Mom Hacks and Facts
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NOT A COUPON CLIPPER
I've never been a coupon clipper.
Honestly I don't have the patience for it.
But I have found something that works
even better for me. This isn't an
endorsement for Walmart... Although
living in Huntington we don't have many
other options... It is however a serious
plug for using their savings catcher app.
Okay, first you have to download the Walmart app and create a log in. After that it should keep you logged in.
Go to the "Saving Catcher" icon with a little green piggy bank. Then click "Add a Walmart Receipt".
You simply scan the barcode of each receipt and the app does the coupon clipping for you. They compare the prices you paid with all the competitors in your area. Target, Smiths, Dollar Store etc. Anywhere that sells a similar product. If they have the Pepsi you bought for $0.50 cheaper, Walmart will reimburse you the difference. Quicker than you might think the savings start to add up and before you know it you've got $20 available in cash back.
When you're ready to spend the money you press "Get it Back" and within a few business days they send you an email that has a barcode with your savings on it.
You can print the coupon or I just show the cashier the barcode on my phone. She scans the picture and I get the 20+ dollars off by total just like a gift card.
So don't throw away your receipts! All of
us could use a few extra bucks. I know I
can. This has been the easiest way for
me to save money. You can use it on
your groceries or simply get cash back at
the end of your transaction and save the
money for something fun.!
SKINNY SKELETONS IN MY CLOSET
Today I cleaned out my closet! I got rid of the shorts that I promised myself I’d fit in by last summer. I gave away the fancy dress I wore that one time and will never fit in again. All of it was thrown out, given away and donated. Do you have Skinny Skeletons in your closet too? If you do… throw it out. It’s seriously so liberating.
Before my mission in 2013 I was in the best shape of my life. I was no star athlete but I was skinnier then I’d been my senior year of high school (2006). I never went on a diet, I was just happy. I was active and although I never gave up my addiction to French fries, I ate relatively healthy too. BUT then I went on a mission to Montana. Montana missionaries do a lot of walking. Do you know what else they do a lot of? Eat. The members spoiled us with fantastic dinners and always worried if you didn’t get seconds. After you were stuffed and ready to waddle back out, they brought out the dessert. Having the missionaries over is an event! They had to serve desert! But I cant blame them. Do you know what missionaries do when they have a great day? They celebrate with ice cream. What about on a difficult day? They try and feel better by treating themselves to ice cream. Your companion has a birthday? Ice cream, or cake! You reach your year mark? Cupcakes! P-day? Dairy Queen! Especially if you serve in Great Falls and the members that own it give you all the food for free!
So… I bought bigger skirts and came home 30lbs heavier. After my first year as a newlywed I added 20 more just for good measure. The stack of clothes I put in the back of my closet continued to grow. Someday, I would fit in them again right. They cost too much money to get rid of. What if I do loose then weight, then I’d have to buy smaller clothes again… maybe that part wouldn’t be so bad! hehe! So they continued to sit there, not fitting. Were they inspiring me to be healthier, or chipping away at my self-esteem?? Some days I wasn’t sure.
Then came Monte. I’m sure you know where I’m going with this… Actually you might be surprised that I only gained 8 pounds my entire pregnancy. Surprised me anyway. 6 weeks after Monte was born I went back to the doctor and was again surprised that I’d lost the 8 pounds and then some. I guess being super sick and stressed can do that to you. Don’t hate me yet. It was only a matter of a couple months before it was all back plus more. In a matter of a few short years I’d gone from my smallest size to my biggest. Great!
The voice in the back of my head was getting louder. That nasty voice that us girls know all too well.
“You’re fat. I bet they’d classify you as obese by this point. Not to mention everything else from that pregnancy! You sag where you’ve never sagged before. You’re stretched and loose and bulging in even more places than you anticipated. You are scared and marked.
You are ugly.”
I knew this was not the voice that I should listen to! Brigham Young once said, “If you have a bad thought about yourself, tell it to go to hell, because that is exactly where it came from.” Luckily for me I have an amazing support team that I called in for help. Amazing, supportive women who understand and helped me see things in the right way. They shared an awesome article about not focusing on what my body looks like, but what it can do. I created a tiny human! A perfect little miracle with blue eyes and a smile that lights up a room. He has his daddies wide hands, and his grandpa’s dimple. He makes life important and full of purpose. He learns and grows and has his own unique personality. I did that! So what if my belly bulges and my boobs sag. That is a miracle that God let me participate in. He is worth every stretch mark.
So where does that leave me now? Well I cleaned out the stack in the back of my closet and I'm moving on. I’m choosing to take better care of myself, and trying to make smarter choices about what I eat. Monte and I are enjoying our walks together and before long I’ll be running after him. But mostly I’m choosing to be happy in my circumstances. I’m choosing to be happy today. So many of us are unhappy with the way we look. Too tall or too short. Too fat or too thin. Think of how life would change if we all spent less time trying to fix what is “wrong” with ourselves, and more time learning to be happy with the way we are. That is my wish and my goal, and my hope for you. Stop listening to that voice that says you’re not good enough. None of us are perfect. We are a work in progress and that’s awesome.
Shout for Zout
March 1, 2017
March 1, 2017
I’m in love with this stuff. I rarely used
spot remover products before I had Monte.
Maybe I should have but I just didn’t even
think about it. As soon as Monte was born I knew
this was going to be a must!
He was the messiest eater in the entire world. Honestly I didn’t know how he was possibly growing so fast when it seemed the 90% of his bottle ended up on him rather than in him! My awesome mom
was making burp rags as fast as she could.
He doesn’t usually spit up too much but
when he does, it’s always on a brand new outfit,
right before we are headed out the door.
Amazing how he can time that so perfectly!
That’s when my Mother-in-law
introduced me to Zout. It’s an inexpensive stain remover that
you can buy anywhere but I’d never heard of before. It’s seriously a
miracle. Some of his formula left the nastiest brown stains but Zout
took it right out.
Now I use if for everything.
My cat got sick and all my carpet cleaners didn’t work. Because Zout is best with enzyme stains I thought I’d try it. Worked like a charm! Seriously you’ve gotta try this stuff.
I love it.
PHOTOGRAPHING YOUR BABY
FEB 27, 2017
FEB 27, 2017
Let me guess, you have no aspirations to be a professional photographer! Am I right? But I would also guess that you would appreciate it if the snap shots you took of your baby were a little better. Admit it, we all like it when our baby's picture gets lots of likes and comments on Facebook. You want the world to see how adorable they are, but the pictures just don't quite do them justice.
Well I thought I could give you a few hacks and facts on how to improve those pictures just a little bit. Nothing too drastic or technical! Just a few things I've noticed and tried to improve on myself.
How NOT to hold your baby!
Up the Nose
This too is a very simple fix
but something we don't always think about. When you are taking a picture of your newborn or infant don't angle the camera so you are looking right up their nose.
You may laugh because this is such an obvious thing to say, but look around! It happens more than you think.
You can take the same picture just move around and shoot down across their nose rather than up it. The face will be more flattering and the picture more memorable.
You'll notice below, the angle change is very slight but makes a pretty big difference.
Eye Contact
I know that we all want to capture our babies beautiful smiles! The laughs that we get to see on a daily basis and want to share with our friends and family. If that just isn't working,
don't get frustrated.
You can still get a beautiful picture without a smile. My biggest recommendation, whether or not you get a smile, it eye contact. Eyes are the window to the soul and your picture will always be more powerful if you get that eye contact. I would prioritize this over a smile any day.
Show me your Sole!
Ok lastly, nobody wants to see the dirty soles of your kids shoe. They are not photogenic and can be very distracting. Even in this cute valentines picture of Payton, her shoes are clean because she doesn't walk yet. However the large white foot in the front of the picture draws your eye away from her face. It also looks unusually big because her foot is so much closer to the camera.
If you can turn your baby to the side, or bend their knees to tuck in their feet your picture will have less distractions and come out a little better.
UNSOLICITED ADVICE
FEB 25, 2017
UNSOLICITED ADVICE
FEB 25, 2017
Welcome! I wanna start my blog with a big disclaimer! I have lots of opinions. Anyone who knows me knows that I'm not afraid to share them either. But the truth is, I like it when other people share opinions too. That being said, I hope you enjoy my "Hacks and Facts" and take them for what they were meant to be. I am in no way an expert at being wife or mom. You're probably thinking "5 whole months and she's ready to share her pearls of wisdom!" Not hardly. I just hope that I might have something fun or interesting to share and maybe you can do the same.
Enough apologies! Moving on. But that does actually lead really well into what I wanted to talk about.
