DIY: "The Very Hungry Caterpillar Day" activities & inspiration

I realize I'm getting this out just in the nick of time, so if you can't get everything ready for tomorrow, the first day of Spring, when The Very Hungry Caterpillar Day official occurs, plan to celebrate this weekend! You might be surprised though, how many things you already have around your house that you can throw together for a momentous day tomorrow.

Food

Create your own line of snacks that are as close to the food in the book as possible. Use a straw to poke holes in the food. Don't forget your lettuce leaf at the end! Source: The Masked Mommy

You can also recreate pictures from the book using healthy food! Source: It's Our Long Story

Sensory Tub

Throw in anything related to the book that you can find, and maybe a few other things to fill in that theme along colors or textures, too! The items included in the one shown below are dyed green rice, colored large bottle tops, colored craft sticks, cardboard tubes with shiny tape wrapped around for pouring, neon plastic shot glasses for scooping, coloured cotton reels, coloured pom poms, wooden fruit, cakes, ice creams and other food items from the story, a few real clementines for a real sensory experience, a Very Hungry Caterpillar butterfly toy (a caterpillar would be a fabulous addition too!), and a copy of the book. Source: The Inspiration Tree

DIY Felt Book

I found this unbelievably adorable and FREE felt book instructions so your little one can have a quiet book experience of The Very Hungry Caterpillar! Included are printable templates for you to follow when cutting your felt. Source: Lavender's Blue Designs



Activities

Target: small motor, colors, sequencing, math.
Instructions: Cut out 1 apple, 2 pears, 3 plums, 4 strawberries and 5 oranges out of felt. I hand drew my own stencils out of cardstock, but you can also use stencils or find free clip art online to help you with the shapes. Punch a hole through the center of each felt fruit. As you read The Very Hungry Caterpillar, have your child lace the felt fruit onto the green “caterpillar” pipe cleaner in order of them appearing in the book. Review the colors of the fruit with your child. Source: See Vanessa Craft

Target: Listening/word assimilation, motor skills, object recognition.
Instructions: Print and cut out the printables in the link (click on photo). Glue to sticks of some sort, and allow your child to choose the correct object to hold up when you get to that point in the story. You can create a story board with this by having foam blocks or an upside down egg carton for your child to stick the sticks into when you get to that point in the story, creating a visual timeline of the story when done.
Printables are from: Make It Cozee

Target: motor skills, colors, math, science
Instructions: Create a butterfly life cycle. First, look at photos/pictures of a butterfly life cycle (easy to find online), and then make your own by drawing, gluing pictures to a plate and adding arrows, or making a 3-D one like the photo below. Directions for making the one below can be found at: Classified: Mom

Games

For a huge, and I mean HUGE supply of printables, games (dominos, bingo, snakes & ladders, etc. all with "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" theme), activities, booklets, and MORE, visit English Teaching Worksheets!

Tips for creating your Home Management Binder

A home management binder is literally, a three ring binder with dividers that contain important information, menus, schedules, ideas, and so much more (I'll be giving you everything you need to make your own tomorrow!). Unfortunately, many people don't know where to start when creating a home management binder. It's simpler than you may think, though, and the effort is so worth it! You will always know where information is, have ideas at your fingertips, and will be able to manage your home more efficiently and smoothly. Here are seven tips to help you get started:

#1: Collect your supplies. 

You will need: a three ring binder (good sized), a 3-ring hole punch, paper to print forms off of your computer/Internet with, clear plastic page protectors, write on/wipe off marker, pens, tab dividers, a zippered pouch or two that will go into the binder, and a few business card page holders.

#2: Print a nice cover! 

You can download the ones in the photo for free by clicking here.

#3: Laminate/use page protectors for "to-do" lists so you can write on/wipe off instead of have to always print new ones.

#4: Keep your binder up to date.

#5: Make copies of anything really important you want to put into your binder, like automobile registrations, birth certificates, marriage certificates, diplomas, etc.. Keep those originals in a fireproof safe or filing cabinet!

#6: Use dividers to organize your binder

#7: Get the printables for the contents of your binder. We already put together a list of everything that should go in your binder, as well as a bunch of Free Printables For Your Home Management Binder. So get clicking and be organized! :)

DIY: T-Shirt Scarf in 11 Steps

 Step 1: gather old t-shirts

 

Step 2: cut off the hem of the t-shirt

 

Step 3: cut t-shirt horizontally into 1" strips from bottom of shirt until you reach the armpits

Step 4: Cut off sleeves

Step 5: cut off the hem of the sleeves

 

Step 6: Taking all of the hems, make one cut in each so that you now have a strip of fabric instead of a ring. Then, cut the strips into 5" long pieces

 

Step 7: Take one t-shirt ring, and stretch it out so that it goes from looking like the top strip to looking like the bottom strip

Step 8: take the now stretched out t-shirt loop and wrap it around your hand (the palm part) and slide it off so that your fabric loop is now stacked in a circle.

Step 9: repeat steps 7 and 8 with all of the t-shirt loops

Step 10:  using one of the 5" strips of hem fabric, tie two of the t-shirt loop stacks together.

Step 11: repeat step 10 until your scarf is the length you want it!

All done! Wear it proudly, you look both classy and fun in this scarf. :) This is also a great way to make a t-shirt garland for special occasions--and it's so easy to clean because all you have to do is throw it in the wash!

Valentine Creations

It's Valentine's Day in our home! Thanks to shopping throughout the year for all annual events (saves a lot of money to buy on sale and store in my cupboard!), I was able to whip up a few special things for the kids even at 1am after I'd forgotten to plan ahead of time. Thank God he gave me a creative spirit. ;-) Please don't mind the quality of the photos--they were taken on my phone.

My favorite creation of the night (morning?) was my heart garland. I saw a felt heart garland on Pinterest and just modified it to use paper and a stapler instead of fabric and a sewing machine. Quick and easy, and it's SUPER cute hanging from the dining room entry way!

 At each child's place setting, a special surprise was waiting including a wrapped Valentine themed book, an educational magazine, and a decorated page that we filled out throughout the day with "things we love" about each child. A keepsake!

 One thing I found recently while cleaning out the "everything" room was a box of business cards that was ordered online but never used. I was going to throw them in the recycling bin but decided I should hang onto them because they *may* have a brilliant future...and boy, am I glad I kept them! I created two games using the cards.



First, a numeral recognition/counting game by using glittery textured stickers one one card, and then using a marker to write the numeral on a subsequent card. I couldn't fit more than 8 stickers on a card so that's where I ended, but you could certainly get 10 or 12 if you were using small stickers.

The second game, and also the more popular one, is a matching game. Since all of the "business" sides of the cards are the same, they offer great memory game potential! I used felt stickers that have different layers and edge shapes which provide an added tactile element to the traditional visual memory games. Isn't the Valentine theme darling? Best yet, both of these games store in a small Ziploc bag which means easy clean up and great storage because you can see the contents of the bag!

And of course, a Valentine making station. :) Glitter glue, stickers, paper, heart hold punches, crayons, markers, pom poms...you name it, it was there! Not as big of a hit as I thought it was going to be, though. True to form, toddlers prefer playing outside in the mud as to sitting at a table doing something constructive. Who'da thought, right? ;-)

Happy Valentine's Day! 

...and remember, regardless of your situation or circumstance, you are loved.

For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whoever believes in him will never perish, but will have eternal life. John 3:16

FREE credits, gift certificates, and more that you'll want to know about!

As you know, sometimes I learn about things that are so phenomenal that I just HAVE to share it with you! So without further ado, here are somethings to know about for December 2011:

1) My gift to you! Use this link to receive a $5 credit at Plumb District: https://www.plumdistrict.com/?ref=u8d41d71a72e. I do believe that you have to use my referral (the link I posted) to get that credit. Not positive about that, but that's what I am interpreting from their website. After you do that, "like" them on Facebook (through their site) to get another $5 off. Combine that with their 40% off deals they often will give you, and you are well on your way to getting a LOT of free money to spend locally or on the Internet.

2) The Annual Mothering Handmade Christmas Gifts Idea Contest (wow! what a name!) is currently ongoing over at http://www.mothering.com/community/t/1337424/the-annual-mothering-handmade-gifts-ideas-contest. You post your idea for a handmade Christmas gift include a photo, and then whichever post gets the most "likes" by other readers will win a Boba 3g carrier. The deadline to enter is 12/10/11! While you're at it, be sure to send me your idea for a handmade Christmas gift so I can feature you on Life More Simply!

3) The Learning Tower is on Facebook. So am I. "like" them at http://Facebook.com/LearningTower. They hinted that they *might* give away something when they get 2,000 followers...and they got that number today! You can "like" me at http://Facebook.com/LifeMoreSimply while you're at it. ;-) PS--I would really enjoy having one of these, so feel free to order one and have it shipped to my house.

4) Restaurant.com is letting YOU give away free gift certificates! You can send up to 40 $10 gift certificates a day. Spread some love to people you know or even people you don't know! I do recommend that ya'll "friend" me on Facebook (Rachel East) so that you can easily send some my way, too. ;-) Want one but don't know anyone to send you one? Let me know in the comments section below and I'll hook you up! https://feeditforward.restaurant.com/

$10 Credit to OneStepAhead

Being a recreation therapist (ok, I work as a Paramedic right now, but that RT degree knowledge hasn't left me!), I have a few rules for toys in my house: they must inspire. This means that the object should encourage my child to imagine, manipulate, learn, and grow. It should challenge, but not overwhelm. Be interesting, but not be solely entertainment. I also generally throw in there that batteries are plastic aren't allowed, but somehow toys still make their way into our home that make noise with no participation from a human! :)

I have long coveted OneStepAhead products because as a rule they are good quality, imagination producing, age and developmentally appropriate toys and household necessities for little ones. I recently ordered a few Christmas gifts from them which came quickly and look awesome! Plus, it didn't break the bank because I hooked up with their deal programs. So without further commentary, here is how YOU can also take advantage of saving a lot of money on their quality products.

1) Sign up for their $10 credit. You will receive $10 off on your first order of $65 or more, PLUS, you will continue to receive a $10 credit for every friend whom you refer who does this. Click here: http://onestepahead.extole.com/a/clk/4fSjH

2) After you sign up for that and are on their website, sign up for their "Daily Deals" program. They don't actually send them every day (or else my SPAM picks up their emails), but you can get amazing discounts on one product at a time. The deals change every day, but I scored their Dyson Ball Vacuum for like 60% off a few weeks ago--Christmas for my boy!

Happy shopping and money saving!

$10 Subscription to a Ranger Rick Magazine!

Today is one of those days where I was able to check my email and then did a little happy dance because...I found a GREAT deal and it's not too late to snatch it up! So, of course, I am passing it on to you. :)

Mamapedia is offering a 1-year subscription to any of the Ranger Rick family of magazines for only $10 (normal price is $20). HOWEVER. If you haven't snagged a Mamapedia deal before, you get a $5 credit, thus getting an entire YEAR of Ranger Rick for only $5! I'm a pretty happy lady right now, because I most certainly did pay my $5 and now have a year's worth of Wild Animal Baby coming for my family. *SEE NOTE BELOW.

There's two and a half days left to get this deal if it doesn't run out first.

Click HERE to check it out!

Other cool stuff about Mamapedia: multiple deals like this a week, but you can subscribe to only local or national ones if you want. Not only do you get a $5 credit when you make an account (email, password, user name, etc.), but every time a friend of yours makes her first deal, you get a $10 credit with no limit! Think of all of those Christmas presents...

*NOTE* After initially posting this deal as being $5 for a year's subscription, two people contacted me and said the extra $5 credit wasn't being posted to their Mamapedia account. I have contacted Mamapedia about this and am awaiting their response to find out why I got a credit but other people aren't. I will update this post as soon as I find out, but until then, know that you may pay up to 50% (the $10) for the magazine (which is still a pretty sweet deal)! 

Attention Bloggers! Get 50 FREE Christmas cards from Shutterfly! (Simple Christmas #1)

Shutterfly, a photo sharing and printing site is teaming up with Bloggers this Christmas season. Basically, you spread the word about their huge array of Christmas cards, and you get 50 of them for free (see the link at the bottom of this post to get in on the action) ! I checked out the designs and they are phenomenal. There are also sales going on right now that can save you a lot of money on your holiday cards. Think of it this way--a card that doubles as a gift! Just include a photo frame and you're all taken care of. Tie the envelope to the frame and whola! you even have "green" wrapping paper. :-)

My favorite cards are the ones with multiple photos and simple backgrounds, but I'm falling in love with this cute one that boasts only one photo as well:

Choosing your card design  may seem like a monumental task (there are 748 for your browsing pleasure), but it's actually pretty easy because there's a "refine your selection" menu on the left hand side of the page. It'll narrow down your selections by number of photos (even down to "0"), color schemes, prices, etc.. Pretty fun and easy! There are some designs that go beyond the basic Christmas card, like this one:

Overall, I think this one is my favorite because of it's classy design and easy frameability:

The details of this specific design can give you an idea about their other designs as well.

Pricing- $2.99/per card - $1.29/per card. Although they are 20% off right now!

Size- 5x7 Stationery Card
Details:  Family Wall Noir Christmas Card. Show off your family wall. This classic Christmas card holds a framed collection of six favorite photos and your family's monogrammed initial. There's room for everyone's names next to a joyous greeting. Designed in cranberry red and midnight noir.

Did you know that  Shutterfly will even stamp, address, and mail your Christmas cards for you? Not that I have the money for that, but what a time-saver it would be!

Next month (December), I will be featuring a lot of DIY Christmas gifts/decorations/etc...but for now, the 50 Free Cards from Shutterfly get my first vote for a Simple Christmas gift! Get some used photo frames, attach them to your Shutterfly photo card with a used ribbon, and enjoy your almost free but still timeless and chic gift. :-)

Links:

Christmas cards http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/christmas-cards

Holiday photo cards  http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery

Religious Christmas cards to http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/religious-christmas-cards

Christmas gift tags to http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/christmas-gift-tags

Photo Christmas cards to http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/christmas-photo-cards

Valentine cards to http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/valentines-day-cards-and-stationery    

Choose your own card/invitation and URL from our Cards & Stationery page

Bloggers get 50 free holiday cards from Shutterfly:  http://bit.ly/sfly2010 

Barefoot Books 30% off + Free Shipping (Collaberative Order)

I'm putting together a collaborative Barefoot Books order so that everyone interested can get a big discount and FREE shipping! I just recently learned of their beautiful books and educational materials and am so very excited. These look like fabulous products for both the home and school---and I'm thinking will make perfect gifts for Christmas, upcoming birthdays, and baby showers in the next year!

Here are the details:

1) Check out the store by clicking the banner above. DO NOT ORDER THROUGH THE STORE. If you order through the store, you won't get the discount.

2) Make a list of everything you want with the item names, prices, and quantity.

3) Fill out this form here to get more information and order: CLICK HERE

Our order must be placed on December 1st, so please pass the word about this so that we can get enough orders to get the discount and free shipping in time for Christmas!

Pepperidge Farm Milano Cookie Coupon

I'm hungry right now. I came to work at 7am and ended up sitting at a race track for 8.5 hours instead of providing EMS for the county due to last minute staff changes. Since I'm scheduled to be covering the county now until 6pm, I am sitting here blogging when I should really be pumping. You never know when someone's going to dial 9-1-1 and, well, wet spots on my shirt would be embarassing, so I really should be pumping now since I may have to leave at any moment. Anyway. I didn't bring any food with me today and I haven't gone out to buy any dinner, so I'm hungry. I did steal an ice-cream sandwich out of a big box of them in the freezer, but then I was just reading about new Milano cookies and realized that I'm still hungry. So no, they're probably not healthy, no, they're not organic, and no, I haven't tried them. But just in case you're standing in a grocery store while you read this, here's some money saving and delicious information for you:

Pepperidge Farm just released a NEW Strawberry Milano cookie (YUM!). They describe it as a

"fab little cookie deliciously pairs luscious strawberry filling with rich, dark chocolate for an irresistible, sweet indulgence that brings a moment of satisfaction to any day."

My own sweet summer moments? Being a SAHM for the first time, giving birth to my beautiful son, and then getting back into EMS. I would like to say that today's sweet summer moment also involves eating cookies, but alas, I'm still hungry.

Check it out!

• $1 off coupon: http://bit.ly/O2OdollaroffPF
• Pepperidge Farm Milano Facebook Page: http://bit.ly/MilanoFacebook

 

FREE 20-Page Hardcover Custom Photo Book

Picaboo is offering a FREE 20-Page Hardcover Custom Photo Book through the end of August. You do have to pay shipping, but this is a $39.99 value! I haven't finished making mine yet, but you download this easy program that helps you make the book. It's fast, customizable, and pretty darn good looking. :-) I'm extremely excited about this because it's a GREAT Christmas gift for the Grandparents that most of us wouldn't be able to afford otherwise!

Visit http://www.Picaboo.com and enter the code "FREEBK" at checkout.

Since I haven't got mine ordered yet, let me know if you use this and how it works for you!

So Easy baby food kit Review and Giveaway!

We as moms know that it's probably better for our babies to eat homemade baby food rather than prepared or processed baby food. Unfortunately, many parents are skeptical of their ability to prepare baby food —how to do it, if they’ll have enough time, and if it’s really worth the effort. It’s all become a simple thing to understand and accomplish though, since two moms have teamed up to provide you with the “So Easy Baby Food Kit.”

In the kit, you’ll find a 22-minute DVD that will teach the auditory and visual learner everything you’ll need to know in order to make baby food. Not only are you instructed on the actual preparing of baby food, but safety, nutrition, food storage, and health are all encapsulated in the “how to make baby food” disc. I thought it provided a clear, easy to understand, and not-obnoxious way of teaching families about infant food preparation.

Secondly in the kit is a “Personalized Guide to Making Baby Food at Home” 118-page spiral bound cookbook. It covers a lot of information but isn’t at all overwhelming and even includes space for you to document the early eating and feeding memories of your baby! Contents include:

·         Feeding Memories and Fun

·         Healthy Eating Habits

·         Benefits of Home-Prepared Baby Food

·         Introducing Solid Foods

·         Dietary Essentials for Your Baby’s Diet

·         Making and Serving Fresh Baby Food

·         Kitchen Tools

·         Safety Basics

·         Food Choices

·         Fresh Baby To Go

·         Managing Your Time—30 Minutes Per Week Is All Fresh Baby Takes

·         Fresh Baby Recipes (from “the perfect start” to over 12 months)

On top of all of that, you’ll also receive two high quality freezer trays. I like these better than the ice cube trays I’ve previously used for making baby food because these have lids, and are sturdier. They are BPA and phthalate-free…and are dishwasher safe to make your life easier!  While these aren’t a necessity to making your own food, they are definitely nice to have on hand.

The last thing this kit includes is actually one of my favorite components: a nutrition tips card. It’s the size of a regular sheet of paper and is laminated to protect the colorful print and illustrations. Not only does it contain quick to find information about nutrients, what foods should be introduced when, and a little bit about preparation, but it even contains safety information like first aid for choking. This card should be in every parent’s kitchen if she has young children!

Overall, I think this is a great product. Many people want to prepare their own baby food but are intimidated or don’t have the time to read a book about it. The Fresh Baby food kit honestly makes it as easy as can be. It’s a great starting point, easy to understand, and nicely arranged and professional. Great for the first-time food maker or as a baby shower gift!

You’ll also want to check out their website as it’s packed with lots of information including a blog, ideas for both toddlers and babies, and downloadable free recipes. http://FreshBaby.com.

BUY IT! Visit Freshbaby.com or Amazon.com. Retail cost is $37.95

WIN IT! The ladies at Fresh Baby are generously giving one of my readers her own Fresh Baby So Easy Baby Food Kit. To win, please visit their website and find something interesting to share here that no one else has shared yet. You must also be a subscriber of mine somehow (Google, Feedburner, Facebook, Twitter…you know, just pick one and tell me which one so I can verifty!). Contest will end on 8/29/10 at noon, EST. You MUST leave a separate comment with a valid email address in EACH entry! If the winner lives outside of the US, she may be responsible for shipping costs. Good luck!

EXTRA ENTRIES:

·         Grab an entry for each way that you follow Life More Simply: Blogger (Google Friend Connect), Feedburner, Email, Twitter, Facebook.

·         Three entries if you have my button (leave me the address)

·         One entry if you sign up for Fresh Baby’s email list

·         One entry per other current contest of mine that you’ve entered.

·         Two entries if you email 4 friends about this contest (CC “lifemoresimply(@)yahoo.com”)

·         One entry per tweet about this contest (max: 3 tweets per day, at least one hour apart): #win a So Easy Baby Food Kit from @LifeMoreSimply! http://tinyurl.com/freshbaby

·         Three entries: Spread the word on a parenting forum/message board/etc. (leave the link)
 

 Note: this review is based on a free sample provided by Fresh Baby. The opinions are all mine and I received no other compensation.

Tips For Making Your Own Baby Food

Making your own baby food is an inexpensive way to provide maximum nutrition for your child. Most people don't realize how easy it is to do, too! I first got into making our own baby food after reading the Super Baby Food book and after comparing it to the cost, ingredients, waste, and unappealing nature of jarred baby food, I am hooked. :-)

Items needed to make your own baby food:

• a blender
• oven or steaming method
• ice cube trays
• something to store the food in like tin foil, freezer bags, or tupperware

Choosing your food:
Choose your food wisely. Things that freeze well are sweet potatoes, beans, broccoli, carrots, rice, pastas, applesauce, etc.. Things that don't freeze well are white potatoes, bananas, and celery (plus more that I'm just not aware of, I'm sure). If you can afford it, buy organic and local! This will reduce your risk of allergens, food diseases, and exposure to chemicals.

Preparing the food:

• Wash fruits and vegetabls.
• Prepare the fruit, vegetable, grain, or meat as you would normally. Baking or steaming is preferred as these will preserve more nutrients than microwaving, boiling, or sauteing.
• Don't put any added fats, sugars, or dyes into the food. Keep things pure and natural!
• Once food is soft, put some liquid (mama's milk is best!) into the bottom of your blender and then add chunks of the soft food on top. Liquids to consider would be breast milk, formula, water, or diluted 100% fruit juice. Be sure to only use enough liquid to get the food to blend properly.
• Poor or scoop the now pureed food into ice cube trays, and pop into the freezer with a sheet of wax paper sitting lightly on top to reduce any freezer burn.
• Once things are frozen (around an hour or two, depending on the temperature of the food and freezer), pop the cubes out and put them in a sealed container (or wrapped in foil) for storage. Be sure to write the contents and date of the food on the package!

Eating the food

• Ideally, take however many cubes your baby will eat out of the freezer and let them thaw in the fridge over night. Otherwise, thaw them in any method you choose.
• Once it's unthawed, mix fresh mama's milk, formula, water, or diluted 100% fruit juice with the food until you achieve your desired consitency. Why not do this before freezing? Because then you'll take up more freezer space (the cubes are denser when containing more food and less liquid), and you will also be able to adjust the food to the consistency your baby needs as time goes on (a 6-monther will need a smoother and thinner consistency than a 9-monther will).
• Warm on stove, in oven, or microwave (least desireable). Be sure to stir well and test the temperature before feeding to your baby!
• Note that most food stored properly in a deep freezer will keep for up to one year.

Thoughts on making your own baby food
LoveBug always enjoyed our "home made" food better than out of a jar--and I don't blame her! It's much tastier, is more pleasing aromatically and aesthetically, and fresh! Many people are turned off by the thought of making their own food because they think it'll take a lot of time. Honestly, it really doesn't. I cooked three large sweet potatoes in the oven (5 minutes for washing, poking holes, putting in the oven, and then taking them out later), mixed them all in the blender at the same time (another 5 minutes?), froze them, and stored them. This all took less physical time for me than a trip to the grocery store, and I didn't have a zillion little glass jars to clean out when we were all done. :-) You'll be surprised at how LONG three sweet potatoes will last for a baby!

The key is to make a lot at once. A few potatoes, a head of broccoli, or a pot of rice. A little goes a long way for babies, and even making food once a month will last for the entire month. If you don't have enough ice cube trays (which you probably don't), just store the food in the fridge as you get through freezing everything. The effort put into this should be less than it takes to go to the store, and the peace of mind you'll have knowing that you're providing better and cheaper food for your baby can't be beat!

Upcoming this week: reviews of SAFE eating products for babies and toddlers!

We'll visit companies like Zak!, bambu KIDS, and more

Rachel's Guide To a Low-Stress and Cheap (or FREE) Christmas!

My life is busy. I normally work a 37.5 hour week (plus meetings), but often pull a 50-hour-week by working an ambulance shift on the weekend. Tying that with having to pick up my beautiful daughter after work, rushing home to make dinner (or baking a frozen pizza), getting ready for the night and tomorrow--it's all I can do to just get into bed!

I often help the extra-business that comes with Christmas by doing my shopping throughout the year and particularly during the AFTER-Christmas sales. I have a cupboard where my gifts are organized by the type of gift (wedding, baby, adult Christmas, kid's Christmas...) along with organized wrappings (either bought on sale or recycled from gifts I myself have received!). This makes gift giving during this time of year pretty easy and stress free--and I get to avoid the overcrowded shopping malls which I so intensely despise!

This year, though...a little different. My cupboard is not as full, probably due to having a little one and thus less money and less time to snag deals up throughout the year. I'm finding that I'm spending more than usual (on a CREDIT CARD nonetheless, which is a huge no-no in our book!), and have had to find new ways to give nice gifts without making myself homeless or missing work to go shopping. If you're in the same boat, you might find the following options good ones as well!

What are your other ideas for having a low-stress and frugal Christmas? I need some birthday and baby shower gift ideas, too, so send them my way!

#1 Gifts in a Jar http://www.craftbits.com/gifts-in-a-jar
While you can buy some fantastic books with instructions, photos, and cards to attach for your Gifts in a Jar, this website provides a variety of recipes for food, drinks, bath products, and other things to make. Gifts in a Jar are easy to make, great for everyone, and quick to spruce up by adding some fabric and ribbons to the lid! My idea is to make "breakfast gift baskets" for family this year with mugs that I bought on discount during the summer and Gifts-in-a-Jar for pancakes, muffins, and hot cocoa!

#2 Discounts and freebies. My favorites this season are:


Fashion Playtes; this website allows girls to design their own clothing--and then have it mailed to them! It's so fun that I actually designed a shirt myself...now if only it would fit! I used the code


ONE20 for $20.00 off a $35.00 gift certificate. The only catch with the gift certificate is that you have to have a minimum of $35.00 to use the $20.00-off code and it has to be your first purchase.


Jillian's Drawers is a natural parenting store that's currently having a 12-Days-of-Christmas sale. I didn't know about it until day 3 (I think it's day 5 now?), but I snagged a bunch of diaper inserts for 50% off as soon as I found out! Each day, they're choosing different items to discount. They aren't always 50% off, but there's a lot of great products coming up and they'll hold out shipping your items until the end of the sale so you can combine your orders from each day if you ask them to!

Holey Donuts; first, if you didn't already enter my contest for Holey Donuts, then you need to--and QUICK because it will be ending soon (includes a bunch of pastries AND $150.00). Next, you should educate yourself about this company because it's genius, very tasty, and an awesome gift for, well, most everyone I know! This company makes low fat donuts and cinnamon buns with no artificial sweeteners and then ships them frozen to your door step! I've had the pleasure of trying these pastries and they are delicious enough that my husband has eaten them all while I'm at work. :-\ Seriously, they taste great and you don't have any guilt from eating them. They're constantly having fabulous sales, have a "box of the month" club you can buy, and will also hold off on shipping until Christmas-ish time. Here's the most current promotion:

buy 3 assortments, get $7 off code= LF7
buy 4 assortments, get $10 off code= LF10
buy 5, get FREE SHIPPING code= 5FRSH ... 5 box maximum order

Remember to hit "recalculate" after you enter your discount code

#3 Giveaways with few entries. I may be ruining my chances to win by sharing this with you, but here are some good options:

Caching Family Blog is holding a contest for a $30.00 gift certificate to TurtleTurtle. It ends on Saturday and so far, no one has entered (until I do in a moment!). Awesome for anyone who is pregnant or has a little one!

My Contests. I can't enter them, so please do enter away. :-) They aren't inundated with people, so your chances are excellent to win something at this point!

Prizey is a collaboration of blog giveaways and contests. I submit my listings there, and wish I had lots of time to spend entering other contests I find there! I could drool over a lot of the stuff that someone's going to win...