“A day late and a dollar short.” We’ve all heard it, now you are going to see it in action. I’m the one who is a day late here. This week’s feature would have come in soooo handy over Christmas vacation as we all had a slight case of cabin fever one day. Theideabox would have been good medicine. There are possibly HUNDREDS of activities listed. Here is more about the site…
First of all, it is very bright and cheery. The only problem I saw was that the advertising links often appeared to be pages of the website. This is a problem because it takes you out of the site which you don’t want to do at all. There is just too much cool stuff here.
The left side of the page has all of the options listed there in clearly defined terms. Idea of the Day, Activites, Seasonal, Craft Recipes etc. Have you ever wondered how to make Dryer Lint Modeling Material? I had never heard of it before but I sure could have used that idea last week… What is truly phenomenal is the massive list of craft recipes contained in one place. I haven’t even mentioned how many games, songs and more are found here.
For the sake of time and because I know you’ll want to check out the site, there are message boards and other items of interest as well at theideabox. One final comment: bookmark it. Until next time.
We have to thank our dear Kathleen (Sites4Moms Founder) for sending me to this week’s feature site. It’s a name we all know and love but I would wager that most of you – like me – have not checked out their website. So let’s dig into Better Homes & Gardens ONLINE!
I just LOVE the way this site is organized. It is very easy to find things by category. And the information they offer is really great. Ready to get organized? There is a huge section with ideas, how-to’s and helpful tidbits. Need help decorating on a budget… they’ve got it. Help in the garden, in the kitchen, craft ideas… there is a little bit of everything.
How many of you have been promising to organize those scraps of paper you call a recipe collection? Ok, put your hand down. You can create your own eCookbook for FREE at this site. It is super easy and then you can share it with everyone!
There are many other interactive tools available for you to enjoy. Some of these include Plan-a-Party, Family craft finder, and lots of calculators and plans. There are so many cool features of this site… you have to check it out.
Whether or not you know someone who has experienced breast cancer, I think it is a lingering fear for most women. You may never even voice it, but I imagine most of you have worried about it from time to time. October is National Breast Cancer Awareness month so why don’t we all get a little more informed and empowered on this subject so we don’t have to live in fear.
Personally, I always think “I’m just 29, I can worry about this later”. But we all know that’s not a good tactic. Prevention, not procrastination, is what we need to focus on. Did you know that, “More than 90 percent of women whose breast cancer is found and treated early with no spreading beyond the breast, will survive.” That’s encouraging.
What can you do? Healthy living is one defense but monthly breast exams and annual mammograms are an important line of defense. Yes, we forget so easily or put it off, but it’s a habit we all need to establish.
A couple quick tips for healthy prevention:
- Eat more soy (Personally, I love the TruSoy snack bars)
- Eat more veggies like broccoli, cauliflower, etc.
- Drink green tea
If you want more information on breast cancer, information on how to do a self exam, ways you can safeguard against breast cancer, and so much more, then visit Locate a Doc’s special Breast Cancer section. You will find a wealth of information here. You can even send reminder e-cards to your friends and family.
I know… this is something we never like to think about. I’m the world’s worst at wanting to procrastinate the inevitable reality that I need to save for my children’s future. I mean, they’re only 3… well almost 4…well school will be starting soon… before you know it, those college days will be here. Will we be ready??
In my journey for information here, I first stumbled into a site I’ve known about but never visited. You feel a bit silly typing in fool.com, but trust me, there is no silliness about the valuable information there. They offer financial advice geared toward the investor. Two areas of the site I found valuable for moms are the “Tips on paying for your little Fool” with lots of money saving tips for new parents or seasoned ones; and the “College Saving Center” with a how-to guide for those considering saving for future education. (see links below) Using their college calculator I determined that I will need about $30,000 for each of my twin’s college. YIKES!
My second find on the web was to a fabulous surprise to help take the bite out of that impossible amount. UPromise (link below) offers an innovative way to help you save for your children’s college. You can register for their FREE program and receive money back from purchases you make. This money goes into your UPromise account which you can invest into a 529 college saving plan. You can even get your friends and family to join and earn on their purchases to benefit your children. This is just too cool! I can earn while buying groceries. (Just think… had I known about this during the diaper days, their college fund would be half paid for *wink*.) You can also earn money to invest from McDonald’s, AT&T long distance, tons of auto service chains, travel, and lots of other everyday purchases. There is no catch here. This is money you would be spending anyway. Now you can get a bonus back to invest for the future. You really can’t beat that.
So, take some time and visit these sites. I know, it seems like their college days are so far off, but by taking little steps today you can avoid a lot of stress and disappointment down the road. Go take a peek…
What’s your favorite restaurant food? You know, the one you save only for rewarding moments because it’s so scrumptious. Well guess what? Now you can have it whenever you want – at HOME. And better yet, you can impress your guests with that taste that will leave them wondering “how did she do that?”
CopyKat.com is the coolest web site offering the recipes of your favorite restaurants for you to prepare yourself. They disclose the secret dishes of well-known food gurus. The site is easy to navigate. You can select a recipe by type of dish or alphabetically. For each recipe you can get a printable version or email it to a friend. One warning – they do have quite a few pop-ups to weed through.
In addition to the wide selection of CopyKat recipes, you’ll enjoy the other sections of the site as well. The “Generations” section offers time honored family recipes. “You’ve Gotta Try This!” is a database of their picks for best recipes ever. There is also an active discussion board to swap recipes or other related chit chat.
My favorite recipes so far are Cracker Barrel Biscuits, Cracker Barrel Coca Cola Cake (the restaurant only offers this at holidays!), TGI Friday’s Baked Potato Skins and Planet Hollywood Chicken Crunch. Go take a peek and discover your favorite recipes.
Wow, am I ever starting out my first week as editor of Sites 4 Moms as one tired momma! We just moved across the state this week and I found muscles I never knew existed. Our move was to a furnished parsonage where we’ll be for 3 months so we had to store a great bit of our household contents. It was so difficult to organize everything in a sensible, easy-to-find fashion. It was also difficult to decide what to bring with us for 3 months. Definitely an organizing nightmare! The site I’m sharing with you all today helped me a great deal in preparing for this move.
This site is really a support group for clutter bugs like me. I know many ladies online who have used this system to change their daily lives. The site contains information and tips for helping you organize your home and your life. More than information and tips, it also provides a step-by-step guide to getting started. For those of use whose mess is so overwhelming we just ignore it, this works perfectly. FlyLady offers a set of “baby steps” with specific tasks for you to do in getting started. As you complete each step, you can move on to another.
There are lots of motivational and inspirational tidbits along the way. It is nice to see organization help offered while still reminding us ladies to take time for ourselves. FlyLady really addresses the whole woman. Not just your clutter and your home, but making time to take care of yourself physically, time to rest and time to achieve your life’s goals.
Obviously, the system doesn’t do all the work for you (sorry to disappoint *wink*), but it is a great helping tool to keep us from running in circles all day. Even if you don’t use the entire system, the individual tips are great. My favorite moving tip was the section about packing for the move which reminded me of the things I needed to have readily available when we first arrived – like clean underwear!
Take a peek at the site, I’m sure you’ll find something that is helpful to you!
Kidsdomain.com (now called Kaboose) has long been a favorite site of mine. I love the way the site is organized so that it is very easy to find what you are looking for. I love that the crafts are clearly laid out and generally have a photo included. They have a huge variety of items from crafts to do with your kids to games your kids can play online.
The site includes sections for grownups and kids. It also has a collection of free clipart, a crafts database, a games section and a holiday section. Typically, I find myself visiting the site at holiday time, just as I have today. Because believe it or not – Sunday is Father’s Day.
For those of you who are like me and always have the best of intentions but never seem to get around to them in time, this site can be a lifesaver. Nothing is enjoyed more than a homemade gift from your kids and you can’t beat the price. This works for most any holiday. Here you’ll find a listing of dozens of great craft ideas broken down by holiday. Just the lifesaver you’re looking for.
This week, my kids and I will be making the Golf Course Pencil Holder and Golf Business Card Holder for the granddads. I think we’ll do the King for a Day for my husband and just give him a special break for the day.
Go take a peek and make some really cool stuff with your kids.
Ok, so let me start off by admitting my bias on this review. MommyTips was my first web project that I built and marketed from the ground up. I actually sold it a year ago, but I am still biased on this one 
This is really a site FULL of information. In fact, it can sometimes be too full in that you don’t readily find everything that is available. They do offer a site map which is helpful, but unless you really dig through all the layers of info, you might miss something great.
There is an extensive library of articles written by some great moms on the web about most every topic relating to moms. The database of tips submitted by viewers is a great resource when you’re looking for some been-there-done-that advice. There are recipes, crafts, freebies, and so on.
My favorite section of the site it the online community discussion boards. This is really a unique community of moms who share online without being clique oriented. Now this one is not something I can take credit for at all! Melanie (aka Cindermella) is the community manager and she really has a knack for keeping great conversations going and nipping the sour conversations in the bud. Here you’ll find everything from moms chit-chatting to hysterical stories and hot topic debates. Oh yeah, and some parenting help thrown in now and then too *giggle*.
If you’re looking for a general springboard of information for moms – this is a good one. Go take a peek!
Momsbudget.com is a friendly site with so much information at your fingertips. Everyone will enjoy visiting this site that presents such great information in a practical and easy-to-follow manner. There is really something for everyone at Momsbudget.
The Stages department offers a break-down of information that is important to various stages of life such as children, college, retirement, etc. You’ll find basic information and financial tools as well as articles offering advice on how to manage your finances.
If you are stuck in credit card woes, just like many of us are or have been, the Budget Club is just what the doctor ordered. The Budget Club is free and will walk you through the process of becoming debt-free. You will begin by creating a plan to meet your financial needs using their guidelines. They will send you email challenges and reminders of the various steps to complete in your process. They also have a discussion board for club members to share their experiences and offer further encouragement. As someone who used to be plagued by the credit card woes, I encourage you to check this out if you have debt. You have no idea how wonderful it will feel to be free from that chain. Hey, even just working toward a goal and having a plan is pretty liberating!
If you need even more in-depth budget planning, they offer a personalized service for a fee. This puts you in contact with a Budget Assistant who will help you write a budget after discussing your situation in-depth. Then they will set up a plan for your needs and provide weekly challenges requiring you to report back to your assistant. This is beneficial for those who have trouble writing a budget plan that works or for those who need more accountability than just doing it on your own.
On a somewhat lighter, but just as helpful note, you can use this site to teach healthy budgeting habits to your children. Momsbudget offers worksheets to help plan budgets with your children. You’ll find great tips on practical ways to teach your children how to use money wisely. They even have theme-related coloring sheets to help drive the point home to your kids.
There is so much more I could say about this site but I’m out of space.
So… go take a peek
Mommy. Wife. Do you ever feel like those two roles are almost impossible to fill at the same time? Do you find yourself feeling so overloaded by your role as nurturer to your kids along with the million other tasks on your list that you never have time for a moment with your husband? So many times the stress of everyday life with children in tow is so great that we put our marriage building role in the background. Don’t beat yourself up if you are at this stage – it’s a reality. But there is hope. If we continually remind ourselves that marriage needs constant nurturing, then gradually we can change this feeling for the better.
MarriageBuilders is a great site to help whether your marriage is in trouble or if you just need some preventative maintenance. This site holds information from Willard F. Harley, Jr., Ph.D., author of the best selling book, “His Needs, Her Needs: Building An Affair-proof Marriage”. Even though he wants to sell copies of his book, this website is far from lacking in free information. You can view his Basic Concepts for marriage which are geared to help you restore and stay in love through all the struggles that marriage brings.
There is a huge section of Questions and Answers covering most every marriage topic you can think of. His overall approach encourages couples to work through the issues with an attitude that they can get through this together and lovingly. He encourages couples to face the tough issues straight-forward. These are the issues that so often divide and hurt, but he offers guidelines to sort through these struggles.
This site also offers a discussion board and other help resources. For anyone in a marriage - happy, sad or mediocre - I think it’s worth a visit. So, go take a peek
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