Save Money - downgrade your cable bill!!

I saved $70 per month by doing the following:

About a year ago, we entered into a bundle deal for phone, internet and cable (with all of the movie channels, 2 boxes with DVR) for about $195 per month. Next month, this package was due to go up $20 to $215 per month. I called my provider to see how I could downgrade my package without loosing what we valued and used the most - phone, internet, basic cable with the children's channels. There was a bundle for $140 per month (for 12 months) that included all of that. We also decided that we really did not need the 2nd cable box with DVR and that saved us another $15 per month. Our provider also said as we have been loyal customers for 6 plus years, they would include the 1 box with DVR for free for 12 months.

Now my monthly bill is $145 per month - a $70 savings from the $215 per month is was going to be. In the end, all of the extra movie channels and such were really a waste that we were not even using. I would rather read a book in my little but spare time vs. watching TV anyways.

Hope this helps some of you out there looking for ways to save some money too!!

Get Money for your Old Bridesmaid/Wedding Dresses!

Hi all!

I found this great online dress consignment shop - kellibridal.com. There are 2 options:

Direct Buy - If you ship them your old bridesmaid dresses (that if they are anything like mine they are collecting dust in the closet) they will send you a check for $20.00 a dress!! I sent them 2 of mine and got a check for $40.00 within a few weeks. You have to email them a picture of the dress first to be sure they can take it.

Consignment option - They will try to sell your dress for the price you want to sell it at and take a percentage of the gross sale (I did not choose to do this option so I'm not positive on the details).

Either way - I thought this was a great website to pass along to everyone.

Enjoy!

http://www.kellibridal.com/DressPurchases/DressPurchases.htm

Cool Toothbrush for Kids

Need help getting your little ones to brush their teeth? Check out "Dr. Fresh Firefly Blinking Children's Toothbrush". I originally bought this as a 2 pack in Target for like $2.00 (one for the Toddler, one for the Infant who has 2 teeth as well). I got it because I thought it was a good price. When I got home and opened the package, the toothbrushes started to blink (hence the name "firefly"). My toddler was very interested in this. To get her to brush her teeth longer and (hopefully) better - I told her she had to keep brushing her teeth until the light stopped blinking (it lasts about a minute). I wanted to pass this tip along to all of you parents who might be having a hard time trying to get your kids to brush their teeth. Good luck and happy smiles!

Happy Mother's Day!

Just want to wish all of you wonderful mother's out there a very Happy Mother's Day! Enjoy the day - relax - take time to enjoy being with your family.
And now a poem about "real mothers" I found while searching the web that caught my interest. Enjoy!

Real Mothers
Real Mothers don't eat quiche; they don't have time to make it.
Real Mothers know that their kitchen utensils are probably in the sandbox.
Real Mothers often have sticky floors, filthy ovens and happy kids.
Real Mothers know that dried playdough doesn't come out of shag carpet.
Real Mothers sometimes ask "why me?" and get their answer when a little voice says, "because I love you best."
Real Mothers know that a child's growth is not measured by height or years or grade. . .It is marked by the progression of Mama to Mommy to Mother.
- Author Unknown.

Sunshine Day!!

The sun has finally made it's way to our part of the country! It's warm and comfortable to take a walk, go to the park, feed the ducks, go fishing, you name it - it's a great day to do it! So get outside with the kids today! Even just for a little while! We've already went for a walk to the library (which didn't last long because the toddler didn't want to sit still today for story hour - I don't blame her - it's too nice outside to be inside!). Took a walk around town. Rode bikes and colored with sidewalk chalk. I'm thinking blowing bubbles will be a good one for after nap time too! And tomorrow - here we come to the pond to get our toes in the sand and water and feed the ducks and fish!!

Inspirational Quotes - to get us through this crappy rainy day

Life is either a daring adventure or nothing. ~Helen Keller

Life is like a game of cards. The hand that is dealt you represents determinism; the way you play it is free will. ~Jawaharal Nehru

The best way to prepare for life is to begin to live. ~Elbert Hubbard

One way to get the most out of life is to look upon it as an adventure. ~William Feather

As I grow to understand life less and less,I learn to love it more and more. ~Jules Renard

If you can imagine it, you can achieve it; if you can dream it, you can become it. ~William Arthur Ward

Cool Flowers for Mother's Day

I originally found this in one of the parenting magazines (cannot remember which one right now) but I thought it was a cool art & craft for Mother's Day. Daddy & Toddler (mostly Daddy) ended up finishing them but they still came out great! Basically, you cut 1 inch strips of construction paper, take a 3 hole punch to make 3 holes in each strip, thread a pipe cleaner through a button then thread 4-5 of each of the construction paper strips (folded over so the holes line up) through each pipe cleaner until you have a full head of a flower. Ta-da! There you have it! We used old Gerber Puffs and other containers around the house for vases - covered them with wrapping paper and stickers to pretty them up.