Always a Mama

Lemonhead contest

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica) — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 02:36:00 +0000

Do You Have What It Takes To Be A Lemonhead Superfan?

Brickfish

BzzAgent- Root Candles

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica) — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 17:22:00 +0000

I would love the chance to try out Root Candles http://www.rootcandles.com/. They are the daily Bzz over at bzzagent.com.

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica) — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 16:29:00 +0000

This website totally rocks my world! Its a collection of fantastic ideas and beautiful images. I have been collecting ideas off of there for a few weeks now and this past weekend I put some of them to use. I have this little nook in my living room that I had a small dresser stand thing in. It didn't fit in the space right and looked awkward. So I repainted a old desk I had sitting in my basement and got to work filling the wall with beautiful things. Here are the results :)

BzzAgent Campaigns!

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica) — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 13:33:00 +0000

I am so excited to be participating in 2 new Bzz Campaigns through BzzAgent! One is for CoverGirl Natureluxe makeup and the other is for Childrens Claritin. Can't wait to try them out and tell everyone what I think of the products!

My Review

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica) — Sun, 27 Feb 2011 17:38:00 +0000

Originally submitted at CSN Stores

So much fun!

By AlwaysAMama from Tennessee on 2/27/2011

These paints are a ton of fun. My 2 and 3 yr olds love them and they cut down on the normal painting mess.

(legalese)

Man cave!

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica) — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 17:46:00 +0000

I've been considering turning the family room in our basement into a man cave. Now that the school stuff has been moved to a new room, the family room is feeling empty.

I want to get the Hubby a really cool chair. I think thats the most important piece in any man cave is a man chair. I really like this Eames Lounge Chair. I love the colors and the ottoman.

My husband however would probably rather have some big bulky chair. Think Lazy Boy lol.

We Made Crystals

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica) — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 01:43:00 +0000

We have had a few snow days lately and to help curb the boredom we did an easy science project. We made our own crystals!

It was so easy. All you need is a jar or wide mouth cup, a pipe cleaner, a pencil, yarn, borax, and water.

Shape your pipe cleaner into desired shape, and using the yarn and pencil hang it in the jar or cup making sure it doesn't touch the sides. Take it back out and pour boiling water into your container. Mix 3 tbsp borax into your water. Carefully hang your pencil back on the lip of the container making sure your pipe cleaner is completely immersed in the mixture. Then you have to leave it for a day. The next day your kids will be amazed to see they have grown crystals!

Extreme Couponing Interview

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica) — Mon, 03 Jan 2011 16:45:00 +0000

I was recently given the opportunity to interview one of the participants of the Extreme Couponing show that aired on TLC. I sent questions submitted by my Facebook friends to Nathan the owner of WeUseCoupons.com. Here are the questions and his responses, I hope that this helps clear up some of the misconceptions about the show and is helpful to those of you interested in learning how to use coupons.

1. What are the benefits of Extreme couponing?

There are to many to list!!! I love this hobby because not only can I help my family save money, I can donate and help my community too!!!!

2. On the show you were shown buying dozens of toothbrushes and cereal, do you always buy so much?

No generally not. IF we are buying massive quantities of something generally it will be given away to charities or our church's grocery giveaway!

3. While watching the show and seeing the stockpiles, I felt like I was watching an episode of Hoarders. Do you think your stockpile is out of hand and how do you justify needing so much stuff?

Hoarding is defined this way:

acquiring and failing to throw out a large number of items that would appear to have little or no value to others (e.g., papers, notes, flyers, newspapers, clothes)
severe cluttering of the person's home so that it is no longer able to function as a viable living space
significant distress or impairment of work or social life

The items we buy have tremendous value to people, our stockpile isn't cluttered at all, and I have an active social life! Hoarders are very different that strategic stockpilers. I don't want to pay for toothpaste or toilet paper again, so I buy a lot of it when it's free. Most people do this, they just don't take it to a practical level. When non-couponers see an items on sale at the store, they buy an extra 3 or 4 of that particular item. We just amplify that. It makes so much financial sense. As for justification, not really! We give away tens of thousands of dollars away in product every year, that's justification enough!! :)

4. I would love to save my family money by couponing, but don't know where I should get my coupons from. What do you think is the best source for coupons?

Newspapers by far. The internet is good, but the newspaper is still the best place to find coupons in my opinion!

5. I want to save my family money by using coupons but it seems like I spend so much time online trying to match coupons to sales. How much time a week should I be spending gathering info for my shopping trip?

That's a personal decision. I'd encourage you to visit WeUseCoupons.com. We have thousands of users that post deals and coupon matches that will help you save time. In 2011 we will be debuting our new printable grocery lists!! Our site is here to help you not only save money, but that precious resource: time!

I hope that you all take the time to check out WeUseCoupons.com. You can even follow them on facebook and have deals show up right on your wall! It doesn't matter if you want to save your family a little money, build up a stockpile, or be able to donate items to charities, saving money is good for everyone in the current economy!

Resolutions 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica) — Sun, 02 Jan 2011 02:59:00 +0000

I am not much of a resolution maker. After all it seems like it would just be an opportunity to set myself up for failure. This year I am going to try to set some and stick to them! Because I love making lists I made my resolutions into an organized list. I got this idea from Confessions of a Sailors Wife.

Physical:

Spend 1 hour a day doing physical activity
Get healthy
Start and stay on my thyroid medication

Emotional:

Stay on my thyroid medication and take Vitamin B Complex for my anxiety

Mental:

Read more...I have an ereader now and I am trying to read at least one new book a week
I want to spend more time doing productive things...things that I enjoy like crafting and playing with the kids and things that I need to do like cleaning more and eating out less.
I need to spend less time on facebook and more time being working on my blogs

Spiritual:

Keep in mind all the blessings in my life.
Read my Bible more and work on my relationship with God.
Be content with the blessings I do have and not focus on the things I want to be blessed with

Financially:

Work more on our debt snowball
Save more money
Not go broke because of our Disney World trip in June lol
Get serious about my couponing and saving my family money

What do you hope to change in 2011?

Extreme Couponing!

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica) — Fri, 31 Dec 2010 01:16:00 +0000

I am sure many of my frugal followers tuned into TLC last night to watch "Extreme Couponing". I know many of my facebook friends did and I saw many comments ranging from admiration to shock. A lot of people thought that the couponers were too extreme, possibly even hoarders. I have the opportunity to interview the last couponer on the show, Nathan aka Mr. Coupon, from my affiliate link, www.Weusecoupons.com. I am so excited to share the positive aspects of couponing with you and dispel any myths that TLC may have created by putting their own spin on couponing.

Give Thanks

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica) — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 01:02:00 +0000

We are loving our new house and are so grateful to be living in such a nice big home! The house work has been so much easier to keep on top of and I have more time to craft now! Today I saw this post and I decided to make my own version with things I had on hand, mines not as cute, but I love it anyways!

Name Banner

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica) — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 00:51:00 +0000

Over the weekend I made this cute banner (or is it a bunting?) for our bedroom. My bedding is black, white, and teal so this coordinates really well. It was pretty easy, I printed the letters on velum and mod podged them onto shapes I cut out on my Cricut.

Twinkle Toes Shame

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica) — Sat, 20 Nov 2010 23:50:00 +0000

So a while back I posted that I would be writing a tutorial about making knock off Twinkle Toe shoes...well, as the saying goes, Life Happened, and I never posted it. My Twinkle Toes Knockoff post generates alot of traffic to my blog so I feel like I need to update with a post about how to create your own Twinkle Toes.

I started by buying some cheap shoes at Walmart, for $6. Then my daughter and I went crazy adding glitter and rhinestones. We used puffy paint to decorate the shoes and E-6000 epoxy glue to attach the rhinestones. Sketchers may have held up better, but my daughter wore them to school every day for about 3 months before they were too dingy to wear anymore. Here is the only picture (from the first day of school) I have of her "Twinkle Toes".

Ch-ch-changes!

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica) — Sat, 20 Nov 2010 23:05:00 +0000

I am making some changes around here. I changed my layout and side bar, added an about me page, and a new banner at the bottom of my page (my cousins art work and web design page).

My hope is to start posting more frequently in order to attract more followers and generate more traffic. I will be concentrating mostly on crafting with occasional Tot School postings. Of course I will also be doing reviews, so if you (companies) have a product you would like me to review please email me. My email address is on my "Contact The Mama" page.

I hope everyone likes the changes so far and the ones to come.

We're moving!!

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica) — Sun, 17 Oct 2010 16:43:00 +0000

We are moving in 2 short weeks! I am so excited, our new home is beautiful and about 800 sq feet bigger than our current home. Of course a bigger home means I need more furniture! And the best place online for furniture is CSN Stores! I love their variety of console tables, so many beautiful choices! My new living room has a nook that I think this table would fit perfectly in, and I love the storage it provides. Go take a look at all the wonderful tables at CSNstores.com, you won't be disappointed!

SAHM Work Opportunities

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica) — Sat, 25 Sep 2010 20:29:00 +0000

As much as I enjoy being a stay-at-home-mom, I also enjoy contributing to my family financially. Finding true opportunities to make money at home can be hard, because there are so many scams out there. Its hard to tell scams from the real deal, so I want to do a little write up of programs I have used to make a little money. I have not used actual work from home programs because I do not have a home phone for sales calls and I also am too busy with the boys during the day to work consistent hours. So these are ways I have earned a little extra, they are in the form of free products, gift cards, and cash.

First of all, my blog has been an incredible source of opportunity for me. Being a product reviewer with CSNstores..com is amazing and has helped me expand my blog a lot. I also have a few affiliate programs, you can see their buttons along the right side of my blog. These affiliates, as well as google ad sense, pay based on the number of clicks they receive by visitors. This has not been a huge money maker because of the low traffic my blog generates, generally 200-400 views a month. I am ok with this however, because I am not ready for the demands of maintaining a popular blog.

Many SAHM's are familier with Chacha.com, and I often find people who love working for them. I didn't not really like expidiating questions and never made it to the $100 to pay out. This however is a real source of income for many SAHM's so they are worth mentioning. You have to apply and test for a position, much like a real job, but you get paid per question instead of per hour. You can apply here: http://www.chacha.com/

My favorite source of "income" has come from Swagbucks. I love this program! You simply sign up, use their search engine, and get awarded swagbucks for certain searches. After you collect enough points you can redeem them for prizes and gift cards. I generally chose Amazon gift cards but you can also get gift cards for paypal. I often use my gift cards for birthday gift purchases or random splurges. It seriously is super easy to earn gift cards using this website. You can sign up here: http://www.swagbucks.com/refer/AlwaysAMama

Occasionally I check in over at Youdata to earn some spare change...and I do mean change, lol. I have not been successful in earning much from this site, but it is so easy that when I remember to log in I do it to earn a bit. All you do is log in, view ads that pertain to your interests and collect your money. Easy! I have never earned more than $3.00 a week , logging on maybe 2-3 times a week (when I was more active on there). The good part is that every Friday whether you have made $.20 or $20 your earnings are automatically put into your Paypal account. I love this because they when I do purchase something from ebay or another service where I pay with paypal these earnings are there and can be applied to my purchase price. Its nice to have that little discount waiting. You can join Youdata at this link: http://www.youdata.com/join/alwaysamama

I am currently bata testing a new site that promises a fairly large payout at the end of the beta testing and launch of the product. I have beta tested once before, for spokeo.com and am enjoying the reward of a free lifetime membership, so I am excited to beta test again. The site is paybox.me and you get paid for signing up, refferals, surveys, and logging in regularly. At the current time no personal info is needed to join, other than name and sign in and password. I hope this site pans out because it looks to have a big pay out! You can check it out yourself here: http://www.paybox.me/r/alwaysamama

Another new site to me is readbud.com. It is a very easy pay to read site. You get paid to read stricles based on their word count. It is really easy, simple to navigate, and seems to be well liked in the "work online" blog world. You have to reach $50.00 for pay out, which I have not done yet, but I will update once I do to let everyone know how the process went. So far I am averaging $1.50-$2.00 for about 15 minutes of reading. And some of the articles have actually been good and interesting. You can sign up for Readbud here: http://www.readbud.com/?ref=4960044

Lastly the newest site to me comes highly recommended by a friend. It is called Bukisa. On this website you create your own content, by writing original articles. You are then paid based on how many views your article draws. Learn more about Bukisa here: http://www.bukisa.com/

I hope that some of you will give these websites a try, they are all good resources for beginners who are looking to earn a little extra for their family.

BILIBO!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica) — Sat, 25 Sep 2010 16:13:00 +0000

I was once again given the chance to do a product review from CSN Stores. CSN Stores is a really cool site that has over 200+ websites. You can find almost anything on their websites! I chose to review the Bilibo and received 2 for the purpose of review. The following is my review of the product and was not influenced by any other party or by the receipt of the toy.

These toys are awesome! I got one in blue and one in red, and the first thing I noticed is the colors are bright and vibrant. The shape of the toy is pleasing too. You almost feel like you are looking at an art piece instead of a toy. I love open ended toys and these are amazing. My boys are 3 and almost 2 and they have already thought of so many uses for these toys. And they play with them all the time. They have sparked alot of imaginative play and also allow for some physical play indoors, spinning in the Bilibo and scooting each other around in them, which will be great as the weather gets colder. Speaking of cold weather, I also saw a video on youtube where the Bilibo was used as a sled! So I am excited for them to try that. My older kids 6-10 years old also like the Bilibo and my 10 year old wishes they came in bigger sizes! I plan on buying the Bilibo game set for Christmas, and might buy my 6 year old a full sized Bilibo too. The only down size to this toy is the kids using it as a stool, however therey do that with most anything that will hold their weight so its not a deal breaker. I will definitely recommend the Bilibo and CSNstores.com to other people.

Eventually I will include pictures of the boys playing with the Bilibos. We are preparing to move and our home is a mess right now.

Tot-School

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica) — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 21:14:00 +0000

With the older kids heading back to school (yes, I am a rarity in blog world, my kids go to public school) we have started Tot-School back up. This has been challenging this year because Evan has become more interested in everything Austin is doing. I am trying to make trays up for both of them, but the generally end up doing the same tray together. Evan is 21 months and Austin is 39 months old. I feel like Austin should be working on harder trays now and more structural learning (ABC's and phonics), but for now I like the lesson he is learning about sharing, patience, and teaching his little brother to do the easier trays. Here are some pictures from today.. Amazingly I had it together enough to remember to take pictures lol.

Playing in the Fall Sensory Box as seen at Counting Coconuts

Evan puts everything in his mouth! He found out that foam gourds are not tasty!

More stuff in the mouth!

Easy game I made for Austin. Five cups labeled 1-5 and he puts the number of sticks in each cup. We glued goggley eyes on the Popsicle sticks, but they kept popping off. He still needs a little direction with this as he only recognizes 1 and 3.

Puzzles!

Putting wooden beads on pipe cleaners. This is one of Austins favorites. I was pleasantly surprised that Evan could do it right away. He has great little pincher skills and can hold his hand really steady.

Scooping glass beads with a spoon. I tried to have him sort them by color but he wasn't interested.

Evan scooping and Austin sorting :)

Once again

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica) — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 18:50:00 +0000

CSN Stores has graciously offer me the chance to do another product review or give away! I have been really happy with the products I ordered from CSN. Great quality and great shipping. I am really wanting a new bedrooms set and love the bedroom furniture sets at CSN Stores. I LOVE black furniture and this set is stunning and beautiful.

I will be posting a new review soon. What am I going to review? You will just have to wait and see :)

Coming soon...Twinkle Toes Knock-off!

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica) — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 20:39:00 +0000

I have been working on a knock-off version of Sketchers Twinkle Toes shoes. My daughters, like millions of other little girls are in love with these shoes. I however refuse to spend $50 on Sketchers shoes. In my experience Sketchers for girls are very narrow and uncomfortable, which means they do not get worn. Sketchers for boys are crap and fall apart after a month or two. So I am knocking them off. lol. Pictures coming soon! :)

Food Dehydrator Product review!

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica) — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 21:35:00 +0000

I feel so bad for not being able to get this review out in a more timely manner! I have had quiet a time with my computer, Best Buy's Geek squad and HP. Long story short, buy the extended warranty! Because we opted to do that when we purchased our computer we will soon be getting a brand new computer! Of course we have had the hassle of being with out our computer weeks at a time 4 times while the motherboard was fixed time and time again grrrr.

Anyways on to my review...I received this food dehydrator from CSNstores.com for the purpose of reviewing the product. I received the dehydrator within a few days, CSN stores has great shipping options and it arrived in perfect condition. Unfortunately because I did not read the product description thoroughly I was disappointed when it did not have trays for making fruit rolls. After reading the description I realized those had to purchased separately, so I ordered them. When the fruit roll trays arrived I was so excited to make the rolls. My kids and I made a few different flavored rolls. Unfortunately every time we have made them they take closer to 12 hours and not the 8-10 listed in the user manual. Also the dehydrator lets off a lot of heat as it is running. I later combated that problem by running it in my laundry room and shutting the door instead of running it in the kitchen. We had more luck drying sliced fruit especially bananas. I have not tried to dry meat yet but my husband is planning on trying it soon.

Over all the dehydrator is a great way to make healthy snacks and cheap jerky, however I was not impressed with the amount of extra time it takes to dry food and I also felt the trays are pretty flimsy and don't expect they dehydrator to last a long time. I give it 2.5 out of 5 stars.

I am so excited to do another review!

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica) — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 00:11:00 +0000

I got asked to do another review for CSN Stores! I love CSN Stores and all the great products they carry. They have so many great products for sale and really reasonable prices. Where else can you pick up a new shirt, a can opener, a bathroom rug, and a new bed all at once?

I chose to review this food dehydrator and I can't wait until it arrives! Its been on my "Mom list" for a while now. You know the list of things that I would like to have or that would make my life easier but it always seems to get pushed aside for new school clothes or something else for the kids. Well now thanks to CSNstores.com I get to try it out!

While I am waiting for my dehydrator to arrive I'm going to browse CSN Stores for awesome deals. You can check out their full line of stores and products here.

FREE Games at Toys R Us!

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica) — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 20:06:00 +0000

I just got some great deals on games at Toys R Us. You get a $5 gift card when you spend $20 on hasbro games...well the gift card is using the original before sale price so you don't have to spend $20 to get it.

Here are the details:

Transaction 1:
Elefun $12.99
Plush FREE with purchase
-$5.00 hasbro coupon from playsaver.com
TOTAL OOP= $7.99 + tax
-$5.00 gift card
-$3.00 rebate
TOTAL after GC and REBATE= -$.01 + tax Money Maker

Transaction 2:
Clue $9.99
Twister $8.99
-$5.00 hasbro coupon from playsaver.com
-$4.00 hasbro coupon from playsaver.com
TOTAL OOP= $9.98 + tax
-$5.00 gift card
-$3.00 rebate
-$3.00 rebate
TOTAL after GC and REBATE= $-1.02 MM

Transaction 3:
Gatorgolf $12.99
Plush FREE with purchase
$5.00 hasbro coupon from playsaver.com
TOTAL OOP= $7.99
-$5.00 gift card
-$3.00 rebate
TOTAL after GC and REBATE= -$.01 MM

Bed Crowns

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica) — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 16:46:00 +0000

I wanted to get the girls canopy's for their beds, but I liked their shelves over their beds and didn't want to get rid of them. I found an awesome website with bed crowns but the prices were like WOAH. Yeah thats an all capital WOAH! lol So I decided to combine the idea of a canopy, with a bed crown, with their shelves. I think they turned out cute!

I also made the pictures with their names using my Cricut and scrapbook paper. Unfortunately Abby's turned out a bit wonky and I didn't notice until much later, after the glue dried. Over all I think they are cute, and inexpensive way to dress up their room.

Cost break down:
Shelves (from my mom) FREE
Picture frames $5
Scrapbook paper ON HAND
White spray paint $1
12 yards of tulle $14

Total cost: $20 or $10 each!

DIY American Girl doll clothes

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica) — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 00:36:00 +0000

I probably could sew the girls some clothes for their American Girl dolls...some day eventually lol. But its easier to think outside the box...I found these cute spring dresses at the Dollar Tree. They are meant for babies. We used the 6-12 month size, I shortened the straps and TADA! Cute dresses for their dolls!