How to Carry a Child

There are many ways to carry a child:

*in one's uterus
*in a front carrier
*in a back carrier
*on one hip
*cradled like a baby
*over one's shoulder
*piggy back style
*any which way you can when the child is having a meltdown

I'd never once thought of this way until I saw it in the paper this weekend, from Wichita, KS.
Can you believe it? That is one creative man, or can you think of a different adjective?
I think he's been around too many mama cats carrying their kittens...

Works for Me Wednesday: Digital Photography

Isn't it the worst when you are right in the middle of an event and you see you have one bar left on your digital camera? When I got mine, my husband suggested getting a spare battery, to always have on hand.

As soon as I see mine is getting low, I pop it out into the charger and put the new one in. Then as soon as it is charged, I put it back in its sleeve and back in my handy little camera bag.
I have had this little bag every since I saw it in some hippie shop or craft fair, or somewhere unique years and years ago. It fits my camera perfectly, and I can slide the extra battery right in that outside pocket.
For little jaunts, I can even slide in a few dollars and my ID. The strap is long enough that I can wear it across my chest so I can run around and do whatever, but I have it within reach.

See, I have it on in this picture:
I certainly wouldn't want to "wear it" for a special event, but for everyday, it is great.

Go here for other ideas of Works for Me Wednesday go to We are THAT Family.

How do you keep your coupons organized?

Here's my method, and I try to sort through them once a week and take out expired coupons.
Then I take those I'm going to use and paperclip them to my grocery list.
I've found, however, that since I started REALLY collecting coupons, including online ones, that this is getting fuller and my health and beauty section really needs to be broken into several separate section.
I've heard there are some 3-ring binders out there, and I guess if I'm going to get REALLY serious about this, it might be something to consider.

What do you use to keep everything organized and ready for your planning and shopping trips?

Happy long Memorial Day weekend everyone!

Chores: How Do You Do It?

Chores, household chores. I hate them. That is, unless I'm in the mood, and then I can go, go, go.

My challenge? Having a 2 1/2 year old. He likes to help, by riding the vacuum, saying "I'll do it!" and grabbing the hose from me (not as helpful), dusts the table, then "Whack!" hits the TV...you get the picture. (Okay maybe not this one, because I'm certainly not that limber, and my son weighs about 34 pounds!)

So, I tend to do things during naptime, or not at all, until we have company. That would be Saturday. Yep, tomorrow...I have a lot to do!

What are your secrets to getting your chores done on a REGULAR basis (Is there such a thing?), in a quick manner, and within a limited time frame?

I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Thankful Through Thursday: Summer

My great friend Chelsea has started a linky for Thankful Through Thursday. Check it out!

Today, I am thankful for:

*This being the last day of school, and perhaps having a few days to MYSELF over the next short six weeks of our break. (I'm working much of it.)

*Having some additional time to read some great blogs out there and connect with some great people.

*My father-in-law for being so generous in offering to fly our family out to see him this summer

*My awesome husband who I'll get to spend some extra time with.
*And amazing son. I hope to do some extra special activities (unnamed as of yet) with him over a few days off.

Question of the Day: CVS and Walgreens

I have a question for all of you.

Do any of you try to save money by shopping CVS or Walgreens?
If so, what are your strategies, and pointers for me, for a mom with limited shopping time?

I have heard that you can save a lot of money, but I've always been one to want to do one-shop-shopping. It has been a big transition for me to even start going to Target once a week (that started after having a child).

Works for Me Wednesday: Grocery Planning

I look forward to grocery planning each week, and I do it just once a week. My mom always had a "menu" that she created each week and had on the refrigerator so that she, and we, could see what was for dinner each night.
I use this same method, keeping in mind different events during the week that may influence the amount of time I have to cook (or desire to cook) as well.

One thing I do differently now though, is I keep a running list of things I have in the freezer and cupboards on a steno pad, and I take the Tuesday night ad from my favorite grocery store, in this case Fry's, and do my planning from what is on sale and what I already have, to try to save money. It is always a bonus when I have a coupon for an item as well.

On top of this, I go through my coupons to see what is expiring soon, and if my grocery store is still offering the "all coupons worth a dollar" offer. I figure it is best to try to get an item I will need in the future before that coupon expires.

I also do a once-a-week trip to Target, to purchase food and non-food items that are less expensive there than the grocery store. Some time back I wrote down commonly purchased items and price compared to determine where I should buy certain things.

My favorite thing about shopping?
Going by myself so that I can truly think about my purchases, and price compare. I try to leave on time from work on these days, do my shopping, then pick up my son.

It is truly what works best for me. For other great ideas that work, see We Are That Family.


What works well for you as far as your weekly grocery planning?