of money. Cases are normally cheaper than the large bags. And also, do your shopping around.....Again the Generic are just as good. And don't forget to sign up for coupons and savings from your favorite diaper company! Cloth Diapers are also a money saver!!

5. Formula is super expensive. Remember that Powder is always cheaper. And to get more help if your a low income family, try applying for WIC.

6. When buying furniture for your little ones room, always buy what can grow with your kido. Convertable Cribs and Car Seats are a money saver. They go from Infant to Toddler in no time. You can always do Second Hand also! Goodwill, garage sales, craigslist, consignment shops. You can always find a deal. Just make sure to check for Recalls.

7. Coupons Coupons Coupons!!!! Find them in the flyers, online, from a friend, the sunday paper, Find them and Clip away! Just don't get Carried away! only clip for the things you normally use in the house.

8. Baby clothes are expensive too. But you can always save money in this department. Second hand is Awesome!! You can swap with friends, buy second hand. Most stores have sales at the end of each season. So keep your eyes peeled for those 2.99 outfits for next year!

9. The number one big time money saver is.....Breast Feeding and making your own baby foods. Breast Feeding cuts out that 25$ a can formula. And making your own baby food is easy, all you need is a blender and some fruits and vegies and TADA Blend Away!

There are so many ways to save money and raise your kidos on a budget. And remember you can always unload all that un-needed baby stuff to a consignment shop or list it on Craigslist and Make some extra money to put in the bank.



Untill Next Time

Keep Smiling and Keep the Kidos Happy and Healthy