I recently bought an annual membership for The Flint Children's Museum and have really been enjoying taking my kiddos there. They have many neat play areas, especially for Maya's age group, and she loves the freedom she has there to do as she likes. With a room full of "yes" she can play for hours without having to hear me so "no" which I think is her favorite part.
I was amazed though, that with all the cool things to do her FAVORITE part was the grocery shopping section. Actually it seemed to be everyone's favorite part. The best part of this was that we could do it at home for FREE! She already had a cart all we needed was the food.
I have recently been saving all of our dry goods containers for her kitchen. Within a week she already has a great selection-a cookie box, a pancake box, an OJ carton, a milk carton, and egg container...I feel like such an idiot for ever paying for play food! She likes this stuff a lot more because it's "real". The best part is if it gets beat up, ripped, chewed on by a rogue puppy (this happens a lot at our house) you toss it and you are out nothing, zip, nada, zilch!
When I explained to her that these boxes were empty she wasn't even disappointed. "That's okay, I imagine Mommy". Music to a momma's ears:)
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Monday, February 27, 2012
How my printer exposed my whiny inner consumerist
So for the last 6 months my printer hasn't been working correctly. It started with a few paper jams, and evolved to a full-blown printer rebellion. I would patiently manually feed each sheet into the printer, one at a time. This would work about 50% of the time at the beginning..then 25%, more recently it hasn't been working much at all. If I could count the number of minutes, even HOURS that I have spent manually feeding this printer, coaxing it, begging it , hitting it, turning it on and off...
There is only one thing I hate more than wasting money and that's wasting time so I finally caved. It was time for a new printer. I only use laser printers because I print A LOT of coupons:) and the ink is much more affordable, and it's so much faster. The search began. For months I have been scouring the internet for a good deal, reading reviews, and planning for my new printer.
The "saver" in me wouldn't spend more than $50 and that was a pretty unreasonable price point. So I waited. Finally, today, after countless fights with my printer and fruitless searches for an affordable replacement. I decided to jump. I would buy one TODAY. After all, I was worth it. I began looking at refurbished ones on ebay and decided I would have to spend $70 to get what I wanted. Oh well. I NEEDED it. Too bad if it didn't fit in the budget. I HAD to have it. Right?
Suddenly I heard my whiny inner voice saying these things. I was struck with the hilarity of it. Did I really NEED a wireless laser printer? Or could I use a cheap inkjet one stored in my basement? Did I really have to have a great one? Did I really HAVE to have one at all? I suddenly realized that I was once again caught in the trap of consumerism.
The entire world of media is programmed to make us believe we need more, we want more, we DESERVE more. I try to avoid it, but sometimes it catches me. Did I NEED this $70 printer or did I WANT one?
I knew the answer. I reluctantly closed my ebay search window, and did something that for some reason I had never thought to do. I googled how to fix my old printer. Wouldn't you know it, tons of people had had the same problem. I read through tons of potential fixes involving taking apart all the parts and sanding pieces, replacing rubber heads, bending brackets...I tried the ones I could figure out and skipped the rest. Nope still not working. Finally, frustrated both at my lack of "handywoman" ness and my still broken printer, I stumbled across one more. "I just washed the little rubber foot, and it worked great."
I couldn't decide if i was hopeful that this would work or angry that it could be so simple. Sure enough, one drop of dawn and one paper towel later, my printer is working like a dream. If only instead of focusing on the problem and how frustrated it made me, wasting the hours struggling through it, cursing it until I was blue in the face, I had spent that time on finding a solution. Yep-there's a life lesson here methinks.
There is only one thing I hate more than wasting money and that's wasting time so I finally caved. It was time for a new printer. I only use laser printers because I print A LOT of coupons:) and the ink is much more affordable, and it's so much faster. The search began. For months I have been scouring the internet for a good deal, reading reviews, and planning for my new printer.
The "saver" in me wouldn't spend more than $50 and that was a pretty unreasonable price point. So I waited. Finally, today, after countless fights with my printer and fruitless searches for an affordable replacement. I decided to jump. I would buy one TODAY. After all, I was worth it. I began looking at refurbished ones on ebay and decided I would have to spend $70 to get what I wanted. Oh well. I NEEDED it. Too bad if it didn't fit in the budget. I HAD to have it. Right?
Suddenly I heard my whiny inner voice saying these things. I was struck with the hilarity of it. Did I really NEED a wireless laser printer? Or could I use a cheap inkjet one stored in my basement? Did I really have to have a great one? Did I really HAVE to have one at all? I suddenly realized that I was once again caught in the trap of consumerism.
The entire world of media is programmed to make us believe we need more, we want more, we DESERVE more. I try to avoid it, but sometimes it catches me. Did I NEED this $70 printer or did I WANT one?
I knew the answer. I reluctantly closed my ebay search window, and did something that for some reason I had never thought to do. I googled how to fix my old printer. Wouldn't you know it, tons of people had had the same problem. I read through tons of potential fixes involving taking apart all the parts and sanding pieces, replacing rubber heads, bending brackets...I tried the ones I could figure out and skipped the rest. Nope still not working. Finally, frustrated both at my lack of "handywoman" ness and my still broken printer, I stumbled across one more. "I just washed the little rubber foot, and it worked great."
I couldn't decide if i was hopeful that this would work or angry that it could be so simple. Sure enough, one drop of dawn and one paper towel later, my printer is working like a dream. If only instead of focusing on the problem and how frustrated it made me, wasting the hours struggling through it, cursing it until I was blue in the face, I had spent that time on finding a solution. Yep-there's a life lesson here methinks.
Free Freezer Cooking E-Book Download :)
One of my favorite bloggers, the money saving mom, has a free download of her ebook on freezer cooking today! Snag it here , it is towards the bottom of the page, and enjoy!!
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
DIY- Toddler play refrigerator from a DVD cabinet
I have been wanting a fridge for Maya, sicne the kitchen I purchased doesn't have one included. I wasn't too worried about that fact until I realized that that was normally where the parents stashed all the food after the kidlets were done playing.
I set out to St. Vincent DePauls and found a beat up DVD cabinet that looked perfect. it was short enough, had two doors that functioned well, and was $9.99.
I didn't take a before picture but it looked similar to this one, but more beat up of course:)
I tried to paint it white-as I had some white spray paint in my garage but it did not cover well, and three coats later it was still blotchy. Hmmm. Next I scoured my basement for other options. I stumbled upon this-
I set out to St. Vincent DePauls and found a beat up DVD cabinet that looked perfect. it was short enough, had two doors that functioned well, and was $9.99.
I tried to paint it white-as I had some white spray paint in my garage but it did not cover well, and three coats later it was still blotchy. Hmmm. Next I scoured my basement for other options. I stumbled upon this-
I had originally bought this to try to makeover my dishwasher a few years back. I gave it a shot and it worked PERFECTLY! It gave good coverage and even gave it a bit of texture like a real fridge. Of course it was black and not white but HEY it was free! We have a black fridge in our own kitchen so I think she will love it!
I took off the original handles, spray painted them silver, and reattached them. Next I sprayed the shelves and inside of the cabinet with the white spray paint and screwed in the shelves so they wouldn't fall off their brackets. I also bought some braces to attach it to the wall so that I could be certain that it wouldn't tip on either of my littles:)
TADA!!! How cute is this and I spent a total of $16.00! It offers tons of storage and is OH So cute! I think next I need to paint the inside white and I may try to put a light in it !!
Friday, February 10, 2012
Convicted
Recently, while wasting time on Pinterest when I should have been cleaning (hey, I'm not perfect) I came upon a quote. I read it and it hit me like a baseball pitch to the stomach. It was a simple idea, but one I had never really verbalized or written. There it was in black and white, simple type-face, staring into my soul.
"Just because someone doesn't love you the way you want them to doesn't mean they don't love you with all that they have."
Ouch.
I was instantly convicted.
I am a control freak. I spend much of my life trying to "fix" things, people, and my life. I am constantly trying to match it all up to an ideal in my head. I envision my life as being some cross between an Audrey Hepburn movie, Woodstock, and The Boxcar Children books. I spend countless hours carefully pruning myself and those around me to make them fit into these scenarios. This ends in frustration because I did not marry a character from a movie-I married a MAN. Coincidentally, I am a living breathing woman-not an airbrushed, perfectly lit cover model. To top it all off, my kids are not child actors-they are REAL they have emotions, and meltdowns, and bumps and bruises.
As I examine myself, I realize that it doesn't end there. I adore my mom because she fits that ideal. She was sweet and loving, always supportive, and never judgmental. She is as close as one could get to having a perfect 1950's sitcom mother.The house always smelled of cookies, the floors were always clean, and the kisses were always abundant-even when we fought them. My mother-IS Donna Reed. I put a lot of pressure on myself because she is such a tough act to follow. Sadly, I resign to the fact that I will never be as good of a mother to my children as my own mother was to me. Yes, my mother loved me exactly the way I needed and she still does today. But then there was my Dad.
Did my Dad love me? I am sure he did. But we spoke different languages back then. So much was lost in translation between us. To him, loving was supporting. He worked hard at thankless jobs, hour after hour so I could live the life I wanted. I was spoiled rotten at Christmas, had the name brand jeans that I "needed" in the 7th grade, and there was always money for our family vacation. He sacrificed his time, his energy, even his hearing,which he eventually lost much of from the loud factory machinery, in order to give me every "thing" I ever wanted. Sadly, to me, this was not love. Love was hugs, and kisses, and daddy-daughter dances-all things that were missing from our relationship. I have spent so much of my life wondering what I could have done to make him love me MORE, but this quote made me see the truth. He did.
Maybe- "Just because someone doesn't love you the way you want them to doesn't mean they don't love you with all that they have."
"Just because someone doesn't love you the way you want them to doesn't mean they don't love you with all that they have."
Ouch.
I was instantly convicted.
I am a control freak. I spend much of my life trying to "fix" things, people, and my life. I am constantly trying to match it all up to an ideal in my head. I envision my life as being some cross between an Audrey Hepburn movie, Woodstock, and The Boxcar Children books. I spend countless hours carefully pruning myself and those around me to make them fit into these scenarios. This ends in frustration because I did not marry a character from a movie-I married a MAN. Coincidentally, I am a living breathing woman-not an airbrushed, perfectly lit cover model. To top it all off, my kids are not child actors-they are REAL they have emotions, and meltdowns, and bumps and bruises.
As I examine myself, I realize that it doesn't end there. I adore my mom because she fits that ideal. She was sweet and loving, always supportive, and never judgmental. She is as close as one could get to having a perfect 1950's sitcom mother.The house always smelled of cookies, the floors were always clean, and the kisses were always abundant-even when we fought them. My mother-IS Donna Reed. I put a lot of pressure on myself because she is such a tough act to follow. Sadly, I resign to the fact that I will never be as good of a mother to my children as my own mother was to me. Yes, my mother loved me exactly the way I needed and she still does today. But then there was my Dad.
Did my Dad love me? I am sure he did. But we spoke different languages back then. So much was lost in translation between us. To him, loving was supporting. He worked hard at thankless jobs, hour after hour so I could live the life I wanted. I was spoiled rotten at Christmas, had the name brand jeans that I "needed" in the 7th grade, and there was always money for our family vacation. He sacrificed his time, his energy, even his hearing,which he eventually lost much of from the loud factory machinery, in order to give me every "thing" I ever wanted. Sadly, to me, this was not love. Love was hugs, and kisses, and daddy-daughter dances-all things that were missing from our relationship. I have spent so much of my life wondering what I could have done to make him love me MORE, but this quote made me see the truth. He did.
Maybe- "Just because someone doesn't love you the way you want them to doesn't mean they don't love you with all that they have."
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
$10 free credit to Vitacost Drug Store
Sign up here to get $10 free at Vitacost! It has tons of drug store type items and the $10 is totally free!
http://www.vitacost.com/Referee?wlsrc=rsReferral&ReferralActionId=788000084185
http://www.vitacost.com/Referee?wlsrc=rsReferral&ReferralActionId=788000084185
14 Reuses for a Phonebook
I just got two phone books in the mail that I know we won't use. Why bother when we can google?? I found this article and thought I'd share! (be sure to check for coupons before repurposing-sometimes there are some good ones in there!
14 Reuses for a Phonebook
14 Reuses for a Phonebook
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)