In the last couple of years, I’ve noticed a real difference in my skin. Now that I’m 38, I can no longer be so low maintenance about skin care. When I was in my 20′s, I didn’t always have to moisturize or exfoliate my face, and if I forgot to remove makeup after a tiring day, my skin was none the worse for wear.

No longer.

So when I was contacted by the publishers of 7 Years Younger: The Revolutionary 7-Week Anti-Aging Plan, I jumped at the chance to read it.

I found that it had a lot of solid advice for overall wellness. For instance, I’m impressed that the book recommends frequent exercise. It’s not hard to make the connection between glowing skin and an active lifestyle. When I’m walking daily, for instance, I don’t need to wear blush, and I also have less puffiness (probably because exercise tends to get the lymph flowing and helps reduce water retention).

The book doesn’t just focus on skin care and makeup. It has nutrition tips for “feeding” your skin and hair well, wardrobe suggestions for looking good at any age, and great advice on maximizing your best features and taking care of yourself better in your 30′s and 40′s (and up).

The book features profiles of women who took the “7 Years” challenge, complete with before and after pics. I liked that the women profiled were all real women with real lives – mothers, career women (or both), with hobbies, volunteer work and other demands on their time. Following the advice in the book won’t take a major lifestyle overhaul.

One of my favorite parts of the book were the product recommendations. These products have been tested by the Good Housekeeping Research Institute beauty lab by hundreds of women volunteers, so you know they’re among the best of the best. Who wants to waste money at the drugstore or cosmetics counter on poor performing products?

Of course, I did wish that the book talked more about non-toxic skin care and suggested avoiding certain ingredients like phthalates and paraben. While some of the products recommended did have botanic ingredients, I personally wouldn’t use some of the others.

In all I was impressed with the book’s no-nonsense advice. It motivated me to be more vigilant with my skin care. I bought some exfoliant that I keep in the shower to use on my face once a week. I’m moisturizing more. I got a shorter, swingier ‘do.

You can check out the book on Amazon here: 7 Years Younger: The Revolutionary 7-Week Anti-Aging Plan

Shopping for birthdays or making a Christmas list, I have buying boys gifts down to a science.  After all, I have 3 of them-1 in every age group from just beyond toddler to teen.

It seems like the youngest  already has everything, handed down from his brothers. And the older 2 seem to want the latest, greatest most expensive items.  I operate on a fairly tight budget, and I want gift giving to be more than packages filled with hundreds of plastic pieces that end up strewn all over the house.  More useless clutter is not what I need!

In an effort to  maximize the value of every dollar, I try to take a thoughtful approach to giving and pick items that are slightly more unique.

Nothing Intrigues, Terrifies, and Mystifies Boys More Than Monsters.

The Melissa and Doug Monster Bowling game allows just the right level of indoor physical activity and all out fun for ages from 2 on up! In my house, it’s hard to find things that all 3 boys can do together because their ages are so spread out, but this is something everyone plays. Bonus: when they’re done, it still looks cute sitting in the room!

I love when creativity can be incorporated into play! With Melissa and Doug’s Fuzzy Make Your Own Monster Puppet, velcro pieces attach and detach easily so they can develop their own characters and change expressions and looks. This is designed for the little guys 3 and older, but with one for each of my boys, they can put on their own show.

Last year we discovered a new family favorite that has now been added to the list of “Best Books of 2012″, Tickle Monster by Josie Bissett.  I wish I could somehow  hold onto the squeals and giggles my children make, begging to be tickled and then pleading with me to stop! This precious story comes in a Tickle Monster Laughter Kit with fuzzy fingerless gloves for tickling. Intended for the little guy, none of my boys can get enough of it-now they use the gloves to tickle each other.

I’ve Been on the Hunt for Projects that are Worth Doing and Can Actually be Done.

My one concession to the avoid “multiple plastic parts” rule of thumb was the Gears, Gears, Gears Lights and Action Set because it came with its own storage bucket! It was worth bending the rule! Gears are interchangeable and can be put together so many ways they really CAN do themselves. Once assembled, the gears spin, the lights flash and they get to experience the satisfaction of their efforts. They love to turn the lights off at night and watch their project glow! (Don’t tell them they’re learning engineering principles in the process-sshhh!)

One of the coolest companies that makes buildable creatures is Bloco. For a while, every time I searched for one of these it was sold out. Now I know why! They love them! Their most prized version is Bloco Aqua and Pyro Dragons because they’re just so elaborate and impressive.  I’m partial to the Birds of Prey but if you have a dinosaur lover in your midst, they might like the Velociraptor and Pterosaur version. I’ll admit these take just a little more patience to build because some of the foam pieces are similar in size and need to fit correctly, but it’s well worth the effort!

Boys’ treasures intrigue me. Pockets full of rocks are baffling! At least when the rocks are particularly beautiful, I can relate. Geodes bring together a mystery and a beauty that I consider worth collecting. How brilliant to put together a box of whole, real geodes and let the boys crack them open to find the crystals inside! This is a bigger hit than some of their electronic gadgets! Now that they’ve smashed them apart, they are truly considered their treasures.

As My Son Becomes Older, His Wish List Needs a Daddy Warbucks to Fulfill!

It’s been challenging to find gifts that he likes that don’t break the bank.

The wobble deck manages to incorporate all of his passions into one. The balance board helps with his snowboarding and agility, while the game aspect challenges him to continuously increase his skill level and reaction times. The biggest problem with this gift is keeping his brothers off!

Every now and then I find a classic that even my multimedia kids will love. Deluxe Battleship Movie Edition is one. It feels like a throw back to my childhood, but it has electronic lights, sound effects, and highly detailed ships like in the movie, which holds the interest of my new millennial kids!

Saving the very best for last, I was surprised to find that something I bought on a whim turned out to be the most sought after gift of all! Out of ideas, I decided to to see how  Spynet Ultra Night Vision Goggles would go over. They were a huge hit! My son’s Boy Scout troop is known for playing night  games of capture the flag and other advanced hide and seek games.  These binocular looking gadgets see up to 50 feet in complete darkness, giving him a distinct advantage! Who knew?! They even record your opponent’s every move. Now I need to buy a pair for each of his brothers because they won’t put them down!

Of course, there will always be the latest and greatest, but I save those for the really BIG birthdays-my 9 year old for example has been hoping and wishing for an Apple ipod touch for so long. (Apparently he is the ONLY child in his class who doesn’t have one.) I’ve held out and postponed as long as possible. I’m thinking reaching double digits (10) will be an occasion worthy of such an extravagant gift!

I think my niece would love some of these presents, but if you want more ideas, I found a few goodies for girls, too!

I don’t know whether the feeling is majestic or nostalgic, but the colorful sights & outdoor activities of the autumn change of seasons make me want to capture every fleeting moment and suspend it in time.

I took a high school photography class once (many years ago before digital when we had to develop our own pictures in a dark room), but I’m no photographer-professional OR amateur! I do marvel, though, at all of the crisp and creative images dotting friends’ photo albums and strewn all over the web on blog posts and pinterest boards. You might say I have a serious case of photo envy!

I don’t have a fancy DSL camera. And with 3 boys our family is always on the go-I’m lucky if the camera battery is even charged!  I really am just a point and shoot kind of gal.  I have, however,  picked up a tip or two over the years and tried to incorporate them into my photography in the hopes of capturing a few frame worthy prints.

Even with a point and shoot lifestyle, it seems there are a few things I could learn that would capture the memories with a little more flair.

Dress for Success

It’s not easy scrambling to find the same shorts and shirts in 3 different sizes for all 3 boys (especially at the last minute). Lucky for me it turns out, matching outfits don’t make for the best pictures after all.   In fact, according to photographer, Kendra Pryor, I’ve broken several cardinal rules time & time again.  She says wearing white tends to wash out skin tones and you shouldn’t wait until the last minute to decide what to wear.  She offers a number of very useful suggestions you might want to borrow, including wearing coordinating (but not matchy) jewel tones, which are great with all skin types especially in the fall.  She even created a wardrobe inpiration board!

Timing is Everything

Once everyone is dressed and ready to go, Tsh at Simple Mom suggests 9 pointers for getting the best shots.  For starters, she suggests the obvious (but for me, often overlooked), “Schedule the photo shoot when the kids are the happiest.”  Of course, that had better not be mid-afternoon because the lighting is often best “in the morning or just before dusk”. Following just a few of her suggestions is bound to improve my outcome.

Tips and Tricks

For more detailed information for budding photographers from complete beginners to those more advanced, Ingrid Owens of CameraShy shares a wealth of information. She has some really clever thoughts about shooting right after the rain and not cluttering up your shots.  I definitely have her site bookmarked so I can delve deeper if I get a little extra time.  From tips & tricks to tutorials and buying guides-she will be my go to resource.

Full of Firsts

In my search for the picture perfect idea, I also came across some really clever strategies for very specific photos.  My boys are a little older now, but Molly Cerretta Smith sheds a little light on capturing baby’s first fall pictures on The Hatch Blog. One tidbit she shares is relevant to all ages, which is essentially that you can pose a few shots, but nothing works like natural and spontaneous. Remember, you only get one shot at first pictures, so keep that camera handy-and charged!

Holiday Magic

Of course, capturing the spirit of the season includes recording the little goblins in full costume for Halloween.  Naturally, creative types have vision that goes beyond lining them all up in front of the fireplace and saying cheese!  Grandma Ideas has some of the most clever strategies EVER-including ways to take pics that look like real ghosts.  Taking photos while the munchkins are in the process of getting dressed and applying makeup would also make for a fun series that captures the playful spirit of the holiday.  She has a whole host of information to evoke the mystery and mood of the evening. She’s definitely worth a peek!

Seeing is Believing

Some of the best advice I found on how to be a better family photographer came not from specific tips, but from the inspiration Alison Bickel shares on This Homemade Life.  For her, “photography is all about seeing”.  She shares her personal philosophy and a whole lot more.  You can learn to see how she sees just by studying her magical images.

I know my family’s fun will be better captured because these women took the time to share what works for them and I hope yours will be, too!  Any snippets you have you’d care to share about taking photos of your family? I’m open to suggestions!

Traveling to New York on vacation – with the whole family – doesn’t have to cost a fortune. With some planning, there are many things you can do for free.

The hotels in downtown Manhattan tend to be, by their very nature, tend to be extravagant and fun to browse compared to the average hotel (You can see what we mean by checking out the New York hotels listings on Orbitz).

Toys R Us on Broadway cannot be missed. It’s not just any Toys R Us store, there’s a ferris wheel in the store that kids can ride for free! And Ray’s Pizza? Always packed but always a hit with the kids with every slice.

That being said, there is so many more attractions to visit while in New York that you simply must experience for yourself and through the eyes of your children.

Below are a few of our favorite places to bring the kids in no particular order.

Bronx Zoo

The Bronx Zoo is a great place for kids of all ages. The zoo contains more than 4,000 animals, the bug carousel, camel rides and more; although, additional charges may apply. There’s also Prospect Zoo and Queens Zoo but we are partial to the Bronx Zoo.

New York Aquarium

Jump on the subway to Coney Island and enjoy a day at the New York Aquarium. It’s rainy day friendly and boasts more than 10,000 species of marine life which is great fun for you and your toddler. During your visit, don’t forget to check out the Planet Earth: Shallow Seas, 4-D show.

PuppetWorks

Located on Sixth Ave. in Brooklyn, PuppetWorks caters to children ages 3 and up. They perform classic fairy tales such as Aladdin and Cinderella.

Big Apple Circus

Acrobats, clowns, horse and more! This one-ring circus is two hours and 15 minutes long and runs from October through January at Lincoln Center and May 14 through 30th in Cunningham Park in Fresh Meadows.

Rockefeller Center

From soaring views of Top of the Rock to a backstage pass at NBC Studios, outdoor gardens and historic buildings and more. This is a must see, particularly if you are visiting during the holiday season. They host the biggest Christmas trees in the area.

New York City Fire Museum

Little ones enamored with firemen and fire trucks will love visiting the New York City Fire Museum, which houses one of the nation’s most prominent collections of fire related art and artifacts from the present back to the late 18th Century.

World of Disney

Like Toys R Us, World of Disney is more than a store. Located in Times Square it houses several exhibits and activities for the kids which also includes a chance to meet some of the Disney characters. It’s worth the visit.

A Slice of Brooklyn Pizza Tour

You can’t visit New York and not have pizza! Adding in a tour only makes your pizza experience that much better. Learn the history of pizza, visit locations from movies, Coney Island’s landmark amusement park and boardwalk and more. While on tour you also get to sample their thin-crust pizza and Sicilian style pizza.

Empire State Building

Kids of all ages will get dizzy with delight at the views atop the Empire State Building, which also has the New York Skyride. Parents will enjoy it just the same, even if they’ve already been there.

If you have time, also try to squeeze in Books of Wonder, NikeTown and Dylan’s Candy Bar, for a Willy Wonka experience.

And there you have it, some of our favorite New York City attractions for the whole family! And most of them are affordable which is always nice when going on vacation.

Rae is a mom of four, a work from home mom and owner of various small niche websites, including ApronAddicts.com which highlights the best in women’s aprons and gives tons of ideas on simple recipes, including slow carb recipes.

For moms, entire days can be spent trying to keep kids entertained in order to finish simple tasks like washing the dishes, doing laundry, or cooking meals, in a timely manner. Outside of the home, waiting for a dinner table at a restaurant or trying on clothes can be excruciating with bored and fussy children.

Luckily, Android phones and thousands of apps available in the Android Market can be a great distraction for kids, while helping them learn and keeping them creatively engaged.

Kids Finger Paint

The Kids Finger Paint app unlocks the endless creativity of your child with no mess or wasted paper. Kids can use their finger to draw and paint on colorful, seasonal backgrounds or simply on a plain white screen.

Designed with young children in mind, Kids Finger Paint lets kids choose their own background, brush size, and paint color from a color wheel, and comes with a “back” key to undo mistakes. Shaking the phone clears the screen so kids can start over with a new picture, and when the artwork is finished, it can be saved to the gallery and easily shared with friends and family via email and Facebook.

This is a particularly great app because there’s no limit to the fun. As long as your child has an imagination, Kids Finger Paint is in style.

iStoryBooks

The iStoryBooks Android apps are the next generation of storytelling for children. Integrated with the latest technology, iStoryBooks lets children to enjoy their favorite stories without needing an adult read them aloud.

Each book published by iStoryBooks is a picture book with audio included, so bedtime stories and fairy tales read themselves. With new books downloaded to the app automatically every two weeks, kids won’t run out of new stories to enjoy. In addition to classic tales like Cinderella and Snow White, iStoryBooks includes educational books to help children learn the alphabet, solve riddles, and identify national monuments.

The iStoryBook website also offers games, puzzles, and coloring pages so kids can have fun offline with some of their favorite characters from the stories.

Kids Numbers and Math

When handing off your Android to your kids (I tested all of these on my daughter’s T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy S as an FYI), you want to be confident that the time they’re on your phone isn’t wasted. The Kids Numbers and Math app a fun way to not only keep kids busy, but also help them learn numbers and build basic math skills.

And with fun, engaging games, parents find that their kids actually enjoy learning math skills – from basic counting to addition, subtraction, and advanced exercises.

Kids Numbers and Math doesn’t overload children with too many audio and visual stimuli, making the game a delight for children and a winning choice for parents. The app strives to give children just the right balance between education and fun, so it doesn’t feature fun at the expense of education – or education at the expense of fun.

Kid Mode

The Kid Mode app is packed with hundreds of fun, educational games and videos perfect for kids ages eight and under. Babies can listen to baby songs, lullaby music, and videos about shapes, letters, patterns, numbers, the alphabet, and animals, and older kids can play math, reading, brain, and action games and try their hand at logic puzzles all from the same app.

For parents, the app’s biggest advantage is its Child Lock feature, which keeps the phone inside Kid Mode. Even when kids press the home screen button, the phone will remain in Kid Mode, eliminating the risk of having a child email your boss, call an acquaintance, or get on the Internet.

Parents can also add other favorite apps, such as Angry Birds and Fruit Ninja, to the app, so kids can play without accidentally or intentionally accessing apps intended for adults. Wi-Fi and Flash are required for many of the app’s features, so make sure your phone has these capabilities.

Air Penguin

On the non-educational, non-creative front, Air Penguin is a game that appeals to every kid’s “just one more time” instinct – and parents will love it, too (even CNet loved it)!

The goal of the game is simply to jump, fly, and dodge by tilting your phone to guide Air Penguin through Antarctica to save his family from melting ice caps. With adorable graphics and easy-to-play design, Air Penguin will keep kids hooked and entertained for hours on end.

Rae is a mom of four, a home based business owner and owner of various small niche websites, including ApronAddicts.com which highlights the best in fashionable aprons and gives tons of ideas on simple recipes and other creative kitchen ideas.

Curbing your impulse buying when you are shopping with kids isn’t always easy.   In fact, many people buy on impulse with out even realizing it is happening.   It’s when they get home that they wonder what happened to all that careful preparation that was supposed to help balance their income and bills.

The most common place to impulse buy is the grocery store and I find when I am shopping with kids it’s even easier than when I am alone.   I’ve learned two very helpful things about food shopping.   The first is, don’t go hungry and the second is make a list and stick to it.   When you are hungry it is easy to stray from your shopping list.   All those specials and display products look so good when you are hungry.   Don’t give into those cravings, eat first and shop second.

Of course, everyone’s food list needs some treats on it, so plan accordingly.

When you are going shopping with kids let everyone add a favorite snack to the list.   Try and find coupons for those snack items to save some extra money.   It pays in the long run to add a few treats and snacks to your weekly food list because financial budgets are very similar to dieting for calories.   If you keep denying yourself the good stuff, sooner or later you are going to breakdown and go overboard by spending too much or gorging yourself.

Another helpful trick is to ask yourself if you really need this item.   A simple yes or no answer will usually do the trick, don’t argue with yourself, just answer the question.   When you can’t say yes right away, you don’t need it.   It’s also a very good question to ask when you are shopping with kids.   Teach your children how to curb impulse buying and it will help them learn to use self control and it will save your family’s shopping budget as well.

In my last post I talked about how much I love ALDI grocery stores.

Recently I decided to create a printable ALDI shopping list. And I wouldn’t be a very good blogger if I didn’t offer it to my readers for free, would I?

So here goes:

Free ALDI Printable Shopping List

(Click on the link and a Google document opens in a new window.)

The shopping list is organized according to how the ALDI stores I’ve been to are  laid out.

As you know if you’re a fan of ALDI, they are smaller than most grocery stores and only have a few aisles. Their merchandise also doesn’t change as much as other stores. (I think this is a blessing because fewer choices often mean less stress for me!)

This list will stay in my household binder or on the fridge, and as I run out of things I simply circle the item on the list or write it on the lines.

Of course, this list reflects things I buy at ALDI.  It is a Google document, and cannot be edited by readers, but you can copy and paste it into your favorite program and edit it that way.

I hope it’s helpful and saves you time!