For many years, I loved going out to the movies. I still do. It is nice to put on something other than sweats and jeans and get out of the house on occasion without the kids. But the expense of it all—the babysitter, the tickets, dinner, the goodies—has long surpassed insanity. My husband and I are homebodies at heart. Whether that has come out of willingness or necessity is unimportant. Even so, it is still fun to put the kids to bed early and only have to worry about which pajamas are... Read Full Story

Lately I have forced myself to stop. I need to relax. I definitely need to be more aware. I don't know why or how we become so hurried and busy. It would be easy to claim that life forces us to become that way but that would be untrue. Allowing ourselves to become caught up in mostly unimportant things is our own fault. I have literally looked at myself in the mirror and told myself, "Don't screw this up. These are your children. And if you screw this up, nothing else matters.&... Read Full Story

As of the time of this entry, gas where I live is $4.15 a gallon. It’s ridiculous and depressing all at once. We can hardly afford groceries, let alone the expense of gasoline to drive anywhere. On a day like today—blue skies, slight breeze, and 72° temps—I am depressed 10 times over. We sat around this morning, scheming and trying to come up with ideas of what we could do as a family to get out of the house and enjoy the beautiful day, only to find that we had exhausted nearly all of our ide... Read Full Story

Before having children and becoming a stay-at-home mom, I worked for several years. At those jobs there were always doting mothers who proudly exclaimed all of the accomplishments, great and small, of their growing children. Their cubicles donned their child’s artwork and toys left behind when they were visited by their children at work. Pictures upon pictures of a giggling youngster, a high school graduation, major milestones, and of course, those almost ghastly AND annoying family pictures ... Read Full Story

Something about looking like you’re hauling around a watermelon, waddling everywhere you go, and looking awkwardly miserable, garners undoubted and unsolicited advice and attention. Unless I am mistaken, I can’t recall where exactly it is written that a pregnant woman is continuously seeking advice from anyone, especially strangers. Is pregnancy some kind of universal sign? Because these folks are like a moth to a flame. It reminds me of a certain television commercial about a pregnant wo... Read Full Story

I recall the weeks prior to the delivery dates of my children. They were filled with happiness and joy, anxiety and concern, and impatience and anticipation. I wondered if everything was in order, hoping that everything was just right for this new arrival.Looking back, it wasn’t. There always seemed to be something that I had forgotten or some way that I could have been better prepared. The laundry seemed endless, as it always does. All of those freezer meals that I had planned to pack away s... Read Full Story

In my previous post, I recommended 3 survey sites that I have participated in. I listed these sites because I have found them to be legitimate, which is more than others out there can say.This post continues on with the subject of survey sites, only it offers up some advice that anyone who is involved with or thinking of joining a survey site should no doubt read. Good luck! Tip #1:Even though it may be time consuming and dreadful, read the terms of service. There is typically a condensed ve... Read Full Story

Times are tough and a few extra dollars in the bank account wouldn't hurt one bit. But as a stay-at-home mother who wants to keep it that way (that is, continue to be a stay-at-home-mom), there just doesn't appear to be much to suffice. Like others before me, I too have begun looking into these too-good-to-be-true claims to see just what is out there in the way of working from home. I am being extra cautious. I don't want all of my personal information to be out there and I don... Read Full Story

Being a parent is expensive. Especially in today's world. I believe that it is more expensive than ever before. I think that my own parents would vouch for that. There's formula, diapers, baby food, baby wipes, diaper creams and potions to buy, medical checkups and activities on top of that.It has come to the point that our bills have grown so much that I am taking the initiative to cut down where possible. I have also made an earnest effort to stay away from the store. Any store. Aft... Read Full Story

Though its been a good 2 months now, I still feel guilty for having to give up nursing my son. I nursed my daughter for a year or more. And because of difficulties that I began having this time around, I had to succumb to bottle feeding. Not that feeding a baby formula is bad. Its not even horrible. It just wasn't what I planned. I thought that the second time around would be the same, even easier. Because for all those who are nursing or have nursed (for those who are planning to nurse, ... Read Full Story