Schmoozins

As a mom my Wii tends to be my kids Wii.  But there are moments when I kick the kids out of the picture and tell them it is my time to play.  As moms we need some play time both with and without our kids.  The Wii is a perfect example of play for all ages.  But here is where it really gets fun.  There is an awesome group of moms out there aka “The Wii Mommies“.

The Wii Mommies use the tagline “Bringing Fitness Home”.  Playing with a Wii may not seem like a great fitness routine to many people but there are a variety of fitness games available and more that keep being released.  The most popular is likely Wii Fit.  But there are several other games such as AE Active, Your Shape, and Walk It Out.

You might want to consider meeting up with some of the other Wii Moms and having an accountability partner or just sharing the fun you had for the day.

Let’s face it getting in shape with kids under foot is not easy in anyway shape or form.  But having something like the Wii allows the entire family to have some fun while getting fit or just some mom moments where you can play like you were still a kid.  Either way there are several moms out there waiting to chat it up with you all about your Wii.

One of my favorite blogs to read is Balancing Beauty and Bedlam.  Jen is a wonderful writer but there is so much more than that to her blog.  She opens the front door, brings you in and makes you feel right at home.  One of my favorite sections of her blog is the Frugal Fashionista.

In her Frugal Fashionista category you will find the genius finds of all things thrifty and frugal.  It seems Jen has this natural ability to just wave her fingers at thrift stores and rummage sales and find the perfect outfit.  She puts each outfit together in $15 or less and shows you pricing on each item.

You will find a wealth of tips and creative ideas just following her posts.  Jen often inspires me to dig a little deeper in a secondhand store and find something special that flatters my figure.  What have you purchased recently on the cheap?  My biggest find recently wasn’t clothing but a great laptop bag by Franklin Covey for $2!  It sure come in handy for all my scout meetings and leaves me looking classy at that.

A friend of mine showed me a really cool awareness this morning called the No Name Zone.  It isn’t really a product but a way of labeling your children’s items so that they aren’t labeled by his or her name.  Check out the video that explains how to teach your kids to label their items safely.

No Name Zone Video

If this interests you then sign up for the No Name Zone Pledge and be entered to win a free IPad!

Christi and I have been having a little cross blog conversation and she asked me:

So Heather, tell us about your blogging history, and what made you want to apply for the Blog Internship.

Well Christi that is a fully loaded question.  I have been blogging for two years now and while that for many is a long time I made a big change to Wordpress a few months back.  I felt like I was at a total loss on and off with the platform and wanted to know how to get the most out of my blog.

Just like most bloggers I wanted to improve my monetizing but I know in order to do that I need to make improvements in formatting and SEO.  Thanks to you I learned about Blog Internship.  I thought I would give it a try.  So far I have been learning some useful skills.

So Christi what was the most valuable thing you learned while you were in Blog Internship and how are you putting it to use now?

As part of my blog internship I am stretched and learning many new things.  This week I am doing something totally new to me called a cross blog conversation.  What is that?  Well it is like it sounds I am going to have a conversation with my awesome friend Christi between Schoomzins and Polka Spot Farm, aka Christi’s blog.  Feel free to listen in and leave comments for us both!

Christi,

Hey girl I hope you have had a great day so far and do I ever have questions for you.  Ha, nothing new right?  Anyway I am still at my process of Kelly McCausey’s Blog Internship over here at Schmoozins and I have been wondering a couple of things.

Since you recently finished Blog Internship I was wondering just where did you originally hear about it?  Funny thing I have never really asked you that but it crossed my mind today.  You are always so resourceful I am sure no answer will surprise me but my curious mind none the less is wondering.

And while I am at it what made you take the bait?  Why did you chase the worm and get hooked on the idea of Blog Internship?  Something had to have screamed to you loud and clear.  Spill the beans let me know exactly what was going on in your head!

Overly curious,

Heather

Ellie Kay, America’s Family Financial Expert, is full of ideas how to save your extra dollars.  I recently bumped into her video giving some great advice on saving and teaching kids about how to save on back to school purchases.

Ellie’s book The Little Book of Big Savings: 351 Practical Ways to Save Money Now is an awesome continuation of her back to school tips.  These tips can save you money in several areas of life like:

•How one phone call could save you $500 a year or more
•How your kids can get a great education without breaking the bank
•Three ways your water heater can save you money
•Why giving away money is one of the best ways to save it
•How to save up to 50% on your online purchases

You can see how you will easily save the price of this great resourceful book.  These tips are a great help to the mom trying to get out of debt or trying to stay out of debt.  In our current economy I am sure we can all use some help.

If you find your family constantly as asking “what is for dinner?” and you feel like pulling your hair out then it is time for a change.  With a little preparation you can save a lot of time in the kitchen.  Two of the best tools you can have in the kitchen are a crockpot and a freezer.  I know you are thinking wow those are totally opposite tools but they really can compliment each other.

First you need to get a nice size crockpot for your family. I highly recommend the Rival 6.5 Quart Slow Cooker with Bonus Little Dipper Slow Cooker.  For a family the size of mine (five of us including three teen boys) the large crockpot is a must.  I also love that this one comes with a free bonus little dipper which is good for so many things including dips, sauces and even warming canning flats.

Think of your crockpot as a mini oven that cooks at a slower pace.  There are some great points to this like a tough cut of meat will tenderize with the slow cooking.  If you are a beginner to crockpot cooking or you just need some fresh ideas you definitely want to check out Crockpot Cooking Made Simple by Susanne Myers of HillbillyHousewife.com.  You can get a sampling of her crockpot recipes at her website but the cookbook is a much better compilation of her recipes and tips.

So at this point I suppose you are wondering how your freezer compliments your crockpot.  Well if you have one of those mornings where you can’t seem to get supper in the crockpot quick enough because one of the kids caused a crisis before school and work then you will be thankful when you have a crockpot meal awaiting in the freezer.  Just grab, toss in the crockpot and set to cook.  The smell will be wonderful when you arrive home from work and your evening will be a breeze.  Doesn’t that sound relaxing?

Susanne can help you with some freezer cooking ideas also.  Isn’t she just brilliant?  Check out her Freezer Cooking Made Simple ebook.  After learning what freezes well and how to appropriately preserve food for the freezer try to match what can cook easily in the crockpot.  You can now prepare and plan some emergency from the freezer to the crockpot meals.  It will be like having your own convenience foods without the preservatives and junky ingredients.

Make sure when you freeze your meals to put them in some appropriate containers to avoid freezer burn.  Buying some Ziploc Quart Freezer Bags in bulk might be the option for you if you have limited storage in your kitchen.  If you want to stay on the greener side go for Arrow Plastics 30 Piece Freezer Storage Container Set.  It stacks nicely and is a frugal option.

Using your crockpot and freezer can be a huge time saver in the kitchen.  Take time to learn how to get the most out of these kitchen appliances.

Do you have those days where you almost want to quit being a mom? Maybe the house is falling apart or you forgot to pay a bill or missed an appointment. Today’s woman is so much busier than June Cleaver and the demands just never seem to end. Some of us need to learn how to say NO but many things can be helped by just having a system in place so things don’t get to the point of overwhelming.

I grew up in a home where my mother had a serious work related injury and couldn’t do many things around the home. I remember being resentful that at eleven I was attempting to keep the house and cook the meals. For my age I didn’t do too bad but I didn’t learn any systems other than let it go and catch up. As a mom that system just doesn’t work. At eleven as survival it was all I knew.

Being a mom to three teen aged boys I am attempting to teach things that my mom wasn’t able to teach during her time of illness. The following quote really caught my attention.

“Home Organization for Busy Moms by Cara Mirabella can make the words “organized busy mom” a reality for you.”

Doesn’t that statement in itself make you want to look further into Cara’s Guide to Home Organization!  Here is what you can expect to find in the book:

~Learn what it means to get organized and how to get started.
~Discover how to rid your life of clutter for good.
~How to stop kitchen chaos! Awesome organization tips for cupboards, drawers, and the fridge & freezer.
~How to quickly & easily get the family room under control.
~The A-B-C formula for tackling the bedroom & bathroom and discover the no lose way to organizing the home office, garage, car, and all those seasonal items too!

If you find yourself in a situation similar to mine then I want you to know there is help out there.  Just give it a chance.  If you find yourself needing a little more personalized help you might look into Personal Home Management Coaching from Cara.  She will help you find your areas of strengths and guide you in improving your weaknesses.  There is hope no need to remain overwhelmed anymore.

There are some rockin’ mamas out there setting up all the school supply deals for the rest of us!  I thought I would share a few that are helping me out right now!

1. Mavin of Savin
2. Deal Seeking Mom
3. Frugal, Fun & Fortune
4. Couponing 101!
5. Geeky Pleasures

With all the great deals out there you should have no problem getting your kids to school for less.  Make sure to pick up a few extras and donate them to a needy family.

In our home we routinely drop off a bag or two at a home for boys who have been abused.  Not only does it help the boys it teaches my boys how to be generous and that they are blessed to have a family and home.

photo credit: stevendepolo

No matter what your child’s age when heading to school they are bound to deal with some peer pressure.  This video has some great tips for giving your child advice.