I don't know about you, but I spend way too much at the grocery store! I am going to use the tips in the below article and see if I can feed my family of six for close to $50 per week. Wouldn't it be great to do that! Think of all of the extra money we would have... -------------------------------------------------

By: Judith L. Davis

I have friends who will not believe me when I tell them I have feed my family of six on fifty dollars a week. They say it just isn’t possible. There were after all two teen age sons there in the mix. I am here to tell you that yes it can be done. It takes dedication, a bit of time, and some very frugal shopping. Here are my ten best tips to get it done.

#1 PLAN I can not stress this one enough. Sit down and plan out your weekly menus. Now when I do this I only do the main dish and one side dish. IE hamburgers and home fries. I will be serving vegetables but this comes in a later tip. When you plan your menu, just your main ideas.

#2 GET OUT THOSE WEDNESDAY ADS While you are planning your menu look at those grocery ads. Notice I didn’t say the Sunday coupons, I said the Wednesday ads. See what is on sale. If chicken is at an unbelievable price plan a few meals around that. Plan around the sales items.

#3 LOOK AT THE ADS WHERE YOU SHOP Unless you are one of those shoppers who can walk into a store and only buy what is on your list, don’t look at ads from other stores you don’t frequent. I am not one of those people. I know if I look at the Walmart ad and see something on sale that I really want I will find ten other things that I don’t need and there goes my budget. They draw you in on low cost items and get you to buy a bunch of junk too.

#4 MAKE YOUR SHOPPING LIST I know this is age old advice but it is because it works. If you have two different stores that you go to, make two different list. Also make a wish list. This is a list of things you would like, but don’t really need. Make a separate list for your paper products also. I don’t include paper towels, napkins and toilet paper in that $50.

#5 FIND A RELAXED TIME TO SHOP This is sometimes the hardest thing. Some of us have to wait until payday to go shopping. This is when everyone goes shopping and it tends to stress me out and I can’t concentrate on cost if I am concentrating on how to get out the door. If you have to go on payday pick a time of day when less people out. Early mornings are great and so is late at night.

#6 SHOP ALONE This kind of goes with #5 but I really thing that it is very important. Kids and spouses always want things that aren’t on your list. They are also attention distracters. Yes you can tell I really feel to meet this challenge you have to be focused. The less distraction the betters.

#7 EAT HEALTHIER I am not talking about shopping down the organic food isle that is terrible expensive, I am talking about avoiding that soda and chip isle. Do you really need that bag of potato chips? Not only are they expensive but they aren’t very diet friendly either.

#8 YOUR FREEZER IS YOUR FRIEND That great sale on chicken? Stock up. Have a few pennies extra or get a bigger bag and divide it up and freeze it. Your cupboard is your friend too. Often times it may pay to stock up when you find a good sale.

#9 WHEN YOU GET HOME TAKE CARE OF YOUR FOOD It doesn’t help at all if you get your food home, don’t store it properly and you have to throw it away. Pay attention to those expiration dates, and storage. If it says refrigerate after opening make sure that you do.

#10 STICK TO IT So now you have the menu. You have your stocked kitchen with what you need. You have to actually make what is on your list. I know that things come up and you may not feel like tuna casserole one night, but just switch it with another night instead of calling for Pizza. You may not hit the fifty dollar goal the first week, but you will definitely bring down your grocery bill. If you stick to this you will see rewards. I didn’t even mention coupons. I am just not that organized. There are those people that can bring their grocery bill down by using coupons. The best advice is to find a method that works for you and then stick to it!

Article Source: Articles For Wahms This article was written by Judith L. Davis of www.judithldavis.com, a WAHM who freelances as a writer and copy editor.

Posted: March 17th, 2008 under Budget.
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My kids love crafts, so I'm always on the lookout for something fun to make. When it's wrapped up with Christianity all the better! Take a look at this article I found about Christian Music for kids. It includes two crafts to do with your children.

Christian Kids Music Extravaganza: Fun with Musical Crafts by Ameerah Lewis

All kids love music. That is why Christian kid's music is so important. It allows your children to praise God in a way that comes naturally to them. One of the most important parts of a Christian's walk with God is the time they spend in His presence. For many of us, the first time that we ever felt the presence of God was while we were coming before Him in worship. Doing praise and worship with your kids allows them to feel God's Spirit, even at a young age. It also teaches them that praising God isn't just something we do on Sunday, but all week long! The key to sharing your love for praising God with your children is to keep it fun! Your kids will grow to love spending time with God, instead of thinking of it as a religious obligation or, worse, resenting it. A great way to add extra FUN into your kid's praise time, is to let them make a few musical instruments of their own. Musical crafts are tons of fun, and they are something that you can do together as a family. If you have more than one small child, have each one make a different instrument. Then, you'll have your very own Christian Praise Band! Let The Praise Party Begin! Here are two Christian kid's music crafts that you and your children will enjoy.

Turn an Oatmeal box into a Praise Drum!

Here is What You'll Need:

• markers
• crayons
• glitter or finger paints
• An empty oatmeal box or coffee can (one with a plastic lid)
• A glue stick
• Colored construction paper

1. Take out a piece of construction paper, and let your child draw pictures that remind them of God's love and glory. 2. Help them put glue on the back of their picture, and secure it around the outside of their can to decorate their drum. 3. Then, they put the lid back on their can. The lid is what makes their Praise Drum sound like a real drum. Now that their praise drum is finished, your child can use it in many ways. They can beat it with their hands. Use 2 rulers as their drum sticks, or even bang on it with wooden spoons. Either way, it will let your kids make a joyful noise to the Lord!

Turn an Empty Roll of Paper Towels Into a Praise Banner!

• Colored construction paper
• Markers, crayons, glitter or finger paints for decorating
• An empty roll of paper towels
• A single hole punch
• A glue stick
• 10 Ribbons

1. Take out a piece of construction paper, and let your child draw pictures that remind them of God's love and glory. 2. Then, help them glue their construction paper around their paper towel roll to decorate their banner's handle. The construction paper will overlap some. 3. Using a single hole punch, make 10 holes around the rim of the paper towel roll. 4. Take their first ribbon, and thread it through one of the holes, pulling it through until both sides are about the same length. 5. Make a knot in the ribbon to secure it to the roll. Then let your child try to duplicate what you did with the other 9 ribbons. And, now you have a beautiful praise banner. As you play Christian kid's music, let your child run around and wave their banner in praise to God! Your homemade praise drum and banner are great additions to any child's praise and worship time. They make worshiping the Lord fun. Take the time to do this children's Bible activity with your child today, and invest in their spiritual future! Ameerah Lewis provides free Family Bible study online resources that help parents instill the love of God into their children. For step by step illustrations on how to make even more Christian kids music crafts, and to print tons of free kid's activities, visit her free Children's Bible activities page today! Ameerah Lewis may be contacted at Hem-of-His-Garment Bible Study.

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Posted: March 9th, 2008 under Uncategorized.
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Carin Walling from Jacksonville, Florida is a work at home mom who just recently had a story published about her on First Coast News.

"Walling works from home as her own boss. She opened a children's store. But not the type of physical store you may be thinking of."I wanted to have a physical store and it didn't work out, he (her husband) said why don't you do this whole thing online," says Walling. So she started the online children's boutique www.2sweetsisters.com. She says the started up was relatively easy. She paid another work at-home mom to design her website. "  Source: First Coast News

Read the full story here:

Posted: March 4th, 2008 under Moms In The News.
Comments: none

Get In Our “Blogger Spotlight”Every Wednesday we will spotlight a different Mom Blog.  How does it work? 

• Email us at momkaboodle at gmail dot com and let us know you would like to be in our “Blogger Spotlight”. Be sure to include Your Name, Blog Name, Blog Address and Contact Email Address.
• We will send you some interview questions which will be posted in our “Blogger Spotlight” feature.

Posted: March 4th, 2008 under "Blogger Spotlight".
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Starting every Monday we will begin spotlighting a different work at home mom business. How does it work? 

• Email us at momkaboodle(at)gmail(dot)com and let us know you would like to be in our "WAHM Business Spotlight". Be sure to include Your Name, Business Name, Website Address and Contact Email Address.
• We will send you some interview questions which will be posted in our "WAHM Business Spotlight" feature.

Posted: March 4th, 2008 under "WAHM Spotlight".
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WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer product. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed. Name of Product: Majestic Curved Top and Flat Top Cribs, Essex Cribs, Brighton/Sussex Cribs and Captiva Cribs Units: About 24,000 Importer: Munire Furniture Inc., of Piscataway, N.J. Hazard: The cribs fail to meet the federal safety standards for cribs. The four support brackets on the mattress support spring are too long. The brackets prevent the spring from lowering to the full 26 inch minimum height in its lowest position, allowing children inside to crawl over the railing, posing a fall hazard. Incidents/Injuries: None reported. Description: The cribs are wooden. The recalled cribs include: Majestic Curved Top cribs with model number 9500; Majestic Flat Top cribs with model number 9000; Essex cribs with model number 7100; Brighton/Sussex cribs with model number 9100 and Captiva cribs with model number 5100. Only cribs with manufacture dates between November 1, 2005 and November 1, 2007 are included in the recall. The crib model number is printed on the white label on the bottom inside of the right side rail. The crib manufacture date is printed on either the white label near the model number or on the white label located on the bottom of the headboard. Cribs with a green sticker on the mattress frame are not included in the recall. Sold at: Specialty juvenile product stores nationwide from November 2005 through November 2007 for between $400 and $600. Manufactured in: Indonesia Remedy: Consumers should stop using the recalled cribs and contact Munire Furniture to receive replacement spring brackets. Consumer Contact: For additional information, contact Munire Furniture Inc. at (866) 586-9639 between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. ET or visit the firm’s Web site at www.munirefurniture.com Majestic Flat Top Crib Model # 9000 Majestic Curved Top Crib Model # 9500 Essex Model # 7100 Captiva Model # 5100 Brighton/Sussex Model # 9100

Source: www.cpsc.gov.

Posted: March 3rd, 2008 under Product Recalls.
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From pregnancy to crafty moms we have it all. Come chat, network, and find a support group in our forums! http://momkaboodle.com/forum

Posted: March 3rd, 2008 under Mom Kaboodle.
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Everyone is raving about Mr. Clean Magic Erasers. They are one of the most useful cleaning tools created to date. Visitors to my web site have shared their favorite uses for their "magic" erasers. If you haven't tried them yet, you better find out what you're missing!

Appliances:

- Removes build-up from the bottom of a non-stick iron - Cleans stainless steel finish appliances Bathroom:

- Removes hairspray build-up from brass doorknobs - Cleans bathtub and/or shower - Removes permanent marker from countertop - Removes hard water stains from shower door Doors:

- Removes pen, crayon, markers - Cleans wooden door frames Furniture:

- Removes craft paint and marker from mahogany bed and dressers

Kitchen:

- Cleans old formica kitchen countertops - Removes tarnish from old silverware - Removes coffee stains from formica countertops - Removes grease and grime from stove - Polishes stainless steel sinks Office:

- Removes marks from metal filing cabinets - Removes cigarette burns from formica type desktops Outdoors:

- Cleans inside and outside of boats - Cleans leather seats in cars - Removes bugs and tar from cars - Cleans lawn furniture Shoes:

- Cleans and polishes many types of shoes - Removes black scuff marks off white cowboy boots Walls:

- Removes crayon, marker, pen marks from walls and baseboards - Removes soot marks left from candle sconces Windows:

- Removes crayon marks from windows

Rachel Paxton is a freelance writer and mom who is the author of What's for Dinner?, an e-cookbook containing more than 250 quick easy dinner ideas. For more recipes, gardening, organizing tips, home decorating, holiday hints, and more, visit Creative Homemaking at http://www.creativehomemaking.com.

Posted: March 2nd, 2008 under For The Home.
Comments: 1

Butterfly candle holders are easy to make and a great gift idea. The materials are very inexpensive, and you can use your imagination for a variety of designs. To get started, you will need:

Materials:

Small glass candle holders Butterfly wrapping paper Yellow tissue paper Decoupage Cuticle scissors Small paintbrush Damp paper towel

You can buy whatever glass candle holders you like (or use some you already have laying around). I bought mine at Walmart for about $0.59. You could also find them at thrift stores or yard sales.

I chose butterflies for my design, but you could choose whatever design you'd like--maybe keeping in mind the tastes of the person you're making them for. You can cut out pictures from anywhere, including calendars, greeting cards, magazines. Thin paper decoupages best.

After you have some pictures in mind, use cuticle scissors (the kind you cut your fingernails with) to cut out the pictures. These scissors work best on small pictures and cut rounder corners than regular scissors. If you're not going to use the pictures right away, store them in ziploc bags.

You can buy decoupage at any craft store. It is normally found with the glue. It allows you to permanently affix a picture to another object, giving the object an overall glossy effect. Make sure the glass you're working with is clean. Tear a piece of tissue paper into small (approx. 1 inch) pieces. Using the paint brush, brush some decoupage on to the back of one of the pieces of tissue paper. Position the tissue paper on the glass and then brush some more decoupage on top of it. Continue gluing on pieces of tissue paper, overlapping at the edges, until the entire candle holder is covered (including the bottom--set the candle holder on its top to dry). Brush one last coat of decoupage over the entire candle holder. Use damp paper towel to wipe off any excess decoupage.

After the decoupage has dried for about an hour (or more), position the butterflies (or other pictures) on top of the tissue paper. First brush some decoupage on the backs of the pictures and place them on the glass. Brush another coat of decoupage over the entire glass and set the candle holder on its top to dry again. After the decoupage has dried, add 2 or 3 more coats of decoupage after each coat has dried.

That's it! These candle holders are only limited by your imagination. Use different colors of tissue paper and a variety of pictures for different themes. You could make these with holiday themes, like for Christmas or Easter. They also make great birthday presents, hostess gifts, or party favors. They are very easy to make and you can make several of them at one time.

Rachel Paxton is a freelance writer and mom of four. For scrapbooking, card making, gift-giving ideas, and more family memory-making activities, visit http://www.crafty-moms.com.

Posted: March 2nd, 2008 under Crafts.
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Kids love to play with pasta! Who knew something so simple and inexpensive could be so interesting to young children. Dried pasta comes in a variety of sizes and shapes. If you don't already have some in your kitchen cupboard, you can find a variety of different pastas to choose from in the bulk section of your grocery store. Let your child go with you to pick it out. Pasta can be used for a variety of craft projects, and it is very easy to dye. It takes only a few minutes to dye the pasta, and a couple of hours for it to dry. To dye the pasta all you need is: - Pasta in different shapes and sizes - Food coloring - Rubbing alcohol - Several small bowls Pour approximately 1/2 cup rubbing alcohol into each bowl. Add 10 or so drops of food coloring into each bowl, one bowl for each color. Drop the pasta into the bowl and stir gently with a spoon for a few seconds. Remove the pasta from the bowl and allow to dry for several hours on a paper plate. The colors will brighten as the pasta dries. Your kids will enjoy playing with their colorful pasta. They can use it to create macaroni necklaces or they can glue pieces of pasta onto a sheet of paper for a creative work of art. Children as young as two years old will enjoy counting and sorting the pasta into different piles. Have them separate the pasta by color or shape. They will have fun moving the pieces of pasta from bowl to bowl. Rachel Paxton is a freelance writer and mom of four. For scrapbooking, card making, gift-giving ideas, and more family memory-making activities, visit http://www.crafty-moms.com.

Posted: March 2nd, 2008 under Crafts For Kids.
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