Grocery Coupons - Print Em' and Use Em'

In my ongoing quest to save cash, I stumbled upon this nifty little website called CouponMom. They offer a decent variety of coupons, plus free samples (with membership.)

Be sure to check out the "free electronic grocery coupons" link.

http://www.couponmom.com/index.php?cid=99

Happy shopping!

Reading Books With Children's Artwork

I had to share this idea from Kaboose. If you love looking at your child's artwork- and who doesn't-but have accumulated more pieces than your refrigerator or walls can hold, you can always reuse them in practical ways-like transforming them into long-lasting and lovely bookmarks.

Click on this link to view the all-so-easy instructions:

http://crafts.kaboose.com/bookmark-craft.html

The Baby Jar Envelope Sealer

Baby jars…not just convenient holders of mashed baby food, but storable little vessels with dozens of interesting uses around the home. I mentioned before how butter can be made via the humble baby jar. You can also spare your tongue the dry, bitter flavor of envelope glue with this handy little invention.

The Baby Jar Envelope Sealer

What you’ll need:

A clean baby jar

A small sponge

Scissors

A bit of water

-Cut the sponge until its small enough to fit in the jar, but still long enough to extend out of the opening.

-Fill the jar with a bit of water to moisten the sponge. Run envelope flaps over the sponge.

-Seal the envelopes, and savor that lack of envelope flavor lingering on your taste buds.

Coupons for Chocoholics Moms!

Just wanted to share an awesome link to Ghirardelli chocolate coupons:

http://www.retailmenot.com/view/ghirardelli.com



-Chocoholic moms unite!!

Dad's duds = baby's clothes

How many dress shirts does your hubby go through in a month? A year? About a truckload, if yours is anything like mine.

Here's a super-nifty little article on how to turn those worn out shirts into skirts or art smocks for your little tyke:

http://www.ehow.com/how_7318564_recycle-men_s-shirts-children_s-clothes.html




~We can all save money...one idea at a time.

Turn Pasta Into Pie

Got some leftover pasta carbonara fixings? Here’s a fun way to transform a classic old pasta recipe into in a hot, kid-friendly pie ready to be sliced and served.

What you’ll need:

12 ounces of spaghetti (Use wheat pasta for a little extra nutrition)

1/2 teaspoon salt

6 slices of bacon, cut into small pieces

15 ounces reduced fat ricotta cheese

1/2 cups grated Romano cheese

2 eggs

2 tablespoons water

1/2 teaspoon pepper

2 cups milk

1/2 pinch cinnamon

-Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Prepare spaghetti In large saucepot as label suggests.

-Cook bacon in nonstick saucepan over medium heat about 12 minutes or until browned. Drain bacon on paper towels.

-In blender on low setting, combine Romano, ricotta, eggs, water, pepper, cinnamon, 1/2 cup milk, and salt until blended.

-Return drained and prepared pasta to saucepot. Add blended mix, along with remaining milk and bacon. Stir until combined.

-Transfer pasta to 2 quart baking dish and bake 40 minutes, or until edges are golden brown. Let pie stand for 10 minutes.

-Cut into kid-friendly-and don’t a few forget adult-friendly-slices and serve.

Got junk? Make these!

I had to share this link. Anyone can make these wonderful baby toys out of day-to-day used items that would otherwise wind up gettin plunked in your trash can.

Remember...reusing is good for the soul, good for the pocketbook, and makes for a happy, entertained little baby!

http://hubpages.com/hub/Easy-to-make-toys-for-your-baby

-My favorite: The bell square. Make it your weekend project. You'll love the results!

Featured Coupon-Free Breakfast at Sweet Tomatoes

Like so many fellow moms, I'm always treasure-hunting for ways to save money, and I'll take any coupon for a tasty restaurant I can get my hands on.

Here's a buy-one-get-one-free coupon for one of my all time fav, good-for-ya restaurants...

http://dealspl.us/souplantation-coupons

Kid Friendly Pickle Loaf

Got extra meatloaf fixings? Got pickles? Think the two could never meet in this universe? Think again!

My daughter loves pickles. So does my friend’s daughter, and my other friend’s son, and my other, other friend’s daughter, and...you get the idea. I adored pickles when I was little too. Why? Who cares? The good news is that you can stick pickles in your standard roster of recipes and start making meals fit for a kid, and not too bad for us adults, either!

This pickle loaf recipe is no harder to make than a standard meatloaf, and makes a darn yummy dinner.

What you’ll need:

½ cup dill pickle juice

1/3 cup dill pickles, chopped

1 small-median onion, chopped

1 egg

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp pepper

1 pound ground beef, lean

¼ cup ketchup

1 ½ tbs water

½ tbsp Worcestershire sauce

½ cup bread crumbs

1 tbsp brown sugar

Cooking spray

-Preheat an oven to 350 degrees. Spray an 8 x 8 baking dish with cooking spray.

-Whisk the salt, pepper, onion, pickle juice and egg in a mixing bowl.

-Stir in the bread and beef until fully combined.

-Shape the mixture into a loaf and place in the pan.

-Combine the ketchup, brown sugar, water and Worcestershire sauce in a mixing bowl. Pour the mixture over the meatloaf.

-Bake about one hour, or until the loaf is no longer pink in the center.

Guaranteed to become a family favorite in no time. Enjoy!

Kid's Cereal Christmas Box!

I just had to post on this spectacular idea from Curbly, after "wrapping up" a few gifts in some old Cocoa Pebbles containers. So nifty!

View the instructions here: http://curbly.com/Chrisjob/posts/3260-How-To-Make-Cereal-Gift-Boxes-

Pop on pretty bow, and you've got a colorful gift box minus all that pesky wrapping.

The Lego Desk Organizer

If you're like me, you've probably tripped over your kids' discarded legos about three billion times. And, you've also probably wondered: Might these mercilessly hard chunks of plastic have a better use than leaving little square imprints on my feet?

Believe or not, they do! Just a few legos can be converted into a colorful, and just downright precious pen and pencil organizer for your desk or a holder for your childrens' many crayons. Here's how:

What you'll need:

-Multi-sized lego blocks your child no longer plays with

-Hot Glue

-A large piece of cardboard

Organize the various legos in a rectangular or square shape. Arrange them so their open sides face up. Hot glue them together, and presto! You've got little storage holders for your little one's crayons or tiny toys, OR for your paperclips,post-it notes and push pins. Have your child help you decorate it with lots of stickers. Not only practical, but adorable. Enjoy!

Crib Wall Clothes Dryer

So you’ve got an old crib your child outgrew. You’re thinking to yourself, “My baby slept in this thing every night for over a year. I can’t bear to get rid of it. Sure would be nice if I could reuse it for something!” Well, here’s a really simple and practical way to get a little extra use out of that precious piece of furniture, while taking care of those delicate duds you don’t want to toss in the dryer:

What you’ll need:

-A detached crib wall

-Large, heavy-duty nail or screw

-Bobby Pins

-Wet Clothes

Screw or hammer the nail to a handy wall somewhere, like in your laundry room. Hang the crib wall vertically on the nail. Use bobby pins to attach the clothes to the crib bars. Remove the clothes when dry, and smile while you reminisce over “sleeping baby” memories.

The Butter Shaker Baby Jar

I'm ashamed to say I've kept at least half the baby jars I bought during Charlotte's younger months. Yeah, I know, I’m a nastalgic pack rat. Been making a list of creative things to do with them. This one tops the list, and its a baker’s dream!

The butter shaker baby jar:

What you’ll need:

A clean baby jar with lid

Heavy whipping cream

At least one pair of arms (the more the merrier)

-Let the whipping cream sit out a bit so it warms to room temperature.

-Fill the baby jar with the whipping cream (leave about half an inch of space at the top) and close the lid rightly.

-Now its time for some shakin’! If your child is a bit older you can turn it into a family activity. Keep shaking until the jar’s contents look nice and thick and creamy.

-Stick the jar in the fridge.

Now you’ve got a baby jar full of delicious homemade butter! Cherish the nostalgia while you top off your toast. Enjoy!

How to turn stew veggies into kid fries

I cook up a big pot of stew every other Wednesday. It’s a traditional sort of stew, not too fancy, just chunks of beef, tons of vegetables, a little broth, a bit of flour and some choice seasonings. Today for some reason I cut up way too many vegetables. I knew that just wouldn’t do. I’ve got a hungry hubby to feed tonight, after all, and we all know guys tend to fuss over an unbalanced veggie-to-meat ratio. Sure, I could have bagged and fridged the veggies for another day, but then I got a better idea. Why not turn them into baked fries fit for a kid?

Here’s the recipe.(My daughter adores this!)

Sweet Veggie Fries

What you’ll need:

1 1/2 pounds carrots
1/2 pound asparagus sticks (Optional, but Charlotte luvs em!)
1/2 pound sliced sweet pepper strips (gold, green, red…whatever ya got)
2 teaspoons sugar
2 1/2 tablespoons extra light olive oil
nonfat cooking spray

-First, preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Spray a shallow baking pan with nonfat cooking spray.

-Take your peeled, sliced carrots (cut once crosswise, then twice lengthwise to get nicely sized strips.)

-Combine your oil, veggies, sugar, olive oil and some optional spices (pepper, salt, etc) in a bowl and stir until you’ve got a nice even coating on your multi-colored veggie medley. Place the veggies in the pan. Try not to overlap them so they cook evenly.

-Bake for approximately fifteen minutes, or until veggies are tender.

-Let cool and serve.

This is a nice way to get rid of excess veggies and serve your young one a delicious, nutritious munchie. Enjoy!

Bathroom Towel Gingerbread Doll

I'm a thrifty (cheap) gal. I'm so thrifty in fact that I keep bathroom towels around until they start to come undone at the end...you know, where you have that really long string dangling down, and you're afraid to pull on it because you figure the whole thing will just unravel? Of course, eventually it gets so frayed and worn out that you literally have to throw in the towel. Or do you?

Why not transform that old bathroom towel into an adorable chew doll/toy for your little one?

Here's a simple way to make a soft, cuddly gingerbread man out of a towel that's past its prime:

What you'll need:

-An old towel made from child-friendly material, like natural cotton (thinner towels are easier to sew, just make sure its not too thin or threadbare that your child can rip pieces out and swallow them.)
-Thread
-Sewing needle
-Sewing Scissors
-Yarn or face-making decorations like buttons

1.Draw the gingerbread man template of your toy twice on the towel (one for the front of the doll and one for the back.) I chose a gingerbread man because its just a super simple design, but if you prefer, you can swap him out for a bunny or whatever else your child finds snuggle-worthy.

2.Cut out your templates. Leave about a half an inch around your outlines when you cut. You'll need that extra area for sewing the templates together.

3.Sew the templates nearly together, but leave a small area open so you can turn your gingerbread man inside out. Stick your finger in and push all the sewn edges out to smooth out his shape. (We don't him all lumpy, do we?) You can stuff him with what's left of your towel after you've cut it up into scraps. Pad him enough so that he's got a nice round shape, but not so much that he's not squeezably soft.

4. Sew up the hole you left for stuffing. Now you can embroider any expression you want on your gingerbread creation. Feel free to use buttons and other decorative items if your child's old enough not to swallow them.

Now you've got a chewable, soft, cuddly, machine washable companion for your little one to treasure. And to think...you were just about to throw that old towel out!

Little Toy Collection Picture Frame

Lets repurpose those little old toys!

Charlotte's amassed quite a ton of little toys over the past year...not to mention all those little broken-off pieces of bigger toys I've collected. In fact, as I've looked over the scattered assemblage of tiny, colorful animals and dolls in her toy box (and those busted lego fragments I've been putting in a jar and wondering what the heck to do with) I figured I should try to do something decorative and meaningful with it all. This is what I came up with, and it looks pretty darn spectacular!

Tiny Toys Galore Picture Frame:

What you'll need:

-A picture frame
-Glue
-small, discarded plasic colorful toys/toy pieces

Gather yourself up a good collection of multi-colored little toys. Glue them to the front of one of your favorite child or family picture frames. Be sure to mix up the colors and pieces to get a nice mosaic effect. Now you have a unique, nastalgic, adorable picture frame you'll want to hold onto forever.

A Novel Jigsaw Puzzle

Turn that beat-up book into a brand new activity!

Got a few (dozen) worn out children's books that are too dilapidated to donate? How 'bout turning one into a brand new activity-namely a jigsaw puzzle? Here's how:

What you'll need:

-A children's book with at least one good page (big board books work best.)
-A utility knife
-About a minute's worth of time

Flip the kid's book to a colorful, whimsical page. Rip it out-if your child hasn't already accomplished that task for you. Cut the page into angled pieces. Of course large peices work best for younger children. For older children you can go smaller to make the puzzle more challenging.

Congratulations. You've just invented a brand new activity to stimulate your little one's mind and provide oodles of fun.

**If you don't have a board book, you can use paper pages by glueing them to the back of thin cardboard.

Kid's Toy Planter-It's portable!

This invention is for mom!

About a month ago I purchased a rather expensive, rollable, hollow toy for my little girl: in a nutshell, a gi-normous hollow strawberry on wheels. The top opened,so she could store little toys inside. She loved it the first few days. Then she ripped the top off. Now it's half a strawberry. About a week ago I decided to breathe new life into that sad half-strawberry, just sitting by her toy chest gathering dust. I packed in some soil, planted a few marigolds and added water. Thus, my colorful red planter was born.

Happy to say, my flowers are happy and thriving in their new home. I've relocated the planter a few times. Easy to do, sinec its on wheels. You wouldn't believe just how adorable it is...

-This one works for boy's trucks, too! Enjoy.

Make a planter and send me a photo!

Breakfast Smash!

Time for a simple Mom Invention breakfast!

What's more typical, albeit a tad boring, than a ham and potato dinner? Here's a great re-use-it recipe that gets rid of those meat and spud leftovers and provides a delicious flavor-and-protein breakfast meal for your hungry little one.

Hash Breakfast Smash!

What you'll need:


1 cup cooked ham, diced

1 cup cooked potatoes, diced or cut into small chunks

About 2 tbsp light olive oil

About 2 tbsp all-purpose flour

1-1/2 cups water

-Heat the oil in a skillet. Add the flour and stir frequently over medium heat until golden brown. Remove from heat to prevent burning.

-Add some vegetables if your little one likes them! Personally, I recommend a hearty sprinkling of onion, green peppers and mushrooms, but go with whatever your child considers meal-worthy. Cook the vegestables in the skillet until they are nice and soft.

-Return skillet to medium heat, and add the water, potatoes and ham. Let the mixture come to a boil, then decrease heat to a simmer and cover. Cook for ten minutes, stirring occasionally.

-Add salt to taste, let cool and serve!

If you want to make this one the night before, just add a bit of water (approximately a quarter cup) and mix it up before you toss it in the microwave. Enjoy!

Kid-Clothes Christmas Ornaments

My little girl just keeps on growing. That means constant trips to the clothing store, and an ongoing trail of used clothes that may not always be up to donation standards. But tis the season for re-use-in'! Here's how I turned a worn out blue and white flower dress into a homemade cloth ornament keepsake that could light up any Christmas tree.

Things you'll need:
-Scissors
-Glue
-Decorative material, such as glitter
-A styrofoam ball
-Pipe cleaner

-Cutting Up. Cut strips of cloth into whatever shape you like (I picked a star, but I had a handy stencil.) Keep the strips to about 4 inches wide.

-Get gluing! Glitter and rhinestones give off great sparkle. Small beads are also darling, or find a recent photo and cut around your little one's face in a heart-shape and paste it in the center.

-Have A Ball. Glue the back of the the material and wrap it tightly around the styrofoam ball. Be sure to smooth out any wrinkles in the material before you press it down. If you have multiple strips, you can overlap them for a little added interest and shape.

-Cut the pipe cleaner to about six inches in length. Bend it in half so it forms a loop. Press sthe ends together and insert them into the top of he ball. Hang the loop from a tree branch, and Voila! You've just turned an old dress, shirt or other piece of used children's apparel into a lovely, lasting festive memory.

If you make yourself a kiddie-clothes ornament, please take pictures and send them my way!