That's right! Halloween is just around the corner, save big on costumes while you can at Costume Craze! Save now!
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Cute and Crafty Mom: Cute and Crafty Mom: HUGE SALE at Costume Craze - 50-90% OFF!
Cute and Crafty Mom: Cute and Crafty Mom: HUGE SALE at Costume Craze - 50-90% OFF!
That's right! Halloween is just around the corner, save big on costumes while you can at Costume Craze! Save now!
That's right! Halloween is just around the corner, save big on costumes while you can at Costume Craze! Save now!
Cute and Crafty Mom: HUGE SALE at Costume Craze - 50-90% OFF!
Cute and Crafty Mom: HUGE SALE at Costume Craze - 50-90% OFF!
That's right! Halloween is just around the corner, save big on costumes while you can at Costume Craze! Save now!
That's right! Halloween is just around the corner, save big on costumes while you can at Costume Craze! Save now!
HUGE SALE at Costume Craze - 50-90% OFF!
HUGE SALE at Costume Craze - 50-90% OFF!
That's right! Halloween is just around the corner, save big on costumes while you can at Costume Craze! Save now!
Candy Cane Fairy Costume - Christmas Fairy CostumesThis Candy Cane Fairy Costume indcludes the bright shiny red hoop dress with black and white striped trim, a v-neck and a striped band and bow on the bodice, and the matching striped armwarmers and leggings. Wings and headband available separately.
Deluxe Harry Potter Costume - Harry Potter CostumesDeluxe Harry Potter Costume Robe for boys and girls - This officially licenced, authentic Deluxe Harry Potter Costume Robe is black and mauve with clasp. The embroidered patch is a Gryffindor coat of arms. Hogwarts School for Witches and Warlocks is divided into four houses. The house of Gryffindor is named for its founder Godric Gryffindor and the students of this house share dormitories and classes. Robe is 100% polyester, exclusive of trim, and has a felt-like feel.
Kids and Toddler Butterfly Fairy Costume - Girls Fairy CostumesThis delicateKids and Toddler Butterfly Fairy costume includes the dress in a delicious shade of mint green with fancy sheer puff shoulders accented in striped of gold braid and teal sequins, fitted sheer sleeves, a sequined bodice, sparkling sheer overskirt and satin underskirt, and the matching iridescent wings.
Girls Gothic Witch Costume - Witch CostumesChild Halloween Costumes - This Gothic Witch Costume includes gothic witch velvet trimmed black witch costume hat with purple band and gold buckle, and the black witch costume dress with purple inset and purple cuffs and with gold cording. 100% Polyester. Exclusive of Trim. Hand wash. Cool water. Line dry. No Bleach. PLEASE NOTE: Size Small is black and purple. Sizes Medium and Large are as pictured (black and orange). PLEASE NOTE: Costume is black and purple, NOT black and orange.
Prince of Darkness Vampire Costume - Kids Vampire CostumesThis Prince of Darkness Vampire Costume includes the black and red bat-motif vest with attached satin sleeves, 1/2 length cape with an attached stand-up collar and the dickey with attached cravat and pin.
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Family Fun & Mom Time Now That School is Back In Session!
Well, it's always crazy the first few weeks that the kids go back to school until everyone gets into their schedule and routine. For mom's it's almost like running a business! The scheduling of sports events, parties and plays plus managing class fees and lunch money - it's a full time job on it's own! Then we have to make sure as the school year goes along that we take care of the Halloween costumes, winter gear, haircuts, school pictures - it just goes on and on and on. But - as moms we still want to get that quality family time in, too. That's where your time management, organization and multi-tasking skills really come in handy!
In my own house, I keep three calendars. There's one on my fridge (although right at this moment it's still in a box from the move) that my boys can all keep track of what's going on and add to it if they need to. I write meals on it, their appointments, school stuff - anything they need to keep track of with me. I also carry a student planner that plans out all of the school activities and doctors appointments. Then I have my own personal calendar for just my needs.
For the never ending school notes and papers, each of my boys have a file bin. They put what they bring home into their bins and then I get to look through it, put important notes on the fridge so I don't forget, add dates to calendars, throw away regular school papers and then save their art projects. I've been using this system a couple of years and I've learned I have to check the bins every day because they can fill up fast!
Email is a great and wonderful thing now-a-days. Instead of having to call a dozen different teachers, it's so nice just to be able to email a question here and there. It's great when I lose a note to be able to just ask the teacher about it. I also email for updates when I'm concerned about something.
Winter gear - can you say OMG?? We live up in Wisconsin so it starts getting cold in October usually. I collect winter gear throughout the year, recycling whatever I can. It all gets stored in a bin with gloves taking up most of the space. With four boys always losing gloves we can never have enough! My bin has grown from a little one, to a big big bin since we've been collecting hand-me-down gloves and hats from the older sons for the younger sons.
I also recycle costumes, so we have a bin full of masks, costumes, makeup, accessories and stuff from previous years. I actually still have my youngest son's 1st costume and he's 6 now! I keep saying I'll put it on eBay but I think I just can't let go of it or something because I just never get around to getting it listed LOL
So let's look at some family fun deals for this week, shall we? I know some of you moms have all of your children in school, some still have little ones at home and some home school, but I think it's important to set aside at least one day a week during the school year (besides the weekend) for "family night". Ours is usually Wednesday night, but I'll admit sometimes we don't always get to have our full family night during football season or when my son is working his farm job, but I do try.
Plum DistrictExclusive Daily Deals for Moms and their families! Save 50% - 90% on your favorite products and services.
momAgenda - get organized with style
Get 20% Off a small School Years book with code SCHOOLYEARSMOM
NEW 2011/2012 momAgenda Planners now available!
FACTORY OUTLET SALE at MomAgenda.com! While Supplies last
Sittercity: Find Babysitter, Nanny, Petsitter or Housesitter
Save 20% off memberships this fall with coupon code FALL20 exp 09/30/2011
Amber Alert GPS
Millions of Children Are Lost Everyday! Use Promo Code "Amber" To Get 10% Off New GPS Child Locator Device!
Hooked On Phonics
Save 20% On You HOP Order With Coupon Code SAVE20
New Hooked on Phonics Learn to Read - Normally $239.95, only $159.95
Learn to Read-Pre-K: $44.95, $15 off! Click Here
In my own house, I keep three calendars. There's one on my fridge (although right at this moment it's still in a box from the move) that my boys can all keep track of what's going on and add to it if they need to. I write meals on it, their appointments, school stuff - anything they need to keep track of with me. I also carry a student planner that plans out all of the school activities and doctors appointments. Then I have my own personal calendar for just my needs.
For the never ending school notes and papers, each of my boys have a file bin. They put what they bring home into their bins and then I get to look through it, put important notes on the fridge so I don't forget, add dates to calendars, throw away regular school papers and then save their art projects. I've been using this system a couple of years and I've learned I have to check the bins every day because they can fill up fast!
Email is a great and wonderful thing now-a-days. Instead of having to call a dozen different teachers, it's so nice just to be able to email a question here and there. It's great when I lose a note to be able to just ask the teacher about it. I also email for updates when I'm concerned about something.
Winter gear - can you say OMG?? We live up in Wisconsin so it starts getting cold in October usually. I collect winter gear throughout the year, recycling whatever I can. It all gets stored in a bin with gloves taking up most of the space. With four boys always losing gloves we can never have enough! My bin has grown from a little one, to a big big bin since we've been collecting hand-me-down gloves and hats from the older sons for the younger sons.
I also recycle costumes, so we have a bin full of masks, costumes, makeup, accessories and stuff from previous years. I actually still have my youngest son's 1st costume and he's 6 now! I keep saying I'll put it on eBay but I think I just can't let go of it or something because I just never get around to getting it listed LOL
So let's look at some family fun deals for this week, shall we? I know some of you moms have all of your children in school, some still have little ones at home and some home school, but I think it's important to set aside at least one day a week during the school year (besides the weekend) for "family night". Ours is usually Wednesday night, but I'll admit sometimes we don't always get to have our full family night during football season or when my son is working his farm job, but I do try.
Plum DistrictExclusive Daily Deals for Moms and their families! Save 50% - 90% on your favorite products and services.
momAgenda - get organized with style
Get 20% Off a small School Years book with code SCHOOLYEARSMOM
NEW 2011/2012 momAgenda Planners now available!
FACTORY OUTLET SALE at MomAgenda.com! While Supplies last
Sittercity: Find Babysitter, Nanny, Petsitter or Housesitter
Save 20% off memberships this fall with coupon code FALL20 exp 09/30/2011
Amber Alert GPS
Millions of Children Are Lost Everyday! Use Promo Code "Amber" To Get 10% Off New GPS Child Locator Device!
Hooked On Phonics
Save 20% On You HOP Order With Coupon Code SAVE20
New Hooked on Phonics Learn to Read - Normally $239.95, only $159.95
Learn to Read-Pre-K: $44.95, $15 off! Click Here
Friday, September 2, 2011
Labor Day Sale at Hancock Fabrics - 2 Days Only!
2 DAYS ONLY - Up to 60% off! Labor Day Sale on September 4th and 5th at HancockFabrics.com
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
New Ideas For Saving On Back To School And Your Sanity!
OMG It's Been Forever & A Day Since I've Posted! New Ideas For Saving On Back To School And Your Sanity!
First let me just apologize for not posting since forever. To make a long story short, I had a horrible flare-up of my autoimmune, a separation and divorce, and a major move. But, it's starting to even out and I'm trying to get back on the horse. The timing couldn't be better because up here in Wisconsin, the kids go back to school in September and I am counting the days!
10 years ago when my oldest son started school and I was a work-at-home mom for my then 18 month old, I thought it best that the kids have all brand new clothes for school, it was an easy schedule to balance and really, my sanity was all intact. Then, after two more kids arrived and now all are in school full-time, I've learned that penny-pinching isn't a bad thing and schedules are nothing to be afraid of!
So how do you save money when kids require so much for the start of a new school year? Well, let's talk about clothes. They always need clothes to start the new year with, but do they have to be new?? I learned that no - especially with younger kids, you can get away with thrift shops, hand-me-downs and swap-shops to give your kids a fashionable but affordable back-to-school wardrobe. For me that comes easy since I have all boys and they can hand down clothes. I also shop thrift stores like Savers (my fav!) and consignment shops because you can get some great deals on brand-name and designer labels, and the younger kids don't know the difference. I pick up jeans, shirts, jackets and I also start stocking up on winter-gear little by little so that when the first snowflakes fly I'm prepared.
Now, for older kids, you can't always get away with that. I'm lucky, my oldest is now 15 and the latest styles up here send him and his friends running to thrift shops to get that "vintage" look anyway. Also, this time of year a lot of stores like Pac Sun, Hot Topic, Finish Line, Famous Footwear, Zumiez, the Buckle and other great shops run Buy One Get One 1/2 Off on jeans, shirts, shoes, accessories and more. So for the older crowd, you can save a lot of money.
For shoes, my younger boys are perfectly happy with Payless Shoes and they also run BOGO for back to school. Our schools require two pairs (indoor and outdoor) so it works out really well. And, if there's an odd shoe out, I'll splurge and get a pair 1/2 off if one of the boys can't find something they like :-)
Swap-shops like Thred-Up are also great, because you can get a whole box of what you need while clearing out what you don't need. I also trade with friends and neighbors. Like I said, when their young, they don't have to have everything new - they just know that they like the color or the design or whatever. You would be surprised at some of the great-looking tops I've bought my boys and they still won't part with them from last year! We also recycle anything that can be re-used from the previous school year like hats, belts, sweats, jackets. I get into the habit of buying clearance in larger sizes for the next year, too. If you have the room, buy up clearance, bin it up and store it to save money next year!
So, then, what about school supplies? They make a huge dent in our budget. We do recycle what we can from previous years like backpacks, binders, school boxes and every year I buy extra school supplies at a bargain to try and save a little for the next year. I also buy in bulk since I have 4 boys in school full-time. WalMart will rollback prices on supplies the closer school gets, so I will over buy to have extras on hand for later on in the year. There's also discount stores, dollar stores and the shops where everything is $1 that can save you a lot of money. Discount School Supplies is also a great way to shop for supplies online if you don't feel like getting out and battling crowds for your childs' needs.
Organization - we all make great attempts at it but sometimes no matter what you do you feel like you'll lose your mind keeping track of everything. When my youngest son started school full-time I thought it would be easier on me since no one would be home during the day anymore but boy was I mistaken! It added more events, school functions, plays, sports - you name it! And that's not even counting homework, weekly spelling and all of that. So last year I developed a bin system for the kids. I went to the Dollar Tree and got each of them one of those bins made for filing and put their names on them. When they get home from school - anything that's in the "keep at home" part of their folder went into the bin so that I could see it before it got crammed into their room somewhere. Anything that said "return to school" went onto a clip on my refrigerator so that I could sign notes, mark calendars and such, and also make sure their reading minutes and homework got done.
Then - scheduling - what a nightmare! Keeping track of practices, doctors appointments, plays, class parties, lessons, and so on and so on. I try not to allow my children to get so involved in extracurricular activities that they leave themselves no time to be a kid, but even with just a few between four kids it's a lot to manage! Thank goodness for Google Calendar!! I put everything into my calendar. I even set it up to text me when something needs to be done, kids need to be picked up - anything we do goes into that calendar. Even menus! My ex-husband gets the texts and e-mails, too, so he can keep tabs on things from 2 hours away. I don't know how on Earth I ever survived without Google Calendar!
I also keep a tight scheduling during the week to allow the boys some down-time after school but keep enough structure in it for my ADHD children to have the same routine. They get up at 6:30am to be at the bus stop by 7:30am. Sometimes they eat breakfast at home, sometimes at school. I let them choose. Then they get home about 3:30pm and I allow them 40 minutes to unwind and have an afternoon snack. Then, it's homework time while I fix dinner. I do allow them about 30 minutes of T.V. after homework while I finish up getting their dinner ready. We eat about 6pm, then it's baths, a book and bed. In my house, my boys have to do their chores, homework and reading minutes to earn points that they can spend on T.V., video game or computer time while I'm bathing children and cleaning up from dinner. I do this to limit how much time they spend on T.V. and such before bed. Don't want them too wound up at bed time. My 6 and 8 year old go to bed at 8:30pm, the 12 year old goes down at 9pm and the oldest by 10pm. I found that as long as I stick to this routine everyday, there's less fighting, chaos and insanity in my house. I do keep their bed times on the weekend, too, unless there's something going on where I absolutely have to bend the rule a bit. Now, this year, it may change a little since their Dad moved 2 hours away. The boys will be going to Dad's on the weekends and I just hope he helps me stick to the schedule to make it much easier on all of the children, but especially the two with ADHD (the 6 and 12 yr old).
Anyway - that's just how I run my school year here for the kids. What works for me may not work for everyone, I just found that over the years this seemed to be the best compromise for both me and the kids. And remember what I said about the younger kids not absolutely having to have the brand new clothes. I learned that kids don't really care - they just want to look good. Try some of these sales and see where you can save a buck or two!
Discount School Supply:
Save up to 30% off retail on Crayola®
Shop Clearance Blow Outs and save up to 68% off retail!
BudgetBoosters - Save on Back to School Supplies, now at DiscountSchoolSupply.com! Click Here!
Biblio.com:
Save up to 90% off on new and used textbooks at Biblio.com
Bargain books under $2
thredUP:
Join thredUP's FREE online community to exchange stuff your kids no longer use, for clothing that fits & toys they'll love! thredUP is where families swap kids clothing (and toys!) online.
BetterWorld.com:
Get 3 used books for $10, 4 for $12 and 5 for $15 with the Better World Books Bargain Bin
Fund Literacy, Care for the Environment, and get a Fair Price on the Books you Want.
FergieShoes.com:
Save 15% off sitewide with code FERGIE15 at Fergieshoes.com!
Football Fanatics:
Save an extra 20% on sale items at Fanatics
$4.99 - 3-Day Shipping at FootballFanatics.com
FamousFootwear:
Save an additional 20% sitewide at the FamousFootwear BOGO 1/2 Off Sale, code BTS2011!
Spencer Gifts:
50% Off Messenger Bags & Backpacks!
Buy one Clearance T-Shirt, Get one FREE
Belts & Buckles - Buy One Get One 1/2 Off!
Hot Topic:
Check out all the hottest discounts at HotTopic.com!
$19.99 on Select Converse and Vans at HotTopic.com! While supplies last!
PUMA:
PUMA Online Store - Buy a Pair of Shoes, Get a FREE PUMA Backpack
$19.99 on Select Converse and Vans at HotTopic.com! While supplies last!
Surf Fanatics:
Save 20% on sale merchandise at Surf Fanatics
FREE 3 Day Shipping On Orders Over $50 at SurfFanatics.com
PACSUN:
Extra 30% Off Men's Graphic Tees
Womens Tees and Tanks: Buy 1, Get 1 50% Off
Guys Shorts Starting at $19.99!
Women's Hoodies Starting at $9.99
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
metamit's blog: Bare with me while I move
metamit's blog: Bare with me while I move
Please bare with me on my blogging, I'm still getting unpacked and settled in our new home, and am having a bit of a set-back in my remission. I will try to blog and get my ads up-to-date this week and continue with normal blogging next week.
Please bare with me on my blogging, I'm still getting unpacked and settled in our new home, and am having a bit of a set-back in my remission. I will try to blog and get my ads up-to-date this week and continue with normal blogging next week.
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