Children's Place Back to School Savings

If you are getting ready for back-to-school shopping, it could not help to have some discounted savings at some of your favorite stores. I just found the Coupon Chief coupon codes that offer a ton of coupons for online shopping. There are a large variety of stores to choose from with discounts on large purchases and small purchases. You can actually sign up for their email newsletter to get coupons delivered right to your mailbox!

The coupon I found that most interest me today was for The Children's Place- $5 flat shipping (you cannot beat that!), 20% off backpacks, or 15% off your entire order. There are many to choose from so you can get the best deal.

And I love The Children's Place because they are a good price on some cute clothes and accessories.

What mom does not want to save some money with your online shopping? The Coupon Chief is another great find for online shoppers.

This post is sponsored post through PayPerPost.

Bragging on my husband!

My husband is a school teacher, so he is home for the summer. It is wonderful because he is helping out all around the house. He has done laundry, begun to clean out the garage, sell thing on ebay, and even cleaned the porch. I am also able to sleep in with our youngest even though the oldest gets up before 7:00 am.

It is also nice to have some family time with either the kids separate with one adult or all of us together. This summer has been great (except of course the cancer and the surgery- but those are over and done with!).

It has been so nice to have him home. Teachers do not have the highest paid jobs but the benefit of being off during the summer and holidays is worth it... plus, he just loves to teach!

I am a Postie! for Pay Per Post

As a work a home mom, I am constantly looking for ways to bring in money from different sources- that is the basis of Smart Moms.

Over the past few months, I have been amazed at the things I have found on the internet. One of these is payperpost. I found it a few months ago, but my blog did not qualify- you have to be over 3 months old with more than 20 posts. I had the 20+ posts, but was not three months old. My friend Betsy reminded me today to go back and reapply- so here I am. I can earn $20 for this post, $5 or more here and there for other posts. You select the opportunity and write about it on your blog.

In my opinion, this is perfect for mom blogs. Why not make some money why you are doing what you will do anyway- posting!? Plus you can get more money for referring others to Pay Per Post and earn more as your ranking improves and as you post more! See my badge in the side panel- if you are interested click through and join me.

If you have a blog or looking to earn some extra money, think about payperpost. If you have not started a blog, start one and in three months, come back and join. There are always times when you are looking for something interesting to post about so why not get some ideas and make some money. Multiple Streams of Income is the ultimate goal!

Suave Tips for Busy Moms

The folks at Suave recently conducted a survey of women asking can motherhood and womanhood co-exist? The results went through what moms miss out on and want more of in their motherhood lives. They found that 95% of moms put taking care of their family before anything else in their lives, including taking care of themselves.

With that in mind, here are some Blogger Tips for Busy Moms from Suave...

Beauty:
And while most moms are doing the basics everyday - brushing their teeth (93%) and taking a shower (77%) -- some find it challenging to fit them into their daily routines. Half say they have forgotten to brush their teeth in the morning (53%), and most have had days when they didn't have enough time to shower or bathe (66%).With our beauty tips, you just might be able to sneak this little necessity back in.
I use a foundation that is also a moisturizer and sunscreen all-in-one; much easier to apply one item to my face! -Michelle

Exercise:
Although 67 percent of moms would rather get their pre-baby body back than their pre-baby sex life, exercise opportunities are tough to come by. After shopping for themselves, exercise is the second most desired activity to pursue during coveted “me” time- here's some advice on how to fit in fitness.
In order to get any guilt-free exercise, you have to find ways to incorporate your little ones. I invested in a chariot attachment for my bike. It allows me to load up the kids in the trailer and go. The best part is that they usually end up dozing off and you get to breathe some fresh air, take in the scenery and work towards getting your old body back. Not to mention what it does for your peace of mind. It has truly become my zen moment. - Liz

Child Care:
95% of moms put taking care of their family before anything else in their lives, including taking care of themselves. The average mom spends about 3½ hours a day helping her children with activities and hobbies . And, while it's no surprise that moms often put their children and families first, Suave wants to remind moms that beauty can have a place amongst the dirty dishes and piles of laundry that are an inevitable part of motherhood.
Time for mom does not have to be away from the kids, it is sometimes difficult to get away. Take those moments when playing outside with the kids or taking a walk and listen to a mom podcast (an internet radio show that can be downloaded to a computer), just load up your mp3 player or iPod and enjoy some mom entertainment on the go. - Barbara

It's taken me a while to realize it, but, in order to care for yourself, you sometimes have to just do it, even when it feels like there are other, more important tasks at hand. You have to take care of yourself in order to take care of your family, and, you are the only one that can make it happen. Sure, there are clothes that need folding, but, there's always clothes that need folding, they'll wait. - Elizabeth

Thanks to Suave for these great tips!

Diagnosis: Cancer

In some past posts, I mentioned my husband has been in the hospital and has had some surgery. He had a mass removed from his testicle that was cancerous. he went to the oncologist today who first told him to do two courses of chemo. He later called back (after consulting with Lance Armstrong's cancer doctor!) and said that no treatment, but consistent scans throughout the years is another option. We had to think carefully, but he is going with the observation plan. The likelihood of the cancer returning is possible with either option, of course lower if we treat it now. If it does return without treatment now, he will have to have 4 courses of chemo then. What is the right answer? Only time will tell. Please pray for us in the coming months, years, as we continue to deal with a variety of medical situations.

The Brands Club

Here is something new for me, The Brands Club. It is a free membership club that you shop online through at major stores: Sears, Target, Macy's, ITunes, and tons more. You get cash back from your sales! You get it, not me (although I get a referral commission if you go through my link). You also get major deals too and referral bonuses yourself for referring friends. Check this one out- easy money to earn- easy money to save!

Tuesday Efficiency Tip

Reading my sister work at home mom blog, 4fabmoms, I found Betsy's post on Tuesday's Efficiency Tip. I was also listening to Real Simple on Good Morning American Radio on XM and that gave me the idea for the efficiency tip for unusual uses or different uses for common things around your house.

Straightening Iron to Iron:
One of the ones this morning from Real Simple was for a straightening iron to iron your clothes in a pinch or the space between buttons the iron does not reach.

Toothpaste for acne: This is one I read years ago, use toothpaste on a pimple. It has to be paste. Put it on before bed and it dries the blemish out.

Baking Soda and Vinegar to clean out your clogged tub: Remember the school days with the exploding volcano... the same action will clean out your pipes. Put in some baking soda and get as much down the drain as possible. Then pour in the vinegar and what the explosion. Your kids will love this one!

Scrapers to clean out between the stove/cabinet: If you have a drop in stove, you know it gets gross in between the cabinet and the stove top. If you have a scrapper for stones or other non-stick pans, slide it through the sides and clean out the mess. It is the perfect size.

Do you have tips you want to share? Comment on this blog and I will link you in this post. We would love to share, plus increase traffic to your blog!

Children's Annual Checkup Questions

Don't you love when you go for your children's annual checkups and they ask you all sorts of developmental questions? You really have to think.... does my child describe things? Do they walk backwards?

The one I loved the most today was do they have any behavior, eating, or sleeping problems? Not if eating junk most of the time, whining, and sleeping in your parents bed don't count as problems! It is all how you think of things as problems. My children certainly would not classify those as problems... actually, those would be solutions to their problems! So how do you answer? My doctor is one of those that thinks most children act like children anyways... so I tend to keep my mouth shut. I taught children with behavioral problems, you think I would be able to get a 4 year old to get into bed at night!

Until next year--- maybe I will be better prepared!

Rushing to Church

How is it that even when you get up early, you still end up rushing to church! I remember Sunday mornings with my mom, a single mom or the only parent attending church, screaming at us to get our clothes on, eat breakfast, and get in the car. Then of course there was the argument of three children of who got to sit up front. A never ending saga that ended when we walked in the church doors. You wonder how we learned anything when we got there after the rush and chaos of getting there.

With that in mind, I try real hard not to rush my kids. I read somewhere that "hurry" should never be said to your children. You should plan ahead for enough time so that you not throwing them out the door and into the car seats.

And we were not that late to day. We were technically on time- just not as early as I wanted to be there... I have a bit of a thing for being on time... from the above story, do you wonder why? :)

I did not say "hurry" but I did say "come on guys, get to the car." Of course, we started getting ready too soon, which was part of the problem. We thought we had more time that we ended up with. I will make an effort to make my children not feel rushed, but still get there on time. You try too!