Packing /MovingTips

Quickie tips:

This is a quick one but we have moved quite a bit and haven't come up with this trick.  For some reason my husband was looking up tips on moving and found this one so I thought I would share.

To help make boxes secure, put tape around the bottom of the box.  Seems so simple, but it totally works.  Helps secure the box.  All the heavy stuff is trying to push its way out and the tape, like a belt, helps hold it all together.

Quickie tip number two, same as it always is, PRE-PLAN!!!  This has worked out for me every time I have moved: calculate the number of days or weekends left until the move and simply plot out how much you want to make each day or weekend.  Think of it like a bell curve, you can start out slow hit a peak where you pack a lot and then leave just a little of the necessities for right before you move.  Keeps you from having to have a massive crunch days before your move.

Breast Feeding Transition

What a sad part of parenting, but necessary...yes it really is necessary.

Well the time has come that Remy and I have started to transition out of breastfeeding.  Booo!  I know that some mothers go their first full year and breast milk is the primary food source, but that isn't something Remy and I can do.  Right now we nurse in the morning, over night, and at dinner.  But that is it.  We are also trying to work with Remy to sleep all the way through the night (I will let you know what ends up working for us on that one).  So really, we will be just breakfast and dinner.  So sad.  It is so hard to do when you are working full time.  It was really starting to affect my job.  I needed to be in and out of the office more, up at our corporate headquarters etc etc.  Having to pump every two hours just wasn't allowing me to do that and I decided that it was time.  I did some research and found a simple way to transition out of nursing/pumping in the day.  It is so simple I can explain in three words: slowly skip feedings.  To minimize my own discomfort and potential to bleed through my clothes, I started my skipping feedings.  First I skipped the mid-morning & mid afternoon pumping sessions.  I did that for a week, and then started to skip the lunch feeding.  Doing it this way allowed my body to adjust with a minimal amount of discomfort for me.  When I am ready to completely stop, I will transition in a similar way.  Little discomfort and problems on my end doing it this way.

Product Review: Baby Blothes

A must have...

Just a simple must have.  We had our son in December.  Prior to him coming we wanted to make sure that he would be warm when we were carting him around.  So his grandma bought him on of these bear suits.  It is so handy that we bought a larger one after he grew out of his new born one.  It is the easiest thing.  We just through him in it and go!  It is the easiest dang thing ever.  We don't have to layer his clothes, just put him in the suit and go!

Quick Tip

I knew those days of partying would come in handy...

This is a quickie but a goodie.  When I would be out having a good time with my friends say at a BBQ we learned how to make a warm beer cold in 3 minutes.  Just set it in the ice and spin it.  It doesn't agitate the beer like it does when you shake it and it gets it cold.  By spinning the beer you are moving the liquid from the center of the can to the wall of the can where it can come in contact with the cold outside air.  This gets the can cold quickly.

Now what does this little tale have to do with parenting?  I use the same principles to get my bottles warm fast.  I heat the water in a bowl and put the bottle in the bowl and spin. 


This is great if you have to re-heat a bottle or were caught off guard by your waking baby.  Good luck and good spinning!!

Product Review: Good Cheap Makeup

Cheap but good???

In expensive and cheap don't always go hand in hand with quality.  I know I have reviewed some of the cheap make-up brands and products before.  Here are a couple other cheap products that work well for me and my skin type and might work for you.

I will say there is usually a large difference between cheap make up brands and expensive ones as a whole.  If you don't want to think about whether a product is good or not, just go for the more reliable and more expensive brands.  That is why they are more expensive, they are reliable.  The cheaper brands can be hit or miss.  If you are into a little experimentation, try out some products and you might find a good deal.

These three products are that for me:

 

NYC Smooth Skin Bronzing Face Powder 720A Sunny.  I have light to medium skin and this works great.  I have hit the bottom of the tin I use it so much.  It is subtle but it does warm up my skin without looking orange.  I don't think it would work on a very fair person though.  Blends nicely and lasts all day.  NYC is an inexpensive brand and prices will vary but it is under a fiver.

 

E.L.F. is definitely a hit or miss brand.  Some of their stuff is just terrible, I mean terrible.  But their high definition powder is great.  It helps my foundation stay on and doesn't make me look cakey.  I have plenty of wrinkles and oily skin so that is a recipe for bad make-up.  This is very light and works like a charm.

 

Finally, have I said I have oily skin :)  I really like to wear make-up but since I have oil skin and larger pores I have to remove my make-up or I will break out.  I don't use the higher priced make up removing wipes.  They are pricey and aren't particularly special.  So to keep the cost down I use baby wipes.  It works great to get make-up off before I wash my face and are cheap.  I buy the Costco ones (and share with my baby) and get a good value that way.

 

Hope these tips work for others!!!

Saving!!! And getting a workout?

Sometimes you just want to kill two birds with one stone....but do we have too...

Another simple money saving tip.  If you don't have a large yard, pick up an old fashion lawn mower.  Push mowers are cheap and don't need any gas!!! 

This is the kicker.  Gas here in Oregon is $3.69/gallon WHAT!!!  Rather than just complain about the costs of gas let's start looking for practical options and man powered mowers are a great option.  Now if you have a large lawn...I can understand how this might not be the best option.  However homes are being built on smaller and smaller lots.  Why not catch a workout while also cutting grass??

Moving 2.0!!!! Money saving tips

Don't you dare buy boxes.

I can't believe the number of people who buy boxes.  WHAT!!! 

Boxes are not at all hard to come buy and it is a waste of money to purchase them.  Places to get boxes you ask?  Easy, many business are dying to get ride of their boxes.  Recycling costs money as is paid by volume.  If you minimize the volume, well done business owner!  So...simple places to grab boxes: outside liquor stores, grocery stores, Costco, and on Craiglist.  Craigslist can be a great place but might not be as valuable in other areas in the US.  I live in the extremely Eco-Centric Pacific Northwest and upcycling boxes might be more common up here.

Secondly, as you start to pack your things and make plans for your new place start making a list of thing you will need to purchase.  Since you are hopefully taking my advice and packing early, this will give you time to pick up the additional items you will need and buy them at a good price.  For example, we have recently broken quite a few of our drinking glasses.  I have those on my list.  I like to purchase those kinds of items at the Dollar Store.  They are of course cheap and last a long time.  However, when I get into my new place, I don't know the area so well.  I don't know where all the stores that I like to frequent are and I might find that I buy new glasses at a higher rate somewhere I wouldn't have intended to buy them.  Make sense?  In addition, this will prevent you from over purchasing on impulse items when you get into your new spot.  If you are like me you get excited about decorating and settling in as soon as possible.  If you have to purchase new curtain rods, you might find temptation to buy more and more things while making a quick run to Target.  So, as I stress always, make a pre-plan. 

Another quick and easy-ish way to get ride of old junk is to take it to a recycle center.  If you are moving a garage, I am sorry, it can completely suck.  Garages are a place that get filled with junk.  Go through you things and if you don't know what it is :) don't use it, or can't think of the realistic scenario when you would use it, recycle or give it away.  The great thing about taking old junk to the recycle center they will either recycle it and/or you might get a little cash for it.

Old metals of various kinds lead to quick cash.  Consider what is more realistic: need $40 or finding some way to use broken down plumbing parts????