We Love Blueberry anything!

Oh Blueberries how my family loves you! In muffins, pancakes, with whipped cream, in yogurt, and the best plain! My son adores blueberries, he eats them at least every other day. I love them too! Plus they are the only fruit that is blue, my favorite color and a superfood!

I have been trying to come up with new ways to incorporate blueberries into our meals. Do you have any great blueberry recipes?

Its not a pretty pancake but its so good! So many berries it turned the batter blue. I called them Smurf cakes!

Guaranteed Low Prices at GlassesUSA Website Review

 I have a funny story about eyeglasses to share. When I was first dating my husband I had no clue he needed glasses since he wore contacts every time I saw him. It wasn't until we were on a date at the State Fair did I realize he wore contacts. He got some dust in his eyes from the animal exhibit and went over to a water fountain to put a bit of water on his face. I noticed he was careful not to get it in his eyes and asked him if he wore contacts. I was so curious from that point what he would look like with glasses!

When I did finally get to see him in eyeglasses I thought he looked so handsome and smart! He explained to me how he would wear them in the evening and early in the morning but would put on contacts when he would hang out with me. Now 10 years later I still think he looks handsome with glasses on!

Anyone who wears glasses and has kids usually has at least one pair broken at one point!

Over the years we have purchased eyeglasses for him from many places. Sometimes with good results sometimes they turned out to be horrible. One thing we had not thought about was ordering glasses online. For the last two years I have been online shopping and blogging I have found there are many great and reliable places to shop on the net for everything.

I liked these ones! The red on black looks great.

Being the Frugal woman I am I did not want to spend more for the convenience of not having to go to the store to get glasses online. GlassesUSA.com is a website that offers many great selections with reasonable prices. They also have a money back guarantee. With a purchase that is so personal as glasses a guarantee such as that one is a must! They have a facebook page where you can get discounts and sales updates from. Another cool thing on the site is the "virtual mirror" where you can upload a picture of yourself or use a webcam to see what the glasses would look like on you. You can even send pictures to your friends of you trying them on to get another persons option.

I would love my hubby to get these CK oranges ones! I love orange!

If you plan to order glasses anytime soon you should visit GlassesUSA.com to see their selction of Retro frames, Designer frames, Fashion frames (this section had a frames I loved) and even Rimless frames. The "deals of the week" section features a selection of glasses that every frugal mama would love!

You can save 10% with the coupon code: Mommy10
They also have a few summer discounts I can share with you
-Take 20%off any order over $100 and get free shipping with the code FS20 (expires 6/25; free shipping -valid on USA orders only)
Take $25 off any Transitions lenses with the code Trans25

*This is a sponsored post. A sponsored post does not effect my opinion. I gave an honest story and opinion.

Sesame Street and YouTube saved the evening!

I have loved Sesame Street since I was a kid. I had a giant Elmo doll even as a teenager! Snuffy, Big Bird,
 Cookie Monster I love them all. My son loves them too. I love that he enjoys watching the characters I watched as a kid. He has had a DVD about eating your fruits and vegetables starring Elmo that if I put it on he smiles and gets ready to dance. My husband cracks up at how we dance and I sing the words to the songs to my son. He now mumbles while I sing, I know he is trying to figure out how to talk and its so cute to hear him do so. He sways with the music and jumps when the Count tells him to.

The other day my son was in an unusual mood. We have been slowly trying to ween him his binkie and its been rough. He relies on it when hes grumpy or sleepy and the other night he was both but could not get to sleep. I had my computer out so I googled elmo and youtube hoping to find something he had not seen before. I was so happy to find Sesame Street had their own YouTube account where they upload stuff to watch.

At first I was clicking on the classic vids like Elmos song and Rubber Ducky by Burt and Ernie. Then I looked in the suggestions box to the side and found singers and actors that have done a Sesame Street song. I found a few I had not seen before. (Sadly we don't get Sesame Street on our tv since the switch to high def tv). I was so happy to be able to share Sesame Street with my son using our computer. Plus its free to watch!

My son sat on my lap quietly watching the videos I was sharing with him until he heard this one. He got down and danced for a few times of watching it then climbed back onto my lap and fell asleep. It was very sweet and he fell asleep without his binkie! Thank you Sesame Street!

I found a song that is now my FAVORITE song! I wanted to share it with everyone!

Will.i.am sings "What I Am"

My Top Ten Time Saving Tips for Moms

After being married almost 8 years before my son was born being a parent was new to me. I never had to think of time constraints or time management like I do now. Adjusting to the fact that a helpless little person needed my every moment was rough at first. Of course I savored every second of it but it was definitely something I had to get use to. I had to find ways to get stuff done for him, for me, for my husband and for our home. 

I still consider myself a new mom even though my son is 18 months old.  I find myself constantly running out of time to get done my "to do" list for each day. Thankfully I have learned a lot in the last 18 months on how to do tasks and chores in a way that saves me time.

My top ten time saving ideas are:

1. Use a baby carrier!
I found it so much easier to be able to do things like fold laundry while sitting on the couch, talk on the phone, read emails and so much more if I had my little guy in his carrier. He always wanted to be held and I was worried about him wiggling around so I always held him with two hands making it impossible to do anything else.


2. Cook meals in advance while your kids are napping.
I found if I made the meat or entree part of a meal in advance even if it was only for a few days it made it so much more simple to just steam veggies or boil rice to go with the meat I already had cooked. I alwasy do this while he is napping since he needs my full attention when hes awake and I need to pay attention while I cook or it turns out burnt or under seasoned.


3. Use the internet to help shop and pay bills.
Going to the store with kids can be a time drainer. Although its cute they want to help and want to be a little shopper on days when you need to just get it done it can be frustrating. If you know there are certain items your family needs monthly you go use places like Safeway.com or Alice.com to get stuff sent to you without having to do anything! Our internet and phone have online bill pay so you do not have to even fill out a bill and mail it just a few clicks! 


4. Make a Cleaning schedule.
I find myself getting lost in household chores and then I run out of time to do other things I need to do. I have days of the week I do things like the floors, the bathrooms, laundry and cooking. It makes it easier to not feel guilty about certain tasks I might not get done. If it is not my "day" to do it then I won't use my time on it and will get other things done. 


5. Use digital coupons and rewards cards.
I cannot tell you how many hours I spend clipping coupons only to have them expire, left at home or not even need. I use to cut all of them out just in case or to give to someone. It can be a time drainer to clip and organize them all. I am a couponer and love to save money, with our budget its a must but as they say time is money! So I use digital coupons loaded onto my rewards card. I load every deal and every coupon onto the card just to be sure I have it if I need it. I load coupons from the stores website as well as 3rd party coupon sites.


6. Make lists, even lists for your lists!
I know this may seem simple but for me I would be lost without my lists. I write things down for my son, the house and for blogging! I find this helps me to not waste time trying to remember this or that or having to go back to the house for something I forget. Which saves time and gas money! 


7. Know you limits and be ok with it!
Time is a finite. Theres no getting more or making more time. Knowing that you only have so much time in the day to do stuff is something to remind yourself of. Being ok with not accomplishing everything yo wanted to can be stressful but don't let this overwhelm you. Sometimes we can all be time wasters worrying or over thinking things. My mother in law gets stressed about house chores by being overwhelmed by the whole picture. I always tell her one room at a time and you will get there. 


8. Have two diaper bags.
For me I have a regular diaper bag and a mini back up one in the car. The back up one has non perishable snacks, diapers, wipes, a binkie, a stuffed animal, extra outfits, a coat, band-aids, hand sanitizer, an extra tshirt for me and emergency phone numbers in it (in case you lose your cell phone, no one remembers phone  numbers anymore!) I update it as we use stuff and my son changes clothing and diaper sizes. I have friends that have to run to the store or go back to the house when we are on playdates to get the item they forgot to put in the diaper bag. Me I just go to my back up bag and continue with the task at hand!



9. Buy extras if its on Sale.
Running out of diapers or baby food or the all important tp can be a time waster! When my son was first born I was naive to think I could just run to the store to get something. I learned real quick to get more than one of something if I see it on sale. This doesn't just save time but also money! 


10. Have a space for yourself.
This is along the lines of organizing. It will help you to have stuff you need like bills, letters, books, your cell phone all in one spot. Also it gives you a place that you can unwind and have just your stuff there. Metal clarity is a big time saver. Even if its just your own shelf in the closet or if you can a small desk in your bedroom this organizing spot to do your personal tasks will make them easier to get done and give you time later to be with your kids rather than trying to do both at once.




**I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Starbucks blogging program, for a gift card worth $30. For more information on how you can participate, click here. 

Buddy Fruits Review and Giveaway

I am a big fan of food in a pouch for kids. My son loves to be able to hold what he is eating and since hes a wild boy its easier to have his fruit be blended. Buddy Fruits are super easy to take on the go. He drinks them down and loves them. He loves fruit thankfully and these are perfect for him. I place a few of them in our on the go cooler for him on these really hot summer days. We recently tried the fruit snacks. He liked them but I had to of course break them up into tiny pieces for him. I ate the majority of the fruit snacks since they were really good!

He wanted to hold every pouch of the Buddy Fruits. He knows what they are when he sees the packaging. We received a new flavor that my son had not tried before and he loved it. The Mango Passion and Banana is his new favorite. We try not to use the word no in our house. The last thing I want is to hear LW yelling no at me! I try to use alternatives but when it comes to his food ingredients I am ok with no. Buddy Fruits has a list of Nos that I like:

• No preservatives
• No colorings
• No additives
• No fat
• No genetic modification
• No water added
• No dairy or gluten
• No-thing artificial

Soon they will be introducing fruit and milk pouch smoothies. I am sure my little guy will love them!

 

 

GIVEAWAY: 

Win a box of Buddy Fruit Pouches and Fruit Snacks like I reviewed.

To Enter This Giveaway: 

 What is yours or your kids favorite fruit?

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*Limited to US residents; 18 years old and above. Giveaway starts June 22, 2011 and ends on July 3, 2011 at midnight PST.  Winner will be emailed and has 48 hours to respond before another winner is selected. I was not paid for this giveaway or post. I was provided for free the product mentioned for this review. The opinions are 100% mine and may vary from others.