Extending your budget via the Internet!

So last week I talked to you about budgeting and knowing where your money is going.  Today I want to chat about how to legally make some extra cash on the Internet.  There are many scams out there and you must be very cautious…. BUT the sites I’m about to list below are ones that I belong too, I have used for many months, and I have actually received checks (or deposits) from them so I know they are legitimate and trust worthy.   This is actually how I paid for the majority of our Christmas presents last year.  Early October I started requesting my checks and accumulated a nice chunk of change and was able to come out of Christmas with no credit card debt hanging over our heads!

I know some people are very wary of these types of programs but the only one I have come across that is a huge scam is Panda Research – DO NOT join this one.  I also did not open a new email for these sites – I know some people do but I probably at most 1 or 2 surveys a day from each company – I just file them all in one folder and then when I have some down/free time I know exactly where to go to complete the surveys.

Our family does not have satellite or cable and sometimes during those late night feedings or crying sessions you need something else to focus on to keep you awake…. So I discovered online surveys – it was the best – I was keeping myself awake and making money! 

Below are my favorite 4 survey sites.... I hope you have some success too!

Mypoints - earn points to redeem for gift cards by reading emails and completing surveys

MySurvey - I make the most from this one!

Mommytalk - Earn $5 just for signing up! I quickly earned $20 with this program

Pinecone Research - This one pays a flat rate of $3 a survey and usually ends up in free product testing! (looking for Households of Hispanic Heritage)

**I receive a very very very small commission when you sign up through my links – 

consider it a virtual tip!**

Taslie Skin Care's Natural Cheeky Bum Wash Review

As parents, we are always looking for ways to make things easier and take less steps!  For a long while, I have been wanting to try different "potions" and wipes solutions in spray bottles.  Sad to say that I honestly have never tried the spray bottle...I always prepare my wipes in a case already covered in the wipes solution and ready to go.  But I have always thought that for travel and in the diaper bag, those spray bottles would be lovely!  I can now say, my thoughts were correct!!!

I was sent the Taslie Skin Care Natural Cheeky Bum Wash for review.  This is a brand that I had never heard of, but after a quick look through their product line and mission, I was thrilled to try their products!  Taslie Skin Care was created by a mom (who else?) who wanted chemical free products to use for her child's skin care.  She even took it one step further and decided to put her products in sustainable (recyclable, biodegradable, etc) packaging (it's even cute!!)!!  This mom thought of it all!!!


I know, we are all more comfortable with our "name brand" cloth diaper accessories!  BUT, this wash is made from all natural plant based ingredients that will gently cleanse even the most sensitive skin while also being completely cloth diaper safe!  Here is the complete list of ingredients...it just SOUNDS soothing!!

Water (Aqua), Organic Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice (Aloe Vera), Centilla Asiatica (Gotu Kola), Hamamelis Virginia (Witch Hazel) Extract, Organic Herbal Blend Marigold and Chamomile Flowers Extract, Decyl Glucoside & Coco Glucoside (Natural Vegetable Surfactant from Corn, Wheat, Coconut Oil), Citrus Nobilis (Mandarin Orange Peel Oil), Citrus Grandis (Grapefruit Peel Oil), Hydroxymethylglycinate (Plant Derived Preservative)

Cost:  ★★★☆☆  One bottle of this solution, 200 ml (6.7 fl oz) retails for $13.99.  Many spray bottle solutions retail for $8-12, so this is not far above the average, plus you are getting all natural ingredients!  This is a Canadian Company, so I am not sure of shipping costs.


Ease of Use:  ★★★★★  It absolutely cannot get easier than this!  The solution is already made and in the *adorable* bottle ready for use!  Just pop the cap off, squirt squirt, wipe, and done!  You can squirt directly on baby or onto the wipe; I know Miss A does not like getting squirted on the bum! ;)  This is PERFECT for diaper bags and diaper changes on the run!


Smell:  ★★★★☆  Taslie calls the scent "fresh, fruity scent of grapefruit and mandarin essential oil."  I don't neccessarily smell the grapefruit and mandarin, but it is a nice clean fresh essential oil smell.  It is not a strong odor, so those of you with allergies or sensitive noses should be just fine!


On Baby:  ★★★★★  This solution worked very well for us!  Not only do I love the spray bottle, but the solution is fantastic too!  Miss A has notoriously the most sensitive skin EVER and we had no problems or rashes while using this product!  With all of those lovely ingredients, it is actually soothing for bottoms!  A+ in my book!


Overall:  ★★★★★  I love this product and would highly recommend it!  The solution is absolutely wonderful for baby's bum!  It smells great and the oils have soothing and healing properties for a sore tush.  It is all natural and cloth diaper safe!  And even better, it comes in an adorable spray bottle that is the perfect size for the diaper bag!!!  Love it!


Total Stars:  22/25


Please check out Taslie Skin Care's Cheeky Bum Wash and other products HERE!


In addition to the Bum Wash, they also make all natural Goat's Milk Baby Soap, Ollie's Happy Hands Sudz, Head to Toe Body Wash, and Moisturizing Lotion.

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Fiber That Tastes Good!?

   Today TMGers we are going to be talking about fiber.  It's a tricky thing that fiber ~ too little and it doesn't work, too much and it creates the opposite of what you want!  I know through being pregnant multiple times, having to take prenatals, extra iron, and just plain not eating right that sometimes, more often than not, things get a little uncomfortable.  And we all know that that is no fun.  I have tried everything from fiber mixes, chewables, Miralax, colace, suppositories and fiber bars.  I have learned what works and what doesn't.  That is the trick, find out what works for you.

    I can tell you that Miralax in some apple juice works wonders.  I have even cut the reccomended dose down and have given it to my children during their "hurty tummy" times. But what if I don't want to become dependent on a product to stay regular? That too is a question I often I found myself asking.  I have recently found two bars that have really worked for me when I just need that little extra ...

Fiber One Oats & Chocolate

    This granola type fiber bar is delicious! It tastes just like any other chocolate chip granola bar, if you didn't have to read that it was a fiber bar on the packaging you would never know the difference! And I must say that if you eat two of these you definitely won't be uncomfortable any longer.  And they taste so good so why not?!

I have also tried these Metamusil Cinnamon Spice Fiber Wafers

    You get two wafers per pack but they are not what I expected when I read Cinnamon Spice.  They are a bit on the mild side for me but I have found them to do their job effeciently!  They are, on the other hand, quite perfect to dip in a hot cup of coffee or your favorite hot tea blend.  The mild flavor compliments the flavors from you beverage awesomely and the wafer cookie soaks up the just the right amout of liquid!

And speaking of a nice hot cup of coffee ... You could always have a few of these! This is the stuff that keeps Mama moving =)



    *Everything above is my opinion from my own personal experience, always remember to consult your doctor before drastically changing your diet!

    Thanks for reading TMGers and I'll see you next Tuesday with something I am so anxious to share with you all! ~Robin =)

"Good" Mom--What does that even mean?

What makes a good mama?

I find myself struggling with this phrase.  What does it mean?  I let D go to bed in his clothes without a bath last night and I feel like the worst mom ever!  But he's loved, fed, cared for and all that good stuff...so I'm not doing too bad I guess!!

My husband (or as we call him "Daddyguy") has said since D was born "bad moms don't know they're bad!  They don"t care!" and he is constantly telling me to be easier on myself.  But people, we are parents!!  These babies depend completely on us and we are responsible for their upbringing.  I am constantly thinking about my Cub's well being.  Is he eating enough?  Sleeping enough?  Are his milestones being hit?  Does he know how much I love him?  I worry 24/7.

I know I should be more gentle with myself however the incredible overwhelming love I have for Cub can sometimes make me a little batty...

What do you think makes a "good" mama??

<3 Jen

Gender Stereotyping

Something that bothers me a lot is when society starts putting gender stereotypes on my children.  This is something that comes up constantly within our culture. I remember when my son had on a necklace and my daughter a necktie while playing and someone said, well that's backwards.  Um no you are backwards!  We have these gender stereotypes, but our children do not.  They just want to have fun, be creative and the sky is the limit.  Then we, as adults, unknowingly start to make limits.  When we say things such as boys don’t cry, or pink is for girls, we start putting up those limits.  Then the child begins to think that they like something they aren’t supposed to, and they start to conform.  But who says they should or shouldn’t like something?  Why are we putting limits on our children’s creativity and uniqueness?  It’s our job as caregivers to take care of our children, and that includes giving them the confidence to be creative and be an individual.  We have a dress up chest in our home, that holds lots of different play things.  We have outfits for a doctor, princess, fairy, race car driver, knight, cowboy/girl, etc.  They both enjoy dressing up in all the outfits! It's so much fun letting them use their imaginations and there are never any limits to what they can become.

We like to know, before the baby is even out of the womb, whether we will have a little blue or pink bundle of joy. Would it shock you to know that this is actually a new found wonder? There are no boy colors or girl colors.  Boys would wear pink, and girls blue, in the early 1900s.  It’s relatively new that we have this standard of certain colors for gender.  Now don't get my wrong, as infants I liked dressing my daughter in pink and purple, so the older ladies in the grocery store wouldn't ask how old HE was! ;) Though now that my kids are toddler and preschool age, they want to wear certain colors. Even using certain colors on their artwork/craft, and I've heard other children say, "That's a girl color." I want them to know that they can use any color. By setting the example that their are no gender colors, we open up the possibilities for our children to be creative. So let's let our children enjoy the whole rainbow of colors.

  Boys and girls should be able to just be.  Be children.  Use their imaginations and play pretend.  Girls can be anything: doctors, policeman, etc.  We want our girls growing up knowing they can be anything.  Why not hold true for boys as well?  Boys can be chefs and hair stylists, too.  They can be anything they aspire to be.  Let children try all activities, so that they can learn and develop many skills and talents.  It’s healthy for girls to play with trucks, learning about speed and motion.  When a boy plays with dolls it helps him to learn to be caring and gentle.  He’s preparing to be a nurturing father some day, and we all know what a good thing that is.

 It’s normal for children to want to play gender stereotypical roles, even without adults teaching them. I know even though I tried to steer her from them, my daughter A LOVES princess things!  And my son loves anything with a motor.  Yet when we took the kids to a Monster Truck show, thinking mostly it was for C, A had just as much fun! We didn't limit those experiences for them by their gender.  So A's appeal to princesses is typical behavior and should be accepted, but we also encourage her to try many different activities.  We encourage our son and daughter to play together and learn from each other. Why would we want to limit these wonderful qualities in our children?  So let's help our children stay stereotype free by explaining that boys and girls can do the same things, and that the sky is the limit.


~Laura B

Budgeting - a new way of life

A budget – you telling your money where to go instead of someone else (creditors).

When my husband and I decided that I was going to quit my job the first thing we had to do was to see if it was even financially smart to do so.  We started living off of his income (by creating a budget) and putting my paychecks towards our mortgage. We figured as long as we had the house paid off then even if he would lose his job at some point we would still have a place to live (even if we were eating beans and rice!).

When we first started created a budget we still used our credit cards for everything and paid them off at the end of the month.  We tracked what we spent in our minds…. One problem – our minds weren’t connected to know how much was already spent in each category so we were consistently still going over budget.  Then I found the cash-only system over at MoneySavingMom…. EURKEA!

This made a huge difference for us… basically you create a budget and for everything you can spend cash on you do. Once it’s gone. It’s gone.  There is something driving about wanting to see how much cash is left at the end of each month and adding those numbers up.  I then track and save those leftovers and save them for a rainy day.  For example – my dear dog… I budget $15 a month for him… that’s for grooming and vet bills. We get his nails clipped every other month so that amount adds up quickly… but in November when he has his yearly vet appointment I am able to pay the bill with cash and it’s suddenly not eating up my grocery budget.  I won’t say it’s easy, you have to be very disciplined and strict with yourself but boy is it worth it.

So the basics….you start out with how much income is brought in each month – fixed expenses (things that have to be paid no matter what) = what you have left to spend on variable expenses.  I will be listing my categories below – this is easily something you can tweak for each family. You have to decide what's a priority for your family. You must have goals in mind - something you are working towards.  Either saving towards a new car, a vacation, or paying off debt (this should be top of your list).

Income

Fixed: House, Phone/Internet, Garbage, Gas, Electric, St Loans, Insurance (life, house, auto), Cell Phone, Charity, Taxes, Car

That gives me my net loss/savings (now if you are already at a loss here you need to do some major re-evaluating of what is a necessity in your life).

My variable expenses – items I have a cash only budget with: Medical (co-pays, chiropractor), Groceries, Clothes, Entertainment, Household, Restaurants, Rufus (dog), Transportation, Miscellaneous, Kids

A very excellent book that I would recommend to ANYONE would be the The Money Saving Mom's Budget: Slash Your Spending, Pay Down Your Debt, Streamline Your Life, and Save Thousands a Year .  She writes in such clear and easy to understand ways.  I have read this book twice and give it away at the budgeting/couponing classes I teach. It covers almost any scenario you could think of in the ways to make and save money while barely making ends meet.

The First Years Sure Comfort Newborn to Toddler Tub Review and Giveaway

When having a new baby, all parents are overwhelmed with the LENGTHY list of items that you need for a new baby.  In reality, we all over buy clothes, gear, and other baby items.  But the one thing that you just cannot do without, is a good infant bath tub.  For the first few weeks, you will sponge bath your newborn.  Then once the baby's cord falls off and heals completely, you can start to bathe baby in the infant bath tub.  These tubs are designed to be safer for baby and easier for mom and dad during these itty bitty stages, well before most parents feel comfortable plopping their kid in the big bath tub!

I was contacted by The First Years to review their Sure Comfort Newborn to Toddler Tub.  I was thrilled to get this opportunity, not only because I love reviewing items and sharing my knowledge, but because I actually OWN this tub and it is the tub that we used with Miss A.  So I actually have a TON of experience with this tub and can speak as to how it performed from the itty bitty stages to the nearly toddler stage when we stopped using it!

When I was pregnant with Miss A, I spent a lot of time on Consumer Reports and reading reviews trying to pick the best and safest baby items for my baby.  The bath tub choice was a no-brainer. No other tub got higher reviews or recommendations.  Click!  This tub was instantly on my registry!  Also, infant bath tubs can range in price from $12 to $50 or more!  This tub retails around $18 and is available at readily available stores such as Walmart, Target, and Babies R Us.  Who can argue with that price and availability!!??  Many people think that the higher the price tag, the better the product, this is one case where that is absolutely not true!!

So on to the tub!  This tub comes in Pink or Blue color (love choices!) and comes with a removable padded mesh infant sling.  The bottom of the tub is molded so that you can sit the tub in a single or double sink or have it on a table or counter.  There is a drain plug in the bottom of the tub which is perfect to easily let the water out of the tub without having to lift/flip the tub to drain and it is made of a special material that changes color to let you know if the water temperature is too hot.  On the one end of the tub is a holder for your soap, shampoo, rinse cup, etc.

Using this tub with a brand new baby, with cord stump still on that cannot be submerged.

You can still use this tub for those first baths before baby can actually be in the tub.  Many parents, including myself at the time, do not realize this!  I laid Miss A on a bath towel on the counter to sponge bath her during those first baths.  You can do this, or you can sit baby in the sling in the tub.  This way baby is more secure than laying on the counter, and all of your rinse water is just going into the tub.  Much less messy!

Using this tub with an infant who's cord has fallen off and can now be in the water.

Since tiny infants lack the head, neck, and back strength to sit up and hold their head up, the infant sling works perfectly to support them and keep them safe in the water.  The sling is very stretchy, so when you are filling the tub, be sure to account for the baby sinking into the sling and into the water, do not fill the tub too high.  You will slowly learn how much water to put in, but it is always easier to add water than it is to quickly dump some out!  The straps are adjustable on the sling so you can raise/lower the baby as they grow and adjust to bath time.  The sling also has a padded headrest to keep baby's head comfy and in an ergonomic position.  Think hammock, only stretchier and comfier!  Our only issue with the sling was a poop issue.  We had a couple times when Miss A decided to poop in the tub...oh what a mess!  The sling makes for an additional thing to clean before you can get baby back in the bath after an "incident" but it cleans and rinses quite easily and is no trouble to get back into use!

Using the tub for an infant who is too big for the sling but isn't sitting up on his/her own.

One end of the tub is slanted with rubber padding on the back.  This is the next step in the tub for infants who are too big for the sling but need to recline.  The rubber padding makes the tub comfy and non-slip so that baby doesn't slide down into the water.  Miss A loved it when she made it to this step and she could really be in the water and splash!  I love the rubber padding and I love that baby can finally stretch out and finally enjoy the water once they get to this phase!

Using the tub for a baby/toddler that can sit up on their own.

This is the last step before graduating out of the infant tub.  On the other end of the tub is a seat that sits straight upright with that same non-slip rubber where the tush goes.  This is when the fun begins!  Miss A loved sitting in her tub, looking around the kitchen, splashing, and having a good time!  The rubber padding made it comfy for her to sit in and kept her tush from sliding around!  Also, you can place the infant tub into your larger bath tub so that you can fill it higher and still keep them a little safer/comfier than putting them into the big tub.  We did this for a long while until she was ready for the big tub.

All in all, this is a great tub!  I have recommended it time and time again and I have bought it for numerous baby showers!  I only have two complaints, and they will stand true for most any infant bath tub and cannot be counted as specific to this tub.  One, the drain plug is a little small and it can take a little bit for the water to drain.  Also, not all of the water will drain, and you may have to flip the tub to finish emptying it.  And two, the tub is rather large for storage between kids.  But again, both of these would be true of most tubs.

I do love the option of using this tub as early as birth.  I love the sling that comes with this tub.  I love that the tub has so many different options for different ages.  And I just love the versatility!  This tub sits perfectly in our kitchen sink, it was comfy for Miss A, and easy for both my husband and I to use!

I just got this tub out today (been in storage since we used it with Miss A) and cleaned it up...it looks brand new!  No signs of wear or tear.  The sling needs washed before Baby J arrives, but it is still in perfect condition!  Cannot complain about the life of the tub one bit!!

Total Stars:  ★★★★★

Miss A enjoying all stages of her tub...back in the day...  *tear*

All photo rights belong to me.